diff --git "a/test.csv" "b/test.csv" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/test.csv" @@ -0,0 +1,840 @@ +text,summary +"hurricane emilia ( cnn ) -- already packing 110 mph winds , a hurricane churning in the pacific ocean off mexico is forecast to get even stronger -- though , as of now , it poses no direct threat to those onshore . hurricane emilia may become a major hurricane ' -- or a category 3 storm , with sustained winds in excess of 111 mph -- later today or tonight , ' the national hurricane center reported in its 2 p.m. ( 5 p.m . et ) advisory . at that time , the eye of the storm was about 680 miles ( 1,095 kilometers ) south of the southern tip of baja california in western mexico . it was progressing west-northwest at 15 mph , a rate of movement that is expected to slow slightly over the next couple of days , ' according to the miami-based weather agency . no coastal watches or warnings have been issued because of emilia , and the hurricane center did not indicate if it is expected to hit or even approach land . as is , steady tropical storm force winds of 39 mph or stronger extend out up to 125 miles from the hurricane 's eye . hurricane winds of 74 mph and more are blowing within 35 miles of the storm 's center . past 12 months warmest recorded in united states emilia is n't the only hurricane spinning in the eastern pacific . the other is hurricane daniel , which had sustained winds of 75 mph as of 2 p.m . but that storm was even farther from land -- its eye situated about 1,450 miles west-southwest of baja california 's southern tip and 1,635 miles east of hilo , hawaii -- and likewise had n't prompted any coastal watches or warnings . daniel weakened over the course of the day monday and was expected to lose even more potency over the next two days , according to the national hurricane center .","hurricane emilia has 110 mph sustained winds , having gotten stronger on monday" +"seuss ( mental floss ) -- 1 . in case you have n't read the lorax , ' it 's widely recognized as dr. seuss'take on environmentalism and how humans are destroying nature . loggers were so upset about the book that some groups within the industry sponsored the truax , ' a similar book -- but from the logging point of view . dr. seuss'widow , audrey geisel , accepted his star on the hollywood walk of fame in 2004 . another interesting fact : the book used to contain the line , i hear things are just as bad up in lake erie , ' but 14 years after the book was published , the ohio sea grant program wrote to seuss creator theodore geisel , and told him how much the conditions had improved and implored him to take the line out . geisel agreed and said that it would n't be in future editions . 2 . somehow , geisel 's books find themselves in the middle of controversy . the line a person 's a person , no matter how small , ' from horton hears a who ! , ' has been used as a slogan for anti-abortion organizations . it 's often questioned whether that was seuss'intent in the first place , but when he was still alive , he threatened to sue an anti-abortion group unless they removed his words from their letterhead . karl zobell , the attorney for dr. seuss'interests and for his widow , audrey geisel , says that she does n't like people to hijack dr. seuss characters or material to front their own points of view . ' mental floss : 5 stories about seuss himself 3 . if i ran the zoo , ' published in 1950 , is the first recorded instance of the word nerd . ' 4 . the cat in the hat ' was written because dr. seuss thought the famous dick and jane primers were insanely boring . because kids were n't interested in the material , they were n't exactly compelled to use it repeatedly in their efforts to learn to read . so , the cat in the hat ' was born . 5 . bennett cerf , dr. seuss'editor , bet him that he could n't write a book using 50 words or less . the cat in the hat ' was pretty simple , after all , and it used 225 words . not one to back down from a challenge , mr. geisel started writing and came up with green eggs and ham ' -- which uses exactly 50 words . the 50 words , by the way , are : a , am , and , anywhere , are , be , boat , box , car , could , dark , do , eat , eggs , fox , goat , good , green , ham , here , house , i , if , in , let , like , may , me , mouse , not , on , or , rain , sam , say , see , so , thank , that , the , them , there , they , train , tree , try , will , with , would , you . 6 . it 's often alleged that marvin k. mooney will you please go now ! ' was written specifically about richard nixon , but the book came out only two months after the whole watergate scandal . it 's unlikely that the book could have been conceived of , written , edited and mass produced in such a short time . also , seuss never admitted that the story was originally about nixon . that 's not to say he did n't understand how well the two flowed together . in 1974 , he sent a copy of marvin k. mooney to his friend art buchwald at the washington post . in it , he crossed out marvin k. mooney ' and replaced it with richard m. nixon , ' which buchwald reprinted in its entirety . 7 . yertle the turtle ' = hitler ? yep . if you have n't read the story , here 's a little overview : yertle is the king of the pond , but he wants more . he demands that other turtles stack themselves up so he can sit on top of them to survey the land . mack , the turtle at the bottom , is exhausted . he asks yertle for a rest ; yertle ignores him and demands more turtles for a better view . eventually , yertle notices the moon and is furious that anything dare be higher than himself , and is about ready to call for more turtles when mack burps . this sudden movement topples the whole stack , sends yertle flying into the mud , and frees the rest of the turtles from their stacking duty . dr. seuss actually said yertle was a representation of hitler . despite the political nature of the book , none of that was disputed at random house -- what was disputed was mack 's burp . no one had ever let a burp loose in a children 's book before , so it was a little dicey . in the end , obviously , mack burped . mental floss : the dr. seuss quiz 8 . the butter battle book ' is one i had never heard of , perhaps with good reason : it was pulled from the shelves of libraries for a while because of the reference to the cold war and the arms race . yooks and zooks are societies who do everything differently . the yooks eat their bread with the butter-side up and the zooks eat their bread with the butter-side down . obviously , one of them must be wrong , so they start building weapons to outdo each other : the tough-tufted prickly snick-berry switch , ' the triple-sling jigger , ' the jigger-rock snatchem , ' the kick-a-poo kid ' , the eight-nozzled elephant-toted boom blitz , ' the utterly sputter ' and the bitsy big-boy boomeroo . ' the book concludes with each side ready to drop their ultimate bombs on each other , but the reader does n't know how it actually turns out . 9 . oh the places you 'll go ' is the final seuss book published before he passed away . published in 1990 , it sells about 300,000 copies every year because so many people give it to college and high school grads . 10 . no dr. seuss post would be complete without a mention of how the grinch stole christmas ! ' frankenstein 's monster himself , boris karloff , provided the voice of the grinch and the narration for the movie . seuss was a little wary of casting him because he thought his voice would be too scary for kids . if you 're wondering why they sound a bit different , it 's because the sound people went back to the grinch 's parts and removed all of the high tones in karloff 's voice . that 's why the grinch sounds so gravelly . tony the tiger , aka thurl ravenscroft , is the voice behind you 're a mean one , mr . grinch . ' he received no credit on screen , so dr. seuss wrote to columnists in every major u.s. newspaper to tell them exactly who had sung the song . mental floss : how cereal transformed american culture for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved .","dr. seuss wrote the cat in the hat ' because of bet over 50-word book" +"the lorax ( mental floss ) -- 1 . in case you have n't read the lorax , ' it 's widely recognized as dr. seuss'take on environmentalism and how humans are destroying nature . loggers were so upset about the book that some groups within the industry sponsored the truax , ' a similar book -- but from the logging point of view . dr. seuss'widow , audrey geisel , accepted his star on the hollywood walk of fame in 2004 . another interesting fact : the book used to contain the line , i hear things are just as bad up in lake erie , ' but 14 years after the book was published , the ohio sea grant program wrote to seuss creator theodore geisel , and told him how much the conditions had improved and implored him to take the line out . geisel agreed and said that it would n't be in future editions . 2 . somehow , geisel 's books find themselves in the middle of controversy . the line a person 's a person , no matter how small , ' from horton hears a who ! , ' has been used as a slogan for anti-abortion organizations . it 's often questioned whether that was seuss'intent in the first place , but when he was still alive , he threatened to sue an anti-abortion group unless they removed his words from their letterhead . karl zobell , the attorney for dr. seuss'interests and for his widow , audrey geisel , says that she does n't like people to hijack dr. seuss characters or material to front their own points of view . ' mental floss : 5 stories about seuss himself 3 . if i ran the zoo , ' published in 1950 , is the first recorded instance of the word nerd . ' 4 . the cat in the hat ' was written because dr. seuss thought the famous dick and jane primers were insanely boring . because kids were n't interested in the material , they were n't exactly compelled to use it repeatedly in their efforts to learn to read . so , the cat in the hat ' was born . 5 . bennett cerf , dr. seuss'editor , bet him that he could n't write a book using 50 words or less . the cat in the hat ' was pretty simple , after all , and it used 225 words . not one to back down from a challenge , mr. geisel started writing and came up with green eggs and ham ' -- which uses exactly 50 words . the 50 words , by the way , are : a , am , and , anywhere , are , be , boat , box , car , could , dark , do , eat , eggs , fox , goat , good , green , ham , here , house , i , if , in , let , like , may , me , mouse , not , on , or , rain , sam , say , see , so , thank , that , the , them , there , they , train , tree , try , will , with , would , you . 6 . it 's often alleged that marvin k. mooney will you please go now ! ' was written specifically about richard nixon , but the book came out only two months after the whole watergate scandal . it 's unlikely that the book could have been conceived of , written , edited and mass produced in such a short time . also , seuss never admitted that the story was originally about nixon . that 's not to say he did n't understand how well the two flowed together . in 1974 , he sent a copy of marvin k. mooney to his friend art buchwald at the washington post . in it , he crossed out marvin k. mooney ' and replaced it with richard m. nixon , ' which buchwald reprinted in its entirety . 7 . yertle the turtle ' = hitler ? yep . if you have n't read the story , here 's a little overview : yertle is the king of the pond , but he wants more . he demands that other turtles stack themselves up so he can sit on top of them to survey the land . mack , the turtle at the bottom , is exhausted . he asks yertle for a rest ; yertle ignores him and demands more turtles for a better view . eventually , yertle notices the moon and is furious that anything dare be higher than himself , and is about ready to call for more turtles when mack burps . this sudden movement topples the whole stack , sends yertle flying into the mud , and frees the rest of the turtles from their stacking duty . dr. seuss actually said yertle was a representation of hitler . despite the political nature of the book , none of that was disputed at random house -- what was disputed was mack 's burp . no one had ever let a burp loose in a children 's book before , so it was a little dicey . in the end , obviously , mack burped . mental floss : the dr. seuss quiz 8 . the butter battle book ' is one i had never heard of , perhaps with good reason : it was pulled from the shelves of libraries for a while because of the reference to the cold war and the arms race . yooks and zooks are societies who do everything differently . the yooks eat their bread with the butter-side up and the zooks eat their bread with the butter-side down . obviously , one of them must be wrong , so they start building weapons to outdo each other : the tough-tufted prickly snick-berry switch , ' the triple-sling jigger , ' the jigger-rock snatchem , ' the kick-a-poo kid ' , the eight-nozzled elephant-toted boom blitz , ' the utterly sputter ' and the bitsy big-boy boomeroo . ' the book concludes with each side ready to drop their ultimate bombs on each other , but the reader does n't know how it actually turns out . 9 . oh the places you 'll go ' is the final seuss book published before he passed away . published in 1990 , it sells about 300,000 copies every year because so many people give it to college and high school grads . 10 . no dr. seuss post would be complete without a mention of how the grinch stole christmas ! ' frankenstein 's monster himself , boris karloff , provided the voice of the grinch and the narration for the movie . seuss was a little wary of casting him because he thought his voice would be too scary for kids . if you 're wondering why they sound a bit different , it 's because the sound people went back to the grinch 's parts and removed all of the high tones in karloff 's voice . that 's why the grinch sounds so gravelly . tony the tiger , aka thurl ravenscroft , is the voice behind you 're a mean one , mr . grinch . ' he received no credit on screen , so dr. seuss wrote to columnists in every major u.s. newspaper to tell them exactly who had sung the song . mental floss : how cereal transformed american culture for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved .","author agreed to remove negative line about lake erie from the lorax '" +"george h.w . bush former first lady barbara bush was discharged from houston methodist hospital on saturday , a family spokesman said . i can not thank the doctors and nurses at houston methodist enough for making sure i got the best treatment and got back to george and our dogs as quickly as possible , ' bush said . she was released after six days of treatment for pneumonia , a family statement said . bush , 88 , is the wife of the 41st u.s. president , george h.w . bush , and the mother of the 43rd , george w. bush . president barack obama and former president bill clinton sent their best wishes to mrs. bush for a full recovery . in her role as first lady , she championed the cause of literacy . she formed the barbara bush foundation for family literacy in 1989 . that was the same year that she made public that she had been diagnosed in 1988 with graves'disease , an autoimmune disease that commonly affects the thyroid . in 2010 , she was hospitalized for what doctors at the time described as a recurrence of graves'disease . she underwent heart surgery in 2009 after doctors found hardening in one part of her aorta . in 2008 , she was hospitalized after suffering abdominal pain . she underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer .","bush is the wife of the 41st president , george h.w . bush" +"los angeles los angeles ( cnn ) -- lindsay lohan made sure she made it to the los angeles morgue early friday for her first day of court-ordered community service . we can confirm she came in well before her appointed time , between 6 and 6:30 this morning , ' los angeles county coroner assistant chief ed winter said friday . thursday was suppose to be lohan 's first day of work as a morgue janitor , but she was sent away after showing up late for the morning 's orientation . publicist steven honig blamed her tardiness on a combination of not knowing what entrance to go through and confusion caused by the media waiting for her arrival . ' as part of her sentence for a necklace theft conviction , lohan was ordered to work 120 hours at the county morgue after she completed 360 hours of community service at the los angeles downtown women 's center , but she was booted from that program for missing too many appointments . los angeles county superior court judge stephanie sautner ruled wednesday that lohan had violated her probation . lohan posted $ 100,000 bail for her probation revocation , but sautner ordered her to perform two working shifts -- or eight hours a day -- twice a week at the morgue until her probation revocation hearing november 2 . her duties will include general janitorial work like vaccuuming , taking trash out and cleaning bathrooms , ' winter said . lohan , 25 , was on probation after pleading guilty in may to stealing a necklace from a venice , california , jewelry store . she served five weeks of home confinement ending in june for that misdemeanor theft and violation of another probation . lohan 's legal woes began in 2007 with two drunken driving arrests , and they 've been compounded by her failure to attend counseling classes and her failures of alcohol and drug tests . cnn 's michael martinez contributed to this report .","the actress will perform janitorial work at the los angeles morgue twice a week" +"fun size ( ew.com ) -- distracted by the easy money of halloween slasher films , hollywood has long ignored the more fun-spirited side of the modern , billion-dollar carnivalesque holiday . but it 's the perfect setting for the brand of teen comedies that made john hughes and chris columbus famous . that 's clearly the idea behind fun size , ' which tells the story of a smart and responsible high-school senior ( nickelodeon 's victoria justice ) whose all hallow 's eve turns into a disastrous adventure in babysitting . she wants to go to the cool dress-up party †” her idea of a great costume is ruth bader ginsberg †” with her shallow bff ( jane levy ) . but when her pathetic widowed mother ( chelsea handler ) pawns her devilish little brother on her so she can party like a teenager herself , chaos and coincidences ensue . she loses the kid at a neighborhood haunted house and has to track him down him before mom gets home . you 'd hope that gossip girl ' creator josh schwartz , directing for the first time , would have a better feel for such matter , but fun size ' blatantly and lazily traces mediocre versions of the genre . ( who wants to be a poor poor-man 's version of ca n't hardly wait ' ? ) there is no attempt to reinvent , and what might have been a half-decent homage is undermined by numbing comic failure .'vampire diaries': like elena as a vamp ? at least levy delivers her lines with some snap , and even though she could play the snarky best friend in her sleep , she still has fun with it , which is greatly appreciated . handler , on the other hand , looks literally pained , and fans of the talented comedian will wonder why she 's already taking thankless mom roles after films like bridesmaids proved a market for brassy female-driven comedies . axl rose brings gifts to'kimmel'crowd this movie has no courage and little brains , and is salvaged , if at all , only by its heart . there remains a huge market for a great halloween teen comedy , but fun size ' is the disappointing apple that your crazy-haired neighbor gives you instead of candy . feel free to dump this one in the bushes . d+ see the original article at ew.com ."," fun size ' is about a high school senior whose halloween turns into an adventure in babysitting" +"fun size ( ew.com ) -- distracted by the easy money of halloween slasher films , hollywood has long ignored the more fun-spirited side of the modern , billion-dollar carnivalesque holiday . but it 's the perfect setting for the brand of teen comedies that made john hughes and chris columbus famous . that 's clearly the idea behind fun size , ' which tells the story of a smart and responsible high-school senior ( nickelodeon 's victoria justice ) whose all hallow 's eve turns into a disastrous adventure in babysitting . she wants to go to the cool dress-up party †” her idea of a great costume is ruth bader ginsberg †” with her shallow bff ( jane levy ) . but when her pathetic widowed mother ( chelsea handler ) pawns her devilish little brother on her so she can party like a teenager herself , chaos and coincidences ensue . she loses the kid at a neighborhood haunted house and has to track him down him before mom gets home . you 'd hope that gossip girl ' creator josh schwartz , directing for the first time , would have a better feel for such matter , but fun size ' blatantly and lazily traces mediocre versions of the genre . ( who wants to be a poor poor-man 's version of ca n't hardly wait ' ? ) there is no attempt to reinvent , and what might have been a half-decent homage is undermined by numbing comic failure .'vampire diaries': like elena as a vamp ? at least levy delivers her lines with some snap , and even though she could play the snarky best friend in her sleep , she still has fun with it , which is greatly appreciated . handler , on the other hand , looks literally pained , and fans of the talented comedian will wonder why she 's already taking thankless mom roles after films like bridesmaids proved a market for brassy female-driven comedies . axl rose brings gifts to'kimmel'crowd this movie has no courage and little brains , and is salvaged , if at all , only by its heart . there remains a huge market for a great halloween teen comedy , but fun size ' is the disappointing apple that your crazy-haired neighbor gives you instead of candy . feel free to dump this one in the bushes . d+ see the original article at ew.com ."," fun size ' blatantly and lazily traces mediocre versions of the genre" +"indian two indian sailors were found dead thursday a day after the submarine they were on filled with toxic smoke , authorities said . the accident , the latest in a series of problems plaguing the indian fleet , prompted the chief of the country 's navy to resign . seven crew members of the russian-built submarine , the ins sindhuratna , have been hospitalized after inhaling smoke emanating from one of the vessel 's compartments early wednesday while it was off the coast of mumbai , the navy said . two other sailors on the submarine had been reported missing . their bodies were found thursday in a smoke-affected compartment of the vessel , authorities said . adm. d.k . joshi , the navy 's chief of staff , stepped down wednesday after news of the problems on the submarine emerged , the government said . joshi took moral responsibility for the accidents and incidents which have taken place during the past few months , ' the defense ministry said in a statement . the indian navy declined to provide an exact number of how many incidents had taken place on vessels in recent months , saying only that there had been a couple of serious accidents involving submarines . ' in august , an explosion and fire sank another of india 's russian-made submarines , the ins sindhurakshak , killing all 18 sailors on board . that was the navy 's deadliest peacetime disaster . the cause of the smoke wednesday on the sindhuratna is still under investigation , the navy said . the indian navy has been struggling to modernize its aging submarine fleet , which , like much of the indian military , relies heavily on russian hardware . analysts say the current number of submarines is far fewer than india needs to patrol is lengthy coastline , but plans to update the fleet have been held up because of technical problems , bureaucracy and higher-than-expected costs .","in august , an explosion on another indian submarine killed all 18 sailors on board" +"hirscher ( cnn ) -- an entire nation stopped sunday . four million people sat watching on their television , hearts palpitating with every movement . it was time . another 40,000 packed into schladming with just one hope . amidst the roars , step forward marcel hirscher , the 23-year-old with the weight of all austria on his shoulders . for two weeks the austrian public had watched and waited for hirscher to deliver that moment of magic , that performance which would go down in folklore . on sunday , faced with his last chance of chance of glory , the home favorite delivered , sealing victory in the men 's slalom to spark scenes of wild celebration . the 23-year-old came home in an aggregate of 1min 51.03 seconds , 0.42 seconds ahead of germany 's felix neureuther , with fellow austrian and former two-time world champion mario matt , claiming bronze at 0.65 seconds . it was very difficult , ' hirscher told reporters . it was fierce . what can i say , it 's great . the atmosphere was sensational , it was great . but i was so focused and just tried not to make a mess . it was anything but easy . ' hirscher said the lead up to the slalom had been the toughest week in my life so far ' . the whole country was watching me , especially for the slalom . around four million people were watching on television in austria and 40,000 are here live in the stadium . if i 'd straddled , oh my god , they 're going to kill me ! it 's definitely good to be the world champion here in my home country . ' with the cowbells greeting his victorious arrival at the finish line , hirscher soaked up the adulation in front of an adoring crowd . but while hirscher was left to reflect on his victory , u.s. star ted ligety 's bid to win a fourth gold at the championships was ended following an uncharacteristic error . ligety , who had won gold in the super-g , super-combined and giant slalom , was the first man to achieve such a feat since claude killy in 1968 . but his failure around a gate and the sight of his skis breaking free , ended ligety 's attempt to make history . while ligety failed , germany 's neureuther had no such problems , claiming silver . i really tried not to make the same mistakes i 've done in the past in big events , ' he told reporters . i did n't have an ideal run . marcel did it really great again today . ' bronze medalist matt added : i trusted in myself to do it and i could n't do anything but go full out . but you ca n't race senselessly . i 'm very happy with the bronze medal , you have to be happy when you see how tight the field is in slalom . '","marcel hirscher won the men 's slalom at the world championships sunday" +"hirscher ( cnn ) -- an entire nation stopped sunday . four million people sat watching on their television , hearts palpitating with every movement . it was time . another 40,000 packed into schladming with just one hope . amidst the roars , step forward marcel hirscher , the 23-year-old with the weight of all austria on his shoulders . for two weeks the austrian public had watched and waited for hirscher to deliver that moment of magic , that performance which would go down in folklore . on sunday , faced with his last chance of chance of glory , the home favorite delivered , sealing victory in the men 's slalom to spark scenes of wild celebration . the 23-year-old came home in an aggregate of 1min 51.03 seconds , 0.42 seconds ahead of germany 's felix neureuther , with fellow austrian and former two-time world champion mario matt , claiming bronze at 0.65 seconds . it was very difficult , ' hirscher told reporters . it was fierce . what can i say , it 's great . the atmosphere was sensational , it was great . but i was so focused and just tried not to make a mess . it was anything but easy . ' hirscher said the lead up to the slalom had been the toughest week in my life so far ' . the whole country was watching me , especially for the slalom . around four million people were watching on television in austria and 40,000 are here live in the stadium . if i 'd straddled , oh my god , they 're going to kill me ! it 's definitely good to be the world champion here in my home country . ' with the cowbells greeting his victorious arrival at the finish line , hirscher soaked up the adulation in front of an adoring crowd . but while hirscher was left to reflect on his victory , u.s. star ted ligety 's bid to win a fourth gold at the championships was ended following an uncharacteristic error . ligety , who had won gold in the super-g , super-combined and giant slalom , was the first man to achieve such a feat since claude killy in 1968 . but his failure around a gate and the sight of his skis breaking free , ended ligety 's attempt to make history . while ligety failed , germany 's neureuther had no such problems , claiming silver . i really tried not to make the same mistakes i 've done in the past in big events , ' he told reporters . i did n't have an ideal run . marcel did it really great again today . ' bronze medalist matt added : i trusted in myself to do it and i could n't do anything but go full out . but you ca n't race senselessly . i 'm very happy with the bronze medal , you have to be happy when you see how tight the field is in slalom . '","hirscher is the only austrian to win individual gold at schladming over the past fortnight" +"olympic editor 's note : sarah hughes won the gold medal in figure skating at the 2002 winter olympics in salt lake city , utah , and is a graduate of yale university . medalist sarah hughes says the games are about excellence and unity . ( cnn ) -- what are the first thoughts that pop into your mind when you hear the word olympics ? probably something synonymous with excellence , greatness , excitement , achievement . maybe it 's the striking image of nadia comaneci scoring a perfect 10 etched in your mind , or the experience of following michael phelps'quest to win a record-breaking eight gold medals last summer in beijing , china . or is it the thrill of watching the 1980 u.s. olympic hockey team winning the gold medal in lake placid , stacked up against unimaginable odds , that occupies that space ? i could go on and on , but whatever image the olympics has for you is probably accompanied by a feeling of pride , happiness , joyfulness , maybe even a childlike glee . sometimes it 's the simple way you can sum up your response to the question -- and perhaps that 's the point of asking the question -- but it would be foolish to ignore other aspects of the games that contribute to making the event happen . although the presence of public officials at host-city bids shows the international olympic committee that they are behind the bid and will be supportive , such appearances are not required . on friday , president obama , a chicago , illinois , resident for many years , will arrive in copenhagen , denmark ( his wife is already there ) , to support and try to persuade the ioc voters in favor of the 2016 chicago bid . obama 's visit to copenhagen will make him the first u.s. president to attend an olympic host-city vote . his visit will not be the first by a president ( or prime minister ) whose country went on to win a bid for the games . british prime minister tony blair and his wife were in singapore lobbying ioc members for the 2012 summer games host-city vote when london was awarded the event . two years later , russian president vladimir putin went to the host-city vote in guatemala when sochi , a relatively unknown city , won the right to host the 2014 winter games . the other 2016 contenders vying for votes from the 100-plus eligible members of the ioc are madrid , spain ; rio de janeiro , brazil ; and tokyo , japan . michelle obama , a lifelong chicagoan enthusiastically championing the u.s. bid , is displaying her olympic spirit . ' on monday , the eve of her visit to copenhagen , she spoke of being ready to woo each voter individually if need be : gloves are off . i 'm talking to everybody . that 's what my schedule looks like . ' sounding like an olympic competitor already herself , she added that she did n't think there 's one person left off . ' it is easy to come to the conclusion that i might be biased , having won a gold medal in figure skating at the 2002 salt lake city games , but i was an american and a fan long before those games , and i will be one long after . the memories , unity and patriotism from the salt lake games was n't about any one particular thing but about all those little things ' coming together : the result of what the participants -- the fans , volunteers , competitors , coaches , moms , dads , sisters , brothers , cities and nations -- created by sharing the best we have to offer with one another . that 's what the olympics are about . they are about greatness , they are about excellence , but above all , the games are about unity . in a september 10 letter to ioc members , obama wrote about how he sees the 2016 olympic and paralympic games as an extraordinary opportunity for america to renew our bonds of friendship and welcome the world to our shores with open arms . ' and on friday , when obama arrives in copenhagen , he will be joined by brazilian president luiz inacio lula da silva , newly appointed japanese prime minister yukio hatoyama and king juan carlos of spain . let the games begin . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sarah hughes .","she says michelle obama is showing she shares the olympic spirit" +"neo-maoists china will have a major leadership change soon when the current leaders , president hu jintao and premier wen jiabao , bow out . in the post-mao era , chinese leadership change and power transition have become institutionalized and more predictable . that 's until the somewhat unexpected bo xilai affair . although the sacking of the chongqing leader -- in the wake of a murder investigation that implicated him and his wife -- revealed the startling degree of widespread corruption and abuse of power among high-ranking leaders , it also exposed the intense struggle among various ideologies of china 's leaders and intellectual elites . this is somewhat unprecedented . after three decades of reforms , china 's social economic landscape has been transformed . short-term and long-term problems and challenges abound . while addressing such problems as inflation , the asset bubble , corruption and increasingly daring expressions of public discontent , china 's leaders and intellectual elites are also searching for long-term legitimacy . the challenge has become more pressing , as chinese society gets wealthier and more restless after three decades of rapid economic and social change . china is in urgent need of a soul , a set of dominant ideas , as the efficacy of the chinese communist party 's official ideology -- emphasizing harmonious society ' and scientific development ' -- diminishes . despite the party 's calls to speak with one voice , ' dissenting ideas and differences are being voiced and heard . unlike the simple dichotomy of reformers and conservatives during the 1980s and early 1990s , today 's sets of views on china 's problems and its future have become more sophisticated and complex . the increasingly intense debate now appears to have three strands : the neoliberal reformers who seek to liberalize the economic and political arenas and reverse the recent expansion of the state ; the neo-maoists who argue for strengthening the state and breaking what they see as a state capitalist ' alliance between the rich and the powerful ; and the neo-confucian traditionalists who bemoan the loss of a moral compass in a modernizing society and want to rekindle china 's soft power in the world . dominating the debates and ideological clashes are the neoliberals and the neo-maoists who occupy the leadership , while neo-confucians , popular as they may be among some common folk and patriotic youths , have yet to find their strong advocates among top leaders . why you ca n't expect easy answers with new leadership in a symbolic example of neo-confucians'inability to gain ground , a giant confucius statue was removed last year some 100 days after it was unveiled in front of the newly reopened national museum of china in tiananmen square . the statue 's appearance in such a prominent location caused an uproar among neoliberals , neo-maoists and the intellectual elite . in the competition for dominant ideas , confucius -- whose school of thought has been touted as a call for pax cina ( chinese peace ' ) -- lost in the gigantic square that is bookended by mao 's iconic portrait and his mausoleum . ( the statue now resides in the museum 's sculpture garden , ostensibly for esthetic reconsiderations . ) the implications of this ideological debate are enormous and will likely determine the future of china . the neo-liberals hold the free market and democracy to be universally applicable and deny the uniqueness of the chinese experience . their power base is guangdong province , where market reforms first served as a pilot test for the nation three decades ago . the provincial party secretary , wang yang , tipped for promotion to the politburo standing committee , is widely regarded as a daring leader , willing to promote changes based on the market and open society principles . pursuing the notion of fairness and justice , ' officials like wang have won the backing of beijing for emphasizing opportunities for the weak and underprivileged . unlike leaders like bo xilai who used iron-fisted measures when dealing with social discontent , wang has a reputation for listening to netizens , including their criticisms of the government . it is not surprising that some of the most liberal news media are based in his province . on the other hand , bo , who had been a contender for the standing committee until his downfall , had been known for advocating maoist tactics , including mass rallies and anticrime campaigns to counter problems like organized crime and corruption . his programs provided neo-maoists , who oppose westernization ' and are critical of state-capitalist market reforms , with a rallying call for common wealth and equality ' at a time china is facing a widening wealth gap . in a subtle rejection of the fairness and justice ' advocated by neoliberals , the neo-maoists see the state as a beneficial force and the market as an evil one . to them , china is unique and can not be remade into the west ; they reject the idea of a universal model of development . bo 's chongqing experiment ' provided china 's neo-maoists with a set of ideas that could compete against the neoliberals'advocacy of the market and democracy . charming and media savvy , bo had populist appeal that garnered local support , but a seeming return to the redness ' of the maoist era caused a certain unease among party officials , particularly liberal-bent elders . his downfall has put neo-maoists on the retreat , but there are signs they are ready to become vocal , as the new leaders take over . read about bo being under criminal investigation behind the façade of unity that the party has emphasized is a struggle not just for leadership positions but of ideas . this struggle will affect major policy decision making , including political reforms . it is still too early to predict who will get into the top governing body of the communist party . but ideological orientation will surely be one of the considerations in the jockeying for power . as hu 's 10-year term comes to an end , his cautious and above-the-fray approach to economic reforms and ideological debates may have come to an end as well . the question is , will any of these disparate sets of ideas be accepted by hu 's expected successor as party chief , xi jinping ? his ideological orientations remain unclear , and he may not have an easy time walking a middle path and continuing a mishmash mainstream ' ideology by not choosing sides . how he and other key leaders take up stands in this struggle for ideological dominance will be immensely important for china and its direction in the next decade .","bo , tipped for standing committee until his fall , neo-maoists touted common wealth '" +"neo-maoists china will have a major leadership change soon when the current leaders , president hu jintao and premier wen jiabao , bow out . in the post-mao era , chinese leadership change and power transition have become institutionalized and more predictable . that 's until the somewhat unexpected bo xilai affair . although the sacking of the chongqing leader -- in the wake of a murder investigation that implicated him and his wife -- revealed the startling degree of widespread corruption and abuse of power among high-ranking leaders , it also exposed the intense struggle among various ideologies of china 's leaders and intellectual elites . this is somewhat unprecedented . after three decades of reforms , china 's social economic landscape has been transformed . short-term and long-term problems and challenges abound . while addressing such problems as inflation , the asset bubble , corruption and increasingly daring expressions of public discontent , china 's leaders and intellectual elites are also searching for long-term legitimacy . the challenge has become more pressing , as chinese society gets wealthier and more restless after three decades of rapid economic and social change . china is in urgent need of a soul , a set of dominant ideas , as the efficacy of the chinese communist party 's official ideology -- emphasizing harmonious society ' and scientific development ' -- diminishes . despite the party 's calls to speak with one voice , ' dissenting ideas and differences are being voiced and heard . unlike the simple dichotomy of reformers and conservatives during the 1980s and early 1990s , today 's sets of views on china 's problems and its future have become more sophisticated and complex . the increasingly intense debate now appears to have three strands : the neoliberal reformers who seek to liberalize the economic and political arenas and reverse the recent expansion of the state ; the neo-maoists who argue for strengthening the state and breaking what they see as a state capitalist ' alliance between the rich and the powerful ; and the neo-confucian traditionalists who bemoan the loss of a moral compass in a modernizing society and want to rekindle china 's soft power in the world . dominating the debates and ideological clashes are the neoliberals and the neo-maoists who occupy the leadership , while neo-confucians , popular as they may be among some common folk and patriotic youths , have yet to find their strong advocates among top leaders . why you ca n't expect easy answers with new leadership in a symbolic example of neo-confucians'inability to gain ground , a giant confucius statue was removed last year some 100 days after it was unveiled in front of the newly reopened national museum of china in tiananmen square . the statue 's appearance in such a prominent location caused an uproar among neoliberals , neo-maoists and the intellectual elite . in the competition for dominant ideas , confucius -- whose school of thought has been touted as a call for pax cina ( chinese peace ' ) -- lost in the gigantic square that is bookended by mao 's iconic portrait and his mausoleum . ( the statue now resides in the museum 's sculpture garden , ostensibly for esthetic reconsiderations . ) the implications of this ideological debate are enormous and will likely determine the future of china . the neo-liberals hold the free market and democracy to be universally applicable and deny the uniqueness of the chinese experience . their power base is guangdong province , where market reforms first served as a pilot test for the nation three decades ago . the provincial party secretary , wang yang , tipped for promotion to the politburo standing committee , is widely regarded as a daring leader , willing to promote changes based on the market and open society principles . pursuing the notion of fairness and justice , ' officials like wang have won the backing of beijing for emphasizing opportunities for the weak and underprivileged . unlike leaders like bo xilai who used iron-fisted measures when dealing with social discontent , wang has a reputation for listening to netizens , including their criticisms of the government . it is not surprising that some of the most liberal news media are based in his province . on the other hand , bo , who had been a contender for the standing committee until his downfall , had been known for advocating maoist tactics , including mass rallies and anticrime campaigns to counter problems like organized crime and corruption . his programs provided neo-maoists , who oppose westernization ' and are critical of state-capitalist market reforms , with a rallying call for common wealth and equality ' at a time china is facing a widening wealth gap . in a subtle rejection of the fairness and justice ' advocated by neoliberals , the neo-maoists see the state as a beneficial force and the market as an evil one . to them , china is unique and can not be remade into the west ; they reject the idea of a universal model of development . bo 's chongqing experiment ' provided china 's neo-maoists with a set of ideas that could compete against the neoliberals'advocacy of the market and democracy . charming and media savvy , bo had populist appeal that garnered local support , but a seeming return to the redness ' of the maoist era caused a certain unease among party officials , particularly liberal-bent elders . his downfall has put neo-maoists on the retreat , but there are signs they are ready to become vocal , as the new leaders take over . read about bo being under criminal investigation behind the façade of unity that the party has emphasized is a struggle not just for leadership positions but of ideas . this struggle will affect major policy decision making , including political reforms . it is still too early to predict who will get into the top governing body of the communist party . but ideological orientation will surely be one of the considerations in the jockeying for power . as hu 's 10-year term comes to an end , his cautious and above-the-fray approach to economic reforms and ideological debates may have come to an end as well . the question is , will any of these disparate sets of ideas be accepted by hu 's expected successor as party chief , xi jinping ? his ideological orientations remain unclear , and he may not have an easy time walking a middle path and continuing a mishmash mainstream ' ideology by not choosing sides . how he and other key leaders take up stands in this struggle for ideological dominance will be immensely important for china and its direction in the next decade .","lu : dominating the debates are the neoliberals and neo-maoists who occupy the leadership" +"wang yang china will have a major leadership change soon when the current leaders , president hu jintao and premier wen jiabao , bow out . in the post-mao era , chinese leadership change and power transition have become institutionalized and more predictable . that 's until the somewhat unexpected bo xilai affair . although the sacking of the chongqing leader -- in the wake of a murder investigation that implicated him and his wife -- revealed the startling degree of widespread corruption and abuse of power among high-ranking leaders , it also exposed the intense struggle among various ideologies of china 's leaders and intellectual elites . this is somewhat unprecedented . after three decades of reforms , china 's social economic landscape has been transformed . short-term and long-term problems and challenges abound . while addressing such problems as inflation , the asset bubble , corruption and increasingly daring expressions of public discontent , china 's leaders and intellectual elites are also searching for long-term legitimacy . the challenge has become more pressing , as chinese society gets wealthier and more restless after three decades of rapid economic and social change . china is in urgent need of a soul , a set of dominant ideas , as the efficacy of the chinese communist party 's official ideology -- emphasizing harmonious society ' and scientific development ' -- diminishes . despite the party 's calls to speak with one voice , ' dissenting ideas and differences are being voiced and heard . unlike the simple dichotomy of reformers and conservatives during the 1980s and early 1990s , today 's sets of views on china 's problems and its future have become more sophisticated and complex . the increasingly intense debate now appears to have three strands : the neoliberal reformers who seek to liberalize the economic and political arenas and reverse the recent expansion of the state ; the neo-maoists who argue for strengthening the state and breaking what they see as a state capitalist ' alliance between the rich and the powerful ; and the neo-confucian traditionalists who bemoan the loss of a moral compass in a modernizing society and want to rekindle china 's soft power in the world . dominating the debates and ideological clashes are the neoliberals and the neo-maoists who occupy the leadership , while neo-confucians , popular as they may be among some common folk and patriotic youths , have yet to find their strong advocates among top leaders . why you ca n't expect easy answers with new leadership in a symbolic example of neo-confucians'inability to gain ground , a giant confucius statue was removed last year some 100 days after it was unveiled in front of the newly reopened national museum of china in tiananmen square . the statue 's appearance in such a prominent location caused an uproar among neoliberals , neo-maoists and the intellectual elite . in the competition for dominant ideas , confucius -- whose school of thought has been touted as a call for pax cina ( chinese peace ' ) -- lost in the gigantic square that is bookended by mao 's iconic portrait and his mausoleum . ( the statue now resides in the museum 's sculpture garden , ostensibly for esthetic reconsiderations . ) the implications of this ideological debate are enormous and will likely determine the future of china . the neo-liberals hold the free market and democracy to be universally applicable and deny the uniqueness of the chinese experience . their power base is guangdong province , where market reforms first served as a pilot test for the nation three decades ago . the provincial party secretary , wang yang , tipped for promotion to the politburo standing committee , is widely regarded as a daring leader , willing to promote changes based on the market and open society principles . pursuing the notion of fairness and justice , ' officials like wang have won the backing of beijing for emphasizing opportunities for the weak and underprivileged . unlike leaders like bo xilai who used iron-fisted measures when dealing with social discontent , wang has a reputation for listening to netizens , including their criticisms of the government . it is not surprising that some of the most liberal news media are based in his province . on the other hand , bo , who had been a contender for the standing committee until his downfall , had been known for advocating maoist tactics , including mass rallies and anticrime campaigns to counter problems like organized crime and corruption . his programs provided neo-maoists , who oppose westernization ' and are critical of state-capitalist market reforms , with a rallying call for common wealth and equality ' at a time china is facing a widening wealth gap . in a subtle rejection of the fairness and justice ' advocated by neoliberals , the neo-maoists see the state as a beneficial force and the market as an evil one . to them , china is unique and can not be remade into the west ; they reject the idea of a universal model of development . bo 's chongqing experiment ' provided china 's neo-maoists with a set of ideas that could compete against the neoliberals'advocacy of the market and democracy . charming and media savvy , bo had populist appeal that garnered local support , but a seeming return to the redness ' of the maoist era caused a certain unease among party officials , particularly liberal-bent elders . his downfall has put neo-maoists on the retreat , but there are signs they are ready to become vocal , as the new leaders take over . read about bo being under criminal investigation behind the façade of unity that the party has emphasized is a struggle not just for leadership positions but of ideas . this struggle will affect major policy decision making , including political reforms . it is still too early to predict who will get into the top governing body of the communist party . but ideological orientation will surely be one of the considerations in the jockeying for power . as hu 's 10-year term comes to an end , his cautious and above-the-fray approach to economic reforms and ideological debates may have come to an end as well . the question is , will any of these disparate sets of ideas be accepted by hu 's expected successor as party chief , xi jinping ? his ideological orientations remain unclear , and he may not have an easy time walking a middle path and continuing a mishmash mainstream ' ideology by not choosing sides . how he and other key leaders take up stands in this struggle for ideological dominance will be immensely important for china and its direction in the next decade .","neo-liberals see free market , democracy as universal ; wang yang represents them , lu says" +"bo china will have a major leadership change soon when the current leaders , president hu jintao and premier wen jiabao , bow out . in the post-mao era , chinese leadership change and power transition have become institutionalized and more predictable . that 's until the somewhat unexpected bo xilai affair . although the sacking of the chongqing leader -- in the wake of a murder investigation that implicated him and his wife -- revealed the startling degree of widespread corruption and abuse of power among high-ranking leaders , it also exposed the intense struggle among various ideologies of china 's leaders and intellectual elites . this is somewhat unprecedented . after three decades of reforms , china 's social economic landscape has been transformed . short-term and long-term problems and challenges abound . while addressing such problems as inflation , the asset bubble , corruption and increasingly daring expressions of public discontent , china 's leaders and intellectual elites are also searching for long-term legitimacy . the challenge has become more pressing , as chinese society gets wealthier and more restless after three decades of rapid economic and social change . china is in urgent need of a soul , a set of dominant ideas , as the efficacy of the chinese communist party 's official ideology -- emphasizing harmonious society ' and scientific development ' -- diminishes . despite the party 's calls to speak with one voice , ' dissenting ideas and differences are being voiced and heard . unlike the simple dichotomy of reformers and conservatives during the 1980s and early 1990s , today 's sets of views on china 's problems and its future have become more sophisticated and complex . the increasingly intense debate now appears to have three strands : the neoliberal reformers who seek to liberalize the economic and political arenas and reverse the recent expansion of the state ; the neo-maoists who argue for strengthening the state and breaking what they see as a state capitalist ' alliance between the rich and the powerful ; and the neo-confucian traditionalists who bemoan the loss of a moral compass in a modernizing society and want to rekindle china 's soft power in the world . dominating the debates and ideological clashes are the neoliberals and the neo-maoists who occupy the leadership , while neo-confucians , popular as they may be among some common folk and patriotic youths , have yet to find their strong advocates among top leaders . why you ca n't expect easy answers with new leadership in a symbolic example of neo-confucians'inability to gain ground , a giant confucius statue was removed last year some 100 days after it was unveiled in front of the newly reopened national museum of china in tiananmen square . the statue 's appearance in such a prominent location caused an uproar among neoliberals , neo-maoists and the intellectual elite . in the competition for dominant ideas , confucius -- whose school of thought has been touted as a call for pax cina ( chinese peace ' ) -- lost in the gigantic square that is bookended by mao 's iconic portrait and his mausoleum . ( the statue now resides in the museum 's sculpture garden , ostensibly for esthetic reconsiderations . ) the implications of this ideological debate are enormous and will likely determine the future of china . the neo-liberals hold the free market and democracy to be universally applicable and deny the uniqueness of the chinese experience . their power base is guangdong province , where market reforms first served as a pilot test for the nation three decades ago . the provincial party secretary , wang yang , tipped for promotion to the politburo standing committee , is widely regarded as a daring leader , willing to promote changes based on the market and open society principles . pursuing the notion of fairness and justice , ' officials like wang have won the backing of beijing for emphasizing opportunities for the weak and underprivileged . unlike leaders like bo xilai who used iron-fisted measures when dealing with social discontent , wang has a reputation for listening to netizens , including their criticisms of the government . it is not surprising that some of the most liberal news media are based in his province . on the other hand , bo , who had been a contender for the standing committee until his downfall , had been known for advocating maoist tactics , including mass rallies and anticrime campaigns to counter problems like organized crime and corruption . his programs provided neo-maoists , who oppose westernization ' and are critical of state-capitalist market reforms , with a rallying call for common wealth and equality ' at a time china is facing a widening wealth gap . in a subtle rejection of the fairness and justice ' advocated by neoliberals , the neo-maoists see the state as a beneficial force and the market as an evil one . to them , china is unique and can not be remade into the west ; they reject the idea of a universal model of development . bo 's chongqing experiment ' provided china 's neo-maoists with a set of ideas that could compete against the neoliberals'advocacy of the market and democracy . charming and media savvy , bo had populist appeal that garnered local support , but a seeming return to the redness ' of the maoist era caused a certain unease among party officials , particularly liberal-bent elders . his downfall has put neo-maoists on the retreat , but there are signs they are ready to become vocal , as the new leaders take over . read about bo being under criminal investigation behind the façade of unity that the party has emphasized is a struggle not just for leadership positions but of ideas . this struggle will affect major policy decision making , including political reforms . it is still too early to predict who will get into the top governing body of the communist party . but ideological orientation will surely be one of the considerations in the jockeying for power . as hu 's 10-year term comes to an end , his cautious and above-the-fray approach to economic reforms and ideological debates may have come to an end as well . the question is , will any of these disparate sets of ideas be accepted by hu 's expected successor as party chief , xi jinping ? his ideological orientations remain unclear , and he may not have an easy time walking a middle path and continuing a mishmash mainstream ' ideology by not choosing sides . how he and other key leaders take up stands in this struggle for ideological dominance will be immensely important for china and its direction in the next decade .","bo , tipped for standing committee until his fall , neo-maoists touted common wealth '" +"harris editor 's note : dr. vance harris is a primary care physician in redding , california . an earlier version of this commentary was posted on sermo.com , a private , physicians-only online community . dr. vance harris says primary care doctors get minuscule payment for saving the system huge sums of money . ( cnn ) -- health policy experts agree that any reform in our health care system must include a well-educated , caring primary care doctor who is able to manage the health of his or her patients with an eye to using resources optimally to keep costs down . that 's a tall order and it seems that few policy makers realize the value of primary care physicians . people are making a huge assumption in this reform effort that as we extend coverage to millions who do n't have health insurance , there will be doctors there to actually provide the health care . fewer and fewer medical students are choosing primary care and many primary care doctors are leaving the field . let me share with you why we are losing so many primary care doctors . what follows are a few examples i experience each week . how many dozens of chest pain patients have i seen in the last month for whom i did n't order an ekg , get a consult , set up nuclear imaging or send for a catheterization ? only i have the advantage of knowing how anxious some are and that they have had similar symptoms over the last 20 years . after a history and exam , i am willing to make the call that this is not heart disease . in doing so , i save the system tens of thousands of dollars . most of these patients are worked into a busy day , pushing me even deeper into that mire of tardiness for which i will be chastised by at least six patients before the end of the day . my reward for working these people in and making the call is at most $ 75 . how many times has an anxious patient come in demanding an endoscopy who i examined and then decided to treat less invasively for three to four weeks first ? few of these patients are happy no matter how many times i explain that it is reasonable to treat their reflux symptoms for several weeks before endoscopy . this delay in referral has led to many tense moments in the last 20 years . the cost savings to the system is thousands of dollars each and every time i am willing to make the call and go with the treatment . my reward is about $ 55 from medicare and private health insurers . how many low back pain patients have come to the office in agony knowing that there has to be something serious to cause this kind of pain ? a good history and exam allows me to reassure the patient that there is nothing we need to operate on and that the risk of missing anything is low . this takes a lot of time to explain as i teach them why they do n't need an mri . if someone else ordered the mri , guess who gets to explain the significance of bulging disks to an alarmed patient ? setting realistic expectations on recovery and avoiding needless imaging helps saves the system thousands of dollars . my reward is another $ 55 . how many diabetics do i struggle with , trying to get them to take better care of themselves ? how many hours have i spent with teenage diabetics who will not check their blood sugar and forget half of their insulin doses ? hundreds of hours seem wasted until one day they open their eyes and want to take care of themselves . my reward for years of struggle is a few hundred dollars at best . the savings to society for my hard work and never-give-up attitude is in the tens of thousands of dollars . i am in my 22nd year in practice , now caring for 3,600 patients . having me in the system has resulted in savings in the hundreds of thousands of dollars each and every year . my financial incentive to hang in there and work harder is that i now make less than half what i did 20 years ago . this year i will make even less . these are the reasons so many physicians have left medicine entirely and most of us who are left wonder how long can we continue to work like this ? i have always served my fellow man out of a sense of love and compassion . that 's why i went into medicine . i have been richly rewarded by my patients over the decades as they have appreciated my judgment and skills . is n't it a shame that after all this time and with skills honed by decades of experience , many of us can no longer afford to work as a physician ? no one is talking about this on the national level . if they do n't address these issues , then good luck having physician assistants provide the safety net with two years of training . good luck getting newly trained physicians once they see our salaries . good luck finding internists in your community with only 1 percent of medical students going into internal medicine . good luck recruiting primary care specialists when we are projected to be short 39,000 by 2020 , according to the american academy of family physicians . and nearly half of all doctors surveyed by the physicians'foundation have said that over the next three years they plan to reduce the number of patients they see or stop practicing entirely . i know this is true because i am struggling to find a primary care doctor to take care of my wife and myself . now that is ironic . anyone know who is taking new patients in california ? the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of vance harris .","dr. vance harris : health care reform assumes doctors will be available" +"harris editor 's note : dr. vance harris is a primary care physician in redding , california . an earlier version of this commentary was posted on sermo.com , a private , physicians-only online community . dr. vance harris says primary care doctors get minuscule payment for saving the system huge sums of money . ( cnn ) -- health policy experts agree that any reform in our health care system must include a well-educated , caring primary care doctor who is able to manage the health of his or her patients with an eye to using resources optimally to keep costs down . that 's a tall order and it seems that few policy makers realize the value of primary care physicians . people are making a huge assumption in this reform effort that as we extend coverage to millions who do n't have health insurance , there will be doctors there to actually provide the health care . fewer and fewer medical students are choosing primary care and many primary care doctors are leaving the field . let me share with you why we are losing so many primary care doctors . what follows are a few examples i experience each week . how many dozens of chest pain patients have i seen in the last month for whom i did n't order an ekg , get a consult , set up nuclear imaging or send for a catheterization ? only i have the advantage of knowing how anxious some are and that they have had similar symptoms over the last 20 years . after a history and exam , i am willing to make the call that this is not heart disease . in doing so , i save the system tens of thousands of dollars . most of these patients are worked into a busy day , pushing me even deeper into that mire of tardiness for which i will be chastised by at least six patients before the end of the day . my reward for working these people in and making the call is at most $ 75 . how many times has an anxious patient come in demanding an endoscopy who i examined and then decided to treat less invasively for three to four weeks first ? few of these patients are happy no matter how many times i explain that it is reasonable to treat their reflux symptoms for several weeks before endoscopy . this delay in referral has led to many tense moments in the last 20 years . the cost savings to the system is thousands of dollars each and every time i am willing to make the call and go with the treatment . my reward is about $ 55 from medicare and private health insurers . how many low back pain patients have come to the office in agony knowing that there has to be something serious to cause this kind of pain ? a good history and exam allows me to reassure the patient that there is nothing we need to operate on and that the risk of missing anything is low . this takes a lot of time to explain as i teach them why they do n't need an mri . if someone else ordered the mri , guess who gets to explain the significance of bulging disks to an alarmed patient ? setting realistic expectations on recovery and avoiding needless imaging helps saves the system thousands of dollars . my reward is another $ 55 . how many diabetics do i struggle with , trying to get them to take better care of themselves ? how many hours have i spent with teenage diabetics who will not check their blood sugar and forget half of their insulin doses ? hundreds of hours seem wasted until one day they open their eyes and want to take care of themselves . my reward for years of struggle is a few hundred dollars at best . the savings to society for my hard work and never-give-up attitude is in the tens of thousands of dollars . i am in my 22nd year in practice , now caring for 3,600 patients . having me in the system has resulted in savings in the hundreds of thousands of dollars each and every year . my financial incentive to hang in there and work harder is that i now make less than half what i did 20 years ago . this year i will make even less . these are the reasons so many physicians have left medicine entirely and most of us who are left wonder how long can we continue to work like this ? i have always served my fellow man out of a sense of love and compassion . that 's why i went into medicine . i have been richly rewarded by my patients over the decades as they have appreciated my judgment and skills . is n't it a shame that after all this time and with skills honed by decades of experience , many of us can no longer afford to work as a physician ? no one is talking about this on the national level . if they do n't address these issues , then good luck having physician assistants provide the safety net with two years of training . good luck getting newly trained physicians once they see our salaries . good luck finding internists in your community with only 1 percent of medical students going into internal medicine . good luck recruiting primary care specialists when we are projected to be short 39,000 by 2020 , according to the american academy of family physicians . and nearly half of all doctors surveyed by the physicians'foundation have said that over the next three years they plan to reduce the number of patients they see or stop practicing entirely . i know this is true because i am struggling to find a primary care doctor to take care of my wife and myself . now that is ironic . anyone know who is taking new patients in california ? the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of vance harris .","harris : my financial incentive is less than half what it was 20 years ago" +"baltimore ( cnn ) we did it again , in another american city . we set baltimore on fire this time . we brutalized black bodies . we turned a funeral into a riot . we let things get out of hand . we looted . we threw stones at policemen . we threw stones at citizens . we created camera-ready chaos , and we replayed the images . we created a culture of such deep distrust and disrespect that violence seemed the inevitable response . we let the violence flow . we let the violence stand for everything that 's wrong with the things we already did n't like . by now you may be asking , who 's we ? ' you may be saying with some irritation , do n't lump me in with them . i did n't have anything to do with it . ' to which the only real answer can be : stop kidding yourself . the word we ' is one of the great american words . we the people . yes we can . we are family . i use we ' a lot when i talk about our country 's achievements . i like to say we won the second world war , we put a man on the moon , we invented the internet , we gave the world jazz . well , if i -- a son of immigrants whose family had nothing to do with any of those accomplishments -- if i get to claim those aspects of american history , then surely i have to claim the unsavory aspects too . we ' cuts both ways . we enslaved africans . we cut reconstruction short and made a mockery of equal citizenship . we supported jim crow , then redlined , subordinated , and ghettoized african-americans . we cut blacks out of the new deal . we created a polity in which racial inequity and economic inequality magnify each other unrelentingly . we tried to put a lid on it with heavy policing and a war on drugs . we failed . we are the authors of every page of baltimore 's story . do n't tell me it 's not your responsibility or mine . about how slavery and its legacy are artifacts of a time past . someone else 's problem . no , we own them all . and we all have to face that before we can fix anything in baltimore or beyond . but there 's another dimension of the story of we ' that matters as well . it 's about progressives and conservatives and their competing stories of how we got here . every time protests and violence break out in response to police brutality , the same depressing pattern breaks out . the event becomes simply a rorschach test for left and right , and each side sees in the rioting confirmation of its prior views . for the left , it 's about the deep structural root causes of the alienation and violence . liberals gravitate on social media to commentaries or reactions that reinforce this frame , like the surprisingly astute comments from the baltimore orioles executive who spelled out why a long history of racial injustice and economic disenfranchisement made rioting nearly inevitable . conservatives gravitate to their own frames , about a lack of personal responsibility or role models among poor urban blacks , about the failures of great society and democratic programs , and about how it all comes back to a president ( who happens to be black ) who has divided us by focusing so much on race . what gets lost in this groundhog day replay of left-right frames is a simple reality that we all have to recognize : both longstanding structural racism and personal irresponsibility are on display this week . both a history of police brutality and a present crisis of street violence . both an inherited , multigenerational lack of opportunity and a dearth of leaders willing to address it . we can not separate out the aspects of the problem that do n't fit our preferred explanation -- not if we are sincere about solving the problem . and until more people can see this , we will not see progress . we ca n't judge looters for their antisocial behavior without judging a color-caste structure and a school-to-prison pipeline that has flushed them away like so much refuse . by the same token , we ca n't keep opining about root causes without also supporting the parents and pastors and neighbors who , in their own small ways , are organizing each other to break the cycle of brokenness . i 'm of the left . but it can not possibly be that only those with whom i disagree are responsible for what is happening in baltimore . it can not possibly be that only my worldview contains all the solutions . whatever our political perspective , we need to open our eyes to what is actually happening in baltimore and other cities in the united states in the second decade of the 21st century . it is an abomination . we should all be able to say that . it 's time to push each other out of our ideological and identity comfort zones and build unlikely coalitions to create more opportunity . it 's time to act like we are all in charge . because we are . and there is no other we ' waiting in the wings .","in baltimore , after the death of freddie gray , riots erupted , cars were set on fire and 200 arrests were made" +"libya tunisia 's national assembly approved the country 's landmark new constitution -- its first since the ouster of longtime president zine el-abidine ben ali three years ago . the text was passed with 200 votes , the state news agency tap reported . twelve members voted against the measure , and four abstained . alongside the vote , prime minister mehdi jomaa appointed a caretaker cabinet as part of a deal to end a crisis between tunisia 's islamist party and its secular opposition until new elections . the approval of the new constitution is one of the last steps to establishing full democracy in the north african country , the cradle of the 2011 arab spring uprisings that toppled autocratic leaders in one of the most conservative corners of the world . its drafting lasted two years and exposed a deep rift between the islamist ennahda party and the secular opposition . but after months of political crisis and sporadic violence , sunday 's milestones contrast sharply with messy transitions in regional neighbors libya and egypt -- still caught up in turmoil after ousting their own longtime leaders in 2011 revolts . celebrating the vote , assembly members made victory signs and sang the national anthem , tap reported . all eyes around the world are fixed on tunisia 's democratic experience , ' assembly chief mustafa ben jaafar was quoted as saying by tap . political turmoil the once-banned moderate islamist ennahda party won elections in october 2012 -- the first after ben ali 's ouster in january 2011 -- and formed an islamist-led government . but political turmoil has beset the country , which relies heavily on foreign tourists for revenues . under a deal agreed between ennahda and the opposition , the ruling party agreed to hand over power once parties had finished writing a new constitution and appointed an electoral commission to oversee new elections . tap said jomaa 's new government was made up of 21 ministers and seven secretaries of state . it consists mainly of technocrats jomaa , an engineer and former minister , was appointed premier in december . tunisia represents a rare bright spot in a still volatile region following the arab spring uprisings . two years after moammar gadhafi was toppled , libya 's government is weakened by political infighting and fragile security forces , a constitution has yet to be drafted and armed militias do as they please in a country awash with weapons . egypt 's own elected islamist president , mohamed morsy , was deposed by the army . the country 's interim government has labeled his muslim brotherhood organization as a terrorist group . egyptians this month approved their new constitution as part of a transition plan from army chief gen. abdel fattah el-sisi after he ousted morsy in july . editors'note : this article has been edited to remove plagiarized content after cnn discovered multiple instances of plagiarism by marie-louise gumuchian , a former cnn news editor .","the milestones contrast sharply to messy transitions in libya , egypt and yemen" +"indiana ( cnn ) by now , you probably have a position regarding the controversy over indiana 's religious freedom law . you applaud the growing chorus of companies blasting the law as an invitation for businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians , using religion as a cover . or , like indiana gov . mike pence , you are surprised at the backlash and maintain that it is basically a copy of a law that is already in the books at the federal level and 19 other states . the issue drives a wedge because , well , the debate over religious freedom and gay rights is always heated , but also because the interpretations and motives behind the law can be questioned . whichever side you 're on , here are five things you might not have considered when thinking about this controversy . these points might not change your mind , but offer context to better understand the uproar . as the author of the 1993 federal religious freedom restoration act ( rfra ) , sen. chuck schumer is one who can offer clarity over the controversy surrounding indiana 's version of the law . schumer mocks indiana 's contention that the state law is simply a mirror of the 22-year-old federal law . that may be true only if you 're using a funhouse mirror , ' schumer wrote on his facebook page . the federal law was intended to protect individual 's religious freedom from government intervention , he said . the indiana law justifies discrimination in the name of religious freedom , he contends . also , the law was envisioned to protect the religious freedoms of individuals , while the indiana law also protects private companies , schumer said . so , how can the law 's supporters claim it is basically a copy of the federal law ? if you look at the purpose of the law , the language in the federal and indiana religious freedom laws are indeed nearly indistinguishable . in short -- the government can not interfere with a person 's religious practices unless there is a compelling government interest to do so . the uproar is over that fact that the indiana law expands the reach of the religious protections to include private companies and cases where the government is not involved . other states previously passed their own version of the religious freedom law -- indiana became the 20th . but other state laws mirror the federal law much more closely than the indiana law does . the key difference in the indiana law is that it expands the instances where someone can use religious freedom as a defense . this is how it could make a difference : in 2006 , vanessa willock contacted a photographer about shooting her commitment ceremony with her partner . this was in new mexico , a state with a religious freedom law at the time of the dispute . the company , elane photography , refused the job because of the co-owner 's religious beliefs . willock sued elane photography for discrimination , and the company defended itself by citing the law . the photography studio lost the case because the court ruled that it could not use the religious freedom law because the dispute was between two private parties and not a government entity . what would happen if that case happened today in indiana , with the new , expanded religious freedom law ? for sure , the case would have proceeded to trial , said tim holbrook , a law professor at emory university . the photography studio would have had the chance to make its argument in court that it denied the service because of religious reasons . would the outcome have been the same ? would an indiana jury side with the company that refused service to a couple because of their sexual orientation ? in a letter expressing concern about the indiana law , a group of 30 legal scholars argued that what indiana has done is expanded the scope of the law to the point that religious considerations might trump discrimination concerns . in our expert opinion , the clear evidence ... unmistakably demonstrates that the broad language of the proposed state rfra will more likely create confusion , conflict , and a wave of litigation that will threaten the clarity of religious liberty rights in indiana while undermining the state 's ability to enforce other compelling interests , ' the letter , whose signatories included many indiana law professors , stated . these concerns are based on speculation of what might happen , said josh blackman , a constitutional law professor at south texas college of law . yes , the indiana law makes it clear that individuals and private companies can use the religious freedom law as a defense , he said . but , just because you raise the defense does not mean it will be successful . ' those who try to defend their discriminatory actions in court tend to lose , blackman said . in his opinion , if elane photography had been able to use the law as a defense in new mexico , it still likely would have lost the case . what 's clear is that indiana 's law increases the potential pool of people who can defend themselves claiming religious freedom . the success of such arguments is to be seen . in the meantime , some are already hatching plans on how to test the law , including bill levin , founder of the first church of cannabis , who argued on cnn that the law should protect his right to smoke pot . much is being made of the fact that the first religious freedom law was signed by president bill clinton more than 20 years ago . there was bipartisan support in 1993 , so why the commotion over a similar law in 2015 , some ask ? context , timing and intent have changed the way these laws are viewed . the federal law was written by two democrats , schumer and the late sen. edward kennedy . today , it is being championed by republicans . the law came into being after two native americans in oregon were fired from their jobs at a rehab clinic because they had consumed peyote , the hallucinogenic cactus . they were denied unemployment benefits , and they sued the state , claiming that the peyote was part of their religious customs . they lost the case . there was outrage over the decision , and the law was created as a remedy . as envisioned by its authors , it would protect the freedoms of religious minorities . over the years , the law helped a number of people -- a muslim prisoner won the right to grow a short beard , a santeria priest was allowed to sacrifice a goat on special religious occasions , and a native american boy received an exception to his school 's policy banning long hair on boys . the law was on the books for years , with little attention paid to it . but holbrook says it is no coincidence that the religious freedom laws became popular at the state level just as the gay rights and marriage equality movement made historic steps . many states are using the laws to carve out exceptions to allow christians to deny services to same-sex couples . holbrook said . the timing is beyond a coincidence , ' he said . we are having an interest in rfra at the time same-sex marriage is coming forward . ' though not enshrined in the law , critics accuse the states pursuing the laws of using them to justify discrimination by the majority religion . blackman said the history of the state religious freedom laws shows that they have not turned into conduits for discrimination . the expanded laws might mean more people will defend themselves using it , but most will likely lose , he said . the moral outrage over this reflects how uninformed people are on the history of the rfra , ' he said . so we 've established that the biggest difference between the federal law and the indiana law is the scope : in indiana , the law can be raised as a defense in private disputes , while the federal law applies only to government matters . not so fast . according to blackman , the interpretations of the federal religious freedom law are not uniform . four u.s. circuit courts of appeals have ruled that the federal law can be used as a defense in cases involving private parties . two other appeals courts have ruled that this is not allowed . and then , there is the hobby lobby case . hobby lobby , citing the federal religious freedom law , argued that it should not have to provide contraception coverage through insurance to its employees via obamacare because it was against the owners'beliefs . and , hobby lobby won the case before the supreme court . the ruling , in effect , expanded the reach of the federal law to include a business . the hobby lobby decision , plus the appeals courts rulings , may have opened the door for states like indiana to be explicit about its expansion of the law . one way to look at it , blackman said , is that indiana simply clarified and codified something that is hazy in the federal courts . the outrage over the indiana law is that it can be used to deny services to the lgbt community on the ground of religious beliefs . some may rightfully ask , where was the outrage before the religious freedom law ? ' indiana does not have an nondiscrimination law that protects people based on sexual orientation or gender identity . in that sense , the religious freedom law is not necessary for those who want to discriminate against gays and lesbians . even before the controversial indiana law was passed , if a restaurant denied service to a gay couple , the couple might be able to sue , but not for discrimination . for that matter , there is also no federal law that protects the lgbt community . according to the human rights campaign , lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender people are sometimes fired , denied a promotion or harassed in the workplace . and their recourse is limited . with the proliferation of religious freedom state laws , nondiscrimination laws become even more important . another hypothetical outcome of the new mexico case involving the lesbian couple and the photography studio . if new mexico had the same religious freedom law as indiana , the case would have gone to trial . but new mexico has a nondiscrimination law that protects the lgbt community , it and it would have provided a strong counter-argument to the religious freedom claim . in indiana , that protection would be lacking . ( it gets more complicated when some local governments , like the city of indianapolis , do have nondiscrimination ordinances ) . for this reason , holbrook suggests that a fix ' for the indiana law would be the passage of a nondiscrimination law . or , at the very least , an exception written into the religious freedom bill that protects from such discrimination .","the controversy over indiana 's religious freedom law is complicated" +"senegal ( cnn ) -- it 's hard not to notice aziz n'diaye . standing at seven feet tall , the starting center for the university of washington 's basketball team is a dominant force in american college basketball . his towering height and physical power , coupled with his impressive shot-blocking and rebounding skills , make the senior a serious prospect for a professional basketball career . but the imposing center 's past is just as compelling as his promising future . n'diaye 's long journey to college basketball started several years ago on the other side of the atlantic . i 'm originally from dakar , which is the capital of senegal , ' explains n'diaye , whose introspective tone contrasts with his imposing stature . i was going to a smaller high school over there ... for two years and i got offered to come to the states to finish my high-school career . ' read also : nba boss finding africa 's basketball stars the place that jump-started n'diaye 's dream of playing in the nba was the sports for education and economic development in senegal ( seeds ) academy , a boarding school that gives eager young men from the west african country the opportunity to study and play basketball , with the possibility of being recruited to play on a bigger stage in the united states . located in thies , western senegal , seeds uses sports as a vehicle to empower and support youth in the country while offering them quality education and helping them to improve their athletic skills . the academy provides up to 30 youngsters a year with a place to live , study and train , sheltering their dreams for a better future in a country where less than 20 % of children make it to high school . as africans , we have a responsibility to build our community , ' says amadou gallo fall , who started the seeds foundation in 1998 , before opening the boarding school in 2003 . those days are over where other people came , saw tremendous potential and resources that exist here and you know , exploited to their benefit or advantage . it 's about empowering our youth , making them see that there 's a pathway to success . ' read also : why africans will be basketball stars of tomorrow fall , who also serves as the nba 's vice president for development in africa , is one of basketball 's most prominent figures in the continent . his vision to start seeds and help his fellow countrymen stems from his own personal experience as one of the first senegalese to earn an education through basketball in the united states . back in the late 1980s , fall played for the university of the district of columbia after his basketball talents were discovered by a member of the peace corps in senegal . everything started from there , ' says fall , who also pursued an mba from georgetown university while in the united states . watch video : shooting for the nba after graduation , fall worked for the senegalese national team and later he accepted a position as international scout for the nba 's dallas mavericks . along the way , his desire to enable youth in his country to follow in his footsteps and gain a quality education grew even bigger . fall realized that the power of sports to mobilize youth and give them a platform to fulfill their goals could be used for a bigger impact . the result was the establishment of seeds . to me , it was about how these young people could use their god-given talent to get an education , because that happened with me , ' he says . most of them did n't realize that possibility existed . so really , my thing was , how do we help them identify that this opportunity exists ? at some point i thought , in order to have a bigger impact , to reach more people , we wanted to really create something back in senegal where it would be about , how do we use sports and the power of sports to contribute in the efforts of socio-economic developments in senegal and africa and beyond ? ' read also : luc mbah a moute -- african prince of the nba seeds has so far sent more than 40 senegalese youngsters to study in the united states , giving 25 of them the chance to play at american colleges . for youngsters like n'diaye , the lure of a quality education coupled with a chance to pursue his dream of one day playing in the nba were enough to make him decide to go to seeds . it was a good academic school , ' he says . it 's like , people going there , having the opportunity , the chance of traveling with basketball and having the chance of going to some camps and have some coaches take a look at them and see where their skill is at . at the end of the day , i wanted to come to the states because here , sports and education , they combined it . '","the boarding school uses basketball as a vehicle to empower senegal 's youth" +"senegal ( cnn ) -- it 's hard not to notice aziz n'diaye . standing at seven feet tall , the starting center for the university of washington 's basketball team is a dominant force in american college basketball . his towering height and physical power , coupled with his impressive shot-blocking and rebounding skills , make the senior a serious prospect for a professional basketball career . but the imposing center 's past is just as compelling as his promising future . n'diaye 's long journey to college basketball started several years ago on the other side of the atlantic . i 'm originally from dakar , which is the capital of senegal , ' explains n'diaye , whose introspective tone contrasts with his imposing stature . i was going to a smaller high school over there ... for two years and i got offered to come to the states to finish my high-school career . ' read also : nba boss finding africa 's basketball stars the place that jump-started n'diaye 's dream of playing in the nba was the sports for education and economic development in senegal ( seeds ) academy , a boarding school that gives eager young men from the west african country the opportunity to study and play basketball , with the possibility of being recruited to play on a bigger stage in the united states . located in thies , western senegal , seeds uses sports as a vehicle to empower and support youth in the country while offering them quality education and helping them to improve their athletic skills . the academy provides up to 30 youngsters a year with a place to live , study and train , sheltering their dreams for a better future in a country where less than 20 % of children make it to high school . as africans , we have a responsibility to build our community , ' says amadou gallo fall , who started the seeds foundation in 1998 , before opening the boarding school in 2003 . those days are over where other people came , saw tremendous potential and resources that exist here and you know , exploited to their benefit or advantage . it 's about empowering our youth , making them see that there 's a pathway to success . ' read also : why africans will be basketball stars of tomorrow fall , who also serves as the nba 's vice president for development in africa , is one of basketball 's most prominent figures in the continent . his vision to start seeds and help his fellow countrymen stems from his own personal experience as one of the first senegalese to earn an education through basketball in the united states . back in the late 1980s , fall played for the university of the district of columbia after his basketball talents were discovered by a member of the peace corps in senegal . everything started from there , ' says fall , who also pursued an mba from georgetown university while in the united states . watch video : shooting for the nba after graduation , fall worked for the senegalese national team and later he accepted a position as international scout for the nba 's dallas mavericks . along the way , his desire to enable youth in his country to follow in his footsteps and gain a quality education grew even bigger . fall realized that the power of sports to mobilize youth and give them a platform to fulfill their goals could be used for a bigger impact . the result was the establishment of seeds . to me , it was about how these young people could use their god-given talent to get an education , because that happened with me , ' he says . most of them did n't realize that possibility existed . so really , my thing was , how do we help them identify that this opportunity exists ? at some point i thought , in order to have a bigger impact , to reach more people , we wanted to really create something back in senegal where it would be about , how do we use sports and the power of sports to contribute in the efforts of socio-economic developments in senegal and africa and beyond ? ' read also : luc mbah a moute -- african prince of the nba seeds has so far sent more than 40 senegalese youngsters to study in the united states , giving 25 of them the chance to play at american colleges . for youngsters like n'diaye , the lure of a quality education coupled with a chance to pursue his dream of one day playing in the nba were enough to make him decide to go to seeds . it was a good academic school , ' he says . it 's like , people going there , having the opportunity , the chance of traveling with basketball and having the chance of going to some camps and have some coaches take a look at them and see where their skill is at . at the end of the day , i wanted to come to the states because here , sports and education , they combined it . '","academy in senegal gives basketball scholarships to u.s. colleges" +"united states ( cnn ) -- it 's hard not to notice aziz n'diaye . standing at seven feet tall , the starting center for the university of washington 's basketball team is a dominant force in american college basketball . his towering height and physical power , coupled with his impressive shot-blocking and rebounding skills , make the senior a serious prospect for a professional basketball career . but the imposing center 's past is just as compelling as his promising future . n'diaye 's long journey to college basketball started several years ago on the other side of the atlantic . i 'm originally from dakar , which is the capital of senegal , ' explains n'diaye , whose introspective tone contrasts with his imposing stature . i was going to a smaller high school over there ... for two years and i got offered to come to the states to finish my high-school career . ' read also : nba boss finding africa 's basketball stars the place that jump-started n'diaye 's dream of playing in the nba was the sports for education and economic development in senegal ( seeds ) academy , a boarding school that gives eager young men from the west african country the opportunity to study and play basketball , with the possibility of being recruited to play on a bigger stage in the united states . located in thies , western senegal , seeds uses sports as a vehicle to empower and support youth in the country while offering them quality education and helping them to improve their athletic skills . the academy provides up to 30 youngsters a year with a place to live , study and train , sheltering their dreams for a better future in a country where less than 20 % of children make it to high school . as africans , we have a responsibility to build our community , ' says amadou gallo fall , who started the seeds foundation in 1998 , before opening the boarding school in 2003 . those days are over where other people came , saw tremendous potential and resources that exist here and you know , exploited to their benefit or advantage . it 's about empowering our youth , making them see that there 's a pathway to success . ' read also : why africans will be basketball stars of tomorrow fall , who also serves as the nba 's vice president for development in africa , is one of basketball 's most prominent figures in the continent . his vision to start seeds and help his fellow countrymen stems from his own personal experience as one of the first senegalese to earn an education through basketball in the united states . back in the late 1980s , fall played for the university of the district of columbia after his basketball talents were discovered by a member of the peace corps in senegal . everything started from there , ' says fall , who also pursued an mba from georgetown university while in the united states . watch video : shooting for the nba after graduation , fall worked for the senegalese national team and later he accepted a position as international scout for the nba 's dallas mavericks . along the way , his desire to enable youth in his country to follow in his footsteps and gain a quality education grew even bigger . fall realized that the power of sports to mobilize youth and give them a platform to fulfill their goals could be used for a bigger impact . the result was the establishment of seeds . to me , it was about how these young people could use their god-given talent to get an education , because that happened with me , ' he says . most of them did n't realize that possibility existed . so really , my thing was , how do we help them identify that this opportunity exists ? at some point i thought , in order to have a bigger impact , to reach more people , we wanted to really create something back in senegal where it would be about , how do we use sports and the power of sports to contribute in the efforts of socio-economic developments in senegal and africa and beyond ? ' read also : luc mbah a moute -- african prince of the nba seeds has so far sent more than 40 senegalese youngsters to study in the united states , giving 25 of them the chance to play at american colleges . for youngsters like n'diaye , the lure of a quality education coupled with a chance to pursue his dream of one day playing in the nba were enough to make him decide to go to seeds . it was a good academic school , ' he says . it 's like , people going there , having the opportunity , the chance of traveling with basketball and having the chance of going to some camps and have some coaches take a look at them and see where their skill is at . at the end of the day , i wanted to come to the states because here , sports and education , they combined it . '","so far the academy has sent some 40 kids to study in the united states" +"zimmerman the friend who was on the phone with trayvon martin when his fatal confrontation with george zimmerman began said monday she is disappointed , upset , angry , questioning and mad ' at zimmerman 's acquittal on murder charges . rachel jeantel called the verdict bs ' and said martin , 17 , was never aggressive . he was a calm , chill , loving person who loved his family , definitely his mother , and a good friend , ' jeantel told cnn 's piers morgan live . ' zimmerman , a neighborhood watch volunteer in sanford , florida , was acquitted saturday of second-degree murder charges in martin 's death . the killing sparked protests when police declined to bring charges against zimmerman , leading to the appointment of a special prosecutor who eventually took the case to court . prosecutors had argued that zimmerman , who is hispanic , had profiled and pursued the african-american teen . juror :'no doubt'that zimmerman feared for his life as the last person to speak to martin , jeantel was one of the prosecution 's key witnesses . on the witness stand , she described how martin told her over the phone that some creepy-ass cracker ' was following him and how he turned toward zimmerman and asked , why are you following me for ? ' zimmerman had called police to report martin as a suspicious person in his neighborhood . the unarmed martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and was staying with his father at the nearby home of his father 's girlfriend . juror : jeantel was n't a good witness jeantel dismissed arguments that the case had no racial dimension . it was racial . let 's be honest , racial . if trayvon was white and he had a hoodie on , would that happen ? ' she asked . zimmerman told detectives martin began pummeling him when he approached him , against the advice of a police dispatcher , and that he had to shoot to save his own life . he did n't testify during the trial , however -- and jeantel said his defense was acting like a punk ' by attempting to paint martin as a mortal threat . despite outrage , federal charges uncertain in zimmerman case ' if you were a real man you would have stand on that stage and tell what happened , ' she said , calling zimmerman weak ' and scary . ' zimmerman 's lawyers successfully argued for the right to present evidence that martin had marijuana traces in his system , but never brought that before a jury or presented any testimony about whether the drug could have affected martin 's behavior . jeantel acknowledged that martin smoked marijuana , but added , weed do n't make him go crazy , it just makes him go hungry . ' now that he 's free , can zimmerman make a living ? the 19-year-old found herself in the unforgiving spotlight of a nationally televised trial , in which viewers criticized her for her dress , her weight and her speech and her combative manner on the stand . she admitted to lying about her age and her reasons for skipping martin 's funeral . she later explained she is of haitian descent and grew up speaking spanish and creole , and she said monday that her speech was also affected by an underbite that will require surgery to correct . jeantel on attorney don west :'i 'll hold it back' a juror who spoke to cnn 's anderson cooper 360 ' on monday said she had difficulty understanding jeantel and did n't consider her a credible witness , but i felt very sorry for her . ' she did n't ask to be in this place ... she wanted to go . she wanted to leave . she did n't want to be any part of this jury . i think she felt inadequate toward everyone because of her education and her communications skills . i just felt sadness for her . ' fringe protestors turn violent in la after verdict","zimmerman was weak ' and his defense acted like a punk , ' rachel jeantel says" +"zimmerman the friend who was on the phone with trayvon martin when his fatal confrontation with george zimmerman began said monday she is disappointed , upset , angry , questioning and mad ' at zimmerman 's acquittal on murder charges . rachel jeantel called the verdict bs ' and said martin , 17 , was never aggressive . he was a calm , chill , loving person who loved his family , definitely his mother , and a good friend , ' jeantel told cnn 's piers morgan live . ' zimmerman , a neighborhood watch volunteer in sanford , florida , was acquitted saturday of second-degree murder charges in martin 's death . the killing sparked protests when police declined to bring charges against zimmerman , leading to the appointment of a special prosecutor who eventually took the case to court . prosecutors had argued that zimmerman , who is hispanic , had profiled and pursued the african-american teen . juror :'no doubt'that zimmerman feared for his life as the last person to speak to martin , jeantel was one of the prosecution 's key witnesses . on the witness stand , she described how martin told her over the phone that some creepy-ass cracker ' was following him and how he turned toward zimmerman and asked , why are you following me for ? ' zimmerman had called police to report martin as a suspicious person in his neighborhood . the unarmed martin was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and was staying with his father at the nearby home of his father 's girlfriend . juror : jeantel was n't a good witness jeantel dismissed arguments that the case had no racial dimension . it was racial . let 's be honest , racial . if trayvon was white and he had a hoodie on , would that happen ? ' she asked . zimmerman told detectives martin began pummeling him when he approached him , against the advice of a police dispatcher , and that he had to shoot to save his own life . he did n't testify during the trial , however -- and jeantel said his defense was acting like a punk ' by attempting to paint martin as a mortal threat . despite outrage , federal charges uncertain in zimmerman case ' if you were a real man you would have stand on that stage and tell what happened , ' she said , calling zimmerman weak ' and scary . ' zimmerman 's lawyers successfully argued for the right to present evidence that martin had marijuana traces in his system , but never brought that before a jury or presented any testimony about whether the drug could have affected martin 's behavior . jeantel acknowledged that martin smoked marijuana , but added , weed do n't make him go crazy , it just makes him go hungry . ' now that he 's free , can zimmerman make a living ? the 19-year-old found herself in the unforgiving spotlight of a nationally televised trial , in which viewers criticized her for her dress , her weight and her speech and her combative manner on the stand . she admitted to lying about her age and her reasons for skipping martin 's funeral . she later explained she is of haitian descent and grew up speaking spanish and creole , and she said monday that her speech was also affected by an underbite that will require surgery to correct . jeantel on attorney don west :'i 'll hold it back' a juror who spoke to cnn 's anderson cooper 360 ' on monday said she had difficulty understanding jeantel and did n't consider her a credible witness , but i felt very sorry for her . ' she did n't ask to be in this place ... she wanted to go . she wanted to leave . she did n't want to be any part of this jury . i think she felt inadequate toward everyone because of her education and her communications skills . i just felt sadness for her . ' fringe protestors turn violent in la after verdict","jeantel calls zimmerman verdict bs '" +"portway ( cnn ) -- a boston-area man , who was planning to kidnap children , lock them in a basement dungeon , rape and eat them , should be imprisoned for at least 27 years , federal authorities said in court documents filed this week . geoffrey portway pleaded guilty in may to distribution and possession of child pornography and solicitation to commit a crime of violence , according to court documents . he is scheduled to be sentenced on september 17 . portway has pled guilty to some of the most vile and heinous crimes known to our society , ' federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing recommendation . but a lawyer for the 40-year-old defendant told cnn his client lived in a fantasy world ' and there was no evidence he harmed any child . ex-pta president accused of making child porn at elementary school portway went by the moniker fat longpig ' during his online chats , according to court documents . it was these chats that put portway on the radar screen of police . pretzel bag leads feds to child porn suspect in california when his home in worcester was searched last year , authorities found tens of thousands of computer images and videos of child pornography and 4,500 exchanges of child pornography between portway and the people he chatted with online . the images included children being cooked and prepared to be eaten , court documents said . those photographs are sealed . authorities also found a locked basement , court documents show . photos taken the day of portway 's arrest , and released by prosecutors , show a narrow wooden staircase leading downstairs to a soundproof room . it was furnished with a metal cage with a circular hole for feeding , a rusted and worn steel-topped table , as well as multiple kinds of metal bondage equipment . a child-sized coffin made of plywood was found on the floor nearby . portway 's lawyer , richard j. sweeney , told cnn that tuesday 's sentencing hearing will be the proper time to address all the issues addressed by the government . ' but he added , there 's no evidence at all of geoffrey being involved with any child or harming any child . ' geoffrey lived in a fantasy world where he did live-action role playing , did things online unrelated to child porn and cannibalism . a lot of the chats that he had were , in his mind , fantasy , ' sweeney said . when they went out to the other people he was talking to , these other people actually had kids they were taking photos of . geoffrey did not have any kids he had abducted , though he certainly talked about it . ' photographs reviewed by cnn show handcuffs , rope intended for bondage , mouth gags , and castration tools . a large box of frozen raw chicken , near a handful of disposable scalpels , was photographed by investigators near two industrial-sized freezers . in the kitchen , a jug of bleach was seen by the doorway , while a red child-sized onesie ' lay on the countertop , amid snacks and disposable syringes . a butcher kit containing plastic gloves , multiple knives and other items was photographed in the sink . among a dvd collection , the documents show , were titles such as human beast , ' hansel and gretel , ' the real cannibal holocaust , ' the genesis children , ' cannibal the musical , ' and cannibal ferox , ' a film with the tagline make them die slowly . ' google seeks to scrub web of child porn online chats , seized by police , showed portway call his basement a dungeon ' where he intended to keep kidnapped children while he sexually abused them and as a place to eventually murder and cannibalize the children . ' two other men who chatted with portway have already been convicted . smartphone app hunts for child predators one was a puppeteer who , authorities say , plotted with portway to kidnap children the puppeteer knew from his work at a local florida church . portway 's collection is truly chilling and demonstrates a real risk based upon which the court should sentence portway to a substantial term of years in order to protect the public , ' prosecutors said . florida man linked to 1 million child porn videos , images cnn 's deborah feyerick and rande iaboni contributed to this report .","prosecutors say portway has admitted to vile and heinous crimes '" +"portway ( cnn ) -- a boston-area man , who was planning to kidnap children , lock them in a basement dungeon , rape and eat them , should be imprisoned for at least 27 years , federal authorities said in court documents filed this week . geoffrey portway pleaded guilty in may to distribution and possession of child pornography and solicitation to commit a crime of violence , according to court documents . he is scheduled to be sentenced on september 17 . portway has pled guilty to some of the most vile and heinous crimes known to our society , ' federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing recommendation . but a lawyer for the 40-year-old defendant told cnn his client lived in a fantasy world ' and there was no evidence he harmed any child . ex-pta president accused of making child porn at elementary school portway went by the moniker fat longpig ' during his online chats , according to court documents . it was these chats that put portway on the radar screen of police . pretzel bag leads feds to child porn suspect in california when his home in worcester was searched last year , authorities found tens of thousands of computer images and videos of child pornography and 4,500 exchanges of child pornography between portway and the people he chatted with online . the images included children being cooked and prepared to be eaten , court documents said . those photographs are sealed . authorities also found a locked basement , court documents show . photos taken the day of portway 's arrest , and released by prosecutors , show a narrow wooden staircase leading downstairs to a soundproof room . it was furnished with a metal cage with a circular hole for feeding , a rusted and worn steel-topped table , as well as multiple kinds of metal bondage equipment . a child-sized coffin made of plywood was found on the floor nearby . portway 's lawyer , richard j. sweeney , told cnn that tuesday 's sentencing hearing will be the proper time to address all the issues addressed by the government . ' but he added , there 's no evidence at all of geoffrey being involved with any child or harming any child . ' geoffrey lived in a fantasy world where he did live-action role playing , did things online unrelated to child porn and cannibalism . a lot of the chats that he had were , in his mind , fantasy , ' sweeney said . when they went out to the other people he was talking to , these other people actually had kids they were taking photos of . geoffrey did not have any kids he had abducted , though he certainly talked about it . ' photographs reviewed by cnn show handcuffs , rope intended for bondage , mouth gags , and castration tools . a large box of frozen raw chicken , near a handful of disposable scalpels , was photographed by investigators near two industrial-sized freezers . in the kitchen , a jug of bleach was seen by the doorway , while a red child-sized onesie ' lay on the countertop , amid snacks and disposable syringes . a butcher kit containing plastic gloves , multiple knives and other items was photographed in the sink . among a dvd collection , the documents show , were titles such as human beast , ' hansel and gretel , ' the real cannibal holocaust , ' the genesis children , ' cannibal the musical , ' and cannibal ferox , ' a film with the tagline make them die slowly . ' google seeks to scrub web of child porn online chats , seized by police , showed portway call his basement a dungeon ' where he intended to keep kidnapped children while he sexually abused them and as a place to eventually murder and cannibalize the children . ' two other men who chatted with portway have already been convicted . smartphone app hunts for child predators one was a puppeteer who , authorities say , plotted with portway to kidnap children the puppeteer knew from his work at a local florida church . portway 's collection is truly chilling and demonstrates a real risk based upon which the court should sentence portway to a substantial term of years in order to protect the public , ' prosecutors said . florida man linked to 1 million child porn videos , images cnn 's deborah feyerick and rande iaboni contributed to this report .","geoffrey portway lived in a fantasy world , ' his lawyer says" +"pearl harbor ( cnn ) -- for 70 years , survivors of the december 7 , 1941 , attack on pearl harbor have captivated listeners with their firsthand accounts , recalling buddies who died in their arms or the glasses worn by a low-flying japanese pilot . they have participated in solemn wreath-laying ceremonies and spoken to civic groups and school children about the infamous day and the need for the united states to remain vigilant . but the gradual loss of the world war ii generation has accelerated , and this year , perhaps more than any before it , evidence of a tide change is inescapable . the pearl harbor survivors association , founded in 1958 , is dissolving december 31 . the passing of time , the difficulty in finding chapter officers and the health of its 2,700 members have taken their toll . we do n't like to see it happen , ' said george bennett , 87 , the organization 's national secretary and a pearl harbor survivor . but we do n't have young members coming in like other organizations . ' informal social and local activities will continue , he said . about 84,000 uniformed americans were on oahu that fateful day . only an estimated 8,000 are alive today -- and they are in their late 80s and older . children and grandchildren have stepped up to carry the flag of their forefathers . the sons and daughters of pearl harbor survivors , with about 20 chapters , is helping to carry on the legacy left to us , ' said national president louella large , whose father served at the u.s. army 's schofield barracks during the attack . large , like others , is concerned that most u.s. schoolchildren today know almost nothing about the surprise attack that pulverized battleships and aircraft stationed at hawaii . flying from aircraft carriers , japanese pilots attacked eight battleships , destroying two , and left a trail of death and destruction across the verdant landscape . about 2,400 people , most of them in the military , were killed . the attack shook america 's confidence and ushered the country into world war ii . about 120 pearl harbor survivors are registered to attend wednesday morning 's annual memorial ceremony . four military and four civilian survivors will be on panels at a symposium that concludes monday . no japanese military veterans of the attack are able to be on hand for ceremonies honoring u.s. dead at the world war ii valor in the pacific national monument . perspectives at the symposiums , held every five years , are shifting . we were able in the past to ( tell the story ) through the mouths of those who saw it , ' said lisa ontai , spokeswoman for pacific historic parks , an organization that assists the national park service . now , we are showing it through experts who studied it over the years . ' among others traveling to hawaii are families of two servicemen who died in the past two years . remains of vernon olsen , 91 , of port charlotte , florida , will be interred wednesday in the battleship uss arizona , on which he served and where 1,117 sailors and marines died in the attack . those of lee soucy , 90 , of plainview , texas , will be carried tuesday by a diver to the uss utah , which also is entombed off ford island . i think it 's pretty awesome that we are getting to do this , ' said daughter mary mccormick . soucy 's children also will spread ashes belonging to their father and mother , peggy , at st. andrew 's episcopal cathedral in honolulu , where the pair were married in january 1945 . peggy soucy was a navy nurse who met her future husband at pearl harbor . memorial ceremonies , boat and bus tours are taking place this week on oahu . veterans and others will converge on current and former military installations , including hickam field , pearl harbor , wheeler army airfield and the marine corps base at kaneohe bay . a blu-ray version of the the 1970 film tora ! tora ! tora ! ' with extended footage , was to be shown sunday evening at the pearl harbor visitor center , near the uss arizona . historians say the passage of time is allowing for a broader , more objective look at the attack . research has provided new insights , particularly about the japanese perspectives and source material on the attack . in recent years , interpretation also has shifted its focus from engagement to peace , ' with recognition that both sides fought a savage war , ' said daniel a. martinez , chief historian at the wwii valor in the pacific national monument .'i harbor no ill will' mccormick , 65 , of amarillo , texas , told cnn her father 's enlistment was due to expire december 7 , 1941 . soucy , a pharmacist 's mate on the uss utah , would vividly recall a peaceful sunday morning that quickly turned to terror , she said . he was looking out the port window and saw what he thought would be his last day there . he saw these planes coming in . he thought it must be the marines because nobody else would be working on sunday . ' the utah was quickly disabled . soucy swam 200 yards to shore from the sinking vessel and was quickly recruited , because of his medical training , to help treat the injured . after the war , soucy moved to plainview , where he raised his family . he died in january 2010 ; his wife passed away this year . the family will take part in the sunset ceremony , accompanied by full military honors , tuesday at the uss utah memorial . u.s. navy divers will help lower the remains inside the vessel . mccormick said her father spoke at previous symposiums and met japanese pilots . he forgave , ' mccormick said . on his pearl harbor survivors garrison cap he had a button that read'love not war'written in japanese . ' bennett , of battle ground , washington , was a radio-trained 17-year-old seaman first class on december 7 , 1941 . he leaves monday to make the trip to hawaii , where he had been assigned to a squadron of pby-3 aircraft at ford island . on the day of the attack , bennett heard explosions , but thought it might be part of a u.s. military exercise or an accident . he then saw a japanese plane flying low over barracks near the uss california . he and others worked to put out a fire on a hangar roof , but eventually were ordered to get down . toward the end , the japanese started to strafe us up there , ' bennett told cnn on friday . we were trained to fight the japanese , and the japanese were trained to fight us , ' bennett said . it was the leaders in japan who made this happen . that 's the way i look at it . i harbor no ill will toward the japanese today . ' martinez and other staff members have recorded video interviews with many veterans , preserving their memories . they tell me stories they have n't told their families , ' he said . teaching your children in san diego , stu hedley , 90 , said fewer pearl harbor survivors are available in southern california to give talks to groups or schools . sixteen members of his chapter have died this year alone . hedley , the head of a local survivors chapter , will take part in a december 7 program in san diego on the uss midway carrier . a comrade will attend a ceremony at the veterans museum and memorial center . we 're all moving into our 90s and late 80s , ' hedley said of the disbanding of the national organization . it 's part of life . we have to accept it one day at a time . ' more than 100 crew members on his ship , the uss west virginia , were killed in the attack , he said . hedley said he believes members of the u.s. government sold us out ' in 1941 and made the attack possible . president franklin d. roosevelt wanted a war economy ... and his idea was to let them fire the first shot , ' said the navy veteran . these days , hedley said , he gives two principal admonitions to students . my first warning to you is to stay in school . do n't quit under any circumstances . ' he recounted dropping out of high school in 1939 , three months before graduation . that kept him from becoming an officer . the other admonition is learn to live with one another , ' he said . regardless of race , creed , religion or whatever . ' hedley is concerned about how little many americans know about pearl harbor . i 've had college students who have asked me what pearl harbor was , ' he said . if you can find a paragraph ( in california textbooks ) about pearl harbor , you are doing good . ' large said the sons and daughters of pearl harbor survivors safeguards stories of their parents . her late father , army cpl . harry m. cross , was in an artillery unit at schofield barracks and got a close-up view of a japanese pilot strafing u.s. troops . one of his buddies died in his arms , ' said large , 63 , of east canton , ohio . he said he had a hole in his chest where he could put his fist in . ' cross never was able to forgive the japanese , large said . she , however , supports moving forward and reconciliation . large said the sons and daughters will take over a national scholarship the pearl harbor survivors association once managed and invite veterans to its 2012 convention . pacific historic parks will publish a portion of the gram , the survivors'newsletter . though large is concerned about what young people know about pearl harbor and its role in bringing the united states into world war ii , she has experienced good moments during her efforts to spread the word . students have told her they learned more from one of her talks than from their lessons . large recalled talking several years ago to a group of fifth-graders , her father at her side . afterward , a young boy asked if he could shake his hand . he did so , ' large said . he said'can i give you a hug ?'dad bent down and hugged him . the boy said ,'i wanted to thank you for protecting our freedom .''","cremated remains of two service members will be placed in ships at pearl harbor" +"norwood los angeles ( cnn ) -- federal authorities on friday arrested a man on a weapons charge as he was being released from a los angeles county jail a day after he pleaded guilty in the 2011 brutal beating of a giants fan at dodgers stadium and received credit for time served . agents from the bureau of alcohol , tobacco , firearms and explosives took marvin norwood , 33 , into custody friday morning on a federal weapons charge as the los angeles county sheriff released him . norwood was sentenced thursday to four years in prison immediately after pleading guilty to felony assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury . he was released friday with credit for having been held in jail in the case for more than two years . a co-defendant , louie sanchez , 31 , also pleaded guilty thursday to felony mayhem and was sentenced to eight years in prison . in exchange for the guilty pleas , prosecutors dropped other felony charges . prosecutors say the two men attacked bryan stow in the dodgers'stadium parking lot after the opening day game on march 31 , 2011 , when the team played the san francisco giants . stow is a giants fan . stow , a paramedic from santa cruz , california , went into a coma as a result of the beating and , after returning to consciousness , is still struggling with a severe brain injury . stow , now 45 , is disabled and unable to care for himself , his father , david , told the court thursday . stow is also a father of two . norwood faces a charge of being a felon in possession of firearms , and the charge relates to firearms that authorities allegedly found in norwood 's home in rialto , california , during their investigation into stow 's beating , according to a spokesman for the u.s. attorney 's office in los angeles and to an fbi affidavit . sanchez also faces the same federal charge , said thom mrozek , spokesman for federal prosecutors in los angeles .","feds arrest norwood as he 's being released from a los angeles county jail" +"norwood los angeles ( cnn ) -- federal authorities on friday arrested a man on a weapons charge as he was being released from a los angeles county jail a day after he pleaded guilty in the 2011 brutal beating of a giants fan at dodgers stadium and received credit for time served . agents from the bureau of alcohol , tobacco , firearms and explosives took marvin norwood , 33 , into custody friday morning on a federal weapons charge as the los angeles county sheriff released him . norwood was sentenced thursday to four years in prison immediately after pleading guilty to felony assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury . he was released friday with credit for having been held in jail in the case for more than two years . a co-defendant , louie sanchez , 31 , also pleaded guilty thursday to felony mayhem and was sentenced to eight years in prison . in exchange for the guilty pleas , prosecutors dropped other felony charges . prosecutors say the two men attacked bryan stow in the dodgers'stadium parking lot after the opening day game on march 31 , 2011 , when the team played the san francisco giants . stow is a giants fan . stow , a paramedic from santa cruz , california , went into a coma as a result of the beating and , after returning to consciousness , is still struggling with a severe brain injury . stow , now 45 , is disabled and unable to care for himself , his father , david , told the court thursday . stow is also a father of two . norwood faces a charge of being a felon in possession of firearms , and the charge relates to firearms that authorities allegedly found in norwood 's home in rialto , california , during their investigation into stow 's beating , according to a spokesman for the u.s. attorney 's office in los angeles and to an fbi affidavit . sanchez also faces the same federal charge , said thom mrozek , spokesman for federal prosecutors in los angeles .","marvin norwood , 33 , faces a federal charge of being a felon in possession of firearms" +"simona halep ( cnn ) -- if there is one man who knows how to spoil a parisian party then it 's andy murray . while the majority of the 15,000 crowd packed inside court philippe chatrier roared their home favorite gael monfils at every opportunity , their hopes of a french champion were extinguished once again . this was a pulsating clash between two men straining every ounce of energy from their tired bodies and stretching every sinew . murray , so dominant for so long after taking the opening two sets 6-4 6-1 , appeared set to return to his hotel early enough for a night out on the champs-élysées . but monfils , as infuriating as he is talented , did what he does best -- he entertained . the frenchman , playing to the crowd , took the next two sets 6-4 6-1 before imploding when the tie looked his for the taking . not since yannick noah was crowned champion in 1983 has france witnessed one of its own triumph on the clay . alas , the wait will now extend into a 32nd year . murray , who seemed to thrive on the partisan nature of the contest , eased to a 6-4 6-1 lead and seemingly had the match all wrapped up . in 2012 , murray defeated frenchman richard gasquet in a similar setting , and that experience appeared to allow him to settle rather quickly . the world no.8 , who was so impressive during his victory over spain 's fernando verdasco , looks to be far more comfortable with his game following a troublesome back injury . against monfils , a player he often practiced with and competed against as a child , he showed a maturity which the frenchman sometimes lacks . nobody can doubt monfils'ability to entertain but with that comes a constant frustration to combine his style with substance . after conceding the first set , monfils lost the plot completely in the second before rallying to ensure he at least won a game . the third was more competitive with the home crowd urging the world no.28 to respond and take the contest into a fourth set . and their hero finally responded , converting the third of three set points to take the third 6-4 . with the momentum firmly behind him , monfils broke to take a 4-1 lead in the fourth . suddenly , playing with the joie de vivre which had been missing earlier in the contest , monfils appeared unstoppable . he claimed the fourth set 6-1 and appeared set to apply the coup de grâce . but just as the home crowd was about to celebrate a famous victory , murray wrecked any thoughts of popping champagne corks . he swept monfils away with disdain -- 6-0 to secure the match , finish the contest and throw down the gauntlet to his next opponent -- champion rafael nadal . nadal can anybody stop nadal ? that 's the question murray will have to answer . david ferrer , the man vanquished in last year 's final by the eight-time french open champion , was the latest man to feel the wrath of the king of clay ' . after a slow start in which he conceded the first set 6-4 , nadal hit back to take the next three sets 6-4 6-0 6-1 . the world no.1 , who was beaten at monte carlo in april by ferrer , remains a huge favorite to win the title . petkovic progresses andrea petkovic nearly quit tennis a year ago -- now she stands on the verge of reaching a first grand slam final . the german , who lost in qualifying at roland garros 12 months ago , made the last eight at three of the four grand slams in 2011 . but her career threatened to derail when she suffered back , knee and ankle injuries and spiraled down the rankings to 177 -- before returning to the tour in march 2013 . the 26-year-old , ranked 27 , proved too good for italy 's sara errani as she carved out a 6-2 6-2 victory . today i was in a real zone , ' she told reporters . i stepped up my game when i needed to . that gives me confidence . i do n't think i 'm coming from nowhere to the semifinals . it 's a very special moment , i have n't been there before . ' petkovic , who is the first german lady to reach the semifinals since steffi graf in 1999 , now faces a showdown with romania 's simona halep . halep , the highest seed left in the draw , overcame 2009 champion svetlana kuznetsova of russia 6-2 6-2 to claim a place the semifinal of a grand slam for the first time . halep , ranked fourth in the world , won the junior event on the clay in 2008 and is now hoping to do the double by winning the french open proper . i felt very good on court . it was a perfect day for me . i played really well and stuck to my gameplan , ' she told reporters . i was very aggressive . i played very fast . so it was a good match , and i 'm really happy that now i can play in the semifinals in paris . '","andrea petkovic to face romania 's simona halep" +"f1 ( cnn ) -- the american dream of holding two formula one races next season has been kept alive after a new grand prix of america was added to the 2014 calendar . there had been fears that the new race on the east coast would not go ahead after formula 1 boss bernie ecclestone told cnn last month that race organizers had not raised enough money to fund it . an inaugural grand prix in new jersey has now been included in the record-breaking 22 race calendar issued by motorsport 's global governing body , the fia , friday . the entire grand prix of america team is thrilled to join the 2014 fia calendar and we look forward to bringing world class formula one racing to new jersey , ' race promoter leo hindery , jr. said . but the race , scheduled for 1 june , has a provisional status which means it could still be dropped from the sport 's global tour . mexico has also been penciled in to stage a grand prix for the first time since 1992 , when the event was held in mexico city . a provisional race in 2014 has been given a date of 16 november . korea , the destination for the next race of this season , has been moved forward to april and has also been given provisional status on the 2014 calendar . f1 returned to the u.s. in 2012 with the inclusion of the u.s. grand prix held at a new circuit just outside austin , texas . the grand prix of america is planned to be held on 3.2 miles of public roads in port imperial , a district in the new jersey towns of west new york and weehawken . it snakes alongside the hudson river and would give the race a spectacular backdrop of manhattan 's historic skyline . construction on the site is well under way , and last year three time world champion sebastian vettel and former f1 driver david coulthard drove demonstration runs on the circuit for the red bull team . however , a lot of the work has focused on the pit building in a new block of garages which was already planned to be built . the fia will need to approve the site before it is given the green light in 2014 . the new jersey race has already been postponed once , having been initially scheduled for june this year . the wheels started to come off in august 2012 when tom cotter , the president of the race , unexpectedly resigned . it was recently revealed that the grand prix of america organizers appointed investment bank ubs in june to raise $ 100 million which is required for the race to go ahead . the 2014 formula 1 calendar features a record 22 races , starting in australia on 16 march with a finale in brazil on 30 november . austria also makes a return to the calendar in june -- a race that has not been given provisional status . the return of austria means red bull , whose f1 team has won the drivers'and constructors'titles for the past three years , can look forward to a home race . the race will be held at the red bull ring , which staged the austrian grand prix between 1970 and 1987 in its former guise as the osterreichring . pirelli rubber to stay the meeting of the fia 's world motor sport council in croatia also confirmed pirelli will continue as f1 's sole tire supplier in 2014 . the italian company 's future in the sport was in doubt after a series of blow-outs wreaked havoc at the british grand prix and led to fears that the drivers'safety was being compromised . earlier in the season , a spate of worryingly delaminations -- where the tire layers separate -- had already led to worries the tires were not safe . but pirelli have since introduced a new tire structure for the second half of the season and the fia has agreed the company will continue to showcase its rubber in motorsport 's elite racing series . the fia said in a statement : in order to cover the transition period and considering the contracts already settled by fom and the teams with pirelli , the wmsc confirmed that pirelli may continue to supply tires to competitors in the fia f1 world championship , subject to the requisite technical and safety standards of the fia being met . ' the fia also announced that , along with the company headed by f1 's commercial boss ecclestone , it had also agreed a strong and stable sporting governance framework . ' the deal known as the concorde agreement effectively splits the sport 's commercial revenues between the governing body , ecclestone 's group and the teams . the fia revealed it would have a larger share of the pie , stating : this agreement provides the fia with significantly improved financial means . ' f1 generates more than $ 4bn in revenues annually -- and with more races in 2014 that sum could be set to rise .","pirelli are to continue as f1 's sole tire supplier in 2014" +"f1 ( cnn ) -- the american dream of holding two formula one races next season has been kept alive after a new grand prix of america was added to the 2014 calendar . there had been fears that the new race on the east coast would not go ahead after formula 1 boss bernie ecclestone told cnn last month that race organizers had not raised enough money to fund it . an inaugural grand prix in new jersey has now been included in the record-breaking 22 race calendar issued by motorsport 's global governing body , the fia , friday . the entire grand prix of america team is thrilled to join the 2014 fia calendar and we look forward to bringing world class formula one racing to new jersey , ' race promoter leo hindery , jr. said . but the race , scheduled for 1 june , has a provisional status which means it could still be dropped from the sport 's global tour . mexico has also been penciled in to stage a grand prix for the first time since 1992 , when the event was held in mexico city . a provisional race in 2014 has been given a date of 16 november . korea , the destination for the next race of this season , has been moved forward to april and has also been given provisional status on the 2014 calendar . f1 returned to the u.s. in 2012 with the inclusion of the u.s. grand prix held at a new circuit just outside austin , texas . the grand prix of america is planned to be held on 3.2 miles of public roads in port imperial , a district in the new jersey towns of west new york and weehawken . it snakes alongside the hudson river and would give the race a spectacular backdrop of manhattan 's historic skyline . construction on the site is well under way , and last year three time world champion sebastian vettel and former f1 driver david coulthard drove demonstration runs on the circuit for the red bull team . however , a lot of the work has focused on the pit building in a new block of garages which was already planned to be built . the fia will need to approve the site before it is given the green light in 2014 . the new jersey race has already been postponed once , having been initially scheduled for june this year . the wheels started to come off in august 2012 when tom cotter , the president of the race , unexpectedly resigned . it was recently revealed that the grand prix of america organizers appointed investment bank ubs in june to raise $ 100 million which is required for the race to go ahead . the 2014 formula 1 calendar features a record 22 races , starting in australia on 16 march with a finale in brazil on 30 november . austria also makes a return to the calendar in june -- a race that has not been given provisional status . the return of austria means red bull , whose f1 team has won the drivers'and constructors'titles for the past three years , can look forward to a home race . the race will be held at the red bull ring , which staged the austrian grand prix between 1970 and 1987 in its former guise as the osterreichring . pirelli rubber to stay the meeting of the fia 's world motor sport council in croatia also confirmed pirelli will continue as f1 's sole tire supplier in 2014 . the italian company 's future in the sport was in doubt after a series of blow-outs wreaked havoc at the british grand prix and led to fears that the drivers'safety was being compromised . earlier in the season , a spate of worryingly delaminations -- where the tire layers separate -- had already led to worries the tires were not safe . but pirelli have since introduced a new tire structure for the second half of the season and the fia has agreed the company will continue to showcase its rubber in motorsport 's elite racing series . the fia said in a statement : in order to cover the transition period and considering the contracts already settled by fom and the teams with pirelli , the wmsc confirmed that pirelli may continue to supply tires to competitors in the fia f1 world championship , subject to the requisite technical and safety standards of the fia being met . ' the fia also announced that , along with the company headed by f1 's commercial boss ecclestone , it had also agreed a strong and stable sporting governance framework . ' the deal known as the concorde agreement effectively splits the sport 's commercial revenues between the governing body , ecclestone 's group and the teams . the fia revealed it would have a larger share of the pie , stating : this agreement provides the fia with significantly improved financial means . ' f1 generates more than $ 4bn in revenues annually -- and with more races in 2014 that sum could be set to rise .","races in mexico and austria are also added to f1 tour" +"santa claus ( cnn ) -- a pedophile suspect who became the subject of an international manhunt this week after an appeal from interpol has been detained in the united states . wayne nelson corliss was arrested at his new jersey apartment . wayne nelson corliss , 58 , was arrested at his apartment in union city , new jersey , about midnight wednesday by u.s. immigration and customs enforcement agents , interpol said in a written statement . he is believed to have worked as an actor using the name casey wayne and to have worked as a santa claus in new york during the holiday season , interpol said . corliss appeared thursday before a u.s. magistrate in newark , new jersey , but did not enter a plea . during that appearance , prosecutors said he had confessed and acknowledged traveling to thailand , where on three occasions he abused boys between 6 and 10 years old after using a madam to find them . prosecutors said he brought back a pair of boys'underwear as a souvenir . it was among items found in his apartment , along with five hard drives containing more than 1,000 images of child pornography , according to prosecutors . in addition , authorities said corliss admitted to frequenting online chat rooms that discuss having sex with children . interpol announced tuesday that it was attempting to identify the man , who was featured in 100 photographs sexually abusing at least three boys between the ages of 6 and 10 , it said . the images came to light in 2006 , when norwegian authorities discovered them in the possession of a man they arrested . they were believed to have been taken in southeast asia . interpol posted six pictures of the suspect on its web site . two days ago , this man 's nationality , identity and location were totally unknown , ' interpol secretary general ronald k. noble said . all we had to go by were a series of graphic photographs in which the suspect was seen sexually abusing young children and our confidence that the public and police worldwide would once again respond to interpol 's call for assistance . that two days later the primary suspect is now in custody is an outstanding achievement and credit to the citizens , media and law enforcement worldwide who responded to interpol 's call . ' corliss is charged with producing child pornography , according to prosecutors . he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison , with a 10-year minimum , if convicted in the united states . other charges could be sought when the case is presented to a grand jury , said michael drewniak , spokesman for the u.s. attorney 's office in new jersey . the images found in 2006 were on a computer and stored in a file named thai -- luv , ' according to the criminal complaint filed against corliss , which was released by the department of justice . data on the images showed that they had been taken in 2000 . the complaint alleges that the suspect 's face is clearly shown and the background suggests the images were taken in thailand . the images depict an airport luggage tag with the code'bkk .'bkk is the luggage tag code for suvarnabhumi international airport in bangkok , thailand . ' also shown is a chang ' water bottle , common in thailand , the court documents said . a search of u.s. passport information found an image of corliss that police compared to the photographs , the complaint said . furthermore , databases maintained by the department of homeland security indicated extensive travel to asia by defendant corliss . ' on wednesday , interpol said it was sifting through hundreds of tips that had poured in . the organization , which facilitates global cooperation among police agencies , said thursday that it received nearly 250,000 visits to its web site within the first 24 hours after its appeal was launched -- more than 10 times the daily average . such tactics have proved successful for interpol in the past . in october , it disseminated pictures of another man whose face -- altered to disguise his identity -- appeared in more than 200 images of sex acts with children , thought to have been taken in vietnam and cambodia . ten days later , christopher paul neil , a 32-year-old canadian who had been working as an english-language teacher in south korea , was arrested in thailand and charged with child abuse after police managed to reverse the photo-masking process . after the success of that operation , interpol 's general assembly approved a resolution allowing interpol to seek public help in child sex abuse investigations . cnn 's jonathan wald contributed to this report .","interpol believe that he worked as a santa claus in new york" +"recep tayyip erdogan turkey is positioned as the geographic , economic and political bridge straddling both asia and europe . how prime minister recep tayyip erdogan performs if he secures a first round victory in sunday 's presidential election will determine if this sizable emerging market can restore its luster as an engine for growth and a regional political force . the scrappy former mayor of istanbul came to power promising a new brand of islam under the party he co-founded , the justice and development party ( akp ) : one that is pro-business and one that in the recent past juggled good relations with both israel and iran . economically speaking , erdogan has delivered . turkey enjoyed growth of 6-8 % for the better part of his first decade in power . gone are the days of hyper-inflation ( although the latest reading of 9.3 % in july is not low ) -- as well as the multiple zeroes at the end of lira notes -- thanks to the currency stability he introduced the current prime minister became the darling of fortune 500 companies , which took advantage of the european union customs union offering lower export tariffs , and turned turkey into a manufacturing hub for europe . foreign direct investment surged ten-fold , from just $ 20 billion in 2001 to over $ 200 billion today . 3,300 international companies now call turkey home according to unctad . but many believe this presidential election will not broaden democracy in turkey , but only help erdogan consolidate his grip on power in an effort to burnish his legacy . erdogan 's 12 month strategy is to engineer , de jure or de facto , as much of a transfer of power from the prime minister 's office to the presidential palace as he can , ' wrote professor henri barkey of lehigh university in pennsylvania . this strategy could dilute the role of the turkish parliament and allow the president to hand-pick his successor as prime minister . those who are close to the current president abdullah gul tell me the moderate counter-weight to erdogan will stay out of the political cross-fire and let this experiment to create a presidential system of government play out . but they say a successful transition is not a given . but after suffering through a year of intense protests , a barrage of accusations and investigations linked to corruption at the top of his government and a challenge from afar by former ally , the pennsylvania based religious leader fethullah gulen , erdogan not only seems undeterred , but more emboldened than ever . he has grand plans in the works : an expansion of the istanbul airport to rival dubai as the international transfer hub , a brand new bridge across the bosphorus , and a 45 kilometer canal that will run parallel to that strait . in october last year , erdogan proudly unveiled the marmaray link connecting asia and europe with an underground train network . this infrastructure , he says , will also help sustain growth . total gdp today is hovering at nearly $ 850 billion after a three-fold increase in ten years . that is projected to nearly double again by 2020 and erdogan has set a goal for it to cross $ 2 trillion by 2023 , the centennial of the turkish republic . if achieved , turkey would be in the top ten of global economies . fabled emerging market author jim o'neil , when at investment bank goldman sachs , selected turkey as a next 11 ' country -- one of the most promising for the next generation of growth . whether it can live up to those expectations will depend on prudent financial management , but also on how team erdogan ' conducts relations within the global investment community . he and a few cabinet members have made a reputation for jawboning credit rating agencies when they make moves to downgrade the country 's debt rating . moody 's was the latest to suffer the wrath of ankara for treating the country unfairly . ' it is not unusual for erdogan to draw comparisons of his leadership to that of mustafa kemal ataturk , the founder of modern turkey . he wants to secure his place in history . whether his desire to do so is ultimately good for his country remains the big unknown as turks go to the polls .","turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan is campaigning to become the country 's president" +"turkey turkey is positioned as the geographic , economic and political bridge straddling both asia and europe . how prime minister recep tayyip erdogan performs if he secures a first round victory in sunday 's presidential election will determine if this sizable emerging market can restore its luster as an engine for growth and a regional political force . the scrappy former mayor of istanbul came to power promising a new brand of islam under the party he co-founded , the justice and development party ( akp ) : one that is pro-business and one that in the recent past juggled good relations with both israel and iran . economically speaking , erdogan has delivered . turkey enjoyed growth of 6-8 % for the better part of his first decade in power . gone are the days of hyper-inflation ( although the latest reading of 9.3 % in july is not low ) -- as well as the multiple zeroes at the end of lira notes -- thanks to the currency stability he introduced the current prime minister became the darling of fortune 500 companies , which took advantage of the european union customs union offering lower export tariffs , and turned turkey into a manufacturing hub for europe . foreign direct investment surged ten-fold , from just $ 20 billion in 2001 to over $ 200 billion today . 3,300 international companies now call turkey home according to unctad . but many believe this presidential election will not broaden democracy in turkey , but only help erdogan consolidate his grip on power in an effort to burnish his legacy . erdogan 's 12 month strategy is to engineer , de jure or de facto , as much of a transfer of power from the prime minister 's office to the presidential palace as he can , ' wrote professor henri barkey of lehigh university in pennsylvania . this strategy could dilute the role of the turkish parliament and allow the president to hand-pick his successor as prime minister . those who are close to the current president abdullah gul tell me the moderate counter-weight to erdogan will stay out of the political cross-fire and let this experiment to create a presidential system of government play out . but they say a successful transition is not a given . but after suffering through a year of intense protests , a barrage of accusations and investigations linked to corruption at the top of his government and a challenge from afar by former ally , the pennsylvania based religious leader fethullah gulen , erdogan not only seems undeterred , but more emboldened than ever . he has grand plans in the works : an expansion of the istanbul airport to rival dubai as the international transfer hub , a brand new bridge across the bosphorus , and a 45 kilometer canal that will run parallel to that strait . in october last year , erdogan proudly unveiled the marmaray link connecting asia and europe with an underground train network . this infrastructure , he says , will also help sustain growth . total gdp today is hovering at nearly $ 850 billion after a three-fold increase in ten years . that is projected to nearly double again by 2020 and erdogan has set a goal for it to cross $ 2 trillion by 2023 , the centennial of the turkish republic . if achieved , turkey would be in the top ten of global economies . fabled emerging market author jim o'neil , when at investment bank goldman sachs , selected turkey as a next 11 ' country -- one of the most promising for the next generation of growth . whether it can live up to those expectations will depend on prudent financial management , but also on how team erdogan ' conducts relations within the global investment community . he and a few cabinet members have made a reputation for jawboning credit rating agencies when they make moves to downgrade the country 's debt rating . moody 's was the latest to suffer the wrath of ankara for treating the country unfairly . ' it is not unusual for erdogan to draw comparisons of his leadership to that of mustafa kemal ataturk , the founder of modern turkey . he wants to secure his place in history . whether his desire to do so is ultimately good for his country remains the big unknown as turks go to the polls .","john defterios asks if turkey can restore its luster as an engine for growth and a regional political force" +"turkey turkey is positioned as the geographic , economic and political bridge straddling both asia and europe . how prime minister recep tayyip erdogan performs if he secures a first round victory in sunday 's presidential election will determine if this sizable emerging market can restore its luster as an engine for growth and a regional political force . the scrappy former mayor of istanbul came to power promising a new brand of islam under the party he co-founded , the justice and development party ( akp ) : one that is pro-business and one that in the recent past juggled good relations with both israel and iran . economically speaking , erdogan has delivered . turkey enjoyed growth of 6-8 % for the better part of his first decade in power . gone are the days of hyper-inflation ( although the latest reading of 9.3 % in july is not low ) -- as well as the multiple zeroes at the end of lira notes -- thanks to the currency stability he introduced the current prime minister became the darling of fortune 500 companies , which took advantage of the european union customs union offering lower export tariffs , and turned turkey into a manufacturing hub for europe . foreign direct investment surged ten-fold , from just $ 20 billion in 2001 to over $ 200 billion today . 3,300 international companies now call turkey home according to unctad . but many believe this presidential election will not broaden democracy in turkey , but only help erdogan consolidate his grip on power in an effort to burnish his legacy . erdogan 's 12 month strategy is to engineer , de jure or de facto , as much of a transfer of power from the prime minister 's office to the presidential palace as he can , ' wrote professor henri barkey of lehigh university in pennsylvania . this strategy could dilute the role of the turkish parliament and allow the president to hand-pick his successor as prime minister . those who are close to the current president abdullah gul tell me the moderate counter-weight to erdogan will stay out of the political cross-fire and let this experiment to create a presidential system of government play out . but they say a successful transition is not a given . but after suffering through a year of intense protests , a barrage of accusations and investigations linked to corruption at the top of his government and a challenge from afar by former ally , the pennsylvania based religious leader fethullah gulen , erdogan not only seems undeterred , but more emboldened than ever . he has grand plans in the works : an expansion of the istanbul airport to rival dubai as the international transfer hub , a brand new bridge across the bosphorus , and a 45 kilometer canal that will run parallel to that strait . in october last year , erdogan proudly unveiled the marmaray link connecting asia and europe with an underground train network . this infrastructure , he says , will also help sustain growth . total gdp today is hovering at nearly $ 850 billion after a three-fold increase in ten years . that is projected to nearly double again by 2020 and erdogan has set a goal for it to cross $ 2 trillion by 2023 , the centennial of the turkish republic . if achieved , turkey would be in the top ten of global economies . fabled emerging market author jim o'neil , when at investment bank goldman sachs , selected turkey as a next 11 ' country -- one of the most promising for the next generation of growth . whether it can live up to those expectations will depend on prudent financial management , but also on how team erdogan ' conducts relations within the global investment community . he and a few cabinet members have made a reputation for jawboning credit rating agencies when they make moves to downgrade the country 's debt rating . moody 's was the latest to suffer the wrath of ankara for treating the country unfairly . ' it is not unusual for erdogan to draw comparisons of his leadership to that of mustafa kemal ataturk , the founder of modern turkey . he wants to secure his place in history . whether his desire to do so is ultimately good for his country remains the big unknown as turks go to the polls .","turkey will chose its first directly elected president on sunday" +"azalea ( cnn ) -- it 's not hip-hop without beef , right ? we are still waiting to see if a war of words breaks out between rappers nicki minaj and iggy azalea after the former offered remarks at the 2014 bet awards on sunday that some took to be a diss toward the latter . accepting the award for best female hip-hop artist , minaj referenced writing her own lyrics . what i want the world to know about nicki minaj , ' she said , ' when you hear nicki minaj spit , nicki minaj wrote it . ' bet awards : hits and a lionel richie miss there is talk that azalea uses ghostwriters for some of her songs , so twitter was immediately all over the comment . so its safe to say there wo n't be any nicki & iggy collabs anytime soon , ' one viewer tweeted . minaj added no shade , no shade ' about her comment , but that did n't stop the minaj throws shade ' headlines around the web . mtv notes that during azalea 's performance of her hit song fancy , ' minaj grabbed an opportunity to vamp for the camera when it found her in the audience . it 's likely this moment will be used as further evidence that nicki and iggy have some kind of silent beef brewing , ' mtv 's john walker wrote . so far azalea has been silent on the alleged shade .","azalea has not responded" +"azalea ( cnn ) -- it 's not hip-hop without beef , right ? we are still waiting to see if a war of words breaks out between rappers nicki minaj and iggy azalea after the former offered remarks at the 2014 bet awards on sunday that some took to be a diss toward the latter . accepting the award for best female hip-hop artist , minaj referenced writing her own lyrics . what i want the world to know about nicki minaj , ' she said , ' when you hear nicki minaj spit , nicki minaj wrote it . ' bet awards : hits and a lionel richie miss there is talk that azalea uses ghostwriters for some of her songs , so twitter was immediately all over the comment . so its safe to say there wo n't be any nicki & iggy collabs anytime soon , ' one viewer tweeted . minaj added no shade , no shade ' about her comment , but that did n't stop the minaj throws shade ' headlines around the web . mtv notes that during azalea 's performance of her hit song fancy , ' minaj grabbed an opportunity to vamp for the camera when it found her in the audience . it 's likely this moment will be used as further evidence that nicki and iggy have some kind of silent beef brewing , ' mtv 's john walker wrote . so far azalea has been silent on the alleged shade .","some believe minaj dissed azalea at the bet awards" +"tony stewart ( cnn ) -- could there be an american team in formula one for the first time in more than 25 years ? nascar team co-owner gene haas has thrown his hat into the ring to enter a new team into the f1 world championship . last month the sport 's governing body , the fia , asked prospective entrants to make an expression of interest ' to join the grid as a 12th team for the start of the 2015 or 2016 season . haas , who co-owns stewart-haas racing in the nascar sprint cup series , said friday that he has answered the call . we have responded to the fia 's'call for expression of interest'regarding a formula one entry on behalf of haas racing development , ' the american businessman said in a statement . we respect the fia 's evaluation process and will share more details in the coming weeks . ' haas has already tasted success in the premier u.s. racing series when the stewart-haas team , which he founded with three-time sprint cup champion driver tony stewart , won the 2011 sprint cup series championship . f1 last expanded the grid in 2010 when three new teams joined . of the trio , two are still racing in their current guises -- caterham and marussia . the spanish hispania ( hrt ) team withdrew from the sport at the end of 2012 because of financial difficulties . the last u.s. backed team ran a limited number of races during the 1985 and 1986 seasons under the lola-hart moniker . other american teams to enter the sport include eagle , which debuted in 1966 , shadow and penkse , both of which raced in the 1970s . the usf1 team launched an unsuccessful bid to join f1 for the 2010 season after difficulties securing financial backing . the fia had given parties interesting in joining f1 until january 3 2014 to register their interest but it is not yet known whether there are any other prospective entries .","haas co-owns a nascar team with champion racer tony stewart" +"khaled meshaal ( cnn ) -- the exiled leader of the palestinian islamic faction hamas met with jordan 's king abdullah ii on sunday in his first official trip to jordan since his expulsion in 1999 . in a statement issued by hamas , khaled meshaal expressed his appreciation to the king for supporting palestinians . any future meetings between hamas and jordan open a new page between the two sides and serve the palestinian cause , ' said meshaal , who announced earlier this month that he would not seek another term as president of the movement 's governing body . the meeting comes as abdullah is making a high-profile attempt to broker new peace talks in the decades-old israeli-palestinian conflict . hamas , which the united states and the european union consider a terrorist organization , controls the palestinian territory of gaza and refuses to recognize israel 's right to exist . meshaal met with abdullah and the crown prince of qatar , sheikh tamim bin hamad al thani , jordan 's state news agency petra reported . abdullah reaffirmed his support for a palestinian state based on the borders drawn before the 1967 middle east war , with east jerusalem as its capital , ' petra reported . israel claims all of jerusalem as its own capital , and its ultimate status is one of the most contentious points in the talks . but abdullah also called negotiations the sole means to regain palestinian rights , ' a stance israel and the united states have supported as palestinian leaders seek recognition of an independent palestine at the united nations . and petra said meshaal called the meetings a new opening ' after 12 years , stating hamas respected jordan 's security , stability and interests . ' jordan kicked the leadership of hamas out of the country in 1999 after accusing it of breaking a deal to restrict its activity to politics . the movement has maintained a headquarters in syria 's capital damascus since then , receiving financial and military support from the governments of hafez al-assad and his successor , his son bashar . but hamas has been distancing itself from its long-time patron as syria battles a 10-month-old popular uprising against al-assad . hamas personnel and their families have left syria in recent weeks , and ismail haniya , the hamas leader in gaza , did not stop in damascus during a recent regional trip . abdullah , meanwhile , told cnn during a recent visit to washington that he was stepping up to try to restart the stalled israeli-palestinian talks . he said his message to president barack obama was , it 's up to us to do the heavy lifting ... we ca n't always have to fall back on the united states to do everything . ' but israel and the palestinian authority , which controls the west bank , spent sunday blaming each other for the latest lack of progress . speaking at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting , israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said the palestinians refused to even discuss israel 's security needs with us ' in the most recent contacts in amman . signs are not particularly good , ' netanyahu said in comments released by his office . but i hope that they will come to their senses and continue with the talks in order for us to advance to true negotiations . ' but palestinians have blamed israel 's ongoing construction of settlements in the west bank , on land the palestinians consider part of their future state , for the impasse . senior palestinian negotiator mohammad shtayeh told cnn that the palestinians presented israel , jordan and members of the mideast quartet powers with a written document on security and border issues , and the israeli side did not present anything in writing as the quartet requested . ' the amman talks were about creating a conducive environment for any future talks , ' shtayeh said . but , unfortunately , israel did not accept to freeze settlement construction , which we consider as destroying confidence measures and an illegal and provocative act which led to the collapse of the talks . ' shtayeh said the palestinian leadership will consult with the arab countries as will re-evaluate the situation with king of jordan , and upon all of these consultations we will reach a decision on where to go . '","khaled meshaal meets with king abdullah ii in amman" +"christmas one of hallmark 's ornaments for the holiday season is snowballing into some controversy following the replacement of the word gay ' while quoting deck the halls . ' the red holiday sweater ' ornament is decorated with the lyric , don we now our fun apparel . ' the traditional line from the famous christmas song is don we now our gay apparel . ' the change caused one facebook user to comment on hallmark 's official page , it 's ok to be gay ! ! fix your dumb ornament ! ' you can be sure that myself and many others wo n't be buying your cards anymore , ' another facebook user complained . hallmark defended the change in lyrics . when the lyrics to'deck the halls'were translated from gaelic and published in english back in the 1800 's , the word'gay'meant festive or merry , ' according to a statement released wednesday . today it has multiple meanings , which we thought could leave our intent open to misinterpretation . ' the hallmark statement went on to explain that the ornament was created in the spirit of fun . ' the trend of wearing festively decorated christmas sweaters to parties is all about fun , and this ornament is intended to play into that , ' the statement said . so the planning team decided to say what we meant : fun . ' it added : that 's the spirit we intended and the spirit in which we hope ornament buyers will take it . ' the ornament is for sale on the company 's website as part of the keepsake collection for the price of $ 12.95 . hallmark was founded in 1910 and is now a $ 4 billion business with greeting cards and other products sold in 39,000 retail stores across the united states and in 100 countries worldwide , according to its website .","christmas sweaters are all about fun , it states" +"quinn ( cnn ) -- roger ebert got a final thumbs up ' as family , friends and filmmakers eulogized the movie critic at his funeral in chicago on monday . hundreds gathered inside chicago 's holy name cathedral , but many more watched the live telecast of the service carried by local stations and streamed online . it is a production his widow , chaz ebert , said would get a good review from the late critic . he would have loved this , ' she said . he would love the majesty of it , he would love everything about it , he would love that you were all here for him , he would have loved everything the priests did . ' although he 's known for reviewing films , his widow spoke about his passion for social justice . he really was a soldier for social justice , and it did n't matter to him your race , creed , color , level of ability , sexual orientation -- he had a heart big enough to love and accept all , ' she said . fellow critic richard roeper served as one of the pallbearers , carrying ebert 's casket into the cathedral , where dignitaries waited , including chicago mayor rahm emanuel . he was the most american of american critics in the most american of american cities , ' emanuel said in his eulogy . it was in chicago where roger kept his home , where he kept his heart and where he found his inspiration . ' on twitter , roger ebert found a new voice ebert reviewed movies for the chicago sun times starting in 1967 , leading to success with his syndicated column and iconic television show siskel and ebert at the movies ' ' he did n't just dominate his profession , he defined it , ' emanuel said . like generations of chicagoans , before i went to a movie i needed to find out two things : what time does it start and what does roger think about it ? roger spent a lot of his time sitting through bad movies so that we did n't have to . no good movie is too long and no bad movie is too short , he wrote . ' ebert died last thursday after a long batter with cancer . life was too short for roger to be defeated by illness , so when roger 's body became weak , we saw how his mind become sharper , ' emanuel said . roger did not chose cancer . he did chose his response to it : to keep living . rather than allow his struggle to separate himself from his readers , it became another way for roger to relate to us . with every one of his reviews , his tv appearances , his tweets , roger shared with us one lesson : life is too short not to be shared with others . ' ebert 's last year was his most productive with 306 movie reviews , compared to the normal 200 a year . his time with us was too short , but what he shared with us endures , ' emanuel said . the final reel of roger 's life may have run to the end , but his memory will never fade . ' great movies and terrible bombs , according to roger ebert illinois gov . pat quinn said ebert was a populist who understood that it 's the duty of all of us to take good care of those who do n't have a champion . ' we love you roger , we always will . thumbs up ! ' gov . quinn said at the end . jonathan jackson , son of the rev . jesse jackson , sr. , spoke about the impact ebert 's reviews of black-directed films such as spike lee 's school daze ' and do the right thing ' had on society . i look at roger as a soldier with a pen when he sat on a high perch and gave a commentary and opinion that depicted us as human , that showed us as normal in'school daze ,' jackson said . he saw young black children not as problems , but as people . ' jackson also read a message from spike lee : roger ebert was a champion of my work and other black filmmakers at a critical time in american cinema history , roger was one of the lone defenders of'do the right thing'when everybody else and their mothers were saying that black folks would run amok and riot during the summer of 1989 . roger fought the good fight . roger fought the power . ' opinion : ebert 's sheer love of life former chicago sun times editor john barron , who was ebert 's boss for many years , said ebert understood the changing newspaper business . roger was pretty much the first with a computer , ' barron said . he was the first with e-mail . he opened up whole new worlds with his blog and his twitter account . roger was 24-7 before anyone had even thought about that term . while we were all still focused on making the nightly deadline , roger was showing us what a fully evolved newspaper man look liked . he taught us a lot and we at the sun times were always proud to say we worked where roger ebert worked . the glow that he cast was warm and wide . ' ebert 's stepdaughter sonia evans spoke about ebert the father . he 's the man whom we deeply loved -- kind sincere warm , loving , intelligent , imaginative , transformative and just a world-class human being who exercised his gift for the world . ' i 'm the happiest when i think of how he and my mother found each other , ' she said . appreciation for ebert , the everyman 's movie critic"," we love you roger , we always will . thumbs up ! ' illinois gov . quinn says" +"fda tegucigalpa , honduras ( cnn ) -- he 's no julia child , but honduran president manuel zelaya showed tuesday he can attack a cantaloupe and u.s. government claims in a single motion . president manuel zelaya chews on a slice of honduran melon to demonstrate its safety . it 's not in our fruit , ' he said about last week 's report by the u.s. food and drug administration that some honduran cantaloupes may be contaminated with salmonella . it 's not true what they are saying . logically , we believe it is an error . ' then , the 55-year-old father of four asked the viewers of cnn en español to indulge him as he engaged in a show-and-tell demonstration . permit me a second , ' he said as he stretched his left arm across the tabletop and outside the view of the camera , then pulled into view a box of fruit . here i have the box of melons that we are exporting to the united states ; here are the protective bags , ' he said . zelaya lifted a cantaloupe from the box , placed it in front of him , then grabbed a knife and a fork . permit me to make a demonstration , ' he said , then cut open the fruit , sliced off a chunk , put it in his mouth and chewed vigorously . i eat this fruit without any fear , ' he said with his mouth full . it 's a delicious fruit . nothing happens to me ! ' though the symptoms of salmonella infection -- nausea , vomiting , fever , diarrhea and abdominal cramps -- typically do not occur for several hours after eating tainted food , the point was made . the demonstration came three days after the fda said it had linked 50 cases of salmonella in 16 states and nine in canada to melons from agropecuaria montelibana , a grower and packer in san lorenzo , honduras . though there have been no reports of fatalities , 14 people have been hospitalized in arizona , california , colorado , georgia , illinois , missouri , new jersey , new mexico , new york , ohio , oklahoma , oregon , tennessee , utah , washington and wisconsin , the fda said . while the company has continued exporting to europe and central america and has received no reports of illness , the daily export of 45 containers of melon to the united states has halted , a company official said monday . as a result , some 1,500 workers have been laid off , most of them single mothers , and company losses have exceeded $ 3 million , company officials said . the fda alert advised u.s. grocers , food-service operators and produce processors to remove from their stock any cantaloupes from the company . the agency also recommended consumers throw away any cantaloupes determined to be from the company . e-mail to a friend cnn 's elvin sandoval contributed to this story .","fda links 50 cases of salmonella to honduran grower" +"afghan ( cnn ) -- enough afghan opium to supply world demand for two years has effectively gone missing , with the taliban suspected of stockpiling supplies in a bid to corner the market , the united nations office for drugs and crime ( unodc ) has revealed . pakistani customs officials destroy contraband narcotics on the border with afghanistan . afghanistan is the world 's leading narcotics supplier . earlier this month , a u.n. study revealed afghanistan 's opium production had dropped dramatically this year partly because of new aggressive drug-fighting tactics in the country . according to the unodc report , production dipped by 10 percent this year while cultivation fell by 22 percent . however , a senior u.n. spokesman warned that this positive news should be treated with caution . we figure the world needs around 4,000 tons of opium a year for licit and illicit purposes , ' walter kemp of the unodc told cnn . has enough empasis been placed on drug trafficking ? but this year around 6,900 tons was produced , with 7,700 tons delivered last year and more than 8,500 the year before that . map showing where afghan opium is going » ' so if the world only needs around 4,000 tons of opium and a further 1,000 is seized , where is the rest of it going ? ' according to kemp , world demand for opium remains stable yet prices are not crashing , which suggests a large amount of opium is being withheld from the market . our guess is that around 12,000 tons of opium has been stockpiled somewhere -- not all in one place but in and around afghanistan , ' he added . so while production might be coming down -- mostly because of market reasons -- there 's still a lot of product around to satisfy demand for about two years . ' it is unclear exactly who is responsible for this but there 's growing evidence , according to the u.n. , that the taliban are becoming increasingly involved in the industry and could be sitting on huge stockpiles of opium to use as credit for financing their activities . farmers will be keeping small amounts back as credit for things such as a dowry or buying livestock , ' said kemp . but they wo n't have the means to store supplies in the kind of quantities we 're talking about here . it 's probably in the hands of people with the ability to store it underground and to keep people away from it through corruption or force . ' hakan demirbuken , a research expert on the u.n. 's afghan opium trade program , said taliban involvement in the drugs trade is not limited to taxing afghan opium farmers and traders in return for their protection . ' he told cnn : last year we estimated that afghan poppy farmers earned around $ 730 million , while traders who take the product on to the border earned around $ 3.4 billion . ' from this lucrative business the taliban took around $ 125 million in tax . but according to u.n. figures they need around $ 800 million per year for their operational needs . ' however , most of the trade is controlled by organized criminal groups from outside afghanistan . therefore demirbuken believes groups such as the taliban and al qaeda will be forging links with criminal gangs in order to become more involved in the production and trafficking stages . in addition to the increased revenue greater involvement would provide , he said groups such as al qaeda will have noted the destabilizing effect this industry -- and the sums of money it generates -- can have on more vulnerable countries with weak governments . ' in october last year , the united states told nato members that the drug trade was a threat to coalition troops because there was a direct connection between it and taliban insurgents in afghanistan . there is what we call a nexus of insurgency . there 's a very broad range of militant groups that are combined with the criminality , with the narco-trafficking system , with corruption , that form a threat and a challenge to the future of that great country , ' then-u.s. commander in afghanistan gen. david mckiernan told reporters . as a result nato combat forces have now been actively attacking militants , drug laboratories and buildings connected to insurgents with ties to drug lords for the first time since the start of the afghan conflict in 2001 . meanwhile , international law enforcement organization , interpol , believes there has been a change of tactic involving afghanistan 's opium , with much more of it being turned into heroin within the country and stockpiled or couriered out , primarily through iran . historically afghanistan has been responsible only for cultivating raw opium , with the conversion into a final product taking place across the border in pakistan or in iran and turkey , according to the unodc . producing heroin in afghanistan makes it easier to conceal and transport than the bulkier raw opium .","recent study revealed afghan opium production has dropped dramatically" +"nuri al-maliki baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- eight people were killed and 17 were injured wednesday when an improvised explosive device detonated followed by a suicide bomber 's explosion , according to police and medical officials . the attacks targeted people leaving al-mustafa shiite mosque after night-time prayers in al-furat neighborhood in western baghdad , according to the sources more than 16 suspects have been arrested by security police , sources told cnn . al-furat , a predominantly shiite neighborhood , is just two miles from baghdad international airport . during a televised address earlier wednesday iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki declared an amnesty for all sunni tribesmen who fought against the government , with the exception of those involved in the killing of iraqi forces . al-maliki also said he hoped that members of iraq 's parliament would be able to choose a president and prime minister in their next session . after much anticipation over how it would address the country 's turmoil , iraq 's new parliament on tuesday postponed its first session until next week , citing a lack of a quorum . the political uncertainty comes as iraqi forces battle sunni extremist militants from the islamic state in iraq and syria , or isis . we are going to postpone because of an urgent matter , ' the speaker of the parliament said tuesday . he did not say what the urgent matter was , and it was not immediately clear what happened . the newly elected parliament convened with 255 out of 328 elected officials attending , which was enough for a legal quorum , the speaker said . but when 90 failed to return after a morning break , there were not enough members to continue . many had expected al-maliki to call for the formation of a new government tuesday , al-maliki and his shiite-dominated government have been under pressure from western and arab diplomats to be more inclusive of members of iraq 's sunni minority , who say they have been marginalized and cut out of the political process by the government . when isis fighters swept into northern iraq , seizing the city of mosul , reports emerged of some sunnis either joining the militants or doing nothing to fight them . under iraq 's constitution , the parliament has 75 days from when it convenes to pick a prime minister . lawmakers are under pressure to move faster , but the political body has had trouble moving swiftly in the past . the last time parliament met to pick a prime minister , it took nearly 10 months . opinion : will al qaeda fight isis islamic state ? more warplanes arrive five more russian-made sukhoi su-25 fighter jets have been delivered to iraq , the ministry of defense said in a statement on tuesday . the delivery brought to 10 the number of war planes russia has delivered so far and the ministry said it is expecting a total of 25 under a contract agreed to by moscow and baghdad . the announcement follows a comment by al-maliki that militant advances might have been avoided if iraq had proper air power in the form of fighter jets that iraq has been trying to get from the united states . i 'll be frank and say that we were deluded when we signed the contract ' with the united states , al-maliki told the bbc in the interview last week , which was released friday . iraq has now turned to russia and belarus to buy fighter jets , he said . god willing , within one week , this force will be effective and will destroy the terrorists'dens , ' he said . kirkuk annexation condemned in his weekly address , al-maliki said the priority was to improve the security situation in the country , even as the political process moves forward . security should be the first and foremost on our agendas , ' he said . he thanked iraq 's top shiite cleric , ayatollah ali al-sistani , for his call for volunteers to pick up arms to defend the country against isis and said a new government department would handle their mobilization . thousands of people , predominantly shiites , have answered the call , raising concerns among sunnis about the rise of shiite militias . announcing the amnesty for tribesmen who have not killed iraqi forces , al-maliki said , i welcome them back to the fold and to rejoin their brethren in other iraqi tribes . ' he also strongly rejected the kurdish regional government 's effective annexation of the disputed oil-rich city of kirkuk and other areas in northern iraq , saying it was unacceptable . he called on the kurdish leaders not to take advantage of the state 's current weakness to advance their own specific agendas . any attempt to hold a referendum on the move is invalid because there is no provision in the constitution for self-determination , al-maliki added . the prime minister did not say how he planned to address the move . kurdish leader masoud barzani announced friday that the disputed areas , including kirkuk , were henceforth part of the kurdish autonomous region , after the iraqi central government failed to hold a long-awaited referendum . last month , the iraqi army withdrew from kirkuk and kurdish peshmerga forces took control of the city and small villages in the areas as isis carried out its lightning offensive . the move by the kurds will probably complicate efforts to get iraqi lawmakers to form a new government representing all three major population groups -- sunnis , shiites and kurds . u.s. : iraqi military probably would fight for baghdad emboldened by the weakened iraqi government 's struggle to mount an effective response to their advance , isis extremists declared over the weekend that they had set up a caliphate -- or islamic state -- spanning large areas of iraq and syria . iraqi military units around baghdad are likely to stand and fight if isis militants attack the city , preliminary reports from u.s. military advisers in iraq and u.s. intelligence personnel concluded , according to a senior u.s. official . the u.s. assessment comes as intelligence also shows that iranian quds forces are increasing their efforts to train shiite militias in and around baghdad and in southern iraq . this assessment that iraqi forces will fight for baghdad is crucial to the u.s. need to keep baghdad international airport secure . the official says 300 american troops there now , along with several apache helicopters , could not on their own secure the airport , crucial if an evacuation was needed , and it would require the iraqis to devote a large number of their troops to the effort . iraq 's military spokesman , maj. gen. qassim atta , told a news conference in baghdad on wednesday that the current military situation was going in favor of the country 's security forces . atta said iraqi forces have gained more ground from isis militants , many of whom have been killed or arrested . in salaheddin province , iraqi forces have secured all the roads leading to the city of tikrit , atta said , and have retaken control of a military base formerly known as camp speicher on the outskirts the city , the hometown of ex-leader saddam hussein . meanwhile , in anbar province , they have killed 24 militants and arrested 11 , among them a known isis leader and several of his aides , he said . cnn can not independently confirm his claims or reports of casualties . police officials in samarra , in salaheddin province , told cnn that the iraqi air force struck several areas in the town of al-shirqat , about 280 kilometers ( 170 miles ) north of baghdad on wednesday . at least 17 people were killed , including seven members of one family , while nine others were injured , officials said . it was not immediately clear what the iraqi air force was targeting . clashes at cleric 's office in unrelated violence , at least three people were killed tuesday night when iraqi security forces clashed with supporters of a radical shiite cleric , police and health officials said . officials said iraqi forces raided the offices of cleric mahmoud al-hassani al-sarkhi in karbala and clashed with his supporters . nine people were wounded , and one military humvee was set on fire , police said . the fighting continued wednesday , an employee at a shrine and a resident of karbala told cnn . helicopters fired a number of times on the saif saad neighborhood , not far from the city 's famed holy shrines , on tuesday night , they said . the aircraft again hovered over the area wednesday , as the city was placed on high alert and the streets remained empty of civilians . iraqi security forces have boosted security around the shrines and at the main entrances to karbala . al-sarkhi last friday told supporters that americans are responsible for what is happening in iraq , according to his official website . he also blamed the bloodshed on the call by al-sistani for volunteers to join iraq 's forces in the fight against the isis militants . in 2006 , the cleric 's supporters attacked the iranian consulate in basra , about 300 miles ( 500 kilometers ) south of baghdad . protesters were incensed about insulting remarks made about the cleric on an iranian tv program . they threw stones and set fire to a building at the consulate . saving the shrines of karbala russia sends 5 fighter jets to iraq , al-maliki criticizes u.s . the return of muqtada al-sadr ? cnn 's chelsea j carter reported from baghdad and mohammed tawfeeq from atlanta , while laura smith-spark wrote in london . cnn 's hamdi alkhshali , diane ruggiero and holly yan contributed to this report .","nuri al-maliki declares amnesty for tribe members , except those who have killed iraqi forces" +"fernando alonso ( cnn ) -- mclaren 's lewis hamilton fought off fierce competition from fernando alonso and mark webber to secure his second formula one victory of the season at the german grand prix . the british driver stole the lead from red bull 's webber off the grid , and though it changed hands several times during the race , his final pit stop was timed perfectly as he took the checkered flag 3.9 seconds ahead of ferrari 's alonso . webber was close behind in third and his teammate and championship leader sebastian vettel finished an error-laden afternoon in fourth place -- his worst finish of the season . but his lead in the drivers'championship is still 77 points over webber , with hamilton now third , 82 behind after his win at the nurburgring . latest f1 standings after german grand prix hamilton , the 2008 world champion , told reporters at a press conference : that was one of the best races that i have ever done . we did n't expect to come here and be so fast and really i just could not be feeling any better . it was just great and we have to keep pushing . these are the results that we can get - the car was really nice to drive . a fantastic job and fantastic win . ' on a cool day in germany , hamilton started second on the grid but breezed past webber to lead into the first corner and though the australian passed him a few laps later the briton regained the lead immediately . vettel toiled on the damp track , spinning out of control as his prospects of joining the leading pack receded , while webber again edged in front after his first pit stop saw his speed pick up . the second round of stops saw webber push to the front again , before alonso rounded him , only for the spaniard to see hamilton overtake on the outside to regain first place . hamilton was the first into the pit lane to make the required switch onto hard tires late in the race , alonso leading for two laps before deciding to come in . webber led briefly , but was losing pace on his soft tires , and was forced to stop leaving hamilton clear to take the flag and record the 16th grand prix victory of his career . vettel struggled with his brakes for most of the race -- his home grand prix -- but was able to salvage fourth place by passing ferrari 's felipe massa on the penultimate lap . after the race he told reporters : i think fourth was probably our maximum today , which is not satisfying . we need to work harder on our car to get back on to the podium , and maybe on to the top step again . ' hamilton 's teammate jenson button , the 2009 world champion , was forced to retire for the second race in a row after his car suffered hydraulic difficulties . the next race in the formula one calendar is the hungarian grand prix next sunday . meanwhile in motogp , casey stoner won the u.s. grand prix at laguna seca raceway to consolidate his lead in motorcycling 's world championship standings . the australian , riding for repsol honda , finished more than five seconds ahead of jorge lorenzo of spain , while dani pedrosa was third . stoner now has 193 championship points , 20 ahead of lorenzo , with eight races remaining .","british driver holds off fierce competition from fernando alonso and mark webber" +"brewer miami , florida ( cnn ) -- he lies in a bed on a balloon-type mattress , to reduce pressure on his burned body . he is covered with bandages ; a ventilator breathes for michael brewer because he ca n't do it for himself . he 's hooked up to the marvels of modern medicine that are trying to give the 15-year-old burn victim a chance to be a kid once again . sixty-five percent of his body is covered with second- and third-degree burns . people are writing horror stories ... but people just ca n't imagine the kind of sickness we 're talking about , ' said dr. nicholas namias , medical director of the university of miami/jackson memorial hospital burn center in miami . i 've been to movies like everyone else , and hollywood has n't even thought of something like this , ' namias said . brewer is heavily sedated , and the ventilator does not allow him to speak . his open wounds are covered by bandages , which are changed daily . it 's a four-hour process . he has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began october 12 , when police say five teenage friends , including a 13-year-old , doused brewer with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire . the attack occurred after brewer reported to police that one of the youths had stolen his father 's bicycle . police say the bicycle was stolen because brewer did not pay one of the boys $ 40 for a video game . according to police , witnesses said the teens called brewer a snitch ' as they used a lighter to set him ablaze . namias explained how brewer 's organs are not functioning the way they should be , but that is expected at this early stage of recovery . he 's still on the ventilator and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation . we are breathing for him . his contribution to the breathing is trivial , ' namias said . namias also explained that in burn cases , words must be chosen carefully when talking about patients and their condition because so much is at risk and so much can change quickly . when you say he 's doing ok , in this situation it means he 's alive and responding to treatments , ' namias said . we 're still dealing with the respiratory failure . we 're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive . ' on monday , the five teens who are accused of taking part in the attack appeared separately before judges in broward county , florida . state prosecutors were granted additional time to build their case . formal charges are expected later this month . for now , all five teens are being held in custody . four of the boys , all 15 years old , could be charged as adults . the 13-year-old also could be charged as an adult but under florida law only if brewer dies . michael brewer 's parents , valerie and michael brewer sr. , issued a written statement through the hospital last week . they are not granting interviews . the recovery process will be baby steps , but eventually he will be whole again , ' they wrote . but their son 's injuries enter the realm of medicine and science that has no guarantee . there 's no evolutionary mechanism to survive a 65 percent burn , ' namias said . surviving is a miracle of modern medicine and about the technology and the things we do . this is not like a gunshot and you come out of the [ operating room ] , and say everything 's going to be ok , ' he added . we never give up , and we never predict it . ... our expectation is survival . ' across the hospital floor in the burn unit at jackson memorial hospital , six other people 's lives also are at stake : all victims of various accidents , all with burns similar to michael brewer 's . they , too , are trying to regain at least a part of what they used to have . it 's understandable that people can be burned in accidents , ' namias said . but this was no accident . this did n't have to happen at all . '","police say teens doused michael brewer , 15 , with rubbing alcohol and set him ablaze" +"brewer miami , florida ( cnn ) -- he lies in a bed on a balloon-type mattress , to reduce pressure on his burned body . he is covered with bandages ; a ventilator breathes for michael brewer because he ca n't do it for himself . he 's hooked up to the marvels of modern medicine that are trying to give the 15-year-old burn victim a chance to be a kid once again . sixty-five percent of his body is covered with second- and third-degree burns . people are writing horror stories ... but people just ca n't imagine the kind of sickness we 're talking about , ' said dr. nicholas namias , medical director of the university of miami/jackson memorial hospital burn center in miami . i 've been to movies like everyone else , and hollywood has n't even thought of something like this , ' namias said . brewer is heavily sedated , and the ventilator does not allow him to speak . his open wounds are covered by bandages , which are changed daily . it 's a four-hour process . he has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began october 12 , when police say five teenage friends , including a 13-year-old , doused brewer with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire . the attack occurred after brewer reported to police that one of the youths had stolen his father 's bicycle . police say the bicycle was stolen because brewer did not pay one of the boys $ 40 for a video game . according to police , witnesses said the teens called brewer a snitch ' as they used a lighter to set him ablaze . namias explained how brewer 's organs are not functioning the way they should be , but that is expected at this early stage of recovery . he 's still on the ventilator and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation . we are breathing for him . his contribution to the breathing is trivial , ' namias said . namias also explained that in burn cases , words must be chosen carefully when talking about patients and their condition because so much is at risk and so much can change quickly . when you say he 's doing ok , in this situation it means he 's alive and responding to treatments , ' namias said . we 're still dealing with the respiratory failure . we 're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive . ' on monday , the five teens who are accused of taking part in the attack appeared separately before judges in broward county , florida . state prosecutors were granted additional time to build their case . formal charges are expected later this month . for now , all five teens are being held in custody . four of the boys , all 15 years old , could be charged as adults . the 13-year-old also could be charged as an adult but under florida law only if brewer dies . michael brewer 's parents , valerie and michael brewer sr. , issued a written statement through the hospital last week . they are not granting interviews . the recovery process will be baby steps , but eventually he will be whole again , ' they wrote . but their son 's injuries enter the realm of medicine and science that has no guarantee . there 's no evolutionary mechanism to survive a 65 percent burn , ' namias said . surviving is a miracle of modern medicine and about the technology and the things we do . this is not like a gunshot and you come out of the [ operating room ] , and say everything 's going to be ok , ' he added . we never give up , and we never predict it . ... our expectation is survival . ' across the hospital floor in the burn unit at jackson memorial hospital , six other people 's lives also are at stake : all victims of various accidents , all with burns similar to michael brewer 's . they , too , are trying to regain at least a part of what they used to have . it 's understandable that people can be burned in accidents , ' namias said . but this was no accident . this did n't have to happen at all . '","attack came after brewer reported that one boy had stolen his father 's bicycle" +"brewer miami , florida ( cnn ) -- he lies in a bed on a balloon-type mattress , to reduce pressure on his burned body . he is covered with bandages ; a ventilator breathes for michael brewer because he ca n't do it for himself . he 's hooked up to the marvels of modern medicine that are trying to give the 15-year-old burn victim a chance to be a kid once again . sixty-five percent of his body is covered with second- and third-degree burns . people are writing horror stories ... but people just ca n't imagine the kind of sickness we 're talking about , ' said dr. nicholas namias , medical director of the university of miami/jackson memorial hospital burn center in miami . i 've been to movies like everyone else , and hollywood has n't even thought of something like this , ' namias said . brewer is heavily sedated , and the ventilator does not allow him to speak . his open wounds are covered by bandages , which are changed daily . it 's a four-hour process . he has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began october 12 , when police say five teenage friends , including a 13-year-old , doused brewer with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire . the attack occurred after brewer reported to police that one of the youths had stolen his father 's bicycle . police say the bicycle was stolen because brewer did not pay one of the boys $ 40 for a video game . according to police , witnesses said the teens called brewer a snitch ' as they used a lighter to set him ablaze . namias explained how brewer 's organs are not functioning the way they should be , but that is expected at this early stage of recovery . he 's still on the ventilator and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation . we are breathing for him . his contribution to the breathing is trivial , ' namias said . namias also explained that in burn cases , words must be chosen carefully when talking about patients and their condition because so much is at risk and so much can change quickly . when you say he 's doing ok , in this situation it means he 's alive and responding to treatments , ' namias said . we 're still dealing with the respiratory failure . we 're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive . ' on monday , the five teens who are accused of taking part in the attack appeared separately before judges in broward county , florida . state prosecutors were granted additional time to build their case . formal charges are expected later this month . for now , all five teens are being held in custody . four of the boys , all 15 years old , could be charged as adults . the 13-year-old also could be charged as an adult but under florida law only if brewer dies . michael brewer 's parents , valerie and michael brewer sr. , issued a written statement through the hospital last week . they are not granting interviews . the recovery process will be baby steps , but eventually he will be whole again , ' they wrote . but their son 's injuries enter the realm of medicine and science that has no guarantee . there 's no evolutionary mechanism to survive a 65 percent burn , ' namias said . surviving is a miracle of modern medicine and about the technology and the things we do . this is not like a gunshot and you come out of the [ operating room ] , and say everything 's going to be ok , ' he added . we never give up , and we never predict it . ... our expectation is survival . ' across the hospital floor in the burn unit at jackson memorial hospital , six other people 's lives also are at stake : all victims of various accidents , all with burns similar to michael brewer 's . they , too , are trying to regain at least a part of what they used to have . it 's understandable that people can be burned in accidents , ' namias said . but this was no accident . this did n't have to happen at all . '","65 percent of brewer 's body is covered in second- , third-degree burns" +"nepal kathmandu , nepal ( cnn ) -- nepal 's government ordered the country 's army chief of staff fired sunday , touching off street protests and a split in nepal 's maoist-dominated ruling coalition . general rookmangud katawal gestures after inspecting the guard of honour in new delhi on december 12 , 2007 . but gen. rookmangud katawal has refused to accept his dismissal , and nepalese president ram baran yadav -- the constitutional commander-in-chief of the country 's armed forces -- has told katawal to remain in office , a presidential spokesman said . nepal 's cabinet voted to dismiss katawal after the military refused the government 's order to stop recruiting about 3,000 new soldiers to fill vacant positions when it has yet to take in former maoist rebels , as a 2006 peace deal required . the move prompted the maoists'largest coalition partner to quit the government , the party 's leader said . without consensus , the ongoing peace process will not reach its logical conclusion and the drafting of the new constitution will not be possible , ' said ishwor pokharel , general secretary of the communist party of nepal ( unified marxist-leninist ) . the consensus that existed so far has come to standstill . ' supporters of both sides in the dispute took to the streets for demonstrations sunday . despite sporadic clashes between the two factions , there were no serious injuries reported . the maoists laid down their arms and won power in 2008 elections after an agreement that ended a decade-long insurgency . under the deal , more than 19,000 former insurgents were to be integrated into the country 's security forces . but two weeks ago , the government asked katawal to explain why he went to the supreme court to challenge the government 's refusal to extend the tenure of eight brigadier generals in march . government spokesman krishna bahadur mahara said sunday that the government was not satisfied with katawal 's explanation and fired him -- three months before his scheduled retirement -- in a meeting that the maoists'coalition partners boycotted . pokharel said his party urged the maoists not to fire katawal without a consensus in the country 's parliament . he said the maoists , led by prime minister pushpa kamal dahal , ignored that advice . we do not like the way the maoists'way of functioning , ' pokharel said . the maoists hold 238 of the 601 seats in parliament , while pokharel 's party has 109 . the maoists could continue to hold power with the support of smaller parties , but pokharel said his party is working to form a new ruling coalition . the cabinet named an interim army chief , but presidential spokesman rajendra dahal told cnn that 18 parties in nepal 's parliament asked yadav to keep katawal on the job . there was no immediate reaction from the government on the president 's decision .","nepal 's government orders army chief of staff fired after recruitment issue" +"copenhagen london , england ( cnn ) -- if the location is anything to go by , then the omens are promising . denmark 's capital city , copenhagen -- host to the u.n. climate summit which starts today -- is already one of the greenest cities in europe . with over 300 kilometers of cycle lanes it is estimated that around 40 percent of the 1.2 population travel to work on a bicycle . and visitors to the city are encouraged to join in by making use of the network of city bikes for a deposit of just 20 dkk ( $ 4 ) . the influence of two wheels has extended into yuletide this year , as cyclists in city hall square are generating the electricity powering the lights on the christmas tree . it 's just one of hundreds of activities and events which copenhageners have organized to coincide with the 11-day u.n. summit taking place at the bella center in the orestad district in the southeast of the city . the opening of the summit marks the end of an exhaustive planning period by the city . preparations at the bella center began two years ago . the finishing touches began eight weeks ago . it is , by far , the largest conference we have ever held and the largest political conference in europe , ' the bella center press manager , lars lemche told cnn . if numbers continue to grow , it will be the biggest political meeting the u.n. has ever held , ' he said . the center has hosted big events before -- a european union summit in 2002 and the 2006 mtv european music awards -- but the u.n. summit makes them look like a tea party . a conference is 36 hours . this is 11 days , ' lemche said . the bella center has had to extend its floor space to 77,000 square meters -- the size of 11 football pitches -- to accommodate all delegates and 1000 staff will be on hand throughout . numbers are expected to peak at around 18,000 in the second week when 100 heads of state arrive for the high-level political negotiations . this herculean effort of planning is being backed up by a raft of green initiatives . outside the conference center solar-powered streetlights are helping light the car parks . a wind turbine is helping power the lights indoors . inside the conference center delegates will eat from a menu that is 65 percent organic and drink water that has come out of a tap rather than a bottle . pens provided will be made from recycled plastic , and even the carpets are biodegradable . in a bid to offset the considerable carbon dioxide emissions - estimated to be 40,000 tons -- generated by the summit , organizers are funding the replacement of polluting brick factories in dhaka , bangladesh with 20 new efficient ones . despite the disruption , copenhageners have gone about their daily business as usual . jason heppenstall , editor of the copenhagen post , a weekly english language newspaper told cnn : there has n't been much of a build up until the last few days . until about two weeks ago it 's not been talked about a lot in the press and maybe a month ago half the people in denmark did n't know there was going to be a conference , ' he told cnn . people are starting to notice changes now , and the mood among copenhageners is positive , apart from the locals living near the bella center and whose lives have been disrupted by all the security arrangements , heppenstall said . the concrete barriers and the perimeter fence erected to protect the bella center have been one of the more obvious signs of security in the city . and now that the conference has started , 6000 officers will be on duty during the conference . niels-otto fisker , communications advisor to the danish national police commissioner , told cnn : it is the single greatest operation that the danish police have undertaken . police are being drafted in from all over the country , and shifts are being extended from eight to 12-16 hours . ' in all , the security operations are costing the danish government an estimated $ 122 million . last week , police unveiled a 22-ton vehicle armed with a water canon which will be used if trouble flares during the conference . the only confrontations in the buildup to the conference have been between copenhagen 's female mayor , ritt bjerregaard , and the city 's prostitutes . a row started after city leaders requested hotels display postcards saying : be sustainable : do n't buy sex . ' the prostitutes -- whose are free to work under danish law -- have responded by offering their services free of charge . our office is based in the red-light district . there are prostitutes here , but it 's not like amsterdam , ' heppenstall explained . i think some people coming to the conference think it might be . so the city council have been trying to pre-empt it by sending postcards saying please refrain from going to these areas . the sex workers have responded by saying that 's ridiculous . they see this as their big moment . ' as copenhagen hands over to the u.n. for two weeks , the world 's eyes are now turning to negotiations which precede the arrival of u.s. president barack obama and company . earlier this year , copenhagen announced the aim of being carbon neutral by 2025 . perhaps the u.n. could take a leaf out of their host 's book .","danish capital , copenhagen , one of the greenest cities in europe" +"copenhagen london , england ( cnn ) -- if the location is anything to go by , then the omens are promising . denmark 's capital city , copenhagen -- host to the u.n. climate summit which starts today -- is already one of the greenest cities in europe . with over 300 kilometers of cycle lanes it is estimated that around 40 percent of the 1.2 population travel to work on a bicycle . and visitors to the city are encouraged to join in by making use of the network of city bikes for a deposit of just 20 dkk ( $ 4 ) . the influence of two wheels has extended into yuletide this year , as cyclists in city hall square are generating the electricity powering the lights on the christmas tree . it 's just one of hundreds of activities and events which copenhageners have organized to coincide with the 11-day u.n. summit taking place at the bella center in the orestad district in the southeast of the city . the opening of the summit marks the end of an exhaustive planning period by the city . preparations at the bella center began two years ago . the finishing touches began eight weeks ago . it is , by far , the largest conference we have ever held and the largest political conference in europe , ' the bella center press manager , lars lemche told cnn . if numbers continue to grow , it will be the biggest political meeting the u.n. has ever held , ' he said . the center has hosted big events before -- a european union summit in 2002 and the 2006 mtv european music awards -- but the u.n. summit makes them look like a tea party . a conference is 36 hours . this is 11 days , ' lemche said . the bella center has had to extend its floor space to 77,000 square meters -- the size of 11 football pitches -- to accommodate all delegates and 1000 staff will be on hand throughout . numbers are expected to peak at around 18,000 in the second week when 100 heads of state arrive for the high-level political negotiations . this herculean effort of planning is being backed up by a raft of green initiatives . outside the conference center solar-powered streetlights are helping light the car parks . a wind turbine is helping power the lights indoors . inside the conference center delegates will eat from a menu that is 65 percent organic and drink water that has come out of a tap rather than a bottle . pens provided will be made from recycled plastic , and even the carpets are biodegradable . in a bid to offset the considerable carbon dioxide emissions - estimated to be 40,000 tons -- generated by the summit , organizers are funding the replacement of polluting brick factories in dhaka , bangladesh with 20 new efficient ones . despite the disruption , copenhageners have gone about their daily business as usual . jason heppenstall , editor of the copenhagen post , a weekly english language newspaper told cnn : there has n't been much of a build up until the last few days . until about two weeks ago it 's not been talked about a lot in the press and maybe a month ago half the people in denmark did n't know there was going to be a conference , ' he told cnn . people are starting to notice changes now , and the mood among copenhageners is positive , apart from the locals living near the bella center and whose lives have been disrupted by all the security arrangements , heppenstall said . the concrete barriers and the perimeter fence erected to protect the bella center have been one of the more obvious signs of security in the city . and now that the conference has started , 6000 officers will be on duty during the conference . niels-otto fisker , communications advisor to the danish national police commissioner , told cnn : it is the single greatest operation that the danish police have undertaken . police are being drafted in from all over the country , and shifts are being extended from eight to 12-16 hours . ' in all , the security operations are costing the danish government an estimated $ 122 million . last week , police unveiled a 22-ton vehicle armed with a water canon which will be used if trouble flares during the conference . the only confrontations in the buildup to the conference have been between copenhagen 's female mayor , ritt bjerregaard , and the city 's prostitutes . a row started after city leaders requested hotels display postcards saying : be sustainable : do n't buy sex . ' the prostitutes -- whose are free to work under danish law -- have responded by offering their services free of charge . our office is based in the red-light district . there are prostitutes here , but it 's not like amsterdam , ' heppenstall explained . i think some people coming to the conference think it might be . so the city council have been trying to pre-empt it by sending postcards saying please refrain from going to these areas . the sex workers have responded by saying that 's ridiculous . they see this as their big moment . ' as copenhagen hands over to the u.n. for two weeks , the world 's eyes are now turning to negotiations which precede the arrival of u.s. president barack obama and company . earlier this year , copenhagen announced the aim of being carbon neutral by 2025 . perhaps the u.n. could take a leaf out of their host 's book .","copenhagen aims to be carbon neutral by 2025" +"durban ( cnn ) -- this month on road to durban , cnn 's robyn curnow , nkepile mabuse and ayesha durgahee meet in johannesburg , south africa 's most populated city , to explore the efforts being made to cut the country 's carbon emissions . electricity from sugar nkepile mabuse discovers how waste from the country 's largest sugar producer , illovo sugar , is being converted into electricity to power the company 's mills and feed the national grid . the unique process of utilizing bagasse ( sugar cane fibers ) and biomass as an energy source has made the mills into energy providers , as well as sustainable industries . miners'homes from waste mabuse also discovers how waste from a coal mine in emalahleni is being used to build affordable new homes across south africa . gypsum brick -- which is a by-product of the mining process -- can reduce co2 emissions from the construction of each new house by as much as three tonnes . greening the deep blue ayesha durgahee travels to cape town to find out how an aquarium is harnessing the power of the wind and sun . with an innovative vertical wind turbine and a neat solar array , renewables are helping the two oceans aquarium reduce its dependence on fossil fuels . a renewable vintage robyn curnow travels to the heart of south africa 's wine country to discover how a vineyard is exploiting renewable energy to power its production process . from growing the grapes to bottling the wine , the villiera vineyard in stellenbosch just outside cape town , is exploiting both solar and hydroelectric power to produce some of the country 's most recognizable wines .","november 's road to durban comes from south africa" +"maria sharapova ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova kept alive her hopes of finishing the year as world no . 1 when beating italy 's sara errani 6-3 6-2 in her opening match of the wta tour championships in istanbul . the russian , who won the event in 2004 , has called attaining the status her'biggest priority this week'at the season-ending tournament . the 25-year-old needs to win at least two matches in istanbul while hoping that victoria azarenka , the belarusian who currently holds the title of the world 's best , slips up in the red group if she is to finish the year on top . sharapova , whose victory margin was identical to her only previous meeting with errani , who she beat in the final of this year 's french open , was delighted to make an impact at the wta championships after injury forced her early withdrawal last year . read : sharapova overpowers errani to win french open ' this is such a great feeling , not only to make it here but to feel good physically , ' the world no.2 told the wta 's official website . when you 're out here and feeling good it 's such a big motivation , and it 's the last tournament of the year too , so while i 'm going to enjoy some time off after this , right now it 's all business . ' sharapova is competing in the white group , where poland 's agnieszka radwanska earned her first career win against petra kvitova at the fourth attempt as the defending champion lost the opening match of the championships . the wimbledon runner-up won 6-3 6-2 in a match where the czech , looking to become the first woman to win back-to-back titles since belgium 's justine henin in 2007 , produced 41 unforced errors in contrast to just five from her opponent . i was not very comfortable on court and i did n't feel pretty well , ' said kvitova , who cut a dejected figure afterwards . the only red group game of the day found serena williams playing her first match since winning the u.s. open in august and she maintained her winning run as she beat angelique kerber , the german making her debut at the event for the world 's top eight players . the wimbledon , u.s. open and olympic champion won 6-4 6-1 against the left-hander who had inflicted williams'only defeat in her 27 matches preceding the tie , with kerber winning in cincinnati in august . the victory , which quickly reached its conclusion once williams broke for 3-1 in the second set , was greeted with huge enthusiasm by those watching inside istanbul 's sinan erdem dome . i 've never been here but i never knew i had so many turkish supporters , ' williams told wtatennis.com . it was really an honor to hear the fans go crazy and be really loud when i walked out . it made me have this smile on my face , and an even bigger smile inside . ' on wednesday , williams is scheduled to play first against li na , the former french open champion from china , while azarenka enters the action when taking on kerber , who broke into the top five in the rankings for the first time this week . every match here will be tough - i obviously have great champions in the group , ' said azarenka . it 's challenging , definitely , but i 'm looking forward to it . '","maria sharapova beat italy 's sara errani in straight sets to win opening match in white group" +"santiago de compostela santiago de compostela , spain ( cnn ) -- the driver of the train that derailed in northwestern spain was charged sunday with 79 counts of homicide by professional recklessness and an undetermined number of counts of causing injury by professional recklessness . at least 79 people died as a result of last week 's crash . a court granted the driver , francisco jose garzon , conditional release . his train driver 's license was suspended for six months . he must report to court weekly , and his passport was surrendered . earlier sunday , the driver , who was hospitalized for two days while under police guard , was transferred to court , officials said . he was in court for more than five hours . the data recorders from the train are still with police . questions have focused on the speed at which the train was traveling as it entered a curve in the track near santiago de compostela on wednesday evening . the crash on the outskirts of the city , which is popular with tourists and christian pilgrims , shocked the galician region and the rest of the nation . interior minister jorge fernandez diaz told reporters saturday there are rational indications ' that the accident was the fault of the driver . pressed on what those are , he declined to provide details . 5 questions on high-speed rail identifying the bodies the crumpled wreckage of the eight cars sent careering onto their sides when the train derailed has been removed from the tracks , but the grim task of identifying the dead continues . maria pardo rios , a spokeswoman for the galicia regional supreme court , told cnn late friday that 75 victims had been identified . at least 63 of the dead are spanish , she said . also among the fatalities are two u.s. citizens -- ana-maria cordoba of arlington , virginia , and myrta fariza of houston -- and some europeans and latin americans . fariza and her husband were on their way to celebrate a catholic festival . he was injured and later released from the hospital . myrta was our loving wife , mother , sister , mother-in-law , aunt and friend , and words can not express our sense of loss , ' her family said in a statement . to all who knew her , myrta provided irreplaceable love , compassion , courage , friendship and support . we will miss her dearly . ' as they are identified , most of the bodies are being returned to their families , the regional justice department said . dna testing will be conducted on some remains to establish their identity , it said . police forensic experts said at a news conference saturday there are 37 body parts that must still be tested to see whether they belong to bodies that have already been identified , or to others not yet known . the death toll rose to at least 79 on sunday morning when another person died , a representative for the regional health department said . about 70 people who were injured in the crash remained in the hospital sunday , about 22 of them listed in serious condition , the official said . at least five u.s. citizens were injured , said state department deputy spokeswoman marie harf . local newspaper la voz de galicia said that a funeral service for the victims will take place monday evening in the cathedral in santiago de compostela . spain train crash victim :'it felt like a roller coaster' going too fast ? spanish news agency efe and the national daily el pais cited sources within the investigation as saying that the driver had said the train was traveling about 190 kilometers per hour ( about 120 mph ) . elena garcia , a spokeswoman for national railway renfe , did not disclose friday the speed the train was traveling on an express track , where cars can move as fast as 250 kph . but she said the speed limit for the bend of track where the crash occurred is 80 kph . rafael catala , secretary of state for transport and housing , told spanish radio network cadena ser that the tragedy appears to be linked to the train going too fast , ' but that the reasons it was going so fast are not yet known . the express passenger service was nearing the end of a six-hour trip from madrid to the town of ferrol in northwest spain when the crash occurred , the state railway said . security footage revealed how , as the train hurtled around a bend , its cars derailed and slammed on their sides into a concrete support structure for a bridge . opinion : why high-speed rail is safe , smart flames burst out of one train car as another car was snapped in half . rescue crews and fellow passengers pulled bodies through broken windows and pried open doors as stunned survivors looked on . maria vigo , whose home is on the bank above the rail tracks , told cnn how she heard a crash , then the deafening squeal of metal on concrete . when i saw the rail car flip into the air , i imagined something just horrible had happened , ' she said . she and husband suso tried to help the injured , taking bed sheets to wrap around the injured and ropes to haul the survivors off the tracks . firefighter miguel angel bello said the first four minutes after he arrived on the scene were a desperate race against time . he and fellow firefighters smashed windows and kicked in doors to pull out the passengers trapped inside as rail cars went up in flames . a young girl in the wreckage called out to him . she was under wreckage she said she wanted to get out and go home , ' he said . but she died . ' survivor : we looked like the walking dead stephen ward of bountiful , utah , who is in spain serving on a mormon religious mission , was one of the lucky ones . still patched up and wearing a neck brace , he told cnn 's new day show of his ordeal -- and his relief that he made it out alive and without permanent injury . ward , 18 , blacked out when his car slammed on to its side , regaining consciousness only as he was being helped out of the train . it took him a couple of minutes to grasp that what he was seeing outside was not a dream -- and that people were dead . they were helping out other people -- there were bodies , there was screaming , there was smoke . ' the survivors looked like the walking dead , he said . i 've got staples all over my scalp , i was covered in blood . they 've scrubbed most of it off me now , but everyone was just covered in their own blood and occasionally the blood of others . it was gruesome to say the least . ' another victim , speaking from a hospital bed with his arm in a sling , told cnn affiliate atlas that it seemed like the train was going fast . but we did n't know what was the maximum speed , so i thought it was normal , ' he said , and suddenly there was a curve , the suitcases fell , and everything went dark . and i hit my head a ton of times , and 10 seconds later i was wedged between seats , and i had people 's legs on top of me . ' the derailment came on the eve of a public holiday to celebrate a saint 's day , when more people than usual may have been traveling in the region . planned festivities in santiago de compostela and across galicia were canceled after the crash . cnn 's karl penhaul reported from santiago de compostela and laura perez maestro from galicia . cnn 's laura smith-spark wrote in london . cnn 's al goodman , lindsay isaac , jonathan helman , catherine e. shoichet , elwyn lopez , patrick sung , jill dougherty and mariano castillo contributed to this report .","at least 79 people died in the train crash near santiago de compostela in galicia" +"brazilians ( cnn ) -- the president of ukraine 's top football club has warned six of its players who have gone awol they will suffer ' if they do n't return to the conflict-torn country . shakhtar donetsk had played a friendly against lyon on saturday , but after the game five brazilians and one argentine remained in france rather than travel back to ukraine . on monday there was fighting in the eastern ukrainian city of donetsk . i do n't rule out that these players will return to the team quickly , and some of them -- tomorrow , ' shakhtar president rinat akhmetov told the club 's official website . players have contracts that they have to abide by . if they do not come , i think , they will be the first to suffer . each of them has a minimum release clause , which is tens of millions of euros . if someone wants to reduce this amount by a million , then such a decision is our right . ' akhmetov also assured brazilians douglas costa , fred , dentinho , alex teixiera , ismaily and facundo ferreyra of argentina they have nothing to fear ' if and when they return to ukraine . hopefully , the mind and heart will prevail over misunderstanding , and the players will not follow temptation and fear , ' said the shakhtar president . we are ready to provide security . we will not take risks and in any case we wo n't bring players to dangerous places . ' shakhtar , which regularly features in europe 's top competition the champions league , play rivals dynamo kiev in the ukrainian super cup tuesday , a curtain raiser to the ukraine domestic league season . despite the fact that we will be weakened in the super cup match against dynamo kyiv , our players will do their best to make the game hard for our opponents , ' added akhmetov . the ongoing unrest in the region means shakhtar , the reigning ukrainian champion , is unable to play matches at its donbass arena stadium . the ukrainian football season is due to start this weekend , with shakhtar scheduled to host metalurh zaporizhya . it is unclear where the match will be played , although akhmetov would like it to take place in kharkiv , a city over 150 miles north of donetsk . we want to play in donetsk very much , but , unfortunately , at the moment we can not do it . the decision regarding the championship is taken by the ukrainian football federation . through our game , we will call for peace and try to bring joy to our fans . ' of the six awol players , playmaker douglas costa is arguably the most valuable . the 23-year-old has previously been linked with manchester united , but akhmetov ruled out a clearance sale . ' prior to the malaysia airlines flight 17 crash last weeks , european governing body uefa 's emergency panel decided its european club competition matches involving ukrainian clubs would be allowed to take place in dnipropetrovsk and odessa , in addition to kiev and lviv . dnipro dnipropetrovsk will play in the third qualifying round of the uefa champions league while chornomorets odessa are in the europa league . uefa 's emergency panel also ruled ukrainian and russian teams can not be drawn against each other in its competitions . that ensured dnipro were not drawn against russian club zenit st petersburg when the uefa champions league third qualifying round draw was made last week .","five brazilians and one argentine remained in france" +"anne-marie slaughter ( cnn ) -- to celebrate international women 's day , cnn 's leading women is inviting you to a tweetchat to discuss how we can bring about gender equality and build a better world and future for women . leading women connects you to extraordinary women of our time . join cnn 's leading women team and special guests nobel peace prize laureate tawakkol karman , anne-marie slaughter , president and ceo of the new america foundation and laura bates , founder of the everyday sexism project for this tweetchat on friday march 7 at 5pm et/10pm gmt . the conversation will focus on what gender equality means for women today and what practical steps we can take to make parity a reality for all . the discussion topic was inspired by our cnn ireport assignment where we asked you what kind of world you 'd like to build . to take part in our special international women 's day tweetchat , simply log in to twitter , search # cnnwomen and join the conversation . key twitter handles for the chat include : @ tawakkolkarman @ slaughteram @ everydaysexism @ chiefhotmomma @ tinu @ msafropolitan @ cnniwomen join us and share your experiences , thoughts and ideas . we 'll be featuring the conversation on cnn.com . to find out more about how tweetchats work , read our guide .","special guests include anne-marie slaughter and laura bates , the everyday sexism project founder" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- to celebrate international women 's day , cnn 's leading women is inviting you to a tweetchat to discuss how we can bring about gender equality and build a better world and future for women . leading women connects you to extraordinary women of our time . join cnn 's leading women team and special guests nobel peace prize laureate tawakkol karman , anne-marie slaughter , president and ceo of the new america foundation and laura bates , founder of the everyday sexism project for this tweetchat on friday march 7 at 5pm et/10pm gmt . the conversation will focus on what gender equality means for women today and what practical steps we can take to make parity a reality for all . the discussion topic was inspired by our cnn ireport assignment where we asked you what kind of world you 'd like to build . to take part in our special international women 's day tweetchat , simply log in to twitter , search # cnnwomen and join the conversation . key twitter handles for the chat include : @ tawakkolkarman @ slaughteram @ everydaysexism @ chiefhotmomma @ tinu @ msafropolitan @ cnniwomen join us and share your experiences , thoughts and ideas . we 'll be featuring the conversation on cnn.com . to find out more about how tweetchats work , read our guide .","cnn will host a tweetchat ahead of international women 's day" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- to celebrate international women 's day , cnn 's leading women is inviting you to a tweetchat to discuss how we can bring about gender equality and build a better world and future for women . leading women connects you to extraordinary women of our time . join cnn 's leading women team and special guests nobel peace prize laureate tawakkol karman , anne-marie slaughter , president and ceo of the new america foundation and laura bates , founder of the everyday sexism project for this tweetchat on friday march 7 at 5pm et/10pm gmt . the conversation will focus on what gender equality means for women today and what practical steps we can take to make parity a reality for all . the discussion topic was inspired by our cnn ireport assignment where we asked you what kind of world you 'd like to build . to take part in our special international women 's day tweetchat , simply log in to twitter , search # cnnwomen and join the conversation . key twitter handles for the chat include : @ tawakkolkarman @ slaughteram @ everydaysexism @ chiefhotmomma @ tinu @ msafropolitan @ cnniwomen join us and share your experiences , thoughts and ideas . we 'll be featuring the conversation on cnn.com . to find out more about how tweetchats work , read our guide .","cnn 's leading women community will also join the conversation on building a better world" +"israel ( cnn ) -- substitutes loic remy and yoann gourcuff scored late goals as france boosted their euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over romania in the stade de france on saturday night . youngster remy , sent on by coach laurent blanc as the match looked set to end goalless , raced on to an alou diarra through ball to score in the 83rd minute . gourcuff thumped home the second in stoppage time to seal a vital three points , their second straight victory taking them top of group d with six points from three games . it was a magical feeling to score , ' marseille star remy told afp . now we 're top of the group despite our poor start ( losing at home to belarus ) so we 've got things back on track . i hope we can continue in that vein . ' the revamped les bleus had been denied by an inspired display from visiting goalkeeper costel pantilimon until their late goal flurry . in one frantic spell in the second half , he denied mathieu valbuena , karim benzema and samir nasri with a string of stunning saves . he deflected valbuena 's shot onto the crossbar and blocked efforts from real madrid 's benzema and arsenal 's nasri from close range . but romania were also a threat and soon afterwards thought they had gone ahead through cristian sapunaru , but his shot , after a mistake by gael clichy , hit the inside of the post and into the grateful arms of hugo lloris . france , looking to rebound after a disastrous world cup and losing their group opener to belarus , produced a lively first half display and benzema came close to opening the scoring as his curling effort shaved the outside of the post . in other euro 2012 qualifying action , niko kranjcar 's first-half double gave croatia a 2-1 win in israel and lifted them to the top of group f. tottenham 's kranjcar scored his opener from the penalty spot in the 38th minute and added his second four minutes later . israel pulled one back through itay shechter 's late strike but they could not salvage a point .","croatia go to the top of group f after a 2-1 victory in israel" +"sudan washington ( cnn ) -- the chinese government increased its harassment of religious minorities before the olympic games , according to a u.s. state department report released friday . a tibetan buddhist monk in southwest china 's sichuan province . the state department 's annual report on religious freedom singled out china , myanmar , north korea , iran , sudan , eritrea , saudi arabia and uzbekistan to blacklist ' because they are countries of particular concern ' when it comes to religious oppression . over the past year , repression of religious freedom intensified in some areas ' in china , including in the tibetan region and in xinjiang province , where the uighur muslims live . as the 2008 beijing olympic games approached , some unregistered protestant religious groups in beijing reported intensified harassment from government authorities and said the government cracked down on home churches , the report says . the state department found that over the past year , chinese officials also detained and interrogated several foreigners about their religious activities , alleged that the foreigners had engaged in illegal religious activities ' and canceled their visas . the government also undertook a patriotic education campaign , ' which required monks and nuns to sign statements personally denouncing the dalai lama . as a result , the reports says , protests led to violence in lhasa , tibet , in march , and the government detained an unknown number of monks and nuns or expelled them from monasteries . in addition to its continued crackdown on groups such as the falun gong , which china considers a cult , ' the government harassed uighur muslims and confiscated some of their passports to prevent their taking part in the hajj , the pilgrimage to saudi arabia . once again , the u.s. criticized the government of myanmar , saying its repressive , authoritarian military regime ' had imposed restrictions on certain religious activities and frequently committed abuses of the right to freedom of religion . ' most followers of registered religions were permitted to worship as they chose , but the government infiltrated and monitored activities of virtually all organizations , including religious ones . the report says that although the north korean constitution provides for religious freedom , genuine religious freedom does not exist , and there was no change in the extremely poor level of respect for religious freedom ' over the past year . in iran , the report says , continued deterioration of the poor status of respect for religious freedom ' last year . government actions and rhetoric created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-shia religious groups , most notably for baha'is , as well as sufi muslims , evangelical christians , and members of the jewish community , ' the report says . government-controlled media intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities , particularly the baha'is . reports of imprisonment , harassment , intimidation , and discrimination based on religious beliefs continued . ' the state department found some progress in saudi arabia . while overall government policies continue to place severe restrictions on religious freedom , there were incremental improvements in specific areas , ' the report says . however , the report goes on to note that non-muslims and muslims who do not adhere to the government 's interpretation of islam continued to face significant political , economic , legal , social , and religious discrimination . ' it also criticizes u.s. allies in pakistan and jordan for aggressiveness toward religious minorities . the governments of iraq and afghanistan were praised for endorsing religious freedom , but the state department found that the war-torn countries have problems . in afghanistan , the residual effects of years of taliban rule , popular suspicion regarding outside influence of foreigners , and weak democratic institutions hinder the respect for religious freedom . ' in iraq , violence conducted by terrorists , extremists , and criminal gangs restricted the free exercise of religion and posed a significant threat to the country 's vulnerable religious minorities . ' in releasing the report , secretary of state condoleezza rice said the united states is concerned by efforts to promote a so-called defamation of religions concept , ' which has been the focus of numerous resolutions passed at the united nations . she was referring to the organization of islamic conference , a grouping of 57 muslim states that does not recognize the right of individuals to freely change their religion and has prevented consensus on resolutions at the united nations that would prohibit defamation of all religions , not just islam . despite a pretense of protecting religious practice and promoting tolerance , the flawed concept attempts to limit freedom of religion and restrict the rights of all individuals to disagree with or criticize religion , in particular islam , ' the report says . instead of protecting religion practice and promoting tolerance , this concept seeks to limit freedom of speech , and that could undermine the standards of international religious freedom , ' rice said .","myanmar , north korea , iran , sudan , eritrea , saudi arabia , uzbekistan blacklisted '" +"china washington ( cnn ) -- the chinese government increased its harassment of religious minorities before the olympic games , according to a u.s. state department report released friday . a tibetan buddhist monk in southwest china 's sichuan province . the state department 's annual report on religious freedom singled out china , myanmar , north korea , iran , sudan , eritrea , saudi arabia and uzbekistan to blacklist ' because they are countries of particular concern ' when it comes to religious oppression . over the past year , repression of religious freedom intensified in some areas ' in china , including in the tibetan region and in xinjiang province , where the uighur muslims live . as the 2008 beijing olympic games approached , some unregistered protestant religious groups in beijing reported intensified harassment from government authorities and said the government cracked down on home churches , the report says . the state department found that over the past year , chinese officials also detained and interrogated several foreigners about their religious activities , alleged that the foreigners had engaged in illegal religious activities ' and canceled their visas . the government also undertook a patriotic education campaign , ' which required monks and nuns to sign statements personally denouncing the dalai lama . as a result , the reports says , protests led to violence in lhasa , tibet , in march , and the government detained an unknown number of monks and nuns or expelled them from monasteries . in addition to its continued crackdown on groups such as the falun gong , which china considers a cult , ' the government harassed uighur muslims and confiscated some of their passports to prevent their taking part in the hajj , the pilgrimage to saudi arabia . once again , the u.s. criticized the government of myanmar , saying its repressive , authoritarian military regime ' had imposed restrictions on certain religious activities and frequently committed abuses of the right to freedom of religion . ' most followers of registered religions were permitted to worship as they chose , but the government infiltrated and monitored activities of virtually all organizations , including religious ones . the report says that although the north korean constitution provides for religious freedom , genuine religious freedom does not exist , and there was no change in the extremely poor level of respect for religious freedom ' over the past year . in iran , the report says , continued deterioration of the poor status of respect for religious freedom ' last year . government actions and rhetoric created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-shia religious groups , most notably for baha'is , as well as sufi muslims , evangelical christians , and members of the jewish community , ' the report says . government-controlled media intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities , particularly the baha'is . reports of imprisonment , harassment , intimidation , and discrimination based on religious beliefs continued . ' the state department found some progress in saudi arabia . while overall government policies continue to place severe restrictions on religious freedom , there were incremental improvements in specific areas , ' the report says . however , the report goes on to note that non-muslims and muslims who do not adhere to the government 's interpretation of islam continued to face significant political , economic , legal , social , and religious discrimination . ' it also criticizes u.s. allies in pakistan and jordan for aggressiveness toward religious minorities . the governments of iraq and afghanistan were praised for endorsing religious freedom , but the state department found that the war-torn countries have problems . in afghanistan , the residual effects of years of taliban rule , popular suspicion regarding outside influence of foreigners , and weak democratic institutions hinder the respect for religious freedom . ' in iraq , violence conducted by terrorists , extremists , and criminal gangs restricted the free exercise of religion and posed a significant threat to the country 's vulnerable religious minorities . ' in releasing the report , secretary of state condoleezza rice said the united states is concerned by efforts to promote a so-called defamation of religions concept , ' which has been the focus of numerous resolutions passed at the united nations . she was referring to the organization of islamic conference , a grouping of 57 muslim states that does not recognize the right of individuals to freely change their religion and has prevented consensus on resolutions at the united nations that would prohibit defamation of all religions , not just islam . despite a pretense of protecting religious practice and promoting tolerance , the flawed concept attempts to limit freedom of religion and restrict the rights of all individuals to disagree with or criticize religion , in particular islam , ' the report says . instead of protecting religion practice and promoting tolerance , this concept seeks to limit freedom of speech , and that could undermine the standards of international religious freedom , ' rice said .","state department : china detained foreigners for their religion" +"china washington ( cnn ) -- the chinese government increased its harassment of religious minorities before the olympic games , according to a u.s. state department report released friday . a tibetan buddhist monk in southwest china 's sichuan province . the state department 's annual report on religious freedom singled out china , myanmar , north korea , iran , sudan , eritrea , saudi arabia and uzbekistan to blacklist ' because they are countries of particular concern ' when it comes to religious oppression . over the past year , repression of religious freedom intensified in some areas ' in china , including in the tibetan region and in xinjiang province , where the uighur muslims live . as the 2008 beijing olympic games approached , some unregistered protestant religious groups in beijing reported intensified harassment from government authorities and said the government cracked down on home churches , the report says . the state department found that over the past year , chinese officials also detained and interrogated several foreigners about their religious activities , alleged that the foreigners had engaged in illegal religious activities ' and canceled their visas . the government also undertook a patriotic education campaign , ' which required monks and nuns to sign statements personally denouncing the dalai lama . as a result , the reports says , protests led to violence in lhasa , tibet , in march , and the government detained an unknown number of monks and nuns or expelled them from monasteries . in addition to its continued crackdown on groups such as the falun gong , which china considers a cult , ' the government harassed uighur muslims and confiscated some of their passports to prevent their taking part in the hajj , the pilgrimage to saudi arabia . once again , the u.s. criticized the government of myanmar , saying its repressive , authoritarian military regime ' had imposed restrictions on certain religious activities and frequently committed abuses of the right to freedom of religion . ' most followers of registered religions were permitted to worship as they chose , but the government infiltrated and monitored activities of virtually all organizations , including religious ones . the report says that although the north korean constitution provides for religious freedom , genuine religious freedom does not exist , and there was no change in the extremely poor level of respect for religious freedom ' over the past year . in iran , the report says , continued deterioration of the poor status of respect for religious freedom ' last year . government actions and rhetoric created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-shia religious groups , most notably for baha'is , as well as sufi muslims , evangelical christians , and members of the jewish community , ' the report says . government-controlled media intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities , particularly the baha'is . reports of imprisonment , harassment , intimidation , and discrimination based on religious beliefs continued . ' the state department found some progress in saudi arabia . while overall government policies continue to place severe restrictions on religious freedom , there were incremental improvements in specific areas , ' the report says . however , the report goes on to note that non-muslims and muslims who do not adhere to the government 's interpretation of islam continued to face significant political , economic , legal , social , and religious discrimination . ' it also criticizes u.s. allies in pakistan and jordan for aggressiveness toward religious minorities . the governments of iraq and afghanistan were praised for endorsing religious freedom , but the state department found that the war-torn countries have problems . in afghanistan , the residual effects of years of taliban rule , popular suspicion regarding outside influence of foreigners , and weak democratic institutions hinder the respect for religious freedom . ' in iraq , violence conducted by terrorists , extremists , and criminal gangs restricted the free exercise of religion and posed a significant threat to the country 's vulnerable religious minorities . ' in releasing the report , secretary of state condoleezza rice said the united states is concerned by efforts to promote a so-called defamation of religions concept , ' which has been the focus of numerous resolutions passed at the united nations . she was referring to the organization of islamic conference , a grouping of 57 muslim states that does not recognize the right of individuals to freely change their religion and has prevented consensus on resolutions at the united nations that would prohibit defamation of all religions , not just islam . despite a pretense of protecting religious practice and promoting tolerance , the flawed concept attempts to limit freedom of religion and restrict the rights of all individuals to disagree with or criticize religion , in particular islam , ' the report says . instead of protecting religion practice and promoting tolerance , this concept seeks to limit freedom of speech , and that could undermine the standards of international religious freedom , ' rice said .","tibetan region and in xinjiang province in china stepped up oppression of muslims" +"paris paris ( cnn ) six survivors of the paris kosher supermarket siege in january are suing a french media outlet for what they call dangerous live broadcasting during the hostage-taking . according to paris prosecutor 's spokeswoman agnes thibault-lecuivre , the lawsuit was filed march 27 and a preliminary investigation was opened by the prosecutor 's office wednesday . the media outlet , cnn affiliate bfmtv , is accused of endangering the lives of the hostages , who were hiding in a cold room during the attack , by broadcasting their location live during the siege . bfm in a statement friday said one of its journalists mentioned only once the presence of a woman hidden inside the hyper cacher , on the basis of police sources on the ground . ' immediately , the chief editor felt that this information should not be released . it therefore has subsequently never been repeated on air or posted on-screen . bfmtv regrets that the mention of this information could cause concern to the hostages , as well as their relatives , that their lives were in danger , ' the statement said . gunman amedy coulibaly , also suspected in the slaying of a police officer , stormed the hyper cacher jewish supermarket on january 9 , killing four people and taking others hostage . he was killed in the police operation to end the siege . a 24-year-old supermarket employee , malian-born lassana bathily , was hailed as a hero afterward when it emerged that he had risked his life to hide 15 customers from coulibaly in the cold room . the hostage-taking was the culmination of three days of terror in paris that began with the january 7 shooting of 12 people at the offices of french satirical magazine charlie hebdo . the two brothers blamed for that attack , cherif and said kouachi , were killed on january 9 after a violent standoff at an industrial site . the terror attacks claimed the lives of 17 people and put france on a heightened state of alert . cnn 's ariana williams reported from paris , and laura smith-spark wrote from london . cnn 's pierre meilhan contributed to this report .","they hid in a cold room during the attack in paris by gunman amedy coulibaly" +"amedy coulibaly paris ( cnn ) six survivors of the paris kosher supermarket siege in january are suing a french media outlet for what they call dangerous live broadcasting during the hostage-taking . according to paris prosecutor 's spokeswoman agnes thibault-lecuivre , the lawsuit was filed march 27 and a preliminary investigation was opened by the prosecutor 's office wednesday . the media outlet , cnn affiliate bfmtv , is accused of endangering the lives of the hostages , who were hiding in a cold room during the attack , by broadcasting their location live during the siege . bfm in a statement friday said one of its journalists mentioned only once the presence of a woman hidden inside the hyper cacher , on the basis of police sources on the ground . ' immediately , the chief editor felt that this information should not be released . it therefore has subsequently never been repeated on air or posted on-screen . bfmtv regrets that the mention of this information could cause concern to the hostages , as well as their relatives , that their lives were in danger , ' the statement said . gunman amedy coulibaly , also suspected in the slaying of a police officer , stormed the hyper cacher jewish supermarket on january 9 , killing four people and taking others hostage . he was killed in the police operation to end the siege . a 24-year-old supermarket employee , malian-born lassana bathily , was hailed as a hero afterward when it emerged that he had risked his life to hide 15 customers from coulibaly in the cold room . the hostage-taking was the culmination of three days of terror in paris that began with the january 7 shooting of 12 people at the offices of french satirical magazine charlie hebdo . the two brothers blamed for that attack , cherif and said kouachi , were killed on january 9 after a violent standoff at an industrial site . the terror attacks claimed the lives of 17 people and put france on a heightened state of alert . cnn 's ariana williams reported from paris , and laura smith-spark wrote from london . cnn 's pierre meilhan contributed to this report .","they hid in a cold room during the attack in paris by gunman amedy coulibaly" +"musharraf islamabad ( cnn ) -- pakistan 's former president pervez musharraf is back in pakistan after years of self-imposed exile and is facing a hard time from courts in pakistan amid a range of charges , including claims he illegally placed senior judges under house arrest during a period of emergency rule he imposed in 2007 . likely to add to his charge sheet , musharraf recently gave an interview to cnn 's nic robertson when he admitted that he had given the u.s. permission on a very few ' occasions to strike targets within pakistan . musharraf , an army general who overthrew a democratically elected government during a 1999 coup , had previously remained silent about the strikes washington carried out under his tenure . but musharraf left power in 2008 , so why has he waited until now to speak ? one obvious reason is sheer self-interest . musharraf returned to pakistan last month after five years of self-imposed exile in london and dubai . he did so under the false belief that he might still be popular among the people and that he might be able to reclaim power in the upcoming elections . but upon his arrival he found only hostility . pakistanis may not be happy with the way the country is being run now , but most do n't want to see the return of a dictator who brokered secret deals that resulted in the deaths of so many innocent pakistanis . open hostility is not all musharraf has faced , though . the supreme court has ordered musharraf to appear before them on charges of treason , a crime punishable by death in pakistan . several lower courts are also considering murder charges against musharraf for his role in several killings , including that of several seminary students at islamabad 's red mosque during a confrontation with security forces in 2007 . the supreme court has banned musharraf from leaving the country and his name has been placed on an exit control list . he is currently under house arrest at his ranch compound outside the capital . musharraf himself believes the claims are politically motivated . it is , therefore , no surprise that musharraf has chosen now to speak out about u.s. drone strikes . if he can appease the americans again , perhaps the u.s. administration will once again ride to his rescue . he has given president barack obama 's administration a much-needed headline of pakistani support for u.s. drone strikes . but the headline itself is misleading . first , musharraf 's statement involved only a limited number of strikes , those conducted during the administration of president george w. bush . his consent does not extend beyond those strikes to cover those carried out under obama , when the intensity of drone strikes escalated dramatically to form the bulk of all drone strikes . of the 367 drone strikes , only 52 were carried out before president obama came into office , according to the london-based bureau of investigative journalism ( tbij ) . under the obama administration , pakistan 's parliament , in two different sessions , has declared the strikes both illegal and counter-productive . unlike under musharraf , the current parliament is democratically elected and speaks with the authority of the constitution behind it . there are also serious questions about whether musharraf 's consent was even valid for the few he supposedly approved . any consent would have to comply with pakistan 's constitutional laws . the high court in the pakistani city of peshawar considered this question recently . during his oral arguments , the chief justice made it clear that the pakistani constitution protects its citizens'right to life and that no political leader can consent to an abrogation of that right without due process . the reality is drones -- with or without consent -- are a seductive option for the leader of the free world . it is good politics to keep america safe ' by engaging in a war that only lines up body bags on the other side . in this war , the human losses that normally bring an end to war -- like those in vietnam -- do n't exist . even more seductive is the ability to wage war without oversight . for years , the cia has refused to tell anyone who it may be killing . we 're supposed to have faith in the cia 's good nature and their claims that they are only killing bad guys . in fact the claim drone strikes are killing only al qaeda simply is not true -- i personally represent more than 100 civilian victims of strikes and they are absolutely not militants . according to nonpartisan public policy group , the new american foundation , drones strikes have killed at least 1,990 pakistanis , including hundreds of civilians . obama campaigned and was elected on a platform of change , one that would end the abuses and torture so prevalent during the early years of the so-called war on terror . more than four years later , the change ' obama has brought to pakistan through drones has resulted in more needless deaths , daily suicide attacks , and growing instability . for the average pakistani , whether a murderous , corrupt dictator consented to this brand of change is irrelevant . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mirza shahzad akbar .","pakistan 's former president pervez musharraf recently returned from exile" +"musharraf islamabad ( cnn ) -- pakistan 's former president pervez musharraf is back in pakistan after years of self-imposed exile and is facing a hard time from courts in pakistan amid a range of charges , including claims he illegally placed senior judges under house arrest during a period of emergency rule he imposed in 2007 . likely to add to his charge sheet , musharraf recently gave an interview to cnn 's nic robertson when he admitted that he had given the u.s. permission on a very few ' occasions to strike targets within pakistan . musharraf , an army general who overthrew a democratically elected government during a 1999 coup , had previously remained silent about the strikes washington carried out under his tenure . but musharraf left power in 2008 , so why has he waited until now to speak ? one obvious reason is sheer self-interest . musharraf returned to pakistan last month after five years of self-imposed exile in london and dubai . he did so under the false belief that he might still be popular among the people and that he might be able to reclaim power in the upcoming elections . but upon his arrival he found only hostility . pakistanis may not be happy with the way the country is being run now , but most do n't want to see the return of a dictator who brokered secret deals that resulted in the deaths of so many innocent pakistanis . open hostility is not all musharraf has faced , though . the supreme court has ordered musharraf to appear before them on charges of treason , a crime punishable by death in pakistan . several lower courts are also considering murder charges against musharraf for his role in several killings , including that of several seminary students at islamabad 's red mosque during a confrontation with security forces in 2007 . the supreme court has banned musharraf from leaving the country and his name has been placed on an exit control list . he is currently under house arrest at his ranch compound outside the capital . musharraf himself believes the claims are politically motivated . it is , therefore , no surprise that musharraf has chosen now to speak out about u.s. drone strikes . if he can appease the americans again , perhaps the u.s. administration will once again ride to his rescue . he has given president barack obama 's administration a much-needed headline of pakistani support for u.s. drone strikes . but the headline itself is misleading . first , musharraf 's statement involved only a limited number of strikes , those conducted during the administration of president george w. bush . his consent does not extend beyond those strikes to cover those carried out under obama , when the intensity of drone strikes escalated dramatically to form the bulk of all drone strikes . of the 367 drone strikes , only 52 were carried out before president obama came into office , according to the london-based bureau of investigative journalism ( tbij ) . under the obama administration , pakistan 's parliament , in two different sessions , has declared the strikes both illegal and counter-productive . unlike under musharraf , the current parliament is democratically elected and speaks with the authority of the constitution behind it . there are also serious questions about whether musharraf 's consent was even valid for the few he supposedly approved . any consent would have to comply with pakistan 's constitutional laws . the high court in the pakistani city of peshawar considered this question recently . during his oral arguments , the chief justice made it clear that the pakistani constitution protects its citizens'right to life and that no political leader can consent to an abrogation of that right without due process . the reality is drones -- with or without consent -- are a seductive option for the leader of the free world . it is good politics to keep america safe ' by engaging in a war that only lines up body bags on the other side . in this war , the human losses that normally bring an end to war -- like those in vietnam -- do n't exist . even more seductive is the ability to wage war without oversight . for years , the cia has refused to tell anyone who it may be killing . we 're supposed to have faith in the cia 's good nature and their claims that they are only killing bad guys . in fact the claim drone strikes are killing only al qaeda simply is not true -- i personally represent more than 100 civilian victims of strikes and they are absolutely not militants . according to nonpartisan public policy group , the new american foundation , drones strikes have killed at least 1,990 pakistanis , including hundreds of civilians . obama campaigned and was elected on a platform of change , one that would end the abuses and torture so prevalent during the early years of the so-called war on terror . more than four years later , the change ' obama has brought to pakistan through drones has resulted in more needless deaths , daily suicide attacks , and growing instability . for the average pakistani , whether a murderous , corrupt dictator consented to this brand of change is irrelevant . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mirza shahzad akbar .","akbar : musharraf will be looking to win support from washington once more" +"secretariat of intelligence ( cnn ) president cristina fernandez de kirchner has proposed the dissolution of argentina 's domestic intelligence service , as the country deals with the fallout from the mysterious death of a federal prosecutor who accused its leaders of a criminal cover-up over argentina 's deadliest terror attack . kirchner has sent a draft bill to the country 's parliament which , if passed , would mean the secretariat of intelligence ( si ) is replaced by the federal intelligence agency . in a taped statement aired monday night on national tv , kirchner said the service had not served the interests of the country . ' the body of alberto nisman , a special prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of a jewish community center in buenos aires , was found inside his apartment on january 18 -- the day before he was due to testify before congress about his claims . the previous week , he had filed a report alleging that the president , foreign minister and other officials conspired to cover up iran 's involvement in the bomb attack , which killed 85 , in exchange for an oil-and-grain-for-meat deal . nisman died of a gunshot wound to the temple . a gun and a shell casing were found near his body and the apartment was locked from the inside . at first glance , a suicide . but the untimely death raised suspicions immediately . then investigators looking into his death said there was no gunpowder residue on his hands , as would have been expected , and a locksmith who let nisman 's mother into the apartment told reporters that anyone could have opened the lock . kirchner , who initially called nisman 's death a suicide , soon reversed her thinking and called it the suicide ( that i am convinced ) was not a suicide . ' however , while fernandez does not believe that nisman took his own life , she still insists that his allegations against her government are false . nisman was not a hack with an agenda against the president , but a naive investigator who was used by others who fed him false information , fernandez said . nisman 's report promised to provide evidence of the existence of a sophisticated criminal plot , deliberately conjured to cover up and provide impunity to the iranians accused in the investigation of the attack ' of the jewish community center in 1994 . the 289-page report makes its case based on tapped telephone conversations between representatives of argentina and iran . cnn 's michael roa , shasta darlington and margot haddad contributed to this report .","argentina 's president proposes dissolving the secretariat of intelligence" +"valley club ( cnn ) -- a suburban philadelphia swim club has invited children from a largely minority day-care center to come back after a june reversal that fueled allegations of racism against the club , a spokeswoman said sunday . some kids from the creative steps day care center say club members made racial remarks . the development came during a hastily called sunday afternoon meeting of the valley club in huntingdon valley , pennsylvania . club members voted overwhelmingly to try to work things out with the day-care center , which accused some swim club members of making racist comments to black and hispanic children contracted to use the pool , said bernice duesler , the club director 's wife . duesler said the club canceled its contract with the creative steps day-care because of safety , crowding and noise concerns , not racism . as long as we can work out safety issues , we 'd like to have them back , ' she told cnn . she said the club has been subpoenaed by the state human rights commission , which has begun a fact-finding investigation , and the legal advice was to try to get together with these camps , duesler added . alethea wright , creative steps'director , said , they should have done that before . ' wright has repeatedly lambasted the club for its tepid response to the charges and said the children in her care were emotionally damaged ' by the incident . these children are scarred . how can i take those children back there ? ' she said . however , wright 's lawyer , carolyn nicholas , said the center will give the valley club 's offer due consideration ' once it is received and looks forward to sitting down with the parties . the children are our primary concern , ' nicholas told cnn . swimming privileges for about 65 children from creative steps were revoked after their first visit june 29 . some children said white members of the club made racist comments to the children , asking why black children were there ' and raising concerns that they might steal from us . ' days later , the day-care center 's $ 1,950 check was returned , wright said . club director john duesler told cnn that he had underestimated the amount of children who would participate , and the club was unable to supervise that many kids . he called his club very diverse , ' and said it had offered to let day camps in the philadelphia area use his facility after budget cuts forced some pools in the area to close . wright has rejected the camp 's contention that the swim club 's pool was overcrowded . the club had accepted a 10-to-1 ratio of children to adults and was considering adding up to three lifeguards , according to e-mails obtained by cnn . but john duesler said last week that the valley club also canceled contracts with two other day-care centers because of safety and overcrowding issues . the pennsylvania human rights commission launched an investigation last week after allegations of racism at the valley club . the commission said that as part of any investigation , the two sides eventually could be asked to sit down face-to-face with its investigators . we always encourage opposing parties to communicate with one another if they feel they can resolve these issues amicably , ' commission chairman stephen glassman said . bernice duesler said she was n't yet sure how the club will reach out ' to creative steps and the other two camps . and wright said she still has concerns about the issue . are the members who made those comments still there ? ' she asked .","valley club said it had revoked pool privileges out of crowding , safety concerns" +"gulf ( cnn ) -- in the morning hours of april 21 , 2010 , arleen weise got a phone call from her son 's friend , telling her that an explosion had ripped through the gulf of mexico oil rig where her 24-year-old had been working . the texas native quickly hung up and phoned the rig 's owner , transocean , which leased the drilling rig to bp , in a frantic attempt to find out what happened . she learned that her son , adam , was one of 11 workers killed the night before . that was it , ' said his mother . that was the start of hell . ' for the next two years , the 59-year-old hair dresser would go in and out of counseling to cope with her grief , while leaning on family and her customers for emotional support . bp to pay record fine for gulf oil spill ' i knew all along that bp was the devil in that accident , ' weise said . now they 're getting their due . ' on thursday , the justice department announced that london-based bp will pay a record fine to settle criminal claims in the ensuing catastrophe . the firm agreed to shell out $ 4.5 billion in government penalties and plead guilty to a dozen felony charges after the april 20 , 2010 explosion aboard the deepwater horizon rig led to the largest oil spill in u.s. history . billy anderson also lost his son , jason , in the blast . this settlement does n't bring my boy back , but it does show everybody that they 're guilty and everybody knows it , ' he said . opinion : three lessons linger from bp oil spill and yet for many who lost loved ones , thursday 's announcement offered what they described as only a limited sense of justice . it does n't matter how much money anyone pays . it does n't nearly amount to what we 've lost , ' said weise . a statement from bp 's ceo apologized for the company 's role in the disaster . all of us at bp deeply regret the tragic loss of life caused by the deepwater horizon accident as well as the impact of the spill on the gulf coast region , ' said the statement from bob dudley . from the outset , we stepped up by responding to the spill , paying legitimate claims and funding restoration efforts in the gulf . ' we apologize for our role in the accident , and as today 's resolution with the u.s. government further reflects , we have accepted responsibility for our actions , ' he added . the loss of life was only one part of the disaster . photos : still plagued by oil spill millions of barrels of oil flowed from the bp well and into the gulf region , where coastal businesses rely heavily on the seafood industry . it made the prices of oysters and shrimp go up , ' said 41-year-old denny amato , part of family that owns mother 's restaurant in downtown new orleans . i think people have now come back to eating louisiana seafood . it just took them a while . ' amato said he and other local restaurant owners are trying to figure out if there 's a way to file a claim . ' i 'm just not really sure what 's going to happen now , ' he said . louisiana 's wetlands represent about 40 % of the wetlands in the continental united states , prompting major environmental concerns for such a vast and ecologically diverse area . the oil leak was finally capped in july 2010 , nearly three months after it started . thursday 's landmark settlement is now subject to federal judicial review . bp posted a $ 17.2 billion loss in the quarter when the explosion took place , but has been profitable since , tallying total profits of $ 43 billion over the course of the subsequent nine quarters . criminal charges filed in bp oil spill life after bp spill'better than ever '","millions of barrels of oil flowed from the bp well and into the gulf region" +"bush ( cnn ) -- ever since bridge-gate ' threatened to derail the once inevitable ' nomination of new jersey gov . chris christie as the republican presidential candidate for 2016 , jeb bush has been hinting that he might jump into the fray . and with last week 's facebook announcement , the former florida governor has emerged as a serious contender -- if he chooses to run . the announcement of an exploratory committee has generated instant excitement because many republicans feel that the former governor stands a very real chance of winning both the republican nomination and the general election . though the pundits have pored over all of his liabilities , most importantly the damage that his older brother inflicted on the family name , jeb bush brings a lot to the table for 2016 . if he handles this process the right way , bush has the opportunity to put together a strong campaign . democrats and his republican opponents should be worried . the most important asset jeb bush offers is that he is a known commodity , someone who is greatly respected in republican circles . in this day and age of freewheeling primaries , the comfort level that experience and familiarity provides to potential donors and voters means a lot . republicans are desperate to win back the white house after eight years of democratic rule . their recent success in the midterms whet their appetite for gaining control over the government . republicans know that the electoral math will be extremely difficult for them in 2016 as more voters , particularly among democrats , are likely to come to the polls and the electoral college map favors blue . republicans have watched many of their candidates crash and burn in recent primaries , so they are eager to find someone who make it through to the finish line for the nomination and present a strong case in the general election . bush can survive the pressure from the right in the primaries . all the speculation as to whether someone like him will be done in by the tea party in primaries is vastly overblown . most importantly , other than on immigration reform and education policy , bush is a conservative and has a record to prove it . as frank bruni of the new york times recounted , moderate is not really a label that fits his record . he has a rather conservative record on tax cuts and gun rights , one that would be quite appealing to the right . he is a staunch opponent of abortion rights and same-sex marriage . much of his record in florida is that of the'headbanging conservative'he claimed to be during a first , unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1994 , ' bruni writes . he attacked affirmative action and gained national prominence when he fought against michael schiavo who wanted to remove the feeding tube of his wife terri schiavo . with cuba , he stuck to the traditional hardline position in response to president obama 's recent announcements on normalizing relations . bush will be able to make a strong case in the primaries that he is as conservative as anyone else in the bunch . and even if there are still questions about his conservative credentials in the age of the tea party , the power of the right in the republican primaries has not really proven to be debilitating to candidates who are trying to build a broad coalition . in 2008 republicans picked arizona sen. john mccain who famously had been in conflict with the right wing of his party . massachusetts gov . mitt romney , despite all the predictions that he would never survive , did just fine on his way to the 2012 nomination . these candidates were able to make enough statements to please conservatives without radically transforming who they were . this year will be no different . most republican activists are thirsty for a candidate who can win rather than one who would be 100 % pure on ideological issues . then there is the power of money . during the recent midterm primaries , the republican establishment showed that money matters . in 2014 , tea party candidates fared very poorly when confronted with republicans who had the backing of big money conservatives eager to support candidates who could win and avoid those whose devastating sound bites would energize democrats . the same dynamic that was on display in the midterms will be true in the presidential primaries . bush is likely to draw considerable support from key players in the republican fund-raising machine . as soon as he made his announcement , politico reported , a group of prominent republican donors expressed their excitement . he 's got proven executive experience , ' said gop bundler fred malek , the finance chairman of the republican governors association that chris christie currently heads . he 's a uniter . he 's got smarts . he 's got political courage . ' bush will also be able to tap into many endorsements from prominent republicans who have been champing at the bit to have him run . while bush is a conservative , without question , his record on the issues of immigration and education along with his demeanor will probably be enough to make a pitch that he is a coalition builder . politics : jeb bush will defend expanded immigration while his conservative record will be sufficient to counteract tea party frustration , bush will be able to sell himself as part of a republican cohort that is seeking to bring new people into the republican fold and who is sensitive to the ways in which social and cultural issues have changed where the party stands on these issues . his record on immigration , as well education ( he supports common core , the program that is controversial with many , including conservatives ) , combined with his immediate family will make it much tougher for democrats to paint him as far right of center , the strategy that has worked so well for them in recent years . it is less clear how well he will be able to deal with some of the economic concerns facing the american electorate . like most republicans , he will face democrats pointing to the evidence of economic recovery under president obama , and he has close tied to the business , anti-tax establishment faction of the gop that hurt mitt romney in 2012 . the housing market started to crash in florida toward the end of his term , though it did n't really take effect until after he got out . at the same time , he still will be able to tap into some of the anxiety of the middle class about the stability of this recovery , surely claiming credit for the current state of the florida economy . finally there is the question of bush fatigue . the biggest obstacle that jeb bush faces is his last name . the controversial ending of george w. bush 's presidency and his terrible popularity ratings were a shadow that loomed over another bush candidacy . but , especially in the short-attention span politics of the u.s. , 2008 is a long time ago . the intense controversy over president obama has redirected much of the political heat toward the democratic leader , while the traditional waves of nostalgia about the last president have started to set in . continued problems with foreign policy and the economy , as well as the extension of much of the homeland security program under president obama , has undercut some of the claims that bush was wholly to blame for the problems that bothered americans . the success of the tea party at shifting the gop further to the right allows bush 's supporters to claim that the previous republican president was not as extreme as his critics said . jeb bush is a good campaigner and he should n't be taken lightly . if he puts his full heart into this race , and it still remains unclear thus far that he will , hillary clinton and other republican contenders should be worried that the 2016 election could be another year for the bush family . note : an earlier version of this article incorrectly described former president george w. bush ; he is jeb bush 's older brother .","julian zelizer : jeb bush may be republicans'strongest candidate for 2016" +"bush ( cnn ) -- ever since bridge-gate ' threatened to derail the once inevitable ' nomination of new jersey gov . chris christie as the republican presidential candidate for 2016 , jeb bush has been hinting that he might jump into the fray . and with last week 's facebook announcement , the former florida governor has emerged as a serious contender -- if he chooses to run . the announcement of an exploratory committee has generated instant excitement because many republicans feel that the former governor stands a very real chance of winning both the republican nomination and the general election . though the pundits have pored over all of his liabilities , most importantly the damage that his older brother inflicted on the family name , jeb bush brings a lot to the table for 2016 . if he handles this process the right way , bush has the opportunity to put together a strong campaign . democrats and his republican opponents should be worried . the most important asset jeb bush offers is that he is a known commodity , someone who is greatly respected in republican circles . in this day and age of freewheeling primaries , the comfort level that experience and familiarity provides to potential donors and voters means a lot . republicans are desperate to win back the white house after eight years of democratic rule . their recent success in the midterms whet their appetite for gaining control over the government . republicans know that the electoral math will be extremely difficult for them in 2016 as more voters , particularly among democrats , are likely to come to the polls and the electoral college map favors blue . republicans have watched many of their candidates crash and burn in recent primaries , so they are eager to find someone who make it through to the finish line for the nomination and present a strong case in the general election . bush can survive the pressure from the right in the primaries . all the speculation as to whether someone like him will be done in by the tea party in primaries is vastly overblown . most importantly , other than on immigration reform and education policy , bush is a conservative and has a record to prove it . as frank bruni of the new york times recounted , moderate is not really a label that fits his record . he has a rather conservative record on tax cuts and gun rights , one that would be quite appealing to the right . he is a staunch opponent of abortion rights and same-sex marriage . much of his record in florida is that of the'headbanging conservative'he claimed to be during a first , unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1994 , ' bruni writes . he attacked affirmative action and gained national prominence when he fought against michael schiavo who wanted to remove the feeding tube of his wife terri schiavo . with cuba , he stuck to the traditional hardline position in response to president obama 's recent announcements on normalizing relations . bush will be able to make a strong case in the primaries that he is as conservative as anyone else in the bunch . and even if there are still questions about his conservative credentials in the age of the tea party , the power of the right in the republican primaries has not really proven to be debilitating to candidates who are trying to build a broad coalition . in 2008 republicans picked arizona sen. john mccain who famously had been in conflict with the right wing of his party . massachusetts gov . mitt romney , despite all the predictions that he would never survive , did just fine on his way to the 2012 nomination . these candidates were able to make enough statements to please conservatives without radically transforming who they were . this year will be no different . most republican activists are thirsty for a candidate who can win rather than one who would be 100 % pure on ideological issues . then there is the power of money . during the recent midterm primaries , the republican establishment showed that money matters . in 2014 , tea party candidates fared very poorly when confronted with republicans who had the backing of big money conservatives eager to support candidates who could win and avoid those whose devastating sound bites would energize democrats . the same dynamic that was on display in the midterms will be true in the presidential primaries . bush is likely to draw considerable support from key players in the republican fund-raising machine . as soon as he made his announcement , politico reported , a group of prominent republican donors expressed their excitement . he 's got proven executive experience , ' said gop bundler fred malek , the finance chairman of the republican governors association that chris christie currently heads . he 's a uniter . he 's got smarts . he 's got political courage . ' bush will also be able to tap into many endorsements from prominent republicans who have been champing at the bit to have him run . while bush is a conservative , without question , his record on the issues of immigration and education along with his demeanor will probably be enough to make a pitch that he is a coalition builder . politics : jeb bush will defend expanded immigration while his conservative record will be sufficient to counteract tea party frustration , bush will be able to sell himself as part of a republican cohort that is seeking to bring new people into the republican fold and who is sensitive to the ways in which social and cultural issues have changed where the party stands on these issues . his record on immigration , as well education ( he supports common core , the program that is controversial with many , including conservatives ) , combined with his immediate family will make it much tougher for democrats to paint him as far right of center , the strategy that has worked so well for them in recent years . it is less clear how well he will be able to deal with some of the economic concerns facing the american electorate . like most republicans , he will face democrats pointing to the evidence of economic recovery under president obama , and he has close tied to the business , anti-tax establishment faction of the gop that hurt mitt romney in 2012 . the housing market started to crash in florida toward the end of his term , though it did n't really take effect until after he got out . at the same time , he still will be able to tap into some of the anxiety of the middle class about the stability of this recovery , surely claiming credit for the current state of the florida economy . finally there is the question of bush fatigue . the biggest obstacle that jeb bush faces is his last name . the controversial ending of george w. bush 's presidency and his terrible popularity ratings were a shadow that loomed over another bush candidacy . but , especially in the short-attention span politics of the u.s. , 2008 is a long time ago . the intense controversy over president obama has redirected much of the political heat toward the democratic leader , while the traditional waves of nostalgia about the last president have started to set in . continued problems with foreign policy and the economy , as well as the extension of much of the homeland security program under president obama , has undercut some of the claims that bush was wholly to blame for the problems that bothered americans . the success of the tea party at shifting the gop further to the right allows bush 's supporters to claim that the previous republican president was not as extreme as his critics said . jeb bush is a good campaigner and he should n't be taken lightly . if he puts his full heart into this race , and it still remains unclear thus far that he will , hillary clinton and other republican contenders should be worried that the 2016 election could be another year for the bush family . note : an earlier version of this article incorrectly described former president george w. bush ; he is jeb bush 's older brother .","bush has conservative credentials while also appealing to larger electorate , he says" +"bush ( cnn ) -- ever since bridge-gate ' threatened to derail the once inevitable ' nomination of new jersey gov . chris christie as the republican presidential candidate for 2016 , jeb bush has been hinting that he might jump into the fray . and with last week 's facebook announcement , the former florida governor has emerged as a serious contender -- if he chooses to run . the announcement of an exploratory committee has generated instant excitement because many republicans feel that the former governor stands a very real chance of winning both the republican nomination and the general election . though the pundits have pored over all of his liabilities , most importantly the damage that his older brother inflicted on the family name , jeb bush brings a lot to the table for 2016 . if he handles this process the right way , bush has the opportunity to put together a strong campaign . democrats and his republican opponents should be worried . the most important asset jeb bush offers is that he is a known commodity , someone who is greatly respected in republican circles . in this day and age of freewheeling primaries , the comfort level that experience and familiarity provides to potential donors and voters means a lot . republicans are desperate to win back the white house after eight years of democratic rule . their recent success in the midterms whet their appetite for gaining control over the government . republicans know that the electoral math will be extremely difficult for them in 2016 as more voters , particularly among democrats , are likely to come to the polls and the electoral college map favors blue . republicans have watched many of their candidates crash and burn in recent primaries , so they are eager to find someone who make it through to the finish line for the nomination and present a strong case in the general election . bush can survive the pressure from the right in the primaries . all the speculation as to whether someone like him will be done in by the tea party in primaries is vastly overblown . most importantly , other than on immigration reform and education policy , bush is a conservative and has a record to prove it . as frank bruni of the new york times recounted , moderate is not really a label that fits his record . he has a rather conservative record on tax cuts and gun rights , one that would be quite appealing to the right . he is a staunch opponent of abortion rights and same-sex marriage . much of his record in florida is that of the'headbanging conservative'he claimed to be during a first , unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1994 , ' bruni writes . he attacked affirmative action and gained national prominence when he fought against michael schiavo who wanted to remove the feeding tube of his wife terri schiavo . with cuba , he stuck to the traditional hardline position in response to president obama 's recent announcements on normalizing relations . bush will be able to make a strong case in the primaries that he is as conservative as anyone else in the bunch . and even if there are still questions about his conservative credentials in the age of the tea party , the power of the right in the republican primaries has not really proven to be debilitating to candidates who are trying to build a broad coalition . in 2008 republicans picked arizona sen. john mccain who famously had been in conflict with the right wing of his party . massachusetts gov . mitt romney , despite all the predictions that he would never survive , did just fine on his way to the 2012 nomination . these candidates were able to make enough statements to please conservatives without radically transforming who they were . this year will be no different . most republican activists are thirsty for a candidate who can win rather than one who would be 100 % pure on ideological issues . then there is the power of money . during the recent midterm primaries , the republican establishment showed that money matters . in 2014 , tea party candidates fared very poorly when confronted with republicans who had the backing of big money conservatives eager to support candidates who could win and avoid those whose devastating sound bites would energize democrats . the same dynamic that was on display in the midterms will be true in the presidential primaries . bush is likely to draw considerable support from key players in the republican fund-raising machine . as soon as he made his announcement , politico reported , a group of prominent republican donors expressed their excitement . he 's got proven executive experience , ' said gop bundler fred malek , the finance chairman of the republican governors association that chris christie currently heads . he 's a uniter . he 's got smarts . he 's got political courage . ' bush will also be able to tap into many endorsements from prominent republicans who have been champing at the bit to have him run . while bush is a conservative , without question , his record on the issues of immigration and education along with his demeanor will probably be enough to make a pitch that he is a coalition builder . politics : jeb bush will defend expanded immigration while his conservative record will be sufficient to counteract tea party frustration , bush will be able to sell himself as part of a republican cohort that is seeking to bring new people into the republican fold and who is sensitive to the ways in which social and cultural issues have changed where the party stands on these issues . his record on immigration , as well education ( he supports common core , the program that is controversial with many , including conservatives ) , combined with his immediate family will make it much tougher for democrats to paint him as far right of center , the strategy that has worked so well for them in recent years . it is less clear how well he will be able to deal with some of the economic concerns facing the american electorate . like most republicans , he will face democrats pointing to the evidence of economic recovery under president obama , and he has close tied to the business , anti-tax establishment faction of the gop that hurt mitt romney in 2012 . the housing market started to crash in florida toward the end of his term , though it did n't really take effect until after he got out . at the same time , he still will be able to tap into some of the anxiety of the middle class about the stability of this recovery , surely claiming credit for the current state of the florida economy . finally there is the question of bush fatigue . the biggest obstacle that jeb bush faces is his last name . the controversial ending of george w. bush 's presidency and his terrible popularity ratings were a shadow that loomed over another bush candidacy . but , especially in the short-attention span politics of the u.s. , 2008 is a long time ago . the intense controversy over president obama has redirected much of the political heat toward the democratic leader , while the traditional waves of nostalgia about the last president have started to set in . continued problems with foreign policy and the economy , as well as the extension of much of the homeland security program under president obama , has undercut some of the claims that bush was wholly to blame for the problems that bothered americans . the success of the tea party at shifting the gop further to the right allows bush 's supporters to claim that the previous republican president was not as extreme as his critics said . jeb bush is a good campaigner and he should n't be taken lightly . if he puts his full heart into this race , and it still remains unclear thus far that he will , hillary clinton and other republican contenders should be worried that the 2016 election could be another year for the bush family . note : an earlier version of this article incorrectly described former president george w. bush ; he is jeb bush 's older brother .","he says bush can get support of gop donors and unite the party" +"bush ( cnn ) -- ever since bridge-gate ' threatened to derail the once inevitable ' nomination of new jersey gov . chris christie as the republican presidential candidate for 2016 , jeb bush has been hinting that he might jump into the fray . and with last week 's facebook announcement , the former florida governor has emerged as a serious contender -- if he chooses to run . the announcement of an exploratory committee has generated instant excitement because many republicans feel that the former governor stands a very real chance of winning both the republican nomination and the general election . though the pundits have pored over all of his liabilities , most importantly the damage that his older brother inflicted on the family name , jeb bush brings a lot to the table for 2016 . if he handles this process the right way , bush has the opportunity to put together a strong campaign . democrats and his republican opponents should be worried . the most important asset jeb bush offers is that he is a known commodity , someone who is greatly respected in republican circles . in this day and age of freewheeling primaries , the comfort level that experience and familiarity provides to potential donors and voters means a lot . republicans are desperate to win back the white house after eight years of democratic rule . their recent success in the midterms whet their appetite for gaining control over the government . republicans know that the electoral math will be extremely difficult for them in 2016 as more voters , particularly among democrats , are likely to come to the polls and the electoral college map favors blue . republicans have watched many of their candidates crash and burn in recent primaries , so they are eager to find someone who make it through to the finish line for the nomination and present a strong case in the general election . bush can survive the pressure from the right in the primaries . all the speculation as to whether someone like him will be done in by the tea party in primaries is vastly overblown . most importantly , other than on immigration reform and education policy , bush is a conservative and has a record to prove it . as frank bruni of the new york times recounted , moderate is not really a label that fits his record . he has a rather conservative record on tax cuts and gun rights , one that would be quite appealing to the right . he is a staunch opponent of abortion rights and same-sex marriage . much of his record in florida is that of the'headbanging conservative'he claimed to be during a first , unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1994 , ' bruni writes . he attacked affirmative action and gained national prominence when he fought against michael schiavo who wanted to remove the feeding tube of his wife terri schiavo . with cuba , he stuck to the traditional hardline position in response to president obama 's recent announcements on normalizing relations . bush will be able to make a strong case in the primaries that he is as conservative as anyone else in the bunch . and even if there are still questions about his conservative credentials in the age of the tea party , the power of the right in the republican primaries has not really proven to be debilitating to candidates who are trying to build a broad coalition . in 2008 republicans picked arizona sen. john mccain who famously had been in conflict with the right wing of his party . massachusetts gov . mitt romney , despite all the predictions that he would never survive , did just fine on his way to the 2012 nomination . these candidates were able to make enough statements to please conservatives without radically transforming who they were . this year will be no different . most republican activists are thirsty for a candidate who can win rather than one who would be 100 % pure on ideological issues . then there is the power of money . during the recent midterm primaries , the republican establishment showed that money matters . in 2014 , tea party candidates fared very poorly when confronted with republicans who had the backing of big money conservatives eager to support candidates who could win and avoid those whose devastating sound bites would energize democrats . the same dynamic that was on display in the midterms will be true in the presidential primaries . bush is likely to draw considerable support from key players in the republican fund-raising machine . as soon as he made his announcement , politico reported , a group of prominent republican donors expressed their excitement . he 's got proven executive experience , ' said gop bundler fred malek , the finance chairman of the republican governors association that chris christie currently heads . he 's a uniter . he 's got smarts . he 's got political courage . ' bush will also be able to tap into many endorsements from prominent republicans who have been champing at the bit to have him run . while bush is a conservative , without question , his record on the issues of immigration and education along with his demeanor will probably be enough to make a pitch that he is a coalition builder . politics : jeb bush will defend expanded immigration while his conservative record will be sufficient to counteract tea party frustration , bush will be able to sell himself as part of a republican cohort that is seeking to bring new people into the republican fold and who is sensitive to the ways in which social and cultural issues have changed where the party stands on these issues . his record on immigration , as well education ( he supports common core , the program that is controversial with many , including conservatives ) , combined with his immediate family will make it much tougher for democrats to paint him as far right of center , the strategy that has worked so well for them in recent years . it is less clear how well he will be able to deal with some of the economic concerns facing the american electorate . like most republicans , he will face democrats pointing to the evidence of economic recovery under president obama , and he has close tied to the business , anti-tax establishment faction of the gop that hurt mitt romney in 2012 . the housing market started to crash in florida toward the end of his term , though it did n't really take effect until after he got out . at the same time , he still will be able to tap into some of the anxiety of the middle class about the stability of this recovery , surely claiming credit for the current state of the florida economy . finally there is the question of bush fatigue . the biggest obstacle that jeb bush faces is his last name . the controversial ending of george w. bush 's presidency and his terrible popularity ratings were a shadow that loomed over another bush candidacy . but , especially in the short-attention span politics of the u.s. , 2008 is a long time ago . the intense controversy over president obama has redirected much of the political heat toward the democratic leader , while the traditional waves of nostalgia about the last president have started to set in . continued problems with foreign policy and the economy , as well as the extension of much of the homeland security program under president obama , has undercut some of the claims that bush was wholly to blame for the problems that bothered americans . the success of the tea party at shifting the gop further to the right allows bush 's supporters to claim that the previous republican president was not as extreme as his critics said . jeb bush is a good campaigner and he should n't be taken lightly . if he puts his full heart into this race , and it still remains unclear thus far that he will , hillary clinton and other republican contenders should be worried that the 2016 election could be another year for the bush family . note : an earlier version of this article incorrectly described former president george w. bush ; he is jeb bush 's older brother .","he says bush may face opposition over economy and baggage over bush name" +"gop ( cnn ) -- ever since bridge-gate ' threatened to derail the once inevitable ' nomination of new jersey gov . chris christie as the republican presidential candidate for 2016 , jeb bush has been hinting that he might jump into the fray . and with last week 's facebook announcement , the former florida governor has emerged as a serious contender -- if he chooses to run . the announcement of an exploratory committee has generated instant excitement because many republicans feel that the former governor stands a very real chance of winning both the republican nomination and the general election . though the pundits have pored over all of his liabilities , most importantly the damage that his older brother inflicted on the family name , jeb bush brings a lot to the table for 2016 . if he handles this process the right way , bush has the opportunity to put together a strong campaign . democrats and his republican opponents should be worried . the most important asset jeb bush offers is that he is a known commodity , someone who is greatly respected in republican circles . in this day and age of freewheeling primaries , the comfort level that experience and familiarity provides to potential donors and voters means a lot . republicans are desperate to win back the white house after eight years of democratic rule . their recent success in the midterms whet their appetite for gaining control over the government . republicans know that the electoral math will be extremely difficult for them in 2016 as more voters , particularly among democrats , are likely to come to the polls and the electoral college map favors blue . republicans have watched many of their candidates crash and burn in recent primaries , so they are eager to find someone who make it through to the finish line for the nomination and present a strong case in the general election . bush can survive the pressure from the right in the primaries . all the speculation as to whether someone like him will be done in by the tea party in primaries is vastly overblown . most importantly , other than on immigration reform and education policy , bush is a conservative and has a record to prove it . as frank bruni of the new york times recounted , moderate is not really a label that fits his record . he has a rather conservative record on tax cuts and gun rights , one that would be quite appealing to the right . he is a staunch opponent of abortion rights and same-sex marriage . much of his record in florida is that of the'headbanging conservative'he claimed to be during a first , unsuccessful campaign for governor in 1994 , ' bruni writes . he attacked affirmative action and gained national prominence when he fought against michael schiavo who wanted to remove the feeding tube of his wife terri schiavo . with cuba , he stuck to the traditional hardline position in response to president obama 's recent announcements on normalizing relations . bush will be able to make a strong case in the primaries that he is as conservative as anyone else in the bunch . and even if there are still questions about his conservative credentials in the age of the tea party , the power of the right in the republican primaries has not really proven to be debilitating to candidates who are trying to build a broad coalition . in 2008 republicans picked arizona sen. john mccain who famously had been in conflict with the right wing of his party . massachusetts gov . mitt romney , despite all the predictions that he would never survive , did just fine on his way to the 2012 nomination . these candidates were able to make enough statements to please conservatives without radically transforming who they were . this year will be no different . most republican activists are thirsty for a candidate who can win rather than one who would be 100 % pure on ideological issues . then there is the power of money . during the recent midterm primaries , the republican establishment showed that money matters . in 2014 , tea party candidates fared very poorly when confronted with republicans who had the backing of big money conservatives eager to support candidates who could win and avoid those whose devastating sound bites would energize democrats . the same dynamic that was on display in the midterms will be true in the presidential primaries . bush is likely to draw considerable support from key players in the republican fund-raising machine . as soon as he made his announcement , politico reported , a group of prominent republican donors expressed their excitement . he 's got proven executive experience , ' said gop bundler fred malek , the finance chairman of the republican governors association that chris christie currently heads . he 's a uniter . he 's got smarts . he 's got political courage . ' bush will also be able to tap into many endorsements from prominent republicans who have been champing at the bit to have him run . while bush is a conservative , without question , his record on the issues of immigration and education along with his demeanor will probably be enough to make a pitch that he is a coalition builder . politics : jeb bush will defend expanded immigration while his conservative record will be sufficient to counteract tea party frustration , bush will be able to sell himself as part of a republican cohort that is seeking to bring new people into the republican fold and who is sensitive to the ways in which social and cultural issues have changed where the party stands on these issues . his record on immigration , as well education ( he supports common core , the program that is controversial with many , including conservatives ) , combined with his immediate family will make it much tougher for democrats to paint him as far right of center , the strategy that has worked so well for them in recent years . it is less clear how well he will be able to deal with some of the economic concerns facing the american electorate . like most republicans , he will face democrats pointing to the evidence of economic recovery under president obama , and he has close tied to the business , anti-tax establishment faction of the gop that hurt mitt romney in 2012 . the housing market started to crash in florida toward the end of his term , though it did n't really take effect until after he got out . at the same time , he still will be able to tap into some of the anxiety of the middle class about the stability of this recovery , surely claiming credit for the current state of the florida economy . finally there is the question of bush fatigue . the biggest obstacle that jeb bush faces is his last name . the controversial ending of george w. bush 's presidency and his terrible popularity ratings were a shadow that loomed over another bush candidacy . but , especially in the short-attention span politics of the u.s. , 2008 is a long time ago . the intense controversy over president obama has redirected much of the political heat toward the democratic leader , while the traditional waves of nostalgia about the last president have started to set in . continued problems with foreign policy and the economy , as well as the extension of much of the homeland security program under president obama , has undercut some of the claims that bush was wholly to blame for the problems that bothered americans . the success of the tea party at shifting the gop further to the right allows bush 's supporters to claim that the previous republican president was not as extreme as his critics said . jeb bush is a good campaigner and he should n't be taken lightly . if he puts his full heart into this race , and it still remains unclear thus far that he will , hillary clinton and other republican contenders should be worried that the 2016 election could be another year for the bush family . note : an earlier version of this article incorrectly described former president george w. bush ; he is jeb bush 's older brother .","he says bush can get support of gop donors and unite the party" +"alaska something incredible is happening this week in alaska . people in more than 170 communities -- from anchorage to allakaket -- are planning to hold public choose respect ' rallies in honor of survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence . for the state with the highest rape rate in america , that 's a massively important undertaking . it sends a message to people in the state and across the country that silence is the poison that lets rape and sexual violence continue . that enough is enough . we have extremely high rates of domestic violence and sexual violence in alaska , ' said katie tepas , a senior policy adviser to the governor . when victims and survivors see their communities standing up for them , they see a great deal of strength . ... and they see help , when they may not have ever sought help before . ' it 's a topic about which i care a great deal -- and i know you do , too . cnn readers voted for me to cover rape in the united states as part of my change the list project . after spending more than two weeks in alaska , i published a series of stories about why the rates of sexual violence are so shockingly high there -- and what could be done to change that . my biggest takeaway : people have to talk about this difficult issue . otherwise , too many victims who come forward are n't believed . and too many suffer in silence , thinking they 're to blame for what 's happened to them . they 're not alone , and these choose respect ' rallies are just the sort of awareness-raising events that could push alaska off the bottom of the list . the demonstrations -- which are coordinated by the office of alaska 's republican governor , sean parnell , and are sponsored by the state -- started in 2010 with only 18 communities participating , tepas told me . this year , she expects more than 170 communities . the rallies start thursday and will continue through the weekend in some locations . i hope cnn readers will join the state in demanding an end to the violence there and elsewhere . take a photo of yourself with a sign that says choose respect ' and upload it to facebook , instagram or twitter with the hashtag # chooserespect . the images will appear on this page -- and maybe in future coverage . parnell invited me to march with him in alaska on thursday . in a february 24 letter , he called cnn 's coverage of rape in alaska exceptional ' and said it pulled back the curtain and cast a new light on the issue ' of sexual violence . i 'm unable to attend , but i appreciate the invitation . as for his kind words about the series , cnn shares the credit with the brave people in alaska who told me their stories -- and with the dozens of readers and viewers who shared their stories of survival in solidarity with alaskans . you can read some of those harrowing and heartfelt accounts on this page : we are the 59 % . ' fifty-nine percent of women in alaska face intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetimes , including threats of violence . that statistic should horrify every american . and it should provoke action , as it already has for many . after the series , marie claire , mother jones , salon and others took up the issue , too . on thursday , as thousands of alaskans are marching , my thoughts will be with all the incredible people i met on my trip to the state in december and those who shared their stories online . they will be with the people of nunam iqua , alaska , which is one of a reported 75 communities that do not have any local law enforcement presence . a cnn reader started a petition asking the state government to change that . to date , i 'm told that request has not been heeded . people there do not have access to the same level of justice as elsewhere in this nation . unless geography determines a person 's worth , that should change immediately . where are the boots on the ground in our village ? ' asked russell clark , principal of the school in nunam iqua and one of many people there who wants a local officer . currently , state troopers usually must fly in from other villages to respond to emergencies -- a process that takes 45 minutes at best and sometimes , in bad weather , can take days . the state troopers have told me they 're having difficulty finding someone who would take the job in nunam iqua . it 's a tough economy these days , and i 've been told funding is available for the position . if you 'd like to apply , e-mail me ( ctl @ cnn.com ) and put nunam iqua ' in the subject line . i 'll be happy to connect you to the troopers . my thoughts will be with the young people who helped organize a panel discussion in anchorage called no more ' -- part of a national awareness-raising campaign . and , finally , my thoughts will be with erin merryn , a victim of child sexual assault from illinois who , i 'm told by a local lawmaker , will be traveling alaska this week campaigning for a bill that would require state school districts to teach about the warning signs of child sexual abuse . currently , alaska does not require school districts to teach that essential information or sex education . the bill -- erin 's law , ' which has been passed in ten other states , according to the group 's facebook page -- is expected to come before the alaska house education committee on friday . i hope her upcoming testimony will encourage legislators to push this bill forward . the lawmaker who proposed the legislation , rep. geran tarr , an anchorage democrat , told me she 's optimistic it can pass this session . she handed out copies of my articles , again , which cnn readers commissioned , in hopes representatives will realize the scope of this problem . it 's really been a good conversation starter , ' she said of the stories . there 's too much coverage ( for legislators to ignore sexual violence ) . once you start to be in national press for this , that really is a catalyst for change . that 's not the kind of notoriety you want for the state . ' i do n't want to paint alaska as an awful or isolated place . the stats are horrifying , as are many of the stories i heard . but sexual violence is a serious concern across the country , and states like south dakota , oklahoma , michigan , new mexico and arkansas have rates of reported rape well above the national average . it does n't have to be this way . i will anxiously await photos from the choose respect ' rallies . alaska is also a beautiful place full of strong people . and this week , all of us will get a chance to see them -- and , hopefully , you -- demanding a safer future .","john sutter recently featured alaska as part of his change the list project" +"alaska something incredible is happening this week in alaska . people in more than 170 communities -- from anchorage to allakaket -- are planning to hold public choose respect ' rallies in honor of survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence . for the state with the highest rape rate in america , that 's a massively important undertaking . it sends a message to people in the state and across the country that silence is the poison that lets rape and sexual violence continue . that enough is enough . we have extremely high rates of domestic violence and sexual violence in alaska , ' said katie tepas , a senior policy adviser to the governor . when victims and survivors see their communities standing up for them , they see a great deal of strength . ... and they see help , when they may not have ever sought help before . ' it 's a topic about which i care a great deal -- and i know you do , too . cnn readers voted for me to cover rape in the united states as part of my change the list project . after spending more than two weeks in alaska , i published a series of stories about why the rates of sexual violence are so shockingly high there -- and what could be done to change that . my biggest takeaway : people have to talk about this difficult issue . otherwise , too many victims who come forward are n't believed . and too many suffer in silence , thinking they 're to blame for what 's happened to them . they 're not alone , and these choose respect ' rallies are just the sort of awareness-raising events that could push alaska off the bottom of the list . the demonstrations -- which are coordinated by the office of alaska 's republican governor , sean parnell , and are sponsored by the state -- started in 2010 with only 18 communities participating , tepas told me . this year , she expects more than 170 communities . the rallies start thursday and will continue through the weekend in some locations . i hope cnn readers will join the state in demanding an end to the violence there and elsewhere . take a photo of yourself with a sign that says choose respect ' and upload it to facebook , instagram or twitter with the hashtag # chooserespect . the images will appear on this page -- and maybe in future coverage . parnell invited me to march with him in alaska on thursday . in a february 24 letter , he called cnn 's coverage of rape in alaska exceptional ' and said it pulled back the curtain and cast a new light on the issue ' of sexual violence . i 'm unable to attend , but i appreciate the invitation . as for his kind words about the series , cnn shares the credit with the brave people in alaska who told me their stories -- and with the dozens of readers and viewers who shared their stories of survival in solidarity with alaskans . you can read some of those harrowing and heartfelt accounts on this page : we are the 59 % . ' fifty-nine percent of women in alaska face intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetimes , including threats of violence . that statistic should horrify every american . and it should provoke action , as it already has for many . after the series , marie claire , mother jones , salon and others took up the issue , too . on thursday , as thousands of alaskans are marching , my thoughts will be with all the incredible people i met on my trip to the state in december and those who shared their stories online . they will be with the people of nunam iqua , alaska , which is one of a reported 75 communities that do not have any local law enforcement presence . a cnn reader started a petition asking the state government to change that . to date , i 'm told that request has not been heeded . people there do not have access to the same level of justice as elsewhere in this nation . unless geography determines a person 's worth , that should change immediately . where are the boots on the ground in our village ? ' asked russell clark , principal of the school in nunam iqua and one of many people there who wants a local officer . currently , state troopers usually must fly in from other villages to respond to emergencies -- a process that takes 45 minutes at best and sometimes , in bad weather , can take days . the state troopers have told me they 're having difficulty finding someone who would take the job in nunam iqua . it 's a tough economy these days , and i 've been told funding is available for the position . if you 'd like to apply , e-mail me ( ctl @ cnn.com ) and put nunam iqua ' in the subject line . i 'll be happy to connect you to the troopers . my thoughts will be with the young people who helped organize a panel discussion in anchorage called no more ' -- part of a national awareness-raising campaign . and , finally , my thoughts will be with erin merryn , a victim of child sexual assault from illinois who , i 'm told by a local lawmaker , will be traveling alaska this week campaigning for a bill that would require state school districts to teach about the warning signs of child sexual abuse . currently , alaska does not require school districts to teach that essential information or sex education . the bill -- erin 's law , ' which has been passed in ten other states , according to the group 's facebook page -- is expected to come before the alaska house education committee on friday . i hope her upcoming testimony will encourage legislators to push this bill forward . the lawmaker who proposed the legislation , rep. geran tarr , an anchorage democrat , told me she 's optimistic it can pass this session . she handed out copies of my articles , again , which cnn readers commissioned , in hopes representatives will realize the scope of this problem . it 's really been a good conversation starter , ' she said of the stories . there 's too much coverage ( for legislators to ignore sexual violence ) . once you start to be in national press for this , that really is a catalyst for change . that 's not the kind of notoriety you want for the state . ' i do n't want to paint alaska as an awful or isolated place . the stats are horrifying , as are many of the stories i heard . but sexual violence is a serious concern across the country , and states like south dakota , oklahoma , michigan , new mexico and arkansas have rates of reported rape well above the national average . it does n't have to be this way . i will anxiously await photos from the choose respect ' rallies . alaska is also a beautiful place full of strong people . and this week , all of us will get a chance to see them -- and , hopefully , you -- demanding a safer future .","alaska has the highest rate of reported rape in the country -- three times the u.s. average" +"israel jerusalem ( cnn ) -- a threatened israeli attack on iran 's nuclear program carries enormous risks for the jewish state , including international isolation , retaliation at home and abroad , and steep economic costs . and that 's if it works . while israel has the most advanced military in the middle east -- including a suspected-but-undeclared nuclear arsenal of its own -- israeli analysts say there 's no guarantee that a unilateral strike will roll back an iranian program it sees as a threat to its survival . yet that 's the choice observers say the jewish state may soon face , and some argue the benefits would outweigh the costs military action would incur . a successful raid would set back iran 's uranium enrichment effort by several years , ' said ephraim kam , the deputy director at the israeli institute for national security studies . and in a recent op-ed in the new york times , amos yadlin , israel 's former head of military intelligence , argued that previous israeli strikes against nuclear installations in iraq and syria successfully forced those countries to drop their nuclear programs . this could be the outcome in iran if military action is followed by tough sanctions , stricter international inspections and an embargo on the sale of nuclear components to tehran , ' yadlin wrote . iran , like iraq and syria before it , will have to recognize that the precedent for military action has been set , and can be repeated . ' israeli authorities argue that if iran develops nuclear weapons , it would trigger a middle eastern arms race among iran 's rivals for regional influence . failure to prevent iran from nearing the nuclear threshold will undoubtedly intensify the drive of other states in the region for nuclear weapons , ' said shmuel bar , director of studies at the israeli institute of policy and strategy . the initial countries , which will attempt to acquire a military nuclear capability , would include saudi arabia , turkey , egypt , iraq , libya and in its path , other north african countries . ' a successful israeli attack on iran would eliminate the need for other countries in the region to develop such programs , proponents argue . and a severe blow to iran could also weaken its proxies along israel 's borders , hezbollah in southern lebanon and hamas in gaza . both groups receive generous iranian backing and have staged attacks against israel and israeli targets overseas . weakening iran could free israel to act more aggressively in combating those groups in the future , according to some israeli analysts who fear the groups would become more brazen backed by a nuclear-armed iran . if the iranian regime weakens as a result of a successful attack , this would undoubtedly have an impact on hamas and hezbollah , ' said yossi melman , an independent israeli commentator on security and strategic affairs . he said hezbollah is likely to suffer a heavy price if it chooses to join the battle and attack israel , ' while by knocking out iran 's nuclear fuel plants , israel will show its determination of not allowing iran to acquire a nuclear weapon in hope that it understands the message for the future . ' but iran has pledged a swift and powerful response to any attack , most likely through missile attacks on israel . this may come in the shape of a large number of rockets and missiles fired from iran itself , possibly also by hezbollah and hamas , ' kam said . according to israeli military estimates , there are tens of thousands of short-range rockets that could be fired from hezbollah-controlled southern lebanon and the hamas-ruled gaza strip , while a much smaller number of long-range missiles could be launched from iran . the whole of israel is vulnerable , ' israeli deputy prime minister dan meridor warned recently . they are not just going to hit israeli soldiers . the main aim is at civilian populations . ' and kam said iran and its allies may respond indirectly as well , by carrying out attacks against israeli and jewish targets around the world . ' in addition , it might try to disrupt the world energy markets and antagonize persian gulf arab regimes by closing the strait of hormuz , the choke point for about 20 % of the global oil trade . iran says its production of enriched uranium is strictly to fuel civilian power plants and a medical research reactor . but the united states and israel accuse it of working toward nuclear weaponry . the international atomic energy agency , the u.n. nuclear watchdog , says it can no longer verify that the iranian program is strictly peaceful . analysts cnn consulted say an israeli attack may spur tehran to pursue the bomb openly . even if a few nuclear plants are destroyed , it will take several years to rebuild them and give iran legitimacy to say ,'we were attacked by a nuclear power , and now we must defend ourselves ,'' melman told cnn . meanwhile , meir javedanfar , an iran expert at israel 's interdisciplinary center in herzliya , warns that an attack could lead iranians to rally around the flag , bolstering the hand of theocratic government and further setting back the western hopes for regime change . the regime is likely to use such opportunity to eradicate any form of opposition against it in the country , ' javedanfar said . and an unsuccessful attack could further tarnish the reputation of an israeli military that came under severe criticism at home following its 2006 war with hezbollah . hezbollah claimed victory after that conflict and enjoyed a surge in regional popularity , while israeli commanders came under fire for being inadequately prepared for the fight . during the operation , one needs to take into account that it may fail , that targets will not be destroyed and that a large number of israeli planes would be taken down , ' kam said . in addition , an israeli attack conducted without prior notification to the united states could severely strain relations with washington , its leading ally -- especially if american military or civilian sites in the region were targeted as part of an iranian retaliation . israeli relations with jordan and egypt , the two arab countries with which it maintains peace treaties , could be hurt . a sharp rise in energy prices as the result of a regional conflict would not do israel any favors in the court of global opinion , possibly prompting boycott and sanctions campaigns . israeli airspace could be closed to commercial traffic , and the country 's lucrative tourism industry would be expected to grind to a halt . and a prolonged conflict could result in the closure or slowdown of a variety of industries and businesses costing the israeli economy billions of dollars . the economy could lose a year 's growth and even go into negative growth , many will lose their jobs and unemployment will rise , ' adam reuter , chairman of an israeli investment house and the ceo of the financial immunities consulting firm , recently told israeli news portal ynet . couple those prospects with the high cost of rebuilding damaged civilian and military infrastructure , and the price tag of a unilateral strike quickly goes up . the biggest disadvantage of all is war , ' melman said . there is always an uncertainty . once you start a war , you never know how it is going to finish . '","israel could face isolation and retaliation if it attacks iran" +"israel jerusalem ( cnn ) -- a threatened israeli attack on iran 's nuclear program carries enormous risks for the jewish state , including international isolation , retaliation at home and abroad , and steep economic costs . and that 's if it works . while israel has the most advanced military in the middle east -- including a suspected-but-undeclared nuclear arsenal of its own -- israeli analysts say there 's no guarantee that a unilateral strike will roll back an iranian program it sees as a threat to its survival . yet that 's the choice observers say the jewish state may soon face , and some argue the benefits would outweigh the costs military action would incur . a successful raid would set back iran 's uranium enrichment effort by several years , ' said ephraim kam , the deputy director at the israeli institute for national security studies . and in a recent op-ed in the new york times , amos yadlin , israel 's former head of military intelligence , argued that previous israeli strikes against nuclear installations in iraq and syria successfully forced those countries to drop their nuclear programs . this could be the outcome in iran if military action is followed by tough sanctions , stricter international inspections and an embargo on the sale of nuclear components to tehran , ' yadlin wrote . iran , like iraq and syria before it , will have to recognize that the precedent for military action has been set , and can be repeated . ' israeli authorities argue that if iran develops nuclear weapons , it would trigger a middle eastern arms race among iran 's rivals for regional influence . failure to prevent iran from nearing the nuclear threshold will undoubtedly intensify the drive of other states in the region for nuclear weapons , ' said shmuel bar , director of studies at the israeli institute of policy and strategy . the initial countries , which will attempt to acquire a military nuclear capability , would include saudi arabia , turkey , egypt , iraq , libya and in its path , other north african countries . ' a successful israeli attack on iran would eliminate the need for other countries in the region to develop such programs , proponents argue . and a severe blow to iran could also weaken its proxies along israel 's borders , hezbollah in southern lebanon and hamas in gaza . both groups receive generous iranian backing and have staged attacks against israel and israeli targets overseas . weakening iran could free israel to act more aggressively in combating those groups in the future , according to some israeli analysts who fear the groups would become more brazen backed by a nuclear-armed iran . if the iranian regime weakens as a result of a successful attack , this would undoubtedly have an impact on hamas and hezbollah , ' said yossi melman , an independent israeli commentator on security and strategic affairs . he said hezbollah is likely to suffer a heavy price if it chooses to join the battle and attack israel , ' while by knocking out iran 's nuclear fuel plants , israel will show its determination of not allowing iran to acquire a nuclear weapon in hope that it understands the message for the future . ' but iran has pledged a swift and powerful response to any attack , most likely through missile attacks on israel . this may come in the shape of a large number of rockets and missiles fired from iran itself , possibly also by hezbollah and hamas , ' kam said . according to israeli military estimates , there are tens of thousands of short-range rockets that could be fired from hezbollah-controlled southern lebanon and the hamas-ruled gaza strip , while a much smaller number of long-range missiles could be launched from iran . the whole of israel is vulnerable , ' israeli deputy prime minister dan meridor warned recently . they are not just going to hit israeli soldiers . the main aim is at civilian populations . ' and kam said iran and its allies may respond indirectly as well , by carrying out attacks against israeli and jewish targets around the world . ' in addition , it might try to disrupt the world energy markets and antagonize persian gulf arab regimes by closing the strait of hormuz , the choke point for about 20 % of the global oil trade . iran says its production of enriched uranium is strictly to fuel civilian power plants and a medical research reactor . but the united states and israel accuse it of working toward nuclear weaponry . the international atomic energy agency , the u.n. nuclear watchdog , says it can no longer verify that the iranian program is strictly peaceful . analysts cnn consulted say an israeli attack may spur tehran to pursue the bomb openly . even if a few nuclear plants are destroyed , it will take several years to rebuild them and give iran legitimacy to say ,'we were attacked by a nuclear power , and now we must defend ourselves ,'' melman told cnn . meanwhile , meir javedanfar , an iran expert at israel 's interdisciplinary center in herzliya , warns that an attack could lead iranians to rally around the flag , bolstering the hand of theocratic government and further setting back the western hopes for regime change . the regime is likely to use such opportunity to eradicate any form of opposition against it in the country , ' javedanfar said . and an unsuccessful attack could further tarnish the reputation of an israeli military that came under severe criticism at home following its 2006 war with hezbollah . hezbollah claimed victory after that conflict and enjoyed a surge in regional popularity , while israeli commanders came under fire for being inadequately prepared for the fight . during the operation , one needs to take into account that it may fail , that targets will not be destroyed and that a large number of israeli planes would be taken down , ' kam said . in addition , an israeli attack conducted without prior notification to the united states could severely strain relations with washington , its leading ally -- especially if american military or civilian sites in the region were targeted as part of an iranian retaliation . israeli relations with jordan and egypt , the two arab countries with which it maintains peace treaties , could be hurt . a sharp rise in energy prices as the result of a regional conflict would not do israel any favors in the court of global opinion , possibly prompting boycott and sanctions campaigns . israeli airspace could be closed to commercial traffic , and the country 's lucrative tourism industry would be expected to grind to a halt . and a prolonged conflict could result in the closure or slowdown of a variety of industries and businesses costing the israeli economy billions of dollars . the economy could lose a year 's growth and even go into negative growth , many will lose their jobs and unemployment will rise , ' adam reuter , chairman of an israeli investment house and the ceo of the financial immunities consulting firm , recently told israeli news portal ynet . couple those prospects with the high cost of rebuilding damaged civilian and military infrastructure , and the price tag of a unilateral strike quickly goes up . the biggest disadvantage of all is war , ' melman said . there is always an uncertainty . once you start a war , you never know how it is going to finish . '","israel must balance the risks and benefits of attacking nuclear sites in iran" +"perry austin , texas ( cnn ) -- in february 2009 , sam bassett got called to gov . rick perry 's office . bassett was then chairman of the texas forensic science commission , an agency set up in 2005 to regulate state crime labs after a series of embarrassing scandals . the first matter on its plate involved the 2004 execution of cameron todd willingham , whose murder conviction rested largely on testimony that many arson experts now call outdated and incorrect . aides to perry , who allowed willingham 's execution to go forward , started off with general questions about how things were going at the commission , a relatively new agency , bassett said . but then they started asking about willingham , questioning whether the commission 's review of the evidence in his case was beyond its legal powers . as soon as we started discussing the willingham investigation , the meeting got more confrontational and more difficult , ' bassett said . about six months later , bassett 's term on the commission was up -- and despite letters from members urging his reappointment , perry replaced him and three other appointees . the move came at what bassett calls a critical point , ' two days before the commission was to hear from an expert who had delivered a scathing report on the willingham case . the governor 's new pick for chairman soon put the brakes on the investigation , raising some of the same questions about the commission 's authority that bassett said perry 's aides had . and in july , with perry gearing up for a run for president , the state 's attorney general delivered an opinion that appears to sharply limit the commission 's authority . the forensic science commission is meeting thursday to decide what it can still do in light of that opinion . for bassett , an austin defense lawyer , it 's the culmination of what he now calls a methodical campaign to shut down an investigation that might embarrass perry . at first , when i was replaced , i gave the governor the benefit of the doubt , ' he said . but now that time has passed , i 've seen this kind of endless drumbeat of strategies and actions to stop this investigation , and it 's been terribly disappointing . ' perry 's campaign dismissed bassett 's accusations wednesday , repeating the governor 's characterization of willingham as a monster ' who had sent his three young daughters to a fiery death . the case has been scrutinized and reviewed by a jury , state and federal courts , the news media , anti-death penalty activists and the forensic science commission , ' perry spokesman mark miner told cnn in an e-mail . willingham was guilty of murdering his children . ' the statement did not directly address bassett 's accusations . bassett 's role in the matter ended in october 2009 . he said perry 's office called him just days before the commission was slated to hear from the expert it hired to review the evidence in the willingham case . he said a perry aide thanked him for his service , but told him perry wants to take the commission in a different direction . ' though the shakeup was controversial at the time , it was barely mentioned in perry 's 2010 re-election campaign . perry is now seeking the republican nomination for president , and bassett says the willingham case is a window into perry 's leadership . he 's not always open to any contradictory viewpoints that could actually be helpful , ' said bassett , who describes himself as a democratic-leaning supporter of capital punishment in some cases . when the willingham last-minute plea for a stay came before him , there was nobody at the helm to raise a flag and tell him ,'this is serious ... this guy may have been convicted on faulty science ,' bassett said . bassett said july 's opinion from texas attorney general greg abbott provides governor perry with the cover he probably needs to totally squash the investigation . ' representatives of the attorney general 's office raised no concerns about the forensic science commission 's jurisdiction when the panel voted unanimously to take on the willingham investigation , he said . the corsicana man was put to death in february 2004 . it was one of 234 executions perry has overseen as the longest-serving u.s. governor and the head of the most death-penalty-friendly state . authorities in corsicana say they remain convinced of willingham 's guilt , arguing that other evidence beyond the now-challenged arson testimony supported his conviction . the state fire marshal 's office has told the forensic science commission it stands by the findings in his case . bassett said the commission was never looking into whether willingham was innocent -- but he said much of the evidence cited in his trial is now considered junk science . ' perry 's campaign also noted that willingham 's ex-wife now believes in his guilt . and his state office told cnn that willingham had full access to every level of the appeals process , and his conviction was consistently upheld . ' his conviction was reviewed and upheld by multiple levels of state and federal courts , including nine federal courts -- four times by the u.s. supreme court alone over the course of more than a decade , ' deputy press secretary lucy nashed said in a written response to questions by cnn . in willingham 's case , perry 's office says the governor was briefed on a last-minute filing by austin-based fire science expert gerald hurst that found the deadly blaze was likely not arson , but he refused to grant a stay of execution for further investigation . nashed told cnn that hurst 's review of investigators'findings in the willingham fire was also reviewed by appeals courts and the state board of pardons and paroles , which rebuffed a plea for clemency . state and federal appeals courts agreed that the new opinion by gerald hurst was simply an opinion and did not merit reopening the case , ' she wrote . two subsequent reviews have backed up hurst 's conclusions , finding that advances in the science of arson investigation since willingham 's trial rendered obsolete most of the signs that fire marshals pointed to as evidence of arson in the case . in the 1990s , researchers determined that several of the things cited in willingham 's trial were likely to be produced in fully involved accidental fires . the appearance of spider web-like cracks in panes of glass , once believed to have been the result of fires started with flammable liquids , turned out to be caused by the rapid cooling of windows sprayed with water . experiments conducted during that period showed burn patterns once thought to show multiple points of origin -- another possible indicator of arson -- also appear when the intense heat of even an accidental blaze radiates downward and sets items like furniture and carpet afire . the most recent review was conducted by maryland arson expert craig beyler at the request of the forensic science commission . beyler , then chairman of the international association of fire safety science , sharply criticized the testimony against willingham and questioned whether it met even the standards of the day . beyler ultimately appeared before the commission in january 2011 , 15 months after he had been scheduled to answer questions about his report . the commission began looking into willingham 's conviction at the request of willingham 's family and the innocence project , which works on behalf of inmates it believes are wrongly convicted . the group has blasted perry over his role in the issue , accusing him of trying to shut down the probe . stephen saloom , the group 's policy director , told cnn that the investigation should go forward for the sake of hundreds of other prisoners now serving time for arson , some of whom also may have been convicted based on outdated fire science . the willingham case really demonstrates how severe the consequences can be when you use bad forensic evidence , ' saloom said .","the former chairman of a state commission criticizes gov . rick perry" +"perry austin , texas ( cnn ) -- in february 2009 , sam bassett got called to gov . rick perry 's office . bassett was then chairman of the texas forensic science commission , an agency set up in 2005 to regulate state crime labs after a series of embarrassing scandals . the first matter on its plate involved the 2004 execution of cameron todd willingham , whose murder conviction rested largely on testimony that many arson experts now call outdated and incorrect . aides to perry , who allowed willingham 's execution to go forward , started off with general questions about how things were going at the commission , a relatively new agency , bassett said . but then they started asking about willingham , questioning whether the commission 's review of the evidence in his case was beyond its legal powers . as soon as we started discussing the willingham investigation , the meeting got more confrontational and more difficult , ' bassett said . about six months later , bassett 's term on the commission was up -- and despite letters from members urging his reappointment , perry replaced him and three other appointees . the move came at what bassett calls a critical point , ' two days before the commission was to hear from an expert who had delivered a scathing report on the willingham case . the governor 's new pick for chairman soon put the brakes on the investigation , raising some of the same questions about the commission 's authority that bassett said perry 's aides had . and in july , with perry gearing up for a run for president , the state 's attorney general delivered an opinion that appears to sharply limit the commission 's authority . the forensic science commission is meeting thursday to decide what it can still do in light of that opinion . for bassett , an austin defense lawyer , it 's the culmination of what he now calls a methodical campaign to shut down an investigation that might embarrass perry . at first , when i was replaced , i gave the governor the benefit of the doubt , ' he said . but now that time has passed , i 've seen this kind of endless drumbeat of strategies and actions to stop this investigation , and it 's been terribly disappointing . ' perry 's campaign dismissed bassett 's accusations wednesday , repeating the governor 's characterization of willingham as a monster ' who had sent his three young daughters to a fiery death . the case has been scrutinized and reviewed by a jury , state and federal courts , the news media , anti-death penalty activists and the forensic science commission , ' perry spokesman mark miner told cnn in an e-mail . willingham was guilty of murdering his children . ' the statement did not directly address bassett 's accusations . bassett 's role in the matter ended in october 2009 . he said perry 's office called him just days before the commission was slated to hear from the expert it hired to review the evidence in the willingham case . he said a perry aide thanked him for his service , but told him perry wants to take the commission in a different direction . ' though the shakeup was controversial at the time , it was barely mentioned in perry 's 2010 re-election campaign . perry is now seeking the republican nomination for president , and bassett says the willingham case is a window into perry 's leadership . he 's not always open to any contradictory viewpoints that could actually be helpful , ' said bassett , who describes himself as a democratic-leaning supporter of capital punishment in some cases . when the willingham last-minute plea for a stay came before him , there was nobody at the helm to raise a flag and tell him ,'this is serious ... this guy may have been convicted on faulty science ,' bassett said . bassett said july 's opinion from texas attorney general greg abbott provides governor perry with the cover he probably needs to totally squash the investigation . ' representatives of the attorney general 's office raised no concerns about the forensic science commission 's jurisdiction when the panel voted unanimously to take on the willingham investigation , he said . the corsicana man was put to death in february 2004 . it was one of 234 executions perry has overseen as the longest-serving u.s. governor and the head of the most death-penalty-friendly state . authorities in corsicana say they remain convinced of willingham 's guilt , arguing that other evidence beyond the now-challenged arson testimony supported his conviction . the state fire marshal 's office has told the forensic science commission it stands by the findings in his case . bassett said the commission was never looking into whether willingham was innocent -- but he said much of the evidence cited in his trial is now considered junk science . ' perry 's campaign also noted that willingham 's ex-wife now believes in his guilt . and his state office told cnn that willingham had full access to every level of the appeals process , and his conviction was consistently upheld . ' his conviction was reviewed and upheld by multiple levels of state and federal courts , including nine federal courts -- four times by the u.s. supreme court alone over the course of more than a decade , ' deputy press secretary lucy nashed said in a written response to questions by cnn . in willingham 's case , perry 's office says the governor was briefed on a last-minute filing by austin-based fire science expert gerald hurst that found the deadly blaze was likely not arson , but he refused to grant a stay of execution for further investigation . nashed told cnn that hurst 's review of investigators'findings in the willingham fire was also reviewed by appeals courts and the state board of pardons and paroles , which rebuffed a plea for clemency . state and federal appeals courts agreed that the new opinion by gerald hurst was simply an opinion and did not merit reopening the case , ' she wrote . two subsequent reviews have backed up hurst 's conclusions , finding that advances in the science of arson investigation since willingham 's trial rendered obsolete most of the signs that fire marshals pointed to as evidence of arson in the case . in the 1990s , researchers determined that several of the things cited in willingham 's trial were likely to be produced in fully involved accidental fires . the appearance of spider web-like cracks in panes of glass , once believed to have been the result of fires started with flammable liquids , turned out to be caused by the rapid cooling of windows sprayed with water . experiments conducted during that period showed burn patterns once thought to show multiple points of origin -- another possible indicator of arson -- also appear when the intense heat of even an accidental blaze radiates downward and sets items like furniture and carpet afire . the most recent review was conducted by maryland arson expert craig beyler at the request of the forensic science commission . beyler , then chairman of the international association of fire safety science , sharply criticized the testimony against willingham and questioned whether it met even the standards of the day . beyler ultimately appeared before the commission in january 2011 , 15 months after he had been scheduled to answer questions about his report . the commission began looking into willingham 's conviction at the request of willingham 's family and the innocence project , which works on behalf of inmates it believes are wrongly convicted . the group has blasted perry over his role in the issue , accusing him of trying to shut down the probe . stephen saloom , the group 's policy director , told cnn that the investigation should go forward for the sake of hundreds of other prisoners now serving time for arson , some of whom also may have been convicted based on outdated fire science . the willingham case really demonstrates how severe the consequences can be when you use bad forensic evidence , ' saloom said .","bassett says the case is a window into rick perry 's leadership" +"perry austin , texas ( cnn ) -- in february 2009 , sam bassett got called to gov . rick perry 's office . bassett was then chairman of the texas forensic science commission , an agency set up in 2005 to regulate state crime labs after a series of embarrassing scandals . the first matter on its plate involved the 2004 execution of cameron todd willingham , whose murder conviction rested largely on testimony that many arson experts now call outdated and incorrect . aides to perry , who allowed willingham 's execution to go forward , started off with general questions about how things were going at the commission , a relatively new agency , bassett said . but then they started asking about willingham , questioning whether the commission 's review of the evidence in his case was beyond its legal powers . as soon as we started discussing the willingham investigation , the meeting got more confrontational and more difficult , ' bassett said . about six months later , bassett 's term on the commission was up -- and despite letters from members urging his reappointment , perry replaced him and three other appointees . the move came at what bassett calls a critical point , ' two days before the commission was to hear from an expert who had delivered a scathing report on the willingham case . the governor 's new pick for chairman soon put the brakes on the investigation , raising some of the same questions about the commission 's authority that bassett said perry 's aides had . and in july , with perry gearing up for a run for president , the state 's attorney general delivered an opinion that appears to sharply limit the commission 's authority . the forensic science commission is meeting thursday to decide what it can still do in light of that opinion . for bassett , an austin defense lawyer , it 's the culmination of what he now calls a methodical campaign to shut down an investigation that might embarrass perry . at first , when i was replaced , i gave the governor the benefit of the doubt , ' he said . but now that time has passed , i 've seen this kind of endless drumbeat of strategies and actions to stop this investigation , and it 's been terribly disappointing . ' perry 's campaign dismissed bassett 's accusations wednesday , repeating the governor 's characterization of willingham as a monster ' who had sent his three young daughters to a fiery death . the case has been scrutinized and reviewed by a jury , state and federal courts , the news media , anti-death penalty activists and the forensic science commission , ' perry spokesman mark miner told cnn in an e-mail . willingham was guilty of murdering his children . ' the statement did not directly address bassett 's accusations . bassett 's role in the matter ended in october 2009 . he said perry 's office called him just days before the commission was slated to hear from the expert it hired to review the evidence in the willingham case . he said a perry aide thanked him for his service , but told him perry wants to take the commission in a different direction . ' though the shakeup was controversial at the time , it was barely mentioned in perry 's 2010 re-election campaign . perry is now seeking the republican nomination for president , and bassett says the willingham case is a window into perry 's leadership . he 's not always open to any contradictory viewpoints that could actually be helpful , ' said bassett , who describes himself as a democratic-leaning supporter of capital punishment in some cases . when the willingham last-minute plea for a stay came before him , there was nobody at the helm to raise a flag and tell him ,'this is serious ... this guy may have been convicted on faulty science ,' bassett said . bassett said july 's opinion from texas attorney general greg abbott provides governor perry with the cover he probably needs to totally squash the investigation . ' representatives of the attorney general 's office raised no concerns about the forensic science commission 's jurisdiction when the panel voted unanimously to take on the willingham investigation , he said . the corsicana man was put to death in february 2004 . it was one of 234 executions perry has overseen as the longest-serving u.s. governor and the head of the most death-penalty-friendly state . authorities in corsicana say they remain convinced of willingham 's guilt , arguing that other evidence beyond the now-challenged arson testimony supported his conviction . the state fire marshal 's office has told the forensic science commission it stands by the findings in his case . bassett said the commission was never looking into whether willingham was innocent -- but he said much of the evidence cited in his trial is now considered junk science . ' perry 's campaign also noted that willingham 's ex-wife now believes in his guilt . and his state office told cnn that willingham had full access to every level of the appeals process , and his conviction was consistently upheld . ' his conviction was reviewed and upheld by multiple levels of state and federal courts , including nine federal courts -- four times by the u.s. supreme court alone over the course of more than a decade , ' deputy press secretary lucy nashed said in a written response to questions by cnn . in willingham 's case , perry 's office says the governor was briefed on a last-minute filing by austin-based fire science expert gerald hurst that found the deadly blaze was likely not arson , but he refused to grant a stay of execution for further investigation . nashed told cnn that hurst 's review of investigators'findings in the willingham fire was also reviewed by appeals courts and the state board of pardons and paroles , which rebuffed a plea for clemency . state and federal appeals courts agreed that the new opinion by gerald hurst was simply an opinion and did not merit reopening the case , ' she wrote . two subsequent reviews have backed up hurst 's conclusions , finding that advances in the science of arson investigation since willingham 's trial rendered obsolete most of the signs that fire marshals pointed to as evidence of arson in the case . in the 1990s , researchers determined that several of the things cited in willingham 's trial were likely to be produced in fully involved accidental fires . the appearance of spider web-like cracks in panes of glass , once believed to have been the result of fires started with flammable liquids , turned out to be caused by the rapid cooling of windows sprayed with water . experiments conducted during that period showed burn patterns once thought to show multiple points of origin -- another possible indicator of arson -- also appear when the intense heat of even an accidental blaze radiates downward and sets items like furniture and carpet afire . the most recent review was conducted by maryland arson expert craig beyler at the request of the forensic science commission . beyler , then chairman of the international association of fire safety science , sharply criticized the testimony against willingham and questioned whether it met even the standards of the day . beyler ultimately appeared before the commission in january 2011 , 15 months after he had been scheduled to answer questions about his report . the commission began looking into willingham 's conviction at the request of willingham 's family and the innocence project , which works on behalf of inmates it believes are wrongly convicted . the group has blasted perry over his role in the issue , accusing him of trying to shut down the probe . stephen saloom , the group 's policy director , told cnn that the investigation should go forward for the sake of hundreds of other prisoners now serving time for arson , some of whom also may have been convicted based on outdated fire science . the willingham case really demonstrates how severe the consequences can be when you use bad forensic evidence , ' saloom said .","perry signed off on cameron todd willingham 's execution in 2004" +"jodi arias ( cnn ) -- the media circus that is jodi arias'murder trial is in its final stretch , as the jury began deliberations friday following closing arguments . the jury , which has been in court since january , will resume deliberations monday . it 's been an r-rated story , to say the least , with an abundance of testimony about grisly violence and , from arias , details about a kinky sex life she says she shared with alexander . the case has captured massive if not total interest among americans . while one part of the country watches cnn 's sister network hln for every twist in the trial , or drives hours to get one of the courtroom 's limited lottery seats ( yes , they 're doled out via lottery ) , another segment of the nation asks , jodi who ? ' for those of you in the latter category , here are some things you should know as the trial comes to a close : travis alexander lost in the salacious details of the jodi arias trial ' is the victim , travis alexander , 30 , who was brutally killed in his mesa , arizona , home in june 2008 . faith was an integral part of alexander 's life . the professed son of methamphetamine addicts , alexander was raised in riverside , california , with three brothers and four sisters . his grandmother introduced him to mormonism as a child . after he graduated from high school he went on a two-year mission in denver . he later moved to mesa because of the strong mormon community and became a motivational speaker and businessman . he also authored a book titled , raising you . ' arias was living in yreka , california , when she met alexander at a business convention in las vegas in september 2006 . that november , he baptized arias into the mormon faith , a ceremony arias said was followed by anal sex . arias became his girlfriend two months later , she testified . they broke up in the summer of 2007 , and alexander began dating other women . there were claims that arias would stalk him , peering in his windows at times . still , he and arias continued to hang out on several occasions until -- disenchanted arias says -- she moved back to northern california . they continued to communicate . the prosecution 's case alexander 's naked body was found crammed in a stand-up shower after he missed two appointments , prompting friends to go to his house . he had been stabbed 27 times in the back and torso and shot in the head . his throat was slit from ear to ear . arias initially told an investigator , i heard a lot of rumors , and that there was a lot of blood . ' she later claimed she killed him , albeit in self-defense . deputy maricopa county attorney juan martinez has accused arias of playing the victim when , in fact , he alleges she staged the crime scene to make it look like self-defense and has actively sought to profit from the media attention . prior to alexander 's killing , martinez said , arias stole her grandparents'.25-caliber pistol , rented a car in redding , california , turned off her cell phone and brought along cans of gas so there would be no record that she was in arizona . the only reason to keep this whole thing a secret , which is what she tried to do , is because she was going to kill him , and she 's making preparations , ' the prosecutor said . finally , according to martinez 's closing argument , after she killed alexander , she hooked up with an out-of-state romantic interest so she would have an alibi . she continues on to utah into his waiting arms . gosh , you can almost hear the violins making their sound as she goes up to him , gives him that first kiss . is n't that romantic ? ' martinez said . arias'defense defense attorney jennifer willmott has said arias was the victim of a controlling , psychologically abusive relationship and that alexander considered arias his dirty little secret . ' before arias killed her ex in self-defense , willmott claimed , she was subjected to rough vaginal sex . after she dropped alexander 's new camera , he became violent , the defense said , and had arias not defended herself , investigators would 've found arias , not alexander , dead in the bathroom . arguing the prosecution 's position that arias was obsessed with alexander and stalking him , another defense attorney , kirk nurmi , has said it did n't add up because arias was active on a mormon dating site . jodi ... was n't so locked in on travis that she was n't looking for other men , ' nurmi said . as for the allegation that arias attempted to surreptitiously slip in and out of arizona without a trace , nurmi pointed out that arias went to the redding , california , airport to rent her car for the trip . an airport with security cameras and security all around , ' the defense attorney said , not some rental car agency on the outskirts of town -- an airport . that does n't make any sense if you 're on a covert mission . ' nurmi also questioned the merit of the prosecution 's gas can argument , saying arias could have avoided a paper trail simply by paying with cash . she did n't need cans , he said . did arias change her story ? sure , nurmi said , but that 's not what she 's standing trial for . if jodi arias were accused of the crime of lying , i could not stand before you and say she 's not guilty of that crime , but nowhere in your jury instructions are you asked to convict jodi arias of lying , ' nurmi said . fascination if you did n't realize before , you probably see now why the case has drawn a cult following of sorts . it 's rife with sex , lies and digital images , many of them naughty , and the dueling attorneys are lively -- nay , bombastic -- in their arguments . arias herself has been tweeting from jail -- through a proxy , of course -- criticizing hln and martinez , and directing followers to a website that sells art on her behalf . for some media outlets , the case is gold . hln has created a show , after dark : the jodi arias trial , ' which invites an in-studio and at-home audience to grade the day 's arguments . its website is flush with every facet of the case , including a photo gallery containing 180 evidence photos . the huffington post has similar coverage , and cnn affiliates kpho and knxv in phoenix have special trial pages on their websites . before you lob cries of a sensationalist media profiting off a gruesome death , realize that people are clamoring for the coverage . hln has enjoyed a ratings boost since the trial began , and people drive hours to see the trial for themselves . spectators began lining up friday at 1 a.m. -- more than six hours before the courthouse opened -- to get a seat , according to kpho . until april 25 , the public was given access on a first-come-first-served basis , but the judge changed it to a lottery system for closing arguments , the station reported . everardo mcfarlane of phoenix was none too happy with the change , as he was first in line friday but did n't make the cut . i just hope justice is served and that at least we get our $ 1.6 million worth with a conviction , ' mcfarlane told kpho , referring to the ever-increasing taxpayer expense on the trial . r.d . williams of amarillo , texas , did n't have the luxury of a short drive across town . it 's 10 hours nonstop , two times to fuel up . i did n't bring no extra gas cans , ' williams said , making a joke about a key argument in the case . potential outcomes what could happen to arias is anyone 's guess . if the jury 's hung , she could face a retrial . the prosecution , naturally , would like to see a first-degree murder conviction , as its case has revolved around arias premeditating the killing . if convicted on this charge , arias will face a mini-trial of sorts to determine if she killed alexander cruelly and knew he would suffer . a first-degree murder conviction could mean execution unless a jury grants her leniency , in which case she would get life in prison and may not be eligible for parole for at least 25 years . if the prosecution ca n't prove premeditation , arias could still be convicted of second-degree murder , commanding 10 to 22 years in prison . the jury can also decide that arias killed alexander recklessly or that he attacked her . she 'd then be convicted of manslaughter . lastly , the jury could find her not guilty or determine that she acted in self-defense and that her actions were reasonable . either way , she 'd then be free to pursue her dream of becoming a professional photographer , and the media circus could move to another town .","jodi arias'murder trial began in january" +"colorado ( cnn ) -- colorado authorities on thursday arrested a man wanted in connection with the march shooting death of state prison chief tom clements . thomas guolee -- referred to as a person of interest in the tom clements murder investigation ' -- was taken into custody on an active felony arrest warrant by local authorities in colorado springs ' around 5:30 p.m. ( 7:30 p.m . et ) , the el paso , colorado , county sheriff 's office said . two hours later , he was being held on a no bond hold for violation of parole ' at the el paso county sheriff 's office criminal justice center . law enforcement authorities in el paso county and colorado springs did not immediately respond to requests thursday night from cnn for more information , including on how guolee was arrested and what the arrest warrant was for . a search of the colorado department of corrections'website indicated that guolee is 31 and had been on parole . authorities have said they suspect evan ebel shot clements outside his colorado home . ebel died two days later in a shootout with authorities in texas . another man , james lohr , was arrested in the same case earlier this month , also in colorado springs . he and guolee were both associated with ebel in the days before clements'death , a source close to the investigation said . police have described lohr and guolee as associates of the white supremacist 211 crew gang , a group that included ebel . investigators have said they were looking into whether ebel might have conspired with other inmates to kill clements . clements was widely recognized for cracking down on prison gangs , including the 211 crew . ebel -- who had been convicted for an armed robbery and punching a prison guard -- was released early on parole because of a clerical error . he also is suspected in the killing of part-time pizza deliveryman nathan leon shortly before clements was shot dead .","thomas guolee , 31 , is taken into custody in colorado springs , a sheriff 's office says" +"colorado ( cnn ) -- colorado authorities on thursday arrested a man wanted in connection with the march shooting death of state prison chief tom clements . thomas guolee -- referred to as a person of interest in the tom clements murder investigation ' -- was taken into custody on an active felony arrest warrant by local authorities in colorado springs ' around 5:30 p.m. ( 7:30 p.m . et ) , the el paso , colorado , county sheriff 's office said . two hours later , he was being held on a no bond hold for violation of parole ' at the el paso county sheriff 's office criminal justice center . law enforcement authorities in el paso county and colorado springs did not immediately respond to requests thursday night from cnn for more information , including on how guolee was arrested and what the arrest warrant was for . a search of the colorado department of corrections'website indicated that guolee is 31 and had been on parole . authorities have said they suspect evan ebel shot clements outside his colorado home . ebel died two days later in a shootout with authorities in texas . another man , james lohr , was arrested in the same case earlier this month , also in colorado springs . he and guolee were both associated with ebel in the days before clements'death , a source close to the investigation said . police have described lohr and guolee as associates of the white supremacist 211 crew gang , a group that included ebel . investigators have said they were looking into whether ebel might have conspired with other inmates to kill clements . clements was widely recognized for cracking down on prison gangs , including the 211 crew . ebel -- who had been convicted for an armed robbery and punching a prison guard -- was released early on parole because of a clerical error . he also is suspected in the killing of part-time pizza deliveryman nathan leon shortly before clements was shot dead .","evan ebel , who authorities suspect killed colorado 's prison chief , was in that gang" +"rancho bernardo inn ( cnn ) -- the rancho bernardo inn , a san diego luxury resort , is offering rooms for $ 19 a night . but there 's a catch -- you have to sleep in a tent and bring your own toilet paper . for $ 19 a night , a customer gets a shell with a tent inside , ' says rancho bernardo inn 's john gates . the declining economy has taken a toll on the rancho bernardo , a 200,000 acre luxury resort which has three pools , a golf course , three restaurants and a spa that was named no . 1 by conde nast in 2008 . during a brainstorming session , we were talking about discounts and promotions and wanted to come up with something different than the same promotions and discounts , ' said rancho bernardo general manager john gates . we wanted to do something fun and clever . it 's a way of making the best of these bad economic times and trying to give customers an experience . ' rancho bernardo 's survivor package ' starts at $ 219 per night , but customers are allowed to customize and pick their price point . guests can lower the cost by opting to give up breakfast and other luxury items , including toiletries . for $ 19 a night , a customer gets a shell with a tent inside , ' said gates . the bed , lighting , bed sheets , towels and toilet paper are all removed . we ran a similar promotion in june which was very popular . about 100 people took the offer . ' gates said he has received several phone calls , and 50 customers have already booked a reservation at the $ 19 price . the promotion will run from august 16 to 31 . and do n't forget your toilet paper and toothpaste !","rancho bernardo inn , a luxury resort , was named no . 1 by conde nast in'08" +"survivor package ( cnn ) -- the rancho bernardo inn , a san diego luxury resort , is offering rooms for $ 19 a night . but there 's a catch -- you have to sleep in a tent and bring your own toilet paper . for $ 19 a night , a customer gets a shell with a tent inside , ' says rancho bernardo inn 's john gates . the declining economy has taken a toll on the rancho bernardo , a 200,000 acre luxury resort which has three pools , a golf course , three restaurants and a spa that was named no . 1 by conde nast in 2008 . during a brainstorming session , we were talking about discounts and promotions and wanted to come up with something different than the same promotions and discounts , ' said rancho bernardo general manager john gates . we wanted to do something fun and clever . it 's a way of making the best of these bad economic times and trying to give customers an experience . ' rancho bernardo 's survivor package ' starts at $ 219 per night , but customers are allowed to customize and pick their price point . guests can lower the cost by opting to give up breakfast and other luxury items , including toiletries . for $ 19 a night , a customer gets a shell with a tent inside , ' said gates . the bed , lighting , bed sheets , towels and toilet paper are all removed . we ran a similar promotion in june which was very popular . about 100 people took the offer . ' gates said he has received several phone calls , and 50 customers have already booked a reservation at the $ 19 price . the promotion will run from august 16 to 31 . and do n't forget your toilet paper and toothpaste !","the san diego resort 's survivor package ' starts at $ 219 per night" +"el-sisi ( cnn ) -- since the july 3 military coup , egypt has been witness to the rise of a new military dictatorship led by field marshal abdel fattah el-sisi . el-sisi 's recent presidential bid reveals a tenacious attempt of the egyptian military to consolidate power and preclude egyptians'aspirations of having a genuine democracy . for the past few months , the egyptian media and state institutions have been ardently working to pave the way for el-sisi 's presidency by distorting and smearing his political opponents . over the past six decades , the egyptian military has implanted its officers and generals in almost every aspect of civilian life from pasta and soap factories to the construction of soccer stadiums , bridges and infrastructure . through such practices the army has successfully extended its control over the country . consequently , the militarization ' of the egyptian state , which was entrenched under mubarak -- who systematically co-opted and spoiled military high-rank officers -- has weakened public institutions and created a feeble and fragmented political class that is now supporting the military 's takeover . gulf allies with regional support mainly from saudi arabia and the united arab emirates , who fervently seek to abort the arab spring , el-sisi believes that he can suppress and tame the mounting anger and frustration among young egyptians particularly islamists who protest almost daily . by pouring billions of dollars into egypt 's economy , the saudis and emiratis believe that they can appropriate the egyptian army and use it as a trojan horse in order to eliminate and crush islamists . indeed , el-sisi 's gulf counterparts view him as a savior ' not only from islamists but more importantly from the very existential threat to their thrones : democracy . thus it is not surprising that both , el-sisi and his gulf allies , share the same authoritarian mindset and behavior . they desperately seek to restore mubarak 's ruling-style with a new face . surprisingly , or maybe not , the international community remains in limbo watching the manufacturing of a new dictatorship in egypt while doing nothing to prevent the possibility of such a scenario .'stability vs. democracy' moreover , despite the many instances of violations of human rights and the killing of civilians in the absence of any justice or accountability , the world powers have done nothing to stop such repulsive actions . the u.s. and the eu have failed miserably in pressuring the military to separate itself from politics and return to the barracks . even as the obama administration receives harsh criticism for its policies towards the egyptian junta , secretary of state john kerry seems keen not to anger egyptian officials . not only has he praised the roadmap ' imposed by the military last july but he has also stated that egyptians [ are ] following the right path . ' apparently , u.s. foreign policy towards egypt 's crisis continues to be driven by the long-standing delusional and misguided argument : stability vs. democracy . the u.s. policymakers believe that egypt 's military is the only force capable of retaining stability and maintaining security . however , one must only look to the experience of the past eight months to see that this argument is nothing but a myth . simply , the level of violence and amount of killings and casualties is unprecedented in egypt 's modern history . for example , the sinai peninsula , which represents around 6 % of egypt 's land , is almost out of the central government 's control . and despite the ruthless security campaign there , militant islamists still pose a serious threat to egypt 's national security . furthermore , the interior ministry has failed to secure its own facilities and vehicles . it is also struggling to protect its own personnel who are targeted by militant islamists . social explosion el-sisi , egypt 's most likely post-coup president , will not be able to bring stability or security to the country . in fact , he has become a liability and an integral part of the problem not the solution . although he has garnered significant public support since the ouster of president mohamed morsy , there are no guarantees that el-sisi-mania will continue once he is president . the past three years have shown the volatility of the egyptian public mood which can shift dramatically overnight particularly if el-sisi does n't quickly and appropriately fix egypt 's ailing economic and societal problems . egypt is dangerously close to a social explosion due to unemployment , poverty and corruption . moreover , egypt is witnessing the largest waves of workers and professionals'strikes since january 2011 . with the absence of any coherent economic policy , el-sisi 's presidency would n't be able to soothe the fears of many needy egyptians who view him as a new gamal abdel nasser . surely , el-sisi 's gulf backers will likely continue their lifeline ' of support , at least for a while . this money could buy el-sisi some time but it will not certainly bring stability . history has shown that suppressing islamists only leads to more extremism and instability . during 1970s and 1980s the cases of algeria , syria , pakistan and egypt all served to provide appalling examples of islamist insurgency that would drain el-sisi and his regional backers . an el-sisi presidency would be a major cause for instability and insecurity in the region and would likely create more extremists and radicals . therefore , it is important that the international community , particularly the u.s. and eu , do not lend credibility to the bogus elections that will bring him to power . read more : el-sisi announces presidential bid read more : opinion : for many egyptians , there is no alternative but el-sisi the views expresssed in this commentary are solely those of khalil al-anani .","khalil al-anani says el-sisi 's bid demonstrates the military 's desire to consolidate power" +"el-sisi ( cnn ) -- since the july 3 military coup , egypt has been witness to the rise of a new military dictatorship led by field marshal abdel fattah el-sisi . el-sisi 's recent presidential bid reveals a tenacious attempt of the egyptian military to consolidate power and preclude egyptians'aspirations of having a genuine democracy . for the past few months , the egyptian media and state institutions have been ardently working to pave the way for el-sisi 's presidency by distorting and smearing his political opponents . over the past six decades , the egyptian military has implanted its officers and generals in almost every aspect of civilian life from pasta and soap factories to the construction of soccer stadiums , bridges and infrastructure . through such practices the army has successfully extended its control over the country . consequently , the militarization ' of the egyptian state , which was entrenched under mubarak -- who systematically co-opted and spoiled military high-rank officers -- has weakened public institutions and created a feeble and fragmented political class that is now supporting the military 's takeover . gulf allies with regional support mainly from saudi arabia and the united arab emirates , who fervently seek to abort the arab spring , el-sisi believes that he can suppress and tame the mounting anger and frustration among young egyptians particularly islamists who protest almost daily . by pouring billions of dollars into egypt 's economy , the saudis and emiratis believe that they can appropriate the egyptian army and use it as a trojan horse in order to eliminate and crush islamists . indeed , el-sisi 's gulf counterparts view him as a savior ' not only from islamists but more importantly from the very existential threat to their thrones : democracy . thus it is not surprising that both , el-sisi and his gulf allies , share the same authoritarian mindset and behavior . they desperately seek to restore mubarak 's ruling-style with a new face . surprisingly , or maybe not , the international community remains in limbo watching the manufacturing of a new dictatorship in egypt while doing nothing to prevent the possibility of such a scenario .'stability vs. democracy' moreover , despite the many instances of violations of human rights and the killing of civilians in the absence of any justice or accountability , the world powers have done nothing to stop such repulsive actions . the u.s. and the eu have failed miserably in pressuring the military to separate itself from politics and return to the barracks . even as the obama administration receives harsh criticism for its policies towards the egyptian junta , secretary of state john kerry seems keen not to anger egyptian officials . not only has he praised the roadmap ' imposed by the military last july but he has also stated that egyptians [ are ] following the right path . ' apparently , u.s. foreign policy towards egypt 's crisis continues to be driven by the long-standing delusional and misguided argument : stability vs. democracy . the u.s. policymakers believe that egypt 's military is the only force capable of retaining stability and maintaining security . however , one must only look to the experience of the past eight months to see that this argument is nothing but a myth . simply , the level of violence and amount of killings and casualties is unprecedented in egypt 's modern history . for example , the sinai peninsula , which represents around 6 % of egypt 's land , is almost out of the central government 's control . and despite the ruthless security campaign there , militant islamists still pose a serious threat to egypt 's national security . furthermore , the interior ministry has failed to secure its own facilities and vehicles . it is also struggling to protect its own personnel who are targeted by militant islamists . social explosion el-sisi , egypt 's most likely post-coup president , will not be able to bring stability or security to the country . in fact , he has become a liability and an integral part of the problem not the solution . although he has garnered significant public support since the ouster of president mohamed morsy , there are no guarantees that el-sisi-mania will continue once he is president . the past three years have shown the volatility of the egyptian public mood which can shift dramatically overnight particularly if el-sisi does n't quickly and appropriately fix egypt 's ailing economic and societal problems . egypt is dangerously close to a social explosion due to unemployment , poverty and corruption . moreover , egypt is witnessing the largest waves of workers and professionals'strikes since january 2011 . with the absence of any coherent economic policy , el-sisi 's presidency would n't be able to soothe the fears of many needy egyptians who view him as a new gamal abdel nasser . surely , el-sisi 's gulf backers will likely continue their lifeline ' of support , at least for a while . this money could buy el-sisi some time but it will not certainly bring stability . history has shown that suppressing islamists only leads to more extremism and instability . during 1970s and 1980s the cases of algeria , syria , pakistan and egypt all served to provide appalling examples of islamist insurgency that would drain el-sisi and his regional backers . an el-sisi presidency would be a major cause for instability and insecurity in the region and would likely create more extremists and radicals . therefore , it is important that the international community , particularly the u.s. and eu , do not lend credibility to the bogus elections that will bring him to power . read more : el-sisi announces presidential bid read more : opinion : for many egyptians , there is no alternative but el-sisi the views expresssed in this commentary are solely those of khalil al-anani .","field marshal abdel fattah el-sisi has resigned from egypt 's armed forces to run for president" +"el-sisi ( cnn ) -- since the july 3 military coup , egypt has been witness to the rise of a new military dictatorship led by field marshal abdel fattah el-sisi . el-sisi 's recent presidential bid reveals a tenacious attempt of the egyptian military to consolidate power and preclude egyptians'aspirations of having a genuine democracy . for the past few months , the egyptian media and state institutions have been ardently working to pave the way for el-sisi 's presidency by distorting and smearing his political opponents . over the past six decades , the egyptian military has implanted its officers and generals in almost every aspect of civilian life from pasta and soap factories to the construction of soccer stadiums , bridges and infrastructure . through such practices the army has successfully extended its control over the country . consequently , the militarization ' of the egyptian state , which was entrenched under mubarak -- who systematically co-opted and spoiled military high-rank officers -- has weakened public institutions and created a feeble and fragmented political class that is now supporting the military 's takeover . gulf allies with regional support mainly from saudi arabia and the united arab emirates , who fervently seek to abort the arab spring , el-sisi believes that he can suppress and tame the mounting anger and frustration among young egyptians particularly islamists who protest almost daily . by pouring billions of dollars into egypt 's economy , the saudis and emiratis believe that they can appropriate the egyptian army and use it as a trojan horse in order to eliminate and crush islamists . indeed , el-sisi 's gulf counterparts view him as a savior ' not only from islamists but more importantly from the very existential threat to their thrones : democracy . thus it is not surprising that both , el-sisi and his gulf allies , share the same authoritarian mindset and behavior . they desperately seek to restore mubarak 's ruling-style with a new face . surprisingly , or maybe not , the international community remains in limbo watching the manufacturing of a new dictatorship in egypt while doing nothing to prevent the possibility of such a scenario .'stability vs. democracy' moreover , despite the many instances of violations of human rights and the killing of civilians in the absence of any justice or accountability , the world powers have done nothing to stop such repulsive actions . the u.s. and the eu have failed miserably in pressuring the military to separate itself from politics and return to the barracks . even as the obama administration receives harsh criticism for its policies towards the egyptian junta , secretary of state john kerry seems keen not to anger egyptian officials . not only has he praised the roadmap ' imposed by the military last july but he has also stated that egyptians [ are ] following the right path . ' apparently , u.s. foreign policy towards egypt 's crisis continues to be driven by the long-standing delusional and misguided argument : stability vs. democracy . the u.s. policymakers believe that egypt 's military is the only force capable of retaining stability and maintaining security . however , one must only look to the experience of the past eight months to see that this argument is nothing but a myth . simply , the level of violence and amount of killings and casualties is unprecedented in egypt 's modern history . for example , the sinai peninsula , which represents around 6 % of egypt 's land , is almost out of the central government 's control . and despite the ruthless security campaign there , militant islamists still pose a serious threat to egypt 's national security . furthermore , the interior ministry has failed to secure its own facilities and vehicles . it is also struggling to protect its own personnel who are targeted by militant islamists . social explosion el-sisi , egypt 's most likely post-coup president , will not be able to bring stability or security to the country . in fact , he has become a liability and an integral part of the problem not the solution . although he has garnered significant public support since the ouster of president mohamed morsy , there are no guarantees that el-sisi-mania will continue once he is president . the past three years have shown the volatility of the egyptian public mood which can shift dramatically overnight particularly if el-sisi does n't quickly and appropriately fix egypt 's ailing economic and societal problems . egypt is dangerously close to a social explosion due to unemployment , poverty and corruption . moreover , egypt is witnessing the largest waves of workers and professionals'strikes since january 2011 . with the absence of any coherent economic policy , el-sisi 's presidency would n't be able to soothe the fears of many needy egyptians who view him as a new gamal abdel nasser . surely , el-sisi 's gulf backers will likely continue their lifeline ' of support , at least for a while . this money could buy el-sisi some time but it will not certainly bring stability . history has shown that suppressing islamists only leads to more extremism and instability . during 1970s and 1980s the cases of algeria , syria , pakistan and egypt all served to provide appalling examples of islamist insurgency that would drain el-sisi and his regional backers . an el-sisi presidency would be a major cause for instability and insecurity in the region and would likely create more extremists and radicals . therefore , it is important that the international community , particularly the u.s. and eu , do not lend credibility to the bogus elections that will bring him to power . read more : el-sisi announces presidential bid read more : opinion : for many egyptians , there is no alternative but el-sisi the views expresssed in this commentary are solely those of khalil al-anani .","egypt 's gulf allies have poured money into egypt and view el-sisi as a savior , he writes" +"pakistan islamabad ( cnn ) -- a bombing monday at a restaurant in a pakistani tribal region near the afghan border wounded 11 people , including four children , authorities said . the blast occurred in the town of miran shah in north waziristan , said muhammed khan , a government official . the blast comes as the united states has put increasing pressure on islamabad to root out terror groups believed to be running training camps in north waziristan , a mountainous region of northern pakistan . u.s. officials have long believed terror groups , such as the haqqani network , are running training camps in the district . the haqqani is an insurgent group based in north waziristan that is allied with the taliban . last week , secretary of state hillary clinton and adm. mike mullen , chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , met with pakistan 's president to repair the relationship between the two countries following a u.s. raid that killed osama bin laden . clinton said pakistan has a responsibility to prevent insurgents from waging war in afghanistan from its territory .","a bomb blast wounds at least 11 people in pakistan 's volatile tribal , an official says" +"pakistan islamabad ( cnn ) -- a bombing monday at a restaurant in a pakistani tribal region near the afghan border wounded 11 people , including four children , authorities said . the blast occurred in the town of miran shah in north waziristan , said muhammed khan , a government official . the blast comes as the united states has put increasing pressure on islamabad to root out terror groups believed to be running training camps in north waziristan , a mountainous region of northern pakistan . u.s. officials have long believed terror groups , such as the haqqani network , are running training camps in the district . the haqqani is an insurgent group based in north waziristan that is allied with the taliban . last week , secretary of state hillary clinton and adm. mike mullen , chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , met with pakistan 's president to repair the relationship between the two countries following a u.s. raid that killed osama bin laden . clinton said pakistan has a responsibility to prevent insurgents from waging war in afghanistan from its territory .","the blast comes as the u.s. is putting pressure on pakistan to root out insurgents" +"olympian ( cnn ) -- chris hoy became great britain 's most decorated olympian of all time after his victory in the men 's keirin took his tally to six gold medals . hoy fought off a late charge from germany 's maximilian levy in the final sprint to cross the line first and then confirmed he is 99.9 % ' certain never to race in the olympics again . the 36-year-old was roared home by a vociferous crowd in the velodrome to complete a dream games for team gb who won seven of the 10 track cycling gold medals on offer . earlier in the day laura trott added to the gold she won in the women 's team pursuit with triumph in the omnium event , but home crowd favorite victoria pendleton was beaten to gold by australian anna meares in the individual sprint . follow the action on day eleven with our london 2012 live blog ' i 'm in shock , you try and compose yourself but it 's surreal , ' hoy told the host broadcaster after the race . i wanted to win gold in front of my home crowd . i saw everyone stepping up to the plate and thankfully it worked out for me too . the keirin is a lottery and you never take anything for granted in it . i ca n't describe the feelings i have at the moment . this is enough for me , this is the perfect end to my olympic career . i ca n't put into words what it means to me . it 's one of the greatest feelings i have ever had . i 'm 99.9 % sure i wo n't be competing in rio -- how can you top this ? glasgow ( for the 2014 commonwealth games ) is another question , as that would be the dream ending for me . ' hoy took the lead with two laps to go and though levy briefly overtook him on the back straight , the scot responded to power ahead and take the line . he has now eclipsed the five gold medals won by rower steve redgrave to become britain 's most successful ever olympian . behind hoy and levy , new zealand 's simon van velthooven and dutchman teun mulder could not be split by a photo finish and were both awarded bronze medals . in the women 's individual sprint final meares gained revenge for defeat in the same event four years ago , as pendleton had to settle for silver in her last race before retiring . but though the australian won the best of three final 2-0 , it was a race tinged with controversy . pendleton thought she had won the first leg by 0.001 of a second , only to be disqualified by the judges for straying out of the sprint lane . her coaches argued meares had nudged into her , forcing the mistake but the decision stood . she was also disqualified from the women 's team sprint on thursday . in the second sprint pendleton went off early but ran out of power as meares surged past her to add another gold to the one she won in athens . it denied pendleton a fairytale ending to a career in which she won two gold medals , including the women 's keirin at the london games . i 'm so relieved and overwhelmed with emotion . i would have loved to have won on my final race but i 'm so glad it 's all done and i can move on , ' she said . i think anna is the best rider of the field and it is the way it should have been , anna and myself in the final , she 's a fantastic competitor . but i 'm very glad to be saying that 's the last time i 'm going to go through that . i was really annoyed ( at being relegated ) because i 'm sure she touched me and it caused me to move up . i ca n't believe twice in the competition i 've been disqualified and relegated , it 's unheard of . ' prior to pendleton 's farewell race , 20-year-old laura trott secured her second gold in her first ever olympics by winning the multi-discipline women 's omnium event . she set a new olympic record in the the 500m time trial event to beat american sarah hammer and add to the gold she won in the women 's team pursuit . i ca n't believe this has happened to me , ' she said . i 'm peaking at the right time and it 's all thanks to the coaches , and the support of the crowd and my family . '","chris hoy becomes britain 's most decorated olympian after winning sixth gold" +"mount mayon ( cnn ) -- five people have been killed after one of the philippines'most active volcanoes spewed a giant cloud of ash and rocks early tuesday . they were climbing on mount mayon , some 212 miles ( 340 km ) southeast of manila , when the blast occurred at around 8 a.m. local time , according to the national disaster risk reduction and management council ( ndrrmc ) . of the five fatalities , four were german tourists , while the other was identified as jerome berin , their filipino guide , the ndrrmc said . joey salceda , governor of albay province , told cnn affiliate abs-cbn they were killed after being hit by falling rocks . he said they were part of a larger group scaling the volcano . seven others , including an australian , were hurt . the ndrrmc said a total of 27 hikers were on the volcano at the time and requested assistance . ireport : volcano sends ash soaring into sky according to the philippine institute of volcanology and seismology , the blast sent a thick column of ash 500 meters ( 1,600 feet ) into the air -- the result of what it called a small phreatic event ' that lasted about 73 seconds . while no intensification of volcanic activity was observed , it warned that these sudden ash and steam explosions could occur at any time . therefore officials advised people against going inside a six-kilometer danger zone around the volcano . mount mayon is the most volatile of more than 50 volcanoes -- 22 of which are considered active -- that are scattered across the philippine archipelago . an almost perfect cone shape , mayon last erupted in 2010 and forced thousands of people to flee from their homes . mayon 's slopes , like many volcanoes in the country , are home to thousands of farming communities who make use of the fertile soils provided by the volcanic activity despite the occasional risk of eruption .","mount mayon is the most volatile of more than 50 volcanoes in the philippines" +"philippines ( cnn ) -- five people have been killed after one of the philippines'most active volcanoes spewed a giant cloud of ash and rocks early tuesday . they were climbing on mount mayon , some 212 miles ( 340 km ) southeast of manila , when the blast occurred at around 8 a.m. local time , according to the national disaster risk reduction and management council ( ndrrmc ) . of the five fatalities , four were german tourists , while the other was identified as jerome berin , their filipino guide , the ndrrmc said . joey salceda , governor of albay province , told cnn affiliate abs-cbn they were killed after being hit by falling rocks . he said they were part of a larger group scaling the volcano . seven others , including an australian , were hurt . the ndrrmc said a total of 27 hikers were on the volcano at the time and requested assistance . ireport : volcano sends ash soaring into sky according to the philippine institute of volcanology and seismology , the blast sent a thick column of ash 500 meters ( 1,600 feet ) into the air -- the result of what it called a small phreatic event ' that lasted about 73 seconds . while no intensification of volcanic activity was observed , it warned that these sudden ash and steam explosions could occur at any time . therefore officials advised people against going inside a six-kilometer danger zone around the volcano . mount mayon is the most volatile of more than 50 volcanoes -- 22 of which are considered active -- that are scattered across the philippine archipelago . an almost perfect cone shape , mayon last erupted in 2010 and forced thousands of people to flee from their homes . mayon 's slopes , like many volcanoes in the country , are home to thousands of farming communities who make use of the fertile soils provided by the volcanic activity despite the occasional risk of eruption .","five climbers killed during ash explosion on volcano in philippines" +"philippines ( cnn ) -- five people have been killed after one of the philippines'most active volcanoes spewed a giant cloud of ash and rocks early tuesday . they were climbing on mount mayon , some 212 miles ( 340 km ) southeast of manila , when the blast occurred at around 8 a.m. local time , according to the national disaster risk reduction and management council ( ndrrmc ) . of the five fatalities , four were german tourists , while the other was identified as jerome berin , their filipino guide , the ndrrmc said . joey salceda , governor of albay province , told cnn affiliate abs-cbn they were killed after being hit by falling rocks . he said they were part of a larger group scaling the volcano . seven others , including an australian , were hurt . the ndrrmc said a total of 27 hikers were on the volcano at the time and requested assistance . ireport : volcano sends ash soaring into sky according to the philippine institute of volcanology and seismology , the blast sent a thick column of ash 500 meters ( 1,600 feet ) into the air -- the result of what it called a small phreatic event ' that lasted about 73 seconds . while no intensification of volcanic activity was observed , it warned that these sudden ash and steam explosions could occur at any time . therefore officials advised people against going inside a six-kilometer danger zone around the volcano . mount mayon is the most volatile of more than 50 volcanoes -- 22 of which are considered active -- that are scattered across the philippine archipelago . an almost perfect cone shape , mayon last erupted in 2010 and forced thousands of people to flee from their homes . mayon 's slopes , like many volcanoes in the country , are home to thousands of farming communities who make use of the fertile soils provided by the volcanic activity despite the occasional risk of eruption .","mount mayon is the most volatile of more than 50 volcanoes in the philippines" +"europe ( cnn ) -- lego boss jorgen vig knudstorp , who pulled the iconic toy brand back into profit , says europe needs to face up to its harsh economic reality . knudstorp believes europeans think they are wealthier than they are , despite three years of a global financial crisis . with the crisis continuing to roil markets and destabilize the banking sector , it 's about all of us recognizing that we have lost a bit of our wealth , ' he says . lego lost its way in the late 90s and went deeply into debt before rebounding to double digit growth under knudstorp 's leadership . knudstorp suggests european finance ministers could learn from danish manufacturer 's experience . my piece of advice would be : face the truth -- that is what i learned the hard way in our company . ' knudstorp says lego went too deeply into debt , as europe has also done . according to knudstorp , stemming the crisis will begin by saying : yes we are over-indebted , we are sorry , we screwed up . ' he believes europe needs to write-off some of its debt to avoid a stagnant economy for the next decade . i think we are moving from a 30 year period of just borrowing more and more money at the government level and also at the household level , ' knudstorp says . however , he says , europe is entering a phase where raw material costs could increase while the availability for cheap labor around the world will decline . at lego , knudstorp will be focused on ensuring the company adapts to the changing economic conditions , which he believes are crucial to ensure survival . lego is also renewing its portfolio of products , and plans to launch toys specifically designed for girls . but knudstorp also emphasis the needs to keep things simple . you need to challenge your organization all the time , to stay coherent , not make things too complicated , ' he says . a lot of productivity is lost inside the company when things get complicated . ' cnn 's emily smith has contributed to this report .","he says europe needs to write-off some of its debt to avoid a stagnant economy for the next decade" +"europe ( cnn ) -- lego boss jorgen vig knudstorp , who pulled the iconic toy brand back into profit , says europe needs to face up to its harsh economic reality . knudstorp believes europeans think they are wealthier than they are , despite three years of a global financial crisis . with the crisis continuing to roil markets and destabilize the banking sector , it 's about all of us recognizing that we have lost a bit of our wealth , ' he says . lego lost its way in the late 90s and went deeply into debt before rebounding to double digit growth under knudstorp 's leadership . knudstorp suggests european finance ministers could learn from danish manufacturer 's experience . my piece of advice would be : face the truth -- that is what i learned the hard way in our company . ' knudstorp says lego went too deeply into debt , as europe has also done . according to knudstorp , stemming the crisis will begin by saying : yes we are over-indebted , we are sorry , we screwed up . ' he believes europe needs to write-off some of its debt to avoid a stagnant economy for the next decade . i think we are moving from a 30 year period of just borrowing more and more money at the government level and also at the household level , ' knudstorp says . however , he says , europe is entering a phase where raw material costs could increase while the availability for cheap labor around the world will decline . at lego , knudstorp will be focused on ensuring the company adapts to the changing economic conditions , which he believes are crucial to ensure survival . lego is also renewing its portfolio of products , and plans to launch toys specifically designed for girls . but knudstorp also emphasis the needs to keep things simple . you need to challenge your organization all the time , to stay coherent , not make things too complicated , ' he says . a lot of productivity is lost inside the company when things get complicated . ' cnn 's emily smith has contributed to this report .","the boss of lego says europe needs to face up to its harsh economic reality" +"lego ( cnn ) -- lego boss jorgen vig knudstorp , who pulled the iconic toy brand back into profit , says europe needs to face up to its harsh economic reality . knudstorp believes europeans think they are wealthier than they are , despite three years of a global financial crisis . with the crisis continuing to roil markets and destabilize the banking sector , it 's about all of us recognizing that we have lost a bit of our wealth , ' he says . lego lost its way in the late 90s and went deeply into debt before rebounding to double digit growth under knudstorp 's leadership . knudstorp suggests european finance ministers could learn from danish manufacturer 's experience . my piece of advice would be : face the truth -- that is what i learned the hard way in our company . ' knudstorp says lego went too deeply into debt , as europe has also done . according to knudstorp , stemming the crisis will begin by saying : yes we are over-indebted , we are sorry , we screwed up . ' he believes europe needs to write-off some of its debt to avoid a stagnant economy for the next decade . i think we are moving from a 30 year period of just borrowing more and more money at the government level and also at the household level , ' knudstorp says . however , he says , europe is entering a phase where raw material costs could increase while the availability for cheap labor around the world will decline . at lego , knudstorp will be focused on ensuring the company adapts to the changing economic conditions , which he believes are crucial to ensure survival . lego is also renewing its portfolio of products , and plans to launch toys specifically designed for girls . but knudstorp also emphasis the needs to keep things simple . you need to challenge your organization all the time , to stay coherent , not make things too complicated , ' he says . a lot of productivity is lost inside the company when things get complicated . ' cnn 's emily smith has contributed to this report .","the boss of lego says europe needs to face up to its harsh economic reality" +"congress washington ( cnn ) -- president obama said monday he will attempt to block bonuses to executives at ailing insurance giant aig , payments he described as an outrage . ' president obama says aig finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed . ' this is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed , ' obama told politicians and reporters in the roosevelt room of the white house , where he and treasury secretary tim geithner were unveiling a package to aid the nation 's small businesses . the president expressed dismay and anger over the bonuses to executives at aig , which has received $ 173 billion in u.s. government bailouts over the past six months . under these circumstances , it 's hard to understand how derivative traders at aig warranted any bonuses , much less $ 165 million in extra pay . i mean , how do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat ? ' watch why americans have a right to be angry » obama was referring to the bonuses paid to traders in aig 's financial products division , the tiny group of people who crafted complicated deals that wound up shaking the world 's economic foundations . see a snapshot of facts , attitudes and analysis on the recession » the president said he has asked geithner to pursue every single legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the american taxpayers whole . ' obama spared aig 's new ceo , edward liddy , from criticism , saying he got the job after the contracts that led to these bonuses were agreed to last year . ' but he said the impropriety of the bonuses goes beyond economics . it 's about our fundamental values , ' he said . watch obama say he 's outraged by bonuses » ' all across the country , there are people who are working hard and meeting their responsibilities every single day , without the benefit of government bailouts or multimillion-dollar bonuses . you 've got a bunch of small-business people here who are struggling just to keep their credit line open , ' obama said . and all they ask is that everyone , from main street to wall street to washington , play by the same rules . that is an ethic that we have to demand . ' obama said he would work with congress to change the laws so that such a situation can not happen again . then , coughing , he added in jest , i 'm choked up with anger here . ' republican sen. charles grassley of iowa did n't appear to be joking , however , when he spoke with cedar rapids , iowa , radio station wmt . i would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little better toward them [ aig executives ] is if they follow the japanese example and come before the american people and take that deep bow and say ,'i am sorry ,'and then either do one of two things : resign or go commit suicide , ' he said . and in the case of the japanese , they usually commit suicide . ' under pressure from the treasury , aig scaled back the bonus plans and pledged to reduce 2009 bonuses -- or retention payments ' -- by at least 30 percent . that has did little to temper outrage over the initial plan , however . obama received support from fellow democrats , including sen. christopher dodd , chairman of the committee on banking , housing and urban affairs . this is another outrageous example of executives -- including those whose decisions were responsible for the problems that caused aig 's collapse -- enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers , ' the democrat from connecticut said . he noted in a written statement that executives at other companies that received bailout funds have volunteered to forgo bonuses . there 's no reason why those at aig should n't do the same , ' he said . later , dodd told cnn he is considering an unusual approach to get the bonus money back . one idea we 're kind of thinking about is a tax provision , ' the connecticut democrat said . we have a right to tax . you could write a tax provision that 's narrowly crafted only to the people receiving bonuses . that 's a way maybe to deal with it . ' dodd said the notion is in the earliest of thinking ' and has not been settled on as a way to resolve the issue that has set off outrage in washington and across the country . in the house , democrats are trying to shame aig executives into forgoing the bonuses . they 're also investigating possible legal avenues congress can take to force the company to return money used for bonuses , a house democratic leadership aide and a house financial services committee aide said monday . the committee is trying to determine whether congress can force aig to renegotiate the bonuses , which the company says it is legally required to give employees under contracts negotiated before the company received its first infusion of bailout dollars in september , according to the committee aide . both aides said it is unclear what authority congress might have to force aig to take back the bonuses . complicating the issue , said the committee aide , is that the first infusion of cash to aig was authorized by the federal reserve before congress passed the $ 700 billion bailout bill , also known as the troubled assets relief program , which included some restrictions on executive pay . liddy will face intense questioning about the bonuses when he testifies wednesday before the house financial services subcommittee on capital markets . on the floor of the senate on monday , majority leader harry reid , d-nevada , issued a stinging rebuke of aig , calling executive bonuses beyond outrageous . ' our financial sector will never heal unless the financial companies who helped create this economic crisis begin to regain the public trust . the actions of aig do just the opposite , and every american is justified in their outrage at this breach of public trust , ' he said . who 's insured by aig ? » new york attorney general andrew cuomo said in a letter to liddy that was distributed to the news media that he was disturbed to learn ' of the bonus plan . and he threatened to issue subpoenas if the company failed to send him detailed information about who received bonuses and for how much . read the letter to aig ( pdf ) ' previously , aig had agreed at our request to make no payments out of its $ 600 million financial products deferred compensation pool , ' he said . he said he had already asked for the names and titles of the people who are to receive the payments , and it is surprising that you have yet to provide this information . ' covering up the details of these payments breeds further cynicism and distrust in our already shaken financial system . ' he added that he also is seeking whatever contracts you now claim obligate you to make these payments ' and the names of whoever negotiated them . finally , we demand an immediate status report as to whether the payments under the retention plan have been made , ' he said . the information was needed , he said , to determine whether bonus recipients were involved in the conduct that led to aig 's demise and subsequent bailout ' ; whether the company is truly required ' to pay them ; whether the contracts may be unenforceable ' because of fraud or other reasons ; and whether any of the retention payments may be considered fraudulent conveyances under new york law . ' cnn 's elaine quijano contributed to this report .","house committee investigating ways congress can force aig to renegotiate bonuses" +"obama washington ( cnn ) -- when sonia sotomayor won senate confirmation to the u.s. court of appeals in 1998 , all 29 no ' votes were cast by republicans . sonia sotomayor is virtually sure to be confirmed by the democratic-dominated senate , analysts say . that may happen again when the senate votes in coming months on sotomayor 's nomination to the u.s. supreme court . the career jurist nominated by president obama would be the first hispanic justice -- and only the third woman justice -- in the history of the nation 's highest court . those distinctions make sotomayor 's confirmation by the democratic-majority senate virtually certain , analysts say . they also note that republican president george h.w . bush first nominated sotomayor as a federal judge , indicating broad political appeal . a senior white house official told cnn that sotomayor was nominated by george [ h.w . ] bush -- then bill clinton -- [ and has ] more judicial experience than anyone sitting on the court had at the time they were nominated . ' watch obama tell why sotomayor is'the kind of justice we need'» the partisan divide over the nomination was immediately evident . ireport.com : listen to what cnn readers are saying about sotomayor democratic sen. patrick leahy of vermont , the chairman of the senate judiciary committee , which will first consider sotomayor 's nomination , called her record exemplary for a candidate to succeed retiring justice david souter -- a liberal voice on the high court . i believe that judge sotomayor will be in the mold of justice souter , who understands the real-world impact of the court 's decisions , rather than the mold of the conservative activists who second-guess congress , and who through judicial extremism undercut laws meant to protect americans from discrimination in their jobs , their access to health care and education , and their privacy from an overreaching government , ' leahy 's statement said . i believe judge sotomayor understands that the courthouse doors must be as open to ordinary americans as they are to government and big corporations . ' senate republican leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky called for a vigorous confirmation process to thoroughly examine her record to ensure she understands that the role of a jurist in our democracy is to apply the law even-handedly , despite their own feelings or personal or political preferences . ' our democratic colleagues have often remarked that the senate is not a'rubber stamp ,'' mcconnell said . accordingly , we trust they will ensure there is adequate time to prepare for this nomination , and a full and fair opportunity to question the nominee and debate her qualifications . ' sen. john cornyn of texas , a republican member of the judiciary committee , said sotomayor must prove her commitment to impartially deciding cases based on the law , rather than based on her own personal politics , feelings and preferences . ' however , cnn senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin noted that he has n't heard any republicans come out and say they will vote against her , noting that in past nominations , some have come out of the gate outright against the nominees . still , sotomayor 's critics have begun to highlight comments she made during a panel discussion at duke university in 2005 , where she told students that the federal court of appeals is where policy is made . ' i know that this is on tape , ' she then immediately said . i should never say that . because we do n't'make law'... i 'm not promoting it , and i 'm not advocating it . having said that , the court of appeals is where ... the law is percolating . ' cnn senior political analyst gloria borger said those comments may be what republicans rally around in their attempt to block her confirmation . i 've spoken to a bunch of conservatives today who intend to use this youtube clip , intend to use lots of clips from speeches she 's given talking about how they believe that she will be an activist judge who will legislate from the bench , ' borger said . and so it 's kind of interesting because in a way , i think they intend to use more of her speeches and her appearances than lots of her court decisions . ' for now , those speeches seem to be the main sticking point , though it is likely republicans will latch on to other issues they feel make her a bad choice for the job . certainly you will see controversy because it 's in republicans'interest to generate controversy , ' toobin said . they want to defeat her . this is a major , major initiative of the obama presidency . now whether any of this controversy sticks , i think , is very much an open question . ' republicans also must be careful about whether unfair scrutiny or personal attacks could backfire , republican national committee chairman michael steele told cnn when asked about possibly harming his party 's hispanic outreach by opposing sotomayor . you want to be careful , ' steele said . you do n't want to be perceived as a bully . ' senate democrat dianne feinstein of california warned against republican stall tactics in the face of a likely filibuster-proof 60 votes supporting sotomayor 's confirmation . any unnecessary delay will only keep the court from getting ready for a new term and inhibit the senate 's ability to focus on other important priorities like the economy , energy and health care , ' feinstein said . the national organization for woman said sotomayor brings a lifelong commitment to equality , justice and opportunity , as well as the respect of her peers , unassailable integrity , and a keen intellect informed by experience . ' however , wendy e. long of the conservative judicial confirmation network described sotomayor as a liberal judicial activist of the first order , ' code language for opposition by the political right . the confirmation process will begin with senate judiciary committee hearings , expected in july . the committee will decide whether to send the nomination to the full chamber , which will make the final confirmation decision . obama has said he wants sotomayor confirmed before the senate goes on its august break to ensure that sotomayor , if confirmed , can be seated with the supreme court when it begins its new session in october . leahy endorsed that timetable , saying tuesday , we are committed to ensuring that the next justice is seated before the court 's term begins in october . ' senate republicans , however , want to allow time for an upcoming supreme court decision on an appellate ruling by sotomayor in an affirmative action case involving new haven , connecticut , firefighters . senate republican whip john kyl of arizona , a member of the judiciary committee , noted that the republican-controlled chamber took 73 days to confirm conservative chief justice john roberts and 93 days to confirm conservative justice samuel alito . to complete the confirmation process by august , the senate would have to act in 66 days . i would expect that senate democrats will afford the minority the same courtesy as we move forward with this process , ' kyl said . in the new haven case , a three-judge appellate panel that included sotomayor upheld a lower court ruling that supported the decision of new haven officials to throw out results of promotional exams that they said left too few minorities qualified . the high court was asked to decide whether there is a continued need for special treatment for minorities , or whether enough progress has been made to make existing laws obsolete , especially in a political atmosphere where an african-american occupies the white house . long said the new haven case showed that sotomayor reads racial preferences and quotas into the constitution , even to the point of dishonoring those who preserve our public safety . '","republicans say they need time to examine record of obama 's high court nominee" +"obama washington ( cnn ) -- when sonia sotomayor won senate confirmation to the u.s. court of appeals in 1998 , all 29 no ' votes were cast by republicans . sonia sotomayor is virtually sure to be confirmed by the democratic-dominated senate , analysts say . that may happen again when the senate votes in coming months on sotomayor 's nomination to the u.s. supreme court . the career jurist nominated by president obama would be the first hispanic justice -- and only the third woman justice -- in the history of the nation 's highest court . those distinctions make sotomayor 's confirmation by the democratic-majority senate virtually certain , analysts say . they also note that republican president george h.w . bush first nominated sotomayor as a federal judge , indicating broad political appeal . a senior white house official told cnn that sotomayor was nominated by george [ h.w . ] bush -- then bill clinton -- [ and has ] more judicial experience than anyone sitting on the court had at the time they were nominated . ' watch obama tell why sotomayor is'the kind of justice we need'» the partisan divide over the nomination was immediately evident . ireport.com : listen to what cnn readers are saying about sotomayor democratic sen. patrick leahy of vermont , the chairman of the senate judiciary committee , which will first consider sotomayor 's nomination , called her record exemplary for a candidate to succeed retiring justice david souter -- a liberal voice on the high court . i believe that judge sotomayor will be in the mold of justice souter , who understands the real-world impact of the court 's decisions , rather than the mold of the conservative activists who second-guess congress , and who through judicial extremism undercut laws meant to protect americans from discrimination in their jobs , their access to health care and education , and their privacy from an overreaching government , ' leahy 's statement said . i believe judge sotomayor understands that the courthouse doors must be as open to ordinary americans as they are to government and big corporations . ' senate republican leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky called for a vigorous confirmation process to thoroughly examine her record to ensure she understands that the role of a jurist in our democracy is to apply the law even-handedly , despite their own feelings or personal or political preferences . ' our democratic colleagues have often remarked that the senate is not a'rubber stamp ,'' mcconnell said . accordingly , we trust they will ensure there is adequate time to prepare for this nomination , and a full and fair opportunity to question the nominee and debate her qualifications . ' sen. john cornyn of texas , a republican member of the judiciary committee , said sotomayor must prove her commitment to impartially deciding cases based on the law , rather than based on her own personal politics , feelings and preferences . ' however , cnn senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin noted that he has n't heard any republicans come out and say they will vote against her , noting that in past nominations , some have come out of the gate outright against the nominees . still , sotomayor 's critics have begun to highlight comments she made during a panel discussion at duke university in 2005 , where she told students that the federal court of appeals is where policy is made . ' i know that this is on tape , ' she then immediately said . i should never say that . because we do n't'make law'... i 'm not promoting it , and i 'm not advocating it . having said that , the court of appeals is where ... the law is percolating . ' cnn senior political analyst gloria borger said those comments may be what republicans rally around in their attempt to block her confirmation . i 've spoken to a bunch of conservatives today who intend to use this youtube clip , intend to use lots of clips from speeches she 's given talking about how they believe that she will be an activist judge who will legislate from the bench , ' borger said . and so it 's kind of interesting because in a way , i think they intend to use more of her speeches and her appearances than lots of her court decisions . ' for now , those speeches seem to be the main sticking point , though it is likely republicans will latch on to other issues they feel make her a bad choice for the job . certainly you will see controversy because it 's in republicans'interest to generate controversy , ' toobin said . they want to defeat her . this is a major , major initiative of the obama presidency . now whether any of this controversy sticks , i think , is very much an open question . ' republicans also must be careful about whether unfair scrutiny or personal attacks could backfire , republican national committee chairman michael steele told cnn when asked about possibly harming his party 's hispanic outreach by opposing sotomayor . you want to be careful , ' steele said . you do n't want to be perceived as a bully . ' senate democrat dianne feinstein of california warned against republican stall tactics in the face of a likely filibuster-proof 60 votes supporting sotomayor 's confirmation . any unnecessary delay will only keep the court from getting ready for a new term and inhibit the senate 's ability to focus on other important priorities like the economy , energy and health care , ' feinstein said . the national organization for woman said sotomayor brings a lifelong commitment to equality , justice and opportunity , as well as the respect of her peers , unassailable integrity , and a keen intellect informed by experience . ' however , wendy e. long of the conservative judicial confirmation network described sotomayor as a liberal judicial activist of the first order , ' code language for opposition by the political right . the confirmation process will begin with senate judiciary committee hearings , expected in july . the committee will decide whether to send the nomination to the full chamber , which will make the final confirmation decision . obama has said he wants sotomayor confirmed before the senate goes on its august break to ensure that sotomayor , if confirmed , can be seated with the supreme court when it begins its new session in october . leahy endorsed that timetable , saying tuesday , we are committed to ensuring that the next justice is seated before the court 's term begins in october . ' senate republicans , however , want to allow time for an upcoming supreme court decision on an appellate ruling by sotomayor in an affirmative action case involving new haven , connecticut , firefighters . senate republican whip john kyl of arizona , a member of the judiciary committee , noted that the republican-controlled chamber took 73 days to confirm conservative chief justice john roberts and 93 days to confirm conservative justice samuel alito . to complete the confirmation process by august , the senate would have to act in 66 days . i would expect that senate democrats will afford the minority the same courtesy as we move forward with this process , ' kyl said . in the new haven case , a three-judge appellate panel that included sotomayor upheld a lower court ruling that supported the decision of new haven officials to throw out results of promotional exams that they said left too few minorities qualified . the high court was asked to decide whether there is a continued need for special treatment for minorities , or whether enough progress has been made to make existing laws obsolete , especially in a political atmosphere where an african-american occupies the white house . long said the new haven case showed that sotomayor reads racial preferences and quotas into the constitution , even to the point of dishonoring those who preserve our public safety . '","obama has said he wants sotomayor confirmed before august congressional break" +"peshawar peshawar , pakistan ( cnn ) -- the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility for a blast that killed 10 people near the u.s. consulate in peshawar on friday . a suicide bomber rode a motorbike up to a security checkpoint a third of a mile from the consulate and detonated 22 pounds of explosives attached to his body , police spokesman mohammad faisal said . along with those killed , the strike also injured 31 others , pakistani military officials said . violent attacks occur frequently around peshawar , which is in pakistan 's northwest near the border with afghanistan and adjacent to pakistan 's tribal region . among the dead were four men and two women . no one from the consulate was injured in the blast , military officials said . taliban spokesman ehsanullah ehsan passed along the claim of responsibility to cnn in a phone conversation . a week ago , a car bomb exploded at a nearby camp for internally displaced people , killing 12 and injuring 32 others . the jalozai camp houses hundreds of thousands of people who have left the country 's tribal region . peshawar is the capital of khyber pakhtunkhwa , which is rife with islamic extremists , including the pakistani taliban . it has been the site of recent clashes between pakistani security forces and militants .","peshawar is adjacent to pakistan 's restive tribal region in the northwest" +"farouk1986 ( cnn ) -- let me tell you a little about me . ' farouk1986 ' introduced himself to a muslim online community with these words in february 2005 . my name is umar but you can call me farouk , ' the poster continues , detailing biographical information that appears to match the life of umar farouk abdulmutallab , the 23-year-old nigerian man accused of attempting to detonate an explosive on an international flight into detroit , michigan , on christmas day . the failed terror plot put airports on high alert and refocused american attention on al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , which claimed responsibility for the attempted attack . internet postings for farouk1986 -- apparently a combination of his name and birth year -- reveal a young man who fought feelings of loneliness and struggled with balancing his life as a muslim with the temptations of the secular world around him . he wrote about his desire to attend university , possibly in the united states , and his thoughts on love and marriage . officials have not confirmed that internet postings by farouk1986 were made by abdulmutallab , but the many detailed biographical points made by the poster match what has been reported about abdulmutallab 's life . i will describe myself as very ambitious and determined , especially in the deen , ' farouk1986 wrote in february 2005 , referring to the islamic way of life . the poster writes about being in boarding school , with possibilities of attending stanford university or the university of california-berkeley . eventually , abdulmutallab studied mechanical engineering at university college london . besides being ambitious , farouk1986 also described himself as lonely . first of all , i have no friend [ s ] , ' he wrote in another online post with informal , imperfect grammar . not because i do not socialise ( sic ) , etc but because either people do not want to get too close to me as they go partying and stuff while i do n't . or they are bad people who befriend me and influence me to do bad things . i have no one to speak too , no one to consult , no one to support me and i feel depressed and lonely . i do not know what to do . ' somewhere along the way , abdulmutallab turned toward islamic extremism . an fbi official said abdulmutallab was included in the u.s. government 's terrorist identities datamart environment , or tide , after his father warned the u.s. embassy in nigeria of his son 's hard-line beliefs and possible ties to militant islamists . but his name was not pulled from that database and included on lists barring him from u.s.-bound aircraft . part of the explosive device that failed to take down last week 's flight from amsterdam , netherlands , was sewn into abdulmutallab 's underwear , authorities said . a preliminary fbi analysis found the device contained pentaerythritol tetranitrate , an explosive also known as petn . investigators were having trouble determining what the accelerant abdulmutallab allegedly tried to use to light the explosives because the syringe was pretty much destroyed , ' a law enforcement source told cnn . all 300 passengers and crew onboard the christmas day flight have been interviewed by authorities , the source said , adding that he expected no one else to be held or charged in connection with the incident . farouk1986 's online posts show that as early as 2005 , he had a serious view of his religion . one of his struggles , the poster wrote , was that the loneliness leads me to other problems . ' farouk1986 said after fasting , i felt a shield that prevented evil thoughts coming into my head . i felt closer to allah . ' being lonely awakened sexual desires that he struggled to control , he said , sometimes leading to minor sinful activities like not lowering the gaze . ' his religion instructed him to fast to avoid such temptation , but it did n't seem to be working , farouk1986 said . in another online post soon afterward , though , he took his comment back . cnn 's alden mahler levine and cnn homeland security correspondent jeanne meserve contributed to this report .","biographical details in posts by farouk1986 ' match reports of umar farouk abdulmutallab 's life" +"catania 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","ac milan slipped to fifth position as they were held to a 1-1 draw at catania" +"psa ( health.com ) -- when billionaire investor warren buffett revealed last week that he has been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer , the reaction -- including from buffett himself -- amounted to a collective shrug . buffett said his doctors told him the cancer is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way , ' which led some observers to wonder why the 81-year-old had bothered to get screened for the disease in the first place . since 2008 , an independent panel of experts that advises the federal government on preventive care has discouraged the use of prostate-specific antigen ( psa ) tests -- a type of blood test -- to screen for cancer in men ages 75 and up . tumors in this population tend to be slow-growing and asymptomatic , so early detection may carry more risks than benefits , the panel concluded . health.com : what men must know about psa tests buffett 's diagnosis is n't the only sign that this recommendation has n't sunk in . according to a research letter published this week in the journal of the american medical association , psa testing rates in men over age 75 have remained steady since the panel released its guidelines in 2008 . national survey data shows that 43 % of men in that age bracket underwent psa screening in 2005 . in 2010 , the researchers found , 44 % reported having a psa test done -- a statistically negligible difference . screening patterns could n't have been more similar before and after , ' says lead researcher scott e. eggener , m.d. , an assistant professor of surgery at the university of chicago medical center . psa tests are n't harmful in and of themselves , but studies have shown that positive results can lead to psychological distress , unnecessary biopsies , and overtreatment . in older men , most early-stage tumors do n't require treatment because the men are likely to succumb to something else before the tumor becomes dangerous . treatments , including surgery and radiation , may be riskier than continuing to monitor a tumor , since they carry a risk of incontinence and sexual dysfunction . ( buffet , for his part , has elected to undergo radiation . ) health.com : do you really need that medical test ? so why have n't screening rates budged ? the researchers can only speculate , but it could be that doctors and patients simply are n't aware of the new guidelines . another , more troubling possibility is that some prostate cancer specialists are recommending psa tests to collect the reimbursement fee and generate business . eggener says neither of these scenarios is especially likely , however . the media coverage surrounding the 2008 guidelines has been hard to miss , he says , and although there may be a subset ' of specialists who are consciously or unconsciously ' overscreening and overtreating their patients , most psa tests are ordered by primary care physicians with no financial stake in a diagnosis . what 's more likely is that doctors and patients are accustomed to viewing screening as a good thing , and are unable or unwilling to let that belief go despite all the data to the contrary . physicians and patients latch onto the concept of screening for cancer and catching cancers early , ' eggener says . the ongoing discussion surrounding the appropriate amount of cancer screening extends beyond prostate cancer . the panel that issued the 2008 guidelines , the u.s. preventive services task force ( uspstf ) , has spurred controversy in recent years by relaxing its screening recommendations for breast and cervical cancer as well . health.com : a guide to breast cancer screening in 2011 , the task force released draft guidelines that extended its recommendation against psa testing to men of all ages . the current trend suggests the new guidelines may go unheeded , especially since not everyone agrees that psa tests should be universally discouraged . even among men in the 75-and-over bracket , eggener says , screening might make sense for certain patients . older men in relatively poor health probably wo n't benefit from early detection and treatment , he says , but that might not be true for a healthy and active 75-year-old who 's likely to live long enough for a tumor to spread . it 's very reasonable to check psa levels , because it might save that guy 's life , ' he says . copyright health magazine 2011","since 2008 , experts have discouraged the use of psa tests for men over 75" +"psa ( health.com ) -- when billionaire investor warren buffett revealed last week that he has been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer , the reaction -- including from buffett himself -- amounted to a collective shrug . buffett said his doctors told him the cancer is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way , ' which led some observers to wonder why the 81-year-old had bothered to get screened for the disease in the first place . since 2008 , an independent panel of experts that advises the federal government on preventive care has discouraged the use of prostate-specific antigen ( psa ) tests -- a type of blood test -- to screen for cancer in men ages 75 and up . tumors in this population tend to be slow-growing and asymptomatic , so early detection may carry more risks than benefits , the panel concluded . health.com : what men must know about psa tests buffett 's diagnosis is n't the only sign that this recommendation has n't sunk in . according to a research letter published this week in the journal of the american medical association , psa testing rates in men over age 75 have remained steady since the panel released its guidelines in 2008 . national survey data shows that 43 % of men in that age bracket underwent psa screening in 2005 . in 2010 , the researchers found , 44 % reported having a psa test done -- a statistically negligible difference . screening patterns could n't have been more similar before and after , ' says lead researcher scott e. eggener , m.d. , an assistant professor of surgery at the university of chicago medical center . psa tests are n't harmful in and of themselves , but studies have shown that positive results can lead to psychological distress , unnecessary biopsies , and overtreatment . in older men , most early-stage tumors do n't require treatment because the men are likely to succumb to something else before the tumor becomes dangerous . treatments , including surgery and radiation , may be riskier than continuing to monitor a tumor , since they carry a risk of incontinence and sexual dysfunction . ( buffet , for his part , has elected to undergo radiation . ) health.com : do you really need that medical test ? so why have n't screening rates budged ? the researchers can only speculate , but it could be that doctors and patients simply are n't aware of the new guidelines . another , more troubling possibility is that some prostate cancer specialists are recommending psa tests to collect the reimbursement fee and generate business . eggener says neither of these scenarios is especially likely , however . the media coverage surrounding the 2008 guidelines has been hard to miss , he says , and although there may be a subset ' of specialists who are consciously or unconsciously ' overscreening and overtreating their patients , most psa tests are ordered by primary care physicians with no financial stake in a diagnosis . what 's more likely is that doctors and patients are accustomed to viewing screening as a good thing , and are unable or unwilling to let that belief go despite all the data to the contrary . physicians and patients latch onto the concept of screening for cancer and catching cancers early , ' eggener says . the ongoing discussion surrounding the appropriate amount of cancer screening extends beyond prostate cancer . the panel that issued the 2008 guidelines , the u.s. preventive services task force ( uspstf ) , has spurred controversy in recent years by relaxing its screening recommendations for breast and cervical cancer as well . health.com : a guide to breast cancer screening in 2011 , the task force released draft guidelines that extended its recommendation against psa testing to men of all ages . the current trend suggests the new guidelines may go unheeded , especially since not everyone agrees that psa tests should be universally discouraged . even among men in the 75-and-over bracket , eggener says , screening might make sense for certain patients . older men in relatively poor health probably wo n't benefit from early detection and treatment , he says , but that might not be true for a healthy and active 75-year-old who 's likely to live long enough for a tumor to spread . it 's very reasonable to check psa levels , because it might save that guy 's life , ' he says . copyright health magazine 2011","yet data shows that 44 % of men in that age bracket underwent psa screening" +"libyan ( cnn ) -- the european union is considering lifting some of its sanctions on libya , a spokeswoman for the group of nations told cnn wednesday , a day ahead of a top-level diplomatic summit on post-gadhafi libya . sanctions will remain in place on moammar gadhafi and other individuals , the eu said , but restrictions on ports , oil and gas companies and financial institutions may be removed by the end of the week . and italy and spain announced wednesday they were lifting blocks on libyan assets frozen to put pressure on the gadhafi regime . italy is releasing 500 million euros ( $ 720 million ) to give further support to our libyan friends , ' italian foreign minister franco frattini said . he also said the italian embassy in tripoli , libya 's capital , will reopen september 1 , and that diplomats , administrative officials and experts will begin arriving soon . frattini said he would propose the appointment of the new italian ambassador to libya at thursday 's council of ministers meeting . spain is releasing 16 million euros ( $ 23 million ) and may unfreeze more , prime minister jose luis rodriguez zapatero announced . and germany recognized the rebel envoy to berlin as libya 's official ambassdor , asking gadhafi 's representative to leave . jamal el-barag has until september 15 to leave , the german foreign office said after accrediting aly masednah el-kothany as the new libyan representative to the country . separately , u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton , french president nicolas sarkozy , british prime minister david cameron and nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen are among those meeting in paris thursday to hammer out a way forward on libya . debates are set to include the freeing of libyan assets and what a united nations mission to libya would entail , u.s. and western diplomats said wednesday . a timetable for elections is also on the agenda , they said . sixty delegations are slated to attend the friends of libya conference , which aims to formally welcome the north african nation back into the international community after the toppling of gadhafi by rebels with nato support . the new authorities , the national transition council , would have to formally request u.n. assistance on matters such as election support and institution-building , and the security council would have to approve the mission . the diplomats will also discuss helping libya restore basic services and get the oil industry running again . the eu sent an assistance team to libya monday as tripoli faced food and water shortages . cnn 's david wilkinson , elise labott , al goodman and stephanie halasz and journalist livia borghese contributed to this report .","new : italy and spain release hundreds of millions of euros in blocked libyan assets" +"spain ( cnn ) -- the european union is considering lifting some of its sanctions on libya , a spokeswoman for the group of nations told cnn wednesday , a day ahead of a top-level diplomatic summit on post-gadhafi libya . sanctions will remain in place on moammar gadhafi and other individuals , the eu said , but restrictions on ports , oil and gas companies and financial institutions may be removed by the end of the week . and italy and spain announced wednesday they were lifting blocks on libyan assets frozen to put pressure on the gadhafi regime . italy is releasing 500 million euros ( $ 720 million ) to give further support to our libyan friends , ' italian foreign minister franco frattini said . he also said the italian embassy in tripoli , libya 's capital , will reopen september 1 , and that diplomats , administrative officials and experts will begin arriving soon . frattini said he would propose the appointment of the new italian ambassador to libya at thursday 's council of ministers meeting . spain is releasing 16 million euros ( $ 23 million ) and may unfreeze more , prime minister jose luis rodriguez zapatero announced . and germany recognized the rebel envoy to berlin as libya 's official ambassdor , asking gadhafi 's representative to leave . jamal el-barag has until september 15 to leave , the german foreign office said after accrediting aly masednah el-kothany as the new libyan representative to the country . separately , u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton , french president nicolas sarkozy , british prime minister david cameron and nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen are among those meeting in paris thursday to hammer out a way forward on libya . debates are set to include the freeing of libyan assets and what a united nations mission to libya would entail , u.s. and western diplomats said wednesday . a timetable for elections is also on the agenda , they said . sixty delegations are slated to attend the friends of libya conference , which aims to formally welcome the north african nation back into the international community after the toppling of gadhafi by rebels with nato support . the new authorities , the national transition council , would have to formally request u.n. assistance on matters such as election support and institution-building , and the security council would have to approve the mission . the diplomats will also discuss helping libya restore basic services and get the oil industry running again . the eu sent an assistance team to libya monday as tripoli faced food and water shortages . cnn 's david wilkinson , elise labott , al goodman and stephanie halasz and journalist livia borghese contributed to this report .","new : italy and spain release hundreds of millions of euros in blocked libyan assets" +"cosby a former prosecutor who declined to bring charges against bill cosby a decade ago said wednesday that he wishes he could 've nailed the comedian on an allegation that he drugged and molested a woman at his pennsylvania home . bruce castor also told cnn that he believed cosby -- a beloved figure who , with his wit and boyish smile , has charmed audiences as a family-friendly stand-up comic , the voice of fat albert , the host of picture pages ' and the star of a wildly popular eponymous sitcom -- lied to authorities . in january 2004 , andrea constand , then a 31-year-old staffer for the women 's basketball team at temple university , cosby 's alma mater , was at the comedian 's cheltenham , pennsylvania , home when cosby provided her medication that made her dizzy , she alleged the following year . she later woke up to find her bra undone and her clothes in disarray , she further alleged to police in her home province of ontario in january 2005 . cosby 's attorney in the case , walter m. phillips jr. , called the allegations utterly preposterous ' and plainly bizarre ' at the time , yet in a civil filing , constand 's lawyers said they had found 13 jane does ' with similar stories . cosby settled the civil suit in 2006 . the terms of the settlement were not disclosed , but when journalist and publicist joan tarshis came forward with another similar story this weekend , cosby attorney john schmitt denied her claim and others', labeling them decade-old , discredited allegations . ' schmitt later amended that statement to say he was n't referring to constand , who resolved her differences to the mutual satisfaction of mr. cosby and ms. constand years ago . ''i could n't check her blood' castor , who was the district attorney for montgomery county , pennsylvania , when constand came forward in 2005 , now tells cnn he thought constand was credible , and he thought cosby was evasive in his interview with prosecutors . castor , whose assistants interviewed cosby , said he felt the comedian was setting up a defense that constand was at his house on her own volition and that anything occurring between them was consensual . back then , the desire on our part to move forward was pretty strong , ' he said . the problem with the case was she waited a year until she told police about it . ' this left castor no way to corroborate constand 's allegations , he said . he could n't check her blood , urine , hair or fingernails for traces of drugs , he could n't obtain hair or fiber for analysis , and he could n't obtain a warrant to search cosby 's home for evidence . i had a theory that cosby had drugged the woman using something to make her sleepy and to make her defenseless or unable to recall what happened , but because of the delay , i could n't check her blood , ' he said . of cosby 's interview with prosecutors , castor said , i thought he was lying . i thought he was evasive , and i thought that those things would be of value if i had another piece ( of evidence ) to go forward with . ' the case would have come down to she said , he said , and while castor felt strongly that constand was telling the truth , her statements alone were not going to be enough to convict cosby , the ex-prosecutor said . did i think he probably did something inappropriate ? yes . did i think that i could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt based on available , credible and admissible evidence ? no , i did n't , ' he said . castor released a statement on his office 's website in 2005 , saying that he found that insufficient credible and admissible evidence exists upon which any charge against mr. cosby could be sustained beyond a reasonable doubt . ' constand 's attorney filed the civil suit two weeks later . latest in line of accusations castor 's account comes a day after former supermodel janice dickinson became the latest of a handful of women to accuse the 77-year-old comic of sexual assault publicly . she told entertainment tonight ' that cosby raped her in 1982 after giving her a pill and a glass of red wine during a dinner in lake tahoe . the last thing i remember was bill cosby in a patchwork robe , dropping his robe and getting on top of me . and i remember a lot of pain , ' she said . dickinson did not return a telephone call from cnn seeking comment , but cosby has repeatedly said previous allegations are untrue . he has never been prosecuted . his attorney , martin singer , addressed dickinson 's allegations specifically in a statement , calling them a fabricated lie ' and saying they contradicted what she wrote in her autobiography and what she said during a 2002 new york observer interview . since 2005 , several women have come forward with remarkably similar stories about being drugged and sexually assaulted by the comedian . this year , the accusations resurfaced , and earlier this month , a seemingly harmless post on cosby 's twitter account turned them into a social media storm . after the accusations gained steam again , one of his accusers , barbara bowman , turned to the public once more with an article in the washington post and interviews with cnn . bowman alleged she was drugged , then raped , though she said she never saw drugs . i woke up out of a very confused state not in my clothes , ' she said . on saturday , npr broadcast an awkward interview with cosby in which he did n't utter a word when repeatedly asked about the accusations . npr host scott simon filled the airtime by saying cosby was just shaking his head no . '","bill cosby settled a lawsuit with andrea constand in 2006 ; terms not disclosed" +"cosby a former prosecutor who declined to bring charges against bill cosby a decade ago said wednesday that he wishes he could 've nailed the comedian on an allegation that he drugged and molested a woman at his pennsylvania home . bruce castor also told cnn that he believed cosby -- a beloved figure who , with his wit and boyish smile , has charmed audiences as a family-friendly stand-up comic , the voice of fat albert , the host of picture pages ' and the star of a wildly popular eponymous sitcom -- lied to authorities . in january 2004 , andrea constand , then a 31-year-old staffer for the women 's basketball team at temple university , cosby 's alma mater , was at the comedian 's cheltenham , pennsylvania , home when cosby provided her medication that made her dizzy , she alleged the following year . she later woke up to find her bra undone and her clothes in disarray , she further alleged to police in her home province of ontario in january 2005 . cosby 's attorney in the case , walter m. phillips jr. , called the allegations utterly preposterous ' and plainly bizarre ' at the time , yet in a civil filing , constand 's lawyers said they had found 13 jane does ' with similar stories . cosby settled the civil suit in 2006 . the terms of the settlement were not disclosed , but when journalist and publicist joan tarshis came forward with another similar story this weekend , cosby attorney john schmitt denied her claim and others', labeling them decade-old , discredited allegations . ' schmitt later amended that statement to say he was n't referring to constand , who resolved her differences to the mutual satisfaction of mr. cosby and ms. constand years ago . ''i could n't check her blood' castor , who was the district attorney for montgomery county , pennsylvania , when constand came forward in 2005 , now tells cnn he thought constand was credible , and he thought cosby was evasive in his interview with prosecutors . castor , whose assistants interviewed cosby , said he felt the comedian was setting up a defense that constand was at his house on her own volition and that anything occurring between them was consensual . back then , the desire on our part to move forward was pretty strong , ' he said . the problem with the case was she waited a year until she told police about it . ' this left castor no way to corroborate constand 's allegations , he said . he could n't check her blood , urine , hair or fingernails for traces of drugs , he could n't obtain hair or fiber for analysis , and he could n't obtain a warrant to search cosby 's home for evidence . i had a theory that cosby had drugged the woman using something to make her sleepy and to make her defenseless or unable to recall what happened , but because of the delay , i could n't check her blood , ' he said . of cosby 's interview with prosecutors , castor said , i thought he was lying . i thought he was evasive , and i thought that those things would be of value if i had another piece ( of evidence ) to go forward with . ' the case would have come down to she said , he said , and while castor felt strongly that constand was telling the truth , her statements alone were not going to be enough to convict cosby , the ex-prosecutor said . did i think he probably did something inappropriate ? yes . did i think that i could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt based on available , credible and admissible evidence ? no , i did n't , ' he said . castor released a statement on his office 's website in 2005 , saying that he found that insufficient credible and admissible evidence exists upon which any charge against mr. cosby could be sustained beyond a reasonable doubt . ' constand 's attorney filed the civil suit two weeks later . latest in line of accusations castor 's account comes a day after former supermodel janice dickinson became the latest of a handful of women to accuse the 77-year-old comic of sexual assault publicly . she told entertainment tonight ' that cosby raped her in 1982 after giving her a pill and a glass of red wine during a dinner in lake tahoe . the last thing i remember was bill cosby in a patchwork robe , dropping his robe and getting on top of me . and i remember a lot of pain , ' she said . dickinson did not return a telephone call from cnn seeking comment , but cosby has repeatedly said previous allegations are untrue . he has never been prosecuted . his attorney , martin singer , addressed dickinson 's allegations specifically in a statement , calling them a fabricated lie ' and saying they contradicted what she wrote in her autobiography and what she said during a 2002 new york observer interview . since 2005 , several women have come forward with remarkably similar stories about being drugged and sexually assaulted by the comedian . this year , the accusations resurfaced , and earlier this month , a seemingly harmless post on cosby 's twitter account turned them into a social media storm . after the accusations gained steam again , one of his accusers , barbara bowman , turned to the public once more with an article in the washington post and interviews with cnn . bowman alleged she was drugged , then raped , though she said she never saw drugs . i woke up out of a very confused state not in my clothes , ' she said . on saturday , npr broadcast an awkward interview with cosby in which he did n't utter a word when repeatedly asked about the accusations . npr host scott simon filled the airtime by saying cosby was just shaking his head no . '","cosby has repeatedly said allegations against him of sexual assault are untrue" +"cosby a former prosecutor who declined to bring charges against bill cosby a decade ago said wednesday that he wishes he could 've nailed the comedian on an allegation that he drugged and molested a woman at his pennsylvania home . bruce castor also told cnn that he believed cosby -- a beloved figure who , with his wit and boyish smile , has charmed audiences as a family-friendly stand-up comic , the voice of fat albert , the host of picture pages ' and the star of a wildly popular eponymous sitcom -- lied to authorities . in january 2004 , andrea constand , then a 31-year-old staffer for the women 's basketball team at temple university , cosby 's alma mater , was at the comedian 's cheltenham , pennsylvania , home when cosby provided her medication that made her dizzy , she alleged the following year . she later woke up to find her bra undone and her clothes in disarray , she further alleged to police in her home province of ontario in january 2005 . cosby 's attorney in the case , walter m. phillips jr. , called the allegations utterly preposterous ' and plainly bizarre ' at the time , yet in a civil filing , constand 's lawyers said they had found 13 jane does ' with similar stories . cosby settled the civil suit in 2006 . the terms of the settlement were not disclosed , but when journalist and publicist joan tarshis came forward with another similar story this weekend , cosby attorney john schmitt denied her claim and others', labeling them decade-old , discredited allegations . ' schmitt later amended that statement to say he was n't referring to constand , who resolved her differences to the mutual satisfaction of mr. cosby and ms. constand years ago . ''i could n't check her blood' castor , who was the district attorney for montgomery county , pennsylvania , when constand came forward in 2005 , now tells cnn he thought constand was credible , and he thought cosby was evasive in his interview with prosecutors . castor , whose assistants interviewed cosby , said he felt the comedian was setting up a defense that constand was at his house on her own volition and that anything occurring between them was consensual . back then , the desire on our part to move forward was pretty strong , ' he said . the problem with the case was she waited a year until she told police about it . ' this left castor no way to corroborate constand 's allegations , he said . he could n't check her blood , urine , hair or fingernails for traces of drugs , he could n't obtain hair or fiber for analysis , and he could n't obtain a warrant to search cosby 's home for evidence . i had a theory that cosby had drugged the woman using something to make her sleepy and to make her defenseless or unable to recall what happened , but because of the delay , i could n't check her blood , ' he said . of cosby 's interview with prosecutors , castor said , i thought he was lying . i thought he was evasive , and i thought that those things would be of value if i had another piece ( of evidence ) to go forward with . ' the case would have come down to she said , he said , and while castor felt strongly that constand was telling the truth , her statements alone were not going to be enough to convict cosby , the ex-prosecutor said . did i think he probably did something inappropriate ? yes . did i think that i could prove it beyond a reasonable doubt based on available , credible and admissible evidence ? no , i did n't , ' he said . castor released a statement on his office 's website in 2005 , saying that he found that insufficient credible and admissible evidence exists upon which any charge against mr. cosby could be sustained beyond a reasonable doubt . ' constand 's attorney filed the civil suit two weeks later . latest in line of accusations castor 's account comes a day after former supermodel janice dickinson became the latest of a handful of women to accuse the 77-year-old comic of sexual assault publicly . she told entertainment tonight ' that cosby raped her in 1982 after giving her a pill and a glass of red wine during a dinner in lake tahoe . the last thing i remember was bill cosby in a patchwork robe , dropping his robe and getting on top of me . and i remember a lot of pain , ' she said . dickinson did not return a telephone call from cnn seeking comment , but cosby has repeatedly said previous allegations are untrue . he has never been prosecuted . his attorney , martin singer , addressed dickinson 's allegations specifically in a statement , calling them a fabricated lie ' and saying they contradicted what she wrote in her autobiography and what she said during a 2002 new york observer interview . since 2005 , several women have come forward with remarkably similar stories about being drugged and sexually assaulted by the comedian . this year , the accusations resurfaced , and earlier this month , a seemingly harmless post on cosby 's twitter account turned them into a social media storm . after the accusations gained steam again , one of his accusers , barbara bowman , turned to the public once more with an article in the washington post and interviews with cnn . bowman alleged she was drugged , then raped , though she said she never saw drugs . i woke up out of a very confused state not in my clothes , ' she said . on saturday , npr broadcast an awkward interview with cosby in which he did n't utter a word when repeatedly asked about the accusations . npr host scott simon filled the airtime by saying cosby was just shaking his head no . '"," i had a theory that cosby had drugged the woman , ' ex-prosecutor tells cnn" +"russian ( cnn ) -- it 's being called the most expensive divorce in the history of ... well , marriage . russia 's dmitry rybolovlev , 47 , earned the dubious honor when geneva , switzerland 's court of first instance last week ordered the 47-year-old billionaire to pay his wife , elena , about 4 billion swiss francs , according to cnn 's french affiliate bfm . that 's a little more than $ 4.5 billion ( little being a relative term ) . the couple was married for 23 years but have been engaged in divorce proceedings since 2008 , bfm reported , citing the swiss daily newspaper le temps . rybolovlev , who owns the french soccer team as monaco , which finished second in ligue 1 this season , is no . 148 on forbes'list of billionaires . his estimated worth is $ 8.8 billion , according to forbes . known lately for real estate moves -- including the purchases of a $ 300 million penthouse in monaco and a $ 98 million palm beach , florida , mansion owned by donald trump , along with his daughter 's purchases of an $ 88 million new york apartment and the greek island of skorpios -- rybolovlev made his original fortune in fertilizer , according to forbes . he and his father , a scientist , started their business in 1990 , and rybolovlev began buying shares of industrial enterprises in 1992 , forbes reported . in 1995 , he was named chairman of the board of uralkali , russia 's top producer of potassium fertilizers , forbes said . he sold his stake in uralkali for $ 6.5 billion in 2010 and procured a controlling stake in as monaco the following year . the divorce puts rybolovlev in rarefied company , as only french businessman and art dealer alec wildenstein and bernie ecclestone , the top dog in formula one racing , have been reported to shell out more than $ 1 billion in divorce proceedings . 11 intriguing things owned by wealthy russians world 's'most expensive divorce'set to halve oligarch 's fortune cnn 's tara kangarlou contributed to this report .","russian billionaire made his original fortune with uralkali , a russian fertilizer company" +"snowden ( cnn ) -- while he 's enormously concerned about what secrets self-avowed nsa leaker edward snowden may yet spill , president barack obama said thursday he 's not going to take extraordinary measures to capture him . i 'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker , ' he told reporters during a news conference in senegal , his first stop on a tour of several african nations . obama had n't talked to leaders of china and russia about snowden -- who actually turned 30 a few days ago -- in part because he did n't want to amp up the issue and have to start wheeling and dealing ' in order to get the fugitive in u.s. custody . in a speech thursday , national security agency director keith alexander ceded he 's worried there may be more leaks from snowden . these leaks have caused significant and irreversible damage to our nation 's security , ' alexander said . ... what is going on , in these leaks , is unconscionable in my opinion , it hurts our nation and our allies . and it 's flat wrong . ' snowden has said he gave reporters information about secret surveillance out of concern these programs violate privacy rights and put too much power in the hands of government officials . as snowden seeks asylum , u.s. bides its time venezuelan president nicolas maduro said tuesday his country would consider a formal request for political asylum from snowden -- which it had n't then received -- and foreign minister elias jaua reiterated that position thursday . another latin american country , ecuador , is probably snowden 's most widely rumored destination -- and subject of a growing spat with the united states because of it . snowden has sought asylum there , the same country that has already agreed to shelter wikileaks founder julian assange , albeit at its embassy in london . on wednesday , u.s. sen. robert menendez , d-new jersey , said he would move to block ecuador from two u.s. free-trade programs should snowden go there . our government will not reward countries for bad behavior , ' he said . 4 options for the u.s. to get snowden back ecuadorian presidential spokesman fernando alvarado responded thursday by saying his the nation would spare menendez and his senate colleagues the trouble . we will not accept any threats or pressure from anyone , ' alvarado told reporters . we will not deal or trade in our principles . no matter how important the trade advantage may be . ' the programs in question are n't free-trade agreements but u.s. laws that do n't require ecuadorian consent , so alvarado 's declaration may have little more than a symbolic effect . i 'm not sure you can really withdraw from them one way or another , ' state department spokesman patrick ventrell said . while he did n't offer specifics , ventrell did say he 'd expect grave difficulties ' in relations if ecuador granted snowden asylum . the two countries have been at odds publicly , but remain linked economically . ecuador , for instance , sent about $ 9.6 billion of goods to the united states in 2011 , according to the office of the u.s. trade representative . the head of the ecuadorian business committee said he 's worried that very important ' commerce between the two nations could be negatively impacted as a result of this tiff . it 's a risk to give asylum to snowden because the united states , they could consider some economic sanction , including commercial sanctions , ' said roberto aspiazu . still in moscow snowden apparently remained in limbo at moscow 's airport , a free man according to russian officials but with limited options . why would snowden head for ecuador ? he did n't appear to board thursday 's flight from moscow to havana , where he had been rumored to be heading on his way to ecuador or some other safe haven . while he has applied to ecuador for asylum , that request has not yet been dealt with ' because snowden is not in the country , ecuadorian political affairs secretary betty tola told reporters . she denied the country granted snowden refugee travel papers , as assange told reporters this week . opinion : why ecuador might shelter snowden assange said snowden traveled from hong kong to moscow on sunday using documents provided by ecuador . other governments have not specified what documents the former cia employee and national security agency contractor used to leave the semi-autonomous chinese territory , where he had gone to leak details of secret u.s. telephone and internet surveillance programs . u.s. officials have accused china of deliberately letting snowden leave . and they have expressed frustration with russia 's refusal to detain a man they portray almost as a common criminal -- on par with seven russian fugitives u.s. officials have repeatedly said they handed over to russia in the past two years despite the lack of an extradition treaty . snowden and others have contended that he did america and the world a service by revealing information on secret programs , which they say wrongly impinge on people 's right to privacy in furtively giving too much information to the u.s. government . but in his speech thursday in baltimore , the head of the national security agency argued -- as he 's done repeatedly in recent weeks -- that the programs both protect civil liberties and help keep america and its allies safe . alexander pointed to 54 related cases that congress was informed about , of which 50 led to arrests or detentions . most of these were centered overseas , with 13 exceptions such as a foiled 2009 plot to bomb new york city 's subway system . exposing the programs , he and others have said , makes it harder to spot terrorists and thus puts lives at risk . i believe the irresponsible release of classified information about these programs will have a long-term detrimental impact on the intelligence community 's ability to detect future attacks , ' alexander said . these leaks have inflamed and sensationalized , for ignoble purposes , the work that ( the ) intelligence community does lawfully , over strict oversight and compliance . ' possible snowden posts on wednesday , the technology website ars technica published portions of chat logs it said show comments from 2009 by someone using a forum name snowden was known to have used . the comments criticized people who leak national security information . commenting on new york times reporting based on leaks related to confidential surveillance programs involving iran , the poster compared the newspaper to wikileaks -- which enraged u.s. officials by disclosing thousands of confidential diplomatic cables . are they trying to start a war ? ' the poster wrote . you do n't put that s * * * in the newspaper . ' ars techica said it could not be certain the poster was snowden , but information revealed in the posts matches biographical information he has since publicly revealed . cnn could not verify the posts'authenticity . if they were written by snowden , they offer insight into his thinking at a time when he apparently was more accepting of government surveillance programs . according to ars technica , the poster said of the new york times and its reporting on secret surveillance programs , these are the same people who blew the whole'we could listen to osama 's cell phone'thingthe same people who screwed us on wiretappingover and over and over againthank god they 're going out of business . ' four years later , snowden would provide news organizations in the united states and the united kingdom with classified information he acknowledged copying and taking from his job as a computer contractor for the nsa in hawaii . where could snowden go next ? cnn 's greg botelho , matthew chance , carol cratty , elise labott , vivian kam , adam levine , catherine e. shoichet and joseph netto contributed to this report .","new : a venezuelan official reiterates his nation 's openness to accepting snowden" +"snowden ( cnn ) -- while he 's enormously concerned about what secrets self-avowed nsa leaker edward snowden may yet spill , president barack obama said thursday he 's not going to take extraordinary measures to capture him . i 'm not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker , ' he told reporters during a news conference in senegal , his first stop on a tour of several african nations . obama had n't talked to leaders of china and russia about snowden -- who actually turned 30 a few days ago -- in part because he did n't want to amp up the issue and have to start wheeling and dealing ' in order to get the fugitive in u.s. custody . in a speech thursday , national security agency director keith alexander ceded he 's worried there may be more leaks from snowden . these leaks have caused significant and irreversible damage to our nation 's security , ' alexander said . ... what is going on , in these leaks , is unconscionable in my opinion , it hurts our nation and our allies . and it 's flat wrong . ' snowden has said he gave reporters information about secret surveillance out of concern these programs violate privacy rights and put too much power in the hands of government officials . as snowden seeks asylum , u.s. bides its time venezuelan president nicolas maduro said tuesday his country would consider a formal request for political asylum from snowden -- which it had n't then received -- and foreign minister elias jaua reiterated that position thursday . another latin american country , ecuador , is probably snowden 's most widely rumored destination -- and subject of a growing spat with the united states because of it . snowden has sought asylum there , the same country that has already agreed to shelter wikileaks founder julian assange , albeit at its embassy in london . on wednesday , u.s. sen. robert menendez , d-new jersey , said he would move to block ecuador from two u.s. free-trade programs should snowden go there . our government will not reward countries for bad behavior , ' he said . 4 options for the u.s. to get snowden back ecuadorian presidential spokesman fernando alvarado responded thursday by saying his the nation would spare menendez and his senate colleagues the trouble . we will not accept any threats or pressure from anyone , ' alvarado told reporters . we will not deal or trade in our principles . no matter how important the trade advantage may be . ' the programs in question are n't free-trade agreements but u.s. laws that do n't require ecuadorian consent , so alvarado 's declaration may have little more than a symbolic effect . i 'm not sure you can really withdraw from them one way or another , ' state department spokesman patrick ventrell said . while he did n't offer specifics , ventrell did say he 'd expect grave difficulties ' in relations if ecuador granted snowden asylum . the two countries have been at odds publicly , but remain linked economically . ecuador , for instance , sent about $ 9.6 billion of goods to the united states in 2011 , according to the office of the u.s. trade representative . the head of the ecuadorian business committee said he 's worried that very important ' commerce between the two nations could be negatively impacted as a result of this tiff . it 's a risk to give asylum to snowden because the united states , they could consider some economic sanction , including commercial sanctions , ' said roberto aspiazu . still in moscow snowden apparently remained in limbo at moscow 's airport , a free man according to russian officials but with limited options . why would snowden head for ecuador ? he did n't appear to board thursday 's flight from moscow to havana , where he had been rumored to be heading on his way to ecuador or some other safe haven . while he has applied to ecuador for asylum , that request has not yet been dealt with ' because snowden is not in the country , ecuadorian political affairs secretary betty tola told reporters . she denied the country granted snowden refugee travel papers , as assange told reporters this week . opinion : why ecuador might shelter snowden assange said snowden traveled from hong kong to moscow on sunday using documents provided by ecuador . other governments have not specified what documents the former cia employee and national security agency contractor used to leave the semi-autonomous chinese territory , where he had gone to leak details of secret u.s. telephone and internet surveillance programs . u.s. officials have accused china of deliberately letting snowden leave . and they have expressed frustration with russia 's refusal to detain a man they portray almost as a common criminal -- on par with seven russian fugitives u.s. officials have repeatedly said they handed over to russia in the past two years despite the lack of an extradition treaty . snowden and others have contended that he did america and the world a service by revealing information on secret programs , which they say wrongly impinge on people 's right to privacy in furtively giving too much information to the u.s. government . but in his speech thursday in baltimore , the head of the national security agency argued -- as he 's done repeatedly in recent weeks -- that the programs both protect civil liberties and help keep america and its allies safe . alexander pointed to 54 related cases that congress was informed about , of which 50 led to arrests or detentions . most of these were centered overseas , with 13 exceptions such as a foiled 2009 plot to bomb new york city 's subway system . exposing the programs , he and others have said , makes it harder to spot terrorists and thus puts lives at risk . i believe the irresponsible release of classified information about these programs will have a long-term detrimental impact on the intelligence community 's ability to detect future attacks , ' alexander said . these leaks have inflamed and sensationalized , for ignoble purposes , the work that ( the ) intelligence community does lawfully , over strict oversight and compliance . ' possible snowden posts on wednesday , the technology website ars technica published portions of chat logs it said show comments from 2009 by someone using a forum name snowden was known to have used . the comments criticized people who leak national security information . commenting on new york times reporting based on leaks related to confidential surveillance programs involving iran , the poster compared the newspaper to wikileaks -- which enraged u.s. officials by disclosing thousands of confidential diplomatic cables . are they trying to start a war ? ' the poster wrote . you do n't put that s * * * in the newspaper . ' ars techica said it could not be certain the poster was snowden , but information revealed in the posts matches biographical information he has since publicly revealed . cnn could not verify the posts'authenticity . if they were written by snowden , they offer insight into his thinking at a time when he apparently was more accepting of government surveillance programs . according to ars technica , the poster said of the new york times and its reporting on secret surveillance programs , these are the same people who blew the whole'we could listen to osama 's cell phone'thingthe same people who screwed us on wiretappingover and over and over againthank god they 're going out of business . ' four years later , snowden would provide news organizations in the united states and the united kingdom with classified information he acknowledged copying and taking from his job as a computer contractor for the nsa in hawaii . where could snowden go next ? cnn 's greg botelho , matthew chance , carol cratty , elise labott , vivian kam , adam levine , catherine e. shoichet and joseph netto contributed to this report .","president obama says he does n't want to make deals to get snowden" +"golden nori ( cnn ) -- the crew members of a north korean freighter regained control of their ship from pirates who hijacked the vessel off somalia , but not without a deadly fight , the u.s. navy reported tuesday . the uss james e. williams ordered pirates to give up their weapons , the navy says . when the battle aboard the dai hong dan was over , two pirates were dead and five were captured , the navy said . three wounded crew members from the cargo ship were being treated aboard the guided-missile destroyer uss james e. williams . the captured pirates were being held aboard the north korean vessel , the navy said . the bandits had seized the ship 's bridge , while the crew kept control of the steering gear and engines , the navy said . the koreans moved against the attackers after the williams -- responding to reports of the hijacking -- ordered the pirates to give up their weapons , according to the navy . when the crew members stormed the bridge , the deadly battle began . after the crew regained control , navy sailors boarded the dai hong dan to help with the injured . north korea and the united states have no diplomatic relations . watch why the u.s. helped the north koreans » the incident took place about 70 miles northeast of the somali capital , mogadishu , the navy said . it is the second incident of piracy reported in recent days . a second u.s. navy destroyer was searching waters off somalia for pirates who hijacked a japanese-owned ship , military officials said . over the weekend , gunmen aboard two skiffs hijacked the panamanian-flagged golden nori off the socotra archipelago near the horn of africa , said andrew mwangura , a spokesman for the kenyan-based seafarers'assistance program . the guided-missile destroyer uss arleigh burke has been pursuing the pirates after entering somali waters with the permission of the troubled transitional government in mogadishu , u.s. officials said monday . in recent years , warships have stayed outside the 12-mile limit when chasing pirates . two military officials familiar with the details confirmed the ongoing operation . the navy 's pursuit of the pirates began sunday night when the golden nori radioed for help . the burke 's sister ship , the uss porter , opened fire and sank the pirate skiffs tied to the golden nori 's stern before the burke took over shadowing the hijacked vessel . when the shots were fired , it was not known the ship was filled with highly flammable benzene . u.s. military officials indicate there is a great deal of concern about the cargo because it is so sensitive . benzene , which u.s. authorities have declared a known human carcinogen , is used as a solvent and to make plastics and synthetic fabrics . four other ships in the region remain in pirate hands , the navy said . u.s. and nato warships have been patrolling off the horn of africa for years in an effort to crack down on piracy off somalia , where a u.n.-backed transitional government is struggling to restore order after 15 years of near-anarchy . see how piracy is worse than 2006 » on monday , the head of the transitional government resigned as his administration -- backed by ethiopian troops -- battled insurgents from the islamic movement that seized control of mogadishu in 2006 . hospital officials reported 30 dead in three days of clashes on the city 's south side . in june , the ship uss carter hall fired warning shots in an attempt to stop a hijacked danish cargo ship off somalia , but the american vessel turned away when the pirated ship entered somali waters . in may , a u.s. navy advisory warned merchant ships to stay at least 200 miles off the somali coast . but the u.s. maritime administration said pirates sometimes issue false distress calls to lure ships closer to shore . see the warning area » the pirates often are armed with automatic rifles and shoulder-fired rockets , according to a recent warning from the agency . to date , vessels that increase speed and take evasive maneuvers avoid boarding , while those that slow down are boarded , taken to the somali coastline and released after successful ransom payment , often after protracted negotiations of as much as 11 weeks , ' the warning advised . the agency issued a new warning to sailors in the gulf of aden , between somalia and yemen , after sunday 's hijacking . e-mail to a friend cnn correspondents barbara starr at the pentagon and christian purefoy in nairobi contributed to this report .","pirates aboard hijacked golden nori carrying highly flammable benzene" +"twitter twitter is looking to revamp its user-protection policies after zelda williams , the daughter of comedian robin williams , was run off of the social site by abuse in the wake of her father 's apparent suicide . we will not tolerate abuse of this nature on twitter , ' del harvey , twitter 's vice president of trust and safety , said in a statement . we have suspended a number of accounts related to this issue for violating our rules and we are in the process of evaluating how we can further improve our policies to better handle tragic situations like this one . this includes expanding our policies regarding self-harm and private information , and improving support for family members of deceased users . ' zelda williams abandoned her twitter and instagram accounts tuesday after saying at least two people were sending her photoshopped images of her father 's dead body and other disturbing messages -- some blaming her for father 's death . i 'm sorry . i should 've risen above , ' she wrote in her final tweet . deleting this from my devices for a good long time , maybe forever . time will tell . goodbye . ' the episode proves that , with the anonymity of the internet , some people will be horrible no matter the situation . earlier , williams , 25 , had asked her followers to report the abusive accounts to twitter , but said they appeared to be creating new accounts after being banned by the site . she later deleted her request , which called the abusive messages cruel and unnecessary . ' on instagram , she also addressed negativity targeting her in an announcement that she 'd be taking a break from the photo-sharing app . i will be leaving this account for a bit while i heal and decide if i 'll be deleting it or not , ' she wrote . in this difficult time , please try to be respectful . ' williams also touched on the personal attacks , albeit in a more light-hearted way , in a statement she posted on blogging site tumblr . to those he touched who are sending kind words , know that one of his favorite things in the world was to make you all laugh , ' she wrote . as for those who are sending negativity , know that some small , giggling part of him is sending a flock of pigeons to your house to poop on your car . right after you 've had it washed . after all , he loved to laugh too . ' despite the attacks , the vast majority of social-media messages posted to zelda williams'accounts were positive and supportive of her decision to take some time away from the web . you did nothing wrong @ zeldawilliams , ' one twitter follower wrote . some people are just plain evil . ' robin williams , 63 , was found dead at his california home on monday . investigators suspect he hanged himself and say he appears to have attempted to cut his left wrist with a knife beforehand . robin williams and the next generation of comics robin williams leaves behind four films to be released complete coverage on robin williams","twitter says it 's reviewing its protection policies in light of the incidents" +"twitter twitter is looking to revamp its user-protection policies after zelda williams , the daughter of comedian robin williams , was run off of the social site by abuse in the wake of her father 's apparent suicide . we will not tolerate abuse of this nature on twitter , ' del harvey , twitter 's vice president of trust and safety , said in a statement . we have suspended a number of accounts related to this issue for violating our rules and we are in the process of evaluating how we can further improve our policies to better handle tragic situations like this one . this includes expanding our policies regarding self-harm and private information , and improving support for family members of deceased users . ' zelda williams abandoned her twitter and instagram accounts tuesday after saying at least two people were sending her photoshopped images of her father 's dead body and other disturbing messages -- some blaming her for father 's death . i 'm sorry . i should 've risen above , ' she wrote in her final tweet . deleting this from my devices for a good long time , maybe forever . time will tell . goodbye . ' the episode proves that , with the anonymity of the internet , some people will be horrible no matter the situation . earlier , williams , 25 , had asked her followers to report the abusive accounts to twitter , but said they appeared to be creating new accounts after being banned by the site . she later deleted her request , which called the abusive messages cruel and unnecessary . ' on instagram , she also addressed negativity targeting her in an announcement that she 'd be taking a break from the photo-sharing app . i will be leaving this account for a bit while i heal and decide if i 'll be deleting it or not , ' she wrote . in this difficult time , please try to be respectful . ' williams also touched on the personal attacks , albeit in a more light-hearted way , in a statement she posted on blogging site tumblr . to those he touched who are sending kind words , know that one of his favorite things in the world was to make you all laugh , ' she wrote . as for those who are sending negativity , know that some small , giggling part of him is sending a flock of pigeons to your house to poop on your car . right after you 've had it washed . after all , he loved to laugh too . ' despite the attacks , the vast majority of social-media messages posted to zelda williams'accounts were positive and supportive of her decision to take some time away from the web . you did nothing wrong @ zeldawilliams , ' one twitter follower wrote . some people are just plain evil . ' robin williams , 63 , was found dead at his california home on monday . investigators suspect he hanged himself and say he appears to have attempted to cut his left wrist with a knife beforehand . robin williams and the next generation of comics robin williams leaves behind four films to be released complete coverage on robin williams","she quit twitter and instagram after receiving cruel ' images of her father" +"chittagong outraged by a court verdict they considered too lenient , thousands of people took to the streets across bangladesh on wednesday demanding the death penalty for an islamic party leader convicted of war crimes carried out more than four decades ago . we 've taken additional measures across the country to heighten security , ' state minister for home affairs shamsul hoque told reporters . from horror to hope : boy 's miracle recovery from brutal attack the demonstrations began tuesday , when an international crimes tribunal sentenced abdul quader mollah , assistant secretary general for the jamaat-e-islami party , to life in prison . the jamaat-e-islami party had called for a two-day general strike across bangladesh beginning tuesday , and demonstrators clashed with police and demanded that ruling party officials scrap the trial process . the government on tuesday evening called in paramilitary troopers to maintain law and order in dhaka and elsewhere as deadly protests erupted after the verdict . jamaat-e-islami protested the verdict as demonstrators -- including some from ruling party alliances -- took to the streets demanding the death penalty for mollah . read more : general strike disrupts life in bangladesh ' we 've deployed troopers from the border guards of bangladesh to maintain law and order , ' hoque said . hundreds of dhaka university students took to the streets in the capital 's shahbagh square , where they were joined by other city residents in protests that began tuesday . home ministry officials said security forces were patrolling in dhaka and other major cities , including in the large southeastern port city of chittagong , where at least four people were killed tuesday during clashes between police and supporters of jamaat-e-islami . police opened fire and shot tear-gas shells to disperse the protesters , who torched and otherwise damaged more than 100 vehicles in major cities . jamaat-e-islami said its members would continue to protest ; many of its leaders are behind bars facing charges of murder , arson , looting and rape stemming from the war of independence in 1971 . read more : clinton leaves drama in china for turmoil in bangladesh they said the war-crimes trials , which began after more than 40 years of independence , was done with ill political motive . ' prime minister sheikh hasina showed no sign of backing down , saying the trials would be completed at any cost . the government , which promised in its election pledges in 2008 to complete the war-crimes trials , set up the tribunals in 2010 . amid tight security , a three-member panel of judges of the international crimes tribunal-2 delivered the judgment against mollah in a crowded courtroom on tuesday . mollah , 64 , was found guilty of five of six charges , including murder . they included crimes against humanity , tribunal chairman justice obaidul hassan said . after the verdict was read , mollah stood from the chair on which he had been seated and cried , allahu akbar ! ' ( god is great ! ) he declared he was innocent and began to curse the judges and the government . he then pulled a copy of the quran from his pocket and held it in front of him , saying that the judges would one day find themselves on trial in accordance with the holy book 's law . lawmakers of the ruling party alliance criticized the verdict in parliament and asked the prosecution to appeal for the death penalty . mollah , who was the chief of the students'wing of jamaat-e-islami in 1971 , is the first jamaat-e-islami leader convicted in a war-crimes case by the tribunal . on january 21 , the same tribunal sentenced to death the first war crimes convict , abul kalam azad , alias bachchu razakar . bangladesh had been the eastern portion of pakistan until it gained independence in 1971 in a war that killed 3 million people .","four people have died in related violence in the port city of chittagong" +"charles mcarthur emmanuel ( cnn ) -- federal jurors convicted the son of former liberian president charles taylor sr. of torture and conspiracy charges thursday , said a spokeswoman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the southern district of florida . charles chuckie ' taylor jr. , also known as charles mcarthur emmanuel , was found guilty on one count of torture , one count of conspiracy to commit torture and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime , said alicia valle , special counsel to the u.s. attorney . taylor 's case , tried in miami , florida , was the first brought under a 1994 united states law saying those accused of committing torturous acts overseas can be tried in a u.s. federal court . today 's conviction provides a measure of justice to those who were victimized by the reprehensible acts of charles taylor jr. and his associates , ' attorney general michael mukasey said in a written statement . it sends a powerful message to human rights violators around the world that , when we can , we will hold them fully accountable for their crimes . ' he could face a sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced january 8 . although taylor was born in boston , massachusetts , he moved to liberia when his father was named president . prosecutors said taylor became the leader of the anti-terrorist unit and the liberian national police while his father was president . the two groups are accused of abducting , torturing and killing people . according to prosecutors , taylor committed torture and allowed others to commit torture . they burned certain victims with molten plastic , lighted cigarettes , candle wax and an iron ; severely beat victims with firearms and cut and stabbed victims ; and shocked certain victims with an electric device , prosecutors said in an indictment that superceded the initial indictment from 2006 . in the initial indictment , taylor was charged with one count of torture , one count of conspiracy to torture and one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime . the superceding september 2007 indictment -- which incorporated the initial charges -- included five counts of torture , one count of conspiracy to torture , one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and one count of conspiracy to use a firearm during the commission of a violent crime . the defense had said the u.s. government had little or no evidence to back up its claims . charles taylor sr. is standing trial in the hague , netherlands , on war crimes charges . he was sentenced to 11 months in prison but was ordered detained on the torture charges and not released when that sentence expired , the u.s. attorney 's office said .","charles chuckie ' taylor jr. is also known as charles mcarthur emmanuel" +"taylor ( cnn ) -- federal jurors convicted the son of former liberian president charles taylor sr. of torture and conspiracy charges thursday , said a spokeswoman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the southern district of florida . charles chuckie ' taylor jr. , also known as charles mcarthur emmanuel , was found guilty on one count of torture , one count of conspiracy to commit torture and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime , said alicia valle , special counsel to the u.s. attorney . taylor 's case , tried in miami , florida , was the first brought under a 1994 united states law saying those accused of committing torturous acts overseas can be tried in a u.s. federal court . today 's conviction provides a measure of justice to those who were victimized by the reprehensible acts of charles taylor jr. and his associates , ' attorney general michael mukasey said in a written statement . it sends a powerful message to human rights violators around the world that , when we can , we will hold them fully accountable for their crimes . ' he could face a sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced january 8 . although taylor was born in boston , massachusetts , he moved to liberia when his father was named president . prosecutors said taylor became the leader of the anti-terrorist unit and the liberian national police while his father was president . the two groups are accused of abducting , torturing and killing people . according to prosecutors , taylor committed torture and allowed others to commit torture . they burned certain victims with molten plastic , lighted cigarettes , candle wax and an iron ; severely beat victims with firearms and cut and stabbed victims ; and shocked certain victims with an electric device , prosecutors said in an indictment that superceded the initial indictment from 2006 . in the initial indictment , taylor was charged with one count of torture , one count of conspiracy to torture and one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime . the superceding september 2007 indictment -- which incorporated the initial charges -- included five counts of torture , one count of conspiracy to torture , one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and one count of conspiracy to use a firearm during the commission of a violent crime . the defense had said the u.s. government had little or no evidence to back up its claims . charles taylor sr. is standing trial in the hague , netherlands , on war crimes charges . he was sentenced to 11 months in prison but was ordered detained on the torture charges and not released when that sentence expired , the u.s. attorney 's office said .","charles chuckie ' taylor jr. is also known as charles mcarthur emmanuel" +"taylor ( cnn ) -- federal jurors convicted the son of former liberian president charles taylor sr. of torture and conspiracy charges thursday , said a spokeswoman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the southern district of florida . charles chuckie ' taylor jr. , also known as charles mcarthur emmanuel , was found guilty on one count of torture , one count of conspiracy to commit torture and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime , said alicia valle , special counsel to the u.s. attorney . taylor 's case , tried in miami , florida , was the first brought under a 1994 united states law saying those accused of committing torturous acts overseas can be tried in a u.s. federal court . today 's conviction provides a measure of justice to those who were victimized by the reprehensible acts of charles taylor jr. and his associates , ' attorney general michael mukasey said in a written statement . it sends a powerful message to human rights violators around the world that , when we can , we will hold them fully accountable for their crimes . ' he could face a sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced january 8 . although taylor was born in boston , massachusetts , he moved to liberia when his father was named president . prosecutors said taylor became the leader of the anti-terrorist unit and the liberian national police while his father was president . the two groups are accused of abducting , torturing and killing people . according to prosecutors , taylor committed torture and allowed others to commit torture . they burned certain victims with molten plastic , lighted cigarettes , candle wax and an iron ; severely beat victims with firearms and cut and stabbed victims ; and shocked certain victims with an electric device , prosecutors said in an indictment that superceded the initial indictment from 2006 . in the initial indictment , taylor was charged with one count of torture , one count of conspiracy to torture and one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime . the superceding september 2007 indictment -- which incorporated the initial charges -- included five counts of torture , one count of conspiracy to torture , one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and one count of conspiracy to use a firearm during the commission of a violent crime . the defense had said the u.s. government had little or no evidence to back up its claims . charles taylor sr. is standing trial in the hague , netherlands , on war crimes charges . he was sentenced to 11 months in prison but was ordered detained on the torture charges and not released when that sentence expired , the u.s. attorney 's office said .","taylor guilty of torture and conspiracy to commit torture" +"taylor ( cnn ) -- federal jurors convicted the son of former liberian president charles taylor sr. of torture and conspiracy charges thursday , said a spokeswoman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the southern district of florida . charles chuckie ' taylor jr. , also known as charles mcarthur emmanuel , was found guilty on one count of torture , one count of conspiracy to commit torture and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime , said alicia valle , special counsel to the u.s. attorney . taylor 's case , tried in miami , florida , was the first brought under a 1994 united states law saying those accused of committing torturous acts overseas can be tried in a u.s. federal court . today 's conviction provides a measure of justice to those who were victimized by the reprehensible acts of charles taylor jr. and his associates , ' attorney general michael mukasey said in a written statement . it sends a powerful message to human rights violators around the world that , when we can , we will hold them fully accountable for their crimes . ' he could face a sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced january 8 . although taylor was born in boston , massachusetts , he moved to liberia when his father was named president . prosecutors said taylor became the leader of the anti-terrorist unit and the liberian national police while his father was president . the two groups are accused of abducting , torturing and killing people . according to prosecutors , taylor committed torture and allowed others to commit torture . they burned certain victims with molten plastic , lighted cigarettes , candle wax and an iron ; severely beat victims with firearms and cut and stabbed victims ; and shocked certain victims with an electric device , prosecutors said in an indictment that superceded the initial indictment from 2006 . in the initial indictment , taylor was charged with one count of torture , one count of conspiracy to torture and one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime . the superceding september 2007 indictment -- which incorporated the initial charges -- included five counts of torture , one count of conspiracy to torture , one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and one count of conspiracy to use a firearm during the commission of a violent crime . the defense had said the u.s. government had little or no evidence to back up its claims . charles taylor sr. is standing trial in the hague , netherlands , on war crimes charges . he was sentenced to 11 months in prison but was ordered detained on the torture charges and not released when that sentence expired , the u.s. attorney 's office said .","prosecutors : taylor was leader of groups that burned and beat people" +"nobel ( cnn ) -- in a first for the prestigious organization , a nobel prize will go to a man who died just days before being named a winner . ralph steinman , a biologist with rockefeller university , was named a winner monday of the 2011 nobel prize in physiology or medicine . he would have won half the prize of approximately $ 1.5 million ; the other half will be shared by scientists bruce a. beutler and jules a. hoffmann . steinman died of pancreatic cancer friday at the age of 68 , after having extended his life using a kind of therapy he designed , his university said in a statement monday . the nobel committee was unaware of his death . had they known , their own rules would have precluded him being selected as a winner . the decision was made monday , just before the announcement , nobel officials said . the events that have occurred are unique and , to the best of our knowledge , are unprecedented in the history of the nobel prize , ' the nobel assembly said in a statement , announcing that steinman will remain a nobel laureate . making the decision meant circumventing one of the nobel rules . the nobel prize website states that since 1974 , rules have stipulated that a prize can not be awarded posthumously , unless death has occurred after the announcement . ' in its statement monday , the nobel assembly said it interpreted the purpose of the rule ' as making sure no one is deliberately ' awarded the prize posthumously . because the committee did not know of steinman 's death , the decision was made in good faith , ' the assembly said . the nobel committee also expressed deep sadness and regret ' at the news . speaking to cnn , goran hansson , secretary-general of the nobel assembly overseeing the nobel prize in physiology or medicine , said the fact that steinman did n't know he would win adds to the sadness . ' hansson said that after the committee chose the winners monday , he tried to call steinman to inform him of the good news . rockefeller university said steinman discovered the immune system 's sentinel dendritic cells and demonstrated that science can fruitfully harness the power of these cells and other components of the immune system to curb infections and other communicable diseases . ' he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four years ago , and his life was extended using a dendritic cell-based immunotherapy of his own design , ' the university said in a statement . the nobel committee noted steinman 's discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity . ' bruce a. beutler and jules a. hoffmann won for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity . ' in 1996 , william vickrey died days after the announcement that he had won the nobel prize in economics . before 1974 , two people received nobel prizes posthumously -- dag hammarskjold won the nobel peace prize in 1961 , and erik axel karlfeldt won for literature in 1931 . monday 's announcement about the winners kicked off a week of awards that will also honor achievements in physics , chemistry , literature , peace and economics . the nobel assembly at karolinska institute said beutler , hoffmann and steinman have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation . ' bruce beutler and jules hoffmann discovered receptor proteins that can recognize such microorganisms and activate innate immunity , the first step in the body 's immune response , ' the committee said in a written statement . ralph steinman discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and their unique capacity to activate and regulate adaptive immunity , the later stage of the immune response during which microorganisms are cleared from the body . ' the nobel laureates'discoveries and work have opened up new opportunities for the development of prevention and therapy against infections , cancer and inflammatory diseases , the committee said . the prize in medicine , worth 10 million swedish kronor ( about $ 1.5 million ) , went last year to robert g. edwards , the father of the test tube baby . ' since the first birth from in vitro fertilization in 1978 , edwards'work has led to the birth of about 4 million babies , the awards committee said in praising his work . on tuesday , the committee will announce its award for achievement in physics . the next day , the winner of the nobel prize in chemistry will be announced . the committee will announce the most anticipated of the annual honors -- the nobel peace prize -- on friday . on october 10 , the committee will announce its award for the prize for economics . since 1901 , the committee has handed out the nobel prize in physiology or medicine 101 times . the youngest recipient was frederick g. banting , who won in 1923 at the age of 32 . the oldest medicine laureate was peyton rous , who was 87 years old when he was awarded the prize in 1966 .","new : the situation is unprecedented in nobel history , the committee says" +"nobel ( cnn ) -- in a first for the prestigious organization , a nobel prize will go to a man who died just days before being named a winner . ralph steinman , a biologist with rockefeller university , was named a winner monday of the 2011 nobel prize in physiology or medicine . he would have won half the prize of approximately $ 1.5 million ; the other half will be shared by scientists bruce a. beutler and jules a. hoffmann . steinman died of pancreatic cancer friday at the age of 68 , after having extended his life using a kind of therapy he designed , his university said in a statement monday . the nobel committee was unaware of his death . had they known , their own rules would have precluded him being selected as a winner . the decision was made monday , just before the announcement , nobel officials said . the events that have occurred are unique and , to the best of our knowledge , are unprecedented in the history of the nobel prize , ' the nobel assembly said in a statement , announcing that steinman will remain a nobel laureate . making the decision meant circumventing one of the nobel rules . the nobel prize website states that since 1974 , rules have stipulated that a prize can not be awarded posthumously , unless death has occurred after the announcement . ' in its statement monday , the nobel assembly said it interpreted the purpose of the rule ' as making sure no one is deliberately ' awarded the prize posthumously . because the committee did not know of steinman 's death , the decision was made in good faith , ' the assembly said . the nobel committee also expressed deep sadness and regret ' at the news . speaking to cnn , goran hansson , secretary-general of the nobel assembly overseeing the nobel prize in physiology or medicine , said the fact that steinman did n't know he would win adds to the sadness . ' hansson said that after the committee chose the winners monday , he tried to call steinman to inform him of the good news . rockefeller university said steinman discovered the immune system 's sentinel dendritic cells and demonstrated that science can fruitfully harness the power of these cells and other components of the immune system to curb infections and other communicable diseases . ' he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four years ago , and his life was extended using a dendritic cell-based immunotherapy of his own design , ' the university said in a statement . the nobel committee noted steinman 's discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity . ' bruce a. beutler and jules a. hoffmann won for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity . ' in 1996 , william vickrey died days after the announcement that he had won the nobel prize in economics . before 1974 , two people received nobel prizes posthumously -- dag hammarskjold won the nobel peace prize in 1961 , and erik axel karlfeldt won for literature in 1931 . monday 's announcement about the winners kicked off a week of awards that will also honor achievements in physics , chemistry , literature , peace and economics . the nobel assembly at karolinska institute said beutler , hoffmann and steinman have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation . ' bruce beutler and jules hoffmann discovered receptor proteins that can recognize such microorganisms and activate innate immunity , the first step in the body 's immune response , ' the committee said in a written statement . ralph steinman discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and their unique capacity to activate and regulate adaptive immunity , the later stage of the immune response during which microorganisms are cleared from the body . ' the nobel laureates'discoveries and work have opened up new opportunities for the development of prevention and therapy against infections , cancer and inflammatory diseases , the committee said . the prize in medicine , worth 10 million swedish kronor ( about $ 1.5 million ) , went last year to robert g. edwards , the father of the test tube baby . ' since the first birth from in vitro fertilization in 1978 , edwards'work has led to the birth of about 4 million babies , the awards committee said in praising his work . on tuesday , the committee will announce its award for achievement in physics . the next day , the winner of the nobel prize in chemistry will be announced . the committee will announce the most anticipated of the annual honors -- the nobel peace prize -- on friday . on october 10 , the committee will announce its award for the prize for economics . since 1901 , the committee has handed out the nobel prize in physiology or medicine 101 times . the youngest recipient was frederick g. banting , who won in 1923 at the age of 32 . the oldest medicine laureate was peyton rous , who was 87 years old when he was awarded the prize in 1966 .","new : ralph steinman remains the nobel laureate , the committee says" +"steinman ( cnn ) -- in a first for the prestigious organization , a nobel prize will go to a man who died just days before being named a winner . ralph steinman , a biologist with rockefeller university , was named a winner monday of the 2011 nobel prize in physiology or medicine . he would have won half the prize of approximately $ 1.5 million ; the other half will be shared by scientists bruce a. beutler and jules a. hoffmann . steinman died of pancreatic cancer friday at the age of 68 , after having extended his life using a kind of therapy he designed , his university said in a statement monday . the nobel committee was unaware of his death . had they known , their own rules would have precluded him being selected as a winner . the decision was made monday , just before the announcement , nobel officials said . the events that have occurred are unique and , to the best of our knowledge , are unprecedented in the history of the nobel prize , ' the nobel assembly said in a statement , announcing that steinman will remain a nobel laureate . making the decision meant circumventing one of the nobel rules . the nobel prize website states that since 1974 , rules have stipulated that a prize can not be awarded posthumously , unless death has occurred after the announcement . ' in its statement monday , the nobel assembly said it interpreted the purpose of the rule ' as making sure no one is deliberately ' awarded the prize posthumously . because the committee did not know of steinman 's death , the decision was made in good faith , ' the assembly said . the nobel committee also expressed deep sadness and regret ' at the news . speaking to cnn , goran hansson , secretary-general of the nobel assembly overseeing the nobel prize in physiology or medicine , said the fact that steinman did n't know he would win adds to the sadness . ' hansson said that after the committee chose the winners monday , he tried to call steinman to inform him of the good news . rockefeller university said steinman discovered the immune system 's sentinel dendritic cells and demonstrated that science can fruitfully harness the power of these cells and other components of the immune system to curb infections and other communicable diseases . ' he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four years ago , and his life was extended using a dendritic cell-based immunotherapy of his own design , ' the university said in a statement . the nobel committee noted steinman 's discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity . ' bruce a. beutler and jules a. hoffmann won for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity . ' in 1996 , william vickrey died days after the announcement that he had won the nobel prize in economics . before 1974 , two people received nobel prizes posthumously -- dag hammarskjold won the nobel peace prize in 1961 , and erik axel karlfeldt won for literature in 1931 . monday 's announcement about the winners kicked off a week of awards that will also honor achievements in physics , chemistry , literature , peace and economics . the nobel assembly at karolinska institute said beutler , hoffmann and steinman have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation . ' bruce beutler and jules hoffmann discovered receptor proteins that can recognize such microorganisms and activate innate immunity , the first step in the body 's immune response , ' the committee said in a written statement . ralph steinman discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and their unique capacity to activate and regulate adaptive immunity , the later stage of the immune response during which microorganisms are cleared from the body . ' the nobel laureates'discoveries and work have opened up new opportunities for the development of prevention and therapy against infections , cancer and inflammatory diseases , the committee said . the prize in medicine , worth 10 million swedish kronor ( about $ 1.5 million ) , went last year to robert g. edwards , the father of the test tube baby . ' since the first birth from in vitro fertilization in 1978 , edwards'work has led to the birth of about 4 million babies , the awards committee said in praising his work . on tuesday , the committee will announce its award for achievement in physics . the next day , the winner of the nobel prize in chemistry will be announced . the committee will announce the most anticipated of the annual honors -- the nobel peace prize -- on friday . on october 10 , the committee will announce its award for the prize for economics . since 1901 , the committee has handed out the nobel prize in physiology or medicine 101 times . the youngest recipient was frederick g. banting , who won in 1923 at the age of 32 . the oldest medicine laureate was peyton rous , who was 87 years old when he was awarded the prize in 1966 .","steinman , 68 , died days ago after extending his life with his own discoveries" +"steinman ( cnn ) -- in a first for the prestigious organization , a nobel prize will go to a man who died just days before being named a winner . ralph steinman , a biologist with rockefeller university , was named a winner monday of the 2011 nobel prize in physiology or medicine . he would have won half the prize of approximately $ 1.5 million ; the other half will be shared by scientists bruce a. beutler and jules a. hoffmann . steinman died of pancreatic cancer friday at the age of 68 , after having extended his life using a kind of therapy he designed , his university said in a statement monday . the nobel committee was unaware of his death . had they known , their own rules would have precluded him being selected as a winner . the decision was made monday , just before the announcement , nobel officials said . the events that have occurred are unique and , to the best of our knowledge , are unprecedented in the history of the nobel prize , ' the nobel assembly said in a statement , announcing that steinman will remain a nobel laureate . making the decision meant circumventing one of the nobel rules . the nobel prize website states that since 1974 , rules have stipulated that a prize can not be awarded posthumously , unless death has occurred after the announcement . ' in its statement monday , the nobel assembly said it interpreted the purpose of the rule ' as making sure no one is deliberately ' awarded the prize posthumously . because the committee did not know of steinman 's death , the decision was made in good faith , ' the assembly said . the nobel committee also expressed deep sadness and regret ' at the news . speaking to cnn , goran hansson , secretary-general of the nobel assembly overseeing the nobel prize in physiology or medicine , said the fact that steinman did n't know he would win adds to the sadness . ' hansson said that after the committee chose the winners monday , he tried to call steinman to inform him of the good news . rockefeller university said steinman discovered the immune system 's sentinel dendritic cells and demonstrated that science can fruitfully harness the power of these cells and other components of the immune system to curb infections and other communicable diseases . ' he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four years ago , and his life was extended using a dendritic cell-based immunotherapy of his own design , ' the university said in a statement . the nobel committee noted steinman 's discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity . ' bruce a. beutler and jules a. hoffmann won for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity . ' in 1996 , william vickrey died days after the announcement that he had won the nobel prize in economics . before 1974 , two people received nobel prizes posthumously -- dag hammarskjold won the nobel peace prize in 1961 , and erik axel karlfeldt won for literature in 1931 . monday 's announcement about the winners kicked off a week of awards that will also honor achievements in physics , chemistry , literature , peace and economics . the nobel assembly at karolinska institute said beutler , hoffmann and steinman have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation . ' bruce beutler and jules hoffmann discovered receptor proteins that can recognize such microorganisms and activate innate immunity , the first step in the body 's immune response , ' the committee said in a written statement . ralph steinman discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and their unique capacity to activate and regulate adaptive immunity , the later stage of the immune response during which microorganisms are cleared from the body . ' the nobel laureates'discoveries and work have opened up new opportunities for the development of prevention and therapy against infections , cancer and inflammatory diseases , the committee said . the prize in medicine , worth 10 million swedish kronor ( about $ 1.5 million ) , went last year to robert g. edwards , the father of the test tube baby . ' since the first birth from in vitro fertilization in 1978 , edwards'work has led to the birth of about 4 million babies , the awards committee said in praising his work . on tuesday , the committee will announce its award for achievement in physics . the next day , the winner of the nobel prize in chemistry will be announced . the committee will announce the most anticipated of the annual honors -- the nobel peace prize -- on friday . on october 10 , the committee will announce its award for the prize for economics . since 1901 , the committee has handed out the nobel prize in physiology or medicine 101 times . the youngest recipient was frederick g. banting , who won in 1923 at the age of 32 . the oldest medicine laureate was peyton rous , who was 87 years old when he was awarded the prize in 1966 .","new : ralph steinman remains the nobel laureate , the committee says" +"zvonareva ( cnn ) -- top seed and defending champion serena williams charged into her sixth wimbledon final where she will play russian vera zvonareva on saturday . williams ended the dreams of unseeded czech petra kvitova with a 7-6 6-2 victory in their semifinal on centre court on friday . earlier , zvonareva came from a set down to beat another unseeded player , bulgarian tsvetana pironkova , 3-6 6-3 6-2 . williams was extended by kvitova in a near hour-long first set , which saw both exchange breaks before going into a tiebreak . the world number one raced into a 4-0 lead before kvitova fought back and it needed a strong service winner from williams to close it out 7-5 . williams broke the left-hander in the fifth game of the second set and extended her advantage in the penultimate game . but that was not before kvitova had won the rally of the match , a 19-stroke thriller , to save a break point . but williams eventually took the game to go up a double break and served out for the match . only zvonareva stands between her and a fourth wimbledon title to add to her victory in the australian open earlier this year . but the tournament favorite is still wary of the challenge of her talented opponent . i 've had some unbelievable matches against her , she 's really tough , ' she told bbc sport . the 25-year-old zvonareva reached her first grand slam final after seeing off pirinkova , who beat venus williams in the quarterfinals . i have n't quite realized what i 've done yet , ' zvonareva told afp . it is very exciting . it 's one of my dreams to be in the final . ' the turning point of their match came in the sixth game of the second set as zvonareva made the breakthrough on pirinkova 's service and went on to level at a set all . a break in the very first game of the decider put zvonoreva on top and she broke again as pirinkova missed a forehand . but she will need to be at her best in saturday 's showpiece as williams bids for her 13th grand slam singles title .","21st seed zvonareva of russia saw off bulgarian outside tsvetana pironkova in three sets" +"zvonareva ( cnn ) -- top seed and defending champion serena williams charged into her sixth wimbledon final where she will play russian vera zvonareva on saturday . williams ended the dreams of unseeded czech petra kvitova with a 7-6 6-2 victory in their semifinal on centre court on friday . earlier , zvonareva came from a set down to beat another unseeded player , bulgarian tsvetana pironkova , 3-6 6-3 6-2 . williams was extended by kvitova in a near hour-long first set , which saw both exchange breaks before going into a tiebreak . the world number one raced into a 4-0 lead before kvitova fought back and it needed a strong service winner from williams to close it out 7-5 . williams broke the left-hander in the fifth game of the second set and extended her advantage in the penultimate game . but that was not before kvitova had won the rally of the match , a 19-stroke thriller , to save a break point . but williams eventually took the game to go up a double break and served out for the match . only zvonareva stands between her and a fourth wimbledon title to add to her victory in the australian open earlier this year . but the tournament favorite is still wary of the challenge of her talented opponent . i 've had some unbelievable matches against her , she 's really tough , ' she told bbc sport . the 25-year-old zvonareva reached her first grand slam final after seeing off pirinkova , who beat venus williams in the quarterfinals . i have n't quite realized what i 've done yet , ' zvonareva told afp . it is very exciting . it 's one of my dreams to be in the final . ' the turning point of their match came in the sixth game of the second set as zvonareva made the breakthrough on pirinkova 's service and went on to level at a set all . a break in the very first game of the decider put zvonoreva on top and she broke again as pirinkova missed a forehand . but she will need to be at her best in saturday 's showpiece as williams bids for her 13th grand slam singles title .","serena williams to take on vera zvonareva in women 's singles final at wimbledon" +"china ( cnn ) -- beijing hosted one of the most memorable summer olympics in recent history -- now the chinese capital is hoping to welcome the world 's top winter games stars for the first time in a joint 2022 bid . the 2008 host , along with the northern city of zhangjiakou , is vying with several european cities after having officially entered the bidding , according to the chinese olympic committee ( coc ) . beijing would stage the ice events , reports the country 's state-run news agency xinhua , while snow-based competitions would take place in zhangjiakou . the 2008 olympics has left many legacies to beijing , which includes experience and sufficient infrastructure , ' beijing sports bureau chief li yingchuan told xinhua . take the capital stadium as an example , it has about 10,000 seats . ' beijing hosted an international skating union competition earlier this month but would still require a new speed skating arena . there are plans to build an express railway line to cover the 174 km distance from beijing to zhangjiakou , which is in hebei province . it is estimated the journey time will be just 40 minutes , but li is wary of the cost to the local environment . the government has already started to tackle the problem , ' said li . i believe in 10 years the situation will be much better . ' china faces a fight to win the hosting rights , with germany 's munich , the norwegian capital oslo , almaty in kazahkstan , poland 's krakow , ukraine 's lviv and sweden 's oestersund all in the mix . there is also the fact that pyeongchang of south korea will host the 2018 winter games -- making it unlikely that another asian country would succeed in 2022 . there is a rotation rule , though unwritten , in the bid . since pyeongchang won the 2018 bid , beijing as another asian city will face a daunting task to beat the odds , ' li said . i would say anything is possible . even if beijing loses this time , we will continue our efforts in the future . ' a decision on which country will host the 2022 games will be made in july 2015 by the international olympic committee . japan is the only asian country to have hosted the winter olympics , in sapporo ( 1972 ) and nagano ( 1998 ) .","china makes bid to host winter olympic games in 2022" +"nepali kathmandu , nepal ( cnn ) -- geeta was 9 when she began wearing makeup , staying up until 2 a.m. and having sex with as many as 60 men a day . i used to be really sad and frustrated with what was happening in my life , ' she said . the daughter of nepalese peasant farmers , geeta -- now 26 -- had been sold to a brothel in india by a member of her extended family . the family member had duped geeta 's visually impaired mother into believing her daughter would get work at a clothing company in nepal . the brothel where i was ... there [ were ] many customers coming in every day . the owner used to verbally abuse us , and if we did n't comply , [ she ] would start beating us with wires , rods and hot spoons . ' it was not until geeta was 14 that a police officer rescued her and brought her to a safe house compound run by anuradha koirala . the 61-year-old woman and her group , maiti nepal , have been fighting for more than 16 years to rescue and rehabilitate thousands of nepal 's sex trafficking victims . families are tricked all the time , ' said koirala . the trafficking of the girls is done by people who are basically known to the girls , who can lure them from the village by telling them they are getting a nice job . it 's a lucrative business . ' by raiding brothels , patrolling the india-nepal border and providing safe shelter and support services , koirala and maiti nepal have helped rescue and rehabilitate more than 12,000 nepali women and girls since 1993 . do you know someone who should be a cnn hero ? nominations are open now according to the u.s. state department , some 10,000 to 15,000 women and girls from nepal are trafficked to india and then sexually exploited each year . koirala 's own history in an abusive relationship led her to her crusade . for most of her young adulthood , she taught primary school english in nepal . but when her relationship took a violent turn , her life 's purpose and responsibility completely changed , ' she said . every day , there was battering . and then i had three miscarriages that i think [ were ] from the beating . it was very difficult because i did n't know in those days where to go and report [ it ] , who to ... talk to . ' after the relationship ended , koirala used a portion of her $ 100 monthly salary to start a small retail shop to employ and support displaced victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence . by the early 1990s , an increasing demand for help and persistent cases of violence against women compelled koirala to do more . maiti nepal was her brainchild for giving voice , legal defense and rehabilitation to victims of sex trafficking . roughly translated , maiti means mother 's home . ' the group has facilities throughout nepal and india , but most of the rehabilitation work takes place at its main campus in kathmandu , nepal . koirala said girls from the brothels arrive empty-handed , sick , in many cases pregnant or with small children , and psychologically broken . ' when the girl first comes to maiti nepal , we never , never ask them a question . we just let them [ be ] for as long as they need . we let them play , dance , walk , talk to a friend , ' koirala said . they are afraid at first , but eventually they will talk to us on their own . ' the group also takes in rape and domestic violence survivors , as well as abandoned children . i can not say no to anybody , ' koirala said . everybody comes to maiti nepal . ' accommodating its population of close to 400 women and children requires a large staff of teachers , counselors and medical personnel -- and dozens of bunk beds . many of the staff are sex trafficking survivors now committed to helping rehabilitate other girls . the work is funded by grants and donations from around the world . post-rescue recovery is comprehensive . maiti nepal provides medical treatment , psychological and legal counseling , formal court filings and criminal prosecution , all for free . while some of the girls are able to return to their families , many of them -- particularly those with hiv/aids and other sexually transmitted diseases -- become socially stigmatized and are no longer welcome in their home communities . for these girls , maiti nepal becomes their new , and possibly last , home . a hospice on the compound 's grounds houses terminally ill patients . the hardest part for me is to see a girl dying or coming back with different diseases at an [ age ] when she should be out frolicking , ' koirala said . that 's what fuels me to work harder . ' the group 's ultimate goal is to help girls become economically independent and reintegrated into society . we try to give them whatever work they want to do , whatever training they want to do , because when you 're economically empowered , people forget everything . people even forget [ she is ] hiv-positive or was trafficked , ' koirala said . koirala and at least 50 trafficking survivors also participate in what she calls social preventive work outside the campus . their community awareness camps educate families in rural villages and city slums about the dangers of sex trafficking , and a daily patrol at crossing points along the india-nepal border successfully rescues an average of four nepali girls a day . our girls are border guards who have been trafficked themselves . they easily recognize a girl that is being trafficked or will be trafficked , ' koirala said . the girls need no motivation from me . they know the horrors of the brothel , and they are here to save their sisters . ' some girls who are trafficked choose to remain prostitutes for life because their home villages will not accept them . but koirala says that among those rescued by maiti nepal , there is n't a single case when a girl has returned back to the streets . geeta 's recovery is one of the group 's success stories . today , she works at maiti nepal as a peer educator and also helps with the group 's awareness camps . she credits koirala and maiti nepal for the strength to keep living and the confidence to join the fight against sex trafficking . anuradha is a hero . ... she 's courageous , ' geeta said . she gave me my faith back . ... if maiti nepal was n't there for me , i would be dead by now . ' want to get involved ? check out the maiti nepal website and see how to help . cnn 's gena somra and farhad shadravan contributed to this report .","more than 12,000 nepali women and girls have been rescued and rehabilitated since 1993" +"borussia dortmund ( cnn ) -- it was muhammad ali who warned his opponents he would float like a butterfly and sting like a bee ' . now , perhaps borussia dortmund can claim similar after crushing real madrid 4-1 in the first leg of its champions league semifinal wednesday . decked out in black and yellow , it swarmed around real from the start with a buzz and infectious enthusiasm to be marveled at -- but it was left to one man to administer the fatal sting . robert lewandowski , the poland striker , was already one of the most feared forwards in european football before his took the field . he left with his reputation enhanced four-fold , his asking price at an all-time high and his team within touching distance of next month 's champions league final . his four goals lit up an extraordinary encounter in which dortmund went from young pretenders to serious contenders . barring the prospect of miracles at camp nou and the bernabeu next week , dortmund will contest the first ever all-german champions league final against bayern munich at wembley on may 25 . it was an unbelievable , ' dortmund boss jurgen klopp told sky sports . it was a great game by my team . it was so difficult today because they are so strong and fast and they are so brilliant on the counterattack . the first 25 minutes were great and then we lost a bit of our game . not so much but enough to let them come up . they got ( level ) and at the break we told the players :'maybe you think there was a wrong decision by the referee but in the last game we had a wrong decision from the referee and we had the winner . go back to the strong first 25 minutes'. ' cnn football club : what would you ask brad friedel ? forget that real , the nine-time winners and richest club in the world , was expected to qualify for the final . forget that real , boasting the mercurial talent of cristiano ronaldo , failed to produce their normal level of performance . instead , focus on one of the most exciting and vibrant sides to have emerged in european competition for many a year . the fresh faced innocence , the youthful zest , the unbounded energy , all these traits have helped shape a dortmund side , which is quickly winning the hearts of football fans across the globe . german football is enjoying a stellar spell in the spotlight with fan ownership , cheap tickets , high attendances and huge television audiences making the bundesliga one of the most popular leagues in the world . if bayern 's 4-0 win over barcelona on tuesday night was supposedly the beginning of a power shift from spain to germany , then dortmund 's dominance confirmed it . everywhere you looked on the field , dortmund was in control . lewandowski led the line , a lone warrior refusing to be tamed by a real defense appearing more and more desperate as the night progressed . the prodigiously talented ilkay gundogan , who shielded his defense with an authority and maturity way beyond his 22 years , ran the midfield . mario goetze , playing just over 24 hours since his $ 48 million move to bayern had been confirmed , showed just why incoming manager pep guardiola was so keen to lure the gifted playmaker to the allianz arena . alongside the fleet footed marco reus , the pair tore into a real side which looked anemic inside the red hot atmosphere of the westfalenstadion . real would have expected dortmund to start at breakneck speed , but even it was taken aback by the pace , power and ferocity of the german side . just seven minutes had elapsed when the wonderfully talented reus danced his way through the real defense , before unleashing a rasping effort which was parried away by diego lopez . that was a warning of what was to follow and less than 60 seconds later the home side forged ahead when goetze produced a sublime cross from the left for lewandowski to poke home . the buzz and energy with which dortmund played appeared to overwhelm the spanish champion , which was swept away with consummate ease . but while dortmund dominated , it was unable to add to its advantage and was made to pay as real struck back with just two minutes of the half remaining . with the home players still appealing for a penalty for what they considered to be a foul on reus , the visiting team took advantage in devastating fashion . a long ball was misjudged by mats hummels and gonzalo higuain ran clear to square for cristiano ronaldo to roll the ball home . ronaldo 's strike , his sixth in six consecutive champions league games , appeared to have left dortmund in a daze . but whatever klopp said to his side at the break worked a treat as they produced one of the most enthralling second half displays in recent times . it was lewandowski who led the charge , firing home his second within five minutes of the restart after taking reus'deflected effort in his path . his third followed soon after , and when it came , it was worth waiting for . marcel schmelzer 's cross-cum-shot found the forward inside the penalty area and the striker produced an exquisite turn before sending an unstoppable effort into the roof of the net . dortmund were rampant and the hugely impressive gundogan almost added a fourth when his fierce effort was brilliantly tipped away by lopez in the real goal . that fourth goal was not far away , however , and when xavi alonso fouled reus inside the penalty area , lewandowski stood up to power home from 12-yards . not since the legendary hungarian striker ferenc puskas in 1960 had anybody scored four times in a european cup semfinal or final . that tally could have been greater but lopez produced another stunning save to push the pole 's fierce effort over the crossbar . real did rally late on with ronaldo and raphael varane both going close , but jose mourinho 's men must now hope for an incredible turnaround next tuesday . only once has a team emerged victorious after conceding a three goal deficit in a champions league knockout stage . on that occasion , deportivo la coruna came back from a 4-1 defeat at ac milan to win 5-4 on aggregate courtesy of a 4-0 home win . i think dortmund were the best team by far , ' real boss mourinho told sky sports . they won every individual battle on the pitch , they were stronger physically and mentally so i think they deserve it . how did it go from 1-1 to 4-1 ? i do n't know . everything happened in a short space of time . we lost easy possession and we could n't cope with their counter attack and their transition . we know everything about robert lewandowski , every detail possible and we lost him in three goals . it 's very disappointing . when we lose and we do n't deserve to lose , with me , it 's a drama , when i do deserve to lose i accept it . of course the boy deserves credit for what he did but we gave him every support for man of the match . ' a 3-0 win would take real through to the final and keep alive its hopes of winning la decima ' -- the club 's tenth trophy in the competition . but the task looks nearly impossible following its abject showing in dortmund . it will be very difficult in the return leg at home but we must remain confident and try to react , ' real captain sergio ramos told reporters . when the draw for the semifinals was made a lot of people thought this was going to be easy for us , but this is a german team we are talking about . they are a great side . '","borussia dortmund crush real madrid 4-1 in first leg of champions league semifinal" +"german ( cnn ) -- it was muhammad ali who warned his opponents he would float like a butterfly and sting like a bee ' . now , perhaps borussia dortmund can claim similar after crushing real madrid 4-1 in the first leg of its champions league semifinal wednesday . decked out in black and yellow , it swarmed around real from the start with a buzz and infectious enthusiasm to be marveled at -- but it was left to one man to administer the fatal sting . robert lewandowski , the poland striker , was already one of the most feared forwards in european football before his took the field . he left with his reputation enhanced four-fold , his asking price at an all-time high and his team within touching distance of next month 's champions league final . his four goals lit up an extraordinary encounter in which dortmund went from young pretenders to serious contenders . barring the prospect of miracles at camp nou and the bernabeu next week , dortmund will contest the first ever all-german champions league final against bayern munich at wembley on may 25 . it was an unbelievable , ' dortmund boss jurgen klopp told sky sports . it was a great game by my team . it was so difficult today because they are so strong and fast and they are so brilliant on the counterattack . the first 25 minutes were great and then we lost a bit of our game . not so much but enough to let them come up . they got ( level ) and at the break we told the players :'maybe you think there was a wrong decision by the referee but in the last game we had a wrong decision from the referee and we had the winner . go back to the strong first 25 minutes'. ' cnn football club : what would you ask brad friedel ? forget that real , the nine-time winners and richest club in the world , was expected to qualify for the final . forget that real , boasting the mercurial talent of cristiano ronaldo , failed to produce their normal level of performance . instead , focus on one of the most exciting and vibrant sides to have emerged in european competition for many a year . the fresh faced innocence , the youthful zest , the unbounded energy , all these traits have helped shape a dortmund side , which is quickly winning the hearts of football fans across the globe . german football is enjoying a stellar spell in the spotlight with fan ownership , cheap tickets , high attendances and huge television audiences making the bundesliga one of the most popular leagues in the world . if bayern 's 4-0 win over barcelona on tuesday night was supposedly the beginning of a power shift from spain to germany , then dortmund 's dominance confirmed it . everywhere you looked on the field , dortmund was in control . lewandowski led the line , a lone warrior refusing to be tamed by a real defense appearing more and more desperate as the night progressed . the prodigiously talented ilkay gundogan , who shielded his defense with an authority and maturity way beyond his 22 years , ran the midfield . mario goetze , playing just over 24 hours since his $ 48 million move to bayern had been confirmed , showed just why incoming manager pep guardiola was so keen to lure the gifted playmaker to the allianz arena . alongside the fleet footed marco reus , the pair tore into a real side which looked anemic inside the red hot atmosphere of the westfalenstadion . real would have expected dortmund to start at breakneck speed , but even it was taken aback by the pace , power and ferocity of the german side . just seven minutes had elapsed when the wonderfully talented reus danced his way through the real defense , before unleashing a rasping effort which was parried away by diego lopez . that was a warning of what was to follow and less than 60 seconds later the home side forged ahead when goetze produced a sublime cross from the left for lewandowski to poke home . the buzz and energy with which dortmund played appeared to overwhelm the spanish champion , which was swept away with consummate ease . but while dortmund dominated , it was unable to add to its advantage and was made to pay as real struck back with just two minutes of the half remaining . with the home players still appealing for a penalty for what they considered to be a foul on reus , the visiting team took advantage in devastating fashion . a long ball was misjudged by mats hummels and gonzalo higuain ran clear to square for cristiano ronaldo to roll the ball home . ronaldo 's strike , his sixth in six consecutive champions league games , appeared to have left dortmund in a daze . but whatever klopp said to his side at the break worked a treat as they produced one of the most enthralling second half displays in recent times . it was lewandowski who led the charge , firing home his second within five minutes of the restart after taking reus'deflected effort in his path . his third followed soon after , and when it came , it was worth waiting for . marcel schmelzer 's cross-cum-shot found the forward inside the penalty area and the striker produced an exquisite turn before sending an unstoppable effort into the roof of the net . dortmund were rampant and the hugely impressive gundogan almost added a fourth when his fierce effort was brilliantly tipped away by lopez in the real goal . that fourth goal was not far away , however , and when xavi alonso fouled reus inside the penalty area , lewandowski stood up to power home from 12-yards . not since the legendary hungarian striker ferenc puskas in 1960 had anybody scored four times in a european cup semfinal or final . that tally could have been greater but lopez produced another stunning save to push the pole 's fierce effort over the crossbar . real did rally late on with ronaldo and raphael varane both going close , but jose mourinho 's men must now hope for an incredible turnaround next tuesday . only once has a team emerged victorious after conceding a three goal deficit in a champions league knockout stage . on that occasion , deportivo la coruna came back from a 4-1 defeat at ac milan to win 5-4 on aggregate courtesy of a 4-0 home win . i think dortmund were the best team by far , ' real boss mourinho told sky sports . they won every individual battle on the pitch , they were stronger physically and mentally so i think they deserve it . how did it go from 1-1 to 4-1 ? i do n't know . everything happened in a short space of time . we lost easy possession and we could n't cope with their counter attack and their transition . we know everything about robert lewandowski , every detail possible and we lost him in three goals . it 's very disappointing . when we lose and we do n't deserve to lose , with me , it 's a drama , when i do deserve to lose i accept it . of course the boy deserves credit for what he did but we gave him every support for man of the match . ' a 3-0 win would take real through to the final and keep alive its hopes of winning la decima ' -- the club 's tenth trophy in the competition . but the task looks nearly impossible following its abject showing in dortmund . it will be very difficult in the return leg at home but we must remain confident and try to react , ' real captain sergio ramos told reporters . when the draw for the semifinals was made a lot of people thought this was going to be easy for us , but this is a german team we are talking about . they are a great side . '","robert lewandowski scored all four goals for german side" +"house ( cnn ) -- this week , just over 250 days since the u.s. senate passed a bipartisan and inclusive bill to extend the landmark violence against women act ( vawa ) , the republican leadership in the house of representatives allowed the clock to run out on protections that bill would have provided to millions of women across our country . it was an inexcusable failure by house republican leaders and one that will have real-life implications for women who now find themselves with nowhere to turn for help . it was also another reminder , coming on the same day that house republican leaders refused to pass aid to states ravaged by superstorm sandy , that these leaders continue to answer to the most radical elements of their party regardless of who or what is at stake . since it was passed into law in 1994 , the violence against women act has provided life-saving assistance to millions of women and families across the nation . for battered women , the law has provided critical law enforcement protections and often a way out from a life of abuse . one reason the law has worked so well in protecting a broad group of women is that since its initial passage , every time congress has reauthorized the bill , we have done so in a bipartisan way that extends the legislation 's many protections to new groups of women . news : backers hope to revive violence against women act that was once again the case when the senate took up the bill in 2012 . we listened to advocates , law enforcement officers , clergy members and -- most importantly -- from the survivors themselves to find out what needed to be done to improve vawa . and in april the senate passed a vawa reauthorization by a vote of 68 to 31 , a rare bipartisan feat that included the support of 15 republicans . included in that bill were new protections granted to women who had been left out of previous versions of the bill . specifically , the bill included increased protections for women on college campuses across the nation following the brutal 2010 murder of yeardley love at the university of virginia . it included new law enforcement measures to safeguard women on tribal reservations , one in three of whom will be raped in their lifetimes . it included nondiscrimination language for those in the lgbt community who had been unfairly left out of previous bills . and it provided protections to immigrant women , regardless of their status , who are often scared into silence at the hands of their abusers . opinion : do n't gut violence against women act but for the leadership in the house of representatives , passing a bill with life-saving protections to these new communities of women was simply not politically acceptable . so just weeks after the senate passed our bill , in a purely ideological move , house republicans passed a bill that specifically stripped the new protections for immigrants , the lgbt community and tribal women , and even removed protections that exist under current law . for me and for many of my women colleagues , as well as for mothers , sisters and daughters everywhere , the house republican 's decision to pointedly discriminate against these groups of women was stunning . surely , we should all be able to agree that where a person lives , their immigration status or who they love should not determine whether or not perpetrators of domestic violence toward them are brought to justice . surely no police officer should ever have to ask the sexual orientation or immigration status of a woman who lies bruised and battered at the scene of a crime . yet , the house bill drew those lines . debate over act centers on the vulnerable so , over the course of the past nine months , i have joined with domestic violence advocates , fellow legislators and countless victims to call on house leaders to end the discrimination against these populations of women . on the senate floor we have told the painful stories these women have shared of being scared for their own lives . in television appearances , these brave women have plead for the protections so many other women across the country enjoy . and most recently , every democratic woman in the senate wrote to the republican women of the house of representatives to appeal for their help in passing our bill . opinion : sadly , some do n't see it as rape thankfully , in response to these many calls , one by one we heard from moderate republican voices in the house who believed they should take up and pass the senate bill . these members of congress made clear that if house leadership would only bring up the bill for a vote it would pass the house and be sent to the president to become law . yet , throughout the final weeks , days and hours of the last congress , house speaker john boehner and house majority leader eric cantor refused to budge . ignoring voices in their own party and the clear message sent by american women in the last election , they instead decided to side with the far right wing of their party by allowing the bill to expire . this political gamesmanship has taken a very real toll . every moment the house continues to delay is another moment vulnerable women are left without protections they deserve . in the next congress one of our absolute first priorities must be passing an inclusive and bipartisan bill to extend protections to the millions of new women included in the senate bill . as a nation we can not accept further discrimination or delay from house republican leaders . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of patty murray .","murray : some gop in house say bill could pass if brought to vote . women need house to act" +"house ( cnn ) -- this week , just over 250 days since the u.s. senate passed a bipartisan and inclusive bill to extend the landmark violence against women act ( vawa ) , the republican leadership in the house of representatives allowed the clock to run out on protections that bill would have provided to millions of women across our country . it was an inexcusable failure by house republican leaders and one that will have real-life implications for women who now find themselves with nowhere to turn for help . it was also another reminder , coming on the same day that house republican leaders refused to pass aid to states ravaged by superstorm sandy , that these leaders continue to answer to the most radical elements of their party regardless of who or what is at stake . since it was passed into law in 1994 , the violence against women act has provided life-saving assistance to millions of women and families across the nation . for battered women , the law has provided critical law enforcement protections and often a way out from a life of abuse . one reason the law has worked so well in protecting a broad group of women is that since its initial passage , every time congress has reauthorized the bill , we have done so in a bipartisan way that extends the legislation 's many protections to new groups of women . news : backers hope to revive violence against women act that was once again the case when the senate took up the bill in 2012 . we listened to advocates , law enforcement officers , clergy members and -- most importantly -- from the survivors themselves to find out what needed to be done to improve vawa . and in april the senate passed a vawa reauthorization by a vote of 68 to 31 , a rare bipartisan feat that included the support of 15 republicans . included in that bill were new protections granted to women who had been left out of previous versions of the bill . specifically , the bill included increased protections for women on college campuses across the nation following the brutal 2010 murder of yeardley love at the university of virginia . it included new law enforcement measures to safeguard women on tribal reservations , one in three of whom will be raped in their lifetimes . it included nondiscrimination language for those in the lgbt community who had been unfairly left out of previous bills . and it provided protections to immigrant women , regardless of their status , who are often scared into silence at the hands of their abusers . opinion : do n't gut violence against women act but for the leadership in the house of representatives , passing a bill with life-saving protections to these new communities of women was simply not politically acceptable . so just weeks after the senate passed our bill , in a purely ideological move , house republicans passed a bill that specifically stripped the new protections for immigrants , the lgbt community and tribal women , and even removed protections that exist under current law . for me and for many of my women colleagues , as well as for mothers , sisters and daughters everywhere , the house republican 's decision to pointedly discriminate against these groups of women was stunning . surely , we should all be able to agree that where a person lives , their immigration status or who they love should not determine whether or not perpetrators of domestic violence toward them are brought to justice . surely no police officer should ever have to ask the sexual orientation or immigration status of a woman who lies bruised and battered at the scene of a crime . yet , the house bill drew those lines . debate over act centers on the vulnerable so , over the course of the past nine months , i have joined with domestic violence advocates , fellow legislators and countless victims to call on house leaders to end the discrimination against these populations of women . on the senate floor we have told the painful stories these women have shared of being scared for their own lives . in television appearances , these brave women have plead for the protections so many other women across the country enjoy . and most recently , every democratic woman in the senate wrote to the republican women of the house of representatives to appeal for their help in passing our bill . opinion : sadly , some do n't see it as rape thankfully , in response to these many calls , one by one we heard from moderate republican voices in the house who believed they should take up and pass the senate bill . these members of congress made clear that if house leadership would only bring up the bill for a vote it would pass the house and be sent to the president to become law . yet , throughout the final weeks , days and hours of the last congress , house speaker john boehner and house majority leader eric cantor refused to budge . ignoring voices in their own party and the clear message sent by american women in the last election , they instead decided to side with the far right wing of their party by allowing the bill to expire . this political gamesmanship has taken a very real toll . every moment the house continues to delay is another moment vulnerable women are left without protections they deserve . in the next congress one of our absolute first priorities must be passing an inclusive and bipartisan bill to extend protections to the millions of new women included in the senate bill . as a nation we can not accept further discrimination or delay from house republican leaders . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of patty murray .","patty murray : house gop stalled renewal of violence against women act" +"house ( cnn ) -- this week , just over 250 days since the u.s. senate passed a bipartisan and inclusive bill to extend the landmark violence against women act ( vawa ) , the republican leadership in the house of representatives allowed the clock to run out on protections that bill would have provided to millions of women across our country . it was an inexcusable failure by house republican leaders and one that will have real-life implications for women who now find themselves with nowhere to turn for help . it was also another reminder , coming on the same day that house republican leaders refused to pass aid to states ravaged by superstorm sandy , that these leaders continue to answer to the most radical elements of their party regardless of who or what is at stake . since it was passed into law in 1994 , the violence against women act has provided life-saving assistance to millions of women and families across the nation . for battered women , the law has provided critical law enforcement protections and often a way out from a life of abuse . one reason the law has worked so well in protecting a broad group of women is that since its initial passage , every time congress has reauthorized the bill , we have done so in a bipartisan way that extends the legislation 's many protections to new groups of women . news : backers hope to revive violence against women act that was once again the case when the senate took up the bill in 2012 . we listened to advocates , law enforcement officers , clergy members and -- most importantly -- from the survivors themselves to find out what needed to be done to improve vawa . and in april the senate passed a vawa reauthorization by a vote of 68 to 31 , a rare bipartisan feat that included the support of 15 republicans . included in that bill were new protections granted to women who had been left out of previous versions of the bill . specifically , the bill included increased protections for women on college campuses across the nation following the brutal 2010 murder of yeardley love at the university of virginia . it included new law enforcement measures to safeguard women on tribal reservations , one in three of whom will be raped in their lifetimes . it included nondiscrimination language for those in the lgbt community who had been unfairly left out of previous bills . and it provided protections to immigrant women , regardless of their status , who are often scared into silence at the hands of their abusers . opinion : do n't gut violence against women act but for the leadership in the house of representatives , passing a bill with life-saving protections to these new communities of women was simply not politically acceptable . so just weeks after the senate passed our bill , in a purely ideological move , house republicans passed a bill that specifically stripped the new protections for immigrants , the lgbt community and tribal women , and even removed protections that exist under current law . for me and for many of my women colleagues , as well as for mothers , sisters and daughters everywhere , the house republican 's decision to pointedly discriminate against these groups of women was stunning . surely , we should all be able to agree that where a person lives , their immigration status or who they love should not determine whether or not perpetrators of domestic violence toward them are brought to justice . surely no police officer should ever have to ask the sexual orientation or immigration status of a woman who lies bruised and battered at the scene of a crime . yet , the house bill drew those lines . debate over act centers on the vulnerable so , over the course of the past nine months , i have joined with domestic violence advocates , fellow legislators and countless victims to call on house leaders to end the discrimination against these populations of women . on the senate floor we have told the painful stories these women have shared of being scared for their own lives . in television appearances , these brave women have plead for the protections so many other women across the country enjoy . and most recently , every democratic woman in the senate wrote to the republican women of the house of representatives to appeal for their help in passing our bill . opinion : sadly , some do n't see it as rape thankfully , in response to these many calls , one by one we heard from moderate republican voices in the house who believed they should take up and pass the senate bill . these members of congress made clear that if house leadership would only bring up the bill for a vote it would pass the house and be sent to the president to become law . yet , throughout the final weeks , days and hours of the last congress , house speaker john boehner and house majority leader eric cantor refused to budge . ignoring voices in their own party and the clear message sent by american women in the last election , they instead decided to side with the far right wing of their party by allowing the bill to expire . this political gamesmanship has taken a very real toll . every moment the house continues to delay is another moment vulnerable women are left without protections they deserve . in the next congress one of our absolute first priorities must be passing an inclusive and bipartisan bill to extend protections to the millions of new women included in the senate bill . as a nation we can not accept further discrimination or delay from house republican leaders . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of patty murray .","she says in partisan move , house then passed a bill stripping out new protections" +"patty murray ( cnn ) -- this week , just over 250 days since the u.s. senate passed a bipartisan and inclusive bill to extend the landmark violence against women act ( vawa ) , the republican leadership in the house of representatives allowed the clock to run out on protections that bill would have provided to millions of women across our country . it was an inexcusable failure by house republican leaders and one that will have real-life implications for women who now find themselves with nowhere to turn for help . it was also another reminder , coming on the same day that house republican leaders refused to pass aid to states ravaged by superstorm sandy , that these leaders continue to answer to the most radical elements of their party regardless of who or what is at stake . since it was passed into law in 1994 , the violence against women act has provided life-saving assistance to millions of women and families across the nation . for battered women , the law has provided critical law enforcement protections and often a way out from a life of abuse . one reason the law has worked so well in protecting a broad group of women is that since its initial passage , every time congress has reauthorized the bill , we have done so in a bipartisan way that extends the legislation 's many protections to new groups of women . news : backers hope to revive violence against women act that was once again the case when the senate took up the bill in 2012 . we listened to advocates , law enforcement officers , clergy members and -- most importantly -- from the survivors themselves to find out what needed to be done to improve vawa . and in april the senate passed a vawa reauthorization by a vote of 68 to 31 , a rare bipartisan feat that included the support of 15 republicans . included in that bill were new protections granted to women who had been left out of previous versions of the bill . specifically , the bill included increased protections for women on college campuses across the nation following the brutal 2010 murder of yeardley love at the university of virginia . it included new law enforcement measures to safeguard women on tribal reservations , one in three of whom will be raped in their lifetimes . it included nondiscrimination language for those in the lgbt community who had been unfairly left out of previous bills . and it provided protections to immigrant women , regardless of their status , who are often scared into silence at the hands of their abusers . opinion : do n't gut violence against women act but for the leadership in the house of representatives , passing a bill with life-saving protections to these new communities of women was simply not politically acceptable . so just weeks after the senate passed our bill , in a purely ideological move , house republicans passed a bill that specifically stripped the new protections for immigrants , the lgbt community and tribal women , and even removed protections that exist under current law . for me and for many of my women colleagues , as well as for mothers , sisters and daughters everywhere , the house republican 's decision to pointedly discriminate against these groups of women was stunning . surely , we should all be able to agree that where a person lives , their immigration status or who they love should not determine whether or not perpetrators of domestic violence toward them are brought to justice . surely no police officer should ever have to ask the sexual orientation or immigration status of a woman who lies bruised and battered at the scene of a crime . yet , the house bill drew those lines . debate over act centers on the vulnerable so , over the course of the past nine months , i have joined with domestic violence advocates , fellow legislators and countless victims to call on house leaders to end the discrimination against these populations of women . on the senate floor we have told the painful stories these women have shared of being scared for their own lives . in television appearances , these brave women have plead for the protections so many other women across the country enjoy . and most recently , every democratic woman in the senate wrote to the republican women of the house of representatives to appeal for their help in passing our bill . opinion : sadly , some do n't see it as rape thankfully , in response to these many calls , one by one we heard from moderate republican voices in the house who believed they should take up and pass the senate bill . these members of congress made clear that if house leadership would only bring up the bill for a vote it would pass the house and be sent to the president to become law . yet , throughout the final weeks , days and hours of the last congress , house speaker john boehner and house majority leader eric cantor refused to budge . ignoring voices in their own party and the clear message sent by american women in the last election , they instead decided to side with the far right wing of their party by allowing the bill to expire . this political gamesmanship has taken a very real toll . every moment the house continues to delay is another moment vulnerable women are left without protections they deserve . in the next congress one of our absolute first priorities must be passing an inclusive and bipartisan bill to extend protections to the millions of new women included in the senate bill . as a nation we can not accept further discrimination or delay from house republican leaders . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of patty murray .","patty murray : house gop stalled renewal of violence against women act" +"olympia ( cnn ) -- an atheist sign criticizing christianity that was erected alongside a nativity scene was taken from the legislative building in olympia , washington , on friday and later found in a ditch . the freedom from religion foundation had a placard up in the legislative building in olympia , washington . an employee from country radio station kmps-fm in seattle told cnn the sign was dropped off at the station by someone who found it in a ditch . i thought it would be safe , ' freedom from religion foundation co-founder annie laurie gaylor told cnn earlier friday . it 's always a shock when your sign is censored or stolen or mutilated . it 's not something you get used to . ' the sign , which celebrates the winter solstice , has had some residents and christian organizations calling atheists scrooges because they said it was attacking the celebration of jesus christ 's birth . religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds , ' the sign from the freedom from religion foundation says in part . the sign , which was at the legislative building at 6:30 a.m. pt , was gone by 7:30 a.m. , gaylor said . the incident will not stifle the group 's message , gaylor said . before reports of the placard 's recovery , she said a temporary sign with the same message would be placed in the building 's rotunda . gaylor said a note would be attached saying , thou shalt not steal . ' i guess they do n't follow their own commandments , ' gaylor said . there 's nothing out there with the atheist point of view , and now there is such a firestorm that we have the audacity to exist . and then [ whoever took the sign ] stifles our speech . ' gaylor said that police are checking security cameras pointed at the building 's entrances and exits to see if they can see anyone stealing the sign . it 's probably about 50 pounds , gaylor said . my brother-in-law was huffing and puffing carrying it up the stairs . it 's definitely not something you can stick under your arm or conceal . ' the washington state patrol , which is handling the incident , could not be reached for comment . dan barker , a former evangelical preacher and co-founder of the group , said it was important for atheists to see their viewpoints validated alongside everyone else 's . barker said the display is especially important given that 25 percent of washington state residents are unaffiliated with religion or do not believe in god . ( a recent survey by the pew forum on religion and public life found 23 percent of washingtonians said they were unaffiliated with a religion and 7 percent said they did n't believe in god . ) it 's not that we are trying to coerce anyone ; in a way our sign is a signal of protest , ' barker said . if there can be a nativity scene saying that we are all going to hell if we do n't bow down to jesus , we should be at the table to share our views . ' he said if anything , it 's the nativity scene that is the intrusion . most people think december is for christians and view our signs as an intrusion , when actually it 's the other way around , ' he said . people have been celebrating the winter solstice long before christmas . we see christianity as the intruder , trying to steal the holiday from all of us humans . ' the scene in washington state is not unfamiliar . barker has had signs in madison , wisconsin , for 13 years . the placard is often turned around so the message ca n't be seen , and one year , someone threw acid on it , forcing the group to encase it in plexiglas . in washington , d.c. , the american humanist association began a bus ad campaign this month questioning belief in god . why believe in a god ? ' the advertisement asks . just be good for goodness sake . ' that ad has caused the washington metropolitan area transit authority to field hundreds of complaints , the group said , but it has heard just as much positive feedback , said fred edwords , the association 's spokesman . edwords said the ad campaign , which features a shrugging santa claus , was not meant to attack christmas but rather to reach out to an untapped audience . edwords maintains the campaign began in december mostly because the group had extra money left over for the year . the connection to christmas is a coincidence , he said . there are a lot of people out there who do n't know there are organizations like ours to serve their needs , ' edwords said . the thing is , to reach a minority group , in order to be heard , everyone in the room has to hear you , even when they do n't want to . ' the ad campaign , edwords said , is to make people think . he said he does n't expect to convert ' anyone . but the christian coalition of america is urging members to oppose the advertisements . although a number of humanists and atheists continue to attempt to rid god and christmas from the public square , the american people are overwhelmingly opposed to such efforts , ' roberta combs , the group 's president said in a press release . we will ask our millions of supporters to call the city of washington , d.c. , and congress to stop this un-godly campaign . ' as far as the criticism goes , edwords said there are far more controversial placards in washington . that 's d.c. -- this is a political center , ' he said . if i can see a placard with dead fetuses on it , i think someone can look at our question and just think about it . ' the anger over the display in olympia began after it was assembled monday . the sentiment grew after some national media personalities called upon viewers to flood the phone lines of the governor 's office . the governor 's office told the seattle times it received more than 200 calls an hour afterward . i happen to be a christian , and i do n't agree with the display that is up there , ' washington gov . christine gregoire told the olympian newspaper . but that does n't mean that as governor , i have the right to deny their ability to express their free speech . ' for some , the issue is n't even that the atheists are putting their thoughts on display , but rather the way in which they are doing it . they are shooting themselves in the foot , ' said ireport contributor rich phillips , who describes himself as an atheist . everyone 's out there for the holidays , trying to represent their religion , their beliefs , and it 's a time to be positive . ' the atheist message was never intended to attack anyone , barker said . when people ask us ,'why are you hateful ? why are you putting up something critical of people 's holidays ? -- we respond that we kind of feel that the christian message is the hate message , ' he said . on that nativity scene , there is this threat of internal violence if we do n't submit to that master . hate speech goes both ways . '","atheists'place placard was next to nativity scene in olympia , washington , building" +"ebola london ( cnn ) the condition of a uk nurse infected with ebola has improved , and she is no longer critically ill , the london hospital where she is being treated said monday . on december 29 , pauline cafferkey , 39 , of glasgow , scotland , became the first person to be diagnosed with the virus on uk soil shortly after returning from sierra leone . on january 3 , london 's royal free hospital said cafferkey 's condition had deteriorated to critical . but in a statement monday , the hospital updated her condition . the royal free hospital is pleased to announce that pauline cafferkey is showing signs of improvement and is no longer critically ill , ' it said . she remains in isolation as she receives specialist care for the ebola virus . ' on december 31 , the hospital said cafferkey had decided to have a blood plasma treatment -- using plasma from ebola survivors -- and to take an experimental antiviral drug . the royal free is equipped with a high-level isolation unit , where access is restricted to specially trained medical staff . a specially designed tent with controlled ventilation covers the patient 's bed . cafferkey had been working at save the children 's kerry town ebola treatment center in sierra leone for six weeks before she returned to glasgow via casablanca and london heathrow airports . last week , save the children said it was doing everything possible ' to establish how cafferkey contracted ebola and had been conducting a review since she was confirmed as having the virus .","a uk nurse infected with ebola has improved and is no longer critically ill , hospital says" +"ebola london ( cnn ) the condition of a uk nurse infected with ebola has improved , and she is no longer critically ill , the london hospital where she is being treated said monday . on december 29 , pauline cafferkey , 39 , of glasgow , scotland , became the first person to be diagnosed with the virus on uk soil shortly after returning from sierra leone . on january 3 , london 's royal free hospital said cafferkey 's condition had deteriorated to critical . but in a statement monday , the hospital updated her condition . the royal free hospital is pleased to announce that pauline cafferkey is showing signs of improvement and is no longer critically ill , ' it said . she remains in isolation as she receives specialist care for the ebola virus . ' on december 31 , the hospital said cafferkey had decided to have a blood plasma treatment -- using plasma from ebola survivors -- and to take an experimental antiviral drug . the royal free is equipped with a high-level isolation unit , where access is restricted to specially trained medical staff . a specially designed tent with controlled ventilation covers the patient 's bed . cafferkey had been working at save the children 's kerry town ebola treatment center in sierra leone for six weeks before she returned to glasgow via casablanca and london heathrow airports . last week , save the children said it was doing everything possible ' to establish how cafferkey contracted ebola and had been conducting a review since she was confirmed as having the virus .","pauline cafferkey , 39 , is the first person to have been diagnosed with ebola on uk soil" +"fbi washington ( cnn ) -- pirates off the eastern coast of africa fired on u.s. sailors saturday as they tried to reach the lifeboat where an american captain is being held , a u.s. official familiar with the situation told cnn . the guided missile frigate uss halyburton , with helicopter capabilities , is now at the scene . the gunfire forced the sailors , who did not return fire , back to the guided missile destroyer uss bainbridge , the official said . capt . richard phillips reportedly offered himself as a hostage to the pirates during an attack wednesday on the u.s.-flagged container ship maersk alabama in the indian ocean . the alabama was en route to mombasa , kenya , with a cargo of food aid when it was hijacked about 350 miles off the somalia coast . the american crew regained control of the vessel , but the maersk company would not say how . there are about 20 crew members . the alabama arrived saturday in mombasa , along with an 18-person armed security detail on board . for security reasons , the vessel will berth in a restricted area of the port and will not be accessible to the media . fbi agents will debrief members of the crew on board the vessel before they disembark . the crew will not be available to the media in mombasa , ' maersk ltd. said . watch the latest maersk briefing » the u.s. navy -- which is in charge of the situation -- requested help from the fbi to resolve the standoff . the fbi is launching a criminal investigation into the hijacking and hostage-taking , two law enforcement officials told cnn . the probe will be led by the fbi 's new york field office , which has responsibility for looking into cases involving u.s. citizens in the african region . agents from the office were scheduled to leave for africa sometime this weekend , the officials said . phillips lives in underhill , vermont , where neighbor and longtime family friend , tom walsh , told cnn the captain 's wife , andrea , was surrounded by relatives . if they need us to help with anything . that 's kind of the way it is in these communities . ... just showing that we 're concerned . we want to do whatever she needs , ' walsh said . she has a lot of family there . ' watch more about the hostage situation » earlier saturday , pirates sailing a hijacked german cargo ship returned to port after failing to reach the area of the standoff with the bainbridge , a local journalist told cnn . the german ship hansa stavanger was among several pirated vessels trying to sail to the area some 300 miles off the somali coast , a somali journalist told cnn . the pirate crew had intended to help the pirates holding phillips but turned back because of the u.s. naval presence , the journalist said . the hansa stavanger is now at the somali port of eyl , the journalist said . the hansa stavanger was hijacked april 4 off the somali coast . pirates have been searching the waters off africa 's coast for the alabama 's lifeboat , a u.s. military official with knowledge of the situation said friday . they are using hijacked vessels and skiffs launched from larger ships , the official said . the guided missile frigate uss halyburton , with helicopter capabilities , has joined the bainbridge in the area . a third ship , the amphibious assault ship uss boxer -- with a medical facility aboard -- should be there by the end of the day . ireport.com : share your thoughts on how the pirates are being handled phillips is being held by four gunmen in the covered , fiberglass lifeboat . he jumped overboard at one point to try to escape , but one of the pirates jumped into the water after him and brought him back onboard the 28-foot boat . the pirates fired shots , the military official said , without providing further details . phillips appeared to be tied up by the pirates after the escape attempt , a defense department official told cnn . for the u.s. navy , bringing in more firepower is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation , said chris lawrence , cnn 's pentagon correspondent . attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the navy has to reposition some of its fleet to deal with the threats , he said . the pirates have shown no signs of giving in . meanwhile , the acts of piracy were having an effect on tourists disembarking from ships in mombasa . well , we got the international news stories on television on the ship and everybody 's concerned about the route that we were on because there was always the possibility that we would be approached by pirates , ' one male passenger said . cnn 's stephanie elam , mohammed jamjoom and barbara starr contributed to this report .","new : fbi launches criminal investigation into hijacking , hostage-taking" +"mme ( cnn ) -- in focus : dubai revisited the global downturn of 2008 put the brakes on dubai 's rapidly expanding property sector , precipitating a $ 25 billion restructuring of the gulf emirate 's debts . with the financial markets again teetering on the edge of disaster , mme investigates how dubai is reshaping its ownership laws to protect the housing industry from a second crisis . in focus : the road to statehood the palestinian president mahmoud abbas will head to the united nations in september to request official recognition of a palestinian state . mme analyzes the complexities of preparing an economy for the burdens of nationhood . facetime : reem acra , fashion designer reem acra is one of the hottest names in the lebanese fashion industry . mme visits the designers new flagship store in beirut to find why she thinks the middle east is such an untapped market for chic and style . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( gmt ) : fridays : 0845 , 1645 , saturdays : 0615 , sundays : 0515 , 1745 , mondays : 0045","what does it take to prepare an economy for statehood ? mme investigates" +"mme ( cnn ) -- in focus : dubai revisited the global downturn of 2008 put the brakes on dubai 's rapidly expanding property sector , precipitating a $ 25 billion restructuring of the gulf emirate 's debts . with the financial markets again teetering on the edge of disaster , mme investigates how dubai is reshaping its ownership laws to protect the housing industry from a second crisis . in focus : the road to statehood the palestinian president mahmoud abbas will head to the united nations in september to request official recognition of a palestinian state . mme analyzes the complexities of preparing an economy for the burdens of nationhood . facetime : reem acra , fashion designer reem acra is one of the hottest names in the lebanese fashion industry . mme visits the designers new flagship store in beirut to find why she thinks the middle east is such an untapped market for chic and style . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( gmt ) : fridays : 0845 , 1645 , saturdays : 0615 , sundays : 0515 , 1745 , mondays : 0045","mme looks at the property laws insulating dubai 's housing sector" +"reem acra ( cnn ) -- in focus : dubai revisited the global downturn of 2008 put the brakes on dubai 's rapidly expanding property sector , precipitating a $ 25 billion restructuring of the gulf emirate 's debts . with the financial markets again teetering on the edge of disaster , mme investigates how dubai is reshaping its ownership laws to protect the housing industry from a second crisis . in focus : the road to statehood the palestinian president mahmoud abbas will head to the united nations in september to request official recognition of a palestinian state . mme analyzes the complexities of preparing an economy for the burdens of nationhood . facetime : reem acra , fashion designer reem acra is one of the hottest names in the lebanese fashion industry . mme visits the designers new flagship store in beirut to find why she thinks the middle east is such an untapped market for chic and style . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( gmt ) : fridays : 0845 , 1645 , saturdays : 0615 , sundays : 0515 , 1745 , mondays : 0045","leading lebanese designer , reem acra talks fashion" +"iron lady ( cnn ) -- the death of britain 's former prime minister margaret thatcher has taken up column inches on front pages around the world . in keeping with the legacy of the iron lady ' , reaction has been split between praise and condemnation , underscoring thatcher 's global impact -- in life and now in death . read more : tributes paid to'great leader , great briton' the english language buenos aires herald said argentina 's government had been silent on the death of thatcher , who led britain into the 1982 war over the falkland islands , a territory argentina claims and refers to as las malvinas . thatcher was held responsible for sinking the ara general belgrano light cruiser outside the maritime exclusion zone , killing 323 argentine sailors , ' it said . relatives of argentinians killed in the war regretted that thatcher had died before argentina could file a lawsuit against her in the international criminal court at the hague , it said . argentine news agency telem said most argentinians would remember her for the belgrano incident , while la nacion said the few politicians who addressed her death also condemned the ship 's sinking . the falklands'penguin news led with lady thatcher 's death received with great sadness in falkland islands . ' it said the falklands war was seen as the defining moment ' in her career . in its article on thatcher 's death , the english-language santiago times in chile recalled the iron lady 's support for the country 's former dictator augusto pinochet , whose regime it said had supplied britain with intelligence during the falklands war . after his arrest , it said , thatcher praised pinochet for bringing chile democracy . thatcher 's staunch support of the dictator -- whose 17-year reign of terror included thousands of deaths and numerous human rights abuses -- was a controversial position for her to take , ' the article said . read more : how'lady t'built transatlantic bridges the shanghai daily carried a photo of thatcher meeting with china 's then leader deng xiaoping in 1982 , reminding its readers that thatcher had signed the 1987 agreement to hand hong kong back to china . china 's global times praised thatcher for recognizing that the issue of hong kong 's sovereignty was a different from that of the falklands . it said thatcher 's restoration of the british economy represented one of the last glorious achievements of great britain , or even europe . ' its editorial went on to speculate that thatcher had been the west 's last iron ' politician partly because the decline in european power means they can not uphold an iron stance . ' the win-win spirit china brings to international politics is expanding . we have reasons to show respect to this woman that signed the sino-british joint declaration . but at the same time , the world should move on , ' its editorial writer declared . the south china morning post carried a poll on whether thatcher signed away hong kong too easily . south africa 's mail and guardian reported a mixed response ' to the death of a woman who believed in engaging with the country 's apartheid regime and who described the anc as a terrorist organization . ' commentator susan booysen told the newspaper thatcher 's opposition to economic sanctions helped keep up ' the apartheid government . south africa 's times said the divisive effect ' of thatcher 's foreign policies were still felt in the country . it quoted former foreign minister pik botha as saying she had done more to help end apartheid than any of her contemporary leaders , while the anc highlighted thatcher 's failure to isolate apartheid after it had been described as a crime against humanity'. ' read more : twitter reactions the moscow times said thatcher -- an outspoken opponent of communism ' -- had publicly backed perestroika , the movement led by leader mikhail gorbachev to reform the communist party of the soviet union in the 1980s . a former translator for gorbachev , pavel palazchenko , told the newspaper that thatcher had helped change attitudes ' towards russia . without doubt , she played an instrumental role in ending the cold war , ' it quoted him as saying . in his l.a. times column , jonah goldberg wrote that thatcher destroyed socialism rather than liberalism -- forcing labour 's tony blair to to repudiate the party 's century-long support for doctrinaire socialism and embrace the market ' and u.s. democrat bill clinton to follow suit . that 's one reason the left still hates her so much -- because she won , at least in her time , ' goldberg concluded . the international herald tribune said it could be argued that her military successes had made it easier for mr. blair to carelessly and recklessly follow george w. bush into iraq . ' but mrs. thatcher knew how to stand up to ronald reagan when she needed to †” for example , over the ill-considered united states invasion of grenada , ' the newspaper said . the washington post headlined its editorial : margaret thatcher : in every sense , a leader . ' she strengthened britain 's ties with the united states , bolstered its military , supported the placement of intermediate-range missiles in europe ( an extremely controversial move at the time ) and spoke out with undiplomatic boldness when she took offense at some countries'actions , ' it said . the post speculated that she might have retained the premiership longer if she had been more flexible -- adding but then of course she would n't have been maggie thatcher . ' read more : reagan and thatcher :'political soulmates' french newspaper le monde wrote that the 1980s were the years of maggie ' , who it said reinvented economic liberalism -- alongside reagan . thatcher 's legacy continued with blair 's third way ' and clinton 's policies , it said in its editorial . in le figaro , pierre rousselin wrote that thatcher never wanted to please everybody . ' uncompromising on principles , she hated false consensus policies that solved nothing , ' he said . france and europe today may well need leaders of her ilk , ' rousselin added . however , in germany , der spiegel wrapped up editorial comment in the country under the headline 'thatcher 's dogma paved way for financial crisis'. ' some newspapers had highlighted her forceful personality while some conclude , however , that her policies were too radical , and that thatcherism no longer offers the answers to the economic problems of today , ' david crossland wrote . in the united kingdom , the daily mail called for a state funeral for the woman who saved britain . ' its headline contrasted with the daily mirror 's : the woman who divided a nation . ' the mirror 's editorial was headed : margaret thatcher broke britain and replaced it with something crueller and nastier . ' read more : thatcher 's legacy in europe","the iron lady ' privatized state-run industries and did battle with trade unions" +"carlo ancelotti ( cnn ) -- carlos tevez may have escaped the clutches of the premier league by joining italian giant juventus -- but the long arm of the law could yet bring the striker back to english shores . tevez , who completed his $ 13 million move from manchester city to the serie a champion thursday , has yet to complete his community service in england according to sources close to the case . the argentina international avoided jail last march after pleading guilty to the charge of driving while disqualified and accepted the punishment of 250 hours of community service and a $ 1,500 fine . while the exact number of hours owed by tevez has not been made public , he must complete his punishment within the 12 months of it being handed out . community service punishments in the united kingdom range from 40 hours to 300 -- with a minimum of seven hours per week being served . a probation service spokesperson told cnn : we do not comment on individuals . offenders must serve the sentences handed down to them by the courts . anyone who fails to do so will have action taken against them . ' cnn also contacted bcl burton copeland , the firm which represented tevez at his trial , but it refused to comment on the matter . meanwhile , tevez revealed his delight thursday at being handed the iconic number 10 shirt following the completion of his move to turin . tevez will follow in the footsteps of bianconeri legends michel platini , roberto baggio and most recently , alessandro del piero . i 'm absolutely aware of the great effort juventus football club has made to bring me here , ' he told reporters . i feel the responsibility of wearing this number and i am aware of the great responsibility of representing juventus and playing for the club . this number is certainly a great challenge . top players have worn it before and i was number 10 with boca ( juniors ) before , and ( diego ) maradona played in it too , so the great responsibility is now that i 'm going to play in this great club . so certainly the greatest challenge is to do my best . obviously i did n't want to forget del piero , who was the last player to wear number 10 . he is a person and player that i greatly respect and who certainly represents an emblem and symbol of esteem . it is a great pleasure and honor to wear this jersey with his number . ' tevez 's move to italy brings an eventful seven-year spell in england where he played for west ham , manchester united and manchester city . he endured a turbulent time at city after being exiled for six months by former manager roberto mancini following his refusal to warm up during a champions league clash at bayern munich in 2011 . mancini 's departure at the end of last season failed to persuade tevez from seeking pastures new -- although he denies that he turned down a move to ac milan following claims by the club 's vice-president adriano galliani . i want to be very clear and honest , ' he said . i 've only talked to galliani a couple of times in my life , ' said tevez . the last time was last year when there was an intention to bring me to ac milan but i do n't know why he has said such a thing . today i 'm here and that 's what matters , i 'm very happy to be here . ' isco elsewhere , new real madrid coach carlo ancelotti completed his first signing since taking over from jose mourinho with the acquisition of spain under-21 and malaga star isco . isco was a stand out star for the spain under-21 team which retained the european championship in israel , scoring three goals following a stunning season with malaga . real madrid incorporates a new project with one of the best spanish football players , ' the club said in a statement . francisco roman alarcon - isco - plays at the bernabeu for the next five seasons . ' the 21-year-old midfielder scored 12 goals in 45 appearances last season and made his full international debut against uruguay last february . imagination and speed are some of the qualities that define this midfielder ... a recent champion with spain at euro under-21 and at age 21 already capped by the senior team , ' madrid 's statement added . [ he is ] a player with enviable technical quality , chutzpah and imagination . '","midfielder has signed a five-year deal and becomes carlo ancelotti 's first signing" +"world ( cnn ) -- refugees are the most vulnerable people on earth . they are fighting to survive . ' -- angelina jolie , united nations high commissioner for refugees goodwill ambassador children play in floodwater at a pakistan refugee camp after floods displaced residents in august 2008 . the world 's population at the end of last year included 42 million displaced people , 80 percent of them in developing nations , according to a report this week by the office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees . many of these refugees are living in minimal standards for shelter and are exposed daily to the harshest elements of weather , the report says . for example , in pakistan , some 300,000 refugees are living outdoors , in tents or similar structures , said michael kocher , vice president of international programs for the international rescue committee . that part of the world has been hit hard by extreme weather over the past couple of months . first , extreme heat plagued pakistan , with temperatures in may and june soaring past 100 degrees fahrenheit ( 38 degrees celsius ) . the heat is escalating the discomfort for many . people are living in cramped situations , often unsanitary situations , and it 's very hot , ' kocher said . in many places , there is not enough clean water or adequate sanitation . heat exacerbates that problem . ' as world refugee day approaches -- it falls on saturday this year -- the forecast calls for even more dramatic weather changes in the coming weeks . in southeast asia , long stretches of scorching temperatures are usually the prelude to the rainy , or monsoon , season . watch angelina jolie talk to cnn 's anderson cooper about the world 's refugee problem » the term monsoon ' refers to a seasonal reversal of wind that typically occurs in late june or early july . for countries like pakistan and india , this change brings daily , nonstop downpours . the change in the weather is essential for local crops , according to john fasullo , project scientist with the national center for atmospheric research . the southeast asian monsoon is the key source for regional agriculture , ' he told cnn . it provides the majority of the moisture to support food needs for one-half the world 's population . ... it also brings a beneficial cooling of the temperatures . ' the problem is , monsoon rains can also cause devastating floods . fasullo says the threat for flooding can be continual from late june through early september . ' in pakistan , for example , where agencies have witnessed a large increase in displaced people over the past year , the monsoon of 2008 was particularly intense . if 2009 brings similar floods to the country , there will be a new threat for refugees exposed to the storms : mud . watch how the monsoon is affecting refugees » ' the camps are quite threadbare , ' kocher said . tents are held to the ground by rope . it 's hard to keep people dry . the ground gets muddy , which can lead to dirty water and bad sanitation facilities . ' vulnerability to nature 's dangerous elements is not only a concern for people displaced in pakistan . refugees in afghanistan are subject to brutal winters , while in iraq , scorching heat and sandstorms are common challenges for those without sufficient shelter . of world refugee day , actress and humanitarian angelina jolie says , please do not forget them , and remember them on this day . ' here are answers to some commonly asked questions : • how can i help world refugees that are exposed to the monsoon season and other weather dangers ? go to cnn.com/impactyour world . there , you will find links to charities that help refugees and others in need . • does the monsoon season affect the weather in the united states ? southern arizona and parts of new mexico see heavy rain during the north american monsoon season , which runs from june 15 through september 30 . this time of year , the wind shifts , tapping into moisture from the gulf of california and the gulf of mexico , and producing strong thunderstorms that bring the majority of the region 's annual rainfall .","as world refugee day approaches , monsoons could compound refugees'troubles" +"world ( cnn ) -- refugees are the most vulnerable people on earth . they are fighting to survive . ' -- angelina jolie , united nations high commissioner for refugees goodwill ambassador children play in floodwater at a pakistan refugee camp after floods displaced residents in august 2008 . the world 's population at the end of last year included 42 million displaced people , 80 percent of them in developing nations , according to a report this week by the office of the united nations high commissioner for refugees . many of these refugees are living in minimal standards for shelter and are exposed daily to the harshest elements of weather , the report says . for example , in pakistan , some 300,000 refugees are living outdoors , in tents or similar structures , said michael kocher , vice president of international programs for the international rescue committee . that part of the world has been hit hard by extreme weather over the past couple of months . first , extreme heat plagued pakistan , with temperatures in may and june soaring past 100 degrees fahrenheit ( 38 degrees celsius ) . the heat is escalating the discomfort for many . people are living in cramped situations , often unsanitary situations , and it 's very hot , ' kocher said . in many places , there is not enough clean water or adequate sanitation . heat exacerbates that problem . ' as world refugee day approaches -- it falls on saturday this year -- the forecast calls for even more dramatic weather changes in the coming weeks . in southeast asia , long stretches of scorching temperatures are usually the prelude to the rainy , or monsoon , season . watch angelina jolie talk to cnn 's anderson cooper about the world 's refugee problem » the term monsoon ' refers to a seasonal reversal of wind that typically occurs in late june or early july . for countries like pakistan and india , this change brings daily , nonstop downpours . the change in the weather is essential for local crops , according to john fasullo , project scientist with the national center for atmospheric research . the southeast asian monsoon is the key source for regional agriculture , ' he told cnn . it provides the majority of the moisture to support food needs for one-half the world 's population . ... it also brings a beneficial cooling of the temperatures . ' the problem is , monsoon rains can also cause devastating floods . fasullo says the threat for flooding can be continual from late june through early september . ' in pakistan , for example , where agencies have witnessed a large increase in displaced people over the past year , the monsoon of 2008 was particularly intense . if 2009 brings similar floods to the country , there will be a new threat for refugees exposed to the storms : mud . watch how the monsoon is affecting refugees » ' the camps are quite threadbare , ' kocher said . tents are held to the ground by rope . it 's hard to keep people dry . the ground gets muddy , which can lead to dirty water and bad sanitation facilities . ' vulnerability to nature 's dangerous elements is not only a concern for people displaced in pakistan . refugees in afghanistan are subject to brutal winters , while in iraq , scorching heat and sandstorms are common challenges for those without sufficient shelter . of world refugee day , actress and humanitarian angelina jolie says , please do not forget them , and remember them on this day . ' here are answers to some commonly asked questions : • how can i help world refugees that are exposed to the monsoon season and other weather dangers ? go to cnn.com/impactyour world . there , you will find links to charities that help refugees and others in need . • does the monsoon season affect the weather in the united states ? southern arizona and parts of new mexico see heavy rain during the north american monsoon season , which runs from june 15 through september 30 . this time of year , the wind shifts , tapping into moisture from the gulf of california and the gulf of mexico , and producing strong thunderstorms that bring the majority of the region 's annual rainfall .","world contains 42 million displaced people -- 80 percent in developing nations" +"bahamas ( cnn ) -- john travolta and kelly preston have returned to ocala , florida , with the remains of their teenage son , a family friend told cnn on tuesday . actors john travolta and kelly preston say they are heartbroken ' over their son 's death . they left the bahamas late monday night , said obie wilchcombe , a member of the bahamian parliament . an autopsy was conducted monday in the bahamas on the body of the couple 's son , jett travolta . the 16-year-old was found unconscious friday while on vacation with his family in the bahamas'west end . he was taken to a hospital , where he was pronounced dead on arrival , local police said . the autopsy results have not been released , but employees of the funeral home that handled the remains said seizure ' was listed as the cause of death on the death certificate , celebrity web site tmz reported . watch the latest reports on jett travolta » an employee who answered the telephone at the funeral home confirmed the report . the funeral home said the body was in great condition and shows no sign of head trauma , ' tmz reported . tmz is partly owned by aol , part of cnn 's parent company , time warner . the family 's doctor observed the autopsy , wilchcombe told cnn 's larry king live ' on monday . the body was cremated , wilchcombe said monday . he said tuesday that a memorial service was planned for thursday . funeral plans have not been announced . in a statement posted on the actor 's web site , travolta and preston described jett as the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for [ who ] lit up the lives of everyone he encountered . ' we are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief , ' they said . the couple also has a daughter , ella , 8 . jett travolta had a developmental disability that his parents have linked to kawasaki disease , an inflammatory disorder of the artery walls that most commonly occurs in young children , and that can lead to heart disease . according to the american heart association , about 80 percent of the people with kawasaki disease are under age 5 . children over age 8 are rarely affected . ' they 're just a fantastic couple , very family oriented like a lot of people in our community , ' ocala mayor randy ewers , told larry king . we 're very sad about the unfortunate events for one of our community members ... they 're part of the community . ' neighbor jacob urbowicz described the actor as just one of us . ' he may be famous , but he 's just one of us here in the neighborhood . you know , we see the kids , and they see our kids . we 're all one family here , you know . it 's just not something that 's supposed to happen , ' urbowicz told cnn affiliate wesh-tv . urbowicz said he remembers jett travolta as a happy teenager , the television station reported .","jett travolta 's autopsy was performed monday in the bahamas" +"madrid open ( cnn ) -- unseeded frenchwoman aravane rezai produced one of the shocks of the year on sunday by defeating favorite venus williams in straight sets to win the final of the madrid open . the 23-year-old rezai -- who had only claimed wta tour titles at strasbourg and bali prior to madrid -- continued her remarkable week with a 6-2 7-5 victory , adding williams'scalp to her earlier surprise victories over former world number one 's junstine henin and jelena jankovic . williams , who returns to no.2 in the world behind younger sister serena on monday , lost the opening set in just 27 minutes and then failed to take advantage of a 4-1 lead in the second set . i just can not believe this , ' world number 24 rezai -- who must now enter calculations for the french open -- told reporters . venus played very well and i 've always respected her as a player and a champion . i just tried my best today and it worked well for me . ' williams , who was looking to secure her 44th career title , only converted two of her 13 break points in the match -- a statistic that contributed greatly to her defeat .","unseeded aravane rezai claims victory in the madrid open final on sunday" +"american ( cnn ) -- we are in the middle of a fight to preserve the dignity and grace that makes all of us americans . we have big hearts and great souls . i know . i have seen them , felt them and watched them in wonder when my family was lost and unreachable in the wake of hurricane katrina . i cried , worrying for those i loved , heartbroken by what happened to our beloved louisiana . and in the middle of that tough moment , the decency of people shone through in e-mails , phone calls and in person . everybody was saying the same thing : how can i help ? ' this is what we do in times of struggle . we offer our hand and our love to pull someone up who 's been knocked down by hard times and despair . it 's just a fundamental rule in life and in any fight ; you do n't kick people when they 're down . but for some reason , this principle has been lost on the 217 members of the house of representatives who decided to lace up some combat boots with rough , crushing soles to kick and kick again the 48 million americans who count on food stamps . i am not going to mince words . when the house voted to cut $ 40 billion to the food stamp program over the next 10 years , that was n't an example of government tightening its belt or making tough choices . that vote was n't a philosophy or an ideology about governing . pure and simple , it was a heartless act . it was cruel . it was kicking millions of our families , neighbors and friends when they are down . and the people who work for a living in this country are down . let 's take a walk through the facts of what 's happened to them during the great recession and this nonrecovery of the economy . the median family net worth dropped from $ 126,400 in 2007 to $ 77,300 in 2010 , according to the federal reserve . it gets worse . median family income fell from $ 49,600 in 2007 to $ 45,800 in 2010 . ( these are the latest available figures ) . the fed ( federal reserve ) found that middle-class families had sustained the largest percentage losses in both wealth and income during the crisis , limiting their ability and willingness to spend , ' according to the new york times . for 30 years , wages have flat-lined or declined for most workers , particularly in the past 10 years , as low-paying jobs replace middle-income paying jobs . in 2009 , only half of the country had any assets , and those numbers have gotten worse during the last three years . and here 's the kicker . today -- based on wage levels -- half of americans live in poverty or near poverty . the gap between the well-to-do and everybody else is widening alarmingly . probably everyone reading this knows someone who is striving mightily , working two jobs and cutting expenses to the bone while barely making ends meet . to be considered poor by federal standards , a family of four must make less than $ 23,550 a year . a person must make less than $ 11,490 . for the unemployed and the millions who have been looking for work for six months or more , the struggle is many times harder and uglier . ask any worker at starbucks , cosi , mcdonald 's or walmart , how many jobs do you have ? ' and likely he or she will tell you : two . ' i know colleagues who 've had breakfast at one store , and gone to lunch in another , only to find the same person waiting on them . one young woman i heard about gets up at 4 a.m. for her first job and ends her day at 10 p.m. at her second job . the average allotment of food stamps is $ 133 a person a month . let me tell you something i can pretty much bet my house on -- that woman is not using her food stamp card to buy lobsters and caviar . she 's quietly going to the food pantry , checking the sales in the grocery store , spending some time at the kitchen table clipping coupons and making a serious plan to turn that box of pasta , pound of beef , and if she 's lucky , some fresh fruits and vegetables , into a meal plan truly worthy of a gucci belt . is there fraud ? yes . is there some waste ? yes . but today , the food stamp program has an error rate of only 3 % -- and those errors were mostly committed by the government in underpayments as well as overpayments and payments to ineligible families . fraud is a piece of grain compared with the millions of families who manage to put food on the table because of this program . and those few bad apples who do commit fraud are no excuse to kick the unemployed and the poor when they are engaged in a mighty battle to get themselves and their families back on their feet . so shame on this congress for fighting dirty during working people 's hour of struggle . polls show americans have n't approved much of congress lately . but there is a way to gain favor . if this congress wants to make cuts , why not look at the pentagon , notorious for waste ? or check out the department of agriculture , which made about $ 28 million in inappropriate farm assistance payments , according to a compilation of government waste reported in business insider . or perhaps lawmakers could start with themselves ? rep. jackie speier , d-california , tried to shame her colleagues into cutting less from the food stamp program ( called the supplemental nutrition assistance program , or snap ) . speaking of representatives who would vote to take food from america 's tables , she said , some of these same members travel to foreign countries under the guise of official business . they dine at lavish restaurants , eating steak , vodka and even caviar . ' speier talked about 20 members of congress who traveled to ireland and got a daily food allowance of $ 166 . the average amount a family member gets on food stamps is less than $ 4 a day . and the des moines register reported that rep. steve king , r-iowa , received $ 3,588 in taxpayer funds for both food and lodging during a six-day trip to russia . the register urged king to try the snap challenge ' and live on $ 4 a day . he could even try it in russia . yet our representatives , one after the other , mostly republicans , stepped onto the house floor to speak and vote in the name of saving money for the taxpayer . they went after the poor , the unemployed , the single mom , the single dad , the grandparents -- all those people who are trying to make it work . well , they did n't just do wrong ; they are wrong . i urge the senate to restore every single dime to the food stamp program . i applaud the president for saying that he 'll veto these cuts . we 're lacing up our shoes , too , but we 're going to fight these merciless cuts with the golden rule . you know why ? do unto others ' trumps kick 'em when they 're down ' every time . the american people are decent and fair . it 's time to stand tall for this essential program for millions . it 's time and our might will make this right . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of donna brazile .","half of american live in or near poverty , she says , and food stamps help stave off hunger" +"iranian he is skilled at the throw-down , ' a move that gets you on a skateboard at near full speed . he 's also smooth at grinding the rail and can do a perfect a mini-ramp jump -- a leap off an incline that gets you and your wheels airborne . m.j. rahimi has mastered some of the world 's most popular skateboarding tricks . but the one skill that 's fast making rahimi a recognized name is crafting skateboards inside his basement in the iranian capital of tehran . the country has been quietly but steadily putting itself on the map in the world of action skateboarding . i 'm very happy i 'm making skateboards , ' rahimi said . my biggest dream is to make a skateboard and have a professional skate on it . ' rahimi says his first homemade board shattered into pieces but he kept at it when the sport started picking up popularity several years ago . demand for affordable equipment picked up too . he starts by gluing together thin layers of maple wood , then presses them into sloped boards , and carves and sands them into shape . when i first started , my dad said it will never work , but now he supports me , ' he says . rahimi reveals his plan is to create an affordable brand . he hopes to sell his boards at the growing number of skate shops in the islamic republic where trendy teenagers shop for the latest gear . according to skate store owner ali reza ansari , business is brisk . we are doing our best to improve skateboarding here , ' ansari said . we have really good skaters here ( in tehran ) . ' ever since the 1979 islamic revolution , the leadership here in iran has been wary of the spread and influence of western culture . rock and roll music , for example , is banned . so is dancing in public . but when it comes to skateboarding not only does the government seem ok with it , in many ways they 're actually supporting it . the government has authorized six skate parks in the capital tehran alone as well as others in ahvaz , isfahan , shiraz , tabriz and even the holy city of qom . perfect arenas for iran 's growing skateboard community to gather and show off their gnarly kick-flips and 360 spins . in the future some may even ride rahimi 's boards -- a product that takes pride in being made in a basement in the islamic republic of iran .","m.j. rahimi is an iranian entrepreneur who has taken to making skateboards in his basement" +"iranian he is skilled at the throw-down , ' a move that gets you on a skateboard at near full speed . he 's also smooth at grinding the rail and can do a perfect a mini-ramp jump -- a leap off an incline that gets you and your wheels airborne . m.j. rahimi has mastered some of the world 's most popular skateboarding tricks . but the one skill that 's fast making rahimi a recognized name is crafting skateboards inside his basement in the iranian capital of tehran . the country has been quietly but steadily putting itself on the map in the world of action skateboarding . i 'm very happy i 'm making skateboards , ' rahimi said . my biggest dream is to make a skateboard and have a professional skate on it . ' rahimi says his first homemade board shattered into pieces but he kept at it when the sport started picking up popularity several years ago . demand for affordable equipment picked up too . he starts by gluing together thin layers of maple wood , then presses them into sloped boards , and carves and sands them into shape . when i first started , my dad said it will never work , but now he supports me , ' he says . rahimi reveals his plan is to create an affordable brand . he hopes to sell his boards at the growing number of skate shops in the islamic republic where trendy teenagers shop for the latest gear . according to skate store owner ali reza ansari , business is brisk . we are doing our best to improve skateboarding here , ' ansari said . we have really good skaters here ( in tehran ) . ' ever since the 1979 islamic revolution , the leadership here in iran has been wary of the spread and influence of western culture . rock and roll music , for example , is banned . so is dancing in public . but when it comes to skateboarding not only does the government seem ok with it , in many ways they 're actually supporting it . the government has authorized six skate parks in the capital tehran alone as well as others in ahvaz , isfahan , shiraz , tabriz and even the holy city of qom . perfect arenas for iran 's growing skateboard community to gather and show off their gnarly kick-flips and 360 spins . in the future some may even ride rahimi 's boards -- a product that takes pride in being made in a basement in the islamic republic of iran .","iranian government has authorized building of skateboard parks in six cities" +"french paris , france ( cnn ) -- french lawmakers tuesday recommended a partial ban on any veils that cover the face -- including the burqa , the full-body covering worn by some muslim women . the ban on the voile integrale ' -- which literally means total veil ' -- would apply in public places like hospitals and schools , and on public transport , a french parliamentary commission announced . it would also apply to anyone who attempts to receive public services , but it would not apply to people wearing the burqa on the street , the commission said . the commission stopped short of recommending a full ban because not all of the 32 commission members could agree on it . they will now recommend that parliament pass a resolution on the partial ban . such a resolution , if passed , would not make the wearing of a full veil or burqa illegal , but it would give public officials support when asking people to remove it . commission members began their work six months ago after french president nicolas sarkozy controversially told lawmakers that the full veil was not welcome ' in france . sarkozy said the issue is one of a woman 's freedom and dignity , and did not have to do with religion . the french national assembly assembled a cross-party panel of 32 lawmakers to study whether women in france should be allowed to wear the burqa -- or any other full veil , including the niqab , which shows only the eyes . the commission also studied whether such full veils pose a threat to france 's constitutionally mandated secularism . commission members heard from 200 people from all areas of french society , including muslims , though they only heard from one woman who wears a veil . by recommending a ban on full veils in public places such as hospitals and schools and by anyone receiving public services , the commission members said they wanted to assist those working with members of the public when asking that full veils be removed . that would include school teachers who meet children 's parents or ticket agents at train stations . a date for the vote in parliament has not been set , though it is unlikely to happen before regional elections which are scheduled for march 14 and 21 . parliamentary majority leader jean-francois cope said this week he believed the resolution will pass . any law directed at full veils is likely to be challenged in the courts both in france and at the european level . more than half of french people support a full ban , according to a recent opinion poll . the ipsos poll for le point magazine found 57 percent of french people said it should be illegal to appear in public wearing clothes that cover the face . that 's despite government estimates that less than 2,000 women in the country actually wear the full islamic veil . france has about 3.5 million muslims , representing about six percent of the population , according to research by the pew forum on religion & public life . the country does not collect its own statistics on religion in accordance with laws enshrining france 's status as a secular state . french lawmakers believe the burqa is a growing phenomenon beneath which lies a not-so-subtle message of fundamentalism . those who advocate the ban say women are often forced to wear full veils by the men around them -- husbands , fathers or brothers -- and that it is a sign of subjugation . however , women who actually wear the veils deny that . you are going to isolate these women and then you ca n't say that it is islam that has denied them freedom , but that the law has , ' said mabrouka boujnah , a language teacher of tunisian origin . boujnah , who at 28 is about to have her first child , says she came to wearing a full veil gradually , after wearing headscarves as an teenager . she said she believes a law against full veils would take away fundamental rights of muslim women . she and her friend oumkheyr , who would not give her last name , say they prefer to cover their faces out of piety . the women , both french citizens , say they are only following their religious beliefs and france should respect that . but even some muslims in france think the full veil goes too far . there is nothing in the quran that directs women to cover their faces , said imam hassen chalghoumi , who runs the islamic center in drancy , a paris suburb . he said it is ridiculous to do so in france . france already has a law against muslim girls wearing headscarves in state schools . it sparked widespread muslim protests when the french parliament passed the law in 2004 , even though the law also bans other conspicuous religious symbols including sikh turbans , large christian crucifixes and jewish skull caps . in 2008 , france 's top court denied a moroccan woman 's naturalization request on the grounds that she wore a burqa . france is not the only european union country to consider banning the burqa . dutch lawmakers voted in favor of a ban in 2005 , although the government at the time left office before legislation could be passed . -- cnn 's jim bittermann in paris contributed to this report .","more than half of french people would support a ban according to a recent poll" +"french paris , france ( cnn ) -- french lawmakers tuesday recommended a partial ban on any veils that cover the face -- including the burqa , the full-body covering worn by some muslim women . the ban on the voile integrale ' -- which literally means total veil ' -- would apply in public places like hospitals and schools , and on public transport , a french parliamentary commission announced . it would also apply to anyone who attempts to receive public services , but it would not apply to people wearing the burqa on the street , the commission said . the commission stopped short of recommending a full ban because not all of the 32 commission members could agree on it . they will now recommend that parliament pass a resolution on the partial ban . such a resolution , if passed , would not make the wearing of a full veil or burqa illegal , but it would give public officials support when asking people to remove it . commission members began their work six months ago after french president nicolas sarkozy controversially told lawmakers that the full veil was not welcome ' in france . sarkozy said the issue is one of a woman 's freedom and dignity , and did not have to do with religion . the french national assembly assembled a cross-party panel of 32 lawmakers to study whether women in france should be allowed to wear the burqa -- or any other full veil , including the niqab , which shows only the eyes . the commission also studied whether such full veils pose a threat to france 's constitutionally mandated secularism . commission members heard from 200 people from all areas of french society , including muslims , though they only heard from one woman who wears a veil . by recommending a ban on full veils in public places such as hospitals and schools and by anyone receiving public services , the commission members said they wanted to assist those working with members of the public when asking that full veils be removed . that would include school teachers who meet children 's parents or ticket agents at train stations . a date for the vote in parliament has not been set , though it is unlikely to happen before regional elections which are scheduled for march 14 and 21 . parliamentary majority leader jean-francois cope said this week he believed the resolution will pass . any law directed at full veils is likely to be challenged in the courts both in france and at the european level . more than half of french people support a full ban , according to a recent opinion poll . the ipsos poll for le point magazine found 57 percent of french people said it should be illegal to appear in public wearing clothes that cover the face . that 's despite government estimates that less than 2,000 women in the country actually wear the full islamic veil . france has about 3.5 million muslims , representing about six percent of the population , according to research by the pew forum on religion & public life . the country does not collect its own statistics on religion in accordance with laws enshrining france 's status as a secular state . french lawmakers believe the burqa is a growing phenomenon beneath which lies a not-so-subtle message of fundamentalism . those who advocate the ban say women are often forced to wear full veils by the men around them -- husbands , fathers or brothers -- and that it is a sign of subjugation . however , women who actually wear the veils deny that . you are going to isolate these women and then you ca n't say that it is islam that has denied them freedom , but that the law has , ' said mabrouka boujnah , a language teacher of tunisian origin . boujnah , who at 28 is about to have her first child , says she came to wearing a full veil gradually , after wearing headscarves as an teenager . she said she believes a law against full veils would take away fundamental rights of muslim women . she and her friend oumkheyr , who would not give her last name , say they prefer to cover their faces out of piety . the women , both french citizens , say they are only following their religious beliefs and france should respect that . but even some muslims in france think the full veil goes too far . there is nothing in the quran that directs women to cover their faces , said imam hassen chalghoumi , who runs the islamic center in drancy , a paris suburb . he said it is ridiculous to do so in france . france already has a law against muslim girls wearing headscarves in state schools . it sparked widespread muslim protests when the french parliament passed the law in 2004 , even though the law also bans other conspicuous religious symbols including sikh turbans , large christian crucifixes and jewish skull caps . in 2008 , france 's top court denied a moroccan woman 's naturalization request on the grounds that she wore a burqa . france is not the only european union country to consider banning the burqa . dutch lawmakers voted in favor of a ban in 2005 , although the government at the time left office before legislation could be passed . -- cnn 's jim bittermann in paris contributed to this report .","french lawmakers propose ban on burqa in some public places including hospitals and schools" +"liverpool ( cnn ) -- even when chelsea held a nine-point lead over manchester city atop english football 's premier league , chelsea boss jose mourinho always maintained his team was n't the favorite . he is being proved right -- with saturday not helping the blues . chelsea suffered a shock 1-0 loss at relegation threatened crystal palace and hours later saw manchester city gain a point thanks to a 1-1 draw at arsenal . it might have been worse for chelsea , since city led 1-0 . i think it is now impossible to win the title , ' mourinho told sky sports before the manchester city game . we depend too much on other results . ' chelsea still leads the standings by a point over liverpool and two over city but city has two games in hand and liverpool will go top if it earns a point sunday at home against tottenham . manchester city , fresh off a convincing victory in the manchester derby , took a deserved lead in london in the 18th minute when david silva was the quickest to react after edin dzeko 's left-footed shot struck the post . arsenal appeared listless , perhaps the result of losing 6-0 at chelsea last week and then dropping more points against swansea . but the gunners were a different side in the second half , leveling through defensive midfielder mathieu flamini in the 53rd . and arsenal almost took the lead , joe hart stopping lukas podolski with city creaking . in the end city seemed happy to take a point judging by manager manuel pellegrini 's substitutions . we played better in the first half , ' pellegrini told sky sports . although chelsea tallied more than 20 shots , only two were on goal and none managed to beat keeper julian speroni . speroni twice thwarted chelsea 's offensive star , eden hazard . john terry , so solid for chelsea this season , gave palace a valuable three points with an own goal in the 52nd minute . mourinho did n't blame terry and in fact praised his four main defenders as a whole . however , he added : you have other players who are fantastic in some matches and disappear in other matches . ' manchester united has struggled in its first season under david moyes but there were boos when a banner flew above old trafford calling for the scot 's departure . wayne rooney -- a week after his wonder goal from the halfway mark against west ham -- scored twice in united 's 4-1 lunchtime win over aston villa . rooney was substituted in the second half , days ahead of united 's champions league quarterfinal against title holder bayern munich . elsewhere , english trio rickie lambert , jay rodriguez and adam lallana shone for southampton again in a 4-0 home win against newcastle ; and relegation contenders west bromwich albion and cardiff city played to a 3-3 draw after both scored deep in injury time . stoke and swansea further eased their relegation worries by defeating hull 1-0 and norwich 3-0 , respectively .","chelsea leads liverpool by a point and city by two atop the table" +"liverpool ( cnn ) -- even when chelsea held a nine-point lead over manchester city atop english football 's premier league , chelsea boss jose mourinho always maintained his team was n't the favorite . he is being proved right -- with saturday not helping the blues . chelsea suffered a shock 1-0 loss at relegation threatened crystal palace and hours later saw manchester city gain a point thanks to a 1-1 draw at arsenal . it might have been worse for chelsea , since city led 1-0 . i think it is now impossible to win the title , ' mourinho told sky sports before the manchester city game . we depend too much on other results . ' chelsea still leads the standings by a point over liverpool and two over city but city has two games in hand and liverpool will go top if it earns a point sunday at home against tottenham . manchester city , fresh off a convincing victory in the manchester derby , took a deserved lead in london in the 18th minute when david silva was the quickest to react after edin dzeko 's left-footed shot struck the post . arsenal appeared listless , perhaps the result of losing 6-0 at chelsea last week and then dropping more points against swansea . but the gunners were a different side in the second half , leveling through defensive midfielder mathieu flamini in the 53rd . and arsenal almost took the lead , joe hart stopping lukas podolski with city creaking . in the end city seemed happy to take a point judging by manager manuel pellegrini 's substitutions . we played better in the first half , ' pellegrini told sky sports . although chelsea tallied more than 20 shots , only two were on goal and none managed to beat keeper julian speroni . speroni twice thwarted chelsea 's offensive star , eden hazard . john terry , so solid for chelsea this season , gave palace a valuable three points with an own goal in the 52nd minute . mourinho did n't blame terry and in fact praised his four main defenders as a whole . however , he added : you have other players who are fantastic in some matches and disappear in other matches . ' manchester united has struggled in its first season under david moyes but there were boos when a banner flew above old trafford calling for the scot 's departure . wayne rooney -- a week after his wonder goal from the halfway mark against west ham -- scored twice in united 's 4-1 lunchtime win over aston villa . rooney was substituted in the second half , days ahead of united 's champions league quarterfinal against title holder bayern munich . elsewhere , english trio rickie lambert , jay rodriguez and adam lallana shone for southampton again in a 4-0 home win against newcastle ; and relegation contenders west bromwich albion and cardiff city played to a 3-3 draw after both scored deep in injury time . stoke and swansea further eased their relegation worries by defeating hull 1-0 and norwich 3-0 , respectively .","liverpool will go top of the premier league with a draw sunday" +"crystal palace ( cnn ) -- even when chelsea held a nine-point lead over manchester city atop english football 's premier league , chelsea boss jose mourinho always maintained his team was n't the favorite . he is being proved right -- with saturday not helping the blues . chelsea suffered a shock 1-0 loss at relegation threatened crystal palace and hours later saw manchester city gain a point thanks to a 1-1 draw at arsenal . it might have been worse for chelsea , since city led 1-0 . i think it is now impossible to win the title , ' mourinho told sky sports before the manchester city game . we depend too much on other results . ' chelsea still leads the standings by a point over liverpool and two over city but city has two games in hand and liverpool will go top if it earns a point sunday at home against tottenham . manchester city , fresh off a convincing victory in the manchester derby , took a deserved lead in london in the 18th minute when david silva was the quickest to react after edin dzeko 's left-footed shot struck the post . arsenal appeared listless , perhaps the result of losing 6-0 at chelsea last week and then dropping more points against swansea . but the gunners were a different side in the second half , leveling through defensive midfielder mathieu flamini in the 53rd . and arsenal almost took the lead , joe hart stopping lukas podolski with city creaking . in the end city seemed happy to take a point judging by manager manuel pellegrini 's substitutions . we played better in the first half , ' pellegrini told sky sports . although chelsea tallied more than 20 shots , only two were on goal and none managed to beat keeper julian speroni . speroni twice thwarted chelsea 's offensive star , eden hazard . john terry , so solid for chelsea this season , gave palace a valuable three points with an own goal in the 52nd minute . mourinho did n't blame terry and in fact praised his four main defenders as a whole . however , he added : you have other players who are fantastic in some matches and disappear in other matches . ' manchester united has struggled in its first season under david moyes but there were boos when a banner flew above old trafford calling for the scot 's departure . wayne rooney -- a week after his wonder goal from the halfway mark against west ham -- scored twice in united 's 4-1 lunchtime win over aston villa . rooney was substituted in the second half , days ahead of united 's champions league quarterfinal against title holder bayern munich . elsewhere , english trio rickie lambert , jay rodriguez and adam lallana shone for southampton again in a 4-0 home win against newcastle ; and relegation contenders west bromwich albion and cardiff city played to a 3-3 draw after both scored deep in injury time . stoke and swansea further eased their relegation worries by defeating hull 1-0 and norwich 3-0 , respectively .","chelsea suffers a shock 1-0 loss at relegation threatened crystal palace" +"gop ( cnn ) -- the budget battles continue to rage . every time the congress and the president reach another resolution over taxes and spending -- the new fiscal cliff -- another round of fighting begins . at best , the government manages to operate based on continuing resolutions , temporary stopgap measures that indicate the budget process is dysfunctional . at worst , the federal government shuts down -- as it might this week -- or congress will fail to raise the debt ceiling in a few more weeks . the impact of these fights could be horrendous for the economy . few dispute that our budget process is broken . but the nation is so buried in the weeds , trying to scramble out of each specific budget battle , that there is hardly time to step back and understand what dynamics are driving this process . partisan strategy is one of the main culprits . polarization has made almost every issue more contentious on capitol hill . but in recent years , republicans in particular have taken the initiative to use the budget as a way to handcuff democratic presidents . the strategy has deep roots . in 1966 and 1967 , conservative southern democrats and midwestern republicans focused attention on the rising deficits to force president lyndon johnson to accept deep spending cuts and bring his opportunities for enacting more legislation to an end . in 1995 and 1996 , republicans shut down the federal government with their push for spending cuts . even after the backlash helped president bill clinton regain his political standing , which had plummeted after the 1994 election , the gop continued to insist on spending cuts through the remainder of clinton 's term , leaving him little opportunity to do much more than to try and curtail their demands . since 2010 , a growing number of republicans have been willing to use aggressive techniques to force president barack obama 's hand on this issue . they have demonstrated that they would be fine with shutting down the government and they have threatened to not raise the debt ceiling -- which would send the country into default . to be sure there have been moments when democrats have challenged republican presidents as well . the difference is they have usually done so symbolically to make a statement about republican policies , whereas the new generation of republicans appears willing to follow through on the threat . in a recent interview with the new york times , new york republican peter king lambasted his colleagues , calling sen. ted cruz 's recent tactics , a form of governmental terrorism . ' another reason the budgeting process is becoming ever more brutal is because , historically , once legislators break the barrier of using a certain tactic , the practice can become normalized . the best example is the filibuster . there was a time when members of the senate were reluctant to use the filibuster frequently . they reserved it for high-profile issues , like civil rights , believing that ordinarily a majority should be sufficient to pass legislation . but since the 1970s , the filibuster has become a routine weapon in partisan combat . senators have been willing to threaten or use the filibuster more frequently , and to do so on rather mundane issues . the result has been that the senate became a chamber where a supermajority is required on most issues . we 're seeing a similar dynamic with the budget . whereas threatening a government shutdown was once seen as a highly dramatic act , in the current environment there are many legislators who seem to view it as a legitimate part of congressional debate . while there was a time when legislators warned that they would not vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling only when they knew that congress was going to raise the debt ceiling , now more legislators are open to following through on the threat that the debt limit increase wo n't pass . each time that they do it , the threat becomes more familiar , and more accepted by some . finally , the budget wars are fueled by the 24-hour news media , with outlets on cable television and the internet that are constantly in search of dramatic stories to win attention . the budget war offers great fodder . the possibility of a fiscal cliff offers political junkies a bit of the kind of thrill that breaking bad ' fans have felt every time walter white extricates himself from another bind . as a result , legislators such as cruz , who gained considerable attention over the past few weeks for his dramatic stand against obamacare , are making a name for themselves and staying in the headlines . the budget process might not be good for the nation , but it is certainly a great way for a politician to receive attention . at some point there will be pressure to reform the process . the latest round of budget battles led a larger number of republicans , like sen. john mccain , to be openly critical of their colleagues and call for a very different approach . as representative king , an opponent of the affordable care act , explained , i still think we should try to repeal the bill . but you repeal it the same way you passed it . you get bills through both houses of congress , and you get the president to sign it . ' budget reform is possible . for instance , there has been some discussion about the possibility of repealing the need for a congressional vote to raise the debt ceiling . there have been several moments in u.s. history , such as in 1921 and 1974 , when congress overhauled the entire budget process . it might be time to start that debate again . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer .","he says some in gop are outraged , and now is a good time to talk about reforming budget process" +"zelizer ( cnn ) -- the budget battles continue to rage . every time the congress and the president reach another resolution over taxes and spending -- the new fiscal cliff -- another round of fighting begins . at best , the government manages to operate based on continuing resolutions , temporary stopgap measures that indicate the budget process is dysfunctional . at worst , the federal government shuts down -- as it might this week -- or congress will fail to raise the debt ceiling in a few more weeks . the impact of these fights could be horrendous for the economy . few dispute that our budget process is broken . but the nation is so buried in the weeds , trying to scramble out of each specific budget battle , that there is hardly time to step back and understand what dynamics are driving this process . partisan strategy is one of the main culprits . polarization has made almost every issue more contentious on capitol hill . but in recent years , republicans in particular have taken the initiative to use the budget as a way to handcuff democratic presidents . the strategy has deep roots . in 1966 and 1967 , conservative southern democrats and midwestern republicans focused attention on the rising deficits to force president lyndon johnson to accept deep spending cuts and bring his opportunities for enacting more legislation to an end . in 1995 and 1996 , republicans shut down the federal government with their push for spending cuts . even after the backlash helped president bill clinton regain his political standing , which had plummeted after the 1994 election , the gop continued to insist on spending cuts through the remainder of clinton 's term , leaving him little opportunity to do much more than to try and curtail their demands . since 2010 , a growing number of republicans have been willing to use aggressive techniques to force president barack obama 's hand on this issue . they have demonstrated that they would be fine with shutting down the government and they have threatened to not raise the debt ceiling -- which would send the country into default . to be sure there have been moments when democrats have challenged republican presidents as well . the difference is they have usually done so symbolically to make a statement about republican policies , whereas the new generation of republicans appears willing to follow through on the threat . in a recent interview with the new york times , new york republican peter king lambasted his colleagues , calling sen. ted cruz 's recent tactics , a form of governmental terrorism . ' another reason the budgeting process is becoming ever more brutal is because , historically , once legislators break the barrier of using a certain tactic , the practice can become normalized . the best example is the filibuster . there was a time when members of the senate were reluctant to use the filibuster frequently . they reserved it for high-profile issues , like civil rights , believing that ordinarily a majority should be sufficient to pass legislation . but since the 1970s , the filibuster has become a routine weapon in partisan combat . senators have been willing to threaten or use the filibuster more frequently , and to do so on rather mundane issues . the result has been that the senate became a chamber where a supermajority is required on most issues . we 're seeing a similar dynamic with the budget . whereas threatening a government shutdown was once seen as a highly dramatic act , in the current environment there are many legislators who seem to view it as a legitimate part of congressional debate . while there was a time when legislators warned that they would not vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling only when they knew that congress was going to raise the debt ceiling , now more legislators are open to following through on the threat that the debt limit increase wo n't pass . each time that they do it , the threat becomes more familiar , and more accepted by some . finally , the budget wars are fueled by the 24-hour news media , with outlets on cable television and the internet that are constantly in search of dramatic stories to win attention . the budget war offers great fodder . the possibility of a fiscal cliff offers political junkies a bit of the kind of thrill that breaking bad ' fans have felt every time walter white extricates himself from another bind . as a result , legislators such as cruz , who gained considerable attention over the past few weeks for his dramatic stand against obamacare , are making a name for themselves and staying in the headlines . the budget process might not be good for the nation , but it is certainly a great way for a politician to receive attention . at some point there will be pressure to reform the process . the latest round of budget battles led a larger number of republicans , like sen. john mccain , to be openly critical of their colleagues and call for a very different approach . as representative king , an opponent of the affordable care act , explained , i still think we should try to repeal the bill . but you repeal it the same way you passed it . you get bills through both houses of congress , and you get the president to sign it . ' budget reform is possible . for instance , there has been some discussion about the possibility of repealing the need for a congressional vote to raise the debt ceiling . there have been several moments in u.s. history , such as in 1921 and 1974 , when congress overhauled the entire budget process . it might be time to start that debate again . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer .","zelizer : when a tactic such as threatening to veto debt limit increase is used , it becomes the new normal" +"zelizer ( cnn ) -- the budget battles continue to rage . every time the congress and the president reach another resolution over taxes and spending -- the new fiscal cliff -- another round of fighting begins . at best , the government manages to operate based on continuing resolutions , temporary stopgap measures that indicate the budget process is dysfunctional . at worst , the federal government shuts down -- as it might this week -- or congress will fail to raise the debt ceiling in a few more weeks . the impact of these fights could be horrendous for the economy . few dispute that our budget process is broken . but the nation is so buried in the weeds , trying to scramble out of each specific budget battle , that there is hardly time to step back and understand what dynamics are driving this process . partisan strategy is one of the main culprits . polarization has made almost every issue more contentious on capitol hill . but in recent years , republicans in particular have taken the initiative to use the budget as a way to handcuff democratic presidents . the strategy has deep roots . in 1966 and 1967 , conservative southern democrats and midwestern republicans focused attention on the rising deficits to force president lyndon johnson to accept deep spending cuts and bring his opportunities for enacting more legislation to an end . in 1995 and 1996 , republicans shut down the federal government with their push for spending cuts . even after the backlash helped president bill clinton regain his political standing , which had plummeted after the 1994 election , the gop continued to insist on spending cuts through the remainder of clinton 's term , leaving him little opportunity to do much more than to try and curtail their demands . since 2010 , a growing number of republicans have been willing to use aggressive techniques to force president barack obama 's hand on this issue . they have demonstrated that they would be fine with shutting down the government and they have threatened to not raise the debt ceiling -- which would send the country into default . to be sure there have been moments when democrats have challenged republican presidents as well . the difference is they have usually done so symbolically to make a statement about republican policies , whereas the new generation of republicans appears willing to follow through on the threat . in a recent interview with the new york times , new york republican peter king lambasted his colleagues , calling sen. ted cruz 's recent tactics , a form of governmental terrorism . ' another reason the budgeting process is becoming ever more brutal is because , historically , once legislators break the barrier of using a certain tactic , the practice can become normalized . the best example is the filibuster . there was a time when members of the senate were reluctant to use the filibuster frequently . they reserved it for high-profile issues , like civil rights , believing that ordinarily a majority should be sufficient to pass legislation . but since the 1970s , the filibuster has become a routine weapon in partisan combat . senators have been willing to threaten or use the filibuster more frequently , and to do so on rather mundane issues . the result has been that the senate became a chamber where a supermajority is required on most issues . we 're seeing a similar dynamic with the budget . whereas threatening a government shutdown was once seen as a highly dramatic act , in the current environment there are many legislators who seem to view it as a legitimate part of congressional debate . while there was a time when legislators warned that they would not vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling only when they knew that congress was going to raise the debt ceiling , now more legislators are open to following through on the threat that the debt limit increase wo n't pass . each time that they do it , the threat becomes more familiar , and more accepted by some . finally , the budget wars are fueled by the 24-hour news media , with outlets on cable television and the internet that are constantly in search of dramatic stories to win attention . the budget war offers great fodder . the possibility of a fiscal cliff offers political junkies a bit of the kind of thrill that breaking bad ' fans have felt every time walter white extricates himself from another bind . as a result , legislators such as cruz , who gained considerable attention over the past few weeks for his dramatic stand against obamacare , are making a name for themselves and staying in the headlines . the budget process might not be good for the nation , but it is certainly a great way for a politician to receive attention . at some point there will be pressure to reform the process . the latest round of budget battles led a larger number of republicans , like sen. john mccain , to be openly critical of their colleagues and call for a very different approach . as representative king , an opponent of the affordable care act , explained , i still think we should try to repeal the bill . but you repeal it the same way you passed it . you get bills through both houses of congress , and you get the president to sign it . ' budget reform is possible . for instance , there has been some discussion about the possibility of repealing the need for a congressional vote to raise the debt ceiling . there have been several moments in u.s. history , such as in 1921 and 1974 , when congress overhauled the entire budget process . it might be time to start that debate again . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer .","julian zelizer : budget battles reoccur regularly , and each time seems worse" +"lahore rawalpindi , pakistan ( cnn ) -- a suicide bomber killed at least 35 people monday by detonating explosives outside a bank where people had lined up to pick up their monthly checks , police said . the blast , in the cannt area of the city , also wounded more than 65 others , said imdad ullah bosal , a district coordination officer . two women were among the dead , he said . meanwhile , another suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a police checkpoint in lahore hours after the rawalpindi attack , a police official told cnn . the bombers , believed to be wearing suicide vests , blew themselves up as police inspected their vehicle at the babu sabu checkpoint , according to lahore police chief pervez rethore . the blast injured at least 17 police and civilians , a local rescue services spokesman said . at least three people sustained serious injuries , rethore said . in recent weeks , pakistan has been rocked relentlessly by a wave of attacks as islamic militants retaliate against a military offensive to rout insurgents operating along its border with afghanistan . the worsening situation prompted the united nations to announce monday that it was pulling all non-emergency foreign staffers from the country 's northwest . the scene of monday 's deadly explosion in rawalpindi is about 18 miles ( 30 kilometers ) from the capital city of islamabad . it is a closely guarded city that is home to the country 's military headquarters . the cannt area is short for cantonment , so called because of its proximity to the military offices . it is home to several travel agencies and mid-range hotels . the bomber rode up to the front of the national bank in a motorcycle or a bicycle , said rawalpindi police chief rao muhammad iqbal . the impact of the bomb was so intense that residents a block away said they thought the blast took place where they were . the explosion blew out windows in the three-story building and blackened its walls . rescue workers in surgical masks picked through the rubble looking for survivors . iqbal nisouwana , a driver , who rushed to the scene to help tend to the wounded said he saw five men in uniform among the wounded . two soldiers were injured . i helped put them in the ambulance , ' nisouwana said . and i saw three more wounded . ' one old man called to me for help , ' he added . i tried to pick him up but he was too heavy . ' on october 10 , militants held dozens of hostages for some 22 hours inside the army headquarters in rawalpindi . eleven military personnel , three civilians , and nine militants were killed in the siege . on october 20 , back-to-back explosions took place at islamabad 's international islamic university . at least six people died in the attack . twenty-nine others were wounded . and on october 28 , a massive car bomb tore through the heart of a bustling marketplace in peshawar , killing at least 100 people and injuring at least 200 others . the attack on the capital of the north west frontier province was the deadliest terrorist attack on pakistan since the october 2007 attack on a homecoming rally for former prime minister benazir bhutto . more than 135 people were killed in the suicide bombing in karachi . bhutto escaped harm , but she was assassinated two months later . her husband , asif ali zardari , is now the president of the country . the u.n. decision to withdraw staffers applies to all except those needed for emergency , humanitarian and security operations in the north west frontier province and the federally administered tribal areas ( fata ) , said spokeswoman ishrat rizvi . the agency has been providing aid to the 2 million pakistanis who have been displaced in the fighting between government forces and islamic militants . this year , the united nations has lost several staffers to terror attacks , including five who were killed in a suicide bombing at the world food programme offices in islamabad last month . two more u.n. workers died when attackers shot their way onto the grounds of the pearl-continental hotel in peshawar in june and set off a car bomb . and gunmen killed a u.n. worker during a kidnapping attempt in peshawar in july . cnn 's ivan watson in rawalpindi , samson desta in islamabad and journalist nasir habib contributed to this report .","new : second suicide attack in lahore injures at least 17 people" +"sheen los angeles ( cnn ) -- actor charlie sheen on friday declared we are at war ' following canceled production of the hit cbs sitcom two and a half men ' and his impending loss of $ 1.2 million per episode . they know what they did is wrong , ' sheen , who claimed he is clean , said in a call from the bahamas to the loose cannons ' radio program . producers cited charlie sheen 's actions and statements when they announced they were calling off production for the rest of the season . defeat is not an option , ' sheen said in the friday interview with loose cannons ' host pat o'brien . they picked a fight with the wrong guy . they are in absolute breach . ' they kept telling me how to live my personal life , ' said sheen , making repeated references to money he brought to the network . it was a toxic environment for eight years . ' the actor , who began rehab treatments at his home in the wake of an emergency hospital visit in january , told abc 's good morning america ' in text messages friday he is going to show up for work anyway . sheen appeared to challenge producers to take action thursday when he went on a rant as a guest on the alex jones radio show . ' i was told if i went on the attack , they would cancel the show and all that , so i 'm just sort of seeing if they 're telling the truth or not , ' sheen told jones . the decision to halt two and a half men ' was announced thursday after sheen spoke with the jones show . based on the totality of charlie sheen 's statements , conduct and condition , cbs and warner bros. television have decided to discontinue production of'two and a half men'for the remainder of the season , ' the network and studio said in a joint statement thursday . warner bros. television is owned by time warner inc. , the parent company of cnn . cbs placed the sitcom on production hiatus ' after the actor began rehab treatments . the show had been scheduled to resume taping on four more episodes next week . it 's not clear if two and half men ' will return for a ninth season . industry insiders estimate that the show has already grossed $ 400 million in reruns , putting total syndication fees for the 177 shows at a cool $ 1 billion . a warner brothers spokesman said that at least 250 members of the cast and crew will be out of work during the canceled production . sheen said the employees should be focused , patient and to understand there are ways to deal with these clowns and take all their money . ' sheen said on the jones show that he was dealing with fools and trolls ' and people with loser lives . ' he also had some unkind words for alcoholics anonymous . this bootleg cult , arrogantly referred to as alcoholics anonymous , reports a 5 % success rate . my success rate is 100 % . do the math . ... another one of their mottoes is'do n't be special , be one of us .'newsflash : i am special , and i will never be one of you ! i have a disease ? bulls * * t ! i cured it with my brain , with my mind , ' sheen told the show . the actor also went after show co-creator chuck lorre . a short time after the cancellation was announced , sheen sent a statement to celebrity news website tmz . i gracefully ignored this folly for 177 shows , ' sheen wrote to tmz . i fire back once and this contaminated little maggot ca n't handle my power and ca n't handle the truth . ' sheen 's battle with producers is in sharp contrast to the kind words he had for them earlier this month when he thanked network executives for their support . i have a lot of work to do to be able to return the support i have received from so many people , ' sheen said in a statement then . like errol flynn , who had to put down his sword on occasion , i just want to say ,'thank you .' lorre had no comment friday . sheen 's father , actor martin sheen , told sky news earlier this week he likened sheen 's addiction to having cancer . if he had cancer how would we treat him ? ' the elder sheen asked . the disease of addiction is a form of cancer and you have to have a equal measure of concern and love and lift them up . that 's what we do for him . ' addiction specialist dr. drew pinsky told hln on friday that charlie sheen is clearly manic . ' pinsky said sheen is exhibiting traits of advanced addiction , which he said has a grave prognosis without proper treatment . when their workplace is affected , that 's when you know things are really bad , ' said pinsky , whose new hln show premieres april 4 . another sheen radio interview last week raised concern about the actor 's stability . sheen , talking on the dan patrick show , ' advised people to stay away from crack cocaine unless you can manage it socially . ' he told patrick then that he was ready to return to the show . i healed really quickly , but i also unravel really quickly , so get me right now guys , ' sheen said . get me right now . ' sheen was very , very intoxicated , also apparently in a lot of pain ' on the morning of january 27 , according to a 911 call from a doctor who had just talked to the actor . porn actress kacey jordan has told media outlets that a two-day party preceded sheen 's collapse . paramedics went to sheen 's los angeles home and then took him by ambulance to a hospital , where he spent several hours . while his representative blamed a hernia for sheen 's pain , he later announced the actor was undergoing rehab at home . cnn 's alan duke , aaron smith and brittany kaplan contributed to this report .","the show 's producer ca n't handle the truth , ' sheen tells tmz" +"sheen los angeles ( cnn ) -- actor charlie sheen on friday declared we are at war ' following canceled production of the hit cbs sitcom two and a half men ' and his impending loss of $ 1.2 million per episode . they know what they did is wrong , ' sheen , who claimed he is clean , said in a call from the bahamas to the loose cannons ' radio program . producers cited charlie sheen 's actions and statements when they announced they were calling off production for the rest of the season . defeat is not an option , ' sheen said in the friday interview with loose cannons ' host pat o'brien . they picked a fight with the wrong guy . they are in absolute breach . ' they kept telling me how to live my personal life , ' said sheen , making repeated references to money he brought to the network . it was a toxic environment for eight years . ' the actor , who began rehab treatments at his home in the wake of an emergency hospital visit in january , told abc 's good morning america ' in text messages friday he is going to show up for work anyway . sheen appeared to challenge producers to take action thursday when he went on a rant as a guest on the alex jones radio show . ' i was told if i went on the attack , they would cancel the show and all that , so i 'm just sort of seeing if they 're telling the truth or not , ' sheen told jones . the decision to halt two and a half men ' was announced thursday after sheen spoke with the jones show . based on the totality of charlie sheen 's statements , conduct and condition , cbs and warner bros. television have decided to discontinue production of'two and a half men'for the remainder of the season , ' the network and studio said in a joint statement thursday . warner bros. television is owned by time warner inc. , the parent company of cnn . cbs placed the sitcom on production hiatus ' after the actor began rehab treatments . the show had been scheduled to resume taping on four more episodes next week . it 's not clear if two and half men ' will return for a ninth season . industry insiders estimate that the show has already grossed $ 400 million in reruns , putting total syndication fees for the 177 shows at a cool $ 1 billion . a warner brothers spokesman said that at least 250 members of the cast and crew will be out of work during the canceled production . sheen said the employees should be focused , patient and to understand there are ways to deal with these clowns and take all their money . ' sheen said on the jones show that he was dealing with fools and trolls ' and people with loser lives . ' he also had some unkind words for alcoholics anonymous . this bootleg cult , arrogantly referred to as alcoholics anonymous , reports a 5 % success rate . my success rate is 100 % . do the math . ... another one of their mottoes is'do n't be special , be one of us .'newsflash : i am special , and i will never be one of you ! i have a disease ? bulls * * t ! i cured it with my brain , with my mind , ' sheen told the show . the actor also went after show co-creator chuck lorre . a short time after the cancellation was announced , sheen sent a statement to celebrity news website tmz . i gracefully ignored this folly for 177 shows , ' sheen wrote to tmz . i fire back once and this contaminated little maggot ca n't handle my power and ca n't handle the truth . ' sheen 's battle with producers is in sharp contrast to the kind words he had for them earlier this month when he thanked network executives for their support . i have a lot of work to do to be able to return the support i have received from so many people , ' sheen said in a statement then . like errol flynn , who had to put down his sword on occasion , i just want to say ,'thank you .' lorre had no comment friday . sheen 's father , actor martin sheen , told sky news earlier this week he likened sheen 's addiction to having cancer . if he had cancer how would we treat him ? ' the elder sheen asked . the disease of addiction is a form of cancer and you have to have a equal measure of concern and love and lift them up . that 's what we do for him . ' addiction specialist dr. drew pinsky told hln on friday that charlie sheen is clearly manic . ' pinsky said sheen is exhibiting traits of advanced addiction , which he said has a grave prognosis without proper treatment . when their workplace is affected , that 's when you know things are really bad , ' said pinsky , whose new hln show premieres april 4 . another sheen radio interview last week raised concern about the actor 's stability . sheen , talking on the dan patrick show , ' advised people to stay away from crack cocaine unless you can manage it socially . ' he told patrick then that he was ready to return to the show . i healed really quickly , but i also unravel really quickly , so get me right now guys , ' sheen said . get me right now . ' sheen was very , very intoxicated , also apparently in a lot of pain ' on the morning of january 27 , according to a 911 call from a doctor who had just talked to the actor . porn actress kacey jordan has told media outlets that a two-day party preceded sheen 's collapse . paramedics went to sheen 's los angeles home and then took him by ambulance to a hospital , where he spent several hours . while his representative blamed a hernia for sheen 's pain , he later announced the actor was undergoing rehab at home . cnn 's alan duke , aaron smith and brittany kaplan contributed to this report ."," sheen 's statements , conduct and condition ' led to the shutdown , cbs says" +"black caviar ( cnn ) -- australian wonder mare black caviar extended her unbeaten streak to 25 races in some style on saturday , blowing away her rivals in the tj smith stakes at sydney 's randwick racecourse . her 25th victory was also her 15th at the sports highest level , overtaking the mark of 14 group 1 wins set by the legendary kingston town in the late 1970s and early 1980s . it was in 2011 that black caviar posted what many consider her greatest-ever performance in this very race , beating hay list by three lengths after trailing him by the same distance coming into the home straight . on this occasion no such heroics were required . facing one of her toughest-ever fields , including her old foe hay list , admittedly not the force he once was , and the in-form bel sprinter , black caviar 's regular rider luke nolen had to jockey for position in the early stages as he sought to overcome an unfavorable inside draw . the decisive move came around 300 meters out , when nolen guided her away from the softer ground by the rail and settled her behind the leaders towards the middle of the track . from there , all nolen had to do was pull the pin and the six-year-old instantly responded , lengthening away from the rest of the field with her to claim her eight consecutive group 1 win . all day sydneysiders had celebrated the presence of one of australia 's most popular sporting heroes . flags in her trademark salmon and black colors fluttered over sydney 's iconic harbor , while the capacity crowd ensured randwick racecourse was filled the rafters . speaking after the race , black caviar 's trainer peter moody praised the crowd , adding that he was extremely proud ' of his mare for breaking kingston town 's record . as black caviar was cheered on her way back to the winners'enclosure her jockey noted , you can see what she means to racing . to be part of that -- words escape me . ' with black caviar 's form seemingly better than ever despite her age , her connections have hinted that a return to royal ascot , scene of her narrowest-ever victory , may be on the cards later this summer before a rendezvous with frankel in the breeding shed in what would surely be considered the racing world 's own royal wedding .","black caviar wins 25th straight race on saturday in sydney -- 15th straight at highest level" +"black caviar ( cnn ) -- australian wonder mare black caviar extended her unbeaten streak to 25 races in some style on saturday , blowing away her rivals in the tj smith stakes at sydney 's randwick racecourse . her 25th victory was also her 15th at the sports highest level , overtaking the mark of 14 group 1 wins set by the legendary kingston town in the late 1970s and early 1980s . it was in 2011 that black caviar posted what many consider her greatest-ever performance in this very race , beating hay list by three lengths after trailing him by the same distance coming into the home straight . on this occasion no such heroics were required . facing one of her toughest-ever fields , including her old foe hay list , admittedly not the force he once was , and the in-form bel sprinter , black caviar 's regular rider luke nolen had to jockey for position in the early stages as he sought to overcome an unfavorable inside draw . the decisive move came around 300 meters out , when nolen guided her away from the softer ground by the rail and settled her behind the leaders towards the middle of the track . from there , all nolen had to do was pull the pin and the six-year-old instantly responded , lengthening away from the rest of the field with her to claim her eight consecutive group 1 win . all day sydneysiders had celebrated the presence of one of australia 's most popular sporting heroes . flags in her trademark salmon and black colors fluttered over sydney 's iconic harbor , while the capacity crowd ensured randwick racecourse was filled the rafters . speaking after the race , black caviar 's trainer peter moody praised the crowd , adding that he was extremely proud ' of his mare for breaking kingston town 's record . as black caviar was cheered on her way back to the winners'enclosure her jockey noted , you can see what she means to racing . to be part of that -- words escape me . ' with black caviar 's form seemingly better than ever despite her age , her connections have hinted that a return to royal ascot , scene of her narrowest-ever victory , may be on the cards later this summer before a rendezvous with frankel in the breeding shed in what would surely be considered the racing world 's own royal wedding .","black caviar 's connections hint that a return to royal ascot may be on the cards this summer" +"black caviar ( cnn ) -- australian wonder mare black caviar extended her unbeaten streak to 25 races in some style on saturday , blowing away her rivals in the tj smith stakes at sydney 's randwick racecourse . her 25th victory was also her 15th at the sports highest level , overtaking the mark of 14 group 1 wins set by the legendary kingston town in the late 1970s and early 1980s . it was in 2011 that black caviar posted what many consider her greatest-ever performance in this very race , beating hay list by three lengths after trailing him by the same distance coming into the home straight . on this occasion no such heroics were required . facing one of her toughest-ever fields , including her old foe hay list , admittedly not the force he once was , and the in-form bel sprinter , black caviar 's regular rider luke nolen had to jockey for position in the early stages as he sought to overcome an unfavorable inside draw . the decisive move came around 300 meters out , when nolen guided her away from the softer ground by the rail and settled her behind the leaders towards the middle of the track . from there , all nolen had to do was pull the pin and the six-year-old instantly responded , lengthening away from the rest of the field with her to claim her eight consecutive group 1 win . all day sydneysiders had celebrated the presence of one of australia 's most popular sporting heroes . flags in her trademark salmon and black colors fluttered over sydney 's iconic harbor , while the capacity crowd ensured randwick racecourse was filled the rafters . speaking after the race , black caviar 's trainer peter moody praised the crowd , adding that he was extremely proud ' of his mare for breaking kingston town 's record . as black caviar was cheered on her way back to the winners'enclosure her jockey noted , you can see what she means to racing . to be part of that -- words escape me . ' with black caviar 's form seemingly better than ever despite her age , her connections have hinted that a return to royal ascot , scene of her narrowest-ever victory , may be on the cards later this summer before a rendezvous with frankel in the breeding shed in what would surely be considered the racing world 's own royal wedding .","jockey on black caviar : you can see what she means to racing . to be part of that -- words escape me . '" +"sydney ( cnn ) -- australian wonder mare black caviar extended her unbeaten streak to 25 races in some style on saturday , blowing away her rivals in the tj smith stakes at sydney 's randwick racecourse . her 25th victory was also her 15th at the sports highest level , overtaking the mark of 14 group 1 wins set by the legendary kingston town in the late 1970s and early 1980s . it was in 2011 that black caviar posted what many consider her greatest-ever performance in this very race , beating hay list by three lengths after trailing him by the same distance coming into the home straight . on this occasion no such heroics were required . facing one of her toughest-ever fields , including her old foe hay list , admittedly not the force he once was , and the in-form bel sprinter , black caviar 's regular rider luke nolen had to jockey for position in the early stages as he sought to overcome an unfavorable inside draw . the decisive move came around 300 meters out , when nolen guided her away from the softer ground by the rail and settled her behind the leaders towards the middle of the track . from there , all nolen had to do was pull the pin and the six-year-old instantly responded , lengthening away from the rest of the field with her to claim her eight consecutive group 1 win . all day sydneysiders had celebrated the presence of one of australia 's most popular sporting heroes . flags in her trademark salmon and black colors fluttered over sydney 's iconic harbor , while the capacity crowd ensured randwick racecourse was filled the rafters . speaking after the race , black caviar 's trainer peter moody praised the crowd , adding that he was extremely proud ' of his mare for breaking kingston town 's record . as black caviar was cheered on her way back to the winners'enclosure her jockey noted , you can see what she means to racing . to be part of that -- words escape me . ' with black caviar 's form seemingly better than ever despite her age , her connections have hinted that a return to royal ascot , scene of her narrowest-ever victory , may be on the cards later this summer before a rendezvous with frankel in the breeding shed in what would surely be considered the racing world 's own royal wedding .","black caviar wins 25th straight race on saturday in sydney -- 15th straight at highest level" +"kohn ( cnn ) -- the obamacare website might still be slow , but the politics and context of obamacare are shifting rapidly . on thursday , to deal with some of the grousing about canceled insurance plans , president obama announced an administrative fix to allow people to keep those crummy plans ( that they think they like ) for up to a year . this should quiet some of the complaints within his own party , though certainly not republicans , who will just find another reason to attack obama and health care reform . one hopes this fix will put the focus back on making obamacare implementation as successful and effective as possible . it 's certainly not there yet . on wednesday , the obama administration announced that just more than 106,000 americans had enrolled in health insurance plans through obamacare exchanges , and another 975,000 people had shopped for plans but not enrolled in a selection yet . no one is cheering these numbers — well , no one except those republicans who did n't want anyone to have access to affordable , quality private health insurance options in the first place . the 106,000 enrollments are well below the 500,000 the white house had originally projected for this period before launch of the exchanges . the brouhaha over canceled insurance plans has muddied an otherwise positive law . but all of the above should be put in a broader context —the context of enrollment in past comparable insurance systems , the context of what health insurance was like before the affordable care act passed , and the context of its opponents'repeated lies meant to distort and destroy obamacare . so , here are three handy charts to help you understand the reality of obamacare and separate fact from fear-mongering . chart 1 : romneycare enrollment looking for an analog to what obamacare enrollment might look like nationwide ? look no further than massachusetts , which implemented a mini-version of obamacare under then-gov . mitt romney . in 2007 , romneycare was n't even plagued by a bum website rollout — and enrollment was still gradual , as shown in this chart ( click on it to expand ) and explained by jonathan cohn at the new republic . it can be expected that people who need obamacare the most — either because they 're sick or because they 're sick of their current expensive individual insurance — will enroll first , but everybody else , especially those who are currently uninsured , will wait until the last minute to sign up before they face the individual mandate penalty . plus , even people who want their new plan to kick in on january 1 , 2014 , have until december 15 to enroll in a plan . also , choosing among the many options in the obamacare exchanges does take time — which might explain , for instance , why almost 1 million people have logged into the exchange but not yet chosen an insurance option . with time , those numbers can be expected to grow . chart 2 : how bad it was before obamacare we may need a reminder of how disastrous our health insurance system was before congress passed obamacare . just one way of looking at this is that health care spending as a percent of family income was already an astronomical 19 % in 2009 but was projected to be 30 % by 2019 and 48 % by 2029 �� unless something was done . this reality is particularly lost when discussing the estimated 2 % to 4 % of americans who have private insurance plans that will ultimately be canceled because of higher coverage standards set by the affordable care act . many of those people will find they have even better options in the exchanges , and at better prices . but even the small percentage of folks who find themselves paying more for insurance should be seen in the broader context of health care and insurance costs that were already skyrocketing out of control , for all of us , before obamacare was passed . chart 3 : about those canceled plans finally , yes , obama will implement an administrative fix so people can keep their lousy insurance plans for another year if they want to . but insurance companies will now be required to tell people they have other ( and in many cases , probably better ) options in the new exchanges . this will hopefully stop the practice of insurance companies trying to trick people with canceled plans into buying much more expensive new plans from the same company rather than shopping around . but it will likely not stop republican finger-pointing and accusations that president obama lied . no matter that obama apologized for the promise that people who liked their insurance plans could keep them , tried to clarify the situation and is implementing a fix in fulfillment of that pledge . but wait , are n't republicans the ones who came up with death panels and keep asserting that lie even though it was not only disproven but also called the lie of the year ' by politifact ? to make the point that republicans really should n't be pointing fingers in the lie department , steve benen came up with this chart to put this into perspective : so here 's where this leaves us : not enough people have signed up for obamacare yet , but there 's still plenty of time ; enrollment was slow when massachusetts did this , too . and the administrative fix announced on thursday will , incidentally , ease the transition period to new plans while probably keeping enrollment numbers even lower since people can now keep their current plans an extra year . meanwhile , even a slow and clunky obamacare rollout is better than the runaway health care costs and millions of uninsured americans we had before obamacare . republicans should stop trying to sabotage the law . obamacare is slowly but steadily rising over the obstacles of our broken insurance status-quo -- and destructive republicans . when obamacare is finally , fully implemented , our families , our health care system and our economy will all be better off . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sally kohn .","sally kohn : obama 's fix on cancelled health plan lets us refocus on implementation" +"kohn ( cnn ) -- the obamacare website might still be slow , but the politics and context of obamacare are shifting rapidly . on thursday , to deal with some of the grousing about canceled insurance plans , president obama announced an administrative fix to allow people to keep those crummy plans ( that they think they like ) for up to a year . this should quiet some of the complaints within his own party , though certainly not republicans , who will just find another reason to attack obama and health care reform . one hopes this fix will put the focus back on making obamacare implementation as successful and effective as possible . it 's certainly not there yet . on wednesday , the obama administration announced that just more than 106,000 americans had enrolled in health insurance plans through obamacare exchanges , and another 975,000 people had shopped for plans but not enrolled in a selection yet . no one is cheering these numbers — well , no one except those republicans who did n't want anyone to have access to affordable , quality private health insurance options in the first place . the 106,000 enrollments are well below the 500,000 the white house had originally projected for this period before launch of the exchanges . the brouhaha over canceled insurance plans has muddied an otherwise positive law . but all of the above should be put in a broader context —the context of enrollment in past comparable insurance systems , the context of what health insurance was like before the affordable care act passed , and the context of its opponents'repeated lies meant to distort and destroy obamacare . so , here are three handy charts to help you understand the reality of obamacare and separate fact from fear-mongering . chart 1 : romneycare enrollment looking for an analog to what obamacare enrollment might look like nationwide ? look no further than massachusetts , which implemented a mini-version of obamacare under then-gov . mitt romney . in 2007 , romneycare was n't even plagued by a bum website rollout — and enrollment was still gradual , as shown in this chart ( click on it to expand ) and explained by jonathan cohn at the new republic . it can be expected that people who need obamacare the most — either because they 're sick or because they 're sick of their current expensive individual insurance — will enroll first , but everybody else , especially those who are currently uninsured , will wait until the last minute to sign up before they face the individual mandate penalty . plus , even people who want their new plan to kick in on january 1 , 2014 , have until december 15 to enroll in a plan . also , choosing among the many options in the obamacare exchanges does take time — which might explain , for instance , why almost 1 million people have logged into the exchange but not yet chosen an insurance option . with time , those numbers can be expected to grow . chart 2 : how bad it was before obamacare we may need a reminder of how disastrous our health insurance system was before congress passed obamacare . just one way of looking at this is that health care spending as a percent of family income was already an astronomical 19 % in 2009 but was projected to be 30 % by 2019 and 48 % by 2029 — unless something was done . this reality is particularly lost when discussing the estimated 2 % to 4 % of americans who have private insurance plans that will ultimately be canceled because of higher coverage standards set by the affordable care act . many of those people will find they have even better options in the exchanges , and at better prices . but even the small percentage of folks who find themselves paying more for insurance should be seen in the broader context of health care and insurance costs that were already skyrocketing out of control , for all of us , before obamacare was passed . chart 3 : about those canceled plans finally , yes , obama will implement an administrative fix so people can keep their lousy insurance plans for another year if they want to . but insurance companies will now be required to tell people they have other ( and in many cases , probably better ) options in the new exchanges . this will hopefully stop the practice of insurance companies trying to trick people with canceled plans into buying much more expensive new plans from the same company rather than shopping around . but it will likely not stop republican finger-pointing and accusations that president obama lied . no matter that obama apologized for the promise that people who liked their insurance plans could keep them , tried to clarify the situation and is implementing a fix in fulfillment of that pledge . but wait , are n't republicans the ones who came up with death panels and keep asserting that lie even though it was not only disproven but also called the lie of the year ' by politifact ? to make the point that republicans really should n't be pointing fingers in the lie department , steve benen came up with this chart to put this into perspective : so here 's where this leaves us : not enough people have signed up for obamacare yet , but there 's still plenty of time ; enrollment was slow when massachusetts did this , too . and the administrative fix announced on thursday will , incidentally , ease the transition period to new plans while probably keeping enrollment numbers even lower since people can now keep their current plans an extra year . meanwhile , even a slow and clunky obamacare rollout is better than the runaway health care costs and millions of uninsured americans we had before obamacare . republicans should stop trying to sabotage the law . obamacare is slowly but steadily rising over the obstacles of our broken insurance status-quo -- and destructive republicans . when obamacare is finally , fully implemented , our families , our health care system and our economy will all be better off . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sally kohn .","kohn : gop lies meant to thwart implementation that will help families , economy" +"obama ( cnn ) -- nanci griffith wanted to look on the bright side . nanci griffith , who says she 's fed up with negativity , ' was revitalized by the election of barack obama . and who could blame her ? in the past decade , griffith -- perhaps best known for her grammy-winning 1993 album , other voices , other rooms ' -- had faced a political climate she did n't agree with , as well as recovery from thyroid and breast cancer , which she was diagnosed with in the late '90s . songwriting had become a struggle for the singer with the gentle , crystalline voice . it was ... horrific , ' she said simply . however , with her latest album , the loving kind ' ( rounder ) , griffith is as focused and passionate as she has been in years . sparked by the changes in her life and american politics , she said , music has been vital to her personal resurgence . it was nice to focus on things outside of my body . music has always done that for me , ' she said . describing herself as someone who was fed up with negativity , ' griffith was equally inspired by her fellow countrymen . [ the ] american people will not let this country collapse , ' she said . the idea motivated her to look at her country 's dark path of injustice not so long ago , stories that worked their way into her songwriting . in some ways , i 'm just a journalist . i [ want ] my audience to hear these stories , ' she said . cnn spoke with griffith from her home in nashville , tennessee . cnn : being a folk singer and your views being what they are , was it tougher or maybe easier to write songs from 2000 to 2008 ? nanci griffith : it was very difficult for me . i was hurt by the direction my country was going in . and then , after [ the 2008 election ] , everything came spilling out . things came along like the mildred and richard loving case ( the loving kind ' ) , where mildred died , and i read her obituary . [ the lovings were a couple whose interracial marriage was against the law in virginia at the time . ] that was such an inspiration . ... just wondering why i never knew about this and how important that case is currently with equality in marriage . little things . bit by bit , my heart started to open up again , and i could write ! cnn : had you ever gone through that before ? griffith : no , never in my life . i 've always been a very prolific writer . cnn : now , what about writing in the age of obama ? griffith : ( laughs ) it feels great ! people may be down on their luck , financially . but i see so much optimism about the direction of the country and [ general ] openness . cnn : now , in addition to the loving kind , ' there are other songs based on actual events on this record . tell me about not innocent enough . ' griffith : that 's based on philip workman 's case in memphis [ tennessee ] . he was robbing a wendy 's -- was a heroin addict -- and police came in , and an officer was killed . now , workman did n't kill him ; it was friendly fire . workman was convicted anyway and executed . i 'm a total abolitionist when it comes to the death penalty , but this case really stunned me , because i feel like this country has evolved enough to where we should n't have to live with the death penalty . cnn : is it hard as a writer/musician to inhabit those songs , knowing that they are actual events ? griffith : not really . i feel like , in some ways , i 'm just a journalist . i do n't express my opinion [ in the songs ] , necessarily . but it 's important to me that my audience hear these stories . i want as many people to know about loving v. virginia as possible . cnn : do you feel like it 's a more palatable way to become aware of a story like that when a song is attached to it ? griffith : i do . i 've been informed many times through music . pete seeger , odetta , dave van ronk , bruce springsteen ... so many folk songwriters . it 's all around you . cnn : the song still life ' -- i suspect that 's about president george w. bush ? griffith : it 's about people like him . this country is full of them , and especially my home state of texas . it 's a [ perspective on ] people who go through life getting away with everything . cnn : do you feel a sense of vindication with president obama 's election , or at least a sense that things are moving in a direction you 're in favor of ? griffith : i hope so . right now , he is my hero . so is his wife . cnn : what in your past steered you into a topical songwriter ? griffith : i was always more interested in story songs , things with a point of view ... and things that informed me . cnn : is there a different process of writing those topical songs versus a song like up against the rain , ' which is clearly more personal ? griffith : there is a burden to writing [ those topical songs ] : you better have your facts straight . when you 're writing a personal song like rain , ' it 's straight from your heart and seems to just flow . cnn : sing ' seems like it would fit that description . does that song sum up your life in a way ? griffith : many have asked that , but i was actually inspired to write that by watching an interview with shania twain where she said it would not have mattered if she remained a lounge act for her whole career . it 's not something you choose . it 's just what you do .","election of obama , better health has her in upbeat mood" +"scott charleston , south carolina ( cnn ) police officers saturday accompanied the hearse carrying the body of walter scott to his south carolina funeral service , where hundreds of mourners celebrated his life and death as a catalyst for change in america . a pair of officers on motorcycles were part of the large procession delivering the father of four -- who was fatally shot in the back by a police officer -- to a service open to the public . an overflow crowd gathered on a humid and occasionally rainy april afternoon at w.o.r.d . ministries christian center in summerville , which has a capacity of about 300 people . the flag-draped casket of the u.s. coast guard veteran was wheeled inside the church as scott 's relatives and friends followed . some dabbed tears ; others embraced . hundreds , including local officials , assembled inside the packed sanctuary -- in corridors , under an awning at the entrance , wherever they could stand . silence filled the vast space as scott 's daughter samantha read a poem of love dedicated to her father . anthony scott said god had selected his brother as a candidate for change in america . the change will come , ' he said , bringing to the crowd to its feet . the head of the church , george hamilton , spoke of how scott had brought members of his family to the church , of the agony of not only losing a family member but having to watch it happen on video . the death of scott , who was black , at the hands of a white police officer was motivated by racial prejudice , ' hamilton said . it was an act of overt racism . ' hate came because walter was an african-american , ' he said . hamilton said his remarks were not meant as an indictment of law enforcement , but he singled out the officer who killed scott as a disgrace to the north charleston police department . ' there is gong to be change , ' he said . walter 's death will not be in vain . ' after the service , pallbearers gently lifted scott 's casket into the hearse . crowds poured from the church . a slow-moving procession of black cars then made its way to live oak memorial gardens in charleston for the private burial . chris stewart , an attorney for the scott family , said the death represented more than an race issue . it 's a human issue , ' he said . we 're getting emails from people in arkansas telling us ,'i 'm a white male , and i 'm supporting this family .'their son is going to be remembered for changing the way we look at each other . ' on friday night , scott 's open casket was draped with an american flag , and he was in a dark suit for his private visitation in charleston . a dallas cowboys banner -- his favorite nfl team -- was placed outside the casket , and a figurine of a cowboys player stood at his side . but scott 's family was missing . they needed privacy , said charleston mayor joseph riley , who attended . a week ago , scott was killed in north charleston after getting pulled over for a broken taillight . a passer-by caught the shooting on cell phone video , and officer michael slager was swiftly charged with murder . he was fired and faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted . who was walter scott ? the video shows scott running from an officer , who fires eight shots . scott is struck five times ; he falls to the ground . nothing in this video demonstrates that the officer 's life or the life of another was threatened , ' national urban league president marc morial said . the question here is whether the use of force was excessive . ' but one witness is speaking of a struggle before the shooting . and at least one expert believes a murder charge may not hold up . on thursday , gwen nichols told cnn 's brian todd that she saw scott and slager scuffling at the entrance to a vacant lot . it was like a tussle type of thing , like , you know , like ,'what do you want ?'or'what did i do ?'type of thing , ' nichols said . i did n't hear mr. slager saying'stop !' nichols'account has similarities to slager 's . he had told investigators that he had tussled with scott over his taser and that he feared for his safety . a timeline of events criminal defense attorney paul callan said he believes slager 's defense will play up the reported scuffle in arguing that this is not a murder case . defense attorneys will say this was a heat of passion shooting -- ( that ) this was something that he did suddenly after some kind of an altercation , a physical altercation with a suspect , ' callan said . and that would constitute manslaughter under law , as opposed to murder , and it makes a huge difference in sentencing . ' in south carolina , a murder conviction requires a measure of premeditation . but the account from the witness who recorded the cell phone video , feidin santana , paints a different picture . he was walking to work when he saw slager on top of scott , he said , who was on the ground . santana said he could hear the sound of a taser in use . he said he did n't see scott go after the taser , as slager initially claimed . he said he believes scott was trying to get away . mr. scott never tried to fight , ' santana said . neither the struggle nor the use of a taser was captured on video , because santana started recording shortly after that . investigators from the south carolina law enforcement division found troubling inconsistencies from the very start , it said in a statement . we believed early on that there was something not right about what happened in that encounter , ' division chief mark keel said in a statement . the cell phone video shot by a bystander confirmed our initial suspicions . ' slager 's lawyer , andy savage , has complained that he has not received the cooperation from law enforcement that the media has . ' savage 's office said in a statement that it has yet to receive any investigative documents , audio or video tapes , other than a copy of mr. slager 's arrest warrant . ' the news release added that the lawyer has been advised that the police union that slager belongs to is no longer involved in the case . ' charleston county sheriff al cannon said slager 's wife , jamie , who is eight months'pregnant , and his mother had a visit with him at the county detention center friday . slager was being held in isolation and being monitored for his mental health , ' cannon said . in a statement , one of slager 's lawyers said the meeting lasted about an hour . his wife and mom were tearful but strong , and they were all very grateful for the chance to see him in person , even if separated by a thick pane of glass , ' the statement said . they held up family photos -- and even jamie 's ultrasound from earlier that day -- to remind him of all those who love him . throughout the visit , michael was focused on jamie and their baby and was very relieved to know that she is being shown so much love and support by their families . ' a second video , taken from a police dash cam , has also emerged from the day scott died . it shows moments before the shooting , when things seemed to be going smoothly between scott and slager . scott apparently tells the officer that he has no insurance on the vehicle , and slager returns to his car to do paperwork . then scott gets out of the car and runs out of the camera 's frame . scott was the subject of a bench warrant over $ 18,104.43 in unpaid child support at the time of the stop , according to court records . that was why he ran , lawyers for the family said after the funeral service . u.s. rep. james clyburn , d-south carolina , told reporters outside the service that scott lost a $ 35,000-a-year job the first time he was jailed for failing to pay child support . he said it was the best job he 's ever had , ' clyburn said . now you have to ask ... if you want to collect child support , there 's got to be income . and you ai n't going to make much income from jail . it seems to me that we need to take a look to how to deal with that issue without causing unemployment and the loss of freedom . ' on friday afternoon , police met with a man who was in scott 's car , but the passenger 's name was n't in a police report obtained by cnn . he was detained briefly after the shooting , one officer wrote in the report . scott family attorney chris stewart said he was a co-worker and friend . but he did not identify the passenger by name . on friday , a few mourners trickled into the fielding home for funerals . a white banner with a blue star near scott 's casket displayed his favorite nfl team . it said : tradition , the cowboys way . ' this is a heartbreaking tragedy for everyone in our community , ' said riley , the mayor . it breaks everyone 's hearts . ' cnn 's polo sandoval and martin savidge reported from charleston , and ben brumfield and ray sanchez reported and wrote in atlanta and new york .","scott 's family did not attend his visitation ; they need privacy , mayor says" +"chelsea ( cnn ) -- ten-man chelsea produced an astonishing comeback to recover from 2-0 down on the night and beat defending champions barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in a scarcely believable champions league semifinal at the camp nou on tuesday . chelsea began the second-leg tie with a slender 1-0 lead and looked doomed when captain john terry was sent off for violent conduct in the 37th minute and andres iniesta put barcelona 2-1 up overall shortly afterward . but ramires put chelsea ahead on away goals moments before halftime and chelsea somehow held off wave after wave of barcelona attack after the break before snatching a 2-2 draw . lionel messi hit the bar with a penalty early in the second half and later had another shot pushed onto the post by chelsea goalkeeper petr cech . substitute fernando torres completed the most unlikely of wins when he scored on the break in injury time to guarantee chelsea 's place in the final of europe 's top club competition for the second time in the english side 's history . is chelsea win sport 's greatest upset ? it is an incredible achievement by this group of players , ' said chelsea coach robeto di matteo , who took over in early march on an interim basis when andre villas boas was sacked . a lot of people have written us off but we showed the character these players have . ' chelsea will play either real madrid or bayern munich in the may 19 final at the latter 's allianz arena . they will have to do without terry , branislav ivanovic , ramires and raul meireles , who will all be suspended , but that was at the back of the players'minds as they celebrated one of the club 's greatest wins . it was not beautiful , ' torres said , and we were playing the best team in the world , but barcelona did not take their chances and , in the end , it worked for us . ' barcelona , meanwhile , now only have the spanish cup to play for after losing to real madrid at the weekend and all but conceding the la liga title . it was n't meant to be this year , ' coach josep guardiola said . the first thing that goes through my head is immense sorrow . we played exceptionally well for 180 minutes , we did everything we could to be in the final . we 've never worked this hard to be in a final . we failed because we did n't score ( more goals ) . ' having come away from the first leg ahead due to didier drogba 's goal , chelsea traveled to the camp nou knowing barcelona had won their last 15 home matches in the champions league . things started badly when defender gary cahill limped off after 12 minutes and got worse when midfielder sergio busquets put barcelona ahead in the 35th minute from isaac cuenca 's cutback . two minutes later , former england captain terry inexplicably raised his knee as he ran up behind alexis sanchez and was shown a straight red card -- leaving chelsea without both their center halves . i want to apologize to the lads and the fans , ' terry said later . i feel like i 've let the lads down . ' a minute after terry departed , iniesta looked to have set barcelona on their way to the final when he finished off a trademark passing move with a precise , low shot into the far corner from messi 's through ball . terry 's absence meant midfielder ramires was pushed into action as a right back but it was the brazilian who unexpectedly gave chelsea hope before halftime . barcelona had their own defensive reorganization to carry out when gerard pique came off after 25 minutes with a head injury to be replaced by dani alves , and the hosts were wide open at the back as ramires skipped on to frank lampard 's pass and expertly lifted the ball over the stranded victor valdes . barcelona began the second half in determined mood and quickly won a penalty when drogba -- who was otherwise superb -- slid in rashly and brought down cesc fabregas . messi stepped up to try to score his 64th goal of the season but smacked the bar with his spot kick . the three-time world player of the year is still yet to score against chelsea . it still seemed only a matter of time before barcelona got the crucial goal but as the minutes ticked down amid increasing desperation among the home fans , it began to look like fate was on chelsea 's side . sanchez had the ball in the net but the offside flag was up against alves before messi was again denied when cech got fingertips to his shot minutes before full time , leaving him without a goal against chelsea in eight games . torres , by contrast , has hardly found the net since moving to chelsea but it was left to the misfiring spaniard to run through and score his eighth goal in 11 games against barcelona . in the english premier league on tuesday , bolton came from a goal down to beat aston villa 2-1 to raise hopes of escaping relegation and leave their opponents just three points above the drop zone .","chelsea sub fernando torres seals 3-2 aggregate win over barcelona" +"chelsea ( cnn ) -- ten-man chelsea produced an astonishing comeback to recover from 2-0 down on the night and beat defending champions barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in a scarcely believable champions league semifinal at the camp nou on tuesday . chelsea began the second-leg tie with a slender 1-0 lead and looked doomed when captain john terry was sent off for violent conduct in the 37th minute and andres iniesta put barcelona 2-1 up overall shortly afterward . but ramires put chelsea ahead on away goals moments before halftime and chelsea somehow held off wave after wave of barcelona attack after the break before snatching a 2-2 draw . lionel messi hit the bar with a penalty early in the second half and later had another shot pushed onto the post by chelsea goalkeeper petr cech . substitute fernando torres completed the most unlikely of wins when he scored on the break in injury time to guarantee chelsea 's place in the final of europe 's top club competition for the second time in the english side 's history . is chelsea win sport 's greatest upset ? it is an incredible achievement by this group of players , ' said chelsea coach robeto di matteo , who took over in early march on an interim basis when andre villas boas was sacked . a lot of people have written us off but we showed the character these players have . ' chelsea will play either real madrid or bayern munich in the may 19 final at the latter 's allianz arena . they will have to do without terry , branislav ivanovic , ramires and raul meireles , who will all be suspended , but that was at the back of the players'minds as they celebrated one of the club 's greatest wins . it was not beautiful , ' torres said , and we were playing the best team in the world , but barcelona did not take their chances and , in the end , it worked for us . ' barcelona , meanwhile , now only have the spanish cup to play for after losing to real madrid at the weekend and all but conceding the la liga title . it was n't meant to be this year , ' coach josep guardiola said . the first thing that goes through my head is immense sorrow . we played exceptionally well for 180 minutes , we did everything we could to be in the final . we 've never worked this hard to be in a final . we failed because we did n't score ( more goals ) . ' having come away from the first leg ahead due to didier drogba 's goal , chelsea traveled to the camp nou knowing barcelona had won their last 15 home matches in the champions league . things started badly when defender gary cahill limped off after 12 minutes and got worse when midfielder sergio busquets put barcelona ahead in the 35th minute from isaac cuenca 's cutback . two minutes later , former england captain terry inexplicably raised his knee as he ran up behind alexis sanchez and was shown a straight red card -- leaving chelsea without both their center halves . i want to apologize to the lads and the fans , ' terry said later . i feel like i 've let the lads down . ' a minute after terry departed , iniesta looked to have set barcelona on their way to the final when he finished off a trademark passing move with a precise , low shot into the far corner from messi 's through ball . terry 's absence meant midfielder ramires was pushed into action as a right back but it was the brazilian who unexpectedly gave chelsea hope before halftime . barcelona had their own defensive reorganization to carry out when gerard pique came off after 25 minutes with a head injury to be replaced by dani alves , and the hosts were wide open at the back as ramires skipped on to frank lampard 's pass and expertly lifted the ball over the stranded victor valdes . barcelona began the second half in determined mood and quickly won a penalty when drogba -- who was otherwise superb -- slid in rashly and brought down cesc fabregas . messi stepped up to try to score his 64th goal of the season but smacked the bar with his spot kick . the three-time world player of the year is still yet to score against chelsea . it still seemed only a matter of time before barcelona got the crucial goal but as the minutes ticked down amid increasing desperation among the home fans , it began to look like fate was on chelsea 's side . sanchez had the ball in the net but the offside flag was up against alves before messi was again denied when cech got fingertips to his shot minutes before full time , leaving him without a goal against chelsea in eight games . torres , by contrast , has hardly found the net since moving to chelsea but it was left to the misfiring spaniard to run through and score his eighth goal in 11 games against barcelona . in the english premier league on tuesday , bolton came from a goal down to beat aston villa 2-1 to raise hopes of escaping relegation and leave their opponents just three points above the drop zone .","chelsea captain john terry sent off in the 37th minute" +"burkina faso ( cnn ) -- sudan qualified for the quarterfinals of the africa cup of nations after beating burkina faso 2-1 at the estadio de bata on monday , ending a four-decade wait for victory at the tournament . two goals in either half from mudather eltaib was enough to secure second place in group b ahead of angola , who lost 2-0 to ivory coast at the estadio de malabo . eltaib gave sudan the lead in the 33rd minute when he sidefooted past keeper daouda diakite . it stayed that way until the 80th minute when eltaib found the target again , capitalizing on a mistake by diakite before firing home into an empty net . burkina faso skipper moumouni dagano managed a consolation goal moments before the end , but it could n't stop sudan recording a first win in the competition for 42 years to set up a meeting with group a winners zambia on february 4 . etuhu : expect more shocks at the africa cup of nations ivory coast were assured of a place in the final eight of the competition before monday 's matches , while their opponents angola needed a point to progress . despite fielding an under-strength side -- stars didier drogba , yaya toure , salomon kalou all started on the bench -- the elephants ran out comfortable winners . goals from emmanuel eboue in the 33rd minute and a wilfried bony strike midway through the second half ensured maximum points from the group and confirmed a meeting with co-hosts equatorial guinea at the same stadium next saturday .","sudan progress to quarterfinals after beating burkina faso 2-1 in final group b match" +"equatorial guinea ( cnn ) -- sudan qualified for the quarterfinals of the africa cup of nations after beating burkina faso 2-1 at the estadio de bata on monday , ending a four-decade wait for victory at the tournament . two goals in either half from mudather eltaib was enough to secure second place in group b ahead of angola , who lost 2-0 to ivory coast at the estadio de malabo . eltaib gave sudan the lead in the 33rd minute when he sidefooted past keeper daouda diakite . it stayed that way until the 80th minute when eltaib found the target again , capitalizing on a mistake by diakite before firing home into an empty net . burkina faso skipper moumouni dagano managed a consolation goal moments before the end , but it could n't stop sudan recording a first win in the competition for 42 years to set up a meeting with group a winners zambia on february 4 . etuhu : expect more shocks at the africa cup of nations ivory coast were assured of a place in the final eight of the competition before monday 's matches , while their opponents angola needed a point to progress . despite fielding an under-strength side -- stars didier drogba , yaya toure , salomon kalou all started on the bench -- the elephants ran out comfortable winners . goals from emmanuel eboue in the 33rd minute and a wilfried bony strike midway through the second half ensured maximum points from the group and confirmed a meeting with co-hosts equatorial guinea at the same stadium next saturday .","ivory coast meet co-hosts equatorial guinea in quarterfinals" +"zimbabwe ( cnn ) -- zimbabwe has known only one leader in its entire 33-year history as an independent nation , and president robert mugabe hopes that does n't change any time soon . voters head to the polls wednesday for the first time since the violence-marred election in 2008 to choose between the 89-year-old incumbent and his arch political rival-turned-prime minister , morgan tsvangirai . interactive : democracy in africa as the july 31 vote day approaches , zimbabwean election officials and some human rights organizations are giving sharply different assessments on the likely validity of the vote . once again , there are allegations that mugabe 's government is targeting the opposition through military intimidation and arrests , and that it is padding the voter list . but the deputy chairwoman of zimbabwe 's electoral commission insists that the country is ready for the elections , and vowed the outcome will be valid . elections will be credible , free and fair , ' joyce kazembe told the south african press association this week . some 600 foreign observers are monitoring the ballot , in addition to 6,000 local monitors , according to sapa . zimbabwe did not invite western observers to monitor the elections because of sanctions imposed on mugabe and his top officials for rights abuses . the african union , which has sent more than 60 members to monitor the elections , has also expressed confidence in the process . the environment in zimbabwe so far reassures us that that the conditions are good for the election to be held on july 31 , ' aisha abdullahi , au commissioner for political affairs , said at a news conference last week , according to sapa . some observers say that the country may not be as ready as the african union and zimbabwe officials suggest . a human rights watch investigation last month found that the zimbabwe national army has deployed soldiers across the country , intimidating , beating , and otherwise abusing perceived supporters of the movement for democratic change or those critical of the government . ' zimbabwe , seeking election funding , turns to neighboring countries zimbabwe 's government has also arrested lawyers and members of organizations they see as threatening , according to beatrice mtetwa , a human rights lawyer based in zimbabwe . certainly in the last nine months we 've seen a lot of civil society activists being arrested , ' mtetwa told cnn 's christiane amanpour last month . i also believe that my arrest is part of that crackdown because they want as few human rights lawyers to be out there during the election period as they can manage to stop , ' she added . mtetwa was detained in march after she asked police for a search warrant when they searched one of her clients'homes , amnesty international documented . when she told the police that what they were doing was unlawful , unconstitutional , illegal and undemocratic , ' she was arrested for obstructing the course of justice . ' there are also concerns that the voter roll may be inaccurate . more than 1 million people on the roll were found to be either deceased or departed , while 63 constituencies had more registered voters than inhabitants , according to a report last month by research and advocacy unit , a harare-based non-governmental research organization . such statistics suggest that the gap between the ideal and the actual impinges upon the integrity of zimbabwe 's electoral process , ' the report stated . opposition party leaders and observers have called for postponement of elections , saying that more time is required to establish a transparent voting process . at a news conference on friday -- just five days before the election -- tsvangirai said that there is clear evidence of manipulation ' in poll preparations . tsvangirai claimed that ballot papers cast in his favor during early voting for security services were discovered tossed in a bin . there is a desperate attempt to subvert the people 's will , ' he said . early voting for security services members has already seen problems due to shortages of ballot papers and voting ink . out of 63,268 people who were eligible to vote in the early polling , only 37,108 voted , according to kazembe . tsvangirai and the southern africa development community have urged mugabe to delay the ballot . there are fears that this election could descend into violence like the last election in 2008 , which resulted in a runoff . tsvangirai pulled out of the runoff , citing intimidation , torture , mutilation and murder of his supporters . regional leaders dismissed zimbabwe 's 2008 election as a sham , and the sadc pressured mugabe to form a power-sharing agreement with tsvangirai and his opposition movement for democratic change . as a result , the two bitter rivals entered into an uneasy governing coalition in 2009 . some 6.4 million voters in zimbabwe -- about half of the country 's population -- will be eligible to cast their ballots on wednesday , according to the zimbabwe electoral commission . the elections will be held under a new constitution endorsed in a referendum in march that limits the president to two five-year terms . mugabe is allowed to seek another term because the new charter does not apply retroactively . last week , mugabe had a few words for critics of the upcoming election . in response to criticisms from the united states on his push for elections without key reforms , mugabe said at a rally , keep your pink nose out of our affairs , please . ' opinion : africa 's rocky road to democracy","zimbabwe 's presidential elections are next week" +"united states ( cnn ) -- president obama authorized the killing of an american citizen because he had declared war on the united states and encouraged others to bring harm to america . whatever anwar al-awlaki 's wrongs -- and there were many -- when america kills its own without a trial , it not only demeans itself but it hands over a propaganda victory to its enemies . ayman al-zawahiri , al qaeda 's leader since the death of osama bin laden , will chide this great country again for abandoning its values and principles . the white house 's authorization of this killing also tells american muslims that a precedent has been set by their government to kill american citizens abroad without trial if they oppose their country . this can not be right -- and is counterproductive to defeating terrorism in the long term because it demolishes the very values that america stands for : the rule of law and trial by jury . it is abandoning these very same principles of human dignity , underpinned by free and fair trials that led to al-awlaki 's decisive shift after being released from a yemeni prison in 2007 : from being anti-american rabble-rouser , he went to advocating direct violence against the united states . prison experiences in the arab world -- being arrested and detained without legal representation and exposed to the worst forms of torture at the hands of fellow muslims -- change nonviolent extremists to violent extremists . al-awlaki 's transformation from extremism to violence comes in this context . his alleged links to 9/11 terrorists were not as significant as some argue . if he was known to be involved in the 9/11 attacks , why was he a guest of the pentagon , of all places , in 2002 ? al-awlaki is not alone . before him , al-zawahiri was tortured in egyptian prisons , and during his trial in 1982 , he addressed a gallery of western journalists in english and declared , so where is democracy ? where is freedom ? where is human rights ? where is justice ? we will never forget ! ' without a doubt , al-awlaki and al-zawahiri were already radicalized before prison , but the tipping point toward violence came with their prison experiences . and before al-zawahiri , the intellectual framework for al-qaeda 's destructive worldview was put in place by syed qutb in mazra tora in prison in nasser 's egypt . again , it was torture and the absence of humane treatment that led to qutb declaring war on the egyptian government . qutb 's prison writings have inspired every jihadist movement around the globe . this same movement sees al-awlaki as a lightweight , not least because he never set foot on the battlefield and his scholarly credentials are open to question . in egypt or pakistan , al-awlaki is not well-known . little wonder , then , that al jazeera arabic is not as excited by al-awlaki 's killing as western media outlets . al-awlaki was important among muslims in the west -- from yemen , he used the internet to reach this constituency . but even before the launch of his blog in 2008 , al-awlaki was popular among muslims in england , canada and america because of his audiotapes about the history of early muslim personalities . these tapes were , and many still are , in circulation in mosques and bookshops . al-awlaki could have been discredited before his prison experiences or , now , his perceived martyrdom . by killing al-awlaki , his message gains new life as words from an american muslim martyr , the first to join the iconography of underground muslim culture since malcolm x . an easier , cheaper and more effective way of discrediting al-awlaki and countering his message would have been to disclose his three arrests for the solicitation of prostitutes in san diego and the washington , d.c. , area between 1996 and 1997 . he had even pleaded guilty to the 1997 charge , and was subsequently sentenced to three years'probation and a fine . among his socially conservative muslim following in europe and america , immediately after 9/11 , such information would have been dynamite . the united states can not kill its way out of terrorism . just as with the cold war , the challenge from islamist extremism and jihadist violence urgently needs a cultural , intellectual and informational response . violence breeds more violence and , in this case , literally creates martyrs out of al qaeda 's murderers . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ed husain .","the united states can not kill its way out of terrorism , husain says" +"college board ( cnn ) -- some years ago , i interviewed a pair of farmers selling pastured , hormone- and antibiotic-free turkeys for $ 4.75 a pound . they were heritage breed birds , bourbon reds whose numbers had dwindled to dangerously low levels as the broad-breasted white -- the butterball -- dominated . at the time , the farmers were still a little queasy about slaughtering and selling livestock they 'd raised . ( one farmer had been a longtime vegetarian . ) but by giving these turkeys a productive death , they explained , they were actually helping them survive . if they were n't for dinner , these birds just were n't useful . they were neither cuddly nor well-behaved . they made terrible pets , and were n't well-suited for life in the wilderness . they were n't destined for poultry popularity , either -- maybe your grandparents would recognize their gamey flavor , but it was nothing like the gravy-slathered protein that generations had gobbled down over the holidays . but if they enticed enough thanksgiving cooks to prepare them , the farmers saw a win for biodiversity and the birds . give them a reason to exist , and these turkeys could thrive . i thought of those birds recently when college board president and ceo david coleman explained sweeping changes planned for the sat exam . come spring 2016 , the essay will be optional . the score scale will return to familiar ol'1600 . the test prep will be free , and delivered via khan academy . and , the sat word will be no more , coleman said . just like those old-timey turkeys , it seems there 's limited use for the $ 5 words we 've come to expect from the sat . today , when we say that someone has used an sat word , it often means a word you have not heard before and are not likely to soon hear again , ' coleman explained in his announcement . you know these words if you took the test , its preparatory cousin , the psat , or almost any college-minded standardized test . you flipped through their definitions on flash cards , or faced them in a spelling bee , if you were that kind of kid . you probably still use a number of them : threatened , ' vigilant , ' predicting , ' ousting ' and strengthened ' all appeared on an sat test in 2013 . of course , bellicosity , ' obduracy ' and garrulous ' were on the test , too . after the frenzy and stress of sat cramming , the words become kind of a parenthetical joke , a chance to finally giggle at the absurdity of it all . drop mellifluous ' or loquacious ' into a sentence after the college applications are sent , and you can actually stop to appreciate it -- hey , i just used an sat word ! ' coleman said he 's done indulging tricks and flash cards that promise to beat his test , especially at the expense of deep , analytical reading and understanding . if the college exam tests only obscure vocabulary words , students stop reading and start flipping , ' he said . the redesigned sat will instead focus on words students are likely to use over and over again , he said , like synthesis ' and empirical . ' the sat will honor the best work of our classrooms -- reading widely and learning how words work in their different contexts , ' he said . we aim to offer worthy challenges , not artificial obstacles . ' but i wondered , if the sat abandons these words , what will become of treacly ' and mendacious ' ? are they turkeys on the verge of extinction ? hardly , linguist geoffrey nunberg explained . the sat was n't keeping them alive , he said , and flash cards were n't doing justice to many words , anyway . sure , those quick definitions did well enough for a multiple choice test . you can pick 'em out of a lineup , ' said nunberg , who teaches in university of california berkeley 's school of information . if you see'mendacious'and you think'dishonest ,'you 've got the main idea . ' but empirical , ' he said ? now that 's a complex word . it 's got varied and layered meanings , some buried deep in history , or evolving only now . under the guise of providing more user-friendly , fair tests , they 're merely substituting one set of sat words for another , ' nunberg said . if anything , this calls for more tutoring , and more background than the old words . ' he suspects that students might remember more from their sat study sessions than anybody realizes , but the words are even less forgettable if students learn them through reading instead of flash cards . regardless , the test will never get much credit ; if you memorize a word and use it often enough , he said , you 're unlikely to be able to pinpoint that you learned it for the sat . and if you do n't use it ? if people do n't use the word , ' nunberg said , it 's because they do n't need the word . ' there are no guarantees about the vocabulary of the future sat . the college board certainly has n't released a list of banned words , and it 's not as if the passages will suddenly read like fun with dick and jane . ' it would n't be a test , nunberg said , if everybody could answer all the questions correctly . everything is an sat word to somebody , ' he said . consider just one of the changes coming to the sat in 2016 : each exam will include passages from meaningful historic documents like the declaration of independence , the federalist papers and the rev . martin luther king jr. 's letter from birmingham jail . ' in king 's nearly 7,000-word letter , he dropped cognizant , ' superficial , ' moratorium , ' unfettered , ' ominous , ' ordinance , ' paternalistically , ' incorrigible , ' zeitgeist , ' sanctimonious , ' nullification , ' gladiatorial , ' scintillating ' and existential . ' any of them could be called an sat word . ' any of them could be on the new test . so , word lovers , do not mourn the next generation 's vocabulary . educators , do not celebrate the end of flash cards . the sat word is dead , long live the sat word . these turkeys still have a long time to cook . what do you think of the changes to the sat ? share your thoughts in the comments , on twitter @ cnnschools or on cnn living 's facebook page !","the college board says the next sat wo n't include little-used , forgettable sat words '" +"manchester united ( cnn ) -- titleholders inter milan relieved the pressure on under-fire manager rafael benitez by qualifying for the knockout stages of the champions league along with group a rivals tottenham on wednesday night . the italian champions scraped a 1-0 win at home to dutch league winners twente to go through to the last 16 ahead of the final round of matches on december 7 . veteran argentine midfielder esteban cambiasso scored the winner in the 55th minute after wesley sneijder 's free-kick hit the defensive wall . the dutch midfielder had earlier hit the woodwork from a similar situation and missed an early chance from close range for injury-hit inter . third-placed twente hit the crossbar through second-half substitute denny landzaat in the 75th minute , but now face a drop into the second-tier europa league . england 's tottenham , playing in europe 's top club competition for the first time , remained top of the table after crushing werder bremen 3-0 . the german club next host inter in their final match , having only two points from five matches -- three behind twente with a worse goal difference , meaning their european season is effectively over . tottenham went ahead in the sixth minute when defender younes kaboul followed up his match-winning goal from saturday 's london derby against arsenal to volley in a right-wing cross from winger aaron lennon . croatia midfielder luka modric made it 2-0 in the first minute of first-half injury-time as he calmly poked in a volley after striker peter crouch headed down a cross from fullback alan hutton . gareth bale hit the bar with a free-kick five minutes after the break , but had a penalty saved by goalkeeper tim wiese soon after when modric was fouled by felix kroos . however , crouch sealed victory with 11 minutes to play as he converted lennon 's low cross after bale 's floated center hit the top of the bar . barcelona qualified from group d with a 3-0 victory away to panathinaikos , which eliminated the greek side . winger pedro scored twice while leo messi continued his sensational scoring run to give the catalan club an unassailable 11 points from five games . daniel alves set pedro free for the 27th-minute opener , firing in a low shot , then the brazil fullback charged forward to start a super move that ended in messi converting adriano 's cross in the 63rd minute . six minutes later , alves and andres iniesta combined to give pedro a simple second goal . the spanish champions finished top following rubin kazan 's earlier 1-0 win at home to second-placed copenhagen , which left the russians just a point behind the danes ahead of their trip to barca 's nou camp next month . christian noboa 's penalty in first-half injury-time gave rubin a first home win in the competition in six attempts . the club 's captain scored after bebras natcho 's free-kick was handled by veteran winger jesper gronkjaer , and his side held on for victory after copenhagen 's dame n'doye hit the crossbar and goalkeeper sergei ryzhikov denied substitute kenneth zohore in time added on . manchester united qualified from group c with a 1-0 win away to scottish side rangers , as wayne rooney scored the winner in his first start since early october . the england striker netted an 87th-minute penalty after brazilian defender fabio da silva was fouled by steven naismith . it was rooney 's second match in four days , having come on as a substitute on saturday following an ankle injury and the controversy over whether he would stay at the english club which ended in him signing a new five-year contract . third-placed rangers will now drop into the europa league regardless of the result of their final match against bursaspor . the turkish club will finish bottom following the 6-1 thrashing at valencia , who need to beat united to finish top . the spanish side , however , are guaranteed a place in the second round following a four-goal first-half blitz at the mestalla . juan mata 's 17th-minute penalty was followed by the first of striker roberto soldado 's two goals , then fellow striker aritz aduriz netted at the near post at the second attempt and winger joaquin whipped a deflected effort into the top corner . soldado rounded the keeper and fired into the roof of the net 10 minutes after halftime before pablo batalla converted a low cross at the far post , then alejandro dominguez wrapped up valencia 's win with 12 minutes left . french club lyon went through for the eight successive year despite losing 3-0 at schalke , who also qualified from group b . the german side led 2-0 inside the first 20 minutes through peruvian midfielder jefferson farfan and dutch striker klaas-jan huntelaar , who capped victory with his second goal with a minute to play . veteran spanish striker raul set up farfan with a deflected pass after pouncing on an attempted clearance by pape diakhate , then peer kluge 's cross provided huntelaar with the second . lyon had key midfielder yoann gourcuff stretchered off with an ankle injury in the second half , then huntelaar 's late deflected effort gave schalke a perfect home record and put his side a point clear ahead of the december 7 trip to portugal . schalke will face a benfica side who surprisingly crashed 3-0 at bottom club hapoel tel aviv . the israelis picked up their first victory to leave benfica three points behind lyon , as attacking midfielder eran zahavi scored in each half either side of defender douglas da silva 's 74th-minute goal from a corner .","manchester united and valencia seal last-16 places with group c victories" +"schrenker ( cnn ) -- a man who crashed his plane in the florida panhandle in an apparent attempt to fake his death was sentenced wednesday to more than four years in federal prison , officials said . marcus schrenker was accused of defrauding investors through companies he owned in indiana . marcus schrenker , 38 , of mccordsville , indiana , pleaded guilty in june to charges of destruction of an aircraft and causing the coast guard to respond when no help is needed . he was sentenced to 51 months in prison wednesday , said a spokeswoman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the northern district of florida . schrenker also must pay the coast guard more than $ 34,000 in restitution and must pay harley-davidson credit corp. , the plane 's lien-holder , more than $ 871,000 , the u.s. attorney 's office said . however , the payment to harley-davidson will be offset by any amount the company receives from insurance , prosecutors said in a statement . authorities believe that schrenker hatched the plot for the january crash after investigators with the indiana secretary of state 's office searched his home and business on december 31 . he has been charged in indiana with one felony count each of an unlawful act by a compensated adviser and unlawful transaction by an investment adviser . authorities have said they think he defrauded investors through three companies he owns in a suburb of indianapolis , indiana . on january 11 , schrenker took off alone from anderson , indiana , in a piper pa46 plane , saying he was headed for destin , florida . while over alabama , he contacted air traffic controllers , saying that the windshield had imploded and that he was injured and bleeding profusely . the defendant stated to air traffic controllers that he was not going to make it , ' according to documents filed in court providing a factual basis for schrenker 's guilty plea . schrenker agreed to the facts , the documents said , and they were read aloud during his change of plea hearing in june . after schrenker made that statement , his aircraft leveled off , and he remained at 3,500 feet while he made course corrections taking him closer to harpersville , alabama , where he had stored a motorcycle in a storage facility , the documents said . over the nearby town of childersburg , alabama , schrenker jumped from the aircraft . the coast guard investigative service later recovered cut lines from tree branches and a parachute with a serial number that was traced to schrenker , court documents said . the coast guard dispatched rescue helicopters from new orleans , louisiana , and mobile , alabama , in case the plane crashed on land and sent two cutters in case it crashed into the gulf of mexico , prosecutors have said . meanwhile , two f-15 fighter jets were scrambled and located the plane in the air near birmingham , alabama . the pilots reported that the plane 's window was intact , its door was open , no pilot was on board , and the plane appeared to be on autopilot , according to affidavits filed in the case . the jets followed the plane until it crashed near the blackwater river in east milton , florida , according to court documents . authorities said it missed a group of homes by 50 to 75 yards . although the plane was severely damaged , investigators found that its windshield and windscreens were not damaged and that there was no blood inside the plane , the documents said . see plane 's flight path » in a search of the plane , authorities found handwritten notes on the inside back cover of a campground book , saying among other things , windshield is spider cracking , ' doors open , ' bleeding very bad ' and graying out , ' the documents said . meanwhile , schrenker fled harpersville on his motorcycle and traveled to a campground in florida , where he was arrested by the u.s . marshals service on the outstanding charges from indiana , according to court documents . when found , authorities said at the time , schrenker was bleeding from cuts on his wrists after an apparent suicide attempt . he was briefly hospitalized before being taken into custody . examining schrenker 's computer , authorities found internet searches on how to jump from airplanes and how to open a parachute , among other subjects , the court documents said . when questioned by federal officials , schrenker claimed that his windshield struck him in the face and his door malfunctioned , the court documents said . authorities then presented various pieces of evidence showing his claims to be untrue , ' and schrenker admitted that he called in a false distress message and had intended the plane to crash into the gulf of mexico , the documents said . indiana officials agreed to allow the federal case against schrenker to proceed before seeking to extradite him , prosecutors have said .","schrenker parachuted in alabama before plane crashed in florida" +"schrenker ( cnn ) -- a man who crashed his plane in the florida panhandle in an apparent attempt to fake his death was sentenced wednesday to more than four years in federal prison , officials said . marcus schrenker was accused of defrauding investors through companies he owned in indiana . marcus schrenker , 38 , of mccordsville , indiana , pleaded guilty in june to charges of destruction of an aircraft and causing the coast guard to respond when no help is needed . he was sentenced to 51 months in prison wednesday , said a spokeswoman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the northern district of florida . schrenker also must pay the coast guard more than $ 34,000 in restitution and must pay harley-davidson credit corp. , the plane 's lien-holder , more than $ 871,000 , the u.s. attorney 's office said . however , the payment to harley-davidson will be offset by any amount the company receives from insurance , prosecutors said in a statement . authorities believe that schrenker hatched the plot for the january crash after investigators with the indiana secretary of state 's office searched his home and business on december 31 . he has been charged in indiana with one felony count each of an unlawful act by a compensated adviser and unlawful transaction by an investment adviser . authorities have said they think he defrauded investors through three companies he owns in a suburb of indianapolis , indiana . on january 11 , schrenker took off alone from anderson , indiana , in a piper pa46 plane , saying he was headed for destin , florida . while over alabama , he contacted air traffic controllers , saying that the windshield had imploded and that he was injured and bleeding profusely . the defendant stated to air traffic controllers that he was not going to make it , ' according to documents filed in court providing a factual basis for schrenker 's guilty plea . schrenker agreed to the facts , the documents said , and they were read aloud during his change of plea hearing in june . after schrenker made that statement , his aircraft leveled off , and he remained at 3,500 feet while he made course corrections taking him closer to harpersville , alabama , where he had stored a motorcycle in a storage facility , the documents said . over the nearby town of childersburg , alabama , schrenker jumped from the aircraft . the coast guard investigative service later recovered cut lines from tree branches and a parachute with a serial number that was traced to schrenker , court documents said . the coast guard dispatched rescue helicopters from new orleans , louisiana , and mobile , alabama , in case the plane crashed on land and sent two cutters in case it crashed into the gulf of mexico , prosecutors have said . meanwhile , two f-15 fighter jets were scrambled and located the plane in the air near birmingham , alabama . the pilots reported that the plane 's window was intact , its door was open , no pilot was on board , and the plane appeared to be on autopilot , according to affidavits filed in the case . the jets followed the plane until it crashed near the blackwater river in east milton , florida , according to court documents . authorities said it missed a group of homes by 50 to 75 yards . although the plane was severely damaged , investigators found that its windshield and windscreens were not damaged and that there was no blood inside the plane , the documents said . see plane 's flight path » in a search of the plane , authorities found handwritten notes on the inside back cover of a campground book , saying among other things , windshield is spider cracking , ' doors open , ' bleeding very bad ' and graying out , ' the documents said . meanwhile , schrenker fled harpersville on his motorcycle and traveled to a campground in florida , where he was arrested by the u.s . marshals service on the outstanding charges from indiana , according to court documents . when found , authorities said at the time , schrenker was bleeding from cuts on his wrists after an apparent suicide attempt . he was briefly hospitalized before being taken into custody . examining schrenker 's computer , authorities found internet searches on how to jump from airplanes and how to open a parachute , among other subjects , the court documents said . when questioned by federal officials , schrenker claimed that his windshield struck him in the face and his door malfunctioned , the court documents said . authorities then presented various pieces of evidence showing his claims to be untrue , ' and schrenker admitted that he called in a false distress message and had intended the plane to crash into the gulf of mexico , the documents said . indiana officials agreed to allow the federal case against schrenker to proceed before seeking to extradite him , prosecutors have said .","schrenker also faces indiana charges , accused of defrauding investors" +"schrenker ( cnn ) -- a man who crashed his plane in the florida panhandle in an apparent attempt to fake his death was sentenced wednesday to more than four years in federal prison , officials said . marcus schrenker was accused of defrauding investors through companies he owned in indiana . marcus schrenker , 38 , of mccordsville , indiana , pleaded guilty in june to charges of destruction of an aircraft and causing the coast guard to respond when no help is needed . he was sentenced to 51 months in prison wednesday , said a spokeswoman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the northern district of florida . schrenker also must pay the coast guard more than $ 34,000 in restitution and must pay harley-davidson credit corp. , the plane 's lien-holder , more than $ 871,000 , the u.s. attorney 's office said . however , the payment to harley-davidson will be offset by any amount the company receives from insurance , prosecutors said in a statement . authorities believe that schrenker hatched the plot for the january crash after investigators with the indiana secretary of state 's office searched his home and business on december 31 . he has been charged in indiana with one felony count each of an unlawful act by a compensated adviser and unlawful transaction by an investment adviser . authorities have said they think he defrauded investors through three companies he owns in a suburb of indianapolis , indiana . on january 11 , schrenker took off alone from anderson , indiana , in a piper pa46 plane , saying he was headed for destin , florida . while over alabama , he contacted air traffic controllers , saying that the windshield had imploded and that he was injured and bleeding profusely . the defendant stated to air traffic controllers that he was not going to make it , ' according to documents filed in court providing a factual basis for schrenker 's guilty plea . schrenker agreed to the facts , the documents said , and they were read aloud during his change of plea hearing in june . after schrenker made that statement , his aircraft leveled off , and he remained at 3,500 feet while he made course corrections taking him closer to harpersville , alabama , where he had stored a motorcycle in a storage facility , the documents said . over the nearby town of childersburg , alabama , schrenker jumped from the aircraft . the coast guard investigative service later recovered cut lines from tree branches and a parachute with a serial number that was traced to schrenker , court documents said . the coast guard dispatched rescue helicopters from new orleans , louisiana , and mobile , alabama , in case the plane crashed on land and sent two cutters in case it crashed into the gulf of mexico , prosecutors have said . meanwhile , two f-15 fighter jets were scrambled and located the plane in the air near birmingham , alabama . the pilots reported that the plane 's window was intact , its door was open , no pilot was on board , and the plane appeared to be on autopilot , according to affidavits filed in the case . the jets followed the plane until it crashed near the blackwater river in east milton , florida , according to court documents . authorities said it missed a group of homes by 50 to 75 yards . although the plane was severely damaged , investigators found that its windshield and windscreens were not damaged and that there was no blood inside the plane , the documents said . see plane 's flight path » in a search of the plane , authorities found handwritten notes on the inside back cover of a campground book , saying among other things , windshield is spider cracking , ' doors open , ' bleeding very bad ' and graying out , ' the documents said . meanwhile , schrenker fled harpersville on his motorcycle and traveled to a campground in florida , where he was arrested by the u.s . marshals service on the outstanding charges from indiana , according to court documents . when found , authorities said at the time , schrenker was bleeding from cuts on his wrists after an apparent suicide attempt . he was briefly hospitalized before being taken into custody . examining schrenker 's computer , authorities found internet searches on how to jump from airplanes and how to open a parachute , among other subjects , the court documents said . when questioned by federal officials , schrenker claimed that his windshield struck him in the face and his door malfunctioned , the court documents said . authorities then presented various pieces of evidence showing his claims to be untrue , ' and schrenker admitted that he called in a false distress message and had intended the plane to crash into the gulf of mexico , the documents said . indiana officials agreed to allow the federal case against schrenker to proceed before seeking to extradite him , prosecutors have said .","indiana 's marcus schrenker pleads guilty to federal charges" +"schrenker ( cnn ) -- a man who crashed his plane in the florida panhandle in an apparent attempt to fake his death was sentenced wednesday to more than four years in federal prison , officials said . marcus schrenker was accused of defrauding investors through companies he owned in indiana . marcus schrenker , 38 , of mccordsville , indiana , pleaded guilty in june to charges of destruction of an aircraft and causing the coast guard to respond when no help is needed . he was sentenced to 51 months in prison wednesday , said a spokeswoman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the northern district of florida . schrenker also must pay the coast guard more than $ 34,000 in restitution and must pay harley-davidson credit corp. , the plane 's lien-holder , more than $ 871,000 , the u.s. attorney 's office said . however , the payment to harley-davidson will be offset by any amount the company receives from insurance , prosecutors said in a statement . authorities believe that schrenker hatched the plot for the january crash after investigators with the indiana secretary of state 's office searched his home and business on december 31 . he has been charged in indiana with one felony count each of an unlawful act by a compensated adviser and unlawful transaction by an investment adviser . authorities have said they think he defrauded investors through three companies he owns in a suburb of indianapolis , indiana . on january 11 , schrenker took off alone from anderson , indiana , in a piper pa46 plane , saying he was headed for destin , florida . while over alabama , he contacted air traffic controllers , saying that the windshield had imploded and that he was injured and bleeding profusely . the defendant stated to air traffic controllers that he was not going to make it , ' according to documents filed in court providing a factual basis for schrenker 's guilty plea . schrenker agreed to the facts , the documents said , and they were read aloud during his change of plea hearing in june . after schrenker made that statement , his aircraft leveled off , and he remained at 3,500 feet while he made course corrections taking him closer to harpersville , alabama , where he had stored a motorcycle in a storage facility , the documents said . over the nearby town of childersburg , alabama , schrenker jumped from the aircraft . the coast guard investigative service later recovered cut lines from tree branches and a parachute with a serial number that was traced to schrenker , court documents said . the coast guard dispatched rescue helicopters from new orleans , louisiana , and mobile , alabama , in case the plane crashed on land and sent two cutters in case it crashed into the gulf of mexico , prosecutors have said . meanwhile , two f-15 fighter jets were scrambled and located the plane in the air near birmingham , alabama . the pilots reported that the plane 's window was intact , its door was open , no pilot was on board , and the plane appeared to be on autopilot , according to affidavits filed in the case . the jets followed the plane until it crashed near the blackwater river in east milton , florida , according to court documents . authorities said it missed a group of homes by 50 to 75 yards . although the plane was severely damaged , investigators found that its windshield and windscreens were not damaged and that there was no blood inside the plane , the documents said . see plane 's flight path » in a search of the plane , authorities found handwritten notes on the inside back cover of a campground book , saying among other things , windshield is spider cracking , ' doors open , ' bleeding very bad ' and graying out , ' the documents said . meanwhile , schrenker fled harpersville on his motorcycle and traveled to a campground in florida , where he was arrested by the u.s . marshals service on the outstanding charges from indiana , according to court documents . when found , authorities said at the time , schrenker was bleeding from cuts on his wrists after an apparent suicide attempt . he was briefly hospitalized before being taken into custody . examining schrenker 's computer , authorities found internet searches on how to jump from airplanes and how to open a parachute , among other subjects , the court documents said . when questioned by federal officials , schrenker claimed that his windshield struck him in the face and his door malfunctioned , the court documents said . authorities then presented various pieces of evidence showing his claims to be untrue , ' and schrenker admitted that he called in a false distress message and had intended the plane to crash into the gulf of mexico , the documents said . indiana officials agreed to allow the federal case against schrenker to proceed before seeking to extradite him , prosecutors have said .","authorities : schrenker intentionally crashed plane in january" +"afghan london , england ( cnn ) -- taliban leaders are holding saudi-brokered talks with the afghan government to end the country 's bloody conflict -- and are severing their ties with al qaeda , sources close to the historic discussions have told cnn . king abdullah of saudia arabia hosted meetings between the afghan government and the taliban , a source says . the militia , which has been intensifying its attacks on the u.s.-led coalition that toppled it from power in 2001 for harboring osama bin laden 's terrorist network , has been involved in four days of talks hosted by saudi arabia 's king abdullah , says the source . the talks -- the first of their kind aimed at resolving the lengthy conflict in afghanistan -- mark a significant move by the saudi leadership to take a direct role in afghanistan , hosting delegates who have until recently been their enemies . they also mark a sidestepping of key war on terror ' ally pakistan , frequently accused of not doing enough to tackle militants sheltering on its territory , which has previously been a conduit for talks between the saudis and afghanistan . according to the source , fugitive taliban leader mullah mohammed omar -- high on the u.s. military 's most-wanted list -- was not present , but his representatives were keen to stress the reclusive cleric is no longer allied to al qaeda . details of the taliban leader 's split with al qaeda have never been made public before , but the new claims confirm what another source with an intimate knowledge of the militia and mullah omar has told cnn in the past . the current round of talks , said to have been taken two years of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations to come to fruition , is anticipated to be the first step in a long process to secure a negotiated end to the conflict . but u.s.- and europe-friendly saudi arabia 's involvement has been propelled by a mounting death toll among coalition troops amid a worsening violence that has also claimed many civilian casualties . a saudi source familiar with the talks confirmed that they happened and said the saudis take seriously their role in facilitating discussions between parties to the conflict . a second round of talks is scheduled to take place in two months , the saudi source said . the afghan government believes the taliban can not be defeated militarily , and the taliban believe that they ca n't win a war against the u.s.-led coalition in afghanistan , the saudi source said . the involvement of the saudis is also seen as an expression of fear that iran could take advantage of u.s. failings in afghanistan , as it is seen to be doing in iraq . several afghan sources familiar with iranian activities in afghanistan have said iranian officials and diplomats who are investing in business and building education facilities are lobbying politicians in kabul . learn more about king abdullah of saudi arabia » the afghan sources wish to remain anonymous due to their political roles . coalition commanders regularly accuse iran of arming the taliban , and western diplomats privately suggest that iran is working against u.s. interests in afghanistan , making it harder to bring peace . saudi sources say perceived iranian expansionism is one of saudi arabia 's biggest concerns . watch cnn 's nic robertson report on the meeting » the talks in mecca took place between september 24 and 27 and involved 11 taliban delegates , two afghan government officials , a representative of former mujahadeen commander and u.s. foe gulbadin hekmatyar , and three others . king abdullah broke fast during the eid al-fitr holiday with the 17-member afghan delegation -- an act intended to show his commitment to ending the conflict . eid al-fitr marks the end of ramadan , the muslim holy month of fasting . learn more about ramadan » saudi arabia was one of only three countries that recognized the taliban leadership during its rule over afghanistan in the 1990s , but that relationship was severed over mullah omar 's refusal to hand over bin laden . during the talks , described as an ice breaker , all parties agreed that the only solution to afghanistan 's conflict is through dialogue , not fighting . further talks are expected in saudi arabia involving this core group and others .","all parties agreed only solution to afghan conflict is dialogue , not fighting" +"afghan london , england ( cnn ) -- taliban leaders are holding saudi-brokered talks with the afghan government to end the country 's bloody conflict -- and are severing their ties with al qaeda , sources close to the historic discussions have told cnn . king abdullah of saudia arabia hosted meetings between the afghan government and the taliban , a source says . the militia , which has been intensifying its attacks on the u.s.-led coalition that toppled it from power in 2001 for harboring osama bin laden 's terrorist network , has been involved in four days of talks hosted by saudi arabia 's king abdullah , says the source . the talks -- the first of their kind aimed at resolving the lengthy conflict in afghanistan -- mark a significant move by the saudi leadership to take a direct role in afghanistan , hosting delegates who have until recently been their enemies . they also mark a sidestepping of key war on terror ' ally pakistan , frequently accused of not doing enough to tackle militants sheltering on its territory , which has previously been a conduit for talks between the saudis and afghanistan . according to the source , fugitive taliban leader mullah mohammed omar -- high on the u.s. military 's most-wanted list -- was not present , but his representatives were keen to stress the reclusive cleric is no longer allied to al qaeda . details of the taliban leader 's split with al qaeda have never been made public before , but the new claims confirm what another source with an intimate knowledge of the militia and mullah omar has told cnn in the past . the current round of talks , said to have been taken two years of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations to come to fruition , is anticipated to be the first step in a long process to secure a negotiated end to the conflict . but u.s.- and europe-friendly saudi arabia 's involvement has been propelled by a mounting death toll among coalition troops amid a worsening violence that has also claimed many civilian casualties . a saudi source familiar with the talks confirmed that they happened and said the saudis take seriously their role in facilitating discussions between parties to the conflict . a second round of talks is scheduled to take place in two months , the saudi source said . the afghan government believes the taliban can not be defeated militarily , and the taliban believe that they ca n't win a war against the u.s.-led coalition in afghanistan , the saudi source said . the involvement of the saudis is also seen as an expression of fear that iran could take advantage of u.s. failings in afghanistan , as it is seen to be doing in iraq . several afghan sources familiar with iranian activities in afghanistan have said iranian officials and diplomats who are investing in business and building education facilities are lobbying politicians in kabul . learn more about king abdullah of saudi arabia » the afghan sources wish to remain anonymous due to their political roles . coalition commanders regularly accuse iran of arming the taliban , and western diplomats privately suggest that iran is working against u.s. interests in afghanistan , making it harder to bring peace . saudi sources say perceived iranian expansionism is one of saudi arabia 's biggest concerns . watch cnn 's nic robertson report on the meeting » the talks in mecca took place between september 24 and 27 and involved 11 taliban delegates , two afghan government officials , a representative of former mujahadeen commander and u.s. foe gulbadin hekmatyar , and three others . king abdullah broke fast during the eid al-fitr holiday with the 17-member afghan delegation -- an act intended to show his commitment to ending the conflict . eid al-fitr marks the end of ramadan , the muslim holy month of fasting . learn more about ramadan » saudi arabia was one of only three countries that recognized the taliban leadership during its rule over afghanistan in the 1990s , but that relationship was severed over mullah omar 's refusal to hand over bin laden . during the talks , described as an ice breaker , all parties agreed that the only solution to afghanistan 's conflict is through dialogue , not fighting . further talks are expected in saudi arabia involving this core group and others .","talks are the first aimed at bringing a negotiated settlement to the afghan conflict" +"iran vienna , austria ( cnn ) -- negotiations between western powers and iran to reach a permanent agreement on the future of tehran 's nuclear ambitions are likely to be extended beyond the july 20 deadline , a senior u.s. official and a western diplomat told cnn on tuesday . the sources , who did not speak for full attribution , said the united states and its partners in the negotiations -- britain , france , germany , china and russia -- had not started talking about an extension with the iranians . but there are a number of potential time frames being discussed among the united states and its partners , ranging up to six months , the sources said . secretary of state john kerry said on tuesday in vienna the negotiations have not yet bridged some very real gaps . ' kerry told reporters there had been tangible progress on key issues , ' but negotiators have yet to arrive at a workable formula . ' he said he would return to washington to consult with the white house and lawmakers on options for moving forward , including whether to extend the talks beyond the deadline . our team will continue working very hard to try to reach a comprehensive agreement that resolves the international community 's concerns , ' kerry said of the negotiators . despite the continued differences , kerry said he believed there was a way ahead . but -- and this is a critical point -- while there is a path forward , iran needs to choose to take it . and our goal now is to determine the precise contours of that path , and i believe we can , ' he said . responding to reporters'questions , he added that trust has to be built because of iran 's past track record in pursuing a secret nuclear program . tehran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful , but the world powers fear it plans to build nuclear weapons . we do n't see any benefit in iran developing a nuclear weapon , ' iran 's foreign minister javad zarif told nbc 's meet the press ' on sunday . he said iran has a number of advantages over its neighbors , including the fact that we have better technology , ' which iran does n't need to augment with nuclear weapons . possible extension while a six-month extension would give them the maximum negotiating time , the obama administration has domestic considerations to weigh , including a november deadline after which new sanctions on iran would have to be imposed under u.s. law . there are also opponents in congress who could use the chance for an extension to try to torpedo a deal . when asked about prospects for an extension , white house spokesman josh earnest said he was not in a position to speculate about which path will be taken . ' an interim deal that took effect in january required iran to dismantle or freeze some of its nuclear program and open it to more international inspections in return for limited relief from crippling international sanctions . that set the stage for the current talks on a permanent accord . cnn 's laura smith-spark contributed to this report . labott reported from washington and crawford from vienna .","john kerry : there are still very real gaps ' between iran and six world powers" +"iran vienna , austria ( cnn ) -- negotiations between western powers and iran to reach a permanent agreement on the future of tehran 's nuclear ambitions are likely to be extended beyond the july 20 deadline , a senior u.s. official and a western diplomat told cnn on tuesday . the sources , who did not speak for full attribution , said the united states and its partners in the negotiations -- britain , france , germany , china and russia -- had not started talking about an extension with the iranians . but there are a number of potential time frames being discussed among the united states and its partners , ranging up to six months , the sources said . secretary of state john kerry said on tuesday in vienna the negotiations have not yet bridged some very real gaps . ' kerry told reporters there had been tangible progress on key issues , ' but negotiators have yet to arrive at a workable formula . ' he said he would return to washington to consult with the white house and lawmakers on options for moving forward , including whether to extend the talks beyond the deadline . our team will continue working very hard to try to reach a comprehensive agreement that resolves the international community 's concerns , ' kerry said of the negotiators . despite the continued differences , kerry said he believed there was a way ahead . but -- and this is a critical point -- while there is a path forward , iran needs to choose to take it . and our goal now is to determine the precise contours of that path , and i believe we can , ' he said . responding to reporters'questions , he added that trust has to be built because of iran 's past track record in pursuing a secret nuclear program . tehran insists its nuclear ambitions are peaceful , but the world powers fear it plans to build nuclear weapons . we do n't see any benefit in iran developing a nuclear weapon , ' iran 's foreign minister javad zarif told nbc 's meet the press ' on sunday . he said iran has a number of advantages over its neighbors , including the fact that we have better technology , ' which iran does n't need to augment with nuclear weapons . possible extension while a six-month extension would give them the maximum negotiating time , the obama administration has domestic considerations to weigh , including a november deadline after which new sanctions on iran would have to be imposed under u.s. law . there are also opponents in congress who could use the chance for an extension to try to torpedo a deal . when asked about prospects for an extension , white house spokesman josh earnest said he was not in a position to speculate about which path will be taken . ' an interim deal that took effect in january required iran to dismantle or freeze some of its nuclear program and open it to more international inspections in return for limited relief from crippling international sanctions . that set the stage for the current talks on a permanent accord . cnn 's laura smith-spark contributed to this report . labott reported from washington and crawford from vienna .","iran says its intentions are peaceful ; the world powers fear it wants nuclear weapons" +"shakhtar donetsk ( cnn ) -- real madrid took a giant stride towards the knockout stage of the champions league with a 1-0 win over auxerre for their second straight win in the tough group g on tuesday night . a late goal from substitute angel di maria sealed the points for jose mourinho 's men who beat ajax amsterdam 2-0 in the bernabeu in their group opener . the visitors had dominated the game and created a series of chances , but looked set for another goalless draw until di maria struck with nine minutes left . the argentine winger controlled a right-wing cross on his chest before volleying home . auxerre had offered precious little in attack but moments before real defender pepe 's header struck his own post and bounced clear . the win leaves them with six points from two games , two clear of ac milan , who drew 1-1 with ajax in the other match played tuesday in a group of three teams with illustrious records in the competition . former ajax striker zlatan ibrahimovic dealt his old side a blow with milan 's equalizer -- his third in the tournament having scored twice in the opening 2-0 win over auxerre . the swede combined with clarence seedorf to pull them level in the 37th minute . ajax had gone ahead in the 23rd minute , with uruguay international luis suarez playing a vital part as he foxed alessandro nesta before sending a low cross for moroccan international mounir el hamdaoui to score past past milan goalkeeper christian abbiati . in group h , arsenal and shakhtar donetsk are forging clear after two straight wins apiece . arsenal scored a thrilling 3-1 victory at 10-man partizan belgrade , while ukrainian side shakhtar were equally convincing 3-0 winners against braga . arsene wenger 's arsenal were coming off a shock 3-2 defeat to west brom in the english premier league on saturday but survived some scares for a comfortable win . man of the match jack wilshere brilliantly set up andrey arshavin to give them a 15th minute but partizan draw level against the run of play through brazil-born striker cleo from the spot . partizan marko jovanovic lost early in the second-half as he conceded a penalty but arshavin saw his penalty saved by goalkeeper vladimir stojkovic before striker marouane chamakh put them ahead again on 71 minutes . sebastien squillaci nodded home substitute samir nasri 's corner to make it 3-1 in the 82nd minute before the underfire lukasz fabianski dived to his right to save cleo 's late penalty for partizan . shakhtar 's brazilian stars douglas costa and luiz adriano were key to their win as braga , thrashed 6-0 at arsenal in the first match , lost heavily on their home ground . costa set up his teammate and compatriot for the first two goals and added the third from the spot in the last minute when converted after paulo cesar had fouled willian in the area .","arsenal and shakhtar donetsk maintain perfect records in group h" +"black friday ( cnn ) -- one of the biggest holiday weeks is upon us . thanksgiving is a favorite day for football fans , close-knit families , families who ca n't stand each other , and of course , amateur competitive eaters . but what 's really interesting about thanksgiving is the day after -- known as black friday . it may well be the most publicized -- and puzzling -- commercial day of the year . according to the national retail federation , last year 's black friday attracted more than 90 million online and in-store shoppers . online shoppers can buy things from the comfort and safety of their homes . but what about those who succumb to mass hysteria at local megastores ? we have all seen the shopacalypse ' on the evening news , which appears constrained only by the flimsy protection of a few tensabarriers and some security guys . when you step back and think about it , it seems strange that in an era of increasing civil liability , large retailers would invite this bedlam , and the likely personal-injury lawsuits that follow . there 's even a website , www.blackfridaydeathcount.com , which tracks and compiles statistics on injuries and deaths . are we really surprised people get hurt on black friday ? granted , it 's an open invitation to every nudnik , whose only qualifications are : 1 ) they do n't have to be at work ; and 2 ) they are willing to wake up at 5 a.m. to elbow their way to saving $ 3 on a sony discman or a cabbage patch doll . so how do we evaluate the liability of a store for injuries on its premises during black friday ? let 's take a look at common law . once a person steps onto private property , the law traditionally considered him one of the following : 1 ) trespasser ; 2 ) licensee ; or 3 ) invitee . everyone knows what a trespasser is . if you enter ( or remain ) on someone 's property without his consent , you are a trespasser . deadly force can be used on an intruder in one 's home , but that 's based on defense of self , not defense of property . you can use a gun to defend yourself at home against an intruder . on the other hand , if you own an abandoned barn , you can not install trip wires attached to shotguns , poison darts , snake pits or any of the traps from the indiana jones movies . you might think an invitee ' is someone who is just invited on to the property , say , for a cocktail party , but that 's not it . if your buddy invites you over for a super bowl party , you 're just considered a licensee . ' this means you are on the property with permission . you 're not providing your pal any business benefit , other than emotional support for his team , and divesting him of his chips and salsa . the only obligation your host has to licensees is to inform of the known danger on the property , and any not so obvious danger your host would expect you would n't know about . an invitee , ' on the other hand , is someone who enters the land for a purpose connected with or benefiting the business owner . when you shop at a store , you 're considered an invitee . ' historically , a landowner owed the invitee the highest duty of care , to inspect or warn of defects on the premises . in modern times , states and courts alike have increasingly rejected these antiquated distinctions and applied a more universal reasonable ' standard to landowners , sometimes even to trespassers . however , whether applying the traditional common law or a modern rule , if you are on someone 's property for the purpose of spending money , courts will hold the landowner to the highest applicable standard of care . even the occupational safety and health administration has acknowledged the sometimes fatal injuries suffered on black friday , and has published crowd management safety guidelines for retailers . osha and the occupational safety and health act of 1970 focus primarily on employers providing workers with safe and healthy workplaces , but their guidelines speak to preventing all injuries at retail sales events , with a specific nod to black friday . the osha guidelines offer suggestions about where a court might look for the standards of care . according to the guidelines , there should be adequate security , and sufficient crowd control measures . a store is not automatically liable if a customer sucker-punches another customer over an x-box , but it may be liable if the assault were foreseeable and the failure of security measures contributed to the assault . the bottom line is that stores will be liable if people are injured by known , unsafe and nonobvious conditions on their property on black friday , especially if stores take no special safety or security precautions , and treat the day like any other day . if a store knows it is expecting several times its normal traffic , it must anticipate the problems attendant to the increased foot traffic , and the potential for riffraff . it 's true that no store can ever prevent a meteor landing on the roof . no store can guarantee that another customer wo n't suddenly go mad and punch another person in the head . no amount of security can prevent the unpredictable -- it 's the same problem often encountered by stadiums when drunken sports fans attack . but , if a store is deliberately indifferent to security problems , then it may be liable where it knowingly ignores the behavior of that riffraff . the sweet spot of security is somewhere between the extremes of razor wire and pepper spray , and the minimal effort of a no shoes , no shirt , no service ' sign . a simple rule is that stores should be held liable for the increased risk they create -- especially when that risk creation is tied to a direct economic benefit . if a black friday sale devolves into the running of the bulls in pamplona , and the store knowingly allowed dangerous conditions on the property , it 's likely that the store will be held liable for injuries on the premises . it 's interesting that if you want to hold a rally or protest a grand jury , you might need a permit to exercise your first amendment rights . but if you are a big-box retailer holding a big-box sale , it seems that as long as you are generating revenue and paying taxes , you can host the retail equivalent of bonnaroo with nary a complaint . ultimately , if a mall encourages this behavior , maybe it gets exactly what it deserves . maybe the black friday retailer deserves the black friday shopper . so the next time you make fun of people who set out on christmas eve for the mall , remember this : the smattering of losers like me may have waited until the last minute to get our shopping done , but at least no one gets hurt in the process .","cevallos : maybe the black friday retailer deserves the black friday shopper" +"black friday ( cnn ) -- one of the biggest holiday weeks is upon us . thanksgiving is a favorite day for football fans , close-knit families , families who ca n't stand each other , and of course , amateur competitive eaters . but what 's really interesting about thanksgiving is the day after -- known as black friday . it may well be the most publicized -- and puzzling -- commercial day of the year . according to the national retail federation , last year 's black friday attracted more than 90 million online and in-store shoppers . online shoppers can buy things from the comfort and safety of their homes . but what about those who succumb to mass hysteria at local megastores ? we have all seen the shopacalypse ' on the evening news , which appears constrained only by the flimsy protection of a few tensabarriers and some security guys . when you step back and think about it , it seems strange that in an era of increasing civil liability , large retailers would invite this bedlam , and the likely personal-injury lawsuits that follow . there 's even a website , www.blackfridaydeathcount.com , which tracks and compiles statistics on injuries and deaths . are we really surprised people get hurt on black friday ? granted , it 's an open invitation to every nudnik , whose only qualifications are : 1 ) they do n't have to be at work ; and 2 ) they are willing to wake up at 5 a.m. to elbow their way to saving $ 3 on a sony discman or a cabbage patch doll . so how do we evaluate the liability of a store for injuries on its premises during black friday ? let 's take a look at common law . once a person steps onto private property , the law traditionally considered him one of the following : 1 ) trespasser ; 2 ) licensee ; or 3 ) invitee . everyone knows what a trespasser is . if you enter ( or remain ) on someone 's property without his consent , you are a trespasser . deadly force can be used on an intruder in one 's home , but that 's based on defense of self , not defense of property . you can use a gun to defend yourself at home against an intruder . on the other hand , if you own an abandoned barn , you can not install trip wires attached to shotguns , poison darts , snake pits or any of the traps from the indiana jones movies . you might think an invitee ' is someone who is just invited on to the property , say , for a cocktail party , but that 's not it . if your buddy invites you over for a super bowl party , you 're just considered a licensee . ' this means you are on the property with permission . you 're not providing your pal any business benefit , other than emotional support for his team , and divesting him of his chips and salsa . the only obligation your host has to licensees is to inform of the known danger on the property , and any not so obvious danger your host would expect you would n't know about . an invitee , ' on the other hand , is someone who enters the land for a purpose connected with or benefiting the business owner . when you shop at a store , you 're considered an invitee . ' historically , a landowner owed the invitee the highest duty of care , to inspect or warn of defects on the premises . in modern times , states and courts alike have increasingly rejected these antiquated distinctions and applied a more universal reasonable ' standard to landowners , sometimes even to trespassers . however , whether applying the traditional common law or a modern rule , if you are on someone 's property for the purpose of spending money , courts will hold the landowner to the highest applicable standard of care . even the occupational safety and health administration has acknowledged the sometimes fatal injuries suffered on black friday , and has published crowd management safety guidelines for retailers . osha and the occupational safety and health act of 1970 focus primarily on employers providing workers with safe and healthy workplaces , but their guidelines speak to preventing all injuries at retail sales events , with a specific nod to black friday . the osha guidelines offer suggestions about where a court might look for the standards of care . according to the guidelines , there should be adequate security , and sufficient crowd control measures . a store is not automatically liable if a customer sucker-punches another customer over an x-box , but it may be liable if the assault were foreseeable and the failure of security measures contributed to the assault . the bottom line is that stores will be liable if people are injured by known , unsafe and nonobvious conditions on their property on black friday , especially if stores take no special safety or security precautions , and treat the day like any other day . if a store knows it is expecting several times its normal traffic , it must anticipate the problems attendant to the increased foot traffic , and the potential for riffraff . it 's true that no store can ever prevent a meteor landing on the roof . no store can guarantee that another customer wo n't suddenly go mad and punch another person in the head . no amount of security can prevent the unpredictable -- it 's the same problem often encountered by stadiums when drunken sports fans attack . but , if a store is deliberately indifferent to security problems , then it may be liable where it knowingly ignores the behavior of that riffraff . the sweet spot of security is somewhere between the extremes of razor wire and pepper spray , and the minimal effort of a no shoes , no shirt , no service ' sign . a simple rule is that stores should be held liable for the increased risk they create -- especially when that risk creation is tied to a direct economic benefit . if a black friday sale devolves into the running of the bulls in pamplona , and the store knowingly allowed dangerous conditions on the property , it 's likely that the store will be held liable for injuries on the premises . it 's interesting that if you want to hold a rally or protest a grand jury , you might need a permit to exercise your first amendment rights . but if you are a big-box retailer holding a big-box sale , it seems that as long as you are generating revenue and paying taxes , you can host the retail equivalent of bonnaroo with nary a complaint . ultimately , if a mall encourages this behavior , maybe it gets exactly what it deserves . maybe the black friday retailer deserves the black friday shopper . so the next time you make fun of people who set out on christmas eve for the mall , remember this : the smattering of losers like me may have waited until the last minute to get our shopping done , but at least no one gets hurt in the process .","danny cevallos : black friday may be the most crazy commercial holiday of the year" +"london ( cnn ) -- disbelieving chelsea fans have been celebrating with their champions league-winning team in london on a victory parade the day after the club won the trophy for the first time in their history . chelsea 's squad and temporary manager roberto di matteo traveled on two open-top buses , waving blue scarves as they showed off the famous trophy with the big ears . ' cheering fans crowded onto the streets and even climbed up trees and lampposts and onto bus stops around southwest london to catch a glimpse of their heroes , including matchwinner didier drogba . chelsea , who overcame barcelona in the semifinals , were 1-0 down against bayern munich with seven minutes remaining at the allianz arena , but drogba conjured an 88th-minute equalizer . the ivorian striker then scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out with what could be his final kick for chelsea . the 34-year-old 's contract runs out this summer , and he has been linked with a move to china . it capped a remarkable few months for chelsea , who sacked portuguese manager andre villas boas in late march with the team toiling in the premier league and trailing 3-1 against napoli after the first leg of their champions league last 16 match . under di matteo , chelsea somehow overturned the deficit against napoli , but a miraculous victory over barcelona managed to overshadow that . chelsea looked doomed again after skipper john terry was sent off early in the second leg and they went 2-1 down on aggregate , but once again the blues triumphed against the odds -- and repeated the trick against bayern in the german 's club 's home stadium . the win also guaranteed chelsea a place in the champions league next season after missing out via the premier league by only finishing sixth . tottenham , who finished fourth in the english league , will have to settle for the europa league . as the buses came to a halt on sunday , terry , who was suspended for the final but lifted the trophy with frank lampard , led the players and fans in a chant of champions , champions , ole ole ole . ' when the microphone was passed to drogba , he was serenaded by both players and fans with didier drogba , we want you to stay . ' roman abramovich , the club 's wealthy russian owner , was also on the parade to witness the celebrations of drogba , fernando torres , ashley cole , petr cech , juan mata , and countless other signings made under his big-spending ownership . winning the champions league had been abramovich 's dream and plenty of managers were fired over their failure to deliver it , but di matteo 's future is still far from secure . whatever the club decides i will respect , it 's as simple as that , ' the italian coach said after the match in munich . as the chelsea fans celebrated , the mood in munich was predictably somber . once the delirious opposition fans had departed -- an estimated 100,000 chelsea supporters were in munich -- the city was left to mourn what most of the german newspapers saw as a desperately unlucky defeat . sports daily bild 's headline read : schweini , we are crying with you ! ' bastian schweinsteiger , the talisman of the bayern team who came through the youth system at the club , hit the post with a hesitant penalty in the shoot out . former chelsea winger arjen robben had missed a chance to wrap it up even before the shoot out when he had a penalty saved by cech in extra time . chelsea had one corner in the entire match and scored from it through drogba . bayern had 20 corners , and 43 attempts on goal to chelsea 's nine . it 's like a nightmare , ' bayern director of sport christian nerlinger said . when you see how the game played itself out , it 's like a bad film . this is frustrating and depressing to digest . this defeat is very difficult to take . ' munich daily sã¼ddeutsche zeitung concluded : how much bad luck fits into a single football match ? '","chelsea parade the champions league trophy through southwest london" +"aja ( cnn ) -- two bodies found this week in oklahoma are those of a murder suspect and his slain wife 's missing 7-year-old daughter , authorities said wednesday . the bodies have been identified as lester william hobbs , 46 , and aja daniell johnson , authorities said at a wednesday news conference . the cause and manner of death are still under investigation . authorities had been searching for hobbs and the girl since late january , when aja 's mother , tonya -- hobbs'estranged wife -- was found dead inside an rv in geronimo , oklahoma . on january 26 , two days after the body was found , hobbs was charged with first-degree murder in the killing , and with kidnapping in aja 's disappearance , according to the oklahoma state bureau of investigation . authorities launched a manhunt for hobbs , saying that he took the girl in a white 1992 toyota paseo . on monday , the two bodies and the car were discovered in a heavily wooded area of norman , which is outside oklahoma city , said jessica brown , spokeswoman for the oklahoma bureau of investigation . the city is about 80 miles north of geronimo . the car had been left in the woods for several weeks , possibly a month , brown said . cherokee ballard , a spokeswoman for the oklahoma state medical examiner 's office , said wednesday that the office used fingerprints to identify hobbs and dental records to identify aja . richard goss , an agent with the oklahoma state bureau of investigation , said authorities would be investigating whether anyone had harbored hobbs . the girl 's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in november , according to oklahoma county district court documents obtained by cnn affiliate kwtv of oklahoma city . at a hearing , tonya hobbs -- identified as tonya dunkin in the documents -- and the girl 's father , john johnson , agreed that she would have supervised visitation with the girl and that she would keep the child away from hobbs , the documents said .","bodies of aja daniell johnson , 7 , and man suspected of killing her mother are identified" +"aja ( cnn ) -- two bodies found this week in oklahoma are those of a murder suspect and his slain wife 's missing 7-year-old daughter , authorities said wednesday . the bodies have been identified as lester william hobbs , 46 , and aja daniell johnson , authorities said at a wednesday news conference . the cause and manner of death are still under investigation . authorities had been searching for hobbs and the girl since late january , when aja 's mother , tonya -- hobbs'estranged wife -- was found dead inside an rv in geronimo , oklahoma . on january 26 , two days after the body was found , hobbs was charged with first-degree murder in the killing , and with kidnapping in aja 's disappearance , according to the oklahoma state bureau of investigation . authorities launched a manhunt for hobbs , saying that he took the girl in a white 1992 toyota paseo . on monday , the two bodies and the car were discovered in a heavily wooded area of norman , which is outside oklahoma city , said jessica brown , spokeswoman for the oklahoma bureau of investigation . the city is about 80 miles north of geronimo . the car had been left in the woods for several weeks , possibly a month , brown said . cherokee ballard , a spokeswoman for the oklahoma state medical examiner 's office , said wednesday that the office used fingerprints to identify hobbs and dental records to identify aja . richard goss , an agent with the oklahoma state bureau of investigation , said authorities would be investigating whether anyone had harbored hobbs . the girl 's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in november , according to oklahoma county district court documents obtained by cnn affiliate kwtv of oklahoma city . at a hearing , tonya hobbs -- identified as tonya dunkin in the documents -- and the girl 's father , john johnson , agreed that she would have supervised visitation with the girl and that she would keep the child away from hobbs , the documents said .","court had awarded emergency custody of aja to her biological father in november" +"aja ( cnn ) -- two bodies found this week in oklahoma are those of a murder suspect and his slain wife 's missing 7-year-old daughter , authorities said wednesday . the bodies have been identified as lester william hobbs , 46 , and aja daniell johnson , authorities said at a wednesday news conference . the cause and manner of death are still under investigation . authorities had been searching for hobbs and the girl since late january , when aja 's mother , tonya -- hobbs'estranged wife -- was found dead inside an rv in geronimo , oklahoma . on january 26 , two days after the body was found , hobbs was charged with first-degree murder in the killing , and with kidnapping in aja 's disappearance , according to the oklahoma state bureau of investigation . authorities launched a manhunt for hobbs , saying that he took the girl in a white 1992 toyota paseo . on monday , the two bodies and the car were discovered in a heavily wooded area of norman , which is outside oklahoma city , said jessica brown , spokeswoman for the oklahoma bureau of investigation . the city is about 80 miles north of geronimo . the car had been left in the woods for several weeks , possibly a month , brown said . cherokee ballard , a spokeswoman for the oklahoma state medical examiner 's office , said wednesday that the office used fingerprints to identify hobbs and dental records to identify aja . richard goss , an agent with the oklahoma state bureau of investigation , said authorities would be investigating whether anyone had harbored hobbs . the girl 's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in november , according to oklahoma county district court documents obtained by cnn affiliate kwtv of oklahoma city . at a hearing , tonya hobbs -- identified as tonya dunkin in the documents -- and the girl 's father , john johnson , agreed that she would have supervised visitation with the girl and that she would keep the child away from hobbs , the documents said .","aja 's mother , tonya hobbs , was found dead in late january" +"aja ( cnn ) -- two bodies found this week in oklahoma are those of a murder suspect and his slain wife 's missing 7-year-old daughter , authorities said wednesday . the bodies have been identified as lester william hobbs , 46 , and aja daniell johnson , authorities said at a wednesday news conference . the cause and manner of death are still under investigation . authorities had been searching for hobbs and the girl since late january , when aja 's mother , tonya -- hobbs'estranged wife -- was found dead inside an rv in geronimo , oklahoma . on january 26 , two days after the body was found , hobbs was charged with first-degree murder in the killing , and with kidnapping in aja 's disappearance , according to the oklahoma state bureau of investigation . authorities launched a manhunt for hobbs , saying that he took the girl in a white 1992 toyota paseo . on monday , the two bodies and the car were discovered in a heavily wooded area of norman , which is outside oklahoma city , said jessica brown , spokeswoman for the oklahoma bureau of investigation . the city is about 80 miles north of geronimo . the car had been left in the woods for several weeks , possibly a month , brown said . cherokee ballard , a spokeswoman for the oklahoma state medical examiner 's office , said wednesday that the office used fingerprints to identify hobbs and dental records to identify aja . richard goss , an agent with the oklahoma state bureau of investigation , said authorities would be investigating whether anyone had harbored hobbs . the girl 's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in november , according to oklahoma county district court documents obtained by cnn affiliate kwtv of oklahoma city . at a hearing , tonya hobbs -- identified as tonya dunkin in the documents -- and the girl 's father , john johnson , agreed that she would have supervised visitation with the girl and that she would keep the child away from hobbs , the documents said .","her estranged husband was suspected in her killing and aja 's disappearance" +"neil heywood a court in eastern china sentenced bo xilai -- the former rising star of the ruling communist party who fell from power amid a scandal involving murder , betrayal and financial skullduggery -- to life in prison sunday . bo received the life sentence for bribe-taking , as well as 15 years for embezzlement and seven years for abuse of power . the sentences , which came shortly after the guilty verdicts , surprised some analysts . i 'm actually a little bit surprised . i think it 's a very strong verdict ' compared to some previous cases , said yuhua wang , a political science professor at university of pennsylvania . he was a political star before falling from grace . he was ... the son of a revolutionary veteran . his father was mao 's colleague , ' he added . during the hearings of the politically sensitive trial that took place over several days last month , bo , 64 , denied the charges and strongly challenged the prosecution 's case against him , according to accounts published by the jinan intermediate people 's court . the closely watched trial was considered to be much more transparent than most cases in china . but international and independent journalists were n't allowed inside the courtroom , and doubts were raised about the fullness of the court 's version of events .'i can bear the suffering' days before the court announced the date for delivering the verdict , bo reiterated his innocence but said he anticipated a lengthy imprisonment in a letter written to his family . i was dragged into this and really wronged , but the truth will come out one day , ' wrote bo in a letter dated september 12 , referring to the bribes allegedly taken by his wife and other scandals involving her and her friends . read more : five big moments from the trial ' meanwhile i will be waiting quietly in prison , ' bo continued . dad was thrown into prison multiple times in his lifetime and i will look up to him as my role model . ' bo 's late father , bo yibo , was a revolutionary contemporary of chairman mao zedong and late paramount leader deng xiaoping . during the tumultuous cultural revolution that mao launched in 1966 , however , the senior bo was persecuted , tortured and imprisoned for over a decade . he was rehabilitated ' in 1979 and became one of the most influential senior politicians under deng . dad and mom have passed away , but their teachings are deeply ingrained in my mind , ' bo wrote . i will never bring disgrace to them and their glory . i can bear the suffering no matter how great it is . i have put mom 's photo by my bed . with her by my side , i do n't feel lonely . ' timeline : the bo scandal a source with close ties to the bo family confirmed to cnn the authenticity of the letter , which has been circulating on the internet . she adds that the content online is only part of the original letter , which appears to be addressing the family members -- including a son and four siblings -- present in the courtroom during his trial . dramatic downfall bo 's trial brought to light a wealth of eye-opening details about the apparently lavish and emotionally fraught life of his family and inner circle , giving chinese people insights into how some of the ruling elite live . analysis : was bo xilai 's trial in china truly transparent ? his glittering career , during which he drew both admirers and detractors for his populist policies , fell apart last year . the son of a revolutionary veteran , bo rose to power as a city mayor , provincial governor , minister of commerce and member of the politburo , the powerful policy-making body of the communist party . he had been tipped to ascend farther up the party hierarchy . a charismatic and urbane politician , bo was credited with a spectacular , albeit brutal , crackdown on organized crime during his time as the top party official of chongqing , a metropolis in southwestern china . but when his deputy , wang lijun , walked into the u.s. consulate in the city of chengdu in february 2012 and told american diplomats that bo 's wife , gu kailai , was involved in a murder case , bo 's career began to unravel . read more : corruption fight a political purge ? wang 's move precipitated bo 's political demise . soon after news of the events began to emerge , bo was removed from his party posts . a court found gu guilty last year of murdering british businessman neil heywood in a chongqing hotel room in 2011 . she was given a suspended death sentence . the following month , wang was convicted of bending the law for selfish ends , defection , abuse of power and bribe-taking . he received a 15-year prison sentence . wang and gu both appeared as witnesses at bo 's trial last month . bo attacked their testimony and even claimed that wang and gu had been romantically involved . read more : bo xilai says former aide had crush on his wife","a court found his wife guilty last year of murdering british businessman neil heywood" +"israeli jerusalem ( cnn ) -- police who are investigating a major wildfire in northern israel have detained a 14-year-old boy who admitted smoking a water pipe in the woods near his village , police spokesman micky rosenfeld said . the wildfire killed at least 42 people and forced the evacuation of thousands of others before it was extinguished monday , police said . the boy said he threw coals from his pipe in the woods , but then panicked and ran to school after the fire started . two other teenagers who had been detained monday have been released , rosenfeld said . about 1,500 firefighters are still in the area and on standby , police spokesman rosenfeld said . the fire , which broke out thursday , forced the evacuations of about 17,000 people and scorched over 10,000 acres around haifa , israel 's third largest city , threatening businesses , tourism and one of israel 's greenest regions , mount carmel . the developments came a day after the israeli cabinet approved a plan to speed aid to those affected . i do not want delays , ' israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said sunday . i do not want bureaucracy . i want processes to be shortened . i want quick solutions . i want all of the people -- within days -- to be able to return to their homes or to alternative housing , until the reconstruction work is finished . ' the cabinet has approved a series of steps aimed at kick-starting a quick response for victims . the finance ministry will allocate 60 million shekels ( $ 16 million ) in aid to local communities affected by the fire . netanyahu instructed that more funding be considered if necessary . the plan will include compensating local governments for damages in order to meet the costs of evacuating and absorbing populations , firefighting efforts , clean-up and dealing with infrastructures , ' according to a government statement . the government said israel 's housing administration will station mobile structures in the communities to stand in for homes and public structures that were destroyed . a plan will also be formulated to restore animal and plant life affected in the carmel nature reserve . most of the 42 victims were cadets in israel 's prison service who arrived thursday to help evacuate 500 inmates from the damon prison near haifa . among the dead , 40 were apparently burned alive when their bus , traveling along a narrow mountain road , was engulfed by the fast-moving blaze , the jerusalem post reported . police said late monday that a policewoman had died of her wounds , bringing the death toll to 42 . in an interview with the newspaper , a firefighter spokesman said the bus was gone in less than three minutes . the bus had no chance . they tried to escape but were burned alive , ' the spokesman said . it was a horrific scene . ' the israeli military said the victims would be buried with full honors in military ceremonies . built on the slopes of mount carmel about 50 miles north of tel aviv , haifa 's metropolitan area is also host to historical sites that date to biblical times . the fire has also threatened a sensitive ecological area near the hai bar nature reserve . known as mount carmel 's little switzerland , ' the reserve is home to a wildlife preservation project that seeks to bring back native species mentioned in the old testament . cnn 's paula hancocks contributed to this report .","the israeli government approves funding for victims" +"israeli jerusalem ( cnn ) -- police who are investigating a major wildfire in northern israel have detained a 14-year-old boy who admitted smoking a water pipe in the woods near his village , police spokesman micky rosenfeld said . the wildfire killed at least 42 people and forced the evacuation of thousands of others before it was extinguished monday , police said . the boy said he threw coals from his pipe in the woods , but then panicked and ran to school after the fire started . two other teenagers who had been detained monday have been released , rosenfeld said . about 1,500 firefighters are still in the area and on standby , police spokesman rosenfeld said . the fire , which broke out thursday , forced the evacuations of about 17,000 people and scorched over 10,000 acres around haifa , israel 's third largest city , threatening businesses , tourism and one of israel 's greenest regions , mount carmel . the developments came a day after the israeli cabinet approved a plan to speed aid to those affected . i do not want delays , ' israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said sunday . i do not want bureaucracy . i want processes to be shortened . i want quick solutions . i want all of the people -- within days -- to be able to return to their homes or to alternative housing , until the reconstruction work is finished . ' the cabinet has approved a series of steps aimed at kick-starting a quick response for victims . the finance ministry will allocate 60 million shekels ( $ 16 million ) in aid to local communities affected by the fire . netanyahu instructed that more funding be considered if necessary . the plan will include compensating local governments for damages in order to meet the costs of evacuating and absorbing populations , firefighting efforts , clean-up and dealing with infrastructures , ' according to a government statement . the government said israel 's housing administration will station mobile structures in the communities to stand in for homes and public structures that were destroyed . a plan will also be formulated to restore animal and plant life affected in the carmel nature reserve . most of the 42 victims were cadets in israel 's prison service who arrived thursday to help evacuate 500 inmates from the damon prison near haifa . among the dead , 40 were apparently burned alive when their bus , traveling along a narrow mountain road , was engulfed by the fast-moving blaze , the jerusalem post reported . police said late monday that a policewoman had died of her wounds , bringing the death toll to 42 . in an interview with the newspaper , a firefighter spokesman said the bus was gone in less than three minutes . the bus had no chance . they tried to escape but were burned alive , ' the spokesman said . it was a horrific scene . ' the israeli military said the victims would be buried with full honors in military ceremonies . built on the slopes of mount carmel about 50 miles north of tel aviv , haifa 's metropolitan area is also host to historical sites that date to biblical times . the fire has also threatened a sensitive ecological area near the hai bar nature reserve . known as mount carmel 's little switzerland , ' the reserve is home to a wildlife preservation project that seeks to bring back native species mentioned in the old testament . cnn 's paula hancocks contributed to this report .","new : israeli policewoman dies , bringing death toll to 42" +"team usa london ( cnn ) -- south african double-amputee sprinter oscar pistorius , who made headlines at the olympics , set a world record on saturday in london in defense of the first of his three paralympic titles . on day three of the games , he ran 21.30 in men 's 200m-t44 title in the first round saturday evening , easily besting other racers in his heat . the paralympic movement classifies events , using terms like t44 , to group competitors based on their disability . his biggest threats in sunday 's gold-medal final will include brazilian alan fonteles cardoso oliveira , american sprinter blake leeper and south africa 's arnu fourie , based on their qualifying times . pistorius , who uses carbon fiber prosthetic blades , made it to the semifinals of the individual 400-meter and the 400-meter relay final at the olympics last month , running against able-bodied athletes . in the paralympics , which are the also being held in london , pistorius is also competing in the men 's 100-meter-t44 ( set for next wednesday and thursday ) and the 400-meter-t44 ( happening friday and saturday ) , both of which he won in beijing four years ago . he 's also part of south africa 's 4 x 100-meter t42/t46 relay team , which is scheduled to race wednesday . the thin line : paralympic classification competition was intense saturday in paralympic competitions in and around great britain 's capital , with 49 gold medals on the line across seven sports , including athletics , track cycling , swimming and equestrian . britain 's richard whitehead sprinted to victory earlier saturday in the men 's 200m - t42 , setting a new world record in the process and shedding tears of joy at the finish . team usa 's shaquille vance took the silver medal . there was also drama in the velodrome saturday . britain 's neil fachie , piloted by barney storey , smashed the world record to earn gold in the men 's individual b 1-kilometer time trial , an event on a tandem bicycle for the visually impaired . there was bitter disappointment , though , for the cyclist whose record he took . world champion and fellow briton anthony kappes , piloted by craig maclean , had his medal hopes dashed after the chain on their bike failed twice . britain 's sarah storey , wife of barney storey , made it a double gold for the household saturday with victory in the women 's individual c4-5 500-meter time trial , while u.s. cyclist jennifer schuble took silver . the win gave sarah storey , who was born without a functioning left hand , her second gold of the games and an impressive 20 paralympic medals in total across the swimming and cycling disciplines . she has also competed successfully against able-bodied athletes . gold medal in the men 's individual c4 cycling pursuit went to carol-eduard novak from romania , with silver for jiri jezek of the czech republic . britain 's jody cundy took bronze , a day after he was disqualified for a false start in the time trial . australian world champion michael gallagher won the men 's individual c5 pursuit , holding britain 's jon-allan butterworth , a military veteran who lost an arm to a rocket attack in iraq five years ago , to second place . china 's yin he set a world record in the women 's c1-2-3 500-meter time trial to take gold . there is a tense wait ahead for team usa 's 17-year-old victoria arlen , who earlier this week was ruled ineligible to swim at the games by the international paralympic committee . arlen 's appeal against the ruling was upheld thursday , meaning she could swim in saturday 's 400-meter freestyle heats -- winning hers by a convincing 19-second margin -- but her classification is still subject to review by the ipc . british medal hope ellie simmonds , also 17 , won her heat in a time a fraction faster than arlen , the world record holder . that order held up in the finals , with simmonds setting a world record in finishing a second ahead of arlen -- with the two of them both 13 seconds faster than any other competitor . arlen 's classification problems came after fellow u.s. paralympians justin zook and mallory weggeman were reclassified earlier this week . arlen , from new hampshire , was a talented able-bodied swimmer until a neurological disease left her paralyzed in both legs . the complex system of disability classification , which ensures athletes compete against those who are similarly-abled , is considered an essential tool for the paralympic movement . on the track , the crowd gave a huge reception to houssein omar hassan , who entered the games on a wild card and is djibouti 's first paralympic runner . he finished nearly 7 minutes behind the next slowest competitor in the 1,500-meter race but was applauded for his spirit in finishing . over at eton manor , the first paralympics-only venue to be built for the games , the netherlands'wheelchair tennis star esther vergeer is looking to extend her decade-long dominance of the sport . vergeer -- who already has five paralympic wheelchair tennis titles , three in singles , two in doubles -- beat japan 's kanako domori in straight sets in the first round of the women 's singles . the rules for this competition are almost the same as for able-bodied tennis , but the ball is allowed to bounce twice . in another display of dominance , nigeria took its fifth powerlifting medal of the games on saturday , compliments of esther oyema in the women 's -48 kilograms competition . cnn 's tom mcgowan contributed to this report .","the uk 's ellie simmonds edges out team usa 's victoria arlen in 400-meter freestyle" +"epiphany new york ( cnn ) -- it 's a good thing chrisette michele did n't choke last week when she heard the news she had a no . 1 album on her hands . chrisette michele 's album epiphany ' debuted at no . 1 earlier in may . i was backstage at the david letterman show on a couch , probably eating grapes , ' says the singer-songwriter . i always eat grapes before i go on . ' the acid and pectin in the fruit help prepare her voice for performing , the 26-year-old goes on to explain . but nothing , she says , could have prepared her for the excitement she 'd feel upon learning her sophomore album , epiphany , ' debuted atop the billboard 200 chart . she had to go chill out at a lakeside ranch for a couple of days to let it all sink in . but this is n't michele 's first big career moment : she won a grammy this year in the best urban/alternative performance category for her single , be ok , ' featuring will.i.am . the song first appeared on her soul-tinged 2007 debut album i am , ' for which she penned all her own lyrics . this time around , michele , whose voice has earned her comparisons to billie holiday and jill scott , relinquished some songwriting duties to r & b singer ne-yo . michele talked to cnn about the experience of sharing pen and paper , the real-life epiphany behind epiphany ' and why she likes making mischief . watch michele belt out a tune » cnn : have you had a big epiphany recently ? michele : i have epiphanies all the time , because i 'm always thinking . i 'm a thinker . i 'm always writing poetry , i 'm always coming to conclusions . the latest epiphany is that i really do n't have to be afraid of anybody . and the reason why it was an epiphany was when i first started , i was so afraid that maybe they wo n't like me . and i was just being myself , i was being really honest . and so i felt that if they did n't like me that would really hurt . but i found out that there 's a lot more lovers out there than i realized , and the world is much smaller than i thought . and so there 's no need to be afraid . cnn : tell me about the single . michele : epiphany ' is about a girl who 's sitting on her couch and saying you know what ? i 'm sick and tired of waiting for these phone calls . i 'm sick and tired of waiting for him to come home . ' i think i 'm just about over being his girlfriend . and that 's her epiphany . that 's her a-ha moment . cnn : how does this album demonstrate how you 've progressed as an artist ? michele : one way is that i did n't write some of the songs . pride destroyed ! ego smashed ! pens , pencils thrown across the room ! it was so tough at first . but then i started working with ne-yo . ne-yo is the easiest person to talk to , and he made my experiences come to life with his lyrics . i was afraid that if somebody took the pen and the pad that it would suddenly turn into somebody else . but he did a wonderful job of capturing chrisette michele and it was a beautiful experience . cnn : who 's your favorite jazz performer in the world ? michele : ella fitzgerald . but i ca n't narrow it down to just one . i get excited when we talk about jazz . cnn : which living jazz musician would you like to work with ? michele : diana krall . a female piano player is always pretty cool to me . i went to school , did jazz and there were n't a lot of ladies who sat down and did those jazz things at the keys that she does . cnn : why do n't you think young people appreciate jazz as much ? michele : i 'm an advocate of music in schools . it 's important to me that music is in as many schools as possible across this country and across the world . i think that it 's a lost art form because kids are n't as exposed to it as maybe they used to be , or should be . i was exposed heavily to jazz and that 's why i love it . cnn : i hear you 're a bit of a prankster . michele : when i was in school i used to prank my teachers all the time . but i was really , really nice . i love to make people laugh . and even in those pranks , the teachers would laugh most of the time . cnn : what 's your favorite album of 2009 so far ? michele : mine ( smiles mischievously ) . cnn : besides yours . michele : what is in my ipod right now on repeat is john legend 's evolver . ' i ca n't get enough of that record . i also love adele 's new album . it 's incredible , especially the live side . those are two that are on my radar .","chrisette michele 's album epiphany ' debuted at no . 1 earlier in may" +"walmart ( cnn ) arizona investigators have released dramatic video of a walmart parking lot brawl that left a police officer wounded , one man dead , and reportedly involved members of a christian family band . enoch gaver , 21 , was killed in the fight in the town of cottonwood , and suspect david gaver , 28 , was shot in the stomach and taken into custody . police sergeant jeremy daniels was hit in the leg by a bullet fired during the melee . the police dashcam video , released friday , shows cottonwood police approaching the group of eight people -- all identified as members of the gaver family -- around a large suv in a walmart parking lot on march 21 . officers wanted to question them about the alleged assault of a walmart employee who was going into the store bathroom . the police were accompanied by another walmart employee . on the video , an officer tells the group that they need to separate these folks and talk to them . ' someone then responds , no , you are not going to separate me from my parents , ' and , do n't touch me . ' the video then shows a police officer being put in a headlock and knocked to the ground . the sound of taser fire is heard . police say pepper spray was deployed and that at least three shots were fired in an apparent struggle for an officer 's gun . several times on the video the group appears to surrender , but starts fighting again . the melee goes for several minutes until backup officers arrive and make arrests . police charged four members of the family with assaulting an officer and resisting arrest . two minors were also taken into custody and are being held at a juvenile detention facility . at least three members of the family are reportedly in a christian band named matthew 24 now , ' which is a bible verse that refers to the end times , according to cnn affiliate kpho . the family was living out of its chevy suburban . cnn 's greg morrison contributed to this report .","police questioned the group about an alleged assault of a walmart employee" +"arirang ( cnn ) -- the north koreans know how to put on a show and this year -- the 60th anniversary of the end of hostilities in the korean war -- they 've gone all out for the mass games . if you 've toyed with the idea of going , this is the summer to do it . it 's a lot easier to get into the hermit kingdom than you probably expect and the incredible spectacle that is the mass games officially runs until september 8 , though it is often extended . you go in knowing there will be 100,000 performers -- gymnasts , dancers , acrobats -- that the music will be loud and there will be fireworks and strobe lights , but nothing prepares you for the sheer scale of the production . it 's the beijing olympics opening night a dozen times over with a camp director and an unlimited budget . half the people on the tour i went with opted to go a second night , hoping to catch some of the bits they missed the first time around . why now is the time to go why go now ? because this could well be the last year that arirang will be staged . arirang is not the mass games -- it 's the name of the theme the games have followed for the last 10 years or so -- a romeo and juliet-like folk tale . so while there will almost certainly be a mass games next year , it may not follow this theme . what 's more , without any anniversaries or significant dates to celebrate next year , it 's expected to be far more low-key than the great pomp and ceremony that defines this year 's show . ethical debates persist over whether tourists should visit north korea , a country with a poor human rights record . critics say tourist dollars help the repressive government , but others say the tourism money generated in north korea is minimal . to mark the 60th anniversary of the korean war armistice -- what north koreans call the victory in the fatherland liberation war -- no expense has been spared . new at the mass games regulars at the world 's largest choreographed gymnastics performance say this year 's show has plenty of new material , with familiar acts given a new twist . i 've been about 50 times and 50 % of it was different this year , ' says simon cockerell of beijing-based koryo tours . there are whole new acts and there 's a lot more technology -- the digital screens , the arches on top of the stadium , all that 's new . ' that new technology had a major hiccup the night i visited , july 27 -- victory day . five minutes into the 90-minute show there was a total blackout . power outages are everyday occurrences in pyongyang , but to have one at such a high-profile event was unusual . the spectacle was just kicking off -- a wall of students on the far side of the stadium , the human pixels , ' were flipping through books of colored cards to flash up messages and images , giant strobe lights rolled across the arena , the music was pounding , thousands of performers surged across the stadium -- and we were plunged into darkness . only the night before north korean leader kim jong un had sat in the stadium watching the very same performance with chinese vice-president li yuanchao . fortunately for show managers , the blackout did n't happen then . we sat in silence . no one booed , no one jeered and five minutes later when the power came on and the show began again -- from the beginning -- there was a round of applause . people live with blackouts all the time , ' says cockerell . it 's a sign that someone has been in north korea a while when the lights go out and they just keep talking or doing whatever they were doing . ' military messaging dominates north koreans are big on military motifs and this year they 've gone to town . even a flower show we visited had scores of missiles and tanks tucked in among the red kimjongilia ' blossoms . at the mass games , a large gold medal -- to celebrate war victory -- floats above the may day stadium and massive video screens show footage from the korean war and a video of the long-range rocket launched earlier this year . given the massive show of military might and boys toys it 's no surprise our tour attracted a fair few of 20-something men , but there 's something for everyone at the mass games -- anyone who loves musicals will be on cloud nine , there 's plenty of kitsch for the camp brigade and it 's a photographer 's dream shoot . foreigner reactions new zealander will seal , 24 , went to the games two nights running : it was amazing , but i did get slightly concerned about all those kids spending time out of school , it 's a massive undertaking . ' he was n't the only one in our group who was left wondering about the 20,000 children who spend months training intensively for the mass games . briton matthew durling mused : where else in the world could you martial thousands of school children , without paying them , and have them do something like that ? ' the regulars in our group were quick to notice another new element this year -- at the end of the arirang performance there is a five-minute segment dedicated to international friendship , especially between china and north korea and russia . while the human pixels ' flashed up messages of peace and friendship , as well as a rainbow between pyongyang 's arch of triumph and beijing 's tiananmen square gate , lion dancers , pandas and russian dancers strutted about on stage . the message of friendship with china came at the end of last year 's games , too . but the grand gesture towards russia this year is new . what does it mean ? one of our guides said it was about politics . ' another said it was more about economics . ' no doubt they 're both right -- politics and economics make for cozy bedfellows and north korea is waking up to the reality that if it wants to get on , to progress , it needs to start pulling in some hard currency . that 's no doubt why visitors are made to feel so welcome , particularly at the country 's best known tourist attraction . currency matters foreigners are n't allowed to use the local currency -- the won -- and must bring cash in with them in either u.s. dollars , euros or renminbi . renminbi , i discovered however , offers by far the worst conversion rate . first-class tickets go for €150 ( $ 159 ) , but this was conveniently rounded to 1,500 rmb ( $ 195 ) making it a good 20 % more expensive . second-class tickets cost €100 and third-class tickets are €80 . if you go a second night , you get a free upgrade . the only way to see the mass games is by joining a tour . most tours leave from beijing and the tour company will arrange your north korean visa , travel to pyongyang , hotels , meals and mass games tickets . there 's still plenty of time to go this summer -- decide today and you could be there in 10 days . the best-established outfit is beijing-based koryo tours , which has been taking groups since 1993 and has good relationships in north korea . koryo tours offers a host of itineraries from a two-day mini break mass games tour , which includes a pyongyang city guide and mass games entry for €790 ( $ 1,048 ) to a seven-night ultimate tour that takes in the games as well as trip to the dmz , mt . myohyamg and more for €1,690 ( $ 2,242 ) . new korea tours is a u.s.-based travel agency specializing in travel to north korea -- available tours include a seven-night trip that takes in the mass games for $ 2,690 . remote lands is another u.s.-based tour operator that offers trips to north korea and other asian destinations .","north koreans put on a magnificent arirang show to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the korean war" +"egyptian ( cnn ) -- they were outside every polling station i visited in cairo : earnest young men bent over laptops on rickety tables , checking names and id numbers against voting lists , explaining to people where they were supposed to vote , and , in light of egypt 's wildly complicated electoral system , how to vote . scattered around the tables between the laptops were pamphlets and fliers for candidates of the freedom and justice party , the newly established political wing of the once banned but now free and unfettered muslim brotherhood . who does n't want freedom and justice ? ' a middle-aged man asked me approvingly as i leafed through a pamphlet over at one of the tables in the working class cairo neighbourhood of sayida zaynab . the help ' at the polls was just the tip of an organizational iceberg that may well ensure the movement emerges victorious from the first , critical round in egypt 's first post-mubarak parliamentary elections . egypt awaits election results both the movement 's leaders and rank-and-file are now quietly confident their moment is fast approaching . they have , after all , been working -- methodically and patiently -- to achieve it since the movement 's founding in 1928 in the city of ismailia , on the suez canal . they 've come a long way since then -- occasionally operating openly , other times hounded by the police . shortly after hosni mubarak was ousted , the movement was legalized . journalists can now jettison the tired old phrase banned but tolerated . ' the brotherhood is unbound . the movement is well entrenched in mainstream egyptian politics . its leaders do not appear to be wild-eyed fanatics . most are highly educated -- doctors , lawyers , engineers , professors , and businessmen -- and come from solidly middle-class backgrounds . some western observers see the brotherhood as a sinister , secretive society , feigning moderation and democracy in public while in private embracing an extremist , totalitarian , anti-western agenda . the movement 's egyptian opponents frequently describe the brotherhood as sheep in wolves'clothing . its members endured decades of persecution by the authorities , going back to the days of the monarchy . in the 1930s and 1940s the brothers were accused of assassinations and bombings - although the brothers always publicly rejected violence as a means to political ends . the secrecy that alarms some egyptians may have simply been a necessity to function in an environment where the secret police , the mukhabarat , and their army of informers were watching everyone . but who knows . whatever one thinks of the group , it is skilled at building broad popular support through its extensive network of charities and social services , and stepping forward in emergencies when the state has failed . in 1992 when an earthquake in cairo left hundreds of the city 's poor homeless , it was the brotherhood who quickly mobilized to provide food , blankets and medical care . the government 's reaction was criticized as slow , late , and clumsy . in 2006 , when a ferry sank between saudi arabia and the red sea port of safaga carrying more than 1,000 workers from upper egypt , the brotherhood rushed relief supplies , only to have them blocked by the government . the first official reaction to the ship 's sinking , as i saw myself , was to send hundreds of riot police to safaga . government relief supplies arrived three days later . in a country where the sheer mass of people sometimes overwhelms creaking government services , the brotherhood has won praise for its ability to create order out of chaos . what 's wrong with good organisation ? ' said abdel aziz zaid , production manager at an industrial printing press in cairo and brotherhood member . he was keeping an eye on the turnout at the mohamed ali school in sayida zaynab . he smiled confidently as a steady flow of voters -- women to the left , men to the right-walked past him to cast their ballots . when people see that we are well-organised now and were well-organised in the past , they will know we can use that organisation to achieve prosperity in the future , ' he said . what men like abdel aziz zaid call public service , critics shrug off as cynical , opportunistic stunts to win popular support . for egypt 's impoverished millions , however , motives do n't matter . they need all the help they can get . the brotherhood is often accused of opportunism , but , if that 's the case , it 's chosen its opportunities wisely . during this year 's uprising , the brotherhood kept a low profile , letting secular and leftist youth take the lead . when it became clear mubarak 's days were numbered , the brotherhood 's presence in tahrir square increased steadily . the group 's leaders cheered the fall of mubarak but never took credit for it . during the recent protests against the ruling supreme council of the armed forces , the brotherhood stayed on the sidelines . they condemned what they called police brutality , but also rejected calls for them to join the protests . they were bitterly criticized by the activists in tahrir square , who warned they would be punished at the ballot box . but the people in tahrir , not for the first time , misread the public mood . many egyptians i spoke with outside the square said they were tired of demonstrations and clashes , wanted the elections to proceed , and wanted the country to settle down . the large turnout for the first two days of voting , and the dwindling numbers in tahrir square , suggest that the brotherhood once more played its cards well . call it opportunism , call it clever politics . the result is the same . i met 29-year-old amna abdel aziz as she was going up to the stairs of a school to vote in sayida zaynab . i 'm going to vote for the freedom and justice party ! ' she proclaimed loudly . an office worker and mother of three , she listed her reasons for voting for the brotherhood 's party : if the muslim brotherhood run the country , they 'll fix everything - health , housing , jobs , girls who walk around with their hair uncovered , girls who walk around in the wrong clothing . god willing , they 'll fix everything . ' amna was wearing a headscarf , hijab , not the full face-covering niqab favoured by the ultra-conservatives , so i was a bit taken aback . you mean , ' i asked , the brotherhood will force women to wear the hijab ? ' no , no , ' she responded . they 'll just convince them it 's better for them . ' and that seems to be the attitude of many members and supporters of the brotherhood -- that they 'll bring people over not by compulsion but rather by conviction and example . it 's an attitude 27-year-old interior decorator hind mohamed vehemently rejects . the muslim brothers , said the unveiled hind , are just liars . they do n't do what they say . they use religion to convince people to vote for them . ' obviously they had n't convinced her . she was waiting in line to vote against the muslim brotherhood , ' she said . the movement 's leaders are well aware that many egyptians , especially christians , liberals , leftists and others , are wary of their growing power . senior brotherhood leader issam al-arian is quick to reassure them they are all partners in a new democratic egypt . they are our friends , our neighbours , our citizens , they are egyptians as we [ are ] , and they have the same rights and duties , and nobody can deny that , ' he told me on the second day of voting . if they oppose us , they are participating in building this country , and are correcting our mistakes , if we commit a mistake . and this is very important for a democratic system . ' a few years ago i interviewed mahdi akif , then the leader , or supreme guide , of the muslim brotherhood . akif , a doctor , had worked in germany but had also spent many years behind bars under gamal abdel nasser , anwar sadat and hosni mubarak . a long-term guest of the government , ' is how he described it with a chuckle . like so many egyptians he had a sharp sense of humor . but the smile evaporated when he told me , we are a religion , a mission , a programme . i do n't care what the government thinks . what concerns me is that god is satisfied . ' rifaat said , the wizened old leader of the leftist , secular agama 's party shared with me his concerns about the brotherhood . so , if you are not with them , the brotherhood , with god 's party , are you with the devil 's party ? ' said spent time in prison with the brotherhood 's akif , and knows him well . he does n't trust the group . if god 's party reaches power , ' he asked me , who can move them away ? ' god 's party ' is closer today to power in egypt than it 's ever been .","muslim brotherhood members had to endure decades of persecution by egyptian authorities" +"u.s . washington ( cnn ) -- the fukushima daiichi disaster is focusing attention on a problem that has bedeviled washington policymakers since the dawn of the nuclear age -- what to do with used nuclear fuel . currently , spent fuel -- depleted to the extent it can no longer effectively sustain a chain reaction -- is stored in large pools of water , allowing the fuel to slowly cool and preventing the release of radiation . but events in japan , where two of the six spent fuel pools at the fukushima daiichi facility were compromised , have raised questions about practices at the nation 's 104 nuclear reactors , which rely on a combination of pools and dry casks to store used fuel . i truly believe we must re-think how we manage spent fuel , ' sen. dianne feinstein , d-california , said at a senate appropriations subcommittee hearing wednesday . in california , feinstein said , fuel removed from reactors in 1984 is still held in spent-fuel pools , well beyond the minimum five to seven years required by federal regulators . it 's hard to understand why the nuclear regulatory commission has not mandated a more rapid transfer of spent fuel to dry casks , ' feinstein said . currently , there is no maximum time fuel can remain in spent fuel pools , the nrc said wednesday . as a result , critics say , nuclear plants have made fuel pools the de facto method of storing fuel , crowding pools with dangerous levels of fuel , industry critics say . as of january 2010 , an estimated 63,000 metric tons of spent fuel was in storage at u.s. power plants or storage facilities , according to the nuclear regulatory commission . for the history of our nuclear power program , i would say , the storage of spent fuel ... has been an afterthought , ' ernest moniz , a physics professor at the massachusetts institute of technology , testified . i believe we should really start thinking hard about consolidated storage , presumably in federal reservations , to solve a host of problems . ' the nrc and industry critics differed on whether spent fuel pools are safe . spent fuel pools are considered'safety significant'systems , so they meet a lot of the same standards that the reactor itself would have to meet , ' said greg jaczko , chairman of the nrc . for example , the spent fuel pools themselves are required to withstand the natural phenomena like earthquakes and tsunamis that could impact the reactor itself . ' david lochbaum , a nuclear physicist with the union of concerned scientists , disagreed . at many sites there is nearly 10 times as much irradiated fuel in spent fuel pools as in the reactor core , ' he said . the spent fuel pools are not housed in robust concrete containment structures designed to protect the public from the radioactivity they contain . instead the pools are often housed in buildings with sheet metal siding like that in a sears storage shed , ' lochbaum said . i have nothing against the quality of sears storage sheds but they are not suitable to nuclear waste storage , ' he said . a nuclear industry representative said the lack of a national strategy ' on waste storage is exacerbating the problem , since it does not know whether to place spent fuel in permanent , on-site containers , or containers suitable for transport . we want to limit the number of times we have to handle used fuel . we want to be able to take it out of the pool once , put it in a cask ... not all casks are designed for transportation for example , ' said william levis , a power company president speaking for the nuclear energy institute . jaczko said spent fuel pools do n't endanger the public . we do n't have a maximum time ( fuel can stay in the pools ) , ' he said . but we do analyze the fuel . ( fuel ) goes through a very rigorous analysis to ensure that ( it can be added to the pool ) safely and securely . ' a high-ranking energy department official , meanwhile , said a commission studying the issue of spent fuel will issue an interim report by july 29 . the commission was formed after the obama administration killed a plan to store nuclear waste at yucca mountain in nevada .","an estimate by the nrc said some 63,000 tons of spent fuel was stored in the u.s ." +"house washington ( cnn ) -- sanctions . international monitors . increased jet fighters in the region . trying to figure out how the united states and its european allies will respond to russia 's crimea incursion gets confusing . the tense showdown over ukrainian sovereignty offers few easy answers , with differing priorities between washington and the european union adding to the confusion . here is a look at where western allies stand : military united states -- it is hard to imagine a scenario that would cause u.s. troops to get involved in ukraine . at the same time , the obama administration ca n't rule out any option as it pushes for direct negotiations between russia and ukraine aimed at de-escalating the current crisis and laying the groundwork for peaceful coexistence going forward . the pentagon has announced the addition of six f-15 fighter planes to the four currently on a nato mission in the baltics . previously , washington halted ongoing military cooperation with russia . after a series meetings wednesday with european , ukrainian and russian counterparts in paris , secretary of state john kerry told reporters that all parties agreed today that it is important to try to resolve the issues through dialogue . ' he added : they do n't believe that any of us are served by greater or further confrontation . ' europe -- the last thing the european union wants is an armed conflict in its backyard . only if russian forces moved into eastern ukraine would consideration be given to bolstering nato forces in neighboring countries . while no obligation exists for nato to militarily defend ukraine against russian aggression , the united states and britain -- along with russia -- committed to protecting ukrainian independence and territorial integrity in 1994 when kiev gave up its nuclear arsenal that dated back to the soviet era . what happens now to ukraine will have an impact on nuclear nonproliferation programs elsewhere , ukrainian interim prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk warned thursday . his implication was clear : failure to effectively respond to russia 's aggression in crimea would embolden north korea and iran to further resist western efforts to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons . sanctions the united states -- president barack obama said thursday that he signed an executive order that laid the groundwork for sanctions against people and entities deemed responsible for the crisis . the executive order provides the legal basis for sanctions against specific people and entities , but white house spokesman jay carney later told reporters no individuals were specifically targeted . visa bans are already in effect for some russian and ukrainian officials , and the freezing of assets and property could be forthcoming . the moves fall short of broader economic sanctions aimed at russia 's state-owned banks and energy industry sought by some in congress . this action by russia can not go unchallenged , ' republican rep. ed royce of california , the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee , said thursday at a hearing where the panel approved a non-binding resolution backing sanctions . europe -- closer proximity to russia and crucial economic ties make the issue of sanctions more difficult for european countries . already , russia threatens to retaliate with its own sanctions if the united states and europe take such a step . russia is the european union 's third-biggest trading partner after the united states and china , with goods and services worth more than $ 500 billion exchanged in 2012 . about 75 % of all foreign direct investment in russia originates in eu member states , according to the european commission . in addition , russia is the single biggest supplier of energy to the european union . british energy firm bp is the second-largest shareholder in russia 's leading oil producer rosneft , and some of the biggest energy companies in germany , the netherlands and france are invested in a joint venture with russian gas giant gazprom . if and when any sanctions are placed on russia , they are likely to be targeted on key officials rather than on the wider economy , ' said neil shearing , chief emerging markets economist at capital economics . europe is too dependent on russian energy to countenance full-blown trade restrictions . ' on thursday , the european union threatened limited steps if no substantive negotiations between russia and ukraine start in coming days . european council president herman van rompuy told reporters in brussels that in any absence of results , the eu will decide on additional measures such as travel bans , asset freezes , and cancellation of the eu-russia summit . ' later , kerry told reporters that no serious gap existed between the u.s. and eu approaches , adding that there may be some differences of opinion about timing or about one choice over another . ' aid united states -- kerry announced $ 1 billion in loan guarantees for ukraine this week as part of the obama administration 's effort to publicly support the interim government and provide incentive for ukraine to continue to align itself with the west through the european union instead of russia . obama called thursday for congress to support assistance for the ukrainian government from both the united states and the international monetary fund . a few hours later , the republican-led house overwhelmingly approved an aid package to authorize the previously announced loan guarantees . such support offers a trifecta of being unilateral , enjoying political support at home and backing the goal of bolstering ukraine . europe -- the european union announced wednesday it will offer ukraine at least $ 15 billion in aid as the country struggles with dwindling cash and the military standoff with russia . the package would provide ukraine with assistance over the next few years , said jose manuel barroso , the head of the eu 's executive body , the european commission . on wednesday , ukraine said it would be unable to pay its february natural gas bill to gazprom . european aid is the easiest way to show immediate support for ukraine while avoiding risks of counter-sanctions and other retaliation . diplomacy united states -- the united states is working with european allies to create an exit ramp ' for putin to be able to de-escalate the ukraine crisis . their plan would call for russian troops in crimea to return to their barracks , and international observers to come to ukraine to monitor the situation on the ground , where russia complains of persecution against ethnic russians . in addition , the united states seeks to isolate russia diplomatically , joining other members of the g8 group of industrial powers in pulling out of preparatory meetings for the scheduled june summit in sochi , russia . the foundation of the u.s. stance is for ukraine to maintain its independence and territorial integrity , while also recognizing russia 's historical and economic ties to ukraine . obama said thursday he was confident ' that the international community was moving forward together ' in responding to what he called the russian intervention . europe -- german chancellor angela merkel spoke with obama on tuesday about the diplomatic exit ramp , but initial indications thursday showed little progress with russia on agreement . reflecting the standoff , merkel said thursday that the european union wants to do everything it can to settle the ukraine crisis diplomatically , but she warned that without any diplomatic possibility , ' steps such as asset freezing and visa limitations would be options . cnnmoney 's mark thompson , alanna petroff and charles riley and cnn 's deirdre walsh contributed to this report .","new : the u.s. house authorizes loan guarantees for ukraine" +"cutler bridget cutler was still adjusting to being a new mom when she read a magazine article that changed her life . it was about a mother who decided to give her child up for adoption because she could n't stand to hear her crying from hunger , ' cutler remembered . i just thought that no mother should ever be faced with that choice . ' it can cost close to $ 250,000 to raise a child in the united states , according to the u.s. department of agriculture -- and that is just for the basics . it 's especially tough for families in new jersey , where one in eight people struggle to make ends meet . the following day , cutler called her mom friends ' and started collecting gently used baby items . i had the intention , originally , of finding a local organization to donate them to that would benefit my neighbors , ' said cutler , 34 . when she did not find what she was looking for , cutler 's idea for moms helping moms was born . since 2011 , the nonprofit has distributed diapers , clothing , nursing supplies and other baby essentials for hundreds of infants and toddlers in new jersey . so many people have such an abundance , and so many others strive to afford even the basics , ' cutler said . what we 're doing is trying to bridge that gap . ' a fair start in life moms helping moms started with one garage sale that cutler held at her home -- except everything was free . the drive was a success , and she met many mothers in need and many mothers who wanted to help her build the organization . today , cutler and her volunteers solicit donations of new or gently used baby items in their neighborhoods . cutler knows that it can be difficult for some parents to part with their children 's things . i wanted to assure these people who were donating so generously to us that these things were absolutely going into hands that needed them , ' she said . cutler finds recipients through social workers and other nonprofits . she works with homeless mothers , teen moms and families who have fallen on hard times and just need a boost . jasmine harding suffered complications during her last pregnancy . the mother of three was out of work for nearly 10 months , and she and her partner struggled to afford everything they needed . i never thought that i would be in this position . i 've had a job since i was 16 , ' harding said . i 'm their mom , and i should be able to do whatever it is that i need to do for them . ' basic needs and beyond at a recent moms helping moms event , harding received clothing , diapers and a stroller . now she is able to push her 3-month-old daughter to day care before heading to her new job . for families like harding 's , the drives are not just about getting free baby gear . they provide an opportunity to get financially back on their feet . new clothes , diapers and wipes , they 're a constant expense , ' harding said . with the things that i got today , that will allow me to put that money towards something else , like my rent or my bills . ' cutler and her group aim to provide more than just goods to the moms they serve . volunteers offer support and guidance , giving recipients a sense of community they may not otherwise have . for cutler , a mother of two , running this nonprofit truly is a labor of love . she recently left her job to devote more time to her group 's efforts . every child deserves all the same things in life . they deserve all of the basics , ' cutler said . if what we 're doing helps bridge the gap between people from different socioeconomic backgrounds , even in a small way , then it 's definitely worth all the hard work . ' want to get involved ? check out the moms helping moms website at www.momshelpingmomsfoundation.org and see how to help .","moms helping moms was born when bridget cutler met moms in need in her community" +"cutler bridget cutler was still adjusting to being a new mom when she read a magazine article that changed her life . it was about a mother who decided to give her child up for adoption because she could n't stand to hear her crying from hunger , ' cutler remembered . i just thought that no mother should ever be faced with that choice . ' it can cost close to $ 250,000 to raise a child in the united states , according to the u.s. department of agriculture -- and that is just for the basics . it 's especially tough for families in new jersey , where one in eight people struggle to make ends meet . the following day , cutler called her mom friends ' and started collecting gently used baby items . i had the intention , originally , of finding a local organization to donate them to that would benefit my neighbors , ' said cutler , 34 . when she did not find what she was looking for , cutler 's idea for moms helping moms was born . since 2011 , the nonprofit has distributed diapers , clothing , nursing supplies and other baby essentials for hundreds of infants and toddlers in new jersey . so many people have such an abundance , and so many others strive to afford even the basics , ' cutler said . what we 're doing is trying to bridge that gap . ' a fair start in life moms helping moms started with one garage sale that cutler held at her home -- except everything was free . the drive was a success , and she met many mothers in need and many mothers who wanted to help her build the organization . today , cutler and her volunteers solicit donations of new or gently used baby items in their neighborhoods . cutler knows that it can be difficult for some parents to part with their children 's things . i wanted to assure these people who were donating so generously to us that these things were absolutely going into hands that needed them , ' she said . cutler finds recipients through social workers and other nonprofits . she works with homeless mothers , teen moms and families who have fallen on hard times and just need a boost . jasmine harding suffered complications during her last pregnancy . the mother of three was out of work for nearly 10 months , and she and her partner struggled to afford everything they needed . i never thought that i would be in this position . i 've had a job since i was 16 , ' harding said . i 'm their mom , and i should be able to do whatever it is that i need to do for them . ' basic needs and beyond at a recent moms helping moms event , harding received clothing , diapers and a stroller . now she is able to push her 3-month-old daughter to day care before heading to her new job . for families like harding 's , the drives are not just about getting free baby gear . they provide an opportunity to get financially back on their feet . new clothes , diapers and wipes , they 're a constant expense , ' harding said . with the things that i got today , that will allow me to put that money towards something else , like my rent or my bills . ' cutler and her group aim to provide more than just goods to the moms they serve . volunteers offer support and guidance , giving recipients a sense of community they may not otherwise have . for cutler , a mother of two , running this nonprofit truly is a labor of love . she recently left her job to devote more time to her group 's efforts . every child deserves all the same things in life . they deserve all of the basics , ' cutler said . if what we 're doing helps bridge the gap between people from different socioeconomic backgrounds , even in a small way , then it 's definitely worth all the hard work . ' want to get involved ? check out the moms helping moms website at www.momshelpingmomsfoundation.org and see how to help .","the nonprofit got its start when cutler held a garage sale in which all items were free" +"chinese ( cnn ) -- a controversial colombian senator who has obtained the release of 16 hostages held by marxist guerrillas is the leading candidate to receive this year 's nobel peace prize , which will be announced friday , said an independent research institute in norway . sen. piedad cordoba , right , of colombia reportedly is one of three top contenders for the nobel peace prize . sen. piedad cordoba is the most likely recipient among three leading contenders , said the oslo-based international peace research institute . the others the institute named are jordanian prince ghazi bin muhammad , a philosophy professor in islamic faith at jordan university , and afghan physician and human rights activist sima samar . though the institute considers cordoba the front-runner , no single candidate has emerged as the clear-cut favorite , as sometimes happens , said kristian berg harpviken , director of the peace institute . it really is quite open this year , ' harpviken said . this year 's peace prize nominees include 172 people and 33 organizations . the committee does not release the names of the nominees . the 50-year-old peace institute , which is often called prio , has no connection with the nobel committee that awards the peace prize . harpviken said he believes the prize will go to an individual or organization engaged in the resolution of a protracted armed conflict . this is a [ nobel ] committee that will perhaps be more proactive and will award somebody involved in a standing process rather than rewarding someone for past accomplishments , ' he said . cordoba , 54 , heads colombians for peace , a group trying to end to the 45-year-old war between the government and the guerrilla revolutionary armed forces of colombia , known as the farc . since 2007 , she has obtained the release of 16 hostages held by the farc and has gotten commitments from the rebels for the release of several more . colombian officials have said the guerrillas are holding about 700 captives . a government critic and longtime peace activist , cordoba was kidnapped by a right-wing paramilitary group in 1999 . she was released after several weeks and then fled to canada with her family , where she stayed for 14 months before returning home . there have been at least two assassinations attempts against her . while it is the hostage releases that have brought cordoba and her organization the most attention , her role as a principal proponent of peace negotiations and of long-term reconciliation is probably more important to her candidacy for the nobel peace prize , ' prio said in a release . harpviken said he had received many complaints because of his prediction about cordoba , whom critics accuse of being too close to the rebels . i do realize that this created some debate in colombia , ' he said . that 's not terribly surprising . ' cordoba was nominated by argentinean human rights activist adolfo perez esquivel , winner of the 1980 nobel peace prize . harpviken said muhammad , an islamic scholar known for trying to bridge gaps with other faiths , also is a leading candidate . certainly , the purpose ... he stands for makes him very strong , ' harpviken said . a member of the jordanian royal family and educated at princeton and cambridge universities , where he received a doctorate , muhammad , 42 , is playing an increasingly central role as an advocate of interfaith dialogue , ' prio said . in 2005 , the prince brought together 170 islamic scholars from 40 countries for the amman initiative to work out what they called a theological counter-attack against terrorism . ' two years later , muhammad and other prominent islamic scholars wrote a letter called a common word between us and you ' that urged mutual understanding and peace with christians . the letter , prio said , was partly a response to pope benedict xvi 's 2006 lecture that many saw as an attack on islam . backing his words with his deeds , muhammad gave what was considered a broadly accommodating welcoming speech when the pope visited jordan this year . the importance of prince ghazi 's initiatives to date lies first and foremost in the way he engages islamic theology , institutions and leaders in a debate on the relationship between islam and other faiths , thereby contributing a wider platform for interreligious dialogue for muslims in general , ' prio said . a prize to prince ghazi would also be recognition of the long-standing efforts of the jordanian royal family , including king abdullah , who have been long-standing proponents of peace and reconciliation in the middle east . ' if muhammad does not win , harpviken said , it could be because his work is not done . he still has a way to go so that his ideas have an impact , ' harpviken said . the third prio front-runner is samar , head of the afghanistan independent human rights commission and the u.n. special envoy to darfur in africa . a medical doctor , samar also established the shuhada organization , which focuses on health care , particularly for afghan women . after obtaining her medical degree in 1982 , samar and her son fled to pakistan in 1984 when the communist regime then ruling afghanistan arrested her husband . samar , 52 , remained in exile until 2002 when she was appointed as a women 's affairs minister in afghan president hamid karzai 's transitional administration . she has been under frequent attacks both from conservative religious leaders and from islamist radicals , and she is a prominent voice for the rights of women , ' prio said , adding that she does invite respect by being a principled and outspoken proponent of human rights and the need for a true reconciliatory process . ' according to other published reports , another possible pick is monk thich quang do , head of the outlawed united buddhist church of vietnam . he has been under house arrest since 2001 and has been in and out of jail since his first detention by communist authorities in 1977 . quang do , 80 , was awarded the annual human rights prize by the rafto foundation of norway in 2006 . four recent rafto winners have gone on to garner the nobel peace prize : aung san suu kyi of myanmar ( also known as burma ) , jose ramos-horta of east timor , kim dae-jung of south korea and shirin ebadi of iran . azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist malahat nasibova was awarded the rafto this year and also is considered a possible nobel prize winner . chinese dissidents hu jia , gao zhisheng and wei jingsheng also are contenders , other observers said . after months of house arrest , hu , 36 , was detained in december 2007 during a crackdown on dissidents and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in april 2008 for inciting subversion of state power . ' hu started his activism focusing on hiv/aids in 2001 and co-founded a grassroots organization dedicated to helping children from aids families . the international human rights group amnesty international said hu 's focus broadened and he began reporting on a wider human rights violations in china , even giving interviews to international journalists . amnesty said hu has been repeatedly beaten and harassed by police for his outspokenness . before being arrested , he had publicly expressed concerns over human rights abuses by police in beijing . gao , who was born in 1966 , is a self-taught lawyer and people 's liberation army veteran who was a nobel peace prize candidate last year . he disappeared in february after being taken away by chinese police . fellow activists say he is believed to still be alive . in 2007 , he wrote a letter to the u.s. congress urging the united states to boycott the olympic games held in beijing the following year . in it , he described a wide array of human rights violations by the chinese government -- from lack of property and religious rights to environmental disasters to tibet . i ask to you to seriously consider the true value of morality , justice , and humanity , as well as to what extent such values are undermined in china , ' he said . wei , 59 , was first arrested in 1979 and sentenced to 15 years . he was released in 1993 but arrested again within six months and sentenced to 14 years . in 1997 , chinese authorities put him on a plane to the united states , where he has lived since . perhaps the best known of the chinese dissidents , wei has been awarded the robert f. kennedy memorial human rights award , the european parliament 's sakharov prize for freedom of thought , the national endowment for democracy award and the olof palme memorial prize . he has been nominated seven times for the peace prize . harpviken said he doubts the nobel committee will choose any chinese or russian dissidents this year because they do n't want to anger powerful governments . ' although the committee takes pride in being independent , ' he said , there are certain limitations on their being independent . ' that does not mean he does n't expect the committee to take daring decisions . ' harpviken said he believes that the most likely expression of the committee 's courage this year will be to award the prize either to an unconventional kind of candidate or to somebody whose work is likely to be directly helped by a prize award . ' the peace prize is one of five awarded annually since 1901 by the nobel foundation in stockholm , sweden . the other four prizes are for physiology or medicine , physics , chemistry and literature . starting in 1969 , the sveriges riksbank prize in economic sciences in memory of alfred nobel also has been awarded . while the other prizes are awarded by committees based in sweden , the peace prize is determined by a five-member panel appointed by the norwegian parliament . the nobel recipient receives a prize of 10 million swedish crowns , or about $ 1.4 million . cnn 's arthur brice contributed to this report .","vietnamese buddhist monk , chinese dissidents also could be awarded prize" +"the grand budapest hotel ( ew.com ) -- 300 : rise of an empire speared its competition and kept on raking in the dollars on its opening weekend . warner bros. and legendary 's hyper-stylized 3-d sequel earned an estimated $ 45 million from 3,470 theaters . despite lackluster reviews , audiences turned out in droves to watch eva green 's atremisia and the rest of the scantily clad warriors take to the sea for battle in the $ 108 million pic . smart people director noam murro took the helm from zack snyder this time around †” though snyder produced and wrote the film . audiences ( 62 percent male ) slapped the epic with a b cinema score . the lure of imax helped . the 342 imax screens brought in $ 6.8 million ( or 15 percent ) of the film 's weekend earnings , while 3-d showings accounted for 63 percent of the grosses . 300 : rise of an empire is also performing quite well internationally with $ 87.8 million from 58 markets . still , it does n't even come close to zack snyder 's $ 70 million march 2007 opening for 300 . nevertheless , the sequel should enjoy a healthy box office life . dreamworks animation 's mr. peabody and sherman ( cinema score : a ) opened in the no . 2 spot this weekend with an estimated $ 32.5 million from 3,934 theaters , exceeding studio and analyst expectations for the $ 145 million movie . audiences were slightly more female ( 54 percent ) and 52 percent were over 25 . despite the stellar a cinema score , it seems younger audiences were even more enthusiastic : the 25 and under crowd gave it an a+ . the brilliant dog and his eager young companion will likely enjoy at least one more good weekend at the box office before muppets most wanted screams into theaters on march 21 . liam neeson 's tense thriller non-stop snagged the third place spot with $ 15.4 million †” a 46.7 percent drop from its debut . the jaume collet-serra pic now boasts a $ 52.1 million domestic total . meanwhile , the lego movie dropped 47 percent and claimed the no . 4 spot with $ 11.1 million . the animated building blocks have made about $ 225 million domestically in five weeks in theaters . finally , in fifth place , mark burnett and roma downey 's biblical epic son of god fell 60 percent and took in an estimated $ 10 million in its second weekend in theaters , bringing its domestic total to $ 41.5 million . here 's the top five : 1 . 300 : rise of an empire -- $ 45.05 million 2 . mr. peabody and sherman -- $ 32.5 million 3 . non-stop -- $ 15.4 million 4 . the lego movie -- $ 11.1 million 5 . son of god -- $ 10 million in the speciality box office world , wes anderson 's art caper the grand budapest hotel earned an estimated $ 800k from four theaters . its $ 200k per-screen average is the highest ever for a live-action film . according to fox searchlight , sell-out crowds even caused extra showings to be added on the spot . for those not in new york or los angeles , the film will open in 17 new markets this weekend . paul thomas anderson 's the master was the previous record-holder with $ 147k per theater . budapest 's debut also pushes wes anderson 's moonrise kingdom ( opened to $ 130k per theater average ) to the no . 3 spot . best picture winner 12 years a slave also expanded into 1,000 theaters this weekend , earning $ 2.2 million and a spot in the top 10 . see the original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved ."," the grand budapest hotel ' set a record" +"china beijing , china ( cnn ) -- for thousands of years , china has seen itself as the middle kingdom , the center of the universe -- a view that shapes china 's understanding of the world and contributes to an indifferent attitude toward other countries . the world may be watching the u.s. election , but china is n't concerned with who wins . and many here believe america has lost the credibility it once had on the world stage . unlike the 1960s or '70s , when america had a more convincing claim as the moral arbiter of the world , many chinese officials now believe the united states is only concerned with its own economic gain . map : world weighs in on u.s. election in china there is little understanding of american society , or its politics . people stand on the sidelines of the republican vs. democrat debate ; they do n't pick up on the nuances of the discussion , and they ca n't tell the difference between the parties'positions . the mainstream chinese media are n't reporting on the u.s. elections , nor are mainstream websites , which is exactly how the chinese government wants it . in fact , media coverage at all regarding the united states rarely strays from local or regional events and their relations to china , like the current dispute between tokyo and beijing over the diaoyu islands . chinese intellectuals , and indeed the public at large , believe that no matter who wins the race , america will have to be soft in its approach to our country because there is so much at stake . postcard : how hong kongers see u.s. election as for the candidates , people know obama as a personality , but few could tell you what his government has accomplished in the last four years -- and mitt romney remains a complete unknown . for all the tough talk about china during the presidential debates , romney and obama evaded any mention of china 's suspect human rights record , corruption , and rule of law . by not tackling these controversial topics , the candidates are protecting a strategic partnership with china at the expense of essential human values and beliefs . personally , i think obama seems more reliable than his opponent , even though i 'm disappointed with his stance on china 's human rights record . and although his administration has done very little to further rights here , i still wish him luck on election day . postcard : is obama still kenya 's favorite son ? while the chinese people desire democracy , they are skeptical of the u.s. system because its elections do n't seem to engender progress for americans . democracy is a societal practice , and elections are only a part of it . the u.s. elections are certainly an exercise in democracy , but wealthy individuals and corporations can now pour significant amounts of money and advertising into manipulating the public . the campaigns are mere showcases , extravagant yet empty -- and the time , money and energy spent on the grand spectacle could have been used to solve specific problems for americans . postcard : nigerians enjoy election soap opera regardless , americans should still be proud . it is essential for politicians and leaders to have open discussions about their policies , character , and beliefs . it is the key to public trust and understanding in an open society . i do n't think people like the way the debates and elections are designed , but at least they 're an outlet for people to make a stand . in contrast , all major decisions in china are made behind closed doors . here the public knows very little about who their politicians are , the decisions they have made and what they believe in . in a world that demands social change , this approach can not survive forever . recently i tweeted : judging from recent events , china has not met the requirements that constitute a country . there is no consensus on recognized elders , no clear set of values , no independent state military , no full citizenship , no international respect , no transparency for leaders'whereabouts , no clear borders , no equal access to defense attorneys , no proper administration of justice , no taxpayer rights ... as a country , china is missing all the qualities it needs to call itself a country . china is merely a faulty conjecture . ' postcard : obama finds support among chavistas the one-party system in china is inhuman . it stands against the weight of civilization . it rejects the foundations of modern living , humanity and individualism . the beijing olympics and the shanghai world expo show just how much effort china is willing to spend to enter the global stage . but while china desires to understand the world , it fails to accept its universal values . china and the u.s. are two societies with very different attitudes towards opinion and criticism . in china , i am constantly under surveillance . even my slightest , most innocuous move can -- and often is -- censored by chinese authorities . recently i danced in a video spoof of the song gangnam style , ' and it was quickly banned across multiple chinese online video platforms . but the story still traveled all over the world , carried in hundreds of international media reports . postcard : drug war being ignored in u.s. election ? that sort of censorship would n't happen in the u.s. -- but even though america 's government allows its critics to speak out , it is difficult to create any real impact in a country where a vast number of voices are at risk of being drowned out by others . in other words , regardless of your location , social background or political system , it is never easy to speak up against authorities -- it requires a lot of skill and persistence . it is impossible to compare chinese society with the u.s. , as each system has its own dangers . but as the world 's two great superpowers , the upcoming u.s. election and chinese leadership reshuffle demonstrate two different extremes in handling shifts in political power . postcard : why berliners , u.s. are kindred spirits the people in both nations share a sense of hopelessness ; they feel empowered and disappointed at the same time but on different matters . no matter the country or system , it 's clear that the relationship between the masses and their leaders must be transformed . it wo n't be easy , and there will be constant challenges ahead , but it can be done . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ai weiwei .","while china desires to understand the world , it fails to accept its universal values" +"china beijing , china ( cnn ) -- for thousands of years , china has seen itself as the middle kingdom , the center of the universe -- a view that shapes china 's understanding of the world and contributes to an indifferent attitude toward other countries . the world may be watching the u.s. election , but china is n't concerned with who wins . and many here believe america has lost the credibility it once had on the world stage . unlike the 1960s or '70s , when america had a more convincing claim as the moral arbiter of the world , many chinese officials now believe the united states is only concerned with its own economic gain . map : world weighs in on u.s. election in china there is little understanding of american society , or its politics . people stand on the sidelines of the republican vs. democrat debate ; they do n't pick up on the nuances of the discussion , and they ca n't tell the difference between the parties'positions . the mainstream chinese media are n't reporting on the u.s. elections , nor are mainstream websites , which is exactly how the chinese government wants it . in fact , media coverage at all regarding the united states rarely strays from local or regional events and their relations to china , like the current dispute between tokyo and beijing over the diaoyu islands . chinese intellectuals , and indeed the public at large , believe that no matter who wins the race , america will have to be soft in its approach to our country because there is so much at stake . postcard : how hong kongers see u.s. election as for the candidates , people know obama as a personality , but few could tell you what his government has accomplished in the last four years -- and mitt romney remains a complete unknown . for all the tough talk about china during the presidential debates , romney and obama evaded any mention of china 's suspect human rights record , corruption , and rule of law . by not tackling these controversial topics , the candidates are protecting a strategic partnership with china at the expense of essential human values and beliefs . personally , i think obama seems more reliable than his opponent , even though i 'm disappointed with his stance on china 's human rights record . and although his administration has done very little to further rights here , i still wish him luck on election day . postcard : is obama still kenya 's favorite son ? while the chinese people desire democracy , they are skeptical of the u.s. system because its elections do n't seem to engender progress for americans . democracy is a societal practice , and elections are only a part of it . the u.s. elections are certainly an exercise in democracy , but wealthy individuals and corporations can now pour significant amounts of money and advertising into manipulating the public . the campaigns are mere showcases , extravagant yet empty -- and the time , money and energy spent on the grand spectacle could have been used to solve specific problems for americans . postcard : nigerians enjoy election soap opera regardless , americans should still be proud . it is essential for politicians and leaders to have open discussions about their policies , character , and beliefs . it is the key to public trust and understanding in an open society . i do n't think people like the way the debates and elections are designed , but at least they 're an outlet for people to make a stand . in contrast , all major decisions in china are made behind closed doors . here the public knows very little about who their politicians are , the decisions they have made and what they believe in . in a world that demands social change , this approach can not survive forever . recently i tweeted : judging from recent events , china has not met the requirements that constitute a country . there is no consensus on recognized elders , no clear set of values , no independent state military , no full citizenship , no international respect , no transparency for leaders'whereabouts , no clear borders , no equal access to defense attorneys , no proper administration of justice , no taxpayer rights ... as a country , china is missing all the qualities it needs to call itself a country . china is merely a faulty conjecture . ' postcard : obama finds support among chavistas the one-party system in china is inhuman . it stands against the weight of civilization . it rejects the foundations of modern living , humanity and individualism . the beijing olympics and the shanghai world expo show just how much effort china is willing to spend to enter the global stage . but while china desires to understand the world , it fails to accept its universal values . china and the u.s. are two societies with very different attitudes towards opinion and criticism . in china , i am constantly under surveillance . even my slightest , most innocuous move can -- and often is -- censored by chinese authorities . recently i danced in a video spoof of the song gangnam style , ' and it was quickly banned across multiple chinese online video platforms . but the story still traveled all over the world , carried in hundreds of international media reports . postcard : drug war being ignored in u.s. election ? that sort of censorship would n't happen in the u.s. -- but even though america 's government allows its critics to speak out , it is difficult to create any real impact in a country where a vast number of voices are at risk of being drowned out by others . in other words , regardless of your location , social background or political system , it is never easy to speak up against authorities -- it requires a lot of skill and persistence . it is impossible to compare chinese society with the u.s. , as each system has its own dangers . but as the world 's two great superpowers , the upcoming u.s. election and chinese leadership reshuffle demonstrate two different extremes in handling shifts in political power . postcard : why berliners , u.s. are kindred spirits the people in both nations share a sense of hopelessness ; they feel empowered and disappointed at the same time but on different matters . no matter the country or system , it 's clear that the relationship between the masses and their leaders must be transformed . it wo n't be easy , and there will be constant challenges ahead , but it can be done . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ai weiwei .","ai : romney , obama evaded mention of china 's suspect human rights issues in campaign" +"china beijing , china ( cnn ) -- for thousands of years , china has seen itself as the middle kingdom , the center of the universe -- a view that shapes china 's understanding of the world and contributes to an indifferent attitude toward other countries . the world may be watching the u.s. election , but china is n't concerned with who wins . and many here believe america has lost the credibility it once had on the world stage . unlike the 1960s or '70s , when america had a more convincing claim as the moral arbiter of the world , many chinese officials now believe the united states is only concerned with its own economic gain . map : world weighs in on u.s. election in china there is little understanding of american society , or its politics . people stand on the sidelines of the republican vs. democrat debate ; they do n't pick up on the nuances of the discussion , and they ca n't tell the difference between the parties'positions . the mainstream chinese media are n't reporting on the u.s. elections , nor are mainstream websites , which is exactly how the chinese government wants it . in fact , media coverage at all regarding the united states rarely strays from local or regional events and their relations to china , like the current dispute between tokyo and beijing over the diaoyu islands . chinese intellectuals , and indeed the public at large , believe that no matter who wins the race , america will have to be soft in its approach to our country because there is so much at stake . postcard : how hong kongers see u.s. election as for the candidates , people know obama as a personality , but few could tell you what his government has accomplished in the last four years -- and mitt romney remains a complete unknown . for all the tough talk about china during the presidential debates , romney and obama evaded any mention of china 's suspect human rights record , corruption , and rule of law . by not tackling these controversial topics , the candidates are protecting a strategic partnership with china at the expense of essential human values and beliefs . personally , i think obama seems more reliable than his opponent , even though i 'm disappointed with his stance on china 's human rights record . and although his administration has done very little to further rights here , i still wish him luck on election day . postcard : is obama still kenya 's favorite son ? while the chinese people desire democracy , they are skeptical of the u.s. system because its elections do n't seem to engender progress for americans . democracy is a societal practice , and elections are only a part of it . the u.s. elections are certainly an exercise in democracy , but wealthy individuals and corporations can now pour significant amounts of money and advertising into manipulating the public . the campaigns are mere showcases , extravagant yet empty -- and the time , money and energy spent on the grand spectacle could have been used to solve specific problems for americans . postcard : nigerians enjoy election soap opera regardless , americans should still be proud . it is essential for politicians and leaders to have open discussions about their policies , character , and beliefs . it is the key to public trust and understanding in an open society . i do n't think people like the way the debates and elections are designed , but at least they 're an outlet for people to make a stand . in contrast , all major decisions in china are made behind closed doors . here the public knows very little about who their politicians are , the decisions they have made and what they believe in . in a world that demands social change , this approach can not survive forever . recently i tweeted : judging from recent events , china has not met the requirements that constitute a country . there is no consensus on recognized elders , no clear set of values , no independent state military , no full citizenship , no international respect , no transparency for leaders'whereabouts , no clear borders , no equal access to defense attorneys , no proper administration of justice , no taxpayer rights ... as a country , china is missing all the qualities it needs to call itself a country . china is merely a faulty conjecture . ' postcard : obama finds support among chavistas the one-party system in china is inhuman . it stands against the weight of civilization . it rejects the foundations of modern living , humanity and individualism . the beijing olympics and the shanghai world expo show just how much effort china is willing to spend to enter the global stage . but while china desires to understand the world , it fails to accept its universal values . china and the u.s. are two societies with very different attitudes towards opinion and criticism . in china , i am constantly under surveillance . even my slightest , most innocuous move can -- and often is -- censored by chinese authorities . recently i danced in a video spoof of the song gangnam style , ' and it was quickly banned across multiple chinese online video platforms . but the story still traveled all over the world , carried in hundreds of international media reports . postcard : drug war being ignored in u.s. election ? that sort of censorship would n't happen in the u.s. -- but even though america 's government allows its critics to speak out , it is difficult to create any real impact in a country where a vast number of voices are at risk of being drowned out by others . in other words , regardless of your location , social background or political system , it is never easy to speak up against authorities -- it requires a lot of skill and persistence . it is impossible to compare chinese society with the u.s. , as each system has its own dangers . but as the world 's two great superpowers , the upcoming u.s. election and chinese leadership reshuffle demonstrate two different extremes in handling shifts in political power . postcard : why berliners , u.s. are kindred spirits the people in both nations share a sense of hopelessness ; they feel empowered and disappointed at the same time but on different matters . no matter the country or system , it 's clear that the relationship between the masses and their leaders must be transformed . it wo n't be easy , and there will be constant challenges ahead , but it can be done . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ai weiwei .","ai : china 's one-party system is inhuman , stands against weight of civilization" +"atlantic east coasters , if intense rains and strong winds ruin your fourth of july holiday , you will have arthur to blame . that 's the name of the first named storm of the 2014 atlantic hurricane season . arthur is now churning off the coast of eastern florida . as of 8 p.m. tuesday , the center of tropical storm arthur was stalled about 90 miles east-southeast of cape canaveral , florida , and 95 miles north-northwest of freeport in the bahamas . but arthur is n't expected to remain stationary for long , with the national hurricane center predicting it will drift northwest before turning north on wednesday . the system is expected to go east of northeast florida sometime wednesday , before moving north and possibly affecting the outer banks of north carolina on thursday night . by then , it may have changed to hurricane arthur , if it gets stronger , as forecasters expect . to reach that status , the storm must have sustained winds of at least 74 mph . already on tuesday , parts of eastern florida , from fort pierce to flagler beach , were under a tropical storm watch given the possible combination of powerful winds and heavy rains . grand bahama island saw sustained winds of 47 mph and a gust of 61 mph on tuesday , according to the miami-based hurricane center . such winds may be the least of the worries for the caribbean island chain , parts of which could end up drenched in 6 inches of rain through wednesday . arthur is expected to produce significant , but slightly less , rainfall in the united states . the hurricane center forecast calls for as much as 5 inches through wednesday in florida , with 1- to 3-inch totals more likely . other parts of the east coast also are expected to be affected as the storm churns north . cnn meteorologist chad myers said the fact that the outer banks , a string of barrier islands , is hard to get onto and off of may make the situation difficult for those who are planning to spend their july fourth holiday there . the islands are low and rain could easily wash onto the roads , making them impassable even before the eye of the storm makes landfall , he said . all preparation for the storm should be done as soon as possible , he stressed . on tuesday afternoon cnn affiliate wway in wilmington , north carolina , was asking its readers to take a survey measuring how concerned they are about arthur . will it make them batten down the hatches ' or be just another day at the beach , ' or does it matter , as long as it 's gone in time for fireworks ' ? there 's also an option for do n't know/do n't care . ' lee nettles , the executive director of the outer banks visitors bureau , said his office has n't received any panicked or alarmed calls from anyone . you take every storm warning seriously , ' he said . but , for the most part , folks are n't overly concerned . ' after hitting the carolinas , the system is likely to turn northeast , forecasters said . by then , it could drench cities like washington , new york and boston , but it 's unclear just how torrential the downpour might be or how it could affect independence day festivities , cnn 's myers said . the good news is that none of the current national weather service forecasts for those three cities are predicting winds in excess of 10 mph through thursday , at least . but there is a better than average chance that heavy rain could hit them all . here 's a look at what you need to know about independence day","this is the first named storm in the atlantic hurricane season" +"china london ( cnn ) -- when i was driving through poland last year , all the talk was about a chinese company 's failure to complete a major motorway project . the contract was wrestled away from the chinese and the poles finished it themselves . the details , denials and counter-claims are n't important for this article ; far more interesting is the impact of any china-led project in europe . any news on such projects -- good or bad -- makes headlines . but the splash is bigger when such projects fail or when people starting mumbling about chinese influence . what china does in europe matters greatly , though rarely do i hear or read a positive story about china 's influence . when a chinese company bought volvo , it was the transfer of technology that made the headlines , along with the end of the era for a venerable european brand . when an indian company bought land rover and jaguar , tata was hailed as the savior of two venerable european brands . why is that ? the answer appears clear . we are equally fascinated and frightened by the rise of china 's economic and military prowess . the chinese government 's recent trip to central europe revealed that the hiccup in poland has not slowed china 's plan to invest heavily in the former communist states . a $ 10 billion credit line will be used for infrastructure projects in poland , hungary and other countries . it was reported that the leaders of 16 central european countries met with chinese prime minister wen jiabao while in poland . china 's tech giant huawei is a growing power in the telecoms world . but any attempt it makes to expand in europe , united states or africa is met with fears of technology transfer to a firm linked to the chinese military through its founder . rightly so , governments fret over a foreign ' firm controlling the hardware that is the backbone of modern society . in huawei 's case , as the economist recently pointed out in a front cover story , the fear is china illegally tapping into western communications , both government and private . of course huawei will say it 's a private company with no state control and simply wants to compete on a level playing field with the likes of nokia-siemens , cisco and ericsson . a change of leadership in beijing will not have much impact in europe . there is no reason to believe big changes will come from the top . instead , change appears to be coming from the bottom . rising wages and increased worker benefits might raise the prices of goods exported to europe . it also helps to expand china 's middle class which appears to love european and american products . i recall growing up in america with worries about the rising power of japan . all the products we desired were designed there or manufactured there , from video games players to vcrs and automobiles to the walkman . with the wealth created , the japanese were buying up property in california and buildings in new york . it was feared the rise of japan 's economic prowess would never abate . but it did . europe ca n't assume the same will happen with china . but the economies now are so interlinked that stingy european consumers quickly translates into weaker manufacturing output in china . that slowdown is dissected by european economists and , on any given day , it can cause stocks to fall , leading to the similar stock tumbles a few hours later on wall street . recently burberry noted a slowdown in sales in asia , particularly in china -- its shares promptly fell 20 % . perhaps it was an overreaction , but it shows investors are quite happy to plow money into companies with an asian strategy ' and then ignore it -- until there is a profit warning blamed on that same market . that goes to show europe has to get comfortable with the growing influence of china on its shores . it can not expect its companies to grow in the chinese market , then be surprised when enriched chinese companies come shopping for european companies to buy . china needs to understand that it will take time for europe to get comfortable with china 's investments . china has to make sure its investments and intentions are transparent . oh , then there is that small matter of reciprocity .","europe 's and china 's economies are intertwined" +"china london ( cnn ) -- when i was driving through poland last year , all the talk was about a chinese company 's failure to complete a major motorway project . the contract was wrestled away from the chinese and the poles finished it themselves . the details , denials and counter-claims are n't important for this article ; far more interesting is the impact of any china-led project in europe . any news on such projects -- good or bad -- makes headlines . but the splash is bigger when such projects fail or when people starting mumbling about chinese influence . what china does in europe matters greatly , though rarely do i hear or read a positive story about china 's influence . when a chinese company bought volvo , it was the transfer of technology that made the headlines , along with the end of the era for a venerable european brand . when an indian company bought land rover and jaguar , tata was hailed as the savior of two venerable european brands . why is that ? the answer appears clear . we are equally fascinated and frightened by the rise of china 's economic and military prowess . the chinese government 's recent trip to central europe revealed that the hiccup in poland has not slowed china 's plan to invest heavily in the former communist states . a $ 10 billion credit line will be used for infrastructure projects in poland , hungary and other countries . it was reported that the leaders of 16 central european countries met with chinese prime minister wen jiabao while in poland . china 's tech giant huawei is a growing power in the telecoms world . but any attempt it makes to expand in europe , united states or africa is met with fears of technology transfer to a firm linked to the chinese military through its founder . rightly so , governments fret over a foreign ' firm controlling the hardware that is the backbone of modern society . in huawei 's case , as the economist recently pointed out in a front cover story , the fear is china illegally tapping into western communications , both government and private . of course huawei will say it 's a private company with no state control and simply wants to compete on a level playing field with the likes of nokia-siemens , cisco and ericsson . a change of leadership in beijing will not have much impact in europe . there is no reason to believe big changes will come from the top . instead , change appears to be coming from the bottom . rising wages and increased worker benefits might raise the prices of goods exported to europe . it also helps to expand china 's middle class which appears to love european and american products . i recall growing up in america with worries about the rising power of japan . all the products we desired were designed there or manufactured there , from video games players to vcrs and automobiles to the walkman . with the wealth created , the japanese were buying up property in california and buildings in new york . it was feared the rise of japan 's economic prowess would never abate . but it did . europe ca n't assume the same will happen with china . but the economies now are so interlinked that stingy european consumers quickly translates into weaker manufacturing output in china . that slowdown is dissected by european economists and , on any given day , it can cause stocks to fall , leading to the similar stock tumbles a few hours later on wall street . recently burberry noted a slowdown in sales in asia , particularly in china -- its shares promptly fell 20 % . perhaps it was an overreaction , but it shows investors are quite happy to plow money into companies with an asian strategy ' and then ignore it -- until there is a profit warning blamed on that same market . that goes to show europe has to get comfortable with the growing influence of china on its shores . it can not expect its companies to grow in the chinese market , then be surprised when enriched chinese companies come shopping for european companies to buy . china needs to understand that it will take time for europe to get comfortable with china 's investments . china has to make sure its investments and intentions are transparent . oh , then there is that small matter of reciprocity .","cnn 's jim boulden writes he hardly hears positive stories about china 's influence in europe" +"china washington ( cnn ) -- the north korean government informed the state department on friday that it is holding a second american citizen who the north koreans say entered the country from china , a state department spokesman said . the american , who has not been identified , was detained monday for trespassing on north korea 's border with china , state-run korea central news agency reported thursday . the incident is under investigation , according to the agency 's report . spokesman p.j . crowley had said thursday afternoon that the department had been unable to get information on the reported incident . north korea announced december 29 that it was holding an american who had entered the country illegally from china on christmas eve . the news agency did not identify the man , who it said was now under investigation by a relevant organ . ' at the time , state department spokesman ian kelly said washington was concerned by reports that a korean-american missionary , robert park , had gone into north korea , but could not confirm them . washington and pyongyang have no diplomatic relations . the united states relies on the swedish embassy to look after u.s. interests in north korea . crowley has said the united states continues to seek consular access to park .","north koreans say u.s. citizen entered the country from china" +"benedict editor 's note : in our behind the scenes series , cnn correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events . cnn 's senior vatican analyst john l. allen jr. is following the pope during his u.s. trip . pope benedict xvi asked pilgrims in st. peter 's square on sunday to pray for the success of his u.s. trip . new york ( cnn ) -- the official motto of pope benedict xvi 's april 15-20 visit to the united states , the first of his papacy , is christ our hope . ' based on the frequency with which papal spokespersons have struck a different note , however , its unofficial motto might well be , this is not a political event . ' here 's a typical example from early april : the pope is not coming to get mixed up in the local political process , ' said italian archbishop pietro sambi , the pope 's ambassador to america , in an interview with the national catholic reporter . his presence is about something more universal and , at the same time , more personal . ' fear that benedict 's visit might be read through the lens of party politics reflects a key fact of electoral life in america : the catholic vote ' matters . to take the most obvious example , if a few heavily catholic counties in ohio had gone the other way in 2004 , pundits would today be handicapping the re-election of president john kerry . america 's almost 70 million catholics , representing a quarter of the country 's population , are diverse and divided . they do n't all agree with official church positions , and although catholics were once reliable democrats , today they 're not clearly aligned with either party . that 's a key reason why states with large catholic populations , such as ohio , pennsylvania , wisconsin and florida , are considered crucial battlegrounds . already in the 2008 race , catholics have made themselves felt . on the democratic side , they 're the biggest single reason sen. hillary clinton is still afloat . so far , the more catholic a state , the better clinton has done . with her back to the wall not long ago in ohio and texas , clinton decisively outpolled sen. barack obama among catholic democrats . in ohio , clinton won the catholic vote by a margin of 63 percent to 36 , while in texas it was 62 percent to 38 . clinton is now hoping that catholics will come through for her again in pennsylvania 's april 22 primary . the state 's 3.87 million catholics represent more than 30 percent of the population , and clinton is clinging to a lead despite pennsylvania sen. robert casey 's endorsement of obama . casey is a hero to pro-life catholic democrats , and his backing is apparently helping obama narrow the gap . clinton does better than obama among latinos , who are disproportionately catholic . she 's also winning catholic reagan democrats , ' meaning socially conservative blue-collar voters . obama 's recent gaffe , telling a crowd in san francisco , california , that small-town americans were clinging to guns or religion ' out of economic frustration , may help cement that advantage . once the democrats settle on a candidate , the catholic vote seems wide open in november . sen. john mccain , the presumptive republican nominee , appeals to many catholics because he 's pro-life and has a moderate stance on immigration . yet his willingness to remain in iraq for 100 years ' is at odds with the church 's opposition to the war . either clinton or obama could make a strong appeal to catholics on peace-and-justice issues , yet both are out of sync with catholic teaching on issues such as abortion , stem-cell research and gay rights . both sides are expected to court catholics aggressively . the mccain campaign recently formed a national catholics for mccain committee ' led by former kansas sen. sam brownback and former oklahoma gov . frank keating , along with a who 's who ' of prominent catholic conservatives . obama has his own national catholic advisory council , ' led by casey and former indiana rep. tim roemer , both pro-life democrats . clinton likewise has top-drawer catholic advisers . pope benedict 's trip is unlikely to offer a decisive boost to either side . he 'll probably strike pro-life notes that republicans can exploit , but he 'll also likely accent peace , concern for the poor and the environment , issues that generally skew to the democrats . watch as cnn 's rosemary church speaks with vatican analyst john allen about the pope 's visit » any political fallout may thus depend on what happens to the pope 's message once it 's swept up into the sausage grinder of american spin . benedict xvi usually speaks not in sound bites but in carefully crafted paragraphs , which sometimes leaves the door ajar for competing explanations of what he really means . one can expect a war for the microphone ' among republican and democratic operatives , each looking to exploit pieces of the pope 's message . in a tight race , movement of even a few percentage points among catholics could be decisive . one sign the democrats understand what 's at stake is that house speaker nancy pelosi has arranged an april 16 conference call with reporters to comment on benedict 's trip -- in effect , not wanting president bush , and by extension the republicans , to claim a monopoly on the pope . all this makes the political implications of the pope 's presence difficult to anticipate . the best advice boils down to that classic broadcast cliché : stay tuned ! ' e-mail to a friend john l. allen jr. is cnn 's senior vatican analyst and a senior correspondent for the national catholic reporter .","papal representatives stress benedict 's u.s. trip is not a political event '" +"catholic editor 's note : in our behind the scenes series , cnn correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events . cnn 's senior vatican analyst john l. allen jr. is following the pope during his u.s. trip . pope benedict xvi asked pilgrims in st. peter 's square on sunday to pray for the success of his u.s. trip . new york ( cnn ) -- the official motto of pope benedict xvi 's april 15-20 visit to the united states , the first of his papacy , is christ our hope . ' based on the frequency with which papal spokespersons have struck a different note , however , its unofficial motto might well be , this is not a political event . ' here 's a typical example from early april : the pope is not coming to get mixed up in the local political process , ' said italian archbishop pietro sambi , the pope 's ambassador to america , in an interview with the national catholic reporter . his presence is about something more universal and , at the same time , more personal . ' fear that benedict 's visit might be read through the lens of party politics reflects a key fact of electoral life in america : the catholic vote ' matters . to take the most obvious example , if a few heavily catholic counties in ohio had gone the other way in 2004 , pundits would today be handicapping the re-election of president john kerry . america 's almost 70 million catholics , representing a quarter of the country 's population , are diverse and divided . they do n't all agree with official church positions , and although catholics were once reliable democrats , today they 're not clearly aligned with either party . that 's a key reason why states with large catholic populations , such as ohio , pennsylvania , wisconsin and florida , are considered crucial battlegrounds . already in the 2008 race , catholics have made themselves felt . on the democratic side , they 're the biggest single reason sen. hillary clinton is still afloat . so far , the more catholic a state , the better clinton has done . with her back to the wall not long ago in ohio and texas , clinton decisively outpolled sen. barack obama among catholic democrats . in ohio , clinton won the catholic vote by a margin of 63 percent to 36 , while in texas it was 62 percent to 38 . clinton is now hoping that catholics will come through for her again in pennsylvania 's april 22 primary . the state 's 3.87 million catholics represent more than 30 percent of the population , and clinton is clinging to a lead despite pennsylvania sen. robert casey 's endorsement of obama . casey is a hero to pro-life catholic democrats , and his backing is apparently helping obama narrow the gap . clinton does better than obama among latinos , who are disproportionately catholic . she 's also winning catholic reagan democrats , ' meaning socially conservative blue-collar voters . obama 's recent gaffe , telling a crowd in san francisco , california , that small-town americans were clinging to guns or religion ' out of economic frustration , may help cement that advantage . once the democrats settle on a candidate , the catholic vote seems wide open in november . sen. john mccain , the presumptive republican nominee , appeals to many catholics because he 's pro-life and has a moderate stance on immigration . yet his willingness to remain in iraq for 100 years ' is at odds with the church 's opposition to the war . either clinton or obama could make a strong appeal to catholics on peace-and-justice issues , yet both are out of sync with catholic teaching on issues such as abortion , stem-cell research and gay rights . both sides are expected to court catholics aggressively . the mccain campaign recently formed a national catholics for mccain committee ' led by former kansas sen. sam brownback and former oklahoma gov . frank keating , along with a who 's who ' of prominent catholic conservatives . obama has his own national catholic advisory council , ' led by casey and former indiana rep. tim roemer , both pro-life democrats . clinton likewise has top-drawer catholic advisers . pope benedict 's trip is unlikely to offer a decisive boost to either side . he 'll probably strike pro-life notes that republicans can exploit , but he 'll also likely accent peace , concern for the poor and the environment , issues that generally skew to the democrats . watch as cnn 's rosemary church speaks with vatican analyst john allen about the pope 's visit » any political fallout may thus depend on what happens to the pope 's message once it 's swept up into the sausage grinder of american spin . benedict xvi usually speaks not in sound bites but in carefully crafted paragraphs , which sometimes leaves the door ajar for competing explanations of what he really means . one can expect a war for the microphone ' among republican and democratic operatives , each looking to exploit pieces of the pope 's message . in a tight race , movement of even a few percentage points among catholics could be decisive . one sign the democrats understand what 's at stake is that house speaker nancy pelosi has arranged an april 16 conference call with reporters to comment on benedict 's trip -- in effect , not wanting president bush , and by extension the republicans , to claim a monopoly on the pope . all this makes the political implications of the pope 's presence difficult to anticipate . the best advice boils down to that classic broadcast cliché : stay tuned ! ' e-mail to a friend john l. allen jr. is cnn 's senior vatican analyst and a senior correspondent for the national catholic reporter .","once democrats settle on a candidate , catholic vote seems wide open in november" +"catholic editor 's note : in our behind the scenes series , cnn correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events . cnn 's senior vatican analyst john l. allen jr. is following the pope during his u.s. trip . pope benedict xvi asked pilgrims in st. peter 's square on sunday to pray for the success of his u.s. trip . new york ( cnn ) -- the official motto of pope benedict xvi 's april 15-20 visit to the united states , the first of his papacy , is christ our hope . ' based on the frequency with which papal spokespersons have struck a different note , however , its unofficial motto might well be , this is not a political event . ' here 's a typical example from early april : the pope is not coming to get mixed up in the local political process , ' said italian archbishop pietro sambi , the pope 's ambassador to america , in an interview with the national catholic reporter . his presence is about something more universal and , at the same time , more personal . ' fear that benedict 's visit might be read through the lens of party politics reflects a key fact of electoral life in america : the catholic vote ' matters . to take the most obvious example , if a few heavily catholic counties in ohio had gone the other way in 2004 , pundits would today be handicapping the re-election of president john kerry . america 's almost 70 million catholics , representing a quarter of the country 's population , are diverse and divided . they do n't all agree with official church positions , and although catholics were once reliable democrats , today they 're not clearly aligned with either party . that 's a key reason why states with large catholic populations , such as ohio , pennsylvania , wisconsin and florida , are considered crucial battlegrounds . already in the 2008 race , catholics have made themselves felt . on the democratic side , they 're the biggest single reason sen. hillary clinton is still afloat . so far , the more catholic a state , the better clinton has done . with her back to the wall not long ago in ohio and texas , clinton decisively outpolled sen. barack obama among catholic democrats . in ohio , clinton won the catholic vote by a margin of 63 percent to 36 , while in texas it was 62 percent to 38 . clinton is now hoping that catholics will come through for her again in pennsylvania 's april 22 primary . the state 's 3.87 million catholics represent more than 30 percent of the population , and clinton is clinging to a lead despite pennsylvania sen. robert casey 's endorsement of obama . casey is a hero to pro-life catholic democrats , and his backing is apparently helping obama narrow the gap . clinton does better than obama among latinos , who are disproportionately catholic . she 's also winning catholic reagan democrats , ' meaning socially conservative blue-collar voters . obama 's recent gaffe , telling a crowd in san francisco , california , that small-town americans were clinging to guns or religion ' out of economic frustration , may help cement that advantage . once the democrats settle on a candidate , the catholic vote seems wide open in november . sen. john mccain , the presumptive republican nominee , appeals to many catholics because he 's pro-life and has a moderate stance on immigration . yet his willingness to remain in iraq for 100 years ' is at odds with the church 's opposition to the war . either clinton or obama could make a strong appeal to catholics on peace-and-justice issues , yet both are out of sync with catholic teaching on issues such as abortion , stem-cell research and gay rights . both sides are expected to court catholics aggressively . the mccain campaign recently formed a national catholics for mccain committee ' led by former kansas sen. sam brownback and former oklahoma gov . frank keating , along with a who 's who ' of prominent catholic conservatives . obama has his own national catholic advisory council , ' led by casey and former indiana rep. tim roemer , both pro-life democrats . clinton likewise has top-drawer catholic advisers . pope benedict 's trip is unlikely to offer a decisive boost to either side . he 'll probably strike pro-life notes that republicans can exploit , but he 'll also likely accent peace , concern for the poor and the environment , issues that generally skew to the democrats . watch as cnn 's rosemary church speaks with vatican analyst john allen about the pope 's visit » any political fallout may thus depend on what happens to the pope 's message once it 's swept up into the sausage grinder of american spin . benedict xvi usually speaks not in sound bites but in carefully crafted paragraphs , which sometimes leaves the door ajar for competing explanations of what he really means . one can expect a war for the microphone ' among republican and democratic operatives , each looking to exploit pieces of the pope 's message . in a tight race , movement of even a few percentage points among catholics could be decisive . one sign the democrats understand what 's at stake is that house speaker nancy pelosi has arranged an april 16 conference call with reporters to comment on benedict 's trip -- in effect , not wanting president bush , and by extension the republicans , to claim a monopoly on the pope . all this makes the political implications of the pope 's presence difficult to anticipate . the best advice boils down to that classic broadcast cliché : stay tuned ! ' e-mail to a friend john l. allen jr. is cnn 's senior vatican analyst and a senior correspondent for the national catholic reporter .","but catholic vote still matters in u.s. politics , as 2004 's close ohio vote showed" +"facebook facebook founder mark zuckerberg , speaking to mobile tech leaders in barcelona , said whatsapp , the mobile messaging app purchased by the social media giant last week , was worth more than $ 19 billion . ' zuckerberg 's comments at mobile world congress , referencing the eye-watering price paid for whatsapp , were met with surprise . but zuckerberg said the company was a great fit for us . already almost half-a-billion people love using whatsapp for messaging and it 's the most engaging app we 've ever seen exist on mobile so far . it 's on a path to connecting a billion people . there are very few services in the world that can reach that level and they 're all incredibly valuable . ' zuckerberg said there were no plans to harvest data from whatsapp messages , in answer to a question from the audience . that 's the service that people want , we would be silly to change it . ' asked if he thought concerns over privacy could be a problem for facebook as it aims for greater global penetration , he said : the nsa issue is a real issue , especially for american internet companies . trust is just such an important thing when you 're thinking about using any service where you 're going to share important and personal information . we continue to work to be sure we can share everything that the government is asking of us . ' the government kind of blew it on this . governments have a responsibility to protect folks and to also be transparent about what they 're doing and i think they 've just been way over the line in terms of sharing what they are doing . but they are only now starting to get to the range of where they should have been . i think this whole thing could have been avoidable and it would have been a lot better for the internet . ' asked if facebook would consider bidding again for snapchat , zuckerberg said : after buying a company for $ 16 billion you 're probably done for a while . ' snapchat reportedly turned down a $ 3 billion offer from facebook last year . zuckerberg 's debut at the trade show , the biggest of its kind in the world , underlines the importance of mobile to the future of the social media giant . while audience interest was in whatsapp , zuckerberg -- on stage with technology journalist and writer david kirkpatrick -- - was at the show to promote facebook 's work with internet.org . facebook partnered with technology leaders , nonprofits , local communities and experts for the initiative . zuckerberg said the goal of internet.org is to ensure everyone in the world has access to the internet in some form , either for a small cost or for free . he said this could be achieved by improving mobile infrastructure and reducing the amount of data required to use services . most people in the world do n't have access to the internet at all ... it 's about 2.7 billion people today . it 's growing way slower than you would imagine . our vision is to try to connect everyone . ' earlier monday , facebook announced it would help roll out an online education program in rwanda . the deal , which will initially be offered to university students , has been done in partnership with telecommunications giant airtel , which is providing free educational data for a year to those who sign up and nokia , which is offering discounted smartphones to those participating . pamela clark-dickson , senior analyst at informa , said zuckerberg 's appearance in barcelona made sense given that mobile is key to facebook 's strategy . it gives him the opportunity to engage with key mobile operator partners , which will be important in the wake of facebook 's acquisition of whatsapp , ' she said . mobile operators will be keen to discuss with and to learn from zuckerberg his plans for developing facebook further as a service from which he can generate revenues from mobile . ' clark-dickson said the announcement in barcelona by whatsapp ceo jan koum that the messaging service will add voice calls to its product in the second quarter of 2014 will also be something that mobile operators will want to talk to zuckerberg about .","facebook founder mark zuckerberg speaks at mobile world congress in barcelona" +"facebook facebook founder mark zuckerberg , speaking to mobile tech leaders in barcelona , said whatsapp , the mobile messaging app purchased by the social media giant last week , was worth more than $ 19 billion . ' zuckerberg 's comments at mobile world congress , referencing the eye-watering price paid for whatsapp , were met with surprise . but zuckerberg said the company was a great fit for us . already almost half-a-billion people love using whatsapp for messaging and it 's the most engaging app we 've ever seen exist on mobile so far . it 's on a path to connecting a billion people . there are very few services in the world that can reach that level and they 're all incredibly valuable . ' zuckerberg said there were no plans to harvest data from whatsapp messages , in answer to a question from the audience . that 's the service that people want , we would be silly to change it . ' asked if he thought concerns over privacy could be a problem for facebook as it aims for greater global penetration , he said : the nsa issue is a real issue , especially for american internet companies . trust is just such an important thing when you 're thinking about using any service where you 're going to share important and personal information . we continue to work to be sure we can share everything that the government is asking of us . ' the government kind of blew it on this . governments have a responsibility to protect folks and to also be transparent about what they 're doing and i think they 've just been way over the line in terms of sharing what they are doing . but they are only now starting to get to the range of where they should have been . i think this whole thing could have been avoidable and it would have been a lot better for the internet . ' asked if facebook would consider bidding again for snapchat , zuckerberg said : after buying a company for $ 16 billion you 're probably done for a while . ' snapchat reportedly turned down a $ 3 billion offer from facebook last year . zuckerberg 's debut at the trade show , the biggest of its kind in the world , underlines the importance of mobile to the future of the social media giant . while audience interest was in whatsapp , zuckerberg -- on stage with technology journalist and writer david kirkpatrick -- - was at the show to promote facebook 's work with internet.org . facebook partnered with technology leaders , nonprofits , local communities and experts for the initiative . zuckerberg said the goal of internet.org is to ensure everyone in the world has access to the internet in some form , either for a small cost or for free . he said this could be achieved by improving mobile infrastructure and reducing the amount of data required to use services . most people in the world do n't have access to the internet at all ... it 's about 2.7 billion people today . it 's growing way slower than you would imagine . our vision is to try to connect everyone . ' earlier monday , facebook announced it would help roll out an online education program in rwanda . the deal , which will initially be offered to university students , has been done in partnership with telecommunications giant airtel , which is providing free educational data for a year to those who sign up and nokia , which is offering discounted smartphones to those participating . pamela clark-dickson , senior analyst at informa , said zuckerberg 's appearance in barcelona made sense given that mobile is key to facebook 's strategy . it gives him the opportunity to engage with key mobile operator partners , which will be important in the wake of facebook 's acquisition of whatsapp , ' she said . mobile operators will be keen to discuss with and to learn from zuckerberg his plans for developing facebook further as a service from which he can generate revenues from mobile . ' clark-dickson said the announcement in barcelona by whatsapp ceo jan koum that the messaging service will add voice calls to its product in the second quarter of 2014 will also be something that mobile operators will want to talk to zuckerberg about .","it is his first appearance at the show and come a week after facebook bought whatsapp" +"facebook facebook founder mark zuckerberg , speaking to mobile tech leaders in barcelona , said whatsapp , the mobile messaging app purchased by the social media giant last week , was worth more than $ 19 billion . ' zuckerberg 's comments at mobile world congress , referencing the eye-watering price paid for whatsapp , were met with surprise . but zuckerberg said the company was a great fit for us . already almost half-a-billion people love using whatsapp for messaging and it 's the most engaging app we 've ever seen exist on mobile so far . it 's on a path to connecting a billion people . there are very few services in the world that can reach that level and they 're all incredibly valuable . ' zuckerberg said there were no plans to harvest data from whatsapp messages , in answer to a question from the audience . that 's the service that people want , we would be silly to change it . ' asked if he thought concerns over privacy could be a problem for facebook as it aims for greater global penetration , he said : the nsa issue is a real issue , especially for american internet companies . trust is just such an important thing when you 're thinking about using any service where you 're going to share important and personal information . we continue to work to be sure we can share everything that the government is asking of us . ' the government kind of blew it on this . governments have a responsibility to protect folks and to also be transparent about what they 're doing and i think they 've just been way over the line in terms of sharing what they are doing . but they are only now starting to get to the range of where they should have been . i think this whole thing could have been avoidable and it would have been a lot better for the internet . ' asked if facebook would consider bidding again for snapchat , zuckerberg said : after buying a company for $ 16 billion you 're probably done for a while . ' snapchat reportedly turned down a $ 3 billion offer from facebook last year . zuckerberg 's debut at the trade show , the biggest of its kind in the world , underlines the importance of mobile to the future of the social media giant . while audience interest was in whatsapp , zuckerberg -- on stage with technology journalist and writer david kirkpatrick -- - was at the show to promote facebook 's work with internet.org . facebook partnered with technology leaders , nonprofits , local communities and experts for the initiative . zuckerberg said the goal of internet.org is to ensure everyone in the world has access to the internet in some form , either for a small cost or for free . he said this could be achieved by improving mobile infrastructure and reducing the amount of data required to use services . most people in the world do n't have access to the internet at all ... it 's about 2.7 billion people today . it 's growing way slower than you would imagine . our vision is to try to connect everyone . ' earlier monday , facebook announced it would help roll out an online education program in rwanda . the deal , which will initially be offered to university students , has been done in partnership with telecommunications giant airtel , which is providing free educational data for a year to those who sign up and nokia , which is offering discounted smartphones to those participating . pamela clark-dickson , senior analyst at informa , said zuckerberg 's appearance in barcelona made sense given that mobile is key to facebook 's strategy . it gives him the opportunity to engage with key mobile operator partners , which will be important in the wake of facebook 's acquisition of whatsapp , ' she said . mobile operators will be keen to discuss with and to learn from zuckerberg his plans for developing facebook further as a service from which he can generate revenues from mobile . ' clark-dickson said the announcement in barcelona by whatsapp ceo jan koum that the messaging service will add voice calls to its product in the second quarter of 2014 will also be something that mobile operators will want to talk to zuckerberg about .","analysts said it underlined facebook 's commitment to mobile tech" +"barcelona facebook founder mark zuckerberg , speaking to mobile tech leaders in barcelona , said whatsapp , the mobile messaging app purchased by the social media giant last week , was worth more than $ 19 billion . ' zuckerberg 's comments at mobile world congress , referencing the eye-watering price paid for whatsapp , were met with surprise . but zuckerberg said the company was a great fit for us . already almost half-a-billion people love using whatsapp for messaging and it 's the most engaging app we 've ever seen exist on mobile so far . it 's on a path to connecting a billion people . there are very few services in the world that can reach that level and they 're all incredibly valuable . ' zuckerberg said there were no plans to harvest data from whatsapp messages , in answer to a question from the audience . that 's the service that people want , we would be silly to change it . ' asked if he thought concerns over privacy could be a problem for facebook as it aims for greater global penetration , he said : the nsa issue is a real issue , especially for american internet companies . trust is just such an important thing when you 're thinking about using any service where you 're going to share important and personal information . we continue to work to be sure we can share everything that the government is asking of us . ' the government kind of blew it on this . governments have a responsibility to protect folks and to also be transparent about what they 're doing and i think they 've just been way over the line in terms of sharing what they are doing . but they are only now starting to get to the range of where they should have been . i think this whole thing could have been avoidable and it would have been a lot better for the internet . ' asked if facebook would consider bidding again for snapchat , zuckerberg said : after buying a company for $ 16 billion you 're probably done for a while . ' snapchat reportedly turned down a $ 3 billion offer from facebook last year . zuckerberg 's debut at the trade show , the biggest of its kind in the world , underlines the importance of mobile to the future of the social media giant . while audience interest was in whatsapp , zuckerberg -- on stage with technology journalist and writer david kirkpatrick -- - was at the show to promote facebook 's work with internet.org . facebook partnered with technology leaders , nonprofits , local communities and experts for the initiative . zuckerberg said the goal of internet.org is to ensure everyone in the world has access to the internet in some form , either for a small cost or for free . he said this could be achieved by improving mobile infrastructure and reducing the amount of data required to use services . most people in the world do n't have access to the internet at all ... it 's about 2.7 billion people today . it 's growing way slower than you would imagine . our vision is to try to connect everyone . ' earlier monday , facebook announced it would help roll out an online education program in rwanda . the deal , which will initially be offered to university students , has been done in partnership with telecommunications giant airtel , which is providing free educational data for a year to those who sign up and nokia , which is offering discounted smartphones to those participating . pamela clark-dickson , senior analyst at informa , said zuckerberg 's appearance in barcelona made sense given that mobile is key to facebook 's strategy . it gives him the opportunity to engage with key mobile operator partners , which will be important in the wake of facebook 's acquisition of whatsapp , ' she said . mobile operators will be keen to discuss with and to learn from zuckerberg his plans for developing facebook further as a service from which he can generate revenues from mobile . ' clark-dickson said the announcement in barcelona by whatsapp ceo jan koum that the messaging service will add voice calls to its product in the second quarter of 2014 will also be something that mobile operators will want to talk to zuckerberg about .","facebook founder mark zuckerberg speaks at mobile world congress in barcelona" +"wisniewski ( cnn ) -- over the past week , two popular internet messaging companies , snapchat and skype , were hacked . snapchat 's 4.6 million users'user names and cell phone numbers were posted online . a hacker group posted messages to skype 's official blog and social media accounts . these are just the latest in a long list of tech companies that fail to provide adequate protection of their users'personal data . do companies that offer free services have an obligation to protect our communications ? yes , absolutely . snapchat is an app for phones that allows people to send photos and short videos to friends and promises to delete them once viewed , ã la mission impossible . in august 2013 , a group of security researchers publicly reported weaknesses in snapchat 's programming interfaces that could allow data exfiltration and manipulation . they withheld the specific details that would enable someone to easily exploit the flaws . if you 're mad at your critics , you might ignore them and quietly fix the flaws . if you 're appreciative you might engage them in a dialogue , thank them and work out some time to fix things before telling the public about it . but it seems the founders of snapchat chose instead to stick their heads in the sand . after four months without response , the security researchers grew impatient and decided to publicly disclose the details on christmas day , including code they had written that would allow almost anyone to abuse snapchat 's service . snapchat then blogged that it knew about the flaws , but was satisfied with the changes it implemented and did n't expect the service to be exploited . the next day someone posted the user names and phone numbers of the 4.6 million snapchat users that they had extracted using the security weaknesses . while some can make excuses for snapchat by saying the company is young , hence inexperienced , a breach is still a breach . skype , a division of microsoft , ca n't even say that . skype had the dubious distinction of being the first major internet company to be compromised in 2014 . it is the latest victim of a group called the syrian electronic army , which has targeted numerous media companies over the years , including the financial times , bbc , npr , associated press and reuters . with more than 3 million followers on twitter and 27 million likes ' on its facebook page , you would expect the security of a company like skype to be carefully managed . how did this so-called electronic army penetrate its defenses ? it must have been an extremely sophisticated hack , right ? unfortunately , the answer is no . the syrian electronic army is famous for using phishing , a simple tool that persuades users to disclose their user names and passwords through cleverly worded e-mails . the primary defense against phishing , aside from never clicking suspicious links or attachments in e-mails , is to use two-factor authentication . the first factor is something we know , typically a password . by adding a second factor -- something you have such as a phone or special keychain token -- attackers not only must acquire your password , but also gain access to a piece of randomly generated information sent to a physical device . the social media accounts of skype that were accessed by the syrian electronic army had optional two-factor authentication available , but it was apparently not enabled by skype . as a result , skype 's blog featured a headline : hacked by syrian electronic army ... stop spying ! ' similar messages were posted on its twitter and facebook pages . skype acknowledged in a tweet : you may have noticed our social media properties were targeted today . no user info was compromised . we 're sorry for the inconvenience . ' but snapchat 's response to the incident is shameful . the company attempted to justify its mistake and promised it will change the app to allow opting-out of one feature without any acknowledgment of the damage done to its users or even a commitment to fixing the list of problems identified by the researchers . if this was 2012 , i might be a little more forgiving . back then most services did n't offer protections like two-factor authentication or those protections were not flexible enough to work for social media accounts . but this is 2014 . all of these social media services offer protection free , designed to prevent this very type of attack . did n't skype think the 27 million people who liked ' them on facebook and the more than 3 million people who follow them on twitter deserve to be protected from potentially malicious posts ? companies that ca n't seem to get enough of our personal information need to be held accountable . the least they can do is be responsible and keep our data safe . the safeguards exist and the tech fixes are not hard . so , what are they waiting for ? for consumers , do n't become complacent to the barrage of announcements explaining how another 5 million records were stolen due to negligence . demand accountability . follow cnn opinion on twitter . join the conversation on facebook . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of chester wisniewski .","chester wisniewski : safeguards exists and tech fixes are easy , so why the breach ?" +"wisniewski ( cnn ) -- over the past week , two popular internet messaging companies , snapchat and skype , were hacked . snapchat 's 4.6 million users'user names and cell phone numbers were posted online . a hacker group posted messages to skype 's official blog and social media accounts . these are just the latest in a long list of tech companies that fail to provide adequate protection of their users'personal data . do companies that offer free services have an obligation to protect our communications ? yes , absolutely . snapchat is an app for phones that allows people to send photos and short videos to friends and promises to delete them once viewed , ã la mission impossible . in august 2013 , a group of security researchers publicly reported weaknesses in snapchat 's programming interfaces that could allow data exfiltration and manipulation . they withheld the specific details that would enable someone to easily exploit the flaws . if you 're mad at your critics , you might ignore them and quietly fix the flaws . if you 're appreciative you might engage them in a dialogue , thank them and work out some time to fix things before telling the public about it . but it seems the founders of snapchat chose instead to stick their heads in the sand . after four months without response , the security researchers grew impatient and decided to publicly disclose the details on christmas day , including code they had written that would allow almost anyone to abuse snapchat 's service . snapchat then blogged that it knew about the flaws , but was satisfied with the changes it implemented and did n't expect the service to be exploited . the next day someone posted the user names and phone numbers of the 4.6 million snapchat users that they had extracted using the security weaknesses . while some can make excuses for snapchat by saying the company is young , hence inexperienced , a breach is still a breach . skype , a division of microsoft , ca n't even say that . skype had the dubious distinction of being the first major internet company to be compromised in 2014 . it is the latest victim of a group called the syrian electronic army , which has targeted numerous media companies over the years , including the financial times , bbc , npr , associated press and reuters . with more than 3 million followers on twitter and 27 million likes ' on its facebook page , you would expect the security of a company like skype to be carefully managed . how did this so-called electronic army penetrate its defenses ? it must have been an extremely sophisticated hack , right ? unfortunately , the answer is no . the syrian electronic army is famous for using phishing , a simple tool that persuades users to disclose their user names and passwords through cleverly worded e-mails . the primary defense against phishing , aside from never clicking suspicious links or attachments in e-mails , is to use two-factor authentication . the first factor is something we know , typically a password . by adding a second factor -- something you have such as a phone or special keychain token -- attackers not only must acquire your password , but also gain access to a piece of randomly generated information sent to a physical device . the social media accounts of skype that were accessed by the syrian electronic army had optional two-factor authentication available , but it was apparently not enabled by skype . as a result , skype 's blog featured a headline : hacked by syrian electronic army ... stop spying ! ' similar messages were posted on its twitter and facebook pages . skype acknowledged in a tweet : you may have noticed our social media properties were targeted today . no user info was compromised . we 're sorry for the inconvenience . ' but snapchat 's response to the incident is shameful . the company attempted to justify its mistake and promised it will change the app to allow opting-out of one feature without any acknowledgment of the damage done to its users or even a commitment to fixing the list of problems identified by the researchers . if this was 2012 , i might be a little more forgiving . back then most services did n't offer protections like two-factor authentication or those protections were not flexible enough to work for social media accounts . but this is 2014 . all of these social media services offer protection free , designed to prevent this very type of attack . did n't skype think the 27 million people who liked ' them on facebook and the more than 3 million people who follow them on twitter deserve to be protected from potentially malicious posts ? companies that ca n't seem to get enough of our personal information need to be held accountable . the least they can do is be responsible and keep our data safe . the safeguards exist and the tech fixes are not hard . so , what are they waiting for ? for consumers , do n't become complacent to the barrage of announcements explaining how another 5 million records were stolen due to negligence . demand accountability . follow cnn opinion on twitter . join the conversation on facebook . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of chester wisniewski .","wisniewski : we must demand accountability from companies to protect our private data" +"americans rome , italy ( cnn ) -- nearly two dozen americans -- most thought to work for the cia -- were sentenced to five years in prison wednesday by an italian court for their role in the seizing of a suspected terrorist in italy in 2003 , the prosecutor in the case told cnn . the americans did not appear for trial and are not in custody , but the ruling could effectively make them international fugitives . the trial was the first to deal with a practice that human rights groups call extraordinary rendition . ' they say the united states has often sent suspects to countries that practice torture . washington acknowledges making secret rendition ' transfers of terrorism suspects between countries but denies using torture or handing suspects over to countries that do . the case centered on the extraordinary rendition of a muslim cleric , osama mustafa hassan nasr , or abu omar . he was seized on the streets of milan , italy , in 2003 , transferred to egypt and tortured , he said . he was suspected of recruiting men to fight in iraq and afghanistan and was under heavy surveillance by italy 's intelligence agency . prosecutors said he was nabbed by a cia team working with italian intelligence officials . the verdict shows governments and institutions that the fight against terrorism has to be carried out in accordance with the law . there are no shortcuts , ' spataro told cnn . those who were found guilty were ordered to pay abu omar 1 million euros ( $ 1.48 million ) and his wife 500,000 euros . a total of 22 americans were each sentenced to five years in prison for their role in his abduction . another -- robert seldon lady , whom prosecutors said was the cia station chief in milan -- was sentenced to eight years in jail , prosecutor armando spataro told cnn . cases were dismissed against three other americans , including jeff castelli , the man assumed to be the cia station chief in rome at the time , because they had diplomatic immunity from prosecution . spataro said he may appeal that ruling . cases were also dismissed against the former head of italy 's intelligence service and his deputy because of state secrecy provisions . two other italians were sentenced to three years in jail for aiding the plot . sabrina de sousa , one of the american defendants , was saddened , angered and dismayed ' by the ruling , her lawyer told cnn . she felt the u.s. government had stabbed her in the back , ' mark zaid said . we understand why the italians did what they did . they were following their laws . but at the end of the day , representatives of our united states government abroad were let down and left alone by their own government . ' de sousa , a career diplomat , is suing the state department over the case , zaid confirmed . she has never said she worked for the cia . cia spokesman george little said wednesday : the cia has not commented on any of the allegations surrounding abu omar . ' but u.s. officials confirmed to cnn when the case first broke that the cia was involved in the rendition of abu omar from italy to egypt . the officials never disclosed the number of americans involved or their names . pentagon spokesman geoff morrell responded to the verdict as it applied to an air force officer , lt. col. joseph romano iii , who was among the americans sentenced . the pentagon had asserted jurisdiction over the incident under the nato status of forces agreement , a position that the italian minister of justice supported , morrell said . we are clearly disappointed by the court 's ruling , ' morrell said . our view is that the italian court has no jurisdiction over lt. col. romano and should have immediately dismissed the charges . ' the american civil liberties union , a persistent critic of washington 's extraordinary rendition program , demanded the united states match italy 's actions . the decision in italy underscores the need for the united states to hold its own officials accountable for crimes committed under the'extraordinary rendition'program . it is shameful that the first convictions of this kind came from a foreign justice system , where those convicted are not likely to serve their time , ' said steven watt , staff attorney for the aclu human rights program . italian authorities originally indicted 26 americans and five italians in 2007 for kidnapping in the matter . the italians included the former head of italian intelligence , nicolo pollari , and one of his deputies . they testified in preliminary hearings that italian intelligence played no role in the alleged abduction . none of the americans is in custody in italy and the italian government did not ask for their extradition ; they were tried in absentia . former cia analyst michael scheuer told cnn in the past that the italian military secret service had approved the operation involving hassan , and cia sources who refused to be named told cnn in 2005 that the agency had briefed and sought approval from its italian counterpart for such an abduction . the italian government of the day -- which was led by silvio berlusconi -- vigorously denied having authorized hassan 's kidnapping , which it called illegal . berlusconi has since returned to power . cnn 's hada messia in rome ; paula newton in london , england ; and pam benson and jim barnett in washington contributed to this report .","americans are not in custody , but ruling could make them international fugitives" +"supreme court regardless of how the supreme court rules on health care reform , the justices have one thing in common , and one thing in common with a growing cohort of americans : they are aging . america faces an unprecedented wave of aging as members of the iconic baby boomer generation turn 65 . this year alone , 4 million americans will join the growing ranks of senior citizens . the affordable care act strengthened the medicare system that this growing senior population relies on . health care reform reduces the cost of prescription drugs , brings down costs for patients using private medicare supplements and increases access to free preventative services . the affordable care act makes health care more affordable for senior citizens and ensures that doctors are compensated fairly for their services . while medicare certainly needs adjusting , if the law is overturned , the challenges of medicare financing will only get worse . for the millions of senior citizens and about-to-be seniors in america the improvements brought by health care reform are just an important first step . we must protect the progress made by the affordable care act , but much more is needed to support our rapidly growing older adult population to help them live independently , at home and in our communities with dignity . a vital home care work force has developed to meet these needs , and its interests are inextricably bound to the future of health care . the average hourly wage of a home care worker in the united states is less than $ 10 per hour . poverty wages and a lack of benefits , training and career pathways mean turnover is constant . the work force can barely meet the current need for care , supports and services , let alone what 's to come . more families are turning to immigrant women of color to provide care for their loved ones . these women work tirelessly to feed and bathe our nation 's senior citizens , serve as a go-between with family and doctors , count medication , even take care of pets , and yet they are denied basic wages , let alone benefits , worker protections and pathways to citizenship . in fact , one out of two direct care workers supplements his or her income with food stamps , medicaid or public benefits , compounding our overall challenge . news explainer : health care 's big four issues : what the justices are tackling we need to create more jobs in america , address the need for home care , and improve the quality of care jobs all at the same time . in so doing , we can create precisely the type of economic growth we need in this moment . these are issues that concern us all including , ultimately , supreme court justices . of course , the supreme court justices have lifetime appointments that include access to the federal employees health benefits program , one of the largest insurance pools in the country , which ensures the jurists are n't subject to the sorts of limits for pre-existing conditions and inflated premiums that most insured americans have long faced . and if they choose to leave the bench , the justices can opt to keep their coverage -- meaning they wo n't have to rely on medicare to nearly the extent most elder americans do . news : timeline of the health care law but someday , they may want an in-home care worker to help them through the challenges of aging . the affordable care act was a great leap forward in improving a health care system that is n't working well for senior citizens , workers or any of us . with our senior population growing by the second , or every eight seconds to be exact , we need to move forward quickly toward more improvements , not roll back the ones we 've made . according to polls , the american people know that the supreme court wo n't rule based on the constitution alone . politics clearly influence such decisions . but if the justices would just think of themselves as senior citizens and soon-to-be-seniors , they would uphold the affordable care act for the sake of older americans , care workers and our shared future . cnn ireport : the real people behind health care reform","ai-jen poo : like the rest of us , supreme court justices are aging , will need good health care" +"oscar ( cnn ) -- academy-award winning actress patricia neal , whose off-screen life was one of dramatic triumph over adversity , died sunday at her home in edgartown , massachusetts . she was 84 . neal died of complications from lung cancer , according to the patricia neal rehabilitation center . the theatre and movie world has lost a great talent but , at the patricia neal rehabilitation center , we have also lost a friend , ' said a statement from the knoxville , tennessee , center that bears the actress'name and assists people in recovering from strokes and brain injuries . neal suffered several strokes and kept acting . neal is best known for her role as alma in hud , ' where she played a housekeeper who did not fall for cowboy paul newman 's charms . she won an academy award for the role . soon after her oscar win , neal suffered back-to-back strokes -- three in all . for a while , she lost her ability to speak and walk . but she returned to the screen -- and to another oscar nomination -- for the movie the subject was roses . ' ms. neal took great joy in meeting patients and their caregivers every time she visited knoxville , ' said a statement from the fort sanders regional medical center where the neal rehabilitation center is located . we will always remember her elegance and sincerity . she will be greatly missed . ' neal also won a golden globe award for her performance as olivia walton in 1971 's the homecoming : a christmas story , ' the television movie that served as the pilot episode for the tv series the waltons . ' concerns over neal 's health and her ability to handle the difficulties of a weekly television series led the producers to offer the role to michael learned when the show when into production .","she is best known for her role in hud , ' for which she won an oscar" +"hud ( cnn ) -- academy-award winning actress patricia neal , whose off-screen life was one of dramatic triumph over adversity , died sunday at her home in edgartown , massachusetts . she was 84 . neal died of complications from lung cancer , according to the patricia neal rehabilitation center . the theatre and movie world has lost a great talent but , at the patricia neal rehabilitation center , we have also lost a friend , ' said a statement from the knoxville , tennessee , center that bears the actress'name and assists people in recovering from strokes and brain injuries . neal suffered several strokes and kept acting . neal is best known for her role as alma in hud , ' where she played a housekeeper who did not fall for cowboy paul newman 's charms . she won an academy award for the role . soon after her oscar win , neal suffered back-to-back strokes -- three in all . for a while , she lost her ability to speak and walk . but she returned to the screen -- and to another oscar nomination -- for the movie the subject was roses . ' ms. neal took great joy in meeting patients and their caregivers every time she visited knoxville , ' said a statement from the fort sanders regional medical center where the neal rehabilitation center is located . we will always remember her elegance and sincerity . she will be greatly missed . ' neal also won a golden globe award for her performance as olivia walton in 1971 's the homecoming : a christmas story , ' the television movie that served as the pilot episode for the tv series the waltons . ' concerns over neal 's health and her ability to handle the difficulties of a weekly television series led the producers to offer the role to michael learned when the show when into production .","she is best known for her role in hud , ' for which she won an oscar" +"cia ( 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 u.s. 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 .","former cia director says fast and furious ' operation causing problems for ag eric holder" +"cia ( 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 u.s. 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 .","he says the scrutiny is similar to the attention paid to cia covert operations" +"holder ( 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 u.s. 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 .","he says holder now defends law enforcement heroes ' who deserve our nation 's thanks '" +"holder ( 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 u.s. 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 .","former cia director says fast and furious ' operation causing problems for ag eric holder" +"holder ( 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 u.s. 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 .","hayden says holder was among those who failed to understand the need for risky operations" +"deena ( cnn ) -- at the end of six seasons , six beautiful seasons , it 's like high school -- time to graduate and go to college , ' mike the situation ' sorrentino told cnn as he and his cast mates bid farewell to their mtv hit jersey shore ' at the new york television festival . and just like after high school , it 's time for the jersey shore ' cast to really get to work , just like the reality tv stars who came before them . the jersey shore ' cast members are all expanding their empires while also giving back to the community that made them famous , via a planned one-hour fund-raiser to rebuild the actual jersey shore , which was devastated along with other areas on the east coast during hurricane sandy . restore the shore ' will be broadcast live from times square on thursday , november 15 , at 11 p.m . et and tape-delayed on the west coast . unlike the graduates of american idol , ' project runway , ' or even the hills , ' the self-proclaimed guidos of the jersey shore ' represent a region . love them or hate them ( or love to hate them ) , the tv special may bolster their reputations ( not to mention their brands ) when they might have been criticized for leaving the area a little worse for wear . i think of everyone in the celebrity world , we get bullied the most , ' said nicole snooki ' polizzi . people are just mean to us . yes , i got drunk , i blacked out , i got arrested , but that 's what happens to everybody . they just do n't have a camera following them . ' the final episode of jersey shore ' airs december 13 , and with the end in sight , the cast are thinking about what to do when the party 's over , spinoffs notwithstanding . sammi giancola is going back to college to finish her sociology degree . ruthie alcaide from season eight of the real world , ' who became a spokesperson for alcohol awareness , might provide a role model for sorrentino , whose own situation also involved a stint in rehab . he does n't think his hard-won sobriety had anything to do with the show coming to an end , but now that he 's famous , he ca n't see himself falling back on his former career as a mortgage broker . i ca n't be'the situation'forever , ' he acknowledged , adding that he hopes to milk it for a little while longer ( at least until the next tv gig comes along ) . he 's also written a comic book using his jersey shore ' persona as a superhero : by day he is mike , almost like clark kent , and by night , he is'the situation ,'who has the power of persuasion with females and gets that power from a tanning bed . ' sorrentino also hopes to make other endorsement and branding deals , pending an unresolved suit from viacom over copyright of phrases that originated on the show . the highest-earning member of the jersey shore ' cast , paul pauly d ' delvecchio , who banked a reported $ 11 million last year , knows he ca n't rely on his reality-tv fame . the dj signed with 50 cent 's record label and is coproducing an album with the rap mogul . ( he 's also partnered with 50 to put out a line of headphones and will dj britney spears'wedding ) . i 'm actually applying for unemployment now that the show 's ending , ' he joked . but i hear they pay you less now , so that 's not going to work . ' already a queen of branding , polizzi has more deals for her own fashion and beauty lines than the rest of the cast : indoor and sunless tanning , slippers , sunglasses , perfume , jewelry and a maternity line on the way . but this is n't enough , she said , so she 's also getting into the music business , because the brands are not her long game . my parents , they 're just trying to get everything out of this moment , and they want to have a family business , so we started team snooki music , ' she said . we 're just trying to make a living so my kids can go to college , and they do n't have to worry about anything . you have to plan . ' polizzi also hopes to get back on the air via her own tv talk show , like a'chelsea handler'-type show , ' she told cnn , late at night , when i can talk about anything , because i have no filter . ' her bff jenni jwoww ' farley is less ambitious , setting her sights on a television career behind the scenes as a producer . while she plans to continue selling brands such as her tanning line , farley said she wants to actually create something . ' i would love to do a fun makeover show with young women and men to up their confidence , ' she said , and then do a show about bullying , really break down the barriers and help change the laws behind them , because it 's behind the times . ' farley might actually have a shot at launching one of these shows at mtv , she noted , because she 's been shadowing the network 's producers and executives just as much as they 've been watching her these past six seasons . i could go to mtv and be like ,'hey , do you know me ? i 'm kind of on one of your shows , and i have an idea ...'' the strategy 's also in line with the network 's spinoff habit , such as how laguna beach : the real orange county ' led to the hills ' which led to the city ' which led to audrina ' on sister network vh1 . deena cortese does n't think her previous career as a dental assistant is in the cards anymore , because the show has tainted her reputation , not improved it . be honest , ' she said . would anybody trust me doing that anymore ? probably not . ' but she thinks she has another fallback position in the real world : starting her own beauty salon . as they prepare to say goodbye to the perks of being ( temporarily ) famous -- i 'm going to miss getting courtside seats to the knicks games ! ' pauly d said -- they always have the inevitable reunion show to look forward to , because , as show creator sallyann salsano said , we 've never seen the real jersey shore . ' what really happened in that house , no one knows , ' she said . you guys got the pg-version . ' could the fund-raiser special change the cast members'reputations ? will it help them succeed at their goals ? it 's too soon to tell , but at least it shows a new side of people who were about to be typecast forever .","snooki , deena , pauly d and the situation ' share their post- ' shore ' plans" +"paul mccartney ( billboard ) the key to rock 's longevity is it never defines itself into irrelevance . so while there were some loud , dirty guitars at the 2015 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony in cleveland on saturday night , there was as much recognition for rock 's antecedents in soul and blues , speaking less to a particular taxonomy than a spirit that 's beyond words . it 's easy to talk of such spirit when paul mccartney is there to honor ringo starr , and yoko ono is on hand as well . speaking briefly backstage , ono expressed feeling that it was wonderful for starr to be honored , just sad john and george are n't here , ' referring to her late husband john lennon and beatles guitarist and fellow songwriter george harrison . starr was certainly happy to be there — after a long wait , he 's the final beatle to be inducted as a solo act . i 've finally been invited , and i love it , ' said the 74-year-old drummer . i got lucky , and it was actually in cleveland , ' he said to enormous applause . fifty-one years earlier , starr had been in town to play the very same hall ; he admitted backstage that he did n't remember the cops stopping the show during all my loving ' and making the beatles return to the dressing room for ten minutes until the fans could be calmed . starr said in a backstage interview that he could n't recall the incident specifically , but admitted that there had been a lot of shows in between . i 'll remember this one , ' he promised . others receiving rock hall honors included paul butterfield blues band , early soul act the 5 royales , singer bill withers , punk rockers green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts and stevie ray vaughan . it was a night for the young to honor the old and perhaps prepare for a later visit . john mayer hailed his longtime idol , the late vaughan , in a heartfelt speech . john legend came out to honor bill withers with a performance of use me ' backed by stevie wonder , who inducted withers . the two then shared lean on me , ' until legend went and pulled withers to the front of the stage to join them . beck , yeah yeah yeahs , bill withers , seymour stein hit rock hall 's weekend festivities the 76-year old soul legend has n't performed live in many years but had hinted in the months leading up to the induction ceremonies that he might sing once more . withers sounded great , though he may have an even brighter future in stand-up . this has got to be the biggest aa meeting [ in the ] western hemisphere , ' said withers , alluding to an earlier moment in the show when jimmie vaughan confessed , i taught my brother guitar , and he taught me how to get sober . ' he called being inducted by wonder , a lion holding the door for a kitty cat . ' the moment of relative levity was welcome after moving tributes paid to the late lou reed by patti smith and reed 's widow , music artist laurie anderson , who shared the three rules for life that they came up with : one : do n't be afraid of anyone ; two : get a really good b -- -- -- t detector and learn how to use it ; three : be really , really tender . ' smith had to push back tears on at least three occasions . she recalled a night when they wound up in the same hotel and reed invited her up . she found him in the tub dressed in black and she sat on the toilet and talked with him . green day was inducted by fall out boy , who referenced the length of some of the speeches . cracked fall out boy frontman patrick stump : i feel like i 'm in a line at the dmv . ' as one of the youngest acts , it 's not surprising they gave one of the two most exciting performances of the evening . rock hall induction ceremony : lou reed'would be amused ,'says sister the other belonged to tom morello , doyle bramhall ii and zac brown with harmonica player jason ricci performing born in chicago ' in tribute to the paul butterfield blues band . not only did ricci slay , but morello played a nasty scabrous solo that raised the hairs on your arm , it was so alive . miley cyrus inducted joan jett in her own inimitable way , recalling a time she walked in on jett smoking pot and being so turned on by her strength , wisdom and soul that the young pop star wanted to have sex with the legendary rocker . jett joined the blackhearts and foo fighters'dave grohl for a mini-set that include such classics as bad reputation , ' the runaways' cherry bomb ' and crimson and clover , ' the tommy james & the shondelles cover that jett took to no . 1 . it was that kind of a night , and it closed with a rousing version of the beatles' i want to be your man , ' where just about everybody who could make it out on stage did , including a near-end guitar scrum/lead-off between gary clark jr. , morello , zac brown and yeah yeah yeahs'nick zinner . ©2015 billboard . all rights reserved .","paul mccartney honors ringo starr at rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony" +"joan jett ( billboard ) the key to rock 's longevity is it never defines itself into irrelevance . so while there were some loud , dirty guitars at the 2015 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony in cleveland on saturday night , there was as much recognition for rock 's antecedents in soul and blues , speaking less to a particular taxonomy than a spirit that 's beyond words . it 's easy to talk of such spirit when paul mccartney is there to honor ringo starr , and yoko ono is on hand as well . speaking briefly backstage , ono expressed feeling that it was wonderful for starr to be honored , just sad john and george are n't here , ' referring to her late husband john lennon and beatles guitarist and fellow songwriter george harrison . starr was certainly happy to be there — after a long wait , he 's the final beatle to be inducted as a solo act . i 've finally been invited , and i love it , ' said the 74-year-old drummer . i got lucky , and it was actually in cleveland , ' he said to enormous applause . fifty-one years earlier , starr had been in town to play the very same hall ; he admitted backstage that he did n't remember the cops stopping the show during all my loving ' and making the beatles return to the dressing room for ten minutes until the fans could be calmed . starr said in a backstage interview that he could n't recall the incident specifically , but admitted that there had been a lot of shows in between . i 'll remember this one , ' he promised . others receiving rock hall honors included paul butterfield blues band , early soul act the 5 royales , singer bill withers , punk rockers green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts and stevie ray vaughan . it was a night for the young to honor the old and perhaps prepare for a later visit . john mayer hailed his longtime idol , the late vaughan , in a heartfelt speech . john legend came out to honor bill withers with a performance of use me ' backed by stevie wonder , who inducted withers . the two then shared lean on me , ' until legend went and pulled withers to the front of the stage to join them . beck , yeah yeah yeahs , bill withers , seymour stein hit rock hall 's weekend festivities the 76-year old soul legend has n't performed live in many years but had hinted in the months leading up to the induction ceremonies that he might sing once more . withers sounded great , though he may have an even brighter future in stand-up . this has got to be the biggest aa meeting [ in the ] western hemisphere , ' said withers , alluding to an earlier moment in the show when jimmie vaughan confessed , i taught my brother guitar , and he taught me how to get sober . ' he called being inducted by wonder , a lion holding the door for a kitty cat . ' the moment of relative levity was welcome after moving tributes paid to the late lou reed by patti smith and reed 's widow , music artist laurie anderson , who shared the three rules for life that they came up with : one : do n't be afraid of anyone ; two : get a really good b -- -- -- t detector and learn how to use it ; three : be really , really tender . ' smith had to push back tears on at least three occasions . she recalled a night when they wound up in the same hotel and reed invited her up . she found him in the tub dressed in black and she sat on the toilet and talked with him . green day was inducted by fall out boy , who referenced the length of some of the speeches . cracked fall out boy frontman patrick stump : i feel like i 'm in a line at the dmv . ' as one of the youngest acts , it 's not surprising they gave one of the two most exciting performances of the evening . rock hall induction ceremony : lou reed'would be amused ,'says sister the other belonged to tom morello , doyle bramhall ii and zac brown with harmonica player jason ricci performing born in chicago ' in tribute to the paul butterfield blues band . not only did ricci slay , but morello played a nasty scabrous solo that raised the hairs on your arm , it was so alive . miley cyrus inducted joan jett in her own inimitable way , recalling a time she walked in on jett smoking pot and being so turned on by her strength , wisdom and soul that the young pop star wanted to have sex with the legendary rocker . jett joined the blackhearts and foo fighters'dave grohl for a mini-set that include such classics as bad reputation , ' the runaways' cherry bomb ' and crimson and clover , ' the tommy james & the shondelles cover that jett took to no . 1 . it was that kind of a night , and it closed with a rousing version of the beatles' i want to be your man , ' where just about everybody who could make it out on stage did , including a near-end guitar scrum/lead-off between gary clark jr. , morello , zac brown and yeah yeah yeahs'nick zinner . ©2015 billboard . all rights reserved .","green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts also honored" +"lou reed ( billboard ) the key to rock 's longevity is it never defines itself into irrelevance . so while there were some loud , dirty guitars at the 2015 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony in cleveland on saturday night , there was as much recognition for rock 's antecedents in soul and blues , speaking less to a particular taxonomy than a spirit that 's beyond words . it 's easy to talk of such spirit when paul mccartney is there to honor ringo starr , and yoko ono is on hand as well . speaking briefly backstage , ono expressed feeling that it was wonderful for starr to be honored , just sad john and george are n't here , ' referring to her late husband john lennon and beatles guitarist and fellow songwriter george harrison . starr was certainly happy to be there — after a long wait , he 's the final beatle to be inducted as a solo act . i 've finally been invited , and i love it , ' said the 74-year-old drummer . i got lucky , and it was actually in cleveland , ' he said to enormous applause . fifty-one years earlier , starr had been in town to play the very same hall ; he admitted backstage that he did n't remember the cops stopping the show during all my loving ' and making the beatles return to the dressing room for ten minutes until the fans could be calmed . starr said in a backstage interview that he could n't recall the incident specifically , but admitted that there had been a lot of shows in between . i 'll remember this one , ' he promised . others receiving rock hall honors included paul butterfield blues band , early soul act the 5 royales , singer bill withers , punk rockers green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts and stevie ray vaughan . it was a night for the young to honor the old and perhaps prepare for a later visit . john mayer hailed his longtime idol , the late vaughan , in a heartfelt speech . john legend came out to honor bill withers with a performance of use me ' backed by stevie wonder , who inducted withers . the two then shared lean on me , ' until legend went and pulled withers to the front of the stage to join them . beck , yeah yeah yeahs , bill withers , seymour stein hit rock hall 's weekend festivities the 76-year old soul legend has n't performed live in many years but had hinted in the months leading up to the induction ceremonies that he might sing once more . withers sounded great , though he may have an even brighter future in stand-up . this has got to be the biggest aa meeting [ in the ] western hemisphere , ' said withers , alluding to an earlier moment in the show when jimmie vaughan confessed , i taught my brother guitar , and he taught me how to get sober . ' he called being inducted by wonder , a lion holding the door for a kitty cat . ' the moment of relative levity was welcome after moving tributes paid to the late lou reed by patti smith and reed 's widow , music artist laurie anderson , who shared the three rules for life that they came up with : one : do n't be afraid of anyone ; two : get a really good b -- -- -- t detector and learn how to use it ; three : be really , really tender . ' smith had to push back tears on at least three occasions . she recalled a night when they wound up in the same hotel and reed invited her up . she found him in the tub dressed in black and she sat on the toilet and talked with him . green day was inducted by fall out boy , who referenced the length of some of the speeches . cracked fall out boy frontman patrick stump : i feel like i 'm in a line at the dmv . ' as one of the youngest acts , it 's not surprising they gave one of the two most exciting performances of the evening . rock hall induction ceremony : lou reed'would be amused ,'says sister the other belonged to tom morello , doyle bramhall ii and zac brown with harmonica player jason ricci performing born in chicago ' in tribute to the paul butterfield blues band . not only did ricci slay , but morello played a nasty scabrous solo that raised the hairs on your arm , it was so alive . miley cyrus inducted joan jett in her own inimitable way , recalling a time she walked in on jett smoking pot and being so turned on by her strength , wisdom and soul that the young pop star wanted to have sex with the legendary rocker . jett joined the blackhearts and foo fighters'dave grohl for a mini-set that include such classics as bad reputation , ' the runaways' cherry bomb ' and crimson and clover , ' the tommy james & the shondelles cover that jett took to no . 1 . it was that kind of a night , and it closed with a rousing version of the beatles' i want to be your man , ' where just about everybody who could make it out on stage did , including a near-end guitar scrum/lead-off between gary clark jr. , morello , zac brown and yeah yeah yeahs'nick zinner . ©2015 billboard . all rights reserved .","green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts also honored" +"ringo starr ( billboard ) the key to rock 's longevity is it never defines itself into irrelevance . so while there were some loud , dirty guitars at the 2015 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony in cleveland on saturday night , there was as much recognition for rock 's antecedents in soul and blues , speaking less to a particular taxonomy than a spirit that 's beyond words . it 's easy to talk of such spirit when paul mccartney is there to honor ringo starr , and yoko ono is on hand as well . speaking briefly backstage , ono expressed feeling that it was wonderful for starr to be honored , just sad john and george are n't here , ' referring to her late husband john lennon and beatles guitarist and fellow songwriter george harrison . starr was certainly happy to be there — after a long wait , he 's the final beatle to be inducted as a solo act . i 've finally been invited , and i love it , ' said the 74-year-old drummer . i got lucky , and it was actually in cleveland , ' he said to enormous applause . fifty-one years earlier , starr had been in town to play the very same hall ; he admitted backstage that he did n't remember the cops stopping the show during all my loving ' and making the beatles return to the dressing room for ten minutes until the fans could be calmed . starr said in a backstage interview that he could n't recall the incident specifically , but admitted that there had been a lot of shows in between . i 'll remember this one , ' he promised . others receiving rock hall honors included paul butterfield blues band , early soul act the 5 royales , singer bill withers , punk rockers green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts and stevie ray vaughan . it was a night for the young to honor the old and perhaps prepare for a later visit . john mayer hailed his longtime idol , the late vaughan , in a heartfelt speech . john legend came out to honor bill withers with a performance of use me ' backed by stevie wonder , who inducted withers . the two then shared lean on me , ' until legend went and pulled withers to the front of the stage to join them . beck , yeah yeah yeahs , bill withers , seymour stein hit rock hall 's weekend festivities the 76-year old soul legend has n't performed live in many years but had hinted in the months leading up to the induction ceremonies that he might sing once more . withers sounded great , though he may have an even brighter future in stand-up . this has got to be the biggest aa meeting [ in the ] western hemisphere , ' said withers , alluding to an earlier moment in the show when jimmie vaughan confessed , i taught my brother guitar , and he taught me how to get sober . ' he called being inducted by wonder , a lion holding the door for a kitty cat . ' the moment of relative levity was welcome after moving tributes paid to the late lou reed by patti smith and reed 's widow , music artist laurie anderson , who shared the three rules for life that they came up with : one : do n't be afraid of anyone ; two : get a really good b -- -- -- t detector and learn how to use it ; three : be really , really tender . ' smith had to push back tears on at least three occasions . she recalled a night when they wound up in the same hotel and reed invited her up . she found him in the tub dressed in black and she sat on the toilet and talked with him . green day was inducted by fall out boy , who referenced the length of some of the speeches . cracked fall out boy frontman patrick stump : i feel like i 'm in a line at the dmv . ' as one of the youngest acts , it 's not surprising they gave one of the two most exciting performances of the evening . rock hall induction ceremony : lou reed'would be amused ,'says sister the other belonged to tom morello , doyle bramhall ii and zac brown with harmonica player jason ricci performing born in chicago ' in tribute to the paul butterfield blues band . not only did ricci slay , but morello played a nasty scabrous solo that raised the hairs on your arm , it was so alive . miley cyrus inducted joan jett in her own inimitable way , recalling a time she walked in on jett smoking pot and being so turned on by her strength , wisdom and soul that the young pop star wanted to have sex with the legendary rocker . jett joined the blackhearts and foo fighters'dave grohl for a mini-set that include such classics as bad reputation , ' the runaways' cherry bomb ' and crimson and clover , ' the tommy james & the shondelles cover that jett took to no . 1 . it was that kind of a night , and it closed with a rousing version of the beatles' i want to be your man , ' where just about everybody who could make it out on stage did , including a near-end guitar scrum/lead-off between gary clark jr. , morello , zac brown and yeah yeah yeahs'nick zinner . ©2015 billboard . all rights reserved .","paul mccartney honors ringo starr at rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony" +"rock and roll hall of fame ( billboard ) the key to rock 's longevity is it never defines itself into irrelevance . so while there were some loud , dirty guitars at the 2015 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony in cleveland on saturday night , there was as much recognition for rock 's antecedents in soul and blues , speaking less to a particular taxonomy than a spirit that 's beyond words . it 's easy to talk of such spirit when paul mccartney is there to honor ringo starr , and yoko ono is on hand as well . speaking briefly backstage , ono expressed feeling that it was wonderful for starr to be honored , just sad john and george are n't here , ' referring to her late husband john lennon and beatles guitarist and fellow songwriter george harrison . starr was certainly happy to be there — after a long wait , he 's the final beatle to be inducted as a solo act . i 've finally been invited , and i love it , ' said the 74-year-old drummer . i got lucky , and it was actually in cleveland , ' he said to enormous applause . fifty-one years earlier , starr had been in town to play the very same hall ; he admitted backstage that he did n't remember the cops stopping the show during all my loving ' and making the beatles return to the dressing room for ten minutes until the fans could be calmed . starr said in a backstage interview that he could n't recall the incident specifically , but admitted that there had been a lot of shows in between . i 'll remember this one , ' he promised . others receiving rock hall honors included paul butterfield blues band , early soul act the 5 royales , singer bill withers , punk rockers green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts and stevie ray vaughan . it was a night for the young to honor the old and perhaps prepare for a later visit . john mayer hailed his longtime idol , the late vaughan , in a heartfelt speech . john legend came out to honor bill withers with a performance of use me ' backed by stevie wonder , who inducted withers . the two then shared lean on me , ' until legend went and pulled withers to the front of the stage to join them . beck , yeah yeah yeahs , bill withers , seymour stein hit rock hall 's weekend festivities the 76-year old soul legend has n't performed live in many years but had hinted in the months leading up to the induction ceremonies that he might sing once more . withers sounded great , though he may have an even brighter future in stand-up . this has got to be the biggest aa meeting [ in the ] western hemisphere , ' said withers , alluding to an earlier moment in the show when jimmie vaughan confessed , i taught my brother guitar , and he taught me how to get sober . ' he called being inducted by wonder , a lion holding the door for a kitty cat . ' the moment of relative levity was welcome after moving tributes paid to the late lou reed by patti smith and reed 's widow , music artist laurie anderson , who shared the three rules for life that they came up with : one : do n't be afraid of anyone ; two : get a really good b -- -- -- t detector and learn how to use it ; three : be really , really tender . ' smith had to push back tears on at least three occasions . she recalled a night when they wound up in the same hotel and reed invited her up . she found him in the tub dressed in black and she sat on the toilet and talked with him . green day was inducted by fall out boy , who referenced the length of some of the speeches . cracked fall out boy frontman patrick stump : i feel like i 'm in a line at the dmv . ' as one of the youngest acts , it 's not surprising they gave one of the two most exciting performances of the evening . rock hall induction ceremony : lou reed'would be amused ,'says sister the other belonged to tom morello , doyle bramhall ii and zac brown with harmonica player jason ricci performing born in chicago ' in tribute to the paul butterfield blues band . not only did ricci slay , but morello played a nasty scabrous solo that raised the hairs on your arm , it was so alive . miley cyrus inducted joan jett in her own inimitable way , recalling a time she walked in on jett smoking pot and being so turned on by her strength , wisdom and soul that the young pop star wanted to have sex with the legendary rocker . jett joined the blackhearts and foo fighters'dave grohl for a mini-set that include such classics as bad reputation , ' the runaways' cherry bomb ' and crimson and clover , ' the tommy james & the shondelles cover that jett took to no . 1 . it was that kind of a night , and it closed with a rousing version of the beatles' i want to be your man , ' where just about everybody who could make it out on stage did , including a near-end guitar scrum/lead-off between gary clark jr. , morello , zac brown and yeah yeah yeahs'nick zinner . ©2015 billboard . all rights reserved .","paul mccartney honors ringo starr at rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony" +"blackhearts ( billboard ) the key to rock 's longevity is it never defines itself into irrelevance . so while there were some loud , dirty guitars at the 2015 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony in cleveland on saturday night , there was as much recognition for rock 's antecedents in soul and blues , speaking less to a particular taxonomy than a spirit that 's beyond words . it 's easy to talk of such spirit when paul mccartney is there to honor ringo starr , and yoko ono is on hand as well . speaking briefly backstage , ono expressed feeling that it was wonderful for starr to be honored , just sad john and george are n't here , ' referring to her late husband john lennon and beatles guitarist and fellow songwriter george harrison . starr was certainly happy to be there — after a long wait , he 's the final beatle to be inducted as a solo act . i 've finally been invited , and i love it , ' said the 74-year-old drummer . i got lucky , and it was actually in cleveland , ' he said to enormous applause . fifty-one years earlier , starr had been in town to play the very same hall ; he admitted backstage that he did n't remember the cops stopping the show during all my loving ' and making the beatles return to the dressing room for ten minutes until the fans could be calmed . starr said in a backstage interview that he could n't recall the incident specifically , but admitted that there had been a lot of shows in between . i 'll remember this one , ' he promised . others receiving rock hall honors included paul butterfield blues band , early soul act the 5 royales , singer bill withers , punk rockers green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts and stevie ray vaughan . it was a night for the young to honor the old and perhaps prepare for a later visit . john mayer hailed his longtime idol , the late vaughan , in a heartfelt speech . john legend came out to honor bill withers with a performance of use me ' backed by stevie wonder , who inducted withers . the two then shared lean on me , ' until legend went and pulled withers to the front of the stage to join them . beck , yeah yeah yeahs , bill withers , seymour stein hit rock hall 's weekend festivities the 76-year old soul legend has n't performed live in many years but had hinted in the months leading up to the induction ceremonies that he might sing once more . withers sounded great , though he may have an even brighter future in stand-up . this has got to be the biggest aa meeting [ in the ] western hemisphere , ' said withers , alluding to an earlier moment in the show when jimmie vaughan confessed , i taught my brother guitar , and he taught me how to get sober . ' he called being inducted by wonder , a lion holding the door for a kitty cat . ' the moment of relative levity was welcome after moving tributes paid to the late lou reed by patti smith and reed 's widow , music artist laurie anderson , who shared the three rules for life that they came up with : one : do n't be afraid of anyone ; two : get a really good b -- -- -- t detector and learn how to use it ; three : be really , really tender . ' smith had to push back tears on at least three occasions . she recalled a night when they wound up in the same hotel and reed invited her up . she found him in the tub dressed in black and she sat on the toilet and talked with him . green day was inducted by fall out boy , who referenced the length of some of the speeches . cracked fall out boy frontman patrick stump : i feel like i 'm in a line at the dmv . ' as one of the youngest acts , it 's not surprising they gave one of the two most exciting performances of the evening . rock hall induction ceremony : lou reed'would be amused ,'says sister the other belonged to tom morello , doyle bramhall ii and zac brown with harmonica player jason ricci performing born in chicago ' in tribute to the paul butterfield blues band . not only did ricci slay , but morello played a nasty scabrous solo that raised the hairs on your arm , it was so alive . miley cyrus inducted joan jett in her own inimitable way , recalling a time she walked in on jett smoking pot and being so turned on by her strength , wisdom and soul that the young pop star wanted to have sex with the legendary rocker . jett joined the blackhearts and foo fighters'dave grohl for a mini-set that include such classics as bad reputation , ' the runaways' cherry bomb ' and crimson and clover , ' the tommy james & the shondelles cover that jett took to no . 1 . it was that kind of a night , and it closed with a rousing version of the beatles' i want to be your man , ' where just about everybody who could make it out on stage did , including a near-end guitar scrum/lead-off between gary clark jr. , morello , zac brown and yeah yeah yeahs'nick zinner . ©2015 billboard . all rights reserved .","green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts also honored" +"green day ( billboard ) the key to rock 's longevity is it never defines itself into irrelevance . so while there were some loud , dirty guitars at the 2015 rock and roll hall of fame induction ceremony in cleveland on saturday night , there was as much recognition for rock 's antecedents in soul and blues , speaking less to a particular taxonomy than a spirit that 's beyond words . it 's easy to talk of such spirit when paul mccartney is there to honor ringo starr , and yoko ono is on hand as well . speaking briefly backstage , ono expressed feeling that it was wonderful for starr to be honored , just sad john and george are n't here , ' referring to her late husband john lennon and beatles guitarist and fellow songwriter george harrison . starr was certainly happy to be there — after a long wait , he 's the final beatle to be inducted as a solo act . i 've finally been invited , and i love it , ' said the 74-year-old drummer . i got lucky , and it was actually in cleveland , ' he said to enormous applause . fifty-one years earlier , starr had been in town to play the very same hall ; he admitted backstage that he did n't remember the cops stopping the show during all my loving ' and making the beatles return to the dressing room for ten minutes until the fans could be calmed . starr said in a backstage interview that he could n't recall the incident specifically , but admitted that there had been a lot of shows in between . i 'll remember this one , ' he promised . others receiving rock hall honors included paul butterfield blues band , early soul act the 5 royales , singer bill withers , punk rockers green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts and stevie ray vaughan . it was a night for the young to honor the old and perhaps prepare for a later visit . john mayer hailed his longtime idol , the late vaughan , in a heartfelt speech . john legend came out to honor bill withers with a performance of use me ' backed by stevie wonder , who inducted withers . the two then shared lean on me , ' until legend went and pulled withers to the front of the stage to join them . beck , yeah yeah yeahs , bill withers , seymour stein hit rock hall 's weekend festivities the 76-year old soul legend has n't performed live in many years but had hinted in the months leading up to the induction ceremonies that he might sing once more . withers sounded great , though he may have an even brighter future in stand-up . this has got to be the biggest aa meeting [ in the ] western hemisphere , ' said withers , alluding to an earlier moment in the show when jimmie vaughan confessed , i taught my brother guitar , and he taught me how to get sober . ' he called being inducted by wonder , a lion holding the door for a kitty cat . ' the moment of relative levity was welcome after moving tributes paid to the late lou reed by patti smith and reed 's widow , music artist laurie anderson , who shared the three rules for life that they came up with : one : do n't be afraid of anyone ; two : get a really good b -- -- -- t detector and learn how to use it ; three : be really , really tender . ' smith had to push back tears on at least three occasions . she recalled a night when they wound up in the same hotel and reed invited her up . she found him in the tub dressed in black and she sat on the toilet and talked with him . green day was inducted by fall out boy , who referenced the length of some of the speeches . cracked fall out boy frontman patrick stump : i feel like i 'm in a line at the dmv . ' as one of the youngest acts , it 's not surprising they gave one of the two most exciting performances of the evening . rock hall induction ceremony : lou reed'would be amused ,'says sister the other belonged to tom morello , doyle bramhall ii and zac brown with harmonica player jason ricci performing born in chicago ' in tribute to the paul butterfield blues band . not only did ricci slay , but morello played a nasty scabrous solo that raised the hairs on your arm , it was so alive . miley cyrus inducted joan jett in her own inimitable way , recalling a time she walked in on jett smoking pot and being so turned on by her strength , wisdom and soul that the young pop star wanted to have sex with the legendary rocker . jett joined the blackhearts and foo fighters'dave grohl for a mini-set that include such classics as bad reputation , ' the runaways' cherry bomb ' and crimson and clover , ' the tommy james & the shondelles cover that jett took to no . 1 . it was that kind of a night , and it closed with a rousing version of the beatles' i want to be your man , ' where just about everybody who could make it out on stage did , including a near-end guitar scrum/lead-off between gary clark jr. , morello , zac brown and yeah yeah yeahs'nick zinner . ©2015 billboard . all rights reserved .","green day , lou reed , joan jett & the blackhearts also honored" +"islamic movement of uzbekistan a u.s. drone wednesday fired on an area in northwestern pakistan , according to two pakistani intelligence sources and a witness . details about what the drone hit and whether there were any casualties were n't immediately available . northwestern pakistan is home to loosely governed tribal areas near the border with afghanistan , and the area is a base for foreign fighters and a place of refuge for members of the islamist militant haqqani movement . the drone strike comes just days after two brazen attacks on or near pakistan 's largest airport in the southern pakistani port city of karachi . earlier wednesday , the islamic movement of uzbekistan claimed that it carried out one of the attacks -- the weekend airport assault that resulted in an hours-long siege and left 36 people dead , including the assailants . the claim was made in an e-mail that included pictures that the militant group said were of the 10 attackers . the militants said the attack was carried out with the pakistani taliban , which has confirmed that members of the islamic movement of uzbekistan conducted the karachi airport attack , pakistani taliban commander abdullah bahar mehsud told cnn in a phone conversation . mehsud said the pictures in the e-mail claiming responsibility were indeed photos of the 10 attackers . he said the pakistani taliban helped coordinate and provided material support in the attack . late sunday night , 10 militants stormed the airport 's cargo area in a siege that left dozens dead . the pakistani taliban also claimed responsibility for that assault , saying the attack was retaliation for the death of former chief hakimullah mehsud , who was killed in a u.s. drone strike in november in north waziristan . the uzbek militants have not claimed responsibility for a second attack tuesday on airport security forces that forced the airport , pakistan 's largest and busiest , to shut down . tuesday 's assault targeted the airport security forces academy near karachi 's jinnah international airport , the airport 's manager told cnn 's saima mohsin in karachi . security forces told cnn that an unknown number of gunmen attacked the academy 's entrance and were met with an armed response . the attackers fled , and no one was killed in the attack , officials said . once again , the pakistani taliban , which is formally known as tehreek-i-taliban pakistan , or ttp , claimed responsibility . this wave of attacks will be continuing in retaliation for the shelling and atrocities of the government , ' spokesman shahidullah shahid said by phone tuesday from an undisclosed location . shahid said earlier this week that the pakistani taliban would engage in a full-out war with the pakistani state , starting on june 10 . ' but the airport itself was safe tuesday , pakistan 's civil aviation authority said . # jinnah airport is safe , # asf academy is under attack , ' the aviation authority tweeted tuesday . the civil aviation authority said flights were temporarily suspended but later resumed tuesday . by tuesday afternoon , the situation was under control , ' military spokesman asim bajwa said . 3 to 4 terrorists fired near asf camp , ran away , ' bajwa tweeted . no breach of fence , no entry . chase is on , situation under control . ' what the karachi airport attack says about the pakistani taliban airstrikes killed 15 militants hours before the renewed violence in karachi , the pakistani military launched a deadly assault targeting nine militant hideouts tuesday . at least 15 militants were killed in the airstrikes on khyber agency , in tribal areas bordering afghanistan , the pakistani military said . a military spokesman said he could not confirm whether the airstrikes were directly related or in response to the airport violence this week . but it 's those kinds of strikes that the pakistani taliban warned would spur more violence from their end . when the ttp claimed responsibility for sunday 's airport attack , it called on the government to end airstrikes -- or face more attacks like the karachi airport terror attack . apparently , the ttp followed through with its promise . history of terror the pakistani taliban has long conducted an insurgency against the pakistani government . their primary target is the pakistani state and its military , ' said raza rumi of the jinnah institute , a pakistani think tank . it resents the fact that ( pakistan ) has an alliance with the west , and it wants sharia to be imposed in pakistan . ' the u.s. justice department charged former ttp chief hakimullah mehsud in 2010 for his alleged involvement in a 2009 bombing at the united states'forward operating base chapman in khost , afghanistan . the attack killed seven u.s. citizens , including five cia officers and a member of jordanian intelligence . hakimullah mehsud took over from baitullah mehsud , a fellow clan member , in 2009 after the latter was killed in a u.s. drone strike . four years later , hakimullah mehsud suffered the same fate .","islamic movement of uzbekistan says it was involved in first karachi airport attack" +"karachi a u.s. drone wednesday fired on an area in northwestern pakistan , according to two pakistani intelligence sources and a witness . details about what the drone hit and whether there were any casualties were n't immediately available . northwestern pakistan is home to loosely governed tribal areas near the border with afghanistan , and the area is a base for foreign fighters and a place of refuge for members of the islamist militant haqqani movement . the drone strike comes just days after two brazen attacks on or near pakistan 's largest airport in the southern pakistani port city of karachi . earlier wednesday , the islamic movement of uzbekistan claimed that it carried out one of the attacks -- the weekend airport assault that resulted in an hours-long siege and left 36 people dead , including the assailants . the claim was made in an e-mail that included pictures that the militant group said were of the 10 attackers . the militants said the attack was carried out with the pakistani taliban , which has confirmed that members of the islamic movement of uzbekistan conducted the karachi airport attack , pakistani taliban commander abdullah bahar mehsud told cnn in a phone conversation . mehsud said the pictures in the e-mail claiming responsibility were indeed photos of the 10 attackers . he said the pakistani taliban helped coordinate and provided material support in the attack . late sunday night , 10 militants stormed the airport 's cargo area in a siege that left dozens dead . the pakistani taliban also claimed responsibility for that assault , saying the attack was retaliation for the death of former chief hakimullah mehsud , who was killed in a u.s. drone strike in november in north waziristan . the uzbek militants have not claimed responsibility for a second attack tuesday on airport security forces that forced the airport , pakistan 's largest and busiest , to shut down . tuesday 's assault targeted the airport security forces academy near karachi 's jinnah international airport , the airport 's manager told cnn 's saima mohsin in karachi . security forces told cnn that an unknown number of gunmen attacked the academy 's entrance and were met with an armed response . the attackers fled , and no one was killed in the attack , officials said . once again , the pakistani taliban , which is formally known as tehreek-i-taliban pakistan , or ttp , claimed responsibility . this wave of attacks will be continuing in retaliation for the shelling and atrocities of the government , ' spokesman shahidullah shahid said by phone tuesday from an undisclosed location . shahid said earlier this week that the pakistani taliban would engage in a full-out war with the pakistani state , starting on june 10 . ' but the airport itself was safe tuesday , pakistan 's civil aviation authority said . # jinnah airport is safe , # asf academy is under attack , ' the aviation authority tweeted tuesday . the civil aviation authority said flights were temporarily suspended but later resumed tuesday . by tuesday afternoon , the situation was under control , ' military spokesman asim bajwa said . 3 to 4 terrorists fired near asf camp , ran away , ' bajwa tweeted . no breach of fence , no entry . chase is on , situation under control . ' what the karachi airport attack says about the pakistani taliban airstrikes killed 15 militants hours before the renewed violence in karachi , the pakistani military launched a deadly assault targeting nine militant hideouts tuesday . at least 15 militants were killed in the airstrikes on khyber agency , in tribal areas bordering afghanistan , the pakistani military said . a military spokesman said he could not confirm whether the airstrikes were directly related or in response to the airport violence this week . but it 's those kinds of strikes that the pakistani taliban warned would spur more violence from their end . when the ttp claimed responsibility for sunday 's airport attack , it called on the government to end airstrikes -- or face more attacks like the karachi airport terror attack . apparently , the ttp followed through with its promise . history of terror the pakistani taliban has long conducted an insurgency against the pakistani government . their primary target is the pakistani state and its military , ' said raza rumi of the jinnah institute , a pakistani think tank . it resents the fact that ( pakistan ) has an alliance with the west , and it wants sharia to be imposed in pakistan . ' the u.s. justice department charged former ttp chief hakimullah mehsud in 2010 for his alleged involvement in a 2009 bombing at the united states'forward operating base chapman in khost , afghanistan . the attack killed seven u.s. citizens , including five cia officers and a member of jordanian intelligence . hakimullah mehsud took over from baitullah mehsud , a fellow clan member , in 2009 after the latter was killed in a u.s. drone strike . four years later , hakimullah mehsud suffered the same fate .","pakistani taliban claim responsibility for both attacks in karachi this week" +"karachi a u.s. drone wednesday fired on an area in northwestern pakistan , according to two pakistani intelligence sources and a witness . details about what the drone hit and whether there were any casualties were n't immediately available . northwestern pakistan is home to loosely governed tribal areas near the border with afghanistan , and the area is a base for foreign fighters and a place of refuge for members of the islamist militant haqqani movement . the drone strike comes just days after two brazen attacks on or near pakistan 's largest airport in the southern pakistani port city of karachi . earlier wednesday , the islamic movement of uzbekistan claimed that it carried out one of the attacks -- the weekend airport assault that resulted in an hours-long siege and left 36 people dead , including the assailants . the claim was made in an e-mail that included pictures that the militant group said were of the 10 attackers . the militants said the attack was carried out with the pakistani taliban , which has confirmed that members of the islamic movement of uzbekistan conducted the karachi airport attack , pakistani taliban commander abdullah bahar mehsud told cnn in a phone conversation . mehsud said the pictures in the e-mail claiming responsibility were indeed photos of the 10 attackers . he said the pakistani taliban helped coordinate and provided material support in the attack . late sunday night , 10 militants stormed the airport 's cargo area in a siege that left dozens dead . the pakistani taliban also claimed responsibility for that assault , saying the attack was retaliation for the death of former chief hakimullah mehsud , who was killed in a u.s. drone strike in november in north waziristan . the uzbek militants have not claimed responsibility for a second attack tuesday on airport security forces that forced the airport , pakistan 's largest and busiest , to shut down . tuesday 's assault targeted the airport security forces academy near karachi 's jinnah international airport , the airport 's manager told cnn 's saima mohsin in karachi . security forces told cnn that an unknown number of gunmen attacked the academy 's entrance and were met with an armed response . the attackers fled , and no one was killed in the attack , officials said . once again , the pakistani taliban , which is formally known as tehreek-i-taliban pakistan , or ttp , claimed responsibility . this wave of attacks will be continuing in retaliation for the shelling and atrocities of the government , ' spokesman shahidullah shahid said by phone tuesday from an undisclosed location . shahid said earlier this week that the pakistani taliban would engage in a full-out war with the pakistani state , starting on june 10 . ' but the airport itself was safe tuesday , pakistan 's civil aviation authority said . # jinnah airport is safe , # asf academy is under attack , ' the aviation authority tweeted tuesday . the civil aviation authority said flights were temporarily suspended but later resumed tuesday . by tuesday afternoon , the situation was under control , ' military spokesman asim bajwa said . 3 to 4 terrorists fired near asf camp , ran away , ' bajwa tweeted . no breach of fence , no entry . chase is on , situation under control . ' what the karachi airport attack says about the pakistani taliban airstrikes killed 15 militants hours before the renewed violence in karachi , the pakistani military launched a deadly assault targeting nine militant hideouts tuesday . at least 15 militants were killed in the airstrikes on khyber agency , in tribal areas bordering afghanistan , the pakistani military said . a military spokesman said he could not confirm whether the airstrikes were directly related or in response to the airport violence this week . but it 's those kinds of strikes that the pakistani taliban warned would spur more violence from their end . when the ttp claimed responsibility for sunday 's airport attack , it called on the government to end airstrikes -- or face more attacks like the karachi airport terror attack . apparently , the ttp followed through with its promise . history of terror the pakistani taliban has long conducted an insurgency against the pakistani government . their primary target is the pakistani state and its military , ' said raza rumi of the jinnah institute , a pakistani think tank . it resents the fact that ( pakistan ) has an alliance with the west , and it wants sharia to be imposed in pakistan . ' the u.s. justice department charged former ttp chief hakimullah mehsud in 2010 for his alleged involvement in a 2009 bombing at the united states'forward operating base chapman in khost , afghanistan . the attack killed seven u.s. citizens , including five cia officers and a member of jordanian intelligence . hakimullah mehsud took over from baitullah mehsud , a fellow clan member , in 2009 after the latter was killed in a u.s. drone strike . four years later , hakimullah mehsud suffered the same fate .","islamic movement of uzbekistan says it was involved in first karachi airport attack" +"rihanna ( cnn ) -- i love you rihanna . you succinctly gave voice to the anger that 's been building ever since washington post columnist george will wrote skeptically about young women caught up in a supposed campus epidemic of rape , a.k.a .'sexual assault .'' you remember that ? will said , in his special will way , that when colleges and universities make victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges , victims proliferate. you , rihanna , gave voice to the anger that 's been simmering since rush limbaugh said , no means yes if you know how to spot it , ' and fox & friends joked about taking the stairs ' 'cause there are cameras in the elevator to record you punching your lady . you , rihanna , succinctly said , in two words , how many women feel for getting blamed for everything from raising problem children ' to feminizing ' men . f * * * you ! rihanna slams cbs for pulling song mr. goodell , if you 're wondering why you 're getting so much grief for that that two-game suspension you handed to ray rice for decking his fiancã©e , i 'll spell it out . you provided the tipping point for the anger women feel for getting blamed for just about everything bad that happens to them . voices of domestic violence it 's why rihanna is so upset that cbs pulled her song run this town ' from thursday night football because , well , in rihanna 's words : y'all are sad for penalizing me for this ... cbs you pulled my song last week , now you wan na slide it back in this thursday ? no , f * * * you ! y'all are sad for penalizing me for this . ' oh , and do n't say you did n't penalize rihanna for what ray rice did to janay palmer . cbs sports chairman sean mcmanus told the associated press that rihanna 's history of domestic abuse at the hands of chris brown was among several factors considered ( for pulling her song ) but was not the overriding one . ' to make matters worse , it was n't even rihanna 's song ! it was jay z 's song . rihanna was merely performing alongside the man who discovered her . as rihanna tweeted , the audacity ... ' and forbade cbs to use any of her songs in its thursday night football lineup ever again . cbs promptly announced : beginning this thursday , we will be moving in a different direction with some elements of our thursday night football open . we will be using our newly created thursday night football theme music to open our game broadcast . ' wise move cbs . it would have been a colossal mistake to bully rihanna into singing for the nfl . there have been so many strong , female voices speaking out about crimes against their sisters , and you know what ? people are listening . universities ( princeton most recently ) are more aggressively tackling sexual assaults on campus , there are now consequences -- at least for some -- for spouting irresponsible garbage about female victims . and the nfl ? it has now hired female advisers to shape its domestic violence policy . dare i say again , i love you rihanna .","costello : good for rihanna that she would n't be victimized again" +"rihanna ( cnn ) -- i love you rihanna . you succinctly gave voice to the anger that 's been building ever since washington post columnist george will wrote skeptically about young women caught up in a supposed campus epidemic of rape , a.k.a .'sexual assault .'' you remember that ? will said , in his special will way , that when colleges and universities make victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges , victims proliferate. you , rihanna , gave voice to the anger that 's been simmering since rush limbaugh said , no means yes if you know how to spot it , ' and fox & friends joked about taking the stairs ' 'cause there are cameras in the elevator to record you punching your lady . you , rihanna , succinctly said , in two words , how many women feel for getting blamed for everything from raising problem children ' to feminizing ' men . f * * * you ! rihanna slams cbs for pulling song mr. goodell , if you 're wondering why you 're getting so much grief for that that two-game suspension you handed to ray rice for decking his fiancã©e , i 'll spell it out . you provided the tipping point for the anger women feel for getting blamed for just about everything bad that happens to them . voices of domestic violence it 's why rihanna is so upset that cbs pulled her song run this town ' from thursday night football because , well , in rihanna 's words : y'all are sad for penalizing me for this ... cbs you pulled my song last week , now you wan na slide it back in this thursday ? no , f * * * you ! y'all are sad for penalizing me for this . ' oh , and do n't say you did n't penalize rihanna for what ray rice did to janay palmer . cbs sports chairman sean mcmanus told the associated press that rihanna 's history of domestic abuse at the hands of chris brown was among several factors considered ( for pulling her song ) but was not the overriding one . ' to make matters worse , it was n't even rihanna 's song ! it was jay z 's song . rihanna was merely performing alongside the man who discovered her . as rihanna tweeted , the audacity ... ' and forbade cbs to use any of her songs in its thursday night football lineup ever again . cbs promptly announced : beginning this thursday , we will be moving in a different direction with some elements of our thursday night football open . we will be using our newly created thursday night football theme music to open our game broadcast . ' wise move cbs . it would have been a colossal mistake to bully rihanna into singing for the nfl . there have been so many strong , female voices speaking out about crimes against their sisters , and you know what ? people are listening . universities ( princeton most recently ) are more aggressively tackling sexual assaults on campus , there are now consequences -- at least for some -- for spouting irresponsible garbage about female victims . and the nfl ? it has now hired female advisers to shape its domestic violence policy . dare i say again , i love you rihanna .","she says rihanna gave voice to anger simmering as result of recent controversy" +"rihanna ( cnn ) -- i love you rihanna . you succinctly gave voice to the anger that 's been building ever since washington post columnist george will wrote skeptically about young women caught up in a supposed campus epidemic of rape , a.k.a .'sexual assault .'' you remember that ? will said , in his special will way , that when colleges and universities make victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges , victims proliferate. you , rihanna , gave voice to the anger that 's been simmering since rush limbaugh said , no means yes if you know how to spot it , ' and fox & friends joked about taking the stairs ' 'cause there are cameras in the elevator to record you punching your lady . you , rihanna , succinctly said , in two words , how many women feel for getting blamed for everything from raising problem children ' to feminizing ' men . f * * * you ! rihanna slams cbs for pulling song mr. goodell , if you 're wondering why you 're getting so much grief for that that two-game suspension you handed to ray rice for decking his fiancã©e , i 'll spell it out . you provided the tipping point for the anger women feel for getting blamed for just about everything bad that happens to them . voices of domestic violence it 's why rihanna is so upset that cbs pulled her song run this town ' from thursday night football because , well , in rihanna 's words : y'all are sad for penalizing me for this ... cbs you pulled my song last week , now you wan na slide it back in this thursday ? no , f * * * you ! y'all are sad for penalizing me for this . ' oh , and do n't say you did n't penalize rihanna for what ray rice did to janay palmer . cbs sports chairman sean mcmanus told the associated press that rihanna 's history of domestic abuse at the hands of chris brown was among several factors considered ( for pulling her song ) but was not the overriding one . ' to make matters worse , it was n't even rihanna 's song ! it was jay z 's song . rihanna was merely performing alongside the man who discovered her . as rihanna tweeted , the audacity ... ' and forbade cbs to use any of her songs in its thursday night football lineup ever again . cbs promptly announced : beginning this thursday , we will be moving in a different direction with some elements of our thursday night football open . we will be using our newly created thursday night football theme music to open our game broadcast . ' wise move cbs . it would have been a colossal mistake to bully rihanna into singing for the nfl . there have been so many strong , female voices speaking out about crimes against their sisters , and you know what ? people are listening . universities ( princeton most recently ) are more aggressively tackling sexual assaults on campus , there are now consequences -- at least for some -- for spouting irresponsible garbage about female victims . and the nfl ? it has now hired female advisers to shape its domestic violence policy . dare i say again , i love you rihanna .","a song featuring rihanna , a past victim of violence , was shelved after ray rice case" +"rihanna ( cnn ) -- i love you rihanna . you succinctly gave voice to the anger that 's been building ever since washington post columnist george will wrote skeptically about young women caught up in a supposed campus epidemic of rape , a.k.a .'sexual assault .'' you remember that ? will said , in his special will way , that when colleges and universities make victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges , victims proliferate. you , rihanna , gave voice to the anger that 's been simmering since rush limbaugh said , no means yes if you know how to spot it , ' and fox & friends joked about taking the stairs ' 'cause there are cameras in the elevator to record you punching your lady . you , rihanna , succinctly said , in two words , how many women feel for getting blamed for everything from raising problem children ' to feminizing ' men . f * * * you ! rihanna slams cbs for pulling song mr. goodell , if you 're wondering why you 're getting so much grief for that that two-game suspension you handed to ray rice for decking his fiancã©e , i 'll spell it out . you provided the tipping point for the anger women feel for getting blamed for just about everything bad that happens to them . voices of domestic violence it 's why rihanna is so upset that cbs pulled her song run this town ' from thursday night football because , well , in rihanna 's words : y'all are sad for penalizing me for this ... cbs you pulled my song last week , now you wan na slide it back in this thursday ? no , f * * * you ! y'all are sad for penalizing me for this . ' oh , and do n't say you did n't penalize rihanna for what ray rice did to janay palmer . cbs sports chairman sean mcmanus told the associated press that rihanna 's history of domestic abuse at the hands of chris brown was among several factors considered ( for pulling her song ) but was not the overriding one . ' to make matters worse , it was n't even rihanna 's song ! it was jay z 's song . rihanna was merely performing alongside the man who discovered her . as rihanna tweeted , the audacity ... ' and forbade cbs to use any of her songs in its thursday night football lineup ever again . cbs promptly announced : beginning this thursday , we will be moving in a different direction with some elements of our thursday night football open . we will be using our newly created thursday night football theme music to open our game broadcast . ' wise move cbs . it would have been a colossal mistake to bully rihanna into singing for the nfl . there have been so many strong , female voices speaking out about crimes against their sisters , and you know what ? people are listening . universities ( princeton most recently ) are more aggressively tackling sexual assaults on campus , there are now consequences -- at least for some -- for spouting irresponsible garbage about female victims . and the nfl ? it has now hired female advisers to shape its domestic violence policy . dare i say again , i love you rihanna .","carol costello praises rihanna for refusing to be victimized in the process" +"german ( cnn ) -- decked out in voluminous victorian-style dresses , complete with horn-shaped headgear , the herero ladies of namibia have held on tight to a piece of 19th century history . for over a century these women have fiercely protected their dress as a crucial part of their cultural identity . their style of dressing was influenced by the wives of german missionaries and colonialists who first came to the country in the early 1900s . the long dresses are heavy and reflect the style of the victorian period with numerous petticoats worn to add fullness to their skirts . they are hand-sewn by the women who add their own personal style and flair . blogger mwalimushi kamati-chinkoti of my beautiful namibia website says wearing the dresses often symbolizes a woman 's place in the society . she wrote on her website : these outfits are regarded as proper dress for traditional married women . by wearing the long dress , a newly-married woman shows her in-laws that she is willing to take up the responsibilities of a herero home and will raise her children to respect their heritage and their father 's family . ' the herero women 's long dress has become a symbol of herero tradition for herero , tourists , scholars and other namibians , ' she added . it is a view echoed by lutz marten , a linguist at london 's school of oriental and african studies with a specialism in the herero tribe . he explains that the style of dress has become an important part of the herero women 's identity . ireport : send in your photos from namibia ' it reflects a strong sense of history and the memory of national rebuilding after the [ herero-german ] 1904 war , ' he said . it also provides a sense of cultural identity in general , in the historical context and in the context of modern-day namibia , ' he added . the colorful dresses are topped off with an elaborate headgear made of a matching fabric . according to tim henshall , a british tour operator who has visited the region for nearly two decades and gotten to know some of the women , the headdress is built to represent the horns of the cattle , which are so important to the himba and herero communities . ' the germans in namibia brought people in to work for them so they took the local communities and gave them work in their houses and on their land , ' said henshall , who runs kamili safaris . instead of the herero being topless and barely covered , which would offend the modest attitudes of victorians at the time , they wanted them to be covered up , ' he added . henshall added that the women showed no sign of being bothered by wearing the outfits , even in namibia 's tropical climate . the herero and himba people are a pastoral , cattle-breeding tribe who migrated to namibia several centuries ago . the traditional herero live in the north of the country in the kunene region and the damaraland area . around 150 years ago , the two groups split and herero settled in towns and villages while the himba continued with a nomadic lifestyle . the herero women take enormous pride in their outfits and have also developed a sideline in making and selling dolls wearing exact replicas of the dresses to tourists . quiz : what do you know about namibia ? marten says that keeping the memory of the herero-german war alive is very important and that there is an annual festival in august to commemorate this . he adds that the herero genocide in 1904 killed almost 75 % of the population , and the event is a key moment in herero identity . this is in part assimilation to european culture , and also in part appropriation , a coming-to-terms with , and overcoming of history and the colonial experience , ' he said . this article was originally published on november 3 , 2011 for'inside africa'. cnn 's eye on series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries we profile . however cnn retains full editorial control over all of its reports . read the policy","the style of clothing was brought to the country by german colonialists over 100 years ago" +"obama if that is n't a wave out there on the horizon , it is , at the moment anyway , a big , republican-leaning ripple . consider this : -- a new cnn/orc poll shows president barack obama 's standing on terrorism issues is in sharp decline just as voter concerns about isis is climbing . -- in that same poll , released monday , more and more americans see the country as heading in the wrong direction -- always one of the most telling indicators of the electorate 's mood . -- recent days also have brought a handful of polls in key senate races that suggest republican advantages in kentucky , arkansas and alaska and only a narrow democratic lead in colorado . odds of a gop takeover of the senate are looking up eight weeks to election day . cnn poll : key arkansas senate race a dead heat cnn poll : mcconnell holds slim edge in kentucky ' it 's much better to be a republican candidate than a democratic candidate , at least at the moment , ' says veteran gop pollster whit ayres . yes , the republican brand sucks , but it is the president 's image that dominates midterm elections , not that of our party . ' if nothing else , the next few days are going to reinvigorate the debate over what constitutes a wave . smart operatives in both parties for weeks now have shied away from that word -- mostly because there are fewer competitive house districts now than in past cycles . so , even if the gop has a great election night , it is unrealistic to believe there could be a 30-seat gain in the house , as the democrats enjoyed in 2006 . or a 60-seat pickup like the tea party wave in 2010 . this cycle , gop strategists say a great night would be adding 15-18 seats to the republican majority ; democrats are hoping to keep their losses in single digits . congress to-do list : avoid shutdown , go campaigning but the improving senate climate for republicans has reignited wave ' talk . i am now expecting a substantial republican senate wave in november , with a net gain of at least seven seats , ' the veteran prognosticator stuart rothenberg wrote monday . ayres is waiting for a bit more evidence . i do n't see any evidence of a wave like we had in'06 or'08 , ' says ayres . but a few more polls like the one you cite could get me to change my mind . ' in the cnn poll numbers , the encouraging news for the president is that he and the public are largely in sync about how muscular to be in responding to isis . a clear majority opposes american combat boots on the ground , but 50 % support using other military force , up from 34 % a year ago . challenges to predicting the november election results but there is this damning finding : 67 % say obama does not have a clear plan for dealing with isis . plus , only 37 % approve of how he is handling isis , and just 41 % approve of his handling of the broader terrorism issue . perhaps the president can change those bad reviews with his speech to the nation later this week . even so , his job approval rating is stagnant at 43 % , and the percentage of americans who think things are going badly in the country stands at 55 % , up from 50 % in april . again , eight weeks is a long time . and democrats insist they will again surprise us with superior voter outreach and turnout . but for now , the numbers are compelling : a weak president and a worried electorate are the trademark ingredients of a wave . or a really big ripple .","obama 's approval numbers are low ; more people think u.s. is heading in wrong direction" +"range rover miami , florida ( cnn ) -- miami rapper brisco lost $ 40,000 in jewelry and his luxury suv when armed robbers stormed the barber shop where he was getting a trim , but the artist says the hold up may help his creativity . security camera video showed brisco , whose real name is british mitchell , sitting in a barber chair when four armed men rush into the miami , florida , business , fire a few shots and order everyone , including the rapper , to the floor . he went to a barber shop to get his hair cut , ' miami police officer jeffery giordano told miami tv station wsvn . they took a little bit more off the top than expected . ' brisco 's gold watch , bracelet , chain and pendant were taken from him , along with the keys to his range rover . the vehicle was later recovered , giordano said . for a rapper to have his bling stolen , they might as well stolen that man 's heart , ' giordano said . brisco , known for his songs about ghetto street life , said he was still alive and looking at the bright side . i 'll get bigger jewelry and still go hard , ' brisco said . it 's great material for my next album . ' music fans also know brisco by his other nickname , the opa locka goon , a reference to his south florida hometown . the armed robbery took place july 29 in miami 's model city neighborhood .","gold watch , bracelet , chain , pendant , range rover were stolen" +"thailand bangkok , thailand ( cnn ) -- the central business district of bangkok dodged severe flooding saturday afternoon , but surrounding areas of the bustling capital faced further inundation at the next high tide . a dreaded tide on saturday spurred residents'fears that it would overwhelm defenses along the chao phraya river and its many canals . bangkok 's outer suburbs were already submerged , but the central city has been largely spared the misery thailand has been suffering for months in the nation 's worst flooding since 1942 . in the east and the north of the city , water was at waist-level in some neighborhoods . but the city -- which sits barely above sea level -- still faces two converging threats . massive runoff was flowing south to the sea through bangkok , as high tides pushed the water in the opposite direction . the challenge is to manage the huge runoff from the north passing via the city on its way to the gulf of thailand , ' a red cross bulletin said . bangkok 's chinatown area -- normally hopping with activity on a saturday afternoon -- was largely desolate , with few passers-by wading in knee-deep water . prime minister yingluck shinawatra ordered work crews friday to cut channels in roadways to allow faster drainage , according to the mcot news agency . but the plan was rejected late in the day in favor of dredging canals and using pumps , the bangkok post reported . health concerns were rising with the water . bangkok residents plodded through murky waters without knowing what lurked within , the risk of infection and communicable disease worrying health officials . the government sent out crocodile hunters after reports of crocodiles and snakes in the filthy floodwater . we were hearing disturbing reports of dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles appearing in the floodwaters , and every day we see children playing in the water , bathing or wading through it trying to make their way to dry ground , ' said annie bodmer-roy , spokeswoman for the humanitarian agency save the children . as floodwater entered homes , some bangkok residents still in the city made plans to leave . thanyarat hemkittiwat said she was going to stay with relatives outside the city . some families in southern bangkok had their house flooded , ' said the 31-year-old worker at a furniture export company , which was shut after it also was flooded . the water level is 2 meters ( six feet ) high and smells very bad , ' she said . the bangkok post reported that government buses had evacuated a number of elderly residents from the northern and eastern suburbs , and would pick up residents of the capital on saturday and take them out of bangkok . as of saturday , an estimated 1 million of the city 's 12 million residents had left . another bangkok resident said she was worried about abandoning her house , which has been flooded for five days , and would not leave . panic buying has led to a shortage of food and bottled water in the capital , residents said . and the worst might not yet be over . another high tide -- expected to reach about 4 meters ( 13 feet ) high -- is forecast for sunday morning . officials urged tourists to steer clear of bangkok , while noting that many of the other tourist spots , such as phuket , remained dry and open for business . thailand 's ministry of public health had transferred 280 of the capital 's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry , the mcot news agency reported . the remaining 240 patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces by sunday , it said , citing permanent-secretary for health paichit varachit . health minister witthaya buranasiri said that , after months of flooding , 107,101 thais have been diagnosed with stress , 6,214 with depression and 878 at risk of suicide . in all , 1,356 people were under observation by health officials , the minister said , according to mcot . the u.s. state department issued a travel alert on thursday , recommending against all but essential travel to affected areas . it noted that most tourist destinations , such as phuket and chiang mai , were unaffected . u.s . ambassador kristie kenny said the crisis was slow-moving and it was hard to know what would be hit next . the floods , caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers , have killed 373 people nationwide and affected more than 9.5 million people , are you there ? share photos , video but stay safe the government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede from some areas . the government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide , and more than 113,000 people have taken refuge in them . overall damage from the floods could exceed $ 6 billion , the thai finance ministry said . cnn 's sara sidner , kocha olarn , ivan cabrera , moni basu , aliza kassim and elizabeth yuan contributed to this report .","thailand is dealing with massive runoff from monsoon rains compounded by high tides" +"thailand bangkok , thailand ( cnn ) -- the central business district of bangkok dodged severe flooding saturday afternoon , but surrounding areas of the bustling capital faced further inundation at the next high tide . a dreaded tide on saturday spurred residents'fears that it would overwhelm defenses along the chao phraya river and its many canals . bangkok 's outer suburbs were already submerged , but the central city has been largely spared the misery thailand has been suffering for months in the nation 's worst flooding since 1942 . in the east and the north of the city , water was at waist-level in some neighborhoods . but the city -- which sits barely above sea level -- still faces two converging threats . massive runoff was flowing south to the sea through bangkok , as high tides pushed the water in the opposite direction . the challenge is to manage the huge runoff from the north passing via the city on its way to the gulf of thailand , ' a red cross bulletin said . bangkok 's chinatown area -- normally hopping with activity on a saturday afternoon -- was largely desolate , with few passers-by wading in knee-deep water . prime minister yingluck shinawatra ordered work crews friday to cut channels in roadways to allow faster drainage , according to the mcot news agency . but the plan was rejected late in the day in favor of dredging canals and using pumps , the bangkok post reported . health concerns were rising with the water . bangkok residents plodded through murky waters without knowing what lurked within , the risk of infection and communicable disease worrying health officials . the government sent out crocodile hunters after reports of crocodiles and snakes in the filthy floodwater . we were hearing disturbing reports of dangerous animals such as snakes and crocodiles appearing in the floodwaters , and every day we see children playing in the water , bathing or wading through it trying to make their way to dry ground , ' said annie bodmer-roy , spokeswoman for the humanitarian agency save the children . as floodwater entered homes , some bangkok residents still in the city made plans to leave . thanyarat hemkittiwat said she was going to stay with relatives outside the city . some families in southern bangkok had their house flooded , ' said the 31-year-old worker at a furniture export company , which was shut after it also was flooded . the water level is 2 meters ( six feet ) high and smells very bad , ' she said . the bangkok post reported that government buses had evacuated a number of elderly residents from the northern and eastern suburbs , and would pick up residents of the capital on saturday and take them out of bangkok . as of saturday , an estimated 1 million of the city 's 12 million residents had left . another bangkok resident said she was worried about abandoning her house , which has been flooded for five days , and would not leave . panic buying has led to a shortage of food and bottled water in the capital , residents said . and the worst might not yet be over . another high tide -- expected to reach about 4 meters ( 13 feet ) high -- is forecast for sunday morning . officials urged tourists to steer clear of bangkok , while noting that many of the other tourist spots , such as phuket , remained dry and open for business . thailand 's ministry of public health had transferred 280 of the capital 's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry , the mcot news agency reported . the remaining 240 patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces by sunday , it said , citing permanent-secretary for health paichit varachit . health minister witthaya buranasiri said that , after months of flooding , 107,101 thais have been diagnosed with stress , 6,214 with depression and 878 at risk of suicide . in all , 1,356 people were under observation by health officials , the minister said , according to mcot . the u.s. state department issued a travel alert on thursday , recommending against all but essential travel to affected areas . it noted that most tourist destinations , such as phuket and chiang mai , were unaffected . u.s . ambassador kristie kenny said the crisis was slow-moving and it was hard to know what would be hit next . the floods , caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers , have killed 373 people nationwide and affected more than 9.5 million people , are you there ? share photos , video but stay safe the government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede from some areas . the government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide , and more than 113,000 people have taken refuge in them . overall damage from the floods could exceed $ 6 billion , the thai finance ministry said . cnn 's sara sidner , kocha olarn , ivan cabrera , moni basu , aliza kassim and elizabeth yuan contributed to this report .","the flooding in thailand is the worst since 1942 and has killed 373 people" +"hernandez ( cnn ) a murder weapon is n't the only thing missing as prosecutors try to convince jurors that former new england patriot aaron hernandez orchestrated the execution of odin lloyd . the shoes prosecutors say hernandez was wearing at the industrial park where lloyd was killed also have seemingly vanished into thin air . the shoes and footprints caused by the shoes ( are ) a big deal , ' says cnn legal analyst paul callan , a former homicide prosecutor . a big deal because connecting an athletic shoe impression found near lloyd 's body to hernandez could help prove he directly participated in lloyd 's death . lloyd , 27 , was shot once in the back and six times in the front in june 2013 -- the final two bullets fired as he lay face up , according to the medical examiner . hernandez has pleaded not guilty . aaron hernandez 's downward spiral the sneakers prosecutors believe hernandez wore the night of lloyd 's death were within the grasp of investigators who visited the ex-football star 's home , but it appears no one knew it at the time . investigators photographed a pair of nike air jordan xi retro low brand sneakers during one of their first searches of hernandez 's home , according to court papers , but did not take them in as evidence . when lloyd 's body was discovered , crime scene investigators singled out one of two footwear impressions early on because one did n't match the lugged sole ' shoes of police , nor the shoes of first responders or civilian witnesses who found lloyd 's body , according to court documents . when police began executing search warrants for weapons and clothing at hernandez 's home on june 18 and june 22 , 2013 , they also were looking for shoes that could match that print in the dirt , according to court files and testimony . so far , jurors have not been told that somehow three other sets of sneakers neatly lined up side by side along a bedroom wall in the basement were overlooked , and appeared to be in good condition , ' according to an affidavit . the basement is where hernandez 's man cave is located and is complete with bar , a screening room , a pool table with a new england patriot 's logo , and a trophy room . that affidavit dated november 14 , 2014 , says that after studying images and home security video and having consulted with nike , ' investigators believe those three pairs of shoes are believed to be produced by nike and creative recreation . ' they are the white and black air jordan xi retros , the red creative recreation cesario low tops ; and the brown nike air jordan winterized spike sneakers allegedly worn by hernandez , wallace and ortiz , respectively . wallace and ortiz are also charged with the murder of lloyd . they have pleaded not guilty and are going to be tried separately . wallace and ortiz are seen on home security video entering the house and going into the basement after getting out of a car minutes after lloyd was fatally shot in a nearby industrial park . prosecutors say the cable connecting the basement security camera , labeled man cave , ' was unplugged after the three men went downstairs . authorities say the outsole pattern , ' of the air jordan xi retro low 's allegedly worn by hernandez is similar to and consistent with the unidentified shoe impression ... in close proximity to the body of odin lloyd , ' according to the affidavit . it also states the xi retro lows became available for public sale only three weeks before lloyd 's murder . yet , it was n't until almost a year and a half later , when investigators were making final trial preparations last november , that they noted ' the three pairs of shoes in photographs and realized they could still be at hernandez 's home , a search warrant affidavit states . in court papers , investigators said the sneakers appear to match shoe prints found at the scene where lloyd was fatally shot . in order to look again , police asked a court to approve another search warrant . the application also points out home surveillance video showing wallace and ortiz leaving the home after the shooting -- wearing sandals . trying to make the case for another search , investigators also quote a jailhouse phone call dated december 25 , 2013 , between hernandez and his fiancee shayanna jenkins . hernandez told jenkins , you still got my , my clothes at the house and s— ? ' jenkins responded , ' i really do n't understand . i mean , where do you think your clothes are ? ... your clothes are exactly where they 're supposed to be ..... i mean , you 've only been gone for what , six months ? ' yeah , ' hernandez said . you act like you 're gon na be gone for like , 20 years , ' jenkins replied . but when police searched the home again on november 24 , they did n't find the shoes . details about the missing nike sneakers have not yet come up at trial . how might it play with the jury ? jurors will wonder why did n't investigators seize the shoes at the same time they seized many other pieces of evidence from hernandez 's home , ' says university of new hampshire law professor michael mccann , who 's closely monitoring the trial . if jurors determine investigators and prosecutors simply made a mistake in not seizing the shoes , it could damage the jurors'confidence in the case . it 's possible prosecutors could try to mollify this concern by noting that rules of evidence and pretrial discovery limit the types of evidence they can be taken from a person 's home . '","shoes prosecutors say hernandez wore on night of lloyd 's death are missing" +"hernandez ( cnn ) a murder weapon is n't the only thing missing as prosecutors try to convince jurors that former new england patriot aaron hernandez orchestrated the execution of odin lloyd . the shoes prosecutors say hernandez was wearing at the industrial park where lloyd was killed also have seemingly vanished into thin air . the shoes and footprints caused by the shoes ( are ) a big deal , ' says cnn legal analyst paul callan , a former homicide prosecutor . a big deal because connecting an athletic shoe impression found near lloyd 's body to hernandez could help prove he directly participated in lloyd 's death . lloyd , 27 , was shot once in the back and six times in the front in june 2013 -- the final two bullets fired as he lay face up , according to the medical examiner . hernandez has pleaded not guilty . aaron hernandez 's downward spiral the sneakers prosecutors believe hernandez wore the night of lloyd 's death were within the grasp of investigators who visited the ex-football star 's home , but it appears no one knew it at the time . investigators photographed a pair of nike air jordan xi retro low brand sneakers during one of their first searches of hernandez 's home , according to court papers , but did not take them in as evidence . when lloyd 's body was discovered , crime scene investigators singled out one of two footwear impressions early on because one did n't match the lugged sole ' shoes of police , nor the shoes of first responders or civilian witnesses who found lloyd 's body , according to court documents . when police began executing search warrants for weapons and clothing at hernandez 's home on june 18 and june 22 , 2013 , they also were looking for shoes that could match that print in the dirt , according to court files and testimony . so far , jurors have not been told that somehow three other sets of sneakers neatly lined up side by side along a bedroom wall in the basement were overlooked , and appeared to be in good condition , ' according to an affidavit . the basement is where hernandez 's man cave is located and is complete with bar , a screening room , a pool table with a new england patriot 's logo , and a trophy room . that affidavit dated november 14 , 2014 , says that after studying images and home security video and having consulted with nike , ' investigators believe those three pairs of shoes are believed to be produced by nike and creative recreation . ' they are the white and black air jordan xi retros , the red creative recreation cesario low tops ; and the brown nike air jordan winterized spike sneakers allegedly worn by hernandez , wallace and ortiz , respectively . wallace and ortiz are also charged with the murder of lloyd . they have pleaded not guilty and are going to be tried separately . wallace and ortiz are seen on home security video entering the house and going into the basement after getting out of a car minutes after lloyd was fatally shot in a nearby industrial park . prosecutors say the cable connecting the basement security camera , labeled man cave , ' was unplugged after the three men went downstairs . authorities say the outsole pattern , ' of the air jordan xi retro low 's allegedly worn by hernandez is similar to and consistent with the unidentified shoe impression ... in close proximity to the body of odin lloyd , ' according to the affidavit . it also states the xi retro lows became available for public sale only three weeks before lloyd 's murder . yet , it was n't until almost a year and a half later , when investigators were making final trial preparations last november , that they noted ' the three pairs of shoes in photographs and realized they could still be at hernandez 's home , a search warrant affidavit states . in court papers , investigators said the sneakers appear to match shoe prints found at the scene where lloyd was fatally shot . in order to look again , police asked a court to approve another search warrant . the application also points out home surveillance video showing wallace and ortiz leaving the home after the shooting -- wearing sandals . trying to make the case for another search , investigators also quote a jailhouse phone call dated december 25 , 2013 , between hernandez and his fiancee shayanna jenkins . hernandez told jenkins , you still got my , my clothes at the house and s— ? ' jenkins responded , ' i really do n't understand . i mean , where do you think your clothes are ? ... your clothes are exactly where they 're supposed to be ..... i mean , you 've only been gone for what , six months ? ' yeah , ' hernandez said . you act like you 're gon na be gone for like , 20 years , ' jenkins replied . but when police searched the home again on november 24 , they did n't find the shoes . details about the missing nike sneakers have not yet come up at trial . how might it play with the jury ? jurors will wonder why did n't investigators seize the shoes at the same time they seized many other pieces of evidence from hernandez 's home , ' says university of new hampshire law professor michael mccann , who 's closely monitoring the trial . if jurors determine investigators and prosecutors simply made a mistake in not seizing the shoes , it could damage the jurors'confidence in the case . it 's possible prosecutors could try to mollify this concern by noting that rules of evidence and pretrial discovery limit the types of evidence they can be taken from a person 's home . '","hernandez is on trial for murder of lloyd and has pleaded not guilty" +"aaron ( ew.com ) -- ew has confirmed that producers mike tollin ( varsity blues , ' coach carter ' ) and glenn rigberg ( struck by lightning ' ) have obtained the rights to make a feature film biopic about henry hank ' aaron , the baseball legend who broke babe ruth 's decades-long career home-run record on april 8 , 1974 . this project has instantly become one of the hottest sports movie projects in hollywood . barry levinson ( the natural ' ) is attached to direct , working with screenwriter adam mazer , who wrote levinson 's hbo biopic on jack kevorkian , you do n't know jack , ' which rigberg exec produced . based on howard bryant 's book the last hero : the life story of henry aaron , ' the film will trace the two years from 1972 to 1974 during which aaron chased , and bested , babe ruth 's record -- an accomplishment that was met with both breathless media coverage as well as death threats . aaron , who has been reportedly reluctant in the past to agree to a film version of his life , will consult on the film . he first worked with tollin on the latter 's oscar-nominated 1995 feature documentary , hank aaron : chasing the dream , ' and the two have remained friends since . tollin sits on the board of the hank aaron chasing the dream foundation , and tells ew he plans for proceeds from the film to be funneled back into the foundation . this [ film ] is something we 've toyed with and talk about all the time , ' tollin says . it 's challenging for henry , because in some ways , it was the darkest time of his life , even though it was the most triumphant in professional terms . but as we talked about it , i think he grew more comfortable with our approach to it and having it shine a light on where america was in those times , and how far we 've progressed -- and maybe how far we still have to go . ' casting will not begin in earnest until the script is completed . the hope is to go into production next year , and release in 2014 , in time for both the 40th anniversary of aaron 's record , and the man 's 80th birthday . see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","aaron broke babe ruth 's decades-long career home-run record on april 8 , 1974" +"aaron ( ew.com ) -- ew has confirmed that producers mike tollin ( varsity blues , ' coach carter ' ) and glenn rigberg ( struck by lightning ' ) have obtained the rights to make a feature film biopic about henry hank ' aaron , the baseball legend who broke babe ruth 's decades-long career home-run record on april 8 , 1974 . this project has instantly become one of the hottest sports movie projects in hollywood . barry levinson ( the natural ' ) is attached to direct , working with screenwriter adam mazer , who wrote levinson 's hbo biopic on jack kevorkian , you do n't know jack , ' which rigberg exec produced . based on howard bryant 's book the last hero : the life story of henry aaron , ' the film will trace the two years from 1972 to 1974 during which aaron chased , and bested , babe ruth 's record -- an accomplishment that was met with both breathless media coverage as well as death threats . aaron , who has been reportedly reluctant in the past to agree to a film version of his life , will consult on the film . he first worked with tollin on the latter 's oscar-nominated 1995 feature documentary , hank aaron : chasing the dream , ' and the two have remained friends since . tollin sits on the board of the hank aaron chasing the dream foundation , and tells ew he plans for proceeds from the film to be funneled back into the foundation . this [ film ] is something we 've toyed with and talk about all the time , ' tollin says . it 's challenging for henry , because in some ways , it was the darkest time of his life , even though it was the most triumphant in professional terms . but as we talked about it , i think he grew more comfortable with our approach to it and having it shine a light on where america was in those times , and how far we 've progressed -- and maybe how far we still have to go . ' casting will not begin in earnest until the script is completed . the hope is to go into production next year , and release in 2014 , in time for both the 40th anniversary of aaron 's record , and the man 's 80th birthday . see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","aaron will consult on the film with producer mike tollin" +"aaron ( ew.com ) -- ew has confirmed that producers mike tollin ( varsity blues , ' coach carter ' ) and glenn rigberg ( struck by lightning ' ) have obtained the rights to make a feature film biopic about henry hank ' aaron , the baseball legend who broke babe ruth 's decades-long career home-run record on april 8 , 1974 . this project has instantly become one of the hottest sports movie projects in hollywood . barry levinson ( the natural ' ) is attached to direct , working with screenwriter adam mazer , who wrote levinson 's hbo biopic on jack kevorkian , you do n't know jack , ' which rigberg exec produced . based on howard bryant 's book the last hero : the life story of henry aaron , ' the film will trace the two years from 1972 to 1974 during which aaron chased , and bested , babe ruth 's record -- an accomplishment that was met with both breathless media coverage as well as death threats . aaron , who has been reportedly reluctant in the past to agree to a film version of his life , will consult on the film . he first worked with tollin on the latter 's oscar-nominated 1995 feature documentary , hank aaron : chasing the dream , ' and the two have remained friends since . tollin sits on the board of the hank aaron chasing the dream foundation , and tells ew he plans for proceeds from the film to be funneled back into the foundation . this [ film ] is something we 've toyed with and talk about all the time , ' tollin says . it 's challenging for henry , because in some ways , it was the darkest time of his life , even though it was the most triumphant in professional terms . but as we talked about it , i think he grew more comfortable with our approach to it and having it shine a light on where america was in those times , and how far we 've progressed -- and maybe how far we still have to go . ' casting will not begin in earnest until the script is completed . the hope is to go into production next year , and release in 2014 , in time for both the 40th anniversary of aaron 's record , and the man 's 80th birthday . see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","a biopic is being made about henry hank ' aaron , the baseball legend" +"jason rezaian concern is growing for the well-being of four journalists , three of them american citizens , apparently detained in iran this week , according to the washington post . the newspaper reported thursday that its tehran correspondent jason rezaian , a u.s. citizen , and his wife , yeganeh salehi , appeared to have been detained tuesday evening . two freelance photojournalists , both american citizens , also have been detained , according to the post . the paper said officials had not yet named the pair . an iranian official confirmed to cnn that rezaian and salehi are among three journalists being held by authorities . he did not say what they have been charged with . the third journalist is a freelance photographer , the official said on condition of anonymity . it 's not clear why there is a discrepancy in the number of journalists held . gholam-hossein esmaili , the director general of the tehran province justice department , is quoted by iran 's official irna news agency as saying a washington post journalist has been detained for some questions and after technical investigations , the judiciary will provide details on the issue . ' he did not specify on what grounds the correspondent , whom he did not name , was being held . iranian security forces are vigilant about all kinds of enemy activities , esmaili added , according to irna . in a statement thursday , washington post foreign editor douglas jehl said we are deeply troubled by this news and are concerned for the welfare of jason , yeganeh and two others said to have been detained with them . ' he described rezaian as an experienced , knowledgeable reporter who deserves protection and whose work merits respect . ''dismal record' the committee to protect journalists said it was alarmed by the post 's report and urged iran to release the four journalists . we call on iranian authorities to immediately explain why jason rezaian , yeganeh salehi , and two other journalists have been detained , and we call for their immediate release , ' said sherif mansour , its middle east and north africa program coordinator . iran has a dismal record with regard to its treatment of imprisoned journalists . we hold the iranian government responsible for the safety of these four . ' the iranian mission to the united nations in new york is following up on the case , spokesman hamid babaei said . we will inform the media as soon as we receive any news from tehran , ' babaei said . according to the washington post , rezaian , 38 , holds american and iranian citizenship . he has been the paper 's tehran correspondent since 2012 . his wife , an iranian citizen who has applied for u.s. permanent residency , is a correspondent for the uae-based newspaper the national , the post said . members of rezaian 's family said they did not want to comment at this time , the paper added . thomas erdbrink , tehran bureau chief for the new york times , said via twitter , i strongly condemn the arrest of my friend and colleague @ jrezaian and his wife @ yeganehsalehi , and two photographers , also friends . ' past detentions rallies are being held in iran to mark quds ( jerusalem ) day on what is the last friday of the holy month of ramadan . muslims worldwide mark this day each year to remember the plight of the palestinians . several foreign journalists are in tehran to cover the event , which includes an anti-israel demonstration after the friday prayers . according to cpj research , there are 35 journalists in prison in iran . the organization also highlights past instances in which iran has detained international journalists , including the case of u.s. freelancer roxana saberi . journalist working for cnn detained in ukraine jailed al jazeera journalists convicted in egypt defying ban , iranian women watch world cup with men in public opinion : in iran , happy gets you arrested","iranian official says jason rezaian and yeganeh salehi are among three journalists held" +"jason rezaian concern is growing for the well-being of four journalists , three of them american citizens , apparently detained in iran this week , according to the washington post . the newspaper reported thursday that its tehran correspondent jason rezaian , a u.s. citizen , and his wife , yeganeh salehi , appeared to have been detained tuesday evening . two freelance photojournalists , both american citizens , also have been detained , according to the post . the paper said officials had not yet named the pair . an iranian official confirmed to cnn that rezaian and salehi are among three journalists being held by authorities . he did not say what they have been charged with . the third journalist is a freelance photographer , the official said on condition of anonymity . it 's not clear why there is a discrepancy in the number of journalists held . gholam-hossein esmaili , the director general of the tehran province justice department , is quoted by iran 's official irna news agency as saying a washington post journalist has been detained for some questions and after technical investigations , the judiciary will provide details on the issue . ' he did not specify on what grounds the correspondent , whom he did not name , was being held . iranian security forces are vigilant about all kinds of enemy activities , esmaili added , according to irna . in a statement thursday , washington post foreign editor douglas jehl said we are deeply troubled by this news and are concerned for the welfare of jason , yeganeh and two others said to have been detained with them . ' he described rezaian as an experienced , knowledgeable reporter who deserves protection and whose work merits respect . ''dismal record' the committee to protect journalists said it was alarmed by the post 's report and urged iran to release the four journalists . we call on iranian authorities to immediately explain why jason rezaian , yeganeh salehi , and two other journalists have been detained , and we call for their immediate release , ' said sherif mansour , its middle east and north africa program coordinator . iran has a dismal record with regard to its treatment of imprisoned journalists . we hold the iranian government responsible for the safety of these four . ' the iranian mission to the united nations in new york is following up on the case , spokesman hamid babaei said . we will inform the media as soon as we receive any news from tehran , ' babaei said . according to the washington post , rezaian , 38 , holds american and iranian citizenship . he has been the paper 's tehran correspondent since 2012 . his wife , an iranian citizen who has applied for u.s. permanent residency , is a correspondent for the uae-based newspaper the national , the post said . members of rezaian 's family said they did not want to comment at this time , the paper added . thomas erdbrink , tehran bureau chief for the new york times , said via twitter , i strongly condemn the arrest of my friend and colleague @ jrezaian and his wife @ yeganehsalehi , and two photographers , also friends . ' past detentions rallies are being held in iran to mark quds ( jerusalem ) day on what is the last friday of the holy month of ramadan . muslims worldwide mark this day each year to remember the plight of the palestinians . several foreign journalists are in tehran to cover the event , which includes an anti-israel demonstration after the friday prayers . according to cpj research , there are 35 journalists in prison in iran . the organization also highlights past instances in which iran has detained international journalists , including the case of u.s. freelancer roxana saberi . journalist working for cnn detained in ukraine jailed al jazeera journalists convicted in egypt defying ban , iranian women watch world cup with men in public opinion : in iran , happy gets you arrested","they include jason rezaian , a u.s. citizen , and his wife , journalist yeganeh salehi" +"iranian concern is growing for the well-being of four journalists , three of them american citizens , apparently detained in iran this week , according to the washington post . the newspaper reported thursday that its tehran correspondent jason rezaian , a u.s. citizen , and his wife , yeganeh salehi , appeared to have been detained tuesday evening . two freelance photojournalists , both american citizens , also have been detained , according to the post . the paper said officials had not yet named the pair . an iranian official confirmed to cnn that rezaian and salehi are among three journalists being held by authorities . he did not say what they have been charged with . the third journalist is a freelance photographer , the official said on condition of anonymity . it 's not clear why there is a discrepancy in the number of journalists held . gholam-hossein esmaili , the director general of the tehran province justice department , is quoted by iran 's official irna news agency as saying a washington post journalist has been detained for some questions and after technical investigations , the judiciary will provide details on the issue . ' he did not specify on what grounds the correspondent , whom he did not name , was being held . iranian security forces are vigilant about all kinds of enemy activities , esmaili added , according to irna . in a statement thursday , washington post foreign editor douglas jehl said we are deeply troubled by this news and are concerned for the welfare of jason , yeganeh and two others said to have been detained with them . ' he described rezaian as an experienced , knowledgeable reporter who deserves protection and whose work merits respect . ''dismal record' the committee to protect journalists said it was alarmed by the post 's report and urged iran to release the four journalists . we call on iranian authorities to immediately explain why jason rezaian , yeganeh salehi , and two other journalists have been detained , and we call for their immediate release , ' said sherif mansour , its middle east and north africa program coordinator . iran has a dismal record with regard to its treatment of imprisoned journalists . we hold the iranian government responsible for the safety of these four . ' the iranian mission to the united nations in new york is following up on the case , spokesman hamid babaei said . we will inform the media as soon as we receive any news from tehran , ' babaei said . according to the washington post , rezaian , 38 , holds american and iranian citizenship . he has been the paper 's tehran correspondent since 2012 . his wife , an iranian citizen who has applied for u.s. permanent residency , is a correspondent for the uae-based newspaper the national , the post said . members of rezaian 's family said they did not want to comment at this time , the paper added . thomas erdbrink , tehran bureau chief for the new york times , said via twitter , i strongly condemn the arrest of my friend and colleague @ jrezaian and his wife @ yeganehsalehi , and two photographers , also friends . ' past detentions rallies are being held in iran to mark quds ( jerusalem ) day on what is the last friday of the holy month of ramadan . muslims worldwide mark this day each year to remember the plight of the palestinians . several foreign journalists are in tehran to cover the event , which includes an anti-israel demonstration after the friday prayers . according to cpj research , there are 35 journalists in prison in iran . the organization also highlights past instances in which iran has detained international journalists , including the case of u.s. freelancer roxana saberi . journalist working for cnn detained in ukraine jailed al jazeera journalists convicted in egypt defying ban , iranian women watch world cup with men in public opinion : in iran , happy gets you arrested","iranian official says jason rezaian and yeganeh salehi are among three journalists held" +"post concern is growing for the well-being of four journalists , three of them american citizens , apparently detained in iran this week , according to the washington post . the newspaper reported thursday that its tehran correspondent jason rezaian , a u.s. citizen , and his wife , yeganeh salehi , appeared to have been detained tuesday evening . two freelance photojournalists , both american citizens , also have been detained , according to the post . the paper said officials had not yet named the pair . an iranian official confirmed to cnn that rezaian and salehi are among three journalists being held by authorities . he did not say what they have been charged with . the third journalist is a freelance photographer , the official said on condition of anonymity . it 's not clear why there is a discrepancy in the number of journalists held . gholam-hossein esmaili , the director general of the tehran province justice department , is quoted by iran 's official irna news agency as saying a washington post journalist has been detained for some questions and after technical investigations , the judiciary will provide details on the issue . ' he did not specify on what grounds the correspondent , whom he did not name , was being held . iranian security forces are vigilant about all kinds of enemy activities , esmaili added , according to irna . in a statement thursday , washington post foreign editor douglas jehl said we are deeply troubled by this news and are concerned for the welfare of jason , yeganeh and two others said to have been detained with them . ' he described rezaian as an experienced , knowledgeable reporter who deserves protection and whose work merits respect . ''dismal record' the committee to protect journalists said it was alarmed by the post 's report and urged iran to release the four journalists . we call on iranian authorities to immediately explain why jason rezaian , yeganeh salehi , and two other journalists have been detained , and we call for their immediate release , ' said sherif mansour , its middle east and north africa program coordinator . iran has a dismal record with regard to its treatment of imprisoned journalists . we hold the iranian government responsible for the safety of these four . ' the iranian mission to the united nations in new york is following up on the case , spokesman hamid babaei said . we will inform the media as soon as we receive any news from tehran , ' babaei said . according to the washington post , rezaian , 38 , holds american and iranian citizenship . he has been the paper 's tehran correspondent since 2012 . his wife , an iranian citizen who has applied for u.s. permanent residency , is a correspondent for the uae-based newspaper the national , the post said . members of rezaian 's family said they did not want to comment at this time , the paper added . thomas erdbrink , tehran bureau chief for the new york times , said via twitter , i strongly condemn the arrest of my friend and colleague @ jrezaian and his wife @ yeganehsalehi , and two photographers , also friends . ' past detentions rallies are being held in iran to mark quds ( jerusalem ) day on what is the last friday of the holy month of ramadan . muslims worldwide mark this day each year to remember the plight of the palestinians . several foreign journalists are in tehran to cover the event , which includes an anti-israel demonstration after the friday prayers . according to cpj research , there are 35 journalists in prison in iran . the organization also highlights past instances in which iran has detained international journalists , including the case of u.s. freelancer roxana saberi . journalist working for cnn detained in ukraine jailed al jazeera journalists convicted in egypt defying ban , iranian women watch world cup with men in public opinion : in iran , happy gets you arrested","the others are two freelance photojournalists , the post says" +"post concern is growing for the well-being of four journalists , three of them american citizens , apparently detained in iran this week , according to the washington post . the newspaper reported thursday that its tehran correspondent jason rezaian , a u.s. citizen , and his wife , yeganeh salehi , appeared to have been detained tuesday evening . two freelance photojournalists , both american citizens , also have been detained , according to the post . the paper said officials had not yet named the pair . an iranian official confirmed to cnn that rezaian and salehi are among three journalists being held by authorities . he did not say what they have been charged with . the third journalist is a freelance photographer , the official said on condition of anonymity . it 's not clear why there is a discrepancy in the number of journalists held . gholam-hossein esmaili , the director general of the tehran province justice department , is quoted by iran 's official irna news agency as saying a washington post journalist has been detained for some questions and after technical investigations , the judiciary will provide details on the issue . ' he did not specify on what grounds the correspondent , whom he did not name , was being held . iranian security forces are vigilant about all kinds of enemy activities , esmaili added , according to irna . in a statement thursday , washington post foreign editor douglas jehl said we are deeply troubled by this news and are concerned for the welfare of jason , yeganeh and two others said to have been detained with them . ' he described rezaian as an experienced , knowledgeable reporter who deserves protection and whose work merits respect . ''dismal record' the committee to protect journalists said it was alarmed by the post 's report and urged iran to release the four journalists . we call on iranian authorities to immediately explain why jason rezaian , yeganeh salehi , and two other journalists have been detained , and we call for their immediate release , ' said sherif mansour , its middle east and north africa program coordinator . iran has a dismal record with regard to its treatment of imprisoned journalists . we hold the iranian government responsible for the safety of these four . ' the iranian mission to the united nations in new york is following up on the case , spokesman hamid babaei said . we will inform the media as soon as we receive any news from tehran , ' babaei said . according to the washington post , rezaian , 38 , holds american and iranian citizenship . he has been the paper 's tehran correspondent since 2012 . his wife , an iranian citizen who has applied for u.s. permanent residency , is a correspondent for the uae-based newspaper the national , the post said . members of rezaian 's family said they did not want to comment at this time , the paper added . thomas erdbrink , tehran bureau chief for the new york times , said via twitter , i strongly condemn the arrest of my friend and colleague @ jrezaian and his wife @ yeganehsalehi , and two photographers , also friends . ' past detentions rallies are being held in iran to mark quds ( jerusalem ) day on what is the last friday of the holy month of ramadan . muslims worldwide mark this day each year to remember the plight of the palestinians . several foreign journalists are in tehran to cover the event , which includes an anti-israel demonstration after the friday prayers . according to cpj research , there are 35 journalists in prison in iran . the organization also highlights past instances in which iran has detained international journalists , including the case of u.s. freelancer roxana saberi . journalist working for cnn detained in ukraine jailed al jazeera journalists convicted in egypt defying ban , iranian women watch world cup with men in public opinion : in iran , happy gets you arrested","the washington post says four journalists have apparently been detained this week" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- most parents have felt the pain of having a missing child , if only for a few seconds . they lose sight of their child at the park or at the grocery store or at the mall . fortunately for most moms and dads , as soon as the knot forms in their stomach , they lock eyes with their kid . but for the parents of the hundreds of thousands of children who go missing each year , that pain is much deeper ; for some , there is never relief . working in the media , i 've followed the cases that get national attention . i 've watched the press conferences and the family statements . last week , however , i had the heart-wrenching experience of finding out what happens in between the media updates -- what it feels like when this is real life . a sweet 14-year-old girl who babysat my son in the church nursery was missing . she 'd left home without her parents'permission to meet up with a boy she connected with online . that was on monday . the boy said he never went to their rendezvous point , a park , and as of thursday , the young girl still had not come home . the days in between were grueling for those involved in the search . i can not fathom the depth of emotion her parents experienced . hope in the search for missing children police never suspected foul play and thought the girl might have run away . that scenario was both frustrating and encouraging . it was frustrating because the family did not think she intended to be gone long . she did n't bring anything with her . no phone , no keys , no money . it was encouraging because it was the best case scenario . maybe she just ' ran away . maybe she was fine -- angry , confused , and unaware of how loved she is -- but fine . the conversations that unfolded were surreal . we talked to a detective about the possibility she was involved in sex trafficking or abducted or even worse . we had to avoid focusing on the what ifs ' in order to stay focused on the search . when word got out , the community rallied around the missing teen and her family . we plastered the city with fliers and canvassed her last known whereabouts . people who had never met the family joined the search . dozens of homeless people in the area helped out . as the story spread on social media , people around the world sent words of support . those of us on the ground did everything we could think of , all while having no idea what we were doing . three days after the girl went missing , i was helping plan a prayer vigil . we did n't know where to begin . there was no guide . we guessed ' the parents should speak first , before things got too emotional . but what should they say ? how do we get the word out ? how long should it go ? we did n't know the answers to these questions . the prayer vigil never happened . about an hour before it was to begin , the young girl was located . she had run away , and she was home now . for the media , that 's where the story ends . a quick update to tell local tv viewers everything is ok. opinion : most missing persons cases do n't have happy endings for the friends assisting with the search , there was a huge sense of relief . there were hugs , tears , and then the exhaustion and gravity of the week hit . we laughed -- about how much trouble this girl is in , about how much wine we planned to drink . after this experience , i 'll never look at news of a missing child the same . i will hold this experience close the next time an e-mail about a missing child crosses my inbox . i will remember the reality behind the story . each missing child poster represents a family in heartache and a community at a loss .","cnn editor kristi ramsay participated in search for missing girl" +"onion china 's state-run people 's daily newspaper is known for political correctness rather than a sense of humor . so when a report surfaced this week that north korean leader kim jong-un had been named the 2012 sexiest man alive ' , the self-described mouthpiece of the chinese communist party cheered its korean comrade on its website -- only this news ' came from satirical u.s. website , the onion . china is north korea 's major ally and aid provider . reporting something flattering on kim must have been considered politically correct . its website editors even built a gallery of photos to accompany the report , with slides featuring kim riding a horse , inspecting troops and being hugged by female soldiers . while the item spiced up the usually staid pages of the website , it led to wave of sniggering as international media lampooned chinese state media for being fooled by a bogus report from a well-known purveyor of offbeat humor and satire . was the omniscient people 's daily really this gullible or was it the work of a mischievous insider with a penchant for satire ? on wednesday , a woman who took our call at the website 's office in beijing insisted that it was impossible that the people 's daily would quote from any unreliable media -- we do verify our news and sources . ' the woman , who declined to identify herself , said the story and pictures had been removed a day after being posted . but the damage had been done and the onion was relishing the publicity . please visit our friends at the people 's daily in china , a proud communist subsidiary of the onion , ' read its statement . exemplary reportage , comrades . ' chinese micro-bloggers could n't resist getting in on the act too . the world was fooled by the people 's daily , because no chinese believes this paper , ' wrote @ hai_dao_wu_bian . so the chinese have a sense of humor ? christopher rea , who is writing a book on the cultural history of humor in modern china , says the chinese have a robust sense of the farcical and the absurd , as well as a keen appreciation of watching those in power screw up . ' rea , a scholar at the australian center on china in the world , says the chinese sense of humor runs the same gamut as elsewhere . ' linda jaivin , a veteran china-watcher and co-author of new ghosts old dreams , ' a book on chinese literature and culture , said beijing people 's sense of humor tends to be very topical , political and satirical . ' when a giant statue of confucius suddenly appeared in tiananmen square , not far from mao 's iconic portrait early last year , tongues wagged about what it all signified politically -- was confucius back to dislodge mao as china 's spiritual leader ? the statue was moved off the square just as abruptly a few weeks later , prompting some in political circles to joke that the venerated sage , who hailed from rural shandong , had been busted for not having a beijing residence permit . for centuries political satire has been a staple for much of chinese humor , and remains so during the communist era . in the 1980s , when the first signs of official corruption related to economic reform began appearing , humorists cleverly minted ditties like these : ' i 'm a big official , so i eat and drink , eat and drink ... ' ' it 's not my money we 're spending after all , so eat and be merry and let 's have a ball ! ' nowadays , chinese writers , artists , cartoonists , comedians and netizens resort to humor and satire to mock , question , challenge and document social phenomena , events and incidents . a lot of chinese humor is pun-based and probably always has been , ' said jaivin , who speaks chinese fluently . the chinese language is exceptionally rich in homonyms and is ripe for punning . ' much of it can be lost in translation but some does overcome any linguistic limits . when some beijing residents nicknamed the new koolhaus-designed office complex of cctv , china 's flagship television network , da kucha ' ( the big underpants ) , for its resemblance to underwear , the government tried to give it a nicer sounding moniker . so they tried'zhichuang'-- window on knowledge , ' recalled jaivin . catchy but worse , because as beijing funsters worked out in about a microsecond , it 's also a homonym for hemorrhoid . ' the chinese sense of humor has also become more global , rea said , citing the e'gao phenomenon ' of spoofing and parody on the internet that started in 2005 and is still popular , especially among tech-savvy youths . it draws strongly on international influences , down to the images , sounds , and texts used in video mash-ups , ' he said . so if chinese humor is so robust , why did the editors at the people 's daily get duped ? maybe because many chinese editors and journalists lack good knowledge of journalism and english so they find it hard to spot satire , ' suggested a graduate student in journalism in beijing . maybe because there is so much fake news and they lack the ability to distinguish real news from the fake . ' rea blamed the pervasive plagiarism of foreign news outlets in the chinese official news media , combined with shoddy quality control or fact checking . ' is there a serious lesson to be learned here ? the primary lesson that all journalists -- not just chinese -- should draw from this is that all information needs to be verified before it is published , ' said richard hornik , a lecturer in journalism at stony brook university , who once covered china for time magazine . since new media such as weibo , facebook and twitter have made all of us publishers in the digital era , all responsible citizens should verify information before they publish , forward ,'like'or retweet it . ' how embarrassed should the people 's daily be ? extremely , ' quipped jaivin . that said , i do hope no one gets sent to a labor camp over it . '","chinese news site lampooned after taking an onion satire for a real story" +"onion china 's state-run people 's daily newspaper is known for political correctness rather than a sense of humor . so when a report surfaced this week that north korean leader kim jong-un had been named the 2012 sexiest man alive ' , the self-described mouthpiece of the chinese communist party cheered its korean comrade on its website -- only this news ' came from satirical u.s. website , the onion . china is north korea 's major ally and aid provider . reporting something flattering on kim must have been considered politically correct . its website editors even built a gallery of photos to accompany the report , with slides featuring kim riding a horse , inspecting troops and being hugged by female soldiers . while the item spiced up the usually staid pages of the website , it led to wave of sniggering as international media lampooned chinese state media for being fooled by a bogus report from a well-known purveyor of offbeat humor and satire . was the omniscient people 's daily really this gullible or was it the work of a mischievous insider with a penchant for satire ? on wednesday , a woman who took our call at the website 's office in beijing insisted that it was impossible that the people 's daily would quote from any unreliable media -- we do verify our news and sources . ' the woman , who declined to identify herself , said the story and pictures had been removed a day after being posted . but the damage had been done and the onion was relishing the publicity . please visit our friends at the people 's daily in china , a proud communist subsidiary of the onion , ' read its statement . exemplary reportage , comrades . ' chinese micro-bloggers could n't resist getting in on the act too . the world was fooled by the people 's daily , because no chinese believes this paper , ' wrote @ hai_dao_wu_bian . so the chinese have a sense of humor ? christopher rea , who is writing a book on the cultural history of humor in modern china , says the chinese have a robust sense of the farcical and the absurd , as well as a keen appreciation of watching those in power screw up . ' rea , a scholar at the australian center on china in the world , says the chinese sense of humor runs the same gamut as elsewhere . ' linda jaivin , a veteran china-watcher and co-author of new ghosts old dreams , ' a book on chinese literature and culture , said beijing people 's sense of humor tends to be very topical , political and satirical . ' when a giant statue of confucius suddenly appeared in tiananmen square , not far from mao 's iconic portrait early last year , tongues wagged about what it all signified politically -- was confucius back to dislodge mao as china 's spiritual leader ? the statue was moved off the square just as abruptly a few weeks later , prompting some in political circles to joke that the venerated sage , who hailed from rural shandong , had been busted for not having a beijing residence permit . for centuries political satire has been a staple for much of chinese humor , and remains so during the communist era . in the 1980s , when the first signs of official corruption related to economic reform began appearing , humorists cleverly minted ditties like these : ' i 'm a big official , so i eat and drink , eat and drink ... ' ' it 's not my money we 're spending after all , so eat and be merry and let 's have a ball ! ' nowadays , chinese writers , artists , cartoonists , comedians and netizens resort to humor and satire to mock , question , challenge and document social phenomena , events and incidents . a lot of chinese humor is pun-based and probably always has been , ' said jaivin , who speaks chinese fluently . the chinese language is exceptionally rich in homonyms and is ripe for punning . ' much of it can be lost in translation but some does overcome any linguistic limits . when some beijing residents nicknamed the new koolhaus-designed office complex of cctv , china 's flagship television network , da kucha ' ( the big underpants ) , for its resemblance to underwear , the government tried to give it a nicer sounding moniker . so they tried'zhichuang'-- window on knowledge , ' recalled jaivin . catchy but worse , because as beijing funsters worked out in about a microsecond , it 's also a homonym for hemorrhoid . ' the chinese sense of humor has also become more global , rea said , citing the e'gao phenomenon ' of spoofing and parody on the internet that started in 2005 and is still popular , especially among tech-savvy youths . it draws strongly on international influences , down to the images , sounds , and texts used in video mash-ups , ' he said . so if chinese humor is so robust , why did the editors at the people 's daily get duped ? maybe because many chinese editors and journalists lack good knowledge of journalism and english so they find it hard to spot satire , ' suggested a graduate student in journalism in beijing . maybe because there is so much fake news and they lack the ability to distinguish real news from the fake . ' rea blamed the pervasive plagiarism of foreign news outlets in the chinese official news media , combined with shoddy quality control or fact checking . ' is there a serious lesson to be learned here ? the primary lesson that all journalists -- not just chinese -- should draw from this is that all information needs to be verified before it is published , ' said richard hornik , a lecturer in journalism at stony brook university , who once covered china for time magazine . since new media such as weibo , facebook and twitter have made all of us publishers in the digital era , all responsible citizens should verify information before they publish , forward ,'like'or retweet it . ' how embarrassed should the people 's daily be ? extremely , ' quipped jaivin . that said , i do hope no one gets sent to a labor camp over it . '","onion reported that north korea 's kim jong-un was sexiest man of 2012 '" +"pakzad washington ( cnn ) -- suraya pakzad still receives death threats for teaching women how to read and write in taliban-controlled parts of afghanistan . suraya pakzad tells cnn any deal between the u.s. and taliban moderates should consider women 's concerns . [ when ] i go to the office i do n't use the same way ... every day , ' she told cnn 's carol costello . i can not share my schedule even with my friends , with my staff and even sometimes i 'm not secure talking on phone . ' pakzad is one of several afghan women 's rights advocates who are in the u.s. capital this week to address a move the obama administration is considering : reaching out to taliban moderates in an effort to bring peace to afghanistan . she took part in a hearing on capitol hill -- sponsored by sens . mary landrieu , d-louisiana , and richard lugar , r-indiana -- titled women shaping afghanistan 's future . ' last weekend , president obama told the new york times that he is willing to talk to some members of the taliban . vice president joe biden said tuesday that he agreed with a recent assessment by special envoy richard holbrooke that only about 5 percent of the taliban is incorrigible , not susceptible to anything other than being defeated . ' it is worth engaging and determining whether or not there are those [ in the taliban ] who are willing to participate in a secure and stable afghan state , ' he said . but pakzad wants u.s. lawmakers to put women 's rights at the forefront of any deal with taliban moderates . she warned that the negotiations described by obama and biden could threaten the hard-won gains in women 's rights in afghanistan over the past seven years . it makes me scared and everybody has the fear that one day [ the taliban ] will be back again , ' pakzad said . watch pakzad describe what females face in afghanistan » pakzad , a mother of six , founded a secret organization in 1988 to provide afghan women with shelter from domestic violence and to teach them to read . the taliban advocate a strict interpretation of islamic law , or sharia , that denies women basic rights , including an education . when the taliban were driven from power in 2001 , pakzad 's voice of women organization emerged from secrecy to expand its efforts to give women rights in the home , schools , the workplace , and the legislature . she was recognized for her efforts last year when she was awarded the 2008 international women of courage award . secretary of state hillary clinton will bestow the honor on eight other women on wednesday , including wazhma frogh , an afghan woman who heads global rights , which fights against domestic violence , marital and child rape , and sexual abuse in afghanistan . by one measure , pakzad and other women 's rights groups have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams : the government in kabul says 2 million girls now attend school in afghanistan . but even now , women are still targets of domestic violence , and afghan girls have been attacked for attending school . during her confirmation hearings , clinton condemned one brutal attack in which men on motorcycles threw acid on two schoolgirls in november . this is not culture , ' clinton said . this is not custom . this is criminal . ' pakzad expresses hope that clinton and other members of the obama administration will raise those concerns when moving forward with any policy of negotiating with the taliban . she said she hopes that one day , afghan women will secure the same rights that american women have achieved . my hope for my daughters , for the next generation ... is that they should enjoy their freedom , ' she said . [ i ] hope they have a country free of inequality , free of violence against women , and hopefully they will get that opportunity . ' cnn 's bob ruff contributed to this report ."," it makes me scared ' that taliban might regain strength , pakzad says" +"pakzad washington ( cnn ) -- suraya pakzad still receives death threats for teaching women how to read and write in taliban-controlled parts of afghanistan . suraya pakzad tells cnn any deal between the u.s. and taliban moderates should consider women 's concerns . [ when ] i go to the office i do n't use the same way ... every day , ' she told cnn 's carol costello . i can not share my schedule even with my friends , with my staff and even sometimes i 'm not secure talking on phone . ' pakzad is one of several afghan women 's rights advocates who are in the u.s. capital this week to address a move the obama administration is considering : reaching out to taliban moderates in an effort to bring peace to afghanistan . she took part in a hearing on capitol hill -- sponsored by sens . mary landrieu , d-louisiana , and richard lugar , r-indiana -- titled women shaping afghanistan 's future . ' last weekend , president obama told the new york times that he is willing to talk to some members of the taliban . vice president joe biden said tuesday that he agreed with a recent assessment by special envoy richard holbrooke that only about 5 percent of the taliban is incorrigible , not susceptible to anything other than being defeated . ' it is worth engaging and determining whether or not there are those [ in the taliban ] who are willing to participate in a secure and stable afghan state , ' he said . but pakzad wants u.s. lawmakers to put women 's rights at the forefront of any deal with taliban moderates . she warned that the negotiations described by obama and biden could threaten the hard-won gains in women 's rights in afghanistan over the past seven years . it makes me scared and everybody has the fear that one day [ the taliban ] will be back again , ' pakzad said . watch pakzad describe what females face in afghanistan » pakzad , a mother of six , founded a secret organization in 1988 to provide afghan women with shelter from domestic violence and to teach them to read . the taliban advocate a strict interpretation of islamic law , or sharia , that denies women basic rights , including an education . when the taliban were driven from power in 2001 , pakzad 's voice of women organization emerged from secrecy to expand its efforts to give women rights in the home , schools , the workplace , and the legislature . she was recognized for her efforts last year when she was awarded the 2008 international women of courage award . secretary of state hillary clinton will bestow the honor on eight other women on wednesday , including wazhma frogh , an afghan woman who heads global rights , which fights against domestic violence , marital and child rape , and sexual abuse in afghanistan . by one measure , pakzad and other women 's rights groups have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams : the government in kabul says 2 million girls now attend school in afghanistan . but even now , women are still targets of domestic violence , and afghan girls have been attacked for attending school . during her confirmation hearings , clinton condemned one brutal attack in which men on motorcycles threw acid on two schoolgirls in november . this is not culture , ' clinton said . this is not custom . this is criminal . ' pakzad expresses hope that clinton and other members of the obama administration will raise those concerns when moving forward with any policy of negotiating with the taliban . she said she hopes that one day , afghan women will secure the same rights that american women have achieved . my hope for my daughters , for the next generation ... is that they should enjoy their freedom , ' she said . [ i ] hope they have a country free of inequality , free of violence against women , and hopefully they will get that opportunity . ' cnn 's bob ruff contributed to this report .","pakzad says a u.s.-taliban deal could threaten afghan women 's hard-won rights" +"pakzad washington ( cnn ) -- suraya pakzad still receives death threats for teaching women how to read and write in taliban-controlled parts of afghanistan . suraya pakzad tells cnn any deal between the u.s. and taliban moderates should consider women 's concerns . [ when ] i go to the office i do n't use the same way ... every day , ' she told cnn 's carol costello . i can not share my schedule even with my friends , with my staff and even sometimes i 'm not secure talking on phone . ' pakzad is one of several afghan women 's rights advocates who are in the u.s. capital this week to address a move the obama administration is considering : reaching out to taliban moderates in an effort to bring peace to afghanistan . she took part in a hearing on capitol hill -- sponsored by sens . mary landrieu , d-louisiana , and richard lugar , r-indiana -- titled women shaping afghanistan 's future . ' last weekend , president obama told the new york times that he is willing to talk to some members of the taliban . vice president joe biden said tuesday that he agreed with a recent assessment by special envoy richard holbrooke that only about 5 percent of the taliban is incorrigible , not susceptible to anything other than being defeated . ' it is worth engaging and determining whether or not there are those [ in the taliban ] who are willing to participate in a secure and stable afghan state , ' he said . but pakzad wants u.s. lawmakers to put women 's rights at the forefront of any deal with taliban moderates . she warned that the negotiations described by obama and biden could threaten the hard-won gains in women 's rights in afghanistan over the past seven years . it makes me scared and everybody has the fear that one day [ the taliban ] will be back again , ' pakzad said . watch pakzad describe what females face in afghanistan » pakzad , a mother of six , founded a secret organization in 1988 to provide afghan women with shelter from domestic violence and to teach them to read . the taliban advocate a strict interpretation of islamic law , or sharia , that denies women basic rights , including an education . when the taliban were driven from power in 2001 , pakzad 's voice of women organization emerged from secrecy to expand its efforts to give women rights in the home , schools , the workplace , and the legislature . she was recognized for her efforts last year when she was awarded the 2008 international women of courage award . secretary of state hillary clinton will bestow the honor on eight other women on wednesday , including wazhma frogh , an afghan woman who heads global rights , which fights against domestic violence , marital and child rape , and sexual abuse in afghanistan . by one measure , pakzad and other women 's rights groups have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams : the government in kabul says 2 million girls now attend school in afghanistan . but even now , women are still targets of domestic violence , and afghan girls have been attacked for attending school . during her confirmation hearings , clinton condemned one brutal attack in which men on motorcycles threw acid on two schoolgirls in november . this is not culture , ' clinton said . this is not custom . this is criminal . ' pakzad expresses hope that clinton and other members of the obama administration will raise those concerns when moving forward with any policy of negotiating with the taliban . she said she hopes that one day , afghan women will secure the same rights that american women have achieved . my hope for my daughters , for the next generation ... is that they should enjoy their freedom , ' she said . [ i ] hope they have a country free of inequality , free of violence against women , and hopefully they will get that opportunity . ' cnn 's bob ruff contributed to this report .","suraya pakzad and other afghan women 's rights advocates visit washington" +"russia russian authorities are failing to protect gay people from persecution and are not prosecuting the perpetrators of a growing number of homophobic attacks , human rights watch says in a new report . its report calls for a july 2013 anti-gay propaganda law to be repealed , saying many lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender people interviewed for the report had noticed an increase in persecution since last year . the 2013 legislation bans propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations around minors . ' this means the public discussion of gay rights and relationships , anywhere children might hear it , is prohibited . russian and international rights groups have condemned it as highly discriminatory . many of the lgbt interviewees for the report released monday reported increased stigma , harassment and violence against them since 2013 , the rights group says . the law effectively legalized discrimination against lgbt people and cast them as second-class citizens , ' it says . instead of publicly denouncing anti-lgbt violence and rhetoric , russia 's leadership has remained silent . in some cases public officials have engaged in explicit anti-lgbt hate speech . ' the report says that 22 of the 78 victims of homophobic and transphobic violence and harassment did not report attacks to police , as they did not think they would be taken seriously . law enforcement bodies can prosecute such violence under russia 's hate crime laws , human rights watch says , but not one of the cases documented in the report was investigated as a hate crime . the rights group describes anti-lgbt groups made up of radical nationalist men ' luring gay men and children on fake dates before holding them against their will and humiliating them . in other cases , lgbt people described being physically attacked by strangers on the subway , on the street , at nightclubs , and , in one case , at a job interview , ' its report says . a transgender woman , referred to in the report as risa r , ' is quoted as saying she was abducted and brutally assaulted in st. petersburg in 2013 . they kept calling me a'faggot'and telling me how much they hated gays . i told them repeatedly that i was n't gay , that i was a transgender woman , but they did not want to listen , ' she says . one of them said ,'you 're nothing but a faggot . we will get your brain straight right now .'several times they threatened to rape me . then they took pliers from their car and ripped out two of my toenails . afterwards , they said ,'now you will be better off . now you will be pretty .' human rights watch says risa explained that she had not gone to police because she had no illusions that the police would investigate . ' it quotes an lgbt activist from pervouralsk , gleb latnik , as saying he had reported to police soon after he had been attacked . his injuries were visible -- there was significant bruising on his forehead , there were bruises under his eyes , and one eye was swollen shut , ' the report says . the police officer who took his complaint said to him ,'it 's all right , you 're gay so it 's normal that you were attacked . why would you need to file a complaint against anyone ?' ' violence experienced by lgbt people in russia is unmistakably motivated by homophobia , but the authorities deliberately ignore that these are hate crimes and fail to protect victims , ' human rights watch 's tanya cooper said . the report includes responses from the russian prosecutor general 's office and russian interior ministry , and the rights group said neither agency collected statistical data about attacks specifically committed against lgbt people . this month , president vladimir putin met with russian human rights groups , telling them that russia 's priority was a healthy traditional family and a healthy nation . ' he said that did not mean that it would persecute those of a nontraditional orientation . ' people have tried to stick this label on us , even people who use criminal law to persecute people of nontraditional orientation . some u.s. states make it a crime , and though as far as i know these laws are not actually applied and the supreme court has suspended them , but they are nevertheless still on the books . we have no criminal penalties , ' he said . putin said that no one should face discrimination in russia . all people here have political rights , social rights , rights to employment , and no one should face discrimination , ' he said . but our strategic choice is for traditional families , healthy families and a healthy nation . one does not exclude the other and does not hinder the other . i think this is a balanced approach and is entirely the right approach . '","a human rights watch report says russia has failed to prevent homophobic violence" +"russia russian authorities are failing to protect gay people from persecution and are not prosecuting the perpetrators of a growing number of homophobic attacks , human rights watch says in a new report . its report calls for a july 2013 anti-gay propaganda law to be repealed , saying many lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender people interviewed for the report had noticed an increase in persecution since last year . the 2013 legislation bans propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations around minors . ' this means the public discussion of gay rights and relationships , anywhere children might hear it , is prohibited . russian and international rights groups have condemned it as highly discriminatory . many of the lgbt interviewees for the report released monday reported increased stigma , harassment and violence against them since 2013 , the rights group says . the law effectively legalized discrimination against lgbt people and cast them as second-class citizens , ' it says . instead of publicly denouncing anti-lgbt violence and rhetoric , russia 's leadership has remained silent . in some cases public officials have engaged in explicit anti-lgbt hate speech . ' the report says that 22 of the 78 victims of homophobic and transphobic violence and harassment did not report attacks to police , as they did not think they would be taken seriously . law enforcement bodies can prosecute such violence under russia 's hate crime laws , human rights watch says , but not one of the cases documented in the report was investigated as a hate crime . the rights group describes anti-lgbt groups made up of radical nationalist men ' luring gay men and children on fake dates before holding them against their will and humiliating them . in other cases , lgbt people described being physically attacked by strangers on the subway , on the street , at nightclubs , and , in one case , at a job interview , ' its report says . a transgender woman , referred to in the report as risa r , ' is quoted as saying she was abducted and brutally assaulted in st. petersburg in 2013 . they kept calling me a'faggot'and telling me how much they hated gays . i told them repeatedly that i was n't gay , that i was a transgender woman , but they did not want to listen , ' she says . one of them said ,'you 're nothing but a faggot . we will get your brain straight right now .'several times they threatened to rape me . then they took pliers from their car and ripped out two of my toenails . afterwards , they said ,'now you will be better off . now you will be pretty .' human rights watch says risa explained that she had not gone to police because she had no illusions that the police would investigate . ' it quotes an lgbt activist from pervouralsk , gleb latnik , as saying he had reported to police soon after he had been attacked . his injuries were visible -- there was significant bruising on his forehead , there were bruises under his eyes , and one eye was swollen shut , ' the report says . the police officer who took his complaint said to him ,'it 's all right , you 're gay so it 's normal that you were attacked . why would you need to file a complaint against anyone ?' ' violence experienced by lgbt people in russia is unmistakably motivated by homophobia , but the authorities deliberately ignore that these are hate crimes and fail to protect victims , ' human rights watch 's tanya cooper said . the report includes responses from the russian prosecutor general 's office and russian interior ministry , and the rights group said neither agency collected statistical data about attacks specifically committed against lgbt people . this month , president vladimir putin met with russian human rights groups , telling them that russia 's priority was a healthy traditional family and a healthy nation . ' he said that did not mean that it would persecute those of a nontraditional orientation . ' people have tried to stick this label on us , even people who use criminal law to persecute people of nontraditional orientation . some u.s. states make it a crime , and though as far as i know these laws are not actually applied and the supreme court has suspended them , but they are nevertheless still on the books . we have no criminal penalties , ' he said . putin said that no one should face discrimination in russia . all people here have political rights , social rights , rights to employment , and no one should face discrimination , ' he said . but our strategic choice is for traditional families , healthy families and a healthy nation . one does not exclude the other and does not hinder the other . i think this is a balanced approach and is entirely the right approach . '","russia 's president has said no one should face discrimination , calls traditional families ' priority" +"americans federal authorities have filed the first criminal charges in the investigation of the deadly terror attack on the u.s. diplomatic compound in benghazi , libya , people briefed on the matter said . several suspects charged in the armed assault last september 11 include prominent libyan militia figure ahmed abu khattala , the sources said . other identities were not disclosed . the counts initially sought months ago in new york are still under seal , according to the sources . the investigation of the attack that killed ambassador christopher stevens and three other americans continues , these people said , as investigators try to build their case against khattala and others who authorities believe were involved . if cnn can interview benghazi suspect , why ca n't fbi ? justice department spokesman brian fallon declined to comment as did fbi spokesman j. peter donald in new york . but word of the development comes as the justice department has come in for sharp criticism from congressional lawmakers about the pace and progress of the investigation . attorney general eric holder had earlier this year promised them that the justice department would soon make public what actions it would take . republicans have demanded more aggressive steps from the incoming fbi director james comey . but people close to the case said the investigation has moved significantly in recent months . in that time , the fbi has released photos of what it called persons of interest who were present during the attacks , seeking tips from the libyan public . it could n't be learned when the united states plans to announce the charges or whether there is any intention to try to detain khattala or the others . none of those briefed on the matter would discuss the precise counts . benghazi attack timeline in a recent interview with cnn 's arwa damon , khattala acknowledged being at the benghazi mission after the attack but denied any involvement . benghazi has become a political flashpoint in a long-running battle between the obama 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 less than two months before the november election . the investigation is led by agents from the fbi in new york and has included some members of the washington field office , who have traveled to libya to interview hundreds of witnesses , those briefed on the investigation said . khattala told cnn that he had not been questioned by either libyan authorities or the fbi . u.s. law enforcement officials said it 's not unusual for the fbi not to seek to interview defendants in a case while they collect other evidence . the benghazi attack involved scores of militants using rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons . stevens took refuge behind a fortified door with heavy metal bars to keep the attackers from breaking in . but they set fire to the mission -- a villa -- with diesel fuel . stevens was overcome by smoke . u.s. rep. adam schiff , a democratic member of the house intelligence committee , said in an interview on the lead with jake tapper ' that he would not describe the investigation as proceeding rapidly . it 's been frustrating for many of us that it has n't moved faster , but it is a very difficult working environment for our agents , ' said schiff . gathering evidence in libya , you might imagine , is very difficult , finding , interviewing witnesses , extremely difficult . ' but schiff said there has been progress . we have identified many of the parties involved . we 're still trying to identify what the command-and-control structure would be . a lot of missing pieces still , but we are finally making progress , ' said schiff . king : why benghazi matters","attack last september killed ambassador christopher stevens and three other americans" +"sudan ( cnn ) -- egyptian president mohamed morsy met with sudan 's wanted president omar al-bashir in cairo on sunday as the egyptian government dismissed calls for the visiting leader 's arrest . the international criminal court has demanded al-bashir 's arrest on charges of war crimes . the human rights group amnesty international urged egypt before the visit to either cancel the sudanese leader or arrest him . but morsy spokesman yasser ali told the state-run middle east news agency that egypt is n't a member of the icc , the permanent u.n. war-crimes tribunal . and he said egypt is following the lead of the african union , which has urged its members not to cooperate with the tribunal in seeking al-bashir 's arrest . al-bashir landed in cairo on sunday for a two-day visit . his talks with morsy included regional concerns as well as bread-and-butter issues like livestock imports , industrial development and water rights in the nile river basin , ali said . the icc has called for al-bashir 's arrest on 10 counts of genocide and crimes against humanity , accusing him of masterminding attempts to wipe out african tribes in the sudanese territory of darfur in a campaign of murder , rape and deportation . in a statement issued friday , amnesty warned egypt would become a safe haven for alleged perpetrators of genocide ' unless it took the sudanese leader into custody . in his first address , president morsy said that egypt 's values and identity would uphold humanitarian values , especially in freedom and human rights . how can he now shake hands with a man wanted for genocide ? ' asked marek marczynski , amnesty 's campaign manager for international justice . in june , malawi dropped plans to host an african union summit because the organization wanted al-bashir to attend . malawi signed the rome statute that created the icc , and president joyce banda said her country could n't welcome al-bashir because of the warrant . cnn 's amir ahmed contributed to this report .","sudan 's president has been accused of war crimes and genocide" +"israel beitunya , west bank ( cnn ) -- fakher zayed is accustomed to trouble erupting on his doorstep . for the past several years , palestinian protesters have often clashed with israeli security forces in front of his house . the four-story building stands on the edge of the west bank village of beitunya , within sight of the israeli separation barrier and ofer prison . at first , the may 15 anniversary of the nakba , ' the exodus of more than 700,000 palestinians after the 1948 arab-israeli war , looked like just another day of israeli-palestinian skirmishing . ( the palestinians ) were throwing stones , and the ( israeli ) soldiers throw the tear gas . plastic bullets , ' zayed said . they run away . after three or four minutes , they came back to throw stones again . ' to protect his home , his family and his carpentry business , zayed installed more than half a dozen security cameras around his building , which operate 24 hours a day . last thursday , these cameras captured the chilling shooting deaths of two palestinian teenagers . according to six hours of raw , unedited video distributed by the children 's rights advocacy organization defense for children international and reviewed by cnn , the two boys -- ages 17 and 16 -- were shot on the same patch of asphalt on the same day , the second victim 73 minutes after the first . the families of the boys , as well as zayed , blame the israeli military for the killings . this is the first time they 're shooting to kill here , ' zayed said , speaking to cnn while standing on the exact spot outside his home where the two boys were filmed being shot . but an israeli military spokesman say its forces fired no live rounds during hours of clashes on may 15 . during that demonstration that was extremely violent , the israeli defense force used crowd-control methods and riot-dispersal means to prevent and control the overflow of the violence , ' lt. col. peter lerner told cnn . the preliminary idf inquiry indicates that no live fire was shot at all on thursday during the riots in beitunya , and we have to determine what caused this result , ' lerner added . security camera footage cnn producer kareem khadder was filming the clashes in beitunya on may 15 . several dozen palestinian youths used the wall of zayed 's house as cover . periodically , they jumped out to hurl stones at about a half-dozen israeli soldiers and border police officers standing on a hilltop perhaps 100 meters away . the israeli forces responded with volleys of tear gas while periodically firing rubber-coated bullets from their rifles . at one point , khadder filmed a palestinian teenager who appeared to be struck in the leg with one of these semi-lethal rounds . the boy hopped and limped for a few seconds in obvious pain but then turned around and rejoined the clashes . at 1:45 p.m. may 15 , zayed 's security camera caught the moment when one of the stone-throwing boys was mortally wounded . seventeen-year-old nadeem nouwarah was dressed in a sleeveless black t-shirt , wearing a black and white kefiyeh scarf to cover his face and carrying a backpack over both shoulders . as he walked toward the israeli military positions in front of zayed 's door , nouwarah suddenly fell forward , landing briefly on his hands , before rolling over to lie on his back . within seconds , a crowd of palestinians gathered to lift nouwarah and rush him to a waiting ambulance . according to a medical report , nouwarah was pronounced dead in a hospital less than two hours later , having suffered a single bullet wound that entered his chest and passed out his back . though khadder did n't know it at the time , he was filming two israeli security troops firing their rifles at the palestinian protesters at the same exact moment when nouwarah was shot . in the video , it is not clear what kind of rounds the israelis were shooting or whether their gunfire hit nouwarah . however , khadder 's camera shows that less than 15 seconds after one of these gunshots , palestinians were already racing to put the fatally wounded nouwarah in the ambulance . suffering the effects of tear gas , khadder soon left the protest . he was unaware that nouwarah 's wounds were fatal . at 2:58 p.m. , the security cameras filmed a second fatal shooting . sixteen-year-old mohammad odeh salameh was at the front lines of the protest , wearing a green hamas flag as a cape as well as a green hamas headband over his black mask . as he was walking away from the israeli positions , he suddenly fell to the ground and struggled briefly to get up . the boy was shot just a few steps from where nouwarah had been wounded . doctors pronounced salameh dead on arrival at the hospital , with a bullet wound that had pierced his back and exited his chest . school in mourning at st. george 's school in ramallah , relatives and classmates of the first victim , nouwarah , were in mourning this week . students wore black t-shirts with photos of the smiling boy . the eleventh-grader was pictured wearing a backward baseball cap . there were 21 students in our grade , ' said his 16-year-old classmate george yousef . now , we are 20 . ' nouwarah 's father , siam , told cnn he had expressly instructed his eldest son not to attend the nakba protests . afterwards , i felt he was not convinced with what i told him , ' said siam , who works as a hairdresser in ramallah . nouwarah appeared to have gone to the anti-israel protests directly from school on the afternoon of may 15 . his father showed cnn the bloody backpack his son was wearing when he was shot . there was a small hole in the bag , in roughly the same location where the bullet would have exited nouwarah 's body . siam nouwarah then pulled a packet of bloodstained papers out of the bag . they were photocopies of a textbook that included the writings of anton chekhov , accompanied by a teenage student 's handwriting , doodles and class notes . we were surprised when we took the school backpack back from the hospital to find this bullet inside , ' said the elder nouwarah . he then pulled a small used bullet stored in a plastic bag out of the backpack . the metal slug appeared to be from a 556 nato round , the standard ammunition used in m-16 rifles carried by israeli security forces . it was impossible for cnn to confirm the authenticity of the bullet . siam nouwarah said he was saving it for a forensic examination . he accuses israeli soldiers of killing his son . the entire world should understand and know that my son was wearing a school backpack and leaving school when he was assassinated in cold blood , ' the grieving father said . ballistics on thursday , lerner , the israeli military spokesman , told cnn that a request had been put in with the palestinian authority to do a ballistic report on the bullet found in nouwarah 's backpack . that round that was presented should n't have been in the bag , so it also raises a question , ' he said . lerner repeated the military 's assertion that israeli security forces fired only rubber-coated bullets -- which are not designed to penetrate bodies -- in beitunya on may 15 . regarding the cnn video of the israeli security forces firing rifles at the palestinian demonstrators at the moment when nouwarah was shot , lerner said the weapons being used had an attachment at the end of the barrel for firing rubber-coated projectiles . asked whether there could been some malfunction or mistake that would have led to the firing of a lethal round rather than a rubber-coated projectile , lerner said , i 'm not aware of any malfunction at this time . ' meanwhile , the u.s. state department has joined several human rights groups calling for an investigation into the deadly incident . i am deeply concerned about the circumstances surrounding the recent death of two palestinian minors , ' wrote christopher gunness , a spokesman for the united nations in the west bank . according to initial reports , gunness added , both boys appeared unarmed and appeared to pose no direct threat . '","israel 's military says the protest was extremely violent but that no live fire was shot '" +"london los angeles ( cnn ) -- the illness that derailed miley cyrus'u.s. tour in april has returned like a wrecking ball at the start of her european tour . cyrus'friday and saturday shows in amsterdam and antwerp have been rescheduled for june 20 and 22 because she suffered a setback in her battle against a severe allergic reaction ' to an antibiotic , her rep said . the 21-year-old singer fell ill on april 15 and was kept in a kansas city hospital for several days . the remaining north american shows in her bangerz ' tour were postponed until august . after a period of improvement , cyrus'symptoms have returned and doctors will not permit her to travel , ' her representative told cnn wednesday . this type of extreme reaction can last up to 27 days and cyrus must remain under doctors'care at this time . ' cyrus is still hoping to perform her bangerz ' show at london 's o2 arena on may 6 , the rep said . she initially became ill in early april with a flu-like illness , which caused her to pull out of her charlotte show . after being prescribed the antibiotic cephalexin , her health woes grew when an allergic reaction to the drug left cyrus hospitalized for more than a week , according to a statement from her representative earlier this month . cyrus used twitter to express her sadness , posting a tweet of 132 crying emoticons tuesday . cnn 's breeanna hare and carolyn sung contributed to this report .","cyrus still hopes to perform her bangerz ' show at london 's o2 arena may 6" +"yelena isinbayeva ( cnn ) -- the darling of the russian crowd duly delivered tuesday to regain her status as the leading women 's pole vaulter in the world . yelena isinbayeva shrugged off five years of disappointments in global competition to return to the top of the podium , roared on by partisan home support in the luzhniki stadium . not even usain bolt and his 100m heroics could capture the imagination as surely as isinbayeva , the four-day old championships , marked by sparse attendances , finally springing fully to life . the noise reached a fever pitch when the 31-year-old successfully cleared 4.89m while america 's 2012 olympic champion jennifer suhr and cuban yarisley silva both failed at that height . suhr claimed the silver at 4.82m on count back . but all eyes were left on isinbayeva , who made three unsuccessful attempts to break her own world record of 5.06m . it was her third world championship title in the discipline . she had dominated the event with olympic golds in athens 2004 and the 2008 games in beijing , setting 28 world records indoor and outdoor . her golden run came to abrupt end at the 2009 world championships and at daegu two years ago she finished a lowly sixth . bronze behind suhr in the london games last year was also a disappointment , but she has now gained redemption on home soil . it was the best ever support , ' said isinbayeva , who will now to take a break from the sport to have a baby , but is hoping to return for the 2016 olympics in rio . i felt like i was at home , that everyone was behind me . i absorbed that and it resulted in a gold , ' she added . the crowd were also treated to an array of competitive finals and a big shock as grenada 's olympic champion kirani james slumped to 400m defeat to lashawn merritt of the united states . james could not match the power of merritt and faded to seventh in the home straight as the 2008 olympic champion crossed the line in a season 's best 43.74 seconds . teammate tony mcquay ran a fine 44.40 seconds for silver with luquelin santos of the dominican republic in third . it just did n't work out for me today , ' admitted the 20-year-old james , who was defending his title won in daegu two years ago . olympic 800m champion david rudisha was missing from the event he has made his own , breaking his own world record on the way to gold in london last year . in his absence , mohammed aman of ethiopia charged through to claim his country 's first global crown at the two-lap event . he eased past american nicky symmonds to win in one minute 43.31 seconds with ayanleh souleiman claiming bronze for djibouti . ukraine 's ganna melnichenko won the women 's heptathlon after holding off a determined challenge from canada 's brianne theisen eaton , who is the wife of newly-crowned world decathlon champion ashton eaton of the united states . she needed to beat melnichenko by a healthy margin in the closing 800m event , but could not pull ahead by the 4.69 seconds required and had to settle for silver . isinbayeva 's gold was the second of the day for the hosts after olympic champion elena lashmanova crossed the line first in the women 's 20km walk .","yelena isinbayeva wins women 's pole vault at world championships" +"china tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- documents showing that china offered to sell arms to moammar gadhafi in the waning days of his rule are the real deal , ' a senior member of libya 's transitional government said monday . the comment follows a report by canada 's the globe and mail newspaper saying that state-controlled chinese arms manufacturers were prepared to sell at least $ 200 million worth of weapons to gadhafi , which would have violated u.n. resolutions banning such transactions . the globe and mail said one of its reporters found the documents , in arabic , in a pile of trash in tripoli 's bab akkarah neighborhood , an enclave that was home to some of gadhafi 's most loyal supporters . the documents , which were posted sunday on the website of the toronto-based newspaper , do not confirm whether any military assistance was delivered to libya . however , libya 's national transitional council said it appears deliveries might have been made . we found several documents that showed us orders , very large orders , of arms and ammunition specifically from china , and now we do know that some of the things that were on the list are here on the ground , and they came in over the last two to six months , ' said abdulrahman busin , ntc spokesman . he said it is unclear whether the exact list on the document was delivered , but there were many things on that list that are here , and these are brand-new equipment , brand-new weapons , brand-new boxes of ammunition that have n't been opened yet , that were clearly delivered only in the last few months . do n't forget that we have many of the generals and high commanders who defected some time ago who know gadhafi 's regime very , very well , know what he has and does n't have , and we know 100 % that there was a lot of weapons and arms that were delivered to gadhafi over the last few months -- during the war and during the sanctions , ' busin said . and mohamed sayeh , a member of the ntc , said libya 's new leaders have seen the documents . this deal is a real deal and we have seen the official documents , ' he said . it was signed by chinese officials , and it was to send guns and artillery to libya through algiers to expedite the deal . ' china says it followed u.n. security council resolutions that banned the export of arms to gadhafi 's government . the gadhafi regime sent people to china to engage in contact with certain individuals of relevant chinese companies in july without the knowledge of the chinese government departments , ' jiang yu , a spokeswoman for china 's ministry of foreign affairs , told cnn . chinese companies have not signed any military trade contracts with libya -- let alone provided military exports to libya . ' the report comes after fighters from the ntc overran tripoli and ousted gadhafi , whose whereabouts remained unknown . in a phone interview with the syrian-based al-rai television network , a man identified as gadhafi spokesman musa ibrahim declared the fugitive libyan strongman remains patient ' and planning a counterattack against the rebel movement that drove him from power . i tell the libyan people not to surrender to the gangs and that the end is near , ' ibrahim said late monday . transitional government troops are perched on the outskirts of one of gadhafi 's last bastions of support , with libya 's new leaders giving gadhafi loyalists in sirte , bani walid and a handful of other towns until saturday to surrender or face attack . but ibrahim said there was ongoing resistance ' in areas that gadhafi has lost , and that gadhafi is inside of libya fighting . ' the libyan forces are still present , ' he said . we will protect the liberated cities and will get back the cities that were robbed from us , in a legal way and at the right time . ' meanwhile , the ntc says it is moving its headquarters from benghazi to tripoli this week to begin implementing its plans for a new future for libya . and the british government announced monday that it had re-established its diplomatic mission in tripoli , led by an acting special representative , dominic asquith . the arrival of this team marks another significant step in the uk 's relations with the new libya , and reflects the progress the ntc has made in improving security and stability on the ground , ' foreign secretary william hague said in a statement announcing the move . the documents ntc officials were examining monday detailed a trip by gadhafi 's security officials to beijing on july 16 during which they met with four state-controlled weapons manufacturers , the newspaper reported . the companies suggest that they make the contracts with either algeria or south africa , because those countries previously worked with china , ' the documents say . according to the newspaper , the documents show the chinese companies noted that many of the items wanted by gadhafi were in algeria and could quickly be moved across the libyan border . the chinese said they would replace the algerian arms sent to libya , the document said . busin said mustafa abdul jalil , ntc chairman , has made it very , very clear that anybody who has helped and supported and stood by gadhafi over the months would not be greeted well . ' china abstained from voting on a security council resolution in march that authorized the protection of libyan civilians by any means necessary , with the exception of a ground invasion . china , however , did approve a security council resolution that banned military assistance , including the sale of weapons , to gadhafi 's government . china , algeria and south africa have opposed the nato bombing campaign in libya , and the three countries were slow to recognize the authority of the national transitional council as libya 's legitimate authority . sayeh said the ntc was amazed that the deal was discussed at a time when gadhafi 's forces were killing thousands and thousands of libyans , and it was done by two u.n. members ' who signed the arms embargo . we will not forget but we will forgive , and we will start all over again , ' sayeh told cnn . gadhafi 's wife , two sons and other relatives fled to algeria recently , deepening mistrust between the ntc and libya 's neighbor . algeria said it acted on humanitarian grounds , but it angered the ntc . the transitional council has accused algeria of supporting the gadhafi regime . algerians also complained to the united nations about damage done to their embassy soon after ntc fighters entered tripoli . algeria will in the future recognize the ntc as the government in libya , algerian foreign minister mourad medelci told french radio network europe 1 last week . the ntc has said it is going to set up a government representative of all regions , and when it has done that , we 'll recognize it , ' medelci said . meanwhile , the ukrainian foreign ministry on monday said 23 ukrainian citizens working at libyan oil industry facilities were arrested . no official charges have been filed , the ministry said in a statement , adding that because of the fighting in the libyan capital , the ntc is looking at all foreigners in tripoli with suspicion . the ukrainian embassy in tripoli and the ministry are rendering proper consular assistance to those arrested , the ministry said . as a result , one person was released on sunday and the others are undergoing security checks , according to the statement . embassy officials are regularly visiting our citizens , examining their conditions and pursuing active steps for their liberation and further return home , ' the ministry said . ukrainian news agencies on monday quoted foreign ministry spokesman oleg voloshin as telling reporters that those detained have food and water and there is no threat to their lives . cnn 's eunice yoon , haolan hong , maxim tkachenko and ingrid formanek contributed to this report .","documents suggest gadhafi sought weapons from china" +"china tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- documents showing that china offered to sell arms to moammar gadhafi in the waning days of his rule are the real deal , ' a senior member of libya 's transitional government said monday . the comment follows a report by canada 's the globe and mail newspaper saying that state-controlled chinese arms manufacturers were prepared to sell at least $ 200 million worth of weapons to gadhafi , which would have violated u.n. resolutions banning such transactions . the globe and mail said one of its reporters found the documents , in arabic , in a pile of trash in tripoli 's bab akkarah neighborhood , an enclave that was home to some of gadhafi 's most loyal supporters . the documents , which were posted sunday on the website of the toronto-based newspaper , do not confirm whether any military assistance was delivered to libya . however , libya 's national transitional council said it appears deliveries might have been made . we found several documents that showed us orders , very large orders , of arms and ammunition specifically from china , and now we do know that some of the things that were on the list are here on the ground , and they came in over the last two to six months , ' said abdulrahman busin , ntc spokesman . he said it is unclear whether the exact list on the document was delivered , but there were many things on that list that are here , and these are brand-new equipment , brand-new weapons , brand-new boxes of ammunition that have n't been opened yet , that were clearly delivered only in the last few months . do n't forget that we have many of the generals and high commanders who defected some time ago who know gadhafi 's regime very , very well , know what he has and does n't have , and we know 100 % that there was a lot of weapons and arms that were delivered to gadhafi over the last few months -- during the war and during the sanctions , ' busin said . and mohamed sayeh , a member of the ntc , said libya 's new leaders have seen the documents . this deal is a real deal and we have seen the official documents , ' he said . it was signed by chinese officials , and it was to send guns and artillery to libya through algiers to expedite the deal . ' china says it followed u.n. security council resolutions that banned the export of arms to gadhafi 's government . the gadhafi regime sent people to china to engage in contact with certain individuals of relevant chinese companies in july without the knowledge of the chinese government departments , ' jiang yu , a spokeswoman for china 's ministry of foreign affairs , told cnn . chinese companies have not signed any military trade contracts with libya -- let alone provided military exports to libya . ' the report comes after fighters from the ntc overran tripoli and ousted gadhafi , whose whereabouts remained unknown . in a phone interview with the syrian-based al-rai television network , a man identified as gadhafi spokesman musa ibrahim declared the fugitive libyan strongman remains patient ' and planning a counterattack against the rebel movement that drove him from power . i tell the libyan people not to surrender to the gangs and that the end is near , ' ibrahim said late monday . transitional government troops are perched on the outskirts of one of gadhafi 's last bastions of support , with libya 's new leaders giving gadhafi loyalists in sirte , bani walid and a handful of other towns until saturday to surrender or face attack . but ibrahim said there was ongoing resistance ' in areas that gadhafi has lost , and that gadhafi is inside of libya fighting . ' the libyan forces are still present , ' he said . we will protect the liberated cities and will get back the cities that were robbed from us , in a legal way and at the right time . ' meanwhile , the ntc says it is moving its headquarters from benghazi to tripoli this week to begin implementing its plans for a new future for libya . and the british government announced monday that it had re-established its diplomatic mission in tripoli , led by an acting special representative , dominic asquith . the arrival of this team marks another significant step in the uk 's relations with the new libya , and reflects the progress the ntc has made in improving security and stability on the ground , ' foreign secretary william hague said in a statement announcing the move . the documents ntc officials were examining monday detailed a trip by gadhafi 's security officials to beijing on july 16 during which they met with four state-controlled weapons manufacturers , the newspaper reported . the companies suggest that they make the contracts with either algeria or south africa , because those countries previously worked with china , ' the documents say . according to the newspaper , the documents show the chinese companies noted that many of the items wanted by gadhafi were in algeria and could quickly be moved across the libyan border . the chinese said they would replace the algerian arms sent to libya , the document said . busin said mustafa abdul jalil , ntc chairman , has made it very , very clear that anybody who has helped and supported and stood by gadhafi over the months would not be greeted well . ' china abstained from voting on a security council resolution in march that authorized the protection of libyan civilians by any means necessary , with the exception of a ground invasion . china , however , did approve a security council resolution that banned military assistance , including the sale of weapons , to gadhafi 's government . china , algeria and south africa have opposed the nato bombing campaign in libya , and the three countries were slow to recognize the authority of the national transitional council as libya 's legitimate authority . sayeh said the ntc was amazed that the deal was discussed at a time when gadhafi 's forces were killing thousands and thousands of libyans , and it was done by two u.n. members ' who signed the arms embargo . we will not forget but we will forgive , and we will start all over again , ' sayeh told cnn . gadhafi 's wife , two sons and other relatives fled to algeria recently , deepening mistrust between the ntc and libya 's neighbor . algeria said it acted on humanitarian grounds , but it angered the ntc . the transitional council has accused algeria of supporting the gadhafi regime . algerians also complained to the united nations about damage done to their embassy soon after ntc fighters entered tripoli . algeria will in the future recognize the ntc as the government in libya , algerian foreign minister mourad medelci told french radio network europe 1 last week . the ntc has said it is going to set up a government representative of all regions , and when it has done that , we 'll recognize it , ' medelci said . meanwhile , the ukrainian foreign ministry on monday said 23 ukrainian citizens working at libyan oil industry facilities were arrested . no official charges have been filed , the ministry said in a statement , adding that because of the fighting in the libyan capital , the ntc is looking at all foreigners in tripoli with suspicion . the ukrainian embassy in tripoli and the ministry are rendering proper consular assistance to those arrested , the ministry said . as a result , one person was released on sunday and the others are undergoing security checks , according to the statement . embassy officials are regularly visiting our citizens , examining their conditions and pursuing active steps for their liberation and further return home , ' the ministry said . ukrainian news agencies on monday quoted foreign ministry spokesman oleg voloshin as telling reporters that those detained have food and water and there is no threat to their lives . cnn 's eunice yoon , haolan hong , maxim tkachenko and ingrid formanek contributed to this report .","china says its companies did not sell arms to libya" +"germany ( cnn ) -- the united states have named former germany captain jurgen klinsmann as their new national coach , just a day after sacking bob bradley . bradley , who took over as coach in january 2007 , was relieved of his duties on thursday , and u.s. soccer federation president sunil gulati confirmed in a statement on friday that his replacement has already been appointed . jurgen is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the program , ' said gulati . bradley sacked as united states national coach ' he has had success in many different areas of the game and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field . ' the 46-year-old klinsmann , who will be formally introduced to the media on monday , expressed his delight at his appointment . i 'm excited about the challenge ahead . i am looking forward to bringing the team together for our upcoming match against mexico on august 10th and starting on the road towards qualifying for the 2014 fifa world cup . ' klinsmann , who led germany to third place in the 2006 world cup finals , already lives in california and has been linked with the position for some time . however , his reputation dipped slightly after taking over as bayern munich coach in 2008 , losing his job after just a year in charge of the bavarian giants . during his playing career , klinsmann was respected as one of the greatest strikers of his era . he scored 232 goals in 516 games during a 17-year club career that took in spells with bayern , italian side inter milan and english club tottenham hotspur . he was also a member of the west germany side that won the 1990 world cup and the 1996 european championship -- scoring 47 goals in 108 matches for his country .","klinsmann steered germany to third place in the 2006 world cup finals" +"black friday ideally , casey st. clair would be spending thanksgiving relaxing and eating dinner with her boyfriend and his family . instead , the part-time target employee and substitute teacher will work next thursday night during the early kickoff of the big-box retailer 's black friday sale . stores will open at 9 p.m. on thanksgiving this year , reflecting a wider shift in the retail industry toward getting a head start on the biggest shopping day of the year . wal-mart workers plan black friday walkout as it stands now , toys r us , wal-mart , sears and kmart will be the first large retail chains to open their doors for bargain hunters at 8 p.m . many other chains are open thanksgiving day , but their black friday sales do n't start until midnight or friday morning . st. clair , who lives in corona , california , is scheduled to work wednesday from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. she 'll return thanksgiving day before 9 p.m. and work until 5:15 on friday morning . she has to sleep at some point , so traveling 45 minutes each way for thanksgiving dinner is out . it should n't have to be a rushed affair , slipping in to eat some turkey and taking a piece of pie for the road , ' said st. clair , who plans to have dinner at home with her boyfriend before going to work . what 's your black friday strategy ? she likes working for target , which is why she has stayed with the company for six years , even after relocating from the east coast in 2011 , she said . she is also grateful to have a job that pays time and a half plus bonus pay for overnight hours , even if it means she ca n't fly home to her own family for the holidays . but after watching black friday sales start earlier each year , she decided the company had gone too far this time and started a change.org petition asking target ceo gregg w. steinhafel to forgo the plan to open stores on thanksgiving . it 's one of few days retail employees get to spend with their families , but at this point there 's no time to see family , ' st. clair said in a phone interview . my main issue is not with people wanting to shop ; they can do that still , though i think that they can hold off until friday without the world crashing down , ' she said . my issue is that target and other retailers have done something they have never done before in opening on thanksgiving . my anger is aimed at the loss of a day that , up until now , was considered important enough for only the most essential services to be open . ' why it sucks to work black friday she 's not the only one who thinks the black friday creep ' hurts employees and their families , with some taking action . a group of wal-mart workers are planning to strike at about 1,000 stores on black friday . more than 40 petitions have been launched on change.org asking retailers including sears , target , walmart and kohl 's to give thanksgiving back to families . ' many of them popped up after st. clair 's appeared friday , earning more than 200,000 signatures as of wednesday . when it started earning traction , change.org promoted the petition among users , but even before then it had taken on a life of its own , site spokeswoman charlotte hill said . employees and customers alike are saying ,'thanksgiving should be about celebrating with family , not shopping for the latest deals ,' hill said . comments on the petitions echo that sentiment , with some threatening to boycott stores that they say put revenue before employees . i 'm a conscious consumer ; i think of good reasons to shop where i do , and consider why and why not to give any store my money . seeing this happen year after year to the employees of target irks me , and makes me want to ... take my money elsewhere , ' one user said . other comments in petitions against target and other retailers focused on the importance of letting employees spend time with family . after 33 years in retail , i still love everything about the holidays .... except telling some poor employee she has to forgo her family holiday because she has to work ! we really have to put a limit on the madness ! ' said a person who signed a petition titled , retailers : stop black thursday . ' families should come before retail sales ! give these people the day off that they deserve , ' said another person who signed the petition wal-mart : move black friday start back to friday . ' relatives of retail employees are also speaking out . the sister of a target employee in illinois started a petition on behalf of her family , claiming that for them , thanksgiving will not be complete ' without him . family has always been important to me and thanksgiving is all about family , ' jennifer ann said in her petition , target : do n't take away thanksgiving . ' she asked to withhold her last name in deference to her brother , who asked to conceal his identity . last year , it was hard for her 24-year-old brother , who has worked for target since high school , to relax knowing he had to be at work , she said in an interview with sister network hln . he rushed through dinner and had to leave for his shift just as everyone was starting to unwind . this year , he 's going to miss dinner altogether , she said . it 's just unfortunate that he has to be at work when we 're celebrating , ' she said . i get that you sign up for things like this . ( but ) you do n't typically have to work on thanksgiving when you work in retail , and this is something that 's kind of gradually happened . ' target and other big-box retailers say they 're responding to consumer demands as best they can -- with employees in mind . target 's opening time was carefully evaluated with our guests , team and the business in mind . across the country , team member preferences were considered in creating our store staffing schedules , ' said spokeswoman molly snyder . thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest of the year , and we appreciate our target team 's flexibility on this weekend and throughout the holiday season . ' all hourly employees who work on a national holiday , including thanksgiving , receive pay equal to time and a half their hourly pay rate , she said . additionally , team members who work certain hours on thanksgiving and friday will receive shift differential pay and holiday premium pay . walmart also was named in several petitions , though most of its stores are open 24 hours and 365 days a year , including thanksgiving . last year , customer traffic was highest during the 10 p.m. hour on thanksgiving , a spokesman said ' we appreciate our associates for everything they do to serve our customers during this busy shopping season and every day throughout the year , ' spokesman steve restivo said in an e-mail . according to the national retail federation , thanksgiving night shopping has surged over the past three years . most of our stores are open 24 hours and , historically , much of our black friday preparations have been done on thanksgiving , which is not unusual in the retail industry . ' ultimately , the power is in the hands of consumers to drive down the demand for extended shopping hours , retail and employment experts agreed . labor day and memorial day used to be days of rest , too , said rich milgram , ceo of career network beyond.com , which connects employers and job seekers . but now , sales on those days are the norm , showing that over time , society grows accustomed to changes and demands of the free market . this says less about the retailer and more about society as a whole . target , sears , kmart and others are all doing what they need to do maximize sales and profits , ' he said . just as consumers are driving the demand , employees are choosing to work in the field , leaving companies with little choice but to take advantage of every opportunity in the marketplace , said bill peppler with staffing firm kavaliro . in today 's economy where jobs are scarce and unemployment is high , people are willing to do more now than they were willing to do two to three years ago . this is especially true in retail . black friday alone last year led to almost $ 12 billion in sales , so you can understand the employers stance on this issue , ' he said . does this mean that christmas and new years shopping is next ? probably not , said brooks holtom , associate professor of management at georgetown university 's mcdonough school of business . i would suggest they are much less at risk because most of the shopping we see at thanksgiving is in anticipation of christmas . the incentive for retailers to open on christmas and new year 's is much lower . ' st. clair knows it 's too late to realistically expect target to change its tune this year . but she is hopeful that her petition and others like it will make target 's leadership reconsider opening early for thanksgiving next year . going forward i hope it forces target and other companies to take another look when they realize how many people out there care about this issue , ' she said . until then , st. clair plans to be in the electronics section thanksgiving night through the morning hours of black friday . i do value my job and that 's my schedule , ' she said . i will definitely honor that , as much as i do n't agree with it . ' are you a retail employee who has to start work on thanksgiving for black friday ? sound off in the comments section below . like cnn living on facebook","target says employees get overtime , holiday pay for working certain hours on thanksgiving , black friday" +"gmail ( cnn ) -- last week 's rumor was the real deal : google is rolling out a new gmail inbox today which autosorts incoming messages so important stuff is easy to find and clutter stays out of the way . wait : does n't gmail 's priority inbox do that ? well , yes . but the new inbox ( which you can choose to use if you 're not using priority inbox ) is a different take on the same general concept . instead of attempting to figure out which messages matter most to you and then promoting them to the top of your inbox , the new one sticks tabs across the top †” up to five of them , for primary ' messages ( basically , ones from real people , plus anything else you have n't chosen to weed out ) , social ( stuff like facebook and twitter updates ) , promotions ( ads ) , updates ( bills , notifications , etc . ) and forums ( mailing lists and the like ) . each tab indicates how many unread messages you 've got in that category , so you can monitor incoming messages even if they do n't pop up on your current tab . conceptually , this is simpler than priority inbox , since gmail is only trying to sort messages into general categories rather than figure out which people are more important to you than others . ( i 've been using the new version for a few days , and the sorting seems to work really well ) . and you need to proactively click around to other tabs to see less-important messages , so the primary tab feels more streamlined than priority inbox 's stacked-inboxes approach ( the latter feels a tad cluttered , at least to me ) . bottom line : the new inbox is an interesting option for folks who have n't warmed to priority inbox . like , for instance , me †” i admire priority , but tend to use it for a bit , then turn it off , then try it again . the new inbox is rolling out to users over the coming weeks ; it 'll also be available in gmail 's android and ios apps . it 's good to see a major new gmail feature debut in both old-school and mobile gmail at the same time †” and for a while , at least , this is going to be the gmail inbox i 'll use . & copy 2012 time , inc. time is a registered trademark of time inc. used with permission .","google rolls out updated gmail inbox" +"google ( cnn ) -- last week 's rumor was the real deal : google is rolling out a new gmail inbox today which autosorts incoming messages so important stuff is easy to find and clutter stays out of the way . wait : does n't gmail 's priority inbox do that ? well , yes . but the new inbox ( which you can choose to use if you 're not using priority inbox ) is a different take on the same general concept . instead of attempting to figure out which messages matter most to you and then promoting them to the top of your inbox , the new one sticks tabs across the top †” up to five of them , for primary ' messages ( basically , ones from real people , plus anything else you have n't chosen to weed out ) , social ( stuff like facebook and twitter updates ) , promotions ( ads ) , updates ( bills , notifications , etc . ) and forums ( mailing lists and the like ) . each tab indicates how many unread messages you 've got in that category , so you can monitor incoming messages even if they do n't pop up on your current tab . conceptually , this is simpler than priority inbox , since gmail is only trying to sort messages into general categories rather than figure out which people are more important to you than others . ( i 've been using the new version for a few days , and the sorting seems to work really well ) . and you need to proactively click around to other tabs to see less-important messages , so the primary tab feels more streamlined than priority inbox 's stacked-inboxes approach ( the latter feels a tad cluttered , at least to me ) . bottom line : the new inbox is an interesting option for folks who have n't warmed to priority inbox . like , for instance , me †” i admire priority , but tend to use it for a bit , then turn it off , then try it again . the new inbox is rolling out to users over the coming weeks ; it 'll also be available in gmail 's android and ios apps . it 's good to see a major new gmail feature debut in both old-school and mobile gmail at the same time †” and for a while , at least , this is going to be the gmail inbox i 'll use . & copy 2012 time , inc. time is a registered trademark of time inc. used with permission .","google rolls out updated gmail inbox" +"burke ( cnn ) pope francis has reassigned a conservative american cardinal from a key post to one that is mostly symbolic . cardinal raymond burke , a leading conservative , has been vocal in his criticism of the direction the pope is leading the catholic church in . burke was one of the highest ranking americans in the church hierarchy in his position on the vatican 's supreme court . but he was reassigned to the position of patron of the order of malta , the vatican announced on saturday . the national catholic reporter points out that burke 's new post is a job that has almost no responsibilities . ' the vatican did not give a reason for the demotion . hard to change the catholic church , even if you 're the pope the change , however , was not unexpected . last month , burke himself said he had been ousted from the vatican 's high court . burke has been outspoken about his opposition to pope francis'move toward more openness and inclusiveness of gays and lesbians . the pope is not free to change the church 's teachings with regard to the immorality of homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine of the faith , ' burke told buzzfeed recently . when a recent draft report included a call for the church to be more welcoming to gays , burke said the report lacks a solid foundation in the sacred scriptures . ' subsequently , some of the language on the gifts and qualities ' that gay people can bring to the church was removed from the report . the pope has appointed moderates in several big dioceses , including in chicago earlier this fall , and he 's removed some archconservatives from their posts . cnn 's daniel burke contributed to this report .","burke has been outspoken about the direction the church is heading" +"burke ( cnn ) pope francis has reassigned a conservative american cardinal from a key post to one that is mostly symbolic . cardinal raymond burke , a leading conservative , has been vocal in his criticism of the direction the pope is leading the catholic church in . burke was one of the highest ranking americans in the church hierarchy in his position on the vatican 's supreme court . but he was reassigned to the position of patron of the order of malta , the vatican announced on saturday . the national catholic reporter points out that burke 's new post is a job that has almost no responsibilities . ' the vatican did not give a reason for the demotion . hard to change the catholic church , even if you 're the pope the change , however , was not unexpected . last month , burke himself said he had been ousted from the vatican 's high court . burke has been outspoken about his opposition to pope francis'move toward more openness and inclusiveness of gays and lesbians . the pope is not free to change the church 's teachings with regard to the immorality of homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine of the faith , ' burke told buzzfeed recently . when a recent draft report included a call for the church to be more welcoming to gays , burke said the report lacks a solid foundation in the sacred scriptures . ' subsequently , some of the language on the gifts and qualities ' that gay people can bring to the church was removed from the report . the pope has appointed moderates in several big dioceses , including in chicago earlier this fall , and he 's removed some archconservatives from their posts . cnn 's daniel burke contributed to this report .","the vatican announced a new assignment for american cardinal raymond burke" +"burke ( cnn ) pope francis has reassigned a conservative american cardinal from a key post to one that is mostly symbolic . cardinal raymond burke , a leading conservative , has been vocal in his criticism of the direction the pope is leading the catholic church in . burke was one of the highest ranking americans in the church hierarchy in his position on the vatican 's supreme court . but he was reassigned to the position of patron of the order of malta , the vatican announced on saturday . the national catholic reporter points out that burke 's new post is a job that has almost no responsibilities . ' the vatican did not give a reason for the demotion . hard to change the catholic church , even if you 're the pope the change , however , was not unexpected . last month , burke himself said he had been ousted from the vatican 's high court . burke has been outspoken about his opposition to pope francis'move toward more openness and inclusiveness of gays and lesbians . the pope is not free to change the church 's teachings with regard to the immorality of homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine of the faith , ' burke told buzzfeed recently . when a recent draft report included a call for the church to be more welcoming to gays , burke said the report lacks a solid foundation in the sacred scriptures . ' subsequently , some of the language on the gifts and qualities ' that gay people can bring to the church was removed from the report . the pope has appointed moderates in several big dioceses , including in chicago earlier this fall , and he 's removed some archconservatives from their posts . cnn 's daniel burke contributed to this report .","burke had a post on the vatican 's supreme court" +"vatican ( cnn ) pope francis has reassigned a conservative american cardinal from a key post to one that is mostly symbolic . cardinal raymond burke , a leading conservative , has been vocal in his criticism of the direction the pope is leading the catholic church in . burke was one of the highest ranking americans in the church hierarchy in his position on the vatican 's supreme court . but he was reassigned to the position of patron of the order of malta , the vatican announced on saturday . the national catholic reporter points out that burke 's new post is a job that has almost no responsibilities . ' the vatican did not give a reason for the demotion . hard to change the catholic church , even if you 're the pope the change , however , was not unexpected . last month , burke himself said he had been ousted from the vatican 's high court . burke has been outspoken about his opposition to pope francis'move toward more openness and inclusiveness of gays and lesbians . the pope is not free to change the church 's teachings with regard to the immorality of homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine of the faith , ' burke told buzzfeed recently . when a recent draft report included a call for the church to be more welcoming to gays , burke said the report lacks a solid foundation in the sacred scriptures . ' subsequently , some of the language on the gifts and qualities ' that gay people can bring to the church was removed from the report . the pope has appointed moderates in several big dioceses , including in chicago earlier this fall , and he 's removed some archconservatives from their posts . cnn 's daniel burke contributed to this report .","the vatican announced a new assignment for american cardinal raymond burke" +"vatican ( cnn ) pope francis has reassigned a conservative american cardinal from a key post to one that is mostly symbolic . cardinal raymond burke , a leading conservative , has been vocal in his criticism of the direction the pope is leading the catholic church in . burke was one of the highest ranking americans in the church hierarchy in his position on the vatican 's supreme court . but he was reassigned to the position of patron of the order of malta , the vatican announced on saturday . the national catholic reporter points out that burke 's new post is a job that has almost no responsibilities . ' the vatican did not give a reason for the demotion . hard to change the catholic church , even if you 're the pope the change , however , was not unexpected . last month , burke himself said he had been ousted from the vatican 's high court . burke has been outspoken about his opposition to pope francis'move toward more openness and inclusiveness of gays and lesbians . the pope is not free to change the church 's teachings with regard to the immorality of homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine of the faith , ' burke told buzzfeed recently . when a recent draft report included a call for the church to be more welcoming to gays , burke said the report lacks a solid foundation in the sacred scriptures . ' subsequently , some of the language on the gifts and qualities ' that gay people can bring to the church was removed from the report . the pope has appointed moderates in several big dioceses , including in chicago earlier this fall , and he 's removed some archconservatives from their posts . cnn 's daniel burke contributed to this report .","burke had a post on the vatican 's supreme court" +"swinton ( 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 , captivefldschildren.com , 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 .","court record : swinton is connected with phone number that brought attention to sect" +"swinton ( 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 , captivefldschildren.com , 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 , was arrested this month on charge unrelated to ranch" +"boykin ( cnn ) a judge this week sentenced a former tsa agent to six months in jail for secretly videotaping a female co-worker while she was in the bathroom , prosecutors said . during the investigation , detectives with the metro nashville police department in tennessee also found that the agent , 33-year-old daniel boykin , entered the woman 's home multiple times , where he took videos , photos and other data . police found more than 90 videos and 1,500 photos of the victim on boykin 's phone and computer . the victim filed a complaint after seeing images of herself on his phone last year . boykin plead guilty to unlawful photography , aggravated burglary and violation of the computer act , the nashville district attorney 's office said . police said the incident happened in a tsa-only restroom , and that there was no evidence public restrooms were targeted . a tsa official tells cnn that boykin worked in an administrative capacity and did n't engage in public security screening . assistant district attorney amy hunter said this case was one of the worst invasion of privacy cases she 's seen . we are thankful that the sentence includes periodic confinement so that the sentence will hopefully make an impression on this defendant and others , ' hunter said in a statement . the judge , randall wyatt , on friday called the invasion of privacy egregious . ' his sentence also includes five and a half years of probation , which will include gps monitoring . boykin was terminated last year when the investigation began . tsa holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace , ' tsa 's ross feinstein said in a statement .","boykin worked in an administrative capacity and did n't do public security screenings , tsa official says" +"boykin ( cnn ) a judge this week sentenced a former tsa agent to six months in jail for secretly videotaping a female co-worker while she was in the bathroom , prosecutors said . during the investigation , detectives with the metro nashville police department in tennessee also found that the agent , 33-year-old daniel boykin , entered the woman 's home multiple times , where he took videos , photos and other data . police found more than 90 videos and 1,500 photos of the victim on boykin 's phone and computer . the victim filed a complaint after seeing images of herself on his phone last year . boykin plead guilty to unlawful photography , aggravated burglary and violation of the computer act , the nashville district attorney 's office said . police said the incident happened in a tsa-only restroom , and that there was no evidence public restrooms were targeted . a tsa official tells cnn that boykin worked in an administrative capacity and did n't engage in public security screening . assistant district attorney amy hunter said this case was one of the worst invasion of privacy cases she 's seen . we are thankful that the sentence includes periodic confinement so that the sentence will hopefully make an impression on this defendant and others , ' hunter said in a statement . the judge , randall wyatt , on friday called the invasion of privacy egregious . ' his sentence also includes five and a half years of probation , which will include gps monitoring . boykin was terminated last year when the investigation began . tsa holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace , ' tsa 's ross feinstein said in a statement .","authorities say they found 90 videos and 1,500 photos of the victim on boykin 's phone and computer" +"boykin ( cnn ) a judge this week sentenced a former tsa agent to six months in jail for secretly videotaping a female co-worker while she was in the bathroom , prosecutors said . during the investigation , detectives with the metro nashville police department in tennessee also found that the agent , 33-year-old daniel boykin , entered the woman 's home multiple times , where he took videos , photos and other data . police found more than 90 videos and 1,500 photos of the victim on boykin 's phone and computer . the victim filed a complaint after seeing images of herself on his phone last year . boykin plead guilty to unlawful photography , aggravated burglary and violation of the computer act , the nashville district attorney 's office said . police said the incident happened in a tsa-only restroom , and that there was no evidence public restrooms were targeted . a tsa official tells cnn that boykin worked in an administrative capacity and did n't engage in public security screening . assistant district attorney amy hunter said this case was one of the worst invasion of privacy cases she 's seen . we are thankful that the sentence includes periodic confinement so that the sentence will hopefully make an impression on this defendant and others , ' hunter said in a statement . the judge , randall wyatt , on friday called the invasion of privacy egregious . ' his sentence also includes five and a half years of probation , which will include gps monitoring . boykin was terminated last year when the investigation began . tsa holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace , ' tsa 's ross feinstein said in a statement .","former tsa agent daniel boykin , 33 , videotaped his female co-worker in the restroom , authorities say" +"tsa ( cnn ) a judge this week sentenced a former tsa agent to six months in jail for secretly videotaping a female co-worker while she was in the bathroom , prosecutors said . during the investigation , detectives with the metro nashville police department in tennessee also found that the agent , 33-year-old daniel boykin , entered the woman 's home multiple times , where he took videos , photos and other data . police found more than 90 videos and 1,500 photos of the victim on boykin 's phone and computer . the victim filed a complaint after seeing images of herself on his phone last year . boykin plead guilty to unlawful photography , aggravated burglary and violation of the computer act , the nashville district attorney 's office said . police said the incident happened in a tsa-only restroom , and that there was no evidence public restrooms were targeted . a tsa official tells cnn that boykin worked in an administrative capacity and did n't engage in public security screening . assistant district attorney amy hunter said this case was one of the worst invasion of privacy cases she 's seen . we are thankful that the sentence includes periodic confinement so that the sentence will hopefully make an impression on this defendant and others , ' hunter said in a statement . the judge , randall wyatt , on friday called the invasion of privacy egregious . ' his sentence also includes five and a half years of probation , which will include gps monitoring . boykin was terminated last year when the investigation began . tsa holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace , ' tsa 's ross feinstein said in a statement .","boykin worked in an administrative capacity and did n't do public security screenings , tsa official says" +"tsa ( cnn ) a judge this week sentenced a former tsa agent to six months in jail for secretly videotaping a female co-worker while she was in the bathroom , prosecutors said . during the investigation , detectives with the metro nashville police department in tennessee also found that the agent , 33-year-old daniel boykin , entered the woman 's home multiple times , where he took videos , photos and other data . police found more than 90 videos and 1,500 photos of the victim on boykin 's phone and computer . the victim filed a complaint after seeing images of herself on his phone last year . boykin plead guilty to unlawful photography , aggravated burglary and violation of the computer act , the nashville district attorney 's office said . police said the incident happened in a tsa-only restroom , and that there was no evidence public restrooms were targeted . a tsa official tells cnn that boykin worked in an administrative capacity and did n't engage in public security screening . assistant district attorney amy hunter said this case was one of the worst invasion of privacy cases she 's seen . we are thankful that the sentence includes periodic confinement so that the sentence will hopefully make an impression on this defendant and others , ' hunter said in a statement . the judge , randall wyatt , on friday called the invasion of privacy egregious . ' his sentence also includes five and a half years of probation , which will include gps monitoring . boykin was terminated last year when the investigation began . tsa holds its employees to the highest ethical standards and has zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace , ' tsa 's ross feinstein said in a statement .","former tsa agent daniel boykin , 33 , videotaped his female co-worker in the restroom , authorities say" +"kobani syrian president bashar al-assad told a french magazine that there have n't been any tangible ' signs that u.s.-led airstrikes in his country have weakened isis , despite assertions wednesday by america 's top diplomat that significant progress ' has been made in derailing the islamist extremist group . in an interview with paris match , a portion of which was published online wednesday , al-assad said his government has noticed no change ' in isis since the air campaign began more than two months ago . it is n't true that the strikes are helpful , ' the syrian president said . they would , of course , have helped had they been serious and efficient . ' after first striking isis targets in iraq , the u.s.-led coalition went after the group inside syria in september . these efforts have n't been coordinated with al-assad 's government , which u.s. and other western leaders have said they want replaced -- even going as far , in some cases , as supporting and working with moderate opposition forces fighting to unseat him . airstrikes mark shift in coalition focus to isis'capital' yet al-assad said in his paris match interview , which took place on november 28 in damascus and will be published in full thursday , that the u.s.-led military campaign has limited use because you ca n't end terrorism with aerial strikes . troops on the ground that know the land and can react are essential . ' whether or not the strikes have hurt isis , there 's been little indication that they or anything else has gotten syria closer to an end to a civil war that erupted after mostly peaceful protests in daraa province in march 2011 . kerry says anti-isis coalition has made progress u.s. secretary of state john kerry , however , offered a very different view of the anti-isis fight wednesday . addressing reporters in brussels , belgium , after a meeting of representatives from the 60 members of the coalition , kerry said various efforts -- from more than 1,000 airstrikes to sanctions -- have significantly hampered isis in the middle east . there was a consensus that the momentum which it had exhibited 2½ months ago has been halted , ' he said . isis has been forced to modify its tactics , and some of those modifications are severely hampering their ability to operate in the way that they were . ' he added that the coalition has taken important steps in defeating ( isis ) on the battlefield , restricting its finances , enacting laws to restrict the flow of foreign fighters and countering its toxic ideology . ' the airstrikes are part of that overall strategy , and they show no signs of letting up . u.s. central command said that between monday and wednesday of this week , there were 14 coalition airstrikes in syria -- all of them near kobani , the city near the turkish border that in recent weeks has become a key battleground in the ongoing fight -- in addition to 11 such strikes inside iraq . conflicting figures the united nations has estimated more than 100,000 people have died in the syrian civil war . yet the syrian observatory for human rights says the toll is much higher , claiming tuesday that it 's more than 200,000 people -- among them about 63,000 civilians , 45,000 syrian troops and more than 50,000 rebel fighters . millions more have been displaced inside syria by the violence , with the united nations estimating up to 1.8 million refugees in neighboring lebanon , jordan , turkey , iraq and egypt . and the situation may only get worse , after the u.n. 's world food program earlier this week announced the suspension of food vouchers for syrian refugees because of a lack of funds . scenes of devastation inside kobani asked by paris match if he 'd survive this war -- or if he would have the same fate as once entrenched but later deposed leaders saddam hussein in iraq and moammar gadhafi in libya -- al-assad said , the captain does n't think about death or life , he thinks about saving his ship . if he thinks about sinking , everyone will die . ' al-assad insisted that his goal has never been to remain president indefinitely , adding , i am doing my best to save the country . ' regardless ( of ) what happens , we as syrians will never allow our country to become a toy in western hands , ' he said . it is a fundamental principle for us . '","u.s.-led coalition carries out 14 more airstrikes near kobani , syria" +"davies ( cnn ) -- jordan belfi has a great job : he plays adam davies on the hbo show entourage , ' a comedy series that takes a look at the life of a young actor , vincent chase , and the old friends who surround him in hollywood . jordan belfi arrives at the premiere of entourage ' season six in los angeles , california . davies is one of the few characters on the show who has the ability to shake one of the central figures : the unshakeable agent ari gold . belfi has been around since the early days of entourage ' and remembers the humble beginnings of his character 's career as an agent under gold 's direction . since that first season , davies has risen to become ari 's chief rival on the show . belfi believes conveying the tension between him and ari is easy , based on the great material he 's given . it 's a testament to the writing by doug ellin , the creator of the show . it 's just on the page , ' belfi said . when you get setups and writing and dialogue and scenes that good , it makes your job that much easier . ' cnn talked to belfi , who 's also in the movie surrogates ' ( opening friday ) , about his experiences on the show and his inspiration for the role . the following is an edited version of the interview . cnn : a lot of fans really missed that rivalry between you and ari gold . talk a little about how you and jeremy piven kind of prepare for that and try to make that real on screen . belfi : adam davies has become ... one of the few characters on the show that really knows how to get under ari 's skin and push his buttons . ari is an entertaining character , and it 's fun to watch him go after things , but people really enjoy kind of when ari 's off balance . that interplay , that back and forth , particularly the sort of thing that 's happening now [ on the show ] , the constantly one-upping each other , is just really fun to watch . it 's entertaining . and i get that response from a lot of the fans of the show . they love adam davies for that reason because he just knows how to do it . jeremy ... [ is ] an actor with so much power and force and impact that you 're sort of forced to up your game . you 're really present in the moment . and when you 're there and you 're really going back and forth , that 's when the sparks really fly . cnn : talk little bit about the inspiration you draw from to play adam davies . belfi : i started way back on season one in the beginning of the show . and back then , adam davies was still in his cubicle . so a lot of the inspiration came from meetings i had when i was starting out -- you know , behavior i experienced from agents and other industry people when i was starting out . i was in a not-too-dissimilar position . ... and i think that 's what people really respond to . there 's an absolute foundation of truth -- almost scary truth -- to the things adam says , the things ari does , all that kind of stuff . and it 's why it 's such a visceral experience for people in the industry and fun for people that happen not to be in the industry . cnn : what are your thoughts on adam davies as a person ? belfi : what gives ari a little bit of his soul , his heart , is that we have all these scenes with his wife and his family , and you really get to see him as a dad . ... [ but ] we have n't gotten to see any of the personal life of adam davies . so i do n't know if there 's anything yet to kind of balance out those ruthless qualities he has . but i think he 's the kind of agent that i 'd certainly like to have if you 're that actor trying to go after that job . you want that agent who 's going to beg , borrow and steal to help prove that you 're the guy . so in that respect , it seems like he 's someone you 'd want on your side . and the thing is , i think that 's what made the rivalry between him and ari so great . you know when he was coming up , he probably did a lot of the same things [ as ari ] and ran over people in similar kinds of ways . they 're really kind of the same in a lot of ways . so you 're either best friends or mortal enemies when you share that much in common with somebody . cnn : exempting davies , who 's your favorite character on the show and why ? belfi : ah ! impossible question ! i have to exempt adam davies from the answer ? ... if i absolutely , gun-to-my-head have to choose , there 's a quality about [ chase 's brother ] drama that i 've always loved . and it was maybe more prominent in the first couple of seasons than it is now because it 's evolved slightly . the quality that i always found the most entertaining , is that drama was always this mix of desperation and simultaneous pride . and that 's really funny . you know at the beginning he was just scratching , begging for something , some chunk of the game or to get back in the game . but he simultaneously kind of knows it all . and that mix is a great comedic mix , comedic recipe . it was both funny and heartbreaking . cnn : of course , our diehard entourage ' fans would love to get some scoop on the coming story lines . you 've got ta give us something . belfi : a little something ? well , i do n't think i 'd be giving away too much to say that adam might get lloyd . in terms of the story line , there 's some stuff that i 'm told with drama and his going after this role on melrose place ' and the screen test for that role and the ups and downs of that . and also , some big things happen between eric and sloane . but in terms of the really exciting stuff between adam davies and ari , i guess i 'll say this : at the end of season two , when ari is trying to form his coup , to break up the agency , and adam is the one who rats him out and gets him fired and humiliated and causes that whole thing ... in the amazing way that doug has constructed it , all that stuff from the end of season two comes full circle . there 's this one thing that happens that will really stand out and that people will talk about . so some fun , exciting stuff to look forward to .","jordan belfi plays acting agent adam davies on the hbo show entourage '" +"davies ( cnn ) -- jordan belfi has a great job : he plays adam davies on the hbo show entourage , ' a comedy series that takes a look at the life of a young actor , vincent chase , and the old friends who surround him in hollywood . jordan belfi arrives at the premiere of entourage ' season six in los angeles , california . davies is one of the few characters on the show who has the ability to shake one of the central figures : the unshakeable agent ari gold . belfi has been around since the early days of entourage ' and remembers the humble beginnings of his character 's career as an agent under gold 's direction . since that first season , davies has risen to become ari 's chief rival on the show . belfi believes conveying the tension between him and ari is easy , based on the great material he 's given . it 's a testament to the writing by doug ellin , the creator of the show . it 's just on the page , ' belfi said . when you get setups and writing and dialogue and scenes that good , it makes your job that much easier . ' cnn talked to belfi , who 's also in the movie surrogates ' ( opening friday ) , about his experiences on the show and his inspiration for the role . the following is an edited version of the interview . cnn : a lot of fans really missed that rivalry between you and ari gold . talk a little about how you and jeremy piven kind of prepare for that and try to make that real on screen . belfi : adam davies has become ... one of the few characters on the show that really knows how to get under ari 's skin and push his buttons . ari is an entertaining character , and it 's fun to watch him go after things , but people really enjoy kind of when ari 's off balance . that interplay , that back and forth , particularly the sort of thing that 's happening now [ on the show ] , the constantly one-upping each other , is just really fun to watch . it 's entertaining . and i get that response from a lot of the fans of the show . they love adam davies for that reason because he just knows how to do it . jeremy ... [ is ] an actor with so much power and force and impact that you 're sort of forced to up your game . you 're really present in the moment . and when you 're there and you 're really going back and forth , that 's when the sparks really fly . cnn : talk little bit about the inspiration you draw from to play adam davies . belfi : i started way back on season one in the beginning of the show . and back then , adam davies was still in his cubicle . so a lot of the inspiration came from meetings i had when i was starting out -- you know , behavior i experienced from agents and other industry people when i was starting out . i was in a not-too-dissimilar position . ... and i think that 's what people really respond to . there 's an absolute foundation of truth -- almost scary truth -- to the things adam says , the things ari does , all that kind of stuff . and it 's why it 's such a visceral experience for people in the industry and fun for people that happen not to be in the industry . cnn : what are your thoughts on adam davies as a person ? belfi : what gives ari a little bit of his soul , his heart , is that we have all these scenes with his wife and his family , and you really get to see him as a dad . ... [ but ] we have n't gotten to see any of the personal life of adam davies . so i do n't know if there 's anything yet to kind of balance out those ruthless qualities he has . but i think he 's the kind of agent that i 'd certainly like to have if you 're that actor trying to go after that job . you want that agent who 's going to beg , borrow and steal to help prove that you 're the guy . so in that respect , it seems like he 's someone you 'd want on your side . and the thing is , i think that 's what made the rivalry between him and ari so great . you know when he was coming up , he probably did a lot of the same things [ as ari ] and ran over people in similar kinds of ways . they 're really kind of the same in a lot of ways . so you 're either best friends or mortal enemies when you share that much in common with somebody . cnn : exempting davies , who 's your favorite character on the show and why ? belfi : ah ! impossible question ! i have to exempt adam davies from the answer ? ... if i absolutely , gun-to-my-head have to choose , there 's a quality about [ chase 's brother ] drama that i 've always loved . and it was maybe more prominent in the first couple of seasons than it is now because it 's evolved slightly . the quality that i always found the most entertaining , is that drama was always this mix of desperation and simultaneous pride . and that 's really funny . you know at the beginning he was just scratching , begging for something , some chunk of the game or to get back in the game . but he simultaneously kind of knows it all . and that mix is a great comedic mix , comedic recipe . it was both funny and heartbreaking . cnn : of course , our diehard entourage ' fans would love to get some scoop on the coming story lines . you 've got ta give us something . belfi : a little something ? well , i do n't think i 'd be giving away too much to say that adam might get lloyd . in terms of the story line , there 's some stuff that i 'm told with drama and his going after this role on melrose place ' and the screen test for that role and the ups and downs of that . and also , some big things happen between eric and sloane . but in terms of the really exciting stuff between adam davies and ari , i guess i 'll say this : at the end of season two , when ari is trying to form his coup , to break up the agency , and adam is the one who rats him out and gets him fired and humiliated and causes that whole thing ... in the amazing way that doug has constructed it , all that stuff from the end of season two comes full circle . there 's this one thing that happens that will really stand out and that people will talk about . so some fun , exciting stuff to look forward to ."," i think he 's the kind of agent that i 'd certainly like to have , ' belfi says of davies" +"hbo ( cnn ) -- jordan belfi has a great job : he plays adam davies on the hbo show entourage , ' a comedy series that takes a look at the life of a young actor , vincent chase , and the old friends who surround him in hollywood . jordan belfi arrives at the premiere of entourage ' season six in los angeles , california . davies is one of the few characters on the show who has the ability to shake one of the central figures : the unshakeable agent ari gold . belfi has been around since the early days of entourage ' and remembers the humble beginnings of his character 's career as an agent under gold 's direction . since that first season , davies has risen to become ari 's chief rival on the show . belfi believes conveying the tension between him and ari is easy , based on the great material he 's given . it 's a testament to the writing by doug ellin , the creator of the show . it 's just on the page , ' belfi said . when you get setups and writing and dialogue and scenes that good , it makes your job that much easier . ' cnn talked to belfi , who 's also in the movie surrogates ' ( opening friday ) , about his experiences on the show and his inspiration for the role . the following is an edited version of the interview . cnn : a lot of fans really missed that rivalry between you and ari gold . talk a little about how you and jeremy piven kind of prepare for that and try to make that real on screen . belfi : adam davies has become ... one of the few characters on the show that really knows how to get under ari 's skin and push his buttons . ari is an entertaining character , and it 's fun to watch him go after things , but people really enjoy kind of when ari 's off balance . that interplay , that back and forth , particularly the sort of thing that 's happening now [ on the show ] , the constantly one-upping each other , is just really fun to watch . it 's entertaining . and i get that response from a lot of the fans of the show . they love adam davies for that reason because he just knows how to do it . jeremy ... [ is ] an actor with so much power and force and impact that you 're sort of forced to up your game . you 're really present in the moment . and when you 're there and you 're really going back and forth , that 's when the sparks really fly . cnn : talk little bit about the inspiration you draw from to play adam davies . belfi : i started way back on season one in the beginning of the show . and back then , adam davies was still in his cubicle . so a lot of the inspiration came from meetings i had when i was starting out -- you know , behavior i experienced from agents and other industry people when i was starting out . i was in a not-too-dissimilar position . ... and i think that 's what people really respond to . there 's an absolute foundation of truth -- almost scary truth -- to the things adam says , the things ari does , all that kind of stuff . and it 's why it 's such a visceral experience for people in the industry and fun for people that happen not to be in the industry . cnn : what are your thoughts on adam davies as a person ? belfi : what gives ari a little bit of his soul , his heart , is that we have all these scenes with his wife and his family , and you really get to see him as a dad . ... [ but ] we have n't gotten to see any of the personal life of adam davies . so i do n't know if there 's anything yet to kind of balance out those ruthless qualities he has . but i think he 's the kind of agent that i 'd certainly like to have if you 're that actor trying to go after that job . you want that agent who 's going to beg , borrow and steal to help prove that you 're the guy . so in that respect , it seems like he 's someone you 'd want on your side . and the thing is , i think that 's what made the rivalry between him and ari so great . you know when he was coming up , he probably did a lot of the same things [ as ari ] and ran over people in similar kinds of ways . they 're really kind of the same in a lot of ways . so you 're either best friends or mortal enemies when you share that much in common with somebody . cnn : exempting davies , who 's your favorite character on the show and why ? belfi : ah ! impossible question ! i have to exempt adam davies from the answer ? ... if i absolutely , gun-to-my-head have to choose , there 's a quality about [ chase 's brother ] drama that i 've always loved . and it was maybe more prominent in the first couple of seasons than it is now because it 's evolved slightly . the quality that i always found the most entertaining , is that drama was always this mix of desperation and simultaneous pride . and that 's really funny . you know at the beginning he was just scratching , begging for something , some chunk of the game or to get back in the game . but he simultaneously kind of knows it all . and that mix is a great comedic mix , comedic recipe . it was both funny and heartbreaking . cnn : of course , our diehard entourage ' fans would love to get some scoop on the coming story lines . you 've got ta give us something . belfi : a little something ? well , i do n't think i 'd be giving away too much to say that adam might get lloyd . in terms of the story line , there 's some stuff that i 'm told with drama and his going after this role on melrose place ' and the screen test for that role and the ups and downs of that . and also , some big things happen between eric and sloane . but in terms of the really exciting stuff between adam davies and ari , i guess i 'll say this : at the end of season two , when ari is trying to form his coup , to break up the agency , and adam is the one who rats him out and gets him fired and humiliated and causes that whole thing ... in the amazing way that doug has constructed it , all that stuff from the end of season two comes full circle . there 's this one thing that happens that will really stand out and that people will talk about . so some fun , exciting stuff to look forward to .","jordan belfi plays acting agent adam davies on the hbo show entourage '" +"nico atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- a third beluga whale belonging to the world 's largest aquarium has died , the georgia aquarium announced late monday . the exact cause of nico 's sudden death on saturday is inconclusive from the initial necropsy or animal autopsy . the georgia aquarium hopes to find out more information in the months ahead from a more detailed necropsy . as we work with and care for the many animals at the georgia aquarium , we become attached emotionally , ' said dr. gregory d. bossart , chief veterinary officer at the aquarium . the loss is not unlike that of faithful dog or special horse that has been a part your life for years . ' nico died at sea world in san antonio , where he and two other beluga whales had been moved temporarily while the georgia aquarium is undergoing renovation . nico was scheduled to return home to atlanta next month with companions maris and natasha . nico arrived in atlanta with gaspar , two whales obtained from a park in mexico . both animals suffered significant health issues ' from their times in a foreign park and were essentially living on borrowed time , ' said bossart , who had been caring for the two whales as far as nine years ago , while they were still in mexico . we rescued nico knowing that he had health issues due to his prior home , but we were confident that we could provide a better quality of life for his final years , ' bossart said . gaspar was suffering from a bone disease contracted before arriving at the downtown atlanta aquarium and was euthanized in january 2007 . another beluga whale , marina , died 11 months later from complications of old age . beluga whales or white whales , whose name is derived from a russian word meaning white , typically live in arctic and sub-arctic regions including canada , russia , greenland and the u.s. state of alaska . they can live up to 35 years . the belugas are not the only high-profile deaths at the georgia aquarium , which opened in late 2005 . a pair of whale sharks have also died at the eight-million-gallon facility , the only one outside asia to display the giant fish . cnn 's dave alsup contributed to this report .","after autopsy , the cause of nico 's sudden death saturday is inconclusive" +"nico atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- a third beluga whale belonging to the world 's largest aquarium has died , the georgia aquarium announced late monday . the exact cause of nico 's sudden death on saturday is inconclusive from the initial necropsy or animal autopsy . the georgia aquarium hopes to find out more information in the months ahead from a more detailed necropsy . as we work with and care for the many animals at the georgia aquarium , we become attached emotionally , ' said dr. gregory d. bossart , chief veterinary officer at the aquarium . the loss is not unlike that of faithful dog or special horse that has been a part your life for years . ' nico died at sea world in san antonio , where he and two other beluga whales had been moved temporarily while the georgia aquarium is undergoing renovation . nico was scheduled to return home to atlanta next month with companions maris and natasha . nico arrived in atlanta with gaspar , two whales obtained from a park in mexico . both animals suffered significant health issues ' from their times in a foreign park and were essentially living on borrowed time , ' said bossart , who had been caring for the two whales as far as nine years ago , while they were still in mexico . we rescued nico knowing that he had health issues due to his prior home , but we were confident that we could provide a better quality of life for his final years , ' bossart said . gaspar was suffering from a bone disease contracted before arriving at the downtown atlanta aquarium and was euthanized in january 2007 . another beluga whale , marina , died 11 months later from complications of old age . beluga whales or white whales , whose name is derived from a russian word meaning white , typically live in arctic and sub-arctic regions including canada , russia , greenland and the u.s. state of alaska . they can live up to 35 years . the belugas are not the only high-profile deaths at the georgia aquarium , which opened in late 2005 . a pair of whale sharks have also died at the eight-million-gallon facility , the only one outside asia to display the giant fish . cnn 's dave alsup contributed to this report .","the georgia aquarium is undergoing renovations , which is why nico was moved" +"nico atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- a third beluga whale belonging to the world 's largest aquarium has died , the georgia aquarium announced late monday . the exact cause of nico 's sudden death on saturday is inconclusive from the initial necropsy or animal autopsy . the georgia aquarium hopes to find out more information in the months ahead from a more detailed necropsy . as we work with and care for the many animals at the georgia aquarium , we become attached emotionally , ' said dr. gregory d. bossart , chief veterinary officer at the aquarium . the loss is not unlike that of faithful dog or special horse that has been a part your life for years . ' nico died at sea world in san antonio , where he and two other beluga whales had been moved temporarily while the georgia aquarium is undergoing renovation . nico was scheduled to return home to atlanta next month with companions maris and natasha . nico arrived in atlanta with gaspar , two whales obtained from a park in mexico . both animals suffered significant health issues ' from their times in a foreign park and were essentially living on borrowed time , ' said bossart , who had been caring for the two whales as far as nine years ago , while they were still in mexico . we rescued nico knowing that he had health issues due to his prior home , but we were confident that we could provide a better quality of life for his final years , ' bossart said . gaspar was suffering from a bone disease contracted before arriving at the downtown atlanta aquarium and was euthanized in january 2007 . another beluga whale , marina , died 11 months later from complications of old age . beluga whales or white whales , whose name is derived from a russian word meaning white , typically live in arctic and sub-arctic regions including canada , russia , greenland and the u.s. state of alaska . they can live up to 35 years . the belugas are not the only high-profile deaths at the georgia aquarium , which opened in late 2005 . a pair of whale sharks have also died at the eight-million-gallon facility , the only one outside asia to display the giant fish . cnn 's dave alsup contributed to this report .","nico died at sea world in san antonio , where he was kept temporarily" +"united nations as many of the devastating stories and photos of typhoon-wrecked philippines show , one of the most pressing problems of the philippines crisis is the lack of toilets and the collapse of water systems . tacloban is currently facing a desperate lack of sustainable sanitation . unicef , among other organizations , has delivered portable toilets and hygiene supplies to tacloban and is appealing for $ 34 million to help the four million children affected by typhoon haiyan , the estimated amount for six months of assistance . the lack of sustainable sanitation that the tacloban region is suddenly facing is part of daily life for an astonishingly high percentage of the world 's population . to throw a spotlight on the issue , the united nations general assembly declared this year would kick off the inaugural world toilet day on november 19 . we must break the taboos and make sanitation for all a global development priority , ' said un secretary-general ban ki-moon in an official statement in singapore last july . some sobering facts about the world 's lack of toilets , according to the united nations : due to the unglamorous nature of the subject matter , toilets tend to take the back seat when it comes to awareness and fundraising . we aim to make these hugely important issues relevant and sexy , ' says garvey chui , the asia representative for toilet hackers , a nonprofit organization trying to give access to dignified sanitation ' to those without . for many westernized travelers -- particularly for many women travelers , no matter how well-seasoned -- sanitation and access to clean toilets becomes a serious consideration when traveling , ' says chui . but for those without access to safe , clean and private toilets and sanitation , it is more than an inconvenience , it can be life or death , ' says the toilet hackers rep. ' one very dangerous time for a woman in a developing country , and one of the main times she may get sexually assaulted , is when she is going to the washroom . when there is no toilet to go to , she is vulnerable and exposed when she is going outdoors or in a public space , often late at night and away from people . ' from the two-story toilet-shaped toilet museum ( the former home of a toilet-obsessed congressman and mayor in south korea ) to weird and wacky toilet-themed restaurants ( yes , restaurants ) from london to beiing , check out our gallery for where to celebrate world toilet day .","november 19 , 2013 has been designated first world toilet day by united nations" +"jana novotna ( cnn ) -- petra kvitova stunned maria sharapova in straight sets 6-3 6-4 to claim the wimbledon women 's singles title saturday . the 21-year-old had gone into the final as the underdog against three-time grand slam champion sharapova , but belied that status with a high-class display on centre court . she is the third czech woman , after martina navratilova and jana novotna , to claim the wimbledon singles crown . both were in the royal box to witness her triumph and kvitova paid them both a compliment as she savored her victory . it 's hard to find some words , to see the great players in the royal box , ' said kvitova , the first left-hander since navratilova in 1990 to win the title . it 's very nice when they 're watching me all the time and supporting me , it 's great . ' russia 's sharapova was bidding to repeat her success as 17-year-old in 2004 , but despite breaking kvitova in her very first service game was largely second-best against an opponent hitting with pace and accuracy . eighth seed kvitova , beaten in the semifinals by eventual winner serena williams last year , responded with two breaks of sharapova 's service to take the first set in 40 minutes . she immediately broke sharapova at the start of the second set and appeared to be in control , but the fifth seed retrieved it to level at two games all . sharapova looked to gain momentum but she surrendered her service again only to show great resilience to break back again . but it was her last glimpse of glory as kvitova broke again for 4-3 to close on her maiden grand slam title . serving for the championship at 5-4 , kvitova carved out three match points and clinched it with an ace , sinking to the turf in triumph . but in contrast , it was a bitter disappointment for sharapova , who has battled back to the top of the game after serious shoulder surgery . it 's great to be back at this stage and holding the runner-up plate -- but i wanted the big one today , ' said sharapova . but it 's something i want to be back for and holding again one day . ' defending champion rafael nadal and new world no.1 novak djokovic contest the men 's singles final sunday .","first player from czech republic to win wimbledon singles title since jana novotna in 1998" +"north korea the first time the south korean factory owner watched his north korean employees nibble on a choco pie , they appeared shocked -- even overwhelmed . he summed up their reaction to the south korean snack in one word : ecstasy . ' much like what twinkies are to americans , south korea 's choco pies -- two disc-shaped , chocolate-covered cakes , sandwiching a rubbery layer of marshmallow cream -- are ubiquitous , cost less than 50 cents and are full of empty calories . but on the other side of the korean border , the snacks are viewed as exotic , highly prized treats , selling on north korea 's black markets for as much as $ 10 , according to analysts . their rising popularity in the north reveals an unexpected common ground between the two koreas , despite their fractious relationship -- a shared sweet tooth . this month , an art exhibition called the choco pie-ization of north korea ' opened in new york , exploring the symbolism of the treat . the high value in north korea of the choco pie , something considered so widespread and mundane in south korea , is a sad tragic story , ' said the artist , jin jo chae . chae smeared melted chocolate across the north korean newspaper rodung sinmun , staining the state-run propaganda with something sweet . she used the chocolate to make a symbol of choco pie , written in the lettering style of coca cola . her exhibit , displayed at julie meneret contemporary art gallery , also contains piles of choco pies as well as a gold-plated one . through this choco pie , i found the potential from chocolate as an object that changes a society , ' chae said . the choco pie represents something more than just a treat . subversive choco and coke ? despite perceptions of north koreans as brainwashed , insulated masses , the hunger and desire for choco pie shows that complete quarantine is impossible , ' wrote richard lloyd parry in london review of books . lloyd wrote that it reveals a susceptibility to outside influence in a society commonly regarded as impenetrable . ' the crumbly mass of chocolate and marshmallow had taken on a subversive aspect . indeed , chae , the artist behind the exhibit , says , the choco pie has a power in how it works as a mind changing tool between south and north . ' the south korean factory owner , who introduced his north korean workers to choco pies , washed down with a coca cola , said the products seemed to leave an impression on his staff . it was clear that the workers had gotten at least some idea of capitalism and that it was n't all bad , ' he told cnn . they had only associated the united states with evil , and the fact that they could love something that the u.s. had produced -- specifically coca cola -- was an eye-opener . ' choco trade the factory owner , who did not wish to be named , operated his business for seven years at the kaesong industrial complex , one of the key symbols of cooperation between north and south korea , and the site through which choco pies trickled into north korea . at the complex , more than 100 south korean factory owners employ about 50,000 north korean laborers to manufacture products like clothing and shoes . kaesong , considered to be an important source of hard currency for north korean leader kim jong un 's regime , sits just a few kilometers north of the demilitarized zone , which divides the two koreas . it re-opened in september after a five-month hiatus . it 's really the only one place where north koreans and south koreans come in regular contact together , ' said stephen noerper , senior vice president of the korea society , in new york . while workers at kaesong brought their own rice , the south korean factory owners provided them with soup and snacks , said the factory owner who spoke to cnn . the snacks were necessary because the workers were walking to work often for hours , because there were no buses and they became very hungry as they were working , ' he said . choco pie and coca cola were the standard snacks with other south korean managers at kaesong . they provided two choco pies a day , because otherwise , ( the workers ) would not have energy to sustain themselves at work , ' he said . but he and fellow south korean managers also noticed a conspicuous lack of choco pie wrappers at the factory . it became clear that the workers were hiding them and taking them home to give them to their children , ' he said . choco 's value the snacks spread to north korea 's informal markets , valued in the marketplace as about $ 10 in purchasing power , and holding something of a sweet spot for north koreans , said noerper . it 's sentimental role , ' noerper said . it 's given by south koreans . it 's a south korean product . ' the choco pies have even been sent in balloon launches to north korea by some advocacy groups . but park sang hak , a prominent north korean defector who regularly sends leaflets and supplies from south korea , said the choco pies are not ideal for the balloons , because they weigh too much and crumble . park says he prefers to send u.s. $ 1 bills , vitamins and information through usb drives . choco replaced at kaesong , the south korean factory owners eventually switched from choco pies to cup noodles -- in order to provide a more substantial snack , ' the former factory owner told cnn . the change , he said , was well-received . one of the most surprising things he remembered from his years at the factory was how north korean workers were mystified by everyday items . the workers had no idea how to use a western-style toilet , and had never seen toilet paper before , he said . he has since pulled out of kaesong . through all the stories about noise and misinformation about north korea , perhaps the choco pie is a reminder of an aspect missing in the narratives about the country , said noerper . we lose sight of the fact there 's a common human experience . we need to realize north koreans are regular human beings -- that 99 % of north koreans just desire a better life . ' they want a choco pie at the end of the day . '","popularity of snack in north korea shows how it could penetrate that country 's society" +"frank williams ( cnn ) -- for over half a century , formula one has been a man 's game . but maybe no more as the sport 's glass ceiling suffered a further fracture on wednesday . monisha kaltenborn became the sport 's first female team principal when she was handed the reins at sauber in october and now williams has followed suit after appointing claire williams to a similar key role . the daughter of team founder frank williams , the 36-year-old will work alongside her father as deputy team principal . the british team is the only constructor which currently employs a female driver with susie wolff testing for the marque . i 'm truly honored to be taking on the role of deputy team principal and look forward to working alongside frank to help run the team this season and beyond , ' claire told williams'official website . i have grown up in the sport and have learned the ropes from one of formula one 's legendary team principals and as a result i feel well equipped for this new challenge . i understand the commitment that every person within the team gives each day to see our car out on the track and i am determined to see us back at the top . ' williams are one of the most successful teams in f1 history , winning nine constructors'championships and seven drivers'titles since making their debut at the 1978 argentine grand prix . but in recent times the team has floundered , although venezuelan driver pastor maldonado did pick up williams'first race win since 2004 at last year 's spanish grand prix . frank williams , who is tetraplegic and has been confined to a wheelchair since a car accident in 1986 , is confident the future of the team is in safe hands . over the past decade claire has worked tirelessly for williams , ' said the 70-year-old . her knowledge of the sport and passion for the team is unquestionable and i 'm proud to say that during her time here she has proven herself to be one of our most valuable assets . with claire being appointed deputy team principal , i know the future of williams is in extremely safe hands . this appointment also had ginny 's blessing who i know would have been incredibly proud to have seen claire taking on this position by my side , ' added williams , referring to his wife virginia , who died earlier this month of cancer . williams'driver pairing of maldonado and rookie valtteri bottas will both be on the grid for the chinese grand prix on april 14 .","claire will be working beneath her father and team principal frank williams" +"democratic ( cnn ) -- the republican senate primary in mississippi had long been in the spotlight over nasty politics , but events just prior , during and now after the vote have placed the race in its own unusual category . thad cochran and state sen. chris mcdaniel squared off months ago in what was viewed as a potential bellwether between the larger fight taking place nationally between the arch conservative tea party and establishment republicans . it was cast as youth and fresh ideas against veteran incumbency and politics as usual . spending was up , ads were intense , and the vote was expected to be close . the general election was considered pro forma in the reliably republican state . this primary would decide who would go to washington . but late in the game , things took a bizarre turn and have gotten more complicated since the june 3 primary resulted in a runoff , which cochran won three weeks later . here are the five most unusual moments : 1 . dirty tricks : in may , three tea party supporters and apparent allies of mcdaniel were arrested for conspiring to photograph cochran 's bedridden wife in a hospice in an apparent case of political dirty tricks . rose cochran suffers from dementia and has lived in a nursing home for 14 years . the photo of her surfaced in a political attack ad on youtube that aimed to smear cochran , the mississippi clarion-ledger reported . mcdaniel 's campaign denied any connection to the matter . then , after the runoff , one of those charged with conspiracy in the photo scandal , mark mayfield , died in an apparent suicide at his home . it remains under investigation . 2 . crying foul : separated by less than 1,500 votes following the primary with mcdaniel ahead , the two then turned their attention to a runoff won by cochran with a narrow , but more comfortable margin of nearly 7,000 votes . mcdaniel has cried foul and wo n't concede . he furiously contends nearly 5,000 votes should be discounted due to alleged fraud after cochran and his allies courted african-americans and other traditional democrats to push him over the finish line in the crossover tally . mcdaniel camp gathers evidence as it prepares legal challenge and they 're still counting . mcdaniel 's campaign and its tea party supporters are making the rounds of all 82 counties to look into voting records and still have a dozen stops to make . 3 . $ 1,000 reward : on thursday , mcdaniel 's campaign announced $ 1,000 rewards for evidence of voter fraud . but there 's a catch , evidence must lead to the arrest and conviction ' of those involved in any fraud and will be awarded to up to 15 instances . mcdaniel 's campaign is fundraising for its legal fund , which will underwrite the bounty . two allegations may shed some light as to why mcdaniel called the runoff a sham ' in a recent email to supporters . steve fielder , a pastor in mississippi , alleged the cochran campaign was offering $ 15 for voters to support cochran at the polls . fielder made the claims in a paid interview with an independent filmmaker . another allegation comes from a more official source : the election coordinator for hinds county democratic party official . claude mcinnis , alleged that the chairman of the county 's republican party worked with mcinnis to allow voters who had voted for a democrat in the primary to cast a ballot in the runoff -- which is illegal . mcinnis told breitbart news that he 'd guess ' about 3,000 votes in hinds county should be obviated . 4 . call-in crashers : critics of cochran 's election strategy crashed a call with reporters on tuesday . charles johnson , a political blogger critical of cochran 's campaign , apparently obtained and subsequently tweeted out the call 's dial-in code to his nearly 6,000 followers . cacophony ensued when at least one caller repeatedly interrupted campaign spokesman austin barbour with a question : ' since black people harvested cotton , why is it ok to harvest their votes ? why is it ok to harvest the votes of black people ? ' the caller said . barbour offered to answer the anonymous caller 's questions along with reporters'inquiries at the end of the call , but the call hijacker persisted . just hours before , barbour slammed the mcdaniel campaign during a press conference , urging his opponents to put up or shut up ' with their accusations of voter fraud . 5 . lawsuit : true the vote , a conservative election watchdog , filed a lawsuit tuesday in federal court against the mississippi secretary of state and the state 's republican party calling for full , unrestricted access to voting records . the state gop chairman , joe nosef , said in a statement that true the vote 's lawsuit is based on a misunderstanding of both mississippi law ' and the state party 's role in the election . logan churchwell , true the vote 's spokesman , said the lawsuit is filed the way it is ' and the group has no plans to remove the mississippi gop from the receiving end of the suit . churchwell said the state party was included because of the shared responsibility ' between state officials and the state 's republican party . we 're not singling them out , ' churchwell said .","allegations of $ 15 vote-buying , thousands of illegitimate democratic votes in a single county" +"aussie ( cnn ) -- former champion angel cabrera and america 's brandt snedeker are tied for the lead after the third round of the masters at augusta national golf club . the 2009 champion from argentina and snedeker , who tied for third at augusta in 2008 , both shot three-under par rounds of 69 to finish on seven under par , one shot ahead of australia 's adam scott , who also shot 69 on saturday . after a steady 16 holes , overnight leader jason day finished with two bogeys to slip back into a tie for fourth alongside another australian marc leishman ( 72 ) with america 's matt kuchar one shot further back after posting a 69 earlier in the day . despite not having a spectacular day on the course , tiger woods still managed to grab the majority of the headlines . the world no.1 finished on three-under par , four shots off the lead , but began his day not knowing whether he 'd be competing at all over the weekend following a rule violation at the par five 15th during friday 's second round . speculation mounted on saturday morning that woods might be disqualified for taking a drop in the wrong place after his ball had ricocheted off the flagstick on 15th green and back into the water hazard at the front . but having sought an explanation from woods , the augusta national rules committee , who described him as very forthright ' and honest , ' concluded that the four-time masters champion should incur a two-stroke penalty . woods ended up shooting a round of 70 and was n't firing on all cylinders but is now well placed to mount a challenge in sunday 's final round . i hit it all right today . i missed a few putts here and there . i had a few opportunities to shoot a lower score but the finish was huge - the last three saves certainly kept me in the ball game , ' woods said . woods is tied for seventh place with south africa 's tim clark whose five-under par round of 67 was the best of the day . america 's jim furyk , ricky fowler and steve stricker are currently tied for ninth at two-under par alongside england 's lee westwood and two-time champion , germany 's bernhard langer . china 's teenage star guan tianlang battled his way to five-over par 77 to leave the 14-year-old amateur nine-over par for the tournament . guan 's third round was two strokes better than rory mcilroy , who played his way out of contention with a disastrous round of 79 . the northern irishman 's round fell apart at the 11th where his approach found the water . he walked off having carded a triple-bogey seven . his ball also found water at the 15th which contributed two more dropped shots before bogeying the 16th to leave mcilroy five over for the tournament . defending champion bubba watson posted a two-under par round of 70 -- his best round of the week -- to leave him in a tie for 28th on two-over par .","overnight leader , jason day tied for fourth with fellow aussie marc leishman" +"army ( cnn ) -- army sgt . bowe bergdahl is just about done ' with the final phase of his reintegration , a military source with access to information on bergdahl 's care told cnn . he is expected to be assigned shortly to a new army unit , the official said . any issue of leave would be up to that unit . bergdahl , the u.s. soldier held captive for five years by militants before his release in may , has ventured several times off an army base in texas as part of the effort to get him used to everyday life in america , a military spokeswoman has said . his release on may 31 in exchange for five taliban being held by the u.s. military has rankled some , including former members of his unit , who said he was a deserter who endangered colleagues searching for him . yet while investigating circumstances surrounding his departure , the military has also said it 's focused on making sure bergdahl gets better mentally and physically , so he can gradually readjust to normal life . since being freed , bergdahl has been carefully monitored at a military hospital in landstuhl , germany , and at his military home since june 13 , joint base san antonio-fort sam houston . he recently transitioned from inpatient care at brooke army medical center in texas to outpatient care , the army said on june 22 . still , bergdahl has hardly left the care of military health professionals . members of his reintegration team escort him whenever he leaves base and interacts with the public , the army spokeswoman said . his stops have included restaurants , a library , a supermarket and several stores of his choosing . bergdahl went missing on june 30 , 2009 , in afghanistan 's paktika province , where he was deployed with the 1st battalion , 501st infantry regiment , 4th brigade combat team , 25th infantry division . an army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance concluded he left his outpost deliberately and of his own free will , according to an official who was briefed on the report . but there was no definitive conclusion bergdahl was a deserter because that would require knowing his intent , something officials could n't learn without talking to him , a u.s. military official has said . how did six die after bergdahl 's disappearance ? who was swapped for bergdahl ? army general to start investigating how , why bergdahl left base","bowe bergdahl is expected to be assigned shortly to a new army unit" +"bergdahl ( cnn ) -- army sgt . bowe bergdahl is just about done ' with the final phase of his reintegration , a military source with access to information on bergdahl 's care told cnn . he is expected to be assigned shortly to a new army unit , the official said . any issue of leave would be up to that unit . bergdahl , the u.s. soldier held captive for five years by militants before his release in may , has ventured several times off an army base in texas as part of the effort to get him used to everyday life in america , a military spokeswoman has said . his release on may 31 in exchange for five taliban being held by the u.s. military has rankled some , including former members of his unit , who said he was a deserter who endangered colleagues searching for him . yet while investigating circumstances surrounding his departure , the military has also said it 's focused on making sure bergdahl gets better mentally and physically , so he can gradually readjust to normal life . since being freed , bergdahl has been carefully monitored at a military hospital in landstuhl , germany , and at his military home since june 13 , joint base san antonio-fort sam houston . he recently transitioned from inpatient care at brooke army medical center in texas to outpatient care , the army said on june 22 . still , bergdahl has hardly left the care of military health professionals . members of his reintegration team escort him whenever he leaves base and interacts with the public , the army spokeswoman said . his stops have included restaurants , a library , a supermarket and several stores of his choosing . bergdahl went missing on june 30 , 2009 , in afghanistan 's paktika province , where he was deployed with the 1st battalion , 501st infantry regiment , 4th brigade combat team , 25th infantry division . an army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance concluded he left his outpost deliberately and of his own free will , according to an official who was briefed on the report . but there was no definitive conclusion bergdahl was a deserter because that would require knowing his intent , something officials could n't learn without talking to him , a u.s. military official has said . how did six die after bergdahl 's disappearance ? who was swapped for bergdahl ? army general to start investigating how , why bergdahl left base","bowe bergdahl is expected to be assigned shortly to a new army unit" +"bergdahl ( cnn ) -- army sgt . bowe bergdahl is just about done ' with the final phase of his reintegration , a military source with access to information on bergdahl 's care told cnn . he is expected to be assigned shortly to a new army unit , the official said . any issue of leave would be up to that unit . bergdahl , the u.s. soldier held captive for five years by militants before his release in may , has ventured several times off an army base in texas as part of the effort to get him used to everyday life in america , a military spokeswoman has said . his release on may 31 in exchange for five taliban being held by the u.s. military has rankled some , including former members of his unit , who said he was a deserter who endangered colleagues searching for him . yet while investigating circumstances surrounding his departure , the military has also said it 's focused on making sure bergdahl gets better mentally and physically , so he can gradually readjust to normal life . since being freed , bergdahl has been carefully monitored at a military hospital in landstuhl , germany , and at his military home since june 13 , joint base san antonio-fort sam houston . he recently transitioned from inpatient care at brooke army medical center in texas to outpatient care , the army said on june 22 . still , bergdahl has hardly left the care of military health professionals . members of his reintegration team escort him whenever he leaves base and interacts with the public , the army spokeswoman said . his stops have included restaurants , a library , a supermarket and several stores of his choosing . bergdahl went missing on june 30 , 2009 , in afghanistan 's paktika province , where he was deployed with the 1st battalion , 501st infantry regiment , 4th brigade combat team , 25th infantry division . an army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance concluded he left his outpost deliberately and of his own free will , according to an official who was briefed on the report . but there was no definitive conclusion bergdahl was a deserter because that would require knowing his intent , something officials could n't learn without talking to him , a u.s. military official has said . how did six die after bergdahl 's disappearance ? who was swapped for bergdahl ? army general to start investigating how , why bergdahl left base","bergdahl was released in exchange for five taliban being held by the u.s ." +"rolex ( cnn ) -- at least five thieves armed with hammers stormed a jewelry store in memphis , tennessee , sending mall shoppers and employees scurrying as they stole dozens of rolex watches , police said . the culprits targeted reeds jewelers in wolfchase galleria around 7:30 p.m. ( 8:30 p.m . et ) saturday , memphis police spokeswoman sgt . alyssa macon-moore said . employees ran to the back of the store as the thieves stuffed about 65 rolex watches into pillowcases , macon-moore said . each watch is worth about $ 11,000 . the case is being investigated as a theft , not a robbery , because the thieves did not interact directly with any employees . previously , police said the assailants were armed with sledgehammers and guns , based on witness accounts . but officers reviewed surveillance video and saw only hammers . others in the mall also reported the sound of gunfire , but police determined it was the sound of display cases being broken , macon-moore said . police received numerous calls from people hiding in the mall , which was temporarily locked down . the thieves fled and remain at large . no one was injured in the incident . luxury watch heist in paris notable diamond heists","the thieves stole about $ 715,000 worth of rolex watches , police say" +"europa league ( cnn ) -- manchester city crashed out of european competition following a 1-0 defeat at borussia dortmund . julian schieber scored the only goal of the game to claim victory for the germans and kill off any hopes city had of reaching the europa league . city has endured a dismal champions league campaign and knew its hopes of reaching the last-16 had already faded before the trip to dortmund . but it had hoped to at least pick up the consolation of making it through to the europa league , especially with ajax facing real madrid at the bernabeu . english premier league 's hidden costs revealed but that dream was left shattered as the english premier league champions were given a reality check . boss roberto mancini will now look ahead to sunday 's manchester derby after his team became the first from england to not win a single group game in the competition . we lost our qualification tonight , ' he told reporters . we lost it before tonight , we tried ( to qualify ) but we 're missing more players . we had the chance to score but if in these moments you do n't score it 's difficult to win . we are not in the europa league , and for this we should be disappointed . ' elsewhere in group d , kaka scored the 28th champions league goal of his career to become the all-time leading brazilian goalscorer in the competition . the real madrid star was on target during his side 's 4-1 win over ajax with cristiano ronaldo and a brace from jose callejon completing the rout . kaka 's strike takes him past former barcelona star rivaldo , who had led the way with 27 goals to his name . messi and ronaldo battle for ballon d'or ronaldo 's effort was his 61st goal of 2012 , one more than last year , and his seventh against ajax in the champions league . the win means real qualify in second place behind borussia dortmund . in group a , paris saint-germain claimed a 2-1 victory and top spot against porto with both teams already having qualified for the next stage . thiago silva and ezequiel lavezzi were on target for the home side with jackson martinez netting for porto , which finishes second in the group . dynamo kiev was forced to play through a snow storm during its 1-1 draw at dinamo zagreb . both teams were led off the field with just 11 minutes on the clock as a blizzard forced the game to be halted . after a 17 minute delay , it was kiev which looked like emerging victorious thanks to andriy yarmolenko 's strike on the stroke of halftime . but a 90th minute penalty by ivan krstanović , dinamo 's first goal of the competition , rescued a point for his side . fans cemetery : from the cradle to the grave service provided by schalke schalke topped group b following a hard-fought 1-1 draw at montpellier . the german side took a 56th minute lead through benedikt höwedes only for emanuel herrera to grab an equalizer . olympiakos will play in the europa league following its 2-1 win against an arsenal side , which had already qualified for the last-16 . the visitors had taken the lead through tomas rosicky but goals from giannis maniatis and kostas mitroglou gave the greek side victory . mexes wonder goal lifts milan into knockout stages in group c , zenit st.petersburg pulled off a shock 1-0 win at ac milan . captain danny scored the only goal of the game after 35 minutes to ensure the russian side 's place in the europa league . milan finish second in the group , four points behind winners malaga . the la liga club , which was held 2-2 by anderlecht , became the first side from spain to start a champions league game with just one spanish player . duda scored both goals for malaga with anderlecht 's strikes coming from milan jovanovic and dieumerci mbokani .","zenit records shock 1-0 win at ac milan to secure europa league berth" +"europa league ( cnn ) -- manchester city crashed out of european competition following a 1-0 defeat at borussia dortmund . julian schieber scored the only goal of the game to claim victory for the germans and kill off any hopes city had of reaching the europa league . city has endured a dismal champions league campaign and knew its hopes of reaching the last-16 had already faded before the trip to dortmund . but it had hoped to at least pick up the consolation of making it through to the europa league , especially with ajax facing real madrid at the bernabeu . english premier league 's hidden costs revealed but that dream was left shattered as the english premier league champions were given a reality check . boss roberto mancini will now look ahead to sunday 's manchester derby after his team became the first from england to not win a single group game in the competition . we lost our qualification tonight , ' he told reporters . we lost it before tonight , we tried ( to qualify ) but we 're missing more players . we had the chance to score but if in these moments you do n't score it 's difficult to win . we are not in the europa league , and for this we should be disappointed . ' elsewhere in group d , kaka scored the 28th champions league goal of his career to become the all-time leading brazilian goalscorer in the competition . the real madrid star was on target during his side 's 4-1 win over ajax with cristiano ronaldo and a brace from jose callejon completing the rout . kaka 's strike takes him past former barcelona star rivaldo , who had led the way with 27 goals to his name . messi and ronaldo battle for ballon d'or ronaldo 's effort was his 61st goal of 2012 , one more than last year , and his seventh against ajax in the champions league . the win means real qualify in second place behind borussia dortmund . in group a , paris saint-germain claimed a 2-1 victory and top spot against porto with both teams already having qualified for the next stage . thiago silva and ezequiel lavezzi were on target for the home side with jackson martinez netting for porto , which finishes second in the group . dynamo kiev was forced to play through a snow storm during its 1-1 draw at dinamo zagreb . both teams were led off the field with just 11 minutes on the clock as a blizzard forced the game to be halted . after a 17 minute delay , it was kiev which looked like emerging victorious thanks to andriy yarmolenko 's strike on the stroke of halftime . but a 90th minute penalty by ivan krstanović , dinamo 's first goal of the competition , rescued a point for his side . fans cemetery : from the cradle to the grave service provided by schalke schalke topped group b following a hard-fought 1-1 draw at montpellier . the german side took a 56th minute lead through benedikt höwedes only for emanuel herrera to grab an equalizer . olympiakos will play in the europa league following its 2-1 win against an arsenal side , which had already qualified for the last-16 . the visitors had taken the lead through tomas rosicky but goals from giannis maniatis and kostas mitroglou gave the greek side victory . mexes wonder goal lifts milan into knockout stages in group c , zenit st.petersburg pulled off a shock 1-0 win at ac milan . captain danny scored the only goal of the game after 35 minutes to ensure the russian side 's place in the europa league . milan finish second in the group , four points behind winners malaga . the la liga club , which was held 2-2 by anderlecht , became the first side from spain to start a champions league game with just one spanish player . duda scored both goals for malaga with anderlecht 's strikes coming from milan jovanovic and dieumerci mbokani .","olympiakos defeats arsenal 2-1 to qualify for europa league" +"game of thrones ( ew.com ) -- game of thrones ' may have broken the internet with sunday 's episode , but it did n't break its ratings record . the rains of castamere ' delivered 5.2 million viewers , down slightly from the show 's all-time high set earlier this season of 5.5 million . ew :'game of thrones'red wedding recap the performance is n't surprising . ew :'game of thrones'- rounding up'the red wedding'reactions the episode aired after the show took a one-week break for memorial day weekend . and even though it was a highly anticipated hour among hardcore fans , most casual viewers had no idea the episode contained a shockingly violent wedding sequence as hbo intentionally did not promote the episode as anything out of the ordinary to help preserve the surprise . expect the ratings to rise for next week 's finale , however , possibly to an all-time high . see the original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","sunday 's game of thrones ' had a shocking ending" +"daily variety los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- longtime entertainment columnist army archerd , who was one of the first writers to reveal that actor rock hudson was being treated for aids , has died at age 87 , according to the industry publication daily variety . army archerd wrote a column for variety for 52 years and was one of the first hosts of entertainment tonight . ' archerd , who began his journalism career at the associated press , wrote a show business column for variety for 52 years , four years of that online . archerd died tuesday at los angeles medical center of a rare form of mesothelioma , a type of lung cancer thought to be the result of his exposure to asbestos in the navy during world war ii . archerd , variety said , had an ongoing role in the academy awards , where he was the official greeter , and interviewed stars on the red carpet . archerd 's biggest scoop came in 1985 when he reported -- despite denials from managers and publicists -- that hudson had aids . it was the first time it was publicly revealed that a hollywood actor had the disease . archerd 's wife of 39 years , selma , told variety , he did n't expose secrets about other people -- he wrote news . he was a loving , quiet person . he was always working -- when we went on vacation , we went to visit movie sets . ' although much of archerd 's work was nonconfrontational , when film director elia kazan was to be given a honorary oscar in 1999 for his work , archerd wrote , i , for one , will not be giving him a standing ovation . ' kazan had provided testimony in 1952 to the house un-american activities committee , admitted past membership in the communist party and named others from his group . army 's finest hour was his courageous stand against the blacklist at a time when almost all other hollywood columnists were red-hunting , ' said peter bart , vice president and editorial director of variety . he really was a passionate reporter and a champion of causes he believed in . ' archerd was the first journalist honored with a star on the hollywood walk of fame and won numerous other awards . he also was one of the first hosts of entertainment tonight . ' archerd was born january 13 , 1922 , in the bronx , new york . he attended city college of new york for two years . when his family moved to los angeles , archerd transferred to ucla and , after graduation in 1941 , he began work in the mailroom at paramount studios . after serving in the navy , archerd met ap reporter bob thomas , who introduced him to bureau chief hubbard keavy . thomas and archerd opened the ap bureau in the hollywood citizen news on wilcox avenue in 1945 . in 1953 , daily variety editor joe schoenfeld hired archerd to replace columnist sheilah graham . archerd began penning the daily just for variety ' column . his 900-word column ran on page 2 of daily variety five days a week until the 1990s , when it went to four days a week . archerd often used his power to support his favorite causes , including the simon wiesenthal center and holocaust awareness . when michael jackson 's'history'album was released in 1995 , archerd chastised jackson for a song in which he used the phrases'jew me/sue me'and'kike me ,' variety said . a few days later , jackson called the columnist to disclose that he would re-record the song . ' archerd was president and founder of the hollywood press club and received honors from that group and the hollywood foreign press association , as well as newsman of the year from the publicists association . archerd is survived by his wife , selma ; his son , evan ; and stepsons richard and james rosenblum . a daughter , amanda , died in 2008 .","he began writing for daily variety in 1953" +"spain ( cnn ) -- could england be the team which comes from nowhere to win the european championship finals in 2016 ? no , probably not . but this 2-0 win over switzerland should not be scoffed at , especially by those who would have considered england escaping unscathed with a giant bar of toblerone as an achievement in itself . chocolate aside , this result will be far more palatable for those who have endured a difficult time following roy hodgson 's side . england has not had much to smile about in recent months but perhaps it will allow itself time to enjoy a rare moment of success . the world cup was an unmitigated disaster as england failed to qualify from the group stage for the first time since 1950 . beaten by italy and uruguay , it returned home following a goalless draw with costa rica and faced a barrage of criticism . as is always the case with england , a period of national introspection followed where every single facet of the game was questioned from the grassroots coaching to the number of english players being able to ply their trade in the premier league . for hodgson , the man charged with transforming england 's fortunes , this success will at least give him some breathing space . danny welbeck , who recently signed for arsenal after completing a move from manchester united , scored both goals as england produced an encouraging performance . hodgson , who has been under pressure ever since the world cup failure , even managed a smile -- no mean feat given the level of criticism he has endured in recent weeks . i thought the way we approached the game from the first minute was exactly what we wanted and we got our reward , ' hodgson told itv . we pressurized the ball well , but you need that first goal to get people to come out and attack you . from then i thought we looked dangerous and we had several chances to aggravate the scoreline before danny welbeck 's second . i think we can improve on how we see out the game , but you have to expect that some players will show a little naivety in that area . ' both goals came as a result of counter attacks with welbeck finishing off raheem sterling 's cross on 58 minutes after england had caught switzerland short in defense . the second owed much to welbeck 's pace and power as he held off his opponent before firing the ball into the corner . wayne rooney , the new england captain , said the pace of england 's front three was key to his side 's success . we defended well as a team and took our chances , catching them on the break with the speed we had been hoping to show , ' rooney told itv . i think we knew the game against norway was going to be difficult , but tonight was always going to be more important and we were focusing on that . we have worked on springing from defense to attack which you saw tonight . it was a happy performance from us . ' after making the swiss roll , england face san marino and estonia in its next round of qualifiers in october . spain success elsewhere , spain began the defense of its european title with a 5-1 home victory over macedonia in valencia . sergio ramos opened the scoring from the penalty spot before further goals from paco alcacer , sergio busquets , david silva and pedro sealed the win . this team has a lot of quality and excellent players and it was just a matter of time before we scored , ' valencia 's alcacer told tve . i am very pleased with the match , above all for my competitive debut here at home in valencia , and the goal and victory . ' in kiev , ukraine suffered a 1-0 home defeat by slovakia in with robert mak scoring the only goal of the game for the visitors . in group g , russia benefited from two own goals as it overcame liechtenstein 4-0 in khimki .","spain thrashes macedonia in opening game" +"switzerland ( cnn ) -- could england be the team which comes from nowhere to win the european championship finals in 2016 ? no , probably not . but this 2-0 win over switzerland should not be scoffed at , especially by those who would have considered england escaping unscathed with a giant bar of toblerone as an achievement in itself . chocolate aside , this result will be far more palatable for those who have endured a difficult time following roy hodgson 's side . england has not had much to smile about in recent months but perhaps it will allow itself time to enjoy a rare moment of success . the world cup was an unmitigated disaster as england failed to qualify from the group stage for the first time since 1950 . beaten by italy and uruguay , it returned home following a goalless draw with costa rica and faced a barrage of criticism . as is always the case with england , a period of national introspection followed where every single facet of the game was questioned from the grassroots coaching to the number of english players being able to ply their trade in the premier league . for hodgson , the man charged with transforming england 's fortunes , this success will at least give him some breathing space . danny welbeck , who recently signed for arsenal after completing a move from manchester united , scored both goals as england produced an encouraging performance . hodgson , who has been under pressure ever since the world cup failure , even managed a smile -- no mean feat given the level of criticism he has endured in recent weeks . i thought the way we approached the game from the first minute was exactly what we wanted and we got our reward , ' hodgson told itv . we pressurized the ball well , but you need that first goal to get people to come out and attack you . from then i thought we looked dangerous and we had several chances to aggravate the scoreline before danny welbeck 's second . i think we can improve on how we see out the game , but you have to expect that some players will show a little naivety in that area . ' both goals came as a result of counter attacks with welbeck finishing off raheem sterling 's cross on 58 minutes after england had caught switzerland short in defense . the second owed much to welbeck 's pace and power as he held off his opponent before firing the ball into the corner . wayne rooney , the new england captain , said the pace of england 's front three was key to his side 's success . we defended well as a team and took our chances , catching them on the break with the speed we had been hoping to show , ' rooney told itv . i think we knew the game against norway was going to be difficult , but tonight was always going to be more important and we were focusing on that . we have worked on springing from defense to attack which you saw tonight . it was a happy performance from us . ' after making the swiss roll , england face san marino and estonia in its next round of qualifiers in october . spain success elsewhere , spain began the defense of its european title with a 5-1 home victory over macedonia in valencia . sergio ramos opened the scoring from the penalty spot before further goals from paco alcacer , sergio busquets , david silva and pedro sealed the win . this team has a lot of quality and excellent players and it was just a matter of time before we scored , ' valencia 's alcacer told tve . i am very pleased with the match , above all for my competitive debut here at home in valencia , and the goal and victory . ' in kiev , ukraine suffered a 1-0 home defeat by slovakia in with robert mak scoring the only goal of the game for the visitors . in group g , russia benefited from two own goals as it overcame liechtenstein 4-0 in khimki .","england edges past switzerland in european championship qualifier" +"greenpeace ( cnn ) -- the captain of a greenpeace icebreaker carrying 30 activists protesting arctic drilling has declined a demand made at gunpoint by russian authorities to sail it toward the russian port city of murmansk , a greenpeace spokeswoman said friday . captain pete has refused to sail the ship , so they 're towing it , ' molly dorozenski told cnn in a reference to pete willcox , captain of the arctic sunrise . late thursday , about 15 members of the russian coast guard seized the ship and those aboard by sliding down a rope hanging from a hovering helicopter . the guards , armed with handguns and rifles , took the activists to the ship 's canteen and broke down the door to the communications room , smashing the equipment , said ben stewart , head of media for the group . the captives were told they were going to be taken to murmansk , in northwest russia , he said . the group documented the incident in tweets : ' russian authorities onboard with guns , ' said one . they are breaking into the comms room now . ' another one said this : latest from the deck : crew are sitting on their knees on the helipad with guns pointed at them . ' and yet another : this is pretty terrifying . loud banging . screaming in russian . they 're still trying to kick in the door . ' more than 12 hours later , greenpeace international reported that its communication with those aboard the ship had been cut off . but it also reported that some activists were able to conduct interviews by satellite phone from the ship 's mess , where they were being held . greenpeace international has not received any formal confirmation of possible charges , and the activists have been denied access to legal or consular assistance , ' it said in a statement . over 20 greenpeace offices are organizing protests at russian embassies around the world today . ' they have done nothing to warrant this level of aggression and have been entirely peaceful throughout , ' said ben ayliffe , the head of greenpeace international 's arctic oil campaign . the real threat to the russian arctic comes not from the crew of the arctic sunrise but from gazprom , one of the most reckless oil companies in the world today , ' he said . willcox , who grew up in south norwalk , connecticut , is the son of a yachtsman and has been a skipper for greenpeace since 1981 , according to a posting on the greenpeace website . he was at the helm of the group 's rainbow warrior in 1985 , when it was bombed , dorozenski said . so , he 's been around the block a few times . ' a media officer with the border patrol in murmansk said that none of the activists was under arrest and that the ship was being escorted to murmansk , where crew members will be questioned about the possibility that they broke the law related to exclusive economic zones . the dutch have demanded that those aboard , including two dutch nationals , be released immediately , said friso wijnen , a spokesman for consular affairs with the dutch ministry of foreign affairs . dutch officials were in contact with russian embassy staff in holland , and their own embassy staffers in moscow were in contact with russian officials , he said . the other detainees are from argentina , australia , brazil , canada , denmark , the united states , britain , new zealand , ukraine , russia , france , italy , turkey , finland , switzerland , poland and sweden , the group said . the ship was sailing under the dutch flag , ria novosti said . the state-run russian news agency said that moscow had announced it gave a note to the dutch ambassador expressing concern about a protest wednesday in which the activists scaled an oil rig operated by a gazprom subsidiary to call attention to its drilling plans . gazprom is using out of date kit to drill in one of the most extreme environments on the planet , ' the group said in a tweet on september 17 . we ca n't let that happen . ' russian border guards fired warning shots at the environmentalists'ship and detained two activists -- finnish and swiss nationals -- but returned them during thursday 's standoff , ria novosti said . no official comment from the guards was available , it added . the violators'actions were of an aggressive and provocative nature and had the appearance of extremist activity capable of causing human deaths and other grave consequences , ' russia 's foreign ministry said in a statement on its website , according to ria novosti . cnn 's ross levitt , saskya vandoorne and alla eshchenko contributed to this report ."," they 're still trying to kick in the door , ' says a greenpeace tweet that documented the incident" +"greenpeace ( cnn ) -- the captain of a greenpeace icebreaker carrying 30 activists protesting arctic drilling has declined a demand made at gunpoint by russian authorities to sail it toward the russian port city of murmansk , a greenpeace spokeswoman said friday . captain pete has refused to sail the ship , so they 're towing it , ' molly dorozenski told cnn in a reference to pete willcox , captain of the arctic sunrise . late thursday , about 15 members of the russian coast guard seized the ship and those aboard by sliding down a rope hanging from a hovering helicopter . the guards , armed with handguns and rifles , took the activists to the ship 's canteen and broke down the door to the communications room , smashing the equipment , said ben stewart , head of media for the group . the captives were told they were going to be taken to murmansk , in northwest russia , he said . the group documented the incident in tweets : ' russian authorities onboard with guns , ' said one . they are breaking into the comms room now . ' another one said this : latest from the deck : crew are sitting on their knees on the helipad with guns pointed at them . ' and yet another : this is pretty terrifying . loud banging . screaming in russian . they 're still trying to kick in the door . ' more than 12 hours later , greenpeace international reported that its communication with those aboard the ship had been cut off . but it also reported that some activists were able to conduct interviews by satellite phone from the ship 's mess , where they were being held . greenpeace international has not received any formal confirmation of possible charges , and the activists have been denied access to legal or consular assistance , ' it said in a statement . over 20 greenpeace offices are organizing protests at russian embassies around the world today . ' they have done nothing to warrant this level of aggression and have been entirely peaceful throughout , ' said ben ayliffe , the head of greenpeace international 's arctic oil campaign . the real threat to the russian arctic comes not from the crew of the arctic sunrise but from gazprom , one of the most reckless oil companies in the world today , ' he said . willcox , who grew up in south norwalk , connecticut , is the son of a yachtsman and has been a skipper for greenpeace since 1981 , according to a posting on the greenpeace website . he was at the helm of the group 's rainbow warrior in 1985 , when it was bombed , dorozenski said . so , he 's been around the block a few times . ' a media officer with the border patrol in murmansk said that none of the activists was under arrest and that the ship was being escorted to murmansk , where crew members will be questioned about the possibility that they broke the law related to exclusive economic zones . the dutch have demanded that those aboard , including two dutch nationals , be released immediately , said friso wijnen , a spokesman for consular affairs with the dutch ministry of foreign affairs . dutch officials were in contact with russian embassy staff in holland , and their own embassy staffers in moscow were in contact with russian officials , he said . the other detainees are from argentina , australia , brazil , canada , denmark , the united states , britain , new zealand , ukraine , russia , france , italy , turkey , finland , switzerland , poland and sweden , the group said . the ship was sailing under the dutch flag , ria novosti said . the state-run russian news agency said that moscow had announced it gave a note to the dutch ambassador expressing concern about a protest wednesday in which the activists scaled an oil rig operated by a gazprom subsidiary to call attention to its drilling plans . gazprom is using out of date kit to drill in one of the most extreme environments on the planet , ' the group said in a tweet on september 17 . we ca n't let that happen . ' russian border guards fired warning shots at the environmentalists'ship and detained two activists -- finnish and swiss nationals -- but returned them during thursday 's standoff , ria novosti said . no official comment from the guards was available , it added . the violators'actions were of an aggressive and provocative nature and had the appearance of extremist activity capable of causing human deaths and other grave consequences , ' russia 's foreign ministry said in a statement on its website , according to ria novosti . cnn 's ross levitt , saskya vandoorne and alla eshchenko contributed to this report .","thursday 's incident occurred in international waters , a greenpeace spokesman says" +"sol campbell ( cnn ) -- veteran spanish striker raul has completed his move to german club schalke after ending his record-breaking stay at real madrid . the 33-year-old agreed a deal until mid-2012 with the bundesliga runners-up , joining on a free transfer after a trophy-laden 15 seasons at the santiago bernabeu . he had hinted on monday that he might join an english club , having been linked with tottenham among others . it 's great news for fc schalke 04 , ' coach felix magath told the club 's website on wednesday . i 'm delighted we 've been able to inspire such an exceptional footballer and world-class striker to move to the bundesliga and schalke . raul 's qualities will help us move forward . his signing marks a decisive step in our efforts to strengthen and restructure our squad for the tasks ahead , and i look forward to working with such a likeable pro . ' raul bids farewell to real raul is real 's all-time top scorer with 323 goals in 741 competitive appearances , having won three champions league titles and six spanish league crowns after coming through the club 's youth ranks . he is also spain 's record goalscorer with 44 from 102 appearances , though his last outing came in 2006 before his country 's breakthrough triumphs at euro 2008 and the 2010 world cup . the player , whose full name is raul gonzalez blanco , has yet to receive a red card since making his first-team debut for real in october 1994 . guti ends 24-year real madrid career he is the third member of real 's squad to be released since jose mourinho took over as coach , with veteran midfielder guti having joined turkish club besiktas and young defender marcos alonso sold to english side bolton . meanwhile , former england defender sol campbell has joined newly-promoted english premier league side newcastle on a one-year contract following the expiry of his short-term deal at arsenal . the 35-year-old 's new wife is also from the north-east area , where campbell will be reunited with manager chris hughton -- who worked with him as a youth coach when both were at tottenham . arsenal 's denmark striker nicklas bendtner will miss the start of the new season due to a groin problem that troubled him at the world cup . the 22-year-old had surgery on the injury last november , but it has not been successful .","former england defender sol campbell signs one-year deal with promoted newcastle" +"stoke ( cnn ) -- british police are investigating the death of a man who was found unconscious at a soccer match on saturday . a 30-year-old , who has not yet been named , died in hospital in the early hours of sunday morning following stoke city 's premier league match at home to blackburn rovers . he was treated at the britannia stadium for a head injury and cardiac arrest before being taken to the university hospital of north staffordshire , stoke 's web site reported . a 30-year-old man was pronounced dead at 1.55 a.m. this morning , ' staffordshire police said in a statement on sunday . the circumstances are being fully investigated and a 25-year-old man remains in custody and is helping police with their inquiries . ' stoke 's web site reported that the dead man was one of 1,300 blackburn supporters to attend the match , which city won 3-0 . he was found on the concourse of the stadium 's seat stand at about 4 p.m. during the halftime break . this is the tragic loss of a young man . our thoughts and deepest sympathies go to his family , ' stoke 's chief executive tony scholes said . blackburn also released a statement of condolence to the man 's family .","he was found collapsed in a stand at halftime in match between stoke and blackburn" +"stoke ( cnn ) -- british police are investigating the death of a man who was found unconscious at a soccer match on saturday . a 30-year-old , who has not yet been named , died in hospital in the early hours of sunday morning following stoke city 's premier league match at home to blackburn rovers . he was treated at the britannia stadium for a head injury and cardiac arrest before being taken to the university hospital of north staffordshire , stoke 's web site reported . a 30-year-old man was pronounced dead at 1.55 a.m. this morning , ' staffordshire police said in a statement on sunday . the circumstances are being fully investigated and a 25-year-old man remains in custody and is helping police with their inquiries . ' stoke 's web site reported that the dead man was one of 1,300 blackburn supporters to attend the match , which city won 3-0 . he was found on the concourse of the stadium 's seat stand at about 4 p.m. during the halftime break . this is the tragic loss of a young man . our thoughts and deepest sympathies go to his family , ' stoke 's chief executive tony scholes said . blackburn also released a statement of condolence to the man 's family .","stoke report that he was treated at the scene for a head injury and cardiac arrest" +"rwanda ( cnn ) -- when i first arrived in rwanda 's capital in 2012 , i deliberately did not visit the kigali genocide memorial . i was n't sure what to expect , but i did not want that experience to influence how i approached the country and its people . in my mind , rwanda was going to be this country that was still on the brink of economic disaster . it would be very poorly set up , with a bad road system and difficult telecommunications . frankly , i despaired of working with the government , thinking it would be extremely challenging to work with . i remember 1994 well . i was a peace corps volunteer in west africa and the rwandan genocide , right on the heels of nelson mandela 's election in south africa , was big news across the continent . the child-run household i met after the genocide when i was assigned to rwanda 18 years later , my first thought was the genocide -- this is probably true for most people . but when i asked friends and colleagues who had lived there for advice , they spoke highly of the country and her people . i started seeing this as another adventure on this continent that i love , though i had visions of the film hotel rwanda ' resounding in my mind . those preconceptions were quickly dispelled once i got there . when you get to rwanda , you are hit by the incongruity that strikes so many : how could such a horrible thing have happened in such a beautiful country ? the nickname land of a thousand hills is not an exaggeration . rwanda 's countryside is dotted with what appear to be literally a thousand hills that are a mixture of mountains , volcanoes and hillocks . the beauty is reflected in the people : rwandans are incredibly friendly and hospitable . but just as you can not see the other side of a mountain , you can not always tell what is going on behind those eyes . rwandans obey their country 's many rules . i love that , to reduce pollution , plastic bags are forbidden and even taken from you when you arrive at the airport ! for anyone who has spent time in africa , it 's incredible to see people actually wearing helmets on motorcycles , drivers and passengers alike , both in kigali and in the countryside . national pride and a commitment to the idea that rwandans should lead the development of their country are strong . from them came the concept of umuganda , or community service . during the last saturday of each month , citizens do some type of community work in their neighborhood , like picking up garbage or cutting the grass . if they do not show up , they 're fined an amount determined by the neighborhood leader . ( these days the neighborhoods are like anywhere else : some are made up of different tribes and ethnicities and others are homogenous . ) amid the beautiful parks and tea plantations are the somber genocide memorials found in virtually every community . they serve as a daily reminder to never forget the atrocities . at the same time , they allow for personal reflection on mankind 's capacity for both evil and resilience . four months after my arrival , i was ready to see the kigali genocide memorial . i was glad i had waited . you walk alongside slabs of cement : a mass grave where over 250,000 people killed in kigali are buried . at the end of one of the cement tombs is a wall with names , an attempt to identify some of the souls lost during the tragic 100 days of the genocide . you almost weep when you realize they will never identify them all . one room tells the tale of other genocides or cleansing ' events in history around the world , reminding us that the international community has not been diligent about the oft-quoted pledge , never again . ' and in the room dedicated to children who were killed -- you see their names , what they enjoyed doing and who was their best friend -- your heart starts to tear . i was never able to actually read all the remembrances to these children . though i have always considered myself a pretty tough and realistic humanitarian worker , i had never seen anything like this . a single visit ensures that the memorial realizes its purpose -- you will never forget . it 's an experience that makes you wonder how any society can come back together after something that tears so deeply . but i know from what i had seen , and from my organization 's work , that it is possible . many genocide survivors and perpetrators have since been able to seek and grant forgiveness and now live peacefully , side by side . i watched a woman tear up and embrace a man who had killed her family . witnessing these scenes is almost surreal , but deeply moving and humbling . could i ever forgive ? could i ever confess and ask for forgiveness ? looking at rwandans today with a certainty that such an atrocity can never happen again , you wonder how did this ever happen in the first place ? ' when rwandans say never again , ' i believe them . but when i look at the international community , those words do n't have the same meaning . are we really a community in which most of us watched this suffering and death from the sidelines ? it will happen again somewhere else . we 've seen it in history . in march of this year , i was asked to head our program in the central african republic . the lessons from rwanda still echoing in my head , i was compelled to say yes ' to a country being torn apart by intercommunal fighting , just as rwanda had been . my time in rwanda has shown me the limitations of what the international community will do in situations like this , but also taught me lessons and given me hope . just 20 years ago , rwandans went through genocide , but they came back and they came back quickly . i attribute a lot of that to the strong will , the leadership and most importantly , to the resiliency of the rwandan people . peace is possible . reconciliation is possible . i pray that we can realize the same here in central african republic . and we can , with a little influence and a lot of political will .","april 7 marks 20 years since the start of the rwanda genocide" +"rwanda ( cnn ) -- when i first arrived in rwanda 's capital in 2012 , i deliberately did not visit the kigali genocide memorial . i was n't sure what to expect , but i did not want that experience to influence how i approached the country and its people . in my mind , rwanda was going to be this country that was still on the brink of economic disaster . it would be very poorly set up , with a bad road system and difficult telecommunications . frankly , i despaired of working with the government , thinking it would be extremely challenging to work with . i remember 1994 well . i was a peace corps volunteer in west africa and the rwandan genocide , right on the heels of nelson mandela 's election in south africa , was big news across the continent . the child-run household i met after the genocide when i was assigned to rwanda 18 years later , my first thought was the genocide -- this is probably true for most people . but when i asked friends and colleagues who had lived there for advice , they spoke highly of the country and her people . i started seeing this as another adventure on this continent that i love , though i had visions of the film hotel rwanda ' resounding in my mind . those preconceptions were quickly dispelled once i got there . when you get to rwanda , you are hit by the incongruity that strikes so many : how could such a horrible thing have happened in such a beautiful country ? the nickname land of a thousand hills is not an exaggeration . rwanda 's countryside is dotted with what appear to be literally a thousand hills that are a mixture of mountains , volcanoes and hillocks . the beauty is reflected in the people : rwandans are incredibly friendly and hospitable . but just as you can not see the other side of a mountain , you can not always tell what is going on behind those eyes . rwandans obey their country 's many rules . i love that , to reduce pollution , plastic bags are forbidden and even taken from you when you arrive at the airport ! for anyone who has spent time in africa , it 's incredible to see people actually wearing helmets on motorcycles , drivers and passengers alike , both in kigali and in the countryside . national pride and a commitment to the idea that rwandans should lead the development of their country are strong . from them came the concept of umuganda , or community service . during the last saturday of each month , citizens do some type of community work in their neighborhood , like picking up garbage or cutting the grass . if they do not show up , they 're fined an amount determined by the neighborhood leader . ( these days the neighborhoods are like anywhere else : some are made up of different tribes and ethnicities and others are homogenous . ) amid the beautiful parks and tea plantations are the somber genocide memorials found in virtually every community . they serve as a daily reminder to never forget the atrocities . at the same time , they allow for personal reflection on mankind 's capacity for both evil and resilience . four months after my arrival , i was ready to see the kigali genocide memorial . i was glad i had waited . you walk alongside slabs of cement : a mass grave where over 250,000 people killed in kigali are buried . at the end of one of the cement tombs is a wall with names , an attempt to identify some of the souls lost during the tragic 100 days of the genocide . you almost weep when you realize they will never identify them all . one room tells the tale of other genocides or cleansing ' events in history around the world , reminding us that the international community has not been diligent about the oft-quoted pledge , never again . ' and in the room dedicated to children who were killed -- you see their names , what they enjoyed doing and who was their best friend -- your heart starts to tear . i was never able to actually read all the remembrances to these children . though i have always considered myself a pretty tough and realistic humanitarian worker , i had never seen anything like this . a single visit ensures that the memorial realizes its purpose -- you will never forget . it 's an experience that makes you wonder how any society can come back together after something that tears so deeply . but i know from what i had seen , and from my organization 's work , that it is possible . many genocide survivors and perpetrators have since been able to seek and grant forgiveness and now live peacefully , side by side . i watched a woman tear up and embrace a man who had killed her family . witnessing these scenes is almost surreal , but deeply moving and humbling . could i ever forgive ? could i ever confess and ask for forgiveness ? looking at rwandans today with a certainty that such an atrocity can never happen again , you wonder how did this ever happen in the first place ? ' when rwandans say never again , ' i believe them . but when i look at the international community , those words do n't have the same meaning . are we really a community in which most of us watched this suffering and death from the sidelines ? it will happen again somewhere else . we 've seen it in history . in march of this year , i was asked to head our program in the central african republic . the lessons from rwanda still echoing in my head , i was compelled to say yes ' to a country being torn apart by intercommunal fighting , just as rwanda had been . my time in rwanda has shown me the limitations of what the international community will do in situations like this , but also taught me lessons and given me hope . just 20 years ago , rwandans went through genocide , but they came back and they came back quickly . i attribute a lot of that to the strong will , the leadership and most importantly , to the resiliency of the rwandan people . peace is possible . reconciliation is possible . i pray that we can realize the same here in central african republic . and we can , with a little influence and a lot of political will .","when she heard rwanda , she thought of genocide , until she got there" +"rwanda ( cnn ) -- when i first arrived in rwanda 's capital in 2012 , i deliberately did not visit the kigali genocide memorial . i was n't sure what to expect , but i did not want that experience to influence how i approached the country and its people . in my mind , rwanda was going to be this country that was still on the brink of economic disaster . it would be very poorly set up , with a bad road system and difficult telecommunications . frankly , i despaired of working with the government , thinking it would be extremely challenging to work with . i remember 1994 well . i was a peace corps volunteer in west africa and the rwandan genocide , right on the heels of nelson mandela 's election in south africa , was big news across the continent . the child-run household i met after the genocide when i was assigned to rwanda 18 years later , my first thought was the genocide -- this is probably true for most people . but when i asked friends and colleagues who had lived there for advice , they spoke highly of the country and her people . i started seeing this as another adventure on this continent that i love , though i had visions of the film hotel rwanda ' resounding in my mind . those preconceptions were quickly dispelled once i got there . when you get to rwanda , you are hit by the incongruity that strikes so many : how could such a horrible thing have happened in such a beautiful country ? the nickname land of a thousand hills is not an exaggeration . rwanda 's countryside is dotted with what appear to be literally a thousand hills that are a mixture of mountains , volcanoes and hillocks . the beauty is reflected in the people : rwandans are incredibly friendly and hospitable . but just as you can not see the other side of a mountain , you can not always tell what is going on behind those eyes . rwandans obey their country 's many rules . i love that , to reduce pollution , plastic bags are forbidden and even taken from you when you arrive at the airport ! for anyone who has spent time in africa , it 's incredible to see people actually wearing helmets on motorcycles , drivers and passengers alike , both in kigali and in the countryside . national pride and a commitment to the idea that rwandans should lead the development of their country are strong . from them came the concept of umuganda , or community service . during the last saturday of each month , citizens do some type of community work in their neighborhood , like picking up garbage or cutting the grass . if they do not show up , they 're fined an amount determined by the neighborhood leader . ( these days the neighborhoods are like anywhere else : some are made up of different tribes and ethnicities and others are homogenous . ) amid the beautiful parks and tea plantations are the somber genocide memorials found in virtually every community . they serve as a daily reminder to never forget the atrocities . at the same time , they allow for personal reflection on mankind 's capacity for both evil and resilience . four months after my arrival , i was ready to see the kigali genocide memorial . i was glad i had waited . you walk alongside slabs of cement : a mass grave where over 250,000 people killed in kigali are buried . at the end of one of the cement tombs is a wall with names , an attempt to identify some of the souls lost during the tragic 100 days of the genocide . you almost weep when you realize they will never identify them all . one room tells the tale of other genocides or cleansing ' events in history around the world , reminding us that the international community has not been diligent about the oft-quoted pledge , never again . ' and in the room dedicated to children who were killed -- you see their names , what they enjoyed doing and who was their best friend -- your heart starts to tear . i was never able to actually read all the remembrances to these children . though i have always considered myself a pretty tough and realistic humanitarian worker , i had never seen anything like this . a single visit ensures that the memorial realizes its purpose -- you will never forget . it 's an experience that makes you wonder how any society can come back together after something that tears so deeply . but i know from what i had seen , and from my organization 's work , that it is possible . many genocide survivors and perpetrators have since been able to seek and grant forgiveness and now live peacefully , side by side . i watched a woman tear up and embrace a man who had killed her family . witnessing these scenes is almost surreal , but deeply moving and humbling . could i ever forgive ? could i ever confess and ask for forgiveness ? looking at rwandans today with a certainty that such an atrocity can never happen again , you wonder how did this ever happen in the first place ? ' when rwandans say never again , ' i believe them . but when i look at the international community , those words do n't have the same meaning . are we really a community in which most of us watched this suffering and death from the sidelines ? it will happen again somewhere else . we 've seen it in history . in march of this year , i was asked to head our program in the central african republic . the lessons from rwanda still echoing in my head , i was compelled to say yes ' to a country being torn apart by intercommunal fighting , just as rwanda had been . my time in rwanda has shown me the limitations of what the international community will do in situations like this , but also taught me lessons and given me hope . just 20 years ago , rwandans went through genocide , but they came back and they came back quickly . i attribute a lot of that to the strong will , the leadership and most importantly , to the resiliency of the rwandan people . peace is possible . reconciliation is possible . i pray that we can realize the same here in central african republic . and we can , with a little influence and a lot of political will .","leann hager , an aid worker , spent 2012-2014 in rwanda" +"dems ( cnn ) -- as mitt romney prepares to make the case for a first term , give a thought to what we can expect from a barack obama second term . it 's probably going to look a lot like the second terms of george w. bush , bill clinton , ronald reagan , and richard nixon -- driven not by his own agenda , but by events beyond his control . bush 's second term was defined by the after-effects of the iraq decision he made in his first term ; clinton 's by impeachment and the internet boom ; reagan 's by deficits and gorbachev ; nixon 's by watergate . and what will define obama 's ? 1 ) republicans will hold at least one house of congress , maybe two . 2 ) the u.s. economy will continue to mend , as the financial crisis recedes into the past . 3 ) unless forcibly prevented , iran will enrich enough uranium for multiple nuclear weapons sometime before 2017 . 4 ) natural gas production will continue to surge . prediction 1 implies that there will be no bold obama legislative agenda in a second term . the votes just wo n't be there . the second-term obama agenda will have to be executed through agency action and executive order . and he 'll have lots of opportunities via the big laws passed in his first term : the affordable care act , dodd-frank , and so on . critics often talk about how long these laws are . yet however long the enactment , the text of a complex modern statute is only the very roughest guide to its future operation . the crucial operating decisions are made by presidential appointees , supervised by the courts . congress drafts , but the administrators fill in the details - and the details , as the saying goes , are where the devil lurks . a re-elected president obama will have large powers to reshape the health industry and financial services -- not with some dramatic law , but with a thousand undramatic lower-level edicts that cumulatively can redefine a law in ways never imagined by its authors . politics : reggie love -- obama leads like he plays but there is one agreement that the president and congress will have to reach : over future taxes and budgets . the bush tax cuts of 2001 , extended in 2010 , will expire at the end of 2012 . the president has said he would allow those tax cuts to lapse , at least for high income levels . republicans are determined to preserve them . who 'll blink ? on past precedent , you might guess that the president will . but the president knows that people expect him to blink -- which may inspire him to hang much , much tougher . 2 ) recovery comes much more slowly from recessions caused by financial crises , according to the authors of the best study of the subject , carmen reinhart and kenneth rogoff . yet if recovery comes slowly , it does come eventually . by 2015 , the u.s. economy should be reaching normal growth and fuller employment . deficits will begin to shrink ; the country 's present desperate mood will abate . and republicans and democrats will furiously argue over who deserves the credit , as they still argue over who deserves credit for the 1990s boom . we also saw in the 2000s , however , that employment can grow strongly without generating very much in the way of wage increases for most working people . the u.s. economy added almost 2 million jobs in 2004 , more than 2 million in 2005 , about 1.7 million in 2006 , and more than 700,000 in 2007 . yet the median wage as of the end of 2007 still had not caught up to its 2000 peak , adjusting for inflation . in the post-2009 recovery , almost all the income growth has been captured by the most affluent few . president obama may deplore that trend , but he seems to have no very clear idea of how to alter it . 3 ) u.s.-led sanctions and israeli-led sabotage have slowed the iranian nuclear program . few experts expect that these non-belligerent means will work indefinitely . what then ? israel could attack iran . the united states could hit even harder . but suppose -- as seems most likely -- that both allies flinch from war . then the u.s. and israel will confront a radically reshaped middle east , one in which america 's friends will be weaker and more fearful and iran will be more assertive and intransigent . the president 's hopes of reconciling the islamic and western worlds -- of midwifing a palestinian state -- and of finishing off jihadist terrorism will all bump into the reality of an emboldened iran and depleted american prestige . 4 ) second terms tend to bring disappointments , but one huge success seems to be gathering for whoever happens to occupy the white house over the next four years : the advent of that long promised goal , energy independence . the surge in natural gas production in the united states , the full development of the massive oil sand resource in canada , could make north america the world 's fastest-growing energy region in the years ahead and put the continent on the way to self-sufficiency by 2020 . it wo n't have quite happened yet by 2017 , but the achievement will at least be visible on the near horizon . it will be a strange irony of history if the president of hope and change left office as the president who presided over the greatest surge in domestic fossil fuel production since the 1930s . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david frum .","he says dems likely wo n't control both houses , giving him little chance for major legislation" +"fukushima fort calhoun , nebraska ( cnn ) -- tim nellenbach is on a mission as he shows a small group of journalists around his workplace . the manager of the fort calhoun nuclear power plant and his colleagues are bent on dispelling rumors about the condition of their facility : rumors about a meltdown , about a loss of power . the rumors are patently false , they say , and it 's frustrating to have to deal with them while also battling a genuine crisis . these officials are also acutely aware of comparisons to the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in japan in march , which crippled a nuclear power plant there , leading to the worst nuclear accident since chernobyl in 1986 . there 's no likelihood of a fukushima-like incident here , ' nellenbach says . so does gary gates , ceo of the fort calhoun plant . it is not another fukushima . the difference is the rapid flooding that occurred at fukushima . this was a predicted event , to a degree , from the corps of engineers . the floodwaters at fort calhoun are outside the plant . there is no water inside the plant . the reactor is covered with borated water . the spent fuel is covered with borated water , which we want it to be . that 's intentional . that 's where it should be . the floodwaters are outside fort calhoun , not inside , ' gates explains . still , there is a genuine crisis at the plant . floodwaters from the swollen missouri river have engulfed this facility . the parking lots are underwater . the river 's fast-paced currents are swirling against several buildings in this compound . catwalks had to be constructed to allow workers to move from one building to the next . the buildings housing the reactor core , the spent fuel rods and other crucial components are protected by small levees and aqua-berms . but outside those barriers , the water is at least 2 feet above ground level . officials are keeping a close eye on the network of power transformers here . the transformers are surrounded by floodwater and high-velocity pumps are continually pumping water away from them . the transformers power internal pumps , which operate cooling systems keeping the reactor core and the spent fuel rods from overheating . maintaining electrical power , operating the pumps , is our biggest concern for the station , and we 're able to fully do that at this time , ' nellenbach says . officials say the plant went off the power grid temporarily on sunday and was powered by backup generators , but they say it is now back on the grid . the fort calhoun plant has been offline since early april for a re-fueling operation . it was scheduled to be back online in mid-june , according to officials here , but the flooding has delayed that . now , they anticipate the plant will remain offline through the month of august , until the floodwaters completely recede . what 's keeping me up at night is making sure that we 're going to have electricity for everybody , ' says gates . electricity is so important to ... the mitigation efforts of our whole community . fort calhoun 's safe . it 'll continue to be safe . ' gates and his colleagues say the water has not breached the buildings housing the reactor core and the spent fuel rods , and they 're confident it wo n't . those buildings and the barriers protecting them are designed to withstand flooding extending 1,014 feet above sea level . the water is now at about 1,006 feet , and they say they do not expect it to exceed 1,008 feet . officials did not allow journalists directly into the rooms housing the reactor core and the spent fuel rods , but did allow them to view those rooms via closed-circuit cameras . the rooms did not appear to be damaged by floodwater . gates says the nuclear regulatory commission cited the fort calhoun plant in 2009 for not being adequately prepared for a flooding event . since that time , he says , they 've taken steps to upgrade safeguards for the facility , and he says nrc officials were satisfied with the handling of the current flooding . still , nrc chairman gregory jaczko had solemn words for the staff of fort calhoun after touring the plant on monday . in the end , ' jaczko said , this challenge is yours . '","unlike the fukushima nuclear plant , the water has n't breached vital buildings" +"walking with dinosaurs ( cnn ) -- he is a towering figure in the history of cinema , a colossus who has frightened and thrilled audiences in equal measure . now king kong , the famous silverback from the silver screen , is roaring and pounding his way onto the theatrical stage . merian c. cooper 's 1933 classic fantasy tale of a giant gorilla has become a musical reality at the regent theatre , in melbourne , australia -- thanks to a six-meter high robotic puppet , and the pioneering work of puppeteer sonny tilders . it 's been amazing . they 're not just praising the puppet , they are praising the character . that is so rewarding , ' tilders told cnn . the animatronics expert leads a 35-strong team at the creature technology company in west melbourne and has an impressive track record in both film and theater . the 46-year-old has more than two decades'experience making high-tech puppets and counts stars wars -- revenge of the sith ' and the chronicles of narnia ' among his many movie credits . he was also the robotic brains behind the hugely successful walking with dinosaurs -- the arena spectacular ' stage show , but the scale of king kong was unlike anything he had attempted before . the rubber and rabbit fur model seen hanging off the empire state building swatting bi-planes in the original film was 24 inches tall . the modern stage incarnation of kong stands six meters high and weighs more than a ton . read this : yoda , e.t . and the greatest movie puppets when the multi-million dollar project started five years ago , tilders originally set out to create a fully animatronic creature but ended up combining old-fashioned puppetry with modern robotics . we were considering having two versions . we were developing other technologies that we would need for animatronic limbs to move , ' he said . but to cut a long story short , we were so impressed by what the manned puppet could do that we had a change of heart and said we should do the whole show with marionette puppets . it made much more sense . ' suspended from the ceiling , kong 's limbs are manipulated on stage by 10 specially trained stage circus artists who scurry over and around the puppet , shifting his arms and legs by hand or using ropes . clad in black from head to toe , these shadowy figures called the king 's men , ' work in tandem with three off-stage puppeteers -- the voodoo ' operators -- who control the mechanical functions inside kong . around 300 meters of electrical wiring are crammed inside the puppet 's steel and aluminum shell powering 16 microprocessors and 15 servo motors which move kong 's eyes , eyebrows and eyelids , nose , lips , jaw , neck and shoulders . he also makes sounds -- a vital part of making his movements appear realistic , says tilders . marrying the mechanical functions of interior with the organic-looking lycra and latex exterior is one of the big challenges of animatronics , tilders says . we wanted to create a puppet that was really dynamic on stage . one of the ways to solve that and not kill anyone or destroy the puppet or the stage itself was to make his extremities -- his arms and fists -- in a way that has as little steel as possible . ' read this : huge mechanical beasts stalk french theme park from the elbow down , kong 's arms are filled with air , allowing him to furiously pound the floor without causing a minor earthquake . overlaying the air bags are a series of sculptured muscle bags made from a stretchy nylon material that expands and contracts to mimic the sinewy movements of the real thing . he might not be the largest marionette in the world - that record is held by france 's street theater company royal de luxe -- but he is , says tilders , the most articulated . often ( big puppets ) are quite simple and slow , but what we 've developed is a hybrid technology enabling us to do some powerful and specific moves . ' the creature technology company 's ambitions were aided by uk-based stage automation experts stage technologies who provided the four-ton track-and-trolley system suspended above the stage . it 's a machine that allows kong to both move around the stage and be raised up and down but also take different positions , ' said stage technologies'group ceo mark ager . we move his torso with eight winches and that allows us to change the aspect of it . so , for instance , when he walks , his shoulders can roll from side to side . it 's basically a big boys version of a wooden cross you see on smaller puppets . ' the company , which is currently helping pop star pink fly around stage on her world tour , has previously assisted tilders with the walking with dinosaurs project , helping create a flying prehistoric bird called an ornithocheirus . but the complexity of kong surpassed anything they have previously built , leading to a few nerves as opening night approached . given ( kong ) is the main actor it was quite a concern , but it is incredible , ' he said . there 's an awful lot of engineering that goes into something that looks so effortless . he feels real . i think you have to see inferior robotic incarnations to see quite how clever ( kong ) is . ' overall , it 's been an extraordinary collaboration of engineering and software expertise with sculptors , artists , musicians and actors creating a unique spectacle . the critics like it too . many have warmed to the show itself since it opened in june and almost all have heaped lavish praise on kong himself . it 's only a matter of time before audiences worldwide get their chance to feel the towering stage presence of kong , said tilders . it 's definitely going overseas , ' he said . the financial model ca n't rely on 20 million people in australia . obviously , we would love to go to broadway because that 's the natural home for the story . '","puppet created by same company who created walking with dinosaurs arena tour" +"cruise los angeles ( cnn ) -- tom cruise 's neighbor had a rough night on sunday . jason sullivan , 41 , allegedly tried to climb over the actor 's fence when a security guard used a taser ' device to stop him , according to police , who said sullivan was intoxicated and arrested him on trespassing charges . police arrived at 9:35 p.m. to find the suspect attempting to leave the location , ' beverly hills police lt. lincoln hoshino said on monday . sullivan was arrested for trespassing and taken to a hospital by paramedics for treatment due to the use of the'taser'device , ' he said . sullivan lives at an adjacent property and was intoxicated at the time of the incident , and may have confused himself and entered the wrong property , ' hoshino said . cruise and his family were not at home at the time of the incident , he said . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report .","cruise neighbor was intoxicated at the time ' and may have confused himself , ' police say" +"cruise los angeles ( cnn ) -- tom cruise 's neighbor had a rough night on sunday . jason sullivan , 41 , allegedly tried to climb over the actor 's fence when a security guard used a taser ' device to stop him , according to police , who said sullivan was intoxicated and arrested him on trespassing charges . police arrived at 9:35 p.m. to find the suspect attempting to leave the location , ' beverly hills police lt. lincoln hoshino said on monday . sullivan was arrested for trespassing and taken to a hospital by paramedics for treatment due to the use of the'taser'device , ' he said . sullivan lives at an adjacent property and was intoxicated at the time of the incident , and may have confused himself and entered the wrong property , ' hoshino said . cruise and his family were not at home at the time of the incident , he said . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report .","jason sullivan , 41 , is charged with trespassing ; cruise and family were n't at home at the time" +"cruise los angeles ( cnn ) -- tom cruise 's neighbor had a rough night on sunday . jason sullivan , 41 , allegedly tried to climb over the actor 's fence when a security guard used a taser ' device to stop him , according to police , who said sullivan was intoxicated and arrested him on trespassing charges . police arrived at 9:35 p.m. to find the suspect attempting to leave the location , ' beverly hills police lt. lincoln hoshino said on monday . sullivan was arrested for trespassing and taken to a hospital by paramedics for treatment due to the use of the'taser'device , ' he said . sullivan lives at an adjacent property and was intoxicated at the time of the incident , and may have confused himself and entered the wrong property , ' hoshino said . cruise and his family were not at home at the time of the incident , he said . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report .","a security guard used taser device on the suspect as he climbed cruise 's fence , police say" +"supreme court washington ( cnn ) until recently , if you sat in church on sunday mornings , pollsters could predict where you stood on same-sex marriage . what a difference a decade makes . in 2003 , when the massachusetts supreme court became the country 's first to legalize same-sex marriage , less than 30 % of religiously affiliated americans supported gays'and lesbians'right to wed. by 2014 , that number had climbed to 47 % , according to a survey conducted by the public religion research institute . that 's more than the 45 % who said they opposed same-sex nuptials . the margin is small but statistically significant , said robert p. jones , ceo of prri , because of the exceptionally large pool of respondents : 40,000 adult americans . ( eight percent refused to answer or said they did n't know their stance on same-sex marriage . ) according to prri 's poll , there are now more people of faith who favor marriage equality than stand against it , a dramatic turn in one of this country 's most divisive debates and a generational shift with the potential to sweep through everything from the wedding industry to the 2016 presidential race . there 's been a huge swing in the last decade , ' said jones . there are now big , mainstream groups on both sides of the debate . ' if the u.s. supreme court has been paying attention , it likely saw this trend coming . each time the high court has considered a case related to same-sex marriage , the pile of amicus briefs from religious groups supporting gay rights has inched a little taller , and the crowds protesting outside their grand marble steps has gradually grown more diverse . on tuesday , for example , as the supreme court hears oral arguments in obergefell v. hodges , a case widely expected to produce a landmark ruling on same-sex marriage , an interfaith coalition of clergy led by the dean of washington 's national cathedral is planning to march in support of lgbt rights . i join with many across the spectrum of american faith communities in my hope that the court 's ruling will permit same-sex marriage in all 50 states , ' the very rev . gary hall , the cathedral 's dean , said in a statement . i trust that their judgment will end discrimination against those who seek god 's blessing on their marriages . ' clergy from hall 's religious denomination , the episcopal church , have also submitted an amicus brief in support of same-sex marriage . the brief is endorsed by nearly 2,000 faith leaders , including rabbis , methodist ministers , lutheran bishops , seminary professors and congregationalist chaplains . another brief , submitted by the anti-defamation league , is signed by jewish , hindu and presbyterian groups . in a reverse of traditional arguments against gay marriage , some members of these groups say their religious rights will be curtailed if states do not allow them to perform same-sex nuptials . prominent and powerful religious groups are lined up on the other side as well , including the u.s. conference of catholic bishops , national association of evangelicals , southern baptist convention , assemblies of god and the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints , also known as the mormon church . together , leaders of these faiths represent more than 120 million americans . but as prri 's survey shows , there are often differences of opinion between the pulpits and the pews . despite vocal opposition from the u.s. catholic bishops , for example , 60 % of catholics now favor same-sex marriage . that 's a huge increase from 2003 , when just 35 % backed gay rights , according to survey conducted at the time by the pew research center . mainline protestants -- so-called for their prominence in 20th century american life -- also saw a huge shift in the last decade . while 36 % supported same-sex marriage in 2003 , now 62 % do . at a glance , the pro-gay marriage faction is now strikingly diverse , encompassing buddhists , catholics , jews and hindus . but the pro-traditional marriage crowd is just as motley , bridging black protestants , mormons , muslims and white evangelicals , according to prri 's survey . same-sex marriage rights worldwide legalized nationwide : argentina , belgium , canada , denmark , iceland , netherlands , norway , portugal , spain , south africa , sweden legalized in certain regions : brazil , mexico , united states civil unions or domestic partnerships : andorra , austria , brazil , colombia , czech republic , ecuador , finland , france , germany , greenland , hungary , ireland , liechtenstein , luxembourg , new zealand , slovenia , switzerland , united kingdom , uruguay and parts of australia , mexico , united states and venezuela the survey data comes from prri 's american values atlas , conducted between april and december of last year . prri is a nonpartisan , nonprofit research group that focuses on faith and american culture . separate surveys conducted by prri and other groups show much of the newfound religious support for same-sex marriage is coming from younger americans . seven in 10 millennials , for example , support same-sex marriage and say that faith groups alienate young adults by being judgemental on sexual ethics . half of millennial republicans say gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry , and 43 % of white evangelical millennials agree . those numbers could put gop presidential candidates in a tight spot , said jones , as they try to expand their base and appeal to younger americans . the real challenge for gop candidates is how can they plant their feet deftly enough not to offend older conservatives in the primaries but still be able to pivot in the general election to a younger generation , ' jones said . politicians may pivot on same-sex marriage , but bible-believing christians should not -- even if public opinion turns against them , said denny burk , a professor at boyce college , a southern baptist school in louisville , kentucky . for me , the number of people who come to the message is not the main issue . there are periods when the gospel is popular and periods when it 's not . you ca n't base your evaluation of its truthfulness on its popularity at a given historical moment . ' still , burk said he does n't doubt that more millennials accept same-sex marriage , and he fully expects the supreme court to legalize gay weddings countrywide this june when the justices render a decision in obergefell v. hodges . but the fight is far from over , burk said . just like we 've seen this decades-long culture war with abortion , we 're going to see the same thing with gay marriage . '","if the u.s. supreme court has been paying attention , it likely saw this trend coming" +"angelou ( cnn ) -- i must have met doc , as we called maya angelou , way before i remember . we often attended readings , but the first time she absolutely caught my attention was at mount holyoke college in massachusetts . it was n't all that cold , but maya and others had fur coats on . my mother , who was a big fan of the seven sisters colleges , had come with me . we both had on cloth coats . doc , as we all know , was 6 feet or taller . mommy was 4-foot-11 , and i am 5-foot-2 . not only were we shorter , we felt smaller . i looked at that group and made a silent vow to never allow my mother to be with this group again without a fur coat . we purchased one soon after . when mommy died , i shared that story with doc . maya laughed . we had no idea , ' she said . and laughed again . mommy owes doc . opinion : maya angelou : the definition of a phenomenal woman when doc moved to winston-salem , north carolina , she was not far from me in virginia , so i got to see a lot of her . if i had any inkling she was frying chicken , i 'd go down and spend the night . when jay-z sent her a case of wonderfully expensive champagne , those days i had to spend the night ! everyone came to doc 's place , which was great fun . you 'd wake up in the morning not knowing who would be down to breakfast . the superstars ; the wonderfully funny ; old friends from another country ; a congressman . and doc treated them all the same . maya angelou remembered by those she inspired her ability to speak to everyone in the same voice was what made her the force she was . our only disagreements were about food . she was a great cook , and i think of myself as a good one . we were arguing about rack of lamb , one of my specialties . my recipe comes from the late , great country cook edna lewis . i went home after my visit and decided i should not just talk the talk but also walk the walk . i called my good friend joanne gabbin from furious flower poetry center to have her come with me to doc 's to cook . jo is a great cook , too . we got on doc 's calendar , packed all our ingredients and spices and boogied on down . doc sat at the head of the table , where she could see everything going on in the kitchen . she inspected the lamb , checked the veggies , tasted everything and praised joanne . i think she loved me a little bit because she , like my only living aunt , always felt free to make minor corrections . i think the lamb is a bit overdone , ' she offered . well edna lewis is in heaven , and i checked with her before i put this on the table , ' i responded . we both laughed . i know if the lamb was not done properly , she would have eaten it and not said a word . i wanted to fry chicken for her , too , but time just ran out . our mutual friend , the late author alex haley , always said , find the good and praise it . ' maya took it to heart . she would always seek the good in any situation , or she avoided the question . opinion : how maya angelou gave me life in all my years of knowing her , i only heard her once speak ill of someone and that was well deserved . like everyone , i have read and reread i know why the caged bird sings . ' and like that caged bird , maya sought an inner freedom . we only have to look at her life to see that she took every ounce of joy life had to offer . i will remember her as a courageous woman who always wanted to love , and wish her a rightful place in literature . some of angelou 's most powerful speeches the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of nikki giovanni .","angelou was a great cook and good friend , author says" +"angelou ( cnn ) -- i must have met doc , as we called maya angelou , way before i remember . we often attended readings , but the first time she absolutely caught my attention was at mount holyoke college in massachusetts . it was n't all that cold , but maya and others had fur coats on . my mother , who was a big fan of the seven sisters colleges , had come with me . we both had on cloth coats . doc , as we all know , was 6 feet or taller . mommy was 4-foot-11 , and i am 5-foot-2 . not only were we shorter , we felt smaller . i looked at that group and made a silent vow to never allow my mother to be with this group again without a fur coat . we purchased one soon after . when mommy died , i shared that story with doc . maya laughed . we had no idea , ' she said . and laughed again . mommy owes doc . opinion : maya angelou : the definition of a phenomenal woman when doc moved to winston-salem , north carolina , she was not far from me in virginia , so i got to see a lot of her . if i had any inkling she was frying chicken , i 'd go down and spend the night . when jay-z sent her a case of wonderfully expensive champagne , those days i had to spend the night ! everyone came to doc 's place , which was great fun . you 'd wake up in the morning not knowing who would be down to breakfast . the superstars ; the wonderfully funny ; old friends from another country ; a congressman . and doc treated them all the same . maya angelou remembered by those she inspired her ability to speak to everyone in the same voice was what made her the force she was . our only disagreements were about food . she was a great cook , and i think of myself as a good one . we were arguing about rack of lamb , one of my specialties . my recipe comes from the late , great country cook edna lewis . i went home after my visit and decided i should not just talk the talk but also walk the walk . i called my good friend joanne gabbin from furious flower poetry center to have her come with me to doc 's to cook . jo is a great cook , too . we got on doc 's calendar , packed all our ingredients and spices and boogied on down . doc sat at the head of the table , where she could see everything going on in the kitchen . she inspected the lamb , checked the veggies , tasted everything and praised joanne . i think she loved me a little bit because she , like my only living aunt , always felt free to make minor corrections . i think the lamb is a bit overdone , ' she offered . well edna lewis is in heaven , and i checked with her before i put this on the table , ' i responded . we both laughed . i know if the lamb was not done properly , she would have eaten it and not said a word . i wanted to fry chicken for her , too , but time just ran out . our mutual friend , the late author alex haley , always said , find the good and praise it . ' maya took it to heart . she would always seek the good in any situation , or she avoided the question . opinion : how maya angelou gave me life in all my years of knowing her , i only heard her once speak ill of someone and that was well deserved . like everyone , i have read and reread i know why the caged bird sings . ' and like that caged bird , maya sought an inner freedom . we only have to look at her life to see that she took every ounce of joy life had to offer . i will remember her as a courageous woman who always wanted to love , and wish her a rightful place in literature . some of angelou 's most powerful speeches the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of nikki giovanni .","poet nikki giovanni knew maya angelou over the years and shares her memories" +"angelou ( cnn ) -- i must have met doc , as we called maya angelou , way before i remember . we often attended readings , but the first time she absolutely caught my attention was at mount holyoke college in massachusetts . it was n't all that cold , but maya and others had fur coats on . my mother , who was a big fan of the seven sisters colleges , had come with me . we both had on cloth coats . doc , as we all know , was 6 feet or taller . mommy was 4-foot-11 , and i am 5-foot-2 . not only were we shorter , we felt smaller . i looked at that group and made a silent vow to never allow my mother to be with this group again without a fur coat . we purchased one soon after . when mommy died , i shared that story with doc . maya laughed . we had no idea , ' she said . and laughed again . mommy owes doc . opinion : maya angelou : the definition of a phenomenal woman when doc moved to winston-salem , north carolina , she was not far from me in virginia , so i got to see a lot of her . if i had any inkling she was frying chicken , i 'd go down and spend the night . when jay-z sent her a case of wonderfully expensive champagne , those days i had to spend the night ! everyone came to doc 's place , which was great fun . you 'd wake up in the morning not knowing who would be down to breakfast . the superstars ; the wonderfully funny ; old friends from another country ; a congressman . and doc treated them all the same . maya angelou remembered by those she inspired her ability to speak to everyone in the same voice was what made her the force she was . our only disagreements were about food . she was a great cook , and i think of myself as a good one . we were arguing about rack of lamb , one of my specialties . my recipe comes from the late , great country cook edna lewis . i went home after my visit and decided i should not just talk the talk but also walk the walk . i called my good friend joanne gabbin from furious flower poetry center to have her come with me to doc 's to cook . jo is a great cook , too . we got on doc 's calendar , packed all our ingredients and spices and boogied on down . doc sat at the head of the table , where she could see everything going on in the kitchen . she inspected the lamb , checked the veggies , tasted everything and praised joanne . i think she loved me a little bit because she , like my only living aunt , always felt free to make minor corrections . i think the lamb is a bit overdone , ' she offered . well edna lewis is in heaven , and i checked with her before i put this on the table , ' i responded . we both laughed . i know if the lamb was not done properly , she would have eaten it and not said a word . i wanted to fry chicken for her , too , but time just ran out . our mutual friend , the late author alex haley , always said , find the good and praise it . ' maya took it to heart . she would always seek the good in any situation , or she avoided the question . opinion : how maya angelou gave me life in all my years of knowing her , i only heard her once speak ill of someone and that was well deserved . like everyone , i have read and reread i know why the caged bird sings . ' and like that caged bird , maya sought an inner freedom . we only have to look at her life to see that she took every ounce of joy life had to offer . i will remember her as a courageous woman who always wanted to love , and wish her a rightful place in literature . some of angelou 's most powerful speeches the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of nikki giovanni .","giovanni notes angelou 's special ability to speak to everyone in the same voice" +"hussain pakistani president asif ali zardari completed his five-year term and stepped down as president sunday , the state-run associated press of pakistan reported . mamnoon hussain of the ruling pakistan muslim league-n party will be sworn in monday as zardari 's successor . hussain , a well-known businessman from the southern city of karachi , was elected to the largely ceremonial role in a vote by federal and provincial politicians across the country . hussain is a close ally of prime minister nawaz sharif . zardari and sharif are longtime political rivals . the presidency was more powerful under pervez musharraf , the army general who held the office from 2001 to 2008 after he led a 1999 military coup . but after zardari became president , a constitutional amendment reduced presidential powers in april 2010 . pakistan to release 7 taliban figures global public square : time for pakistan to face down extremists pakistan court indicts musharraf in bhutto murder","mamnoon hussain will be sworn in as president on monday" +"hussain pakistani president asif ali zardari completed his five-year term and stepped down as president sunday , the state-run associated press of pakistan reported . mamnoon hussain of the ruling pakistan muslim league-n party will be sworn in monday as zardari 's successor . hussain , a well-known businessman from the southern city of karachi , was elected to the largely ceremonial role in a vote by federal and provincial politicians across the country . hussain is a close ally of prime minister nawaz sharif . zardari and sharif are longtime political rivals . the presidency was more powerful under pervez musharraf , the army general who held the office from 2001 to 2008 after he led a 1999 military coup . but after zardari became president , a constitutional amendment reduced presidential powers in april 2010 . pakistan to release 7 taliban figures global public square : time for pakistan to face down extremists pakistan court indicts musharraf in bhutto murder","hussain is a close ally of prime minister nawaz sharif" +"maya angelou washington ( cnn ) -- as the martin luther king jr. national memorial was officially dedicated sunday , speakers called for carrying on king 's ideals and values and confronting issues including bullying and social and economic justice for all americans . nearly 50 years after the march on washington , our work -- dr. king 's work -- is not yet complete , ' president barack obama said at the dedication ceremony . the nation faces many challenges , he said , including an ailing economy , substandard education , war and tragedy . progress , he said , can often be a slow and painful process . during the civil rights movement , progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses . it was bought with days in jail cells and nights of bomb threats . ' every victory was met with setbacks and defeat , obama said . today 's america can draw strength from that struggle , from king 's belief that we are one people and from his refusal to give up , the president said . let us not be trapped by what is , ' obama said . we ca n't be discouraged by what is . we 've got to keep pushing for what ought to be . ' he noted that king will stand for all time , among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it . a black preacher , no official rank or title , somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideas . ' i know we will overcome , ' the president said . i know there are better days ahead . i know this because of the man towering over us . ' the monument to the slain civil rights leader was due to have been dedicated on august 28 , the anniversary of the 1963 march on washington when king delivered his world-altering i have a dream ' speech , but hurricane irene forced the event to be postponed . perhaps , said the rev . bernice king , one of king 's daughters , that postponement was due to divine intervention . perhaps god wanted us to move beyond the dream into action , ' she said . as we dedicate this monument , i can hear my father saying that oppressed people can not remain oppressed forever , ' she said . the yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself ... i hear my father saying what we are seeing now , all across the streets of america and the world , is a freedom explosion . ' she called for a radical revolution of values and reordering of priorities in this nation . ' she urged attendees to also pay homage to her mother , coretta scott king , who even as a grieving widow with four children raised a nation in my father 's teachings and values . it was vitally important to her that his life and principles become institutionalized . ' the memorial site , which features a striking 30-foot statue of king gazing out on the iconic tidal basin , lies between the lincoln memorial and the thomas jefferson memorial on the national mall . the statue , representing a stone of hope , ' sits forward from a mountain of despair . ' visitors pass through the mountain on their way to king 's statue and an expanse along the basin rimmed with an inscription wall covered with stone carvings of some of his most famous quotes . the four-acre area will also feature the iconic cherry blossom trees that draw thousands of tourists to the mall each spring . the very first time that i came to the site , i was almost overwhelmed , ' martin luther king iii said . i really was impressed by this artist . he was able to capture the essence of my dad . ' on sunday , he described his father as a champion of human rights and social justice for all people , ' regardless of race , gender and ethnicity . let us not forget that he paid the ultimate price for our civil rights , ' he said . but , he said , we 've lost our souls , ' noting the recent killing of a black man in mississippi ; child bullying ; wars in iraq and afghanistan ; and the lack of social and economic justice . the american dream , he said , has turned into a nightmare for millions . ' former cbs evening news anchor dan rather said that while king 's main battle was racial injustice , today 's fight is against greed and for economic justice . this time we judge people , not on the content of their character , but the color of their money , ' he said . once again , we have americans on the outside looking in . ' there is heavy lifting to be done again , ' rather said . and in the spirit of dr. king 's lasting legacy , we need to start now . ' if king were here today , said the rev . jesse jackson , he would tell the occupy wall street protesters to keep protesting . remain nonviolent . stay disciplined . stay focused . ' u.s. rep. john lewis recalled protesting in washington 48 years ago . of those that spoke near the lincoln memorial that day , i 'm the only one still around , ' he said . he recalled that king never asked protesters to do anything he would not do himself . he was arrested , jailed , beaten and constantly harassed . his home was bombed . he was stabbed . he suffered the slings and arrows of hate . ' he said he 's heard talk that nothing has changed . come and walk in my shoes , ' he told attendees . dr. king is telling you that we have changed . we 're better people . we 're a better nation . ' other speakers at the dedication included the rev . al sharpton ; the rev . joseph lowery ; actresses cicely tyson , diahann carroll and 12-year-old amandla stenberg ; and marian wright edelman , founder and president of the children 's defense fund . singer aretha franklin sang take my hand , precious lord , ' a tune she said king often requested . the obamas listened intently as she sang . michelle obama applauded in spots , while the president closed his eyes . the obama family toured the memorial before the president 's speech . controversy still lingers around the statue and a quote from king . sculptor ed dwight , who has made seven statues of king , objects to the memorial 's depiction of the icon -- and to the artist chosen to create it . this idea of having this 30-foot-tall sculpture of this man , and this confrontational look , he would not appreciate that , because that was not him , ' dwight argues . he also objects to the choice of chinese artist lei yixin . i feel strongly that the whole thing should 've been done here in america , ' dwight said . harry johnson sr. , head of the dr. martin luther king jr. national memorial foundation , said : we got the best man for the job . ' and lei , for his part , said america did not have sole claim on king . martin luther king is not only a hero of america , he 's also a hero of the world , ' he said . celebrated poet and author maya angelou has a different objection to the memorial , saying that one of the quotes has been edited to make king appear arrogant . it reads : i was a drum major for justice peace and righteousness . ' angelou says an important clause was taken out of the passage from a 1968 sermon at ebenezer baptist church in atlanta . king 's original words were : if you want to say that i was a drum major , say that i was a drum major for justice . say that i was a drum major for peace . i was a drum major for righteousness . and all of the other shallow things will not matter . ' leaving out the if ' changes the meaning , angelou said . it should not be seen like he was so full of himself . because he was not . he was a very humble man , ' she said . it is not an apt reportage of what dr. king said . it is an edited statement . ' the memorial 's executive architect ed jackson stood by the wording and said there are no plans to alter the structure . jackson , who oversaw the memorial 's design and construction , said in a statement that the memorial foundation feels comfortable with the choices we needed to make based on the space available and the messages that we wanted to convey to visitors . ' he said a council of historians ' had been consulted , adding they suggested 14 quotations and two statements for possible inclusion on the monument 's granite walls that best characterize and reflect ' king as a leader as well as his values . in no way do we believe that this paraphrased statement diminishes dr. king 's intent of the words he delivered , ' jackson said . the inscription on the stone of hope comes directly from dr. king 's words . ' former u.n . ambassador , former atlanta mayor and civil rights leader andrew young said king was sensitive about his small stature , as he stood only 5 feet 7 inches . now he 's 30 feet tall , looking down on everybody , ' young said . cnn 's athena jones , t.j. holmes and roland martin contributed to this report .","celebrated writer maya angelou says king has been edited to make him seem arrogant" +"malaysian sydney , australia ( cnn ) -- the cause of malaysia airlines flight mh370 's disappearance remains a mystery , but it has put the spotlight on the wildly varying approach governments with a stake in the search have handled the sensitivities and the facts . the malaysian government has been roundly criticized for weeks of muddled misinformation and its seemingly off-hand dealings with the distraught families of the passengers and crew of the missing airliner . china , which has more than 150 of its citizens aboard the boeing 777-200 , has been unrelenting in its criticism of malaysia 's handling of the search and the lack of transparency in information , while thailand was accused of withholding what might have been critical information about the mh370 's possible flight path because it said no one had asked whether it had any intelligence . out of the fray emerged australia and its conservative prime minister tony abbott , a man known more for his pugilistic , take-no-prisoner style of politics , than his statesmanship and compassion . on neither count has the australian premier , until now , impressed . spy claims abbott refused to apologize to the indonesian president when the leaked edward snowden files revealed australia had been spying on susilo bambang yudhoyono and his inner circle , including his wife . he has also run a tough , some say brutal , campaign against asylum seekers and the people smugglers who bring them to australia across treacherous waters from indonesia . abbott , who accuses asylum seekers of illegally attempting to enter australia , is comfortable with the policy masterminded by his predecessor , of sending those who seek refuge in australia to manus island in papua new guinea and nauru -- neither considered by the unhcr to be adequate to house them . recently , the government announced it would stop funding legal assistance for asylum seekers who arrived by boat and are sitting in detention centers awaiting the chance to argue their case . but when he rose to his feet on march 20 to tell the australian parliament that new satellite images showed what might be aircraft debris in the indian ocean , some 1,550 miles ( 2,500 kilometers ) off the coast of western australia and that an australian-led search party would be investigating , abbott made international headlines . statesmanship peaked out from behind the curtains . when days later no debris had been found , abbott deflected criticism that he had jumped the gun saying the search area was about the most inaccessible spot that you would imagine on the face of the earth . but if there is anything down there we will find it . we owe it to the families of those people to do no less . ' poll support an informal poll in the sydney morning herald showed many thought the prime minister had acted properly in announcing news of the satellite images . his compassion was perceived as real rather than political opportunism . after announcing that there would be no time limit on the search effort and that his government would bear the cost of coordinating the international operation , an impassioned abbott declared : if the mystery is solvable , we will solve it . ' it was a personal commitment . his determination to deliver closure ' for the families of those on board the jetliner stands in stark contrast to the approach of his malaysian counterpart . while najib razak sanctioned sending a text message to families informing them that the aircraft had likely ended up in the southern indian ocean , abbott told the families of the six australian passengers on the flight the country had an ache in its heart and nothing we can say or do will take that ache away . ' and as the australian-led search mission entered its second week , abbott told grieving relatives what asylum seekers have never heard . ' i want them all to know ... that they will be in the arms of a decent country , ' he said . ' the government has decided to waive visa fees for any relatives wishing to come to australia . ''eloquent and diplomatic' even abbott 's most fervent enemies would , if pressed , concede that the australian premier has been both eloquent and diplomatic in the expression of his sorrow and grief for those who do not know if their relatives are by some miracle , still alive and if they are not , what caused their deaths . but the same fervent enemies might also question whether abbott sees an upside to statesmanship and compassion . tragedies of the scale of mh370 are rarely used for political gain without the real and imminent danger of significant political cost . but such tragedies can soften images , turn skeptical minds and give hope to those who 've not been recipients of an open heart . when on february 16 , a young iranian asylum seeker was killed in a riot at the manus island detention centre , the australian immigration minister , scott morrison , claimed reza berati had died after leaving the confines of the australian-run center , placing himself where australia could not protect him . this was a very dangerous situation where people decided to protest in a very violent way and to take themselves outside the center and place themselves at great risk , ' morrison told australian media . soon afterwards , morrison faced the media to admit berati had in fact died inside the center . abbott stood by him . you do n't want a wimp running border protection , you want someone strong and decent . and scott morrison is both strong and decent , ' abbott told parliament . different leader coming after years of hardline railing against the number of asylum seekers landing on to australia 's shores , with many perishing en route , the government 's attitude seemed hard , even callous . many australians were shocked and held candlelit vigils around the country . if australians see the beginnings , perhaps even evidence of a different leader with abbott 's deep , heartfelt concern for the souls who boarded mh370 in kuala lumpar on route to beijing , there 's little chance this will wipe the memory of a leader who has shown little mercy to asylum seekers -- some of them children -- languishing in australia 's version of guantanamo bay . but australians might be convinced their prime minister has the capacity to change . opinion : pilot : why flight 370 may never be found","while malaysian leaders have been criticized , australia 's pm has won praise" +"ivf ( cnn ) -- women undergoing in-vitro fertilization should have only one or two embryos transferred during the process , depending on their age , says a study published wednesday in the british medical journal the lancet . transferring three or more embryos during any ivf cycle should be avoided when possible , researchers say . the prospective study analyzed more than 124,000 ivf cycles that ultimately led to the birth of more than 33,000 babies from january 2003 to december 2007 . the data were obtained via the uk human fertilisation and embryology authority , a database of all fertility treatments conducted in the united kingdom . the study excluded treatment cycles that transferred frozen embryos . the researchers divided the women in to two groups : women younger than 40 and those 40 and older . the study found that in women 40 and older , transferring more than one embryo resulted in a higher rate of live births . however , transferring three or more embryos in a single cycle also led to a higher rate of health complications for both the mother and the baby , in part because the chance of giving birth to twins or triplets was higher . these two findings led authors to conclude that women who are 40 and older should have two embryos transferred per ivf cycle , while younger women should have only one embryo transferred , and no patients should have more than three embryos transferred at one time . we show that even in older women , we should never have more than three embryos transferred , ' says scott nelson , one of the study authors who is a professor of reproductive and maternal medicine at the university of glasgow . it does n't improve the chances of a woman having a healthy baby . ' dr. glenn schattman is a reproductive endocrinologist and the president of the society for assisted reproductive technologies ( sart ) . he agrees that maximizing the chance of a healthy pregnancy while at the same time limiting the chance for multiple births should be the ultimate goal of reproductive clinicians . however he disagrees with the study 's interpretation . there are limitations of the study that concern me significantly in terms of the conclusions that were drawn , ' says schattman . in the united states , unlike the united kingdom , transferring three embryos is more of an acceptable practice if certain prognostic indicators are present . according to schattman , a woman 's age is the most important factor in terms of pregnancy outcome but needs to be looked as a continuous variable . he says one major limitation of nelson 's study is that the women were lumped in to only two groups : those younger than 40 and then the rest , when in reality the chances of a woman getting pregnant can depend on other variables as well . we look at women under the age of 35 , 35 to 37 , 38 to 39 , ' and so on , says schattman . he says transferring three embryos is a valid practice if certain factors are in play , including a woman 's age , the number of failed ivf cycles she has already experienced and the quality of her embryo . if you limit the number of embryos you put back inside of a 42-year-old woman , you reduce her chance of having a child , ' because implantation rates are so low for a woman that age , says schattman . conversely , according to the 2009 embryo transfer guidelines published by sart , a 37-year-old woman could receive three embryos if she had already experienced failed ivf attempts or had poor quality embryos . so what 's the bottom line for women considering ivf ? because ivf is an involved , often draining , process , schattman says doctors need to determine how many embryos will be transferred on a case by case basis . we ca n't set an absolute limit that applies to every person , ' says schattman . twins are not an ideal outcome and not a desired outcome . you really want to adjust the number of embryos ... to not only maximize the chance of achieving a pregnancy but to counter that with a desire to reduce multiple births . '","it discourages transferring three or more embryos during any ivf cycle" +"deadspin ( cnn ) -- sports media giant espn gave some of its 7,000 employees pink slips on tuesday , the network said in a statement . the bristol , connecticut-based company said it was looking at the financial bottom line . we are implementing changes across the company to enhance our continued growth while smartly managing costs . while difficult , we are confident that it will make us more competitive , innovative and productive , ' the statement said . some media reports placed the number of affected employees and open positions that would go unfilled as high as 400 . espn had no comment on how many people would be let go . espn , which operates eight domestic networks and 27 around the world , is 80 % owned by disney . it reported higher revenues from its cable networks in the last fiscal year . but it also said that increased programming costs were due largely to the rising costs of the rights to cover sports such as college and professional football . the sports website deadspin , which first reported the story , said many of the layoffs are in the technology department but quoted a source that said all departments are under review . '","deadspin says many employees in technology division to be let go" +"syria ( cnn ) -- turkey shot down a syrian fighter jet sunday after the warplane strayed into its airspace , prime minister recep tayyip erdogan said . our f-16s went up in the air and shot that plane down . why ? because if you violate my airspace , then from now on , our slap will be hard , ' erdogan told supporters at a campaign rally . state-run media in syria called the shoot-down an act of blatant aggression ' and said the downed plane was over northern syria at the time . the pilot ejected and was rescued , sana reported , citing a military source . the turkish armed forces website reported that two syrian planes were spotted and were warned four times about approaching turkish airspace as they flew north in syrian airspace . one plane left the area but the second plane continued , and entered turkish airspace by approximately 1 kilometer ( six-tenths of a mile ) . the plane turned west and continued to fly into turkish airspace , according to the site . one of the two turkish f-16s patrolling the area launched a missile at the syrian plane and it crashed in the area of the town of keseb , in syrian territory near the border , turkish armed forces said . syrian government forces have battled rebel fighters in syria 's latakia province since friday morning after the opposition launched an offensive in the heavily alawite populated areas of the country 's mediterranean coast . the province is still under government control despite some pockets of armed resistance . warplanes have been striking at the opposition in latakia , the home province of syrian president bashar al-assad , in hopes of preventing a rebel advance . one of the pitched battles on friday occurred in keseb , just 3 kilometers ( 2 miles ) from turkey . sunday 's sana report said the syrian jets were pursuing rebels in the area . syria shot down a turkish plane in 2012 , and the two sides have exchanged artillery fire in the past . in october 2012 , turkey fired on syrian government targets in response to the shelling of a turkish border town in which five civilians were killed . israel retaliates in syria after bomb attack cnn 's slma shelbayah and saad abedine contributed to this report .","syrian state media say plane was over syria , accuse turkey of blatant aggression '" +"turkish ( cnn ) -- turkey shot down a syrian fighter jet sunday after the warplane strayed into its airspace , prime minister recep tayyip erdogan said . our f-16s went up in the air and shot that plane down . why ? because if you violate my airspace , then from now on , our slap will be hard , ' erdogan told supporters at a campaign rally . state-run media in syria called the shoot-down an act of blatant aggression ' and said the downed plane was over northern syria at the time . the pilot ejected and was rescued , sana reported , citing a military source . the turkish armed forces website reported that two syrian planes were spotted and were warned four times about approaching turkish airspace as they flew north in syrian airspace . one plane left the area but the second plane continued , and entered turkish airspace by approximately 1 kilometer ( six-tenths of a mile ) . the plane turned west and continued to fly into turkish airspace , according to the site . one of the two turkish f-16s patrolling the area launched a missile at the syrian plane and it crashed in the area of the town of keseb , in syrian territory near the border , turkish armed forces said . syrian government forces have battled rebel fighters in syria 's latakia province since friday morning after the opposition launched an offensive in the heavily alawite populated areas of the country 's mediterranean coast . the province is still under government control despite some pockets of armed resistance . warplanes have been striking at the opposition in latakia , the home province of syrian president bashar al-assad , in hopes of preventing a rebel advance . one of the pitched battles on friday occurred in keseb , just 3 kilometers ( 2 miles ) from turkey . sunday 's sana report said the syrian jets were pursuing rebels in the area . syria shot down a turkish plane in 2012 , and the two sides have exchanged artillery fire in the past . in october 2012 , turkey fired on syrian government targets in response to the shelling of a turkish border town in which five civilians were killed . israel retaliates in syria after bomb attack cnn 's slma shelbayah and saad abedine contributed to this report .","turkish armed forces : one plane retreated after four warnings ; other did not" +"turkish ( cnn ) -- turkey shot down a syrian fighter jet sunday after the warplane strayed into its airspace , prime minister recep tayyip erdogan said . our f-16s went up in the air and shot that plane down . why ? because if you violate my airspace , then from now on , our slap will be hard , ' erdogan told supporters at a campaign rally . state-run media in syria called the shoot-down an act of blatant aggression ' and said the downed plane was over northern syria at the time . the pilot ejected and was rescued , sana reported , citing a military source . the turkish armed forces website reported that two syrian planes were spotted and were warned four times about approaching turkish airspace as they flew north in syrian airspace . one plane left the area but the second plane continued , and entered turkish airspace by approximately 1 kilometer ( six-tenths of a mile ) . the plane turned west and continued to fly into turkish airspace , according to the site . one of the two turkish f-16s patrolling the area launched a missile at the syrian plane and it crashed in the area of the town of keseb , in syrian territory near the border , turkish armed forces said . syrian government forces have battled rebel fighters in syria 's latakia province since friday morning after the opposition launched an offensive in the heavily alawite populated areas of the country 's mediterranean coast . the province is still under government control despite some pockets of armed resistance . warplanes have been striking at the opposition in latakia , the home province of syrian president bashar al-assad , in hopes of preventing a rebel advance . one of the pitched battles on friday occurred in keseb , just 3 kilometers ( 2 miles ) from turkey . sunday 's sana report said the syrian jets were pursuing rebels in the area . syria shot down a turkish plane in 2012 , and the two sides have exchanged artillery fire in the past . in october 2012 , turkey fired on syrian government targets in response to the shelling of a turkish border town in which five civilians were killed . israel retaliates in syria after bomb attack cnn 's slma shelbayah and saad abedine contributed to this report .","turkish prime minister : if you violate my airspace ... our slap will be hard '" +"veronica mars ( ew.com ) -- logan is back . rob thomas has informed his veronica mars ' movie kickstarter backers that jason dohring is officially on board . we now have three actors officially cast . veronica . logan and the waiter who says ,'your check , sir ,'' he wrote in an email tuesday night . do n't worry . we 're busily working on bringing your favorites into the fold . as a veronica mars backer , you 'll be the first to know . ' ew : rob thomas talks 10 things you should know about'veronica mars movie since veronica mars , ' dohring has gone on to star in the one-season wonders moonlight ' and ringer. at new york comic con in 2008 , promoting the former , the cbs vampire drama co-starring alex o'loughlin , ew asked dohring to name five things that should live forever in pop culture . his no . 5 ? ew : more'veronica mars'news ' veronica mars . unfortunately , it did n't last forever , but it seems when you walk around a place like comic con that it does , ' he said . art 's the kinda thing that stays with people . you emotionally invest in people and you emotionally invest yourself in something , and then it lasts . that 's pretty amazing , actually , is n't it ? ' see original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","he told ew veronica mars ' should live forever in pop culture" +"veronica mars ( ew.com ) -- logan is back . rob thomas has informed his veronica mars ' movie kickstarter backers that jason dohring is officially on board . we now have three actors officially cast . veronica . logan and the waiter who says ,'your check , sir ,'' he wrote in an email tuesday night . do n't worry . we 're busily working on bringing your favorites into the fold . as a veronica mars backer , you 'll be the first to know . ' ew : rob thomas talks 10 things you should know about'veronica mars movie since veronica mars , ' dohring has gone on to star in the one-season wonders moonlight ' and ringer. at new york comic con in 2008 , promoting the former , the cbs vampire drama co-starring alex o'loughlin , ew asked dohring to name five things that should live forever in pop culture . his no . 5 ? ew : more'veronica mars'news ' veronica mars . unfortunately , it did n't last forever , but it seems when you walk around a place like comic con that it does , ' he said . art 's the kinda thing that stays with people . you emotionally invest in people and you emotionally invest yourself in something , and then it lasts . that 's pretty amazing , actually , is n't it ? ' see original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","jason dohring is officially on board for the veronica mars ' movie" +"israeli jerusalem ( cnn ) -- if you 're a tourist arriving in israel , you might be asked to give authorities a look at your personal e-mail , in addition to your travel documents . israel 's attorney general said wednesday that shin bet , the country 's internal security force , can search a foreign traveler 's e-mail , but only in exceptional cases in which relevant suspicious signs ' are observed . israel says the practice is another way to fight terrorism . the threat of using foreign citizens for terrorist purposes is a growing trend , the israeli attorney general 's office said in a written response to an inquiry filed by an israeli human rights group . yigal palmor , a spokesman for israel 's foreign ministry , told cnn : security may under the law demand this , but no one is forced to open their accounts to anyone they do n't want to . ' however , the attorney general 's decision said that if the traveler declined to give consent , it would be made clear that a refusal would be taken into consideration , along with other relevant factors , in deciding whether to allow entry into israel . the association for civil rights in israel received the information from the attorney general 's office after it asked whether israel 's security forces could demand travelers'e-mail and social media passwords . the association said the question was a reaction to media reports last year that several palestinian-american travelers were asked to open their e-mail accounts and show airport security before being denied entry . the group received an answer this week . to be clear , this is a process whose execution is conditioned on the receipt of the passenger 's agreement , and that the latter is not required to give the investigating representative his password , as your letter suggests , but rather that the passenger himself executes entry to the e-mail account ... the attorney general 's office wrote . lila margalit , an attorney for the association for civil rights , said the practice is a violation of privacy rights : ' a tourist who has just spent thousands of dollars to travel to israel , only to be interrogated at the airport by shin bet agents and told to grant access to their e-mail account , is in no position to give free and informed consent , ' she said wednesday . such'consent ,'given under threat of deportation , can not serve as a basis for such a drastic invasion of privacy . in today 's world , access to a person 's e-mail account is akin to access to their innermost thoughts and personal lives . allowing security agents to take such invasive measures at their own discretion and on the basis of such flimsy'consent'is not befitting of a democracy . ' security checks at tel aviv 's ben gurion airport are known around the world as some of the most exhaustive and thorough , and this is one more layer that travelers should be aware of . jerusalem travel agency owner margo tarazi said she had heard of the practice but her clients had not experienced it : ' none of our clients have faced this problem yet . they come with official groups with their vouchers , and no one asks them about these things . however , if we do receive any groups with some people who are originally from iran or from syria , they are detained for several hours and asked to sign a paper not to cause any harm to the state of israel during their visit . ' critics of the practice worry it will be used to target arabs or muslims who communicate with palestinian activists or organizations .","israeli attorney general 's office says it 's fighting threat of using foreign citizens for terrorism" +"israeli jerusalem ( cnn ) -- if you 're a tourist arriving in israel , you might be asked to give authorities a look at your personal e-mail , in addition to your travel documents . israel 's attorney general said wednesday that shin bet , the country 's internal security force , can search a foreign traveler 's e-mail , but only in exceptional cases in which relevant suspicious signs ' are observed . israel says the practice is another way to fight terrorism . the threat of using foreign citizens for terrorist purposes is a growing trend , the israeli attorney general 's office said in a written response to an inquiry filed by an israeli human rights group . yigal palmor , a spokesman for israel 's foreign ministry , told cnn : security may under the law demand this , but no one is forced to open their accounts to anyone they do n't want to . ' however , the attorney general 's decision said that if the traveler declined to give consent , it would be made clear that a refusal would be taken into consideration , along with other relevant factors , in deciding whether to allow entry into israel . the association for civil rights in israel received the information from the attorney general 's office after it asked whether israel 's security forces could demand travelers'e-mail and social media passwords . the association said the question was a reaction to media reports last year that several palestinian-american travelers were asked to open their e-mail accounts and show airport security before being denied entry . the group received an answer this week . to be clear , this is a process whose execution is conditioned on the receipt of the passenger 's agreement , and that the latter is not required to give the investigating representative his password , as your letter suggests , but rather that the passenger himself executes entry to the e-mail account ... the attorney general 's office wrote . lila margalit , an attorney for the association for civil rights , said the practice is a violation of privacy rights : ' a tourist who has just spent thousands of dollars to travel to israel , only to be interrogated at the airport by shin bet agents and told to grant access to their e-mail account , is in no position to give free and informed consent , ' she said wednesday . such'consent ,'given under threat of deportation , can not serve as a basis for such a drastic invasion of privacy . in today 's world , access to a person 's e-mail account is akin to access to their innermost thoughts and personal lives . allowing security agents to take such invasive measures at their own discretion and on the basis of such flimsy'consent'is not befitting of a democracy . ' security checks at tel aviv 's ben gurion airport are known around the world as some of the most exhaustive and thorough , and this is one more layer that travelers should be aware of . jerusalem travel agency owner margo tarazi said she had heard of the practice but her clients had not experienced it : ' none of our clients have faced this problem yet . they come with official groups with their vouchers , and no one asks them about these things . however , if we do receive any groups with some people who are originally from iran or from syria , they are detained for several hours and asked to sign a paper not to cause any harm to the state of israel during their visit . ' critics of the practice worry it will be used to target arabs or muslims who communicate with palestinian activists or organizations .","israeli attorney general says travelers'e-mail can be searched in exceptional cases" +"argentina ( cnn ) -- people living in the falkland islands are voting in a referendum on their political status on sunday and monday at a time of heightened tensions between argentina and britain over their sovereignty . the two countries went to war over the territory , known to the argentinians as las malvinas , in 1982 after the then-military government in argentina landed troops on the islands . according to the falklands legislative assembly , the vote is intended to affirm islanders'desire to remain a self-governing territory of the united kingdom and to reject claims of ownership by argentina . the question put to voters is : do you wish the falkland islands to retain their current political status as an overseas territory of the united kingdom ? ' the two-day referendum is supported by the british government . but the argentinian embassy in london said in a statement friday that the referendum had no legitimacy , characterizing it as a further attempt by the british to manipulate the question of the malvinas islands . ' because the area around the falklands is the subject of a sovereignty dispute , it argues , the united kingdom has no right to alter the legal status of these territories , not even under the guise of a hypothetical'referendum .' argentina 's president condemns'colonial rule' in january , argentinian president cristina fernandez de kirchner wrote an open letter , published in the uk press , in which she called on britain to hand back the islands and accused it of blatant colonialism . the argentines on the islands were expelled by the royal navy and the united kingdom subsequently began a population implantation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule , ' she wrote . since then , britain , the colonial power , has refused to return the territories to the argentine republic , thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity . ' she cited a 1965 u.n. resolution inviting the two countries to negotiate a solution to the sovereignty dispute and has called on the british to abide by the resolution . the british government rejected fernandez 's call for negotiations , saying the falkland island residents have chosen to be british and have a right to self-determination as enshrined in the u.n . charter . ' the january statement added : there are three parties to this debate , not just two as argentina likes to pretend . the islanders ca n't just be written out of history . as such , there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the falklands islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish . ' the british government accuses buenos aires of trying to coerce ' the falkland island residents into becoming part of argentina through intimidation of those involved in fishing and oil exploration , and efforts to isolate the remote islands even further by limiting access by sea . long desired for its natural resources located in the south atlantic ocean , about 480 kilometers ( 298 miles ) east of the tip of south america , the falklands have long been coveted as a strategic shipping stopover and potential wellspring of natural resources , including lucrative fisheries and a growing oil drilling industry . the islands , which raise their own taxes but rely on the united kingdom for defense and foreign policy , are one of 14 british overseas territories and have been under british rule since 1833 . more than 2,500 people from more than 60 nations live and work there , according to the islands'government website , as well as forces stationed at the british military 's mount pleasant complex . many falkland island residents are of british origin . war broke out over the territory in 1982 , when the then-argentinian military government landed troops on the islands . argentina put its death toll from the conflict at around 645 . britain 's civil and military losses amounted to 255 . on its official website , the falklands government rejects as false the argentinian government claim that a civilian population was expelled by britain in 1833 and argues for the inhabitants'right to choose their path . the people expelled were an illegal argentine military garrison , who had arrived three months earlier , ' it says . the civilian population in the islands , who had sought permission from britain to live there , were invited to stay . all but two of them , with their partners , did so . we are not an implanted population . our community has been formed through voluntary immigration and settlement over the course of nearly two hundred years . ... we are no more an implanted population than are the various populations of south america whose ancestors arrived as immigrants from europe -- we arrived here as part of the same process and pattern of migration . ' the islands are economically self-sufficient , the government says , except for the cost of defense needed as a result of the claim made by an aggressive neighbour . ' the falkland islanders are a peaceful , hard-working and resilient people . our society is thriving and forward-looking . all we ask is to be left in peace to choose our own future , and responsibly develop our home for our children and generations to come , ' the government says . uk newspaper hits back over argentinian claim to falklands","britain and argentina went to war over the south atlantic territory in 1982" +"argentina ( cnn ) -- people living in the falkland islands are voting in a referendum on their political status on sunday and monday at a time of heightened tensions between argentina and britain over their sovereignty . the two countries went to war over the territory , known to the argentinians as las malvinas , in 1982 after the then-military government in argentina landed troops on the islands . according to the falklands legislative assembly , the vote is intended to affirm islanders'desire to remain a self-governing territory of the united kingdom and to reject claims of ownership by argentina . the question put to voters is : do you wish the falkland islands to retain their current political status as an overseas territory of the united kingdom ? ' the two-day referendum is supported by the british government . but the argentinian embassy in london said in a statement friday that the referendum had no legitimacy , characterizing it as a further attempt by the british to manipulate the question of the malvinas islands . ' because the area around the falklands is the subject of a sovereignty dispute , it argues , the united kingdom has no right to alter the legal status of these territories , not even under the guise of a hypothetical'referendum .' argentina 's president condemns'colonial rule' in january , argentinian president cristina fernandez de kirchner wrote an open letter , published in the uk press , in which she called on britain to hand back the islands and accused it of blatant colonialism . the argentines on the islands were expelled by the royal navy and the united kingdom subsequently began a population implantation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule , ' she wrote . since then , britain , the colonial power , has refused to return the territories to the argentine republic , thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity . ' she cited a 1965 u.n. resolution inviting the two countries to negotiate a solution to the sovereignty dispute and has called on the british to abide by the resolution . the british government rejected fernandez 's call for negotiations , saying the falkland island residents have chosen to be british and have a right to self-determination as enshrined in the u.n . charter . ' the january statement added : there are three parties to this debate , not just two as argentina likes to pretend . the islanders ca n't just be written out of history . as such , there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the falklands islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish . ' the british government accuses buenos aires of trying to coerce ' the falkland island residents into becoming part of argentina through intimidation of those involved in fishing and oil exploration , and efforts to isolate the remote islands even further by limiting access by sea . long desired for its natural resources located in the south atlantic ocean , about 480 kilometers ( 298 miles ) east of the tip of south america , the falklands have long been coveted as a strategic shipping stopover and potential wellspring of natural resources , including lucrative fisheries and a growing oil drilling industry . the islands , which raise their own taxes but rely on the united kingdom for defense and foreign policy , are one of 14 british overseas territories and have been under british rule since 1833 . more than 2,500 people from more than 60 nations live and work there , according to the islands'government website , as well as forces stationed at the british military 's mount pleasant complex . many falkland island residents are of british origin . war broke out over the territory in 1982 , when the then-argentinian military government landed troops on the islands . argentina put its death toll from the conflict at around 645 . britain 's civil and military losses amounted to 255 . on its official website , the falklands government rejects as false the argentinian government claim that a civilian population was expelled by britain in 1833 and argues for the inhabitants'right to choose their path . the people expelled were an illegal argentine military garrison , who had arrived three months earlier , ' it says . the civilian population in the islands , who had sought permission from britain to live there , were invited to stay . all but two of them , with their partners , did so . we are not an implanted population . our community has been formed through voluntary immigration and settlement over the course of nearly two hundred years . ... we are no more an implanted population than are the various populations of south america whose ancestors arrived as immigrants from europe -- we arrived here as part of the same process and pattern of migration . ' the islands are economically self-sufficient , the government says , except for the cost of defense needed as a result of the claim made by an aggressive neighbour . ' the falkland islanders are a peaceful , hard-working and resilient people . our society is thriving and forward-looking . all we ask is to be left in peace to choose our own future , and responsibly develop our home for our children and generations to come , ' the government says . uk newspaper hits back over argentinian claim to falklands","argentina , which knows the islands as las malvinas , disputes british sovereignty" +"south atlantic ( cnn ) -- people living in the falkland islands are voting in a referendum on their political status on sunday and monday at a time of heightened tensions between argentina and britain over their sovereignty . the two countries went to war over the territory , known to the argentinians as las malvinas , in 1982 after the then-military government in argentina landed troops on the islands . according to the falklands legislative assembly , the vote is intended to affirm islanders'desire to remain a self-governing territory of the united kingdom and to reject claims of ownership by argentina . the question put to voters is : do you wish the falkland islands to retain their current political status as an overseas territory of the united kingdom ? ' the two-day referendum is supported by the british government . but the argentinian embassy in london said in a statement friday that the referendum had no legitimacy , characterizing it as a further attempt by the british to manipulate the question of the malvinas islands . ' because the area around the falklands is the subject of a sovereignty dispute , it argues , the united kingdom has no right to alter the legal status of these territories , not even under the guise of a hypothetical'referendum .' argentina 's president condemns'colonial rule' in january , argentinian president cristina fernandez de kirchner wrote an open letter , published in the uk press , in which she called on britain to hand back the islands and accused it of blatant colonialism . the argentines on the islands were expelled by the royal navy and the united kingdom subsequently began a population implantation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule , ' she wrote . since then , britain , the colonial power , has refused to return the territories to the argentine republic , thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity . ' she cited a 1965 u.n. resolution inviting the two countries to negotiate a solution to the sovereignty dispute and has called on the british to abide by the resolution . the british government rejected fernandez 's call for negotiations , saying the falkland island residents have chosen to be british and have a right to self-determination as enshrined in the u.n . charter . ' the january statement added : there are three parties to this debate , not just two as argentina likes to pretend . the islanders ca n't just be written out of history . as such , there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the falklands islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish . ' the british government accuses buenos aires of trying to coerce ' the falkland island residents into becoming part of argentina through intimidation of those involved in fishing and oil exploration , and efforts to isolate the remote islands even further by limiting access by sea . long desired for its natural resources located in the south atlantic ocean , about 480 kilometers ( 298 miles ) east of the tip of south america , the falklands have long been coveted as a strategic shipping stopover and potential wellspring of natural resources , including lucrative fisheries and a growing oil drilling industry . the islands , which raise their own taxes but rely on the united kingdom for defense and foreign policy , are one of 14 british overseas territories and have been under british rule since 1833 . more than 2,500 people from more than 60 nations live and work there , according to the islands'government website , as well as forces stationed at the british military 's mount pleasant complex . many falkland island residents are of british origin . war broke out over the territory in 1982 , when the then-argentinian military government landed troops on the islands . argentina put its death toll from the conflict at around 645 . britain 's civil and military losses amounted to 255 . on its official website , the falklands government rejects as false the argentinian government claim that a civilian population was expelled by britain in 1833 and argues for the inhabitants'right to choose their path . the people expelled were an illegal argentine military garrison , who had arrived three months earlier , ' it says . the civilian population in the islands , who had sought permission from britain to live there , were invited to stay . all but two of them , with their partners , did so . we are not an implanted population . our community has been formed through voluntary immigration and settlement over the course of nearly two hundred years . ... we are no more an implanted population than are the various populations of south america whose ancestors arrived as immigrants from europe -- we arrived here as part of the same process and pattern of migration . ' the islands are economically self-sufficient , the government says , except for the cost of defense needed as a result of the claim made by an aggressive neighbour . ' the falkland islanders are a peaceful , hard-working and resilient people . our society is thriving and forward-looking . all we ask is to be left in peace to choose our own future , and responsibly develop our home for our children and generations to come , ' the government says . uk newspaper hits back over argentinian claim to falklands","britain and argentina went to war over the south atlantic territory in 1982" +"fabio fognini ( cnn ) -- the davis cup is the just about the only major honor in tennis to elude roger federer and the swiss maestro took another big step to righting that omission sunday as he led his country into november 's final against france . federer secured the winning point in his singles match against fabio fognini to give switzerland an unbeatable 3-1 lead over italy in geneva . the 17-time grand slam winner was never seriously troubled by fognini , winning 6-2 6-3 7-6 in front of 18,000 fans in the palexpo arena . a run of four straight games saw him take the opening set and a single break in the second was enough to forge further ahead . fognini had four break point chances in the third set but could not take advantage and federer moved clear in the closing tiebreak . the 33-year-old will be playing in his first davis cup final and paid tribute to the fervent supporters who willed him on to victory . its nice sharing your emotions with your fans and team mates , ' he told the official davis cup website . swiss captain severin luthi also reflected on their triumph . for the whole of switzerland it 's great we 're in the finals now . we could n't be happier , ' he said . roger did n't have that much time to get used to the court and conditions and there is a lot of pressure involved . for me he played again fantastic tennis . ' federer and australian open champion stanislas wawrinka won their opening singles rubbers friday but the italians hit back the following day as fognini and simone bolleli took the doubles to give themselves a glimmer of hope heading into the reverse singles . switzerland will have to travel to france for the final on november 21-23 , with the venue still to be announced . france sealed its passage saturday when the doubles team of richard gasquet and jo-wilfried tsonga defeated czechs tomas berdych and radek stepanek in four sets to go 3-0 ahead . sunday 's reverse singles saw jiri vesely beat julien benneteau 6-4 6-3 to put the first point on the board for the czechs before gael monfils beat lukas rosol 5-7 6-4 7-5 in the second of the dead ' rubbers . france is seeking a first davis cup triumph since 2001 . switzerland has never won the trophy , losing the 1992 final to the united states .","roger federer wins decisive singles against fabio fognini" +"italy rome , italy ( cnn ) -- officials monitoring the river tiber in rome fear it could break its banks as early as friday evening after a spate of bad weather in italy -- but do not expect major flooding . a rescue boat patrols the swollen river tiber in central rome early friday . guido bertolaso , the head of the italian civil protection department said that there is a 20 to 30 percent chance the river could break its banks and cause disruption in some neighborhoods in northern rome , but not in the historic city center . two people have died in weather-related incidents elsewhere in italy . we see that the flow is increasing , but it is not reaching a level that could be dangerous for the capital city of italy , ' said bertolaso about the tiber , deeming the situation crucial but not serious . ' bertolaso , calling the situation quite extraordinary , ' labeled the flood threat and storms as the fifth most serious situation of the past 100 years . ' but i think it is under control and the secret is to have the technology and the kind of organization to monitor the situation and to intervene if an emergency arises , ' he said . bertolaso noted that authorities have been keeping a minute-by-minute watch because of heavy storms over the past few days . he said the water level would probably increase for a few more hours and eventually peak between 8 p.m. and midnight local time friday ( between 1800 and 2200 gmt ) . if there will be no more rain , the situation is expected to stabilize , ' he said . rome mayor gianni alemanno said he did not expect a major flood and noted that only a few dwellings have been evacuated -- primarily those inhabited by immigrants and roma , who have set up makeshift camps on the banks of the tiber . i just recommend people to stay at home and not to rush to the river banks to watch the river swelling , ' alemanno said . hundreds of volunteers and civil protection officials have been deployed around rome to monitor the situation , the civil protection department said . sandbags have been lined up to contain any possible river overflow , and the fire brigade is ready with amphibious vehicles . police have blocked access to some pedestrian bridges and river banks , while residents are being urged to use their vehicles only if necessary . firefighters thursday had to rescue dozens of motorists stranded in their cars . because of the intense rain , the streets of some northern rome neighborhoods were already flooded by water and covered in thick brown mud . one woman died near rome early thursday when her car was submerged by a wave of water and mud in an underpass . the body of a second victim was found in the southern region of calabria after a bridge collapsed .","italy has been hit by a wave of bad weather that has claimed two lives" +"ebay ( cnn ) -- it took a lot of effort for leo bonten to turn his amputated leg into a fully functional lamp . for starters , he had to break the damn thing in a freak kiddie pool accident . as one does . seriously . that 's how it all started , thus confirming what i 've always said : kiddie pools are not toys , and should only be used as giant , outdoor toilets . ' i chose that as my high school yearbook quote over carpe diem . ' but it really happened . in july 2012 , the unfortunate dutchman suffered a terrible break while goofing off with his cousin in south rotterdam . over time , the leg became infected , ignored , and more infected to the point where , in july of this year , doctors had to remove it surgically . so , bonten , now 53 , settled in to the fact that he would be losing his right leg -- a harsh reality for an otherwise healthy and active man . but it was damaged beyond repair , and there was nothing he could do . except , you know , maybe ask to keep it . it 's my leg , ' he told me over the phone . it 's my legal right . ' sort of . we 'll get to that . either way , he asked for it , which i 'm sure lead to a rather awkward , if not spirited , conversation with hospital administrators . sir , we just ca n't give it to you . ' right . well , what if i bring in my own tin foil ? ' generally speaking , hospitals use very specific protocol with amputations . for safety and sanitation reasons , they 're usually required to incinerate them . body parts can also be buried during some sort of official funeral ( and , perhaps , exhumed ) with proper legal oversight . but that was an expensive option , and not one bonten was able to afford . though , probably worth it just to see the face of the grave digger . do n't go anywhere , dave . and hold on to that shovel . ' so , bonten would n't be doing that . there would be no funeral . still , he wanted his leg , for he had a crazy idea . he would turn it into a lamp . sort of like the one from ralphie 's house in a christmas story . ' but real . and significantly more severed . thus , bonten and the hospital entered a complicated period of legal negotiations , where they finally came to a mutual agreement after a strange set of circumstances . you see , leading up to his surgery at erasmus medical center , a news reporter gave bonten a book by joris van casteren about a mysterious leg found by a fisherman in the ijssel river . that book led bonten to a pathologist named frank van de goot , who was more than happy to help with all this lamp nonsense . you see , as per his profession , van de goot was able to legally obtain bonten 's leg from the hospital after surgery . thus , the leg was then couriered to van de goot as specified by the law . he would inspect it . he would study it . and , ultimately , he would preserve the leg with chemicals so it could remain ... a leg . problem solved . almost . someone still had to make it into a lamp . eventually , as bonten 's story became an even bigger media sensation , a designer named william schaper kotter decided to reach out and offer his services to complete the vision . this thing was actually going to happen . and now it 's done . they made a lamp out of his leg . today , the leg sits suspended in a glass cylinder filled with a solution . surrounding that cylinder are metal bars , symbolizing two years of physical imprisonment ' suffered by bonten while the leg deteriorated . above that is an empty space . this represents the rehab period . and on the top sits a large remote-controlled led light , flanked by two metal wings , honoring bonten 's upcoming freedom from the help of a new limb . which is where the story takes another twist . the issue of the prosthetic . bonten explained to me that the one he 's getting through his insurance is not top of the line . quite simply , he wants something better . something stronger . something more agile . because , before all this , he played soccer . he ran . he boxed . it was one silly accident that changed everything . but a high-tech prosthetic will cost him . so , he decided to sell his lamp on ebay for €100,000 -- an endeavor that lasted not even two days before the online bidding site rejected his listing . you ca n't sell human parts on ebay . on the plus side , you can sell used socks . do n't ask me why i was looking . just know that you can . so , until somebody comes to him with an offer , bonten will just keep it at home , where he just returned after a lengthy stint in rehab . his lamp will arrive on sunday , and he 'll finally be re-united with his leg . my leg is amputated , ' he says , fully understanding the humor and absurdity in all this . but it gives me a good feeling that i still have it . ' and if he wants to cover the foot with a dirty , used sock ... sadly , i know just the place . follow @ jarrettbellini on twitter . and prepare to be underwhelmed . see more content with questionable news value at cnn comedy .","bonten tried selling his leg on ebay after turning it into a lamp" +"ferriss hong kong ( cnn ) -- cnn readers had a mixture of admiration and disdain for bob , ' the anonymous u.s. programmer who outsourced his work to a chinese firm for one-fifth of his paycheck . the incident was investigated by verizon after a client company noticed the firm 's computer system was regularly being accessed from china . investigators found the employee had physically fedexed his rsa token to china so that the third-party contractor could log-in under his credentials during the workday , ' according to andrew valentine , a senior forensic investigator for verizon . this guy must have read the ` 4-hour workweek'book . he was doing exactly what the book recommends , ' wrote one cnn reader , a sentiment echoed elsewhere . heard this on cnn this morning and thought the same exact thing -- he must be a tim ferriss fan ! ' wrote a reader identified as sarah avayou . u.s. programmer outsources own job to china , surfs cat videos ferriss , however , is n't a fan of the tactics of bob . ' the author of the blockbuster time management book series -- which advocates personal outsourcing as part of his formula for earning more in less time -- said subterfuge and allowing someone unauthorized access to the company computers is not the way forward . productivity should benefit the collective , not put it at risk , ' ferriss told cnn by e-mail . as much as i love cat photos , creating security breaches is n't a good career move . it 's also bad karma . ' an average day for bob ' included watching cat videos and logging into ebay and facebook . he would then send an end-of-day report on the work he paid a company in shenyang , china , to do for him . the 4-hour workweek is about maximizing your per-hour output -- increasing personal effectiveness . it 's about creating abundance and not about screwing your employer , ' ferriss said . this is why i work with some of the fastest growing start-ups in silicon valley ( evernote , uber , etc . ) : they want maximal leverage . ' is there a way bob ' could have done this without jeopardizing his job ? if you want to structure a remote-work agreement , voluntarily work several consecutive saturdays and measure your output increases ( e.g . deals closed , client hours booked , etc . ) , ' ferriss said . use data and a logical argument to show your bosses that you can contribute more while being location-independent . ' ferriss also advises : if you want increased power and negotiating ability within your organization , increase your per-hour output . focus on the 80/20 rule : identifying the 20 % of activities ( also products/services ) that produce 80 % of the results you or your bosses want . track ( or create ) metrics that allow your supervisors to measure your performance improvements and contributions , ' he said . still , many readers admired the unknown -- and now unemployed -- programmer . it reminds me of a quote from'the night of the generals'that went something like'what is admirable on a grand scale is abhorrent on a small scale', ' commented another cnn reader known as davidji , referring to the 1967 movie about a nazi murder investigation during world war ii . ceo 's do this every day and they get stock options and their picture on forbes front cover . '","ferriss : creating security breaches is n't a good career move . it 's also bad karma . '" +"ferriss hong kong ( cnn ) -- cnn readers had a mixture of admiration and disdain for bob , ' the anonymous u.s. programmer who outsourced his work to a chinese firm for one-fifth of his paycheck . the incident was investigated by verizon after a client company noticed the firm 's computer system was regularly being accessed from china . investigators found the employee had physically fedexed his rsa token to china so that the third-party contractor could log-in under his credentials during the workday , ' according to andrew valentine , a senior forensic investigator for verizon . this guy must have read the ` 4-hour workweek'book . he was doing exactly what the book recommends , ' wrote one cnn reader , a sentiment echoed elsewhere . heard this on cnn this morning and thought the same exact thing -- he must be a tim ferriss fan ! ' wrote a reader identified as sarah avayou . u.s. programmer outsources own job to china , surfs cat videos ferriss , however , is n't a fan of the tactics of bob . ' the author of the blockbuster time management book series -- which advocates personal outsourcing as part of his formula for earning more in less time -- said subterfuge and allowing someone unauthorized access to the company computers is not the way forward . productivity should benefit the collective , not put it at risk , ' ferriss told cnn by e-mail . as much as i love cat photos , creating security breaches is n't a good career move . it 's also bad karma . ' an average day for bob ' included watching cat videos and logging into ebay and facebook . he would then send an end-of-day report on the work he paid a company in shenyang , china , to do for him . the 4-hour workweek is about maximizing your per-hour output -- increasing personal effectiveness . it 's about creating abundance and not about screwing your employer , ' ferriss said . this is why i work with some of the fastest growing start-ups in silicon valley ( evernote , uber , etc . ) : they want maximal leverage . ' is there a way bob ' could have done this without jeopardizing his job ? if you want to structure a remote-work agreement , voluntarily work several consecutive saturdays and measure your output increases ( e.g . deals closed , client hours booked , etc . ) , ' ferriss said . use data and a logical argument to show your bosses that you can contribute more while being location-independent . ' ferriss also advises : if you want increased power and negotiating ability within your organization , increase your per-hour output . focus on the 80/20 rule : identifying the 20 % of activities ( also products/services ) that produce 80 % of the results you or your bosses want . track ( or create ) metrics that allow your supervisors to measure your performance improvements and contributions , ' he said . still , many readers admired the unknown -- and now unemployed -- programmer . it reminds me of a quote from'the night of the generals'that went something like'what is admirable on a grand scale is abhorrent on a small scale', ' commented another cnn reader known as davidji , referring to the 1967 movie about a nazi murder investigation during world war ii . ceo 's do this every day and they get stock options and their picture on forbes front cover . '","author tim ferriss tells cnn that bob ' went wrong by breaching company security" +"danish three european nations were notified about concerns over horse meat as early as a year ago , the united kingdom 's food safety agency said sunday . the alerts -- sent last year on february 1 , february 15 and march 7 -- identified denmark , hungary and italy as countries that should investigate concerns about horse meat . there were posted by the eu 's rapid alert system for food and feed portal . the uk food standards agency said through a spokeswoman the alerts were just a few of many and the meat never entered the uk . these were three of several thousand such alerts circulated across europe each year . these were followed up by the countries identified in the alert , ' amy cope said in an e-mail . she said the alerts involved horse meat substitution , but officials in one of the affected countries said at least one was for questions over one horse 's passport . ' danish authorities sent out one alert after there were uncertainties ' regarding a slaughtered horse 's paperwork , an official for the danish veterinary and food administration told cnn . the horse meat was sent from denmark to italy and officials sent out the alert to let italian authorities know about their concerns about the paperwork , not the meat itself , kim sigsgaard said . danish officials had no information on what happened with the horse after the alert was sent . a spokeswoman for the department for environment , food and rural affairs in the uk said the issues of possible falsified horse paperwork and the issue of horse meat substitution are unrelated . february 2012 is six months before what had been thought to be the earliest possible time frame where horse meat had been discovered in products labeled as 100 % beef . swedish frozen food giant findus had said that one of its suppliers told it contamination may date back to august . consumers are concerned that as food producers try to keep costs low , the safety of what they eat could be compromised . the managing director of waitrose , a grocery story chain in the uk , said in an editorial published in the telegraph that meat -- indeed , all food -- is no longer a cheap commodity . if something good comes of the current scandal , i hope it is the opening up of a debate around the true economics of food and a determination on the part of everybody in the food industry to apply renewed rigour to their processes and testing regimes to ensure that customers can relax and enjoy the food they buy , ' mark price wrote . the scandal spread friday , as uk authorities revealed the results of dna testing on beef products and raided the premises of three more uk food firms . of 2,501 tests carried out on beef products across the industry by noon friday , 2,472 found no horse meat content above 1 % , the food standards agency said . the 29 positive tests involved seven products sold by five suppliers , according to the independent government agency . another 962 tests are still under way , the agency said at a news conference . fifteen of the positive tests were for the lasagna products sold by findus that first triggered the current horse meat buzz in early february . the others concerned beef products sold by supermarket chains tesco , aldi and the co-operative , and burgers made by catering supplier rangeland . tesco and aldi issued statements saying they are boosting testing on meat products to protect customers , restore confidence and ensure product quality . jim smith , group technical director for tesco , said the company will no longer work with the suppliers who fell below our very high standards . ' the food standards agency declined to give details of the names or location of the three food premises raided friday . investigations are ongoing , but authorities can not rule out the possibility of arrests , it said . authorities across europe have been scrambling to get a grip on the crisis over rogue horse meat in beef products . the european union intends to begin testing meat across all 27 member states , it confirmed friday . it called for testing 10 to 150 samples per country and at least five tests per country for the presence of the drug phenylbutazone , also known as bute , which is approved for horses but is not allowed to enter the food chain because it can be harmful to humans . unauthorized horse meat has been discovered in a variety of products labeled as beef that were sold in supermarkets in countries including britain , france , sweden , switzerland , germany and ireland . the meat industry was first thrust into the spotlight last month when irish investigators found horse and pig dna in hamburger products . the discovery of pig dna in beef products is of particular concern to jews and muslims , whose dietary laws forbid the consumption of pork products . jewish dietary laws also ban the eating of horse meat .","danish officials said they were concerned about paper trail surrounding one horse" +"leno ( cnn ) -- the news that nbc plans to dump jay leno -- again -- lifts the curtain on a dark corner of the media business . is it the fact that a network could be thickheaded enough to call the same play that blew up last time with the conan o'brien debacle ? nah . that 's pretty obvious . it 's the way that television critics despise leno , and how that colors the coverage of the late-night wars . when the new york times'bill carter broke the story last week that nbc is ready to hand the tonight show ' to jimmy fallon in 2014 , there was this line buried deep in the piece : another complicating factor has been mr. leno 's success in the ratings . ' let 's ponder that for a moment . leno has the top-rated show at 11:30 . nbc executives are nonetheless planning on booting him when his contract expires in the fall of 2014 and moving the show from burbank , california , to new york . watch : daily caller editor created fake facebook identity imagine how that story line would play out if critics and reporters viewed leno as sympathetically as they do , say , fallon or leno 's abc rival , jimmy kimmel . what ? ? nbc is kicking jay to the curb ? the guy who has made the network hundreds of millions of dollars over the last two decades ? the man who bounced back from his last firing and regained the late-night throne ? what did he do to deserve this ? instead the media reaction is a collective shrug of the shoulders : yeah , makes sense . time to wheel the old guy off the stage . jay has n't been funny since the clinton administration and fallon appeals to a younger crowd . watch : do the critics want jay leno booted off the stage ? time 's james poniewozik writes that jay'it 's just a business'leno deserves no man 's pity however this plays out . ' the atlantic complains about his groan-worthy jokes . ' but here 's the thing : leno does n't appeal to anyone but the viewers . at least those who live west of the hudson river and east of the santa monica mountains . he does broad comedy and hardly wields the kind of cutting-edge style favored by the bicoastal elites . but much of america likes him . does the 62-year-old comic skew old ? well , he 's been beating kimmel and david letterman even in the coveted 18-to-49 demo . watch : is the press now forgetting the horror of newtown ? the critics made the same mistake last time around . conan was so much funnier than jay that giving him tonight ' rather than risking his departure was a brilliant move by nbc . except that o'brien 's quirky humor appealed to a narrow slice of the audience , the ratings plummeted , and a $ 32 million payout later , he was gone and leno was back . leno has been punching back in his monologue , likening nbc suits to snakes ' and saying that the network 's motto is the biggest loser . ' the times reports that a top executive ordered leno to stop mocking the network , a ham-handed attempt at censorship that has obviously failed . one strange twist is that some conservative pundits are carping that nbc is ousting leno because of his jokes about president obama ( he ribs every president ) and because , unlike the more openly liberal letterman , he appeals to the heartland . it 's obviously more of a dollars-and-cents gamble that fallon is the future . and indeed , jimmy fallon makes sense as leno 's eventual heir . watch : is there a double standard in gay marriage coverage ? but in their haste , nbc execs risk blowing up the situation the way they did in hustling ann curry off the today ' show , sparking a backlash against matt lauer and sending what had been the iconic morning show plunging into second place . their prime-time lineup is in fifth place . do they really need to immolate one of the few time periods where the network is no . 1 ? fallon 's a young guy . johnny carson was 66 when he stepped down . what 's the rush ? the critics , of course , wo n't be happy until leno is working the comedy clubs where he spends his vacations ( and possibly competing against nbc from fox ) . and they are entitled to their views of who has comedic chops and who is out of gas . but in this case , they 're out of touch with the people who vote with their remote controls .","howard kurtz : nbc 's plan to replace jay leno sits well with critics" +"leno ( cnn ) -- the news that nbc plans to dump jay leno -- again -- lifts the curtain on a dark corner of the media business . is it the fact that a network could be thickheaded enough to call the same play that blew up last time with the conan o'brien debacle ? nah . that 's pretty obvious . it 's the way that television critics despise leno , and how that colors the coverage of the late-night wars . when the new york times'bill carter broke the story last week that nbc is ready to hand the tonight show ' to jimmy fallon in 2014 , there was this line buried deep in the piece : another complicating factor has been mr. leno 's success in the ratings . ' let 's ponder that for a moment . leno has the top-rated show at 11:30 . nbc executives are nonetheless planning on booting him when his contract expires in the fall of 2014 and moving the show from burbank , california , to new york . watch : daily caller editor created fake facebook identity imagine how that story line would play out if critics and reporters viewed leno as sympathetically as they do , say , fallon or leno 's abc rival , jimmy kimmel . what ? ? nbc is kicking jay to the curb ? the guy who has made the network hundreds of millions of dollars over the last two decades ? the man who bounced back from his last firing and regained the late-night throne ? what did he do to deserve this ? instead the media reaction is a collective shrug of the shoulders : yeah , makes sense . time to wheel the old guy off the stage . jay has n't been funny since the clinton administration and fallon appeals to a younger crowd . watch : do the critics want jay leno booted off the stage ? time 's james poniewozik writes that jay'it 's just a business'leno deserves no man 's pity however this plays out . ' the atlantic complains about his groan-worthy jokes . ' but here 's the thing : leno does n't appeal to anyone but the viewers . at least those who live west of the hudson river and east of the santa monica mountains . he does broad comedy and hardly wields the kind of cutting-edge style favored by the bicoastal elites . but much of america likes him . does the 62-year-old comic skew old ? well , he 's been beating kimmel and david letterman even in the coveted 18-to-49 demo . watch : is the press now forgetting the horror of newtown ? the critics made the same mistake last time around . conan was so much funnier than jay that giving him tonight ' rather than risking his departure was a brilliant move by nbc . except that o'brien 's quirky humor appealed to a narrow slice of the audience , the ratings plummeted , and a $ 32 million payout later , he was gone and leno was back . leno has been punching back in his monologue , likening nbc suits to snakes ' and saying that the network 's motto is the biggest loser . ' the times reports that a top executive ordered leno to stop mocking the network , a ham-handed attempt at censorship that has obviously failed . one strange twist is that some conservative pundits are carping that nbc is ousting leno because of his jokes about president obama ( he ribs every president ) and because , unlike the more openly liberal letterman , he appeals to the heartland . it 's obviously more of a dollars-and-cents gamble that fallon is the future . and indeed , jimmy fallon makes sense as leno 's eventual heir . watch : is there a double standard in gay marriage coverage ? but in their haste , nbc execs risk blowing up the situation the way they did in hustling ann curry off the today ' show , sparking a backlash against matt lauer and sending what had been the iconic morning show plunging into second place . their prime-time lineup is in fifth place . do they really need to immolate one of the few time periods where the network is no . 1 ? fallon 's a young guy . johnny carson was 66 when he stepped down . what 's the rush ? the critics , of course , wo n't be happy until leno is working the comedy clubs where he spends his vacations ( and possibly competing against nbc from fox ) . and they are entitled to their views of who has comedic chops and who is out of gas . but in this case , they 're out of touch with the people who vote with their remote controls .","critics are free to prefer fallon , kimmel , but replacing leno is risky , he says" +"leno ( cnn ) -- the news that nbc plans to dump jay leno -- again -- lifts the curtain on a dark corner of the media business . is it the fact that a network could be thickheaded enough to call the same play that blew up last time with the conan o'brien debacle ? nah . that 's pretty obvious . it 's the way that television critics despise leno , and how that colors the coverage of the late-night wars . when the new york times'bill carter broke the story last week that nbc is ready to hand the tonight show ' to jimmy fallon in 2014 , there was this line buried deep in the piece : another complicating factor has been mr. leno 's success in the ratings . ' let 's ponder that for a moment . leno has the top-rated show at 11:30 . nbc executives are nonetheless planning on booting him when his contract expires in the fall of 2014 and moving the show from burbank , california , to new york . watch : daily caller editor created fake facebook identity imagine how that story line would play out if critics and reporters viewed leno as sympathetically as they do , say , fallon or leno 's abc rival , jimmy kimmel . what ? ? nbc is kicking jay to the curb ? the guy who has made the network hundreds of millions of dollars over the last two decades ? the man who bounced back from his last firing and regained the late-night throne ? what did he do to deserve this ? instead the media reaction is a collective shrug of the shoulders : yeah , makes sense . time to wheel the old guy off the stage . jay has n't been funny since the clinton administration and fallon appeals to a younger crowd . watch : do the critics want jay leno booted off the stage ? time 's james poniewozik writes that jay'it 's just a business'leno deserves no man 's pity however this plays out . ' the atlantic complains about his groan-worthy jokes . ' but here 's the thing : leno does n't appeal to anyone but the viewers . at least those who live west of the hudson river and east of the santa monica mountains . he does broad comedy and hardly wields the kind of cutting-edge style favored by the bicoastal elites . but much of america likes him . does the 62-year-old comic skew old ? well , he 's been beating kimmel and david letterman even in the coveted 18-to-49 demo . watch : is the press now forgetting the horror of newtown ? the critics made the same mistake last time around . conan was so much funnier than jay that giving him tonight ' rather than risking his departure was a brilliant move by nbc . except that o'brien 's quirky humor appealed to a narrow slice of the audience , the ratings plummeted , and a $ 32 million payout later , he was gone and leno was back . leno has been punching back in his monologue , likening nbc suits to snakes ' and saying that the network 's motto is the biggest loser . ' the times reports that a top executive ordered leno to stop mocking the network , a ham-handed attempt at censorship that has obviously failed . one strange twist is that some conservative pundits are carping that nbc is ousting leno because of his jokes about president obama ( he ribs every president ) and because , unlike the more openly liberal letterman , he appeals to the heartland . it 's obviously more of a dollars-and-cents gamble that fallon is the future . and indeed , jimmy fallon makes sense as leno 's eventual heir . watch : is there a double standard in gay marriage coverage ? but in their haste , nbc execs risk blowing up the situation the way they did in hustling ann curry off the today ' show , sparking a backlash against matt lauer and sending what had been the iconic morning show plunging into second place . their prime-time lineup is in fifth place . do they really need to immolate one of the few time periods where the network is no . 1 ? fallon 's a young guy . johnny carson was 66 when he stepped down . what 's the rush ? the critics , of course , wo n't be happy until leno is working the comedy clubs where he spends his vacations ( and possibly competing against nbc from fox ) . and they are entitled to their views of who has comedic chops and who is out of gas . but in this case , they 're out of touch with the people who vote with their remote controls .","he says leno 's brand of comedy appeals to much of america" +"america ( cnn ) -- the news that nbc plans to dump jay leno -- again -- lifts the curtain on a dark corner of the media business . is it the fact that a network could be thickheaded enough to call the same play that blew up last time with the conan o'brien debacle ? nah . that 's pretty obvious . it 's the way that television critics despise leno , and how that colors the coverage of the late-night wars . when the new york times'bill carter broke the story last week that nbc is ready to hand the tonight show ' to jimmy fallon in 2014 , there was this line buried deep in the piece : another complicating factor has been mr. leno 's success in the ratings . ' let 's ponder that for a moment . leno has the top-rated show at 11:30 . nbc executives are nonetheless planning on booting him when his contract expires in the fall of 2014 and moving the show from burbank , california , to new york . watch : daily caller editor created fake facebook identity imagine how that story line would play out if critics and reporters viewed leno as sympathetically as they do , say , fallon or leno 's abc rival , jimmy kimmel . what ? ? nbc is kicking jay to the curb ? the guy who has made the network hundreds of millions of dollars over the last two decades ? the man who bounced back from his last firing and regained the late-night throne ? what did he do to deserve this ? instead the media reaction is a collective shrug of the shoulders : yeah , makes sense . time to wheel the old guy off the stage . jay has n't been funny since the clinton administration and fallon appeals to a younger crowd . watch : do the critics want jay leno booted off the stage ? time 's james poniewozik writes that jay'it 's just a business'leno deserves no man 's pity however this plays out . ' the atlantic complains about his groan-worthy jokes . ' but here 's the thing : leno does n't appeal to anyone but the viewers . at least those who live west of the hudson river and east of the santa monica mountains . he does broad comedy and hardly wields the kind of cutting-edge style favored by the bicoastal elites . but much of america likes him . does the 62-year-old comic skew old ? well , he 's been beating kimmel and david letterman even in the coveted 18-to-49 demo . watch : is the press now forgetting the horror of newtown ? the critics made the same mistake last time around . conan was so much funnier than jay that giving him tonight ' rather than risking his departure was a brilliant move by nbc . except that o'brien 's quirky humor appealed to a narrow slice of the audience , the ratings plummeted , and a $ 32 million payout later , he was gone and leno was back . leno has been punching back in his monologue , likening nbc suits to snakes ' and saying that the network 's motto is the biggest loser . ' the times reports that a top executive ordered leno to stop mocking the network , a ham-handed attempt at censorship that has obviously failed . one strange twist is that some conservative pundits are carping that nbc is ousting leno because of his jokes about president obama ( he ribs every president ) and because , unlike the more openly liberal letterman , he appeals to the heartland . it 's obviously more of a dollars-and-cents gamble that fallon is the future . and indeed , jimmy fallon makes sense as leno 's eventual heir . watch : is there a double standard in gay marriage coverage ? but in their haste , nbc execs risk blowing up the situation the way they did in hustling ann curry off the today ' show , sparking a backlash against matt lauer and sending what had been the iconic morning show plunging into second place . their prime-time lineup is in fifth place . do they really need to immolate one of the few time periods where the network is no . 1 ? fallon 's a young guy . johnny carson was 66 when he stepped down . what 's the rush ? the critics , of course , wo n't be happy until leno is working the comedy clubs where he spends his vacations ( and possibly competing against nbc from fox ) . and they are entitled to their views of who has comedic chops and who is out of gas . but in this case , they 're out of touch with the people who vote with their remote controls .","he says leno 's brand of comedy appeals to much of america" +"fallon ( cnn ) -- the news that nbc plans to dump jay leno -- again -- lifts the curtain on a dark corner of the media business . is it the fact that a network could be thickheaded enough to call the same play that blew up last time with the conan o'brien debacle ? nah . that 's pretty obvious . it 's the way that television critics despise leno , and how that colors the coverage of the late-night wars . when the new york times'bill carter broke the story last week that nbc is ready to hand the tonight show ' to jimmy fallon in 2014 , there was this line buried deep in the piece : another complicating factor has been mr. leno 's success in the ratings . ' let 's ponder that for a moment . leno has the top-rated show at 11:30 . nbc executives are nonetheless planning on booting him when his contract expires in the fall of 2014 and moving the show from burbank , california , to new york . watch : daily caller editor created fake facebook identity imagine how that story line would play out if critics and reporters viewed leno as sympathetically as they do , say , fallon or leno 's abc rival , jimmy kimmel . what ? ? nbc is kicking jay to the curb ? the guy who has made the network hundreds of millions of dollars over the last two decades ? the man who bounced back from his last firing and regained the late-night throne ? what did he do to deserve this ? instead the media reaction is a collective shrug of the shoulders : yeah , makes sense . time to wheel the old guy off the stage . jay has n't been funny since the clinton administration and fallon appeals to a younger crowd . watch : do the critics want jay leno booted off the stage ? time 's james poniewozik writes that jay'it 's just a business'leno deserves no man 's pity however this plays out . ' the atlantic complains about his groan-worthy jokes . ' but here 's the thing : leno does n't appeal to anyone but the viewers . at least those who live west of the hudson river and east of the santa monica mountains . he does broad comedy and hardly wields the kind of cutting-edge style favored by the bicoastal elites . but much of america likes him . does the 62-year-old comic skew old ? well , he 's been beating kimmel and david letterman even in the coveted 18-to-49 demo . watch : is the press now forgetting the horror of newtown ? the critics made the same mistake last time around . conan was so much funnier than jay that giving him tonight ' rather than risking his departure was a brilliant move by nbc . except that o'brien 's quirky humor appealed to a narrow slice of the audience , the ratings plummeted , and a $ 32 million payout later , he was gone and leno was back . leno has been punching back in his monologue , likening nbc suits to snakes ' and saying that the network 's motto is the biggest loser . ' the times reports that a top executive ordered leno to stop mocking the network , a ham-handed attempt at censorship that has obviously failed . one strange twist is that some conservative pundits are carping that nbc is ousting leno because of his jokes about president obama ( he ribs every president ) and because , unlike the more openly liberal letterman , he appeals to the heartland . it 's obviously more of a dollars-and-cents gamble that fallon is the future . and indeed , jimmy fallon makes sense as leno 's eventual heir . watch : is there a double standard in gay marriage coverage ? but in their haste , nbc execs risk blowing up the situation the way they did in hustling ann curry off the today ' show , sparking a backlash against matt lauer and sending what had been the iconic morning show plunging into second place . their prime-time lineup is in fifth place . do they really need to immolate one of the few time periods where the network is no . 1 ? fallon 's a young guy . johnny carson was 66 when he stepped down . what 's the rush ? the critics , of course , wo n't be happy until leno is working the comedy clubs where he spends his vacations ( and possibly competing against nbc from fox ) . and they are entitled to their views of who has comedic chops and who is out of gas . but in this case , they 're out of touch with the people who vote with their remote controls .","critics are free to prefer fallon , kimmel , but replacing leno is risky , he says" +"london london ( cnn ) the hatton garden heist , as it will surely come to be known , was every safe deposit box holder 's nightmare , every movie director 's dream . thieves using heavy cutting equipment and rappelling gear broke into the vault of an esteemed 60-year-old safe deposit company in the heart of london over the past holiday weekend , possibly taking advantage of as many as four days to rifle through an uncounted number of safe deposit boxes . and they reportedly got away with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of gems and cash -- even , in the educated guess of one former police official , as much as 200 million pounds , or $ 300 million . police were offering few details wednesday of the robbery at hatton garden safe deposit ltd. detectives on the scene were carrying out a slow and painstaking ' forensic examination , police said in a statement . officers anticipate the process to take approximately two days , ' the statement said . at this stage it is believed that approximately 60-70 safe deposit boxes were opened during the burglary . officers are working closely with hatton garden safe deposit ltd to establish the identities of those affected . police will be contacting victims directly as and when they are identified . ' watch : top five jewelry heists throughout the day wednesday , customers of the business went in and out of the premises , clearly unhappy about not being able to learn whether their boxes were among those ransacked . hatton garden is a storied area in london and the heart of the city 's diamond trade . the area 's promotional website says it is home to the largest and most concentrated cluster of jewellery retailers in the uk ' and has been for quite some time . history tells us that the old city of london had certain streets -- or quarters -- dedicated to specific types of business , ' the website says . the hatton garden area has been the epicentre of london 's jewellery trade since medieval times . today , it maintains its international reputation as the centre of london 's diamond trade . it is one of the finest and most renowned jewellery locations in the world . ' $ 4.8m in gold swiped from n.c. highway . but how ? the police statement did not put a value on the amount of the haul . but numerous british news organizations put the figure in the hundreds of thousands of pounds , which translates into even more hundreds of thousands of dollars . many of those who rent safe deposit boxes at the company are reportedly in the jewelry trade . but roy ramm , a former chief of the flying squad , an economic crime unit of london 's metropolitan police service , came up with a much higher guess . i would not be surprised , given where this one is , in hatton garden , if 200 million pounds is around about the amount stolen , ' ramm said on bbc radio 4 . because of the long easter weekend , police did not hear of the robbery until tuesday morning . this may prove to be an embarrassment , as the telegraph newspaper reported that the alarm at the business sounded friday but , as the front and back doors still appeared locked , no action was taken . the website of hatton garden safe deposit ltd. says the company was founded in 1954 and offers a secure and cost-effective solution to store and protect important and irreplaceable personal belongings . ' robbers target security vans in france jewel heist","the heist took place in a historic heart of london 's jewelry business" +"houston ( cnn ) -- the man leading the hunt for malaysia airlines flight 370 says the search is the most difficult in human history , but modern technology greatly increases the chances of finding the missing plane . the four underwater signals that search teams detected are still the most promising lead ' investigators have in the search for the boeing 777 , angus houston told cnn 's anna coren on monday . but are they all pings from the plane 's data recorders ? a wall street journal report monday said authorities increasingly believe only the first two signals detected are relevant to the search . and a u.s. navy source told cnn that navy officials assisting in the search are sharing the signal data with u.s. agencies and consultants for re-analysis , ' adding that searchers have more confidence in the first two pings detected . houston told cnn it 's still too soon to rule out any of the signals . analysis on all four detections is continuing , ' he said . at this point in time , it is too early to discount any of the acoustic detections . ' the pings have played a key role in shaping the search for the plane , which went missing march 8 during a flight from kuala lumpur to beijing with 239 people onboard . houston told cnn the hunt for the plane is even more difficult than that for air france flight 447 , which disappeared in the atlantic ocean in 2009 . the big difference between air france 447 and mh370 is that the last known position , in terms of mh370 , is at the top of the malacca straits , and then the aircraft continued to fly for an extended period after that , ' houston told cnn 's anna coren on monday . whereas air france , they had a very good last known position , which then turned out to be very close to where the aircraft was eventually found . ' but he said searchers are performing groundbreaking work ' with satellite analysis , which has helped isolate the search area in the indian ocean . without that , we would be essentially searching the whole of the indian ocean , and i think the chances of finding the aircraft in those circumstances would have been slim , ' houston said . i think by having this defined search area ... i think eventually we will find the aircraft . ' houston is the chief search coordinator for the joint agency coordination centre , based in australia . he said his greatest concern throughout the two-month search has been the families of those on board . to have a set of circumstances where you do n't know what 's happened to your loved ones in circumstances such as this , it 's just a terrible , terrible emotional trauma of all of those involved , ' he said . and beyond that , the wider public has a great interest in what happened here because we all fly in airplanes , and we all fly long distances over water , and a lot of people want to know what happened and why it happened . ' hunt for mh370 gets deeper , broader , pricier about criticism of malaysia since the plane disappeared on march 8 with 239 people on board , the malaysian government has been criticized for its response and accusations that it has not been transparent . houston said he believes malaysia has been forthcoming . i think some of the commentary about what the malaysians have done , i do n't think is as fair and objective as it might have been , ' houston said . people are looking for answers , and there are no answers at the moment . that 's the difficulty . ''it just disappeared' houston said he understands why many families are frustrated by the lack of information . initially , the aircraft -- well , simply put , it just disappeared . and i guess in this day and age , that surprised a lot of people , ' he said . but such a disappearance is quite possible if the transponder or anything on the aircraft that transmits signals is turned off . i think that 's something that we , as a world community , have to correct as soon as possible , ' houston said . we need to have jetliners that are equipped with some sort of tracking device that ca n't be turned off , that can be tracked all of the time . and with satellite technology available , i think that can be done in the near future . ' on the same day that houston spoke , a satellite communications company said it would begin providing a free global airline tracking service . inmarsat , the company whose satellite had the last known contact with flight 370 , said it proposed the service to the international civil aviation organization ahead of the icao 's conference on aircraft tracking this week . this service is being offered to all 11,000 commercial passenger aircraft , which are already equipped with an inmarsat satellite connection , ' the company said in a statement . it said the tracking would cover virtually 100 % of the world 's long haul commercial fleet . ' cnn 's rene marsh and catherine e. shoichet contributed to this report .","houston defends malaysia 's response to the missing plane" +"houston ( cnn ) -- the man leading the hunt for malaysia airlines flight 370 says the search is the most difficult in human history , but modern technology greatly increases the chances of finding the missing plane . the four underwater signals that search teams detected are still the most promising lead ' investigators have in the search for the boeing 777 , angus houston told cnn 's anna coren on monday . but are they all pings from the plane 's data recorders ? a wall street journal report monday said authorities increasingly believe only the first two signals detected are relevant to the search . and a u.s. navy source told cnn that navy officials assisting in the search are sharing the signal data with u.s. agencies and consultants for re-analysis , ' adding that searchers have more confidence in the first two pings detected . houston told cnn it 's still too soon to rule out any of the signals . analysis on all four detections is continuing , ' he said . at this point in time , it is too early to discount any of the acoustic detections . ' the pings have played a key role in shaping the search for the plane , which went missing march 8 during a flight from kuala lumpur to beijing with 239 people onboard . houston told cnn the hunt for the plane is even more difficult than that for air france flight 447 , which disappeared in the atlantic ocean in 2009 . the big difference between air france 447 and mh370 is that the last known position , in terms of mh370 , is at the top of the malacca straits , and then the aircraft continued to fly for an extended period after that , ' houston told cnn 's anna coren on monday . whereas air france , they had a very good last known position , which then turned out to be very close to where the aircraft was eventually found . ' but he said searchers are performing groundbreaking work ' with satellite analysis , which has helped isolate the search area in the indian ocean . without that , we would be essentially searching the whole of the indian ocean , and i think the chances of finding the aircraft in those circumstances would have been slim , ' houston said . i think by having this defined search area ... i think eventually we will find the aircraft . ' houston is the chief search coordinator for the joint agency coordination centre , based in australia . he said his greatest concern throughout the two-month search has been the families of those on board . to have a set of circumstances where you do n't know what 's happened to your loved ones in circumstances such as this , it 's just a terrible , terrible emotional trauma of all of those involved , ' he said . and beyond that , the wider public has a great interest in what happened here because we all fly in airplanes , and we all fly long distances over water , and a lot of people want to know what happened and why it happened . ' hunt for mh370 gets deeper , broader , pricier about criticism of malaysia since the plane disappeared on march 8 with 239 people on board , the malaysian government has been criticized for its response and accusations that it has not been transparent . houston said he believes malaysia has been forthcoming . i think some of the commentary about what the malaysians have done , i do n't think is as fair and objective as it might have been , ' houston said . people are looking for answers , and there are no answers at the moment . that 's the difficulty . ''it just disappeared' houston said he understands why many families are frustrated by the lack of information . initially , the aircraft -- well , simply put , it just disappeared . and i guess in this day and age , that surprised a lot of people , ' he said . but such a disappearance is quite possible if the transponder or anything on the aircraft that transmits signals is turned off . i think that 's something that we , as a world community , have to correct as soon as possible , ' houston said . we need to have jetliners that are equipped with some sort of tracking device that ca n't be turned off , that can be tracked all of the time . and with satellite technology available , i think that can be done in the near future . ' on the same day that houston spoke , a satellite communications company said it would begin providing a free global airline tracking service . inmarsat , the company whose satellite had the last known contact with flight 370 , said it proposed the service to the international civil aviation organization ahead of the icao 's conference on aircraft tracking this week . this service is being offered to all 11,000 commercial passenger aircraft , which are already equipped with an inmarsat satellite connection , ' the company said in a statement . it said the tracking would cover virtually 100 % of the world 's long haul commercial fleet . ' cnn 's rene marsh and catherine e. shoichet contributed to this report .","new : angus houston says underwater signals remain the most promising lead '" +"adhd after years of speculation and rare case reports , a study suggests that stimulant medication -- mostly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- may have played a role in a handful of cases of sudden , unexplained death in children and adolescents . untreated adhd can lead to poor school performance and increase adolescents'risk for harmful behavior . the study authors stress , however , that parents and doctors should not refrain from treating children with adhd just because of these results . the association is significant in that it 's real , but that does n't mean it 's not a very low risk , ' says lead author madelyn s. gould , ph.d. , a professor of psychiatry and public health at columbia university , in new york . there probably does need to be more careful monitoring , but the bottom line is that parents should not take their children off stimulant medication they 're currently on and should not be scared to have their child go on a stimulant if that 's what they and their doctors decide is the best thing for their child . ' the study , published this week in the american journal of psychiatry , is the first to suggest that the stimulants may pose a risk -- albeit remote -- in children without underlying heart problems . about 2.5 million children in the united states take such medications . stimulants linked to 1.8 percent of unexplained deaths gould and her colleagues compared medical records and parent interviews of children and adolescents who had died between the years of 1985 and 1996 , including 564 who had died from an unexplained heart-rate abnormality or other causes , and 564 who died as passengers in motor vehicle accidents . they excluded cases with other known possible causes of death , such as asthma or congenital heart diseases . of all the unexplained cases , the researchers found that 10 children , or 1.8 percent of the group , had had stimulant medication prescribed . this compared with only two cases of stimulant use , or 0.4 percent , among healthy children who had died in motor vehicle accidents -- a group used to represent a general population of healthy children and adolescents . health.com : treatment options for adhd at any age in all 10 cases , the children were taking methylphenidate , the active ingredient in ritalin and concerta . a similar drug , adderall , is composed of mixed amphetamine salts and was not included in the study results because it was first approved in 1996 . however , the food and drug administration in 2006 asked the manufacturers of stimulants , including adderall , to add a warning to their label saying the medications should not be used in children with structural heart abnormalities or other heart problems . at the time , the fda advisory panel rejected a more stringent black-box warning about the possible risk of sudden unexplained death . strattera , another medication approved for adhd in children , is not a stimulant medication . a spokesperson for mcneil pediatrics , which distributes and markets concerta , says the company welcomes any data that add to the body of knowledge in this therapeutic area , but did not make a specific comment on the new study . michael billings , a spokesperson for novartis , the manufacturer of ritalin , notes that the drug has been used for more than 50 years and is the most studied adhd medication . health.com : secrets to a stress-free home ' for all of its products , novartis reviews its global safety and efficacy through post-marketing surveillance and consistently reports new information to health authorities on an ongoing basis , ' says billings . review of novartis safety data has failed to detect an increased risk in sudden cardiac death associated with methylphenidate use . ' not a watershed moment , researchers say gould says it 's important to report this association , but she is also concerned about the results being misinterpreted . we 're very sensitive to not wanting this to be some watershed moment where stimulant medications start to get used less and get used inappropriately , ' she explains . in an editorial accompanying the article , benedetto vitiello , m.d. , and kenneth towbin , m.d. , of the national institute of mental health , agree with gould 's concerns . health.com : the top 5 cholesterol myths they write that the study findings should underscore that stimulant medications are not innocuous and that their therapeutic use requires careful diagnostic assessment , diligent safety screening , and ongoing monitoring . however , it is equally clear that sudden , unexplained death is a rare event , this is only the first such study , it relies on small numbers , and it is not possible to quantify the risk beyond estimating that it is very small . ' indeed , since a double-blind , placebo-controlled trial is n't ethically possible in this situation , it is hard to conduct a study that 's not without flaws . although the researchers are confident that the results are not due to any underlying factors -- children with adhd often have asthma and heart conditions also linked with sudden death , and so these cases were eliminated from the analysis -- ' one can never be 100 percent sure that there are n't other unknown or undiagnosed issues , ' says gould . health.com : slideshow : celebrities with adhd james perrin , m.d. , a professor of pediatrics at harvard medical school and massachusetts general hospital for children , says the study is n't surprising nor particularly convincing . ' he says the research is flawed because , among other problems , it may have underestimated the number of children who were taking stimulants . the rate of stimulant use , particularly in the accident-related deaths , was lower than expected , he says . the study adds very little to what we already know , i.e. , that some children who receive stimulants experience sudden unexpected death , ' says dr. perrin , who was not involved in the study . the current study should not change the use of any medications or treatments . ' more research , careful monitoring is needed stimulant medications currently contain a warning targeted to specific high-risk children , including those with structural heart defects , cardiomyopathy , or heart-rhythm disturbances . the medication labels also warn that stimulants may raise blood pressure and heart rate , and have been linked with stroke and heart attack in adults . when deciding whether to put a child on stimulant medications , both clinicians and parents should weigh the seriousness of the situation , says gould . the benefits may not outweigh the risk in cases in which attention problems may be keeping a b-student from becoming an a-student , she explains . health.com : yoga moves to beat ease stress , insomnia , and pain but with more serious cases , the choice should be clearer . untreated adhd can be harmful in itself , leading to poor performance in school and increasing adolescents'risk for harmful behavior such as reckless driving , unsafe sexual practices , and substance abuse . i have two boys , now grown , so i can certainly relate to parents facing these decisions , ' gould says . if my child was having problems to the extent that a neurologist or psychiatrist was recommending medication , i would want the medication -- although , even though we did n't discuss this specifically in the study , i would want my child to have an ekg . ' in 2008 , the american heart association recommended that doctors consider routine electrocardiograms before starting children with adhd on stimulants or other psychotropic medications , but underscored the need for future research . an ekg may help to detect cardiac abnormalities that would increase a child 's vulnerability to sudden heart problems . parents considering stimulant medication for their children should also provide their doctor with a detailed family history , including any heart problems or sudden deaths of close family members . future research should focus on new ways to detect which children are most at risk for sudden death when taking stimulants , says gould , since not all cases seem to be detectable with routine screenings . until then , a thorough examination and careful monitoring is the best way to reduce a child 's danger . the study was funded by a grant from the nimh and a contract with the fda . enter to win a monthly room makeover giveaway from myhomeideas.com copyright health magazine 2009","authors warn parents not to stop treating kids with adhd ; risk is low" +"adhd after years of speculation and rare case reports , a study suggests that stimulant medication -- mostly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- may have played a role in a handful of cases of sudden , unexplained death in children and adolescents . untreated adhd can lead to poor school performance and increase adolescents'risk for harmful behavior . the study authors stress , however , that parents and doctors should not refrain from treating children with adhd just because of these results . the association is significant in that it 's real , but that does n't mean it 's not a very low risk , ' says lead author madelyn s. gould , ph.d. , a professor of psychiatry and public health at columbia university , in new york . there probably does need to be more careful monitoring , but the bottom line is that parents should not take their children off stimulant medication they 're currently on and should not be scared to have their child go on a stimulant if that 's what they and their doctors decide is the best thing for their child . ' the study , published this week in the american journal of psychiatry , is the first to suggest that the stimulants may pose a risk -- albeit remote -- in children without underlying heart problems . about 2.5 million children in the united states take such medications . stimulants linked to 1.8 percent of unexplained deaths gould and her colleagues compared medical records and parent interviews of children and adolescents who had died between the years of 1985 and 1996 , including 564 who had died from an unexplained heart-rate abnormality or other causes , and 564 who died as passengers in motor vehicle accidents . they excluded cases with other known possible causes of death , such as asthma or congenital heart diseases . of all the unexplained cases , the researchers found that 10 children , or 1.8 percent of the group , had had stimulant medication prescribed . this compared with only two cases of stimulant use , or 0.4 percent , among healthy children who had died in motor vehicle accidents -- a group used to represent a general population of healthy children and adolescents . health.com : treatment options for adhd at any age in all 10 cases , the children were taking methylphenidate , the active ingredient in ritalin and concerta . a similar drug , adderall , is composed of mixed amphetamine salts and was not included in the study results because it was first approved in 1996 . however , the food and drug administration in 2006 asked the manufacturers of stimulants , including adderall , to add a warning to their label saying the medications should not be used in children with structural heart abnormalities or other heart problems . at the time , the fda advisory panel rejected a more stringent black-box warning about the possible risk of sudden unexplained death . strattera , another medication approved for adhd in children , is not a stimulant medication . a spokesperson for mcneil pediatrics , which distributes and markets concerta , says the company welcomes any data that add to the body of knowledge in this therapeutic area , but did not make a specific comment on the new study . michael billings , a spokesperson for novartis , the manufacturer of ritalin , notes that the drug has been used for more than 50 years and is the most studied adhd medication . health.com : secrets to a stress-free home ' for all of its products , novartis reviews its global safety and efficacy through post-marketing surveillance and consistently reports new information to health authorities on an ongoing basis , ' says billings . review of novartis safety data has failed to detect an increased risk in sudden cardiac death associated with methylphenidate use . ' not a watershed moment , researchers say gould says it 's important to report this association , but she is also concerned about the results being misinterpreted . we 're very sensitive to not wanting this to be some watershed moment where stimulant medications start to get used less and get used inappropriately , ' she explains . in an editorial accompanying the article , benedetto vitiello , m.d. , and kenneth towbin , m.d. , of the national institute of mental health , agree with gould 's concerns . health.com : the top 5 cholesterol myths they write that the study findings should underscore that stimulant medications are not innocuous and that their therapeutic use requires careful diagnostic assessment , diligent safety screening , and ongoing monitoring . however , it is equally clear that sudden , unexplained death is a rare event , this is only the first such study , it relies on small numbers , and it is not possible to quantify the risk beyond estimating that it is very small . ' indeed , since a double-blind , placebo-controlled trial is n't ethically possible in this situation , it is hard to conduct a study that 's not without flaws . although the researchers are confident that the results are not due to any underlying factors -- children with adhd often have asthma and heart conditions also linked with sudden death , and so these cases were eliminated from the analysis -- ' one can never be 100 percent sure that there are n't other unknown or undiagnosed issues , ' says gould . health.com : slideshow : celebrities with adhd james perrin , m.d. , a professor of pediatrics at harvard medical school and massachusetts general hospital for children , says the study is n't surprising nor particularly convincing . ' he says the research is flawed because , among other problems , it may have underestimated the number of children who were taking stimulants . the rate of stimulant use , particularly in the accident-related deaths , was lower than expected , he says . the study adds very little to what we already know , i.e. , that some children who receive stimulants experience sudden unexpected death , ' says dr. perrin , who was not involved in the study . the current study should not change the use of any medications or treatments . ' more research , careful monitoring is needed stimulant medications currently contain a warning targeted to specific high-risk children , including those with structural heart defects , cardiomyopathy , or heart-rhythm disturbances . the medication labels also warn that stimulants may raise blood pressure and heart rate , and have been linked with stroke and heart attack in adults . when deciding whether to put a child on stimulant medications , both clinicians and parents should weigh the seriousness of the situation , says gould . the benefits may not outweigh the risk in cases in which attention problems may be keeping a b-student from becoming an a-student , she explains . health.com : yoga moves to beat ease stress , insomnia , and pain but with more serious cases , the choice should be clearer . untreated adhd can be harmful in itself , leading to poor performance in school and increasing adolescents'risk for harmful behavior such as reckless driving , unsafe sexual practices , and substance abuse . i have two boys , now grown , so i can certainly relate to parents facing these decisions , ' gould says . if my child was having problems to the extent that a neurologist or psychiatrist was recommending medication , i would want the medication -- although , even though we did n't discuss this specifically in the study , i would want my child to have an ekg . ' in 2008 , the american heart association recommended that doctors consider routine electrocardiograms before starting children with adhd on stimulants or other psychotropic medications , but underscored the need for future research . an ekg may help to detect cardiac abnormalities that would increase a child 's vulnerability to sudden heart problems . parents considering stimulant medication for their children should also provide their doctor with a detailed family history , including any heart problems or sudden deaths of close family members . future research should focus on new ways to detect which children are most at risk for sudden death when taking stimulants , says gould , since not all cases seem to be detectable with routine screenings . until then , a thorough examination and careful monitoring is the best way to reduce a child 's danger . the study was funded by a grant from the nimh and a contract with the fda . enter to win a monthly room makeover giveaway from myhomeideas.com copyright health magazine 2009","study : stimulant meds , often used in adhd , may have role in kids'deaths" +"hertha berlin ( cnn ) -- schalke joined bayern munich at the top of the german bundesliga table with a 2-1 victory at hertha berlin on friday . striker klaas-jan huntelaar put the visitors ahead with his 14th league goal this season , while teemu pukki fired the winner just before halftime after adrian ramos equalized for hertha . the win put schalke on 31 points from 16 games , enough for second place on goal difference behind bayern -- who travel to stuttgart on sunday . borussia monchengladbach can go top on saturday with victory at bottom side augsburg , while third-placed champions borussia dortmund can also move up to 33 points by beating another team in the relegation zone , kaiserslautern , at home on sunday . schalke took the lead in the 19th minute on the counter-attack as lewis holtby released christian fuchs , whose cross was flicked on by roman hubnik to huntelaar and the dutchman finished at the far post . ramos leveled six minutes later with a powerful header from raffael 's corner , but finland striker pukki made up for an overly casual earlier miss with a fierce shot from the edge of the box after being picked out by raul . huntelaar was denied in the second half by a fine save from goalkeeper thomas kraft , while jose jurado should have doubled the lead late in the game but the spaniard shot wide . the defeat left hertha in ninth place with 19 points , and facing the prospect of sliding down the 18-team table by the end of this weekend .","victory at hertha berlin puts schalke second in the german league table" +"dortmund ( cnn ) -- schalke joined bayern munich at the top of the german bundesliga table with a 2-1 victory at hertha berlin on friday . striker klaas-jan huntelaar put the visitors ahead with his 14th league goal this season , while teemu pukki fired the winner just before halftime after adrian ramos equalized for hertha . the win put schalke on 31 points from 16 games , enough for second place on goal difference behind bayern -- who travel to stuttgart on sunday . borussia monchengladbach can go top on saturday with victory at bottom side augsburg , while third-placed champions borussia dortmund can also move up to 33 points by beating another team in the relegation zone , kaiserslautern , at home on sunday . schalke took the lead in the 19th minute on the counter-attack as lewis holtby released christian fuchs , whose cross was flicked on by roman hubnik to huntelaar and the dutchman finished at the far post . ramos leveled six minutes later with a powerful header from raffael 's corner , but finland striker pukki made up for an overly casual earlier miss with a fierce shot from the edge of the box after being picked out by raul . huntelaar was denied in the second half by a fine save from goalkeeper thomas kraft , while jose jurado should have doubled the lead late in the game but the spaniard shot wide . the defeat left hertha in ninth place with 19 points , and facing the prospect of sliding down the 18-team table by the end of this weekend .","friday 's 2-1 win lifts schalke above borussia dortmund and monchengladbach" +"dortmund ( cnn ) -- schalke joined bayern munich at the top of the german bundesliga table with a 2-1 victory at hertha berlin on friday . striker klaas-jan huntelaar put the visitors ahead with his 14th league goal this season , while teemu pukki fired the winner just before halftime after adrian ramos equalized for hertha . the win put schalke on 31 points from 16 games , enough for second place on goal difference behind bayern -- who travel to stuttgart on sunday . borussia monchengladbach can go top on saturday with victory at bottom side augsburg , while third-placed champions borussia dortmund can also move up to 33 points by beating another team in the relegation zone , kaiserslautern , at home on sunday . schalke took the lead in the 19th minute on the counter-attack as lewis holtby released christian fuchs , whose cross was flicked on by roman hubnik to huntelaar and the dutchman finished at the far post . ramos leveled six minutes later with a powerful header from raffael 's corner , but finland striker pukki made up for an overly casual earlier miss with a fierce shot from the edge of the box after being picked out by raul . huntelaar was denied in the second half by a fine save from goalkeeper thomas kraft , while jose jurado should have doubled the lead late in the game but the spaniard shot wide . the defeat left hertha in ninth place with 19 points , and facing the prospect of sliding down the 18-team table by the end of this weekend .","bayern travel to stuttgart on sunday , when dortmund host kaiserslautern" +"napoleon bonaparte ( cnn ) -- france has awarded its highest decoration to veteran cnn correspondent jim bittermann . cnn 's jim bittermann at the special ceremony in paris where he was made a chevalier . at a special ceremony presided over by the foreign minister bernard kouchner in paris tuesday , bittermann was presented with the chevalier ' ( knight ) of the national order of the legion of honor . bittermann , cnn 's senior european correspondent based in paris , said : for the past 30 years , i 've been explaining france and the french to the rest of the world . ' during his career with cnn in paris bittermann has covered the death of princess diana , the last days of yasser arafat , the french triumph at the 1998 world cup and the concorde air disaster . he joined cnn from abc news , where he was a paris news correspondent from 1990-1996 ; before that bittermann was a european correspondent for nbc news . he began his career in broadcast journalism in 1970 in milwaukee . founded in 1802 by napoleon bonaparte to recognize outstanding accomplishment , the chevalier is given annually to around 3,500 frenchmen and women -- but few non-nationals . of the 13 honorees this year from outside france , two are american . previous non-french recipients include former u.s. president dwight d. eisenhower , fillm legends charles chaplin and orson welles and norman schwarzkopf , who led allied forces against iraqi ruler saddam hussein during the first gulf war . apart from his work for cnn , in recent years bittermann has been a featured speaker at journalism events such as the international diplomacy institute , as well as lecturing and moderating panels at the world economic forum in davos . in 1999 bittermann was appointed a professor at the american university of paris , teaching courses broadcast news , writing and production and politics and media among others .","first awarded by napoleon bonaparte to recognize outstanding accomplishment" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- france has awarded its highest decoration to veteran cnn correspondent jim bittermann . cnn 's jim bittermann at the special ceremony in paris where he was made a chevalier . at a special ceremony presided over by the foreign minister bernard kouchner in paris tuesday , bittermann was presented with the chevalier ' ( knight ) of the national order of the legion of honor . bittermann , cnn 's senior european correspondent based in paris , said : for the past 30 years , i 've been explaining france and the french to the rest of the world . ' during his career with cnn in paris bittermann has covered the death of princess diana , the last days of yasser arafat , the french triumph at the 1998 world cup and the concorde air disaster . he joined cnn from abc news , where he was a paris news correspondent from 1990-1996 ; before that bittermann was a european correspondent for nbc news . he began his career in broadcast journalism in 1970 in milwaukee . founded in 1802 by napoleon bonaparte to recognize outstanding accomplishment , the chevalier is given annually to around 3,500 frenchmen and women -- but few non-nationals . of the 13 honorees this year from outside france , two are american . previous non-french recipients include former u.s. president dwight d. eisenhower , fillm legends charles chaplin and orson welles and norman schwarzkopf , who led allied forces against iraqi ruler saddam hussein during the first gulf war . apart from his work for cnn , in recent years bittermann has been a featured speaker at journalism events such as the international diplomacy institute , as well as lecturing and moderating panels at the world economic forum in davos . in 1999 bittermann was appointed a professor at the american university of paris , teaching courses broadcast news , writing and production and politics and media among others .","jim bittermann , a journalist for nearly 40 years , joined cnn in 1996" +"las vegas the 550-foot-tall high roller has finally opened on the las vegas strip . the high roller ferris wheel is part of the linq , ' a caesars entertainment-created shopping and entertainment district . the wheel received its operating license on friday . riders will get a 30-minute ride and view of the city in one of two booths in each of the wheel 's 28 italian glass cabins , each 44,000 pounds in weight . each cabin holds up to 40 people , totally 1,120 people at capacity . ticket prices range from $ 24.95 for a standard day ticket to $ 59.95 for the express that allows you to board anytime without waiting in line . check out the gallery to see how it compares to other favorites around the world .","las vegas is the latest city to add a ferris wheel to its entertainment options" +"amtrak new york ( cnn ) -- a boston-bound amtrak train derailed monday afternoon just east of new york city 's penn station , the rail service said . no injuries were reported among the approximately 147 passengers and an unspecified number of crew members , amtrak said in a news release . it called the accident , which occurred at 12:25 p.m. , a low-speed derailment . ' the passengers were taken back to penn station in manhattan , where arrangements were made to provide them travel on another train , ' amtrak said . the line also is used by the long island railroad . but amtrak said the east river tunnels , which take trains from manhattan to long island , are not blocked and amtrak and long island railroad trains are operating through the area with minimal delays . '","a low-speed derailment occurs just east of penn station , amtrak says" +"amtrak new york ( cnn ) -- a boston-bound amtrak train derailed monday afternoon just east of new york city 's penn station , the rail service said . no injuries were reported among the approximately 147 passengers and an unspecified number of crew members , amtrak said in a news release . it called the accident , which occurred at 12:25 p.m. , a low-speed derailment . ' the passengers were taken back to penn station in manhattan , where arrangements were made to provide them travel on another train , ' amtrak said . the line also is used by the long island railroad . but amtrak said the east river tunnels , which take trains from manhattan to long island , are not blocked and amtrak and long island railroad trains are operating through the area with minimal delays . '","no injuries are reported ; amtrak arranges for the passengers to be put on other trains" +"world health organization ( cnn ) -- schools , major roads and an airport remained closed tuesday , as a thick cloud of filthy smog smothered the northeastern city of harbin . meteorologists in the city , which is famous for its annual ice festival , issued a red alert for fog at 5 a.m. tuesday , with visibility in some central areas of the city down to less than 20 meters ( 65 feet ) , the state-run xinhua news agency reported . video from china 's state-run cctv showed some people -- obscured by smog even just steps away -- wearing masks over their mouths as they walked in the province . some drivers who braved the roads flashed hazard lights . kindergartens , primary and junior middle schools were ordered to suspend classes for a second day , while harbin taiping international airport remained closed -- with 250 flights canceled on monday alone , according to chinese state media . china needs smog-free air in a can hazardous levels pollution levels remained far above international standards , as the city 's monitoring stations on tuesday showed that concentrations of pm2.5 -- the tiny airborne particles considered most harmful to health -- were more than 30 times the world health organization 's recommended standard , the state-run china daily reported . could smog choke china 's sporting ambitions ? government officials blamed the smog on a lack of wind and farmers burning crop stalk after their autumn harvest , though the city 's coal-burning heating system , which was recently started , is also a likely factor . harbin 's environmental bureau has also conducted checks on factories known to discharge pollutants , the china daily report added . extreme conditions fang lijuan , the city 's chief meteorologist , said it was very rare for the city to suffer such extreme conditions . there has been no strong wind and the level of humidity is high , ' she said , in quotes carried by china daily . residents of this city of 10 million people were also surprised by the thick smog . living with an'air-pocalypse' ' the pollution is indeed very bad , we can only see things within 100 meters , and yesterday it was 20-30 meters . we can smell the smoke in the air , ' one man , who identified himself as mr. ren , told cnn . the smog started about four days ago ... i heard all face masks in harbin are sold out . people are very angry about this and there is a lot of discussion over the internet . the main reason is harbin started its heating and the main resource is coal . every year at this time , the air quality is bad -- but this year is especially polluted . ' can social media clear air over china ? naming and shaming last month china announced plans to start listing its top ten most air-polluted cities every month in the hopes that national humiliation will push positive environmental action . we must put air quality control as an ecological red line for economic management and social development , ' china 's vice premier zhang gao li said in a statement as he announced the new policy at the 18th air pollution control conference in beijing . chinese officials did not say when the first list would be announced , but the northern megacities of beijing and tianjin , as well as the surrounding provinces of hebei , shanxi , inner mongolia and shandong have signed onto an official plan to speed up air pollution control measures . china 's capital often suffers with hazardous pollution levels and smog . an explosion in the number of cars on the roads , as well as industrial pollution are seen as the main contributors . what beijing looks like on a gloriously clear day cnn 's feng ke in beijing contributed to this report .","pollution levels 30 times the world health organization 's recommended standard" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- i am ' is a new cnn.com feature built on the belief that the labels we use for one another do n't really reveal who we are . we present a collection of people who may surprise you . they not only defy their labels , but they 've done it in very public and dramatic ways . this week , i am presents four african-americans who challenge conventional notions of blackness . but then defining what it means to be black has long been a matter of debate within the african-american community . the r & b singer , billy paul , once had a song called , am i black enough ? ' well are they ? you be the judge . barbara hillary -- at the age of 75 , she became the first african american woman to reach the north pole . maurice ashley -- is the first and only african american to attain the coveted title of international grand master of chess . bliss broyard -- author of one drop : my father 's hidden life -- a story of race & family secrets , ' learned her father was black just before his death . marvin perkins -- as an african american elder in the mormon church , perkins says he is one of the world 's best kept secrets in the world .","cnn presents : black in america airs july 23 and 24 , at 9 p.m . et" +"manziel last college football season , everybody was talking about johnny manziel . but manziel was n't talking about anybody . the texas a & m quarterback and 2012 heisman trophy winner -- better known by his aww-shucks , all-american nickname , johnny football -- was not allowed to give any interviews , in accordance with head coach kevin sumlin 's rules for all freshmen players . once the regular season ended , and johnny football hysteria hit its height , sumlin lifted the ban . finally , a chance to get to know more about the superstar quarterback about whom , despite all his nationally televised on-field fireworks , so much was still shrouded in pigskin-scented mystery . what will he say ? ' what 's he like ? ' eager fans and sports writers could n't wait for the public johnny football to emerge . and he did -- uneventfully -- on november 26 , 2012 . but now , after another scandal in an offseason that has been too eventful , manziel and fans alike may have been better off with the private johnny football . on sunday it was revealed that manziel is the subject of an ncaa investigation for possibly being paid to autograph football memorabilia , which would violate the ncaa 's rules prohibiting athletes from making money by promoting or advertising the commercial sale of a product or service . ' and so johnny football 's roller coaster of unprecedented success and relentless scandal continues . here 's a recap of some of his other highs and lows . february 2 , 2011 : the highly recruited quarterback officially signs with texas a & m . manziel was the nation 's 14th-ranked qb prospect and agrees to take a redshirt his freshman season . june 29 , 2012 : manziel is arrested in college station , texas , after a bar fight . he 's charged with fighting , failure to identify and possession of fake ids . november 11 , 2012 : manziel leads texas a & m to the biggest upset of the college football season , beating alabama 29-24 . manziel throws for 253 yards and two touchdowns and rushes for another 93 yards . johnny football fever spreads across the country . december 8 , 2012 : manziel becomes the first freshman to win the heisman trophy , after a record-breaking season during which he threw for 3,706 yards and ran for 1,410 and 21 touchdowns . fellow heisman finalist manti te'o said the dual-threat manziel is a human video game . ' december 24 , 2012 : manziel plays golf with jonas brothers joe and nick . whether this is a high or a low depends on your radio presets . january 4 : johnny football ends his season with a 41-13 pounding of oklahoma in the cotton bowl . he 's named the game 's mvp after throwing and rushing for more than 200 yards each . january 5 : johnny football begins his offseason by partying at a houston nightclub ... with his parents reportedly in attendance . pictures of manziel end up on tmz -- including one of him flexing while chomping on a sparkler . he also posts an instagram photo showing off his legal winnings from an oklahoma casino . it 's relatively harmless stuff , but the party boy ' reputation soon leads to concerns and quotes like these ... january 16 : oklahoma head coach bob stoops says of manziel , if they can keep him out of jail or keep him eligible , he 's gon na be pretty good . ' stoops then adds of the occasionally oversharing quarterback , if they can keep him off twitter , he might win three or four heismans . ' march 7 : manziel tweets , spring break ! finally ready for some time with the crew and well needed trip to cabo ! ' pictures follow -- lots of them . many people wonder aloud if it 's ok that a college student on spring break is having a really good time . may 17 : manziel takes batting practice with the san diego padres and hits a home run , of course . june 16 : he tweets bulls -- - like tonight is a reason why i ca n't wait to leave college station ... whenever it may be . ' the apparently anti-a & m post is dissected and criticized by sports analysts around the country . it 's later revealed the message was in reference to a parking ticket manziel received . he later tweets fans should try to walk a day in my shoes . ' both tweets have been deleted . july 13 : manziel is a no-show for a saturday morning appearance at the manning passing academy in louisiana , where 1,200 campers were expecting him . he later told the staff that he was n't feeling well and stayed in . the quarterback was then sent home , reportedly by archie manning , igniting new questions about his maturity and ability to handle the spotlight . the next week , a & m head coach kevin sumlin said , i think , off the field , there 's no question he 's made some mistakes . ' july 15 : two days later , manziel pleads guilty to possessing a fake driver 's license and was fined $ 2,000 in that 2012 bar fight case . august 4 : espn reports the ncaa is investigating whether manziel was paid for autographs . the heisman winner could be suspended if it 's determined he did receive money .","once the ban was lifted , manziel tweeted photos of himself gambling , partying" +"manziel last college football season , everybody was talking about johnny manziel . but manziel was n't talking about anybody . the texas a & m quarterback and 2012 heisman trophy winner -- better known by his aww-shucks , all-american nickname , johnny football -- was not allowed to give any interviews , in accordance with head coach kevin sumlin 's rules for all freshmen players . once the regular season ended , and johnny football hysteria hit its height , sumlin lifted the ban . finally , a chance to get to know more about the superstar quarterback about whom , despite all his nationally televised on-field fireworks , so much was still shrouded in pigskin-scented mystery . what will he say ? ' what 's he like ? ' eager fans and sports writers could n't wait for the public johnny football to emerge . and he did -- uneventfully -- on november 26 , 2012 . but now , after another scandal in an offseason that has been too eventful , manziel and fans alike may have been better off with the private johnny football . on sunday it was revealed that manziel is the subject of an ncaa investigation for possibly being paid to autograph football memorabilia , which would violate the ncaa 's rules prohibiting athletes from making money by promoting or advertising the commercial sale of a product or service . ' and so johnny football 's roller coaster of unprecedented success and relentless scandal continues . here 's a recap of some of his other highs and lows . february 2 , 2011 : the highly recruited quarterback officially signs with texas a & m . manziel was the nation 's 14th-ranked qb prospect and agrees to take a redshirt his freshman season . june 29 , 2012 : manziel is arrested in college station , texas , after a bar fight . he 's charged with fighting , failure to identify and possession of fake ids . november 11 , 2012 : manziel leads texas a & m to the biggest upset of the college football season , beating alabama 29-24 . manziel throws for 253 yards and two touchdowns and rushes for another 93 yards . johnny football fever spreads across the country . december 8 , 2012 : manziel becomes the first freshman to win the heisman trophy , after a record-breaking season during which he threw for 3,706 yards and ran for 1,410 and 21 touchdowns . fellow heisman finalist manti te'o said the dual-threat manziel is a human video game . ' december 24 , 2012 : manziel plays golf with jonas brothers joe and nick . whether this is a high or a low depends on your radio presets . january 4 : johnny football ends his season with a 41-13 pounding of oklahoma in the cotton bowl . he 's named the game 's mvp after throwing and rushing for more than 200 yards each . january 5 : johnny football begins his offseason by partying at a houston nightclub ... with his parents reportedly in attendance . pictures of manziel end up on tmz -- including one of him flexing while chomping on a sparkler . he also posts an instagram photo showing off his legal winnings from an oklahoma casino . it 's relatively harmless stuff , but the party boy ' reputation soon leads to concerns and quotes like these ... january 16 : oklahoma head coach bob stoops says of manziel , if they can keep him out of jail or keep him eligible , he 's gon na be pretty good . ' stoops then adds of the occasionally oversharing quarterback , if they can keep him off twitter , he might win three or four heismans . ' march 7 : manziel tweets , spring break ! finally ready for some time with the crew and well needed trip to cabo ! ' pictures follow -- lots of them . many people wonder aloud if it 's ok that a college student on spring break is having a really good time . may 17 : manziel takes batting practice with the san diego padres and hits a home run , of course . june 16 : he tweets bulls -- - like tonight is a reason why i ca n't wait to leave college station ... whenever it may be . ' the apparently anti-a & m post is dissected and criticized by sports analysts around the country . it 's later revealed the message was in reference to a parking ticket manziel received . he later tweets fans should try to walk a day in my shoes . ' both tweets have been deleted . july 13 : manziel is a no-show for a saturday morning appearance at the manning passing academy in louisiana , where 1,200 campers were expecting him . he later told the staff that he was n't feeling well and stayed in . the quarterback was then sent home , reportedly by archie manning , igniting new questions about his maturity and ability to handle the spotlight . the next week , a & m head coach kevin sumlin said , i think , off the field , there 's no question he 's made some mistakes . ' july 15 : two days later , manziel pleads guilty to possessing a fake driver 's license and was fined $ 2,000 in that 2012 bar fight case . august 4 : espn reports the ncaa is investigating whether manziel was paid for autographs . the heisman winner could be suspended if it 's determined he did receive money .","johnny manziel is under investigation amid allegations of being paid to sign items" +"weidinger ( cnn ) -- for the past five years , austria-based art historian and photographer alfred weidinger has traveled across africa in search of royalty . his photography project , the last kings of africa , is his attempt to capture the beauty and mystique of the region 's most powerful sovereigns . so far he has photographed 220 tribal kings and leaders , with many more to go . i have a sort of deadline for myself -- which is the end of next year . it 's not a question of the amount of kings or tribal leaders , it 's just a question of countries , ' says weidinger , who plans to visit africa twice this year and six times in 2015 . there are still countries i definitely want to visit , for example swaziland and the southern part of sudan . ' weidinger 's photographic endeavors in africa started in 1979 but the cumbersome equipment typical to that era quickly deterred the photographer . fast forward 30 years , and a chance commission for a photographic exhibition sparked a long-term project where the lavish culture of africa 's dynasties became the focus . weidinger had no definitive guide to help him locate all of africa 's royals and tribal leaders . armed with only two cameras and a tripod , his trips were mostly improvised . there is no list , there is nothing ! so you just have to go there , ' says weidinger . the most important thing is to find one king -- when i have one , he will guide me to the others . ' the power game there are hundreds of african monarchies scattered across the continent but in most cases governing power is either restricted or nonexistent . government officials , however , know it 's best not to overlook the influence these leaders possess over their respective communities . some countries put the monarch system back into the constitution , they give power to the traditional leaders , ' says weidinger . in effect , some politicians use it because every tribal leader ( represents ) an ethnic group and they still follow the words of the elder or the tribal leader , they are not following what is happening with the politicians in the capital . ' according to richard dowden , the director of the royal african society and author of africa : authored states , ordinary miracles , monarchies tend to flourish in countries with a weak government structure or lacking a formal constitution . in these instances , tribal leaders and monarchs are deemed more trustworthy for getting things done . niger , sierra leone , burkina faso and benin are a few examples of countries with a strong tribal leaders , some of whom occasionally tackle government functions . fon ndofoa zofoa iii , for example , makes official decisions over hereditary land in his chiefdom in babungo in cameroon . other leaders , like sarauniya aljima , the queen of lougou in niger , weigh in on private matters , such as marriage . when there is a marriage to be made ( in the village , monarchs ) will return to sort it out . in these sorts of matters , they do retain a lot of power , ' says dowden . weidinger found that one thing that seems to distinguish african monarchs from royals across the globe is a keen religious focus : ' their power is in spirituality and this makes ( african monarchs ) so unique . ' the danger of cell phones weidinger says that in his opinion , the biggest threat to africa 's last remaining monarchs is n't local government , but modernity . though poised in luxurious cloths and perched on gilded thrones , the threat of globalization has disturbed the influence and social standing of many of wedinger 's subjects . when you come to a region and you see that they are working with mobile phones , it 's a kind of sign . if you see mobile phones you definitely know that it 's a dying ethnic group . african culture is changing , there are changes in communication . people are going to the capitals and living where there is no need for a king anymore , ' he says , adding that cell phones have made people living in rural communities less isolated . now , the problems they would typically raise with their community leaders they can take to experts further afield . dowden , however , thinks these monarchs will retain their power for a while yet . i think the chiefs will survive , ' he says . depending on how local governments in africa develop , they 'll either become figures for tourists or they 'll continue to play a very important role . '","photographer alfred weidinger is traveling across africa to capture the continent 's last remaining monarchs" +"weidinger ( cnn ) -- for the past five years , austria-based art historian and photographer alfred weidinger has traveled across africa in search of royalty . his photography project , the last kings of africa , is his attempt to capture the beauty and mystique of the region 's most powerful sovereigns . so far he has photographed 220 tribal kings and leaders , with many more to go . i have a sort of deadline for myself -- which is the end of next year . it 's not a question of the amount of kings or tribal leaders , it 's just a question of countries , ' says weidinger , who plans to visit africa twice this year and six times in 2015 . there are still countries i definitely want to visit , for example swaziland and the southern part of sudan . ' weidinger 's photographic endeavors in africa started in 1979 but the cumbersome equipment typical to that era quickly deterred the photographer . fast forward 30 years , and a chance commission for a photographic exhibition sparked a long-term project where the lavish culture of africa 's dynasties became the focus . weidinger had no definitive guide to help him locate all of africa 's royals and tribal leaders . armed with only two cameras and a tripod , his trips were mostly improvised . there is no list , there is nothing ! so you just have to go there , ' says weidinger . the most important thing is to find one king -- when i have one , he will guide me to the others . ' the power game there are hundreds of african monarchies scattered across the continent but in most cases governing power is either restricted or nonexistent . government officials , however , know it 's best not to overlook the influence these leaders possess over their respective communities . some countries put the monarch system back into the constitution , they give power to the traditional leaders , ' says weidinger . in effect , some politicians use it because every tribal leader ( represents ) an ethnic group and they still follow the words of the elder or the tribal leader , they are not following what is happening with the politicians in the capital . ' according to richard dowden , the director of the royal african society and author of africa : authored states , ordinary miracles , monarchies tend to flourish in countries with a weak government structure or lacking a formal constitution . in these instances , tribal leaders and monarchs are deemed more trustworthy for getting things done . niger , sierra leone , burkina faso and benin are a few examples of countries with a strong tribal leaders , some of whom occasionally tackle government functions . fon ndofoa zofoa iii , for example , makes official decisions over hereditary land in his chiefdom in babungo in cameroon . other leaders , like sarauniya aljima , the queen of lougou in niger , weigh in on private matters , such as marriage . when there is a marriage to be made ( in the village , monarchs ) will return to sort it out . in these sorts of matters , they do retain a lot of power , ' says dowden . weidinger found that one thing that seems to distinguish african monarchs from royals across the globe is a keen religious focus : ' their power is in spirituality and this makes ( african monarchs ) so unique . ' the danger of cell phones weidinger says that in his opinion , the biggest threat to africa 's last remaining monarchs is n't local government , but modernity . though poised in luxurious cloths and perched on gilded thrones , the threat of globalization has disturbed the influence and social standing of many of wedinger 's subjects . when you come to a region and you see that they are working with mobile phones , it 's a kind of sign . if you see mobile phones you definitely know that it 's a dying ethnic group . african culture is changing , there are changes in communication . people are going to the capitals and living where there is no need for a king anymore , ' he says , adding that cell phones have made people living in rural communities less isolated . now , the problems they would typically raise with their community leaders they can take to experts further afield . dowden , however , thinks these monarchs will retain their power for a while yet . i think the chiefs will survive , ' he says . depending on how local governments in africa develop , they 'll either become figures for tourists or they 'll continue to play a very important role . '","the biggest threat to these monarchs , says weidinger , is cell phones" +"bethpage ( cnn ) -- sergio garcia leads the barclays , first leg of the lucrative fedex cup playoffs , after saturday 's excellent third round that puts him firmly in contention for the title . american nick watney is two strokes behind after a round of 71 . a win at bethpage would see garcia top the fedex cup points table . live scores from bethpage tiger woods sits tenth on four under after a difficult third round of 72 . recent us pga champion rory mcilroy sits two under par after his third round of 69 helped him recover from his poor second round . read about bethpage black 's vengeful course garcia hit a number of birdies to finish two ahead of the chasing pack , but it was a tremendous shot from the long grass on the tenth that stood out as garcia chipped on to the fairway after hooking his shot well wide . the fine recovery helped the spaniard rescue a bogey , when things could have been much worse . garcia needs to finish well at bethpage as he has already announced that he wo n't play at next week 's deutsche bank championship so that he can enjoy some rest before september 's ryder cup . watney hit five bogeys to undo a good start . after three birdies in the first five holes he struggled on the back nine to leave him even at the end of his round . woods managed back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth to leave him one under . however , two bogeys on the back nine , after a fine birdie on the 13th , left the american one stroke over for the day . the highlight of woods'round was a 53 feet 1 inch putt on the eighth that helped him birdie the par three hole . the delightful put was the american 's longest of the year . mcilroy had one of the rounds of the day , hitting four birdies on his way to a final round of 69 . the northern irishman had disappointed on friday when he struck five bogeys to undo a promising first round .","sergio garcia takes lead after third round at bethpage" +"kenya power nairobi , kenya ( cnn ) university of nairobi students were terrified sunday morning when they heard explosions -- caused by a faulty electrical cable -- and believed it was a terror attack , the school said . students on the kikuyu campus stampeded down the halls of the kimberly dormitory , and some jumped from its fifth floor , the university said . hundreds were injured and were taken to hospitals . one person died , according to the school . the confusion and panic came less than two weeks after al-shabaab slaughtered 147 people at a college in garissa , kenya . kenyan teachers and students have said they fear being targeted by the somalia-based terrorists . on sunday , as many as 108 students from the university of nairobi were admitted to kenyatta national hospital . among them , at least 63 students have been discharged , and at least four are slated for surgery , the school said . almost all of the 54 students being treated at pcea kikuyu hospital have been released , the university said . kenya power authorities and its ceo are at the school and looking into the electrical issue . normal power supply will resume after repairs , the university said . as we mourn the unfortunate loss of the departed student , we are also praying for the quick recovery of those who were injured , ' said vice chancellor peter m.f . mbithi in a statement . he called on the students , staff and public to remain calm . cnn 's lillian leposo reported from nairobi and ashley fantz wrote this story in atlanta .","the blasts were caused by faulty electrical cable , and kenya power is at the school" +"kenya nairobi , kenya ( cnn ) university of nairobi students were terrified sunday morning when they heard explosions -- caused by a faulty electrical cable -- and believed it was a terror attack , the school said . students on the kikuyu campus stampeded down the halls of the kimberly dormitory , and some jumped from its fifth floor , the university said . hundreds were injured and were taken to hospitals . one person died , according to the school . the confusion and panic came less than two weeks after al-shabaab slaughtered 147 people at a college in garissa , kenya . kenyan teachers and students have said they fear being targeted by the somalia-based terrorists . on sunday , as many as 108 students from the university of nairobi were admitted to kenyatta national hospital . among them , at least 63 students have been discharged , and at least four are slated for surgery , the school said . almost all of the 54 students being treated at pcea kikuyu hospital have been released , the university said . kenya power authorities and its ceo are at the school and looking into the electrical issue . normal power supply will resume after repairs , the university said . as we mourn the unfortunate loss of the departed student , we are also praying for the quick recovery of those who were injured , ' said vice chancellor peter m.f . mbithi in a statement . he called on the students , staff and public to remain calm . cnn 's lillian leposo reported from nairobi and ashley fantz wrote this story in atlanta .","the panic came less than two weeks after terrorists attacked kenya 's garissa university" +"kenya nairobi , kenya ( cnn ) university of nairobi students were terrified sunday morning when they heard explosions -- caused by a faulty electrical cable -- and believed it was a terror attack , the school said . students on the kikuyu campus stampeded down the halls of the kimberly dormitory , and some jumped from its fifth floor , the university said . hundreds were injured and were taken to hospitals . one person died , according to the school . the confusion and panic came less than two weeks after al-shabaab slaughtered 147 people at a college in garissa , kenya . kenyan teachers and students have said they fear being targeted by the somalia-based terrorists . on sunday , as many as 108 students from the university of nairobi were admitted to kenyatta national hospital . among them , at least 63 students have been discharged , and at least four are slated for surgery , the school said . almost all of the 54 students being treated at pcea kikuyu hospital have been released , the university said . kenya power authorities and its ceo are at the school and looking into the electrical issue . normal power supply will resume after repairs , the university said . as we mourn the unfortunate loss of the departed student , we are also praying for the quick recovery of those who were injured , ' said vice chancellor peter m.f . mbithi in a statement . he called on the students , staff and public to remain calm . cnn 's lillian leposo reported from nairobi and ashley fantz wrote this story in atlanta .","the blasts were caused by faulty electrical cable , and kenya power is at the school" +"obama san diego , california ( cnn ) -- you almost have to feel sorry for president obama . almost . you know you 're having a tough week when you 're essentially being called untruthful by , of all people , bill clinton , who knows a thing or two about stretching the truth . at the very least , clinton insisted that obama -- in trying to sell obamacare to the american people -- should not have broken his promise that , if they liked their doctor and health care plan , they could keep both . for millions of americans , perhaps tens of millions , this has n't been the case . their policies were cancelled . even while continuing to express support for the affordable care act , clinton suggested that people should be able to stay with what they had before the legislation took effect even if it takes a change in the law . ' that is easier said than done . there is no easy fix that would n't rip out the foundation of obamacare . meanwhile , millions of americans lose health care coverage that , defenders of obamacare insist , was n't very good anyway . maybe not . but here is what is probably going through the mind of people like the ones whose individual policies were canceled or the single mom with three kids who was kicked off her company 's health plan because she works part-time and must take her chances on the obamacare exchange : it was n't perfect but at least it was something . ' meanwhile , on the other end of the health care seesaw , according to official figures released wednesday , just 106,000 americans signed up . and that figure generously includes those who selected a plan but have n't paid yet . for what it is worth , only about 26,000 of those 106,000 managed to enroll through the troubled federal website that became a national punchline : www.healthcare.gov . so , in other words , while we 're only a month into this social experiment , those who have been inconvenienced by obamacare outnumber , by a wide margin , those who have signed up to be helped by it . and if you think what is happening on the federal level is nutty , just take a look at the local exchanges . how 's this for a math problem ? in washington d.c. , just five people enrolled even though officials spent $ 133,573,928 to set up the exchange . that 's $ 26,714,785.60 per enrollee . we knew that sometimes the safety net becomes a hammock . now we know that , sometimes , the hammock is made of gold . none of this looks good . but it looks especially bad to democrats who are up for re-election in 2014 . many of them are running for the hills . a group of about a dozen of them have given the white house until friday to come up with a way for people to keep their health care coverage . you 'll recall that every single democratic lawmaker in both houses voted in favor of obamacare , the very law that they 're now trying to change . it would have been nice if they had made those changes through amendments before voting for the final bill . that 's how it is supposed to work . after the fiasco at the bay of pigs , president john f. kennedy famously noted that victory has a thousand fathers , but defeat is an orphan . ' well , it 's not just defeat that has no parents . we learned this week that the orphanages are also filled with massive , costly and inefficient government programs that give new meaning to the phrase bureaucratic nightmare . ' these programs fine people for not buying a product from a website that does n't work right , and they have caused an upheaval where -- under the pretense of ensuring that all americans have health insurance -- several million americans who had health insurance wake up to find that they no longer do . obama either knew this would happen and he lied , or he was grossly mistaken . either way , an important promise has been broken and a sacred trust violated . and while , politicians break promises all the time , this one is in a whole different category . this is n't the metaphorical chicken in every pot ' that never materialized . this is about government coming into your home and taking away the chicken that you planned to feed to your family for dinner . there 's a big difference . and voters know it . many americans do n't just feel disappointed and underserved . they feel injured , betrayed and lied to by their leaders -- and especially by obama . in a quinnipiac university poll released this week , obama 's job approval rating has dropped to a record low : just 39 % of americans approve of how he is handling the job , while 54 % disapprove . only 19 % of americans say they believe the quality of their health care will improve in the next year , while 43 % say it will get worse and 33 % do n't think it will impact their coverage one way or another . but here 's the real problem for the white house and the entire administration . in the same poll , more americans than not are questioning the president 's integrity . a majority of voters -- 52 % -- say that obama is not honest and trustworthy , compared to 44 % who disagree . it was n't supposed to be this way . when obama took office in january 2009 , he promised to be an improvement on previous presidents . he promised an administration that was honest and transparent . the rollout of obamacare has been neither of those things . someone has to pay for that . and , if voters have anything to say about it next year , someone will . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ruben navarrette .","obama 's poll ratings are taking a hit due to lack of confidence in his words , he says" +"obama san diego , california ( cnn ) -- you almost have to feel sorry for president obama . almost . you know you 're having a tough week when you 're essentially being called untruthful by , of all people , bill clinton , who knows a thing or two about stretching the truth . at the very least , clinton insisted that obama -- in trying to sell obamacare to the american people -- should not have broken his promise that , if they liked their doctor and health care plan , they could keep both . for millions of americans , perhaps tens of millions , this has n't been the case . their policies were cancelled . even while continuing to express support for the affordable care act , clinton suggested that people should be able to stay with what they had before the legislation took effect even if it takes a change in the law . ' that is easier said than done . there is no easy fix that would n't rip out the foundation of obamacare . meanwhile , millions of americans lose health care coverage that , defenders of obamacare insist , was n't very good anyway . maybe not . but here is what is probably going through the mind of people like the ones whose individual policies were canceled or the single mom with three kids who was kicked off her company 's health plan because she works part-time and must take her chances on the obamacare exchange : it was n't perfect but at least it was something . ' meanwhile , on the other end of the health care seesaw , according to official figures released wednesday , just 106,000 americans signed up . and that figure generously includes those who selected a plan but have n't paid yet . for what it is worth , only about 26,000 of those 106,000 managed to enroll through the troubled federal website that became a national punchline : www.healthcare.gov . so , in other words , while we 're only a month into this social experiment , those who have been inconvenienced by obamacare outnumber , by a wide margin , those who have signed up to be helped by it . and if you think what is happening on the federal level is nutty , just take a look at the local exchanges . how 's this for a math problem ? in washington d.c. , just five people enrolled even though officials spent $ 133,573,928 to set up the exchange . that 's $ 26,714,785.60 per enrollee . we knew that sometimes the safety net becomes a hammock . now we know that , sometimes , the hammock is made of gold . none of this looks good . but it looks especially bad to democrats who are up for re-election in 2014 . many of them are running for the hills . a group of about a dozen of them have given the white house until friday to come up with a way for people to keep their health care coverage . you 'll recall that every single democratic lawmaker in both houses voted in favor of obamacare , the very law that they 're now trying to change . it would have been nice if they had made those changes through amendments before voting for the final bill . that 's how it is supposed to work . after the fiasco at the bay of pigs , president john f. kennedy famously noted that victory has a thousand fathers , but defeat is an orphan . ' well , it 's not just defeat that has no parents . we learned this week that the orphanages are also filled with massive , costly and inefficient government programs that give new meaning to the phrase bureaucratic nightmare . ' these programs fine people for not buying a product from a website that does n't work right , and they have caused an upheaval where -- under the pretense of ensuring that all americans have health insurance -- several million americans who had health insurance wake up to find that they no longer do . obama either knew this would happen and he lied , or he was grossly mistaken . either way , an important promise has been broken and a sacred trust violated . and while , politicians break promises all the time , this one is in a whole different category . this is n't the metaphorical chicken in every pot ' that never materialized . this is about government coming into your home and taking away the chicken that you planned to feed to your family for dinner . there 's a big difference . and voters know it . many americans do n't just feel disappointed and underserved . they feel injured , betrayed and lied to by their leaders -- and especially by obama . in a quinnipiac university poll released this week , obama 's job approval rating has dropped to a record low : just 39 % of americans approve of how he is handling the job , while 54 % disapprove . only 19 % of americans say they believe the quality of their health care will improve in the next year , while 43 % say it will get worse and 33 % do n't think it will impact their coverage one way or another . but here 's the real problem for the white house and the entire administration . in the same poll , more americans than not are questioning the president 's integrity . a majority of voters -- 52 % -- say that obama is not honest and trustworthy , compared to 44 % who disagree . it was n't supposed to be this way . when obama took office in january 2009 , he promised to be an improvement on previous presidents . he promised an administration that was honest and transparent . the rollout of obamacare has been neither of those things . someone has to pay for that . and , if voters have anything to say about it next year , someone will . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ruben navarrette .","ruben navarrette : it 's been a tough week for obama , including criticism from clinton" +"netflix ( cnn ) the overdramatic , oversexed and over-the-top hilarious camp counselors of wet hot american summer ' are set to return for a reboot of the cult classic summer camp movie , netflix has announced . the streaming video service released a trailer tuesday for the eight-episode miniseries wet hot american summer : first day of camp , ' which will revisit the wacky group of kids and counselors from camp firewood 's summer of'81 . set to return are ensemble cast members elizabeth banks , michael ian black , bradley cooper , janeane garofalo , amy poehler , david hyde pierce , paul rudd , molly shannon and michael showalter , among others . the show will debut this summer and tell the story of the first day of camp firewood 's famous summer season , ' 14 years after the film 's debut in 2001 . the movie told the story of the last day of camp . david wain , who directed the movie , will also oversee the series ."," wet hot american summer : first day of camp ' will debut on netflix this summer" +"iran ( cnn ) -- ahead of upcoming nuclear talks , iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad downplayed the threat israel poses to iran , comparing it to an annoying bug . israel is nothing more than a mosquito which can not see the broad horizon of the iranian nation , ' he said saturday in northeastern iran 's khorassan province , according to the semi-official fars news agency . ahmadinejad said regional states ' were being duped into buying billions in arms from arrogant and imperial powers , ' driven in part by all the talk surrounding a potential war involving iran and israel , the state-run islamic republic news agency reported . such military purchases , he said , are unnecessary because there is no war on the horizon between those two nations . the iranian president alluded to rulers ' who sold their petrol ' for $ 60 billion worth in arms , though he did not mention by name either the purchasing or selling country . saudi arabia is in the midst of a 20-year , $ 60 billion arms deal with the united states , including nearly $ 30 billion for f-15 fighter jets announced late last year . ahmadinejad has long questioned the existence of the holocaust and , months after taking office in october 2005 , he participated in a lengthy protest called world without zionism ' and has repeatedly derided israel . with the force of god behind it , we shall soon experience a world without the united states and zionism , ' he said then , according to another irna report . on saturday , while seemingly backing away from the potential for an armed conflict , ahmadinejad hardly signaled that iranians should or will embrace israel . he predicted israel could fall if regional powers cut ties -- particularly by refusing to sell oil to israelis . tensions have ramped up in recent years over iran 's controversial nuclear program . iran claims it is being developed for peaceful means , while western powers and israel say they think iran is evading international inspections and intent on developing nuclear weapons . this sentiment has led to sweeping sanctions targeting iran 's economy , government and its leaders . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has been a particularly harsh , persistent critic of iran 's leadership and nuclear program , with rumors circulating for months that israel may pre-emptively strike nuclear sites in iran and possibly set off a regional war . and iran 's supreme leader , ayatollah ali khamenei , last friday blasted the u.s. war-mongering rhetoric against iran , ' including president barack obama 's assertion that all options are on the table . ' he added war can be 10 times more harmful to ' the united states than iran , according to a fars report . even with all the back-and-forth , there has been an apparent shift recently in the tone , and manner , of dialogue between the two sides . eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton described nuclear talks last month in istanbul , turkey , between international and iranian diplomats on nuclear matters as constructive and useful . ' and iranian foreign minister ali akbar salehi said last week that he was optimistic that there would be progress in continued talks with the united states , russia , china , germany , france and britain -- the so-called p5+1 , fars reported . those parties are set to meet again may 23 in baghdad . before then , discussions in vienna , austria , will be held on monday and tuesday to address outstanding issues and remove ambiguities , ' iran 's envoy to the international atomic energy agency ali-asghar soltanieh said , according to fars . cnn 's azadeh ansari contributed to this report .","iran 's foreign minister recently said he 's optimistic there will be progress" +"iran ( cnn ) -- ahead of upcoming nuclear talks , iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad downplayed the threat israel poses to iran , comparing it to an annoying bug . israel is nothing more than a mosquito which can not see the broad horizon of the iranian nation , ' he said saturday in northeastern iran 's khorassan province , according to the semi-official fars news agency . ahmadinejad said regional states ' were being duped into buying billions in arms from arrogant and imperial powers , ' driven in part by all the talk surrounding a potential war involving iran and israel , the state-run islamic republic news agency reported . such military purchases , he said , are unnecessary because there is no war on the horizon between those two nations . the iranian president alluded to rulers ' who sold their petrol ' for $ 60 billion worth in arms , though he did not mention by name either the purchasing or selling country . saudi arabia is in the midst of a 20-year , $ 60 billion arms deal with the united states , including nearly $ 30 billion for f-15 fighter jets announced late last year . ahmadinejad has long questioned the existence of the holocaust and , months after taking office in october 2005 , he participated in a lengthy protest called world without zionism ' and has repeatedly derided israel . with the force of god behind it , we shall soon experience a world without the united states and zionism , ' he said then , according to another irna report . on saturday , while seemingly backing away from the potential for an armed conflict , ahmadinejad hardly signaled that iranians should or will embrace israel . he predicted israel could fall if regional powers cut ties -- particularly by refusing to sell oil to israelis . tensions have ramped up in recent years over iran 's controversial nuclear program . iran claims it is being developed for peaceful means , while western powers and israel say they think iran is evading international inspections and intent on developing nuclear weapons . this sentiment has led to sweeping sanctions targeting iran 's economy , government and its leaders . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has been a particularly harsh , persistent critic of iran 's leadership and nuclear program , with rumors circulating for months that israel may pre-emptively strike nuclear sites in iran and possibly set off a regional war . and iran 's supreme leader , ayatollah ali khamenei , last friday blasted the u.s. war-mongering rhetoric against iran , ' including president barack obama 's assertion that all options are on the table . ' he added war can be 10 times more harmful to ' the united states than iran , according to a fars report . even with all the back-and-forth , there has been an apparent shift recently in the tone , and manner , of dialogue between the two sides . eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton described nuclear talks last month in istanbul , turkey , between international and iranian diplomats on nuclear matters as constructive and useful . ' and iranian foreign minister ali akbar salehi said last week that he was optimistic that there would be progress in continued talks with the united states , russia , china , germany , france and britain -- the so-called p5+1 , fars reported . those parties are set to meet again may 23 in baghdad . before then , discussions in vienna , austria , will be held on monday and tuesday to address outstanding issues and remove ambiguities , ' iran 's envoy to the international atomic energy agency ali-asghar soltanieh said , according to fars . cnn 's azadeh ansari contributed to this report .","iran 's president calls israel a mosquito , downplaying the prospect of war" +"iran ( cnn ) -- ahead of upcoming nuclear talks , iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad downplayed the threat israel poses to iran , comparing it to an annoying bug . israel is nothing more than a mosquito which can not see the broad horizon of the iranian nation , ' he said saturday in northeastern iran 's khorassan province , according to the semi-official fars news agency . ahmadinejad said regional states ' were being duped into buying billions in arms from arrogant and imperial powers , ' driven in part by all the talk surrounding a potential war involving iran and israel , the state-run islamic republic news agency reported . such military purchases , he said , are unnecessary because there is no war on the horizon between those two nations . the iranian president alluded to rulers ' who sold their petrol ' for $ 60 billion worth in arms , though he did not mention by name either the purchasing or selling country . saudi arabia is in the midst of a 20-year , $ 60 billion arms deal with the united states , including nearly $ 30 billion for f-15 fighter jets announced late last year . ahmadinejad has long questioned the existence of the holocaust and , months after taking office in october 2005 , he participated in a lengthy protest called world without zionism ' and has repeatedly derided israel . with the force of god behind it , we shall soon experience a world without the united states and zionism , ' he said then , according to another irna report . on saturday , while seemingly backing away from the potential for an armed conflict , ahmadinejad hardly signaled that iranians should or will embrace israel . he predicted israel could fall if regional powers cut ties -- particularly by refusing to sell oil to israelis . tensions have ramped up in recent years over iran 's controversial nuclear program . iran claims it is being developed for peaceful means , while western powers and israel say they think iran is evading international inspections and intent on developing nuclear weapons . this sentiment has led to sweeping sanctions targeting iran 's economy , government and its leaders . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has been a particularly harsh , persistent critic of iran 's leadership and nuclear program , with rumors circulating for months that israel may pre-emptively strike nuclear sites in iran and possibly set off a regional war . and iran 's supreme leader , ayatollah ali khamenei , last friday blasted the u.s. war-mongering rhetoric against iran , ' including president barack obama 's assertion that all options are on the table . ' he added war can be 10 times more harmful to ' the united states than iran , according to a fars report . even with all the back-and-forth , there has been an apparent shift recently in the tone , and manner , of dialogue between the two sides . eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton described nuclear talks last month in istanbul , turkey , between international and iranian diplomats on nuclear matters as constructive and useful . ' and iranian foreign minister ali akbar salehi said last week that he was optimistic that there would be progress in continued talks with the united states , russia , china , germany , france and britain -- the so-called p5+1 , fars reported . those parties are set to meet again may 23 in baghdad . before then , discussions in vienna , austria , will be held on monday and tuesday to address outstanding issues and remove ambiguities , ' iran 's envoy to the international atomic energy agency ali-asghar soltanieh said , according to fars . cnn 's azadeh ansari contributed to this report .","talks on iran 's nuclear program are set for next week in austria , ahead of p5+1 talks" +"sarah hyndman what kind of font are you ? which do you find most attractive ? and how can this help with your love life ? this might sound like copy from a cheap dating website . but according to sarah hyndman , a british designer specializing in typography , our taste in fonts reveals more about us than we 'd expect . fonts form a kind of language of their own , and we are all unconsciously fluent in it , ' she says when i visit her studio in hackney , north london . each font gives a different message and atmosphere , and we instinctively understand that . typefaces have a deep significance for everyone . ' in other words , they may reveal who we really are . and what we desire . smelling fonts hyndman recently gave a lecture at the london design festival that explored the complex network of associations triggered by different fonts . by way of demonstration , she lines up three bottles on the table , next to a sample of three fonts : comic sans , times new roman and helvetica . as bizarre as it sounds , my job is to match up the bottles and fonts using only my sense of smell . the first bottle , when opened , smells of bubblegum . there 's no question that this is comic sans . the second gives out the aroma of coffee : times new roman . and the last one contains a neutral , helvetica odor . it was surprisingly easy . more than 80 % of people give the same answer , ' she says . this shows how deeply typography is embedded in our psyche . ' hyndman is working with scientists at the crossmodal research laboratory at oxford university to establish the links between certain fonts and our senses , including taste , hearing and smell . we 've found that rounded fonts are commonly associated with deep reds and sweet tastes , ' she says . jagged , angular typefaces evoke salty or sour tastes , and harsh sounds . this may be based in evolution . when our ancestors were foraging , sweet , sugary foods were the supreme energy source . and they used all their senses to identify them . ' finding love how can all of this be applied to the game of love ? to illustrate , hyndman takes out another collection of props : candy bags with different fonts pinned to the outside . this time , my job is to choose the one that best reflects my personality , and the one that would represent a desirable partner . i think for a moment , and decide that gill sans is the most me ' . inside the bag -- in addition to font-shaped candy -- is a description of my personality . you are a traditionalist , your news comes via the bbc and you use correct grammar in texts and tweets , ' it says . your ability to communicate clearly and in a friendly tone of voice will being future opportunities your way . ' this analysis is based on the cultural context of the gill sans font , which was created in 1926 by eric gill , who was inspired by edward johnston 's iconic london underground typeface . it was quickly adopted by british rail and penguin books , as well as the bbc . so the fact that i was drawn to it , apparently , indicates that i 'm an establishment kind of guy . to which i respond : meh . what about my ideal partner ? i dither for a moment , then plump for caslon . it seems elegant , characterful and balanced , somehow . the perfect type ? my ideal woman , i discover , has strong ties to [ her ] home but has travel in [ her ] future . [ she ] will be influential in the americas ' . this is because caslon , though invented in britain in the 18th century , became extremely popular in america . it was benjamin franklin 's favorite font , and was used both on the presidential seal and the declaration of independence . now , my wife has no significant connections to the united states . but i do write for cnn ( whose logo , hyndman says , is sweet with a little bit of savory , a little twist of crunch ' ) . perhaps my choice of fonts actually describes my employer ? either way , it is a good idea to try out hyndman 's online font-based personality test . admittedly , it 's not completely watertight . but it might just increase your chances of finding someone that is just your type . for those interested to know more , sarah hyndman has launched a new series of tuesday type tastings ' in london . more from style : biodesign : why the future of our cities is soft and hairy the amazing art on these communist-era houses was a rebellion back then","british designer sarah hyndman believes our taste in fonts can be very revealing" +"madrid ( cnn ) -- real madrid kept the pressure on spanish leaders barcelona with a 2-1 victory in the capital derby against atletico on saturday . barcelona earlier defeated getafe by the same scoreline to move eight points clear at the top , but jose mourinho 's men responded by beating atletico for the fourth time this season . karim benzema continued his recent hot scoring run to put real ahead in the 11th minute at the vicente calderon , with the france forward netting for the eighth time in five games after a clever stabbed pass from sami khedira . khedira 's fellow germany midfielder mesut ozil made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute with his sixth la liga goal this season , sidefooting a powerful left-foot effort from marcelino 's left-wing cutback that atletico keeper david de gea could only help into the net . the lead at times flattered real , who needed a string of fine saves from goalkeeper iker casillas to keep atletico at bay . striker sergio aguero finally scored a deserved goal in the 86th minute after a well-worked one-two with koke inside the penalty area , but atletico did not seriously threaten again in the three minutes of time added on . it capped a fine week for mourinho , who guided real into the quarterfinals of the european champions league for the first time since 2004 , with a tie against england 's tottenham awaiting . barcelona are also through to the last eight of that competition , facing ukraine 's shakhtar donetsk with the winner to play either real or spurs in the semis . pep guardiola 's team went into the home match against getafe without veteran french defender eric abidal , who had an operation to remove a liver tumor last thursday , plus captain carles puyol , winger pedro and maxwell . but with the likes of lionel messi and david villa in the line-up , the catalans always had too much firepower against a team which has slumped out of european qualification contention . that star duo did not add to their formidable goal tally this season , as brazil fullback dani alves broke the deadlock in the 17th minute with a fierce half-volley from outside the penalty area . villa was booked for diving before halftime , then messi helped 20-year-old bojan krkic make it 2-0 four minutes after the break with a low shot that took a huge deflection . it was krkic 's 100th la liga outing for barcelona , and featured his second successive goal and sixth of the campaign . with barca coasting , getafe gave the home fans a late scare when manu del moral volleyed home a cross in the 87th minute . in saturday 's other game , real mallorca moved up to ninth place with a 1-0 win at home to real zaragoza , who remained four points above the bottom three . in italy , serie a leaders ac milan suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at sicilian club palermo on saturday . defender dorin goian 's 11th-minute winner gave defending champions inter milan the chance to close to within two points of their city rivals by beating lowly lecce on sunday . third-placed napoli can cut milan 's lead to three points by beating cagliari in sunday 's late match . in saturday 's other game , lazio moved back into fourth place with a 1-0 win at home to struggling cesena thanks to a second-minute goal from striker mauro zarate .","real respond by beating atletico by the same score in the madrid derby" +"madrid ( cnn ) -- real madrid kept the pressure on spanish leaders barcelona with a 2-1 victory in the capital derby against atletico on saturday . barcelona earlier defeated getafe by the same scoreline to move eight points clear at the top , but jose mourinho 's men responded by beating atletico for the fourth time this season . karim benzema continued his recent hot scoring run to put real ahead in the 11th minute at the vicente calderon , with the france forward netting for the eighth time in five games after a clever stabbed pass from sami khedira . khedira 's fellow germany midfielder mesut ozil made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute with his sixth la liga goal this season , sidefooting a powerful left-foot effort from marcelino 's left-wing cutback that atletico keeper david de gea could only help into the net . the lead at times flattered real , who needed a string of fine saves from goalkeeper iker casillas to keep atletico at bay . striker sergio aguero finally scored a deserved goal in the 86th minute after a well-worked one-two with koke inside the penalty area , but atletico did not seriously threaten again in the three minutes of time added on . it capped a fine week for mourinho , who guided real into the quarterfinals of the european champions league for the first time since 2004 , with a tie against england 's tottenham awaiting . barcelona are also through to the last eight of that competition , facing ukraine 's shakhtar donetsk with the winner to play either real or spurs in the semis . pep guardiola 's team went into the home match against getafe without veteran french defender eric abidal , who had an operation to remove a liver tumor last thursday , plus captain carles puyol , winger pedro and maxwell . but with the likes of lionel messi and david villa in the line-up , the catalans always had too much firepower against a team which has slumped out of european qualification contention . that star duo did not add to their formidable goal tally this season , as brazil fullback dani alves broke the deadlock in the 17th minute with a fierce half-volley from outside the penalty area . villa was booked for diving before halftime , then messi helped 20-year-old bojan krkic make it 2-0 four minutes after the break with a low shot that took a huge deflection . it was krkic 's 100th la liga outing for barcelona , and featured his second successive goal and sixth of the campaign . with barca coasting , getafe gave the home fans a late scare when manu del moral volleyed home a cross in the 87th minute . in saturday 's other game , real mallorca moved up to ninth place with a 1-0 win at home to real zaragoza , who remained four points above the bottom three . in italy , serie a leaders ac milan suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at sicilian club palermo on saturday . defender dorin goian 's 11th-minute winner gave defending champions inter milan the chance to close to within two points of their city rivals by beating lowly lecce on sunday . third-placed napoli can cut milan 's lead to three points by beating cagliari in sunday 's late match . in saturday 's other game , lazio moved back into fourth place with a 1-0 win at home to struggling cesena thanks to a second-minute goal from striker mauro zarate .","barcelona remain five points clear of real madrid after both teams win on saturday" +"abdu rabu mansour hadi ( cnn ) a saudi-led coalition tuesday ended its operation decisive storm ' -- its nearly monthlong airstrike campaign in yemen -- and a new initiative is underway . operation renewal of hope ' will focus on the political process . saudi arabia had launched airstrikes on houthi positions across yemen , hoping to wipe out the iranian-allied rebel group that has overthrown the government and seized power . the saudis say they want to restore the yemeni government , a key u.s. ally in the fight against al qaeda , which was kicked out of the capital by the rebels earlier this year . this month , saudi officials said airstrikes have degraded houthi-controlled military infrastructure , including key buildings in the capital sanaa . the campaign achieved its objectives by a very good planning , very precise execution , by the courage of our pilots , our sailors , our soldiers , ' said brig . gen. ahmed asiri , a saudi military spokesman . a senior saudi official told cnn that the houthis agreed to nearly all demands ' of the u.n. security council . former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh and his family will leave yemen and never return for a position in politics , the source said . a statement from the saudi embassy in washington outlined objectives of the next phase of operations , including protecting civilians , enhancing humanitarian and medical assistance , confronting terrorism and creating an international coalition to provide maritime security . ground troops will continue to protect the border and confront any attempts to destabilize the situation , asiri said . military action will be taken if needed . but beyond the military campaign , the saudis and their allies have said they want to find a political solution for the violence-plagued nation . the aim is to bring back yemen 's security and stability through establishing a political process , ' said a statement from saudi arabia , the united arab emirates , bahrain , qatar and kuwait . ousted yemen president abdu rabu mansour hadi thanked the saudi-led coalition . hadi claims he 's yemen 's legitimate leader and is working with the saudis and other allies to return to his country . we promise to restructure the yemen military to ensure that it serves the people of yemen , ' hadi said , calling on the houthis to withdraw , and saying that he would return to yemen at the right time ' to rebuild the country . you will witness many changes in the days to come in our mission to build an institutional government and military , far from rebel militancy , ' said hadi . also tuesday , a u.s. military official told cnn that the united states is conducting manned reconnaissance ' off yemen . the official stressed that the repositioning of u.s. ships over the last days was not done to interdict iranian ships , but to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security . why is saudi arabia bombing yemen ? cnn 's jethro mullen , tim lister , anas hamdan , jamie crawford and journalist hakim almasmari contributed to this report .","ousted leader abdu rabu mansour hadi promises to return" +"ali abdullah saleh ( cnn ) a saudi-led coalition tuesday ended its operation decisive storm ' -- its nearly monthlong airstrike campaign in yemen -- and a new initiative is underway . operation renewal of hope ' will focus on the political process . saudi arabia had launched airstrikes on houthi positions across yemen , hoping to wipe out the iranian-allied rebel group that has overthrown the government and seized power . the saudis say they want to restore the yemeni government , a key u.s. ally in the fight against al qaeda , which was kicked out of the capital by the rebels earlier this year . this month , saudi officials said airstrikes have degraded houthi-controlled military infrastructure , including key buildings in the capital sanaa . the campaign achieved its objectives by a very good planning , very precise execution , by the courage of our pilots , our sailors , our soldiers , ' said brig . gen. ahmed asiri , a saudi military spokesman . a senior saudi official told cnn that the houthis agreed to nearly all demands ' of the u.n. security council . former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh and his family will leave yemen and never return for a position in politics , the source said . a statement from the saudi embassy in washington outlined objectives of the next phase of operations , including protecting civilians , enhancing humanitarian and medical assistance , confronting terrorism and creating an international coalition to provide maritime security . ground troops will continue to protect the border and confront any attempts to destabilize the situation , asiri said . military action will be taken if needed . but beyond the military campaign , the saudis and their allies have said they want to find a political solution for the violence-plagued nation . the aim is to bring back yemen 's security and stability through establishing a political process , ' said a statement from saudi arabia , the united arab emirates , bahrain , qatar and kuwait . ousted yemen president abdu rabu mansour hadi thanked the saudi-led coalition . hadi claims he 's yemen 's legitimate leader and is working with the saudis and other allies to return to his country . we promise to restructure the yemen military to ensure that it serves the people of yemen , ' hadi said , calling on the houthis to withdraw , and saying that he would return to yemen at the right time ' to rebuild the country . you will witness many changes in the days to come in our mission to build an institutional government and military , far from rebel militancy , ' said hadi . also tuesday , a u.s. military official told cnn that the united states is conducting manned reconnaissance ' off yemen . the official stressed that the repositioning of u.s. ships over the last days was not done to interdict iranian ships , but to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security . why is saudi arabia bombing yemen ? cnn 's jethro mullen , tim lister , anas hamdan , jamie crawford and journalist hakim almasmari contributed to this report .","former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh will leave , a source says" +"operation renewal of hope ( cnn ) a saudi-led coalition tuesday ended its operation decisive storm ' -- its nearly monthlong airstrike campaign in yemen -- and a new initiative is underway . operation renewal of hope ' will focus on the political process . saudi arabia had launched airstrikes on houthi positions across yemen , hoping to wipe out the iranian-allied rebel group that has overthrown the government and seized power . the saudis say they want to restore the yemeni government , a key u.s. ally in the fight against al qaeda , which was kicked out of the capital by the rebels earlier this year . this month , saudi officials said airstrikes have degraded houthi-controlled military infrastructure , including key buildings in the capital sanaa . the campaign achieved its objectives by a very good planning , very precise execution , by the courage of our pilots , our sailors , our soldiers , ' said brig . gen. ahmed asiri , a saudi military spokesman . a senior saudi official told cnn that the houthis agreed to nearly all demands ' of the u.n. security council . former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh and his family will leave yemen and never return for a position in politics , the source said . a statement from the saudi embassy in washington outlined objectives of the next phase of operations , including protecting civilians , enhancing humanitarian and medical assistance , confronting terrorism and creating an international coalition to provide maritime security . ground troops will continue to protect the border and confront any attempts to destabilize the situation , asiri said . military action will be taken if needed . but beyond the military campaign , the saudis and their allies have said they want to find a political solution for the violence-plagued nation . the aim is to bring back yemen 's security and stability through establishing a political process , ' said a statement from saudi arabia , the united arab emirates , bahrain , qatar and kuwait . ousted yemen president abdu rabu mansour hadi thanked the saudi-led coalition . hadi claims he 's yemen 's legitimate leader and is working with the saudis and other allies to return to his country . we promise to restructure the yemen military to ensure that it serves the people of yemen , ' hadi said , calling on the houthis to withdraw , and saying that he would return to yemen at the right time ' to rebuild the country . you will witness many changes in the days to come in our mission to build an institutional government and military , far from rebel militancy , ' said hadi . also tuesday , a u.s. military official told cnn that the united states is conducting manned reconnaissance ' off yemen . the official stressed that the repositioning of u.s. ships over the last days was not done to interdict iranian ships , but to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security . why is saudi arabia bombing yemen ? cnn 's jethro mullen , tim lister , anas hamdan , jamie crawford and journalist hakim almasmari contributed to this report .","next phase , called operation renewal of hope , ' will focus on political process" +"yemeni ( cnn ) a saudi-led coalition tuesday ended its operation decisive storm ' -- its nearly monthlong airstrike campaign in yemen -- and a new initiative is underway . operation renewal of hope ' will focus on the political process . saudi arabia had launched airstrikes on houthi positions across yemen , hoping to wipe out the iranian-allied rebel group that has overthrown the government and seized power . the saudis say they want to restore the yemeni government , a key u.s. ally in the fight against al qaeda , which was kicked out of the capital by the rebels earlier this year . this month , saudi officials said airstrikes have degraded houthi-controlled military infrastructure , including key buildings in the capital sanaa . the campaign achieved its objectives by a very good planning , very precise execution , by the courage of our pilots , our sailors , our soldiers , ' said brig . gen. ahmed asiri , a saudi military spokesman . a senior saudi official told cnn that the houthis agreed to nearly all demands ' of the u.n. security council . former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh and his family will leave yemen and never return for a position in politics , the source said . a statement from the saudi embassy in washington outlined objectives of the next phase of operations , including protecting civilians , enhancing humanitarian and medical assistance , confronting terrorism and creating an international coalition to provide maritime security . ground troops will continue to protect the border and confront any attempts to destabilize the situation , asiri said . military action will be taken if needed . but beyond the military campaign , the saudis and their allies have said they want to find a political solution for the violence-plagued nation . the aim is to bring back yemen 's security and stability through establishing a political process , ' said a statement from saudi arabia , the united arab emirates , bahrain , qatar and kuwait . ousted yemen president abdu rabu mansour hadi thanked the saudi-led coalition . hadi claims he 's yemen 's legitimate leader and is working with the saudis and other allies to return to his country . we promise to restructure the yemen military to ensure that it serves the people of yemen , ' hadi said , calling on the houthis to withdraw , and saying that he would return to yemen at the right time ' to rebuild the country . you will witness many changes in the days to come in our mission to build an institutional government and military , far from rebel militancy , ' said hadi . also tuesday , a u.s. military official told cnn that the united states is conducting manned reconnaissance ' off yemen . the official stressed that the repositioning of u.s. ships over the last days was not done to interdict iranian ships , but to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security . why is saudi arabia bombing yemen ? cnn 's jethro mullen , tim lister , anas hamdan , jamie crawford and journalist hakim almasmari contributed to this report .","former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh will leave , a source says" +"jackson los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- dr. conrad murray , personal physician to michael jackson , was charged monday with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the pop star 's death last summer . a criminal complaint filed earlier in the day alleged that murray did unlawfully , and without malice , kill michael joseph jackson . ' murray turned himself in shortly before 4 p.m. at a branch courthouse near los angeles international airport . he pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing before judge keith l. schwartz . the judge set bail at $ 75,000 , despite arguments from prosecutor david walgren that murray is a flight risk . the judge refused to suspend murray 's medical license as a term of his bond , but he did order him not to use any anesthesia on patients . i do n't want you sedating people , ' schwartz told murray . read the criminal complaint the involuntary manslaughter charge means that murray caused jackson 's death by acting without due caution and circumspection . ' if convicted , murray would face a maximum four-year prison sentence , according to prosecutors . more on involuntary manslaughter members of michael jackson 's family -- including his parents joe and katherine jackson , sister la toya jackson , and brothers jackie , jermaine , randy and tito jackson -- attended the hearing . not enough , ' jermaine jackson said when asked what he thought of the charge . i do n't like what happened , ' joe jackson said as he left the courthouse . la toya jackson later issued a statement through a publicist . michael was murdered and although he died at the hands of dr. conrad murray , i believe dr. murray was a part of a much larger plan , ' her statement said . there are other individuals involved and i will not rest and i will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served . ' her statement did not elaborate on what she meant in her reference to a much larger plan . ' murray traveled to los angeles at the end of january from his home in houston , texas , in expectation of possible charges , his lawyer said . he used part of his time last week to visit the pop star 's resting place in the forest lawn memorial park in glendale , california . murray , a cardiologist , was hired as jackson 's personal physician last spring as the singer prepared for comeback concerts in london , england . the doctor told los angeles police that he was with jackson at his $ 100,000-a-month rented holmby hills mansion through the early morning hours of june 25 , 2009 , in an effort to help the pop star fall asleep , according to a police affidavit . he administered sleep aids , and after jackson finally began sleeping in the late morning hours , murray said , he left the bedroom for about two minutes maximum , ' the affidavit says . upon his return , murray noticed that jackson was no longer breathing , ' it says . the doctor stayed with jackson as an ambulance rushed him to ucla medical center . efforts at cpr proved fruitless , and jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m . the los angeles county coroner ruled jackson 's death a homicide , resulting from a combination of drugs , primarily propofol and lorazepam . the coroner 's statement said jackson died from acute propofol intoxication , ' but there were other conditions contributing to death : benzodiazepine effect . ' lorazepam and two other drugs murray said he used are benzodiazepines . the doctor told investigators he had given jackson three anti-anxiety drugs to help him sleep in the hours before he stopped breathing , a police affidavit said . murray had been treating jackson for insomnia for six weeks at the time of the singer 's death . the doctor told investigators he gave jackson 50 milligrams of propofol , the generic name for diprivan , diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine every night via an intravenous drip . the doctor told police he was worried that jackson was becoming addicted to the drug and tried to wean him off it . during the two nights before jackson 's death , murray said , he put together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping jackson sleep . the full autopsy report , which was released monday afternoon , included an analysis by an anesthesiology consultant of the use of propofol . the consultant , dr. selma calmes , concluded that the standard of care for administering propofol was not met . ' there was no evidence of an infusion pump for control of an iv infusion . no monitors were found at the scene ; a blood pressure cuff and portable pulse oximeter were recovered from a closet in the next room , ' calmes wrote . an oxygen tank was found near where jackson slept , but it was empty when the coroner investigator checked it two weeks after jackson died , calmes said . multiple opened bottles of propofol were found with small amounts of remaining drugs , ' calmes said . a used bottle should be discarded six hours after opening , to avoid possible bacterial growth . ' the level of propofol found on toxicology exam are similar to those found during general anesthesia for major surgery , ' calmes said . during such surgery , any patient would be intubated and ventilated by an anesthesiologist , ' she said . the consultant 's report said that the level of lorazepam found in jackson would have accentuated the respiratory and cardiovascular depression from propofol . ' cnn 's ted rowlands contributed to this report .","dr. conrad murray was jackson 's physician when the singer died on june 25" +"jackson los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- dr. conrad murray , personal physician to michael jackson , was charged monday with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the pop star 's death last summer . a criminal complaint filed earlier in the day alleged that murray did unlawfully , and without malice , kill michael joseph jackson . ' murray turned himself in shortly before 4 p.m. at a branch courthouse near los angeles international airport . he pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing before judge keith l. schwartz . the judge set bail at $ 75,000 , despite arguments from prosecutor david walgren that murray is a flight risk . the judge refused to suspend murray 's medical license as a term of his bond , but he did order him not to use any anesthesia on patients . i do n't want you sedating people , ' schwartz told murray . read the criminal complaint the involuntary manslaughter charge means that murray caused jackson 's death by acting without due caution and circumspection . ' if convicted , murray would face a maximum four-year prison sentence , according to prosecutors . more on involuntary manslaughter members of michael jackson 's family -- including his parents joe and katherine jackson , sister la toya jackson , and brothers jackie , jermaine , randy and tito jackson -- attended the hearing . not enough , ' jermaine jackson said when asked what he thought of the charge . i do n't like what happened , ' joe jackson said as he left the courthouse . la toya jackson later issued a statement through a publicist . michael was murdered and although he died at the hands of dr. conrad murray , i believe dr. murray was a part of a much larger plan , ' her statement said . there are other individuals involved and i will not rest and i will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served . ' her statement did not elaborate on what she meant in her reference to a much larger plan . ' murray traveled to los angeles at the end of january from his home in houston , texas , in expectation of possible charges , his lawyer said . he used part of his time last week to visit the pop star 's resting place in the forest lawn memorial park in glendale , california . murray , a cardiologist , was hired as jackson 's personal physician last spring as the singer prepared for comeback concerts in london , england . the doctor told los angeles police that he was with jackson at his $ 100,000-a-month rented holmby hills mansion through the early morning hours of june 25 , 2009 , in an effort to help the pop star fall asleep , according to a police affidavit . he administered sleep aids , and after jackson finally began sleeping in the late morning hours , murray said , he left the bedroom for about two minutes maximum , ' the affidavit says . upon his return , murray noticed that jackson was no longer breathing , ' it says . the doctor stayed with jackson as an ambulance rushed him to ucla medical center . efforts at cpr proved fruitless , and jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m . the los angeles county coroner ruled jackson 's death a homicide , resulting from a combination of drugs , primarily propofol and lorazepam . the coroner 's statement said jackson died from acute propofol intoxication , ' but there were other conditions contributing to death : benzodiazepine effect . ' lorazepam and two other drugs murray said he used are benzodiazepines . the doctor told investigators he had given jackson three anti-anxiety drugs to help him sleep in the hours before he stopped breathing , a police affidavit said . murray had been treating jackson for insomnia for six weeks at the time of the singer 's death . the doctor told investigators he gave jackson 50 milligrams of propofol , the generic name for diprivan , diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine every night via an intravenous drip . the doctor told police he was worried that jackson was becoming addicted to the drug and tried to wean him off it . during the two nights before jackson 's death , murray said , he put together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping jackson sleep . the full autopsy report , which was released monday afternoon , included an analysis by an anesthesiology consultant of the use of propofol . the consultant , dr. selma calmes , concluded that the standard of care for administering propofol was not met . ' there was no evidence of an infusion pump for control of an iv infusion . no monitors were found at the scene ; a blood pressure cuff and portable pulse oximeter were recovered from a closet in the next room , ' calmes wrote . an oxygen tank was found near where jackson slept , but it was empty when the coroner investigator checked it two weeks after jackson died , calmes said . multiple opened bottles of propofol were found with small amounts of remaining drugs , ' calmes said . a used bottle should be discarded six hours after opening , to avoid possible bacterial growth . ' the level of propofol found on toxicology exam are similar to those found during general anesthesia for major surgery , ' calmes said . during such surgery , any patient would be intubated and ventilated by an anesthesiologist , ' she said . the consultant 's report said that the level of lorazepam found in jackson would have accentuated the respiratory and cardiovascular depression from propofol . ' cnn 's ted rowlands contributed to this report .","new : charge not enough , ' says michael jackson 's brother jermaine" +"jackson los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- dr. conrad murray , personal physician to michael jackson , was charged monday with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the pop star 's death last summer . a criminal complaint filed earlier in the day alleged that murray did unlawfully , and without malice , kill michael joseph jackson . ' murray turned himself in shortly before 4 p.m. at a branch courthouse near los angeles international airport . he pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing before judge keith l. schwartz . the judge set bail at $ 75,000 , despite arguments from prosecutor david walgren that murray is a flight risk . the judge refused to suspend murray 's medical license as a term of his bond , but he did order him not to use any anesthesia on patients . i do n't want you sedating people , ' schwartz told murray . read the criminal complaint the involuntary manslaughter charge means that murray caused jackson 's death by acting without due caution and circumspection . ' if convicted , murray would face a maximum four-year prison sentence , according to prosecutors . more on involuntary manslaughter members of michael jackson 's family -- including his parents joe and katherine jackson , sister la toya jackson , and brothers jackie , jermaine , randy and tito jackson -- attended the hearing . not enough , ' jermaine jackson said when asked what he thought of the charge . i do n't like what happened , ' joe jackson said as he left the courthouse . la toya jackson later issued a statement through a publicist . michael was murdered and although he died at the hands of dr. conrad murray , i believe dr. murray was a part of a much larger plan , ' her statement said . there are other individuals involved and i will not rest and i will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served . ' her statement did not elaborate on what she meant in her reference to a much larger plan . ' murray traveled to los angeles at the end of january from his home in houston , texas , in expectation of possible charges , his lawyer said . he used part of his time last week to visit the pop star 's resting place in the forest lawn memorial park in glendale , california . murray , a cardiologist , was hired as jackson 's personal physician last spring as the singer prepared for comeback concerts in london , england . the doctor told los angeles police that he was with jackson at his $ 100,000-a-month rented holmby hills mansion through the early morning hours of june 25 , 2009 , in an effort to help the pop star fall asleep , according to a police affidavit . he administered sleep aids , and after jackson finally began sleeping in the late morning hours , murray said , he left the bedroom for about two minutes maximum , ' the affidavit says . upon his return , murray noticed that jackson was no longer breathing , ' it says . the doctor stayed with jackson as an ambulance rushed him to ucla medical center . efforts at cpr proved fruitless , and jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m . the los angeles county coroner ruled jackson 's death a homicide , resulting from a combination of drugs , primarily propofol and lorazepam . the coroner 's statement said jackson died from acute propofol intoxication , ' but there were other conditions contributing to death : benzodiazepine effect . ' lorazepam and two other drugs murray said he used are benzodiazepines . the doctor told investigators he had given jackson three anti-anxiety drugs to help him sleep in the hours before he stopped breathing , a police affidavit said . murray had been treating jackson for insomnia for six weeks at the time of the singer 's death . the doctor told investigators he gave jackson 50 milligrams of propofol , the generic name for diprivan , diluted with the anesthetic lidocaine every night via an intravenous drip . the doctor told police he was worried that jackson was becoming addicted to the drug and tried to wean him off it . during the two nights before jackson 's death , murray said , he put together combinations of other drugs that succeeded in helping jackson sleep . the full autopsy report , which was released monday afternoon , included an analysis by an anesthesiology consultant of the use of propofol . the consultant , dr. selma calmes , concluded that the standard of care for administering propofol was not met . ' there was no evidence of an infusion pump for control of an iv infusion . no monitors were found at the scene ; a blood pressure cuff and portable pulse oximeter were recovered from a closet in the next room , ' calmes wrote . an oxygen tank was found near where jackson slept , but it was empty when the coroner investigator checked it two weeks after jackson died , calmes said . multiple opened bottles of propofol were found with small amounts of remaining drugs , ' calmes said . a used bottle should be discarded six hours after opening , to avoid possible bacterial growth . ' the level of propofol found on toxicology exam are similar to those found during general anesthesia for major surgery , ' calmes said . during such surgery , any patient would be intubated and ventilated by an anesthesiologist , ' she said . the consultant 's report said that the level of lorazepam found in jackson would have accentuated the respiratory and cardiovascular depression from propofol . ' cnn 's ted rowlands contributed to this report .","jackson 's father , joe jackson , will discuss the case tonight at 9 et on larry king live '" +"iphone ( cnn ) -- it 's the worst-kept secret since adam lambert 's sexuality : apple is expected to unveil a new iphone on tuesday . there are a bunch of reasons you already knew this . for one , every tech journalist on earth has been writing about the new-now-next-generation iphone since the company 's last jesus phone ' -- the iphone 4 -- graced us with its presence in june 2010 . you 've seen the gossip here , and on countless apple-focused blogs with apt and obvious names like macrumors and theappleblog . the rumor mill , you 'll likely recall , revved to full throttle in early september when cnet reported that an apple employee lost a prototype of the next iphone -- likely called the iphone 5 -- in a mexican restaurant and bar in san francisco . to cap it all off , apple sent out an e-mail on september 27 teasing reporters with phone-related pictures and this not-so-cryptic tagline : ' let 's talk iphone . ' so , yeah , we pretty much know what 's coming . and at the same time , we do n't . the tech specs of the new phone are still hotly debated , as reporters scour apple patents , sku codes and , of course , bay area bars for any remaining iphone-rumor morsels sure to grab the public 's attention . all will become clear at 10 a.m. pt on tuesday when apple hosts its iphone launch ' event at its headquarters in cupertino , california . but for those of you who are drooling for the details , here 's the wisdom du jour from the people of the internet : -- the phone will be called the iphone 5 or iphone 4s . or both ( see below ) . -- it likely will cost $ 200 with a 2-year wireless service contract from at & t or verizon . -- the iphone may come to sprint , too . the wall street journal was reporting monday that sprint nextel has entered into an eye-opening agreement with apple to buy more than $ 20 billion worth of iphones over the next four years . ( but the phone wo n't be coming yet to t-mobile , as mark milian reports ) . -- it will be skinnier , shorter and wider ' than before , according to gizmodo , which is basing these assumptions on supposed leaked cases for the phone and on informed renderings . ' -- pc world ( irony noted ) expects the ipad 's faster processor to squeeze its way into the iphone . -- the phone will have a teardrop ' back , meaning it 's fatter at the top than the bottom , according to the blog this is my next . the iphone 4 is flat on both sides . -- it may have a world mode , ' meaning it could transition onto other cell networks easily . -- it will have an upgraded , 8-megapixel rear camera . -- it may employ new voice-recognition features , says piper jaffray analyst gene munster . his evidence ? that e-mail apple sent to journalists : let 's talk iphone . ' voice-recognition . get it ? -- it 's possible apple will unveil not one -- but two iphones . -- if so , the second likely will be cheaper and will have less storage capacity . some bloggers have taken to calling it the icloud phone , because it could tie in with apple 's new cloud-computing services . ( side note : al gore , an apple board member , gave some credence to the second-iphoners when he mentioned the new iphones coming out next month ' during a speech in south africa ) . -- based on apple 's past iphone release patterns , the phone ( or phones ) will likely go on sale later this month ( most bloggers predict mid-october ) . of course , as is the case with any apple product , die-hard fans will buy whatever the new thing is -- no matter what it is exactly , and no matter how much it costs . the other mysteries surrounding the tuesday event are all about apple 's leadership . this is the first product announcement for apple -- the world 's most valuable company -- under the direction of its new ceo , tim cook . there 's speculation about whether cook , who is reported to be a private person , will take center stage at the event or yield the spotlight to his deputies . and there are rumors that apple co-founder steve jobs , who handed over the company to cook in august following a medical leave of absence , will make an appearance at the event . it seems likely that cook will run the show , and businessinsider and plenty of others expect as much . it would n't be the first time cook helped with an apple presentation -- he appeared onstage in january when the company unveiled an iphone on verizon 's network -- but it would be his first time as headliner . but , like the rest of you , we 'll just have to hang on until tuesday -- when all these rumors get zapped with a dose of reality .","rumor has it the phone will be called iphone 5 or iphone 4s" +"iphone ( cnn ) -- it 's the worst-kept secret since adam lambert 's sexuality : apple is expected to unveil a new iphone on tuesday . there are a bunch of reasons you already knew this . for one , every tech journalist on earth has been writing about the new-now-next-generation iphone since the company 's last jesus phone ' -- the iphone 4 -- graced us with its presence in june 2010 . you 've seen the gossip here , and on countless apple-focused blogs with apt and obvious names like macrumors and theappleblog . the rumor mill , you 'll likely recall , revved to full throttle in early september when cnet reported that an apple employee lost a prototype of the next iphone -- likely called the iphone 5 -- in a mexican restaurant and bar in san francisco . to cap it all off , apple sent out an e-mail on september 27 teasing reporters with phone-related pictures and this not-so-cryptic tagline : ' let 's talk iphone . ' so , yeah , we pretty much know what 's coming . and at the same time , we do n't . the tech specs of the new phone are still hotly debated , as reporters scour apple patents , sku codes and , of course , bay area bars for any remaining iphone-rumor morsels sure to grab the public 's attention . all will become clear at 10 a.m. pt on tuesday when apple hosts its iphone launch ' event at its headquarters in cupertino , california . but for those of you who are drooling for the details , here 's the wisdom du jour from the people of the internet : -- the phone will be called the iphone 5 or iphone 4s . or both ( see below ) . -- it likely will cost $ 200 with a 2-year wireless service contract from at & t or verizon . -- the iphone may come to sprint , too . the wall street journal was reporting monday that sprint nextel has entered into an eye-opening agreement with apple to buy more than $ 20 billion worth of iphones over the next four years . ( but the phone wo n't be coming yet to t-mobile , as mark milian reports ) . -- it will be skinnier , shorter and wider ' than before , according to gizmodo , which is basing these assumptions on supposed leaked cases for the phone and on informed renderings . ' -- pc world ( irony noted ) expects the ipad 's faster processor to squeeze its way into the iphone . -- the phone will have a teardrop ' back , meaning it 's fatter at the top than the bottom , according to the blog this is my next . the iphone 4 is flat on both sides . -- it may have a world mode , ' meaning it could transition onto other cell networks easily . -- it will have an upgraded , 8-megapixel rear camera . -- it may employ new voice-recognition features , says piper jaffray analyst gene munster . his evidence ? that e-mail apple sent to journalists : let 's talk iphone . ' voice-recognition . get it ? -- it 's possible apple will unveil not one -- but two iphones . -- if so , the second likely will be cheaper and will have less storage capacity . some bloggers have taken to calling it the icloud phone , because it could tie in with apple 's new cloud-computing services . ( side note : al gore , an apple board member , gave some credence to the second-iphoners when he mentioned the new iphones coming out next month ' during a speech in south africa ) . -- based on apple 's past iphone release patterns , the phone ( or phones ) will likely go on sale later this month ( most bloggers predict mid-october ) . of course , as is the case with any apple product , die-hard fans will buy whatever the new thing is -- no matter what it is exactly , and no matter how much it costs . the other mysteries surrounding the tuesday event are all about apple 's leadership . this is the first product announcement for apple -- the world 's most valuable company -- under the direction of its new ceo , tim cook . there 's speculation about whether cook , who is reported to be a private person , will take center stage at the event or yield the spotlight to his deputies . and there are rumors that apple co-founder steve jobs , who handed over the company to cook in august following a medical leave of absence , will make an appearance at the event . it seems likely that cook will run the show , and businessinsider and plenty of others expect as much . it would n't be the first time cook helped with an apple presentation -- he appeared onstage in january when the company unveiled an iphone on verizon 's network -- but it would be his first time as headliner . but , like the rest of you , we 'll just have to hang on until tuesday -- when all these rumors get zapped with a dose of reality .","apple is expected to debut a new iphone on tuesday" +"cnn ( cnn ) ' it really depends what you want . boy ? girl ? young ? old ? ' the man on the phone was offering us young children with the casualness of a market trader . after a week of back and forth phone calls , his initial caginess had given way to greed . he 'd heard my foreign accent and clearly decided i would pay more than the domestic rate . we can get , ' he said . we 'd been put in touch with the man through a contact on the ground . we were told he was one of the men running this unofficial ' displaced camp -- one of the many that has mushroomed in the town of yola as the influx of people fleeing boko haram has grown beyond the capacity of the official camps . it had all been heartbreakingly simple . we 'd asked who had children available to foster ' -- a catch-all code word designed to conceal the true intent of those offering up the orphaned children . the man on the phone was the end result of those inquiries . when our colleague want to see them , he was shown a group of children and asked which one he wanted to take . one , two maybe ? he escaped by saying he needed to check with his madam ' -- me . i called . the man picked up and began referring to me as sister . ' i told him we wanted to know what we 'd need to do , if we decided we did want to foster ' the children . he told me , sister , jesus will reward me , ' so the fostering ' was free , he said . no need for any pesky paperwork -- just a reassurance from me that the children , if i chose to take them , would live in my heart . ' if i could also then find it in my heart ' to donate to those still in the camp , then that would be god 's work . ' in spite of the harsh measures the nigerian government has put in place to punish human traffickers , by the government 's own admission , 8 million children are currently engaged in forced labor . the global slavery index says nigeria has the highest number of people in modern slavery of any sub-saharan country . paradoxically , the group also rates nigeria 's anti-trafficking agency , naptip , as one of the strongest government responses on the continent -- but it 's clearly overwhelmed by the realities of working in what is now a zone of military operations , nigeria 's north . as the insecurity in the region has spiraled , the worry is that more and more children are falling through the cracks . and as boko haram increases its reliance on child suicide bombers , concerns are growing that orphaned children could end up in the hands of the terror group . at the camp where we finally met the man face to face , there was no attempt at subterfuge . we spoke in normal tones in full view of the children playing . i could have had one of them , i was told , but because i 'd specified a younger child , they 'd only identified one so far -- a 3-year-old . did i want to consider an older girl ? a 12-year-old maybe ? she could look after the 3-year-old , and cook and clean . either way , two girls would be ready tomorrow , he said . i could see them then . our last phone conversation revolved around what an appropriate donation ' would be in exchange for the children . he could n't , he said , bargain for it . he then proceeded to do just that , laughing down the phone at my first tentative guess of $ 200 . laughing again at $ 300 . we finally found a figure he did n't find funny -- $ 500 . i put the phone down and we traveled back to the capital that day to show naptip what we 'd found .","cnn team finds a man at unofficial ' displaced camp willing to provide children to be fostered '" +"ncaa ( cnn ) -- the ncaa says it has contacted the fbi after point-shaving allegations were lodged against auburn university 's men 's basketball program . we are very concerned by the point-shaving allegations involving auburn university men 's basketball program and have been in contact with the school and the fbi since the issue arose in february , ' the ncaa said this week in a statement . the ncaa takes any allegation of point shaving very seriously because sports wagering threatens two of our core principles -- the well-being of student-athletes and the very integrity of intercollegiate sport . ' auburn also says it has contacted the fbi . auburn officials were made aware of a rumor regarding an allegation two weeks ago and immediately reported it to the fbi , the ncaa and the ( southeastern conference ) . because of the nature of the allegation , auburn is not in a position to make any further comment on the situation , ' said cassie arner , a university spokeswoman . the fbi said it could not comment on the issue . point-shaving schemes usually involve a player taking payments from a gambler to ensure a team does not cover a published point spread . yahoo sports , espn and other sports outlets have reported on the issue , saying the investigation is focused on one auburn basketball player who was recently suspended . cnn 's john branch , joe sutton and nick valencia contributed to this report ."," we are very concerned by the point-shaving allegations , ' the ncaa says" +"ncaa ( cnn ) -- the ncaa says it has contacted the fbi after point-shaving allegations were lodged against auburn university 's men 's basketball program . we are very concerned by the point-shaving allegations involving auburn university men 's basketball program and have been in contact with the school and the fbi since the issue arose in february , ' the ncaa said this week in a statement . the ncaa takes any allegation of point shaving very seriously because sports wagering threatens two of our core principles -- the well-being of student-athletes and the very integrity of intercollegiate sport . ' auburn also says it has contacted the fbi . auburn officials were made aware of a rumor regarding an allegation two weeks ago and immediately reported it to the fbi , the ncaa and the ( southeastern conference ) . because of the nature of the allegation , auburn is not in a position to make any further comment on the situation , ' said cassie arner , a university spokeswoman . the fbi said it could not comment on the issue . point-shaving schemes usually involve a player taking payments from a gambler to ensure a team does not cover a published point spread . yahoo sports , espn and other sports outlets have reported on the issue , saying the investigation is focused on one auburn basketball player who was recently suspended . cnn 's john branch , joe sutton and nick valencia contributed to this report .","the ncaa says it contacted the fbi about auburn" +"fbi ( cnn ) -- the ncaa says it has contacted the fbi after point-shaving allegations were lodged against auburn university 's men 's basketball program . we are very concerned by the point-shaving allegations involving auburn university men 's basketball program and have been in contact with the school and the fbi since the issue arose in february , ' the ncaa said this week in a statement . the ncaa takes any allegation of point shaving very seriously because sports wagering threatens two of our core principles -- the well-being of student-athletes and the very integrity of intercollegiate sport . ' auburn also says it has contacted the fbi . auburn officials were made aware of a rumor regarding an allegation two weeks ago and immediately reported it to the fbi , the ncaa and the ( southeastern conference ) . because of the nature of the allegation , auburn is not in a position to make any further comment on the situation , ' said cassie arner , a university spokeswoman . the fbi said it could not comment on the issue . point-shaving schemes usually involve a player taking payments from a gambler to ensure a team does not cover a published point spread . yahoo sports , espn and other sports outlets have reported on the issue , saying the investigation is focused on one auburn basketball player who was recently suspended . cnn 's john branch , joe sutton and nick valencia contributed to this report .","the ncaa says it contacted the fbi about auburn" +"fbi ( cnn ) -- the ncaa says it has contacted the fbi after point-shaving allegations were lodged against auburn university 's men 's basketball program . we are very concerned by the point-shaving allegations involving auburn university men 's basketball program and have been in contact with the school and the fbi since the issue arose in february , ' the ncaa said this week in a statement . the ncaa takes any allegation of point shaving very seriously because sports wagering threatens two of our core principles -- the well-being of student-athletes and the very integrity of intercollegiate sport . ' auburn also says it has contacted the fbi . auburn officials were made aware of a rumor regarding an allegation two weeks ago and immediately reported it to the fbi , the ncaa and the ( southeastern conference ) . because of the nature of the allegation , auburn is not in a position to make any further comment on the situation , ' said cassie arner , a university spokeswoman . the fbi said it could not comment on the issue . point-shaving schemes usually involve a player taking payments from a gambler to ensure a team does not cover a published point spread . yahoo sports , espn and other sports outlets have reported on the issue , saying the investigation is focused on one auburn basketball player who was recently suspended . cnn 's john branch , joe sutton and nick valencia contributed to this report .","auburn says it has also contacted the fbi" +"mccarthy ( cnn ) -- as hosts of the largest carnival in world football , the pressure is on for south africa 's national football team to ignite the imagination of local fans by performing well at the 2010 world cup . if bafana bafana is to succeed in their mission , conventional wisdom would be that coach carlos alberto parreira will turn to his best players to deliver results . however , despite firing in 31 goals in 77 appearances to become south africa 's all-time record goal scorer , benni mccarthy has had question marks hanging over his participation for his country come june . the prolific striker , who plays for english premier league side blackburn rovers , has only recently returned from a period of international exile , just the latest incident in a stormy history with his country 's football team . he first angered bafana bafana fans by going into international retirement in 2002 aged just 25 . the reason ? traveling to international games was hampering his ability to play european football for celta vigo and , later , porto . the whole pattern was killing my career , that 's why i quit international football , ' he told british newspaper the independent in 2004 . african football needs the same calendar as europe otherwise its best players are going to suffer . ' he was talked into returning , only to quit again after the 2006 africa cup of nations when the president of the south african fa , mubarak mahomad , made an uncomplimentary comment about his performance . that period of self-imposed exile lasted 20 months , until new coach carlos alberto parreira flew to great britain to talk to mccarthy , who was now at blackburn rovers . but after parreira quit to care for his sick wife , mccarthy fell out with replacement boss joel santana after he refused to play in two warm up matches last march . despite pleas from south african president jacob zuma , santana refused to pick him . but a run of eight defeats in nine games , which saw the team slump to 86th on the fifa rankings , santana was sacked . with goals being south africa 's biggest problem , it was no surprise that returning coach parreira made persuading mccarthy to return , for a second time , his top priority . sure enough , mccarthy returned to the fray last month against japan . the 32-year-old told local press : i want to start afresh and help bafana do well in the world cup finals . it is every player 's dream to play for his country ... and i have matured . ' in the past i was a loose cannon and i apologize if i was wrong [ but ] i am still the best at what i do - and that is scoring goals , ' he added . few could argue with mccarthy 's record . born in hanover park , an impoverished township in cape town known for its high unemployment , poverty and gang-related violence , mccarthy escaped to become one of africa 's most successful football exports . mccarthy started his career in 1995 aged 18 with seven stars of cape town , where 27 goals in 29 games earned him a move to cape town spurs who soon merged with ajax cape town , a feeder side to their famous dutch namesake . mccarthy 's potential was enough for ajax amsterdam to sign him . joining in 1997 he scored nine goals to help them win the eredivisie in his first year , which eventually attracted the attentions of spain 's celta vigo . although it did n't work out in spain , his move to portugal 's fc porto was a roaring success . in the 2003/04 season he helped jose mourinho 's side win the uefa champions league with mccarthy memorably grabbing two goals in the second round defeat of manchester united . mccarthy moved to premier league outfit blackburn rovers in 2006 and scored plenty of goals - he was in the top three league scorers in his debut season - but first-team opportunities have been limited of late . yet ever since mccarthy made his international debut in a 2-0 home defeat to holland 1997 , south africa has been a different side with him in it . gloom has followed south africa 's footballing exploits before this summer 's world cup . but after his most recent'comeback', bafana bafana fans will hope that mccarthy can help put the dark days under joel santana firmly behind them . hear what benni has to say in cnn 's coverage of the world cup draw , live on friday 4th december .","mccarthy is bafana bafana 's leading scorer with 32 goals , including two in their previous world cup adventures" +"mccarthy ( cnn ) -- as hosts of the largest carnival in world football , the pressure is on for south africa 's national football team to ignite the imagination of local fans by performing well at the 2010 world cup . if bafana bafana is to succeed in their mission , conventional wisdom would be that coach carlos alberto parreira will turn to his best players to deliver results . however , despite firing in 31 goals in 77 appearances to become south africa 's all-time record goal scorer , benni mccarthy has had question marks hanging over his participation for his country come june . the prolific striker , who plays for english premier league side blackburn rovers , has only recently returned from a period of international exile , just the latest incident in a stormy history with his country 's football team . he first angered bafana bafana fans by going into international retirement in 2002 aged just 25 . the reason ? traveling to international games was hampering his ability to play european football for celta vigo and , later , porto . the whole pattern was killing my career , that 's why i quit international football , ' he told british newspaper the independent in 2004 . african football needs the same calendar as europe otherwise its best players are going to suffer . ' he was talked into returning , only to quit again after the 2006 africa cup of nations when the president of the south african fa , mubarak mahomad , made an uncomplimentary comment about his performance . that period of self-imposed exile lasted 20 months , until new coach carlos alberto parreira flew to great britain to talk to mccarthy , who was now at blackburn rovers . but after parreira quit to care for his sick wife , mccarthy fell out with replacement boss joel santana after he refused to play in two warm up matches last march . despite pleas from south african president jacob zuma , santana refused to pick him . but a run of eight defeats in nine games , which saw the team slump to 86th on the fifa rankings , santana was sacked . with goals being south africa 's biggest problem , it was no surprise that returning coach parreira made persuading mccarthy to return , for a second time , his top priority . sure enough , mccarthy returned to the fray last month against japan . the 32-year-old told local press : i want to start afresh and help bafana do well in the world cup finals . it is every player 's dream to play for his country ... and i have matured . ' in the past i was a loose cannon and i apologize if i was wrong [ but ] i am still the best at what i do - and that is scoring goals , ' he added . few could argue with mccarthy 's record . born in hanover park , an impoverished township in cape town known for its high unemployment , poverty and gang-related violence , mccarthy escaped to become one of africa 's most successful football exports . mccarthy started his career in 1995 aged 18 with seven stars of cape town , where 27 goals in 29 games earned him a move to cape town spurs who soon merged with ajax cape town , a feeder side to their famous dutch namesake . mccarthy 's potential was enough for ajax amsterdam to sign him . joining in 1997 he scored nine goals to help them win the eredivisie in his first year , which eventually attracted the attentions of spain 's celta vigo . although it did n't work out in spain , his move to portugal 's fc porto was a roaring success . in the 2003/04 season he helped jose mourinho 's side win the uefa champions league with mccarthy memorably grabbing two goals in the second round defeat of manchester united . mccarthy moved to premier league outfit blackburn rovers in 2006 and scored plenty of goals - he was in the top three league scorers in his debut season - but first-team opportunities have been limited of late . yet ever since mccarthy made his international debut in a 2-0 home defeat to holland 1997 , south africa has been a different side with him in it . gloom has followed south africa 's footballing exploits before this summer 's world cup . but after his most recent'comeback', bafana bafana fans will hope that mccarthy can help put the dark days under joel santana firmly behind them . hear what benni has to say in cnn 's coverage of the world cup draw , live on friday 4th december .","south africa legend benni mccarthy is part of cnn 's world cup draw coverage , friday 4th december" +"mccarthy ( cnn ) -- as hosts of the largest carnival in world football , the pressure is on for south africa 's national football team to ignite the imagination of local fans by performing well at the 2010 world cup . if bafana bafana is to succeed in their mission , conventional wisdom would be that coach carlos alberto parreira will turn to his best players to deliver results . however , despite firing in 31 goals in 77 appearances to become south africa 's all-time record goal scorer , benni mccarthy has had question marks hanging over his participation for his country come june . the prolific striker , who plays for english premier league side blackburn rovers , has only recently returned from a period of international exile , just the latest incident in a stormy history with his country 's football team . he first angered bafana bafana fans by going into international retirement in 2002 aged just 25 . the reason ? traveling to international games was hampering his ability to play european football for celta vigo and , later , porto . the whole pattern was killing my career , that 's why i quit international football , ' he told british newspaper the independent in 2004 . african football needs the same calendar as europe otherwise its best players are going to suffer . ' he was talked into returning , only to quit again after the 2006 africa cup of nations when the president of the south african fa , mubarak mahomad , made an uncomplimentary comment about his performance . that period of self-imposed exile lasted 20 months , until new coach carlos alberto parreira flew to great britain to talk to mccarthy , who was now at blackburn rovers . but after parreira quit to care for his sick wife , mccarthy fell out with replacement boss joel santana after he refused to play in two warm up matches last march . despite pleas from south african president jacob zuma , santana refused to pick him . but a run of eight defeats in nine games , which saw the team slump to 86th on the fifa rankings , santana was sacked . with goals being south africa 's biggest problem , it was no surprise that returning coach parreira made persuading mccarthy to return , for a second time , his top priority . sure enough , mccarthy returned to the fray last month against japan . the 32-year-old told local press : i want to start afresh and help bafana do well in the world cup finals . it is every player 's dream to play for his country ... and i have matured . ' in the past i was a loose cannon and i apologize if i was wrong [ but ] i am still the best at what i do - and that is scoring goals , ' he added . few could argue with mccarthy 's record . born in hanover park , an impoverished township in cape town known for its high unemployment , poverty and gang-related violence , mccarthy escaped to become one of africa 's most successful football exports . mccarthy started his career in 1995 aged 18 with seven stars of cape town , where 27 goals in 29 games earned him a move to cape town spurs who soon merged with ajax cape town , a feeder side to their famous dutch namesake . mccarthy 's potential was enough for ajax amsterdam to sign him . joining in 1997 he scored nine goals to help them win the eredivisie in his first year , which eventually attracted the attentions of spain 's celta vigo . although it did n't work out in spain , his move to portugal 's fc porto was a roaring success . in the 2003/04 season he helped jose mourinho 's side win the uefa champions league with mccarthy memorably grabbing two goals in the second round defeat of manchester united . mccarthy moved to premier league outfit blackburn rovers in 2006 and scored plenty of goals - he was in the top three league scorers in his debut season - but first-team opportunities have been limited of late . yet ever since mccarthy made his international debut in a 2-0 home defeat to holland 1997 , south africa has been a different side with him in it . gloom has followed south africa 's footballing exploits before this summer 's world cup . but after his most recent'comeback', bafana bafana fans will hope that mccarthy can help put the dark days under joel santana firmly behind them . hear what benni has to say in cnn 's coverage of the world cup draw , live on friday 4th december .","mccarthy currently plays for blackburn rovers and has had spells with ajax , celta vigo and fc porto" +"frank sinatra ( cnn ) -- in an auction featuring memorabilia from the beatles , madonna and elvis presley , it was michael jackson who proved to be king . the red and black jacket , winged shoulders and all , that the late pop star wore during his zombie-ridden thriller ' video fetched a $ 1.8 million bid at this weekend 's julien 's auction in beverly hills , california , according to the auctioneer 's website . the winning price was exponentially above the estimated bid of $ 200,000 to $ 400,000 . part of the proceeds will go toward the shambala preserve where jackson 's two bengal tigers , thriller and sabu , have been living the past five years . the jacket had been given to dennis tompkins and michael bush , the singer 's longtime costume designers , to use as a reference for concert performances of the thriller ' song . it includes an inscription to them on the jacket 's lining , and the sleeve is signed , love michael jackson . ' its sale came exactly two years after the then 50-year-old jackson was killed by a surgical anesthetic called propofol , which a los angeles coroner ruled killed the singer in combination with several sedatives found in his blood . the jacket was n't the only piece of history from the late king of pop that was part of the auction . the signature fedora jackson wore during his bad tour was sold for $ 16,250 , a handwritten note to friend elizabeth taylor went for $ 5,625 and a signed pillowcase fetched $ 3,584 . and a bidder paid out $ 330,000 -- more than 10 times what julien 's had expected to get -- for one of the famous , shiny , crystal-covered gloves that jackson wore during the 1980s . michael jackson has an unbelievable fan base , ' darren julien , the auction house 's president , told cnn earlier this month . other pieces of history , from other members of music royalty , were also featured at the auction . while gold records and instruments were common items , others were more practical -- like frank sinatra 's boots ( selling for $ 2,500 ) and his 1986 jaguar car ( $ 19,000 ) . as well as the u.s. army-issued sewing kit of elvis presley 's that went for $ 1,536 . the king of pop 's closest competition at the auction was the beatles , which had a number of items for sale . a signed postcard from liverpool 's finest sold for $ 5,504 and paul mccartney 's bass guitar fetched $ 14,080 . but oft-diminished drummer ringo may have gotten the last laugh , with the cape he wore in the movie help ! ' selling for $ 37,500 -- about five times the estimate .","other items auctioned this weekend were from bob dylan , frank sinatra and elvis" +"dodd-frank ( cnn ) -- in 2007 and 2008 , the american economy suffered through its greatest crisis since the great depression . the treasury department estimates that from 2007 to 2009 , the heart of the great recession , more than 8.8 million american jobs disappeared and more than $ 19 trillion in household wealth was lost . in response to the crisis , the federal government took steps to reform our financial system , most significantly , passage of the dodd-frank wall street reform and consumer protection act . signed into law by president barack obama four years ago monday , this bill was designed to improve accountability and transparency in our financial system , ensuring we never again face a financial crisis of this magnitude . regrettably , dodd-frank has done little to address the root causes of this crisis . instead , by institutionalizing bailouts and undermining a competitive and fair marketplace , this law has joined obamacare as another example of big government overreach that has ultimately done more harm than good for the american people . wall street reform law only half done at 849 pages , dodd-frank touches nearly every aspect of our financial system , from capital ratios of large financial institutions down to new rules on the credit cards most americans have in their wallets . dodd-frank has only grown larger since obama signed it . much of the statutory text tasks washington bureaucrats with writing nearly 400 rules . as of the first of this month , law firm davis polk reported 45 % of rulemaking deadlines have been missed . since its enactment , dodd-frank has imposed $ 21.8 billion in compliance costs while producing regulations that require nearly 60 million hours of paperwork with which to comply , according to estimates by the american action forum , a center-right policy institute . these compliance costs can be devastating to small community banks and credit unions . often they are the only financial institutions serving small towns and rural areas such as those throughout my district in western north carolina . assuming these small institutions can withstand this dodd-frank-induced regulatory onslaught and stay in business , they will join larger banks in passing these added costs along to consumers , driving up the cost of borrowing and reducing access to much-needed credit . among the great indignities of the financial crisis : american families were footing the bill for the massive taxpayer-funded bailouts of fannie mae , freddie mac and other large financial institutions while struggling to scrape by in the broken economy . in 2009 , bloomberg estimated that the u.s. government and other federal agencies had committed nearly $ 13 trillion to support these failing institutions . the nearly $ 13 trillion represented 90 % of the u.s. gross domestic product for 2008 . in signing the law , obama claimed that never again would the american people foot the bill for these large firms . yet amazingly dodd-frank does not just fail to end these bailouts , it cements them into law and greatly increases the likelihood the american people will be stuck with the federal government 's bailout tab again in the future . in addition to an alphabet soup of new agencies , such as fsoc ( financial stability oversight council ) and ofr ( office of financial research ) , dodd-frank also gave us the consumer financial protection bureau , a uniquely ( some might say dangerously ) unaccountable addition to our federal bureaucracy . designed with the noble goal of consumer protection , the agency was given significant power to regulate financial offerings but was designed in a manner to leave it free of oversight from both the white house and congress . among the agency 's accomplishments ' is its qualified mortgage rule that has negatively affected credit availability in the mortgage market . the rule has especially harmed those who have typically struggled to access credit in the past , women and minorities . a recent report from the federal reserve board showed roughly one-third of black and hispanic borrowers would not qualify for mortgages under the rule . even more troubling is the bureau 's latest project , the national mortgage database . in an apparent effort to make the national security agency jealous , this database will track individual americans and their personally identifiable information , including the most intimate personal and financial details , going back as far as 30 years . and this does not even begin to address the consumer agency 's management failures that have led to claims of discrimination and retaliation against minority employees going unpunished and spending $ 216 million to renovate its rented office space . put simply , dodd-frank is but another failed big government reform ' -- just like obamacare , the troubled asset relief program , or tarp , and the stimulus . when will this administration realize more government does not solve problems , it is the problem ? join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion .","he says dodd-frank law has imposed billions in costs and millions of hours of extra work" +"fda mcdonald 's and target dropped an egg supplier this week after an activist group released disturbing video showing what it says shows animal cruelty at three of the company 's barns . the undercover video , released by mercy for animals , was allegedly shot between may and august at facilities run by sparboe farms in colorado , iowa and minnesota . it shows hens crammed in crowded cages , workers burning beaks and one , trying to shove a bird inside the pocket of a co-worker , apparently for fun . another worker presses his thumb against the back of a chick 's neck until it breaks . regarding the undercover videos , the behavior on tape is disturbing and completely unacceptable . mcdonald 's wants to assure our customers that we demand humane treatment of animals by our suppliers . we take this responsibility -- along with our customers'trust -- very seriously . it 's important to note that the most alarming actions on video did not occur at sparboe 's vincent , iowa , facility that supplies mcdonald 's . nonetheless , our extremely high standards for our suppliers prohibit this conduct , ' mcdonald 's said in a statement , announcing its decision to cut ties with sparboe farms . target similarly said it was dropping sparboe farms , which describes itself as the fifth-largest shell egg producer and marketer in the united states . the minnesota-based egg supplier said it first heard about the abuse allegations from abc news , which conducted an investigation of the company . sparboe farms launched an internal investigation upon learning about the undercover video , which was shot by an animal activist hired under false pretenses , according to beth sparboe schnell , president and owner of sparboe farms . four employees have been fired and management changes have taken place as a result of that investigation , which is ongoing , she said . an independent auditor from iowa state university was also hired to conduct a third-party animal welfare audit . i was deeply saddened to see the story because this is n't who sparboe farms is . acts depicted in the footage are totally unacceptable and completely at odds with our values as egg farmers . in fact , they are in direct violation of our animal care code of conduct , which all of our employees read , sign and follow each day , ' sparboe schnell said in a statement . the release of the video and the company 's response come in the wake of a warning letter sent to sparboe farms from the u.s. food and drug administration earlier this week . the agency said it found serious violations ' after visiting five of the companies'production facilities , including failure to have and implement a written salmonella enteritidis prevention plan and failure to prevent stray poultry , wild birds , cats and other animals from entering poultry houses . the company said it responded to the fda , which in turn told sparboe farms that some of the corrective actions it took were insufficient . further steps were then taken to remedy the situation , the company said . the egg industry has been a frequent target of animal rights groups , which accuse suppliers of keeping hens in unusually cruel conditions , and have sometimes used undercover videos to prove their point . in 2004 , people for the ethical treatment of animals ( peta ) released video showing slaughterhouse workers for a kfc supplier stepping on birds , kicking them and slamming them against walls and floors . according to peta , it is common practice for workers to cut a hen 's beak with a hot blade at just a few days old , with no painkillers . those that survive are then kept in small wire cages , or battery cages , that are so small as to prevent them from lifting their wings , it says . the humane society of the united states advocates for so-called cage-free systems , which allow hens to walk around , spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests . however , the simple absence of battery cages is not enough to ensure a facility is cruelty-free , ' the rights group says . the egg industry has also been buffeted recently by food safety concerns . regulators recalled about 550 million eggs from the u.s. market in the wake of a salmonella outbreak traced to two iowa farms in august . about 1,300 cases of salmonella was linked to eggs from wright county eggs and hillandale farms of iowa , forcing a recall of their products in at least 17 states , the fda and the centers for disease control reported . wright county egg recalled 380 million eggs , while hillandale farms recalled 170 million eggs .","the fda finds serious violations ' at five of the company 's production facilities" +"mercy for animals mcdonald 's and target dropped an egg supplier this week after an activist group released disturbing video showing what it says shows animal cruelty at three of the company 's barns . the undercover video , released by mercy for animals , was allegedly shot between may and august at facilities run by sparboe farms in colorado , iowa and minnesota . it shows hens crammed in crowded cages , workers burning beaks and one , trying to shove a bird inside the pocket of a co-worker , apparently for fun . another worker presses his thumb against the back of a chick 's neck until it breaks . regarding the undercover videos , the behavior on tape is disturbing and completely unacceptable . mcdonald 's wants to assure our customers that we demand humane treatment of animals by our suppliers . we take this responsibility -- along with our customers'trust -- very seriously . it 's important to note that the most alarming actions on video did not occur at sparboe 's vincent , iowa , facility that supplies mcdonald 's . nonetheless , our extremely high standards for our suppliers prohibit this conduct , ' mcdonald 's said in a statement , announcing its decision to cut ties with sparboe farms . target similarly said it was dropping sparboe farms , which describes itself as the fifth-largest shell egg producer and marketer in the united states . the minnesota-based egg supplier said it first heard about the abuse allegations from abc news , which conducted an investigation of the company . sparboe farms launched an internal investigation upon learning about the undercover video , which was shot by an animal activist hired under false pretenses , according to beth sparboe schnell , president and owner of sparboe farms . four employees have been fired and management changes have taken place as a result of that investigation , which is ongoing , she said . an independent auditor from iowa state university was also hired to conduct a third-party animal welfare audit . i was deeply saddened to see the story because this is n't who sparboe farms is . acts depicted in the footage are totally unacceptable and completely at odds with our values as egg farmers . in fact , they are in direct violation of our animal care code of conduct , which all of our employees read , sign and follow each day , ' sparboe schnell said in a statement . the release of the video and the company 's response come in the wake of a warning letter sent to sparboe farms from the u.s. food and drug administration earlier this week . the agency said it found serious violations ' after visiting five of the companies'production facilities , including failure to have and implement a written salmonella enteritidis prevention plan and failure to prevent stray poultry , wild birds , cats and other animals from entering poultry houses . the company said it responded to the fda , which in turn told sparboe farms that some of the corrective actions it took were insufficient . further steps were then taken to remedy the situation , the company said . the egg industry has been a frequent target of animal rights groups , which accuse suppliers of keeping hens in unusually cruel conditions , and have sometimes used undercover videos to prove their point . in 2004 , people for the ethical treatment of animals ( peta ) released video showing slaughterhouse workers for a kfc supplier stepping on birds , kicking them and slamming them against walls and floors . according to peta , it is common practice for workers to cut a hen 's beak with a hot blade at just a few days old , with no painkillers . those that survive are then kept in small wire cages , or battery cages , that are so small as to prevent them from lifting their wings , it says . the humane society of the united states advocates for so-called cage-free systems , which allow hens to walk around , spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests . however , the simple absence of battery cages is not enough to ensure a facility is cruelty-free , ' the rights group says . the egg industry has also been buffeted recently by food safety concerns . regulators recalled about 550 million eggs from the u.s. market in the wake of a salmonella outbreak traced to two iowa farms in august . about 1,300 cases of salmonella was linked to eggs from wright county eggs and hillandale farms of iowa , forcing a recall of their products in at least 17 states , the fda and the centers for disease control reported . wright county egg recalled 380 million eggs , while hillandale farms recalled 170 million eggs .","the activist group mercy for animals releases undercover video shot at sparboe farms" +"kutcher after learning that ashton kutcher had landed in the hospital trying to follow steve jobs'all-fruit diet , cnn reader sumday had just one question : all i really wanted to know was why this diet was bad ? ' jobs first fell for extreme diets during his freshman year of college , according to walter isaacson 's biography steve jobs . ' jobs and his college friend daniel kottke became vegetarians after reading diet for a small planet . ' then jobs read mucusless diet healing system ' by arnold ehret ; ehret believed in eating nothing but fruits and starchless vegetables like spinach , carrots and cucumbers . jobs began with two-day fruit fasts , eventually going for a week or more . i got into it in my typical nutso way , ' jobs told isaacson . ehret 's fruitarian diet , also called the eden garden diet or ehretism , is often used as a type of cleanse , according to livestrong.com . designed to detoxify the system , it can do more long-term harm than good . when you only eat fruit , you 're excluding a lot of valuable nutrients from your diet , says marisa moore , registered dietician and spokeswoman for the academy of nutrition and dietetics . protein is one of the main ones that comes to mind , ' she says . ( without protein ) you lose body weight . protein acts like a building block for your muscles and skin and organs . ' the same goes for fats , moore says . although they often get demonized , fats play an important role in our hormone levels and brain function . kutcher told reporters at the sundance film festival that he ended up in the hospital with pancreas levels that were completely out of whack . ' steve jobs movie premieres to mixed reviews fruit contains a lot of natural sugar , which needs to be controlled by insulin in the body , moore says . it 's the pancreas'job to release that insulin ; kutcher 's pancreas may have been overworked if his body was receiving an overload of sugar . many readers wondered if an all-fruit diet could have led to jobs'pancreatic cancer , which led to his death in october 2011 . scientists do n't know what causes pancreatic cancer , according to the american cancer society . certain inherited dna mutations might play a role , as well as chemicals in our environment or diet . even if you do n't overwork your pancreas , you 're probably not eating enough calories on an all-fruit diet , moore says . that puts the body into starvation mode , which can result in serious medical conditions like osteoporosis , severe dehydration and even heart failure , according to the national eating disorders association . here 's the bottom line : fruit is natural . it 's nutritious . the government recommends eating 1 to 2 cups of it a day . just do n't go all nutso ' on it .","ashton kutcher is playing steve jobs in joshua michael stern 's biopic jobs '" +"kutcher after learning that ashton kutcher had landed in the hospital trying to follow steve jobs'all-fruit diet , cnn reader sumday had just one question : all i really wanted to know was why this diet was bad ? ' jobs first fell for extreme diets during his freshman year of college , according to walter isaacson 's biography steve jobs . ' jobs and his college friend daniel kottke became vegetarians after reading diet for a small planet . ' then jobs read mucusless diet healing system ' by arnold ehret ; ehret believed in eating nothing but fruits and starchless vegetables like spinach , carrots and cucumbers . jobs began with two-day fruit fasts , eventually going for a week or more . i got into it in my typical nutso way , ' jobs told isaacson . ehret 's fruitarian diet , also called the eden garden diet or ehretism , is often used as a type of cleanse , according to livestrong.com . designed to detoxify the system , it can do more long-term harm than good . when you only eat fruit , you 're excluding a lot of valuable nutrients from your diet , says marisa moore , registered dietician and spokeswoman for the academy of nutrition and dietetics . protein is one of the main ones that comes to mind , ' she says . ( without protein ) you lose body weight . protein acts like a building block for your muscles and skin and organs . ' the same goes for fats , moore says . although they often get demonized , fats play an important role in our hormone levels and brain function . kutcher told reporters at the sundance film festival that he ended up in the hospital with pancreas levels that were completely out of whack . ' steve jobs movie premieres to mixed reviews fruit contains a lot of natural sugar , which needs to be controlled by insulin in the body , moore says . it 's the pancreas'job to release that insulin ; kutcher 's pancreas may have been overworked if his body was receiving an overload of sugar . many readers wondered if an all-fruit diet could have led to jobs'pancreatic cancer , which led to his death in october 2011 . scientists do n't know what causes pancreatic cancer , according to the american cancer society . certain inherited dna mutations might play a role , as well as chemicals in our environment or diet . even if you do n't overwork your pancreas , you 're probably not eating enough calories on an all-fruit diet , moore says . that puts the body into starvation mode , which can result in serious medical conditions like osteoporosis , severe dehydration and even heart failure , according to the national eating disorders association . here 's the bottom line : fruit is natural . it 's nutritious . the government recommends eating 1 to 2 cups of it a day . just do n't go all nutso ' on it .","kutcher ended up in the hospital after trying to follow jobs'all-fruit diet" +"rafael nadal ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal is back . after battling a knee injury which threatened to derail his glittering career , the spaniard is back on track and back on top following a 6-2 3-6 6-4 6-1 win over world no . 1 novak djokovic in the u.s. open final . the second seed recovered from losing the second set and emerged victorious from an energy-sapping third to win his 13th grand slam and his 22nd consecutive hard-court match . the mallorcan , who added the flushing meadows title to the french open crown he clinched earlier this year , now trails only pete sampras ( 14 ) and his great rival roger federer ( 17 ) in the list of all-time major winners . he also now holds a significant lead over djokovic in the race to end 2013 at the top of the world rankings . not bad for a player whose ability to compete at the highest level was called into question in june after a straight-sets defeat to 135th-ranked steve darcis in the first round of wimbledon . i never thought something like this could happen , i 'm so excited to be back on tour trying to be competitive , ' nadal told the u.s. open 's official website after avenging his final defeat to djokovic in the 2011 final . but i never thought about competing for what i have competed for this year , all the masters 1000s , two grand slams ... so it is just more than a dream for me . i 'm very happy for everything . it 's true that i worked , but you need luck to be where i am today . ' blog : can serena become the greatest ever ? six-time grand slam champion djokovic has now tasted defeat in consecutive u.s. open finals , his latest disappointment coming after his loss to andy murray in the 2012 title match . in fact , the serb has been in four consecutive finals of the new york grand slam , his only victory coming against nadal two years ago . all the credit to him , ' said djokovic after the 37th meeting between the two players . i had my momentum from midway through the second set to end of the third where i was supposed to use it and realize the opportunities that were presented to me . i did n't do it . i did n't deserve to win in the end . it 's obviously disappointing to lose a match like this , but again it was a huge privilege and honor to be fighting for this trophy . '","rafael nadal wins second u.s. open title , 13th grand slam" +"mraz new york ( cnn ) -- for someone who claims to be incredibly laid back , jason mraz is certainly piling up the accomplishments . jason mraz was recently honored with a songwriting award for his work , which includes the hit i 'm yours . ' the singer-songwriter was the recipient of the hal david starlight award at last week 's songwriters hall of fame inductee ceremony in new york . the honor typically goes to newcomers striking a chord in the music industry . or , as mraz puts it , i hope it has something to do with their savvy freshness . ' mraz , who turned 32 this week and took his parents to the celebratory dinner at the marriott marquis hotel in times square june 18 , says he feels great about the honor . i never thought my songs would escape my bedroom , ' he said . to have the music shared all around the world , and to be acknowledged by communities like this ... it 's inspiring . ' mraz 's 2008 album we sing . we dance . we steal things ' has been a runaway success , with more than 2.5 million copies sold worldwide . it also led to three grammy nominations , including song of the year and best male pop vocal performance for the reggae-inflected hit i 'm yours . ' mraz ( whose name reflects his family 's czech heritage ) hits the festival circuit overseas before kicking off his stateside gratitude café tour ' july 25 . the tour 's quirky title was inspired by a wholesome san francisco , california , restaurant mraz loves . a fan of maintaining a diet of predominantly raw foods , mraz is also a farmer of sorts : he owns an avocado farm in his home city of san diego , california . he 's also a juggler , a skill mraz taught himself during the downtime that comes with touring . watch the multitalented mraz perform » mraz shared tales of his avocado farm , as well as what it 's like to get the cold shoulder from simon cowell , when he sat down with cnn recently . cnn : so , you live on an avocado farm . what 's that like ? jason mraz : it 's fantastic . anytime you 're harvesting something in your yard -- whether you have a small herb garden or i 've got avocados , and now we have a solar system so we 're also harvesting sun energy , which is great -- for me that 's when i became an environmentalist . i was like , wait a second . this is my environment . this is my piece of the earth that i 'm responsible for . ' yes , the trees give me avocado and fruit that we sell and we eat tons of , but i feel like i have a role to play back to that , too . so it 's cool . cnn : so if you 're at home , daily how many avocados would you eat ? mraz : at least two . sometimes three or four . cnn : so you must have very nice oily skin . mraz : i do , thank you . it 's the avocado . i just lather it on . cnn : do you really ? mraz : i do . yeah , why not ? i 've got tons of them ! cnn : do you cook ? mraz : i prepare . there 's not much cooking in our household . we do a lot of raw food so it 's more about putting the right ingredients together to create something scrumptious . see mraz 's chocomole recipe cnn : when eating healthy is so important to you , how difficult is that to maintain when you 're traveling around the world so much ? mraz : well , i bring tons of backup supplies with me . cnn : how did you like performing on the american idol ' final ? ( mraz performed i 'm yours ' with contestants anoop desai and alexis grace . ) mraz : i loved it . it was such a great event . and i have compassion for every one of those kids that dares audition . i was n't a contestant . i was just there to sing , and when i saw simon at the end of that panel i freaked out . i was like , what does he think ? ' and then i had to stop myself and say dude , you 're not a contestant . ' he 's aloof . but i watched during the rest of the night and he did it to all the acts . that 's just his way . cnn : do you think you could hack it as an american idol ' contestant ? mraz : it is really tough . i watch what those guys do backstage between songs and their weekly schedule is super intense -- to learn new songs , to shoot videos , to learn dance moves and all this . they actually go through a pretty amazing transformation during the course of that show . i just do n't know that i could commit myself to something like that . i 'm a little more laid back . and some days if i ca n't show up to work , i do n't show up to work . and i love that ( laughs ) . cnn : were you surprised by the success of i 'm yours ' ? mraz : very surprised . there 's something simple about it ... like a nursery rhyme . i thought it was so playful . i never expected the world to really grab it and run with it the way they have . cnn : can you talk me through how you went about writing that song ? where were you ? what were you doing ? mraz : i was at home . it was a sunny afternoon . and just as any afternoon where i play music , i was playing on an electric guitar , just chugging around , feeling a little reggae in me you know , and the melody and the words just started to pop out rather quickly and so i recorded it rather quickly . and the whole process only took about a half an hour . cnn : you 're about to go overseas to play various festivals . is there anywhere you 'll be going for the first time ? mraz : this year we 're going to explore south america , which i 've visited as a tourist , but i 've never taken my music down there . i hear the crowds turn up in masses , so i really want to see what that 's like . i love getting to bounce around and explore so much . i love scandinavia . i love spain . it 's so mystical and romantic , yet it 's gritty . cnn : do you speak spanish ? mraz : no , but i have the rosetta stone . i have begun my level one training .","jason mraz recently honored with songwriters award" +"mraz new york ( cnn ) -- for someone who claims to be incredibly laid back , jason mraz is certainly piling up the accomplishments . jason mraz was recently honored with a songwriting award for his work , which includes the hit i 'm yours . ' the singer-songwriter was the recipient of the hal david starlight award at last week 's songwriters hall of fame inductee ceremony in new york . the honor typically goes to newcomers striking a chord in the music industry . or , as mraz puts it , i hope it has something to do with their savvy freshness . ' mraz , who turned 32 this week and took his parents to the celebratory dinner at the marriott marquis hotel in times square june 18 , says he feels great about the honor . i never thought my songs would escape my bedroom , ' he said . to have the music shared all around the world , and to be acknowledged by communities like this ... it 's inspiring . ' mraz 's 2008 album we sing . we dance . we steal things ' has been a runaway success , with more than 2.5 million copies sold worldwide . it also led to three grammy nominations , including song of the year and best male pop vocal performance for the reggae-inflected hit i 'm yours . ' mraz ( whose name reflects his family 's czech heritage ) hits the festival circuit overseas before kicking off his stateside gratitude café tour ' july 25 . the tour 's quirky title was inspired by a wholesome san francisco , california , restaurant mraz loves . a fan of maintaining a diet of predominantly raw foods , mraz is also a farmer of sorts : he owns an avocado farm in his home city of san diego , california . he 's also a juggler , a skill mraz taught himself during the downtime that comes with touring . watch the multitalented mraz perform » mraz shared tales of his avocado farm , as well as what it 's like to get the cold shoulder from simon cowell , when he sat down with cnn recently . cnn : so , you live on an avocado farm . what 's that like ? jason mraz : it 's fantastic . anytime you 're harvesting something in your yard -- whether you have a small herb garden or i 've got avocados , and now we have a solar system so we 're also harvesting sun energy , which is great -- for me that 's when i became an environmentalist . i was like , wait a second . this is my environment . this is my piece of the earth that i 'm responsible for . ' yes , the trees give me avocado and fruit that we sell and we eat tons of , but i feel like i have a role to play back to that , too . so it 's cool . cnn : so if you 're at home , daily how many avocados would you eat ? mraz : at least two . sometimes three or four . cnn : so you must have very nice oily skin . mraz : i do , thank you . it 's the avocado . i just lather it on . cnn : do you really ? mraz : i do . yeah , why not ? i 've got tons of them ! cnn : do you cook ? mraz : i prepare . there 's not much cooking in our household . we do a lot of raw food so it 's more about putting the right ingredients together to create something scrumptious . see mraz 's chocomole recipe cnn : when eating healthy is so important to you , how difficult is that to maintain when you 're traveling around the world so much ? mraz : well , i bring tons of backup supplies with me . cnn : how did you like performing on the american idol ' final ? ( mraz performed i 'm yours ' with contestants anoop desai and alexis grace . ) mraz : i loved it . it was such a great event . and i have compassion for every one of those kids that dares audition . i was n't a contestant . i was just there to sing , and when i saw simon at the end of that panel i freaked out . i was like , what does he think ? ' and then i had to stop myself and say dude , you 're not a contestant . ' he 's aloof . but i watched during the rest of the night and he did it to all the acts . that 's just his way . cnn : do you think you could hack it as an american idol ' contestant ? mraz : it is really tough . i watch what those guys do backstage between songs and their weekly schedule is super intense -- to learn new songs , to shoot videos , to learn dance moves and all this . they actually go through a pretty amazing transformation during the course of that show . i just do n't know that i could commit myself to something like that . i 'm a little more laid back . and some days if i ca n't show up to work , i do n't show up to work . and i love that ( laughs ) . cnn : were you surprised by the success of i 'm yours ' ? mraz : very surprised . there 's something simple about it ... like a nursery rhyme . i thought it was so playful . i never expected the world to really grab it and run with it the way they have . cnn : can you talk me through how you went about writing that song ? where were you ? what were you doing ? mraz : i was at home . it was a sunny afternoon . and just as any afternoon where i play music , i was playing on an electric guitar , just chugging around , feeling a little reggae in me you know , and the melody and the words just started to pop out rather quickly and so i recorded it rather quickly . and the whole process only took about a half an hour . cnn : you 're about to go overseas to play various festivals . is there anywhere you 'll be going for the first time ? mraz : this year we 're going to explore south america , which i 've visited as a tourist , but i 've never taken my music down there . i hear the crowds turn up in masses , so i really want to see what that 's like . i love getting to bounce around and explore so much . i love scandinavia . i love spain . it 's so mystical and romantic , yet it 's gritty . cnn : do you speak spanish ? mraz : no , but i have the rosetta stone . i have begun my level one training .","mraz intimidated by appearance on american idol '" +"slevin stephen slevin 's 22 months in solitary confinement in a county jail left him traumatized and physically weak , but he 'll soon be a multimillionaire for his suffering . the new mexico county that locked him up on a drunk driving charge , isolated him from other inmates and accused of essentially forgetting about him for nearly two years agreed this week to settle his lawsuit for $ 15.5 million . slevin , now 59 , went to jail in august 2005 as a well nourished , physically healthy adult , ' but emerged with a long beard , bed sores , bad teeth and weighing just 133 pounds in june 2007 , according to the lawsuit . jailers separated slevin from other inmates because of his history of mental illness , according to the lawsuit filed by albuquerque civil rights attorney matthew coyte in december 2008 . the charges of driving while intoxicated and receiving a stolen vehicle were never prosecuted . they threw him in solitary and then ignored him , ' said coyte a year ago after a federal jury awarded slevin $ 22 million . he disappeared into delirium , and his mental illness was made worse by being isolated from human contact and a lack of medical care . ' slevin suffers from post-traumatic stress from what he called physical and mental mistreatment by corrections officials in dona ana county , which shares a border with mexico in the southern part of the state . the county 's commissioners agreed this week to drop their appeal of the jury 's verdict in return for slevin accepting the lesser amount . the board of county commissioners deeply regrets the harm mr. slevin suffered during this period , ' the county said in a statement thursday . over the past seven years , dona ana county has made significant improvements to detention center staffing , training , facilities and procedures . dona ana county is committed to ensuring consistent and appropriate treatment of every detainee in its care . ' slevin 's lawsuit alleged he became malnourished , lost significant weight , developed bedsores , fungus and dental problems and was not aware of his situation or surroundings . he was transferred to another state facility for two weeks , given a psychiatric evaluation and then sent back to the dona ana county detention center , where he was again placed in solitary confinement . coyte said slevin did receive a brief competency hearing a year into his imprisonment , but the case against the man never proceeded . after 22 months as a pretrial detainee , slevin was released and the charges dismissed . he then filed suit , claiming his rights of due process were violated since he was not given a hearing before being placed in solitary confinement . photos taken before and after his confinement show dramatic appearance changes . the plaintiff said things were so bad he was forced to pull his own tooth while in custody , and that his pleas for help were dismissed . in pretrial motions , the county denied that there was lack of medical care . for most of the other allegations , officials either denied them or said they were without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief ' of the veracity of the claims . coyte told cnn he and slevin hope their victory would help bring a stop to the use of solitary confinement in america . other countries recognize it as a form of torture , whereas america uses it as a routine method of incarceration . ' the families and friends of the people who have been subjected to this barbaric treatment know what we are talking about , ' coyte wrote in an e-mail . they see the effects of it every day . hopefully stephen 's story can make a difference to them and others who are currently sitting in a concrete cell 23 hours a day . ' the county said it has taken bold steps ' to improve the 846-bed jail , which it said would make it the model for detention centers and the care of the mentally ill in the state of new mexico . ' in the wake of this large settlement , we can say definitively that we have learned from the past , ' its statement said . we can also say with confidence that we are leading the way for the future . ' slevin continues to have serious medical issues , and is fighting lung cancer , his lawyer said . stephen is optimistic in his ongoing battle with cancer and is doing as well as can be expected while undergoing some pretty difficult treatments , ' coyte wrote . mentally , he will always suffer the effects of his inhumane treatment at the hands of dona ana county . the money can never replace what they took from him . '"," they threw him in solitary and then ignored him ' for 22 months , stephen slevin 's lawyer says" +"slevin stephen slevin 's 22 months in solitary confinement in a county jail left him traumatized and physically weak , but he 'll soon be a multimillionaire for his suffering . the new mexico county that locked him up on a drunk driving charge , isolated him from other inmates and accused of essentially forgetting about him for nearly two years agreed this week to settle his lawsuit for $ 15.5 million . slevin , now 59 , went to jail in august 2005 as a well nourished , physically healthy adult , ' but emerged with a long beard , bed sores , bad teeth and weighing just 133 pounds in june 2007 , according to the lawsuit . jailers separated slevin from other inmates because of his history of mental illness , according to the lawsuit filed by albuquerque civil rights attorney matthew coyte in december 2008 . the charges of driving while intoxicated and receiving a stolen vehicle were never prosecuted . they threw him in solitary and then ignored him , ' said coyte a year ago after a federal jury awarded slevin $ 22 million . he disappeared into delirium , and his mental illness was made worse by being isolated from human contact and a lack of medical care . ' slevin suffers from post-traumatic stress from what he called physical and mental mistreatment by corrections officials in dona ana county , which shares a border with mexico in the southern part of the state . the county 's commissioners agreed this week to drop their appeal of the jury 's verdict in return for slevin accepting the lesser amount . the board of county commissioners deeply regrets the harm mr. slevin suffered during this period , ' the county said in a statement thursday . over the past seven years , dona ana county has made significant improvements to detention center staffing , training , facilities and procedures . dona ana county is committed to ensuring consistent and appropriate treatment of every detainee in its care . ' slevin 's lawsuit alleged he became malnourished , lost significant weight , developed bedsores , fungus and dental problems and was not aware of his situation or surroundings . he was transferred to another state facility for two weeks , given a psychiatric evaluation and then sent back to the dona ana county detention center , where he was again placed in solitary confinement . coyte said slevin did receive a brief competency hearing a year into his imprisonment , but the case against the man never proceeded . after 22 months as a pretrial detainee , slevin was released and the charges dismissed . he then filed suit , claiming his rights of due process were violated since he was not given a hearing before being placed in solitary confinement . photos taken before and after his confinement show dramatic appearance changes . the plaintiff said things were so bad he was forced to pull his own tooth while in custody , and that his pleas for help were dismissed . in pretrial motions , the county denied that there was lack of medical care . for most of the other allegations , officials either denied them or said they were without knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief ' of the veracity of the claims . coyte told cnn he and slevin hope their victory would help bring a stop to the use of solitary confinement in america . other countries recognize it as a form of torture , whereas america uses it as a routine method of incarceration . ' the families and friends of the people who have been subjected to this barbaric treatment know what we are talking about , ' coyte wrote in an e-mail . they see the effects of it every day . hopefully stephen 's story can make a difference to them and others who are currently sitting in a concrete cell 23 hours a day . ' the county said it has taken bold steps ' to improve the 846-bed jail , which it said would make it the model for detention centers and the care of the mentally ill in the state of new mexico . ' in the wake of this large settlement , we can say definitively that we have learned from the past , ' its statement said . we can also say with confidence that we are leading the way for the future . ' slevin continues to have serious medical issues , and is fighting lung cancer , his lawyer said . stephen is optimistic in his ongoing battle with cancer and is doing as well as can be expected while undergoing some pretty difficult treatments , ' coyte wrote . mentally , he will always suffer the effects of his inhumane treatment at the hands of dona ana county . the money can never replace what they took from him . '","a federal jury awarded slevin $ 22 million a year ago" +"london ( cnn ) -- syria was plunged wednesday into a nationwide blackout , the state-run syrian arab news agency reported . a terrorist attack on the gas feeder line for a power plant ' in southern damascus led to power outages in all provinces ' and efforts were under way to restore it , electricity minister imad khamis told sana . syrian activists were posting video to social media accounts showing what they described as a gas line fire near the damascus airport . the video showed unidentified buildings in the dark , with a fire burning on higher ground behind the structures . and the syrian observatory for human rights reported that a large explosion rocked damascus late wednesday . the blast targeted a government checkpoint and injured soldiers there , the london-based activist group said . in london on wednesday , at a meeting of the friends of syria , ' the head of syria 's main opposition umbrella group laid out a list of conditions for participation in a conference to be held by the end of the year in geneva with the goal of ending the bloodshed that has wracked the country since march 2011 . ahmad al-jabra , leader of the syrian national coalition , said they include : -- releasing prisoners ; -- lifting the siege from affected areas and allowing the entry of aid ; -- stopping the use in civilian areas of ballistic missiles , cluster bombs and fighters jets ; -- the departure from syria of hezbollah and iranian revolutionary guard forces ; -- the renewal without conditions of ex-pats'syrian passports ; -- a commitment from president bashar al-assad to implement the provisions reached in the first such conference , dubbed geneva 1 ; -- a declaration by al-assad to accept a transition of power to an interim government body with executive powers , written in the constitution ; -- an agreement by all sides that the transitional government is the sole source of legitimate law in the country ; -- an agreement that the u.n. security council will guarantee any agreement under chapter vii of its charter , which would allow military action ; -- a timetable for the transition ; -- stipulation that those responsible for war crimes against humanity be removed from power and held accountable . british foreign minister william hague told reporters wednesday that al-assad should play no political role in syria . the opposition local coordination committees of syria said at least 33 people were killed wednesday across syria . state-run sana said at least 10 people were killed in terrorist ' attacks in damascus and aleppo . cnn 's hamdi alkhshali and salma abdelaziz contributed to this report","in london , the main opposition umbrella group lists conditions for a planned conference" +"inter milan ( cnn ) -- on the london underground there is a saying which has become synonymous with any tourist visit to the british capital . mind the gap ' . it 's up there with the queen , a wonderfully indulgent cream tea , beefeaters outside the tower of london and all those quintessentially english pastimes which tend to draw those flocking from overseas . it is a saying which has been emblazoned across numerous t-shirts and posters , while children on the underground seem to delight in repeating the famous phrase . but now , in london at least , those three words have been hijacked by the supporters of tottenham and arsenal , who will now no doubt continue to mock each other until the end of the season . following tottenham 's 2-1 win over its city rival sunday , the gap ' is seven points with andre villas-boas'side now occupying third place and more importantly , a qualification spot for next year 's champions league . but arsenal has been here before . last season , tottenham blew a 10-point advantage to allow its fiercest foe to take third spot and a place in europe 's elite competition . before arsenal 's astonishing comeback , which followed the 5-2 thrashing of tottenham just over a year ago , it was those dressed in the blue and white which sang merrily about minding the gap . it was a song they would come to regret as arsenal grew in strength while spurs faltered , eventually leading to harry redknapp 's exit and the failure to reach the promised land of the champions league . but a year in football is a long time -- just ask villas-boas . a year ago monday , the man known as avb ' was sent packing from chelsea with his reputation in ruin . chelsea owner roman abramovich had paid $ 20 million to take the young portuguese coach from porto to stamford bridge less than 10 months earlier . but his spell in charge proved a disaster , leaving the club on the brink of exit from the champions league , out of the premier league title race and facing humiliation . vilified for his team selections , his unorthodox style of crouching on the touchline and man-management skills , he was seen as mourinho-lite ' and simply not in the same class as the special one . ' villas-boas confirmed as new tottenham boss but a year on since leaving west london , villas-boas is steadily building a team bursting with potential , led by the ever improving gareth bale . it was bale , of course , who proved the man for the occasion , firing tottenham ahead eight minutes before the break with a coolly taken finish -- his 20th of the season . with nine goals in his past seven club games , bale continues to astound , rightly or wrongly allowing comparisons with cristiano ronaldo and leo messi to gather pace . while his imperious run of form has been a joy for tottenham supporters , it is also the new found steel which has been lacking in the past , which has made this side a far more accomplished proposition . avb : bayern is the perfect club for guardiola once aaron lennon had added a second less than two minutes after bale 's opener , arsenal was facing an uphill struggle . suddenly that gap was increasing and arsenal 's apathetic attitude to defending gave little to suggest that anything but a widening chasm between the two clubs . now unbeaten in 12 league games , tottenham deserves to be taken seriously . forever in our shadow ' was what arsenal fans used to chant at their rivals -- and with justification following its domination of north london since wenger 's arrival . in fact , not since 1995 has tottenham finished above arsenal in england 's top division , a statistic which will surely be consigned to history at the end of the current campaign . yes , arsenal did find a route back into the game after the interval when bale inadvertently directed per mertesacker 's header into his own net . bale steals limelight but tottenham , marshaled by michael dawson and jan vertonghen , held out comfortably to claim a crucial victory in their quest for the champions league and the domination of north london . it was very , very important for what it means , but obviously nothing is finished yet , ' villas-boas told sky sports . we have to believe that we still have to fight hard . arsenal have to play man city , we have to play liverpool ( next weekend ) . we try to profit from another important fixture and keep doing our job . it is important we gather as many points as we can to finish where we want to be . last year , by this time , arsenal made the difference of seven points to tottenham and we know how it finished , ' villas-boas added . motivations are now different . we are extremely confident . they are on a low at the moment . we have to continue to do our job . ' pressure grows on wenger for arsenal and its beleaguered manager arsene wenger , the gap shows no sign of narrowing any time soon . for 16 years it has been the ruler of its own backyard , but the neighbor is beginning to stir . without a trophy in eight years , on the brink of an exit from the champions league , the frenchman is facing the most difficult spell since he arrived at the club in october 1996 . but wenger refutes any suggestion that tottenham has overtaken his side in terms of quality . that 's not the impression i got from the game today , ' he told sky sports news . we were not efficient in those decisive zones , not at the back or up front . we were not cautious enough . on the two goals we played offside in a position where we should n't play offside . it is difficult to struggle with defeat because of the effort we put in and the energy level we put in over the 90 minutes was tremendous . we made it difficult for ourselves . we came back and dominated the game but the game was stop and go . it was difficult to get a flow in the final 20 minutes , we did n't find the second goal . ' united march on but as fans got back onto the london underground this evening following the contest , the question marks over wenger 's future remain . monday will mark his 6000th day in charge and while supporters may be losing faith , wenger is adamant arsenal can still qualify for next season 's champions league he added : it 's very frustrating , but we have to put the energy in every game like we did today and keep going , you never know . it would be absolutely terrible not to fight like mad because there are a lot of positives in the game . what happened today we have seen repeated so many times in big games that of course it 's difficult . ' lazio punished for fourth racism in italy , rodrigo palacio spared inter milan any embarrassment with a late cameo performance to steal a 3-2 win at catania . trailing 2-0 at the break thanks to strikes from gonzalo bergessio and giovanni marchese , inter fought back in the second half to turn the game on its head . ricky alvarez halved the deficit before palacio fired home an equalizer with 20 minutes remaining . and with the contest entering the second minute of stoppage time , palacio found space to drill home a dramatic winner . we had a terrible 20 minute period and were punished for our mistake on the first goal , ' coach andrea stramaccioni told sky italia . luckily this team has thick skin and managed to fight their way back into the game . it 's an important victory for us against a team which is in great form . thankfully the real inter emerged after the interval . ' english managers on the brink ? elsewhere , fiorentina gained a 2-1 win over chievo , bolgona defeated cagliari 3-0 and emanuel icardi 's 58th minute effort secured all three points for sampdoria against parma . atalanta recorded a 2-0 win at siena courtesy of giacomo bonaventura 's double , while torino and palermo 's game ended goalless . in the late game , roma defeated genoa 3-1 with francesco totti on target . lewandowski brace earns dortmund points in germany , bayern munich maintained its 17 point lead at the top of the bundesliga following a 1-0 win over hoffenheim . mario gomez 's strike gave bayern its 10th straight win , despite being given a difficult afternoon by the relegation threatened side . the game was very difficult because of the opponent 's league predicament , ' coach jupp heynckes told reporters . we had to work hard for the win , it was n't brilliant or glamorous , but in return for 90 minutes work , we got three points . we were a bit superficial ; we were n't direct enough and not lively enough . it took a while to warm up the engine . ' meanwhile , bayern has been drawn at home to face wolfsburg in the german cup semifinal , while freiburg will travel to stuttgart in the other fixture . in france , lyon was held to a 1-1 draw at brest , while marseille reclaimed third place in ligue 1 after coming from behind to defeat troyes 2-1 . lille saw off bordeaux 2-1 in the day 's late game thanks to goals from ronny rodelin and salomon kalou . in spain , atletico madrid was held to a goalless draw at malaga as it missed out on the chance to close the gap on leader barcelona . granada suffered a 2-1 home defeat by mallorca , espanyol drew 0-0 with valladolid and real sociedad shared a six-goal thriller with real betis as it ended 3-3 .","inter milan fights back to win 3-2 at catania in serie a" +"famu ( cnn ) -- florida a & m university band director julian white , who had been under pressure to step aside after the hazing-related death of a band member , is retiring , his attorney announced thursday . white , 71 , is stepping down just days after 13 people were charged in connection with the november 2011 hazing death of famu marching 100 drum major robert champion . white was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after champion 's death . famu 's board of trustees is scheduled to meet on may 14 to discuss the future of the band . champion , 26 , died within an hour of his being badly beaten during a hazing incident on a band bus following a football game in orlando , florida . the ritual , called crossing bus c , ' is an initiation process in which pledges attempt to run down the center aisle while being assaulted by senior members , according to some university band members . an autopsy found extensive contusions of his chest , arms , shoulder and back , ' and evidence of crushing of areas of subcutaneous fat , ' medical examiners reported . as recently as last week , white had asked for full reinstatement as director of the famed university band . white , who had been with famu for 40 years , had tried to root out hazing for the past 22 years , his attorney chuck hobbs said . dr. white remains disappointed that barely 48 hours after meeting with band members , that robert champion was killed in an extreme , horrific and illegal act of bullying , ' hobbs said in an earlier statement . the death prompted the university board of trustees to approve an anti-hazing plan that includes an independent panel of experts to investigate . currently , 13 people are charged in champion 's death , 11 are facing felony hazing charges and two others are charged with misdemeanor hazing . champion 's death brought renewed public scrutiny to the practice of hazing , which has gone on for years despite what the tallahassee university said were efforts to stop it . champion 's mother , pam , has called for the famu band to be disbanded . they need to clean out the filth to move forward . how can they allow the band out there ? ' she said last week . they have n't done anything to safeguard students -- certainly not my son . my son was murdered . '","famu drum major robert champion died after a november hazing incident" +"famu ( cnn ) -- florida a & m university band director julian white , who had been under pressure to step aside after the hazing-related death of a band member , is retiring , his attorney announced thursday . white , 71 , is stepping down just days after 13 people were charged in connection with the november 2011 hazing death of famu marching 100 drum major robert champion . white was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after champion 's death . famu 's board of trustees is scheduled to meet on may 14 to discuss the future of the band . champion , 26 , died within an hour of his being badly beaten during a hazing incident on a band bus following a football game in orlando , florida . the ritual , called crossing bus c , ' is an initiation process in which pledges attempt to run down the center aisle while being assaulted by senior members , according to some university band members . an autopsy found extensive contusions of his chest , arms , shoulder and back , ' and evidence of crushing of areas of subcutaneous fat , ' medical examiners reported . as recently as last week , white had asked for full reinstatement as director of the famed university band . white , who had been with famu for 40 years , had tried to root out hazing for the past 22 years , his attorney chuck hobbs said . dr. white remains disappointed that barely 48 hours after meeting with band members , that robert champion was killed in an extreme , horrific and illegal act of bullying , ' hobbs said in an earlier statement . the death prompted the university board of trustees to approve an anti-hazing plan that includes an independent panel of experts to investigate . currently , 13 people are charged in champion 's death , 11 are facing felony hazing charges and two others are charged with misdemeanor hazing . champion 's death brought renewed public scrutiny to the practice of hazing , which has gone on for years despite what the tallahassee university said were efforts to stop it . champion 's mother , pam , has called for the famu band to be disbanded . they need to clean out the filth to move forward . how can they allow the band out there ? ' she said last week . they have n't done anything to safeguard students -- certainly not my son . my son was murdered . '","famu 's band director steps down after 40 years" +"ira curry ( cnn ) -- a 56-year-old married woman has won half of the second-largest mega millions jackpot in u.s. history and has taken the cash option , which after taxes , will be about $ 120 million , georgia lottery president debbie alford said wednesday . ira curry , of stone mountain , came to the lottery office with the winning ticket of hand-picked numbers , a mix of family birthdays and the lucky number 7 . she did not appear at the afternoon lottery announcement in atlanta . curry bought the ticket at the end of the day friday and it was a last-minute decision , alford said . alford gave a few details about curry , saying she is married and had her daughter check online for the winning numbers after a radio announcer mentioned 7 was the mega ball number . two tickets matched the winning numbers in tuesday night 's $ 648 million jackpot . curry 's half of the cash option comes to $ 173,819,742.50 , before federal taxes ( 25 % ) and georgia taxes ( 6 % ) , officials said . according to cnn 's calculation , the payout will net her $ 119,935,622.32 . it will take one to two weeks before curry will get her check , alford said . curry bought her winning ticket in atlanta at a gateway newstand in the lobby of an office building near the city 's buckhead community ; the other ticket was sold in san jose , california , lottery officials said . ( curry ) had the radio on , and the announcer was talking about the mega ball , which was seven , ' alford said . so curry called her daughter and between tears of joys and laughter , ' the daughter relayed to her mother that she 'd won , the lottery president said . curry told alford , i was in a state if disbelief . i still did n't believe it when my daughter told me , ' alford said . no lotteries in these 7 states alford said she suspects curry called her boss to say she would n't be coming in to work because curry met with lottery officials between 11 a.m. and noon . curry told lottery officials she had n't had time to think about what to do with the money . the winning numbers were 8 , 14 , 17 , 20 and 39 , with a mega ball of 7 . twenty ticket holders will win $ 1 million after matching all the numbers except the mega ball . strong sales boosted the jackpot to $ 648 million from previous estimates of $ 636 million and $ 586 million , lottery officials said . that 's tantalizingly close to the u.s. record -- a $ 656 million mega millions jackpot split by three winning tickets in march 2012 . this jackpot was so large in part because mega millions became tougher to win . the prize rises with each miss , and no one had won it since organizers increased the pool of numbers to choose from -- making astronomical odds even longer -- in october . the california winning ticket was sold at jenny 's gift shop in a san jose strip mall , lottery officials said . you won the big one . now what ? the chance of winning -- never particularly bright -- got worse in late october , when mega millions increased the drawing 's pool of numbers . the odds of hitting the jackpot , which were 1 in 176 million , are now 1 in 259 million . you have more than 1,000 times better chance of an asteroid or comet killing you -- and that 's using the longest estimated odds for the celestial bodies -- according to tulane university . winning the mega millions is akin to getting struck by lightning at the same time you 're being eaten by a shark , ' said todd northrop , founder of lotterypost.com . $ 800 million in lottery prizes unclaimed previously , lottery players chose five numbers , ranging from 1 to 56 . it 's now 1 to 75 . but the sixth , gold ball has fewer numbers from which to choose , as the pool decreased from 46 to 15 . mega millions tickets are sold in 43 states -- all but alabama , alaska , hawaii , mississippi , nevada , utah and wyoming -- plus the district of columbia and the u.s. virgin islands . lottery winner gives $ 40 million to charity cnn 's joseph netto , holly yan , chris friedman , christine romans , pamela brown , julie in , devon sayers and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report .","ira curry of stone mountain is the georgia winner of half the $ 648 million jackpot" +"georgia ( cnn ) -- a 56-year-old married woman has won half of the second-largest mega millions jackpot in u.s. history and has taken the cash option , which after taxes , will be about $ 120 million , georgia lottery president debbie alford said wednesday . ira curry , of stone mountain , came to the lottery office with the winning ticket of hand-picked numbers , a mix of family birthdays and the lucky number 7 . she did not appear at the afternoon lottery announcement in atlanta . curry bought the ticket at the end of the day friday and it was a last-minute decision , alford said . alford gave a few details about curry , saying she is married and had her daughter check online for the winning numbers after a radio announcer mentioned 7 was the mega ball number . two tickets matched the winning numbers in tuesday night 's $ 648 million jackpot . curry 's half of the cash option comes to $ 173,819,742.50 , before federal taxes ( 25 % ) and georgia taxes ( 6 % ) , officials said . according to cnn 's calculation , the payout will net her $ 119,935,622.32 . it will take one to two weeks before curry will get her check , alford said . curry bought her winning ticket in atlanta at a gateway newstand in the lobby of an office building near the city 's buckhead community ; the other ticket was sold in san jose , california , lottery officials said . ( curry ) had the radio on , and the announcer was talking about the mega ball , which was seven , ' alford said . so curry called her daughter and between tears of joys and laughter , ' the daughter relayed to her mother that she 'd won , the lottery president said . curry told alford , i was in a state if disbelief . i still did n't believe it when my daughter told me , ' alford said . no lotteries in these 7 states alford said she suspects curry called her boss to say she would n't be coming in to work because curry met with lottery officials between 11 a.m. and noon . curry told lottery officials she had n't had time to think about what to do with the money . the winning numbers were 8 , 14 , 17 , 20 and 39 , with a mega ball of 7 . twenty ticket holders will win $ 1 million after matching all the numbers except the mega ball . strong sales boosted the jackpot to $ 648 million from previous estimates of $ 636 million and $ 586 million , lottery officials said . that 's tantalizingly close to the u.s. record -- a $ 656 million mega millions jackpot split by three winning tickets in march 2012 . this jackpot was so large in part because mega millions became tougher to win . the prize rises with each miss , and no one had won it since organizers increased the pool of numbers to choose from -- making astronomical odds even longer -- in october . the california winning ticket was sold at jenny 's gift shop in a san jose strip mall , lottery officials said . you won the big one . now what ? the chance of winning -- never particularly bright -- got worse in late october , when mega millions increased the drawing 's pool of numbers . the odds of hitting the jackpot , which were 1 in 176 million , are now 1 in 259 million . you have more than 1,000 times better chance of an asteroid or comet killing you -- and that 's using the longest estimated odds for the celestial bodies -- according to tulane university . winning the mega millions is akin to getting struck by lightning at the same time you 're being eaten by a shark , ' said todd northrop , founder of lotterypost.com . $ 800 million in lottery prizes unclaimed previously , lottery players chose five numbers , ranging from 1 to 56 . it 's now 1 to 75 . but the sixth , gold ball has fewer numbers from which to choose , as the pool decreased from 46 to 15 . mega millions tickets are sold in 43 states -- all but alabama , alaska , hawaii , mississippi , nevada , utah and wyoming -- plus the district of columbia and the u.s. virgin islands . lottery winner gives $ 40 million to charity cnn 's joseph netto , holly yan , chris friedman , christine romans , pamela brown , julie in , devon sayers and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report .","two jackpot-winning tickets were sold , one in georgia and one in california" +"georgia ( cnn ) -- a 56-year-old married woman has won half of the second-largest mega millions jackpot in u.s. history and has taken the cash option , which after taxes , will be about $ 120 million , georgia lottery president debbie alford said wednesday . ira curry , of stone mountain , came to the lottery office with the winning ticket of hand-picked numbers , a mix of family birthdays and the lucky number 7 . she did not appear at the afternoon lottery announcement in atlanta . curry bought the ticket at the end of the day friday and it was a last-minute decision , alford said . alford gave a few details about curry , saying she is married and had her daughter check online for the winning numbers after a radio announcer mentioned 7 was the mega ball number . two tickets matched the winning numbers in tuesday night 's $ 648 million jackpot . curry 's half of the cash option comes to $ 173,819,742.50 , before federal taxes ( 25 % ) and georgia taxes ( 6 % ) , officials said . according to cnn 's calculation , the payout will net her $ 119,935,622.32 . it will take one to two weeks before curry will get her check , alford said . curry bought her winning ticket in atlanta at a gateway newstand in the lobby of an office building near the city 's buckhead community ; the other ticket was sold in san jose , california , lottery officials said . ( curry ) had the radio on , and the announcer was talking about the mega ball , which was seven , ' alford said . so curry called her daughter and between tears of joys and laughter , ' the daughter relayed to her mother that she 'd won , the lottery president said . curry told alford , i was in a state if disbelief . i still did n't believe it when my daughter told me , ' alford said . no lotteries in these 7 states alford said she suspects curry called her boss to say she would n't be coming in to work because curry met with lottery officials between 11 a.m. and noon . curry told lottery officials she had n't had time to think about what to do with the money . the winning numbers were 8 , 14 , 17 , 20 and 39 , with a mega ball of 7 . twenty ticket holders will win $ 1 million after matching all the numbers except the mega ball . strong sales boosted the jackpot to $ 648 million from previous estimates of $ 636 million and $ 586 million , lottery officials said . that 's tantalizingly close to the u.s. record -- a $ 656 million mega millions jackpot split by three winning tickets in march 2012 . this jackpot was so large in part because mega millions became tougher to win . the prize rises with each miss , and no one had won it since organizers increased the pool of numbers to choose from -- making astronomical odds even longer -- in october . the california winning ticket was sold at jenny 's gift shop in a san jose strip mall , lottery officials said . you won the big one . now what ? the chance of winning -- never particularly bright -- got worse in late october , when mega millions increased the drawing 's pool of numbers . the odds of hitting the jackpot , which were 1 in 176 million , are now 1 in 259 million . you have more than 1,000 times better chance of an asteroid or comet killing you -- and that 's using the longest estimated odds for the celestial bodies -- according to tulane university . winning the mega millions is akin to getting struck by lightning at the same time you 're being eaten by a shark , ' said todd northrop , founder of lotterypost.com . $ 800 million in lottery prizes unclaimed previously , lottery players chose five numbers , ranging from 1 to 56 . it 's now 1 to 75 . but the sixth , gold ball has fewer numbers from which to choose , as the pool decreased from 46 to 15 . mega millions tickets are sold in 43 states -- all but alabama , alaska , hawaii , mississippi , nevada , utah and wyoming -- plus the district of columbia and the u.s. virgin islands . lottery winner gives $ 40 million to charity cnn 's joseph netto , holly yan , chris friedman , christine romans , pamela brown , julie in , devon sayers and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report .","ira curry of stone mountain is the georgia winner of half the $ 648 million jackpot" +"isis in the space of a short few months , the self-styled islamic state ( also known by the acronym isis ) has claimed to have established a fundamentalist state and revived the caliphate , while seemingly monopolizing the market on young foreign fighters from europe and north america , while conducting a sophisticated social media and propaganda campaign . amid the highly publicized beheadings of western journalists , soldiers and aid workers accompanied by personal messages to u.s. president barack obama , isis has established itself as the main jihadist group in the world today , leaving al qaeda struggling to make an impact . however , al qaeda is now fighting back and seem eager to reclaim some of the limelight . in a 55-minute video released less than two weeks ago , the current leader of al qaeda , ayman al-zawahiri , promised to raise the flag of jihad ' and to spread islamic rule across the south asia by operating in india , bangladesh and myanmar , under the new rubric qaeda al-jihad . ' although government officials are still trying to verify the authenticity of the video , the idea has already been welcomed by the pakistani taliban , whilst india has expressed deep concerns over al qaeda 's plan to establish a permanent presence in the region . al-zawahiri 's announcement did come as a bit of a surprise , as the recent activities of isis had been dominating news headlines all over the world and led many to believe that al qaeda has now dwindled and faded into the background , as newer , younger and more sophisticated groups have replaced it . as to why the indian subcontinent has been declared as the new home for al qaeda , zawahiri cites the aim of rescuing muslims from oppression and injustice in the region as the group 's main driving force .'muslim lands' in the video , al-zawahiri makes reference to tribal violence in ahmedabad , gujarat , assam and kashmir , as well as violence against the rohingya muslims by buddhists in myanmar . by arguing that places such as bangladesh and myanmar were once muslim lands ' until the enemy occupied and fragmented them , al-zawahiri proposes that the lives of muslim people in the region can be improved and liberated through the establishment of an islamic state guided by sharia law . however , the timing of the video suggests the reasons al-zawahiri gives are surface deep . in truth , this bold announcement by al qaeda is more likely an attempt to branch out into new and untapped markets that are viewed as beyond the reach of its rival , isis . this would be an obvious and natural thing for al qaeda to do since isis clearly has far more success both globally , in terms of publicity , and locally , in that they have eclipsed the local al qaeda affiliate , jabhat al nusra . isis has also managed to do things al qaeda never could . for one , being primarily focused on fighting a distant enemy -- the west -- al qaeda has been unable to evolve beyond being a terrorist organization , whilst isis has moved from being an al qaeda offshoot to progressing into a fully-fledged state -- or at least that is how they and their fellow jihadists view things . this has enabled isis to attract foreign fighters on a far larger scale than al qaeda ever did . more worryingly , from al qaeda 's perspective , is the fact isis seems to be attracting smaller splinter groups previously viewed as being in al qaeda 's domain of influence . for example , the algeria-based soldiers of the caliphate ' group , which was previously viewed as an al qaeda-linked faction in north africa , recently declared itself an ally of isis . regardless of the reasons al qaeda gives -- or does not give -- as to why it is expanding into the indian sub-continent , the strategic and tactical implications of this move are potentially immense . firstly , although 80 % of the population is hindu , according to a 2011 census , india alone houses around 140 million muslims whilst another 132 million or so muslims are in bangladesh . this means roughly one fifth of the world 's muslims are in these two countries alone , whilst myanmar is home to a small muslim community that is being systematically persecuted . al qaeda 's plan will fail with the pakistani market being saturated and isis increasingly dominating the middle east , one can understand why al qaeda has decided to push into this largely untapped market , especially since so few jihadist recruits , in relative terms , have been from these two countries historically . however , there are good reasons why india and bangladesh have not been fertile breeding grounds for jihadists in the past . these countries have their extremist minorities too but they have not experienced the large influx of gulf state largesse that neighboring pakistan has , and they have much more pluralistic cultural traditions . in the case of india at least , there is also a much more robust democracy and in the case of both countries islamist-inspired groups do not have significant influence in government . in all likelihood , al qaeda 's attempts to branch into india and bangladesh will fail . in fact , al-zawahiri is illustrating his cultural naivety by making this announcement and assuming that these countries are just like pakistan . they have also got off to a very bad start by mistakenly attacking a pakistan frigate which they mistook for an american aircraft carrier a couple of days ago . three terrorists were killed and seven arrested in the failed attempt . it is clear is that al qaeda is panicking and witnessing the rise of isis with dread and jealousy . however , they will have to work a lot harder to regain the momentum they lost after the killing of osama bin laden .","isis has established itself as the main jihadist group in the world today" +"jihad in the space of a short few months , the self-styled islamic state ( also known by the acronym isis ) has claimed to have established a fundamentalist state and revived the caliphate , while seemingly monopolizing the market on young foreign fighters from europe and north america , while conducting a sophisticated social media and propaganda campaign . amid the highly publicized beheadings of western journalists , soldiers and aid workers accompanied by personal messages to u.s. president barack obama , isis has established itself as the main jihadist group in the world today , leaving al qaeda struggling to make an impact . however , al qaeda is now fighting back and seem eager to reclaim some of the limelight . in a 55-minute video released less than two weeks ago , the current leader of al qaeda , ayman al-zawahiri , promised to raise the flag of jihad ' and to spread islamic rule across the south asia by operating in india , bangladesh and myanmar , under the new rubric qaeda al-jihad . ' although government officials are still trying to verify the authenticity of the video , the idea has already been welcomed by the pakistani taliban , whilst india has expressed deep concerns over al qaeda 's plan to establish a permanent presence in the region . al-zawahiri 's announcement did come as a bit of a surprise , as the recent activities of isis had been dominating news headlines all over the world and led many to believe that al qaeda has now dwindled and faded into the background , as newer , younger and more sophisticated groups have replaced it . as to why the indian subcontinent has been declared as the new home for al qaeda , zawahiri cites the aim of rescuing muslims from oppression and injustice in the region as the group 's main driving force .'muslim lands' in the video , al-zawahiri makes reference to tribal violence in ahmedabad , gujarat , assam and kashmir , as well as violence against the rohingya muslims by buddhists in myanmar . by arguing that places such as bangladesh and myanmar were once muslim lands ' until the enemy occupied and fragmented them , al-zawahiri proposes that the lives of muslim people in the region can be improved and liberated through the establishment of an islamic state guided by sharia law . however , the timing of the video suggests the reasons al-zawahiri gives are surface deep . in truth , this bold announcement by al qaeda is more likely an attempt to branch out into new and untapped markets that are viewed as beyond the reach of its rival , isis . this would be an obvious and natural thing for al qaeda to do since isis clearly has far more success both globally , in terms of publicity , and locally , in that they have eclipsed the local al qaeda affiliate , jabhat al nusra . isis has also managed to do things al qaeda never could . for one , being primarily focused on fighting a distant enemy -- the west -- al qaeda has been unable to evolve beyond being a terrorist organization , whilst isis has moved from being an al qaeda offshoot to progressing into a fully-fledged state -- or at least that is how they and their fellow jihadists view things . this has enabled isis to attract foreign fighters on a far larger scale than al qaeda ever did . more worryingly , from al qaeda 's perspective , is the fact isis seems to be attracting smaller splinter groups previously viewed as being in al qaeda 's domain of influence . for example , the algeria-based soldiers of the caliphate ' group , which was previously viewed as an al qaeda-linked faction in north africa , recently declared itself an ally of isis . regardless of the reasons al qaeda gives -- or does not give -- as to why it is expanding into the indian sub-continent , the strategic and tactical implications of this move are potentially immense . firstly , although 80 % of the population is hindu , according to a 2011 census , india alone houses around 140 million muslims whilst another 132 million or so muslims are in bangladesh . this means roughly one fifth of the world 's muslims are in these two countries alone , whilst myanmar is home to a small muslim community that is being systematically persecuted . al qaeda 's plan will fail with the pakistani market being saturated and isis increasingly dominating the middle east , one can understand why al qaeda has decided to push into this largely untapped market , especially since so few jihadist recruits , in relative terms , have been from these two countries historically . however , there are good reasons why india and bangladesh have not been fertile breeding grounds for jihadists in the past . these countries have their extremist minorities too but they have not experienced the large influx of gulf state largesse that neighboring pakistan has , and they have much more pluralistic cultural traditions . in the case of india at least , there is also a much more robust democracy and in the case of both countries islamist-inspired groups do not have significant influence in government . in all likelihood , al qaeda 's attempts to branch into india and bangladesh will fail . in fact , al-zawahiri is illustrating his cultural naivety by making this announcement and assuming that these countries are just like pakistan . they have also got off to a very bad start by mistakenly attacking a pakistan frigate which they mistook for an american aircraft carrier a couple of days ago . three terrorists were killed and seven arrested in the failed attempt . it is clear is that al qaeda is panicking and witnessing the rise of isis with dread and jealousy . however , they will have to work a lot harder to regain the momentum they lost after the killing of osama bin laden .","al qaeda leader ayman al-zawahiri promises to raise the flag of jihad ' and spread islamic rule across s. asia" +"bangladesh in the space of a short few months , the self-styled islamic state ( also known by the acronym isis ) has claimed to have established a fundamentalist state and revived the caliphate , while seemingly monopolizing the market on young foreign fighters from europe and north america , while conducting a sophisticated social media and propaganda campaign . amid the highly publicized beheadings of western journalists , soldiers and aid workers accompanied by personal messages to u.s. president barack obama , isis has established itself as the main jihadist group in the world today , leaving al qaeda struggling to make an impact . however , al qaeda is now fighting back and seem eager to reclaim some of the limelight . in a 55-minute video released less than two weeks ago , the current leader of al qaeda , ayman al-zawahiri , promised to raise the flag of jihad ' and to spread islamic rule across the south asia by operating in india , bangladesh and myanmar , under the new rubric qaeda al-jihad . ' although government officials are still trying to verify the authenticity of the video , the idea has already been welcomed by the pakistani taliban , whilst india has expressed deep concerns over al qaeda 's plan to establish a permanent presence in the region . al-zawahiri 's announcement did come as a bit of a surprise , as the recent activities of isis had been dominating news headlines all over the world and led many to believe that al qaeda has now dwindled and faded into the background , as newer , younger and more sophisticated groups have replaced it . as to why the indian subcontinent has been declared as the new home for al qaeda , zawahiri cites the aim of rescuing muslims from oppression and injustice in the region as the group 's main driving force .'muslim lands' in the video , al-zawahiri makes reference to tribal violence in ahmedabad , gujarat , assam and kashmir , as well as violence against the rohingya muslims by buddhists in myanmar . by arguing that places such as bangladesh and myanmar were once muslim lands ' until the enemy occupied and fragmented them , al-zawahiri proposes that the lives of muslim people in the region can be improved and liberated through the establishment of an islamic state guided by sharia law . however , the timing of the video suggests the reasons al-zawahiri gives are surface deep . in truth , this bold announcement by al qaeda is more likely an attempt to branch out into new and untapped markets that are viewed as beyond the reach of its rival , isis . this would be an obvious and natural thing for al qaeda to do since isis clearly has far more success both globally , in terms of publicity , and locally , in that they have eclipsed the local al qaeda affiliate , jabhat al nusra . isis has also managed to do things al qaeda never could . for one , being primarily focused on fighting a distant enemy -- the west -- al qaeda has been unable to evolve beyond being a terrorist organization , whilst isis has moved from being an al qaeda offshoot to progressing into a fully-fledged state -- or at least that is how they and their fellow jihadists view things . this has enabled isis to attract foreign fighters on a far larger scale than al qaeda ever did . more worryingly , from al qaeda 's perspective , is the fact isis seems to be attracting smaller splinter groups previously viewed as being in al qaeda 's domain of influence . for example , the algeria-based soldiers of the caliphate ' group , which was previously viewed as an al qaeda-linked faction in north africa , recently declared itself an ally of isis . regardless of the reasons al qaeda gives -- or does not give -- as to why it is expanding into the indian sub-continent , the strategic and tactical implications of this move are potentially immense . firstly , although 80 % of the population is hindu , according to a 2011 census , india alone houses around 140 million muslims whilst another 132 million or so muslims are in bangladesh . this means roughly one fifth of the world 's muslims are in these two countries alone , whilst myanmar is home to a small muslim community that is being systematically persecuted . al qaeda 's plan will fail with the pakistani market being saturated and isis increasingly dominating the middle east , one can understand why al qaeda has decided to push into this largely untapped market , especially since so few jihadist recruits , in relative terms , have been from these two countries historically . however , there are good reasons why india and bangladesh have not been fertile breeding grounds for jihadists in the past . these countries have their extremist minorities too but they have not experienced the large influx of gulf state largesse that neighboring pakistan has , and they have much more pluralistic cultural traditions . in the case of india at least , there is also a much more robust democracy and in the case of both countries islamist-inspired groups do not have significant influence in government . in all likelihood , al qaeda 's attempts to branch into india and bangladesh will fail . in fact , al-zawahiri is illustrating his cultural naivety by making this announcement and assuming that these countries are just like pakistan . they have also got off to a very bad start by mistakenly attacking a pakistan frigate which they mistook for an american aircraft carrier a couple of days ago . three terrorists were killed and seven arrested in the failed attempt . it is clear is that al qaeda is panicking and witnessing the rise of isis with dread and jealousy . however , they will have to work a lot harder to regain the momentum they lost after the killing of osama bin laden .","but there are good reasons why india and bangladesh have not been fertile breeding grounds for jihadists , hussain says" +"european ( cnn ) -- whether he is predicting the demise of the u.s. empire , ' questioning u.s. accounts of the 9/11 attacks or accusing europe of using the holocaust as an excuse for supporting israel , mahmoud ahmadinejad knows how to push the west 's buttons at the u.n. general assembly . for the third straight year , u.s. diplomats on thursday joined envoys from several other nations in walking out during the iranian president 's address at the annual united nations gathering in new york . that does n't even count instances before that , when american diplomats conspicuously skipped his speech altogether . this year , ahmadinejad said european countries still use the holocaust after six decades as the excuse to pay ( a ) fine or ransom to the zionists , ' and that the united states killed al qaeda leader osama bin laden instead of investigating hidden elements involved in september 11 . ' susan rice , u.s. ambassador to the united nations , was n't impressed . we find what ahmadinejad does and says when he comes to the united nations absolutely odious , hateful , anti-semitic , unacceptable , which is why the united states for three consecutive years -- including today -- have led a walkout of his speech , ' rice told cnn 's wolf blitzer on thursday . inevitably he says something outrageous , dishonest and offensive , and that leads to a walkout . ' here is a look back at ahmadinejad 's other u.n. speeches , and reactions to them : 2010 representatives from the united states , britain , spain and other nations walked out while ahmadinejad asserted that the u.s. government either participated in the 9/11 attacks or let them happen as an excuse to wage war in iraq and afghanistan . he said most americans and most nations around the world ' believe that some segments within the u.s. government orchestrated the attack , ' adding that these people believe the attacks were aimed at reversing the declining american economy and its scripts on the middle east in order to save the zionist regime . ' he also said capitalism and the current world order had reached their demise after 100 years of domination , saying that they were unable to provide appropriate solutions to the problems that society faces . ' 2009 in september 2009 , ahmadinejad was critical of the wars in iraq and afghanistan , where he said thousands of innocent people have been killed , injured or displaced , infrastructures have been destroyed and regional security has been seriously jeopardized . ' he ripped capitalism , saying it brought about the conditions leading to the world 's economic crisis . he also called for a return to monotheism and justice , ' calling it the greatest hope and opportunity in all ages and generations . ' he blasted israel , accusing it of crimes ... against defenseless women and children and destruction of their homes , farms , hospitals and schools . ' the next day , israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu criticized the iranian leader at the general assembly . the delegations that stayed for ahmadinejad 's address gave legitimacy to a man who denies the murder of 6 million jews , ' netanyahu said , referring to the holocaust . 2008 ahmadinejad told the general assembly in 2008 that the american empire ' was nearing its end , and that israel is on a definite slope to collapse . ' while he stopped short of calling for israel to be politically wiped off the map as he had previously , he called for a free referendum in palestine for determining and establishing the type of state in the entire palestinian lands . ' the u.n. security council , he said , can not do anything , and sometimes under pressure from a few bullying powers , even paves the way for supporting these zionist murders . ' he blamed a few world powers for the world 's problems , and defended his country 's nuclear activities as peaceful . the u.s. and other western nations had long suspected that iran had been pursuing nuclear weapons , but iran said it seeks only a civilian nuclear energy program . he accused the united states of oppressing iraqis with six years of occupation , saying americans were still seeking to solidify their position in the political geography of the region and to dominate oil resources . ' the only person at the united states'table was a note-taker ; no u.s. diplomat was present . 2007 in a 2007 speech that blasted selfish and incompetent ' governments that have obedience to satan , ' ahmadinejad said the u.n. security council ranks first ' among ineffective international bodies because it is influenced by monopolistic powers . ' ahmadinejad invited all independent , justice-seeking and peace-loving nations ' to join iran in a coalition for peace . ' he also criticized unnamed powers ' that he said were responsible for insecurity , division and moral decline across the world . is it not high time for these powers to return from the path of arrogance and obedience to satan to the path of faith in god ? ' he said . he criticized the united states without naming it , offering blunt assessments of the iraq war and washington 's war on terrorism . setting up secret prisons , abducting ( people ) , trials and secret punishments without any regard to due process , extensive tappings of telephone conversations , intercepting private mail and frequent summons to police and security centers have become commonplace and prevalent . ' the american delegation 's chairs were unoccupied , except for one woman taking notes . earlier , he had asked to lay a wreath at the site of the destroyed world trade center towers , but new york city officials denied the request , citing safety concerns at what was then a construction site . 2006 ahmadinejad said in 2006 that the united states'permanent inclusion on the u.n. security council undermines its effectiveness and credibility . he also criticized unwarranted support ' for israel during conflicts in the palestinian territories and lebanon . on iraq , ahmadinejad said the united states , whom he called the occupiers , ' is incapable of establishing security , ' and scores were dying daily as a result . where can the people of iraq seek refuge , and from whom can the people of iraq seek justice ? ' he asked . how can the security council act when the occupiers themselves are permanent members of the council ? ' 2005 ahmadinejad in 2005 told the general assembly that iran had a right to operate a nuclear energy program . he said it was unfair that some nations were allowed to make nuclear fuel while others are condemned for it . today , the most serious challenges is that the culprits are assuming the role of prosecutor , ' he said , accusing the united states of bullying the others while through huge media resources portraying themselves as defenders of freedom . '","u.s. , israel , european powers and the united nations are frequent targets of ahmadinejad" +"kate ( cnn ) much like the ardent young royal-watchers of today , enamored by the duchess of cambridge 's very being , i was similarly captivated by diana , princess of wales when i was a youngster . she was a rare breed : stunningly beautiful , immediately accessible , witty , charming and endearingly mischievous -- she was one in a million . of course that was long before the , there were three of us in this marriage , so it was a bit crowded , ' interviews and tell-all books alleging suicide attempts and acts of betrayal , but back then i was unaware of her more scandalous infamy . i simply adored her ... i still do . as the world awaits the impending birth of william and kate 's second baby , potential names have become the topic of rampant speculation and heated debate . girls'names are causing the biggest stir , as there seems to be a belief that the couple are expecting a princess . if the assumptions are correct , she will be the first princess of cambridge born into the royal family in 182 years . the birth of any baby is cause for celebration , but given recent changes in the laws of succession , her arrival would be a historical one . in choosing a name , titled royals tend to turn to the family tree , rather than a well-thumbed copy of 1,001 best baby names ' like the rest of us . traditionally they pick dynastic names , and there are plenty to choose from : elizabeth , alice , victoria and charlotte have all been frontrunners , but the sentimental favorite among punters remains diana . in a recent today show poll , 32 % of americans predicted the name was a shoo-in , and in the uk the bookies'odds of a baby named after her late grandmother change almost daily as diana becomes an increasingly popular choice . that said , in the event the couple do welcome a baby girl , i would hope that they do not opt to name her diana . today diana 's name is as divisive as the very institution of monarchy itself : while some have virtually sainted her , others have been vehemently critical , accusing her of being childish , unhinged and self-serving . contrary to popular belief the queen was very fond of diana , but should her name be bestowed as a first name upon the baby , it would be perceived as a slap in the face to the monarchy . in the years since earl spencer 's scathing attack on the windsors at diana 's funeral , the nation has moved on and diana 's legacy has been celebrated . she has become a part of royal history . her memory has been preserved , and the royal family is once again enjoying a renewed sense of popularity . out of respect to the queen , charles , camilla and the baby herself the couple simply would n't do it . diana 's name conjures up both positive and negative responses the world over , and whichever side of the fence you 're on , the moniker seems to me an almighty burden for a newborn baby to carry . since diana 's death almost 18 years ago , william has honored his mother 's memory in a private and personal fashion . he has taken on many of her patronages and continued to champion her causes . at his wedding in 2011 the bishop of london , richard chartres , a close friend of diana and executor of her will , gave the address . the hymn guide me o thou great redeemer , which was sung at both diana 's funeral in 1997 and at the memorial marking the tenth anniversary of her death in 2007 , was chosen for the royal wedding . julia samuel , another close friend of diana , was asked to serve as godmother to prince george . william chose kensington palace , his own childhood home , to be the primary residence for his family , and in perhaps the most public acknowledgment of his mother 's memory , he gave kate diana 's engagement ring . william does n't need to name his second-born child after his mother in order to honour her ; he does so by being a good husband and father . i still miss diana . she was a one-off , and i do n't believe the world will ever witness another quite like her . daily comparisons to her late mother-in-law are already kate 's cross to bear . should n't a baby girl be spared the same fate ? diana 's tragic , untimely death and iconic status will ensure her memory is kept alive for generations to come . she would n't want her granddaughter to languish in her shadow . she would want her to go out into the world , to make her own mark and help those less fortunate , to enrich the lives of others and to carve out her own unique identity -- as alice , elizabeth , victoria , charlotte , or -- my own personal pick -- alexandra .","as william and kate await the arrival of their second child , speculation is rife as to what he or she will be named" +"diana ( cnn ) much like the ardent young royal-watchers of today , enamored by the duchess of cambridge 's very being , i was similarly captivated by diana , princess of wales when i was a youngster . she was a rare breed : stunningly beautiful , immediately accessible , witty , charming and endearingly mischievous -- she was one in a million . of course that was long before the , there were three of us in this marriage , so it was a bit crowded , ' interviews and tell-all books alleging suicide attempts and acts of betrayal , but back then i was unaware of her more scandalous infamy . i simply adored her ... i still do . as the world awaits the impending birth of william and kate 's second baby , potential names have become the topic of rampant speculation and heated debate . girls'names are causing the biggest stir , as there seems to be a belief that the couple are expecting a princess . if the assumptions are correct , she will be the first princess of cambridge born into the royal family in 182 years . the birth of any baby is cause for celebration , but given recent changes in the laws of succession , her arrival would be a historical one . in choosing a name , titled royals tend to turn to the family tree , rather than a well-thumbed copy of 1,001 best baby names ' like the rest of us . traditionally they pick dynastic names , and there are plenty to choose from : elizabeth , alice , victoria and charlotte have all been frontrunners , but the sentimental favorite among punters remains diana . in a recent today show poll , 32 % of americans predicted the name was a shoo-in , and in the uk the bookies'odds of a baby named after her late grandmother change almost daily as diana becomes an increasingly popular choice . that said , in the event the couple do welcome a baby girl , i would hope that they do not opt to name her diana . today diana 's name is as divisive as the very institution of monarchy itself : while some have virtually sainted her , others have been vehemently critical , accusing her of being childish , unhinged and self-serving . contrary to popular belief the queen was very fond of diana , but should her name be bestowed as a first name upon the baby , it would be perceived as a slap in the face to the monarchy . in the years since earl spencer 's scathing attack on the windsors at diana 's funeral , the nation has moved on and diana 's legacy has been celebrated . she has become a part of royal history . her memory has been preserved , and the royal family is once again enjoying a renewed sense of popularity . out of respect to the queen , charles , camilla and the baby herself the couple simply would n't do it . diana 's name conjures up both positive and negative responses the world over , and whichever side of the fence you 're on , the moniker seems to me an almighty burden for a newborn baby to carry . since diana 's death almost 18 years ago , william has honored his mother 's memory in a private and personal fashion . he has taken on many of her patronages and continued to champion her causes . at his wedding in 2011 the bishop of london , richard chartres , a close friend of diana and executor of her will , gave the address . the hymn guide me o thou great redeemer , which was sung at both diana 's funeral in 1997 and at the memorial marking the tenth anniversary of her death in 2007 , was chosen for the royal wedding . julia samuel , another close friend of diana , was asked to serve as godmother to prince george . william chose kensington palace , his own childhood home , to be the primary residence for his family , and in perhaps the most public acknowledgment of his mother 's memory , he gave kate diana 's engagement ring . william does n't need to name his second-born child after his mother in order to honour her ; he does so by being a good husband and father . i still miss diana . she was a one-off , and i do n't believe the world will ever witness another quite like her . daily comparisons to her late mother-in-law are already kate 's cross to bear . should n't a baby girl be spared the same fate ? diana 's tragic , untimely death and iconic status will ensure her memory is kept alive for generations to come . she would n't want her granddaughter to languish in her shadow . she would want her to go out into the world , to make her own mark and help those less fortunate , to enrich the lives of others and to carve out her own unique identity -- as alice , elizabeth , victoria , charlotte , or -- my own personal pick -- alexandra .","royal expert victoria arbiter argues that naming a newborn princess after diana would put too much pressure on her" +"william ( cnn ) much like the ardent young royal-watchers of today , enamored by the duchess of cambridge 's very being , i was similarly captivated by diana , princess of wales when i was a youngster . she was a rare breed : stunningly beautiful , immediately accessible , witty , charming and endearingly mischievous -- she was one in a million . of course that was long before the , there were three of us in this marriage , so it was a bit crowded , ' interviews and tell-all books alleging suicide attempts and acts of betrayal , but back then i was unaware of her more scandalous infamy . i simply adored her ... i still do . as the world awaits the impending birth of william and kate 's second baby , potential names have become the topic of rampant speculation and heated debate . girls'names are causing the biggest stir , as there seems to be a belief that the couple are expecting a princess . if the assumptions are correct , she will be the first princess of cambridge born into the royal family in 182 years . the birth of any baby is cause for celebration , but given recent changes in the laws of succession , her arrival would be a historical one . in choosing a name , titled royals tend to turn to the family tree , rather than a well-thumbed copy of 1,001 best baby names ' like the rest of us . traditionally they pick dynastic names , and there are plenty to choose from : elizabeth , alice , victoria and charlotte have all been frontrunners , but the sentimental favorite among punters remains diana . in a recent today show poll , 32 % of americans predicted the name was a shoo-in , and in the uk the bookies'odds of a baby named after her late grandmother change almost daily as diana becomes an increasingly popular choice . that said , in the event the couple do welcome a baby girl , i would hope that they do not opt to name her diana . today diana 's name is as divisive as the very institution of monarchy itself : while some have virtually sainted her , others have been vehemently critical , accusing her of being childish , unhinged and self-serving . contrary to popular belief the queen was very fond of diana , but should her name be bestowed as a first name upon the baby , it would be perceived as a slap in the face to the monarchy . in the years since earl spencer 's scathing attack on the windsors at diana 's funeral , the nation has moved on and diana 's legacy has been celebrated . she has become a part of royal history . her memory has been preserved , and the royal family is once again enjoying a renewed sense of popularity . out of respect to the queen , charles , camilla and the baby herself the couple simply would n't do it . diana 's name conjures up both positive and negative responses the world over , and whichever side of the fence you 're on , the moniker seems to me an almighty burden for a newborn baby to carry . since diana 's death almost 18 years ago , william has honored his mother 's memory in a private and personal fashion . he has taken on many of her patronages and continued to champion her causes . at his wedding in 2011 the bishop of london , richard chartres , a close friend of diana and executor of her will , gave the address . the hymn guide me o thou great redeemer , which was sung at both diana 's funeral in 1997 and at the memorial marking the tenth anniversary of her death in 2007 , was chosen for the royal wedding . julia samuel , another close friend of diana , was asked to serve as godmother to prince george . william chose kensington palace , his own childhood home , to be the primary residence for his family , and in perhaps the most public acknowledgment of his mother 's memory , he gave kate diana 's engagement ring . william does n't need to name his second-born child after his mother in order to honour her ; he does so by being a good husband and father . i still miss diana . she was a one-off , and i do n't believe the world will ever witness another quite like her . daily comparisons to her late mother-in-law are already kate 's cross to bear . should n't a baby girl be spared the same fate ? diana 's tragic , untimely death and iconic status will ensure her memory is kept alive for generations to come . she would n't want her granddaughter to languish in her shadow . she would want her to go out into the world , to make her own mark and help those less fortunate , to enrich the lives of others and to carve out her own unique identity -- as alice , elizabeth , victoria , charlotte , or -- my own personal pick -- alexandra .","as william and kate await the arrival of their second child , speculation is rife as to what he or she will be named" +"yemeni ( cnn ) -- dozens of protesters were injured sunday by yemeni security forces as thousands packed into anti-government demonstrations , witnesses and medical personnel said . witnesses said some others were arrested , but officials said they were released within hours . in sanaa 's change square , yemeni security forces shot live ammunition at protesters , injuring 11 , witnesses and field medical teams said . all 11 had gunshot wounds , witnesses said . two of the injured are in serious condition , medical staff at the square said . we were being shot at directly , ' said protester abdullah kulaibi . security forces were trying to kill us and not disperse us . ' yemeni officials have repeatedly denied accusations of targeting peaceful protesters . witnesses said at least 20 protesters were arrested sunday . a security official said they were released about two hours later . the official asked not to be identified , as he is not authorized to speak to the media . field medical teams in sanaa said some of the releases came because the detainees needed medical treatment after inhaling tear gas . one medical team member , osama qurashi , said those who were seriously impaired were taken to nearby hospitals , while the rest were taken to a field medical hospital set up in change square . for weeks , demonstrators have taken to the streets calling for president ali abdullah saleh to step down . in dhammar province on sunday , more than 45 anti-saleh protesters were injured when security forces sprayed tear gas to disperse them , eyewitnesses said . security forces also attacked some demonstrators with batons , injuring at least five , according to the medical staff at change square in dhammar . the latest marches against saleh 's regime came as the opposition joint meeting parties sent a delegation to saudi arabia , where mediators are hoping to broker an agreement . opposition officials told cnn their delegation was traveling to hear the ideas of the mediators , not to make an offer to the yemeni government . some protesters in yemen said whatever transpires at those talks wo n't change their stance . any negotiations that does not force saleh to leave office will be rejected , ' said shaef saboor , a human rights activist in sanaa . sanaa 's main roads were flooded with crowds estimated by eyewitnesses as being in the tens of thousands pushing for a revolution -- most of them women , according to eyewitnesses . every day the number will grow . today more females than males are protesting , thanks to saleh 's attack on women protesters , ' said ameera abdul jabbar , a female activist in sanaa . in a speech given friday , saleh said women who were protesting were violating yemeni cultural norms that prohibit women mixing with men who are not direct relatives . his comments angered many activists .","the yemeni government has denied targeting peaceful protesters" +"alabama ( mental floss ) -- we 've all seen it : that one lonely bag on the baggage claim track at the airport that goes around and around with no owner in sight . what happens to it if no one shows up ? well , it might end up at the unclaimed baggage center in scottsboro , alabama . that 's where you can visit a store that takes up an entire city block and find everything from the expected ( clothing , toiletries , books ) to , well , the unexpected . here are 10 of the strangest items that have gone unclaimed . 1 . hoggle from labyrinth ' -- unlike other items at the unclaimed baggage center , hoggle is not for sale . he is now a permanent part of the unclaimed baggage center museum . if you 're not familiar , hoggle was david bowie 's dwarf-goblin minion in the 1986 movie . 2 . a slew of ancient egyptian artifacts -- from a mummified falcon to a shrunken head , a bunch of objects dating back to 1500 b.c . were found in an old gucci suitcase . christie 's auction house ended up selling the museum-worthy items in the '80s . 3 . a rattle snake -- a live one , roaming free amongst the rest of the unclaimed baggage . 4 . a naval guidance system -- yep -- a piece of equipment worth $ 250,000 was lost and never claimed . the people at the center decided to be good sports and return the expensive gps to the navy . mental floss : the mojave desert 's airplane graveyard 5 . bountiful barbie ( but not in the way you think ) -- a woman purchased a barbie at the center for her daughter , which is n't at all unusual . after all , kids lose toys all the time . but when the girl yanked the head off her new barbie , $ 500 in rolled bills tumbled out of her body . 6 . a full suit of armor -- unlike the egyptian artifacts , this guy was merely a replica of a 19th century piece . still , i bet to this day , there 's a guy out there who continues to tell the story of the time he lost a suit of armor at the airport . 7 . a violin from the 1770s -- like hoggle , it resides in the unclaimed baggage center museum . mental floss : what 10 movie props later sold for 8 . a 5.8-carat diamond -- it was set in a platinum ring and packed in a sock . 9 . a camera designed for use on a nasa space shuttle -- as with the navy 's guidance system , the center dutifully returned the camera to nasa . 10 . a 40.95-carat natural emerald . mental floss : unlock other people 's cars with my remote ? for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved .","unclaimed suitcases go to unclaimed baggage center in scottsboro , alabama" +"unclaimed baggage center ( mental floss ) -- we 've all seen it : that one lonely bag on the baggage claim track at the airport that goes around and around with no owner in sight . what happens to it if no one shows up ? well , it might end up at the unclaimed baggage center in scottsboro , alabama . that 's where you can visit a store that takes up an entire city block and find everything from the expected ( clothing , toiletries , books ) to , well , the unexpected . here are 10 of the strangest items that have gone unclaimed . 1 . hoggle from labyrinth ' -- unlike other items at the unclaimed baggage center , hoggle is not for sale . he is now a permanent part of the unclaimed baggage center museum . if you 're not familiar , hoggle was david bowie 's dwarf-goblin minion in the 1986 movie . 2 . a slew of ancient egyptian artifacts -- from a mummified falcon to a shrunken head , a bunch of objects dating back to 1500 b.c . were found in an old gucci suitcase . christie 's auction house ended up selling the museum-worthy items in the '80s . 3 . a rattle snake -- a live one , roaming free amongst the rest of the unclaimed baggage . 4 . a naval guidance system -- yep -- a piece of equipment worth $ 250,000 was lost and never claimed . the people at the center decided to be good sports and return the expensive gps to the navy . mental floss : the mojave desert 's airplane graveyard 5 . bountiful barbie ( but not in the way you think ) -- a woman purchased a barbie at the center for her daughter , which is n't at all unusual . after all , kids lose toys all the time . but when the girl yanked the head off her new barbie , $ 500 in rolled bills tumbled out of her body . 6 . a full suit of armor -- unlike the egyptian artifacts , this guy was merely a replica of a 19th century piece . still , i bet to this day , there 's a guy out there who continues to tell the story of the time he lost a suit of armor at the airport . 7 . a violin from the 1770s -- like hoggle , it resides in the unclaimed baggage center museum . mental floss : what 10 movie props later sold for 8 . a 5.8-carat diamond -- it was set in a platinum ring and packed in a sock . 9 . a camera designed for use on a nasa space shuttle -- as with the navy 's guidance system , the center dutifully returned the camera to nasa . 10 . a 40.95-carat natural emerald . mental floss : unlock other people 's cars with my remote ? for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved .","unclaimed suitcases go to unclaimed baggage center in scottsboro , alabama" +"mensa ( cnn ) -- it takes a special person to join mensa . for one , the elite society only takes individuals with iq scores in the 98th percentile , meaning just 1 in 50 americans is eligible . this exclusivity -- some might say snobbery -- is part of mensa 's lore . early mensans in britain walked around with yellow buttons , organizational publications once referred to non-mensa members as densans , ' and last year , a top mensa member and tester called anyone with an iq of 60 a carrot . ' in short , you do n't always join mensa because you think you 're smart . you join to be set apart from most people , who are , as one member put it : mundane . ' but a new partnership between american mensa and online dating giant match.com offers a new , enticing reason to join the society of geniuses : true love . beginning this week , members of the brainiac group can connect through a separate , exclusive dating service called mensa match . in addition , match.com members can add a special mensa badge to their profiles , signaling a specific interest in connecting with a single person with a confirmed genius-level iq score . smart dating struggles anne sereg is one of those geniuses . the 55-year-old florida woman is an it project manager who graduated high school in three years , college in two-and-a-half and has a law degree from georgia state university . it 's been a long time , ' she said about her dating life . i went hermit-y for a quite a few years . i just did n't find anyone who 's been interesting enough . ' sereg found she does not connect with people who are athletes or sports nuts , for example . i 'm looking for people who are intellectually curious . and when all you 're talking about is sports teams and barbeques ... when you 're talking about physical traits and not existential philosophy , i 'm not going to get the vibe . ' sereg admits this attitude can limit her relationship options . but one expert thinks the results could be much worse . ali binazir is the author of the tao of dating , and penned a 2009 article , why the smartest people have the toughest time dating . ' a harvard graduate , binazir said highly intellectual people can frequently feel entitled ' to love . and sometimes this means unwilling to make the compromises for a successful relationship . iq tends to be pretty one-dimensional . there 's no way to say if this person interacts well with others , ' he said . for a relationship , it matters more how that person implements that intelligence in the real world , for jobs and parenting and exchanging of ideas . ' you need to remove the barriers to love . and when you exclude those people , as smart people tend to do , that 's when you become lonely . ' according to match 's data , 80 % of singles say they must have ' or find it very important ' to be with someone of the same intelligence level . what your iq score does n't tell you sereg has decided a college education -- not a mensa iq -- is her basic requirement for a future mate . i just want someone who can keep up with me , ' she said . new possibilities the new mensa partnership will give match.com users a new way to find common ground , said helen fisher , a professor at the university of indiana and match.com 's chief scientific adviser . if you 're proud of being in mensa , if someone ( else ) is also proud of being in mensa , then you 're already in the same clan , ' she said . it 's not unlike saying i read a lot of books and i 'm looking for someone else who reads a lot of books . there 's an automatic filter . ' in their announcement of the partnership , mensa and match.com included a heat map of the u.s. , listing where the smartest singles ' live , based on the cities with the highest percentage of ivy league graduates on the dating site . the top 10 is dominated by college towns such as durham , north carolina ; ithaca , new york ; ann arbor , michigan ; boulder , colorado ; and charlottesville , virginia . fisher cites numerous studies that suggest relationships with a brainy mate could come with great perks . people who are smarter tend to have a higher income , tend to be creative , coordinated , and good at solving problems , ' she said . so not only could you have a better conversation during dinner , but dinner could be in a nicer place , and ( you could ) leave in nicer car . ' binazir does not believe mensa members are better at relationships than anyone else . but the partnership with match.com provides another way for people to find common interests , which is always positive , he said . i think it 's a step in the right direction . ' anne sereg hopes he is right , but she wo n't get too excited just yet . one of the most recent marriages in our mensa group came through finding each other on match.com , and that was before the partnership , ' she said . i 'm hoping that it ( works ) . i do n't know if it will . but you ca n't go anywhere if you do n't have hope . '","mensa members can also identify themselves to all match users" +"mensa ( cnn ) -- it takes a special person to join mensa . for one , the elite society only takes individuals with iq scores in the 98th percentile , meaning just 1 in 50 americans is eligible . this exclusivity -- some might say snobbery -- is part of mensa 's lore . early mensans in britain walked around with yellow buttons , organizational publications once referred to non-mensa members as densans , ' and last year , a top mensa member and tester called anyone with an iq of 60 a carrot . ' in short , you do n't always join mensa because you think you 're smart . you join to be set apart from most people , who are , as one member put it : mundane . ' but a new partnership between american mensa and online dating giant match.com offers a new , enticing reason to join the society of geniuses : true love . beginning this week , members of the brainiac group can connect through a separate , exclusive dating service called mensa match . in addition , match.com members can add a special mensa badge to their profiles , signaling a specific interest in connecting with a single person with a confirmed genius-level iq score . smart dating struggles anne sereg is one of those geniuses . the 55-year-old florida woman is an it project manager who graduated high school in three years , college in two-and-a-half and has a law degree from georgia state university . it 's been a long time , ' she said about her dating life . i went hermit-y for a quite a few years . i just did n't find anyone who 's been interesting enough . ' sereg found she does not connect with people who are athletes or sports nuts , for example . i 'm looking for people who are intellectually curious . and when all you 're talking about is sports teams and barbeques ... when you 're talking about physical traits and not existential philosophy , i 'm not going to get the vibe . ' sereg admits this attitude can limit her relationship options . but one expert thinks the results could be much worse . ali binazir is the author of the tao of dating , and penned a 2009 article , why the smartest people have the toughest time dating . ' a harvard graduate , binazir said highly intellectual people can frequently feel entitled ' to love . and sometimes this means unwilling to make the compromises for a successful relationship . iq tends to be pretty one-dimensional . there 's no way to say if this person interacts well with others , ' he said . for a relationship , it matters more how that person implements that intelligence in the real world , for jobs and parenting and exchanging of ideas . ' you need to remove the barriers to love . and when you exclude those people , as smart people tend to do , that 's when you become lonely . ' according to match 's data , 80 % of singles say they must have ' or find it very important ' to be with someone of the same intelligence level . what your iq score does n't tell you sereg has decided a college education -- not a mensa iq -- is her basic requirement for a future mate . i just want someone who can keep up with me , ' she said . new possibilities the new mensa partnership will give match.com users a new way to find common ground , said helen fisher , a professor at the university of indiana and match.com 's chief scientific adviser . if you 're proud of being in mensa , if someone ( else ) is also proud of being in mensa , then you 're already in the same clan , ' she said . it 's not unlike saying i read a lot of books and i 'm looking for someone else who reads a lot of books . there 's an automatic filter . ' in their announcement of the partnership , mensa and match.com included a heat map of the u.s. , listing where the smartest singles ' live , based on the cities with the highest percentage of ivy league graduates on the dating site . the top 10 is dominated by college towns such as durham , north carolina ; ithaca , new york ; ann arbor , michigan ; boulder , colorado ; and charlottesville , virginia . fisher cites numerous studies that suggest relationships with a brainy mate could come with great perks . people who are smarter tend to have a higher income , tend to be creative , coordinated , and good at solving problems , ' she said . so not only could you have a better conversation during dinner , but dinner could be in a nicer place , and ( you could ) leave in nicer car . ' binazir does not believe mensa members are better at relationships than anyone else . but the partnership with match.com provides another way for people to find common interests , which is always positive , he said . i think it 's a step in the right direction . ' anne sereg hopes he is right , but she wo n't get too excited just yet . one of the most recent marriages in our mensa group came through finding each other on match.com , and that was before the partnership , ' she said . i 'm hoping that it ( works ) . i do n't know if it will . but you ca n't go anywhere if you do n't have hope . '","mensa and match.com join to launch an exclusive dating service" +"mensa ( cnn ) -- it takes a special person to join mensa . for one , the elite society only takes individuals with iq scores in the 98th percentile , meaning just 1 in 50 americans is eligible . this exclusivity -- some might say snobbery -- is part of mensa 's lore . early mensans in britain walked around with yellow buttons , organizational publications once referred to non-mensa members as densans , ' and last year , a top mensa member and tester called anyone with an iq of 60 a carrot . ' in short , you do n't always join mensa because you think you 're smart . you join to be set apart from most people , who are , as one member put it : mundane . ' but a new partnership between american mensa and online dating giant match.com offers a new , enticing reason to join the society of geniuses : true love . beginning this week , members of the brainiac group can connect through a separate , exclusive dating service called mensa match . in addition , match.com members can add a special mensa badge to their profiles , signaling a specific interest in connecting with a single person with a confirmed genius-level iq score . smart dating struggles anne sereg is one of those geniuses . the 55-year-old florida woman is an it project manager who graduated high school in three years , college in two-and-a-half and has a law degree from georgia state university . it 's been a long time , ' she said about her dating life . i went hermit-y for a quite a few years . i just did n't find anyone who 's been interesting enough . ' sereg found she does not connect with people who are athletes or sports nuts , for example . i 'm looking for people who are intellectually curious . and when all you 're talking about is sports teams and barbeques ... when you 're talking about physical traits and not existential philosophy , i 'm not going to get the vibe . ' sereg admits this attitude can limit her relationship options . but one expert thinks the results could be much worse . ali binazir is the author of the tao of dating , and penned a 2009 article , why the smartest people have the toughest time dating . ' a harvard graduate , binazir said highly intellectual people can frequently feel entitled ' to love . and sometimes this means unwilling to make the compromises for a successful relationship . iq tends to be pretty one-dimensional . there 's no way to say if this person interacts well with others , ' he said . for a relationship , it matters more how that person implements that intelligence in the real world , for jobs and parenting and exchanging of ideas . ' you need to remove the barriers to love . and when you exclude those people , as smart people tend to do , that 's when you become lonely . ' according to match 's data , 80 % of singles say they must have ' or find it very important ' to be with someone of the same intelligence level . what your iq score does n't tell you sereg has decided a college education -- not a mensa iq -- is her basic requirement for a future mate . i just want someone who can keep up with me , ' she said . new possibilities the new mensa partnership will give match.com users a new way to find common ground , said helen fisher , a professor at the university of indiana and match.com 's chief scientific adviser . if you 're proud of being in mensa , if someone ( else ) is also proud of being in mensa , then you 're already in the same clan , ' she said . it 's not unlike saying i read a lot of books and i 'm looking for someone else who reads a lot of books . there 's an automatic filter . ' in their announcement of the partnership , mensa and match.com included a heat map of the u.s. , listing where the smartest singles ' live , based on the cities with the highest percentage of ivy league graduates on the dating site . the top 10 is dominated by college towns such as durham , north carolina ; ithaca , new york ; ann arbor , michigan ; boulder , colorado ; and charlottesville , virginia . fisher cites numerous studies that suggest relationships with a brainy mate could come with great perks . people who are smarter tend to have a higher income , tend to be creative , coordinated , and good at solving problems , ' she said . so not only could you have a better conversation during dinner , but dinner could be in a nicer place , and ( you could ) leave in nicer car . ' binazir does not believe mensa members are better at relationships than anyone else . but the partnership with match.com provides another way for people to find common interests , which is always positive , he said . i think it 's a step in the right direction . ' anne sereg hopes he is right , but she wo n't get too excited just yet . one of the most recent marriages in our mensa group came through finding each other on match.com , and that was before the partnership , ' she said . i 'm hoping that it ( works ) . i do n't know if it will . but you ca n't go anywhere if you do n't have hope . '","single mensa member : i just want someone who can keep up with me '" +"costa rica ( cnn ) -- costa rican president oscar arias has been diagnosed with the h1n1 virus , commonly known as the swine flu , the government said in a televised statement on tuesday . oscar arias , the president of costa rica , has contracted the h1n1 virus . arias fell ill on sunday , complaining of a sore throat and temperature , presidential minister rodrigo arias said . a doctor 's visit on tuesday revealed that the president had the h1n1 virus , cases of which had been reported earlier in the costa rican capital of san jose . the president 's overall health was good , but following his doctor 's advice , he will rest at his home until sunday , rodrigo arias said . the president is expected to return to work on monday , the minister said . as of friday , there were 718 confirmed cases of the h1n1 virus in costa rica , and the virus has been blamed for 27 deaths , according to a report by the country 's ministry of health . a majority of the confirmed cases -- 480 -- were in san jose . arias , 67 , won the nobel peace prize in 1987 for helping bring an end to central america 's civil wars . more recently , he acted as mediator between two feuding sides claiming the leadership of honduras .","as of last friday , there were 718 confirmed cases of the h1n1 virus in costa rica" +"turkey ( cnn ) -- the recent flotilla incident is the culmination of a steep decline in israeli-turkish relations that started with the gaza war in 2008 and 2009 . relations between these two countries , after reaching a high point in the late 1990s and early 2000s , are now beyond repair , and it will probably take the better part of a decade for them to be resuscitated . turkey has also used its increasingly rancorous disputes with israel to advance its status in the middle east at the expense of traditional leaders across the region . turkey 's ruling justice and development party ( akp ) , which came to power in 2002 , was always conflicted in its relations with israel . the party emerged from a hardcore anti-western and anti-israeli islamist tradition that had close ties to hamas and egypt 's muslim brotherhood . as it rose to power , however , the akp distanced itself from these positions and even embraced the idea of joining the european union . still , it always maintained a critical stance when it came to israel that was punctuated by occasional outbursts . turkey 's relations with israel improved when the akp stepped into the vacuum created in the middle east by the bush administration 's policies and orchestrated secret negotiations between israel and syria . this effort fit well with the akp 's grand vision of its foreign policy -- prime minister recep tayyip erdogan and his party were intent in making turkey an important international player . after punching below its weight for far too long , ankara thought now was the time to engage in an activist policy and capitalize on its economic prowess and strategic geopolitical location . it aggressively sought a role in international institutions such as the u.n. security council and engaged in all kinds of diplomatic efforts from the middle east to the balkans and the caucasus . erdogan and turkey received many kudos for the israeli-syrian talks . but they came to an abrupt end with israel 's gaza war . erdogan felt personally betrayed by then-israeli prime minister ehud olmert , who was in ankara four days before launching the gaza offensive . from then on , turkish foreign policy vis-à-vis israel was dramatically transformed . we first saw this at the january 2009 davos meetings in switzerland when erdogan publicly confronted israel 's president shimon peres and then walked off the stage . positive reactions to his behavior in turkey and in the middle east provided erdogan with the contours of ankara 's new foreign policy . from then on , in almost every foreign policy speech , erdogan would disparage israel 's policy in gaza , calling the gaza strip an open prison . he then began to challenge israel 's nuclear arms while defending iran against the west . in a deliberate obfuscation of the issues , he argued that instead of criticizing iran 's peaceful nuclear program , it was israel 's not-so-secret nuclear arsenal that ought to be the object of censure . this , of course , is a distortion of the truth as iran was accused of violating the non-proliferation treaty , of which it is a signatory while israel is not . his singling out of israel was purposeful but unfair ; he never criticized turkish ally pakistan -- or india for that matter -- for having tested and deployed nuclear arms . the flotilla crisis occurred in this atmosphere of great tension . turkish foreign minister ahmet davutoglu claims his government cautioned the islamist charity that organized the flotilla not to cross into israeli waters and that they were powerless to prevent an independent , non-government organization ( ngo ) from acting on its own volition . yet there are many signs that the akp and other turkish islamist parties were fully supportive of the ngo and its efforts . hamas itself interpreted the action as an erdogan-led effort to breach the naval blockade of gaza . no one , including the israelis , could have anticipated the extent of the fallout , although a cursory look at what the organizers were claiming should have made it obvious that the ngo was clearly trying to provoke israel and elicit an strong response . ultimately , it is the incompetence of the israeli decision-makers who failed to properly analyze the groups'intentions that in many ways handed the akp , erdogan and hamas a public relations victory . erdogan has now become a hero in the arab street . in two years , he has managed to do what few arab leaders could do -- push israel into a corner . even though arab countries have been mistrustful of turkey in the past , erdogan has successfully transformed himself into the leader of the middle east . he is not just the defender of traditional arab concerns but also of iran , as he is resisting the obama administration 's efforts to impose sanctions on iran . the emerging hostility in israeli-turkish relations puts the united states in a difficult quandary . washington does not want to side with one ally over another , and turkey has aggressively been pushing the united states to do just that . washington , however , has issues with both countries . it is upset at turkish efforts to protect iran from further u.n. sanctions and at israel for making its regional diplomacy so much more difficult , not only with the flotilla fiasco but also with its hard line on the settlements and negotiations with the palestinians . turkey may therefore emerge as an even more significant factor in an already complicated middle east political tapestry . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of henri j. barkey .","barkey says turkey made sharp break with israel because of the gaza conflict" +"turkey ( cnn ) -- the recent flotilla incident is the culmination of a steep decline in israeli-turkish relations that started with the gaza war in 2008 and 2009 . relations between these two countries , after reaching a high point in the late 1990s and early 2000s , are now beyond repair , and it will probably take the better part of a decade for them to be resuscitated . turkey has also used its increasingly rancorous disputes with israel to advance its status in the middle east at the expense of traditional leaders across the region . turkey 's ruling justice and development party ( akp ) , which came to power in 2002 , was always conflicted in its relations with israel . the party emerged from a hardcore anti-western and anti-israeli islamist tradition that had close ties to hamas and egypt 's muslim brotherhood . as it rose to power , however , the akp distanced itself from these positions and even embraced the idea of joining the european union . still , it always maintained a critical stance when it came to israel that was punctuated by occasional outbursts . turkey 's relations with israel improved when the akp stepped into the vacuum created in the middle east by the bush administration 's policies and orchestrated secret negotiations between israel and syria . this effort fit well with the akp 's grand vision of its foreign policy -- prime minister recep tayyip erdogan and his party were intent in making turkey an important international player . after punching below its weight for far too long , ankara thought now was the time to engage in an activist policy and capitalize on its economic prowess and strategic geopolitical location . it aggressively sought a role in international institutions such as the u.n. security council and engaged in all kinds of diplomatic efforts from the middle east to the balkans and the caucasus . erdogan and turkey received many kudos for the israeli-syrian talks . but they came to an abrupt end with israel 's gaza war . erdogan felt personally betrayed by then-israeli prime minister ehud olmert , who was in ankara four days before launching the gaza offensive . from then on , turkish foreign policy vis-à-vis israel was dramatically transformed . we first saw this at the january 2009 davos meetings in switzerland when erdogan publicly confronted israel 's president shimon peres and then walked off the stage . positive reactions to his behavior in turkey and in the middle east provided erdogan with the contours of ankara 's new foreign policy . from then on , in almost every foreign policy speech , erdogan would disparage israel 's policy in gaza , calling the gaza strip an open prison . he then began to challenge israel 's nuclear arms while defending iran against the west . in a deliberate obfuscation of the issues , he argued that instead of criticizing iran 's peaceful nuclear program , it was israel 's not-so-secret nuclear arsenal that ought to be the object of censure . this , of course , is a distortion of the truth as iran was accused of violating the non-proliferation treaty , of which it is a signatory while israel is not . his singling out of israel was purposeful but unfair ; he never criticized turkish ally pakistan -- or india for that matter -- for having tested and deployed nuclear arms . the flotilla crisis occurred in this atmosphere of great tension . turkish foreign minister ahmet davutoglu claims his government cautioned the islamist charity that organized the flotilla not to cross into israeli waters and that they were powerless to prevent an independent , non-government organization ( ngo ) from acting on its own volition . yet there are many signs that the akp and other turkish islamist parties were fully supportive of the ngo and its efforts . hamas itself interpreted the action as an erdogan-led effort to breach the naval blockade of gaza . no one , including the israelis , could have anticipated the extent of the fallout , although a cursory look at what the organizers were claiming should have made it obvious that the ngo was clearly trying to provoke israel and elicit an strong response . ultimately , it is the incompetence of the israeli decision-makers who failed to properly analyze the groups'intentions that in many ways handed the akp , erdogan and hamas a public relations victory . erdogan has now become a hero in the arab street . in two years , he has managed to do what few arab leaders could do -- push israel into a corner . even though arab countries have been mistrustful of turkey in the past , erdogan has successfully transformed himself into the leader of the middle east . he is not just the defender of traditional arab concerns but also of iran , as he is resisting the obama administration 's efforts to impose sanctions on iran . the emerging hostility in israeli-turkish relations puts the united states in a difficult quandary . washington does not want to side with one ally over another , and turkey has aggressively been pushing the united states to do just that . washington , however , has issues with both countries . it is upset at turkish efforts to protect iran from further u.n. sanctions and at israel for making its regional diplomacy so much more difficult , not only with the flotilla fiasco but also with its hard line on the settlements and negotiations with the palestinians . turkey may therefore emerge as an even more significant factor in an already complicated middle east political tapestry . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of henri j. barkey .","turkey 's relations with israel have grown increasingly tense , says henri barkey" +"turkey ( cnn ) -- the recent flotilla incident is the culmination of a steep decline in israeli-turkish relations that started with the gaza war in 2008 and 2009 . relations between these two countries , after reaching a high point in the late 1990s and early 2000s , are now beyond repair , and it will probably take the better part of a decade for them to be resuscitated . turkey has also used its increasingly rancorous disputes with israel to advance its status in the middle east at the expense of traditional leaders across the region . turkey 's ruling justice and development party ( akp ) , which came to power in 2002 , was always conflicted in its relations with israel . the party emerged from a hardcore anti-western and anti-israeli islamist tradition that had close ties to hamas and egypt 's muslim brotherhood . as it rose to power , however , the akp distanced itself from these positions and even embraced the idea of joining the european union . still , it always maintained a critical stance when it came to israel that was punctuated by occasional outbursts . turkey 's relations with israel improved when the akp stepped into the vacuum created in the middle east by the bush administration 's policies and orchestrated secret negotiations between israel and syria . this effort fit well with the akp 's grand vision of its foreign policy -- prime minister recep tayyip erdogan and his party were intent in making turkey an important international player . after punching below its weight for far too long , ankara thought now was the time to engage in an activist policy and capitalize on its economic prowess and strategic geopolitical location . it aggressively sought a role in international institutions such as the u.n. security council and engaged in all kinds of diplomatic efforts from the middle east to the balkans and the caucasus . erdogan and turkey received many kudos for the israeli-syrian talks . but they came to an abrupt end with israel 's gaza war . erdogan felt personally betrayed by then-israeli prime minister ehud olmert , who was in ankara four days before launching the gaza offensive . from then on , turkish foreign policy vis-à-vis israel was dramatically transformed . we first saw this at the january 2009 davos meetings in switzerland when erdogan publicly confronted israel 's president shimon peres and then walked off the stage . positive reactions to his behavior in turkey and in the middle east provided erdogan with the contours of ankara 's new foreign policy . from then on , in almost every foreign policy speech , erdogan would disparage israel 's policy in gaza , calling the gaza strip an open prison . he then began to challenge israel 's nuclear arms while defending iran against the west . in a deliberate obfuscation of the issues , he argued that instead of criticizing iran 's peaceful nuclear program , it was israel 's not-so-secret nuclear arsenal that ought to be the object of censure . this , of course , is a distortion of the truth as iran was accused of violating the non-proliferation treaty , of which it is a signatory while israel is not . his singling out of israel was purposeful but unfair ; he never criticized turkish ally pakistan -- or india for that matter -- for having tested and deployed nuclear arms . the flotilla crisis occurred in this atmosphere of great tension . turkish foreign minister ahmet davutoglu claims his government cautioned the islamist charity that organized the flotilla not to cross into israeli waters and that they were powerless to prevent an independent , non-government organization ( ngo ) from acting on its own volition . yet there are many signs that the akp and other turkish islamist parties were fully supportive of the ngo and its efforts . hamas itself interpreted the action as an erdogan-led effort to breach the naval blockade of gaza . no one , including the israelis , could have anticipated the extent of the fallout , although a cursory look at what the organizers were claiming should have made it obvious that the ngo was clearly trying to provoke israel and elicit an strong response . ultimately , it is the incompetence of the israeli decision-makers who failed to properly analyze the groups'intentions that in many ways handed the akp , erdogan and hamas a public relations victory . erdogan has now become a hero in the arab street . in two years , he has managed to do what few arab leaders could do -- push israel into a corner . even though arab countries have been mistrustful of turkey in the past , erdogan has successfully transformed himself into the leader of the middle east . he is not just the defender of traditional arab concerns but also of iran , as he is resisting the obama administration 's efforts to impose sanctions on iran . the emerging hostility in israeli-turkish relations puts the united states in a difficult quandary . washington does not want to side with one ally over another , and turkey has aggressively been pushing the united states to do just that . washington , however , has issues with both countries . it is upset at turkish efforts to protect iran from further u.n. sanctions and at israel for making its regional diplomacy so much more difficult , not only with the flotilla fiasco but also with its hard line on the settlements and negotiations with the palestinians . turkey may therefore emerge as an even more significant factor in an already complicated middle east political tapestry . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of henri j. barkey .","barkey : turkey gains support by opposing israeli blockade , sanctions against iran" +"roslyn l. schulte ( cnn ) -- the u.s. air force academy is mourning its first female graduate to be killed by enemy forces in afghanistan or iraq . first lt. roslyn l. schulte , 25 , graduated from the air force academy in 2006 . first lt. roslyn l. schulte , 25 , died wednesday near kabul , afghanistan , of wounds suffered in a roadside bomb attack . she was an intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance operations officer assigned to the 613th air and space operations center , the air force said friday in a news release . schulte was deployed to combined security transition command-afghanistan . she was traveling in a convoy to bagram airfield to participate in an intelligence sharing conference . losing lt. schulte has been a tragedy felt by everyone here and across the air force , ' said col. terrence o'shaughnessy , 613th aoc commander . our deepest sympathies and prayers are with the family of this heroic airman . ' schulte 's fellow airmen will be forever proud of her , ' he added . schulte graduated from the academy in 2006 . she is the 10th graduate to die in the wars in iraq and afghanistan , the academy said . schulte 's parents live in st. louis , missouri . she also had a brother . her father told the st. louis post-dispatch that his daughter was a natural leader who was teaching afghan forces how to handle military intelligence . she knew how to talk to chiefs of staff , to generals , to privates , and they listened , ' robert schulte told the paper . and that 's what we needed , a great leader of people . '","roadside bomb near kabul kills 1st lt. roslyn l. schulte , 25" +"facebook ( cnn ) -- last week , we clued you in to all the annoying things that couples must cease doing on facebook . this week , we 're taking a look at the other side of the coin . what should you do about all the digital remnants of a relationship when you 're no longer flitting through fields , holding hands and weaving flowers lady chatterley 's lover-like into one another 's various expanses of hair ? ( i.e. , after you 've broken up . ) a quick story that 's not specifically true but is likely true for many a person : suzie has a new beau , johnny , and they are , oh , so in love . like , two straws , one milkshake in love . and suzie detests sharing because she 's an only child , so you know that 's big . naturally , the two become facebook friends , because , well , the site has 900 million users and based on lord zuckerberg 's official decree , you do n't actually know anyone until you click friend . ' suzie is happily clicking through johnny 's pictures and scrolling through his timeline when she notices a girl named sally has commented on quite a few snaps and left wall posts with some quite explicit descriptions of what she wants to do to his sloped-shoulder physique . suzie is thrown into a rage that only the most only of only children can make manifest , then she realizes that the posts are from two years back . the next time she and johnny are slurping some frozen milk she asks for the story , and johnny reveals that sally was his old flame , a college sweetheart who has long since lost the sweetness and acquired a whip ( the accessory of choice for anyone in her rather dominating profession ) . suzie heaves a sigh of relief but still finds herself haunted by sally 's vinyl-swaddled ghost , wondering what sal had that she lacks , and what macabre moves johnny might be into . the couple splits over ( banana ) splits just weeks later . it 's a science-proven fact ( or , at least , there 's a study supporting it ) : social networks like facebook increase jealousy , partly because information is much more accessible , and that information can often be ambiguous . our lives are now on display for all the world to see , but often we 're not there to explain ourselves when our most loved of loved ones are perusing . that 's why we 're suggesting this week that our readers do a little bit of a purge . you likely have years'worth of romantic failure riddled throughout your facebook profile -- old pictures , wall posts , comments , messages -- and it 's not really a good look . it 's basically the digital equivalent of having a box of your ex 's stuff , but instead of hiding it in your closet , you 're displaying it in your living room for all visitors and cable men to see . and see it they will -- a recent study by seventeen magazine shows that 60 % of respondents look at romantic interests'facebook profiles daily . we get that you might want to hold onto some of these memories . we would n't ask you to throw away every old love letter or snapshot in your closet , but there 's a more discrete way to do so . download your facebook profile for safekeeping . that way you 'll have a record of all photos , messages , wall posts and comments you may have received from a former beau . once you have done so , it 's time to wipe that slate clean once and for all . here 's how : 1 ) . put your status in stealth do n't go down the winding road that is making it facebook official ' in the first place , even though most couples reportedly do . not only is changing your status back after the breakup horrible and humiliating , facebook timeline makes it way too easy to scroll back and see activity like relationship reduxes . when it comes to what the sitcoms whimsically call the ex files , ' let your mouth do the talking , not some post from june 4 , 2011 . note : it 's totally fine to change your status to married , ' since that 's likely not changing any time soon ( we hope ) . however , apparently close to 50 % of brides ( of those surveyed ) do so before the wedding , which we would n't recommend . cold feet , anyone ? 2 ) . untag , untag , untag after you take any and all pictures of you and your former off of facebook ( this is kind of a given , why would anyone keep public pics of long-dead lip locks on public display ? ) , untag pictures where the two of you look cozy from friends'galleries . you might even want to ask pals to take them down wholesale . as we said , you do n't have to get rid of said pics ( download your profile or particular pictures ) , but no one wants to see their new hand-holder holding hands with someone old . 3 ) . silence old comments we 're not suggesting that you go through every picture and post and purge your ex 's exclamations , but perhaps deep six any lengthy epistles or outpourings of love . if your new squeeze is turned off by an errant comment on an early college snap in which you 're sporting flared jeans and pigtails , s/he 's probably too jealous anyway . and blind , apparently , because that rhinestone top you 're wearing is the real mood killer . 4 ) . unfriend exes now this is a tough one . a lot of you out there purport to be friends with your ex . we believe you . this is totally possible . we 've seen such cases with our own jaded eyes . but you are not , my friend , pals with each and every person you 've ever dated , so why are they still hanging around on facebook , liking your snaps and writing haha ' on your most witty of witty posts ? here 's a good litmus test : do you refer to these friends ' as my ex so and so ' or my friend so and so ? ' if it 's the former -- and you never actually hang with this person irl -- it 's time to kill this digital sham of a friendship .","first hint ? do n't make your relationship official on facebook at the beginning" +"facebook ( cnn ) -- last week , we clued you in to all the annoying things that couples must cease doing on facebook . this week , we 're taking a look at the other side of the coin . what should you do about all the digital remnants of a relationship when you 're no longer flitting through fields , holding hands and weaving flowers lady chatterley 's lover-like into one another 's various expanses of hair ? ( i.e. , after you 've broken up . ) a quick story that 's not specifically true but is likely true for many a person : suzie has a new beau , johnny , and they are , oh , so in love . like , two straws , one milkshake in love . and suzie detests sharing because she 's an only child , so you know that 's big . naturally , the two become facebook friends , because , well , the site has 900 million users and based on lord zuckerberg 's official decree , you do n't actually know anyone until you click friend . ' suzie is happily clicking through johnny 's pictures and scrolling through his timeline when she notices a girl named sally has commented on quite a few snaps and left wall posts with some quite explicit descriptions of what she wants to do to his sloped-shoulder physique . suzie is thrown into a rage that only the most only of only children can make manifest , then she realizes that the posts are from two years back . the next time she and johnny are slurping some frozen milk she asks for the story , and johnny reveals that sally was his old flame , a college sweetheart who has long since lost the sweetness and acquired a whip ( the accessory of choice for anyone in her rather dominating profession ) . suzie heaves a sigh of relief but still finds herself haunted by sally 's vinyl-swaddled ghost , wondering what sal had that she lacks , and what macabre moves johnny might be into . the couple splits over ( banana ) splits just weeks later . it 's a science-proven fact ( or , at least , there 's a study supporting it ) : social networks like facebook increase jealousy , partly because information is much more accessible , and that information can often be ambiguous . our lives are now on display for all the world to see , but often we 're not there to explain ourselves when our most loved of loved ones are perusing . that 's why we 're suggesting this week that our readers do a little bit of a purge . you likely have years'worth of romantic failure riddled throughout your facebook profile -- old pictures , wall posts , comments , messages -- and it 's not really a good look . it 's basically the digital equivalent of having a box of your ex 's stuff , but instead of hiding it in your closet , you 're displaying it in your living room for all visitors and cable men to see . and see it they will -- a recent study by seventeen magazine shows that 60 % of respondents look at romantic interests'facebook profiles daily . we get that you might want to hold onto some of these memories . we would n't ask you to throw away every old love letter or snapshot in your closet , but there 's a more discrete way to do so . download your facebook profile for safekeeping . that way you 'll have a record of all photos , messages , wall posts and comments you may have received from a former beau . once you have done so , it 's time to wipe that slate clean once and for all . here 's how : 1 ) . put your status in stealth do n't go down the winding road that is making it facebook official ' in the first place , even though most couples reportedly do . not only is changing your status back after the breakup horrible and humiliating , facebook timeline makes it way too easy to scroll back and see activity like relationship reduxes . when it comes to what the sitcoms whimsically call the ex files , ' let your mouth do the talking , not some post from june 4 , 2011 . note : it 's totally fine to change your status to married , ' since that 's likely not changing any time soon ( we hope ) . however , apparently close to 50 % of brides ( of those surveyed ) do so before the wedding , which we would n't recommend . cold feet , anyone ? 2 ) . untag , untag , untag after you take any and all pictures of you and your former off of facebook ( this is kind of a given , why would anyone keep public pics of long-dead lip locks on public display ? ) , untag pictures where the two of you look cozy from friends'galleries . you might even want to ask pals to take them down wholesale . as we said , you do n't have to get rid of said pics ( download your profile or particular pictures ) , but no one wants to see their new hand-holder holding hands with someone old . 3 ) . silence old comments we 're not suggesting that you go through every picture and post and purge your ex 's exclamations , but perhaps deep six any lengthy epistles or outpourings of love . if your new squeeze is turned off by an errant comment on an early college snap in which you 're sporting flared jeans and pigtails , s/he 's probably too jealous anyway . and blind , apparently , because that rhinestone top you 're wearing is the real mood killer . 4 ) . unfriend exes now this is a tough one . a lot of you out there purport to be friends with your ex . we believe you . this is totally possible . we 've seen such cases with our own jaded eyes . but you are not , my friend , pals with each and every person you 've ever dated , so why are they still hanging around on facebook , liking your snaps and writing haha ' on your most witty of witty posts ? here 's a good litmus test : do you refer to these friends ' as my ex so and so ' or my friend so and so ? ' if it 's the former -- and you never actually hang with this person irl -- it 's time to kill this digital sham of a friendship .","study shows 60 % of respondents look at romantic interests'facebook profiles daily" +"facebook ( cnn ) -- last week , we clued you in to all the annoying things that couples must cease doing on facebook . this week , we 're taking a look at the other side of the coin . what should you do about all the digital remnants of a relationship when you 're no longer flitting through fields , holding hands and weaving flowers lady chatterley 's lover-like into one another 's various expanses of hair ? ( i.e. , after you 've broken up . ) a quick story that 's not specifically true but is likely true for many a person : suzie has a new beau , johnny , and they are , oh , so in love . like , two straws , one milkshake in love . and suzie detests sharing because she 's an only child , so you know that 's big . naturally , the two become facebook friends , because , well , the site has 900 million users and based on lord zuckerberg 's official decree , you do n't actually know anyone until you click friend . ' suzie is happily clicking through johnny 's pictures and scrolling through his timeline when she notices a girl named sally has commented on quite a few snaps and left wall posts with some quite explicit descriptions of what she wants to do to his sloped-shoulder physique . suzie is thrown into a rage that only the most only of only children can make manifest , then she realizes that the posts are from two years back . the next time she and johnny are slurping some frozen milk she asks for the story , and johnny reveals that sally was his old flame , a college sweetheart who has long since lost the sweetness and acquired a whip ( the accessory of choice for anyone in her rather dominating profession ) . suzie heaves a sigh of relief but still finds herself haunted by sally 's vinyl-swaddled ghost , wondering what sal had that she lacks , and what macabre moves johnny might be into . the couple splits over ( banana ) splits just weeks later . it 's a science-proven fact ( or , at least , there 's a study supporting it ) : social networks like facebook increase jealousy , partly because information is much more accessible , and that information can often be ambiguous . our lives are now on display for all the world to see , but often we 're not there to explain ourselves when our most loved of loved ones are perusing . that 's why we 're suggesting this week that our readers do a little bit of a purge . you likely have years'worth of romantic failure riddled throughout your facebook profile -- old pictures , wall posts , comments , messages -- and it 's not really a good look . it 's basically the digital equivalent of having a box of your ex 's stuff , but instead of hiding it in your closet , you 're displaying it in your living room for all visitors and cable men to see . and see it they will -- a recent study by seventeen magazine shows that 60 % of respondents look at romantic interests'facebook profiles daily . we get that you might want to hold onto some of these memories . we would n't ask you to throw away every old love letter or snapshot in your closet , but there 's a more discrete way to do so . download your facebook profile for safekeeping . that way you 'll have a record of all photos , messages , wall posts and comments you may have received from a former beau . once you have done so , it 's time to wipe that slate clean once and for all . here 's how : 1 ) . put your status in stealth do n't go down the winding road that is making it facebook official ' in the first place , even though most couples reportedly do . not only is changing your status back after the breakup horrible and humiliating , facebook timeline makes it way too easy to scroll back and see activity like relationship reduxes . when it comes to what the sitcoms whimsically call the ex files , ' let your mouth do the talking , not some post from june 4 , 2011 . note : it 's totally fine to change your status to married , ' since that 's likely not changing any time soon ( we hope ) . however , apparently close to 50 % of brides ( of those surveyed ) do so before the wedding , which we would n't recommend . cold feet , anyone ? 2 ) . untag , untag , untag after you take any and all pictures of you and your former off of facebook ( this is kind of a given , why would anyone keep public pics of long-dead lip locks on public display ? ) , untag pictures where the two of you look cozy from friends'galleries . you might even want to ask pals to take them down wholesale . as we said , you do n't have to get rid of said pics ( download your profile or particular pictures ) , but no one wants to see their new hand-holder holding hands with someone old . 3 ) . silence old comments we 're not suggesting that you go through every picture and post and purge your ex 's exclamations , but perhaps deep six any lengthy epistles or outpourings of love . if your new squeeze is turned off by an errant comment on an early college snap in which you 're sporting flared jeans and pigtails , s/he 's probably too jealous anyway . and blind , apparently , because that rhinestone top you 're wearing is the real mood killer . 4 ) . unfriend exes now this is a tough one . a lot of you out there purport to be friends with your ex . we believe you . this is totally possible . we 've seen such cases with our own jaded eyes . but you are not , my friend , pals with each and every person you 've ever dated , so why are they still hanging around on facebook , liking your snaps and writing haha ' on your most witty of witty posts ? here 's a good litmus test : do you refer to these friends ' as my ex so and so ' or my friend so and so ? ' if it 's the former -- and you never actually hang with this person irl -- it 's time to kill this digital sham of a friendship .","social networks like facebook increase jealousy because information is more accessible" +"iran the wife of an american pastor imprisoned in iran pleaded with a house subcommittee on foreign affairs thursday to do something to free her husband . naghmeh abedini said that her husband , saeed abedini , went to iran to build an orphanage but was imprisoned unjustly because of his christian beliefs . she said that when her family 's nightmare ' began , she anticipated having to fight the iranian government . but she feels shocked and deeply disappointed because she 's had to battle my own government . ' u.s. president barack obama pushed for the release of abedini and two other detained americans -- robert levinson and amir hekmati -- when he spoke on the phone with iranian president hassan rouhani in september . saeed abedini is a u.s. citizen of iranian birth . in january , he was sentenced to eight years in prison , accused of attempting to undermine the iranian government and endangering national security by establishing home churches . he had converted to christianity from islam and became a pastor in idaho . he regularly made trips to iran and was on a bus crossing from turkey into iran in the summer of 2012 when immigration officials took away his passport . he was later jailed . at the time of his detainment , an iranian news agency reported that he would be released on bail . abedini 's case was not brought up at recent negotiations on an interim nuclear deal with iran . in late november , national security council spokeswoman caitlin hayden was asked why . she replied that the talks in geneva , switzerland , concerning the deal were focused exclusively on nuclear issues . ' naghmeh abedini told lawmakers thursday that when u.s. and iranian officials met to discuss the nuclear deal , the u.s. had a perfect ' opportunity to ask for the pastor 's release . i feel my husband has been abandoned , ' she said . iran 's detention and torture of her 33-year-old husband constitutes an assault against u.s. national security , she said . the detention is an experiment ' because officials there are curious ' to see how strong obama is , and whether he would take action immediately to free the pastor . she held up a photo of herself and her two young children taken on their first day of school this year . she said that it was a heartbreaking moment to be without her husband and that as christmas approaches , she is praying for her husband and praying that her government realizes how far we 've fallen ' with negotiating with iran without pushing more to secure her husband 's freedom . u.s. official : obama , rouhani discussed fate of three americans'religious persecution is real' in a written statement she gave to the subcommittee , she detailed her husband 's ordeal . her family says he is in a very dangerous prison because of his christian faith . his wife said that the orphanage he was in iran to set up had the approval of the iranian government . between 2000 and 2005 , her husband had previously gotten into trouble with iran 's government because he was talking about his christian faith with iranian christians in their homes , she said . at that time , iran was ruled under a different government . it did n't make sense to her , and she finds it outrageous , that her husband would be held now for offenses related to religion . i am standing before you today because religious persecution is real , ' naghmeh abedini 's statement read . and until we stand up as one -- as americans , as political leaders , and government officials , as people who have been endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights -- we will not truly embrace the responsibility that comes with that freedom . ' her father , who is still in iran , has been able to visit the pastor , it says . that has allowed her to learn about how her husband had been treated and injuries he 's suffered . before thursday 's hearing , she warned that her husband 's health was deteriorating , and she talked thursday about how he had been beaten and threatened in prison . in her statement , she explained that he was initially held in the notorious evin prison in tehran , where guards and interrogators beat him . on november 3 , the pastor was transferred to rajai shahr prison , the statement said , where he has been repeatedly robbed at knifepoint . at times he has awoken to find a knife-wielding prisoner standing over him at his bed . ' her husband has been beaten so badly that he could not stand , she said , and suffered internal bleeding . nothing but the hand of god ' kept him alive , she said . the iranian regime sends prisoners to rajai shahr to disappear . it sends prisoners to rajai shahr to deny them their human rights . it sends prisoners to rajai shahr to die . ' a few months ago , the pastor was given medication and his condition improved , she wrote . a letter to the children naghmeh abedini said her father showed her husband pictures of the couple 's two children when he visited him in prison . saeed would just stare at the pictures the entire time for the few short minutes they were able to talk , ' her statement says . once , her husband was able to compose a letter to his children . it is so hard and so heart breaking for me to see these pictures and to know that i am not there beside you as you grow , ' he wrote . i came here to help the kids that did not have mommies and daddies , but my own kids lost their daddy . ' on the eve of her testimony , the pastor 's wife spoke to cnn 's jim sciutto about the pain her family has endured . i think it 's the worst torture to see your kids suffering and not being able to do anything , ' she said . my hope is -- i know it might be too much , hoping too much -- is having him home by christmas . ... it will be a very difficult christmas scene ... ' she said . ... it 's not just for my husband , it 's for my kids . hopefully we will have daddy home for christmas . ' there are two other americans who have disappeared in iran or have been imprisoned . bob levinson , a retired fbi agent , has been kept in the dark about him since he vanished on a business trip to iran in march 2007 . president rouhani has told cnn 's christiane amanpour that the nation 's officials do n't know where the american is . levinson is in his 60s and suffers from diabetes . another american , amir hekmati , is a former u.s. marine . he has been jailed in iran since 2011 , accused of being a cia spy . hekmati joined the marines in 2001 out of high school . he finished his service four years later as a decorated combat veteran with tours in iraq . other detained americans","naghmeh abedini says she felt she 's had to fight iran , and also her own government" +"iran the wife of an american pastor imprisoned in iran pleaded with a house subcommittee on foreign affairs thursday to do something to free her husband . naghmeh abedini said that her husband , saeed abedini , went to iran to build an orphanage but was imprisoned unjustly because of his christian beliefs . she said that when her family 's nightmare ' began , she anticipated having to fight the iranian government . but she feels shocked and deeply disappointed because she 's had to battle my own government . ' u.s. president barack obama pushed for the release of abedini and two other detained americans -- robert levinson and amir hekmati -- when he spoke on the phone with iranian president hassan rouhani in september . saeed abedini is a u.s. citizen of iranian birth . in january , he was sentenced to eight years in prison , accused of attempting to undermine the iranian government and endangering national security by establishing home churches . he had converted to christianity from islam and became a pastor in idaho . he regularly made trips to iran and was on a bus crossing from turkey into iran in the summer of 2012 when immigration officials took away his passport . he was later jailed . at the time of his detainment , an iranian news agency reported that he would be released on bail . abedini 's case was not brought up at recent negotiations on an interim nuclear deal with iran . in late november , national security council spokeswoman caitlin hayden was asked why . she replied that the talks in geneva , switzerland , concerning the deal were focused exclusively on nuclear issues . ' naghmeh abedini told lawmakers thursday that when u.s. and iranian officials met to discuss the nuclear deal , the u.s. had a perfect ' opportunity to ask for the pastor 's release . i feel my husband has been abandoned , ' she said . iran 's detention and torture of her 33-year-old husband constitutes an assault against u.s. national security , she said . the detention is an experiment ' because officials there are curious ' to see how strong obama is , and whether he would take action immediately to free the pastor . she held up a photo of herself and her two young children taken on their first day of school this year . she said that it was a heartbreaking moment to be without her husband and that as christmas approaches , she is praying for her husband and praying that her government realizes how far we 've fallen ' with negotiating with iran without pushing more to secure her husband 's freedom . u.s. official : obama , rouhani discussed fate of three americans'religious persecution is real' in a written statement she gave to the subcommittee , she detailed her husband 's ordeal . her family says he is in a very dangerous prison because of his christian faith . his wife said that the orphanage he was in iran to set up had the approval of the iranian government . between 2000 and 2005 , her husband had previously gotten into trouble with iran 's government because he was talking about his christian faith with iranian christians in their homes , she said . at that time , iran was ruled under a different government . it did n't make sense to her , and she finds it outrageous , that her husband would be held now for offenses related to religion . i am standing before you today because religious persecution is real , ' naghmeh abedini 's statement read . and until we stand up as one -- as americans , as political leaders , and government officials , as people who have been endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights -- we will not truly embrace the responsibility that comes with that freedom . ' her father , who is still in iran , has been able to visit the pastor , it says . that has allowed her to learn about how her husband had been treated and injuries he 's suffered . before thursday 's hearing , she warned that her husband 's health was deteriorating , and she talked thursday about how he had been beaten and threatened in prison . in her statement , she explained that he was initially held in the notorious evin prison in tehran , where guards and interrogators beat him . on november 3 , the pastor was transferred to rajai shahr prison , the statement said , where he has been repeatedly robbed at knifepoint . at times he has awoken to find a knife-wielding prisoner standing over him at his bed . ' her husband has been beaten so badly that he could not stand , she said , and suffered internal bleeding . nothing but the hand of god ' kept him alive , she said . the iranian regime sends prisoners to rajai shahr to disappear . it sends prisoners to rajai shahr to deny them their human rights . it sends prisoners to rajai shahr to die . ' a few months ago , the pastor was given medication and his condition improved , she wrote . a letter to the children naghmeh abedini said her father showed her husband pictures of the couple 's two children when he visited him in prison . saeed would just stare at the pictures the entire time for the few short minutes they were able to talk , ' her statement says . once , her husband was able to compose a letter to his children . it is so hard and so heart breaking for me to see these pictures and to know that i am not there beside you as you grow , ' he wrote . i came here to help the kids that did not have mommies and daddies , but my own kids lost their daddy . ' on the eve of her testimony , the pastor 's wife spoke to cnn 's jim sciutto about the pain her family has endured . i think it 's the worst torture to see your kids suffering and not being able to do anything , ' she said . my hope is -- i know it might be too much , hoping too much -- is having him home by christmas . ... it will be a very difficult christmas scene ... ' she said . ... it 's not just for my husband , it 's for my kids . hopefully we will have daddy home for christmas . ' there are two other americans who have disappeared in iran or have been imprisoned . bob levinson , a retired fbi agent , has been kept in the dark about him since he vanished on a business trip to iran in march 2007 . president rouhani has told cnn 's christiane amanpour that the nation 's officials do n't know where the american is . levinson is in his 60s and suffers from diabetes . another american , amir hekmati , is a former u.s. marine . he has been jailed in iran since 2011 , accused of being a cia spy . hekmati joined the marines in 2001 out of high school . he finished his service four years later as a decorated combat veteran with tours in iraq . other detained americans","her husband 's case was not brought up during recent nuclear deal talks with iran" +"juarez ( cnn ) ciudad juarez , mexico , was once known as the murder capital of the world . back in 2010 , at the height of cartel violence , the city averaged 8.5 killings per day . but five years later , local officials say the city is much safer , and plans are underway to lure foreign tourists and investors back to juarez . this month the city launched the tourism campaign juarez is waiting for you . ' the rebranding effort started quietly a year ago , and on april 10 , it was on full display . mayor enrique serrano officially kicked off the campaign , giving what he called an unprecedented ' high-profile tour to regional leaders from the united states and mexico . u.s. rep. robert beto ' o'rourke of texas was one of those on a leg of the juarez tour . his congressional district includes el paso , texas , which sits directly across the rio grande . o'rourke says there 's good reason for locals to be hopeful . as a region , el paso and juarez represent 20 % of all u.s-mexico trade . the binational ties are strong and have remained strong , ' o'rourke says . yes , we had a really difficult time for a ... period . juarez was at one time the deadliest city in the world . ' o'rourke speaks of a time between 2009 and 2012 when men , women and children were killed indiscriminately . many were helplessly caught in the cartel violence . others were victims of the drug turf war . it was n't that long ago , o'rourke says , that he thought twice about crossing the bridge into juarez . ( now ) i travel to juarez regularly to have lunch or meet people or just to go . i always feel safe and secure . ' a spokesman for the chihuahua state attorney general 's office told cnn that at one point , there were days when juarez had more than 20 killings . that was normal , ' spokesman julio castaneda told cnn . it 's safer now . ' the numbers from the attorney general 's office seem to bear that out . more than 3,000 people were killed in the city just four years ago , but so far this year there have been 89 killings , according to castaneda -- a dramatic decrease in the violence . undoubtedly , the work we did here in the past year with the police institutions , and specifically the local police , helped . there was a coordinated effort between agencies , ' castaneda said . without a doubt this work played a part in breaking apart the gangs that were plaguing the city . ' the government cleaned up corruption within the local police force , and fired or arrested a lot of bad cops who were helping the cartels . another factor that may have helped : the turf war between the juarez and sinaloa cartels essentially ended , with the sinaloa cartel claiming victory in the battle for the trafficking route in juarez . o'rourke argues that the el paso-juarez border is safer than it 's ever been . ' he cites the 30 million lawful crosses from el paso into juarez ' last year as a symbolic step . yet there are those who do n't want to celebrate too soon . for juarez to be considered a safe city , there 's a long way to go , ' says sergio meza , executive director for plan estrategico de juarez , an independent organization that works to improve the city 's quality of life . just this past year ( in 2014 ) there were 424 homicides . in 2007 , there were 272 . yes , we 're not as bad . but we 're still very sick , ' meza told cnn from his office in juarez . in reality , we 're progressing from the conditions that were generated by the insecurity . we 're still working out the corruption in the city . it 's still an issue here . ' with more than 40 % of juarez living below the poverty line , according to plan estrategico de juarez , the future of the city will depend on the people 's participation in public matters . ' in fact , the organization 's slogan is nothing is fixed alone . participate . ' we are looking at a compromised future , ' meza said . we do n't talk about that . we do n't have the money to generate work here . ' one bright spot : u.s. investment is making a comeback . american companies delphi , honeywell , flextronics and lear are among those that ramped up hiring and investment in juarez over the last year . that hiring would have been hard to imagine four years ago . but with the average salary at $ 20 per week for local workers in the maquiladores , or factories , along the u.s.-mexico border in juarez , meza says more needs to be done . the scars from the recent past remain . several buildings downtown are shuttered and marred by graffiti . americans who , before the violence , came to juarez for bargain shopping have not returned in the numbers seen before the spike in violence . but in a sign of progress , the u.s. state department amended its travel warning for the city . while it still urges visitors to exercise appropriate caution , it 's no longer telling people not to come . longtime residents of juarez and neighboring el paso may be reluctant to say the wounds of the violent past have altogether healed . in the last year , however , they have definitely noticed that life is back . ' i measure it by the everyday coming and going of people , ' gustavo reveles , 39 , told cnn . for someone who grew up on the border and for someone who spent half of his life crossing the border on a weekly basis , it 's encouraging to be crossing back to juarez without that sort of hesitation or worry that something might happen . ' reveles lived in juarez until he was 15 and now lives in el paso . he says the threat of violence is still a little bit concerning , ' though that has n't stopped him in recent weeks from going to juarez to meet friends for dinner and drinks . things have changed , ' he said . to go through what juarez went through , you see life there again . you see a semblance of what was there before . to really recover and heal wounds , there 's a long way to go , but the process has started and that 's a step in the right direction . ' cnnmoney 's octavio blanco contributed to this report .","cartel violence helped make juarez the murder capital of the world five years ago" +"juarez ( cnn ) ciudad juarez , mexico , was once known as the murder capital of the world . back in 2010 , at the height of cartel violence , the city averaged 8.5 killings per day . but five years later , local officials say the city is much safer , and plans are underway to lure foreign tourists and investors back to juarez . this month the city launched the tourism campaign juarez is waiting for you . ' the rebranding effort started quietly a year ago , and on april 10 , it was on full display . mayor enrique serrano officially kicked off the campaign , giving what he called an unprecedented ' high-profile tour to regional leaders from the united states and mexico . u.s. rep. robert beto ' o'rourke of texas was one of those on a leg of the juarez tour . his congressional district includes el paso , texas , which sits directly across the rio grande . o'rourke says there 's good reason for locals to be hopeful . as a region , el paso and juarez represent 20 % of all u.s-mexico trade . the binational ties are strong and have remained strong , ' o'rourke says . yes , we had a really difficult time for a ... period . juarez was at one time the deadliest city in the world . ' o'rourke speaks of a time between 2009 and 2012 when men , women and children were killed indiscriminately . many were helplessly caught in the cartel violence . others were victims of the drug turf war . it was n't that long ago , o'rourke says , that he thought twice about crossing the bridge into juarez . ( now ) i travel to juarez regularly to have lunch or meet people or just to go . i always feel safe and secure . ' a spokesman for the chihuahua state attorney general 's office told cnn that at one point , there were days when juarez had more than 20 killings . that was normal , ' spokesman julio castaneda told cnn . it 's safer now . ' the numbers from the attorney general 's office seem to bear that out . more than 3,000 people were killed in the city just four years ago , but so far this year there have been 89 killings , according to castaneda -- a dramatic decrease in the violence . undoubtedly , the work we did here in the past year with the police institutions , and specifically the local police , helped . there was a coordinated effort between agencies , ' castaneda said . without a doubt this work played a part in breaking apart the gangs that were plaguing the city . ' the government cleaned up corruption within the local police force , and fired or arrested a lot of bad cops who were helping the cartels . another factor that may have helped : the turf war between the juarez and sinaloa cartels essentially ended , with the sinaloa cartel claiming victory in the battle for the trafficking route in juarez . o'rourke argues that the el paso-juarez border is safer than it 's ever been . ' he cites the 30 million lawful crosses from el paso into juarez ' last year as a symbolic step . yet there are those who do n't want to celebrate too soon . for juarez to be considered a safe city , there 's a long way to go , ' says sergio meza , executive director for plan estrategico de juarez , an independent organization that works to improve the city 's quality of life . just this past year ( in 2014 ) there were 424 homicides . in 2007 , there were 272 . yes , we 're not as bad . but we 're still very sick , ' meza told cnn from his office in juarez . in reality , we 're progressing from the conditions that were generated by the insecurity . we 're still working out the corruption in the city . it 's still an issue here . ' with more than 40 % of juarez living below the poverty line , according to plan estrategico de juarez , the future of the city will depend on the people 's participation in public matters . ' in fact , the organization 's slogan is nothing is fixed alone . participate . ' we are looking at a compromised future , ' meza said . we do n't talk about that . we do n't have the money to generate work here . ' one bright spot : u.s. investment is making a comeback . american companies delphi , honeywell , flextronics and lear are among those that ramped up hiring and investment in juarez over the last year . that hiring would have been hard to imagine four years ago . but with the average salary at $ 20 per week for local workers in the maquiladores , or factories , along the u.s.-mexico border in juarez , meza says more needs to be done . the scars from the recent past remain . several buildings downtown are shuttered and marred by graffiti . americans who , before the violence , came to juarez for bargain shopping have not returned in the numbers seen before the spike in violence . but in a sign of progress , the u.s. state department amended its travel warning for the city . while it still urges visitors to exercise appropriate caution , it 's no longer telling people not to come . longtime residents of juarez and neighboring el paso may be reluctant to say the wounds of the violent past have altogether healed . in the last year , however , they have definitely noticed that life is back . ' i measure it by the everyday coming and going of people , ' gustavo reveles , 39 , told cnn . for someone who grew up on the border and for someone who spent half of his life crossing the border on a weekly basis , it 's encouraging to be crossing back to juarez without that sort of hesitation or worry that something might happen . ' reveles lived in juarez until he was 15 and now lives in el paso . he says the threat of violence is still a little bit concerning , ' though that has n't stopped him in recent weeks from going to juarez to meet friends for dinner and drinks . things have changed , ' he said . to go through what juarez went through , you see life there again . you see a semblance of what was there before . to really recover and heal wounds , there 's a long way to go , but the process has started and that 's a step in the right direction . ' cnnmoney 's octavio blanco contributed to this report .","now city leaders are working to bring visitors and foreign investment back to juarez" +"massachusetts ( cnn ) on valentine 's day , mother nature promises more heartbreak for new england . forecasters predict that yet another blizzard will arrive saturday evening and depart sunday night . in a record-setting month , it wo n't be the worst storm that boston has ever seen , but it will just compound the exasperation caused by three -- now four -- weather systems that have dumped piles of snow on the city . cape cod and the islands off the massachusetts coast could see hurricane-force winds , with snow accumulations of 12 inches for boston and up to 18 inches in coastal maine . from new york 's long island to maine , millions of people will find themselves under blizzard warnings . how to beat the winter blues massachusetts gov . charlie baker has declared the next seven days as valentine 's week ' in an attempt to help restaurants , flower shops and other small businesses hurting from the record setting snowfall . could a baby boom be in the works ? birth rates have been known to jump nine months after natural and man-made disasters , according to dr. robi ludwig , a psychotherapist . she gave the example of new york following 9/11 , when births soared as many people faced calamity by turning to each other for support . the bad weather can mean cozy nights for cooking , sipping wine and watching movies -- activities that can shift to romance and sexuality , ludwig said . track the storm -- light snow , relatively speaking : compared with other storms , this wo n't be as big a snow event for boston . about 10 to 14 inches are forecast . coastal massachusetts might see 6 to 10 inches , forecasters say . -- wicked wind : some gusts could reach hurricane strength , 74 mph or greater . sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph will cause the snow to blow around and hamper visibility . power outages can be expected in many areas , the national weather service said . -- another blizzard : eastern massachusetts and coastal areas of the bay state are under blizzard warnings . so are parts of eastern maine , where gusts of 60 mph are possible and up to 26 inches of snow . -- storm surge : with high winds the surf along the massachusetts coast will be harsh . the storm surge in northeastern parts of the state and in maine could be 2 to 2½ feet . this could lead to flooding . -- no mass transit sunday : mbta , better known to many as the t , wo n't run sunday , when the worst of the weather will be hitting . there will be no subway , bus , commuter rail , trolley or ferry service . it 's the third time the subway has shuttered service because of a serious storm . officials will decide on sunday whether to cancel service for monday . amtrak canceled two trains on saturday and six on sunday . -- whiteout conditions : there is no ban on driving but it seems now like it would be a pretty bad idea . travel will become nearly impossible , ' the national weather service is saying . the snow will be a light snow , so it will fly around easily in the strong winds . visibility will be a quarter-mile or less during the storm . -- flight trouble : dozens of flights that had been scheduled to land at boston 's logan international airport on saturday have been called off already . according to the flight tracking website flightaware , 31 flights have been canceled at logan . already , more than 350 flights have been canceled for sunday . -- staying home ? all this snow has caused small business in boston to hurt . so much so that gov . baker on friday declared next week as valentine 's week . ca n't get to your romantic restaurant on saturday , or you forgot to make reservations ? the governor is giving you an extension . -- frozen out : the snow emergency has led to the cancellation of sunday 's two performances of disney on ice presents frozen ' at td garden . -- widespread wind field : if you live in asheville , north carolina , you do n't have to worry about a blizzard , but the winds will be fierce beginning saturday evening . you could travel from there to maine 's border with canada and face gusts of 40 mph or stronger the entire way . -- forecast for the south : birmingham and atlanta , two cities that had a difficult go of it last year during one memorable snowy/icy storm , might find residents flooding grocery stores on sunday night . wintry precipitation possible early next week , ' the national weather service in atlanta said . are you ready for a shot at winter ? ' the agency 's birmingham office said . -- record month : with 42.3 inches of snow recorded this month , boston has already had the snowiest february on record and with the first inch of saturday 's snow , this month will become the snowiest of any month in boston history , at least since records have been kept since 1872 . -- almost 8 feet : boston has received more snow this season-to-date than ever : 79.5 inches so far . -- double trouble : boston has never had more than one official blizzard in the same year . this should be the second ; another hit the city in late january . cnn 's ray sanchez , dave hennen and brandon miller contributed to this report .","massachusetts governor extends valentine 's day to last all week" +"massachusetts ( cnn ) on valentine 's day , mother nature promises more heartbreak for new england . forecasters predict that yet another blizzard will arrive saturday evening and depart sunday night . in a record-setting month , it wo n't be the worst storm that boston has ever seen , but it will just compound the exasperation caused by three -- now four -- weather systems that have dumped piles of snow on the city . cape cod and the islands off the massachusetts coast could see hurricane-force winds , with snow accumulations of 12 inches for boston and up to 18 inches in coastal maine . from new york 's long island to maine , millions of people will find themselves under blizzard warnings . how to beat the winter blues massachusetts gov . charlie baker has declared the next seven days as valentine 's week ' in an attempt to help restaurants , flower shops and other small businesses hurting from the record setting snowfall . could a baby boom be in the works ? birth rates have been known to jump nine months after natural and man-made disasters , according to dr. robi ludwig , a psychotherapist . she gave the example of new york following 9/11 , when births soared as many people faced calamity by turning to each other for support . the bad weather can mean cozy nights for cooking , sipping wine and watching movies -- activities that can shift to romance and sexuality , ludwig said . track the storm -- light snow , relatively speaking : compared with other storms , this wo n't be as big a snow event for boston . about 10 to 14 inches are forecast . coastal massachusetts might see 6 to 10 inches , forecasters say . -- wicked wind : some gusts could reach hurricane strength , 74 mph or greater . sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph will cause the snow to blow around and hamper visibility . power outages can be expected in many areas , the national weather service said . -- another blizzard : eastern massachusetts and coastal areas of the bay state are under blizzard warnings . so are parts of eastern maine , where gusts of 60 mph are possible and up to 26 inches of snow . -- storm surge : with high winds the surf along the massachusetts coast will be harsh . the storm surge in northeastern parts of the state and in maine could be 2 to 2½ feet . this could lead to flooding . -- no mass transit sunday : mbta , better known to many as the t , wo n't run sunday , when the worst of the weather will be hitting . there will be no subway , bus , commuter rail , trolley or ferry service . it 's the third time the subway has shuttered service because of a serious storm . officials will decide on sunday whether to cancel service for monday . amtrak canceled two trains on saturday and six on sunday . -- whiteout conditions : there is no ban on driving but it seems now like it would be a pretty bad idea . travel will become nearly impossible , ' the national weather service is saying . the snow will be a light snow , so it will fly around easily in the strong winds . visibility will be a quarter-mile or less during the storm . -- flight trouble : dozens of flights that had been scheduled to land at boston 's logan international airport on saturday have been called off already . according to the flight tracking website flightaware , 31 flights have been canceled at logan . already , more than 350 flights have been canceled for sunday . -- staying home ? all this snow has caused small business in boston to hurt . so much so that gov . baker on friday declared next week as valentine 's week . ca n't get to your romantic restaurant on saturday , or you forgot to make reservations ? the governor is giving you an extension . -- frozen out : the snow emergency has led to the cancellation of sunday 's two performances of disney on ice presents frozen ' at td garden . -- widespread wind field : if you live in asheville , north carolina , you do n't have to worry about a blizzard , but the winds will be fierce beginning saturday evening . you could travel from there to maine 's border with canada and face gusts of 40 mph or stronger the entire way . -- forecast for the south : birmingham and atlanta , two cities that had a difficult go of it last year during one memorable snowy/icy storm , might find residents flooding grocery stores on sunday night . wintry precipitation possible early next week , ' the national weather service in atlanta said . are you ready for a shot at winter ? ' the agency 's birmingham office said . -- record month : with 42.3 inches of snow recorded this month , boston has already had the snowiest february on record and with the first inch of saturday 's snow , this month will become the snowiest of any month in boston history , at least since records have been kept since 1872 . -- almost 8 feet : boston has received more snow this season-to-date than ever : 79.5 inches so far . -- double trouble : boston has never had more than one official blizzard in the same year . this should be the second ; another hit the city in late january . cnn 's ray sanchez , dave hennen and brandon miller contributed to this report .","storm surge could cause some flooding in coastal maine , northeastern massachusetts" +"la liga ( cnn ) -- it was a case of'whatever you do , i can do better'as barcelona 's lionel messi hit four to eclipse cristiano ronaldo 's hat-trick for real madrid and leave his great rival in the shade once again . ronaldo had inspired real to a 4-0 win over getafe early sunday , before messi stole the show to lead barcelona to a 5-1 thrashing of osasuna and become the first player to score in 11 consecutive la liga matches . messi , who recently beat ronaldo to the prestigious ballon d'or award to win the prize for a record fourth time in succession , has now scored 33 goals in the league and 44 overall this season . messi crowned world 's best it was also the fifth time messi had scored four times in a league game and his 16th hat-trick in the top-flight , allowing him to move 12 clear of ronaldo in the goalscoring charts . the win for barcelona means it is now 11 points clear at the summit after nearest rival atletico madrid was beaten 3-0 at athletic bilbao in sunday 's late game . it was a perfect day for barca , which welcomed back striker david villa to the starting line-up for the first time in two months . four goals from messi and one from pedro sealed the win , which was made easier by the 27th minute dismissal of alejandro arribas for two yellow cards . messi sets up'el clasico'clash meanwhile , real which hosts barca in the first leg of the copa del rey semifinal wednesday , moved to within four points of second place atletico . after a frustrating first-half , real scored four times without reply thanks to ronaldo 's treble and a sergio ramos strike . jose mourinho 's side remain 15 points behind league leaders barcelona with 17 league games remaining . elsewhere , rayo vallecano beat real betis 3-0 to move into fifth , a place and a point behind the seville-based side and a champions league position . real madrid , barcelona or manchester united : which is the biggest club ? piti got the south madrid side off to a great start from the penalty spot on four minutes before andrija delibasic and jose carlos added second-half goals to make it five wins in six for rayo . napoli wins match-fixing appeal in italy , napoli moved to within three points of league leaders juventus after recording an impressive 2-1 win at parma . edinson cavani scored his 18th goal of the season in the 85th minute to end parma 's unbeaten home run . marek hamsik 's opener was cancelled out by an own-goal from paolo cannavaro , but cavani popped up with five minutes remaining to seal the win . inter sits in fourth place following a 2-2 draw at home to torino in the day 's late game . christian chivu and esteban cambiasso were on target for the home side , but two goals from riccardo meggiorini earned torino a point . sneijder quits inter for galatasaray elsewhere , milan claimed its 11th league win of the season with 1-0 victory at atalanta courtesy of stephan el shaarawy 's first-half strike . milan is now up to fifth in the league , 11 points behind league leaders juventus but coach massimiliano allegri appeared unmoved by his team 's victory . he told reporters : this changes nothing . today the boys played well but did n't seal the match and we were under threat till the very end . we 're on the right road but we need to keep winning . let 's see how we 're doing at the end of february and , above all , at the end of march . ' meanwhile , mauro icardi scored four as sampdoria crushed pescara 6-0 with eder and pedro obiang also on target . cagliari grabbed a late goal through thiago ribeiro to earn a 1-1 draw at home to palermo , who had taken the lead through josip ilicic . milan 's boateng takes stand over racism bottom club siena suffered another defeat after going down 1-0 to udinese following luis muriel 's 36th minute strike . in the day 's early kick off , bolgona and roma put on a six-goal thriller as each team took a point from an enthralling 3-3 draw . guardiola agrees three-year deal with bayern in germany , bayern munich went 11 points clear at the top of the bundesliga with a 2-0 win in the south german derby at 10-man vfb stuttgart . croatia striker mario mandzukic and germany 's thomas mueller were both on target as bayern eased to victory . elsewhere , hamburg overcame werder bremen 3-2 in the north german derby , while fourth placed eintracht frankfurt claimed a 2-1 home win over hoffenheim . there was disappointment for schalke after it was held to a 0-0 draw by relegation threatened augsburg . in france , paris saint-germain stayed top of the table with a 1-0 win over lille courtesy of an own-goal from aurelien chedjou . bordeaux gained a 1-0 win at nice thanks to henri saivet 's 58th minute strike , while saint etienne eased to a 3-0 win over bastia .","leo messi scores four as barcelona crushes osasuna in la liga" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- my friend brian hull and i were both born 40 years ago today . our lives overlapped for six years , from those first terrifying weeks of seventh grade through high school graduation . then , like many of the friends you meet in those horrible , wonderful years , i never saw or talked to him again . we did n't start out as friends ; we started out as nothing . he was a guy in my math class who wore nice clothes and hung out with the other cool kids at lunch . i ran in different circles and had zero interaction with him up until the day we found out we had the same birthday . that day , our math teacher , mr. sweitzer , had us go around the room and say our birthdays out loud to demonstrate a point about probability , that in a classroom of 30 people , there 's a good chance that two of them have the same birthday . in our class , it was me and brian . once we discovered this connection , i turned to look at him , and he gave me a slight head nod as he raised a confident fist in the air and let out one of his characteristic low chuckles . after class , we talked briefly about where we were born and at what time of day . that day , we became birthday friends . over time , we became friends . brian was an easy person to like . he was a quiet and stoic leader , which on first blush could make him seem aloof or arrogant . though he could be stingy with his words and often spoke in a low , monotone voice that adults often interpret as deep apathy , he was articulate and witty and thoughtful about the many things in the world that interested him . on top of that , he was really smart . one day in ninth-grade spanish class , he rebelled against miss kahn 's selected topic of conversation and instead suggested that we discuss the ongoing battle over robert bork 's nomination to the supreme court . in spanish . i admired how he was passionate about a wide range of things , like politics and philosophy and religion and the environment and the grateful dead . i admired how he never seemed to have an unsure or awkward moment . to this day , when i 'm in an uncomfortable social situation , i 'll wonder , how would brian hull handle this ? ' i saw this quality in him tested , maybe even stretched to the limit , in our junior year . brian and i were still in many of the same classes , but for whatever reason , he seemed less and less engaged in school . i imagine that a common refrain in the teachers'lounge when it came to brian was that he was smart but did n't apply himself . he missed a lot of classes ; i do n't know why . i just assumed at the time that it was because being popular was a full-time job . from what i could piece together from movies and tv , it looked exhausting . whatever the reason , the absences and missed assignments were taking a toll , and things came to a head in english class . i overheard the teacher tell him how serious the situation had become , and how critical the upcoming exam on oedipus rex ' would be . i knew he had n't read the book and had n't been in enough of the class discussions to fake it , so i offered to study with him . i had my own problems at the time , but helping him was a welcome distraction , a concrete action i could take when i felt powerless over other parts of my life . so we went over every mother-loving detail of that miserable greek tragedy . in the movie version , this is where i would say that he aced that exam and got his act together and excelled at everything he did thereafter , and it was all because of a little help from his friend who was born on the same day . the reality is that i have no recollection of how he did on that exam or how he did in english or in any of his other classes that year , or what role i might have played in refocusing him . still , inside the pages of my yearbook , he wrote a note thanking me for all the help . i do know that he eventually pulled things together and that we both survived high school and moved on with our lives . i do n't remember the last time i saw him or the last conversation we had . but i knew he had started college and focused on his loves of both philosophy and the environment . on the night of october 22 , 1995 , brian james hull was struck and killed by a drunken driver as he and his roommate walked to a convenience store to buy charcoal . his friend was also killed . by that time , i had graduated from college and was living out-of-state . i missed the news . when i did finally hear , after the initial shock , my mind kept drifting to all the birthdays he was n't going to have . brian was only 22 when he died . this is the 18th birthday he 's missed . i 've thought about him at each one . i think about whatever is going on in my life at the time , and how trivial it all suddenly seems . i think about the man brian would have become . by age 40 , brian hull might have become a university professor or a successful entrepreneur or maybe an author . his argumentative streak would have made him a great lawyer . he 'd probably be married , and maybe a father of kids who would quickly come to appreciate the grateful dead . and he would have excelled at all these things . when i think about him today , i wish i had gotten to know him better . he wrote in my yearbook junior year , i 'll give you a call over the summer , and maybe we can go play a championship-like tennis match at a court within close proximity . have a thoroughly stimulating summer , and i hope to see you over it . ' we never played tennis , and we never saw each other over that summer . life has a way of intervening . earlier this month , i visited brian 's final resting place for the first time to pay my respects in person . it 's a very strange feeling to see your date of birth written on a headstone . it gives you a sense of your own mortality . it makes you think about the life you have and how you are living it . when i think about him today , i wonder who the other brians in my life are right now -- am i squandering any opportunities to play tennis with them or see them over the summer ? and because of brian , i try to make an effort to do something about it , albeit sometimes with more gusto than others . all these years since our friendship began in mr. sweitzer 's class , i thank him for that lesson .","cnn 's robert yoon shared a birthday with his schoolmate brian hull" +"facebook ( cnn ) -- flush with cash and drunk with power after its $ 100 billion ipo , facebook could be caught secretly brainwashing millions of new users into signing up ( mind-control hoodies , anyone ? ) -- and still i might not quit the world 's largest social network . ridiculous scenario aside , i 'm pretty serious . despite ongoing privacy concerns and rumblings of a backlash , it would take something drastic to make me leave facebook at this point . more than just a daily habit , facebook has become the place where i get important , often surprising glimpses into the lives of the 1,365 people with whom i 've chosen to connect . ( that 's not counting friends-of-friends , for facebook 's tentacles are ever-extended ) . why facebook wo n't start trading at the opening bell i 'm not always in love with facebook , of course . i get frustrated with the social network like everyone else . every six months , facebook introduces some huge new design of its site or engages in privacy-eroding practices that send many of its users howling into the status-update box . they threaten to shut down their accounts , write furious blog posts and organize ridiculous movements such as quit facebook day , which got less than 40,000 people to commit to deleting themselves -- a tiny fraction of the network even back in 2010 . but , in large part , the people who say they 're leaving facebook do n't . or they quit and come back . me , i 'm staying put . at this point , complaining about facebook is like grousing about the electric company while watching tv , or saying how lousy politicians are but forgetting to vote . facebook just is . it 's become an institution -- one that 's going to be around for a long while -- and all the missteps it 's made in its young , eight-year life have never prompted significant user defection . counterpoint : why i quit facebook , and am not looking back facebook is on track to hit a billion users sometime this year . a billion people . with just a few exceptions , that includes nearly every person i have ever worked with , a big chunk of my extended family , most of my friends going all the way back to elementary school and probably all the kids who were in my nursery at the hospital where i was born . there 's critical mass , and then there 's facebook , the death star that deflects every effort to blow it up . facebook has won the social-media wars because it 's where all the people are . those who have been waiting for something else to take its place , the way facebook siphoned off the population of myspace about five years ago , are still waiting . myspace , even at its peak , never had the mainstream acceptance and durability of facebook . facebook 's new billionaires i post lots of random thoughts and news links on twitter , share photos of my wanderings on instagram and still check in on the increasingly hollow google+ on a daily basis . but everything i post to those services also ends up on facebook because it 's the platform that feels the most robust and future-proof . infographic : how we use facebook since facebook introduced its controversial timeline design last year , my important personal milestones ( college graduation , marriage , the births of my daughters , the friday night lights ' finale ) all have neatly filed themselves into the digital record of my life . that 's what facebook wants , of course . but i 've come to stop resisting its voracious appetite for personal information . if i did n't share , and my friends and relatives and co-workers did n't share , i 'd be less apt to know who just got engaged , who just celebrated a graduation or who in my online community just died suddenly . when my grandmother died earlier this year , it was the place my relatives posted photos of her i 'd never seen before . it was where far-flung friends and family members offered their condolences for weeks after the funeral service . sure , we 've seen the inevitable backlash as facebook has grown to include everyone from your grandmother to that third-grade classmate you never really wanted to hear from again . but lately , it feels like the arguments in favor of leaving mark zuckerberg 's social network have gotten weaker as people become more resigned to the notion of a permanent facebook . timeline : mark zuckerberg 's rise from child prodigy to facebook billionaire when facebook recently bought photo-sharing app instagram for $ 1 billion , instagram users vowed to quit , complaining that their precious little network had sold out to a monolithic company . ( funny , that did n't stop instagram from jumping from 30 million users to 50 million in about a month . ) would-be competitors who have tried to take on facebook have largely failed to gain traction . path , which has a lovely interface and is more focused on smaller circles of friends , just hit 2 million users a few months ago . and diaspora , the open-source , nonprofit that was supposed to threaten facebook 's laissez-faire attitude toward privacy , has yet to crack half a million users . facebook to hold all-night hacking session once facebook has shareholders to answer to , things may change . but perhaps not as much as you 'd expect . at a south by southwest interactive event in 2008 , i saw zuckerberg speak about his company to application developers . even then , he stressed that the future of facebook was not as a website or tool , but as a global communication platform upon which other things would be built . it 's been amazing to observe how little he 's veered from that vision during four years of astronomical growth . if something is ever going to take the place of facebook once the company gets so big and complacent that it loses focus , it will probably be something built on top of facebook . perhaps a mobile app that accesses the social network 's huge population , something facebook-adjacent that takes what people like about facebook and turns it into something more nimble and attractive than facebook itself . maybe then i 'll think about pulling up stakes . until then , i 'm not leaving .","omar gallaga : facebook is where i get important glimpses into 1,365 friends '" +"facebook ( cnn ) -- flush with cash and drunk with power after its $ 100 billion ipo , facebook could be caught secretly brainwashing millions of new users into signing up ( mind-control hoodies , anyone ? ) -- and still i might not quit the world 's largest social network . ridiculous scenario aside , i 'm pretty serious . despite ongoing privacy concerns and rumblings of a backlash , it would take something drastic to make me leave facebook at this point . more than just a daily habit , facebook has become the place where i get important , often surprising glimpses into the lives of the 1,365 people with whom i 've chosen to connect . ( that 's not counting friends-of-friends , for facebook 's tentacles are ever-extended ) . why facebook wo n't start trading at the opening bell i 'm not always in love with facebook , of course . i get frustrated with the social network like everyone else . every six months , facebook introduces some huge new design of its site or engages in privacy-eroding practices that send many of its users howling into the status-update box . they threaten to shut down their accounts , write furious blog posts and organize ridiculous movements such as quit facebook day , which got less than 40,000 people to commit to deleting themselves -- a tiny fraction of the network even back in 2010 . but , in large part , the people who say they 're leaving facebook do n't . or they quit and come back . me , i 'm staying put . at this point , complaining about facebook is like grousing about the electric company while watching tv , or saying how lousy politicians are but forgetting to vote . facebook just is . it 's become an institution -- one that 's going to be around for a long while -- and all the missteps it 's made in its young , eight-year life have never prompted significant user defection . counterpoint : why i quit facebook , and am not looking back facebook is on track to hit a billion users sometime this year . a billion people . with just a few exceptions , that includes nearly every person i have ever worked with , a big chunk of my extended family , most of my friends going all the way back to elementary school and probably all the kids who were in my nursery at the hospital where i was born . there 's critical mass , and then there 's facebook , the death star that deflects every effort to blow it up . facebook has won the social-media wars because it 's where all the people are . those who have been waiting for something else to take its place , the way facebook siphoned off the population of myspace about five years ago , are still waiting . myspace , even at its peak , never had the mainstream acceptance and durability of facebook . facebook 's new billionaires i post lots of random thoughts and news links on twitter , share photos of my wanderings on instagram and still check in on the increasingly hollow google+ on a daily basis . but everything i post to those services also ends up on facebook because it 's the platform that feels the most robust and future-proof . infographic : how we use facebook since facebook introduced its controversial timeline design last year , my important personal milestones ( college graduation , marriage , the births of my daughters , the friday night lights ' finale ) all have neatly filed themselves into the digital record of my life . that 's what facebook wants , of course . but i 've come to stop resisting its voracious appetite for personal information . if i did n't share , and my friends and relatives and co-workers did n't share , i 'd be less apt to know who just got engaged , who just celebrated a graduation or who in my online community just died suddenly . when my grandmother died earlier this year , it was the place my relatives posted photos of her i 'd never seen before . it was where far-flung friends and family members offered their condolences for weeks after the funeral service . sure , we 've seen the inevitable backlash as facebook has grown to include everyone from your grandmother to that third-grade classmate you never really wanted to hear from again . but lately , it feels like the arguments in favor of leaving mark zuckerberg 's social network have gotten weaker as people become more resigned to the notion of a permanent facebook . timeline : mark zuckerberg 's rise from child prodigy to facebook billionaire when facebook recently bought photo-sharing app instagram for $ 1 billion , instagram users vowed to quit , complaining that their precious little network had sold out to a monolithic company . ( funny , that did n't stop instagram from jumping from 30 million users to 50 million in about a month . ) would-be competitors who have tried to take on facebook have largely failed to gain traction . path , which has a lovely interface and is more focused on smaller circles of friends , just hit 2 million users a few months ago . and diaspora , the open-source , nonprofit that was supposed to threaten facebook 's laissez-faire attitude toward privacy , has yet to crack half a million users . facebook to hold all-night hacking session once facebook has shareholders to answer to , things may change . but perhaps not as much as you 'd expect . at a south by southwest interactive event in 2008 , i saw zuckerberg speak about his company to application developers . even then , he stressed that the future of facebook was not as a website or tool , but as a global communication platform upon which other things would be built . it 's been amazing to observe how little he 's veered from that vision during four years of astronomical growth . if something is ever going to take the place of facebook once the company gets so big and complacent that it loses focus , it will probably be something built on top of facebook . perhaps a mobile app that accesses the social network 's huge population , something facebook-adjacent that takes what people like about facebook and turns it into something more nimble and attractive than facebook itself . maybe then i 'll think about pulling up stakes . until then , i 'm not leaving .","if something ever surpasses facebook , it may be a mobile app , gallaga says" +"facebook ( cnn ) -- flush with cash and drunk with power after its $ 100 billion ipo , facebook could be caught secretly brainwashing millions of new users into signing up ( mind-control hoodies , anyone ? ) -- and still i might not quit the world 's largest social network . ridiculous scenario aside , i 'm pretty serious . despite ongoing privacy concerns and rumblings of a backlash , it would take something drastic to make me leave facebook at this point . more than just a daily habit , facebook has become the place where i get important , often surprising glimpses into the lives of the 1,365 people with whom i 've chosen to connect . ( that 's not counting friends-of-friends , for facebook 's tentacles are ever-extended ) . why facebook wo n't start trading at the opening bell i 'm not always in love with facebook , of course . i get frustrated with the social network like everyone else . every six months , facebook introduces some huge new design of its site or engages in privacy-eroding practices that send many of its users howling into the status-update box . they threaten to shut down their accounts , write furious blog posts and organize ridiculous movements such as quit facebook day , which got less than 40,000 people to commit to deleting themselves -- a tiny fraction of the network even back in 2010 . but , in large part , the people who say they 're leaving facebook do n't . or they quit and come back . me , i 'm staying put . at this point , complaining about facebook is like grousing about the electric company while watching tv , or saying how lousy politicians are but forgetting to vote . facebook just is . it 's become an institution -- one that 's going to be around for a long while -- and all the missteps it 's made in its young , eight-year life have never prompted significant user defection . counterpoint : why i quit facebook , and am not looking back facebook is on track to hit a billion users sometime this year . a billion people . with just a few exceptions , that includes nearly every person i have ever worked with , a big chunk of my extended family , most of my friends going all the way back to elementary school and probably all the kids who were in my nursery at the hospital where i was born . there 's critical mass , and then there 's facebook , the death star that deflects every effort to blow it up . facebook has won the social-media wars because it 's where all the people are . those who have been waiting for something else to take its place , the way facebook siphoned off the population of myspace about five years ago , are still waiting . myspace , even at its peak , never had the mainstream acceptance and durability of facebook . facebook 's new billionaires i post lots of random thoughts and news links on twitter , share photos of my wanderings on instagram and still check in on the increasingly hollow google+ on a daily basis . but everything i post to those services also ends up on facebook because it 's the platform that feels the most robust and future-proof . infographic : how we use facebook since facebook introduced its controversial timeline design last year , my important personal milestones ( college graduation , marriage , the births of my daughters , the friday night lights ' finale ) all have neatly filed themselves into the digital record of my life . that 's what facebook wants , of course . but i 've come to stop resisting its voracious appetite for personal information . if i did n't share , and my friends and relatives and co-workers did n't share , i 'd be less apt to know who just got engaged , who just celebrated a graduation or who in my online community just died suddenly . when my grandmother died earlier this year , it was the place my relatives posted photos of her i 'd never seen before . it was where far-flung friends and family members offered their condolences for weeks after the funeral service . sure , we 've seen the inevitable backlash as facebook has grown to include everyone from your grandmother to that third-grade classmate you never really wanted to hear from again . but lately , it feels like the arguments in favor of leaving mark zuckerberg 's social network have gotten weaker as people become more resigned to the notion of a permanent facebook . timeline : mark zuckerberg 's rise from child prodigy to facebook billionaire when facebook recently bought photo-sharing app instagram for $ 1 billion , instagram users vowed to quit , complaining that their precious little network had sold out to a monolithic company . ( funny , that did n't stop instagram from jumping from 30 million users to 50 million in about a month . ) would-be competitors who have tried to take on facebook have largely failed to gain traction . path , which has a lovely interface and is more focused on smaller circles of friends , just hit 2 million users a few months ago . and diaspora , the open-source , nonprofit that was supposed to threaten facebook 's laissez-faire attitude toward privacy , has yet to crack half a million users . facebook to hold all-night hacking session once facebook has shareholders to answer to , things may change . but perhaps not as much as you 'd expect . at a south by southwest interactive event in 2008 , i saw zuckerberg speak about his company to application developers . even then , he stressed that the future of facebook was not as a website or tool , but as a global communication platform upon which other things would be built . it 's been amazing to observe how little he 's veered from that vision during four years of astronomical growth . if something is ever going to take the place of facebook once the company gets so big and complacent that it loses focus , it will probably be something built on top of facebook . perhaps a mobile app that accesses the social network 's huge population , something facebook-adjacent that takes what people like about facebook and turns it into something more nimble and attractive than facebook itself . maybe then i 'll think about pulling up stakes . until then , i 'm not leaving .","everything i post to twitter or google+ also ends up on facebook , gallaga says" +"switzerland ( cnn ) -- luis suarez leading uruguay to a late victory over england grabbed headlines on the eighth day of world cup group play , but before that match began another team had an arguably more important victory . colombia 's 2-1 defeat of ivory coast means that the south americans will definitely go through to the knockout stage of the competition , regardless of the results of their final group match next week , against japan . colombia becomes the third team guaranteed to go through . through : netherlands chile colombia there are also three teams that definitely can not qualify for the knockout stage . defending champs spain are the highest-profile early casualty , but they 're not alone . out : spain australia cameroon beyond that , things get more complicated . friday sees four teams trying to book a place in the knockout stage , as italy face costa rica and france play switzerland . all four teams won their first match . remember , a team gets three points for a win and one for a draw . if two teams have the same number of points , the one with the greater goal difference is ahead , so -- for example -- costa rica 's 3-1 victory over uruguay puts them at the top of group d , while italy 's 2-1 victory over england is good enough for second . in theory , any of those four teams can still go through at this point , which is why italy 's mario balotelli said he wants a kiss ( on the cheek ) from the queen if his side beats costa rica -- that would keep england 's chances alive , if slim . it may not be a surprise that group d is turning into the most complex battle so far . its teams are , as a whole , the highest ranking in the world cup , with uruguay ranked seventh in the world , italy ninth , england 10th and costa rica 28th . the france-switzerland match for the top of group e is more likely to produce a group leader . each team won their first match and has three points , so a draw will mean each has four and a victory for either side will give them six . the other two teams in the group , ecuador and honduras , both lost their first matches and have no points , so they both have to fight for a big win to have much hope of going through . if they draw , they get one point each and would only go through if either france or switzerland win tonight , and the winner of the ecuador-honduras match also wins big in their last match of the group . got that ? world cup schedule of matches cnn 's patrick sung contributed to this report .","switzerland and france face off for bragging rights in their group" +"colombia bogota , colombia ( cnn ) -- two hostages freed by a colombian rebel group reunited with their family members in the country 's capital friday . speaking to reporters , one of the freed hostages called for renewed dialogue between the government and insurgents . humanitarian exchange is the first step toward a friendly understanding , which permits the return of our brothers deprived of their liberty , ' politician armando acuna said shortly after he was released by the farc leftist guerrilla group friday . marine henry lopez martinez was also released friday and met family members at an airport in the country 's capital . this is the most beautiful moment of the liberations , the loving reuniting of the families . for this , all the effort is worth it , ' former sen. piedad cordoba , who helped coordinate the humanitarian mission to free them , said in a twitter post . acuna and lopez are among a group of five hostages that the farc leftist guerrilla organization pledged to release in december . red cross rescuers also participated in friday 's mission . helicopters bearing the organization 's symbol flew into the jungle wednesday to free the first of the group : a councilman from the town of san jose de guaviare . two other hostages -- a police major and a military service member -- are expected to be released sunday . some have suggested the hostage releases could fuel renewed dialogue between colombia 's government and the rebels . but news of two more kidnappings by the farc drew the ire of colombian president juan manuel santos . the president said thursday that he was tempted to call off the rescue mission after learning that two workers from the carton de colombia company had been kidnapped in southwestern colombia wednesday night . we are not going to suspend the liberations , because i do not want to frustrate the excitement and hope of the families of these hostages that are going to be freed , but what i want to say is that this game , this double standard , is totally unacceptable , ' he said . the farc , or revolutionary armed forces of columbia , have been at war with the colombian government since the 1960s . journalist fernando ramos contributed to this report .","colombia 's president accuses the farc of a double standard ' after two workers are kidnapped" +"germany ( cnn ) -- portugal earned a satisfying 4-0 win over world-champion neighbors spain on wednesday night , while france continued to improve under laurent blanc with a 2-1 victory away to england in another friendly . spain won the last clash between the two teams in july on the way to winning the world cup in south africa , ending portugal 's 19-match unbeaten run . but helder postiga struck twice after carlos martins broke the deadlock before substitute hugo almeida settled the match for portugal , who have put in a joint bid with spain to host the 2018 world cup and are celebrating the 100th year of the portuguese republic . midfielder martins volleyed the opening goal right on halftime after cristiano ronaldo 's shot was only blocked by spain goalkeeper iker casillas . postiga doubled the lead four minutes after the interval with a clever backheel from joao moutinho 's low right-wing cross , and the sporting lisbon striker fired in the third with 22 minutes to play when spain 's defense could not clear . almeida then beat the offside trap to collect pepe 's throughball and beat the onrushing casillas in the fourth minute of time added on to score his 12th international goal . it was only portugal 's second win in nine meetings with spain , who have not won in lisbon since 1934 . france inflicted england 's first defeat at london 's wembley stadium since fabio capello took charge in december 2007 , taking the lead through karim benzema and mathieu valbuena before substitute peter crouch 's late consolation . benzema fired the opening goal in the 16th minute with a low shot past goalkeeper ben foster at the near post following a smart interchange of passes with florent malouda . capello 's experimental young england team went 2-0 down in the 55th minute when fullback bacary sagna found space down the right and midfielder valbuena volleyed in a low shot after teammate sami nasri completely missed his attempt . striker crouch , who came on for the injured steven gerrard , guided in a clever volley at the far post from ashley young 's 85th-minute corner for his 23rd goal in 43 england appearances , but it was not enough to prevent his team being booed off . france , who also beat england in capello 's second match in charge , have now won four successive matches under coach blanc -- who suffered two defeats after taking over from raymond domenech following les bleus'first-round world cup exit . italy were held 1-1 by romania in austria as ciprian marica scored at both ends . the striker put romania ahead in the 34th minute after the italian defense failed to clear , but headed past his own goalkeeper with seven minutes to play after italy substitute fabio quagliarella touched on a corner by halftime replacement andrea pirlo . germany drew 0-0 away to sweden in gothenburg in a match of few chances as both teams'coaches experimented with their line-ups . norway won 2-1 away to the republic of ireland , world cup dark horses slovakia lost 3-2 at home to bosnia-herzegovina , while serbia won 1-0 in bulgaria with an 80th-minute goal from striker nikolai zigic -- who was later sent off . russia , who also hope to host the 2018 world cup , lost 2-0 at home to belgium as highly-rated young striker romelu lukaku scored both goals in voronezh . the netherlands , bidding jointly for 2018 with belgium , beat turkey 1-0 in amsterdam as striker klaas-jan huntelaar scored the winner in the 52nd minute with his ninth goal in the last five internationals .","netherlands beat turkey while italy and germany both draw and russia lose" +"england ( cnn ) -- portugal earned a satisfying 4-0 win over world-champion neighbors spain on wednesday night , while france continued to improve under laurent blanc with a 2-1 victory away to england in another friendly . spain won the last clash between the two teams in july on the way to winning the world cup in south africa , ending portugal 's 19-match unbeaten run . but helder postiga struck twice after carlos martins broke the deadlock before substitute hugo almeida settled the match for portugal , who have put in a joint bid with spain to host the 2018 world cup and are celebrating the 100th year of the portuguese republic . midfielder martins volleyed the opening goal right on halftime after cristiano ronaldo 's shot was only blocked by spain goalkeeper iker casillas . postiga doubled the lead four minutes after the interval with a clever backheel from joao moutinho 's low right-wing cross , and the sporting lisbon striker fired in the third with 22 minutes to play when spain 's defense could not clear . almeida then beat the offside trap to collect pepe 's throughball and beat the onrushing casillas in the fourth minute of time added on to score his 12th international goal . it was only portugal 's second win in nine meetings with spain , who have not won in lisbon since 1934 . france inflicted england 's first defeat at london 's wembley stadium since fabio capello took charge in december 2007 , taking the lead through karim benzema and mathieu valbuena before substitute peter crouch 's late consolation . benzema fired the opening goal in the 16th minute with a low shot past goalkeeper ben foster at the near post following a smart interchange of passes with florent malouda . capello 's experimental young england team went 2-0 down in the 55th minute when fullback bacary sagna found space down the right and midfielder valbuena volleyed in a low shot after teammate sami nasri completely missed his attempt . striker crouch , who came on for the injured steven gerrard , guided in a clever volley at the far post from ashley young 's 85th-minute corner for his 23rd goal in 43 england appearances , but it was not enough to prevent his team being booed off . france , who also beat england in capello 's second match in charge , have now won four successive matches under coach blanc -- who suffered two defeats after taking over from raymond domenech following les bleus'first-round world cup exit . italy were held 1-1 by romania in austria as ciprian marica scored at both ends . the striker put romania ahead in the 34th minute after the italian defense failed to clear , but headed past his own goalkeeper with seven minutes to play after italy substitute fabio quagliarella touched on a corner by halftime replacement andrea pirlo . germany drew 0-0 away to sweden in gothenburg in a match of few chances as both teams'coaches experimented with their line-ups . norway won 2-1 away to the republic of ireland , world cup dark horses slovakia lost 3-2 at home to bosnia-herzegovina , while serbia won 1-0 in bulgaria with an 80th-minute goal from striker nikolai zigic -- who was later sent off . russia , who also hope to host the 2018 world cup , lost 2-0 at home to belgium as highly-rated young striker romelu lukaku scored both goals in voronezh . the netherlands , bidding jointly for 2018 with belgium , beat turkey 1-0 in amsterdam as striker klaas-jan huntelaar scored the winner in the 52nd minute with his ninth goal in the last five internationals .","france inflict england 's first wembley defeat under fabio capello , winning 2-1" +"ac milan ( cnn ) -- ukraine and dynamo kiev striker andriy shevchenko is hanging up his football boots to begin a career in politics . ahead of the october parliamentary election , the 35-year-old shevchenko , who scored 48 goals in 111 caps for his country , is to join ukraine -- forward ! , a pro-business party , which was formed by politicians who were expelled by the main opposition coalition that used to be led by former prime minister yulia tymoshenko . it is certain , dynamo kiev is now my former club . this club , which i love with all my heart and i will always support , ' the former ac milan and chelsea forward told the dynamo website . i want to fulfill myself in politics and share the experience i gained in europe , to do something for my country , ' said shevchenko , while visiting a children 's summer school with ukraine -- forward ! leader nataliya korolevska . i decided to join the team of nataliya korolevska because ukraine -- forward ! is a party of the future , it is a party of young leaders . in politics , i plan to support the social sector and sport . after all , my main slogan is a healthy mind in a healthy body . ' shevchenko , who began and started his career with dynamo kiev , made his final appearance for the national team at euro 2012 , which ukraine co-hosted with neighbours poland . he is not the first ukrainian sportsman to enter national politics . heavyweight boxer vitali klitschko has his own political party -- the ukrainian democratic alliance for reform ' -- and is expected to be a serious contender in october 's elections .","former ac milan and chelsea striker andriy shevchenko retires from football" +"chelsea ( cnn ) -- ukraine and dynamo kiev striker andriy shevchenko is hanging up his football boots to begin a career in politics . ahead of the october parliamentary election , the 35-year-old shevchenko , who scored 48 goals in 111 caps for his country , is to join ukraine -- forward ! , a pro-business party , which was formed by politicians who were expelled by the main opposition coalition that used to be led by former prime minister yulia tymoshenko . it is certain , dynamo kiev is now my former club . this club , which i love with all my heart and i will always support , ' the former ac milan and chelsea forward told the dynamo website . i want to fulfill myself in politics and share the experience i gained in europe , to do something for my country , ' said shevchenko , while visiting a children 's summer school with ukraine -- forward ! leader nataliya korolevska . i decided to join the team of nataliya korolevska because ukraine -- forward ! is a party of the future , it is a party of young leaders . in politics , i plan to support the social sector and sport . after all , my main slogan is a healthy mind in a healthy body . ' shevchenko , who began and started his career with dynamo kiev , made his final appearance for the national team at euro 2012 , which ukraine co-hosted with neighbours poland . he is not the first ukrainian sportsman to enter national politics . heavyweight boxer vitali klitschko has his own political party -- the ukrainian democratic alliance for reform ' -- and is expected to be a serious contender in october 's elections .","former ac milan and chelsea striker andriy shevchenko retires from football" +"red lobster ( cnn ) -- i grew up a poor kid in detroit . government cheese sandwiches , occasional nights without electricity , long-distance telephone calls reserved for emergencies only . yet despite our struggles , my family never lost hope that life would get better for us . we never lost faith in the american dream . and as trivial as it may seem , a lot of that had to do with red lobster . now before you dismiss the notion that a chain restaurant could somehow be a beacon of light , you have to understand that in my neighborhood , if your family went to red lobster for dinner , that meant you were really doing something . it meant you got dressed up in your church clothes . it meant you would be using a salad fork and maybe even ordering the fancy dish you saw on tv . it meant twice , sometimes three times a year , a poor family like mine could order a steak in a middle-class restaurant and pretend we were rich . this is why when word recently came out that the chain was in financial trouble , i -- and many people who grew up poor like me -- paused . our industry is in a period of significant change , with relatively low levels of consumer demand in each of the past several years for restaurants generally , and for casual dining in particular , ' said clarence otis , the ceo of darden , the parent company of red lobster , olive garden and longhorn steakhouse , among others . according to forbes , darden reported a 37.6 % drop in earnings per share in the first quarter of the current fiscal year compared with a year before . red lobster was the biggest culprit . the magazine reports that the restaurant 's revenue dropped 4.9 % during the second quarter . darden this month announced plans to separate red lobster 's 705 locations from the rest of its portfolio with the possibility that it could be sold off . as i 've gotten older and a bit more affluent , perhaps even snobbier , i recognize that with the exception of those delicious cheddar biscuits , most of red lobster 's dishes pretty much taste the same . but statistics suggest that we have n't been going to restaurants like red lobster the way we used to , and it 's not because our collective palate has changed . it 's because we ca n't afford to eat out anymore . in the four years since the economy began to rebound , the median annual household income fell by 4.4 % . but for black households like the one i grew up in , income fell by nearly 11 % , more than twice the rate of latino homes and three times that of whites . red lobster remains a favorite spot for black families to dine after church . i imagine it 's harder to do with over a 10th of the family 's income gone . but it 's a mistake to blame the erosion of buying power and the decline of middle-class touchstones like red lobster or jcpenney on just the great recession . the truth is , the working class has been getting pinched for decades . from november 2012 to november 2013 , weekly earnings rose 1.1 % while the consumer price index increased 1.2 % , according to the bureau of labor statistics . that small uptick may not seem like much until you factor in three years ago , wages increased 1.8 % , and the cpi was up 3.5 % . and that may not seem like much until you realize that almost every year since 1983 , a series of small ticks like those two examples has been widening the gap between between what we earn and what we can buy . consider the poverty threshold . for a family of four in 1983 it was $ 10,178 . adjusted for inflation , that should be $ 23,817.03 today . however , the actual 2013 poverty threshold is $ 23,492 , a difference of $ 325.03 . when you 're living check to check , that 's a lot of money . when you 're living check to check with smaller checks to work with , luxuries quickly fall by the wayside . luxuries like going out to eat , which has slowed considerably since 2010 . red lobster is not the only restaurant seeing more empty seats than in years past . it 's just the one that happens to have an interesting tie to the poor folks i knew . the poor folks i know . as the nation talks about income inequality and the prospects of raising the minimum wage , it 's interesting to note that the true buying power of minimum wage peaked in 1968 . that also happens to be the same year red lobster was founded . i 'm no economist , but i doubt that the struggles of the working class and the struggles of a restaurant that depends on the working class for business are just a coincidence . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson .","lz granderson grew up poor , and a real treat once or twice a year was to go to red lobster" +"cpr ( cnn ) -- the small plane had crashed in an extremely remote part of alaska , miles from the tiny village of st. mary 's . it was an especially dark and foggy friday night , and rescuers were having a hard time figuring out the location of the cessna wreckage and its 10 passengers . they could hear survivor melanie coffee on the phone but with the poor weather , it was a frustrating needle-in-a-haystack kind of task . but coffee , 25 , made her way a half-mile across the slippery , sloping tundra and managed to find the town 's landfill , where she met the search party of 40 to 50 villagers and calmly guided them on foot back to the crash site . for four people , including her 5-month-old boy , it was too late . they had died from their injuries . the others had wounds that included head injuries and multiple fractures . had it not been for her going for help , more victims might have died , said clifford dalton , a paramedic for lifemed alaska . the fact that she could make it out to an identifiable landmark really helped to expedite the aid that the rest of the patients were able to receive , ' dalton said . what 's really remarkable about it is that she was tending to her infant child that was gravely injured at the time . ' the anchorage daily news reported that after the crash , coffee used a cell phone to call the on-call health aide for st. mary 's , population 500 . fred lamont jr. told the newspaper coffee was trying to give her infant son cpr . dalton called coffee a hero who put the needs of others before her own . dalton said he and his partner , paul garnet , helped treat the patients at the site . six to eight villagers helped carry each survivor to the landfill , which was as close as the ambulances could get . concerned residents also came to help from mountain village , about 25 miles away , where most of the victims were from . authorities are unsure why hageland aviation flight 1453 crashed . it left bethel at 5:40 p.m. and went down about four miles from the st. mary 's airport . hageland is working to gather information to answer questions and do what we can to ease the suffering of those involved in the accident . as a family-owned business this is an unspeakable tragedy for us , ' company president jim hickerson said on hageland 's facebook page . authorities said the dead were wyatt coffee , 5 months ; pilot terry hanson , 68 ; richard polty , 65 ; and rose polty , 57 . four of those injured were hospitalized in fair condition , officials said . they are : pauline johnson , 37 ; shannon lawrence ( age not given ) ; tanya lawrence , 35 ; and garrette moses , 30 . also injured was kylan johnson , 14 , who was treated and released . a spokeswoman for the the alaska native medical center said melanie coffee was in fair condition and was n't giving interviews . the national transportation safety board said sunday it was too early to determine if weather was the cause . alaskans depend on air transportation far more than residents in other states because many villages are n't on the road system . about 35 % of commuter plane and air taxi crashes in the united states between 1990 and 2009 occurred in alaska , according to data compiled by the centers for disease control and prevention . in july : deaths of two families in plane crash bringing closure to relatives of those killed in 1952 alaska crash cnn 's paul vercammen , stan wilson , karan olson and joe sutton contributed to this story .","the dead included her infant son , who she tried to give cpr , according to newspaper report" +"syria ( cnn ) -- if you want to see the impact of iran 's growing power in the middle east , look no further than syria . on monday , three important developments occurred simultaneously : first , world diplomats scrambled anxiously to salvage plans for a conference on syria scheduled to start on wednesday . the geneva ii ' meeting almost went off the rails before it began , with syrian opposition leaders threatening to stay away unless the united nations retracted the invitation it had unexpectedly extended to iran . at the same time , a new report about the syrian civil war showed what appears to be convincing evidence of large-scale systematic torture and killing ' by the regime of syrian president bashar al-assad , iran 's top ally . the report 's authors said the new evidence could prove al-assad and his regime are guilty of perpetrating crimes against humanity . and in the third major event of that day , the interim nuclear deal between iran and world powers went into effect . under the deal negotiated in november , iran suspended some of its nuclear enrichment operations , and western governments started lifting some of the economic sanctions they have used to pressure tehran . opinion : syrian genocide needs justice these three events will be included by historians and analysts when they write the story of the turmoil of the early 21st century middle east . they will note that this was a week that showed the consequences of iran 's gradually rising influence , as the islamic republic moved steadily toward its goal of becoming the dominant power in the region . not long ago , the dictator al-assad appeared on the verge of losing power to a popular uprising . president barack obama declared he must get out of the way . ' but his regime 's loyal allies in tehran sent in reinforcements . at the urging of its iranian patrons , lebanon 's shiite militia , hezbollah , moved its forces across the border into syria , helping to turn the tide of the war and adding to its increasing radicalization . the war went from a grassroots democratic movement to a brutal showdown between sunni extremists -- whose strongest elements now include al qaeda fighters -- against shiite forces loyal to iran and al-assad . now the syrian war , which has displaced millions of civilians and has killed more than 130,000 , according to the syrian observatory for human rights , is spilling into lebanon , iraq and elsewhere . it has become a proxy war for regional rivalries , with sunni states , including saudi arabia and qatar , supporting the opposition , and iran , along with hezbollah , standing steadfastly with al-assad by providing him with manpower , ammunition and intelligence . iran has not only saved al-assad , it has changed the character of the fight . it has turned it into a much more dangerous regional conflict , all but eliminating the prospects for a positive outcome anytime soon and adding to the indescribable suffering of the syrian people . where do iran 's nuclear program and the agreement with world powers fit into all this ? the interim deal was meant to freeze the nuclear program in place for six months while a final agreement is negotiated . but the announcement of the deal late last year immediately transformed the landscape . in the eyes of arab states , the u.s. was taking the first steps towards capitulating before iran 's aspirations . the iranian regime 's goal is to spread its version of islamic revolution and to make iran the most powerful country in the region . the sight of top american and european diplomats rushing to geneva to negotiate with iran sent a strong message . within days , the balance of power started shifting . countless delegations crossed the persian gulf , as arab rulers allied with washington sought to strengthen ties with tehran . saudi arabian officials railed against the united states . one reason iran signed the interim deal is that it has already achieved a great deal of what it sought with its nuclear program . under the so-called joint action plan , iran has suspended uranium enrichment above 5 % and will start getting rid of its 20 % -enriched uranium , which is close to weapons grade . but nobody thinks the deal , as it stands now , is a solution . in some respects , iran is already a nuclear power , although it does n't yet have the full immunity that nuclear weapons would create . as if to reinforce that point , iran 's top nuclear negotiator , abbas araghchi , told iranian television that if tehran decided to resume enrichment to its previous levels , it could do it in 24 hours . the white house dismissed the statement as meant for domestic consumption . but the fact is that iran is not dismantling its centrifuges . it is just unplugging them . in the meantime , iran 's economy has already started recovering . european , asian and arab businessmen are lining up to make deals with a resurgent iran . arab diplomats are speaking in measured tones about their persian neighbor , but behind the scenes , the worries are palpable . the mere prospect of an iranian presence at the geneva talks came close to scuttling the diplomatic effort . the u.n. withdrew the invitation after the rebels said they would not attend , and both washington and riyadh pressured the u.n . but already iran and syria have indicated they have no intention of supporting the meeting 's official goal of creating a transitional government to end syria 's war . syria 's regime will likely become more beholden to iran than ever . a stronger iran would deepen the divisions separating sunnis and shiites , arabs and persians , saudis and iranians , palestinians and israelis , making them all but impossible to bridge . the region would become a greater threat to itself and the world . the talks in switzerland will now start . but the fighting , torture and killing in syria will continue , even as former war crimes prosecutors say al-assad is viciously slaughtering his own people . in the end , much of the middle east 's future will depend on whether negotiators can find a way to stop iran from advancing its power to the point where it becomes essentially invulnerable . otherwise , the region will become an even more dangerous and desperate place , as we see today in syria . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis","she says u.s. wants new syria government ; iran 's backing makes al-assad unlikely to deal" +"syria ( cnn ) -- if you want to see the impact of iran 's growing power in the middle east , look no further than syria . on monday , three important developments occurred simultaneously : first , world diplomats scrambled anxiously to salvage plans for a conference on syria scheduled to start on wednesday . the geneva ii ' meeting almost went off the rails before it began , with syrian opposition leaders threatening to stay away unless the united nations retracted the invitation it had unexpectedly extended to iran . at the same time , a new report about the syrian civil war showed what appears to be convincing evidence of large-scale systematic torture and killing ' by the regime of syrian president bashar al-assad , iran 's top ally . the report 's authors said the new evidence could prove al-assad and his regime are guilty of perpetrating crimes against humanity . and in the third major event of that day , the interim nuclear deal between iran and world powers went into effect . under the deal negotiated in november , iran suspended some of its nuclear enrichment operations , and western governments started lifting some of the economic sanctions they have used to pressure tehran . opinion : syrian genocide needs justice these three events will be included by historians and analysts when they write the story of the turmoil of the early 21st century middle east . they will note that this was a week that showed the consequences of iran 's gradually rising influence , as the islamic republic moved steadily toward its goal of becoming the dominant power in the region . not long ago , the dictator al-assad appeared on the verge of losing power to a popular uprising . president barack obama declared he must get out of the way . ' but his regime 's loyal allies in tehran sent in reinforcements . at the urging of its iranian patrons , lebanon 's shiite militia , hezbollah , moved its forces across the border into syria , helping to turn the tide of the war and adding to its increasing radicalization . the war went from a grassroots democratic movement to a brutal showdown between sunni extremists -- whose strongest elements now include al qaeda fighters -- against shiite forces loyal to iran and al-assad . now the syrian war , which has displaced millions of civilians and has killed more than 130,000 , according to the syrian observatory for human rights , is spilling into lebanon , iraq and elsewhere . it has become a proxy war for regional rivalries , with sunni states , including saudi arabia and qatar , supporting the opposition , and iran , along with hezbollah , standing steadfastly with al-assad by providing him with manpower , ammunition and intelligence . iran has not only saved al-assad , it has changed the character of the fight . it has turned it into a much more dangerous regional conflict , all but eliminating the prospects for a positive outcome anytime soon and adding to the indescribable suffering of the syrian people . where do iran 's nuclear program and the agreement with world powers fit into all this ? the interim deal was meant to freeze the nuclear program in place for six months while a final agreement is negotiated . but the announcement of the deal late last year immediately transformed the landscape . in the eyes of arab states , the u.s. was taking the first steps towards capitulating before iran 's aspirations . the iranian regime 's goal is to spread its version of islamic revolution and to make iran the most powerful country in the region . the sight of top american and european diplomats rushing to geneva to negotiate with iran sent a strong message . within days , the balance of power started shifting . countless delegations crossed the persian gulf , as arab rulers allied with washington sought to strengthen ties with tehran . saudi arabian officials railed against the united states . one reason iran signed the interim deal is that it has already achieved a great deal of what it sought with its nuclear program . under the so-called joint action plan , iran has suspended uranium enrichment above 5 % and will start getting rid of its 20 % -enriched uranium , which is close to weapons grade . but nobody thinks the deal , as it stands now , is a solution . in some respects , iran is already a nuclear power , although it does n't yet have the full immunity that nuclear weapons would create . as if to reinforce that point , iran 's top nuclear negotiator , abbas araghchi , told iranian television that if tehran decided to resume enrichment to its previous levels , it could do it in 24 hours . the white house dismissed the statement as meant for domestic consumption . but the fact is that iran is not dismantling its centrifuges . it is just unplugging them . in the meantime , iran 's economy has already started recovering . european , asian and arab businessmen are lining up to make deals with a resurgent iran . arab diplomats are speaking in measured tones about their persian neighbor , but behind the scenes , the worries are palpable . the mere prospect of an iranian presence at the geneva talks came close to scuttling the diplomatic effort . the u.n. withdrew the invitation after the rebels said they would not attend , and both washington and riyadh pressured the u.n . but already iran and syria have indicated they have no intention of supporting the meeting 's official goal of creating a transitional government to end syria 's war . syria 's regime will likely become more beholden to iran than ever . a stronger iran would deepen the divisions separating sunnis and shiites , arabs and persians , saudis and iranians , palestinians and israelis , making them all but impossible to bridge . the region would become a greater threat to itself and the world . the talks in switzerland will now start . but the fighting , torture and killing in syria will continue , even as former war crimes prosecutors say al-assad is viciously slaughtering his own people . in the end , much of the middle east 's future will depend on whether negotiators can find a way to stop iran from advancing its power to the point where it becomes essentially invulnerable . otherwise , the region will become an even more dangerous and desperate place , as we see today in syria . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis","frida ghitis : syria a good example of iran 's growing power in the middle east" +"iran ( cnn ) -- the political reality is ... that the jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here . ' -- senator chuck hagel , 2006 as a result of those words and his voting record , former nebraska sen. chuck hagel 's nomination has turned a decades-long , bipartisan confirmation process for secretary of defense into an acrimonious one . while some leading figures such as the anti-defamation league 's abe foxman and the simon wiesenthal center 's rabbi abraham cooper say hagel 's words are borderline anti-semitism , i 'm less worried about anti-semitism and more worried about the judgment of a potential defense secretary who thinks israel has won support because of intimidation , ' not merit . israel is widely supported by the american people because israel deserves to be supported . israel is a lonely democratic ally and a steady friend of the united states in a dangerous and tumultuous region . their people are like the american people -- free , independent , capitalistic and tolerant . a gallup poll taken last year showed 71 % of the american people view israel favorably while only 19 % view the palestinian authority favorably and just 10 % view iran favorably . in a pew research center study last month , 50 % of adults said they sympathize more with israel in its dispute than with the palestinians . just 10 % sympathize more with the palestinians , while about as many ( 13 % ) volunteered that they sympathize with neither side . contrary to hagel 's logic , israel does n't enjoy widespread american support because anyone -- from any faith -- intimidated someone else ; israel earned the support of the american people because of its people 's values . opinion : hagel is a friend to israel the danger in what hagel said is if he thinks israel is supported on capitol hill because of intimidation , then it 's not hard to see why hagel is so soft in his support for our ally . he sees himself as an independent voice willing to stand up to intimidation , and he wears his anti-israel votes as badges of honor . but hagel is n't independent . he 's alone . his position on middle eastern matters is so outside the mainstream of both parties that almost no one agrees with him . in 2000 , hagel was one of only four senators who refused to sign a senate letter in support of israel . peter beinart : what 's behind hagel nomination fight the following year hagel was one of only 11 senators who refused to sign a letter urging president george w. bush to continue his policy of not meeting with yasser arafat until the palestinian leader took steps to end the violence against israel . john cornyn : why i ca n't support hagel contrary to america 's longstanding bipartisan position , hagel has called for direct talks with terrorist organizations hamas and hezbollah . in 2007 , hagel voted against labeling the iranian revolutionary guard corps , the group responsible for the death of many american servicemen in iraq , a terrorist organization . and in 2008 , he was one of two senators on the banking committee to oppose a bill putting sanctions on iran . one of the measure 's biggest backers was an illinois senator named barack obama . i 'm a new yorker and neither of my senators -- chuck schumer and kirsten gillibrand -- supports israel because someone muscled them into that position through intimidation . they both support israel because the lobby that wants them to support israel is an american lobby , made up of people from both parties and all religions and from people with no religion or political party at all . but if chuck hagel believes that it 's intimidation and not sound judgment that has caused his colleagues to support israel , then chuck hagel should not be confirmed as our next secretary of defense . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ari fleischer .","polls show most americans view israel favorably , but do n't support iran or palestinians" +"taliban peshawar ( cnn ) -- taliban fighters from pakistan say they have united with al qaeda forces in syria to fight the regime of syrian president bashar al-assad . the commander of the pakistan taliban , abdul rashid abbasi , has told cnn that the first batch of fighters has arrived in syria and established a command and control center to launch operational activities alongside syrian rebel fighters . abbasi , a close associate of pakistan taliban head hakeemullah mehsud , told cnn that 120 fighters are already in syria . the taliban commander went on to say that another batch of fighters made up of 150 men will arrive in syria this week . we shall be sending more volunteers , but can not give exact numbers at this moment , but we will provide whatever support is needed by our syrian brothers , ' abbasi told cnn . cnn is unable to independently confirm that members of the pakistan taliban are inside syria . cnn journalists have previously been inside syria and seen foreign fighters participate in the country 's civil war , which sprang from unrest sparked in the spring of 2011 . abbasi said the fighters were sent after the pakistan taliban received a request from the al qaeda operational commander in syria , abu omar baghdadi . pakistan taliban fighters will be under the command and control structure of al qaeda in syria , as it is leading the operation , he said . the pakistan taliban said it has also asked its local chapters in the mohmand , bajaur , khyber , orakzai and waziristan agencies to recruit fresh fighters who are willing to go on their mission in syria . the pakistan taliban says many young men are registering to go on their first foreign mission . but the pakistan taliban said it will remain based in pakistan . we have lots of fighters here and our central command will be operating from here , so there is no reason to stop operations in pakistan , ' abbasi said . they will go on as usual . ' israel trains for border clash with syria zahir shah sherazi reported for cnn from peshawar , and cnn 's saima mohsin reported from islamabad .","first batch of fighters has arrived , says pakistan taliban commander" +"taliban peshawar ( cnn ) -- taliban fighters from pakistan say they have united with al qaeda forces in syria to fight the regime of syrian president bashar al-assad . the commander of the pakistan taliban , abdul rashid abbasi , has told cnn that the first batch of fighters has arrived in syria and established a command and control center to launch operational activities alongside syrian rebel fighters . abbasi , a close associate of pakistan taliban head hakeemullah mehsud , told cnn that 120 fighters are already in syria . the taliban commander went on to say that another batch of fighters made up of 150 men will arrive in syria this week . we shall be sending more volunteers , but can not give exact numbers at this moment , but we will provide whatever support is needed by our syrian brothers , ' abbasi told cnn . cnn is unable to independently confirm that members of the pakistan taliban are inside syria . cnn journalists have previously been inside syria and seen foreign fighters participate in the country 's civil war , which sprang from unrest sparked in the spring of 2011 . abbasi said the fighters were sent after the pakistan taliban received a request from the al qaeda operational commander in syria , abu omar baghdadi . pakistan taliban fighters will be under the command and control structure of al qaeda in syria , as it is leading the operation , he said . the pakistan taliban said it has also asked its local chapters in the mohmand , bajaur , khyber , orakzai and waziristan agencies to recruit fresh fighters who are willing to go on their mission in syria . the pakistan taliban says many young men are registering to go on their first foreign mission . but the pakistan taliban said it will remain based in pakistan . we have lots of fighters here and our central command will be operating from here , so there is no reason to stop operations in pakistan , ' abbasi said . they will go on as usual . ' israel trains for border clash with syria zahir shah sherazi reported for cnn from peshawar , and cnn 's saima mohsin reported from islamabad .","taliban commander : al qaeda in syria will command fighters" +"hutu ( cnn ) -- two armed groups raped more than 150 women in a village in the volatile north kivu province in the democratic republic of congo in a four-day spree , a united nations official said monday . the attacks happened last month and members of a u.n. human rights team said it confirmed the attacks . victims of the attack , which occurred on 30 july in the village of bunangiri are receiving medical treatment and have also been provided psycho-social care , ' the u.n. officials said in a statement . in the statement u.n. officials said the culprits were insurgents loyal to the democratic forces for the liberation of rwanda . the ethnic hutu militia has been linked the genocide in rwanda in 1994 and has been been battling congo government forces recently . aid group international medical corps said it is treating the women and had more details about the rape spree that they say went on for days . the incident began when armed men entered a local village , urging the population not to flee by convincing them that they were only there to find food . however , after dark another group of armed men reportedly arrived , and over the next four days the armed actors raped women throughout the area , ' the organization said in a statement . the women were attacked by two to six armed men and sometimes in front of their husbands and children , the medical organization said .","u.n. says militants loyal to hutu militia group committed the attacks" +"fda ( cnn ) last week , ucla medical center notified 179 patients that it had potentially exposed them to a fearsome superbug , ' and urged them to get tested . the hospital accidentally infected seven people in procedures involving specialized endoscopes , called duodenoscopes , that proved difficult to thoroughly clean . two of the people died . the superbug ' at issue -- carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae , or cre -- is the latest and most difficult to treat in a series of superbugs that includes mrsa and vre . such bacteria are the frankensteinian result of our misusing antibiotics over many decades , and beating them back will require the kind of surveillance and coordination that might have prevented them in the first place . we might not have much more than dumb luck to thank for the fact that the cre superbug has n't spread to most american hospitals yet . duodenoscopes are among the least likely routes for spreading cre , given that the pathogen can contaminate most any surface in a hospital room , but our lack of coordinated attention to this detail , among others , is infecting people nonetheless . the fda first alerted doctors using the scopes back in 2009 that they could be transmitting bacteria , even after proper cleaning , reuters reported . but -- remarkably -- this agency , responsible for regulating all medical devices , has yet to take any action , though its menu of options is broad , ranging from taking the scopes off the market to demanding the manufacturers improve their designs or upgrade their recommended cleaning protocols . apparently detecting an underwhelming sense of urgency at the fda , rep. ted lieu of california , who sits on the house oversight committee , asked his committee to launch hearings into whether the agency is doing all it can to investigate and implement all potential solutions . lieu appeared prescient later monday when a top fda official told the los angeles times the agency had n't given due scrutiny to the cleaning protocols when it approved the scopes . ucla is only the the most recent of several american medical centers , including hospitals in seattle and chicago , where cre has hitched a ride on the duodenoscope , designed to treat blockages and other conditions of secretory ducts leading into the first segment of the intestines , called the duodenum . the seattle outbreak occurred from 2012 to 2014 , but fda 's warning to medical providers and hospitals last week , in the wake of the ucla infections , revealed that the agency did n't know what should be done to prevent the infections beyond meticulously cleaning ' prior to the standard disinfection procedure . the fda did n't even alert providers to the fact that the centers for disease control and prevention is about to release a new guideline that includes the seattle protocol . reuters broke that news on friday . but the cdc can only recommend , not enforce guidelines . it will take the fda 's action to ensure that the pricey approach adopted in seattle is applied universally . cdc , fda , hospitals and all medical providers must engage in broader and more coordinated information sharing , and then act quickly and decisively with strategies to contain the bacteria and treat victims . the scopes may have been a factor in the unwitting spread of various bacteria between patients for years , but it 's a cre diagnosis that will put all hands on deck and prompt a thorough investigation to get to the source . why ? cre kills up to 40 % of infected individuals once it spreads into the bloodstream . individual hospitals affected by scope-related cre outbreaks have out of necessity rolled out creative decontamination protocols of their own that include exposing the scopes to a toxic gas and culturing the scopes and setting them aside for days while any bacteria grow . piedmont hospital in atlanta even throws in a little extra elbow grease by giving the scope 's delicate parts a thorough toothbrushing . virginia mason medical center in seattle , which suffered 11 patient deaths after contaminated duodenoscopes introduced bacteria into its patients , has n't seen any further cases since implementing its surveillance culture protocol , which has cost the hospital $ 1 million in additional scopes , usa today reported . hospitals are generating their protocols without clear guidance from the fda , which oddly chose the venue of the la times interview monday to cast doubt on ucla 's new approach of using ethylene oxide gas to kill off any cre still on used scopes . an fda official wondered aloud if some of the toxic gas could linger on the scopes and harm patients , and ucla immediately replied that the scopes are set aside long enough for the gas to dissipate . none of these exchanges inspires confidence . the agency 's back-seat driver approach is clearly a source of great frustration when infectious disease specialists and quality consultants are both asking for stricter regulation . in fairness , the fda is grossly understaffed for the job of regulating medical devices . the act granting the agency its authority to collect user fees from device companies to fund its review activities enables the agency to employ just 200 workers for all aspects of its process , from premarket approval to post-market surveillance . what 's more , hospitals and clinics generate a tsunami of medical records that contain information about how various medical devices are working on a daily basis , but researchers and the fda have inordinate trouble making much of it useful , because the precise devices are n't clearly identified . fortunately the agency is working on rolling out unique device identification codes that will make these records into actionable data . taxpayers need our government to levy smart fees that are directed to fund the functions of key agencies like the fda and the cdc , which we rely on to make sure medical devices are as safe as possible when they 're introduced and to keep track of any problems on a continuous basis . instead , the affordable care act included a 2.3 % across-the-board device tax that 's not about improving medical devices but rather is decreasing economic activity in this sector . tapping the brakes on the medical device industry is n't a good idea when we 're relying on its innovations to fix problems like the duodenoscope design . on the other hand , president obama 's 2016 budget includes $ 264 million for the antibiotic resistance solutions initiative , a project that will engage the cdc in coordinating regional labs and rapid data-sharing to detect superbugs and learn their characteristics . this is crucial to stop the community spread of cre ; in north carolina , where three patients contracted cre inside one hospital , 15 people actually brought cre with them into the hospital rather than getting it there . the program would also spread best practices for antibiotic usage among all levels of medical facilities , so that cre does n't become endemic and thus a routine cause of death in our hospitals . it 's a great next step . whatever wrangling republicans have planned for the white house budget should n't include excising such an essential public health measure , especially in the wake of what we 're seeing play out at ucla .","he says outbreak caused by hard-to-clean medical device , fda has treated crisis with lack of urgency" +"ntsb washington ( cnn ) -- the national transportation safety board has concluded a deadly accident involving a bus driver who fell asleep while driving on a virginia interstate last year was caused in part by acute sleep loss ' as well as inadequate oversight by the bus company and the government . four people died on may 31 , 2011 , when a motorcoach operated by sky express inc. , with 59 people on board bound for new york , drifted off interstate 95 near richmond , virginia , around 5 a.m . the bus struck a cable barrier , rotated clockwise , then overturned . the roof was crushed . in addition to the four deaths , 49 other passengers were injured . the driver , kin yiu cheung , was slightly injured and refused medical treatment , safety officials said . at a board meeting tuesday , the safety board said that a 13-month investigation found the driver failed to maintain control of the vehicle because of fatigue resulting from acute sleep loss , poor sleep quality , and ... the failure of sky express inc. management to follow adequate safety practices and to exercise safety oversight of the driver . ' this crash never should have happened , ' said the board 's chairman , deborah a.p . hersman . it was entirely preventable . those travelers were failed at three levels : by the driver , the operator and the regulator . ' the safety board ruled out alcohol , drugs , cell phone use , weather , mechanical defects , speed and highway design as playing any role in the accident . the report said the bus company 's failure to exercise even minimal oversight of its drivers'rest and sleep activities enabled the drivers to drive while dangerously fatigued . ' an examination of the driver 's work schedule , sleep times and cell phone use revealed that his opportunity for sleep in the 72 hours prior to the crash was limited , the safety board said in a release . the board said another factor contributing to the accident was the federal motor carrier safety administration 's lack of adequate oversight of north carolina-based sky express , which allowed the company to continue operations despite known safety issues . ' protecting the traveling public by strengthening bus and truck safety is fmcsa 's number one priority , ' the federal organization whose primary mission is to prevent commercial motor-vehicle-related fatalities , said in a statement sent to cnn . fmcsa closed the loophole that allowed 10-day extensions for passenger bus companies undergoing safety compliance reviews . it is also why our agency shut down 54 unsafe bus companies in 2011 . ' the report cited the lack of a comprehensive occupant protection system , including systems for providing passenger restraint and for ensuring sufficient roof strength . ' in addition to determining the cause of the accident , federal safety officials recommended expanded research on window glazing requirements to protect occupants from ejection as well as developing ways to assess effectiveness of fatigue management plans to improve alertness and limit driving mistakes . sky express shut down shortly after the accident . cheung was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving . motorcoaches transport 750 million passengers each year , according to the national transportation safety board . cnn 's alicia tarancon contributed to this report .","the ntsb blames the driver , the bus company and the federal oversight agency" +"pablo escobar miami ( cnn ) despite calling the case incredible ' and the newly discovered evidence very intriguing , ' a judge friday ruled against overturning the conviction of a onetime wealthy businessman who 's been sitting in prison for 27 years for the killing of two people inside a downtown miami hotel . krishna kris ' maharaj , 75 , was not in court when judge william thomas said , this court fully weighed the materiality , relevance and inconsistencies of the newly discovered evidence , and concludes that such evidence falls dramatically short of establishing that the murders were committed by anyone other than mr . maharaj . ' the convicted killer 's family sat in the front row of the courtroom , and held each other as the judge uttered those words . just a couple of rows behind them , the wife and mother of the victims , derrick and duane moo young , shed tears of happiness . maharaj 's attorneys have 30 days to appeal the decision . they did not say whether they would do so . from luxury living to prison bars it was october 1986 , when police arrested maharaj -- an international food importer and newspaper owner -- in the shooting deaths of his business partners , derrick moo young and his 23-year-old son . at the time , the british citizen was living the good life in south florida . he had owned luxury cars and horses that raced against thoroughbreds held by queen elizabeth ii . that all came crumbling down . despite having an alibi , maharaj was charged with murdering the moo youngs because they allegedly had cheated him out of more than $ 400,000 . he was found guilty and sentenced to death -- a penalty that was later reduced to life in prison . then , in april 2014 , judge thomas , of florida 's 11th judicial circuit court , granted maharaj a chance that could open the door to freedom . a hearing was held in november to determine whether new evidence from maharaj 's lawyers undermines confidence in the verdict , ' according to court documents . defense attorneys also had to establish that the new evidence would probably produce an acquittal or less severe sentence on retrial . ' a cartel connection ? maharaj 's lawyers said evidence suggested the murders were committed by former members of pablo escobar 's infamous colombian drug cartel . in the late 1970s and early '80s , escobar cashed in on the exploding popularity of cocaine in the united states , said reporter mark bowden , author of killing pablo . ' maharaj : i was framed for murders ordered by escobar leader of the medellin cartel , escobar was responsible at one point for almost 80 % of colombia 's cocaine exports , making him the seventh richest man in the world , bowden told cnn . escobar was killed in a rooftop shootout with authorities in 1993 . according to a motion filed last year by maharaj 's attorneys , a colombian drug cartel member confirmed that the moo young murders were committed at the behest of pablo escobar . ' the moo youngs were laundering money for the colombian cartels , ' the defense motion said . this is what precipitated their murders . ' an ex-cartel member confirmed that maharaj was not involved in the murders of the moo youngs , and that they had to be eliminated because they had lost colombian drug money , ' according to the defense motion . we 've got several colombian cartel people to say ,'we did the murders ,'' maharaj defense attorney clive stafford smith told cnn on the phone last june . the defense team also alleged florida prosecutors covered up evidence in the 1987 trial that could have proved maharaj 's innocence . the prosecution 's case although prosecutors said they stood by the decades-old case , in a june email to cnn , a state attorney spokesman wrote , now that we are re-engaged in litigation on this matter , it would be inappropriate for us to be commenting at this time . ' but , in their own motion , prosecutors wrote , the only thing that is obvious to anyone who really looks at these fantastical allegations by the defendant is that they are empty and have no substance . ' none of [ the potential witnesses named in the defense motion ] have any first hand knowledge , provide no admissible testimony or evidence and only attempt to further the nonsensical and wholly speculative theories of the defense , ' the prosecution document said . the evidence against maharaj was significant . police found his fingerprints in the guest room at miami 's dupont plaza hotel where the shootings occurred . maharaj said he was there for a meeting , but departed before the moo youngs were killed . nineteen fingerprints found at the crime scene have never been identified , according to the defense motion . maharaj : then and now maharaj told cnn 's death row stories ' that he left the hotel and drove 25 miles to fort lauderdale to have lunch with one of his newspaper employees . the employee signed an affidavit as an alibi witness . the restaurant manager , ron kisch , told death row stories , ' he remembered seeing maharaj having lunch that day . it does n't seem like there 's any way possible that he could have killed people at 12 o'clock and then been in for lunch sometime between 12 and 2 , ' kisch said . five other witnesses came forward saying maharaj was with them on the day of the murders , death row stories ' reported . today , maharaj sits in a medium-security correctional facility outside miami . he had been in poor health , according to his lawyer , although he seems to have improved . cnn 's javier de diego reported from miami .","kris maharaj 's lawyers say he was framed for a drug-money hit ordered by pablo escobar" +"diageo ( cnn ) -- europe needs to cut back on its red tape and be more competitive if it is to succeed on a global stage , according to diageo 's chief executive . paul walsh , boss of the world 's largest spirits producer , told cnn : we have to have less regulation and more focus on a competitive edge . europe is becoming less competitive in the global scene . ' read more : carlsberg 's sustainability drive pays off britain also needs to reforge its relationship with the european union , he added . however , this should not necessarily be thrashed out through an in-or-out ' referendum as proposed by british prime minister david cameron . as a businessman i would have preferred a much more authoritarian approach , ' he joked , but i suspect that politicians are deprived of that ability . ' read more : shipping giant looks to china to combat downturn he added : i think we should do everything in our power to stay in the eu , and that means inevitably some kind of compromise . ' diageo posted a 5 % rise in sales growth for the second half of last year , despite a decline in european sales . southern europe was particularly hard hit , suffering a 19 % fall in sales as the financial crisis continued to bite . read more : kerry ceo : ireland as europe 's'gateway' ' europe continues to become a smaller piece of the overall pie , ' said walsh , who is focusing on faster growth markets , such as latin america , africa and asia . recent acquisitions for london-based diageo have included shuijingfang , a maker of baijiu , a chinese white spirit , as well as mey icki , in turkey . diageo is in the process of acquiring a majority stake in united spirits , india 's largest spirits company . read more : could emerging markets be lindt 's new sweet spot ? growth in these emerging markets is offsetting declines in europe , but diageo 's home markets are still vital . we have to do a far better job in educating our population on the imperative of staying in europe , ' said walsh . i do n't believe that task should just be left to the politicians , business too have to stand up . ' diageo wo n't be putting any pro-europe stickers on their bottles ; walsh believes the educating should start within the business itself . we need to engage first and foremost with our employees , ' walsh said . he added the company should explain to them that many of these brands enjoy their place in the global marketplace because of free trade agreements that are configured via europe . ' cnn 's anna stewart contributed to this article","london-based diageo wo n't be putting any pro-europe stickers on their bottles" +"diageo ( cnn ) -- europe needs to cut back on its red tape and be more competitive if it is to succeed on a global stage , according to diageo 's chief executive . paul walsh , boss of the world 's largest spirits producer , told cnn : we have to have less regulation and more focus on a competitive edge . europe is becoming less competitive in the global scene . ' read more : carlsberg 's sustainability drive pays off britain also needs to reforge its relationship with the european union , he added . however , this should not necessarily be thrashed out through an in-or-out ' referendum as proposed by british prime minister david cameron . as a businessman i would have preferred a much more authoritarian approach , ' he joked , but i suspect that politicians are deprived of that ability . ' read more : shipping giant looks to china to combat downturn he added : i think we should do everything in our power to stay in the eu , and that means inevitably some kind of compromise . ' diageo posted a 5 % rise in sales growth for the second half of last year , despite a decline in european sales . southern europe was particularly hard hit , suffering a 19 % fall in sales as the financial crisis continued to bite . read more : kerry ceo : ireland as europe 's'gateway' ' europe continues to become a smaller piece of the overall pie , ' said walsh , who is focusing on faster growth markets , such as latin america , africa and asia . recent acquisitions for london-based diageo have included shuijingfang , a maker of baijiu , a chinese white spirit , as well as mey icki , in turkey . diageo is in the process of acquiring a majority stake in united spirits , india 's largest spirits company . read more : could emerging markets be lindt 's new sweet spot ? growth in these emerging markets is offsetting declines in europe , but diageo 's home markets are still vital . we have to do a far better job in educating our population on the imperative of staying in europe , ' said walsh . i do n't believe that task should just be left to the politicians , business too have to stand up . ' diageo wo n't be putting any pro-europe stickers on their bottles ; walsh believes the educating should start within the business itself . we need to engage first and foremost with our employees , ' walsh said . he added the company should explain to them that many of these brands enjoy their place in the global marketplace because of free trade agreements that are configured via europe . ' cnn 's anna stewart contributed to this article","diageo posted a 5 % rise in sales growth for the second half of last year" +"diageo ( cnn ) -- europe needs to cut back on its red tape and be more competitive if it is to succeed on a global stage , according to diageo 's chief executive . paul walsh , boss of the world 's largest spirits producer , told cnn : we have to have less regulation and more focus on a competitive edge . europe is becoming less competitive in the global scene . ' read more : carlsberg 's sustainability drive pays off britain also needs to reforge its relationship with the european union , he added . however , this should not necessarily be thrashed out through an in-or-out ' referendum as proposed by british prime minister david cameron . as a businessman i would have preferred a much more authoritarian approach , ' he joked , but i suspect that politicians are deprived of that ability . ' read more : shipping giant looks to china to combat downturn he added : i think we should do everything in our power to stay in the eu , and that means inevitably some kind of compromise . ' diageo posted a 5 % rise in sales growth for the second half of last year , despite a decline in european sales . southern europe was particularly hard hit , suffering a 19 % fall in sales as the financial crisis continued to bite . read more : kerry ceo : ireland as europe 's'gateway' ' europe continues to become a smaller piece of the overall pie , ' said walsh , who is focusing on faster growth markets , such as latin america , africa and asia . recent acquisitions for london-based diageo have included shuijingfang , a maker of baijiu , a chinese white spirit , as well as mey icki , in turkey . diageo is in the process of acquiring a majority stake in united spirits , india 's largest spirits company . read more : could emerging markets be lindt 's new sweet spot ? growth in these emerging markets is offsetting declines in europe , but diageo 's home markets are still vital . we have to do a far better job in educating our population on the imperative of staying in europe , ' said walsh . i do n't believe that task should just be left to the politicians , business too have to stand up . ' diageo wo n't be putting any pro-europe stickers on their bottles ; walsh believes the educating should start within the business itself . we need to engage first and foremost with our employees , ' walsh said . he added the company should explain to them that many of these brands enjoy their place in the global marketplace because of free trade agreements that are configured via europe . ' cnn 's anna stewart contributed to this article","recent acquisitions for diageo have included shuijingfang , a maker of baijiu" +"shuijingfang ( cnn ) -- europe needs to cut back on its red tape and be more competitive if it is to succeed on a global stage , according to diageo 's chief executive . paul walsh , boss of the world 's largest spirits producer , told cnn : we have to have less regulation and more focus on a competitive edge . europe is becoming less competitive in the global scene . ' read more : carlsberg 's sustainability drive pays off britain also needs to reforge its relationship with the european union , he added . however , this should not necessarily be thrashed out through an in-or-out ' referendum as proposed by british prime minister david cameron . as a businessman i would have preferred a much more authoritarian approach , ' he joked , but i suspect that politicians are deprived of that ability . ' read more : shipping giant looks to china to combat downturn he added : i think we should do everything in our power to stay in the eu , and that means inevitably some kind of compromise . ' diageo posted a 5 % rise in sales growth for the second half of last year , despite a decline in european sales . southern europe was particularly hard hit , suffering a 19 % fall in sales as the financial crisis continued to bite . read more : kerry ceo : ireland as europe 's'gateway' ' europe continues to become a smaller piece of the overall pie , ' said walsh , who is focusing on faster growth markets , such as latin america , africa and asia . recent acquisitions for london-based diageo have included shuijingfang , a maker of baijiu , a chinese white spirit , as well as mey icki , in turkey . diageo is in the process of acquiring a majority stake in united spirits , india 's largest spirits company . read more : could emerging markets be lindt 's new sweet spot ? growth in these emerging markets is offsetting declines in europe , but diageo 's home markets are still vital . we have to do a far better job in educating our population on the imperative of staying in europe , ' said walsh . i do n't believe that task should just be left to the politicians , business too have to stand up . ' diageo wo n't be putting any pro-europe stickers on their bottles ; walsh believes the educating should start within the business itself . we need to engage first and foremost with our employees , ' walsh said . he added the company should explain to them that many of these brands enjoy their place in the global marketplace because of free trade agreements that are configured via europe . ' cnn 's anna stewart contributed to this article","recent acquisitions for diageo have included shuijingfang , a maker of baijiu" +"china ( cnn ) -- it 's hard to believe it 's been more than a year since i stood before the audience at one of my favorite forums , ted . but a year later , our vision for an oil-free world where electric cars are more convenient and affordable than gasoline-powered cars remains the same . it 's been a turbulent year for the global economy , and the events of recent weeks only underscore the urgency of our situation as a society and as a planet . we see firsthand the severe damage oil can inflict , not only on our global economy but also on our environment . just look at the tragedy unfolding in the gulf of mexico . we will soon see the damage of this horrific event in very human terms , as the damage to the industry , the environment and the livelihood of those in the gulf grows and all struggle to recover in the coming months and years . my hope is that we will soon get to a point where we see that the cost of oil in human capital is no longer acceptable and that the increasing complexity of finding and retrieving this diminishing resource no longer makes economic sense . the good news is we are already seeing a shift that will ultimately take us from a transportation system based on a volatile oil ecosystem to one based on a more sustainable model using electric cars that creates a market for clean energy . the shift to electrification is inevitable , and we 're seeing some of the world 's leading countries make strong commitments to electrification . china , france , japan and israel are just a few . motivations vary from country to country , but the end result will be the same : a stronger economy , healthier automotive sector and increased development of clean energy , leading to a healthier society . we will see new countries emerge to lead the way , and we will see former powerhouses who fail to act , left behind in this new sustainable global economy . while governments have the ability to accelerate the shift , the question remains how quickly we can get there . my start-up , better place , has made great progress in the past 12 months , and we 're moving forward in all of our committed markets . we began the year by raising $ 350 million in a financing round led by hsbc , and we continue to drive toward a full system test in israel later this year , followed by our commercial launches in israel and denmark in late 2011 . on april 26 of this year , we launched the first switchable-battery electric taxi project in tokyo . with the support of the japanese government , we 've partnered with nihon kotsu , tokyo 's largest taxi operator , to show what 's possible in a rigorous environment with cars that drive almost continuously . tokyo has much to gain from this : the city 's 60,000 taxis may only represent 2 percent of all cars in the city , but they are responsible for 20 percent of emissions . if the switch works for taxis , imagine how it can work for average drivers . just two days before our tokyo launch , better place signed a memorandum of understanding with chery automobile co. , china 's largest independent auto producer and exporter . you ca n't talk about the future without considering china : they get it , they 'll do it , and it 's that simple . today , only 2 percent of china 's population owns a car , but 80 percent of sales last year came from first-time car buyers , presenting a huge opportunity to get it right . the chinese recognize evs as a solution to the problem of the oil monopoly and its associated pollution , as well as an opportunity to leapfrog internal combustion engine technology and the rest of the auto industry . in fact , recent research from hsbc predicts that china 's share of the global ev market will grow from 2.7 percent this year to 35 percent by 2020 . in late 2011 , we 're planning countrywide rollouts of the better place model in israel and denmark . with the infrastructure deployment under way , both of these countries will be ready when the first evs from renault come to market . we are talking about mass market with these cars -- as better place and renault have committed to 100,000 electric cars for israel and denmark beginning in 2011 . this is just the beginning , and we 're seeing clear direction and new visionaries emerge such as carlos ghosn , ceo of renault nissan , who sees a future where evs are mass marketed and make up 10 percent of all car sales by 2020 . call it a revolution or an evolution , but this shift is happening today . while we still face a number of challenges , over the past 12 months , we 've seen a new willingness from the global auto industry to change . two years ago , most automakers considered electric cars a niche market , but today , we see almost every automaker in the world producing electric vehicles . as the benefits of a more sustainable transportation model are realized , we will very quickly see a dramatic change in the global economy , the health of the car industry and , most importantly , in the air we breathe . all of this points the way to a bigger , brighter future . it 's simply up to us to make it happen . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of shai agassi .","he says countries like japan , china , israel committing to some electric cars" +"prop 8 san francisco , california ( cnn ) -- opponents of california 's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages launched a new court challenge wednesday , led by lawyers who were on opposite sides of the case that settled the 2000 presidential race . a crowd protests the court ruling upholding proposition 8 in los angeles , california , tuesday . attorneys ted olson and david boies have asked a federal judge to block california from enforcing the ban , known as proposition 8 . we are two lawyers from opposite ends of the political spectrum who have come together to support one of the most important issues of our time , ' olson told reporters . the case is not about liberal or conservative , democrat or republican . we 're here in part to symbolize that , ' he added . wednesday 's lawsuit was filed on behalf of two same-sex couples who have been denied marriage licenses under proposition 8 . a federal judge in san francisco has set a july 2 hearing on the matter . watch the next fight about marriage » ' our constitution guarantees every american the right to be treated equally under the law , ' boies said . there is no right more fundamental than the right to marry the person you love and to raise a family . ' watch more on the same-sex marriage battle in california » olson was the lead attorney for george w. bush in the 2000 florida recount . boies , meanwhile , was the top legal strategist for former vice president al gore , that year 's democratic presidential nominee . california 's supreme court rejected a challenge to the marriage ban tuesday , but left intact about 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted before voters approved the ban in november . the court rejected arguments that the measure improperly amended the state constitution . in another echo of past political battles , one of those who argued in favor of proposition 8 was kenneth starr -- the special prosecutor who led the whitewater investigation that led to the 1998 impeachment of president bill clinton . the lawsuit is backed by the american foundation for equal rights , a newly formed organization based in los angeles . see ireporter photos of protests , celebrities » but a coalition of groups that fought the ban in california courts -- including the american civil liberties union , the human rights campaign and the lambda legal foundation -- urged supporters wednesday to turn their energy toward winning in the political arena rather than the courts . pushing the federal government with multiple lawsuits before we have a critical mass of states recognizing same-sex relationships or suing in states where the courts are n't ready is likely to lead to bad rulings , ' the coalition said . bad rulings will make it much more difficult for us to win marriage , and will certainly make it take much longer . ' opponents of the ban are already planning to put a new initiative on california ballots in 2010 to repeal it . but jim garlow , senior pastor of skyline wesleyan church in san diego , said on cnn 's larry king live ' that polls show same-sex marriage advocates losing ground . right now , californians support traditional , natural marriage 49 percent compared to 43 percent for same-sex marriage , ' said garlow , who supported proposition 8 . that 's a reversal . it has just switched in recent months . as people get more familiar with the reality , the sanctity of marriage , how special marriage is , why a child should have a mom and dad , they shift to the traditional marriage view . ' the suit filed by boies and olson cites heavyweight supreme court precedents such as brown v. board of education , the 1954 decision that banned segregation in public schools , and loving v. virginia , the 1967 ruling that struck down state laws banning interracial marriage . it also cited romer v. evans , a 1996 decision that killed an amendment to colorado 's constitution that rolled back gay rights ordinances . that measure , like proposition 8 , had been approved by voters . we 're going to court because people should n't have to surrender their fundamental rights to a popular plebiscite , ' olson said . people should not have to beg to be treated equally or wait for decades for popular approval to be treated equally . ' four states -- connecticut , maine , massachusetts and iowa -- approve of same-sex marriages . vermont 's legislature passed a law making same-sex marriages legal that will take effect in september .","ted olson and david boies appealing to federal court to block prop 8" +"miami this holiday season , i am heading to the only cuba i 've ever known . to nochebuena dinner with my cousin 's roast pork , her mother-in-law 's flan , platanos maduros , yucca and a salad . nochebuena is a latino celebration of christmas eve , and it 's a big night for us . there will be quick-fire spanish , varying degrees of english and jokes in the way i 've only ever heard my cuban relatives parry back and forth . many presents will be opened , and everyone will act like we all got each other the perfect gift . i 'm flying not to havana but to miami , where my grandparents and other relatives came years after fidel castro took over cuba , when it became clear there would be no free speech for anyone but him . the stadiums were filling with trials ' against the enemies of the state , friends were disappearing and my mother , despite her government job , knew her unwillingness to stay quiet while people suffered would get her in trouble . so she went into exile in 1961 , and she 's never been back . years later my grandparents followed their grown children -- my mother and uncle -- to the united states . when they applied to leave the country , cuban government officials did an inventory of the contents of their home . both their home and all of their things would be confiscated by the government on the day they departed . the morning she left , my abuelita was washing the dishes in their apartment before she and my grandfather left for the airport . suddenly she stopped . let fidel do the dishes , ' she said . i have never seen that apartment . family traditions when we land tuesday in miami , my mother and uncle will meet us at the airport and rush us to havana harry 's or some coffee stand where i can get a real cuban coffee -- none of this starbucks silliness . there 's a hint of cuba in the taste . and cuban and u.s. flags will be everywhere . i do n't care about south beach or art basel or coconut grove . every bit of cuba i get is gleaned from pictures , music , stories people tell me and these trips to see miami family , where i get hints of my ancestry in the food and jokes and presents . i soak it up on every visit . i 've never seen the sleepy , agricultural town of pinar del rio where my mother was born and lived until her teenage years . i 've never seen where she went to high school after they moved to havana or the beaches where she swam in the summertime and where one friend dangling his foot over a pier lost it to a shark . i do n't know where she had her first piano recital . when she plays my favorite cuban music on the piano , all too rarely , for some reason the notes make me cry . maybe it 's the hints of her life before me . the christmas heat in miami must be similar to what they feel in cuba , only a short flight to the south . i will pack my summer clothes and a bathing suit for my daughter . around midday on christmas eve some of us will head to el palacio de los jugos for lunch and cuban sandwiches . i will get my favorite materva soda , too sweet for me now but still worth the memory . my cousin , whose nochebuena pork would make martha stewart cry , likes to tease us to not to fill up at lunch . but we will be fine . dinner wo n't be until much later -- our family is always late -- and we all want her cooking . filling in the gaps my definition of beauty is n't blond hair or blue eyes or any classic american stereotype . it 's my black-haired cuban cousins , who look so refined and elegant . they hug me , the baby of my generation and the half-american with the brown hair , so hard . they remind me to come back . to miami , not to cuba . i 've only seen pictures of the tobacco trucks . my mother was taught to drive by the drivers at the tobacco trucking company where my grandfather worked , and it 's why she still drives a car like she means business . another hint of cuba on those long road trips . i welcome the news of thawing american relations with cuba and easing of travel restrictions . but i am tired of the ads for religious charity trips to cuba and all-inclusive beach resorts where tourists get pampered while my people , once removed , depend on charity for the most basic medical supplies . i am tired of the reasons for the sadness in my older relatives'eyes . i do n't want to hear any more stereotypes about who my people are or tourists talking about going to visit cuba before it changes . ' as miriam zoila perez has written , i do n't want to hear about your cuban vacation . i simply want to buy a plane ticket and go there myself . i want to go to my mother 's hometown and see where she was born without crying the entire trip . i want to put those hints together , fill in the gaps and see for the first time , where i am from .","she will celebrate christmas with her cuban-american relatives in miami" +"hoh hoh indian reservation , washington ( cnn ) -- for the hoh , life centers on the silver waters just off their reservation . throughout the tiny native american tribe 's history they have lived and fished on the westernmost point of washington state where the river that shares their name meets the pacific ocean . according to the tribe 's legends , the hoh were created on the river by k'wati or the changer ' in what the tribe refers to as the time of the beginnings . ' in hoh lore the tribe were upside down people , ' who walked on their hands and struggled to throw fishing nets with their feet . k'wati , the legend goes , righted them and taught the tribe to live from fishing the river and ocean . those same waters now threaten the tribe 's future . for tribe member and treasurer amy benally , the danger can be seen on the doorstep of her family 's home that has stood at the mouth of the river for nearly a century . benally grew up there with 12 members of her family . now the home is a gutted wreck from repeated flooding . at first the waters took out the garage and the small building benally 's grandfather used to smoke fish . then the family had to flee upstairs . we 'd see the waves and the logs coming , ' benally said standing in the musty ruin of the home . we 'd stand out here on the porch , and my grandfather would get mad at us and tell us to come back into the house . it was pretty scary . ' although the lowlands where her family lived were always prone to flooding , benally said the water rises more often now . it never used to be this bad , ' she said . the river 's changed . ' ernest penn , the tribe 's fish and wildlife officer , is a constant presence on the river and sees the difference too . cruising up the river in his boat , penn showed where heavy rains caused a landslide , where erosion changed the river 's bank and where , pointing to a stretch of water , a big pasture used to be . ' the flooding is no small problem for a tribe of just under 300 people who occupy a reservation only one square mile in size . several homes have been abandoned , other homes and the tribe 's community center wear permanent necklaces of sandbags to keep away floodwaters . there is little room for new buildings and even where there is it 's unlikely they could be put up -- more than 90 percent of the reservation is in the flood plain , according to tribal leadership . there are no clear culprits for the tribe 's woes . according to spencer reeder , the washington department of ecology 's lead strategist for climate change policy , the increased flooding could be due to a combination of factors including global warming , logging upriver and cyclical weather patterns that have brought heavy rains . according to a department study , the coast where the hoh live could see an additional rise from climate change in sea levels of as much as 3 feet over the next century . already , when the reservation floods , the water comes up with terrifying speed . baseball games have been interrupted , said penn . we 'll be waist deep on the ball field . ' last year , penn decided to move away from the reservation . i got two little kids , what if the river came up around them ? ' to rescue the tribe 's future the hoh leadership decided to move most of the reservation to higher ground and purchased new land for the expansion . before they begin building homes though , the hoh are waiting for congress to pass a bill that places 37 acres of national park land in a trust for the tribe . the tribe would not be able to develop that land , but the grant would mean that tribe members will continue to live on one piece of land and help the hoh obtain funding for new housing . according to a spokesman for rep . norm dicks , the washington state democrat who sponsored the bill , congress is expected to vote on the measure by the end of the year . for tribal chairperson maria lopez , the move away from the water wo n't come soon enough . we are ready to move , we are ready grow , ' lopez said looking out at the coastline where a major fault line sits . tribal lore talks of an earthquake and giant wave that devastated the pacific northwest coastline 400 years ago . what would happen , ' lopez asked , if a tsunami comes while we are here ? '","hoh tribe of washington state weary of constant flooding" +"schmidt barcelona ( cnn ) -- the world must act now to prevent a new digital caste system from emerging , google 's executive chairman eric schmidt told the world 's largest mobile phone gathering in barcelona , spain . in his keynote address at the mobile world congress , schmidt said for the aspiring majority ' of five out of seven billion global citizens , the web is still a scarce resource . ' the first future belongs to the early adopters , the lucky few . for this group the future offers only the limits of science and ethics , ' he said . for most people the digital revolution has not arrived yet . every revolution begins with a small group of people . imagine how much better it would be with another five billion people online , ' he said . schmidt predicted that in the next decade there would be many improvements to connectivity ; but there is a limit to the amount of new infrastructure that would be laid by 2020 , he said . smartphones are part of the solution , but having a smartphone is not enough to get you online . ' he suggested that isolated communities could share data in peer-to-peer or mesh networks , ' describing them as a digital watering hole . ' anyone with solar equipment can set up a network , he said . even modest amounts of connectivity changes lives . ' in this new world it will be easier for people to mobilize against dictators , as the uprisings in the arab world had shown , he said . some governments would try to control access to the web and new technology , but he said he believed they were going to fail . citizens will demand a more ethical deal . there will still be elites , but technology is a leveler , and those with nothing will have something . ' everyone is blessed with creativity and imagination and the capacity for innovation . in every person there 's an even better company waiting to get out . let us commit ourselves to building a world where everyone has a chance to be connected , ' he said . in his 2010 keynote at the mwc , schmidt proclaimed google 's new strategy of putting mobile first . ' the following year he gave an update on the rise of android and emphasized the importance of cloud computing to the future of new mobile services .","schmidt : technology is a leveler , and those with nothing will have something '" +"schmidt barcelona ( cnn ) -- the world must act now to prevent a new digital caste system from emerging , google 's executive chairman eric schmidt told the world 's largest mobile phone gathering in barcelona , spain . in his keynote address at the mobile world congress , schmidt said for the aspiring majority ' of five out of seven billion global citizens , the web is still a scarce resource . ' the first future belongs to the early adopters , the lucky few . for this group the future offers only the limits of science and ethics , ' he said . for most people the digital revolution has not arrived yet . every revolution begins with a small group of people . imagine how much better it would be with another five billion people online , ' he said . schmidt predicted that in the next decade there would be many improvements to connectivity ; but there is a limit to the amount of new infrastructure that would be laid by 2020 , he said . smartphones are part of the solution , but having a smartphone is not enough to get you online . ' he suggested that isolated communities could share data in peer-to-peer or mesh networks , ' describing them as a digital watering hole . ' anyone with solar equipment can set up a network , he said . even modest amounts of connectivity changes lives . ' in this new world it will be easier for people to mobilize against dictators , as the uprisings in the arab world had shown , he said . some governments would try to control access to the web and new technology , but he said he believed they were going to fail . citizens will demand a more ethical deal . there will still be elites , but technology is a leveler , and those with nothing will have something . ' everyone is blessed with creativity and imagination and the capacity for innovation . in every person there 's an even better company waiting to get out . let us commit ourselves to building a world where everyone has a chance to be connected , ' he said . in his 2010 keynote at the mwc , schmidt proclaimed google 's new strategy of putting mobile first . ' the following year he gave an update on the rise of android and emphasized the importance of cloud computing to the future of new mobile services .","schmidt : for most people the digital revolution has not arrived yet '" +"schmidt barcelona ( cnn ) -- the world must act now to prevent a new digital caste system from emerging , google 's executive chairman eric schmidt told the world 's largest mobile phone gathering in barcelona , spain . in his keynote address at the mobile world congress , schmidt said for the aspiring majority ' of five out of seven billion global citizens , the web is still a scarce resource . ' the first future belongs to the early adopters , the lucky few . for this group the future offers only the limits of science and ethics , ' he said . for most people the digital revolution has not arrived yet . every revolution begins with a small group of people . imagine how much better it would be with another five billion people online , ' he said . schmidt predicted that in the next decade there would be many improvements to connectivity ; but there is a limit to the amount of new infrastructure that would be laid by 2020 , he said . smartphones are part of the solution , but having a smartphone is not enough to get you online . ' he suggested that isolated communities could share data in peer-to-peer or mesh networks , ' describing them as a digital watering hole . ' anyone with solar equipment can set up a network , he said . even modest amounts of connectivity changes lives . ' in this new world it will be easier for people to mobilize against dictators , as the uprisings in the arab world had shown , he said . some governments would try to control access to the web and new technology , but he said he believed they were going to fail . citizens will demand a more ethical deal . there will still be elites , but technology is a leveler , and those with nothing will have something . ' everyone is blessed with creativity and imagination and the capacity for innovation . in every person there 's an even better company waiting to get out . let us commit ourselves to building a world where everyone has a chance to be connected , ' he said . in his 2010 keynote at the mwc , schmidt proclaimed google 's new strategy of putting mobile first . ' the following year he gave an update on the rise of android and emphasized the importance of cloud computing to the future of new mobile services .","google 's eric schmidt says web still a scarce resource ' for majority of world 's citizens" +"the namesake ( cnn ) -- from mississippi masala ' to vanity fair , ' mira nair 's movies have entranced audiences in india and the west . cnn spoke to the director of monsoon wedding ' and salaam bombay ! ' at the bollywood movie awards in long island about filmmaking in india and america and her adaptation of jhumpa lahiri 's novel about loss and family , the namesake . ' ............................... film director mira nair cnn : what inspired you to make the namesake ' ? mira nair : i happened to read the namesake ' on a plane in early 2004 , when i traveled from new york to jo'berg to finish the filming of vanity fair . ' i read namesake ' while in huge grief with the death of a beloved person to me [ mira 's mother in law ] . it was at that state of mourning that i picked up this novel , and in it jhumpa writes really acutely of a loss of a parent in a foreign country , and i thought i had been understood by someone . it was also a story that linked the two cities in which i had grown up -- calcutta and new york city -- and it was almost certainly the road that i had traveled . it just spoke to me and i felt compelled to do this film . a few months later we were shooting it . cnn : it 's filmed in both india and new york , such different cultures . tell us about the universal themes involved during the film . nair : well , the story of movement and crossings is as old as the hills . it 's a tale of millions of us that have left one home for another , and tried to find out who we are through these places . then when we have children , life gets more interesting . it is about growing up through our adult lives and our children 's lives . it is also equally a love story between two people who come from a culture who do n't send roses and diamonds for love ; who sit at a kitchen table and look at each other . it 's about that generation of parents who have that stillness about one another , versus the clang and hustle of young gogol who is 15 and grows up in an american world because he wishes to be american . that flow -- that see-saw between parents and children , that 's what the namesake ' is about . cnn : tell us about casting the role of gogol . nair : well , kal penn plays gogol and he 's known as a comic star , but i had no idea that he existed until my 15-year-old son said , this has to be your gogol . ' i did n't take him seriously at all until every night the campaign mounted at home : tell me in the morning it 's kal penn ! ' he would say . and then kal wrote to me and told me he became an actor because he had seen mississippi masala ' when he was eight years old and realized people on the screen could look like him , and other such seductive things . he came to my office and auditioned and he was just so appealing , and so much the real thing , that i cast him as gogol . cnn : how have indian audiences reacted to your heavily western-influenced films ? nair : it 's not that different a kind of audience , that 's what pleases me . salaam bombay ! ' we really made for the children on the streets and the kids who really love that bollywood stuff , and also with deeply alternative , ' which ran for 27 weeks . monsoon wedding ' was also a big hit in india . but no , they do n't come to my films for bollywood fare ; it 's a completely alternative thing . in terms of audiences on both sides , i 've been blessed : the films have been really well received and highly anticipated . cnn : the namesake ' was filmed in america and india . what differences were there in the two locations ? nair : in india it is more about orchestrating chaos , and it 's about sifting the chaos , but i get especially excited about the throb and chaos on the streets and so on , and in america it 's about paying for the chaos , you know every head has to be placed there and paid for . cnn : the namesake ' is about not losing the identity of indian culture . was that a challenge ? nair : i am at home in many cultures . i live actively in three continents and i 've done that for most of my life , so i just make films as i see the world , and that happens to speak to people . i do things that i want to do . it so happens because i am fluent in both worlds that my films enter both worlds , perhaps . cnn : do indian and american audiences behave differently ? nair : no , not really . i think films have to reach people and really grab them . that 's what i hope to do when i make a film -- to get under your skin and really make you think about something , and have a transporting time that takes you somewhere . e-mail to a friend","her film , the namesake , ' is based on jhumpa lahiri 's novel" +"american ( cnn ) -- from mississippi masala ' to vanity fair , ' mira nair 's movies have entranced audiences in india and the west . cnn spoke to the director of monsoon wedding ' and salaam bombay ! ' at the bollywood movie awards in long island about filmmaking in india and america and her adaptation of jhumpa lahiri 's novel about loss and family , the namesake . ' ............................... film director mira nair cnn : what inspired you to make the namesake ' ? mira nair : i happened to read the namesake ' on a plane in early 2004 , when i traveled from new york to jo'berg to finish the filming of vanity fair . ' i read namesake ' while in huge grief with the death of a beloved person to me [ mira 's mother in law ] . it was at that state of mourning that i picked up this novel , and in it jhumpa writes really acutely of a loss of a parent in a foreign country , and i thought i had been understood by someone . it was also a story that linked the two cities in which i had grown up -- calcutta and new york city -- and it was almost certainly the road that i had traveled . it just spoke to me and i felt compelled to do this film . a few months later we were shooting it . cnn : it 's filmed in both india and new york , such different cultures . tell us about the universal themes involved during the film . nair : well , the story of movement and crossings is as old as the hills . it 's a tale of millions of us that have left one home for another , and tried to find out who we are through these places . then when we have children , life gets more interesting . it is about growing up through our adult lives and our children 's lives . it is also equally a love story between two people who come from a culture who do n't send roses and diamonds for love ; who sit at a kitchen table and look at each other . it 's about that generation of parents who have that stillness about one another , versus the clang and hustle of young gogol who is 15 and grows up in an american world because he wishes to be american . that flow -- that see-saw between parents and children , that 's what the namesake ' is about . cnn : tell us about casting the role of gogol . nair : well , kal penn plays gogol and he 's known as a comic star , but i had no idea that he existed until my 15-year-old son said , this has to be your gogol . ' i did n't take him seriously at all until every night the campaign mounted at home : tell me in the morning it 's kal penn ! ' he would say . and then kal wrote to me and told me he became an actor because he had seen mississippi masala ' when he was eight years old and realized people on the screen could look like him , and other such seductive things . he came to my office and auditioned and he was just so appealing , and so much the real thing , that i cast him as gogol . cnn : how have indian audiences reacted to your heavily western-influenced films ? nair : it 's not that different a kind of audience , that 's what pleases me . salaam bombay ! ' we really made for the children on the streets and the kids who really love that bollywood stuff , and also with deeply alternative , ' which ran for 27 weeks . monsoon wedding ' was also a big hit in india . but no , they do n't come to my films for bollywood fare ; it 's a completely alternative thing . in terms of audiences on both sides , i 've been blessed : the films have been really well received and highly anticipated . cnn : the namesake ' was filmed in america and india . what differences were there in the two locations ? nair : in india it is more about orchestrating chaos , and it 's about sifting the chaos , but i get especially excited about the throb and chaos on the streets and so on , and in america it 's about paying for the chaos , you know every head has to be placed there and paid for . cnn : the namesake ' is about not losing the identity of indian culture . was that a challenge ? nair : i am at home in many cultures . i live actively in three continents and i 've done that for most of my life , so i just make films as i see the world , and that happens to speak to people . i do things that i want to do . it so happens because i am fluent in both worlds that my films enter both worlds , perhaps . cnn : do indian and american audiences behave differently ? nair : no , not really . i think films have to reach people and really grab them . that 's what i hope to do when i make a film -- to get under your skin and really make you think about something , and have a transporting time that takes you somewhere . e-mail to a friend","nair : indian and american audiences not that different '" +"inter milan ( cnn ) -- juventus came from behind to defeat bologna 4-1 on saturday to put pressure on inter milan at the top of the serie a table . alessandro del piero celebrates the first of his two goals in juventus'4-1 victory over bologna . massimo mutarelli put bologna ahead in the 24th minute , but a dominant second half display from the bianconeri gave them all three points . hasan salihimidzic equalised in the 49th minute before sebastian giovinco put the home side ahead in the 71st minute . a brace from alessandro del piero in the 75th and 88th minutes sealed a win which takes juve to within four points of leaders inter , who face a tricky home match against fiorentina on sunday . in saturday 's other match , genoa boosted their hopes of playing in the champions league next season thanks to a 1-0 win at 10-man cagliari to move above fiorentina into fourth place . cagliari lost andrea cossu to a red card in the 39th minute but held out until five minutes from the end when ruben olivera grabbed the decisive goal . meanwhile , veteran striker filippo inzaghi scored his 300th career goal to help milan crush siena 5-1 on sunday to consolidate third place in the table . the 35-year-old scored twice , while alexander pato also netted a brace and andrea pirlo scored the opener from the penalty spot , as milan proved too strong for their opponents -- for whom massimo maccarone was on target . roma lost further ground in the race for the fourth champions league place as they were held to a 2-2 draw at sampdoria . julio baptista gave the visitors a seventh-minute lead but giampaolo pazzini headed home an equalizer before the same player put the home side ahead after a mistake from goalkeeper doni . but baptista levelled from the spot after marco padalino was penalized for fouling max tonetto -- the player who missed the decisive spot-kick in the midweek champions league defeat by arsenal .","the result lifts juventus to within four points of inter milan at the top of serie a" +"jfk airport ( travel + leisure ) -- with airports from new york to sydney getting upgrades , travel + leisure picks our favorite restaurants , bars , lounges , shops and spas . travelers can tuck into skirt steak tacos at bonfire , a todd english restaurant in terminal b of boston 's logan international airport . restaurants boston : bonfire , logan international airport todd english continues to expand his empire with the third outpost of his south american-inspired steak house , bonfire , at terminal b. grilled chicharrones ( crispy pork in chimichurri sauce ) and skirt steak topped with chipotle aioli and avocado crema are standouts . bonfiresteakhouse.com . london : plane restaurant , heathrow airport gordon ramsay 's first airport restaurant opens this month in terminal 5 . in addition to a michelin star-worthy menu ( braised pork cheeks with honey and cloves and brioche french toast with treacle-cured bacon in the mornings ) , travelers can opt for special picnics ' -to-go . baa.com . stockholm : max , arlanda airport a cross between in-n-out burger and mcdonald 's , max is a family-run swedish fast-food chain that dates back to 1968 . now it has brought its brand of trans-fat-free , made-to-order swedish burgers and crispy fries to the capital 's airport ( terminal 4 ) . for those trying to stay fit while on the road , there 's the delifresh menu , including a chicken burger served with fresh fruit salad . max.se . bars copenhagen : nørrebro bryghus , copenhagen airport denmark has experienced an artisanal beer resurgence in the last few years with the opening of 25 new microbreweries . ushering in a new era is the nørrebro bryghus , whose owner anders kissmeyer recently opened a branch between terminals 2 and 3 ( before security ) . always on tap : four different danish seasonal , handcrafted beers served at its stainless-steel bar . cph.dk . new york : vino volo , jfk this contemporary wine bar recently launched a fifth airport location at american airlines'terminal 8 . the dimly lit , cream- and brown-tinged venue stocks bottles from around the world , including little-known vintages from the hudson river valley . vinovolo.com . singapore : post bar , changi airport taking design cues from its namesake older sibling in the fullerton hotel , the just-opened post bar in terminal 3 mixes traditional and modern design elements ( retro artichoke lamps ; an illuminated honey-onyx bar ) . the best part ? it 's open 24 hours a day . fullertonhotel.com . lounges geneva : swiss lounges , geneva international airport when it came to designing new lounges for geneva airport , swiss air stuck to what it knows best -- being swiss . more than 10 tons of limestone from the jura mountains were used in the construction , the menu consists of national dishes such as älplermakkaroni ( alpine-style macaroni-and-cheese ) , and the chocolate leather chairs and sofas were produced by vitra ( though designed by londoner jasper morrison ) . swiss.com . los angeles : oneworld , lax san francisco-based gensler architects ( currently at work on jfk 's new jetblue terminal ) have created a 15,000-square-foot eco-lounge that evokes a contemporary california-cool vibe , with sea grass-resin panels , chiseled limestone walls , b & b italia chairs and walnut-wood partitions . first- and business-class passengers can freshen up in one of nine shower suites . lawa.org/lax . munich : lufthansa , munich airport international passengers at the new lufthansa first-class lounge in munich can expect red-carpet treatment : in-lounge security and separate passport control ( no long lines ) , and a chauffeured mercedes-benz s-class or porsche cayenne to take travelers directly to their aircraft . the two-story , 9,000-square-foot lounge also includes a white-marble and oak bathroom with three showers , a jacuzzi and dr. hauschka products . lufthansa.com . sydney : qantas , sydney airport australia 's premier interior and furniture designer , marc newson , has put his futuristic feng shui touch on the carrier 's new first-class lounge . a brilliant wall of 8,400 plants offsets a striking all-white entrance . once inside , you 'll find a 48-seat neil perry restaurant . sydneyairport.com.au . shops london : harrods , heathrow international airport among the 30-plus new shops at terminal 5 will be an 11,000-square-foot harrods . the outpost of this shopping institution plans to stock high-end labels such as anya hindmarch , pucci and luella when it opens in march . baa.com . tokyo : fifth avenue , narita international airport do n't expect traditional sake sets at fifth avenue , the latest duty-free mall to open at japan 's international airport . instead , spend your leftover yen at one of eight designer boutiques : bulgari , burberry , cartier , coach , gucci , hermès , salvatore ferragamo and tiffany & co. narita-airport.jp/en . spas amsterdam : xpresspa , schiphol the u.s.-based spa has made its first foray into europe , bringing signature massage loungers and manicure stations to level 2 of schiphol . indulge in a quick manicure or pedicure , or try an olive-oil and -leaf mask . there 's also a full range of waxing and uv nail enhancements and gentleman 's facials . xpresspa.com . hong kong : om spa , hong kong international airport a long layover in hong kong is now a blessing in disguise , thanks to the opening of the om spa at the regal airport hotel . the contemporary space is equipped with mosaic steam rooms and outdoor massage beds . choose from more than 30 treatments , including seed scrubs and jasmine milk baths and take a dip in the hotel 's 70-foot-long indoor and outdoor pools . regalhotel.com . london : elemis travel spa , heathrow international airport british airways passengers at terminal 5 need just 15 minutes to be fully reinvigorated . london-based elemis has partnered with british airways at their new lounges ( or , as ba calls them , galleries ' ) . the four signature treatments ( including a scalp , hand and foot massage , and a facial ) start with a lime-infused compress and take place in a state-of-the-art heated massage chair . elemis.com . e-mail to a friend planning a romantic escape ? do n't miss travel + leisure 's guide to the 50 best romantic getaways . copyright 2009 american express publishing corporation . all rights reserved .","vino volo , in new york 's jfk airport , stocks wines from around the world" +"mustafa kamel shabib al-jabouri ( cnn ) -- an iraqi official condemned friday the decision by a u.s. jury not to sentence a u.s. soldier to death . former u.s. soldier steven green faces life in prison after being convicted of murdering an iraqi family . he raped a girl and killed an entire family , and he got only life in prison . ... this is an unjust trial , ' said mustafa kamel shabib al-jabouri , leader of the awakening council in yusufiya . we demand a new trial . ' steven green was found guilty earlier this month of raping a 14-year-old iraqi girl and of murdering her , her parents and her 6-year-old sister . he was the last of five soldiers from the 101st airborne division convicted in the crimes and the cover-up that followed . during green 's trial , relatives of the murder victims gave gripping testimony about how the crimes still haunt them . some family members said their lives have been ruined and it would have been better if they 'd also been killed . thursday , green avoided the death penalty when a kentucky jury could not reach a unanimous decision . green was tried in civilian court because he had been discharged from the army by the time his crimes came to light . the three others were tried by a military court and imprisoned . spc . james barker , sgt . paul cortez , pfc . jesse spielman and pfc . bryan howard received sentences ranging from 27 months to 110 years , with the possibility of parole in 10 years in the most severe cases . after the trial , defense attorneys called for the military to take a hard look at the resources they provide our service members dealing with combat stress issues . if they do not , we [ are ] certain a tragedy like this will occur again in the future . ' doug green , steven 's brother , said he was grateful his brother 's life was spared . i was incredibly relieved , ' he said . this is as good as it gets . ' he also offered an apology . our hearts and prayers are with you . we 're sorry . we 're sorry , ' he said . this has been hard for everybody involved . not just my family , but the iraqis . everybody is going to need some healing . ' i think it is hard for any one of us to put on those shoes , ' he said . unless you have been to iraq and fought in that war , or fought in any war , it is impossible to know what they are going through and impossible to judge them . ' the murders of members of the al-janabi family occurred in 2006 near yusufiya , about 20 miles south of baghdad . cnn 's deb feyerick contributed to this report .","new : he ... killed an entire family , ' says mustafa kamel shabib al-jabouri" +"jewish atlanta ( cnn ) -- bishop eddie long has apologized to the anti-defamation league over an incident in which he was wrapped in a torah scroll and crowned king . ' as shown in a video that went viral , the televangelist was wrapped in a holocaust torah ' and crowned king during a recent ceremony at new birth missionary baptist church , his suburban atlanta congregation . the ceremony was not my suggestion , nor was it my intent , to participate in any ritual that is offensive in any manner to the jewish community , or any group . furthermore , i sincerely denounce any action that depicts me as a king , for i am merely just a servant of the lord , ' long wrote in a letter dated saturday . the letter was addressed to bill nigut , southeast regional director of the anti-defamation league -- a jewish group that fights anti-semitism . while i believe that rabbi ralph messer has good intentions during his message at new birth , i understand that the ceremony he performed on sunday , january 29th , caused harm to the jewish community , for which i am deeply sorry , ' long wrote . on sunday , nigut acknowledged the apology and said he was grateful for it . i thought it was a very heartfelt , sincere , humble apology , ' he told cnn . i was very gratified by bishop long apparently recognizing what our concern was . ' nigut said he was deeply offended by the fake ritual , ' and by how the torah was handled during it . video from the ceremony showed messer wrapping long in the torah scroll , which he said was recovered during the holocaust . he then directed four men to lift a seated long in his chair and parade him before the new birth congregation . he is a king . god 's blessed him . he 's a humble man , but in him is kingship , royalty , ' messer shouted . he said during the ceremony that the torah was a priceless ' 312-year-old scroll that had been recovered from the auschwitz concentration camp during world war ii . he said he wanted to honor long on behalf of jewish people , and the land of israel . ' rabbi hillel norry of congregation shearith israel in atlanta said last week the ceremony was ridiculous . ' there 's no jewish coronation ceremony where someone is wrapped in a torah and made a king , he said . we just do n't do that . we treat it with deference , ' norry said of the torah . it 's not a shawl , not a crown . do n't treat it that way . ' norry said messer does n't appear to be an ordained rabbi in the jewish faith . he also doubts that the torah scroll that long was wrapped in is actually 312 years old , and had somehow escaped detection in a concentration camp . long is one of the most well-known televangelists in america . at its peak , new birth had around 25,000 members , and long 's sermons were broadcast around the globe . two years ago , long 's public image took a hit when four young men accused him of misusing his spiritual authority to coerce them into sexual relations . he settled out of court . long 's wife , vanessa , filed for divorce last year . cnn 's dana ford contributed to this report ."," i am deeply sorry , ' long writes . jewish leader calls apology heartfelt , sincere , humble '" +"pinera copiapo , chile ( cnn ) -- some of the families camped outside the san jose mine , waiting for rescuers to reach 33 workers trapped underground , fear chilean president sebastian pinera may be playing politics with the rescue operation in an effort to boost his popularity . pinera visited the mine sunday and spoke with the trapped workers . he also presented their families with a copper plate engraved with the words miners first used to tell rescuers they were alive , we 're fine , in the shelter , all 33 . ' this is all politics . it 's dirty . it 's trickery and propaganda . they 're playing with the feelings of our loved ones , ' said nelly bugueno , mother of trapped miner victor zamora . the mine rescue appears to have boosted pinera 's popularity at a time when he was under fire in other parts of the country . in the south of chile , pinera is battling a hunger strike by 34 mapuche indians , part of the indigenous group 's ongoing campaign for independence . along the central and southern coast , some chileans accuse the government of being too slow to rebuild after the february earthquake and tsunami . but his overall approval rating surged to 56 percent in august , according to a survey by adimark gfk , a 10 percent increase over the july numbers . the chilean research company said the increase was directly related with the rescue operations of the trapped miners in the san jose mine . ' when the workers first sent word that they were alive , pinera triumphantly waved their written note before television cameras . sunday was his fifth visit to the mine . outside the mine sunday , some family members said they were angry that the rescue effort was being turned into a political spectacle . we know politicians want to show off , but i do n't care about the politics . all i care about is that the president gets our boys out , ' said cristina nunez , wife of miner claudio yanez . the sister of another trapped miner accused rescuers of delaying the switch-on of a recently-assembled oil rig -- the so-called plan c drill -- until pinera arrived sunday . she also claimed rescuers discovered the miners were alive in an underground shelter in the early hours of august 22 , but waited until midday to officially announce the news , after pinera arrived at the mine . she declined to be named for fear of losing her job for anti-government comments . we 're still not free in chile to speak our mind , ' she said . another woman , the wife of one of the miners , said families were sometimes not given information in a timely fashion . the woman , who asked not to be named for fear of unspecified reprisals , said she did not bother to wait in the hot sun to meet the president sunday . i got tired of waiting and i 'm bored of the way he 's doing things . the mining minister and the rescuers have done a good job , but the president is playing with us , ' she said . not all relatives , however , felt frustrated by political overtones in the rescue effort . we have to be calm . god works on his own schedule and we have to wait patiently , ' said eli steger , daughter of trapped miner jose ojeda . the president arrived at the mine at midmorning sunday , flying in on a military helicopter that landed in the desert , kicking up dust . he spent about an hour and a half at the mine . he met 5-day-old esperanza ticona , the daughter of ariel ticona , one of the trapped miners -- and kissed her in front of television cameras . esperanza was brought to the mine for the first time sunday by her mother , elizabeth segovia . watch how miners'families marked independence day ' hopefully this spirit of unity , faith , confidence and pride to be chilean that is in the air at the san jose mine and in every corner of chile is a spirit that will illuminate this third century of independence , ' pinera said , referring to chile 's recent bicentennial celebration . away from reporters , pinera first visited a powerful oil drill that has been transported to the mine to assist in the rescue . the drill , known as plan c , began operating sunday . mine experts say it could be the fastest way of punching through rock a hole that is wide enough to hoist the miners back to the surface . two other drills , a schramm t-130 ( plan b ) normally used for boring water holes and a raise borer strata 950 ( plan a ) normally used for drilling ventilation chimneys in mines , have been operating for about three weeks . sunday was the first day that all three drills were working simultaneously , pinera said .","pinera is battling a hunger strike by 34 mapuche indians in south of chile" +"pinera copiapo , chile ( cnn ) -- some of the families camped outside the san jose mine , waiting for rescuers to reach 33 workers trapped underground , fear chilean president sebastian pinera may be playing politics with the rescue operation in an effort to boost his popularity . pinera visited the mine sunday and spoke with the trapped workers . he also presented their families with a copper plate engraved with the words miners first used to tell rescuers they were alive , we 're fine , in the shelter , all 33 . ' this is all politics . it 's dirty . it 's trickery and propaganda . they 're playing with the feelings of our loved ones , ' said nelly bugueno , mother of trapped miner victor zamora . the mine rescue appears to have boosted pinera 's popularity at a time when he was under fire in other parts of the country . in the south of chile , pinera is battling a hunger strike by 34 mapuche indians , part of the indigenous group 's ongoing campaign for independence . along the central and southern coast , some chileans accuse the government of being too slow to rebuild after the february earthquake and tsunami . but his overall approval rating surged to 56 percent in august , according to a survey by adimark gfk , a 10 percent increase over the july numbers . the chilean research company said the increase was directly related with the rescue operations of the trapped miners in the san jose mine . ' when the workers first sent word that they were alive , pinera triumphantly waved their written note before television cameras . sunday was his fifth visit to the mine . outside the mine sunday , some family members said they were angry that the rescue effort was being turned into a political spectacle . we know politicians want to show off , but i do n't care about the politics . all i care about is that the president gets our boys out , ' said cristina nunez , wife of miner claudio yanez . the sister of another trapped miner accused rescuers of delaying the switch-on of a recently-assembled oil rig -- the so-called plan c drill -- until pinera arrived sunday . she also claimed rescuers discovered the miners were alive in an underground shelter in the early hours of august 22 , but waited until midday to officially announce the news , after pinera arrived at the mine . she declined to be named for fear of losing her job for anti-government comments . we 're still not free in chile to speak our mind , ' she said . another woman , the wife of one of the miners , said families were sometimes not given information in a timely fashion . the woman , who asked not to be named for fear of unspecified reprisals , said she did not bother to wait in the hot sun to meet the president sunday . i got tired of waiting and i 'm bored of the way he 's doing things . the mining minister and the rescuers have done a good job , but the president is playing with us , ' she said . not all relatives , however , felt frustrated by political overtones in the rescue effort . we have to be calm . god works on his own schedule and we have to wait patiently , ' said eli steger , daughter of trapped miner jose ojeda . the president arrived at the mine at midmorning sunday , flying in on a military helicopter that landed in the desert , kicking up dust . he spent about an hour and a half at the mine . he met 5-day-old esperanza ticona , the daughter of ariel ticona , one of the trapped miners -- and kissed her in front of television cameras . esperanza was brought to the mine for the first time sunday by her mother , elizabeth segovia . watch how miners'families marked independence day ' hopefully this spirit of unity , faith , confidence and pride to be chilean that is in the air at the san jose mine and in every corner of chile is a spirit that will illuminate this third century of independence , ' pinera said , referring to chile 's recent bicentennial celebration . away from reporters , pinera first visited a powerful oil drill that has been transported to the mine to assist in the rescue . the drill , known as plan c , began operating sunday . mine experts say it could be the fastest way of punching through rock a hole that is wide enough to hoist the miners back to the surface . two other drills , a schramm t-130 ( plan b ) normally used for boring water holes and a raise borer strata 950 ( plan a ) normally used for drilling ventilation chimneys in mines , have been operating for about three weeks . sunday was the first day that all three drills were working simultaneously , pinera said .","research firm says the rescue operation has boosted pinera 's approval ratings" +"guinness book of world records ( ew.com ) -- pick a box-office record and the avengers ' has probably broken it . biggest opening weekend of all time ? check . biggest saturday gross of all time ? check . most popular movie released this year featuring intense archery scenes ? ( sorry , hunger games . ' ) highest-grossing superhero movie ever ? not yet , but consider this a warning : dark knight , ' your days are numbered . but as we all know , the most important thing about the avengers ' is undoubtedly its role in the brilliant career of one samuel leroy jackson . back in october , the guinness book of world records named jackson the highest-grossing actor in the history of movies -- the result of jackson 's insane four-films-per-year work ethic , his willingness to take supporting roles in mega-productions , and what we can only assume is a tremendous sense of humor . now that avengers ' looks set to make a billion dollars before the end of this sentence , the question becomes : can anyone ever outgross jackson ? after his cameo in iron man , ' the actor signed a nine-film commitment with marvel , which means we can expect him to pop up in the next cycle of avenger movies . ( easy money says that he has a brief appearance in iron man 3 ' and a bigger role in cap 2 . ' hard to see how he fits into thor 2 , ' unless it turns out he 's the human incarnation of odin , which would be cool . ) even if phase 2 of marvel 's mad-scientist movie plan is n't as successful as phase 1 -- heck , even if avengers 2 ' makes half of what avengers ' has made in two weeks of global release -- jackson looks likely to achieve a career global tally of $ 10 billion . by comparison , tom cruise has only grossed $ 7 billion . and tom cruise does n't get invited to devour the scenery in quentin tarantino movies . in short , that eyepatch might turn out to be the single most lucrative prop in movie history . if you could wear that eyepatch and dorothy 's ruby slippers and audrey hepburn 's breakfast at tiffany 's ' dress while riding rosebud the sled and swinging luke skywalker 's lightsaber ... well , you 'd be a real weirdo , but at least you 'd be wearing a totally sweet eyepatch . see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","in october , the guinness book of world records named samuel l. jackson the highest-grossing actor" +"marvel ( ew.com ) -- pick a box-office record and the avengers ' has probably broken it . biggest opening weekend of all time ? check . biggest saturday gross of all time ? check . most popular movie released this year featuring intense archery scenes ? ( sorry , hunger games . ' ) highest-grossing superhero movie ever ? not yet , but consider this a warning : dark knight , ' your days are numbered . but as we all know , the most important thing about the avengers ' is undoubtedly its role in the brilliant career of one samuel leroy jackson . back in october , the guinness book of world records named jackson the highest-grossing actor in the history of movies -- the result of jackson 's insane four-films-per-year work ethic , his willingness to take supporting roles in mega-productions , and what we can only assume is a tremendous sense of humor . now that avengers ' looks set to make a billion dollars before the end of this sentence , the question becomes : can anyone ever outgross jackson ? after his cameo in iron man , ' the actor signed a nine-film commitment with marvel , which means we can expect him to pop up in the next cycle of avenger movies . ( easy money says that he has a brief appearance in iron man 3 ' and a bigger role in cap 2 . ' hard to see how he fits into thor 2 , ' unless it turns out he 's the human incarnation of odin , which would be cool . ) even if phase 2 of marvel 's mad-scientist movie plan is n't as successful as phase 1 -- heck , even if avengers 2 ' makes half of what avengers ' has made in two weeks of global release -- jackson looks likely to achieve a career global tally of $ 10 billion . by comparison , tom cruise has only grossed $ 7 billion . and tom cruise does n't get invited to devour the scenery in quentin tarantino movies . in short , that eyepatch might turn out to be the single most lucrative prop in movie history . if you could wear that eyepatch and dorothy 's ruby slippers and audrey hepburn 's breakfast at tiffany 's ' dress while riding rosebud the sled and swinging luke skywalker 's lightsaber ... well , you 'd be a real weirdo , but at least you 'd be wearing a totally sweet eyepatch . see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","the actor signed a nine-film commitment with marvel" +"win tin ( cnn ) -- win tin , a founding member of myanmar 's national league for democracy who was jailed for 19 years for political activism , has died at yangon hospital . he was 85 . a national league for democracy ( nld ) spokesperson told cnn win tin was admitted to yangon hospital three weeks ago with a kidney problem . one of myanmar 's most prominent dissidents , win tin was a journalist and writer who joined with aung san suu kyi during her campaign in 1988 , according to nyan win , the current spokesperson for the nld . he was arrested in 1989 by myanmar 's military rulers , who feared the strength of the pro-democracy movement . immediately after his arrest , u win tin was kept without food and sleep for three days , ' suu kyi wrote about his imprisonment . it appeared that the interrogators wished to force him to admit he was my adviser on political tactics , in other words , that he was my puppet master . ' a man of courage and integrity , u win tin would not be intimidated into making false confessions , ' she added . win tin continued to push for democracy even while in prison , penning a letter to the united nations that resulted in additional jail time . despite his key role as a political leader , win tin 's personal life was largely solitary . after he was released in 2008 , he told cnn that he was a vagabond ' with no family or children because he had given his life to the fight for democracy in myanmar . while he struck an optimistic note about the progress that had been made in his country after his release , he noted there was still a tremendous amount of work to be done . ' he was a great pillar of strength , ' said nyan win . his demise at this important political juncture of transition is a great loss not only to the nld but also to the country . we are deeply saddened . '","myanmar political activist and national league for democracy founding member win tin has died at 85" +"win tin ( cnn ) -- win tin , a founding member of myanmar 's national league for democracy who was jailed for 19 years for political activism , has died at yangon hospital . he was 85 . a national league for democracy ( nld ) spokesperson told cnn win tin was admitted to yangon hospital three weeks ago with a kidney problem . one of myanmar 's most prominent dissidents , win tin was a journalist and writer who joined with aung san suu kyi during her campaign in 1988 , according to nyan win , the current spokesperson for the nld . he was arrested in 1989 by myanmar 's military rulers , who feared the strength of the pro-democracy movement . immediately after his arrest , u win tin was kept without food and sleep for three days , ' suu kyi wrote about his imprisonment . it appeared that the interrogators wished to force him to admit he was my adviser on political tactics , in other words , that he was my puppet master . ' a man of courage and integrity , u win tin would not be intimidated into making false confessions , ' she added . win tin continued to push for democracy even while in prison , penning a letter to the united nations that resulted in additional jail time . despite his key role as a political leader , win tin 's personal life was largely solitary . after he was released in 2008 , he told cnn that he was a vagabond ' with no family or children because he had given his life to the fight for democracy in myanmar . while he struck an optimistic note about the progress that had been made in his country after his release , he noted there was still a tremendous amount of work to be done . ' he was a great pillar of strength , ' said nyan win . his demise at this important political juncture of transition is a great loss not only to the nld but also to the country . we are deeply saddened . '","win tin lived alone , saying he forsook a family to devote his life to the fight for democracy" +"hadrian ( cnn traveller ) -- when the roman emperor hadrian came to power in 117ad he inherited an empire that was overstretched militarily and creaking at the seams . a massive bust of hadrian 's head unearthed only last year is part of the exhibition at the british museum . one of his first acts was to pull the troops out of mesopotamia , modern-day iraq , a fact that is sure to resonate with visitors to the british museum ' s superb exhibition hadrian : empire and conflict ' which opens on 24 july under the imposing classical dome of the reading room . curator torsten opper says : no matter what our take is on the conflict in iraq today , we can relate to hadrian 's decision . maybe 10 or 15 years ago , it would n't have mattered so much . now it does . ' hadrian was born in rome to a noble family whose origins lay in spain . one of the greatest of rome 's emperors , he consolidated imperial power , was a patron of architecture and travelled extensively across his lands . though married , he also took a homosexual lover , antinous , whose drowning in the river nile on the very day egyptians were celebrating the death in a similar manner of the god osiris remains one of ancient history 's great unsolved mysteries . the range of exhibits and their rarity means that this exhibition is going to be extremely well-attended . visitors will , for example , be the first members of the public anywhere to see a huge head of the emperor that was dug up recently at sagalassos in central turkey and would have once crowned a statue that was over five metres high . a year ago , this was still lying buried in the ground , ' says opper . it ' s proof that roman history is n't done and dusted ; that we are still able to rethink the past and evaluate it . ' the exhibition brings together 180 objects , from 31 sources in 11 different countries . it has n't been an easy thing to do , ' adds opper . many of these objects leave huge gaps in their home collection and many are extremely delicate . this is n't an exhibition that can travel . people will only be able to view it for these three months . ' many of the most delicate objects are also those that give the most dramatic insight into hadrian 's reign . between 132ad and 135/6ad the jews of judea rebelled against roman rule . some of the insurgents took refuge in a cave in the desert , called the cave of letters , in which they were trapped by roman troops . few made it out alive . the climatic conditions of the cave have preserved objects in astonishing condition . there is a letter written by jewish leader simon bar kokhba ( enquiring about a delivery of supplies ) , as well as mirrors , a jewellery box and an astonishingly delicate glass plate , probably made in alexandria , that somehow survived flight into the desert and the perilous climb up a cliff to the cave . then there are three house keys , their wooden handles preserved , looking as if they would still open the locks for which they were made . opper says : they ' re immediately touching -- these were used by people to lock their homes thinking they ' d be back in a week or two , but of course they were n't -- they all perished . and there are still many refugees now who still have keys to the homes they once lived in . it ' s a potent symbol of conflict . ' to the british hadrian will always be associated with the wall that was built across northern england , an 117km rampart with a fortification every 1.6km . in schoolroom history this has traditionally been seen as a defence against the barbarian tribes to the north , but it was n't necessarily so . the wall was a ruthlessly efficient symbol of oppression and in the end it broke the back of the local tribes , ' says opper . confirmation of this , perhaps , comes from two small writing tablets from the fortress of vindolanda , the oldest surviving hand-written documents in the british isles . in one an officer , presumably writing to a colleague who is taking over his post , derides the locals as the little british , ' not worthy of worrying about very much - brief , battered and faded the letter may be , but as an example of high-handed imperialism it is hard to beat . click here to subscribe to cnn traveller copyright © 2008 ink publishing and cable news network , lp , lllp , a time warner company . all rights reserved","london exhibition based on roman emperor hadrian features new treasures" +"hadrian ( cnn traveller ) -- when the roman emperor hadrian came to power in 117ad he inherited an empire that was overstretched militarily and creaking at the seams . a massive bust of hadrian 's head unearthed only last year is part of the exhibition at the british museum . one of his first acts was to pull the troops out of mesopotamia , modern-day iraq , a fact that is sure to resonate with visitors to the british museum ' s superb exhibition hadrian : empire and conflict ' which opens on 24 july under the imposing classical dome of the reading room . curator torsten opper says : no matter what our take is on the conflict in iraq today , we can relate to hadrian 's decision . maybe 10 or 15 years ago , it would n't have mattered so much . now it does . ' hadrian was born in rome to a noble family whose origins lay in spain . one of the greatest of rome 's emperors , he consolidated imperial power , was a patron of architecture and travelled extensively across his lands . though married , he also took a homosexual lover , antinous , whose drowning in the river nile on the very day egyptians were celebrating the death in a similar manner of the god osiris remains one of ancient history 's great unsolved mysteries . the range of exhibits and their rarity means that this exhibition is going to be extremely well-attended . visitors will , for example , be the first members of the public anywhere to see a huge head of the emperor that was dug up recently at sagalassos in central turkey and would have once crowned a statue that was over five metres high . a year ago , this was still lying buried in the ground , ' says opper . it ' s proof that roman history is n't done and dusted ; that we are still able to rethink the past and evaluate it . ' the exhibition brings together 180 objects , from 31 sources in 11 different countries . it has n't been an easy thing to do , ' adds opper . many of these objects leave huge gaps in their home collection and many are extremely delicate . this is n't an exhibition that can travel . people will only be able to view it for these three months . ' many of the most delicate objects are also those that give the most dramatic insight into hadrian 's reign . between 132ad and 135/6ad the jews of judea rebelled against roman rule . some of the insurgents took refuge in a cave in the desert , called the cave of letters , in which they were trapped by roman troops . few made it out alive . the climatic conditions of the cave have preserved objects in astonishing condition . there is a letter written by jewish leader simon bar kokhba ( enquiring about a delivery of supplies ) , as well as mirrors , a jewellery box and an astonishingly delicate glass plate , probably made in alexandria , that somehow survived flight into the desert and the perilous climb up a cliff to the cave . then there are three house keys , their wooden handles preserved , looking as if they would still open the locks for which they were made . opper says : they ' re immediately touching -- these were used by people to lock their homes thinking they ' d be back in a week or two , but of course they were n't -- they all perished . and there are still many refugees now who still have keys to the homes they once lived in . it ' s a potent symbol of conflict . ' to the british hadrian will always be associated with the wall that was built across northern england , an 117km rampart with a fortification every 1.6km . in schoolroom history this has traditionally been seen as a defence against the barbarian tribes to the north , but it was n't necessarily so . the wall was a ruthlessly efficient symbol of oppression and in the end it broke the back of the local tribes , ' says opper . confirmation of this , perhaps , comes from two small writing tablets from the fortress of vindolanda , the oldest surviving hand-written documents in the british isles . in one an officer , presumably writing to a colleague who is taking over his post , derides the locals as the little british , ' not worthy of worrying about very much - brief , battered and faded the letter may be , but as an example of high-handed imperialism it is hard to beat . click here to subscribe to cnn traveller copyright © 2008 ink publishing and cable news network , lp , lllp , a time warner company . all rights reserved","huge bust of hadrian 's head discovered only last year a feature" +"cia washington ( cnn ) -- sen. mark udall accused the cia of lying ' about the effectiveness of torture , called for the resignation of its director and blasted president barack obama 's handling of the spy agency on the senate floor wednesday . in a 48-minute speech , the colorado democrat called on obama to purge his administration ' of cia officials , including director john brennan , involved in the interrogation techniques detailed in a new senate intelligence committee report . he also revealed what he called the key findings and conclusions ' of an internal cia review commissioned by former director leon panetta -- which the obama administration has not publicly released . director brennan and the cia today are continuing to willfully provide inaccurate information and misrepresent the efficacy of torture , ' udall said . in other words : the cia is lying . ' white house press secretary josh earnest defended brennan on wednesday , telling reporters that he has done an exemplary job ' and that obama is pleased to rely on his advice . ' udall 's comments came the day after senate intelligence committee chairwoman dianne feinstein ( d-calif. ) released an explosive report detailing the rough techniques the cia used to interrogate detainees under president george w. bush . the report suggests those techniques -- including mock executions , sleep deprivation , beating detainees , feeding them rectally and threatening the lives of their families -- produced faulty intelligence . it also said the cia misled congress and the white house . but brennan pushed back , acknowledging in a statement that the cia made mistakes ' but saying those techniques did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans , capture terrorists , and save lives . the intelligence gained from the program was critical to our understanding of al-qa'ida and continues to inform our counterterrorism efforts to this day . ' udall -- who lost his re-election bid in november and is leaving office in just weeks -- said he was frustrated with those comments wednesday , and repeated his previous call for brennan 's resignation . he also accused obama of failing to live up to his pledges during the 2008 campaign to be more transparent about the use of torture . and he said the cia 's internal panetta review 's findings reveal that the white house is misleading the public . one would think this administration is leading the effort to right the wrongs of the past and ensure the american people learn the truth about the cia 's torture program , ' udall said . not so . it 's been nearly a six-year struggle in a democratic administration to get this study out . for a while i worried that this administration would succeed in keeping this study entirely under wraps . while the study clearly shows that the cia detention and interrogation program itself was deeply flawed , the deeper , more endemic problem lies in the cia , assisted by a white house that continues to try to cover up the truth . '","udall called for the resignation of cia director john brennan" +"cia washington ( cnn ) -- sen. mark udall accused the cia of lying ' about the effectiveness of torture , called for the resignation of its director and blasted president barack obama 's handling of the spy agency on the senate floor wednesday . in a 48-minute speech , the colorado democrat called on obama to purge his administration ' of cia officials , including director john brennan , involved in the interrogation techniques detailed in a new senate intelligence committee report . he also revealed what he called the key findings and conclusions ' of an internal cia review commissioned by former director leon panetta -- which the obama administration has not publicly released . director brennan and the cia today are continuing to willfully provide inaccurate information and misrepresent the efficacy of torture , ' udall said . in other words : the cia is lying . ' white house press secretary josh earnest defended brennan on wednesday , telling reporters that he has done an exemplary job ' and that obama is pleased to rely on his advice . ' udall 's comments came the day after senate intelligence committee chairwoman dianne feinstein ( d-calif. ) released an explosive report detailing the rough techniques the cia used to interrogate detainees under president george w. bush . the report suggests those techniques -- including mock executions , sleep deprivation , beating detainees , feeding them rectally and threatening the lives of their families -- produced faulty intelligence . it also said the cia misled congress and the white house . but brennan pushed back , acknowledging in a statement that the cia made mistakes ' but saying those techniques did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans , capture terrorists , and save lives . the intelligence gained from the program was critical to our understanding of al-qa'ida and continues to inform our counterterrorism efforts to this day . ' udall -- who lost his re-election bid in november and is leaving office in just weeks -- said he was frustrated with those comments wednesday , and repeated his previous call for brennan 's resignation . he also accused obama of failing to live up to his pledges during the 2008 campaign to be more transparent about the use of torture . and he said the cia 's internal panetta review 's findings reveal that the white house is misleading the public . one would think this administration is leading the effort to right the wrongs of the past and ensure the american people learn the truth about the cia 's torture program , ' udall said . not so . it 's been nearly a six-year struggle in a democratic administration to get this study out . for a while i worried that this administration would succeed in keeping this study entirely under wraps . while the study clearly shows that the cia detention and interrogation program itself was deeply flawed , the deeper , more endemic problem lies in the cia , assisted by a white house that continues to try to cover up the truth . '","sen. mark udall accused the cia of lying ' about the effectiveness of torture on the senate floor" +"cia washington ( cnn ) -- sen. mark udall accused the cia of lying ' about the effectiveness of torture , called for the resignation of its director and blasted president barack obama 's handling of the spy agency on the senate floor wednesday . in a 48-minute speech , the colorado democrat called on obama to purge his administration ' of cia officials , including director john brennan , involved in the interrogation techniques detailed in a new senate intelligence committee report . he also revealed what he called the key findings and conclusions ' of an internal cia review commissioned by former director leon panetta -- which the obama administration has not publicly released . director brennan and the cia today are continuing to willfully provide inaccurate information and misrepresent the efficacy of torture , ' udall said . in other words : the cia is lying . ' white house press secretary josh earnest defended brennan on wednesday , telling reporters that he has done an exemplary job ' and that obama is pleased to rely on his advice . ' udall 's comments came the day after senate intelligence committee chairwoman dianne feinstein ( d-calif. ) released an explosive report detailing the rough techniques the cia used to interrogate detainees under president george w. bush . the report suggests those techniques -- including mock executions , sleep deprivation , beating detainees , feeding them rectally and threatening the lives of their families -- produced faulty intelligence . it also said the cia misled congress and the white house . but brennan pushed back , acknowledging in a statement that the cia made mistakes ' but saying those techniques did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans , capture terrorists , and save lives . the intelligence gained from the program was critical to our understanding of al-qa'ida and continues to inform our counterterrorism efforts to this day . ' udall -- who lost his re-election bid in november and is leaving office in just weeks -- said he was frustrated with those comments wednesday , and repeated his previous call for brennan 's resignation . he also accused obama of failing to live up to his pledges during the 2008 campaign to be more transparent about the use of torture . and he said the cia 's internal panetta review 's findings reveal that the white house is misleading the public . one would think this administration is leading the effort to right the wrongs of the past and ensure the american people learn the truth about the cia 's torture program , ' udall said . not so . it 's been nearly a six-year struggle in a democratic administration to get this study out . for a while i worried that this administration would succeed in keeping this study entirely under wraps . while the study clearly shows that the cia detention and interrogation program itself was deeply flawed , the deeper , more endemic problem lies in the cia , assisted by a white house that continues to try to cover up the truth . '","his comments come the day after a senate panel released a report on cia interrogation techniques" +"senate washington ( cnn ) -- sen. mark udall accused the cia of lying ' about the effectiveness of torture , called for the resignation of its director and blasted president barack obama 's handling of the spy agency on the senate floor wednesday . in a 48-minute speech , the colorado democrat called on obama to purge his administration ' of cia officials , including director john brennan , involved in the interrogation techniques detailed in a new senate intelligence committee report . he also revealed what he called the key findings and conclusions ' of an internal cia review commissioned by former director leon panetta -- which the obama administration has not publicly released . director brennan and the cia today are continuing to willfully provide inaccurate information and misrepresent the efficacy of torture , ' udall said . in other words : the cia is lying . ' white house press secretary josh earnest defended brennan on wednesday , telling reporters that he has done an exemplary job ' and that obama is pleased to rely on his advice . ' udall 's comments came the day after senate intelligence committee chairwoman dianne feinstein ( d-calif. ) released an explosive report detailing the rough techniques the cia used to interrogate detainees under president george w. bush . the report suggests those techniques -- including mock executions , sleep deprivation , beating detainees , feeding them rectally and threatening the lives of their families -- produced faulty intelligence . it also said the cia misled congress and the white house . but brennan pushed back , acknowledging in a statement that the cia made mistakes ' but saying those techniques did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans , capture terrorists , and save lives . the intelligence gained from the program was critical to our understanding of al-qa'ida and continues to inform our counterterrorism efforts to this day . ' udall -- who lost his re-election bid in november and is leaving office in just weeks -- said he was frustrated with those comments wednesday , and repeated his previous call for brennan 's resignation . he also accused obama of failing to live up to his pledges during the 2008 campaign to be more transparent about the use of torture . and he said the cia 's internal panetta review 's findings reveal that the white house is misleading the public . one would think this administration is leading the effort to right the wrongs of the past and ensure the american people learn the truth about the cia 's torture program , ' udall said . not so . it 's been nearly a six-year struggle in a democratic administration to get this study out . for a while i worried that this administration would succeed in keeping this study entirely under wraps . while the study clearly shows that the cia detention and interrogation program itself was deeply flawed , the deeper , more endemic problem lies in the cia , assisted by a white house that continues to try to cover up the truth . '","sen. mark udall accused the cia of lying ' about the effectiveness of torture on the senate floor" +"senate washington ( cnn ) -- sen. mark udall accused the cia of lying ' about the effectiveness of torture , called for the resignation of its director and blasted president barack obama 's handling of the spy agency on the senate floor wednesday . in a 48-minute speech , the colorado democrat called on obama to purge his administration ' of cia officials , including director john brennan , involved in the interrogation techniques detailed in a new senate intelligence committee report . he also revealed what he called the key findings and conclusions ' of an internal cia review commissioned by former director leon panetta -- which the obama administration has not publicly released . director brennan and the cia today are continuing to willfully provide inaccurate information and misrepresent the efficacy of torture , ' udall said . in other words : the cia is lying . ' white house press secretary josh earnest defended brennan on wednesday , telling reporters that he has done an exemplary job ' and that obama is pleased to rely on his advice . ' udall 's comments came the day after senate intelligence committee chairwoman dianne feinstein ( d-calif. ) released an explosive report detailing the rough techniques the cia used to interrogate detainees under president george w. bush . the report suggests those techniques -- including mock executions , sleep deprivation , beating detainees , feeding them rectally and threatening the lives of their families -- produced faulty intelligence . it also said the cia misled congress and the white house . but brennan pushed back , acknowledging in a statement that the cia made mistakes ' but saying those techniques did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans , capture terrorists , and save lives . the intelligence gained from the program was critical to our understanding of al-qa'ida and continues to inform our counterterrorism efforts to this day . ' udall -- who lost his re-election bid in november and is leaving office in just weeks -- said he was frustrated with those comments wednesday , and repeated his previous call for brennan 's resignation . he also accused obama of failing to live up to his pledges during the 2008 campaign to be more transparent about the use of torture . and he said the cia 's internal panetta review 's findings reveal that the white house is misleading the public . one would think this administration is leading the effort to right the wrongs of the past and ensure the american people learn the truth about the cia 's torture program , ' udall said . not so . it 's been nearly a six-year struggle in a democratic administration to get this study out . for a while i worried that this administration would succeed in keeping this study entirely under wraps . while the study clearly shows that the cia detention and interrogation program itself was deeply flawed , the deeper , more endemic problem lies in the cia , assisted by a white house that continues to try to cover up the truth . '","his comments come the day after a senate panel released a report on cia interrogation techniques" +"bush washington ( cnn ) former florida gov . jeb bush 's surprise announcement that he 'll actively explore ' a presidential bid tuesday morning did little to dissuade his potential republican opponents from the race . following the news , south carolina sen. lindsey graham , who might make a white house bid , offered the clearest pitch yet for his own candidacy . i think i have a unique ability to deal with the threats we face at home and abroad and the challenges here , which is finally getting the government to work and dealing with a dangerous world , ' he told reporters on capitol hill . he said to stay tuned ' for his plans . i think there are a lot of people in the donor class who are looking for multiple voices , including jeb 's , and competition is a good thing , ' graham said , adding , he 's got a lot to offer the republican party and the country . ' kentucky sen. rand paul was upbeat about the governor 's announcement . i think we 're a big tent — we can use moderates , conservatives , libertarians — we need 'em all , ' he told reporters . i think the more the merrier — the public will determine ' whether bush could win . and florida sen. marco rubio 's spokesman , alex conant , said while rubio has a lot of respect ' for bush and thinks he 'd make a formidable candidate , ' bush 's decision has no bearing on his own . marco 's decision on whether to run for president or re-election will be based on where he can best achieve his agenda to restore the american dream — not on who else might be running , ' conant said . many observers believe if bush jumps in the race , rubio — who 's been mentored by the former florida governor since his entry into politics — would n't run . but a source close to rubio said tuesday that while tuesday 's announcement changes the dynamic of the race , the junior florida senator is still on track to run for president ' in 2016 . another potential opponent , texas sen. ted cruz , barely acknowledged that the two could face off in the primary fight . i think what republicans want is someone who will stand up and lead , who will take on the great challenges of the day , who will make the case that the path we 're on is n't working ; that the obama-economy is a disaster , that obamacare is a trainwreck , that our constitutional rights are under assault and that we need to restore america 's leadership in the world , ' he said . sen. john thune of south dakota , who recently left the door open to his own 2016 bid , said the bush announcement was kind of expected . ' now , though , everyone is starting to feel pressure to start making moves , ' he said . but even though bush is seen as one of the top establishment picks in the primary if he runs , it was clear tuesday morning he 'll still have some work to convince some party leaders . arizona sen. john mccain , the gop 's 2008 presidential nominee , would n't disclose what he discussed in his recent meeting with bush , only that they went over the ins and outs ' of a presidential campaign . he would n't back the governor , either , since he 's still waiting to see whether graham , who mccain called his closest friend , ' decides to run . bush would enter the race with his contributors , his family name , a long record as very successful governor , ' mccain said . sen . rob portman , considered a possible vice presidential pick , told reporters he has talked to bush recently about a potential campaign . he 'll be a strong candidate , ' said portman , who recently announced he would be running for re-election rather than the white house in 2016 . none of the gop senators noted one of bush 's biggest liabilities in a gop presidential primary , however — his support for policies anathema to conservative republicans . bush 's support for common core educational standards and his previous openness to a pathway to citizenship have drawn him many critics on the far-right , and he 'll face a challenge in winning over some of those primary voters . soon after his announcement , the conservative action fund , an outside spending group , emailed its supporters asking them to sign a petition urging bush not to run and decrying him as another establishment , compromising ' republican . but even right-wing firebrand cruz on tuesday held his fire when given the opportunity to attack bush on one of his primary vulnerabilities , immigration reform . immigration will be a critical issue in this next election because we have a president who has been unwilling to work with congress on common sense immigration reform , ' cruz said , when asked how bush 's position on immigration would play out in the primaries . and some republicans on capitol hill argued bush still had a lot of work to do simply building the operation and support he 'd need to compete in a primary . new hampshire sen. kelly ayotte , also seen as a possible vice presidential pick , noted bush has yet to stop by her state — which hosts the first primary in the nation — to meet with grassroots activists . i do n't care who you are , you have to do the hard work in new hampshire , ' she said . you got ta do the grassroots . you got ta get down there and talk to the activists . ' she acknowledged that he 'd have the bush name recognition , ' but said there 's no substitute for hard retail politicking in the granite state . it will make a difference how hard the candidates work in terms of meeting the activists and answering the hard questions , ' ayotte said . cnn 's ted barrett contributed to this report","sen. rand paul welcomed bush into the race : the more the merrier ! '" +"bush washington ( cnn ) former florida gov . jeb bush 's surprise announcement that he 'll actively explore ' a presidential bid tuesday morning did little to dissuade his potential republican opponents from the race . following the news , south carolina sen. lindsey graham , who might make a white house bid , offered the clearest pitch yet for his own candidacy . i think i have a unique ability to deal with the threats we face at home and abroad and the challenges here , which is finally getting the government to work and dealing with a dangerous world , ' he told reporters on capitol hill . he said to stay tuned ' for his plans . i think there are a lot of people in the donor class who are looking for multiple voices , including jeb 's , and competition is a good thing , ' graham said , adding , he 's got a lot to offer the republican party and the country . ' kentucky sen. rand paul was upbeat about the governor 's announcement . i think we 're a big tent — we can use moderates , conservatives , libertarians — we need 'em all , ' he told reporters . i think the more the merrier — the public will determine ' whether bush could win . and florida sen. marco rubio 's spokesman , alex conant , said while rubio has a lot of respect ' for bush and thinks he 'd make a formidable candidate , ' bush 's decision has no bearing on his own . marco 's decision on whether to run for president or re-election will be based on where he can best achieve his agenda to restore the american dream — not on who else might be running , ' conant said . many observers believe if bush jumps in the race , rubio — who 's been mentored by the former florida governor since his entry into politics — would n't run . but a source close to rubio said tuesday that while tuesday 's announcement changes the dynamic of the race , the junior florida senator is still on track to run for president ' in 2016 . another potential opponent , texas sen. ted cruz , barely acknowledged that the two could face off in the primary fight . i think what republicans want is someone who will stand up and lead , who will take on the great challenges of the day , who will make the case that the path we 're on is n't working ; that the obama-economy is a disaster , that obamacare is a trainwreck , that our constitutional rights are under assault and that we need to restore america 's leadership in the world , ' he said . sen. john thune of south dakota , who recently left the door open to his own 2016 bid , said the bush announcement was kind of expected . ' now , though , everyone is starting to feel pressure to start making moves , ' he said . but even though bush is seen as one of the top establishment picks in the primary if he runs , it was clear tuesday morning he 'll still have some work to convince some party leaders . arizona sen. john mccain , the gop 's 2008 presidential nominee , would n't disclose what he discussed in his recent meeting with bush , only that they went over the ins and outs ' of a presidential campaign . he would n't back the governor , either , since he 's still waiting to see whether graham , who mccain called his closest friend , ' decides to run . bush would enter the race with his contributors , his family name , a long record as very successful governor , ' mccain said . sen . rob portman , considered a possible vice presidential pick , told reporters he has talked to bush recently about a potential campaign . he 'll be a strong candidate , ' said portman , who recently announced he would be running for re-election rather than the white house in 2016 . none of the gop senators noted one of bush 's biggest liabilities in a gop presidential primary , however — his support for policies anathema to conservative republicans . bush 's support for common core educational standards and his previous openness to a pathway to citizenship have drawn him many critics on the far-right , and he 'll face a challenge in winning over some of those primary voters . soon after his announcement , the conservative action fund , an outside spending group , emailed its supporters asking them to sign a petition urging bush not to run and decrying him as another establishment , compromising ' republican . but even right-wing firebrand cruz on tuesday held his fire when given the opportunity to attack bush on one of his primary vulnerabilities , immigration reform . immigration will be a critical issue in this next election because we have a president who has been unwilling to work with congress on common sense immigration reform , ' cruz said , when asked how bush 's position on immigration would play out in the primaries . and some republicans on capitol hill argued bush still had a lot of work to do simply building the operation and support he 'd need to compete in a primary . new hampshire sen. kelly ayotte , also seen as a possible vice presidential pick , noted bush has yet to stop by her state — which hosts the first primary in the nation — to meet with grassroots activists . i do n't care who you are , you have to do the hard work in new hampshire , ' she said . you got ta do the grassroots . you got ta get down there and talk to the activists . ' she acknowledged that he 'd have the bush name recognition , ' but said there 's no substitute for hard retail politicking in the granite state . it will make a difference how hard the candidates work in terms of meeting the activists and answering the hard questions , ' ayotte said . cnn 's ted barrett contributed to this report","a spokesman for sen. marco rubio said bush 's decision would have no impact on his own" +"ted cruz washington ( cnn ) former florida gov . jeb bush 's surprise announcement that he 'll actively explore ' a presidential bid tuesday morning did little to dissuade his potential republican opponents from the race . following the news , south carolina sen. lindsey graham , who might make a white house bid , offered the clearest pitch yet for his own candidacy . i think i have a unique ability to deal with the threats we face at home and abroad and the challenges here , which is finally getting the government to work and dealing with a dangerous world , ' he told reporters on capitol hill . he said to stay tuned ' for his plans . i think there are a lot of people in the donor class who are looking for multiple voices , including jeb 's , and competition is a good thing , ' graham said , adding , he 's got a lot to offer the republican party and the country . ' kentucky sen. rand paul was upbeat about the governor 's announcement . i think we 're a big tent — we can use moderates , conservatives , libertarians — we need 'em all , ' he told reporters . i think the more the merrier — the public will determine ' whether bush could win . and florida sen. marco rubio 's spokesman , alex conant , said while rubio has a lot of respect ' for bush and thinks he 'd make a formidable candidate , ' bush 's decision has no bearing on his own . marco 's decision on whether to run for president or re-election will be based on where he can best achieve his agenda to restore the american dream — not on who else might be running , ' conant said . many observers believe if bush jumps in the race , rubio — who 's been mentored by the former florida governor since his entry into politics — would n't run . but a source close to rubio said tuesday that while tuesday 's announcement changes the dynamic of the race , the junior florida senator is still on track to run for president ' in 2016 . another potential opponent , texas sen. ted cruz , barely acknowledged that the two could face off in the primary fight . i think what republicans want is someone who will stand up and lead , who will take on the great challenges of the day , who will make the case that the path we 're on is n't working ; that the obama-economy is a disaster , that obamacare is a trainwreck , that our constitutional rights are under assault and that we need to restore america 's leadership in the world , ' he said . sen. john thune of south dakota , who recently left the door open to his own 2016 bid , said the bush announcement was kind of expected . ' now , though , everyone is starting to feel pressure to start making moves , ' he said . but even though bush is seen as one of the top establishment picks in the primary if he runs , it was clear tuesday morning he 'll still have some work to convince some party leaders . arizona sen. john mccain , the gop 's 2008 presidential nominee , would n't disclose what he discussed in his recent meeting with bush , only that they went over the ins and outs ' of a presidential campaign . he would n't back the governor , either , since he 's still waiting to see whether graham , who mccain called his closest friend , ' decides to run . bush would enter the race with his contributors , his family name , a long record as very successful governor , ' mccain said . sen . rob portman , considered a possible vice presidential pick , told reporters he has talked to bush recently about a potential campaign . he 'll be a strong candidate , ' said portman , who recently announced he would be running for re-election rather than the white house in 2016 . none of the gop senators noted one of bush 's biggest liabilities in a gop presidential primary , however — his support for policies anathema to conservative republicans . bush 's support for common core educational standards and his previous openness to a pathway to citizenship have drawn him many critics on the far-right , and he 'll face a challenge in winning over some of those primary voters . soon after his announcement , the conservative action fund , an outside spending group , emailed its supporters asking them to sign a petition urging bush not to run and decrying him as another establishment , compromising ' republican . but even right-wing firebrand cruz on tuesday held his fire when given the opportunity to attack bush on one of his primary vulnerabilities , immigration reform . immigration will be a critical issue in this next election because we have a president who has been unwilling to work with congress on common sense immigration reform , ' cruz said , when asked how bush 's position on immigration would play out in the primaries . and some republicans on capitol hill argued bush still had a lot of work to do simply building the operation and support he 'd need to compete in a primary . new hampshire sen. kelly ayotte , also seen as a possible vice presidential pick , noted bush has yet to stop by her state — which hosts the first primary in the nation — to meet with grassroots activists . i do n't care who you are , you have to do the hard work in new hampshire , ' she said . you got ta do the grassroots . you got ta get down there and talk to the activists . ' she acknowledged that he 'd have the bush name recognition , ' but said there 's no substitute for hard retail politicking in the granite state . it will make a difference how hard the candidates work in terms of meeting the activists and answering the hard questions , ' ayotte said . cnn 's ted barrett contributed to this report","sen. ted cruz said the voters would decide on their eventual nominee" +"uber ( cnn ) -- in the blink of an eye , uber has emerged as one of the most esteemed companies in the united states , soaring in recent days to a market value of $ 18.2 billion . that 's bigger than hertz and avis combined . but is the uber story really as good as it seems ? taxicab drivers clogging the streets of europe this past week , protesting against uber , are only part of the challenge . far more dangerous could be an emerging pattern of not paying sufficient respect to customers . companies like apple , zappos , fedex and amazon are passionately committed to building a love affair with consumers as the center of their universe . in contrast , uber has embraced a take-it-or-leave-it approach that may be tough for consumers to swallow over the long haul . still , the business model is brilliant , the growth eye-popping and the initial uber experience is generally excellent . in big cities like new york , on a rainy night , when cabs are always full , finding an uber car quickly through your iphone can be a godsend , even though you may have to pay a surge price ' at a multiple of twice or even more of the regular price . this adds up to uber being a welcome disruption , blowing competition and free market pricing into the regulated taxi industries that do n't always serve the interests of consumers . so what are the dangers ? lack of transparency may be one . consumers usually want a company to be proactive about explaining what they do and how that can affect their lives , especially when physical safety is at stake . uber puts most of the meaningful detail on what service it actually provides into its terms & conditions , which most people do n't read when they download the app . according to its terms & conditions agreement , uber is not a transportation service . it 's a passenger procurement service for private car drivers . the car drivers are uber 's actual customers . lack of accountability may be another danger . the entire risk of using the service is on the passenger . you are warned that you could be exposed to situations that are potentially dangerous , offensive , harmful to minors or unsafe ' . surprisingly , uber does not claim to assess the suitability , legality or ability ' of any third party providing services procured through uber , and uberx drivers may not be professionally licensed or permitted . does all this mean you may have a hard time suing the company if your driver is negligent and you get hurt ? lane kasselman , uber 's spokesman , did n't directly address this question of liability when i asked him about it in an email , but points to company attention to passenger safety , noting uber is the first to ensure end-to-end insurance coverage for ridesharing . ' privacy is also a concern for consumers . as we saw with the fallout from the target data security breach ( which included the ceos resignation ) , people expect a company to protect their privacy . i am sure there are fellow riders who , like me , take issue with the company not disclosing their passenger rating in the terms & conditions or privacy policy for the app . to me this raises further concerns : what are uber 's rating criteria for passengers , what happens to the data , how can i see the data on me , what 's the dispute process if i disagree ? uber 's kasselman answered by writing rider ratings are available easily by visiting t.uber.com/support or just by asking your driver . ' sounds fair enough , but on their support site i was asked to submit an email request for my passenger rating and wait for a response . ( i did receive it monday afternoon . ) and , again , i may not be alone feeling more than a little uncomfortable asking my driver for my rating . uber 's blog says it is exploring ways to show the rider 's rating in the next generation of the app ' . in addition to the security of corporate data , there is the issue of whether individual drivers have access to personal passenger information and how uber protects riders from unauthorized breaches . when asked about this in an email , kasselman , responded : uber driver partners do not have access to any personal information through the platform , including credit card data . we use state-of-the-art anonymization technology , meaning the driver does n't keep a record of the rider 's phone number . drivers and riders are able to connect either by calling or texting , with the anonymization described above , in place . ' from a logical standpoint , this makes sense , but from a brand standpoint they have yet to tell me that protecting my safety and privacy is crucial . and then there 's change . consumers both love and fear disruptive companies like uber . people know that innovative companies create constructive chaos that usually benefits consumers . but disruptive companies can also be seen as dangerous . for uber to get the value of its disruption , in the form of consumer goodwill , people will need to know why uber-instigated changes in the taxi industry are good , not bad . despite the surge in rider sign-ups during the european taxi driver protests last week , uber 's challenge will be answering the same questions raised here , as more and more new people come online to use its platform . but the taxi driver action also creates the perfect context for uber to explain why shaking up the regulatory environment -- and the ensuing mess -- is a good thing for both consumer and regulator . if i were advising uber on how to best achieve revenues that would justify its $ 18 billion valuation , i 'd focus on two things . first , get very sharp about what you stand for and start building bridges with consumers that go beyond the functional role of delivering things from point a to b . rise above the kitten delivery stunts and bull-in-a-china-shop attitude to establish the value of your company in consumers'lives . that suggests being more transparent , protective , inclusive and explanatory about your business and the impact of your actions on their safety , privacy and overall riding experience . second , turn the negative fallout from disruption -- from forcing uber 's model on municipalities and shaking up the status quo -- into a positive global movement . explain to the entire ecosystem of drivers , riders , regulators , regulated , investors and employees the value and benefit of the turmoil uber brings when it rolls out in new markets . investors have spoken , and they 're all in for uber . but the jury may still be out with consumers . i happen to love uber . but if uber does n't seize this moment to build a valuable , trusted position in my life , and move beyond the emerging dangers , i will become a consumer who is confused about what it stands for . this requires uber to develop a true brand to manage its disruption and take control of the conversation with consumers . it must bring context to the chaos it creates and be known as a positive force for change that always acts on behalf of its consumers , not its business model . otherwise , down the road , a competitor might more easily turn my head : one that delivers exactly what they promise me .","pease : uber should explain to consumers why disruption in taxi business is good for all" +"uber ( cnn ) -- in the blink of an eye , uber has emerged as one of the most esteemed companies in the united states , soaring in recent days to a market value of $ 18.2 billion . that 's bigger than hertz and avis combined . but is the uber story really as good as it seems ? taxicab drivers clogging the streets of europe this past week , protesting against uber , are only part of the challenge . far more dangerous could be an emerging pattern of not paying sufficient respect to customers . companies like apple , zappos , fedex and amazon are passionately committed to building a love affair with consumers as the center of their universe . in contrast , uber has embraced a take-it-or-leave-it approach that may be tough for consumers to swallow over the long haul . still , the business model is brilliant , the growth eye-popping and the initial uber experience is generally excellent . in big cities like new york , on a rainy night , when cabs are always full , finding an uber car quickly through your iphone can be a godsend , even though you may have to pay a surge price ' at a multiple of twice or even more of the regular price . this adds up to uber being a welcome disruption , blowing competition and free market pricing into the regulated taxi industries that do n't always serve the interests of consumers . so what are the dangers ? lack of transparency may be one . consumers usually want a company to be proactive about explaining what they do and how that can affect their lives , especially when physical safety is at stake . uber puts most of the meaningful detail on what service it actually provides into its terms & conditions , which most people do n't read when they download the app . according to its terms & conditions agreement , uber is not a transportation service . it 's a passenger procurement service for private car drivers . the car drivers are uber 's actual customers . lack of accountability may be another danger . the entire risk of using the service is on the passenger . you are warned that you could be exposed to situations that are potentially dangerous , offensive , harmful to minors or unsafe ' . surprisingly , uber does not claim to assess the suitability , legality or ability ' of any third party providing services procured through uber , and uberx drivers may not be professionally licensed or permitted . does all this mean you may have a hard time suing the company if your driver is negligent and you get hurt ? lane kasselman , uber 's spokesman , did n't directly address this question of liability when i asked him about it in an email , but points to company attention to passenger safety , noting uber is the first to ensure end-to-end insurance coverage for ridesharing . ' privacy is also a concern for consumers . as we saw with the fallout from the target data security breach ( which included the ceos resignation ) , people expect a company to protect their privacy . i am sure there are fellow riders who , like me , take issue with the company not disclosing their passenger rating in the terms & conditions or privacy policy for the app . to me this raises further concerns : what are uber 's rating criteria for passengers , what happens to the data , how can i see the data on me , what 's the dispute process if i disagree ? uber 's kasselman answered by writing rider ratings are available easily by visiting t.uber.com/support or just by asking your driver . ' sounds fair enough , but on their support site i was asked to submit an email request for my passenger rating and wait for a response . ( i did receive it monday afternoon . ) and , again , i may not be alone feeling more than a little uncomfortable asking my driver for my rating . uber 's blog says it is exploring ways to show the rider 's rating in the next generation of the app ' . in addition to the security of corporate data , there is the issue of whether individual drivers have access to personal passenger information and how uber protects riders from unauthorized breaches . when asked about this in an email , kasselman , responded : uber driver partners do not have access to any personal information through the platform , including credit card data . we use state-of-the-art anonymization technology , meaning the driver does n't keep a record of the rider 's phone number . drivers and riders are able to connect either by calling or texting , with the anonymization described above , in place . ' from a logical standpoint , this makes sense , but from a brand standpoint they have yet to tell me that protecting my safety and privacy is crucial . and then there 's change . consumers both love and fear disruptive companies like uber . people know that innovative companies create constructive chaos that usually benefits consumers . but disruptive companies can also be seen as dangerous . for uber to get the value of its disruption , in the form of consumer goodwill , people will need to know why uber-instigated changes in the taxi industry are good , not bad . despite the surge in rider sign-ups during the european taxi driver protests last week , uber 's challenge will be answering the same questions raised here , as more and more new people come online to use its platform . but the taxi driver action also creates the perfect context for uber to explain why shaking up the regulatory environment -- and the ensuing mess -- is a good thing for both consumer and regulator . if i were advising uber on how to best achieve revenues that would justify its $ 18 billion valuation , i 'd focus on two things . first , get very sharp about what you stand for and start building bridges with consumers that go beyond the functional role of delivering things from point a to b . rise above the kitten delivery stunts and bull-in-a-china-shop attitude to establish the value of your company in consumers'lives . that suggests being more transparent , protective , inclusive and explanatory about your business and the impact of your actions on their safety , privacy and overall riding experience . second , turn the negative fallout from disruption -- from forcing uber 's model on municipalities and shaking up the status quo -- into a positive global movement . explain to the entire ecosystem of drivers , riders , regulators , regulated , investors and employees the value and benefit of the turmoil uber brings when it rolls out in new markets . investors have spoken , and they 're all in for uber . but the jury may still be out with consumers . i happen to love uber . but if uber does n't seize this moment to build a valuable , trusted position in my life , and move beyond the emerging dangers , i will become a consumer who is confused about what it stands for . this requires uber to develop a true brand to manage its disruption and take control of the conversation with consumers . it must bring context to the chaos it creates and be known as a positive force for change that always acts on behalf of its consumers , not its business model . otherwise , down the road , a competitor might more easily turn my head : one that delivers exactly what they promise me .","martha pease says uber , valued at $ 18 billion , has to live up to consumer expectations" +"uber ( cnn ) -- in the blink of an eye , uber has emerged as one of the most esteemed companies in the united states , soaring in recent days to a market value of $ 18.2 billion . that 's bigger than hertz and avis combined . but is the uber story really as good as it seems ? taxicab drivers clogging the streets of europe this past week , protesting against uber , are only part of the challenge . far more dangerous could be an emerging pattern of not paying sufficient respect to customers . companies like apple , zappos , fedex and amazon are passionately committed to building a love affair with consumers as the center of their universe . in contrast , uber has embraced a take-it-or-leave-it approach that may be tough for consumers to swallow over the long haul . still , the business model is brilliant , the growth eye-popping and the initial uber experience is generally excellent . in big cities like new york , on a rainy night , when cabs are always full , finding an uber car quickly through your iphone can be a godsend , even though you may have to pay a surge price ' at a multiple of twice or even more of the regular price . this adds up to uber being a welcome disruption , blowing competition and free market pricing into the regulated taxi industries that do n't always serve the interests of consumers . so what are the dangers ? lack of transparency may be one . consumers usually want a company to be proactive about explaining what they do and how that can affect their lives , especially when physical safety is at stake . uber puts most of the meaningful detail on what service it actually provides into its terms & conditions , which most people do n't read when they download the app . according to its terms & conditions agreement , uber is not a transportation service . it 's a passenger procurement service for private car drivers . the car drivers are uber 's actual customers . lack of accountability may be another danger . the entire risk of using the service is on the passenger . you are warned that you could be exposed to situations that are potentially dangerous , offensive , harmful to minors or unsafe ' . surprisingly , uber does not claim to assess the suitability , legality or ability ' of any third party providing services procured through uber , and uberx drivers may not be professionally licensed or permitted . does all this mean you may have a hard time suing the company if your driver is negligent and you get hurt ? lane kasselman , uber 's spokesman , did n't directly address this question of liability when i asked him about it in an email , but points to company attention to passenger safety , noting uber is the first to ensure end-to-end insurance coverage for ridesharing . ' privacy is also a concern for consumers . as we saw with the fallout from the target data security breach ( which included the ceos resignation ) , people expect a company to protect their privacy . i am sure there are fellow riders who , like me , take issue with the company not disclosing their passenger rating in the terms & conditions or privacy policy for the app . to me this raises further concerns : what are uber 's rating criteria for passengers , what happens to the data , how can i see the data on me , what 's the dispute process if i disagree ? uber 's kasselman answered by writing rider ratings are available easily by visiting t.uber.com/support or just by asking your driver . ' sounds fair enough , but on their support site i was asked to submit an email request for my passenger rating and wait for a response . ( i did receive it monday afternoon . ) and , again , i may not be alone feeling more than a little uncomfortable asking my driver for my rating . uber 's blog says it is exploring ways to show the rider 's rating in the next generation of the app ' . in addition to the security of corporate data , there is the issue of whether individual drivers have access to personal passenger information and how uber protects riders from unauthorized breaches . when asked about this in an email , kasselman , responded : uber driver partners do not have access to any personal information through the platform , including credit card data . we use state-of-the-art anonymization technology , meaning the driver does n't keep a record of the rider 's phone number . drivers and riders are able to connect either by calling or texting , with the anonymization described above , in place . ' from a logical standpoint , this makes sense , but from a brand standpoint they have yet to tell me that protecting my safety and privacy is crucial . and then there 's change . consumers both love and fear disruptive companies like uber . people know that innovative companies create constructive chaos that usually benefits consumers . but disruptive companies can also be seen as dangerous . for uber to get the value of its disruption , in the form of consumer goodwill , people will need to know why uber-instigated changes in the taxi industry are good , not bad . despite the surge in rider sign-ups during the european taxi driver protests last week , uber 's challenge will be answering the same questions raised here , as more and more new people come online to use its platform . but the taxi driver action also creates the perfect context for uber to explain why shaking up the regulatory environment -- and the ensuing mess -- is a good thing for both consumer and regulator . if i were advising uber on how to best achieve revenues that would justify its $ 18 billion valuation , i 'd focus on two things . first , get very sharp about what you stand for and start building bridges with consumers that go beyond the functional role of delivering things from point a to b . rise above the kitten delivery stunts and bull-in-a-china-shop attitude to establish the value of your company in consumers'lives . that suggests being more transparent , protective , inclusive and explanatory about your business and the impact of your actions on their safety , privacy and overall riding experience . second , turn the negative fallout from disruption -- from forcing uber 's model on municipalities and shaking up the status quo -- into a positive global movement . explain to the entire ecosystem of drivers , riders , regulators , regulated , investors and employees the value and benefit of the turmoil uber brings when it rolls out in new markets . investors have spoken , and they 're all in for uber . but the jury may still be out with consumers . i happen to love uber . but if uber does n't seize this moment to build a valuable , trusted position in my life , and move beyond the emerging dangers , i will become a consumer who is confused about what it stands for . this requires uber to develop a true brand to manage its disruption and take control of the conversation with consumers . it must bring context to the chaos it creates and be known as a positive force for change that always acts on behalf of its consumers , not its business model . otherwise , down the road , a competitor might more easily turn my head : one that delivers exactly what they promise me .","cab drivers in london protested the mobile cab app uber , tying up traffic" +"the office ( cnn ) -- for nine seasons , rainn wilson delighted audiences worldwide as the eccentric but lovable dwight schrute on nbc 's the office . ' wilson 's performance earned him a place in american pop culture history . but in his work off screen , wilson is building an entirely different legacy . when i started getting well known as an actor on'the office ,'i got inundated by requests to be a spokesperson for various charities . and i had an opportunity , i thought , for me to explore what was most important to me in my heart , and what i felt could make the greatest impact in the world , ' wilson says . wilson then found the perfect match . the mona foundation , based in wilson 's hometown of seattle , supports grass-roots educational organizations both internationally and in the united states . they support about 20 different schools and educational initiatives in about 15 different countries , and the more i learned about them , the more i loved . they target women and girls , and that 's how you transform a community , ' says wilson . a major difference from other organizations , wilson points out , is that the mona foundation finds programs that already exist and are working but underfunded . it is then able to bring in the support to improve the program and build a foundation for long-term success . wilson says this ensures that the community will get what it really needs and can sustain . it empowers members of the community to take control and move in a positive direction . working with the mona foundation is a family affair for wilson . it 's a project to which he and his wife , holiday reinhorn , are both fully committed . they visit the schools under the mona foundation umbrella frequently and sometimes bring along their son . wilson and reinhorn have visited the mona foundation schools in haiti a handful of times -- both before and after the devastating earthquake in 2010 . one of the things my wife and i do together is we teach arts workshops for adolescent girls . they 're the most at-risk population in haiti and through most of the developing world : teenage girls , preteen girls . targeting them to empower them and educate them is really the most crucial thing . we do arts and leadership workshops with them , ' wilson continues . we 're sponsoring some girls and giving them scholarships to get jobs training and english training . english training is very important , because it leads to jobs . it 's not like a western egotism thing , like oh , you should learn to speak american . it really is -- if you learn to speak fluent english , you can get a job as a translator or in a hotel or a restaurant or for an ngo or for any number of different places . it 's actually a very important skill set to have . so , i love weaving the arts in with leadership , helping give these girls a voice . '","star of the office ' rainn wilson supports the mona foundation" +"mona foundation ( cnn ) -- for nine seasons , rainn wilson delighted audiences worldwide as the eccentric but lovable dwight schrute on nbc 's the office . ' wilson 's performance earned him a place in american pop culture history . but in his work off screen , wilson is building an entirely different legacy . when i started getting well known as an actor on'the office ,'i got inundated by requests to be a spokesperson for various charities . and i had an opportunity , i thought , for me to explore what was most important to me in my heart , and what i felt could make the greatest impact in the world , ' wilson says . wilson then found the perfect match . the mona foundation , based in wilson 's hometown of seattle , supports grass-roots educational organizations both internationally and in the united states . they support about 20 different schools and educational initiatives in about 15 different countries , and the more i learned about them , the more i loved . they target women and girls , and that 's how you transform a community , ' says wilson . a major difference from other organizations , wilson points out , is that the mona foundation finds programs that already exist and are working but underfunded . it is then able to bring in the support to improve the program and build a foundation for long-term success . wilson says this ensures that the community will get what it really needs and can sustain . it empowers members of the community to take control and move in a positive direction . working with the mona foundation is a family affair for wilson . it 's a project to which he and his wife , holiday reinhorn , are both fully committed . they visit the schools under the mona foundation umbrella frequently and sometimes bring along their son . wilson and reinhorn have visited the mona foundation schools in haiti a handful of times -- both before and after the devastating earthquake in 2010 . one of the things my wife and i do together is we teach arts workshops for adolescent girls . they 're the most at-risk population in haiti and through most of the developing world : teenage girls , preteen girls . targeting them to empower them and educate them is really the most crucial thing . we do arts and leadership workshops with them , ' wilson continues . we 're sponsoring some girls and giving them scholarships to get jobs training and english training . english training is very important , because it leads to jobs . it 's not like a western egotism thing , like oh , you should learn to speak american . it really is -- if you learn to speak fluent english , you can get a job as a translator or in a hotel or a restaurant or for an ngo or for any number of different places . it 's actually a very important skill set to have . so , i love weaving the arts in with leadership , helping give these girls a voice . '","star of the office ' rainn wilson supports the mona foundation" +"mona foundation ( cnn ) -- for nine seasons , rainn wilson delighted audiences worldwide as the eccentric but lovable dwight schrute on nbc 's the office . ' wilson 's performance earned him a place in american pop culture history . but in his work off screen , wilson is building an entirely different legacy . when i started getting well known as an actor on'the office ,'i got inundated by requests to be a spokesperson for various charities . and i had an opportunity , i thought , for me to explore what was most important to me in my heart , and what i felt could make the greatest impact in the world , ' wilson says . wilson then found the perfect match . the mona foundation , based in wilson 's hometown of seattle , supports grass-roots educational organizations both internationally and in the united states . they support about 20 different schools and educational initiatives in about 15 different countries , and the more i learned about them , the more i loved . they target women and girls , and that 's how you transform a community , ' says wilson . a major difference from other organizations , wilson points out , is that the mona foundation finds programs that already exist and are working but underfunded . it is then able to bring in the support to improve the program and build a foundation for long-term success . wilson says this ensures that the community will get what it really needs and can sustain . it empowers members of the community to take control and move in a positive direction . working with the mona foundation is a family affair for wilson . it 's a project to which he and his wife , holiday reinhorn , are both fully committed . they visit the schools under the mona foundation umbrella frequently and sometimes bring along their son . wilson and reinhorn have visited the mona foundation schools in haiti a handful of times -- both before and after the devastating earthquake in 2010 . one of the things my wife and i do together is we teach arts workshops for adolescent girls . they 're the most at-risk population in haiti and through most of the developing world : teenage girls , preteen girls . targeting them to empower them and educate them is really the most crucial thing . we do arts and leadership workshops with them , ' wilson continues . we 're sponsoring some girls and giving them scholarships to get jobs training and english training . english training is very important , because it leads to jobs . it 's not like a western egotism thing , like oh , you should learn to speak american . it really is -- if you learn to speak fluent english , you can get a job as a translator or in a hotel or a restaurant or for an ngo or for any number of different places . it 's actually a very important skill set to have . so , i love weaving the arts in with leadership , helping give these girls a voice . '","his wife and son accompany wilson on visits to mona foundation schools" +"boston ( cnn ) -- gasps punctured the air inside boston symphony hall after the conductor interrupted the afternoon performance to announce to the 2,500 people in the audience that president kennedy had been assassinated . listening to the moment , which was captured on an audio recording , the emotions are still powerful 50 years later . the weekly friday concert had started at 2 p.m. just like normal , ' recalled joseph silverstein , then a 29-year-old violinist in his first year as the concertmaster for the boston symphony orchestra . no one in the concert hall knew that , as they took their seats for the performance , their president had been fatally shot in dallas . thirty minutes in , the orchestra broke for a 15-minute intermission . and that , silverstein recalled , is when this very normal day was shattered . during the intermission , silverstein remembers huddling around the 24-inch tv in the basement , watching in horror along with 100 other musicians as walter cronkite delivered the news of the assassination . there was no time to react . i was just trying to grasp the reality of it , ' silverstein said , adding that he has never publicly shared his memories from that terrible day until now . we were stunned . ' the orchestra had to go upstairs to an audience that remained blissfully unaware of the events in dallas . as the group walked to the concert hall , several orchestra members openly wept , but silverstein says they still managed to take their seats . the orchestra 's music director , erich leinsdorf , was going to have to break the news to the audience . silverstein says the legendary music director was nervous , but his austrian-tinged english was slow and deliberate while making the announcement , as if delivering the 46 words was just as painful as the initial shock of the president 's death . ladies and gentlemen , we have a press report over the wires . we hope that it is unconfirmed , but we have to doubt it , ' leinsdorf told the audience . the president of the united states has been the victim of an assassination . ' a rush of gasps and screams filled the cavernous hall . leinsdorf continued , we will play the funeral march from beethoven 's third symphony . ' a second swell of gasps as the audience grappled with the news and the announcement that the music would go on . seated at the end of a row , closest to the audience , silverstein watched the stunned people react to the news . some left the hall , but the majority remained . the audience came to their feet , standing for the entire funeral march , rising to honor the memory of their slain leader . the funeral march lasted for 12 minutes , what seemed like an eternity to silverstein . the orchestra 's president of trustees at the time , henry b. cabot , a member of boston 's noted cabot family , walked to the stage . cabot , who regularly attended the friday afternoon concerts , told the audience a story about the death of his father , according to silverstein saying that he had needed to hear music to help through the tragedy ' because of the solace ' music provides . playing his violin for the remainder of the program , 30 minutes of a very surreal experience , silverstein could barely concentrate on the music . he remembers gazing out into the audience and looking into the eyes of others in the orchestra , disbelief registering on their faces . once the program was over , the remaining audience members stood and filed solemnly out of the hall . not one person applauded . silverstein himself went home to his mourning family in nearby brookline . he remembers this event as the first of many blows to the country , as it was followed by the assassinations of malcolm x , the rev . martin luther king jr. and robert kennedy . the shooting of the president was the first time anyone of us had been confronted with the situation , ' he said . it was the day peace was shattered .","boston symphony-goers learned of his death during a weekly performance" +"slingo ( cnn ) -- slingo , ' a leader in online games for 17 years , is making its way to facebook with a redesigned version of the popular bingo/slot-machine game . the game 's creators are partnering with zynga , maker of such popular social games as farmville , ' cityville ' and words with friends , ' to produce zynga slingo . its gameplay is similar to the original slingo , ' with some updated social features to make it interactive on facebook . our partnership with zynga will bring the'slingo'brand to a whole new audience in a fresh , new way , ' said rich roberts , ceo of slingo . we are excited to partner with the world 's leading social game developer to deliver the social experience'slingo'fans across the world have asked for . ' slingo ' is played by more than 55 million people through online , mobile and casino games . the concept is rather simple -- players use a slot machine to produce numbers , which then are used on a bingo-style board for prizes . the zynga slingo version allows for playing with your facebook friends in a variety of ways . friends can gift others with power-ups or even act as a joker during gameplay , allowing for a free movement . leader boards also track in real time to see who is doing well and who could use a little help. ''slingo'is one of the earliest and most cherished games of the internet , ' said rich sawel , product manager for zynga slingo . and we 're proud to bring it to our players and make it even more fun and social than ever before . ' the new game comes on the heels of the release of zynga 's 2011 financial report showing the company earned $ 1.14 billion but still ended up with a net loss of more than $ 400 million . the fourth-quarter report shows the company 's games were played by 54 million users daily , an increase from 48 million during the same time in 2010 . zynga launched 12 new games in 2011 -- four titles on web-based platforms and eight others on mobile platforms . the company also had the top five most-played games on facebook . according to the report , zynga 's net loss of $ 435 million in the fourth quarter included a $ 510 million stock-based compensation expense that was previously unrecognized until triggered by an initial public offering in mid-december . as of early wednesday , zynga stock was trading at $ 14.35 per share on nasdaq ."," slingo ' is played by more than 55 million people through online , mobile and casino games" +"slingo ( cnn ) -- slingo , ' a leader in online games for 17 years , is making its way to facebook with a redesigned version of the popular bingo/slot-machine game . the game 's creators are partnering with zynga , maker of such popular social games as farmville , ' cityville ' and words with friends , ' to produce zynga slingo . its gameplay is similar to the original slingo , ' with some updated social features to make it interactive on facebook . our partnership with zynga will bring the'slingo'brand to a whole new audience in a fresh , new way , ' said rich roberts , ceo of slingo . we are excited to partner with the world 's leading social game developer to deliver the social experience'slingo'fans across the world have asked for . ' slingo ' is played by more than 55 million people through online , mobile and casino games . the concept is rather simple -- players use a slot machine to produce numbers , which then are used on a bingo-style board for prizes . the zynga slingo version allows for playing with your facebook friends in a variety of ways . friends can gift others with power-ups or even act as a joker during gameplay , allowing for a free movement . leader boards also track in real time to see who is doing well and who could use a little help. ''slingo'is one of the earliest and most cherished games of the internet , ' said rich sawel , product manager for zynga slingo . and we 're proud to bring it to our players and make it even more fun and social than ever before . ' the new game comes on the heels of the release of zynga 's 2011 financial report showing the company earned $ 1.14 billion but still ended up with a net loss of more than $ 400 million . the fourth-quarter report shows the company 's games were played by 54 million users daily , an increase from 48 million during the same time in 2010 . zynga launched 12 new games in 2011 -- four titles on web-based platforms and eight others on mobile platforms . the company also had the top five most-played games on facebook . according to the report , zynga 's net loss of $ 435 million in the fourth quarter included a $ 510 million stock-based compensation expense that was previously unrecognized until triggered by an initial public offering in mid-december . as of early wednesday , zynga stock was trading at $ 14.35 per share on nasdaq ."," slingo ' will have updated features to make the game interactive on facebook" +"facebook ( cnn ) -- slingo , ' a leader in online games for 17 years , is making its way to facebook with a redesigned version of the popular bingo/slot-machine game . the game 's creators are partnering with zynga , maker of such popular social games as farmville , ' cityville ' and words with friends , ' to produce zynga slingo . its gameplay is similar to the original slingo , ' with some updated social features to make it interactive on facebook . our partnership with zynga will bring the'slingo'brand to a whole new audience in a fresh , new way , ' said rich roberts , ceo of slingo . we are excited to partner with the world 's leading social game developer to deliver the social experience'slingo'fans across the world have asked for . ' slingo ' is played by more than 55 million people through online , mobile and casino games . the concept is rather simple -- players use a slot machine to produce numbers , which then are used on a bingo-style board for prizes . the zynga slingo version allows for playing with your facebook friends in a variety of ways . friends can gift others with power-ups or even act as a joker during gameplay , allowing for a free movement . leader boards also track in real time to see who is doing well and who could use a little help. ''slingo'is one of the earliest and most cherished games of the internet , ' said rich sawel , product manager for zynga slingo . and we 're proud to bring it to our players and make it even more fun and social than ever before . ' the new game comes on the heels of the release of zynga 's 2011 financial report showing the company earned $ 1.14 billion but still ended up with a net loss of more than $ 400 million . the fourth-quarter report shows the company 's games were played by 54 million users daily , an increase from 48 million during the same time in 2010 . zynga launched 12 new games in 2011 -- four titles on web-based platforms and eight others on mobile platforms . the company also had the top five most-played games on facebook . according to the report , zynga 's net loss of $ 435 million in the fourth quarter included a $ 510 million stock-based compensation expense that was previously unrecognized until triggered by an initial public offering in mid-december . as of early wednesday , zynga stock was trading at $ 14.35 per share on nasdaq ."," slingo ' will have updated features to make the game interactive on facebook" +"larry king live los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- natalie cole 's search for a new kidney ended this week when someone with a compatible organ died and their family asked that it be given to the singer , according to the organ procurement group that handled the donation . natalie cole received a kidney transplant tuesday in los angeles . cole , who underwent a successful kidney transplant at cedars-sinai medical center in los angeles tuesday , was responding well and recuperating ' thursday , her publicist said . cole had been on what she called a very long list ' of people waiting for an organ donation when she got word recently that onelegacy , an organ procurement agency in southern california , had a kidney that was a biological match . it was a directed donation ' from a deceased organ donor , according to onelegacy ceo tom mone . having heard of ms. cole 's need for a kidney , the family asked that one of their loved one 's kidneys be transplanted to ms. cole if they were a match , ' mone said . directed organ donations are rare , and rarer still are those directed to someone not related to or known personally by the deceased , he said . the donor will remain anonymous until the family gives permission for the name to be made public , he said . cole 's need for a kidney donation was highly publicized , including with an appearance on cnn 's larry king live ' on march 31 . i 'm on a very long list , which is why we are looking to donors , ' said cole , the daughter of legendary crooner nat king cole . cole said her kidney troubles date to february 2008 when she was diagnosed with hepatitis c. cole said she attributes the hepatitis c to her well-publicized struggles to stop using cocaine and heroin . cole said she has been sober for some time now after two stints in a rehabilitation clinic . cole said she underwent chemotherapy in an aggressive way to fight the virus . within four months of getting chemotherapy , both of cole 's kidneys failed . i could n't breathe . i -- i went into -- literally , my kidneys stopped functioning . they stopped , you know , processing the fluid that was starting to build up in my body . ' since then cole has been on dialysis three days a week and has been searching for a kidney , she told king in one of the first public interviews about the issue . cole won six grammys for her 1991 critically acclaimed album unforgettable : with love , ' a jazzy tribute to her father . she won a grammy this year for her new album still unforgettable ' and another grammy for her work on another album . cole was still able to tour this year even with her kidney ailment . she canceled a planned show last week in south korea because of her illness , which meant she was in los angeles when the organ became available . i have been on dialysis in istanbul , milan , indonesia , manila , london . it 's -- it 's amazing , ' cole said . during king 's show , dozens of people sent e-mails to cnn telling cole that they would get tested to see if their kidney could be donated . king handed a thick stack of paper to cole . these are all e-mails from dozens -- dozens of people offering to be tested to see if they can match , who want to give you a kidney , ' king said . cole stared at the papers for a moment . there are some great human beings out there . that 's all i can say , ' cole said . cole is expected to return to the tour after three to four months of recovery . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report .","singer received supportive e-mails when on cnn 's larry king live ' in march" +"key west ( cnn ) -- much of the country has turned up the heat during the deep freeze this week , but for some , the icy chill is on its way out . the deep south joined most of the rest of the nation with sub-zero temperatures friday as a fast-moving cold front knifed its way down to florida . combined with moisture from the gulf of mexico , the frigid air dumped a dangerous mix of ice and snow throughout the southeast thursday night and friday morning , coating roadways with a slick glaze . at least nine deaths around the country were blamed on this week 's round of winter weather . relief is in sight for the midwest this weekend , however , as higher temperatures make their way eastward , according to cnn meteorologist chad meyers . but the cold will tighten its grip before warmer air takes hold . an arctic air mass over the plains will cause severe wind chills through saturday morning , the national weather service reported . the weather service has issued wind chill advisories for northwestern missouri , northeastern kansas , eastern nebraska and southwestern iowa , meaning the wind chill could be severe enough to cause frost bite or hypothermia . the south will also experience higher temperatures by the end of the weekend but that region , too , will shiver a while longer . floridians braced for a second surge of arctic air that promised to dip well into the southern parts of the state . key west already set a record low temperature on thursday , bottoming out at 47 degrees -- shattering the previous low set back in 1897 . temperatures on sunday and monday are expected to be in the low-to-mid-40s . the citrus growing regions in florida and texas will have to keep an eye on their crops as the cold air remains in the area , meyers said . in southern texas , the national weather service has issued a hard freeze warning through late saturday morning , saying that the conditions will kill temperature-sensitive vegetation and could cause widespread damage or destruction to crops . ' the east might not feel the warmth until tuesday , meyers said , and will continue to feel temperatures that are 10 to 20 degrees below average . residents in new york city and the surrounding area , including northeastern new jersey and southern connecticut , wo n't feel temperatures above 30 degrees this weekend , the weather service reported . saturday night is expected to be the coldest , with lows in the teens and below in some areas , the weather service said . ireport : show cnn how how the cold is affecting you while forecasts do n't predict snow east of the rocky mountains in the coming days , meyers said , a storm system in the far west could drop as much as 10 feet over the canadian site of the 2010 winter olympics . flakes are expected saturday and may fall in the coming days on a swath of land ranging from british columbia to the northern sierras of california , meyers said . the most snow -- about 10 feet -- is expected to fall in canada 's whistler blackcomb , the venue for the olympic alpine skiing event . the heavy snow is a plus for the event but could also bring threats of avalanches , meyers said . 29-car pileup near atlanta airport vancouver , british columbia , hosts the 2010 games , which begin with the opening ceremony on february 12 . alpine skiing begins the following day . cnn 's dave alsup , hank bishop and sean morris contributed to this report .","key west , florida , southernmost point in continental u.s. , has coldest day in 112 years" +"selma ( cnn ) looking only at the historic , social and political facts , you will miss the spiritual phenomenon that enabled us to come together to change the south and the nation in 1965 . mlk , lbj , sncc , sclc , naacp , churches , synagogues , universities , trade unions , united nations , federal courts , fbi and even congress came together in spite of historic conflicts and differences to create one of the greatest occasions in the history of our nation . that 's miraculous . this complex story has evolved into a visual psalm of spiritual power that leads us to the truths of democracy that defy , but also reveal , the ultimate power that occasionally breaks into our lives and lifts us to new cultural heights . this is selma the movement and selma ' the movie . oprah winfrey and ava duvernay , with a team of brilliant , but mostly little-known actors and artists , attempted to tell this story in hollywood . they condensed years into minutes -- with great success . very few of the personalities , their families or their institutions will like this phenomenal effort , for it does not give them the credit or the recognition to which they feel entitled . we often get lost in the trees and miss the forest , and its life-saving grandeur and beauty . the opening scenes of selma ' shocked me into a spiritual realm with the sudden explosion in the midst of four beautiful , laughing little girls in sunday school at the 16th street baptist church in birmingham , alabama . that scene put me on an emotional roller coaster ride that reminded me that whatever success i have enjoyed was because of the sacrifice and suffering of others : from medgar evers , james chaney , andrew goodman and michael schwerner , to jimmie lee jackson , james reeb , and viola liuzzo . we are what we are because others risked and gave their lives to redeem our world from the evils of racism , war and poverty . zelizer : the real story behind'selma' the movie selma ' has been years in the making . many have tried . but most have given up because of the difficulties of accommodating so many constituencies , patents , property rights and the complex ego structure of our society . i 'm pleased that did not happen with this film . selma then and now when you see selma ' for yourself -- and you must -- look for the miraculous transformation of america . without violence . with very little money . and with only our faith in the creator as our source of power . selma ' is a cinematic tribute to the democratic vision that we can live together in freedom without violence . fifty years later , the challenge is global as well as local . now we must learn to address the economic crisis of unemployed poor and under-employed workers . just as the answers 50 years ago revolved around voting , today 's issues revolve around jobs , the economy , gender , culture , religion and healing . but now , we know that we can . because of the miracle of selma in 1965 and today as a film in 2015 , we can bear witness and embrace the powerful belief that we shall overcome . ‎","andrew young : the movement for voting rights achieved a miracle , depicted in the film selma '" +"americans hartford , connecticut ( cnn ) -- i knew every last american had been touched by the world cup when my father-in-law told me how much he enjoyed the first few innings ' of the brazil-ivory coast match . needless to say , he 's just discovering soccer . he still thinks a red card is what communists keep in their wallets . and yet , like so many of his countrymen , he 's suddenly been laid low by world cup fever , whose symptoms include a dull headache and a stiff neck , the result -- in my case -- of practicing headers in the driveway . ( practicing them for what ? ' my wife inquired . but you never know when that call-up will come for the u-50 national team . ) at long last , soccer ignorami in this country are becoming part of the international community . for most of this past week , i ( an american citizen ) felt schadenfreude ( a german word for joy in the misery of others ' ) at the spectacular implosion of les bleus ( the french national team , which mutinied against its own coach while crapping out of the tournament ) . that 's three countries in a single emotion , the kind of geopolitical awakening most of us only get in america when walking into an international house of pancakes . and so i ca n't stop singing that song from nike 's ubiquitous world cup commercial , in which italian lounge singer bobby solo serenades italy captain fabio cannavaro with a chorus -- che cannavaro , che capitano ' -- that is as insidiously unshakeable as the world cup itself . i interviewed cannavaro in milan a dozen years ago and have followed and occasionally covered international soccer for two decades . in america , i sometimes act like one of those bores who saw the beatles in hamburg before they made it big : that guy who feels smugly superior to the mass of fans who later fill the bandwagon . this kind of smugness has its advantages . a fellow school parent asked me yesterday : what 's the name of that guy who coaches argentina ? ' when i said , diego maradona , ' she replied : how do you know all this stuff ? ' maradona is only the greatest soccer player of all time and one of earth 's most famous inhabitants , but i kept those secrets to myself , letting her think i 'm a soccer sophisticate and repository of the game 's most obscure trivia . i 'm just happy that more people care , that the next time my father-in-law hears the name donovan , he 'll think of the american whose 91st-minute goal sent the u.s. to the knockout stages of the 2010 world cup , not the englishman whose song mellow yellow ' went to no . 2 in the charts in 1966 . someday , when my father-in-law thinks of 1966 as the year that england last won the world cup , the tournament will have finally realized its manifest destiny . it will truly have conquered the world . it 's almost there now . more and more americans are succumbing . you may have noticed your fellow cubicle jockeys sounding like one of those english soccer announcers currently on loan to espn : decrying cynical ' tackles , praising beautifully weighted ' passes and pronouncing themselves , at the water cooler , too knackered ' to work . ireport : do you have world cup mania ? last sunday , i saw a brand-new manchester united license plate frame on a car in our church parking lot . the next day , an 8-year-old saw my toddler in an english soccer jersey at the park and yelled , correctly : he 's got an arsenal shirt on ! ' these are hopeful signs . in much of america , in the month it is named for , the june bug abruptly appears , reaches maturity in july and then quickly dies off . typically , the world cup does the same . but this time , i think soccer , as grass-dwelling pests go , will be harder to eradicate . i know the game will be eating my lawn for years to come . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of steve rushin .","he says more and more americans are succumbing to cup fever" +"wimbledon zurich , switzerland -- martina hingis has stunned the world of sport by revealing that she tested positive for cocaine at wimbledon . hingis won five grand slam titles and spent 209 weeks as world number one . hingis , 27 , announced her retirement from tennis for the second time but denied that she had ever taken performance-enhancing drugs . i 've never taken drugs and i am 100 percent innocent , ' said the former world number one who added that she was shocked and appalled ' by the results of test taken after she crashed out in the third round at the all england club to laura granville 6-4 6-2 . in a statement an emotional hingis said : i find this accusation so horrendous , so monstrous , that i have decided to confront it head-on by talking to the press . my weapon on the tennis court is and always was one single thing : the game , the ingenuity on court . and for this style of tennis , there is only one performance enhancer -- the love of the game . ' hingis said that she had hired an attorney to help her clear her name , but had decided to retire because she did not want to become entangled in a lengthy legal process . a case like this one can sometimes take years to resolve , especially if both sides repeatedly appeal the case and take it to the next level . and this is the reason for my announcement . i have no desire to spend the next several years of my life reduced to fighting against the doping officials . ' hingis ended her season last month because of hip problems and said she would take as long as necessary to become fully fit again . her second round loss to peng shuai of china in beijing on september 19 proved to be her final match and it was rumored ahead of thursday 's press conference in zurich that she would be calling it a day . the popular swiss player after returning to the game she won three titles and ended last year at number seven in the world rankings . she is still rated 19th on the wta rankings . during her career hingis won five grand slam titles and spent 209 weeks as the world 's number one . wta tour chief executive larry scott said the tour had not received any official information about a positive test and as a result we are not in a position to comment on the matter . ' however , it is important to remember that in the area of anti-doping , all players are presumed innocent until proven otherwise , ' scott said . referring to her retirement , he said , martina hingis is a tremendous champion and a fan favorite the world over . in her most recent comeback , she proved again that she can perform at the very highest levels of the game . ' e-mail to a friend","martina hingis says she tested positive for cocaine at wimbledon" +"chinese ( cnn ) -- the chinese government is bracing itself for a rush of people wishing to marry when the summer olympics kick off on august 8 -- because the number carries a special significance in chinese culture , the state news agency said sunday . a traditional ming-style wedding is held in nanjing , china , last december . the number eight ' ( ba ) is considered auspicious by many in china because it sounds like the word for wealth ' and fortune , ' the news agency xinhua said . we 've long been prepared for a stampede of newly-wed couples this year , ' guo xusheng , spokesman with the beijing municipal civil affairs bureau , told xinhua . every year , many couples choose the 8th of august -- the eighth month of the year -- hoping eighth of the eighth ' luck will rub off on them , the news agency said . nearly 3,400 couples got hitched on the day last year , some waiting all night outside the marriage registration office in beijing . this year , the civil affairs bureau is accepting online reservations for marriage registrations for the day . the significance that numbers carry in chinese culture often dictate various aspects of the people 's lives there . and of all the numbers , eight is considered one of the luckiest . beijing , itself , opted to kick off the olympic games at 8 p.m. on 8/8/08 . e-mail to a friend","the number 8 ' is considered by many chinese to carry good fortune" +"ai beijing , china ( cnn ) -- dissident artist ai weiwei will not be allowed to publicly appeal a multimillion-dollar tax penalty the chinese government says he owes , he said thursday . ai told cnn by phone that chinese tax authorities sent him a note march 27 telling him he will not be given a public trial but a written hearing . ' they sent him another note thursday saying he must pay the 15 million yuan ( $ 2.4 million ) in back taxes he was already ordered to pay , and that he can make no further appeals . ai , who was found guilty of tax evasion last year , said he plans to sue the tax authorities . chinese authorities detained ai for 81 days last year and later ordered him to pay the 15 million yuan in back taxes they said he owed through his company , fake cultural development ltd. ai paid 8.45 million yuan ( $ 1.3 million ) late last year so he could contest the charges . had he not paid the sum , he said at the time , his wife would have been jailed . ai 's family and human rights advocates have said they believe the chinese government is targeting him for his criticism of the regime . an internationally renowned artist , ai 's works -- often with political undercurrents -- command hundreds of thousands of dollars . his 2010 installation at the tate modern in london involved 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds , each one hand-painted by specialists in china , spread on the floor of the museum 's large entrance hall . ai helped design beijing 's iconic bird 's nest stadium for the 2008 olympics , though he later spoke against the games . cnn 's judy kwon contributed to this report .","ai weiwei says he will only get a written hearing '" +"ai beijing , china ( cnn ) -- dissident artist ai weiwei will not be allowed to publicly appeal a multimillion-dollar tax penalty the chinese government says he owes , he said thursday . ai told cnn by phone that chinese tax authorities sent him a note march 27 telling him he will not be given a public trial but a written hearing . ' they sent him another note thursday saying he must pay the 15 million yuan ( $ 2.4 million ) in back taxes he was already ordered to pay , and that he can make no further appeals . ai , who was found guilty of tax evasion last year , said he plans to sue the tax authorities . chinese authorities detained ai for 81 days last year and later ordered him to pay the 15 million yuan in back taxes they said he owed through his company , fake cultural development ltd. ai paid 8.45 million yuan ( $ 1.3 million ) late last year so he could contest the charges . had he not paid the sum , he said at the time , his wife would have been jailed . ai 's family and human rights advocates have said they believe the chinese government is targeting him for his criticism of the regime . an internationally renowned artist , ai 's works -- often with political undercurrents -- command hundreds of thousands of dollars . his 2010 installation at the tate modern in london involved 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds , each one hand-painted by specialists in china , spread on the floor of the museum 's large entrance hall . ai helped design beijing 's iconic bird 's nest stadium for the 2008 olympics , though he later spoke against the games . cnn 's judy kwon contributed to this report .","ai is an internationally renowned artist" +"china beijing , china ( cnn ) -- dissident artist ai weiwei will not be allowed to publicly appeal a multimillion-dollar tax penalty the chinese government says he owes , he said thursday . ai told cnn by phone that chinese tax authorities sent him a note march 27 telling him he will not be given a public trial but a written hearing . ' they sent him another note thursday saying he must pay the 15 million yuan ( $ 2.4 million ) in back taxes he was already ordered to pay , and that he can make no further appeals . ai , who was found guilty of tax evasion last year , said he plans to sue the tax authorities . chinese authorities detained ai for 81 days last year and later ordered him to pay the 15 million yuan in back taxes they said he owed through his company , fake cultural development ltd. ai paid 8.45 million yuan ( $ 1.3 million ) late last year so he could contest the charges . had he not paid the sum , he said at the time , his wife would have been jailed . ai 's family and human rights advocates have said they believe the chinese government is targeting him for his criticism of the regime . an internationally renowned artist , ai 's works -- often with political undercurrents -- command hundreds of thousands of dollars . his 2010 installation at the tate modern in london involved 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds , each one hand-painted by specialists in china , spread on the floor of the museum 's large entrance hall . ai helped design beijing 's iconic bird 's nest stadium for the 2008 olympics , though he later spoke against the games . cnn 's judy kwon contributed to this report .","china says he owes $ 2.4 million in back taxes" +"google mountain view , california ( cnn ) -- as google prepares to add a new category to its arsenal of portable devices with tablets , the company 's mobile team is deploying ways to better tie its different systems together . it might not come as a surprise that the internet giant is using the web to do that . like smartphones , this new breed of tablets will run android , an operating system developed by google . this next version of android , called 3.0 or honeycomb , is its first designed for tablets but will also run on smartphones . like apple does with its closed system , honeycomb will let users buy applications on computers and synchronize them between their google gadgets . using the android market website in a browser , you can browse , buy and download apps , google announced at a news conference on the company 's main campus here on wednesday . from the website , users can beam the app to any number of phones or tablets connected to their accounts . the phone begins downloading the app almost instantly . this feature has already been enabled automatically on android phones . previously , you 'd have to open the android app on a smartphone in order to search for and download programs . synchronizing between other family members'phones , for example , was a hassle . in apple 's controlled habitat , the iphone , ipod touch and ipad share information and apps via a central hub in the itunes software . there are no wires , no syncing to computers , none of that kind of nonsense , ' chris yerga , android 's engineering director for cloud services , said onstage at the android event . everything just works seamlessly , syncing between the two . ' the announcement reinforces google 's philosophy of doing everything over the internet , or cloud ' in industry parlance . android already synchronizes personal information such as e-mail and contact lists through the web . it 's the cloud that makes the experience seamless , ' said andy rubin , who leads android development . but the synchronization features will mean little if google ca n't persuade smartphone customers to purchase upcoming android tablets . so much of wednesday 's event was focused on a walkthrough of new features that will be available to these devices . a new app called music brings the android system closer in line with apple 's ipod-iphone-ipad model . albums and songs are organized in a screen with a heavy emphasis on cover artwork . honeycomb also has a live video chat function that will let tablet users talk with other people who are using gmail on a computer . apple 's portable devices with facetime can talk only to mac computers running a beta program or using skype 's app . skype does not offer a video-calling app for android . the new android software includes improved multitasking functionality , so you can see a window of what apps you were previously using looked like when you closed out of them . all of this runs thanks to a combination of hardware-acceleration techniques for smooth animations . these techniques also help drive more powerful games . google 's partners showed a game called monster madness , ' which is based on a game originally developed for the playstation 3 . developers said they did n't need to make major alterations to get it to work on the tablet . they also showed an action-packed , medieval-themed game that taps into the hardware 's multicore processors . google also attempted to woo attendees and people watching the event 's online video stream with a slew of new apps designed specifically for tablets . cnn announced onstage it will offer an android app with ireport functions and live video capabilities . the tablets also will be able to run all of android 's 130,000 apps designed for smartphone-sized screens . the apps will fill the tablets'larger screens . we 've spent a significant amount of effort making sure that existing android apps run well on tablets , ' hugo barra , android 's director of product management , said onstage . the first tablet to launch with the new version of android is motorola 's xoom , which debuts this month . an exact release date and pricing have not been set . a honeycomb tablet from lg , called the g-slate , will come out in march , t-mobile usa announced tuesday evening . in addition to a camera on the front used for video chatting , that device has a pair of cameras on the back for capturing high-definition 3-d photos and video . you 'll need 3-d glasses in order to see the video on the tablet 's screen . t-mobile and at & t also announced more information on new android phones this week , none of which will run the honeycomb software at first .","google launches a website for browsing and downloading apps" +"google mountain view , california ( cnn ) -- as google prepares to add a new category to its arsenal of portable devices with tablets , the company 's mobile team is deploying ways to better tie its different systems together . it might not come as a surprise that the internet giant is using the web to do that . like smartphones , this new breed of tablets will run android , an operating system developed by google . this next version of android , called 3.0 or honeycomb , is its first designed for tablets but will also run on smartphones . like apple does with its closed system , honeycomb will let users buy applications on computers and synchronize them between their google gadgets . using the android market website in a browser , you can browse , buy and download apps , google announced at a news conference on the company 's main campus here on wednesday . from the website , users can beam the app to any number of phones or tablets connected to their accounts . the phone begins downloading the app almost instantly . this feature has already been enabled automatically on android phones . previously , you 'd have to open the android app on a smartphone in order to search for and download programs . synchronizing between other family members'phones , for example , was a hassle . in apple 's controlled habitat , the iphone , ipod touch and ipad share information and apps via a central hub in the itunes software . there are no wires , no syncing to computers , none of that kind of nonsense , ' chris yerga , android 's engineering director for cloud services , said onstage at the android event . everything just works seamlessly , syncing between the two . ' the announcement reinforces google 's philosophy of doing everything over the internet , or cloud ' in industry parlance . android already synchronizes personal information such as e-mail and contact lists through the web . it 's the cloud that makes the experience seamless , ' said andy rubin , who leads android development . but the synchronization features will mean little if google ca n't persuade smartphone customers to purchase upcoming android tablets . so much of wednesday 's event was focused on a walkthrough of new features that will be available to these devices . a new app called music brings the android system closer in line with apple 's ipod-iphone-ipad model . albums and songs are organized in a screen with a heavy emphasis on cover artwork . honeycomb also has a live video chat function that will let tablet users talk with other people who are using gmail on a computer . apple 's portable devices with facetime can talk only to mac computers running a beta program or using skype 's app . skype does not offer a video-calling app for android . the new android software includes improved multitasking functionality , so you can see a window of what apps you were previously using looked like when you closed out of them . all of this runs thanks to a combination of hardware-acceleration techniques for smooth animations . these techniques also help drive more powerful games . google 's partners showed a game called monster madness , ' which is based on a game originally developed for the playstation 3 . developers said they did n't need to make major alterations to get it to work on the tablet . they also showed an action-packed , medieval-themed game that taps into the hardware 's multicore processors . google also attempted to woo attendees and people watching the event 's online video stream with a slew of new apps designed specifically for tablets . cnn announced onstage it will offer an android app with ireport functions and live video capabilities . the tablets also will be able to run all of android 's 130,000 apps designed for smartphone-sized screens . the apps will fill the tablets'larger screens . we 've spent a significant amount of effort making sure that existing android apps run well on tablets , ' hugo barra , android 's director of product management , said onstage . the first tablet to launch with the new version of android is motorola 's xoom , which debuts this month . an exact release date and pricing have not been set . a honeycomb tablet from lg , called the g-slate , will come out in march , t-mobile usa announced tuesday evening . in addition to a camera on the front used for video chatting , that device has a pair of cameras on the back for capturing high-definition 3-d photos and video . you 'll need 3-d glasses in order to see the video on the tablet 's screen . t-mobile and at & t also announced more information on new android phones this week , none of which will run the honeycomb software at first .","google demonstrates many new features packaged with motorola 's xoom tablet" +"delta another flight , another woman goes into labor . delta air lines flight 2566 from san francisco to minneapolis diverted to salt lake city on wednesday when a pregnant passenger went into labor during the flight . a pediatrician on board helped the passenger until the flight landed at about 9:45 a.m. , according to cnn affiliate kutv . the passenger was taken by the local fire department to the university of utah hospital , where she gave birth to a baby boy . both the mother and baby are in good condition , the hospital said . i was getting contractions about every minute almost immediately , which was really scary ... ' mother allison peery told cnn affiliate ktvx on thursday . the pediatrician was a big help , she said , as were the flight attendants . they were great , like helping me breathe . because we had n't done our classes yet , so we were really kind of out of our element , ' peery said of her and her husband , zach . there were about four ( other people ) there all breathing with me . ' the 4-pound , 6-ounce child , named karl william peery , is fine . he 's doing so well and he 's so cute , ' said allison peery , whose family lives in wisconsin . it 's not the first time this month that a pregnant passenger has diverted a flight . on december 9 , a baby was born on southwest airlines flight 623 shortly after its 6:24 a.m. takeoff . the aircraft departed from san francisco bound for phoenix , but diverted to los angeles international airport at about 7:30 a.m. a nurse and doctor on board assisted with the delivery . it was amazing , ' a flight attendant said in a video posted on the airline 's website . all the passengers were awesome . everybody was clapping . ' the plane was met by a los angeles fire department emergency response team upon landing , according to lax spokeswoman katherine alvarado . after a two-and-a-half hour delay , the 111 other passengers aboard flight 623 were able to continue their journey to phoenix aboard a new aircraft . airline restrictions for pregnant passengers vary . delta does n't restrict the travel of pregnant passengers , but the airline does offer guidance about change fees on its website . ticket change fees and penalties can not be waived for pregnancy . ' for any passenger traveling after her eighth month , it 's a good idea to check with your doctor to be sure travel is not restricted . ' southwest advises that pregnant women consult with their doctors before traveling by air , and the airline recommends not traveling after the 38th week of pregnancy . barring medical complications , the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists says that pregnant women can fly safely just like the general population . however , air travel is not recommended at any time during pregnancy for women who have medical or obstetric conditions that may be exacerbated by flight or that could require emergency care . ' go to acog.org for more information on air travel during pregnancy .","delta flight diverted to salt lake because of a pregnant passenger" +"dulmatin jakarta , indonesia ( cnn ) -- indonesian authorities killed the suspected mastermind behind the deadly 2002 bali bombings , indonesian president susilo bambang yudhoyono said on wednesday . yudhoyono announced the death of terrorist dulmatin while speaking with reporters during a visit to australia . the bali bombings killed 202 people . i can announce to you that , after a successful police raid against the terrorists hiding out in jakarta yesterday , we can confirm that one of those that was killed was mr. dulmatin , one of the top southeast asian terrorists that we have been looking for , ' yudhoyono said . dulmatin , one of indonesia 's most wanted terrorists , had several aliases , including joko pitoyo . he was an electronics specialist who trained in al qaeda camps in afghanistan and had a $ 10 million bounty on his head , according to the u.s. state department . he was a senior member of the al qaeda-linked terror network jemaah islamiyah . indonesian media had been reporting that dulmatin was killed in a shootout in pamulang , banten province , on tuesday . the raid was linked to ongoing security sweeps in aceh province in northern sumatra . police have arrested 15 suspected militants , and one has been killed . three police officers have died in the raids . aceh governor irwandi yusuf said that , for a year now , he has known about a militant training camp in the province . he said militants were seeking to establish camps similar to those run by jemaah islamiyah in the the southern philippines . the group has a stated goal of creating an idealized islamic state comprising indonesia , malaysia , singapore , the southern philippines and southern thailand , according to globalsecurity.org , a public policy web site that provides background on defense issues . yusuf told reporters that militants chose aceh because it is a predominantly muslim province that imposes shariah , or islamic , law and because a rebellion -- the free aceh movement -- had taken root there . indonesia 's current anti-terrorism efforts come just days before president barack obama 's planned visit to the world 's most-populous muslim nation .","dulmatin is one of indonesia 's most wanted terrorists" +"dulmatin jakarta , indonesia ( cnn ) -- indonesian authorities killed the suspected mastermind behind the deadly 2002 bali bombings , indonesian president susilo bambang yudhoyono said on wednesday . yudhoyono announced the death of terrorist dulmatin while speaking with reporters during a visit to australia . the bali bombings killed 202 people . i can announce to you that , after a successful police raid against the terrorists hiding out in jakarta yesterday , we can confirm that one of those that was killed was mr. dulmatin , one of the top southeast asian terrorists that we have been looking for , ' yudhoyono said . dulmatin , one of indonesia 's most wanted terrorists , had several aliases , including joko pitoyo . he was an electronics specialist who trained in al qaeda camps in afghanistan and had a $ 10 million bounty on his head , according to the u.s. state department . he was a senior member of the al qaeda-linked terror network jemaah islamiyah . indonesian media had been reporting that dulmatin was killed in a shootout in pamulang , banten province , on tuesday . the raid was linked to ongoing security sweeps in aceh province in northern sumatra . police have arrested 15 suspected militants , and one has been killed . three police officers have died in the raids . aceh governor irwandi yusuf said that , for a year now , he has known about a militant training camp in the province . he said militants were seeking to establish camps similar to those run by jemaah islamiyah in the the southern philippines . the group has a stated goal of creating an idealized islamic state comprising indonesia , malaysia , singapore , the southern philippines and southern thailand , according to globalsecurity.org , a public policy web site that provides background on defense issues . yusuf told reporters that militants chose aceh because it is a predominantly muslim province that imposes shariah , or islamic , law and because a rebellion -- the free aceh movement -- had taken root there . indonesia 's current anti-terrorism efforts come just days before president barack obama 's planned visit to the world 's most-populous muslim nation .","dulmatin had a $ 10 million bounty on his head , according to u.s. state department" +"dulmatin jakarta , indonesia ( cnn ) -- indonesian authorities killed the suspected mastermind behind the deadly 2002 bali bombings , indonesian president susilo bambang yudhoyono said on wednesday . yudhoyono announced the death of terrorist dulmatin while speaking with reporters during a visit to australia . the bali bombings killed 202 people . i can announce to you that , after a successful police raid against the terrorists hiding out in jakarta yesterday , we can confirm that one of those that was killed was mr. dulmatin , one of the top southeast asian terrorists that we have been looking for , ' yudhoyono said . dulmatin , one of indonesia 's most wanted terrorists , had several aliases , including joko pitoyo . he was an electronics specialist who trained in al qaeda camps in afghanistan and had a $ 10 million bounty on his head , according to the u.s. state department . he was a senior member of the al qaeda-linked terror network jemaah islamiyah . indonesian media had been reporting that dulmatin was killed in a shootout in pamulang , banten province , on tuesday . the raid was linked to ongoing security sweeps in aceh province in northern sumatra . police have arrested 15 suspected militants , and one has been killed . three police officers have died in the raids . aceh governor irwandi yusuf said that , for a year now , he has known about a militant training camp in the province . he said militants were seeking to establish camps similar to those run by jemaah islamiyah in the the southern philippines . the group has a stated goal of creating an idealized islamic state comprising indonesia , malaysia , singapore , the southern philippines and southern thailand , according to globalsecurity.org , a public policy web site that provides background on defense issues . yusuf told reporters that militants chose aceh because it is a predominantly muslim province that imposes shariah , or islamic , law and because a rebellion -- the free aceh movement -- had taken root there . indonesia 's current anti-terrorism efforts come just days before president barack obama 's planned visit to the world 's most-populous muslim nation .","new : indonesian media had been reporting dulmatin 's death in a shootout" +"indonesia jakarta , indonesia ( cnn ) -- indonesian authorities killed the suspected mastermind behind the deadly 2002 bali bombings , indonesian president susilo bambang yudhoyono said on wednesday . yudhoyono announced the death of terrorist dulmatin while speaking with reporters during a visit to australia . the bali bombings killed 202 people . i can announce to you that , after a successful police raid against the terrorists hiding out in jakarta yesterday , we can confirm that one of those that was killed was mr. dulmatin , one of the top southeast asian terrorists that we have been looking for , ' yudhoyono said . dulmatin , one of indonesia 's most wanted terrorists , had several aliases , including joko pitoyo . he was an electronics specialist who trained in al qaeda camps in afghanistan and had a $ 10 million bounty on his head , according to the u.s. state department . he was a senior member of the al qaeda-linked terror network jemaah islamiyah . indonesian media had been reporting that dulmatin was killed in a shootout in pamulang , banten province , on tuesday . the raid was linked to ongoing security sweeps in aceh province in northern sumatra . police have arrested 15 suspected militants , and one has been killed . three police officers have died in the raids . aceh governor irwandi yusuf said that , for a year now , he has known about a militant training camp in the province . he said militants were seeking to establish camps similar to those run by jemaah islamiyah in the the southern philippines . the group has a stated goal of creating an idealized islamic state comprising indonesia , malaysia , singapore , the southern philippines and southern thailand , according to globalsecurity.org , a public policy web site that provides background on defense issues . yusuf told reporters that militants chose aceh because it is a predominantly muslim province that imposes shariah , or islamic , law and because a rebellion -- the free aceh movement -- had taken root there . indonesia 's current anti-terrorism efforts come just days before president barack obama 's planned visit to the world 's most-populous muslim nation .","dulmatin is one of indonesia 's most wanted terrorists" +"cochran ( cnn ) -- black voters allowed themselves to be used by sen. thad cochran to win the republican primary runoff for mississippi 's u.s. senate seat . cochran beat state sen. chris mcdaniel by targeting black democrats and getting them to vote for him in a tight race . it was a brilliant political strategy in a state that allows open primaries , where voters can cross party lines to vote . it also showed blacks -- and the republican party that ignores them -- that black voters can wield political influence . cochran won the runoff by a little over 6,000 votes . the runoff was triggered because no candidate garnered 50 % of the vote in the first primary , which cochran lost to mcdaniel by some 1,000 votes . but make no mistake , cochran appealed to black democratic voters out of desperation . when was the last time we heard cochran reaching out to ask for the black vote in the last six terms he 's served as senator ? cochran 's campaign suggested mcdaniel was a tea party radical . the tea party has become code for racist ' among many black americans , who overwhelmingly vote democratic . black democratic voters allowed themselves to be exploited by cochran 's boogeyman -- the tea party nonsense -- without looking into the policies and records of each candidate . mcdaniel was a conservative candidate opposed to illegal immigration , which harms black americans . the black unemployment rate has been higher than the national average for the past five years and blacks often compete for the same jobs as undocumented workers . refusing to concede the election , mcdaniel and other conservatives said cochran played dirty politics by reaching out to black democrats to win . it 's true these same voters will likely vote for the democratic nominee in the fall . but i suspect mcdaniel is just angry he did n't think of the idea first . it was distasteful to see conservatives like laura ingraham accuse cochran of race-baiting because he decided to ask black democrats to vote for him . how is asking blacks to cast a vote for you race-baiting ? while i do n't agree with how cochran won and wish blacks were more informed about their vote , cochran bothered to ask blacks to vote for him , something that apparently makes some republicans cringe . even the democrat-dominated congressional black caucus has now applauded his use of blacks to win . go figure . many blacks would say the republican party only works in earnest for the white vote . presidential nominee mitt romney did a good job of winning the majority of the white vote ( 60 % ) in 2012 , but he lost the election because he ignored the minority and woman voters -- that is , he hardly bothered to ask for their votes . this mississippi primary race is a harbinger of what can happen to the gop in future national elections if republicans continue to ignore the black vote . they will lose . instead of allowing themselves to vote solely based on misleading headlines and misinformation , blacks need to be voting based upon candidates'positions on issues and how they affect them . come november , i doubt cochran will really care about earning the black vote and taking the republican message of equal opportunity and economic empowerment to blacks . blacks just believed the hype about mcdaniel being a racist and did n't dig any deeper . cochran will run in the general election ignoring black voters , just as the gop has done for the past 40 years . this is n't a watershed moment . it 's another example of blacks throwing away their political influence -- as they have on the democratic party since 1964 -- and getting nothing in return . cochran demonstrates what many black conservatives already know : gop candidates will only reach out to black voters , kicking and screaming , as a last resort to win . this is n't the path to future republican victories in truly competitive national races in a country where census data show the white population declining while minorities are growing . the big takeaway from the cochran win is that republicans had better get serious . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion .","thad cochran appealed to black democratic voters out of desperation , she argues" +"cochran ( cnn ) -- black voters allowed themselves to be used by sen. thad cochran to win the republican primary runoff for mississippi 's u.s. senate seat . cochran beat state sen. chris mcdaniel by targeting black democrats and getting them to vote for him in a tight race . it was a brilliant political strategy in a state that allows open primaries , where voters can cross party lines to vote . it also showed blacks -- and the republican party that ignores them -- that black voters can wield political influence . cochran won the runoff by a little over 6,000 votes . the runoff was triggered because no candidate garnered 50 % of the vote in the first primary , which cochran lost to mcdaniel by some 1,000 votes . but make no mistake , cochran appealed to black democratic voters out of desperation . when was the last time we heard cochran reaching out to ask for the black vote in the last six terms he 's served as senator ? cochran 's campaign suggested mcdaniel was a tea party radical . the tea party has become code for racist ' among many black americans , who overwhelmingly vote democratic . black democratic voters allowed themselves to be exploited by cochran 's boogeyman -- the tea party nonsense -- without looking into the policies and records of each candidate . mcdaniel was a conservative candidate opposed to illegal immigration , which harms black americans . the black unemployment rate has been higher than the national average for the past five years and blacks often compete for the same jobs as undocumented workers . refusing to concede the election , mcdaniel and other conservatives said cochran played dirty politics by reaching out to black democrats to win . it 's true these same voters will likely vote for the democratic nominee in the fall . but i suspect mcdaniel is just angry he did n't think of the idea first . it was distasteful to see conservatives like laura ingraham accuse cochran of race-baiting because he decided to ask black democrats to vote for him . how is asking blacks to cast a vote for you race-baiting ? while i do n't agree with how cochran won and wish blacks were more informed about their vote , cochran bothered to ask blacks to vote for him , something that apparently makes some republicans cringe . even the democrat-dominated congressional black caucus has now applauded his use of blacks to win . go figure . many blacks would say the republican party only works in earnest for the white vote . presidential nominee mitt romney did a good job of winning the majority of the white vote ( 60 % ) in 2012 , but he lost the election because he ignored the minority and woman voters -- that is , he hardly bothered to ask for their votes . this mississippi primary race is a harbinger of what can happen to the gop in future national elections if republicans continue to ignore the black vote . they will lose . instead of allowing themselves to vote solely based on misleading headlines and misinformation , blacks need to be voting based upon candidates'positions on issues and how they affect them . come november , i doubt cochran will really care about earning the black vote and taking the republican message of equal opportunity and economic empowerment to blacks . blacks just believed the hype about mcdaniel being a racist and did n't dig any deeper . cochran will run in the general election ignoring black voters , just as the gop has done for the past 40 years . this is n't a watershed moment . it 's another example of blacks throwing away their political influence -- as they have on the democratic party since 1964 -- and getting nothing in return . cochran demonstrates what many black conservatives already know : gop candidates will only reach out to black voters , kicking and screaming , as a last resort to win . this is n't the path to future republican victories in truly competitive national races in a country where census data show the white population declining while minorities are growing . the big takeaway from the cochran win is that republicans had better get serious . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion .","cochran 's victory was n't a watershed moment and did n't mean what many think , she says" +"congressional black caucus ( cnn ) -- black voters allowed themselves to be used by sen. thad cochran to win the republican primary runoff for mississippi 's u.s. senate seat . cochran beat state sen. chris mcdaniel by targeting black democrats and getting them to vote for him in a tight race . it was a brilliant political strategy in a state that allows open primaries , where voters can cross party lines to vote . it also showed blacks -- and the republican party that ignores them -- that black voters can wield political influence . cochran won the runoff by a little over 6,000 votes . the runoff was triggered because no candidate garnered 50 % of the vote in the first primary , which cochran lost to mcdaniel by some 1,000 votes . but make no mistake , cochran appealed to black democratic voters out of desperation . when was the last time we heard cochran reaching out to ask for the black vote in the last six terms he 's served as senator ? cochran 's campaign suggested mcdaniel was a tea party radical . the tea party has become code for racist ' among many black americans , who overwhelmingly vote democratic . black democratic voters allowed themselves to be exploited by cochran 's boogeyman -- the tea party nonsense -- without looking into the policies and records of each candidate . mcdaniel was a conservative candidate opposed to illegal immigration , which harms black americans . the black unemployment rate has been higher than the national average for the past five years and blacks often compete for the same jobs as undocumented workers . refusing to concede the election , mcdaniel and other conservatives said cochran played dirty politics by reaching out to black democrats to win . it 's true these same voters will likely vote for the democratic nominee in the fall . but i suspect mcdaniel is just angry he did n't think of the idea first . it was distasteful to see conservatives like laura ingraham accuse cochran of race-baiting because he decided to ask black democrats to vote for him . how is asking blacks to cast a vote for you race-baiting ? while i do n't agree with how cochran won and wish blacks were more informed about their vote , cochran bothered to ask blacks to vote for him , something that apparently makes some republicans cringe . even the democrat-dominated congressional black caucus has now applauded his use of blacks to win . go figure . many blacks would say the republican party only works in earnest for the white vote . presidential nominee mitt romney did a good job of winning the majority of the white vote ( 60 % ) in 2012 , but he lost the election because he ignored the minority and woman voters -- that is , he hardly bothered to ask for their votes . this mississippi primary race is a harbinger of what can happen to the gop in future national elections if republicans continue to ignore the black vote . they will lose . instead of allowing themselves to vote solely based on misleading headlines and misinformation , blacks need to be voting based upon candidates'positions on issues and how they affect them . come november , i doubt cochran will really care about earning the black vote and taking the republican message of equal opportunity and economic empowerment to blacks . blacks just believed the hype about mcdaniel being a racist and did n't dig any deeper . cochran will run in the general election ignoring black voters , just as the gop has done for the past 40 years . this is n't a watershed moment . it 's another example of blacks throwing away their political influence -- as they have on the democratic party since 1964 -- and getting nothing in return . cochran demonstrates what many black conservatives already know : gop candidates will only reach out to black voters , kicking and screaming , as a last resort to win . this is n't the path to future republican victories in truly competitive national races in a country where census data show the white population declining while minorities are growing . the big takeaway from the cochran win is that republicans had better get serious . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion .","the democrat-dominated congressional black caucus applauds his use of blacks" +"mississippi ( cnn ) -- black voters allowed themselves to be used by sen. thad cochran to win the republican primary runoff for mississippi 's u.s. senate seat . cochran beat state sen. chris mcdaniel by targeting black democrats and getting them to vote for him in a tight race . it was a brilliant political strategy in a state that allows open primaries , where voters can cross party lines to vote . it also showed blacks -- and the republican party that ignores them -- that black voters can wield political influence . cochran won the runoff by a little over 6,000 votes . the runoff was triggered because no candidate garnered 50 % of the vote in the first primary , which cochran lost to mcdaniel by some 1,000 votes . but make no mistake , cochran appealed to black democratic voters out of desperation . when was the last time we heard cochran reaching out to ask for the black vote in the last six terms he 's served as senator ? cochran 's campaign suggested mcdaniel was a tea party radical . the tea party has become code for racist ' among many black americans , who overwhelmingly vote democratic . black democratic voters allowed themselves to be exploited by cochran 's boogeyman -- the tea party nonsense -- without looking into the policies and records of each candidate . mcdaniel was a conservative candidate opposed to illegal immigration , which harms black americans . the black unemployment rate has been higher than the national average for the past five years and blacks often compete for the same jobs as undocumented workers . refusing to concede the election , mcdaniel and other conservatives said cochran played dirty politics by reaching out to black democrats to win . it 's true these same voters will likely vote for the democratic nominee in the fall . but i suspect mcdaniel is just angry he did n't think of the idea first . it was distasteful to see conservatives like laura ingraham accuse cochran of race-baiting because he decided to ask black democrats to vote for him . how is asking blacks to cast a vote for you race-baiting ? while i do n't agree with how cochran won and wish blacks were more informed about their vote , cochran bothered to ask blacks to vote for him , something that apparently makes some republicans cringe . even the democrat-dominated congressional black caucus has now applauded his use of blacks to win . go figure . many blacks would say the republican party only works in earnest for the white vote . presidential nominee mitt romney did a good job of winning the majority of the white vote ( 60 % ) in 2012 , but he lost the election because he ignored the minority and woman voters -- that is , he hardly bothered to ask for their votes . this mississippi primary race is a harbinger of what can happen to the gop in future national elections if republicans continue to ignore the black vote . they will lose . instead of allowing themselves to vote solely based on misleading headlines and misinformation , blacks need to be voting based upon candidates'positions on issues and how they affect them . come november , i doubt cochran will really care about earning the black vote and taking the republican message of equal opportunity and economic empowerment to blacks . blacks just believed the hype about mcdaniel being a racist and did n't dig any deeper . cochran will run in the general election ignoring black voters , just as the gop has done for the past 40 years . this is n't a watershed moment . it 's another example of blacks throwing away their political influence -- as they have on the democratic party since 1964 -- and getting nothing in return . cochran demonstrates what many black conservatives already know : gop candidates will only reach out to black voters , kicking and screaming , as a last resort to win . this is n't the path to future republican victories in truly competitive national races in a country where census data show the white population declining while minorities are growing . the big takeaway from the cochran win is that republicans had better get serious . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion .","crystal wright looks at how black voters in mississippi were used to win the senate primary" +"caterpillar dolpa , nepal ( cnn ) -- ram bahadur jafra and his two brothers crouch on a field , picking through blades of grass and staring at the soil . they have traveled five days by foot to a himalayan meadow at a 4,300 meter elevation deep inside nepal 's dolpa district . they came , as tens of thousands do each year , to harvest a highly valuable commodity from the high-altitude soil : the himalayan caterpillar fungus -- also known as himalayan viagra . caterpillar fungus , or as it 's called in tibetan , yartsa gunbu , ' meaning summer grass , winter worm , ' is a specimen created when a parasitic fungus infects caterpillars underground which , were they not forestalled by the fungus , would produce ghost moths . after the fungus mummifies the caterpillar underground , it thrusts out of the soil . it 's this tiny protuberance that the harvesters spend weeks each spring searching for . a hundred or so people crawl across the field in a mulled silence until a sole searcher lets out an excited cry . dozens rush over to witness , jafra is the first to arrive . the woman who has discovered the specimen uses an ice pick to prod the earth and dig a hole about six inches in diameter . she then lifts a clump of earth up and sifts out the specimen . the crowd gossips about its value -- it 's small , only 300 rupees ! ' ( about $ 3 ) . a middle man will offer her that amount , then walk it to a market in tibet and sell it for three times the price . jafra explains : we pay attention when other people find them . this is our first time coming for the harvest . we 've been here for nearly a week . we have n't found anything , because we do n't know what they look like -- we do n't know what we 're looking for . ' see also : himalayan glaciers'buck melting trend' like many others , ram and his brothers traveled for the harvest betting on hope alone . people in our village talked about the money to be earned , so we came , ' he says . the rumors of riches are not baseless . according to experts , the market value of yartsa gunbu has increased by 900 % between 1997 and 2008 . one study says 500 grams of top quality yartsa gunbu can sell for up to $ 13,000 in lhasa , tibet , or up to $ 26,000 in shanghai . average annual income in nepal 's rural mid-and-far-western hills , where many harvesters live , is just $ 283 , according to the government . police in dolpa expect 40,000 people to migrate to the district this year . the influx of migrant harvesters speaks volumes to the increasing global commodification of yartsa gunbu . prized in traditional tibetan and chinese medicinal practices for its power as an elixir or an aphrodisiac , in recent years commercial dubbing of the product as himalayan viagra ' has driven up both demand and market value around the world . but the unprecedented flood of harvesters has observers concerned about the environmental impacts of this informal economic boom . look at the hills , ' says gyalpo thandin , a student in dolpa , they 're all torn up from people digging . by next year they 'll be deserts . ' thandin , who was visiting home for the harvest , remembers when the yartsa gunbu season meant local bounty , not commercial competition . just five years ago the numbers were lower , ' he says . every year we see more people come and more grasslands get damaged . people who come hack at the land with tools and leave it to dry out . ' he says his family 's yaks have died in recent winters due to depleted grass caused by the harvest . see also : bringing nepal 's ghost town back to life environmental protection measures offer some hope . six years ago , a committee of community leaders in dolpa instituted a taxation system on harvesters in an effort to control numbers and ensure the local community remained resilient amidst environmental changes . the committee charges locals 1,000 rupees ( $ 11 ) and outsiders 3,000 rupees ( $ 33 ) to join the harvest . the system is intended to spend the money on environmental protection measures and to subsidize food for villages in the district . similar systems exist in harvest areas across the himalayas . however , some worry the measure is ineffective . a former committee member who spoke on the condition of anonymity suggests that charging admission to the harvest has only made it seem even more valuable , and as a result , drawn more harvesters . the goal of the system was to charge people and therefore limit the number who would want to come for the harvest , but putting a price on the entry might actually be encouraging more people , ' he says . a leading expert on himalayan caterpillar fungus , ecologist and geographer daniel winkler , believes the future of the harvests is contingent on many factors -- collection intensity , rainfall , and climate change among them . centuries of collection indicate that caterpillar fungus is a relatively resilient resource , ' he says . but his research suggests that over-harvesting is contributing to fewer fungal spores being around for the next season . winkler believes education is the key element to promoting sustainable resource conservation . knowledge of fungal reproduction ... and ( establishing ) an end-date to the collection season might allow for sufficient spore dispersal to guarantee sustainability , ' he adds . as communities in nepal , one of the world 's poorest countries , cope with the economic need and the increasing desire for high-value commodities like yartsa gunbu , conservation efforts will require cooperation between leaders at village , district , and national levels . there is no question this himalayan gold rush ' buoys rural economies . keeping it around for future generations will be the challenge .","caterpillar fungus -- known as himalayan viagra -- is prized in traditional medicine" +"caterpillar dolpa , nepal ( cnn ) -- ram bahadur jafra and his two brothers crouch on a field , picking through blades of grass and staring at the soil . they have traveled five days by foot to a himalayan meadow at a 4,300 meter elevation deep inside nepal 's dolpa district . they came , as tens of thousands do each year , to harvest a highly valuable commodity from the high-altitude soil : the himalayan caterpillar fungus -- also known as himalayan viagra . caterpillar fungus , or as it 's called in tibetan , yartsa gunbu , ' meaning summer grass , winter worm , ' is a specimen created when a parasitic fungus infects caterpillars underground which , were they not forestalled by the fungus , would produce ghost moths . after the fungus mummifies the caterpillar underground , it thrusts out of the soil . it 's this tiny protuberance that the harvesters spend weeks each spring searching for . a hundred or so people crawl across the field in a mulled silence until a sole searcher lets out an excited cry . dozens rush over to witness , jafra is the first to arrive . the woman who has discovered the specimen uses an ice pick to prod the earth and dig a hole about six inches in diameter . she then lifts a clump of earth up and sifts out the specimen . the crowd gossips about its value -- it 's small , only 300 rupees ! ' ( about $ 3 ) . a middle man will offer her that amount , then walk it to a market in tibet and sell it for three times the price . jafra explains : we pay attention when other people find them . this is our first time coming for the harvest . we 've been here for nearly a week . we have n't found anything , because we do n't know what they look like -- we do n't know what we 're looking for . ' see also : himalayan glaciers'buck melting trend' like many others , ram and his brothers traveled for the harvest betting on hope alone . people in our village talked about the money to be earned , so we came , ' he says . the rumors of riches are not baseless . according to experts , the market value of yartsa gunbu has increased by 900 % between 1997 and 2008 . one study says 500 grams of top quality yartsa gunbu can sell for up to $ 13,000 in lhasa , tibet , or up to $ 26,000 in shanghai . average annual income in nepal 's rural mid-and-far-western hills , where many harvesters live , is just $ 283 , according to the government . police in dolpa expect 40,000 people to migrate to the district this year . the influx of migrant harvesters speaks volumes to the increasing global commodification of yartsa gunbu . prized in traditional tibetan and chinese medicinal practices for its power as an elixir or an aphrodisiac , in recent years commercial dubbing of the product as himalayan viagra ' has driven up both demand and market value around the world . but the unprecedented flood of harvesters has observers concerned about the environmental impacts of this informal economic boom . look at the hills , ' says gyalpo thandin , a student in dolpa , they 're all torn up from people digging . by next year they 'll be deserts . ' thandin , who was visiting home for the harvest , remembers when the yartsa gunbu season meant local bounty , not commercial competition . just five years ago the numbers were lower , ' he says . every year we see more people come and more grasslands get damaged . people who come hack at the land with tools and leave it to dry out . ' he says his family 's yaks have died in recent winters due to depleted grass caused by the harvest . see also : bringing nepal 's ghost town back to life environmental protection measures offer some hope . six years ago , a committee of community leaders in dolpa instituted a taxation system on harvesters in an effort to control numbers and ensure the local community remained resilient amidst environmental changes . the committee charges locals 1,000 rupees ( $ 11 ) and outsiders 3,000 rupees ( $ 33 ) to join the harvest . the system is intended to spend the money on environmental protection measures and to subsidize food for villages in the district . similar systems exist in harvest areas across the himalayas . however , some worry the measure is ineffective . a former committee member who spoke on the condition of anonymity suggests that charging admission to the harvest has only made it seem even more valuable , and as a result , drawn more harvesters . the goal of the system was to charge people and therefore limit the number who would want to come for the harvest , but putting a price on the entry might actually be encouraging more people , ' he says . a leading expert on himalayan caterpillar fungus , ecologist and geographer daniel winkler , believes the future of the harvests is contingent on many factors -- collection intensity , rainfall , and climate change among them . centuries of collection indicate that caterpillar fungus is a relatively resilient resource , ' he says . but his research suggests that over-harvesting is contributing to fewer fungal spores being around for the next season . winkler believes education is the key element to promoting sustainable resource conservation . knowledge of fungal reproduction ... and ( establishing ) an end-date to the collection season might allow for sufficient spore dispersal to guarantee sustainability , ' he adds . as communities in nepal , one of the world 's poorest countries , cope with the economic need and the increasing desire for high-value commodities like yartsa gunbu , conservation efforts will require cooperation between leaders at village , district , and national levels . there is no question this himalayan gold rush ' buoys rural economies . keeping it around for future generations will be the challenge .","thousands of people travel to nepal 's dolpa district each year to harvest the caterpillar fungus" +"juan sebastian veron patrick vieira 's move to manchester city appears to have moved a step closer after inter milan coach jose mourinho confirmed he has played his last game for the italian club . english premier league side city had been linked with a move for the 33-year-old midfielder who has a stop-start career at the san siro since his move from juventus . vieria played in inter 's 1-0 win over chievo and mourinho paid tribute to his contribution to the club after the match and confirmed his impending departure . in particular vieira was great in his last game for us . he is a player that we will certainly miss now that he is leaving , ' mourinho told reporters . it was the best way to say goodbye to us and i wish him all the best in his new life . i do n't know where he is going . he does n't have to tell anyone . england ? i think so . we could n't have stopped him from leaving . ' city manager roberto mancini revealed earlier in the week he was interested in taking the former arsenal midfielder on loan till the end of the season . vieira has not been a regular starter since he moved to inter and the player will be keen to prove his fitness and form in a bid to force his way into france 's squad for the world cup in south africa . meanwhile juan sebastian veron has rejected the chance to join city after the experienced midfielder admitted that he intends to see out his playing career at argentinean club estudiantes . veron , 34 , told argentinean radio station la red : i talked to mancini , but it 's not possible now . it 's not about money . first comes my family and second it 's because i made a decision and i want to respect it . this is what i feel and this is the place in which i am comfortable . to accept it would be going against my convictions , against myself and against the people . i presented the offer to the club directors so they could analyze it . but on my part there was n't a lot to think about . my response was instant . ' elsewhere , atletico madrid are closing in on a move for juventus midfielder tiago who is set to move to the spanish la liga club on loan until the end of the season .","juan sebastian veron has rejected the chance to join city and intends to see out his playing career at argentinean club estudiantes ." +"royal ballet ( cnn ) -- not only is tetsuya kumakawa the greatest ever japanese ballet dancer , he is one of the best the world has ever seen . his athletic grace has won him fans wherever he has performed , and his dedication to the art continues to bring ballet to new audiences . capable of soaring leaps and flawless turns , tetsuya teddy ' kumakawa has thrilled audiences the world over . founded in 1998 , his k-ballet company has built on the success he acheived at the royal ballet in covent garden , london . born in sapporo on hokkaido -- japan 's north island -- in 1972 , kumakawa took up ballet after seeing his eight year-old cousin , hironao perform at school in sapporo . like any 10 year old boy , his new hobby had to compete with other activities -- he also enjoyed kendo , baseball and drawing -- but it was ballet that he really fell in love with . from a young age kumakawa had been keen to see the world and the arrival of foreign guest tutors at his school only reinforced those desires . but it was swiss ballet teacher hans meister 's visit to hokkaido that proved to be a turning point in kumakawa 's nascent career . meister encouraged him to travel and recommended that he attend the royal ballet school ( rbs ) in london or the canadian national ballet school . kumakawa was just 15 years old when he left home to take up a place at the rbs . less than two years later , in january 1989 , he won both the gold medal and the newly established prince takamado prize at the prestigious prix de lausanne in switzerland . he was without question the star of the competition , producing soaring leaps in a performance from'don quixote'. in the spring of 1989 he turned professional , becoming the first asian dancer to join the royal ballet company ( rbc ) -- his first solo part was the leading mandolin player in romeo and juliet . ' in june he won the classical ballet prize at the eurovision young dancer of the year competition held in paris . kumakawa experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks of the rbc . he quickly became a soloist , dancing the act 1 pas de trois in tchaikovsky 's'swan lake'and completed a memorable performance as the bronze idol in la bayadère -- a cameo role that showcased his extraordinary jumping ability . the following season he was chosen for the role of the fool in the premiere of kenneth macmillan 's'the prince and the pagodas'. in 1991 he was promoted to first soloist and was a principal dancer by 1993 . so developed a mutual love affair between kumakawa , his new fans and his adoptive city . i was so pleased to participate in british culture , ' he told the japan times in 2004 . by the age of 26'teddy', as he had become known to his friends in the uk --'kuma'means'bear'in japanese -- had danced the full repertoire of classical and modern roles at the rbc . the man who had wowed london audiences with his acrobatic jumps and audacious turns was about to leap into a new chapter of his life . in 1998 he left the royal ballet to found his own company -- the k-ballet -- back home in tokyo . it was a highly controversial move at the time . not only had he upped sticks in the middle of a season , he also took five of the royal ballet 's star male performers with him to japan . the british press and the ballet fraternity were not impressed . greeted as a returning hero in his native country , kumakawa took on the roles of leading dancer , teacher , artistic director and company manager simultaneously . but despite the formidable workload and responsibility the new k-ballet flourished , fostering a wider interest in japanese ballet . in 2004 , kumakawa established the k-ballet school . the same year , the k-ballet became the first japanese ballet company to perform at the metropolitan opera house in new york . a career-threatening knee injury , suffered whilst on a k-ballet tour of japan in may 2007 has temporarily sidelined kumakawa from performing . but he expects to be back on stage next year , delighting audiences with virtuoso performances once again . in the meantime , kumakawa -- who continues to enjoy pop star status in japan -- continues to pass on his expertise to a new generation of dancers . e-mail to a friend","experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks at the royal ballet , london" +"suffolk ( cnn ) -- at least three tornadoes caused massive damage in virginia and injured more than 200 people on monday , officials said . this suffolk , virginia , house was destroyed by an apparent tornado monday . at least 200 were injured in suffolk where a twister destroyed several homes and businesses , said bob spieldenner of the virginia department of emergency management . the storm hit the 138-bed sentara obici hospital , though spieldenner said the facility was still operational and accepting patients . a second tornado struck colonial heights -- about 60 miles northwest , near richmond -- injuring at least 18 people , he said . a third twister damaged several homes near lawrenceville , about 70 miles south of richmond , said bryan jackson , a meteorologist with the national weather service , which confirmed all three tornadoes . gov . tim kaine declared a virginia-wide state of emergency as hazardous weather continued through the central part of the state . the suffolk twister touched down just before 4 p.m . et and plowed its way east into norfolk , damaging scores of homes , stores and cars and downing dozens of trees and power lines , jackson said . watch as a witness describes the tornado form » video footage from the scene showed roofs torn off homes , cars flipped over , trees snapped in two and a caved-in section of a newly constructed shopping center . furniture , fences and mounds of other debris were tossed in streets , parking lots and lawns . watch the storm 's massive destruction from the air » a tornado warning over the area remained in effect monday evening . jeff judkins , the city 's emergency management coordinator , said there also were reports of people trapped inside cars . it 's the worst damage he 's seen in the area , he said . an emergency shelter will be established by monday night , suffolk spokeswoman dana woodson said . officials initially reported a fatality , but later determined that it was unrelated to the storm , she said . e-mail to a friend","new : injuries in suffolk , where a tornado destroyed homes and businesses" +"colonial heights ( cnn ) -- at least three tornadoes caused massive damage in virginia and injured more than 200 people on monday , officials said . this suffolk , virginia , house was destroyed by an apparent tornado monday . at least 200 were injured in suffolk where a twister destroyed several homes and businesses , said bob spieldenner of the virginia department of emergency management . the storm hit the 138-bed sentara obici hospital , though spieldenner said the facility was still operational and accepting patients . a second tornado struck colonial heights -- about 60 miles northwest , near richmond -- injuring at least 18 people , he said . a third twister damaged several homes near lawrenceville , about 70 miles south of richmond , said bryan jackson , a meteorologist with the national weather service , which confirmed all three tornadoes . gov . tim kaine declared a virginia-wide state of emergency as hazardous weather continued through the central part of the state . the suffolk twister touched down just before 4 p.m . et and plowed its way east into norfolk , damaging scores of homes , stores and cars and downing dozens of trees and power lines , jackson said . watch as a witness describes the tornado form » video footage from the scene showed roofs torn off homes , cars flipped over , trees snapped in two and a caved-in section of a newly constructed shopping center . furniture , fences and mounds of other debris were tossed in streets , parking lots and lawns . watch the storm 's massive destruction from the air » a tornado warning over the area remained in effect monday evening . jeff judkins , the city 's emergency management coordinator , said there also were reports of people trapped inside cars . it 's the worst damage he 's seen in the area , he said . an emergency shelter will be established by monday night , suffolk spokeswoman dana woodson said . officials initially reported a fatality , but later determined that it was unrelated to the storm , she said . e-mail to a friend","a second tornado struck colonial heights injuring at least 18 , an official said" +"fbi ( cnn ) -- the american civil liberties union has called on officials in massachusetts and florida to conduct independent investigations into the shooting death of a man by an fbi agent . ibragim todashev was fatally shot early may 22 during questioning about a 2011 triple homicide in waltham , massachusetts , as well as his relationship with deceased boston marathon bombing suspect tamerlan tsarnaev . law enforcement from massachusetts and florida as well as the fbi questioned todashev at his florida home . details about the circumstances of todashev 's death have been few , and the gaps have been filled in by media reports quoting unnamed law enforcement sources . the reports have raised the question about how much of a threat todashev posed before being shot . father :'unarmed'son'not crazy'enough to attack fbi agent who killed him the fbi is conducting an investigation into the shooting , but the aclu said that action is not enough . florida officials are simply deferring to the fbi , allowing the fbi to investigate itself , but it is difficult to accept the fbi 's honesty in this matter , ' howard simon , aclu of florida 's executive director , said in a statement monday . the fbi has offered completely incompatible explanations ; they have failed to explain how these inconsistent stories found their way into newspaper accounts of the shootings , and have not offered any clarifying comment about what really happened . ' the rights group sent a letter to massachusetts attorney general martha coakley asking her office to investigate the role of officers from her state in the shooting . in florida , the aclu asked the florida department of law enforcement to investigate the role of orlando police at the scene . a u.s. government official briefed on the fbi investigation told cnn in may that todashev had agreed to talk to authorities and noted he was never arrested or handcuffed . did missed connections in murder case open door to bombings ? a samurai sword was in the room when todashev sat down with two massachusetts state police detectives and a boston-based fbi agent , but it was moved out of his reach , the u.s. official said . after one of the detectives left the room , the other noticed todashev was acting odd , and he texted that sense to the fbi agent with him -- the u.s. official told cnn . those two law enforcement officials were the only ones with todashev , according to this account . suddenly , todashev knocked over a table -- knocking the fbi agent back into a wall -- and came at him with some sort of long-handled object ' that he 'd grabbed from behind him , according to the official . the agent fired a few rounds , but todashev kept on coming , the official said . he finally stopped after yet more gunshots . a law enforcement official told cnn that todashev attacked the fbi agent with a broom handle , not a sword . official : dead boston bombing suspect involved in 2011 slayings","todashev was fatally shot by fbi agent during interrogation at his florida house" +"ray ( cnn ) -- opening statements are set to begin tuesday in the trial of self-help author and speaker james arthur ray , who is charged with three counts of reckless manslaughter in the death of three people at an arizona sweat lodge . the trial stems from a well-publicized incident that took place during a ceremony at a five-day retreat in sedona , arizona , on october 8 , 2009 . two people died during the ceremony at angel valley retreat center . a third died nine days later , and -- authorities allege -- at least 15 others fell ill. ray could face up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted . his attorney has argued that the author is not to blame for the deaths . we do not seek to minimize the tragedy of the sweat lodge deaths , ' said a december 2009 letter to prosecutors from defense attorney luis li . but these deaths were not the result of criminal conduct . mr. ray and his team relied on angel valley to provide a safe environment , warned people of the risks , did not force people to participate , did not prevent them from leaving , and did everything they could to prepare for any problems and to assist when problems arose . ' prosecutors claim ray , 53 , was reckless and that the lodge -- made of willow trees and branches , and covered with tarpaulins and blankets -- was heated to a perilously high temperature , causing the participants to suffer dehydration and heat stroke . ray also encouraged participants to hydrate throughout the retreat and warned them the sweat lodge would be very hot , his attorney has said . participants signed a release form saying that the retreat activities could include a sweat lodge with enclosed spaces and high temperatures , li said . kirby brown , 38 , of westtown , new york , and james shore , 40 , of milwaukee , died on october 8 . lizbeth marie neuman , 49 , of prior lake , minnesota , died on october 17 . the sweat lodge ceremony consisted of eight rounds , with each round lasting 10 to 15 minutes . while they were not prevented from leaving , participants have said they were encouraged to wait until the breaks between rounds . in interviews with authorities , some participants recounted feeling distress in the first few rounds . later , they told police , people began to pass out , others began to vomit and still others went into shock . some were encouraged to lie down in the dirt to seek relief from the heat . ( ray ) knew that people were in trouble , ' tom mcfeeley , brown 's cousin , told hln 's jane velez-mitchell on monday . those calls for help were ignored . ' ray had conducted the spiritual warrior retreat for six years at a cost of about $ 10,000 to participants . the sweat lodge , 5 feet tall and 23 feet wide , was built to accommodate up to 75 people . there was a pit in the center where heated rocks were placed . ray poured water over them to create steam . prosecutors maintain that ray psychologically pressured participants to remain in the lodge even when they were n't feeling well , contributing to their deaths . defense attorneys dispute that . li wrote in the 2009 letter that ray did not lead or pressure participants into making a choice they otherwise would not have made . this was a five-day retreat , not a cult . the jri ( james ray international , ray 's company ) philosophy is a practical approach to creating a successful life , not a religious practice . ' -- beth karas is a correspondent for in session , ' which airs weekdays 9 a.m. - 3 p.m . et on cnn 's sister network , trutv .","prosecutors say ray heated the lodge to dangerous temperatures" +"ray ( cnn ) -- opening statements are set to begin tuesday in the trial of self-help author and speaker james arthur ray , who is charged with three counts of reckless manslaughter in the death of three people at an arizona sweat lodge . the trial stems from a well-publicized incident that took place during a ceremony at a five-day retreat in sedona , arizona , on october 8 , 2009 . two people died during the ceremony at angel valley retreat center . a third died nine days later , and -- authorities allege -- at least 15 others fell ill. ray could face up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted . his attorney has argued that the author is not to blame for the deaths . we do not seek to minimize the tragedy of the sweat lodge deaths , ' said a december 2009 letter to prosecutors from defense attorney luis li . but these deaths were not the result of criminal conduct . mr. ray and his team relied on angel valley to provide a safe environment , warned people of the risks , did not force people to participate , did not prevent them from leaving , and did everything they could to prepare for any problems and to assist when problems arose . ' prosecutors claim ray , 53 , was reckless and that the lodge -- made of willow trees and branches , and covered with tarpaulins and blankets -- was heated to a perilously high temperature , causing the participants to suffer dehydration and heat stroke . ray also encouraged participants to hydrate throughout the retreat and warned them the sweat lodge would be very hot , his attorney has said . participants signed a release form saying that the retreat activities could include a sweat lodge with enclosed spaces and high temperatures , li said . kirby brown , 38 , of westtown , new york , and james shore , 40 , of milwaukee , died on october 8 . lizbeth marie neuman , 49 , of prior lake , minnesota , died on october 17 . the sweat lodge ceremony consisted of eight rounds , with each round lasting 10 to 15 minutes . while they were not prevented from leaving , participants have said they were encouraged to wait until the breaks between rounds . in interviews with authorities , some participants recounted feeling distress in the first few rounds . later , they told police , people began to pass out , others began to vomit and still others went into shock . some were encouraged to lie down in the dirt to seek relief from the heat . ( ray ) knew that people were in trouble , ' tom mcfeeley , brown 's cousin , told hln 's jane velez-mitchell on monday . those calls for help were ignored . ' ray had conducted the spiritual warrior retreat for six years at a cost of about $ 10,000 to participants . the sweat lodge , 5 feet tall and 23 feet wide , was built to accommodate up to 75 people . there was a pit in the center where heated rocks were placed . ray poured water over them to create steam . prosecutors maintain that ray psychologically pressured participants to remain in the lodge even when they were n't feeling well , contributing to their deaths . defense attorneys dispute that . li wrote in the 2009 letter that ray did not lead or pressure participants into making a choice they otherwise would not have made . this was a five-day retreat , not a cult . the jri ( james ray international , ray 's company ) philosophy is a practical approach to creating a successful life , not a religious practice . ' -- beth karas is a correspondent for in session , ' which airs weekdays 9 a.m. - 3 p.m . et on cnn 's sister network , trutv .","james arthur ray is charged with three counts of reckless manslaughter" +"alonso ( cnn ) -- ferrari 's fernando alonso has told cnn sport 's don riddell that michael schumacher is still the fastest driver on the formula one grid . speaking ahead of the opening grand prix of the season in melbourne , australia , alonso -- himself a double world champion -- believes that seven-time world champion schumacher remains a cut above his rivals . if formula one was 24 cars exactly the same , then michael would be the driver i would fear most , ' revealed alonso . if you look down the list of drivers on the grid for 2011 , then one name stands out above the rest , michael schumacher . michael is a seven-times world champion and is a legend in formula one . we have to respect him because he has the ability and talent to do well this season . ' despite not winning the drivers'title since 2006 , alonso confirmed that should he retire without another championship to his name , he would still be more than happy with his career . not many drivers have had the opportunity to win one world title , let alone two . i have already had nine years in formula one and hopefully have another six or seven to come , ' added the spaniard . i could spend nearly a quarter of my life in this wonderful sport , doing what i love to do , so i consider myself lucky and am very happy . ' despite this , alonso confirmed that coming so close to his third world title last year , left him sad and frustrated . the first three or four days after the end of the season were not the best for me , ' alonso confirmed . but i feel that sebastian vettel and red bull won the title rather than ferrari losing it . coming so close last year makes the team determined to go one better this time around , ' he added . everybody at ferrari was devastated by the result at abu dhabi last year but we are all very motivated now for 2011 . '","fernando alonso tells cnn that michael schumacher is still the best f1 driver" +"alonso ( cnn ) -- ferrari 's fernando alonso has told cnn sport 's don riddell that michael schumacher is still the fastest driver on the formula one grid . speaking ahead of the opening grand prix of the season in melbourne , australia , alonso -- himself a double world champion -- believes that seven-time world champion schumacher remains a cut above his rivals . if formula one was 24 cars exactly the same , then michael would be the driver i would fear most , ' revealed alonso . if you look down the list of drivers on the grid for 2011 , then one name stands out above the rest , michael schumacher . michael is a seven-times world champion and is a legend in formula one . we have to respect him because he has the ability and talent to do well this season . ' despite not winning the drivers'title since 2006 , alonso confirmed that should he retire without another championship to his name , he would still be more than happy with his career . not many drivers have had the opportunity to win one world title , let alone two . i have already had nine years in formula one and hopefully have another six or seven to come , ' added the spaniard . i could spend nearly a quarter of my life in this wonderful sport , doing what i love to do , so i consider myself lucky and am very happy . ' despite this , alonso confirmed that coming so close to his third world title last year , left him sad and frustrated . the first three or four days after the end of the season were not the best for me , ' alonso confirmed . but i feel that sebastian vettel and red bull won the title rather than ferrari losing it . coming so close last year makes the team determined to go one better this time around , ' he added . everybody at ferrari was devastated by the result at abu dhabi last year but we are all very motivated now for 2011 . '","alonso confirmed he would still be satisfied even without another world title" +"schumacher ( cnn ) -- ferrari 's fernando alonso has told cnn sport 's don riddell that michael schumacher is still the fastest driver on the formula one grid . speaking ahead of the opening grand prix of the season in melbourne , australia , alonso -- himself a double world champion -- believes that seven-time world champion schumacher remains a cut above his rivals . if formula one was 24 cars exactly the same , then michael would be the driver i would fear most , ' revealed alonso . if you look down the list of drivers on the grid for 2011 , then one name stands out above the rest , michael schumacher . michael is a seven-times world champion and is a legend in formula one . we have to respect him because he has the ability and talent to do well this season . ' despite not winning the drivers'title since 2006 , alonso confirmed that should he retire without another championship to his name , he would still be more than happy with his career . not many drivers have had the opportunity to win one world title , let alone two . i have already had nine years in formula one and hopefully have another six or seven to come , ' added the spaniard . i could spend nearly a quarter of my life in this wonderful sport , doing what i love to do , so i consider myself lucky and am very happy . ' despite this , alonso confirmed that coming so close to his third world title last year , left him sad and frustrated . the first three or four days after the end of the season were not the best for me , ' alonso confirmed . but i feel that sebastian vettel and red bull won the title rather than ferrari losing it . coming so close last year makes the team determined to go one better this time around , ' he added . everybody at ferrari was devastated by the result at abu dhabi last year but we are all very motivated now for 2011 . '","the ferrari driver believes schumacher remains a cut above his f1 rivals" +"schumacher ( cnn ) -- ferrari 's fernando alonso has told cnn sport 's don riddell that michael schumacher is still the fastest driver on the formula one grid . speaking ahead of the opening grand prix of the season in melbourne , australia , alonso -- himself a double world champion -- believes that seven-time world champion schumacher remains a cut above his rivals . if formula one was 24 cars exactly the same , then michael would be the driver i would fear most , ' revealed alonso . if you look down the list of drivers on the grid for 2011 , then one name stands out above the rest , michael schumacher . michael is a seven-times world champion and is a legend in formula one . we have to respect him because he has the ability and talent to do well this season . ' despite not winning the drivers'title since 2006 , alonso confirmed that should he retire without another championship to his name , he would still be more than happy with his career . not many drivers have had the opportunity to win one world title , let alone two . i have already had nine years in formula one and hopefully have another six or seven to come , ' added the spaniard . i could spend nearly a quarter of my life in this wonderful sport , doing what i love to do , so i consider myself lucky and am very happy . ' despite this , alonso confirmed that coming so close to his third world title last year , left him sad and frustrated . the first three or four days after the end of the season were not the best for me , ' alonso confirmed . but i feel that sebastian vettel and red bull won the title rather than ferrari losing it . coming so close last year makes the team determined to go one better this time around , ' he added . everybody at ferrari was devastated by the result at abu dhabi last year but we are all very motivated now for 2011 . '","fernando alonso tells cnn that michael schumacher is still the best f1 driver" +"guadagno ( cnn ) -- new jersey lt. gov . kim guadagno is expected to categorically deny ' allegations monday that she gave hoboken 's mayor an ultimatum regarding superstorm sandy recovery aid . guadagno 's denial flies in the face of claims made by hoboken mayor dawn zimmer , who said sunday that guadagno told her to support a redevelopment project backed by christie or lose sandy recovery funds . zimmer also connected christie to the threat , saying that guadagno told her the message was coming directly from christie . appearing on cnn 's state of the union , ' zimmer said , she said that to me -- is that this is a direct message from the governor , ' zimmer said , referring to lt. gov . kim guadagno , who zimmer said approached her in a parking lot in may to deliver the message . hoboken mayor :'it 's true'christie administration withheld sandy funds the alleged incident happened last may after guadagno toured a grocery store that had reopened after suffering $ 10 million in flooding damage from sandy . the lieutenant governor recalls having a conversation with zimmer that day , but says she remembers zimmer arguing that sandy recovery aid and redevelopment were the same issue , according to the source close to guadagno , who was not authorized to speak publicly . kim remembers in their conversation that she was talking about redevelopment and making investments in hoboken . she remembers zimmer pressing kim for money for sandy . kim remembers saying you ca n't tie the two together , ' the source said . and she remembers zimmer continuing to press and showing her a map of the city and pressing for aid for sandy . ' catching up with the christie scandal guadagno remembers it as a friendly conversation , ' the source said . zimmer was laser-focused on getting hoboken money for sandy recovery and that is not the role kim guadagno plays in the administration , ' the source said . she remembers telling zimmer that the administration would like to do more to redevelop hoboken , but she does n't recall talking to her specifically about the rockefeller group project . but the source said guadagno , a veteran prosecutor and former county sheriff , is still going through her records , preparing for a possible subpoena . in remarks monday morning -- at a volunteer event in union beach , new jersey honoring the martin luther king jr. national day of service -- guadagno is expected to make the point that , my job in the governor 's office is to oversee redevelopment and reinvestment in new jersey , ' the source said . in fact , a governor 's directive prevents guadagno from working on the sandy recovery efforts because she was personally affected by the superstorm -- her home in monmouth beach was damaged by the storm , the source said . she was at the hoboken grocery store in her role as an advocate for the state 's business community . kim ca n't talk about sandy , ' the source said . she ca n't do it . ' and guadagno twice returned to hoboken after that may visit -- once spending more than two hours touring farmers'markets with zimmer -- and the hoboken mayor never brought up the may conversation or indicated that it had upset her , the source said . zimmer 's comments saturday and sunday are a change from what she told cnn on january 11 . she said then that while she wondered whether sandy aid funds were being withheld because she did n't endorse the governor 's re-election , she concluded that i do n't think that 's the case . ' i do n't think it was retaliation and i do n't have any reason to think it 's retaliation , but i 'm not satisfied with the amount of money i 've gotten so far , ' zimmer told cnn then . she did not mention her concerns about the redevelopment project . cnn ' s leigh ann caldwell contributed to this report","new : new jersey lt. gov . kim guadagno says accusations by hoboken mayor are false '" +"guadagno ( cnn ) -- new jersey lt. gov . kim guadagno is expected to categorically deny ' allegations monday that she gave hoboken 's mayor an ultimatum regarding superstorm sandy recovery aid . guadagno 's denial flies in the face of claims made by hoboken mayor dawn zimmer , who said sunday that guadagno told her to support a redevelopment project backed by christie or lose sandy recovery funds . zimmer also connected christie to the threat , saying that guadagno told her the message was coming directly from christie . appearing on cnn 's state of the union , ' zimmer said , she said that to me -- is that this is a direct message from the governor , ' zimmer said , referring to lt. gov . kim guadagno , who zimmer said approached her in a parking lot in may to deliver the message . hoboken mayor :'it 's true'christie administration withheld sandy funds the alleged incident happened last may after guadagno toured a grocery store that had reopened after suffering $ 10 million in flooding damage from sandy . the lieutenant governor recalls having a conversation with zimmer that day , but says she remembers zimmer arguing that sandy recovery aid and redevelopment were the same issue , according to the source close to guadagno , who was not authorized to speak publicly . kim remembers in their conversation that she was talking about redevelopment and making investments in hoboken . she remembers zimmer pressing kim for money for sandy . kim remembers saying you ca n't tie the two together , ' the source said . and she remembers zimmer continuing to press and showing her a map of the city and pressing for aid for sandy . ' catching up with the christie scandal guadagno remembers it as a friendly conversation , ' the source said . zimmer was laser-focused on getting hoboken money for sandy recovery and that is not the role kim guadagno plays in the administration , ' the source said . she remembers telling zimmer that the administration would like to do more to redevelop hoboken , but she does n't recall talking to her specifically about the rockefeller group project . but the source said guadagno , a veteran prosecutor and former county sheriff , is still going through her records , preparing for a possible subpoena . in remarks monday morning -- at a volunteer event in union beach , new jersey honoring the martin luther king jr. national day of service -- guadagno is expected to make the point that , my job in the governor 's office is to oversee redevelopment and reinvestment in new jersey , ' the source said . in fact , a governor 's directive prevents guadagno from working on the sandy recovery efforts because she was personally affected by the superstorm -- her home in monmouth beach was damaged by the storm , the source said . she was at the hoboken grocery store in her role as an advocate for the state 's business community . kim ca n't talk about sandy , ' the source said . she ca n't do it . ' and guadagno twice returned to hoboken after that may visit -- once spending more than two hours touring farmers'markets with zimmer -- and the hoboken mayor never brought up the may conversation or indicated that it had upset her , the source said . zimmer 's comments saturday and sunday are a change from what she told cnn on january 11 . she said then that while she wondered whether sandy aid funds were being withheld because she did n't endorse the governor 's re-election , she concluded that i do n't think that 's the case . ' i do n't think it was retaliation and i do n't have any reason to think it 's retaliation , but i 'm not satisfied with the amount of money i 've gotten so far , ' zimmer told cnn then . she did not mention her concerns about the redevelopment project . cnn ' s leigh ann caldwell contributed to this report","guadagno says she did not deliver an ultimatum on behalf of gov . chris christie" +"guadagno ( cnn ) -- new jersey lt. gov . kim guadagno is expected to categorically deny ' allegations monday that she gave hoboken 's mayor an ultimatum regarding superstorm sandy recovery aid . guadagno 's denial flies in the face of claims made by hoboken mayor dawn zimmer , who said sunday that guadagno told her to support a redevelopment project backed by christie or lose sandy recovery funds . zimmer also connected christie to the threat , saying that guadagno told her the message was coming directly from christie . appearing on cnn 's state of the union , ' zimmer said , she said that to me -- is that this is a direct message from the governor , ' zimmer said , referring to lt. gov . kim guadagno , who zimmer said approached her in a parking lot in may to deliver the message . hoboken mayor :'it 's true'christie administration withheld sandy funds the alleged incident happened last may after guadagno toured a grocery store that had reopened after suffering $ 10 million in flooding damage from sandy . the lieutenant governor recalls having a conversation with zimmer that day , but says she remembers zimmer arguing that sandy recovery aid and redevelopment were the same issue , according to the source close to guadagno , who was not authorized to speak publicly . kim remembers in their conversation that she was talking about redevelopment and making investments in hoboken . she remembers zimmer pressing kim for money for sandy . kim remembers saying you ca n't tie the two together , ' the source said . and she remembers zimmer continuing to press and showing her a map of the city and pressing for aid for sandy . ' catching up with the christie scandal guadagno remembers it as a friendly conversation , ' the source said . zimmer was laser-focused on getting hoboken money for sandy recovery and that is not the role kim guadagno plays in the administration , ' the source said . she remembers telling zimmer that the administration would like to do more to redevelop hoboken , but she does n't recall talking to her specifically about the rockefeller group project . but the source said guadagno , a veteran prosecutor and former county sheriff , is still going through her records , preparing for a possible subpoena . in remarks monday morning -- at a volunteer event in union beach , new jersey honoring the martin luther king jr. national day of service -- guadagno is expected to make the point that , my job in the governor 's office is to oversee redevelopment and reinvestment in new jersey , ' the source said . in fact , a governor 's directive prevents guadagno from working on the sandy recovery efforts because she was personally affected by the superstorm -- her home in monmouth beach was damaged by the storm , the source said . she was at the hoboken grocery store in her role as an advocate for the state 's business community . kim ca n't talk about sandy , ' the source said . she ca n't do it . ' and guadagno twice returned to hoboken after that may visit -- once spending more than two hours touring farmers'markets with zimmer -- and the hoboken mayor never brought up the may conversation or indicated that it had upset her , the source said . zimmer 's comments saturday and sunday are a change from what she told cnn on january 11 . she said then that while she wondered whether sandy aid funds were being withheld because she did n't endorse the governor 's re-election , she concluded that i do n't think that 's the case . ' i do n't think it was retaliation and i do n't have any reason to think it 's retaliation , but i 'm not satisfied with the amount of money i 've gotten so far , ' zimmer told cnn then . she did not mention her concerns about the redevelopment project . cnn ' s leigh ann caldwell contributed to this report","hoboken 's mayor says guadagno told her that sandy relief funds hinged on her backing real estate venture" +"boko haram france will not negotiate with the islamist rebels who kidnapped a french family in cameroon , defense minister jean-yves le drian said tuesday . we do not negotiate on these bases , with those groups , ' le drian said on french radio station rtl . we will use all possible means to secure the release of hostages . ' the radio announcement comes a day after rebels in nigeria released a chilling video of the family that was abducted in neighboring cameroon . the seven-member family was flanked by armed fighters from the boko haram movement in the brief video . one of the captive men read a statement demanding that nigeria and cameroon free jailed members of boko haram , which is battling to establish islamic rule in northern nigeria , and their families . meet all the demands we have mentioned , and if you leave out one of them , we will kill these hostages , ' the masked man says . france blasts'cruelty'as boko haram displays kidnapped family the family -- a couple , their four children and an uncle -- were seized in a national park in remote northern cameroon on february 19 . authorities in cameroon said they were quickly spirited across the border into nigeria . this is the first time there are children hostages , ' le drian said . this is an unacceptable situation . ' french foreign minister laurent fabius denounced the video monday , saying , all of the state services are mobilized to free our countrymen . ' for all of us , these images are terribly shocking . they demonstrate cruelty without limits , ' fabius said in a statement . the kidnapping has raised fears of westerners being targeted by islamist militant groups in africa in the wake of the french military intervention against other islamist rebels in mali . the masked man in the video says french president francois hollande started war against islam , and we must fight him everywhere . ' the father works for the french company gdf suez and is based in yaounde , the capital in southern cameroon . gdf suez , which is developing a natural gas liquefaction project in cameroon , said it was working closely with the french foreign ministry .","boko haram wants jailed members and their wives released" +"peru ( cnn ) -- peru 's president arrived tuesday night at a mine in southern peru , where he was expected to lead an operation to reach nine trapped miners . we have been able to talk with the miners . their spirits are quite high , ' president ollanta humala told reporters outside the mine . but more work needs to be done before the rescue begins , humala said . engineers were working to make sure the mine was secure so there are no victims , ' he said . those same engineers tell us that we have to wait a few hours . they have n't said how many , ' the president said . the miners have been stuck since thursday in the wildcat cabeza de negro mine in southern peru . earlier tuesday , one of the mining engineers in charge of the rescue declined to give a specific time frame for the operation . we ca n't say how long it will take right now to get them out , but i can guarantee that they are alive , that they are in good health , and that ultimately they are going to be freed alive , ' engineer carlos bejarano said . a cave-in over the weekend complicated efforts . it 's very complicated work . we 're taking into account all the necessary security measures to avoid risks among the rescuers themselves , ' said cesar chonate , a regional head of peru 's civil defense agency , the state-run andina news agency reported . video from state-run tv peru showed workers , wearing hard hats and headlamps , loading rocks into a pushcart by hand . it was not clear what caused the initial collapse . the miners have been getting oxygen , food and water through a tube , which has also allowed them to stay in contact with people above ground , andina reported . peruvian mining minister jorge merino was also in the area and appealed to mining companies for their expertise , according to a statement from his office . mining is big business in peru , which is a major world producer of copper , silver , gold and other minerals . the important thing is that the nine people are alive . we wo n't abandon them , ' merino said . the ordeal stirred memories of a 2010 chilean mine collapse in which 33 men were trapped underground for 69 days . all those miners were rescued , pulled one by one from hundreds of meters beneath the earth 's surface with a specially designed capsule .","new : peru 's president says it will be a few hours ' before the rescue begins" +"santorum ( cnn ) -- so we 're at a point in the campaign where health care reform is about to go on trial at the supreme court , unemployment remains high and gas prices are skyrocketing . as for the gop presidential wannabes , they 're arguing over , um , an etch a sketch metaphor bungled by a mitt romney staffer . ( you can kind of shake it up and we start all over again , ' romney senior adviser eric fehrnstrom told cnn this week . ) sure , the metaphor has a perfection all its own , given romney 's penchant for redrawing policy lines . it 's just low-hanging fruit , hard to pass up . but the picture of two serious ' presidential candidates wandering the trail with an old-school toy as a prop can lead to only one conclusion : this is getting silly . the intellectual arguments have been made . the differences have been debated . and the voters are speaking . sure , they 're conflicted : hard-line conservatives and evangelicals will never love romney . but romney has what appears to be an insurmountable delegate lead . he will not sprint across the finish line , to be sure . he will crawl across it . but he will get there nonetheless . if this were another time , the establishment power brokers would step in with a vision . they would take the candidates aside , give them the big-picture analysis from 30,000 feet and say : unite for the sake of the party . ' then they would take to the airwaves and offer their full-throated endorsements , turning their attention to seeking the defeat of president obama . â not happening . consider this : former florida gov . jeb bush endorses romney , but there 's no rally , huge photo op or choreographed endorsement tour . one prominent tea party group says , well , i suppose we can live with romney if that 's what we have to do . and tea party favorite sen. jim demint , r-south carolina , stops short of endorsing romney but grudgingly allows that i think we all need to look at this presidential primary and encourage the candidates to do a little self-reflection here -- what 's good for our country . ' the moves toward romney have all of the enthusiasm and passion of an arranged marriage . so what can be done ? answer : not much . the next moves are up to the candidates . first of all , the old-time power brokers do n't have much to offer anymore . the political power within the gop has moved away from any organized structure toward two force fields : the populist guy in the street and the rich guys who can write multimillion-dollar checks . the super pacâ sugar daddies -- simply by virtue of their money -- are the reason the campaigns continue . what 's the incentive for newt gingrich to get out as long as sheldon adelson , from his perch in vegas , is willing to keep paying for his political ads ? the same goes for foster friess , santorum 's man , who gets to dabble in politics from his mountain views in jackson hole , wyoming . i bet these fellows have n't had this much fun in years . meantime , the newly populist gop grass roots wo n't be told what to do anyway . party organizations ca n't deliver them anymore , and romney is n't exactly the guy they were wishing for when the tea party came on the scene in 2010 . the establishment is in disrepute as far as they 're concerned ; those are the people who bungled the economy . people feel they can make this decision on their own , ' oklahoma republican rep. tom cole , who has n't yet endorsed , tells me . there 's just a lot less party loyalty . ... we are in a period where people are searching . ' at some point , though , the search has to end . the money men could get tired of writing checks for fewer and fewer delegates . the math may become overpowering . at some point , the voters will get restless . yet the final decisions will have to come from the men running . granted , gingrich and santorum do n't like romney much -- and the longer they run against him , the less they like him . and often with good reason . but here 's the final consideration : you do n't want the blame for losing , ' cole says . it 's one thing to fight the good fight . ... but look at romney in 2008 . he knew when to get out . ' yes he did . romney knew how to end it the right way in 2008 . after super tuesday , he saw the handwriting on the wall and embraced john mccain . and there 's a lesson in that : parties reward the winners , sure . but voters like good losers , too . knowing how to lose is the hardest part of running . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger .","borger : santorum , gingrich can prolong the race , but would they be blamed for a gop loss ?" +"santorum ( cnn ) -- so we 're at a point in the campaign where health care reform is about to go on trial at the supreme court , unemployment remains high and gas prices are skyrocketing . as for the gop presidential wannabes , they 're arguing over , um , an etch a sketch metaphor bungled by a mitt romney staffer . ( you can kind of shake it up and we start all over again , ' romney senior adviser eric fehrnstrom told cnn this week . ) sure , the metaphor has a perfection all its own , given romney 's penchant for redrawing policy lines . it 's just low-hanging fruit , hard to pass up . but the picture of two serious ' presidential candidates wandering the trail with an old-school toy as a prop can lead to only one conclusion : this is getting silly . the intellectual arguments have been made . the differences have been debated . and the voters are speaking . sure , they 're conflicted : hard-line conservatives and evangelicals will never love romney . but romney has what appears to be an insurmountable delegate lead . he will not sprint across the finish line , to be sure . he will crawl across it . but he will get there nonetheless . if this were another time , the establishment power brokers would step in with a vision . they would take the candidates aside , give them the big-picture analysis from 30,000 feet and say : unite for the sake of the party . ' then they would take to the airwaves and offer their full-throated endorsements , turning their attention to seeking the defeat of president obama . â not happening . consider this : former florida gov . jeb bush endorses romney , but there 's no rally , huge photo op or choreographed endorsement tour . one prominent tea party group says , well , i suppose we can live with romney if that 's what we have to do . and tea party favorite sen. jim demint , r-south carolina , stops short of endorsing romney but grudgingly allows that i think we all need to look at this presidential primary and encourage the candidates to do a little self-reflection here -- what 's good for our country . ' the moves toward romney have all of the enthusiasm and passion of an arranged marriage . so what can be done ? answer : not much . the next moves are up to the candidates . first of all , the old-time power brokers do n't have much to offer anymore . the political power within the gop has moved away from any organized structure toward two force fields : the populist guy in the street and the rich guys who can write multimillion-dollar checks . the super pacâ sugar daddies -- simply by virtue of their money -- are the reason the campaigns continue . what 's the incentive for newt gingrich to get out as long as sheldon adelson , from his perch in vegas , is willing to keep paying for his political ads ? the same goes for foster friess , santorum 's man , who gets to dabble in politics from his mountain views in jackson hole , wyoming . i bet these fellows have n't had this much fun in years . meantime , the newly populist gop grass roots wo n't be told what to do anyway . party organizations ca n't deliver them anymore , and romney is n't exactly the guy they were wishing for when the tea party came on the scene in 2010 . the establishment is in disrepute as far as they 're concerned ; those are the people who bungled the economy . people feel they can make this decision on their own , ' oklahoma republican rep. tom cole , who has n't yet endorsed , tells me . there 's just a lot less party loyalty . ... we are in a period where people are searching . ' at some point , though , the search has to end . the money men could get tired of writing checks for fewer and fewer delegates . the math may become overpowering . at some point , the voters will get restless . yet the final decisions will have to come from the men running . granted , gingrich and santorum do n't like romney much -- and the longer they run against him , the less they like him . and often with good reason . but here 's the final consideration : you do n't want the blame for losing , ' cole says . it 's one thing to fight the good fight . ... but look at romney in 2008 . he knew when to get out . ' yes he did . romney knew how to end it the right way in 2008 . after super tuesday , he saw the handwriting on the wall and embraced john mccain . and there 's a lesson in that : parties reward the winners , sure . but voters like good losers , too . knowing how to lose is the hardest part of running . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger .","she says neither gingrich nor santorum can win , so why continue ?" +"kim kwan-jin seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- south korea 's new defense minister said his country would respond with airstrikes if north korea attacks it again , south korean state media reported friday . it is some of the strongest rhetoric since the conflict broke out late last month . we will definitely air raid north korea , ' kim kwan-jin said at his confirmation hearing when asked how the south would respond if struck again , according to the official yonhap news agency . kim was appointed defense minister last week amid growing tensions on the korean peninsula following an exchange of gunfire between the two sides . his comments reflect a potential shift in south korea 's policy toward provocations from the north . previously , south korean president lee myung-bak warned of severe consequences if the north launched another attack , but declined to name specifics . if the north commits any additional provocations against the south , we will make sure that it pays a dear price without fail , ' he said in a nationally televised address monday . han park , an expert on north korea who has visited the country more than 50 times , called kim 's comments an important development . ' the use of airstrikes is quite significant , ' said park , a professor at the university of georgia and director of the school 's center for the study of global issues . just sending bullets from south korea is one thing but sending aircraft over north korea is something else . ' however , he cautioned that the ramped-up rhetoric is almost entirely for domestic consumption ' as the south deals with criticism over what some have called a weak response to the north 's november 23 shelling of south korea 's yeonpyeong island . the attack killed four south koreans -- two civilians and two military personnel -- and the south returned fire . the country 's defense minister at the time , kim tae-young , resigned last week after the exchange of fire . the climate is that the south korean military did not respond strongly enough to the original attack , and that really led to the resignation of the defense minister , ' park said . so the new candidate for the job is expected to show strong resolve and determination in the strongest terms possible . ' last month 's attack was the first direct artillery assault on south korea since 1953 , when an armistice ended fighting . the north accused the south of provoking the attack because shells from a south korean military drill landed in the north 's territorial waters along the region 's tense maritime border in the yellow sea . kim kwan-jin criticized the south 's response to the attack , saying friday that military officials should have ordered immediate airstrikes after the shelling , according to yonhap . he also said the military missed intelligence pointing to a possible attack by the north . meanwhile friday , the south made preparations to begin new live-fire drills along five islands in the yellow sea -- including yeonpyeong -- in an effort to deter future provocations from the north , yonhap reported . the move threatens to further stoke tensions with the north . the live fire drills are a routine monthly exercise aimed at securing the safety of ships in the area , the south 's joint chiefs of staff told cnn earlier this week . they were originally scheduled to begin monday , but yonhap reported that authorities have not determined the exact timing . one joint chiefs of staff official was quoted by yonhap as saying the south hopes to resume the drills as soon as possible . ' north korea previously warned that joint military drills between the united states and south korea could lead to all-out war any time . ' if the u.s. and the south korean war-like forces fire even a shell into the inviolable land and territorial waters of the ( democratic people 's republic of korea ) , they will have to pay dearly for this , ' the korean central news agency reported . the joint drills ended tuesday . cnn 's sarah aarthun contributed to this report .","kim kwan-jin was appointed defense minister amid growing tensions between the koreas" +"marines washington ( cnn ) -- the military 's top brass went into damage control mode friday after a picture of an elite marine unit posing with a flag symbol that is similar to a nazi ss ' logo surfaced on the internet a day earlier . first , defense secretary leon panetta asked the marine corps to look into the matter and take appropriate action , according to pentagon spokesman george little . racist and anti-semitic symbols have absolutely no place alongside the men and women of america 's armed forces , ' little said in a statement . then the marine corps commandant , gen. james amos , weighed in , apologizing to all offended by this regrettable incident . ' i want to be clear that the marine corps unequivocally does not condone the use of any such symbols to represent our units or marines , ' amos said . marine corps scout snipers from the 1st reconnaissance battalion are seen in the photo standing and kneeling with their sniper rifles in front of a blue flag with white nazi ss ' runes . the picture was taken in 2010 in afghanistan and the photo 's description says the ss ' flag had been adopted and used by the marines in reference to scout sniper . ' the military religious freedom foundation was alerted to the photo by marines who expressed their concern , said group founder mikey weinstein . mrff then distributed it to news organizations . the marine corps said it became aware of the photo last november and the local command investigated , but found it not to be racially motivated , according to a statement released by a marine corps spokesman , lt. col. stewart upton . the unit 's commander decided not to proceed with disciplinary action , it said , but all marines in the unit were reminded that such behavior will not be tolerated and any further display could result in punishment . they determined that the marines in the photo were ignorant of the connection of this symbol to the holocaust and monumental atrocities associated with nazi germany , ' amos said in his statement friday . the marines involved were made to take a formal instructional class , however , so that they fully understood the historical use of the ss symbology , he said . in nazi germany , ss stood for schutzstaffel , ' the elite paramilitary force of adolf hitler 's party . ss units were frequently involved in war crimes , including the extermination of millions of jews . weinstein said the marines who spoke out were infuriated by the photo but were worried about reprisal from their chain of command . in a letter to amos , weinstein 's foundation asked that everyone associated with the matter , including anyone who condoned it , be the subject of immediate and public court-martial proceedings . ' a jewish human rights group , which also called on the u.s. government to open a new investigation into the matter , said it received a call from panetta 's chief of staff , jeremy bash , informing them that the secretary shares the groups concerns that this is a very serious matter . i feel reassured that secretary panetta himself has now taken charge of this matter , ' said founder and dean of the simon wiesenthal center , rabbi marvin hier . while the insignia has been unofficially used by scout snipers in the past , the marine corps said it is absolutely prohibited , the statement from upton said . certainly , the use of the ss runes ' is not acceptable and scout snipers have been addressed concerning this issue , ' the statement said . 'ss runes are prohibited from use as a symbol or any other use . ' in amos'statement friday , the top marine outlined the steps the service will take to make sure all marines understand the corps'position . amos directed commanders to investigate the prevalence of the use of ss or other unauthorized symbols within the reconnaissance and sniper communities , and dispatched the marine corps'sergeant majors to meet personally with every senior staff noncommissioned officer . he asked that the commanding general in charge of training and education review the current sniper school curriculum to ensure it contains prohibitions on the use of ss and other inappropriate symbols .","wiesenthal center calls for fresh investigation of marines'ss flag use" +"marines washington ( cnn ) -- the military 's top brass went into damage control mode friday after a picture of an elite marine unit posing with a flag symbol that is similar to a nazi ss ' logo surfaced on the internet a day earlier . first , defense secretary leon panetta asked the marine corps to look into the matter and take appropriate action , according to pentagon spokesman george little . racist and anti-semitic symbols have absolutely no place alongside the men and women of america 's armed forces , ' little said in a statement . then the marine corps commandant , gen. james amos , weighed in , apologizing to all offended by this regrettable incident . ' i want to be clear that the marine corps unequivocally does not condone the use of any such symbols to represent our units or marines , ' amos said . marine corps scout snipers from the 1st reconnaissance battalion are seen in the photo standing and kneeling with their sniper rifles in front of a blue flag with white nazi ss ' runes . the picture was taken in 2010 in afghanistan and the photo 's description says the ss ' flag had been adopted and used by the marines in reference to scout sniper . ' the military religious freedom foundation was alerted to the photo by marines who expressed their concern , said group founder mikey weinstein . mrff then distributed it to news organizations . the marine corps said it became aware of the photo last november and the local command investigated , but found it not to be racially motivated , according to a statement released by a marine corps spokesman , lt. col. stewart upton . the unit 's commander decided not to proceed with disciplinary action , it said , but all marines in the unit were reminded that such behavior will not be tolerated and any further display could result in punishment . they determined that the marines in the photo were ignorant of the connection of this symbol to the holocaust and monumental atrocities associated with nazi germany , ' amos said in his statement friday . the marines involved were made to take a formal instructional class , however , so that they fully understood the historical use of the ss symbology , he said . in nazi germany , ss stood for schutzstaffel , ' the elite paramilitary force of adolf hitler 's party . ss units were frequently involved in war crimes , including the extermination of millions of jews . weinstein said the marines who spoke out were infuriated by the photo but were worried about reprisal from their chain of command . in a letter to amos , weinstein 's foundation asked that everyone associated with the matter , including anyone who condoned it , be the subject of immediate and public court-martial proceedings . ' a jewish human rights group , which also called on the u.s. government to open a new investigation into the matter , said it received a call from panetta 's chief of staff , jeremy bash , informing them that the secretary shares the groups concerns that this is a very serious matter . i feel reassured that secretary panetta himself has now taken charge of this matter , ' said founder and dean of the simon wiesenthal center , rabbi marvin hier . while the insignia has been unofficially used by scout snipers in the past , the marine corps said it is absolutely prohibited , the statement from upton said . certainly , the use of the ss runes ' is not acceptable and scout snipers have been addressed concerning this issue , ' the statement said . 'ss runes are prohibited from use as a symbol or any other use . ' in amos'statement friday , the top marine outlined the steps the service will take to make sure all marines understand the corps'position . amos directed commanders to investigate the prevalence of the use of ss or other unauthorized symbols within the reconnaissance and sniper communities , and dispatched the marine corps'sergeant majors to meet personally with every senior staff noncommissioned officer . he asked that the commanding general in charge of training and education review the current sniper school curriculum to ensure it contains prohibitions on the use of ss and other inappropriate symbols .","an official says the marines were n't aware of the symbol 's significance" +"osama morsy cairo ( cnn ) -- wearing a purple polo and stylish ray ban sunglasses , osama morsy strolled into the interview room calm , confident , and defiant . what do i see in the coming days ? that the revolution will succeed and that the legitimate leader will return , ' he said . the egyptian people will never again be scared or petrified of a tank or terrorized by detention . ' a little more than a week ago , osama 's father , former president mohamed morsy , was forcibly ousted by the egyptian military and swiftly replaced with a civilian transitional government . this is a coup of the revolution , a coup on democracy , a coup on the constitution and the will of the people . the defense minister is essentially saying to the millions that voted in presidential elections and on the constitutional referendum ,'you do n't know what is best for you . i know what is best for you'. ' despite the younger morsy 's outrage at his father 's ouster , the new government is continuing to fill posts . interim prime minister hazem el-beblawi said that 70 % of the choices for ministers and ministerial posts have been completed , according to the state-run al-ahram news agency . the final formation of the government is expected to be announced monday , according to al-ahram . experts predict egypt 's future for the millions of egyptians who packed the streets in a nationwide revolt on june 30 and screamed leave ! ' at mohamed morsy , the word coup ' is an insult , a dirty term that denigrates what they believe is revolution redux , but osama vehemently disagrees . june 30 was not a revolution ! and history will never record it as a revolution . and no one , not the american administration or anyone else , can call it a revolution . why ? because there is no revolution in the world that brings military rule . there is no revolution in the word that cancels the ballot box . ' that sentiment was echoed by turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan thursday at a dinner in ankara , according to turkey 's semi-official news outlet anadoly agency . every military coup , regardless of its target , country and reason , is the murderer of the democracy , people and the future of the country , ' erdogan said , adding that protests in tahrir square did not legalize the coup . with a 48-hour deadline imposed by the military looming , mohamed morsy spoke to his son for the last time before addressing the country on state television on july 2 . i asked him on a personal level , as a son , for him to remain defiant and move forward and not retreat in the face of the armed forces , ' he said . the mohamed morsy that i know is a point of pride as a son , so the mohamed morsy that would back down or flee would be shameful to me , even if he stayed president . ' former president morsy is currently being held in an undisclosed location for his personal safety , ' egyptian armed forces spokesman col. ahmed ali told cnn , but for a son missing his father , these reassurances are meaningless . do n't worry about his personal safety . no one , not the defense ministry or interior ministry , should worry about his personal safety , ' osama said sarcastically . if the situation is to hold him in this immoral and illegal detention , then he must be released ! and if it is a legal detention , then i welcome that , and let us follow the law . ' reporter notebook : morsy a victim of egypt 's revolution the green-eyed father of two had refused to speak in his broken english until the moment he was asked whether he tried to contact his father in custody . i am a part of the revolution and i am stronger than asking one of ( the military ) ,'please let me speak to my dad .'no ! we are in a revolution . a new wave of the january 25 revolution ... our democracy path , we will not let it go . ' the january 25 revolution of 2011 led to the ouster of longtime president hosni mubarak . hundreds of muslim brotherhood supporters remain in detention , and the public prosecutor has issued dozens of arrest warrants for top leadership , but the younger morsy chose to meet in broad daylight at one of the most recognizable mosques in cairo . the revolution will succeed . the revolution that ended the mubarak regime will continue strong . we know no other way than success , ' osama continued . this is a peaceful revolution against a bloody coup , but this revolution will be even more important than january 25 because it will strike at the root . this time the revolution will confront the apparatuses of mubarak , not just the man himself . ' more than two years after a popular uprising toppled former president hosni mubarak 's 30-year dictatorship , egypt 's various political factions struggle for the ownership of their beloved thawra , ' or revolution , a faceless and leaderless movement both the brotherhood and its organized opposition seek to co-opt . we elected ( morsy ) and succeeded him so he can confront challenges by the principles of the revolution , the concepts of a democratic transition , with sound democracy , and in this transition , individuals are not as important as the will of the masses . ' over and over again , the 30-year-old judge repeated the well-being of his father is secondary to the principles of democracy and the demands of thousands of pro-morsy supporters staging a sit-in just outside the window . on thursday , morsy supporters continued their sit-in at rabaa el-adawiya and has planned to break their ramadan fast there , nile state tv reported . mohamed morsy , even though he is the president and even though he is elected and the legitimate leader , and despite his international standing and his role in the revolution , n he is not more important than the people killed at the republican guard , ' osama said , referring to the deaths of 51 people in clashes earlier this week . despite his bold resilience , osama longed to reach out to his missing father . he turned , looked straight into the camera and delivered this message : ' dad , you are the legitimate leader , you are the elected leader and elected president . we back any decision you take , even if you decided to leave the office . your family , we are all proud of you . god bless you . ' cnn 's hamdi alkhshali , ali younes , mohammed tawfeeq and journalist sarah el sirgany contributed to this report .","osama morsy calls his dad 's ouster a coup on democracy ... the constitution and the will of the people '" +"mars ( cnn ) -- perhaps bruno mars really did win the super bowl . according to billboard , the grammy-winning singer is set to return to the charts after his halftime performance on sunday . it reports that sales of his latest album , unorthodox jukebox , ' rose by 164 % after mars took to the super bowl stage with the red hot chilli peppers . the album was released in december 2012 . such an increase in sales is not rare or unexpected . last year 's halftime performer , beyonce , reportedly saw a bump in sales of her 4 ' album by 123 % . and mars is not an unknown quantity , though some of sunday 's viewers may have just discovered him . in 2010 , he won a grammy for best male pop vocal performance for his song just the way you are . ' in january , unorthodox jukebox ' won mars his second grammy , this time for best pop vocal album . 7 things we love about bruno mars the album may re-enter the top 10 when sales figures are released by soundscan on wednesday . this year 's super bowl drew a record-breaking 111.5 million viewers . as is customary , mars did not receive an appearance fee for his super bowl performance . artists do it for the exposure , and that has clearly paid off for mars . zack o'malley greenburg from forbes writes that the singer may see the most return in increased ticket prices and sales for his moonshine jungle tour . in 2013 , the singer grossed $ 72.4 million on 84 shows ; his average ticket price sits at about $ 66 , ' o'malley greenburg writes . with the added exposure from the super bowl , he could easily push prices closer to the $ 120 average of his halftime show predecessor , beyonce . '","sales of mars'album rose by 164 %" +"mars ( cnn ) -- perhaps bruno mars really did win the super bowl . according to billboard , the grammy-winning singer is set to return to the charts after his halftime performance on sunday . it reports that sales of his latest album , unorthodox jukebox , ' rose by 164 % after mars took to the super bowl stage with the red hot chilli peppers . the album was released in december 2012 . such an increase in sales is not rare or unexpected . last year 's halftime performer , beyonce , reportedly saw a bump in sales of her 4 ' album by 123 % . and mars is not an unknown quantity , though some of sunday 's viewers may have just discovered him . in 2010 , he won a grammy for best male pop vocal performance for his song just the way you are . ' in january , unorthodox jukebox ' won mars his second grammy , this time for best pop vocal album . 7 things we love about bruno mars the album may re-enter the top 10 when sales figures are released by soundscan on wednesday . this year 's super bowl drew a record-breaking 111.5 million viewers . as is customary , mars did not receive an appearance fee for his super bowl performance . artists do it for the exposure , and that has clearly paid off for mars . zack o'malley greenburg from forbes writes that the singer may see the most return in increased ticket prices and sales for his moonshine jungle tour . in 2013 , the singer grossed $ 72.4 million on 84 shows ; his average ticket price sits at about $ 66 , ' o'malley greenburg writes . with the added exposure from the super bowl , he could easily push prices closer to the $ 120 average of his halftime show predecessor , beyonce . '","forbes writer says mars may see concert gains" +"brazilian ( cnn ) -- estudiantes de la plata shocked brazilian home side cruzeiro on wednesday to capture south american club football 's greatest prize , the copa libertadores . juan sebastian veron is showered in confetti in belo horizonte , brazil , as he hoists the copa trophy . the 2-1 aggregate win by estudiantes marked the first copa trophy claimed by the argentinean team in 39 years , as they came from behind in a tense match that saw all goals scored in the second half . the teams played to a scoreless draw in last week 's first-leg game in argentina . cruzeiro 's henrique scored the game 's first goal in the 52nd minute , striking a long-range shot that deflected off estudiantes defender leandro desabato , according to goal.com . but five minutes later gaston fernandez tied the score from short range , giving the argentinean team the edge on away-goals . boselli headed in a corner from captain juan sebastian veron in the 78th minute to seal the copa trophy . the copa final this year marked the first time for estudiantes to reach the championship round in 39 years . the small club won the copa libertadores for three consecutive years,1968-1970 . this year also marked the 50th birthday of the copa libertadores , south american football 's equivalent of europe 's champions league . the libertadores is the most prestigious tournament in south american club football , seeing the best 32 teams in the continent battle for supremacy . for years it was dominated by argentina , with a team from the country making it to every final between 1963 to 1979 , and buenos aires team independiente winning six times in that period . since the early 1990s , it 's been the brazilian clubs that have excelled . brazil has provided 10 libertadores finalists in the last 10 years , but since the tournament 's inception , every country except peru and mexico has supplied a winner .","brazilian team have dominated recently in south american club football 's top prize" +"marathon ( cnn ) -- i was going through my twitter feed monday morning when i came across this : happy greatest day of the year , # boston ! ' and so it is . or was , until about 2:50 p.m. , when explosions near the finish line of the boston marathon transformed a celebration into a scene of carnage . what matters now , needless to say , are the victims †” the dead , the injured and their families and friends . but if you are looking for some insight into boston at this horrible moment , it helps to understand why our marathon matters and where it fits into our civic psyche . why it was , until monday , our greatest day of the year . to begin with , marathon monday is a holiday †” patriots day , an annual commemoration of the battles of lexington and concord . not everyone has the day off , but many do , including schoolchildren , for whom this is the first day of spring vacation . that 's why so many people descend on the marathon every year , and why so many people found themselves in harm 's way . in a city and a region obsessed with tradition , you could n't ask for more than the oldest marathon in the country coinciding with patriotic re-enactments of colonials versus redcoats , all playing out against the backdrop of the budding spring . today was cool but sunny , and -- finally -- with not a filthy black snowbank in sight . it 's a time of year that gives us hope of better days to come . rothkopf : in the face of terror , keep calm to complete the celebration , patriots day marks the annual 11 a.m. red sox game at fenway park , an utterly local tradition concocted so baseball crowds would n't get in the way of marathon crowds . the runners stream through kenmore square , a block away from where other , considerably better-paid athletes are engaged in more sedentary pursuits . the sox beat the tampa bay rays 3-2 on monday . there was n't much time to celebrate . the explosions came less than an hour later . as a spectator sport , the boston marathon probably hit its peak in the 1970s , when local favorites bill rodgers and joan benoit samuelson were dominating the race . these days , it 's more of a pure spectacle , and i doubt many of those watching could name even one of the east african runners who have won in recent years . to be honest , i have never attended the marathon in person , let alone run in it . my only direct involvement came in the early 1990s , when i worked as editor of the official program for several years . it is , nevertheless , something that all of us here take pride in . moreover , just about everyone has a personal connection . we all know people who were running in it , and perhaps we donated to the charitable cause they had registered with so they could gain entry . as the terrible news began to spread , my facebook feed was filled with messages from people i know telling me they were all right , or asking if someone else had been heard from . i am not privy to what sort of security arrangements go into planning the boston marathon , but there 's only so much you can do along a 26.2-mile route that passes through seven cities and towns in addition to boston . as i write this , there is some speculation that bombs may have been placed in trash cans . that may or may not prove to be accurate , but can you imagine securing every trash can , every manhole , every nook and cranny from hopkinton to boston ? sadly , the marathon will not be the same after today . security will be tightened , and it will transform what had been a joyful and carefree experience into something else . boston is a tough and resilient town , ' president obama said in his white house remarks monday evening . and we are . the marathon will go on . the patriots day tradition will continue . but it may also be a long time , if ever , before anyone again refers to this as our greatest day of the year . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dan kennedy .","kennedy : marathon is 26.2 miles , in future , must every mile be checked for bombs ?" +"marathon ( cnn ) -- i was going through my twitter feed monday morning when i came across this : happy greatest day of the year , # boston ! ' and so it is . or was , until about 2:50 p.m. , when explosions near the finish line of the boston marathon transformed a celebration into a scene of carnage . what matters now , needless to say , are the victims †” the dead , the injured and their families and friends . but if you are looking for some insight into boston at this horrible moment , it helps to understand why our marathon matters and where it fits into our civic psyche . why it was , until monday , our greatest day of the year . to begin with , marathon monday is a holiday †” patriots day , an annual commemoration of the battles of lexington and concord . not everyone has the day off , but many do , including schoolchildren , for whom this is the first day of spring vacation . that 's why so many people descend on the marathon every year , and why so many people found themselves in harm 's way . in a city and a region obsessed with tradition , you could n't ask for more than the oldest marathon in the country coinciding with patriotic re-enactments of colonials versus redcoats , all playing out against the backdrop of the budding spring . today was cool but sunny , and -- finally -- with not a filthy black snowbank in sight . it 's a time of year that gives us hope of better days to come . rothkopf : in the face of terror , keep calm to complete the celebration , patriots day marks the annual 11 a.m. red sox game at fenway park , an utterly local tradition concocted so baseball crowds would n't get in the way of marathon crowds . the runners stream through kenmore square , a block away from where other , considerably better-paid athletes are engaged in more sedentary pursuits . the sox beat the tampa bay rays 3-2 on monday . there was n't much time to celebrate . the explosions came less than an hour later . as a spectator sport , the boston marathon probably hit its peak in the 1970s , when local favorites bill rodgers and joan benoit samuelson were dominating the race . these days , it 's more of a pure spectacle , and i doubt many of those watching could name even one of the east african runners who have won in recent years . to be honest , i have never attended the marathon in person , let alone run in it . my only direct involvement came in the early 1990s , when i worked as editor of the official program for several years . it is , nevertheless , something that all of us here take pride in . moreover , just about everyone has a personal connection . we all know people who were running in it , and perhaps we donated to the charitable cause they had registered with so they could gain entry . as the terrible news began to spread , my facebook feed was filled with messages from people i know telling me they were all right , or asking if someone else had been heard from . i am not privy to what sort of security arrangements go into planning the boston marathon , but there 's only so much you can do along a 26.2-mile route that passes through seven cities and towns in addition to boston . as i write this , there is some speculation that bombs may have been placed in trash cans . that may or may not prove to be accurate , but can you imagine securing every trash can , every manhole , every nook and cranny from hopkinton to boston ? sadly , the marathon will not be the same after today . security will be tightened , and it will transform what had been a joyful and carefree experience into something else . boston is a tough and resilient town , ' president obama said in his white house remarks monday evening . and we are . the marathon will go on . the patriots day tradition will continue . but it may also be a long time , if ever , before anyone again refers to this as our greatest day of the year . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dan kennedy .","it brings the marathon , patriots day and an 11 : am red sox game ; kids are off from school" +"marathon ( cnn ) -- i was going through my twitter feed monday morning when i came across this : happy greatest day of the year , # boston ! ' and so it is . or was , until about 2:50 p.m. , when explosions near the finish line of the boston marathon transformed a celebration into a scene of carnage . what matters now , needless to say , are the victims †” the dead , the injured and their families and friends . but if you are looking for some insight into boston at this horrible moment , it helps to understand why our marathon matters and where it fits into our civic psyche . why it was , until monday , our greatest day of the year . to begin with , marathon monday is a holiday †” patriots day , an annual commemoration of the battles of lexington and concord . not everyone has the day off , but many do , including schoolchildren , for whom this is the first day of spring vacation . that 's why so many people descend on the marathon every year , and why so many people found themselves in harm 's way . in a city and a region obsessed with tradition , you could n't ask for more than the oldest marathon in the country coinciding with patriotic re-enactments of colonials versus redcoats , all playing out against the backdrop of the budding spring . today was cool but sunny , and -- finally -- with not a filthy black snowbank in sight . it 's a time of year that gives us hope of better days to come . rothkopf : in the face of terror , keep calm to complete the celebration , patriots day marks the annual 11 a.m. red sox game at fenway park , an utterly local tradition concocted so baseball crowds would n't get in the way of marathon crowds . the runners stream through kenmore square , a block away from where other , considerably better-paid athletes are engaged in more sedentary pursuits . the sox beat the tampa bay rays 3-2 on monday . there was n't much time to celebrate . the explosions came less than an hour later . as a spectator sport , the boston marathon probably hit its peak in the 1970s , when local favorites bill rodgers and joan benoit samuelson were dominating the race . these days , it 's more of a pure spectacle , and i doubt many of those watching could name even one of the east african runners who have won in recent years . to be honest , i have never attended the marathon in person , let alone run in it . my only direct involvement came in the early 1990s , when i worked as editor of the official program for several years . it is , nevertheless , something that all of us here take pride in . moreover , just about everyone has a personal connection . we all know people who were running in it , and perhaps we donated to the charitable cause they had registered with so they could gain entry . as the terrible news began to spread , my facebook feed was filled with messages from people i know telling me they were all right , or asking if someone else had been heard from . i am not privy to what sort of security arrangements go into planning the boston marathon , but there 's only so much you can do along a 26.2-mile route that passes through seven cities and towns in addition to boston . as i write this , there is some speculation that bombs may have been placed in trash cans . that may or may not prove to be accurate , but can you imagine securing every trash can , every manhole , every nook and cranny from hopkinton to boston ? sadly , the marathon will not be the same after today . security will be tightened , and it will transform what had been a joyful and carefree experience into something else . boston is a tough and resilient town , ' president obama said in his white house remarks monday evening . and we are . the marathon will go on . the patriots day tradition will continue . but it may also be a long time , if ever , before anyone again refers to this as our greatest day of the year . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dan kennedy .","dan kennedy : before monday , the boston marathon marked city 's annual greatest day '" +"cagliari ( cnn ) -- inter milan took a stranglehold on the serie a title with a 3-0 win over cagliari on sunday which saw them open a 10-point lead over city rivals ac mlan , who could only manage a goalless draw at bologna . roma 's later 1-0 win at fiorentina , with mirko vucinic scoring the only goal , saw them move into second place above milan , eight points adrift of inter but having played a game more . milan 's draw continue their disappointing form which began with a defeat in the derby match against reigning champions inter two weeks ago . since then they have drawn their next two matches , with inter taking full advantage , although they are facing a renewed challenge from roma , who have gone 12 games without defeat . goals from goran pandev , walter samuel and diego milito earned jose mourinho 's inter side a comfortable victory in the san siro , taking the lead after just six minutes . samuel eto'o , playing his first game since returning from africa cup of nations with cameroon , set up pandev to score at the near post . the second came after 20 minutes as central defender samuel headed home a maicon corner . cagliari had a goal chalked off for offside which tv replays showed should have stood and julio cesar pulled off a brilliant save to deny fellow brazilian nene . there hopes of a revival were ended in the early stages of the second half as a neet move involving eto'o and the excellent pandev saw milito score the third . milan had the better chances at bologna and ronaldinho hit the crossbar with a spectacular effort in the second half . late on , captain mansion ambrosia also saw an effort rebound off the woodwork . in other action , antonio di natale scored a hat-trick for udinese in a 3-1 home win win over champions league aspirants napoli . at the other end of the table , rock-bottom siena lost 2-1 to sampdoria , who are also chasing a european place , while troubled lazio slipped into the relegation zone after a 1-0 defeat at home to catania . in the german bundesliga , eintracht frankfurt jumped to seventh with a fine 3-2 away win over borussia dortmund . benjamin kohler gave visitors frankfurt the lead in the eighth minute before mats hummels equalized nine minutes later . lucas barrios made it 2-1 for dortmund in the 57th minute , but goals from sebastian jung and alexander meier saw frankfurt to three valuable points . mainz kept their unbeaten home run intact as bo svensson 's goal near half time saw them beat borussia monchengladbach . in sunday 's action in spain 's la liga , nine-man sevilla crashed to a 2-1 defeat at real zaragoza to slip out of the top four . sevilla striker alvaro negredo scored an own goal to give zaragoza a winning lead and was then sent off for violent conduct . real mallorca leapfrog them into fourth as they scored a 10th home victory in a row to beat villarreal 1-0 .","inter milan go eight points clear in serie a with a 3-0 home win in the san siro over cagliari" +"roma ( cnn ) -- inter milan took a stranglehold on the serie a title with a 3-0 win over cagliari on sunday which saw them open a 10-point lead over city rivals ac mlan , who could only manage a goalless draw at bologna . roma 's later 1-0 win at fiorentina , with mirko vucinic scoring the only goal , saw them move into second place above milan , eight points adrift of inter but having played a game more . milan 's draw continue their disappointing form which began with a defeat in the derby match against reigning champions inter two weeks ago . since then they have drawn their next two matches , with inter taking full advantage , although they are facing a renewed challenge from roma , who have gone 12 games without defeat . goals from goran pandev , walter samuel and diego milito earned jose mourinho 's inter side a comfortable victory in the san siro , taking the lead after just six minutes . samuel eto'o , playing his first game since returning from africa cup of nations with cameroon , set up pandev to score at the near post . the second came after 20 minutes as central defender samuel headed home a maicon corner . cagliari had a goal chalked off for offside which tv replays showed should have stood and julio cesar pulled off a brilliant save to deny fellow brazilian nene . there hopes of a revival were ended in the early stages of the second half as a neet move involving eto'o and the excellent pandev saw milito score the third . milan had the better chances at bologna and ronaldinho hit the crossbar with a spectacular effort in the second half . late on , captain mansion ambrosia also saw an effort rebound off the woodwork . in other action , antonio di natale scored a hat-trick for udinese in a 3-1 home win win over champions league aspirants napoli . at the other end of the table , rock-bottom siena lost 2-1 to sampdoria , who are also chasing a european place , while troubled lazio slipped into the relegation zone after a 1-0 defeat at home to catania . in the german bundesliga , eintracht frankfurt jumped to seventh with a fine 3-2 away win over borussia dortmund . benjamin kohler gave visitors frankfurt the lead in the eighth minute before mats hummels equalized nine minutes later . lucas barrios made it 2-1 for dortmund in the 57th minute , but goals from sebastian jung and alexander meier saw frankfurt to three valuable points . mainz kept their unbeaten home run intact as bo svensson 's goal near half time saw them beat borussia monchengladbach . in sunday 's action in spain 's la liga , nine-man sevilla crashed to a 2-1 defeat at real zaragoza to slip out of the top four . sevilla striker alvaro negredo scored an own goal to give zaragoza a winning lead and was then sent off for violent conduct . real mallorca leapfrog them into fourth as they scored a 10th home victory in a row to beat villarreal 1-0 .","roma win 1-0 at fiorentina to climb above milan into second place" +"jude mirra a new york jury wednesday found former pharmaceuticals executive gigi jordan guilty of first-degree manslaughter for feeding a lethal drug concoction to her autistic 8-year-old son . the jury accepted her claim that she acted in a state of extreme emotional disturbance . ' jordan faces a 5- to 25-year prison sentence . gigi jordan showed no mercy to her son , and should receive none at the time of her sentencing , ' manhattan district attorney cyrus vance jr. said in a statement . jordan , 53 , displayed little emotion as the verdict was announced at the close of a sensational two-month trial in manhattan , in which prosecutors described in chilling detail how the businesswoman , who made a fortune in pharmaceuticals , forced little jude mirra to swallow a cocktail of painkillers and anti-inflammatories in 2010 . prosecutors said jordan , who testified that she killed the boy to prevent him from being sexually abused , forced many of the drugs down his throat with a syringe . jordan 's defense lawyers , citing legal errors during the long proceedings , said they will appeal and seek a new trial . this was not a murder case , ' defense attorney norman siegel said outside court . and that 's because there were extenuating and horrific circumstances . and , apparently the jurors got it . ' defense lawyer allan brenner said the verdict was a victory . she loved him so much that she could n't bear the thought of him living without her , or him being subjected to the life she tried to rescue him from , ' he said . any time someone is convicted of a crime , particularly of the crime of having caused the death of a young child , there 's nothing to revel in . there 's no glory or triumph here . to the extent that the jury has said this was not a mother viciously , violently , coldly doing away with her child , that 's a triumph . ' defense : she was a desperate mother at her trial , which started on september 10 , no one disputed the unthinkable manner in which jude spent his final hours on february 5 , 2010 . police found his cold body after they were dispatched to the luxury peninsula hotel in manhattan . the call to police came after a relative of jordan 's was unable to reach her . when police arrived at the hotel , they found jordan sitting next to the bed where her son lay unresponsive , surrounded by pills and pill bottles . an autopsy found four of the painkillers and anti-inflammatories used to kill the boy still undigested in his stomach . orange juice and vodka were used to wash down the drugs . prosecutor matt bogdanos presented expert testimony that showed the boy 's injuries were consistent with jordan climbing on top of jude and holding open his mouth as she poured the lethal cocktail . but brenner painted a portrait of jordan as a desperate mother ultimately driven to kill jude by her two former husbands . the defense said one ex-husband had allegedly threatened to kill her , a crime that would have left jude with her other former husband -- his biological father -- who she believed had sexually abused the boy . this was not an act carried out with murderous intent , ' brenner told jurors in closing arguments . the prosecution said there was no evidence jude was ever sexually abused . on the stand , jordan , a former nurse who started a home health care company , portrayed her actions as a mercy killing . her ex-husband was threatening to kill her , she said . you 're a dead woman , ' she claimed he told her . i made the decision i was going to end my life and jude 's life , ' she told the jury , placing her hand over her mouth . jordan said the boy was physically and sexually abused not only by his biological father but also by others , including the woman who took jude to school . she testified that the boy was assaulted by a good number of people . ' the boy 's father has denied the allegations and has not been charged , cnn affiliate wcbs has reported . blackberry communication disputed while on the stand , jordan at first appeared calm as she described for a jury the last time she saw her son alive . jude 's vocabulary was limited . he typed on a blackberry to communicate with her . we were typing throughout some period of time . we were saying goodbye to each other , ' jordan told the jury and then began to cry . at some point , i put the pills together , ' she recalled . i gave him the pills . ' which drugs did you give him more of ? ' brenner asked . a lot more of the ambien , ' she said . i gave him more xanax , but the ambien is the one i gave him the most of . i gave him hydrocodone , which were large . i was drinking a vodka orange and there was a little left . i broke up the pill and put it into the juice mixed with vodka . ' but the prosecution challenged the idea that jude was actually communicating via a blackberry through the use of a controversial method known as facilitated communication . ' some witnesses described how jordan held the device in one hand while supporting and possibly guiding her son 's arm with the other as jude looked away . bogdanos questioned whether a young autistic boy would even know how to use and spell words like aggressively ' and sadistic . ' brenner sought to show that jordan , believing she was ultimately protecting her son , brought the drugs to the hotel room with the intention of killing them both , but she survived the suicide attempt . prosecutors said the killing was premeditated and jordan expected to survive . as jude lay dying , the prosecution said , jordan sent an email to a financial adviser instructing him to transfer the $ 125,000 trust she set up for her son to her personal account . in addition , jordan transferred $ 8 million from a savings to a checking account before checking into the hotel with her son . jordan told the jury she planned on giving the money to charity before taking her life .","jude mirra , 8 , died from painkillers , other drugs , prosecutors say" +"mario valencia ( cnn ) the arizona police officer who slammed into an armed suspect with his patrol car told investigators he thought he was too far to take a shot at the man , so he chose the other option , cnn affiliate kvoa reported wednesday . officer michael rapiejko ran his car into mario valencia in february as the suspect carried a rifle he had just fired in the air . rapiejko sped around another officer as valencia walked through a business park , hit the man from behind with the left side of his front bumper . valencia , who flew through this air , survived and faces more than a dozen charges for an alleged crime spree that day . his lawyer has said police used excessive force and could have killed a man who was obviously unstable . the marana police department has defended rapiejko , saying deadly force was warranted because the suspect had a rifle , ammunition and was walking toward offices where hundreds of people work . marana is just northwest of tucson . officer who drove into suspect justified , chief says kvoa obtained police inquiry tapes on which rapiejko tells investigators why he chose his car as a weapon . the officer , who has been a cop for more than a decade but joined the marana police department in 2014 , said he was 50 yards away from the suspect and worried a missed shot might hit another officer or bystanders . there were occupied businesses , and there were two officers at the other side of the street , ' he says on the recording . this is what i deem as a lethal force encounter . i have two thoughts that go in my mind : i need to shoot him to stop the threat , or i need to run him over to stop the threat . ' another officer , who was slowing trailing valencia and ahead of rapiejko , says on another recording that if a civilian had stumbled upon valencia , the suspect might have taken a hostage or killed the person . video of the car striking valencia sparking nationwide debate on what type of force police should use to go after armed suspects . many people commended the officer . some people said the police should have set up a perimeter around the man and talked him into surrendering . valencia faces 15 charges , including three counts of aggravated assault , three counts of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor . valencia 's attorney , michelle cohen-metzger , told cnn last week that it is miraculous that my client is n't dead . ' valencia , who is in pima county jail , is scheduled to appear in court again on may 18 . authorities chose not to charge rapiejko . officer who drove into suspect subject of excessive force lawsuit in new york cnn 's shane deitert and tony marco contributed to this report .","mario valencia was carrying a rifle and fired one round into the air" +"valencia ( cnn ) the arizona police officer who slammed into an armed suspect with his patrol car told investigators he thought he was too far to take a shot at the man , so he chose the other option , cnn affiliate kvoa reported wednesday . officer michael rapiejko ran his car into mario valencia in february as the suspect carried a rifle he had just fired in the air . rapiejko sped around another officer as valencia walked through a business park , hit the man from behind with the left side of his front bumper . valencia , who flew through this air , survived and faces more than a dozen charges for an alleged crime spree that day . his lawyer has said police used excessive force and could have killed a man who was obviously unstable . the marana police department has defended rapiejko , saying deadly force was warranted because the suspect had a rifle , ammunition and was walking toward offices where hundreds of people work . marana is just northwest of tucson . officer who drove into suspect justified , chief says kvoa obtained police inquiry tapes on which rapiejko tells investigators why he chose his car as a weapon . the officer , who has been a cop for more than a decade but joined the marana police department in 2014 , said he was 50 yards away from the suspect and worried a missed shot might hit another officer or bystanders . there were occupied businesses , and there were two officers at the other side of the street , ' he says on the recording . this is what i deem as a lethal force encounter . i have two thoughts that go in my mind : i need to shoot him to stop the threat , or i need to run him over to stop the threat . ' another officer , who was slowing trailing valencia and ahead of rapiejko , says on another recording that if a civilian had stumbled upon valencia , the suspect might have taken a hostage or killed the person . video of the car striking valencia sparking nationwide debate on what type of force police should use to go after armed suspects . many people commended the officer . some people said the police should have set up a perimeter around the man and talked him into surrendering . valencia faces 15 charges , including three counts of aggravated assault , three counts of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor . valencia 's attorney , michelle cohen-metzger , told cnn last week that it is miraculous that my client is n't dead . ' valencia , who is in pima county jail , is scheduled to appear in court again on may 18 . authorities chose not to charge rapiejko . officer who drove into suspect subject of excessive force lawsuit in new york cnn 's shane deitert and tony marco contributed to this report .","mario valencia was carrying a rifle and fired one round into the air" +"valencia ( cnn ) the arizona police officer who slammed into an armed suspect with his patrol car told investigators he thought he was too far to take a shot at the man , so he chose the other option , cnn affiliate kvoa reported wednesday . officer michael rapiejko ran his car into mario valencia in february as the suspect carried a rifle he had just fired in the air . rapiejko sped around another officer as valencia walked through a business park , hit the man from behind with the left side of his front bumper . valencia , who flew through this air , survived and faces more than a dozen charges for an alleged crime spree that day . his lawyer has said police used excessive force and could have killed a man who was obviously unstable . the marana police department has defended rapiejko , saying deadly force was warranted because the suspect had a rifle , ammunition and was walking toward offices where hundreds of people work . marana is just northwest of tucson . officer who drove into suspect justified , chief says kvoa obtained police inquiry tapes on which rapiejko tells investigators why he chose his car as a weapon . the officer , who has been a cop for more than a decade but joined the marana police department in 2014 , said he was 50 yards away from the suspect and worried a missed shot might hit another officer or bystanders . there were occupied businesses , and there were two officers at the other side of the street , ' he says on the recording . this is what i deem as a lethal force encounter . i have two thoughts that go in my mind : i need to shoot him to stop the threat , or i need to run him over to stop the threat . ' another officer , who was slowing trailing valencia and ahead of rapiejko , says on another recording that if a civilian had stumbled upon valencia , the suspect might have taken a hostage or killed the person . video of the car striking valencia sparking nationwide debate on what type of force police should use to go after armed suspects . many people commended the officer . some people said the police should have set up a perimeter around the man and talked him into surrendering . valencia faces 15 charges , including three counts of aggravated assault , three counts of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor . valencia 's attorney , michelle cohen-metzger , told cnn last week that it is miraculous that my client is n't dead . ' valencia , who is in pima county jail , is scheduled to appear in court again on may 18 . authorities chose not to charge rapiejko . officer who drove into suspect subject of excessive force lawsuit in new york cnn 's shane deitert and tony marco contributed to this report .","rapiejko said two options crossed his mind and it was too far to shoot valencia" +"rapiejko ( cnn ) the arizona police officer who slammed into an armed suspect with his patrol car told investigators he thought he was too far to take a shot at the man , so he chose the other option , cnn affiliate kvoa reported wednesday . officer michael rapiejko ran his car into mario valencia in february as the suspect carried a rifle he had just fired in the air . rapiejko sped around another officer as valencia walked through a business park , hit the man from behind with the left side of his front bumper . valencia , who flew through this air , survived and faces more than a dozen charges for an alleged crime spree that day . his lawyer has said police used excessive force and could have killed a man who was obviously unstable . the marana police department has defended rapiejko , saying deadly force was warranted because the suspect had a rifle , ammunition and was walking toward offices where hundreds of people work . marana is just northwest of tucson . officer who drove into suspect justified , chief says kvoa obtained police inquiry tapes on which rapiejko tells investigators why he chose his car as a weapon . the officer , who has been a cop for more than a decade but joined the marana police department in 2014 , said he was 50 yards away from the suspect and worried a missed shot might hit another officer or bystanders . there were occupied businesses , and there were two officers at the other side of the street , ' he says on the recording . this is what i deem as a lethal force encounter . i have two thoughts that go in my mind : i need to shoot him to stop the threat , or i need to run him over to stop the threat . ' another officer , who was slowing trailing valencia and ahead of rapiejko , says on another recording that if a civilian had stumbled upon valencia , the suspect might have taken a hostage or killed the person . video of the car striking valencia sparking nationwide debate on what type of force police should use to go after armed suspects . many people commended the officer . some people said the police should have set up a perimeter around the man and talked him into surrendering . valencia faces 15 charges , including three counts of aggravated assault , three counts of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor . valencia 's attorney , michelle cohen-metzger , told cnn last week that it is miraculous that my client is n't dead . ' valencia , who is in pima county jail , is scheduled to appear in court again on may 18 . authorities chose not to charge rapiejko . officer who drove into suspect subject of excessive force lawsuit in new york cnn 's shane deitert and tony marco contributed to this report .","officer michael rapiejko said he needed to use lethal force to stop the suspect" +"rapiejko ( cnn ) the arizona police officer who slammed into an armed suspect with his patrol car told investigators he thought he was too far to take a shot at the man , so he chose the other option , cnn affiliate kvoa reported wednesday . officer michael rapiejko ran his car into mario valencia in february as the suspect carried a rifle he had just fired in the air . rapiejko sped around another officer as valencia walked through a business park , hit the man from behind with the left side of his front bumper . valencia , who flew through this air , survived and faces more than a dozen charges for an alleged crime spree that day . his lawyer has said police used excessive force and could have killed a man who was obviously unstable . the marana police department has defended rapiejko , saying deadly force was warranted because the suspect had a rifle , ammunition and was walking toward offices where hundreds of people work . marana is just northwest of tucson . officer who drove into suspect justified , chief says kvoa obtained police inquiry tapes on which rapiejko tells investigators why he chose his car as a weapon . the officer , who has been a cop for more than a decade but joined the marana police department in 2014 , said he was 50 yards away from the suspect and worried a missed shot might hit another officer or bystanders . there were occupied businesses , and there were two officers at the other side of the street , ' he says on the recording . this is what i deem as a lethal force encounter . i have two thoughts that go in my mind : i need to shoot him to stop the threat , or i need to run him over to stop the threat . ' another officer , who was slowing trailing valencia and ahead of rapiejko , says on another recording that if a civilian had stumbled upon valencia , the suspect might have taken a hostage or killed the person . video of the car striking valencia sparking nationwide debate on what type of force police should use to go after armed suspects . many people commended the officer . some people said the police should have set up a perimeter around the man and talked him into surrendering . valencia faces 15 charges , including three counts of aggravated assault , three counts of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor . valencia 's attorney , michelle cohen-metzger , told cnn last week that it is miraculous that my client is n't dead . ' valencia , who is in pima county jail , is scheduled to appear in court again on may 18 . authorities chose not to charge rapiejko . officer who drove into suspect subject of excessive force lawsuit in new york cnn 's shane deitert and tony marco contributed to this report .","rapiejko said two options crossed his mind and it was too far to shoot valencia" +"bloomberg new york ( cnn ) -- work on the national september 11 memorial museum has been halted over a budgetary dispute , delaying its opening , new york city mayor michael bloomberg said . there 's no chance of it being open on time . work has basically stopped , ' bloomberg said during a press conference thursday . the museum was scheduled to open on the 11th anniversary of the september 11 , 2001 , terror attacks . bloomberg blamed the holdup on disagreements ' with the port authority of new york and new jersey , which is responsible for a portion of the project 's financing . the port authority has to spend money to do the infrastructure that they agreed to , ' the mayor said . we have a legitimate claim against the port authority for delays for roughly $ 140 million dollars which has increased our cost . ' bloomberg did not specify when work on the museum halted . the port authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment . bloomberg 's disclosure of the setback came the same day the national september 11 memorial & museum foundation announced that more than a million people have visited the site since it opened on the 10th anniversary of the attacks . the memorial features two large reflecting pools in the footprints of the two towers . located underground in the former world trade center 's archaeological heart , ' the museum will feature 110,000 square feet of exhibition space , according to the website for the national september 11 memorial & museum foundation . it will house a vast array of 9/11 artifacts , including photographs , videotapes , voice messages , recovered property , clothing and other personal effects , workplace memorabilia , [ and ] incident-specific documents , ' among other items . bloomberg sounded a note of optimism , telling reporters that both sides would come to some agreement pretty soon . ' he also said he thought the disagreement would not require judges to resolve it . i do n't think it 'll get to the court . '"," there 's no chance of it being open on time , ' mayor michael bloomberg says" +"bloomberg new york ( cnn ) -- work on the national september 11 memorial museum has been halted over a budgetary dispute , delaying its opening , new york city mayor michael bloomberg said . there 's no chance of it being open on time . work has basically stopped , ' bloomberg said during a press conference thursday . the museum was scheduled to open on the 11th anniversary of the september 11 , 2001 , terror attacks . bloomberg blamed the holdup on disagreements ' with the port authority of new york and new jersey , which is responsible for a portion of the project 's financing . the port authority has to spend money to do the infrastructure that they agreed to , ' the mayor said . we have a legitimate claim against the port authority for delays for roughly $ 140 million dollars which has increased our cost . ' bloomberg did not specify when work on the museum halted . the port authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment . bloomberg 's disclosure of the setback came the same day the national september 11 memorial & museum foundation announced that more than a million people have visited the site since it opened on the 10th anniversary of the attacks . the memorial features two large reflecting pools in the footprints of the two towers . located underground in the former world trade center 's archaeological heart , ' the museum will feature 110,000 square feet of exhibition space , according to the website for the national september 11 memorial & museum foundation . it will house a vast array of 9/11 artifacts , including photographs , videotapes , voice messages , recovered property , clothing and other personal effects , workplace memorabilia , [ and ] incident-specific documents , ' among other items . bloomberg sounded a note of optimism , telling reporters that both sides would come to some agreement pretty soon . ' he also said he thought the disagreement would not require judges to resolve it . i do n't think it 'll get to the court . '","bloomberg blames the delay on the port authority on new york and new jersey" +"christmas it 's too easy to let new mexico off as simply the land of enchantment . ' it 's true the state has magical desert vistas , rocky mountain playgrounds and charming adobe communities that predate columbus'arrival by a few thousand years . but there 's an undeniably eclectic and occasionally dark side to the 47th state as well . in roswell , residents see ufos with frightening regularity . in santa fe , they burn zozobra , or old man gloom , ' at the stake every fall . and trinity site , near alamogordo , is the first spot on the planet where humans detonated an atomic bomb . considering that new mexico is essentially a bilingual state , where about one-third of families speak spanish ( some villagers in the northern mountains speak a dialect of 16th-century spanish ) , new mexico often feels like a foreign country . add the interesting juxtaposition that it 's the fifth-largest state ( 121,589 square miles ) , but has a population of about 2 million people ( about half the population of los angeles ) , making it one of the least densely populated states in the country . all of which means that there is quite a lot of space to explore . you might be surprised by what you find . 1 . christmas is served 365 days per year . walk into any new mexico restaurant , order an enchilada or burrito and the waitress will ask the inevitable : red , green , or christmas ? that 's local parlance for how do you prefer your chile ? ' the spicy , capsaicin-rich sauce made from the official state vegetable smothers most everything that comes out of a new mexico kitchen . whether you prefer spicy green , mellow red , or christmas , ' a combination of the two , the little-known secret about new mexico chile is that red and green are one and the same . the difference is how ripe the pepper is when picked . 2 . monks brew beer . drive about 65 miles northwest of santa fe on u.s. 84 , past pedernal , the iconic flat-topped peak painted by georgia o'keeffe , and ghost ranch , where portions of the lone ranger , ' wyatt earp ' and no country for old men ' were filmed . then take a left on forest service road 151 . at the end of the 13-mile-long road is monastery of christ in the desert 's tap room , where you 'll find the smooth , cool tang of a classic belgian ale . the benedictine monks grow their own hops to brew six of the best beers in the southwest under the label abbey beverage company . beware : tripel ale has 9.2 % alcohol content , and beer is not allowed at vespers . reserve a free tasting at least 48 hours in advance . 3 . the wine industry here is older than california 's . it all began in 1629 when franciscan friar garcía de zúñiga and a capuchín monk named antonio de arteaga planted the first wine grapes in the rio grande valley to use for communion . by 1884 new mexico was producing almost a million gallons of wine annually . indian raids in the 19th century and flooding in the early 20th century brought the industry to its knees , until a group of european investors began importing french hybrid vines to new mexico to grow small boutique wineries . today , the state has more than 42 wineries that produce more than 700,000 gallons of wine annually . the gruet family , established french winemakers who moved to new mexico to run an experimental vineyard in 1984 , grow grapes at 4,300 feet . the altitude must work magic . gruet 's sparkling wines are some of the best in the country . not likely to stop for a sip in new mexico ? try a gruet blanc de noir at the montage beverly hills or blue smoke in manhattan . 4 . route 66 crosses itself . cruise albuquerque 's central avenue today and the buildings might be described as faded retro . flashback to the 1950s and this blacktop strip was the soul of route 66 , the 2,400-mile scenic highway that passed through eight states along the way from chicago to los angeles . at the height of the mother road 's ' popularity in 1955 , 98 motels lined central avenue . today one of the strangest corners is the intersection of central avenue and fourth street in downtown albuquerque . due to a change in the road 's alignment in 1937 , this is where historic route 66 ( fourth street ) intersects with modern route 66 ( central avenue ) . 5 . santa fe is very high , very old , and contains a miraculous staircase . quirky and charming , santa fe sits at 7,000 feet above sea level , making it the highest state capital in the country . it 's also eerily reminiscent of the old west , especially the downtown plaza 's palace of the governors , which was built in 1610 , more than 300 years before new mexico became a state . the city of faith ' is also home to a few miracles , like the loretto chapel 's circular wooden steps . built by an unidentified man who is said to have shown up at the chapel in 1879 with a donkey and a toolbox , his staircase has two 360-degree turns , no visible means of support and wooden pegs instead of metal nails . some faithful at the time believed that the mystery man was st. joseph . 6 . it 's still the wild west . like many villages west of the mississippi , cimarron , in the northeast corner of the state , staked its claim as the cowboy capital of the world . ' buffalo bill cody once managed a goat ranch just outside of town and wyatt earp , annie oakley , and jesse james stayed at the st. james hotel , famous for being haunted by the men who were murdered there . the outlaw davy crockett ( a relative of the legendary frontiersman ) murdered three buffalo soldiers in the bar in 1876 . more than a century later , new mexicans are still allowed to openly carry a gun , no permit required , almost anywhere , including state parks and state and national forests , and restaurants that do n't serve hard alcohol . so watch your back . 7 . white sands national monument is n't your typical sand . we may be getting hung up on a technicality , but the sand ' in these 275-square miles of shifting dunes 15 miles west of alamogordo is actually gypsum crystals . ( most inland sand is made from silica in the form of quartz crystals or coral . ) that 's not the only reason white sands is surreal : 93 african oryx were imported from the kalahari desert and set free between 1969 and 1977 . today more than 3,000 animals , each weighing up to 450 pounds with horns that average 34 inches , roam the dunes . http : //www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm 8 . archaeologists have identified more than 25,000 ancestral pueblo sites in new mexico . arrowheads are unearthed almost everywhere in the state , but for the most complete and mind-boggling perspective of these hunter-gatherers who thrived 10,000 years ago , visit bandelier national monument near los alamos . the park covers 33,677 acres and centers around frijoles canyon , where a mile-long hike takes visitors past petroglyphs and masonry walls built into a cliff face . the ancestral puebloans cleared out of frijoles sometime after 1250 , possibly because of drought , deforestation , crop failure , or internal conflict . the reasons are still not known . but to this day their ancestors are scattered across new mexico in 19 pueblo communities . one-thousand-year-old taos pueblo , a multistory adobe one mile north of taos , is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the united states . 9 . you do n't need lightning to be awed by the lightning field . ' in daylight the famous outdoor sculpture built in 1977 by walter de maria , appears to be little more than 400 stainless steel poles sticking out of the ground . but come sunset on a stormy mid-july summer evening , the poles will provoke pyrotechnics that make hairs stand on end . even without lightning , the high desert sky at sunrise and sunset here at 7,200 feet on the edge of the gila national forest near quemado is breathtaking . make a reservation at least six months in advance to stay in the one rustic , three-bedroom cabin adjacent to the field through the dia art foundation ( diaart.org ) . 10 . ojo caliente 's mineral waters have worked wonders for thousands of years . ancestors of the native tewa tribes , 16th-century spanish colonizers , and ailing bodies in search of a miracle cure have all made the pilgrimage to soak in the geothermal water that flows from an ancient volcanic aquifer to the surface at the rate of more than 100,000 gallons per day . southwest of taos , ojo officially became a spa ' 145 years ago , but it still has public lithia , iron , soda , and arsenic springs . for privacy , rent a brand-new cliffside suite with kiva fireplace and a private soaking tub .","christmas is served 365 days a year in new mexico" +"china ( cnn ) -- judging solely by the headlines , one might conclude that china 's economy is finally starting to hit a wall . after several decades of near double-digit annual growth , gross domestic product rose by a relatively cool 7.5 % in this year 's first half . property prices are down . so is investment in factory capacity and real estate . but companies that interpret slower gdp growth to mean that business opportunities in china and other emerging markets will begin to fade are making a serious mistake . the consumer class is still growing rapidly in key emerging markets , and the competition from savvy , extremely capable domestic companies is intensifying . in china 's case , the lower gdp growth rate actually reflects an important structural shift in the economy -- from growth that is driven by extraordinarily high fixed investment fueled by loans from government-owned banks to growth that is driven by private consumption . this transition has been a top goal of the chinese leadership as it seeks more balanced and sustainable economic growth . china illustrates an important phenomenon found in many emerging markets . what many gloomy economic reports miss is that private consumption continues to rise . this is fueled by steady , rapid growth in the country 's middle-class and affluent households , which in china we at the boston consulting group ( bcg ) regard as having annual disposable incomes of at least $ 12,500 . since 2010 , people living in middle-class and affluent households surged from 10 % of china 's population to 25 % . in just another three years , this share is projected to leap to 35 % , according to bcg analysis . some of the sharpest consumption growth in china is occurring among the upper middle class , which we classify as households with annual disposable household incomes of $ 25,000 to $ 50,000 . the population in this income segment has been has been rising 12 % annually . astonishingly , chinese upper middle class are projected to account for 5 % of global consumption by 2020 . these consumers are the sweet spot for many international companies because they tend to sharply accelerate their consumption in such product categories as automobiles , premium personal-care products , fresh foods , financial services , and travel . while companies like the e-commerce giant alibaba generate the most buzz , it is only one of many innovative companies prospering from the rapid growth of china 's middle class . at bcg , we have been tracking a particularly impressive group of hard-charging competitors that we refer to as local dynamos ' -- emerging market-based companies that are staying home and conquering their domestic markets . the dynamos move at breathtaking speed , have formidable business models for catering to local consumers , are highly adaptable and are remarkably adept at taking advantage of digital technologies . they have averaged compound annual revenue growth of 28 % annually over the past four years , compared with 5 % annual growth among s & p 500 companies . eleven of the 50 dynamos that we identified globally in a recent report are consumer goods companies -- more than from any other sector . this reflects the opportunities created by surging consumption in emerging markets . ten of the 50 are based in china . they span sectors from banking and food retailing to consumer electronics . home inns & hotels management illustrates how chinese dynamos can operate successfully while moving at warp speed . home inns saw a huge opportunity in the underserved and highly fragmented market for budget hotels . from 2008 to 2013 , it increased its number of hotels from 500 to more than 2,000 , in part through an aggressive strategy of franchising . it also boosted the number of cities served from fewer than 100 to 300 . with revenues of $ 1 billion in 2013 , home inns controls nearly 25 % of china 's branded economy-hotel segment . xiaomi , another dynamo , demonstrates the digital prowess of china 's new breed of consumer-product companies . xiaomi relies entirely on e-commerce to sell its affordable smart phones , which are priced at between $ 100 and $ 300 . to reach china 's internet-crazed youth , xiaomi uses a variety of popular social media to extensively market its products and solicit customer feedback , which it incorporates when designing and improving its devices . after just three years in operation , xiaomi reached $ 5 billion in revenue in 2013 and sold more smartphones in china -- nearly 19 million -- than apple . xiaomi passed samsung in the second quarter of 2014 as china 's top smartphone brand . even if companies have little interest in the china market , the local dynamos should be on their radar because they are potential future global competitors . a number of companies on bcg 's 2014 list of global challengers ' -- fast-growing companies based in emerging markets that are becoming global leaders or have the potential to do so -- have followed the path of leveraging their dominance in domestic markets to go global . twenty-nine of the 100 challengers on the 2014 list are chinese , including appliance maker haeir group , automaker geely international , and medical device producer mindray medical international . prominent examples from other emerging markets are chilean wine maker concho y toro , chinese appliance marker haier group , mexican cellular phone giant america movil , philippines fast-food conglomerate jolibee , and indian vehicle companies bajaj auto and mehindra & mehindra . whether one sees china and other emerging markets as the world 's biggest growth opportunities -- or as the source of potential threat -- do n't let slower gdp statistics distract you into pulling back . the battle for a share of the growing consumer class is underway now and will grow more fierce . read this : the 10 hottest startups in asia read this : want to get rich ? move here ! more from virtual think tank the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jeff walters .","many innovative companies prosper from rapid growth of china 's middle class" +"baltimore new york ( cnn ) -- officer rafael ramos sat in the driver 's seat . officer wenjian liu was at his side . the two cops were n't at their usual precinct -- normally , the pair was assigned to downtown brooklyn , but they were working a critical response ' detail in an area with higher crime , police said . that 's where they were slain , ambush-style -- saturday afternoon as they sat in their patrol car , new york police commissioner william bratton said at an evening news conference . the gunman approached the passenger side of the patrol car and took a shooting stance , witnesses told police . he opened fire several times , striking both officers in the head , bratton said . they were shot and killed with no warning , no provocation , ' bratton told reporters . they were quite simply , assassinated . ' the gunman was found dead in a nearby subway station from a self-inflicted gunshot wound . the thin blue line the families of the fallen officers rushed to woodhull medical center on saturday , as dozens of their comrades gathered in a show of support . ramos had just turned 40 this month ; liu got married two months ago . both dreamed of being police officers , bratton said . one of the unfortunate realities of policing is that you put that blue uniform on and you become part of the thin blue line between us and anarchy , ' bratton said . mayor bill de blasio and bratton met with the families of the victims . de blasio said that ramos'13-year-old son could n't comprehend what had happened to his father . when a police officer is murdered , it tears at the foundation of our society , ' the mayor said . it is an attack on the very concept of decency . ' the suspect police identified the shooter as ismaaiyl brinsley . he arrived in new york from baltimore , but had a residence in atlanta . bratton said that brinsley was somehow connected to brooklyn , but would not discuss that information . bratton said at this time , there was no indication brinsley was connected to any terrorist groups or organized entity . police were investigating posts brinsley allegedly made on social media . bratton said that the suspect had earlier shot and seriously wounded a woman believed to be his ex-girlfriend in baltimore . baltimore police received information that brinsley had made threatening comments about police , and sent a warning to police in new york , bratton said . that message came almost the same time the ambush happened . u.s. attorney general eric holder called the attack an unspeakable act of barbarism . ' de blasio also called the shootings an assassination . ' it is an attack on all of us , ' he said . it is an attack on everything we hold dear . ' a white house official says president barack obama was briefed on the shooting . this ca n't happen ' the shooting jolted residents in the neighborhood . this ca n't happen . if you mad at somebody , be mad at the person that you are mad at . now , we have two families that ( are ) missing somebody for the holidays , ' shaniqua pervis told cnn affiliate wabc . where is your humanity ? i know it 's a war going on and shoutout to eric garner 's family and everybody else who lost somebody , but you 're not at his house , on his lawn . this is two ( officers ) . you do n't even know if ( they were ) good or bad . i do n't condone this , and i 'm not with it . ' the woman was referring to the controversial july death of the unarmed black man after new york police officers on staten island wrestled him to the ground , with one of the officers wrapping his arm around garner 's neck in a chokehold . a grand jury 's decision not to indict the police officer in the garner case , as well as a separate grand jury 's refusal to indict an officer in a controversial police shooting of unarmed teen michael brown in ferguson , missouri , led to nationwide protests against the police . brown 's family condemned saturday 's slayings . we reject any kind of violence directed toward members of law enforcement . it can not be tolerated . we must work together to bring peace to our communities , ' they said in a statement . our thoughts and prayers go out to the officers'families during this incredibly difficult time . ' in a statement , activist the rev . al sharpton said the garner family was outraged by news of the shootings . any use of the names of eric garner and michael brown , in connection with any violence or killing of police , is reprehensible and against the pursuit of justice in both cases , ' the statement said . we have stressed at every rally and march that anyone engaged in any violence is an enemy to the pursuit of justice for eric garner and michael brown . ' tensions between the community and police have heightened around the country since the deaths of brown and garner . this could not have come at a worse time , ' city councilman robert cornegy told cnn affiliate pix . so far , police have not commented on the motive for the brooklyn shootings , except to say the officers were not engaging the shooter in any way when they were shot . cnn 's david shortell , mariano castillo and kevin liptak contributed to this report .","baltimore police reached out to nypd" +"tripoli tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- former u.s. rep. curt weldon said he is set to meet with moammar gadhafi on wednesday in an attempt to persuade libya 's embattled ruler to step down . weldon will also meet with libyan deputy foreign minister khalid khaim , the republican from pennsylvania said in an interview with cnn affiliate wpix-tv . weldon said that in addition to gadhafi 's resignation , he is proposing a cease-fire on both sides ; a withdrawal of government forces from key cities ; no further advances by rebel forces ; a joint interim government run by libya 's current prime minister and the an opposition leader ; unfettered humanitarian access ; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include american , middle eastern , european and african politicians helping to establish a new parliament in libya . as far as the gadhafi family , weldon 's proposals also suggest a possible title for gadhafi as honorary chairman of the african union and allowing his second-oldest son , saif , to stand in elections . saif al-islam gadhafi was once thought of as a leading reformer in the libyan government , but the 38-year-old has become one of his father 's most outspoken defenders since the start of the unrest . in an opinion piece written for the new york times , weldon said , i 've met ( moammar gadhafi ) enough times to know that it will be very hard to simply bomb him into submission . ' he said he was in libya at the invitation of gadhafi and that u.s. president barack obama 's administration is aware of the trip . cnn did not immediately get a response late tuesday night from the u.s. state department or the white house about weldon 's trip . in 2004 , weldon led a congressional delegation to tripoli and met privately with gadhafi after the libyan leader renounced terrorism in an effort to establish warmer ties with the west . weldon said in his opinion piece wednesday that he traveled in 2004 to support gadhafi 's decision to give up libya 's nuclear weapons program , though neither he nor the white house wanted to support gadhafi himself . weldon told cnn in 2004 that he had 14 meetings with everyone in the administration ' and toured a nuclear complex . libya remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-gadhafi forces battle rebel fighters demanding an end to gadhafi 's nearly 42-year-rule . weldon 's proposal also suggests free elections within 12 months overseen by the united nations , according to reporter larry mendte of wpix-tv who traveled with weldon to libya . cnn 's nic robertson in tripoli contributed to this report","he led a congressional delegation to tripoli in 2004 and met privately with gadhafi" +"weldon tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- former u.s. rep. curt weldon said he is set to meet with moammar gadhafi on wednesday in an attempt to persuade libya 's embattled ruler to step down . weldon will also meet with libyan deputy foreign minister khalid khaim , the republican from pennsylvania said in an interview with cnn affiliate wpix-tv . weldon said that in addition to gadhafi 's resignation , he is proposing a cease-fire on both sides ; a withdrawal of government forces from key cities ; no further advances by rebel forces ; a joint interim government run by libya 's current prime minister and the an opposition leader ; unfettered humanitarian access ; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include american , middle eastern , european and african politicians helping to establish a new parliament in libya . as far as the gadhafi family , weldon 's proposals also suggest a possible title for gadhafi as honorary chairman of the african union and allowing his second-oldest son , saif , to stand in elections . saif al-islam gadhafi was once thought of as a leading reformer in the libyan government , but the 38-year-old has become one of his father 's most outspoken defenders since the start of the unrest . in an opinion piece written for the new york times , weldon said , i 've met ( moammar gadhafi ) enough times to know that it will be very hard to simply bomb him into submission . ' he said he was in libya at the invitation of gadhafi and that u.s. president barack obama 's administration is aware of the trip . cnn did not immediately get a response late tuesday night from the u.s. state department or the white house about weldon 's trip . in 2004 , weldon led a congressional delegation to tripoli and met privately with gadhafi after the libyan leader renounced terrorism in an effort to establish warmer ties with the west . weldon said in his opinion piece wednesday that he traveled in 2004 to support gadhafi 's decision to give up libya 's nuclear weapons program , though neither he nor the white house wanted to support gadhafi himself . weldon told cnn in 2004 that he had 14 meetings with everyone in the administration ' and toured a nuclear complex . libya remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-gadhafi forces battle rebel fighters demanding an end to gadhafi 's nearly 42-year-rule . weldon 's proposal also suggests free elections within 12 months overseen by the united nations , according to reporter larry mendte of wpix-tv who traveled with weldon to libya . cnn 's nic robertson in tripoli contributed to this report","weldon : it will be very hard to simply bomb him into submission '" +"weldon tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- former u.s. rep. curt weldon said he is set to meet with moammar gadhafi on wednesday in an attempt to persuade libya 's embattled ruler to step down . weldon will also meet with libyan deputy foreign minister khalid khaim , the republican from pennsylvania said in an interview with cnn affiliate wpix-tv . weldon said that in addition to gadhafi 's resignation , he is proposing a cease-fire on both sides ; a withdrawal of government forces from key cities ; no further advances by rebel forces ; a joint interim government run by libya 's current prime minister and the an opposition leader ; unfettered humanitarian access ; and the establishment of a parliamentary commission that would include american , middle eastern , european and african politicians helping to establish a new parliament in libya . as far as the gadhafi family , weldon 's proposals also suggest a possible title for gadhafi as honorary chairman of the african union and allowing his second-oldest son , saif , to stand in elections . saif al-islam gadhafi was once thought of as a leading reformer in the libyan government , but the 38-year-old has become one of his father 's most outspoken defenders since the start of the unrest . in an opinion piece written for the new york times , weldon said , i 've met ( moammar gadhafi ) enough times to know that it will be very hard to simply bomb him into submission . ' he said he was in libya at the invitation of gadhafi and that u.s. president barack obama 's administration is aware of the trip . cnn did not immediately get a response late tuesday night from the u.s. state department or the white house about weldon 's trip . in 2004 , weldon led a congressional delegation to tripoli and met privately with gadhafi after the libyan leader renounced terrorism in an effort to establish warmer ties with the west . weldon said in his opinion piece wednesday that he traveled in 2004 to support gadhafi 's decision to give up libya 's nuclear weapons program , though neither he nor the white house wanted to support gadhafi himself . weldon told cnn in 2004 that he had 14 meetings with everyone in the administration ' and toured a nuclear complex . libya remains in a deadly stalemate as pro-gadhafi forces battle rebel fighters demanding an end to gadhafi 's nearly 42-year-rule . weldon 's proposal also suggests free elections within 12 months overseen by the united nations , according to reporter larry mendte of wpix-tv who traveled with weldon to libya . cnn 's nic robertson in tripoli contributed to this report","curt weldon 's proposals include a cease-fire on both sides , a joint interim government" +"mildura ( cnn ) -- inaccurate , inconvenient , ill-conceived ... now add potentially life-threatening ' to the list of words being used to describe flaws in apple 's much maligned maps app . police in mildura , australia are warning drivers to be careful about using apple maps to find the city , which the app has placed more than 40 miles ( 70 kilometers ) away in the outback . calling it a potentially life-threatening issue , ' police say the mapping system lists mildura , a city of 30,000 people , as being in the middle of murray-sunset national park . several motorists have had to be rescued by police from the park , which police say has no water supply and where temperatures can reach a blistering 46 degrees celsius ( 114 fahrenheit ) . some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception , ' mildura police said in a statement . police have contacted apple in relation to the issue and hope the matter is rectified promptly to ensure the safety of motorists travelling to mildura . anyone travelling to mildura or other locations within victoria should rely on other forms of mapping until this matter is rectified . ' apple spokesman adam howorth would not comment on the australian police allegations , but told cnn that apple is working hard to fix maps . ' rival systems to apple 's , including google maps , listed mildura in the correct location , northeast of murray-sunset national park . apple maps , which replaced the google maps app on apple mobile devices when the tech giant released its ios 6 platform in september , has been widely panned by critics and users alike . users : apple ios 6 maps are a mess apple ceo tim cook apologized for maps shortly after its release . in a september letter posted on apple 's website , cook wrote : we are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make maps better . ' senior executive scott forstall -- who oversaw the tech giant 's mobile software unit before leaving the company in october -- was reported by the wall street journal to have been forced out of apple after refusing to apologize for maps . report : forstall left apple over maps apology apple told cnn it does n't comment on rumors or speculation . '","some motorists trying to reach mildura have had to be rescued from park by cops" +"mildura ( cnn ) -- inaccurate , inconvenient , ill-conceived ... now add potentially life-threatening ' to the list of words being used to describe flaws in apple 's much maligned maps app . police in mildura , australia are warning drivers to be careful about using apple maps to find the city , which the app has placed more than 40 miles ( 70 kilometers ) away in the outback . calling it a potentially life-threatening issue , ' police say the mapping system lists mildura , a city of 30,000 people , as being in the middle of murray-sunset national park . several motorists have had to be rescued by police from the park , which police say has no water supply and where temperatures can reach a blistering 46 degrees celsius ( 114 fahrenheit ) . some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception , ' mildura police said in a statement . police have contacted apple in relation to the issue and hope the matter is rectified promptly to ensure the safety of motorists travelling to mildura . anyone travelling to mildura or other locations within victoria should rely on other forms of mapping until this matter is rectified . ' apple spokesman adam howorth would not comment on the australian police allegations , but told cnn that apple is working hard to fix maps . ' rival systems to apple 's , including google maps , listed mildura in the correct location , northeast of murray-sunset national park . apple maps , which replaced the google maps app on apple mobile devices when the tech giant released its ios 6 platform in september , has been widely panned by critics and users alike . users : apple ios 6 maps are a mess apple ceo tim cook apologized for maps shortly after its release . in a september letter posted on apple 's website , cook wrote : we are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make maps better . ' senior executive scott forstall -- who oversaw the tech giant 's mobile software unit before leaving the company in october -- was reported by the wall street journal to have been forced out of apple after refusing to apologize for maps . report : forstall left apple over maps apology apple told cnn it does n't comment on rumors or speculation . '","apple maps places city of mildura in national park , 70 kilometers from actual location" +"libya berlin ( cnn ) -- more than 300 wounded libyans will arrive in germany to be treated in hospitals within the next 10 days in an operation approved by libya 's interim government , the german foreign ministry said friday . our expectation of the amount of the wounded libyans treated in german hospitals changes each hour , ' said thomas holz of the german health service almeda . according to almeda 's marketing chief michael blasius , the company expects the number of libyan patients to rise . already , 111 libyans who arrived in 20 planes are receiving treatment in german civilian hospitals . four further planes were expected to land in german territory friday . some of those patients will be transferred to countries like france , great britain , turkey and the u.s. , ' blasius told cnn on friday . the united states plans to provide treatment for at least 28 wounded libyan fighters . u.s. officials said thursday that at least 24 would be taken to a hospital in boston , massachusetts , because their wounds can not be treated in libya . an additional four will go to u.s. medical facilities in germany , according to major janelle jeffrey of the u.s. africa command , based in stuttgart , germany . libya 's national transitional council requested the u.s. medical treatment , which is being offered as a humanitarian gesture and support for libya 's democratic aspirations , u.s. officials said . almeda said it received the health service request by libya 's new finance ministry on october 14 . four days later , the first military plane arrived in germany with dozens of wounded libyans . that was a day after german economy minister philipp roesler announced germany would offer medical help to the ntc . three so-called scouting teams ' are currently screening libyan and tunisian hospitals , searching for heavily injured libyans who might benefit from treatment abroad . almeda told cnn there would be two further scouting teams in tunisia and libya at the beginning of next week . many wounded libyans had already received treatment in tunisia , according to blasius . cnn 's larry shaughnessy in washington and frederik pleitgen in berlin contributed to this report .","the libyans are being taken abroad because their wounds ca n't be treated in libya" +"lee mcdaniel ( cnn ) -- jack whittaker had the noblest of plans . upon winning the then-largest-ever $ 314 million powerball jackpot in 2002 , the west virginia construction company owner said he wanted to pay tithes to the church of god , get some of his laid-off workers back on the job and start a charitable foundation . he might buy a helicopter , and he 'd definitely pamper his daughter and granddaughter , he said . i 'm not going to buy anything for myself , ' he said during a news conference announcing his windfall . the very first thing i 'm going to do is , i 'm going to go home . i 'm going to sit down and make out three checks to three pastors for 10 % of this check . that 's the very first thing i 'm going to do . ' already a millionaire via his company , whittaker predicted the money would n't faze him at all . his life , he said , would carry on normally . if i can help it , it 's not going to change . i 'm content with my life , ' he told reporters . i 'm not going to change my life much . ' yet by 2007 , barely four years after what should have been the luckiest day of his life , whittaker was a broken-down man who had lost his granddaughter to drugs and who had a reputation for duis , frequenting strip clubs and getting robbed . his divorce would be finalized the following year . his daughter would die the next . in january 2007 , responding to a complaint that he had n't paid his settlement with a woman who claimed he harassed her at a greyhound track , whittaker issued a statement to the kanawha county circuit court , saying , on 9-11 , a team of crooks went to 12 different ( city national banks ) cashed 12 ( checks ) and got all my money . ' i intend to pay but ca n't without any money , ' the statement said . whittaker , of course , is the poster man for lottery winners forced off the tracks , and , certainly , there are many happy lottery winners who took their winnings and quietly went about their lives without so much as another headline in the local newspaper . perhaps shockingly , however , about 70 % of those incurring a financial windfall lose that money within a few years , according to the national endowment for financial education . as we await the name of the person who purchased the winning $ 400 million powerball ticket in lexington , south carolina , it 's worth a reminder that sudden fortune is n't the panacea it 's sometimes made out to be . not only can seemingly unlimited income stoke temptations to spurn moderation , but lottery winners may also find friends and family members treating them more like a mark than a loved one , said michael boone , a bellevue , washington , wealth manager who spoke to cnn after the winners of the $ 656 million mega millions jackpot were announced last year . anytime you 're a public figure , you 're going to attract attention from people who want to take things from you , ' he said . most of us would n't be too happy if the amount of our paychecks was in the newspaper . ' charities begin soliciting . self-styled entrepreneurs approach with pitches . second cousins come looking for loans . friends know someone who can help manage the money . that 's not to say you would n't want to do something nice for those people , but it could become a full-time job , ' boone said . his advice would be to remain anonymous , but only delaware , kansas , maryland , north dakota , south carolina and ohio allow winners to avoid state lottery publicity . ( michigan does in certain circumstances , but not for powerball or mega millions winners . ) thus , boone advises his clients to keep a low profile . as michael norton , associate professor of business administration at harvard business school , told cnn in 2011 , when you become the rich person , who other people look to , it can actually erode the social bond that you have with people because it changes your relationship from friendship into almost like a transaction . ' what 's the worst that can happen , you ask ? well , whittaker does n't even provide the worst-case scenario . earlier this year , urooj khan , a man described as a successful , hardworking indian immigrant , died of cyanide poisoning the day after collecting $ 425,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket . no arrest has been made . william bud ' post 's own brother reportedly tried to kill him after he won $ 16.2 million in a 1988 pennsylvania state lottery game . though his brother was imprisoned , post 's reckless spending and behavior left him broke and divorced before he died in 2006 of respiratory failure . these are extremes , of course , but there are many cases of lesser tragedies befalling lottery winners . there 's the british man who squandered a 2002 jackpot of 9.7 million pounds , much of it on cocaine and hookers , only to find himself working as garbage man again by 2010 . and the st. louis wig maker who won $ 18 million in 1993 , only to spend so lavishly on political and philanthropic causes that she filed for bankruptcy four years later . or the new jersey woman who won the lottery twice -- a grand total of $ 5.4 million -- but was so helpless to avoid games of chance that she ended up in a trailer after giving the lion 's share of her money to atlantic city casinos . jim mccullar saw spooky signs before he even collected half of his $ 380 million mega millions prize in washington in 2011 , telling cnn that he was reluctant to even come forward because all we saw were predators and we were afraid to do anything until we got down here with police protection . ' winning is n't always a curse , though . lee mcdaniel of stone mountain , georgia , who won $ 5 million in the georgia lottery in 2010 , said in an interview the following year that he did n't see any downside to the money . he 'd helped his sister with medical bills , handed out money to other relatives , remodeled his home , bought an rv and jeep , and invested a large chunk of the cash . i do n't feel that i have changed . i am just very secure financially , ' he said . it 's quite the contrast to whittaker , and while most lottery winners'experiences fall somewhere between mcdaniel 's and whittaker 's , it 's safe to say no one wants to follow the latter 's path post-millions . no one should ever have to tell abc news , as whittaker did five years after his windfall , that they 'd be better off without the money . since i won the lottery , i think there is no control for greed , ' he told the station . i think if you have something , there 's always someone else that wants it . i wish i 'd torn that ticket up . ' cnn 's eliott c. mclaughlin , elizabeth landau , greg botelho and chandler friedman contributed to this report .","but georgian lee mcdaniel , who won $ 5 million in 2010 , says he 's yet to see a downside" +"gop ( cnn ) house speaker john boehner turned to an unorthodox messenger for his pitch to young americans panning president barack obama 's proposal to offer free community college for everyone : taylor swift . the gop leader paired swift gifs and gop arguments opposed to the proposal in a blog item posted to his site friday that quickly went viral . while the community college proposal sounded exciting at first , ' boehner 's staff writes — paired with a gif of swift to illustrate the excitement — when president obama said'free'what he meant was'60 billion dollars over 10 years .'' not even all the taylor swift album sales in the world would cover that bill , ' the post declares , atop a gif of swift looking perturbed . the post goes on to suggest obama 's proposal would either require a tax hike or else contribute to the national debt , accompanied by clips from swift 's music videos that range from infuriated to goofy . instead , boehner 's office proposes : would n't it be better if we just worked together to lower costs for folks across the board and improve our children 's education ? ' as swift applauds in a clip from an awards show . looks like an apology is in order mr. president , ' the post continues . boehner spokesman michael steel told the daily dot the post was an effort to reach people where they are . ' we are always looking for fun , effective ways to communicate with the american people about president obama 's failed policies , and our better solutions , ' he said . swift is a safe pick for the party as it looks to expand its appeal to younger voters in time for the 2016 elections . while swift has matured over her career , she has n't turned to raunchy moves or lyrics to shed her squeaky-clean teen persona . indeed , boehner 's not the only republican to turn to taylor swift to say what their own words ca n't . newly-minted iowa sen. joni ernst said she would shake it off ' when outgoing sen. tom harkin compared her to swift . and sen. ted cruz 's digital strategist is a huge fan of the pop star . republicans know there 's a blank space on young voters'ballots heading into 2016 . verdict 's still out , though , on whether the gop love for t swift will get millennials to write the gop 's name .","swift is a favorite of the gop as it looks to expand its appeal for 2016" +"gop ( cnn ) house speaker john boehner turned to an unorthodox messenger for his pitch to young americans panning president barack obama 's proposal to offer free community college for everyone : taylor swift . the gop leader paired swift gifs and gop arguments opposed to the proposal in a blog item posted to his site friday that quickly went viral . while the community college proposal sounded exciting at first , ' boehner 's staff writes — paired with a gif of swift to illustrate the excitement — when president obama said'free'what he meant was'60 billion dollars over 10 years .'' not even all the taylor swift album sales in the world would cover that bill , ' the post declares , atop a gif of swift looking perturbed . the post goes on to suggest obama 's proposal would either require a tax hike or else contribute to the national debt , accompanied by clips from swift 's music videos that range from infuriated to goofy . instead , boehner 's office proposes : would n't it be better if we just worked together to lower costs for folks across the board and improve our children 's education ? ' as swift applauds in a clip from an awards show . looks like an apology is in order mr. president , ' the post continues . boehner spokesman michael steel told the daily dot the post was an effort to reach people where they are . ' we are always looking for fun , effective ways to communicate with the american people about president obama 's failed policies , and our better solutions , ' he said . swift is a safe pick for the party as it looks to expand its appeal to younger voters in time for the 2016 elections . while swift has matured over her career , she has n't turned to raunchy moves or lyrics to shed her squeaky-clean teen persona . indeed , boehner 's not the only republican to turn to taylor swift to say what their own words ca n't . newly-minted iowa sen. joni ernst said she would shake it off ' when outgoing sen. tom harkin compared her to swift . and sen. ted cruz 's digital strategist is a huge fan of the pop star . republicans know there 's a blank space on young voters'ballots heading into 2016 . verdict 's still out , though , on whether the gop love for t swift will get millennials to write the gop 's name .","the gop leader paired swift gifs and gop arguments opposed to the proposal in a buzzy blog post" +"twitter ( cnn ) -- twitter released an update wednesday that makes it easier to keep up with conversations on the social network . now , twitter.com and twitter 's mobile apps show conversations in chronological order . tweets in a conversation are connected using a vertical line . see also : 25 twitter accounts to make you laugh up to three tweets in a sequence are shown connected on your home timeline , so you can catch up on a whole conversation at a glance . if three tweets are n't enough , you can tap on any single tweet to see all of the replies , including any responses from people you do n't currently follow . whole conversations can be shared with friends via e-mail from twitter.com , or as individual tweets from the iphone and android apps . wednesday 's update also expands on twitter 's abuse button . already available for iphone , now you can report individual tweets for abuse or spam from the android app and twitter.com . check out this video for a quick look at how the new conversation feature works . © 2013 mashable.com . all rights reserved .","twitter will now show conversations in chronological order" +"borger washington ( cnn ) -- when you consider the array of public men who have been forced , in one way or another , to come clean on their bad behavior , the list is not insubstantial : a president ( bill clinton ) , presidential candidates ( john edwards , gary hart ) , governors ( mark sanford , eliot spitzer ) , senators ( john ensign , david vitter ) . and that 's just the top tier . the bar has been set -- and it 's awfully low . and by the way , many of these men managed to crawl right under that bar and survive , even thrive . eventually , they found there was just one way out -- owning up to their own shortcomings . sure , it may have been due to legal pressure . or political reality . or both . but some discovered the public can be forgiving , especially if it believes you have something important to offer to the nation . just ask bill clinton , now serving as philanthropist to the world . so now comes herman cain , accused of sexual harassment by four women . he calls the charges baseless and defends his integrity . his political campaign and supporters have gone into full damage-control mode , scrutinizing the women . all predictable -- and reflexive -- enough . but here 's the rub : cain also tells us that the national restaurant association investigated the charges against him and found them to be baseless . ' if he wants to get this behind him , how about getting the facts out ? give the association 's board permission to release the results of their internal investigation , if there was a formal inquiry . then , as they say , the truth will out . and there 's another plus : the partisans and the interest groups will have to start dealing with the facts . and the public can decide for itself . it 's not as if this predicament is new to us . recall back in the day when clinton was in the middle of the lewinsky mess . republicans were ( rightly ) outraged , demanding his resignation or impeachment . feminist groups , by and large , remained largely on the sidelines or supportive of clinton -- because he was , um , not a sexual harasser . oh , and yes , he was good on their issues . now the tables have turned . feminist groups are outraged by the charges against cain and lots of republican partisans are defending him , choosing to level their scrutiny on the women instead . ( we 've come a long way , baby , in that some conservative women 's groups are criticizing cain 's i-don't-recall defense . ) conservative cnn contributor bill bennett sees the hypocrisy of those who raised the red flag about clinton , but not cain . for we who led the charge against bill clinton on a number of related issues to continue to blame the media or other campaigns or say it simply does n't matter makes us the hypocrites as well , ' he wrote on cnn.com . he is , of course , right . and it is exactly what we are seeing , much of it from the cain campaign itself . when declarations of innocence do not seem to be enough , there 's the change-the-subject tack : how about fingering a leaker , say from rick perry 's staff ? when that 's denied , back off . then take a turn , and start decrying anonymous ' charges . when the charges are on the record , take on the accuser . and when all else fails , blame the media . and the liberal democrat machine . ' ah , it takes me back to the days when monica lewinsky was whispered to be a stalker ' and hillary clinton was taking on the right wing conspiracy . ' but here 's what we learned in that case : the fact that monica inappropriately bared her underwear to the president did not excuse his behavior . and the fact that hillary was right about those who were out to get ' clinton does not mean he was in the clear . it 's just not that simple . the voters will figure it all out , as always . the bar may be set low for the politicians , but the public somehow manages to rise above it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger .","the litany of politicians behaving badly is a long one , says gloria borger" +"borger washington ( cnn ) -- when you consider the array of public men who have been forced , in one way or another , to come clean on their bad behavior , the list is not insubstantial : a president ( bill clinton ) , presidential candidates ( john edwards , gary hart ) , governors ( mark sanford , eliot spitzer ) , senators ( john ensign , david vitter ) . and that 's just the top tier . the bar has been set -- and it 's awfully low . and by the way , many of these men managed to crawl right under that bar and survive , even thrive . eventually , they found there was just one way out -- owning up to their own shortcomings . sure , it may have been due to legal pressure . or political reality . or both . but some discovered the public can be forgiving , especially if it believes you have something important to offer to the nation . just ask bill clinton , now serving as philanthropist to the world . so now comes herman cain , accused of sexual harassment by four women . he calls the charges baseless and defends his integrity . his political campaign and supporters have gone into full damage-control mode , scrutinizing the women . all predictable -- and reflexive -- enough . but here 's the rub : cain also tells us that the national restaurant association investigated the charges against him and found them to be baseless . ' if he wants to get this behind him , how about getting the facts out ? give the association 's board permission to release the results of their internal investigation , if there was a formal inquiry . then , as they say , the truth will out . and there 's another plus : the partisans and the interest groups will have to start dealing with the facts . and the public can decide for itself . it 's not as if this predicament is new to us . recall back in the day when clinton was in the middle of the lewinsky mess . republicans were ( rightly ) outraged , demanding his resignation or impeachment . feminist groups , by and large , remained largely on the sidelines or supportive of clinton -- because he was , um , not a sexual harasser . oh , and yes , he was good on their issues . now the tables have turned . feminist groups are outraged by the charges against cain and lots of republican partisans are defending him , choosing to level their scrutiny on the women instead . ( we 've come a long way , baby , in that some conservative women 's groups are criticizing cain 's i-don't-recall defense . ) conservative cnn contributor bill bennett sees the hypocrisy of those who raised the red flag about clinton , but not cain . for we who led the charge against bill clinton on a number of related issues to continue to blame the media or other campaigns or say it simply does n't matter makes us the hypocrites as well , ' he wrote on cnn.com . he is , of course , right . and it is exactly what we are seeing , much of it from the cain campaign itself . when declarations of innocence do not seem to be enough , there 's the change-the-subject tack : how about fingering a leaker , say from rick perry 's staff ? when that 's denied , back off . then take a turn , and start decrying anonymous ' charges . when the charges are on the record , take on the accuser . and when all else fails , blame the media . and the liberal democrat machine . ' ah , it takes me back to the days when monica lewinsky was whispered to be a stalker ' and hillary clinton was taking on the right wing conspiracy . ' but here 's what we learned in that case : the fact that monica inappropriately bared her underwear to the president did not excuse his behavior . and the fact that hillary was right about those who were out to get ' clinton does not mean he was in the clear . it 's just not that simple . the voters will figure it all out , as always . the bar may be set low for the politicians , but the public somehow manages to rise above it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger .","borger : bill clinton was able to survive a damaging scandal" +"john berlin it was a desperate plea from a tearful dad , tossed like a message in a bottle into the vast sea of the internet . you ever do something crazy because you just do n't know what to do anymore ? well , that 's what i 'm doing right now , ' said john berlin , staring into the camera with moist , red-rimmed eyes . i 'm calling out to mark zuckerberg and facebook , ' he continued . you 've been putting out these new movies , these one-minute movies that everyone 's been sharing . well , my son passed away ... and we ca n't access his facebook account . i 've tried e-mailing , and different things , but it ai n't working . all we want to do is see his movie . i know it 's a shot in the dark , but i do n't care , ' he said , his voice breaking . i want to see my son 's video . his name 's jesse berlin . so please help me . ' the arnold , missouri , man shot the emotionally raw , 84-second clip on his phone and posted it wednesday morning to youtube and facebook . by late afternoon it had hundreds of thousands of views and he was deluged with facebook messages . then , that night , facebook called . as berlin listened , stunned , they told him would indeed make a personalized a look back ' video for jesse , using posts he had made public on facebook before his death in 2012 at age 21 . now berlin is planning to share it online as a tribute to his late son . i just wanted a piece of him , ' he told cnn in a phone interview . these ( facebook ) videos really touched me . and every time jesse would pop up ( in one of them ) , i was choking back tears . i just wanted so desperately to see how his video would turn out . ' facebook created the customized videos for most of its active users tuesday to celebrate its 10th anniversary . the 62-second clips note the year the user joined facebook , then show a handful of their most-liked posts and a seemingly random selection of their photos -- all set to instrumental music . a facebook spokesperson said berlin 's video came to the attention of a staffer wednesday , who shared it on an internal network . with the number of people using our service , it 's often very difficult to act on behalf of one . but john 's story and emotion moved us to take action -- so we did , ' the spokesperson said . facebook realizes that by granting berlin 's wish , they risk being deluged with similar requests from other users wanting to see video highlights of their deceased loved ones . honoring all the requests would be difficult , but where do you draw the line ? it 's a thorny question . the facebook spokesperson would not address this issue directly . but he said facebook , which introduced memorial ' pages for deceased users in 2009 , wants to give users better ways to honor their loved ones on the site . this experience reinforced to us that there 's more facebook can do to help people celebrate and commemorate the lives of people they have lost , ' he said . we 'll have more to share in the coming weeks and months . ' john berlin said his son jesse died of natural causes in his sleep on the morning of january 28 , 2012 . doctors could not pinpoint the cause of death , although he was told a viral infection may have impacted jesse 's heart , he said . jesse berlin was a musician and played rhythm guitar in fivefold , a popular missouri rock band . jesse was all about having fun , ' his father said . we 'd always say our hobby was laughing . we would just cut up about everything . ' he is also survived by his mother , lisa , sister nicole , 26 , and brother jared , 21 . john berlin posted jesse 's a look back ' video on friday to youtube and his facebook page , where it 's been liked and shared thousands of times . berlin still ca n't believe his unassuming video appeal , which now has more than 2.7 million views and 7,500 comments , got facebook 's attention from a small town in the midwest . but he hopes that his story will inspire facebook to help others like him and ease their access to the accounts of late loved ones . i 'm glad that we 're finding purpose in jesse 's death , ' he said . i ca n't express how much this means to me . '","john berlin said his son jesse died in 2012 of natural causes at age 21" +"bond london , england ( cnn ) -- a superboat custom built for the most recent james bond blockbuster was the star act at the scotland boat show , a three-day show at the weekend . the quantum of solace , ' a 43-foot sunseeker superhawk , is one of three used during the chase sequence in the 2008 film of the same name . and its owner , robin porter , had his own action adventure while test-driving the boat off the coast of marmaris in turkey . porter , who bought the vessel in late january but did not realize its celebrity origins at the time , says he found himself in a james bond-like scenario , when he unwittingly traveled into dangerous waters . he says , it was a beautiful , nice day and we took the boat for a run . out of the harbor and into the bay , from out of nowhere really , there was a boat with men wearing balaclavas covering their faces and ak-47s . we were in restricted waters and the little hamlet bay nearby was actually part of naval waters , ' he continued . we were taken to be questioned and we did n't have the ship 's papers because this was a test drive of the boat so we had to get the coast guard involved . then they asked'have you been drinking ?'we had to be taken to the hospital for a drugs test . we could n't even go to the bathroom without a guard outside . we got interrogated about why we were in turkey and we wanted to buy this boat , he added . the fastest things on water eventually their eight-hour detention came to an end as authorities involved realized it was a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time . despite this slight hiccup , porter says things have been smooth sailing since his return to the uk and is delighted the boat was part of the show . since he found out about quantum of solace ' 's hollywood provenance , he has decked out the boat with custom james bond accessories . recently we 've done up the boat and it has been liveried up with'quantum of solace'along the side , monograms , james bond things , ' he says . porter declined to tell cnn how much he paid for the boat . other sunseeker superhawks are currently on sale for between â£250,000-â£300,000 ( $ 400,000- $ 475,000 ) . if some people get some sort of enjoyment out of seeing or use out of it , then we are happy ... it 's as fast as it looks and extremely comfortable , ' he said . quantum of solace ' was on display for the public to visit during the show at at kip marina , inverkip , west scotland . around 7,000 visitors visited the show , organizers said . ten marine movies for a sail-in cinema the 43-foot sunseeker was part of a larger bond theme at the show : more james bond icons lined the shore including a collection of five aston martins and the full range of all five rolls royce vehicles usually reserved for villains of the blockbusters .","owner had no idea it was used in the james bond blockbuster until later" +"bond london , england ( cnn ) -- a superboat custom built for the most recent james bond blockbuster was the star act at the scotland boat show , a three-day show at the weekend . the quantum of solace , ' a 43-foot sunseeker superhawk , is one of three used during the chase sequence in the 2008 film of the same name . and its owner , robin porter , had his own action adventure while test-driving the boat off the coast of marmaris in turkey . porter , who bought the vessel in late january but did not realize its celebrity origins at the time , says he found himself in a james bond-like scenario , when he unwittingly traveled into dangerous waters . he says , it was a beautiful , nice day and we took the boat for a run . out of the harbor and into the bay , from out of nowhere really , there was a boat with men wearing balaclavas covering their faces and ak-47s . we were in restricted waters and the little hamlet bay nearby was actually part of naval waters , ' he continued . we were taken to be questioned and we did n't have the ship 's papers because this was a test drive of the boat so we had to get the coast guard involved . then they asked'have you been drinking ?'we had to be taken to the hospital for a drugs test . we could n't even go to the bathroom without a guard outside . we got interrogated about why we were in turkey and we wanted to buy this boat , he added . the fastest things on water eventually their eight-hour detention came to an end as authorities involved realized it was a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time . despite this slight hiccup , porter says things have been smooth sailing since his return to the uk and is delighted the boat was part of the show . since he found out about quantum of solace ' 's hollywood provenance , he has decked out the boat with custom james bond accessories . recently we 've done up the boat and it has been liveried up with'quantum of solace'along the side , monograms , james bond things , ' he says . porter declined to tell cnn how much he paid for the boat . other sunseeker superhawks are currently on sale for between â£250,000-â£300,000 ( $ 400,000- $ 475,000 ) . if some people get some sort of enjoyment out of seeing or use out of it , then we are happy ... it 's as fast as it looks and extremely comfortable , ' he said . quantum of solace ' was on display for the public to visit during the show at at kip marina , inverkip , west scotland . around 7,000 visitors visited the show , organizers said . ten marine movies for a sail-in cinema the 43-foot sunseeker was part of a larger bond theme at the show : more james bond icons lined the shore including a collection of five aston martins and the full range of all five rolls royce vehicles usually reserved for villains of the blockbusters .","superboat to be part of larger bond theme at event" +"egyptians ( wired ) -- twitter confirmed tuesday evening that its microblogging site has been shuttered by egyptian authorities . this came hours after widespread reports that access had been cut off , as egyptians took to the streets in what many hope and some fear would be a sequel to the revolution in tunisia last week . the day 's speculation that the mubarak administration might have pulled the plug on twitter underscored the power of the site and other social networks as tools to both coordinate and disperse news of a citizen uprising . twitter , facebook and youtube were widely used in tunisia 's recent uprising and in iran last year . but it remains an open and hotly debated question about how much of a role these tools actually play in real-world social movements , with some critics rightly pointing out that it becomes tempting for analysts to give more credit to the new and sexy tools than they actually deserve . we can confirm that twitter was blocked in egypt around 8 a.m. pt today . it is impacting both twitter.com @ applications , ' the company tweeted from the handle @ twitterglobalpr . earlier in the day , twitter seemed unsure . we 're not experts on how twitter is being used in highly developing situations 1000s of miles from our comfortable hq in sf , ' the company tweeted from the same handle . in a separate tweet , san francisco-based twitter added , the experts are those using twitter on the ground and those coordinating with them around the world . ' one of the leading authorities on middle east censorship , who is based in cairo , said in a telephone interview that his facebook account was accessible but not his twitter account . his isp , he said , is te data , that nation 's largest internet service provider . the source , who requested anonymity for fear of retribution , said some egyptians using the nour isp were getting access to twitter . twitter , it 's almost across-the-board inaccessible in egypt , ' he said . given the size of the crowds we saw in the streets , i would n't be surprised the outage was from the government . there 's been calls to censor the internet here for ages . ' abc news reported from cairo that twitter was down and that as many as three people were killed as tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets demanding president hosni mubarak 's 30-year reign come to an end . vodafone , using the handle @ vodafoneegypt , had tweeted no blocking from our side ! ' it speculated that the outage may have been from overload . ' jillian york , who compiles a crowd-sourced ledger of unavailable websites across the globe for the berkman center for internet and society at harvard university , said the center had received about a dozen reports of twitter being inaccessible inside egypt . we can not confirm for sure if twitter.com is blocked , ' she said in a telephone interview early tuesday . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com .","egyptians took to the streets in what could be a sequel to the recent revolution in tunisia" +"youtube ( wired ) -- twitter confirmed tuesday evening that its microblogging site has been shuttered by egyptian authorities . this came hours after widespread reports that access had been cut off , as egyptians took to the streets in what many hope and some fear would be a sequel to the revolution in tunisia last week . the day 's speculation that the mubarak administration might have pulled the plug on twitter underscored the power of the site and other social networks as tools to both coordinate and disperse news of a citizen uprising . twitter , facebook and youtube were widely used in tunisia 's recent uprising and in iran last year . but it remains an open and hotly debated question about how much of a role these tools actually play in real-world social movements , with some critics rightly pointing out that it becomes tempting for analysts to give more credit to the new and sexy tools than they actually deserve . we can confirm that twitter was blocked in egypt around 8 a.m. pt today . it is impacting both twitter.com @ applications , ' the company tweeted from the handle @ twitterglobalpr . earlier in the day , twitter seemed unsure . we 're not experts on how twitter is being used in highly developing situations 1000s of miles from our comfortable hq in sf , ' the company tweeted from the same handle . in a separate tweet , san francisco-based twitter added , the experts are those using twitter on the ground and those coordinating with them around the world . ' one of the leading authorities on middle east censorship , who is based in cairo , said in a telephone interview that his facebook account was accessible but not his twitter account . his isp , he said , is te data , that nation 's largest internet service provider . the source , who requested anonymity for fear of retribution , said some egyptians using the nour isp were getting access to twitter . twitter , it 's almost across-the-board inaccessible in egypt , ' he said . given the size of the crowds we saw in the streets , i would n't be surprised the outage was from the government . there 's been calls to censor the internet here for ages . ' abc news reported from cairo that twitter was down and that as many as three people were killed as tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets demanding president hosni mubarak 's 30-year reign come to an end . vodafone , using the handle @ vodafoneegypt , had tweeted no blocking from our side ! ' it speculated that the outage may have been from overload . ' jillian york , who compiles a crowd-sourced ledger of unavailable websites across the globe for the berkman center for internet and society at harvard university , said the center had received about a dozen reports of twitter being inaccessible inside egypt . we can not confirm for sure if twitter.com is blocked , ' she said in a telephone interview early tuesday . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com .","twitter , facebook and youtube were widely used in tunisia 's uprising and in iran last year" +"wwii editor 's note : in our behind the scenes series , cnn correspondents and producers share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events . tony acevedo , right , meets with a governor of mexico in 1945 . it was acevedo who first inspired cnn users . atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- i 'll never forget holding world war ii medic tony acevedo in my arms . he wept and convulsed for more than 10 minutes , his body constricting and tightening in a way i 'd never seen before . i 'm sorry , ' he said , repeating , i 'm sorry . i want to say more , but i ca n't . ' i held his hand and hugged him until he calmed . i had asked what i thought was a simple question . when i say the name erwin metz , what comes to your mind ? ' that 's when the demons of 1945 took over . metz was one of the nazi commanders who headed a slave labor camp known as berga an der elster , where 350 u.s. soldiers -- 80 of whom had been targeted for being jewish -- were beaten , starved and forced to work in tunnels at a secret v-2 rocket factory . they worked 10 to 12 hour days with only 400 calories of food , mostly bread made from sawdust . more than 100 soldiers died at the camp or on a forced death march of more than 200 miles . other berga survivors had described metz : a real bastard . ' butcher of the earth . ' they said he talked with a high-pitched lisp . behind his back , the soldiers called him donald duck . but he wreaked hell on the men . he shot one soldier , morton goldstein , through the head , execution-style , according to the survivors . acevedo described seeing metz dump ice water on one emaciated soldier . the soldier died of shock moments later . acevedo catalogued the atrocities in a diary he kept hidden in his pants , using a sheaffer fountain pen to record what he saw all around . when the soldiers were on their forced death march , acevedo asked to use his pen for a tracheotomy to save a soldier named george buddeski . metz refused . flip through the pages of acevedo 's diary » ' you 're going to kill him then , ' acevedo responded . metz grabbed a rifle from a guard and cracked the young medic across his face . acevedo suffered permanent nerve damage from the blow . buddeski died april 13 , 1945 , on the death march on what the soldiers call hell 's highway . the soldiers learned of another death that day : president franklin delano roosevelt . your jew president has died , ' the nazis said mockingly . there , in the middle of germany , the american soldiers bowed their heads . we held a prayer service for the repose of his soul , ' acevedo 's diary says . amid the chaos and death all around them , these men -- these soldiers who suffered so much -- took the time to stop and pray for their president . when cnn first reported acevedo 's story in november , i had no idea it would lead to what i witnessed this weekend : the u.s. army reversing course on six decades of silence and recognizing the berga soldiers for what they went through . it 's always been a touchy subject for the army . the u.s. government in 1948 commuted the death sentences of metz and his superior , hauptmann ludwig merz . the men walked free in the 1950s , one of dozens of convicted war criminals whose sentences were commuted as part of an effort to bolster germany , which was facing the threat of soviet expansion . in explaining its decision on the berga commanders , the war department said , metz , though guilty of a generally cruel course of conduct toward prisoners , was not directly responsible for the death of any prisoners except one who was killed during the course of an attempt to escape . ' read the war department 's explanation for commuting their sentences » that prisoner was goldstein , the one shot through the head . when you read that document , it does n't sit too easy . the government excuses the killing of one soldier . berga soldiers will tell you they were never called to testify against metz or merz . they say they could 've told of many other atrocities . when metz and merz were freed , the survivors felt the army betrayed the war ethos of leave no soldier behind . ' they eventually got on with their lives . many went on to the top of their professions . they 're all the most patriotic americans you 'll ever meet . as the survivors reached their 70s and 80s , many began wondering why the government still refused to recognize them . it nagged them . it angered some of them . no ranking pentagon official had described berga as a slave labor camp . ' heading into last weekend , the six berga survivors present knew a two-star general was being sent to meet with them . many were skeptical : what can a general do at this point to make us feel better ? surely , a two-star wo n't call it a slave labor camp ' after all this time . nah , he 'll toe the company line . these were men who 'd been disappointed before . they did n't want to set expectations too high this time . but there at the rosen centre hotel in orlando , florida , something magical transpired . see photos of the berga men being honored » u.s. army maj. gen. vincent boles did a sit-down interview with me , while six berga survivors -- samuel fahrer , 86 ; morton brooks , 83 ; sidney lipson , 85 ; peter iosso , 83 ; wallace carden , 84 ; and edward slotkin , 84 -- watched . it was n't a prison camp . it was a slave labor camp , ' boles said . watch the general set the record straight after six decades » i was stunned in that moment . i 'll even admit i got choked up . i knew history had just been made , the legacy of the berga soldiers preserved for all time . the men looked on stoically and i knew what they were thinking : drash , pull yourself together ! we got a two-star in our presence ! ' i was thinking about all that transpired in the last eight months . i thought about bernard jack ' vogel and izzy cohen , who were forced to stand without food and water for days , pushed to their deaths . cohen was a 32-year-old father of two young children . i had met with his 90-year-old wife , florence , and their daughter , nomi , months before . florence is a diminutive woman , the epitome of class and grace . she told me a story i 'll never forget . when izzy left for war , he kissed his family goodbye at a train station in california . he looked at her and said , whatever happens happens . ' those were the last words he ever spoke to her . when she was notified izzy was a prisoner of war on march 16 , 1945 , one relative shouted , that 's just like izzy to take the easy way out of war . ' izzy cohen died three weeks later , a victim of the holocaust . tears filled florence 's eyes as she spoke . she changed the family name , so her son would never be targeted as a jew . i thought about martin vogel , the brother of the man who died with izzy . martin called one day in november , crying his eyes out . are you the one who did the story on the medic , tony acevedo ? ' he said , struggling for words . my brother is the one who died in his arms . ' martin vogel adored his older brother . they were best friends . he entered the army so he could be just like his brother . they were 19 and 17 . he had searched for decades for answers to bernard 's death . a month does n't go by that it does n't come up in the course of my own thoughts , ' he said . but to me , it 's always there . ' at the time his brother died such a horrific death , martin vogel was just a few hundred miles away . he was guarding a pow camp inside germany where u.s. troops treated their nazi captives under the geneva conventions . to this day , martin , now 82 , ca n't speak about his brother without crying . more than a dozen other families of berga victims have reached out . i 've listened to each one and put them in touch with acevedo for answers about their loved ones . i 'm not the first to report on berga . authors mitchell geoffrey bard , flint whitlock and roger cohen have written books on it . the late charles guggenheim made a documentary about berga . but what happened in recent months , i can only attribute to the power of online media and the ease of access to communicate . you can scroll through acevedo 's diary and read the war department document explaining why metz and merz were set free . millions of you read the pieces , e-mailed them around and rallied around these weathered war heroes . it took on a life of its own . hundreds of you lobbied rep. joe baca , d-california , and rep. spencer bachus , r-alabama . the two congressmen then pressed army secretary pete geren to recognize the soldiers . it was humbling when boles , the two-star general , told me that my reporting and my colleagues on cnn television preserved the men 's legacy , culminating with the army recognizing them . that feels mighty good . it was even more humbling talking with the fellas . they all survived the battle of the bulge , when a million young men went head-to-head on the battlefield . it was an honor to see the six survivors present in orlando receive flags flown over the pentagon in their honor ; samuel fahrer was awarded the bronze star , one of the nation 's highest medals . just as they never left their fallen comrades , we will never leave them , ' boles said . you were good soldiers and you were there for your nation . ' i wished the other berga survivors were there , especially acevedo . but acevedo did n't make the trip . his wife is ill . if he was going to leave her side , he felt the right thing would be to get honored in washington . a soldier with pride . a medic to the end . my final message is to my generation and the next . do n't be so quick to shove grandpa and grandma into a nursing home . sit down with them . listen to them . hear their stories . the greatest generation . they 're cut from a different cloth and we 're losing them too fast .","two-star general credits cnn 's online reporting in preserving wwii legacy" +"dylan ( cnn ) -- oh bob dylan , how can the life of such a man be in the palm of some advertiser 's hand ? be sure to sing that first line to the tune of dylan 's classic song hurricane ' and you 'll get why it fits . the musical icon stirred a bit of a ruckus on social media sunday night after he appeared in a super bowl commercial for chrysler while another , for chobani yogurt , featured his music . the term of choice : sellout . ' i 'm sorry . young bob dylan would vomit in the mouth of old bob dylan for making car commercials , especially jingoistic ones , ' said one twitter user . the chrysler ad included dylan asking , is there anything more american than america ? ' another tweeted that bob dylan , chrysler commercial was disappointing and sad on so many levels . proof that there are very few not willing to sell out . ' could this be the same artist once known -- to his regret -- as the voice of a generation ' ? oh the times , they are a-changing . however , it 's not the first time dylan has linked up with an advertiser . bleacher report : bob dylan 's chrysler super bowl ad highlights night of memorable commercials in 2003 he made an appearance in a victoria 's secret ad which used his song love sick . ' according to rolling stone , dylan previously licensed his track motherless children ' to be used in a jeep ad . that brand is also owned by chrysler . there was also the 2009 pepsi commercial which aired during the super bowl which mashed up dylan 's image and music with will.i.am of the black eyed peas . brian steinberg of variety points out that instead of selling out ' dylan may be merely doing what some of his contemporaries have done in trying to remain relevant in today 's music industry . put bluntly , with radio formats so narrow and music videos so out of vogue , musicians often have a tough time getting their work heard , ' steinberg writes . for dylan , an artist whose time in the spotlight was most intense in the 1960s , the feat is more difficult , even if he does continue to release albums that gain plaudits and critical acclaim . '","dylan has appeared in ads before" +"dylan ( cnn ) -- oh bob dylan , how can the life of such a man be in the palm of some advertiser 's hand ? be sure to sing that first line to the tune of dylan 's classic song hurricane ' and you 'll get why it fits . the musical icon stirred a bit of a ruckus on social media sunday night after he appeared in a super bowl commercial for chrysler while another , for chobani yogurt , featured his music . the term of choice : sellout . ' i 'm sorry . young bob dylan would vomit in the mouth of old bob dylan for making car commercials , especially jingoistic ones , ' said one twitter user . the chrysler ad included dylan asking , is there anything more american than america ? ' another tweeted that bob dylan , chrysler commercial was disappointing and sad on so many levels . proof that there are very few not willing to sell out . ' could this be the same artist once known -- to his regret -- as the voice of a generation ' ? oh the times , they are a-changing . however , it 's not the first time dylan has linked up with an advertiser . bleacher report : bob dylan 's chrysler super bowl ad highlights night of memorable commercials in 2003 he made an appearance in a victoria 's secret ad which used his song love sick . ' according to rolling stone , dylan previously licensed his track motherless children ' to be used in a jeep ad . that brand is also owned by chrysler . there was also the 2009 pepsi commercial which aired during the super bowl which mashed up dylan 's image and music with will.i.am of the black eyed peas . brian steinberg of variety points out that instead of selling out ' dylan may be merely doing what some of his contemporaries have done in trying to remain relevant in today 's music industry . put bluntly , with radio formats so narrow and music videos so out of vogue , musicians often have a tough time getting their work heard , ' steinberg writes . for dylan , an artist whose time in the spotlight was most intense in the 1960s , the feat is more difficult , even if he does continue to release albums that gain plaudits and critical acclaim . '","bob dylan narrated and appeared in a chrysler ad during the super bowl" +"european ( cnn ) -- the spanish title race is shaping up to be one of the closest in years -- and the battle for the pichichi ' is also hotting up . while atletico madrid matched the 1-0 victory by league-leading city rival real on saturday , diego costa kept in touch with cristiano ronaldo at the top of the la liga scoring charts by emulating the world player of the year 's decisive strike . ronaldo 's first-half winner at malaga meant real will head into next weekend 's el clasico ' clash with defending champion barcelona holding a three-point advantage over second-placed atletico . it was his 25th goal in the league this season and 39th in all competitions , with ronaldo firing home in trademark style after cutting into the penalty area from the left following a crossfield pass from gareth bale . ronaldo missed several other chances , and his collision with teammate karim benzema resulted in the france striker going off injured . we had chances to score the second goal but unfortunately we were n't able to get it and then when the score is 1-0 you always suffer , ' said coach carlo ancelotti . it was n't a great game in terms of how we played , but we showed good attitude and were very solid defensively . ' brazil-born costa , hoping to win a world cup place this year with his adopted spain , netted for the 22nd time in the league -- and 30th overall -- as he broke clear of the visiting espanyol defense 10 minutes after halftime and coolly beat the keeper . the madrid clubs are moving clear of barca , who are seven points behind real ahead of sunday 's home clash with osasuna . lionel messi has won the pichichi trophy for the past two years , but is 10 behind ronaldo after an injury-hit season so far . the argentine is not even barcelona 's top scorer in the league -- that honor goes to chile 's alexis sanchez , who has 16 . in saturday 's other matches , celta vigo won 1-0 at fellow midtable side levante while rayo vallecano moved three points clear of the relegation zone with a 3-1 win over second-bottom almeria . german bundesliga champions bayern munich moved 23 points clear at the top of the table with a 2-1 win at home to fourth-placed bayer leverkusen , meaning coach josep guardiola could win his first league title with the club next weekend with eight matches to spare . goals from mario mandzukic and bastian schweinsteiger helped the european champions shrug off the midweek jailing of club president uli hoeness for tax evasion , as stefan kiessling 's late consolation could not prevent bayern 's 16th successive league win . second-placed borussia dortmund suffered a 2-1 home defeat by borussia monchengladbach , and jurgen klopp 's team will surrender the title race if more points are dropped next weekend . schalke , who moved up to third with friday 's 2-1 win over augsburg , must also win to stop bayern clinching a second successive title -- and 24th overall . dortmund 's defeat meant schalke closed to within a point of their rivals ahead of the derby clash on march 25 . italian serie a inter milan moved up to fourth place with a 2-0 win at verona , thanks to goals from argentine forward rodrigo palacio and brazilian defender jonathan . it was the third win in a row for walter mazzarri 's side , but fiorentina can reclaim the europa league berth by beating chievo verona on sunday . french ligue 1 third-placed lille missed a chance to close the gap on monaco in second after being held 0-0 at home by nantes . monaco travel to fifth-placed lyon on saturday , while champions paris saint-germain will seek to extend an eight-point advantage at the top against fourth side st. etienne .","inter milan 's european hopes boosted by third successive serie a win" +"bayern munich ( cnn ) -- the spanish title race is shaping up to be one of the closest in years -- and the battle for the pichichi ' is also hotting up . while atletico madrid matched the 1-0 victory by league-leading city rival real on saturday , diego costa kept in touch with cristiano ronaldo at the top of the la liga scoring charts by emulating the world player of the year 's decisive strike . ronaldo 's first-half winner at malaga meant real will head into next weekend 's el clasico ' clash with defending champion barcelona holding a three-point advantage over second-placed atletico . it was his 25th goal in the league this season and 39th in all competitions , with ronaldo firing home in trademark style after cutting into the penalty area from the left following a crossfield pass from gareth bale . ronaldo missed several other chances , and his collision with teammate karim benzema resulted in the france striker going off injured . we had chances to score the second goal but unfortunately we were n't able to get it and then when the score is 1-0 you always suffer , ' said coach carlo ancelotti . it was n't a great game in terms of how we played , but we showed good attitude and were very solid defensively . ' brazil-born costa , hoping to win a world cup place this year with his adopted spain , netted for the 22nd time in the league -- and 30th overall -- as he broke clear of the visiting espanyol defense 10 minutes after halftime and coolly beat the keeper . the madrid clubs are moving clear of barca , who are seven points behind real ahead of sunday 's home clash with osasuna . lionel messi has won the pichichi trophy for the past two years , but is 10 behind ronaldo after an injury-hit season so far . the argentine is not even barcelona 's top scorer in the league -- that honor goes to chile 's alexis sanchez , who has 16 . in saturday 's other matches , celta vigo won 1-0 at fellow midtable side levante while rayo vallecano moved three points clear of the relegation zone with a 3-1 win over second-bottom almeria . german bundesliga champions bayern munich moved 23 points clear at the top of the table with a 2-1 win at home to fourth-placed bayer leverkusen , meaning coach josep guardiola could win his first league title with the club next weekend with eight matches to spare . goals from mario mandzukic and bastian schweinsteiger helped the european champions shrug off the midweek jailing of club president uli hoeness for tax evasion , as stefan kiessling 's late consolation could not prevent bayern 's 16th successive league win . second-placed borussia dortmund suffered a 2-1 home defeat by borussia monchengladbach , and jurgen klopp 's team will surrender the title race if more points are dropped next weekend . schalke , who moved up to third with friday 's 2-1 win over augsburg , must also win to stop bayern clinching a second successive title -- and 24th overall . dortmund 's defeat meant schalke closed to within a point of their rivals ahead of the derby clash on march 25 . italian serie a inter milan moved up to fourth place with a 2-0 win at verona , thanks to goals from argentine forward rodrigo palacio and brazilian defender jonathan . it was the third win in a row for walter mazzarri 's side , but fiorentina can reclaim the europa league berth by beating chievo verona on sunday . french ligue 1 third-placed lille missed a chance to close the gap on monaco in second after being held 0-0 at home by nantes . monaco travel to fifth-placed lyon on saturday , while champions paris saint-germain will seek to extend an eight-point advantage at the top against fourth side st. etienne .","bayern munich march closer to a 24th german bundesliga title" +"gergen ( cnn ) -- in travels this week -- to boston , chicago , new york -- friends and strangers alike have said the same thing : they are turned off and tuned out of the sequestration mess in washington . to a person , they are sick of the antics of those to whom they have entrusted enormous power . in times past , a president has usually risen to the demands of leadership when a congress has stubbornly resisted tough choices , such as the upcoming mandatory budget cuts that are called sequestration . that 's what lyndon johnson did in persuading key republicans to help pass the civil rights bills of 1964 and 1965 . and that 's what bill clinton did in working with a republican house led by newt gingrich . people forget how hostile house republicans were to clinton -- hell , they impeached him -- but he nonetheless worked with them to pass four straight balanced budgets and an overhaul of welfare . obama signs order activating dumb ' budget cuts in other times , congress has displayed serious leadership when a president has lost his way . that 's what congress did to curtail overseas military ventures after two presidents in a row got us into a quagmire in vietnam . and that 's what top congressmen like sam ervin and howard baker did when richard nixon went off the tracks in watergate . but today , we have a rare moment when both congress and the president are retreating from their responsibilities . it 's hard to recall a time when we were so leaderless . one of the foremost duties of congress is to pass a budget : it has failed for four straight years . republicans , especially in the house , have continually refused to meet the white house halfway . meanwhile , a president who promised to be a solution has become part of the problem . ever since his re-election , barack obama has seemed more intent on campaigning than governing . a new washington post/pew poll gives some measure of how the public is turning away . only one in four americans is following news of the sequester . and as chris cillizza and aaron blake wrote in tuesday 's post , not only are most people paying very little attention to the sequester , they also have only the faintest sense of what it would do . fewer than one in five , or 18 % , in the post-pew poll say they understand'very well'what would happen if the sequester went into effect . ' cillizza and blake argue that far more people paid attention to the fiscal cliff because their taxes might go up . fair enough , but in my conversations , people were mostly fed up with the soap opera . what to do ? last weekend in italy , voters were so disgusted with their politicians that an upstart political movement led by a political comedian won the most votes of any single party . is it time to draft jon stewart and steven colbert ? perhaps , but in the meantime , the president and the congress have one solemn and urgent responsibility : having created this mess , they must -- stress must -- work together to minimize the disruptions and hardships that they are promising will happen . it is insane that a series of cuts that represent only 2.5 % of all federal spending and 5 % of the budgets of most federal agencies will be allowed -- according to the administration -- to create havoc with airplane flights , bring grinding slowdowns to meat inspections , force an aircraft carrier to stay in port ... the litany goes on . to anyone who has been through numerous short shutdowns of government in the past , this sounds suspiciously like the washington monument syndrome ' : the tendency of federal bureaucrats faced with budget cuts to shut down the most visible services first , causing screams and forcing the cuts to be rescinded . administration spokesmen say their hands are tied by the sequestration law because it requires even , across-the-board cuts . but if that is the case , change the law . everyone knows it is a stupid piece of legislation . fortunately , some senators on both sides of the aisle -- republican jim inhofe of oklahoma and democrat barbara mikuski of maryland among them -- are working on legislation that would give the administration flexibility in making the cuts so that disruptions can be kept as small as possible . so far , the white house and majority leader harry reid are saying no . the white house has made the argument that minimizing the effects would make people too complacent about what comes from reducing spending . in reality , what they are trying to do is to make republicans look so bad that they will cave in . this is a terrible way to govern : washington politicians should not turn citizens into suffering pawns in order to get their way . meanwhile , republicans like john mccain are objecting that such a correction to the sequestration law would cede too much power to the president . the concern about excessive power is legitimate , but surely a way can be found so that the white house and congress would share power and any other arrangements be strictly limited in time . perhaps , if wisdom once again rears its head , this mess will be so awful the president and congress will get back to the bargaining table and come up with a long-term solution . but in the meantime , obama and congress have a duty to lead -- and that means to pass a bill that will minimize disruption and pain . by the way , speaking of comedians as politicians , al franken has turned out to be a pretty darn good senator . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david gergen .","david gergen says everyone he talks to is turned off by mandatory budget cut mess" +"gergen ( cnn ) -- in travels this week -- to boston , chicago , new york -- friends and strangers alike have said the same thing : they are turned off and tuned out of the sequestration mess in washington . to a person , they are sick of the antics of those to whom they have entrusted enormous power . in times past , a president has usually risen to the demands of leadership when a congress has stubbornly resisted tough choices , such as the upcoming mandatory budget cuts that are called sequestration . that 's what lyndon johnson did in persuading key republicans to help pass the civil rights bills of 1964 and 1965 . and that 's what bill clinton did in working with a republican house led by newt gingrich . people forget how hostile house republicans were to clinton -- hell , they impeached him -- but he nonetheless worked with them to pass four straight balanced budgets and an overhaul of welfare . obama signs order activating dumb ' budget cuts in other times , congress has displayed serious leadership when a president has lost his way . that 's what congress did to curtail overseas military ventures after two presidents in a row got us into a quagmire in vietnam . and that 's what top congressmen like sam ervin and howard baker did when richard nixon went off the tracks in watergate . but today , we have a rare moment when both congress and the president are retreating from their responsibilities . it 's hard to recall a time when we were so leaderless . one of the foremost duties of congress is to pass a budget : it has failed for four straight years . republicans , especially in the house , have continually refused to meet the white house halfway . meanwhile , a president who promised to be a solution has become part of the problem . ever since his re-election , barack obama has seemed more intent on campaigning than governing . a new washington post/pew poll gives some measure of how the public is turning away . only one in four americans is following news of the sequester . and as chris cillizza and aaron blake wrote in tuesday 's post , not only are most people paying very little attention to the sequester , they also have only the faintest sense of what it would do . fewer than one in five , or 18 % , in the post-pew poll say they understand'very well'what would happen if the sequester went into effect . ' cillizza and blake argue that far more people paid attention to the fiscal cliff because their taxes might go up . fair enough , but in my conversations , people were mostly fed up with the soap opera . what to do ? last weekend in italy , voters were so disgusted with their politicians that an upstart political movement led by a political comedian won the most votes of any single party . is it time to draft jon stewart and steven colbert ? perhaps , but in the meantime , the president and the congress have one solemn and urgent responsibility : having created this mess , they must -- stress must -- work together to minimize the disruptions and hardships that they are promising will happen . it is insane that a series of cuts that represent only 2.5 % of all federal spending and 5 % of the budgets of most federal agencies will be allowed -- according to the administration -- to create havoc with airplane flights , bring grinding slowdowns to meat inspections , force an aircraft carrier to stay in port ... the litany goes on . to anyone who has been through numerous short shutdowns of government in the past , this sounds suspiciously like the washington monument syndrome ' : the tendency of federal bureaucrats faced with budget cuts to shut down the most visible services first , causing screams and forcing the cuts to be rescinded . administration spokesmen say their hands are tied by the sequestration law because it requires even , across-the-board cuts . but if that is the case , change the law . everyone knows it is a stupid piece of legislation . fortunately , some senators on both sides of the aisle -- republican jim inhofe of oklahoma and democrat barbara mikuski of maryland among them -- are working on legislation that would give the administration flexibility in making the cuts so that disruptions can be kept as small as possible . so far , the white house and majority leader harry reid are saying no . the white house has made the argument that minimizing the effects would make people too complacent about what comes from reducing spending . in reality , what they are trying to do is to make republicans look so bad that they will cave in . this is a terrible way to govern : washington politicians should not turn citizens into suffering pawns in order to get their way . meanwhile , republicans like john mccain are objecting that such a correction to the sequestration law would cede too much power to the president . the concern about excessive power is legitimate , but surely a way can be found so that the white house and congress would share power and any other arrangements be strictly limited in time . perhaps , if wisdom once again rears its head , this mess will be so awful the president and congress will get back to the bargaining table and come up with a long-term solution . but in the meantime , obama and congress have a duty to lead -- and that means to pass a bill that will minimize disruption and pain . by the way , speaking of comedians as politicians , al franken has turned out to be a pretty darn good senator . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david gergen .","gergen : all sides are using this as a political scare tactic ; they have a duty to pass a bill" +"gergen ( cnn ) -- in travels this week -- to boston , chicago , new york -- friends and strangers alike have said the same thing : they are turned off and tuned out of the sequestration mess in washington . to a person , they are sick of the antics of those to whom they have entrusted enormous power . in times past , a president has usually risen to the demands of leadership when a congress has stubbornly resisted tough choices , such as the upcoming mandatory budget cuts that are called sequestration . that 's what lyndon johnson did in persuading key republicans to help pass the civil rights bills of 1964 and 1965 . and that 's what bill clinton did in working with a republican house led by newt gingrich . people forget how hostile house republicans were to clinton -- hell , they impeached him -- but he nonetheless worked with them to pass four straight balanced budgets and an overhaul of welfare . obama signs order activating dumb ' budget cuts in other times , congress has displayed serious leadership when a president has lost his way . that 's what congress did to curtail overseas military ventures after two presidents in a row got us into a quagmire in vietnam . and that 's what top congressmen like sam ervin and howard baker did when richard nixon went off the tracks in watergate . but today , we have a rare moment when both congress and the president are retreating from their responsibilities . it 's hard to recall a time when we were so leaderless . one of the foremost duties of congress is to pass a budget : it has failed for four straight years . republicans , especially in the house , have continually refused to meet the white house halfway . meanwhile , a president who promised to be a solution has become part of the problem . ever since his re-election , barack obama has seemed more intent on campaigning than governing . a new washington post/pew poll gives some measure of how the public is turning away . only one in four americans is following news of the sequester . and as chris cillizza and aaron blake wrote in tuesday 's post , not only are most people paying very little attention to the sequester , they also have only the faintest sense of what it would do . fewer than one in five , or 18 % , in the post-pew poll say they understand'very well'what would happen if the sequester went into effect . ' cillizza and blake argue that far more people paid attention to the fiscal cliff because their taxes might go up . fair enough , but in my conversations , people were mostly fed up with the soap opera . what to do ? last weekend in italy , voters were so disgusted with their politicians that an upstart political movement led by a political comedian won the most votes of any single party . is it time to draft jon stewart and steven colbert ? perhaps , but in the meantime , the president and the congress have one solemn and urgent responsibility : having created this mess , they must -- stress must -- work together to minimize the disruptions and hardships that they are promising will happen . it is insane that a series of cuts that represent only 2.5 % of all federal spending and 5 % of the budgets of most federal agencies will be allowed -- according to the administration -- to create havoc with airplane flights , bring grinding slowdowns to meat inspections , force an aircraft carrier to stay in port ... the litany goes on . to anyone who has been through numerous short shutdowns of government in the past , this sounds suspiciously like the washington monument syndrome ' : the tendency of federal bureaucrats faced with budget cuts to shut down the most visible services first , causing screams and forcing the cuts to be rescinded . administration spokesmen say their hands are tied by the sequestration law because it requires even , across-the-board cuts . but if that is the case , change the law . everyone knows it is a stupid piece of legislation . fortunately , some senators on both sides of the aisle -- republican jim inhofe of oklahoma and democrat barbara mikuski of maryland among them -- are working on legislation that would give the administration flexibility in making the cuts so that disruptions can be kept as small as possible . so far , the white house and majority leader harry reid are saying no . the white house has made the argument that minimizing the effects would make people too complacent about what comes from reducing spending . in reality , what they are trying to do is to make republicans look so bad that they will cave in . this is a terrible way to govern : washington politicians should not turn citizens into suffering pawns in order to get their way . meanwhile , republicans like john mccain are objecting that such a correction to the sequestration law would cede too much power to the president . the concern about excessive power is legitimate , but surely a way can be found so that the white house and congress would share power and any other arrangements be strictly limited in time . perhaps , if wisdom once again rears its head , this mess will be so awful the president and congress will get back to the bargaining table and come up with a long-term solution . but in the meantime , obama and congress have a duty to lead -- and that means to pass a bill that will minimize disruption and pain . by the way , speaking of comedians as politicians , al franken has turned out to be a pretty darn good senator . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david gergen .","gergen : we are leaderless ; neither congress nor president is taking responsibility" +"palestinian ( cnn ) -- israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said sunday that israel could accept a peace agreement with a demilitarized palestinian state ' as its neighbor . israel pm benjamin netanyahu said he would agree to peace with palestinians . in his first speech accepting the concept of a two-state solution for the middle east conflict , netanyahu set rigid conditions for moving forward . among them : unequivocal palestinian recognition of israel as the jewish national state with jerusalem as its capital , and full demilitarization for a palestinian state -- no army , no rockets or missiles , no control of airspace . i say this in a clear voice -- if we receive a guarantee of this demilitarized unit , we will be prepared to reach agreement to a demilitarized palestine side by side with the jewish state , ' netanyahu said , according to a direct translation of his speech at bar-ilan university 's begin-sadat center for strategic studies in ramat gan , israel . initial palestinian reaction was negative , with palestinian legislator mustafa barghouti saying netanyahu was calling for creation of a ghetto state . he is proving there is no partner for peace in israel , ' barghouti told cnn . chief palestinian negotiator saeb erakat said netanyahu left us with nothing to negotiate as he systematically took nearly every permanent status issue off the table . ' he announced a series of conditions and qualifications that render a viable , independent and sovereign palestinian state impossible , ' erakat said . this speech fell far short of every single one of the benchmarks required of israel in line with international law and existing agreements , ' he said , including the 2003 roadmap for peace . netanyahu 's speech , billed as a major statement on the peace process , follows president obama 's recent high-profile speech to the muslim world and a visit to the region by obama 's middle east envoy , former u.s. sen. george mitchell . obama welcomed netanyahu 's speech as an important step forward ' and said the president remained committed to a two-state solution that would ensure israel 's security and provide the palestinians a viable state , ' according to a white house statement . obama pledged to continue working with all parties to see that they fulfill their obligations and responsibilities , ' the statement said . netanyahu , of the center-right likud party , previously refused to endorse a two-state solution . netanyahu sounded themes popular with his conservative followers , repeatedly referring to israel as the jewish national homeland and demanding recognition of that by all arab foes , including the palestinians , for any chance at a peace agreement . he prompted applause with his statement that the land of israel is homeland to the jewish people , and that is the basis of our right to it . ' the palestinian leadership must rise up and say in a very straight way that we are tired of this conflict , we will recognize the right of the jewish people to have a national homeland in this part of the world , ' netanyahu said , according to the direct translation . he said jerusalem would remain the capital of israel -- refusing to yield on a sensitive issue for palestinians -- and that a palestinian state would have to be fully demilitarized to ensure the safety of israel . obama , in his june 4 speech in cairo , egypt , endorsed a two-state solution and urged compromise between two peoples with legitimate aspirations . ' he repeated his call for both israel and the palestinians to fulfill all obligations under the 2003 roadmap for peace , including a halt to any expansion of west bank settlements by israel . obama called america 's bond with israel unbreakable ' but said palestinians have suffered in pursuit of a homeland . he also called for an end to palestinian incitement against israel and greater security in palestinian territories . on sunday , netanyahu acknowledged the suffering on both sides from the continuing middle east conflict , but insisted the roots of the conflict came from the arab world 's refusal to accept israel 's right to exist .","palestinian legislator accuses netanyahu of calling for creation of ghetto state" +"philip london ( cnn ) -- queen elizabeth ii is to head below ground wednesday with prince philip and catherine , duchess of cambridge , to mark the 150th anniversary of the london underground . the royals are visiting central london 's baker street station -- a stone 's throw from the home of sir arthur conan doyle 's legendary fictional detective sherlock holmes at 221b baker street . the queen was forced to cancel some visits last week because she was experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis . once below the surface , the royal party will view a restored underground coach dating back to 1892 and talk to the people involved in bringing it back to its former glory . they will then walk through a new s7 train , which will be officially named queen elizabeth ii ' after the monarch . the royals will also meet the head of london underground and other transport officials . the london underground celebrated 150 years in january since the first passengers traveled underground between paddington and farringdon on the metropolitan railway . the tube , as the underground is known , is a big part of londoners'life , with more than 1 billion journeys made each year on its network . the royals will also meet with representatives of the railway children charity , which works to help vulnerable children who live alone and at risk on the streets . prince william 's wife catherine is expecting their first baby in july . cnn 's max foster contributed to this report .","the queen , prince philip and catherine visit baker street station" +"france ( cnn ) -- french defense minister gerard longuet traveled to afghanistan to discuss security with local authorities , a spokesman said saturday , a day after allied forces suffered heavy losses in the country . a helicopter crash killed six u.s. marines and a separate attack killed four french soldiers friday , prompting paris to consider an early troop withdrawal . if france does not manage to find a solution with the afghan authorities to ensure better security of the french soldiers , then we will seriously question our military presence in the country . it is too early to speculate what actions would be taken . the minister will return when he feels he has the information and assurances he is looking for , ' said col. thierry burkhard , spokesman for the defense ministry . president nicolas sarkozy has said he was suspending french training operations and combat help as a result of the attack , which injured 15 others . the french army is not in afghanistan to be shot at by afghan soldiers , ' he said . france could bring its troops back early from afghanistan if the necessary security is not restored , sarkozy said . france has 3,935 troops in afghanistan , according nato 's international security assistance force . the attack in eastern afghanistan followed a similar shooting last month by an afghan soldier that killed two french soldiers serving in an engineers'regiment . also saturday , the u.s. department of defense identified six marines who were killed in afghanistan when their helicopter crashed . jesse w. stites , 23 ; kevin j. reinhard , 25 ; and joseph d. logan , 22 , were all marine corporals . they hailed from north beach , maryland ; colonia , new jersey ; and willis , texas , respectively . master sgt . travis w. riddick , 40 , of centerville , iowa , also lost his life . two officers were also aboard the ch-53 helicopter : capt . daniel d. bartle , 27 , of ferndale , washington ; and capt . nathan r. mchone , 29 , of crystal lake , illinois . they were assigned to marine heavy helicopter squadron 363 , marine aircraft group 24 , 1st marine aircraft wing , iii marine expeditionary force , kaneohe bay , hawaii . the nato-led force reported no enemy activity in the area of friday 's crash , but the taliban claimed credit for bringing down the chopper . nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen paid tribute to those killed and injured friday , saying it was a very sad day ' for isaf troops in afghanistan and for france . such tragic incidents are terrible and grab headlines , but they are isolated , ' he said . the reality is that every day , 130,000 isaf troops from 50 nations fight and train with over 300,000 afghan soldiers . that takes a lot of trust among a lot of soldiers . we have the same goal . an afghanistan that is responsible for its own security . that is what afghans want . and we remain committed to helping afghans . ' cnn 's niki cook contributed to this report .","new : france could bring its troops back early if security is not restored" +"youtube ( cnn ) -- itâ´s the ultimate repair tool . a silicone material that can be shaped like playdough , can bond to almost any surface and after a few hours of exposure to air becomes a super tough , durable rubber . sugru ' - coming from the irish word for play ' - is now being used to fix leaky pipes , create custom-made handles and even help a disabled , fingerless canoeist modify one of her paddles . unlike existing moldable putty , sugru does n't go rock hard when dry , but stays flexible , waterproof and heat resistant up to 180 degrees celsius ( 356 degrees fahrenheit ) . we think that sugru can be something as big or bigger than duct tape , superglue or anything else that you use to repair , ' says its irish-born inventor jane ni dhulchaointigh . however , like many great inventions before , it only came into existence by chance . ni dhulchaointigh , a design student at the royal college of art in london at the time , had been messing around in the workshop , trying out new combinations of materials when she started mixing silicone adhesive and wood-waste into small balls . they looked like wood when finished , but when you threw them on the floor they would bounce . i thought , that 's random , ' says ni dhulchaointigh , who admits many other designers might have then left it at that . but for me , i knew that there was something there . there was something a little bit magical . i just did n't know what it was . ' it was only as she began using bits of the material around her home to repair things that she had what she calls her eureka moment ' and came to realize its real usefulness and application . every time i 'd make up a batch of it for my experiments , i 'd have bits left over . i hate wasting stuff so i started using the leftovers around my house just to fix little things , i modified a kitchen knife that was really uncomfortable . my sink plug was just slightly too small , so i just made a little ring to make that work . i was doing it completely unconsciously . and i was there beating myself up going , i ca n't find the application for this material , until my boyfriend james said to me one night , maybe there 's not this one perfect thing for this material . maybe what you 're doing in the kitchen is actually the thing . ' it took six years of hard work before the first packs of her material were being sold to consumers . her story from the workshop to marketplace , together with the help of business partners and friends , has been a familiar one of luck , near bankruptcy and late salvation . it has been a long journey , ' she says . first of all , the technology has been difficult to invent . but second of all , you know , we 're not a big company with big budgets behind us . ' send your photos of sugru fixes to cnn 's ireport ' we 've been doing it on a shoestring for years . and anyone who 's ever pitched for investment funding will know it 's a bitch . it 's really difficult for an unlikely group of people to get investment funding . i mean , we probably pitched to over 100 investors where we got , maybe two or three over the years . ' around 2008 , five years after she first came up with the idea , with a product almost ready to launch , jane and her small team of partners found themselves close to running out of money , as promised investment from major manufacturers failed to materialize . watch : see how versatile and strong sugru is in a last ditch attempt , they decided to scrape together enough money to build their own little cottage industry factory ' and do it themselves . and with the help of family and friends they put together 1,000 packs . what we 're quite good at is design , it 's what we do , so we had a fantastic package design and a really great website design . when we went live it looked like we were much bigger than we were . ' from that point , the investors came on board fast and in less than three years they have ballooned to annual sales of $ 2 million , a staff of 25 and a customer base of more than 100,000 across 100 countries . perhaps , the most unique thing about sugru is that its practical uses is being demonstrated not by its inventor , but by the general public . thousands of people have posted comments and pictures on twitter , youtube and other websites showing how they have put the material to good use . we get emails every day with pictures and stories of what people have done . they do things with it that we could n't have dreamed of . it feels like magic sometimes . ' ni dhulchaointigh says her product is the ultimate tool in the battle against wastefulness . i think it can really benefit our urban way of life , where we depend so much on buying new things all the time and replacing them if they 're not quite right . it 's not only wasteful , but it does n't make the most of us as human beings with all the potential that we have . '","sugru hacks regularly posted on twitter and youtube by satisfied customers" +"obama ( cnn ) -- my mother , ms. nippy carville , was a woman of many talents . two in particular stand out . she was a superb cook ( the author of a successful cookbook ) , and she was an excellent bridge player . she always cautioned me that it was important that one review the bidding ' before the play . now that it 's becoming apparent that the efforts to cap the well at deepwater horizon are going to be successful , we should pause and pay homage to ms. nippy 's advice by reviewing the bidding . any fair assessment would have to conclude that in spite of some people 's criticism of the early response , ( and by some people ' i mean ms. nippy 's firstborn son james ) , one also must give credit to a much improved and vigorous response to the environmental catastrophe in the gulf . so , let 's review the bidding : first , the decision to keep the unflappable retired coast guard adm. thad allen in place as national incident commander , in spite of considerable opposition from some local politicians , has proven to be wise . second , when attorney general eric holder announced a criminal investigation into the bp disaster , it was a demonstration that the obama administration meant business in dealing with this catastrophe . third , the establishment of the $ 20 billion restitution fund administered by ken feinberg was the ultimate statement of the seriousness with which this situation was being addressed by the administration . fourth , people who have deep knowledge of the events in the gulf give substantial credit to energy secretary steven chu and other experts from government labs who were brought in to assist with the successful capping of the well . we in the gulf region , in particular those of us in louisiana , have a long way to go . we need our government to remain vigilant in addressing this . we need a lot of research into the science of the effects of the spill . and in the words of interior secretary ken salazar , we need to continue to have the heel of our boot on the neck of bp . all of us in the region need to stay vigilant and aggressive in being sure that the inevitable it 's time to move on ' mentality does not set in . trust me . the last thing we need to do is move on until our precious coastline is both restored and renewed . i do n't know many people -- and no democrats -- who were as tough on the obama administration as i was when the oil started gushing . but for now i 'll take mississippi governor -- and chairman of the republican governors'association -- haley barbour saying president obama has done more right than wrong . ' in fact , i 'll up gov . barbour 's bid one and say that as of late , president obama has done a lot more right than wrong . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of james carville","he credits obama for putting thad allen in charge , setting up bp restitution fund , other steps" +"obama ( cnn ) -- my mother , ms. nippy carville , was a woman of many talents . two in particular stand out . she was a superb cook ( the author of a successful cookbook ) , and she was an excellent bridge player . she always cautioned me that it was important that one review the bidding ' before the play . now that it 's becoming apparent that the efforts to cap the well at deepwater horizon are going to be successful , we should pause and pay homage to ms. nippy 's advice by reviewing the bidding . any fair assessment would have to conclude that in spite of some people 's criticism of the early response , ( and by some people ' i mean ms. nippy 's firstborn son james ) , one also must give credit to a much improved and vigorous response to the environmental catastrophe in the gulf . so , let 's review the bidding : first , the decision to keep the unflappable retired coast guard adm. thad allen in place as national incident commander , in spite of considerable opposition from some local politicians , has proven to be wise . second , when attorney general eric holder announced a criminal investigation into the bp disaster , it was a demonstration that the obama administration meant business in dealing with this catastrophe . third , the establishment of the $ 20 billion restitution fund administered by ken feinberg was the ultimate statement of the seriousness with which this situation was being addressed by the administration . fourth , people who have deep knowledge of the events in the gulf give substantial credit to energy secretary steven chu and other experts from government labs who were brought in to assist with the successful capping of the well . we in the gulf region , in particular those of us in louisiana , have a long way to go . we need our government to remain vigilant in addressing this . we need a lot of research into the science of the effects of the spill . and in the words of interior secretary ken salazar , we need to continue to have the heel of our boot on the neck of bp . all of us in the region need to stay vigilant and aggressive in being sure that the inevitable it 's time to move on ' mentality does not set in . trust me . the last thing we need to do is move on until our precious coastline is both restored and renewed . i do n't know many people -- and no democrats -- who were as tough on the obama administration as i was when the oil started gushing . but for now i 'll take mississippi governor -- and chairman of the republican governors'association -- haley barbour saying president obama has done more right than wrong . ' in fact , i 'll up gov . barbour 's bid one and say that as of late , president obama has done a lot more right than wrong . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of james carville","he says it now is clear president obama handled a tough situation very well" +"germany disney 's it 's a small world ride turned 50 in april . by way of tribute , we asked top industry experts for their picks for the biggest game changers in the history of theme park attractions . most insane new u.s. roller coasters it 's a small world , disneyland ( california , 1971 ) it 's painfully upbeat , fabulously kitsch and impossible to forget , but what exactly makes it 's a small world so special ? the ride demonstrates the power of employing artists to create an experience rather than simply asking engineers to build a ride , ' says robert niles , editor of themeparkinsider.com . the combination of mary blair 's iconic design work combined with the sherman brothers'enduring theme song made it 's a small world the first true theme park ride . this was n't some generic tunnel of love ride -- it inspired pirates of the caribbean , the haunted mansion and the new generation of theme park dark rides that followed . ' disneyland , 1313 disneyland drive , anaheim , california ; +1 714 781 4565 outlaw run , silver dollar city ( missouri , 2013 ) outlaw run , the first wooden roller coaster with multiple inversions , opened in 2013 . a few years ago , idaho-based company rocky mountain construction developed a system where they could replace part of a wooden track with a steel plate , ' says justin garvanovic of the european coaster club . one major upshot was that it would now be possible to send wooden coasters upside down . the first example , outlaw run , saw the creation of something completely new . it 's hard for a ride over 100 years old to do something'game changing ,'but outlaw run did exactly that . ' silver dollar city , 399 silver dollar city parkway , branson , missouri ; +1 800 475 9370 more : 9 of the scariest , best waterpark rides blue fire , europa park ( rust , germany , 2009 ) this german theme park ride catapults riders from zero to 71 mph in 2.5 seconds , but it 's regarded as a game changer for other reasons . for years companies tried to create a roller coaster with perfect track geometry -- meaning smooth -- and a perfect train , ' says justin garvanovic of the european coaster club . the problem was the overhead restraint , which could be uncomfortable . when [ theme park supplier ] mack decided to build its first upside-down coaster in 2009 , engineers also decided to design one without an overhead restraint . the result was comfortable and safe , and seven more have since opened -- mack ca n't build them fast enough . ' europa park , europa-park-strasse 2 , rust , germany ; +49 7822 776688 matterhorn bobsleds , disneyland ( california , 1959 ) the foundation for this attraction is actually a pile of dirt that was excavated during the construction of the moat around sleeping beauty 's castle -- a surprising start for what would become one of the world 's most famous theme park rides . this is the first tubular steel continuous track roller coaster , ' says tim o'brien , vice president of communications at ripley entertainment . the tubular steel roller coaster is probably the biggest game changer in rides . it allowed for larger rides and for more variation , with sharper turns , sharper slopes , loops and corkscrews . ' disneyland , 1313 disneyland drive , anaheim , california ; +1 714 781 4565 journey to the center of the earth , tokyo disneysea ( tokyo , 2001 ) on journey to the center of the earth , mushroom forests , electrified gas clouds and lava monsters all help transport riders to another dimension . in my opinion , this jules verne-inspired volcano dark ride is the world 's best themed experience , ' says stefan zwanzger , theme park expert and founder of thethemeparkguy.com . nothing beats it . it redefines the word'immersiveness .' it 's beautiful , it 's suspenseful and thrilling . i 've never seen anyone disembarking looking disappointed . ' tokyo disneysea , 1-1 maihama , urayasu , chiba prefecture , japan ; +81 45 330 5211 more : child paradise , aka world 's largest legoland water park , opens harry potter and the forbidden journey , islands of adventure ( florida , 2010 ) whether you 're a fan of the boy wizard or wish he 'd magic himself away to another planet , it 's hard not to be impressed by this high-tech ride . harry potter and the forbidden journey was the first ride system to combine a tracked dark ride vehicle with a row of seats mounted to the end of an industrial robotic arm , ' says craig hanna , chief creative officer at theme park design firm thinkwell group . the things that ride system could do with guests created the viewpoint that you are the camera in an astonishingly cinematic ride experience . ' islands of adventure , 6000 universal blvd. , universal orlando resort , orlando , florida ; +1 407 224 4233 more : harry potter theme park opening in florida this summer great moments with mr. lincoln , disneyland ( california , 1964 ) a talking , moving character might not sound incredibly exciting but the animatronic mr lincoln character , which now forms part of the great moments with mr. lincoln audio-animatronic stage show , left audiences speechless when it first appeared . mr. lincoln , which was introduced by disney at the 1964 new york world fair , introduced the first generation of animated characters , ' says dennis l. speigel , president of international theme park services . people had n't seen anything like it -- they thought the animation was an actor in disguise . mr. lincoln launched a new era in theme park offerings . ' disneyland , 1313 disneyland drive , anaheim , california ; +1 714 781 4565 the racer , kings island ( ohio , 1972 ) this double , racing roller coaster is regarded as a crucial part of the renaissance of the roller coaster in the early 1970s -- a time referred to as the industry 's second golden age . this ride was introduced in 1972 and was the first wooden roller coaster built since 1947 , ' says speigel . it was a game changer for the global industry in that it was the reintroduction of the wooden roller coaster . park operators came from all over the world to see it , and it truly launched the wooden coaster on a global basis . ' kings island , 6300 kings island drive , kings island , ohio ; +1 513 754 5700 more : 11 top theme parks opening soon walt disney 's enchanted tiki room , disneyland ( california , 1963 ) talking macaws , maori gods and a magic fountain are all vital components of the polynesian-themed animatronic show . the fact that it remains one of disneyland 's most popular attractions is impressive considering that it opened in 1963 . this was the world 's first use of audio animatronics , ' explains robert niles , editor of themeparkinsider.com . it also employed the animated elements in a fully immersive environment that broke the fourth wall of the stage or screen , surrounding people in music and animation . ' disneyland , 1313 disneyland drive , anaheim , california ; +1 714 781 4565 adventure thru inner space , disneyland ( california , 1967 ) gone but not forgotten ( it closed in 1985 ) , this retro theme park ride was the first to use disney 's patented omnimover system . the omnimover ride system allowed ride designers , for the first time , to change the direction that riders were facing as they moved through the ride , ' says robert niles at themeparkinsider.com . no longer did you simply face the ride vehicle in front of you . vehicles could swivel to redirect attention to animation elements located on either side of passengers , giving designers more opportunities to shape an immersive narrative experience . ' disneyland , 1313 disneyland drive , anaheim , california ; +1 714 781 4565 pooh 's hunny hunt , tokyo disneyland ( tokyo , 2000 ) this ride does n't offer high speed thrills or frightening monsters -- unless you 've got a teddy bear phobia . it 's the way passengers move around in their super-sized honey pots that sets the ride apart . pooh 's hunny hunt was a huge game changer because this was the first trackless ride and the first time ride designers were no longer forced to use a linear path , ' says craig hanna at thinkwell group . the vehicles split in different directions , they dance , they pull into scenes and pause . i left that ride giddy at the possibilities . ' tokyo disneyland , 1-1 maihama , urayasu , chiba prefecture , japan ; +81 45 330 5211 more : haw par villa : world 's most bizarre family park the amazing adventures of spider-man , islands of adventure ( florida , 1999 ) this ride took three years to build but it appears the effort was worthwhile -- it 's won several awards and has been awarded amusement today 's golden ticket award for best dark ride for 12 consecutive years . one real game changer is the spider-man ride system and its multimedia technology , ' says maximilian roeser at mack rides . the 3d effects are so highly detailed and synchronized to the movement of the cars that you hardly can tell what is projection and what is real set . ' islands of adventure , 6000 universal blvd. , universal orlando resort , orlando , florida ; +1 407 224 4233","blue fire at europa park in germany is the first upside-down roller coaster without a restraint" +"jones there are n't many nfl players who influenced the game like david deacon ' jones . jones , 74 , who died monday of natural causes his southern california home , proved himself many times over as arguably the sport 's most fearsome defensive lineman . he invented his own weapon on the field of battle : the head slap . he created his own statistic on the nfl record books : the quarterback sack . i developed a term that is used in the game right now called sacking the quarterback , ' jones is quoted on nfl.com . sacking a quarterback is just like you devastate a city or you cream a multitude of people . i mean it 's just like you put all the offensive players in one bag and i just take a baseball bat and beat on the bag . ' clearly , jones did n't mince words . advertising execs on madison avenue played on jones'tough-guy persona with a series of memorable tv beer commercials for miller lite . dressed in a black leather jacket , jones marches into a bar and recites a poem about the virtues of the beer , and then warns , and if you do n't believe me , i 'm gon na break your nose . ' the numbers alone tell the tale : the 6-foot-5-inch tall jones piled up 173 sacks during a 14-year career with the los angeles rams , the san diego chargers and the redskins . that 's second only to reggie white . deacon jones was one of the greatest players in nfl history , ' said redskins general manager bruce allen . off the field , he was a true giant . his passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him . ' sacks were n't even an official nfl statistic until 1982 , long after jones'retirement . then there was the head slap -- the brain-jarring swipe of a defensive lineman 's hand or arm against the helmet of his opponent . jones could split helmets with his head slap , and his outside speed rush was devastating , ' wrote paul zimmerman , aka dr. z , in sports illustrated . plus , jones was relentless ; he never gave up . he collected sacks on his hands and knees . ' jones started his nfl career in 1961 with the rams and spent 11 seasons there . along with fellow icons rosey grier , lamar lundy and merlin olsen , jones formed one of the best defensive lines of all time : the fearsome four . as a ram , jones perfected the head slap . jones once said he wished that , after messing with him , opposing players would wake up hopefully on tuesday . ' you could say it was effective . so effective , the nfl banned it . his eyes were as red as fire , and after he took his stance , he was pawing his leg in the dirt like a bull , ' remembered rayfield wright of his first nfl start . wright , playing with the dallas cowboys , was facing jones in that 1969 game . as an offensive lineman , you 're taught only to hear the quarterback 's voice . nothing else , ' wright said in the sports illustrated interview . i 'm listening in case there 's an audible , and in the pause between'huts !'i hear a deep , heavy voice say ,'does yo'mama know you 're out here ?'it was deacon jones . ' rams fans nicknamed him secretary of defense . ' and in 1999 , sports illustrated named him the defensive end of the century . ' in 1972 , he was traded to the chargers , and he finished his career with the redskins in 1974 . during his entire time with the nfl , jones missed just six games . in later years , jones worked as a radio host , served as a spokesman for the blood-pressure drug atacand and started the deacon jones foundation to mentor inner-city high school students . he also published an autobiography titled -- what else ? -- head slap . ' people we lost in 2013 : the lives they lived","jones was part of the famous los angeles rams'fearsome foursome defensive line" +"jones there are n't many nfl players who influenced the game like david deacon ' jones . jones , 74 , who died monday of natural causes his southern california home , proved himself many times over as arguably the sport 's most fearsome defensive lineman . he invented his own weapon on the field of battle : the head slap . he created his own statistic on the nfl record books : the quarterback sack . i developed a term that is used in the game right now called sacking the quarterback , ' jones is quoted on nfl.com . sacking a quarterback is just like you devastate a city or you cream a multitude of people . i mean it 's just like you put all the offensive players in one bag and i just take a baseball bat and beat on the bag . ' clearly , jones did n't mince words . advertising execs on madison avenue played on jones'tough-guy persona with a series of memorable tv beer commercials for miller lite . dressed in a black leather jacket , jones marches into a bar and recites a poem about the virtues of the beer , and then warns , and if you do n't believe me , i 'm gon na break your nose . ' the numbers alone tell the tale : the 6-foot-5-inch tall jones piled up 173 sacks during a 14-year career with the los angeles rams , the san diego chargers and the redskins . that 's second only to reggie white . deacon jones was one of the greatest players in nfl history , ' said redskins general manager bruce allen . off the field , he was a true giant . his passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him . ' sacks were n't even an official nfl statistic until 1982 , long after jones'retirement . then there was the head slap -- the brain-jarring swipe of a defensive lineman 's hand or arm against the helmet of his opponent . jones could split helmets with his head slap , and his outside speed rush was devastating , ' wrote paul zimmerman , aka dr. z , in sports illustrated . plus , jones was relentless ; he never gave up . he collected sacks on his hands and knees . ' jones started his nfl career in 1961 with the rams and spent 11 seasons there . along with fellow icons rosey grier , lamar lundy and merlin olsen , jones formed one of the best defensive lines of all time : the fearsome four . as a ram , jones perfected the head slap . jones once said he wished that , after messing with him , opposing players would wake up hopefully on tuesday . ' you could say it was effective . so effective , the nfl banned it . his eyes were as red as fire , and after he took his stance , he was pawing his leg in the dirt like a bull , ' remembered rayfield wright of his first nfl start . wright , playing with the dallas cowboys , was facing jones in that 1969 game . as an offensive lineman , you 're taught only to hear the quarterback 's voice . nothing else , ' wright said in the sports illustrated interview . i 'm listening in case there 's an audible , and in the pause between'huts !'i hear a deep , heavy voice say ,'does yo'mama know you 're out here ?'it was deacon jones . ' rams fans nicknamed him secretary of defense . ' and in 1999 , sports illustrated named him the defensive end of the century . ' in 1972 , he was traded to the chargers , and he finished his career with the redskins in 1974 . during his entire time with the nfl , jones missed just six games . in later years , jones worked as a radio host , served as a spokesman for the blood-pressure drug atacand and started the deacon jones foundation to mentor inner-city high school students . he also published an autobiography titled -- what else ? -- head slap . ' people we lost in 2013 : the lives they lived","nicknamed the secretary of defense , ' jones also played for the redskins and the chargers" +"jones there are n't many nfl players who influenced the game like david deacon ' jones . jones , 74 , who died monday of natural causes his southern california home , proved himself many times over as arguably the sport 's most fearsome defensive lineman . he invented his own weapon on the field of battle : the head slap . he created his own statistic on the nfl record books : the quarterback sack . i developed a term that is used in the game right now called sacking the quarterback , ' jones is quoted on nfl.com . sacking a quarterback is just like you devastate a city or you cream a multitude of people . i mean it 's just like you put all the offensive players in one bag and i just take a baseball bat and beat on the bag . ' clearly , jones did n't mince words . advertising execs on madison avenue played on jones'tough-guy persona with a series of memorable tv beer commercials for miller lite . dressed in a black leather jacket , jones marches into a bar and recites a poem about the virtues of the beer , and then warns , and if you do n't believe me , i 'm gon na break your nose . ' the numbers alone tell the tale : the 6-foot-5-inch tall jones piled up 173 sacks during a 14-year career with the los angeles rams , the san diego chargers and the redskins . that 's second only to reggie white . deacon jones was one of the greatest players in nfl history , ' said redskins general manager bruce allen . off the field , he was a true giant . his passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him . ' sacks were n't even an official nfl statistic until 1982 , long after jones'retirement . then there was the head slap -- the brain-jarring swipe of a defensive lineman 's hand or arm against the helmet of his opponent . jones could split helmets with his head slap , and his outside speed rush was devastating , ' wrote paul zimmerman , aka dr. z , in sports illustrated . plus , jones was relentless ; he never gave up . he collected sacks on his hands and knees . ' jones started his nfl career in 1961 with the rams and spent 11 seasons there . along with fellow icons rosey grier , lamar lundy and merlin olsen , jones formed one of the best defensive lines of all time : the fearsome four . as a ram , jones perfected the head slap . jones once said he wished that , after messing with him , opposing players would wake up hopefully on tuesday . ' you could say it was effective . so effective , the nfl banned it . his eyes were as red as fire , and after he took his stance , he was pawing his leg in the dirt like a bull , ' remembered rayfield wright of his first nfl start . wright , playing with the dallas cowboys , was facing jones in that 1969 game . as an offensive lineman , you 're taught only to hear the quarterback 's voice . nothing else , ' wright said in the sports illustrated interview . i 'm listening in case there 's an audible , and in the pause between'huts !'i hear a deep , heavy voice say ,'does yo'mama know you 're out here ?'it was deacon jones . ' rams fans nicknamed him secretary of defense . ' and in 1999 , sports illustrated named him the defensive end of the century . ' in 1972 , he was traded to the chargers , and he finished his career with the redskins in 1974 . during his entire time with the nfl , jones missed just six games . in later years , jones worked as a radio host , served as a spokesman for the blood-pressure drug atacand and started the deacon jones foundation to mentor inner-city high school students . he also published an autobiography titled -- what else ? -- head slap . ' people we lost in 2013 : the lives they lived","jones died of natural causes at his southern california home" +"jones there are n't many nfl players who influenced the game like david deacon ' jones . jones , 74 , who died monday of natural causes his southern california home , proved himself many times over as arguably the sport 's most fearsome defensive lineman . he invented his own weapon on the field of battle : the head slap . he created his own statistic on the nfl record books : the quarterback sack . i developed a term that is used in the game right now called sacking the quarterback , ' jones is quoted on nfl.com . sacking a quarterback is just like you devastate a city or you cream a multitude of people . i mean it 's just like you put all the offensive players in one bag and i just take a baseball bat and beat on the bag . ' clearly , jones did n't mince words . advertising execs on madison avenue played on jones'tough-guy persona with a series of memorable tv beer commercials for miller lite . dressed in a black leather jacket , jones marches into a bar and recites a poem about the virtues of the beer , and then warns , and if you do n't believe me , i 'm gon na break your nose . ' the numbers alone tell the tale : the 6-foot-5-inch tall jones piled up 173 sacks during a 14-year career with the los angeles rams , the san diego chargers and the redskins . that 's second only to reggie white . deacon jones was one of the greatest players in nfl history , ' said redskins general manager bruce allen . off the field , he was a true giant . his passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him . ' sacks were n't even an official nfl statistic until 1982 , long after jones'retirement . then there was the head slap -- the brain-jarring swipe of a defensive lineman 's hand or arm against the helmet of his opponent . jones could split helmets with his head slap , and his outside speed rush was devastating , ' wrote paul zimmerman , aka dr. z , in sports illustrated . plus , jones was relentless ; he never gave up . he collected sacks on his hands and knees . ' jones started his nfl career in 1961 with the rams and spent 11 seasons there . along with fellow icons rosey grier , lamar lundy and merlin olsen , jones formed one of the best defensive lines of all time : the fearsome four . as a ram , jones perfected the head slap . jones once said he wished that , after messing with him , opposing players would wake up hopefully on tuesday . ' you could say it was effective . so effective , the nfl banned it . his eyes were as red as fire , and after he took his stance , he was pawing his leg in the dirt like a bull , ' remembered rayfield wright of his first nfl start . wright , playing with the dallas cowboys , was facing jones in that 1969 game . as an offensive lineman , you 're taught only to hear the quarterback 's voice . nothing else , ' wright said in the sports illustrated interview . i 'm listening in case there 's an audible , and in the pause between'huts !'i hear a deep , heavy voice say ,'does yo'mama know you 're out here ?'it was deacon jones . ' rams fans nicknamed him secretary of defense . ' and in 1999 , sports illustrated named him the defensive end of the century . ' in 1972 , he was traded to the chargers , and he finished his career with the redskins in 1974 . during his entire time with the nfl , jones missed just six games . in later years , jones worked as a radio host , served as a spokesman for the blood-pressure drug atacand and started the deacon jones foundation to mentor inner-city high school students . he also published an autobiography titled -- what else ? -- head slap . ' people we lost in 2013 : the lives they lived","nfl 's deacon jones said he invented the head slap ' and the term sacking the quarterback '" +"nfl there are n't many nfl players who influenced the game like david deacon ' jones . jones , 74 , who died monday of natural causes his southern california home , proved himself many times over as arguably the sport 's most fearsome defensive lineman . he invented his own weapon on the field of battle : the head slap . he created his own statistic on the nfl record books : the quarterback sack . i developed a term that is used in the game right now called sacking the quarterback , ' jones is quoted on nfl.com . sacking a quarterback is just like you devastate a city or you cream a multitude of people . i mean it 's just like you put all the offensive players in one bag and i just take a baseball bat and beat on the bag . ' clearly , jones did n't mince words . advertising execs on madison avenue played on jones'tough-guy persona with a series of memorable tv beer commercials for miller lite . dressed in a black leather jacket , jones marches into a bar and recites a poem about the virtues of the beer , and then warns , and if you do n't believe me , i 'm gon na break your nose . ' the numbers alone tell the tale : the 6-foot-5-inch tall jones piled up 173 sacks during a 14-year career with the los angeles rams , the san diego chargers and the redskins . that 's second only to reggie white . deacon jones was one of the greatest players in nfl history , ' said redskins general manager bruce allen . off the field , he was a true giant . his passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him . ' sacks were n't even an official nfl statistic until 1982 , long after jones'retirement . then there was the head slap -- the brain-jarring swipe of a defensive lineman 's hand or arm against the helmet of his opponent . jones could split helmets with his head slap , and his outside speed rush was devastating , ' wrote paul zimmerman , aka dr. z , in sports illustrated . plus , jones was relentless ; he never gave up . he collected sacks on his hands and knees . ' jones started his nfl career in 1961 with the rams and spent 11 seasons there . along with fellow icons rosey grier , lamar lundy and merlin olsen , jones formed one of the best defensive lines of all time : the fearsome four . as a ram , jones perfected the head slap . jones once said he wished that , after messing with him , opposing players would wake up hopefully on tuesday . ' you could say it was effective . so effective , the nfl banned it . his eyes were as red as fire , and after he took his stance , he was pawing his leg in the dirt like a bull , ' remembered rayfield wright of his first nfl start . wright , playing with the dallas cowboys , was facing jones in that 1969 game . as an offensive lineman , you 're taught only to hear the quarterback 's voice . nothing else , ' wright said in the sports illustrated interview . i 'm listening in case there 's an audible , and in the pause between'huts !'i hear a deep , heavy voice say ,'does yo'mama know you 're out here ?'it was deacon jones . ' rams fans nicknamed him secretary of defense . ' and in 1999 , sports illustrated named him the defensive end of the century . ' in 1972 , he was traded to the chargers , and he finished his career with the redskins in 1974 . during his entire time with the nfl , jones missed just six games . in later years , jones worked as a radio host , served as a spokesman for the blood-pressure drug atacand and started the deacon jones foundation to mentor inner-city high school students . he also published an autobiography titled -- what else ? -- head slap . ' people we lost in 2013 : the lives they lived","nfl 's deacon jones said he invented the head slap ' and the term sacking the quarterback '" +"thomas ( cnn ) -- the first person ever convicted in idaho of knowingly spreading the hiv virus is facing new charges for the same offense , authorities said thursday . an ada county , idaho , grand jury on tuesday returned an indictment charging kerry thomas , 45 , with seven counts of knowingly transferring the hiv virus , jean fisher , ada county deputy prosecutor , told cnn . in 1990 , thomas was charged with four counts of hiv transmission and two counts of statutory rape , fisher said . as part of a plea agreement , he pleaded guilty only to the rape charges . according to fisher , thomas received a 12-year sentence and had to serve three years before being eligible for parole . he was later granted early release . in 1996 , however , thomas was again charged with one count of hiv transmission , and a jury convicted him , fisher said . he received a 15-year sentence with a seven-year minimum . now out on parole , thomas faces possible life in prison on the new charges because prosecutors are seeking his designation as a persistent violator . ' it was not immediately known whether thomas was in custody thursday . he was not listed online among the inmates in the ada county jail . asked why thomas would continue to spread the virus , which causes aids , fisher said , that 's the $ 64,000 question , for a person who has been to prison twice . '","in 1990 , thomas was charged with four counts of hiv transmission" +"thomas ( cnn ) -- the first person ever convicted in idaho of knowingly spreading the hiv virus is facing new charges for the same offense , authorities said thursday . an ada county , idaho , grand jury on tuesday returned an indictment charging kerry thomas , 45 , with seven counts of knowingly transferring the hiv virus , jean fisher , ada county deputy prosecutor , told cnn . in 1990 , thomas was charged with four counts of hiv transmission and two counts of statutory rape , fisher said . as part of a plea agreement , he pleaded guilty only to the rape charges . according to fisher , thomas received a 12-year sentence and had to serve three years before being eligible for parole . he was later granted early release . in 1996 , however , thomas was again charged with one count of hiv transmission , and a jury convicted him , fisher said . he received a 15-year sentence with a seven-year minimum . now out on parole , thomas faces possible life in prison on the new charges because prosecutors are seeking his designation as a persistent violator . ' it was not immediately known whether thomas was in custody thursday . he was not listed online among the inmates in the ada county jail . asked why thomas would continue to spread the virus , which causes aids , fisher said , that 's the $ 64,000 question , for a person who has been to prison twice . '","if convicted , thomas could face life in prison" +"thomas ( cnn ) -- the first person ever convicted in idaho of knowingly spreading the hiv virus is facing new charges for the same offense , authorities said thursday . an ada county , idaho , grand jury on tuesday returned an indictment charging kerry thomas , 45 , with seven counts of knowingly transferring the hiv virus , jean fisher , ada county deputy prosecutor , told cnn . in 1990 , thomas was charged with four counts of hiv transmission and two counts of statutory rape , fisher said . as part of a plea agreement , he pleaded guilty only to the rape charges . according to fisher , thomas received a 12-year sentence and had to serve three years before being eligible for parole . he was later granted early release . in 1996 , however , thomas was again charged with one count of hiv transmission , and a jury convicted him , fisher said . he received a 15-year sentence with a seven-year minimum . now out on parole , thomas faces possible life in prison on the new charges because prosecutors are seeking his designation as a persistent violator . ' it was not immediately known whether thomas was in custody thursday . he was not listed online among the inmates in the ada county jail . asked why thomas would continue to spread the virus , which causes aids , fisher said , that 's the $ 64,000 question , for a person who has been to prison twice . '","kerry thomas was indicted for second time for knowingly transferring hiv virus" +"national security directorate ( cnn ) -- at least 60 people have died in the libyan capital after drinking locally made alcohol , the ministry of health says , and the national security directorate of tripoli said tuesday it is launching an investigation . according to the libyan news agency , there were 709 other cases of alcohol poisoning . alcohol sale and consumption is prohibited in libya , a conservative muslim nation , but smuggled alcoholic drinks can be found , in addition to homemade alcohol locally known as bokha . ' the national security directorate said this large-scale poisoning was caused by such locally made alcohol . a medical source in tripoli who has seen some of the patients told cnn their symptoms indicated methanol poisoning . methanol overdose symptoms include breathing problems , blindness , comas , seizures and death . officials say the first case was reported in the capital on thursday , and over the following days tripoli central hospital received a large number of people showing signs of alcohol poisoning . some cases had to be transferred to other hospitals . those affected ranged in age from 16 to 55 , the head of the internal medicine department at the hospital , dr. massoud al-azzabi , told the state news agency on monday . some lost their eyesight , and some of the others were put on dialysis machines or respirators , he said . in a statement released tuesday , the tripoli national security directorate announced the formation of a committee of five officers to oversee the investigation into the alcohol poisoning , which some reports call the worst ever in libya . the directorate said police stations in the city have started to record the cases and the criminal investigations unit is investigating . a security task force that includes a number of security and revolutionary forces has been formed and is ready to raid suspected bootlegger hideouts upon orders from the government , according to the state news agency .","locally made alcohol is behind this case , the national security directorate says" +"nato ( cnn ) -- two russian bombers have landed at a venezuelan airfield , from which they will carry out training flights for several days , the russian defense ministry said wednesday . russia 's tupolev tu-160 , pictured here in 2003 , is a long-range strategic bomber . the tupolev tu-160 strategic bombers landed at venezuela 's libertador military airfield and will spend several days carrying out training flights over neutral waters , after which they will return to the base , ' interfax reported , citing the russian defense ministry . col. alexander drobyshevsky , a ministry spokesman , told interfax that nato fighters followed the bombers on their 13-hour flight over the arctic ocean and the atlantic . all flights by air force aircraft have been and are marked by strict conformity to the international rules on the use of air space over neutral waters , ' drobyshevsky told interfax . the u.s. will monitor the russian training , said pentagon officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the information . on monday , russia announced it might hold joint naval maneuvers with venezuela in the caribbean . the declaration came in the wake of increased tension between russia and the united states over russia 's invasion last month of the former soviet republic of georgia , a u.s. ally that aspires to join nato . russia on monday denied any link between that announcement and the conflict in georgia , although russia has criticized u.s. support for georgia , and venezuelan president hugo chavez has long antagonized washington . earlier this month , chavez said venezuela would welcome the russian air force , according to russian news agency novosti . if russian long-range bombers should need to land in venezuela , we would not object to that either . we will also welcome them , ' chavez said on september 1 , according to novosti . cnn 's mike mount contributed to this story","russian defense ministry spokesman : nato fighters followed bombers" +"russian ( cnn ) -- two russian bombers have landed at a venezuelan airfield , from which they will carry out training flights for several days , the russian defense ministry said wednesday . russia 's tupolev tu-160 , pictured here in 2003 , is a long-range strategic bomber . the tupolev tu-160 strategic bombers landed at venezuela 's libertador military airfield and will spend several days carrying out training flights over neutral waters , after which they will return to the base , ' interfax reported , citing the russian defense ministry . col. alexander drobyshevsky , a ministry spokesman , told interfax that nato fighters followed the bombers on their 13-hour flight over the arctic ocean and the atlantic . all flights by air force aircraft have been and are marked by strict conformity to the international rules on the use of air space over neutral waters , ' drobyshevsky told interfax . the u.s. will monitor the russian training , said pentagon officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the information . on monday , russia announced it might hold joint naval maneuvers with venezuela in the caribbean . the declaration came in the wake of increased tension between russia and the united states over russia 's invasion last month of the former soviet republic of georgia , a u.s. ally that aspires to join nato . russia on monday denied any link between that announcement and the conflict in georgia , although russia has criticized u.s. support for georgia , and venezuelan president hugo chavez has long antagonized washington . earlier this month , chavez said venezuela would welcome the russian air force , according to russian news agency novosti . if russian long-range bombers should need to land in venezuela , we would not object to that either . we will also welcome them , ' chavez said on september 1 , according to novosti . cnn 's mike mount contributed to this story","russian bombers will use airfield for training over neutral waters , interfax reports" +"russian ( cnn ) -- two russian bombers have landed at a venezuelan airfield , from which they will carry out training flights for several days , the russian defense ministry said wednesday . russia 's tupolev tu-160 , pictured here in 2003 , is a long-range strategic bomber . the tupolev tu-160 strategic bombers landed at venezuela 's libertador military airfield and will spend several days carrying out training flights over neutral waters , after which they will return to the base , ' interfax reported , citing the russian defense ministry . col. alexander drobyshevsky , a ministry spokesman , told interfax that nato fighters followed the bombers on their 13-hour flight over the arctic ocean and the atlantic . all flights by air force aircraft have been and are marked by strict conformity to the international rules on the use of air space over neutral waters , ' drobyshevsky told interfax . the u.s. will monitor the russian training , said pentagon officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the information . on monday , russia announced it might hold joint naval maneuvers with venezuela in the caribbean . the declaration came in the wake of increased tension between russia and the united states over russia 's invasion last month of the former soviet republic of georgia , a u.s. ally that aspires to join nato . russia on monday denied any link between that announcement and the conflict in georgia , although russia has criticized u.s. support for georgia , and venezuelan president hugo chavez has long antagonized washington . earlier this month , chavez said venezuela would welcome the russian air force , according to russian news agency novosti . if russian long-range bombers should need to land in venezuela , we would not object to that either . we will also welcome them , ' chavez said on september 1 , according to novosti . cnn 's mike mount contributed to this story","russian defense ministry spokesman : nato fighters followed bombers" +"russian ( cnn ) -- two russian bombers have landed at a venezuelan airfield , from which they will carry out training flights for several days , the russian defense ministry said wednesday . russia 's tupolev tu-160 , pictured here in 2003 , is a long-range strategic bomber . the tupolev tu-160 strategic bombers landed at venezuela 's libertador military airfield and will spend several days carrying out training flights over neutral waters , after which they will return to the base , ' interfax reported , citing the russian defense ministry . col. alexander drobyshevsky , a ministry spokesman , told interfax that nato fighters followed the bombers on their 13-hour flight over the arctic ocean and the atlantic . all flights by air force aircraft have been and are marked by strict conformity to the international rules on the use of air space over neutral waters , ' drobyshevsky told interfax . the u.s. will monitor the russian training , said pentagon officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the information . on monday , russia announced it might hold joint naval maneuvers with venezuela in the caribbean . the declaration came in the wake of increased tension between russia and the united states over russia 's invasion last month of the former soviet republic of georgia , a u.s. ally that aspires to join nato . russia on monday denied any link between that announcement and the conflict in georgia , although russia has criticized u.s. support for georgia , and venezuelan president hugo chavez has long antagonized washington . earlier this month , chavez said venezuela would welcome the russian air force , according to russian news agency novosti . if russian long-range bombers should need to land in venezuela , we would not object to that either . we will also welcome them , ' chavez said on september 1 , according to novosti . cnn 's mike mount contributed to this story","venezuelan president had said he 'd welcome russian air force , novosti reports" +"atlanta fairburn , georgia ( cnn ) -- in a south atlanta neighborhood lined with palatial homes and manicured lots , the hicks family was living out its american dream . breylan and terese hicks play with their sons bryce , 3 , and jordan , 2 . but like many americans , that dream was interrupted when they almost lost their home to foreclosure . terese , a firefighter , and her husband breylan , a police sergeant , had always dreamed about owning a spacious house in the suburbs . when they began their search , the young family was living in a south atlanta neighborhood . they grew concerned and decided to move when crime in the area started to pick up . although they did n't think they could afford their'dream home ,'they started searching in an affluent area just south of the airport and across the street from the 190-room estate owned by famed heavyweight boxer evander holyfield . i 've always been looking in this subdivision , but never thought we could afford a home here , ' terese hicks said . after discussing their financials with a mortgage broker , the family was presented with a deal and payments they could afford . the interest-only , adjustable rate loan sounded good at the time . and since they were not first-time homebuyers , they thought they knew what they were getting into . terese hicks figured they could always refinance before the interest rates were adjusted . soon , the family settled in their seven-bedroom , five-bathroom plantation-style home with a pool . it all seemed like a dream come true , until the couple learned the interest rate on their loan would readjust in just six months , making the loan a short three-year arm . the mother of two , who handles the family 's finances , had wrongly assumed that their loan was a five-year arm . the news could n't have come at a worse time . breylan was unable to work because of a serious back injury , and the family 's income took a hit . they were also paying mortgages on vacant rental properties when they could n't find tenants because of the housing crisis . to make matters worse , terese hicks , a city employee , had to take a 10-percent pay cut in her salary , and the family was burdened with a mountain of medical bills for numerous surgeries their 6-month-old son jordan underwent to treat a birth-related medical condition . struggling to pay the new adjusted mortgage , terese hicks appealed to their mortgage company , homecomings which is owned by gmac , for help . they said there was nothing they could do about the rate readjusting , so i said let 's weather the storm and see what we can do , ' she said . she continued to make regular payments for all of their mortgages in order to maintain their good credit . but within a year , they were in the eye of the storm and their savings dropped to around $ 75 . desperate , the hickses asked their mortgage company again for help . but they were told there was nothing they could do because they were current on all their payments . the hickses decided they had no other choice but to play the game ' and stop paying their mortgage , even if it meant damaging their hard-earned credit . homecomings acknowledges that the guidelines for modification at that time made little sense , but they were caught in the middle of a symptomatic ' relationship between working with third-party investors and homeowners . in order for us to have been able to modify the loan we needed to get permission on the investor on whose behalf we are servicing the loan , ' said jeanine bruin of gmac . it 's a balancing act , what 's in the best interest of the customer and the investor . ' at the time of the hickses request for a loan modification , investors backing the loans required some proof of financial difficulty . things have changed since then , including new government concessions geared towards helping homeowners , explained bruin . the proof was in the pudding , ' said bruin , you had to be late in your payment to prove hardship . ' the hicks family 's story is one that marcia griffin , founder of homefree-usa , has heard all too often . we advise homebuyers not to talk to a realtor or lender before we can meet with them for a mortgage profile meeting , ' said griffin . within 30 minutes the client will know if they can fly , run , walk or crawl . ' homefree-usa is a nonprofit organization devoted to homeownership development and financial empowerment . it 's one of several national nonprofit organizations that offer mortgage assistance and home ownership counseling . the neighborhood assistance corp. of america and the national urban league offer community advocacy programs geared toward counseling lower- and middle-income families who are purchasing or refinancing their homes . with offices in washington and atlanta , homefree-usa 's clientele is mostly minority borrowers . during the recent housing crisis , griffin says people of color have become easy prey ' because they often do n't know the right questions to ask about subprime and arm loans . some may find her no-nonsense attitude a bit difficult to swallow . you can not buy a house without any money , and you can not buy a house with poor credit , ' cautioned griffin . as an african-american , griffin believes she 's the right messenger to help financially empower the african-american community . griffin believes families like the hicks could have qualified for a better , less risky loan and should have been better informed about the terms of their loan . if the hicks family had known sooner about homefree-usa 's program they might have been able to save their good credit rating and a lot of aggravation . it was only after receiving notice that their home was going up for auction that terese hicks learned about homefree-usa . she contacted the atlanta office and within a few days there was a resolution . the hicks family learned that they qualified for president obama 's new homeownership assistance program . the program offered institutionalized loan modifications for people who could prove they were suffering economic hardship . with a low interest rate locked in for the next five years , the family was able to keep the home and pay an affordable monthly mortgage . griffin hopes other homebuyers can learn from the hickses'situation and seek out an advocate early in the process of refinancing or modifying a loan -- before they are caught in a financial storm . people do n't know where to go and who to talk to , ' says griffin . they are suffering in silence . '","the hicks family purchased a dream home ' just south of atlanta , georgia" +"white house the longest-serving lawmaker in u.s. congressional history , a legendary motown artist , and the matriarch of a renowned political family will be among this year 's recipients of the nation 's highest civilian honor , the white house announced monday . rep. john dingell , stevie wonder and ethel kennedy are three of the nineteen americans who obama will bestow the presidential medal of freedom upon later this month . dingell has served nearly 60 years in congress representing a district outside detroit . he 'll retire at the end of this session . wonder has won 25 grammys and an oscar for his fusion of soul , rhythm and blues and jazz . and kennedy , who is the widow of sen. robert f. kennedy , became an activist for human rights and the environment after her husband 's death . other honorees this year include meryl streep , the prolific actress known for holding the most oscar nominations of any actor in history . she stars this winter in into the woods , ' the musical composed by stephen sondheim , to whom obama will also award the medal of freedom on november 24 . tom brokaw , the former nbc nightly news ' anchor , will be honored as well , alongside actress marlo thomas , golfer charles sifford and author isabel allende . the other medalists are scientist mildred dresselhaus ; native american activist suzan harjo ; former reps. abner mikva of illinois and patsy takemoto mink of hawaii ; and economist robert solow . five awards will be delivered posthumously : to freedom summer ' civil rights activists james chaney , andrew goodman , and michael schwerner ; to the well-known choreographer alvin ailey , who founded the namesake dance company ; and to rep. edward roybal , the founder of the congressional hispanic caucus .","the white house announced 19 recipients for this year 's awards on monday" +"reiner atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- ask steve lips ' kudlow how his band , anvil , overcame bad management , a dead colleague , cruddy jobs , unpaid tour bills , raging arguments and now mockery as a spinal tap clone , and he has one word : kismet . ' robb reiner and steve lips ' kudlow have never given up on playing rock 'n'roll . he may be right . when sacha gervasi , a former teenage anvil fan-roadie turned steven spielberg scriptwriter ( the terminal ' ) , decided to pursue a documentary about his old heroes , guitarist kudlow was working part-time in his native toronto , ontario , delivering meals to schools . drummer robb reiner was doing demolition work nearby . anvil still played , but it was a far cry from the mid-'80s , when the band did a japanese show with whitesnake , bon jovi and the scorpions and became a model for groups such as metallica and anthrax -- bands that had far more success than anvil . gervasi followed the group on an ill-fated european tour , watched them make an album with a name producer , and saw kudlow and reiner fight and make up , fight and make up , as they have since they were 15 and swore they 'd rock forever . watch kudlow and reiner talk about their passion » the result is a documentary , anvil ! the story of anvil , ' that 's earned rave reviews , is gradually rolling out across the country -- and has reawakened interest in anvil . at times , anvil ' invokes the spirit of this is spinal tap ' -- besides reiner 's you-can't-make-this-up name , the guys even visit stonehenge -- but , as cinematical.com reviewer james rocchi writes , the film 's comedy is cut by an unflinching honesty . watch american morning ' host -- and former music reporter -- john roberts talk to anvil ' it 's better than most music documentaries . it 's better than most documentaries , period , ' he wrote after seeing the film at the 2008 sundance film festival . i am about as metal as your aunt , and i was spellbound by'anvil ! the story of anvil .'... [ it 's ] a hymn to the human spirit , played loud in power chords . ' the enthusiastic kudlow and laconic reiner came by cnn center to talk about the film , their inspirations and why they 've always been successful . the following is an edited version of the interview . cnn : what was the reaction when sacha came to you and said he wanted to do a documentary on anvil ? steve lips ' kudlow : i started crying , because it seemed like kismet , as if it was all meant to be this way . and quite honestly , it is . my internal optimism told me this is going to be the most successful thing that 's ever happened to me , and perhaps one of the greatest things that 's happened to rock music -- the greatest rock documentary that 's ever happened . cnn : robb ? robb reiner : my initial reaction was that this was going to be cool , but i was n't really sure if anybody would care . after sundance , i knew that this thing was going to be very successful . ... [ it got ] standing ovations . at that point , i knew something was coming . cnn : the film , fairly or unfairly , has been presented as a real-life spinal tap . ' is that fair ? kudlow : it was purposely done . reiner : it 's fair . what can you say ? we 're a heavy metal band . my name is robb reiner . [ the director ] is the other rob reiner , and spinal tap is the fake anvil . but , outside of that ... it was a trojan horse to lead people into this . realistically , we 're not like spinal tap , and the movie 's nothing like it either . it 's a spin that 's been created by the media , and we 've just been having fun with it . cnn : a lot of times when a director sets out to make a documentary , the people who are in the documentary say , you cut this out , you changed this . ' it 's like a reality show . did sacha do this , or is it pretty much what you see is what happened ? kudlow : it 's pretty much what you see is what happened . reiner : they shot 320 hours of footage . the whole movie is a one-take movie . they just filmed everything ... they could have made five different movies out of the footage they had . kudlow : sort of . reiner : well , maybe three and a half . kudlow : it might have been five more-boring movies . cnn : what was the first record you heard that said , this is the direction i want to go ? kudlow : the beatles and the rolling stones , obviously ... reiner : for me it was black sabbath , deep purple , grand funk , cactus , bands like that . jimi hendrix ... cnn : there 's that funny bit in the movie in which you [ lips ] talk about meeting reiner by observing , i heard this guy playing cactus . ' and then later you met [ cactus drummer ] carmine appice . reiner : it 's like foreshadowing there . kudlow : and how do you get foreshadowing in a documentary ? you do n't . it 's just that 's the way things played themselves out . that 's what i mean by kismet . it 's as if the screenwriting were done by god . the stuff fell into place by itself . cnn : it 's easy to make fun of a band -- or make a tragedy out of a band -- that does n't quite make it . but back in the '80s , you were playing in front of tens of thousands of people . even if it had ended then , you say in the movie that you 've had the kind of success you were always hoping for . reiner : we 've been successful a lot as far as we 're concerned . kudlow : we 've recorded 13 albums . reiner : we 've been touring for 30 years . kudlow : most of the magic that 's involved here is the fact that we 've always kept our guns loaded . we 've always been prepared . and it 's always staying on top of it and being ready for the opportunity when it came . and when sacha contacted us after not seeing us for a number of years , it 's not like we 'd thrown in the towel or done anything like that . ... reiner : the music got us here . there would be no movie if the music did n't mean anything , or had n't meant something . kudlow : you would n't get testimonials from some of these people if the music did n't mean something . we did make a difference . we were an influence . and we 've always known that . and part of that is the fuel . cnn : are you tying in concerts with the movie ? reiner : it 's called the anvil experience . we show the movie and we play right after , in the theater . we 've been doing that for the last two months throughout america , and it 's like metal beatlemania . cnn : there was another album due ... reiner : juggernaut of justice ' is our next album . it 's written , and we 're just going to record at the end of the year and release it next year . we were going to keep rocking whether this movie came along or not . this movie is a rocket launcher to the mainstream , and here we are .","anvil 's steve lips ' kudlow and robb reiner have been dedicated to music" +"reiner atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- ask steve lips ' kudlow how his band , anvil , overcame bad management , a dead colleague , cruddy jobs , unpaid tour bills , raging arguments and now mockery as a spinal tap clone , and he has one word : kismet . ' robb reiner and steve lips ' kudlow have never given up on playing rock 'n'roll . he may be right . when sacha gervasi , a former teenage anvil fan-roadie turned steven spielberg scriptwriter ( the terminal ' ) , decided to pursue a documentary about his old heroes , guitarist kudlow was working part-time in his native toronto , ontario , delivering meals to schools . drummer robb reiner was doing demolition work nearby . anvil still played , but it was a far cry from the mid-'80s , when the band did a japanese show with whitesnake , bon jovi and the scorpions and became a model for groups such as metallica and anthrax -- bands that had far more success than anvil . gervasi followed the group on an ill-fated european tour , watched them make an album with a name producer , and saw kudlow and reiner fight and make up , fight and make up , as they have since they were 15 and swore they 'd rock forever . watch kudlow and reiner talk about their passion » the result is a documentary , anvil ! the story of anvil , ' that 's earned rave reviews , is gradually rolling out across the country -- and has reawakened interest in anvil . at times , anvil ' invokes the spirit of this is spinal tap ' -- besides reiner 's you-can't-make-this-up name , the guys even visit stonehenge -- but , as cinematical.com reviewer james rocchi writes , the film 's comedy is cut by an unflinching honesty . watch american morning ' host -- and former music reporter -- john roberts talk to anvil ' it 's better than most music documentaries . it 's better than most documentaries , period , ' he wrote after seeing the film at the 2008 sundance film festival . i am about as metal as your aunt , and i was spellbound by'anvil ! the story of anvil .'... [ it 's ] a hymn to the human spirit , played loud in power chords . ' the enthusiastic kudlow and laconic reiner came by cnn center to talk about the film , their inspirations and why they 've always been successful . the following is an edited version of the interview . cnn : what was the reaction when sacha came to you and said he wanted to do a documentary on anvil ? steve lips ' kudlow : i started crying , because it seemed like kismet , as if it was all meant to be this way . and quite honestly , it is . my internal optimism told me this is going to be the most successful thing that 's ever happened to me , and perhaps one of the greatest things that 's happened to rock music -- the greatest rock documentary that 's ever happened . cnn : robb ? robb reiner : my initial reaction was that this was going to be cool , but i was n't really sure if anybody would care . after sundance , i knew that this thing was going to be very successful . ... [ it got ] standing ovations . at that point , i knew something was coming . cnn : the film , fairly or unfairly , has been presented as a real-life spinal tap . ' is that fair ? kudlow : it was purposely done . reiner : it 's fair . what can you say ? we 're a heavy metal band . my name is robb reiner . [ the director ] is the other rob reiner , and spinal tap is the fake anvil . but , outside of that ... it was a trojan horse to lead people into this . realistically , we 're not like spinal tap , and the movie 's nothing like it either . it 's a spin that 's been created by the media , and we 've just been having fun with it . cnn : a lot of times when a director sets out to make a documentary , the people who are in the documentary say , you cut this out , you changed this . ' it 's like a reality show . did sacha do this , or is it pretty much what you see is what happened ? kudlow : it 's pretty much what you see is what happened . reiner : they shot 320 hours of footage . the whole movie is a one-take movie . they just filmed everything ... they could have made five different movies out of the footage they had . kudlow : sort of . reiner : well , maybe three and a half . kudlow : it might have been five more-boring movies . cnn : what was the first record you heard that said , this is the direction i want to go ? kudlow : the beatles and the rolling stones , obviously ... reiner : for me it was black sabbath , deep purple , grand funk , cactus , bands like that . jimi hendrix ... cnn : there 's that funny bit in the movie in which you [ lips ] talk about meeting reiner by observing , i heard this guy playing cactus . ' and then later you met [ cactus drummer ] carmine appice . reiner : it 's like foreshadowing there . kudlow : and how do you get foreshadowing in a documentary ? you do n't . it 's just that 's the way things played themselves out . that 's what i mean by kismet . it 's as if the screenwriting were done by god . the stuff fell into place by itself . cnn : it 's easy to make fun of a band -- or make a tragedy out of a band -- that does n't quite make it . but back in the '80s , you were playing in front of tens of thousands of people . even if it had ended then , you say in the movie that you 've had the kind of success you were always hoping for . reiner : we 've been successful a lot as far as we 're concerned . kudlow : we 've recorded 13 albums . reiner : we 've been touring for 30 years . kudlow : most of the magic that 's involved here is the fact that we 've always kept our guns loaded . we 've always been prepared . and it 's always staying on top of it and being ready for the opportunity when it came . and when sacha contacted us after not seeing us for a number of years , it 's not like we 'd thrown in the towel or done anything like that . ... reiner : the music got us here . there would be no movie if the music did n't mean anything , or had n't meant something . kudlow : you would n't get testimonials from some of these people if the music did n't mean something . we did make a difference . we were an influence . and we 've always known that . and part of that is the fuel . cnn : are you tying in concerts with the movie ? reiner : it 's called the anvil experience . we show the movie and we play right after , in the theater . we 've been doing that for the last two months throughout america , and it 's like metal beatlemania . cnn : there was another album due ... reiner : juggernaut of justice ' is our next album . it 's written , and we 're just going to record at the end of the year and release it next year . we were going to keep rocking whether this movie came along or not . this movie is a rocket launcher to the mainstream , and here we are .","a real-life spinal tap ' ? fair , says reiner , but misleading" +"fema washington ( cnn ) -- the director of federal emergency management agency on sunday defended giving away an estimated $ 85 million in hurricane relief supplies , blaming louisiana officials for turning down the stockpiles . a new orleans charity keeps goods in trash bags in an empty church . fema never told it about the free items . we still have quite a few left if louisiana needs those , ' david paulison said . but we did find out , we did ask louisiana ,'do you want these ?'they said ,'no , we do n't need them .'so we offered them to the other states . ' a cnn investigation revealed last week that fema gave away 121 truckloads of material the agency amassed after 2005 's hurricane katrina . the material was declared surplus property and offered to federal and state agencies -- including louisiana , where groups working to resettle hurricane victims say the supplies are still needed . paulison told cnn 's late edition with wolf blitzer ' his agency distributed more than 90,000 living kits ' to people in louisiana whose homes were destroyed or damaged by katrina . the kits included cleaning supplies , mops , brooms , pots and pans . after cnn reported on the giveaway , louisiana officials asked that the supplies be redirected to the state , which originally passed on them . john medica , director of the louisiana 's federal property assistance agency , told cnn he was unaware katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office . sen. mary landrieu of louisiana , an outspoken critic of fema 's response to the hurricane , told cnn the supply giveaway was just a shame . ' it 's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy , ' said landrieu , who wrote homeland security secretary michael chertoff last week to request an explanation . we 're still trying to fix it . it 's going to take a lot more work . ' paulison said much of the stockpile included things we do n't normally store -- refrigerators , stoves , coolers , diapers , things like that . ' states , meanwhile , were requesting those items , he said . it did n't make any sense for fema to sit on this much stuff and supplies we normally do n't even keep . we have plenty of supplies in place if we have another disaster . we can duplicate that type of commodities and get them for people in need , ' he said . the agency 's chief spokesman , james mcintyre , had declined a request for an on-camera interview and told cnn the giveaway was not news . ' paulison said the story just really missed the mark ' -- that the supplies given away were not exclusively for katrina victims , but were donated from disasters all around the entire country . ' but e-mails from mcintyre and from the general services administration , which manages federal property , contradict paulison 's account . in an e-mail sent in april , mcintyre told cnn in many cases , items were purchased in the field by fema . ' and in a phone interview with cnn , mcintyre said , that is property that was purchased in response to katrina . we purchased most of that equipment because of the catastrophic nature of that disaster . ' general services administration spokeswoman viki reath wrote the supplies given away were surplus from the katrina and [ hurricane ] rita disasters ... some purchased by fema , some donated by foreign countries and federal government agencies . ' mcintyre said fema 's storage costs were running more than $ 1 million a year , and that gsa officials wanted to tear down the fort worth , texas , warehouses in which the stockpiles were being kept . cnn 's abbie boudreau and scott zamost contributed to this report .","cnn story revealed last week that fema gave away 121 truckloads of supplies" +"fema washington ( cnn ) -- the director of federal emergency management agency on sunday defended giving away an estimated $ 85 million in hurricane relief supplies , blaming louisiana officials for turning down the stockpiles . a new orleans charity keeps goods in trash bags in an empty church . fema never told it about the free items . we still have quite a few left if louisiana needs those , ' david paulison said . but we did find out , we did ask louisiana ,'do you want these ?'they said ,'no , we do n't need them .'so we offered them to the other states . ' a cnn investigation revealed last week that fema gave away 121 truckloads of material the agency amassed after 2005 's hurricane katrina . the material was declared surplus property and offered to federal and state agencies -- including louisiana , where groups working to resettle hurricane victims say the supplies are still needed . paulison told cnn 's late edition with wolf blitzer ' his agency distributed more than 90,000 living kits ' to people in louisiana whose homes were destroyed or damaged by katrina . the kits included cleaning supplies , mops , brooms , pots and pans . after cnn reported on the giveaway , louisiana officials asked that the supplies be redirected to the state , which originally passed on them . john medica , director of the louisiana 's federal property assistance agency , told cnn he was unaware katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office . sen. mary landrieu of louisiana , an outspoken critic of fema 's response to the hurricane , told cnn the supply giveaway was just a shame . ' it 's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy , ' said landrieu , who wrote homeland security secretary michael chertoff last week to request an explanation . we 're still trying to fix it . it 's going to take a lot more work . ' paulison said much of the stockpile included things we do n't normally store -- refrigerators , stoves , coolers , diapers , things like that . ' states , meanwhile , were requesting those items , he said . it did n't make any sense for fema to sit on this much stuff and supplies we normally do n't even keep . we have plenty of supplies in place if we have another disaster . we can duplicate that type of commodities and get them for people in need , ' he said . the agency 's chief spokesman , james mcintyre , had declined a request for an on-camera interview and told cnn the giveaway was not news . ' paulison said the story just really missed the mark ' -- that the supplies given away were not exclusively for katrina victims , but were donated from disasters all around the entire country . ' but e-mails from mcintyre and from the general services administration , which manages federal property , contradict paulison 's account . in an e-mail sent in april , mcintyre told cnn in many cases , items were purchased in the field by fema . ' and in a phone interview with cnn , mcintyre said , that is property that was purchased in response to katrina . we purchased most of that equipment because of the catastrophic nature of that disaster . ' general services administration spokeswoman viki reath wrote the supplies given away were surplus from the katrina and [ hurricane ] rita disasters ... some purchased by fema , some donated by foreign countries and federal government agencies . ' mcintyre said fema 's storage costs were running more than $ 1 million a year , and that gsa officials wanted to tear down the fort worth , texas , warehouses in which the stockpiles were being kept . cnn 's abbie boudreau and scott zamost contributed to this report .","new : fema chief : louisiana said it did n't want the supplies" +"england ( cnn ) -- england clinched rugby 's six nations title for the first time since 2003 on saturday despite crashing to a 24-8 defeat to ireland in the final round in dublin . martin johnson 's team could have been denied the crown along with the grand slam achievement of winning all five games , but closest rivals wales lost 28-9 to france in the tournament 's concluding match . johnson was captain of the england team that won the european competition for the 25th time eight years ago and then went on to lift the world cup in australia , and he will be hoping history repeats ahead of this year 's premier event in new zealand . this is a scar and we 'll have to wear that scar . i told the players we 'll take this on the chin . we were beaten by a good team , an experienced team , ' the coach said in quotes reported by the uk press association . the boys are very disappointed because they wanted to win a test match , and we know what was at the end of it . we had a horrible first half . we were always chasing the game . it summed up our day up when two of our players ended up passing straight back to them . when you 're in a fight you want to feel like you 've landed a few blows , but we did n't . they kept on taking shots at us . ' recalled fly-half jonathan sexton kicked 14 points in a man-of-the-match performance , with his four penalties and a try from winger tommy bowe giving ireland a 17-3 halftime lead . seven minutes after the restart , captain brian o'driscoll became the record tryscorer in six nations history with his 25th crossing -- and sexton converted to make it 24-3 . england 's only try was a runaway intercept effort from hooker steve thompson , which fellow replacement jonny wilkinson could not convert . wales went into the match in paris needing to win by 27 points to finish ahead of england on countback , but the team 's preparation was marred by the absence of assistant coach shaun edwards due to a reported incident with a fellow member of the backroom staff last weekend . coach warren gatland refused to comment on the incident in his pre-game interview , saying that it was an internal matter . ' defending champions france finished second following two tries to forward lionel nallet and another to winger vincent clerc , while morgan parra kicked 13 points . wales'only reply was three penalties to flyhalf james hook , who was sinbinned for a dangerous tackle , as gatland 's team finished fourth behind ireland after three teams ended with six points each . in the day 's opening game , scotland avoided the wooden spoon by beating italy 21-8 in edinburgh to condemn the visitors to bottom place . the tournament has been known as the six nations since the addition of italy in 2000 , and started out in 1883 with four teams . france joined the competition for the first time in 1910 , rejoining 37 years later .","england crowned six nations champions despite closing defeat by ireland" +"england ( cnn ) -- england clinched rugby 's six nations title for the first time since 2003 on saturday despite crashing to a 24-8 defeat to ireland in the final round in dublin . martin johnson 's team could have been denied the crown along with the grand slam achievement of winning all five games , but closest rivals wales lost 28-9 to france in the tournament 's concluding match . johnson was captain of the england team that won the european competition for the 25th time eight years ago and then went on to lift the world cup in australia , and he will be hoping history repeats ahead of this year 's premier event in new zealand . this is a scar and we 'll have to wear that scar . i told the players we 'll take this on the chin . we were beaten by a good team , an experienced team , ' the coach said in quotes reported by the uk press association . the boys are very disappointed because they wanted to win a test match , and we know what was at the end of it . we had a horrible first half . we were always chasing the game . it summed up our day up when two of our players ended up passing straight back to them . when you 're in a fight you want to feel like you 've landed a few blows , but we did n't . they kept on taking shots at us . ' recalled fly-half jonathan sexton kicked 14 points in a man-of-the-match performance , with his four penalties and a try from winger tommy bowe giving ireland a 17-3 halftime lead . seven minutes after the restart , captain brian o'driscoll became the record tryscorer in six nations history with his 25th crossing -- and sexton converted to make it 24-3 . england 's only try was a runaway intercept effort from hooker steve thompson , which fellow replacement jonny wilkinson could not convert . wales went into the match in paris needing to win by 27 points to finish ahead of england on countback , but the team 's preparation was marred by the absence of assistant coach shaun edwards due to a reported incident with a fellow member of the backroom staff last weekend . coach warren gatland refused to comment on the incident in his pre-game interview , saying that it was an internal matter . ' defending champions france finished second following two tries to forward lionel nallet and another to winger vincent clerc , while morgan parra kicked 13 points . wales'only reply was three penalties to flyhalf james hook , who was sinbinned for a dangerous tackle , as gatland 's team finished fourth behind ireland after three teams ended with six points each . in the day 's opening game , scotland avoided the wooden spoon by beating italy 21-8 in edinburgh to condemn the visitors to bottom place . the tournament has been known as the six nations since the addition of italy in 2000 , and started out in 1883 with four teams . france joined the competition for the first time in 1910 , rejoining 37 years later .","wales needed to win by 27 points to prevent england from taking the title" +"england ( cnn ) -- england clinched rugby 's six nations title for the first time since 2003 on saturday despite crashing to a 24-8 defeat to ireland in the final round in dublin . martin johnson 's team could have been denied the crown along with the grand slam achievement of winning all five games , but closest rivals wales lost 28-9 to france in the tournament 's concluding match . johnson was captain of the england team that won the european competition for the 25th time eight years ago and then went on to lift the world cup in australia , and he will be hoping history repeats ahead of this year 's premier event in new zealand . this is a scar and we 'll have to wear that scar . i told the players we 'll take this on the chin . we were beaten by a good team , an experienced team , ' the coach said in quotes reported by the uk press association . the boys are very disappointed because they wanted to win a test match , and we know what was at the end of it . we had a horrible first half . we were always chasing the game . it summed up our day up when two of our players ended up passing straight back to them . when you 're in a fight you want to feel like you 've landed a few blows , but we did n't . they kept on taking shots at us . ' recalled fly-half jonathan sexton kicked 14 points in a man-of-the-match performance , with his four penalties and a try from winger tommy bowe giving ireland a 17-3 halftime lead . seven minutes after the restart , captain brian o'driscoll became the record tryscorer in six nations history with his 25th crossing -- and sexton converted to make it 24-3 . england 's only try was a runaway intercept effort from hooker steve thompson , which fellow replacement jonny wilkinson could not convert . wales went into the match in paris needing to win by 27 points to finish ahead of england on countback , but the team 's preparation was marred by the absence of assistant coach shaun edwards due to a reported incident with a fellow member of the backroom staff last weekend . coach warren gatland refused to comment on the incident in his pre-game interview , saying that it was an internal matter . ' defending champions france finished second following two tries to forward lionel nallet and another to winger vincent clerc , while morgan parra kicked 13 points . wales'only reply was three penalties to flyhalf james hook , who was sinbinned for a dangerous tackle , as gatland 's team finished fourth behind ireland after three teams ended with six points each . in the day 's opening game , scotland avoided the wooden spoon by beating italy 21-8 in edinburgh to condemn the visitors to bottom place . the tournament has been known as the six nations since the addition of italy in 2000 , and started out in 1883 with four teams . france joined the competition for the first time in 1910 , rejoining 37 years later .","dublin defeat ends england 's hopes of achieving a grand slam of five victories" +"jackson ( cnn ) -- michael jackson was the pride of gary , indiana , growing up , and on friday , his hometown paid tribute to the late entertainer with a memorial and celebration in his honor . a group pays tribute to michael jackson by performing some of his signature moves . they remembered him as not just the king of pop or the musician who took hollywood by storm , but as someone with an unmatched enthusiasm and talent for entertaining even as a little boy growing up in this city of about 100,000 in northwestern indiana , 30 miles from downtown chicago , illinois . jackson 's first music teacher , anita hill , spoke of teaching jackson to sing climb every mountain , ' and remembered him as a very energetic and wonderful student . ' the principal of his middle school remembered how , at christmastime how jackson , always jumped up and offered to sing to his class . later , when he joined with family members to create the jackson 5 , he performed for kids at his school , the principal said , joking about the bargain that at the time it only cost them 10 cents to see the future pop icon . gary mayor rudy clay noted jackson put the city on the world 's map and bid farewell to the star . he 's going to put on those golden slippers and he 's going to dance all over god 's heaven , ' he said . the tribute at the steel yard baseball park in gary was full of children dancing and singing to jackson 's music , including a performance of thriller ' complete with the cemetery scene that became so iconic . some of the biggest applause of the night came after a video was played of jackson in gary talking about his love for his hometown . gary , you will always have a special place in my heart , ' jackson said in the video played on the stadium 's jumbo screen . and gary , you are more than good friend -- you are my family and you always will be . ' as a finale , about 700 people holding candles sang we are the world , ' the 1985 song jackson co-wrote with lionel richie to benefit usa for africa . jackson lived in gary for 11 years before moving to the west coast after the jackson 5 recorded their first album in 1969 . his father , joe jackson , made a brief appearance after being introduced by the rev . jesse jackson . after being surrounded by tv crews and photographers , joe jackson made his way to the stage , thanked everyone for attending and said it was good to be home . this is a pleasure to be back to see so many people here , ' joe jackson said . it 's always good to come back home , you know that . ' fans have flocked to jackson 's boyhood home in the days following his death in los angeles , california , on june 25 . autopsy results are pending .","joe jackson : it 's always good to come back home '" +"jackson ( cnn ) -- michael jackson was the pride of gary , indiana , growing up , and on friday , his hometown paid tribute to the late entertainer with a memorial and celebration in his honor . a group pays tribute to michael jackson by performing some of his signature moves . they remembered him as not just the king of pop or the musician who took hollywood by storm , but as someone with an unmatched enthusiasm and talent for entertaining even as a little boy growing up in this city of about 100,000 in northwestern indiana , 30 miles from downtown chicago , illinois . jackson 's first music teacher , anita hill , spoke of teaching jackson to sing climb every mountain , ' and remembered him as a very energetic and wonderful student . ' the principal of his middle school remembered how , at christmastime how jackson , always jumped up and offered to sing to his class . later , when he joined with family members to create the jackson 5 , he performed for kids at his school , the principal said , joking about the bargain that at the time it only cost them 10 cents to see the future pop icon . gary mayor rudy clay noted jackson put the city on the world 's map and bid farewell to the star . he 's going to put on those golden slippers and he 's going to dance all over god 's heaven , ' he said . the tribute at the steel yard baseball park in gary was full of children dancing and singing to jackson 's music , including a performance of thriller ' complete with the cemetery scene that became so iconic . some of the biggest applause of the night came after a video was played of jackson in gary talking about his love for his hometown . gary , you will always have a special place in my heart , ' jackson said in the video played on the stadium 's jumbo screen . and gary , you are more than good friend -- you are my family and you always will be . ' as a finale , about 700 people holding candles sang we are the world , ' the 1985 song jackson co-wrote with lionel richie to benefit usa for africa . jackson lived in gary for 11 years before moving to the west coast after the jackson 5 recorded their first album in 1969 . his father , joe jackson , made a brief appearance after being introduced by the rev . jesse jackson . after being surrounded by tv crews and photographers , joe jackson made his way to the stage , thanked everyone for attending and said it was good to be home . this is a pleasure to be back to see so many people here , ' joe jackson said . it 's always good to come back home , you know that . ' fans have flocked to jackson 's boyhood home in the days following his death in los angeles , california , on june 25 . autopsy results are pending .","children , groups sing and dance to pay tribute to jackson" +"unicef bekaa valley , lebanon ( cnn ) -- in my nine years as a unicef ambassador , i 've been to camps for people displaced by conflict . though hardly luxurious , they usually have some kind of structure : a water source , latrines , even schools . in lebanon , even the most basic services are hard to come by as the small country staggers from the flow of refugees from its larger neighbor . the places i saw had no toilets , no clean water sources , no places to shower and no areas for cooking . cases of painful scabies , lice and fleas are on the rise . i met mothers and children who have witnessed unspeakable acts of violence , including the death of loved ones . often arriving in lebanon with no more than the clothes on their backs , moms are trying to hold their families together with no idea how they will feed , clothe or shelter their traumatized kids . many of these refugees lived a middle-class life in syria , where they had homes , jobs , electricity and plumbing . visit unicef 's website to find out how you can help now , their savings have dwindled and many of them are dependent on the generosity and hospitality of strangers . they are living in tents constructed from discarded objects such as burlap sacks and plastic sheets . they might rent land from a farmer or squat in an abandoned construction site . these new homes ' leave them exposed to all sorts of dangers , respiratory infections and other diseases . and because there are no official camps , people are scattered , which makes identifying the informal settlement sites extremely challenging . we traveled to a cement factory , where some syrian mothers were renting tiny rooms to house their entire families . i noticed one young girl who had dull , patchy skin . her eyes sparkled and she was quick to smile , but her hair , eyebrows and lashes were sparse . when i asked about what happened , i was told that she became ill after playing in the factory 's toxic waste . since january , the number of syrian refugees in lebanon has increased nearly six-fold . more than a million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid . considering lebanon has a population of 4 million people , this is a crisis of epic scale that is putting enormous strain on local communities . according to unicef , there are more than 270,000 refugee children who are not in school in the country ; by the end of the year , the number could exceed 400,000 . some of them have missed out on more than a year of learning . syrian children can enroll in public schools in lebanon as long as there is space , but many schools are already at capacity . in the united states , much of the discussion about syria has been focused on politics . but for the kids i met , and millions more like them all across the region , politics is the farthest thing from their minds . despite bearing no responsibility for the violence , children are paying the heaviest price for the conflict . they desperately need water , medical attention , sanitation , psychological support and the opportunity to receive an education , but there are simply not enough resources to alleviate suffering . in spite of the enormity of the crisis , funding for lifesaving aid is in short supply . unicef still needs $ 172 million this year to assist syrian refugees across the region , which means programs to support these children are threatened . clean water , schools , health care and nutrition are all at risk . i was overwhelmed by the deprivation and trauma the children we met have endured . but they rushed up to us with kisses and hugs , asking only for the chance to go to school . they deserve that chance . what 's at stake is an entire generation of children who are carrying the emotional and physical scars of war . time is running out for them . they need our help to stay alive , to go to school and to be kids again . frustration in congress with aid to syrian rebels","unicef needs $ 172 million to provide clean water , schools , health care and nutrition" +"unicef bekaa valley , lebanon ( cnn ) -- in my nine years as a unicef ambassador , i 've been to camps for people displaced by conflict . though hardly luxurious , they usually have some kind of structure : a water source , latrines , even schools . in lebanon , even the most basic services are hard to come by as the small country staggers from the flow of refugees from its larger neighbor . the places i saw had no toilets , no clean water sources , no places to shower and no areas for cooking . cases of painful scabies , lice and fleas are on the rise . i met mothers and children who have witnessed unspeakable acts of violence , including the death of loved ones . often arriving in lebanon with no more than the clothes on their backs , moms are trying to hold their families together with no idea how they will feed , clothe or shelter their traumatized kids . many of these refugees lived a middle-class life in syria , where they had homes , jobs , electricity and plumbing . visit unicef 's website to find out how you can help now , their savings have dwindled and many of them are dependent on the generosity and hospitality of strangers . they are living in tents constructed from discarded objects such as burlap sacks and plastic sheets . they might rent land from a farmer or squat in an abandoned construction site . these new homes ' leave them exposed to all sorts of dangers , respiratory infections and other diseases . and because there are no official camps , people are scattered , which makes identifying the informal settlement sites extremely challenging . we traveled to a cement factory , where some syrian mothers were renting tiny rooms to house their entire families . i noticed one young girl who had dull , patchy skin . her eyes sparkled and she was quick to smile , but her hair , eyebrows and lashes were sparse . when i asked about what happened , i was told that she became ill after playing in the factory 's toxic waste . since january , the number of syrian refugees in lebanon has increased nearly six-fold . more than a million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid . considering lebanon has a population of 4 million people , this is a crisis of epic scale that is putting enormous strain on local communities . according to unicef , there are more than 270,000 refugee children who are not in school in the country ; by the end of the year , the number could exceed 400,000 . some of them have missed out on more than a year of learning . syrian children can enroll in public schools in lebanon as long as there is space , but many schools are already at capacity . in the united states , much of the discussion about syria has been focused on politics . but for the kids i met , and millions more like them all across the region , politics is the farthest thing from their minds . despite bearing no responsibility for the violence , children are paying the heaviest price for the conflict . they desperately need water , medical attention , sanitation , psychological support and the opportunity to receive an education , but there are simply not enough resources to alleviate suffering . in spite of the enormity of the crisis , funding for lifesaving aid is in short supply . unicef still needs $ 172 million this year to assist syrian refugees across the region , which means programs to support these children are threatened . clean water , schools , health care and nutrition are all at risk . i was overwhelmed by the deprivation and trauma the children we met have endured . but they rushed up to us with kisses and hugs , asking only for the chance to go to school . they deserve that chance . what 's at stake is an entire generation of children who are carrying the emotional and physical scars of war . time is running out for them . they need our help to stay alive , to go to school and to be kids again . frustration in congress with aid to syrian rebels","unicef ambassador lucy liu visited syrian refugees in lebanon" +"guangzhou ( cnn ) in 1985 , meng weina set up china 's first private special needs school in the southern city of guangzhou . as a single mother she was motivated to help those who are often overlooked by the country 's health care system and stigmatized by society . from her first center in guangzhou , weina now has hui ling operations in a dozen cities across china providing a range of services , from kindergartens and primary schools to youth workshops and adult residential homes . the expansion of the donation-funded ngo shows not just the success of the weina 's vision but the desperate need for mental health care provision in china . we estimate that only 10 % of people with intellectual disabilities in china are receiving some kind of care or help , ' said weina . according to a 2009 study published in british medical journal the lancet , around 173 million chinese suffer from a mental disorder . however there are only 20,000 psychiatrists , equaling 1.5 for each 100,000 people , or a tenth of the ratio in the united states . mental health legislation last year saw the introduction of china 's first mental health legislation , which took a reported 27 years to pass . among the changes from the law are new financing initiatives for mental health services and training for primary care-givers . perhaps the most significant was a new set of rights for patients , including not being hospitalized against their will . negative perceptions of those with metal health problems are often portrayed in the media in china ; they are either victims or perpetrators of violence . weina knows that each individual that comes to a hui ling center has their own set of needs and unique personality , and helping bring out their best encourages her to keep working . i wanted to do something to make my life worth while , ' said weina . when i see the smiles on their faces , when i see that these adults are truly happy to be at hui ling , that for me is the happiest moment . '","from the first center in guangzhou there are now hui ling operations in a dozen chinese cities" +"hillary clinton the clintons left the white house more than a dozen years ago dead broke ' and in debt , according to hillary clinton , who defended the hefty speaking fees she commands since stepping down as secretary of state last year . in a wide-ranging interview with abc 's diane sawyer that aired on monday , the former secretary of state also said that the deadly 2012 terror attack on the u.s. diplomatic compound in benghazi , libya , would give her more of a reason to run ' for president again than a rationale for not doing so . the interview comes just as clinton 's new book , hard choices , ' about her years as barack obama 's first secretary of state hits bookstores on tuesday . it 's the latest look at her storied career in the global spotlight as first lady , u.s. senator , presidential candidate and top diplomat . she made headlines in a clip of the interview that aired on good morning america ' in which she defended her hefty speaking fees , noting that she knew what it was like to experience tough financial circumstances in the winter of 2001 . she said her family came out of the white house not only dead broke but in debt , ' adding later that her family had no money ' at that time and struggled to piece together the resources ' for mortgages and her daughter chelsea 's college education . you know , it was not easy , ' she said . the clintons departed the white house in debt due to enormous legal fees . by the end of 2000 , their debt totaled somewhere between $ 2.28 million to $ 10.6 million . but former presidents and first ladies have the ability to make a lot of money , and the clintons were no exception and have done so . their assets grew quickly . bill clinton made more than $ 9.2 million in speaking fees in 2001 and more than $ 9.5 million in 2002 . they paid off their legal fees by 2004 . a cnn analysis of the family 's financial records in early 2013 showed that bill clinton had earned $ 106 million from paid speeches since leaving the presidency behind . in 2012 alone , he earned $ 17 million in fees . although she regularly speaks for free at certain events , mother jones reported earlier this year that clinton made roughly $ 5 million on the speaking circuit since stepping down as america 's top diplomat . clinton did not dispute the figure when sawyer asked about it . though not as profitable as her husband - who has made as much as $ 750,000 in one speech - hillary clinton reportedly commands $ 200,000 per speech . the two also have received hefty advances for their books . hillary clinton said the former first family eventually turned around their finances , noting that her husband has worked really hard and it has been amazing to me . ' she noted that they had to pay off debts , get their houses arranged and take care of family members . ' clinton has become a staple on the paid speaking circuit . she has appeared before an array of audiences , including trade associations , business groups and college students . asked if she thought americans could understand making five times the median income in this country for one speech , ' clinton said she thought making speeches for money was a much better thing than getting connected with any one group or company as so many people who leave public life do . ' american rising , the pro-republican opposition research shop that along with the republican national committee , takes the lead in criticizing clinton , was quick to ping her over her comments to abc , saying they reveal someone who is extremely out of touch with financial reality facing americans . ' on its website , america rising said the two homes the clintons purchased after leaving the white house in chappaqua , new york , and washington cost around $ 4.5 million combined . on benghazi , republicans contend that the attack that killed ambassador christopher stevens and four americans illustrates obama administration foreign policy failures . democrats say ongoing republican-led scrutiny is political and designed to undercut any potential clinton candidacy . i view this as really apart from - even a diversion from - the hard work that the congress should be doing about the problems facing our country and the world , ' clinton said , noting that the united states should be in the majors ' on world affairs . clinton has taken responsibility for the attack in the past and she did so again in the clip released by abc . but in this interview , clinton defended herself by saying she was not making security decisions ' for the benghazi compound . well , i certainly would give anything on earth if this had not happened , ' clinton said . and i certainly would wish that we had made some of the changes that came to our attention to make as a result of the investigation . but i also am clear in my own mind that we had a system and that system , of course , ended with me . '","hillary clinton says benghazi would be more , not less , of a reason to run in 2016" +"chinese ( cnn ) -- from street corners , buses and subways to phone calls , e-mails , text messages , online posts and tweets , people around the world commented , pondered , and paid tribute to pop legend michael jackson , who died thursday afternoon in los angeles . pedestrians in sydney , australia , watch a tv screen announcing michael jackson 's death on friday . around midnight at london 's leicester square , as news of jackson 's death spread , luis carlos ameida and his friends were surrounding a car listening to the star 's music . ameida said he 'd gotten tickets to see jackson at his this is it ' concerts beginning on july 13 in london . from a young age , you know , i used to have the video game , ' said ameida . i used to have the white suit , and i 'd wear it on my birthday . i used to moonwalk ... i remember my mum used to send me to lessons to be like michael jackson . and when i heard the news , i had tears in my eyes because of that connection i had because of all the songs he used to play . ' in glastonbury , southern england , where one of the world 's largest music festivals was to kick off friday morning , initial rumors and then confirmation of jackson 's death added to confusion and then shock among festival goers . watch british fans react » ' as i was walking back through the crowd it was the word on everyone 's lips , ' sally anne aldous , 29 , told cnn over the phone . reaction from around the world in pictures » backstage , michael jackson songs were being played in tribute , and fans talked of an impromptu memorial for the late singer at the stone circle , ' a neolithic monument in the grounds of the venue . in adelaide , australia , christos winter of the mj fan club had organized a petition to bring jackson to tour there . it did n't matter if you were 60 , 40 or 20 like i am . michael jackson 's music just spoke to everyone ... it was always uplifting and happy music , ' winter told cnn . on a street in new delhi , india , 31-year-old sachina verma said on friday , any of the baby boomer generation or , you know , people from my age or our time , i mean they have grown up on his music . literally , people have been inspired by his dance movements , by his music . tributes appeared on youtube and cnn 's ireport . i remember growing up in the middle east , influenced , enjoying his music , waiting for his albums , ' cnn ireporter rany freeman , an egyptian living in canada , said in a video submission . regardless to his strange behaviors or questionable events that happened to his life , let 's remember him as the great entertainer he was . ' another ireporter , peter maiyoh , a kenyan student studying in the u.s. city of kansas , missouri , called jackson the voice of change , ' saying he was there before tiger woods , before michael jordan , even before barack obama ... i hope people remember him for the work he did . ' on a facebook page dedicated to michael jackson , fans across the world left hundreds of messages in languages ranging from french and spanish to japanese and hebrew . watch fan reaction in tokyo , japan » ' shanghai will miss you ! not just shanghai ! .. everyone in this world will miss you ! we love you michael ! ! ! ' wrote vrishti bhowmik . kase ng , a 24-year-old manicurist and member of the michael jackson hong kong fan club , told cnn by phone she had been planning to go with four friends to his august 1 concert in london . watch fans in hong kong , china , react » expressing sadness and shock over jackson 's death , ng recalled being inspired by an interview he once gave to oprah winfrey . he said if you have power , try to give it back and help the others , and i will try to do that , ' she said . at a music store in beijing , china , jackson songs were being played , and his albums were put on special display . i rather enjoyed it ( his music ) because in my family my brother 's generation likes his music , ' said customer xu wei . many , many people in china like him a lot . ' watch reaction from around the world although jackson never played in mainland china , his music was among the first in the west made available there , as the peak of his popularity during the 1980s coincided with the opening up of the communist country . on friday , chinese netizens had set up a web site memorial to jackson , and on fanfou.com , china 's version of twitter , the pop star has become the most popular tag . fanfou user layla suen , or leilajiang , ' of shenyang city in liaoning province wrote about her memories of jackson : when i was only four , my brother demanded that i learn his'thriller .'it was the second song i 've ever learnt ( the first one being something taught by the kindergarten teacher ) . everytime i sing it at my kindergarten it would scare a bunch of little children . ' chinese blogger and media commentator michael anti wrote on his facebook page : so sad about jackson 's death , for my english first name is really named after him when i was a freshman . ' ethan zuckerman , a fellow of the berkman center for internet and society at harvard university , tweeted in the hour after jackson 's death was announced , my twitter search script sees roughly 15 % of all posts on twitter mentioning michael jackson . never saw iran or swine flu reach over 5 % . ' as jackson 's death quickly overshadowed all else friday , commentators worried that the world would forget about political developments in iran . am i the only one who thinks that michael jackson 's passing is the worst thing that could have happened to the protesters in iran ? ' wrote melissa cohen , or mcohen00 , on twitter . cnn 's emily chang , jaime florcruz , miranda leitsinger , mairi mackay , linnie rawlinson and bharati naik contributed to this report .","chinese netizens set up web site memorial for jackson" +"obama washington ( cnn ) -- minerals management service director elizabeth birnbaum resigned thursday as head of the interior department 's scandal-plagued minerals management service , the department 's chief said . two sources told cnn that birnbaum had been fired . the minerals management service ( mms ) is involved in federal oversight of offshore oil drilling . birnbaum 's resignation letter cast her decision to leave as a consequence of a decision to reorganize the agency following april 's explosion of the deepwater horizon oil rig in the gulf of mexico . the explosion resulted in a massive oil spill that well owner bp and federal authorities are still trying to cap . as you move forward with the reorganization of minerals management service , you will be requiring ... new leaders , ' birnbaum wrote in a letter to interior secretary ken salazar . president barack obama said thursday that he did n't know whether birnbaum had been fired or chose to resign on her own . speaking before a house subcommittee , salazar insisted birnbaum had resigned on her own terms and own volition . ' she is a strong and very effective person who ... helped us break through the very difficult things which we have a lot more work to do , ' salazar said . she helped us with addressing a very broken system . and all i can really [ say ] is that she is a good public servant . ' birnbaum , a former high level staffer on capitol hill , became head of the mms in july 2009 . a recently released federal report highlighted what many observers have characterized as widespread corruption at the agency . among other things , the report , issued by the interior department 's inspector general , revealed that federal inspectors overseeing oil drilling in the gulf of mexico accepted meals and tickets to sporting events from companies they monitored . in one case , an inspector in the mms office in lake charles , louisiana , conducted inspections of four offshore platforms while negotiating a job with the company , the report stated . the lake charles investigation was launched shortly after another scandal emerged from within the mms . a september 2008 inspector general 's report found regulators in the agency 's colorado office received improper gifts from energy industry representatives and engaged in illegal drug use and inappropriate sexual relations with them . salazar recently called the allegations of mms corruption evidence of the cozy relationship between some elements of [ the agency ] and the oil and gas industry . ' he pledged to follow through with the interior department inspector general 's recommendations , including taking any and all appropriate personnel actions including termination , discipline and referrals of any wrongdoing for criminal prosecution . ' mms collected nearly $ 10 billion in royalties from the energy and mining industries in 2009 . salazar recently announced that he was splitting up the agency to separate its energy development , enforcement and revenue collection divisions , saying they have conflicting missions ' that needed to be separated . the associate director for the agency 's offshore minerals management program also is leaving at the end of may , a month earlier than planned , in the wake of the gulf spill . that official , chris oynes , launched the investigation that resulted in former new orleans , louisiana , supervisor donald howard 's firing in 2007 . howard later pleaded guilty after being accused of failing to report gifts valued at more than $ 6,600 from an offshore drilling contractor . as part of the growing push to crack down on the mms , sen. bill nelson , d-florida , introduced legislation wednesday requiring federal oil industry regulators to wait at least two years after leaving government service before going to work for companies they helped regulate . the bill also would bar regulators from accepting gifts from oil companies , would require regulators to divest themselves of any stock they may currently hold in oil companies , and would prohibit regulators from part-time employment in the industry .","obama says he does n't know if elizabeth birnbaum was fired or resigned on her own" +"interior department washington ( cnn ) -- minerals management service director elizabeth birnbaum resigned thursday as head of the interior department 's scandal-plagued minerals management service , the department 's chief said . two sources told cnn that birnbaum had been fired . the minerals management service ( mms ) is involved in federal oversight of offshore oil drilling . birnbaum 's resignation letter cast her decision to leave as a consequence of a decision to reorganize the agency following april 's explosion of the deepwater horizon oil rig in the gulf of mexico . the explosion resulted in a massive oil spill that well owner bp and federal authorities are still trying to cap . as you move forward with the reorganization of minerals management service , you will be requiring ... new leaders , ' birnbaum wrote in a letter to interior secretary ken salazar . president barack obama said thursday that he did n't know whether birnbaum had been fired or chose to resign on her own . speaking before a house subcommittee , salazar insisted birnbaum had resigned on her own terms and own volition . ' she is a strong and very effective person who ... helped us break through the very difficult things which we have a lot more work to do , ' salazar said . she helped us with addressing a very broken system . and all i can really [ say ] is that she is a good public servant . ' birnbaum , a former high level staffer on capitol hill , became head of the mms in july 2009 . a recently released federal report highlighted what many observers have characterized as widespread corruption at the agency . among other things , the report , issued by the interior department 's inspector general , revealed that federal inspectors overseeing oil drilling in the gulf of mexico accepted meals and tickets to sporting events from companies they monitored . in one case , an inspector in the mms office in lake charles , louisiana , conducted inspections of four offshore platforms while negotiating a job with the company , the report stated . the lake charles investigation was launched shortly after another scandal emerged from within the mms . a september 2008 inspector general 's report found regulators in the agency 's colorado office received improper gifts from energy industry representatives and engaged in illegal drug use and inappropriate sexual relations with them . salazar recently called the allegations of mms corruption evidence of the cozy relationship between some elements of [ the agency ] and the oil and gas industry . ' he pledged to follow through with the interior department inspector general 's recommendations , including taking any and all appropriate personnel actions including termination , discipline and referrals of any wrongdoing for criminal prosecution . ' mms collected nearly $ 10 billion in royalties from the energy and mining industries in 2009 . salazar recently announced that he was splitting up the agency to separate its energy development , enforcement and revenue collection divisions , saying they have conflicting missions ' that needed to be separated . the associate director for the agency 's offshore minerals management program also is leaving at the end of may , a month earlier than planned , in the wake of the gulf spill . that official , chris oynes , launched the investigation that resulted in former new orleans , louisiana , supervisor donald howard 's firing in 2007 . howard later pleaded guilty after being accused of failing to report gifts valued at more than $ 6,600 from an offshore drilling contractor . as part of the growing push to crack down on the mms , sen. bill nelson , d-florida , introduced legislation wednesday requiring federal oil industry regulators to wait at least two years after leaving government service before going to work for companies they helped regulate . the bill also would bar regulators from accepting gifts from oil companies , would require regulators to divest themselves of any stock they may currently hold in oil companies , and would prohibit regulators from part-time employment in the industry .","interior department report cited inappropriate relationship between inspectors , oil industry" +"indiana ( cnn ) -- a police officer jailed on a first-degree murder charge in a two-state shooting rampage was on his computer at the time of shootings and could not have committed them , prosecutors said tuesday evening . brian e. dorian , 37 , was to be released on his own recognizance tuesday night , and charges against him will be formally dismissed wednesday , will county state 's attorney james w. glasgow announced . i feel horrible that brian dorian went through this , ' said glasgow , adding that evidence at the time and identification in lineups merited the charges . at no time did we stop looking for exculpatory evidence . ' a forensic analysis of dorian 's home computer and its activity put dorian at home at the time of the shootings , authorities said . the officer also told them he was watching sports programs and using e-mail . john dorian , the officer 's father , told cnn affiliate wls he was relieved ' and never doubted his son . ' police now are looking at other leads in the shootings . earlier in the day , dorian appeared in court via a hookup from the will county jail . he did not speak but his attorney entered a not guilty plea , wls reported . several friends and relatives wore t-shirts bearing the message free brian . ' there 's an innocent man sitting behind bars and somebody else is running around out there knowing that he got away with it . it 's not fair , ' jill aggen , a friend of dorian , told wls . no doubt in my mind . he 's not capable of it . ' dorian , an officer with the lynwood police department , was arrested friday in the killing of one person and the wounding of three others in the spree , which occurred south of chicago , illinois . he was held on a probable cause warrant , and bail was set at $ 2.5 million . dorian , who according to wls has been on medical leave for an injured shoulder the past year , was taken into custody friday at his residence , said authorities . the shootings began about 10:30 a.m. october 5 at a construction site near beecher , illinois . the gunman killed one worker at the site and wounded two others , police have said . an hour later and about 10 miles away in lowell , indiana , authorities believe the same gunman opened fire again -- this time on a local farmer . keith dahl was shot in the left shoulder , arm and elbow , and then was robbed . dahl told lake county ( indiana ) sheriff 's detective robert martinez that the gunman approached him on his farm and started a conversation about bees before beginning to shoot . the gunman was believed to be using a revolver -- possibly a colt .38-caliber or .357 magnum -- because no shell casings were found at either scene , lake county sheriff rogelio roy ' dominguez said .","police officer to be freed in illinois , indiana shootings" +"rogers american defense officials tuesday pushed back against the notion that china has used cyberespionage to obtain extensive design information on advanced american weapons . suggestions that cyberintrusions have somehow led to the erosion of our capabilities or technological edge are incorrect , ' said pentagon press secretary george little . we maintain full confidence in our weapons platforms . ' the pentagon was responding to a list of weapons systems whose secrets had been compromised by chinese cyberespionage , which the washington post says was in a confidential report by the defense science board . while the extent of the secrets stolen was not clear , the list of compromised weapons in the post included some of the defense department 's crown jewels of high-tech fighting : jets like the f-35 and the fa-18 , anti-missile defenses like the patriot and aegis systems , the new littoral combat ship and the global hawk unmanned surveillance plane . contacted by cnn , several members of the defense science board declined to comment . former officer allegedly leaked u.s. military secrets to chinese girlfriend but james lewis , a cyberexpert at the center for strategic and international studies , said that china could use such cyberespionage in several ways that could put american fighters at risk : to copy weapons technology , counter american weapons based on that knowledge or even disrupt their operation by interfering with the software that runs them . if you mess with that software , ' he said , the airplane wo n't fly . the missile will miss its target and the ship might not get where it was intended to go . ' rep. mike rogers , r-michigan and chairman of the house intelligence committee , described cyberespionage as tremendously serious . ' the viciousness , and just the volume of attacks , not only by the chinese but russians and others trying to get the blueprints of our most sensitive material is just breathtaking -- and they 're getting better , ' he told cnn 's wolf blitzer . he laid out why such attacks might matter . we , in some cases , have to go back for any material that may have been stolen ... and redesign it . it costs more money , ' he said . it costs billions and billions of dollars extra to try to make sure that we 're staying ahead of our adversaries with technology . when they steal it , they leap ahead . that means we have to invest more , and change that technology . it is a serious problem . ' in a publicly released portion of the defense science board 's report , the authors warn that cyberwarfare may impose severe consequences for u.s. forces engaged in combat , ' including american weapons failing to operate , communications problems , or even planes or satellites potentially crashing . one american official , while acknowledging cyberintrusions from china , said the claims of design details being compromised were overstated . the idea that somehow whoever the intruders were got the keys to the weapons kingdom is a stretch , ' the official said . getting one piece without the rest of the parts makes it hard to build a weapons platform . ' defense officials also said they have taken steps to address the concerns , and that some of the information about potential breaches was dated . kevin mandia of mandiant , a cybersecurity firm that has also been tracking chinese military hackers , said that while many key pentagon installations are well-fortified against hackers , cyberdefenses need to be deployed more widely . there 's a lot of engineering that gets done in an academic setting , ' he said . there 's a lot of engineering that gets done at the defense industrial base . and a lot of these places have been compromised for over 10 years . ' the allegation of cyberpenetration comes at a time when china has been stepping up its efforts to close the gap with the united states in terms of advanced military technology . in recent years , china has tested a missile that knocked out a satellite , conducted test flights of a stealth warplane , deployed its first aircraft carrier and developed an advanced carrier-killer ' missile for warfare against ships . china 's embassy in washington did not immediately respond to inquiries from cnn about the allegation of stealing secrets . but in the past , chinese officials have said china does not conduct cyberespionage on u.s. agencies or companies .","rep. rogers : when they steal it , they leap ahead '" +"togo washington ( cnn ) -- the unsolved murder of human rights activists in russia . their detention , torture and murder in iran . their jailing in china and vietnam . attacks on journalists in the philippines , pakistan , mexico and somalia . coups in africa and central america . all isolated incidents around the world that together made 2009 a grim milestone in world freedom , according to a united states think tank that tracks liberty around the globe . declines in freedom around the world outweighed gains last year , for the fourth year in a row , freedom house says in its annual survey published tuesday . this represents the longest continuous period of deterioration in the nearly 40-year history ' of the report , writes this year 's author , arch puddington . there were only 116 electoral democracies around the world in 2009 , the group found -- the lowest number since 1995 . but the world is doing relatively well at democratic elections , compared with some other indicators . governments are more likely to permit relatively honest elections than to allow an uncensored press , a robust civil society , and an independent judiciary , ' puddington writes . the report is not all doom and gloom . there was progress in iraq , the balkans , malawi and togo , freedom house said . and taking the long view , the world was more free in 2009 than when revolutions swept the communist world 20 years earlier . the central and eastern european democracies born in 1989 have largely retained their freedom , despite economic pressures stemming from the worldwide recession . but much of the former soviet union is in a dire state . central asia is the least free region in the world , according to freedom house , and contains two of the nine countries that got the survey 's worst of the worst ' rating . central asia 's former soviet republics of turkmenistan and uzbekistan are on that list , along with north korea , libya , sudan , myanmar ( also known as burma ) , equatorial guinea , eritrea and somalia . ten other countries and territories fared only slightly better . they are belarus , chad , china , cuba , guinea , laos , saudi arabia , syria , the breakaway georgian region of south ossetia , and western sahara , which is fighting for independence from morocco . freedom house groups countries into three categories : free , partly free and not free . a total of 89 countries were rated free in 2009 . that 's 46 percent of the 194 countries and territories in the survey , representing 46 percent of the world 's population . freedom house listed 58 countries as partly free . that 's 30 percent of the world 's countries , with 20 percent of the global population . the group said 47 countries were not free -- just under one in four of the countries in the world , but just over one in three of the world 's people . china is home to more than half the people in the not free ' category , freedom house said . freedom house describes itself as a nonprofit , nonpartisan organization that supports democratic change , monitors freedom , and advocates for democracy and human rights . it has been publishing its annual report since 1972 .","progress seen in iraq , the balkans , malawi and togo" +"city beijing , china ( cnn ) -- wei wenhua was a model communist and is now a bloggers'hero -- a citizen journalist ' turned martyr . the construction company manager was driving his car when he witnessed an ugly scene : a team of about 50 city inspectors beating villagers who tried to block trucks from unloading trash near their homes . wei took out his cell phone and began taking pictures . the city inspectors saw wei and then attacked him in a beating that lasted five minutes . by the time it was over , the 41-year-old wei was slumped unconscious . he was rushed to the hospital but was dead on arrival . his death earlier this month continues to stir controversy . in china 's mainstream media and in the blogosphere , angry chinese are demanding action . after the web site sina.com published news of wei 's beating , readers promptly expressed their outrage . in one day alone , more than 8,000 posted comments . bloggers inside and outside china bluntly condemned the brutal killing . watch the swirling controversy over wei 's death » ' city inspectors are worse than the mafia , ' wrote one chinese blogger . they are violent civil servants acting in the name of law enforcement . ' another blogger asked , just who gave these city inspectors such absurd powers ? ' known as chengguan ' in chinese , city inspectors are auxiliary support for police . they are expected to deal with petty crimes . their tasks include cracking down on unlicensed trading . they frequently are seen chasing street vendors off the streets and confiscating their goods . critics have said they often abuse their authority and prey on the weak . in the central city of zhengzhou last year , 1,000 college students scuffled with police and overturned cars after city inspectors roughed up a female student who had set up a street stall . these incidents prompted the government to redefine the role of city inspectors . still , observed jeremy goldkorn , editor in chief of danwei.org , some bloggers [ are ] saying this whole chengguan system is prone to corruption and abuse and it should be disbanded . ' beijing scholar xiong peiyun wrote in wednesday 's southern metropolis daily , perhaps no one wishes to face this question . wei wenhua 's death stands as clear proof of the violent ways of local city inspectors . it 's 2008 and another citizen goes down . when will we stand up and restrain the law enforcement violence of this city inspectors system ? ' more and more victims of abuse already are standing up . it 's the latest in a series of incidents which have pit provincial government authorities against citizens -- those who are protesting against something who are recording and blogging and writing about something that they consider scandalous , ' goldkorn said . some journalists and bloggers have even compared wei 's fatal beating to the rodney king case , when the los angeles police repeatedly clubbed him . others say this is reminiscent of the 2003 death of graphic designer sun zhigang in the chinese city of in guangzhou . the 27-year-old college graduate was fatally beaten while in detention for not carrying proper identification . the public outcry , amplified in the country 's blogosphere , prompted china 's premier to restrict police powers of detention . years ago , killings such as these would not have received such attention , and victims would have been forgotten , but with modern technology in the hands of ordinary citizens , abusive officials are getting caught in the act . china 's burgeoning economy allows a relatively freer flow of information . in september , china had 172 million internet users , 10 million more than the last official count was released in july . officials said about 4 million chinese go online for the first time every month . millions have opened blogs , too . mobile phone users also reached more than half a billion in september , according to the government . even though article 35 of the chinese constitution is supposed to guarantee freedom of speech , china continues to restrict the flow of information . fearful of the surge in internet and mobile phone usage -- and the information they are able to transmit -- the chinese authorities are stepping up efforts to monitor and restrict their use , according to reporters without borders , which fights against censorship and laws that undermine press freedom . a few internet data centers have been closed down , along with thousands of web sites . controversial blogs are blocked and unblocked multiple times . but silencing these citizen journalists is getting more difficult . days after wei 's january 7 death , a government official in tianmen city , wei 's hometown , was fired , four others detained and more than 100 placed under investigation . chinese authorities now appear to be taking these cases seriously . goldkorn said : it 's the kind of trouble that is very threatening to the party and the government , because it 's the kind of trouble that questions their reason d'etre . so when looking at things like this , in the back of their minds , is always ,'could this develop into a real mass incident that has the power to threaten the stability of china ?' meanwhile , bloggers are heaping eulogies for wei . so far , no one has seen the pictures wei took that day . it is thought his camera was destroyed in the beating . eternal repose to citizen wei wenhua , ' wrote blogger wang gongquan . in the face of violence and brute power , he lifted a citizen 's rights , conscience , responsibility and courage . ' reporters without borders said , wei is the first'citizen journalist'to die in china because of what he was trying to film . ' e-mail to a friend","one chinese blogger writes : city inspectors are worse than the mafia '" +"city beijing , china ( cnn ) -- wei wenhua was a model communist and is now a bloggers'hero -- a citizen journalist ' turned martyr . the construction company manager was driving his car when he witnessed an ugly scene : a team of about 50 city inspectors beating villagers who tried to block trucks from unloading trash near their homes . wei took out his cell phone and began taking pictures . the city inspectors saw wei and then attacked him in a beating that lasted five minutes . by the time it was over , the 41-year-old wei was slumped unconscious . he was rushed to the hospital but was dead on arrival . his death earlier this month continues to stir controversy . in china 's mainstream media and in the blogosphere , angry chinese are demanding action . after the web site sina.com published news of wei 's beating , readers promptly expressed their outrage . in one day alone , more than 8,000 posted comments . bloggers inside and outside china bluntly condemned the brutal killing . watch the swirling controversy over wei 's death » ' city inspectors are worse than the mafia , ' wrote one chinese blogger . they are violent civil servants acting in the name of law enforcement . ' another blogger asked , just who gave these city inspectors such absurd powers ? ' known as chengguan ' in chinese , city inspectors are auxiliary support for police . they are expected to deal with petty crimes . their tasks include cracking down on unlicensed trading . they frequently are seen chasing street vendors off the streets and confiscating their goods . critics have said they often abuse their authority and prey on the weak . in the central city of zhengzhou last year , 1,000 college students scuffled with police and overturned cars after city inspectors roughed up a female student who had set up a street stall . these incidents prompted the government to redefine the role of city inspectors . still , observed jeremy goldkorn , editor in chief of danwei.org , some bloggers [ are ] saying this whole chengguan system is prone to corruption and abuse and it should be disbanded . ' beijing scholar xiong peiyun wrote in wednesday 's southern metropolis daily , perhaps no one wishes to face this question . wei wenhua 's death stands as clear proof of the violent ways of local city inspectors . it 's 2008 and another citizen goes down . when will we stand up and restrain the law enforcement violence of this city inspectors system ? ' more and more victims of abuse already are standing up . it 's the latest in a series of incidents which have pit provincial government authorities against citizens -- those who are protesting against something who are recording and blogging and writing about something that they consider scandalous , ' goldkorn said . some journalists and bloggers have even compared wei 's fatal beating to the rodney king case , when the los angeles police repeatedly clubbed him . others say this is reminiscent of the 2003 death of graphic designer sun zhigang in the chinese city of in guangzhou . the 27-year-old college graduate was fatally beaten while in detention for not carrying proper identification . the public outcry , amplified in the country 's blogosphere , prompted china 's premier to restrict police powers of detention . years ago , killings such as these would not have received such attention , and victims would have been forgotten , but with modern technology in the hands of ordinary citizens , abusive officials are getting caught in the act . china 's burgeoning economy allows a relatively freer flow of information . in september , china had 172 million internet users , 10 million more than the last official count was released in july . officials said about 4 million chinese go online for the first time every month . millions have opened blogs , too . mobile phone users also reached more than half a billion in september , according to the government . even though article 35 of the chinese constitution is supposed to guarantee freedom of speech , china continues to restrict the flow of information . fearful of the surge in internet and mobile phone usage -- and the information they are able to transmit -- the chinese authorities are stepping up efforts to monitor and restrict their use , according to reporters without borders , which fights against censorship and laws that undermine press freedom . a few internet data centers have been closed down , along with thousands of web sites . controversial blogs are blocked and unblocked multiple times . but silencing these citizen journalists is getting more difficult . days after wei 's january 7 death , a government official in tianmen city , wei 's hometown , was fired , four others detained and more than 100 placed under investigation . chinese authorities now appear to be taking these cases seriously . goldkorn said : it 's the kind of trouble that is very threatening to the party and the government , because it 's the kind of trouble that questions their reason d'etre . so when looking at things like this , in the back of their minds , is always ,'could this develop into a real mass incident that has the power to threaten the stability of china ?' meanwhile , bloggers are heaping eulogies for wei . so far , no one has seen the pictures wei took that day . it is thought his camera was destroyed in the beating . eternal repose to citizen wei wenhua , ' wrote blogger wang gongquan . in the face of violence and brute power , he lifted a citizen 's rights , conscience , responsibility and courage . ' reporters without borders said , wei is the first'citizen journalist'to die in china because of what he was trying to film . ' e-mail to a friend","city inspectors in china act as auxiliary support to police" +"white house washington ( cnn ) -- president barack obama could be among the americans traveling to cuba now that restrictions on passage to the island are being loosened . the white house said wednesday it was n't ruling out a presidential visit to cuba now that diplomatic relations with the united states have been restored . i assume , like many americans , he has seen that cuba is a place where they have a beautiful climate and a lot of fun things to do , ' white house press secretary josh earnest said . if there 's an opportunity for the president to visit i 'm sure that he would n't turn it down . ' the obama administration on wednesday said it was easing restrictions on certain types of travel to cuba , including visits to family members , trips by journalists and religious activities . but the new rules still do not permit u.s. tourists to visit the island . a visit by the president to cuba would be historic ; even a phone call between obama and cuban president raul castro on tuesday marked the first presidential engagement between the two nations since the cuban revolution . obama said wednesday that high-ranking u.s. officials would visit cuba soon to begin to establish a presence there . commerce secretary penny pritzker will travel there in the near future , and secretary of state john kerry said he looked forward to being the first secretary of state in 60 years to visit cuba . '","the white house would n't rule out a possible presidential visit to cuba" +"hayes new haven , connecticut ( cnn ) -- a court clerk at the trial of steven hayes , who was convicted of capital murder in a 2007 connecticut home invasion , read tuesday from writings of hayes'alleged accomplice describing the incident in graphic detail . i swung again , and then again ... a look of stunned shock in his eyes , ' wrote joshua komisarjevsky about the nighttime attack with a bat on dr. william petit , who was sleeping on the porch when the attack began that july night , and proved to be the lone survivor . prosecutors allege hayes and komisarjevsky invaded the petit home , beat hawke-petit 's husband bloody , strangled hawke-petit , set the house afire and tried to flee . the crime shocked the well-to-do new haven suburb of cheshire and drew national attention . the writings , read aloud to the jury by a court clerk during tuesday 's penalty phase of hayes'trial , were selected from a 40-page letter komisarjevsky wrote to author brian mcdonald in 2008 . they describe the men moving on to the bedrooms where jennifer hawke-petit and her daughters , 17-year-old hayley petit and 11-year-old michaela petit , lay sleeping . all were compliant , ' he wrote . this time i took a risk , pulled the trigger , and the chamber was loaded . ... the petit family passed through their fears and into terror . ... it was captivating , validating that this pain in me was real . ... i was looking right at my personal demon , reflected back in their eyes . ... hayley is a fighter ; she tried time and time again to free herself . ... mr. petit is a coward ; he ran away when he thought his life was threatened , and ran away to leave his wife and children to madmen . ... i was cheated of my retribution , and so was steve . ... i am what i am ; i make no excuses . ... i 'm a criminal with a criminal mind . ' police testified that , after finding evidence of a bank account containing $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 , the two forced hawke-petit to go to a bank in the morning and withdraw money from the account . prosecutors said hayes took her to the bank while komisarjevsky stayed behind . when hayes and hawke-petit returned with the money , the two men allegedly set the home afire and fled . inside the home , authorities said , hawke-petit , 48 , was found raped and strangled . her two daughters , one of whom had been sexually assaulted , died of smoke inhalation . petit , the sole survivor , escaped to a neighbor 's home . komisarjevsky added in his writings , i 'm ultimately responsible for my own actions . ... had mr. petit fought back in the very beginning , i would have been forced to retreat . ... you 're the first line of defense for your family , not law enforcement . ' petit , who was in the courtroom , showed no visible reaction as these passages were read . afterward , outside the courthouse , he told reporters , i really do n't want to dignify the ravings of a sociopath who appears to be a pathological liar as well . ' referring to the 11-year-old , komisarjevsky continued , i tasted her fear . ' after she was dead , he wrote , he took blackmail pictures ' of her body that he intended to use against mr. and mrs. petit . ... what i was not prepared for was my demons getting the better of me . ' the reading continued : how could i have gone oh so far , far wrong ? ... michaela , angel of my nightmares , my pain to yours does not compare . ... you call me from beyond the grave . ... if only i could simply lie here and will myself to die . ... michaela , hayley , and jennifer , forgive me ; i am damned . ... i ca n't believe i lost control ; i hate myself/i love myself . ... i stand condemned . ' komisarjevsky added , my forthcoming death sentence will be an action of mercy . ' prosecutors had objected to the defense 's plan to read excerpts of komisarjevsky 's letters and journal , calling the writings fiction and fantasy . ' it 's kind of like'the world according to josh ,'' prosecutor michael dearington told judge jon blue . but hayes'attorney , tom ullmann , said the writings show that komisarjevsky -- who is to be tried separately -- is the mastermind here ... and mr. hayes'culpability is less . ' blue denied the prosecutors'motion to bar the writings , saying , mr. hayes is fighting for his life at this stage , and he 's allowed great latitude . ' hayes , 47 , was convicted earlier this month of 16 of the 17 charges against him -- including nine counts of murder and capital murder and four counts of kidnapping -- in the deaths of hawke-petit and her two daughters . after hearing testimony in the penalty phase , the same jurors who convicted hayes must decide if he should be executed . earlier in the day , the writings read like a how-to manual on breaking into homes . my fundamental trademark is cat-type burglaries , ' komisarjevsky wrote . i 'm a burglar ; everybody knows i 'm a burglar . ... you 'd be surprised what people contract me to steal . ' as my skill progressed over the years , i 've reached the point where i can get into a house without any tools , only night vision , ' komisarjevsky wrote . when he believes a home 's occupants are sleeping heavily , i make my way to the breaker room and start shutting down the electricity . ... i have night vision ; they have darkness . ' four journals were found in komisarjevsky 's cell , testified rafael medina , a detective with the connecticut state police major crimes unit . in the journals , which were seized by authorities , komisarjevsky discusses the cheshire case , he said . medina testified that what he read in the journals led him to believe komisarjevsky was communicating with mcdonald , whom medina described as a book author . ' visitor logs showed that mcdonald had visited komisarjevsky once , he testified . in the penalty phase , jurors are allowed to consider evidence they heard during the guilt phase of the trial . they can also consider new testimony or evidence that attorneys introduce , which might include the defendant 's long history of prior convictions and anything that casts hayes in a positive light . hayes himself could testify . the defense offered testimony monday from witnesses who had interacted with hayes through work , from his apartment complex or because of his drug addiction . that testimony continued tuesday with philip theeb , a building contractor who said he knew hayes through his girlfriend and gave him work as a painter . theeb described hayes as a hard worker and said he loaned hayes his truck on the weekend the attack took place , but on monday morning he failed to show up . ' he told jurors he had met komisarjevsky before , and tried to call him after hayes did not show up . when he first heard from the police , he said , he thought hayes had done something stupid . ' when he heard what hayes was accused of , theeb said , he was shocked . ... i could n't believe it . ' william petit has said he will not offer a victim impact statement during hayes'penalty phase , saying in a statement he regretfully ' decided against doing so because connecticut 's law on victim impact statements is unclear and could provide convicts with grounds to appeal their sentences . after wednesday , when just one witness is scheduled to testify , no testimony will occur as the judge and attorneys work on jury instructions . testimony is to resume monday .","hayes was convicted of capital murder in the 2007 home invasion" +"ham yard hotel ( cnn ) -- ah , london . theater . art . fashion . shopping . nightlife . meals you 'll never forget ( and that can be meant , now , in a good way . ) is there anything she does n't do superlatively ? like every glittering metropolis , however , it can be easy to miss the highlights amid all the noise and haste . this mini-guide is filled with the information you need to get in and out of london while impressing the clients and co-workers and still having time to eat royally , take jealousy-inducing pictures and pick up the kinds of souvenirs the folks back home will actually keep . fastest airport transport london has several international airports and all are serviced by public transportation into central london in around an hour and a half . but why struggle on and off trains with luggage if you do n't have to ? by far the most comfortable way to get from the airport into the city is by using a car service . one of the most reliable local services is addison lee . the company says it can get you into central london from heathrow in 45 minutes ( $ 72 ) and from gatwick in an hour and 20 minutes ( $ 111 ) . good news if you use ride-share service uber . it works in london . addison lee , +44 ( 0 ) 20 7387 8888 great rooms , great views london has plenty of high-end accommodations , from heritage hotels to glossy futuristic skyscrapers . for old world style , claridge 's is a top choice . its opulent art deco interiors have played host to stars like audrey hepburn and cary grant . some deluxe king rooms have views of brook street , a mayfair parade lined with fine restaurants and lavish boutiques . for quirky design and english eccentric styling , the ham yard hotel in vibrant soho is a good bet . each room is individually designed with bold patterns and luxurious fabrics . room 302 offers views over the bohemian party district . if the diversions of soho are n't enough , the hotel has its own movie theater and bowling alley . for london 's most breathtaking views , you ca n't go wrong with the new shangri-la at the shard , in london 's tallest building . it 's located in the london bridge area , which gives easy access to the city and is a few steps away from borough market , the city 's finest open-air food market . the hotel 's iconic city view room offers floor-to-ceiling windows that allow you to gaze across the thames river at st. paul 's cathedral , big ben and the gherkin . claridge 's , brook street ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7629 8860 ham yard hotel , 4 richmond mews ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 3642 2000 shangri-la at the shard , 31 st. thomas st. ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7234 8088 best meals london is teeming with competitive foodies and the best restaurants are often filled weeks in advance -- it 's wise to book ahead . michelin-starred gymkhana is an elegant raj-era india ' place to sample high-end anglo-indian -- a kind of adopted national cuisine in the uk . for the perfect experience , chef-owner karam sethi recommends muntjac biryani , which combines indian spices with the best british game produce . he also suggests kid goat keema -- and opt to add bheja , ' brains , for extra richness . another london institution that gives international flavors the modern british treatment is ottolenghi , owned by jerusalemite chef yotam ottolenghi , who 's known for his bestselling cookbooks . the menu changes regularly but ottolenghi says roasted aubergine is a must -- it 's always on the menu and currently with nutty almond yoghurt , pickled chili and paprika toasted almonds . night owls who like views as fancy as the food should try duck and waffle , on the 40th floor of a skyscraper near london 's hip east end . it 's open 24/7 . executive chef daniel doherty advises diners to order the signature dish : a fluffy belgian waffle with a fried duck egg and mustard-infused maple syrup . for traditional english with a twist there 's dinner by heston blumenthal , at the mandarin oriental hotel in hyde park . the celebrated restaurant serves big flavors inspired by recipes from the uk 's daddy of molecular gastronomy . iconic dishes include tipsy cake with spit-roasted pineapple and meat fruit ( a tangy layer of fruit jelly , shaped like a mandarin , encasing a silky chicken liver parfait ) . gymkhana , 42 albemarle st. , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 3011 5900 ottolenghi , 287 upper st. , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7288 1454 duck and waffle , 110 bishopsgate , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 3640 7310 dinner by heston blumenthal , 66 knightsbridge , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7201 3833 unique clothes all the big international brands are represented in london and there are plenty of high-end department stores , but the best-kept secret is the city 's boutiques , which show off the wealth of homegrown fashion . for immaculate tailoring with eccentric touches , both men and women head to british institution paul smith 's newest shop in mayfair to invest in their business wardrobes . these include this season 's chartreuse cashmere-blend epsom coat and slim-fit navy wool suit , with trademark modish tailoring . contemporary british menswear is all about a minimalist , utilitarian look . you can nail the style with a few pieces from albam in soho . there 's the new slim jean made with japanese selvedge denim or the scottish virgin wool shawl neck sweater . but you have n't shopped in london until you 've been to liberty . a department store with the feel of a boutique , it stocks high-end cosmetics , designer sunglasses , jewelry , vintage handbags and home wares , as well as an impressive selection of items from international and british designers . among these are the oxblood liberty print rucksack and the barbour olive hooded game parka . paul smith , 9 albemarle st. , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7493 4565 albam , 23 beak st. , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 3157 7000 liberty , regent street , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7734 1234 best selfie spots as london was named selfie capital of the world earlier this year , it 'd be wrong to leave without getting a few . the obvious places remain the best . for the houses of parliament and big ben , you 'll get the best shot by walking halfway across westminster bridge , which crosses the thames . for a stunning picture of yourself next to st. paul 's cathedral , go to the millennium bridge , which runs between the cathedral and the tate modern art gallery . if you can round up a few friends , there 's always the crossing at abbey road , where you can recreate the iconic 1969 beatles album cover and appear on the new abbey road studios crossing cam . neighborhoods in a nutshell one of the joys of london is its neighborhoods . locals talk about each area as a village ' with its own identity and feel . here 's a brief selection that you wo n't regret taking time out of your day to explore . covent garden the charms of this theater , shopping and eating district are hard to beat . covent garden was one of london 's first markets and the marketplace still stands in the piazza , where you 'll find street performers and al fresco stalls . for shopping , you can head for the narrow streets near the tube station or see if you can score a last-minute ticket at the royal opera house . covent garden , bow street , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7420 5856 bloomsbury the heart of london 's academic district is a stone 's throw from the west end . leafy and grand , full of garden squares and georgian terraces , this is where you 'll find the british museum and the university of london . it 's also culturally significant , giving its name to the bloomsbury group of artists , the most famous of whom was virginia woolf . karl marx and charles darwin worked on their theories here , too . british museum , great russell street , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7323 8299 notting hill a few tube stops west of central london , this well-heeled area around westbourne grove and ledbury road is full of boutiques and cafes , while portobello road , lined with charming terraces of pastel-colored houses , has an excellent antiques market . one of the surprises of the area is the cultural mix , with afro-caribbean roots culture and trendy wealth rubbing against each other . the mix finds its full expression each august at the notting hill carnival , the largest street fair of its kind in europe . decent souvenirs there 's no need to go home with a pair of union jack boxer shorts or a gold-edged plate with a picture of kate and wills in the middle . london 's many art galleries all have shops attached and are a great source of presents and souvenirs that are tasteful and different . at the tate modern shop , you can pick up a reproduction of a 1950s matisse exhibition poster ( $ 40 ) or a tea towel printed with a turner landscape ( $ 12 ) . alternatively , the award-winning snowden flood shop specializes in well-designed souvenirs . highlights include a beautiful regent 's park scented candle , perfumed with oak , bay and rosemary oils , or a tower bridge dinner plate . tate modern , bankside , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7887 8888 snowden flood , unit 1.01 oxo tower , bargehouse street ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7401 8710 former cnn international producer mairi mackay is an award-winning scottish journalist who splits her time between london , tel aviv and jenin in the west bank .","hotels offering top views include claridge 's , ham yard hotel and the new shangri-la at the shard" +"claridge ( cnn ) -- ah , london . theater . art . fashion . shopping . nightlife . meals you 'll never forget ( and that can be meant , now , in a good way . ) is there anything she does n't do superlatively ? like every glittering metropolis , however , it can be easy to miss the highlights amid all the noise and haste . this mini-guide is filled with the information you need to get in and out of london while impressing the clients and co-workers and still having time to eat royally , take jealousy-inducing pictures and pick up the kinds of souvenirs the folks back home will actually keep . fastest airport transport london has several international airports and all are serviced by public transportation into central london in around an hour and a half . but why struggle on and off trains with luggage if you do n't have to ? by far the most comfortable way to get from the airport into the city is by using a car service . one of the most reliable local services is addison lee . the company says it can get you into central london from heathrow in 45 minutes ( $ 72 ) and from gatwick in an hour and 20 minutes ( $ 111 ) . good news if you use ride-share service uber . it works in london . addison lee , +44 ( 0 ) 20 7387 8888 great rooms , great views london has plenty of high-end accommodations , from heritage hotels to glossy futuristic skyscrapers . for old world style , claridge 's is a top choice . its opulent art deco interiors have played host to stars like audrey hepburn and cary grant . some deluxe king rooms have views of brook street , a mayfair parade lined with fine restaurants and lavish boutiques . for quirky design and english eccentric styling , the ham yard hotel in vibrant soho is a good bet . each room is individually designed with bold patterns and luxurious fabrics . room 302 offers views over the bohemian party district . if the diversions of soho are n't enough , the hotel has its own movie theater and bowling alley . for london 's most breathtaking views , you ca n't go wrong with the new shangri-la at the shard , in london 's tallest building . it 's located in the london bridge area , which gives easy access to the city and is a few steps away from borough market , the city 's finest open-air food market . the hotel 's iconic city view room offers floor-to-ceiling windows that allow you to gaze across the thames river at st. paul 's cathedral , big ben and the gherkin . claridge 's , brook street ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7629 8860 ham yard hotel , 4 richmond mews ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 3642 2000 shangri-la at the shard , 31 st. thomas st. ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7234 8088 best meals london is teeming with competitive foodies and the best restaurants are often filled weeks in advance -- it 's wise to book ahead . michelin-starred gymkhana is an elegant raj-era india ' place to sample high-end anglo-indian -- a kind of adopted national cuisine in the uk . for the perfect experience , chef-owner karam sethi recommends muntjac biryani , which combines indian spices with the best british game produce . he also suggests kid goat keema -- and opt to add bheja , ' brains , for extra richness . another london institution that gives international flavors the modern british treatment is ottolenghi , owned by jerusalemite chef yotam ottolenghi , who 's known for his bestselling cookbooks . the menu changes regularly but ottolenghi says roasted aubergine is a must -- it 's always on the menu and currently with nutty almond yoghurt , pickled chili and paprika toasted almonds . night owls who like views as fancy as the food should try duck and waffle , on the 40th floor of a skyscraper near london 's hip east end . it 's open 24/7 . executive chef daniel doherty advises diners to order the signature dish : a fluffy belgian waffle with a fried duck egg and mustard-infused maple syrup . for traditional english with a twist there 's dinner by heston blumenthal , at the mandarin oriental hotel in hyde park . the celebrated restaurant serves big flavors inspired by recipes from the uk 's daddy of molecular gastronomy . iconic dishes include tipsy cake with spit-roasted pineapple and meat fruit ( a tangy layer of fruit jelly , shaped like a mandarin , encasing a silky chicken liver parfait ) . gymkhana , 42 albemarle st. , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 3011 5900 ottolenghi , 287 upper st. , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7288 1454 duck and waffle , 110 bishopsgate , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 3640 7310 dinner by heston blumenthal , 66 knightsbridge , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7201 3833 unique clothes all the big international brands are represented in london and there are plenty of high-end department stores , but the best-kept secret is the city 's boutiques , which show off the wealth of homegrown fashion . for immaculate tailoring with eccentric touches , both men and women head to british institution paul smith 's newest shop in mayfair to invest in their business wardrobes . these include this season 's chartreuse cashmere-blend epsom coat and slim-fit navy wool suit , with trademark modish tailoring . contemporary british menswear is all about a minimalist , utilitarian look . you can nail the style with a few pieces from albam in soho . there 's the new slim jean made with japanese selvedge denim or the scottish virgin wool shawl neck sweater . but you have n't shopped in london until you 've been to liberty . a department store with the feel of a boutique , it stocks high-end cosmetics , designer sunglasses , jewelry , vintage handbags and home wares , as well as an impressive selection of items from international and british designers . among these are the oxblood liberty print rucksack and the barbour olive hooded game parka . paul smith , 9 albemarle st. , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7493 4565 albam , 23 beak st. , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 3157 7000 liberty , regent street , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7734 1234 best selfie spots as london was named selfie capital of the world earlier this year , it 'd be wrong to leave without getting a few . the obvious places remain the best . for the houses of parliament and big ben , you 'll get the best shot by walking halfway across westminster bridge , which crosses the thames . for a stunning picture of yourself next to st. paul 's cathedral , go to the millennium bridge , which runs between the cathedral and the tate modern art gallery . if you can round up a few friends , there 's always the crossing at abbey road , where you can recreate the iconic 1969 beatles album cover and appear on the new abbey road studios crossing cam . neighborhoods in a nutshell one of the joys of london is its neighborhoods . locals talk about each area as a village ' with its own identity and feel . here 's a brief selection that you wo n't regret taking time out of your day to explore . covent garden the charms of this theater , shopping and eating district are hard to beat . covent garden was one of london 's first markets and the marketplace still stands in the piazza , where you 'll find street performers and al fresco stalls . for shopping , you can head for the narrow streets near the tube station or see if you can score a last-minute ticket at the royal opera house . covent garden , bow street , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7420 5856 bloomsbury the heart of london 's academic district is a stone 's throw from the west end . leafy and grand , full of garden squares and georgian terraces , this is where you 'll find the british museum and the university of london . it 's also culturally significant , giving its name to the bloomsbury group of artists , the most famous of whom was virginia woolf . karl marx and charles darwin worked on their theories here , too . british museum , great russell street , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7323 8299 notting hill a few tube stops west of central london , this well-heeled area around westbourne grove and ledbury road is full of boutiques and cafes , while portobello road , lined with charming terraces of pastel-colored houses , has an excellent antiques market . one of the surprises of the area is the cultural mix , with afro-caribbean roots culture and trendy wealth rubbing against each other . the mix finds its full expression each august at the notting hill carnival , the largest street fair of its kind in europe . decent souvenirs there 's no need to go home with a pair of union jack boxer shorts or a gold-edged plate with a picture of kate and wills in the middle . london 's many art galleries all have shops attached and are a great source of presents and souvenirs that are tasteful and different . at the tate modern shop , you can pick up a reproduction of a 1950s matisse exhibition poster ( $ 40 ) or a tea towel printed with a turner landscape ( $ 12 ) . alternatively , the award-winning snowden flood shop specializes in well-designed souvenirs . highlights include a beautiful regent 's park scented candle , perfumed with oak , bay and rosemary oils , or a tower bridge dinner plate . tate modern , bankside , london ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7887 8888 snowden flood , unit 1.01 oxo tower , bargehouse street ; +44 ( 0 ) 20 7401 8710 former cnn international producer mairi mackay is an award-winning scottish journalist who splits her time between london , tel aviv and jenin in the west bank .","hotels offering top views include claridge 's , ham yard hotel and the new shangri-la at the shard" +"mumbai editor 's note : dina mehta is an ethnographer , social media consultant and blogger based in mumbai , india . her personal blog is conversations with dina . she has contributed to building several communities on the internet , such as worldchanging , tsunami help , katrinahelp , skypejournal and global voices online . dina mehta says social networks channeled the sadness and rage of the attacks into action . mumbai , india ( cnn ) -- i celebrated my 42nd birthday on november 26 . we were thinking of stepping out for a coffee at the taj hotel that night when a friend called to say there was a terrorist attack in town . my first reaction was to switch on the tv and simultaneously go online to twitter . there was a lot of confusion , anger and sadness as we witnessed together parts of our city go up in flames -- icons and symbols that stand for the bombay i grew up in . i live about 8 kilometers from the scenes of the attacks . many of us did n't sleep much that night . some of us have worked together during disasters like the tsunamis and hurricane katrina , and we used our influence and experience to get the word out . our updates and conversations on twitter kept us connected . twitter is a social tool where social networking meets blogging . many have referred to it as microblogging , as each post -- or tweet ' -- you make is restricted to 140 characters . we did n't feel alone anymore or scared . fellow tweeters worldwide were experiencing and sharing in our pain and our anger during the prolonged siege . the morning after , a friend and fellow blogger in the united states asked me how i was coping with it all . her question was whether i found myself working it through intellectually or emotionally . my answer was that there was anger . lots of it . and i was not alone in feeling it . blogging and twitter allowed me to channel this anger . we were busy trying to source authentic news and information around lists of injured and deceased , hospitals requiring blood , and helping folks abroad and in other cities in india connect with their friends and family . some of the little things that touched me were people all over the world just volunteering time , love and attention through hugs and words of solace . one example : we had a list of injured people -- an illegible fax -- and after tweeting that we needed help transcribing it , we were flooded with offers to help from all over the world . others abroad were busy proclaiming that they would run to india and not from it . here are just a few of the tweets : • i ca n't say do n't be sad , but do n't be overwhelmed with sadness . know that there 's still more love than hate . • hugging you . there are more good and decent people in the world than hateful ones . even if that 's hard to see today . • overwhelmed by the kind and touching emails that my clients have sent since yesterday . all affirm faith in india and indians . • i join you and all the brave people of india ! • from nyc , we pray for you and thank you for your courage in reporting to the rest of the world . it has greatly helped many • just feelings of solidarity with all of you in mumbai • we all are . . : ( # mumbai • so sorry for you and your fellow peace loving indians • sadness is not the word but anger that should be vented out before we subside into our own daily life these spontaneous responses bring home so strongly that what we are dealing with is not just mumbai 's problem or india 's problem alone . this could never have happened without the social web . it is taking many new people forward on journeys that before they would n't have even contemplated . on monday , a bunch of us met at leopold café , one of the sites attacked last week , and lighted some candles and had a beer . many of us are being asked how people can contribute to help families affected , and today we meet with non-governmental organizations to try to work out how we can harness this amazing energy online into raising funds for those affected by the attacks in the short term . we 've been speaking to activist groups on different continents about how we could pool the community and our learnings to make a difference . the we ' i speak of is not an organization but a loosely joined community . we are bonded , and i truly believe that in the face of utter horror , wherever it might occur , we have a strong pillar in this emotional connection we feel as equal human beings and not in our narrow identities prescribed by nationality or religion or race or gender . this is an evolving revolution sparked by how people are using social tools on the web . of course , as with any social system , there will always be those who wish to perpetuate the politics of religion , of division and hate . we see this on the web , too . the dilemma is , do we engage with them , and can we ? there is no doubt we are being violated in every way , by politics , by religion , by a complete breakdown of security . and yet , i find i do not want to have that discourse or feed these divisions . it feels like a violation of my own person . leave that to the politicians . let me act . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dina mehta .","she says the mumbai terror attacks led to sadness and rage" +"cristina madrid ( cnn ) -- a court in spain on friday dropped the most serious charge facing princess cristina , a sister of king felipe vi , raising the possibility that she could avoid a court trial in a financial scandal . the provincial court in palma de mallorca threw out a charge of money laundering but allowed two charges of tax fraud to stand , according to the court order . it was not immediately clear whether the alleged crimes , as charged , would mean a trial for the princess . a magistrate who has been investigating the financial scandal for several years will have to determine whether to do so , an official at the court told cnn . a court trial of a member of the spanish royal family would be unprecedented . the case centers on the nonprofit noos foundation , which received millions of dollars in government contracts to stage sports and tourism events . the magistrate , judge jose castro , investigated whether part of that money may have been diverted for private use by the princess and her husband , inaki de urdangarin , who is also charged . through their legal teams , both have denied any wrongdoing . before the three-judge panel issued its 160-page ruling friday -- in response to appeals by various parties to the case -- the court official , by custom not identified , had told cnn that the princess almost certainly would have faced trial if the court had upheld all three charges against her . but since only the two counts of alleged tax fraud still stand , castro must decide whether to apply a legal precedent in spain that if the state prosecutor was n't pressing charges for tax fraud , which is the situation for the princess , then no trial would be held . a small union called manos limpias , or clean hands , is alone in pressing the tax fraud charges against her , as a kind of private prosecution , permitted in spain . the supreme court previously ruled in a separate case that a private charge alone was not strong enough to force a tax fraud trial . urdangarin and some 15 other defendants who are charged in the case are expected to face trial , the court official said . the judge has not set a trial date yet .","but princess cristina still faces two charges relating to alleged tax fraud" +"cristina madrid ( cnn ) -- a court in spain on friday dropped the most serious charge facing princess cristina , a sister of king felipe vi , raising the possibility that she could avoid a court trial in a financial scandal . the provincial court in palma de mallorca threw out a charge of money laundering but allowed two charges of tax fraud to stand , according to the court order . it was not immediately clear whether the alleged crimes , as charged , would mean a trial for the princess . a magistrate who has been investigating the financial scandal for several years will have to determine whether to do so , an official at the court told cnn . a court trial of a member of the spanish royal family would be unprecedented . the case centers on the nonprofit noos foundation , which received millions of dollars in government contracts to stage sports and tourism events . the magistrate , judge jose castro , investigated whether part of that money may have been diverted for private use by the princess and her husband , inaki de urdangarin , who is also charged . through their legal teams , both have denied any wrongdoing . before the three-judge panel issued its 160-page ruling friday -- in response to appeals by various parties to the case -- the court official , by custom not identified , had told cnn that the princess almost certainly would have faced trial if the court had upheld all three charges against her . but since only the two counts of alleged tax fraud still stand , castro must decide whether to apply a legal precedent in spain that if the state prosecutor was n't pressing charges for tax fraud , which is the situation for the princess , then no trial would be held . a small union called manos limpias , or clean hands , is alone in pressing the tax fraud charges against her , as a kind of private prosecution , permitted in spain . the supreme court previously ruled in a separate case that a private charge alone was not strong enough to force a tax fraud trial . urdangarin and some 15 other defendants who are charged in the case are expected to face trial , the court official said . the judge has not set a trial date yet .","new : magistrate in the case must decide whether princess cristina will stand trial" +"french washington ( cnn ) president barack obama strongly condemned what he called a cowardly , evil ' terror attack in paris on wednesday that claimed 12 lives and praised france for standing shoulder to shoulder ' in the fight against terrorism . obama said wednesday that he had reached out ' to french president francois hollande and pledged to offer every bit of assistance ' to help france , a country he praised as america 's oldest ally . ' three gunmen burst into the satirical magazine charlie hebdo 's headquarters on wednesday morning and also fired at police officers in the streets outside while shouting allahu akbar ' -- god is great in arabic . they have been with us at every moment when we 've -- from 9/11 on -- in dealing with the sort of terrorist organizations around the world that threaten us , ' obama said . for us to see the kind of cowardly , evil attacks that took place today , reinforces once again why it 's so important for us to stand in solidarity with them just as they stand in solidarity with us . ' sitting in the oval office alongside vice president joe biden and secretary of state john kerry , obama also stressed that the u.s. would work to ensure the safety of americans living around the world because these kinds of attacks can happen anywhere in the world , ' he said . obama focused also focused on the target of the attack , emphasizing that the assailants were striking at the universal belief in freedom of expression . ' the fact that this was an attack on journalists , an attack on our free press also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom -- of speech and freedom of the press , ' obama said . speaking to cnn 's wolf blitzer wednesday night , secretary of homeland security jeh johnson said he was confident that these ... killers will be brought to justice . ' he declined , however , to confirm comments from house homeland security chairman michael mccaul that the u.s. government was aware of the names of the three attackers , or reports that they may have been apprehended , stating only that events are unfolding rapidly . ' but he did indicate the u.s. is doing a number of things to support the french government in this manhunt and this investigation , ' and suggested under typical protocol , the u.s. would use all its available national security resources to try to track down the origin and motivation of the attackers . johnson said while this was very definitely a very sophisticated , precise and lethal operation , ' it was still unclear what motivated the attackers . we do n't know yet exactly what motivated these people , whether they received direct orders from a terrorist org or whether they were inspired by something they saw and read , ' he said . secretary of state john kerry earlier in the day addressed the french people directly -- in both english and french -- expressing american solidarity in the face of the attacks . we stand with you in solidarity and in commitment both to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause which the extremists fear so much and which has always united our two countries : freedom , ' kerry said in a press conference . no country knows better than france , that freedom has a price because france gave birth to democracy itself . ' kerry made similar remarks in french , proclaiming that terrorists who claim the satirical magazine charlie hebdo is dead , are wrong . le pouvoir de la libertã© d'expression vainquera dans la lutte contre l'obscurantisme , ' he said , meaning the power of freedom of expression will be victorious in the fight against darkness . ' white house press secretary josh earnest also pointed to france as a stalwart ally ' in the fight against isis . france is a member of the u.s.-led coalition that has carried out attacks against isis , and earnest said that the u.s. is keenly aware ' of the risk associated with that . ' he added that u.s. is still trying to determine what happened , ' but did point out that the u.s. and its allies are aware of the threat that foreign fighters joining isis in the middle east could pose if they return to their home countries and carry out attacks using that training , use that equipment . ' earnest added that top national security officials have been in touch with their counterparts in france and that the u.s. will provide resources to investigate the attack . we are confident that the people of france are not going to be cowed by this threat , ' earnest said . earnest also highlighted the need for leaders in the muslim community ' to stand up and proclaim the peaceful nature of their religion . national security officials monitoring , investigating the department of homeland security is closely monitoring ' the situation in paris , a senior official from the department said in a statement . dhs will not hesitate to adjust our security posture , as appropriate , to protect the american people , ' the official said . we also encourage the public that if you see something , say something ' and to report any suspicious activity in their communities to the appropriate law enforcement authorities . ' johnson , speaking earlier in the day , would not say whether he is considering raising the terror threat level in the u.s. , but highlighted the increasingly complex terror threat the world faces -- with more terror groups , but also lone wolf ' actors . [ these are ] actors who may lurk within our society , that could strike with little notice , commit an act of violence because they have been inspired by things they have seen on the internet , social media , in literature , without accepting a direct order ... from a terrorist organization , ' johnson said . he added that investigators are still trying to determine the exact nature ' of the attack . the u.s. embassy in paris said on twitter it has no plans to close or limit access ' to the embassy or other diplomatic facilities in france . the embassy also changed its twitter profile picture to the je suis charlie ' ( i am charlie ) image circulating in france in the wake of the attack . u.s. national security and intelligence agencies are rushing to see if they missed any signs ' or warnings of a terrorist attack against france , a senior u.s. official told cnn . for now , officials have found nothing that matches . ' the official said the u.s. does not believe the attack suggests further attacks against americans the u.s. ' our major concern is to quickly identify the individuals involved , ' in the attack the official said . u.s. officials also pointed out that the attackers were wearing masks , contradicting reports that isis leadership told adherents to show their faces when carrying out attacks . a u.s. official told cnn that french authorities are rapidly trying to find the alleged gunmen . if they ca n't find these guys right away , then they will quickly be sharing any profile information or details with us , ' the official said . white house questioned charlie hebdo in 2012 the attack wednesday was not the first time the satirical publication charlie hebdo apparently drew the ire of islamists . its headquarters were firebombed in 2011 the day after it published a satirical cartoon of the prophet muhammed . and when the magazine published more satirical cartoons mocking the prophet in 2012 , the white house questioned the magazine 's judgment ' in september 2012 . obviously , we have questions about the judgment of publishing something like this . we know that these images will be deeply offensive to many and have the potential to be inflammatory , ' then-white house press secretary jay carney said . but we 've spoken repeatedly about the importance of upholding the freedom of expression that is enshrined in our constitution . ' carney went on to say that the white house did n't question the magazine 's right to publish the cartoons , but just the judgment behind the decision to publish it . ' now it has to be said , and i 'll say it again , that no matter how offensive something like this is , it is not in any way justification for violence , ' carney said at the same briefing . paris attack quickly becomes washington funding fight lawmakers react members of congress also woke up to reports of the terror attack and some took to twitter to condemn the attack . one of the only two muslim members of congress rep. keith ellison ( d-minnesota ) condemned the attack and called for unity in the face of violence . i condemn the attack in paris today . my thoughts are with the families of those killed . i urge swift justice for the people responsible , ' rep. keith ellison tweeted . the goal of terror is to stoke hatred and division . we must stand united against people who choose violence . ' the new york police department boosted security measures in new york city , republican congressman from new york peter king told cnn . sen. joe manchin ( d-west virginia ) called the attack a horrific situation ' and said the u.s. needs to be very vigilant ' on msnbc . there wont be another day in our life that we wont have to be vigilant about terrorist attacks in any place , ' he said . sen. bill nelson ( d-florida ) called the attackers murderous extremists ' on twitter and republican sen. mark kirk of illinois also took to twitter . americans stand united with those around the world who value freedom of speech in mourning the victims of terrorism in paris today , ' kirk said . sen. chris murphy ( d-connecticut ) tweeted that he was appalled by the attack . ' my heart goes out to the victims & their families , ' he wrote . and in an interview with cnn 's dana bash , sen. lindsey graham ( r-south carolina ) condemned the attacks and pointed to the shared values between the u.s. and france . even though it 's in france , it 's an attack on us , ' graham said . cnn 's barbara starr and alexandra jaffe contributed to this report .","u.s. national security officials are working closely with french officials and are looking for any missed ' warning signs" +"french washington ( cnn ) president barack obama strongly condemned what he called a cowardly , evil ' terror attack in paris on wednesday that claimed 12 lives and praised france for standing shoulder to shoulder ' in the fight against terrorism . obama said wednesday that he had reached out ' to french president francois hollande and pledged to offer every bit of assistance ' to help france , a country he praised as america 's oldest ally . ' three gunmen burst into the satirical magazine charlie hebdo 's headquarters on wednesday morning and also fired at police officers in the streets outside while shouting allahu akbar ' -- god is great in arabic . they have been with us at every moment when we 've -- from 9/11 on -- in dealing with the sort of terrorist organizations around the world that threaten us , ' obama said . for us to see the kind of cowardly , evil attacks that took place today , reinforces once again why it 's so important for us to stand in solidarity with them just as they stand in solidarity with us . ' sitting in the oval office alongside vice president joe biden and secretary of state john kerry , obama also stressed that the u.s. would work to ensure the safety of americans living around the world because these kinds of attacks can happen anywhere in the world , ' he said . obama focused also focused on the target of the attack , emphasizing that the assailants were striking at the universal belief in freedom of expression . ' the fact that this was an attack on journalists , an attack on our free press also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom -- of speech and freedom of the press , ' obama said . speaking to cnn 's wolf blitzer wednesday night , secretary of homeland security jeh johnson said he was confident that these ... killers will be brought to justice . ' he declined , however , to confirm comments from house homeland security chairman michael mccaul that the u.s. government was aware of the names of the three attackers , or reports that they may have been apprehended , stating only that events are unfolding rapidly . ' but he did indicate the u.s. is doing a number of things to support the french government in this manhunt and this investigation , ' and suggested under typical protocol , the u.s. would use all its available national security resources to try to track down the origin and motivation of the attackers . johnson said while this was very definitely a very sophisticated , precise and lethal operation , ' it was still unclear what motivated the attackers . we do n't know yet exactly what motivated these people , whether they received direct orders from a terrorist org or whether they were inspired by something they saw and read , ' he said . secretary of state john kerry earlier in the day addressed the french people directly -- in both english and french -- expressing american solidarity in the face of the attacks . we stand with you in solidarity and in commitment both to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause which the extremists fear so much and which has always united our two countries : freedom , ' kerry said in a press conference . no country knows better than france , that freedom has a price because france gave birth to democracy itself . ' kerry made similar remarks in french , proclaiming that terrorists who claim the satirical magazine charlie hebdo is dead , are wrong . le pouvoir de la libertã© d'expression vainquera dans la lutte contre l'obscurantisme , ' he said , meaning the power of freedom of expression will be victorious in the fight against darkness . ' white house press secretary josh earnest also pointed to france as a stalwart ally ' in the fight against isis . france is a member of the u.s.-led coalition that has carried out attacks against isis , and earnest said that the u.s. is keenly aware ' of the risk associated with that . ' he added that u.s. is still trying to determine what happened , ' but did point out that the u.s. and its allies are aware of the threat that foreign fighters joining isis in the middle east could pose if they return to their home countries and carry out attacks using that training , use that equipment . ' earnest added that top national security officials have been in touch with their counterparts in france and that the u.s. will provide resources to investigate the attack . we are confident that the people of france are not going to be cowed by this threat , ' earnest said . earnest also highlighted the need for leaders in the muslim community ' to stand up and proclaim the peaceful nature of their religion . national security officials monitoring , investigating the department of homeland security is closely monitoring ' the situation in paris , a senior official from the department said in a statement . dhs will not hesitate to adjust our security posture , as appropriate , to protect the american people , ' the official said . we also encourage the public that if you see something , say something ' and to report any suspicious activity in their communities to the appropriate law enforcement authorities . ' johnson , speaking earlier in the day , would not say whether he is considering raising the terror threat level in the u.s. , but highlighted the increasingly complex terror threat the world faces -- with more terror groups , but also lone wolf ' actors . [ these are ] actors who may lurk within our society , that could strike with little notice , commit an act of violence because they have been inspired by things they have seen on the internet , social media , in literature , without accepting a direct order ... from a terrorist organization , ' johnson said . he added that investigators are still trying to determine the exact nature ' of the attack . the u.s. embassy in paris said on twitter it has no plans to close or limit access ' to the embassy or other diplomatic facilities in france . the embassy also changed its twitter profile picture to the je suis charlie ' ( i am charlie ) image circulating in france in the wake of the attack . u.s. national security and intelligence agencies are rushing to see if they missed any signs ' or warnings of a terrorist attack against france , a senior u.s. official told cnn . for now , officials have found nothing that matches . ' the official said the u.s. does not believe the attack suggests further attacks against americans the u.s. ' our major concern is to quickly identify the individuals involved , ' in the attack the official said . u.s. officials also pointed out that the attackers were wearing masks , contradicting reports that isis leadership told adherents to show their faces when carrying out attacks . a u.s. official told cnn that french authorities are rapidly trying to find the alleged gunmen . if they ca n't find these guys right away , then they will quickly be sharing any profile information or details with us , ' the official said . white house questioned charlie hebdo in 2012 the attack wednesday was not the first time the satirical publication charlie hebdo apparently drew the ire of islamists . its headquarters were firebombed in 2011 the day after it published a satirical cartoon of the prophet muhammed . and when the magazine published more satirical cartoons mocking the prophet in 2012 , the white house questioned the magazine 's judgment ' in september 2012 . obviously , we have questions about the judgment of publishing something like this . we know that these images will be deeply offensive to many and have the potential to be inflammatory , ' then-white house press secretary jay carney said . but we 've spoken repeatedly about the importance of upholding the freedom of expression that is enshrined in our constitution . ' carney went on to say that the white house did n't question the magazine 's right to publish the cartoons , but just the judgment behind the decision to publish it . ' now it has to be said , and i 'll say it again , that no matter how offensive something like this is , it is not in any way justification for violence , ' carney said at the same briefing . paris attack quickly becomes washington funding fight lawmakers react members of congress also woke up to reports of the terror attack and some took to twitter to condemn the attack . one of the only two muslim members of congress rep. keith ellison ( d-minnesota ) condemned the attack and called for unity in the face of violence . i condemn the attack in paris today . my thoughts are with the families of those killed . i urge swift justice for the people responsible , ' rep. keith ellison tweeted . the goal of terror is to stoke hatred and division . we must stand united against people who choose violence . ' the new york police department boosted security measures in new york city , republican congressman from new york peter king told cnn . sen. joe manchin ( d-west virginia ) called the attack a horrific situation ' and said the u.s. needs to be very vigilant ' on msnbc . there wont be another day in our life that we wont have to be vigilant about terrorist attacks in any place , ' he said . sen. bill nelson ( d-florida ) called the attackers murderous extremists ' on twitter and republican sen. mark kirk of illinois also took to twitter . americans stand united with those around the world who value freedom of speech in mourning the victims of terrorism in paris today , ' kirk said . sen. chris murphy ( d-connecticut ) tweeted that he was appalled by the attack . ' my heart goes out to the victims & their families , ' he wrote . and in an interview with cnn 's dana bash , sen. lindsey graham ( r-south carolina ) condemned the attacks and pointed to the shared values between the u.s. and france . even though it 's in france , it 's an attack on us , ' graham said . cnn 's barbara starr and alexandra jaffe contributed to this report .","secretary of state john kerry spoke to the french people in their language" +"obama washington ( cnn ) president barack obama strongly condemned what he called a cowardly , evil ' terror attack in paris on wednesday that claimed 12 lives and praised france for standing shoulder to shoulder ' in the fight against terrorism . obama said wednesday that he had reached out ' to french president francois hollande and pledged to offer every bit of assistance ' to help france , a country he praised as america 's oldest ally . ' three gunmen burst into the satirical magazine charlie hebdo 's headquarters on wednesday morning and also fired at police officers in the streets outside while shouting allahu akbar ' -- god is great in arabic . they have been with us at every moment when we 've -- from 9/11 on -- in dealing with the sort of terrorist organizations around the world that threaten us , ' obama said . for us to see the kind of cowardly , evil attacks that took place today , reinforces once again why it 's so important for us to stand in solidarity with them just as they stand in solidarity with us . ' sitting in the oval office alongside vice president joe biden and secretary of state john kerry , obama also stressed that the u.s. would work to ensure the safety of americans living around the world because these kinds of attacks can happen anywhere in the world , ' he said . obama focused also focused on the target of the attack , emphasizing that the assailants were striking at the universal belief in freedom of expression . ' the fact that this was an attack on journalists , an attack on our free press also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom -- of speech and freedom of the press , ' obama said . speaking to cnn 's wolf blitzer wednesday night , secretary of homeland security jeh johnson said he was confident that these ... killers will be brought to justice . ' he declined , however , to confirm comments from house homeland security chairman michael mccaul that the u.s. government was aware of the names of the three attackers , or reports that they may have been apprehended , stating only that events are unfolding rapidly . ' but he did indicate the u.s. is doing a number of things to support the french government in this manhunt and this investigation , ' and suggested under typical protocol , the u.s. would use all its available national security resources to try to track down the origin and motivation of the attackers . johnson said while this was very definitely a very sophisticated , precise and lethal operation , ' it was still unclear what motivated the attackers . we do n't know yet exactly what motivated these people , whether they received direct orders from a terrorist org or whether they were inspired by something they saw and read , ' he said . secretary of state john kerry earlier in the day addressed the french people directly -- in both english and french -- expressing american solidarity in the face of the attacks . we stand with you in solidarity and in commitment both to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause which the extremists fear so much and which has always united our two countries : freedom , ' kerry said in a press conference . no country knows better than france , that freedom has a price because france gave birth to democracy itself . ' kerry made similar remarks in french , proclaiming that terrorists who claim the satirical magazine charlie hebdo is dead , are wrong . le pouvoir de la libertã© d'expression vainquera dans la lutte contre l'obscurantisme , ' he said , meaning the power of freedom of expression will be victorious in the fight against darkness . ' white house press secretary josh earnest also pointed to france as a stalwart ally ' in the fight against isis . france is a member of the u.s.-led coalition that has carried out attacks against isis , and earnest said that the u.s. is keenly aware ' of the risk associated with that . ' he added that u.s. is still trying to determine what happened , ' but did point out that the u.s. and its allies are aware of the threat that foreign fighters joining isis in the middle east could pose if they return to their home countries and carry out attacks using that training , use that equipment . ' earnest added that top national security officials have been in touch with their counterparts in france and that the u.s. will provide resources to investigate the attack . we are confident that the people of france are not going to be cowed by this threat , ' earnest said . earnest also highlighted the need for leaders in the muslim community ' to stand up and proclaim the peaceful nature of their religion . national security officials monitoring , investigating the department of homeland security is closely monitoring ' the situation in paris , a senior official from the department said in a statement . dhs will not hesitate to adjust our security posture , as appropriate , to protect the american people , ' the official said . we also encourage the public that if you see something , say something ' and to report any suspicious activity in their communities to the appropriate law enforcement authorities . ' johnson , speaking earlier in the day , would not say whether he is considering raising the terror threat level in the u.s. , but highlighted the increasingly complex terror threat the world faces -- with more terror groups , but also lone wolf ' actors . [ these are ] actors who may lurk within our society , that could strike with little notice , commit an act of violence because they have been inspired by things they have seen on the internet , social media , in literature , without accepting a direct order ... from a terrorist organization , ' johnson said . he added that investigators are still trying to determine the exact nature ' of the attack . the u.s. embassy in paris said on twitter it has no plans to close or limit access ' to the embassy or other diplomatic facilities in france . the embassy also changed its twitter profile picture to the je suis charlie ' ( i am charlie ) image circulating in france in the wake of the attack . u.s. national security and intelligence agencies are rushing to see if they missed any signs ' or warnings of a terrorist attack against france , a senior u.s. official told cnn . for now , officials have found nothing that matches . ' the official said the u.s. does not believe the attack suggests further attacks against americans the u.s. ' our major concern is to quickly identify the individuals involved , ' in the attack the official said . u.s. officials also pointed out that the attackers were wearing masks , contradicting reports that isis leadership told adherents to show their faces when carrying out attacks . a u.s. official told cnn that french authorities are rapidly trying to find the alleged gunmen . if they ca n't find these guys right away , then they will quickly be sharing any profile information or details with us , ' the official said . white house questioned charlie hebdo in 2012 the attack wednesday was not the first time the satirical publication charlie hebdo apparently drew the ire of islamists . its headquarters were firebombed in 2011 the day after it published a satirical cartoon of the prophet muhammed . and when the magazine published more satirical cartoons mocking the prophet in 2012 , the white house questioned the magazine 's judgment ' in september 2012 . obviously , we have questions about the judgment of publishing something like this . we know that these images will be deeply offensive to many and have the potential to be inflammatory , ' then-white house press secretary jay carney said . but we 've spoken repeatedly about the importance of upholding the freedom of expression that is enshrined in our constitution . ' carney went on to say that the white house did n't question the magazine 's right to publish the cartoons , but just the judgment behind the decision to publish it . ' now it has to be said , and i 'll say it again , that no matter how offensive something like this is , it is not in any way justification for violence , ' carney said at the same briefing . paris attack quickly becomes washington funding fight lawmakers react members of congress also woke up to reports of the terror attack and some took to twitter to condemn the attack . one of the only two muslim members of congress rep. keith ellison ( d-minnesota ) condemned the attack and called for unity in the face of violence . i condemn the attack in paris today . my thoughts are with the families of those killed . i urge swift justice for the people responsible , ' rep. keith ellison tweeted . the goal of terror is to stoke hatred and division . we must stand united against people who choose violence . ' the new york police department boosted security measures in new york city , republican congressman from new york peter king told cnn . sen. joe manchin ( d-west virginia ) called the attack a horrific situation ' and said the u.s. needs to be very vigilant ' on msnbc . there wont be another day in our life that we wont have to be vigilant about terrorist attacks in any place , ' he said . sen. bill nelson ( d-florida ) called the attackers murderous extremists ' on twitter and republican sen. mark kirk of illinois also took to twitter . americans stand united with those around the world who value freedom of speech in mourning the victims of terrorism in paris today , ' kirk said . sen. chris murphy ( d-connecticut ) tweeted that he was appalled by the attack . ' my heart goes out to the victims & their families , ' he wrote . and in an interview with cnn 's dana bash , sen. lindsey graham ( r-south carolina ) condemned the attacks and pointed to the shared values between the u.s. and france . even though it 's in france , it 's an attack on us , ' graham said . cnn 's barbara starr and alexandra jaffe contributed to this report .","obama pointed to france as a close ally in the war on terror . france is part of the coalition fighting isis" +"obama washington ( cnn ) president barack obama strongly condemned what he called a cowardly , evil ' terror attack in paris on wednesday that claimed 12 lives and praised france for standing shoulder to shoulder ' in the fight against terrorism . obama said wednesday that he had reached out ' to french president francois hollande and pledged to offer every bit of assistance ' to help france , a country he praised as america 's oldest ally . ' three gunmen burst into the satirical magazine charlie hebdo 's headquarters on wednesday morning and also fired at police officers in the streets outside while shouting allahu akbar ' -- god is great in arabic . they have been with us at every moment when we 've -- from 9/11 on -- in dealing with the sort of terrorist organizations around the world that threaten us , ' obama said . for us to see the kind of cowardly , evil attacks that took place today , reinforces once again why it 's so important for us to stand in solidarity with them just as they stand in solidarity with us . ' sitting in the oval office alongside vice president joe biden and secretary of state john kerry , obama also stressed that the u.s. would work to ensure the safety of americans living around the world because these kinds of attacks can happen anywhere in the world , ' he said . obama focused also focused on the target of the attack , emphasizing that the assailants were striking at the universal belief in freedom of expression . ' the fact that this was an attack on journalists , an attack on our free press also underscores the degree to which these terrorists fear freedom -- of speech and freedom of the press , ' obama said . speaking to cnn 's wolf blitzer wednesday night , secretary of homeland security jeh johnson said he was confident that these ... killers will be brought to justice . ' he declined , however , to confirm comments from house homeland security chairman michael mccaul that the u.s. government was aware of the names of the three attackers , or reports that they may have been apprehended , stating only that events are unfolding rapidly . ' but he did indicate the u.s. is doing a number of things to support the french government in this manhunt and this investigation , ' and suggested under typical protocol , the u.s. would use all its available national security resources to try to track down the origin and motivation of the attackers . johnson said while this was very definitely a very sophisticated , precise and lethal operation , ' it was still unclear what motivated the attackers . we do n't know yet exactly what motivated these people , whether they received direct orders from a terrorist org or whether they were inspired by something they saw and read , ' he said . secretary of state john kerry earlier in the day addressed the french people directly -- in both english and french -- expressing american solidarity in the face of the attacks . we stand with you in solidarity and in commitment both to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause which the extremists fear so much and which has always united our two countries : freedom , ' kerry said in a press conference . no country knows better than france , that freedom has a price because france gave birth to democracy itself . ' kerry made similar remarks in french , proclaiming that terrorists who claim the satirical magazine charlie hebdo is dead , are wrong . le pouvoir de la libertã© d'expression vainquera dans la lutte contre l'obscurantisme , ' he said , meaning the power of freedom of expression will be victorious in the fight against darkness . ' white house press secretary josh earnest also pointed to france as a stalwart ally ' in the fight against isis . france is a member of the u.s.-led coalition that has carried out attacks against isis , and earnest said that the u.s. is keenly aware ' of the risk associated with that . ' he added that u.s. is still trying to determine what happened , ' but did point out that the u.s. and its allies are aware of the threat that foreign fighters joining isis in the middle east could pose if they return to their home countries and carry out attacks using that training , use that equipment . ' earnest added that top national security officials have been in touch with their counterparts in france and that the u.s. will provide resources to investigate the attack . we are confident that the people of france are not going to be cowed by this threat , ' earnest said . earnest also highlighted the need for leaders in the muslim community ' to stand up and proclaim the peaceful nature of their religion . national security officials monitoring , investigating the department of homeland security is closely monitoring ' the situation in paris , a senior official from the department said in a statement . dhs will not hesitate to adjust our security posture , as appropriate , to protect the american people , ' the official said . we also encourage the public that if you see something , say something ' and to report any suspicious activity in their communities to the appropriate law enforcement authorities . ' johnson , speaking earlier in the day , would not say whether he is considering raising the terror threat level in the u.s. , but highlighted the increasingly complex terror threat the world faces -- with more terror groups , but also lone wolf ' actors . [ these are ] actors who may lurk within our society , that could strike with little notice , commit an act of violence because they have been inspired by things they have seen on the internet , social media , in literature , without accepting a direct order ... from a terrorist organization , ' johnson said . he added that investigators are still trying to determine the exact nature ' of the attack . the u.s. embassy in paris said on twitter it has no plans to close or limit access ' to the embassy or other diplomatic facilities in france . the embassy also changed its twitter profile picture to the je suis charlie ' ( i am charlie ) image circulating in france in the wake of the attack . u.s. national security and intelligence agencies are rushing to see if they missed any signs ' or warnings of a terrorist attack against france , a senior u.s. official told cnn . for now , officials have found nothing that matches . ' the official said the u.s. does not believe the attack suggests further attacks against americans the u.s. ' our major concern is to quickly identify the individuals involved , ' in the attack the official said . u.s. officials also pointed out that the attackers were wearing masks , contradicting reports that isis leadership told adherents to show their faces when carrying out attacks . a u.s. official told cnn that french authorities are rapidly trying to find the alleged gunmen . if they ca n't find these guys right away , then they will quickly be sharing any profile information or details with us , ' the official said . white house questioned charlie hebdo in 2012 the attack wednesday was not the first time the satirical publication charlie hebdo apparently drew the ire of islamists . its headquarters were firebombed in 2011 the day after it published a satirical cartoon of the prophet muhammed . and when the magazine published more satirical cartoons mocking the prophet in 2012 , the white house questioned the magazine 's judgment ' in september 2012 . obviously , we have questions about the judgment of publishing something like this . we know that these images will be deeply offensive to many and have the potential to be inflammatory , ' then-white house press secretary jay carney said . but we 've spoken repeatedly about the importance of upholding the freedom of expression that is enshrined in our constitution . ' carney went on to say that the white house did n't question the magazine 's right to publish the cartoons , but just the judgment behind the decision to publish it . ' now it has to be said , and i 'll say it again , that no matter how offensive something like this is , it is not in any way justification for violence , ' carney said at the same briefing . paris attack quickly becomes washington funding fight lawmakers react members of congress also woke up to reports of the terror attack and some took to twitter to condemn the attack . one of the only two muslim members of congress rep. keith ellison ( d-minnesota ) condemned the attack and called for unity in the face of violence . i condemn the attack in paris today . my thoughts are with the families of those killed . i urge swift justice for the people responsible , ' rep. keith ellison tweeted . the goal of terror is to stoke hatred and division . we must stand united against people who choose violence . ' the new york police department boosted security measures in new york city , republican congressman from new york peter king told cnn . sen. joe manchin ( d-west virginia ) called the attack a horrific situation ' and said the u.s. needs to be very vigilant ' on msnbc . there wont be another day in our life that we wont have to be vigilant about terrorist attacks in any place , ' he said . sen. bill nelson ( d-florida ) called the attackers murderous extremists ' on twitter and republican sen. mark kirk of illinois also took to twitter . americans stand united with those around the world who value freedom of speech in mourning the victims of terrorism in paris today , ' kirk said . sen. chris murphy ( d-connecticut ) tweeted that he was appalled by the attack . ' my heart goes out to the victims & their families , ' he wrote . and in an interview with cnn 's dana bash , sen. lindsey graham ( r-south carolina ) condemned the attacks and pointed to the shared values between the u.s. and france . even though it 's in france , it 's an attack on us , ' graham said . cnn 's barbara starr and alexandra jaffe contributed to this report .","president barack obama addressed the attack , from the oval office on wednesday afternoon" +"iraq baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- kept in a derelict warehouse at baghdad 's airport for months , sleeping four to a bed with poor food and no money , hundreds of would-be contract workers are stranded , claiming they were duped by unscrupulous recruiting agents into coming to iraq for nonexistent jobs . men staying in an airport warehouse say they paid recruiters to take them to iraq , believing they 'd get jobs . the recruiters told the men -- from india , nepal , bangladesh , sri lanka and uganda -- that jobs were waiting for them with american defense contractor kbr , through a kuwaiti company called najlaa catering services . the recruiting agents charged them between $ 3,000 and $ 5,000 to make the trip to iraq ; many sold their farms or other valuables to raise the money . but when they arrived in baghdad , they said , najlaa housed about 1,000 of them -- 600 in the one-room warehouse -- in the compound within the airport , surrounded by private security guards . showers are there , but are useless because the taps are nonfunctional . many have questions about their visas and status in iraq . legally unable to stay , they lack the money to return home . asked if their governments were helping them , the men said , nothing , nothing . ' they said that when they protested , their guards fired guns upward to silence them . watch footage of the men , warehouse » najlaa 's officials in iraq refused comment to cnn . the company 's kuwaiti office said the situation was under control ' and being dealt with . some ugandan men said the iraqi police handcuffed and beat them . they say ,'if you are here for the u.s. , we 're going to show you the difference between the u.s. government and the iraqi government . let 's see if the u.s. is going to help you ,' one man said . iraqi police would not answer questions regarding those allegations . as the men spoke to cnn on camera , an official in charge of them threatened to lock them out of the compound unless they returned inside within two minutes . kbr was not involved in recruiting the men . the company told cnn it does not condone unethical behavior , saying its contractors abide by its code of conduct , including training in human trafficking . the company said when it becomes aware of possible trafficking it works to remediate the problem and report the matter to proper authorities . kbr then works with authorities to rectify the matter . ' meanwhile , men at a separate makeshift camp nearby said they were duped by different recruiters . they live off food donated by iraqi workers , and say the men who brought them to iraq have disappeared . the men in the makeshift camp said their immigration status is in limbo . their passports have been taken , or pages with visas have been torn out . help may be on the way . the men said united nations workers had visited them . the world organization told cnn it is aware of the situation and is figuring out how to assist the men . the u.s. military told cnn it takes human rights abuses seriously and is looking into the matter . the iraqi government has also confiscated the passport of a najlaa official until a solution is found . but for the stranded men , help ca n't come soon enough . it 's not fair , ' one said . cnn 's thomas evans and jomana karadsheh contributed to this report .","men claim recruiters duped them into going to iraq for nonexistent jobs" +"zimbabwe harare , zimbabwe ( cnn ) -- six zimbabweans arrested last year for watching footage of the arab spring protests were found guilty monday of conspiracy to commit public violence . the men face six to 10 years in prison or a $ 2,000 fine when they are sentenced in a harare court tuesday . they were among 46 people arrested on february 19 , 2011 , during an academic meeting where a video on events in tunisia and egypt was shown . i am very disappointed that they were found guilty , ' defense lawyer alec muchadehama said after hearing the verdict . rights activist munyaradzi gwisai said the verdict was not surprising . ' we are not deterred , ' gwisai said . we are not intimidated . ' police released 40 of the attendees , but charged the rest with treason or attempt to overthrow the government by unconstitutional means . those charges were altered to conspiracy to commit public violence . the government has said the six were plotting an egyptian-style uprising in the southern african country . critics have called the charges politically motivated . the defendants were allegedly watching video footage of protests that led to the ouster of presidents zine el abidine ben ali of tunisia and hosni mubarak of egypt . zimbabwean president robert mugabe , 87 , is not unlike the toppled leaders . he has ruled zimbabwe since independence in 1980 and has been accused of rigging elections and instituting repressive laws to tighten his grip on power . the arrests may be an indication authorities are worried the winds of change sweeping across north africa may inspire zimbabweans to rise up , too . the opposition movement for democratic change , mdc , which is in a troubled unity government with mugabe 's zanu-pf , has called the arrests an abuse of state machinery by zanu-pf to suppress the people 's views . ' mugabe has called for new elections but his political rival and leader of the mdc , morgan tsvangirai , has threatened to boycott the poll if a referendum on a new constitution is not held . in an interview with cnn , tsvangirai called monday 's judgment very , very unfortunate . one thing i would say is it 's totally uncalled for . ' asked whether an arab spring-type movement is needed in zimbabwe , he said , now we are on another path of negotiation and setting up a transitional government and having elections -- there 's no need for it . ' cnn 's zain verjee and journalist columbus s. mavhunga contributed to this report .","robert mugabe has ruled zimbabwe since 1980" +"tunisia harare , zimbabwe ( cnn ) -- six zimbabweans arrested last year for watching footage of the arab spring protests were found guilty monday of conspiracy to commit public violence . the men face six to 10 years in prison or a $ 2,000 fine when they are sentenced in a harare court tuesday . they were among 46 people arrested on february 19 , 2011 , during an academic meeting where a video on events in tunisia and egypt was shown . i am very disappointed that they were found guilty , ' defense lawyer alec muchadehama said after hearing the verdict . rights activist munyaradzi gwisai said the verdict was not surprising . ' we are not deterred , ' gwisai said . we are not intimidated . ' police released 40 of the attendees , but charged the rest with treason or attempt to overthrow the government by unconstitutional means . those charges were altered to conspiracy to commit public violence . the government has said the six were plotting an egyptian-style uprising in the southern african country . critics have called the charges politically motivated . the defendants were allegedly watching video footage of protests that led to the ouster of presidents zine el abidine ben ali of tunisia and hosni mubarak of egypt . zimbabwean president robert mugabe , 87 , is not unlike the toppled leaders . he has ruled zimbabwe since independence in 1980 and has been accused of rigging elections and instituting repressive laws to tighten his grip on power . the arrests may be an indication authorities are worried the winds of change sweeping across north africa may inspire zimbabweans to rise up , too . the opposition movement for democratic change , mdc , which is in a troubled unity government with mugabe 's zanu-pf , has called the arrests an abuse of state machinery by zanu-pf to suppress the people 's views . ' mugabe has called for new elections but his political rival and leader of the mdc , morgan tsvangirai , has threatened to boycott the poll if a referendum on a new constitution is not held . in an interview with cnn , tsvangirai called monday 's judgment very , very unfortunate . one thing i would say is it 's totally uncalled for . ' asked whether an arab spring-type movement is needed in zimbabwe , he said , now we are on another path of negotiation and setting up a transitional government and having elections -- there 's no need for it . ' cnn 's zain verjee and journalist columbus s. mavhunga contributed to this report .","forty six people were arrested for watching a video on egypt and tunisia protests" +"lemmon ( cnn ) -- the girl the taliban wanted dead has not only survived but was able to walk out of the hospital last week . but other highly publicized , vicious attacks on women and girls have not had such triumphant outcomes . malala yousafzai 's ordeal is not over yet : doctors say the 15-year-old campaigner for girls'education , whom gunmen shot in the head as she rode a school bus in pakistan , will be readmitted in late january or early february for more cranial reconstructive surgery . she left the hospital just days after gunmen attacked a van in pakistan 's swabi district , less than an hour from the capital , and killed six women and one man who worked at a children 's community center . five of the dead were teachers ; two were health care workers . the center , a charity , offered a school for girls and vaccinations for polio , among other diseases , along with maternal health treatment . yet another attack unfolded around the time of malala 's release . india is reeling from the death of a woman who dreamed of becoming a doctor . brutally gang raped , mutilated and thrown from a bus , the physiotherapy student later died in a singapore hospital . her name was not made public in india , but her cause electrified the nation . her father , who sold family land to move his family to delhi from rural india to help his daughter realize her education dreams , is left heartbroken . she wanted to be a doctor and said it was only a matter of a few years and that when she was a doctor ( all our suffering ) , it will end ,'' her father told the bbc . i remember asking her once ,'who are all your friends ?'she replied ,'dad , it 's only my books i am friends with .'' what all of these attacks have in common , along with their brutality , is that they are attempts at extinguishing the talent and potential of women -- or half of the population . in a world that needs every doctor it can find , every educator and politician who is willing to tackle the status quo , these young women offered a glimpse at a brighter future in which all can contribute . no less than investment oracle warren buffett made that very case recently , referring to the united states , which has seen its share of less brutal attempts to hold women back . what a waste of human talent ; 50 % of the talent of the country we pushed off in a corner for almost 200 years , ' he said in an interview with melinda gates . it is one of the things that makes me optimistic about the future -- we are getting to the point we are starting to realize we need to use 100 % of our talent -- it makes me very optimistic , but we still have a way to go . ' his words echoed those of the world economic forum in its annual gender gap report . the key for the future of any country and any institution is the capability to develop , retain and attract the best talent , ' the report said . empowering and educating girls and women and leveraging their talent and leadership fully in the global economy , politics and society are thus fundamental elements of succeeding and prospering in an ever more competitive world . ' until now these horrific attacks on women and girls , attacks i have written about concerning afghanistan , have been seen as shameful and isolated incidents . but they are a shared loss in a globalized world . these young women and their legacies -- malala , who will continue her fight , and the others , who will not -- are on the front lines of deciding what our world looks like . will young women who speak out on the need for education be stopped or celebrated ? will girls who dream of becoming doctors stay alive long enough to do so ? and when will we realize that their battle is one shared by everyone who dreams of a safer , more stable , more prosperous world in which more people have a stake ? perhaps buffett 's words will help enlist more fighters in the cause . because the economic and human rights stakes are high . increasingly the world is recognizing the value and the contributions of girls and women . but progress is slow while violence is tolerated . and as the attacks in pakistan show , educating girls remains a potentially deadly line of work . they wanted to kill her , ' said her father not long after gunmen shot his daughter . but she fell temporarily . she will rise again . she will stand again . ' he was right . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gayle tzemach lemmon .","lemmon : similar attacks on other women and girls trying to reach their goals were fatal" +"lemmon ( cnn ) -- the girl the taliban wanted dead has not only survived but was able to walk out of the hospital last week . but other highly publicized , vicious attacks on women and girls have not had such triumphant outcomes . malala yousafzai 's ordeal is not over yet : doctors say the 15-year-old campaigner for girls'education , whom gunmen shot in the head as she rode a school bus in pakistan , will be readmitted in late january or early february for more cranial reconstructive surgery . she left the hospital just days after gunmen attacked a van in pakistan 's swabi district , less than an hour from the capital , and killed six women and one man who worked at a children 's community center . five of the dead were teachers ; two were health care workers . the center , a charity , offered a school for girls and vaccinations for polio , among other diseases , along with maternal health treatment . yet another attack unfolded around the time of malala 's release . india is reeling from the death of a woman who dreamed of becoming a doctor . brutally gang raped , mutilated and thrown from a bus , the physiotherapy student later died in a singapore hospital . her name was not made public in india , but her cause electrified the nation . her father , who sold family land to move his family to delhi from rural india to help his daughter realize her education dreams , is left heartbroken . she wanted to be a doctor and said it was only a matter of a few years and that when she was a doctor ( all our suffering ) , it will end ,'' her father told the bbc . i remember asking her once ,'who are all your friends ?'she replied ,'dad , it 's only my books i am friends with .'' what all of these attacks have in common , along with their brutality , is that they are attempts at extinguishing the talent and potential of women -- or half of the population . in a world that needs every doctor it can find , every educator and politician who is willing to tackle the status quo , these young women offered a glimpse at a brighter future in which all can contribute . no less than investment oracle warren buffett made that very case recently , referring to the united states , which has seen its share of less brutal attempts to hold women back . what a waste of human talent ; 50 % of the talent of the country we pushed off in a corner for almost 200 years , ' he said in an interview with melinda gates . it is one of the things that makes me optimistic about the future -- we are getting to the point we are starting to realize we need to use 100 % of our talent -- it makes me very optimistic , but we still have a way to go . ' his words echoed those of the world economic forum in its annual gender gap report . the key for the future of any country and any institution is the capability to develop , retain and attract the best talent , ' the report said . empowering and educating girls and women and leveraging their talent and leadership fully in the global economy , politics and society are thus fundamental elements of succeeding and prospering in an ever more competitive world . ' until now these horrific attacks on women and girls , attacks i have written about concerning afghanistan , have been seen as shameful and isolated incidents . but they are a shared loss in a globalized world . these young women and their legacies -- malala , who will continue her fight , and the others , who will not -- are on the front lines of deciding what our world looks like . will young women who speak out on the need for education be stopped or celebrated ? will girls who dream of becoming doctors stay alive long enough to do so ? and when will we realize that their battle is one shared by everyone who dreams of a safer , more stable , more prosperous world in which more people have a stake ? perhaps buffett 's words will help enlist more fighters in the cause . because the economic and human rights stakes are high . increasingly the world is recognizing the value and the contributions of girls and women . but progress is slow while violence is tolerated . and as the attacks in pakistan show , educating girls remains a potentially deadly line of work . they wanted to kill her , ' said her father not long after gunmen shot his daughter . but she fell temporarily . she will rise again . she will stand again . ' he was right . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gayle tzemach lemmon .","gayle lemmon : taliban failed to stop education advocate malala yousafzai by shooting her" +"golden globes ( cnn ) -- it was a night for underdogs at the golden globes -- and a particularly rich one for the biggest underdog of them all , slumdog millionaire . ' dev patel and freida pinto star in slumdog millionaire , ' which was named best drama at the golden globes . the modestly budgeted movie -- about a poverty-raised orphan in mumbai who goes on the indian version of who wants to be a millionaire ' -- won awards for best drama , best director ( danny boyle ) , best screenplay ( simon beaufoy ) and best original score ( a.r . rahman ) . the victories were all the more astonishing given the film 's unlikely production history , which included cobbling together a $ 15 million budget , shooting on the streets of mumbai and then struggling for distribution . the film 's principals , including boyle and beaufoy , were thankful for the support of the hollywood foreign press association , which presents the globes . your mad , pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated , ' said boyle . watch stars on the red carpet » ' we really were n't expecting to be here in america at all at one time , so it 's just amazing to be here , ' said beaufoy . with the film 's victories at the critics'choice awards last week , it must be considered the front-runner in the academy awards'best picture race . the academy award nominations will be announced thursday , january 22. ireport.com : sound off on awards season another underdog , actor mickey rourke , won best actor in a drama for his performance in the wrestler . ' rourke , who described himself as almost out of the business ' not so long ago , gave credit to his agent for backing him and wrestler ' director darren aronofsky for sticking with him when the film had trouble finding funding . the wrestler ' also won a globe for its theme song , written and sung by bruce springsteen . watch golden globe highlights » kate winslet was n't considered quite as much an underdog , but she still outdid the odds by winning both categories for which she was nominated : best actress in a drama ( for revolutionary road ' ) and best supporting actress ( for the reader ' ) . gallery : winners at the globes » perhaps she surprised herself most of all . after winning best supporting actress -- the first award of the evening -- she asked the audience , you have to forgive me , because i have a habit of not winning things . ' after the best actress win , she took the stage in a mild state of shock . i 'm so sorry ! anne , meryl , kristin -- oh , god , who 's the other one ? -- angelina , ' she said , referring to fellow nominees anne hathaway , meryl streep , kristin scott thomas and angelina jolie . not long after , being told to wrap it up , she said , you have no idea how much i 'm not wrapping up , ' before emotionally thanking a variety of people , including co-star leonardo dicaprio and husband sam mendes , road 's ' director . see the list of globe winners , nominees another win was expected , if tinged with tragedy . the late heath ledger won the golden globe for best supporting actor for his performance as the joker in the dark knight . ' all of us who worked with heath on'the dark knight'accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride , ' said director christopher nolan . for any of us lucky enough to work with him , he will be eternally missed , but he will never be forgotten . ' ledger died almost a year ago of an accidental prescription drug overdose . ledger 's performance was widely praised and he is considered the front-runner for an academy award for supporting actor . he was 28 when he died on january 22 , 2008 . oscar nominations will be announced on the first anniversary of his death . before the show , knight ' co-star aaron eckhart told cnn , i 'm considering it his night tonight . ' the globes also honor tv programs , and in the television categories there were few surprises . hbo 's miniseries john adams , ' which dominated the emmy awards in september with 13 trophies , won four globes : best actor ( paul giamatti ) , best actress ( laura linney ) , best supporting actor ( tom wilkinson ) and best tv movie or miniseries . mad men ' won best tv drama , as it did at the emmys , and 30 rock , ' another emmy winner , won best comedy tv series . though star tina fey was announced as the person to accept that award , she let co-star tracy morgan have the microphone . tina fey and i had an agreement that if barack obama won , i 'd be accepting the awards from now on , ' he said . fey later won for best tv comedy actress , joining her co-star alec baldwin ( best tv comedy actor ) as globe winners . the israeli film waltz with bashir ' won best foreign-language film . in his speech , director ari folman expressed hope for peace in the middle east . noting the eight beautiful production babies ' born during the show 's four-year creation , he said he hopes the children can see the film when they get older , and i hope it looks like an ancient video game that has nothing to do with their lives whatsoever . ' other globe winners included sally hawkins , who won best actress in a musical or comedy for her performance in happy-go-lucky ' ; colin farrell , who took home best actor in a comedy or musical for in bruges ' ; vicky cristina barcelona , ' woody allen 's latest , which won best comedy or musical ; and wall-e , ' which won best animated film . for those casting metaphorical grass blades into the breeze to see which way the oscar winds are blowing , the globes ' may have created front-runners in some races , confusion in others . anne hathaway had won a few honors for rachel getting married , ' but winslet 's win over her at the globes creates a tighter contest for best actress . rourke 's victory is a feel-good story for an actor many had written off , but he may have to face frank langella ( richard nixon in frost/nixon ' ) , sean penn ( a highly praised harvey milk in milk ' ) and leonardo dicaprio ( winslet 's revolutionary road ' husband ) for best actor . milk , ' in particular , received short shrift from the hfpa ; the motion picture academy is expected to be kinder . the globes'loose atmosphere -- a trademark of the event , which features an open bar and celebrities sitting at large tables -- was evident from the beginning . jennifer lopez , noticing a distinct rumble of chatter as she attempted to begin the show , demanded quiet with hello ! hello ! mama talkin'! ' later , tom wilkinson , having won a supporting actor honor for his performance in the miniseries john adams , ' forgot the last name of a person he wanted to thank . there were even a couple of tv no-nos on the live broadcast : wrestler ' director aronofsky humorously flashed rourke a middle finger as rourke talked about how hard aronofsky worked the cast , and one of the slumdog ' producers uttered the f-word upon seeing he was being rushed through his speech . it was the kind of party people have come to expect from the globes , a show in which jack nicholson once bared his backside and christine lahti once was engaged in the ladies'room upon being named a winner . and , if throwing a glamorous party in these nervous , market-plunging times seems a little unusual , it 's also something tinseltown does well -- and that people are expecting , participants said before the broadcast . i think these things are entertainment , ' mendes told cnn . this is people 's escapism . ... i think in that respect they should be embraced . '","kate winslet wins two golden globes -- one for actress , another for supporting" +"banksy ( mashable ) -- uk artist banksy , he of the guerilla techniques and ever-increasing popularity , is about to be unceremoniously identified to the highest bidder in an ebay auction , which ends wednesday . at press time , the winning bidder is offering one slim dollar shy of a million . bidding started at $ 3,000 ; the auction has had 38 bids . in the listing , the seller states , i have uncovered [ banksy 's ] identity by matching up the prices of his sold pieces to corresponding tax records . i will reveal no more details ... i give you 100 % assurance that it is most certainly the full name of the street artist known as'banksy .'' the seller also says that ebay had previously terminated his auction because he was selling an intangible good ; the seller is now technically offering for auction a piece of paper containing banksy 's legal name . the party offering banksy 's identity is hardly a power seller , having a fairly sparse but mostly positive record that dates back to 2001 . at this time , we have no way of determining whether the winning bidder is being taken to the cleaners to the tune of $ 1 million or whether the seller is legitimately peddling an exclusive glimpse into the identity of a public figure who clearly wants to be anything but public . however , we read on the artist 's website that not all banksy work that is sold necessarily corresponds to the artist himself . cnn : banksy still hiding in plain sight ' banksy neither produces or profits from the sale of greeting cards , mugs or photo canvases of his work , ' the site reads . he is not represented by any of the commercial galleries that sell his paintings secondhand . ' banksy gained a bit of stateside exposure in october 2010 when he directed an opening sequence for the simpsons . ' what do you think of this auction ? would you want to know banksy 's identity , or do you think he deserves to live privately and relatively anonymously ? let us know your thoughts in the comments . © 2011 mashable.com . all rights reserved .","ebay seller claims to know identity of anonymous uk artist banksy and will auction it to highest bidder" +"banksy ( mashable ) -- uk artist banksy , he of the guerilla techniques and ever-increasing popularity , is about to be unceremoniously identified to the highest bidder in an ebay auction , which ends wednesday . at press time , the winning bidder is offering one slim dollar shy of a million . bidding started at $ 3,000 ; the auction has had 38 bids . in the listing , the seller states , i have uncovered [ banksy 's ] identity by matching up the prices of his sold pieces to corresponding tax records . i will reveal no more details ... i give you 100 % assurance that it is most certainly the full name of the street artist known as'banksy .'' the seller also says that ebay had previously terminated his auction because he was selling an intangible good ; the seller is now technically offering for auction a piece of paper containing banksy 's legal name . the party offering banksy 's identity is hardly a power seller , having a fairly sparse but mostly positive record that dates back to 2001 . at this time , we have no way of determining whether the winning bidder is being taken to the cleaners to the tune of $ 1 million or whether the seller is legitimately peddling an exclusive glimpse into the identity of a public figure who clearly wants to be anything but public . however , we read on the artist 's website that not all banksy work that is sold necessarily corresponds to the artist himself . cnn : banksy still hiding in plain sight ' banksy neither produces or profits from the sale of greeting cards , mugs or photo canvases of his work , ' the site reads . he is not represented by any of the commercial galleries that sell his paintings secondhand . ' banksy gained a bit of stateside exposure in october 2010 when he directed an opening sequence for the simpsons . ' what do you think of this auction ? would you want to know banksy 's identity , or do you think he deserves to live privately and relatively anonymously ? let us know your thoughts in the comments . © 2011 mashable.com . all rights reserved .","seller is auctioning a piece of paper containing what he claims is banksy 's legal name" +"acorn washington ( cnn ) -- the head of acorn on tuesday sharply deplored recent videos showing some of the group 's workers advising people how to set up a prostitution business . acorn leader bertha lewis defends her group at the national press club on tuesday in washington . it made my stomach turn , ' bertha lewis , chief executive officer of acorn , told reporters at the national press club in washington . it just made you sick . ' acorn workers who did perform their tasks properly did not deserve to have co-workers who did not live up to their standards , ' lewis said . so yes , i terminated those employees . ' at the same time , lewis defended the community organizing group and punched back at widespread criticism , touting the group 's efforts in helping poor people in the areas of housing and voting . she backed up the group 's legal action in maryland against the makers of one of the videos . video , shot with a hidden camera , shows conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute . lewis said that we want to hold them accountable ' for what she said was breaking the law . similar videos were made at other acorn offices . it is illegal , as linda tripp will tell you , to record someone in the state of maryland without their permission . just because we were embarrassed by these highly edited tapes , which do n't tell the whole story again , and hopefully that will come out , does n't mean that these people did n't break the law in order to embarrass and attack the organization , ' lewis said . lewis was referring to the former white house employee who recorded conversations with white house intern monica lewinsky about her sexual encounters with president clinton , which ultimately led to his impeachment . acorn -- which stands for association of community organizations for reform now -- was in the headlines during last year 's presidential campaign after gop allegations of falsifying voter registration applicants . some of its voter registration workers were prosecuted , and some other employees resigned . but after the recent release of videos , the political criticism grew . in the videos , some acorn workers advised the undercover conservative activists how to set up a prostitution business involving underage , foreign girls . along with firing employees , acorn also is conducting an investigation through an independent auditor . the justice and treasury departments are investigating the group , too . the u.s. census bureau has terminated acorn 's involvement in its public outreach program , both chambers of congress have voted to deny federal funding to the organization , and several states are looking into acorn operations . in addition , acorn suspended tax preparation services it carried out as part of an internal revenue service program . and bank of america announced it is pulling its funding of an acorn housing affiliate until it is satisfied that all issues related to the organization have been resolved . lewis contends the group also has been responsive to allegations that some canvassers falsified voter registration applications and turned in those who falsified voter registration forms . we were punished for following the law and doing the right thing , and that part of the story was never told , ' she said . and so nine months later it finally began to resonate with folks that we had not had one individual who voted fraudulently in the presidential election because of an acorn registration -- not one mickey mouse , not one donald duck , not one new york jet , giant or any other fraudulent person . ' one of the shadows over acorn is an embezzling incident involving dale rathke , the brother of acorn founder wade rathke . lewis acknowledged that the founder 's sibling embezzled nearly $ 1 million from the group . she disputed reports that a subpoena from the louisiana attorney general 's office showed that the amount was up to $ 5 million . lewis said the claim is speculation , completely false ' and not based on any documentation . she attributed the contention to two disgruntled former board members . ' lewis'group works in poor precincts across the country considered democratic turf . she said e-mails from karl rove , when he was bush 's top political adviser , show that acorn was targeted to stop its voter registration efforts because we were moving too many minorities to vote ' and changing the power dynamics ' in local elections . such critics of the group believe we needed to be stopped , ' lewis said . i do think that after 40 years of going after the rich and powerful , i think you make some powerful enemies . i think since 2004 , things have been ramped up . ' lewis said acorn has been demonized and news about it has served as a republican fund-raising tool . she said this form of modern-day acorn mccarthyism has got to stop . ' last week , members of congress were asked ,'are you now or have you ever been members of acorn ? everybody should take pause at that . everybody should say ,'wait a minute . this is not how we have discourse ,' she said , making reference to the familiar phrase from mccarthy-era hearings in the 1950s : are you now or have you ever been a communist ? ' appointed to her post in 2008 , lewis said she has been working hard to improve the group 's management practices to restrengthen , reorganize and put together the 21st-century acorn . ' i 'm proud to say that they 've made it clear to me that i will continue to be tortured for at least another year . if the board thought or our membership thought that i should resign , i would do it in a heartbeat , ' she said . i do n't think , however , it is fair to judge me as i 'm cleaning up a previous administration , and now we have real documentation that these are political attacks on us , which is unprecedented . '","lewis : acorn has responded properly to allegations , fired workers in videos" +"acorn washington ( cnn ) -- the head of acorn on tuesday sharply deplored recent videos showing some of the group 's workers advising people how to set up a prostitution business . acorn leader bertha lewis defends her group at the national press club on tuesday in washington . it made my stomach turn , ' bertha lewis , chief executive officer of acorn , told reporters at the national press club in washington . it just made you sick . ' acorn workers who did perform their tasks properly did not deserve to have co-workers who did not live up to their standards , ' lewis said . so yes , i terminated those employees . ' at the same time , lewis defended the community organizing group and punched back at widespread criticism , touting the group 's efforts in helping poor people in the areas of housing and voting . she backed up the group 's legal action in maryland against the makers of one of the videos . video , shot with a hidden camera , shows conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute . lewis said that we want to hold them accountable ' for what she said was breaking the law . similar videos were made at other acorn offices . it is illegal , as linda tripp will tell you , to record someone in the state of maryland without their permission . just because we were embarrassed by these highly edited tapes , which do n't tell the whole story again , and hopefully that will come out , does n't mean that these people did n't break the law in order to embarrass and attack the organization , ' lewis said . lewis was referring to the former white house employee who recorded conversations with white house intern monica lewinsky about her sexual encounters with president clinton , which ultimately led to his impeachment . acorn -- which stands for association of community organizations for reform now -- was in the headlines during last year 's presidential campaign after gop allegations of falsifying voter registration applicants . some of its voter registration workers were prosecuted , and some other employees resigned . but after the recent release of videos , the political criticism grew . in the videos , some acorn workers advised the undercover conservative activists how to set up a prostitution business involving underage , foreign girls . along with firing employees , acorn also is conducting an investigation through an independent auditor . the justice and treasury departments are investigating the group , too . the u.s. census bureau has terminated acorn 's involvement in its public outreach program , both chambers of congress have voted to deny federal funding to the organization , and several states are looking into acorn operations . in addition , acorn suspended tax preparation services it carried out as part of an internal revenue service program . and bank of america announced it is pulling its funding of an acorn housing affiliate until it is satisfied that all issues related to the organization have been resolved . lewis contends the group also has been responsive to allegations that some canvassers falsified voter registration applications and turned in those who falsified voter registration forms . we were punished for following the law and doing the right thing , and that part of the story was never told , ' she said . and so nine months later it finally began to resonate with folks that we had not had one individual who voted fraudulently in the presidential election because of an acorn registration -- not one mickey mouse , not one donald duck , not one new york jet , giant or any other fraudulent person . ' one of the shadows over acorn is an embezzling incident involving dale rathke , the brother of acorn founder wade rathke . lewis acknowledged that the founder 's sibling embezzled nearly $ 1 million from the group . she disputed reports that a subpoena from the louisiana attorney general 's office showed that the amount was up to $ 5 million . lewis said the claim is speculation , completely false ' and not based on any documentation . she attributed the contention to two disgruntled former board members . ' lewis'group works in poor precincts across the country considered democratic turf . she said e-mails from karl rove , when he was bush 's top political adviser , show that acorn was targeted to stop its voter registration efforts because we were moving too many minorities to vote ' and changing the power dynamics ' in local elections . such critics of the group believe we needed to be stopped , ' lewis said . i do think that after 40 years of going after the rich and powerful , i think you make some powerful enemies . i think since 2004 , things have been ramped up . ' lewis said acorn has been demonized and news about it has served as a republican fund-raising tool . she said this form of modern-day acorn mccarthyism has got to stop . ' last week , members of congress were asked ,'are you now or have you ever been members of acorn ? everybody should take pause at that . everybody should say ,'wait a minute . this is not how we have discourse ,' she said , making reference to the familiar phrase from mccarthy-era hearings in the 1950s : are you now or have you ever been a communist ? ' appointed to her post in 2008 , lewis said she has been working hard to improve the group 's management practices to restrengthen , reorganize and put together the 21st-century acorn . ' i 'm proud to say that they 've made it clear to me that i will continue to be tortured for at least another year . if the board thought or our membership thought that i should resign , i would do it in a heartbeat , ' she said . i do n't think , however , it is fair to judge me as i 'm cleaning up a previous administration , and now we have real documentation that these are political attacks on us , which is unprecedented . '","acorn 's bertha lewis says group targeted due to its voter registration efforts" +"acorn washington ( cnn ) -- the head of acorn on tuesday sharply deplored recent videos showing some of the group 's workers advising people how to set up a prostitution business . acorn leader bertha lewis defends her group at the national press club on tuesday in washington . it made my stomach turn , ' bertha lewis , chief executive officer of acorn , told reporters at the national press club in washington . it just made you sick . ' acorn workers who did perform their tasks properly did not deserve to have co-workers who did not live up to their standards , ' lewis said . so yes , i terminated those employees . ' at the same time , lewis defended the community organizing group and punched back at widespread criticism , touting the group 's efforts in helping poor people in the areas of housing and voting . she backed up the group 's legal action in maryland against the makers of one of the videos . video , shot with a hidden camera , shows conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute . lewis said that we want to hold them accountable ' for what she said was breaking the law . similar videos were made at other acorn offices . it is illegal , as linda tripp will tell you , to record someone in the state of maryland without their permission . just because we were embarrassed by these highly edited tapes , which do n't tell the whole story again , and hopefully that will come out , does n't mean that these people did n't break the law in order to embarrass and attack the organization , ' lewis said . lewis was referring to the former white house employee who recorded conversations with white house intern monica lewinsky about her sexual encounters with president clinton , which ultimately led to his impeachment . acorn -- which stands for association of community organizations for reform now -- was in the headlines during last year 's presidential campaign after gop allegations of falsifying voter registration applicants . some of its voter registration workers were prosecuted , and some other employees resigned . but after the recent release of videos , the political criticism grew . in the videos , some acorn workers advised the undercover conservative activists how to set up a prostitution business involving underage , foreign girls . along with firing employees , acorn also is conducting an investigation through an independent auditor . the justice and treasury departments are investigating the group , too . the u.s. census bureau has terminated acorn 's involvement in its public outreach program , both chambers of congress have voted to deny federal funding to the organization , and several states are looking into acorn operations . in addition , acorn suspended tax preparation services it carried out as part of an internal revenue service program . and bank of america announced it is pulling its funding of an acorn housing affiliate until it is satisfied that all issues related to the organization have been resolved . lewis contends the group also has been responsive to allegations that some canvassers falsified voter registration applications and turned in those who falsified voter registration forms . we were punished for following the law and doing the right thing , and that part of the story was never told , ' she said . and so nine months later it finally began to resonate with folks that we had not had one individual who voted fraudulently in the presidential election because of an acorn registration -- not one mickey mouse , not one donald duck , not one new york jet , giant or any other fraudulent person . ' one of the shadows over acorn is an embezzling incident involving dale rathke , the brother of acorn founder wade rathke . lewis acknowledged that the founder 's sibling embezzled nearly $ 1 million from the group . she disputed reports that a subpoena from the louisiana attorney general 's office showed that the amount was up to $ 5 million . lewis said the claim is speculation , completely false ' and not based on any documentation . she attributed the contention to two disgruntled former board members . ' lewis'group works in poor precincts across the country considered democratic turf . she said e-mails from karl rove , when he was bush 's top political adviser , show that acorn was targeted to stop its voter registration efforts because we were moving too many minorities to vote ' and changing the power dynamics ' in local elections . such critics of the group believe we needed to be stopped , ' lewis said . i do think that after 40 years of going after the rich and powerful , i think you make some powerful enemies . i think since 2004 , things have been ramped up . ' lewis said acorn has been demonized and news about it has served as a republican fund-raising tool . she said this form of modern-day acorn mccarthyism has got to stop . ' last week , members of congress were asked ,'are you now or have you ever been members of acorn ? everybody should take pause at that . everybody should say ,'wait a minute . this is not how we have discourse ,' she said , making reference to the familiar phrase from mccarthy-era hearings in the 1950s : are you now or have you ever been a communist ? ' appointed to her post in 2008 , lewis said she has been working hard to improve the group 's management practices to restrengthen , reorganize and put together the 21st-century acorn . ' i 'm proud to say that they 've made it clear to me that i will continue to be tortured for at least another year . if the board thought or our membership thought that i should resign , i would do it in a heartbeat , ' she said . i do n't think , however , it is fair to judge me as i 'm cleaning up a previous administration , and now we have real documentation that these are political attacks on us , which is unprecedented . '","acorn leader defends community organizing group at national press club" +"acorn washington ( cnn ) -- the head of acorn on tuesday sharply deplored recent videos showing some of the group 's workers advising people how to set up a prostitution business . acorn leader bertha lewis defends her group at the national press club on tuesday in washington . it made my stomach turn , ' bertha lewis , chief executive officer of acorn , told reporters at the national press club in washington . it just made you sick . ' acorn workers who did perform their tasks properly did not deserve to have co-workers who did not live up to their standards , ' lewis said . so yes , i terminated those employees . ' at the same time , lewis defended the community organizing group and punched back at widespread criticism , touting the group 's efforts in helping poor people in the areas of housing and voting . she backed up the group 's legal action in maryland against the makers of one of the videos . video , shot with a hidden camera , shows conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute . lewis said that we want to hold them accountable ' for what she said was breaking the law . similar videos were made at other acorn offices . it is illegal , as linda tripp will tell you , to record someone in the state of maryland without their permission . just because we were embarrassed by these highly edited tapes , which do n't tell the whole story again , and hopefully that will come out , does n't mean that these people did n't break the law in order to embarrass and attack the organization , ' lewis said . lewis was referring to the former white house employee who recorded conversations with white house intern monica lewinsky about her sexual encounters with president clinton , which ultimately led to his impeachment . acorn -- which stands for association of community organizations for reform now -- was in the headlines during last year 's presidential campaign after gop allegations of falsifying voter registration applicants . some of its voter registration workers were prosecuted , and some other employees resigned . but after the recent release of videos , the political criticism grew . in the videos , some acorn workers advised the undercover conservative activists how to set up a prostitution business involving underage , foreign girls . along with firing employees , acorn also is conducting an investigation through an independent auditor . the justice and treasury departments are investigating the group , too . the u.s. census bureau has terminated acorn 's involvement in its public outreach program , both chambers of congress have voted to deny federal funding to the organization , and several states are looking into acorn operations . in addition , acorn suspended tax preparation services it carried out as part of an internal revenue service program . and bank of america announced it is pulling its funding of an acorn housing affiliate until it is satisfied that all issues related to the organization have been resolved . lewis contends the group also has been responsive to allegations that some canvassers falsified voter registration applications and turned in those who falsified voter registration forms . we were punished for following the law and doing the right thing , and that part of the story was never told , ' she said . and so nine months later it finally began to resonate with folks that we had not had one individual who voted fraudulently in the presidential election because of an acorn registration -- not one mickey mouse , not one donald duck , not one new york jet , giant or any other fraudulent person . ' one of the shadows over acorn is an embezzling incident involving dale rathke , the brother of acorn founder wade rathke . lewis acknowledged that the founder 's sibling embezzled nearly $ 1 million from the group . she disputed reports that a subpoena from the louisiana attorney general 's office showed that the amount was up to $ 5 million . lewis said the claim is speculation , completely false ' and not based on any documentation . she attributed the contention to two disgruntled former board members . ' lewis'group works in poor precincts across the country considered democratic turf . she said e-mails from karl rove , when he was bush 's top political adviser , show that acorn was targeted to stop its voter registration efforts because we were moving too many minorities to vote ' and changing the power dynamics ' in local elections . such critics of the group believe we needed to be stopped , ' lewis said . i do think that after 40 years of going after the rich and powerful , i think you make some powerful enemies . i think since 2004 , things have been ramped up . ' lewis said acorn has been demonized and news about it has served as a republican fund-raising tool . she said this form of modern-day acorn mccarthyism has got to stop . ' last week , members of congress were asked ,'are you now or have you ever been members of acorn ? everybody should take pause at that . everybody should say ,'wait a minute . this is not how we have discourse ,' she said , making reference to the familiar phrase from mccarthy-era hearings in the 1950s : are you now or have you ever been a communist ? ' appointed to her post in 2008 , lewis said she has been working hard to improve the group 's management practices to restrengthen , reorganize and put together the 21st-century acorn . ' i 'm proud to say that they 've made it clear to me that i will continue to be tortured for at least another year . if the board thought or our membership thought that i should resign , i would do it in a heartbeat , ' she said . i do n't think , however , it is fair to judge me as i 'm cleaning up a previous administration , and now we have real documentation that these are political attacks on us , which is unprecedented . '","some acorn workers advised undercover conservatives on prostitution in videos" +"bertha lewis washington ( cnn ) -- the head of acorn on tuesday sharply deplored recent videos showing some of the group 's workers advising people how to set up a prostitution business . acorn leader bertha lewis defends her group at the national press club on tuesday in washington . it made my stomach turn , ' bertha lewis , chief executive officer of acorn , told reporters at the national press club in washington . it just made you sick . ' acorn workers who did perform their tasks properly did not deserve to have co-workers who did not live up to their standards , ' lewis said . so yes , i terminated those employees . ' at the same time , lewis defended the community organizing group and punched back at widespread criticism , touting the group 's efforts in helping poor people in the areas of housing and voting . she backed up the group 's legal action in maryland against the makers of one of the videos . video , shot with a hidden camera , shows conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute . lewis said that we want to hold them accountable ' for what she said was breaking the law . similar videos were made at other acorn offices . it is illegal , as linda tripp will tell you , to record someone in the state of maryland without their permission . just because we were embarrassed by these highly edited tapes , which do n't tell the whole story again , and hopefully that will come out , does n't mean that these people did n't break the law in order to embarrass and attack the organization , ' lewis said . lewis was referring to the former white house employee who recorded conversations with white house intern monica lewinsky about her sexual encounters with president clinton , which ultimately led to his impeachment . acorn -- which stands for association of community organizations for reform now -- was in the headlines during last year 's presidential campaign after gop allegations of falsifying voter registration applicants . some of its voter registration workers were prosecuted , and some other employees resigned . but after the recent release of videos , the political criticism grew . in the videos , some acorn workers advised the undercover conservative activists how to set up a prostitution business involving underage , foreign girls . along with firing employees , acorn also is conducting an investigation through an independent auditor . the justice and treasury departments are investigating the group , too . the u.s. census bureau has terminated acorn 's involvement in its public outreach program , both chambers of congress have voted to deny federal funding to the organization , and several states are looking into acorn operations . in addition , acorn suspended tax preparation services it carried out as part of an internal revenue service program . and bank of america announced it is pulling its funding of an acorn housing affiliate until it is satisfied that all issues related to the organization have been resolved . lewis contends the group also has been responsive to allegations that some canvassers falsified voter registration applications and turned in those who falsified voter registration forms . we were punished for following the law and doing the right thing , and that part of the story was never told , ' she said . and so nine months later it finally began to resonate with folks that we had not had one individual who voted fraudulently in the presidential election because of an acorn registration -- not one mickey mouse , not one donald duck , not one new york jet , giant or any other fraudulent person . ' one of the shadows over acorn is an embezzling incident involving dale rathke , the brother of acorn founder wade rathke . lewis acknowledged that the founder 's sibling embezzled nearly $ 1 million from the group . she disputed reports that a subpoena from the louisiana attorney general 's office showed that the amount was up to $ 5 million . lewis said the claim is speculation , completely false ' and not based on any documentation . she attributed the contention to two disgruntled former board members . ' lewis'group works in poor precincts across the country considered democratic turf . she said e-mails from karl rove , when he was bush 's top political adviser , show that acorn was targeted to stop its voter registration efforts because we were moving too many minorities to vote ' and changing the power dynamics ' in local elections . such critics of the group believe we needed to be stopped , ' lewis said . i do think that after 40 years of going after the rich and powerful , i think you make some powerful enemies . i think since 2004 , things have been ramped up . ' lewis said acorn has been demonized and news about it has served as a republican fund-raising tool . she said this form of modern-day acorn mccarthyism has got to stop . ' last week , members of congress were asked ,'are you now or have you ever been members of acorn ? everybody should take pause at that . everybody should say ,'wait a minute . this is not how we have discourse ,' she said , making reference to the familiar phrase from mccarthy-era hearings in the 1950s : are you now or have you ever been a communist ? ' appointed to her post in 2008 , lewis said she has been working hard to improve the group 's management practices to restrengthen , reorganize and put together the 21st-century acorn . ' i 'm proud to say that they 've made it clear to me that i will continue to be tortured for at least another year . if the board thought or our membership thought that i should resign , i would do it in a heartbeat , ' she said . i do n't think , however , it is fair to judge me as i 'm cleaning up a previous administration , and now we have real documentation that these are political attacks on us , which is unprecedented . '","acorn 's bertha lewis says group targeted due to its voter registration efforts" +"lors doukaev ( cnn ) -- a jury in copenhagen city court on monday found 25-year-old chechen lors doukaev guilty of attempted terrorism , the court announced . according to the court documents lors doukaev intended to send a letter bomb to danish newspaper jyllands-posten but accidentally set off the bomb material in copenhagen hotel jorgensen where he was staying last september . the blast destroyed the bathroom and injured doukaev , who ran into a nearby park . police surrounded him in the park and the bomb squad detonated a pouch he was wearing . in addition to the conviction for attempted terrorism , he was also found guilty of carrying a pistol . he could be sentenced to up to 16 years in prison . sentencing will be tuesday . doukaev traveled to denmark on september 7 under false name and booked a room on hotel jorgensen under a false name . he said in court that he had a pistol and a bomb for personal security reasons jyllands-posten triggered global protests and controversy in 2005 when it published 12 drawings of the muslim prophet mohammed . the controversy grew in early 2006 when a norwegian newspaper reprinted the drawings . islamic law generally bans any depiction of mohammed .","lors doukaev of chechnya was injured when bomb material detonated in a hotel" +"danish ( cnn ) -- a jury in copenhagen city court on monday found 25-year-old chechen lors doukaev guilty of attempted terrorism , the court announced . according to the court documents lors doukaev intended to send a letter bomb to danish newspaper jyllands-posten but accidentally set off the bomb material in copenhagen hotel jorgensen where he was staying last september . the blast destroyed the bathroom and injured doukaev , who ran into a nearby park . police surrounded him in the park and the bomb squad detonated a pouch he was wearing . in addition to the conviction for attempted terrorism , he was also found guilty of carrying a pistol . he could be sentenced to up to 16 years in prison . sentencing will be tuesday . doukaev traveled to denmark on september 7 under false name and booked a room on hotel jorgensen under a false name . he said in court that he had a pistol and a bomb for personal security reasons jyllands-posten triggered global protests and controversy in 2005 when it published 12 drawings of the muslim prophet mohammed . the controversy grew in early 2006 when a norwegian newspaper reprinted the drawings . islamic law generally bans any depiction of mohammed .","he intended to send a letter bomb to a danish newspaper , court documents say" +"pakistani taliban islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- the leader of the taliban in pakistan , hakimullah mehsud , was wounded in a suspected u.s. drone strike thursday , intelligence and taliban sources told cnn friday . a taliban spokesman denied thursday and again friday that mehsud was hurt . the spokesman , azam tariq , said mehsud had left the site of the attack -- a converted religious school -- before the missiles struck . he dismissed reports of an injury to mehsud as propaganda . other taliban and intelligence sources , however , said doctors were treating mehsud for wounds he sustained in the drone strike . the drone attack killed 10 people , with four missiles landing near a madrassa , or religious school , pakistani intelligence and local officials said thursday . the school had been converted into a training camp for militants , the officials said . meanwhile friday , another suspected drone strike killed five people in the village of zarini , in north waziristan , two intelligence sources said . no additional details were immediately available . the u.s. military routinely offers no comment on reported attacks by drones , or unmanned aircraft . the united states is the only country operating in the region known to have the ability to launch missiles from remote-controlled aircraft . the strike happened in the village of pasal kot . that 's in north waziristan , part of pakistan 's volatile tribal region that is the site of previous drone strikes and clashes between the pakistani military and islamic militants . it comes a few days after mehsud appeared in a video the pakistani taliban released . in it , he sits next to humam khalil abu-mulal al-balawi , the man believed to be the suicide bomber who killed seven cia employees and a jordanian army captain at a base in eastern afghanistan on december 30 . the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility for that attack . it was carried out out to avenge the death of mehsud 's predecessor , baitullah mehsud , who died in a suspected u.s. drone strike last year , according to al qaeda 's commander of operations in afghanistan , mustafa abu yazid . baitullah mehsud and hakimullah mehsud are from the same tribe , not from the same family . in the video , al-balawi said , we will never forget the blood of our leader baitullah mehsud , may god have mercy on his soul , ' according to a cnn translation . it will remain that we take revenge ( for his death ) in america and outside america . it is a trust on every person who left everything for the sake of god , whom baitullah mehsud supported . ' at one point , the video shows the date of december 20 , 2009 . that is five days before nigerian passenger umar farouk abdulmutallab allegedly tried to blow up a northwest airlines flight to detroit , michigan . the yemen-based group al qaeda in the arabian peninsula has claimed responsibility for the christmas day plot . it is impossible to know whether the date on the video is accurate , or whether al-balawi was aware of abdulmutallab 's alleged plans . if al-balawi did know about the plot , it could indicate a greater degree of communication between the pakistani taliban and al qaeda than previously thought . among the seven cia employees who were killed in the december 30 attack were two members of the private security firm xe , formerly known as blackwater . the jordanian military officer who was killed was army capt . sharif ali bin zeid , a cousin of jordan 's king abdullah ii . it was one of the worst attacks ever on america 's intelligence community . jordanian and u.s. intelligence agencies apparently believed al-balawi had been rehabilitated from his extremist views and were using him to hunt ayman al-zawahiri , al qaeda 's no . 2 figure , a former u.s. intelligence official said . al-balawi was a jordanian doctor whom jordanian authorities had recruited as a counterterrorism intelligence source , a jordanian official told cnn . he said the video that his faith can not be sold to bidders , an apparent message to jordanian and u.s. officials that they had failed to win his allegiance . it puts into question how well the cia and other intelligence agencies can penetrate al qaeda . journalist nasir dawar contributed to this report","mehsud appeared in a video released saturday by pakistani taliban" +"davis cup ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova 's wait for another wta tour title must continue after the four-time grand slam champion suffered a shock defeat in the semifinals of the paris open on saturday . top seed sharapova would have moved back to fourth in the world rankings by winning her 30th career crown this weekend , but was beaten 4-6 6-3 6-4 by fellow russian anastasia pavlyuchenkova . i started the match really well , but as the match continued i was n't doing the things that really helped me in the first set , ' said 2012 french open champion sharapova , who returned to the tour in january after missing the final third of last season with a shoulder injury . i was n't being aggressive , i was n't in the court -- she was playing with a lot of confidence in the match and i gave her that opportunity to play her game . ' since requiring shoulder surgery back in 2008 , sharapova has struggled for consistency with her serve , and that was apparent in melbourne when she lost in the last 16 to eventual runner-up dominika cibulkova , and again in the french capital . the 26-year-old , whose last tournament win came last april in stuttgart , ended the match with two double-faults . they obviously came at the wrong time , ' said sharapova , who heads to her former home of sochi on sunday to start her role as a tv commentator at russia 's first winter olympics . when i was down in games in the first couple of sets i felt my serve really helped me , but in the third set i did n't keep that level up . i definitely need to improve that percentage going forward . ' pavlyuchenkova , ranked 26th , will next take on either sara errani at the indoor event as she seeks the sixth wta title of her career -- but first in a premier-level event . i had to serve well -- i had no choice today , because maria has one of the best returns on the tour , ' she said . we played a few years ago and she broke me a lot of times . ' errani , beaten by sharapova in the 2012 final at roland garros , battled to a 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 3-6 7-6 ( 7-5 ) win over alize cornet in just over three hours after the frenchwoman battled back from 5-3 down in the decider . meanwhile , a weakened serbian men 's team crashed out the davis cup in the first round on saturday , losing 3-0 to a switzerland side bolstered by the presence of 17-time grand slam champion roger federer and australian open winner stanislas wawrinka . the swiss did n't need to field their star duo in the doubles , in which marco chiudinelli and michael lanmer beat nenad zimonjic and filip krajinovic 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 3-6 7-6 ( 7-2 ) 6-2 . the serbs , beaten by the czech republic in december 's 2013 final , were missing rested world no . 2 novak djokovic , the injured janko tipsarevic and viktor troicki -- who is serving a ban for missing a drug test last year . germany also won 3-0 , eliminating a spain team missing world no . 1 rafael nadal , resting after suffering a back injury in his melbourne final defeat against wawrinka . france beat australia by the same margin , while the czechs took a 2-1 lead against the netherlands as tomas berdych and radek stepanek won their doubles rubber in four sets against robin haase and jean-julien rojer . japan went 2-1 up against canada , while belgium reduced the deficit to the same score away to kazakhstan . in the other world group first-round ties , britain led the u.s. 2-0 after friday 's singles matches while argentina and italy were 1-1 .","in men 's davis cup , 2013 runner-up serbia loses 3-0 to switzerland in first round" +"spain ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova 's wait for another wta tour title must continue after the four-time grand slam champion suffered a shock defeat in the semifinals of the paris open on saturday . top seed sharapova would have moved back to fourth in the world rankings by winning her 30th career crown this weekend , but was beaten 4-6 6-3 6-4 by fellow russian anastasia pavlyuchenkova . i started the match really well , but as the match continued i was n't doing the things that really helped me in the first set , ' said 2012 french open champion sharapova , who returned to the tour in january after missing the final third of last season with a shoulder injury . i was n't being aggressive , i was n't in the court -- she was playing with a lot of confidence in the match and i gave her that opportunity to play her game . ' since requiring shoulder surgery back in 2008 , sharapova has struggled for consistency with her serve , and that was apparent in melbourne when she lost in the last 16 to eventual runner-up dominika cibulkova , and again in the french capital . the 26-year-old , whose last tournament win came last april in stuttgart , ended the match with two double-faults . they obviously came at the wrong time , ' said sharapova , who heads to her former home of sochi on sunday to start her role as a tv commentator at russia 's first winter olympics . when i was down in games in the first couple of sets i felt my serve really helped me , but in the third set i did n't keep that level up . i definitely need to improve that percentage going forward . ' pavlyuchenkova , ranked 26th , will next take on either sara errani at the indoor event as she seeks the sixth wta title of her career -- but first in a premier-level event . i had to serve well -- i had no choice today , because maria has one of the best returns on the tour , ' she said . we played a few years ago and she broke me a lot of times . ' errani , beaten by sharapova in the 2012 final at roland garros , battled to a 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 3-6 7-6 ( 7-5 ) win over alize cornet in just over three hours after the frenchwoman battled back from 5-3 down in the decider . meanwhile , a weakened serbian men 's team crashed out the davis cup in the first round on saturday , losing 3-0 to a switzerland side bolstered by the presence of 17-time grand slam champion roger federer and australian open winner stanislas wawrinka . the swiss did n't need to field their star duo in the doubles , in which marco chiudinelli and michael lanmer beat nenad zimonjic and filip krajinovic 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 3-6 7-6 ( 7-2 ) 6-2 . the serbs , beaten by the czech republic in december 's 2013 final , were missing rested world no . 2 novak djokovic , the injured janko tipsarevic and viktor troicki -- who is serving a ban for missing a drug test last year . germany also won 3-0 , eliminating a spain team missing world no . 1 rafael nadal , resting after suffering a back injury in his melbourne final defeat against wawrinka . france beat australia by the same margin , while the czechs took a 2-1 lead against the netherlands as tomas berdych and radek stepanek won their doubles rubber in four sets against robin haase and jean-julien rojer . japan went 2-1 up against canada , while belgium reduced the deficit to the same score away to kazakhstan . in the other world group first-round ties , britain led the u.s. 2-0 after friday 's singles matches while argentina and italy were 1-1 .","spain and australia also exit by the same margin , losing to germany and france" +"tj lanning ( skiing magazine ) -- picture this : you 're charging down a course at 80 mph . the world whips by you in a blur . you catch an edge , smack into a gate and somersault into the safety nets , cracking your neck and shredding a knee . season ? done . olympic dreams ? over . career ? definitely on hold , possibly kaput . that 's what happened in december to tj lanning , one of the u.s . ski team 's top racers , during a downhill race at canada 's lake louise . he 's one of many international alpine competitors sidelined this winter because of season-ending injuries . other casualties include 2009 downhill champ canadian john kucera and french slalom star jean-baptiste grange . addressing the rash of early-season injuries , aksel lund svindval , the 2009 men 's overall world cup winner , posted the following on his blog in december : in two weeks of intense world cup racing in north america , racers have sustained the following ... 7 torn acls , 4 knee ligaments , 1 broken arm , 1 broken leg , 1 broken neck , 1 concussion , 1 dislocated knee , 1 dislocated shoulder .. is this ok ? ' sure , ski racing has always been a dangerous sport , but with ever-evolving gear and technologies creating faster and faster competitors , the incidence of injuries has spiked . skiing magazine : jamaica 's olympic skier , ready for glory the international ski federation ( known as fis ) , the world cup governing body , launched the injury surveillance system ' in 2006 to track facts and figures on injury patterns across all disciplines : nordic , freestyle and alpine . among alpine racers , knee injuries are the most common affliction . as a part of this initiative , in december fis convened a panel of six top alpine competitors , including didier cuche , scott macartney , and svindal , to drill down on how to make racing safer . they cited course preparation , improved take-off points for jumps , flat landings and medical procedures as top concerns . skiing magazine : french olympic uniforms : really pink the athletes also made a plea for redesigned gates , ones that would rip off more easily upon impact . in lanning 's accident , they say this would have significantly reduced his injuries and their severity . while competitors want to increase safety , they 're also aware that it 's the danger , blood and guts of their sport that turn fans on , and athletes are wary of ratcheting down the visceral appeal . when it comes to modifying race procedures , fis is adamant about using systematic data collection and scientific analysis to make informed decisions . in january , fis rolled out a new , three-year scientific study to analyze alpine racing safety and to make recommendations on how to decrease the number of injuries . the first phase will collect information through interviews with athletes , coaches and equipment providers , among other experts , to gather suggestions for short-term prevention solutions . subsequent stages will focus on prevention strategies and rule changes . however , some modifications were deemed urgent enough to institute immediately : smaller jumps and new gates with flags that rip way upon contact . fis works closely with the vancouver organizing committee to design the alpine courses at the olympics , but ultimately , it 's vanoc that sets them -- save the downhill , which fis still oversees ; it 's an old , complicated tradition . with fog rising from whistler mountain during the downhill training runs , making visibility next to none , officials were scrambling to re-design the race gates in an effort to make them more visible , switching the flag color from green to red . with this last-minute change , officials on the ground were n't sure if the new , fis-sanctioned gates would be in place during the winter games . skiing magazine : the lindsey vonn workout © 2010 skiing magazine . all rights reserved . reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited .","tj lanning among those sidelined by injuries after skiing accidents" +"kavya ( cnn ) -- the winner of the 82nd annual scripps national spelling bee said friday she is pretty excited ' but a little tired . kavya shivashankar of olathe , kansas , reacts to winning the scripps national spelling bee on thursday night . this has been my dream for so long ; i 've always wanted to win the bee , ' kavya shivashankar , 13 , of olathe , kansas , told cnn . i was just really excited when i was able to go up and spell the last word . ' the eighth-grader won $ 40,000 in cash and prizes for nailing the final word , laodicean , ' which means lukewarm or indifferent , particularly in matters of politics or religion . this year 's bee -- an event that has skyrocketed in popularity thanks to exposure on television and in movies -- started tuesday in washington with a record 293 spellers . kavya endured 15 rounds . in an event that has seen contestants crack under the strain of the national spotlight , kavya -- competing in her fourth national finals -- appeared composed throughout . watch the poised winner describe the thrill » as she spelled words such as phoresy , ' hydrargyrum ' and huisache , ' she calmly went through the routine of asking each word 's pronunciation , origin and roots before ticking their spellings off for the judges . i focus so much on my word ; i do n't really pay attention to all the cameras and photographers and all the media in front of me , ' she said friday . kavya 's father , who is her spelling coach , would tap his foot in time as she spelled the words , and at one point he appeared so confident that he waved to someone while his daughter was in the middle of spelling a word . second-place finisher tim ruiter of reston , virginia , bowed out after misspelling maecenas , ' meaning a generous patron of the arts . kavya said she would miss competing in the spelling bee , as the rules do not permit her to enter next year . it was such a big part of my life , and i love doing it , ' she said . however , she may someday have a new role in the competition . if my [ little ] sister gets to d.c. sometime soon , i 'd really love to help and coach her , ' she said . kavya attends california trail junior high school in the kansas city suburb . her hobbies include swimming , cycling and traditional indian dance , according to the contest 's web site . she plans on becoming a neurosurgeon . the first national spelling bee took place in 1925 , with five contestants . cnn 's devon sayers contributed to this report .","kavya shivashankar of olathe , kansas , wins in fourth trip to national finals" +"kavya ( cnn ) -- the winner of the 82nd annual scripps national spelling bee said friday she is pretty excited ' but a little tired . kavya shivashankar of olathe , kansas , reacts to winning the scripps national spelling bee on thursday night . this has been my dream for so long ; i 've always wanted to win the bee , ' kavya shivashankar , 13 , of olathe , kansas , told cnn . i was just really excited when i was able to go up and spell the last word . ' the eighth-grader won $ 40,000 in cash and prizes for nailing the final word , laodicean , ' which means lukewarm or indifferent , particularly in matters of politics or religion . this year 's bee -- an event that has skyrocketed in popularity thanks to exposure on television and in movies -- started tuesday in washington with a record 293 spellers . kavya endured 15 rounds . in an event that has seen contestants crack under the strain of the national spotlight , kavya -- competing in her fourth national finals -- appeared composed throughout . watch the poised winner describe the thrill » as she spelled words such as phoresy , ' hydrargyrum ' and huisache , ' she calmly went through the routine of asking each word 's pronunciation , origin and roots before ticking their spellings off for the judges . i focus so much on my word ; i do n't really pay attention to all the cameras and photographers and all the media in front of me , ' she said friday . kavya 's father , who is her spelling coach , would tap his foot in time as she spelled the words , and at one point he appeared so confident that he waved to someone while his daughter was in the middle of spelling a word . second-place finisher tim ruiter of reston , virginia , bowed out after misspelling maecenas , ' meaning a generous patron of the arts . kavya said she would miss competing in the spelling bee , as the rules do not permit her to enter next year . it was such a big part of my life , and i love doing it , ' she said . however , she may someday have a new role in the competition . if my [ little ] sister gets to d.c. sometime soon , i 'd really love to help and coach her , ' she said . kavya attends california trail junior high school in the kansas city suburb . her hobbies include swimming , cycling and traditional indian dance , according to the contest 's web site . she plans on becoming a neurosurgeon . the first national spelling bee took place in 1925 , with five contestants . cnn 's devon sayers contributed to this report .","focus on task keeps cameras and media from distracting her , kavya says" +"sankar ( cnn ) -- in 1997 , garry kasparov was defeated by ibm 's deep blue supercomputer . it seemed like a watershed moment , recalling the rise of the machines long prophesied in science fiction . yet in 2005 , a freestyle chess tournament featured teams of humans partnering with computers in various combinations . shockingly , two amateurs using three fairly weak laptops emerged victorious , beating grand masters and supercomputers in turn . this contrast is fittingly emblematic of two great visionaries of computer science , marvin minsky and j.c.r . licklider . minsky wrote canonical theories of self-replicating artificial intelligence and co-founded mit 's a.i . lab . licklider proposed an alternate vision in his landmark paper , man-computer symbiosis ' . in licklider 's view , human intelligence should be complemented by machines , not replaced : men will set the goals , formulate the hypotheses , determine the criteria and perform the evaluations . computing machines will do the routinizable work that must be done to prepare the way for insights and decisions . ... ' watch shyam sankar 's ted talk technology is too often viewed through a utopian or alarmist lens , and it 's worth noting that licklider 's work spanned the sublime and sobering alike . he presaged much of the internet revolution , and his research led to such breakthroughs as the modern graphical user interface . he also worked on a computer-aided missile defense system designed to collect and present data to a human operator , who would choose the appropriate response . it 's easy to argue that life and death decisions should never be left to machines , but licklider 's vision was much broader , recognizing technology as an enabler for many human capacities . since kasparov and deep blue squared off , we have seen numerous examples of man-computer symbiosis , while a.i . relying solely on computers as minsky theorized it remains tantalizing , yet distant . ted.com : robots that fly ... and cooperate in terms of catalyzing human potential , the triumph of the chess amateurs in 2005 was just one glimpse of the future . foldit , an online video game , allows nontechnical , nonbiologist players to visually fold ' protein structures , while computers calculate the chemical interactions corresponding to each arrangement . in 2011 , foldit players needed only 10 days to produce an accurate 3-d model of the mason-pfizer monkey virus , a protease whose structure had stumped scientists for 15 years . it was an astonishing triumph of human visual-spatial reasoning , and one of the first major scientific advances to come from playing a video game ( though plenty of software engineers i know would argue that video games activate much more creativity than we care to acknowledge ) . the tension between the minsky and licklider visions has certainly been amplified in the age of so-called big data . now , consider that most of what we think of as big data ' is created by deliberate human action : phone calls , web logs , credit card transactions , etc . when we hear about big data solutions , ' they tend to focus on computational approaches -- storage , search and processing -- with human intuition largely absent . yet the unraveling of big data into meaningful insight may depend just as heavily on the human side of the equation . why is this ? pattern recognition ' is a frequent a.i . refrain , but computers ca n't learn to spot patterns they 've never seen . the high-value targets in big data are invariably human : highly adaptive adversaries such as terrorists and cybercriminals whose ingenuity frustrates even the most advanced algorithms . ted.com : my seven species of robot yet even the nimblest fugitives leave clues , even patterns -- they 're just buried in an expanding universe of data , a challenge that intensifies as we seek still more data , hoping it will yield more insight . adaptive adversaries require adaptive responses , and this begins with asking questions rooted in human intuition . while technology can certainly be a force multiplier for good or evil , it 's difficult to imagine a pure a.i . approach reverse-engineering the machinations of a terrorist mastermind . when u.s. intelligence tracked down osama bin laden , it was a function of brilliant , resourceful people asking questions and testing hypotheses using a variety of technologies . cybercriminals , as explored in my first ted talk , tend to target the allegedly weakest links in the network : people . yet how weak is something that can learn in ways even the most robust automated systems ca n't ? ted.com : all it takes is 10 mindful minutes cyber security might always be an uphill , defensive struggle as techniques and technologies raise the stakes on both sides . remember , though , that cyberwarfare is ultimately a human endeavor . bot-nets , scripts and other automated tools play key roles , but they do n't exist in a vacuum . this cuts both ways : sooner or later , everyone makes mistakes , even evil genius types . that said , the enemy may well be two amateurs with a few weak laptops . aspiring good guys must be absolutely relentless in refining the intersection of brainpower and computing power , each of which is vulnerable in isolation . sometimes , the right combination of humans and technology can reshape the data landscape itself . in the aftermath of superstorm sandy , my company partnered with veterans'organization team rubicon to coordinate relief efforts in the rockaways . it began with identifying the hardest-hit areas and greatest needs . soon , as help poured in , the focus shifted to tracking projects , allocating manpower , and coordinating more than 10,000 volunteers in real time . through rapid iteration , a group of determined people using low-friction technology had created a vast , self-regulating system . each discrete data point was simple enough -- the status of a project , levels of need , locations of assets -- but in aggregate , the effect was transformative . while experience teaches that each approach has its caveats , we have every reason to be excited about the possibilities of human-computer symbiosis . almost 50 years since the identification of moore 's law , and 10 years since the human genome was first sequenced , humans and machines are beginning a new arc of re-imagining and discovery -- together . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of shyam sankar .","sankar : human thought , aided by computer power , can make sense of big data '" +"sankar ( cnn ) -- in 1997 , garry kasparov was defeated by ibm 's deep blue supercomputer . it seemed like a watershed moment , recalling the rise of the machines long prophesied in science fiction . yet in 2005 , a freestyle chess tournament featured teams of humans partnering with computers in various combinations . shockingly , two amateurs using three fairly weak laptops emerged victorious , beating grand masters and supercomputers in turn . this contrast is fittingly emblematic of two great visionaries of computer science , marvin minsky and j.c.r . licklider . minsky wrote canonical theories of self-replicating artificial intelligence and co-founded mit 's a.i . lab . licklider proposed an alternate vision in his landmark paper , man-computer symbiosis ' . in licklider 's view , human intelligence should be complemented by machines , not replaced : men will set the goals , formulate the hypotheses , determine the criteria and perform the evaluations . computing machines will do the routinizable work that must be done to prepare the way for insights and decisions . ... ' watch shyam sankar 's ted talk technology is too often viewed through a utopian or alarmist lens , and it 's worth noting that licklider 's work spanned the sublime and sobering alike . he presaged much of the internet revolution , and his research led to such breakthroughs as the modern graphical user interface . he also worked on a computer-aided missile defense system designed to collect and present data to a human operator , who would choose the appropriate response . it 's easy to argue that life and death decisions should never be left to machines , but licklider 's vision was much broader , recognizing technology as an enabler for many human capacities . since kasparov and deep blue squared off , we have seen numerous examples of man-computer symbiosis , while a.i . relying solely on computers as minsky theorized it remains tantalizing , yet distant . ted.com : robots that fly ... and cooperate in terms of catalyzing human potential , the triumph of the chess amateurs in 2005 was just one glimpse of the future . foldit , an online video game , allows nontechnical , nonbiologist players to visually fold ' protein structures , while computers calculate the chemical interactions corresponding to each arrangement . in 2011 , foldit players needed only 10 days to produce an accurate 3-d model of the mason-pfizer monkey virus , a protease whose structure had stumped scientists for 15 years . it was an astonishing triumph of human visual-spatial reasoning , and one of the first major scientific advances to come from playing a video game ( though plenty of software engineers i know would argue that video games activate much more creativity than we care to acknowledge ) . the tension between the minsky and licklider visions has certainly been amplified in the age of so-called big data . now , consider that most of what we think of as big data ' is created by deliberate human action : phone calls , web logs , credit card transactions , etc . when we hear about big data solutions , ' they tend to focus on computational approaches -- storage , search and processing -- with human intuition largely absent . yet the unraveling of big data into meaningful insight may depend just as heavily on the human side of the equation . why is this ? pattern recognition ' is a frequent a.i . refrain , but computers ca n't learn to spot patterns they 've never seen . the high-value targets in big data are invariably human : highly adaptive adversaries such as terrorists and cybercriminals whose ingenuity frustrates even the most advanced algorithms . ted.com : my seven species of robot yet even the nimblest fugitives leave clues , even patterns -- they 're just buried in an expanding universe of data , a challenge that intensifies as we seek still more data , hoping it will yield more insight . adaptive adversaries require adaptive responses , and this begins with asking questions rooted in human intuition . while technology can certainly be a force multiplier for good or evil , it 's difficult to imagine a pure a.i . approach reverse-engineering the machinations of a terrorist mastermind . when u.s. intelligence tracked down osama bin laden , it was a function of brilliant , resourceful people asking questions and testing hypotheses using a variety of technologies . cybercriminals , as explored in my first ted talk , tend to target the allegedly weakest links in the network : people . yet how weak is something that can learn in ways even the most robust automated systems ca n't ? ted.com : all it takes is 10 mindful minutes cyber security might always be an uphill , defensive struggle as techniques and technologies raise the stakes on both sides . remember , though , that cyberwarfare is ultimately a human endeavor . bot-nets , scripts and other automated tools play key roles , but they do n't exist in a vacuum . this cuts both ways : sooner or later , everyone makes mistakes , even evil genius types . that said , the enemy may well be two amateurs with a few weak laptops . aspiring good guys must be absolutely relentless in refining the intersection of brainpower and computing power , each of which is vulnerable in isolation . sometimes , the right combination of humans and technology can reshape the data landscape itself . in the aftermath of superstorm sandy , my company partnered with veterans'organization team rubicon to coordinate relief efforts in the rockaways . it began with identifying the hardest-hit areas and greatest needs . soon , as help poured in , the focus shifted to tracking projects , allocating manpower , and coordinating more than 10,000 volunteers in real time . through rapid iteration , a group of determined people using low-friction technology had created a vast , self-regulating system . each discrete data point was simple enough -- the status of a project , levels of need , locations of assets -- but in aggregate , the effect was transformative . while experience teaches that each approach has its caveats , we have every reason to be excited about the possibilities of human-computer symbiosis . almost 50 years since the identification of moore 's law , and 10 years since the human genome was first sequenced , humans and machines are beginning a new arc of re-imagining and discovery -- together . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of shyam sankar .","shyam sankar : some say computers could attain artificial intelligence superior to humans" +"monte carlo masters ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal suffered only his third defeat in 11 years at the monte carlo masters friday losing in straight sets to fellow spaniard david ferrer . the 32-year-old ferrer produced a typically energetic performance to take the quarterfinal match 7-6 ( 7/1 ) 6-4 marking the first time he has beaten nadal on clay in over a decade . i am happy because i am in the semifinal and because i am playing very good this week , ' a delighted ferrer told the atp tour 's official website . rafa is not a machine . sometimes he can play not so good always . well , maybe today he did n't play his best tennis , and i played very good . ' the pair swapped four service breaks in an enthralling 85-minute first set that ferrer eventually took on a tie break . ferrer then stretched into a commanding 5-2 lead at the start of the second before being pegged back to 5-4 . the diminutive spaniard kept his cool under pressure , however , calmly serving out to take the set 6-4 and with it the match . nadal was gracious in defeat , although he admitted concern at what was an uncharacteristically tepid performance at one of his favored events . the world no . 1 won eight titles in a row at monte carlo between 2005 and 2012 before his triumphant run was halted by novak djokovic in last year 's final . when you play tennis , you can lose , you can win , ' nadal said . when the opponent is doing things better than you , the normal thing is you lose . that 's what happened today . ' i did n't play the right way . i did n't play with the right intensity with my forehand . i played too short . i gave him the chance to have control of the point almost all the time . he did much better than me , so i just congratulate him . ' world no . 6 , ferrer , will now face australian open champion stanislas wawrinka in the semifinal saturday . the swiss overcame canada 's milos raonic 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 6-2 to reach his first semifinal since his melbourne triumph earlier this year . elsewhere roger federer defeated home favorite jo wilfred tsonga 2-6 7-6 ( 8-6 ) 6-1 to set up an enticing semifinal match against novak djokovic . the serb eventually overcame guillermo garcia-lopez of spain in friday 's final quarter final match winning 4-6 6-3 6-1 . see also : why is rafael nadal so happy ? see also : belinda bencic -- the new hingis ? see also : can new musketeers ' fulfill potential ?","david ferrer defeats rafael nadal in quarterfinals of monte carlo masters" +"ferrer ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal suffered only his third defeat in 11 years at the monte carlo masters friday losing in straight sets to fellow spaniard david ferrer . the 32-year-old ferrer produced a typically energetic performance to take the quarterfinal match 7-6 ( 7/1 ) 6-4 marking the first time he has beaten nadal on clay in over a decade . i am happy because i am in the semifinal and because i am playing very good this week , ' a delighted ferrer told the atp tour 's official website . rafa is not a machine . sometimes he can play not so good always . well , maybe today he did n't play his best tennis , and i played very good . ' the pair swapped four service breaks in an enthralling 85-minute first set that ferrer eventually took on a tie break . ferrer then stretched into a commanding 5-2 lead at the start of the second before being pegged back to 5-4 . the diminutive spaniard kept his cool under pressure , however , calmly serving out to take the set 6-4 and with it the match . nadal was gracious in defeat , although he admitted concern at what was an uncharacteristically tepid performance at one of his favored events . the world no . 1 won eight titles in a row at monte carlo between 2005 and 2012 before his triumphant run was halted by novak djokovic in last year 's final . when you play tennis , you can lose , you can win , ' nadal said . when the opponent is doing things better than you , the normal thing is you lose . that 's what happened today . ' i did n't play the right way . i did n't play with the right intensity with my forehand . i played too short . i gave him the chance to have control of the point almost all the time . he did much better than me , so i just congratulate him . ' world no . 6 , ferrer , will now face australian open champion stanislas wawrinka in the semifinal saturday . the swiss overcame canada 's milos raonic 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 6-2 to reach his first semifinal since his melbourne triumph earlier this year . elsewhere roger federer defeated home favorite jo wilfred tsonga 2-6 7-6 ( 8-6 ) 6-1 to set up an enticing semifinal match against novak djokovic . the serb eventually overcame guillermo garcia-lopez of spain in friday 's final quarter final match winning 4-6 6-3 6-1 . see also : why is rafael nadal so happy ? see also : belinda bencic -- the new hingis ? see also : can new musketeers ' fulfill potential ?","david ferrer defeats rafael nadal in quarterfinals of monte carlo masters" +"ferrer ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal suffered only his third defeat in 11 years at the monte carlo masters friday losing in straight sets to fellow spaniard david ferrer . the 32-year-old ferrer produced a typically energetic performance to take the quarterfinal match 7-6 ( 7/1 ) 6-4 marking the first time he has beaten nadal on clay in over a decade . i am happy because i am in the semifinal and because i am playing very good this week , ' a delighted ferrer told the atp tour 's official website . rafa is not a machine . sometimes he can play not so good always . well , maybe today he did n't play his best tennis , and i played very good . ' the pair swapped four service breaks in an enthralling 85-minute first set that ferrer eventually took on a tie break . ferrer then stretched into a commanding 5-2 lead at the start of the second before being pegged back to 5-4 . the diminutive spaniard kept his cool under pressure , however , calmly serving out to take the set 6-4 and with it the match . nadal was gracious in defeat , although he admitted concern at what was an uncharacteristically tepid performance at one of his favored events . the world no . 1 won eight titles in a row at monte carlo between 2005 and 2012 before his triumphant run was halted by novak djokovic in last year 's final . when you play tennis , you can lose , you can win , ' nadal said . when the opponent is doing things better than you , the normal thing is you lose . that 's what happened today . ' i did n't play the right way . i did n't play with the right intensity with my forehand . i played too short . i gave him the chance to have control of the point almost all the time . he did much better than me , so i just congratulate him . ' world no . 6 , ferrer , will now face australian open champion stanislas wawrinka in the semifinal saturday . the swiss overcame canada 's milos raonic 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 6-2 to reach his first semifinal since his melbourne triumph earlier this year . elsewhere roger federer defeated home favorite jo wilfred tsonga 2-6 7-6 ( 8-6 ) 6-1 to set up an enticing semifinal match against novak djokovic . the serb eventually overcame guillermo garcia-lopez of spain in friday 's final quarter final match winning 4-6 6-3 6-1 . see also : why is rafael nadal so happy ? see also : belinda bencic -- the new hingis ? see also : can new musketeers ' fulfill potential ?","ferrer will now face australian open champion stanislas wawrinka in semifinals" +"ferrer ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal suffered only his third defeat in 11 years at the monte carlo masters friday losing in straight sets to fellow spaniard david ferrer . the 32-year-old ferrer produced a typically energetic performance to take the quarterfinal match 7-6 ( 7/1 ) 6-4 marking the first time he has beaten nadal on clay in over a decade . i am happy because i am in the semifinal and because i am playing very good this week , ' a delighted ferrer told the atp tour 's official website . rafa is not a machine . sometimes he can play not so good always . well , maybe today he did n't play his best tennis , and i played very good . ' the pair swapped four service breaks in an enthralling 85-minute first set that ferrer eventually took on a tie break . ferrer then stretched into a commanding 5-2 lead at the start of the second before being pegged back to 5-4 . the diminutive spaniard kept his cool under pressure , however , calmly serving out to take the set 6-4 and with it the match . nadal was gracious in defeat , although he admitted concern at what was an uncharacteristically tepid performance at one of his favored events . the world no . 1 won eight titles in a row at monte carlo between 2005 and 2012 before his triumphant run was halted by novak djokovic in last year 's final . when you play tennis , you can lose , you can win , ' nadal said . when the opponent is doing things better than you , the normal thing is you lose . that 's what happened today . ' i did n't play the right way . i did n't play with the right intensity with my forehand . i played too short . i gave him the chance to have control of the point almost all the time . he did much better than me , so i just congratulate him . ' world no . 6 , ferrer , will now face australian open champion stanislas wawrinka in the semifinal saturday . the swiss overcame canada 's milos raonic 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 6-2 to reach his first semifinal since his melbourne triumph earlier this year . elsewhere roger federer defeated home favorite jo wilfred tsonga 2-6 7-6 ( 8-6 ) 6-1 to set up an enticing semifinal match against novak djokovic . the serb eventually overcame guillermo garcia-lopez of spain in friday 's final quarter final match winning 4-6 6-3 6-1 . see also : why is rafael nadal so happy ? see also : belinda bencic -- the new hingis ? see also : can new musketeers ' fulfill potential ?","win marks ferrer 's first clay court victory over nadal in a decade" +"nadal ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal suffered only his third defeat in 11 years at the monte carlo masters friday losing in straight sets to fellow spaniard david ferrer . the 32-year-old ferrer produced a typically energetic performance to take the quarterfinal match 7-6 ( 7/1 ) 6-4 marking the first time he has beaten nadal on clay in over a decade . i am happy because i am in the semifinal and because i am playing very good this week , ' a delighted ferrer told the atp tour 's official website . rafa is not a machine . sometimes he can play not so good always . well , maybe today he did n't play his best tennis , and i played very good . ' the pair swapped four service breaks in an enthralling 85-minute first set that ferrer eventually took on a tie break . ferrer then stretched into a commanding 5-2 lead at the start of the second before being pegged back to 5-4 . the diminutive spaniard kept his cool under pressure , however , calmly serving out to take the set 6-4 and with it the match . nadal was gracious in defeat , although he admitted concern at what was an uncharacteristically tepid performance at one of his favored events . the world no . 1 won eight titles in a row at monte carlo between 2005 and 2012 before his triumphant run was halted by novak djokovic in last year 's final . when you play tennis , you can lose , you can win , ' nadal said . when the opponent is doing things better than you , the normal thing is you lose . that 's what happened today . ' i did n't play the right way . i did n't play with the right intensity with my forehand . i played too short . i gave him the chance to have control of the point almost all the time . he did much better than me , so i just congratulate him . ' world no . 6 , ferrer , will now face australian open champion stanislas wawrinka in the semifinal saturday . the swiss overcame canada 's milos raonic 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 6-2 to reach his first semifinal since his melbourne triumph earlier this year . elsewhere roger federer defeated home favorite jo wilfred tsonga 2-6 7-6 ( 8-6 ) 6-1 to set up an enticing semifinal match against novak djokovic . the serb eventually overcame guillermo garcia-lopez of spain in friday 's final quarter final match winning 4-6 6-3 6-1 . see also : why is rafael nadal so happy ? see also : belinda bencic -- the new hingis ? see also : can new musketeers ' fulfill potential ?","david ferrer defeats rafael nadal in quarterfinals of monte carlo masters" +"nadal ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal suffered only his third defeat in 11 years at the monte carlo masters friday losing in straight sets to fellow spaniard david ferrer . the 32-year-old ferrer produced a typically energetic performance to take the quarterfinal match 7-6 ( 7/1 ) 6-4 marking the first time he has beaten nadal on clay in over a decade . i am happy because i am in the semifinal and because i am playing very good this week , ' a delighted ferrer told the atp tour 's official website . rafa is not a machine . sometimes he can play not so good always . well , maybe today he did n't play his best tennis , and i played very good . ' the pair swapped four service breaks in an enthralling 85-minute first set that ferrer eventually took on a tie break . ferrer then stretched into a commanding 5-2 lead at the start of the second before being pegged back to 5-4 . the diminutive spaniard kept his cool under pressure , however , calmly serving out to take the set 6-4 and with it the match . nadal was gracious in defeat , although he admitted concern at what was an uncharacteristically tepid performance at one of his favored events . the world no . 1 won eight titles in a row at monte carlo between 2005 and 2012 before his triumphant run was halted by novak djokovic in last year 's final . when you play tennis , you can lose , you can win , ' nadal said . when the opponent is doing things better than you , the normal thing is you lose . that 's what happened today . ' i did n't play the right way . i did n't play with the right intensity with my forehand . i played too short . i gave him the chance to have control of the point almost all the time . he did much better than me , so i just congratulate him . ' world no . 6 , ferrer , will now face australian open champion stanislas wawrinka in the semifinal saturday . the swiss overcame canada 's milos raonic 7-6 ( 7-5 ) 6-2 to reach his first semifinal since his melbourne triumph earlier this year . elsewhere roger federer defeated home favorite jo wilfred tsonga 2-6 7-6 ( 8-6 ) 6-1 to set up an enticing semifinal match against novak djokovic . the serb eventually overcame guillermo garcia-lopez of spain in friday 's final quarter final match winning 4-6 6-3 6-1 . see also : why is rafael nadal so happy ? see also : belinda bencic -- the new hingis ? see also : can new musketeers ' fulfill potential ?","win marks ferrer 's first clay court victory over nadal in a decade" +"al-assad with the deaths of three top syrian officials , questions arose wednesday as to whether the damascus attack marks a turning point in the presidency of bashar al-assad . as the crisis unfolded , experts looked beyond the day 's events to the roots of syrian president bashar al-assad 's power for insights into the 16-month rebellion that grips the middle eastern nation . al-assad grew up in the shadow of his father , president hafez al-assad , a soviet ally who ruled syria for three decades and helped propel a minority alawite population to key political , social and military posts . by most accounts , the elder al-assad governed with an iron fist , forging a police state that quashed opposition by jailing dissidents and marginalizing other political groups . hafez al-assad was born into a poor family and graduated from ḥomṣ military academy as an air force pilot , before rising in baath party leadership and gaining power in the corrective revolution ' of 1970 . his son , bashar , enjoyed rare privileges and education as he studied abroad , while his older son , bassel , was the man groomed to succeed him and assume power . showdown or stalemate in syria ? but when bassel died in a car crash in 1994 , bashar was thrust into the national spotlight and switched his university focus from medicine to military science . dr. bashar , ' who had headed the syrian computer society , earned a degree in ophthalmology and enjoyed windsurfing , may have appeared an unlikely choice . but many observers in europe and the united states seemed heartened by the incoming president , who presented himself as a fresh , youthful leader who might usher in a more progressive , moderate regime . asma akhras al-assad , whom he married in 2000 , is a former investment banker of syrian descent who grew up in london . get to know syria 's first family when al-assad 's father died in june of that year , it took just hours for the syrian parliament to amend the constitution and lower the presidential age of eligibility from 40 to 34 , a move that allowed bashar to succeed his father . within weeks , he was also made a member of the regional command for the ruling baath party , a requirement of succession . i shall try my very best to lead our country towards a future that fulfills the hopes and legitimate ambitions of our people , ' al-assad said during his inauguration speech . but western hopes for a more moderate syria sank when the new leader promptly maintained his country 's traditional ties with militant groups , such as hamas and hezbollah . attack threatens al-assad 's grip on power suspicions later surfaced among the country 's regional neighbors over whether syria was developing a covert nuclear program . meanwhile , al-assad repeatedly vowed to stamp out corruption while strengthening his own grasp on power . but in recent months -- and after more than a decade in power -- the syrian leader has drawn criticism from around the globe as he 's met popular protests and unrest with force . damascus spring came early in presidency thousands have been killed and many more displaced as the conflict has unfolded , with state security forces firing on demonstrators , many of whom have joined opposition groups , including armed rebel brigades . as pressure has mounted , the inner circle of the syrian leader has became more of a family affair , said david lesch , a professor of middle east history and author of the new lion of damascus : bashar al-assad and modern syria . ' that 's part of what bashar has been doing ever since he came to power , ' lesch said . he has put members of his extended family ... in various parts of government and military security apparatus . if the day came -- and it did come -- where there was a threat to the regime , he could count on the loyalty of those closest to him . ' the president 's family belongs to the country 's minority alawite sect , who are largely driven by fears that they could be overwhelmed should al-assad lose power , according to the president 's uncle rifaat . recent reports , however , suggest discontent even within the minority community over his handling of the crisis . jordan 's king calls attack'tremendous blow'to regime al-assad 's youngest brother , maher , is thought to be syria 's second-most powerful man , overseeing two of the army 's strongest units : the republican guard , which protects the regime in damascus , and the elite fourth armored division , which suppressed the early uprisings in southern syria . but on wednesday , a rebel attack killed defense minister dawood rajiha ; deputy defense minister assef shawkat -- al-assad 's brother-in-law ; and hasan turkmani , al-assad 's security adviser and assistant vice president , according to state television . shawkat was once in charge of the army 's intelligence services and was said to be one of the president 's closest allies . interior minister ibrahim al-shaar was among those injured in the blast , state tv said , adding that he is in good health and that his condition is stable . ' wednesday 's attack occurred during a meeting of ministers and security officials and was coordinated by rebel brigades in damascus , opposition groups say . al-assad quickly named gen. fahd jassem al-freij as defense minister , according to the state-run news agency sana . state media also reported that authorities have killed or captured a large number ' of terrorist infiltrators in damascus and inflicted heavy losses ' on terrorists in homs and idlib . but video from a damascus suburb showed syrians rejoicing after news spread of the bombing . meanwhile , reports of deaths across the country occur almost every day , with a london-based opposition group reporting last week that government forces carried out a massacre in hama province , killing 220 people there . horrific images out of douma al-assad 's administration has consistently said that its forces are targeting armed terrorists funded by outside agitators . in early july , al-assad told a german television station that a months-old peace plan aimed at ending the violence has n't failed , but rather has yet to be implemented because foreign countries are supporting terrorists . ' former united nations secretary-general kofi annan , named as a special envoy to the region , has spearheaded the peace effort . the president 's remarks came on the same day that u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton held that the days for the syrian regime are numbered . noting recent defections , clinton said , the sand is running out of the hourglass . '","al-assad grew up in the shadow of his father , the late president hafez al-assad" +"stacy kuykendall ( cnn ) -- the ex-wife of a texas convict executed in 2004 for the deaths of his three children reaffirmed her belief in his guilt wednesday as his relatives sought to open a new inquiry into the case . the family of cameron todd willingham has asked a judge to posthumously clear his name , arguing that he was put to death based on junk science . ' though willingham was executed in 2004 for killing his three daughters by setting fire to his house , subsequent investigations by outside experts have concluded that the fire that killed the girls should not have been ruled arson . willingham 's ex-wife , stacy kuykendall , has kept a low profile throughout the debate over his execution . but she told reporters outside the travis county courthouse in austin that i am here to make sure that my daughters'voices are heard . ' todd murdered amber , karmon and kameron . he burnt them , ' she said . he admitted he burnt them to me , and he was convicted for his crime . that is the closest to justice that my daughters will ever get . ' kuykendall spoke before an austin judge opened a hearing into the willingham 's family 's request for an inquiry into the execution . but inside the courtroom , prosecutors from the town of corsicana -- where the 1991 fire took place -- forced a delay in the proceedings by challenging the impartiality of district judge charlie baird and asking him to recuse himself . baird told lawyers he will issue a decision on that request next week , said gerry goldstein , a lawyer representing willingham 's stepmother , eugenia willingham , and cousin patricia cox . goldstein pointed out that kuykendall has told differing stories about whether her former husband ever admitted his guilt in the fatal fire , and criticized death-penalty supporters for parading her on the courthouse steps while they 're inside trying to stop proceedings . ' what possible harm could there be to their side to have this aired in court ? ' he asked . also representing the family is the innocence project , led by nationally known defense lawyer barry scheck . lowell thompson , the district attorney for navarro county , which includes corsicana , did not return a phone call seeking comment wednesday . in asking baird to open a court of inquiry ' into the execution , willingham 's family argues that he was put to death for a crime that modern science reveals may never have been committed . ' state officials failed to act on evidence of significant deficiencies ' in the finding of arson at the heart of the case before the execution , and have continued to resist attempts to clear mr. willingham 's name , ' their petition states . if we can get a hearing before him or any other fair judge , we 're going to go ahead , ' goldstein said . the texas forensic science commission is investigating claims that state fire marshals ruled the fatal blaze arson based on outdated or faulty science . the first of three reports to reach that conclusion was sent to gov . rick perry 's office and submitted to appeals courts before willingham 's execution , while two others were conducted after his death . despite overwhelming scientific evidence , state officials have continued to demonize mr. willingham and defend the arson evidence on which he and others have been convicted , ' the family 's petition states . the forensic science commission was to hear from the author of the most recent of those reports in october 2009 . but the panel 's deliberations were put off after perry -- who allowed the execution to go forward -- abruptly shook up the panel , spurring complaints from the willingham family and allegations that perry was trying to head off the potential admission that texas had put an innocent man to death . in july , the commission found that arson investigators used flawed science but were not negligent and did not commit misconduct . a spokeswoman for the governor 's office told cnn on tuesday that perry , who allowed the execution to go forward , remains convinced of willingham 's guilt . and corsicana authorities have said that evidence beyond the testimony of state fire marshals supported willingham 's conviction . cnn 's emanuella grinberg contributed to this report ."," todd murdered amber , karmon and kameron , ' stacy kuykendall says" +"wales ( cnn ) -- sweden 's princess lilian , the welsh-born model who lived with her lover prince bertil for 30 years before they were married , has died at the age of 97 , the swedish royal court said in a statement . it is with sorrow that i have learnt that h.r.h . ( her royal highness ) princess lilian is dead , ' swedish prime minister fredrik reinfeldt said in a statement . a much loved and appreciated member of the royal family has now passed away , ' he added . born in 1915 in swansea , wales , lilian may davies was a vogue model and married to british actor ivan craig when she first met prince bertil , the current king 's uncle , in 1943 . then engaged in wartime work making radios for the royal navy , she reportedly met prince bertil at a cocktail party for her 28th birthday . reports about their first meeting vary , with some saying they met at a nightclub called nuthouse while others that they met on the london underground . the two soon became lovers and she divorced her husband in 1945 . however , due to sweden 's strict royal succession rules -- which at the time did not permit a contender for the throne to marry a commoner -- king gustav vi adolph ( the current king 's grandfather ) would not give his blessing to the union . prince bertil 's two brothers had already renounced their right to the throne by marrying commoners and the only heir , his older brother crown prince gustaf adolph , died in a plane crash in 1947 . with a strong possibility that prince bertil would have to act as regent to the present king carl xvi gustaf , who was less than a year old when his father was killed , the couple did not marry . instead , they lived together discreetly in a villa in the south of france . by the time king carl xvi gustaf took the throne in 1973 , times had changed . he himself was married to a commoner and the couple were finally permitted to marry 33 years after they first met , on december 7 , 1976 at drottningholm palace chapel . prince bertil was popular in sweden where he was dubbed prince charming ' by the media for his long romance with lilian . he died in 1997 aged 84 with lilian at his bedside . princess lilian remained active in public life until her early 90s , attending the nobel prize ceremonies adorned in royal jewels . in 2005 , at the age of 91 , she stopped attending the ceremony , citing her advanced years . in 2010 , she withdrew from public life suffering from alzheimer 's disease . the couple never had children . she was the oldest member of the swedish royal family at the time of her death and , despite the problems that led her to wait more than 30 years to get married , was a fully integrated member of the swedish royal family . people we 've lost in 2013 : the lives they lived","born in wales , the divorcee married prince bertil in 1976" +"syria istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- the downing of a turkish jet over the mediterranean last friday by a syrian missile took turkish-syrian tensions to a new level . though the turkish government did not declare war as some expected , and others feared , it did declare syria a clear and present danger ' and raised its rules of engagement to an alert level . how we came to this point is an interesting story . the 550-mile long border with syria , turkey 's longest , has often been tense . during the cold war , syria was a soviet ally , turkey was a nato member ( as it still is ) and the border was heavily mined . moreover , hafez assad , the father and predecessor of syria 's current dictator , bashar al-assad , supported and hosted the pkk , the outlawed kurdistan workers party , which has led a guerrilla war against turkey since the early '80s . ( pkk is defined by turkey and the united states as a terrorist group . ) turkey had come close to waging a war against syria in 1999 because of this pkk connection . turkey moves forces to syrian border amid tensions , official says however , the relations surprisingly changed for the better in the first decade of the new century . bashar al-assad , who replaced his father in 2000 , seemed to promise a more open and friendly syria . in turkey , the justice and development party of recep tayyip erdogan , which came to power in 2002 , initiated a foreign policy of zero problems with neighbors . ' this led to a fruitful turkish-syrian rapprochment : erdogan and assad became friends , trade between the two countries was boosted , and borders were opened for visa-free travel . just two years ago , the two countries looked like the core states of a would-be middle eastern union modeled after the eu . but this honeymoon came to an abrupt end with the arab spring . the erdogan government , whose claims include democratizing turkey by saving it from the tutelage of the country 's overbearing military , intuitively sympathized with and announced support for this democratic wave in the region . yet while this proved to be a winning game in tunisia , egypt and libya , syria turned out to be a tougher case . throughout the initial months of the demonstrations in syria , which began in march 2011 , the turkish government hoped and tried to persuade al-assad 's regime to allow a peaceful transition to democracy . this hope was gradually replaced by frustration , however , and erdogan soon began to condemn the barbarism ' and savagery ' of the syrian regime . the trouble for him , as it usually is , was also personal : as he said in the turkish parliament on june 21 , assad had promised him change and reform but proved to be a liar instead . consequently , turkey rapidly emerged as one of the boldest supporters of the syrian opposition , and the syrian national council , formed as the dissidents'umbrella group , found a base in turkey . meanwhile , at least 15,000 refugees from syria , both dissidents and their families , were given shelter on the turkish side of the syrian border . moreover , the free syrian army , a rebel group formed by the syrian soldiers who deserted to the opposition 's side , not only operated from turkey but , according to some reports , were helped with arms and other supplies as well . the syrian response was to add turkey to its own version of the axis of evil -- the united states , nato , saudi arabia and in fact much of the rest of the world -- in its official propaganda . inside turkey , this engagement in the syrian crisis has supporters and critics . the supporters are mostly sunni conservatives who strongly identify with the syrian opposition , which include the syrian muslim brotherhood . ( the massacre of thousands of sunnis in hama in 1982 by hafez assad had been a tragic memory in the minds of these conservative turks , who now believe that the syrian leopard has simply not changed its spots . ) other voices in turkey , ranging from hardcore secularists to pro-iranian marginal islamists , accuse the government for being naively involved in a conflict cooked up by western imperialists . ' the plane incident came on top of all this . the downed jet was apparently an unarmed but military aircraft which , according to the turkish government , was on a peaceful mission to test the nato radar system based in eastern turkey . syrians said the plane violated syrian airspace and was shot within it . the turkish government said the plane violated the syrian airspace mistakenly and very briefly ' but was hit by a syrian missile despite immediately having reverted to international airspace . the plane 's two pilots , who apparently fell to the sea , are missing . the turkish reaction to the incident was outlined by erdogan in an address in the parliament that came four days after the incident . in a very strident tone against the bloody dictator of syria , ' erdogan announced that turkey now sees its southern neighbor as a clear and present danger ' and will change its rules of engagement : any military element that approaches the turkish border from syria by posing a security risk will be regarded as a threat , and will be treated as a military target . ' the very same day , some turkish tanks on the syrian border were repositioned , implying that ankara meant business . yet almost no one in turkey seems enthusiastic for war . many here point out that turkey 's ascendance in the past decade has been thanks to its soft power . ' that mainly rested on the country 's economic boom and democratic reforms , which seemed to present a synthesis of islam , free-market capitalism and political liberalism . photos : in syrian hospital , no escape from war but should turkey now consider putting some hard power ' on the table , without which it might become ineffective in its region ? this is a question that turks are passionately discussing these days , and the answer seems to matter a lot for the syrians as well . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mustafa akyol .","mustafa akyol : syria downing of turkish plane has brought countries'tensions to new level" +"syria istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- the downing of a turkish jet over the mediterranean last friday by a syrian missile took turkish-syrian tensions to a new level . though the turkish government did not declare war as some expected , and others feared , it did declare syria a clear and present danger ' and raised its rules of engagement to an alert level . how we came to this point is an interesting story . the 550-mile long border with syria , turkey 's longest , has often been tense . during the cold war , syria was a soviet ally , turkey was a nato member ( as it still is ) and the border was heavily mined . moreover , hafez assad , the father and predecessor of syria 's current dictator , bashar al-assad , supported and hosted the pkk , the outlawed kurdistan workers party , which has led a guerrilla war against turkey since the early '80s . ( pkk is defined by turkey and the united states as a terrorist group . ) turkey had come close to waging a war against syria in 1999 because of this pkk connection . turkey moves forces to syrian border amid tensions , official says however , the relations surprisingly changed for the better in the first decade of the new century . bashar al-assad , who replaced his father in 2000 , seemed to promise a more open and friendly syria . in turkey , the justice and development party of recep tayyip erdogan , which came to power in 2002 , initiated a foreign policy of zero problems with neighbors . ' this led to a fruitful turkish-syrian rapprochment : erdogan and assad became friends , trade between the two countries was boosted , and borders were opened for visa-free travel . just two years ago , the two countries looked like the core states of a would-be middle eastern union modeled after the eu . but this honeymoon came to an abrupt end with the arab spring . the erdogan government , whose claims include democratizing turkey by saving it from the tutelage of the country 's overbearing military , intuitively sympathized with and announced support for this democratic wave in the region . yet while this proved to be a winning game in tunisia , egypt and libya , syria turned out to be a tougher case . throughout the initial months of the demonstrations in syria , which began in march 2011 , the turkish government hoped and tried to persuade al-assad 's regime to allow a peaceful transition to democracy . this hope was gradually replaced by frustration , however , and erdogan soon began to condemn the barbarism ' and savagery ' of the syrian regime . the trouble for him , as it usually is , was also personal : as he said in the turkish parliament on june 21 , assad had promised him change and reform but proved to be a liar instead . consequently , turkey rapidly emerged as one of the boldest supporters of the syrian opposition , and the syrian national council , formed as the dissidents'umbrella group , found a base in turkey . meanwhile , at least 15,000 refugees from syria , both dissidents and their families , were given shelter on the turkish side of the syrian border . moreover , the free syrian army , a rebel group formed by the syrian soldiers who deserted to the opposition 's side , not only operated from turkey but , according to some reports , were helped with arms and other supplies as well . the syrian response was to add turkey to its own version of the axis of evil -- the united states , nato , saudi arabia and in fact much of the rest of the world -- in its official propaganda . inside turkey , this engagement in the syrian crisis has supporters and critics . the supporters are mostly sunni conservatives who strongly identify with the syrian opposition , which include the syrian muslim brotherhood . ( the massacre of thousands of sunnis in hama in 1982 by hafez assad had been a tragic memory in the minds of these conservative turks , who now believe that the syrian leopard has simply not changed its spots . ) other voices in turkey , ranging from hardcore secularists to pro-iranian marginal islamists , accuse the government for being naively involved in a conflict cooked up by western imperialists . ' the plane incident came on top of all this . the downed jet was apparently an unarmed but military aircraft which , according to the turkish government , was on a peaceful mission to test the nato radar system based in eastern turkey . syrians said the plane violated syrian airspace and was shot within it . the turkish government said the plane violated the syrian airspace mistakenly and very briefly ' but was hit by a syrian missile despite immediately having reverted to international airspace . the plane 's two pilots , who apparently fell to the sea , are missing . the turkish reaction to the incident was outlined by erdogan in an address in the parliament that came four days after the incident . in a very strident tone against the bloody dictator of syria , ' erdogan announced that turkey now sees its southern neighbor as a clear and present danger ' and will change its rules of engagement : any military element that approaches the turkish border from syria by posing a security risk will be regarded as a threat , and will be treated as a military target . ' the very same day , some turkish tanks on the syrian border were repositioned , implying that ankara meant business . yet almost no one in turkey seems enthusiastic for war . many here point out that turkey 's ascendance in the past decade has been thanks to its soft power . ' that mainly rested on the country 's economic boom and democratic reforms , which seemed to present a synthesis of islam , free-market capitalism and political liberalism . photos : in syrian hospital , no escape from war but should turkey now consider putting some hard power ' on the table , without which it might become ineffective in its region ? this is a question that turks are passionately discussing these days , and the answer seems to matter a lot for the syrians as well . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mustafa akyol .","he says relations had evolved to friendly until arab spring ; syria aggression opened new divide" +"syria istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- the downing of a turkish jet over the mediterranean last friday by a syrian missile took turkish-syrian tensions to a new level . though the turkish government did not declare war as some expected , and others feared , it did declare syria a clear and present danger ' and raised its rules of engagement to an alert level . how we came to this point is an interesting story . the 550-mile long border with syria , turkey 's longest , has often been tense . during the cold war , syria was a soviet ally , turkey was a nato member ( as it still is ) and the border was heavily mined . moreover , hafez assad , the father and predecessor of syria 's current dictator , bashar al-assad , supported and hosted the pkk , the outlawed kurdistan workers party , which has led a guerrilla war against turkey since the early '80s . ( pkk is defined by turkey and the united states as a terrorist group . ) turkey had come close to waging a war against syria in 1999 because of this pkk connection . turkey moves forces to syrian border amid tensions , official says however , the relations surprisingly changed for the better in the first decade of the new century . bashar al-assad , who replaced his father in 2000 , seemed to promise a more open and friendly syria . in turkey , the justice and development party of recep tayyip erdogan , which came to power in 2002 , initiated a foreign policy of zero problems with neighbors . ' this led to a fruitful turkish-syrian rapprochment : erdogan and assad became friends , trade between the two countries was boosted , and borders were opened for visa-free travel . just two years ago , the two countries looked like the core states of a would-be middle eastern union modeled after the eu . but this honeymoon came to an abrupt end with the arab spring . the erdogan government , whose claims include democratizing turkey by saving it from the tutelage of the country 's overbearing military , intuitively sympathized with and announced support for this democratic wave in the region . yet while this proved to be a winning game in tunisia , egypt and libya , syria turned out to be a tougher case . throughout the initial months of the demonstrations in syria , which began in march 2011 , the turkish government hoped and tried to persuade al-assad 's regime to allow a peaceful transition to democracy . this hope was gradually replaced by frustration , however , and erdogan soon began to condemn the barbarism ' and savagery ' of the syrian regime . the trouble for him , as it usually is , was also personal : as he said in the turkish parliament on june 21 , assad had promised him change and reform but proved to be a liar instead . consequently , turkey rapidly emerged as one of the boldest supporters of the syrian opposition , and the syrian national council , formed as the dissidents'umbrella group , found a base in turkey . meanwhile , at least 15,000 refugees from syria , both dissidents and their families , were given shelter on the turkish side of the syrian border . moreover , the free syrian army , a rebel group formed by the syrian soldiers who deserted to the opposition 's side , not only operated from turkey but , according to some reports , were helped with arms and other supplies as well . the syrian response was to add turkey to its own version of the axis of evil -- the united states , nato , saudi arabia and in fact much of the rest of the world -- in its official propaganda . inside turkey , this engagement in the syrian crisis has supporters and critics . the supporters are mostly sunni conservatives who strongly identify with the syrian opposition , which include the syrian muslim brotherhood . ( the massacre of thousands of sunnis in hama in 1982 by hafez assad had been a tragic memory in the minds of these conservative turks , who now believe that the syrian leopard has simply not changed its spots . ) other voices in turkey , ranging from hardcore secularists to pro-iranian marginal islamists , accuse the government for being naively involved in a conflict cooked up by western imperialists . ' the plane incident came on top of all this . the downed jet was apparently an unarmed but military aircraft which , according to the turkish government , was on a peaceful mission to test the nato radar system based in eastern turkey . syrians said the plane violated syrian airspace and was shot within it . the turkish government said the plane violated the syrian airspace mistakenly and very briefly ' but was hit by a syrian missile despite immediately having reverted to international airspace . the plane 's two pilots , who apparently fell to the sea , are missing . the turkish reaction to the incident was outlined by erdogan in an address in the parliament that came four days after the incident . in a very strident tone against the bloody dictator of syria , ' erdogan announced that turkey now sees its southern neighbor as a clear and present danger ' and will change its rules of engagement : any military element that approaches the turkish border from syria by posing a security risk will be regarded as a threat , and will be treated as a military target . ' the very same day , some turkish tanks on the syrian border were repositioned , implying that ankara meant business . yet almost no one in turkey seems enthusiastic for war . many here point out that turkey 's ascendance in the past decade has been thanks to its soft power . ' that mainly rested on the country 's economic boom and democratic reforms , which seemed to present a synthesis of islam , free-market capitalism and political liberalism . photos : in syrian hospital , no escape from war but should turkey now consider putting some hard power ' on the table , without which it might become ineffective in its region ? this is a question that turks are passionately discussing these days , and the answer seems to matter a lot for the syrians as well . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mustafa akyol .","he says turkey 's erdogan had tried to ease syria to peace , but now it 's in military posture" +"arab spring istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- the downing of a turkish jet over the mediterranean last friday by a syrian missile took turkish-syrian tensions to a new level . though the turkish government did not declare war as some expected , and others feared , it did declare syria a clear and present danger ' and raised its rules of engagement to an alert level . how we came to this point is an interesting story . the 550-mile long border with syria , turkey 's longest , has often been tense . during the cold war , syria was a soviet ally , turkey was a nato member ( as it still is ) and the border was heavily mined . moreover , hafez assad , the father and predecessor of syria 's current dictator , bashar al-assad , supported and hosted the pkk , the outlawed kurdistan workers party , which has led a guerrilla war against turkey since the early '80s . ( pkk is defined by turkey and the united states as a terrorist group . ) turkey had come close to waging a war against syria in 1999 because of this pkk connection . turkey moves forces to syrian border amid tensions , official says however , the relations surprisingly changed for the better in the first decade of the new century . bashar al-assad , who replaced his father in 2000 , seemed to promise a more open and friendly syria . in turkey , the justice and development party of recep tayyip erdogan , which came to power in 2002 , initiated a foreign policy of zero problems with neighbors . ' this led to a fruitful turkish-syrian rapprochment : erdogan and assad became friends , trade between the two countries was boosted , and borders were opened for visa-free travel . just two years ago , the two countries looked like the core states of a would-be middle eastern union modeled after the eu . but this honeymoon came to an abrupt end with the arab spring . the erdogan government , whose claims include democratizing turkey by saving it from the tutelage of the country 's overbearing military , intuitively sympathized with and announced support for this democratic wave in the region . yet while this proved to be a winning game in tunisia , egypt and libya , syria turned out to be a tougher case . throughout the initial months of the demonstrations in syria , which began in march 2011 , the turkish government hoped and tried to persuade al-assad 's regime to allow a peaceful transition to democracy . this hope was gradually replaced by frustration , however , and erdogan soon began to condemn the barbarism ' and savagery ' of the syrian regime . the trouble for him , as it usually is , was also personal : as he said in the turkish parliament on june 21 , assad had promised him change and reform but proved to be a liar instead . consequently , turkey rapidly emerged as one of the boldest supporters of the syrian opposition , and the syrian national council , formed as the dissidents'umbrella group , found a base in turkey . meanwhile , at least 15,000 refugees from syria , both dissidents and their families , were given shelter on the turkish side of the syrian border . moreover , the free syrian army , a rebel group formed by the syrian soldiers who deserted to the opposition 's side , not only operated from turkey but , according to some reports , were helped with arms and other supplies as well . the syrian response was to add turkey to its own version of the axis of evil -- the united states , nato , saudi arabia and in fact much of the rest of the world -- in its official propaganda . inside turkey , this engagement in the syrian crisis has supporters and critics . the supporters are mostly sunni conservatives who strongly identify with the syrian opposition , which include the syrian muslim brotherhood . ( the massacre of thousands of sunnis in hama in 1982 by hafez assad had been a tragic memory in the minds of these conservative turks , who now believe that the syrian leopard has simply not changed its spots . ) other voices in turkey , ranging from hardcore secularists to pro-iranian marginal islamists , accuse the government for being naively involved in a conflict cooked up by western imperialists . ' the plane incident came on top of all this . the downed jet was apparently an unarmed but military aircraft which , according to the turkish government , was on a peaceful mission to test the nato radar system based in eastern turkey . syrians said the plane violated syrian airspace and was shot within it . the turkish government said the plane violated the syrian airspace mistakenly and very briefly ' but was hit by a syrian missile despite immediately having reverted to international airspace . the plane 's two pilots , who apparently fell to the sea , are missing . the turkish reaction to the incident was outlined by erdogan in an address in the parliament that came four days after the incident . in a very strident tone against the bloody dictator of syria , ' erdogan announced that turkey now sees its southern neighbor as a clear and present danger ' and will change its rules of engagement : any military element that approaches the turkish border from syria by posing a security risk will be regarded as a threat , and will be treated as a military target . ' the very same day , some turkish tanks on the syrian border were repositioned , implying that ankara meant business . yet almost no one in turkey seems enthusiastic for war . many here point out that turkey 's ascendance in the past decade has been thanks to its soft power . ' that mainly rested on the country 's economic boom and democratic reforms , which seemed to present a synthesis of islam , free-market capitalism and political liberalism . photos : in syrian hospital , no escape from war but should turkey now consider putting some hard power ' on the table , without which it might become ineffective in its region ? this is a question that turks are passionately discussing these days , and the answer seems to matter a lot for the syrians as well . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mustafa akyol .","he says relations had evolved to friendly until arab spring ; syria aggression opened new divide" +"yemen yemen 's parliament sunday called for an end to drone strikes on its territory after a u.s. missile attack mistakenly struck a wedding convoy , killing more than a dozen people . the nearly unanimous but non-binding vote was a strong warning ' to both the united states and the government of yemeni president abdo rabbo mansour hadi , a yemeni government official told cnn . the yemeni public is angered by the drone strikes , ' said the official , who spoke on condition of anonymity because he 's not authorized to talk to reporters . the people 's representatives reflected on the tone of the streets . ' that anger was further stoked last week after what yemeni security officials said was a u.s. attack in southwestern yemen last week . intelligence reports had identified the targeted convoy as carrying al qaeda militants , but the passengers were actually members of a wedding party , the officials said . the officials said that 14 people were killed and 22 others wounded , nine critically . u.s. officials declined to comment on the report . the attacks are part of a joint u.s.-yemeni campaign against al qaeda , and yemen 's government is unlikely to approve any measure that would limit the use of unmanned aircraft , the government official said . yemen 's air force and troops ca n't carry out missions in remote areas . drones have had success in targeting small number of militants , ' the official said . the highest-profile target of that campaign was anwar al-awlaki , the american-born muslim scholar and cleric who acted as a spokesman for the yemeni-based branch of al qaeda . al-awlaki was killed in a drone strike in september 2011 . but the u.s.-based human rights watch reported in october that at least 57 civilians had also been killed by missiles fired from the unmanned aircraft . and some yemeni security experts argue that drone strikes have aided al qaeda by turning peaceful tribal communities into vengeful killers . drones also have been used extensively against al qaeda and taliban fighters in pakistan . lawmakers there have objected strenuously to the attacks , but former president pervez musharraf acknowledged in april that his government secretly signed off on some strikes inside his country .","but yemen 's government is unlikely to approve any ban on the attacks" +"yemen yemen 's parliament sunday called for an end to drone strikes on its territory after a u.s. missile attack mistakenly struck a wedding convoy , killing more than a dozen people . the nearly unanimous but non-binding vote was a strong warning ' to both the united states and the government of yemeni president abdo rabbo mansour hadi , a yemeni government official told cnn . the yemeni public is angered by the drone strikes , ' said the official , who spoke on condition of anonymity because he 's not authorized to talk to reporters . the people 's representatives reflected on the tone of the streets . ' that anger was further stoked last week after what yemeni security officials said was a u.s. attack in southwestern yemen last week . intelligence reports had identified the targeted convoy as carrying al qaeda militants , but the passengers were actually members of a wedding party , the officials said . the officials said that 14 people were killed and 22 others wounded , nine critically . u.s. officials declined to comment on the report . the attacks are part of a joint u.s.-yemeni campaign against al qaeda , and yemen 's government is unlikely to approve any measure that would limit the use of unmanned aircraft , the government official said . yemen 's air force and troops ca n't carry out missions in remote areas . drones have had success in targeting small number of militants , ' the official said . the highest-profile target of that campaign was anwar al-awlaki , the american-born muslim scholar and cleric who acted as a spokesman for the yemeni-based branch of al qaeda . al-awlaki was killed in a drone strike in september 2011 . but the u.s.-based human rights watch reported in october that at least 57 civilians had also been killed by missiles fired from the unmanned aircraft . and some yemeni security experts argue that drone strikes have aided al qaeda by turning peaceful tribal communities into vengeful killers . drones also have been used extensively against al qaeda and taliban fighters in pakistan . lawmakers there have objected strenuously to the attacks , but former president pervez musharraf acknowledged in april that his government secretly signed off on some strikes inside his country .","the vote was a strong warning ' to yemen 's government and the united states , official says" +"apple for a company that has n't attended ces since 1992 , apple dominates the show . you ca n't walk more than a dozen feet here at the las vegas convention center without seeing an igadget or iaccessory of some kind . apple 's overwhelming presence by proxy is impressive , and underscores the immense place the company occupies in the consumer electronics sector . of the 3,000 or so exhibitors here at ces , nearly 500 reside in the ilounge pavilion , a section dedicated specifically to apple-related products . and then there are the hundreds of audio , automotive , health , gaming , and accessory companies hawking ios and mac peripherals . there are more iphone and ipad adaptors , docks and dongles than you could possibly imagine . vendors are showing off ipad camera rigs , solar-powered mac batteries and even an iphone-connected plant sensor . and then there 's the sea of bedazzled and bedecked iphone and ipad cases . the biggest reason for this is , of course , apple 's dominating presence in the consumer electronic space . it 's a lot easier for startups and established players alike to ride apple 's coattails than those of , say , google or microsoft . we know that apple is doing well , ' said howard cheng , just mobile 's director of operations . we know that it 's better to make apple products than anything else . ' another advantage to going down the iroute is apple 's tight focus on a few products and form factors . it 's far easier to tailor accessories to apple than anyone else . accessory makers can reach virtually the entire installed base of iphone , ipad , and ipod touch owners with two products , determined by the connector , ' the 30 pin or lightning , said charles govin , an industry analyst with forrester . similarly , a case maker must create many skus for the android market , but essentially only three ( iphone 3g , 4 , and 5 ) for the entire iphone market . ' the relative ease with which companies can develop peripherals for apple is made all the more appealing by the fact apple customers have proven themselves only too happy to shell out money to accessorize their idevices . apple owners have a demonstrated willingness to spend for accessories , cases , and other customizations , ' govin said . essentially , the potential return on investment is more promising for apple-related products . ' ces also shows just how willing people are to build on apple 's iconic i ' branding . there 's ilounge , ibattz , iskin , iconnectivity , iport and even icat all within a few feet of each other on the show floor . spend five minutes walking the floor and it becomes clear there 's no need for apple to be here . hundreds of companies are only too happy to carry cupertino 's banner . apple 's presence here has grown rapidly . in the three years since the ilounge pavilion launched , the space has quadrupled to 120,000 square feet , all but taking over an entire hall and pushing the automotive industry into another space . but does anyone wish apple were actually here ? not really . i do n't care , ' said raymond meng , president of ismartalarm . his company is releasing an iphone-controlled home alarm system , which meng says was inspired by the burglary of steve jobs'house this summer . meng said that it does n't matter that apple is n't at ces with a booth or keynote , because ces is already the most successful and popular show for companies like his . cheng , from just mobile , agrees . at this point , i do n't think apple needs to be here , ' he said . they have their own events and that works for them . ' just mobile already has eight products in the apple store and uses ces to expand into the international market and meet clients . as for meetings with apple , we visit them at their campus , ' cheng said . of course , ces could be a much hotter destination if it had the hottest tech company involved . with microsoft dropping out , ces is losing even more of its sizzle . but the cea , the organization that puts on the show , says that apple skipping out is n't a big deal . apple is a cea member . it 's just there prerogative to not exhibit and they 've found it more cost effective to host their own events , ' cea spokeswoman danielle cassagnol said . they 've never keynoted or exhibited at ces , so them not being here is n't really a loss for us . ' that 's not entirely true , since apple did introduce the newton at ces in 1992 , but perhaps the cea wants to forget this fact . but the fact remains that apple and its products are the widely seen , and discussed , at ces . it 's here , even if it is n't . they have employees that attend the show , so in that way , apple sort of is here , ' cassognal said . follow : wired 's live coverage of ces follow : cnn tech 's live coverage of ces","five hundred exhibitors are in the ilounge pavilion ' for apple accessory makers" +"apple for a company that has n't attended ces since 1992 , apple dominates the show . you ca n't walk more than a dozen feet here at the las vegas convention center without seeing an igadget or iaccessory of some kind . apple 's overwhelming presence by proxy is impressive , and underscores the immense place the company occupies in the consumer electronics sector . of the 3,000 or so exhibitors here at ces , nearly 500 reside in the ilounge pavilion , a section dedicated specifically to apple-related products . and then there are the hundreds of audio , automotive , health , gaming , and accessory companies hawking ios and mac peripherals . there are more iphone and ipad adaptors , docks and dongles than you could possibly imagine . vendors are showing off ipad camera rigs , solar-powered mac batteries and even an iphone-connected plant sensor . and then there 's the sea of bedazzled and bedecked iphone and ipad cases . the biggest reason for this is , of course , apple 's dominating presence in the consumer electronic space . it 's a lot easier for startups and established players alike to ride apple 's coattails than those of , say , google or microsoft . we know that apple is doing well , ' said howard cheng , just mobile 's director of operations . we know that it 's better to make apple products than anything else . ' another advantage to going down the iroute is apple 's tight focus on a few products and form factors . it 's far easier to tailor accessories to apple than anyone else . accessory makers can reach virtually the entire installed base of iphone , ipad , and ipod touch owners with two products , determined by the connector , ' the 30 pin or lightning , said charles govin , an industry analyst with forrester . similarly , a case maker must create many skus for the android market , but essentially only three ( iphone 3g , 4 , and 5 ) for the entire iphone market . ' the relative ease with which companies can develop peripherals for apple is made all the more appealing by the fact apple customers have proven themselves only too happy to shell out money to accessorize their idevices . apple owners have a demonstrated willingness to spend for accessories , cases , and other customizations , ' govin said . essentially , the potential return on investment is more promising for apple-related products . ' ces also shows just how willing people are to build on apple 's iconic i ' branding . there 's ilounge , ibattz , iskin , iconnectivity , iport and even icat all within a few feet of each other on the show floor . spend five minutes walking the floor and it becomes clear there 's no need for apple to be here . hundreds of companies are only too happy to carry cupertino 's banner . apple 's presence here has grown rapidly . in the three years since the ilounge pavilion launched , the space has quadrupled to 120,000 square feet , all but taking over an entire hall and pushing the automotive industry into another space . but does anyone wish apple were actually here ? not really . i do n't care , ' said raymond meng , president of ismartalarm . his company is releasing an iphone-controlled home alarm system , which meng says was inspired by the burglary of steve jobs'house this summer . meng said that it does n't matter that apple is n't at ces with a booth or keynote , because ces is already the most successful and popular show for companies like his . cheng , from just mobile , agrees . at this point , i do n't think apple needs to be here , ' he said . they have their own events and that works for them . ' just mobile already has eight products in the apple store and uses ces to expand into the international market and meet clients . as for meetings with apple , we visit them at their campus , ' cheng said . of course , ces could be a much hotter destination if it had the hottest tech company involved . with microsoft dropping out , ces is losing even more of its sizzle . but the cea , the organization that puts on the show , says that apple skipping out is n't a big deal . apple is a cea member . it 's just there prerogative to not exhibit and they 've found it more cost effective to host their own events , ' cea spokeswoman danielle cassagnol said . they 've never keynoted or exhibited at ces , so them not being here is n't really a loss for us . ' that 's not entirely true , since apple did introduce the newton at ces in 1992 , but perhaps the cea wants to forget this fact . but the fact remains that apple and its products are the widely seen , and discussed , at ces . it 's here , even if it is n't . they have employees that attend the show , so in that way , apple sort of is here , ' cassognal said . follow : wired 's live coverage of ces follow : cnn tech 's live coverage of ces","apple has n't attended since 1992 ; microsoft dropped out last year" +"apple for a company that has n't attended ces since 1992 , apple dominates the show . you ca n't walk more than a dozen feet here at the las vegas convention center without seeing an igadget or iaccessory of some kind . apple 's overwhelming presence by proxy is impressive , and underscores the immense place the company occupies in the consumer electronics sector . of the 3,000 or so exhibitors here at ces , nearly 500 reside in the ilounge pavilion , a section dedicated specifically to apple-related products . and then there are the hundreds of audio , automotive , health , gaming , and accessory companies hawking ios and mac peripherals . there are more iphone and ipad adaptors , docks and dongles than you could possibly imagine . vendors are showing off ipad camera rigs , solar-powered mac batteries and even an iphone-connected plant sensor . and then there 's the sea of bedazzled and bedecked iphone and ipad cases . the biggest reason for this is , of course , apple 's dominating presence in the consumer electronic space . it 's a lot easier for startups and established players alike to ride apple 's coattails than those of , say , google or microsoft . we know that apple is doing well , ' said howard cheng , just mobile 's director of operations . we know that it 's better to make apple products than anything else . ' another advantage to going down the iroute is apple 's tight focus on a few products and form factors . it 's far easier to tailor accessories to apple than anyone else . accessory makers can reach virtually the entire installed base of iphone , ipad , and ipod touch owners with two products , determined by the connector , ' the 30 pin or lightning , said charles govin , an industry analyst with forrester . similarly , a case maker must create many skus for the android market , but essentially only three ( iphone 3g , 4 , and 5 ) for the entire iphone market . ' the relative ease with which companies can develop peripherals for apple is made all the more appealing by the fact apple customers have proven themselves only too happy to shell out money to accessorize their idevices . apple owners have a demonstrated willingness to spend for accessories , cases , and other customizations , ' govin said . essentially , the potential return on investment is more promising for apple-related products . ' ces also shows just how willing people are to build on apple 's iconic i ' branding . there 's ilounge , ibattz , iskin , iconnectivity , iport and even icat all within a few feet of each other on the show floor . spend five minutes walking the floor and it becomes clear there 's no need for apple to be here . hundreds of companies are only too happy to carry cupertino 's banner . apple 's presence here has grown rapidly . in the three years since the ilounge pavilion launched , the space has quadrupled to 120,000 square feet , all but taking over an entire hall and pushing the automotive industry into another space . but does anyone wish apple were actually here ? not really . i do n't care , ' said raymond meng , president of ismartalarm . his company is releasing an iphone-controlled home alarm system , which meng says was inspired by the burglary of steve jobs'house this summer . meng said that it does n't matter that apple is n't at ces with a booth or keynote , because ces is already the most successful and popular show for companies like his . cheng , from just mobile , agrees . at this point , i do n't think apple needs to be here , ' he said . they have their own events and that works for them . ' just mobile already has eight products in the apple store and uses ces to expand into the international market and meet clients . as for meetings with apple , we visit them at their campus , ' cheng said . of course , ces could be a much hotter destination if it had the hottest tech company involved . with microsoft dropping out , ces is losing even more of its sizzle . but the cea , the organization that puts on the show , says that apple skipping out is n't a big deal . apple is a cea member . it 's just there prerogative to not exhibit and they 've found it more cost effective to host their own events , ' cea spokeswoman danielle cassagnol said . they 've never keynoted or exhibited at ces , so them not being here is n't really a loss for us . ' that 's not entirely true , since apple did introduce the newton at ces in 1992 , but perhaps the cea wants to forget this fact . but the fact remains that apple and its products are the widely seen , and discussed , at ces . it 's here , even if it is n't . they have employees that attend the show , so in that way , apple sort of is here , ' cassognal said . follow : wired 's live coverage of ces follow : cnn tech 's live coverage of ces","absent from consumer electronics show , apple still is a major presence" +"apple for a company that has n't attended ces since 1992 , apple dominates the show . you ca n't walk more than a dozen feet here at the las vegas convention center without seeing an igadget or iaccessory of some kind . apple 's overwhelming presence by proxy is impressive , and underscores the immense place the company occupies in the consumer electronics sector . of the 3,000 or so exhibitors here at ces , nearly 500 reside in the ilounge pavilion , a section dedicated specifically to apple-related products . and then there are the hundreds of audio , automotive , health , gaming , and accessory companies hawking ios and mac peripherals . there are more iphone and ipad adaptors , docks and dongles than you could possibly imagine . vendors are showing off ipad camera rigs , solar-powered mac batteries and even an iphone-connected plant sensor . and then there 's the sea of bedazzled and bedecked iphone and ipad cases . the biggest reason for this is , of course , apple 's dominating presence in the consumer electronic space . it 's a lot easier for startups and established players alike to ride apple 's coattails than those of , say , google or microsoft . we know that apple is doing well , ' said howard cheng , just mobile 's director of operations . we know that it 's better to make apple products than anything else . ' another advantage to going down the iroute is apple 's tight focus on a few products and form factors . it 's far easier to tailor accessories to apple than anyone else . accessory makers can reach virtually the entire installed base of iphone , ipad , and ipod touch owners with two products , determined by the connector , ' the 30 pin or lightning , said charles govin , an industry analyst with forrester . similarly , a case maker must create many skus for the android market , but essentially only three ( iphone 3g , 4 , and 5 ) for the entire iphone market . ' the relative ease with which companies can develop peripherals for apple is made all the more appealing by the fact apple customers have proven themselves only too happy to shell out money to accessorize their idevices . apple owners have a demonstrated willingness to spend for accessories , cases , and other customizations , ' govin said . essentially , the potential return on investment is more promising for apple-related products . ' ces also shows just how willing people are to build on apple 's iconic i ' branding . there 's ilounge , ibattz , iskin , iconnectivity , iport and even icat all within a few feet of each other on the show floor . spend five minutes walking the floor and it becomes clear there 's no need for apple to be here . hundreds of companies are only too happy to carry cupertino 's banner . apple 's presence here has grown rapidly . in the three years since the ilounge pavilion launched , the space has quadrupled to 120,000 square feet , all but taking over an entire hall and pushing the automotive industry into another space . but does anyone wish apple were actually here ? not really . i do n't care , ' said raymond meng , president of ismartalarm . his company is releasing an iphone-controlled home alarm system , which meng says was inspired by the burglary of steve jobs'house this summer . meng said that it does n't matter that apple is n't at ces with a booth or keynote , because ces is already the most successful and popular show for companies like his . cheng , from just mobile , agrees . at this point , i do n't think apple needs to be here , ' he said . they have their own events and that works for them . ' just mobile already has eight products in the apple store and uses ces to expand into the international market and meet clients . as for meetings with apple , we visit them at their campus , ' cheng said . of course , ces could be a much hotter destination if it had the hottest tech company involved . with microsoft dropping out , ces is losing even more of its sizzle . but the cea , the organization that puts on the show , says that apple skipping out is n't a big deal . apple is a cea member . it 's just there prerogative to not exhibit and they 've found it more cost effective to host their own events , ' cea spokeswoman danielle cassagnol said . they 've never keynoted or exhibited at ces , so them not being here is n't really a loss for us . ' that 's not entirely true , since apple did introduce the newton at ces in 1992 , but perhaps the cea wants to forget this fact . but the fact remains that apple and its products are the widely seen , and discussed , at ces . it 's here , even if it is n't . they have employees that attend the show , so in that way , apple sort of is here , ' cassognal said . follow : wired 's live coverage of ces follow : cnn tech 's live coverage of ces","one reason ? apple customers have shown they 're willing to spend for extras" +"reef ( cnn ) -- the captain and chief officer of a chinese-registered ship that ran aground on the great barrier reef will appear in an australian court thursday , charged with damaging the reef . the shen neng 1 veered more than 27 kilometers ( 17 miles ) off course and ended up on a shoal in the reef on april 3 , prompting concerns of an oil spill near the world 's largest coral reef system . on wednesday , the australian federal police announced that they have arrested the 47-year-old chinese master of the vessel and the 44-year-old chief officer . the captain was charged with liability for the vessel . he faces a maximum fine of a $ 55,000 ( u.s. $ 50,852 ) . the chief officer is accused of being on watch when the ship caused the damage . he faces up to three years in prison and a fine of a $ 220,000 ( u.s. $ 203,411 ) . authorities did not disclose the name of either man . the ship was carrying about 65,000 tons of coal to china from the australian port of gladstone when it ran aground on the shoal -- a combination of shell and sand -- near the southernmost point of the great barrier reef , just north of great keppel island . about 950 tons of oil were on board . a small oil slick caused by the ship 's grounding did not threaten the great barrier reef after crews sprayed dispersants on it and surface netting helped to contain it . officials said the ship 's captain had a 10-mile-wide channel to navigate through in an area where pilots are n't needed -- a relatively wide open section of sea , 70 kilometers ( 43 miles ) off shore and away from the larger mass of coral most people associate with the great barrier reef . he got 15 nautical miles ( 17.3 miles ) off course , which is just outrageous , ' adam nicholson , a spokesman for maritime safety queensland , said at the time . nicholson likened it to a car veering off a 2-mile wide road . we have thousands of boats moving in that same space every year and nothing has ever happened like this , ' he said . the great barrier reef is made up of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands spanning over 2,600 km ( 1,600 miles ) off the coast of queensland in the coral sea .","ship was over 17 miles off course when it ended up in reef area" +"reef ( cnn ) -- the captain and chief officer of a chinese-registered ship that ran aground on the great barrier reef will appear in an australian court thursday , charged with damaging the reef . the shen neng 1 veered more than 27 kilometers ( 17 miles ) off course and ended up on a shoal in the reef on april 3 , prompting concerns of an oil spill near the world 's largest coral reef system . on wednesday , the australian federal police announced that they have arrested the 47-year-old chinese master of the vessel and the 44-year-old chief officer . the captain was charged with liability for the vessel . he faces a maximum fine of a $ 55,000 ( u.s. $ 50,852 ) . the chief officer is accused of being on watch when the ship caused the damage . he faces up to three years in prison and a fine of a $ 220,000 ( u.s. $ 203,411 ) . authorities did not disclose the name of either man . the ship was carrying about 65,000 tons of coal to china from the australian port of gladstone when it ran aground on the shoal -- a combination of shell and sand -- near the southernmost point of the great barrier reef , just north of great keppel island . about 950 tons of oil were on board . a small oil slick caused by the ship 's grounding did not threaten the great barrier reef after crews sprayed dispersants on it and surface netting helped to contain it . officials said the ship 's captain had a 10-mile-wide channel to navigate through in an area where pilots are n't needed -- a relatively wide open section of sea , 70 kilometers ( 43 miles ) off shore and away from the larger mass of coral most people associate with the great barrier reef . he got 15 nautical miles ( 17.3 miles ) off course , which is just outrageous , ' adam nicholson , a spokesman for maritime safety queensland , said at the time . nicholson likened it to a car veering off a 2-mile wide road . we have thousands of boats moving in that same space every year and nothing has ever happened like this , ' he said . the great barrier reef is made up of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands spanning over 2,600 km ( 1,600 miles ) off the coast of queensland in the coral sea .","chinese ship officers to appear in court after veering onto great barrier reef" +"reims ( cnn ) french police say two suspects in wednesday 's terrorist attack on charlie hebdo magazine are still on the loose after escaping onto the streets of paris . in a statement on their website , french national police ask for information on the whereabouts of suspects cherif kouachi and said kouachi , warning that both could be armed and dangerous . police released photos of the two men , who paris deputy mayor patrick klugman told cnn are brothers in their 30s . police found an id document of said kouachi at the scene of the shooting , cnn affiliate bfmtv reported . it was their only mistake , ' said dominique rizet , bfmtv 's police and justice consultant , reporting that the discovery helped the investigation . citing sources , the agence france presse news agency reported that an 18-year-old suspect in the attack had surrendered to police . cnn has not independently confirmed whether the suspect has surrendered . police fanned out across france in an intense manhunt for the suspects , who were masked and dressed in black when they burst into the satirical magazine 's office wednesday , killing 12 people . a tactical unit was deployed in an operation about a 144 kilometers ( about 90 miles ) from paris in reims , france , following the attack , cnn affiliate bfmtv reported . authorities have n't revealed details about the target of the operation , but speculation surged in french media that investigators could be closing in on the suspects . french authorities vowed to step up security and apprehend those responsible . everything will be done to arrest ( the attackers ) , ' french president francois hollande said in a speech wednesday night . ... we also have to protect all public places . security forces will be deployed everywhere there can be the beginning ' of a threat . it 's too soon to say whether the suspects were operating alone , cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank said . some experts warned that how well the gunmen wielded their weapons , hid their identities and apparently planned their escape showed a marked difference from previous lone wolf ' attacks -- and could be a game changer . charlie hebdo : satirical magazine is no stranger to controversy video shows gunman target seemingly wounded man these developments come after at least two heavily armed men entered the charlie hebdo office in paris'11th district , close to place de la bastille , and opened fire , paris prosecutor francois molins said . the gunmen said they were avenging the prophet mohammed and shouted allahu akbar , ' which translates to god is great , ' molins said . a witness who works in the office opposite the magazine 's told bfmtv that he saw two hooded men , dressed in black , enter the building heavily armed . we then heard them open fire inside , with many shots , ' he said . we were all evacuated to the roof . after several minutes , the men fled , after having continued firing in the middle of the street . ' the men reportedly spoke fluent french with no accent . one unsettling video , posted to youtube , shows two men shooting on a paris street , then walking up to and firing point-blank at a seemingly wounded man as he lay on the ground . video shows a gunman approaching his getaway car and raising his finger in the air in what appears to be a signal , possibly to another vehicle or other people who might have played a role in the attack , a western intelligence source briefed on the french investigation told cnn . in addition to the 12 dead , 11 people were wounded , including four in serious condition , ' the prosecutor said . two police officers were among those killed , the french president said . charlie hebdo editor and cartoonist stephane charbonnier , known as charb , ' is among the dead in the attack , a police spokesman in the district where the office is located told cnn . at least three other well-known cartoonists -- known by the pen names cabu , wolinski and tignous -- were also killed .'parisians will not be afraid' at an event in paris'place de la republique , demonstrators held up pens in honor of the slain cartoonists and chanted , we are charlie ! ' pictures posted online showed similar demonstrations in other cities , including rome , berlin and barcelona . parisians will not be afraid , ' klugman said . we will fight terrorism with our common values , freedom , freedom of speech , freedom of the press . ... we are at war , but we still want to behave as a leading democracy . ' armed soldiers could be seen standing guard outside monuments , in transit stations and elsewhere in well-trafficked spots around france by wednesday evening . prime minister manuel valls raised france 's security to its highest level -- attack alert ' -- after the charlie hebdo bloodshed . that means there will be reinforced security at media company offices , major stores , religious centers and on public transport , his office said in a statement . u.s. counterterrorism agencies are looking at a number of groups , including isis and al qaeda , that might be responsible for the attack . charlie hebdo has been singled out as a target for islamist extremists in al qaeda 's publication , inspire . police impounded a black citroen in northeastern paris similar to the one purportedly used by the attackers as a getaway car . video from cnn affiliate bfmtv shows the vehicle being towed from porte de pantin , in paris'19th district . investigators will do a complete dna work-up on the citroen , including soil signatures that might suggest where the gunmen came from , a western intelligence source briefed on the probe told cnn . the same source said that french authorities are searching all travel records from the past 17 days to see whether any of the attackers entered the european nation over the holidays . this includes checks at charles de gaulle and orly airports , as well as whatever limited information is available from train stations . thursday will be a national day of mourning for those killed in the attack , hollande said . he asked for a moment of reflection thursday and said flags will be at half-staff for three days . satirical magazine has drawn anger charlie hebdo is no stranger to controversy for lampooning a variety of subjects , including christianity . but what it 's done on islam has gotten the most attention and garnered the most vitriol . its last tweet before wednesday 's attack featured a cartoon of isis leader abu bakr al-baghdadi . the magazine has a controversial history of depicting mohammed , often in an unfavorable light , which has angered many muslims around the world . earlier cartoons depicting the prophet mohammed spurred protests and the burning of the magazine 's office three years ago . in november 2011 , charlie hebdo 's office was firebombed the day it was due to publish a cover making fun of islamic law . a year later , in an interview with le monde newspaper , charbonnier gave little indication that he planned to change charlie hebdo 's ways . it may sound pompous , ' he said , but i 'd rather die standing than live on my knees . ' the attack on the magazine spurred a wave of support for the publication and its practices around france and the world . on social media , people tweeted past covers from the magazine as well as the words je suis charlie , ' or i am charlie . ' cnn 's jim bittermann , ben brumfield , alanne orjoux , deborah feyerick , laura smith-spark , jason hanna , pierre meilhan , hala gorani , jake tapper , wolf blitzer , allison brennan , paul cruickshank , margot haddad and evan perez contributed to this report .","a police operation is underway in reims , france , cnn affiliate reports" +"gop ( cnn ) -- for years , republican presidents and presidential candidates have strip-mined clint eastwood movies for rhetorical nuggets . ronald reagan warned congress in 1985 that he had his veto pen at the ready if it voted a tax increase . go ahead , make my day , ' he baited , quoting eastwood 's dirty harry character in sudden impact . ' read my lips , ' promised candidate george h.w . bush in 1988 , echoing eastwood in the original dirty harry , ' adding , no new taxes . ' thursday night , mitt romney 's campaign recruited eastwood himself . the beloved actor/director , 82 , was the mystery guest ' at the republican convention , a warm-up act for sen. mario rubio of florida , who introduced candidate romney . he strode out on the stage , hair uncombed and a little wild , with his familiar , stiff-legged authority , and proceeded to deliver an improvised piece of performance art that triggered unintentional amusement and confusion within the tampa bay times forum and throughout the viewing audience . but to many , the political nuggets eastwood delivered this time were more like fool 's gold . i never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to be president anyhow , ' eastwood rambled , perhaps unaware that romney has a law degree , because they 're arguing both sides of the issue . ' news : eastwood , the empty chair , and the speech everyone 's talking about ' clint eastwood became huge star as a man of few words . as a surprise guest on the tampa stage he had too many words ( i say as a friend ) , ' tweeted newsman tom brokaw of the actor 's apparently improvised act , where he addressed an empty chair meant to represent president barack obama . afterward , the chicago sun-times critic and obama supporter roger ebert tweeted , clint , my hero , is coming across as sad and pathetic . he did n't need to do this to himself . it 's unworthy of him . ' for this film critic and longtime admirer of eastwood ( and a registered democrat ) , it was not the best hour for the former mayor of carmel , california . but was i surprised that eastwood , a man who describes himself as an eisenhower republican ' and who publicly endorsed john mccain in 2008 , would appear at the republican convention ? not at all . eastwood is nothing if not a straight shooter . what did surprise me , a little , is that the gop would invite eastwood after prominent republicans such as karl rove criticized the actor as an obama tool for narrating chrysler 's halftime in america ' ad aired at the super bowl this year . what also surprised me is that the gop would invite the guy who told gq magazine in october , these people who are making a big deal about gay marriage ? i do n't give a -- - about who wants to get married to anybody else . why not ? ' and it was surprising that , when the identity of the mystery guest ' was revealed thursday evening , many non-republicans took to twitter and facebook to pillory eastwood , huffing that his appearance at the gop convention tainted ' his movies for them . huh ? first of all , eastwood publicly endorsed romney this month . second of all , the actor who is a lower-case-l libertarian on social issues ( pro-gay marriage , pro choice , pro-ecology ) and a fiscal conservative is hardly one to toe a party line . have they watched eastwood 's movies ? you ca n't pin this guy down ideologically . many have tried . all have failed . as critic dave kehr has noted , ambivalence runs deep in his movies , just as it runs through american culture . ' eastwood specializes in playing men in the moral shadowlands . during the nixon years liberals branded eastwood movies like dirty harry ' as fascist . ' during the clinton years , conservatives tagged unforgiven ' as squishy political correctness . ' heaven knows what they made of -- spoiler alert ! -- the assisted suicide in his other oscar-winning movie , million dollar baby . ' entertainment : stars react to clint eastwood the first half of eastwood 's career he played men who shot first and thought about it later . the second half of his career , he 's largely devoted himself to exploring the consequences of that gunplay . is that republican ? is that democrat ? i think it 's american . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of carrie rickey .","she says last night at gop convention , he made rambling , performance-art-type speech" +"obama ( cnn ) -- if the u.s. election race conjures up images of mud flying through the air for many japanese , campaigning politicians in the land of the rising sun evoke visions of a more white-gloved affair . japan 's politics are as machiavellian as anyone else 's behind closed doors , but their public campaigns are demure compared to the united states -- and many in tokyo are aghast at the negative campaign tactics used on the road to the white house . japan has plenty on its mind these days . the country is wrangling with questions about how to rebuild its tsunami-devastated coast , what to do with its idled nuclear reactors , and whether a tax hike will solve its economic woes , so it 's no surprise if people in tokyo are n't riveted to the lead-up to the u.s. elections . but the u.s. is important to japan 's economy and to japan 's increasingly rocky relationship with north korea , so people are not ignoring it completely -- even if u.s. politics falls somewhere below the'retirement'of a young pop idol in the morning shows'news order . for those not up on their japanese pop , atsuko maeda 's surprise announcement that she was leaving mega-pop idol group akb48 in march got as much breathless coverage in tokyo , maybe more , than rick santorum garnered in the u.s. press for his decision to exit stage right of the 2012 republican primaries . in the 2008 democratic primaries , japanese observers saw hillary clinton as a powerful and intriguing former first lady , but it was barack obama 's historic run that got even more attention when a small coastal city that happened to bear his name formed the obama for obama ' support group . japan watched the group cheer as the super tuesday election results came in 2008 . they still make sweet steamed bean buns , called manju , with barack obama 's picture on them and have announced plans to erect a statue of him in town . the idea that whoever won the 2008 democratic nomination would make history was exciting for the japanese . this time around , most people see the current field of republican hopefuls as a noisy blur , an only-in-america phenomenon -- or a matsuri , ' as one woman described it , in reference to japan 's colorful , oft-chaotic outdoor festivals . the notion that american campaigning is a complicated show ' was mentioned repeatedly by the people i spoke to , and twitter is filled with japanese observers likening u.s. politics to watching a movie ' . one thing that adds to the unreality of it is the issues at play . while there are right-wing parties in japan , their focus tends to be a noisy brand of nationalism , rather than the emphasis on religious values embraced by republican candidates like mitt romney and rick santorum . the major newspapers have recently carried election primers on the role of mormonism and evangelical christianity in the election . one such piece asked : what is this'evangelical christianity'we hear about in the u.s . elections ? ' religion simply is n't as loud a voice in japanese politics as it is in the american election race . read more : election postcard from paris not that the u.s. has any kind of monopoly on noise . rules dating back to the 1950s heavily restrict how japanese politicians can campaign . these laws prevent candidates from taking to twitter or updating their websites during the 12-day campaign period . in that short time , white-gloved candidates drive around waving from their campaign cars , repeating their names and asking for votes over loudspeakers attached to the car roofs . japanese candidates park their cars at intersections with heavy foot traffic and make speeches with microphones plugged into portable amps in front of some of the busiest train stations in the world . while small crowds do gather , people generally tolerate the racket only grudgingly . when a british man was arrested last spring for grabbing a microphone from a candidate in front of a train station in a tokyo suburb and shouting , japanese elections are too noisy , ' he found an outpouring of support online from japanese people who were also quietly fed up with the racket . many japanese are intrigued by the idea of the u.s. candidates'debates . the handyman in my tokyo flat complex told me the debates are the reason that he thinks the us election process is better than japan 's . ' the debates are on tv , right ? that gives everyone a chance to listen to the candidates , understand what they believe , and then make up their minds , ' he said . we do n't have anything like that , so we do n't know as much about who the candidates actually are before we vote . ' those who watch the elections more closely view the debates and the hoopla around them more warily . one japanese student told me : what 's good about the'show'side of the debates is that it gets more people to watch . but ultimately you do n't know if you 're getting the candidate 's own views or just hearing what his team of strategists came up with . it 's easy for people to be manipulated by the politicians and the people behind them . ' many japanese people say that they do n't fully understand the u.s. election system , and i am quick to reassure them that many of us americans would n't want to be tested on it , either . but they have the sense that the american elections are more direct , and that the u.s. is therefore a more representative democracy . read more : election postcard from cairo japan has a symbolic emperor and a parliament , and citizens do not directly elect their leader . there are no primaries ; party leaders choose candidates . since the campaign season is so short , they often look for candidates who will have good name recognition . this is why the less-powerful upper house of the diet often hosts a cast of minor celebrities including tv anchors , talk show commentators -- and even a handful of pro-wrestlers . the most colorful of these was atsushi onita , who did n't shy from mentioning his signature thunder fire powerbomb ' move in the diet . the need for name recognition is one reason why political seats are seemingly passed down within families . the handyman explained , when a politician 's son or daughter runs for office , we say ,'oh , that 's so-and-so 's kid , he 'll do ,'without giving it too much more thought . ' he 's clearly not the only one who thinks this way -- a study in 2009 found that a quarter of diet members and almost half of the ldp legislators at the time were the children of former politicians . even if the american election itself seems inscrutable to japanese voters , the result -- a leader who is in office for at least four years -- looks good . japan has had four prime ministers since obama won the 2008 election , and the margin for error is thin . the ph.d. student says , fixed terms in the u.s. mean that even a sloppy start can be redeemed , but in japan , they dissolve the diet easily , so they ca n't recover from mistakes . ' as japan slowly rebuilds after the earthquake , calls are growing for a system with a stronger , more directly elected leader and a more efficient system of government . japan will be looking at what parts of the u.s. system it might want to draw from and what it could improve . and until then , tokyo will be looking up from its smartphones once in awhile at the american political matsuri .","the japanese city of obama formed the obama for obama ' group in 2008" +"wh republicans who pressed president barack obama for a more coordinated federal response to the ebola outbreak are blasting the appointment of ron klain , a veteran democratic political aide , as the ebola czar . ' this appointment is both shocking and frankly tone deaf to what the american people are concerned about , ' pennsylvania rep. tim murphy said in a written statement . murphy chaired a hearing on thursday on the federal government 's response to the outbreak and said the decision to tap klain wo n't calm those americans who are worried about the spread of the disease . first on cnn : obama will name ron klain as ebola czar one after another , top gop members on capitol hill zeroed in on klain 's campaign experience as the wrong kind of background for the post . while the president 's pick may have the ear of the white house and experience from the campaign trail , i am concerned he does n't have significant relationships in the medical community that are imperative during this current biological emergency , ' house homeland security committee chairman michael mccaul said . mccaul called on the president to rethink his selection , and instead create a permanent position within the government to coordinate the response . another texas republican was n't impressed , either . we do n't need another so-called'czar'; we need presidential leadership . this is a public health crisis , and the answer is n't another white house political operative , ' sen. ted cruz said in a statement . a former chief of staff to vice president joe biden and also to then-vice president al gore , klain is currently president of case holdings and general counsel of revolution , an investment group . he has clerked for the u.s. supreme court and headed up gore 's effort during the 2000 florida recount . midterm campaigns swing through ebola hearing house foreign affairs committee chairman ed royce , r-california , also questioned klain 's credentials , asking in a written statement , why the president did n't pick an individual with a noteworthy infectious disease or public health background ? ' but the white house defended the choice , saying it 's not just about medical expertise . secretary josh earnest told reporters , that 's why somebody with mr. klain 's credentials , somebody that has strong management experience , both inside government , but also in the private sector , he 's somebody that has strong relationships with members of congress and , obviously , strong relationships with those of us who worked with him here at the white house earlier in the administration . ' gop sen. john mccain of arizona suggested on cnn last sunday that the administration needed one point person . ... i would say we do n't know exactly who 's in charge . there has to be some kind of czar , ' mccain said . but the white house initially resisted the idea , and pointed out that mccain said in 2009 that the obama administration had more czars than the romanovs . ' kerry sends out call to arms on the ebola crisis","wh says klain has strong management experience and connections in washington" +"china ( cnn ) -- wang yue , the two-year-old girl who was left for dead on a narrow street in southern china after a hit-and-run accident , has died . the toddler , nicknamed yueyue , had been cared for in a hospital in guangdong province since she was injured a week ago . she succumbed to severe injuries friday morning . two hit-and-run drivers ran over yueyue , one after another , after she wandered into the alley outside her father 's hardware store . both fled the scene but are now under arrest . but there was one thing more shocking than the double hit-and-run : the seeming apathy by pedestrians , cyclists and drivers—18 of them—who did not stop to help . yueyue laid motionless in the street for 10 minutes until chen xianmei , a 58-year-old woman who collects trash for a living , passed by . she moved her to safety and called for help . a security camera captured the incident on tape . after the video was posted online , yueyue 's plight prompted sympathy , outrage and debate in and outside china . how could 18 people pass by the critically injured child and do nothing ? the incident has also prompted widespread soul-searching in china about the state of the nation 's morality and civic-consciousness . why is it so difficult for chinese nowadays to be a good samaritan ? there are many possible explanations and many possible culprits . some blame it on the lack of laws and regulations . others argue it 's caused by the failure of china 's education system to inculcate respect for human life and dignity . still others blame it on what some call jingshen kongxu ' , or spiritual vacuum . as the country 's 1.3 billion people compete to make money and climb the economic and social ladder , experts say , many people find themselves spiritually adrift . reynard hing , an astute china-watcher , cautions against making sweeping conclusions . it 's funny how many people read into this , to the point that anti-chinese sentiment arises , ' he wrote me . this situation is not unique to china . ' he cites the case of kitty genovese . in 1964 , the woman in queens , n.y. was chased and stabbed to death by an assailant over the course of half an hour while 38 of her neighbors watched from their windows and did nothing to help . psychologists , hing tells me , have dubbed this phenomenon the'bystander problem'—the one factor that would predict good samaritan behavior was how many witnesses there were to a tragic event : the more bystanders , the less likely someone will step up to help . i asked xia xueluan , a socio-psychology professor at peking university , about the seeming callousness of the 18 passersby . one factor is the district where it occurred , which has a concentration of hardware stores like the one yueyue 's father owns . ( they ) are owners of hardware stores originally from different parts of china who hardly know each other . together they comprise a'strangers'society', instead of one made up of real friends and acquaintances , or the acquaintances'society'. ' xia said the two sub-groups are fundamentally different . in an'acquaintances'society', ' he explained , their relationship is of intimacy , trust and interdependence . in the'strangers'society'it is characterized by estrangement , distrust , and independence . in such a society , it is not surprising to see incidents like this . ' james feinerman , a law professor at georgetown university likewise cites the changes brought about by rapid urbanization . in big cities , where many people have moved in from outside , where there are thousands of newcomers from the provinces , there 's a feeling that you are better off just leaving people you do n't know alone , ' he said in a cnn interview . other observers blame the incident on a breakdown in public trust . a joint survey by three universities in beijing revealed that the root cause of people 's reluctance to help others in need is a lack of trust among residents . only about 8 % surveyed said they still strongly trust other people . should an elderly person in need be helped ? over 60 % of the respondents said yes ' , but more than 84 % also believed it is too risky ; recently in china , there have been several cases of individuals who faked injuries only to sue those who come to their aid . in 2006 , an old woman in the eastern city of nanjing was injured after rough jostling at a bus stop . peng yu , a young man and fellow passenger , offered help and even took her to the hospital . later , however , the old woman and her family sued him in court , which eventually ruled that peng yu should pay 40 % of the medical costs . similar cases have happened in recent years . there must be something wrong when it is considered risky to be a good samaritan , ' china daily wrote in an editorial this week . apathy and distrust are the last things a harmonious society needs . it is imperative that we find a way to protect good samaritans from being wronged . ' peking university 's xia xueluan calls this the interpersonal trust crisis ' . he explains : this kind of crisis is highly contagious and could deteriorate due to lack of legal support . as a netizen puts it , it 's not that the good people can no longer be found in our society . it 's that nobody can afford to do good deeds—the price can be too high . ' days after yueyue 's tragic accident , millions of china 's micro-bloggers are still pouring out their anger and frustration . after peng yu 's case , if you were the first to find yueyue after the accident , would you rescue her ? ' netizen yi jingge wrote . that is a question many in china are now asking themselves .","incident has caused an uproar around china , as well as soul-searching" +"china ( cnn ) -- wang yue , the two-year-old girl who was left for dead on a narrow street in southern china after a hit-and-run accident , has died . the toddler , nicknamed yueyue , had been cared for in a hospital in guangdong province since she was injured a week ago . she succumbed to severe injuries friday morning . two hit-and-run drivers ran over yueyue , one after another , after she wandered into the alley outside her father 's hardware store . both fled the scene but are now under arrest . but there was one thing more shocking than the double hit-and-run : the seeming apathy by pedestrians , cyclists and drivers—18 of them—who did not stop to help . yueyue laid motionless in the street for 10 minutes until chen xianmei , a 58-year-old woman who collects trash for a living , passed by . she moved her to safety and called for help . a security camera captured the incident on tape . after the video was posted online , yueyue 's plight prompted sympathy , outrage and debate in and outside china . how could 18 people pass by the critically injured child and do nothing ? the incident has also prompted widespread soul-searching in china about the state of the nation 's morality and civic-consciousness . why is it so difficult for chinese nowadays to be a good samaritan ? there are many possible explanations and many possible culprits . some blame it on the lack of laws and regulations . others argue it 's caused by the failure of china 's education system to inculcate respect for human life and dignity . still others blame it on what some call jingshen kongxu ' , or spiritual vacuum . as the country 's 1.3 billion people compete to make money and climb the economic and social ladder , experts say , many people find themselves spiritually adrift . reynard hing , an astute china-watcher , cautions against making sweeping conclusions . it 's funny how many people read into this , to the point that anti-chinese sentiment arises , ' he wrote me . this situation is not unique to china . ' he cites the case of kitty genovese . in 1964 , the woman in queens , n.y. was chased and stabbed to death by an assailant over the course of half an hour while 38 of her neighbors watched from their windows and did nothing to help . psychologists , hing tells me , have dubbed this phenomenon the'bystander problem'—the one factor that would predict good samaritan behavior was how many witnesses there were to a tragic event : the more bystanders , the less likely someone will step up to help . i asked xia xueluan , a socio-psychology professor at peking university , about the seeming callousness of the 18 passersby . one factor is the district where it occurred , which has a concentration of hardware stores like the one yueyue 's father owns . ( they ) are owners of hardware stores originally from different parts of china who hardly know each other . together they comprise a'strangers'society', instead of one made up of real friends and acquaintances , or the acquaintances'society'. ' xia said the two sub-groups are fundamentally different . in an'acquaintances'society', ' he explained , their relationship is of intimacy , trust and interdependence . in the'strangers'society'it is characterized by estrangement , distrust , and independence . in such a society , it is not surprising to see incidents like this . ' james feinerman , a law professor at georgetown university likewise cites the changes brought about by rapid urbanization . in big cities , where many people have moved in from outside , where there are thousands of newcomers from the provinces , there 's a feeling that you are better off just leaving people you do n't know alone , ' he said in a cnn interview . other observers blame the incident on a breakdown in public trust . a joint survey by three universities in beijing revealed that the root cause of people 's reluctance to help others in need is a lack of trust among residents . only about 8 % surveyed said they still strongly trust other people . should an elderly person in need be helped ? over 60 % of the respondents said yes ' , but more than 84 % also believed it is too risky ; recently in china , there have been several cases of individuals who faked injuries only to sue those who come to their aid . in 2006 , an old woman in the eastern city of nanjing was injured after rough jostling at a bus stop . peng yu , a young man and fellow passenger , offered help and even took her to the hospital . later , however , the old woman and her family sued him in court , which eventually ruled that peng yu should pay 40 % of the medical costs . similar cases have happened in recent years . there must be something wrong when it is considered risky to be a good samaritan , ' china daily wrote in an editorial this week . apathy and distrust are the last things a harmonious society needs . it is imperative that we find a way to protect good samaritans from being wronged . ' peking university 's xia xueluan calls this the interpersonal trust crisis ' . he explains : this kind of crisis is highly contagious and could deteriorate due to lack of legal support . as a netizen puts it , it 's not that the good people can no longer be found in our society . it 's that nobody can afford to do good deeds—the price can be too high . ' days after yueyue 's tragic accident , millions of china 's micro-bloggers are still pouring out their anger and frustration . after peng yu 's case , if you were the first to find yueyue after the accident , would you rescue her ? ' netizen yi jingge wrote . that is a question many in china are now asking themselves .","a 2-year-old toddler in china died after being hit by two separate cars" +"katyn massacre new york ( cnn ) -- the tragic death of president lech kaczynski and poland 's political and military elite among the trees of the katyn forest is surreal , given that in those same woods , thousands of polish prisoners of war were murdered by joseph stalin 's secret police . the delegation was headed for the katyn forest near smolensk , russia , to honor the 22,000 polish prisoners of war killed 70 years ago by the soviet union 's nkvd , forerunner of the kgb . in 1940 , stalin ordered the assassination of poland 's military and political leaders in order to create a leadership vacuum so he could prop up a communist puppet state in warsaw . many of those killed in saturday 's plane crash helped to overturn soviet communism in poland in 1990 . they included poland 's top generals , several bishops , the head of the national bank and several deputy government ministers . during the five decades of soviet occupation of poland in the cold war , the russians covered up the katyn massacre , claiming that nazi germany had murdered these officers . but forensic evidence found in mass graves proved that the polish prisoners were taken into the woods , with their hands tied behind their backs , and one by one , they were shot dead in the back of the head by the russians . the mass graves were discovered by german soldiers in 1943 when they saw pawprints of wolves that had been digging up the bones . in 1990 , after the collapse of the soviet union , the truth began to slowly emerge with revelations by russian leaders mikhail gorbachev and boris yeltsin . it 's no secret that moscow was not excited about kaczynski 's visit to katyn , because he demanded to know the full truth about the murders . for the kremlin , the official commemoration took place last wednesday when russian prime minister vladimir putin and kaczynski 's political rival , polish prime minister donald tusk , took part in ceremonies at the same gravesite where kaczynski was heading . but kaczynski 's delegation included family members of murdered officers who wanted the russian government to open all of the remaining archives concerning the massacre . for decades , the cries of polish families who want to know what happened to their loved ones have fallen on deaf ears . kaczynski was their voice . many will no doubt compare this crash to the 1943 death of polish prime minister gen. wladyslaw sikorski , who died mysteriously when his plane crashed into the sea near gibraltar after he asked the international red cross to investigate the katyn massacre . at the time , the american and british governments were not willing to address the massacre because they were trying to help the soviet union fight nazi germany on the eastern front . let us hope the flight data recordings from kaczynski 's downed plane will provide enough evidence to dissuade conspiracy theorists . ironically , because of kaczynski 's death , more people have already heard about the katyn massacre than would have heard about it had he simply placed a wreath at the gravesite . for those polish officers in the mass graves at katyn , lech kaczynski 's death was not in vain . many russian government officials appeared on polish television after the disaster expressing sincere regrets over the death of kaczynski and his delegation . putin has flown to smolensk , where he said that he would oversee the investigation into the crash . hopefully , these are signs that this tragedy will somehow lead to the full truth about katyn and reconciliation between poland and russia . for decades , katyn has been the symbol of the worst in polish-russian relations . that is why several months ago , the kosciuszko foundation began working on a conference about the katyn massacre to be held at the library of congress on may 5 . the goal is to provide a forum for political leaders , scholars , authors and human rights advocates from poland , russia and the united states to discuss new details on the massacre , and the possibility of finding a path toward reconciliation between poland and russia . there will also be a display of rare katyn photographs and documents on loan from the council to protect the memory of struggle and martyrdom . andrzej przewoznik , secretary-general of the council , was to be one of the speakers . he died in saturday 's crash . now , this conference and exhibit will be a tribute to him , as well as to the other polish leaders killed in katyn during the 1940s , and in 2010 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of alex storozynski .","plane crash killed many polish leaders headed to commemorate katyn massacre" +"venables london , england ( cnn ) -- nearly two decades after the killing of toddler james bulger by two 10-year-old boys in a suburb of liverpool , what remains one of britain 's most notorious child murders this week proved once again it has the power to shock and outrage . seen at the time as symbolic of a flawed society , the killing of bulger -- whose poignant last moments being led to his death were caught by security camera -- continues to be dissected by a country still struggling to comprehend the crime . this came to a head nine years ago when british authorities provoked anger by releasing the killers , robert thompson and jon venables , just eight years into the life sentences they received for attacking and torturing bulger and dumping his battered body on a railway track . and the fury resurfaced this week with confirmation that one of the two boys , jon venables , now a 27-year-old man , was placed back in police custody after breaching the conditions of his release . the pair were jailed for an indefinite period in 1993 , but were released after britain 's national parole board ruled that they were no longer a threat to the public . the british government has so far declined to reveal why venables had been recalled into custody . legal commentator alan caplin told cnn police would not have acted lightly given the amount of money the authorities have spent on giving the boys new homes and identities . i think one can surmise reasonably that ... it must be quite serious if there 's some intervention in that reset life , ' he said . the conditions imposed on the boys on their release banned them from contacting each other , bulger 's family or from returning to the region of merseyside , in northwest england , where the crime was committed . british home secretary alan johnson told sky news the reason for the recall would be revealed in time . i believe the public do have a right to know and i believe they will know all the facts in due course , ' he said . however , british justice secretary jack straw was quoted in the times wednesday as saying it was in the public interest to withhold the details . i have no interest in gratuitously or unnecessarily withholding information , but there are good reasons to withhold it at the moment and that is in the public interest , ' he said . venables and thompson were school boys when they abducted and killed two-year-old bulger in a crime described by the trial judge as unparalleled evil and barbarity . ' in 1993 , grainy cctv images showed the boys leading the toddler away from his mother at a busy shopping center in liverpool , england . public anger grew as details emerged of the chilling attack in which the boys tried to drown bulger before beating him with rocks , bricks and iron rod . his battered body was left on a railway line to be cut in half by an oncoming train . in november 1993 , after being tried in an adult court , the boys were found guilty of murder and ordered to serve at least eight years of an indefinite prison sentence . the following year , their minimum sentences were increased to 15 years by then-uk home secretary michael howard who had received a petition signed by more than 275,000 people in support of life sentences . however in 1997 , the house of lords , the upper chamber of parliament , overturned the increase and the boys were freed in 2001 on the condition that they could be recalled to custody at any time during their lives if there was any evidence that they present a risk to the public . ' the boys were given new identities and passports and since 2001 have been protected by an injunction banning publication of their images taken after 1993 , and anything that could reveal their current names and locations . both the boys received death threats and it was feared they would be targeted if their whereabouts were divulged . the first reaction from james bulger 's mother , denise fergus , to venables'detention was posted in a twitter message that read : would like to let everyone know jon venables is were he belongs tonight behind bars is this my sons justice . ' the british parole board will now determine whether venables should remain in custody or return to the life he has been given since his release from jail .","venables and robert thompson were just ten years old when they murdered james bulger" +"venables london , england ( cnn ) -- nearly two decades after the killing of toddler james bulger by two 10-year-old boys in a suburb of liverpool , what remains one of britain 's most notorious child murders this week proved once again it has the power to shock and outrage . seen at the time as symbolic of a flawed society , the killing of bulger -- whose poignant last moments being led to his death were caught by security camera -- continues to be dissected by a country still struggling to comprehend the crime . this came to a head nine years ago when british authorities provoked anger by releasing the killers , robert thompson and jon venables , just eight years into the life sentences they received for attacking and torturing bulger and dumping his battered body on a railway track . and the fury resurfaced this week with confirmation that one of the two boys , jon venables , now a 27-year-old man , was placed back in police custody after breaching the conditions of his release . the pair were jailed for an indefinite period in 1993 , but were released after britain 's national parole board ruled that they were no longer a threat to the public . the british government has so far declined to reveal why venables had been recalled into custody . legal commentator alan caplin told cnn police would not have acted lightly given the amount of money the authorities have spent on giving the boys new homes and identities . i think one can surmise reasonably that ... it must be quite serious if there 's some intervention in that reset life , ' he said . the conditions imposed on the boys on their release banned them from contacting each other , bulger 's family or from returning to the region of merseyside , in northwest england , where the crime was committed . british home secretary alan johnson told sky news the reason for the recall would be revealed in time . i believe the public do have a right to know and i believe they will know all the facts in due course , ' he said . however , british justice secretary jack straw was quoted in the times wednesday as saying it was in the public interest to withhold the details . i have no interest in gratuitously or unnecessarily withholding information , but there are good reasons to withhold it at the moment and that is in the public interest , ' he said . venables and thompson were school boys when they abducted and killed two-year-old bulger in a crime described by the trial judge as unparalleled evil and barbarity . ' in 1993 , grainy cctv images showed the boys leading the toddler away from his mother at a busy shopping center in liverpool , england . public anger grew as details emerged of the chilling attack in which the boys tried to drown bulger before beating him with rocks , bricks and iron rod . his battered body was left on a railway line to be cut in half by an oncoming train . in november 1993 , after being tried in an adult court , the boys were found guilty of murder and ordered to serve at least eight years of an indefinite prison sentence . the following year , their minimum sentences were increased to 15 years by then-uk home secretary michael howard who had received a petition signed by more than 275,000 people in support of life sentences . however in 1997 , the house of lords , the upper chamber of parliament , overturned the increase and the boys were freed in 2001 on the condition that they could be recalled to custody at any time during their lives if there was any evidence that they present a risk to the public . ' the boys were given new identities and passports and since 2001 have been protected by an injunction banning publication of their images taken after 1993 , and anything that could reveal their current names and locations . both the boys received death threats and it was feared they would be targeted if their whereabouts were divulged . the first reaction from james bulger 's mother , denise fergus , to venables'detention was posted in a twitter message that read : would like to let everyone know jon venables is were he belongs tonight behind bars is this my sons justice . ' the british parole board will now determine whether venables should remain in custody or return to the life he has been given since his release from jail .","jon venables back in police custody after breaching conditions of his release" +"kenyan ( cnn ) -- three radio djs in kenya are going six days without food while broadcasting non-stop to promote peaceful voting in a country that was nearly torn apart after its last election five years ago . ghetto radio presenters mbusii , solloo and essie have been locked inside a glass house ' in central nairobi since wednesday , as part of the station 's annual serious request kenya event . this year 's theme is vote4peace vote4kenya , ' ahead of the east african country 's elections on march 4 2013 . the vote will be the first since ethnic violence engulfed the country after disputed elections in december 2007 , leaving more than 1,000 people dead and 350,000 displaced , according to the kenya red cross . read related : can tech revolutionize african elections ? three days into the challenge , dj solloo is in good spirits -- despite the lack of food . i 'm a bit hungry , ' he laughingly admits , but we have to do this -- it 's a pretty good feeling . ' solloo , whose real name is solomon njoroge , says kenya can not afford a return to post-election violence . last time around , he says , he was a victim of the bloody unrest that swept his town of eldoret , one of the fighting hotspots in kenya 's rift valley province . solloo says that back then he had to spend more than two weeks with limited food supplies while camping at a police station for safety . this country can not afford to go back to that time , ' says solloo from the glass house , a few moments before going on air . i decided to come here because we have to push for this message to be a part of every kenyan . it has to be every kenyan 's initiative to know that peace is more than just the absence of war . ' opinion : what ghana can teach the rest of africa about democracy the radio presenters'food strike kicked off on december 19 and will run until december 24 . so far , solloo says , thousands of young people have gathered outside the glass house to show their support and also take part in a host of election-related activities , including issuing of id cards , a voter-registration program and democracy workshops . the response has just been amazing , ' says the dj , who is relying on water and juices to get through the six-day period . everyone 's proactive saying kenya needs peace . we have to work for kenya and work for peace . ' some of the country 's best-known musicians have also joined the cause by performing live outside the glass house , adding their voice to a growing chorus of kenyans calling for a peaceful election . kenya has had a coalition government following the disputed 2007 elections . in that vote , both mwai kibaki , the incumbent , and challenger raila odinga claimed to have won . the post-election chaos escalated into ethnic violence with members of the president 's tribe , the kikuyu , fighting members of odinga 's luo tribe and other groups . the two later entered into a power-sharing agreement , with odinga named prime minister and kibaki named president . despite some pre-election tensions between politicians in the country , solloo is hopeful that kenya 's young population will show the nation 's leaders that bloodshed should be avoided at all costs . i just want everyone to understand that we need peace , ' he says . we can not afford another post-election violence . '","three kenyan radio presenters are going six days without food to advocate peaceful elections" +"playstation 3 ( cnn ) -- sony is reducing the price of the playstation 3 game console , hoping to help the 5-year-old system reach a larger audience , the company said on tuesday . the base model now costs $ 250 , and another system with twice the storage space is $ 300 . sony cut $ 50 from each , which is nearly the price of a new game . while others in the space are losing steam , playstation 3 is gaining momentum , ' jack tretton , the president and ceo of sony computer entertainment of america , said in a statement . the new price will make the ps3 more accessible than ever before . ' sony last cut prices on the playstation 3 in 2009 , when it released a slimmer model . microsoft has not reduced the xbox 360 's price since 2009 , and analysts are split on whether it will do so this year as a response to sony . the entry-level xbox 360 costs $ 200 . sony 's move is seen by analysts as a usual part of a game system 's life cycle . game console generations typically last four to six years , but some predict that motion-detection peripherals like microsoft 's kinect for the xbox 360 and sony 's playstation move could prolong the current cycle . nintendo announced last month that the successor to the wii , a tablet-controlled device called the wii u , will hit the market next year . the news comes as the wii , this generation 's top-selling console , is experiencing a sales slump . nintendo reduced the price of the wii from $ 200 to $ 150 in may . last month , nintendo cut the price of the 3ds , its handheld game console that displays 3-d graphics without needing special glasses . the 3ds now costs $ 170 , a 40 % reduction for a console that 's less than five months old . sales of the 3ds tumbled quickly after a promising launch , and analysts have attributed the proliferation of inexpensive , quick-hit games for facebook and smartphones as a hindrance to growth in the market for hand-held game systems . sony is gearing up for the release of the playstation vita , a portable game console that follows the playstation portable . to compete with smartphones , it will have downloadable games , a touchscreen and 3g cellular data connectivity . the version with 3g will cost $ 300 , and the one without will cost $ 250 . sony is still recovering from a nearly monthlong outage that affected its online game networks . the cyberattack , which resulted in stolen personal and financial information , did not seem to harm sales of the console , according to reports . sony , which has sold more than 50 million playstation 3 systems , compensated customers with free game downloads .","sony cut the playstation 3 to a base price of $ 250" +"london london , england ( cnn ) -- inside a former church on a suburban london street , a room has been designed to recreate the conditions found in siberian salt mines . cnn writer anouk lorie relaxes in britain 's first salt cave , in wandsworth , london . the floor and walls are covered with a thick layer of natural sea salt while particles of dry rock salt are pumped into the room . welcome to an eastern european style salt cave which claims to rid asthma and allergy sufferers of their breathing problems through salt therapy , ' also known as halotherapy . with the sound of waves playing in the background and the sand-like mound of salt underfoot , the place could easily be mistaken for an exotic snow beach . before entering the salt chamber , visitors are required to wear a shower cap to cover their hair and shoes to preserve the salt 's purity . during each hour-long session they simply sit back , relax and put their feet up while soaking up the saturated air and tranquil atmosphere . salt therapy claims to work by clearing the airways of mucus and reducing inflammation triggered by allergies to dust , pollen or pollution . minerals including potassium and magnesium are said to clean out mucus blocking the airways . the treatment is widely used in eastern europe and russia , where people with chronic breathing disorders often spend two to three hours per day in underground salt grottos . the russian government even approved salt caves ' for medical use in 1995 . in the u.s. , the trend has been adopted in the chicago area with the popular galos cave . several spas in other parts of the country have also installed salt breathing rooms . in 2006 , the new england journal of medicine published a study on patients with cystic fibrosis who used this kind of saline therapy for 48 weeks . the study found that it was a safe and effective additional therapy for patients . the benefits of salt therapy were first discovered in the late 1800s when workers in siberian salt mines were found to suffer from a surprisingly small number of respiratory problems . familiar with such treatments in her hometown , sofia benke from hungary was therefore surprised when she moved to the uk two years ago and discovered there were no salt caves in the country . have you used the salt cave ? did it work for you ? would you visit one ? tell us in the soundoff box below ' i was suffering from sinus problems and antibiotics did n't work . i had heard so many stories of how salt caves had treated friends'problems , so i decided to open one in london , ' the 30-year-old told cnn . the salt , which has no additives , is shipped in from lithuania . benke 's patients vary from six-month-olds to 65-year-olds and most are asthmatic children who come in with their parents . ideally , treatment lasts one to two weeks and patients need to be in the cave for one to two hours every day , benke says . the room 's temperature and salt concentration depending on the patients'condition . the benefits are then said to last for up to 12 months . each session costs around $ 56 and the first one is free . many of the patients have reported positive results . twenty-eight-year-old yoga instructor tish webster , who has always suffered from hay fever and severe allergies to dust , told cnn she noticed results after three sessions . i noticed first thing in the morning i was n't as congested as i usually am . having now done ten sessions , i have n't yet taken an allergy tablet this year , which is incredible for me . ' despite the positive testimonials , the therapy has not yet been recognized by the uk 's national health service ( nhs ) and at least one study suggests the therapy should be used as a complementary therapy , not as an alternative . dr elaine vickers of asthma uk , said : it 's currently impossible for us to say whether or not salt caves are beneficial for people with asthma . however , some people say they find them helpful . our advice to people with asthma is to follow the recommendations of your doctor or asthma nurse , and to keep them informed if you decide to try a complementary treatment such as halotherapy . ' other health practitioners say stopping medication like steroids for asthma and only opting for alternative care can be dangerous and counter-productive . but , according to benke , some of her patients have stopped medication , not because she urged them to . i would never do that , ' she said . the reason for this is because their symptoms were no longer present after undergoing salt therapy , she said .","a salt cave clinic in london says it can treat respiratory illnesses like asthma" +"siberian london , england ( cnn ) -- inside a former church on a suburban london street , a room has been designed to recreate the conditions found in siberian salt mines . cnn writer anouk lorie relaxes in britain 's first salt cave , in wandsworth , london . the floor and walls are covered with a thick layer of natural sea salt while particles of dry rock salt are pumped into the room . welcome to an eastern european style salt cave which claims to rid asthma and allergy sufferers of their breathing problems through salt therapy , ' also known as halotherapy . with the sound of waves playing in the background and the sand-like mound of salt underfoot , the place could easily be mistaken for an exotic snow beach . before entering the salt chamber , visitors are required to wear a shower cap to cover their hair and shoes to preserve the salt 's purity . during each hour-long session they simply sit back , relax and put their feet up while soaking up the saturated air and tranquil atmosphere . salt therapy claims to work by clearing the airways of mucus and reducing inflammation triggered by allergies to dust , pollen or pollution . minerals including potassium and magnesium are said to clean out mucus blocking the airways . the treatment is widely used in eastern europe and russia , where people with chronic breathing disorders often spend two to three hours per day in underground salt grottos . the russian government even approved salt caves ' for medical use in 1995 . in the u.s. , the trend has been adopted in the chicago area with the popular galos cave . several spas in other parts of the country have also installed salt breathing rooms . in 2006 , the new england journal of medicine published a study on patients with cystic fibrosis who used this kind of saline therapy for 48 weeks . the study found that it was a safe and effective additional therapy for patients . the benefits of salt therapy were first discovered in the late 1800s when workers in siberian salt mines were found to suffer from a surprisingly small number of respiratory problems . familiar with such treatments in her hometown , sofia benke from hungary was therefore surprised when she moved to the uk two years ago and discovered there were no salt caves in the country . have you used the salt cave ? did it work for you ? would you visit one ? tell us in the soundoff box below ' i was suffering from sinus problems and antibiotics did n't work . i had heard so many stories of how salt caves had treated friends'problems , so i decided to open one in london , ' the 30-year-old told cnn . the salt , which has no additives , is shipped in from lithuania . benke 's patients vary from six-month-olds to 65-year-olds and most are asthmatic children who come in with their parents . ideally , treatment lasts one to two weeks and patients need to be in the cave for one to two hours every day , benke says . the room 's temperature and salt concentration depending on the patients'condition . the benefits are then said to last for up to 12 months . each session costs around $ 56 and the first one is free . many of the patients have reported positive results . twenty-eight-year-old yoga instructor tish webster , who has always suffered from hay fever and severe allergies to dust , told cnn she noticed results after three sessions . i noticed first thing in the morning i was n't as congested as i usually am . having now done ten sessions , i have n't yet taken an allergy tablet this year , which is incredible for me . ' despite the positive testimonials , the therapy has not yet been recognized by the uk 's national health service ( nhs ) and at least one study suggests the therapy should be used as a complementary therapy , not as an alternative . dr elaine vickers of asthma uk , said : it 's currently impossible for us to say whether or not salt caves are beneficial for people with asthma . however , some people say they find them helpful . our advice to people with asthma is to follow the recommendations of your doctor or asthma nurse , and to keep them informed if you decide to try a complementary treatment such as halotherapy . ' other health practitioners say stopping medication like steroids for asthma and only opting for alternative care can be dangerous and counter-productive . but , according to benke , some of her patients have stopped medication , not because she urged them to . i would never do that , ' she said . the reason for this is because their symptoms were no longer present after undergoing salt therapy , she said .","treatment is based on a room recreating the conditions of siberian salt mines" +"pfizer ( cnn ) -- following astrazeneca 's most recent rejection of pfizer 's bid , many may ask if this is a lost opportunity for british innovation , or the salvation of it ? i think both points of view miss the real story . the key challenge for the uk is not about ownership structure , but about being a hub for the development of 21st-century medicines . to be sure , most of the uk life science sector will be mightily relieved that britain is still home to two of the global giants of biomedicine . but britain must not become complacent about bioscience investment . to keep them and other companies investing here we need to continue the prime minister 's crusade to make the uk the best place in the world for 21st century medicine design . to understand why , you need to understand the sector . having worked for fifteen years in the industry -- not for big pharma , ' but for insurgent biotech companies and charities , who are increasingly the ones discovering most of the new medicines -- the controversy over the proposed merger was fascinating . it highlighted fundamental issues at the heart of the revolution transforming the pharmaceutical industry . the truth is that big pharma ' is failing to develop enough new medicines . their old business model -- dependent on producing a steady pipeline of expensive blockbuster ' drugs to sell to western governments -- is broken . instead , these companies have now become reliant on the smaller and more innovative biotechs ( and increasingly charities ) to fill their pipelines with a new world of genetically targeted medicines . the pharma sector is radically changing , from being all about the discovery of old style drugs through biological research , to the design of personalized and genetically profiled drugs through research based more in hospitals than pharma factories . to succeed in this new world of 21st century biomedicine , the uk has to unleash the unique power of its public health service the nhs -- a global powerhouse for modern drugs design . if we do so , we can deliver huge benefits to nhs patients , slow death rates in key diseases like cancer , reduce our drugs bill by making the uk the fastest and best place in the world to develop , test and prove these new medicines -- which would allow us to pay a discounted rate -- and kickstart a 21st century life sciences cluster . it 's a massive prize . that 's why i was so pleased when the prime minister invited me to help the uk set out our ground-breaking life science industrial strategy in 2011 , which has been internationally welcomed . different companies are responding to this challenge in different ways . astrazeneca last year electrified the sector by wholeheartedly embracing the life science strategy , embedding its staff in the cambridge biotech and hospital campus . pfizer , meanwhile , is known in the sector as the lead exponent of the m & a model : delivering shareholder returns by acquiring other companies . in either case , the success of the life science strategy was proved when both announced that after closing their respective factory plants in sandwich and cheshire , they were moving not to cambridge , massachusetts , but cambridge , uk . the fact that these companies are in the uk , despite our becoming in recent decades one of the slowest and lowest priced purchasers of drugs , is testament to the model we have adopted . the truth is that we need to worry less about who owns these companies -- after all the shareholders in both cases are global , as is the management -- and more about their level of commitment to the uk as a place to develop and sell modern medicines . we need to be rolling up our sleeves and making sure whoever owns the company has a strong commitment to the uk for the right reasons , namely because it is the best place on earth to develop 21st-century medicines . western governments no longer have a right to expect or demand investment . we have to compete and win it by being more entrepreneurial . the truth is that what really matters is that the uk remains a world-class place to discover and develop new 21st-century medicines . if we get that right , we can be relaxed about where the capital and talent flows from . without it , we wo n't have any takeovers to debate . the very possibility of the takeover was a tribute to the uk as a place where people want to do business . for the physical and economic health of us all , long may it remain that way . read more : pfizer ditches pursuit of astrazeneca read more : pfizer bid reveals british protectionism watch more : pfizer defends its bid the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the george freeman .","mp george freeman says the failed pfizer bid for astrazeneca is not a lost opportunity" +"virginia ( cnn ) -- a month before delvin barnes grabbed a woman off a street in philadelphia , he hit a teen with a shovel in virginia and stuffed her into the trunk of a car , authorities say . barnes , 37 , was arrested wednesday after police tracked him down using his car 's gps device . the arrest followed his alleged kidnapping of a nurse in philadelphia . he was detained about 20 miles southwest of baltimore . but before he appears in court for the alleged philadelphia abduction , he made a detour to virginia to face charges in another alleged kidnapping . maryland extradited him to virginia , where he was booked and processed thursday night . a month apart , but similar like in philadelphia , the abduction in virginia was brazen . the kidnappings were a month apart and 275 miles away from each other , but they have some similarities . both women were younger than the alleged kidnapper : the one in virginia was 16 , and the latest victim , carlesha freeland-gaither , was 22 . police say the teen was sexually abused . cnn does not name victims of sexual abuse . though police did not release many details of the virginia incident , authorities say the victims did n't know the suspect . in both cases , their attacker held them for a few days . virginia teen held for two days in virginia , a family 's nightmare started when the 16-year-old went missing . relatives called the charles city county sheriff 's office on october 1 . the victim told police she was hit in the head with a shovel and stuffed into the trunk of a car , according to capt . jayson crawley . she was taken to the home of the suspect 's parents in charles city county , where she was sexually abused , authorities said . while there , the suspect showed the teen pictures of other girls he said he had abducted , authorities said . two days later , the suspect allegedly brought the then-naked girl into the backyard , poured bleach and gasoline on her , burned her clothes and dug a hole . when he was briefly distracted , the girl fled into the woods . two miles away , she stumbled onto a business , and employees brought her inside . barnes is charged with abduction , forcible rape and malicious wounding with a chemical , among other charges . i just want to kill him -- just want to kill him , ' the girl 's mother told cnn affiliate wwbt . the mother says barnes allegedly told her daughter that he was going to kill her . after all that her daughter suffered , the mother said , she changed and did n't look like herself . i can forgive him , but could never forget , ' the mother told wwbt . man allegedly raped , burned girl in virginia philadelphia woman abducted near home freeland-gaither was abducted sunday night after she got off a bus in philadelphia 's germantown-penn knox area . as she walked the few blocks to her home , the suspect 's car passed her and quickly parked . a man then got out and met freeland-gaither at an intersection , philadelphia police chief inspector dennis wilson said . then her abductor pounced . surveillance video captured the entire incident . it shows freeland-gaither forcibly led away to a car after a brief tussle on the ground . during the struggle , her glasses and cell phone fell to the road . she kept fighting -- even breaking a passenger side window -- but the car sped away . i 've been on the job 46 years , ( and this is the ) first time i 've ever seen a kidnapping on videotape . ( it ) really was horrific to watch it unfold , ' philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey said . philadelphia police detective james sloan called a witness to the abduction , dwayne fletcher , a hero ' for alerting police . if it was n't for him , i do n't think we would have had the same outcome , ' sloan said . barnes admitted to the abduction , according to a criminal complaint . i 'm glad they got him , ' his former father-in-law , anthony meyers , told cnn affiliate , ktrk . it 's the kind of person he is . he 's pure evil . pure evil . ' suspect left a trail in freeland-gaither 's case , the abductor left behind a string of clues . a day after the kidnapping , the suspect allegedly used her atm card at a machine in aberdeen , maryland . the same day , he allegedly used her card to make a purchase at a convenience store . police released surveillance video of both transactions . a car dealer identified barnes from the videos and alerted authorities that he had placed a gps device in the suspect 's car because of concerns about his bad credit , authorities said . the gps device in the suspect 's car is used to alert customers when they 're behind on payments and also allows dealers to track down the vehicle and stop it , said passtime usa ceo stan schwartz , the head of the company that made the unit . barnes was told the device was in the car , schwartz said . police found the car in jessup , maryland , where they rescued freeland-gaither on wednesday night . she was briefly hospitalized and released thursday , and then reunited with her family after a harrowing three days . she had injuries , but nothing life-threatening , fortunately , ' ramsey said . jail official : barnes is on suicide watch as for barnes , he now sits at the riverside regional jail in prince george , virginia , just over the james river from charles city county . medical professionals have assessed barnes and put him on suicide watch based on his statements , lt. laura gray said . members of the public and investigators are not allowed to speak with him while he 's on suicide watch . cnn 's mariano castillo , jean casarez and lawrence crook iii contributed to this report .","he is charged in the alleged abduction of a 16-year-old girl in virginia last month" +"virginia ( cnn ) -- a month before delvin barnes grabbed a woman off a street in philadelphia , he hit a teen with a shovel in virginia and stuffed her into the trunk of a car , authorities say . barnes , 37 , was arrested wednesday after police tracked him down using his car 's gps device . the arrest followed his alleged kidnapping of a nurse in philadelphia . he was detained about 20 miles southwest of baltimore . but before he appears in court for the alleged philadelphia abduction , he made a detour to virginia to face charges in another alleged kidnapping . maryland extradited him to virginia , where he was booked and processed thursday night . a month apart , but similar like in philadelphia , the abduction in virginia was brazen . the kidnappings were a month apart and 275 miles away from each other , but they have some similarities . both women were younger than the alleged kidnapper : the one in virginia was 16 , and the latest victim , carlesha freeland-gaither , was 22 . police say the teen was sexually abused . cnn does not name victims of sexual abuse . though police did not release many details of the virginia incident , authorities say the victims did n't know the suspect . in both cases , their attacker held them for a few days . virginia teen held for two days in virginia , a family 's nightmare started when the 16-year-old went missing . relatives called the charles city county sheriff 's office on october 1 . the victim told police she was hit in the head with a shovel and stuffed into the trunk of a car , according to capt . jayson crawley . she was taken to the home of the suspect 's parents in charles city county , where she was sexually abused , authorities said . while there , the suspect showed the teen pictures of other girls he said he had abducted , authorities said . two days later , the suspect allegedly brought the then-naked girl into the backyard , poured bleach and gasoline on her , burned her clothes and dug a hole . when he was briefly distracted , the girl fled into the woods . two miles away , she stumbled onto a business , and employees brought her inside . barnes is charged with abduction , forcible rape and malicious wounding with a chemical , among other charges . i just want to kill him -- just want to kill him , ' the girl 's mother told cnn affiliate wwbt . the mother says barnes allegedly told her daughter that he was going to kill her . after all that her daughter suffered , the mother said , she changed and did n't look like herself . i can forgive him , but could never forget , ' the mother told wwbt . man allegedly raped , burned girl in virginia philadelphia woman abducted near home freeland-gaither was abducted sunday night after she got off a bus in philadelphia 's germantown-penn knox area . as she walked the few blocks to her home , the suspect 's car passed her and quickly parked . a man then got out and met freeland-gaither at an intersection , philadelphia police chief inspector dennis wilson said . then her abductor pounced . surveillance video captured the entire incident . it shows freeland-gaither forcibly led away to a car after a brief tussle on the ground . during the struggle , her glasses and cell phone fell to the road . she kept fighting -- even breaking a passenger side window -- but the car sped away . i 've been on the job 46 years , ( and this is the ) first time i 've ever seen a kidnapping on videotape . ( it ) really was horrific to watch it unfold , ' philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey said . philadelphia police detective james sloan called a witness to the abduction , dwayne fletcher , a hero ' for alerting police . if it was n't for him , i do n't think we would have had the same outcome , ' sloan said . barnes admitted to the abduction , according to a criminal complaint . i 'm glad they got him , ' his former father-in-law , anthony meyers , told cnn affiliate , ktrk . it 's the kind of person he is . he 's pure evil . pure evil . ' suspect left a trail in freeland-gaither 's case , the abductor left behind a string of clues . a day after the kidnapping , the suspect allegedly used her atm card at a machine in aberdeen , maryland . the same day , he allegedly used her card to make a purchase at a convenience store . police released surveillance video of both transactions . a car dealer identified barnes from the videos and alerted authorities that he had placed a gps device in the suspect 's car because of concerns about his bad credit , authorities said . the gps device in the suspect 's car is used to alert customers when they 're behind on payments and also allows dealers to track down the vehicle and stop it , said passtime usa ceo stan schwartz , the head of the company that made the unit . barnes was told the device was in the car , schwartz said . police found the car in jessup , maryland , where they rescued freeland-gaither on wednesday night . she was briefly hospitalized and released thursday , and then reunited with her family after a harrowing three days . she had injuries , but nothing life-threatening , fortunately , ' ramsey said . jail official : barnes is on suicide watch as for barnes , he now sits at the riverside regional jail in prince george , virginia , just over the james river from charles city county . medical professionals have assessed barnes and put him on suicide watch based on his statements , lt. laura gray said . members of the public and investigators are not allowed to speak with him while he 's on suicide watch . cnn 's mariano castillo , jean casarez and lawrence crook iii contributed to this report .","delvin barnes is on suicide watch at a virginia jail" +"virginia ( cnn ) -- a month before delvin barnes grabbed a woman off a street in philadelphia , he hit a teen with a shovel in virginia and stuffed her into the trunk of a car , authorities say . barnes , 37 , was arrested wednesday after police tracked him down using his car 's gps device . the arrest followed his alleged kidnapping of a nurse in philadelphia . he was detained about 20 miles southwest of baltimore . but before he appears in court for the alleged philadelphia abduction , he made a detour to virginia to face charges in another alleged kidnapping . maryland extradited him to virginia , where he was booked and processed thursday night . a month apart , but similar like in philadelphia , the abduction in virginia was brazen . the kidnappings were a month apart and 275 miles away from each other , but they have some similarities . both women were younger than the alleged kidnapper : the one in virginia was 16 , and the latest victim , carlesha freeland-gaither , was 22 . police say the teen was sexually abused . cnn does not name victims of sexual abuse . though police did not release many details of the virginia incident , authorities say the victims did n't know the suspect . in both cases , their attacker held them for a few days . virginia teen held for two days in virginia , a family 's nightmare started when the 16-year-old went missing . relatives called the charles city county sheriff 's office on october 1 . the victim told police she was hit in the head with a shovel and stuffed into the trunk of a car , according to capt . jayson crawley . she was taken to the home of the suspect 's parents in charles city county , where she was sexually abused , authorities said . while there , the suspect showed the teen pictures of other girls he said he had abducted , authorities said . two days later , the suspect allegedly brought the then-naked girl into the backyard , poured bleach and gasoline on her , burned her clothes and dug a hole . when he was briefly distracted , the girl fled into the woods . two miles away , she stumbled onto a business , and employees brought her inside . barnes is charged with abduction , forcible rape and malicious wounding with a chemical , among other charges . i just want to kill him -- just want to kill him , ' the girl 's mother told cnn affiliate wwbt . the mother says barnes allegedly told her daughter that he was going to kill her . after all that her daughter suffered , the mother said , she changed and did n't look like herself . i can forgive him , but could never forget , ' the mother told wwbt . man allegedly raped , burned girl in virginia philadelphia woman abducted near home freeland-gaither was abducted sunday night after she got off a bus in philadelphia 's germantown-penn knox area . as she walked the few blocks to her home , the suspect 's car passed her and quickly parked . a man then got out and met freeland-gaither at an intersection , philadelphia police chief inspector dennis wilson said . then her abductor pounced . surveillance video captured the entire incident . it shows freeland-gaither forcibly led away to a car after a brief tussle on the ground . during the struggle , her glasses and cell phone fell to the road . she kept fighting -- even breaking a passenger side window -- but the car sped away . i 've been on the job 46 years , ( and this is the ) first time i 've ever seen a kidnapping on videotape . ( it ) really was horrific to watch it unfold , ' philadelphia police commissioner charles ramsey said . philadelphia police detective james sloan called a witness to the abduction , dwayne fletcher , a hero ' for alerting police . if it was n't for him , i do n't think we would have had the same outcome , ' sloan said . barnes admitted to the abduction , according to a criminal complaint . i 'm glad they got him , ' his former father-in-law , anthony meyers , told cnn affiliate , ktrk . it 's the kind of person he is . he 's pure evil . pure evil . ' suspect left a trail in freeland-gaither 's case , the abductor left behind a string of clues . a day after the kidnapping , the suspect allegedly used her atm card at a machine in aberdeen , maryland . the same day , he allegedly used her card to make a purchase at a convenience store . police released surveillance video of both transactions . a car dealer identified barnes from the videos and alerted authorities that he had placed a gps device in the suspect 's car because of concerns about his bad credit , authorities said . the gps device in the suspect 's car is used to alert customers when they 're behind on payments and also allows dealers to track down the vehicle and stop it , said passtime usa ceo stan schwartz , the head of the company that made the unit . barnes was told the device was in the car , schwartz said . police found the car in jessup , maryland , where they rescued freeland-gaither on wednesday night . she was briefly hospitalized and released thursday , and then reunited with her family after a harrowing three days . she had injuries , but nothing life-threatening , fortunately , ' ramsey said . jail official : barnes is on suicide watch as for barnes , he now sits at the riverside regional jail in prince george , virginia , just over the james river from charles city county . medical professionals have assessed barnes and put him on suicide watch based on his statements , lt. laura gray said . members of the public and investigators are not allowed to speak with him while he 's on suicide watch . cnn 's mariano castillo , jean casarez and lawrence crook iii contributed to this report .","new : the virginia victim 's mother on the suspect :'i just want to kill him '" +"national archives and records administration washington ( cnn ) -- a former employee of the national archives was sentenced thursday to 18 months in prison for stealing rare recordings from the government to sell on the internet . leslie waffen , 67 , of rockville , maryland , pleaded guilty in october to an eight-year scheme to embezzle historic recordings donated to the government in order to peddle them on ebay . among the items waffen took was an original master copy of an interview with baseball great babe ruth conducted while he was quail hunting in new jersey on december 10 , 1937 . waffen sold it on ebay in september 2010 for a paltry $ 34.74 . law enforcement agents later recovered the audio recording , which was still in a paper sleeve marked with the number 2172 , its national archives and records administration number . waffen stole numerous other items , including herbert morrison 's eyewitness report of the 1937 hindenburg disaster , a september 1924 transcontinental defense test phone call and the first network television broadcast of the world series in 1948 . investigators seized sound recordings during a search of waffen 's home in 2010 . the government said 4,806 of those items were taken from the national archives . these items were entrusted to the national archives to be used by all citizens , not to be auctioned for personal profit to the highest bidder , ' said rod rosenstein , the u.s. attorney in maryland . the federal judge in waffen 's case said losses from the scheme are calculated at $ 83,238 . another hearing will be held on the matter of restitution . waffen worked at the national archives from 1969 until june 2010 . the government said that in the 1970s waffen handled donations of more than 3,000 sound recordings made by a former radio engineer for cbs , nbc and the mutual radio networks . that former radio engineer , j. david goldin , told the washington post he saw the listing for the babe ruth hunting recording when he was searching the internet in september 2010 . goldin said he almost bought the item , but realized it was a recording he had donated to the archives years before . it was ruth , and he certainly should have gotten a lot more than 34 bucks for it -- even if ruth is blowing his nose , people will buy it , ' goldin told the newspaper . goldin , a radio historian and collector , assisted law enforcement in its investigation of the stolen recordings .","waffen worked at national archives and records administration for more than 40 years" +"ebay washington ( cnn ) -- a former employee of the national archives was sentenced thursday to 18 months in prison for stealing rare recordings from the government to sell on the internet . leslie waffen , 67 , of rockville , maryland , pleaded guilty in october to an eight-year scheme to embezzle historic recordings donated to the government in order to peddle them on ebay . among the items waffen took was an original master copy of an interview with baseball great babe ruth conducted while he was quail hunting in new jersey on december 10 , 1937 . waffen sold it on ebay in september 2010 for a paltry $ 34.74 . law enforcement agents later recovered the audio recording , which was still in a paper sleeve marked with the number 2172 , its national archives and records administration number . waffen stole numerous other items , including herbert morrison 's eyewitness report of the 1937 hindenburg disaster , a september 1924 transcontinental defense test phone call and the first network television broadcast of the world series in 1948 . investigators seized sound recordings during a search of waffen 's home in 2010 . the government said 4,806 of those items were taken from the national archives . these items were entrusted to the national archives to be used by all citizens , not to be auctioned for personal profit to the highest bidder , ' said rod rosenstein , the u.s. attorney in maryland . the federal judge in waffen 's case said losses from the scheme are calculated at $ 83,238 . another hearing will be held on the matter of restitution . waffen worked at the national archives from 1969 until june 2010 . the government said that in the 1970s waffen handled donations of more than 3,000 sound recordings made by a former radio engineer for cbs , nbc and the mutual radio networks . that former radio engineer , j. david goldin , told the washington post he saw the listing for the babe ruth hunting recording when he was searching the internet in september 2010 . goldin said he almost bought the item , but realized it was a recording he had donated to the archives years before . it was ruth , and he certainly should have gotten a lot more than 34 bucks for it -- even if ruth is blowing his nose , people will buy it , ' goldin told the newspaper . goldin , a radio historian and collector , assisted law enforcement in its investigation of the stolen recordings .","leslie waffen sold a 1937 voice recording of babe ruth for $ 34.74 on ebay" +"alaskan ( cnn ) -- what 's with this wacky weather ? it 's so cold in florida that farmers joke the oranges are squeezing themselves to stay warm . but alaska is so warm that a ski resort 's been forced to close . add to this curious mix , giant waves in hawaii , a historic drought in california , and bears coming out of hibernation in nevada , and you ca n't help but wonder : what is going on with the weather ? to be sure , the united states is a giant place -- 3,000 miles wide from coast to coast . but even taking that into account , what you have here has to be at least a tad bit out of the norm . right ? it 's not actually that unusual , ' says roger edwards , a meteorologist with the storm prediction center at the national weather service . usually a few times each winter , the temperatures flip-flop where tallahassee is colder than anchorage . but , ' he says , this one is more persistent than we normally see . ' northeast : super bowled this whole weather system business is a balancing act . when there 's extremely cold air in one area , some other part is going to be warm , ' says edwards . tell that to the folks in the northeast who are still digging out from more than a foot of snow in some places and shivering with temperatures in the single digits -- a full 15 to 25 degrees below normal . on tuesday , 10 inches of snow fell on metlife stadium , which hosts the super bowl in 10 days . it gave national football league officials a chance to test their snow removal plan , affiliate ny1 reported . nfl officials say it will take 1,600 workers about 18 hours to clear the stadium and parking lots . the stadium operations staff along with nfl productions staff is running this as a dress rehearsal and we have people watching , and evaluating and grading , ' said nfl executive vice president eric grubman . dropping the ( snow ) ball on game day would be bad pr for the league . about 111 million americans watched last year 's game . the extended forecast is n't providing much to be optimistic about though . the way the pattern is set up right now , there will be a series of cold air shots , ' edwards said . the basic pattern is going to stay this way for another week or so . ' alaska : hit the ski ( d ) s contrast that with anchorage , alaska , where thursday 's forecast high will be around 45 degrees . a typical high would be in the low 20s . the seven-day forecast holds more of the same . temperatures like that are bad news for the alyeska ski resort which closed for the third time this winter . rain fell wednesday on an empty parking lot . sometimes you get epic storms . if this was 10 degrees cooler , it would be one of those , ' eric helmbrecht , the owner of powder hound ski shop , told cnn affiliate ktuu , trying to sound hopeful we will get snow and it will be fine . ' hawaii : making waves waves up to 50 feet high have been pounding the north shore of oahu -- the largest hawaii 's seen since 2004 . it 's a spectacle . it 's incredible , ' resident daniela power said . it 's so big and massive and powerful and it 's really a special thing to watch for sure . ' what 's causing it ? a large storm with hurricane-force winds that 's sending a giant swell toward the island . the surf peaked overnight , the weather service said . great news for surfers , right ? not quite . at first glance , the tall waves would appear to offer a golden opportunity for participants in a big wave surf contest that was scheduled to take place wednesday on oahu . but the organizers have postponed the event . they say that although the waves are expected to be pleasingly large , the wind conditions are no good . california : no rain on the ranches winter is california 's wet season . it 's the dead of winter now , but there no cloud in sight and nary a raindrop in the forecast . california 's facing perhaps its worst drought since record-keeping began a century ago , california gov . jerry brown proclaimed this month . it 's pushed farmers and ranchers to their financial limits . there 's nothing on the ground for animals to eat . i borrowed money -- i hate to even say that -- but i recently borrowed money to buy hay , ' says rancher harold kelly . normally , it 'd be raining and we 'd have grass growing , ' he says . the grass is basically all gone . ' nevada : barely sleeping an unusual number of black bears are up and about in western nevada . the winter there has been so abnormally warm and dry winter that the bears are done with their hibernation and headed out for food . the national weather service 's forecast for incline village , nevada , for instance , calls for high temperatures heading to or well past 50 degrees for the next week at least , with nary of snow flurry in sight . it 's not just nevada : nearby northern california is also seeing an abnormal number of black bears , with cnn affiliate kxtv showing images taken from yosemite national park and lake tahoe 's heavenly ski resort . healy said a disastrous winter ' -- adding we need the snow ' -- and relatively mild temperatures have thrown off some black bears . we documented this and , in the past 15 years , it occurs sporadically , ' the spokesman said . a lot of it is dictated by the weather conditions . ' and , as we know , this year it 's been all kinds of weird . cnn 's steve almasy , greg botelho , carma hassan , sonya hamasaki , michael martinez and jethro mullen contributed to this report .","an alaskan ski resort gets rain instead of snow" +"mexico san salvador , el salvador ( cnn ) -- buried underground about 30 miles from el salvador 's capital city , police made a staggering find this week : 213 grenades . investigators described the arsenal uncovered tuesday as anti-tank grenades ' -- the kind of weapons only members of the military are allowed to use in the central american country . key questions remain after the discovery : who hid the grenades there ? and how were they planning to use them ? authorities say they suspect the stash is yet another sign that mexico 's brutal zetas cartel has extended its reach . and members of the military could be involved , they said . according to our investigations , these have been sold to zetas drug traffickers in guatemala and mexico , ' salvadoran attorney general luis martinez told reporters . and we are going to investigate this . and also we are going to see where they came from . ' authorities have asked the united states for assistance with their investigation into the weapons'origin . police said the grenades , buried about 4 feet underground , were manufactured in china and the united states . los zetas known for'complete absence of scruples' cnn 's catherine e. shoichet contributed to this report .","they suspect the stash is connected with a cartel , possibly mexico 's zetas" +"zetas san salvador , el salvador ( cnn ) -- buried underground about 30 miles from el salvador 's capital city , police made a staggering find this week : 213 grenades . investigators described the arsenal uncovered tuesday as anti-tank grenades ' -- the kind of weapons only members of the military are allowed to use in the central american country . key questions remain after the discovery : who hid the grenades there ? and how were they planning to use them ? authorities say they suspect the stash is yet another sign that mexico 's brutal zetas cartel has extended its reach . and members of the military could be involved , they said . according to our investigations , these have been sold to zetas drug traffickers in guatemala and mexico , ' salvadoran attorney general luis martinez told reporters . and we are going to investigate this . and also we are going to see where they came from . ' authorities have asked the united states for assistance with their investigation into the weapons'origin . police said the grenades , buried about 4 feet underground , were manufactured in china and the united states . los zetas known for'complete absence of scruples' cnn 's catherine e. shoichet contributed to this report .","they suspect the stash is connected with a cartel , possibly mexico 's zetas" +"madrid ( cnn ) -- a late sergio ramos goal earned real madrid a 2-1 win against barcelona at the bernabeu on saturday as the la liga leaders slumped to a second consecutive el clasico defeat . five days after being dumped out of the copa del rey by jose mourinho 's side , the catalan club were once again forced to play second fiddle to their archrivals . read : ronaldo double sinks barca karim benzema put the hosts ahead in the sixth minute , slotting home after alvaro morata had crossed from the left before barca equalized 12 minutes later -- lionel messi collecting his 18th goal against real madrid and his 50th of the season . cristiano ronaldo came on as a sub in the second half and livened up proceedings , but it was sergio ramos who scored the winner eight minutes from the end , rising highest to head home luka modric 's corner . barcelona thought they should have been awarded a penalty in the final minute when , at the other end , ramos appeared to trip adriano but the referee did n't agree . an angry protest by victor valdes after the final whistle earned the goalkeeper a red card . the result takes real to 55 points and within one point of second-place city rivals atletico -- who travel to malaga on sunday . despite the loss -- just their second in the league this season -- barca are still way out ahead of on 68 points , but not in an unassailable position just yet , as the match winner ramos pointed out . in the league 13 points is better than 16 . we have reduced the distance and whilst it is still possible mathematically we are obliged to fight , ' ramos said . but thoughts are already turning to tuesday 's last 16 champions league match up against manchester united at old trafford . defender pepe believes back-to-back wins over barcelona can inspire real to victory in the second leg with the tie evenly poised at 1-1 . blog : pedro 's point of view ' we are very happy with the victory and it was important to win . it gives us a lot of hope for the game on tuesday , we have to go out and try to win the game in manchester , ' pepe said . in la liga 's other saturday matches , valencia played out a 2-2 draw with levante while the game between bottom-of-the-table deportivo la coruna and ninth-place rayo vallecano ended goalless . athletic bilbao move up to 14th after a 1-0 win against osasuna . meanwhile in serie a , giampaolo pazzini scored twice as ac milan overran 10-man lazio 3-0 at the san siro on saturday . lazio 's chances of getting anything from the game were dealt a fatal blow when antonio candreva was shown a straight red after 17 minutes for a foul on stephan el shaarawy . milan proceeded to dominate and two quick-fire goals at the end of the first half -- pazzini in the 40th minute and kevin prince boateng four minutes later -- effectively killed the contest . read : juventus stay six points clear pazzini , who is deputizing for the injured mario balotelli , scored his second of the night on the hour mark to put the game beyond the reach of the visitors . the win extends milan 's unbeaten league run to nine games and lifts them to fourth -- two points above city rivals inter who travel to catania on sunday . third place lazio , meanwhile , have taken just five points from their last seven games .","madrid play manchester united in last 16 second leg champions league tie on tuesday" +"madrid ( cnn ) -- a late sergio ramos goal earned real madrid a 2-1 win against barcelona at the bernabeu on saturday as the la liga leaders slumped to a second consecutive el clasico defeat . five days after being dumped out of the copa del rey by jose mourinho 's side , the catalan club were once again forced to play second fiddle to their archrivals . read : ronaldo double sinks barca karim benzema put the hosts ahead in the sixth minute , slotting home after alvaro morata had crossed from the left before barca equalized 12 minutes later -- lionel messi collecting his 18th goal against real madrid and his 50th of the season . cristiano ronaldo came on as a sub in the second half and livened up proceedings , but it was sergio ramos who scored the winner eight minutes from the end , rising highest to head home luka modric 's corner . barcelona thought they should have been awarded a penalty in the final minute when , at the other end , ramos appeared to trip adriano but the referee did n't agree . an angry protest by victor valdes after the final whistle earned the goalkeeper a red card . the result takes real to 55 points and within one point of second-place city rivals atletico -- who travel to malaga on sunday . despite the loss -- just their second in the league this season -- barca are still way out ahead of on 68 points , but not in an unassailable position just yet , as the match winner ramos pointed out . in the league 13 points is better than 16 . we have reduced the distance and whilst it is still possible mathematically we are obliged to fight , ' ramos said . but thoughts are already turning to tuesday 's last 16 champions league match up against manchester united at old trafford . defender pepe believes back-to-back wins over barcelona can inspire real to victory in the second leg with the tie evenly poised at 1-1 . blog : pedro 's point of view ' we are very happy with the victory and it was important to win . it gives us a lot of hope for the game on tuesday , we have to go out and try to win the game in manchester , ' pepe said . in la liga 's other saturday matches , valencia played out a 2-2 draw with levante while the game between bottom-of-the-table deportivo la coruna and ninth-place rayo vallecano ended goalless . athletic bilbao move up to 14th after a 1-0 win against osasuna . meanwhile in serie a , giampaolo pazzini scored twice as ac milan overran 10-man lazio 3-0 at the san siro on saturday . lazio 's chances of getting anything from the game were dealt a fatal blow when antonio candreva was shown a straight red after 17 minutes for a foul on stephan el shaarawy . milan proceeded to dominate and two quick-fire goals at the end of the first half -- pazzini in the 40th minute and kevin prince boateng four minutes later -- effectively killed the contest . read : juventus stay six points clear pazzini , who is deputizing for the injured mario balotelli , scored his second of the night on the hour mark to put the game beyond the reach of the visitors . the win extends milan 's unbeaten league run to nine games and lifts them to fourth -- two points above city rivals inter who travel to catania on sunday . third place lazio , meanwhile , have taken just five points from their last seven games .","sergio ramos headed goal earns real madrid second el clasico win in five days" +"madrid ( cnn ) -- a late sergio ramos goal earned real madrid a 2-1 win against barcelona at the bernabeu on saturday as the la liga leaders slumped to a second consecutive el clasico defeat . five days after being dumped out of the copa del rey by jose mourinho 's side , the catalan club were once again forced to play second fiddle to their archrivals . read : ronaldo double sinks barca karim benzema put the hosts ahead in the sixth minute , slotting home after alvaro morata had crossed from the left before barca equalized 12 minutes later -- lionel messi collecting his 18th goal against real madrid and his 50th of the season . cristiano ronaldo came on as a sub in the second half and livened up proceedings , but it was sergio ramos who scored the winner eight minutes from the end , rising highest to head home luka modric 's corner . barcelona thought they should have been awarded a penalty in the final minute when , at the other end , ramos appeared to trip adriano but the referee did n't agree . an angry protest by victor valdes after the final whistle earned the goalkeeper a red card . the result takes real to 55 points and within one point of second-place city rivals atletico -- who travel to malaga on sunday . despite the loss -- just their second in the league this season -- barca are still way out ahead of on 68 points , but not in an unassailable position just yet , as the match winner ramos pointed out . in the league 13 points is better than 16 . we have reduced the distance and whilst it is still possible mathematically we are obliged to fight , ' ramos said . but thoughts are already turning to tuesday 's last 16 champions league match up against manchester united at old trafford . defender pepe believes back-to-back wins over barcelona can inspire real to victory in the second leg with the tie evenly poised at 1-1 . blog : pedro 's point of view ' we are very happy with the victory and it was important to win . it gives us a lot of hope for the game on tuesday , we have to go out and try to win the game in manchester , ' pepe said . in la liga 's other saturday matches , valencia played out a 2-2 draw with levante while the game between bottom-of-the-table deportivo la coruna and ninth-place rayo vallecano ended goalless . athletic bilbao move up to 14th after a 1-0 win against osasuna . meanwhile in serie a , giampaolo pazzini scored twice as ac milan overran 10-man lazio 3-0 at the san siro on saturday . lazio 's chances of getting anything from the game were dealt a fatal blow when antonio candreva was shown a straight red after 17 minutes for a foul on stephan el shaarawy . milan proceeded to dominate and two quick-fire goals at the end of the first half -- pazzini in the 40th minute and kevin prince boateng four minutes later -- effectively killed the contest . read : juventus stay six points clear pazzini , who is deputizing for the injured mario balotelli , scored his second of the night on the hour mark to put the game beyond the reach of the visitors . the win extends milan 's unbeaten league run to nine games and lifts them to fourth -- two points above city rivals inter who travel to catania on sunday . third place lazio , meanwhile , have taken just five points from their last seven games .","benzema gives madrid early lead before messi leveled with 50th goal of the season" +"commandaria limassol , cyprus ( cnn ) -- cyprus is known for its sunshine , its ancient ruins and its delicious halloumi cheese , but one thing that is less well known is that it is also home to the oldest named wine in the world . commandaria is a dessert wine with a flavor as rich as its history . it is originally believed to have been given its name by crusading knights in the 13th century , but to have first been made up to 5,000 years ago . it is produced in the fertile high-altitude slopes in the south-west of the island that became known as la grande commanderie ' during the crusades . around this time , the knights of the order of saint john renamed the local wine after their new protectorate . throughout the following centuries , stories of the wine abound . according to legend , king richard the lionheart of england was so taken with commandaria that at his wedding he pronounced it the wine of kings and the king of wines . ' equally struck by the intoxicating liquor was the french king philippe augustus who is said to have declared it to be the apostle of wines ' . over time production continued to grow . by 1879 the british explorer sir samuel white baker recorded that cyprus was annually exporting 155,000 okes ' ( a turkish measurement that translates roughly to 230,000 liters ) of commandaria to austria alone . all the elements of cyprus in the coastal town of limassol , on the sunny southern coast of cyprus , the most popular brand of commandaria -- keo st. john -- is produced to a recipe that is now protected by a legally enforced appellation , the only one held by cyprus . dimitris antoniou , senior oenologist at keo , believes the wine they produce is very special . in it you have all the elements of cyprus : you have honey , herbs , vanilla , spices , and dried fruits such as plums ... it is very complicated , ' he says . one distinguishing feature of commandaria is that after the grapes are picked , they are left in the sun for ten days , which increases the density of their sugars . the grapes are then pressed , the wine is fortified ( usually with a high percentage grape-based alcohol ) and then it is aged for at least two years in oak barrels before being bottled . as the years roll by , the amber liquid intensifies in both viscosity and sweetness . read more : the island of aphrodite still has its struggles dimitris , together with george metochis , senior winemaker at keo , oversee the vast operation where annually over 130,000 liters of wine are produced , largely for market within cyprus , but also exported to russia , scandinavia , france , the united states and australia . the cavernous keo vaults currently house 400,000 liters of commandaria with a range of vintages ; the oldest batch dates back over a century . ancient heritage , modern interpretation archaeological digs , conducted over the past decade , have unearthed evidence that the history of wine in cyprus stretches back not just hundreds , but thousands of years . some believe that cyprus may have been the site of the earliest wine harvests in europe , stretching back 5,000 years . alongside the mainstream labels producing commandaria , a new generation of winemakers is looking to this more distant history to try to get in touch with the country 's original viniculture . one such winemaker is lefteris mohianakis who has vineyards in the high hills near the village of zoopigi . the two grapes he uses -- mavro a red grape , and xynisteri a white -- have long been used to produce the island 's famous sweet wine . but when lefteris talks of cypriot wine , he speaks of nama ' , the more ancient name for what the crusading knights of the 13th century came to call commandaria . read more : cyprus bets on a natural gas-filled future lefteris mohianakis is respectful of commandaria 's great history , but says that his anama concept ' wine takes inspiration from the past while still very much looking towards towards the future . i 'm working on the base of tradition , but i 'm trying to involve oenology , which is a contemporary science , ' he says . throughout his career , mohianakis has worked in wineries around the world , and in his view , cyprus is unique in its ability to grow sweet wine . i truly believe that terroir ( the geology and climate of a place ) is one of the most important things towards producing a high quality wine , ' he says . that is why nobody in the world can produce a sauvignon blanc like marlborough in new zealand , or a cabernet sauvignon like bordeaux . that is the reason why i strongly believe that cyprus is one of the rarest terroirs that can produce such high quality sweet wines . it is the sun and the soil . it is unique . ' so does mohianakis believe that his wine tastes the same as the nama that was being enjoyed in cyprus 5,000 years ago ? i think that historians can tell stories and can give you an idea about the past , but senses can not be transmitted through history . so we can not understand how an ancient nama smelled or tasted , ' mohianakis says . my mentality is that we are walking on the base of tradition , on the base of the things transported from generation to generation -- the tales , the feelings -- but the best thing we can do is to give the vine the opportunity to choose for itself what kind of product it wants to create . those vines have been there for 150 years ... i am just trying to give the vines the opportunity to express themselves through my wine . ' cnn 's on the road series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries we profile . however cnn retains full editorial control over all of its reports . read the policy","commandaria is recognised as the oldest named wine in the world" +"swiss ( cnn ) -- bmw oracle won the america 's cup as victory in sunday 's second race off valencia against swiss holders alinghi gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the best-of-three series . the syndicate , founded by software magnate larry ellison , is the first american team to win yachting 's most prestigious trophy since 1992 . ellison was on board as they clinched victory by a margin of five minutes and 26 seconds , underlining their superiority against alinghi , who made a series of uncharacteristic errors in both races off the spanish coast . it 's an absolutely awesome feeling . i could n't be more proud , ' said the 65-year-old billionaire , who fought a lengthy legal battle to earn the right to challenge the swiss syndicate . the victory means the golden gate yacht club of san francisco will now defend the america 's cup in the 34th staging of an event which dates back to 1851 . oracle have held the technological edge in both races , with a radical 223ft ( 68 meters ) wingspan on their catamaran . alinghi , who won the trophy with a 5-2 win over team new zealand in valencia in 2007 , dropped a possible protest after the second race as the result was confirmed . light winds meant the start of sunday 's race was delayed for six hours , but when racing got underway alinghi were again at a disadvantage having been penalized before the start , as in friday 's defeat . but with ernesto bertarelli at the helm , alinghi held an early lead of over 600 meters before oracle established a winning advantage of their own , touching speeds of 30 knots on the 39-nautical mile course .","the american challengers beat swiss holders alinghi by over five minutes on sunday" +"bmw oracle ( cnn ) -- bmw oracle won the america 's cup as victory in sunday 's second race off valencia against swiss holders alinghi gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the best-of-three series . the syndicate , founded by software magnate larry ellison , is the first american team to win yachting 's most prestigious trophy since 1992 . ellison was on board as they clinched victory by a margin of five minutes and 26 seconds , underlining their superiority against alinghi , who made a series of uncharacteristic errors in both races off the spanish coast . it 's an absolutely awesome feeling . i could n't be more proud , ' said the 65-year-old billionaire , who fought a lengthy legal battle to earn the right to challenge the swiss syndicate . the victory means the golden gate yacht club of san francisco will now defend the america 's cup in the 34th staging of an event which dates back to 1851 . oracle have held the technological edge in both races , with a radical 223ft ( 68 meters ) wingspan on their catamaran . alinghi , who won the trophy with a 5-2 win over team new zealand in valencia in 2007 , dropped a possible protest after the second race as the result was confirmed . light winds meant the start of sunday 's race was delayed for six hours , but when racing got underway alinghi were again at a disadvantage having been penalized before the start , as in friday 's defeat . but with ernesto bertarelli at the helm , alinghi held an early lead of over 600 meters before oracle established a winning advantage of their own , touching speeds of 30 knots on the 39-nautical mile course .","software magnate larry ellison founded bmw oracle over 10 years ago" +"bmw oracle ( cnn ) -- bmw oracle won the america 's cup as victory in sunday 's second race off valencia against swiss holders alinghi gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the best-of-three series . the syndicate , founded by software magnate larry ellison , is the first american team to win yachting 's most prestigious trophy since 1992 . ellison was on board as they clinched victory by a margin of five minutes and 26 seconds , underlining their superiority against alinghi , who made a series of uncharacteristic errors in both races off the spanish coast . it 's an absolutely awesome feeling . i could n't be more proud , ' said the 65-year-old billionaire , who fought a lengthy legal battle to earn the right to challenge the swiss syndicate . the victory means the golden gate yacht club of san francisco will now defend the america 's cup in the 34th staging of an event which dates back to 1851 . oracle have held the technological edge in both races , with a radical 223ft ( 68 meters ) wingspan on their catamaran . alinghi , who won the trophy with a 5-2 win over team new zealand in valencia in 2007 , dropped a possible protest after the second race as the result was confirmed . light winds meant the start of sunday 's race was delayed for six hours , but when racing got underway alinghi were again at a disadvantage having been penalized before the start , as in friday 's defeat . but with ernesto bertarelli at the helm , alinghi held an early lead of over 600 meters before oracle established a winning advantage of their own , touching speeds of 30 knots on the 39-nautical mile course .","bmw oracle take a winning 2-0 lead in the best-of-three america 's cup series" +"sadler ( cnn ) -- some people might give you the shirt off their back for free . others might give you their last name -- for a fee . i just saw an opportunity -- my mom is going through a divorce and i do n't need this last name anymore , ' explained 30-year old entrepreneur jason sadler , who lives in jacksonville , florida . i thought'how am i going to find a new last name ?'well'why not just sell it ?'' to many , the idea of selling off the family surname might be crazy . sadler says he wants to reinvest the money he makes into other fun marketing things ' and give 10 % of it to charity . ' the bidding ended december 13 on sadler 's website -- buymylastname.com -- and the winning bidder will pay $ 45,500 for sadler to change his name to jason headsets.com . for all of 2013 , sadler will legally assume the new surname decided by the winning bidder and will need to change all official forms of identification . the legal process may take several weeks , according to the florida state courts system , and involves submitting fingerprints for a state and national criminal check , the associated cost for processing , a court date to consider the name change request and a judge 's final approval . this is not sadler 's first attempt at a more creative -- if unorthodox -- moneymaking scheme . in 2009 , the entrepreneur started wearing the shirts of other companies , serving as a walking ad space for a day . he pulled in more than $ 66,000 on top of his regular day job that first year . that start-up still operates today at iwearyourshirt.com . watch : human advertising in space sadler , interviewed earlier in the week by cnn , rejects the idea that he is selling out . the reason i say that is that i do n't want this last name anymore . the name sadler does n't mean anything to me anymore . and for me i want to work with a brand . i live in this kind of online marketing world and i 'm very passionate about it . if i said i 'll take any casino or pornography site -- that would be selling out . ' sadler set some guidelines before the winning bid . i had some legalese written up . if you read the terms and conditions -- nothing political , nothing religious , nothing defaming anybody . there 's been a lot of talk on the internet about giving me a dumb last name . it 's just not going to happen . i have the last right of refusal . ' beyond 2013 , sadler says he might do it over again and represent someone new or just pick a random name from the phone book . '","highest bidder gets to name sadler but legally retains last right of refusal '" +"sadler ( cnn ) -- some people might give you the shirt off their back for free . others might give you their last name -- for a fee . i just saw an opportunity -- my mom is going through a divorce and i do n't need this last name anymore , ' explained 30-year old entrepreneur jason sadler , who lives in jacksonville , florida . i thought'how am i going to find a new last name ?'well'why not just sell it ?'' to many , the idea of selling off the family surname might be crazy . sadler says he wants to reinvest the money he makes into other fun marketing things ' and give 10 % of it to charity . ' the bidding ended december 13 on sadler 's website -- buymylastname.com -- and the winning bidder will pay $ 45,500 for sadler to change his name to jason headsets.com . for all of 2013 , sadler will legally assume the new surname decided by the winning bidder and will need to change all official forms of identification . the legal process may take several weeks , according to the florida state courts system , and involves submitting fingerprints for a state and national criminal check , the associated cost for processing , a court date to consider the name change request and a judge 's final approval . this is not sadler 's first attempt at a more creative -- if unorthodox -- moneymaking scheme . in 2009 , the entrepreneur started wearing the shirts of other companies , serving as a walking ad space for a day . he pulled in more than $ 66,000 on top of his regular day job that first year . that start-up still operates today at iwearyourshirt.com . watch : human advertising in space sadler , interviewed earlier in the week by cnn , rejects the idea that he is selling out . the reason i say that is that i do n't want this last name anymore . the name sadler does n't mean anything to me anymore . and for me i want to work with a brand . i live in this kind of online marketing world and i 'm very passionate about it . if i said i 'll take any casino or pornography site -- that would be selling out . ' sadler set some guidelines before the winning bid . i had some legalese written up . if you read the terms and conditions -- nothing political , nothing religious , nothing defaming anybody . there 's been a lot of talk on the internet about giving me a dumb last name . it 's just not going to happen . i have the last right of refusal . ' beyond 2013 , sadler says he might do it over again and represent someone new or just pick a random name from the phone book . '","american entrepreneur jason sadler will assume new last name for 2013" +"sadler ( cnn ) -- some people might give you the shirt off their back for free . others might give you their last name -- for a fee . i just saw an opportunity -- my mom is going through a divorce and i do n't need this last name anymore , ' explained 30-year old entrepreneur jason sadler , who lives in jacksonville , florida . i thought'how am i going to find a new last name ?'well'why not just sell it ?'' to many , the idea of selling off the family surname might be crazy . sadler says he wants to reinvest the money he makes into other fun marketing things ' and give 10 % of it to charity . ' the bidding ended december 13 on sadler 's website -- buymylastname.com -- and the winning bidder will pay $ 45,500 for sadler to change his name to jason headsets.com . for all of 2013 , sadler will legally assume the new surname decided by the winning bidder and will need to change all official forms of identification . the legal process may take several weeks , according to the florida state courts system , and involves submitting fingerprints for a state and national criminal check , the associated cost for processing , a court date to consider the name change request and a judge 's final approval . this is not sadler 's first attempt at a more creative -- if unorthodox -- moneymaking scheme . in 2009 , the entrepreneur started wearing the shirts of other companies , serving as a walking ad space for a day . he pulled in more than $ 66,000 on top of his regular day job that first year . that start-up still operates today at iwearyourshirt.com . watch : human advertising in space sadler , interviewed earlier in the week by cnn , rejects the idea that he is selling out . the reason i say that is that i do n't want this last name anymore . the name sadler does n't mean anything to me anymore . and for me i want to work with a brand . i live in this kind of online marketing world and i 'm very passionate about it . if i said i 'll take any casino or pornography site -- that would be selling out . ' sadler set some guidelines before the winning bid . i had some legalese written up . if you read the terms and conditions -- nothing political , nothing religious , nothing defaming anybody . there 's been a lot of talk on the internet about giving me a dumb last name . it 's just not going to happen . i have the last right of refusal . ' beyond 2013 , sadler says he might do it over again and represent someone new or just pick a random name from the phone book . '","sadler : mom going through divorce , i do n't need this last name anymore '" +"sanford ( cnn ) -- sanford , florida , city officials have chosen a former colorado police chief as an interim replacement for the top cop who stepped aside during the furor over february 's killing of an unarmed teen . richard myers , the former police chief in colorado springs , will take office in sanford at the end of the week , the city government announced tuesday . a news conference to introduce myers is slated for friday . he will take over a department that has been under the microscope since the february 26 killing of 17-year-old trayvon martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer . sanford police chief bill lee , who attempted to resign last week , will remain on paid administrative leave , according to a statement from city hall . lee stepped aside as chief after a vote of no-confidence by city commissioners , but the commission voted against accepting his resignation while investigations into martin 's killing are pending . the case drew nationwide protests when police decided against arresting neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman , who told investigators he killed martin in self-defense . a special prosecutor assigned to look into martin 's death ultimately brought second-degree murder charges against 28-year-old zimmerman , who has pleaded not guilty and been released on $ 150,000 bail . prosecutors asked for that bail to be increased after learning that contributors had donated more than $ 200,000 to a legal defense fund he set up . about $ 5,000 of that went toward the $ 15,000 cash zimmerman put up to post bond , defense lawyer mark o'mara said last week . zimmerman has been in hiding since the case drew national attention , and he has solicited the money not only for legal fees but also for living expenses . o'mara said the money has been put into a trust he controls , and his team announced tuesday that a former irs agent has been hired as a third-party administrator to handle the funds . the fund 's administrator will have sole discretion regarding the dispersal of funds , and guidelines will be put in place to define reasonable living expenses for mr. zimmerman and his family and to fund necessary legal expenses , ' the defense team reported on its website . neither mr. zimmerman nor the o'mara law group will have direct access to the funds . ' donors'names are not being disclosed . for the next three to five months , myers will be responsible for reviewing sanford police department 's performance as it relates to the trayvon martin case as well as provide overall leadership , ' according to colorado springs police department spokeswoman barbara miller . myers , a 35-year law enforcement veteran , began his career in the suburbs of detroit and chicago before becoming chief of the appleton , wisconsin , police department . after that , he took the reins of the colorado springs police department in 2007 . myers resigned that post in 2011 after stephen bach was elected as the city 's new mayor . it was widely reported that the new mayor forced myers out , and a press release from myers upon his retirement in october seemed to bear that out . when mayor bach was elected , i told him i was here to serve , and would do so loyally and do my best to lead the department in the direction he wanted to take the city , until such time that he felt he needed to bring in his own chief , ' the release from myers stated . consequently , i have agreed to make room for this to happen by retiring from the cspd . ' attempts to contact myers for this report were unsuccessful . a month ago , he was asked to consider the role of interim police chief in sanford , according to miller . she said she believes myers is well-suited to what is bound to be a challenging , high-pressure assignment in sanford . chief richard myers is a highly intelligent leader with a great law enforcement background who is skilled at analyzing problems and articulating sound recommendations for positive change , ' she said . he will bring a unique understanding and clarity to the situation -- as he has always done . we are excited to hear about his new role . ' earlier this year , myers served a three-month term as interim chief of police in manitou springs , a small community outside colorado springs . i 'm a big fan of richard myers . he really did a fabulous job here , ' said manitou springs mayor marc snyder . he 's really going to be able to focus in on the existing situation and build a consensus on the right way to go . i think richard will be uniquely qualified to find the commonalities in this community and rally them around a common thread . ' myers'time in colorado springs ended with a controversy surrounding an undercover sting operation at a hooters restaurant . in june 2011 , a pair of undercover detectives and an underage informant entered a hooters restaurant to check to see if the employees there were properly checking for identification when serving alcohol . that hooters had previously been cited for serving minors . the restaurant refused to serve the underage informant but the detectives said they witnessed a waitress continue to serve a pair of intoxicated patrons . the detectives left and the restaurant and the waitress later were cited for serving intoxicated patrons . it later emerged that the detectives had ordered beer and drank at least part of the beer while at the restaurant , and surveillance camera footage of the patrons who were reported to be intoxicated was inconclusive . the charges against hooters and the waitress were dropped . chief myers and the newly elected mayor , stephen bach , asked the colorado bureau of investigation to launch an investigation . their report cleared the colorado springs police department of any wrongdoing , finding that the officers followed all appropriate procedures . the colorado springs gazette and other media reported that myers dismissed any notion that the hooter 's controversy played a part in his retirement in a facebook post . for those who have assumed that the controversy about a case at a local hooter 's restaurant was responsible for my retirement , i can easily dismiss that one , ' myers reportedly wrote . day in and day out , the office of the chief deals with so many sensitive issues , whether personnel related , crimes , public policy , fiscal ... this one does n't even register on the richter scale . ' cnn 's jim spellman in denver contributed to this report","sanford chief bill lee stays on administrative leave , the city says" +"sanford ( cnn ) -- sanford , florida , city officials have chosen a former colorado police chief as an interim replacement for the top cop who stepped aside during the furor over february 's killing of an unarmed teen . richard myers , the former police chief in colorado springs , will take office in sanford at the end of the week , the city government announced tuesday . a news conference to introduce myers is slated for friday . he will take over a department that has been under the microscope since the february 26 killing of 17-year-old trayvon martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer . sanford police chief bill lee , who attempted to resign last week , will remain on paid administrative leave , according to a statement from city hall . lee stepped aside as chief after a vote of no-confidence by city commissioners , but the commission voted against accepting his resignation while investigations into martin 's killing are pending . the case drew nationwide protests when police decided against arresting neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman , who told investigators he killed martin in self-defense . a special prosecutor assigned to look into martin 's death ultimately brought second-degree murder charges against 28-year-old zimmerman , who has pleaded not guilty and been released on $ 150,000 bail . prosecutors asked for that bail to be increased after learning that contributors had donated more than $ 200,000 to a legal defense fund he set up . about $ 5,000 of that went toward the $ 15,000 cash zimmerman put up to post bond , defense lawyer mark o'mara said last week . zimmerman has been in hiding since the case drew national attention , and he has solicited the money not only for legal fees but also for living expenses . o'mara said the money has been put into a trust he controls , and his team announced tuesday that a former irs agent has been hired as a third-party administrator to handle the funds . the fund 's administrator will have sole discretion regarding the dispersal of funds , and guidelines will be put in place to define reasonable living expenses for mr. zimmerman and his family and to fund necessary legal expenses , ' the defense team reported on its website . neither mr. zimmerman nor the o'mara law group will have direct access to the funds . ' donors'names are not being disclosed . for the next three to five months , myers will be responsible for reviewing sanford police department 's performance as it relates to the trayvon martin case as well as provide overall leadership , ' according to colorado springs police department spokeswoman barbara miller . myers , a 35-year law enforcement veteran , began his career in the suburbs of detroit and chicago before becoming chief of the appleton , wisconsin , police department . after that , he took the reins of the colorado springs police department in 2007 . myers resigned that post in 2011 after stephen bach was elected as the city 's new mayor . it was widely reported that the new mayor forced myers out , and a press release from myers upon his retirement in october seemed to bear that out . when mayor bach was elected , i told him i was here to serve , and would do so loyally and do my best to lead the department in the direction he wanted to take the city , until such time that he felt he needed to bring in his own chief , ' the release from myers stated . consequently , i have agreed to make room for this to happen by retiring from the cspd . ' attempts to contact myers for this report were unsuccessful . a month ago , he was asked to consider the role of interim police chief in sanford , according to miller . she said she believes myers is well-suited to what is bound to be a challenging , high-pressure assignment in sanford . chief richard myers is a highly intelligent leader with a great law enforcement background who is skilled at analyzing problems and articulating sound recommendations for positive change , ' she said . he will bring a unique understanding and clarity to the situation -- as he has always done . we are excited to hear about his new role . ' earlier this year , myers served a three-month term as interim chief of police in manitou springs , a small community outside colorado springs . i 'm a big fan of richard myers . he really did a fabulous job here , ' said manitou springs mayor marc snyder . he 's really going to be able to focus in on the existing situation and build a consensus on the right way to go . i think richard will be uniquely qualified to find the commonalities in this community and rally them around a common thread . ' myers'time in colorado springs ended with a controversy surrounding an undercover sting operation at a hooters restaurant . in june 2011 , a pair of undercover detectives and an underage informant entered a hooters restaurant to check to see if the employees there were properly checking for identification when serving alcohol . that hooters had previously been cited for serving minors . the restaurant refused to serve the underage informant but the detectives said they witnessed a waitress continue to serve a pair of intoxicated patrons . the detectives left and the restaurant and the waitress later were cited for serving intoxicated patrons . it later emerged that the detectives had ordered beer and drank at least part of the beer while at the restaurant , and surveillance camera footage of the patrons who were reported to be intoxicated was inconclusive . the charges against hooters and the waitress were dropped . chief myers and the newly elected mayor , stephen bach , asked the colorado bureau of investigation to launch an investigation . their report cleared the colorado springs police department of any wrongdoing , finding that the officers followed all appropriate procedures . the colorado springs gazette and other media reported that myers dismissed any notion that the hooter 's controversy played a part in his retirement in a facebook post . for those who have assumed that the controversy about a case at a local hooter 's restaurant was responsible for my retirement , i can easily dismiss that one , ' myers reportedly wrote . day in and day out , the office of the chief deals with so many sensitive issues , whether personnel related , crimes , public policy , fiscal ... this one does n't even register on the richter scale . ' cnn 's jim spellman in denver contributed to this report","colorado springs veteran richard myers steps in as sanford 's interim chief" +"sanford ( cnn ) -- sanford , florida , city officials have chosen a former colorado police chief as an interim replacement for the top cop who stepped aside during the furor over february 's killing of an unarmed teen . richard myers , the former police chief in colorado springs , will take office in sanford at the end of the week , the city government announced tuesday . a news conference to introduce myers is slated for friday . he will take over a department that has been under the microscope since the february 26 killing of 17-year-old trayvon martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer . sanford police chief bill lee , who attempted to resign last week , will remain on paid administrative leave , according to a statement from city hall . lee stepped aside as chief after a vote of no-confidence by city commissioners , but the commission voted against accepting his resignation while investigations into martin 's killing are pending . the case drew nationwide protests when police decided against arresting neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman , who told investigators he killed martin in self-defense . a special prosecutor assigned to look into martin 's death ultimately brought second-degree murder charges against 28-year-old zimmerman , who has pleaded not guilty and been released on $ 150,000 bail . prosecutors asked for that bail to be increased after learning that contributors had donated more than $ 200,000 to a legal defense fund he set up . about $ 5,000 of that went toward the $ 15,000 cash zimmerman put up to post bond , defense lawyer mark o'mara said last week . zimmerman has been in hiding since the case drew national attention , and he has solicited the money not only for legal fees but also for living expenses . o'mara said the money has been put into a trust he controls , and his team announced tuesday that a former irs agent has been hired as a third-party administrator to handle the funds . the fund 's administrator will have sole discretion regarding the dispersal of funds , and guidelines will be put in place to define reasonable living expenses for mr. zimmerman and his family and to fund necessary legal expenses , ' the defense team reported on its website . neither mr. zimmerman nor the o'mara law group will have direct access to the funds . ' donors'names are not being disclosed . for the next three to five months , myers will be responsible for reviewing sanford police department 's performance as it relates to the trayvon martin case as well as provide overall leadership , ' according to colorado springs police department spokeswoman barbara miller . myers , a 35-year law enforcement veteran , began his career in the suburbs of detroit and chicago before becoming chief of the appleton , wisconsin , police department . after that , he took the reins of the colorado springs police department in 2007 . myers resigned that post in 2011 after stephen bach was elected as the city 's new mayor . it was widely reported that the new mayor forced myers out , and a press release from myers upon his retirement in october seemed to bear that out . when mayor bach was elected , i told him i was here to serve , and would do so loyally and do my best to lead the department in the direction he wanted to take the city , until such time that he felt he needed to bring in his own chief , ' the release from myers stated . consequently , i have agreed to make room for this to happen by retiring from the cspd . ' attempts to contact myers for this report were unsuccessful . a month ago , he was asked to consider the role of interim police chief in sanford , according to miller . she said she believes myers is well-suited to what is bound to be a challenging , high-pressure assignment in sanford . chief richard myers is a highly intelligent leader with a great law enforcement background who is skilled at analyzing problems and articulating sound recommendations for positive change , ' she said . he will bring a unique understanding and clarity to the situation -- as he has always done . we are excited to hear about his new role . ' earlier this year , myers served a three-month term as interim chief of police in manitou springs , a small community outside colorado springs . i 'm a big fan of richard myers . he really did a fabulous job here , ' said manitou springs mayor marc snyder . he 's really going to be able to focus in on the existing situation and build a consensus on the right way to go . i think richard will be uniquely qualified to find the commonalities in this community and rally them around a common thread . ' myers'time in colorado springs ended with a controversy surrounding an undercover sting operation at a hooters restaurant . in june 2011 , a pair of undercover detectives and an underage informant entered a hooters restaurant to check to see if the employees there were properly checking for identification when serving alcohol . that hooters had previously been cited for serving minors . the restaurant refused to serve the underage informant but the detectives said they witnessed a waitress continue to serve a pair of intoxicated patrons . the detectives left and the restaurant and the waitress later were cited for serving intoxicated patrons . it later emerged that the detectives had ordered beer and drank at least part of the beer while at the restaurant , and surveillance camera footage of the patrons who were reported to be intoxicated was inconclusive . the charges against hooters and the waitress were dropped . chief myers and the newly elected mayor , stephen bach , asked the colorado bureau of investigation to launch an investigation . their report cleared the colorado springs police department of any wrongdoing , finding that the officers followed all appropriate procedures . the colorado springs gazette and other media reported that myers dismissed any notion that the hooter 's controversy played a part in his retirement in a facebook post . for those who have assumed that the controversy about a case at a local hooter 's restaurant was responsible for my retirement , i can easily dismiss that one , ' myers reportedly wrote . day in and day out , the office of the chief deals with so many sensitive issues , whether personnel related , crimes , public policy , fiscal ... this one does n't even register on the richter scale . ' cnn 's jim spellman in denver contributed to this report","sanford police have been under a microscope since the killing of trayvon martin" +"syriza athens , greece ( cnn ) -- greek leftist leader alexis tsipras on tuesday laid out the radical agenda he hopes to pursue if he becomes prime minister , including the cancellation of severe budget-cutting measures forced on the country by international lenders . laws that cut pensions and salaries and those that cancel basic workers'rights ' must be annulled , tsipras said as he started efforts to form a governing coalition in the wake of sunday 's parliamentary elections . he also called for state control of the banks , which remain in the hands of the managers who bankrupted the system , ' he said . the greek people voted clearly to reject the austerity demanded by international lenders , said tsipras , leader of the syriza party . the two parties that made the agreement with international lenders do n't have a majority any more to vote for the plundering of the greek people , ' tsipras told lawmakers . he said he was planning to meet the leaders of those parties wednesday but called on evangelos venizelos of pasok and antonis samaras of new democracy to renounce publicly the deal they made with international lenders before then . samaras said what tsipras was proposing would result in greece exiting the eurozone , and that the syriza leader was doing everything possible to ensure no government would be formed . venizelos said pasok would not form a coalition with syriza , as the party would only participate in a coalition government that would secure greece 's position in the eurozone . greek media reported that tsipras was preparing to send a letter to the european union , but it was not immediately known what he planned to say . tsipras met greek president karolos papoulias earlier tuesday to get instructions to try to cobble together a government in the wake of elections that left the country 's political system in chaos . syriza will have three days to form a government . communist party leader aleka papariga spoke with tsipras by phone but will not meet him , syriza said . fotis kouvelis of the democratic left , which splintered from syriza in 2010 , told tsipras that when they met tuesday syriza needed the support of more than just the left , tsipras'bloc said . the ecologist greens also rejected syriza 's approach for support tuesday , saying a road map to exit the crisis was needed . syriza came in second in the elections , in which seven parties got seats in parliament and no party captured more than 19 % of the vote . the greek stock market dropped about 5 % in early trading before recovering somewhat tuesday . the market had fallen more than 6 % monday . the greek elections came the same day that french voters kicked out president nicolas sarkozy in favor of socialist franã§ois hollande , who spoke out against austerity in his victory speech sunday . the failure of greece 's main center-right party to form a coalition government monday added yet more uncertainty to the debt-ridden country 's political situation . new democracy leader samaras said he did everything possible ' to form a coalition , but none of the parties agreed to join with his party , which won first crack at forming a government after finishing first in sunday 's parliamentary elections . politicians have until may 17 to come up with a new working alliance or , if they can not , set a date for another round of elections . syriza more than tripled its parliamentary representation to 51 seats out of 300 in the balloting . tsipras left little doubt sunday about what direction his party would take in a new government . european leadership and especially ( german chancellor angela ) merkel have to understand that austerity policies have suffered defeat , ' tsipras said . he called the election results a message of a peaceful revolution . ' the election results were widely seen as a message to politicians to back away from the harsh economic austerity measures imposed in greece . a european commission spokeswoman said monday that greece needs time to work through its political process but reminded the country 's leaders that they would be expected to abide by terms of a bailout program meant to avoid a crippling financial meltdown . the commission hopes and expects that the future government of greece will respect the engagements that greece has entered into , ' spokeswoman pia ahrenkilde hansen told reporters . new democracy finished first in sunday 's voting but ended up with only 108 seats in greece 's 300-seat parliament . voters also delivered a rebuke to pasok -- new democracy 's socialist partner in the outgoing coalition government -- stripping the party of 119 seats . together , the parties fell short of the 50 % necessary to continue the coalition , requiring formation of a new government . last year , greece 's debt threatened to force it to drop europe 's common currency , the euro , prompting the european central bank and other lenders to swoop in with emergency funding . in exchange , they demanded that the government slash spending . the resulting measures have led to tax increases and cuts in jobs , wages , pensions and benefits -- and significant public outcry . the national unemployment rate for january , the latest month for which figures are available , was nearly 22 % , prompting widespread protests and leading some young people to leave the country in search of work . youth unemployment is even higher than the national average of one in five out of work . for two years , the country 's massive amount of debt has threatened the stability of the 17-country eurozone . greece pushed through a huge debt swap in march to save it from disorderly default and clear the way for it to receive a second bailout from the european union , the european central bank and the international monetary fund , worth €130 billion ( $ 171.5 billion ) . the debt restructuring deal gave some breathing space to the eurozone bloc , where fears that greece might collapse had increased pressure on other debt-laden nations such as spain and italy . the tribulations of new democracy and pasok were matched by triumphs of a number of other parties that were also-rans and in some cases nonexistent just a few years ago , propelled by voters angry about stringent austerity measures . cnn 's antonia mortensen and matthew chance contributed to this report .","syriza leader alexis tsipras is trying to form a government after elections that punished politicians" +"syriza athens , greece ( cnn ) -- greek leftist leader alexis tsipras on tuesday laid out the radical agenda he hopes to pursue if he becomes prime minister , including the cancellation of severe budget-cutting measures forced on the country by international lenders . laws that cut pensions and salaries and those that cancel basic workers'rights ' must be annulled , tsipras said as he started efforts to form a governing coalition in the wake of sunday 's parliamentary elections . he also called for state control of the banks , which remain in the hands of the managers who bankrupted the system , ' he said . the greek people voted clearly to reject the austerity demanded by international lenders , said tsipras , leader of the syriza party . the two parties that made the agreement with international lenders do n't have a majority any more to vote for the plundering of the greek people , ' tsipras told lawmakers . he said he was planning to meet the leaders of those parties wednesday but called on evangelos venizelos of pasok and antonis samaras of new democracy to renounce publicly the deal they made with international lenders before then . samaras said what tsipras was proposing would result in greece exiting the eurozone , and that the syriza leader was doing everything possible to ensure no government would be formed . venizelos said pasok would not form a coalition with syriza , as the party would only participate in a coalition government that would secure greece 's position in the eurozone . greek media reported that tsipras was preparing to send a letter to the european union , but it was not immediately known what he planned to say . tsipras met greek president karolos papoulias earlier tuesday to get instructions to try to cobble together a government in the wake of elections that left the country 's political system in chaos . syriza will have three days to form a government . communist party leader aleka papariga spoke with tsipras by phone but will not meet him , syriza said . fotis kouvelis of the democratic left , which splintered from syriza in 2010 , told tsipras that when they met tuesday syriza needed the support of more than just the left , tsipras'bloc said . the ecologist greens also rejected syriza 's approach for support tuesday , saying a road map to exit the crisis was needed . syriza came in second in the elections , in which seven parties got seats in parliament and no party captured more than 19 % of the vote . the greek stock market dropped about 5 % in early trading before recovering somewhat tuesday . the market had fallen more than 6 % monday . the greek elections came the same day that french voters kicked out president nicolas sarkozy in favor of socialist franã§ois hollande , who spoke out against austerity in his victory speech sunday . the failure of greece 's main center-right party to form a coalition government monday added yet more uncertainty to the debt-ridden country 's political situation . new democracy leader samaras said he did everything possible ' to form a coalition , but none of the parties agreed to join with his party , which won first crack at forming a government after finishing first in sunday 's parliamentary elections . politicians have until may 17 to come up with a new working alliance or , if they can not , set a date for another round of elections . syriza more than tripled its parliamentary representation to 51 seats out of 300 in the balloting . tsipras left little doubt sunday about what direction his party would take in a new government . european leadership and especially ( german chancellor angela ) merkel have to understand that austerity policies have suffered defeat , ' tsipras said . he called the election results a message of a peaceful revolution . ' the election results were widely seen as a message to politicians to back away from the harsh economic austerity measures imposed in greece . a european commission spokeswoman said monday that greece needs time to work through its political process but reminded the country 's leaders that they would be expected to abide by terms of a bailout program meant to avoid a crippling financial meltdown . the commission hopes and expects that the future government of greece will respect the engagements that greece has entered into , ' spokeswoman pia ahrenkilde hansen told reporters . new democracy finished first in sunday 's voting but ended up with only 108 seats in greece 's 300-seat parliament . voters also delivered a rebuke to pasok -- new democracy 's socialist partner in the outgoing coalition government -- stripping the party of 119 seats . together , the parties fell short of the 50 % necessary to continue the coalition , requiring formation of a new government . last year , greece 's debt threatened to force it to drop europe 's common currency , the euro , prompting the european central bank and other lenders to swoop in with emergency funding . in exchange , they demanded that the government slash spending . the resulting measures have led to tax increases and cuts in jobs , wages , pensions and benefits -- and significant public outcry . the national unemployment rate for january , the latest month for which figures are available , was nearly 22 % , prompting widespread protests and leading some young people to leave the country in search of work . youth unemployment is even higher than the national average of one in five out of work . for two years , the country 's massive amount of debt has threatened the stability of the 17-country eurozone . greece pushed through a huge debt swap in march to save it from disorderly default and clear the way for it to receive a second bailout from the european union , the european central bank and the international monetary fund , worth €130 billion ( $ 171.5 billion ) . the debt restructuring deal gave some breathing space to the eurozone bloc , where fears that greece might collapse had increased pressure on other debt-laden nations such as spain and italy . the tribulations of new democracy and pasok were matched by triumphs of a number of other parties that were also-rans and in some cases nonexistent just a few years ago , propelled by voters angry about stringent austerity measures . cnn 's antonia mortensen and matthew chance contributed to this report .","new : the leader of the socialist pasok party says it wo n't support syriza" +"syriza athens , greece ( cnn ) -- greek leftist leader alexis tsipras on tuesday laid out the radical agenda he hopes to pursue if he becomes prime minister , including the cancellation of severe budget-cutting measures forced on the country by international lenders . laws that cut pensions and salaries and those that cancel basic workers'rights ' must be annulled , tsipras said as he started efforts to form a governing coalition in the wake of sunday 's parliamentary elections . he also called for state control of the banks , which remain in the hands of the managers who bankrupted the system , ' he said . the greek people voted clearly to reject the austerity demanded by international lenders , said tsipras , leader of the syriza party . the two parties that made the agreement with international lenders do n't have a majority any more to vote for the plundering of the greek people , ' tsipras told lawmakers . he said he was planning to meet the leaders of those parties wednesday but called on evangelos venizelos of pasok and antonis samaras of new democracy to renounce publicly the deal they made with international lenders before then . samaras said what tsipras was proposing would result in greece exiting the eurozone , and that the syriza leader was doing everything possible to ensure no government would be formed . venizelos said pasok would not form a coalition with syriza , as the party would only participate in a coalition government that would secure greece 's position in the eurozone . greek media reported that tsipras was preparing to send a letter to the european union , but it was not immediately known what he planned to say . tsipras met greek president karolos papoulias earlier tuesday to get instructions to try to cobble together a government in the wake of elections that left the country 's political system in chaos . syriza will have three days to form a government . communist party leader aleka papariga spoke with tsipras by phone but will not meet him , syriza said . fotis kouvelis of the democratic left , which splintered from syriza in 2010 , told tsipras that when they met tuesday syriza needed the support of more than just the left , tsipras'bloc said . the ecologist greens also rejected syriza 's approach for support tuesday , saying a road map to exit the crisis was needed . syriza came in second in the elections , in which seven parties got seats in parliament and no party captured more than 19 % of the vote . the greek stock market dropped about 5 % in early trading before recovering somewhat tuesday . the market had fallen more than 6 % monday . the greek elections came the same day that french voters kicked out president nicolas sarkozy in favor of socialist franã§ois hollande , who spoke out against austerity in his victory speech sunday . the failure of greece 's main center-right party to form a coalition government monday added yet more uncertainty to the debt-ridden country 's political situation . new democracy leader samaras said he did everything possible ' to form a coalition , but none of the parties agreed to join with his party , which won first crack at forming a government after finishing first in sunday 's parliamentary elections . politicians have until may 17 to come up with a new working alliance or , if they can not , set a date for another round of elections . syriza more than tripled its parliamentary representation to 51 seats out of 300 in the balloting . tsipras left little doubt sunday about what direction his party would take in a new government . european leadership and especially ( german chancellor angela ) merkel have to understand that austerity policies have suffered defeat , ' tsipras said . he called the election results a message of a peaceful revolution . ' the election results were widely seen as a message to politicians to back away from the harsh economic austerity measures imposed in greece . a european commission spokeswoman said monday that greece needs time to work through its political process but reminded the country 's leaders that they would be expected to abide by terms of a bailout program meant to avoid a crippling financial meltdown . the commission hopes and expects that the future government of greece will respect the engagements that greece has entered into , ' spokeswoman pia ahrenkilde hansen told reporters . new democracy finished first in sunday 's voting but ended up with only 108 seats in greece 's 300-seat parliament . voters also delivered a rebuke to pasok -- new democracy 's socialist partner in the outgoing coalition government -- stripping the party of 119 seats . together , the parties fell short of the 50 % necessary to continue the coalition , requiring formation of a new government . last year , greece 's debt threatened to force it to drop europe 's common currency , the euro , prompting the european central bank and other lenders to swoop in with emergency funding . in exchange , they demanded that the government slash spending . the resulting measures have led to tax increases and cuts in jobs , wages , pensions and benefits -- and significant public outcry . the national unemployment rate for january , the latest month for which figures are available , was nearly 22 % , prompting widespread protests and leading some young people to leave the country in search of work . youth unemployment is even higher than the national average of one in five out of work . for two years , the country 's massive amount of debt has threatened the stability of the 17-country eurozone . greece pushed through a huge debt swap in march to save it from disorderly default and clear the way for it to receive a second bailout from the european union , the european central bank and the international monetary fund , worth €130 billion ( $ 171.5 billion ) . the debt restructuring deal gave some breathing space to the eurozone bloc , where fears that greece might collapse had increased pressure on other debt-laden nations such as spain and italy . the tribulations of new democracy and pasok were matched by triumphs of a number of other parties that were also-rans and in some cases nonexistent just a few years ago , propelled by voters angry about stringent austerity measures . cnn 's antonia mortensen and matthew chance contributed to this report .","new democracy 's leader warns the syriza bloc could take greece out of the eurozone" +"australian ( cnn ) -- one person was killed and dozens injured after unrest broke out overnight at an australian detention center for asylum seekers on a remote island in papua new guinea , authorities said tuesday . detainees breached fences surrounding the facility on manus island , which lies several hundred kilometers northeast of mainland papua new guinea , the australian government said . this was a very dangerous situation where people decided to protest in a very violent way and to take themselves outside the center and place themselves at great risk , ' said australian immigration minister scott morrison . order has now been restored at the facility on manus , a sparsely populated jungle island , he said . australia operates controversial offshore centers for processing asylum seekers on manus and the tiny pacific island of nauru . australian authorities say the far-flung detention centers are a way of deterring people from attempting the perilous sea journey to australia , where immigration is a delicate political issue . but conditions at the facilities have been criticized by human rights advocates , who have reported cases of self-harm , hunger strikes and suicide attempts . riots and protests have flared in the past among people held in the centers on manus and nauru , many of whom end up there after traveling from south asia and the middle east in efforts to reach australia . rioting asylum seekers on nauru burned down their shelters at the processing facility last year . the unrest on manus overnight followed low-level demonstrations ' at the center on the island , morrison said . the vast majority of transferees in that facility did not participate in that protest last night , that disturbance , ' he said . they were removed for their safety to the oval just down the road , and nonessential staff who were running the center were also evacuated prior to things escalating last night . ' most of those hurt in the riots have been treated locally , but two severely injured people are being transferred to australia , morrison said . one of the two suffered a gunshot wound to the buttock , he said . a total of 77 people received medical treatment , and 13 of them had serious injuries , authorities said . the person who was killed suffered a head injury outside the center and died on the way to a hospital , he said . the news of a death is a great tragedy , ' morrison said , expressing his sympathies to the deceased 's family and friends .","australian officials say they deter people from attempting the dangerous journey" +"australian ( cnn ) -- one person was killed and dozens injured after unrest broke out overnight at an australian detention center for asylum seekers on a remote island in papua new guinea , authorities said tuesday . detainees breached fences surrounding the facility on manus island , which lies several hundred kilometers northeast of mainland papua new guinea , the australian government said . this was a very dangerous situation where people decided to protest in a very violent way and to take themselves outside the center and place themselves at great risk , ' said australian immigration minister scott morrison . order has now been restored at the facility on manus , a sparsely populated jungle island , he said . australia operates controversial offshore centers for processing asylum seekers on manus and the tiny pacific island of nauru . australian authorities say the far-flung detention centers are a way of deterring people from attempting the perilous sea journey to australia , where immigration is a delicate political issue . but conditions at the facilities have been criticized by human rights advocates , who have reported cases of self-harm , hunger strikes and suicide attempts . riots and protests have flared in the past among people held in the centers on manus and nauru , many of whom end up there after traveling from south asia and the middle east in efforts to reach australia . rioting asylum seekers on nauru burned down their shelters at the processing facility last year . the unrest on manus overnight followed low-level demonstrations ' at the center on the island , morrison said . the vast majority of transferees in that facility did not participate in that protest last night , that disturbance , ' he said . they were removed for their safety to the oval just down the road , and nonessential staff who were running the center were also evacuated prior to things escalating last night . ' most of those hurt in the riots have been treated locally , but two severely injured people are being transferred to australia , morrison said . one of the two suffered a gunshot wound to the buttock , he said . a total of 77 people received medical treatment , and 13 of them had serious injuries , authorities said . the person who was killed suffered a head injury outside the center and died on the way to a hospital , he said . the news of a death is a great tragedy , ' morrison said , expressing his sympathies to the deceased 's family and friends .","people in the australian detention center on manus island breached its fences" +"australian ( cnn ) -- one person was killed and dozens injured after unrest broke out overnight at an australian detention center for asylum seekers on a remote island in papua new guinea , authorities said tuesday . detainees breached fences surrounding the facility on manus island , which lies several hundred kilometers northeast of mainland papua new guinea , the australian government said . this was a very dangerous situation where people decided to protest in a very violent way and to take themselves outside the center and place themselves at great risk , ' said australian immigration minister scott morrison . order has now been restored at the facility on manus , a sparsely populated jungle island , he said . australia operates controversial offshore centers for processing asylum seekers on manus and the tiny pacific island of nauru . australian authorities say the far-flung detention centers are a way of deterring people from attempting the perilous sea journey to australia , where immigration is a delicate political issue . but conditions at the facilities have been criticized by human rights advocates , who have reported cases of self-harm , hunger strikes and suicide attempts . riots and protests have flared in the past among people held in the centers on manus and nauru , many of whom end up there after traveling from south asia and the middle east in efforts to reach australia . rioting asylum seekers on nauru burned down their shelters at the processing facility last year . the unrest on manus overnight followed low-level demonstrations ' at the center on the island , morrison said . the vast majority of transferees in that facility did not participate in that protest last night , that disturbance , ' he said . they were removed for their safety to the oval just down the road , and nonessential staff who were running the center were also evacuated prior to things escalating last night . ' most of those hurt in the riots have been treated locally , but two severely injured people are being transferred to australia , morrison said . one of the two suffered a gunshot wound to the buttock , he said . a total of 77 people received medical treatment , and 13 of them had serious injuries , authorities said . the person who was killed suffered a head injury outside the center and died on the way to a hospital , he said . the news of a death is a great tragedy , ' morrison said , expressing his sympathies to the deceased 's family and friends ."," this was a very dangerous situation , ' an australian official says" +"miami beach miami beach , florida ( cnn ) -- on the grainy , silent black and white video , it 's hard to tell exactly what happened the night of june 14 in miami beach . but one thing is certain : a tourist , husien shehada , can be seen falling to the ground , shot by a police officer . shehada , 29 , later died . husien shehada , at left with his brother , samer , was shot dead by miami beach police on june 14 . four nights later , again in miami beach , lawrence mccoy allegedly pistol-whipped a cab driver and led police on a chase . police say shots were exchanged . mccoy , also 29 , was killed . officer adam tavss , a 34-year-old former history teacher with three years on the force , was involved in both police shootings , the first in miami beach since 2003 . although it is not yet clear whether tavss fired one of the shots that killed mccoy , questions are being raised as to whether the officer was cleared for patrol duty too soon after the first shooting . police and the miami-dade county state attorney 's office are investigating the shootings . the inquiry is expected to last several more months . all the records and reports have been sealed . watch surveillance video of the first shooting » the families of shehada and mccoy are asking the justice department to investigate . tavss , who is now assigned to desk duty , declined through his attorney to speak with cnn , citing the ongoing investigation . miami beach police chief carlos noriega has defended both shootings . it is important to note that the subjects in both cases had exhibited aggressive , violent , non-compliant and criminal behavior , ' the chief said in a statement to the media . noriega added that officers are required to make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors and can not afford to hesitate or be wrong . ' the miami beach department 's standard operating procedure for use of force , a copy of which was obtained by cnn , states that any officer involved in a fatal shooting must be assigned to administrative duties for at least 72 hours . the department also mandates psychological support . tavss was removed from duty for 72 hours , evaluated and then cleared by noriega to return to patrol , which is departmental policy . on his first day back out on the street , tavss was involved in the second shooting . each of the nation 's 20,000 police departments sets its own policy for police involved in shootings and fatalities . some departments keep the officers off the streets for a week or longer . in virtually all cases , psychological evaluation and counseling are mandatory . watch cnn 's report on the shootings » maria haberfeld , a professor at john jay college of criminal justice in new york and an expert on police use of force and stress management , said she had never heard of an officer being involved in two shootings within four days . i think it 's a gross error of judgment for any police department to maintain a rule that allows an officer who was involved in a fatal shooting to be back on the streets four days after the incident , ' haberfeld said . a study by the justice department 's national institute of justice found that officers involved in fatal shootings can be affected for months afterward . in the days , weeks and months that follow a shooting , officers may suffer adverse reactions such as sleep interruption , anxiety and depression , ' a report on the study said . officers experienced a range of psychological , emotional and physiological reactions that distorted time , distance , sight and sound , ' the study concluded . in some cases , the study found , officers could not recall firing their weapons . but even experts are undecided on just how much time off the street is enough , because every incident and every police officer is different . it 's hard for me to estimate whether it 's weeks or a little bit more , but certainly not days ; certainly not hours . it 's just too irresponsible toward the officer and toward the society the officer needs to serve , ' haberfeld said . police officers across the country train on how to make difficult split-second decisions on the use of deadly force . the sheriff in neighboring broward county uses an interactive video screen that places officers into scenarios they might face while on patrol . in less than half a second , your pulse may go from 60 to 160 , 170 , and your heart 's beating out of your chest , and you have to make a split-second decision , ' broward sheriff 's sgt . bill pennypacker said . witnesses , police and surveillance video obtained by cnn provide the following , sometimes conflicting , accounts of what happened during the two miami beach shootings : husien shehada and his brother , samer , had come from virginia to spend a long weekend with their girlfriends in miami beach . early on sunday , june 14 , they got into a scuffle with another group of men , who intervened after samer shehada allegedly assaulted his girlfriend . investigators said they believe that the two brothers were looking for revenge against those men when somebody called 911 , reporting that two men were walking down the street and that one of them might be carrying a machine gun . the callers said they could see the outline of a large gun underneath his white shirt , and he was carrying it in his left hand . in a color security camera tape released by the miami beach police department , it appears that one of the brothers was carrying something under his shirt , holding it with his left hand . tavss and other officers approached the brothers in front of twist , a popular south beach nightclub . a grainy black and white videotape shows the brothers together and husien shehada falling to the ground . a police officer can then be seen approaching . samer shehada said he and his brother were cooperating . his hands were up for a good two seconds , three seconds , ' samer shehada said . he was n't in the process of raising his hands . his hands were up . ' one witness told cnn that when tavss approached the brothers with his gun drawn , the brothers were belligerent . the witness , derek reynolds , was working security at the club that night . he said the two men cursed at police and would n't put their hands up . it got intense . ... they were n't cooperating , ' he said . one guy reached behind him , and he got shot . ' law enforcement sources say a coat hanger and a bottle were found at the scene , but no gun was found . samer shehada said that neither he nor his brother was carrying a coat hanger , much less a gun . after the shooting , tavss was relieved of duty for 72 hours , per department policy . when he returned to street patrol , he was one of several officers who responded to a 911 call reporting that that a taxi driver had been pistol-whipped and his cab stolen . police confronted lawrence mccoy on a miami beach causeway . according to police , mccoy ran and fired at the officers . mccoy was shot dead by police . it is not yet known whether tavss fired any shots . john contini , an attorney representing the families of both men shot by police , said mccoy was shot nine to 11 times . no weapon was found on mccoy . police found a gun several days later in biscayne bay , but they say they do n't know if it belonged to mccoy . lawrence mccoy sr. said his son 's civil rights were violated . michael vick was convicted and put in jail for two years for killing dogs -- for killing dogs . i want justice for my son , ' he said . contini said tavss should be in jail . he also questioned the policy that allowed him back on the street so quickly . in fairness to the officer , you do n't put him on the street , with a gun and a badge , to be in this situation without allowing for a period of decompression -- for the officer 's sake , to get some help , ' contini said .","miami beach police officer adam tavss is involved in two police shootings" +"miami beach miami beach , florida ( cnn ) -- on the grainy , silent black and white video , it 's hard to tell exactly what happened the night of june 14 in miami beach . but one thing is certain : a tourist , husien shehada , can be seen falling to the ground , shot by a police officer . shehada , 29 , later died . husien shehada , at left with his brother , samer , was shot dead by miami beach police on june 14 . four nights later , again in miami beach , lawrence mccoy allegedly pistol-whipped a cab driver and led police on a chase . police say shots were exchanged . mccoy , also 29 , was killed . officer adam tavss , a 34-year-old former history teacher with three years on the force , was involved in both police shootings , the first in miami beach since 2003 . although it is not yet clear whether tavss fired one of the shots that killed mccoy , questions are being raised as to whether the officer was cleared for patrol duty too soon after the first shooting . police and the miami-dade county state attorney 's office are investigating the shootings . the inquiry is expected to last several more months . all the records and reports have been sealed . watch surveillance video of the first shooting » the families of shehada and mccoy are asking the justice department to investigate . tavss , who is now assigned to desk duty , declined through his attorney to speak with cnn , citing the ongoing investigation . miami beach police chief carlos noriega has defended both shootings . it is important to note that the subjects in both cases had exhibited aggressive , violent , non-compliant and criminal behavior , ' the chief said in a statement to the media . noriega added that officers are required to make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors and can not afford to hesitate or be wrong . ' the miami beach department 's standard operating procedure for use of force , a copy of which was obtained by cnn , states that any officer involved in a fatal shooting must be assigned to administrative duties for at least 72 hours . the department also mandates psychological support . tavss was removed from duty for 72 hours , evaluated and then cleared by noriega to return to patrol , which is departmental policy . on his first day back out on the street , tavss was involved in the second shooting . each of the nation 's 20,000 police departments sets its own policy for police involved in shootings and fatalities . some departments keep the officers off the streets for a week or longer . in virtually all cases , psychological evaluation and counseling are mandatory . watch cnn 's report on the shootings » maria haberfeld , a professor at john jay college of criminal justice in new york and an expert on police use of force and stress management , said she had never heard of an officer being involved in two shootings within four days . i think it 's a gross error of judgment for any police department to maintain a rule that allows an officer who was involved in a fatal shooting to be back on the streets four days after the incident , ' haberfeld said . a study by the justice department 's national institute of justice found that officers involved in fatal shootings can be affected for months afterward . in the days , weeks and months that follow a shooting , officers may suffer adverse reactions such as sleep interruption , anxiety and depression , ' a report on the study said . officers experienced a range of psychological , emotional and physiological reactions that distorted time , distance , sight and sound , ' the study concluded . in some cases , the study found , officers could not recall firing their weapons . but even experts are undecided on just how much time off the street is enough , because every incident and every police officer is different . it 's hard for me to estimate whether it 's weeks or a little bit more , but certainly not days ; certainly not hours . it 's just too irresponsible toward the officer and toward the society the officer needs to serve , ' haberfeld said . police officers across the country train on how to make difficult split-second decisions on the use of deadly force . the sheriff in neighboring broward county uses an interactive video screen that places officers into scenarios they might face while on patrol . in less than half a second , your pulse may go from 60 to 160 , 170 , and your heart 's beating out of your chest , and you have to make a split-second decision , ' broward sheriff 's sgt . bill pennypacker said . witnesses , police and surveillance video obtained by cnn provide the following , sometimes conflicting , accounts of what happened during the two miami beach shootings : husien shehada and his brother , samer , had come from virginia to spend a long weekend with their girlfriends in miami beach . early on sunday , june 14 , they got into a scuffle with another group of men , who intervened after samer shehada allegedly assaulted his girlfriend . investigators said they believe that the two brothers were looking for revenge against those men when somebody called 911 , reporting that two men were walking down the street and that one of them might be carrying a machine gun . the callers said they could see the outline of a large gun underneath his white shirt , and he was carrying it in his left hand . in a color security camera tape released by the miami beach police department , it appears that one of the brothers was carrying something under his shirt , holding it with his left hand . tavss and other officers approached the brothers in front of twist , a popular south beach nightclub . a grainy black and white videotape shows the brothers together and husien shehada falling to the ground . a police officer can then be seen approaching . samer shehada said he and his brother were cooperating . his hands were up for a good two seconds , three seconds , ' samer shehada said . he was n't in the process of raising his hands . his hands were up . ' one witness told cnn that when tavss approached the brothers with his gun drawn , the brothers were belligerent . the witness , derek reynolds , was working security at the club that night . he said the two men cursed at police and would n't put their hands up . it got intense . ... they were n't cooperating , ' he said . one guy reached behind him , and he got shot . ' law enforcement sources say a coat hanger and a bottle were found at the scene , but no gun was found . samer shehada said that neither he nor his brother was carrying a coat hanger , much less a gun . after the shooting , tavss was relieved of duty for 72 hours , per department policy . when he returned to street patrol , he was one of several officers who responded to a 911 call reporting that that a taxi driver had been pistol-whipped and his cab stolen . police confronted lawrence mccoy on a miami beach causeway . according to police , mccoy ran and fired at the officers . mccoy was shot dead by police . it is not yet known whether tavss fired any shots . john contini , an attorney representing the families of both men shot by police , said mccoy was shot nine to 11 times . no weapon was found on mccoy . police found a gun several days later in biscayne bay , but they say they do n't know if it belonged to mccoy . lawrence mccoy sr. said his son 's civil rights were violated . michael vick was convicted and put in jail for two years for killing dogs -- for killing dogs . i want justice for my son , ' he said . contini said tavss should be in jail . he also questioned the policy that allowed him back on the street so quickly . in fairness to the officer , you do n't put him on the street , with a gun and a badge , to be in this situation without allowing for a period of decompression -- for the officer 's sake , to get some help , ' contini said .","miami beach police chief decides when an officer is ready to return" +"adam tavss miami beach , florida ( cnn ) -- on the grainy , silent black and white video , it 's hard to tell exactly what happened the night of june 14 in miami beach . but one thing is certain : a tourist , husien shehada , can be seen falling to the ground , shot by a police officer . shehada , 29 , later died . husien shehada , at left with his brother , samer , was shot dead by miami beach police on june 14 . four nights later , again in miami beach , lawrence mccoy allegedly pistol-whipped a cab driver and led police on a chase . police say shots were exchanged . mccoy , also 29 , was killed . officer adam tavss , a 34-year-old former history teacher with three years on the force , was involved in both police shootings , the first in miami beach since 2003 . although it is not yet clear whether tavss fired one of the shots that killed mccoy , questions are being raised as to whether the officer was cleared for patrol duty too soon after the first shooting . police and the miami-dade county state attorney 's office are investigating the shootings . the inquiry is expected to last several more months . all the records and reports have been sealed . watch surveillance video of the first shooting » the families of shehada and mccoy are asking the justice department to investigate . tavss , who is now assigned to desk duty , declined through his attorney to speak with cnn , citing the ongoing investigation . miami beach police chief carlos noriega has defended both shootings . it is important to note that the subjects in both cases had exhibited aggressive , violent , non-compliant and criminal behavior , ' the chief said in a statement to the media . noriega added that officers are required to make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors and can not afford to hesitate or be wrong . ' the miami beach department 's standard operating procedure for use of force , a copy of which was obtained by cnn , states that any officer involved in a fatal shooting must be assigned to administrative duties for at least 72 hours . the department also mandates psychological support . tavss was removed from duty for 72 hours , evaluated and then cleared by noriega to return to patrol , which is departmental policy . on his first day back out on the street , tavss was involved in the second shooting . each of the nation 's 20,000 police departments sets its own policy for police involved in shootings and fatalities . some departments keep the officers off the streets for a week or longer . in virtually all cases , psychological evaluation and counseling are mandatory . watch cnn 's report on the shootings » maria haberfeld , a professor at john jay college of criminal justice in new york and an expert on police use of force and stress management , said she had never heard of an officer being involved in two shootings within four days . i think it 's a gross error of judgment for any police department to maintain a rule that allows an officer who was involved in a fatal shooting to be back on the streets four days after the incident , ' haberfeld said . a study by the justice department 's national institute of justice found that officers involved in fatal shootings can be affected for months afterward . in the days , weeks and months that follow a shooting , officers may suffer adverse reactions such as sleep interruption , anxiety and depression , ' a report on the study said . officers experienced a range of psychological , emotional and physiological reactions that distorted time , distance , sight and sound , ' the study concluded . in some cases , the study found , officers could not recall firing their weapons . but even experts are undecided on just how much time off the street is enough , because every incident and every police officer is different . it 's hard for me to estimate whether it 's weeks or a little bit more , but certainly not days ; certainly not hours . it 's just too irresponsible toward the officer and toward the society the officer needs to serve , ' haberfeld said . police officers across the country train on how to make difficult split-second decisions on the use of deadly force . the sheriff in neighboring broward county uses an interactive video screen that places officers into scenarios they might face while on patrol . in less than half a second , your pulse may go from 60 to 160 , 170 , and your heart 's beating out of your chest , and you have to make a split-second decision , ' broward sheriff 's sgt . bill pennypacker said . witnesses , police and surveillance video obtained by cnn provide the following , sometimes conflicting , accounts of what happened during the two miami beach shootings : husien shehada and his brother , samer , had come from virginia to spend a long weekend with their girlfriends in miami beach . early on sunday , june 14 , they got into a scuffle with another group of men , who intervened after samer shehada allegedly assaulted his girlfriend . investigators said they believe that the two brothers were looking for revenge against those men when somebody called 911 , reporting that two men were walking down the street and that one of them might be carrying a machine gun . the callers said they could see the outline of a large gun underneath his white shirt , and he was carrying it in his left hand . in a color security camera tape released by the miami beach police department , it appears that one of the brothers was carrying something under his shirt , holding it with his left hand . tavss and other officers approached the brothers in front of twist , a popular south beach nightclub . a grainy black and white videotape shows the brothers together and husien shehada falling to the ground . a police officer can then be seen approaching . samer shehada said he and his brother were cooperating . his hands were up for a good two seconds , three seconds , ' samer shehada said . he was n't in the process of raising his hands . his hands were up . ' one witness told cnn that when tavss approached the brothers with his gun drawn , the brothers were belligerent . the witness , derek reynolds , was working security at the club that night . he said the two men cursed at police and would n't put their hands up . it got intense . ... they were n't cooperating , ' he said . one guy reached behind him , and he got shot . ' law enforcement sources say a coat hanger and a bottle were found at the scene , but no gun was found . samer shehada said that neither he nor his brother was carrying a coat hanger , much less a gun . after the shooting , tavss was relieved of duty for 72 hours , per department policy . when he returned to street patrol , he was one of several officers who responded to a 911 call reporting that that a taxi driver had been pistol-whipped and his cab stolen . police confronted lawrence mccoy on a miami beach causeway . according to police , mccoy ran and fired at the officers . mccoy was shot dead by police . it is not yet known whether tavss fired any shots . john contini , an attorney representing the families of both men shot by police , said mccoy was shot nine to 11 times . no weapon was found on mccoy . police found a gun several days later in biscayne bay , but they say they do n't know if it belonged to mccoy . lawrence mccoy sr. said his son 's civil rights were violated . michael vick was convicted and put in jail for two years for killing dogs -- for killing dogs . i want justice for my son , ' he said . contini said tavss should be in jail . he also questioned the policy that allowed him back on the street so quickly . in fairness to the officer , you do n't put him on the street , with a gun and a badge , to be in this situation without allowing for a period of decompression -- for the officer 's sake , to get some help , ' contini said .","miami beach police officer adam tavss is involved in two police shootings" +"fbi austin , texas ( cnn ) -- the man who flew an airplane into a building housing an internal revenue service office may have replaced some of its seats with a drum of fuel to cause maximum damage , a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said friday . the official , who would not speak on the record because it is an ongoing case , said investigators have determined that the piper cherokee pa-28 had several seats removed and that a fuel drum was missing from the airport from which andrew joseph joe ' stack iii took off thursday morning . i think there is a good chance he might have put it on his plane , ' said the official , who cautioned that investigators were still working that lead and sifting through the crash site . the single-engine plane has a fuel tank capacity of 38 gallons and is equipped with four seats , according to the web site risingup.com . the fbi said friday it has taken the lead role in the investigation of thursday 's crash into the 7-story building in northwest austin that held offices for nearly 200 irs workers . you 're talking about a federal agency that was basically assaulted , ' ralph diaz , special agent in charge of the fbi 's san antonio , texas , field office , told reporters . two people were killed and two others were hospitalized , federal officials said . though the remains found in the irs building have been identified , their identities will not be revealed until after a forensic examination , diaz said friday . one may be mr. stack and our fear is certainly the other would be either someone who was visiting or someone who was employed in the building , ' he said . emergency services chief ernie rodriguez said one of the injured was treated and released ; the other remained hospitalized . city of austin fire chief rhoda mae kerr credited the building 's fire protection , fast work by the fire department and the fact that the employees had practiced exiting the building in case of an emergency for the low loss of life and injuries . it truly worked , ' she said . austin attack stuns community rodriguez said units arrived on the scene within five minutes of the first 911 call prepared to manage hundreds of injured people . we found only two persons , ' he said . when you look at the fire , when you look at the evidence , it 's hard to say that we were lucky , but we were , ' he said . the big thing to remember is that yesterday , in the midst of this event , god 's grace was upon us . ' austin police chief art acevedo credited fast thinking by some people who were inside the building as the plane approached for the fact that few people were hurt . some folks saw it coming and sounded the alarm yesterday , and some folks started running away from that side of the building , ' he said . stack 's wife , sheryl stack , expressed her sincere sympathy to the victims and their families ' friday . words can not adequately express the sorrow or the sympathy i feel for everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy , ' she said in a statement read by a family friend , rayford walker . authorities say stack also torched his $ 230,000 home in austin on thursday morning before embarking on his fatal flight . police said sheryl stack spent wednesday night in an austin-area hotel but did not say why . acevedo said police had received no calls of domestic violence from the house . the only calls to police were made a couple of years ago and concerned barking dogs , he said . a 3,000-word message on a web site registered to stack railed against the government , particularly the irs . read the apparent suicide note ( pdf ) ' i saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different , ' the online message says . i am finally ready to stop this insanity . well , mr. big brother irs man , let 's try something different ; take my pound of flesh and sleep well . ' acevedo reiterated on friday his assertion first made thursday that the incident was not an act of terrorism . part of our jobs in law enforcement is not to overreact and cause undue panic , ' he said . and with the information that we had , there was no need to alarm our colleagues around the country and community members by using the word'terrorism .'that is why definitely i did not use it yesterday and i 'm not using it today . ' an irs criminal investigator visited stack 's accountant after thursday 's events , leaving a business card on the cpa 's front door . the online message believed to have been written by stack mentions accountant bill ross , saying it had become brutally evident that he was representing himself and not me . ' watch what stack 's writing reveals about him irs investigator james l. neff said that ross is not under investigation ; officials just wanted to make sure he was ok. we did n't know if he was alive or dead , ' neff said . ross , who did not return a call from cnn , was fine , the investigator said . friends and former colleagues said friday they had no inkling of the rage apparently building inside stack . he hid that very well , ' said billy eli , in whose band stack played bass until a few years ago . obviously he was in some serious distress and had some real despair . i never saw that . ' neither did another former bandmate , ric furley . watch how bandmates remember stack ' i never saw him in a bad mood or speaking negatively about anything or anyone , ' furley told cnn 's american morning . ' this has been such a shock because it was totally out of character with the joe stack i played with for three years , ' said eli . we liked him , ' said furley . we liked him . ' share information about the crash and the pilot an irs spokesman said federal law prohibits the agency from releasing information about any interactions the agency may have had with stack . the irs issued a statement friday saying tax returns will not be delayed . cnn 's david mattingly , ed lavandera and carol cratty contributed to this report .","fbi takes lead role in investigation into austin , texas , crash" +"aclu ( cnn ) -- two florida school administrators face contempt charges and possible prison time for saying a prayer at a school luncheon . pace high school enacted a decree in january banning officials from promoting religion at school events . frank lay , principal of pace high school , and athletic director robert freeman are accused of violating a consent decree banning employees of santa rosa county schools from endorsing religion . they face a non-jury trial september 17 before u.s. district judge casey rodgers . the statute under which they are charged carries a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison , subject to sentencing guidelines . attorneys defending lay and freeman call it outrageous that the two are being prosecuted for a simple prayer . ' but the american civil liberties union , whose lawsuit led to the consent decree , maintains that students have a right to be free from administrators foisting their religious beliefs on them . still , an aclu representative said the organization never suggested that people should go to jail for violating the decree . watch why lawyer thinks men did nothing wrong » the aclu filed suit last year against the district on behalf of two pace students who alleged that school officials regularly promoted religion and led prayers at school events , ' according to an aclu statement . both parties approved the consent decree put in place january 9 , under which district and school officials are permanently prohibited from promoting , advancing , endorsing , participating in or causing prayers during or in conjunction with school events , ' the aclu said . lay was a party in the initial lawsuit , and his attorney was among those approving the consent decree , according to the organization . in addition , the court required that all district employees receive a copy . on january 28 , lay asked freeman to offer a prayer of blessing during a school-day luncheon for the dedication of a new fieldhouse at pace high school , ' according to court documents . freeman complied with the request and offered the prayer at the event . it appears this was a school-sponsored event attended by students , faculty and community members . ' attorneys from liberty counsel , a conservative legal group helping defend lay and freeman , said in a written statement that attendees included booster club members and other adults who helped the field house project , all consenting adults . ' in a february 4 letter to district superintendent tim wyrosdick in which lay acknowledged the incident , he said that although past football booster club members and other adults associated with the school system ' were at the luncheon , culinary class students were in charge of food preparation and serving . lay wrote that he asked freeman to bless the food for the adults . ... i take full responsibility for this action . my actions were overt and not meant to circumvent any court order or constitutional mandate . ' in response , wyrosdick noted in a letter to lay that in a meeting , the principal had admitted that you are , and were at the date of this incident , aware of the court injunction and aware that this type of action is not permissible under the injunction . ' wyrosdick recounted telling lay that the prayer was not appropriate . this note is to share with you written instructions to avoid this type of action , ' the superintendent said . both letters are in the public court file . it is a sad day in america when school officials are criminally prosecuted for a prayer over a meal , ' said mathew staver , founder of liberty counsel and dean of the law school at liberty university , founded by the late rev . jerry falwell . it is outrageous and an offense to the first amendment to punish a school official for a simple prayer . ' liberty counsel said it is challenging the consent decree , maintaining that it unconstitutionally infringes on the rights of teachers , administrators and students . ' the aclu , according to the liberty counsel statement , has begun to go against individual employees . ' the organization said that neither man willfully violated any orders of the court . ' we 're not going after individuals , ' said glenn katon , director of the religious freedom project for the aclu of florida . we 're just trying to make sure that school employees comply with the court order . ' the aclu did not request the criminal contempt charges against lay and freeman , he said ; the judge initiated them after seeing a reference to the incident in a motion . and the aclu is not involved in the criminal proceedings , he said . we certainly never suggested that anyone go to jail , ' katon said . lay is not facing jail time for praying , he said , but for violating a court order . the moral of this story is , for us , this is about the students'right to be free from teachers and school administrators thrusting upon the students their religious beliefs , ' katon said . they keep talking about the religious rights of the administrators , but the administrators and the principals do n't have any right to trumpet their religious beliefs in a school setting . ' neither lay nor freeman has been placed on leave , according to the school district . pace is about 10 miles north of pensacola , florida .","aclu says it supports prayer ban but never suggested officials should be jailed" +"french london ( cnn ) -- portuguese coach andre villas-boas was confirmed as the new manager of chelsea wednesday . the 33-year-old will become the youngest manager in the english premier league . he moved to the west london giants after a payment of €15 million ( $ 21.6 million ) made to his former club porto triggered a release clause in his contract . villas-boas , who guided porto to a treble last season , has signed a three-year contract at stamford bridge and will replace italian coach carlo ancelotti , who was sacked in may . chelsea football club is delighted to announce that andre villas-boas will be the club 's new manager , ' read a statement on the team 's official website . could villas-boas succeed at chelsea ? his ambition , drive and determination matches that of chelsea and we are confident andre 's leadership of the team will result in greater successes in major domestic and european competitions . ' the former academica coach worked as a scout for the four-time english champions under compatriot jose mourinho , who is now in charge of real madrid . mourinho -- like villas-boas -- guided porto to a trio of domestic and european honors in 2003 , before winning two premier league titles , one fa cup and two league cups as chelsea boss between 2004 and 2007 . is villas-boas the new'special one'? turkey head coach guus hiddink had been linked with the vacant position after he enjoyed a successful temporary spell with chelsea in 2009 , but billionaire owner roman abramovich has opted for villas-boas . former ac milan coach ancelotti was dismissed after a trophy-less campaign saw chelsea finish second in england 's top division , despite delivering a league and fa cup double the previous year . abramovich will hope villas-boas can secure chelsea the european champions league , an honor which has so far eluded the russian since he gained control of the club in 2003 . meanwhile , seven-time french champions lyon announced the appointment wednesday of remi garde as their new manager . the former french international has been in charge of the club 's youth set-up and replaces claude puel , who left monday with a year left on his contract . garde was capped six times by his country and played for lyon for nine years before moving on to strasbourg and arsenal in the english premier league .","remi garde takes charge of seven-time french champions lyon" +"carlo ancelotti london ( cnn ) -- portuguese coach andre villas-boas was confirmed as the new manager of chelsea wednesday . the 33-year-old will become the youngest manager in the english premier league . he moved to the west london giants after a payment of €15 million ( $ 21.6 million ) made to his former club porto triggered a release clause in his contract . villas-boas , who guided porto to a treble last season , has signed a three-year contract at stamford bridge and will replace italian coach carlo ancelotti , who was sacked in may . chelsea football club is delighted to announce that andre villas-boas will be the club 's new manager , ' read a statement on the team 's official website . could villas-boas succeed at chelsea ? his ambition , drive and determination matches that of chelsea and we are confident andre 's leadership of the team will result in greater successes in major domestic and european competitions . ' the former academica coach worked as a scout for the four-time english champions under compatriot jose mourinho , who is now in charge of real madrid . mourinho -- like villas-boas -- guided porto to a trio of domestic and european honors in 2003 , before winning two premier league titles , one fa cup and two league cups as chelsea boss between 2004 and 2007 . is villas-boas the new'special one'? turkey head coach guus hiddink had been linked with the vacant position after he enjoyed a successful temporary spell with chelsea in 2009 , but billionaire owner roman abramovich has opted for villas-boas . former ac milan coach ancelotti was dismissed after a trophy-less campaign saw chelsea finish second in england 's top division , despite delivering a league and fa cup double the previous year . abramovich will hope villas-boas can secure chelsea the european champions league , an honor which has so far eluded the russian since he gained control of the club in 2003 . meanwhile , seven-time french champions lyon announced the appointment wednesday of remi garde as their new manager . the former french international has been in charge of the club 's youth set-up and replaces claude puel , who left monday with a year left on his contract . garde was capped six times by his country and played for lyon for nine years before moving on to strasbourg and arsenal in the english premier league .","villas-boas led porto to treble last season and succeeds carlo ancelotti" +"lyon london ( cnn ) -- portuguese coach andre villas-boas was confirmed as the new manager of chelsea wednesday . the 33-year-old will become the youngest manager in the english premier league . he moved to the west london giants after a payment of €15 million ( $ 21.6 million ) made to his former club porto triggered a release clause in his contract . villas-boas , who guided porto to a treble last season , has signed a three-year contract at stamford bridge and will replace italian coach carlo ancelotti , who was sacked in may . chelsea football club is delighted to announce that andre villas-boas will be the club 's new manager , ' read a statement on the team 's official website . could villas-boas succeed at chelsea ? his ambition , drive and determination matches that of chelsea and we are confident andre 's leadership of the team will result in greater successes in major domestic and european competitions . ' the former academica coach worked as a scout for the four-time english champions under compatriot jose mourinho , who is now in charge of real madrid . mourinho -- like villas-boas -- guided porto to a trio of domestic and european honors in 2003 , before winning two premier league titles , one fa cup and two league cups as chelsea boss between 2004 and 2007 . is villas-boas the new'special one'? turkey head coach guus hiddink had been linked with the vacant position after he enjoyed a successful temporary spell with chelsea in 2009 , but billionaire owner roman abramovich has opted for villas-boas . former ac milan coach ancelotti was dismissed after a trophy-less campaign saw chelsea finish second in england 's top division , despite delivering a league and fa cup double the previous year . abramovich will hope villas-boas can secure chelsea the european champions league , an honor which has so far eluded the russian since he gained control of the club in 2003 . meanwhile , seven-time french champions lyon announced the appointment wednesday of remi garde as their new manager . the former french international has been in charge of the club 's youth set-up and replaces claude puel , who left monday with a year left on his contract . garde was capped six times by his country and played for lyon for nine years before moving on to strasbourg and arsenal in the english premier league .","remi garde takes charge of seven-time french champions lyon" +"ew ( ew.com ) -- remaking a landmark film ought to be a perfectly respectable proposition . after all , we see new versions of shakespeare or tennessee williams all the time ( whether on stage or screen ) . what 's wrong with doing an updated version of a beloved hollywood movie ? in theory , nothing , yet in practice , it seldom works out well . there 's something about how movies , with their singularity of mood and density of detail , imprint themselves on our imaginations that places the prospect of a remake somewhere between a rock and a hard place . think about it : if you follow the original too closely , duplicating signature shots or lines of dialogue or acting flourishes , then you 're stuck in a mode of mindless imitation — and what 's the point of that ? people might as well just watch the great version they already know ( or , for new generations , have yet to discover ) . but if you seriously update the movie in question , making a lot of eyebrow-raising changes , then you risk violating the essence of the original — or leaving out too much of what everyone loved about it in the first place . when you get down to it , a new ' version of a classic is a contradiction in terms . carrie , the rapturous and terrifying 1976 brian de palma thriller based on stephen king 's first novel , is a movie that has earned its place as a quirky horror milestone without , perhaps , ever having quite attained the status of a masterpiece . yet i personally think it 's a great film . there 's nothing that compares to its glittery fusion of dreaminess and dread — of cinderella-at-the-prom fantasy and blood-bucket horror , all mixed up with elements of '70s teensploitation comedy and primally entangled mother-daughter tragedy . and what acting ! sissy spacek , as the squashed-nerd telekinetic high school wallflower carrie , and piper laurie , as her ragingly repressed evangelical mom , achieved a tremulous power together . and de palma , a prankish virtuoso , perched the whole thing on the knife 's edge between sincerity and satire . carrie is a timeless movie because it 's both one of the most passionate and most scandalously funny horror films ever made . so what does one do for a remake encore ? kimberly peirce , the gifted director of the new carrie , has gone down what seems , on the surface , to be a savvy road . she follows de palma 's version quite faithfully , evoking everything from his camera angles to his lighting to his flying-object f/x to his gleeful staging of mean-girl antics . at the same time , she offers just enough tweaks and updated details to present the material in a new way . the fabled shower-room scene , in which the naïve , sheltered carrie white ( chloë grace moretz ) gets her first period and is shocked into thinking that she 's dying , now has an added fillip of cruelty : chris , the most hateful of the girls , does n't just pelt carrie with tampons and shout plug it up ! ' she records the whole ordeal on her smartphone and then posts the video . in a neat reversal , chris and her best friend , the popular but far more empathetic sue ( who feels so guilty about what happened that she gets her boyfriend to take carrie to the prom ) , are both portrayed against type : nice-girl sue is played by gabriella wilde , who looks like a vintage snooty princess , whereas the awful chris is made into a pensive bohemian punk by portia doubleday . and carrie 's mother ( julianne moore ) , a fundamentalist fanatic who tries to cut carrie off from the world , is now herself a cutter who pinpricks her own flesh in secret . moore makes her fierce , guilt-tripping , and scary — but not , in the way that laurie did , almost religiously possessed . despite being 40 years old now , the carrie story lives quite comfortably in the 21st century . here 's the problem , though . the original film had king 's ingenious plot , with its fusion of innocence and cruelty and that subliminal wink of demonic takeover , but it also had de palma 's voluptuous operatic style , which gave the story the quality of a daydream-turned-nightmare . when you take away that style and serve up the plot fairly straight , as peirce does here , we seem to be watching a carrie that 's been flattened , robbed of its over-the-top emotional extravagance . given the challenge of revamping spacek 's brilliant shivery-nerd-turned-avenger performance , chloë grace moretz does a creditable job . in stiff hair and lumpish clothing , she 's very much the geek outsider ( though today there 's a much greater context for geeks as heroines ) , and the emotions seem to bleed through her ghostly , lunar-pale skin . yet the way peirce has updated carrie white , without making any overt changes to the character , is to portray her as a little less clueless , a little less pathetic , a little more defiant . she 's now a cute , bright , painfully shy girl who sees herself ( wrongly ) as a loser . before , she was a total walking blob of misery and dysfunction . that slight tonal shift robs the story of its masochistic edge . of course , carrie is n't merely a fable of adolescent agony . it 's all about carrie 's revenge , once she 's subjected to the most diabolical practical joke ' in movie history . carrie 's telekinetic powers , driven by the rage she represses , allowed de palma to orchestrate a senior-prom apocalypse that was pure filmmaking mastery . peirce stages the prom as a prosaic rerun , without a lot of gaudy inspiration . and it 's here that the real problem with redoing a classic reveals itself . sure , a lot of famous movies are timeless , yet they 're also rooted in their time . in the original carrie , spacek 's character seemed to be channeling something creepy and larger-than-life — maybe it was even the underworld . but now we 're a lot more accustomed to seeing movie characters mold their destiny through special effects , and since peirce films the climax in a rather depersonalized , shoot-the-works way , carrie comes close to seeming like an especially alienated member of the x-men team . she blows stuff up real good , in a way that would make the devil — or bruce willis — proud . grade : b -- see the original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","ew gives it a grade of b-" +"gebre gebremarian new york ( cnn ) -- two african runners won the 2010 new york city marathon sunday , marathon officials announced . runners edna kiplagat , from kenya , and gebre gebremarian , of ethiopia were the first female and male finishers to cover the 26.2-mile course that cuts through new york city 's five boroughs . having just won first prize in the 2010 los angeles marathon , kiplagat was the first woman to finish the race coming first in 2 hours and 28 minutes . gebremarian , the fastest man in the race , crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 8 minutes . much of the celebrity limelight in the usually star-studded race was focused on a man whose fame derived from his sprints inside the gloomy pit of a chilean mine . chilean miner edison pena -- one of 33 miners trapped underground for more than two months before they were rescued -- completed the new york marathon sunday , taking five hours and 40 minutes to cover the 26.2-mile course . pena , otherwise known as the runner ' by fellow miners who spent 69 days trapped with him in a gold and copper mine , set out to cover the course along with thousands of other runners .. during a press conference after the race , pena said running the marathon was a way to cope with the trauma of being trapped and fearing for his life . what i did today was also a symbol of bravery and a struggle against myself against the pain that i have been feeling . this i want to make very clear , ' he said . with appearances on david letterman , where he showed his devotion for elvis presley amid applause , pena attracted attention from nearly every press outlet and every street fan who held signs while he ran the marathon . the experience was wonderful , ' said pena . i am not from this country but i kept seeing signs that said'go edison'... and people would say'let 's go pena'... the warmth of the north american people is amazing , ' said pena . pena -- a triathlete -- was invited by the nyc marathon after stories spread about his daily runs in the mine to keep himself fit . when i ran , i thought i was going to beat destiny , ' he said . i told the mine ,'i 'm gon na outrun you . i 'm gon na run till you 're tired and bored of me .'' the 12th miner to be rescued , he also became known for singing elvis songs during his confinement . star-gazing part of the experience of watching some 45,000 runners in the marathon . actress katie holmes , rapper entrepreneur p-diddy , rocker alanis morissette , former gov . mike huckabee and tv chef bobby flay have all competed in the marathon . the nyc marathon is one of the most popualr marathons in the world , drawing more than 100,000 applicants annually .","gebre gebremarian of ethiopia won the men 's category in the 2010 nyc marathon" +"jewish leadership council ( cnn ) -- why always him ? mario balotelli 's knack of attracting the wrong type of headlines shows no sign of abating after the enigmatic forward was charged by the english football association with racially stereotyping jewish and black people in a social media post . the fa is looking into balotelli 's reposting of a nintendo character super mario image that underneath had the words jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a jew . ' mario balotelli has been charged by the fa in relation to a recent posting on social media , ' read the statement . it is alleged the liverpool player breached fa rule e3 [ 1 ] in that his posting was abusive and/or insulting and/or improper . it is further alleged that this is an'aggravated breach'as defined by fa rule e3 [ 2 ] as it included a reference to ethnic origin and/or color and/or race and/or nationality and/or religion or belief . the player has until 6pm on 15 december 2014 to respond to the charge . ' balotelli quickly deleted the instagram image , before tweeting : my mom is jewish so all of u shut up please , ' a reference to his foster mother , silvia . he apologized tuesday on twitter explaining the post was meant to be anti-racist with humor . ' he added : i now understand that out of context may have the opposite effect . not all mexicans have mustaches , not all black people jump high and not all jewish people love money . i used a cartoon done by someone else because it has super mario and i thought it was funny and not offensive . again , i 'm sorry . ' liverpool said they plan to speak to balotelli , who has missed the club 's last three games due to a groin injury he picked up on international duty in november . we are aware of the posting which has since been promptly deleted by the player , ' said liverpool in a statement . however , former fa executive simon johnson called on the fa to punish the 24-year-old balotelli . we abhor all forms of racism , wherever it is found , ' johnson , who is the current chief executive of the uk jewish leadership council , told the daily telegraph . we call upon the fa to investigate this offensive social media post and to take action if appropriate if we are to succeed in kicking racism out of football . ' playing iin italy , balotelli frequently faced racist abuse in stadiums , while in september merseyside police investigated racist remarks on twitter made to balotelli after he posted a message during manchester united 's 5-3 defeat against leicester city . balotelli has yet to score a premier league goal since joining liverpool from ac milan in the summer transfer window , though he did find the net against ludogorets in the champions league as well as against swansea in the english league cup . the minimum ban for race-related rule breaches is five games under the fa 's social media guidelines .","jewish leadership council chief executive labeled post'offensive '" +"facebook ( cnn ) -- under mounting pressure from activists and advertisers , facebook is ramping up efforts to stamp out hate speech , particularly depictions of violence against women . the move , announced tuesday , came after a weeklong campaign by women 's groups targeting pages that celebrated or made light of rape , domestic violence and sexual degradation of women . in recent days , it has become clear that our systems to identify and remove hate speech have failed to work as effectively as we would like , particularly around issues of gender-based hate , ' marne levine , a facebook vice president in charge of public policy , wrote in a post on the site . in some cases , content is not being removed as quickly as we want . in other cases , content that should be removed has not been or has been evaluated using outdated criteria . we have been working over the past several months to improve our systems to respond to reports of violations , but the guidelines used by these systems have failed to capture all the content that violates our standards . we need to do better -- and we will . ' a coalition of women 's groups , under the banner women , action & the media , celebrated the announcement , saying that facebook has asked them to be part of an ongoing conversation about improvements to the social network . pages flagged as offensive by the group had such names as kicking your girlfriend in the fanny because she wo n't make you a sandwich , ' violently raping your friend just for laughs , ' raping your girlfriend ' and fly kicking sluts in the uterus . ' searching for those pages wednesday delivered no results . it is because facebook has committed to having policies to address these issues that we felt it was necessary to take these actions and press for that commitment to fully recognize how the real world safety gap experienced by women globally is dynamically related to our online lives , ' author soraya chemaly , who helped spearhead the effort , said in a post on the group 's site . in levine 's post , facebook promised to : -- update guidelines that its community standards team uses to identify hate speech , with help from legal experts and women 's groups -- update training for team members who police hate speech -- increase accountability for facebook users whose pages do n't legally qualify as hate speech but who post content that is cruel or insensitive ' -- implement a policy that requires users who create pages with questionable content to publicly attach their personal account to them -- encourage groups already working on cyber-hate issues to include the women 's coalition . these are complicated challenges and raise complex issues , ' levine wrote . our recent experience reminds us that we ca n't answer them alone . ' tasked with policing a site with roughly 1 billion users , facebook says it has sought to strike a balance between cracking down on hateful content while still allowing for freedom of expression . we seek to provide a platform where people can share and surface content , messages and ideas freely , while still respecting the rights of others , ' levine said . to facilitate this goal , we also work hard to make our platform a safe and respectful place for sharing and connection . this requires us to make difficult decisions and balance concerns about free expression and community respect . ' such issues have come up repeatedly in the past , notably when facebook users created fan pages celebrating accused colorado theater shooter james holmes or boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev . the recent campaign by women 's groups was launched last tuesday with an open letter to facebook complaining about pages deemed offensive . the letter complained of a double standard toward imagery on the site in light of past controversies over facebook removing more innocuous content , such as photos of women breastfeeding . these pages and images are approved by your moderators , while you regularly remove content such as pictures of women breastfeeding , women post-mastectomy and artistic representations of women 's bodies , ' read the letter , signed by dozens of women 's groups from around the world . it appears that facebook considers violence against women to be less offensive than nonviolent images of women 's bodies . in a world in which hundreds of thousands of women are assaulted daily and where intimate partner violence remains one of the leading causes of death for women around the world , it is not possible to sit on the fence . we call on facebook to make the only responsible decision and take swift , clear action on this issue , to bring your policy on rape and domestic violence into line with your own moderation goals and guidelines . ' on twitter , supporters posted violent images they said were originally shared on facebook pages . they included a picture of a woman at the bottom of a stairwell with the caption , next time , do n't get pregnant ' and multiple postings of a dramatized photo of a man threatening a frightened woman with captions like dishes : do them now ' and women deserve equal rights ... and lefts . ' the letter also encouraged people to contact facebook advertisers . according to the group , supporters sent more than 5,000 e-mails to advertisers , in addition to posting messages to advertisers on twitter and facebook itself . the group claims that 15 companies said they were pulling their ads from facebook as a result of the efforts . nissan uk and nationwide were among those who announced they were doing so while others , like dove soap , said they were working with facebook on a solution . we fully support that today @ womenactmedia & @ facebook reached a joint position on rights , ' nissan uk posted on its twitter feed late tuesday . user responses on facebook 's post were mixed . while many of the roughly 300 comments wednesday morning thanked the site , others suggested it was n't enough or speculated that it would n't have happened without pressure from advertisers . there was also pushback from users who called it a threat to free speech . oh look , ' said user mathew bates . the hurt feelings police is attempting to undermine the first amendment again . ' many , however , seemed optimistic -- but cautious . it 's a start but i 'll believe it when i see it in the long term , ' wrote user melissa perault . we need to make sure fb follows up on this . ' facebook 's community standards page says , facebook does not permit hate speech , but distinguishes between serious and humorous speech . while we encourage you to challenge ideas , institutions , events , and practices , we do not permit individuals or groups to attack others based on their race , ethnicity , national origin , religion , sex , gender , sexual orientation , disability or medical condition . '","facebook ramps up crackdown on hate speech after pressure from women 's groups" +"portugal ( cnn ) -- real madrid confirmed the signing of fabio coentrao from benfica on tuesday , with the portugal international signing a six-year deal . the 23-year-old defender is the fifth new signing to arrive at the bernabeu since the off-season transfer window opened with the culmination of the most recent league campaign . the left-back , who was one of his country 's stand-out performers at the 2010 world cup , said it was a dream come true to join the nine-time european champions . every footballer dreams of playing for real madrid , ' the defender told real 's official web site . i wanted to since i was a child . i used to imagine playing for this team . it was my dream and it has now come true . i hope to earn continuity and to show people i 'm ready to play here . ' the move will see coentrao link up with his compatriot jose mourinho , the head coach who led los blancos to second place in the spanish first division last season . he is the best coach in the world , ' coentrao said of the former chelsea and inter milan boss . it makes me proud to have the chance to work with him . ' coentrao , who previously played in spain during a loan spell with real zaragoza in 2008 , has played for portugal on 12 occasions since making his debut in 2009 . coentrao joins fellow new arrivals at real , turkish international duo nuri sahin and hamit altintop , who moved from borussia dortmund and bayern munich respectively . winger jose callejon has arrived from espanyol and young french defender raphael varane has been signed from lens . elsewhere , manchester city completed their second signing of the week after roberto mancini 's team announced the acquisition of montenegro defender stefan savic . the 20-year-old joins the city of manchester stadium outfit from partizan belgrade on a four-year contract . savic 's arrival comes just two days after the citizens completed a deal for left-back gael clichy , who moved from english premier league rivals arsenal . the center-back faced a number of his new teammates during montenegro 's 0-0 draw with england in october 2010 , and is looking forward to working with so many international players . i never imagined that i 'd be teammates with all those city players within a year and i 'm so happy to be at this club , ' savic told city 's web site . i watch the premier league all the time and i know it 's the place to be so i am just looking forward to helping this club achieve great things . we have an incredible stadium and i 've seen how passionate the city fans are many times on tv . montenegro play england later this year so i 'm expecting to have some great banter with the england lads . i 'm just really happy to be a city player . ' there was also transfer activity at inter milan on wednesday , as they agreed a deal with argentine team velez sarsfield for attacker ricardo alvarez . inter have agreed to pay $ 17m for 90 % of the 23-year-old 's contract with an option to purchase the remaining 10 % at a later date , according to velez 's web site . meanwhile , scottish champions rangers have completed a deal for almeria 's juan manuel ortiz . the 29-year-old former atletico madrid winger has signed a three-year contract at ibrox .","real madrid have completed the signing of portugal defender fabio coentrao" +"real madrid ( cnn ) -- real madrid confirmed the signing of fabio coentrao from benfica on tuesday , with the portugal international signing a six-year deal . the 23-year-old defender is the fifth new signing to arrive at the bernabeu since the off-season transfer window opened with the culmination of the most recent league campaign . the left-back , who was one of his country 's stand-out performers at the 2010 world cup , said it was a dream come true to join the nine-time european champions . every footballer dreams of playing for real madrid , ' the defender told real 's official web site . i wanted to since i was a child . i used to imagine playing for this team . it was my dream and it has now come true . i hope to earn continuity and to show people i 'm ready to play here . ' the move will see coentrao link up with his compatriot jose mourinho , the head coach who led los blancos to second place in the spanish first division last season . he is the best coach in the world , ' coentrao said of the former chelsea and inter milan boss . it makes me proud to have the chance to work with him . ' coentrao , who previously played in spain during a loan spell with real zaragoza in 2008 , has played for portugal on 12 occasions since making his debut in 2009 . coentrao joins fellow new arrivals at real , turkish international duo nuri sahin and hamit altintop , who moved from borussia dortmund and bayern munich respectively . winger jose callejon has arrived from espanyol and young french defender raphael varane has been signed from lens . elsewhere , manchester city completed their second signing of the week after roberto mancini 's team announced the acquisition of montenegro defender stefan savic . the 20-year-old joins the city of manchester stadium outfit from partizan belgrade on a four-year contract . savic 's arrival comes just two days after the citizens completed a deal for left-back gael clichy , who moved from english premier league rivals arsenal . the center-back faced a number of his new teammates during montenegro 's 0-0 draw with england in october 2010 , and is looking forward to working with so many international players . i never imagined that i 'd be teammates with all those city players within a year and i 'm so happy to be at this club , ' savic told city 's web site . i watch the premier league all the time and i know it 's the place to be so i am just looking forward to helping this club achieve great things . we have an incredible stadium and i 've seen how passionate the city fans are many times on tv . montenegro play england later this year so i 'm expecting to have some great banter with the england lads . i 'm just really happy to be a city player . ' there was also transfer activity at inter milan on wednesday , as they agreed a deal with argentine team velez sarsfield for attacker ricardo alvarez . inter have agreed to pay $ 17m for 90 % of the 23-year-old 's contract with an option to purchase the remaining 10 % at a later date , according to velez 's web site . meanwhile , scottish champions rangers have completed a deal for almeria 's juan manuel ortiz . the 29-year-old former atletico madrid winger has signed a three-year contract at ibrox .","real madrid have completed the signing of portugal defender fabio coentrao" +"chinese hong kong ( cnn ) -- panasonic halted operations at three factories in china after angry protesters ransacked japanese businesses over the weekend amid rising tensions over disputed islands in the east china sea . violence against japanese companies was seen in xi'an , dongguan , changsha and guangzhou , according to local media reports . a panasonic factory was set on fire and a toyota dealership in qingdao were damaged on saturday , and a jusco department store was ransacked . in guangzhou , demonstrators broke into the garden hotel and attacked a japanese restaurant on the second floor , according to the south china morning press . panasonic has suspended work at three plants in china until tuesday , after factories in qingdao and suzhou were damaged by protesters , company officials told cnn . panasonic also halted operations at a factory in guangdong province until tuesday as some local employees staged a strike as protest against japan 's claim to the island chain , called diaoyu by china and senkaku by japan . background : how remote rock split china , japan a heiwado co. department store in changsha was ransacked , as were japanese supermarkets in several cities , japan 's kyodo news service reported . the sino-japanese economic war has officially begun , ' chinese economist wang fuzhong wrote on weibo , a chinese microblogging site . i hope it wo n't end in a situation where everyone loses . ' the japan tourism industry , which has been struggling after the 2011 tohoku earthquake and tsunami , is being hit by the dispute , after calls in china for tourists to stop visiting japan . the head of a hotel at the foot of mount fuji told cnn that cancellations from chinese tourists -- which make up about 30 % to 40 % ' of his business -- are stacking up . china is a big market for us , it would be very damaging for us to see a decline of the chinese tourists , ' said the man , who gave his surname as watanabe . a chinese tour guide on the streets of ginza shopping district in tokyo told cnn that in the six years she 's worked in japan this situation is the worst of her career . ' i do not expect much of the tours ( from china ) coming back from now . most of tours were cancelled , ' said the guide , who asked cnn to use her japanese name mitsu matsumoto for fear of reprisals . i want them ( china and japan ) to be friendly again . otherwise tour agents are going to bankrupt and tour guides like us will be affected badly , ' matsumoto said . i wish the issue will be solved soon . ' chinese state media , reporting on the protests , decried the violence . even hawkish publications , such as global times -- which ran an editorial discard illusion of friendly ties with japan ' last week -- published an editorial monday headlined violence is never appropriate solution . ' meanwhile , an editorial in the china daily on monday called on china to impose economic sanctions against japan . taking a cue from the u.s. practice , china can use the security exception clause to reduce the export of some important materials to japan , ' the editorial said . on thursday last week a chinese official warned that tokyo 's move to buy ' a disputed island chain in the east china sea would hurt trade between asia 's two largest economies . the battle over ownership of the island chain will inevitably ' have a negative impact on sino-japan economic ties , vice minister of commerce jiang zengwei said thursday , state-run xinhua reported . the islands sit among popular fishing waters and are also believed to be rich in oil resources . ownership of the chain would allow exclusive commercial rights to the seas surrounding the islands . despite booming auto sales in china , sales of japanese car brands are down 2 % in china compared to a year ago , according to the china association of automobile manufacturers . meanwhile , sales of car brands from other foreign countries , including germany , the u.s. , south korea and france , are up 25 % , 19 % , 12 % and 4 % respectively . luo lei , deputy secretary-general of china automobile dealers association , said earlier this week that toyota purchases have fallen 15 % while mazda sales are down 6 % year over year . tensions between china and japan -- the world 's second and third largest economies , respectively -- escalated on friday as chinese surveillance vessels entered the disputed area to begin patrols and law enforcement , ' according to chinese state-run media . china dispatched the ships after the japanese government bought several of the islands from a private japanese owner last week . the chinese vessels entered japan 's territorial waters despite warnings from the japanese coast guard , said shinichi gega , a spokesman for japan 's 11th regional coast guard headquarters . japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda said tokyo would take all possible measures to ensure security ' of the islands , located between okinawa and taiwan . china is japan 's largest trading partner . nearly 20 % of japanese exports last year were sold to mainland china , compared to 15.3 % exported to the u.s. , according to figures from the japan external trade organization . last week , the japanese government approved the purchase for 2.05 billion yen ( $ 26.2 million ) the group of small islands from the kurihara family , a private japanese owner , according to chief cabinet secretary osamu fujimura . china says its claim to the islands goes back hundreds of years . japan formally recognized them as japanese sovereign territory in 1895 . the islands were administered by the u.s. occupation force after world war ii . but in 1972 , washington returned them to japan as part of its withdrawal from okinawa . cnns junko ogura and yoko wakatsuki in tokyo and c.y . xu in beijing contributed to this report","chinese economist : the sino-japanese economic war has officially begun '" +"sino-japanese hong kong ( cnn ) -- panasonic halted operations at three factories in china after angry protesters ransacked japanese businesses over the weekend amid rising tensions over disputed islands in the east china sea . violence against japanese companies was seen in xi'an , dongguan , changsha and guangzhou , according to local media reports . a panasonic factory was set on fire and a toyota dealership in qingdao were damaged on saturday , and a jusco department store was ransacked . in guangzhou , demonstrators broke into the garden hotel and attacked a japanese restaurant on the second floor , according to the south china morning press . panasonic has suspended work at three plants in china until tuesday , after factories in qingdao and suzhou were damaged by protesters , company officials told cnn . panasonic also halted operations at a factory in guangdong province until tuesday as some local employees staged a strike as protest against japan 's claim to the island chain , called diaoyu by china and senkaku by japan . background : how remote rock split china , japan a heiwado co. department store in changsha was ransacked , as were japanese supermarkets in several cities , japan 's kyodo news service reported . the sino-japanese economic war has officially begun , ' chinese economist wang fuzhong wrote on weibo , a chinese microblogging site . i hope it wo n't end in a situation where everyone loses . ' the japan tourism industry , which has been struggling after the 2011 tohoku earthquake and tsunami , is being hit by the dispute , after calls in china for tourists to stop visiting japan . the head of a hotel at the foot of mount fuji told cnn that cancellations from chinese tourists -- which make up about 30 % to 40 % ' of his business -- are stacking up . china is a big market for us , it would be very damaging for us to see a decline of the chinese tourists , ' said the man , who gave his surname as watanabe . a chinese tour guide on the streets of ginza shopping district in tokyo told cnn that in the six years she 's worked in japan this situation is the worst of her career . ' i do not expect much of the tours ( from china ) coming back from now . most of tours were cancelled , ' said the guide , who asked cnn to use her japanese name mitsu matsumoto for fear of reprisals . i want them ( china and japan ) to be friendly again . otherwise tour agents are going to bankrupt and tour guides like us will be affected badly , ' matsumoto said . i wish the issue will be solved soon . ' chinese state media , reporting on the protests , decried the violence . even hawkish publications , such as global times -- which ran an editorial discard illusion of friendly ties with japan ' last week -- published an editorial monday headlined violence is never appropriate solution . ' meanwhile , an editorial in the china daily on monday called on china to impose economic sanctions against japan . taking a cue from the u.s. practice , china can use the security exception clause to reduce the export of some important materials to japan , ' the editorial said . on thursday last week a chinese official warned that tokyo 's move to buy ' a disputed island chain in the east china sea would hurt trade between asia 's two largest economies . the battle over ownership of the island chain will inevitably ' have a negative impact on sino-japan economic ties , vice minister of commerce jiang zengwei said thursday , state-run xinhua reported . the islands sit among popular fishing waters and are also believed to be rich in oil resources . ownership of the chain would allow exclusive commercial rights to the seas surrounding the islands . despite booming auto sales in china , sales of japanese car brands are down 2 % in china compared to a year ago , according to the china association of automobile manufacturers . meanwhile , sales of car brands from other foreign countries , including germany , the u.s. , south korea and france , are up 25 % , 19 % , 12 % and 4 % respectively . luo lei , deputy secretary-general of china automobile dealers association , said earlier this week that toyota purchases have fallen 15 % while mazda sales are down 6 % year over year . tensions between china and japan -- the world 's second and third largest economies , respectively -- escalated on friday as chinese surveillance vessels entered the disputed area to begin patrols and law enforcement , ' according to chinese state-run media . china dispatched the ships after the japanese government bought several of the islands from a private japanese owner last week . the chinese vessels entered japan 's territorial waters despite warnings from the japanese coast guard , said shinichi gega , a spokesman for japan 's 11th regional coast guard headquarters . japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda said tokyo would take all possible measures to ensure security ' of the islands , located between okinawa and taiwan . china is japan 's largest trading partner . nearly 20 % of japanese exports last year were sold to mainland china , compared to 15.3 % exported to the u.s. , according to figures from the japan external trade organization . last week , the japanese government approved the purchase for 2.05 billion yen ( $ 26.2 million ) the group of small islands from the kurihara family , a private japanese owner , according to chief cabinet secretary osamu fujimura . china says its claim to the islands goes back hundreds of years . japan formally recognized them as japanese sovereign territory in 1895 . the islands were administered by the u.s. occupation force after world war ii . but in 1972 , washington returned them to japan as part of its withdrawal from okinawa . cnns junko ogura and yoko wakatsuki in tokyo and c.y . xu in beijing contributed to this report","chinese economist : the sino-japanese economic war has officially begun '" +"cnn ireport ( cnn ) -- if there 's one thing we 've learned about the cnn ireport community , it 's that you all love to capture celestial events . thursday 's partial solar eclipse was no exception . the eclipse reached its height at 5:45 p.m . et , nasa said , meaning the eastern half of the country should have gotten a view before the backdrop of golden twilight hues . people living in the central time zone had the best view . as the moon clipped the sun , it appeared like a fingernail . or , according to ireporter and independent journalist georgianne nienaber , like an iconic arcade game character . the moon took a little chunk out of the sun , like pac-man , ' she said . neinaber spent her evening in sanibel island , florida , getting the perfect shot of the eclipse . of course , staring at the sun is never a good idea , even during an eclipse . do n't stare , ' nasa urged . even at maximum eclipse , a sliver of sun peeking out from behind the moon can still cause pain and eye damage . direct viewing should only be attempted with the aid of a safe solar filter . ' greg hogan of kathleen , georgia , attached his camera to a telescope with a solar filter in order to photograph the show . hogan , who usually photographs the moon , started experimenting with sun photography this week . the effort was worth it , he said . it was epic ! ' the above photos were snapped by ireporters across the country , all with the aid of filters or other creative methods of viewing the eclipse indirectly . check out the gallery and share your own eclipse photos here .","did you catch the eclipse ? share your best photos with cnn ireport" +"nasa ( cnn ) -- if there 's one thing we 've learned about the cnn ireport community , it 's that you all love to capture celestial events . thursday 's partial solar eclipse was no exception . the eclipse reached its height at 5:45 p.m . et , nasa said , meaning the eastern half of the country should have gotten a view before the backdrop of golden twilight hues . people living in the central time zone had the best view . as the moon clipped the sun , it appeared like a fingernail . or , according to ireporter and independent journalist georgianne nienaber , like an iconic arcade game character . the moon took a little chunk out of the sun , like pac-man , ' she said . neinaber spent her evening in sanibel island , florida , getting the perfect shot of the eclipse . of course , staring at the sun is never a good idea , even during an eclipse . do n't stare , ' nasa urged . even at maximum eclipse , a sliver of sun peeking out from behind the moon can still cause pain and eye damage . direct viewing should only be attempted with the aid of a safe solar filter . ' greg hogan of kathleen , georgia , attached his camera to a telescope with a solar filter in order to photograph the show . hogan , who usually photographs the moon , started experimenting with sun photography this week . the effort was worth it , he said . it was epic ! ' the above photos were snapped by ireporters across the country , all with the aid of filters or other creative methods of viewing the eclipse indirectly . check out the gallery and share your own eclipse photos here .","nasa : protect your eyes with special filters or indirect methods when viewing any eclipse" +"nasa ( cnn ) -- if there 's one thing we 've learned about the cnn ireport community , it 's that you all love to capture celestial events . thursday 's partial solar eclipse was no exception . the eclipse reached its height at 5:45 p.m . et , nasa said , meaning the eastern half of the country should have gotten a view before the backdrop of golden twilight hues . people living in the central time zone had the best view . as the moon clipped the sun , it appeared like a fingernail . or , according to ireporter and independent journalist georgianne nienaber , like an iconic arcade game character . the moon took a little chunk out of the sun , like pac-man , ' she said . neinaber spent her evening in sanibel island , florida , getting the perfect shot of the eclipse . of course , staring at the sun is never a good idea , even during an eclipse . do n't stare , ' nasa urged . even at maximum eclipse , a sliver of sun peeking out from behind the moon can still cause pain and eye damage . direct viewing should only be attempted with the aid of a safe solar filter . ' greg hogan of kathleen , georgia , attached his camera to a telescope with a solar filter in order to photograph the show . hogan , who usually photographs the moon , started experimenting with sun photography this week . the effort was worth it , he said . it was epic ! ' the above photos were snapped by ireporters across the country , all with the aid of filters or other creative methods of viewing the eclipse indirectly . check out the gallery and share your own eclipse photos here .","people in the central time zone got the best view , nasa says" +"alvin and the chipmunks ( ew.com ) -- tom cruise rang in the new year smiling , as mission : impossible -- ghost protocol ' led the box office with an estimated $ 31.3 million over the three-day ( friday to sunday ) weekend . that represents a 6 percent jump from christmas weekend . however , nearly every wide release saw their grosses rise compared to last weekend . the weekend after christmas has historically been a strong box-office period , as many families are still on break but are no longer occupied with holiday preparations . ghost protocol , ' the fourth entry in the action franchise , has now cumulatively tallied $ 134.1 million , surpassing the final gross of mission : impossible iii ' ( $ 134 million ) . the pg-13 movie , which was helmed by pixar animation director brad bird , will now attempt to catch up with the first mission : impossible , ' which collected $ 181 million in 1996 . that figure should be within reach for ghost protocol . ' in second place was sherlock holmes : a game of shadows , ' which rose 9 percent for $ 22.1 million . the sequel has taken in $ 132.1 million in 17 days . the original sherlock holmes , ' by comparison , had earned $ 165.2 million by this point . although a game of shadows ' trails its predecessor , it is slowly closing the gap . this is because the first sherlock holmes ' opened on christmas weekend , thereby inflating its initial figures . shadows , ' on the other hand , debuted on the ( typically slow ) weekend before christmas , and is just now benefiting from a post-christmas bump . in other words , the first sherlock holmes ' started out of the gate much quicker , but shadows ' is picking up steam . the sequel probably wo n't have enough momentum to reach its predecessor 's final tally of $ 209 million , but the gap between the two films should be a lot smaller than many people initially thought . the same holds true for alvin and the chipmunks : chipwrecked , ' which jumped an incredible 45 percent for $ 18.3 million . the rodent threequel has so far earned $ 94.6 million in 17 days . in the same time frame , the 2007 original had grossed $ 141.4 million and its 2009 sequel had amassed $ 165.4 million . despite chipwrecked 's ' slow start , it has been holding up well and should finish its domestic run with a respectable number . in its first full weekend , steven spielberg 's equine epic war horse ' finished fourth with $ 16.9 million . whereas most films dropped from friday to saturday this weekend ( on account of saturday being new year 's eve ) , war horse ' actually jumped 20 percent on saturday . one possible explanation could be that the movie is drawing a decidedly older audience that was n't about to let new year 's eve get in the way of its moviegoing plans . according to cinemascore , 79 percent of war horse 's ' audience was at least 25 years old . the oscar hopeful has so far collected $ 43 million and is on its way to becoming a genuine holiday hit . finally , in fifth , was david fincher 's the girl with the dragon tattoo , ' which rose 28 percent for $ 16.3 million . the $ 90 million adaptation of stieg larsson 's bestselling novel has so far grossed a decent but somewhat disappointing $ 57.1 million in 12 days . in limited release , the iron lady , ' starring meryl streep as former british prime minister margaret thatcher , debuted to an outstanding $ 221,800 at four theaters -- that 's a per-location average of $ 55,450 . the acclaimed iranian drama a separation , ' which is practically assured an oscar nomination for best foreign language film , opened to a solid $ 66,600 in three theaters . and the sundance drama pariah ' started its run with a merely okay $ 49,700 at four locations . 1 . mission : impossible -- ghost protocol -- $ 31.3 mil 2 . sherlock holmes : a game of shadows -- $ 22.1 mil 3 . alvin and the chipmunks : chipwrecked -- $ 18.3 mil 4 . war horse -- $ 16.9 mil 5 . the girl with the dragon tattoo -- $ 16.3 mil see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved ."," alvin and the chipmunks : chipwrecked , ' jumped an incredible 45 percent for $ 18.3 million" +"spain ( cnn ) -- european champions spain were drawn with 2004 semifinalists the czech republic as they begin the defense of their title this year in qualifiers for the 2012 tournament in poland and ukraine . vicente del bosque 's team were placed in one of three five-nation groups on sunday , being the last out of the hat , with the other six pools featuring six teams . the nine group winners qualify automatically along with the best runner-up and the two hosts , with the other eight second-placed sides facing playoffs in november 2011 . spain and the czechs , the 1996 runners-up , are in group i along with scotland , lithuania and minnows liechtenstein , with the first qualifiers to be held in september this year . in the other five-nation pools , england are the top seed in group g and will have to get past 2008 co-hosts switzerland , the unpredictable but talented bulgaria , wales and montenegro . cristiano ronaldo 's portugal , quarterfinalists in 2008 and losing finalists at home in 2004 , were drawn in group h with 1992 champions denmark , norway , cyprus and iceland . world champions italy also face a testing time in six-nation group c after being drawn with serbia and slovenia , who have both qualified for this year 's world cup finals and will be seeking to continue that progress . three-time champions germany were drawn in group a with turkey , who they beat in the 2008 semifinals before losing to spain . neighbors and that year 's co-hosts austria are also in the same group along with belgium , kazakhstan and azerbaijan . netherlands , ranked third in the world behind spain and brazil , should be confident of qualifying from group e ahead of sweden , with finland , hungary also battling for a runner-up spot ahead of minnows moldova and san marino . two-time champions france are again drawn with romania , who failed to qualify from their 2010 world cup pool but made it through to euro 2008 . bosnia-herzegovina , beaten by portugal in the world cup playoffs last year , were also drawn in group d. russia failed to qualify for the world cup in south africa , but are joined in group a by a team who did as pool winners , slovakia , and the republic of ireland -- who lost a controversial playoff to france made infamous by thierry henry 's handball . draw for euro 2012 qualifiers : group a : germany , turkey , austria , belgium , kazakhstan , azerbaijan . group b : russia , slovakia , republic of ireland , macedonia , armenia , andorra . group c : italy , serbia , northern ireland , slovenia , estonia , faroe islands . group d : france , romania , bosnia-herzegovina , belarus , albania , luxembourg . group e : netherlands , sweden , finland , hungary , moldova , san marino . group f : croatia , greece , israel , latvia , georgia , malta . group g : england , switzerland , bulgaria , wales , montenegro . group h : portugal , denmark , norway , cyprus , iceland . group i : spain , czech republic , scotland , lithuania , liechtenstein .","european champions spain drawn in five-nation group for qualifiers for 2012 event" +"germany ( cnn ) -- european champions spain were drawn with 2004 semifinalists the czech republic as they begin the defense of their title this year in qualifiers for the 2012 tournament in poland and ukraine . vicente del bosque 's team were placed in one of three five-nation groups on sunday , being the last out of the hat , with the other six pools featuring six teams . the nine group winners qualify automatically along with the best runner-up and the two hosts , with the other eight second-placed sides facing playoffs in november 2011 . spain and the czechs , the 1996 runners-up , are in group i along with scotland , lithuania and minnows liechtenstein , with the first qualifiers to be held in september this year . in the other five-nation pools , england are the top seed in group g and will have to get past 2008 co-hosts switzerland , the unpredictable but talented bulgaria , wales and montenegro . cristiano ronaldo 's portugal , quarterfinalists in 2008 and losing finalists at home in 2004 , were drawn in group h with 1992 champions denmark , norway , cyprus and iceland . world champions italy also face a testing time in six-nation group c after being drawn with serbia and slovenia , who have both qualified for this year 's world cup finals and will be seeking to continue that progress . three-time champions germany were drawn in group a with turkey , who they beat in the 2008 semifinals before losing to spain . neighbors and that year 's co-hosts austria are also in the same group along with belgium , kazakhstan and azerbaijan . netherlands , ranked third in the world behind spain and brazil , should be confident of qualifying from group e ahead of sweden , with finland , hungary also battling for a runner-up spot ahead of minnows moldova and san marino . two-time champions france are again drawn with romania , who failed to qualify from their 2010 world cup pool but made it through to euro 2008 . bosnia-herzegovina , beaten by portugal in the world cup playoffs last year , were also drawn in group d. russia failed to qualify for the world cup in south africa , but are joined in group a by a team who did as pool winners , slovakia , and the republic of ireland -- who lost a controversial playoff to france made infamous by thierry henry 's handball . draw for euro 2012 qualifiers : group a : germany , turkey , austria , belgium , kazakhstan , azerbaijan . group b : russia , slovakia , republic of ireland , macedonia , armenia , andorra . group c : italy , serbia , northern ireland , slovenia , estonia , faroe islands . group d : france , romania , bosnia-herzegovina , belarus , albania , luxembourg . group e : netherlands , sweden , finland , hungary , moldova , san marino . group f : croatia , greece , israel , latvia , georgia , malta . group g : england , switzerland , bulgaria , wales , montenegro . group h : portugal , denmark , norway , cyprus , iceland . group i : spain , czech republic , scotland , lithuania , liechtenstein .","the 2008 runners-up germany drawn with turkey , who they beat in that year 's semifinals" +"vicente del bosque ( cnn ) -- european champions spain were drawn with 2004 semifinalists the czech republic as they begin the defense of their title this year in qualifiers for the 2012 tournament in poland and ukraine . vicente del bosque 's team were placed in one of three five-nation groups on sunday , being the last out of the hat , with the other six pools featuring six teams . the nine group winners qualify automatically along with the best runner-up and the two hosts , with the other eight second-placed sides facing playoffs in november 2011 . spain and the czechs , the 1996 runners-up , are in group i along with scotland , lithuania and minnows liechtenstein , with the first qualifiers to be held in september this year . in the other five-nation pools , england are the top seed in group g and will have to get past 2008 co-hosts switzerland , the unpredictable but talented bulgaria , wales and montenegro . cristiano ronaldo 's portugal , quarterfinalists in 2008 and losing finalists at home in 2004 , were drawn in group h with 1992 champions denmark , norway , cyprus and iceland . world champions italy also face a testing time in six-nation group c after being drawn with serbia and slovenia , who have both qualified for this year 's world cup finals and will be seeking to continue that progress . three-time champions germany were drawn in group a with turkey , who they beat in the 2008 semifinals before losing to spain . neighbors and that year 's co-hosts austria are also in the same group along with belgium , kazakhstan and azerbaijan . netherlands , ranked third in the world behind spain and brazil , should be confident of qualifying from group e ahead of sweden , with finland , hungary also battling for a runner-up spot ahead of minnows moldova and san marino . two-time champions france are again drawn with romania , who failed to qualify from their 2010 world cup pool but made it through to euro 2008 . bosnia-herzegovina , beaten by portugal in the world cup playoffs last year , were also drawn in group d. russia failed to qualify for the world cup in south africa , but are joined in group a by a team who did as pool winners , slovakia , and the republic of ireland -- who lost a controversial playoff to france made infamous by thierry henry 's handball . draw for euro 2012 qualifiers : group a : germany , turkey , austria , belgium , kazakhstan , azerbaijan . group b : russia , slovakia , republic of ireland , macedonia , armenia , andorra . group c : italy , serbia , northern ireland , slovenia , estonia , faroe islands . group d : france , romania , bosnia-herzegovina , belarus , albania , luxembourg . group e : netherlands , sweden , finland , hungary , moldova , san marino . group f : croatia , greece , israel , latvia , georgia , malta . group g : england , switzerland , bulgaria , wales , montenegro . group h : portugal , denmark , norway , cyprus , iceland . group i : spain , czech republic , scotland , lithuania , liechtenstein .","vicente del bosque 's team face czech republic , scotland , lithuania and liechtenstein" +"beyonce ( cnn ) -- whose side are you on ? a : i do n't like hockey . ( i ca n't see the puck . ' too many fights . ' i do n't get the rules . ' i ca n't name a player except that wayne what's-his-name . gatsby . ' ) or : b : i like hockey . ( a lot better in person than on tv . ' baseball 's so slow . ' basketball 's all guys 8 feet tall . ' i would n't watch soccer if you paid me . ' ) me , i am b. hockey and i are old friends . i grew up in chicago , right now the hottest town on ice . i also lived in detroit , the self-named hockeytown , usa . ' i now reside in los angeles , current home of the game 's stanley cup . ( that 's the trophy that goes to the championship team , for those of you who would n't know a stanley cup from a sippy cup . ) the chicago blackhawks have been in the news . why ? well , that 's a good question . because they win a lot ? uh , kind of . because they do n't lose ? er , technically , no . i will try to explain it if you 've got a couple of minutes to kill . ( which is also a hockey thing ... killing a couple of minutes while a guy 's in a penalty box . ) chicago 's record is 21-0 . that 's how it looks in the national hockey league 's standings , at least . w 21 , l 0 . are the blackhawks unbeaten ? um , no . bleacher report : top 25 all-time chicago blackhawks it 's a little complicated . a hockey game no longer can end in a tie . it uses an overtime period to break a tie . if that does n't work , a shootout ' is held , similar to soccer 's . one-on-one vs. a goaltender until someone wins . as a reward for extending a game to overtime , a team is given a bonus point by the nhl . so , even if you lose a game in extra time -- as the blackhawks have -- you did n't lose . ' already knew that ? hey , you obviously know your hockey ! ( quick trivia question : a team in ohio is called the columbus blue jackets . true or false ? ) if you are into pucks , you might be aware that the blackhawks put together a pretty cool 30-game streak over a span of two seasons without being defeated in three 20-minute periods . chicago is aware . chicago 's on fire . the team is the talk of the town . cubs , schmubs . on national tv 's sports news , the two smokin'-hot teams have been basketball 's miami heat ( beating almost everybody they play ) and hockey 's blackhawks ( kinda sorta technically not losing to anybody they play ) . i suppose you have heard of miami 's basketball star . his name is lebron james . he grew up in ohio , where he never once wanted to grow up to be a blue jacket . but he did tweet that the blackhawks are awesome . i do not know if you know who chicago 's hockey stars are . one of them is jonathan toews , which is pronounced taves , ' not toes , not tweeze . he went to the university of north dakota , as most great athletes do . ( ok , maybe not most . ' ) another one is marian hossa , which is pronounced ho sa , ' not hoss sa , not hah sa . he is from stara lubovna , slovakia , where everybody probably watches him on cnn with no clue who lebron james is . a definite one is patrick kane , as in citizen . he was born and raised in buffalo , new york , where a boy is so lucky because he can play ice hockey outdoors 10 to 11 months a year . bleacher report : why the 2013 chicago blackhawks will go down as one of the best teams ever together with some sharp teammates , not the least of whom is patrick sharp , these guys have got chicago rocking and rolling . from the time tenor jim cornelison operatically belts out our national anthem ( or canada 's ) to the times they pump up the volume to chelsea dagger ' by the fratellis to celebrate a blackhawk goal , a home game at the united center is usually loud , usually sro and usually bigger than bieber and beyonce rolled into one . if i exaggerate , sue me . i checked with jay blunk to find out just how big things there are . jay is the team 's executive vice president ' we 've been very fortunate to experience unprecedented television ratings , ' he told me wednesday . merchandise sales have accelerated . the nhl announced that jonathan toews'jersey sales were the number one-selling jersey in the country for the month of february . we also just passed the 200 consecutive-game sellout mark . tickets have become some of the hottest regular season tickets in history . ' if he exaggerates -- and i doubt it -- do n't sue me . i 'm enjoying this too much . you see , it was n't so long ago my boyhood favorites the blackhawks were skating on ( insert thin ice ' cliche here ) . they looked as dead in the water as a cruise ship . a great organization had become disorganized . a popular team to watch had disappeared off the radar . a team born in 1926 had turned into the walking dead ( on skates ) . chicagoans lost interest . they had ditka 's da bears , followed by jordan 's da bulls , followed by a 2003 cubs team that could have won the world series and a 2005 white sox team that did . i moved back there in 2003 . the bad blackhawk team of 2003-04 played in 74 games and won 20 . espn the magazine ranked it 119th of 120 franchises in all of sports , in terms of ownership , fan relations , players , coaching , intangibles such as bang for your buck , ' ahead of only the houston texans , a new pro football team with zero dark history . home games were n't even shown on tv . on the nightly news , sportscasters gave time to highlights from games of the chicago wolves , a minor-league team , almost as much as they did the blackhawks . hey , if i liked minor-league hockey , i 'd live in rockford . i seldom saw anybody in a blackhawk jersey go out in public anymore , except maybe mike myers from wayne 's world . ' the 2004-05 season did n't happen . a union war broke out , and the nhl 's whole season was wiped out . chicago basically yawned . the blackhawks had n't won a stanley cup since 1961 . that was their first since 1938 . bleacher report : how will history view this team ? i was a hockey guy . i was n't just familiar with old-time hockey names such as bobby hull . i knew kenny wharram and ab mcdonald and moose ' vasko and bill hay . i thought of them as other chicago sports fans might think of a dick butkus or an ernie banks . so you can see , almost as exciting as winning 2010 's stanley cup was , why the 2013 superstart of the blackhawks is a sight to behold . los angeles finally cracked the ice ceiling in 2012 with the kings'first championship , which was a pleasure to watch . i have a daughter who recently asked whether i could get her hockey tickets . she did n't want one direction or lady gaga . she wanted kings versus red wings . i was so proud . hockey is n't for everybody . it 's just for us cool people . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of mike downey .","mike downey : home games are bigger than bieber and beyonce rolled into one '" +"middle east ( cnn ) -- gaze across the riyadh skyline and one building immediately demands your attention . towering high above the city , with its distinctive inverted arch , is the 992 ft kingdom center -- owned by the richest man in saudi arabia , if not the middle east . prince alwaleed bin talal al saud 's wealth has been estimated at anywhere between just over $ 20 billion by forbes and more than $ 30 billion by bloomberg . whichever way you look at it , it 's a lot of money -- could it be set to grow ? inside his majesty 's striking skyscraper is the headquarters of kingdom holding , one of the largest investment companies on the country 's stock exchange . with plans to open up the market -- known locally as the tadawul -- to foreign investors next year , this is the start of a brave new era for the phenomenally wealthy prince and saudi businesses . media mogul alwaleed already has high-profile stakes in media groups news corp , time warner ( cnn 's parent company ) , and walt disney . added to that , his $ 300 million stake in twitter has quadrupled in value in just two years . fellow billionaire , news corp ceo rupert murdoch , may have been unsuccessful in his recent attempt to take over time warner . but alwaleed believes it might not be the end of the story just yet . combining both companies ( news corp and time warner ) would have been a dream proposal because the amount of content the combined company would have had would have been tremendous , ' he said . knowing mr murdoch i think the idea is still in his mind . but i think the time is not right now because the management of time warner against it , and the shareholders of fox were also not for it . ' oil rich ? saudi arabia might be one of the world 's largest oil exporters , but alwaleed says now is the time for the kingdom to look beyond crude . it 's a huge worry when the price of oil goes down , ' he said . i have always called on the saudi government to reduce its dependence on oil , because as it stands today , 90 % of our annual budget is dependent on oil . and 50 % of our gdp is oil based . ' isis threat earlier this year , saudi arabia held exercises with 135,000 troops . but at a time where isis exerts its power across parts of the middle east , the prince does not believe boots on the ground is the way forward for his country . i think saudi arabia will not be involved directly in fighting isis in iraq or syria , because this does not really affect our country explicitly , ' he said . each killing by isis that takes place is unfortunate , but hopefully every time it happens the world will be more united in eradicating this disease that 's infecting the whole middle east . ' billion dollar question while other billionaires might downplay their fortune , the prince filed a lawsuit against forbes after he claims it underestimated his wealth . they 've been undervaluing my wealth for 10 years and i did n't give attention to it , ' he said . but when they came and attacked saudi arabia , and kingdom holding , and myself , that 's when i did n't accept that and that 's when we filed a lawsuit in the uk courts . ' one thing 's for sure , this is a businessman willing to put his money where his mouth is . insight : inside the world 's newest super mall watch : property hotspots in the middle east","meet prince alwaleed bin talal al saud , richest man in middle east" +"middle east ( cnn ) -- gaze across the riyadh skyline and one building immediately demands your attention . towering high above the city , with its distinctive inverted arch , is the 992 ft kingdom center -- owned by the richest man in saudi arabia , if not the middle east . prince alwaleed bin talal al saud 's wealth has been estimated at anywhere between just over $ 20 billion by forbes and more than $ 30 billion by bloomberg . whichever way you look at it , it 's a lot of money -- could it be set to grow ? inside his majesty 's striking skyscraper is the headquarters of kingdom holding , one of the largest investment companies on the country 's stock exchange . with plans to open up the market -- known locally as the tadawul -- to foreign investors next year , this is the start of a brave new era for the phenomenally wealthy prince and saudi businesses . media mogul alwaleed already has high-profile stakes in media groups news corp , time warner ( cnn 's parent company ) , and walt disney . added to that , his $ 300 million stake in twitter has quadrupled in value in just two years . fellow billionaire , news corp ceo rupert murdoch , may have been unsuccessful in his recent attempt to take over time warner . but alwaleed believes it might not be the end of the story just yet . combining both companies ( news corp and time warner ) would have been a dream proposal because the amount of content the combined company would have had would have been tremendous , ' he said . knowing mr murdoch i think the idea is still in his mind . but i think the time is not right now because the management of time warner against it , and the shareholders of fox were also not for it . ' oil rich ? saudi arabia might be one of the world 's largest oil exporters , but alwaleed says now is the time for the kingdom to look beyond crude . it 's a huge worry when the price of oil goes down , ' he said . i have always called on the saudi government to reduce its dependence on oil , because as it stands today , 90 % of our annual budget is dependent on oil . and 50 % of our gdp is oil based . ' isis threat earlier this year , saudi arabia held exercises with 135,000 troops . but at a time where isis exerts its power across parts of the middle east , the prince does not believe boots on the ground is the way forward for his country . i think saudi arabia will not be involved directly in fighting isis in iraq or syria , because this does not really affect our country explicitly , ' he said . each killing by isis that takes place is unfortunate , but hopefully every time it happens the world will be more united in eradicating this disease that 's infecting the whole middle east . ' billion dollar question while other billionaires might downplay their fortune , the prince filed a lawsuit against forbes after he claims it underestimated his wealth . they 've been undervaluing my wealth for 10 years and i did n't give attention to it , ' he said . but when they came and attacked saudi arabia , and kingdom holding , and myself , that 's when i did n't accept that and that 's when we filed a lawsuit in the uk courts . ' one thing 's for sure , this is a businessman willing to put his money where his mouth is . insight : inside the world 's newest super mall watch : property hotspots in the middle east","calls isis a diseases infecting the middle east '" +"philippe cousteau ( cnn ) -- my grandfather jacques cousteau and my father philippe dedicated their lives to revealing the ocean 's wonders and helping us understand our connection to this vast expanse of water . their work inspired generations and filled people with awe . times have changed and so have circumstances and perceptions about the ocean . in recent years , the focus has been on the very serious challenges the ocean faces and the impact these challenges are already having on our daily lives . the effects of climate change , pollution and overfishing should be making headlines because the ocean and all of us -- and i literally mean all humankind -- who depend on its resources are facing the very real prospect of the catastrophic collapse of ocean ecosystems if we continue on our current course . watch : going green : oceans on friday march 29 at 15:30 gmt despite the challenges our ocean faces , i believe it 's time to recapture the sense of wonder and inspiration my grandfather and father felt when they gazed on its surface . in fact , the ocean can and should be a source of hope and solutions for a brighter future . before you accuse of me of eschewing cold hard reality for a world view through rose-colored glasses , hear me out . what i 'm proposing is that we step back and look at the potential a healthy ocean has to provide us with a prosperous and sustainable future . just take a moment to think about what the ocean does for us on a daily basis : it produces half of the world 's oxygen ; it provides more than one billion people with their primary source of protein ; its natural eco-systems like coral reefs , mangroves and wetlands provide protection against coastal erosion and natural disasters such as tsunamis ; it regulates our climate ; and a healthy ocean fuels sustainable businesses and a strong economy in industries such as seafood , tourism , pharmaceuticals and shipping . read/watch :'the most imaginative person i 've ever met' that 's really only the beginning . check out ocean conservancy 's why the ocean matters ' feature if you want to be truly amazed . my point is the answers to many of our greatest environmental and social challenges literally surrounds us . for the ocean to continue to do what 's it 's done for millions of years and serve the needs of a rapidly expanding human population , it needs to be healthy . biodiversity , coral reefs , wetlands and trash-free seas are n't just terms on a page they are environmental imperatives that dictate the future of the planet . we have the know-how and resources to conserve and restore the aquatic and marine systems that keep the ocean and us healthy . as my grandfather once said , the technology that we use to abuse the planet is the same technology that can help us to heal it . ' big technology like renewable energy , carbon sequestration and advances in aquaculture certainly have a major role in restoring the ocean and the planet to a healthy balance , but in many cases it 's a matter of giving nature the space and time to do what it needs to do with a helping hand from all of us . regulations that help replenish and protect fish stocks , restoration and conservation projects to protect and nurture natural barriers like reefs and wetlands , and reforestation efforts are all things that can have a huge impact on ocean health with no rocket science necessary . take fisheries for example , with two billion people joining us on this planet over the next 40 years , there will be a huge need for more sources of protein . if these needed protein sources were to come primarily from livestock there is the very real potential for catastrophic pollution of water and land , not to mention the exponential increase in carbon emissions . but , by some estimates , simply managing fisheries better could feed up to one billion of those people and remember , seafood is 7-10 times more efficient as a source of protein than land-based meat sources ... if managed properly . if you are thinking this all sounds like the future of the ocean is in the hands of policymakers and big industry , please think again . every hour of every day each of us have the opportunity to make choices with impact , from what we eat and the things we buy to the examples we set for our children and friends . the good news is technology and future-focused groups are providing us with some great tools and resources to get inspired and make smart decisions . for example : the monterey bay aquarium 's seafood watch pocket guide and ocean conservancy 's rippl app or earthecho 's water planet challenge . we can make sure the ocean continues to provide inspiration , wonder and solutions for generations , however , it all comes down to personal and collective will . ask yourself this question : when you look upon the ocean 10 years from now , do you want to see a sad reminder of what could have been ; or do you want to be filled with awe and inspired by a sense of endless possibilities ? the opinions expressed in this article are solely those of philippe cousteau","it 's time to recapture our sense of wonder about the oceans , says philippe cousteau" +"east new york ( cnn ) -- beachgoers are being warned to stay out of the water this weekend at four popular beaches around new york city after raw sewage from a manhattan plant spilled into the hudson river , authorities said . health advisories also have been issued for portions of the hudson river , the east river , the harlem river and the kill van kull , cautioning people against participating in water-related activities such as canoeing , kayaking and swimming , according to the new york city department of health . the sewage spill began wednesday after a fire began in the engine room of the north river wastewater treatment plant , according to a press release friday from the new york city department of environmental protection . the sewage spill was stopped friday night , and two of the engines damaged by the fire have been brought back online , the department said . the health advisories were issued for south beach , midland beach and cedar grove beach on staten island , and sea gate in brooklyn , according to the release . the beaches are not closed , but the new york city department of health recommends that people not swim or enter the water at those locations . they also recommend that young and elderly people , as well as anyone suffering from a medical condition , not go near the water at those beaches . the advisories were expected to be in place until monday . that would encompass one of this summer 's hottest weekends , with the national weather service forecasting high temperatures saturday of 99 degrees fahreinheit and in the high 80s sunday . additionally , authorities were testing the waters in the harbor and at other aquatic locales that could potentially be affected by the sewage leak , the press release said . the plant is responsible for treating 120 million gallons of wastewater a day on manhattan 's west side . cnn 's jordana ossad and laura batchelor contributed to this report .","authorities are warning against swimming and kayaking in the hudson and east rivers" +"hudson new york ( cnn ) -- beachgoers are being warned to stay out of the water this weekend at four popular beaches around new york city after raw sewage from a manhattan plant spilled into the hudson river , authorities said . health advisories also have been issued for portions of the hudson river , the east river , the harlem river and the kill van kull , cautioning people against participating in water-related activities such as canoeing , kayaking and swimming , according to the new york city department of health . the sewage spill began wednesday after a fire began in the engine room of the north river wastewater treatment plant , according to a press release friday from the new york city department of environmental protection . the sewage spill was stopped friday night , and two of the engines damaged by the fire have been brought back online , the department said . the health advisories were issued for south beach , midland beach and cedar grove beach on staten island , and sea gate in brooklyn , according to the release . the beaches are not closed , but the new york city department of health recommends that people not swim or enter the water at those locations . they also recommend that young and elderly people , as well as anyone suffering from a medical condition , not go near the water at those beaches . the advisories were expected to be in place until monday . that would encompass one of this summer 's hottest weekends , with the national weather service forecasting high temperatures saturday of 99 degrees fahreinheit and in the high 80s sunday . additionally , authorities were testing the waters in the harbor and at other aquatic locales that could potentially be affected by the sewage leak , the press release said . the plant is responsible for treating 120 million gallons of wastewater a day on manhattan 's west side . cnn 's jordana ossad and laura batchelor contributed to this report .","authorities are warning against swimming and kayaking in the hudson and east rivers" +"senate a conservative blogger is in jail -- arrested for allegedly breaking into a mississippi nursing home to photograph u.s. sen. thad cochran 's ailing wife , who is suffering from dementia . it 's the worst , ' says the narrator of a new cochran campaign ad airing in the final stretch before the june 3 primary , not so subtly pointing the finger at his gop senate challenger , chris mcdaniel , trying to stir up voter disgust . this race , one of the nastiest so far this election year , has gotten even deeper in the mississippi mud than that . cochran supporters argue the reason the blogger and tea party activist took mrs. cochran 's picture was to feed questions about the senator and his longtime aide , kay webber . cochran : quiet pragmatist faces re-election challenge conservative outlets that back mcdaniel have been all over the fact cochran rents a basement apartment in webber 's d.c. home , and that webber has traveled extensively with cochran on the taxpayer 's dime . mcdaniel 's campaign often forwards these reports to its media email list , while the cochran campaign calls her trips with the senator part of her job and suggestions of anything untoward are sexist . new ads in nasty mississippi primary this republican primary was supposed to be about the big struggle of ideas within the gop : a 36-year senate veteran being challenged by a young tea party-backed opponent who calls the senator a big-spending , out-of-touch republican too entrenched in washington . now mcdaniel is fending off questions about whether his campaign was involved in trying to photograph cochran 's sick wife . our campaign had absolutely no connection to that whatsoever , and the evidence has shown that . what we 're doing right now -- we 're talking about the issues , ' mcdaniel told cnn in an interview . the next ted cruz ? but what gave ammunition to cochran allies is that mcdaniel 's story about when he found out about the break-in has been inconsistent . when we asked for clarification , mcdaniel would n't go there , replying , look , we 're going to focus on his record . ' three more arrested in mississippi senate primary scandal if mcdaniel has his way , he would be the next ted cruz , going to the senate to shake things up -- stick to conservative principles , compromise be damned . we do n't have six more years of the status quo , ' he said . i am not going to washington d.c. to be a member of the cocktail circuit or to make backroom deals . i 'm going up there to fight and defend the constitution . we do n't have time to waste . so with all due respect i would suggest they join me in this fight because they 've been silent far too long , ' he told us . he and i are very different with our ideology . he 's a guy that believes in big government . he believes in big spending . he believes in increasing taxes . he believes in increasing his own pay . i am not that guy , ' mcdaniel said . for the tea party movement nationwide -- after a string of primary losses this election year from kentucky to idaho -- mcdaniel has been its great hope of 2014 , the candidate with the best chance of toppling an establishment republican . things were looking good for mcdaniel earlier this year , especially after cochran stumbled by telling a local reporter here that the tea party is something i do n't really know a lot about . ' millions of dollars pouring into mississippi against cochran come from a who 's who of national tea party groups nationwide : citizens united , club for growth , senate conservatives fund , tea party patriots and freedomworks . the sunlight foundation , a nonprofit group that tracks money in politics , says outside groups have spent $ 7.6 million on the race , much of it for mcdaniel and against cochran . 2014 midterms : key races fighting back against tea party challenges but like other republican incumbents this year , cochran and his allies are fighting back hard . henry barbour , nephew of former mississippi governor and rnc chairman haley barbour , formed a super pac called mississippi conservatives to help cochran . they have been airing aggressive ads slamming mcdaniel as extreme , inconsistent and out of touch with mississippi 's needs . other traditional gop groups like the chamber of commerce have also come in with ads supporting cochran , like they have for gop incumbents in other states this year . still , cochran 's four decades in washington have won him loyal supporters . on memorial day , cochran attended an event in vicksburg . he was invited by the democratic mayor , george flaggs , who called him a mentor ' and great friend . ' flaggs told cnn he intends to vote for cochran in the gop primary since mississippi law allows democrats and others not registered as republicans to participate . he said cochran fights hard for mississippi 's needs and calls his seniority -- ranking republican on the powerful senate appropriations committee , a big plus for the state . he 's a leader ; he 's a statesman , and he 's what we need in washington . so stay as long as he wants to stay , ' flagg said . republican briggs hopson serves with mcdaniel in the mississippi state senate , and told cnn he likes mcdaniel but that cochran is the best person for mississippi right now . ' seniority can be a plus . people can lose touch and get lazy and all those things but i do n't think that 's the case with senator cochran . he 's been responsive to the needs in mississippi for many years , ' hopson told cnn .'those days are over' when we put those bipartisan sentiments to mcdaniel he responded with an emphatic , come on ! ' i say name one fight senator cochran 's lead against barack obama . name one time he 's raised his voice in defense of conservatism . name one time he 's fought back the liberal agenda . name one piece of legislation he 's authored in 42 years that benefited the conservative cause . name one thing that he 's been outwardly aggressive about . and they ca n't name one , ' mcdaniel told cnn . look , there may have been a time for that in 1973 when he first went to washington . maybe when richard nixon was president that was the thing people did . those days are over . ' we wanted to ask cochran himself why he thinks he should get another six years , after serving 36 in the u.s. senate and six before that in the house . but cochran is trying to run out the clock and avoid unforced errors -- and going to head-scratching extremes to avoid talking to reporters like us . we tried to catch cochran after his event in vicksburg , but when an aide came out and saw us waiting , they did a bait and switch -- the car they told us cochran was getting into screeched away without him , while he snuck out another door and left in another car , leaving reporters in the dust . special coverage : 2014 midterms","race for senate seat , already one of ugliest , has gotten nastier" +"frankfurt ( cnn ) -- two goals in three minutes from abby wambach and alex morgan put the united states into the final of the women 's world cup with a 3-1 victory over france wednesday . the teams were tied at 1-1 until wambach powered home a 79th minute header before young substitute morgan sealed the victory with a cool finish . the united states will play japan , who beat sweden 3-1 in the second semifinal in frankfurt to continue their superb run in the competition . lauren cheney had put the u.s. ahead in the borussia-park stadium in moenchengladbach as early as the ninth minute . but france , who had beaten england on penalties in a dramatic quarterfinal , responded by dominating possession . their deserved equalizer came in the 55th minute when sonia bompastor 's dangerous ball into the penalty area eluded u.s. goalkeeper hope solo without getting a further touch . at this point , france looked the more likely winners , but united states coach pia sundhage quickly introduced morgan and megan rapinoe from the bench to change the course of the game . si.com : 3 keys to the match prolific striker wambach put them ahead with a thumping header from a cheney corner which left french goalkeeper berangere sapowicz with no chance . the excellent rapinoe then played in morgan with a neat pass and she chipped sapowicz to wrap up the victory . but sundhage ackowledged they had been thoroughly tested by a french side who played with considerable flair . i think france played very well . we lost our legs in the second half but then we picked it up , ' she told eurosport . the reigning olympic champions are bidding for a record third world cup title after winning in 1991 and 1999 before hosts germany claimed the crown in 2003 and 2007 . japan caused the upset of the tournament by stunning the germans 1-0 in the quarterfinals and they showed their qualities again with a later impressive win over sweden to make a world cup final for the first time in their history . sweden made a fast start as striker josefine oqvist thumped the opener past japan goalkeeper ayumi kaihori on 10 minutes . but japan striker nahomi kawasumi equalized with a fine individual goal nine minutes later and put them ahead after the break . captain homare sawa wrapped up the japan win with her fourth goal in five games as her side beat top european opposition for the second straight game . they will return to frankfurt for sunday 's final against the united states .","new : u.s. will play japan who beat sweden 3-1 in second semifinal in frankfurt" +"boehner washington ( cnn ) -- whatever you think of his politics , house speaker john boehner has a great sense of humor . so perhaps he wo n't mind the question framed this way : what happened , in the course of just one week , to make speaker boehner the miss emily litella of immigration reform ? ( if i have lost you already , take a moment and search the web to understand the reference -- you wo n't regret it . ) never mind , ' was the trademark closing line of a character the late gilda radner made famous as a cast member on saturday night live . ' and never mind , ' is what speaker boehner might just as well have said thursday when he all but declared the immigration reform legislative debate dead for 2014 . listen , there 's widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws , ' boehner told reporters , suggesting white house executive actions to change provisions of the health care law had many conservatives worried the administration would n't feel bound by any immigration legislation passed by congress . citing that trust deficit , the speaker added : it 's going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes . ' there is without a doubt deep mistrust of the obama white house in the republican congressional ranks . but is that mistrust any greater than just a week ago ? of course not , and it was just a week ago that the same speaker boehner said this of the same immigration debate : ' this problem has been around for at least the last 15 years , it 's been turned into a political football . i think it 's unfair , so i think it 's time to deal with it . ' to be fair , the speaker a week ago was candid about the disagreements and skepticism within the republican ranks -- and among republican base voters critical to 2014 midterm success . that 's why , ' he said a week ago , doing immigration reform in a common sense , step by step manner helps our members understand the bite size pieces and helps our constituents build more confidence that what we 're doing makes sense . ' but to that point , again just a week ago , the word from house gop leadership aides was that boehner wanted to try to see if the house could act this year . and president obama tried to create some space for compromise , angering some liberals by telling cnn 's jake tapper he would not prejudge the final product -- opening the door to accepting a measure that provided legal status , but not a fast track , to citizenship for the estimated 11â½ million undocumented immigrants in the united states . now , it appears testing that spirit of compromise will have to wait until 2015 or beyond . what changed in a week ? nothing , say key boehner lieutenants . they insist people , primarily immigration activists and the media , read too much into what the speaker said a week ago . nothing'happened'per se , ' a top boehner aide said in an e-mail exchange . we just got started and getting started requires taking a sober view at the challenges that we face . all he did today was outline the challenges we need to overcome . ' those challenges -- the trust deficit as outlined by the speaker -- are most unlikely to be overcome in a heated election year . veteran gop strategist alex castellanos , who for years has been urging the gop to act on immigration , said the politics behind boehner 's shift were easy to understand . nothing the house would do would ever become law , ' castellanos said -- meaning that even if the house passed something , it was unlikely that differences with the senate could be worked out this year . so a house debate now , castellanos said , would divide republicans and become a political weapon democrats could use against republicans in 2014 . ' there is no doubt a vocal slice of the house gop conference was against acting on immigration this year -- arguing their biggest priority is turning out conservative base voters , many of whom view even legal status as amnesty . and on the senate side , gop leader mitch mcconnell had already served notice he had little appetite for revisiting the issue in that chamber before the election . not only does mcconnell face a tea party primary challenge but , as we illustrated last sunday on inside politics , ' most gop strategists see action on immigration this year -- whatever the long-term good it might do republicans -- as potentially harmful to gop prospects this year . the raw politics behind that view : in the 11 states where senate seats now held by democrats that are top gop 2014 targets , conservative turnout is critical and the latino population tiny to small . ( west virginia is lowest with just a 1 % latino population ; north carolina is the highest at 9 % . ) mcconnell saying it was n't going to get done -- burst the balloon , ' said gop strategist ana navarro , another voice who consistently stresses the urgency of acting on the immigration issue , yet sees the short-term political rationale of waiting . so does castellanos , again despite his longer-term worries about the gop and the latino vote . right now , the spotlight is center stage on the democrats , the president and obamacare , ' said castellanos . and the gop wants to do nothing to distract from that , certainly not start a food fight on immigration . '","a week ago , house speaker boehner said he wanted to try to act on immigration" +"boehner washington ( cnn ) -- whatever you think of his politics , house speaker john boehner has a great sense of humor . so perhaps he wo n't mind the question framed this way : what happened , in the course of just one week , to make speaker boehner the miss emily litella of immigration reform ? ( if i have lost you already , take a moment and search the web to understand the reference -- you wo n't regret it . ) never mind , ' was the trademark closing line of a character the late gilda radner made famous as a cast member on saturday night live . ' and never mind , ' is what speaker boehner might just as well have said thursday when he all but declared the immigration reform legislative debate dead for 2014 . listen , there 's widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws , ' boehner told reporters , suggesting white house executive actions to change provisions of the health care law had many conservatives worried the administration would n't feel bound by any immigration legislation passed by congress . citing that trust deficit , the speaker added : it 's going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes . ' there is without a doubt deep mistrust of the obama white house in the republican congressional ranks . but is that mistrust any greater than just a week ago ? of course not , and it was just a week ago that the same speaker boehner said this of the same immigration debate : ' this problem has been around for at least the last 15 years , it 's been turned into a political football . i think it 's unfair , so i think it 's time to deal with it . ' to be fair , the speaker a week ago was candid about the disagreements and skepticism within the republican ranks -- and among republican base voters critical to 2014 midterm success . that 's why , ' he said a week ago , doing immigration reform in a common sense , step by step manner helps our members understand the bite size pieces and helps our constituents build more confidence that what we 're doing makes sense . ' but to that point , again just a week ago , the word from house gop leadership aides was that boehner wanted to try to see if the house could act this year . and president obama tried to create some space for compromise , angering some liberals by telling cnn 's jake tapper he would not prejudge the final product -- opening the door to accepting a measure that provided legal status , but not a fast track , to citizenship for the estimated 11â½ million undocumented immigrants in the united states . now , it appears testing that spirit of compromise will have to wait until 2015 or beyond . what changed in a week ? nothing , say key boehner lieutenants . they insist people , primarily immigration activists and the media , read too much into what the speaker said a week ago . nothing'happened'per se , ' a top boehner aide said in an e-mail exchange . we just got started and getting started requires taking a sober view at the challenges that we face . all he did today was outline the challenges we need to overcome . ' those challenges -- the trust deficit as outlined by the speaker -- are most unlikely to be overcome in a heated election year . veteran gop strategist alex castellanos , who for years has been urging the gop to act on immigration , said the politics behind boehner 's shift were easy to understand . nothing the house would do would ever become law , ' castellanos said -- meaning that even if the house passed something , it was unlikely that differences with the senate could be worked out this year . so a house debate now , castellanos said , would divide republicans and become a political weapon democrats could use against republicans in 2014 . ' there is no doubt a vocal slice of the house gop conference was against acting on immigration this year -- arguing their biggest priority is turning out conservative base voters , many of whom view even legal status as amnesty . and on the senate side , gop leader mitch mcconnell had already served notice he had little appetite for revisiting the issue in that chamber before the election . not only does mcconnell face a tea party primary challenge but , as we illustrated last sunday on inside politics , ' most gop strategists see action on immigration this year -- whatever the long-term good it might do republicans -- as potentially harmful to gop prospects this year . the raw politics behind that view : in the 11 states where senate seats now held by democrats that are top gop 2014 targets , conservative turnout is critical and the latino population tiny to small . ( west virginia is lowest with just a 1 % latino population ; north carolina is the highest at 9 % . ) mcconnell saying it was n't going to get done -- burst the balloon , ' said gop strategist ana navarro , another voice who consistently stresses the urgency of acting on the immigration issue , yet sees the short-term political rationale of waiting . so does castellanos , again despite his longer-term worries about the gop and the latino vote . right now , the spotlight is center stage on the democrats , the president and obamacare , ' said castellanos . and the gop wants to do nothing to distract from that , certainly not start a food fight on immigration . '","on thursday , boehner said it would n't happen this year" +"vick atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- the atlanta falcons have relinquished their contractual rights ' to michael vick , one of the highest-paid players in professional sports before his conviction on dogfighting charges , the falcons manager said friday . michael vick will be confined to this hampton , virginia , house for the rest of his sentence . in a statement posted on the football team 's web site , general manager thomas dimitroff said , michael remains suspended by the nfl [ national football league ] . however , in the event nfl commissioner roger goodell decides to reinstate michael , we feel his best opportunity to re-engage his football career would be at another club . our entire organization sincerely hopes that michael will continue to focus his efforts on making positive changes in his life , and we wish him well in that regard , ' dimitroff said . the quarterback was drafted by the falcons in 2001 , and played six seasons with the team . vick , who will turn 29 on june 26 , pleaded guilty in august 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in virginia . he was freed from the u.s. penitentiary at leavenworth , kansas , on may 20 , and returned to his home in hampton , virginia , the following day . he will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement , his publicist , judy smith , said after his release . vick could have returned to professional football as soon as september if reinstated by the nfl , said the sports agent who negotiated vick 's 10-year , $ 140 million contract with the falcons . now , however , he has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy . a federal bankruptcy judge recently denied a plan presented by vick and urged him to offer another plan to handle his debts . the original plan called for vick to come up with $ 750,000 to $ 1 million in cash to be paid to creditors , u.s. bankruptcy judge frank santoro said , but he said he saw no evidence vick could come up with that much . santoro suggested vick 's next plan not call for him to keep two houses and three cars , as did the rejected proposal . vick , who acknowledged failing to handle his money well , told the judge he was earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison . he has offered to work with the humane society of the united states on anti-dogfighting campaigns , humane society president wayne pacelle has told cnn . he was to work on programs aimed at preventing youths from getting involved in dogfighting , and on programs to assist young people who have already been involved in the blood sport . in testimony before the bankruptcy judge , vick acknowledged committing a heinous ' act and said he should have acted more maturely .","if vick is reinstated , best nfl opportunity would be at another club , ' manager says" +"vick atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- the atlanta falcons have relinquished their contractual rights ' to michael vick , one of the highest-paid players in professional sports before his conviction on dogfighting charges , the falcons manager said friday . michael vick will be confined to this hampton , virginia , house for the rest of his sentence . in a statement posted on the football team 's web site , general manager thomas dimitroff said , michael remains suspended by the nfl [ national football league ] . however , in the event nfl commissioner roger goodell decides to reinstate michael , we feel his best opportunity to re-engage his football career would be at another club . our entire organization sincerely hopes that michael will continue to focus his efforts on making positive changes in his life , and we wish him well in that regard , ' dimitroff said . the quarterback was drafted by the falcons in 2001 , and played six seasons with the team . vick , who will turn 29 on june 26 , pleaded guilty in august 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in virginia . he was freed from the u.s. penitentiary at leavenworth , kansas , on may 20 , and returned to his home in hampton , virginia , the following day . he will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement , his publicist , judy smith , said after his release . vick could have returned to professional football as soon as september if reinstated by the nfl , said the sports agent who negotiated vick 's 10-year , $ 140 million contract with the falcons . now , however , he has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy . a federal bankruptcy judge recently denied a plan presented by vick and urged him to offer another plan to handle his debts . the original plan called for vick to come up with $ 750,000 to $ 1 million in cash to be paid to creditors , u.s. bankruptcy judge frank santoro said , but he said he saw no evidence vick could come up with that much . santoro suggested vick 's next plan not call for him to keep two houses and three cars , as did the rejected proposal . vick , who acknowledged failing to handle his money well , told the judge he was earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison . he has offered to work with the humane society of the united states on anti-dogfighting campaigns , humane society president wayne pacelle has told cnn . he was to work on programs aimed at preventing youths from getting involved in dogfighting , and on programs to assist young people who have already been involved in the blood sport . in testimony before the bankruptcy judge , vick acknowledged committing a heinous ' act and said he should have acted more maturely .","vick pleaded guilty in 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation" +"ben affleck ( ew.com ) -- right in the midst of monday night 's emmy pandemonium , 20th century fox dropped a new tv teaser for gone girl , ' david fincher 's upcoming adaptation of gillian flynn 's best-selling novel . much of the footage†” depicting rosamund pike and ben affleck 's perfect marriage gone awry and the media circus that follows after her character goes missing†” was recycled from previous clips . but here , we also get a glimpse at their first encounter , in which affleck 's nick dunne says , sorta creepily , i 'm the guy to save you ... from all this awesomeness . ' see the original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","ben affleck plays a man whose wife goes missing" +"obeidallah new york ( cnn ) -- is capitalism really about the ability of a handful of rich people to manipulate the lives of thousands of people and then walk off with the money ? ' the 1 % is doing fine . i want to help the 99 % . ' the above statements are the type you might expect to hear at an occupy wall street protest . but they were n't uttered there . instead , the first was from newt gingrich and the second was from mitt romney . we now have a war of words launched at the 1 % by the 1 % -- or in the case of mitt romney , the .01 % . these type of populist attacks escalated in the last few days as gingrich criticized romney for living in a world of swiss bank accounts and cayman island accounts ' and for earning $ 20 million a year income with no work . ' what 's going on here ? ! have we been transported to some bizarro world ' where everything is backward ? since when does the republican party care about income equality ? the answer is simple : these issues are now resonating with voters . more than 60 % of voters support policies addressing income inequality . indeed , an even higher number support raising taxes on the wealthiest americans . in 1992 , bill clinton 's then-campaign manager , james carville , famously hung a sign in the campaign office to remind clinton to focus on the most pressing issue of that presidential race : it 's the economy , stupid . ' today , that sign would be updated to read : it 's the income inequality , stupid . ' over the last 10 years , american families have become poorer with the median household income dropping by 7 % . some have termed this a lost decade ' as prices have risen , but our buying power has shrunk . and just as alarming , the number of americans living in poverty has risen to more than 46 million people , its highest rate since 1993 . at the same time , the rich have become richer . a recent study found the income of the top 1 % of americans almost tripled from 1979 to 2007 , increasing by 275 % . this means the gap between the wealthy and the rest of us in america is growing . the only time in america 's history that we have witnessed this type of chasm between the wealthy and poor was shortly before the great depression . but as former labor secretary robert reich detailed in his book aftershock , ' economic growth can only be sustained for prolonged periods of time when the gap between the rich and poor is narrowed . as reich notes , the top 1 % -- no matter how wealthy they become -- can not alone fuel our consumer-driven economy . only a vibrant middle class can accomplish that . if we continue down this path of greater income inequality , i fear the unthinkable could occur : the death of the american dream . the american dream ' -- at least to me -- is that each generation has the opportunity to live a better life than the one before . thankfully , we have not been a nation shackled with a socioeconomic caste system . instead , america has offered the prospect of economic mobility . it is this promise that has inspired americans to dream big . the american dream has also inspired millions to immigrate to this nation . my palestinian father and sicilian grandparents crossed many oceans to live in a country that offered them opportunity . they both were born in places where if you were n't rich by birth , your prospects for climbing the social ladder were low -- indeed , it would have been cruel even to harbor such dreams since there was almost no chance of realizing them . but america offered them a place to dream . years ago i heard u2 's bono sum up the difference between the united states and other nations when it came to economic opportunity . his quote has stayed with me ever since : in the united states , you look at the guy that lives in the mansion on the hill , and you think , you know , one day , if i work really hard , i could live in that mansion . in ireland , people look up at the guy in the mansion on the hill and go ,'one day , i 'm going to get that bastard .' will we become a nation where our destiny is no longer based on our actions , but on the happenstance of the economic tier we are born into ? a nation where we view the wealthy with contempt ? the wealthy paying their fair share of taxes should not be a partisan issue . history has shown that policies to promote greater income equality are good for all americans both economically and because they preserve the american dream that the rich , the poor -- and everyone in between -- can not only dream but can also achieve a better life for themselves and their family . join the conversation on facebook . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah .","obeidallah : will americans'destiny be based on the economic tier they 're born into ?" +"obeidallah new york ( cnn ) -- is capitalism really about the ability of a handful of rich people to manipulate the lives of thousands of people and then walk off with the money ? ' the 1 % is doing fine . i want to help the 99 % . ' the above statements are the type you might expect to hear at an occupy wall street protest . but they were n't uttered there . instead , the first was from newt gingrich and the second was from mitt romney . we now have a war of words launched at the 1 % by the 1 % -- or in the case of mitt romney , the .01 % . these type of populist attacks escalated in the last few days as gingrich criticized romney for living in a world of swiss bank accounts and cayman island accounts ' and for earning $ 20 million a year income with no work . ' what 's going on here ? ! have we been transported to some bizarro world ' where everything is backward ? since when does the republican party care about income equality ? the answer is simple : these issues are now resonating with voters . more than 60 % of voters support policies addressing income inequality . indeed , an even higher number support raising taxes on the wealthiest americans . in 1992 , bill clinton 's then-campaign manager , james carville , famously hung a sign in the campaign office to remind clinton to focus on the most pressing issue of that presidential race : it 's the economy , stupid . ' today , that sign would be updated to read : it 's the income inequality , stupid . ' over the last 10 years , american families have become poorer with the median household income dropping by 7 % . some have termed this a lost decade ' as prices have risen , but our buying power has shrunk . and just as alarming , the number of americans living in poverty has risen to more than 46 million people , its highest rate since 1993 . at the same time , the rich have become richer . a recent study found the income of the top 1 % of americans almost tripled from 1979 to 2007 , increasing by 275 % . this means the gap between the wealthy and the rest of us in america is growing . the only time in america 's history that we have witnessed this type of chasm between the wealthy and poor was shortly before the great depression . but as former labor secretary robert reich detailed in his book aftershock , ' economic growth can only be sustained for prolonged periods of time when the gap between the rich and poor is narrowed . as reich notes , the top 1 % -- no matter how wealthy they become -- can not alone fuel our consumer-driven economy . only a vibrant middle class can accomplish that . if we continue down this path of greater income inequality , i fear the unthinkable could occur : the death of the american dream . the american dream ' -- at least to me -- is that each generation has the opportunity to live a better life than the one before . thankfully , we have not been a nation shackled with a socioeconomic caste system . instead , america has offered the prospect of economic mobility . it is this promise that has inspired americans to dream big . the american dream has also inspired millions to immigrate to this nation . my palestinian father and sicilian grandparents crossed many oceans to live in a country that offered them opportunity . they both were born in places where if you were n't rich by birth , your prospects for climbing the social ladder were low -- indeed , it would have been cruel even to harbor such dreams since there was almost no chance of realizing them . but america offered them a place to dream . years ago i heard u2 's bono sum up the difference between the united states and other nations when it came to economic opportunity . his quote has stayed with me ever since : in the united states , you look at the guy that lives in the mansion on the hill , and you think , you know , one day , if i work really hard , i could live in that mansion . in ireland , people look up at the guy in the mansion on the hill and go ,'one day , i 'm going to get that bastard .' will we become a nation where our destiny is no longer based on our actions , but on the happenstance of the economic tier we are born into ? a nation where we view the wealthy with contempt ? the wealthy paying their fair share of taxes should not be a partisan issue . history has shown that policies to promote greater income equality are good for all americans both economically and because they preserve the american dream that the rich , the poor -- and everyone in between -- can not only dream but can also achieve a better life for themselves and their family . join the conversation on facebook . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah .","dean obeidallah says gop talks of income inequality because americans want to address it" +"wayne rooney ( cnn ) -- ryan giggs'career as a player-manager got off to a winning start as manchester united defeated relegation-threatened norwich city at old trafford . the united legend is temporarily at the helm of the red devils after david moyes was sacked on tuesday . giggs chose not to select himself for his first game in charge and instead watched from the dugout as his side , which bore six changes from last week 's loss at everton , cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory . wayne rooney opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 40 minutes and then added a second two minutes after the break . substitute juan mata knocked in a phil jones center after 62 minutes to make it three before stooping to claim his own quickfire brace after lucas antonia valencia rifled across goal 10 minutes later . the win matched united 's biggest victory of the season and saw the them register more shots on target than in any other league game under moyes . speaking to sky sports after the game , giggs revealed he had struggled to sleep the night before and dreaded telling the players who would miss out of his team selection . leaving the likes of juan mata out of the starting 11 was difficult and a position i 've never been in before . i 'm also one of their team-mates . i told them all individually and some of them were upset , but they did n't sulk . it 's good to end the day as we did , scoring goals and creating chances , ' he added . i reminded the players the tempo needed to be quicker at half-time and they reacted well to that . ' while delighted with the result , which was united 's first win since early april , giggs also said he was equally pleased with his team 's performance . united looked sharper , faster and more penetrative with their passing than they have in recent weeks , particularly after taking the lead . norwich had coped well up until then although the breakthrough arrived after some calamitous defending by the visitors . three norwich players missed opportunities to clear a weak cross into the box before the ball fell to the feet of united striker , danny wellbeck , who was duly hauled down by steven whittaker as he was about to shoot . referee lee probert pointed to the spot and wayne rooney stepped up to send norwich keeper john ruddy the wrong way . the second half began just as the first ended with rooney pushing forward and curling a shot beyond ruddy from 20-yards out . giggs then brought on juan mata who had dropped to the bench after last week 's defeat at everton and the spanish international made it 3-0 just after the hour , knocking in a phil jones cross . norwich were well beaten by this stage and a mata header after valencia fired across goal made it four shortly after . rooney and javier hernandez came close in the final ten minutes for united while a deflected shot from norwich 's leroy fer rebounded off the bar but the game would finish without any further scoring . norwich remain a point above the relegation zone in 16th position with two games to play after fulham blew a two goal lead at home to fa cup finalists hull city earlier in the day , spurning the chance to move above the canaries . fulham were two up with 15 minutes to play thanks to second-half strikes from ashkan dejagah and fernando amorebieta but late goals from hull 's shane long and nikica jelavic snatched a draw . elsewhere in england , west brom took a step closer to premier league survival with a 1-0 home victory over west ham while aston villa 's poor run of form continued as they were defeated 4-1 at swansea . in saturday 's lunch time kick-off , everton 's champions league hopes took a blow as they slumped to defeat at southampton . own goals from everton defenders antolin alcatraz and seamus coleman were enough to seal a 2-0 victory for the saints . a victory for tottenham at 10-man stoke means they now trail fifth placed everton by just three points . see also : is man utd too big a club to manage ? see also : from the chosen one to the sacked one","wayne rooney and juan mata both scored two goals each" +"ryan giggs ( cnn ) -- ryan giggs'career as a player-manager got off to a winning start as manchester united defeated relegation-threatened norwich city at old trafford . the united legend is temporarily at the helm of the red devils after david moyes was sacked on tuesday . giggs chose not to select himself for his first game in charge and instead watched from the dugout as his side , which bore six changes from last week 's loss at everton , cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory . wayne rooney opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 40 minutes and then added a second two minutes after the break . substitute juan mata knocked in a phil jones center after 62 minutes to make it three before stooping to claim his own quickfire brace after lucas antonia valencia rifled across goal 10 minutes later . the win matched united 's biggest victory of the season and saw the them register more shots on target than in any other league game under moyes . speaking to sky sports after the game , giggs revealed he had struggled to sleep the night before and dreaded telling the players who would miss out of his team selection . leaving the likes of juan mata out of the starting 11 was difficult and a position i 've never been in before . i 'm also one of their team-mates . i told them all individually and some of them were upset , but they did n't sulk . it 's good to end the day as we did , scoring goals and creating chances , ' he added . i reminded the players the tempo needed to be quicker at half-time and they reacted well to that . ' while delighted with the result , which was united 's first win since early april , giggs also said he was equally pleased with his team 's performance . united looked sharper , faster and more penetrative with their passing than they have in recent weeks , particularly after taking the lead . norwich had coped well up until then although the breakthrough arrived after some calamitous defending by the visitors . three norwich players missed opportunities to clear a weak cross into the box before the ball fell to the feet of united striker , danny wellbeck , who was duly hauled down by steven whittaker as he was about to shoot . referee lee probert pointed to the spot and wayne rooney stepped up to send norwich keeper john ruddy the wrong way . the second half began just as the first ended with rooney pushing forward and curling a shot beyond ruddy from 20-yards out . giggs then brought on juan mata who had dropped to the bench after last week 's defeat at everton and the spanish international made it 3-0 just after the hour , knocking in a phil jones cross . norwich were well beaten by this stage and a mata header after valencia fired across goal made it four shortly after . rooney and javier hernandez came close in the final ten minutes for united while a deflected shot from norwich 's leroy fer rebounded off the bar but the game would finish without any further scoring . norwich remain a point above the relegation zone in 16th position with two games to play after fulham blew a two goal lead at home to fa cup finalists hull city earlier in the day , spurning the chance to move above the canaries . fulham were two up with 15 minutes to play thanks to second-half strikes from ashkan dejagah and fernando amorebieta but late goals from hull 's shane long and nikica jelavic snatched a draw . elsewhere in england , west brom took a step closer to premier league survival with a 1-0 home victory over west ham while aston villa 's poor run of form continued as they were defeated 4-1 at swansea . in saturday 's lunch time kick-off , everton 's champions league hopes took a blow as they slumped to defeat at southampton . own goals from everton defenders antolin alcatraz and seamus coleman were enough to seal a 2-0 victory for the saints . a victory for tottenham at 10-man stoke means they now trail fifth placed everton by just three points . see also : is man utd too big a club to manage ? see also : from the chosen one to the sacked one","manchester united defeat norwich city 4-0 in ryan giggs'first game in charge" +"florida reno , nevada ( cnn ) -- a man who once appeared discreetly as a stunt pilot in movies became the center of national attention after a crash at a nevada air show . jimmy leeward is presumed dead after the friday crash . the 74-year-old owned leeward ranch , a pilot community in ocala , florida . the 500-acre gated community features plane enthusiasts who build custom homes on lots that include hangars . the community has a runway so that people can fly from their homes . the vision was to have a variety of great airplanes , a variety of great pilots , ' leeward said in a documentary about his ranch . and a place where everybody could really have a lot of fun . i wanted that as part of my vision to be something that was just like my father had in the 1930s . ' leeward started building the community in the 1980s with his sons and it has grown to more than 170 homes . some residents left condolences on leeward 's facebook page . his family also left a message on the page . dear friends , we are deeply saddened by the tragedy at the air race today . please join us in praying at this time for all the families affected , ' the message said . leeward , was flying a p-51 mustang in a reno air race friday , when he lost control and crashed . some witnesses are crediting him with using his flying skills to help limit the number of people injured .'i was ... preparing to die ,'witness at nevada air race crash says ' i think he was trying to do whatever he could right up to the end , ' said fred scholz , a witness . i could hear the engine ... i thought he was coming in on top of us . instead , he missed us by about 100 feet and went out into the box area in front of us . ' leeward , a son of a pilot , said that he was raised in airports . he worked as a stunt pilot in several films , including amelia ' and the tuskegee airmen . ' he had been part of the reno air race since 1975 , said mike houghton , president of the reno air racing association . he was very active in aviation . he did a lot of stunt flying for movies , ' he said . he was a close personal friend . well liked . great guy . great family man . '","he owns leeward ranch , a pilot community in ocala , florida" +"ocala reno , nevada ( cnn ) -- a man who once appeared discreetly as a stunt pilot in movies became the center of national attention after a crash at a nevada air show . jimmy leeward is presumed dead after the friday crash . the 74-year-old owned leeward ranch , a pilot community in ocala , florida . the 500-acre gated community features plane enthusiasts who build custom homes on lots that include hangars . the community has a runway so that people can fly from their homes . the vision was to have a variety of great airplanes , a variety of great pilots , ' leeward said in a documentary about his ranch . and a place where everybody could really have a lot of fun . i wanted that as part of my vision to be something that was just like my father had in the 1930s . ' leeward started building the community in the 1980s with his sons and it has grown to more than 170 homes . some residents left condolences on leeward 's facebook page . his family also left a message on the page . dear friends , we are deeply saddened by the tragedy at the air race today . please join us in praying at this time for all the families affected , ' the message said . leeward , was flying a p-51 mustang in a reno air race friday , when he lost control and crashed . some witnesses are crediting him with using his flying skills to help limit the number of people injured .'i was ... preparing to die ,'witness at nevada air race crash says ' i think he was trying to do whatever he could right up to the end , ' said fred scholz , a witness . i could hear the engine ... i thought he was coming in on top of us . instead , he missed us by about 100 feet and went out into the box area in front of us . ' leeward , a son of a pilot , said that he was raised in airports . he worked as a stunt pilot in several films , including amelia ' and the tuskegee airmen . ' he had been part of the reno air race since 1975 , said mike houghton , president of the reno air racing association . he was very active in aviation . he did a lot of stunt flying for movies , ' he said . he was a close personal friend . well liked . great guy . great family man . '","he owns leeward ranch , a pilot community in ocala , florida" +"isis ( cnn ) european counterterrorism agencies scrambled friday to assess the potential danger of a complex and growing terrorism threat exposed by the arrests of more than two dozen people with suspected links to islamic extremists . as many as 20 sleeper cells of between 120 and 180 people could be ready to strike in france , germany , belgium and the netherlands , a western intelligence source told cnn . european union and middle east intelligence agencies had identified an imminent threat ' to belgium , and possibly to the netherlands , the source told cnn . there is a tremendous amount of concern over sleeper cells in europe , ' said western official with direct knowledge of the situation . authorities worry about a rash of copycat attacks throughout europe , according to the official , who compared the problem to a slow-motion car accident happening right in front of us . ' intelligence officials in europe were trying to determine the nature of the wider threat , a senior european counterterrorism official told cnn . they were monitoring groups of men who have returned from fighting in syria . it is believed isis directed the men to return to europe to launch attacks in retaliation for airstrikes against the terror group in syria and iraq , according to the official . overall , authorities made 17 arrests related to the belgium threat -- 13 in belgium and four at two locations in france . here are the latest developments related to the terror threat in the west : • the suspected islamist terrorists who had a shootout with police on thursday in verviers , belgium , have ties to isis-linked cells in other european countries , a senior belgian counterterrorism source told cnn 's paul cruickshank . the two suspects who died in the shootout are believed to have fought with isis in syria , the source said . • a total of 122,000 police officers , gendarmes and military personnel are deployed across france as part of the security plan , interior minister bernard cazeneuve said . • there does not appear to be a command-and-control element to last week 's paris attacks at the offices of charlie hebdo magazine and two additional locations other than a general go forward and do something , ' the western official with direct knowledge told cnn . the attacks were highly franchised terrorism with general instructions . ' • sectarian turmoil in yemen is bolstering al qaeda in the arabian peninsula 's ( aqap ) local recruitment and buying it space for attacks against the west and train the next generation of bomb makers , according to one western diplomat . • metropolitan police assistant commissioner mark rowley , britain 's senior counterterrorism officer , said additional police patrols were being put in place at jewish community centers , synagogues and schools . • an 18-year-old woman was arrested at stansted airport near london on suspicion of terrorism offenses , london 's metropolitan police said on twitter . • british prime minister david cameron called on his country and the united states to fight the poisonous ideology ' behind the terrorist attacks that killed at least 17 people in france this month . britain and america both face threats to our national security from people who hate what our countries stand for and are determined to do us harm , ' cameron said at a white house news conference with president barack obama . • obama promised to do everything in our power ' to assist france in its effort to combat terrorism . • two people suspected of involvement with the alleged terror cell in verviers were detained trying to cross from france into italy through the frejus tunnel , a spokesman for belgium 's federal prosecutor 's office said . • belgian federal prosecutor eric van der sypt said 13 people were arrested in a dozen anti-terror raids . authorities believed the threat of a terrorist attack was very imminent . ' • the suspected terror cell , which included people returning from syria , planned to target police officers , van der sypt said . police said they recovered weapons , bomb-making materials and police uniforms . • belgium put 150 troops on standby for anti-terror operations . • at least a dozen people were detained in the paris region overnight in connection with last week 's shootings in paris , the city prosecutor 's office said . • two men in their early 40s were arrested in berlin on suspicion of links to isis , police said . they did not appear to have been planning attacks . berlin police spokesman stefan redlich said the investigation had started a year ago ; the police operation planned several weeks ago . • the netherlands said it was not raising its terror threat level , currently at substantial , ' the second-highest . that means there is a realistic threat , but no concrete or specific information of an attack , ' said government spokesman edmond messchaert . • the current level of security in belgium will remain for at least one month and will then be evaluated to determine if it needs to be modified , the country 's prime minister said late friday . from the time we are confronted with an increase in the threat , we went to level 3 on a scale of 4 ; we must mobilize the resources available , ' charles michel told cnn affiliate rtl . european counterterrorism agencies have been trying to identify and thwart potential threats after the deadly attacks in paris last week , in which 17 people were killed . security services are working to track those associated with the attackers : brothers said and cherif kouachi and amedy coulibaly . neetin karasular , a suspected belgian trafficker in weapons who met with coulibaly 's widow , hayat boumeddiene , is in custody , karasular 's attorney , michel bouchat , told cnn . karasular was charged with association with wrongdoers and firearm offenses , in charleroi , belgium . but his attorney said the arrest was not connected to the other belgian raids . coulibaly , who attacked a kosher supermarket in paris last friday , pledged allegiance to isis . however , the kouachis , the men who french authorities say carried out the deadly shooting at the offices of the french satirical magazine , are believed to have had links to aqap , which has claimed responsibility for the shootings . a european counterterrorism official told cnn that there were indications that isis leadership had directed returnees from iraq and syria to launch attacks in europe in revenge for syria and iraq airstrikes . the official , who cited france , the united kingdom and belgium as countries facing a particular threat , said counterterrorism agencies in germany are on high alert . several european nations , including the united kingdom , france , belgium and the netherlands , are participating in the air campaign against isis in iraq . cnn 's deborah feyerick , paul cruickshank , susannah palk , lindsay isaac and sophia saifi contributed to this report .","two men have been arrested in berlin on suspicion of links to isis , police say" +"heglig ( cnn ) -- the sudanese president has vowed to never give up ' a disputed oil-rich region that has escalated tensions with south sudan and sparked fears of the two neighbors'return to war . clashes between the two nations soared in the past week after south sudan declared the disputed heglig region is under its control . sudan also claims ownership and has lodged complaints with the united nations and the african union , urging them to pressure south sudan to withdraw troops from its territory . the united states on thursday called for both sides to stop the hostilities . we condemn south sudan 's military involvement in the attack on and seizure of heglig , an act which goes beyond self-defense and has increased tensions between sudan and south sudan to dangerous levels , ' state department spokeswoman victoria nuland said . we also condemn the continued aerial bombardment in south sudan by the sudanese armed forces . ' u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon urged both countries to return to the negotiating table . the last thing the people of these two countries need is another war -- a war that could claim countless lives , destroy hope and ruin the prospects of peace and stability and prosperity of all sudanese people , ' he said . china , which has invested heavily sudan 's oil industry , also argued for calm . china again calls for the two countries to immediately stop hostility and respect each other 's sovereignty , ' liu weiming , a spokesman for the chinese ministry of foreign affairs , said at a regular news briefing thursday . during a rally broadcast on state media , sudanese president omar al-bashir said , we will never give up an inch of our land . and we have said it before , whoever extends his hand toward sudan , we will cut it off . ' the international community has urged sudan and south sudan to return to the table amid intensified tensions . south sudan split from its neighbor in july under the terms of a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of a civil war . during the defiant speech , the sudanese leader told citizens that heglig is in kordofan , ' referring to a border state owned by the nation . we will punish them ... and it will be the last lesson for them , ' he said . if they do not understand , we will make them get it by force . we extended our hand before for peace and unity . but they deceived us . heglig is the start . ' south sudan did not immediately respond to the latest speech , but a military official vowed to retain a grip on the region a day earlier . we will hold this position , ' said maj. gen. mangar buong , a deputy commander for the south sudanese military . princeton lyman , the u.s. special envoy for sudan and south sudan , has been in both countries recently , holding meetings with government officials . there is an enormous amount of very emotional , very powerful rhetoric coming from here in khartoum raising the stakes in many ways and that 's worrisome in and of itself , ' he said on a conference call from khartoum on thursday . but he said that based on the discussions he 'd had in both khartoum and juba , i can say with confidence that virtually everyone i have talked to has said ,'look , we do n't want to go to all out war with the other , we need to find a way out .' tensions run deep between the two nations , which have outstanding issues despite their divorce last year . unresolved issues include status of citizens , how much the landlocked south should pay to transport its oil through sudan and the division of national debt , among others . the fate of disputed border areas is also a point of contention . as long-simmering tensions soar , rights group are warning of deteriorating humanitarian conditions . the deteriorating situation right now is making the overall humanitarian issues very challenging , ' said alex neve , secretary-general of amnesty international canada . neve , who is in the south sudan capital of juba , said supply lines at refugee camps have been cut off and failure to get key supplies before the rains will lead to a humanitarian crisis . in addition , there are reports of human rights violations . the refugees coming in across the border have consistent stories of aerial bombardments and ground attacks ' from sudanese soldiers , he said . cnn 's amir ahmed , david mckenzie , faith karimi and jamie crawford contributed to this report .","tensions intensified after south sudan said it seized the disputed heglig region" +"granderson ( cnn ) -- i do n't know if it 's sexism or wisdom or just plain fear , but men have been socialized to avoid saying two words in the presence of women . the first is fat . ' i know i do n't go there . and i do n't see a good reason why any man should . when women use the word around me i pretend not to hear it , and if asked a question with the word fat ' in it , i sneeze in my hand and then ask for a tissue . juvenile , yes , but it allows me to change the subject without having to answer the question . and i do n't ever want to answer that question . speaking of questions , the second word we should all stay away from is weave . ' i do n't care if a man sees a woman bald at the office on wednesday , with blond finger waves at the club on friday , and with jet black hair down to her butt at church on sunday -- if anyone asks if she wears a weave , the answer is i do n't know . ' she could be holding a receipt from weaves r us in one hand , and five pounds of hair in the other , and he should say i 'm not sure . ' at the salon where i get my dreadlocks retwisted , every third woman walks in with a bag of hair . i keep my head down , eyes closed and try not to breathe . i want to be as invisible as possible , because the last thing i want is for a woman in there to think i 'm aware of her lace-front , glued-in , braided back or whatever it is she 's got going on up there . and every man i know harbors that same level of sexism/wisdom/fear . which is why i had to talk to blaine stewart , who was not only brave and/or stupid enough to bring up his co-worker 's weave -- he did it right in front of her face . on live tv . stewart and laila muhammad host the morning show for wgnt in norfolk , virginia . during the halloween broadcast , stewart blew out the candle inside the jack-o'-lantern sitting on the desk . muhammad joked that if the smoke from the candle set off the studio sprinkler system , i 'm done for the day . ' sitting up here looking like a mop , ' she said . that 's when my main man stewart chimed in , you do not want a sprinkler system and a beautiful weave , because they do not go together . ' right now you 're probably thinking : oh no he did n't . and i 'm here to tell you : oh yes he did . and even as muhammad stared at him with her mouth hanging open and a high-pitched wail filling the room , poor stewart went on to say you said it was a weave -- right ? ' i had n't laughed that hard at a youtube clip since antoine dodson told us to hide our kids . and sites such as ybf and lipstick alley had a field day . i knew the first rule about not talking about fat , but i did n't know the second , ' he said . no one told me about the second . ' which is why i had to write this column , in an effort to save lives this holiday season . men , i do n't care if half of her track is dangling in a pot of black-eyed peas , you do not acknowledge that weave . you sneeze in your hand and go to the bathroom and pray that an aunt , a cousin , someone has told her by the time you get out . now , muhammad and stewart are great friends , and their rapport plays well on camera -- even while weave-gate ' was unfolding . the two even put out a follow-up to try to add more context to the story . stewart , who is bald , said the two actually talk about weaves on the show quite a bit , something he attributes to his latent hair envy . muhammad said the fact that she wears a weave is not a secret at the studio . she actually has long hair that is n't permed , but she chooses to wear a weave because daily exposure to the heat from the studio lights can damage hair . but muhammad said while she was comfortable with stewart and others knowing , she was shocked he put all of my business out there like that . ' i was n't mad at him -- but he clearly did n't know the rule , ' she said , laughing . no , i did n't run to hr . no , i did n't beat him up off set . no , i did n't have to explain my blackness to him afterwards . it was clear he was trying to make a compliment . ... he did n't mean to call me out . ' but that did n't stop some people from drawing a different , less forgiving conclusion . i was a little surprised by some of the pretty harsh things people said about me , ' stewart said . i do n't believe i 'm a racist or a white devil or a bitchy queen as some people have posted about me . i just was n't thinking . but it 's funny , we can talk about fake eyelashes , lip gloss , makeup and all of the other enhancements that we do , but when it comes to hair , we keep quiet . it 's the last taboo . ' that 's when i stepped in and reminded stewart that while weave-gate ' was bad , hair is not the last taboo . and if he did n't believe me , he should try bringing up the word fat ' and see what happens . of course , i wo n't do it . i know the rules . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson .","lz granderson says there are a couple of words men should avoid when talking with women" +"granderson ( cnn ) -- i do n't know if it 's sexism or wisdom or just plain fear , but men have been socialized to avoid saying two words in the presence of women . the first is fat . ' i know i do n't go there . and i do n't see a good reason why any man should . when women use the word around me i pretend not to hear it , and if asked a question with the word fat ' in it , i sneeze in my hand and then ask for a tissue . juvenile , yes , but it allows me to change the subject without having to answer the question . and i do n't ever want to answer that question . speaking of questions , the second word we should all stay away from is weave . ' i do n't care if a man sees a woman bald at the office on wednesday , with blond finger waves at the club on friday , and with jet black hair down to her butt at church on sunday -- if anyone asks if she wears a weave , the answer is i do n't know . ' she could be holding a receipt from weaves r us in one hand , and five pounds of hair in the other , and he should say i 'm not sure . ' at the salon where i get my dreadlocks retwisted , every third woman walks in with a bag of hair . i keep my head down , eyes closed and try not to breathe . i want to be as invisible as possible , because the last thing i want is for a woman in there to think i 'm aware of her lace-front , glued-in , braided back or whatever it is she 's got going on up there . and every man i know harbors that same level of sexism/wisdom/fear . which is why i had to talk to blaine stewart , who was not only brave and/or stupid enough to bring up his co-worker 's weave -- he did it right in front of her face . on live tv . stewart and laila muhammad host the morning show for wgnt in norfolk , virginia . during the halloween broadcast , stewart blew out the candle inside the jack-o'-lantern sitting on the desk . muhammad joked that if the smoke from the candle set off the studio sprinkler system , i 'm done for the day . ' sitting up here looking like a mop , ' she said . that 's when my main man stewart chimed in , you do not want a sprinkler system and a beautiful weave , because they do not go together . ' right now you 're probably thinking : oh no he did n't . and i 'm here to tell you : oh yes he did . and even as muhammad stared at him with her mouth hanging open and a high-pitched wail filling the room , poor stewart went on to say you said it was a weave -- right ? ' i had n't laughed that hard at a youtube clip since antoine dodson told us to hide our kids . and sites such as ybf and lipstick alley had a field day . i knew the first rule about not talking about fat , but i did n't know the second , ' he said . no one told me about the second . ' which is why i had to write this column , in an effort to save lives this holiday season . men , i do n't care if half of her track is dangling in a pot of black-eyed peas , you do not acknowledge that weave . you sneeze in your hand and go to the bathroom and pray that an aunt , a cousin , someone has told her by the time you get out . now , muhammad and stewart are great friends , and their rapport plays well on camera -- even while weave-gate ' was unfolding . the two even put out a follow-up to try to add more context to the story . stewart , who is bald , said the two actually talk about weaves on the show quite a bit , something he attributes to his latent hair envy . muhammad said the fact that she wears a weave is not a secret at the studio . she actually has long hair that is n't permed , but she chooses to wear a weave because daily exposure to the heat from the studio lights can damage hair . but muhammad said while she was comfortable with stewart and others knowing , she was shocked he put all of my business out there like that . ' i was n't mad at him -- but he clearly did n't know the rule , ' she said , laughing . no , i did n't run to hr . no , i did n't beat him up off set . no , i did n't have to explain my blackness to him afterwards . it was clear he was trying to make a compliment . ... he did n't mean to call me out . ' but that did n't stop some people from drawing a different , less forgiving conclusion . i was a little surprised by some of the pretty harsh things people said about me , ' stewart said . i do n't believe i 'm a racist or a white devil or a bitchy queen as some people have posted about me . i just was n't thinking . but it 's funny , we can talk about fake eyelashes , lip gloss , makeup and all of the other enhancements that we do , but when it comes to hair , we keep quiet . it 's the last taboo . ' that 's when i stepped in and reminded stewart that while weave-gate ' was bad , hair is not the last taboo . and if he did n't believe me , he should try bringing up the word fat ' and see what happens . of course , i wo n't do it . i know the rules . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson .","granderson : men , you can mention almost anything else -- but not the weave" +"granderson ( cnn ) -- i do n't know if it 's sexism or wisdom or just plain fear , but men have been socialized to avoid saying two words in the presence of women . the first is fat . ' i know i do n't go there . and i do n't see a good reason why any man should . when women use the word around me i pretend not to hear it , and if asked a question with the word fat ' in it , i sneeze in my hand and then ask for a tissue . juvenile , yes , but it allows me to change the subject without having to answer the question . and i do n't ever want to answer that question . speaking of questions , the second word we should all stay away from is weave . ' i do n't care if a man sees a woman bald at the office on wednesday , with blond finger waves at the club on friday , and with jet black hair down to her butt at church on sunday -- if anyone asks if she wears a weave , the answer is i do n't know . ' she could be holding a receipt from weaves r us in one hand , and five pounds of hair in the other , and he should say i 'm not sure . ' at the salon where i get my dreadlocks retwisted , every third woman walks in with a bag of hair . i keep my head down , eyes closed and try not to breathe . i want to be as invisible as possible , because the last thing i want is for a woman in there to think i 'm aware of her lace-front , glued-in , braided back or whatever it is she 's got going on up there . and every man i know harbors that same level of sexism/wisdom/fear . which is why i had to talk to blaine stewart , who was not only brave and/or stupid enough to bring up his co-worker 's weave -- he did it right in front of her face . on live tv . stewart and laila muhammad host the morning show for wgnt in norfolk , virginia . during the halloween broadcast , stewart blew out the candle inside the jack-o'-lantern sitting on the desk . muhammad joked that if the smoke from the candle set off the studio sprinkler system , i 'm done for the day . ' sitting up here looking like a mop , ' she said . that 's when my main man stewart chimed in , you do not want a sprinkler system and a beautiful weave , because they do not go together . ' right now you 're probably thinking : oh no he did n't . and i 'm here to tell you : oh yes he did . and even as muhammad stared at him with her mouth hanging open and a high-pitched wail filling the room , poor stewart went on to say you said it was a weave -- right ? ' i had n't laughed that hard at a youtube clip since antoine dodson told us to hide our kids . and sites such as ybf and lipstick alley had a field day . i knew the first rule about not talking about fat , but i did n't know the second , ' he said . no one told me about the second . ' which is why i had to write this column , in an effort to save lives this holiday season . men , i do n't care if half of her track is dangling in a pot of black-eyed peas , you do not acknowledge that weave . you sneeze in your hand and go to the bathroom and pray that an aunt , a cousin , someone has told her by the time you get out . now , muhammad and stewart are great friends , and their rapport plays well on camera -- even while weave-gate ' was unfolding . the two even put out a follow-up to try to add more context to the story . stewart , who is bald , said the two actually talk about weaves on the show quite a bit , something he attributes to his latent hair envy . muhammad said the fact that she wears a weave is not a secret at the studio . she actually has long hair that is n't permed , but she chooses to wear a weave because daily exposure to the heat from the studio lights can damage hair . but muhammad said while she was comfortable with stewart and others knowing , she was shocked he put all of my business out there like that . ' i was n't mad at him -- but he clearly did n't know the rule , ' she said , laughing . no , i did n't run to hr . no , i did n't beat him up off set . no , i did n't have to explain my blackness to him afterwards . it was clear he was trying to make a compliment . ... he did n't mean to call me out . ' but that did n't stop some people from drawing a different , less forgiving conclusion . i was a little surprised by some of the pretty harsh things people said about me , ' stewart said . i do n't believe i 'm a racist or a white devil or a bitchy queen as some people have posted about me . i just was n't thinking . but it 's funny , we can talk about fake eyelashes , lip gloss , makeup and all of the other enhancements that we do , but when it comes to hair , we keep quiet . it 's the last taboo . ' that 's when i stepped in and reminded stewart that while weave-gate ' was bad , hair is not the last taboo . and if he did n't believe me , he should try bringing up the word fat ' and see what happens . of course , i wo n't do it . i know the rules . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson .","granderson says the male co-host said he did n't know the rule" +"amnesty international the villagers had congregated at the tent , as they often did at the end of the workday , to sit and chat . among them were men who sold vegetables or wood . others mined or traded minerals used to make alloys like stainless steel . they were husbands and fathers , brothers and sons . but unlike villagers who might gather like this in many other parts of the world , these men had strange company at their customary get-together . they were living in north waziristan , one of pakistan 's thinly governed tribal areas bordering afghanistan and a hotbed of militancy . hanging above them in the evening sky were four remotely piloted aircraft . drones . without warning , the aircraft unleashed a volley of missiles that struck the tent , killing eight people . a few minutes later , after other villagers had approached the wreckage to help the victims , the drones fired again , deepening the carnage . by the end , 18 people were dead , including at 14-year-old boy , and 22 others were wounded , including an 8-year-old girl . body parts were scattered everywhere . bodies without heads and bodies without hands or legs , ' said ahsan , a miner and local resident who had been praying at the time of the first wave of missiles . malala to obamas : drone strikes'fueling terrorism'will i be next ?'ahsan 's account of the attack in the village of zowi sidgi in july 2012 , along with those of other witnesses and victims'relatives , form part of a report released tuesday by amnesty international titled 'will i be next ?'u.s. drone strikes in pakistan . ' the report provides detailed information on nine out of 45 drone strikes it says were carried out by the united states in north waziristan between january 2012 and september 2013 . in some of the attacks , it says , the victims were n't members of militant groups like al qaeda or the taliban , but just ordinary civilians , like the workers in zowi sidgi . it recounts another strike , in october 2012 , in which a 68-year-old woman , mamana bibi , was blown apart by a drone as she picked vegetables in front of her grandchildren , several of whom were injured in the attack . amnesty international is seriously concerned that these and other strikes have resulted in unlawful killings that may constitute extrajudicial executions or war crimes , ' the report said . mustafa qadri , amnesty international 's pakistan researcher , said that while war crimes have possibly been committed , that can not be confirmed without more information from the u.s. government . leaders due to meet made public the day before pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif is due to meet u.s. president barack obama in washington , the report calls for a series of measures to bring the drone program in line with international law . those include conducting impartial investigations into the cases documented , bringing those responsible for human rights violations to justice and offering compensation to civilian victims'families . on tuesday , sharif was at the united states institute of peace in washington . recently our political parties in a national conference declared the use of drones is not only a continued violation of our territorial integrity but also detrimental to our resolve at efforts in eliminating terrorism from our country , ' sharif said . this issue has become a major irritant in our bilateral relationship as well . i therefore would stress the need for an end to the drone attacks . ' sharif has previously called for an end to the u.s. drone program in pakistan , where it has stirred deep anger , and will raise the issue with obama on wednesday , said aizaz ahmad chaudhry , a spokesman for the pakistani foreign ministry . the government of pakistan believes drone strikes are against international law and the sovereignty of pakistan , ' chaudhry told cnn . drone strikes are counterproductive to fighting terrorism . ' pakistan wants to persuade the united states to stop using drones , he said . international opinion is against drone strikes , not just here in pakistan , but in the world , ' chaudhry said . this opinion is strengthening . ' adding to the pressure , human rights watch also released a report on u.s. drone attacks tuesday -- this one focusing on yemen . letta taylor , a senior counterterrorism researcher for human rights watch , said the group found at least two clear cases of violations of international laws of war , but those did not reach war crimes status . the group said four of the six attacks it had investigated may have violated the laws of war . ' sources : drone strikes in yemen kill 6 , including senior aqap leaders lack of u.s. disclosure based on extensive field research , the reports underlined the difficulties of gathering information on attacks in dangerous areas of pakistan and yemen . we found that despite assurances from president obama that ( the u.s. government is ) doing its utmost to protect civilians from harm , that in fact in many cases it is killing innocent civilians , even dozens of them , if not more , ' taylor said . and both reports noted the u.s. government 's unwillingness to talk about the cases . the lack of information from u.s. authorities , amnesty said , makes it impossible to reach firm conclusions about the context in which the u.s. drone attacks on mamana bibi and on the 18 laborers took place , and therefore their status under international law . ' white house press secretary jay carney rejected the idea that the united states has violated any laws . to the extent these reports claim that the u.s. has acted contrary to international law we would strongly disagree , ' he said at a press briefing tuesday . the administration has repeatedly emphasized the extraordinary care that we take to make sure that counterterrorism actions are in accordance with all applicable law . ' the u.s. government has said strikes by the unmanned aircraft are a necessary part of the fight against militant groups . in may , obama defended the drone program and disclosed the guidelines determining its use . he said drones would be deployed only when there is an imminent threat , no hope of capturing the targeted terrorist , near certainty ' that civilians would n't be harmed and no other governments capable of effectively addressing the threat . ' civilian victims in yemen but human rights watch said the evidence it had gathered strongly suggests ' that the strikes in yemen it documented did not adhere ' to the policies set out by obama . the group said the attacks its report covers took place between 2009 and 2013 , killing 82 people , at least 57 of them civilians . the strikes ostensibly targeted suspected members of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula ( aqap ) , but victims included women , children , truck drivers and other civilians , the report said . at least four of the strikes were carried out by drones , a fifth strike by either drones or warplanes , and a sixth one by cruise missiles releasing cluster munitions , indiscriminate weapons that pose unacceptable dangers to civilians , ' it said . the report also questioned the military validity of several of the suspected al qaeda operatives targeted . fear and polarization both reports describe the climate of fear created by the drones in pakistan and yemen , and the polarizing effect the attacks are having on local populations . the ultimate tragedy is that the drone aircraft the usa deploys over pakistan now instill the same kind of fear in the people of the tribal areas that was once associated only with al qaeda and the taliban , ' said the amnesty report . like other forces operating in the tribal areas , the usa appears to be exploiting the lawless and remote nature of the region to evade accountability for its violations , ' it said . human rights watch described a similar situation in yemen . we yemenis are the ones who pay the price of the'war on terror ,'' faisal bin ali jaber , a relative of a cleric and a police officer who were both killed in a drone attack in august 2012 , was quoted as saying in the report . we are caught between a drone on one side and al qaeda on the other . ' the report warned that should the united states continue targeted killings in yemen without addressing the consequences of killing civilians and taking responsibility for unlawful deaths , it risks further angering many yemenis and handing another recruiting card to aqap . ''a dangerous precedent' the reports set out a list of recommendations , primarily for the u.s. government , but also for authorities in pakistan and yemen . more broadly , amnesty warned that the american government may be setting a troubling standard in its use of drones that other countries could follow . u.s. policy and practice on targeted killings and drones are not only of concern in their own right : they also set a dangerous precedent that other states may seek to exploit to avoid responsibility for their own unlawful killings , ' the report said . in yemen , images of the charred , shattered remains of the cleric and policemen killed in august 2012 have circulated in the village where the attack took place , the human rights watch report says . now when villagers see these images , ' jaber , the relative , was quoted as saying , they think of america . '","amnesty international and human rights watch release highly critical reports" +"amnesty international the villagers had congregated at the tent , as they often did at the end of the workday , to sit and chat . among them were men who sold vegetables or wood . others mined or traded minerals used to make alloys like stainless steel . they were husbands and fathers , brothers and sons . but unlike villagers who might gather like this in many other parts of the world , these men had strange company at their customary get-together . they were living in north waziristan , one of pakistan 's thinly governed tribal areas bordering afghanistan and a hotbed of militancy . hanging above them in the evening sky were four remotely piloted aircraft . drones . without warning , the aircraft unleashed a volley of missiles that struck the tent , killing eight people . a few minutes later , after other villagers had approached the wreckage to help the victims , the drones fired again , deepening the carnage . by the end , 18 people were dead , including at 14-year-old boy , and 22 others were wounded , including an 8-year-old girl . body parts were scattered everywhere . bodies without heads and bodies without hands or legs , ' said ahsan , a miner and local resident who had been praying at the time of the first wave of missiles . malala to obamas : drone strikes'fueling terrorism'will i be next ?'ahsan 's account of the attack in the village of zowi sidgi in july 2012 , along with those of other witnesses and victims'relatives , form part of a report released tuesday by amnesty international titled 'will i be next ?'u.s. drone strikes in pakistan . ' the report provides detailed information on nine out of 45 drone strikes it says were carried out by the united states in north waziristan between january 2012 and september 2013 . in some of the attacks , it says , the victims were n't members of militant groups like al qaeda or the taliban , but just ordinary civilians , like the workers in zowi sidgi . it recounts another strike , in october 2012 , in which a 68-year-old woman , mamana bibi , was blown apart by a drone as she picked vegetables in front of her grandchildren , several of whom were injured in the attack . amnesty international is seriously concerned that these and other strikes have resulted in unlawful killings that may constitute extrajudicial executions or war crimes , ' the report said . mustafa qadri , amnesty international 's pakistan researcher , said that while war crimes have possibly been committed , that can not be confirmed without more information from the u.s. government . leaders due to meet made public the day before pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif is due to meet u.s. president barack obama in washington , the report calls for a series of measures to bring the drone program in line with international law . those include conducting impartial investigations into the cases documented , bringing those responsible for human rights violations to justice and offering compensation to civilian victims'families . on tuesday , sharif was at the united states institute of peace in washington . recently our political parties in a national conference declared the use of drones is not only a continued violation of our territorial integrity but also detrimental to our resolve at efforts in eliminating terrorism from our country , ' sharif said . this issue has become a major irritant in our bilateral relationship as well . i therefore would stress the need for an end to the drone attacks . ' sharif has previously called for an end to the u.s. drone program in pakistan , where it has stirred deep anger , and will raise the issue with obama on wednesday , said aizaz ahmad chaudhry , a spokesman for the pakistani foreign ministry . the government of pakistan believes drone strikes are against international law and the sovereignty of pakistan , ' chaudhry told cnn . drone strikes are counterproductive to fighting terrorism . ' pakistan wants to persuade the united states to stop using drones , he said . international opinion is against drone strikes , not just here in pakistan , but in the world , ' chaudhry said . this opinion is strengthening . ' adding to the pressure , human rights watch also released a report on u.s. drone attacks tuesday -- this one focusing on yemen . letta taylor , a senior counterterrorism researcher for human rights watch , said the group found at least two clear cases of violations of international laws of war , but those did not reach war crimes status . the group said four of the six attacks it had investigated may have violated the laws of war . ' sources : drone strikes in yemen kill 6 , including senior aqap leaders lack of u.s. disclosure based on extensive field research , the reports underlined the difficulties of gathering information on attacks in dangerous areas of pakistan and yemen . we found that despite assurances from president obama that ( the u.s. government is ) doing its utmost to protect civilians from harm , that in fact in many cases it is killing innocent civilians , even dozens of them , if not more , ' taylor said . and both reports noted the u.s. government 's unwillingness to talk about the cases . the lack of information from u.s. authorities , amnesty said , makes it impossible to reach firm conclusions about the context in which the u.s. drone attacks on mamana bibi and on the 18 laborers took place , and therefore their status under international law . ' white house press secretary jay carney rejected the idea that the united states has violated any laws . to the extent these reports claim that the u.s. has acted contrary to international law we would strongly disagree , ' he said at a press briefing tuesday . the administration has repeatedly emphasized the extraordinary care that we take to make sure that counterterrorism actions are in accordance with all applicable law . ' the u.s. government has said strikes by the unmanned aircraft are a necessary part of the fight against militant groups . in may , obama defended the drone program and disclosed the guidelines determining its use . he said drones would be deployed only when there is an imminent threat , no hope of capturing the targeted terrorist , near certainty ' that civilians would n't be harmed and no other governments capable of effectively addressing the threat . ' civilian victims in yemen but human rights watch said the evidence it had gathered strongly suggests ' that the strikes in yemen it documented did not adhere ' to the policies set out by obama . the group said the attacks its report covers took place between 2009 and 2013 , killing 82 people , at least 57 of them civilians . the strikes ostensibly targeted suspected members of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula ( aqap ) , but victims included women , children , truck drivers and other civilians , the report said . at least four of the strikes were carried out by drones , a fifth strike by either drones or warplanes , and a sixth one by cruise missiles releasing cluster munitions , indiscriminate weapons that pose unacceptable dangers to civilians , ' it said . the report also questioned the military validity of several of the suspected al qaeda operatives targeted . fear and polarization both reports describe the climate of fear created by the drones in pakistan and yemen , and the polarizing effect the attacks are having on local populations . the ultimate tragedy is that the drone aircraft the usa deploys over pakistan now instill the same kind of fear in the people of the tribal areas that was once associated only with al qaeda and the taliban , ' said the amnesty report . like other forces operating in the tribal areas , the usa appears to be exploiting the lawless and remote nature of the region to evade accountability for its violations , ' it said . human rights watch described a similar situation in yemen . we yemenis are the ones who pay the price of the'war on terror ,'' faisal bin ali jaber , a relative of a cleric and a police officer who were both killed in a drone attack in august 2012 , was quoted as saying in the report . we are caught between a drone on one side and al qaeda on the other . ' the report warned that should the united states continue targeted killings in yemen without addressing the consequences of killing civilians and taking responsibility for unlawful deaths , it risks further angering many yemenis and handing another recruiting card to aqap . ''a dangerous precedent' the reports set out a list of recommendations , primarily for the u.s. government , but also for authorities in pakistan and yemen . more broadly , amnesty warned that the american government may be setting a troubling standard in its use of drones that other countries could follow . u.s. policy and practice on targeted killings and drones are not only of concern in their own right : they also set a dangerous precedent that other states may seek to exploit to avoid responsibility for their own unlawful killings , ' the report said . in yemen , images of the charred , shattered remains of the cleric and policemen killed in august 2012 have circulated in the village where the attack took place , the human rights watch report says . now when villagers see these images , ' jaber , the relative , was quoted as saying , they think of america . '","amnesty international suggests that some of the attacks may constitute war crimes" +"2 chainz ( cnn ) -- the rumor blowing up saturday was that day 2 of the coachella valley music & arts festival could feature a surprise appearance by electronica icons daft punk . according to the twitterverse , it would probably take place during the set of headliners phoenix . but when the special guest finally materialized on the main stage , it was n't daft punk , it was r. kelly . yes , that r. kelly . the controversial r & b legend 's unexpected appearance prompted festival-goer katy perry to reference last year 's popular tupac appearance on twitter : production value has really gone up at ( coachella ) , it felt like r. kelly was really there ! # rkellyhologram ' taking the stage near the end of night , kelly joined the headliners for a mashup of their 1901 ' and his ignition . ' kelly was n't the only r & b artist to make a cameo at coachella on saturday . john legend premiered his benny benassi-produced single dance the pain away ' in the sahara tent during the dj 's set , and solange made a guest appearance during the performance of her friends the xx . their special coachella remix of their cover of aaliyah 's hot like fire ' and solange 's locked in closets ' injected an upbeat energy into an otherwise moody set . other saturday crowd-pleasers included the violent femmes , who had fans dancing and singing along to their 1983 hits blister in the sun , ' kiss off ' and add it up . ' although the songs were released before most of the festival-goers were born , they were familiar because of their ubiquitous presence on los angeles radio station kroq . another day 2 favorite was 2 chainz , the georgia rapper best known for the tracks i 'm different ' and birthday song . ' coachella organizers obviously underestimated his rabid fan base , and instead of slotting him onto the main stage , they relegated him to a much smaller tent . admirers spilled out the back and sides of the tent as puffy clouds of smoke rose from the crowd . moby made his first appearance at coachella since 1999 , the festival 's debut year . even though he 's branched out as a musician in recent years , he returned to his dj roots , playing the dance tent accompanied by visuals of outer space -- courtesy of his friends at nasa . when i was growing up , i was obsessed with science fiction , ' he said . and then i became obsessed with space and science , but i was a college dropout , so i was never smart enough to be a scientist . as a musician , i 've made friends with people at nasa , so every couple of years , i find myself doing something with them . this is my hometown festival in some ways , and i only get nervous performing when i know people in the audience . ' on the flip side , janelle monae trotted out her retro soul revue . the singer/funktress was eager to kick off her debut . i 've heard a lot about the festival . this is my first time , so i 'm excited about giving -- and having -- an experience that will be unforgettable . ' to close the festival sunday night , the red hot chili peppers returned for their third time headlining coachella .","day 2 of the festival also featured john legend , solange and 2 chainz" +"japanese ( cnn ) -- anna tsuchiya is one of japan 's most recognized young stars . model , mother , actress and singer : tsuchiya is living her life her own way . born in tokyo in 1984 to a japanese mother and an american father , as a teenager , anna started modeling , gracing the pages of fashion magazines . that later led to an acting career , starring in such movies as kamikaze girls ' and sakuran . ' taking on non-traditional female roles is something tsuchiya enjoys , as mush because it fits in with here own self image as a bit of an outsider . it 's fun to act that kind of character who is said by others to be a'bad girl'but in fact she has a good heart , and that fits me , ' she told cnn 's kyung lah . it would be good if many people could establish good relations in their dealings with others by pure and genuine relations rather than what is on the surface . that is the reason i am fond of acting such characters . ' more recently , anna been taking to the stage , as a punk rock singer . my music might have an image of being'hard'but in fact it expresses human emotions . so it is different from the surface image and it expresses deeper messages which have emerged from inside , she said . with her twin career as actress and singer , she has become something of a role model for young japanese , especially as her life and work are far removed from the traditional role for japanese women . there is an image of women by which someone dictates how it should be . nobody could say'yes'to that image as the right model . we only get one life . i am a woman but i am doing and want to do things that i feel are cool , ' she told cnn . since becoming a mother three years ago , tsuchiya has developed a more mature attitude to life : what has changed very much is that i before i had my baby i lived just for myself . but now the child is more important than myself . ' her more sanguine attitude was compounded by tragedy when her ex-husband died in may 2008 . death is a sad thing but it has to happen and time can never be reversed . i happen to think that when i die i do n't want to see people around weeping forever . i think he would have felt the same way , ' she told cnn . so if i had been caught up with sorrow he would have been upset . rather than being overcome , i say i accept the reality . ' despite the setback and tragedies , with tsuchiya 's unique career in the ascendancy , her future looks bright .","born and raised in tokyo by japanese mother and polish-american father" +"fourteenth amendment ( cnn ) -- teachers -- like me -- love teachable moments , ' so here 's a big one from monday 's sweeping supreme court decision on gun rights and the states , mcdonald v. chicago . in it , the court not only validated individual gun rights , but applied them to every state and locality in the country . americans know they have rights . even some of my students who confess to near-total ignorance of american politics know they have free speech , the right to peaceably assemble , and the right to have a lawyer , should they run afoul of the law . but what none of my students know -- and what most americans also do n't know -- is that we can lay claim to these and other sacred bill of rights freedoms because of a different constitutional amendment , a cluster of 20th-century court cases , and something called incorporation . ' early in america 's history , court rulings established that the constitution 's bill of rights applied only to actions by the federal government , not the states . so , for example , if local police tried to shutter a newspaper for publishing legitimate , if unpopular , news , the newspaper would have to turn to that state 's constitution for protection or help , and not to the first amendment 's protection of a free press . and since every state constitution is different , the actual rights of citizens varied widely from state to state . moreover , in the nation 's first century , citizens rarely had direct dealings with a national government of limited size and reach . all this changed when the fourteenth amendment was added to the constitution after the civil war . several decades later , the court concluded that the fourteenth amendment 's provision saying that states may not deprive persons of life , liberty , or property , without due process of law ' could now be used to apply or incorporate ' key provisions of the bill of rights to the states . note , however , that this process occurred selectively , provision by provision , and over seven decades . the first bill of rights protection to be applied to the states was in 1897 , when the fifth amendment 's guarantee that private property was not to be taken for public use without just compensation ' was incorporated . following that , the court incorporated free speech in 1925 , press freedom in 1931 , free exercise of religion in 1934 , and so on until 1969 , when it applied the protection against double jeopardy ( being tried for the same crime twice ) to the states . by design , this piecemeal process did n't include everything . ( no one would argue that the seventh amendment 's unincorporated right to common law suits where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars ' was the equivalent of free speech . ) but most felt that incorporation was at an end , until two years ago . in its landmark 2008 decision , d.c. v. heller , the supreme court struck down the district of columbia 's decades-old handgun ban as in violation of the second amendment 's right to bear arms . this decision was momentous for two reasons . first , it was the first time in history that a gun law was struck down as a violation of the amendment . second , the court contradicted past rulings that interpreted the amendment as pertaining only to citizen gun possession in connection with the well regulated militia ' mentioned in the first half of the amendment , and instead concluded that it protected an individual or personal right to own a handgun for protection in the home . because d.c. is a federal enclave , the second amendment could be brought to bear without addressing the fact that it had never been applied to the states ( the high court has repeatedly refused to hear second amendment-based challenges in the past ) . this brings us to mcdonald , in which gun rights advocates challenged chicago 's local handgun ban as in violation of heller -- but they also asked the court to now incorporate the second amendment . a five-member majority obliged . in his majority opinion , justice samuel alito concluded that the individual right to bear arms , while subject to the limits outlined in heller two years earlier that recognized most existing gun laws , was fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty ' -- the litmus test for judging whether a right was important enough to be applied to the 50 states . readers eager to learn more about competing theories of incorporation are invited to plow through the five separate opinions that compose the case 's 214 page decision . but whether one agrees with justice alito that the right to own handguns promotes ordered liberty because they are the most preferred firearm . . .for protection of one 's home and family , ' or with justice john paul stevens , who wrote in his dissent that guns in society destabilize ordered liberty ' by taking the lives of 30,000 americans annually , americans should at least know better today that the path to american rights runs through the fourteenth amendment . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of robert j. spitzer","the path to american rights runs through the fourteenth amendment , spitzer says" +"joe wilkins ( wired ) -- joe wilkins knew there was only one way to give his supercharged , alcohol-injected hemi-engined hot rod more power : put a jet engine in the trunk . it started as a hobby and turned into a monster , ' said joe wilkins , the motor madman behind what might be the wildest 1939 ford ever built . he 's an inventor and defense department contractor , and the idea of goosing the ford 's ability to turn heads and shred tires came when he bought a used gas turbine engine . i got hooked on the simplicity and power that this thing produced , and i decided one day i want to put it in a car . ' luckily for us , he did . the hemi jet -- wilkins has copyrighted the name -- fires up this weekend at the houston autorama , and wilkins plans to attempt a land speed record in the near future . in the meantime , he 's tooling around navasota , texas , in what he says is the ultimate sleeper when the jet engine 's tucked away in the trunk . most people say nice car ' and assume he 's got the obligatory small-block chevrolet engine under the hood . little do they know . i can drive it up to the store and get a gallon of milk if i want to , ' he told autopia . the car is an amalgamation of the big three , with a chrysler engine , chevrolet drivetrain and ford body . wilkins says the jet engine was probably used as an apu and weighs 110 pounds . he claims the car is street legal so long as the jet stays stowed . he fires it up from time to time to show off , and he plans to run it flat-out at the bonneville salt flats . we want to be the fastest street legal car in the world , ' he said . he 's got some intense competition . the bugatti veyron tops out at 253 mph and the shelby supercars ultimate aero tt does 255 . and then there 's red vector one , that crazy vauxhall that does zero to 60 in under a second . record , schmecord -- we just want to see the video . i 'm more than certain the car will go over 300 , ' wilkins said . we 've still got a ways to go [ before bonneville ] , but not a long way . we 'll have to experiment in some wind tunnels and end up with a spoiler on the back to keep the front end on the ground . ' sadly , wilkins wo n't be behind the wheel during the car 's test run . i turned 61 last sunday . i just do n't think i 'm going to be able to handle it [ without ] the reflexes i had 20 or 30 years ago , ' he said . i know several people who would be more than interested . ' so do we , and we even suggested wilkins give the job to fellow jet-junkie bob maddox . after jumping from a plane with a pulse jet strapped to his chest , we suspect maddox would welcome the opportunity to stay on the ground . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2009 wired.com .","owner joe wilkins plans to run it flat-out someday at the bonneville salt flats in utah" +"viktor troicki ( cnn ) -- world anti-doping agency ( wada ) president john fahey has told cnn he does n't think novak djokovic has the faintest idea ' what his organization does after the former world no . 1 said he 'd lost faith in the system . the serbian labeled compatriot viktor troicki 's 12-month ban from tennis for missing a drugs test a total injustice ' and said he was now nervous to give any sort of sample . but fahey dismissed the six-time grand slam winner 's comments as unhelpful and said it was up to the sport to do more to fight against doping . i do n't think novak djokovic has the faintest idea what we do and if he wants to understand what we do i 'm more than happy to pick up the phone and talk to him , if he wants to talk to me , ' he told cnn . if he wishes to then make a comment i might listen to him but for the moment i do n't think that was an informed statement . ' wada 's role in the fight against doping in sport has been in the spotlight in recent months after a string of athletes failed tests in kenya and jamaica . and as well as troicki , croatian tennis star marin cilic also served a ban for doping offenses after taking a prohibited substance contained in supplements bought from a chemist . those cases have provoked disagreement within the game as to the best course of action , with wimbledon champion andy murray calling the pair 's actions unprofessional . ' roger federer , winner of 17 grand slams , said more testing needed to be done within the sport and also said players should give a sample when requested . but when asked if he knew how widespread doping in tennis was , fahey replied : no i do n't and nor do i think tennis knows how widespread it is . what i do know is they have a program and a commitment has been given . can they do more ? every sport can do more . and when you get criticism from some of the champion tennis players about the number of times they 've been tested then i hope tennis takes notice of it . i know they have and i believe that they 'll address it . ' fahey also said the fall from grace of cyclist lance armstrong had been the best anti-doping message since he became wada president in 2007 . in january , armstrong -- following years of strenuous denials -- admitted to doping throughout his storied career , after he had been stripped of his seven tour de france titles . but fahey thinks armstrong 's descent has proved that drug cheats will be caught out and punished no matter what their status . i think the lance armstrong story was the best message in my six years as to the effectiveness of the anti-doping programs , ' he explained . what that said to me and the rest of the world was no matter how big you are , how tall , how successful you are , you can get caught and be dealt with . that man has been destroyed in terms of reputation and in terms of , perhaps , many other aspects of his life . he 's been seen as a cheat , a bully , a liar -- there 's no doubt about that . once upon a time he was revered as one of the greatest champions in his sport , of all time . the fact that someone as big as that is ultimately brought to justice shows that our code is effective . ' as for athletics , fahey acknowledged that doping is widespread ' and said part of the reason might be that there are different resources available to tackle the problem in different countries . kenya has had 17 athletes banned for doping offenses since 2012 , while former 100 meters world record-holder asafa powell and three-time olympic gold medalist veronica campbell-brown are among six jamaicans to have tested positive this year . fahey said doping is not just a problem in successful sporting countries like kenya and jamaica , but rejected the notion performance-enhancing drugs were beginning to ruin sport . there had been a suggestion that certain countries could be banned from the olympics if they refused to comply with anti-doping programs -- raising the prospect of jamaica 's six-time olympic champion usain bolt missing out -- but fahey said that was for the international olympic committee to determine . should the iinternational olympic committee take stronger steps ? i 'm sure if the evidence is there on the basis of difficulties with compliance in any particular country they would look seriously at that , ' he said . i think we have to stop for a moment and say ,'what is actually going on in jamaica ?'they do have an anti-doping program , it has not been effective , it has not been as good as it could have been and that 's what wada examined . we now have given them recommendations and we 've got a commitment to say ,'yes we dropped the ball but we 've picked it up again and we 'll get it right and we 'll do that quickly .' fahey also said that wada 's revised code , which is due out this week , would allow the agency greater investigative powers and called it a great jump forward . '","world no . 2 tennis star said he 'd lost faith in agency after viktor troicki 's ban" +"fahey ( cnn ) -- world anti-doping agency ( wada ) president john fahey has told cnn he does n't think novak djokovic has the faintest idea ' what his organization does after the former world no . 1 said he 'd lost faith in the system . the serbian labeled compatriot viktor troicki 's 12-month ban from tennis for missing a drugs test a total injustice ' and said he was now nervous to give any sort of sample . but fahey dismissed the six-time grand slam winner 's comments as unhelpful and said it was up to the sport to do more to fight against doping . i do n't think novak djokovic has the faintest idea what we do and if he wants to understand what we do i 'm more than happy to pick up the phone and talk to him , if he wants to talk to me , ' he told cnn . if he wishes to then make a comment i might listen to him but for the moment i do n't think that was an informed statement . ' wada 's role in the fight against doping in sport has been in the spotlight in recent months after a string of athletes failed tests in kenya and jamaica . and as well as troicki , croatian tennis star marin cilic also served a ban for doping offenses after taking a prohibited substance contained in supplements bought from a chemist . those cases have provoked disagreement within the game as to the best course of action , with wimbledon champion andy murray calling the pair 's actions unprofessional . ' roger federer , winner of 17 grand slams , said more testing needed to be done within the sport and also said players should give a sample when requested . but when asked if he knew how widespread doping in tennis was , fahey replied : no i do n't and nor do i think tennis knows how widespread it is . what i do know is they have a program and a commitment has been given . can they do more ? every sport can do more . and when you get criticism from some of the champion tennis players about the number of times they 've been tested then i hope tennis takes notice of it . i know they have and i believe that they 'll address it . ' fahey also said the fall from grace of cyclist lance armstrong had been the best anti-doping message since he became wada president in 2007 . in january , armstrong -- following years of strenuous denials -- admitted to doping throughout his storied career , after he had been stripped of his seven tour de france titles . but fahey thinks armstrong 's descent has proved that drug cheats will be caught out and punished no matter what their status . i think the lance armstrong story was the best message in my six years as to the effectiveness of the anti-doping programs , ' he explained . what that said to me and the rest of the world was no matter how big you are , how tall , how successful you are , you can get caught and be dealt with . that man has been destroyed in terms of reputation and in terms of , perhaps , many other aspects of his life . he 's been seen as a cheat , a bully , a liar -- there 's no doubt about that . once upon a time he was revered as one of the greatest champions in his sport , of all time . the fact that someone as big as that is ultimately brought to justice shows that our code is effective . ' as for athletics , fahey acknowledged that doping is widespread ' and said part of the reason might be that there are different resources available to tackle the problem in different countries . kenya has had 17 athletes banned for doping offenses since 2012 , while former 100 meters world record-holder asafa powell and three-time olympic gold medalist veronica campbell-brown are among six jamaicans to have tested positive this year . fahey said doping is not just a problem in successful sporting countries like kenya and jamaica , but rejected the notion performance-enhancing drugs were beginning to ruin sport . there had been a suggestion that certain countries could be banned from the olympics if they refused to comply with anti-doping programs -- raising the prospect of jamaica 's six-time olympic champion usain bolt missing out -- but fahey said that was for the international olympic committee to determine . should the iinternational olympic committee take stronger steps ? i 'm sure if the evidence is there on the basis of difficulties with compliance in any particular country they would look seriously at that , ' he said . i think we have to stop for a moment and say ,'what is actually going on in jamaica ?'they do have an anti-doping program , it has not been effective , it has not been as good as it could have been and that 's what wada examined . we now have given them recommendations and we 've got a commitment to say ,'yes we dropped the ball but we 've picked it up again and we 'll get it right and we 'll do that quickly .' fahey also said that wada 's revised code , which is due out this week , would allow the agency greater investigative powers and called it a great jump forward . '","wada president john fahey replies to novak djokovic 's criticism" +"fahey ( cnn ) -- world anti-doping agency ( wada ) president john fahey has told cnn he does n't think novak djokovic has the faintest idea ' what his organization does after the former world no . 1 said he 'd lost faith in the system . the serbian labeled compatriot viktor troicki 's 12-month ban from tennis for missing a drugs test a total injustice ' and said he was now nervous to give any sort of sample . but fahey dismissed the six-time grand slam winner 's comments as unhelpful and said it was up to the sport to do more to fight against doping . i do n't think novak djokovic has the faintest idea what we do and if he wants to understand what we do i 'm more than happy to pick up the phone and talk to him , if he wants to talk to me , ' he told cnn . if he wishes to then make a comment i might listen to him but for the moment i do n't think that was an informed statement . ' wada 's role in the fight against doping in sport has been in the spotlight in recent months after a string of athletes failed tests in kenya and jamaica . and as well as troicki , croatian tennis star marin cilic also served a ban for doping offenses after taking a prohibited substance contained in supplements bought from a chemist . those cases have provoked disagreement within the game as to the best course of action , with wimbledon champion andy murray calling the pair 's actions unprofessional . ' roger federer , winner of 17 grand slams , said more testing needed to be done within the sport and also said players should give a sample when requested . but when asked if he knew how widespread doping in tennis was , fahey replied : no i do n't and nor do i think tennis knows how widespread it is . what i do know is they have a program and a commitment has been given . can they do more ? every sport can do more . and when you get criticism from some of the champion tennis players about the number of times they 've been tested then i hope tennis takes notice of it . i know they have and i believe that they 'll address it . ' fahey also said the fall from grace of cyclist lance armstrong had been the best anti-doping message since he became wada president in 2007 . in january , armstrong -- following years of strenuous denials -- admitted to doping throughout his storied career , after he had been stripped of his seven tour de france titles . but fahey thinks armstrong 's descent has proved that drug cheats will be caught out and punished no matter what their status . i think the lance armstrong story was the best message in my six years as to the effectiveness of the anti-doping programs , ' he explained . what that said to me and the rest of the world was no matter how big you are , how tall , how successful you are , you can get caught and be dealt with . that man has been destroyed in terms of reputation and in terms of , perhaps , many other aspects of his life . he 's been seen as a cheat , a bully , a liar -- there 's no doubt about that . once upon a time he was revered as one of the greatest champions in his sport , of all time . the fact that someone as big as that is ultimately brought to justice shows that our code is effective . ' as for athletics , fahey acknowledged that doping is widespread ' and said part of the reason might be that there are different resources available to tackle the problem in different countries . kenya has had 17 athletes banned for doping offenses since 2012 , while former 100 meters world record-holder asafa powell and three-time olympic gold medalist veronica campbell-brown are among six jamaicans to have tested positive this year . fahey said doping is not just a problem in successful sporting countries like kenya and jamaica , but rejected the notion performance-enhancing drugs were beginning to ruin sport . there had been a suggestion that certain countries could be banned from the olympics if they refused to comply with anti-doping programs -- raising the prospect of jamaica 's six-time olympic champion usain bolt missing out -- but fahey said that was for the international olympic committee to determine . should the iinternational olympic committee take stronger steps ? i 'm sure if the evidence is there on the basis of difficulties with compliance in any particular country they would look seriously at that , ' he said . i think we have to stop for a moment and say ,'what is actually going on in jamaica ?'they do have an anti-doping program , it has not been effective , it has not been as good as it could have been and that 's what wada examined . we now have given them recommendations and we 've got a commitment to say ,'yes we dropped the ball but we 've picked it up again and we 'll get it right and we 'll do that quickly .' fahey also said that wada 's revised code , which is due out this week , would allow the agency greater investigative powers and called it a great jump forward . '","fahey tells cnn that djokovic has n't got the faintest idea what we do '" +"pakistan islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- the pakistani taliban vowed thursday to carry out attacks against india to avenge the death of a man executed by indian authorities for his role in the 2008 terrorist assault on mumbai . mohammed ajmal kasab , a pakistani , was hanged wednesday in pune , a city southeast of mumbai . he was the lone surviving gunman from the attacks in india 's financial capital in november 2008 that killed more than 160 people . read more : who are the pakistani taliban ? ihsanullah ihsan , the spokesman for the pakistani taliban , said the militant group would conduct various attacks in india in response to the execution . he did n't provide further details . the pakistani taliban , who are closely linked with their namesake in afghanistan and with al qaeda , operate in the ungoverned area that sits on the border of pakistan and afghanistan . read more : mumbai attack survivor :'it 's like a dead man living' india has requested extra protection for its diplomats in pakistan following the execution , said j.p. singh , an official at india 's ministry of external affairs . india executes last mumbai gunman he said the ministry had no immediate comment on the threat from the taliban . the taliban spokesman said they are demanding that kasab 's body be returned to pakistan for an islamic burial . he criticized the pakistani government , saying it had failed by not requesting the return of the body . read more : the mumbai attacks : getting the story amid chaos indian authorities said wednesday that kasab had been buried in the surrounding area ' of the jail where he was hanged . they did n't say what kind of burial rites had been performed . the pakistani government has so far barely commented on the execution . the foreign ministry declined to give an immediate reaction thursday to the taliban 's criticism . read more : islamists protest nato route opening in pakistan india blamed lashkar-e-tayyiba , a pakistani-based terror group allied with al qaeda , for the mumbai siege . indian authorities said kasab was trained by the organization , which was banned in pakistan in 2002 after an attack on the indian parliament . the group has denied responsibility . the mumbai attacks destabilized peace talks between the indian and pakistani governments , which remain bitterly opposed over issues such as the disputed himalayan territory of kashmir . read more : pakistan wants'concrete evidence'on mumbai suspect sought by u.s . since then , the two nuclear-armed nations have resumed the high-level meetings and relations have improved . in april , pakistani president asif ali zardari met with prime minister manmohan singh in new delhi during a brief private trip . it was the first visit to india by a pakistani head of state in seven years . indian sporting authorities also this year announced the resumption of bilateral cricket tournaments with pakistan . the sport has often been used as a platform to ease relations . but tensions remain close to the surface . in august , new delhi alleged that elements ' in pakistan were using social-networking sites to stir religious unrest in india amid ethnic clashes between muslim migrants and native tribal groups in the northeastern state of assam . read more : clinton urges pakistan to do more in fighting terrorists news of kasab 's death was positively received wednesday by many indians . the conservative bharatiya janata party , the country 's main opposition party , expressed support for the government 's decision to go ahead with the execution . it 's a strong message that india does not and will not tolerate terrorism , ' said prakash javadekar , a party spokesman . but human rights activists criticized the move . the hanging of ajmal kasab marks a distressing end to india 's moratorium on executions and is a step backwards for india 's justice system , ' said meenakshi ganguly , south asia director at human rights watch , an advocacy group . the government should take prompt and decisive action toward a total abolition of capital punishment . ' the last state execution in the country was in 2004 , when a man was hanged for the rape and murder of a teenage girl . cnn 's sumnima udas in new delhi contributed to this report .","they also say they are demanding his body be returned to pakistan" +"supreme court new delhi ( cnn ) -- the indian supreme court on tuesday lifted its foreign travel ban on the italian ambassador following rome 's recent decision to send two marines back to new delhi where they face trial over the killing of two fishermen last year , a lawyer said . the court barred italian ambassador daniele mancini from leaving india last month because of rome 's refusal at the time to return the two marines , who had been allowed to go home temporarily to vote in national elections . diljeet titus , a lawyer representing the italian side , said the supreme court had lifted its travel restrictions on mancini after the two sailors -- massimiliano latorre and salvatore girone -- subsequently arrived back in india . rome 's initial decision not to return the marines angered indian government officials and supreme court justices , who noted that the italian ambassador had given assurances to the court that they would come back to india after the elections . the two sides appeared locked in an impasse , with indian prime minister manmohan singh saying italy 's actions were not acceptable ' and warning of consequences ' for the two countries'relations . but rome backed down , announcing on march 21 that it would send latorre and girone back after receiving written assurances from the indian government that the two men 's fundamental rights ' would be protected . the two sailors agreed to the decision , it said . but the move created some dissent in the ranks of italian prime minister mario monti 's government : foreign minister giulio terzi resigned march 26 over the matter . italy has argued that the february 2012 shooting involving its marines happened in international waters and was therefore outside of indian jurisdiction . latorre and girone say they mistook the indian fishermen for pirates . on tuesday , the indian supreme court scheduled a hearing for april 16 to seek the indian governmentâ¹s response on plans to set up a special court for trying the two italian men , titus said . cnn 's harmeet shah singh reported from new delhi , and jethro mullen wrote from hong kong .","the indian supreme court said the italian ambassador had assured they would return" +"west ( cnn ) -- russia approved the use of military force in ukraine on saturday , despite warnings of consequences from the west , and ukraine responded by saying any invasion into its territory would be illegitimate . the acting prime minister has gone so far as to say that a russian invasion would mean war and an end to his country 's relationship with russia . but there are so many questions as to how ukraine arrived at this point : why is russia so interested in happenings there ? why does the west want to prevent russian intervention ? how did we get here ? why have thousands of protesters staked their lives , seemingly , on their desire for political change ? and why has the government resisted their calls so vehemently ? let 's take a look : 1 . why has russia gotten so involved ? eastern ukraine and the crimea have closer ties to russia , while western ukraine is more friendly with europe . many eastern ukrainians still speak russian , and the 2010 presidential elections divided the country with eastern ukraine voting heavily in favor of pro-russia prime minister viktor yanukovych . on saturday , the kremlin issued a statement that russian president vladimir putin told u.s. president barack obama that russia approved military action in ukraine because it reserves the right to defend its interests and the russian-speaking people who live there . ' 2 . has n't yanukovych stepped down ? the ukraine parliament voted him out of power and he has fled to russia . however , in a press conference friday , the former president said -- in russian rather than ukrainian -- that he was not overthrown . he insisted he was still the boss and that he wants nothing more than to lead his country to peace , harmony and prosperity . while it 's unclear if he could return to power , russia 's ambassador to the united nations blamed members of the european union for the bloody demonstrations that led to yanukovych 's ouster . 3 . what will happen in ukraine if russia sends troops there ? top ukrainian officials , including the acting president and prime minister , have said they are prepared to defend the country . they 've also said that any invasion would be illegitimate , a response echoed by the united states , which has told russia to respect ukraine 's sovereignty . 4 . would there be international backlash to a russian incursion ? the united nations has warned russia against military action , while secretary-general ban ki-moon told putin dialogue must be the only tool in ending the crisis . ' international leaders have also denounced the prospect of russian involvement , while obama has warned there would be consequences if russia acted militarily . 5 . what sort of consequences ? obama has n't been specific other than to say russia could face greater political and economic isolation ' and that the united states will suspend upcoming participation in preparatory meetings for the g-8 ' in sochi . several republican leaders in congress have called on the president to take a tougher stand . 6 . what are obama 's options ? sanctions , of course , top the list of options , but the united states will need to prepare for the backlash . former presidential adviser david gergen says putin would consider any sanctions small potatoes ' compared to keeping control of crimea , while putin could pull his support for obama 's initiative to reduce nuclear threats in the world , including in iran . christopher hill , former u.s. ambassador to south korea , macedonia , iraq and poland , says imposing sanctions also raises the risk of alienating a superpower . that means 20 years of trying to work with russia down the drain , ' he said . 7 . what started the turmoil in ukraine ? protests initially erupted over a trade pact . for a year , yanukovych insisted he was intent on signing a historical political and trade agreement with the european union . but on november 21 , he decided to suspend talks with the eu . 8 . what would the pact have done ? the deal , the eu 's eastern partnership , ' would have created closer political ties and generated economic growth . it would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion , supporters of the pact said . 9 . why did yanukovych backpedal ? he had his reasons . chief among them was russia 's opposition to it . russia threatened its much smaller neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if ukraine forged ahead . if ukraine did n't , and instead joined a moscow-led customs union , it would get deep discounts on natural gas , russia said . 10 . were there any other reasons ? yes , a more personal one . yanukovych also was facing a key eu demand that he was unwilling to meet : free former prime minister yulia tymoshenko , his bitter political opponent . two years ago , she was found guilty of abuse of office in a russian gas deal and sentenced to seven years in prison , in a case widely seen as politically motivated . her supporters say she needs to travel abroad for medical treatment . 11 . what happened next ? many ukrainians were outraged . they took to the streets , demanding that yanukovych sign the eu deal . their numbers swelled . the demonstrations drew parallels to ukraine 's 2004 orange revolution , which booted yanukovych , then a prime minister , from office . 12. who 's heading the opposition ? it 's not just one figure , but a coalition . the best known figure is vitali klitschko . he 's a former world champion boxer ( just like his brother wladimir ) . klitschko heads the ukrainian democratic alliance for reforms party . but the opposition bloc goes well beyond klitschko and the udar . there 's also arseniy yatsenyuk . 13 . how did yanukovych react ? in a way that inflamed passions further . he flew to moscow , where he and russian president vladimir putin announced russia would buy $ 15 billion in ukrainian debt and slash the price kiev pays for its gas . and then , when the demonstrations showed no signs of dying down , he adopted a sweeping anti-protest law . 14 . what did the anti-protest law say ? the law barred people from wearing helmets and masks to rallies and from setting up tents or sound equipment without prior police permission . this sparked concerns it could be used to put down demonstrations and deny people the right to free speech -- and clashes soon escalated . the demonstrators took over city hall for the better part of three months . 15 . but was n't the law repealed ? yes , ultimately it was . amid intense pressure , deputies loyal to yanukovych backtracked and overturned it . but by then , the protests had become about something much bigger : constitutional reform . 16 . what change in the constitution did they want to see ? the protesters want to see a change in the government 's overall power structure . they feel that too much power rests with yanukovych and not enough with parliament . 17 . what did the government do ? in late january , the president offered a package of concessions under which yatsenyuk , the opposition leader , would have become the prime minister and , under the president 's offer , been able to dismiss the government . he also offered klitschko the post of deputy prime minister on humanitarian issues . he also agreed to a working group looking at changes to the constitution . but the opposition refused . 18 . why did the opposition pass on the offer ? the concessions were n't enough to satisfy them . they said yanukovych had hardly loosened his grip on the government , nor had he seemingly reined in authorities'approach to protesters . we 're finishing what we started , ' yatsenyuk said . 19. who was to blame for the clashes ? depends on whom you ask . the government pointed the finger at protesters . the opposition , in turn , blamed the government . 20 . what 's the takeaway here ? street protests that started in november over a trade pact swelled into something much bigger -- resulting in the former president fleeing to russia for safety while still claiming to be the official leader of the country . with russian troops rumored to be preparing for hostilities in the crimea , the future of the region and the resulting effect on u.s.-russian relations appears shaky . cnn 's marie-louise gumuchian and antonia mortensen contributed to this report","west threatens consequences as russia approves military action in ukraine" +"west ( cnn ) -- russia approved the use of military force in ukraine on saturday , despite warnings of consequences from the west , and ukraine responded by saying any invasion into its territory would be illegitimate . the acting prime minister has gone so far as to say that a russian invasion would mean war and an end to his country 's relationship with russia . but there are so many questions as to how ukraine arrived at this point : why is russia so interested in happenings there ? why does the west want to prevent russian intervention ? how did we get here ? why have thousands of protesters staked their lives , seemingly , on their desire for political change ? and why has the government resisted their calls so vehemently ? let 's take a look : 1 . why has russia gotten so involved ? eastern ukraine and the crimea have closer ties to russia , while western ukraine is more friendly with europe . many eastern ukrainians still speak russian , and the 2010 presidential elections divided the country with eastern ukraine voting heavily in favor of pro-russia prime minister viktor yanukovych . on saturday , the kremlin issued a statement that russian president vladimir putin told u.s. president barack obama that russia approved military action in ukraine because it reserves the right to defend its interests and the russian-speaking people who live there . ' 2 . has n't yanukovych stepped down ? the ukraine parliament voted him out of power and he has fled to russia . however , in a press conference friday , the former president said -- in russian rather than ukrainian -- that he was not overthrown . he insisted he was still the boss and that he wants nothing more than to lead his country to peace , harmony and prosperity . while it 's unclear if he could return to power , russia 's ambassador to the united nations blamed members of the european union for the bloody demonstrations that led to yanukovych 's ouster . 3 . what will happen in ukraine if russia sends troops there ? top ukrainian officials , including the acting president and prime minister , have said they are prepared to defend the country . they 've also said that any invasion would be illegitimate , a response echoed by the united states , which has told russia to respect ukraine 's sovereignty . 4 . would there be international backlash to a russian incursion ? the united nations has warned russia against military action , while secretary-general ban ki-moon told putin dialogue must be the only tool in ending the crisis . ' international leaders have also denounced the prospect of russian involvement , while obama has warned there would be consequences if russia acted militarily . 5 . what sort of consequences ? obama has n't been specific other than to say russia could face greater political and economic isolation ' and that the united states will suspend upcoming participation in preparatory meetings for the g-8 ' in sochi . several republican leaders in congress have called on the president to take a tougher stand . 6 . what are obama 's options ? sanctions , of course , top the list of options , but the united states will need to prepare for the backlash . former presidential adviser david gergen says putin would consider any sanctions small potatoes ' compared to keeping control of crimea , while putin could pull his support for obama 's initiative to reduce nuclear threats in the world , including in iran . christopher hill , former u.s. ambassador to south korea , macedonia , iraq and poland , says imposing sanctions also raises the risk of alienating a superpower . that means 20 years of trying to work with russia down the drain , ' he said . 7 . what started the turmoil in ukraine ? protests initially erupted over a trade pact . for a year , yanukovych insisted he was intent on signing a historical political and trade agreement with the european union . but on november 21 , he decided to suspend talks with the eu . 8 . what would the pact have done ? the deal , the eu 's eastern partnership , ' would have created closer political ties and generated economic growth . it would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion , supporters of the pact said . 9 . why did yanukovych backpedal ? he had his reasons . chief among them was russia 's opposition to it . russia threatened its much smaller neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if ukraine forged ahead . if ukraine did n't , and instead joined a moscow-led customs union , it would get deep discounts on natural gas , russia said . 10 . were there any other reasons ? yes , a more personal one . yanukovych also was facing a key eu demand that he was unwilling to meet : free former prime minister yulia tymoshenko , his bitter political opponent . two years ago , she was found guilty of abuse of office in a russian gas deal and sentenced to seven years in prison , in a case widely seen as politically motivated . her supporters say she needs to travel abroad for medical treatment . 11 . what happened next ? many ukrainians were outraged . they took to the streets , demanding that yanukovych sign the eu deal . their numbers swelled . the demonstrations drew parallels to ukraine 's 2004 orange revolution , which booted yanukovych , then a prime minister , from office . 12. who 's heading the opposition ? it 's not just one figure , but a coalition . the best known figure is vitali klitschko . he 's a former world champion boxer ( just like his brother wladimir ) . klitschko heads the ukrainian democratic alliance for reforms party . but the opposition bloc goes well beyond klitschko and the udar . there 's also arseniy yatsenyuk . 13 . how did yanukovych react ? in a way that inflamed passions further . he flew to moscow , where he and russian president vladimir putin announced russia would buy $ 15 billion in ukrainian debt and slash the price kiev pays for its gas . and then , when the demonstrations showed no signs of dying down , he adopted a sweeping anti-protest law . 14 . what did the anti-protest law say ? the law barred people from wearing helmets and masks to rallies and from setting up tents or sound equipment without prior police permission . this sparked concerns it could be used to put down demonstrations and deny people the right to free speech -- and clashes soon escalated . the demonstrators took over city hall for the better part of three months . 15 . but was n't the law repealed ? yes , ultimately it was . amid intense pressure , deputies loyal to yanukovych backtracked and overturned it . but by then , the protests had become about something much bigger : constitutional reform . 16 . what change in the constitution did they want to see ? the protesters want to see a change in the government 's overall power structure . they feel that too much power rests with yanukovych and not enough with parliament . 17 . what did the government do ? in late january , the president offered a package of concessions under which yatsenyuk , the opposition leader , would have become the prime minister and , under the president 's offer , been able to dismiss the government . he also offered klitschko the post of deputy prime minister on humanitarian issues . he also agreed to a working group looking at changes to the constitution . but the opposition refused . 18 . why did the opposition pass on the offer ? the concessions were n't enough to satisfy them . they said yanukovych had hardly loosened his grip on the government , nor had he seemingly reined in authorities'approach to protesters . we 're finishing what we started , ' yatsenyuk said . 19. who was to blame for the clashes ? depends on whom you ask . the government pointed the finger at protesters . the opposition , in turn , blamed the government . 20 . what 's the takeaway here ? street protests that started in november over a trade pact swelled into something much bigger -- resulting in the former president fleeing to russia for safety while still claiming to be the official leader of the country . with russian troops rumored to be preparing for hostilities in the crimea , the future of the region and the resulting effect on u.s.-russian relations appears shaky . cnn 's marie-louise gumuchian and antonia mortensen contributed to this report","ukraine is split : some want to align more with the west , others favor russia" +"kristen wiig ( ew.com ) -- former saturday night live ' cast member kristen wiig is returning to her old stomping grounds to make her debut as host of the show on may 11 , nbc has announced . rounding out season 38 of the legendary sketch show will be ben affleck , who will make his fifth appearance on snl 's ' may 18 finale . zach galifianakis to host'snl' nbc has also confirmed the widespread rumor that kanye west will make his fifth appearance as the show 's musical guest on the may 18 episode , though it remains unclear whether the rapper , who has been in paris working on his next album , will premiere any new music . vampire weekend will provide the tunes during wiig 's hosting gig . both wiig and affleck have a busy few months ahead . ben affleck takes poverty vow : eat on $ 1.50 a day wiig has multiple projects hitting theaters in the next few months , beginning with the summer 's animated sequel despicable me 2 . ' later this year , we 'll see her in the flesh in girl most likely , ' anchorman : the legend continues ' and the secret life of walter mitty . ''arrested development': seth rogen and kristen wiig to guest affleck , whose most recent turn behind the camera argo ' took home the oscar for best picture earlier this year , is on screen now in to the wonder ' and can next be seen in the september drama runner , runner . ' see the original story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","former'snl'star kristen wiig is returning to host on may 11" +"french open ( cnn ) -- defending champion li na continued the defense of her french open crown on thursday with a second round win over stephanie foretz gacon . seventh seed li , who became china 's first grand slam champion with her roland garros triumph last year , recorded a straight-forward 6-0 6-2 victory over the frenchwoman in just 52 minutes . the 30-year-old will play unseeded american christina mchale in round three , after the world no . 35 got the better of compatriot lauren davis . li 's fellow grand slam winner petra kvitova also registered a comfortable win , beating 90th-ranked pole urszula radwanska 6-1 6-3 . the 2011 wimbledon champion , ranked no . 4 in the world , set up a meeting with russian nina bratchikova . former world no . 1 caroline wozniacki also looked in good touch as she scored a 6-1 6-4 victory against australia 's jarmila gajdosova . the dane , who is yet to win a grand slam title , has not clinched a wta tour title since august 2011 and has recently struggled with form and fitness . but having switched from being coached by her father piotr to working with former australian open champion thomas johansson , wozniacki feels positive about her future . it 's been working well , ' the 21-year-old , who will face 23rd seed kaia kanepi in round three , told the tournament 's official website . he tells me what he thinks and he 's not soft . i do n't like when someone tells me ,'oh , it 's great , it 's great'when it 's actually terrible ... i want someone who is strict and tells me things how they are . ' italy 's francesca schiavone , a beaten finalist in 2011 , battled back from one set down against bulgaria 's tsvetana pironkova to set up a contest with uzbekistan-born american varvara lepchenko . lepchenko , ranked 61 in the world , advanced courtesy of a shock 7-6 ( 7-4 ) 4-6 6-4 win against former world no . 1 jelena jankovic . german 10th seed angelique kerber cruised past bulgaria 's olga govortsova , winning 6-3 6-2 . the 24-year-old will play italian no . 18 flavia pennetta in round three .","li na reaches the french open third round after beating stephanie foretz gacon" +"rob lehr nairobi , kenya ( cnn ) -- two u.s. filmmakers were injured saturday when their small plane crashed into a three-story residential building in downtown nairobi . people gather around the wreckage of a plane that struck a building in the kenyan capital of nairobi on saturday . dan parris , 25 , and rob lehr , 26 , both from st. louis , missouri , were shooting an independent documentary on poverty in africa . both men were hospitalized and expected to survive , according to david peterka , who was part of the film crew , but was not aboard the plane . he said that all four aboard the plane were americans . a flight engineer , whose name was not released , was critically injured and was in a coma , peterka said . the pilot , whose name has not yet been released , was killed in the crash . the crew had been in the east african nation for four days and was shooting video of kibera , one of the largest slums in africa . the plane was headed to nearby wilson airport , where most light aircraft land in the kenyan capital . the pilot had warned that he was going to hover and go slow , ' peterka said . they were surprised when they went to about 50 feet off the ground -- - and then they hit electrical lines and the plane flipped into the building . ' just before the plane crashed , the listening devices went off and they could not communicate with the pilot , peterka said . peterka said lehr , who was ejected because the doors were open for filming , ran back in to rescue the others . parris crawled out and lehr , with the help of bystanders , pulled the pilot and the engineer out as the plane burst into flames , peterka said . local residents were using water , dirt to put the fire out ' before the fire department arrived , peterka said . before the plane crashed , witnesses said it was flying unusually low , ' said francis mwaka , a kenyan federal communications official . the four-seater plane was owned by african inland missions company . no one on the ground was injured , mwaka said . the crash is under investigation . cnn 's ben brumfield contributed to this story .","dan parris , rob lehr were taken to hospital , expected to survive" +"dan parris nairobi , kenya ( cnn ) -- two u.s. filmmakers were injured saturday when their small plane crashed into a three-story residential building in downtown nairobi . people gather around the wreckage of a plane that struck a building in the kenyan capital of nairobi on saturday . dan parris , 25 , and rob lehr , 26 , both from st. louis , missouri , were shooting an independent documentary on poverty in africa . both men were hospitalized and expected to survive , according to david peterka , who was part of the film crew , but was not aboard the plane . he said that all four aboard the plane were americans . a flight engineer , whose name was not released , was critically injured and was in a coma , peterka said . the pilot , whose name has not yet been released , was killed in the crash . the crew had been in the east african nation for four days and was shooting video of kibera , one of the largest slums in africa . the plane was headed to nearby wilson airport , where most light aircraft land in the kenyan capital . the pilot had warned that he was going to hover and go slow , ' peterka said . they were surprised when they went to about 50 feet off the ground -- - and then they hit electrical lines and the plane flipped into the building . ' just before the plane crashed , the listening devices went off and they could not communicate with the pilot , peterka said . peterka said lehr , who was ejected because the doors were open for filming , ran back in to rescue the others . parris crawled out and lehr , with the help of bystanders , pulled the pilot and the engineer out as the plane burst into flames , peterka said . local residents were using water , dirt to put the fire out ' before the fire department arrived , peterka said . before the plane crashed , witnesses said it was flying unusually low , ' said francis mwaka , a kenyan federal communications official . the four-seater plane was owned by african inland missions company . no one on the ground was injured , mwaka said . the crash is under investigation . cnn 's ben brumfield contributed to this story .","dan parris , rob lehr were taken to hospital , expected to survive" +"brooklyn ( cnn ) -- a new york teenager with a 7,000-a-month texting habit now has a lot more to text about . brianna hendrickson , 13 , of brooklyn won this year 's lg u.s. national texting championship by accurately typing the phrase old mcdonald had a farm , ei , ei , oh ! and on this farm he had a champ . w/a txtr here , and bff there . here a text , there a text , erywhere a text-text ! ' in 60 seconds . brianna took home $ 50,000 and will compete in the lg text for good challenge , where she will have the chance to double her prize money and win an additional $ 50,000 for a charity of her choice , the technology company said . i was really nervous when i saw the final phrase and worried my fingers would n't be fast enough , ' brianna said . hearing my name announced was amazing and shocking all at the same time . ' the final showdown pitted brianna against two other teenagers and 48 year-old joanne rach from chicago , illinois . rach won lg 's national texting competition for parents and caregivers . finalists who competed in new york city had already messaged their way through preliminary competition , such as on-site texting challenges at concerts , text alerts on tv shows or texting from online tournaments . they endured blindfolds , complex phrases and marathon texting during the competition this week . about 500,000 texters participated in preliminary rounds of the competition this year , lg said .","brianna hendrickson , 13 , of brooklyn wins the texting title" +"ebola ( cnn ) -- freeze ! step away from the stack of face masks and hazmat suits . what 's more topical than ebola ? ' you 're thinking . it 's the perfect inspiration for a halloween costume , right ? ! ' no . just ... no . using tragic current events as fodder for halloween costumes is nothing new , but it 's often a hackneyed and insensitive choice . prom night toilet baby ' was a popular costume after a spate of girls gave birth to secret babies at school , and a bloodied duo strolled into a party dressed as trayvon martin and george zimmerman just last year . this year , for just $ 59.99 on one costume e-tailer , sexy ebola containment suit can be yours . knee-slappers , right ? they might evoke a chuckle from the crasser among us , but do you really want to be the hero of the most obnoxious person at the party or , worse , the most-hated person on twitter ? photos have already surfaced of a bro dressed as former baltimore raven ray rice and dragging around a lifeless doll meant to stand in for domestic violence victim janay rice . janay rice , a real person with actual feelings , weighed in on the tastelessness : @ tmz it 's sad , that my suffering amuses others . ' do n't be the guy wearing the cruel , uncreative costume . dallas is reeling from the first ebola cases transmitted on u.s. soil . predictably , some local resident chose to decorate his front yard as a biohazard zone . it 's unclear how the families of those who are fighting for their lives feel about the stunt , but you 'd think fellow dallas denizens would have a little tact . money ca n't buy empathy or good taste ( shaking my head ) , ' sandra mundie james wrote to cnn dallas affiliate wfaa on facebook . that about sums it up . so maybe shelve the brilliant ideas that involve dead celebrities , biohazards , missing plane passengers , terrorists and domestic abusers . yep , it 's been a rough year , but why memorialize it around a spider-filled punchbowl at the office party ?","it 's been tragedy-filled year since last halloween : plane crashes , ebola , domestic abuse" +"king of clubs baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- an audio message purportedly from the highest-ranking at-large member of iraq 's saddam hussein regime has been released . the speaker is identified as izzat ibrahim al-douri , iraq 's former military commander and vice president who has eluded capture since the fall of the hussein regime more than seven years ago . the message -- issued on the occasion of the 1968 bloodless coup that brought the baath party to power in iraq -- saluted people who resist the occupation . ' cnn has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the voice on the tape , posted friday on a website devoted to national resistance in iraq . there have been at least five other purported audio messages from al-douri . al-douri , 66 , served as vice-chairman of hussein 's revolutionary command council . he has been reported killed and captured during the post-u.s. invasion insurgency , but those reports later turned out to be erroneous . he is the king of clubs ( no . 6 ) on the u.s. military 's card deck of most-wanted regime officials . in the message , al-douri calls himself secretary-general ' of the baath party . the u.s. military says he has helped finance the insurgency against u.s. troops in iraq with iraqi funds he transferred to syria before hussein 's government collapsed in april 2003 . however , the military says his influence has waned while he has been in hiding . u.s. officials say al-douri played key roles in the chemical attack on the kurdish town of halabja in 1988 and in putting down kurdish and shiite revolts after the 1991 persian gulf war .","he is the king of clubs on most-wanted deck of cards" +"mcguire ( cnn ) -- no one may ever know for sure whether ohio 's execution of dennis mcguire -- in a procedure during which he reportedly gasped , snorted and struggled -- was inhumane , but his family and medical and legal experts said friday the ordeal points out fundamental flaws in the use of lethal injection . mcguire , 53 , was convicted in 1994 for the rape and murder of 22-year-old joy stewart , who was seven months pregnant . he was executed thursday morning at the southern ohio correctional facility in lucasville with an injection of midazolam , a sedative , and hydromorphone , an analgesic . columbus dispatch reporter alan johnson witnessed the event , his 19th . this one was different , ' he said in a posting on the newspaper 's website . after three to four minutes , dennis mcguire began gasping for breath , his stomach and chest were compressing deeply , he was making a snorting sound , almost a choking sound at times . and i did n't notice it at first , but his left hand -- which had been waving at his kids -- had clenched into a fist . ' for about 10 minutes , mcguire appeared to be straining against his restraints , johnson recalled . obviously , he could n't get up , but he appeared to be trying to get up or at least raise up in some fashion . ' such a response should never have happened , according to jon paul rion , a lawyer representing the killer 's family . mcguire 's children , dennis ray mcguire and amber mcguire , were among the witnesses . controversial execution in ohio uses new drug combination ' before the execution , there was a series of experts who testified in federal court that this is a possible to likely outcome to that procedure , ' rion told reporters . he said the family plans to file a lawsuit next week in federal court seeking an injunction against the state 's use of the drug combination , alleging that it represents cruel and unusual punishment and , as such , violates the eighth amendment to the constitution . the family will be satisfied if this process stops , ' rion said . that is their goal . ' douglas berman , a professor at the ohio state university and the moritz college of law , said in a telephone interview that such a suit would be groundbreaking . ' but , he added , the family did not appear to have the standing needed to file it . the family 's concern that other people should not have to endure such treatment makes a nice political statement , ' berman said , but may not be enough to file a claim related to the fait accompli . it 's done , ' he noted . there 's nothing to enjoin . ' deborah denno , an expert on the death penalty at fordham university law school , was sympathetic to the family . what happened to dennis mcguire is consistent with what a number of prominent medical experts said would happen , ' she said . but lawyers for mcguire 's relatives need not prove he suffered to show cruel and unusual punishment , she said . knowledge that there was a risk the procedure could have been faulty might suffice , she said . also , autopsy results might show evidence he did not receive enough sedative to render him unconscious , she said . ohio will have to review this new procedure they 've put in place , ' said richard dieter , executive director of the death penalty information center , about the drug combination that was used for the first time on mcguire . i think , now , the judges are going to ask more of the state and not just assume that they have it right . ' dieter , who opposes the death penalty , called the event an embarrassment ' for ohio , but acknowledged it was not clear whether the movements witnessed by johnson and mcguire 's relatives as well as relatives of the murdered woman were involuntary physical responses or a response to suffering . previously , ohio used a single drug , pentobarbital , for many of its executions , but the manufacturer has said it did not want its product to be used in executions and the state 's stockpiles of the drug had expired , dieter said . the backup two-drug alternative was originally intended for use only in cases where a vein could not be found , he said . a similar response came from the maker of propofol when missouri considered using the drug linked to the death of michael jackson in an execution . missouri gave back its supply . as different states begin to use different drug combinations , some of this is a bit of an experiment , ' dieter said . but what happened thursday was no experiment , a word that has a specific meaning among scientists , said dr. joel zivot , assistant professor of anesthesiology and surgery at emory university school of medicine , who pointed out that he was not speaking for his employer . there is no monitoring institutional review board , no ethical oversight , no gathering of data , ' he said in a telephone interview . this is just the state -- with the decision that it 's going to execute someone -- taking compounds and giving them to people and then seeing what happens . and then that 's all . ' he said he was puzzled over how the court -- with a shrug of its shoulder ' -- could allow the possibility of cruelty taking place . though he , too , acknowledged that no one can be certain whether the execution caused pain and suffering , we can only surmise . ' the description of mcguire 's final moments sounds like suffering to me , ' he said . all you have is how it looks and this one did n't look very good , by all accounts . ' zivot accused the state of playing doctor , and playing it poorly . ' the problem had nothing to do with what drugs may have been used and everything to do with how they were used . none of these compounds are intended for the purpose of executing people , ' he said . they are medicine . ' the compounds used by ohio are in short supply , and their diversion from use in treating people to use in execution is questionable , he said . it 's hard to imagine that that 's ethically justifiable , ' he said . dr. jonathan groner , who has studied lethal injections , agreed that executions have been medicalized . we 've turned executions into outpatient surgery , ' said the pediatric surgeon in columbus , ohio . but the medicalization of the procedure has been perfunctory , he said in a telephone interview , noting that neither of the two drugs used on mcguire appears to have been tested in animals for lethality . thomas edison tested the electric chair on all sorts of animals ' before it was used on people , he said . the answer may be to return to the firing squad , which remains a legal way of execution and works surely and quickly . i think they take about 10 seconds , ' he said . and prison guards are actually trained to shoot guns ; they 're not trained to shoot drugs -- and the equipment is cheaper , too . ' but lethal injection is called for by all 32 states that have the death penalty . opinion : end secrecy in lethal injections","mcguire was convicted in 1994 for the rape and murder of 22-year-old joy stewart" +"rebecca samuel yaga , a mechanic , was making a routine repair on a client 's car when his phone rang . it was a phone call that would change his life forever . i was called in the morning by my elder brother notifying me of an attack on the school where my daughter was schooling , ' he said . samuel 's blood went cold as his brother continued , telling him that some of the girls had been abducted by boko haram . samuel knew only too well the vicious and brutal nature of the terrorist group : just a few months before this , boko haram had attacked his village in northeastern nigeria . armed men forced him out of his house and one of them pointed a gun to his head . by a sheer miracle , unexplainable even to samuel , one of the militants intervened , and his life was spared . their entire village was razed to the ground and so samuel moved his family to chibok and enrolled his eldest daughter sarah into the government secondary school so that she could sit for her final high school exam . he chose chibok because not only was it his ancestral home and he had relatives there but also because it had no history of boko haram attacks . he felt it was safe -- until now . later in the day samuel 's brother phoned him again . then before sunset he called me again , and informed me that my daughter was part of those that were taken by boko haram . ' his wife rebecca says the news of her daughter 's abduction tore at her heart . she refused to believe it when her husband first told it to her -- until it was confirmed on the evening news . seriously , seriously , mum and her daughter . the pain is indescribable , ' she reflects . rebecca says there is not a day that goes by that she does think of her daughter . she describes her daughter as an ambitious girl who saw education as a way out of poverty . she used to tell me one day she will finish school and become somebody . she used to assist the younger ones with their homework , ' she said ' she loved studies . she used to fall asleep with her books in her arms , ' she added . her father remembers her as the caring eldest child who used to secretly collect his dirty clothes , wash them and press them for him . he also remembers her passion for knowledge . she is brilliant . she liked reading . always she loved going to school , ' he said . inside their small one roomed house -- there is nothing to indicate that the christmas festive season has begun . they say christmas used to be a time of laughter and spending time with family . every christmas we used to be complete and happy but now one of us is not there , how can it be the same ? ' asks samuel . there is nothing i can say . it has happened . it is a bad christmas . but there is nothing we can do , ' says rebecca . a sadness surrounds the couple as they clutch to the only physical memory that they have of their daughter -- a few photos and one bright green top , one of her favorites . but although they are at low spirits , they say their hopes remain high that their daughter will come back . they pass on that encouragement to their other five children who say they miss their sister . her siblings know that she is not here -- they themselves know what is happening , having come out of war , ' says samuel . they keep asking me ,'when is she coming back ?'but i keep telling them to keep trusting god . maybe he will hear us , ' he adds .","rebecca says not a day goes by that she does not think of her daughter" +"rebecca samuel yaga , a mechanic , was making a routine repair on a client 's car when his phone rang . it was a phone call that would change his life forever . i was called in the morning by my elder brother notifying me of an attack on the school where my daughter was schooling , ' he said . samuel 's blood went cold as his brother continued , telling him that some of the girls had been abducted by boko haram . samuel knew only too well the vicious and brutal nature of the terrorist group : just a few months before this , boko haram had attacked his village in northeastern nigeria . armed men forced him out of his house and one of them pointed a gun to his head . by a sheer miracle , unexplainable even to samuel , one of the militants intervened , and his life was spared . their entire village was razed to the ground and so samuel moved his family to chibok and enrolled his eldest daughter sarah into the government secondary school so that she could sit for her final high school exam . he chose chibok because not only was it his ancestral home and he had relatives there but also because it had no history of boko haram attacks . he felt it was safe -- until now . later in the day samuel 's brother phoned him again . then before sunset he called me again , and informed me that my daughter was part of those that were taken by boko haram . ' his wife rebecca says the news of her daughter 's abduction tore at her heart . she refused to believe it when her husband first told it to her -- until it was confirmed on the evening news . seriously , seriously , mum and her daughter . the pain is indescribable , ' she reflects . rebecca says there is not a day that goes by that she does think of her daughter . she describes her daughter as an ambitious girl who saw education as a way out of poverty . she used to tell me one day she will finish school and become somebody . she used to assist the younger ones with their homework , ' she said ' she loved studies . she used to fall asleep with her books in her arms , ' she added . her father remembers her as the caring eldest child who used to secretly collect his dirty clothes , wash them and press them for him . he also remembers her passion for knowledge . she is brilliant . she liked reading . always she loved going to school , ' he said . inside their small one roomed house -- there is nothing to indicate that the christmas festive season has begun . they say christmas used to be a time of laughter and spending time with family . every christmas we used to be complete and happy but now one of us is not there , how can it be the same ? ' asks samuel . there is nothing i can say . it has happened . it is a bad christmas . but there is nothing we can do , ' says rebecca . a sadness surrounds the couple as they clutch to the only physical memory that they have of their daughter -- a few photos and one bright green top , one of her favorites . but although they are at low spirits , they say their hopes remain high that their daughter will come back . they pass on that encouragement to their other five children who say they miss their sister . her siblings know that she is not here -- they themselves know what is happening , having come out of war , ' says samuel . they keep asking me ,'when is she coming back ?'but i keep telling them to keep trusting god . maybe he will hear us , ' he adds .","samuel and rebecca yaga 's daughter sarah was kidnapped by boko haram in chibok" +"serbia ( cnn ) -- world no.1 novak djokovic ended up on the losing side in the hopman cup final saturday just 24 hours after it was announced that the atp 250 tournament he owned back in his native serbia had folded . djokovic and former world no.1 ana ivanovic were beaten in the deciding mixed doubles 6-4 7-5 by fernando verdasco and anna medina garrigues as spain won the final 2-1 to claim the trophy at the mixed team event in perth . djokovic beat verdasco in the opening rubber 6-3 7-5 but ivanovic suffered a surprise 6-4 6-7 6-2 defeat to veteran baseliner garrigues in their singles tussle as spain drew level . djokovic 's family has run the serbia open tournament , which was scheduled to take place from april 29 to may 5 in belgrade , since 2009 . staged on an outdoor clay court , it acted as a warm-up event for the french open and was the first atp tournament to be held in the country .. he had won the title twice , most recently in 2011 , while italy 's andreas seppi claimed the crown in 2012 in what has turned out to be its last staging . djokovic had opted not to play in his own event , dramatically reducing its appeal . a statement by djokovic 's family sport company , the tournament organizers , was posted on the official atp tour website to confirm the decision , but without giving any reasons . we have made the most rational decision considering the circumstances . we are grateful for everyone 's contribution and help in running this event that brought a lot of international stars and attention to serbia , ' it read . unfortunately , we will not be able to run the belgrade tournament and we have decided to cease the tournament 's operations from 2013 . ' djokovic has suffered mixed fortunes since arriving in australia for the defense of the title at the opening grand slam of the season later this month . jetlagged on his arrival from abu dhabi , he suffered a scare when a crowd barrier collapsed on him during his opening match , a straight sets win over seppi . he was also beaten by bernard tomic in his singles rubber in the match against hosts australia , but against verdasco in the final he showed the form which has kept him at the top of the world rankings for the past two seasons . he then had to watch ivanovic lose a two-hour 38 minute tussle with garrigues before they were second best in the doubles . last year , the serbian duo reached the final , but an abdominal injury to ivanovic ended their chances . we were unfortunate last time , this time we were beaten by a better team , ' djokovic said after their defeat .","novak djokovic 's serbia beaten by spain in hopman cup final" +"serbia ( cnn ) -- world no.1 novak djokovic ended up on the losing side in the hopman cup final saturday just 24 hours after it was announced that the atp 250 tournament he owned back in his native serbia had folded . djokovic and former world no.1 ana ivanovic were beaten in the deciding mixed doubles 6-4 7-5 by fernando verdasco and anna medina garrigues as spain won the final 2-1 to claim the trophy at the mixed team event in perth . djokovic beat verdasco in the opening rubber 6-3 7-5 but ivanovic suffered a surprise 6-4 6-7 6-2 defeat to veteran baseliner garrigues in their singles tussle as spain drew level . djokovic 's family has run the serbia open tournament , which was scheduled to take place from april 29 to may 5 in belgrade , since 2009 . staged on an outdoor clay court , it acted as a warm-up event for the french open and was the first atp tournament to be held in the country .. he had won the title twice , most recently in 2011 , while italy 's andreas seppi claimed the crown in 2012 in what has turned out to be its last staging . djokovic had opted not to play in his own event , dramatically reducing its appeal . a statement by djokovic 's family sport company , the tournament organizers , was posted on the official atp tour website to confirm the decision , but without giving any reasons . we have made the most rational decision considering the circumstances . we are grateful for everyone 's contribution and help in running this event that brought a lot of international stars and attention to serbia , ' it read . unfortunately , we will not be able to run the belgrade tournament and we have decided to cease the tournament 's operations from 2013 . ' djokovic has suffered mixed fortunes since arriving in australia for the defense of the title at the opening grand slam of the season later this month . jetlagged on his arrival from abu dhabi , he suffered a scare when a crowd barrier collapsed on him during his opening match , a straight sets win over seppi . he was also beaten by bernard tomic in his singles rubber in the match against hosts australia , but against verdasco in the final he showed the form which has kept him at the top of the world rankings for the past two seasons . he then had to watch ivanovic lose a two-hour 38 minute tussle with garrigues before they were second best in the doubles . last year , the serbian duo reached the final , but an abdominal injury to ivanovic ended their chances . we were unfortunate last time , this time we were beaten by a better team , ' djokovic said after their defeat .","tournament djokovic owns in serbia has been axed from 2013 atp schedule" +"beijing hong kong ( cnn ) -- smog in beijing is now so bad and such a regular occurrence that the country 's civil aviation authority will require the pilots of even small commercial airlines to be able to perform blind landings . ' the move is aimed at easing delays at beijing capital international airport , which has had the worst flight delays out of 35 international airports . according to china 's state-run china daily , the civil aviation administration of china ( caac ) will from january 1 require pilots flying from china 's 10 busiest airports to beijing to be able to use instrument-landing system on hazy days with a visibility of 400 meters . it is part of a series of measures the administration took recently to raise flights'on-time performance , ' a caac source told the china daily . large passenger aircraft from international airlines require their pilots to have a blind landing category 2 ' certification allowing them to land in poor visibility . this was one of the reasons , the source pointed out , that international airlines suffered fewer delays . the latest bout of smog in beijing and shanghai has led to the cancellation or delay of hundreds of flights , stranding passengers and creating chaos at airports . chinese media reports said that while 80 % of the pilots at spring airlines , half of china eastern and most of juneyao airlines pilots had received training , only larger airports such as those in shanghai , guangzhou and xian were equipped with ground systems that allowed for blind landings . a pilot with cathay pacific , who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak , said that modern jetliners can be brought to land in zero visibility . the greatest limitation is really being able to taxi off the runway , ' he told cnn , adding that modern aircraft had three systems on-board that could auto-land a plane . he said training in these systems involved identifying deficiencies or failures in any of the systems and establishing at what point the pilots would have to abort a landing . he added that the problems that smog and pollution created for aviation was not just isolated to china and that other countries had also struggled with the problem . the whole concept of auto-land was developed in england in the 1960s for the fog that london gets and on top of that all the pollution that they got at the time , ' he said . this is just the same technology moving into the industrial revolution that 's happening in china at the moment . '","the latest bout of smog in beijing and shanghai has led to the cancellation or delay of hundreds of flights" +"king abdullah london , england ( cnn ) -- taliban leaders are holding saudi-brokered talks with the afghan government to end the country 's bloody conflict -- and are severing their ties with al qaeda , sources close to the historic discussions have told cnn . king abdullah of saudia arabia hosted meetings between the afghan government and the taliban , a source says . the militia , which has been intensifying its attacks on the u.s.-led coalition that toppled it from power in 2001 for harboring osama bin laden 's terrorist network , has been involved in four days of talks hosted by saudi arabia 's king abdullah , says the source . the talks -- the first of their kind aimed at resolving the lengthy conflict in afghanistan -- mark a significant move by the saudi leadership to take a direct role in afghanistan , hosting delegates who have until recently been their enemies . they also mark a sidestepping of key war on terror ' ally pakistan , frequently accused of not doing enough to tackle militants sheltering on its territory , which has previously been a conduit for talks between the saudis and afghanistan . according to the source , fugitive taliban leader mullah mohammed omar -- high on the u.s. military 's most-wanted list -- was not present , but his representatives were keen to stress the reclusive cleric is no longer allied to al qaeda . details of the taliban leader 's split with al qaeda have never been made public before , but the new claims confirm what another source with an intimate knowledge of the militia and mullah omar has told cnn in the past . the current round of talks , said to have been taken two years of intense behind-the-scenes negotiations to come to fruition , is anticipated to be the first step in a long process to secure a negotiated end to the conflict . but u.s.- and europe-friendly saudi arabia 's involvement has been propelled by a mounting death toll among coalition troops amid a worsening violence that has also claimed many civilian casualties . a saudi source familiar with the talks confirmed that they happened and said the saudis take seriously their role in facilitating discussions between parties to the conflict . a second round of talks is scheduled to take place in two months , the saudi source said . the afghan government believes the taliban can not be defeated militarily , and the taliban believe that they ca n't win a war against the u.s.-led coalition in afghanistan , the saudi source said . the involvement of the saudis is also seen as an expression of fear that iran could take advantage of u.s. failings in afghanistan , as it is seen to be doing in iraq . several afghan sources familiar with iranian activities in afghanistan have said iranian officials and diplomats who are investing in business and building education facilities are lobbying politicians in kabul . learn more about king abdullah of saudi arabia » the afghan sources wish to remain anonymous due to their political roles . coalition commanders regularly accuse iran of arming the taliban , and western diplomats privately suggest that iran is working against u.s. interests in afghanistan , making it harder to bring peace . saudi sources say perceived iranian expansionism is one of saudi arabia 's biggest concerns . watch cnn 's nic robertson report on the meeting » the talks in mecca took place between september 24 and 27 and involved 11 taliban delegates , two afghan government officials , a representative of former mujahadeen commander and u.s. foe gulbadin hekmatyar , and three others . king abdullah broke fast during the eid al-fitr holiday with the 17-member afghan delegation -- an act intended to show his commitment to ending the conflict . eid al-fitr marks the end of ramadan , the muslim holy month of fasting . learn more about ramadan » saudi arabia was one of only three countries that recognized the taliban leadership during its rule over afghanistan in the 1990s , but that relationship was severed over mullah omar 's refusal to hand over bin laden . during the talks , described as an ice breaker , all parties agreed that the only solution to afghanistan 's conflict is through dialogue , not fighting . further talks are expected in saudi arabia involving this core group and others .","king abdullah hosted talks in city of mecca at end of september , source says" +"statue of liberty london , england ( cnn ) -- a visit to the eiffel tower , the statue of liberty and the pyramids is on the itinerary of most jet-setting travelers . visiting the eiffel tower was voted the most overrated experience by tourists . but some of the most famous and iconic tourist attractions in the world are the most disappointing to actually visit , according to a survey of british tourists . and those questioned did n't think too highly of their own country 's best-known landmarks either , with big ben , buckingham palace and the princess diana memorial fountain also turning people cold . travel expert felice hardy explained why many tourists , often after spending inflated amounts on reaching and then viewing the most famous places , are left with a feeling of anti-climax . it 's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on clichéd tourist sights around the world , ' she said . but many of them are overcrowded and disappointing . pick carefully and do n't always go for the obvious . natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made , and can be wonderfully free of tourists . ' the eiffel tower -- described by hardy as frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced ' -- was dubbed the most disappointing international sight . britain 's biggest letdown was stonehenge , a sacred druid sight in the rural south of england , which was dismissed as an isolated pile of rocks in a usually muddy field ' by hardy . the diana fountain resembled a colorless wet skateboard park ' while as far as big ben was concerned : once you 've seen it , you 'll know what time it is -- time to go somewhere else . ' three of america 's most famous sights -- new york 's times square and statue of liberty plus the white house in washington also made the list of shame . but the 1,267 adults questioned by virgin travel insurance also nominated the best places to visit in the world , with the treasury in the ancient city of petra in jordan topping the list . other unmissables included the grand canal in venice , italy , the masai mara game reserve in kenya and australia 's sydney harbor bridge . alnwick castle in northumberland was voted britain 's top tourist sight . top ten most disappointing global sights 1 . the eiffel tower , paris ; 2 . the louvre , paris ; 3 . times square , new york ; 4 . las ramblas , barcelona ; 5 . statue of liberty , new york ; 6 . spanish steps , rome ; 7 . the white house , washington dc ; 8 . the pyramids , egypt ; 9 . the brandenburg gate , berlin ; 10.the leaning tower of pisa . top ten most disappointing uk sights 1 . stonehenge ; 2 . angel of the north . gateshead ; 3 . blackpool tower ; 4 . land 's end , cornwall ; 5 . diana princess of wales memorial fountain , london ; 6 . the london eye ; 7 . brighton pier ; 8 . buckingham palace ; 9 . white cliffs of dover ; 10 . big ben . top ten best global sights 1 . the treasury at petra , jordan ; 2 . the grand canal , venice ; 3 . the masai mara , kenya ; 4 . sydney harbour bridge ; 5 . taroko gorge , taiwan ; 6 . kings canyon , northern territory , australia ; 7 . cappadoccia caves , turkey ; 8 . lake titicaca , peru and bolivia ; 9 . cable beach , broome , western australia ; 10 . jungfraujoch railway , switzerland . top ten best uk sights 1 . alnwick castle , northumberland ; 2 . carrick-a-rede rope bridge , county antrim ; 3 . the royal crescent , bath ; 4 . shakespeare 's globe theatre , southwark , south london ; 5 . the backs , cambridge ; 6 . holkham bay , norfolk ; 7 . lyme regis and the jurassic coast , devon and dorset ; 8 . tate st ives gallery , cornwall ; 9 . isle of skye , scotland ; 10 . the eden project , cornwall e-mail to a friend","the eiffel tower , the statue of liberty and the pyramids on the list" +"pyramids london , england ( cnn ) -- a visit to the eiffel tower , the statue of liberty and the pyramids is on the itinerary of most jet-setting travelers . visiting the eiffel tower was voted the most overrated experience by tourists . but some of the most famous and iconic tourist attractions in the world are the most disappointing to actually visit , according to a survey of british tourists . and those questioned did n't think too highly of their own country 's best-known landmarks either , with big ben , buckingham palace and the princess diana memorial fountain also turning people cold . travel expert felice hardy explained why many tourists , often after spending inflated amounts on reaching and then viewing the most famous places , are left with a feeling of anti-climax . it 's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on clichéd tourist sights around the world , ' she said . but many of them are overcrowded and disappointing . pick carefully and do n't always go for the obvious . natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made , and can be wonderfully free of tourists . ' the eiffel tower -- described by hardy as frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced ' -- was dubbed the most disappointing international sight . britain 's biggest letdown was stonehenge , a sacred druid sight in the rural south of england , which was dismissed as an isolated pile of rocks in a usually muddy field ' by hardy . the diana fountain resembled a colorless wet skateboard park ' while as far as big ben was concerned : once you 've seen it , you 'll know what time it is -- time to go somewhere else . ' three of america 's most famous sights -- new york 's times square and statue of liberty plus the white house in washington also made the list of shame . but the 1,267 adults questioned by virgin travel insurance also nominated the best places to visit in the world , with the treasury in the ancient city of petra in jordan topping the list . other unmissables included the grand canal in venice , italy , the masai mara game reserve in kenya and australia 's sydney harbor bridge . alnwick castle in northumberland was voted britain 's top tourist sight . top ten most disappointing global sights 1 . the eiffel tower , paris ; 2 . the louvre , paris ; 3 . times square , new york ; 4 . las ramblas , barcelona ; 5 . statue of liberty , new york ; 6 . spanish steps , rome ; 7 . the white house , washington dc ; 8 . the pyramids , egypt ; 9 . the brandenburg gate , berlin ; 10.the leaning tower of pisa . top ten most disappointing uk sights 1 . stonehenge ; 2 . angel of the north . gateshead ; 3 . blackpool tower ; 4 . land 's end , cornwall ; 5 . diana princess of wales memorial fountain , london ; 6 . the london eye ; 7 . brighton pier ; 8 . buckingham palace ; 9 . white cliffs of dover ; 10 . big ben . top ten best global sights 1 . the treasury at petra , jordan ; 2 . the grand canal , venice ; 3 . the masai mara , kenya ; 4 . sydney harbour bridge ; 5 . taroko gorge , taiwan ; 6 . kings canyon , northern territory , australia ; 7 . cappadoccia caves , turkey ; 8 . lake titicaca , peru and bolivia ; 9 . cable beach , broome , western australia ; 10 . jungfraujoch railway , switzerland . top ten best uk sights 1 . alnwick castle , northumberland ; 2 . carrick-a-rede rope bridge , county antrim ; 3 . the royal crescent , bath ; 4 . shakespeare 's globe theatre , southwark , south london ; 5 . the backs , cambridge ; 6 . holkham bay , norfolk ; 7 . lyme regis and the jurassic coast , devon and dorset ; 8 . tate st ives gallery , cornwall ; 9 . isle of skye , scotland ; 10 . the eden project , cornwall e-mail to a friend","the eiffel tower , the statue of liberty and the pyramids on the list" +"petra london , england ( cnn ) -- a visit to the eiffel tower , the statue of liberty and the pyramids is on the itinerary of most jet-setting travelers . visiting the eiffel tower was voted the most overrated experience by tourists . but some of the most famous and iconic tourist attractions in the world are the most disappointing to actually visit , according to a survey of british tourists . and those questioned did n't think too highly of their own country 's best-known landmarks either , with big ben , buckingham palace and the princess diana memorial fountain also turning people cold . travel expert felice hardy explained why many tourists , often after spending inflated amounts on reaching and then viewing the most famous places , are left with a feeling of anti-climax . it 's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on clichéd tourist sights around the world , ' she said . but many of them are overcrowded and disappointing . pick carefully and do n't always go for the obvious . natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made , and can be wonderfully free of tourists . ' the eiffel tower -- described by hardy as frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced ' -- was dubbed the most disappointing international sight . britain 's biggest letdown was stonehenge , a sacred druid sight in the rural south of england , which was dismissed as an isolated pile of rocks in a usually muddy field ' by hardy . the diana fountain resembled a colorless wet skateboard park ' while as far as big ben was concerned : once you 've seen it , you 'll know what time it is -- time to go somewhere else . ' three of america 's most famous sights -- new york 's times square and statue of liberty plus the white house in washington also made the list of shame . but the 1,267 adults questioned by virgin travel insurance also nominated the best places to visit in the world , with the treasury in the ancient city of petra in jordan topping the list . other unmissables included the grand canal in venice , italy , the masai mara game reserve in kenya and australia 's sydney harbor bridge . alnwick castle in northumberland was voted britain 's top tourist sight . top ten most disappointing global sights 1 . the eiffel tower , paris ; 2 . the louvre , paris ; 3 . times square , new york ; 4 . las ramblas , barcelona ; 5 . statue of liberty , new york ; 6 . spanish steps , rome ; 7 . the white house , washington dc ; 8 . the pyramids , egypt ; 9 . the brandenburg gate , berlin ; 10.the leaning tower of pisa . top ten most disappointing uk sights 1 . stonehenge ; 2 . angel of the north . gateshead ; 3 . blackpool tower ; 4 . land 's end , cornwall ; 5 . diana princess of wales memorial fountain , london ; 6 . the london eye ; 7 . brighton pier ; 8 . buckingham palace ; 9 . white cliffs of dover ; 10 . big ben . top ten best global sights 1 . the treasury at petra , jordan ; 2 . the grand canal , venice ; 3 . the masai mara , kenya ; 4 . sydney harbour bridge ; 5 . taroko gorge , taiwan ; 6 . kings canyon , northern territory , australia ; 7 . cappadoccia caves , turkey ; 8 . lake titicaca , peru and bolivia ; 9 . cable beach , broome , western australia ; 10 . jungfraujoch railway , switzerland . top ten best uk sights 1 . alnwick castle , northumberland ; 2 . carrick-a-rede rope bridge , county antrim ; 3 . the royal crescent , bath ; 4 . shakespeare 's globe theatre , southwark , south london ; 5 . the backs , cambridge ; 6 . holkham bay , norfolk ; 7 . lyme regis and the jurassic coast , devon and dorset ; 8 . tate st ives gallery , cornwall ; 9 . isle of skye , scotland ; 10 . the eden project , cornwall e-mail to a friend","the treasury in the ancient city of petra in jordan voted the best place to visit" +"indians new delhi , india ( cnn ) -- a u.s. federal air marshal may have violated indian law after failing to properly secure his law enforcement equipment when inside the country , u.s. officials said friday . the equipment brought into india included two pistol magazines and ammunition -- items the u.s. transportation security administration says air marshals are supposed to secure as they enter another country . tsa is investigating this incident and working with indian government officials to ensure that the facts of this incident are thoroughly reviewed , ' federal officials said in a statement issued from the tsa by the u.s. embassy in new delhi . delhi police did not confirm that a u.s. air marshal was part of the investigation , but p.n . aggarwal , the joint commissioner of delhi police , said that quite a few rounds ( of ammunition ) and two magazines ' were discovered inside an air-conditioning duct in a hotel room . the description matched tsa 's of the equipment was not secured properly ' by an air marshal in india . the found items led to an uncomfortable encounter for three italians visiting india -- they were the last people to occupy the hotel room before the ammunition and magazines were found . the italians had traveled on to mumbai by the time the items were discovered and were called back to delhi to talk with police . they were allowed to go , ' aggarwal said , after investigators found no evidence ' against them . neither indian nor u.s. officials released the names of the italians or the federal air marshal . although indian officialswould not confirm whether an air marshal was a suspect in the case , u.s. officials were more forthright . on june 1st , tsa was made aware of a situation regarding the failure of a federal air marshal to properly secure his law enforcement equipment when entering india , ' the tsa statement said . the equipment included two pistol magazines and ammunition , which is consistent with duty equipment issued to federal air marshals for duty carry . ' the federal air marshal service takes such incidents seriously ; agency policy requires federal air marshals to adhere to international agreements to secure their law enforcement equipment when entering a foreign country . federal air marshals found to have violated these agreements are subject to the full range of disciplinary measures up to and including removal . ' . cnn 's harmeet shah singh and drew griffin contributed to this report","u.s. officials said they were working with indians on incident" +"obama ( cnn ) -- venezuelan president hugo chavez said friday he appreciated u.s. president barack obama 's friendly gestures at last weekend 's summit of the americas , but said they do n't change his view of the united states as an imperialist nation . hugo chavez had handshakes and smiles for president obama at the summit of the americas last weekend . chavez 's fiery diatribes against the united states have included referring to former president george w. bush as the devil . he was photographed with obama at least twice at the summit -- once when obama shook hands with him and other leaders , and again when he approached obama to give him a book . the hand [ shake ] , yes . and the smile , yes -- one time and a second time and a third time and a fourth time , ' chavez said during a televised address . but nobody should be mistaken . the empire is there , alive and kicking . ' the book chavez presented to obama as cameras rolled is titled open veins of latin america : five centuries of the pillage of a continent . ' the book chronicles europe 's and the united states'role in the effects and causes of capitalist underdevelopment in latin america , ' according to one reviewer . as he has in the past , chavez noted obama 's historic role as the first black u.s. president . i hope obama , for the dignity of his race , may be the last president of an imperialist united states , ' he said .","chavez : i hope obama ... may be the last president of an imperialist united states '" +"obama ( cnn ) -- venezuelan president hugo chavez said friday he appreciated u.s. president barack obama 's friendly gestures at last weekend 's summit of the americas , but said they do n't change his view of the united states as an imperialist nation . hugo chavez had handshakes and smiles for president obama at the summit of the americas last weekend . chavez 's fiery diatribes against the united states have included referring to former president george w. bush as the devil . he was photographed with obama at least twice at the summit -- once when obama shook hands with him and other leaders , and again when he approached obama to give him a book . the hand [ shake ] , yes . and the smile , yes -- one time and a second time and a third time and a fourth time , ' chavez said during a televised address . but nobody should be mistaken . the empire is there , alive and kicking . ' the book chavez presented to obama as cameras rolled is titled open veins of latin america : five centuries of the pillage of a continent . ' the book chronicles europe 's and the united states'role in the effects and causes of capitalist underdevelopment in latin america , ' according to one reviewer . as he has in the past , chavez noted obama 's historic role as the first black u.s. president . i hope obama , for the dignity of his race , may be the last president of an imperialist united states , ' he said .","friendly exchanges with obama did n't change his view of u.s. , chavez says" +"libya their war for freedom in libya may be over , but almost a year after they won the battle for the libyan capital , a group of fighters have a new battlefield : syria . under the command of one of libya 's most well known rebel commanders , al-mahdi al-harati , more than 30 libyan fighters have made their way into syria to support the free syrian army rebels in their war against president bashar al-assad 's regime . al-harati , who commanded the tripoli revolutionary brigade -- which was the first group of rebels to enter the libyan capital last august -- has been in syria for months leading some of his former men and syrian military defectors who have joined his liwaa al-umma ' or the banner of the nation ' brigade . recent youtube videos show at least two different syrian rebel factions announcing that they are part of the liwa al-umma . heavy fighting in syrian city of aleppo al-harati , who has dual libyan and irish citizenship , first visited syria last year on what he calls a fact finding mission ' to see the situation on the ground and find out what syrian rebels needed . after many syrians approached me asking for my help , i felt it was time to do more and due to the great success of the tripoli brigade we felt it was time to act and that meant the formation of the banner of the nation , ' al-harati told cnn in skype messages this week . al-harati said : with the prior success in libya i decided to leave nationality aside and , just like world organizations helped libya in its time of need , i decided to pass my experience to others to benefit . ' in the past week , at least three more former members of the tripoli revolutionary brigade traveled from the libyan capital to join their former commander in syria , two former members of the trb says . al-harati , who describes himself as a commander and facilitator ' says there were no active efforts to recruit libyans . these are grown men with their own minds and do not need convincing about this cause , ' al-harati said . mohammed , 23 , fought in some of the fiercest battles against moammar gadhafi 's troops in libya 's western mountains . one year on , he dreams of fighting al-assad 's troops . he does not want his last name disclosed because he does not want his family to know he wants to go to syria . what bashar al-assad is doing is unacceptable in islam ... he is killing children and wiping out entire cities ... the syrians need people to fight with them , this is jihad , it does not have to be my ( personal ) cause ... as a muslim i have to go and help them , ' he said . mohammed smiles as he recalls the fighting in libya last year , like now he says , it was during the holy month of ramadan . syrian rebels appear more capable , yet still outgunned ' there is nothing better than jihad during ramadan ... there are some people who look at us and say we are jihadist extremists , we are not . in libya we experienced jihad , tasted the beauty of jihad . we are not going to jihad like al-qaeda and others . we are going to support our brothers in syria , ' he said . another fighter is housam najjair . he is 33 , al-harati 's brother-in-law , and had never used a weapon until he fought in libya last year . he said : when i watch tv reports ... you hear the cries of an old woman or a mother of a child who has been killed , or some of the brutal pictures that we have seen of children being killed ... i can not sit back and watch that , ' najjair told cnn in a skype interview from one of turkey 's borders with syria hours before making the dangerous journey into syria . i have to do whatever i can to make that journey . because i feel guilty putting my head down at nighttime knowing that last year i was given an amazing opportunity to learn how to use weapons , for good , all for good , learn how to use weapons , how to maneuver , how to travel , how to attack , how to defend , all these things , ' najjair said , adding that his aim is to share these experiences with syrian rebels . during the interview , najjair got the phone call he had been waiting for , his group of fighters is mobilizing to go into syria . it is a rollercoaster of different kinds of emotions , you get excited , you get adrenalin , fear , anticipation , all these feelings come into it , fear is not the main factor and in my mind will never be ... it will impair your judgment ... libya was a walk in the park compared to syria , i know this going in there , ' najjair said as he prepared to leave . najjair says the no-fly zone enforced in libya last year helped rebel fighters and allowed them to make great advances . without that in syria , operating will be much harder . he says they do not have a military base , there are makeshift barracks ; they are constantly on the move and can not spend more than a day in one location . fighters , he says , are scattered across different areas . a syrian town 's'street of death' last month , a senior libyan security official told cnn the government was aware of libyans fighting in syria , but they were individuals and not government sponsored . earlier this year , russia 's ambassador to the united nations , accused libya of hosting and training syrian rebels . a claim denied by the libyan prime minister . but libya 's government and people have been vocal in their support for the syrian opposition . libya was one of the first countries to recognize the opposition syrian national council as the legitimate representatives of the syrian people and in february , tripoli expelled assad 's diplomats and closed down their embassy . many in libya say they relate to syrians who want to overthrow the regime . it was not too long ago that they lived a similar experience . but not everyone chooses to express support militarily . some show solidarity by hanging the syrian opposition flag outside their shops in tripoli , flying alongside the free libya flag . in a youtube video posted on july 4 , a group of six libyan doctors is seen being greeted by free syrian army troops as they enter syria . we are coming for you bashar , ' says one of the doctors as they shake hands with the heavily armed syrian fighters . there are no official figures on how many libyans are currently in syria . in february , reports of at least four libyan fighters killed in syria circulated , but there has been no government confirmation . for fighters like najjair , the risk of death is a matter of faith . he said : you have to have faith and you have to say to yourself , if it 's my time , i will be gone . if it 's not my time it will be another amazing journey another amazing victory . ' ' faces of the free syrian army","unlike libya , in syria fighters have no base and no cover from a no-fly zone" +"libya their war for freedom in libya may be over , but almost a year after they won the battle for the libyan capital , a group of fighters have a new battlefield : syria . under the command of one of libya 's most well known rebel commanders , al-mahdi al-harati , more than 30 libyan fighters have made their way into syria to support the free syrian army rebels in their war against president bashar al-assad 's regime . al-harati , who commanded the tripoli revolutionary brigade -- which was the first group of rebels to enter the libyan capital last august -- has been in syria for months leading some of his former men and syrian military defectors who have joined his liwaa al-umma ' or the banner of the nation ' brigade . recent youtube videos show at least two different syrian rebel factions announcing that they are part of the liwa al-umma . heavy fighting in syrian city of aleppo al-harati , who has dual libyan and irish citizenship , first visited syria last year on what he calls a fact finding mission ' to see the situation on the ground and find out what syrian rebels needed . after many syrians approached me asking for my help , i felt it was time to do more and due to the great success of the tripoli brigade we felt it was time to act and that meant the formation of the banner of the nation , ' al-harati told cnn in skype messages this week . al-harati said : with the prior success in libya i decided to leave nationality aside and , just like world organizations helped libya in its time of need , i decided to pass my experience to others to benefit . ' in the past week , at least three more former members of the tripoli revolutionary brigade traveled from the libyan capital to join their former commander in syria , two former members of the trb says . al-harati , who describes himself as a commander and facilitator ' says there were no active efforts to recruit libyans . these are grown men with their own minds and do not need convincing about this cause , ' al-harati said . mohammed , 23 , fought in some of the fiercest battles against moammar gadhafi 's troops in libya 's western mountains . one year on , he dreams of fighting al-assad 's troops . he does not want his last name disclosed because he does not want his family to know he wants to go to syria . what bashar al-assad is doing is unacceptable in islam ... he is killing children and wiping out entire cities ... the syrians need people to fight with them , this is jihad , it does not have to be my ( personal ) cause ... as a muslim i have to go and help them , ' he said . mohammed smiles as he recalls the fighting in libya last year , like now he says , it was during the holy month of ramadan . syrian rebels appear more capable , yet still outgunned ' there is nothing better than jihad during ramadan ... there are some people who look at us and say we are jihadist extremists , we are not . in libya we experienced jihad , tasted the beauty of jihad . we are not going to jihad like al-qaeda and others . we are going to support our brothers in syria , ' he said . another fighter is housam najjair . he is 33 , al-harati 's brother-in-law , and had never used a weapon until he fought in libya last year . he said : when i watch tv reports ... you hear the cries of an old woman or a mother of a child who has been killed , or some of the brutal pictures that we have seen of children being killed ... i can not sit back and watch that , ' najjair told cnn in a skype interview from one of turkey 's borders with syria hours before making the dangerous journey into syria . i have to do whatever i can to make that journey . because i feel guilty putting my head down at nighttime knowing that last year i was given an amazing opportunity to learn how to use weapons , for good , all for good , learn how to use weapons , how to maneuver , how to travel , how to attack , how to defend , all these things , ' najjair said , adding that his aim is to share these experiences with syrian rebels . during the interview , najjair got the phone call he had been waiting for , his group of fighters is mobilizing to go into syria . it is a rollercoaster of different kinds of emotions , you get excited , you get adrenalin , fear , anticipation , all these feelings come into it , fear is not the main factor and in my mind will never be ... it will impair your judgment ... libya was a walk in the park compared to syria , i know this going in there , ' najjair said as he prepared to leave . najjair says the no-fly zone enforced in libya last year helped rebel fighters and allowed them to make great advances . without that in syria , operating will be much harder . he says they do not have a military base , there are makeshift barracks ; they are constantly on the move and can not spend more than a day in one location . fighters , he says , are scattered across different areas . a syrian town 's'street of death' last month , a senior libyan security official told cnn the government was aware of libyans fighting in syria , but they were individuals and not government sponsored . earlier this year , russia 's ambassador to the united nations , accused libya of hosting and training syrian rebels . a claim denied by the libyan prime minister . but libya 's government and people have been vocal in their support for the syrian opposition . libya was one of the first countries to recognize the opposition syrian national council as the legitimate representatives of the syrian people and in february , tripoli expelled assad 's diplomats and closed down their embassy . many in libya say they relate to syrians who want to overthrow the regime . it was not too long ago that they lived a similar experience . but not everyone chooses to express support militarily . some show solidarity by hanging the syrian opposition flag outside their shops in tripoli , flying alongside the free libya flag . in a youtube video posted on july 4 , a group of six libyan doctors is seen being greeted by free syrian army troops as they enter syria . we are coming for you bashar , ' says one of the doctors as they shake hands with the heavily armed syrian fighters . there are no official figures on how many libyans are currently in syria . in february , reports of at least four libyan fighters killed in syria circulated , but there has been no government confirmation . for fighters like najjair , the risk of death is a matter of faith . he said : you have to have faith and you have to say to yourself , if it 's my time , i will be gone . if it 's not my time it will be another amazing journey another amazing victory . ' ' faces of the free syrian army","more than 30 men who fought against libya 's regime are moving into syria" +"libya their war for freedom in libya may be over , but almost a year after they won the battle for the libyan capital , a group of fighters have a new battlefield : syria . under the command of one of libya 's most well known rebel commanders , al-mahdi al-harati , more than 30 libyan fighters have made their way into syria to support the free syrian army rebels in their war against president bashar al-assad 's regime . al-harati , who commanded the tripoli revolutionary brigade -- which was the first group of rebels to enter the libyan capital last august -- has been in syria for months leading some of his former men and syrian military defectors who have joined his liwaa al-umma ' or the banner of the nation ' brigade . recent youtube videos show at least two different syrian rebel factions announcing that they are part of the liwa al-umma . heavy fighting in syrian city of aleppo al-harati , who has dual libyan and irish citizenship , first visited syria last year on what he calls a fact finding mission ' to see the situation on the ground and find out what syrian rebels needed . after many syrians approached me asking for my help , i felt it was time to do more and due to the great success of the tripoli brigade we felt it was time to act and that meant the formation of the banner of the nation , ' al-harati told cnn in skype messages this week . al-harati said : with the prior success in libya i decided to leave nationality aside and , just like world organizations helped libya in its time of need , i decided to pass my experience to others to benefit . ' in the past week , at least three more former members of the tripoli revolutionary brigade traveled from the libyan capital to join their former commander in syria , two former members of the trb says . al-harati , who describes himself as a commander and facilitator ' says there were no active efforts to recruit libyans . these are grown men with their own minds and do not need convincing about this cause , ' al-harati said . mohammed , 23 , fought in some of the fiercest battles against moammar gadhafi 's troops in libya 's western mountains . one year on , he dreams of fighting al-assad 's troops . he does not want his last name disclosed because he does not want his family to know he wants to go to syria . what bashar al-assad is doing is unacceptable in islam ... he is killing children and wiping out entire cities ... the syrians need people to fight with them , this is jihad , it does not have to be my ( personal ) cause ... as a muslim i have to go and help them , ' he said . mohammed smiles as he recalls the fighting in libya last year , like now he says , it was during the holy month of ramadan . syrian rebels appear more capable , yet still outgunned ' there is nothing better than jihad during ramadan ... there are some people who look at us and say we are jihadist extremists , we are not . in libya we experienced jihad , tasted the beauty of jihad . we are not going to jihad like al-qaeda and others . we are going to support our brothers in syria , ' he said . another fighter is housam najjair . he is 33 , al-harati 's brother-in-law , and had never used a weapon until he fought in libya last year . he said : when i watch tv reports ... you hear the cries of an old woman or a mother of a child who has been killed , or some of the brutal pictures that we have seen of children being killed ... i can not sit back and watch that , ' najjair told cnn in a skype interview from one of turkey 's borders with syria hours before making the dangerous journey into syria . i have to do whatever i can to make that journey . because i feel guilty putting my head down at nighttime knowing that last year i was given an amazing opportunity to learn how to use weapons , for good , all for good , learn how to use weapons , how to maneuver , how to travel , how to attack , how to defend , all these things , ' najjair said , adding that his aim is to share these experiences with syrian rebels . during the interview , najjair got the phone call he had been waiting for , his group of fighters is mobilizing to go into syria . it is a rollercoaster of different kinds of emotions , you get excited , you get adrenalin , fear , anticipation , all these feelings come into it , fear is not the main factor and in my mind will never be ... it will impair your judgment ... libya was a walk in the park compared to syria , i know this going in there , ' najjair said as he prepared to leave . najjair says the no-fly zone enforced in libya last year helped rebel fighters and allowed them to make great advances . without that in syria , operating will be much harder . he says they do not have a military base , there are makeshift barracks ; they are constantly on the move and can not spend more than a day in one location . fighters , he says , are scattered across different areas . a syrian town 's'street of death' last month , a senior libyan security official told cnn the government was aware of libyans fighting in syria , but they were individuals and not government sponsored . earlier this year , russia 's ambassador to the united nations , accused libya of hosting and training syrian rebels . a claim denied by the libyan prime minister . but libya 's government and people have been vocal in their support for the syrian opposition . libya was one of the first countries to recognize the opposition syrian national council as the legitimate representatives of the syrian people and in february , tripoli expelled assad 's diplomats and closed down their embassy . many in libya say they relate to syrians who want to overthrow the regime . it was not too long ago that they lived a similar experience . but not everyone chooses to express support militarily . some show solidarity by hanging the syrian opposition flag outside their shops in tripoli , flying alongside the free libya flag . in a youtube video posted on july 4 , a group of six libyan doctors is seen being greeted by free syrian army troops as they enter syria . we are coming for you bashar , ' says one of the doctors as they shake hands with the heavily armed syrian fighters . there are no official figures on how many libyans are currently in syria . in february , reports of at least four libyan fighters killed in syria circulated , but there has been no government confirmation . for fighters like najjair , the risk of death is a matter of faith . he said : you have to have faith and you have to say to yourself , if it 's my time , i will be gone . if it 's not my time it will be another amazing journey another amazing victory . ' ' faces of the free syrian army","libya 's government and people have been vocal supporters of syria 's opposition" +"libya their war for freedom in libya may be over , but almost a year after they won the battle for the libyan capital , a group of fighters have a new battlefield : syria . under the command of one of libya 's most well known rebel commanders , al-mahdi al-harati , more than 30 libyan fighters have made their way into syria to support the free syrian army rebels in their war against president bashar al-assad 's regime . al-harati , who commanded the tripoli revolutionary brigade -- which was the first group of rebels to enter the libyan capital last august -- has been in syria for months leading some of his former men and syrian military defectors who have joined his liwaa al-umma ' or the banner of the nation ' brigade . recent youtube videos show at least two different syrian rebel factions announcing that they are part of the liwa al-umma . heavy fighting in syrian city of aleppo al-harati , who has dual libyan and irish citizenship , first visited syria last year on what he calls a fact finding mission ' to see the situation on the ground and find out what syrian rebels needed . after many syrians approached me asking for my help , i felt it was time to do more and due to the great success of the tripoli brigade we felt it was time to act and that meant the formation of the banner of the nation , ' al-harati told cnn in skype messages this week . al-harati said : with the prior success in libya i decided to leave nationality aside and , just like world organizations helped libya in its time of need , i decided to pass my experience to others to benefit . ' in the past week , at least three more former members of the tripoli revolutionary brigade traveled from the libyan capital to join their former commander in syria , two former members of the trb says . al-harati , who describes himself as a commander and facilitator ' says there were no active efforts to recruit libyans . these are grown men with their own minds and do not need convincing about this cause , ' al-harati said . mohammed , 23 , fought in some of the fiercest battles against moammar gadhafi 's troops in libya 's western mountains . one year on , he dreams of fighting al-assad 's troops . he does not want his last name disclosed because he does not want his family to know he wants to go to syria . what bashar al-assad is doing is unacceptable in islam ... he is killing children and wiping out entire cities ... the syrians need people to fight with them , this is jihad , it does not have to be my ( personal ) cause ... as a muslim i have to go and help them , ' he said . mohammed smiles as he recalls the fighting in libya last year , like now he says , it was during the holy month of ramadan . syrian rebels appear more capable , yet still outgunned ' there is nothing better than jihad during ramadan ... there are some people who look at us and say we are jihadist extremists , we are not . in libya we experienced jihad , tasted the beauty of jihad . we are not going to jihad like al-qaeda and others . we are going to support our brothers in syria , ' he said . another fighter is housam najjair . he is 33 , al-harati 's brother-in-law , and had never used a weapon until he fought in libya last year . he said : when i watch tv reports ... you hear the cries of an old woman or a mother of a child who has been killed , or some of the brutal pictures that we have seen of children being killed ... i can not sit back and watch that , ' najjair told cnn in a skype interview from one of turkey 's borders with syria hours before making the dangerous journey into syria . i have to do whatever i can to make that journey . because i feel guilty putting my head down at nighttime knowing that last year i was given an amazing opportunity to learn how to use weapons , for good , all for good , learn how to use weapons , how to maneuver , how to travel , how to attack , how to defend , all these things , ' najjair said , adding that his aim is to share these experiences with syrian rebels . during the interview , najjair got the phone call he had been waiting for , his group of fighters is mobilizing to go into syria . it is a rollercoaster of different kinds of emotions , you get excited , you get adrenalin , fear , anticipation , all these feelings come into it , fear is not the main factor and in my mind will never be ... it will impair your judgment ... libya was a walk in the park compared to syria , i know this going in there , ' najjair said as he prepared to leave . najjair says the no-fly zone enforced in libya last year helped rebel fighters and allowed them to make great advances . without that in syria , operating will be much harder . he says they do not have a military base , there are makeshift barracks ; they are constantly on the move and can not spend more than a day in one location . fighters , he says , are scattered across different areas . a syrian town 's'street of death' last month , a senior libyan security official told cnn the government was aware of libyans fighting in syria , but they were individuals and not government sponsored . earlier this year , russia 's ambassador to the united nations , accused libya of hosting and training syrian rebels . a claim denied by the libyan prime minister . but libya 's government and people have been vocal in their support for the syrian opposition . libya was one of the first countries to recognize the opposition syrian national council as the legitimate representatives of the syrian people and in february , tripoli expelled assad 's diplomats and closed down their embassy . many in libya say they relate to syrians who want to overthrow the regime . it was not too long ago that they lived a similar experience . but not everyone chooses to express support militarily . some show solidarity by hanging the syrian opposition flag outside their shops in tripoli , flying alongside the free libya flag . in a youtube video posted on july 4 , a group of six libyan doctors is seen being greeted by free syrian army troops as they enter syria . we are coming for you bashar , ' says one of the doctors as they shake hands with the heavily armed syrian fighters . there are no official figures on how many libyans are currently in syria . in february , reports of at least four libyan fighters killed in syria circulated , but there has been no government confirmation . for fighters like najjair , the risk of death is a matter of faith . he said : you have to have faith and you have to say to yourself , if it 's my time , i will be gone . if it 's not my time it will be another amazing journey another amazing victory . ' ' faces of the free syrian army","one fighter says : libya was a walk in the park compared to syria" +"valle new york ( cnn ) -- the conviction of a former new york police officer for conspiring to kidnap , torture , cook and eat women has been overturned by a federal judge , who ruled that the evidence against him amounted to fantasy role-play . ' gilberto valle , who has already served 21 months in jail and faced life in prison on the kidnap conspiracy conviction , did not say a word when he appeared in a federal courtroom tuesday . he smiled and waved at relatives in court . one woman , in tears , said before the hearing , he 's coming home today . ' prosecutors said they will appeal the decision , and bail for valle was set at $ 100,000 . he could be released as early as tuesday . defense attorney julia gatto said the decision backed up her assertion that valle is guilty of nothing more than very unconventional thoughts ... we do n't put people in jail for their thoughts . we are not the thought police and the court system is not the deputy of the thought police . ' gil valle has been in jail for almost 21 months , seven months of that were in the indescribable hell that is solitary confinement , all for a crime that he did n't commit , ' she said . valle was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation , and to surrender travel documents and weapons . u.s. district court judge paul gardephe also ordered gps home monitoring for the defendant . the evidentiary record is such that it is more likely than not the case that all of valle 's internet communications about kidnapping are fantasy role-play , ' gardephe said in the 118-page opinion released monday night . valle 's lawyers argued at his trial last year that the former police officer 's e-mails and online postings were just that -- fantasy role-play ' and dark improv theater . ' but prosecutors said he was deadly serious . ' in his decision , gardephe ruled that once the lies and the fantastical elements are stripped away , what is left are deeply disturbing misogynistic chats and emails written by an individual obsessed with imagining women he knows suffering horrific sex-related pain , terror and degradation . ' despite the highly disturbing nature of valle 's deviant and depraved sexual interests , his chats and emails about these interests are not sufficient -- standing alone -- to make out the elements of conspiracy to commit kidnapping , ' he added . the trial evidence provided by prosecutors was not sufficient to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that valle entered into a genuine agreement to kidnap a woman , or that he specifically intended to commit a kidnapping . ' valle also was found guilty of illegally accessing a federal law enforcement database . the database , which valle was trained to use and had access to as a police officer , helped him research potential victims , prosecutors said . no one was kidnapped , but the jury did see what prosecutors said were detailed plans to carry out a plot . valle , a six-year nypd veteran , was convicted after prosecutors presented evidence such as a document found on his wife 's laptop titled abducting and cooking kimberly -- a blueprint . ' the same document listed materials needed , ' which included a gag , rope , chloroform and a tarp for the trunk . the fbi never found any of these items in valle 's possession . according to trial evidence , he communicated online with three co-conspirators on the dark fetish network , prosecutors said . at trial , gatto called valle 's conduct pure fiction ' and make-believe . ' he is anxious to get home to his family , the people who supported him through this whole ordeal , ' she said of her client on tuesday . i am sure he is very relieved , very tired . prison has been hard ... he has to pick up the pieces of his life . ' cnn 's haimy assefa and julia talanova contributed to this report .","gilberto valle has already served 21 months in jail and faced life in prison" +"valle new york ( cnn ) -- the conviction of a former new york police officer for conspiring to kidnap , torture , cook and eat women has been overturned by a federal judge , who ruled that the evidence against him amounted to fantasy role-play . ' gilberto valle , who has already served 21 months in jail and faced life in prison on the kidnap conspiracy conviction , did not say a word when he appeared in a federal courtroom tuesday . he smiled and waved at relatives in court . one woman , in tears , said before the hearing , he 's coming home today . ' prosecutors said they will appeal the decision , and bail for valle was set at $ 100,000 . he could be released as early as tuesday . defense attorney julia gatto said the decision backed up her assertion that valle is guilty of nothing more than very unconventional thoughts ... we do n't put people in jail for their thoughts . we are not the thought police and the court system is not the deputy of the thought police . ' gil valle has been in jail for almost 21 months , seven months of that were in the indescribable hell that is solitary confinement , all for a crime that he did n't commit , ' she said . valle was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation , and to surrender travel documents and weapons . u.s. district court judge paul gardephe also ordered gps home monitoring for the defendant . the evidentiary record is such that it is more likely than not the case that all of valle 's internet communications about kidnapping are fantasy role-play , ' gardephe said in the 118-page opinion released monday night . valle 's lawyers argued at his trial last year that the former police officer 's e-mails and online postings were just that -- fantasy role-play ' and dark improv theater . ' but prosecutors said he was deadly serious . ' in his decision , gardephe ruled that once the lies and the fantastical elements are stripped away , what is left are deeply disturbing misogynistic chats and emails written by an individual obsessed with imagining women he knows suffering horrific sex-related pain , terror and degradation . ' despite the highly disturbing nature of valle 's deviant and depraved sexual interests , his chats and emails about these interests are not sufficient -- standing alone -- to make out the elements of conspiracy to commit kidnapping , ' he added . the trial evidence provided by prosecutors was not sufficient to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that valle entered into a genuine agreement to kidnap a woman , or that he specifically intended to commit a kidnapping . ' valle also was found guilty of illegally accessing a federal law enforcement database . the database , which valle was trained to use and had access to as a police officer , helped him research potential victims , prosecutors said . no one was kidnapped , but the jury did see what prosecutors said were detailed plans to carry out a plot . valle , a six-year nypd veteran , was convicted after prosecutors presented evidence such as a document found on his wife 's laptop titled abducting and cooking kimberly -- a blueprint . ' the same document listed materials needed , ' which included a gag , rope , chloroform and a tarp for the trunk . the fbi never found any of these items in valle 's possession . according to trial evidence , he communicated online with three co-conspirators on the dark fetish network , prosecutors said . at trial , gatto called valle 's conduct pure fiction ' and make-believe . ' he is anxious to get home to his family , the people who supported him through this whole ordeal , ' she said of her client on tuesday . i am sure he is very relieved , very tired . prison has been hard ... he has to pick up the pieces of his life . ' cnn 's haimy assefa and julia talanova contributed to this report .","valle faced life in prison on a kidnap conspiracy conviction" +"valle new york ( cnn ) -- the conviction of a former new york police officer for conspiring to kidnap , torture , cook and eat women has been overturned by a federal judge , who ruled that the evidence against him amounted to fantasy role-play . ' gilberto valle , who has already served 21 months in jail and faced life in prison on the kidnap conspiracy conviction , did not say a word when he appeared in a federal courtroom tuesday . he smiled and waved at relatives in court . one woman , in tears , said before the hearing , he 's coming home today . ' prosecutors said they will appeal the decision , and bail for valle was set at $ 100,000 . he could be released as early as tuesday . defense attorney julia gatto said the decision backed up her assertion that valle is guilty of nothing more than very unconventional thoughts ... we do n't put people in jail for their thoughts . we are not the thought police and the court system is not the deputy of the thought police . ' gil valle has been in jail for almost 21 months , seven months of that were in the indescribable hell that is solitary confinement , all for a crime that he did n't commit , ' she said . valle was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation , and to surrender travel documents and weapons . u.s. district court judge paul gardephe also ordered gps home monitoring for the defendant . the evidentiary record is such that it is more likely than not the case that all of valle 's internet communications about kidnapping are fantasy role-play , ' gardephe said in the 118-page opinion released monday night . valle 's lawyers argued at his trial last year that the former police officer 's e-mails and online postings were just that -- fantasy role-play ' and dark improv theater . ' but prosecutors said he was deadly serious . ' in his decision , gardephe ruled that once the lies and the fantastical elements are stripped away , what is left are deeply disturbing misogynistic chats and emails written by an individual obsessed with imagining women he knows suffering horrific sex-related pain , terror and degradation . ' despite the highly disturbing nature of valle 's deviant and depraved sexual interests , his chats and emails about these interests are not sufficient -- standing alone -- to make out the elements of conspiracy to commit kidnapping , ' he added . the trial evidence provided by prosecutors was not sufficient to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that valle entered into a genuine agreement to kidnap a woman , or that he specifically intended to commit a kidnapping . ' valle also was found guilty of illegally accessing a federal law enforcement database . the database , which valle was trained to use and had access to as a police officer , helped him research potential victims , prosecutors said . no one was kidnapped , but the jury did see what prosecutors said were detailed plans to carry out a plot . valle , a six-year nypd veteran , was convicted after prosecutors presented evidence such as a document found on his wife 's laptop titled abducting and cooking kimberly -- a blueprint . ' the same document listed materials needed , ' which included a gag , rope , chloroform and a tarp for the trunk . the fbi never found any of these items in valle 's possession . according to trial evidence , he communicated online with three co-conspirators on the dark fetish network , prosecutors said . at trial , gatto called valle 's conduct pure fiction ' and make-believe . ' he is anxious to get home to his family , the people who supported him through this whole ordeal , ' she said of her client on tuesday . i am sure he is very relieved , very tired . prison has been hard ... he has to pick up the pieces of his life . ' cnn 's haimy assefa and julia talanova contributed to this report .","judge wrote that valle 's internet communications were likely fantasy role-play '" +"brisbane ( cnn ) -- serena williams has revealed she is not in love with playing tennis , despite an impressive straight sets victory on her return to action at the brisbane international tournament . playing in her first match since losing the u.s. open final to samantha stosur in september , williams brushed aside south african chanelle scheepers 6-2 6-3 with consummate ease . the 30-year-old american , who is seeded fourth in brisbane , fired down seven aces in a 68-minute victory -- but later told reporters that she will cut back her schedule even further in 2012 . clijsters returns with convincing victory ' i just want to be able to do other things that i 'm doing and expand on that . i think that helps keep my motivation up , ' said the 13-time grand slam winner . i do n't love tennis today but i 'm here . i ca n't live without it -- there 's a difference between not loving something and not being able to live without it . it 's not that i 've fallen out of love with it . i 've actually never liked sports and i never understood how i became an athlete , ' williams continued . i do n't like working out , i do n't like anything physical . if it involves sitting down or shopping , i 'm excellent at it . ' in other matches , top seed and local favorite stosur beat anastasiya yakimova of belarus 6-2 6-3 and is on course to face williams again in the semifinals . second seed andrea petkovic of germany defeated israeli shahar peer 7-6 1-6 6-3 , while former world number one ana ivanovic saw off austrian tamira paszek 6-3 6-3 and now faces kim clijsters .","serena williams reveals she does not love tennis after brisbane victory"