diff --git "a/validation.csv" "b/validation.csv" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/validation.csv" @@ -0,0 +1,845 @@ +text,summary +"gsa kansas city , missouri ( cnn ) -- the general services administration , already under investigation for lavish spending , allowed an employee to telecommute from hawaii even though he is based at the gsa 's kansas city , missouri , office , a cnn investigation has found . it cost more than $ 24,000 for the business development specialist to travel to and from the mainland united states over the past year . he is among several hundred gsa virtual ' workers who also travel to various conferences and their home offices , costing the agency millions of dollars over the past three years . under the program , employees work from home and may live in another state from the region in which they 're actually assigned . the kansas city employee , who started his job in january 2011 , is paid $ 84,440 and works from his home in honolulu , a gsa representative confirmed . in the past year , according to gsa travel records , the employee has flown back to the mainland nine times for conferences and meetings . four of those trips were to st. louis ; four were to washington , with a side trip to cincinnati ; and one was to san diego . the total cost to taxpayers was $ 24,221 . jason klumb , the gsa 's regional administrator for kansas city , defended the hire . the cost of that travel was included in the consideration of his candidacy as an employee as compared with the other applicants , ' klumb said . and when factoring all of those in , it was determined that he was the best candidate , even in light of the cost that would be incurred . ' klumb called the gsa 's teleworking program a successful program that 's going to lead to cost savings for taxpayers . ' but a gsa spokeswoman said , we are not going to defend this type of travel . ' and a gsa employee in kansas city , who requested anonymity , said that hiring someone in hawaii to work for the kansas city region was ludicrous . it does n't make sense , ' the employee said . when you consider everything you need when you hire someone , it would have been better to look for someone in the kansas city area . it would have reduced the cost of travel by at least 70 percent when you look at just the airfare of what it takes to from honolulu to washington , d.c. , where a lot of business is done . ' dan tangherlini , who was appointed acting gsa administrator this year , said the agency was examining the cost of the entire teleworking program . i think the most important part for the gsa to think about is make sure we open ourselves up , avail ourselves to all the smart people in the country , but then also make sure we have a clear business case , ' he said . if we have someone who is working in nebraska but reporting to boston , there has to be a clear explanation for what value they 're providing , and you 've got to give me the business case . you 've got to explain to me why that 's a cost-effective move for the american people , and that 's a new standard that we 're asking everyone at gsa to adhere to . ' the gsa virtual employee ' program is different from telework programs offered by many private companies including cnn 's parent company , turner broadcasting , in which some employees are encouraged to work from home some days of the week , partially to reduce traffic congestion . the house committee on oversight and government reform requested details about the gsa 's teleworking program in june . that followed disclosures that 95 virtual employees , including 12 in supervisory positions , spent nearly $ 750,000 in travel costs between october 2010 and june 2011 . the american people have a right to know that federal bureaucrats who enjoy the benefits of virtual work are eligible and responsible stewards of the taxpayer dollars that support the program , ' according to a letter from committee chairman rep. darrell issa , r-california , to the gsa . the details requested by issa about the gsa program have not been provided to the committee . cnn also requested the information more than two months ago through the federal freedom of information act but has been repeatedly told by the gsa that foia staff members have not finished compiling the material . the general services administration , which has more than 12,600 employees and a $ 26.3 billion budget , is a relatively obscure federal agency that handles government real estate and other non-military procurement . congress launched an investigation into the gsa after a scathing inspector general 's report issued this year showed lavish spending -- $ 823,000 -- at the agency 's western regions conference in las vegas in october 2010 . the controversy became politically toxic after reports and video clips of the lavish conference were released . the revelation prompted taxpayer indignation , embarrassed the administration and put a spotlight on wasteful spending by the gsa . jeff neely , the gsa official who organized the conference , resigned , as did the agency 's administrator , martha johnson . two of johnson 's deputies were fired , and eight other employees left the agency . tangherlini , a former treasury department official , took over as acting gsa administrator . in addition to the las vegas conference , the gsa apparently spent $ 330,000 to relocate an employee from denver to hawaii and probably millions more on other employees over a two-year period , according to a transcript of an interview with a gsa event planner . and 84 gsa employees , most of them supervisors or other senior staff -- all subjects of inspector general investigations -- are still collecting their bonuses , totaling more than $ 1 million in taxpayer money . in july , a cnn investigation revealed that the gsa 's kansas city office spent more than $ 20,000 to send employees to cooking classes to build team spirit . while the classes do not amount to a significant sum of money in the world of trillion-dollar government budgets , insiders said it was part of the free-spending culture that went on for years at the gsa 's kansas city regional headquarters . gsa spokeswoman betsaida alcantara said in a statement this year that all the agency 's practices are under a top-down review . cnn 's sara anwar , elizabeth m. nunez and tom cohen contributed to this report . watch erin burnett weekdays 7pm et . for the latest from erin burnett click here .","the telecommuting program , like all gsa practices , is under review" +"american airlines ( cnn ) -- if you travel by plane and arriving on time makes a difference , try to book on hawaiian airlines . in 2012 , passengers got where they needed to go without delay on the carrier more than nine times out of 10 , according to a study released on monday . in fact , hawaiian got even better from 2011 , when it had a 92.8 % on-time performance . last year , it improved to 93.4 % . the airline quality rankings report looks at the 14 largest u.s. airlines and is based on an analysis of u.s. department of transportation figures . it 's co-authored by brent bowen , the head of the department of aviation technology at purdue university , and dean headley of wichita state . in addition to on-time performance , the joint project looks at three other categories : rate of consumer complaints , mishandled bags and denied boarding performance . at a time when u.s. airlines are a whipping post for passenger complaints about crowded flights , tight seats , costly tickets and unsatisfactory service , there is a glimmer of hope . eight airlines improved their on-time arrival performance in 2012 . nine of the 14 rated had an on-time arrival percentage of more than 80 % . expressjet and american airlines had the worst on-time performance ( 76.9 % ) last year , according to the data gathered in the 23rd annual report . virgin america had the best baggage handling rate of all the airlines ( 0.87 misplaced bags per 1,000 passengers . ) american eagle showed improvement from 2011 but still came in last , fumbling baggage at a rate of 5.80 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers . when it came to complaints last year , southwest again had the lowest consumer rate ( 0.25 per 100,000 passengers ) while the distinction of being the airline with the highest consumer complaint rate went to united airlines ( 4.24 per 100,000 . ) seven of the world 's most entertaining airports boeing does'final'battery test on 787 dreamliner faa delays closures of 149 control towers","expressjet and american airlines had the worst on-time performance" +"virgin america ( cnn ) -- if you travel by plane and arriving on time makes a difference , try to book on hawaiian airlines . in 2012 , passengers got where they needed to go without delay on the carrier more than nine times out of 10 , according to a study released on monday . in fact , hawaiian got even better from 2011 , when it had a 92.8 % on-time performance . last year , it improved to 93.4 % . the airline quality rankings report looks at the 14 largest u.s. airlines and is based on an analysis of u.s. department of transportation figures . it 's co-authored by brent bowen , the head of the department of aviation technology at purdue university , and dean headley of wichita state . in addition to on-time performance , the joint project looks at three other categories : rate of consumer complaints , mishandled bags and denied boarding performance . at a time when u.s. airlines are a whipping post for passenger complaints about crowded flights , tight seats , costly tickets and unsatisfactory service , there is a glimmer of hope . eight airlines improved their on-time arrival performance in 2012 . nine of the 14 rated had an on-time arrival percentage of more than 80 % . expressjet and american airlines had the worst on-time performance ( 76.9 % ) last year , according to the data gathered in the 23rd annual report . virgin america had the best baggage handling rate of all the airlines ( 0.87 misplaced bags per 1,000 passengers . ) american eagle showed improvement from 2011 but still came in last , fumbling baggage at a rate of 5.80 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers . when it came to complaints last year , southwest again had the lowest consumer rate ( 0.25 per 100,000 passengers ) while the distinction of being the airline with the highest consumer complaint rate went to united airlines ( 4.24 per 100,000 . ) seven of the world 's most entertaining airports boeing does'final'battery test on 787 dreamliner faa delays closures of 149 control towers","virgin america had the best baggage handling ; southwest had lowest complaint rate" +"airline quality rankings report ( cnn ) -- if you travel by plane and arriving on time makes a difference , try to book on hawaiian airlines . in 2012 , passengers got where they needed to go without delay on the carrier more than nine times out of 10 , according to a study released on monday . in fact , hawaiian got even better from 2011 , when it had a 92.8 % on-time performance . last year , it improved to 93.4 % . the airline quality rankings report looks at the 14 largest u.s. airlines and is based on an analysis of u.s. department of transportation figures . it 's co-authored by brent bowen , the head of the department of aviation technology at purdue university , and dean headley of wichita state . in addition to on-time performance , the joint project looks at three other categories : rate of consumer complaints , mishandled bags and denied boarding performance . at a time when u.s. airlines are a whipping post for passenger complaints about crowded flights , tight seats , costly tickets and unsatisfactory service , there is a glimmer of hope . eight airlines improved their on-time arrival performance in 2012 . nine of the 14 rated had an on-time arrival percentage of more than 80 % . expressjet and american airlines had the worst on-time performance ( 76.9 % ) last year , according to the data gathered in the 23rd annual report . virgin america had the best baggage handling rate of all the airlines ( 0.87 misplaced bags per 1,000 passengers . ) american eagle showed improvement from 2011 but still came in last , fumbling baggage at a rate of 5.80 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers . when it came to complaints last year , southwest again had the lowest consumer rate ( 0.25 per 100,000 passengers ) while the distinction of being the airline with the highest consumer complaint rate went to united airlines ( 4.24 per 100,000 . ) seven of the world 's most entertaining airports boeing does'final'battery test on 787 dreamliner faa delays closures of 149 control towers","the airline quality rankings report looks at the 14 largest u.s. airlines" +"cuba hamilton , bermuda ( cnn ) -- four chinese nationals of uyghur ethnicity who had been held at the u.s. military 's guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility have been resettled in bermuda , officials said thursday . attorney general eric holder says the u.s. is extremely grateful to the government of bermuda . ' above all , this was a humanitarian act , ' bermudan premier ewart brown told cnn in an interview at his cabinet office in hamilton , bermuda . we do n't see it as quid pro quo . ' the four were twice cleared for release -- once by the bush administration and again this year , according to a justice department statement . they were among 17 uyghur detainees at the facility set up to hold terror suspects . the four were flown by private plane wednesday night from cuba to bermuda and were accompanied by u.s. and bermudan representatives as well as their attorneys , according to susan baker manning , part of the men 's legal team . president obama has pledged to close the guantanamo facility , raising questions of what will happen to the more than 200 remaining detainees . a political backlash against bringing any of the detainees to the united states has increased the focus on sending them to other countries . brown said he read an article on the issue of the guantanamo bay detainees'fates in the washington post while he was in washington for a white house meeting in may . he said he decided to put an offer to the u.s. government on the table . ' he said bermuda , a british colony , told london of its intentions , but not until late in the process . britain must approve the transfer for it to be permanent , brown said , adding that he believes the issue may raise tension between bermuda and britain . the issue is controversial because of china 's opposition to the uyghurs being sent to any country but china . uyghurs are a muslim minority from the xinjiang province of far-west china . the 17 uyghurs had left china and made their way to afghanistan , where they settled in a camp with other uyghurs opposed to the chinese government , the justice department said in its statement . they left afghanistan after u.s. bombings began in the area in october 2001 and were apprehended in pakistan , the statement said . watch concerns about resettling the uyghur detainees » ' according to available information , these individuals did not travel to afghanistan with the intent to take any hostile action against the united states , ' the statement said . manning said the 17 were picked up as a matter of circumstance and never had terrorist training . they left china because they did not agree with the government , she told cnn . however , china alleges the men are part of the east turkestan islamic movement -- a group the u.s. state department considers a terrorist organization -- that operates in the xinjiang region . east turkestan is another name for xinjiang . china on thursday urged the united states to hand over all 17 of the uyghurs instead of sending them elsewhere . the chinese statement followed an offer by palau , a pacific island nation , to accept the uyghur detainees . the xinjiang region of 20 million people is largely populated by ethnic uyghurs and other muslim minorities who have traditionally opposed beijing 's rule and clamored for greater autonomy . a senior u.s. administration official told cnn the state department is working on a final agreement with palau to settle the matter of the 13 remaining uyghur detainees . issues to be worked out include how to transfer the uyghurs to palau and how much money the united states would give the men for resettlement , the official said . the official said the average in such cases is $ 100,000 per person . the united states will not send uyghur detainees cleared for release back to china out of concern that they would be tortured by chinese authorities . china has said no returned uyghurs would be tortured . palau said it will take in the ethnic uyghur detainees for humanitarian reasons and because of the special relationship ' between palau and the united states . palau , with a population of about 20,000 , is about 1,000 miles ( 1,600 kilometers ) southeast of manila in the philippines and about 4,600 miles ( 7,400 kilometers ) west of hawaii . it has received nearly $ 900 million in u.s. aid since independence in 1994 , according to congressional auditors , and depends on washington for its defense . in 2006 , five other uyghur detainees were transferred to albania , according to the justice department , which said it has no reports they took part in any post-resettlement criminal behavior or terrorist activities . since 2002 , more than 540 detainees have departed guantanamo for other countries , including albania , algeria , afghanistan , australia , bangladesh , bahrain , belgium , denmark , egypt , france , great britain , iran , iraq , jordan , kazakhstan , kuwait , libya , maldives , mauritania , morocco , pakistan , russia , saudi arabia , spain , sweden , sudan , tajikistan , turkey , uganda , the united kingdom and yemen , the justice department said . cnn 's brian vitagliano and don lemon contributed to this report .","china urges u.s. to hand over all 17 uyghurs held at guantanamo bay , cuba" +"uyghurs hamilton , bermuda ( cnn ) -- four chinese nationals of uyghur ethnicity who had been held at the u.s. military 's guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility have been resettled in bermuda , officials said thursday . attorney general eric holder says the u.s. is extremely grateful to the government of bermuda . ' above all , this was a humanitarian act , ' bermudan premier ewart brown told cnn in an interview at his cabinet office in hamilton , bermuda . we do n't see it as quid pro quo . ' the four were twice cleared for release -- once by the bush administration and again this year , according to a justice department statement . they were among 17 uyghur detainees at the facility set up to hold terror suspects . the four were flown by private plane wednesday night from cuba to bermuda and were accompanied by u.s. and bermudan representatives as well as their attorneys , according to susan baker manning , part of the men 's legal team . president obama has pledged to close the guantanamo facility , raising questions of what will happen to the more than 200 remaining detainees . a political backlash against bringing any of the detainees to the united states has increased the focus on sending them to other countries . brown said he read an article on the issue of the guantanamo bay detainees'fates in the washington post while he was in washington for a white house meeting in may . he said he decided to put an offer to the u.s. government on the table . ' he said bermuda , a british colony , told london of its intentions , but not until late in the process . britain must approve the transfer for it to be permanent , brown said , adding that he believes the issue may raise tension between bermuda and britain . the issue is controversial because of china 's opposition to the uyghurs being sent to any country but china . uyghurs are a muslim minority from the xinjiang province of far-west china . the 17 uyghurs had left china and made their way to afghanistan , where they settled in a camp with other uyghurs opposed to the chinese government , the justice department said in its statement . they left afghanistan after u.s. bombings began in the area in october 2001 and were apprehended in pakistan , the statement said . watch concerns about resettling the uyghur detainees » ' according to available information , these individuals did not travel to afghanistan with the intent to take any hostile action against the united states , ' the statement said . manning said the 17 were picked up as a matter of circumstance and never had terrorist training . they left china because they did not agree with the government , she told cnn . however , china alleges the men are part of the east turkestan islamic movement -- a group the u.s. state department considers a terrorist organization -- that operates in the xinjiang region . east turkestan is another name for xinjiang . china on thursday urged the united states to hand over all 17 of the uyghurs instead of sending them elsewhere . the chinese statement followed an offer by palau , a pacific island nation , to accept the uyghur detainees . the xinjiang region of 20 million people is largely populated by ethnic uyghurs and other muslim minorities who have traditionally opposed beijing 's rule and clamored for greater autonomy . a senior u.s. administration official told cnn the state department is working on a final agreement with palau to settle the matter of the 13 remaining uyghur detainees . issues to be worked out include how to transfer the uyghurs to palau and how much money the united states would give the men for resettlement , the official said . the official said the average in such cases is $ 100,000 per person . the united states will not send uyghur detainees cleared for release back to china out of concern that they would be tortured by chinese authorities . china has said no returned uyghurs would be tortured . palau said it will take in the ethnic uyghur detainees for humanitarian reasons and because of the special relationship ' between palau and the united states . palau , with a population of about 20,000 , is about 1,000 miles ( 1,600 kilometers ) southeast of manila in the philippines and about 4,600 miles ( 7,400 kilometers ) west of hawaii . it has received nearly $ 900 million in u.s. aid since independence in 1994 , according to congressional auditors , and depends on washington for its defense . in 2006 , five other uyghur detainees were transferred to albania , according to the justice department , which said it has no reports they took part in any post-resettlement criminal behavior or terrorist activities . since 2002 , more than 540 detainees have departed guantanamo for other countries , including albania , algeria , afghanistan , australia , bangladesh , bahrain , belgium , denmark , egypt , france , great britain , iran , iraq , jordan , kazakhstan , kuwait , libya , maldives , mauritania , morocco , pakistan , russia , saudi arabia , spain , sweden , sudan , tajikistan , turkey , uganda , the united kingdom and yemen , the justice department said . cnn 's brian vitagliano and don lemon contributed to this report .","china urges u.s. to hand over all 17 uyghurs held at guantanamo bay , cuba" +"uyghurs hamilton , bermuda ( cnn ) -- four chinese nationals of uyghur ethnicity who had been held at the u.s. military 's guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility have been resettled in bermuda , officials said thursday . attorney general eric holder says the u.s. is extremely grateful to the government of bermuda . ' above all , this was a humanitarian act , ' bermudan premier ewart brown told cnn in an interview at his cabinet office in hamilton , bermuda . we do n't see it as quid pro quo . ' the four were twice cleared for release -- once by the bush administration and again this year , according to a justice department statement . they were among 17 uyghur detainees at the facility set up to hold terror suspects . the four were flown by private plane wednesday night from cuba to bermuda and were accompanied by u.s. and bermudan representatives as well as their attorneys , according to susan baker manning , part of the men 's legal team . president obama has pledged to close the guantanamo facility , raising questions of what will happen to the more than 200 remaining detainees . a political backlash against bringing any of the detainees to the united states has increased the focus on sending them to other countries . brown said he read an article on the issue of the guantanamo bay detainees'fates in the washington post while he was in washington for a white house meeting in may . he said he decided to put an offer to the u.s. government on the table . ' he said bermuda , a british colony , told london of its intentions , but not until late in the process . britain must approve the transfer for it to be permanent , brown said , adding that he believes the issue may raise tension between bermuda and britain . the issue is controversial because of china 's opposition to the uyghurs being sent to any country but china . uyghurs are a muslim minority from the xinjiang province of far-west china . the 17 uyghurs had left china and made their way to afghanistan , where they settled in a camp with other uyghurs opposed to the chinese government , the justice department said in its statement . they left afghanistan after u.s. bombings began in the area in october 2001 and were apprehended in pakistan , the statement said . watch concerns about resettling the uyghur detainees » ' according to available information , these individuals did not travel to afghanistan with the intent to take any hostile action against the united states , ' the statement said . manning said the 17 were picked up as a matter of circumstance and never had terrorist training . they left china because they did not agree with the government , she told cnn . however , china alleges the men are part of the east turkestan islamic movement -- a group the u.s. state department considers a terrorist organization -- that operates in the xinjiang region . east turkestan is another name for xinjiang . china on thursday urged the united states to hand over all 17 of the uyghurs instead of sending them elsewhere . the chinese statement followed an offer by palau , a pacific island nation , to accept the uyghur detainees . the xinjiang region of 20 million people is largely populated by ethnic uyghurs and other muslim minorities who have traditionally opposed beijing 's rule and clamored for greater autonomy . a senior u.s. administration official told cnn the state department is working on a final agreement with palau to settle the matter of the 13 remaining uyghur detainees . issues to be worked out include how to transfer the uyghurs to palau and how much money the united states would give the men for resettlement , the official said . the official said the average in such cases is $ 100,000 per person . the united states will not send uyghur detainees cleared for release back to china out of concern that they would be tortured by chinese authorities . china has said no returned uyghurs would be tortured . palau said it will take in the ethnic uyghur detainees for humanitarian reasons and because of the special relationship ' between palau and the united states . palau , with a population of about 20,000 , is about 1,000 miles ( 1,600 kilometers ) southeast of manila in the philippines and about 4,600 miles ( 7,400 kilometers ) west of hawaii . it has received nearly $ 900 million in u.s. aid since independence in 1994 , according to congressional auditors , and depends on washington for its defense . in 2006 , five other uyghur detainees were transferred to albania , according to the justice department , which said it has no reports they took part in any post-resettlement criminal behavior or terrorist activities . since 2002 , more than 540 detainees have departed guantanamo for other countries , including albania , algeria , afghanistan , australia , bangladesh , bahrain , belgium , denmark , egypt , france , great britain , iran , iraq , jordan , kazakhstan , kuwait , libya , maldives , mauritania , morocco , pakistan , russia , saudi arabia , spain , sweden , sudan , tajikistan , turkey , uganda , the united kingdom and yemen , the justice department said . cnn 's brian vitagliano and don lemon contributed to this report .","official says u.s. still negotiating with palau to take remaining 13 uyghurs" +"uyghurs hamilton , bermuda ( cnn ) -- four chinese nationals of uyghur ethnicity who had been held at the u.s. military 's guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility have been resettled in bermuda , officials said thursday . attorney general eric holder says the u.s. is extremely grateful to the government of bermuda . ' above all , this was a humanitarian act , ' bermudan premier ewart brown told cnn in an interview at his cabinet office in hamilton , bermuda . we do n't see it as quid pro quo . ' the four were twice cleared for release -- once by the bush administration and again this year , according to a justice department statement . they were among 17 uyghur detainees at the facility set up to hold terror suspects . the four were flown by private plane wednesday night from cuba to bermuda and were accompanied by u.s. and bermudan representatives as well as their attorneys , according to susan baker manning , part of the men 's legal team . president obama has pledged to close the guantanamo facility , raising questions of what will happen to the more than 200 remaining detainees . a political backlash against bringing any of the detainees to the united states has increased the focus on sending them to other countries . brown said he read an article on the issue of the guantanamo bay detainees'fates in the washington post while he was in washington for a white house meeting in may . he said he decided to put an offer to the u.s. government on the table . ' he said bermuda , a british colony , told london of its intentions , but not until late in the process . britain must approve the transfer for it to be permanent , brown said , adding that he believes the issue may raise tension between bermuda and britain . the issue is controversial because of china 's opposition to the uyghurs being sent to any country but china . uyghurs are a muslim minority from the xinjiang province of far-west china . the 17 uyghurs had left china and made their way to afghanistan , where they settled in a camp with other uyghurs opposed to the chinese government , the justice department said in its statement . they left afghanistan after u.s. bombings began in the area in october 2001 and were apprehended in pakistan , the statement said . watch concerns about resettling the uyghur detainees » ' according to available information , these individuals did not travel to afghanistan with the intent to take any hostile action against the united states , ' the statement said . manning said the 17 were picked up as a matter of circumstance and never had terrorist training . they left china because they did not agree with the government , she told cnn . however , china alleges the men are part of the east turkestan islamic movement -- a group the u.s. state department considers a terrorist organization -- that operates in the xinjiang region . east turkestan is another name for xinjiang . china on thursday urged the united states to hand over all 17 of the uyghurs instead of sending them elsewhere . the chinese statement followed an offer by palau , a pacific island nation , to accept the uyghur detainees . the xinjiang region of 20 million people is largely populated by ethnic uyghurs and other muslim minorities who have traditionally opposed beijing 's rule and clamored for greater autonomy . a senior u.s. administration official told cnn the state department is working on a final agreement with palau to settle the matter of the 13 remaining uyghur detainees . issues to be worked out include how to transfer the uyghurs to palau and how much money the united states would give the men for resettlement , the official said . the official said the average in such cases is $ 100,000 per person . the united states will not send uyghur detainees cleared for release back to china out of concern that they would be tortured by chinese authorities . china has said no returned uyghurs would be tortured . palau said it will take in the ethnic uyghur detainees for humanitarian reasons and because of the special relationship ' between palau and the united states . palau , with a population of about 20,000 , is about 1,000 miles ( 1,600 kilometers ) southeast of manila in the philippines and about 4,600 miles ( 7,400 kilometers ) west of hawaii . it has received nearly $ 900 million in u.s. aid since independence in 1994 , according to congressional auditors , and depends on washington for its defense . in 2006 , five other uyghur detainees were transferred to albania , according to the justice department , which said it has no reports they took part in any post-resettlement criminal behavior or terrorist activities . since 2002 , more than 540 detainees have departed guantanamo for other countries , including albania , algeria , afghanistan , australia , bangladesh , bahrain , belgium , denmark , egypt , france , great britain , iran , iraq , jordan , kazakhstan , kuwait , libya , maldives , mauritania , morocco , pakistan , russia , saudi arabia , spain , sweden , sudan , tajikistan , turkey , uganda , the united kingdom and yemen , the justice department said . cnn 's brian vitagliano and don lemon contributed to this report .","uyghurs are native chinese muslims ; the detainees were apprehended in pakistan" +"cnn tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- rebels in tripoli furiously hunting for signs of longtime libyan leader moammar gadhafi are exploring a network of tunnels and bunkers built beneath his massive compound . cnn 's sara sidner got a peek at the passageways friday . she dubbed it gadhafi 's inner sanctum . ' the correspondent , who 's been covering the battle of tripoli , walked down steps into a pitch-dark tunnel and used a flashlight to navigate an underworld described as massive . ' so far , she said , rebels have cleared about 700 meters of underground passages . the tunnel network is believed to extend all the way to the city 's international airport and the rixos hotel . that 's where 33 journalists and two foreign nationals were held for five days by pro-gadhafi forces . it also is thought to extend to a neighborhood where gadhafi forces were lobbing shells recently toward the compound after it was taken over by the rebels . the tunnels sidner saw are wide enough for adults to walk side by side . she spotted a golf cart that can easily fit in the corridors . sidner also saw a range of other sights as she strolled through the labyrinth : a thick wall , a massive door and a sturdy lock . a charred ceiling , couches and beds where a fire apparently occurred . pieces of metal and shrapnel . a section where nato bombs fell and the roof caved in . another room contained videotapes lined up on a shelf , part of a tv studio where gadhafi may have recorded messages . it 's set up like a survival bunker , ' sidner said in an on-air report . there is literally a city under here . '","cnn 's sara sidner sees another world in a tunnel below tripoli" +"syria isis , as the islamic state jihadists in iraq and syria are known , has become the new face of international terrorism in the eyes of the united states and its western allies . now the focus in america and abroad has become what will president barack obama and other leaders do about it ? here are key questions on the matter : 1 ) who killed james foley ? britain 's ambassador to the united states , peter westmacott , told cnn on sunday that british officials were close to identifying the isis militant who beheaded foley , an american journalist captured in syria in 2012 . he could n't elaborate on the identity of the killer , who is seen decapitating foley in a video posted last week on youtube . we 're putting a great deal into the search , ' he said , referring to the use of sophisticated technology to analyze the man 's voice . in the video , foley , 40 , is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black , who speaks with what experts say is a distinctly english accent . linguists said that based on his voice , the man sounds to be younger than 30 . he also appears to have been educated in england from a young age and to be from southern england or london . britain close to identifying james foley 's killer , ambassador says 2 ) will the united states expand air strikes to isis targets in syria ? pressure is increasing on obama to go after isis in both iraq and syria , ignoring an essentially non-existent border between them . last week , defense secretary chuck hagel and joint chiefs chairman gen. martin dempsey said that taking on isis in syria was the only way to defeat the sunni jihadists . for obama , the step would reverse his refusal for three years to get involved militarily in syria despite pressure from his own advisers , including former secretary of state hillary clinton . obama has not made any decision to order military action in syria , ' white house spokesman josh earnest said monday , but the speculation and insistence continued . the white house is trying to minimize the threat we face in order to justify not changing a failed strategy , ' conservative gop sen. lindsey graham of south carolina said monday . cnn national security analyst peter bergen said it will be difficult to defeat isis without ground forces , something obama clearly opposes . intervening in syria also could result in some strange geopolitical bedfellows , he noted . two of the most effective fighting forces in syria are al qaeda or al qaeda splinter groups , or groups like hezbollah , backed by iran , ' bergen said . so if you intervene , you may be helping iran and hezbollah and ( syrian president bashar al-assad 's ) regime . ' obama already sent military advisers to iraq and launched air strikes to protect them and minority groups from isis fighters rampaging through the country 's north . is obama heading toward airstrikes in syria ? a white house spokesman said last week that obama would consult with congress before taking such a step in syria . the president also would seek to forge a coalition including regional allies as well as u.n. and european union support , officials have made clear . republicans urge airstrikes in syria to defeat isis 3 ) will the syrian regime that obama opposes help fight isis ? obama wants al-assad out of power , but now the syrian leader engaged in a civil war against a u.s.-backed opposition is offering to help him take on isis . foreign minister walid moallem said monday his government would accept support from the united states and others working under the u.n. umbrella to fight terrorists ' -- a code word for the group that calls itself the islamic state and seeks to establish a caliphate across a sunni-dominated swath of the the middle east . moallem , however , warned against any unilateral action or strikes in syrian territory without its permission , saying any effort to fight terrorism should be done in coordination ' with the syrian government . ' last week , atlantic council senior fellow and syria expert frederic hof said a u.s. rescue mission for foley earlier this year that went into syria but failed to find him established the precedent for military action across the iraq border , superseding any legal considerations such as being asked by the host government to enter . the sort of legal barrier that prohibited doing something inside syria now seems to have evaporated , ' hof said . the syrian offer to help fight isis comes after al-assad 's government enabled the group to expand amid the syrian civil war . isis fighters have attacked the syrian opposition fighting government forces , but also have seized some government territory . al-assad 's military recently launched its own air strikes on isis positions , amounting to what hof described as a dispute between crime gangs over money -- in this case , from oil fields occupied by isis . syria ready to cooperate with un to fight terror 4 ) will isis attack the west ? to some in the united states , especially critics of obama , an isis attack on u.s. interests and even the homeland is a question of when , not if . isis is a very powerful local organization , and probably a reasonably powerful regional terrorist organization , ' former cia chief michael hayden told cnn on sunday . but it 's one that has global ambitions -- and it has the tools . ' there 's no clear consensus inside the intelligence community as to whether isis , which calls itself the islamic state , is currently capable of striking the west . it 's expressed the intent , ' hayden said . there 's no more powerful way to express their street credentials among the jihadist community than a successful attack against the west . ' graham , a consistent advocate for increased u.s. military might , told cnn on sunday that it 's about time now to assume the worst about these guys , rather than to be underestimating them . ' isis threat to the west 5 ) can the isis money flow be stopped ? bank robbery , kidnapping , smuggling , selling oil on the black market -- isis gets money to fund and expand its organization in all kinds of ways . officials say the group can get about $ 3 million a day by selling discounted oil from fields it has seized in iraq . it also has grabbed millions robbing banks including an iraqi central bank in mosul . western allies can reduce the group 's income by refusing to pay ransom for abducted citizens and pressuring regional governments to crack down on wealthy citizens sending money to it . the united states is working with governments in the region , including kuwait , qatar and saudi arabia , to stop such private donations , state department spokeswoman marie harf said last week . isis oil money","white house : president obama has not decided on air strikes in syria" +"syria isis , as the islamic state jihadists in iraq and syria are known , has become the new face of international terrorism in the eyes of the united states and its western allies . now the focus in america and abroad has become what will president barack obama and other leaders do about it ? here are key questions on the matter : 1 ) who killed james foley ? britain 's ambassador to the united states , peter westmacott , told cnn on sunday that british officials were close to identifying the isis militant who beheaded foley , an american journalist captured in syria in 2012 . he could n't elaborate on the identity of the killer , who is seen decapitating foley in a video posted last week on youtube . we 're putting a great deal into the search , ' he said , referring to the use of sophisticated technology to analyze the man 's voice . in the video , foley , 40 , is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black , who speaks with what experts say is a distinctly english accent . linguists said that based on his voice , the man sounds to be younger than 30 . he also appears to have been educated in england from a young age and to be from southern england or london . britain close to identifying james foley 's killer , ambassador says 2 ) will the united states expand air strikes to isis targets in syria ? pressure is increasing on obama to go after isis in both iraq and syria , ignoring an essentially non-existent border between them . last week , defense secretary chuck hagel and joint chiefs chairman gen. martin dempsey said that taking on isis in syria was the only way to defeat the sunni jihadists . for obama , the step would reverse his refusal for three years to get involved militarily in syria despite pressure from his own advisers , including former secretary of state hillary clinton . obama has not made any decision to order military action in syria , ' white house spokesman josh earnest said monday , but the speculation and insistence continued . the white house is trying to minimize the threat we face in order to justify not changing a failed strategy , ' conservative gop sen. lindsey graham of south carolina said monday . cnn national security analyst peter bergen said it will be difficult to defeat isis without ground forces , something obama clearly opposes . intervening in syria also could result in some strange geopolitical bedfellows , he noted . two of the most effective fighting forces in syria are al qaeda or al qaeda splinter groups , or groups like hezbollah , backed by iran , ' bergen said . so if you intervene , you may be helping iran and hezbollah and ( syrian president bashar al-assad 's ) regime . ' obama already sent military advisers to iraq and launched air strikes to protect them and minority groups from isis fighters rampaging through the country 's north . is obama heading toward airstrikes in syria ? a white house spokesman said last week that obama would consult with congress before taking such a step in syria . the president also would seek to forge a coalition including regional allies as well as u.n. and european union support , officials have made clear . republicans urge airstrikes in syria to defeat isis 3 ) will the syrian regime that obama opposes help fight isis ? obama wants al-assad out of power , but now the syrian leader engaged in a civil war against a u.s.-backed opposition is offering to help him take on isis . foreign minister walid moallem said monday his government would accept support from the united states and others working under the u.n. umbrella to fight terrorists ' -- a code word for the group that calls itself the islamic state and seeks to establish a caliphate across a sunni-dominated swath of the the middle east . moallem , however , warned against any unilateral action or strikes in syrian territory without its permission , saying any effort to fight terrorism should be done in coordination ' with the syrian government . ' last week , atlantic council senior fellow and syria expert frederic hof said a u.s. rescue mission for foley earlier this year that went into syria but failed to find him established the precedent for military action across the iraq border , superseding any legal considerations such as being asked by the host government to enter . the sort of legal barrier that prohibited doing something inside syria now seems to have evaporated , ' hof said . the syrian offer to help fight isis comes after al-assad 's government enabled the group to expand amid the syrian civil war . isis fighters have attacked the syrian opposition fighting government forces , but also have seized some government territory . al-assad 's military recently launched its own air strikes on isis positions , amounting to what hof described as a dispute between crime gangs over money -- in this case , from oil fields occupied by isis . syria ready to cooperate with un to fight terror 4 ) will isis attack the west ? to some in the united states , especially critics of obama , an isis attack on u.s. interests and even the homeland is a question of when , not if . isis is a very powerful local organization , and probably a reasonably powerful regional terrorist organization , ' former cia chief michael hayden told cnn on sunday . but it 's one that has global ambitions -- and it has the tools . ' there 's no clear consensus inside the intelligence community as to whether isis , which calls itself the islamic state , is currently capable of striking the west . it 's expressed the intent , ' hayden said . there 's no more powerful way to express their street credentials among the jihadist community than a successful attack against the west . ' graham , a consistent advocate for increased u.s. military might , told cnn on sunday that it 's about time now to assume the worst about these guys , rather than to be underestimating them . ' isis threat to the west 5 ) can the isis money flow be stopped ? bank robbery , kidnapping , smuggling , selling oil on the black market -- isis gets money to fund and expand its organization in all kinds of ways . officials say the group can get about $ 3 million a day by selling discounted oil from fields it has seized in iraq . it also has grabbed millions robbing banks including an iraqi central bank in mosul . western allies can reduce the group 's income by refusing to pay ransom for abducted citizens and pressuring regional governments to crack down on wealthy citizens sending money to it . the united states is working with governments in the region , including kuwait , qatar and saudi arabia , to stop such private donations , state department spokeswoman marie harf said last week . isis oil money","obama spent three years avoiding a u.s. military role in syria" +"syria isis , as the islamic state jihadists in iraq and syria are known , has become the new face of international terrorism in the eyes of the united states and its western allies . now the focus in america and abroad has become what will president barack obama and other leaders do about it ? here are key questions on the matter : 1 ) who killed james foley ? britain 's ambassador to the united states , peter westmacott , told cnn on sunday that british officials were close to identifying the isis militant who beheaded foley , an american journalist captured in syria in 2012 . he could n't elaborate on the identity of the killer , who is seen decapitating foley in a video posted last week on youtube . we 're putting a great deal into the search , ' he said , referring to the use of sophisticated technology to analyze the man 's voice . in the video , foley , 40 , is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black , who speaks with what experts say is a distinctly english accent . linguists said that based on his voice , the man sounds to be younger than 30 . he also appears to have been educated in england from a young age and to be from southern england or london . britain close to identifying james foley 's killer , ambassador says 2 ) will the united states expand air strikes to isis targets in syria ? pressure is increasing on obama to go after isis in both iraq and syria , ignoring an essentially non-existent border between them . last week , defense secretary chuck hagel and joint chiefs chairman gen. martin dempsey said that taking on isis in syria was the only way to defeat the sunni jihadists . for obama , the step would reverse his refusal for three years to get involved militarily in syria despite pressure from his own advisers , including former secretary of state hillary clinton . obama has not made any decision to order military action in syria , ' white house spokesman josh earnest said monday , but the speculation and insistence continued . the white house is trying to minimize the threat we face in order to justify not changing a failed strategy , ' conservative gop sen. lindsey graham of south carolina said monday . cnn national security analyst peter bergen said it will be difficult to defeat isis without ground forces , something obama clearly opposes . intervening in syria also could result in some strange geopolitical bedfellows , he noted . two of the most effective fighting forces in syria are al qaeda or al qaeda splinter groups , or groups like hezbollah , backed by iran , ' bergen said . so if you intervene , you may be helping iran and hezbollah and ( syrian president bashar al-assad 's ) regime . ' obama already sent military advisers to iraq and launched air strikes to protect them and minority groups from isis fighters rampaging through the country 's north . is obama heading toward airstrikes in syria ? a white house spokesman said last week that obama would consult with congress before taking such a step in syria . the president also would seek to forge a coalition including regional allies as well as u.n. and european union support , officials have made clear . republicans urge airstrikes in syria to defeat isis 3 ) will the syrian regime that obama opposes help fight isis ? obama wants al-assad out of power , but now the syrian leader engaged in a civil war against a u.s.-backed opposition is offering to help him take on isis . foreign minister walid moallem said monday his government would accept support from the united states and others working under the u.n. umbrella to fight terrorists ' -- a code word for the group that calls itself the islamic state and seeks to establish a caliphate across a sunni-dominated swath of the the middle east . moallem , however , warned against any unilateral action or strikes in syrian territory without its permission , saying any effort to fight terrorism should be done in coordination ' with the syrian government . ' last week , atlantic council senior fellow and syria expert frederic hof said a u.s. rescue mission for foley earlier this year that went into syria but failed to find him established the precedent for military action across the iraq border , superseding any legal considerations such as being asked by the host government to enter . the sort of legal barrier that prohibited doing something inside syria now seems to have evaporated , ' hof said . the syrian offer to help fight isis comes after al-assad 's government enabled the group to expand amid the syrian civil war . isis fighters have attacked the syrian opposition fighting government forces , but also have seized some government territory . al-assad 's military recently launched its own air strikes on isis positions , amounting to what hof described as a dispute between crime gangs over money -- in this case , from oil fields occupied by isis . syria ready to cooperate with un to fight terror 4 ) will isis attack the west ? to some in the united states , especially critics of obama , an isis attack on u.s. interests and even the homeland is a question of when , not if . isis is a very powerful local organization , and probably a reasonably powerful regional terrorist organization , ' former cia chief michael hayden told cnn on sunday . but it 's one that has global ambitions -- and it has the tools . ' there 's no clear consensus inside the intelligence community as to whether isis , which calls itself the islamic state , is currently capable of striking the west . it 's expressed the intent , ' hayden said . there 's no more powerful way to express their street credentials among the jihadist community than a successful attack against the west . ' graham , a consistent advocate for increased u.s. military might , told cnn on sunday that it 's about time now to assume the worst about these guys , rather than to be underestimating them . ' isis threat to the west 5 ) can the isis money flow be stopped ? bank robbery , kidnapping , smuggling , selling oil on the black market -- isis gets money to fund and expand its organization in all kinds of ways . officials say the group can get about $ 3 million a day by selling discounted oil from fields it has seized in iraq . it also has grabbed millions robbing banks including an iraqi central bank in mosul . western allies can reduce the group 's income by refusing to pay ransom for abducted citizens and pressuring regional governments to crack down on wealthy citizens sending money to it . the united states is working with governments in the region , including kuwait , qatar and saudi arabia , to stop such private donations , state department spokeswoman marie harf said last week . isis oil money","possible options include air strikes on isis targets in syria" +"eric ( ew.com ) -- chris meloni has booked his first post- ' svu ' gig -- and it 's a bloody good one . the former star of the dick wolf drama will join hbo 's true blood ' in season 5 as ancient , powerful vampire who holds the fate of bill and eric in his hands . ' he will be a series regular . meloni 's role on alan ball 's drama marks a homecoming , of sorts : the actor previously played chris keller on the pay cabler 's gritty drama oz ' from 1998 to 2003 . earlier this year , meloni decided to step down from playing detective elliot stabler on the long-running nbc drama . 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 .","he will play an ancient , powerful vampire who holds the fate of bill and eric in his hands '" +"zimmerman new york ( cnn ) -- northeast florida state attorney angela corey has made it clear that she alone will decide whether george zimmerman will be charged in the shooting death of trayvon martin . zimmerman 's attorneys termed as courageous ' her decision not to present evidence to the grand jury that the original prosecutor , norman wolfinger , scheduled to convene on april 10 . the trayvon martin family was also pleased that corey would make the charging decision . but the question remains , will george zimmerman be charged ? tuesday , in a bizarre development , george zimmerman 's attorneys , hal uhrig and craig sonner , during a news conference held in front of the seminole county courthouse , announced that they had withdrawn from his representation . they said they had lost contact with their client over the previous two days and revealed zimmerman 's unusual behavior -- including phone calls to fox news host sean hannity and the special prosecutor , corey . the attorneys also said that they are concerned with zimmerman 's emotional and physical well-being and even suggested that he may be suffering from ptsd ( post traumatic stress disorder ) . in short , they said that their client had gone rogue . clients fire attorneys every day , for no reason or any reason . and attorneys withdraw from cases around the country daily . but it is rarely done so publicly and with so much information divulged about the inner workings of the lawyer-client relationship . rogue clients that are potential defendants spook prosecutors . it can be a nightmare to try to locate and arrest a fleeing defendant . remember joran van der sloot . not surprisingly , within hours of the now-infamous withdrawal , corey issued a statement saying she would be holding her own news conference within 72 hours to release new information regarding the trayvon martin shooting death investigation . ' many suspect that the announcement that zimmerman had gone rogue forced the special prosecutor 's hand . by all accounts though , angela corey is a seasoned career prosecutor who does n't bend to public opinion or political pressure . during her 25 years as an assistant state attorney , corey tried hundreds of cases , including more than 50 homicides . during her three-year-plus as state attorney of the 4th judicial circuit , jacksonville 's duval county jail has seen an increase in the population , despite a drop in crime in the city . some say this is a direct result of her aggressive prosecutorial bent . but her career has n't been without controversy . recently she came under intense fire for charging 12-year-old cristian fernandez as an adult in the killing of his 2-year-old brother , making christian the youngest person in florida ever to be charged as an adult . corey , a devout episcopalian , references her faith in discussing her cases , which some would say is a no-no for a prosecutor . in a written statement she provided in response to her detractors about the fernandez case , corey defended her decision to charge fernandez as an adult by stating , we are blessed in the 4th circuit to have a great working relationship with ... public defenders , ' and we asked for prayers for our two-year-old victim , david , and for cristian fernandez . ' in discussing the investigation into the shooting death of martin she said , what we are asking people to do is take a step back . pray for trayvon . pray for his family . listen to their words . i believe these are wonderful people who are asking for a peaceful approach to this case , while still demanding the answers they deserve . and i look forward to meeting with them to try to help them on this journey . our victims always have a tough plight . ' if she files charges against zimmerman , it would be wise not to overcharge ' the case . corey needs to be able to prove her case beyond a reasonable doubt . to prove manslaughter in florida , corey 's team would have to prove that zimmerman 's acts caused martin 's death . manslaughter would not be difficult to prove but for florida 's stand your ground ' law . florida 's law states that a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force , including deadly force ... to prevent death or great bodily harm . so even if zimmerman killed martin , he was justified in doing so if he believed he was in danger of being killed himself or of suffering great bodily harm . it seems the sanford police certainly believed zimmerman 's claims . but there is an exception . if zimmerman was the initial aggressor , he can not avail himself of the protection of the stand your ground ' law . former florida state rep. dennis baxley , the co-sponsor of the law , told me by phone that the law does n't apply to zimmerman if he pursued martin and was the initial aggressor . and he is right . florida 's statute makes it clear that the justification is not available to a person who initially provokes the use of force against himself , unless such force is so great that the person reasonably believes that he is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that he has exhausted every reasonable means to escape . and that is what this case ultimately boils down to -- who started the fight . and the answer to that question is far from clear . martin left the home of his father 's fiancee on february 26 to buy skittles and an ice tea . he was unarmed . zimmerman left his home to go to target and was carrying a concealed weapon for which he had a permit . martin was 17 years old , zimmerman , 28 . the police report describes martin as 6 feet tall and 160 pounds and lists zimmerman as 5-foot-9 . zimmerman sees martin , deems him suspicious ' and calls the police . zimmerman tells the dispatcher he is following martin . the dispatcher tells zimmerman we do n't need you to do that . ' martin notices zimmerman is following him and tells his girlfriend , dee dee , with whom he is on the phone . she tells him to run , and he agrees to walk quickly . zimmerman says that he returns to his parked suv and is attacked suddenly by martin . dee dee hears someone ask martin why he is there . martin asks zimmerman why he is following him . dee dee believes she hears martin being tackled . witnesses say they heard angry words , heard someone crying for help ( many explain it sounded like the voice of a younger person ) and then a single gunshot . the screams for help stop . three witnesses saw zimmerman straddling martin in the grass . the incident happens 70 yards from the home martin was walking to , not near zimmerman 's suv . martin is found dead , laying on his stomach . zimmerman is bleeding from his nose and the back of his head and has stains on the back of his jacket . zimmerman is n't tested for drug or alcohol consumption and is allowed to leave the police station with the clothes he was wearing that night . a tenet of our legal system is that when there is conflicting evidence , let a jury decide . i believe in our jury system . let them decide . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sunny hostin .","hostin : zimmerman 's actions may not have been covered by the stand your ground ' law" +"zimmerman new york ( cnn ) -- northeast florida state attorney angela corey has made it clear that she alone will decide whether george zimmerman will be charged in the shooting death of trayvon martin . zimmerman 's attorneys termed as courageous ' her decision not to present evidence to the grand jury that the original prosecutor , norman wolfinger , scheduled to convene on april 10 . the trayvon martin family was also pleased that corey would make the charging decision . but the question remains , will george zimmerman be charged ? tuesday , in a bizarre development , george zimmerman 's attorneys , hal uhrig and craig sonner , during a news conference held in front of the seminole county courthouse , announced that they had withdrawn from his representation . they said they had lost contact with their client over the previous two days and revealed zimmerman 's unusual behavior -- including phone calls to fox news host sean hannity and the special prosecutor , corey . the attorneys also said that they are concerned with zimmerman 's emotional and physical well-being and even suggested that he may be suffering from ptsd ( post traumatic stress disorder ) . in short , they said that their client had gone rogue . clients fire attorneys every day , for no reason or any reason . and attorneys withdraw from cases around the country daily . but it is rarely done so publicly and with so much information divulged about the inner workings of the lawyer-client relationship . rogue clients that are potential defendants spook prosecutors . it can be a nightmare to try to locate and arrest a fleeing defendant . remember joran van der sloot . not surprisingly , within hours of the now-infamous withdrawal , corey issued a statement saying she would be holding her own news conference within 72 hours to release new information regarding the trayvon martin shooting death investigation . ' many suspect that the announcement that zimmerman had gone rogue forced the special prosecutor 's hand . by all accounts though , angela corey is a seasoned career prosecutor who does n't bend to public opinion or political pressure . during her 25 years as an assistant state attorney , corey tried hundreds of cases , including more than 50 homicides . during her three-year-plus as state attorney of the 4th judicial circuit , jacksonville 's duval county jail has seen an increase in the population , despite a drop in crime in the city . some say this is a direct result of her aggressive prosecutorial bent . but her career has n't been without controversy . recently she came under intense fire for charging 12-year-old cristian fernandez as an adult in the killing of his 2-year-old brother , making christian the youngest person in florida ever to be charged as an adult . corey , a devout episcopalian , references her faith in discussing her cases , which some would say is a no-no for a prosecutor . in a written statement she provided in response to her detractors about the fernandez case , corey defended her decision to charge fernandez as an adult by stating , we are blessed in the 4th circuit to have a great working relationship with ... public defenders , ' and we asked for prayers for our two-year-old victim , david , and for cristian fernandez . ' in discussing the investigation into the shooting death of martin she said , what we are asking people to do is take a step back . pray for trayvon . pray for his family . listen to their words . i believe these are wonderful people who are asking for a peaceful approach to this case , while still demanding the answers they deserve . and i look forward to meeting with them to try to help them on this journey . our victims always have a tough plight . ' if she files charges against zimmerman , it would be wise not to overcharge ' the case . corey needs to be able to prove her case beyond a reasonable doubt . to prove manslaughter in florida , corey 's team would have to prove that zimmerman 's acts caused martin 's death . manslaughter would not be difficult to prove but for florida 's stand your ground ' law . florida 's law states that a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force , including deadly force ... to prevent death or great bodily harm . so even if zimmerman killed martin , he was justified in doing so if he believed he was in danger of being killed himself or of suffering great bodily harm . it seems the sanford police certainly believed zimmerman 's claims . but there is an exception . if zimmerman was the initial aggressor , he can not avail himself of the protection of the stand your ground ' law . former florida state rep. dennis baxley , the co-sponsor of the law , told me by phone that the law does n't apply to zimmerman if he pursued martin and was the initial aggressor . and he is right . florida 's statute makes it clear that the justification is not available to a person who initially provokes the use of force against himself , unless such force is so great that the person reasonably believes that he is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that he has exhausted every reasonable means to escape . and that is what this case ultimately boils down to -- who started the fight . and the answer to that question is far from clear . martin left the home of his father 's fiancee on february 26 to buy skittles and an ice tea . he was unarmed . zimmerman left his home to go to target and was carrying a concealed weapon for which he had a permit . martin was 17 years old , zimmerman , 28 . the police report describes martin as 6 feet tall and 160 pounds and lists zimmerman as 5-foot-9 . zimmerman sees martin , deems him suspicious ' and calls the police . zimmerman tells the dispatcher he is following martin . the dispatcher tells zimmerman we do n't need you to do that . ' martin notices zimmerman is following him and tells his girlfriend , dee dee , with whom he is on the phone . she tells him to run , and he agrees to walk quickly . zimmerman says that he returns to his parked suv and is attacked suddenly by martin . dee dee hears someone ask martin why he is there . martin asks zimmerman why he is following him . dee dee believes she hears martin being tackled . witnesses say they heard angry words , heard someone crying for help ( many explain it sounded like the voice of a younger person ) and then a single gunshot . the screams for help stop . three witnesses saw zimmerman straddling martin in the grass . the incident happens 70 yards from the home martin was walking to , not near zimmerman 's suv . martin is found dead , laying on his stomach . zimmerman is bleeding from his nose and the back of his head and has stains on the back of his jacket . zimmerman is n't tested for drug or alcohol consumption and is allowed to leave the police station with the clothes he was wearing that night . a tenet of our legal system is that when there is conflicting evidence , let a jury decide . i believe in our jury system . let them decide . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sunny hostin .","she says the public withdrawal by lawyers representing george zimmerman was strange" +"garcia ( cnn ) -- sergio garcia , a 36-year-old undocumented immigrant in california , has held two lifelong dreams : to become a u.s. citizen and to practice law . he 's been waiting 19 years for a visa still stuck in a backlog , but the california supreme court ensured this week that his second dream will become a reality . garcia can be admitted to california 's state bar and legally practice as a lawyer there , the court ruled . i 'm super excited to finally be able to fulfill one of my dreams , ' garcia told cnn friday . court : undocumented immigrant can be lawyer but the case raises many questions , particularly among those who have been critical of garcia 's efforts to practice law . they question how someone who is in the country without legal status can be licensed to uphold the law as an attorney . garcia says that this an easy initial response to make but that looking at the details of his case , it is not so clear-cut . he was brought to the united states as a minor and has been in line for 19 years for a green card . if anyone feels frustrated the the situation , they should address it with the federal government , garcia said . it 's the immigration system that 's broken , he said . garcia was born in mexico in 1977 and taken to california by his parents when he was 17 months old , according to court documents . he remained there until 1986 , when he and his parents returned to mexico . eight years later , at age 17 , garcia again returned to california with his parents and without documentation , though his father had obtained permanent resident status in the united states . that year , garcia 's father filed an immigration visa petition on his son 's behalf , which federal immigration officials accepted in 1995 . the visa still has not been granted , even though garcia has lived in the state since 1994 . california 's supreme court ruled thursday ( pdf ) that no state law or public policy should stop garcia or others like him from obtaining a law license in the state . asked why he did n't choose a different career or pursue other opportunities , garcia said law was his singular focus . i was n't smart and put all my eggs into one basket , ' he said . this whole idea of being an attorney was the only idea i had going , so 20 years of working on that dream , i could n't really afford to give up on it . ' that , and i 'm a little bit stubborn , anyway , ' garcia added . now that he has a law license , however , one thing that garcia will not specialize in is immigration law . oh , no , that 's just too messed up , ' he said . cnn 's catherine e. shoichet and tom watkins contributed to this report .","a california court rules that sergio garcia can practice law" +"garcia ( cnn ) -- sergio garcia , a 36-year-old undocumented immigrant in california , has held two lifelong dreams : to become a u.s. citizen and to practice law . he 's been waiting 19 years for a visa still stuck in a backlog , but the california supreme court ensured this week that his second dream will become a reality . garcia can be admitted to california 's state bar and legally practice as a lawyer there , the court ruled . i 'm super excited to finally be able to fulfill one of my dreams , ' garcia told cnn friday . court : undocumented immigrant can be lawyer but the case raises many questions , particularly among those who have been critical of garcia 's efforts to practice law . they question how someone who is in the country without legal status can be licensed to uphold the law as an attorney . garcia says that this an easy initial response to make but that looking at the details of his case , it is not so clear-cut . he was brought to the united states as a minor and has been in line for 19 years for a green card . if anyone feels frustrated the the situation , they should address it with the federal government , garcia said . it 's the immigration system that 's broken , he said . garcia was born in mexico in 1977 and taken to california by his parents when he was 17 months old , according to court documents . he remained there until 1986 , when he and his parents returned to mexico . eight years later , at age 17 , garcia again returned to california with his parents and without documentation , though his father had obtained permanent resident status in the united states . that year , garcia 's father filed an immigration visa petition on his son 's behalf , which federal immigration officials accepted in 1995 . the visa still has not been granted , even though garcia has lived in the state since 1994 . california 's supreme court ruled thursday ( pdf ) that no state law or public policy should stop garcia or others like him from obtaining a law license in the state . asked why he did n't choose a different career or pursue other opportunities , garcia said law was his singular focus . i was n't smart and put all my eggs into one basket , ' he said . this whole idea of being an attorney was the only idea i had going , so 20 years of working on that dream , i could n't really afford to give up on it . ' that , and i 'm a little bit stubborn , anyway , ' garcia added . now that he has a law license , however , one thing that garcia will not specialize in is immigration law . oh , no , that 's just too messed up , ' he said . cnn 's catherine e. shoichet and tom watkins contributed to this report .","garcia is an undocumented immigrant" +"james best ( cnn ) james best , best known for his portrayal of bumbling sheriff rosco p. coltrane on tv 's the dukes of hazzard , ' died monday after a brief illness . he was 88 . best died in hospice in hickory , north carolina , of complications from pneumonia , said steve latshaw , a longtime friend and hollywood colleague . although he 'd been a busy actor for decades in theater and in hollywood , best did n't become famous until 1979 , when the dukes of hazzard 's ' cornpone charms began beaming into millions of american homes almost every friday night . for seven seasons , best 's rosco p. coltrane chased the moonshine-running duke boys back and forth across the back roads of fictitious hazzard county , georgia , although his hot pursuit ' usually ended with him crashing his patrol car . although rosco was slow-witted and corrupt , best gave him a childlike enthusiasm that got laughs and made him endearing . his character became known for his distinctive kew-kew-kew ' chuckle and for goofy catchphrases such as cuff 'em and stuff 'em ! ' upon making an arrest . among the most popular shows on tv in the early '80s , the dukes of hazzard ' ran until 1985 and spawned tv movies , an animated series and video games . several of best 's hazzard ' co-stars paid tribute to the late actor on social media . i laughed and learned more from jimmie in one hour than from anyone else in a whole year , ' co-star john schneider , who played bo duke , said on twitter . give uncle jesse my love when you see him dear friend . ' jimmy best was the most constantly creative person i have ever known , ' said ben jones , who played mechanic cooter on the show , in a facebook post . every minute of his long life was spent acting , writing , producing , painting , teaching , fishing , or involved in another of his life 's many passions . ' born jewel guy on july 26 , 1926 , in powderly , kentucky , best was orphaned at 3 and adopted by armen and essa best , who renamed him james and raised him in rural indiana . best served in the army during world war ii before launching his acting career . in the 1950s and 1960s , he accumulated scores of credits , playing a range of colorful supporting characters in such tv shows as the twilight zone , ' bonanza , ' the andy griffith show ' and gunsmoke . ' he later appeared in a handful of burt reynolds'movies , including hooper ' and the end . ' but best will always be best known for his hazzard ' role , which lives on in reruns . jimmie was my teacher , mentor , close friend and collaborator for 26 years , ' latshaw said . i directed two of his feature films , including the recent'return of the killer shrews ,'a sequel he co-wrote and was quite proud of as he had made the first one more than 50 years earlier . ' people we 've lost in 2015 cnn 's stella chan contributed to this story .","james best , who played the sheriff on the dukes of hazzard , ' died monday at 88" +"hazzard ( cnn ) james best , best known for his portrayal of bumbling sheriff rosco p. coltrane on tv 's the dukes of hazzard , ' died monday after a brief illness . he was 88 . best died in hospice in hickory , north carolina , of complications from pneumonia , said steve latshaw , a longtime friend and hollywood colleague . although he 'd been a busy actor for decades in theater and in hollywood , best did n't become famous until 1979 , when the dukes of hazzard 's ' cornpone charms began beaming into millions of american homes almost every friday night . for seven seasons , best 's rosco p. coltrane chased the moonshine-running duke boys back and forth across the back roads of fictitious hazzard county , georgia , although his hot pursuit ' usually ended with him crashing his patrol car . although rosco was slow-witted and corrupt , best gave him a childlike enthusiasm that got laughs and made him endearing . his character became known for his distinctive kew-kew-kew ' chuckle and for goofy catchphrases such as cuff 'em and stuff 'em ! ' upon making an arrest . among the most popular shows on tv in the early '80s , the dukes of hazzard ' ran until 1985 and spawned tv movies , an animated series and video games . several of best 's hazzard ' co-stars paid tribute to the late actor on social media . i laughed and learned more from jimmie in one hour than from anyone else in a whole year , ' co-star john schneider , who played bo duke , said on twitter . give uncle jesse my love when you see him dear friend . ' jimmy best was the most constantly creative person i have ever known , ' said ben jones , who played mechanic cooter on the show , in a facebook post . every minute of his long life was spent acting , writing , producing , painting , teaching , fishing , or involved in another of his life 's many passions . ' born jewel guy on july 26 , 1926 , in powderly , kentucky , best was orphaned at 3 and adopted by armen and essa best , who renamed him james and raised him in rural indiana . best served in the army during world war ii before launching his acting career . in the 1950s and 1960s , he accumulated scores of credits , playing a range of colorful supporting characters in such tv shows as the twilight zone , ' bonanza , ' the andy griffith show ' and gunsmoke . ' he later appeared in a handful of burt reynolds'movies , including hooper ' and the end . ' but best will always be best known for his hazzard ' role , which lives on in reruns . jimmie was my teacher , mentor , close friend and collaborator for 26 years , ' latshaw said . i directed two of his feature films , including the recent'return of the killer shrews ,'a sequel he co-wrote and was quite proud of as he had made the first one more than 50 years earlier . ' people we 've lost in 2015 cnn 's stella chan contributed to this story ."," hazzard ' ran from 1979 to 1985 and was among the most popular shows on tv" +"hazzard ( cnn ) james best , best known for his portrayal of bumbling sheriff rosco p. coltrane on tv 's the dukes of hazzard , ' died monday after a brief illness . he was 88 . best died in hospice in hickory , north carolina , of complications from pneumonia , said steve latshaw , a longtime friend and hollywood colleague . although he 'd been a busy actor for decades in theater and in hollywood , best did n't become famous until 1979 , when the dukes of hazzard 's ' cornpone charms began beaming into millions of american homes almost every friday night . for seven seasons , best 's rosco p. coltrane chased the moonshine-running duke boys back and forth across the back roads of fictitious hazzard county , georgia , although his hot pursuit ' usually ended with him crashing his patrol car . although rosco was slow-witted and corrupt , best gave him a childlike enthusiasm that got laughs and made him endearing . his character became known for his distinctive kew-kew-kew ' chuckle and for goofy catchphrases such as cuff 'em and stuff 'em ! ' upon making an arrest . among the most popular shows on tv in the early '80s , the dukes of hazzard ' ran until 1985 and spawned tv movies , an animated series and video games . several of best 's hazzard ' co-stars paid tribute to the late actor on social media . i laughed and learned more from jimmie in one hour than from anyone else in a whole year , ' co-star john schneider , who played bo duke , said on twitter . give uncle jesse my love when you see him dear friend . ' jimmy best was the most constantly creative person i have ever known , ' said ben jones , who played mechanic cooter on the show , in a facebook post . every minute of his long life was spent acting , writing , producing , painting , teaching , fishing , or involved in another of his life 's many passions . ' born jewel guy on july 26 , 1926 , in powderly , kentucky , best was orphaned at 3 and adopted by armen and essa best , who renamed him james and raised him in rural indiana . best served in the army during world war ii before launching his acting career . in the 1950s and 1960s , he accumulated scores of credits , playing a range of colorful supporting characters in such tv shows as the twilight zone , ' bonanza , ' the andy griffith show ' and gunsmoke . ' he later appeared in a handful of burt reynolds'movies , including hooper ' and the end . ' but best will always be best known for his hazzard ' role , which lives on in reruns . jimmie was my teacher , mentor , close friend and collaborator for 26 years , ' latshaw said . i directed two of his feature films , including the recent'return of the killer shrews ,'a sequel he co-wrote and was quite proud of as he had made the first one more than 50 years earlier . ' people we 've lost in 2015 cnn 's stella chan contributed to this story .","james best , who played the sheriff on the dukes of hazzard , ' died monday at 88" +"fdny new york ( cnn ) -- a federal judge has ordered that an official monitor be put in place to prevent discrimination in the hiring of new york city firefighters . u.s. district judge nicholas garaufis said the city needs to comprehensively reassess its policies and practices , to analyze the evidence showing the effect of those policies and practices , and to rationally consider how they can be changed to achieve a firefighter hiring process that is -- in actual practice and effect -- fair and open to all . ' the order requires the city to take remedial steps to fix discriminatory hiring practices and puts the court monitor in place for at least the next 10 years to make sure those steps are taken . garaufis cited the clear evidence of disparate impact that mayor ( michael ) bloomberg and his senior leadership chose to ignore was obvious to anyone else who looked . ' instead of facing hard facts and asking hard questions about the city 's abysmal track record of hiring black and hispanic firefighters , the bloomberg administration dug in and fought back , ' the judge said in his ruling . mark lavorgna , a spokesman for the mayor , said the city intends to appeal the decision . litigation against the city 's firefighter hiring practices began in 2007 , when the u.s. department of justice filed a complaint alleging the fire department of new york 's hiring exams negatively affected black and hispanic applicants . four years of litigation and two adverse liability rulings later , the city still does n't get it , ' garaufis said . the city 's senior leaders have routinely denied that they are responsible or doing anything to remedy nearly forty years of discrimination . ' bloomberg strongly disagreed with the decision . i think it 's fair to say no previous administration has done more or been as successful in attracting the diversity to the fdny than we have , ' the mayor told reporters wednesday , and i could n't feel more strongly about it . ' bloomberg said 61,000 people , more than half of them minorities , applied to the fire department in the last recruiting campaign , shattering any previous record for minority applicants . ' garaufis acknowledged that the city has improved its minority recruiting , but he said the subsequent hiring processes and discriminatory testing procedures ' have kept many of these minorities from actually being hired . paul washington , a representative of the vulcan society , one of the plaintiffs in the case , praised the decision . we 're very pleased to see this order and it 's certainly long overdue , ' washington said . we 're glad to see the judge properly addressing this issue . ' details of the court-appointed monitoring , as well as logistics for a future fairness hearing in which third parties will be able to express their opinions , is scheduled for october 20 , said darius charney , an attorney for the plaintiffs .","official monitor will oversee fdny hiring practices , federal judge rules" +"michael bloomberg new york ( cnn ) -- a federal judge has ordered that an official monitor be put in place to prevent discrimination in the hiring of new york city firefighters . u.s. district judge nicholas garaufis said the city needs to comprehensively reassess its policies and practices , to analyze the evidence showing the effect of those policies and practices , and to rationally consider how they can be changed to achieve a firefighter hiring process that is -- in actual practice and effect -- fair and open to all . ' the order requires the city to take remedial steps to fix discriminatory hiring practices and puts the court monitor in place for at least the next 10 years to make sure those steps are taken . garaufis cited the clear evidence of disparate impact that mayor ( michael ) bloomberg and his senior leadership chose to ignore was obvious to anyone else who looked . ' instead of facing hard facts and asking hard questions about the city 's abysmal track record of hiring black and hispanic firefighters , the bloomberg administration dug in and fought back , ' the judge said in his ruling . mark lavorgna , a spokesman for the mayor , said the city intends to appeal the decision . litigation against the city 's firefighter hiring practices began in 2007 , when the u.s. department of justice filed a complaint alleging the fire department of new york 's hiring exams negatively affected black and hispanic applicants . four years of litigation and two adverse liability rulings later , the city still does n't get it , ' garaufis said . the city 's senior leaders have routinely denied that they are responsible or doing anything to remedy nearly forty years of discrimination . ' bloomberg strongly disagreed with the decision . i think it 's fair to say no previous administration has done more or been as successful in attracting the diversity to the fdny than we have , ' the mayor told reporters wednesday , and i could n't feel more strongly about it . ' bloomberg said 61,000 people , more than half of them minorities , applied to the fire department in the last recruiting campaign , shattering any previous record for minority applicants . ' garaufis acknowledged that the city has improved its minority recruiting , but he said the subsequent hiring processes and discriminatory testing procedures ' have kept many of these minorities from actually being hired . paul washington , a representative of the vulcan society , one of the plaintiffs in the case , praised the decision . we 're very pleased to see this order and it 's certainly long overdue , ' washington said . we 're glad to see the judge properly addressing this issue . ' details of the court-appointed monitoring , as well as logistics for a future fairness hearing in which third parties will be able to express their opinions , is scheduled for october 20 , said darius charney , an attorney for the plaintiffs .","mayor michael bloomberg defends his record for improving minority recruiting" +"moschetto ( cnn ) the attorney for a suburban new york cardiologist charged in what authorities say was a failed scheme to have another physician hurt or killed is calling the allegations against his client completely unsubstantiated . ' appearing saturday morning on cnn 's new day , ' randy zelin defended his client , dr. anthony moschetto , who faces criminal solicitation , conspiracy , burglary , arson , criminal prescription sale and weapons charges in connection to what prosecutors called a plot to take out a rival doctor on long island . none of anything in this case has any evidentiary value , ' zelin told cnn 's christi paul . it does n't matter what anyone says , he is presumed to be innocent . ' moschetto,54 , pleaded not guilty to all charges wednesday . he was released after posting $ 2 million bond and surrendering his passport . zelin said that his next move is to get dr. moshetto back to work . he 's got patients to see . this man , while he was in a detention cell , the only thing that he cared about were his patients . and amazingly , his patients were flooding the office with calls , making sure that he was ok , ' zelin said . two other men -- identified as james chmela , 43 , and james kalamaras , 41 -- were named as accomplices , according to prosecutors . they pleaded not guilty in nassau county district court , according to authorities . both were released on bail . a requests for comment from an attorney representing chmela was not returned . it 's unclear whether kalamaras has retained an attorney . police officers allegedly discovered approximately 100 weapons at moschetto 's home , including hand grenades , high-capacity magazines and knives . many of the weapons were found in a hidden room behind a switch-activated bookshelf , according to prosecutors . the investigation began back in december , when undercover officers began buying heroin and oxycodone pills from moschetto in what was initially a routine investigation into the sale of prescription drugs , officials said . during the course of the undercover operation , however , moschetto also sold the officers two semiautomatic assault weapons as well as ammunition , prosecutors said . moschetto allegedly told officers during one buy that he needed dynamite to blow up a building . ' he later said he no longer needed the dynamite because a friend was setting fire to the building instead . kalamaras and chmela are believed to have taken part in the arson , according to prosecutors . the fire damaged but did not destroy the office of another cardiologist whose relationship with dr. moschetto had soured due to a professional dispute , ' according to the statement from the district attorney 's office . moschetto allegedly gave an informant and undercover detective blank prescriptions and cash for the assault and killing of the fellow cardiologist , according to prosecutors . he also requested that the rival 's wife be assaulted if she happened to be present , authorities said . he was willing to pay $ 5,000 to have him beaten and put in a hospital for a few months , and then he said he would pay $ 20,000 to have him killed , ' said assistant district attorney anne donnelly , according to cnn affiliate wcbs .","moschetto , 54 , was arrested for selling drugs and weapons , prosecutors say" +"moschetto ( cnn ) the attorney for a suburban new york cardiologist charged in what authorities say was a failed scheme to have another physician hurt or killed is calling the allegations against his client completely unsubstantiated . ' appearing saturday morning on cnn 's new day , ' randy zelin defended his client , dr. anthony moschetto , who faces criminal solicitation , conspiracy , burglary , arson , criminal prescription sale and weapons charges in connection to what prosecutors called a plot to take out a rival doctor on long island . none of anything in this case has any evidentiary value , ' zelin told cnn 's christi paul . it does n't matter what anyone says , he is presumed to be innocent . ' moschetto,54 , pleaded not guilty to all charges wednesday . he was released after posting $ 2 million bond and surrendering his passport . zelin said that his next move is to get dr. moshetto back to work . he 's got patients to see . this man , while he was in a detention cell , the only thing that he cared about were his patients . and amazingly , his patients were flooding the office with calls , making sure that he was ok , ' zelin said . two other men -- identified as james chmela , 43 , and james kalamaras , 41 -- were named as accomplices , according to prosecutors . they pleaded not guilty in nassau county district court , according to authorities . both were released on bail . a requests for comment from an attorney representing chmela was not returned . it 's unclear whether kalamaras has retained an attorney . police officers allegedly discovered approximately 100 weapons at moschetto 's home , including hand grenades , high-capacity magazines and knives . many of the weapons were found in a hidden room behind a switch-activated bookshelf , according to prosecutors . the investigation began back in december , when undercover officers began buying heroin and oxycodone pills from moschetto in what was initially a routine investigation into the sale of prescription drugs , officials said . during the course of the undercover operation , however , moschetto also sold the officers two semiautomatic assault weapons as well as ammunition , prosecutors said . moschetto allegedly told officers during one buy that he needed dynamite to blow up a building . ' he later said he no longer needed the dynamite because a friend was setting fire to the building instead . kalamaras and chmela are believed to have taken part in the arson , according to prosecutors . the fire damaged but did not destroy the office of another cardiologist whose relationship with dr. moschetto had soured due to a professional dispute , ' according to the statement from the district attorney 's office . moschetto allegedly gave an informant and undercover detective blank prescriptions and cash for the assault and killing of the fellow cardiologist , according to prosecutors . he also requested that the rival 's wife be assaulted if she happened to be present , authorities said . he was willing to pay $ 5,000 to have him beaten and put in a hospital for a few months , and then he said he would pay $ 20,000 to have him killed , ' said assistant district attorney anne donnelly , according to cnn affiliate wcbs .","authorities allege moschetto hired accomplices to burn down the practice of former associate" +"moschetto ( cnn ) the attorney for a suburban new york cardiologist charged in what authorities say was a failed scheme to have another physician hurt or killed is calling the allegations against his client completely unsubstantiated . ' appearing saturday morning on cnn 's new day , ' randy zelin defended his client , dr. anthony moschetto , who faces criminal solicitation , conspiracy , burglary , arson , criminal prescription sale and weapons charges in connection to what prosecutors called a plot to take out a rival doctor on long island . none of anything in this case has any evidentiary value , ' zelin told cnn 's christi paul . it does n't matter what anyone says , he is presumed to be innocent . ' moschetto,54 , pleaded not guilty to all charges wednesday . he was released after posting $ 2 million bond and surrendering his passport . zelin said that his next move is to get dr. moshetto back to work . he 's got patients to see . this man , while he was in a detention cell , the only thing that he cared about were his patients . and amazingly , his patients were flooding the office with calls , making sure that he was ok , ' zelin said . two other men -- identified as james chmela , 43 , and james kalamaras , 41 -- were named as accomplices , according to prosecutors . they pleaded not guilty in nassau county district court , according to authorities . both were released on bail . a requests for comment from an attorney representing chmela was not returned . it 's unclear whether kalamaras has retained an attorney . police officers allegedly discovered approximately 100 weapons at moschetto 's home , including hand grenades , high-capacity magazines and knives . many of the weapons were found in a hidden room behind a switch-activated bookshelf , according to prosecutors . the investigation began back in december , when undercover officers began buying heroin and oxycodone pills from moschetto in what was initially a routine investigation into the sale of prescription drugs , officials said . during the course of the undercover operation , however , moschetto also sold the officers two semiautomatic assault weapons as well as ammunition , prosecutors said . moschetto allegedly told officers during one buy that he needed dynamite to blow up a building . ' he later said he no longer needed the dynamite because a friend was setting fire to the building instead . kalamaras and chmela are believed to have taken part in the arson , according to prosecutors . the fire damaged but did not destroy the office of another cardiologist whose relationship with dr. moschetto had soured due to a professional dispute , ' according to the statement from the district attorney 's office . moschetto allegedly gave an informant and undercover detective blank prescriptions and cash for the assault and killing of the fellow cardiologist , according to prosecutors . he also requested that the rival 's wife be assaulted if she happened to be present , authorities said . he was willing to pay $ 5,000 to have him beaten and put in a hospital for a few months , and then he said he would pay $ 20,000 to have him killed , ' said assistant district attorney anne donnelly , according to cnn affiliate wcbs .","a lawyer for dr. anthony moschetto says the charges against him are baseless" +"france ( cnn ) -- activists speaking at a syrian government-sponsored national dialogue ' meeting sunday criticized recent crackdowns by the country 's security forces , calling for an end to violence against protesters . syria 's vice president hailed the damascus university meeting between officials and members of the opposition as a step toward creating a democratic nation . ' we hope that at the end of this comprehensive meeting to announce the transition of syria to a pluralistic democratic nation where all citizens are guided by equality and participate in the modeling of the future of their country , ' vice president faruq al-shara said in opening remarks at the meeting , which was broadcast live on state television . syrian activists say that security personnel have assaulted unarmed protesters during months of anti-government demonstrations that erupted nationwide in mid-march . the syrian government has claimed armed groups are responsible for the violence at the demonstrations . several speakers at sunday 's meeting called on syria 's government to change its tactics . the bloodshed needs to stop . yes , there are unauthorized protests , but is it a reason to use unjustified and excessive violence ? the use of all types of excessive force is unjustified , ' said qadri jameel of the opposition front of change and liberation . syrian researcher al-tayyeb tizzina also criticized the use of force and asked for violence to stop in order for the dialogue to succeed . the establishment of a political society requires the immediate start of a process dismantling the police state that is dominating syria , ' he said . al-shara acknowledged that a surge of violence in syria precipitated sunday 's meeting . we have to admit that without the big sacrifices that were presented by the syrian people , from the blood of their sons , civilians or military in more than one province , city and town , this meeting would n't have happened , ' he said . the state-run syrian arab news agency said the meeting included members of the opposition , independent activists , youth leaders and academics . however , some opponents of president bashar al-assad 's regime have criticized the meeting , saying the government is trying to quiet widespread unrest without making meaningful changes . demonstrators protested the meeting in nationwide no dialogue ' marches friday . any dialogue must be based on the base of ( al-assad 's ) stepping down from power , ' said a statement from the change in syria conference , an opposition group that called for al-assad to hand over power to the vice president at a meeting in turkey last month . sunday 's dialogue meeting began as syria 's foreign ministry summoned the u.s. and french ambassadors and accused them of interfering in internal affairs when they visited syria 's fourth-largest city without permission last week , state media reported . the ministry told the diplomats that their visit to the city of hama violated the vienna convention , according to sana . that 1961 accord , brokered through the united nations , sets ground rules as to how diplomats can operate in other countries . however , a senior u.s. state department official said u.s . ambassador robert ford was not summoned by syrian officials on sunday ; his meeting with syria 's foreign minister was previously scheduled by the u.s. embassy in damascus last thursday . the official declined to speak on the record because of the sensitivity of the situation . in the meeting , ford said his visit to hama was meant to gather information and support freedom of expression . he also accused the syrian government of inciting syrians against the united states , including organizing a protest outside the u.s. embassy friday and saturday , the senior state department official said . protesters threw tomatoes , eggs , glass and rocks at the embassy as they called for the ambassador to leave during the 31-hour demonstration , according to the senior state department official , who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the situation . state department spokeswoman victoria nuland issued a blunt rebuttal to similar syrian government accusations friday , calling claims that ford 's visit was inciting protesters absolute rubbish ' and saying she was dismayed ' by the syrian government 's reaction . nuland said the u.s. embassy had notified the syrian defense ministry before the visit and that ford 's car was waved through a security checkpoint . the french foreign ministry issued a statement sunday saying that its embassy had also been besieged by demonstrators , faulting syrian authorities for failing to stop the destruction of vehicles , burning of french flags and other damage . the french government summoned syria 's ambassador to france on sunday to issue a formal protest on this matter , and to hold syrian authorities responsible for the security of french diplomats in the middle eastern country . it also challenged the damascus government 's decision to summon eric chevallier , france 's own ambassador to syria . like the u.s. ambassador , chevallier visited hama on thursday and spent the night , the french government said , meeting with wounded people and their families and medical staffers at a hospital . al-assad issued a decree appointing a hama provincial governor sunday , a day after firing the existing leader after a series of peaceful demonstrations there , including a massive anti-government protest last friday . activists and human rights watch have reported many arrests and deaths in a fierce government crackdown in the area . citizens have called a general strike in the city . diplomatic tensions over syria also flared in washington last week , with the state department summoning syrian ambassador imad mustapha friday . the state department said mustapha was called to express a number of our concerns with the reported actions of certain syrian embassy staff in the united states . ' the statement , issued in response to a question taken at friday 's daily briefing , said the state department had received reports that syrian mission personnel had been conducting video surveillance of people participating in peaceful demonstrations in the united states . we are also investigating reports that the syrian government has sought retribution against syrian family members for the actions of their relatives in the united states exercising their lawful rights in this country and will respond accordingly , ' the statement said . cnn 's elise labott , yousuf basil and salma abdelaziz contributed to this report .","new : france summons syria 's ambassador to protest an attack on its embassy" +"jacobs ( cnn ) -- by now , we 're on the same page that mitt romney 's pick of paul ryan as his running mate contradicts a golden oldie of presidential election strategy -- run to the conservative ( or liberal ) base to win the nomination and then reposition toward the center to lure the more moderate independent swing voters who are necessary to win the general election . ryan may be many things -- energetic , charismatic and geeky -- but no one familiar with his full monty conservative budgets would describe his selection as remotely moving to the center . just the opposite -- romney has doubled down on his move to the right during the primary battle . what gives ? did the looming prospect of defeat push romney into a desperate gamble ? give romney some credit . he 's made a shrewd move . the ryan choice adopts a strategy premised on supermobilizing the base and luring a smidgeon of others . put on your thinking caps and grab an abacus , here are the numbers that could put romney in the white house . conservatives outnumber liberals 2 to 1 ( 40 % to 21 % ) . rage against obama has the gop ready to walk over red hot coals to cast a ballot . a mainstay of gallup 's measure for determining who is likely to vote -- whether survey respondents are thinking a lot about the election -- shows not only that republicans are more attentive than democrats by 13 points but also more fired up than in recent presidential elections . to make sure they harvest the ryan enthusiasts , the romney campaign appears to be assembling an impressive operation to turn out the vote and to aggressively compete with the obama team for the early vote . what makes the romney mobilization particularly threatening to obama is that it targets his biggest challenge -- polls consistently show him ahead but there are ominous signs that a decisive group of those supporters wo n't actually cast a ballot . even with obama 's pro-immigration shift and the growing number of latinos in competitive states , their actual turnout may flag from their record numbers in 2008 . less than half of hispanics eligible to vote are registering and only 64 % of hispanics say they will definitely vote as compared to their 77 % response in 2008 and the national average of 78 % today . ditto on youth . the percentage of voters 18 to 29 who say they will definitely vote in november ( 58 % ) is currently running 20 points or more behind the national average today ( 78 % ) or the youth turnout in 2008 ( 78 % ) or 2004 ( 81 % ) . blue collar voters -- never drawn to obama ( think hillary clinton in 2008 democratic primaries ) -- may desert him in numbers that approach the reagan democrat ' defections in 1980 . this possible weakness in the democratic coalition coincides with a bit more slippage among obama 's 2008 supporters ( 9 % ) than among mccain voters who wo n't vote gop in november ( 5 % ) . bottom line : by picking the bona fide conservative ryan , the republican base is likely to deliver a rapturous response , which may allow romney to succeed in exploiting obama 's greatest weakness at this point . before you conclude this is far-fetched , think back to karl rove 's strategy in 2004 to move right with strident social conservatism on abortion and same-sex marriage , steep tax cuts and hawkish policies in afghanistan and iraq . embracing the base and scorning the rush to the middle cost george w. bush the independent vote . but bush also supercharged conservatives and republicans , who turned out in droves . refuting the conventional wisdom that democrats do best in high-turnout elections , it was bush who most benefited from the 16 % jump in the total vote . but -- there 's always a but . even as ryan fires up conservatives , he may also mobilize votes for obama -- including senior citizens who reside in key swing states like florida . alarmed by his draconian proposals to remake medicare , they may boost their support of obama . another potential risk : a good number of voters may be primed to punish the incumbent for poor economic times . pluralities of ohio and florida independents report that obama 's re-election would hurt their personal financial situation . but the coming hullabaloo over ryan 's budget proposals may distract the economically pained from punishing obama . all in all , romney has a tough battle ahead -- even stringent counts of electoral college votes based on polls show obama within striking distance of winning . but using ryan to ignite the republican base is probably romney 's most plausible path to prevailing . and , it may produce a campaign focused a bit more on policy than on birth certificates , service records and the other side issues of recent elections . strap in , folks , 2012 may be much more interesting and close than we 'd imagined . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lawrence r. jacobs .","lawrence jacobs : mitt romney was shrewd in picking paul ryan as his running mate" +"jacobs ( cnn ) -- by now , we 're on the same page that mitt romney 's pick of paul ryan as his running mate contradicts a golden oldie of presidential election strategy -- run to the conservative ( or liberal ) base to win the nomination and then reposition toward the center to lure the more moderate independent swing voters who are necessary to win the general election . ryan may be many things -- energetic , charismatic and geeky -- but no one familiar with his full monty conservative budgets would describe his selection as remotely moving to the center . just the opposite -- romney has doubled down on his move to the right during the primary battle . what gives ? did the looming prospect of defeat push romney into a desperate gamble ? give romney some credit . he 's made a shrewd move . the ryan choice adopts a strategy premised on supermobilizing the base and luring a smidgeon of others . put on your thinking caps and grab an abacus , here are the numbers that could put romney in the white house . conservatives outnumber liberals 2 to 1 ( 40 % to 21 % ) . rage against obama has the gop ready to walk over red hot coals to cast a ballot . a mainstay of gallup 's measure for determining who is likely to vote -- whether survey respondents are thinking a lot about the election -- shows not only that republicans are more attentive than democrats by 13 points but also more fired up than in recent presidential elections . to make sure they harvest the ryan enthusiasts , the romney campaign appears to be assembling an impressive operation to turn out the vote and to aggressively compete with the obama team for the early vote . what makes the romney mobilization particularly threatening to obama is that it targets his biggest challenge -- polls consistently show him ahead but there are ominous signs that a decisive group of those supporters wo n't actually cast a ballot . even with obama 's pro-immigration shift and the growing number of latinos in competitive states , their actual turnout may flag from their record numbers in 2008 . less than half of hispanics eligible to vote are registering and only 64 % of hispanics say they will definitely vote as compared to their 77 % response in 2008 and the national average of 78 % today . ditto on youth . the percentage of voters 18 to 29 who say they will definitely vote in november ( 58 % ) is currently running 20 points or more behind the national average today ( 78 % ) or the youth turnout in 2008 ( 78 % ) or 2004 ( 81 % ) . blue collar voters -- never drawn to obama ( think hillary clinton in 2008 democratic primaries ) -- may desert him in numbers that approach the reagan democrat ' defections in 1980 . this possible weakness in the democratic coalition coincides with a bit more slippage among obama 's 2008 supporters ( 9 % ) than among mccain voters who wo n't vote gop in november ( 5 % ) . bottom line : by picking the bona fide conservative ryan , the republican base is likely to deliver a rapturous response , which may allow romney to succeed in exploiting obama 's greatest weakness at this point . before you conclude this is far-fetched , think back to karl rove 's strategy in 2004 to move right with strident social conservatism on abortion and same-sex marriage , steep tax cuts and hawkish policies in afghanistan and iraq . embracing the base and scorning the rush to the middle cost george w. bush the independent vote . but bush also supercharged conservatives and republicans , who turned out in droves . refuting the conventional wisdom that democrats do best in high-turnout elections , it was bush who most benefited from the 16 % jump in the total vote . but -- there 's always a but . even as ryan fires up conservatives , he may also mobilize votes for obama -- including senior citizens who reside in key swing states like florida . alarmed by his draconian proposals to remake medicare , they may boost their support of obama . another potential risk : a good number of voters may be primed to punish the incumbent for poor economic times . pluralities of ohio and florida independents report that obama 's re-election would hurt their personal financial situation . but the coming hullabaloo over ryan 's budget proposals may distract the economically pained from punishing obama . all in all , romney has a tough battle ahead -- even stringent counts of electoral college votes based on polls show obama within striking distance of winning . but using ryan to ignite the republican base is probably romney 's most plausible path to prevailing . and , it may produce a campaign focused a bit more on policy than on birth certificates , service records and the other side issues of recent elections . strap in , folks , 2012 may be much more interesting and close than we 'd imagined . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lawrence r. jacobs .","jacobs : using ryan to ignite the gop base is probably romney 's best chance of prevailing" +"jacobs ( cnn ) -- by now , we 're on the same page that mitt romney 's pick of paul ryan as his running mate contradicts a golden oldie of presidential election strategy -- run to the conservative ( or liberal ) base to win the nomination and then reposition toward the center to lure the more moderate independent swing voters who are necessary to win the general election . ryan may be many things -- energetic , charismatic and geeky -- but no one familiar with his full monty conservative budgets would describe his selection as remotely moving to the center . just the opposite -- romney has doubled down on his move to the right during the primary battle . what gives ? did the looming prospect of defeat push romney into a desperate gamble ? give romney some credit . he 's made a shrewd move . the ryan choice adopts a strategy premised on supermobilizing the base and luring a smidgeon of others . put on your thinking caps and grab an abacus , here are the numbers that could put romney in the white house . conservatives outnumber liberals 2 to 1 ( 40 % to 21 % ) . rage against obama has the gop ready to walk over red hot coals to cast a ballot . a mainstay of gallup 's measure for determining who is likely to vote -- whether survey respondents are thinking a lot about the election -- shows not only that republicans are more attentive than democrats by 13 points but also more fired up than in recent presidential elections . to make sure they harvest the ryan enthusiasts , the romney campaign appears to be assembling an impressive operation to turn out the vote and to aggressively compete with the obama team for the early vote . what makes the romney mobilization particularly threatening to obama is that it targets his biggest challenge -- polls consistently show him ahead but there are ominous signs that a decisive group of those supporters wo n't actually cast a ballot . even with obama 's pro-immigration shift and the growing number of latinos in competitive states , their actual turnout may flag from their record numbers in 2008 . less than half of hispanics eligible to vote are registering and only 64 % of hispanics say they will definitely vote as compared to their 77 % response in 2008 and the national average of 78 % today . ditto on youth . the percentage of voters 18 to 29 who say they will definitely vote in november ( 58 % ) is currently running 20 points or more behind the national average today ( 78 % ) or the youth turnout in 2008 ( 78 % ) or 2004 ( 81 % ) . blue collar voters -- never drawn to obama ( think hillary clinton in 2008 democratic primaries ) -- may desert him in numbers that approach the reagan democrat ' defections in 1980 . this possible weakness in the democratic coalition coincides with a bit more slippage among obama 's 2008 supporters ( 9 % ) than among mccain voters who wo n't vote gop in november ( 5 % ) . bottom line : by picking the bona fide conservative ryan , the republican base is likely to deliver a rapturous response , which may allow romney to succeed in exploiting obama 's greatest weakness at this point . before you conclude this is far-fetched , think back to karl rove 's strategy in 2004 to move right with strident social conservatism on abortion and same-sex marriage , steep tax cuts and hawkish policies in afghanistan and iraq . embracing the base and scorning the rush to the middle cost george w. bush the independent vote . but bush also supercharged conservatives and republicans , who turned out in droves . refuting the conventional wisdom that democrats do best in high-turnout elections , it was bush who most benefited from the 16 % jump in the total vote . but -- there 's always a but . even as ryan fires up conservatives , he may also mobilize votes for obama -- including senior citizens who reside in key swing states like florida . alarmed by his draconian proposals to remake medicare , they may boost their support of obama . another potential risk : a good number of voters may be primed to punish the incumbent for poor economic times . pluralities of ohio and florida independents report that obama 's re-election would hurt their personal financial situation . but the coming hullabaloo over ryan 's budget proposals may distract the economically pained from punishing obama . all in all , romney has a tough battle ahead -- even stringent counts of electoral college votes based on polls show obama within striking distance of winning . but using ryan to ignite the republican base is probably romney 's most plausible path to prevailing . and , it may produce a campaign focused a bit more on policy than on birth certificates , service records and the other side issues of recent elections . strap in , folks , 2012 may be much more interesting and close than we 'd imagined . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lawrence r. jacobs .","jacobs : ryan can supercharge conservatives , who outnumber liberals 2 to 1" +"singer ( instyle.com ) -- singer carrie underwood dishes on dieting , beauty and fashion . carrie underwood in a michael kors wool crêpe dress and kenneth jay lane link bracelet . 1 . always look the part most of the time i slap on some makeup in the morning so i do n't look bad if somebody snaps a picture . somebody , somewhere , will catch you , even if it 's a fan at the grocery store . very rarely do i go out without makeup . 2 . keep a food diary i 'm ocd like that . i count calories , fat and fiber -- which is important in making you feel fuller faster -- and protein , especially when i 'm working out . watch how carrie handles romantic distress » 3 . do n't be a dairy queen cheese is ruining my life ! i 'm trying to talk myself into being lactose-intolerant . i mean , it 's basically moldy milk , and it does n't smell that great -- but it 's so good ! oh , jeez , i 'm thinking about it now ... 4 . exercise your options always take an hour for yourself to go do something positive . i like the elliptical machine or swimming if i 'm in a hotel with a decent pool and there are n't too many people there . i also do the treadmill , free weights , exercise ball . if it 's a nice day , outdoor activity is nice . i get a bike and ride around . plus , i get a decent cardio workout every night onstage . 5 . do n't break the bank i do n't buy expensive jewelry and fur coats and escalades . i 've never bought a car in my life . the car i have , a ford mustang convertible , is the one i won on idol -- i guess i need to go buy a new car after all ! 6 . smell yummy i do n't do smelly soaps or wear perfume , so lotion is kind of my perfume . my favorite body lotion is benefit 's maybe baby . it 's got a little shimmer in it . if i 'm dressing up i might use perfume . i have a couple by anna sui . and gwen stefani 's perfume [ l ] , is good too . 7 . be a girlie girl with makeup i think it 's important for girls to play . i mix a lot . i 'll put on lip gloss and go , that needs to shimmer . ' so i 'll put something shimmery on top . then i want it a little pinker , so i put pink on top . but it all comes together . i 'm trying to lay off the black eyeliner , though -- i love it a little too much . 8 . go with the flow i tend to go after bigger , flowy tops or dresses . i know i 'm doing myself a disservice , but i 'd rather put on a muumuu and have people at least think there might be a skinny person underneath than put on something tight and have them think , look at that gut ! 9 . laugh at yourself usually i come up through the floor to get to the stage . i ca n't stand up on the little platform or the audience will see me , so i 'm squatting down with my rear end pressed up against the back of it . i just laugh because the audience thinks this is so glamorous -- and here i am under the stage with these ropes and equipment , my butt pressed against plastic ! e-mail to a friend get a free trial issue of instyle - click here ! copyright © 2009 time inc. all rights reserved .","singer carrie underwood uses lotion more than perfume" +"singer ( instyle.com ) -- singer carrie underwood dishes on dieting , beauty and fashion . carrie underwood in a michael kors wool crêpe dress and kenneth jay lane link bracelet . 1 . always look the part most of the time i slap on some makeup in the morning so i do n't look bad if somebody snaps a picture . somebody , somewhere , will catch you , even if it 's a fan at the grocery store . very rarely do i go out without makeup . 2 . keep a food diary i 'm ocd like that . i count calories , fat and fiber -- which is important in making you feel fuller faster -- and protein , especially when i 'm working out . watch how carrie handles romantic distress » 3 . do n't be a dairy queen cheese is ruining my life ! i 'm trying to talk myself into being lactose-intolerant . i mean , it 's basically moldy milk , and it does n't smell that great -- but it 's so good ! oh , jeez , i 'm thinking about it now ... 4 . exercise your options always take an hour for yourself to go do something positive . i like the elliptical machine or swimming if i 'm in a hotel with a decent pool and there are n't too many people there . i also do the treadmill , free weights , exercise ball . if it 's a nice day , outdoor activity is nice . i get a bike and ride around . plus , i get a decent cardio workout every night onstage . 5 . do n't break the bank i do n't buy expensive jewelry and fur coats and escalades . i 've never bought a car in my life . the car i have , a ford mustang convertible , is the one i won on idol -- i guess i need to go buy a new car after all ! 6 . smell yummy i do n't do smelly soaps or wear perfume , so lotion is kind of my perfume . my favorite body lotion is benefit 's maybe baby . it 's got a little shimmer in it . if i 'm dressing up i might use perfume . i have a couple by anna sui . and gwen stefani 's perfume [ l ] , is good too . 7 . be a girlie girl with makeup i think it 's important for girls to play . i mix a lot . i 'll put on lip gloss and go , that needs to shimmer . ' so i 'll put something shimmery on top . then i want it a little pinker , so i put pink on top . but it all comes together . i 'm trying to lay off the black eyeliner , though -- i love it a little too much . 8 . go with the flow i tend to go after bigger , flowy tops or dresses . i know i 'm doing myself a disservice , but i 'd rather put on a muumuu and have people at least think there might be a skinny person underneath than put on something tight and have them think , look at that gut ! 9 . laugh at yourself usually i come up through the floor to get to the stage . i ca n't stand up on the little platform or the audience will see me , so i 'm squatting down with my rear end pressed up against the back of it . i just laugh because the audience thinks this is so glamorous -- and here i am under the stage with these ropes and equipment , my butt pressed against plastic ! e-mail to a friend get a free trial issue of instyle - click here ! copyright © 2009 time inc. all rights reserved .","singer loves to play with makeup" +"abbott the gunman who held hostages for more than 16 hours in a sydney cafe was no stranger to police -- and was on bail for violent criminal offenses at the time of the siege . man haron monis , an iranian-born refugee who was granted political asylum in australia in 2001 , had a long history of violent crime , infatuation with extremism and mental instability , ' australian prime minister tony abbott told reporters . it 's pretty obvious that the perpetrator was a deeply disturbed individual , ' he said at a press conference tuesday , adding that the 50-year-old was well known ' to federal and state police , as well as the australian security intelligence organization . but i do n't believe he was on a terror watch list at this time . ' new south wales premier mike baird said authorities were investigating why monis -- who was killed in the siege -- was at large , given his criminal background . we 're all outraged that this guy was on the street , ' he told reporters . we need to understand why he was . we also need to understand why he was n't picked up . ' what we know , what we do n't know accessory to murder , sex charges the self-styled muslim cleric , also known as sheikh haron , was facing dozens of charges at the time of the siege , including two counts of being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife , according to the attorney general of new south wales . noleen hayson pal was found dead with multiple stab wounds in a stairwell , and her body had been set on fire , the sydney morning herald reported . they should have put him away and thrown away the key , ' the dead woman 's godfather , ayyut khalik , told nbc news . he said monis used to beat pal , forcing her to wear a hijab all the time and forbidding her from talking to outsiders . ' court documents show monis was also facing 45 sex-related charges , including sexual intercourse without consent and aggravated indecent assault . according to the sydney morning herald , the initial charges , laid in may 2014 , related to an alleged sexual assault on a woman in western sydney in 2002 , before other sex-related charges were added regarding six additional victims . monis was using the name mohammad hassan manteghi -- his birth name , according to iran 's state news agency irna -- and claimed to be a healer , ' according to the report . monis also pleaded guilty last year to writing offensive poison pen ' letters to the families of australian soldiers who died in afghanistan , and was sentenced to 300 hours of community service . the letters were sadistic , wantonly cruel and deeply wounding , ' one high court judge said at the time , according to cnn affiliate seven news . but the criminal accusations against him began even before he came to australia . monis fled his homeland in 1995 while being sought for allegedly committing fraud , iran 's semi-official fars news reported . a spokesperson at iran 's embassy in canberra told cnn that tehran had officially requested monis 's extradition but nothing had come of it . monis had been granted political asylum in 2001 and had had no further contact with his birth country , the spokesperson said . who were the victims ? an extremist theology manny conditsis , a lawyer who acted for monis in relation to the accessory to murder and letter-writing charges , told cnn his former client had been a cleric in shiite iran , but had become critical of the islamic republic 's government in the late 1990s , and fled to australia because he was going to be killed . ' he had left behind a wife and two children , who he believed monis had not seen since . throughout the 2000s , said conditsis , monis became sympathetic to what he perceived ... was the victimization of muslims and islamists around the world , and partly at least took up that cause . ' his broader cause , he said , was lobbying governments around the world , particularly australia , not to wage wars on muslim soil . he was so blinded by that objective that it would seem he had lost sight of objectivity and rationality and acted in extreme ways , ' he said , describing his former client as intensely conflicted and contradicted and inconsistent . ' while older footage of monis preaching shows him dressed in typical shiite cleric 's attire , in his social media posts , he appears to embrace a radical sunni extremist theology . he used the internet to spread extremist beliefs , garnering nearly 13,000 likes on his facebook page . during the siege , abbott said , the hostage-taker sought to cloak his actions with the symbolism of the ( isis ) death cult , ' abbott said . on his website , which has now been taken down , there was a pledge of allegiance to the so-called islamic state terror group . the site describes monis as a muslim cleric and activist based in sydney who has continuously been under attack & false accusation by the australian government & media since he started his political letter campaign from 2007 . ' there 's a graphic photo of slain children at the top of the site . under the image , it reads , this is an evidence for the terrorism of america and its allies including australia . the result of their airstrikes . ' a description on the site portrayed monis as a victim of a political vendetta and compares him to julian assange , the wikileaks founder who has claimed the sex crime allegations he faces are politically motivated . a youtube video posted in november shows monis standing on a street corner , chains draped over him , carrying a sign that says , i have been tortured in prison for my political letters . ' police have refused to comment on that accusation . his last tweet linked to his website , with a haunting message posted the day of his attack on the sydney cafe : if we stay silent towards the criminals we can not have a peaceful society . the more you fight with crime , the more peaceful you are . ' conditsis told australian public broadcaster abc that monis was an isolated figure who was probably acting alone . crisis in a cafe monday 's hostage situation began around 10 a.m . hundreds of police officers , including snipers , took position around the lindt chocolate cafe in sydney 's central business district . australian media captured haunting images of hostages pressing their hands against the cafe 's windows . they were reportedly taking turns holding a black flag with arabic writing on it that said , there is no god but god and mohammed is the prophet of god . ' the man holding the hostages demanded to speak to abbott . police were monitoring social media because hostages appeared to be posting information about the man 's demands . hours into the crisis , at least five hostages managed to escape , running terrified toward police in riot gear . that made the hostage-taker furious , reported chris reason , a correspondent for cnn affiliate seven network . reason said he could see the gunman become extremely agitated ' when he realized what had happened , and he started screaming orders ' at the remaining hostages . gunfire erupted early tuesday as police stormed the cafe where the gunman had been holding hostages . two hostages were killed during the standoff . police later announced that the siege was over and that the lone gunman had been killed .","man haron monis had history of infatuation with extremism and mental instability , ' abbott says" +"muslims the gunman who held hostages for more than 16 hours in a sydney cafe was no stranger to police -- and was on bail for violent criminal offenses at the time of the siege . man haron monis , an iranian-born refugee who was granted political asylum in australia in 2001 , had a long history of violent crime , infatuation with extremism and mental instability , ' australian prime minister tony abbott told reporters . it 's pretty obvious that the perpetrator was a deeply disturbed individual , ' he said at a press conference tuesday , adding that the 50-year-old was well known ' to federal and state police , as well as the australian security intelligence organization . but i do n't believe he was on a terror watch list at this time . ' new south wales premier mike baird said authorities were investigating why monis -- who was killed in the siege -- was at large , given his criminal background . we 're all outraged that this guy was on the street , ' he told reporters . we need to understand why he was . we also need to understand why he was n't picked up . ' what we know , what we do n't know accessory to murder , sex charges the self-styled muslim cleric , also known as sheikh haron , was facing dozens of charges at the time of the siege , including two counts of being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife , according to the attorney general of new south wales . noleen hayson pal was found dead with multiple stab wounds in a stairwell , and her body had been set on fire , the sydney morning herald reported . they should have put him away and thrown away the key , ' the dead woman 's godfather , ayyut khalik , told nbc news . he said monis used to beat pal , forcing her to wear a hijab all the time and forbidding her from talking to outsiders . ' court documents show monis was also facing 45 sex-related charges , including sexual intercourse without consent and aggravated indecent assault . according to the sydney morning herald , the initial charges , laid in may 2014 , related to an alleged sexual assault on a woman in western sydney in 2002 , before other sex-related charges were added regarding six additional victims . monis was using the name mohammad hassan manteghi -- his birth name , according to iran 's state news agency irna -- and claimed to be a healer , ' according to the report . monis also pleaded guilty last year to writing offensive poison pen ' letters to the families of australian soldiers who died in afghanistan , and was sentenced to 300 hours of community service . the letters were sadistic , wantonly cruel and deeply wounding , ' one high court judge said at the time , according to cnn affiliate seven news . but the criminal accusations against him began even before he came to australia . monis fled his homeland in 1995 while being sought for allegedly committing fraud , iran 's semi-official fars news reported . a spokesperson at iran 's embassy in canberra told cnn that tehran had officially requested monis 's extradition but nothing had come of it . monis had been granted political asylum in 2001 and had had no further contact with his birth country , the spokesperson said . who were the victims ? an extremist theology manny conditsis , a lawyer who acted for monis in relation to the accessory to murder and letter-writing charges , told cnn his former client had been a cleric in shiite iran , but had become critical of the islamic republic 's government in the late 1990s , and fled to australia because he was going to be killed . ' he had left behind a wife and two children , who he believed monis had not seen since . throughout the 2000s , said conditsis , monis became sympathetic to what he perceived ... was the victimization of muslims and islamists around the world , and partly at least took up that cause . ' his broader cause , he said , was lobbying governments around the world , particularly australia , not to wage wars on muslim soil . he was so blinded by that objective that it would seem he had lost sight of objectivity and rationality and acted in extreme ways , ' he said , describing his former client as intensely conflicted and contradicted and inconsistent . ' while older footage of monis preaching shows him dressed in typical shiite cleric 's attire , in his social media posts , he appears to embrace a radical sunni extremist theology . he used the internet to spread extremist beliefs , garnering nearly 13,000 likes on his facebook page . during the siege , abbott said , the hostage-taker sought to cloak his actions with the symbolism of the ( isis ) death cult , ' abbott said . on his website , which has now been taken down , there was a pledge of allegiance to the so-called islamic state terror group . the site describes monis as a muslim cleric and activist based in sydney who has continuously been under attack & false accusation by the australian government & media since he started his political letter campaign from 2007 . ' there 's a graphic photo of slain children at the top of the site . under the image , it reads , this is an evidence for the terrorism of america and its allies including australia . the result of their airstrikes . ' a description on the site portrayed monis as a victim of a political vendetta and compares him to julian assange , the wikileaks founder who has claimed the sex crime allegations he faces are politically motivated . a youtube video posted in november shows monis standing on a street corner , chains draped over him , carrying a sign that says , i have been tortured in prison for my political letters . ' police have refused to comment on that accusation . his last tweet linked to his website , with a haunting message posted the day of his attack on the sydney cafe : if we stay silent towards the criminals we can not have a peaceful society . the more you fight with crime , the more peaceful you are . ' conditsis told australian public broadcaster abc that monis was an isolated figure who was probably acting alone . crisis in a cafe monday 's hostage situation began around 10 a.m . hundreds of police officers , including snipers , took position around the lindt chocolate cafe in sydney 's central business district . australian media captured haunting images of hostages pressing their hands against the cafe 's windows . they were reportedly taking turns holding a black flag with arabic writing on it that said , there is no god but god and mohammed is the prophet of god . ' the man holding the hostages demanded to speak to abbott . police were monitoring social media because hostages appeared to be posting information about the man 's demands . hours into the crisis , at least five hostages managed to escape , running terrified toward police in riot gear . that made the hostage-taker furious , reported chris reason , a correspondent for cnn affiliate seven network . reason said he could see the gunman become extremely agitated ' when he realized what had happened , and he started screaming orders ' at the remaining hostages . gunfire erupted early tuesday as police stormed the cafe where the gunman had been holding hostages . two hostages were killed during the standoff . police later announced that the siege was over and that the lone gunman had been killed .","his former lawyer says he campaigned against the victimization of muslims and islamists '" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- a new cnn poll confirms that we 're witnessing a quiet reversal in the character of our two major parties . traditionally , republicans have always coalesced around the conventional wisdom front-runner for president . conservatives respect structure , order and party brand names . not for nothing was the name nixon , bush or dole on the gop presidential ticket from 1952 to 2004 . in contrast , democrats have favored the presidential candidate with the hot hand , rising from obscurity to the white house -- think jimmy carter , bill clinton and barack obama . but a fresh-out-of-the-oven cnn presidential poll shows a fractured gop field of newcomers with no clear front-runner while the democrats have given an unprecedented lead to a brand name of their own : hillary clinton . opinion : gop strategy on shutdown courts doom yes , it is pathetically early to be projecting on the 2016 presidential campaign . predictive capacity hovers somewhere near zero , and time fixated on polls would be productively used thinking about the 2014 midterms or the fights over the debt ceiling looming over our divided , dysfunctional congress . but as a snapshot of the underlying dynamics driving the two parties , this new poll is worth a look . on the gop side of the aisle , new jersey gov . chris christie narrowly leads the fractured field at 17 % , one point above rep. paul ryan , best known as mitt romney 's vice presidential running mate . in the old days , the previous vice presidential nominee would be the future favorite . but that does n't seem to be the case for ryan , who emerged from the 2012 presidential race arguably damaged by his association with the romney campaign . traditionally , the governor of blue state new jersey would n't be on the gop radar at all , but christie -- cruising to a landslide re-election -- seems to be the exception to this and other rules . next on the list is rand paul , the scion of an outsider libertarian movement sparked by his dad 's multiple runs for president . but the compelling and controversial one-time eye doctor is a first-term senator from kentucky , far from your typical presidential timber . perhaps most interesting is the second tier of gop candidates . jeb bush seems settled in at 10 % , despite brand name and legendary brand loyalty . two hispanic senate republicans , marco rubio and ted cruz , come in next at 9 % and 7 % respectively . and then , at the bottom of the barrel , come two 2012 aspirants : texas gov . rick perry and former pennsylvania sen. rick santorum . far from being strengthened by their 2012 campaigns , these two candidates seem weakened by the experience . rick perry 's oops ' heard round the world still resonates while santorum 's strident social conservatism does n't seem to be taken seriously by 95 % of the party faithful . strange days . obama pressures conservative republicans over possible shutdown the real news is on the democratic side . hillary clinton has accumulated a towering 55 percentage point lead over her next closest competitor , vice president joe biden , who is at 10 % and does n't exactly lack name recognition . below biden are first-term massachusetts sen. elizabeth warren at 7 % , new york gov . andrew cuomo at 6 % and maryland gov . martin o'malley -- perhaps the most openly ambitious of the bunch -- at 2 % . clinton 's dominance illustrates an interesting dynamic . six years ago , she was a far more polarizing figure among democrats ( and independents ) . today , after her service as secretary of state , she seems more qualified and less polarizing , transcending her association with the culture of wars concurrent with bubba 's two terms in office . tough and experienced , clinton is now positioned as a candidate who rivals obama 's 2007 surge . she will also be positioned as the candidate of the 51 % , compelling to women of all ages and even possibly competitive among republican women in this incarnation . uncle joe biden is well liked by the rank and file , but there does n't seem to be much of a stampede to put him on the top of the ticket . warren 's strength comes from fascination with the new and represents the growing strength of the liberal base in the party . and while successful governors like cuomo and o'malley have earned the right to be taken seriously as presidential candidates , the party faithful do n't seem to be much interested in buying what they are selling at the moment . if clinton does not run for some reason , democrats will quickly wake up to the awkward fact that they have almost no depth of the bench after two obama terms . so there you have it : democrats are behaving like republicans , falling in line behind the big brand name dominating a race that is still three years away . and republicans are behaving like democrats , putting forward a fractured field with no clear front-runners but elevating a new jersey governor , a wisconsin congressman and a kentucky senator to the front of the pack . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of john avlon .","john avlon : a new cnn poll shows a reversal in the character of two major parties" +"las vegas ( cnn ) -- timothy bradley says he needs to beat manny pacquiao for a second time in las vegas on saturday to move on from the controversial conclusion of their first fight two years ago . the wbo welterweight champion won a contentious points decision when the pair met in june 2012 , inflicting a first defeat on pacquiao in seven years . boxing commentators roundly criticized the result while former heavyweight champion lennox lewis said the scoring showed that boxing had lost its integrity . bradley claims he subsequently received death threats and that he was unfairly targeted by fans and the media alike for the decision of the ringside judges . it would mean the world to me to get this victory for me and my family because of everything we went through in the past , ' the 30-year old told cnn 's don riddell . it was like i stole something from the world that night . all i did was do my job . people ridiculed me , demonized me . ' bradley insists these dark experiences made him stronger as a person and will act as the perfect motivation ahead of the mgm grand rematch . he questioned pacquiao 's hunger at the pre-fight press conference thursday , suggesting the legendary filipino 's best days are behind him . pacquiao has won world titles at seven weight divisions in a career stretching 18 years but has lost two of his last three fights . what really motivates me for this fight is what my opponent said , ' pacquiao countered in riposte to bradley 's claims . he said i do n't have the killer instinct any more , i do n't have the aggressiveness any more . this helps me , it helps a lot . ' although he recorded a comfortable victory over brandon rios last november , pacquiao was knocked out for the first time since 1999 by juan manuel marquez in his previous bout . at 35 , it would be difficult for pacquiao to resurrect his career at the very highest level if defeated by bradley for a second time but he refuses to entertain this notion ahead of the contest . my mind is set in the winners side not on the losers side , ' he said . i always think positive and not negative . ' this fight on saturday will be to prove that my journey in boxing will continue and i 'm excited for that . '","timothy bradley faces manny pacquiao for the wbo welterweight title in las vegas saturday" +"china china is launching its first lunar probe in early december , state-run xinhua news agency reported tuesday , just over a decade after the country first sent an astronaut into space . the chang'e-3 probe -- which will blast off from a long march 3b rocket in sichuan province located in southwest china -- is expected to land on the moon 's surface in mid-december , a spokesman for the china 's state administration of science , technology and industry for national defence told xinhua . the unmanned mission marks china 's first attempt at a soft-landing on the lunar surface and the first soft-landing on the moon since the soviet luna 24 probe in 1976 . china sets course for lunar landing this year on landing , the spacecraft will release jade rabbit ( called yutu in chinese ) -- a six-wheeled lunar rover equipped with four cameras and two mechanical legs that can dig up soil samples , a designer for the rover told xinhua earlier this month . a public poll determined the the solar-powered robot 's name , which comes from the white pet rabbit of the chinese moon godess chang'e . the slow-moving rover will patrol the moon 's surface for at least three months , according to xinhua . timeline : china 's race into space china is yet to announce the probe 's preferred landing site , but researchers say an impact crater named sinus iridum , or bay of rainbows , is its likely destination . in 2010 , china 's previous lunar mission captured images of the crater while scouting potential landing sites for the 2013 probe . in the united states , scientists are concerned the chinese mission could interfere with a nasa study of the moon 's dust environment . chang'e-3 's descent is likely to create a noticeable plume on the moon 's surface that could skew the results of research already being carried out by nasa 's lunar atmosphere and dust environment explorer ( ladee ) , jeff plescia , chair of nasa 's lunar exploration analysis group told space.com , a space news site . the mission constitutes the second phase of china 's moon exploration program which includes orbiting , landing and returning to earth . earlier missions included plotting a high-resolution , full-coverage lunar map .","china will launch an unmanned lunar probe in december" +"haiti ( cnn ) -- the images of haitian children crying or injured or wandering the streets alone are heartbreaking . it 's no surprise there has been a flood of well-intentioned people who want to adopt those children . but that 's not always the best immediate move , aid groups caution . save the children chief executive jasmine whitbread said the vast majority ' of children on their own in haiti are not orphans , but were simply separated from their families in the chaos . their family members may still be alive , she said , and will be desperate to be reunited with them . ' taking children out of the country would permanently separate thousands of children from their families -- a separation that would compound the acute trauma they are already suffering and inflict long-term damage on their chances of recovery , ' whitbread said . hurriedly whisking unclassified children out of haiti will not ensure the children are happy or safe in the long-term , experts said . homes and potential parents must be reviewed by professional social workers and it 's logistically impossible to do that in a short time . allowing adoptions to proceed without thorough background checks can lead to child trafficking and other crimes . the united nations children 's fund , or unicef , does not facilitate adoptions , but it has been bombarded with calls from people who want a haitian orphan , said christopher de bono , a unicef spokesman . in 2007 , unicef estimated that there were 380,000 orphans in haiti , but de bono said thursday that he 'd hate to vouch for that figure ' because that number -- any number -- is impossible to verify . between haiti 's lousy [ child welfare ] oversight system , ' and all the challenges that haitians have endured , it 's not uncommon for haitian parents to put their children in orphanages temporarily , de bono said . this means knowing who is truly an orphan and who is n't requires great attention to detail and documents . removing children who 've just experienced a disaster from their environment , from where they 're from is not necessarily good for them , ' he said . haitian children must first be fed , sheltered , clothed and given medical attention ; the next step is to register them and trace their relatives . diana boni , who works with port-au-prince 's bresma orphanage , is firmly against new adoptions out of haiti . under no circumstances should we evacuate any child newly orphaned or displaced , ' she wrote in an e-mail to cnn . imagine losing much of your family , only to discover that a surviving relative had been whisked off to the states to be adopted by strangers without your knowledge or consent ! adoptions without consent are child trafficking . pure and simple . ' full coverage | latest news updates | twitter updates she has been taking care of children who waited for years in the orphanage to be adopted . it 's a bit sad , as i have several wonderful children who waited literally for years for new families , and no one ever came , ' she said . the disaster in haiti has led to an outpouring of support around the world , with the united states alone donating more than $ 305 million as of wednesday , according to the chronicle of philanthropy , a newspaper covering nonprofit organizations . list of missing , found | are you there ? | impact your world because haiti 's poverty already made it extremely vulnerable ' to exploitation and abuse , rushed adoptions could open the door to traffickers , said world vision chief executive justin byworth . we are concerned not only about premature overseas adoption but also about children increasingly being sent unaccompanied to the dominican republic , ' he said . aid groups said adoptions that were already in progress before the january 12 earthquake should go ahead , as long as the right legal documents are in place and they meet haitian and international law . for those who want to help haitian children , whitbread said , they should donate to aid agencies that are working on reuniting children with their families . the international committee of the red cross has opened an office at the headquarters of the haitian red cross in crois de prez to help people locate their relatives , said pete garratt , a disaster response manager at the british red cross . the red cross also has set up a web site to help people searching for relatives , he said . cnn 's jessica ravitz contributed to this report .","reports on plight of children in haiti has led many to ask about adoptions" +"savana redding washington ( cnn ) -- a former middle-school student who was strip-searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen pain medication won a partial victory of her supreme court appeal thursday in a case testing the discretion of officials to ensure classroom safety . savana redding leaves the u.s supreme court in april . she was 13 when she was strip-searched . savana redding was 13 when administrators suspected that she was carrying banned drugs . no medication was found , and she later sued . the justices concluded that the search was unreasonable but that individual school administrators could not be sued . the larger issue of whether a campus setting traditionally gives schools greater authority over students suspected of illegal activity than police are allowed was not addressed fully by the divided court . savana 's subjective expectation of privacy against such a search is inherent in her account of it as embarrassing , frightening and humiliating , ' wrote justice david souter for the majority , likely his last opinion before he steps down from the bench next week . but reflecting the divisiveness over the issue , souter said , we think these differences of opinion from our own are substantial enough to require immunity for the school officials in this case . ' whether the school district would be liable was not an issue before the high court . i 'm pretty excited that they agreed with me , they see that it was wrong for the school to do that , ' redding said from her hobbs , new mexico , home after the ruling was announced . i 'm pretty certain that it 's so far less likely to happen again ' to other students . redding was an eighth-grade honor student in 2003 , with no history of disciplinary problems at safford middle school , about 127 miles from tucson , arizona . during an investigation into pills found at the school , a student told the vice principal that redding had given her prescription-strength 400-milligram ibuprofen pills . the school had a near-zero-tolerance policy for all prescription and over-the-counter medication , including the ibuprofen , without prior written permission . redding was pulled from class by vice principal kerry wilson , escorted to an office and confronted with the evidence . the girl denied the accusations . a search of redding 's backpack found nothing . a strip search was conducted by wilson 's assistant and a school nurse , both females . redding was ordered to strip to her underwear and to pull on the elastic of the underwear , so any hidden pills might fall out , according to court records . no drugs were found . the strip search was the most humiliating experience i have ever had , ' redding said in an affidavit . i held my head down so that they could not see that i was about to cry . ' souter said wilson initially had sufficient suspicion ' to justify searching the girl 's backpack and outer clothing . but when no contraband was found , the officials went too far by continuing the search of her underwear . with the help of the american civil liberties union , redding and her family sued , and a federal appeals court in san francisco ruled against the school , calling the search traumatizing ' and illegal . that court said the school went too far in its effort to create a drug- and crime-free classroom . the supreme court found little agreement on key issues . justices john paul stevens and ruth bader ginsburg agreed that the search was illegal but would have also made individual officials liable for damages by redding . wilson 's treatment of redding was abusive , and it was not reasonable for him to believe that the law permitted it , ' said ginsburg , who was especially forceful during oral arguments in april , criticizing the school 's actions . but justice clarence thomas took the opposite view : that administrators deserved immunity and that the search was permissible . preservation of order , discipline and safety in public schools is simply not the domain of the constitution , ' he said . and , common sense is not a judicial monopoly or a constitutional imperative . ' in 1985 , the high court allowed the search of a student 's purse after she was suspected of hiding cigarettes . such a search was permitted if there were reasonable ' grounds for believing that it would turn up evidence and when the search was not excessively intrusive . ' opinions in 1995 and 2001 allowed schools to conduct random drug testing of high school athletes and those participating in other extracurricular activities . the court was being asked to clarify the extent of student rights involving searches and the discretion of officials regarding those they have responsibility over . adam wolf , an aclu attorney who represented redding , applauded the decision . when parents send their kids to school , they can now breathe a sigh of relief they will not end up naked before school officials , ' wolf said . but school administrators said the ruling does not make their jobs any easier . the home medicine cabinet now poses a serious threat to students , who may take those medications for abusive purposes , ' said francisco negron , general counsel for the national school boards association . that 's a problem schools are trying to stem . ' how they determine now whether the drug is dangerous , whether it 's not dangerous -- that kind of clarity and that kind of guidance , the court did not give us . ' redding , now 19 , said she has never gotten over her experience . before it happened , i loved school , loved everything about it . you know , i had a 4.0 gpa , honor roll , and now , well , afterwards i never wanted to go to school again . ' she is attending college . the case is safford unified school district no . 1 v. redding ( 08-479 ) .","savana redding was 13 when administrators suspected she was carrying drugs" +"chinese hong kong ( cnn ) -- when american pop artist andy warhol visited beijing in 1982 and was told there was n't a mcdonald 's , he replied : oh , but they will . ' twenty-six years after his death , warhol , whose much-lauded prescience extended across visual and consumer culture , has popped up in china once again -- and he was right about the fast-food chain . andy warhol : 15 minutes eternal , ' the first major retrospective of his work in china , recently arrived in shanghai with the aim of acquainting the chinese public with the artist who created some of the most famous paintings of the most iconic figure in the country 's history . warhol goes to china while warhol 's trip to beijing was his first and only visit to mainland china , his engagement with the country started a decade earlier , inspired by former u.s. president richard nixon 's rapprochement with the communist power in 1972 . ripping from the headlines , warhol adopted chairman mao as his subject , applying his signature pop aesthetic to china 's paramount leader . his series of portraits went on to become some of his most well-known works . mao was front-page news in america and that was often where warhol got his biggest inspiration , ' said eric shiner , director of pittsburgh 's andy warhol museum , which organized the exhibition . he described mao as classic warhol subject matter . ' warhol relied on a copy of mao 's portrait photograph in the leader 's little red book of ideological quotations to create his paintings . little did he know that he would eventually pose for a photo in front of the original portrait hanging in beijing 's tiananmen square . his trip to beijing was an unexpected byproduct of a visit to hong kong . the industrialist alfred siu had invited him to the city to attend the opening of a night club , decorated with portraits of britain 's prince charles and princess diana that he had commissioned from the artist . upon warhol 's arrival , siu announced he had arranged a vip tour to beijing for him and his friends . artistic inspiration aside , china also provided warhol with a respite from the pressures of fame . it was one of the special places , ' said christopher makos , the artist 's close friend and personal photographer , who accompanied him to china . he recalled that warhol went virtually unrecognized in china , although the artist stood out for his unusual looks . as andy would say , he did n't have to wear his andy suit . notoriety and fame is a double-edged sword .... you have no privacy . ' china 's communist uniformity , with its blue sea of unisex mao suits , appealed to warhol 's aesthetic obsession with repetition . he was all about multiples ... and at the time , china was the ultimate multiple , ' makos said . the country also provided a source of inspiration for warhol 's nascent modeling career . warhol posed for makos'camera with gestures he adopted from the tai chi practitioners he observed outdoors -- and even adopted the bared-teeth expression of the guardian lion in the forbidden city in one photo . can warhol make a name in china ? while warhol is well-known within art and fashion circles in china ( shiner said 600 of these cultural elite attended the exhibition 's pre-opening ) , he remains unknown to the average chinese citizen . many chinese are familiar with certain warhol works , such as the marilyn monroe or the chairman mao portraits , reproductions of which dot cafes and tourist markets across beijing . but they are much less likely to connect the work with the artist -- or to even have heard of the artist himself . if you do n't know who andy warhol is , i wo n't blame you . but if you say you 've never seen his marilyn monroe portrait , i would have to jump into the huangpu river and kill myself ! ' wrote user @ jianisi_yangyang on sina weibo . a search on china 's popular twitter-like platform revealed many posts by users expressing ignorance of whom warhol was or why he is famous . having recently launched a massive ' advertising campaign and sat for dozens of interviews with mainland media outlets , shiner is hoping to reach the masses . one of the reasons why i wanted to do this show is so the general public can learn about the artist behind these iconic works and realize ( mao and marilyn monroe ) are just a few of thousands of images he made , ' he said . so far , it appears that this education is welcome -- and necessary . for the first time , i learned the charm of pop art , ' weibo user @ yanmingdu wrote about the exhibition , while user @ graciemankedun posted , just saw andy warhol 's exhibition and i got a little confused . for example , i did n't understand the campbell 's soup cans . ' the curiosity is greater than the awareness , ' said john good , international director for post-war and contemporary art at christie 's , which is holding its second private sale of warhol 's work in hong kong this week . we 've seen a great deal of interest and curiosity ( among chinese ) about western art and international culture . i think warhol is a perfect artist ... to show what western culture is all about . ' christie 's first private warhol sale in hong kong last november attracted a mostly asian demographic and managed to sell nearly half of its lots , good said . censoring mao in china however , visitors to the 15 minutes external ' exhibitions in mainland china will not see any chairman mao portraits . while shiner was planning the exhibition with the host venue -- the shanghai power station of art -- its staff advised that exhibiting the mao works was n't a good idea right now . ' a staff member told cnn that government authorities would have considered the works too political . ' of course , the primary concern is to get the show there and up and not put anything in a category that would ever question anything , ' shiner said . knowing that we would have the censors from the ministry of culture , we wanted to make sure ... that nothing would put the show in jeopardy . ' an editorial in the state-backed global times newspaper suggested that while warhol may not have had ill intent , the provocative ' blotches of color splattered on mao 's face suggested that he was wearing make-up -- a disrespectful portrayal of the iconic leader . while shiner acknowledged the mao portraits could be read as a sarcastic or ironic portrayal ' , he said warhol definitely was n't being critical . he always liked to blur the lines on gender , and making colorful men somewhat beautiful was something that he liked to do as an inside joke , ' he added . once the chinese public gains a deeper understanding of warhol 's work , he expects that the mao works wo n't be as big a deal . ' influence on chinese contemporary art warhol 's influence on chinese contemporary art can actually be traced back to 1981 , when many contemporary artists , labeled as dissidents , fled the country , shiner said . while most of them went to paris and berlin , two artists very specifically went to new york because they wanted quite literally to be part of andy 's universe ' -- ai weiwei and xu bing . both artists have gone on to become some of the most recognized and celebrated names in chinese contemporary art , and some would go as far as calling ai weiwei china 's andy warhol . ' ai weiwei loves the idea of multiples , ' makos pointed out , noting ai 's most famous installations , including the 9,000 backpacks representing the schoolchildren killed in the 2008 sichuan earthquake , and the millions of porcelain sunflower seeds he poured into the turbine hall of london 's tate modern museum . shiner readily concurred : he 's really gone on to model his entire art-making process and career on proven warhol tactics , looking at repetition , multiplication , and critique of consumer culture . when you look at his coca-cola works , that 's directly related to warhol and it 's really amazing how many things he picked up from andy . ' ai 's similarity to warhol also lies in his social activism , which aims to change chinese society through art , he added . as for xu bing , viewers may not immediately see warhol in his work , shiner said , but he described the artist as a huge fan of warhol ' who loves the idea of repetition -- the formal arrangement of chinese character after chinese character , an endless array of similar looking imagery . ' unfortunately , neither artist became acquainted in person with their muse , despite moving to new york for him . ai once spotted warhol at a party , but did not approach him , shiner revealed . as a young man , he was too shy to actually go and say hello , ' he said , recalling that ai told him his english was n't good enough at the time . ai and xu aside , the warhol aesthetic and vocabulary has deeply influenced chinese contemporary artists over the past 10-15 years , with its characteristic combinations of social realist imagery with pop culture and iconic brands . the shanghai exhibition will run to july 28 and make its way to beijing later this year . meanwhile , makos will also hold an exhibition of his photographs of warhol next month in shanghai , including images from their 1982 trip to china . his work lives on . maybe ( the chinese ) do n't know him , but they know his work , ' makos said , predicting that warhol will get bigger and bigger in china . ' andy was the ultimate pop artist . to this day you can still find campbell soup on the shelf in the grocery store and you can see multiples of them , ' makos said . as long as that imagery is live and well , warhol will have this built-in publicity . ' cnn 's feng ke contributed to this report .","warhol influenced chinese contemporary artists , most notably ai weiwei and xu bing" +"warhol hong kong ( cnn ) -- when american pop artist andy warhol visited beijing in 1982 and was told there was n't a mcdonald 's , he replied : oh , but they will . ' twenty-six years after his death , warhol , whose much-lauded prescience extended across visual and consumer culture , has popped up in china once again -- and he was right about the fast-food chain . andy warhol : 15 minutes eternal , ' the first major retrospective of his work in china , recently arrived in shanghai with the aim of acquainting the chinese public with the artist who created some of the most famous paintings of the most iconic figure in the country 's history . warhol goes to china while warhol 's trip to beijing was his first and only visit to mainland china , his engagement with the country started a decade earlier , inspired by former u.s. president richard nixon 's rapprochement with the communist power in 1972 . ripping from the headlines , warhol adopted chairman mao as his subject , applying his signature pop aesthetic to china 's paramount leader . his series of portraits went on to become some of his most well-known works . mao was front-page news in america and that was often where warhol got his biggest inspiration , ' said eric shiner , director of pittsburgh 's andy warhol museum , which organized the exhibition . he described mao as classic warhol subject matter . ' warhol relied on a copy of mao 's portrait photograph in the leader 's little red book of ideological quotations to create his paintings . little did he know that he would eventually pose for a photo in front of the original portrait hanging in beijing 's tiananmen square . his trip to beijing was an unexpected byproduct of a visit to hong kong . the industrialist alfred siu had invited him to the city to attend the opening of a night club , decorated with portraits of britain 's prince charles and princess diana that he had commissioned from the artist . upon warhol 's arrival , siu announced he had arranged a vip tour to beijing for him and his friends . artistic inspiration aside , china also provided warhol with a respite from the pressures of fame . it was one of the special places , ' said christopher makos , the artist 's close friend and personal photographer , who accompanied him to china . he recalled that warhol went virtually unrecognized in china , although the artist stood out for his unusual looks . as andy would say , he did n't have to wear his andy suit . notoriety and fame is a double-edged sword .... you have no privacy . ' china 's communist uniformity , with its blue sea of unisex mao suits , appealed to warhol 's aesthetic obsession with repetition . he was all about multiples ... and at the time , china was the ultimate multiple , ' makos said . the country also provided a source of inspiration for warhol 's nascent modeling career . warhol posed for makos'camera with gestures he adopted from the tai chi practitioners he observed outdoors -- and even adopted the bared-teeth expression of the guardian lion in the forbidden city in one photo . can warhol make a name in china ? while warhol is well-known within art and fashion circles in china ( shiner said 600 of these cultural elite attended the exhibition 's pre-opening ) , he remains unknown to the average chinese citizen . many chinese are familiar with certain warhol works , such as the marilyn monroe or the chairman mao portraits , reproductions of which dot cafes and tourist markets across beijing . but they are much less likely to connect the work with the artist -- or to even have heard of the artist himself . if you do n't know who andy warhol is , i wo n't blame you . but if you say you 've never seen his marilyn monroe portrait , i would have to jump into the huangpu river and kill myself ! ' wrote user @ jianisi_yangyang on sina weibo . a search on china 's popular twitter-like platform revealed many posts by users expressing ignorance of whom warhol was or why he is famous . having recently launched a massive ' advertising campaign and sat for dozens of interviews with mainland media outlets , shiner is hoping to reach the masses . one of the reasons why i wanted to do this show is so the general public can learn about the artist behind these iconic works and realize ( mao and marilyn monroe ) are just a few of thousands of images he made , ' he said . so far , it appears that this education is welcome -- and necessary . for the first time , i learned the charm of pop art , ' weibo user @ yanmingdu wrote about the exhibition , while user @ graciemankedun posted , just saw andy warhol 's exhibition and i got a little confused . for example , i did n't understand the campbell 's soup cans . ' the curiosity is greater than the awareness , ' said john good , international director for post-war and contemporary art at christie 's , which is holding its second private sale of warhol 's work in hong kong this week . we 've seen a great deal of interest and curiosity ( among chinese ) about western art and international culture . i think warhol is a perfect artist ... to show what western culture is all about . ' christie 's first private warhol sale in hong kong last november attracted a mostly asian demographic and managed to sell nearly half of its lots , good said . censoring mao in china however , visitors to the 15 minutes external ' exhibitions in mainland china will not see any chairman mao portraits . while shiner was planning the exhibition with the host venue -- the shanghai power station of art -- its staff advised that exhibiting the mao works was n't a good idea right now . ' a staff member told cnn that government authorities would have considered the works too political . ' of course , the primary concern is to get the show there and up and not put anything in a category that would ever question anything , ' shiner said . knowing that we would have the censors from the ministry of culture , we wanted to make sure ... that nothing would put the show in jeopardy . ' an editorial in the state-backed global times newspaper suggested that while warhol may not have had ill intent , the provocative ' blotches of color splattered on mao 's face suggested that he was wearing make-up -- a disrespectful portrayal of the iconic leader . while shiner acknowledged the mao portraits could be read as a sarcastic or ironic portrayal ' , he said warhol definitely was n't being critical . he always liked to blur the lines on gender , and making colorful men somewhat beautiful was something that he liked to do as an inside joke , ' he added . once the chinese public gains a deeper understanding of warhol 's work , he expects that the mao works wo n't be as big a deal . ' influence on chinese contemporary art warhol 's influence on chinese contemporary art can actually be traced back to 1981 , when many contemporary artists , labeled as dissidents , fled the country , shiner said . while most of them went to paris and berlin , two artists very specifically went to new york because they wanted quite literally to be part of andy 's universe ' -- ai weiwei and xu bing . both artists have gone on to become some of the most recognized and celebrated names in chinese contemporary art , and some would go as far as calling ai weiwei china 's andy warhol . ' ai weiwei loves the idea of multiples , ' makos pointed out , noting ai 's most famous installations , including the 9,000 backpacks representing the schoolchildren killed in the 2008 sichuan earthquake , and the millions of porcelain sunflower seeds he poured into the turbine hall of london 's tate modern museum . shiner readily concurred : he 's really gone on to model his entire art-making process and career on proven warhol tactics , looking at repetition , multiplication , and critique of consumer culture . when you look at his coca-cola works , that 's directly related to warhol and it 's really amazing how many things he picked up from andy . ' ai 's similarity to warhol also lies in his social activism , which aims to change chinese society through art , he added . as for xu bing , viewers may not immediately see warhol in his work , shiner said , but he described the artist as a huge fan of warhol ' who loves the idea of repetition -- the formal arrangement of chinese character after chinese character , an endless array of similar looking imagery . ' unfortunately , neither artist became acquainted in person with their muse , despite moving to new york for him . ai once spotted warhol at a party , but did not approach him , shiner revealed . as a young man , he was too shy to actually go and say hello , ' he said , recalling that ai told him his english was n't good enough at the time . ai and xu aside , the warhol aesthetic and vocabulary has deeply influenced chinese contemporary artists over the past 10-15 years , with its characteristic combinations of social realist imagery with pop culture and iconic brands . the shanghai exhibition will run to july 28 and make its way to beijing later this year . meanwhile , makos will also hold an exhibition of his photographs of warhol next month in shanghai , including images from their 1982 trip to china . his work lives on . maybe ( the chinese ) do n't know him , but they know his work , ' makos said , predicting that warhol will get bigger and bigger in china . ' andy was the ultimate pop artist . to this day you can still find campbell soup on the shelf in the grocery store and you can see multiples of them , ' makos said . as long as that imagery is live and well , warhol will have this built-in publicity . ' cnn 's feng ke contributed to this report .","first major retrospective of pop artist andy warhol 's work exhibiting in china" +"warhol hong kong ( cnn ) -- when american pop artist andy warhol visited beijing in 1982 and was told there was n't a mcdonald 's , he replied : oh , but they will . ' twenty-six years after his death , warhol , whose much-lauded prescience extended across visual and consumer culture , has popped up in china once again -- and he was right about the fast-food chain . andy warhol : 15 minutes eternal , ' the first major retrospective of his work in china , recently arrived in shanghai with the aim of acquainting the chinese public with the artist who created some of the most famous paintings of the most iconic figure in the country 's history . warhol goes to china while warhol 's trip to beijing was his first and only visit to mainland china , his engagement with the country started a decade earlier , inspired by former u.s. president richard nixon 's rapprochement with the communist power in 1972 . ripping from the headlines , warhol adopted chairman mao as his subject , applying his signature pop aesthetic to china 's paramount leader . his series of portraits went on to become some of his most well-known works . mao was front-page news in america and that was often where warhol got his biggest inspiration , ' said eric shiner , director of pittsburgh 's andy warhol museum , which organized the exhibition . he described mao as classic warhol subject matter . ' warhol relied on a copy of mao 's portrait photograph in the leader 's little red book of ideological quotations to create his paintings . little did he know that he would eventually pose for a photo in front of the original portrait hanging in beijing 's tiananmen square . his trip to beijing was an unexpected byproduct of a visit to hong kong . the industrialist alfred siu had invited him to the city to attend the opening of a night club , decorated with portraits of britain 's prince charles and princess diana that he had commissioned from the artist . upon warhol 's arrival , siu announced he had arranged a vip tour to beijing for him and his friends . artistic inspiration aside , china also provided warhol with a respite from the pressures of fame . it was one of the special places , ' said christopher makos , the artist 's close friend and personal photographer , who accompanied him to china . he recalled that warhol went virtually unrecognized in china , although the artist stood out for his unusual looks . as andy would say , he did n't have to wear his andy suit . notoriety and fame is a double-edged sword .... you have no privacy . ' china 's communist uniformity , with its blue sea of unisex mao suits , appealed to warhol 's aesthetic obsession with repetition . he was all about multiples ... and at the time , china was the ultimate multiple , ' makos said . the country also provided a source of inspiration for warhol 's nascent modeling career . warhol posed for makos'camera with gestures he adopted from the tai chi practitioners he observed outdoors -- and even adopted the bared-teeth expression of the guardian lion in the forbidden city in one photo . can warhol make a name in china ? while warhol is well-known within art and fashion circles in china ( shiner said 600 of these cultural elite attended the exhibition 's pre-opening ) , he remains unknown to the average chinese citizen . many chinese are familiar with certain warhol works , such as the marilyn monroe or the chairman mao portraits , reproductions of which dot cafes and tourist markets across beijing . but they are much less likely to connect the work with the artist -- or to even have heard of the artist himself . if you do n't know who andy warhol is , i wo n't blame you . but if you say you 've never seen his marilyn monroe portrait , i would have to jump into the huangpu river and kill myself ! ' wrote user @ jianisi_yangyang on sina weibo . a search on china 's popular twitter-like platform revealed many posts by users expressing ignorance of whom warhol was or why he is famous . having recently launched a massive ' advertising campaign and sat for dozens of interviews with mainland media outlets , shiner is hoping to reach the masses . one of the reasons why i wanted to do this show is so the general public can learn about the artist behind these iconic works and realize ( mao and marilyn monroe ) are just a few of thousands of images he made , ' he said . so far , it appears that this education is welcome -- and necessary . for the first time , i learned the charm of pop art , ' weibo user @ yanmingdu wrote about the exhibition , while user @ graciemankedun posted , just saw andy warhol 's exhibition and i got a little confused . for example , i did n't understand the campbell 's soup cans . ' the curiosity is greater than the awareness , ' said john good , international director for post-war and contemporary art at christie 's , which is holding its second private sale of warhol 's work in hong kong this week . we 've seen a great deal of interest and curiosity ( among chinese ) about western art and international culture . i think warhol is a perfect artist ... to show what western culture is all about . ' christie 's first private warhol sale in hong kong last november attracted a mostly asian demographic and managed to sell nearly half of its lots , good said . censoring mao in china however , visitors to the 15 minutes external ' exhibitions in mainland china will not see any chairman mao portraits . while shiner was planning the exhibition with the host venue -- the shanghai power station of art -- its staff advised that exhibiting the mao works was n't a good idea right now . ' a staff member told cnn that government authorities would have considered the works too political . ' of course , the primary concern is to get the show there and up and not put anything in a category that would ever question anything , ' shiner said . knowing that we would have the censors from the ministry of culture , we wanted to make sure ... that nothing would put the show in jeopardy . ' an editorial in the state-backed global times newspaper suggested that while warhol may not have had ill intent , the provocative ' blotches of color splattered on mao 's face suggested that he was wearing make-up -- a disrespectful portrayal of the iconic leader . while shiner acknowledged the mao portraits could be read as a sarcastic or ironic portrayal ' , he said warhol definitely was n't being critical . he always liked to blur the lines on gender , and making colorful men somewhat beautiful was something that he liked to do as an inside joke , ' he added . once the chinese public gains a deeper understanding of warhol 's work , he expects that the mao works wo n't be as big a deal . ' influence on chinese contemporary art warhol 's influence on chinese contemporary art can actually be traced back to 1981 , when many contemporary artists , labeled as dissidents , fled the country , shiner said . while most of them went to paris and berlin , two artists very specifically went to new york because they wanted quite literally to be part of andy 's universe ' -- ai weiwei and xu bing . both artists have gone on to become some of the most recognized and celebrated names in chinese contemporary art , and some would go as far as calling ai weiwei china 's andy warhol . ' ai weiwei loves the idea of multiples , ' makos pointed out , noting ai 's most famous installations , including the 9,000 backpacks representing the schoolchildren killed in the 2008 sichuan earthquake , and the millions of porcelain sunflower seeds he poured into the turbine hall of london 's tate modern museum . shiner readily concurred : he 's really gone on to model his entire art-making process and career on proven warhol tactics , looking at repetition , multiplication , and critique of consumer culture . when you look at his coca-cola works , that 's directly related to warhol and it 's really amazing how many things he picked up from andy . ' ai 's similarity to warhol also lies in his social activism , which aims to change chinese society through art , he added . as for xu bing , viewers may not immediately see warhol in his work , shiner said , but he described the artist as a huge fan of warhol ' who loves the idea of repetition -- the formal arrangement of chinese character after chinese character , an endless array of similar looking imagery . ' unfortunately , neither artist became acquainted in person with their muse , despite moving to new york for him . ai once spotted warhol at a party , but did not approach him , shiner revealed . as a young man , he was too shy to actually go and say hello , ' he said , recalling that ai told him his english was n't good enough at the time . ai and xu aside , the warhol aesthetic and vocabulary has deeply influenced chinese contemporary artists over the past 10-15 years , with its characteristic combinations of social realist imagery with pop culture and iconic brands . the shanghai exhibition will run to july 28 and make its way to beijing later this year . meanwhile , makos will also hold an exhibition of his photographs of warhol next month in shanghai , including images from their 1982 trip to china . his work lives on . maybe ( the chinese ) do n't know him , but they know his work , ' makos said , predicting that warhol will get bigger and bigger in china . ' andy was the ultimate pop artist . to this day you can still find campbell soup on the shelf in the grocery store and you can see multiples of them , ' makos said . as long as that imagery is live and well , warhol will have this built-in publicity . ' cnn 's feng ke contributed to this report .","warhol influenced chinese contemporary artists , most notably ai weiwei and xu bing" +"warhol hong kong ( cnn ) -- when american pop artist andy warhol visited beijing in 1982 and was told there was n't a mcdonald 's , he replied : oh , but they will . ' twenty-six years after his death , warhol , whose much-lauded prescience extended across visual and consumer culture , has popped up in china once again -- and he was right about the fast-food chain . andy warhol : 15 minutes eternal , ' the first major retrospective of his work in china , recently arrived in shanghai with the aim of acquainting the chinese public with the artist who created some of the most famous paintings of the most iconic figure in the country 's history . warhol goes to china while warhol 's trip to beijing was his first and only visit to mainland china , his engagement with the country started a decade earlier , inspired by former u.s. president richard nixon 's rapprochement with the communist power in 1972 . ripping from the headlines , warhol adopted chairman mao as his subject , applying his signature pop aesthetic to china 's paramount leader . his series of portraits went on to become some of his most well-known works . mao was front-page news in america and that was often where warhol got his biggest inspiration , ' said eric shiner , director of pittsburgh 's andy warhol museum , which organized the exhibition . he described mao as classic warhol subject matter . ' warhol relied on a copy of mao 's portrait photograph in the leader 's little red book of ideological quotations to create his paintings . little did he know that he would eventually pose for a photo in front of the original portrait hanging in beijing 's tiananmen square . his trip to beijing was an unexpected byproduct of a visit to hong kong . the industrialist alfred siu had invited him to the city to attend the opening of a night club , decorated with portraits of britain 's prince charles and princess diana that he had commissioned from the artist . upon warhol 's arrival , siu announced he had arranged a vip tour to beijing for him and his friends . artistic inspiration aside , china also provided warhol with a respite from the pressures of fame . it was one of the special places , ' said christopher makos , the artist 's close friend and personal photographer , who accompanied him to china . he recalled that warhol went virtually unrecognized in china , although the artist stood out for his unusual looks . as andy would say , he did n't have to wear his andy suit . notoriety and fame is a double-edged sword .... you have no privacy . ' china 's communist uniformity , with its blue sea of unisex mao suits , appealed to warhol 's aesthetic obsession with repetition . he was all about multiples ... and at the time , china was the ultimate multiple , ' makos said . the country also provided a source of inspiration for warhol 's nascent modeling career . warhol posed for makos'camera with gestures he adopted from the tai chi practitioners he observed outdoors -- and even adopted the bared-teeth expression of the guardian lion in the forbidden city in one photo . can warhol make a name in china ? while warhol is well-known within art and fashion circles in china ( shiner said 600 of these cultural elite attended the exhibition 's pre-opening ) , he remains unknown to the average chinese citizen . many chinese are familiar with certain warhol works , such as the marilyn monroe or the chairman mao portraits , reproductions of which dot cafes and tourist markets across beijing . but they are much less likely to connect the work with the artist -- or to even have heard of the artist himself . if you do n't know who andy warhol is , i wo n't blame you . but if you say you 've never seen his marilyn monroe portrait , i would have to jump into the huangpu river and kill myself ! ' wrote user @ jianisi_yangyang on sina weibo . a search on china 's popular twitter-like platform revealed many posts by users expressing ignorance of whom warhol was or why he is famous . having recently launched a massive ' advertising campaign and sat for dozens of interviews with mainland media outlets , shiner is hoping to reach the masses . one of the reasons why i wanted to do this show is so the general public can learn about the artist behind these iconic works and realize ( mao and marilyn monroe ) are just a few of thousands of images he made , ' he said . so far , it appears that this education is welcome -- and necessary . for the first time , i learned the charm of pop art , ' weibo user @ yanmingdu wrote about the exhibition , while user @ graciemankedun posted , just saw andy warhol 's exhibition and i got a little confused . for example , i did n't understand the campbell 's soup cans . ' the curiosity is greater than the awareness , ' said john good , international director for post-war and contemporary art at christie 's , which is holding its second private sale of warhol 's work in hong kong this week . we 've seen a great deal of interest and curiosity ( among chinese ) about western art and international culture . i think warhol is a perfect artist ... to show what western culture is all about . ' christie 's first private warhol sale in hong kong last november attracted a mostly asian demographic and managed to sell nearly half of its lots , good said . censoring mao in china however , visitors to the 15 minutes external ' exhibitions in mainland china will not see any chairman mao portraits . while shiner was planning the exhibition with the host venue -- the shanghai power station of art -- its staff advised that exhibiting the mao works was n't a good idea right now . ' a staff member told cnn that government authorities would have considered the works too political . ' of course , the primary concern is to get the show there and up and not put anything in a category that would ever question anything , ' shiner said . knowing that we would have the censors from the ministry of culture , we wanted to make sure ... that nothing would put the show in jeopardy . ' an editorial in the state-backed global times newspaper suggested that while warhol may not have had ill intent , the provocative ' blotches of color splattered on mao 's face suggested that he was wearing make-up -- a disrespectful portrayal of the iconic leader . while shiner acknowledged the mao portraits could be read as a sarcastic or ironic portrayal ' , he said warhol definitely was n't being critical . he always liked to blur the lines on gender , and making colorful men somewhat beautiful was something that he liked to do as an inside joke , ' he added . once the chinese public gains a deeper understanding of warhol 's work , he expects that the mao works wo n't be as big a deal . ' influence on chinese contemporary art warhol 's influence on chinese contemporary art can actually be traced back to 1981 , when many contemporary artists , labeled as dissidents , fled the country , shiner said . while most of them went to paris and berlin , two artists very specifically went to new york because they wanted quite literally to be part of andy 's universe ' -- ai weiwei and xu bing . both artists have gone on to become some of the most recognized and celebrated names in chinese contemporary art , and some would go as far as calling ai weiwei china 's andy warhol . ' ai weiwei loves the idea of multiples , ' makos pointed out , noting ai 's most famous installations , including the 9,000 backpacks representing the schoolchildren killed in the 2008 sichuan earthquake , and the millions of porcelain sunflower seeds he poured into the turbine hall of london 's tate modern museum . shiner readily concurred : he 's really gone on to model his entire art-making process and career on proven warhol tactics , looking at repetition , multiplication , and critique of consumer culture . when you look at his coca-cola works , that 's directly related to warhol and it 's really amazing how many things he picked up from andy . ' ai 's similarity to warhol also lies in his social activism , which aims to change chinese society through art , he added . as for xu bing , viewers may not immediately see warhol in his work , shiner said , but he described the artist as a huge fan of warhol ' who loves the idea of repetition -- the formal arrangement of chinese character after chinese character , an endless array of similar looking imagery . ' unfortunately , neither artist became acquainted in person with their muse , despite moving to new york for him . ai once spotted warhol at a party , but did not approach him , shiner revealed . as a young man , he was too shy to actually go and say hello , ' he said , recalling that ai told him his english was n't good enough at the time . ai and xu aside , the warhol aesthetic and vocabulary has deeply influenced chinese contemporary artists over the past 10-15 years , with its characteristic combinations of social realist imagery with pop culture and iconic brands . the shanghai exhibition will run to july 28 and make its way to beijing later this year . meanwhile , makos will also hold an exhibition of his photographs of warhol next month in shanghai , including images from their 1982 trip to china . his work lives on . maybe ( the chinese ) do n't know him , but they know his work , ' makos said , predicting that warhol will get bigger and bigger in china . ' andy was the ultimate pop artist . to this day you can still find campbell soup on the shelf in the grocery store and you can see multiples of them , ' makos said . as long as that imagery is live and well , warhol will have this built-in publicity . ' cnn 's feng ke contributed to this report .","while iconic works are well-recognized in china , few people connect them with warhol" +"warhol hong kong ( cnn ) -- when american pop artist andy warhol visited beijing in 1982 and was told there was n't a mcdonald 's , he replied : oh , but they will . ' twenty-six years after his death , warhol , whose much-lauded prescience extended across visual and consumer culture , has popped up in china once again -- and he was right about the fast-food chain . andy warhol : 15 minutes eternal , ' the first major retrospective of his work in china , recently arrived in shanghai with the aim of acquainting the chinese public with the artist who created some of the most famous paintings of the most iconic figure in the country 's history . warhol goes to china while warhol 's trip to beijing was his first and only visit to mainland china , his engagement with the country started a decade earlier , inspired by former u.s. president richard nixon 's rapprochement with the communist power in 1972 . ripping from the headlines , warhol adopted chairman mao as his subject , applying his signature pop aesthetic to china 's paramount leader . his series of portraits went on to become some of his most well-known works . mao was front-page news in america and that was often where warhol got his biggest inspiration , ' said eric shiner , director of pittsburgh 's andy warhol museum , which organized the exhibition . he described mao as classic warhol subject matter . ' warhol relied on a copy of mao 's portrait photograph in the leader 's little red book of ideological quotations to create his paintings . little did he know that he would eventually pose for a photo in front of the original portrait hanging in beijing 's tiananmen square . his trip to beijing was an unexpected byproduct of a visit to hong kong . the industrialist alfred siu had invited him to the city to attend the opening of a night club , decorated with portraits of britain 's prince charles and princess diana that he had commissioned from the artist . upon warhol 's arrival , siu announced he had arranged a vip tour to beijing for him and his friends . artistic inspiration aside , china also provided warhol with a respite from the pressures of fame . it was one of the special places , ' said christopher makos , the artist 's close friend and personal photographer , who accompanied him to china . he recalled that warhol went virtually unrecognized in china , although the artist stood out for his unusual looks . as andy would say , he did n't have to wear his andy suit . notoriety and fame is a double-edged sword .... you have no privacy . ' china 's communist uniformity , with its blue sea of unisex mao suits , appealed to warhol 's aesthetic obsession with repetition . he was all about multiples ... and at the time , china was the ultimate multiple , ' makos said . the country also provided a source of inspiration for warhol 's nascent modeling career . warhol posed for makos'camera with gestures he adopted from the tai chi practitioners he observed outdoors -- and even adopted the bared-teeth expression of the guardian lion in the forbidden city in one photo . can warhol make a name in china ? while warhol is well-known within art and fashion circles in china ( shiner said 600 of these cultural elite attended the exhibition 's pre-opening ) , he remains unknown to the average chinese citizen . many chinese are familiar with certain warhol works , such as the marilyn monroe or the chairman mao portraits , reproductions of which dot cafes and tourist markets across beijing . but they are much less likely to connect the work with the artist -- or to even have heard of the artist himself . if you do n't know who andy warhol is , i wo n't blame you . but if you say you 've never seen his marilyn monroe portrait , i would have to jump into the huangpu river and kill myself ! ' wrote user @ jianisi_yangyang on sina weibo . a search on china 's popular twitter-like platform revealed many posts by users expressing ignorance of whom warhol was or why he is famous . having recently launched a massive ' advertising campaign and sat for dozens of interviews with mainland media outlets , shiner is hoping to reach the masses . one of the reasons why i wanted to do this show is so the general public can learn about the artist behind these iconic works and realize ( mao and marilyn monroe ) are just a few of thousands of images he made , ' he said . so far , it appears that this education is welcome -- and necessary . for the first time , i learned the charm of pop art , ' weibo user @ yanmingdu wrote about the exhibition , while user @ graciemankedun posted , just saw andy warhol 's exhibition and i got a little confused . for example , i did n't understand the campbell 's soup cans . ' the curiosity is greater than the awareness , ' said john good , international director for post-war and contemporary art at christie 's , which is holding its second private sale of warhol 's work in hong kong this week . we 've seen a great deal of interest and curiosity ( among chinese ) about western art and international culture . i think warhol is a perfect artist ... to show what western culture is all about . ' christie 's first private warhol sale in hong kong last november attracted a mostly asian demographic and managed to sell nearly half of its lots , good said . censoring mao in china however , visitors to the 15 minutes external ' exhibitions in mainland china will not see any chairman mao portraits . while shiner was planning the exhibition with the host venue -- the shanghai power station of art -- its staff advised that exhibiting the mao works was n't a good idea right now . ' a staff member told cnn that government authorities would have considered the works too political . ' of course , the primary concern is to get the show there and up and not put anything in a category that would ever question anything , ' shiner said . knowing that we would have the censors from the ministry of culture , we wanted to make sure ... that nothing would put the show in jeopardy . ' an editorial in the state-backed global times newspaper suggested that while warhol may not have had ill intent , the provocative ' blotches of color splattered on mao 's face suggested that he was wearing make-up -- a disrespectful portrayal of the iconic leader . while shiner acknowledged the mao portraits could be read as a sarcastic or ironic portrayal ' , he said warhol definitely was n't being critical . he always liked to blur the lines on gender , and making colorful men somewhat beautiful was something that he liked to do as an inside joke , ' he added . once the chinese public gains a deeper understanding of warhol 's work , he expects that the mao works wo n't be as big a deal . ' influence on chinese contemporary art warhol 's influence on chinese contemporary art can actually be traced back to 1981 , when many contemporary artists , labeled as dissidents , fled the country , shiner said . while most of them went to paris and berlin , two artists very specifically went to new york because they wanted quite literally to be part of andy 's universe ' -- ai weiwei and xu bing . both artists have gone on to become some of the most recognized and celebrated names in chinese contemporary art , and some would go as far as calling ai weiwei china 's andy warhol . ' ai weiwei loves the idea of multiples , ' makos pointed out , noting ai 's most famous installations , including the 9,000 backpacks representing the schoolchildren killed in the 2008 sichuan earthquake , and the millions of porcelain sunflower seeds he poured into the turbine hall of london 's tate modern museum . shiner readily concurred : he 's really gone on to model his entire art-making process and career on proven warhol tactics , looking at repetition , multiplication , and critique of consumer culture . when you look at his coca-cola works , that 's directly related to warhol and it 's really amazing how many things he picked up from andy . ' ai 's similarity to warhol also lies in his social activism , which aims to change chinese society through art , he added . as for xu bing , viewers may not immediately see warhol in his work , shiner said , but he described the artist as a huge fan of warhol ' who loves the idea of repetition -- the formal arrangement of chinese character after chinese character , an endless array of similar looking imagery . ' unfortunately , neither artist became acquainted in person with their muse , despite moving to new york for him . ai once spotted warhol at a party , but did not approach him , shiner revealed . as a young man , he was too shy to actually go and say hello , ' he said , recalling that ai told him his english was n't good enough at the time . ai and xu aside , the warhol aesthetic and vocabulary has deeply influenced chinese contemporary artists over the past 10-15 years , with its characteristic combinations of social realist imagery with pop culture and iconic brands . the shanghai exhibition will run to july 28 and make its way to beijing later this year . meanwhile , makos will also hold an exhibition of his photographs of warhol next month in shanghai , including images from their 1982 trip to china . his work lives on . maybe ( the chinese ) do n't know him , but they know his work , ' makos said , predicting that warhol will get bigger and bigger in china . ' andy was the ultimate pop artist . to this day you can still find campbell soup on the shelf in the grocery store and you can see multiples of them , ' makos said . as long as that imagery is live and well , warhol will have this built-in publicity . ' cnn 's feng ke contributed to this report .","warhol made first and only trip to china in 1982 , which provided artistic inspiration" +"americans ( cnn ) president barack obama took part in a roundtable discussion this week on climate change , refocusing on the issue from a public health vantage point . after the event at washington 's howard university on tuesday , obama sat down with me for a one-on-one interview . i asked him about the science behind climate change and public health and the message he wants the average american to take away , as well as how enforceable his action plan is . here are five things i learned : the president enrolled at occidental college in los angeles in 1979 ( he transferred to columbia university his junior year ) . while in l.a. , he said , the air was so bad that it prevented him from running outside . he remembers the air quality alerts and how people with respiratory problems had to stay inside . he credits the clean air act with making americans a lot ' healthier , in addition to being able to see the mountains in the background because they are n't covered in smog . ' obama also said the instances of asthma and other respiratory diseases went down after these measures were taken . peer-reviewed environmental protection agency studies say that the clean air act and subsequent amendments have reduced early deaths associated with exposure to ambient fine particle pollution and ozone , and reduced illnesses such as chronic bronchitis and acute myocardial infarction . the epa estimates that , between 1970 and 2010 , the act and its amendments prevented 365,000 early deaths from particulate matter alone . no challenge poses more of a public threat than climate change , ' the president told me . when i asked about the strength of the science supporting the direct relationship between climate change and public health , he said , we know as temperatures rise , insect-borne diseases potentially start shifting up . we know , in a very straight-forward fashion , that heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses and deaths potentially increase , and so what we 're doing here is to make sure that in addition to public awareness around the potential for big storms like hurricane sandy or big wildfires or droughts , that people recognize there 's a very personal , potential impact in climate change , and the good news is we can do something about it . ' in many ways , obama is attempting to reframe the discussion around climate change as a public health issue that affects all of us , while conceding that we do n't fully understand the magnitude of the correlation between rising temperatures and impact on human health . when asked what the average american can do about all this , the president encouraged ordinary citizens , doctors and nurses to start putting some pressure on elected officials to try and make something happen to reduce the impacts of climate change . ' he also issued a presidential proclamation declaring april 6-12 as national public health week to better understand , communicate and reduce the health impacts of climate change on our communities . ' the average american can also do their part to reduce their own carbon footprint , including : • change your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lights . one cfl can reduce up to 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution during its lifetime . if every house in the u.s. switched its bulbs , we could reduce the electricity spent on lighting by half . • unplug your gadgets and chargers when not in use . according to the u.s. department of energy , this practice can save $ 100 a year on your energy bill . • use a laptop instead of a desktop . laptops are designed to be energy-efficient , because battery life is a major factor in their design . according to energy star , a laptop can be up to 80 % more energy-efficient than a desktop . • filter your own water . beyond the environmental toll of plastic waste , consider just how far your water was transported before you bought it at the grocery store . • adjust your curtains and thermostats . if you keep your house 2 degrees warmer in the summer and 2 degrees colder in the winter , you can save big bucks on your energy bill . the department of energy estimates you can save up to 15 % on your bill by turning off your thermostat when you 're not at home . obama did not appear particularly concerned about the current supreme court challenge to the affordable care act . he said he believes the statute is clear and straightforward . ' he said , i am not anticipating the supreme court would make such a bad decision . ' at issue is the 32 states that did not set up their own health care exchanges and left it to the federal government to do so . the plaintiffs in the lawsuit contend that the language of the affordable care act does not allow for tax subsidies in those states ( without state-based exchanges ) , possibly creating a situation , for example , in which people in massachusetts would receive a tax credit , but people living in texas would not . obama did tell me that if the supreme court challenge is upheld , however , there is no plan b . millions of people would lose their health insurance . they would no longer be able to afford the health insurance that 's being provided out there . ' obama went on to say , i think this is the last gasp of folks who have been fighting against [ the affordable care act ] for ideological reasons . ' he told me that he gets letters every day from people who say ,'you know what , the affordable care act saved my life or saved my kid 's life because i got insurance .' i thought i was healthy ; turns out i had a tumor , but because i went and got a checkup , it was removed in time , and i 'm now cancer-free .' he added , i think stories like that will be factored in when the supreme court takes a look at this case . ' cnn 's ben tinker contributed to this report .","he credits the clean air act with making americans a lot ' healthier" +"clean air act ( cnn ) president barack obama took part in a roundtable discussion this week on climate change , refocusing on the issue from a public health vantage point . after the event at washington 's howard university on tuesday , obama sat down with me for a one-on-one interview . i asked him about the science behind climate change and public health and the message he wants the average american to take away , as well as how enforceable his action plan is . here are five things i learned : the president enrolled at occidental college in los angeles in 1979 ( he transferred to columbia university his junior year ) . while in l.a. , he said , the air was so bad that it prevented him from running outside . he remembers the air quality alerts and how people with respiratory problems had to stay inside . he credits the clean air act with making americans a lot ' healthier , in addition to being able to see the mountains in the background because they are n't covered in smog . ' obama also said the instances of asthma and other respiratory diseases went down after these measures were taken . peer-reviewed environmental protection agency studies say that the clean air act and subsequent amendments have reduced early deaths associated with exposure to ambient fine particle pollution and ozone , and reduced illnesses such as chronic bronchitis and acute myocardial infarction . the epa estimates that , between 1970 and 2010 , the act and its amendments prevented 365,000 early deaths from particulate matter alone . no challenge poses more of a public threat than climate change , ' the president told me . when i asked about the strength of the science supporting the direct relationship between climate change and public health , he said , we know as temperatures rise , insect-borne diseases potentially start shifting up . we know , in a very straight-forward fashion , that heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses and deaths potentially increase , and so what we 're doing here is to make sure that in addition to public awareness around the potential for big storms like hurricane sandy or big wildfires or droughts , that people recognize there 's a very personal , potential impact in climate change , and the good news is we can do something about it . ' in many ways , obama is attempting to reframe the discussion around climate change as a public health issue that affects all of us , while conceding that we do n't fully understand the magnitude of the correlation between rising temperatures and impact on human health . when asked what the average american can do about all this , the president encouraged ordinary citizens , doctors and nurses to start putting some pressure on elected officials to try and make something happen to reduce the impacts of climate change . ' he also issued a presidential proclamation declaring april 6-12 as national public health week to better understand , communicate and reduce the health impacts of climate change on our communities . ' the average american can also do their part to reduce their own carbon footprint , including : • change your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lights . one cfl can reduce up to 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution during its lifetime . if every house in the u.s. switched its bulbs , we could reduce the electricity spent on lighting by half . • unplug your gadgets and chargers when not in use . according to the u.s. department of energy , this practice can save $ 100 a year on your energy bill . • use a laptop instead of a desktop . laptops are designed to be energy-efficient , because battery life is a major factor in their design . according to energy star , a laptop can be up to 80 % more energy-efficient than a desktop . • filter your own water . beyond the environmental toll of plastic waste , consider just how far your water was transported before you bought it at the grocery store . • adjust your curtains and thermostats . if you keep your house 2 degrees warmer in the summer and 2 degrees colder in the winter , you can save big bucks on your energy bill . the department of energy estimates you can save up to 15 % on your bill by turning off your thermostat when you 're not at home . obama did not appear particularly concerned about the current supreme court challenge to the affordable care act . he said he believes the statute is clear and straightforward . ' he said , i am not anticipating the supreme court would make such a bad decision . ' at issue is the 32 states that did not set up their own health care exchanges and left it to the federal government to do so . the plaintiffs in the lawsuit contend that the language of the affordable care act does not allow for tax subsidies in those states ( without state-based exchanges ) , possibly creating a situation , for example , in which people in massachusetts would receive a tax credit , but people living in texas would not . obama did tell me that if the supreme court challenge is upheld , however , there is no plan b . millions of people would lose their health insurance . they would no longer be able to afford the health insurance that 's being provided out there . ' obama went on to say , i think this is the last gasp of folks who have been fighting against [ the affordable care act ] for ideological reasons . ' he told me that he gets letters every day from people who say ,'you know what , the affordable care act saved my life or saved my kid 's life because i got insurance .' i thought i was healthy ; turns out i had a tumor , but because i went and got a checkup , it was removed in time , and i 'm now cancer-free .' he added , i think stories like that will be factored in when the supreme court takes a look at this case . ' cnn 's ben tinker contributed to this report .","he credits the clean air act with making americans a lot ' healthier" +"rachel wade ( cnn ) -- a florida judge sentenced rachel wade , the 20-year-old woman convicted of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing her romantic rival in a fight last year , to 27 years in prison friday . while acknowledging mitigating factors -- primarily wade 's youth and lack of a criminal past -- the judge said her actions were not unaggravating . ' the murder was no accident , ' judge joseph bulone said . wade went to trial in july , accused of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of 18-year-old sarah ludemann . the two women , only teenagers at the time , had fought for months via voicemails , text messages and myspace postings over their relationship with the same man , joshua camacho . the feud culminated in a fatal confrontation in the early morning hours of april 15 , 2009 . after a three-day trial and only two and a half hours of deliberation , a jury of five men and one woman convicted wade of second-degree murder . wade had claimed self-defense and hoped for an acquittal or no more than a manslaughter conviction . a life sentence was recommended by florida prosecutors . the defense had recommended 15 years , followed by 15 years of probation . trutv 's in session ' correspondent beth karas spoke to wade days before her sentencing . i think about it every day , regardless if they give me five years or 20 years more than they could give me , ' wade said . i never meant to do it , and i 'm still gon na have to live with it , no matter if i 'm home or if i 'm in prison . ' wade 's lawyer told hln friday that the sentence was very fair . ' i just do n't think this was a case that called for life , ' said jay hebert . hebert said the case is a cautionary tale about the potentially deadly mix of young people and modern communications technology . when you start looking at the tragic nature of this , the social networking , the instant messaging , the ability of people to hide behind the screen and make statements and create situations -- it just festered until it bubbled up and exploded into a situation ... until two good girls , their worlds collided , ' he said . hebert said wade has resolved to teach young people about the dangers associated with social networking . i do n't think we can appreciate how young people talk , ' he said . and that 's the lesson for parents . pay close attention to your children . watch how they talk and who they talk to . watch their social networking outlets . ' because it 's an explosive situation when when you do n't have to be accountable , when you can break up with somebody or ask somebody to prom via text , ' he said . there 's no face-to-face interaction . ' in session correspondent beth karas contributed to this report .","new : defendant rachel wade 's lawyer says sentence is very fair '" +"yobe state abuja , nigeria ( cnn ) -- more than 70 members of the islamist extremist group boko haram have been killed during a nigerian military operation in the northeastern state of borno , an army spokesman told cnn on friday . the military remains on the offensive , ' according to brig . gen. ibrahim attahiru , who said the operation started thursday and continued into the next day . who are the world 's 10 most dangerous terrorists ? this was n't the only clash between boko haram and nigerian troops of late . suspected members of the extremist group around 5:30 p.m. wednesday ( 12:30 p.m . et ) attacked a military checkpoint in damaturu , nigeria 's joint task force reported in a statement . also in northern nigeria , damaturu is the capital of yobe state . special operations troops responded , waging a fierce encounter with the terrorists in various parts of damaturu ... for several hours , ' according to the joint task force . by the time that fighting was over , 21 suspected boko haram fighters were dead , the government group reported . three vehicles were recovered , as were assault rifles , a rocket-propelled grenade , improvised explosive devices and 709 rounds of ammunition . the military did not provide any information on its casualties . law abiding citizens are enjoined to remain calm as the 3 division special operation battalion is on top of the situation , ' the joint task force said , noting a 24-hour curfew was imposed throughout the state . any credible information should be passed promptly to security agencies for necessary action . ' last may , president goodluck jonathan put three states in the region under a state of emergency , giving nigerian forces wide latitude in fighting the group , which human rights organizations say has killed more than 3,000 people since 2009 . boko haram , which means western education is sacrilege ' in the hausa-fulani language , seeks to impose a strict version of sharia law across northeastern nigeria , if not the entire country . the group has attacked various targets in the west african nation since its formation in the late 1990s , according to the u.s. national counterterrorism center , including killing and kidnapping westerners , and bombing schools and churches . hundreds of its members , including its leader mohammed yusuf , died in july 2009 clashes with government forces . but the group did not stay down for long , and has remained an active and violent force in nigeria . in august , its militants allegedly went into a mosque in borno state and killed 44 worshipers . the group released a video boasting that it was growing stronger . opinion : should u.s. fear boko haram ? cnn 's vlad duthiers reported from nigeria , cnn 's greg botelho wrote this story from atlanta . cnn 's nana karikari-apau contributed to this report .","they also fend off an attack on a military checkpoint in yobe state 's capital" +"brown why in the world would scott brown , a former half-term senator from mitt romney 's massachusetts , put himself in the mix for the 2016 republican presidential nomination ? the real question is : why not ? when brown told the des moines register over the weekend that he was heading to the iowa state fair to determine whether there 's an interest in my brand of leadership and republicanism , ' the news was met with some amusement by political insiders . after all , brown has already floated bids for new hampshire senator and massachusetts governor , and he does n't seem likely to pursue either . 2016 watch : scott brown makes a stop in iowa brown was thumped by elizabeth warren in his 2012 re-election bid , and he became something of a punch line earlier this year after he unleashed a volley of questionable late night tweets at some online critics . but so what ? the truth is that in today 's media environment , there 's almost no downside for a long-shot candidate ' like brown to tell people he 's mulling a white house run . for someone with no real perch other than a paid gig at fox news , it actually makes a lot of sense . just by going to the iowa state fair , a must-do for any ambitious pol , brown will be rewarded with the only currency that matters in modern campaign politics ( other than hard fundraising dollars ) : buzz . funnel cake and free name id . what 's not to love ? ' asked will ritter , a boston-based gop operative and former mitt romney adviser . how many stories got posted about ed markey 's legislative agenda yesterday ? it 's fun . senator brown 's a skilled retail politician and this gives him a platform to talk about a brand of republicanism we could use more of . ' for obsessive political watchers , brown 's shamelessness about the whole enterprise is kind of refreshing . i do admire the audacity to just go to the state fair and tweet about it , ' said jeff smith , a professor at the new school and regular contributor to the washington twitter conversation . brown knows exactly what he 's doing . scott brown stirs speculation with new hampshire visit it 's the same reason iowa rep. steve king and new york rep. peter king ( no relation ; not even close ) are refusing to rule out ' a 2016 bid . will either of them be taking the oath of office one day ? nope . but with so many news platforms to fill -- on television , on the web , on the radio -- a presidential trial balloon or a trip to iowa is almost guaranteed to get you at least a crumb of media exposure , a boost in stature , and maybe even a few campaign contributions down the road . just look at this month 's family leadership summit , a gathering of social conservatives in iowa that drew potential 2016 presidential contenders ted cruz and rick santorum to the first-in-the-nation caucus state . both men seem likely to run for the republican nomination , and both will be returning to iowa over and over and over again in the coming years . but even if they do n't , the two conservatives proved how keeping one 's name in the 2016 conversation is its own reward . in their speeches , cruz and santorum issued a series of anti-obama bromides and boosted their profiles with the grassroots activists who attended the iowa summit . neither republican did a single thing to advance the news cycle other than board an airplane to des moines . yet there they were , trailed at every turn by reporters from the washington post , des moines register , associated press , new york times , dallas morning news , wall street journal , nbc news , abc news and fox news . another cruz trip to iowa stokes 2016 speculation ' the focus on the 2016 presidential contest is completely ridiculous , and everybody knows it , ' wrote david weigel of slate after witnessing the cattle call . well , not completely . in our atomized media ecosystem , there 's certainly a market for niche political coverage , in the same way there 's a market for micro-reporting on the status of robert griffin iii 's return from knee surgery . more importantly , the presidential cycle is starting earlier than it ever has , with advisers to likely candidates working behind the scenes to assemble campaign infrastructure and peddle dirt on their potential opponents . on the republican side , kentucky sen. rand paul and new jersey gov . chris christie are driving national discussions about ideology and governance . still , there 's a difference between running for president and running ' for president , even though it 's sometimes difficult to tell the difference . running for president requires hard work , an ungodly amount of fundraising effort , a professional team of advisers , polling , a paid media strategy , a voter contact operation and ballot access . see : romney , mitt . running ' for president means doing a lot of interviews and delivering some well-timed lines in debates . see : cain , herman . which category does scott brown fall under ? for the moment , it would seem the latter . looking at the 2016 gop field , christie probably has the northeastern republican lane all to himself , a prospect that would make it difficult for brown to raise money . before his iowa trip , brown met privately with christie at the republican national committee 's summer conference in boston , a meeting first reported by the new york times . christie raised money for brown several times during his senate tenure , and , according to one christie insider , the two are very friendly . ' then there 's the fact that brown , who supports some abortion rights , is n't exactly a hardliner on social issues that matter to so many republican caucus-goers in iowa . even some of his former advisers are n't sure what he 's up to . eric fehrnstrom , the media strategist who crafted brown 's truck-driving , regular-guy image during his stunning 2010 senate upset , is not currently advising him , republican sources told cnn . asked by text message if he 's serious about a presidential bid , one republican who talks to brown often responded : who knows . you should call him and ask . ' he 's acting on his own , as far as i can tell , ' another onetime adviser said in an e-mail . but what if brown takes off ? what if he gains a toehold in new hampshire , rises to high single digits in the polls sometime in 2015 , and gets invited to some republican primary debates ? what if he rattles off a few good lines , has his moment in the sun , and then fades ? he will have lost absolutely nothing -- but gained a spot on some vice presidential short lists along with a hike in his post-campaign speaking fees . another republican who has spoken with brown recently is n't surprised by the sudden interest in the presidential spotlight . brown , this person said , is a relentlessly enthusiastic guy who still takes great pride in capturing ted kennedy 's old senate seat . the fact that he is in iowa does n't surprise me , ' the republican told cnn . in'16 , it 's not a bad idea to put your name out there and see where it takes you . he was enthusiastic about getting back in the national conversation . i could definitely anticipate this . '","even some of his former advisers say they do n't know what brown is up to" +"brown why in the world would scott brown , a former half-term senator from mitt romney 's massachusetts , put himself in the mix for the 2016 republican presidential nomination ? the real question is : why not ? when brown told the des moines register over the weekend that he was heading to the iowa state fair to determine whether there 's an interest in my brand of leadership and republicanism , ' the news was met with some amusement by political insiders . after all , brown has already floated bids for new hampshire senator and massachusetts governor , and he does n't seem likely to pursue either . 2016 watch : scott brown makes a stop in iowa brown was thumped by elizabeth warren in his 2012 re-election bid , and he became something of a punch line earlier this year after he unleashed a volley of questionable late night tweets at some online critics . but so what ? the truth is that in today 's media environment , there 's almost no downside for a long-shot candidate ' like brown to tell people he 's mulling a white house run . for someone with no real perch other than a paid gig at fox news , it actually makes a lot of sense . just by going to the iowa state fair , a must-do for any ambitious pol , brown will be rewarded with the only currency that matters in modern campaign politics ( other than hard fundraising dollars ) : buzz . funnel cake and free name id . what 's not to love ? ' asked will ritter , a boston-based gop operative and former mitt romney adviser . how many stories got posted about ed markey 's legislative agenda yesterday ? it 's fun . senator brown 's a skilled retail politician and this gives him a platform to talk about a brand of republicanism we could use more of . ' for obsessive political watchers , brown 's shamelessness about the whole enterprise is kind of refreshing . i do admire the audacity to just go to the state fair and tweet about it , ' said jeff smith , a professor at the new school and regular contributor to the washington twitter conversation . brown knows exactly what he 's doing . scott brown stirs speculation with new hampshire visit it 's the same reason iowa rep. steve king and new york rep. peter king ( no relation ; not even close ) are refusing to rule out ' a 2016 bid . will either of them be taking the oath of office one day ? nope . but with so many news platforms to fill -- on television , on the web , on the radio -- a presidential trial balloon or a trip to iowa is almost guaranteed to get you at least a crumb of media exposure , a boost in stature , and maybe even a few campaign contributions down the road . just look at this month 's family leadership summit , a gathering of social conservatives in iowa that drew potential 2016 presidential contenders ted cruz and rick santorum to the first-in-the-nation caucus state . both men seem likely to run for the republican nomination , and both will be returning to iowa over and over and over again in the coming years . but even if they do n't , the two conservatives proved how keeping one 's name in the 2016 conversation is its own reward . in their speeches , cruz and santorum issued a series of anti-obama bromides and boosted their profiles with the grassroots activists who attended the iowa summit . neither republican did a single thing to advance the news cycle other than board an airplane to des moines . yet there they were , trailed at every turn by reporters from the washington post , des moines register , associated press , new york times , dallas morning news , wall street journal , nbc news , abc news and fox news . another cruz trip to iowa stokes 2016 speculation ' the focus on the 2016 presidential contest is completely ridiculous , and everybody knows it , ' wrote david weigel of slate after witnessing the cattle call . well , not completely . in our atomized media ecosystem , there 's certainly a market for niche political coverage , in the same way there 's a market for micro-reporting on the status of robert griffin iii 's return from knee surgery . more importantly , the presidential cycle is starting earlier than it ever has , with advisers to likely candidates working behind the scenes to assemble campaign infrastructure and peddle dirt on their potential opponents . on the republican side , kentucky sen. rand paul and new jersey gov . chris christie are driving national discussions about ideology and governance . still , there 's a difference between running for president and running ' for president , even though it 's sometimes difficult to tell the difference . running for president requires hard work , an ungodly amount of fundraising effort , a professional team of advisers , polling , a paid media strategy , a voter contact operation and ballot access . see : romney , mitt . running ' for president means doing a lot of interviews and delivering some well-timed lines in debates . see : cain , herman . which category does scott brown fall under ? for the moment , it would seem the latter . looking at the 2016 gop field , christie probably has the northeastern republican lane all to himself , a prospect that would make it difficult for brown to raise money . before his iowa trip , brown met privately with christie at the republican national committee 's summer conference in boston , a meeting first reported by the new york times . christie raised money for brown several times during his senate tenure , and , according to one christie insider , the two are very friendly . ' then there 's the fact that brown , who supports some abortion rights , is n't exactly a hardliner on social issues that matter to so many republican caucus-goers in iowa . even some of his former advisers are n't sure what he 's up to . eric fehrnstrom , the media strategist who crafted brown 's truck-driving , regular-guy image during his stunning 2010 senate upset , is not currently advising him , republican sources told cnn . asked by text message if he 's serious about a presidential bid , one republican who talks to brown often responded : who knows . you should call him and ask . ' he 's acting on his own , as far as i can tell , ' another onetime adviser said in an e-mail . but what if brown takes off ? what if he gains a toehold in new hampshire , rises to high single digits in the polls sometime in 2015 , and gets invited to some republican primary debates ? what if he rattles off a few good lines , has his moment in the sun , and then fades ? he will have lost absolutely nothing -- but gained a spot on some vice presidential short lists along with a hike in his post-campaign speaking fees . another republican who has spoken with brown recently is n't surprised by the sudden interest in the presidential spotlight . brown , this person said , is a relentlessly enthusiastic guy who still takes great pride in capturing ted kennedy 's old senate seat . the fact that he is in iowa does n't surprise me , ' the republican told cnn . in'16 , it 's not a bad idea to put your name out there and see where it takes you . he was enthusiastic about getting back in the national conversation . i could definitely anticipate this . '","scott brown served part of one term in the senate before losing his re-election bid" +"new yorkers ( cnn ) new york may be a paradise of zagat-rated , michelin-starred restaurants , but some of its best food can be found on the streets . hundreds of mobile eateries hawking gourmet global cuisine occupy corners across the city , alongside traditional hotdog vendors and halal carts . king of falafel & shawarma halal carts slinging styrofoam plates piled high with falafel , shawarma and rice are ubiquitous in new york , but you 'll recognize the king ' by the seemingly endless line crowding the sidewalk beside it . originally a queens staple , the cart dominated the corner of 30th street and broadway in astoria for almost a decade before it won the vendy award for new york 's best street food in 2010 . now , its second cart in midtown manhattan peddles its famous falafel and shawarma to the masses , in addition to meaty plates like the freddy 's junior : chicken , kefta and basmati rice topped with chopped onion and doused liberally in tahini and chile sauce . king of falafel & shawarma ; 53rd street and park avenue ; +1 718 838 8029 milk truck bessie , milk truck 's sunshine-yellow food truck , is a welcome sight for hungry new yorkers during lunch hour . every day , the truck 's perpetually cheerful staff hawk classic american comfort foods like mac and cheese and turkey chili . the most popular item by far is the grilled cheese sandwich . there are three variations : the classic , the classic with onion and mustard , and a hearty three-cheese version with apple . despite not having a regular location -- bessie 's daily whereabouts must be tracked online -- milk truck has become a fixture in the new york street food scene thanks to its fiercely loyal following . milk truck ; locations vary ; +1 646 233 3838 red hook lobster pound food truck new yorkers do n't need to go to new england for a good lobster roll . thanks to big red , red hook lobster pound 's lobster shack on wheels , they only need to walk to the curb . rolls come maine-style , served cold with mayo , or connecticut-style , served warm with butter and lemon , each stuffed with a quarter pound of fresh maine lobster . despite a price tag high that 's high for the streets -- $ 16 per roll at the time of writing -- the truck still sells between 300-400 rolls every two hours . red hook lobster pound food truck ; locations vary ; +1 718 858 7650 lumpia shack though lumpia shack has recently upgraded to its own brick-and-mortar , its original location at brooklyn 's smorgasburg street food market still remains . lines form before the tiny street stall as early as 11 a.m. each saturday for lumpia , crispy , filipino-inspired spring rolls . each roll is made using locally sourced ground pork , roasted duck or truffled adobo mushrooms , hand-rolled and then deep-fried . unlike regular street food , lumpia shack 's plating is restaurant quality : the lumpia are arranged artfully on a tray , drizzled with homemade sauce and garnished with pea shoots and pickled vegetables . lumpia shack ; smorgasburg at kent avenue and wythe avenue , brooklyn ; +1 917 475 1621 dirty water dogs sometimes it feels like almost every other manhattan street corner is dressed with the ubiquitous blue and yellow striped sabrett umbrella , under which you 'll find new york 's most iconic street food : the dirty water dog . named after the warm , salty water it 's soaked in , the hot frank is served in a soft bun ( which sops up residual water ) and then topped with ketchup , mustard , onions , relish and sauerkraut . it 's neither sophisticated nor gourmet , but it 's the quintessential new york food experience . various locations solber pupusas culinary heavyweights anthony bourdain , marcus samuelsson and martha stewart are all said to be fans of vendy-winning solber pupusas , and it 's no wonder . husband and wife owners rafael and reina soler-bermudez ( solber ' is a portmanteau of their last names ) have been making the stuffed salvadoran corn tortillas in their tiny mobile pupuseria for more than 15 years , selling more than 600 on a regular day . the signature platter comes loaded with two pupusas , tangy curtido , pickled jalapenos , tomato sauce and sour cream . served on banana leaves with a tangy slaw , the salvadoran tamales are also crowd favorites . solber pupusas ; brooklyn flea market at lafayette avenue and vanderbilt avenue , brooklyn ; +1 516 965 0214 calexico unlike california , new york is n't renowned for its mexican food , but the city has stepped up its game in recent years , thanks in large part to calexico . what started out as a lone taco cart in soho in 2006 -- one of new york 's first -- has since grown into a fleet of carts across the city and a handful of brick-and-mortar locations . its original soho cart remains its most popular location , still slinging soft corn tacos cradling slow-cooked chipotle pork , hearty bowls of jalapeno cheddar grits and burritos packed with beer-battered fish , beans , rice and monterey jack cheese . calexico ; prince street and wooster street ; +1 646 590 4172 bolivian llama party traditional bolivian street food staples can now be enjoyed on the streets of brooklyn thanks to this popular smorgasburg stall . though saltenas -- crusty , empanada-like pastries filled with meat and vegetables -- are easily its best-selling item , the chola slider is the real star here . the modern take on the humble sanduiche de chola comes stuffed with either pork or beef brisket and topped with hibiscus-pickled onions , carrots , kolla cheese and parsley . bolivian llama party ; smorgasburg at kent avenue and wythe avenue , brooklyn ; +1 347 395 5481 breakfast cart bagels new york boasts many terrific brick-and-mortar bagel shops , but you wo n't get a cheaper or more authentic breakfast than a bagel and coffee from a street cart . every morning , locals file out of the subway and make a beeline for the nearest silver breakfast cart , whose narrow shelves are stocked high with bagels and pastries of every kind . many pre-prepare their bagels for convenience , but most carts will make your bagel to order . coffee , usually deli-quality , is served in small blue-and-white anthora cups that have become as characteristic of new york as yellow cabs and dirty water dogs . various locations","new yorkers do n't need to go to new england for a good lobster roll , thanks to red hook lobster pound" +"washington ( cnn ) -- the u.s. relationship with president hosni mubarak 's egypt is full of contradictions and tensions , according to recently published u.s. diplomatic cables , but is also underpinned by similar basic interests in a rough and unpredictable part of the world . a cnn analysis of secret and confidential cables published by wikileaks and its media partners reveals u.s. frustration with mubarak 's lack of succession planning , concerns over stuttering economic reform and private criticism of the mubarak government 's hard line toward domestic opponents . but the cables also show that washington sees egypt as an important and -- until now -- stable ally on issues , including iran 's nuclear program , promoting negotiations between israel and the palestinian authority and making life difficult for hamas in gaza . and above all , egypt is regarded as a moderate bulwark against iranian-sponsored islamist fundamentalism . the cables show that mubarak has taken a persistently hard line toward iran , telling u.s. diplomats in 2008 that he had warned tehran not to provoke the americans ' on the nuclear issue and insisting egypt could never accept a nuclear-armed iran . mubarak has also repeatedly warned of iran 's influence with hamas in gaza and hezbollah in lebanon , and in a cable from february last year , was quoted as describing tehran 's hand moving with ease throughout the region , from the gulf to morocco . ' a 2009 cable noted that with the discovery of a hezbollah cell in egypt , the egyptians appear more willing to confront the iranian surrogates and to work closely with israel . ' to that end , the cables describe the mubarak government as a helpful partner in stopping smuggling into gaza from egypt . a cable from 2008 quoted a senior egyptian military figure as stating that egypt had spent approximately $ 40 million to purchase the steel for an underground wall on the gaza border , and egypt was paying the cost of this wall in terms of public opinion both within egypt and the region . ' there is no guarantee that any successor ' to the mubarak government would take such a hard line with hamas . for the u.s. , the alliance between egypt and saudi arabia has also been an important counterweight to growing iranian influence on the arab street ' and among states such as syria and qatar . egyptian officials , from mubarak down , have also repeatedly impressed upon visiting americans -- military , diplomatic and congressional -- that it alone among arab states can play a mediating role between israel and the palestinians . [ egypt signed a peace treaty with israel in 1979 , and mubarak has resisted popular opposition to it . ] ahead of mubarak 's visit to washington in may 2009 , ambassador margaret scobey wrote from cairo that the egyptians want the visit to demonstrate that egypt remains america 's indispensable arab ally . ' scobey continued that mubarak was a tried and true realist , innately cautious and conservative , and has little time for idealistic goals . ' he viewed himself as someone who is tough but fair , who ensures the basic needs of his people . ' at the same time , the mubarak government has been very sensitive to any perceived slight from washington . it has complained about cuts in u.s. economic aid and a stagnant level of military aid because it shows our diminished view of the value of our relationship ' according to one cable . on pressure to improve human rights , according to one cable from scobey in 2009 , mubarak takes this issue personally , and it makes him seethe when we raise it , particularly in public . ' in a later cable , she said that mubarak harkens back to the shah of iran : the u.s. encouraged him to accept reforms , only to watch the country fall into the hands of revolutionary religious extremists . ' the egyptian president relied on his interior minister and intelligence service to keep the domestic beasts at bay , and mubarak is not one to lose sleep over their tactics . ' the u.s. cables display frustration with mubarak 's reluctance to address human rights issues , with one in 2008 saying : while egypt has made some limited gains over the last several years , such as on freedom of the press , progress overall has been slow . ' in a later cable , scobey suggested the new u.s. secretary of state , hillary clinton may wish to lay down a marker for a future discussion on democratization and human rights concerns . ' but given mubarak 's sensitivities , the u.s. has trodden carefully in pressing the egyptian government on human rights . a cable from 2009 said the united states now avoided the public confrontations that had become routine over the past several years ' over human rights . over the past five years , the cables reveal a growing unease with the lack of a succession plan , and apprehension about the prospect of mubarak 's younger son , gamal , taking over from his father . as far back as april 2006 , one cable observed that mubarak 's wife , suzanne , was their son 's most ardent booster ' but added : the possibility that gamal might succeed his father remains deeply unpopular on the street . ' it adds that unlike his father , ( gamal ) can not take the military 's support for granted , ' having never served as an officer . but the same cable laments the lack of obvious contenders to succeed the aging mubarak -- a situation that appears to hold today . scobey wrote in apparent frustration two years ago that mubarak seems to be trusting to god and the ubiquitous military and civilian security services to ensure an orderly transition . ' recent events may have eroded that confidence , but one cable in 2007 pointed out that egypt 's internal security apparatus , an estimated 1.4 million strong , is at least twice the size it was under sadat ... and makes any kind of violent change of leader unlikely . ' that perspective is now being challenged -- and the role of the military may be critical in deciding the outcome . a cable from 2008 cites egyptian experts as describing a disgruntled mid-level officer corps ' with military salaries falling far behind the civilian sector and the top brass averse to gamal succeeding his father . egyptian commentators also noted that many officers were frustrated that loyalty to the regime trumped competence , and that the best military talent was sidelined in case it should pose a threat to the government . even so , one cable concludes : the military still remains a potent political and economic force . ' after discussing whether the military might step in to prevent mubarak from passing the baton to his son , the cable concludes : in a messier succession scenario , however , it becomes more difficult to predict the military 's actions . '","cables also reveal washington sees egypt as an important and -- until now -- stable ally" +"egypt ( cnn ) -- the u.s. relationship with president hosni mubarak 's egypt is full of contradictions and tensions , according to recently published u.s. diplomatic cables , but is also underpinned by similar basic interests in a rough and unpredictable part of the world . a cnn analysis of secret and confidential cables published by wikileaks and its media partners reveals u.s. frustration with mubarak 's lack of succession planning , concerns over stuttering economic reform and private criticism of the mubarak government 's hard line toward domestic opponents . but the cables also show that washington sees egypt as an important and -- until now -- stable ally on issues , including iran 's nuclear program , promoting negotiations between israel and the palestinian authority and making life difficult for hamas in gaza . and above all , egypt is regarded as a moderate bulwark against iranian-sponsored islamist fundamentalism . the cables show that mubarak has taken a persistently hard line toward iran , telling u.s. diplomats in 2008 that he had warned tehran not to provoke the americans ' on the nuclear issue and insisting egypt could never accept a nuclear-armed iran . mubarak has also repeatedly warned of iran 's influence with hamas in gaza and hezbollah in lebanon , and in a cable from february last year , was quoted as describing tehran 's hand moving with ease throughout the region , from the gulf to morocco . ' a 2009 cable noted that with the discovery of a hezbollah cell in egypt , the egyptians appear more willing to confront the iranian surrogates and to work closely with israel . ' to that end , the cables describe the mubarak government as a helpful partner in stopping smuggling into gaza from egypt . a cable from 2008 quoted a senior egyptian military figure as stating that egypt had spent approximately $ 40 million to purchase the steel for an underground wall on the gaza border , and egypt was paying the cost of this wall in terms of public opinion both within egypt and the region . ' there is no guarantee that any successor ' to the mubarak government would take such a hard line with hamas . for the u.s. , the alliance between egypt and saudi arabia has also been an important counterweight to growing iranian influence on the arab street ' and among states such as syria and qatar . egyptian officials , from mubarak down , have also repeatedly impressed upon visiting americans -- military , diplomatic and congressional -- that it alone among arab states can play a mediating role between israel and the palestinians . [ egypt signed a peace treaty with israel in 1979 , and mubarak has resisted popular opposition to it . ] ahead of mubarak 's visit to washington in may 2009 , ambassador margaret scobey wrote from cairo that the egyptians want the visit to demonstrate that egypt remains america 's indispensable arab ally . ' scobey continued that mubarak was a tried and true realist , innately cautious and conservative , and has little time for idealistic goals . ' he viewed himself as someone who is tough but fair , who ensures the basic needs of his people . ' at the same time , the mubarak government has been very sensitive to any perceived slight from washington . it has complained about cuts in u.s. economic aid and a stagnant level of military aid because it shows our diminished view of the value of our relationship ' according to one cable . on pressure to improve human rights , according to one cable from scobey in 2009 , mubarak takes this issue personally , and it makes him seethe when we raise it , particularly in public . ' in a later cable , she said that mubarak harkens back to the shah of iran : the u.s. encouraged him to accept reforms , only to watch the country fall into the hands of revolutionary religious extremists . ' the egyptian president relied on his interior minister and intelligence service to keep the domestic beasts at bay , and mubarak is not one to lose sleep over their tactics . ' the u.s. cables display frustration with mubarak 's reluctance to address human rights issues , with one in 2008 saying : while egypt has made some limited gains over the last several years , such as on freedom of the press , progress overall has been slow . ' in a later cable , scobey suggested the new u.s. secretary of state , hillary clinton may wish to lay down a marker for a future discussion on democratization and human rights concerns . ' but given mubarak 's sensitivities , the u.s. has trodden carefully in pressing the egyptian government on human rights . a cable from 2009 said the united states now avoided the public confrontations that had become routine over the past several years ' over human rights . over the past five years , the cables reveal a growing unease with the lack of a succession plan , and apprehension about the prospect of mubarak 's younger son , gamal , taking over from his father . as far back as april 2006 , one cable observed that mubarak 's wife , suzanne , was their son 's most ardent booster ' but added : the possibility that gamal might succeed his father remains deeply unpopular on the street . ' it adds that unlike his father , ( gamal ) can not take the military 's support for granted , ' having never served as an officer . but the same cable laments the lack of obvious contenders to succeed the aging mubarak -- a situation that appears to hold today . scobey wrote in apparent frustration two years ago that mubarak seems to be trusting to god and the ubiquitous military and civilian security services to ensure an orderly transition . ' recent events may have eroded that confidence , but one cable in 2007 pointed out that egypt 's internal security apparatus , an estimated 1.4 million strong , is at least twice the size it was under sadat ... and makes any kind of violent change of leader unlikely . ' that perspective is now being challenged -- and the role of the military may be critical in deciding the outcome . a cable from 2008 cites egyptian experts as describing a disgruntled mid-level officer corps ' with military salaries falling far behind the civilian sector and the top brass averse to gamal succeeding his father . egyptian commentators also noted that many officers were frustrated that loyalty to the regime trumped competence , and that the best military talent was sidelined in case it should pose a threat to the government . even so , one cable concludes : the military still remains a potent political and economic force . ' after discussing whether the military might step in to prevent mubarak from passing the baton to his son , the cable concludes : in a messier succession scenario , however , it becomes more difficult to predict the military 's actions . '","cables also reveal washington sees egypt as an important and -- until now -- stable ally" +"mets ( cnn ) -- no play can begin in a baseball game until the pitcher throws the ball . and no play can conclude until the umpire makes the call . we 're not just robots they send out there , ' umpire tim mcclelland ( 2nd from l ) told author bruce weber . yet these figures -- the man on the mound and the men who stand in judgment -- are vastly different in importance to the average fan . there are countless children who dream of becoming a major-league pitcher . he is , literally , the king of the hill . umpires ? almost nobody dreams of becoming an umpire . and yet the positions share a number of similarities , according to two new books : as they see 'em ' ( scribner ) , by new york times writer bruce weber , and the complete game ' ( knopf ) , by former major-league pitcher ( and current new york mets broadcaster ) ron darling . both jobs require a great deal of command , neither gets enough training , and both are often disrespected by others in the game . indeed , despite a library of books by and about pitchers ( jim bouton 's ball four , ' jim brosnan 's the long season , ' christy mathewson 's pitching in a pinch ' ) , darling said he believes that people still do n't understand what it takes to stand on that mound . within baseball circles there is a common baseball axiom ,'if pitchers were n't so stupid , hitters would never get a hit ,' he said in an e-mail . of course , i knew this was a fallacy so i decided to write about the travails of major league pitchers . throwing a ball 95 mph to tin cup-sized quadrants sounds pretty difficult to me , and i wanted to express this to the reader . ' umpires , on the other hand , rarely get written about at all -- in fact , they 're often treated as less than human . ( the owners basically see them like bases , ' former baseball commissioner fay vincent told weber . they say ,'we need a base ; we need an umpire ; same thing .' ) weber found a fraternity ( and they are almost all men ) much like cops or soldiers : tight-lipped believers in baseball law and order . weber immersed himself in the land of umpires , ' as the book 's subtitle calls it , attending umpiring school , calling games at various levels of pro ball and talking with those who were willing -- including the legendary doug harvey , who was called god ' for his imperious demeanor . what he found is that what looks so obvious on television at home is often a challenge on the field , a matter not just of eyesight but positioning , rule-book knowledge and basic guts . that 's really what [ being an umpire ] is about -- is being in charge , ' he said . if there 's anything that characterizes the major league umpire , it 's that special kind of chutzpah . ' umpires need that presence because they 're often baseball 's most disrespected men . aside from the vitriol they face -- the managers kicking dirt , the spectators yelling kill the ump ' -- they 're second-guessed by broadcasters and barely tolerated by management , as weber reveals in detailing the episodes preceding and following the 1999 umpires'strike . and yet major league baseball does n't participate in umpire training or development , entrusting it to two umpire-run private schools , weber observes . ( mlb does run an annual umpire camp . ) darling echoes weber 's concerns in his own field , pitching . in these days of strict pitch counts and injury concern , pitchers are undertrain [ ed ] , ' he says , noting that top draft choices climb the ranks never allowed to throw more than 110 pitches . ' that leaves them at a disadvantage when they have to go deeper into a game or cope with a tough inning , he says . it would be like training for the marathon and never running more than 5 miles , ' he says . identifying and preserving million-dollar arms are [ the purview ] of doctors , not baseball people . ' darling 's book is a chronicle of pitchers'thought processes , using individual innings from his pitching or broadcasting career to make his point . he talks about panic overtaking a pitcher , as it did for darling in a 1984 game in which he got pasted by the cubs ; he also addresses the rush of pitching in a world series game and -- in a treat for baseball fans -- goes over the extra innings in perhaps the most famous college baseball game ever , a 1981 extra-inning contest that darling 's yale bulldogs lost to frank viola 's st. john 's redmen , 1-0 . he says he remembered the games vividly . i definitely watched tapes and read box scores , but i was very clear on almost all the minutiae of the good old days . a little scary and maybe a major personality flaw ! ' pitchers get more support than umpires , of course . darling observes that the relationship between a pitcher and his catcher during a well-pitched game is one of sport 's most beautiful dances . i would not have said it when i was playing , but after a shutout ... there is a love for that person immediately after the process . you did something together that could not have been done alone , and nobody can understand what you went through to get there . ' umpires , too , take pride in their best moments , though few pay attention outside their fellow umpires . more common is to be vilified for missed calls . weber devotes a moving passage in his book to a conversation with the retired don denkinger , a 29-year veteran remembered by fans ( if he 's remembered at all ) for a wrong call in the 1985 world series . though time has dulled the pain , i think he lives with [ that call ] every day , ' weber said . when a dreadful thing happens to you in front of so many people and you become famous for it , it must be devastating . ' weber says his time with umpires has made him much more sympathetic to their judgmental tasks . when watching games now , the yankees fan says , he 'll focus on the umpires . i just think umpiring is interesting . people hate 'em , and they somehow perceive of umpiring as a flaw in the game , but i do n't , ' he said . now i 'm always interested who the umpires are . ' which is a point the umpires would appreciate . umpires are people , too , ' veteran ump tim mcclelland told weber . we have families ; we have emotions . ... somebody says ,'kill the umpire ,'and people go ,'heh , heh , that 's funny ,'but in order to do that , you have to disassociate the umpire from the person . we 're human . we 're not just robots they send out there . '"," the complete game , ' by mets broadcaster ron darling , gets inside pitcher 's head" +"ioc ( cnn ) -- the international olympic committee has reinstated india , allowing its athletes to once again compete under their country 's flag after a ban of more than a year . the reinstatement raises to 89 the number of countries and territories participating in the sochi games . it is the first time in olympic history that a suspension of an noc ( national olympic committee ) has been lifted during an olympic games , ' the ioc said in a statement tuesday . the decision means that indian athletes can now compete for india 's olympic committee and walk behind their national flag at the closing ceremony of the winter games in sochi on 23 february , the statement said . at the opening ceremony last week , india 's delegation of three athletes had marched under an ioc flag . india was suspended from the olympic fold in december 2012 after the indian olympic association elected lalit bhanot , who spent 11 months in jail on corruption charges , to a top post . the situation remained deadlocked for months , as the indian association refused to bow to the ioc 's demands for changes . but the ioc said tuesday that it had ended the suspension following the indian association 's general assembly and elections for a new board on sunday . an ioc delegation that observed the elections reported that they complied with the requirement that no person convicted or charge-framed can run for a position within the organization . ' narayna ramachandran , the president of the world squash federation , was voted in as the new president of the indian association . to symbolically mark the lifting of the suspension and in recognition of the three indian athletes competing in sochi , the indian flag will be raised in the olympic village , ' the ioc said tuesday . india responded positively to the announcement . i am happy that suspension is over and now indian teams and players will take part in the international events under the national flag , ' said vijay kumar malhotra , the former acting president of indian olympic association . cnn 's harmeet shah singh and khushbu shah contributed to this report .","the ioc suspended india in 2012 over the election of a tainted official to a top post" +"ioc ( cnn ) -- the international olympic committee has reinstated india , allowing its athletes to once again compete under their country 's flag after a ban of more than a year . the reinstatement raises to 89 the number of countries and territories participating in the sochi games . it is the first time in olympic history that a suspension of an noc ( national olympic committee ) has been lifted during an olympic games , ' the ioc said in a statement tuesday . the decision means that indian athletes can now compete for india 's olympic committee and walk behind their national flag at the closing ceremony of the winter games in sochi on 23 february , the statement said . at the opening ceremony last week , india 's delegation of three athletes had marched under an ioc flag . india was suspended from the olympic fold in december 2012 after the indian olympic association elected lalit bhanot , who spent 11 months in jail on corruption charges , to a top post . the situation remained deadlocked for months , as the indian association refused to bow to the ioc 's demands for changes . but the ioc said tuesday that it had ended the suspension following the indian association 's general assembly and elections for a new board on sunday . an ioc delegation that observed the elections reported that they complied with the requirement that no person convicted or charge-framed can run for a position within the organization . ' narayna ramachandran , the president of the world squash federation , was voted in as the new president of the indian association . to symbolically mark the lifting of the suspension and in recognition of the three indian athletes competing in sochi , the indian flag will be raised in the olympic village , ' the ioc said tuesday . india responded positively to the announcement . i am happy that suspension is over and now indian teams and players will take part in the international events under the national flag , ' said vijay kumar malhotra , the former acting president of indian olympic association . cnn 's harmeet shah singh and khushbu shah contributed to this report .","the indian olympic association has now held new elections that the ioc has approved" +"robert louis stevenson ( mother nature network ) -- mother 's day poems come in all shapes and sizes . many address the poet 's memories of his mother . others describe the poet 's gratitude for his mother . some are very short . some are very long . sometimes the mother-child relationship is complicated and the poet discusses the good times along with the bad . other times , it 's a straightforward message of love and gratitude . if nothing else , the poet almost always acknowledges the significant role a mother plays in the lives of her children . needless-to-say , with mom being portrayed so many different ways in poetry , there are several avenues for approaching a selection of poems appropriate for mother 's day . well , we 're here to help you . here 's a list of selected works to get you started with mother 's day poems : mother nature network : mother 's day song guide ' to my mother ' by robert louis stevenson the scottish poet evokes childhood memories in this four-line ode to mom . it appeared a child 's garden of verses , ' a collection of 65 poems by stevenson first published in 1885 under the title penny whistles . ' you too , my mother , read my rhymes for love of unforgotten times , and you may chance to hear once more the little feet along the floor . kaddish ' by allen ginsberg ginsberg , one of the leading voices of the beat generation , wrote this lengthy poem following the 1956 death of his mother . it was published as part of a collection , kaddish and other poems : 1958-1960 . ' its title refers to the traditional jewish prayer recited during times of mourning . to my mother ' by christina rosetti rosetti , a 19th century english poet best known for her lengthy poem called goblin 's market , ' wrote this short piece about her mother in 1842 : to-day 's your natal day ; sweet flowers i bring : mother , accept , i pray my offering . and may you happy live , and long us bless ; receiving as you give great happiness . mother nature network : kids'mother 's day crafts projects ' thanking my mother for piano lessons ' by diane wakoski wakoski , a contemporary poet who counts allen ginsberg among her influences , writes of the beauty that can come from even an ugly past ' in this poem that recounts , among other things , the financial struggles her mother accepted in order to make sure she could pay for her child 's piano lessons . mother o'mine ' by rudyard kipling the nobel laureate , who lived from 1865 to 1936 , wrote about the undying love of a mother in this 11-line poem : if i were hanged on the highest hill , mother o'mine , o mother o'mine ! i know whose love would follow me still , mother o'mine , o mother o'mine ! if i were drowned in the deepest sea , mother o'mine , o mother o'mine ! i know whose tears would come down to me , mother o'mine , o mother o'mine ! if i were damned of body and soul , i know whose prayers would make me whole , mother o'mine , o mother o'mine ! mother to son ' by langston hughes this lesser-known piece by the harlem renaissance writer takes the perspective of the mother speaking to her son and telling him that life for me ai n't been no crystal stair . ' it can be found in the collected poems of langston hughes . ' what i learned from my mother ' by julia kasdorf kasdorf is the second contemporary poet on our list . she talks about how her mother taught her to comfort those in mourning , to offer healing and the blessing of your voice , your chaste touch . ' do you have a favorite mother 's day poem ? let us know in the comments below . © copyright 2010 mother nature network","robert louis stevenson : poem tells mother to hear the little feet along the floor '" +"afghan ( cnn ) -- the army sergeant who admitted to gunning down 16 civilians in a 2012 rampage through two villages near his outpost in southern afghanistan is expected to take the stand at his sentencing hearing and will apologize . army staff sgt . robert bales pleaded guilty in june to more than 30 criminal charges , including 16 premeditated murder counts . the plea spares the 39-year-old bales the prospect of a death sentence in the killings . he now faces life in prison , but a jury of four officers and two enlisted personnel will decide whether he will have a chance at parole . yes , bob will take ( the ) stand ... yes , bob will apologize , ' bales'lawyer , john henry browne said in an e-mail to cnn . bales admitted to slipping away from his outpost in southern afghanistan and going on a house-to-house killing spree in two nearby villages in march 2012 , a massacre that further strained ties between american troops and their afghan allies . afghanistan shootings fast facts but he has not offered an explanation for his actions . i 've asked that question a million times since then . there 's not a good reason in the world for the horrible things i did , ' bales said when he pleaded guilty , according to drew mikkelson of cnn affilliate king , who was tweeting from the courtroom . mikkelson also tweeted from the sentencing hearing , which began this week at joint base lewis-mcchord , near tacoma , washington . so far , a number of afghan civilians have taken the stand for the prosecution to talk about what they saw and survived . haji mohammed wazir lost 11 relatives -- his wife , mother , two brothers , a 13-year-old nephew and six of his seven children -- according to king . my life has never been the same , ' wazir told the jury . it 's been more than a year since the massacre , but wazir said : i feel like it 's happening right now , ' the affiliate reported . king 's mikkelson tweeted that a 12-year-old boy who survived the rampage testified about seeing his father and sister get shot . another witness broke down on the stand and cried out : for god 's sake , do n't ask me any more questions , ' mikkelson wrote . in addition to the murder counts , bales pleaded guilty to six counts of attempted murder , seven of assault and the use of illicit steroids and alcohol . he pleaded not guilty to a charge of obstruction of justice . bales is a member of the army 's 3rd stryker brigade combat team , an element of the 2nd infantry division . his attorneys have said the service made a mistake in assigning bales to another combat tour despite evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury suffered during a combat tour in iraq . cnn 's matt smith contributed to this report .","afghan civilians have been called to testify about what they saw , survived" +"alexandre vinokourov ( cnn ) -- alexandre vinokourov claimed kazakhstan 's first medal at the london olympics with gold in saturday 's men 's cycling road race . much fancied home favorite mark cavendish finished a disappointing 29th as the british team struggled to meet pre-race expectations . colombia 's rigoberto uran took the silver , while bronze went to alexander kristoff from norway . the 38-year-old vinokourov , who served a two-year ban for blood doping between 2007 and 2009 , announced after the race that he may retire from the sport after wednesday 's cycling time trial . i will still race in the time trial on wednesday but i have the gold medal i wanted and after that i will consider retiring , ' said the kazakh cyclist . world champion cavendish had been strongly tipped to finally claim the olympic medal that had eluded him at the 2008 games in beijing , where he was the only member of britain 's track cycling team to return from the games without a medal . despite the british team having control of the peloton throughout the race , they struggled to close the gap on the lead group and cavendish was nowhere in sight as vinokourov out sprinted uran to the finish line in front of buckingham palace . there was a group of 22 who got away and we could n't pull them back , ' said cavendish . i can be proud of how the lads rode . they have got nothing left in the tank . cavendish 's hopes appeared to have been boosted when rival swiss sprinter fabian cancellara crashed , but the peloton could not close on the leading group . with just under 10km to the finish line -- and a handy time advantage of 50 seconds -- the leading pack looked to be preparing for a sprint finish , but uran made a break for it , and surprisingly vinokourov was the only rider to respond . as the two riders rounded the final corner , the kazakh made the most of his rival slowing to look back to check for pursuers and launched a sprint to the line . it was quickly clear that the colombian had no answer to the kazakh 's attack and vinokourov had a big enough lead to ride across the line with his arms aloft .","kazakhstan 's alexandre vinokourov wins gold" +"shuai peng ( cnn ) -- world number one caroline wozniacki suffered another morale-sapping defeat at the french open as she was dumped out by 28th seed daniela hantuchova . the dane , who is yet to win a grand slam tournament , was beaten 6-1 6-3 in just 73 minutes to extend her miserable run at roland garros . her best performance in paris was reaching the quarterfinals in 2009 and she struggled against hantuchova , from slovakia , who was competing in her 41st major . hantuchova reeled off nine straight games to seal the opening set and take a commanding lead in the second but woznaicki offered herself hope when she secured her first break to reduce the deficit to 4-2 . but hantuchova held serve twice to seal one of the biggest victories of her career and set up a meeting with 2009 champion svetlana kuznetsova in the last 16 , after she beat canadian rebecca marino 6-0 6-4 . she played very well today , better than me for sure , ' wozniacki told a press conference . she knew what she wanted to do and i need to get back on the court and practice and come back stronger . kim had a tough loss yesterday and i had a tough loss today and that 's what can happen . since we are number one and two we must be doing something right . i am young and i get experience every time and you learn more from your losses than from your wins . ' after wozniacki 's exit , and kim clijsters defeat on thursday , the trend for upsets continued as australian 8th seed samantha stosur was beaten by unseeded gisela dulko . the argentine set the tone by taking the first four games of the match , and though she dropped the second set , stosur 's 35 unforced errors counted as dulko wrapped up the match . afterwards , she told a press conference she was dedicating her victory to her brother 's twins , myla and teo , who were born overnight . yesterday night i was awake really late , ' she said . you know , it was very emotional , because i would have loved to be there , but i 'm here . the key to the match was to start well , to be aggressive from the start , ' stosur added : she seemed to be out ahead a little bit better and really kind of be the one dictating the points , which , for me , i 'm usually the one able to do that . ' elsewhere , defending champion and fifth seed , francesca schiavone , from italy , had no such trouble making the fourth round after her chinese opponent shuai peng retired hurt with the score at 6-3 1-2 . russian third seed vera zvonareva beat anastasia rodionova , from austria , 6-2 6-3 and anastasia pavlyuchenkova , the 14th seed , triumphed over nuria llagostera vives , from spain , 3-6 6-3 6-3 . serb jelena jankovic , the 10th seed , beat bethanie mattek-sands , from the united states , 6-2 6-2 , while 11th seed marion bartoli , from france , beat julia goerges , from germany , 3-6 6-2 6-4 .","defending champion francesca schiavone through as shuai peng retires hurt" +"jasmine fiore ( cnn ) -- ryan alexander jenkins , a reality tv contestant suspected in his wife 's slaying , was found hanging from a coat rack in a motel room in an apparent suicide , according to canadian officials . police were hunting for ryan alexander jenkins after the death of jasmine fiore . staff at a motel in hope , british columbia , found jenkins dead , officials said . it was a man hanging by a belt from a coat rack , ' kevin walker , the manager of the budget thunderbird motel , told cnn affiliate ctv on sunday . walker said a woman , about 20 to 25 years old , dropped off jenkins at the motel on friday in a silver chrysler pt cruiser with alberta tags . police have not been able to identify the woman . watch how suspect found in hotel » earlier sunday , canadian authorities said they had credible information that jenkins was in canada and called on him to turn himself in . he was believed to be armed and dangerous . watch what led police to hotel room » the nude body of jenkins'wife , former swimsuit model jasmine fiore , was found last weekend in orange county , california . cnn has not confirmed reports that the marriage was annulled . fiore 's body was found last saturday in a dumpster behind an apartment complex in buena park , just outside anaheim , california . her teeth had been extracted and fingers removed in what police said was an apparent attempt to conceal her identity . law enforcement sources have told cnn that fiore was identified through the serial numbers on her breast implants . fiore lived in los angeles and was last seen alive in san diego at a poker game with jenkins , the night before the body was found . jenkins reported fiore missing last saturday night to the los angeles county sheriff 's department , authorities said . the body was identified monday as fiore . while the cause of death had not been confirmed , a preliminary coroner 's report indicated she was strangled . according to court records in las vegas , nevada , jenkins was charged in june with battery for allegedly striking fiore in the arm with his fist . and in 2007 , jenkins pleaded guilty in calgary , alberta , canada to assault in a separate case . he was sentenced to 15 months probation , ordered to undergo counseling for domestic violence and sex addiction and to stay away from the person involved , according to court records . jenkins , who appeared on the vh1 show megan wants a millionaire , ' is from calgary . 51minds , which produced megan wants a millionaire , ' said thursday in a written statement that it was not aware of ryan jenkins'record when it cast him . the company did have in place what it thought was a thorough vetting process that involved complete background checks by an outside company for all contestants on its shows , ' it said . clearly , the process did not work properly in this case . 51 minds is investigating what went wrong and taking steps to ensure that this sort of lapse never occurs again . ' cnn 's paul vercammen contributed to this report .","body of jasmine fiore , 28 , found stuffed into a suitcase inside a dumpster" +"gujranwala islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- bomb blasts in pakistan rocked three police buildings near lahore , police told cnn on wednesday . police chief ghulam mehmood dogar said the three bombs were planted on tuesday night at a police station , an office of a senior police official and a police barracks . they were detonated by remote control this morning in the city of gujranwala , 70 kilometers northwest of lahore , dogar said . three police officers were injured and parts of the buildings were damaged . the first two explosions happened within 30 minutes of one another , and the third bomb was detonated about three hours later . gujranwala has been largely free of the militant violence plaguing parts of pakistan . police said there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks . on monday , two people were injured when in back to back explosions at police stations in the southern port city of karachi . journalist nasir habib contributed to this report","gujranwala has been largely free of the militant violence" +"ivory coast ( cnn ) manchester city and ivory coast football star yaya toure has called on the media to be more respectful in its attitude towards religion after the charlie hebdo attack . twelve people were killed by brothers said and cherif kouachi at the french satirical magazine 's offices last week , with the gunmen reportedly yelling , we have avenged the prophet ' while carrying out the attack . while toure -- a muslim himself -- advocates freedom of speech , he feels news outlets also have responsibilities . as a muslim i always believe in the way people can say what they want to say , ' he told cnn 's amanda davies . but for me , the most important thing is that we know something that sometimes the newspaper is doing a lot -- and they 're trying to do too much , and sometimes they do it not with respect . ' everybody has his point of view -- everybody has something to say about that , ' toure added . of course it 's a newspaper trying to say something . but sometimes it hurts people . ' depicting mohammed is offensive to many muslims and the magazine 's past cartoons of the prophet apparently motivated the attackers in last week 's slaughter . the city midfielder says he was disappointed to hear of the attack on charlie hebdo -- and he now fears for the safety of his muslim friends in the french capital . currently on international duty with ivory coast ahead of the 2015 africa cup of nations which begins this week , toure spent a season playing in the french ligue 1 with monaco in 2006-07 . when you hear something like that it 's a bit disappointing , ' he said , referring to the attack on the charlie hebdo office . i feel very sorry for the families -- they lost their friend , father , or their husband , you know . of course i have a friend in paris , i have people who i work with . you get a bit confused , a bit afraid , because , as a muslim , i have a friend and they are muslim as well and i 'm afraid of what is going to happen . ' the latest charlie hebdo issue has also been highly controversial , largely because on its cover is an illustration of a tearful prophet mohammed , holding up an i am charlie ' sign accompanied by the words all is forgiven . ' the new cover was met with mixed emotions -- with some calling it a bold example of free speech and others criticizing it as needlessly offensive to muslims .","the manchester city midfielder is currently with ivory coast ahead of the africa nations cup" +"manchester city ( cnn ) manchester city and ivory coast football star yaya toure has called on the media to be more respectful in its attitude towards religion after the charlie hebdo attack . twelve people were killed by brothers said and cherif kouachi at the french satirical magazine 's offices last week , with the gunmen reportedly yelling , we have avenged the prophet ' while carrying out the attack . while toure -- a muslim himself -- advocates freedom of speech , he feels news outlets also have responsibilities . as a muslim i always believe in the way people can say what they want to say , ' he told cnn 's amanda davies . but for me , the most important thing is that we know something that sometimes the newspaper is doing a lot -- and they 're trying to do too much , and sometimes they do it not with respect . ' everybody has his point of view -- everybody has something to say about that , ' toure added . of course it 's a newspaper trying to say something . but sometimes it hurts people . ' depicting mohammed is offensive to many muslims and the magazine 's past cartoons of the prophet apparently motivated the attackers in last week 's slaughter . the city midfielder says he was disappointed to hear of the attack on charlie hebdo -- and he now fears for the safety of his muslim friends in the french capital . currently on international duty with ivory coast ahead of the 2015 africa cup of nations which begins this week , toure spent a season playing in the french ligue 1 with monaco in 2006-07 . when you hear something like that it 's a bit disappointing , ' he said , referring to the attack on the charlie hebdo office . i feel very sorry for the families -- they lost their friend , father , or their husband , you know . of course i have a friend in paris , i have people who i work with . you get a bit confused , a bit afraid , because , as a muslim , i have a friend and they are muslim as well and i 'm afraid of what is going to happen . ' the latest charlie hebdo issue has also been highly controversial , largely because on its cover is an illustration of a tearful prophet mohammed , holding up an i am charlie ' sign accompanied by the words all is forgiven . ' the new cover was met with mixed emotions -- with some calling it a bold example of free speech and others criticizing it as needlessly offensive to muslims .","the manchester city midfielder is currently with ivory coast ahead of the africa nations cup" +"ferguson ( cnn ) -- the phenomenal success of modern family ' has been a game changer for its entire cast , including actor jesse tyler ferguson . the show 's high ratings , three consecutive emmy wins for outstanding comedy series and broad fan base have given all its stars a massive platform . ferguson is using his for a cause that 's both political and personal : the fight to legalize same-sex marriage . the 37-year-old montana native does n't just play mitch , a gay man in a loving , committed relationship on tv ; in a way , he is mitch . after dating for more than two years , ferguson and his boyfriend , justin mikita , decided to take the next step . during a recent trip to mexico , ferguson popped the big q . ' mikita said yes . after much consideration and debate , the newly engaged couple decided to go public with their private news , not because they do n't enjoy their privacy -- they certainly do -- but because in doing so they knew they could shine a light on a cause dear to their hearts . ferguson and mitka started the tie the knot foundation . its mission is simple : sell bow ties to raise money for marriage equality . the modern family ' actor recently spoke with cnn about his organization . cnn : when you go to www.tietheknot.org , the first thing you see is a hilarious video of you and justin announcing your engagement . jesse tyler fergusson : i feel like when you tackle any subject with comedy , humor and wits , you 're going to get a lot further than if you just give the dry facts of the cause . cnn : it definitely gets your attention . it could n't have been an easy decision to put your private life out there like that . ferguson : we kind of felt like the only way to legitimize why we wanted to do this was to announce that we were actually engaged . it made me very nervous ; i did n't want to exploit something that was very personal and private between justin and me . but , in the context of our foundation , it felt like ( it was ) the right time to tell people . cnn : my favorite part was your struggle with labeling your relationship . ferguson : i hate lover ' ! i think it sounds so pretentious and like that saturday night live ' skit with will ferrell and rachel dratch in the hot tub eating turkey . i 've always found the term fiance in gay or straight relationships to be completely strange . it does n't sound english or american at all . i love calling justin the lover i 've taken on , ' but he does n't care for that . so i just say boyfriend . ' i think there 's something really sweet and innocent about it . cnn : a lot of boyfriends , and girlfriends in maine , maryland and washington got some good news on election day when same-sex marriage was legalized in those states by popular vote . ferguson : i have such mixed feelings about it . obviously , i 'm so happy these states won marriage equality . it 's also very tough for me . i went through it with proposition 8 ( in california ) , seeing the majority vote on the minority 's rights . it 's incredibly hard to swallow . i just feel like it should n't be up to the majority to vote on a minority 's civil rights . i 'm thrilled that we are slowly making progress , and we have to make progress however we can . but i do look forward to the day we stop putting it in the hands of the states and make it a national thing . this is america and ( marriage equality ) should be part of the united ' part of our country . cnn : what do you see as the biggest challenge between where things are now and the protection of same-sex marriage under federal law ? ferguson : we 're in a great place . there 's a forward movement on this issue , and for many young americans it 's a nonissue . but one stumbling block is the lack of education about marriage equality . i feel like there 's a fear that the definition of marriage will be changed . nobody 's looking to change the meaning of what it means to be married . we just want to add to who has the right . it 's the same thing as women wanting the right to vote . they were n't going to change the meaning of going to the polls and putting the card in the ballot ; they just wanted the right to vote . cnn : and whether you 're voting or getting married , who does n't like to wear a nice bow tie , right ? why did you pick this accessory as the cornerstone of your foundation ? ferguson : i selfishly wanted to get involved in the fashion world anyway , but in a way that did n't feel like a huge undertaking . so i thought about what i like to wear and also what is literally the smallest piece of clothing i could possibly design . so we came up with the bow-tie line . it was justin 's idea to incorporate it into the foundation . we thought -- why do n't we kill two birds with one stone ? we 'll start a bow-tie line and funnel the proceeds into a foundation for marriage equality . then justin came up with the idea of tie the knot , which just perfectly marries those two ideas . cnn : i think people will appreciate the symbolism . also , it matches your character in modern family . ' i imagine your cast mates have been supportive . the chemistry there really seems to go beyond the set . is that the case ? ferguson : i mean it really is . people are always trying to test us and break us and find out the darkness , but there 's really nothing to tell . we 're kind of on this roller coaster together , and it 's a very bonding experience . we 're watching our families grow . i 've gotten engaged since meeting these people . ty ( burell ) has had two kids . julie ( bowen ) had twins . sofia ( vergara ) got engaged . we 'll go to a birthday party or get together at someone 's house and bring our husbands , wives , fiances , boyfriends and girlfriends , and it feels like a huge extended family . cnn : i bet when one of your family members finds themselves at the center of a crazy headline or serious crisis you all react . do you turn into papa bear ? ferguson : there 's obviously some sense of protection because we know being ( in ) the media 's eye how vulnerable that can be when you 're going through something . so we all rally around one another and protect one another . we 're always checking in with one another , and some walls definitely go up to protect some people . it 's exactly what you would expect from people who have your back . cnn : i can only imagine what a modern family ' gay wedding will be like . i bet you and justin get asked a lot when the big day is . ferguson : about once a day ! we 're in the process of planning it . it could be as early as this spring , and it could be the following spring . we 're kind of waiting for some pieces to fall into place and to see what my work schedule is like next summer . i 'm also really excited to be married . i do n't want to have a three-year engagement . i proposed to justin because i wanted to be married . i do n't want to be a professional engaged person . cnn : are you planning something more traditional or , dare i say , modern ? ferguson : well , we 're not going to be redefining the marriage ceremony . i grew up catholic but do n't practice any longer . i have n't been to the catholic church in years so i would feel really weird to try and bring in those traditions -- it 's just not us . it 's going to be a very nontraditional , very organic , very simple ceremony . we 're not going to have a wedding party or try to find someone amazing to officiate . i think it will be a very short , very sweet and simple and hopefully beautiful ceremony . i do n't even have any gay friends who have gotten married , but several of my straight friends had very untraditional weddings , and those have always been my favorite . cnn : have you decided about starting a family ? ferguson : it 's something we 've talked about . it 's one of those early date questions . do you want kids ? ' and we both do . but i 'm just excited to get married and sit in the marriage place for a little while . i do n't want to jump into kids right away . but , yeah , we both really want kids very much .","ferguson said he is protective of their relationship" +"ferguson ( cnn ) -- the phenomenal success of modern family ' has been a game changer for its entire cast , including actor jesse tyler ferguson . the show 's high ratings , three consecutive emmy wins for outstanding comedy series and broad fan base have given all its stars a massive platform . ferguson is using his for a cause that 's both political and personal : the fight to legalize same-sex marriage . the 37-year-old montana native does n't just play mitch , a gay man in a loving , committed relationship on tv ; in a way , he is mitch . after dating for more than two years , ferguson and his boyfriend , justin mikita , decided to take the next step . during a recent trip to mexico , ferguson popped the big q . ' mikita said yes . after much consideration and debate , the newly engaged couple decided to go public with their private news , not because they do n't enjoy their privacy -- they certainly do -- but because in doing so they knew they could shine a light on a cause dear to their hearts . ferguson and mitka started the tie the knot foundation . its mission is simple : sell bow ties to raise money for marriage equality . the modern family ' actor recently spoke with cnn about his organization . cnn : when you go to www.tietheknot.org , the first thing you see is a hilarious video of you and justin announcing your engagement . jesse tyler fergusson : i feel like when you tackle any subject with comedy , humor and wits , you 're going to get a lot further than if you just give the dry facts of the cause . cnn : it definitely gets your attention . it could n't have been an easy decision to put your private life out there like that . ferguson : we kind of felt like the only way to legitimize why we wanted to do this was to announce that we were actually engaged . it made me very nervous ; i did n't want to exploit something that was very personal and private between justin and me . but , in the context of our foundation , it felt like ( it was ) the right time to tell people . cnn : my favorite part was your struggle with labeling your relationship . ferguson : i hate lover ' ! i think it sounds so pretentious and like that saturday night live ' skit with will ferrell and rachel dratch in the hot tub eating turkey . i 've always found the term fiance in gay or straight relationships to be completely strange . it does n't sound english or american at all . i love calling justin the lover i 've taken on , ' but he does n't care for that . so i just say boyfriend . ' i think there 's something really sweet and innocent about it . cnn : a lot of boyfriends , and girlfriends in maine , maryland and washington got some good news on election day when same-sex marriage was legalized in those states by popular vote . ferguson : i have such mixed feelings about it . obviously , i 'm so happy these states won marriage equality . it 's also very tough for me . i went through it with proposition 8 ( in california ) , seeing the majority vote on the minority 's rights . it 's incredibly hard to swallow . i just feel like it should n't be up to the majority to vote on a minority 's civil rights . i 'm thrilled that we are slowly making progress , and we have to make progress however we can . but i do look forward to the day we stop putting it in the hands of the states and make it a national thing . this is america and ( marriage equality ) should be part of the united ' part of our country . cnn : what do you see as the biggest challenge between where things are now and the protection of same-sex marriage under federal law ? ferguson : we 're in a great place . there 's a forward movement on this issue , and for many young americans it 's a nonissue . but one stumbling block is the lack of education about marriage equality . i feel like there 's a fear that the definition of marriage will be changed . nobody 's looking to change the meaning of what it means to be married . we just want to add to who has the right . it 's the same thing as women wanting the right to vote . they were n't going to change the meaning of going to the polls and putting the card in the ballot ; they just wanted the right to vote . cnn : and whether you 're voting or getting married , who does n't like to wear a nice bow tie , right ? why did you pick this accessory as the cornerstone of your foundation ? ferguson : i selfishly wanted to get involved in the fashion world anyway , but in a way that did n't feel like a huge undertaking . so i thought about what i like to wear and also what is literally the smallest piece of clothing i could possibly design . so we came up with the bow-tie line . it was justin 's idea to incorporate it into the foundation . we thought -- why do n't we kill two birds with one stone ? we 'll start a bow-tie line and funnel the proceeds into a foundation for marriage equality . then justin came up with the idea of tie the knot , which just perfectly marries those two ideas . cnn : i think people will appreciate the symbolism . also , it matches your character in modern family . ' i imagine your cast mates have been supportive . the chemistry there really seems to go beyond the set . is that the case ? ferguson : i mean it really is . people are always trying to test us and break us and find out the darkness , but there 's really nothing to tell . we 're kind of on this roller coaster together , and it 's a very bonding experience . we 're watching our families grow . i 've gotten engaged since meeting these people . ty ( burell ) has had two kids . julie ( bowen ) had twins . sofia ( vergara ) got engaged . we 'll go to a birthday party or get together at someone 's house and bring our husbands , wives , fiances , boyfriends and girlfriends , and it feels like a huge extended family . cnn : i bet when one of your family members finds themselves at the center of a crazy headline or serious crisis you all react . do you turn into papa bear ? ferguson : there 's obviously some sense of protection because we know being ( in ) the media 's eye how vulnerable that can be when you 're going through something . so we all rally around one another and protect one another . we 're always checking in with one another , and some walls definitely go up to protect some people . it 's exactly what you would expect from people who have your back . cnn : i can only imagine what a modern family ' gay wedding will be like . i bet you and justin get asked a lot when the big day is . ferguson : about once a day ! we 're in the process of planning it . it could be as early as this spring , and it could be the following spring . we 're kind of waiting for some pieces to fall into place and to see what my work schedule is like next summer . i 'm also really excited to be married . i do n't want to have a three-year engagement . i proposed to justin because i wanted to be married . i do n't want to be a professional engaged person . cnn : are you planning something more traditional or , dare i say , modern ? ferguson : well , we 're not going to be redefining the marriage ceremony . i grew up catholic but do n't practice any longer . i have n't been to the catholic church in years so i would feel really weird to try and bring in those traditions -- it 's just not us . it 's going to be a very nontraditional , very organic , very simple ceremony . we 're not going to have a wedding party or try to find someone amazing to officiate . i think it will be a very short , very sweet and simple and hopefully beautiful ceremony . i do n't even have any gay friends who have gotten married , but several of my straight friends had very untraditional weddings , and those have always been my favorite . cnn : have you decided about starting a family ? ferguson : it 's something we 've talked about . it 's one of those early date questions . do you want kids ? ' and we both do . but i 'm just excited to get married and sit in the marriage place for a little while . i do n't want to jump into kids right away . but , yeah , we both really want kids very much .","jesse tyler ferguson and justin mikita launched tie the knot foundation" +"liotta ( cnn ) -- an ex-convict , a mobster , a serial killer -- after more than two decades in the movie business , ray liotta is still perhaps best known for these bad guy ' roles in such films as something wild ' and goodfellas . ' ray liotta ( right ) co-stars with seth rogen in observe and report , ' which opened friday . but in his most recent film , observe and report ' -- a dark comedy co-starring seth rogen as a bipolar mall security guard and anna faris as the vapid make-up counter clerk he 's in love with -- liotta inches away from his edgy persona to play a detective investigating a flashing incident at the mall . a flasher keeps flashing people at the mall , so they call in the'real police ,'which is me , ' liotta told the columbus dispatch . the last thing i want to do is investigate . ' the film , which opened in theaters friday and has earned rave reviews by critics , is not liotta 's first comedic undertaking . the 54-year-old actor also starred in 2007 's wild hogs , ' a comedy co-starring tim allen and john travolta about a group of middle-aged suburban men who decide to become bikers . the film was one of that year 's surprise hits , taking in more than $ 150 million at the domestic box office . see some of the highlights of liotta 's career » liotta first made his mark on the film industry by playing a psychotic ex-husband determined to win back his ex-wife in something wild . ' the role propelled liotta to fame and earned him a golden globe nomination for best supporting actor . from there , liotta starred as mobster henry hill in the martin scorsese classic goodfellas ' ( 1990 ) , working alongside renowned actors robert de niro and joe pesci . edgy guys stand out in people 's minds , ' liotta said of his famous bad guy ' roles , according to the dispatch . but , to avoid being typecast as the bad guy ' forever , liotta decided to break from the mold in his next role as a caring father in the heartwarming film corrina , corrina ' ( 1994 ) , co-starring whoopi goldberg . liotta soon proved that acting was not his only forte . he formed his own production company in 2002 and made his debut as a producer on the film narc , ' in which he also starred as a corrupt cop . he 's also earned plaudits for his television work . in 2004 , liotta starred in an episode of the hit nbc drama , er , ' winning an emmy for his guest appearance . the actor got his start on daytime tv , playing the character joey perrini on the soap another world . ' with several films currently in production , liotta shows no signs of stopping . the actor told the dispatch that he hopes to try his hand at romance in the future , joking that he 'd like to kiss the girl without having to choke her first . ' cnn 's david daniel contributed to this story .","ray liotta known for bad-guy roles such as gangsters , serial killers" +"liotta ( cnn ) -- an ex-convict , a mobster , a serial killer -- after more than two decades in the movie business , ray liotta is still perhaps best known for these bad guy ' roles in such films as something wild ' and goodfellas . ' ray liotta ( right ) co-stars with seth rogen in observe and report , ' which opened friday . but in his most recent film , observe and report ' -- a dark comedy co-starring seth rogen as a bipolar mall security guard and anna faris as the vapid make-up counter clerk he 's in love with -- liotta inches away from his edgy persona to play a detective investigating a flashing incident at the mall . a flasher keeps flashing people at the mall , so they call in the'real police ,'which is me , ' liotta told the columbus dispatch . the last thing i want to do is investigate . ' the film , which opened in theaters friday and has earned rave reviews by critics , is not liotta 's first comedic undertaking . the 54-year-old actor also starred in 2007 's wild hogs , ' a comedy co-starring tim allen and john travolta about a group of middle-aged suburban men who decide to become bikers . the film was one of that year 's surprise hits , taking in more than $ 150 million at the domestic box office . see some of the highlights of liotta 's career » liotta first made his mark on the film industry by playing a psychotic ex-husband determined to win back his ex-wife in something wild . ' the role propelled liotta to fame and earned him a golden globe nomination for best supporting actor . from there , liotta starred as mobster henry hill in the martin scorsese classic goodfellas ' ( 1990 ) , working alongside renowned actors robert de niro and joe pesci . edgy guys stand out in people 's minds , ' liotta said of his famous bad guy ' roles , according to the dispatch . but , to avoid being typecast as the bad guy ' forever , liotta decided to break from the mold in his next role as a caring father in the heartwarming film corrina , corrina ' ( 1994 ) , co-starring whoopi goldberg . liotta soon proved that acting was not his only forte . he formed his own production company in 2002 and made his debut as a producer on the film narc , ' in which he also starred as a corrupt cop . he 's also earned plaudits for his television work . in 2004 , liotta starred in an episode of the hit nbc drama , er , ' winning an emmy for his guest appearance . the actor got his start on daytime tv , playing the character joey perrini on the soap another world . ' with several films currently in production , liotta shows no signs of stopping . the actor told the dispatch that he hopes to try his hand at romance in the future , joking that he 'd like to kiss the girl without having to choke her first . ' cnn 's david daniel contributed to this story .","liotta tries something a little different with comedy observe and report '" +"liotta ( cnn ) -- an ex-convict , a mobster , a serial killer -- after more than two decades in the movie business , ray liotta is still perhaps best known for these bad guy ' roles in such films as something wild ' and goodfellas . ' ray liotta ( right ) co-stars with seth rogen in observe and report , ' which opened friday . but in his most recent film , observe and report ' -- a dark comedy co-starring seth rogen as a bipolar mall security guard and anna faris as the vapid make-up counter clerk he 's in love with -- liotta inches away from his edgy persona to play a detective investigating a flashing incident at the mall . a flasher keeps flashing people at the mall , so they call in the'real police ,'which is me , ' liotta told the columbus dispatch . the last thing i want to do is investigate . ' the film , which opened in theaters friday and has earned rave reviews by critics , is not liotta 's first comedic undertaking . the 54-year-old actor also starred in 2007 's wild hogs , ' a comedy co-starring tim allen and john travolta about a group of middle-aged suburban men who decide to become bikers . the film was one of that year 's surprise hits , taking in more than $ 150 million at the domestic box office . see some of the highlights of liotta 's career » liotta first made his mark on the film industry by playing a psychotic ex-husband determined to win back his ex-wife in something wild . ' the role propelled liotta to fame and earned him a golden globe nomination for best supporting actor . from there , liotta starred as mobster henry hill in the martin scorsese classic goodfellas ' ( 1990 ) , working alongside renowned actors robert de niro and joe pesci . edgy guys stand out in people 's minds , ' liotta said of his famous bad guy ' roles , according to the dispatch . but , to avoid being typecast as the bad guy ' forever , liotta decided to break from the mold in his next role as a caring father in the heartwarming film corrina , corrina ' ( 1994 ) , co-starring whoopi goldberg . liotta soon proved that acting was not his only forte . he formed his own production company in 2002 and made his debut as a producer on the film narc , ' in which he also starred as a corrupt cop . he 's also earned plaudits for his television work . in 2004 , liotta starred in an episode of the hit nbc drama , er , ' winning an emmy for his guest appearance . the actor got his start on daytime tv , playing the character joey perrini on the soap another world . ' with several films currently in production , liotta shows no signs of stopping . the actor told the dispatch that he hopes to try his hand at romance in the future , joking that he 'd like to kiss the girl without having to choke her first . ' cnn 's david daniel contributed to this story ."," edgy guys stand out in people 's minds , ' liotta has said" +"libyan ( cnn ) at least 10 people and two attackers were killed in tuesday 's attack against the luxurious corinthia hotel in tripoli , libya , a spokesman for a security division of the ministry of interior in tripoli said . five foreigners -- one american , one french citizen , and three people from tajikistan -- were killed in the attack , essam al-naas said . five libyans were killed . the libyan branch of isis claimed responsibility for the attacks , and released photos of the two gunmen , it said had carried out the attacks as abu ibraheem al-tunsi and abu sulaiman al-sudani . their naming convention indicates that the men were of tunisian and sudanese origin , respectively . al-naas said it appears the attackers were libyans . american contractor david berry was among the people killed in a terrorist attack at the corinthia hotel in tripoli , libya , on tuesday , according to cliff taylor , chief executive officer of crucible , a security firm where berry was working . the fbi is expected to open an investigation into the incident , two u.s. officials told cnn . a state department official confirmed the death of a u.s. citizen , but would provide no further information . a french citizen was among those killed , according to the french foreign ministry . al-naas earlier said at least two libyan security personnel had been killed in the attack and that three gunmen were holed up in the hotel . an online group that supports isis said the attack was carried out in the name of abu anas al-libi . al-libi was an alleged al qaeda operative accused of involvement in the bombing of u.s. embassies in africa . he was captured by u.s. special forces in libya . he died in a u.s. hospital this month . a spokesman for the corinthia group in malta told cnn there had not been a hostage situation in the hotel , as some reports suggested . we are trying to take possession of the hotel back to assess the damage , ' he said , but libyan security forces were not yet allowing that . the attack began when militants detonated a car bomb in the parking lot of the hotel . the gunmen then shot their way into the hotel . guests were evacuated to safety , however . the five-star hotel is popular among government officials , some of whom reside there . a witness to the events told cnn that all roads leading to the corinthia hotel had been sealed by security forces . people were warned to stay away , the witness said , adding that there had been exchanges of gunfire . cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq and stephanie halasz contributed to this report .","libyan branch of isis claims responsibility ; names attackers" +"libyan ( cnn ) at least 10 people and two attackers were killed in tuesday 's attack against the luxurious corinthia hotel in tripoli , libya , a spokesman for a security division of the ministry of interior in tripoli said . five foreigners -- one american , one french citizen , and three people from tajikistan -- were killed in the attack , essam al-naas said . five libyans were killed . the libyan branch of isis claimed responsibility for the attacks , and released photos of the two gunmen , it said had carried out the attacks as abu ibraheem al-tunsi and abu sulaiman al-sudani . their naming convention indicates that the men were of tunisian and sudanese origin , respectively . al-naas said it appears the attackers were libyans . american contractor david berry was among the people killed in a terrorist attack at the corinthia hotel in tripoli , libya , on tuesday , according to cliff taylor , chief executive officer of crucible , a security firm where berry was working . the fbi is expected to open an investigation into the incident , two u.s. officials told cnn . a state department official confirmed the death of a u.s. citizen , but would provide no further information . a french citizen was among those killed , according to the french foreign ministry . al-naas earlier said at least two libyan security personnel had been killed in the attack and that three gunmen were holed up in the hotel . an online group that supports isis said the attack was carried out in the name of abu anas al-libi . al-libi was an alleged al qaeda operative accused of involvement in the bombing of u.s. embassies in africa . he was captured by u.s. special forces in libya . he died in a u.s. hospital this month . a spokesman for the corinthia group in malta told cnn there had not been a hostage situation in the hotel , as some reports suggested . we are trying to take possession of the hotel back to assess the damage , ' he said , but libyan security forces were not yet allowing that . the attack began when militants detonated a car bomb in the parking lot of the hotel . the gunmen then shot their way into the hotel . guests were evacuated to safety , however . the five-star hotel is popular among government officials , some of whom reside there . a witness to the events told cnn that all roads leading to the corinthia hotel had been sealed by security forces . people were warned to stay away , the witness said , adding that there had been exchanges of gunfire . cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq and stephanie halasz contributed to this report .","libyan spokesman says death toll is at least 10 people at hotel and two attackers" +"afghanistan washington ( cnn ) -- president bush on tuesday announced a troop deployment shift for america 's two wars , a move that reflects a more stable iraq and an increasingly volatile afghanistan . president bush said tuesday that he soon will start bringing some u.s. troops home from iraq . through early next year , about 8,000 american troops will leave iraq and not be replaced . some 4,500 other u.s. service members will go to afghanistan . bush also emphasized the u.s. intention to help pakistan defeat insurgents who are using the country 's tribal areas to stage attacks in afghanistan . iraq , afghanistan and parts of pakistan pose unique challenges for our country , ' bush said tuesday in a speech at the national defense university in washington . yet they are all theaters in the same overall struggle . ' bush said he is making the iraqi troop withdrawal decision based on a recommendation from top military officers , including gen. david petraeus , the highest-ranking u.s. military officer in iraq . watch bush announce the troop reduction in iraq » ' he and the joint chiefs of staff have recommended that we move forward with additional force reductions , ' the president said , citing military and political strides in stabilizing the country and dramatically bringing down violence . bush adopted the entire recommendation from petraeus , a senior military official in iraq told cnn . the source said five people saw the plan before it went to the president . debate the iraq issue ! join the forum in explaining progress in the war effort , bush cited the surge ' offensive , winning the hearts and minds of sunni tribes , iraqi political reconciliation efforts , economic improvements , an improved iraqi army leading the fight against shiite and sunni insurgents , and a return of hundreds of doctors who fled the fighting . over the next several months , we will bring home about 3,400 combat support forces -- including aviation personnel , explosive ordnance teams , combat and construction engineers , military police and logistical support forces , ' he said . by november , we will bring home a marine battalion that is now serving in anbar province . and in february of 2009 , another army combat brigade will come home . this amounts to about 8,000 additional american troops returning home without replacement . and if the progress in iraq continues to hold , gen. petraeus and our military leaders believe additional reductions will be possible in the first half of 2009 . ' at present , there are about 146,000 u.s. troops in iraq . an adviser to iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki welcomed bush 's decision . we look at this step as a positive step that there is stability in iraq , there is a real improvement in the security situation in iraq and there is a real improvement in the capability of the iraqi security forces in protecting and keeping the security in iraq , ' said sadiq al-rikabi , al-maliki 's political adviser . democrats were less than enthusiastic about bush 's announcement . the plan may seem to signal movement in the right direction , ' but it defers troop reductions until the next administration , ' said rep. ike skelton , d-missouri , chairman of the house armed services committee . more significant troop reductions in iraq are needed so that we can start to rebuild u.s. military readiness and provide the additional forces needed to finish the fight in afghanistan . ' skelton said iraq can not continue to overshadow other critical u.s. security needs . ' the effort in afghanistan must move to the forefront and once again become our top priority , ' he said . democratic presidential nominee sen. barack obama praised bush for announcing additional troops for afghanistan and moving in the direction of the policy that i have advocated for years . ' however , we will continue to spend $ 10 billion a month in iraq while the iraqi government sits on a $ 79 billion surplus , ' obama said . in the absence of a timetable to remove our combat brigades , we will continue to give iraq 's leaders a blank check instead of pressing them to reconcile their differences , ' he said . obama criticized the timing and scope of bush 's move . his plan comes up short -- it is not enough troops , and not enough resources , with not enough urgency , ' the senator from illinois said of bush 's call for more troops in afghanistan . in his speech , bush praised other members of the u.s.-led coalition , saying many of those nations will be able to end their deployments to iraq this year . he said australia has withdrawn its battle group ' and polish troops are set to redeploy shortly . ' the president said iraq and the united states will work toward the conclusion of a strategic framework agreement and a status of forces agreement , ' pacts that will spell out the terms of their relationship . these agreements will serve as the foundation for america 's continued security support to iraq once the united nations resolution authorizing the multinational forces there expires on december 31 . ' bush focused his remarks just as strongly on afghanistan , where al qaeda and taliban militants have been making a comeback . for all the good work we have done in that country , it is clear we must do even more , ' he said . as we learned in iraq , the best way to restore the confidence of the people is to restore basic security -- and that requires more troops . ' he said that a marine battalion of around 1,000 will deploy to afghanistan in november instead of iraq and that an army combat brigade of around 3,500 will go in january . bush said the u.s. would make additional forces available in 2009 and called on allies to increase their force levels . bush said stepped-up insurgent efforts in afghanistan have necessitated the increase of u.s. troops from less than 21,000 two years ago to nearly 31,000 today . ' he said these troop increases and those by allies , including britain , france , poland , bulgaria , romania , australia , germany , denmark and the czech republic , have resulted in what he calls a quiet surge ' in afghanistan . bush described challenges in afghanistan that do n't exist in iraq . this is a vast country , ' he said . unlike iraq , it has few natural resources and has an underdeveloped infrastructure . its democratic institutions are fragile . and its enemies are some of the most hardened terrorists and extremists in the world . ' he said americans will help develop afghan security forces and are improving efforts on the civilian side , adding more personnel to deal with issues of diplomacy , development , the rural economy and the fight against the drug trade .","president bush cites increased stability in iraq , stronger insurgency in afghanistan" +"afghanistan washington ( cnn ) -- president bush on tuesday announced a troop deployment shift for america 's two wars , a move that reflects a more stable iraq and an increasingly volatile afghanistan . president bush said tuesday that he soon will start bringing some u.s. troops home from iraq . through early next year , about 8,000 american troops will leave iraq and not be replaced . some 4,500 other u.s. service members will go to afghanistan . bush also emphasized the u.s. intention to help pakistan defeat insurgents who are using the country 's tribal areas to stage attacks in afghanistan . iraq , afghanistan and parts of pakistan pose unique challenges for our country , ' bush said tuesday in a speech at the national defense university in washington . yet they are all theaters in the same overall struggle . ' bush said he is making the iraqi troop withdrawal decision based on a recommendation from top military officers , including gen. david petraeus , the highest-ranking u.s. military officer in iraq . watch bush announce the troop reduction in iraq » ' he and the joint chiefs of staff have recommended that we move forward with additional force reductions , ' the president said , citing military and political strides in stabilizing the country and dramatically bringing down violence . bush adopted the entire recommendation from petraeus , a senior military official in iraq told cnn . the source said five people saw the plan before it went to the president . debate the iraq issue ! join the forum in explaining progress in the war effort , bush cited the surge ' offensive , winning the hearts and minds of sunni tribes , iraqi political reconciliation efforts , economic improvements , an improved iraqi army leading the fight against shiite and sunni insurgents , and a return of hundreds of doctors who fled the fighting . over the next several months , we will bring home about 3,400 combat support forces -- including aviation personnel , explosive ordnance teams , combat and construction engineers , military police and logistical support forces , ' he said . by november , we will bring home a marine battalion that is now serving in anbar province . and in february of 2009 , another army combat brigade will come home . this amounts to about 8,000 additional american troops returning home without replacement . and if the progress in iraq continues to hold , gen. petraeus and our military leaders believe additional reductions will be possible in the first half of 2009 . ' at present , there are about 146,000 u.s. troops in iraq . an adviser to iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki welcomed bush 's decision . we look at this step as a positive step that there is stability in iraq , there is a real improvement in the security situation in iraq and there is a real improvement in the capability of the iraqi security forces in protecting and keeping the security in iraq , ' said sadiq al-rikabi , al-maliki 's political adviser . democrats were less than enthusiastic about bush 's announcement . the plan may seem to signal movement in the right direction , ' but it defers troop reductions until the next administration , ' said rep. ike skelton , d-missouri , chairman of the house armed services committee . more significant troop reductions in iraq are needed so that we can start to rebuild u.s. military readiness and provide the additional forces needed to finish the fight in afghanistan . ' skelton said iraq can not continue to overshadow other critical u.s. security needs . ' the effort in afghanistan must move to the forefront and once again become our top priority , ' he said . democratic presidential nominee sen. barack obama praised bush for announcing additional troops for afghanistan and moving in the direction of the policy that i have advocated for years . ' however , we will continue to spend $ 10 billion a month in iraq while the iraqi government sits on a $ 79 billion surplus , ' obama said . in the absence of a timetable to remove our combat brigades , we will continue to give iraq 's leaders a blank check instead of pressing them to reconcile their differences , ' he said . obama criticized the timing and scope of bush 's move . his plan comes up short -- it is not enough troops , and not enough resources , with not enough urgency , ' the senator from illinois said of bush 's call for more troops in afghanistan . in his speech , bush praised other members of the u.s.-led coalition , saying many of those nations will be able to end their deployments to iraq this year . he said australia has withdrawn its battle group ' and polish troops are set to redeploy shortly . ' the president said iraq and the united states will work toward the conclusion of a strategic framework agreement and a status of forces agreement , ' pacts that will spell out the terms of their relationship . these agreements will serve as the foundation for america 's continued security support to iraq once the united nations resolution authorizing the multinational forces there expires on december 31 . ' bush focused his remarks just as strongly on afghanistan , where al qaeda and taliban militants have been making a comeback . for all the good work we have done in that country , it is clear we must do even more , ' he said . as we learned in iraq , the best way to restore the confidence of the people is to restore basic security -- and that requires more troops . ' he said that a marine battalion of around 1,000 will deploy to afghanistan in november instead of iraq and that an army combat brigade of around 3,500 will go in january . bush said the u.s. would make additional forces available in 2009 and called on allies to increase their force levels . bush said stepped-up insurgent efforts in afghanistan have necessitated the increase of u.s. troops from less than 21,000 two years ago to nearly 31,000 today . ' he said these troop increases and those by allies , including britain , france , poland , bulgaria , romania , australia , germany , denmark and the czech republic , have resulted in what he calls a quiet surge ' in afghanistan . bush described challenges in afghanistan that do n't exist in iraq . this is a vast country , ' he said . unlike iraq , it has few natural resources and has an underdeveloped infrastructure . its democratic institutions are fragile . and its enemies are some of the most hardened terrorists and extremists in the world . ' he said americans will help develop afghan security forces and are improving efforts on the civilian side , adding more personnel to deal with issues of diplomacy , development , the rural economy and the fight against the drug trade .","iraq force to be trimmed by 8,000 ; afghanistan force to rise by 4,500" +"parliament ( cnn ) -- it 's a perennial problem . how do you persuade young , apathetic voters to go to the polls ? enter voteman ' -- denmark 's rather ill-judged and short-lived cartoon solution . the cartoon opens with two apparently politically disaffected young men . the scene switches to voteman , a muscle-bound , stubble-chinned superhero , answering a call asking him to persuade voters to have their say in the upcoming european parliament elections . naked , he leaps up from a bed surrounded by women apparently performing sex acts on him and -- having donned a leather waistcoat and trousers -- sets off from a bond villain-esque island hideout on his mission , riding a pair of harnessed dolphins as waterskis . an orgy of cartoon violence follows -- one of the original men is decapitated , while other would-be non-voters are punched , slapped and tossed through the windows of a polling station to vote . the cartoon is the unlikely creation of the danish parliament 's eu information center , originally posted to its official youtube page . less surprisingly perhaps , it has now been pulled and an apology made for its graphic sexual and violent content . mogens lykketoft , speaker of the danish parliament , said in a statement on his facebook page that many people had perceived the cartoon as more serious and offensive than it was intended , and see it as talking down to the youth . reaction in social media is sharply divided between those who see this as unacceptably vulgar , and those who think it is tough but acceptable humor which brings attention to the vote on may 25 . the latter was the intention . but i acknowledge that parliament , as an institution , in future has to show more caution in what we put our name to . ' the cartoon tells the story of how voteman , as a young man , once forgot to vote in european parliament elections . this , the narration says , taught him a painful lesson : no influence on climate regulations , agricultural subsidies , chemicals in toys -- and the amount of cinnamon allowed in his cinnamon buns . horrified by this , he decided he would dedicate his life to making everybody vote . so if you 're not going to vote , do n't try to run , do n't try to hide , because he will find you . and he will make you vote . ' the european parliament elections , in which voters in each of the european union 's member states elect representatives to the body , are taking place across europe next week . may 25 is the day on which danish voters will go to the polls . denmark 's turnout for the last european elections in 2009 was close to 60 % , well above the european average of 43 % . cnn 's kim norgaard contributed to this report .","danish parliament 's eu information center created cartoon ahead of european elections" +"parliament ( cnn ) -- it 's a perennial problem . how do you persuade young , apathetic voters to go to the polls ? enter voteman ' -- denmark 's rather ill-judged and short-lived cartoon solution . the cartoon opens with two apparently politically disaffected young men . the scene switches to voteman , a muscle-bound , stubble-chinned superhero , answering a call asking him to persuade voters to have their say in the upcoming european parliament elections . naked , he leaps up from a bed surrounded by women apparently performing sex acts on him and -- having donned a leather waistcoat and trousers -- sets off from a bond villain-esque island hideout on his mission , riding a pair of harnessed dolphins as waterskis . an orgy of cartoon violence follows -- one of the original men is decapitated , while other would-be non-voters are punched , slapped and tossed through the windows of a polling station to vote . the cartoon is the unlikely creation of the danish parliament 's eu information center , originally posted to its official youtube page . less surprisingly perhaps , it has now been pulled and an apology made for its graphic sexual and violent content . mogens lykketoft , speaker of the danish parliament , said in a statement on his facebook page that many people had perceived the cartoon as more serious and offensive than it was intended , and see it as talking down to the youth . reaction in social media is sharply divided between those who see this as unacceptably vulgar , and those who think it is tough but acceptable humor which brings attention to the vote on may 25 . the latter was the intention . but i acknowledge that parliament , as an institution , in future has to show more caution in what we put our name to . ' the cartoon tells the story of how voteman , as a young man , once forgot to vote in european parliament elections . this , the narration says , taught him a painful lesson : no influence on climate regulations , agricultural subsidies , chemicals in toys -- and the amount of cinnamon allowed in his cinnamon buns . horrified by this , he decided he would dedicate his life to making everybody vote . so if you 're not going to vote , do n't try to run , do n't try to hide , because he will find you . and he will make you vote . ' the european parliament elections , in which voters in each of the european union 's member states elect representatives to the body , are taking place across europe next week . may 25 is the day on which danish voters will go to the polls . denmark 's turnout for the last european elections in 2009 was close to 60 % , well above the european average of 43 % . cnn 's kim norgaard contributed to this report .","parliament speaker apologizes , says cartoon was more serious and offensive ' than intended" +"ukraine kiev , ukraine ( cnn ) -- a perilous face-off intensified saturday when russia state news complained that ukraine had mobilized 15,000 troops in the suburbs of slavyansk in eastern ukraine in order to wipe out the city and its residents . ' quoting a russian defense ministry source , ria novosti said satellite photos showed the force forming around the city that has become a friction point between the ukraine military and pro-russian militants . the defense ministry source said the number of ukraine troops put the pro-russian militants at a disadvantage because the latter are armed only with small amount of pistols and shotguns . ' many eastern ukraine residents have russian roots and sympathize with moscow . the source said the photos showed about 160 tanks , 230 infantry combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers , mine throwers and multiple-launch rocket systems . russian president vladimir putin has repeatedly criticized kiev 's use of force against ukrainian civilians . developments in ukraine have come at a rapid pace in recent days : -- russia , which already had 40,000 troops on its side of the border , started new military drills a few days ago after ukrainian forces said they killed five pro-russian militants . ukraine launched the second stage of an anti-terrorist operation ' against militants in slavyansk . -- on friday , a team of european and ukrainian military observers were seized friday by pro-russian separatists in slavyansk . -- russian military aircraft crossed and violated ' ukrainian airspace seven times overnight , ukrainian prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk told reporters in rome on saturday . the russian defense ministry denied the accusation , according to the state news agency itar-tass . -- yatsenyuk met with pope francis while in rome on saturday . the meeting has been seen as a sign of support from the vatican for his government . -- g7 leaders said they would impose new sanctions on russia over its role in the crisis . the ukrainian prime minister urged russia to pull back its security forces and not to support pro-russian militants in eastern and southern ukraine . we urge russia to leave us alone , ' he said in televised remarks . ukraine 's government has promised constitutional reforms and protections for russian speakers in a bid to ease the tensions in its eastern regions . inspectors seized in slavyansk on saturday , the fate of the military inspectors preoccupied world leaders . the inspectors from the organization for security and co-operation in europe were detained friday as they entered slavyansk , along with five ukrainian military representatives and the driver of their bus , ukraine 's interior ministry said . ukraine 's security service , the sbu , said the group is being kept under inhumane conditions ' in the basement of a building held by the militants . the self-declared mayor of slavyansk , vyacheslav ponomarev , told reporters that one of the prisoners ' has diabetes , but he has the medicine he needs and will be given his own quarters overnight . separatist leader denis pushilin , self-declared chairman of the so-called donetsk people 's republic , ' told cnn he does n't believe they are from the osce , but that some are nato spies . the german foreign office said it had set up an emergency task force to find out what has happened to the team members , four of whom are german . the others are from denmark , poland , bulgaria and the czech republic , russian state media said . the osce mission in ukraine is tasked with helping to implement an international agreement signed nine days ago in switzerland , which called for illegal militia groups to disarm and leave occupied buildings , among other provisions . in a phone call with u.s. secretary of state john kerry , russian foreign minister sergey lavrov asked the united states to use its influence to secure the release of pro-russian leaders being held in ukraine . kerry urged russia to support efforts of the osce and the government of ukraine to liberate the inspectors and their ukrainian guides , according to a senior state department official . targeted sanctions against the backdrop of increasing volatility in ukraine , leaders of the g7 industrialized nations on friday announced they would move swiftly to impose additional sanctions on russia ' over its actions in ukraine . the statement from the group -- which includes canada , france , germany , italy , japan , the united kingdom and the united states -- came hours after u.s. president barack obama threatened russia with new sanctions . cnn 's gul tuysuz reported from kiev and laura smith-spark wrote and reported from london . cnn 's andrew carey and nick paton walsh in slavyansk and journalist victoria butenko in kiev contributed to this report . cnn 's alex felton , bharati naik , ben brumfield and boriana milanova also contributed .","ukraine 's security service says osce team is being held in inhumane conditions '" +"ukraine kiev , ukraine ( cnn ) -- a perilous face-off intensified saturday when russia state news complained that ukraine had mobilized 15,000 troops in the suburbs of slavyansk in eastern ukraine in order to wipe out the city and its residents . ' quoting a russian defense ministry source , ria novosti said satellite photos showed the force forming around the city that has become a friction point between the ukraine military and pro-russian militants . the defense ministry source said the number of ukraine troops put the pro-russian militants at a disadvantage because the latter are armed only with small amount of pistols and shotguns . ' many eastern ukraine residents have russian roots and sympathize with moscow . the source said the photos showed about 160 tanks , 230 infantry combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers , mine throwers and multiple-launch rocket systems . russian president vladimir putin has repeatedly criticized kiev 's use of force against ukrainian civilians . developments in ukraine have come at a rapid pace in recent days : -- russia , which already had 40,000 troops on its side of the border , started new military drills a few days ago after ukrainian forces said they killed five pro-russian militants . ukraine launched the second stage of an anti-terrorist operation ' against militants in slavyansk . -- on friday , a team of european and ukrainian military observers were seized friday by pro-russian separatists in slavyansk . -- russian military aircraft crossed and violated ' ukrainian airspace seven times overnight , ukrainian prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk told reporters in rome on saturday . the russian defense ministry denied the accusation , according to the state news agency itar-tass . -- yatsenyuk met with pope francis while in rome on saturday . the meeting has been seen as a sign of support from the vatican for his government . -- g7 leaders said they would impose new sanctions on russia over its role in the crisis . the ukrainian prime minister urged russia to pull back its security forces and not to support pro-russian militants in eastern and southern ukraine . we urge russia to leave us alone , ' he said in televised remarks . ukraine 's government has promised constitutional reforms and protections for russian speakers in a bid to ease the tensions in its eastern regions . inspectors seized in slavyansk on saturday , the fate of the military inspectors preoccupied world leaders . the inspectors from the organization for security and co-operation in europe were detained friday as they entered slavyansk , along with five ukrainian military representatives and the driver of their bus , ukraine 's interior ministry said . ukraine 's security service , the sbu , said the group is being kept under inhumane conditions ' in the basement of a building held by the militants . the self-declared mayor of slavyansk , vyacheslav ponomarev , told reporters that one of the prisoners ' has diabetes , but he has the medicine he needs and will be given his own quarters overnight . separatist leader denis pushilin , self-declared chairman of the so-called donetsk people 's republic , ' told cnn he does n't believe they are from the osce , but that some are nato spies . the german foreign office said it had set up an emergency task force to find out what has happened to the team members , four of whom are german . the others are from denmark , poland , bulgaria and the czech republic , russian state media said . the osce mission in ukraine is tasked with helping to implement an international agreement signed nine days ago in switzerland , which called for illegal militia groups to disarm and leave occupied buildings , among other provisions . in a phone call with u.s. secretary of state john kerry , russian foreign minister sergey lavrov asked the united states to use its influence to secure the release of pro-russian leaders being held in ukraine . kerry urged russia to support efforts of the osce and the government of ukraine to liberate the inspectors and their ukrainian guides , according to a senior state department official . targeted sanctions against the backdrop of increasing volatility in ukraine , leaders of the g7 industrialized nations on friday announced they would move swiftly to impose additional sanctions on russia ' over its actions in ukraine . the statement from the group -- which includes canada , france , germany , italy , japan , the united kingdom and the united states -- came hours after u.s. president barack obama threatened russia with new sanctions . cnn 's gul tuysuz reported from kiev and laura smith-spark wrote and reported from london . cnn 's andrew carey and nick paton walsh in slavyansk and journalist victoria butenko in kiev contributed to this report . cnn 's alex felton , bharati naik , ben brumfield and boriana milanova also contributed .","russian state news says 15,000 ukrainian troops in eastern ukraine" +"senate ( cnn ) -- former u.s. sen. arlen specter , who embodied a vanishing breed of liberal republicanism before switching to the democratic party at the twilight of his political career , died sunday after a long battle with cancer , his family announced . specter died of complications from non-hodgkin 's lymphoma at his home in philadelphia , his family said . he was 82 . the veteran pennsylvania politician had overcome numerous serious illnesses over the past two decades , including a brain tumor . he had been in the public eye since serving as a member of the warren commission , which investigated the assassination of president john f. kennedy . specter was elected to the senate in 1980 and represented pennsylvania for 30 years , longer than anyone in the state 's history . his politically moderate image fit hand-in-glove in the politically blue northeast , both with its democratic centrists and its liberal republicans . he was also one of america 's most prominent jewish politicians , a rare republican in a category dominated by democrats over the decades . and his name is synonymous with pennsylvania , an idiosyncratic state that pushes and pulls between the two parties , and his home , the staunchly democratic city of philadelphia . in 2006 , philadelphia magazine called him one of the few true wild cards of washington politics ... reviled by those on both the right and the left . ' charming and churlish , brilliant and pedantic , he can be fiercely independent , entertainingly eccentric and simply maddening , ' the profile read . former gov . ed rendell , a democrat , called specter a mentor , colleague and a political institution ' who did more for the people of pennsylvania over his more than 30-year career with the possible exception of benjamin franklin . ' and pat toomey , the republican who now holds specter 's old senate seat , praised him as a man of sharp intelligence and dogged determination . ' and at the white house , president barack obama said specter was always a fighter . ' from his days stamping out corruption as a prosecutor in philadelphia to his three decades of service in the senate , arlen was fiercely independent -- never putting party or ideology ahead of the people he was chosen to serve , ' obama said in a written statement on specter 's death . and vice president joe biden lamented the loss of my friend , ' who never walked away from his principles and was at his best when they were challenged . ' biden will travel to penn valley , pennsylvania , on tuesday for specter 's funeral , according to the white house . g. terry madonna , director of the franklin & marshall college poll and professor of pubic affairs at franklin & marshall college , said frank sinatra 's song my way ' could apply to specter . there is n't any doubt in many respects he was an unusual politician , ' madonna said . he did n't look at polls . he did n't track how his comments were playing out in the press . ... ' he was fundamentally a pragmatist who could bend with the times , ' madonna said , and he believed greatly that government could help people . the republicanism in his day , it was a different kind of republican . he was a philadelphian , and not into that staunchly conservative republicanism that we see ' today . readers wished the best for specter madonna called specter an indefatigable ' public figure , highly demanding of both himself and those who worked for him over the years . he had a few election losses but he was undeterred by defeat , the prospects of losing and the challenges he faced . the last thing you would have thought about arlen specter was that he was born in kansas , ' madonna said . he always came across as kind of urbane . he had a kind of caustic sense of humor . ' but specter in fact was born in wichita , the youngest child of lillie shanin and harry specter , an immigrant from ukraine . he grew up in russell , kansas , also the hometown of another republican icon , a one-time presidential nominee and senator , bob dole . after graduating from russell high school in 1947 , specter first went to the university of oklahoma . but he eventually went east for his higher education . he earned a bachelor 's degree in international relations in 1951 from the university of pennsylvania , in philadelphia , where he graduated phi beta kappa . he was in the u.s. air force during the korean war from 1951 to 1953 , serving as a second lieutenant in the air force office of special investigations . he returned to his studies and graduated from yale law school in 1956 . after yale , he started practicing law and became an assistant district attorney in philadelphia . he served on the warren commission at the recommendation of rep. gerald ford , later president . specter is credited with co-authoring the single bullet theory , ' which suggested that some of the wounds to kennedy and then-texas gov . john connally were caused by the same bullet . even though he was a registered democrat , specter ran successfully for philadelphia district attorney on the republican ticket in 1965 and eventually registered as a republican . he lost an election for philadelphia mayor in 1967 . he served as district attorney until 1974 and prosecuted corruption cases against philadelphia magistrates and teamsters . specter ran for the u.s. senate in 1976 , but he was defeated in the republican primary by john heinz . he ran for governor but was defeated by dick thornburgh in the primary . but he won his bid for senate in 1980 and distinguished himself , serving until 2011 . during his tenure in the senate , specter championed pennsylvania 's economy and took an active interest in foreign affairs , meeting with dozens of world leaders as well as supporting appropriations to fight the global hiv/aids pandemic and backing free trade agreements between the u.s. and under-developed countries , ' according to a bio from the university of pennsylvania law school . he served on the senate judiciary committee , of which he was chairman from 2005 to 2007 . he served as chairman of the senate select committee on intelligence from 1995 to 1997 . and he was a senior member of the senate appropriations committee . specter brought more financial resources to pennsylvania than anyone in the state , working with mayors and other local leaders to help them get grants and aid , madonna said . and he 's remembered across the state 's 67 counties for his efforts . he did n't shy away from pork , ' madonna said . he participated in the confirmation hearings of 14 u.s. supreme court nominees , the penn bio says . he is remembered for leading the charge against conservative nominee robert bork and going after anita hill , who accused nominee clarence thomas of harassment . no member of congress shaped the supreme court more than he did , ' madonna said . he had a prosecutorial mindset . he could be incredibly persuasive as an interrogator . ' specter straddled right and left . he criticized republicans for president bill clinton 's impeachment and voted in favor of the iraq war . he supported embryonic stem cell research . during the 1990s , he briefly announced a run for president but eventually dropped the effort and endorsed bob dole . despite his longtime membership in the republican party , specter became more alienated from the party as it grew more conservative . like many of his moderate compatriots , he came to be viewed by the new conservatives as a rino -- a republican in name only . decades after he switched to the republican party , he changed his stripes again . he became a democrat in 2009 , saying republicans had moved too far to the right and embraced social conservatism . the move gave democrats a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority in the senate . but in 2010 , when he ran for re-election , specter lost the democratic primary to rep. joe sestak . sestak , who went on to lose the race to toomey , praised specter via twitter as a warrior of inestimable public service . ' after the loss , specter moved from the halls of congress to those of academia , taking on a new role at the university of pennsylvania law school as an adjunct professor . arlen 's knowledge of the inner workings of the government and lawmaking is second to none , ' said michael fitts , the law school 's dean . the insight he brings from his career in public service , particularly as a leader on judicial issues , will be invaluable to our students as they prepare for their own careers in the law . ' the senator practiced law when he was n't in office and authored books throughout his career , including : -- passion for truth : from finding jfk 's single bullet to questioning anita hill to impeaching clinton ' -- never give in : battling cancer in the senate ' -- life among the cannibals : a political career , a tea party uprising , and the end of governing as we know it ' ' for the past quarter-century , he 's also been a zelig-like national figure , ' the philadelphia magazine article said , referring to the woody allen character from the film of the same name who changed his persona as his surroundings and circumstances changed . from his role in sinking robert bork 's supreme court nomination to his cross-examination of anita hill , from stem-cell research to the impeachment of bill clinton , specter 's greatest talent may be his unique ability to put himself -- somehow , some way -- in the center of the nation 's most important debates , ' the article said . obituaries 2012 : the lives they 've lived cnn 's sarah hoye in philadelphia contributed to this report .","he represented pennsylvania in the senate longer than anyone else" +"norwegian kenyan counterterrorism sources are looking at a norwegian citizen of somali descent as a possible suspect in the westgate mall attack last month , the sources told cnn on friday . the norwegian citizen is believed to have ties to mohamed abdikadir mohamed , known as ikrima , who is regarded as one of the most dangerous commanders in the somali terror group al-shabaab . norwegian intelligence services are in kenya investigating ikrima and the norwegian citizen , the kenyan sources said , and have also spoken to the latter 's sister in norway . norwegian authorities have not yet released the norwegian citizen 's name . kenyan authorities suspect ikrima of involvement with the westgate mall attack . al-shabaab claimed responsibility for the bloody four-day siege at the upscale mall in nairobi , where at least 67 people died . u.s. officials said ikrima was the target of a raid earlier this month by u.s. navy seals on an al-shabaab compound near the town of baraawe in somalia . it 's believed that he escaped after the u.s. troops came under heavy fire . a kenyan intelligence dossier seen by cnn alleges ikrima 's involvement with briton samantha lewthwaite , a terror suspect known as the white widow , ' in a foiled mombasa attack in 2011 with jermaine grant , a fellow british citizen currently held in mombasa on terror charges . kenyan intelligence sources say that ikrima , who speaks six languages and grew up in kenya , is the main point person ' between al qaeda in somalia and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , and that he has helped pinpoint kenyan targets . recruiting operatives in the west ? morten storm , a former informant who has worked for several western intelligence agencies , has told cnn that he developed a close relationship with an al-shabaab figure called ikrima between 2008 and 2012 . he said he is confident that it 's the same person who was targeted by u.s. forces . inside story on an al-shabaab commander storm , who is danish , described ikrima as a somali-kenyan al-shabaab operative who had spent time in norway . he said that ikrima made clear to him via e-mail that he was ready to send recruits from the west back home from somalia to launch attacks . norwegian journalist bent skjaerstad told cnn his sources have confirmed that ikrima had indeed spent time in norway and had tried to recruit for al-shabaab in europe . skjaerstad , who reports on security and terrorism for tv2 , said ikrima had lived there between 2004 and 2008 . he had failed to gain asylum status but had been given norwegian travel papers . skjaerstad told cnn that according to his sources , ikrima had traveled to somalia while living in norway and had used about a dozen aliases . friends of ikrima who knew him from his time growing up on the nairobi suburb of eastleigh told cnn he traveled to norway in 2003 and grew increasingly radicalized there . the sources , who had kept up with him over the years , said ikrima traveled in 2007 to london , where they lost contact with him . in 2008 they heard that he was in somalia , where he has been based since . arabic is among the six languages spoken by ikrima , and he studied french for two years at the alliance francais in nairobi , his friends say . al-shabaab in norway the possible involvement of the norwegian citizen in the westgate mall attack has highlighted concerns about the widening reach of the al-shabaab group outside somali borders . stig hansen , a security expert based in norway and author of the book al-shabaab in somalia , ' told cnn that if the norwegian suspect is who he believes him to be , he lived in a small town in norway but had connections with a wider group , not all of somali origin . he came to norway at age 8 or 9 and stayed for a couple of years , during which time he gained norwegian citizenship , hansen said . he later returned to somalia . al-shabaab became quite popular among some somali community groups in norway from 2007 to 2009 , hansen said , because they were wrongly seen as some kind of national resistance group . ' observers noticed contradictions between what the group said in its english- and arabic-language messaging , he said , which contributed to ignorance within the diaspora about its real nature . but the terrorist attacks inside of somalia made it easier for the wider ethnic somali community to see that this was really a terrorist organization , and it distanced itself , ' he said , making it less popular now . however , this development brought its own problems , hansen said , and not just in norway . what you have to look out for , also in the united states and the united kingdom and all these other scandinavian countries , are these small , small networks that are in one sense detached also from the somali community leaders -- radicalized groups of youths and radical preachers , sheikhs , that go traveling around the various countries to try to incite , ' he said . that 's what we have to watch these days . '","norwegian intelligence services are in kenya investigating both men" +"norwegian kenyan counterterrorism sources are looking at a norwegian citizen of somali descent as a possible suspect in the westgate mall attack last month , the sources told cnn on friday . the norwegian citizen is believed to have ties to mohamed abdikadir mohamed , known as ikrima , who is regarded as one of the most dangerous commanders in the somali terror group al-shabaab . norwegian intelligence services are in kenya investigating ikrima and the norwegian citizen , the kenyan sources said , and have also spoken to the latter 's sister in norway . norwegian authorities have not yet released the norwegian citizen 's name . kenyan authorities suspect ikrima of involvement with the westgate mall attack . al-shabaab claimed responsibility for the bloody four-day siege at the upscale mall in nairobi , where at least 67 people died . u.s. officials said ikrima was the target of a raid earlier this month by u.s. navy seals on an al-shabaab compound near the town of baraawe in somalia . it 's believed that he escaped after the u.s. troops came under heavy fire . a kenyan intelligence dossier seen by cnn alleges ikrima 's involvement with briton samantha lewthwaite , a terror suspect known as the white widow , ' in a foiled mombasa attack in 2011 with jermaine grant , a fellow british citizen currently held in mombasa on terror charges . kenyan intelligence sources say that ikrima , who speaks six languages and grew up in kenya , is the main point person ' between al qaeda in somalia and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , and that he has helped pinpoint kenyan targets . recruiting operatives in the west ? morten storm , a former informant who has worked for several western intelligence agencies , has told cnn that he developed a close relationship with an al-shabaab figure called ikrima between 2008 and 2012 . he said he is confident that it 's the same person who was targeted by u.s. forces . inside story on an al-shabaab commander storm , who is danish , described ikrima as a somali-kenyan al-shabaab operative who had spent time in norway . he said that ikrima made clear to him via e-mail that he was ready to send recruits from the west back home from somalia to launch attacks . norwegian journalist bent skjaerstad told cnn his sources have confirmed that ikrima had indeed spent time in norway and had tried to recruit for al-shabaab in europe . skjaerstad , who reports on security and terrorism for tv2 , said ikrima had lived there between 2004 and 2008 . he had failed to gain asylum status but had been given norwegian travel papers . skjaerstad told cnn that according to his sources , ikrima had traveled to somalia while living in norway and had used about a dozen aliases . friends of ikrima who knew him from his time growing up on the nairobi suburb of eastleigh told cnn he traveled to norway in 2003 and grew increasingly radicalized there . the sources , who had kept up with him over the years , said ikrima traveled in 2007 to london , where they lost contact with him . in 2008 they heard that he was in somalia , where he has been based since . arabic is among the six languages spoken by ikrima , and he studied french for two years at the alliance francais in nairobi , his friends say . al-shabaab in norway the possible involvement of the norwegian citizen in the westgate mall attack has highlighted concerns about the widening reach of the al-shabaab group outside somali borders . stig hansen , a security expert based in norway and author of the book al-shabaab in somalia , ' told cnn that if the norwegian suspect is who he believes him to be , he lived in a small town in norway but had connections with a wider group , not all of somali origin . he came to norway at age 8 or 9 and stayed for a couple of years , during which time he gained norwegian citizenship , hansen said . he later returned to somalia . al-shabaab became quite popular among some somali community groups in norway from 2007 to 2009 , hansen said , because they were wrongly seen as some kind of national resistance group . ' observers noticed contradictions between what the group said in its english- and arabic-language messaging , he said , which contributed to ignorance within the diaspora about its real nature . but the terrorist attacks inside of somalia made it easier for the wider ethnic somali community to see that this was really a terrorist organization , and it distanced itself , ' he said , making it less popular now . however , this development brought its own problems , hansen said , and not just in norway . what you have to look out for , also in the united states and the united kingdom and all these other scandinavian countries , are these small , small networks that are in one sense detached also from the somali community leaders -- radicalized groups of youths and radical preachers , sheikhs , that go traveling around the various countries to try to incite , ' he said . that 's what we have to watch these days . '","a norwegian citizen of somali descent is investigated in the kenya mall attack" +"norwegian kenyan counterterrorism sources are looking at a norwegian citizen of somali descent as a possible suspect in the westgate mall attack last month , the sources told cnn on friday . the norwegian citizen is believed to have ties to mohamed abdikadir mohamed , known as ikrima , who is regarded as one of the most dangerous commanders in the somali terror group al-shabaab . norwegian intelligence services are in kenya investigating ikrima and the norwegian citizen , the kenyan sources said , and have also spoken to the latter 's sister in norway . norwegian authorities have not yet released the norwegian citizen 's name . kenyan authorities suspect ikrima of involvement with the westgate mall attack . al-shabaab claimed responsibility for the bloody four-day siege at the upscale mall in nairobi , where at least 67 people died . u.s. officials said ikrima was the target of a raid earlier this month by u.s. navy seals on an al-shabaab compound near the town of baraawe in somalia . it 's believed that he escaped after the u.s. troops came under heavy fire . a kenyan intelligence dossier seen by cnn alleges ikrima 's involvement with briton samantha lewthwaite , a terror suspect known as the white widow , ' in a foiled mombasa attack in 2011 with jermaine grant , a fellow british citizen currently held in mombasa on terror charges . kenyan intelligence sources say that ikrima , who speaks six languages and grew up in kenya , is the main point person ' between al qaeda in somalia and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , and that he has helped pinpoint kenyan targets . recruiting operatives in the west ? morten storm , a former informant who has worked for several western intelligence agencies , has told cnn that he developed a close relationship with an al-shabaab figure called ikrima between 2008 and 2012 . he said he is confident that it 's the same person who was targeted by u.s. forces . inside story on an al-shabaab commander storm , who is danish , described ikrima as a somali-kenyan al-shabaab operative who had spent time in norway . he said that ikrima made clear to him via e-mail that he was ready to send recruits from the west back home from somalia to launch attacks . norwegian journalist bent skjaerstad told cnn his sources have confirmed that ikrima had indeed spent time in norway and had tried to recruit for al-shabaab in europe . skjaerstad , who reports on security and terrorism for tv2 , said ikrima had lived there between 2004 and 2008 . he had failed to gain asylum status but had been given norwegian travel papers . skjaerstad told cnn that according to his sources , ikrima had traveled to somalia while living in norway and had used about a dozen aliases . friends of ikrima who knew him from his time growing up on the nairobi suburb of eastleigh told cnn he traveled to norway in 2003 and grew increasingly radicalized there . the sources , who had kept up with him over the years , said ikrima traveled in 2007 to london , where they lost contact with him . in 2008 they heard that he was in somalia , where he has been based since . arabic is among the six languages spoken by ikrima , and he studied french for two years at the alliance francais in nairobi , his friends say . al-shabaab in norway the possible involvement of the norwegian citizen in the westgate mall attack has highlighted concerns about the widening reach of the al-shabaab group outside somali borders . stig hansen , a security expert based in norway and author of the book al-shabaab in somalia , ' told cnn that if the norwegian suspect is who he believes him to be , he lived in a small town in norway but had connections with a wider group , not all of somali origin . he came to norway at age 8 or 9 and stayed for a couple of years , during which time he gained norwegian citizenship , hansen said . he later returned to somalia . al-shabaab became quite popular among some somali community groups in norway from 2007 to 2009 , hansen said , because they were wrongly seen as some kind of national resistance group . ' observers noticed contradictions between what the group said in its english- and arabic-language messaging , he said , which contributed to ignorance within the diaspora about its real nature . but the terrorist attacks inside of somalia made it easier for the wider ethnic somali community to see that this was really a terrorist organization , and it distanced itself , ' he said , making it less popular now . however , this development brought its own problems , hansen said , and not just in norway . what you have to look out for , also in the united states and the united kingdom and all these other scandinavian countries , are these small , small networks that are in one sense detached also from the somali community leaders -- radicalized groups of youths and radical preachers , sheikhs , that go traveling around the various countries to try to incite , ' he said . that 's what we have to watch these days . '","norwegian authorities have not yet released the norwegian citizen 's name" +"kenya kenyan counterterrorism sources are looking at a norwegian citizen of somali descent as a possible suspect in the westgate mall attack last month , the sources told cnn on friday . the norwegian citizen is believed to have ties to mohamed abdikadir mohamed , known as ikrima , who is regarded as one of the most dangerous commanders in the somali terror group al-shabaab . norwegian intelligence services are in kenya investigating ikrima and the norwegian citizen , the kenyan sources said , and have also spoken to the latter 's sister in norway . norwegian authorities have not yet released the norwegian citizen 's name . kenyan authorities suspect ikrima of involvement with the westgate mall attack . al-shabaab claimed responsibility for the bloody four-day siege at the upscale mall in nairobi , where at least 67 people died . u.s. officials said ikrima was the target of a raid earlier this month by u.s. navy seals on an al-shabaab compound near the town of baraawe in somalia . it 's believed that he escaped after the u.s. troops came under heavy fire . a kenyan intelligence dossier seen by cnn alleges ikrima 's involvement with briton samantha lewthwaite , a terror suspect known as the white widow , ' in a foiled mombasa attack in 2011 with jermaine grant , a fellow british citizen currently held in mombasa on terror charges . kenyan intelligence sources say that ikrima , who speaks six languages and grew up in kenya , is the main point person ' between al qaeda in somalia and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , and that he has helped pinpoint kenyan targets . recruiting operatives in the west ? morten storm , a former informant who has worked for several western intelligence agencies , has told cnn that he developed a close relationship with an al-shabaab figure called ikrima between 2008 and 2012 . he said he is confident that it 's the same person who was targeted by u.s. forces . inside story on an al-shabaab commander storm , who is danish , described ikrima as a somali-kenyan al-shabaab operative who had spent time in norway . he said that ikrima made clear to him via e-mail that he was ready to send recruits from the west back home from somalia to launch attacks . norwegian journalist bent skjaerstad told cnn his sources have confirmed that ikrima had indeed spent time in norway and had tried to recruit for al-shabaab in europe . skjaerstad , who reports on security and terrorism for tv2 , said ikrima had lived there between 2004 and 2008 . he had failed to gain asylum status but had been given norwegian travel papers . skjaerstad told cnn that according to his sources , ikrima had traveled to somalia while living in norway and had used about a dozen aliases . friends of ikrima who knew him from his time growing up on the nairobi suburb of eastleigh told cnn he traveled to norway in 2003 and grew increasingly radicalized there . the sources , who had kept up with him over the years , said ikrima traveled in 2007 to london , where they lost contact with him . in 2008 they heard that he was in somalia , where he has been based since . arabic is among the six languages spoken by ikrima , and he studied french for two years at the alliance francais in nairobi , his friends say . al-shabaab in norway the possible involvement of the norwegian citizen in the westgate mall attack has highlighted concerns about the widening reach of the al-shabaab group outside somali borders . stig hansen , a security expert based in norway and author of the book al-shabaab in somalia , ' told cnn that if the norwegian suspect is who he believes him to be , he lived in a small town in norway but had connections with a wider group , not all of somali origin . he came to norway at age 8 or 9 and stayed for a couple of years , during which time he gained norwegian citizenship , hansen said . he later returned to somalia . al-shabaab became quite popular among some somali community groups in norway from 2007 to 2009 , hansen said , because they were wrongly seen as some kind of national resistance group . ' observers noticed contradictions between what the group said in its english- and arabic-language messaging , he said , which contributed to ignorance within the diaspora about its real nature . but the terrorist attacks inside of somalia made it easier for the wider ethnic somali community to see that this was really a terrorist organization , and it distanced itself , ' he said , making it less popular now . however , this development brought its own problems , hansen said , and not just in norway . what you have to look out for , also in the united states and the united kingdom and all these other scandinavian countries , are these small , small networks that are in one sense detached also from the somali community leaders -- radicalized groups of youths and radical preachers , sheikhs , that go traveling around the various countries to try to incite , ' he said . that 's what we have to watch these days . '","norwegian intelligence services are in kenya investigating both men" +"kenya kenyan counterterrorism sources are looking at a norwegian citizen of somali descent as a possible suspect in the westgate mall attack last month , the sources told cnn on friday . the norwegian citizen is believed to have ties to mohamed abdikadir mohamed , known as ikrima , who is regarded as one of the most dangerous commanders in the somali terror group al-shabaab . norwegian intelligence services are in kenya investigating ikrima and the norwegian citizen , the kenyan sources said , and have also spoken to the latter 's sister in norway . norwegian authorities have not yet released the norwegian citizen 's name . kenyan authorities suspect ikrima of involvement with the westgate mall attack . al-shabaab claimed responsibility for the bloody four-day siege at the upscale mall in nairobi , where at least 67 people died . u.s. officials said ikrima was the target of a raid earlier this month by u.s. navy seals on an al-shabaab compound near the town of baraawe in somalia . it 's believed that he escaped after the u.s. troops came under heavy fire . a kenyan intelligence dossier seen by cnn alleges ikrima 's involvement with briton samantha lewthwaite , a terror suspect known as the white widow , ' in a foiled mombasa attack in 2011 with jermaine grant , a fellow british citizen currently held in mombasa on terror charges . kenyan intelligence sources say that ikrima , who speaks six languages and grew up in kenya , is the main point person ' between al qaeda in somalia and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , and that he has helped pinpoint kenyan targets . recruiting operatives in the west ? morten storm , a former informant who has worked for several western intelligence agencies , has told cnn that he developed a close relationship with an al-shabaab figure called ikrima between 2008 and 2012 . he said he is confident that it 's the same person who was targeted by u.s. forces . inside story on an al-shabaab commander storm , who is danish , described ikrima as a somali-kenyan al-shabaab operative who had spent time in norway . he said that ikrima made clear to him via e-mail that he was ready to send recruits from the west back home from somalia to launch attacks . norwegian journalist bent skjaerstad told cnn his sources have confirmed that ikrima had indeed spent time in norway and had tried to recruit for al-shabaab in europe . skjaerstad , who reports on security and terrorism for tv2 , said ikrima had lived there between 2004 and 2008 . he had failed to gain asylum status but had been given norwegian travel papers . skjaerstad told cnn that according to his sources , ikrima had traveled to somalia while living in norway and had used about a dozen aliases . friends of ikrima who knew him from his time growing up on the nairobi suburb of eastleigh told cnn he traveled to norway in 2003 and grew increasingly radicalized there . the sources , who had kept up with him over the years , said ikrima traveled in 2007 to london , where they lost contact with him . in 2008 they heard that he was in somalia , where he has been based since . arabic is among the six languages spoken by ikrima , and he studied french for two years at the alliance francais in nairobi , his friends say . al-shabaab in norway the possible involvement of the norwegian citizen in the westgate mall attack has highlighted concerns about the widening reach of the al-shabaab group outside somali borders . stig hansen , a security expert based in norway and author of the book al-shabaab in somalia , ' told cnn that if the norwegian suspect is who he believes him to be , he lived in a small town in norway but had connections with a wider group , not all of somali origin . he came to norway at age 8 or 9 and stayed for a couple of years , during which time he gained norwegian citizenship , hansen said . he later returned to somalia . al-shabaab became quite popular among some somali community groups in norway from 2007 to 2009 , hansen said , because they were wrongly seen as some kind of national resistance group . ' observers noticed contradictions between what the group said in its english- and arabic-language messaging , he said , which contributed to ignorance within the diaspora about its real nature . but the terrorist attacks inside of somalia made it easier for the wider ethnic somali community to see that this was really a terrorist organization , and it distanced itself , ' he said , making it less popular now . however , this development brought its own problems , hansen said , and not just in norway . what you have to look out for , also in the united states and the united kingdom and all these other scandinavian countries , are these small , small networks that are in one sense detached also from the somali community leaders -- radicalized groups of youths and radical preachers , sheikhs , that go traveling around the various countries to try to incite , ' he said . that 's what we have to watch these days . '","a norwegian citizen of somali descent is investigated in the kenya mall attack" +"mosul ( cnn ) -- at least 35 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in shootings and explosions across the country on tuesday , officials with iraq 's interior ministry told cnn . officials said 29 people were killed and 107 wounded in 11 car bomb explosions in nine different parts of baghdad . most of killed and wounded were civilians , officials said . in falluja , about 60 kilometers ( 37 miles ) west of baghdad , five people were killed and 12 others were wounded when gunmen attacked al-tahadi police station in southern falluja . in northern mosul , about 400 kilometers ( 249 miles ) north of baghdad , a bomb exploded in the convoy of army gen. mohammed khamas , killing him instantly . khamas was the deputy head of army intelligence department in mosul . iraq has seen a sharp increase in friction between its shiite and sunni populations since april , when iraqi security forces raided a site used by sunni protesters to demonstrate against the shiite-led government . sunnis have felt politically marginalized under shiite president nuri al-maliki , whose government fears it is being targeted by sunni islamists involved in fighting in neighboring syria . more than 800 iraqis were killed and 2,030 wounded in violence and acts of terrorism in august , the united nations said .","army general dies when bomb explodes in his convoy in northern mosul" +"tripoli ( cnn ) -- low visibility caused by mist and sand created poor flying conditions for the pilot of an afriqiyah airways flight that crashed just before landing in tripoli , libyan sources with knowledge of the investigation said saturday . the plane , an airbus a330-200 , originated in johannesburg , south africa , and was at the end of its nearly nine-hour flight when it crashed wednesday . all but one of the 104 passengers on board were killed . the sources said that as the pilot approached tripoli international airport , he took the plane off auto-pilot hoping to manually land the aircraft . he realized he was in trouble and tried to pull the plane up and turn the auto-pilot back on to give it another try , the sources said . but the effort was too late and the plane slammed violently into the ground , explaining the condition of the wreckage and damage to the plane 's tail at the crash site , the sources said . an investigation into the crash is under way , and authorities are reviewing the aircraft 's flight data recorder . meanwhile ruben van assouw , the 9-year-old sole survivor of the plane crash , has returned home to the netherlands . he suffered multiple fractures to his legs and underwent surgery at al khadra hospital , said a doctor at the hospital who declined to give her name . both of ruben 's parents and a brother were killed in the crash , a dutch foreign ministry representative said . ruben 's family issued a statement friday expressing gratitude to people who have helped them , such as libyan hospital professionals and dutch envoys , as well as the outpourings of sympathy from citizens in both countries . the family also thanked the vast majority of the dutch media for respecting our privacy . ' the family , which will raise ruben , said the boy knows that his parents and brother were killed . considering the circumstances , ruben is doing fine . he is sleeping a lot ; now and then he wakes up and is then lucid , ' the family said in the statement . he has drunk a little , and has seen the flowers and cuddly toys . ' ruben 's family said it has to deal with two kinds of grief ' -- the sorrow the boy is enduring and the sadness over the loss of the other family members . the coming period will be very difficult for us , ' the family said . we hope that all the media will respect our privacy . ' more than two-thirds of the passengers killed in the plane crash were dutch , the ministry said . passengers from libya , south africa , belgium , austria , germany , france , zimbabwe and britain were also among the victims , the airline said on its web site . the dutch foreign ministry said friday it is sending more experts to tripoli to help libyan authorities and dutch colleagues identify the victims .","dutch foreign ministry sending experts to tripoli to help authorities identify victims" +"chavis editor 's note : ben chavis is the co-author with carey blakely of crazy like a fox : one principal 's triumph in the inner city . ' chavis received his doctorate in education and philosophy from the university of arizona and served as principal of american indian public charter school for seven years . chavis has also worked as a real estate investor . currently , he is replicating the model he established at american indian public charter school in various schools throughout the u.s. and canada . educator ben chavis says money is n't enough to improve schools run by incompetent administrators . ( cnn ) -- teachers unions and politicians are constantly claiming that k-12 public schools need more money in order to produce good academic results . but does the data support the argument that our schools need more money to succeed ? the oakland unified school district had a budget of $ 602 million for the 2008-2009 school year , according to katy murphy , an education reporter with the oakland tribune . that budget , which includes $ 77 million spent on consultants , means that the district spends an average of $ 16,270 per student ! what have we , the public taxpayers , received for our exceptionally generous financial support of the oakland public schools ? according to the california department of education , the district 's reported 2008 california standardized test scores show : 1 . of 707 eighth- and ninth-graders who took the california standard test for general math : 1 percent tested advanced , 5 percent tested proficient and 94 percent failed by testing below grade level . see details about k-12 schools , teachers » 2 . of 2,506 ninth- and 10th-grade students who took the california standards test in algebra : 0 percent tested advanced , 3 percent tested proficient and 97 percent failed the test . how is it possible for a public school system to so liberally spend more than half a billion dollars and still fail to educate 94 percent or more students of all racial backgrounds ? does anyone believe providing more money to these public school systems will enhance these students'academic performance in mathematics ? during my principalship at american indian public charter school , we spent less than $ 8,000 per student , proving that schools did not need more money . we served a student population that is on average 98 percent minority , with 97 percent receiving free or reduced-price lunch and many who are non-english speakers and from single-parent families . aipcs students spend three to four hours a day working on mathematics and english-language arts . in 2009 , they excelled in academics , physical fitness and any standardized test that they were given . the hard work of these students and staff has paid off with virtually all of our eighth-graders testing advanced in algebra , including 100 percent of our eighth-grade black students , mexican-american students and american indian students . before i became its principal , people called american indian public charter school the zoo . the neighbors hated it . they could n't stand the behavior of the students , who , with little supervision or control , wreaked havoc in the area . unfortunately , the students who decided to attend the school did not receive the academics and structure they so direly needed . the school was in many ways a failure , a joke , a sham . when i took over as principal in 2000 , it was the worst middle school in oakland . i told the board i would take the job only if they let me go my own way and do what i thought was best . i implemented a golden rule at american indian public charter school for staff , students and families : if you act like a winner , you 'll be treated like a winner . if you act like a fool , you 'll be treated like a fool . the charter school is now one of the top-scoring schools in the state and is nationally recognized . the united states spends more money on public education than any other country in the world . yet , we still have a secondary public education system that ranks with third world countries in preparing our children in english-language arts , mathematics , science and social studies . washington , d.c. ; detroit , michigan ; los angeles , california ; kansas city , missouri ; and numerous other cities throughout the united states are producing the same poor academic results at an extraordinary cost to the taxpayer and a tremendous academic loss to our students and country . i believe all the money in the world would not be enough to improve schools run by incompetent public school administrators . we need proven leaders who can prepare our children to be competitive members in a free-market society . the american public has been conned into believing that public schools need more money . have you ever met a public school administrator who said they have enough money ? president obama is moving in the right ' direction by reforming public schools to be held responsible to the american public in return for more money . it 's very clear that most americans want to ensure that accountability be attached to the stimulus money that is being awarded to all institutions , including public schools . next time you hear school officials or politicians begging for more money , ask them how large the district 's budget is and how many students are enrolled in their district . then you do the math . after all , it 's your money they want to take . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ben chavis .","chavis : all the money in the world ' is n't enough to help poorly run schools" +"chavis editor 's note : ben chavis is the co-author with carey blakely of crazy like a fox : one principal 's triumph in the inner city . ' chavis received his doctorate in education and philosophy from the university of arizona and served as principal of american indian public charter school for seven years . chavis has also worked as a real estate investor . currently , he is replicating the model he established at american indian public charter school in various schools throughout the u.s. and canada . educator ben chavis says money is n't enough to improve schools run by incompetent administrators . ( cnn ) -- teachers unions and politicians are constantly claiming that k-12 public schools need more money in order to produce good academic results . but does the data support the argument that our schools need more money to succeed ? the oakland unified school district had a budget of $ 602 million for the 2008-2009 school year , according to katy murphy , an education reporter with the oakland tribune . that budget , which includes $ 77 million spent on consultants , means that the district spends an average of $ 16,270 per student ! what have we , the public taxpayers , received for our exceptionally generous financial support of the oakland public schools ? according to the california department of education , the district 's reported 2008 california standardized test scores show : 1 . of 707 eighth- and ninth-graders who took the california standard test for general math : 1 percent tested advanced , 5 percent tested proficient and 94 percent failed by testing below grade level . see details about k-12 schools , teachers » 2 . of 2,506 ninth- and 10th-grade students who took the california standards test in algebra : 0 percent tested advanced , 3 percent tested proficient and 97 percent failed the test . how is it possible for a public school system to so liberally spend more than half a billion dollars and still fail to educate 94 percent or more students of all racial backgrounds ? does anyone believe providing more money to these public school systems will enhance these students'academic performance in mathematics ? during my principalship at american indian public charter school , we spent less than $ 8,000 per student , proving that schools did not need more money . we served a student population that is on average 98 percent minority , with 97 percent receiving free or reduced-price lunch and many who are non-english speakers and from single-parent families . aipcs students spend three to four hours a day working on mathematics and english-language arts . in 2009 , they excelled in academics , physical fitness and any standardized test that they were given . the hard work of these students and staff has paid off with virtually all of our eighth-graders testing advanced in algebra , including 100 percent of our eighth-grade black students , mexican-american students and american indian students . before i became its principal , people called american indian public charter school the zoo . the neighbors hated it . they could n't stand the behavior of the students , who , with little supervision or control , wreaked havoc in the area . unfortunately , the students who decided to attend the school did not receive the academics and structure they so direly needed . the school was in many ways a failure , a joke , a sham . when i took over as principal in 2000 , it was the worst middle school in oakland . i told the board i would take the job only if they let me go my own way and do what i thought was best . i implemented a golden rule at american indian public charter school for staff , students and families : if you act like a winner , you 'll be treated like a winner . if you act like a fool , you 'll be treated like a fool . the charter school is now one of the top-scoring schools in the state and is nationally recognized . the united states spends more money on public education than any other country in the world . yet , we still have a secondary public education system that ranks with third world countries in preparing our children in english-language arts , mathematics , science and social studies . washington , d.c. ; detroit , michigan ; los angeles , california ; kansas city , missouri ; and numerous other cities throughout the united states are producing the same poor academic results at an extraordinary cost to the taxpayer and a tremendous academic loss to our students and country . i believe all the money in the world would not be enough to improve schools run by incompetent public school administrators . we need proven leaders who can prepare our children to be competitive members in a free-market society . the american public has been conned into believing that public schools need more money . have you ever met a public school administrator who said they have enough money ? president obama is moving in the right ' direction by reforming public schools to be held responsible to the american public in return for more money . it 's very clear that most americans want to ensure that accountability be attached to the stimulus money that is being awarded to all institutions , including public schools . next time you hear school officials or politicians begging for more money , ask them how large the district 's budget is and how many students are enrolled in their district . then you do the math . after all , it 's your money they want to take . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ben chavis .","d.c. , detroit , l.a. produce poor results at extraordinary taxpayer cost , chavis says" +"chavis editor 's note : ben chavis is the co-author with carey blakely of crazy like a fox : one principal 's triumph in the inner city . ' chavis received his doctorate in education and philosophy from the university of arizona and served as principal of american indian public charter school for seven years . chavis has also worked as a real estate investor . currently , he is replicating the model he established at american indian public charter school in various schools throughout the u.s. and canada . educator ben chavis says money is n't enough to improve schools run by incompetent administrators . ( cnn ) -- teachers unions and politicians are constantly claiming that k-12 public schools need more money in order to produce good academic results . but does the data support the argument that our schools need more money to succeed ? the oakland unified school district had a budget of $ 602 million for the 2008-2009 school year , according to katy murphy , an education reporter with the oakland tribune . that budget , which includes $ 77 million spent on consultants , means that the district spends an average of $ 16,270 per student ! what have we , the public taxpayers , received for our exceptionally generous financial support of the oakland public schools ? according to the california department of education , the district 's reported 2008 california standardized test scores show : 1 . of 707 eighth- and ninth-graders who took the california standard test for general math : 1 percent tested advanced , 5 percent tested proficient and 94 percent failed by testing below grade level . see details about k-12 schools , teachers » 2 . of 2,506 ninth- and 10th-grade students who took the california standards test in algebra : 0 percent tested advanced , 3 percent tested proficient and 97 percent failed the test . how is it possible for a public school system to so liberally spend more than half a billion dollars and still fail to educate 94 percent or more students of all racial backgrounds ? does anyone believe providing more money to these public school systems will enhance these students'academic performance in mathematics ? during my principalship at american indian public charter school , we spent less than $ 8,000 per student , proving that schools did not need more money . we served a student population that is on average 98 percent minority , with 97 percent receiving free or reduced-price lunch and many who are non-english speakers and from single-parent families . aipcs students spend three to four hours a day working on mathematics and english-language arts . in 2009 , they excelled in academics , physical fitness and any standardized test that they were given . the hard work of these students and staff has paid off with virtually all of our eighth-graders testing advanced in algebra , including 100 percent of our eighth-grade black students , mexican-american students and american indian students . before i became its principal , people called american indian public charter school the zoo . the neighbors hated it . they could n't stand the behavior of the students , who , with little supervision or control , wreaked havoc in the area . unfortunately , the students who decided to attend the school did not receive the academics and structure they so direly needed . the school was in many ways a failure , a joke , a sham . when i took over as principal in 2000 , it was the worst middle school in oakland . i told the board i would take the job only if they let me go my own way and do what i thought was best . i implemented a golden rule at american indian public charter school for staff , students and families : if you act like a winner , you 'll be treated like a winner . if you act like a fool , you 'll be treated like a fool . the charter school is now one of the top-scoring schools in the state and is nationally recognized . the united states spends more money on public education than any other country in the world . yet , we still have a secondary public education system that ranks with third world countries in preparing our children in english-language arts , mathematics , science and social studies . washington , d.c. ; detroit , michigan ; los angeles , california ; kansas city , missouri ; and numerous other cities throughout the united states are producing the same poor academic results at an extraordinary cost to the taxpayer and a tremendous academic loss to our students and country . i believe all the money in the world would not be enough to improve schools run by incompetent public school administrators . we need proven leaders who can prepare our children to be competitive members in a free-market society . the american public has been conned into believing that public schools need more money . have you ever met a public school administrator who said they have enough money ? president obama is moving in the right ' direction by reforming public schools to be held responsible to the american public in return for more money . it 's very clear that most americans want to ensure that accountability be attached to the stimulus money that is being awarded to all institutions , including public schools . next time you hear school officials or politicians begging for more money , ask them how large the district 's budget is and how many students are enrolled in their district . then you do the math . after all , it 's your money they want to take . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ben chavis .","obama is right to require accountability in return for reform money , chavis says" +"faa ( cnn ) -- it 's a moment familiar to any regular air traveler . a passenger 's photo shows oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling on monday 's continental flight 128 . the plane bucks up and down , lurches forward and back , or both . sometimes overhead bins fly open . the squeamish gasp . babies cry . then , usually , it 's all over . in-flight turbulence is often a mere inconvenience . but it 's also the leading cause of airline passenger injuries that are not associated with a fatal crash , experts say . and , on rare occasions , it can be deadly . in the case of monday 's continental flight 128 , an unexpected blast of air led to much more than jangled nerves , bumps and bruises . turbulence struck the flight , from rio de janeiro , brazil , to houston , texas , unexpectedly , injuring seven passengers badly enough to require hospitalization after the pilot diverted the flight to miami , florida . police said 26 passengers were injured , four seriously . learn more about airline turbulence » turbulence , according to the federal aviation administration , is caused by a quick change in air movement . jet streams , air shooting off of mountains , cold or warm weather fronts and thunderstorms can all cause changes in speed or direction . the rapid shift in gravity force -- or g-force -- can cause a sensation not unlike being whipped around on a roller coaster . most of the time , discomfort is the worst byproduct . normally , it 's an inconvenience , ' said kevin garrison , a retired delta air lines pilot living in lexington , kentucky . very rarely does it hurt passengers , which is odd because a lot of them do n't keep their seat belts on . ' and wearing seat belts , aviation officials say , is the best way to stay safe . in the event that something happens , ' said les dorr , a spokesman for the faa , that 's the best advice that we or anyone else can give passengers . ' since 1980 , three people have been killed in turbulence-related accidents , according to the administration . at least two of those deaths involved passengers who reportedly were not wearing seat belts while the seat-belt sign was on . there have been 234 turbulence-related accidents since 1980 , and 114 passengers were seriously injured in those accidents , the faa reported . flight attendants have been hurt at a much higher rate . during that same time period , 184 attendants were seriously injured , despite their numbers being far smaller than the number of passengers . the majority of injuries actually happen to flight attendants , ' dorr said . they have to be up performing their tasks , even when the seat-belt light is on . ' and while pilots are almost always strapped in with seat belts , even they are n't exempt . i 've had a few bloodied heads -- when i hit my head on the overhead when the seat belt was a little loose , ' said garrison , who flew for delta for 27 years . in monday 's accident , passengers reported they were slammed into the boeing 767 's ceiling -- some said two or more times -- when the plane dropped rapidly . i saw people being thrown to the roof as if they were dolls , ' fabio ottolini , who was returning to houston with his wife and daughter after visiting family in brazil , told cnn affiliate ktrk-tv . passengers said most of those injured were not wearing seat belts . initial reports are that the monday flight was hit by what 's called clear-air turbulence , or air pockets that hit without warning . while pilots are always on the lookout for regular turbulence spots -- like mountain ranges and places where weather fronts are converging -- clear-air turbulence can happen anywhere . you ca n't see it ; you ca n't sense it with radar , ' dorr said . the best way to determine if there 's a possibility of clear-air turbulence is to have somebody in front of you that 's already flown through it . ' dorr said passenger injury numbers have dropped over the past few years , during an industry-wide effort to increase safety . no passengers were reported seriously injured in turbulence incidents in 2008 , and five flight attendants -- down from a high of 19 in 2003 -- received serious injuries , according to the faa . the commercial aviation safety team has focused on seat-belt awareness and pushed for better communication systems for reporting turbulence , dorr said . all licensed pilots also receive upset training , ' which teaches how to deal with extreme turbulence , he said .","three turbulence-related deaths since 1980 , faa says" +"brown los angeles ( cnn ) -- chris brown sat alone in court for 35 minutes on friday while his lawyer talked with the judge and prosecutor behind closed doors in his probation violation case . the judge emerged from his chambers to order brown to come back on june 10 because lawyers need more time to look at additional discovery ' in his case . while not much happened in friday 's hearing before los angeles county superior court judge james brandlin , ultimately it could be big trouble for the singer . in a court filing in february , prosecutors accused brown of not completing the 180 days of community labor ordered when he pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge in the beating of his girlfriend rihanna . rihanna shows support in court for chris brown the paperwork brown submitted to show he had completed community labor is at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting , ' district attorney jackie lacey said . brown was n't in town on some of the dates reported , the motion said . mark geragos , brown 's attorney , said after the last hearing that the prosecutor 's filing was so fraudulent that he would ask the judge to punish the deputy district attorneys involved and call for a contempt of court hearing for filing false documents with the court . and i do n't mean just false , it is fraudulent , ' geragos said . the los angeles county district attorney 's office has tortured ' brown during his probation more than any client he 's ever had , geragos said . despite the serious allegations outlined in the court filing , the prosecutor is not asking for brown 's probation to be revoked and the singer sent to jail . she is asking the judge to order him to restart his 1,400 hours of community service under the supervision of a los angeles probation officer . brown and his mother were in court for friday 's hearing , but rihanna , who attended his last court date , was not there . when the pop star sat behind brown in court at that hearing , it was rihanna 's second time in a courtroom with him . the first was the day in august 2009 when brown was sentenced to five years'probation and ordered to stay away from her . then , she was a witness for the prosecution . at the probation court date , when geragos was asked why brown 's assault victim was in court , he replied , she thinks it 's utterly ridiculous what they 're doing to him . ' rihanna and chris brown 's relationship through the years","brown 's lawyer called the prosecutor 's filing'fraudulent '" +"brown los angeles ( cnn ) -- chris brown sat alone in court for 35 minutes on friday while his lawyer talked with the judge and prosecutor behind closed doors in his probation violation case . the judge emerged from his chambers to order brown to come back on june 10 because lawyers need more time to look at additional discovery ' in his case . while not much happened in friday 's hearing before los angeles county superior court judge james brandlin , ultimately it could be big trouble for the singer . in a court filing in february , prosecutors accused brown of not completing the 180 days of community labor ordered when he pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge in the beating of his girlfriend rihanna . rihanna shows support in court for chris brown the paperwork brown submitted to show he had completed community labor is at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting , ' district attorney jackie lacey said . brown was n't in town on some of the dates reported , the motion said . mark geragos , brown 's attorney , said after the last hearing that the prosecutor 's filing was so fraudulent that he would ask the judge to punish the deputy district attorneys involved and call for a contempt of court hearing for filing false documents with the court . and i do n't mean just false , it is fraudulent , ' geragos said . the los angeles county district attorney 's office has tortured ' brown during his probation more than any client he 's ever had , geragos said . despite the serious allegations outlined in the court filing , the prosecutor is not asking for brown 's probation to be revoked and the singer sent to jail . she is asking the judge to order him to restart his 1,400 hours of community service under the supervision of a los angeles probation officer . brown and his mother were in court for friday 's hearing , but rihanna , who attended his last court date , was not there . when the pop star sat behind brown in court at that hearing , it was rihanna 's second time in a courtroom with him . the first was the day in august 2009 when brown was sentenced to five years'probation and ordered to stay away from her . then , she was a witness for the prosecution . at the probation court date , when geragos was asked why brown 's assault victim was in court , he replied , she thinks it 's utterly ridiculous what they 're doing to him . ' rihanna and chris brown 's relationship through the years","brown pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge in the beating of rihanna in 2009" +"brown los angeles ( cnn ) -- chris brown sat alone in court for 35 minutes on friday while his lawyer talked with the judge and prosecutor behind closed doors in his probation violation case . the judge emerged from his chambers to order brown to come back on june 10 because lawyers need more time to look at additional discovery ' in his case . while not much happened in friday 's hearing before los angeles county superior court judge james brandlin , ultimately it could be big trouble for the singer . in a court filing in february , prosecutors accused brown of not completing the 180 days of community labor ordered when he pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge in the beating of his girlfriend rihanna . rihanna shows support in court for chris brown the paperwork brown submitted to show he had completed community labor is at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting , ' district attorney jackie lacey said . brown was n't in town on some of the dates reported , the motion said . mark geragos , brown 's attorney , said after the last hearing that the prosecutor 's filing was so fraudulent that he would ask the judge to punish the deputy district attorneys involved and call for a contempt of court hearing for filing false documents with the court . and i do n't mean just false , it is fraudulent , ' geragos said . the los angeles county district attorney 's office has tortured ' brown during his probation more than any client he 's ever had , geragos said . despite the serious allegations outlined in the court filing , the prosecutor is not asking for brown 's probation to be revoked and the singer sent to jail . she is asking the judge to order him to restart his 1,400 hours of community service under the supervision of a los angeles probation officer . brown and his mother were in court for friday 's hearing , but rihanna , who attended his last court date , was not there . when the pop star sat behind brown in court at that hearing , it was rihanna 's second time in a courtroom with him . the first was the day in august 2009 when brown was sentenced to five years'probation and ordered to stay away from her . then , she was a witness for the prosecution . at the probation court date , when geragos was asked why brown 's assault victim was in court , he replied , she thinks it 's utterly ridiculous what they 're doing to him . ' rihanna and chris brown 's relationship through the years","prosecutors accuse brown of not finishing 180 days of community labor" +"brown los angeles ( cnn ) -- chris brown sat alone in court for 35 minutes on friday while his lawyer talked with the judge and prosecutor behind closed doors in his probation violation case . the judge emerged from his chambers to order brown to come back on june 10 because lawyers need more time to look at additional discovery ' in his case . while not much happened in friday 's hearing before los angeles county superior court judge james brandlin , ultimately it could be big trouble for the singer . in a court filing in february , prosecutors accused brown of not completing the 180 days of community labor ordered when he pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge in the beating of his girlfriend rihanna . rihanna shows support in court for chris brown the paperwork brown submitted to show he had completed community labor is at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting , ' district attorney jackie lacey said . brown was n't in town on some of the dates reported , the motion said . mark geragos , brown 's attorney , said after the last hearing that the prosecutor 's filing was so fraudulent that he would ask the judge to punish the deputy district attorneys involved and call for a contempt of court hearing for filing false documents with the court . and i do n't mean just false , it is fraudulent , ' geragos said . the los angeles county district attorney 's office has tortured ' brown during his probation more than any client he 's ever had , geragos said . despite the serious allegations outlined in the court filing , the prosecutor is not asking for brown 's probation to be revoked and the singer sent to jail . she is asking the judge to order him to restart his 1,400 hours of community service under the supervision of a los angeles probation officer . brown and his mother were in court for friday 's hearing , but rihanna , who attended his last court date , was not there . when the pop star sat behind brown in court at that hearing , it was rihanna 's second time in a courtroom with him . the first was the day in august 2009 when brown was sentenced to five years'probation and ordered to stay away from her . then , she was a witness for the prosecution . at the probation court date , when geragos was asked why brown 's assault victim was in court , he replied , she thinks it 's utterly ridiculous what they 're doing to him . ' rihanna and chris brown 's relationship through the years","judge orders brown to come back to court on june 10" +"bolton ( cnn ) -- chelsea have completed the signing of england international defender gary cahill from premier league rivals bolton wanderers for a fee of $ 10.7m . the 26-year-old finalized his protracted move on monday after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical , making it the biggest english transfer so far during the january window . cahill has signed a five-and-a-half year contract with the london club , despite doubts beginning to surface about the deal due to the length of time negotiations over his financial terms took . who are football 's top january transfer targets ? he told the official chelsea website : chelsea are a massive club . they look to win trophies season in season out and it is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that . opportunities like this , you just ca n't turn down , ' added cahill , who has won seven england caps and will be battling with brazilian david luiz to partner england captain john terry at the heart of the chelsea defense . speaking on saturday about cahill 's impending arrival , chelsea manager andre villas boas told reporters : he has good technical abilities which is important in the way we want to play and to implement our philosophy . competition will be tight for him but we brought him in to become better as a team . ' cahill joined bolton from aston villa in january 2008 and developed into one of england 's top defenders during his four years at the reebok stadium . however , he had already indicated he was not prepared to sign a new contract , meaning wanderers were forced to sell him or lose him for free at the end of the season . meanwhile , the carlos tevez transfer saga has taken a new twist after inter milan president massimo moratti confirmed the italian club had made a $ 31.7 million bid for manchester city 's argentine striker . speaking to reporters after inter 's 1-0 victory over city rivals ac milan , moratti said : our offer is 25 million euros -- now it depends on them whether they accept it or not . ' inter have emerged as favorites to sign tevez , after milan pulled out of the race last week when their plan to sell alexandre pato to paris st germain fell through following the brazilian 's decision to stay at the san siro . ironically big-spending psg now seem the only realistic challengers for tevez , who has fallen out of favor at city after refusing to come off the substitutes'bench during the 3-1 champions league defeat at bayern munich earlier in the season . elsewhere in the premier league , blackburn central defender chris samba has handed in a written transfer request , despite rovers manager steve kean saying the player was not for sale . the congolese international has already been the subject of a rejected bid from qpr , while title-chasing tottenham and french big spenders psg have also been linked with the player . samba issued a statement saying : in my five years at blackburn i have always given 100 % in every game i have played . i have had several opportunities to leave but i have always stayed . i have decided now is the right time for me to pursue a new challenge and i have asked the club to respect my decision and allow me to leave . ' in other transfer news , barcelona have announced that french defender eric abidal has signed a new deal with the club . the 32-year-old , who had been linked with a move away from the nou camp , is now contracted to the european champions until june 2013 , with an option to extend the deal until 2015 . abidal has made 177 appearances in four years with barca , winning the champions league twice and the spanish la liga three times .","chelsea have completed the signing of bolton central defender gary cahill" +"nigerian port harcourt , nigeria ( cnn ) -- trash litters its cities . electricity is sporadic at best . there is no clean water . medical and educational services are limited . basic infrastructure is severely lacking . planet in peril ' met in a secret location with members of the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta . these are not conditions that should plague one of the richest oil states in the world . hundreds of billions of dollars has been made from the niger delta 's oil reserves and many people have gotten very rich . conversely , the average nigerian has suffered as a result of the country 's oil prosperity . the united states agency for international development says more than 70 percent of the country lives on less than a dollar a day -- the population is among the 20 poorest in the world . oil companies are only part of the equation . the other is the nigerian government . transparency international , a global organization intent on stamping out corruption , has consistently rated nigeria 's government one of the most corrupt in the world . nigeria 's federal government and oil companies split oil profits roughly 60-40 . the money is then supposed to make its way down to the local governments to fund various projects . somehow , little money actually reaches its intended destination . nigeria 's own corruption agency estimates between $ 300 billion to $ 400 billion has been stolen or wasted over the last 50 years . lisa ling travels to secret location to meet notorious nigerian militant group » gov . rotimi amaechi of rivers state , one of the largest oil producers of nigeria 's 36 states , acknowledges past problems with corruption , but thinks progress is being made . there 's a lot of improvement , ' amaechi said . the work being done by the corruption agency and the federal government has somehow been able to control the level of corruption in government . ' over the last few years , a culture of militancy and violence has arisen in the absence of jobs and services . kidnappings for ransom , robberies and even murder happen with regularity . the biggest and most powerful armed group is the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta , or mend . they say they are at war against the nigerian military and the oil companies operating there . mend , formed in 2005 , said it has more than 30 camps throughout nigeria . members are armed with high-tech weaponry they said was obtained from foreign sources . ' hundreds of people have been killed on both sides and countless oil workers have been kidnapped . over the years , mend 's attacks on oil pipelines have halted oil production and , therefore , raised the price of oil around the world . they demand oil profits be distributed to average nigerians of the niger delta and said they will not stop their attacks until their objectives have been fulfilled . see environmental battle lines for planet in peril ' » the battle is over oil -- one of the world 's most valuable resources . but to most nigerians -- oil is a curse . it has provoked an environmental disaster of monstrous proportions . since the 1970s , the united nations estimates there have been more than 6,000 oil spills in the niger delta -- that is equal to more than 10 times the amount spilled from the exxon valdez in 1989 . yet , there is no international outcry and rarely are the spills reported , even to most nigerians . they are still happening and the consequences are nothing short of devastating . communities along the niger delta have lived off subsistence fishing and agriculture for decades . collecting food becomes impossible when a spill happens , like one that occurred in august . the waterways and mangroves are blanketed in thick brown oil sludge that goes on for miles . toxicity overpowers the air and a sense of lifelessness pervades the landscape . many say it will take 10-15 years for the area to be free of contamination -- if the cleanup effort commences in a timely manner . the august spill was a result of a leak from an old pipeline that had corroded . it took the oil company three months to clamp the leak , but the company said it was n't reported for a full month after it began . once the leak was reported , the company said it was denied access to the site by the community . leaders of the village deny that , and the finger-pointing between the two sides is nothing new -- there is no love lost here . who is telling the truth ? who knows ? either way , the creeks are blackened . this is life in the niger delta .","militant group mend attacks oil pipelines , demands profits given to nigerian people" +"nigerian port harcourt , nigeria ( cnn ) -- trash litters its cities . electricity is sporadic at best . there is no clean water . medical and educational services are limited . basic infrastructure is severely lacking . planet in peril ' met in a secret location with members of the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta . these are not conditions that should plague one of the richest oil states in the world . hundreds of billions of dollars has been made from the niger delta 's oil reserves and many people have gotten very rich . conversely , the average nigerian has suffered as a result of the country 's oil prosperity . the united states agency for international development says more than 70 percent of the country lives on less than a dollar a day -- the population is among the 20 poorest in the world . oil companies are only part of the equation . the other is the nigerian government . transparency international , a global organization intent on stamping out corruption , has consistently rated nigeria 's government one of the most corrupt in the world . nigeria 's federal government and oil companies split oil profits roughly 60-40 . the money is then supposed to make its way down to the local governments to fund various projects . somehow , little money actually reaches its intended destination . nigeria 's own corruption agency estimates between $ 300 billion to $ 400 billion has been stolen or wasted over the last 50 years . lisa ling travels to secret location to meet notorious nigerian militant group » gov . rotimi amaechi of rivers state , one of the largest oil producers of nigeria 's 36 states , acknowledges past problems with corruption , but thinks progress is being made . there 's a lot of improvement , ' amaechi said . the work being done by the corruption agency and the federal government has somehow been able to control the level of corruption in government . ' over the last few years , a culture of militancy and violence has arisen in the absence of jobs and services . kidnappings for ransom , robberies and even murder happen with regularity . the biggest and most powerful armed group is the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta , or mend . they say they are at war against the nigerian military and the oil companies operating there . mend , formed in 2005 , said it has more than 30 camps throughout nigeria . members are armed with high-tech weaponry they said was obtained from foreign sources . ' hundreds of people have been killed on both sides and countless oil workers have been kidnapped . over the years , mend 's attacks on oil pipelines have halted oil production and , therefore , raised the price of oil around the world . they demand oil profits be distributed to average nigerians of the niger delta and said they will not stop their attacks until their objectives have been fulfilled . see environmental battle lines for planet in peril ' » the battle is over oil -- one of the world 's most valuable resources . but to most nigerians -- oil is a curse . it has provoked an environmental disaster of monstrous proportions . since the 1970s , the united nations estimates there have been more than 6,000 oil spills in the niger delta -- that is equal to more than 10 times the amount spilled from the exxon valdez in 1989 . yet , there is no international outcry and rarely are the spills reported , even to most nigerians . they are still happening and the consequences are nothing short of devastating . communities along the niger delta have lived off subsistence fishing and agriculture for decades . collecting food becomes impossible when a spill happens , like one that occurred in august . the waterways and mangroves are blanketed in thick brown oil sludge that goes on for miles . toxicity overpowers the air and a sense of lifelessness pervades the landscape . many say it will take 10-15 years for the area to be free of contamination -- if the cleanup effort commences in a timely manner . the august spill was a result of a leak from an old pipeline that had corroded . it took the oil company three months to clamp the leak , but the company said it was n't reported for a full month after it began . once the leak was reported , the company said it was denied access to the site by the community . leaders of the village deny that , and the finger-pointing between the two sides is nothing new -- there is no love lost here . who is telling the truth ? who knows ? either way , the creeks are blackened . this is life in the niger delta .","nigerian agency : $ 300 billion to $ 400 billion in oil profits squandered , stolen" +"un port harcourt , nigeria ( cnn ) -- trash litters its cities . electricity is sporadic at best . there is no clean water . medical and educational services are limited . basic infrastructure is severely lacking . planet in peril ' met in a secret location with members of the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta . these are not conditions that should plague one of the richest oil states in the world . hundreds of billions of dollars has been made from the niger delta 's oil reserves and many people have gotten very rich . conversely , the average nigerian has suffered as a result of the country 's oil prosperity . the united states agency for international development says more than 70 percent of the country lives on less than a dollar a day -- the population is among the 20 poorest in the world . oil companies are only part of the equation . the other is the nigerian government . transparency international , a global organization intent on stamping out corruption , has consistently rated nigeria 's government one of the most corrupt in the world . nigeria 's federal government and oil companies split oil profits roughly 60-40 . the money is then supposed to make its way down to the local governments to fund various projects . somehow , little money actually reaches its intended destination . nigeria 's own corruption agency estimates between $ 300 billion to $ 400 billion has been stolen or wasted over the last 50 years . lisa ling travels to secret location to meet notorious nigerian militant group » gov . rotimi amaechi of rivers state , one of the largest oil producers of nigeria 's 36 states , acknowledges past problems with corruption , but thinks progress is being made . there 's a lot of improvement , ' amaechi said . the work being done by the corruption agency and the federal government has somehow been able to control the level of corruption in government . ' over the last few years , a culture of militancy and violence has arisen in the absence of jobs and services . kidnappings for ransom , robberies and even murder happen with regularity . the biggest and most powerful armed group is the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta , or mend . they say they are at war against the nigerian military and the oil companies operating there . mend , formed in 2005 , said it has more than 30 camps throughout nigeria . members are armed with high-tech weaponry they said was obtained from foreign sources . ' hundreds of people have been killed on both sides and countless oil workers have been kidnapped . over the years , mend 's attacks on oil pipelines have halted oil production and , therefore , raised the price of oil around the world . they demand oil profits be distributed to average nigerians of the niger delta and said they will not stop their attacks until their objectives have been fulfilled . see environmental battle lines for planet in peril ' » the battle is over oil -- one of the world 's most valuable resources . but to most nigerians -- oil is a curse . it has provoked an environmental disaster of monstrous proportions . since the 1970s , the united nations estimates there have been more than 6,000 oil spills in the niger delta -- that is equal to more than 10 times the amount spilled from the exxon valdez in 1989 . yet , there is no international outcry and rarely are the spills reported , even to most nigerians . they are still happening and the consequences are nothing short of devastating . communities along the niger delta have lived off subsistence fishing and agriculture for decades . collecting food becomes impossible when a spill happens , like one that occurred in august . the waterways and mangroves are blanketed in thick brown oil sludge that goes on for miles . toxicity overpowers the air and a sense of lifelessness pervades the landscape . many say it will take 10-15 years for the area to be free of contamination -- if the cleanup effort commences in a timely manner . the august spill was a result of a leak from an old pipeline that had corroded . it took the oil company three months to clamp the leak , but the company said it was n't reported for a full month after it began . once the leak was reported , the company said it was denied access to the site by the community . leaders of the village deny that , and the finger-pointing between the two sides is nothing new -- there is no love lost here . who is telling the truth ? who knows ? either way , the creeks are blackened . this is life in the niger delta .","un : niger delta has had more than 6,000 spills ; 10 times more than exxon valdez" +"democratic washington ( cnn ) -- republicans'chances of winning control of the senate in tuesday 's midterm elections are now up to 95 % , according to cnn 's pivit , an analysis that combines experts'projections with political watchers'predictions on key races . the jump was driven largely by a des moines register poll over the weekend that put republican joni ernst 7 percentage points ahead of democrat bruce braley in a senate race seen as a must-win for democrats . in that race , pivit puts ernst 's chances at 88 % . pivit also offers bad news for democratic sen. mark udall in colorado , whose chances are at just 6 % , and sen. mark pryor in arkansas , who 's down to 2 % . pivit 's analysis suggests democrats are in better shape in north carolina , where sen. kay hagan has a 69 % chance of holding off republican challenger thom tillis , and in new hampshire , where sen. jeanne shaheen 's chances of beating scott brown are up to 81 % . republicans , meanwhile , look to have put kentucky 's senate race out of reach . senate gop leader mitch mcconnell 's chances of surviving a challenge from democrat alison lundergan grimes are up to 97 % . republicans need a net gain of six seats to capture a majority . pick-ups in montana , south dakota and west virginia are all but assured , and democratic incumbents are facing uphill battles in alaska , arkansas and louisiana , as well . republicans are also hoping for wins in states like colorado , iowa , new hampshire and north carolina -- which would help solidify their chances of gaining a majority by providing insulation in case the gop loses seats of its own in georgia and kansas .","pivit gives the gop strong odds of picking off democratic seats in iowa , colorado and arkansas" +"gop washington ( cnn ) -- republicans'chances of winning control of the senate in tuesday 's midterm elections are now up to 95 % , according to cnn 's pivit , an analysis that combines experts'projections with political watchers'predictions on key races . the jump was driven largely by a des moines register poll over the weekend that put republican joni ernst 7 percentage points ahead of democrat bruce braley in a senate race seen as a must-win for democrats . in that race , pivit puts ernst 's chances at 88 % . pivit also offers bad news for democratic sen. mark udall in colorado , whose chances are at just 6 % , and sen. mark pryor in arkansas , who 's down to 2 % . pivit 's analysis suggests democrats are in better shape in north carolina , where sen. kay hagan has a 69 % chance of holding off republican challenger thom tillis , and in new hampshire , where sen. jeanne shaheen 's chances of beating scott brown are up to 81 % . republicans , meanwhile , look to have put kentucky 's senate race out of reach . senate gop leader mitch mcconnell 's chances of surviving a challenge from democrat alison lundergan grimes are up to 97 % . republicans need a net gain of six seats to capture a majority . pick-ups in montana , south dakota and west virginia are all but assured , and democratic incumbents are facing uphill battles in alaska , arkansas and louisiana , as well . republicans are also hoping for wins in states like colorado , iowa , new hampshire and north carolina -- which would help solidify their chances of gaining a majority by providing insulation in case the gop loses seats of its own in georgia and kansas .","pivit gives the gop strong odds of picking off democratic seats in iowa , colorado and arkansas" +"cnn washington ( cnn ) -- republicans'chances of winning control of the senate in tuesday 's midterm elections are now up to 95 % , according to cnn 's pivit , an analysis that combines experts'projections with political watchers'predictions on key races . the jump was driven largely by a des moines register poll over the weekend that put republican joni ernst 7 percentage points ahead of democrat bruce braley in a senate race seen as a must-win for democrats . in that race , pivit puts ernst 's chances at 88 % . pivit also offers bad news for democratic sen. mark udall in colorado , whose chances are at just 6 % , and sen. mark pryor in arkansas , who 's down to 2 % . pivit 's analysis suggests democrats are in better shape in north carolina , where sen. kay hagan has a 69 % chance of holding off republican challenger thom tillis , and in new hampshire , where sen. jeanne shaheen 's chances of beating scott brown are up to 81 % . republicans , meanwhile , look to have put kentucky 's senate race out of reach . senate gop leader mitch mcconnell 's chances of surviving a challenge from democrat alison lundergan grimes are up to 97 % . republicans need a net gain of six seats to capture a majority . pick-ups in montana , south dakota and west virginia are all but assured , and democratic incumbents are facing uphill battles in alaska , arkansas and louisiana , as well . republicans are also hoping for wins in states like colorado , iowa , new hampshire and north carolina -- which would help solidify their chances of gaining a majority by providing insulation in case the gop loses seats of its own in georgia and kansas .","after rosy polls , cnn 's pivit puts republicans'chances of winning a senate majority at 95 %" +"barack obama ( cnn ) -- attention white anglo-saxon protestants : your days of running things are over . you have jumped the shark . but there 's no need to feel bad for wasps . they 've had an amazing run . every single president in our nation 's history , except for john f. kennedy -- a catholic -- and barack obama , has been a white protestant . except for a handful of exceptions , for over 200 years the presidential nominees of both major political parties have been wasps . wasps had almost as many victories in a row as the harlem globetrotters . but it 's over . look at this year 's presidential tickets : a mormon , an african-american , and two catholics . even some of the keynote speakers at the democratic and republican conventions were not wasps . the gop featured italian-irish catholic chris christie and the democrats tapped latino-american , julian castro . times are so bleak for wasps that there 's not a single one on the supreme court . likewise , in congress , the percentage of protestants fell from 74 percent in 1961 to a slim majority of 55 percent today . neither the current speaker of the house ( john boehner : catholic ) nor the senate majority leader ( harry reid : mormon ) is wasp . i 'm sincerely not gloating . and my jibes are in jest . but what i 'm happy about is that our two major political parties are increasingly reflecting the new face of america . the demographics of our nation are changing and , by 2042 , minorities are expected to become the majority in the u.s. objectively , the delegates at this year 's democratic convention were far more diverse . the republican convention looked more like the early bird dinner crowd at the cracker barrel . opinion : in ohio , candidates are salesmen trying to close the deal however , in the gop 's defense , a party that is 90 % white , they have started to slowly showcase minorities , such as sen. marco rubio and govs . nikki haley and bobby jindal . they are well aware that if they do n't , the gop will go the way of the whigs . there 's little doubt that we will see more diverse presidential candidates . and we will likely see in the not too distant future a president who is latino , asian , jewish , sikh or muslim . ( that screaming sound you might have heard was michele bachmann shrieking in horror at the idea of a muslim-american president . ) this is a testament to our nation . we are by our very nature progressive . it may take years , or even decades , to see change , but we always march forward , not back . so , how did we get to where we are today where the white protestant establishment seems to be losing power ? well , it 's kind of complicated ( as these things tend to be ) . there are tons of reasons . but one important factor that has contributed to today 's political landscape is changing voting rights laws . back in the days when our nation was founded , only white men who owned land could vote . that means rich white men with money get to control the political system . ( i know some of you are thinking : how is that different than today ? ) in our first presidential election in 1789 , no women , no blacks , no poor white men , and in many states neither catholics nor jews , were permitted to vote . over time , some states abandoned the requirement of land ownership so that poor white men could vote . and the religious restrictions were also lifted so that non-protestants were able to vote . opinion : democrats and republicans need a plan to keep american dream alive however , it was n't until after 1870 , when the 15th amendment was ratified , that black american citizens were finally guaranteed the right to vote . ( although poll taxes , literacy laws and other measures were still employed in some states to disenfranchise black voters . ) and it took all the way to 1920 -- more than 100 years after our first president was elected -- that women were finally given the right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment to our constitution . enfranchising voters of all backgrounds has led to the opening up of our democratic process . minorities no longer just voted -- they became active in politics . and they did n't just show up at political meetings -- over time they sought elective offices . and some of them won . with each success , they inspire even more minorities of every race , ethnicity and religion to become active in our political system . so wasps , you 've had your great run . and there is no doubt that another white protestant will rise up one day against the growing odds and win the white house . but until that day comes , you can console yourself knowing that a white protestant male is one of the most exciting athletes in our nation today : tim tebow . ( of course , he is the back up to mark sanchez . ) the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah .","every president except for jfk and barack obama has been a white protestant" +"united ( cnn ) -- manchester united 's hopes of winning a treble this season ended on saturday with a 1-0 defeat to arch-rivals manchester city in the semifinals of the english fa cup at wembley stadium . alex ferguson 's team are on course for a record-breaking 19th english league title and have also reached the semifinals of the european champions league , but yaya toure 's second-half winner gave city the chance of winning a first trophy in 35 years . the ivory coast midfielder pounced after consecutive errors by veteran goalkeeper edwin van der sar and midfielder michael carrick allowed him the chance to drill in a low shot seven minutes after halftime . united 's bid to reach the final of the 140-year-old knockout competition for a record 19th time was then sabotaged by a moment of madness from 36-year-old midfielder paul scholes . the former england international , the only player of the two squads actually born in manchester , was sent off with 18 minutes left for a reckless high lunge into the thigh of city 's argentine defender pablo zabaleta . ferguson casts doubt over hargreaves future city last won the tournament in 1969 , and most recently reached the final in 1981 -- one of the modern classics which was won in a replay by tottenham . roberto mancini 's team will face either bolton or stoke in the final on may 14 , with the two premier league teams meeting in sunday 's second semifinal also at england 's national stadium . the italian urged his team not to get carried away , with the club still battling to qualify for next season 's champions league . we have everything in our hands . if we have the same spirit we had today , we have the fourth spot , ' he said , having molded city into contenders since taking charge december 2009 after being handed a lavish transfer kitty by billionaire owner sheikh mansour bin zayed al nahyan . manchester city was a small team until three , four , five years ago . it 's important to start to win the first trophies . ' united should have taken an early lead after dominating the first half-hour , with dimitar berbatov guilty of two bad misses in quick succession . the bulgarian , starting in place of suspended england striker wayne rooney , was first denied by quick-thinking goalkeeper joe hart and then belied the form that has seen him become the premier league 's top scorer this season by inexplicably scooping the ball over the bar from close range after being found by nani 's inviting low cross . city , missing injured captain and top scorer carlos tevez , capitalized on some slack united defending after the interval as the 40-year-old van der sar -- who retires at the end of this season -- made a poor clearance and then carrick gave the ball away to toure . hart did well to tip a 65th-minute freekick from nani onto the crossbar before scholes'red card forced a reshuffle with berbatov replaced by midfielder anderson . man of the match toure was denied by van der sar in the final minute and city survived five minutes of time added on to reach the club 's second final since winning the english league cup in 1976 . the match ended in ugly scenes as united defender rio ferdinand had to be restrained after anderson reacted to city striker mario balotelli 's unwise celebrations in front of opposition fans . ancelotti in troubled waters at the bridge in saturday 's premier league action , third-placed defending champions chelsea moved five points clear of city with a 3-1 victory at mid-table west brom . the london club bounced back from the midweek champions league exit at the hands of united as striker didier drogba leveled the scoring after this time being given the chance to start instead of $ 80 million signing fernando torres . west brom had led through nigeria striker peter odemwingie , but salomon kalou put chelsea ahead in the 26th minute and frank lampard sealed victory just before halftime . the result eased any fears that chelsea will not qualify for next season 's top european competition , moving carlo ancelotti 's team eight points clear of fifth-placed tottenham -- who host united 's main title rivals arsenal on wednesday . arsenal can reduce united 's lead to four points by beating sixth-placed liverpool on sunday in a match that kenny dalglish 's team also need to win in order to beat tottenham to the sole europa league spot . everton consolidated seventh place with a 2-0 victory at home to blackburn thanks to second-half goals by midfielder leon osman and defender leighton baines , the latter a penalty . aston villa moved up to ninth with a last-gasp 2-1 victory at second-bottom west ham as substitute striker gabriel agbonlahor headed an injury-time winner after teammate darren bent canceled out robbie keane 's early opener . sunderland , european hopefuls earlier this season , slumped to an eighth defeat in nine games as the 2-0 loss at birmingham left both clubs in a group of four teams on 38 points -- five clear of the relegation zone . wigan moved out of the bottom three with a 3-1 win at blackpool that dropped the promoted home team into the danger area for the first time this season .","yaya toure 's 52nd-minute winner ends united 's hopes of winning three trophies this season" +"mancunia london , england ( cnn ) -- with manchester united continuing their top form from last season and aiming for what would be a remarkable clean sweep of trophies this year , it 's only appropriate that we should profile a blog somehow linked to the red devils . fan focus : the republik of mancunia blog is popular with manchester united supporters . the republik of mancunia blog focuses on the old trafford club and is updated daily with a keen following among thousands of manchester united fans . authored by manchester-born and raised 25-year-old scott ( who prefers to remain anonymous ) , the blog began in the 2005-2006 season . scott , also known as scott the red , ' told cnn that before starting the blog he had been published on several football sites , and then fell into ' creating the republik of mancunia web site . i love talking about united and i 'm an argumentative guy , so getting to write my opinions down about the latest goings on is something i really enjoy doing . ( in 2005-2006 ) i was also getting on soapbox about the fact we were not in decline , which the current media at the time seemed to think we were , ' he said . scott said running a blog was a very difficult and time-consuming task , though he enjoyed the interaction with other fans . i imagine if i was n't in love with the club , i 'd have given up on it long before now . it takes up a lot of time and you get people who support other teams having a go at you on a daily basis , sometimes united fans and all ! ' scott said the readership of his blog , and also contributions to his manchester united forum came from areas as widely spread as europe , africa and even as far as asia and south america -- with a strong base at home in the united kingdom . i find it odd thinking of some lads thousands of miles away and hours apart sat at a computer and reading my latest rant . i like it though ! '","in march the profiled site is the republik of mancunia blog" +"mancunia london , england ( cnn ) -- with manchester united continuing their top form from last season and aiming for what would be a remarkable clean sweep of trophies this year , it 's only appropriate that we should profile a blog somehow linked to the red devils . fan focus : the republik of mancunia blog is popular with manchester united supporters . the republik of mancunia blog focuses on the old trafford club and is updated daily with a keen following among thousands of manchester united fans . authored by manchester-born and raised 25-year-old scott ( who prefers to remain anonymous ) , the blog began in the 2005-2006 season . scott , also known as scott the red , ' told cnn that before starting the blog he had been published on several football sites , and then fell into ' creating the republik of mancunia web site . i love talking about united and i 'm an argumentative guy , so getting to write my opinions down about the latest goings on is something i really enjoy doing . ( in 2005-2006 ) i was also getting on soapbox about the fact we were not in decline , which the current media at the time seemed to think we were , ' he said . scott said running a blog was a very difficult and time-consuming task , though he enjoyed the interaction with other fans . i imagine if i was n't in love with the club , i 'd have given up on it long before now . it takes up a lot of time and you get people who support other teams having a go at you on a daily basis , sometimes united fans and all ! ' scott said the readership of his blog , and also contributions to his manchester united forum came from areas as widely spread as europe , africa and even as far as asia and south america -- with a strong base at home in the united kingdom . i find it odd thinking of some lads thousands of miles away and hours apart sat at a computer and reading my latest rant . i like it though ! '","the republik of mancunia is a dedicated blog for manchester united fans" +"islamist mogadishu , somalia ( cnn ) -- blood and body parts littered the ground outside turkey 's embassy in somalia on saturday afternoon , the grisly result of a blast that police said left six dead and nine wounded . a minivan packed with explosives went off around 5 p.m. in the heart of mogadishu , just a few meters from the turkish diplomatic post , said police col. ahmed mohamud . when it was over , two somali security guards , a university student and three attackers were dead , according to mohamud . turkish embassy sources said that two of its staff members were among the wounded . somali police and turkish embassy guards , meanwhile , converged on the scene . mangled buses and cars ended up in a disfigured heap , while the windows of numerous nearby apartments were shattered . al-shabaab -- a militant islamist group with connections to al qaeda -- claimed responsibility for the attack . we are behind the martyrdom explosion , ' the group claimed via twitter . the turkish were our main target . ' the u.s. government reacted saturday to the terrorist attack ' by pledging its solidarity with turkey , the people of somalia ... and all members of the international community who are working for peace and stability in somalia . ' this cowardly act will not shake our commitment to continue working for the brighter , more democratic and prosperous future the people of somalia deserve , ' state department spokeswoman jen psaki said in a statement . somali president hassan sheikh mohamoud similarly blasted what he called an act of cowardly desperation by terrorists ' against one of his nation 's most determined and dependable allies . ' he lauded turks' tireless efforts ' over the past two years to help build new schools and hospitals , among other contributions . i condemn this criminal act of terrorism and my government and security forces will do everything it can to catch those who planned and directed it , ' hassan said . we must continue to stand firm against those who seek to destroy this country and , with the brave support of our allies , we must double our efforts to deliver the peaceful future the somali people so desperately want . ' saturday 's bombing was the second major attack in mogadishu in a few days : on wednesday , at least one person died in the capital after a bomb hidden in a lawmaker 's car blew up . the targeted member of parliament , sheikh adan mader , and other lawmakers were out of the car when the blast occurred and were unharmed , police said . designated a foreign terrorist organization by the u.s. government in 2008 , al-shabaab has waged a war with somali 's government in an effort to implement a stricter form of islamic law in the country . its forces were pushed out of mogadishu in summer 2011 by somali and other african forces , raising hopes of a return to relative security in a city after about 20 years of violence . but the militants have persisted by maintaining control of large rural areas of southern and central somalia and staging guerrilla-style attacks . in one such attack that al-shabaab took credit for , in june , at least 14 people died and 15 were wounded in an attack on u.n. headquarters in mogadishu . in addition to its volatile security situation , somalia has been plagued by famine . a may report by the united nations food and agriculture organization and the usaid-funded famine early warning systems network , found that 258,000 somalis had died in the famine between october 2010 and april 2012 . half of the famine victims were children younger than 5 . journalist omar nor reported from somalia , and cnn 's greg botelho wrote this story from atlanta .","islamist militant group al-shabaab claims responsibility" +"clan of the fiery cross ( mental floss ) -- if you think comic book characters do amazing things in comic books , you wo n't believe what they can do off the page . for starters , superman brought down the ku klux klan , and donald duck raised ships from the ocean floor . 1 . superman defeats the ku klux klan in the 1940s , the adventures of superman ' was a radio sensation . kids across the country huddled around their sets as the man of steel leapt off the page and over the airwaves . although superman had been fighting crime in print since 1938 , the weekly audio episodes fleshed out his storyline even further . it was on the radio that superman first faced kryptonite , met the daily planet reporter jimmy olsen , and became associated with truth , justice , and the american way . ' so , it 's no wonder that when a young writer and activist named stetson kennedy decided to expose the secrets of the ku klux klan , he looked to a certain superhero for inspiration . in the post-world war ii era , the klan experienced a huge resurgence . its membership was skyrocketing , and its political influence was increasing , so kennedy went undercover to infiltrate the group . by regularly attending meetings , he became privy to the organization 's secrets . but when he took the information to local authorities , they had little interest in using it . the klan had become so powerful and intimidating that police were hesitant to build a case against them . struggling to make use of his findings , kennedy approached the writers of the superman radio serial . it was perfect timing . with the war over and the nazis no longer a threat , the producers were looking for a new villain for superman to fight . the kkk was a great fit for the role . in a 16-episode series titled clan of the fiery cross , ' the writers pitted the man of steel against the men in white hoods . as the storyline progressed , the shows exposed many of the kkk 's most guarded secrets . by revealing everything from code words to rituals , the program completely stripped the klan of its mystique . within two weeks of the broadcast , kkk recruitment was down . and by 1948 , people were showing up to klan rallies just to mock them . mental floss : 5 memorable moments in comic book censorship 2 . donald duck 's scientific breakthrough in 1966 , danish engineer karl krøyer developed a method for raising sunken ships off the ocean floor by injecting them with polystyrene foam balls . however , when krøyer tried to license his invention with the dutch patent office , he was denied . donald duck had beaten him to the punch by 22 years . indeed , krøyer 's concept could be traced back to a donald duck comic conceived by carl barks . in addition to being the most celebrated artist of the donald duck comics , barks was known for his scientific prowess . so in a 1944 story , when donald got a bump on his head that turned him into a genius , the duck managed to mumble , if i mix ch2 [ a methylene compound ] with nh4 [ ammonium ] and boil the atoms in osmotic fog , i should get speckled nitrogen ! ' although it sounded like nonsense , it was n't . in 1963 , chemists p.p . gaspar and g.s . hammond wrote a technical article about methylene that included a reference to the donald duck story . the final paragraph read , among experiments which have not , to our knowledge , been carried out as yet is one of a most intriguing nature suggested in the literature of no less than 19 years ago . ' a footnote revealed that literature ' as the donald duck comic . it seems the web-footed children 's hero had deduced the chemical intermediate long before it had been proven to exist . mental floss : musicians performing on sesame street but why were these top american chemists looking to comics for inspiration ? apparently , dr. gaspar had been a lifelong donald duck fan , and he 'd rediscovered donald 's early reference to methylene while collecting old copies of the classic adventures . gaspar never disclosed how much his work owed to duckburg 's most famous resident , but then again , how many scientists would confess that they used comic books to bolster their research ? 3 . a spider-man villain keeps folks out of jail in a 1977 edition of spider-man , peter parker has the tables turned on him . the villain , kingpin , tracks down spidey using an electronic transmitter that he 'd fastened to the superhero 's wrist . although kingpin loses in the end ( he always does ) , one new mexico judge saw beauty in his plan . inspired by the strip , judge jack love turned to computer salesman michael goss and asked if he could create a similar device to keep track of crime suspects awaiting trial . in 1983 , goss produced his first batch of electronic monitors . authorities in albuquerque then tested the devices on five offenders , using the gadgets as an alternative to incarceration . today , the transmitters are a common sight in courtrooms across the country , usually in the form of electronic ankle bracelets . most famously , martha stewart donned one while she was under house arrest in 2004 . perhaps she would have felt better knowing that the gadget had once nabbed spider-man , too . mental floss : truth about lie detectors ( and wonder woman ) 4 . captain marvel jr. saves the bad-hair day like most american kids in the 1940s , elvis presley fantasized about growing up to be like his favorite comic book superheroes . but it turns out that the king might have been more interested in their fashion statements than their special powers . during his early teen years , elvis was obsessed with captain marvel jr. , known as america 's most famous boy hero . ' a younger version of captain marvel , the character sported an unusual hairstyle that featured a curly tuft of hair falling over the side of his forehead . sound familiar ? when elvis set out to conquer america with his rock 'n'roll ways , he copied the'do , thus making it one of the most famous hairstyles of the 20th century . but that was n't all . captain marvel also gets credit for the short capes elvis wore on the back of his jumpsuits , as well as the king 's famous tcb logo , which bears a striking resemblance to marvel 's lightning bolt insignia . of course , elvis never tried to hide his love for the captain . a copy of captain marvel jr. no . 51 still sits in his preserved childhood bedroom in an apartment in memphis , and his full comics collection remains intact in the attic at graceland . plus , the admiration was mutual . captain marvel jr. paid tribute to the king in one issue , referring to the singer as the greatest modern-day philosopher . ' for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved .","superman battled the kkk in radio series clan of the fiery cross '" +"iraq kurdish fighters defending the key syrian border city of kobani are dangerously outmatched as isis advances , a top united nations official said tuesday , calling for the international community to step in . they have been defending themselves with great courage . but they are now very close to not being able to do so . they are fighting with normal weapons , whereas the isis has got tanks and mortars , ' staffan de mistura , the u.n. special envoy for syria , said in a statement . the international community needs to defend them . the international community can not sustain another city falling under isis . ' were kobani to fall , isis would control a complete swath of land between its self-declared capital of raqqa , syria , and turkey -- a stretch of more than 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) . outnumbered and outgunned by isis , local fighters trying to defend the kurdish-dominated city have tried to flee into turkey . turkish president recep tayyip erdogan warned that kobani was about to fall to isis as protests raged in his country over how the group should be handled . and hours after u.s. airstrikes targeting isis struck near kobani overnight , the city 's future was far from certain . stopping isis from taking over cities , towns and other territory in syria is n't the focus of u.s. efforts , a senior administration official and a u.s. official told cnn . at a briefing , a state department spokeswoman faced persistent questions over whether saving the city was a u.s. priority . the answer , cnn global affairs correspondent elise labott said , sounded like a resounding no . ' it 's obviously horrific to watch what 's going on the ground , but it 's important for the united states , for us to also step back and remember our strategic objective as it relates to our efforts and our engagement in syria , ' spokeswoman jen psaki told reporters . the u.s. goal , she said , is a deliberate , well thought-out campaign in syria ' to disrupt isis command and control , destroy the group 's infrastructure and attack sources of fuel and financing for isis . certainly no one wants to see kobani fall , but our primary objective here is preventing ( isis ) from gaining a safe haven , ' she said . and we 're going after those specific structures that i mentioned , ' psaki added . but we would not have taken the range of military strikes we have taken , including overnight , if we did not want to support and -- and defend the area . ' five airstrikes targeting groups of isis fighters struck near kobani overnight , u.s. central command said . there were another four strikes elsewhere in syria and four in iraq . finally , they are hitting the right places , ' one local fighter against isis said after the airstrikes near kobani , which is close to the turkish border and key to isis'effort to extend its terrain . airstrikes against the radical islamist group in kobani can be challenging because many targets are too close to the turkish border or kurdish forces to strike , a senior u.s. military official said . violent protests in turkey destroying isis will require ground operations , erdogan said , according to the semi-official anadolu news agency . speaking to syrian refugees , he said there has been no achievement yet , ' despite months of efforts against isis . erdogan called for a no-fly zone , and for the arming of opposition groups in iraq and syria . people upset over what they consider turkey 's failure to respond adequately to the isis threat launched protests in turkey , some of which turned violent . three people were killed and at least 36 injured in demonstrations throughout turkey , police said , according to anadolu . at least five turkish police officers were among the injured , anadolu said . there were clashes overnight in istanbul , and a group of about 50 to 60 protesters blocked a road , cnn affiliate cnn turk reported . some demonstrators set fire to a bus and garbage truck and smashed windows and cars . one protester was killed in the middle of a demonstration after being hit in the head by a gas canister in the town of varto , police said . and two protesters died during demonstrations in the southeastern province of siirt , anadolu reported . in belgium , meanwhile , kurdish protesters stormed the european parliament building . cnn affiliate rtl belgium said about 50 protesters stormed into the building . police then cordoned it off . some european nations have joined the fight against isis , but the kurdish protesters want tougher action . belgium participated in overnight airstrikes in iraq , u.s. central command said . dutch join in , canada to follow suit dutch forces participated for the first time in airstrikes against isis in iraq as well , dropping three bombs on isis vehicles that were shooting at kurdish peshmerga forces , the dutch defense ministry said in a statement . the vehicles were destroyed , and isis fighters may have been killed , the ministry said . canada 's parliament approved an air combat mission against isis in iraq , pledging up to six cf-18 fighter jets as part of a strike force , in addition to other aircraft for surveillance , reconnaissance and refueling . to be absolutely clear , canada 's engagement in iraq is not a ground combat mission . it includes a number of targeted measures , being taken with allies , to severely limit the ability of isil to engage in full scale military movements and to operate bases in the open , ' prime minister stephen harper said in a statement . we do not take this step lightly . the threat posed by isil is real . if left unchecked this terrorist organization will grow and grow quickly . ' near kobani , airstrikes hit isis vehicles in syria , according to u.s. central command , the airstrikes against isis included : -- one south of kobani destroyed three isis armed vehicles and damaged another -- one southeast of kobani destroyed an isis armed vehicle carrying anti-aircraft artillery -- two southwest of kobani damaged an isis tank -- one south of kobani destroyed an isis unit elsewhere in syria , two strikes west of al-hasakah hit multiple isis buildings , one near deir ezzor struck an isis staging area and ied production facility , and one southwest of rabiyah struck a small group of isis fighters . the united states , saudi arabia , and the uae all participated in the strikes , central command said . death toll in fight for kobani more than 400 people have been killed in the fight for kobani since mid-september , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the group said it has documented the deaths of 219 isis jihadists , 163 members of the kurdish militia , and 20 civilians . a northern iraqi hospital has received the bodies of at least 29 suspected isis militants , the head of the tal afar hospital said tuesday . danial qassim said most were killed in u.s.-led coalition airstrikes overnight . tal afar is about 70 kilometers ( 43 miles ) west of mosul -- iraq 's second-largest city . mosul has also been overtaken by isis , which calls itself the islamic state . how isis makes its millions why is isis so successful at luring westerners ? u.s. military airstrikes against isis in iraq and syria have cost more than $ 62 million so far , according to data provided by the u.s. defense department . the data , apparently sent out inadvertently to the pentagon 's press contacts on monday , listed the total number of airstrikes by u.s. central command in iraq and syria . it also detailed locations of targets and specified the costs of munitions used .","canada will send fighter jets to target isis in iraq" +"isis kurdish fighters defending the key syrian border city of kobani are dangerously outmatched as isis advances , a top united nations official said tuesday , calling for the international community to step in . they have been defending themselves with great courage . but they are now very close to not being able to do so . they are fighting with normal weapons , whereas the isis has got tanks and mortars , ' staffan de mistura , the u.n. special envoy for syria , said in a statement . the international community needs to defend them . the international community can not sustain another city falling under isis . ' were kobani to fall , isis would control a complete swath of land between its self-declared capital of raqqa , syria , and turkey -- a stretch of more than 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) . outnumbered and outgunned by isis , local fighters trying to defend the kurdish-dominated city have tried to flee into turkey . turkish president recep tayyip erdogan warned that kobani was about to fall to isis as protests raged in his country over how the group should be handled . and hours after u.s. airstrikes targeting isis struck near kobani overnight , the city 's future was far from certain . stopping isis from taking over cities , towns and other territory in syria is n't the focus of u.s. efforts , a senior administration official and a u.s. official told cnn . at a briefing , a state department spokeswoman faced persistent questions over whether saving the city was a u.s. priority . the answer , cnn global affairs correspondent elise labott said , sounded like a resounding no . ' it 's obviously horrific to watch what 's going on the ground , but it 's important for the united states , for us to also step back and remember our strategic objective as it relates to our efforts and our engagement in syria , ' spokeswoman jen psaki told reporters . the u.s. goal , she said , is a deliberate , well thought-out campaign in syria ' to disrupt isis command and control , destroy the group 's infrastructure and attack sources of fuel and financing for isis . certainly no one wants to see kobani fall , but our primary objective here is preventing ( isis ) from gaining a safe haven , ' she said . and we 're going after those specific structures that i mentioned , ' psaki added . but we would not have taken the range of military strikes we have taken , including overnight , if we did not want to support and -- and defend the area . ' five airstrikes targeting groups of isis fighters struck near kobani overnight , u.s. central command said . there were another four strikes elsewhere in syria and four in iraq . finally , they are hitting the right places , ' one local fighter against isis said after the airstrikes near kobani , which is close to the turkish border and key to isis'effort to extend its terrain . airstrikes against the radical islamist group in kobani can be challenging because many targets are too close to the turkish border or kurdish forces to strike , a senior u.s. military official said . violent protests in turkey destroying isis will require ground operations , erdogan said , according to the semi-official anadolu news agency . speaking to syrian refugees , he said there has been no achievement yet , ' despite months of efforts against isis . erdogan called for a no-fly zone , and for the arming of opposition groups in iraq and syria . people upset over what they consider turkey 's failure to respond adequately to the isis threat launched protests in turkey , some of which turned violent . three people were killed and at least 36 injured in demonstrations throughout turkey , police said , according to anadolu . at least five turkish police officers were among the injured , anadolu said . there were clashes overnight in istanbul , and a group of about 50 to 60 protesters blocked a road , cnn affiliate cnn turk reported . some demonstrators set fire to a bus and garbage truck and smashed windows and cars . one protester was killed in the middle of a demonstration after being hit in the head by a gas canister in the town of varto , police said . and two protesters died during demonstrations in the southeastern province of siirt , anadolu reported . in belgium , meanwhile , kurdish protesters stormed the european parliament building . cnn affiliate rtl belgium said about 50 protesters stormed into the building . police then cordoned it off . some european nations have joined the fight against isis , but the kurdish protesters want tougher action . belgium participated in overnight airstrikes in iraq , u.s. central command said . dutch join in , canada to follow suit dutch forces participated for the first time in airstrikes against isis in iraq as well , dropping three bombs on isis vehicles that were shooting at kurdish peshmerga forces , the dutch defense ministry said in a statement . the vehicles were destroyed , and isis fighters may have been killed , the ministry said . canada 's parliament approved an air combat mission against isis in iraq , pledging up to six cf-18 fighter jets as part of a strike force , in addition to other aircraft for surveillance , reconnaissance and refueling . to be absolutely clear , canada 's engagement in iraq is not a ground combat mission . it includes a number of targeted measures , being taken with allies , to severely limit the ability of isil to engage in full scale military movements and to operate bases in the open , ' prime minister stephen harper said in a statement . we do not take this step lightly . the threat posed by isil is real . if left unchecked this terrorist organization will grow and grow quickly . ' near kobani , airstrikes hit isis vehicles in syria , according to u.s. central command , the airstrikes against isis included : -- one south of kobani destroyed three isis armed vehicles and damaged another -- one southeast of kobani destroyed an isis armed vehicle carrying anti-aircraft artillery -- two southwest of kobani damaged an isis tank -- one south of kobani destroyed an isis unit elsewhere in syria , two strikes west of al-hasakah hit multiple isis buildings , one near deir ezzor struck an isis staging area and ied production facility , and one southwest of rabiyah struck a small group of isis fighters . the united states , saudi arabia , and the uae all participated in the strikes , central command said . death toll in fight for kobani more than 400 people have been killed in the fight for kobani since mid-september , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the group said it has documented the deaths of 219 isis jihadists , 163 members of the kurdish militia , and 20 civilians . a northern iraqi hospital has received the bodies of at least 29 suspected isis militants , the head of the tal afar hospital said tuesday . danial qassim said most were killed in u.s.-led coalition airstrikes overnight . tal afar is about 70 kilometers ( 43 miles ) west of mosul -- iraq 's second-largest city . mosul has also been overtaken by isis , which calls itself the islamic state . how isis makes its millions why is isis so successful at luring westerners ? u.s. military airstrikes against isis in iraq and syria have cost more than $ 62 million so far , according to data provided by the u.s. defense department . the data , apparently sent out inadvertently to the pentagon 's press contacts on monday , listed the total number of airstrikes by u.s. central command in iraq and syria . it also detailed locations of targets and specified the costs of munitions used .","canada will send fighter jets to target isis in iraq" +"isis kurdish fighters defending the key syrian border city of kobani are dangerously outmatched as isis advances , a top united nations official said tuesday , calling for the international community to step in . they have been defending themselves with great courage . but they are now very close to not being able to do so . they are fighting with normal weapons , whereas the isis has got tanks and mortars , ' staffan de mistura , the u.n. special envoy for syria , said in a statement . the international community needs to defend them . the international community can not sustain another city falling under isis . ' were kobani to fall , isis would control a complete swath of land between its self-declared capital of raqqa , syria , and turkey -- a stretch of more than 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) . outnumbered and outgunned by isis , local fighters trying to defend the kurdish-dominated city have tried to flee into turkey . turkish president recep tayyip erdogan warned that kobani was about to fall to isis as protests raged in his country over how the group should be handled . and hours after u.s. airstrikes targeting isis struck near kobani overnight , the city 's future was far from certain . stopping isis from taking over cities , towns and other territory in syria is n't the focus of u.s. efforts , a senior administration official and a u.s. official told cnn . at a briefing , a state department spokeswoman faced persistent questions over whether saving the city was a u.s. priority . the answer , cnn global affairs correspondent elise labott said , sounded like a resounding no . ' it 's obviously horrific to watch what 's going on the ground , but it 's important for the united states , for us to also step back and remember our strategic objective as it relates to our efforts and our engagement in syria , ' spokeswoman jen psaki told reporters . the u.s. goal , she said , is a deliberate , well thought-out campaign in syria ' to disrupt isis command and control , destroy the group 's infrastructure and attack sources of fuel and financing for isis . certainly no one wants to see kobani fall , but our primary objective here is preventing ( isis ) from gaining a safe haven , ' she said . and we 're going after those specific structures that i mentioned , ' psaki added . but we would not have taken the range of military strikes we have taken , including overnight , if we did not want to support and -- and defend the area . ' five airstrikes targeting groups of isis fighters struck near kobani overnight , u.s. central command said . there were another four strikes elsewhere in syria and four in iraq . finally , they are hitting the right places , ' one local fighter against isis said after the airstrikes near kobani , which is close to the turkish border and key to isis'effort to extend its terrain . airstrikes against the radical islamist group in kobani can be challenging because many targets are too close to the turkish border or kurdish forces to strike , a senior u.s. military official said . violent protests in turkey destroying isis will require ground operations , erdogan said , according to the semi-official anadolu news agency . speaking to syrian refugees , he said there has been no achievement yet , ' despite months of efforts against isis . erdogan called for a no-fly zone , and for the arming of opposition groups in iraq and syria . people upset over what they consider turkey 's failure to respond adequately to the isis threat launched protests in turkey , some of which turned violent . three people were killed and at least 36 injured in demonstrations throughout turkey , police said , according to anadolu . at least five turkish police officers were among the injured , anadolu said . there were clashes overnight in istanbul , and a group of about 50 to 60 protesters blocked a road , cnn affiliate cnn turk reported . some demonstrators set fire to a bus and garbage truck and smashed windows and cars . one protester was killed in the middle of a demonstration after being hit in the head by a gas canister in the town of varto , police said . and two protesters died during demonstrations in the southeastern province of siirt , anadolu reported . in belgium , meanwhile , kurdish protesters stormed the european parliament building . cnn affiliate rtl belgium said about 50 protesters stormed into the building . police then cordoned it off . some european nations have joined the fight against isis , but the kurdish protesters want tougher action . belgium participated in overnight airstrikes in iraq , u.s. central command said . dutch join in , canada to follow suit dutch forces participated for the first time in airstrikes against isis in iraq as well , dropping three bombs on isis vehicles that were shooting at kurdish peshmerga forces , the dutch defense ministry said in a statement . the vehicles were destroyed , and isis fighters may have been killed , the ministry said . canada 's parliament approved an air combat mission against isis in iraq , pledging up to six cf-18 fighter jets as part of a strike force , in addition to other aircraft for surveillance , reconnaissance and refueling . to be absolutely clear , canada 's engagement in iraq is not a ground combat mission . it includes a number of targeted measures , being taken with allies , to severely limit the ability of isil to engage in full scale military movements and to operate bases in the open , ' prime minister stephen harper said in a statement . we do not take this step lightly . the threat posed by isil is real . if left unchecked this terrorist organization will grow and grow quickly . ' near kobani , airstrikes hit isis vehicles in syria , according to u.s. central command , the airstrikes against isis included : -- one south of kobani destroyed three isis armed vehicles and damaged another -- one southeast of kobani destroyed an isis armed vehicle carrying anti-aircraft artillery -- two southwest of kobani damaged an isis tank -- one south of kobani destroyed an isis unit elsewhere in syria , two strikes west of al-hasakah hit multiple isis buildings , one near deir ezzor struck an isis staging area and ied production facility , and one southwest of rabiyah struck a small group of isis fighters . the united states , saudi arabia , and the uae all participated in the strikes , central command said . death toll in fight for kobani more than 400 people have been killed in the fight for kobani since mid-september , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the group said it has documented the deaths of 219 isis jihadists , 163 members of the kurdish militia , and 20 civilians . a northern iraqi hospital has received the bodies of at least 29 suspected isis militants , the head of the tal afar hospital said tuesday . danial qassim said most were killed in u.s.-led coalition airstrikes overnight . tal afar is about 70 kilometers ( 43 miles ) west of mosul -- iraq 's second-largest city . mosul has also been overtaken by isis , which calls itself the islamic state . how isis makes its millions why is isis so successful at luring westerners ? u.s. military airstrikes against isis in iraq and syria have cost more than $ 62 million so far , according to data provided by the u.s. defense department . the data , apparently sent out inadvertently to the pentagon 's press contacts on monday , listed the total number of airstrikes by u.s. central command in iraq and syria . it also detailed locations of targets and specified the costs of munitions used .","turkish president erdogan warns kobani is about to fall to isis" +"isis kurdish fighters defending the key syrian border city of kobani are dangerously outmatched as isis advances , a top united nations official said tuesday , calling for the international community to step in . they have been defending themselves with great courage . but they are now very close to not being able to do so . they are fighting with normal weapons , whereas the isis has got tanks and mortars , ' staffan de mistura , the u.n. special envoy for syria , said in a statement . the international community needs to defend them . the international community can not sustain another city falling under isis . ' were kobani to fall , isis would control a complete swath of land between its self-declared capital of raqqa , syria , and turkey -- a stretch of more than 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) . outnumbered and outgunned by isis , local fighters trying to defend the kurdish-dominated city have tried to flee into turkey . turkish president recep tayyip erdogan warned that kobani was about to fall to isis as protests raged in his country over how the group should be handled . and hours after u.s. airstrikes targeting isis struck near kobani overnight , the city 's future was far from certain . stopping isis from taking over cities , towns and other territory in syria is n't the focus of u.s. efforts , a senior administration official and a u.s. official told cnn . at a briefing , a state department spokeswoman faced persistent questions over whether saving the city was a u.s. priority . the answer , cnn global affairs correspondent elise labott said , sounded like a resounding no . ' it 's obviously horrific to watch what 's going on the ground , but it 's important for the united states , for us to also step back and remember our strategic objective as it relates to our efforts and our engagement in syria , ' spokeswoman jen psaki told reporters . the u.s. goal , she said , is a deliberate , well thought-out campaign in syria ' to disrupt isis command and control , destroy the group 's infrastructure and attack sources of fuel and financing for isis . certainly no one wants to see kobani fall , but our primary objective here is preventing ( isis ) from gaining a safe haven , ' she said . and we 're going after those specific structures that i mentioned , ' psaki added . but we would not have taken the range of military strikes we have taken , including overnight , if we did not want to support and -- and defend the area . ' five airstrikes targeting groups of isis fighters struck near kobani overnight , u.s. central command said . there were another four strikes elsewhere in syria and four in iraq . finally , they are hitting the right places , ' one local fighter against isis said after the airstrikes near kobani , which is close to the turkish border and key to isis'effort to extend its terrain . airstrikes against the radical islamist group in kobani can be challenging because many targets are too close to the turkish border or kurdish forces to strike , a senior u.s. military official said . violent protests in turkey destroying isis will require ground operations , erdogan said , according to the semi-official anadolu news agency . speaking to syrian refugees , he said there has been no achievement yet , ' despite months of efforts against isis . erdogan called for a no-fly zone , and for the arming of opposition groups in iraq and syria . people upset over what they consider turkey 's failure to respond adequately to the isis threat launched protests in turkey , some of which turned violent . three people were killed and at least 36 injured in demonstrations throughout turkey , police said , according to anadolu . at least five turkish police officers were among the injured , anadolu said . there were clashes overnight in istanbul , and a group of about 50 to 60 protesters blocked a road , cnn affiliate cnn turk reported . some demonstrators set fire to a bus and garbage truck and smashed windows and cars . one protester was killed in the middle of a demonstration after being hit in the head by a gas canister in the town of varto , police said . and two protesters died during demonstrations in the southeastern province of siirt , anadolu reported . in belgium , meanwhile , kurdish protesters stormed the european parliament building . cnn affiliate rtl belgium said about 50 protesters stormed into the building . police then cordoned it off . some european nations have joined the fight against isis , but the kurdish protesters want tougher action . belgium participated in overnight airstrikes in iraq , u.s. central command said . dutch join in , canada to follow suit dutch forces participated for the first time in airstrikes against isis in iraq as well , dropping three bombs on isis vehicles that were shooting at kurdish peshmerga forces , the dutch defense ministry said in a statement . the vehicles were destroyed , and isis fighters may have been killed , the ministry said . canada 's parliament approved an air combat mission against isis in iraq , pledging up to six cf-18 fighter jets as part of a strike force , in addition to other aircraft for surveillance , reconnaissance and refueling . to be absolutely clear , canada 's engagement in iraq is not a ground combat mission . it includes a number of targeted measures , being taken with allies , to severely limit the ability of isil to engage in full scale military movements and to operate bases in the open , ' prime minister stephen harper said in a statement . we do not take this step lightly . the threat posed by isil is real . if left unchecked this terrorist organization will grow and grow quickly . ' near kobani , airstrikes hit isis vehicles in syria , according to u.s. central command , the airstrikes against isis included : -- one south of kobani destroyed three isis armed vehicles and damaged another -- one southeast of kobani destroyed an isis armed vehicle carrying anti-aircraft artillery -- two southwest of kobani damaged an isis tank -- one south of kobani destroyed an isis unit elsewhere in syria , two strikes west of al-hasakah hit multiple isis buildings , one near deir ezzor struck an isis staging area and ied production facility , and one southwest of rabiyah struck a small group of isis fighters . the united states , saudi arabia , and the uae all participated in the strikes , central command said . death toll in fight for kobani more than 400 people have been killed in the fight for kobani since mid-september , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the group said it has documented the deaths of 219 isis jihadists , 163 members of the kurdish militia , and 20 civilians . a northern iraqi hospital has received the bodies of at least 29 suspected isis militants , the head of the tal afar hospital said tuesday . danial qassim said most were killed in u.s.-led coalition airstrikes overnight . tal afar is about 70 kilometers ( 43 miles ) west of mosul -- iraq 's second-largest city . mosul has also been overtaken by isis , which calls itself the islamic state . how isis makes its millions why is isis so successful at luring westerners ? u.s. military airstrikes against isis in iraq and syria have cost more than $ 62 million so far , according to data provided by the u.s. defense department . the data , apparently sent out inadvertently to the pentagon 's press contacts on monday , listed the total number of airstrikes by u.s. central command in iraq and syria . it also detailed locations of targets and specified the costs of munitions used .","state department : u.s. goal is preventing isis from gaining a safe haven '" +"erdogan kurdish fighters defending the key syrian border city of kobani are dangerously outmatched as isis advances , a top united nations official said tuesday , calling for the international community to step in . they have been defending themselves with great courage . but they are now very close to not being able to do so . they are fighting with normal weapons , whereas the isis has got tanks and mortars , ' staffan de mistura , the u.n. special envoy for syria , said in a statement . the international community needs to defend them . the international community can not sustain another city falling under isis . ' were kobani to fall , isis would control a complete swath of land between its self-declared capital of raqqa , syria , and turkey -- a stretch of more than 100 kilometers ( 62 miles ) . outnumbered and outgunned by isis , local fighters trying to defend the kurdish-dominated city have tried to flee into turkey . turkish president recep tayyip erdogan warned that kobani was about to fall to isis as protests raged in his country over how the group should be handled . and hours after u.s. airstrikes targeting isis struck near kobani overnight , the city 's future was far from certain . stopping isis from taking over cities , towns and other territory in syria is n't the focus of u.s. efforts , a senior administration official and a u.s. official told cnn . at a briefing , a state department spokeswoman faced persistent questions over whether saving the city was a u.s. priority . the answer , cnn global affairs correspondent elise labott said , sounded like a resounding no . ' it 's obviously horrific to watch what 's going on the ground , but it 's important for the united states , for us to also step back and remember our strategic objective as it relates to our efforts and our engagement in syria , ' spokeswoman jen psaki told reporters . the u.s. goal , she said , is a deliberate , well thought-out campaign in syria ' to disrupt isis command and control , destroy the group 's infrastructure and attack sources of fuel and financing for isis . certainly no one wants to see kobani fall , but our primary objective here is preventing ( isis ) from gaining a safe haven , ' she said . and we 're going after those specific structures that i mentioned , ' psaki added . but we would not have taken the range of military strikes we have taken , including overnight , if we did not want to support and -- and defend the area . ' five airstrikes targeting groups of isis fighters struck near kobani overnight , u.s. central command said . there were another four strikes elsewhere in syria and four in iraq . finally , they are hitting the right places , ' one local fighter against isis said after the airstrikes near kobani , which is close to the turkish border and key to isis'effort to extend its terrain . airstrikes against the radical islamist group in kobani can be challenging because many targets are too close to the turkish border or kurdish forces to strike , a senior u.s. military official said . violent protests in turkey destroying isis will require ground operations , erdogan said , according to the semi-official anadolu news agency . speaking to syrian refugees , he said there has been no achievement yet , ' despite months of efforts against isis . erdogan called for a no-fly zone , and for the arming of opposition groups in iraq and syria . people upset over what they consider turkey 's failure to respond adequately to the isis threat launched protests in turkey , some of which turned violent . three people were killed and at least 36 injured in demonstrations throughout turkey , police said , according to anadolu . at least five turkish police officers were among the injured , anadolu said . there were clashes overnight in istanbul , and a group of about 50 to 60 protesters blocked a road , cnn affiliate cnn turk reported . some demonstrators set fire to a bus and garbage truck and smashed windows and cars . one protester was killed in the middle of a demonstration after being hit in the head by a gas canister in the town of varto , police said . and two protesters died during demonstrations in the southeastern province of siirt , anadolu reported . in belgium , meanwhile , kurdish protesters stormed the european parliament building . cnn affiliate rtl belgium said about 50 protesters stormed into the building . police then cordoned it off . some european nations have joined the fight against isis , but the kurdish protesters want tougher action . belgium participated in overnight airstrikes in iraq , u.s. central command said . dutch join in , canada to follow suit dutch forces participated for the first time in airstrikes against isis in iraq as well , dropping three bombs on isis vehicles that were shooting at kurdish peshmerga forces , the dutch defense ministry said in a statement . the vehicles were destroyed , and isis fighters may have been killed , the ministry said . canada 's parliament approved an air combat mission against isis in iraq , pledging up to six cf-18 fighter jets as part of a strike force , in addition to other aircraft for surveillance , reconnaissance and refueling . to be absolutely clear , canada 's engagement in iraq is not a ground combat mission . it includes a number of targeted measures , being taken with allies , to severely limit the ability of isil to engage in full scale military movements and to operate bases in the open , ' prime minister stephen harper said in a statement . we do not take this step lightly . the threat posed by isil is real . if left unchecked this terrorist organization will grow and grow quickly . ' near kobani , airstrikes hit isis vehicles in syria , according to u.s. central command , the airstrikes against isis included : -- one south of kobani destroyed three isis armed vehicles and damaged another -- one southeast of kobani destroyed an isis armed vehicle carrying anti-aircraft artillery -- two southwest of kobani damaged an isis tank -- one south of kobani destroyed an isis unit elsewhere in syria , two strikes west of al-hasakah hit multiple isis buildings , one near deir ezzor struck an isis staging area and ied production facility , and one southwest of rabiyah struck a small group of isis fighters . the united states , saudi arabia , and the uae all participated in the strikes , central command said . death toll in fight for kobani more than 400 people have been killed in the fight for kobani since mid-september , the syrian observatory for human rights said . the group said it has documented the deaths of 219 isis jihadists , 163 members of the kurdish militia , and 20 civilians . a northern iraqi hospital has received the bodies of at least 29 suspected isis militants , the head of the tal afar hospital said tuesday . danial qassim said most were killed in u.s.-led coalition airstrikes overnight . tal afar is about 70 kilometers ( 43 miles ) west of mosul -- iraq 's second-largest city . mosul has also been overtaken by isis , which calls itself the islamic state . how isis makes its millions why is isis so successful at luring westerners ? u.s. military airstrikes against isis in iraq and syria have cost more than $ 62 million so far , according to data provided by the u.s. defense department . the data , apparently sent out inadvertently to the pentagon 's press contacts on monday , listed the total number of airstrikes by u.s. central command in iraq and syria . it also detailed locations of targets and specified the costs of munitions used .","turkish president erdogan warns kobani is about to fall to isis" +"white day unlike most harried men in many other countries around this time each year , korean men do n't have to worry about shopping for jewelry or flowers or writing nice cards to give to their significant other on february 14 . instead , for south koreans valentine 's day is when women shower men with chocolates . it 's also just one romantic day in a whole series of calendar-dictated romantic days . next up is march 14 . known as white day , on this occasion men gift women with candy . fact : chupa chups is the most sold candy . next is black day on april 14 , when downbeat singles who did n't receive any goodies head to local chinese restaurants to commiserate over their loneliness while eating jjajyangmyeon , or black noodles . ' surprisingly , one of the most popular gift-giving days of the year is november 11 , or pepero day , so named in honor of a favorite korean stick-shaped snack . ( link in korean only ) catering to women throughout the country , stores selling confectionery prepare for months leading up to february for one of their best-selling days of the year . as february 14 nears , visitors to the country will notice lines and lines of women at such stores . naturally , retailers need to cater to the female shopper 's eye . valentine 's day is one of our top five days of the year , ' chul-hyun yoo , the public relations representative for cu convenience stores , told cnn . with 7,900 stores throughout the country , cu is the number one convenience store chain in south korea , recording almost ₩3 trillion ( us $ 2.8 billion ) in total sales last year . you can tell what concerns women and men is different by comparing the sales of valentine 's day and white day , ' said yoo . women tend to go for value for money , while men buy big , flashy baskets . ' one translation : women are comparatively stingy , while men like to show off . some of the best-selling items on valentine 's day are the ferrero rocher chocolates sold in packets of three or five . fellas , do n't eat all at once . becoming unhealthy ? at the more upscale jubilee chocolatier dessert cafe in seoul , women line up on the days up to valentine 's day to buy handmade chocolates that can be customized with their loved one 's initials . our valentine 's day sales make up 20 percent of our entire sales , ' said gae-ra lee , public relations representative for the cafe . although the series of romantic days used to cater more towards couples , or those wanting to confess their secret loves using a romantic day as an excuse , in recent years , goodie-gifting on valentine 's day and white day has expanded to include family , co-workers and pretty much anyone you come into contact with on those days . i 'm buying chocolates for my father . i feel like valentine 's day should about confessing romantic love , ' said jin-hee oh , 28 , an office worker shopping at lotte department store . nowadays , you do n't give chocolates on valentine 's day because you really like that person , ' said chun kyung-woo , a culture reporter for a local newspaper . the custom has evolved so that now you have to give small crappy candy that no one actually wants to all your friends and everyone at the office down to your security guard as a show of goodwill , ' said chun . it 's unhealthy . ' so what did i do ? along with the other female members of the seoul office , we each gave the turner korea boss some chocolate . not that he needs it .","valentine 's day is just one of many romantic korean holidays . next up : white day" +"ahmedabad ( cnn ) -- mitchell johnson was in danger of becoming the forgotten man of australian cricket . shunned by the selectors after an alarming loss of form , he spent a year out of the test team as he struggled to overcome a foot injury . but the 31-year-old is back with a bang , having terrorized sri lanka 's batsmen to help the home side clinch a 2-0 series win in melbourne on friday . the left-arm paceman was named man of the match after claiming six wickets and scoring 92 not out as the tourists crumbled to defeat by an innings and 201 runs -- sri lanka 's third worst reverse in the five-day game . johnson , only playing because of injuries to other bowlers , followed up his four-wicket haul from sri lanka 's first-innings 156 with a fiery spell that earned two more scalps and ended the tour of key batsman kumar sangakkara , who had scored 27 . sangakkara , who on the opening day joined the elite club of players to have scored 10,000 test runs , needs surgery on a broken finger after being hit on the gloves by johnson -- who also gave wicketkeeper prasanna jayawardene a hairline thumb fracture in the first innings . neither jayawardene nor bowler chanaka welegedara were able to bat due to injuries , and sri lanka collapsed to 103-7 all out in 24.2 overs . two wickets fell in johnson 's opening over of the innings , one of them a run out . the plan through this test match was to get up their batters and unfortunately for them they got a few injuries out of it , ' said johnson , who passed the milestone of 200 wickets in his 49th test . i think that intimidation factor definitely worked out there today . we found a bit of a weakness with them with the short ball ... they obviously did n't handle it as well as they would have liked . ' it marked a minor career resurrection for johnson , who was australia 's main strike bowler until his form fell apart during the 2010-11 ashes series against england . in the time i 've had off i 've been able to reflect on a lot of things . i had probably got to the stage where i listened to a lot of outside influences -- that does n't affect me anymore . i 'm just happy with how i 've come back , and making the most of the opportunities i get , ' he said . it 's not every day you get to play for your country , and i 'm pretty proud of the fact i 've played 49 tests now . you 've just got to look to the future and , if you get picked , go out there and make the most of it . that 's what i 'm doing ... and playing with a smile on my face . i 've always been happy playing for australia , it just got to the point where i was feeling the pressure . it happens in professional sports , you can feel the pressure and start to believe in things that are said or outside influences , and it just got to that point for me . i 've moved past that . i 'm 31 , i 've been around the game for a long time now and i think i 've matured in that i have belief in myself and just go out there and play my game and do the best job i can . ' despite his heroics , johnson is not guaranteed of starting the third test in sydney from january 3-7 . mitchell starc is expected to return after being rested , while debutant jackson bird made a strong impression as an opening bowler , taking two wickets in each innings . his control with the new ball is an area that i think we 've been looking for , ' captain michael clarke said . the one thing i really like about jackson is you know what you 're going to get . he bowled into the breeze the whole game and did a fantastic job for us . i think birdy played a huge part in mitch 's success in the first innings , and it allows a bowler like mitch to be able to attack . ' australia will be without key all-rounder shane watson , who has a calf injury , meaning glenn maxwell has the chance to make his test debut after previous appearances in limited-overs internationals . meanwhile , india leveled the twenty20 series against pakistan with an 11-run victory in the second match at ahmedabad on friday . the home side put on 192-5 after batting first , with yuvraj singh smashing 72 off 36 balls , sending seven deliveries over the boundary ropes . pakistan could not follow up tuesday 's five-wicket win in bangalore , finishing on 181-7 after 20 overs . ashok dinda took 3-36 from his four overs . it is the first bilateral series between the neighboring countries in five years . the three-match one-day series will start on sunday .","india levels twenty20 series against pakistan with 11-run win in second match at ahmedabad" +"ryan washington ( cnn ) -- new disclosures that the internal revenue service targeted liberals as well as conservatives in assessing applications for tax-exempt status have reshaped perceptions of the scandal , shifting the focus away from republican claims of political villainy . irs targeting included liberal groups investigations by the fbi , congressional committees , the treasury inspector general 's office and the irs continue , but monday 's revelations bolstered assertions by agency officials and democrats that the problem was egregious mismanagement instead of intentional misconduct by the obama administration . shifting polls contradict key deposition house democratic leader nancy pelosi of california told cnn on tuesday that the priority now should be to ensure that laws and regulations prohibiting political groups from getting tax-exempt status are properly enforced , regardless of whether organizations are on left or right . these groups are in some ways giving the appearance that their primary purpose is the common good , the common welfare ... when they are actively engaged in political activity , for which they should n't be getting a tax deduction , ' pelosi said . however , rep. paul ryan of wisconsin argued too many questions remain unanswered to stop investigating whether politics played a role in the controversy . what we still do n't know is who ordered this kind of targeting , why did it take so long for them to clean it up ? ' ryan , the 2012 gop vice presidential nominee , told cbs . asked if the claim of political motivation now seemed less valid , he responded : i do n't know the answer to that , so we 're going to let the facts take us where they take us . ' in particular , ryan said he wanted more details on why conservative-oriented groups had their tax-exempt applications stalled and experienced harassing behavior by the irs , such as having to answer inappropriate questions about the beliefs and activities of members . at the same time , he sounded like pelosi in saying the bigger question involved the practice of targeting , rather than who specifically got targeted . cnn poll : did white house order irs targeting ? we know that the irs did target people based upon their political beliefs , ' ryan said . who cares whether they 're right or left ? ... the fact that they 're targeting people for harassment based upon their political beliefs should be cause enough alone for outrage . ' that 's a big change from inferences by gop leaders in recent weeks that the obama administration was likely behind the targeting that started in 2010 in an effort to subdue political rivals . with no evidence to date of any such connection , it was unclear how hard congressional committees would continue pushing the issue . the gop-led house ways and means committee has scheduled a hearing on thursday on an initial review of the irs targeting by the agency 's temporary leader , daniel werfel . president barack obama appointed werfel to clean up the irs mess last month after an inspector general 's audit uncovered targeting of applications that contained conservative-themed words such as tea party . ' the audit by treasury inspector general for tax administration j. russell george only cited the targeting of conservative groups , which it said ended in may 2012 . read irs watchdog 's report in his first substantive report on the agency , werfel said monday that its tax-exempt unit used multiple lists of inappropriate criteria in assessing tax-exempt applications until earlier this month , more than a year later than previously revealed . the be on the lookout ' or bolo lists included liberal-themed words such as progressives ' and other politically oriented terms such as occupy ' and medical marijuana ' in alerting irs workers to check for unacceptable political activities , according to copies made available by democratic rep. sander levin of michigan . werfel said he has suspended the use of bolo lists in considering tax-exempt applications for now . a statement by levin questioned why george 's audit focused only on bolo lists that contained conservative labels . the inspector general 's report served as the basis and impetus for a wide range of congressional investigations , and this new information shows that the foundation of those investigations is flawed in a fundamental way , ' levin 's statement said . a spokesperson for george later responded that the report focused only on bolo criteria used to refer cases for extra scrutiny of potential political activity that would make groups ineligible for tax-exempt status . republicans have claimed the controversy amounted to political retribution against enemies of the administration , an accusation denied by the white house and the irs . mcconnell : obama administration a'culture of intimidation' in response to levin 's statement , house ways and means committee chairman rep. dave camp , r-michigan , said the inclusion of progressives ' on a bolo list did not prove that liberal groups underwent the same extra scrutiny of conservative groups cited in the inspector general 's report . the release of george 's audit last month ignited a political firestorm in washington while fueling conservative mistrust of obama 's administration as an example of big government gone wild . werfel noted monday that his internal investigation , while still incomplete , found no evidence so far of intentional wrongdoing by irs personnel or involvement by anyone outside the irs . he also said no evidence had emerged that in appropriate targeting extended into other areas of the agency . five irs managers have been replaced , from the previous acting commissioner whom werfel succeeded to the head of the unit based in cincinnati that handles tax-exempt applications . in addition , werfel created an accountability review board to recommend within 60 days any additional personnel actions necessary to hold accountable those responsible ' for the targeting disclosed by the inspector general 's report . white house spokesman jay carney said monday that obama believes werfel 's report is an important step in ensuring accountability for any staff that acted inappropriately , identifies the failures in their systems that allowed the misconduct to happen , and takes a forward-looking systemic view at the agency 's management . ' in his audit that disclosed the misconduct , george said there was no evidence of a political motive . however , he is continuing to investigate the matter , along with the fbi and the congressional committees . as part of his review , werfel said 80 groups awaiting irs action on their applications for tax exempt status for more than 120 days could self-register with the agency as long as they certified under penalty of perjury that they would comply with applicable laws and regulations . at the heart of the matter is what kind of organization can qualify for tax-exempt status . regulations limit such status to groups primarily involved in social welfare activities , while political groups are considered ineligible . confusion over defining what constitutes political activity versus social welfare activity contributed to the targeting by the irs , werfel said . an irs statement on monday said the safe-harbor ' option for self-certification would apply to groups that certify they devote 60 % or more of both their spending and time on activities that promote social welfare . ' at the same time , they must certify that political campaign intervention involves 40 % or less of both their spending and time , ' the statement said . applicants meeting those thresholds would get approval within two weeks of seeking self-certification , it said . earlier : what 's a 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) ? werfel said the irs would continue checking on tax-exempt groups to ensure they were following the law . separately , the house oversight committee , which has been aggressively investigating the irs matter , plans to meet on friday to consider a resolution aimed at resolving questions about whether a key agency official must testify . lois lerner was the director of exempt organizations when the agency filtered applications for tax exempt status . she appeared before the committee in may and said she had broken no laws or regulations and then invoked her constitutional right not to answer questions . lerner pleads the 5th several committee republicans questioned whether she waived that right by making her opening statement , and oversight chairman darrell issa said she could be called back at a later date if that were the case . cnn 's dana bash and deirdre walsh contributed to this report .","ryan : unanswered questions require further questions" +"english london ( cnn ) -- whatever the literary merits of j.k. rowling 's new novel , the harry potter author is unlikely to earn many plaudits for the originality of her subject matter . have you read it yet ? share your review ? with a plot examining social tensions and class divisions between the rich and poor residents of an english village , the casual vacancy ' is a modern take on themes that have provided fertile inspiration for dramatists , novelists and satirists of english manners since at least the 17th century . muggle moms await first adult j.k. rowling book ' we 're a phenomenally snobby society and it 's such a rich seam , ' rowling said in an interview with the guardian newspaper by way of explanation , in words that might as well have been attributed to jane austen , george eliot , joanna trollope or any number of other female british writers . the middle class is so funny , it 's the class i know best , and it 's the class where you find the most pretension . ' still , rowling clearly has an authorial eye for the preoccupations of her middle-brow audience . britain can sometimes feel like a country in the midst of a permanent , low-intensity class war in which all targets are fair game and all are left feeling routinely persecuted . while the wealthy and privileged are derided as snobs and toffs , ' members of the working class are grotesquely parodied and vilified as illiterate chavs ' and the middle class is roundly mocked , often from within its own fragmented ranks , for its petit bourgeois obsessions with house prices , farmers'markets and amateur dramatics . julian fellowes , the script writer behind lavish emmy-nominated period saga downton abbey ' complained last year that poshism ' was the last acceptable form of prejudice ' , while benedict cumberbatch , the well-heeled star of sherlock ' said last month he had contemplated relocating his career to the u.s. because posh-bashing ' in the uk had gone too far . at the opposite extreme , owen jones , the author of chavs : the demonization of the working class , ' argued that the widespread blaming of last year 's riots in london and other cities on a supposed feral underclass was classic demonization , reducing complex social problems to supposed individual failings and behavioral faults . ' class , swearing and sex fill j.k. rowling 's first adult book if rowling needed any further evidence of the enduring power of issues of class and status to raise british heckles , it came last week in the blundering form of andrew mitchell , a senior member of prime minister david cameron 's cabinet , whose job as chief whip is still in the balance over whether or not , during an altercation with a policeman , he called the officer a pleb ' and suggested that he ought to learn his f * * * * * * place . ' for critics of cameron 's government , mitchell 's alleged insult and the fact that , like the eton-educated prime minister and many of his colleagues , he attended one of the uk 's elite fee-paying public schools appeared to offer further proof of a blue-blooded conspiracy to keep the proles firmly in their place . as kevin maguire wrote in the mirror newspaper : in mitchell 's angry flash of social superiority ... we glimpsed the naked prejudice of the posh boys sitting at the cabinet table . the mask slipped to reveal how voters , the great british public , are viewed as inferior creatures , drones expected to know their place and tug a forelock at conservative rulers in their government castle . ' yet there are good reasons , aside from unvarnished prejudice , why class remains such a potent political issue . for those worst affected by the present government 's austerity program , portrayed by opponents as an ideologically motivated assault on the founding principles of britain 's welfare state , the we 're all in it together ' mantra coined by british finance minister george osborne -- the heir to a baronetcy and a multimillion dollar wallpaper fortune -- understandably rings hollow . class remains the single most important factor in shaping the life prospects of every single person born in britain ; a fact most glaringly illustrated in terms of life expectancy itself , with men in the most deprived areas of the scottish city of glasgow typically dying at 71 , while those in london 's wealthy enclave of kensington and chelsea can expect to live beyond 85 . time : we read'the casual vacancy ,'here 's what we think at the heart of the british class structure still sits the english public school , the best known archetype of which is now probably rowling 's own hogwarts -- a place of arcane rituals and latin lessons , bunk-bedded boarding houses and gothic grandeur . real-life public schools may not offer lessons in magic and wizardry , but they do equip the offspring of those willing to cough up annual fees of tens of thousands of dollars with access to a world of privileged connections and a fast track via a well-oiled old boys'network ' into lucrative and successful careers in the upper echelons of politics , government , the military , the judiciary , banking and business . about 7 % of english pupils attend fee-paying schools yet alumni of the top 100 public schools make up almost one third of annual admissions to oxford and cambridge -- universities whose own peculiar traditions owe more to their archaic ties to those institutions than to the rigors of a modern , egalitarian education system . opinion : j.k. rowling 's daring leap former public schoolboys even punch above their weight on our screens , with two of britain 's leading actors -- damian lewis , an emmy winner this week for his starring role in homeland ' , and dominic west , celebrated for his portrayal of a rough-edged irish-american detective in the wire ' -- both also alumni of eton . it remains to be seen whether rowling has anything novel to add to the class debate , but one thing of which she is undoubtedly aware is that it is a subject that will shift copies from the shelves in droves . as downton abbey ' and the entire careers of hugh grant and richard curtis have demonstrated there remains an insatiable appetite beyond british shores for the sort of cut-glass accents , excruciating social awkwardness and polite self-effacement that the country has turned into a thriving export industry . rowling , famously canny businesswoman that she is , will surely already have negotiated movie rights to a story that will be lapped up as eagerly across the atlantic . social class , swearing and sex permeate rowling 's first adult book the opinions in this piece are solely those of simon hooper .","plot examines social tensions and class divisions in english village" +"rowling london ( cnn ) -- whatever the literary merits of j.k. rowling 's new novel , the harry potter author is unlikely to earn many plaudits for the originality of her subject matter . have you read it yet ? share your review ? with a plot examining social tensions and class divisions between the rich and poor residents of an english village , the casual vacancy ' is a modern take on themes that have provided fertile inspiration for dramatists , novelists and satirists of english manners since at least the 17th century . muggle moms await first adult j.k. rowling book ' we 're a phenomenally snobby society and it 's such a rich seam , ' rowling said in an interview with the guardian newspaper by way of explanation , in words that might as well have been attributed to jane austen , george eliot , joanna trollope or any number of other female british writers . the middle class is so funny , it 's the class i know best , and it 's the class where you find the most pretension . ' still , rowling clearly has an authorial eye for the preoccupations of her middle-brow audience . britain can sometimes feel like a country in the midst of a permanent , low-intensity class war in which all targets are fair game and all are left feeling routinely persecuted . while the wealthy and privileged are derided as snobs and toffs , ' members of the working class are grotesquely parodied and vilified as illiterate chavs ' and the middle class is roundly mocked , often from within its own fragmented ranks , for its petit bourgeois obsessions with house prices , farmers'markets and amateur dramatics . julian fellowes , the script writer behind lavish emmy-nominated period saga downton abbey ' complained last year that poshism ' was the last acceptable form of prejudice ' , while benedict cumberbatch , the well-heeled star of sherlock ' said last month he had contemplated relocating his career to the u.s. because posh-bashing ' in the uk had gone too far . at the opposite extreme , owen jones , the author of chavs : the demonization of the working class , ' argued that the widespread blaming of last year 's riots in london and other cities on a supposed feral underclass was classic demonization , reducing complex social problems to supposed individual failings and behavioral faults . ' class , swearing and sex fill j.k. rowling 's first adult book if rowling needed any further evidence of the enduring power of issues of class and status to raise british heckles , it came last week in the blundering form of andrew mitchell , a senior member of prime minister david cameron 's cabinet , whose job as chief whip is still in the balance over whether or not , during an altercation with a policeman , he called the officer a pleb ' and suggested that he ought to learn his f * * * * * * place . ' for critics of cameron 's government , mitchell 's alleged insult and the fact that , like the eton-educated prime minister and many of his colleagues , he attended one of the uk 's elite fee-paying public schools appeared to offer further proof of a blue-blooded conspiracy to keep the proles firmly in their place . as kevin maguire wrote in the mirror newspaper : in mitchell 's angry flash of social superiority ... we glimpsed the naked prejudice of the posh boys sitting at the cabinet table . the mask slipped to reveal how voters , the great british public , are viewed as inferior creatures , drones expected to know their place and tug a forelock at conservative rulers in their government castle . ' yet there are good reasons , aside from unvarnished prejudice , why class remains such a potent political issue . for those worst affected by the present government 's austerity program , portrayed by opponents as an ideologically motivated assault on the founding principles of britain 's welfare state , the we 're all in it together ' mantra coined by british finance minister george osborne -- the heir to a baronetcy and a multimillion dollar wallpaper fortune -- understandably rings hollow . class remains the single most important factor in shaping the life prospects of every single person born in britain ; a fact most glaringly illustrated in terms of life expectancy itself , with men in the most deprived areas of the scottish city of glasgow typically dying at 71 , while those in london 's wealthy enclave of kensington and chelsea can expect to live beyond 85 . time : we read'the casual vacancy ,'here 's what we think at the heart of the british class structure still sits the english public school , the best known archetype of which is now probably rowling 's own hogwarts -- a place of arcane rituals and latin lessons , bunk-bedded boarding houses and gothic grandeur . real-life public schools may not offer lessons in magic and wizardry , but they do equip the offspring of those willing to cough up annual fees of tens of thousands of dollars with access to a world of privileged connections and a fast track via a well-oiled old boys'network ' into lucrative and successful careers in the upper echelons of politics , government , the military , the judiciary , banking and business . about 7 % of english pupils attend fee-paying schools yet alumni of the top 100 public schools make up almost one third of annual admissions to oxford and cambridge -- universities whose own peculiar traditions owe more to their archaic ties to those institutions than to the rigors of a modern , egalitarian education system . opinion : j.k. rowling 's daring leap former public schoolboys even punch above their weight on our screens , with two of britain 's leading actors -- damian lewis , an emmy winner this week for his starring role in homeland ' , and dominic west , celebrated for his portrayal of a rough-edged irish-american detective in the wire ' -- both also alumni of eton . it remains to be seen whether rowling has anything novel to add to the class debate , but one thing of which she is undoubtedly aware is that it is a subject that will shift copies from the shelves in droves . as downton abbey ' and the entire careers of hugh grant and richard curtis have demonstrated there remains an insatiable appetite beyond british shores for the sort of cut-glass accents , excruciating social awkwardness and polite self-effacement that the country has turned into a thriving export industry . rowling , famously canny businesswoman that she is , will surely already have negotiated movie rights to a story that will be lapped up as eagerly across the atlantic . social class , swearing and sex permeate rowling 's first adult book the opinions in this piece are solely those of simon hooper .","j.k. rowling 's new novel , the casual vacancy , ' is author 's first book aimed at adults" +"rowling london ( cnn ) -- whatever the literary merits of j.k. rowling 's new novel , the harry potter author is unlikely to earn many plaudits for the originality of her subject matter . have you read it yet ? share your review ? with a plot examining social tensions and class divisions between the rich and poor residents of an english village , the casual vacancy ' is a modern take on themes that have provided fertile inspiration for dramatists , novelists and satirists of english manners since at least the 17th century . muggle moms await first adult j.k. rowling book ' we 're a phenomenally snobby society and it 's such a rich seam , ' rowling said in an interview with the guardian newspaper by way of explanation , in words that might as well have been attributed to jane austen , george eliot , joanna trollope or any number of other female british writers . the middle class is so funny , it 's the class i know best , and it 's the class where you find the most pretension . ' still , rowling clearly has an authorial eye for the preoccupations of her middle-brow audience . britain can sometimes feel like a country in the midst of a permanent , low-intensity class war in which all targets are fair game and all are left feeling routinely persecuted . while the wealthy and privileged are derided as snobs and toffs , ' members of the working class are grotesquely parodied and vilified as illiterate chavs ' and the middle class is roundly mocked , often from within its own fragmented ranks , for its petit bourgeois obsessions with house prices , farmers'markets and amateur dramatics . julian fellowes , the script writer behind lavish emmy-nominated period saga downton abbey ' complained last year that poshism ' was the last acceptable form of prejudice ' , while benedict cumberbatch , the well-heeled star of sherlock ' said last month he had contemplated relocating his career to the u.s. because posh-bashing ' in the uk had gone too far . at the opposite extreme , owen jones , the author of chavs : the demonization of the working class , ' argued that the widespread blaming of last year 's riots in london and other cities on a supposed feral underclass was classic demonization , reducing complex social problems to supposed individual failings and behavioral faults . ' class , swearing and sex fill j.k. rowling 's first adult book if rowling needed any further evidence of the enduring power of issues of class and status to raise british heckles , it came last week in the blundering form of andrew mitchell , a senior member of prime minister david cameron 's cabinet , whose job as chief whip is still in the balance over whether or not , during an altercation with a policeman , he called the officer a pleb ' and suggested that he ought to learn his f * * * * * * place . ' for critics of cameron 's government , mitchell 's alleged insult and the fact that , like the eton-educated prime minister and many of his colleagues , he attended one of the uk 's elite fee-paying public schools appeared to offer further proof of a blue-blooded conspiracy to keep the proles firmly in their place . as kevin maguire wrote in the mirror newspaper : in mitchell 's angry flash of social superiority ... we glimpsed the naked prejudice of the posh boys sitting at the cabinet table . the mask slipped to reveal how voters , the great british public , are viewed as inferior creatures , drones expected to know their place and tug a forelock at conservative rulers in their government castle . ' yet there are good reasons , aside from unvarnished prejudice , why class remains such a potent political issue . for those worst affected by the present government 's austerity program , portrayed by opponents as an ideologically motivated assault on the founding principles of britain 's welfare state , the we 're all in it together ' mantra coined by british finance minister george osborne -- the heir to a baronetcy and a multimillion dollar wallpaper fortune -- understandably rings hollow . class remains the single most important factor in shaping the life prospects of every single person born in britain ; a fact most glaringly illustrated in terms of life expectancy itself , with men in the most deprived areas of the scottish city of glasgow typically dying at 71 , while those in london 's wealthy enclave of kensington and chelsea can expect to live beyond 85 . time : we read'the casual vacancy ,'here 's what we think at the heart of the british class structure still sits the english public school , the best known archetype of which is now probably rowling 's own hogwarts -- a place of arcane rituals and latin lessons , bunk-bedded boarding houses and gothic grandeur . real-life public schools may not offer lessons in magic and wizardry , but they do equip the offspring of those willing to cough up annual fees of tens of thousands of dollars with access to a world of privileged connections and a fast track via a well-oiled old boys'network ' into lucrative and successful careers in the upper echelons of politics , government , the military , the judiciary , banking and business . about 7 % of english pupils attend fee-paying schools yet alumni of the top 100 public schools make up almost one third of annual admissions to oxford and cambridge -- universities whose own peculiar traditions owe more to their archaic ties to those institutions than to the rigors of a modern , egalitarian education system . opinion : j.k. rowling 's daring leap former public schoolboys even punch above their weight on our screens , with two of britain 's leading actors -- damian lewis , an emmy winner this week for his starring role in homeland ' , and dominic west , celebrated for his portrayal of a rough-edged irish-american detective in the wire ' -- both also alumni of eton . it remains to be seen whether rowling has anything novel to add to the class debate , but one thing of which she is undoubtedly aware is that it is a subject that will shift copies from the shelves in droves . as downton abbey ' and the entire careers of hugh grant and richard curtis have demonstrated there remains an insatiable appetite beyond british shores for the sort of cut-glass accents , excruciating social awkwardness and polite self-effacement that the country has turned into a thriving export industry . rowling , famously canny businesswoman that she is , will surely already have negotiated movie rights to a story that will be lapped up as eagerly across the atlantic . social class , swearing and sex permeate rowling 's first adult book the opinions in this piece are solely those of simon hooper .","rowling is aware class is subject that will shift copies in droves , he adds" +"senate intelligence committee ( cnn ) -- after a multi-year odyssey marked by almost nonstop partisan bickering , cia employees hacking into senate intelligence committee computers , and former bush administration officials launching a pre-emptive public counterattack against the committee 's report , we finally have a summary of the cia 's use of torture . so what have we learned ? the committee report confirms that six days after the 9/11 attacks , president george w. bush signed a covert action memorandum of notification ( mon ) to authorize the director of central intelligence ( dci ) to'undertake operations designed to capture and detain persons who pose a continuing , serious threat of violence or death to u.s. persons and interest or who are planning terrorist activities .'' that decision put the cia on the path to revive and even expand coercive interrogation techniques it had employed during the cold war . some key facts we already knew were confirmed , most importantly that agency personnel violated u.s. and international law by repeatedly waterboarding several detainees , including 9/11 attack mastermind khalid sheikh mohammed . the summary of the report provides lurid details of 24 ' -like interrogation techniques , outlawed by international treaties to which the u.s. is a signatory : running power drills next to the heads of detainees , days of forced sleep deprivation and , in the words of the committee summary , threats to harm the children of a detainee , threats to sexually abuse the mother of a detainee , and a threat to'cut ( a detainee 's ) mother 's throat .'' the committee report summary also confirms what many have long believed -- that the torture program produced no actionable intelligence and did not to thwart al qaeda 's global activities . the former chief of the cia 's counterterrorism center and torture program participant jose rodriguez continues to claim that such intelligence was obtained , and that it did in fact save lives . the available record , as laid out by the committee , amply refutes that assertion . and the committee summary could not be clearer about the actions of agency managers and attorneys in the expansion of the use of techniques that were clear violations of international law . according to the committee summary : ' ... by the end of november 2001 , cia officers had begun researching potential legal defenses for using interrogation techniques that were considered torture by foreign governments and a non-governmental organization . ' cia director george tenet subsequently sent a letter to bush urging that the cia program be exempt from geneva convention prohibitions on the use of techniques defined by international law as torture . whether as federal employees or political appointees , cia personnel took an oath to uphold the laws of the united states . instead , they chose to engage in acts that clearly violated those laws , including international treaties banning the use of torture to which the united states is not only a signatory , but a putative leader as well . the response of multiple former intelligence community insiders who authorized or supported these programs is perfectly summed up in this quote from an anonymous former official offered to the daily beast earlier this week : ' it goes back to the one basic thing : whether they did right or they did wrong , they were told to do something , they did it , and they feel like they had the rug pulled out from underneath them . ' indeed , those cia attorneys and managers who signed off on waterboarding and other tactics had an affirmative obligation to refuse to authorize , much less participate in , a torture program . now , through de facto surrogates appearing on major media outlets and operating a website attempting to rewrite the history of this dark era , participants in the torture program claim they are the victims for simply following orders . the defense of i was just following orders ' is never a winning one . the use of mass surveillance and torture are the hallmarks of totalitarian governments . the united states has employed both since the september 11 , 2001 , attacks on our nation . while we have yet to renounce the former , the release of this senate intelligence committee torture report summary is a long-overdue first step in renouncing the latter . let 's hope it 's not the last step .","senate intelligence committee releases report on cia torture" +"lazio ( cnn ) -- uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against lazio over allegations a section of their supporters chanted racial abuse at tottenham players in the europa league on thursday . aaron lennon , jermain defoe and andros townsend appeared to be subjected to racist abuse -- including monkey chants -- during the goalless draw at white hart lane , a game that was watched by uefa president michel platini . members of football against racism in football ( fare ) who were at white hart lane plan to file reports to uefa to assist with their investigation . romanian referee ovidiu alin hategan and match delegate adonis procopiu have already submitted their reports of the match 's events . tottenham held by lazio in europa league ' uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against s.s. lazio for the improper conduct of the club 's supporters ( racist behavior ) during the uefa europa league group stage match on thursday 20 september between tottenham hotspur fc and the italian side , ' read a uefa statement . the uefa control and disciplinary body will deal with the case on 18 october 2012 . ' lazio could be hit with a fine of $ 26,000 if their fans are found guilty of racial abuse , while uefa could also force the club to play their next game behind closed doors . racism remains significant ' problem in english football earlier this week chelsea midfielder john obi mikel had to close his twitter account after receiving racist abuse online . chelsea issued a statement condemning those responsible and has informed the police following the matter . the statement read : we 've been made aware of racist tweets targeted at mikel which are totally unacceptable , disgusting and abhorrent . we 've informed the police and support taking the strongest possible action . ' this season uefa has fined bulgarian side levski sofia $ 39,000 for racist behaviour by their fans during the club 's europa league second qualifying round match . levski fans unveiled a racist banner during their game against bosnia & herzegovina 's sarajevo on july 19 . fans should realise that the club is responsible for all of their extreme or irrational actions , ' levski said in a statement . meanwhile on thursday , two aik solna supporters suffered stab wounds while in naples for their side 's europa league game against napoli . a 41-year-old and a 23-year-old were both wounded in the leg , but the club do not believe the attack was football related .","uefa has opened disciplinary action against lazio" +"lazio ( cnn ) -- uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against lazio over allegations a section of their supporters chanted racial abuse at tottenham players in the europa league on thursday . aaron lennon , jermain defoe and andros townsend appeared to be subjected to racist abuse -- including monkey chants -- during the goalless draw at white hart lane , a game that was watched by uefa president michel platini . members of football against racism in football ( fare ) who were at white hart lane plan to file reports to uefa to assist with their investigation . romanian referee ovidiu alin hategan and match delegate adonis procopiu have already submitted their reports of the match 's events . tottenham held by lazio in europa league ' uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against s.s. lazio for the improper conduct of the club 's supporters ( racist behavior ) during the uefa europa league group stage match on thursday 20 september between tottenham hotspur fc and the italian side , ' read a uefa statement . the uefa control and disciplinary body will deal with the case on 18 october 2012 . ' lazio could be hit with a fine of $ 26,000 if their fans are found guilty of racial abuse , while uefa could also force the club to play their next game behind closed doors . racism remains significant ' problem in english football earlier this week chelsea midfielder john obi mikel had to close his twitter account after receiving racist abuse online . chelsea issued a statement condemning those responsible and has informed the police following the matter . the statement read : we 've been made aware of racist tweets targeted at mikel which are totally unacceptable , disgusting and abhorrent . we 've informed the police and support taking the strongest possible action . ' this season uefa has fined bulgarian side levski sofia $ 39,000 for racist behaviour by their fans during the club 's europa league second qualifying round match . levski fans unveiled a racist banner during their game against bosnia & herzegovina 's sarajevo on july 19 . fans should realise that the club is responsible for all of their extreme or irrational actions , ' levski said in a statement . meanwhile on thursday , two aik solna supporters suffered stab wounds while in naples for their side 's europa league game against napoli . a 41-year-old and a 23-year-old were both wounded in the leg , but the club do not believe the attack was football related .","move comes following lazio 's goalless draw at tottenham" +"bulgarian ( cnn ) -- uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against lazio over allegations a section of their supporters chanted racial abuse at tottenham players in the europa league on thursday . aaron lennon , jermain defoe and andros townsend appeared to be subjected to racist abuse -- including monkey chants -- during the goalless draw at white hart lane , a game that was watched by uefa president michel platini . members of football against racism in football ( fare ) who were at white hart lane plan to file reports to uefa to assist with their investigation . romanian referee ovidiu alin hategan and match delegate adonis procopiu have already submitted their reports of the match 's events . tottenham held by lazio in europa league ' uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against s.s. lazio for the improper conduct of the club 's supporters ( racist behavior ) during the uefa europa league group stage match on thursday 20 september between tottenham hotspur fc and the italian side , ' read a uefa statement . the uefa control and disciplinary body will deal with the case on 18 october 2012 . ' lazio could be hit with a fine of $ 26,000 if their fans are found guilty of racial abuse , while uefa could also force the club to play their next game behind closed doors . racism remains significant ' problem in english football earlier this week chelsea midfielder john obi mikel had to close his twitter account after receiving racist abuse online . chelsea issued a statement condemning those responsible and has informed the police following the matter . the statement read : we 've been made aware of racist tweets targeted at mikel which are totally unacceptable , disgusting and abhorrent . we 've informed the police and support taking the strongest possible action . ' this season uefa has fined bulgarian side levski sofia $ 39,000 for racist behaviour by their fans during the club 's europa league second qualifying round match . levski fans unveiled a racist banner during their game against bosnia & herzegovina 's sarajevo on july 19 . fans should realise that the club is responsible for all of their extreme or irrational actions , ' levski said in a statement . meanwhile on thursday , two aik solna supporters suffered stab wounds while in naples for their side 's europa league game against napoli . a 41-year-old and a 23-year-old were both wounded in the leg , but the club do not believe the attack was football related .","bulgarian side levski sofia hit with $ 39,000 fine" +"louisiana venice , louisiana ( cnn ) -- a wind shift could push more oil from bp 's deepwater horizon gusher into the mississippi delta and areas west of the river , which is bad news for louisiana , ' gov . bobby jindal said monday afternoon . louisiana has been mostly spared since the oil rig exploded april 20 and sank two days later about 50 miles ( 80 kilometers ) off the southeast coast of louisiana . the catastrophe is sending 210,000 gallons of crude into the gulf of mexico each day . most of the slick has been centered in an area east of the environmentally sensitive delta . we 've said all along that the oil coming west of the river would pose a whole new set of challenges , ' jindal said at a news conference . he detailed efforts to place booms and other restraining devices into four passes near grand isle to prevent the oil from reaching land . national oceanic and atmospheric administration forecasters had warned over the weekend that the mississippi delta and areas to the northeast of it , including breton sound , chandeleur islands and the mainland behind them , could see oil hit the coast by tuesday . further east , scientists were analyzing tar balls found on a beach on dauphin island , alabama , to determine whether they were caused by the oil spill , coast guard spokesman erik swanson said . the tar balls are pieces of emulsified oil ' shaped like pancakes , ranging in size from dimes to golf balls , swanson said , adding they can sometimes occur naturally . coast guard rear adm. mary landry confirmed the presence of tar balls in some areas , but said they were easy to clean up . ' she said booms were being moved toward grand isle in anticipation of oil reaching the area soon . in addition to the use of dispersants on the surface and controlled burns , weather allowing , officials were carrying out a third test of sub-sea dispersants to determine their impact , said landry . she said officials were trying to do in a few weeks what normally would take a few years . so far , the spill has had little impact on wildlife , said mark j. musaus , deputy director of the southeast region for the u.s . fish and wildlife service . only a few birds have been taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center at fort jackson , louisiana , he said . two of them , a gannet and a pelican , were released monday back into the wild . another oiled pelican was still in the treatment center , as was a green heron , he said . the stakes are high for residents of coastal louisiana who make their living from fishing in the gulf of mexico . the government has closed parts of the gulf to fishing . the affected area , which is east of the mississippi delta , comprises about 4.5 percent of the gulf of mexico , noaa said . hundreds of thousands of feet of boom and large volumes of dispersants continued to be deployed in an effort to capture or break up the spilled oil moving toward the gulf coastline . thousands of workers and volunteers also have been skimming the water 's surface . a bp executive said monday the energy company is working parallel paths ' to fix the oil well . the failure over the weekend of a four-story dome to cap the leak has led bp to move on to other options , including the use of a smaller chamber over the leak and shooting garbage into the gaping hole to try to plug the gusher , said doug suttles , bp 's chief operating officer for exploration and production . the company also is considering placing a valve or a new blowout preventer on top of the existing one , which is not functioning as well as it should , suttles told cnn 's american morning ' program . as the name suggests , a blowout preventer is a device that is supposed to clamp shut over a leaking wellhead . david nagel , executive vice president of bp america , said the blowout preventer may be working better than some people believe , limiting the gusher to 5,000 barrels of oil a day . we have a blowout preventer that we think is mostly shut , ' nagel said in an off-camera briefing with reporters monday in washington , adding that the situation seems to be stable . he said remote-control inspection machines had not been able to check how the blowout assembly was working but something is constraining the leak ' from what would have been a flow estimated between 40,000 to 60,000 barrels a day . suttles said bp is drilling a relief well to try to divert the flow to another pipe . what we 're going to do is keep developing options until we get this flow stopped , ' suttles said . that started about a week ago , ' suttles said . that work continues . the well is at about 9,000 feet . about 5,000 feet of that is the water depth . then the rest is drilling below the seafloor . we 're slightly ahead of plan here . these are complex tasks , but we 're making very good process . ' it may take up to three months to reach the target area , nagel said . and progress will slow the deeper the drill bit goes , he said . the rock gets harder , and every time you have to replace a worn-out drill bit , it takes more time to withdraw and stack the drill pipe , ' in 90-foot sections on the construction vessel to change the bit , re-assemble the sections and lower the drill pipe back into action , said nagel . on friday , bp lowered the massive containment vessel over the well to cap the larger of two leak points . but that plan was thwarted saturday after ice-like hydrate crystals formed when gas combined with water blocked the top of the dome and made it buoyant . bp has built the smaller dome and it is already available , suttles said monday . that device would keep most of the water out at the beginning of the capping process and would allow engineers to pump in methanol to keep the hydrates from forming , suttles said . methanol is a simple alcohol that can be used as an antifreeze . called tophat , ' the 5-foot-tall , 4-foot-diameter structure weighs less than two tons . the structure is to be deployed this week by the drill ship enterprise , to which it is to be connected by two strings of pipe -- one inside the other with a space in between for hot water , he said . the process of stopping the gusher with garbage is called a junk shot . ' under that procedure , debris such as shredded tires , golf balls and similar objects would be shot under extremely high pressure into the blowout preventer in an attempt to clog it and stop the leak . that procedure would be done late next week , suttles said monday . federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the explosion that sunk the deepwater horizon , which was owned by bp contractor transocean ltd. bp is legally required to cover economic damages from the spill up to $ 75 million . but florida sen. bill nelson has introduced legislation that would raise the liability cap to $ 10 billion . if this gusher continues for several months , it 's going to cover up the gulf coast and it 's going to get down into the loop current and that 's going to take it down the florida keys and up the east coast of florida , and you are talking about massive economic loss to our tourism , our beaches , to our fisheries , very possibly disruption of our military testing and training , ' nelson said sunday on cnn 's state of the union . ' bp has received 3,400 claims for lost income and damages and 295 of those claims have been paid , at a price of $ 3.5 million , nagel said . it 's a host of things , ' he said , the immediate loss of income is being handled very quickly . ' none of the payouts are for liability , but nagel stressed the interim plans are in no way meant to be final . ' also monday , organizers announced a gulf aid ' benefit concert for south louisiana fishermen and wetlands restoration . the concert , to be held sunday , is slated to feature lenny kravitz , allen toussaint , mos def and the voice of the wetlands allstars featuring dr. john , cyril neville and tab benoit . cnn 's paul courson contributed to this report .","concert sunday to benefit south louisiana fishermen and wetlands restoration" +"louisiana venice , louisiana ( cnn ) -- a wind shift could push more oil from bp 's deepwater horizon gusher into the mississippi delta and areas west of the river , which is bad news for louisiana , ' gov . bobby jindal said monday afternoon . louisiana has been mostly spared since the oil rig exploded april 20 and sank two days later about 50 miles ( 80 kilometers ) off the southeast coast of louisiana . the catastrophe is sending 210,000 gallons of crude into the gulf of mexico each day . most of the slick has been centered in an area east of the environmentally sensitive delta . we 've said all along that the oil coming west of the river would pose a whole new set of challenges , ' jindal said at a news conference . he detailed efforts to place booms and other restraining devices into four passes near grand isle to prevent the oil from reaching land . national oceanic and atmospheric administration forecasters had warned over the weekend that the mississippi delta and areas to the northeast of it , including breton sound , chandeleur islands and the mainland behind them , could see oil hit the coast by tuesday . further east , scientists were analyzing tar balls found on a beach on dauphin island , alabama , to determine whether they were caused by the oil spill , coast guard spokesman erik swanson said . the tar balls are pieces of emulsified oil ' shaped like pancakes , ranging in size from dimes to golf balls , swanson said , adding they can sometimes occur naturally . coast guard rear adm. mary landry confirmed the presence of tar balls in some areas , but said they were easy to clean up . ' she said booms were being moved toward grand isle in anticipation of oil reaching the area soon . in addition to the use of dispersants on the surface and controlled burns , weather allowing , officials were carrying out a third test of sub-sea dispersants to determine their impact , said landry . she said officials were trying to do in a few weeks what normally would take a few years . so far , the spill has had little impact on wildlife , said mark j. musaus , deputy director of the southeast region for the u.s . fish and wildlife service . only a few birds have been taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center at fort jackson , louisiana , he said . two of them , a gannet and a pelican , were released monday back into the wild . another oiled pelican was still in the treatment center , as was a green heron , he said . the stakes are high for residents of coastal louisiana who make their living from fishing in the gulf of mexico . the government has closed parts of the gulf to fishing . the affected area , which is east of the mississippi delta , comprises about 4.5 percent of the gulf of mexico , noaa said . hundreds of thousands of feet of boom and large volumes of dispersants continued to be deployed in an effort to capture or break up the spilled oil moving toward the gulf coastline . thousands of workers and volunteers also have been skimming the water 's surface . a bp executive said monday the energy company is working parallel paths ' to fix the oil well . the failure over the weekend of a four-story dome to cap the leak has led bp to move on to other options , including the use of a smaller chamber over the leak and shooting garbage into the gaping hole to try to plug the gusher , said doug suttles , bp 's chief operating officer for exploration and production . the company also is considering placing a valve or a new blowout preventer on top of the existing one , which is not functioning as well as it should , suttles told cnn 's american morning ' program . as the name suggests , a blowout preventer is a device that is supposed to clamp shut over a leaking wellhead . david nagel , executive vice president of bp america , said the blowout preventer may be working better than some people believe , limiting the gusher to 5,000 barrels of oil a day . we have a blowout preventer that we think is mostly shut , ' nagel said in an off-camera briefing with reporters monday in washington , adding that the situation seems to be stable . he said remote-control inspection machines had not been able to check how the blowout assembly was working but something is constraining the leak ' from what would have been a flow estimated between 40,000 to 60,000 barrels a day . suttles said bp is drilling a relief well to try to divert the flow to another pipe . what we 're going to do is keep developing options until we get this flow stopped , ' suttles said . that started about a week ago , ' suttles said . that work continues . the well is at about 9,000 feet . about 5,000 feet of that is the water depth . then the rest is drilling below the seafloor . we 're slightly ahead of plan here . these are complex tasks , but we 're making very good process . ' it may take up to three months to reach the target area , nagel said . and progress will slow the deeper the drill bit goes , he said . the rock gets harder , and every time you have to replace a worn-out drill bit , it takes more time to withdraw and stack the drill pipe , ' in 90-foot sections on the construction vessel to change the bit , re-assemble the sections and lower the drill pipe back into action , said nagel . on friday , bp lowered the massive containment vessel over the well to cap the larger of two leak points . but that plan was thwarted saturday after ice-like hydrate crystals formed when gas combined with water blocked the top of the dome and made it buoyant . bp has built the smaller dome and it is already available , suttles said monday . that device would keep most of the water out at the beginning of the capping process and would allow engineers to pump in methanol to keep the hydrates from forming , suttles said . methanol is a simple alcohol that can be used as an antifreeze . called tophat , ' the 5-foot-tall , 4-foot-diameter structure weighs less than two tons . the structure is to be deployed this week by the drill ship enterprise , to which it is to be connected by two strings of pipe -- one inside the other with a space in between for hot water , he said . the process of stopping the gusher with garbage is called a junk shot . ' under that procedure , debris such as shredded tires , golf balls and similar objects would be shot under extremely high pressure into the blowout preventer in an attempt to clog it and stop the leak . that procedure would be done late next week , suttles said monday . federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the explosion that sunk the deepwater horizon , which was owned by bp contractor transocean ltd. bp is legally required to cover economic damages from the spill up to $ 75 million . but florida sen. bill nelson has introduced legislation that would raise the liability cap to $ 10 billion . if this gusher continues for several months , it 's going to cover up the gulf coast and it 's going to get down into the loop current and that 's going to take it down the florida keys and up the east coast of florida , and you are talking about massive economic loss to our tourism , our beaches , to our fisheries , very possibly disruption of our military testing and training , ' nelson said sunday on cnn 's state of the union . ' bp has received 3,400 claims for lost income and damages and 295 of those claims have been paid , at a price of $ 3.5 million , nagel said . it 's a host of things , ' he said , the immediate loss of income is being handled very quickly . ' none of the payouts are for liability , but nagel stressed the interim plans are in no way meant to be final . ' also monday , organizers announced a gulf aid ' benefit concert for south louisiana fishermen and wetlands restoration . the concert , to be held sunday , is slated to feature lenny kravitz , allen toussaint , mos def and the voice of the wetlands allstars featuring dr. john , cyril neville and tab benoit . cnn 's paul courson contributed to this report .","louisiana has been mostly spared since oil rig exploded and sank off southeast coast" +"uganda ( cnn ) -- an estimated 13,000 congolese civilians threatened by fierce fighting and gruesome attacks have fled to neighboring uganda over the past two days and more are expected , the united nations'refugee agency said in a news release thursday . congolese anosiate nyirahabineza holds her son jeremiah in kampala , uganda , in june . the agency said the people fled from villages in the besieged province of north kivu , in the eastern democratic republic of congo , where fighting between rebels and government troops has prompted the displacement of 250,000 people since august . the staff of the u.n. high commissioner for refugees in the southwestern uganda town of ishasha said the people crossed into uganda from congo 's rutshuru district . since august , about 27,000 civilians have escaped to uganda , which now hosts more than 150,000 refugees from countries in the region . the u.n. agency said the latest refugees are reporting many attacks and atrocities . it quoted a 25-year-old named daudi , who said , the assailants killed everybody in my village . they took the young boys with them and killed all the rest of the population . it 's a miracle that my wife and i managed to escape . ' he said one of his two children was separated from the family and it is not known where he is . another villager said rebels who attacked his village killed all the women , even pregnant women , ' the u.n. agency said .","neighboring uganda now hosts some 150,000 refugees from countries in the region" +"uganda ( cnn ) -- an estimated 13,000 congolese civilians threatened by fierce fighting and gruesome attacks have fled to neighboring uganda over the past two days and more are expected , the united nations'refugee agency said in a news release thursday . congolese anosiate nyirahabineza holds her son jeremiah in kampala , uganda , in june . the agency said the people fled from villages in the besieged province of north kivu , in the eastern democratic republic of congo , where fighting between rebels and government troops has prompted the displacement of 250,000 people since august . the staff of the u.n. high commissioner for refugees in the southwestern uganda town of ishasha said the people crossed into uganda from congo 's rutshuru district . since august , about 27,000 civilians have escaped to uganda , which now hosts more than 150,000 refugees from countries in the region . the u.n. agency said the latest refugees are reporting many attacks and atrocities . it quoted a 25-year-old named daudi , who said , the assailants killed everybody in my village . they took the young boys with them and killed all the rest of the population . it 's a miracle that my wife and i managed to escape . ' he said one of his two children was separated from the family and it is not known where he is . another villager said rebels who attacked his village killed all the women , even pregnant women , ' the u.n. agency said .","13,000 congolese have fled into uganda in past two days , u.n. says" +"mccain washington ( cnn ) -- republican presidential front-runner sen. john mccain on thursday defended his statement that u.s. troops could spend maybe 100 ' years in iraq -- saying he was referring to a military presence similar to what the nation already has in places like japan , germany and south korea . sen. john mccain defends his stance on troops in iraq thursday on cnn 's larry king live . ' this week , democratic presidential candidates sen. hillary clinton and sen. barack obama both took mccain to task for the comments , saying that if he 's elected he would continue what they call president bush 's failed policies in iraq . it 's not a matter of how long we 're in iraq , it 's if we succeed or not , ' mccain said to cnn 's larry king . and both sen. obama and clinton want to set a date for withdrawal -- that means chaos , that means genocide , that means undoing all the success we 've achieved and al qaeda tells the world they defeated the united states of america . i wo n't let that happen . ' last month , at a town hall meeting in new hampshire , a crowd member asked mccain about a bush statement that troops could stay in iraq for 50 years . maybe 100 , ' mccain replied . as long as americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed , it 's fine with me and i hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al qaeda is training , recruiting , equipping and motivating people every single day . ' the remaining democratic contenders for the white house seized on the statement . watch mccain talk about mitt romney 's endorsement and his critics on the right » ' he said recently he could see having troops in iraq for 100 years , ' clinton said at an arlington , virginia , rally last week in a line she 's repeated on the campaign trail . well , i want them home within 60 days of my becoming president of the united states . ' obama took a similar tack . sen. mccain said the other day that we might be mired for 100 years in iraq -- which is reason enough not to give him four years in the white house , ' obama has said on several occasions . mccain told king he thinks opponents are taking the quote out of context . he said any long-term troop presence in iraq would depend on agreement from the iraqi government . if they do n't want to and we do n't feel a need to do so , obviously , the whole thing is keyed to americans being able to withdraw and come home with honor , not in defeat , ' he said . mccain was endorsed thursday by former massachusetts gov . mitt romney , once considered his fiercest rival for the gop nomination . former arkansas gov . mike huckabee remains in the race , although mccain has an overwhelming advantage in the number of delegates earned for this year 's republican convention . e-mail to a friend"," it 's not a matter of how long we 're in iraq , it 's if we succeed or not , ' mccain said" +"mccain washington ( cnn ) -- republican presidential front-runner sen. john mccain on thursday defended his statement that u.s. troops could spend maybe 100 ' years in iraq -- saying he was referring to a military presence similar to what the nation already has in places like japan , germany and south korea . sen. john mccain defends his stance on troops in iraq thursday on cnn 's larry king live . ' this week , democratic presidential candidates sen. hillary clinton and sen. barack obama both took mccain to task for the comments , saying that if he 's elected he would continue what they call president bush 's failed policies in iraq . it 's not a matter of how long we 're in iraq , it 's if we succeed or not , ' mccain said to cnn 's larry king . and both sen. obama and clinton want to set a date for withdrawal -- that means chaos , that means genocide , that means undoing all the success we 've achieved and al qaeda tells the world they defeated the united states of america . i wo n't let that happen . ' last month , at a town hall meeting in new hampshire , a crowd member asked mccain about a bush statement that troops could stay in iraq for 50 years . maybe 100 , ' mccain replied . as long as americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed , it 's fine with me and i hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al qaeda is training , recruiting , equipping and motivating people every single day . ' the remaining democratic contenders for the white house seized on the statement . watch mccain talk about mitt romney 's endorsement and his critics on the right » ' he said recently he could see having troops in iraq for 100 years , ' clinton said at an arlington , virginia , rally last week in a line she 's repeated on the campaign trail . well , i want them home within 60 days of my becoming president of the united states . ' obama took a similar tack . sen. mccain said the other day that we might be mired for 100 years in iraq -- which is reason enough not to give him four years in the white house , ' obama has said on several occasions . mccain told king he thinks opponents are taking the quote out of context . he said any long-term troop presence in iraq would depend on agreement from the iraqi government . if they do n't want to and we do n't feel a need to do so , obviously , the whole thing is keyed to americans being able to withdraw and come home with honor , not in defeat , ' he said . mccain was endorsed thursday by former massachusetts gov . mitt romney , once considered his fiercest rival for the gop nomination . former arkansas gov . mike huckabee remains in the race , although mccain has an overwhelming advantage in the number of delegates earned for this year 's republican convention . e-mail to a friend","mccain : referred to a military presence like u.s. has in japan , germany , south korea" +"germany washington ( cnn ) -- republican presidential front-runner sen. john mccain on thursday defended his statement that u.s. troops could spend maybe 100 ' years in iraq -- saying he was referring to a military presence similar to what the nation already has in places like japan , germany and south korea . sen. john mccain defends his stance on troops in iraq thursday on cnn 's larry king live . ' this week , democratic presidential candidates sen. hillary clinton and sen. barack obama both took mccain to task for the comments , saying that if he 's elected he would continue what they call president bush 's failed policies in iraq . it 's not a matter of how long we 're in iraq , it 's if we succeed or not , ' mccain said to cnn 's larry king . and both sen. obama and clinton want to set a date for withdrawal -- that means chaos , that means genocide , that means undoing all the success we 've achieved and al qaeda tells the world they defeated the united states of america . i wo n't let that happen . ' last month , at a town hall meeting in new hampshire , a crowd member asked mccain about a bush statement that troops could stay in iraq for 50 years . maybe 100 , ' mccain replied . as long as americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed , it 's fine with me and i hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al qaeda is training , recruiting , equipping and motivating people every single day . ' the remaining democratic contenders for the white house seized on the statement . watch mccain talk about mitt romney 's endorsement and his critics on the right » ' he said recently he could see having troops in iraq for 100 years , ' clinton said at an arlington , virginia , rally last week in a line she 's repeated on the campaign trail . well , i want them home within 60 days of my becoming president of the united states . ' obama took a similar tack . sen. mccain said the other day that we might be mired for 100 years in iraq -- which is reason enough not to give him four years in the white house , ' obama has said on several occasions . mccain told king he thinks opponents are taking the quote out of context . he said any long-term troop presence in iraq would depend on agreement from the iraqi government . if they do n't want to and we do n't feel a need to do so , obviously , the whole thing is keyed to americans being able to withdraw and come home with honor , not in defeat , ' he said . mccain was endorsed thursday by former massachusetts gov . mitt romney , once considered his fiercest rival for the gop nomination . former arkansas gov . mike huckabee remains in the race , although mccain has an overwhelming advantage in the number of delegates earned for this year 's republican convention . e-mail to a friend","mccain : referred to a military presence like u.s. has in japan , germany , south korea" +"jackson ( cnn ) -- michael jackson , the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including off the wall , ' thriller ' and bad ' -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time , died thursday , cnn has confirmed . he was 50 . he collapsed at his residence in the holmby hills section of los angeles , california , about noon pacific time , suffering cardiac arrest , according to brother randy jackson . he died at ucla medical center . as news of his death spread , stunned fans began to react and remember one of the most remarkable careers in music .","crowds gather at the hospital where jackson was rushed" +"manuel pellegrini ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo has urged his real madrid teammates to carry their recent impressive form into the new year after they cut barcelona 's lead at the top of spain 's la liga to two points . the portugal international scored a spectacular goal as real kept the pressure up on defending champions barca with an emphatic 6-0 victory over real zaragoza . but ronaldo does not want his colleagues to take their foot of the gas and keep the pressure on the catalan side , who won the club world cup in abu dhabi , when the season resumes again on january 2 after the winter break . it was important to seal the year with a victory , so we are happy about that . we must all now think of the new year , which we should start as well as we 've ended this one , ' ronaldo told the club 's web site . i 'm working well and i want to carry on this way until the end of the season . i 'm doing better every day . i missed two months and coming back was difficult , but things are working out for me . ' real coach manuel pellegrini also paid tribute to barcelona for an amazing 12 months in which they added the club world cup trophy to victory in la liga , the copa del rey , champions league and european and spanish super cup titles . what barcelona have achieved is a great feat and hard to emulate . but there is also great merit in just being two points behind them on the table , ' he said . we 've played well away from home against the teams that earned the most points last year . barcelona 's excellent performances add to our own merit . ' meanwhile , hugo sanchez become the fourth la liga manager to lose his job his season after he was sacked by almeria following their 2-0 away defeat to espanyol which left them a point above the relegation zone . almeria had lost eight of their 15 games in la liga this season and the mexican has been replaced by constantin galca , the coach of almeria 's b team , on a temporary basis .","coach manuel pellegrini also paid tribute to barcelona 's amazing 12 months following their victory in the club world cup" +"clinton moscow ( cnn ) a russian tv channel aired hillary clinton 's first campaign video with a rating stamp that means it 's for mature audiences , because of fears it might run afoul of the country 's anti-gay propaganda law . a clip of the video , which features a gay couple holding hands , got the 18+ rating from the independent tv rain channel in russia on monday . the channel told cnn that it did n't want to break the controversial law , which bans propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations around minors ' and bars public discussion of gay rights and relationships within earshot of children . there are no legal precedents for this law , so we just do n't know what comes under this law and ( what ) does n't , ' a tv rain spokesperson told cnn . therefore , fearing to break the law -- especially given the high attention to tv rain from the supervising authorities -- we decided to put a marker ( on the video ) . ' clinton 's video was released over the weekend to announce the start of her 2016 u.s. presidential campaign . it features about five seconds of two men holding hands . one of the men says , i 'm getting married this summer to someone i really care about . ' the former senator and first lady first declared her support for same-sex marriage in early 2013 , saying that gay rights are human rights , and human rights are gay rights . ' russia 's controversial law caused an international outcry after it was passed by the russian parliament and signed by president vladimir putin in july 2013 . human rights watch described the anti-gay propaganda law as a profoundly discriminatory and dangerous bill that is bound to worsen homophobia in russia . ' rights campaigners called for a boycott of the 2014 winter olympics in sochi , and a number of bars around the world stopped serving russian vodka in protest . u.s. president barack obama -- clinton 's former boss -- said at the time that he found the legislation offensive . i have no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgendered persons in ways that intimidate them or harmful to them , ' obama told jay leno in 2013 . putin defended the law , noting that unlike other countries , russia decriminalized homosexual relationships ( in 1993 ) . we do n't outlaw anything and do n't nab anyone , ' he said before the 2014 games . that 's why you can feel safe and free here , ' he added , but please leave our children in peace . ' the rights group ilga-europe said in a may 2014 report that russia was the worst place in europe ( out of 49 countries ) for lgbti people to live . read more : social media react to hillary clinton logo","clinton announced her support for same-sex marriage in 2013" +"russian moscow ( cnn ) a russian tv channel aired hillary clinton 's first campaign video with a rating stamp that means it 's for mature audiences , because of fears it might run afoul of the country 's anti-gay propaganda law . a clip of the video , which features a gay couple holding hands , got the 18+ rating from the independent tv rain channel in russia on monday . the channel told cnn that it did n't want to break the controversial law , which bans propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations around minors ' and bars public discussion of gay rights and relationships within earshot of children . there are no legal precedents for this law , so we just do n't know what comes under this law and ( what ) does n't , ' a tv rain spokesperson told cnn . therefore , fearing to break the law -- especially given the high attention to tv rain from the supervising authorities -- we decided to put a marker ( on the video ) . ' clinton 's video was released over the weekend to announce the start of her 2016 u.s. presidential campaign . it features about five seconds of two men holding hands . one of the men says , i 'm getting married this summer to someone i really care about . ' the former senator and first lady first declared her support for same-sex marriage in early 2013 , saying that gay rights are human rights , and human rights are gay rights . ' russia 's controversial law caused an international outcry after it was passed by the russian parliament and signed by president vladimir putin in july 2013 . human rights watch described the anti-gay propaganda law as a profoundly discriminatory and dangerous bill that is bound to worsen homophobia in russia . ' rights campaigners called for a boycott of the 2014 winter olympics in sochi , and a number of bars around the world stopped serving russian vodka in protest . u.s. president barack obama -- clinton 's former boss -- said at the time that he found the legislation offensive . i have no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgendered persons in ways that intimidate them or harmful to them , ' obama told jay leno in 2013 . putin defended the law , noting that unlike other countries , russia decriminalized homosexual relationships ( in 1993 ) . we do n't outlaw anything and do n't nab anyone , ' he said before the 2014 games . that 's why you can feel safe and free here , ' he added , but please leave our children in peace . ' the rights group ilga-europe said in a may 2014 report that russia was the worst place in europe ( out of 49 countries ) for lgbti people to live . read more : social media react to hillary clinton logo","russian tv channel feared airing it would break the country 's anti-gay propaganda law" +"liverpool ( cnn ) -- arsenal came back from two goals down to claim a 4-2 victory over bolton at the emirates stadium which saw them climb to the top of the english premier league . bolton , who had been beaten 2-0 by the gunners on sunday , raced into an early lead through gary cahill who finished well from close range to direct his shot past arsenal goalkeeper manuel almunia in the seventh minute . owen coyle 's side then doubled their advantage from the penalty spot through matthew taylor after arsenal midfielder denilson had fouled lee chung-yong inside the area . but arsene wenger 's young side kept their composure and pulled a goal back before halftime through tomas rosicky who lashed an angled shot past bolton goalkeeper jussi jaaskelainen . arsenal grabbed a controversial equalizer in the 52nd minute when cesc fabregas latched on to andrey arshavin 's pass to slip the ball through jaaskelainen 's legs but there had appeared to be an earlier foul when william gallas appeared to catch mark davies on the ankle . the turnaround was complete when thomas vermaelen fired home arsenal 's third after abou diaby had knocked down a corner into the path of the belgian defender . arsenal scored their fourth -- and the goal required to send them top of the table -- in the 85th minute when eduardo slipped in arshavin and the russian made no mistake to fire the ball past jaaskelainen . wenger 's side are level on points with chelsea on 48 points , and are level with a goal difference of 34 , but the gunners go top having scored more goals than their london rivals . elsewhere , liverpool produced a defiant performance to help ease the pressure on rafael benitez with a 2-0 victory over tottenham hotspur at anfield thanks to a brace from dirk kuyt . the holland international gave liverpool the lead in the sixth minute with a low shot from the edge of the area which flew past heurelho gomes'right-hand after he had been set up by italian playmaker alberto aquilani . liverpool , who were without the injured steven gerrard and fernando torres , showed their defensive discipline to keep out spurs and should have been out of sight by the time they were awarded an injury-time penalty after david ngog was brought down by sebastien bassong . kuyt scored the first effort only to be ordered to re-take by referee howard webb , but the dutchman held his nerve to send gomes the wrong way and keep liverpool in the race for the fourth champions league place . meanwhile aston villa beat blackburn rovers 6-4 in a thrilling english league cup semifinal second leg tie to go through 7-4 on aggregate and secure a wembley final against either manchester united or manchester city . a nikola kalinic brace had rovers ahead , but stephen warnock slotted in before christopher samba was sent off . james milner converted the subsequent penalty and a steven ngonzi own-goal and gabriel agbonlahor and emile heskey 's strikes seemed to seal it . volleys from martin olsson and brett emerton gave rovers hope before ashley young curled home to wrap up the win for martin o'neill 's side .","liverpool produced a defiant performance to help ease the pressure on rafael benitez with a 2-0 victory over tottenham hotspur ." +"gulf of aden ( cnn ) -- the first nine months of this year has seen more pirate attacks than all of last year . and more than half of those attacks were carried out by suspected somali pirates , an international maritime watchdog group said wednesday . the increase in attacks has forced many countries to patrol pirate hotspots such as the gulf of aden . the increased activity in somalia is the major reason for the spike , ' said cyrus mody , manager of the international maritime bureau , which monitors shipping crimes . from january 1 until september 30 , pirates worldwide mounted 306 attacks , compared with 293 in all of 2008 , the bureau said . of the incidents this year , somali pirates accounted for 54 percent : they launched 168 attacks . most of them took place off the east coast of somalia and in the gulf of aden , a major shipping route between yemen and somalia . they successfully hijacked 32 vessels and took 533 hostages . eight others were wounded , four more killed and one is missing , the bureau said . somali pirates are still holding four ships for ransom with 80 crew members as hostages . somalia 's transitional government , which has a tenuous grip on power , has been unable to stop the pirates -- many of whom are based in the port cities . this has prompted europe and other western countries to step up maritime patrols . in the gulf of aden , the number of attacks have gone up . but because of the presence of naval vessels , the success rate of the pirates have decreased , ' mody said . the navies are responding very very effectively . ' today 's pirates are a far cry from the eye-patched , peg-legged swashbucklers of hollywood . they don night-vision goggles , carry rocket launchers and navigate with global positioning devices . many pirates are trained fighters ; others are young thugs enlisted for the job . experts say they often sail out to sea in a mother ship and wait for a target . when they find one , the pirates board smaller boats and move in , typically with five to seven armed hijackers per boat . two recent trends have led to a rise in piracy : access and opportunity . as global commerce picks up , more and more of the world 's fuels , minerals and other crucial commodities travel by ship . ninety-five percent of america 's foreign trade , for instance , moves by water , according to the u.s. maritime administration . that cargo is an easy target for robbers in countries that lack the resources to secure their shorelines , such as somalia . those who have tracked pirate activity say it started in somalia in the 1980s , when the pirates claimed they were aiming to stop the rampant illegal fishing and dumping that continues to this day off the somali coast . piracy accelerated after the fall of the somali government in the early 1990s and began to flourish after shipping companies started paying ransoms . those payments started out being in the tens of thousands of dollars and have since climbed into the millions . with the ransoms they collect , pirates can earn up to $ 40,000 a year , analysts say . that 's a fortune for someone from an impoverished country . some analysts say companies are simply making the problem worse by paying the piracies . yes , the ransoms have probably caused the piracy to become a bit more rampant . but at the same time , from the owner 's point of view , there is no other way currently to secure the safe release of the vessel along with the crew and the cargo , ' mody said . it 's basically a cycle . ' other trouble spots this year were waters off nigeria , with 20 attacks ; malaysia with 14 ; and bangladesh with 12 .","most of them took place off east coast of somalia and in gulf of aden" +"christmas two car bombs targeting christians killed at least 38 people in southern baghdad on christmas . in afghanistan , two rounds of indirect fire ' hit the u.s. embassy compound in kabul , but no one was hurt . the incidents highlight the security challenges with which both iraq and afghanistan are grappling . both countries have had a heavy u.s. military presence until recently . the departure of u.s. forces from iraq has done little to curb the near-daily cycle of violence . in afghanistan , u.s. and afghan officials are working on an important security pact to outline the future of american troops in afghanistan . 18 dead in christmas day attacks near iraq churches iraq attacks in iraq , a car bomb exploded outside a church in southern baghdad just as worshipers were leaving a christmas day service , killing many . in another attack wednesday , a car bomb went off at an outdoor market where many christians shop , police said . altogether , at least 38 people were killed and some 70 others were wounded , the interior ministry said . the bomb outside the church killed 27 and wounded 56 . the market attack left 11 dead and 14 wounded . the u.s. embassy in baghdad condemned the attacks -- in the dora area of baghdad -- targeting christians celebrating christmas . ' the christian community in iraq has suffered deliberate and senseless targeting by terrorists for many years , as have many other innocent iraqis . the united states abhors all such attacks and is committed to its partnership with the government of iraq to combat the scourge of terrorism , ' according to a statement released by the embassy . iraq has experienced an uptick in sectarian violence this year as tensions simmer between the disaffected minority sunni community and the shiites , who dominate the government . the u.s. commission on international religious freedom notes that many people in small religious minority communities in iraq , including christians , have fled the country over the last decade and those that remain are particularly vulnerable , ' facing discrimination , marginalization , and neglect . ' sectarian warfare , especially between sunnis and shiites , raged during the iraq war . half or more of the pre-2003 iraqi christian community is thought to have left iraq , the commission said in its 2013 annual report . in 2003 , there were thought to be 800,000 to 1.4 million chaldean catholics , assyrian orthodox , assyrian church of the east members , syriac catholics and orthodox , armenian catholics and orthodox , protestants and evangelicals in the country , the group said . now , according to community leaders , the estimated number of christians stands at around 500,000 , the report said . afghanistan attack two rounds of indirect fire ' hit the u.s. embassy compound in kabul , the embassy said . no one was injured . at approximately 6:40 local time in kabul , approximately two rounds of indirect fire impacted the u.s. embassy compound . all americans are accounted for and no injuries were sustained , ' the embassy said in a statement wednesday . the embassy continues to investigate the attack . ' the embassy did not elaborate on what kind of rounds were fired , or where in the compound they landed . a claim of responsibility was posted on the taliban 's official website . the group said it fired missiles at the u.s. embassy and the main base of nato , which leads the military coalition known as the international security assistance force . the incident comes at a pivotal time in u.s.-afghan relations . the two countries are working on an important security pact . the deal will lay out the u.s. military presence in afghanistan after 2014 when the nato-led force of some 80,000 troops is scheduled to leave . this month , u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel was in afghanistan and said the security pact will be agreed upon despite a failure so far to forge a deal .","in iraq , a car bomb explodes outside a church after christmas services ; another targets market" +"iraq two car bombs targeting christians killed at least 38 people in southern baghdad on christmas . in afghanistan , two rounds of indirect fire ' hit the u.s. embassy compound in kabul , but no one was hurt . the incidents highlight the security challenges with which both iraq and afghanistan are grappling . both countries have had a heavy u.s. military presence until recently . the departure of u.s. forces from iraq has done little to curb the near-daily cycle of violence . in afghanistan , u.s. and afghan officials are working on an important security pact to outline the future of american troops in afghanistan . 18 dead in christmas day attacks near iraq churches iraq attacks in iraq , a car bomb exploded outside a church in southern baghdad just as worshipers were leaving a christmas day service , killing many . in another attack wednesday , a car bomb went off at an outdoor market where many christians shop , police said . altogether , at least 38 people were killed and some 70 others were wounded , the interior ministry said . the bomb outside the church killed 27 and wounded 56 . the market attack left 11 dead and 14 wounded . the u.s. embassy in baghdad condemned the attacks -- in the dora area of baghdad -- targeting christians celebrating christmas . ' the christian community in iraq has suffered deliberate and senseless targeting by terrorists for many years , as have many other innocent iraqis . the united states abhors all such attacks and is committed to its partnership with the government of iraq to combat the scourge of terrorism , ' according to a statement released by the embassy . iraq has experienced an uptick in sectarian violence this year as tensions simmer between the disaffected minority sunni community and the shiites , who dominate the government . the u.s. commission on international religious freedom notes that many people in small religious minority communities in iraq , including christians , have fled the country over the last decade and those that remain are particularly vulnerable , ' facing discrimination , marginalization , and neglect . ' sectarian warfare , especially between sunnis and shiites , raged during the iraq war . half or more of the pre-2003 iraqi christian community is thought to have left iraq , the commission said in its 2013 annual report . in 2003 , there were thought to be 800,000 to 1.4 million chaldean catholics , assyrian orthodox , assyrian church of the east members , syriac catholics and orthodox , armenian catholics and orthodox , protestants and evangelicals in the country , the group said . now , according to community leaders , the estimated number of christians stands at around 500,000 , the report said . afghanistan attack two rounds of indirect fire ' hit the u.s. embassy compound in kabul , the embassy said . no one was injured . at approximately 6:40 local time in kabul , approximately two rounds of indirect fire impacted the u.s. embassy compound . all americans are accounted for and no injuries were sustained , ' the embassy said in a statement wednesday . the embassy continues to investigate the attack . ' the embassy did not elaborate on what kind of rounds were fired , or where in the compound they landed . a claim of responsibility was posted on the taliban 's official website . the group said it fired missiles at the u.s. embassy and the main base of nato , which leads the military coalition known as the international security assistance force . the incident comes at a pivotal time in u.s.-afghan relations . the two countries are working on an important security pact . the deal will lay out the u.s. military presence in afghanistan after 2014 when the nato-led force of some 80,000 troops is scheduled to leave . this month , u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel was in afghanistan and said the security pact will be agreed upon despite a failure so far to forge a deal .","in iraq , a car bomb explodes outside a church after christmas services ; another targets market" +"iraq two car bombs targeting christians killed at least 38 people in southern baghdad on christmas . in afghanistan , two rounds of indirect fire ' hit the u.s. embassy compound in kabul , but no one was hurt . the incidents highlight the security challenges with which both iraq and afghanistan are grappling . both countries have had a heavy u.s. military presence until recently . the departure of u.s. forces from iraq has done little to curb the near-daily cycle of violence . in afghanistan , u.s. and afghan officials are working on an important security pact to outline the future of american troops in afghanistan . 18 dead in christmas day attacks near iraq churches iraq attacks in iraq , a car bomb exploded outside a church in southern baghdad just as worshipers were leaving a christmas day service , killing many . in another attack wednesday , a car bomb went off at an outdoor market where many christians shop , police said . altogether , at least 38 people were killed and some 70 others were wounded , the interior ministry said . the bomb outside the church killed 27 and wounded 56 . the market attack left 11 dead and 14 wounded . the u.s. embassy in baghdad condemned the attacks -- in the dora area of baghdad -- targeting christians celebrating christmas . ' the christian community in iraq has suffered deliberate and senseless targeting by terrorists for many years , as have many other innocent iraqis . the united states abhors all such attacks and is committed to its partnership with the government of iraq to combat the scourge of terrorism , ' according to a statement released by the embassy . iraq has experienced an uptick in sectarian violence this year as tensions simmer between the disaffected minority sunni community and the shiites , who dominate the government . the u.s. commission on international religious freedom notes that many people in small religious minority communities in iraq , including christians , have fled the country over the last decade and those that remain are particularly vulnerable , ' facing discrimination , marginalization , and neglect . ' sectarian warfare , especially between sunnis and shiites , raged during the iraq war . half or more of the pre-2003 iraqi christian community is thought to have left iraq , the commission said in its 2013 annual report . in 2003 , there were thought to be 800,000 to 1.4 million chaldean catholics , assyrian orthodox , assyrian church of the east members , syriac catholics and orthodox , armenian catholics and orthodox , protestants and evangelicals in the country , the group said . now , according to community leaders , the estimated number of christians stands at around 500,000 , the report said . afghanistan attack two rounds of indirect fire ' hit the u.s. embassy compound in kabul , the embassy said . no one was injured . at approximately 6:40 local time in kabul , approximately two rounds of indirect fire impacted the u.s. embassy compound . all americans are accounted for and no injuries were sustained , ' the embassy said in a statement wednesday . the embassy continues to investigate the attack . ' the embassy did not elaborate on what kind of rounds were fired , or where in the compound they landed . a claim of responsibility was posted on the taliban 's official website . the group said it fired missiles at the u.s. embassy and the main base of nato , which leads the military coalition known as the international security assistance force . the incident comes at a pivotal time in u.s.-afghan relations . the two countries are working on an important security pact . the deal will lay out the u.s. military presence in afghanistan after 2014 when the nato-led force of some 80,000 troops is scheduled to leave . this month , u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel was in afghanistan and said the security pact will be agreed upon despite a failure so far to forge a deal .","many christians have fled iraq over the past decade , report says" +"marco rubio ( cnn ) marco rubio is all in . the republican senator from florida has announced that he is seeking the republican presidential nomination , running on an optimistic message that he embodies the promise of the american dream . with his youthful energy and hispanic roots , it 's tempting to see rubio as the new blood that the gop needs in order to compete against hillary clinton in 2016 . yet rubio has been his own worst enemy on what could have been his two signature issues : immigration reform and cuba relations . he holds little appeal to latino voters . and unless he can offer new ideas , his climb to the republican nomination will be steep . back in 2013 , rubio was a member of the senate gang of 8 ' that crafted a bipartisan proposal for comprehensive reform , including a path to citizenship for the nation 's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants . he later distanced himself from the bill after it ran into resistance from house republicans , and now says he favors a piecemeal approach , starting with securing the border . his retreat on immigration means that rubio has missed an opportunity to set himself apart from most of the presumptive republican presidential candidates . that 's a shame , for this issue was supposed to be his calling card to latino voters . instead , rubio has embraced a typical conservative approach to immigration . he believes that president obama 's deferred action program , offering deportation relief to young immigrants , should be ended . he has stated that the president 's executive action on immigration , on hold pending a circuit court review , sets a horrifying precedent . ' meanwhile , both the deferred action program and president obama 's executive action on immigration are overwhelmingly favored by hispanics . no wonder the research firm latino decisions reports that , we find no evidence that rubio 's candidacy will draw significant latino support for his candidacy or for his party more generally . ' so , if rubio is counting on his ethnicity and personal history as the son of immigrants to win over fellow hispanics , he is mistaken . at a private breakfast monday for supporters , rubio described running against one candidate in the race who 's from yesterday , and one who wants to take us back to yesterday . ' but when it comes to cuba policy , rubio himself seems firmly stuck in the past . over the weekend , he called the recent thaw in relations between the two countries ridiculous . he has warned that cuba is taking advantage of the united states . here , he is an increasingly lonely voice . most americans support better relations with cuba , as do a majority of cuban-americans . by clinging to the notion that isolating cuba is better than engaging with the communist country , rubio has marginalized himself on an issue where he could have provided insight and leadership . immigration and cuba policy aside , rubio 's political philosophy will be a tough sell to hispanics . he is a fierce opponent of obamacare ' and wants the law repealed . however , the affordable care act has led to a 12.3 % drop in the hispanic uninsured rate , making latinos the demographic with the largest gain in insurance , thanks to the law . ( in fact , rubio signed his own family up for obamacare ' on the washington exchange , taking advantage of a generous federal subsidy offered to lawmakers . ) rubio favors smaller government , while latinos are more likely than the general public to say they favor a bigger government that provides more services over a small government that provides less . and though rubio doubts that climate change is caused by humans , the new york times has noted that latinos view global warming as a problem and favor government action on the issue . sure , rubio is young and charismatic . but his work on the failed immigration bill notwithstanding , rubio has a significant lack of accomplishments to show for his five years in the senate . in february , he was reported as topping the list of absentee lawmakers by the website politico . another rubio weakness is his lack of bold policy proposals . consider that his fellow contender for the gop presidential nomination , sen. rand paul of kentucky , has been willing to present new ideas to the republican base , such as reforming the criminal justice system and legalizing medical marijuana . or that another gop candidate for president , sen. ted cruz of texas is entirely comfortable with his image as a conservative firebrand . by comparison , rubio seems cautious and ill-suited to the task of rousing republican voters . with his early leap into the 2016 race , marco rubio is positioning himself as the next generation of gop leadership . unfortunately , a fresh face on stale ideas is not a winning combination -- not for rubio , and not for latino voters .","raul reyes : in seeking latino vote , marco rubio his own worst enemy on two key issues : immigration reform , cuba relations" +"latinos ( cnn ) marco rubio is all in . the republican senator from florida has announced that he is seeking the republican presidential nomination , running on an optimistic message that he embodies the promise of the american dream . with his youthful energy and hispanic roots , it 's tempting to see rubio as the new blood that the gop needs in order to compete against hillary clinton in 2016 . yet rubio has been his own worst enemy on what could have been his two signature issues : immigration reform and cuba relations . he holds little appeal to latino voters . and unless he can offer new ideas , his climb to the republican nomination will be steep . back in 2013 , rubio was a member of the senate gang of 8 ' that crafted a bipartisan proposal for comprehensive reform , including a path to citizenship for the nation 's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants . he later distanced himself from the bill after it ran into resistance from house republicans , and now says he favors a piecemeal approach , starting with securing the border . his retreat on immigration means that rubio has missed an opportunity to set himself apart from most of the presumptive republican presidential candidates . that 's a shame , for this issue was supposed to be his calling card to latino voters . instead , rubio has embraced a typical conservative approach to immigration . he believes that president obama 's deferred action program , offering deportation relief to young immigrants , should be ended . he has stated that the president 's executive action on immigration , on hold pending a circuit court review , sets a horrifying precedent . ' meanwhile , both the deferred action program and president obama 's executive action on immigration are overwhelmingly favored by hispanics . no wonder the research firm latino decisions reports that , we find no evidence that rubio 's candidacy will draw significant latino support for his candidacy or for his party more generally . ' so , if rubio is counting on his ethnicity and personal history as the son of immigrants to win over fellow hispanics , he is mistaken . at a private breakfast monday for supporters , rubio described running against one candidate in the race who 's from yesterday , and one who wants to take us back to yesterday . ' but when it comes to cuba policy , rubio himself seems firmly stuck in the past . over the weekend , he called the recent thaw in relations between the two countries ridiculous . he has warned that cuba is taking advantage of the united states . here , he is an increasingly lonely voice . most americans support better relations with cuba , as do a majority of cuban-americans . by clinging to the notion that isolating cuba is better than engaging with the communist country , rubio has marginalized himself on an issue where he could have provided insight and leadership . immigration and cuba policy aside , rubio 's political philosophy will be a tough sell to hispanics . he is a fierce opponent of obamacare ' and wants the law repealed . however , the affordable care act has led to a 12.3 % drop in the hispanic uninsured rate , making latinos the demographic with the largest gain in insurance , thanks to the law . ( in fact , rubio signed his own family up for obamacare ' on the washington exchange , taking advantage of a generous federal subsidy offered to lawmakers . ) rubio favors smaller government , while latinos are more likely than the general public to say they favor a bigger government that provides more services over a small government that provides less . and though rubio doubts that climate change is caused by humans , the new york times has noted that latinos view global warming as a problem and favor government action on the issue . sure , rubio is young and charismatic . but his work on the failed immigration bill notwithstanding , rubio has a significant lack of accomplishments to show for his five years in the senate . in february , he was reported as topping the list of absentee lawmakers by the website politico . another rubio weakness is his lack of bold policy proposals . consider that his fellow contender for the gop presidential nomination , sen. rand paul of kentucky , has been willing to present new ideas to the republican base , such as reforming the criminal justice system and legalizing medical marijuana . or that another gop candidate for president , sen. ted cruz of texas is entirely comfortable with his image as a conservative firebrand . by comparison , rubio seems cautious and ill-suited to the task of rousing republican voters . with his early leap into the 2016 race , marco rubio is positioning himself as the next generation of gop leadership . unfortunately , a fresh face on stale ideas is not a winning combination -- not for rubio , and not for latino voters .","he says on health care , climate change and other issues , he breaks from latinos'positions . polls show they do n't favor him" +"latino ( cnn ) marco rubio is all in . the republican senator from florida has announced that he is seeking the republican presidential nomination , running on an optimistic message that he embodies the promise of the american dream . with his youthful energy and hispanic roots , it 's tempting to see rubio as the new blood that the gop needs in order to compete against hillary clinton in 2016 . yet rubio has been his own worst enemy on what could have been his two signature issues : immigration reform and cuba relations . he holds little appeal to latino voters . and unless he can offer new ideas , his climb to the republican nomination will be steep . back in 2013 , rubio was a member of the senate gang of 8 ' that crafted a bipartisan proposal for comprehensive reform , including a path to citizenship for the nation 's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants . he later distanced himself from the bill after it ran into resistance from house republicans , and now says he favors a piecemeal approach , starting with securing the border . his retreat on immigration means that rubio has missed an opportunity to set himself apart from most of the presumptive republican presidential candidates . that 's a shame , for this issue was supposed to be his calling card to latino voters . instead , rubio has embraced a typical conservative approach to immigration . he believes that president obama 's deferred action program , offering deportation relief to young immigrants , should be ended . he has stated that the president 's executive action on immigration , on hold pending a circuit court review , sets a horrifying precedent . ' meanwhile , both the deferred action program and president obama 's executive action on immigration are overwhelmingly favored by hispanics . no wonder the research firm latino decisions reports that , we find no evidence that rubio 's candidacy will draw significant latino support for his candidacy or for his party more generally . ' so , if rubio is counting on his ethnicity and personal history as the son of immigrants to win over fellow hispanics , he is mistaken . at a private breakfast monday for supporters , rubio described running against one candidate in the race who 's from yesterday , and one who wants to take us back to yesterday . ' but when it comes to cuba policy , rubio himself seems firmly stuck in the past . over the weekend , he called the recent thaw in relations between the two countries ridiculous . he has warned that cuba is taking advantage of the united states . here , he is an increasingly lonely voice . most americans support better relations with cuba , as do a majority of cuban-americans . by clinging to the notion that isolating cuba is better than engaging with the communist country , rubio has marginalized himself on an issue where he could have provided insight and leadership . immigration and cuba policy aside , rubio 's political philosophy will be a tough sell to hispanics . he is a fierce opponent of obamacare ' and wants the law repealed . however , the affordable care act has led to a 12.3 % drop in the hispanic uninsured rate , making latinos the demographic with the largest gain in insurance , thanks to the law . ( in fact , rubio signed his own family up for obamacare ' on the washington exchange , taking advantage of a generous federal subsidy offered to lawmakers . ) rubio favors smaller government , while latinos are more likely than the general public to say they favor a bigger government that provides more services over a small government that provides less . and though rubio doubts that climate change is caused by humans , the new york times has noted that latinos view global warming as a problem and favor government action on the issue . sure , rubio is young and charismatic . but his work on the failed immigration bill notwithstanding , rubio has a significant lack of accomplishments to show for his five years in the senate . in february , he was reported as topping the list of absentee lawmakers by the website politico . another rubio weakness is his lack of bold policy proposals . consider that his fellow contender for the gop presidential nomination , sen. rand paul of kentucky , has been willing to present new ideas to the republican base , such as reforming the criminal justice system and legalizing medical marijuana . or that another gop candidate for president , sen. ted cruz of texas is entirely comfortable with his image as a conservative firebrand . by comparison , rubio seems cautious and ill-suited to the task of rousing republican voters . with his early leap into the 2016 race , marco rubio is positioning himself as the next generation of gop leadership . unfortunately , a fresh face on stale ideas is not a winning combination -- not for rubio , and not for latino voters .","raul reyes : in seeking latino vote , marco rubio his own worst enemy on two key issues : immigration reform , cuba relations" +"cuba ( cnn ) marco rubio is all in . the republican senator from florida has announced that he is seeking the republican presidential nomination , running on an optimistic message that he embodies the promise of the american dream . with his youthful energy and hispanic roots , it 's tempting to see rubio as the new blood that the gop needs in order to compete against hillary clinton in 2016 . yet rubio has been his own worst enemy on what could have been his two signature issues : immigration reform and cuba relations . he holds little appeal to latino voters . and unless he can offer new ideas , his climb to the republican nomination will be steep . back in 2013 , rubio was a member of the senate gang of 8 ' that crafted a bipartisan proposal for comprehensive reform , including a path to citizenship for the nation 's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants . he later distanced himself from the bill after it ran into resistance from house republicans , and now says he favors a piecemeal approach , starting with securing the border . his retreat on immigration means that rubio has missed an opportunity to set himself apart from most of the presumptive republican presidential candidates . that 's a shame , for this issue was supposed to be his calling card to latino voters . instead , rubio has embraced a typical conservative approach to immigration . he believes that president obama 's deferred action program , offering deportation relief to young immigrants , should be ended . he has stated that the president 's executive action on immigration , on hold pending a circuit court review , sets a horrifying precedent . ' meanwhile , both the deferred action program and president obama 's executive action on immigration are overwhelmingly favored by hispanics . no wonder the research firm latino decisions reports that , we find no evidence that rubio 's candidacy will draw significant latino support for his candidacy or for his party more generally . ' so , if rubio is counting on his ethnicity and personal history as the son of immigrants to win over fellow hispanics , he is mistaken . at a private breakfast monday for supporters , rubio described running against one candidate in the race who 's from yesterday , and one who wants to take us back to yesterday . ' but when it comes to cuba policy , rubio himself seems firmly stuck in the past . over the weekend , he called the recent thaw in relations between the two countries ridiculous . he has warned that cuba is taking advantage of the united states . here , he is an increasingly lonely voice . most americans support better relations with cuba , as do a majority of cuban-americans . by clinging to the notion that isolating cuba is better than engaging with the communist country , rubio has marginalized himself on an issue where he could have provided insight and leadership . immigration and cuba policy aside , rubio 's political philosophy will be a tough sell to hispanics . he is a fierce opponent of obamacare ' and wants the law repealed . however , the affordable care act has led to a 12.3 % drop in the hispanic uninsured rate , making latinos the demographic with the largest gain in insurance , thanks to the law . ( in fact , rubio signed his own family up for obamacare ' on the washington exchange , taking advantage of a generous federal subsidy offered to lawmakers . ) rubio favors smaller government , while latinos are more likely than the general public to say they favor a bigger government that provides more services over a small government that provides less . and though rubio doubts that climate change is caused by humans , the new york times has noted that latinos view global warming as a problem and favor government action on the issue . sure , rubio is young and charismatic . but his work on the failed immigration bill notwithstanding , rubio has a significant lack of accomplishments to show for his five years in the senate . in february , he was reported as topping the list of absentee lawmakers by the website politico . another rubio weakness is his lack of bold policy proposals . consider that his fellow contender for the gop presidential nomination , sen. rand paul of kentucky , has been willing to present new ideas to the republican base , such as reforming the criminal justice system and legalizing medical marijuana . or that another gop candidate for president , sen. ted cruz of texas is entirely comfortable with his image as a conservative firebrand . by comparison , rubio seems cautious and ill-suited to the task of rousing republican voters . with his early leap into the 2016 race , marco rubio is positioning himself as the next generation of gop leadership . unfortunately , a fresh face on stale ideas is not a winning combination -- not for rubio , and not for latino voters .","raul reyes : in seeking latino vote , marco rubio his own worst enemy on two key issues : immigration reform , cuba relations" +"caribbean princess ( cnn ) -- just when cruise lines thought they might be headed for calmer waters ... at least 162 passengers and 11 crew members have reported being ill on board princess cruises'caribbean princess , according to the centers for disease control and prevention . the institute said health officers would board the ship in houston to investigate the gastrointestinal illness , which is causing vomiting and diarrhea . the news follows reports of sickness this week on another cruise ship , this one from the royal caribbean line . nearly 700 crew and passengers fell ill aboard the royal caribbean 's explorer of the seas , the highest number of sick people reported on any cruise ship in two decades , cdc data show . that ship returned home wednesday , two days earlier than expected . to compare the cruises , 5.22 % of passengers on the caribbean princess reported being ill , versus 20.5 % on the explorer of the seas . the outbreak on board the caribbean princess has been confirmed as norovirus , according to julie benson , a spokeswoman for princess cruises . are cruise ships floating petri dishes ? noroviruses spread easily and are a common cause of gastroenteritis , which produces vomiting and diarrhea . norovirus is also suspected on board the explorer of the seas , though the cause of the illness there has not been confirmed . caribbean princess is expected in houston early friday . the seven-day cruise is being cut short by one day . sick passengers are being asked to stay in their cabins , while staff disinfect public areas such as restrooms and elevators . the decision to cut the trip short was made based on forecasts for heavy fog , not the outbreak , benson said . cnn first learned of the stricken princess ship from a twitter post by the houston chronicle . royal caribbean cruise ship returns home - with a sickness record cnn 's miriam falco contributed to this report .","more than 5 % of passengers on the caribbean princess report being ill" +"timbuktu ( cnn ) -- for centuries , timbuktu has existed in the western imagination as a byword for the most exotic , far-flung place conceivable . situated on the southern edge of the sahara , it acquired a near-mythical status in distant countries for its fabled inaccessibility , and for the accounts of the dazzling material and intellectual wealth to be found there . intrigued visitors continue to be drawn by the treasures that survive from the city 's medieval golden age as an important academic , religious and mercantile center -- its great earthen mosques , and hundreds of thousands of scholarly manuscripts held in public and private collections . the city , today part of present-day mali and known as the city of 333 saints ' for the sufi imams , sheiks and scholars buried there , was made a unesco world heritage site in 1988 . but there are fears this carefully preserved legacy could be under threat from groups of armed rebels who have overrun the ancient city this month , in the vacuum left by retreating malian government forces . irina bokova , the director general of unesco , has called on the groups to respect and protect the city 's heritage . timbuktu 's outstanding earthen architectural wonders that are the great mosques of djingareyber , sankore and sidi yahia , must be safeguarded , ' she said . along with the site 's 16 cemeteries and mausolea , they are essential to the preservation of the identity of the people of mali and of our universal heritage . ' timbuktu , which has a population of about 50,000 , is held by at least two rival groups who have been involved in a northern uprising against mali 's government , headquartered in the southern capital of bamako . one is ansar dine , a salafist islamist group that seeks to impose sharia law . the other , the national movement for the liberation of azawad ( mnla ) , has been fighting for an independent homeland for the nomadic tuareg people in the country 's north , and earlier this month unilaterally proclaimed independence for the region they call azawad . read also : rwanda genocide survivors cycle towards london 2012 following the overthrow of libyan president moammar gadhafi , many tuareg who had been fighting for gadhafi 's forces reportedly returned to northern mali , bringing their weapons with them . last month , a tuareg uprising triggered a military coup against mali 's president amadou toumani toure by officers dissatisfied with the government 's efforts to put down the insurrection . but in the disorder following the coup , the rebels seized large areas of the north . martin van vliet , a researcher at the african studies center in leiden , the netherlands , said that while timbuktu was no longer a city of vital economic or military importance , it stood out as an important prize for the rebels due to its symbolic significance . the group that controls timbuktu controls the symbolic capital of the entire region , because it 's that well-known across the world . if you control that city , it will be known . ' historically , timbuktu 's legend began to spread throughout the medieval world when the emperor of mali made his pilgrimage to mecca through cairo in 1324 , and dazzled those he encountered with the gold his party carried . early in the 16th century , reports of the city on the sand -- then part of the songhay empire -- filtered back to europe through the moorish diplomat and writer leo africanus , adding to the city 's near-mythical status as an african el dorado . becoming the first european to reach the city subsequently became an obsession for western explorers , many of whom perished in the desert sands . in 1824 , the geographical society of paris even offered a reward for the first european to accomplish the feat . two years later , however , the person to do so met with disaster . scottish explorer gordon laing survived an attack by tuareg nomads en route to timbuktu , only to discover on arrival that its wealth had greatly diminished since its heyday . laing stayed a month in the city , then was murdered two days after leaving . during its golden age , timbuktu was a thriving desert trading town at the heart of important trade routes for gold and salt , and a major intellectual and spiritual center , which played a key role in the spread of islam in africa . islamic scholars traveled great distances to study in the city 's university , which had 25,000 students during its zenith , and was comprised of three mosques . read also : sculpting peace in mozambique constructed from mud bricks and wood in the distinctive sudano-sahelian architectural style , the sankore , sidi yahia and djingarei-ber mosques have been maintained and remain major attractions in the city today . the latter , timbuktu 's oldest , was built in the early 14th century , while the sankore , during its heyday , was said to have the largest collection of books in africa since the library of alexandria of antiquity . timbuktu in the 14th to the 16th century was an important university city where many manuscripts referring to knowledge of astronomy , economy , religion , mathematics , physics , and medicine were produced , ' said lazare eloundou , chief of the africa unit for unesco 's world heritage center . comprising the other significant component of timbuktu 's heritage legacy , this immense trove of scholarly manuscripts -- estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands -- remains in the city in state and private collections . for generations , local families have protected the fragile manuscripts , some of which date from the 13th century , from invaders . fearing that those responsible for the current unrest could loot or destroy the treasures , librarians and curators are making efforts to hide the texts or smuggle them out of the city to safety . while there have been reports that offices of local libraries have been looted by the gunmen , no significant losses of the documents have yet been reported , according to eloundou . we are still concerned by what could happen there in case there is a fight -- we 're concerned about the risk of damage , ' said eloundou . we also do n't know what the reaction of the islamist groups will be with regard to the manuscripts . ' he said the city 's heritage was vastly important to locals -- as a source of cultural pride , but also of income . even if the city 's treasures survived unscathed , they stood to lose out from the uprising as it could plunge the region into isolation once again . in addition , an estimated 200,000 people have been displaced by the uprising in the wider region . the fact this part of the country has been taken by the tuareg rebellion and islamist groups does not allow any more tourists to visit , and the communities depend a lot on the tourism revenue , ' he said . this is really going to affect their lives . '","in medieval times , timbuktu , in present-day mali , was an important intellectual center" +"fda ( cnn ) -- when lukas hartmann , 29 , signed up for 23andme 's at-home genetic testing service , there were no surprises in his results . the berliner learned he would probably die from a mix of heart attack and prostate cancer , ' he wrote on a friend 's blog , but nothing special there . ' then a few months ago , he received an update from the company . hartmann 's genetic code showed two mutations that are linked to limb-girdle muscular dystrophy , he says the site told him . some people with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy lose the ability to walk and suffer from serious disability , ' his results page read . this ca n't be true , he thought . it must be an error . genetic testing can be a powerful tool . it can offer information about your family history , tell you how your body might respond to different drugs and identify your risk factors for disease . it can also be misleading . the food and drug administration on monday ordered 23andme to stop sales of its $ 99 home genetic testing kits , saying the google-backed company has not proven the validity of its product . the fda warned that customers who received inaccurate results could suffer from undue mental anguish or undergo unnecessary medical procedures . the government agency has asked 23andme to revise its marketing strategy to comply with federal regulations . the action triggered outrage among some of 23andme 's supporters . so gmos , aspartame , artificial flavors & colors , pink slime ... no problem ! ' a poster named laura ann wrote on the company 's facebook page . but in no way should we be allowed the right to know our own genetic material as a means for making better decisions about our health . ' in a statement , 23andme said it has received the fda 's letter and will be working to address the agency 's concerns . there are more than 3 billion letters in our genetic code . though it 's been 10 years since the human genome project was completed , scientists still do n't understand what every gene does , and what a mutation might mean for someone 's health . it 's one of the issues opponents to home genetic testing kits raise most often . if dna experts do n't understand 100 % what a gene mutation means , how can we expect consumers to ? 5 cool things dna testing can do scientists have identified more than 2,000 single gene disorders , says rebecca nagy , president of the national society of genetic counselors . these are disorders that can be diagnosed based on the mutation of a single gene in the body ; some examples include huntington 's disease or cystic fibrosis . but conditions such as type 2 diabetes or alzheimer 's are more complex . hundreds of genes may contribute to the development of these diseases , nagy says , and a person 's risk is also influenced by his or her environment . testing for markers of risk scattered across someone 's genome is really only testing for the tip of the iceberg . ' that 's where it gets a little scary , because if a person has a normal test result on 23andme , they leave thinking they do n't have a risk , ' she says . it 's not that the science behind ( this kind of genetic testing ) is n't good . it 's that the science behind them is n't complete . ' the upside of these at-home genetic testing kits -- and 23andme is n't the only company that sells them -- is that they 've generated a lot of buzz about genetics , nagy says . she says she believes most early adopters of the tests are information-savvy and understand the results are n't set in stone . i do n't think that anyone thinks that this kit replaces formal testing by a doctor , ' heather armstrong posted on 23andme 's facebook page . i seriously doubt that a doctor would agree to perform , say , a double mastectomy , based on these results . ' joseph stolarski posted , if you find something interesting , you then take it to a medical professional for further evaluation . no one is or should rely on it for medical'diagnosis .'it 's just a tool , like personally checking your heart rate with a watch or checking your weight on a scale . ' but nagy says she worries about what will happen when the tests become more mainstream . giving this kind of information to someone unfamiliar with genetic testing 's limitations could prove dangerous . nagy recommends anyone who wants to do genetic testing first talk to a genetic counselor . counselors have specialized graduate degrees and extensive knowledge of the human genome . they 're also trained in explaining test results to laymen . our message is to be a smart consumer , ' nagy says . know what you 're doing so that when you get the results back you can really use them to your best benefit . ' hartmann did some intense investigating , saying he looked at the raw data 23andme provided him . he eventually found he did indeed have two mutations , he says , but they were n't on the same gene . he says he submitted his bug report ' to the company and it apologized . in general , hartmann thinks it 's a good thing for every person to have affordable access to his or her genetic data . but he 's browsed the community forums on 23andme.com and has seen how seriously some people take their results -- without fully understanding them . hartmann says he now believes he will not get limb-girdle muscular dystrophy , although he says there is a risk he could pass the genetic mutations onto his kids . i can live with that , ' he wrote . for quite some time , i hope . ' parents push for standardized screening of jewish genetic diseases cnn 's dorrine mendoza and cnnmoney 's james o'toole and aaron smith contributed to this report .","fda has ordered 23andme to stop sales of its $ 99 home genetic testing kits" +"fda ( cnn ) -- when lukas hartmann , 29 , signed up for 23andme 's at-home genetic testing service , there were no surprises in his results . the berliner learned he would probably die from a mix of heart attack and prostate cancer , ' he wrote on a friend 's blog , but nothing special there . ' then a few months ago , he received an update from the company . hartmann 's genetic code showed two mutations that are linked to limb-girdle muscular dystrophy , he says the site told him . some people with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy lose the ability to walk and suffer from serious disability , ' his results page read . this ca n't be true , he thought . it must be an error . genetic testing can be a powerful tool . it can offer information about your family history , tell you how your body might respond to different drugs and identify your risk factors for disease . it can also be misleading . the food and drug administration on monday ordered 23andme to stop sales of its $ 99 home genetic testing kits , saying the google-backed company has not proven the validity of its product . the fda warned that customers who received inaccurate results could suffer from undue mental anguish or undergo unnecessary medical procedures . the government agency has asked 23andme to revise its marketing strategy to comply with federal regulations . the action triggered outrage among some of 23andme 's supporters . so gmos , aspartame , artificial flavors & colors , pink slime ... no problem ! ' a poster named laura ann wrote on the company 's facebook page . but in no way should we be allowed the right to know our own genetic material as a means for making better decisions about our health . ' in a statement , 23andme said it has received the fda 's letter and will be working to address the agency 's concerns . there are more than 3 billion letters in our genetic code . though it 's been 10 years since the human genome project was completed , scientists still do n't understand what every gene does , and what a mutation might mean for someone 's health . it 's one of the issues opponents to home genetic testing kits raise most often . if dna experts do n't understand 100 % what a gene mutation means , how can we expect consumers to ? 5 cool things dna testing can do scientists have identified more than 2,000 single gene disorders , says rebecca nagy , president of the national society of genetic counselors . these are disorders that can be diagnosed based on the mutation of a single gene in the body ; some examples include huntington 's disease or cystic fibrosis . but conditions such as type 2 diabetes or alzheimer 's are more complex . hundreds of genes may contribute to the development of these diseases , nagy says , and a person 's risk is also influenced by his or her environment . testing for markers of risk scattered across someone 's genome is really only testing for the tip of the iceberg . ' that 's where it gets a little scary , because if a person has a normal test result on 23andme , they leave thinking they do n't have a risk , ' she says . it 's not that the science behind ( this kind of genetic testing ) is n't good . it 's that the science behind them is n't complete . ' the upside of these at-home genetic testing kits -- and 23andme is n't the only company that sells them -- is that they 've generated a lot of buzz about genetics , nagy says . she says she believes most early adopters of the tests are information-savvy and understand the results are n't set in stone . i do n't think that anyone thinks that this kit replaces formal testing by a doctor , ' heather armstrong posted on 23andme 's facebook page . i seriously doubt that a doctor would agree to perform , say , a double mastectomy , based on these results . ' joseph stolarski posted , if you find something interesting , you then take it to a medical professional for further evaluation . no one is or should rely on it for medical'diagnosis .'it 's just a tool , like personally checking your heart rate with a watch or checking your weight on a scale . ' but nagy says she worries about what will happen when the tests become more mainstream . giving this kind of information to someone unfamiliar with genetic testing 's limitations could prove dangerous . nagy recommends anyone who wants to do genetic testing first talk to a genetic counselor . counselors have specialized graduate degrees and extensive knowledge of the human genome . they 're also trained in explaining test results to laymen . our message is to be a smart consumer , ' nagy says . know what you 're doing so that when you get the results back you can really use them to your best benefit . ' hartmann did some intense investigating , saying he looked at the raw data 23andme provided him . he eventually found he did indeed have two mutations , he says , but they were n't on the same gene . he says he submitted his bug report ' to the company and it apologized . in general , hartmann thinks it 's a good thing for every person to have affordable access to his or her genetic data . but he 's browsed the community forums on 23andme.com and has seen how seriously some people take their results -- without fully understanding them . hartmann says he now believes he will not get limb-girdle muscular dystrophy , although he says there is a risk he could pass the genetic mutations onto his kids . i can live with that , ' he wrote . for quite some time , i hope . ' parents push for standardized screening of jewish genetic diseases cnn 's dorrine mendoza and cnnmoney 's james o'toole and aaron smith contributed to this report .","23andme supporters took to social media to protest the fda 's decision" +"wimbledon ( cnn ) -- andy murray 's first match since undergoing back surgery in september ended in a straight sets defeat to jo-wilfried tsonga at an exhibition tournament in abu dhabi thursday . the reigning wimbledon champion went down 7-5 6-3 to the frenchman , who himself was plagued by injury at the back end of this year . murray , who has dropped to no.4 in the rankings , lacked sharpness after his layoff and was broken in the 12th game of the opening set to fall behind . the british star has been training at his base in florida to prepare for the upcoming season and looked set to even the match up when he gained an early break of service in the second set . but tsonga hit back with two breaks of his own to wrap up victory in 72 minutes at the zayed sports city complex . the courts here are very fast and you have to react quickly , ' said 26-year-old murray . jo was sharper than me today , he served very well . it 's always good fun here . it 's great preparation for the season as you have to play against the best in the world . ' the organizers of the mubadala world tennis championship have indeed attracted a stellar field with the top two ranked players , rafael nadal and novak djokovic , in the line-up . david ferrer of spain won the opening match thursday as he beat stanislas wawrinka of switzerland 7-5 6-1 to set up a semifinal clash against compatriot nadal . tsonga 's win over murray has earned him a match against serbia 's djokovic , while murray will gain much-needed match practice against wawrinka in the fifth place playoff . murray , recently voted bbc sports personality of the year back in the uk , became the first british man to win the wimbledon title in 77 years when he triumphed at the all england club back in july , but his season took a turn for the worse as he became troubled by a long-standing back problem .","wimbledon champion murray loses 7-5 6-3 to the hard-hitting frenchman" +"who beijing , china ( cnn ) -- the head of china 's quality watchdog is reported to have resigned over the tainted baby milk scandal that has killed four children and sickened nearly 53,000 others . the official xinhua news agency said li changjiang had quit with the approval of china 's state council . li 's agency is responsible for ensuring that china 's food supply chain is safe . monday 's resignation came hours after the world health organization said the scandal had highlighted flaws in the country 's entire food supply chain . the chemical melamine blamed for causing kidney stones and kidney failure has been detected in formula milk powder from 22 dairies across china . the crisis was initially thought to have been confined to baby milk powder , but tests have found melamine in samples of liquid milk taken from china 's two largest dairy producers , mengniu dairy group and yili industrial group , as well as shanghai-based bright dairy . who china representative hans troedsson said on monday quality issues could occur anywhere from the farm to the retail outlet . he said it 's clearly something that is not acceptable and needs to be rectified and corrected , ' according to the associated press . troedsson said the who was discussing with officials how to strengthen china 's food quality system . chinese premier wen jiabao has called milk manufacturers heartless ' and promised stricter laws to protect the public . china 's health ministry said sunday that about 13,000 children were hospitalized , while another 40,000 had undergone outpatient treatment for illnesses related to suspected melamine-tainted milk products . the scandal has spread beyond the mainland with melamine being found in three chinese-made dairy products in singapore . the country 's agri-food and veterinary authority said tests on white rabbit creamy candy ' showed that it was contaminated with melamine and it ordered stores to remove the product from shelves . taiwan announced monday it was banning the importation of all dairy products from china because of melamine contamination in milk supplies on the mainland , taiwan 's health ministry said monday . and a second child in hong kong has been diagnosed with a kidney stones after drinking the tainted milk as worried parents continued to take their children for health checkups , the government said monday , ap reported . the 4-year-old boy was in hospital in a stable condition , the hong kong government said in a statement . a three-year-old girl was sickened by a suspected melamine-tainted milk over the weekend -- the first known illness outside of mainland china . the chinese premier visited beijing hospitals and a supermarket sunday to show his concern for the crisis . what we need to do now is to ensure that nothing like this happens in the future , not only in dairy products , but in all foods , ' he said . manufacturers and owners of dairy companies should show more morality and social responsibility in these cases . they are heartless , so we have to create strict law and legislation . i 'm sorry . ' investigators arrested two brothers who sold milk used to produce the contaminated baby milk powder last week . they could face death if convicted , according to china daily , a state-run newspaper . the raw milk had been watered down and the chemical added to fool quality checks , the newspaper said . melamine is commonly used in coatings and laminates , wood adhesives , fabric coatings , ceiling tiles and flame retardants . watch cnn visit the company at the center of the scandal » but anger has been directed not just at the producers accused of adulterating their milk to increase profits , but also at government regulators , time magazine reported . xinhua was quick to blame the dairy industry for their skewed rules , but what it did n't say was that the government also played a part in that ugly game , ' the magazine quoted a blogger , identified as sadmoon109 , as saying . health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones , urinary tract ulcers , and eye and skin irritation . it also robs infants of much-needed nutrition . thousands of tons of the tainted milk powder have been recalled . melamine is the same industrial contaminant from china that poisoned and killed thousands of u.s. dogs and cats last year . the chemical , a byproduct of plastic manufacturing , can be used to mimic high-protein additives . learn more about the chemical melamine » a senior dairy analyst said chinese farmers were cutting corners to cope with rising costs for feed and labor . before the melamine incident , i know they could have been adding organic stuff , say animal urine or skin , ' chen lianfang of beijing orient agribusiness consultant told time . basically , anything that can boost the protein reading . ' copyright 2008 cnn . all rights reserved.this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . associated press contributed to this report .","who representative said scandal shows up flaws in china 's food supply chain" +"pan haidong beijing , china ( cnn ) -- when jimmy wales visited the headquarters of hudong.com last month , he had one question for its founder : is it possible for wikipedia to be the number one online encyclopedia in china ? do n't call me jimmy : pan haidong , head of hudong.com , the largest chinese encyclopedia website . absolutely not , ' was the response of pan haidong , head of hudong.com , the world 's largest chinese encyclopedia website . because there is hudong here in china . of course we are a copycat of wikipedia but we have a lot of innovations , and we do a lot of work here in china so it is totally different actually , ' pan told cnn . it 's been a year since china 's government lifted its ban on the chinese version of u.s.-based wikipedia yet it remains unclear whether wikipedia has gained any share of the country 's massive internet readership . shortly after wikipedia was launched in china in 2002 , the country 's internet censors began to intermittently block access to both chinese and english versions of the online encyclopedia with the longest ban lasting around three years . in recent months , wales has held a series of meetings with officials from the state council information office , the government body charged with internet censorship in china , to establish a dialogue between the wikipedia community and chinese government . he says they have not discussed why the website was banned . we have a friendly relationship , ' wales told cnn . but in terms of getting down to the nitty gritty of what happened , i have no idea . it is not really a big concern . ' what is a big concern for wales is whether wikipedia can compete with the country 's two homegrown encyclopedia websites that emerged while wikipedia was blocked : hudong.com and baidu baike , an online knowledge sharing site launched by baidu , the no . 1 search engine in china . one challenge wikipedia faces is it lacks the brand recognition in china that is otherwise nearly universal . i had an english-speaking , college-educated tour guide [ in beijing ] , and he asked me what i do ? ' wales told cnn . i said ,'i am the founder of wikipedia .'he had a blank stare . he had no idea what wikipedia was . this would not happen anywhere else in the world . everyone knows wikipedia if they are using the internet . ' wales said he is trying to mobilize the local chinese wikipedia community to spread more awareness about the online encyclopedia but otherwise has not outlined a specific strategy to beat its more entrenched domestic competitors . i think i am going to have to come to china a lot and do interviews so people can learn about wikipedia , ' said wales . once people come to understand it that will be helpful for our cause . ''no reason for china to use wikipedia' yet wales'star power alone may not be enough to convert china 's 300 million internet users into wikipedians , or volunteers who run the website . there 's , in fact , no reason for china to use wikipedia , a service based'out there ,'' baidu 's chief scientist william chang said at a 2008 internet conference in beijing . it 's very natural for china to make its own products . ' and it is also very natural for chinese to use domestic encyclopedia websites that some say are better suited to the online habits and informational demands of the country 's exploding population of internet surfers . we know the market better , ' said pan , founder of hudong.com . that is why we can get a bigger share of it . ' hudong has more than 3 million articles and 1.7 million registered users , according to its website . baidu baike has nearly 2 million entries ; chinese wikipedia has just 280,000 and over 700 thousand members . english wikipedia has more than 3 million articles and over 10 million volunteers . we have the largest team here who are more familiar with the wiki concept and wiki operations in china , ' pan told cnn . of course we are more focused on the wiki community , which means we need to get a lot of people involved to make it grow . ' hudong.com utilizes a range of social networking functions to attract chinese internet users , including chat forums , fan groups , short messaging services and bulletin boards . nearly 100 million chinese netizens regularly visit online bulletin boards , according to research from china internet network information center . the website rewards members through a ranking system where users are upgraded to a higher status on the site based on the points they earn . members also can win prizes , like laptops and ipods , for high participation on the site . baidu baike has a similar model . wikipedia uses a reputation system to promote its members based on their participation on the website and the quality of the content they contribute . promotion is subject to peer approval , and the site 's volunteer administrators are elected by the community . the entry barrier is really high on wikipedia for chinese users , ' said pan . we do n't have a very hierarchical structure to say who is managing this or who is managing that . ' instead both hudong.com and baidu baike have a centralized management structure . paid staff are charged with mobilizing the community to contribute to certain topics as well as filter out content that might offend the chinese government . saying'no'to censorship wales has refused to comply with chinese censorship rules , which means certain pages containing sensitive information on both english and chinese wikipedia remain inaccessible . the question is how comfortable is china about just describing the facts ? ' said wales . in some cases that is not completely clear , so right now there are certain pages that are filtered from wikipedia . we do n't support that but we also ca n't do anything about it . but it is far better than just blocking the entire site . far better for china and for us . ' since hudong 's and baidu baike 's business operations are based in china , the companies have little choice but to comply with government policy or face the same fate as wikipedia . if there is something that the government does n't want , we do n't talk about it , ' said pan . we just follow the law . ' which is why in the long run many chinese wikipedians say their website will win . i do n't think they can become a reference book like wikipedia because they do n't have a serious community focusing on improving the quality of content as well as trying to respect neutral point of view , ' said isaac mao , a chinese wikipedian and blogger . they have to follow the hidden rules and you never know what those are . ' however pan said hudong 's content , in time , will improve if the chinese government continues to gradually loosen its grip on the internet . i have been seeing a lot of improvement , ' said pan . so we should be glad for that , of course . ' wales also said wikipedia 's reemergence in china , albeit at times unreliable , is a sign that beijing 's web policy is changing . we are hopeful , ' said wales . wikipedia has been open for more than a year , and we are hoping that will continue . we would like for wikipedia to have as much impact in china as it has in other places around the world . ' pan 's does n't believe it will happen . there is no way , ' said pan . i do n't want to be the jimmy wales of china . i just want to say that we want to do something good for society . that is our dream actually . '"," we do n't talk about what the government does n't like , ' says pan haidong" +"chinese beijing , china ( cnn ) -- when jimmy wales visited the headquarters of hudong.com last month , he had one question for its founder : is it possible for wikipedia to be the number one online encyclopedia in china ? do n't call me jimmy : pan haidong , head of hudong.com , the largest chinese encyclopedia website . absolutely not , ' was the response of pan haidong , head of hudong.com , the world 's largest chinese encyclopedia website . because there is hudong here in china . of course we are a copycat of wikipedia but we have a lot of innovations , and we do a lot of work here in china so it is totally different actually , ' pan told cnn . it 's been a year since china 's government lifted its ban on the chinese version of u.s.-based wikipedia yet it remains unclear whether wikipedia has gained any share of the country 's massive internet readership . shortly after wikipedia was launched in china in 2002 , the country 's internet censors began to intermittently block access to both chinese and english versions of the online encyclopedia with the longest ban lasting around three years . in recent months , wales has held a series of meetings with officials from the state council information office , the government body charged with internet censorship in china , to establish a dialogue between the wikipedia community and chinese government . he says they have not discussed why the website was banned . we have a friendly relationship , ' wales told cnn . but in terms of getting down to the nitty gritty of what happened , i have no idea . it is not really a big concern . ' what is a big concern for wales is whether wikipedia can compete with the country 's two homegrown encyclopedia websites that emerged while wikipedia was blocked : hudong.com and baidu baike , an online knowledge sharing site launched by baidu , the no . 1 search engine in china . one challenge wikipedia faces is it lacks the brand recognition in china that is otherwise nearly universal . i had an english-speaking , college-educated tour guide [ in beijing ] , and he asked me what i do ? ' wales told cnn . i said ,'i am the founder of wikipedia .'he had a blank stare . he had no idea what wikipedia was . this would not happen anywhere else in the world . everyone knows wikipedia if they are using the internet . ' wales said he is trying to mobilize the local chinese wikipedia community to spread more awareness about the online encyclopedia but otherwise has not outlined a specific strategy to beat its more entrenched domestic competitors . i think i am going to have to come to china a lot and do interviews so people can learn about wikipedia , ' said wales . once people come to understand it that will be helpful for our cause . ''no reason for china to use wikipedia' yet wales'star power alone may not be enough to convert china 's 300 million internet users into wikipedians , or volunteers who run the website . there 's , in fact , no reason for china to use wikipedia , a service based'out there ,'' baidu 's chief scientist william chang said at a 2008 internet conference in beijing . it 's very natural for china to make its own products . ' and it is also very natural for chinese to use domestic encyclopedia websites that some say are better suited to the online habits and informational demands of the country 's exploding population of internet surfers . we know the market better , ' said pan , founder of hudong.com . that is why we can get a bigger share of it . ' hudong has more than 3 million articles and 1.7 million registered users , according to its website . baidu baike has nearly 2 million entries ; chinese wikipedia has just 280,000 and over 700 thousand members . english wikipedia has more than 3 million articles and over 10 million volunteers . we have the largest team here who are more familiar with the wiki concept and wiki operations in china , ' pan told cnn . of course we are more focused on the wiki community , which means we need to get a lot of people involved to make it grow . ' hudong.com utilizes a range of social networking functions to attract chinese internet users , including chat forums , fan groups , short messaging services and bulletin boards . nearly 100 million chinese netizens regularly visit online bulletin boards , according to research from china internet network information center . the website rewards members through a ranking system where users are upgraded to a higher status on the site based on the points they earn . members also can win prizes , like laptops and ipods , for high participation on the site . baidu baike has a similar model . wikipedia uses a reputation system to promote its members based on their participation on the website and the quality of the content they contribute . promotion is subject to peer approval , and the site 's volunteer administrators are elected by the community . the entry barrier is really high on wikipedia for chinese users , ' said pan . we do n't have a very hierarchical structure to say who is managing this or who is managing that . ' instead both hudong.com and baidu baike have a centralized management structure . paid staff are charged with mobilizing the community to contribute to certain topics as well as filter out content that might offend the chinese government . saying'no'to censorship wales has refused to comply with chinese censorship rules , which means certain pages containing sensitive information on both english and chinese wikipedia remain inaccessible . the question is how comfortable is china about just describing the facts ? ' said wales . in some cases that is not completely clear , so right now there are certain pages that are filtered from wikipedia . we do n't support that but we also ca n't do anything about it . but it is far better than just blocking the entire site . far better for china and for us . ' since hudong 's and baidu baike 's business operations are based in china , the companies have little choice but to comply with government policy or face the same fate as wikipedia . if there is something that the government does n't want , we do n't talk about it , ' said pan . we just follow the law . ' which is why in the long run many chinese wikipedians say their website will win . i do n't think they can become a reference book like wikipedia because they do n't have a serious community focusing on improving the quality of content as well as trying to respect neutral point of view , ' said isaac mao , a chinese wikipedian and blogger . they have to follow the hidden rules and you never know what those are . ' however pan said hudong 's content , in time , will improve if the chinese government continues to gradually loosen its grip on the internet . i have been seeing a lot of improvement , ' said pan . so we should be glad for that , of course . ' wales also said wikipedia 's reemergence in china , albeit at times unreliable , is a sign that beijing 's web policy is changing . we are hopeful , ' said wales . wikipedia has been open for more than a year , and we are hoping that will continue . we would like for wikipedia to have as much impact in china as it has in other places around the world . ' pan 's does n't believe it will happen . there is no way , ' said pan . i do n't want to be the jimmy wales of china . i just want to say that we want to do something good for society . that is our dream actually . '","incentives like ipods and laptops for chinese netizens who add/vet entries" +"chinese beijing , china ( cnn ) -- when jimmy wales visited the headquarters of hudong.com last month , he had one question for its founder : is it possible for wikipedia to be the number one online encyclopedia in china ? do n't call me jimmy : pan haidong , head of hudong.com , the largest chinese encyclopedia website . absolutely not , ' was the response of pan haidong , head of hudong.com , the world 's largest chinese encyclopedia website . because there is hudong here in china . of course we are a copycat of wikipedia but we have a lot of innovations , and we do a lot of work here in china so it is totally different actually , ' pan told cnn . it 's been a year since china 's government lifted its ban on the chinese version of u.s.-based wikipedia yet it remains unclear whether wikipedia has gained any share of the country 's massive internet readership . shortly after wikipedia was launched in china in 2002 , the country 's internet censors began to intermittently block access to both chinese and english versions of the online encyclopedia with the longest ban lasting around three years . in recent months , wales has held a series of meetings with officials from the state council information office , the government body charged with internet censorship in china , to establish a dialogue between the wikipedia community and chinese government . he says they have not discussed why the website was banned . we have a friendly relationship , ' wales told cnn . but in terms of getting down to the nitty gritty of what happened , i have no idea . it is not really a big concern . ' what is a big concern for wales is whether wikipedia can compete with the country 's two homegrown encyclopedia websites that emerged while wikipedia was blocked : hudong.com and baidu baike , an online knowledge sharing site launched by baidu , the no . 1 search engine in china . one challenge wikipedia faces is it lacks the brand recognition in china that is otherwise nearly universal . i had an english-speaking , college-educated tour guide [ in beijing ] , and he asked me what i do ? ' wales told cnn . i said ,'i am the founder of wikipedia .'he had a blank stare . he had no idea what wikipedia was . this would not happen anywhere else in the world . everyone knows wikipedia if they are using the internet . ' wales said he is trying to mobilize the local chinese wikipedia community to spread more awareness about the online encyclopedia but otherwise has not outlined a specific strategy to beat its more entrenched domestic competitors . i think i am going to have to come to china a lot and do interviews so people can learn about wikipedia , ' said wales . once people come to understand it that will be helpful for our cause . ''no reason for china to use wikipedia' yet wales'star power alone may not be enough to convert china 's 300 million internet users into wikipedians , or volunteers who run the website . there 's , in fact , no reason for china to use wikipedia , a service based'out there ,'' baidu 's chief scientist william chang said at a 2008 internet conference in beijing . it 's very natural for china to make its own products . ' and it is also very natural for chinese to use domestic encyclopedia websites that some say are better suited to the online habits and informational demands of the country 's exploding population of internet surfers . we know the market better , ' said pan , founder of hudong.com . that is why we can get a bigger share of it . ' hudong has more than 3 million articles and 1.7 million registered users , according to its website . baidu baike has nearly 2 million entries ; chinese wikipedia has just 280,000 and over 700 thousand members . english wikipedia has more than 3 million articles and over 10 million volunteers . we have the largest team here who are more familiar with the wiki concept and wiki operations in china , ' pan told cnn . of course we are more focused on the wiki community , which means we need to get a lot of people involved to make it grow . ' hudong.com utilizes a range of social networking functions to attract chinese internet users , including chat forums , fan groups , short messaging services and bulletin boards . nearly 100 million chinese netizens regularly visit online bulletin boards , according to research from china internet network information center . the website rewards members through a ranking system where users are upgraded to a higher status on the site based on the points they earn . members also can win prizes , like laptops and ipods , for high participation on the site . baidu baike has a similar model . wikipedia uses a reputation system to promote its members based on their participation on the website and the quality of the content they contribute . promotion is subject to peer approval , and the site 's volunteer administrators are elected by the community . the entry barrier is really high on wikipedia for chinese users , ' said pan . we do n't have a very hierarchical structure to say who is managing this or who is managing that . ' instead both hudong.com and baidu baike have a centralized management structure . paid staff are charged with mobilizing the community to contribute to certain topics as well as filter out content that might offend the chinese government . saying'no'to censorship wales has refused to comply with chinese censorship rules , which means certain pages containing sensitive information on both english and chinese wikipedia remain inaccessible . the question is how comfortable is china about just describing the facts ? ' said wales . in some cases that is not completely clear , so right now there are certain pages that are filtered from wikipedia . we do n't support that but we also ca n't do anything about it . but it is far better than just blocking the entire site . far better for china and for us . ' since hudong 's and baidu baike 's business operations are based in china , the companies have little choice but to comply with government policy or face the same fate as wikipedia . if there is something that the government does n't want , we do n't talk about it , ' said pan . we just follow the law . ' which is why in the long run many chinese wikipedians say their website will win . i do n't think they can become a reference book like wikipedia because they do n't have a serious community focusing on improving the quality of content as well as trying to respect neutral point of view , ' said isaac mao , a chinese wikipedian and blogger . they have to follow the hidden rules and you never know what those are . ' however pan said hudong 's content , in time , will improve if the chinese government continues to gradually loosen its grip on the internet . i have been seeing a lot of improvement , ' said pan . so we should be glad for that , of course . ' wales also said wikipedia 's reemergence in china , albeit at times unreliable , is a sign that beijing 's web policy is changing . we are hopeful , ' said wales . wikipedia has been open for more than a year , and we are hoping that will continue . we would like for wikipedia to have as much impact in china as it has in other places around the world . ' pan 's does n't believe it will happen . there is no way , ' said pan . i do n't want to be the jimmy wales of china . i just want to say that we want to do something good for society . that is our dream actually . '","jimmy wales has refused to tailor chinese wikipedia to censorship laws" +"police ( cnn ) -- federal civil rights investigators have found reasonable cause ' to believe that police in portland , oregon , use unnecessary or unreasonable force ' with persons who have mental illness , the u.s. justice department said . the department 's civil rights division and u.s. attorney 's office in oregon issued a letter to portland mayor sam adams stating that local and federal authorities will continue our collaborative relationship to craft sustainable remedies . ' in the 42-page letter , federal officials outline remedies that include training and new policies to investigate alleged police misconduct . investigators found cause to believe that the portland police bureau engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force in encounters involving people with actual or perceived mental illness . ' we found instances that support a pattern of dangerous uses of force against persons who posed little or no threat and who could not , as a result of their mental illness , comply with officers'commands , ' said the letter , which was signed by assistant attorney general thomas e. perez and u.s. attorney amanda marshall . we also found that ppb employs practices that escalate the use of force where there were clear earlier junctures when the force could have been avoided or minimized . ' one incident in december 2010 involved several officers who used repeated closed-fist punches and repeated shocking of a subject who was to be placed on a mental health hold , ' the letter said . adams , in a posting on his web page , vowed that the city and its police bureau would improve quickly , and listed a series of changes : -- the city will revise its use-of-force policies -- particularly those regarding the use of stun guns -- to ensure that officers have necessary guidance when encountering someone with mental illness or perceived to have mental illness . ' -- the police will expand their mobile crisis unit -- composed of an officer and a mental health worker -- to ensure availability at all times and enhance non-law enforcement capacity to respond to persons in crisis that do not pose a public safety threat . ' -- the city will establish a mental health desk at its 911 calling center to ensure calls are properly dispatched . -- the city will lead efforts to boost community mental health treatment options , such as establishing a 24-hour secure drop-off and walk-in center , that will provide police officers more options when assisting persons experiencing a mental health crisis . ' -- the city will use an early intervention system to identify officers , supervisors and units for non-punitive corrective action , and to assess gaps in policy , training , supervision and accountability . ' -- the city will move to speed investigations of complaints about possible officer misconduct . -- a community body composed of representatives of a variety of groups will assess how well the agreement is being implemented , offer recommendations on additional steps , and advise the police chief and adams on how to improve community relations .","civil rights investigators say portland police engage in a pattern of excessive force" +"haitian ( cnn ) -- aid organizations have deployed emergency response teams to haiti and appealed for donations after the caribbean nation was was struck by a devastating earthquake described by local officials as a catastrophe of major proportions . ' the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck southern haiti on tuesday , knocking down buildings and inflicting a new catastrophe on the western hemisphere 's poorest nation . humanitarian charity oxfam said wednesday it was rushing rescue teams to the country from around the region to provide clean water , sanitation , shelter and emergency supplies and called for donations to fund its efforts . impact your world : how you can help ' at this stage it is too early to tell the severity of the earthquake in haiti , but the early signs are not good with communications down across the country , ' said jane cocking , humanitarian director of oxfam . kristie van de wetering , a former oxfam employee based in the haitian capital port-au-prince , said the situation in the capital was very chaotic ' with many buildings reduced to rubble . we can hear people calling for help from every corner . the aftershocks are ongoing and making people very nervous , ' she said . the international federation of red cross and red crescent societies said volunteers in haiti were assisting the injured and supporting hospitals which had been overwhelmed by the disaster . it said it had enough supplies in haiti for 3,000 families . experts in disaster response are due to arrive in the country later wednesday to coordinate international relief efforts , it said . the most urgent needs at this time are search and rescue , field hospitals , emergency health , water purification , emergency shelter , logistics and telecommunications , ' the group said in a statement . the quake struck about 15 km ( 10 miles ) southwest of port-au-prince shortly before 5 p.m. local time , cutting off communications across much of the country . port-au-prince is devastated , lot of deaths . sos . sos ... , ' wrote louise ivers , the clinical director of medical charity partners in health , in an e-mail to the group 's offices in boston , massachusetts . she added : temporary field hospital ... needs supplies , pain meds , bandages . please help us . ' raymond joseph , haiti 's ambassador to the u.s. , told cnn 's wolf blitzer by telephone that the country was going throug ' i 'm calling on all friends of haiti and people who are listening to me to please come to our aid , ' said raymond joseph , haiti 's ambassador to the u.s. told cnn 's wolf blitzer by telephone . today as haiti is going through the worst day in its history i am calling for all others who got help from us in the beginning to help in support , ' joseph said . the only thing i can do now is pray and hope for the best . ' singer wyclef jean , nephew of ambassador joseph , stressed the need for help for what is considered among the poorest nations in the western hemisphere . we 're going to need immediate aid , ' jean told blitzer on cnn . we 're going to need the united states and the international community to react immediately . ' he founded yele haiti , whose community service programs include food distribution and emergency relief . in washington u.s. president barack obama said the government would stand ready to assist the people of haiti . ' at the pentagon , the u.s. military said humanitarian aid was being prepared for shipping , but it was not yet clear where or how it would be sent . a u.s. aviation source said the control tower at the port-au-prince international airport collapsed , possibly hindering efforts to fly relief supplies into the country . secretary of state hillary clinton told reporters that washington is offering our full assistance ' to haiti . and our prayers are with the people who have suffered , their families and their loved ones , ' she said . the deputy chief of the u.s. mission in haiti , david lindwall , told clinton that he saw significant damage ' from the quake and said u.s. officials there expect serious loss of life , ' crowley said . and clinton 's husband , former u.s. president bill clinton -- now the u.n. special envoy for haiti -- said the world body was committed to do whatever we can to assist the people of haiti in their relief , rebuilding and recovery efforts . ' haiti 's government is backed by a u.n. peacekeeping mission established after the ouster of former president jean-bertrand aristide in 2004 . the united states has been heavily involved in haiti commercially , politically and militarily for most of the last century . u.s. intervention under clinton restored aristide to power in 1994 after a 1991 coup , and a u.s. jet hustled him out of the country again in 2004 following a rapidly spreading uprising against his government . with people stripping the trees for fuel and to clear land for agriculture , the mountainous countryside has been heavily deforested . that has led to severe erosion and left haitians vulnerable to massive landslides when heavy rains fall . roads in haiti were unsafe to travel on because of a lack of lighting and because many buildings along transportation routes had collapsed or were not deemed safe , said ian rodgers of the relief organization save the children . what i can hear is very distressed people , ' rogers said . there is a lot of distress and wailing of people trying to find loved ones . ' a representative for the aid group catholic relief services in haiti described the situation in the nation as a total disaster , ' said robyn fieser , regional information officer for the group . haiti 's dense population will increase the risk to its people , jean said . the nation 's need for aid will range from water and food to medical and building supplies . this is the worst devastation that we as haitian people have faced , ' he said . hurricane gordon killed more than 1,000 people in 1994 , while hurricane georges killed more than 400 and destroyed the majority of the country 's crops in 1998 . and in 2004 , hurricane jeanne killed more than 3,000 people even as it passed north of haiti , with most of the deaths in the northwestern city of gonaives . gonaives was hit heavily again in 2008 when four tropical systems passed through . according to the u.n. office for the special envoy for haiti , unemployment reaches 70 percent nationally , and 78 percent of haitians live on less than $ 2 a day . cnn 's edvige jean-francois , shasta darlington , deb feyerick , matt smith , mike mount and pierre meilhan contributed to this report .","haitian ambassador to the united states describes worst day ' in haitian history" +"french washington ( cnn ) president barack obama on thursday said he wants the people of france to know the united states stands with you today , stands with you tomorrow ' in the wake of this week 's terror attacks . he made the remarks during an appearance in knoxville , tenn. to announce a new higher education initiative . obama told the audience in knoxville we stand for freedom , and hope , and dignity of all human beings , ' adding , that 's what paris stands for . ' that spirit will endure forever , ' he added , long after terrorism is banished from this world . ' his comments follow a tumultuous few days for france , where two hostage situations and a shooting at a french satirical paper erupted in two days , resulting in numerous deaths . obama made a visit to the french embassy on thursday to offer his condolences following wednesday 's attack by three gunment on journalists at charlie hebdo , which resulted in 12 deaths . the charlie hebdo attack : what we know and do n't know he signed a book of condolences for the victims of the attack shortly after returning from a trip to arizona for a speech previewing his state of the union address . on behalf of all americans , i extend our deepest sympathy and solidarity to the people of france following the terrible terrorist attack in paris , ' the president wrote . as allies across the centuries , we stand united with our french brothers to ensure that justice is done and our way of life is defended . we go forward together knowing that terror is no match for freedom and ideals we stand for -- ideals that light the world . vive la france ! ' obama also met with the french ambassador , gã©rard araud , who called the visit a moving and highly significant gesture ' in a tweet . the french are grateful , ' the ambassador said . obama on wednesday vowedâ to hunt down ' the perpetrators of the cowardly , evil attacks , ' and the united states is supporting the french government in its investigation into the attack . on his flight back from arizona , the president spoke with his national security team about the latest developments .","the u.s. government is supporting the french government in its investigation" +"hagar ( cnn ) -- rock singer sammy hagar , a little older since his van halen days but still featuring bountiful blond curls , touted single moms , family and sex monday night on the premiere of hln 's dr . drew . ' but for van halen fans , hagar 's memories of the band and how he would like to regain a friendship with eddie van halen may have been the biggest draw . the greatest part of my musical career was being in van halen , ' said hagar , who described to dr. drew pinsky the alcoholism in his father and former bandmates . one of the band members , hagar said , went into rehab and got clean , but eddie keeps falling down and would be in denial . ' hagar , 63 , claims eddie van halen , who he says is doing better these days , is perhaps jealous of his success since leaving the band , a power hard rock mainstay of the 1980s and 1990s . they threw me out of the band , and they have n't done anything since 18 years later , ' said hagar , author of a bestseller red : my uncensored life in rock . ' he 's got the biggest heart in the world , ' hagar said of eddie van halen . in other comments , hagar : -- recalled dreaming as a young man about an alien encounter , with blue beings and beams of light . you can call me crazy all you want . anyone who says we are the only life in this whole vast universe , they are crazy . ' -- admitted to many sexual consorts during his days on the road and between marriages . now , i chase my wife around the house . ' -- talked about being raised by a single mother in an abusive marriage . my mother made me feel love . ' -- he also spoke about his father who he said died in the back of a police car . because of my father i am very sensitive to it , ' hagar said of alcoholism . -- touted old-fashioned hard work . i was willing to work my butt off for anything i could achieve , ' hagar said . i came from nothing . ' pinsky , who has been a physician for 30 years , opened the show with an answer to critics who say he ca n't diagnose at a distance . i have studied thousands of cases ... it 's what i do . ' he said his work includes family issues , sex , addiction and other aspects of the human experience . why we do what we do . '","hagar talks about tough childhood and aliens" +"hagar ( cnn ) -- rock singer sammy hagar , a little older since his van halen days but still featuring bountiful blond curls , touted single moms , family and sex monday night on the premiere of hln 's dr . drew . ' but for van halen fans , hagar 's memories of the band and how he would like to regain a friendship with eddie van halen may have been the biggest draw . the greatest part of my musical career was being in van halen , ' said hagar , who described to dr. drew pinsky the alcoholism in his father and former bandmates . one of the band members , hagar said , went into rehab and got clean , but eddie keeps falling down and would be in denial . ' hagar , 63 , claims eddie van halen , who he says is doing better these days , is perhaps jealous of his success since leaving the band , a power hard rock mainstay of the 1980s and 1990s . they threw me out of the band , and they have n't done anything since 18 years later , ' said hagar , author of a bestseller red : my uncensored life in rock . ' he 's got the biggest heart in the world , ' hagar said of eddie van halen . in other comments , hagar : -- recalled dreaming as a young man about an alien encounter , with blue beings and beams of light . you can call me crazy all you want . anyone who says we are the only life in this whole vast universe , they are crazy . ' -- admitted to many sexual consorts during his days on the road and between marriages . now , i chase my wife around the house . ' -- talked about being raised by a single mother in an abusive marriage . my mother made me feel love . ' -- he also spoke about his father who he said died in the back of a police car . because of my father i am very sensitive to it , ' hagar said of alcoholism . -- touted old-fashioned hard work . i was willing to work my butt off for anything i could achieve , ' hagar said . i came from nothing . ' pinsky , who has been a physician for 30 years , opened the show with an answer to critics who say he ca n't diagnose at a distance . i have studied thousands of cases ... it 's what i do . ' he said his work includes family issues , sex , addiction and other aspects of the human experience . why we do what we do . '","former van halen singer sammy hagar among the guests" +"sammy hagar ( cnn ) -- rock singer sammy hagar , a little older since his van halen days but still featuring bountiful blond curls , touted single moms , family and sex monday night on the premiere of hln 's dr . drew . ' but for van halen fans , hagar 's memories of the band and how he would like to regain a friendship with eddie van halen may have been the biggest draw . the greatest part of my musical career was being in van halen , ' said hagar , who described to dr. drew pinsky the alcoholism in his father and former bandmates . one of the band members , hagar said , went into rehab and got clean , but eddie keeps falling down and would be in denial . ' hagar , 63 , claims eddie van halen , who he says is doing better these days , is perhaps jealous of his success since leaving the band , a power hard rock mainstay of the 1980s and 1990s . they threw me out of the band , and they have n't done anything since 18 years later , ' said hagar , author of a bestseller red : my uncensored life in rock . ' he 's got the biggest heart in the world , ' hagar said of eddie van halen . in other comments , hagar : -- recalled dreaming as a young man about an alien encounter , with blue beings and beams of light . you can call me crazy all you want . anyone who says we are the only life in this whole vast universe , they are crazy . ' -- admitted to many sexual consorts during his days on the road and between marriages . now , i chase my wife around the house . ' -- talked about being raised by a single mother in an abusive marriage . my mother made me feel love . ' -- he also spoke about his father who he said died in the back of a police car . because of my father i am very sensitive to it , ' hagar said of alcoholism . -- touted old-fashioned hard work . i was willing to work my butt off for anything i could achieve , ' hagar said . i came from nothing . ' pinsky , who has been a physician for 30 years , opened the show with an answer to critics who say he ca n't diagnose at a distance . i have studied thousands of cases ... it 's what i do . ' he said his work includes family issues , sex , addiction and other aspects of the human experience . why we do what we do . '","former van halen singer sammy hagar among the guests" +"tito vilanova ( cnn ) -- barcelona beat real madrid 3-2 at the camp nou on wednesday to claim the spanish super cup in an ill-tempered el clasico clash . lionel messi 's volley two minutes from time secured a 5-4 aggregate triumph for josep guardiola 's side , after french striker karim benzema 's goal in the 82nd minute looked to have forced the spanish season 's traditional curtain-raiser into extra-time . tempers flared in injury time when brazilian full-back marcelo 's dismissal for a lunging tackle on barca debutant cesc fabregas sparked a mass brawl between the two sets of players . barca 's spain striker david villa and real 's germany playmaker mesut ozil were red-carded for their involvement in the melee , despite both players having already been substituted . real coach jose mourinho also became involved when he was seen to poke the eye of guardiola 's assistant tito vilanova . recent matches between the two teams have seen similar scenes , with five clashes between the archrivals last season resulting in five red cards . having drawn sunday 's first leg 2-2 at the bernabeu , european champions barca went ahead in the tie when andres iniesta latched onto a through ball from fifa ballon d'or winner messi and clipped a finish over iker casillas in the real goal . copa del rey winners real equalized five minutes later , when portugal forward cristiano ronaldo prodded benzema 's low cross into the back of the net . barca regained the lead on the brink of half-time , when messi found the net following a neat back-heel from center-back gerard pique . benzema scored a second equalizer for real before messi 's late strike stole glory for barca , but mourinho was happy with what he saw from his charges . real madrid gave a spectacular performance from the first to the last minute , ' mourinho told the nine-time european champion 's web site . i just say what i think . we came here to play . former inter coach mourinho stopped short of criticizing the referee for sending off two of his players , but the 48-year-old did appear to suggest barca 's players had made the most of the fouls which were committed . the referee must punish what he deems punishable , ' he said . pepe and marcelo played a great game , one for the entire 90 minutes and the other for 45 . pepe saw a booking for a minor tackle and marcelo gave a great performance . i 'm not going to say we 're happy because we did n't win the spanish super cup ; that would be hypocritical of me . we intend to play like men and not fall on the ground at the slightest touch . ' guardiola has now won 11 major honors since becoming barca coach in 2008 and the former club captain was delighted with his team 's performance . what will stay with me is the inhuman effort of the players , ' he said . they responded like the players they are : eternal , mythical , unrepeatable , honest , who like to train and play football . truthfully , seeing the way they responded , it 's a privilege and honor to be their manager . '","real coach jose mourinho was seen to poke the eye of barca assistant tito vilanova" +"lincoln ( cnn ) -- the inaugural addresses of the presidents are , for the most part , a wasteland of howling rhetoric and dried-out inspiration . history has little noted , nor has it long remembered , more than a handful of them . lincoln 's two inaugural addresses stand ( of course ) as the great exception . franklin roosevelt 's addresses in 1933 and 1937 remain alive , as does the sonorous rhetoric of john f. kennedy 's address in 1961 . we continue to quote a single sentence from thomas jefferson 's first inaugural , a sentence from ronald reagan 's first and a two-word phrase from lyndon johnson 's . after that ... after that , you get a lot of this : ' liberty -- liberty within the law -- and civilization are inseparable , and though both were threatened , we find them now secure ; and there comes to americans the profound assurance that our representative government is the highest expression and surest guaranty of both . ' who said that ? it could have been any one of 20 presidents . ( in this case , the speaker happens to be warren g . harding . ) writing a great inaugural speech must be very hard , since even many strong and important presidents failed to do it . theodore roosevelt failed . dwight eisenhower failed . barack obama failed the first time , and since second inaugural addresses are almost always even worse than firsts , it seems almost certain he 'll fail again on monday . why do inaugural addresses fail ? they fail for two reasons : one subject to the speaker 's control ; the other , not . they fail , first , because the grandeur of the occasion inspires new presidents and their teams to overblown rhetoric , even as their political advisers steer them away from too specific commitments . grand language wrapped around a thin message produces only vapid blather . consider , for example , this passage from obama 's first inaugural address : ' on this day , we gather because we have chosen hope over fear , unity of purpose over conflict and discord . on this day , we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises , the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics . we remain a young nation . but in the words of scripture , the time has come to set aside childish things . the time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit ; to choose our better history .... ' unfortunately for obama , those words were false as description and therefore inaccurate as prediction . you might say that the line we come to proclaim an end to ... false promises ' was itself a false promise . good writing can never come from bad thinking . zelizer : learning from lincoln , wilson , fdr but there 's another source of failure , one not so easily corrected . inaugural addresses can fail even when the ideas are clear , even when the writing is fine , if the addresses make commitments that the ensuing presidency can not deliver . listen to this inspiring passage : ' the elevation of the negro race from slavery to the full rights of citizenship is the most important political change we have known since the adoption of the constitution of 1787 . no thoughtful man can fail to appreciate its beneficent effect upon our institutions and people . it has freed us from the perpetual danger of war and dissolution . it has added immensely to the moral and industrial forces of our people . it has liberated the master as well as the slave from a relation which wronged and enfeebled both . it has surrendered to their own guardianship the manhood of more than 5,000,000 people , and has opened to each one of them a career of freedom and usefulness . it has given new inspiration to the power of self-help in both races by making labor more honorable to the one and more necessary to the other . the influence of this force will grow greater and bear richer fruit with the coming years . ' no doubt this great change has caused serious disturbance to our southern communities . this is to be deplored , though it was perhaps unavoidable . but those who resisted the change should remember that under our institutions there was no middle ground for the negro race between slavery and equal citizenship . ' those were the words of james a. garfield . between lincoln and lyndon johnson , no president expressed a stronger personal commitment to equal rights for black americans than garfield in 1881 . yet this commitment is remembered today only by historians . garfield was assassinated in september 1881 , serving barely six months in office . even had garfield served a full term , his efforts would almost certainly have failed . federal enforcement of the voting rights of southern blacks ; federal funding of equal education for black children -- to become reality , these aspirations of garfield 's required support from courts , congress and public opinion . none would have been forthcoming . garfield 's aspirations were doomed to fail by forces of opposition too strong for him to overcome . garfield 's noble summons went unheeded at the time and therefore inspires little interest now . an inaugural address is a plan for what is to come . even a good president can deliver a bad speech . in fact , they usually do . but however beautifully written , a speech can only be made great by the presidency that follows . an inaugural address is a plan , and the test of a plan is the result . a speech can fail all by itself . its ideas can be weak , its language can be foggy . but even if the ideas are clear and the words crisp , an inaugural address can be deemed great ' only if it is followed by actions that make good on its lofty words . this is why we still remember the mighty words of lincoln and fdr and why we forget almost all the others . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david frum .","frum : we remember great speeches of lincoln , fdr because of their great deeds" +"philadelphia atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- it was an image that got the nation talking : two giggling young women in oversized sunglasses robbing a bank . the barbie bandits ' helped their hometown earn the dubious distinction as the nation 's bank robbery capital . here one of the so-called barbie bandits ' is captured on surveillance video at a surburban atlanta bank . atlanta 's fbi field division topped los angeles in reporting the most bank heists , with 350 for the 12 months ending september 30 , 2007 , according to the fbi , which annually names areas most prone to bank robberies . the los angeles area was no . 2 with 338 heists , followed by philadelphia with 316 . just thursday , two suspects overpowered a security guard at an atlanta , georgia , bank , took his gun , robbed the bank and fled with money in hand , police said . eventually , police shot one of the suspects in an exchange of gunfire . two more armed bank robberies took place in metro atlanta friday . the fbi says violent crime is up across the nation , especially in major metro areas like atlanta . so it 's no surprise atlanta has become a prime target for bank robberies , fbi spokesman stephen emmett told cnn . watch hotlanta or heistlanta ? » ' this goes hand in hand with those figures , ' emmett said . atlanta 's rapid growth over the last decade has also been a factor . a recent atlanta business chronicle article reported that metro atlanta has 26 more banks than in all of north carolina -- roughly one bank for every 3,500 people in the region . see photos of bank heists in metro atlanta » ' we would attribute a lot of that [ bank robberies ] to the growth and the fact that the banking industry has matched that growth with an increase in bank branches throughout the area , ' emmett said . atlanta 's rise in bank heists comes just as los angeles has aggressively countered once out-of-control bank robberies . los angeles has gone from more than 500 bank robberies in the mid-2000s to this year 's 338 , the fbi stats show . according to the fbi , its atlanta field division reported 350 bank robberies in the last year -- the most notorious of which were the barbie bandits ' and grandpa bandit ' robberies . the fbi says 122 of the heists were armed robberies , or robberies where a weapon was visibly used . emmett said many more of the robberies were what law enforcement officers classify as note jobs ' -- where a robber gestures as if he or she has a gun on them in a demand note handed over to the teller . also factored into the total number of robberies were atm heists and a record nine armored car robberies . those armored car robberies are particularly disturbing to emmett . anyone that would confront an armored car courier knowing that he 's already armed and in somewhat of a defensive posture , that mindset is very troubling for law enforcement , ' he said . while emmett said there is no typical ' bank robber , he said he has seen some trends , most notably that they are often people battling drug addictions . he also said bank robbers are often repeat offenders . two recent high-profile cases in atlanta seem to confirm that . two women dubbed the barbie bandits ' were arrested after working with a bank employee to rob a bank of america in the atlanta suburb of acworth . they both later admitted to police to having drug addiction problems . recently apprehended 69-year-old bobby joe phillips , dubbed the grandpa bandit , ' is suspected to have robbed seven banks in tennessee and the atlanta area and had a criminal history . emmett says typically very little money is taken in a bank heist . joe brannen , president of the georgia bankers association , agrees , saying the average is $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 . it 's not as big a payoff as most people think it is . ' with the holidays in full swing , authorities are steeling themselves for a spate of bank robberies with robbers looking for quick holiday cash . i would make the assumption that a large part of it is the increased [ financial ] pressures this time of year , ' said brannen . the fbi advises banks to be extra vigilant this time of year and to keep a close eye on jittery individuals donning gloves , hats and sunglasses . but brannen says profiling people like that can be problematic . we 've chosen not to go there . here in atlanta , lots of people wear head coverings for religious purposes . this is a free and open society , ' he said . he said customers want to come into a bank unimpeded -- that 99.9 percent are just customers , not bank robbers . brannen says banks do all they can to balance convenience for their customers and the bank 's need for security . there is no good , magic solution . ' he says . emmett said as long as metro atlanta continues to grow , so will the number of bank robberies . this is something that is part of growth . we have more banks . we have more people . we 're a big city now . ' e-mail to a friend cnn 's rusty dornin contributed to this report .","atlanta surpasses la , philadelphia as city with most bank heists" +"fbi atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- it was an image that got the nation talking : two giggling young women in oversized sunglasses robbing a bank . the barbie bandits ' helped their hometown earn the dubious distinction as the nation 's bank robbery capital . here one of the so-called barbie bandits ' is captured on surveillance video at a surburban atlanta bank . atlanta 's fbi field division topped los angeles in reporting the most bank heists , with 350 for the 12 months ending september 30 , 2007 , according to the fbi , which annually names areas most prone to bank robberies . the los angeles area was no . 2 with 338 heists , followed by philadelphia with 316 . just thursday , two suspects overpowered a security guard at an atlanta , georgia , bank , took his gun , robbed the bank and fled with money in hand , police said . eventually , police shot one of the suspects in an exchange of gunfire . two more armed bank robberies took place in metro atlanta friday . the fbi says violent crime is up across the nation , especially in major metro areas like atlanta . so it 's no surprise atlanta has become a prime target for bank robberies , fbi spokesman stephen emmett told cnn . watch hotlanta or heistlanta ? » ' this goes hand in hand with those figures , ' emmett said . atlanta 's rapid growth over the last decade has also been a factor . a recent atlanta business chronicle article reported that metro atlanta has 26 more banks than in all of north carolina -- roughly one bank for every 3,500 people in the region . see photos of bank heists in metro atlanta » ' we would attribute a lot of that [ bank robberies ] to the growth and the fact that the banking industry has matched that growth with an increase in bank branches throughout the area , ' emmett said . atlanta 's rise in bank heists comes just as los angeles has aggressively countered once out-of-control bank robberies . los angeles has gone from more than 500 bank robberies in the mid-2000s to this year 's 338 , the fbi stats show . according to the fbi , its atlanta field division reported 350 bank robberies in the last year -- the most notorious of which were the barbie bandits ' and grandpa bandit ' robberies . the fbi says 122 of the heists were armed robberies , or robberies where a weapon was visibly used . emmett said many more of the robberies were what law enforcement officers classify as note jobs ' -- where a robber gestures as if he or she has a gun on them in a demand note handed over to the teller . also factored into the total number of robberies were atm heists and a record nine armored car robberies . those armored car robberies are particularly disturbing to emmett . anyone that would confront an armored car courier knowing that he 's already armed and in somewhat of a defensive posture , that mindset is very troubling for law enforcement , ' he said . while emmett said there is no typical ' bank robber , he said he has seen some trends , most notably that they are often people battling drug addictions . he also said bank robbers are often repeat offenders . two recent high-profile cases in atlanta seem to confirm that . two women dubbed the barbie bandits ' were arrested after working with a bank employee to rob a bank of america in the atlanta suburb of acworth . they both later admitted to police to having drug addiction problems . recently apprehended 69-year-old bobby joe phillips , dubbed the grandpa bandit , ' is suspected to have robbed seven banks in tennessee and the atlanta area and had a criminal history . emmett says typically very little money is taken in a bank heist . joe brannen , president of the georgia bankers association , agrees , saying the average is $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 . it 's not as big a payoff as most people think it is . ' with the holidays in full swing , authorities are steeling themselves for a spate of bank robberies with robbers looking for quick holiday cash . i would make the assumption that a large part of it is the increased [ financial ] pressures this time of year , ' said brannen . the fbi advises banks to be extra vigilant this time of year and to keep a close eye on jittery individuals donning gloves , hats and sunglasses . but brannen says profiling people like that can be problematic . we 've chosen not to go there . here in atlanta , lots of people wear head coverings for religious purposes . this is a free and open society , ' he said . he said customers want to come into a bank unimpeded -- that 99.9 percent are just customers , not bank robbers . brannen says banks do all they can to balance convenience for their customers and the bank 's need for security . there is no good , magic solution . ' he says . emmett said as long as metro atlanta continues to grow , so will the number of bank robberies . this is something that is part of growth . we have more banks . we have more people . we 're a big city now . ' e-mail to a friend cnn 's rusty dornin contributed to this report .","fbi : expect more bank robberies around holidays" +"fbi atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- it was an image that got the nation talking : two giggling young women in oversized sunglasses robbing a bank . the barbie bandits ' helped their hometown earn the dubious distinction as the nation 's bank robbery capital . here one of the so-called barbie bandits ' is captured on surveillance video at a surburban atlanta bank . atlanta 's fbi field division topped los angeles in reporting the most bank heists , with 350 for the 12 months ending september 30 , 2007 , according to the fbi , which annually names areas most prone to bank robberies . the los angeles area was no . 2 with 338 heists , followed by philadelphia with 316 . just thursday , two suspects overpowered a security guard at an atlanta , georgia , bank , took his gun , robbed the bank and fled with money in hand , police said . eventually , police shot one of the suspects in an exchange of gunfire . two more armed bank robberies took place in metro atlanta friday . the fbi says violent crime is up across the nation , especially in major metro areas like atlanta . so it 's no surprise atlanta has become a prime target for bank robberies , fbi spokesman stephen emmett told cnn . watch hotlanta or heistlanta ? » ' this goes hand in hand with those figures , ' emmett said . atlanta 's rapid growth over the last decade has also been a factor . a recent atlanta business chronicle article reported that metro atlanta has 26 more banks than in all of north carolina -- roughly one bank for every 3,500 people in the region . see photos of bank heists in metro atlanta » ' we would attribute a lot of that [ bank robberies ] to the growth and the fact that the banking industry has matched that growth with an increase in bank branches throughout the area , ' emmett said . atlanta 's rise in bank heists comes just as los angeles has aggressively countered once out-of-control bank robberies . los angeles has gone from more than 500 bank robberies in the mid-2000s to this year 's 338 , the fbi stats show . according to the fbi , its atlanta field division reported 350 bank robberies in the last year -- the most notorious of which were the barbie bandits ' and grandpa bandit ' robberies . the fbi says 122 of the heists were armed robberies , or robberies where a weapon was visibly used . emmett said many more of the robberies were what law enforcement officers classify as note jobs ' -- where a robber gestures as if he or she has a gun on them in a demand note handed over to the teller . also factored into the total number of robberies were atm heists and a record nine armored car robberies . those armored car robberies are particularly disturbing to emmett . anyone that would confront an armored car courier knowing that he 's already armed and in somewhat of a defensive posture , that mindset is very troubling for law enforcement , ' he said . while emmett said there is no typical ' bank robber , he said he has seen some trends , most notably that they are often people battling drug addictions . he also said bank robbers are often repeat offenders . two recent high-profile cases in atlanta seem to confirm that . two women dubbed the barbie bandits ' were arrested after working with a bank employee to rob a bank of america in the atlanta suburb of acworth . they both later admitted to police to having drug addiction problems . recently apprehended 69-year-old bobby joe phillips , dubbed the grandpa bandit , ' is suspected to have robbed seven banks in tennessee and the atlanta area and had a criminal history . emmett says typically very little money is taken in a bank heist . joe brannen , president of the georgia bankers association , agrees , saying the average is $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 . it 's not as big a payoff as most people think it is . ' with the holidays in full swing , authorities are steeling themselves for a spate of bank robberies with robbers looking for quick holiday cash . i would make the assumption that a large part of it is the increased [ financial ] pressures this time of year , ' said brannen . the fbi advises banks to be extra vigilant this time of year and to keep a close eye on jittery individuals donning gloves , hats and sunglasses . but brannen says profiling people like that can be problematic . we 've chosen not to go there . here in atlanta , lots of people wear head coverings for religious purposes . this is a free and open society , ' he said . he said customers want to come into a bank unimpeded -- that 99.9 percent are just customers , not bank robbers . brannen says banks do all they can to balance convenience for their customers and the bank 's need for security . there is no good , magic solution . ' he says . emmett said as long as metro atlanta continues to grow , so will the number of bank robberies . this is something that is part of growth . we have more banks . we have more people . we 're a big city now . ' e-mail to a friend cnn 's rusty dornin contributed to this report .","fbi says it 's the result of rising violent crime and increased number of banks" +"mathias lauda ( cnn ) -- pamela anderson is set to bring a little hollywood glamor to motorsport after becoming part owner of a sports car racing team . the former baywatch star has linked up with the race alliance team , which is competing in the inaugural fia gt series . the playboy pin-up ventured into motorsport in march 2012 when her and occasional racing driver markus fux fronted the downforce1 european le mans teams . following the failure of that venture fux and anderson have teamed up with the race alliance team for the final three races of the gt series'2013 season . we want to make race alliance a recognizable name and have looked for the best drivers possible , ' a spokesman for the team told autosport.com . the plan is to contest the full fia gt series next year , as well as the nurburgring 24 hours , and then look to nascar after that . ' in vitantonio liuzzi and mathias lauda the austrian team boasts two drivers of considerable pedigree . f1 inforgraphic : deals on wheels liuzzi spent six years in formula one , including one season with red bull , while his teammate lauda is the son of austria 's triple f1 world champion niki lauda . liuzzi and lauda will be behind the wheel of a ferrari 458 italia when the team debuts in slovakia this weekend . three dates remain on the gt series'2013 calendar , with spain and azerbaijan hosting races after slovakia . competing against anderson 's team will be one led by rally driving legend sebastian loeb . the frenchman won a record nine world rally championships in a row between 2004 and 2012 and now heads the sebastian loeb racing team .","vitantonio liuzzi and mathias lauda drive for the team" +"princess of wales london , england ( cnn ) -- britain 's prince harry turned 25 tuesday in the knowledge that he is now entitled to part of the multi-million dollar inheritance left to him by his late mother . prince harry is currently training to become a helicopter pilot with the british army . harry was just 12 years old when diana , princess of wales , was killed in a car crash in paris in 1997 . his mother left an estate worth £21 million ( $ 35 million ) , but more than £8 million ( $ 13.31 million ) was paid in inheritance tax , leaving around £13 million ( $ 21.6 million ) to be shared between harry and his brother william , who is second in line to the throne , the british press association reported . much of that money is thought to have been invested but it is not known if the economic downturn has affected the amount . both princes are prevented from spending the lump sum of their inheritance until they turn 30 . but harry will pocket all income generated by his portion of the estate -- around £300,000 ( $ 500,000 ) a year . watch more about prince harry 's birthday windfall » prince harry joined the british army in 2006 and served in afghanistan for more than two months from the end of 2007 to early 2008 , before being withdrawn after news of his secret deployment leaked out to the media . there had been fears that harry , who is third in line to the throne , could become a target for taliban militants . according to british media reports , the prince 's deployment was subject to a news blackout deal struck between the ministry of defence and newspapers and broadcasters in the uk and abroad . he received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant in april last year and is now training to become a helicopter pilot with the british army 's air corps . the young royal has also created a few negative headlines , particularly in britain 's tabloid press , in recent years . in february this year , he was formally disciplined by his army superiors after videos surfaced showing him using offensive language -- referring to a fellow soldier as a paki ' and another as looking like a raghead . ' a spokesman for the prince told cnn : prince harry has apologized for his comments and has been subjected to normal army disciplinary procedures . the matter is now closed . ' in a well-publicized gaffe in 2005 , harry apologized after he was photographed wearing a nazi uniform at a party . it was a very stupid thing to do and i 've learned my lesson , simple as that really , ' he said in an interview marking his 21st birthday . i 'd like to put it in the past now . what 's done is done . i regret it . '","harry was 12 when his mother , diana , princess of wales , was killed" +"harry london , england ( cnn ) -- britain 's prince harry turned 25 tuesday in the knowledge that he is now entitled to part of the multi-million dollar inheritance left to him by his late mother . prince harry is currently training to become a helicopter pilot with the british army . harry was just 12 years old when diana , princess of wales , was killed in a car crash in paris in 1997 . his mother left an estate worth £21 million ( $ 35 million ) , but more than £8 million ( $ 13.31 million ) was paid in inheritance tax , leaving around £13 million ( $ 21.6 million ) to be shared between harry and his brother william , who is second in line to the throne , the british press association reported . much of that money is thought to have been invested but it is not known if the economic downturn has affected the amount . both princes are prevented from spending the lump sum of their inheritance until they turn 30 . but harry will pocket all income generated by his portion of the estate -- around £300,000 ( $ 500,000 ) a year . watch more about prince harry 's birthday windfall » prince harry joined the british army in 2006 and served in afghanistan for more than two months from the end of 2007 to early 2008 , before being withdrawn after news of his secret deployment leaked out to the media . there had been fears that harry , who is third in line to the throne , could become a target for taliban militants . according to british media reports , the prince 's deployment was subject to a news blackout deal struck between the ministry of defence and newspapers and broadcasters in the uk and abroad . he received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant in april last year and is now training to become a helicopter pilot with the british army 's air corps . the young royal has also created a few negative headlines , particularly in britain 's tabloid press , in recent years . in february this year , he was formally disciplined by his army superiors after videos surfaced showing him using offensive language -- referring to a fellow soldier as a paki ' and another as looking like a raghead . ' a spokesman for the prince told cnn : prince harry has apologized for his comments and has been subjected to normal army disciplinary procedures . the matter is now closed . ' in a well-publicized gaffe in 2005 , harry apologized after he was photographed wearing a nazi uniform at a party . it was a very stupid thing to do and i 've learned my lesson , simple as that really , ' he said in an interview marking his 21st birthday . i 'd like to put it in the past now . what 's done is done . i regret it . '","harry will pocket interest from his portion -- around $ 500,000 a year" +"harry london , england ( cnn ) -- britain 's prince harry turned 25 tuesday in the knowledge that he is now entitled to part of the multi-million dollar inheritance left to him by his late mother . prince harry is currently training to become a helicopter pilot with the british army . harry was just 12 years old when diana , princess of wales , was killed in a car crash in paris in 1997 . his mother left an estate worth £21 million ( $ 35 million ) , but more than £8 million ( $ 13.31 million ) was paid in inheritance tax , leaving around £13 million ( $ 21.6 million ) to be shared between harry and his brother william , who is second in line to the throne , the british press association reported . much of that money is thought to have been invested but it is not known if the economic downturn has affected the amount . both princes are prevented from spending the lump sum of their inheritance until they turn 30 . but harry will pocket all income generated by his portion of the estate -- around £300,000 ( $ 500,000 ) a year . watch more about prince harry 's birthday windfall » prince harry joined the british army in 2006 and served in afghanistan for more than two months from the end of 2007 to early 2008 , before being withdrawn after news of his secret deployment leaked out to the media . there had been fears that harry , who is third in line to the throne , could become a target for taliban militants . according to british media reports , the prince 's deployment was subject to a news blackout deal struck between the ministry of defence and newspapers and broadcasters in the uk and abroad . he received a promotion to the rank of lieutenant in april last year and is now training to become a helicopter pilot with the british army 's air corps . the young royal has also created a few negative headlines , particularly in britain 's tabloid press , in recent years . in february this year , he was formally disciplined by his army superiors after videos surfaced showing him using offensive language -- referring to a fellow soldier as a paki ' and another as looking like a raghead . ' a spokesman for the prince told cnn : prince harry has apologized for his comments and has been subjected to normal army disciplinary procedures . the matter is now closed . ' in a well-publicized gaffe in 2005 , harry apologized after he was photographed wearing a nazi uniform at a party . it was a very stupid thing to do and i 've learned my lesson , simple as that really , ' he said in an interview marking his 21st birthday . i 'd like to put it in the past now . what 's done is done . i regret it . '","harry was 12 when his mother , diana , princess of wales , was killed" +"olympia horse show ( cnn ) if usain bolt ever takes up figure skating , he will know how kauto star feels . the 14-year-old racehorse , one of the greatest steeplechasers of all time and a two-time cheltenham gold cup winner , made his dressage debut at london 's olympia horse show on tuesday . dressage , which involves horse and rider working together to produce a complex dance ' routine marked by judges , is how kauto star has been spending retirement since his last national hunt race in 2012 . laura collett , a leading british event rider , has been helping the horse to learn the intricacies of a sport that rewards precision and poise above power and pace . he 's changed shape a lot since we got him , ' collett told horse and hound magazine in the build-up to kauto star 's demonstration dressage test at olympia . he had n't done any flat work at all . but he 's got a brilliant temperament and he 's very willing . he got the hang of it very easily . he needed to soften his whole body -- he was just used to going in a straight line . so he 's done a lot of gymnastic exercises and things to supple him up . he tries really hard . when you 've taught him something once , he remembers it . the hardest thing for him was the canter -- he only really knew about going fast . ' having spent a career streaking past thousands of spectators lining a racecourse , kauto star appeared a little unprepared for an indoor arena crowd as he took his first , dainty dressage steps at olympia . it 's the crowds being up high and so close , it 's quite intimidating , ' collett told the bbc afterwards . he did n't show himself off to the best of his ability -- he got a bit of stage fright and shut down . most horses who come into an arena like this have been doing it for eight or 10 years , and build up gradually . he 's been thrown in at the deep end . ' kauto star is not in contention for rio 2016 . britain has one of the world 's leading dressage teams and no matter his racing pedigree , there simply is n't the time to bring him up to the required standard . instead , dressage is seen as a way to offer the horse an interesting retirement -- although that was n't met with universal approval when the decision was made , two years ago . owner clive smith sent kauto star to collett 's wiltshire yard in december 2012 , against the wishes of the horse 's longtime trainer , paul nicholls . the dispute over the horse 's future brought to an end a partnership responsible for almost a dozen major victories on the racecourse , a career bettered only by 1960s legends arkle and flyingbolt . now , by contrast , collett says there is no pressure ' on kauto star to perform to any standard in his new sport . the main thing is the horse is happy and relaxed , ' she said this week , and he has a varied lifestyle . '","dressage debut comes in a demonstration at the olympia horse show in london" +"anil dash new york ( cnn ) -- decades ago , when the department of defense was creating the predecessor to today 's internet , one of the main goals was to create a communications system that could endure catastrophic disasters . the internet was designed to have no central point of failure , allowing anyone to run his or her own communications channel . this was a system that could withstand a nuclear attack . today , the services built on top of that network have done a great job in enabling communications , perhaps none more dramatically than twitter . during the days since the haiti earthquake , the popular social networking and microblogging service has been used for rescue efforts and for fundraising to help stabilize and rebuild the country . so it was big news when twitter was offline for 90 minutes wednesday morning . technology pundits promptly began hand-wringing -- the weaknesses of having a single point of failure to critical communications had been revealed again ! could we trust twitter ? did this mean the web could n't help us fulfill our most basic obligations to those in need ? not at all . there 's no reason that organizations or individuals who want to use the web to relay critical information have to rely on twitter or facebook or google or any other giant of the technology industry in the first place . we 've just forgotten a bit about how the internet was supposed to work . rescue organizations and charities should simply be able to use the web sites they already have to deliver those messages . and was n't that the promise of the web in the first place ? were n't we going to stop relying on individual companies as gatekeepers for communication ? when blogs took off a few years ago , was n't it with the promise that we 'd all be able to share our voices without having to ask any company for permission ? why did we give that up ? maybe it 's because they made it look so easy . twitter has done an impressive job of growing to handle its enormous number of users , while keeping its service simple . the company has even shown a reassuring sensitivity to the civic and social obligations that come from running such a popular communication service . companies such as facebook and google have stepped up , too . their hearts appear to be in the right place , and they 're doing real work to help people communicate . but the web is bigger than any one site or any one social network . in my own work , i run a nonprofit that strives to connect government policymakers to the expertise of ordinary people using the web . we 'll naturally make great use of twitter and facebook and all the other services , but it 'd be unforgivable to pick only one of them as a platform for civic engagement . telling people the only way to talk to the white house is on facebook is like saying you can only call your senator by using a particular phone company . and that 's the key lesson to learn from twitter being down while people are depending on it for communication : some needs are too important to put in the hands of any single company . communicating in real time about emergency information is clearly one of them . fortunately there 's good news . smart inventors have already made cutting-edge technologies that let any site deliver messages with the same immediacy as twitter or facebook . now the challenge is reminding all of the social institutions , media organizations and government agencies that they need to use their own communications infrastructure just as much as they participate in services such as twitter and facebook . the reality is social networks come and go . ten years ago , otherwise-sensible companies were paying millions of dollars to america online to buy aol keywords . ' these were shortcuts to parts of the aol service , which dominated u.s. internet access at the time . in fact , many of us have allowed companies to become intermediaries to all our communications , whether it was aol 10 years ago or facebook today . but we do n't need to ask gateways for permission to publish . we can run our own web sites , at our own web addresses and keep control over how we communicate . think how ludicrous it would seem for someone to decide , say , to offer emergency services as an aol keyword called 911 ' instead of having people just dial their phones ? that sounds absurd , but you can see advertisements today that essentially say find us on facebook at facebook.com/acmewidgets ! ' now , facebook probably wo n't fade away entirely , like early networks such as friendster . but those facebook addresses are just like aol keywords 10 years earlier . and it is conceivable that the organizations and companies who communicate on facebook today may want to become more independent . whether due to emergency or just the everyday requirements of doing business , they ultimately will stop depending on a single point of contact for their communications . this is , after all , how the web was designed to work . we already see governments and civic organizations using the web as effectively as the best corporations and media . in the united states , we have a white house that 's got an iphone application and a state department that 's asking us to define democracy by responding on twitter . judging by how much technology has affected society already , those first experiments will soon evolve into full-fledged platforms for citizen participation and charitable action . and let 's hope they wo n't have to worry if any one web site goes down . because we 'll have a web of independent but connected communications systems , just as the internet was always designed to be . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of anil dash .","anil dash says internet was designed to endure disasters , free up communication" +"wgc ( cnn ) -- south african golf was handed another boost on tuesday when the country was awarded the right to host one of the lucrative world golf championships events for the next five years . the news comes after charl schwartzel joined 2010 british open winner louis oosthuizen as a reigning major champion with his dramatic victory at the masters on sunday . this is , without doubt , the most significant milestone in the history of professional golf in south africa , ' sunshine tour commissioner gareth tindall said on his return from augusta following meetings with the u.s. pga tour and the international federation of pga tours . it is something that we have been working on for a long time , and the unanimous support that we have received from the other professional tours around the world confirms the major standing of our players and the sunshine tour in world golf . what is even more significant is that we have the commitment that we will host this world golf championships event for a period of five years . that has enormously positive implications for the game and for our country as a whole . ' can mcilroy conquer the mental minefield ? it will be known as the tournament of hope ' and will try to build awareness of poverty and hiv/aids in africa . the three of the four wgc events held in the u.s. have prize money higher than the season 's four major tournaments , while the hsbc champions in china is comparable . the date and venue for south africa 's first staging next year have yet to be announced , but it will feature the top 70 players in the world . meanwhile , this year 's south african open has been moved back a week to ensure the tournament will not clash with the president 's cup in australia due to be held from november 17-20 , with several players from the country expected to feature in the international team to take on the united states . the alfred dunhill championship will be played during the week of the melbourne event .","sunshine tour lands deal to stage wgc event for five years from 2012" +"white house ( cnn ) -- in a place accustomed to tough stretches , this has been a particularly tough few days at the white house . after emerging from the showdown over the republican-led government shutdown relatively unscathed , the obama administration finds itself under assault on three fronts : problems surrounding obamacare , the revelations of the u.s. spying on allies , and the 2012 attack on the u.s diplomatic compound in benghazi , libya , the latter for which a senator has threatened to hold up all of the obama administration 's nominations . the controversies are sure to fuel continued republican attacks on president barack obama and his democratic allies as the nation gears up for midterm elections next year , and the white house has portrayed the attacks as so much partisan chatter . but to cnn senior political analyst david gergen , they reflect the relative inexperience of the obama white house . this is an administration that has been very , very good at its politics , but has never been very good at execution of policies from day one , ' he said monday . it 's an administration which has some really smart people in it , and a lot of younger people . it does n't have very many heavyweights . ' the worst part for obama may be figuring out what to do about it all -- not just the various individual fires , but more generally how to take control of his own government , ' cnn chief political analyst gloria borger said . if you 're the president , how do you make sure that subordinates are n't withholding information you should know ? how do you strike the right balance , and explain it clearly , on things such as gathering intelligence versus maximizing privacy and protecting key relationships ? and how do you make sure those tied to your administration avoid big missteps that could come back to bite you ? four out of five americans have little or no trust in their government to do anything right , ' borger writes in an analysis . and now obama probably feels the same way . ' does obama still have faith in government ? here are the latest details on the issues causing the administration the most heartache today : obamacare another week , another congressional hearing on the problem-plagued rollout of obama 's health insurance program . this time , marilyn tavenner , head of the centers for medicare and medicaid services -- which is in charge of the obamacare website -- became the first administration official to formally apologize to americans for the troublesome start . she offered the apology tuesday in an appearance before the house ways and means committee . we know that consumers are eager to purchase this coverage , and to the millions of americans who have attempted to use healthcare.gov to shop and enroll in health care coverage , i want to apologize to you that the website has not worked as well as it should , ' she told lawmakers . obamacare website administrator apologizes the website , which would-be applicants have found difficult to use , at best , embarrassingly crashed over the weekend , leaving consumers completely locked out . then , the white house found itself on the defensive over revelations that , despite claims to the contrary by the obama administration , some who have purchased insurance on the open market will lose their coverage and have to buy new policies . an insurance industry source told cnn monday that the vast majority of americans who have purchased coverage on the individual market will find their policies changed or even canceled under obamacare rules . it 's been known for some time that some of the policies would have to change -- the department of health and human services said in 2010 as part of a federal regulation that up to two thirds of individual policies would n't meet regulations allowing them to continue under what 's called grandfathered ' status . that refers to plans allowed to continue even though they do n't provide all the rights and protections of those offered under obamacare . white house spokesman jay carney argued monday the administration has always said some health care plans would not meet new obamacare requirements . there are existing health care plans on the individual market that do n't meet those minimum standards and therefore do not qualify for the affordable care act , ' he said . there are some that can be grandfathered if people want to keep insurance that 's substandard . ' and those who lose coverage will be able to buy more comprehensive coverage on the health insurance exchanges -- some of them at a subsidized price , he said . but the reality that so many plans will disappear or have to change seems to fly in the face of what obama said so often in selling the plan to voters . if you like your health care plan , you can keep your health care plan , ' the president said in 2009 , and frequently since . it also offered republicans ammunition to renew their attacks on the plan . the larger problem is how obamacare is hurting people out there , ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell said tuesday . it is about college graduates and middle-class families getting hit with massive premium increases they ca n't afford . ' nsa spying after months of seemingly endless leaks about u.s. surveillance programs , the pressure on the administration rose to new levels in recent days with revelations published by the german news magazine der spiegel that the united states was collecting the communications of allied leaders , including german chancellor angela merkel . obamacare and nsa spying : what did obama know , and when did he find out ? german leaders respond angrily to the news , with merkel demanding a stop to the practice and proclaiming that her country 's confidence in the united states had been shaken . ' but it was comments by the administration claiming that obama did not know of the practice until recently that drew the sharpest criticism -- from both the right and the left . rep. peter king , the republican chairman of the house subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence , was incredulous that the president did n't know what was going on . he certainly should have known , if he did n't , ' the former chairman of the house homeland security committee told cnn 's wolf blitzer on the situation room . ' i think that 's almost more of a serious issue that something like that at that level would be conducted without him knowing it . ' rep. king on nsa spying : if obama did n't know , he should have and sen. dianne feinstein , d-california , said not knowing about the program was a big problem ' for both obama and the senate intelligence committee , which she chairs . as far as i 'm concerned , congress needs to know exactly what our intelligence community is doing , ' her statement said . to that end , the committee will initiate a major review into all intelligence collection programs . ' benghazi longstanding republican criticism of the administration 's handling of the attack on the u.s. diplomatic compound in benghazi , which left the u.s. ambassador to libya and three other americans dead , resurfaced this week with sen. lindsey graham , r-south carolina , threatening to hold up administration nominations over the issue . senators are expected soon to review obama 's nominations for several high-profile judicial appointments and other nominations . senate rules allow a single senator to at least temporarily hold up presidential nominations , and graham says he will do so until the administration makes survivors of the attack available for congressional testimony . i 'm going to block every appointment in the united states senate until the survivors are being made available to congress , ' he said . i 'm tired of hearing from people on tv and reading about stuff in books . we need to get to the bottom of this . ' the white house said monday that graham and other republicans are using benghazi for political purposes , and we find that unfortunate . ' cnn 's ted barrett , catherine e. shoichet , jake tapper , jim sciutto , elise labott , brooke baldwin and jim acosta contributed to this report .","the white house is on the defensive over claims some could lose health coverage" +"asians ( cnn ) -- so we thought asian kids did great in school . think again . a new study suggests that women and minorities are less likely to receive early support from potential academic mentors . researchers from wharton , columbia and nyu ran an interesting field experiment : pretending to be students , they e-mailed more than 6500 professors at top u.s. universities admiring each professor 's work and asking to meet . the e-mails were all identical except for the senders'names . names that one can associate with a gender or race -- like brad anderson , meredith roberts , latoya brown , juanita martinez , deepak patel , sonali desai , chang wong , and mei chen -- were used . the researchers found that faculty were most likely to respond to e-mails from white males . but more surprising was the high level of racial bias against asians and indians -- professors were likeliest to ignore e-mails from these students . one of the researchers noted , we see tremendous bias against asian students and that 's not something we expected . ... a lot of people think of asians as a model minority group . we expect them to be treated quite well in academia . ' the study highlights the pernicious nature of the model minority ' stereotype of asians , and the fact that asians are still viewed as the most foreign other ' in our american culture -- perhaps the biggest outsiders in the politics of not like us . ' a common refrain i hear from well-meaning friends and colleagues is : what 's so bad about the asian stereotype ? seems to me asians have done all right . ' i get it . as a woman of color , i 'm keenly aware that on the spectrum of bias , there are plenty of worse things to be called than good at school . it does n't sound so terrible to be thought of as hardworking or quiet when there are so many more obviously sinister racial myths out there to bust . but the flip side of the model minority myth is an assumption that asians do just fine and do n't need any mentoring or help in the academic or professional world . whether due to bias or mere lack of interest , the professors in the study treated asian and indian students differently despite their reputation for academic achievement . and this lack of mentorship while in school may lead to an achievement gap in the workplace . there 's still a huge disparity between the percentage of asians graduating at the top of their class from the best schools in the country and the percentage of asians who go on to achieve top leadership positions in their chosen fields . disturbingly , i have heard thoughtful colleagues wonder aloud whether the underrepresentation of asians in senior leadership roles is due to systemic , external factors that should be addressed with reform in the workplace , or whether it 's asians who are responsible for taking themselves out of the c-suite pipeline because they 're just happy being the worker bees . ' is there any truth to the perceptions that asians are passive , lack leadership skills and assertiveness , are unwilling to take initiative or risk , and even unable to have fun or a decent sense of humor ? some people definitely think so . i 'm not the only american of asian descent who has been told , in the form of a compliment , that i 'm surprisingly outgoing , funny , or sociable -- for an asian . i still get friendly compliments on my very good english . ' and at one of my very first legal job interviews , one judge put it succinctly : i 've always thought your people were very bright . ' it 's the very benignity of these model minority stereotypes that render them so persistent and difficult to eradicate . so , what can we do about it ? we can start by improving mentor and sponsor programs . mentors and mentees are too often arbitrarily paired in the corporate world . employers should consider the real affinities that may actually exist within their workforce and offer employees the tools , training and access to identify , cultivate and maintain their own meaningful mentor and sponsor relationships . at one law job early in my career , i was assigned to a mentor ' who himself had only been at the firm a few weeks . why ? he was from seoul . i 'm from california and grew up in d.c. and i 'm not even korean-american . meanwhile , i went to a college that graduates about 400 students a year , and a white male senior partner whose office was down the hall had gone to this same small college , yet no one at the firm had stopped to think that perhaps i might have something in common with him . sure , it 's also incumbent on people to take initiative and simply walk down the hall and introduce themselves to potential mentors . but it would be incredibly helpful and transformative for the gatekeepers -- in academia , the corporate world , public service , media , entertainment and the arts , whatever path talented young people might choose -- to recognize the subtle , unconscious biases that sometimes prevent asians from achieving their true potential . maybe then asians in america can be recognized for bringing more to the table than just being good at school . q & a with author helen wan about'the partner track '","wan : one way to help asians is to improve mentor and sponsor programs" +"asians ( cnn ) -- so we thought asian kids did great in school . think again . a new study suggests that women and minorities are less likely to receive early support from potential academic mentors . researchers from wharton , columbia and nyu ran an interesting field experiment : pretending to be students , they e-mailed more than 6500 professors at top u.s. universities admiring each professor 's work and asking to meet . the e-mails were all identical except for the senders'names . names that one can associate with a gender or race -- like brad anderson , meredith roberts , latoya brown , juanita martinez , deepak patel , sonali desai , chang wong , and mei chen -- were used . the researchers found that faculty were most likely to respond to e-mails from white males . but more surprising was the high level of racial bias against asians and indians -- professors were likeliest to ignore e-mails from these students . one of the researchers noted , we see tremendous bias against asian students and that 's not something we expected . ... a lot of people think of asians as a model minority group . we expect them to be treated quite well in academia . ' the study highlights the pernicious nature of the model minority ' stereotype of asians , and the fact that asians are still viewed as the most foreign other ' in our american culture -- perhaps the biggest outsiders in the politics of not like us . ' a common refrain i hear from well-meaning friends and colleagues is : what 's so bad about the asian stereotype ? seems to me asians have done all right . ' i get it . as a woman of color , i 'm keenly aware that on the spectrum of bias , there are plenty of worse things to be called than good at school . it does n't sound so terrible to be thought of as hardworking or quiet when there are so many more obviously sinister racial myths out there to bust . but the flip side of the model minority myth is an assumption that asians do just fine and do n't need any mentoring or help in the academic or professional world . whether due to bias or mere lack of interest , the professors in the study treated asian and indian students differently despite their reputation for academic achievement . and this lack of mentorship while in school may lead to an achievement gap in the workplace . there 's still a huge disparity between the percentage of asians graduating at the top of their class from the best schools in the country and the percentage of asians who go on to achieve top leadership positions in their chosen fields . disturbingly , i have heard thoughtful colleagues wonder aloud whether the underrepresentation of asians in senior leadership roles is due to systemic , external factors that should be addressed with reform in the workplace , or whether it 's asians who are responsible for taking themselves out of the c-suite pipeline because they 're just happy being the worker bees . ' is there any truth to the perceptions that asians are passive , lack leadership skills and assertiveness , are unwilling to take initiative or risk , and even unable to have fun or a decent sense of humor ? some people definitely think so . i 'm not the only american of asian descent who has been told , in the form of a compliment , that i 'm surprisingly outgoing , funny , or sociable -- for an asian . i still get friendly compliments on my very good english . ' and at one of my very first legal job interviews , one judge put it succinctly : i 've always thought your people were very bright . ' it 's the very benignity of these model minority stereotypes that render them so persistent and difficult to eradicate . so , what can we do about it ? we can start by improving mentor and sponsor programs . mentors and mentees are too often arbitrarily paired in the corporate world . employers should consider the real affinities that may actually exist within their workforce and offer employees the tools , training and access to identify , cultivate and maintain their own meaningful mentor and sponsor relationships . at one law job early in my career , i was assigned to a mentor ' who himself had only been at the firm a few weeks . why ? he was from seoul . i 'm from california and grew up in d.c. and i 'm not even korean-american . meanwhile , i went to a college that graduates about 400 students a year , and a white male senior partner whose office was down the hall had gone to this same small college , yet no one at the firm had stopped to think that perhaps i might have something in common with him . sure , it 's also incumbent on people to take initiative and simply walk down the hall and introduce themselves to potential mentors . but it would be incredibly helpful and transformative for the gatekeepers -- in academia , the corporate world , public service , media , entertainment and the arts , whatever path talented young people might choose -- to recognize the subtle , unconscious biases that sometimes prevent asians from achieving their true potential . maybe then asians in america can be recognized for bringing more to the table than just being good at school . q & a with author helen wan about'the partner track '","helen wan : the model minority ' stereotype of asians is pernicious" +"asians ( cnn ) -- so we thought asian kids did great in school . think again . a new study suggests that women and minorities are less likely to receive early support from potential academic mentors . researchers from wharton , columbia and nyu ran an interesting field experiment : pretending to be students , they e-mailed more than 6500 professors at top u.s. universities admiring each professor 's work and asking to meet . the e-mails were all identical except for the senders'names . names that one can associate with a gender or race -- like brad anderson , meredith roberts , latoya brown , juanita martinez , deepak patel , sonali desai , chang wong , and mei chen -- were used . the researchers found that faculty were most likely to respond to e-mails from white males . but more surprising was the high level of racial bias against asians and indians -- professors were likeliest to ignore e-mails from these students . one of the researchers noted , we see tremendous bias against asian students and that 's not something we expected . ... a lot of people think of asians as a model minority group . we expect them to be treated quite well in academia . ' the study highlights the pernicious nature of the model minority ' stereotype of asians , and the fact that asians are still viewed as the most foreign other ' in our american culture -- perhaps the biggest outsiders in the politics of not like us . ' a common refrain i hear from well-meaning friends and colleagues is : what 's so bad about the asian stereotype ? seems to me asians have done all right . ' i get it . as a woman of color , i 'm keenly aware that on the spectrum of bias , there are plenty of worse things to be called than good at school . it does n't sound so terrible to be thought of as hardworking or quiet when there are so many more obviously sinister racial myths out there to bust . but the flip side of the model minority myth is an assumption that asians do just fine and do n't need any mentoring or help in the academic or professional world . whether due to bias or mere lack of interest , the professors in the study treated asian and indian students differently despite their reputation for academic achievement . and this lack of mentorship while in school may lead to an achievement gap in the workplace . there 's still a huge disparity between the percentage of asians graduating at the top of their class from the best schools in the country and the percentage of asians who go on to achieve top leadership positions in their chosen fields . disturbingly , i have heard thoughtful colleagues wonder aloud whether the underrepresentation of asians in senior leadership roles is due to systemic , external factors that should be addressed with reform in the workplace , or whether it 's asians who are responsible for taking themselves out of the c-suite pipeline because they 're just happy being the worker bees . ' is there any truth to the perceptions that asians are passive , lack leadership skills and assertiveness , are unwilling to take initiative or risk , and even unable to have fun or a decent sense of humor ? some people definitely think so . i 'm not the only american of asian descent who has been told , in the form of a compliment , that i 'm surprisingly outgoing , funny , or sociable -- for an asian . i still get friendly compliments on my very good english . ' and at one of my very first legal job interviews , one judge put it succinctly : i 've always thought your people were very bright . ' it 's the very benignity of these model minority stereotypes that render them so persistent and difficult to eradicate . so , what can we do about it ? we can start by improving mentor and sponsor programs . mentors and mentees are too often arbitrarily paired in the corporate world . employers should consider the real affinities that may actually exist within their workforce and offer employees the tools , training and access to identify , cultivate and maintain their own meaningful mentor and sponsor relationships . at one law job early in my career , i was assigned to a mentor ' who himself had only been at the firm a few weeks . why ? he was from seoul . i 'm from california and grew up in d.c. and i 'm not even korean-american . meanwhile , i went to a college that graduates about 400 students a year , and a white male senior partner whose office was down the hall had gone to this same small college , yet no one at the firm had stopped to think that perhaps i might have something in common with him . sure , it 's also incumbent on people to take initiative and simply walk down the hall and introduce themselves to potential mentors . but it would be incredibly helpful and transformative for the gatekeepers -- in academia , the corporate world , public service , media , entertainment and the arts , whatever path talented young people might choose -- to recognize the subtle , unconscious biases that sometimes prevent asians from achieving their true potential . maybe then asians in america can be recognized for bringing more to the table than just being good at school . q & a with author helen wan about'the partner track '","she says even though asians do well in school , in the workplace they fall behind" +"asians ( cnn ) -- so we thought asian kids did great in school . think again . a new study suggests that women and minorities are less likely to receive early support from potential academic mentors . researchers from wharton , columbia and nyu ran an interesting field experiment : pretending to be students , they e-mailed more than 6500 professors at top u.s. universities admiring each professor 's work and asking to meet . the e-mails were all identical except for the senders'names . names that one can associate with a gender or race -- like brad anderson , meredith roberts , latoya brown , juanita martinez , deepak patel , sonali desai , chang wong , and mei chen -- were used . the researchers found that faculty were most likely to respond to e-mails from white males . but more surprising was the high level of racial bias against asians and indians -- professors were likeliest to ignore e-mails from these students . one of the researchers noted , we see tremendous bias against asian students and that 's not something we expected . ... a lot of people think of asians as a model minority group . we expect them to be treated quite well in academia . ' the study highlights the pernicious nature of the model minority ' stereotype of asians , and the fact that asians are still viewed as the most foreign other ' in our american culture -- perhaps the biggest outsiders in the politics of not like us . ' a common refrain i hear from well-meaning friends and colleagues is : what 's so bad about the asian stereotype ? seems to me asians have done all right . ' i get it . as a woman of color , i 'm keenly aware that on the spectrum of bias , there are plenty of worse things to be called than good at school . it does n't sound so terrible to be thought of as hardworking or quiet when there are so many more obviously sinister racial myths out there to bust . but the flip side of the model minority myth is an assumption that asians do just fine and do n't need any mentoring or help in the academic or professional world . whether due to bias or mere lack of interest , the professors in the study treated asian and indian students differently despite their reputation for academic achievement . and this lack of mentorship while in school may lead to an achievement gap in the workplace . there 's still a huge disparity between the percentage of asians graduating at the top of their class from the best schools in the country and the percentage of asians who go on to achieve top leadership positions in their chosen fields . disturbingly , i have heard thoughtful colleagues wonder aloud whether the underrepresentation of asians in senior leadership roles is due to systemic , external factors that should be addressed with reform in the workplace , or whether it 's asians who are responsible for taking themselves out of the c-suite pipeline because they 're just happy being the worker bees . ' is there any truth to the perceptions that asians are passive , lack leadership skills and assertiveness , are unwilling to take initiative or risk , and even unable to have fun or a decent sense of humor ? some people definitely think so . i 'm not the only american of asian descent who has been told , in the form of a compliment , that i 'm surprisingly outgoing , funny , or sociable -- for an asian . i still get friendly compliments on my very good english . ' and at one of my very first legal job interviews , one judge put it succinctly : i 've always thought your people were very bright . ' it 's the very benignity of these model minority stereotypes that render them so persistent and difficult to eradicate . so , what can we do about it ? we can start by improving mentor and sponsor programs . mentors and mentees are too often arbitrarily paired in the corporate world . employers should consider the real affinities that may actually exist within their workforce and offer employees the tools , training and access to identify , cultivate and maintain their own meaningful mentor and sponsor relationships . at one law job early in my career , i was assigned to a mentor ' who himself had only been at the firm a few weeks . why ? he was from seoul . i 'm from california and grew up in d.c. and i 'm not even korean-american . meanwhile , i went to a college that graduates about 400 students a year , and a white male senior partner whose office was down the hall had gone to this same small college , yet no one at the firm had stopped to think that perhaps i might have something in common with him . sure , it 's also incumbent on people to take initiative and simply walk down the hall and introduce themselves to potential mentors . but it would be incredibly helpful and transformative for the gatekeepers -- in academia , the corporate world , public service , media , entertainment and the arts , whatever path talented young people might choose -- to recognize the subtle , unconscious biases that sometimes prevent asians from achieving their true potential . maybe then asians in america can be recognized for bringing more to the table than just being good at school . q & a with author helen wan about'the partner track '","a wharton study shows high level of racial bias against asians and indians" +"gadhafi washington ( cnn ) -- president barack obama has approved the use of armed predator drones in libya , defense secretary robert gates said thursday . gates suggested that the unmanned predator missions may have already begun . he said he believed that the first flights were launched thursday but were called back due to poor weather . the president has said that where we have some unique capabilities , he is willing to use those , ' gates said . and i think that today may in fact have been their first mission . ' gates said the predator drones offer a modest contribution ' to nato efforts to support rebels fighting embattled libyan leader moammar gadhafi 's forces there , though gadhafi is not a specific target . unmanned aerial vehicles offer more precise targeting , because their low-flying capability allows for better visibility , particularly on targets now that have started to dig themselves into defensive positions , ' gates said . he said the drones are needed for humanitarian reasons , and they have capabilities that larger aircraft such as a-10s and c-130s can not provide . vice joint chiefs chairman gen. james cartwright said the added precision is necessary because forces loyal to gadhafi nestle up in crowded areas ' to maximize civilian casualties . it 's very difficult to identify friend from foe , ' cartwright said , noting that the drones facilitate identification of individuals on the ground . remote predator operators are now permitted to strike gadhafi 's defense missions , including air defense , missile and radar sites . predator strikes are also authorized for civilian protection and can hit gadhafi 's troops , military installations and equipment in the field . the u.s. employed the use of unmanned drones early in the nato campaign , but they were intended for surveillance only and not authorized to fire .","new : gadhafi loyalists nestle up in crowded areas , ' gen. james cartwright says" +"seattle super bowl xlviii started out bad for the denver broncos . the seattle seahawks made sure it got worse . seattle romped 43-8 by playing a suffocating defense and taking advantage of four denver turnovers , including two interceptions thrown by quarterback peyton manning , the nfl 's most valuable player for the season . the game pitted pro football 's best offense , denver , against the best defense , seattle , but the drama disappeared early at metlife stadium in east rutherford , new jersey . on the first play from scrimmage , a bad snap went sailing past manning and landed in the end zone for a safety , giving seattle a 2-0 lead without running a play . denver did n't score until the third quarter , when the game was out of reach . seattle 's defense was so strong that denver managed only 27 yards rushing , compared with 135 for seattle . manning went 34 for 49 to gain 279 yards in the air , but most passes were for short yardage with his receivers quickly taken down . his counterpart , russell wilson of seattle , went 18 for 26 to gain 206 yards and score two touchdowns . fittingly , a seattle defensive player , linebacker malcolm smith , was named the game 's most valuable player . seattle won its first super bowl in franchise history . manning was thwarted in his quest for a second super bowl ring . after the safety , seattle kicked two field goals , and marshawn lynch scored on a 1-yard run for a touchdown . the seahawks'smith intercepted manning 's second interception and returned it for another touchdown . the second half started out bad for denver , with seattle 's percy harvin running the opening kickoff back for a touchdown . jermaine kearse caught a 23-yeard pass from russell wilson with 2:58 left in the third quarter for another touchdown . wilson threw his second scoring strike to doug baldwin with 11:45 left in the fourth . just before the third quarter ended , denver got onto the scoreboard when manning threw a 14-yard pass to demaryius thomas . denver went for a two-point pat to make the score 36-8 . denver , led by the 37-year-old manning , has the nfl 's best offense , statistically , but never got moving sunday . richard sherman , the seattle defense player who mocked san francisco after winning the nfc championship , was never really challenged . he left with an injury in the fourth quarter . balmy conditions on game day though the game did n't experience the blackout that hit last year 's super bowl , fans in los angeles had their own visual blackout . some fans lost cable service for a period and missed part of the second half and the halftime show , starring bruno mars and the red hot chili peppers . time warner cable said in a tweet that the issue was resolved before the end of the game . a man was shot several times during a super bowl party at a residence in denver , police said . the man was found outside the home , but police spokesman sonny jackson did not have additional information , such as what led to the shooting . the man was taken to a hospital in critical condition , and authorities do not have a suspect or a suspect description . the experts'picks history of the super bowl : by the numbers the secrets of the super bowl flyover","no seattle player has previously played in a super bowl" +"seattle super bowl xlviii started out bad for the denver broncos . the seattle seahawks made sure it got worse . seattle romped 43-8 by playing a suffocating defense and taking advantage of four denver turnovers , including two interceptions thrown by quarterback peyton manning , the nfl 's most valuable player for the season . the game pitted pro football 's best offense , denver , against the best defense , seattle , but the drama disappeared early at metlife stadium in east rutherford , new jersey . on the first play from scrimmage , a bad snap went sailing past manning and landed in the end zone for a safety , giving seattle a 2-0 lead without running a play . denver did n't score until the third quarter , when the game was out of reach . seattle 's defense was so strong that denver managed only 27 yards rushing , compared with 135 for seattle . manning went 34 for 49 to gain 279 yards in the air , but most passes were for short yardage with his receivers quickly taken down . his counterpart , russell wilson of seattle , went 18 for 26 to gain 206 yards and score two touchdowns . fittingly , a seattle defensive player , linebacker malcolm smith , was named the game 's most valuable player . seattle won its first super bowl in franchise history . manning was thwarted in his quest for a second super bowl ring . after the safety , seattle kicked two field goals , and marshawn lynch scored on a 1-yard run for a touchdown . the seahawks'smith intercepted manning 's second interception and returned it for another touchdown . the second half started out bad for denver , with seattle 's percy harvin running the opening kickoff back for a touchdown . jermaine kearse caught a 23-yeard pass from russell wilson with 2:58 left in the third quarter for another touchdown . wilson threw his second scoring strike to doug baldwin with 11:45 left in the fourth . just before the third quarter ended , denver got onto the scoreboard when manning threw a 14-yard pass to demaryius thomas . denver went for a two-point pat to make the score 36-8 . denver , led by the 37-year-old manning , has the nfl 's best offense , statistically , but never got moving sunday . richard sherman , the seattle defense player who mocked san francisco after winning the nfc championship , was never really challenged . he left with an injury in the fourth quarter . balmy conditions on game day though the game did n't experience the blackout that hit last year 's super bowl , fans in los angeles had their own visual blackout . some fans lost cable service for a period and missed part of the second half and the halftime show , starring bruno mars and the red hot chili peppers . time warner cable said in a tweet that the issue was resolved before the end of the game . a man was shot several times during a super bowl party at a residence in denver , police said . the man was found outside the home , but police spokesman sonny jackson did not have additional information , such as what led to the shooting . the man was taken to a hospital in critical condition , and authorities do not have a suspect or a suspect description . the experts'picks history of the super bowl : by the numbers the secrets of the super bowl flyover","seattle dominates and takes advantage of denver 's mistakes" +"seattle super bowl xlviii started out bad for the denver broncos . the seattle seahawks made sure it got worse . seattle romped 43-8 by playing a suffocating defense and taking advantage of four denver turnovers , including two interceptions thrown by quarterback peyton manning , the nfl 's most valuable player for the season . the game pitted pro football 's best offense , denver , against the best defense , seattle , but the drama disappeared early at metlife stadium in east rutherford , new jersey . on the first play from scrimmage , a bad snap went sailing past manning and landed in the end zone for a safety , giving seattle a 2-0 lead without running a play . denver did n't score until the third quarter , when the game was out of reach . seattle 's defense was so strong that denver managed only 27 yards rushing , compared with 135 for seattle . manning went 34 for 49 to gain 279 yards in the air , but most passes were for short yardage with his receivers quickly taken down . his counterpart , russell wilson of seattle , went 18 for 26 to gain 206 yards and score two touchdowns . fittingly , a seattle defensive player , linebacker malcolm smith , was named the game 's most valuable player . seattle won its first super bowl in franchise history . manning was thwarted in his quest for a second super bowl ring . after the safety , seattle kicked two field goals , and marshawn lynch scored on a 1-yard run for a touchdown . the seahawks'smith intercepted manning 's second interception and returned it for another touchdown . the second half started out bad for denver , with seattle 's percy harvin running the opening kickoff back for a touchdown . jermaine kearse caught a 23-yeard pass from russell wilson with 2:58 left in the third quarter for another touchdown . wilson threw his second scoring strike to doug baldwin with 11:45 left in the fourth . just before the third quarter ended , denver got onto the scoreboard when manning threw a 14-yard pass to demaryius thomas . denver went for a two-point pat to make the score 36-8 . denver , led by the 37-year-old manning , has the nfl 's best offense , statistically , but never got moving sunday . richard sherman , the seattle defense player who mocked san francisco after winning the nfc championship , was never really challenged . he left with an injury in the fourth quarter . balmy conditions on game day though the game did n't experience the blackout that hit last year 's super bowl , fans in los angeles had their own visual blackout . some fans lost cable service for a period and missed part of the second half and the halftime show , starring bruno mars and the red hot chili peppers . time warner cable said in a tweet that the issue was resolved before the end of the game . a man was shot several times during a super bowl party at a residence in denver , police said . the man was found outside the home , but police spokesman sonny jackson did not have additional information , such as what led to the shooting . the man was taken to a hospital in critical condition , and authorities do not have a suspect or a suspect description . the experts'picks history of the super bowl : by the numbers the secrets of the super bowl flyover","this was the first super bowl victory in seattle 's franchise history" +"supreme court ( cnn ) -- all five remaining inmates held in the mississippi pardons controversy have now been released from prison . mississippi 's supreme court last week upheld the controversial pardons of more than 200 convicts that former gov . haley barbour granted on his way out of office , rejecting a challenge by the state 's attorney general . in a 77-page , 6-3 ruling thursday afternoon , the court found the pardons may not be set aside or voided by the judicial branch . ' attorney general jim hood argued that no proper notice had been posted in newspapers , but the court found the final decision rested solely with the governor . ' we are mindful that the victims and their families are entitled to be interested in the subject matter of this case , and they are undoubtedly -- and understandably -- concerned with its outcome , ' justice jess dickinson wrote for the majority . but in the cases before them , it was up to the governor to decide whether the constitution 's publication requirement was met . ' in a statement after the court ruling , barbour said it reaffirmed more than a century of settled law in our state , ' but acknowledged that his decision has been difficult for many of the inmates'victims . but in a dissenting opinion , justice michael randolph called the decision a stunning victory for some lawless convicted felons , and an immeasurable loss for the law-abiding citizens of our state . ' hood argued that the state constitution required that for a pardon to be valid , notices be filed , each day , for 30 days in newspapers where their crimes were committed . but during a february supreme court hearing , barbour 's lawyers argued that previous state court rulings had found the 30-day notice rule was an unconstitutional encroachment ' on the governor 's power . thursday 's ruling is the final word on the case , but hood said he would seek to get the notice requirement restored to the state charter . we do respect the decision of the court , but feel deeply for how it must weigh on the victims and their families . it is these victims and family members who have lost today and the criminals who have won , ' he said in a statement , echoing randolph 's dissent . among the 214 inmates barbour pardoned before he left office in january were four convicted murderers who had worked as trusties ' at the governor 's mansion . critics argued that the governor failed to consider the families of their victims before freeing them . all four and an armed robber also pardoned by barbour had remained free while the issue worked its way through the courts , and were freed under thursday 's decision . five other inmates who had remained behind bars awaiting a ruling have been released . barbour has defended his pardons and said the former inmates had been rehabilitated . cnn 's martin savidge and joe sutton contributed to this report .","mississippi 's supreme court upholds the controversial pardons" +"rangel he says it 's his last fight . and it 's been his hardest . after 43 years in congress , new york rep. charlie rangel said the campaign for his 23rd term is his final one . the 84-year-old lion of harlem ' wants two more years in washington , but on tuesday , voters will decide if his time is up . he 's a founding member of the congressional black caucus , and the former chair of the powerful ways and means committee . but the legend of harlem politics is on shaky ground . rangel running for 23rd term in the house rangel says he 's ready this time he 's been bruised before . in the 2012 democratic primary , victory came by a thin margin . rangel beat state sen. adriano espaillat by fewer than 1,100 votes . the congressman said he did n't put up much of a fight . i did n't have a campaign last time . when he told me he was running i was in the hospital in columbia presbyterian with a viral infection in my spine . ' this time , rangel said he 's ready . well , i do n't have a walker . i do n't have a spinal injury . ' rangel has also had more time to recover from a humiliating censure in 2010 from the u.s. house of representatives following a series of ethics violations . 2014 midterms : what 's at stake gearing up for round 2 since 2012 , espaillat has been gearing up for round 2 . this time , the underdog said he 's counting on an upset and making comparisons to one of the biggest ones ever in boxing : ' sonny liston was a big , bad bear when he got into the ring , but ( muhammad ) ali was faster , smarter than him , ' espaillat said . he was able to draw circles around him , and he shook up the world and he changed boxing . ' if voters want a change now , it may be a measure of how much the district has changed since rangel went to washington in 1971 . harlem 's rich african-american history now seems distant neal schumacher knows the streets of harlem as well as anyone . he gives walking tours , and he often points out the fact that the neighborhood is , ... not the harlem that i grew up in , but a harlem i embrace . ' a falling crime rate has accelerated real estate development in the neighborhood , but affordable housing remains among the most pressing issues for many with roots in the community . people are concerned about gentrification , about rising housing costs , about some of the mom and pop shops closing . about being able to afford to live in the community where you are now , ' said schumacher . harlem has long been known for its rich african-american history . but to harlem historian jacob morris , that past feels more distant today . in the 20th century harlem was incontrovertibly ... the cultural capital of black america . ... is it still ? i would say now it 's the custodian of that great history . ' both say racial and ethnic politics not part of race today , the demographics are different . so is the district itself . part of the bronx was added to harlem 's district before the 2012 primary . the 13th congressional district now has a hispanic majority . if elected , espaillat would become the country 's first dominican-american congressman . both candidates insist that racial and ethnic politics should n't determine the outcome of the race . we never had a political battle in my congressional district in 43 years based on where you were born or what religion you have , ' rangel said while campaigning saturday . 2014 midterms : complete coverage turnout could be key according to a ny1/siena college poll released the week before the primary , the vast majority of voters said the race or ethnicity of the candidates makes no difference to them , the same poll shows rangel has a 70-point lead with blacks and a 5-point lead with whites , while espaillat has a 24-point lead with latinos . overall , the poll gives rangel a 13-point lead ( 47 % -34 % ) against espaillat . insiders suggest the race is tighter than that and too tough to predict . a key factor : turnout is expected to be low . both campaigns will have to battle to get voters to the polls on tuesday . the congressional race is the only item on the ballot .","rep. charlie rangel is running for 23rd term in the house" +"rangel he says it 's his last fight . and it 's been his hardest . after 43 years in congress , new york rep. charlie rangel said the campaign for his 23rd term is his final one . the 84-year-old lion of harlem ' wants two more years in washington , but on tuesday , voters will decide if his time is up . he 's a founding member of the congressional black caucus , and the former chair of the powerful ways and means committee . but the legend of harlem politics is on shaky ground . rangel running for 23rd term in the house rangel says he 's ready this time he 's been bruised before . in the 2012 democratic primary , victory came by a thin margin . rangel beat state sen. adriano espaillat by fewer than 1,100 votes . the congressman said he did n't put up much of a fight . i did n't have a campaign last time . when he told me he was running i was in the hospital in columbia presbyterian with a viral infection in my spine . ' this time , rangel said he 's ready . well , i do n't have a walker . i do n't have a spinal injury . ' rangel has also had more time to recover from a humiliating censure in 2010 from the u.s. house of representatives following a series of ethics violations . 2014 midterms : what 's at stake gearing up for round 2 since 2012 , espaillat has been gearing up for round 2 . this time , the underdog said he 's counting on an upset and making comparisons to one of the biggest ones ever in boxing : ' sonny liston was a big , bad bear when he got into the ring , but ( muhammad ) ali was faster , smarter than him , ' espaillat said . he was able to draw circles around him , and he shook up the world and he changed boxing . ' if voters want a change now , it may be a measure of how much the district has changed since rangel went to washington in 1971 . harlem 's rich african-american history now seems distant neal schumacher knows the streets of harlem as well as anyone . he gives walking tours , and he often points out the fact that the neighborhood is , ... not the harlem that i grew up in , but a harlem i embrace . ' a falling crime rate has accelerated real estate development in the neighborhood , but affordable housing remains among the most pressing issues for many with roots in the community . people are concerned about gentrification , about rising housing costs , about some of the mom and pop shops closing . about being able to afford to live in the community where you are now , ' said schumacher . harlem has long been known for its rich african-american history . but to harlem historian jacob morris , that past feels more distant today . in the 20th century harlem was incontrovertibly ... the cultural capital of black america . ... is it still ? i would say now it 's the custodian of that great history . ' both say racial and ethnic politics not part of race today , the demographics are different . so is the district itself . part of the bronx was added to harlem 's district before the 2012 primary . the 13th congressional district now has a hispanic majority . if elected , espaillat would become the country 's first dominican-american congressman . both candidates insist that racial and ethnic politics should n't determine the outcome of the race . we never had a political battle in my congressional district in 43 years based on where you were born or what religion you have , ' rangel said while campaigning saturday . 2014 midterms : complete coverage turnout could be key according to a ny1/siena college poll released the week before the primary , the vast majority of voters said the race or ethnicity of the candidates makes no difference to them , the same poll shows rangel has a 70-point lead with blacks and a 5-point lead with whites , while espaillat has a 24-point lead with latinos . overall , the poll gives rangel a 13-point lead ( 47 % -34 % ) against espaillat . insiders suggest the race is tighter than that and too tough to predict . a key factor : turnout is expected to be low . both campaigns will have to battle to get voters to the polls on tuesday . the congressional race is the only item on the ballot .","rangel was first elected to seat in 1971 but district has changed recently" +"rangel he says it 's his last fight . and it 's been his hardest . after 43 years in congress , new york rep. charlie rangel said the campaign for his 23rd term is his final one . the 84-year-old lion of harlem ' wants two more years in washington , but on tuesday , voters will decide if his time is up . he 's a founding member of the congressional black caucus , and the former chair of the powerful ways and means committee . but the legend of harlem politics is on shaky ground . rangel running for 23rd term in the house rangel says he 's ready this time he 's been bruised before . in the 2012 democratic primary , victory came by a thin margin . rangel beat state sen. adriano espaillat by fewer than 1,100 votes . the congressman said he did n't put up much of a fight . i did n't have a campaign last time . when he told me he was running i was in the hospital in columbia presbyterian with a viral infection in my spine . ' this time , rangel said he 's ready . well , i do n't have a walker . i do n't have a spinal injury . ' rangel has also had more time to recover from a humiliating censure in 2010 from the u.s. house of representatives following a series of ethics violations . 2014 midterms : what 's at stake gearing up for round 2 since 2012 , espaillat has been gearing up for round 2 . this time , the underdog said he 's counting on an upset and making comparisons to one of the biggest ones ever in boxing : ' sonny liston was a big , bad bear when he got into the ring , but ( muhammad ) ali was faster , smarter than him , ' espaillat said . he was able to draw circles around him , and he shook up the world and he changed boxing . ' if voters want a change now , it may be a measure of how much the district has changed since rangel went to washington in 1971 . harlem 's rich african-american history now seems distant neal schumacher knows the streets of harlem as well as anyone . he gives walking tours , and he often points out the fact that the neighborhood is , ... not the harlem that i grew up in , but a harlem i embrace . ' a falling crime rate has accelerated real estate development in the neighborhood , but affordable housing remains among the most pressing issues for many with roots in the community . people are concerned about gentrification , about rising housing costs , about some of the mom and pop shops closing . about being able to afford to live in the community where you are now , ' said schumacher . harlem has long been known for its rich african-american history . but to harlem historian jacob morris , that past feels more distant today . in the 20th century harlem was incontrovertibly ... the cultural capital of black america . ... is it still ? i would say now it 's the custodian of that great history . ' both say racial and ethnic politics not part of race today , the demographics are different . so is the district itself . part of the bronx was added to harlem 's district before the 2012 primary . the 13th congressional district now has a hispanic majority . if elected , espaillat would become the country 's first dominican-american congressman . both candidates insist that racial and ethnic politics should n't determine the outcome of the race . we never had a political battle in my congressional district in 43 years based on where you were born or what religion you have , ' rangel said while campaigning saturday . 2014 midterms : complete coverage turnout could be key according to a ny1/siena college poll released the week before the primary , the vast majority of voters said the race or ethnicity of the candidates makes no difference to them , the same poll shows rangel has a 70-point lead with blacks and a 5-point lead with whites , while espaillat has a 24-point lead with latinos . overall , the poll gives rangel a 13-point lead ( 47 % -34 % ) against espaillat . insiders suggest the race is tighter than that and too tough to predict . a key factor : turnout is expected to be low . both campaigns will have to battle to get voters to the polls on tuesday . the congressional race is the only item on the ballot .","challenger is same one who came within 1,100 votes of unseating rangel in 2012" +"irs ( cnn ) -- hating the internal revenue service is an american pastime that transcends political affiliation . this past may , disgust for the irs reached an all-time high when lois lerner , director of the irs 's exempt organizations unit , disclosed the agency had improperly targeted social welfare organizations seeking special status under section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) of the tax code based on their political ideology . this revelation resulted in more than three months ( and counting ) of congressional hearings and investigations . read the irs inspector general 's report on targeting but in typical washington fashion , the manufactured congressional outrage and grandstanding has served to do little more than obfuscate the real scandal at the irs : that the agency allows social welfare organizations to manipulate federal tax law by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on political ads . anyone who watched television in the lead-up to the 2010 and 2012 elections undoubtedly noticed the slew of vitriolic , misleading campaign ads . some of these ads were sponsored by federal candidates , but many more were produced by groups with innocuous sounding names -- such as crossroads gps or the american action network -- but massive bank accounts . crossroads gps , for example , a nonprofit organization cofounded by former george w. bush administration official karl rove , spent more than $ 70 million on the 2012 election . like the groups targeted by the irs , crossroads gps is a section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organization , which affords certain tax benefits and -- most importantly -- the ability to keep the names of donors secret . federal law requires these groups to operate exclusively for purposes beneficial to the community as a whole . ' irs regulations , however , create a loophole in the law by allowing groups primarily ' engaged in these types of activities to benefit from this tax status . many 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups have interpreted this regulation to mean they can spend up to 49 % of their funds on political activities -- mostly negative , deceptive political ads . adding to the confusion , the irs has said there is no specific percentage the agency uses to gauge whether a group has engaged primarily ' in social welfare activities , but rather that it considers all facts and circumstances . what does that mean exactly ? no one knows . when directly confronted about the problem and the agency 's record of inaction , the irs has said only that it is aware ' of the issue . but the irs has been aware of and has chosen to ignore this problem for more than 50 years . if the agency had revised its regulations at any point in the past as my organization and others requested , the agency might have avoided the quagmire in which it is drowning . frustrated with the irs 's inaction , in may crew filed a lawsuit against the irs for flouting the law barring 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organizations from engaging in political activity . the case is pending in district of columbia district court . rep. chris van hollen , d-maryland , and other public interest groups filed a similar lawsuit last month . because social welfare organizations are not required to disclose their donors , 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups have become the de facto vehicle for millionaires , billionaires , and even corporations who want to remain anonymous while influencing our elections . as a result , politically active nonprofit groups spent more than $ 300 million on the 2012 election . americans should not only be outraged that our elections are being flooded with anonymous cash , but because of the nonprofit status of these groups , taxpayers are subsidizing their activity . with more and more groups seeking to participate in federal elections using money raised from donors who want to remain anonymous , applications to the irs for 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) status more than doubled between 2010 and 2012 . to manage the deluge , lerner said the agency relied on code words and other shortcuts to single groups out for extra review . while the scrutiny of tea party groups has received the most attention , the irs be on the look out ' ( bolo ) list also included the words progressive , ' occupy , ' and israel . ' flagging any group for further screening because their applications included specific words or phrases was wrong . the impact , however , of such misguided actions on our democracy was negligible , particularly compared to that wrought by the irs 's failure to stop hundreds of millions of dollars from flooding our electoral system to influence our votes . for all of the abuse heaped upon the irs and for all the concern about the bolo list , the same thing could happen again if the disparity between the language of the statute and regulation is not addressed . agents processing applications of groups seeking social welfare status in the future will remain as confused about the standards as those whose decisions have been questioned this year . nevertheless , congress has shown no appetite to pass legislation clarifying the requirements for these nonprofit groups . as the 2014 election cycle gets under way , the super rich and corporations with deep coffers will continue to buy our elections , and congress will continue to spend time and resources on a never-ending cycle of investigations into a problem with a fairly easy solution : as congress intended when it first passed the law , prohibit 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organizations from spending money on anything other than social welfare activities . as long as members of congress do nothing other than one-up each other 's disdain for the irs , nothing will change . and that really is a scandal . join us on facebook/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of melanie sloan . got a story idea or tip for cnn 's investigations team ? go to cnn.com/investigate or click here to submit . watch erin burnett weekdays 7pm et . for the latest from erin burnett click here .","lois lerner sparked scandal by revealing the irs targeted social welfare organizations" +"irs ( cnn ) -- hating the internal revenue service is an american pastime that transcends political affiliation . this past may , disgust for the irs reached an all-time high when lois lerner , director of the irs 's exempt organizations unit , disclosed the agency had improperly targeted social welfare organizations seeking special status under section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) of the tax code based on their political ideology . this revelation resulted in more than three months ( and counting ) of congressional hearings and investigations . read the irs inspector general 's report on targeting but in typical washington fashion , the manufactured congressional outrage and grandstanding has served to do little more than obfuscate the real scandal at the irs : that the agency allows social welfare organizations to manipulate federal tax law by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on political ads . anyone who watched television in the lead-up to the 2010 and 2012 elections undoubtedly noticed the slew of vitriolic , misleading campaign ads . some of these ads were sponsored by federal candidates , but many more were produced by groups with innocuous sounding names -- such as crossroads gps or the american action network -- but massive bank accounts . crossroads gps , for example , a nonprofit organization cofounded by former george w. bush administration official karl rove , spent more than $ 70 million on the 2012 election . like the groups targeted by the irs , crossroads gps is a section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organization , which affords certain tax benefits and -- most importantly -- the ability to keep the names of donors secret . federal law requires these groups to operate exclusively for purposes beneficial to the community as a whole . ' irs regulations , however , create a loophole in the law by allowing groups primarily ' engaged in these types of activities to benefit from this tax status . many 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups have interpreted this regulation to mean they can spend up to 49 % of their funds on political activities -- mostly negative , deceptive political ads . adding to the confusion , the irs has said there is no specific percentage the agency uses to gauge whether a group has engaged primarily ' in social welfare activities , but rather that it considers all facts and circumstances . what does that mean exactly ? no one knows . when directly confronted about the problem and the agency 's record of inaction , the irs has said only that it is aware ' of the issue . but the irs has been aware of and has chosen to ignore this problem for more than 50 years . if the agency had revised its regulations at any point in the past as my organization and others requested , the agency might have avoided the quagmire in which it is drowning . frustrated with the irs 's inaction , in may crew filed a lawsuit against the irs for flouting the law barring 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organizations from engaging in political activity . the case is pending in district of columbia district court . rep. chris van hollen , d-maryland , and other public interest groups filed a similar lawsuit last month . because social welfare organizations are not required to disclose their donors , 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups have become the de facto vehicle for millionaires , billionaires , and even corporations who want to remain anonymous while influencing our elections . as a result , politically active nonprofit groups spent more than $ 300 million on the 2012 election . americans should not only be outraged that our elections are being flooded with anonymous cash , but because of the nonprofit status of these groups , taxpayers are subsidizing their activity . with more and more groups seeking to participate in federal elections using money raised from donors who want to remain anonymous , applications to the irs for 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) status more than doubled between 2010 and 2012 . to manage the deluge , lerner said the agency relied on code words and other shortcuts to single groups out for extra review . while the scrutiny of tea party groups has received the most attention , the irs be on the look out ' ( bolo ) list also included the words progressive , ' occupy , ' and israel . ' flagging any group for further screening because their applications included specific words or phrases was wrong . the impact , however , of such misguided actions on our democracy was negligible , particularly compared to that wrought by the irs 's failure to stop hundreds of millions of dollars from flooding our electoral system to influence our votes . for all of the abuse heaped upon the irs and for all the concern about the bolo list , the same thing could happen again if the disparity between the language of the statute and regulation is not addressed . agents processing applications of groups seeking social welfare status in the future will remain as confused about the standards as those whose decisions have been questioned this year . nevertheless , congress has shown no appetite to pass legislation clarifying the requirements for these nonprofit groups . as the 2014 election cycle gets under way , the super rich and corporations with deep coffers will continue to buy our elections , and congress will continue to spend time and resources on a never-ending cycle of investigations into a problem with a fairly easy solution : as congress intended when it first passed the law , prohibit 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organizations from spending money on anything other than social welfare activities . as long as members of congress do nothing other than one-up each other 's disdain for the irs , nothing will change . and that really is a scandal . join us on facebook/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of melanie sloan . got a story idea or tip for cnn 's investigations team ? go to cnn.com/investigate or click here to submit . watch erin burnett weekdays 7pm et . for the latest from erin burnett click here .","sloan : until congress does more than express its disdain for the irs , nothing will change" +"irs ( cnn ) -- hating the internal revenue service is an american pastime that transcends political affiliation . this past may , disgust for the irs reached an all-time high when lois lerner , director of the irs 's exempt organizations unit , disclosed the agency had improperly targeted social welfare organizations seeking special status under section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) of the tax code based on their political ideology . this revelation resulted in more than three months ( and counting ) of congressional hearings and investigations . read the irs inspector general 's report on targeting but in typical washington fashion , the manufactured congressional outrage and grandstanding has served to do little more than obfuscate the real scandal at the irs : that the agency allows social welfare organizations to manipulate federal tax law by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on political ads . anyone who watched television in the lead-up to the 2010 and 2012 elections undoubtedly noticed the slew of vitriolic , misleading campaign ads . some of these ads were sponsored by federal candidates , but many more were produced by groups with innocuous sounding names -- such as crossroads gps or the american action network -- but massive bank accounts . crossroads gps , for example , a nonprofit organization cofounded by former george w. bush administration official karl rove , spent more than $ 70 million on the 2012 election . like the groups targeted by the irs , crossroads gps is a section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organization , which affords certain tax benefits and -- most importantly -- the ability to keep the names of donors secret . federal law requires these groups to operate exclusively for purposes beneficial to the community as a whole . ' irs regulations , however , create a loophole in the law by allowing groups primarily ' engaged in these types of activities to benefit from this tax status . many 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups have interpreted this regulation to mean they can spend up to 49 % of their funds on political activities -- mostly negative , deceptive political ads . adding to the confusion , the irs has said there is no specific percentage the agency uses to gauge whether a group has engaged primarily ' in social welfare activities , but rather that it considers all facts and circumstances . what does that mean exactly ? no one knows . when directly confronted about the problem and the agency 's record of inaction , the irs has said only that it is aware ' of the issue . but the irs has been aware of and has chosen to ignore this problem for more than 50 years . if the agency had revised its regulations at any point in the past as my organization and others requested , the agency might have avoided the quagmire in which it is drowning . frustrated with the irs 's inaction , in may crew filed a lawsuit against the irs for flouting the law barring 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organizations from engaging in political activity . the case is pending in district of columbia district court . rep. chris van hollen , d-maryland , and other public interest groups filed a similar lawsuit last month . because social welfare organizations are not required to disclose their donors , 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups have become the de facto vehicle for millionaires , billionaires , and even corporations who want to remain anonymous while influencing our elections . as a result , politically active nonprofit groups spent more than $ 300 million on the 2012 election . americans should not only be outraged that our elections are being flooded with anonymous cash , but because of the nonprofit status of these groups , taxpayers are subsidizing their activity . with more and more groups seeking to participate in federal elections using money raised from donors who want to remain anonymous , applications to the irs for 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) status more than doubled between 2010 and 2012 . to manage the deluge , lerner said the agency relied on code words and other shortcuts to single groups out for extra review . while the scrutiny of tea party groups has received the most attention , the irs be on the look out ' ( bolo ) list also included the words progressive , ' occupy , ' and israel . ' flagging any group for further screening because their applications included specific words or phrases was wrong . the impact , however , of such misguided actions on our democracy was negligible , particularly compared to that wrought by the irs 's failure to stop hundreds of millions of dollars from flooding our electoral system to influence our votes . for all of the abuse heaped upon the irs and for all the concern about the bolo list , the same thing could happen again if the disparity between the language of the statute and regulation is not addressed . agents processing applications of groups seeking social welfare status in the future will remain as confused about the standards as those whose decisions have been questioned this year . nevertheless , congress has shown no appetite to pass legislation clarifying the requirements for these nonprofit groups . as the 2014 election cycle gets under way , the super rich and corporations with deep coffers will continue to buy our elections , and congress will continue to spend time and resources on a never-ending cycle of investigations into a problem with a fairly easy solution : as congress intended when it first passed the law , prohibit 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organizations from spending money on anything other than social welfare activities . as long as members of congress do nothing other than one-up each other 's disdain for the irs , nothing will change . and that really is a scandal . join us on facebook/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of melanie sloan . got a story idea or tip for cnn 's investigations team ? go to cnn.com/investigate or click here to submit . watch erin burnett weekdays 7pm et . for the latest from erin burnett click here .","the irs has ignored this problem for more than 50 years , says author melanie sloan ." +"irs ( cnn ) -- hating the internal revenue service is an american pastime that transcends political affiliation . this past may , disgust for the irs reached an all-time high when lois lerner , director of the irs 's exempt organizations unit , disclosed the agency had improperly targeted social welfare organizations seeking special status under section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) of the tax code based on their political ideology . this revelation resulted in more than three months ( and counting ) of congressional hearings and investigations . read the irs inspector general 's report on targeting but in typical washington fashion , the manufactured congressional outrage and grandstanding has served to do little more than obfuscate the real scandal at the irs : that the agency allows social welfare organizations to manipulate federal tax law by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on political ads . anyone who watched television in the lead-up to the 2010 and 2012 elections undoubtedly noticed the slew of vitriolic , misleading campaign ads . some of these ads were sponsored by federal candidates , but many more were produced by groups with innocuous sounding names -- such as crossroads gps or the american action network -- but massive bank accounts . crossroads gps , for example , a nonprofit organization cofounded by former george w. bush administration official karl rove , spent more than $ 70 million on the 2012 election . like the groups targeted by the irs , crossroads gps is a section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organization , which affords certain tax benefits and -- most importantly -- the ability to keep the names of donors secret . federal law requires these groups to operate exclusively for purposes beneficial to the community as a whole . ' irs regulations , however , create a loophole in the law by allowing groups primarily ' engaged in these types of activities to benefit from this tax status . many 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups have interpreted this regulation to mean they can spend up to 49 % of their funds on political activities -- mostly negative , deceptive political ads . adding to the confusion , the irs has said there is no specific percentage the agency uses to gauge whether a group has engaged primarily ' in social welfare activities , but rather that it considers all facts and circumstances . what does that mean exactly ? no one knows . when directly confronted about the problem and the agency 's record of inaction , the irs has said only that it is aware ' of the issue . but the irs has been aware of and has chosen to ignore this problem for more than 50 years . if the agency had revised its regulations at any point in the past as my organization and others requested , the agency might have avoided the quagmire in which it is drowning . frustrated with the irs 's inaction , in may crew filed a lawsuit against the irs for flouting the law barring 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organizations from engaging in political activity . the case is pending in district of columbia district court . rep. chris van hollen , d-maryland , and other public interest groups filed a similar lawsuit last month . because social welfare organizations are not required to disclose their donors , 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) groups have become the de facto vehicle for millionaires , billionaires , and even corporations who want to remain anonymous while influencing our elections . as a result , politically active nonprofit groups spent more than $ 300 million on the 2012 election . americans should not only be outraged that our elections are being flooded with anonymous cash , but because of the nonprofit status of these groups , taxpayers are subsidizing their activity . with more and more groups seeking to participate in federal elections using money raised from donors who want to remain anonymous , applications to the irs for 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) status more than doubled between 2010 and 2012 . to manage the deluge , lerner said the agency relied on code words and other shortcuts to single groups out for extra review . while the scrutiny of tea party groups has received the most attention , the irs be on the look out ' ( bolo ) list also included the words progressive , ' occupy , ' and israel . ' flagging any group for further screening because their applications included specific words or phrases was wrong . the impact , however , of such misguided actions on our democracy was negligible , particularly compared to that wrought by the irs 's failure to stop hundreds of millions of dollars from flooding our electoral system to influence our votes . for all of the abuse heaped upon the irs and for all the concern about the bolo list , the same thing could happen again if the disparity between the language of the statute and regulation is not addressed . agents processing applications of groups seeking social welfare status in the future will remain as confused about the standards as those whose decisions have been questioned this year . nevertheless , congress has shown no appetite to pass legislation clarifying the requirements for these nonprofit groups . as the 2014 election cycle gets under way , the super rich and corporations with deep coffers will continue to buy our elections , and congress will continue to spend time and resources on a never-ending cycle of investigations into a problem with a fairly easy solution : as congress intended when it first passed the law , prohibit 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organizations from spending money on anything other than social welfare activities . as long as members of congress do nothing other than one-up each other 's disdain for the irs , nothing will change . and that really is a scandal . join us on facebook/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of melanie sloan . got a story idea or tip for cnn 's investigations team ? go to cnn.com/investigate or click here to submit . watch erin burnett weekdays 7pm et . for the latest from erin burnett click here .","author : irs allows some of these groups to spend hundreds of millions on political ads" +"jonas ( cnn ) -- move over , emma . there 's a new queen in town . isabella dethroned emma as the top name for girls born last year , according to the social security administration 's annual list of most popular baby names , released saturday . jacob , on the other hand , held on as the most popular boy 's name for the 11th year in a row . the social security administration started compiling name lists in 1997 . and as in years past , the influence of pop culture is reflected in the names picked for newborns . the boy 's name that rocketed up the list the fastest is cullen -- the name of the lead character in the popular twilight ' book series . cullen 's girlfriend in the books is bella , short for isabella . on the girls'side , the fastest riser is maliyah , an altered version of the name of president obama 's daughter malia -- which also is among the top 10 fast risers . but parents are equally quick to drop celebrity-inspired names once they think the popularity is passe . among the biggest drops last year were mylee and miley , as in singer miley cyrus . also on the outs : lindsay and jonas ( think actress lindsay lohan and the band jonas brothers ) . meanwhile , barack continued to move up the list . sixty-nine baracks were born in 2009 , the agency said . as always , religious names retained their popularity -- even if some were somewhat unconventional . among the popular names are nevaeh ( heaven spelled backward ) for girls , and messiah for boys . the 10 most popular girls'names , in order , are : isabella , emma , olivia , sophia , ava , emily , madison , abigail , chloe and mia . the 10 most popular boys'name , also in order , are : jacob , ethan , michael , alexander , william , joshua , daniel , jayden , noah and anthony .","lindsey and jonas are on the outs" +"jacob ( cnn ) -- move over , emma . there 's a new queen in town . isabella dethroned emma as the top name for girls born last year , according to the social security administration 's annual list of most popular baby names , released saturday . jacob , on the other hand , held on as the most popular boy 's name for the 11th year in a row . the social security administration started compiling name lists in 1997 . and as in years past , the influence of pop culture is reflected in the names picked for newborns . the boy 's name that rocketed up the list the fastest is cullen -- the name of the lead character in the popular twilight ' book series . cullen 's girlfriend in the books is bella , short for isabella . on the girls'side , the fastest riser is maliyah , an altered version of the name of president obama 's daughter malia -- which also is among the top 10 fast risers . but parents are equally quick to drop celebrity-inspired names once they think the popularity is passe . among the biggest drops last year were mylee and miley , as in singer miley cyrus . also on the outs : lindsay and jonas ( think actress lindsay lohan and the band jonas brothers ) . meanwhile , barack continued to move up the list . sixty-nine baracks were born in 2009 , the agency said . as always , religious names retained their popularity -- even if some were somewhat unconventional . among the popular names are nevaeh ( heaven spelled backward ) for girls , and messiah for boys . the 10 most popular girls'names , in order , are : isabella , emma , olivia , sophia , ava , emily , madison , abigail , chloe and mia . the 10 most popular boys'name , also in order , are : jacob , ethan , michael , alexander , william , joshua , daniel , jayden , noah and anthony .","jacob remains most popular name for baby boys for the 11th year in a row" +"los angeles los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- los angeles fire officials say they 're worried that nighttime winds could push two major wildfires , which already are blamed in two deaths , closer to pricey neighborhoods on the pacific coast . fire draws near homes in the los angeles-area community of porter ranch , california , on monday . we are concerned about what will happen tonight when the winds pick up , ' los angeles fire chief douglas barry said monday . california gov . arnold schwarzenegger monday declared a state of emergency monday in los angeles and ventura counties because of the fires . democratic rep. brad sherman , whose district covers the area where the fire is burning , called on president bush to issue a federal disaster declaration for the area . at least two people have died because of the blazes , which have burned 8,000 acres in the hills and mountains of los angeles and ventura counties , fire and police officials said . one was identified as a man who died in a makeshift wood-and-cardboard shelter and appeared to be homeless . a dog 's body also was found . the other victim was killed in a collision of motorists who were trying to exit a freeway that was closed because of one of the wildfires , a fire official said . no identity or age was available for either victim . winds are causing fire conditions to change by the hour , ' schwarzenegger said in a statement released monday . several thousand acres have already burned with minimal containment and more acres are threatened . ' ireport.com : are wildfires affecting you ? residents downwind were warned to remain alert into the night . it can go from here to the ocean in a matter of two to three hours , ' said los angeles county supervisor zev yaroslavsky , the associated press reported . barry said investigators have not determined a cause for either blaze . fire officials warned that strong winds , predicted to reach more than 60 mph after 11 p.m. , could send fire roaring south down the pacific coast near highway 101 . officials have shut two freeways north of los angeles and authorities dispatched water-dropping helicopters and more than 200 fire engines as the blaze started to push toward the city , ' said john tripp of the los angeles county fire department . about 350 police officers are on the scene , patrolling evacuated neighborhoods and warning residents ahead of the flames . officials shut down part of interstate 210 , also known as the foothill freeway , and any residents north of the freeway were under a mandatory evacuation order . the fire jumped the interstate in one spot and headed toward the lake view terrace area . a portion of state route 118 , known as the ronald reagan freeway , also was closed . the larger of the two fires has charred more than 3,500 acres in the angeles national forest , officials said . see video of the angeles national forest fire » that fire destroyed several structures , including about 30 mobile homes in the lopez canyon area , said los angeles county fire inspector sam padilla . the mobile homes had been evacuated sunday . the other fire , burning nearby , is expected to expand as the winds push the flames away from the center . in san diego county , a wildfire that began on an explosives training range at camp pendleton had grown to more than 1,500 acres by nightfall and forced the evacuation of 1,400 homes , the ap reported . in northern california , a wildfire that started sunday on angel island in san francisco bay had spread across 250 acres as of monday morning but had n't damaged any buildings in the historic state park , a marin county fire official said . see video of the angel island fire »","two deaths are connected to fires in los angeles , ventura counties , officials say" +"juventus ( cnn ) -- bayern munich 's record winning start to the bundesliga season came to an abrupt end sunday as they were stunned 2-1 at home by bayer leverkusen . going into the match at the allianz arena , bayern had racked up eight straight wins , but a late own goal by their german international defender jerome boateng saw them slip to defeat . they still have a four-point lead at the top from schalke , while leverkusen have moved up to fifth . the visitors took the lead when andre schuerrle left striker stefan kiessling with a close range tap-in after 42 minutes . bayern drew level with 13 minutes remaining as striker mario mandzukic headed home , but leverkusen were to enjoy their first win in munich since 1989 . boateng 's attempted to head away a shot but it just flew past goalkeeper manuel neuer on 86 minutes . in other action , eintracht frankfurt missed the chance to move back above schalke when they lost 2-1 at stuttgart . snow ca n't stop dortmund victory vedad ibisevic scored stuttgart 's winner for the second straight week . alexander meier had leveled for frankfurt after christian gentner 's sixth-minute opener for the home side . borussia moenchengladbach came from two down to score three late goals in a 3-2 win at hanover . in serie a , champions juventus maintained their lead at the top with a controversial 1-0 win at catania , who finished with 10 men . chilean star arturo vidal put juve ahead after 57 minutes before catania defender giovanni marchese was sent off mid-way through the second half . but the real arguments came in the first half as catania thought they had gone ahead when argentine striker ruben bergessio tapped home a rebound . the referee ruled it out to the fury of the home side and their president antonino pulvirenti , who was sent from the bench for dissent . inter milan kept up their pursuit of the old lady with their fifth straight win , 3-2 at bologna to stay four points behind . andrea ranocchia and diego milito put inter 2-0 ahead before nicolo cherubin hit back for the home side . esteban cambiasso 's first goal of the season sealed three points for the nerazzurri . in la liga , atletico madrid drew level on points with barcelona at the top as man of the moment radamel falcao scored his 10th league goal of the season in their 3-1 win over osasuna . joao miranda and raul garcia put atletico 2-0 ahead in the vincente calderon stadium before roland lamah pulled one back for osasuna , who stay bottom of the table . falcao sealed the three points 17 minutes from time . in the late match , reigning champions real madrid won 5-0 in mallorca with cristiano ronaldo and gonzalo higuain both scoring twice . but they remained eight points adrift of the leading pair in fourth place .","juventus stay top in italy after 1-0 victory at catania" +"washington 's spies ( cnn ) spoiler alert ! it 's not just women getting cloned . that was the big twist at the end of orphan black 's ' second season . the kickoff to the new season leads the list of six things to watch in the week ahead . 1 . orphan black , ' 9 p.m . et , saturday , april 18 , bbc america the cloning cult sci-fi series remains one of the most critically acclaimed shows on tv , thanks in large part to the performance of tatiana maslany , who has taken on at least six roles on the show so far , including a newly introduced transgender clone . maslany told reporters this week that we can expect even more impressive scenes with multiple clones . we like to push the boundaries of what we 're able to do and the limits of those clone scenes , ' she said . so , yes , you 'll definitely see more complex clone work this season and that 's just because we 're getting more comfortable with the technology and we 're excited by getting to sort of further complicate things . ' and the introduction of a group of male clones will certainly increase the suspense . there definitely is a shift towards the castor clones that we get to explore them a little bit more , ' she said . the fans of the show , dubbed the clone club ' have a lot to look forward to when the show premieres on saturday the 18th , and maslany is blown away by the response to the series so far . we 've always been really humbled and really inspired by our fans and by their dedication to the show and their knowledge of the show , and just how it changes their own lives . it 's incredible . ' 2 . turn : washington 's spies , ' 9 p.m . et , monday , amc the series about spies in the early days of the revolutionary war returns with a new subtitle , washington 's spies , ' and a new monday night time slot . series star jamie bell told cnn what we can expect in the second season . this year we have a lot more battles ; we have the journey of [ george ] washington and we 're getting under his skin a little bit as well . we also introduce new characters like benedict arnold , a very infamous character in american history . ' bell hopes the series might bring more recognition to the culper spy ring and everything it did . i think there should be a monument to all of the culper ring somewhere . i was amazed that there is nothing [ in washington ] about these people who did something extraordinary . ' 3 . game of thrones , ' 9 p.m . et , sunday , hbo the world of westeros returns for a fifth season in one of the biggest season premieres of the year . click here for more on what to expect . 4 . justified , ' 10 p.m . et , tuesday , fx timothy olyphant 's tour de force performance as raylan givens comes to an end tuesday night , as the modern-day western airs its season finale . we 'll have to see how his final showdown with boyd crowder goes . 5 . veep , ' 10:30 et , sunday , hbo hugh laurie joins the cast and julia louis-dreyfus is now the president of the united states on hbo 's hit comedy . 6 . nurse jackie , ' 9 p.m . et , sunday , showtime the final season of showtime 's long-running melodrama begins ."," turn : washington 's spies ' starts a second season" +"game of thrones ( cnn ) spoiler alert ! it 's not just women getting cloned . that was the big twist at the end of orphan black 's ' second season . the kickoff to the new season leads the list of six things to watch in the week ahead . 1 . orphan black , ' 9 p.m . et , saturday , april 18 , bbc america the cloning cult sci-fi series remains one of the most critically acclaimed shows on tv , thanks in large part to the performance of tatiana maslany , who has taken on at least six roles on the show so far , including a newly introduced transgender clone . maslany told reporters this week that we can expect even more impressive scenes with multiple clones . we like to push the boundaries of what we 're able to do and the limits of those clone scenes , ' she said . so , yes , you 'll definitely see more complex clone work this season and that 's just because we 're getting more comfortable with the technology and we 're excited by getting to sort of further complicate things . ' and the introduction of a group of male clones will certainly increase the suspense . there definitely is a shift towards the castor clones that we get to explore them a little bit more , ' she said . the fans of the show , dubbed the clone club ' have a lot to look forward to when the show premieres on saturday the 18th , and maslany is blown away by the response to the series so far . we 've always been really humbled and really inspired by our fans and by their dedication to the show and their knowledge of the show , and just how it changes their own lives . it 's incredible . ' 2 . turn : washington 's spies , ' 9 p.m . et , monday , amc the series about spies in the early days of the revolutionary war returns with a new subtitle , washington 's spies , ' and a new monday night time slot . series star jamie bell told cnn what we can expect in the second season . this year we have a lot more battles ; we have the journey of [ george ] washington and we 're getting under his skin a little bit as well . we also introduce new characters like benedict arnold , a very infamous character in american history . ' bell hopes the series might bring more recognition to the culper spy ring and everything it did . i think there should be a monument to all of the culper ring somewhere . i was amazed that there is nothing [ in washington ] about these people who did something extraordinary . ' 3 . game of thrones , ' 9 p.m . et , sunday , hbo the world of westeros returns for a fifth season in one of the biggest season premieres of the year . click here for more on what to expect . 4 . justified , ' 10 p.m . et , tuesday , fx timothy olyphant 's tour de force performance as raylan givens comes to an end tuesday night , as the modern-day western airs its season finale . we 'll have to see how his final showdown with boyd crowder goes . 5 . veep , ' 10:30 et , sunday , hbo hugh laurie joins the cast and julia louis-dreyfus is now the president of the united states on hbo 's hit comedy . 6 . nurse jackie , ' 9 p.m . et , sunday , showtime the final season of showtime 's long-running melodrama begins ."," game of thrones ' is back for season five" +"orphan black ( cnn ) spoiler alert ! it 's not just women getting cloned . that was the big twist at the end of orphan black 's ' second season . the kickoff to the new season leads the list of six things to watch in the week ahead . 1 . orphan black , ' 9 p.m . et , saturday , april 18 , bbc america the cloning cult sci-fi series remains one of the most critically acclaimed shows on tv , thanks in large part to the performance of tatiana maslany , who has taken on at least six roles on the show so far , including a newly introduced transgender clone . maslany told reporters this week that we can expect even more impressive scenes with multiple clones . we like to push the boundaries of what we 're able to do and the limits of those clone scenes , ' she said . so , yes , you 'll definitely see more complex clone work this season and that 's just because we 're getting more comfortable with the technology and we 're excited by getting to sort of further complicate things . ' and the introduction of a group of male clones will certainly increase the suspense . there definitely is a shift towards the castor clones that we get to explore them a little bit more , ' she said . the fans of the show , dubbed the clone club ' have a lot to look forward to when the show premieres on saturday the 18th , and maslany is blown away by the response to the series so far . we 've always been really humbled and really inspired by our fans and by their dedication to the show and their knowledge of the show , and just how it changes their own lives . it 's incredible . ' 2 . turn : washington 's spies , ' 9 p.m . et , monday , amc the series about spies in the early days of the revolutionary war returns with a new subtitle , washington 's spies , ' and a new monday night time slot . series star jamie bell told cnn what we can expect in the second season . this year we have a lot more battles ; we have the journey of [ george ] washington and we 're getting under his skin a little bit as well . we also introduce new characters like benedict arnold , a very infamous character in american history . ' bell hopes the series might bring more recognition to the culper spy ring and everything it did . i think there should be a monument to all of the culper ring somewhere . i was amazed that there is nothing [ in washington ] about these people who did something extraordinary . ' 3 . game of thrones , ' 9 p.m . et , sunday , hbo the world of westeros returns for a fifth season in one of the biggest season premieres of the year . click here for more on what to expect . 4 . justified , ' 10 p.m . et , tuesday , fx timothy olyphant 's tour de force performance as raylan givens comes to an end tuesday night , as the modern-day western airs its season finale . we 'll have to see how his final showdown with boyd crowder goes . 5 . veep , ' 10:30 et , sunday , hbo hugh laurie joins the cast and julia louis-dreyfus is now the president of the united states on hbo 's hit comedy . 6 . nurse jackie , ' 9 p.m . et , sunday , showtime the final season of showtime 's long-running melodrama begins .","critically acclaimed series orphan black ' returns" +"japan ( cnn ) japan 's shimanami kaido might be an expressway , but it was designed with the cyclist in mind . a spectacular 60-kilometer road-and-bridge network connecting japan 's main island of honshu with shikoku ( the nation 's fourth largest island ) , it spans six smaller islands in the process and features bike and pedestrian lanes for its entire length . the sublime scenery of the shimanami kaido ( island-wave-sea route ) runs from onomichi in hiroshima prefecture down to imabari in ehime prefecture . whichever way you travel , the views of the seto inland sea national park are sublime . cycling gives you the freedom to stop for a photo halfway across a bridge or detour to investigate lighthouses , shrines and natural wonders most automobile travelers zip past . with 14 cycle rental terminals along the way , you can go at your own pace , spend a night at a campsite or inn or just hand your bike in at the nearest rental terminal and hop on a bus . some terminals even have electric bicycles for hire . experienced cyclists will be able to complete the entire route -- there are a few challenging spots -- in a few hours . here 's a look at some of the highlights . starting point : onomichi as of march , onomichi is home to japan 's first hotel designed exclusively for cyclists : hotel cycle in the onomichi u2 building , just five minutes'walk from the jr station . manager katsunori takahashi is huge cycling enthusiast , and it shows . you can park your bike in your room , and there 's even a cycle-through restaurant . taiwanese bike manufacturer giant has a store in u2 catering to cyclists : bikes , accessories , repairs . u2 's shima shop sells local produce such as lemon comfiture and dried debera ( five-spot flounder ) , an onomichi delicacy . as for onomichi itself , the town was built on a hillside overlooking the sea , so the best way to see it before you head onto the shimanami kaido is to catch the ropeway to the top of senkoji hill and enjoy the panorama . the walk down the path of literature is pleasant -- it winds past past boulders engraved with works by famous writers who 've stayed in onomichi over the centuries . you 'll see the splendid senkoji temple , which dates from 806 ad , one of the oldest temples in japan . a stamina boost comes in the form of onomichi 's legendary ramen . tsutafuji is one of the most popular ramen shops in town . it 's a mom and pop waterfront bar near the jr station that 's been open more than 50 years . there are just 10 stools inside , so you may have wait a while . once inside , you 'll get a bowlful of noodles topped with pork in a pork-bone-and-fish broth .'orchard of japan' after a day in onomichi , it 's time to roll . as soon as you 've crossed onomichi strait and reached mukaishima island , you 'll find yourself in a serene realm of citrus groves , set in the folds of forest-clad mountains . citrus is big business here . the town of setoda is japan 's number one producer of lemons , while ehime prefecture is known as the orchard of japan . there are tangerines , oranges and hybrid fruits unique to these islands , such as anseikan ( a cannonball-sized grapefruit ) . citrus-related products abound : cakes , jams , honey , sauces , juices . world 's longest suspension bridge as you breeze across the routes magnificent bridges ( seven of them ) , a labyrinth of misty islands unfolds below . there are inhabited islands , desert islands and islands that are no more than a rock with a lone pine tree clinging to it . a procession of trawlers , tugs and speedboats glides in and out the channels . as for those bridges , their exquisite state of the art forms make them an attraction in their own right . tatara is one of the world 's longest cable-stayed bridges -- its elegant 220-meter-high steel towers represent the folded wings of a crane . at 4,045 meters long , kurushima bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the world . temples , fusion food , stunning sea deep in the heart of rural japan , there 's a rich amount of art and culture to enjoy . kosanji temple on ikuchijima island is a must-visit . built in 1936 by buddhist priest koso kosanji in memory of his mother , this wonderland of temples , pagodas and natural beauty took more than 30 years to complete . each building is modeled on famous temple buildings in kyoto , nikko and elsewhere , so visiting is like taking a stroll through japanese history . for the perfect ending to a trip ( should you choose to loop back the way you came ) you ca n't go wrong with the bella vista hotel in the hills outside onomichi . the rooms are huge and offer views over the supreme serenity of the island-dotted sea . there 's exquisite fusion in the hotel 's italian restaurant ( blowfish and tagliarini ) . the hotel spa is open to the elements on one side , allowing fresh ocean breezes to cool your skin as you boil to a jelly while watching jupiter rise over the seto sea . travel info shinkansen bullet trains depart tokyo regularly for shin-onomichi station -- the trip takes about 4.5 hours . domestic flights between tokyo and hiroshima take about an hour and 20 minutes . bicycles can be rented for 500 yen a day ( children 300 yen ) . tolls totaling 500 yen ( about $ 5 ) are required for all bridge crossings . by car , the tolls are about 4,000 yen one way . a free shuttle bus to the bella vista hotel runs from onomichi jr station . the tourist office in the station can arrange it for you . steve john powell is a hiroshima-based travel writer who has contributed to the japan times , cnn travel and the south china morning post . originally published may 2014 . updated april 3 , 2015 . cnn travel 's series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile . however cnn retains full editorial control over all of its reports . read the policy .","japan 's shimanami kaido is a spectacular 60-kilometer road and bridge network" +"beirut ( cnn ) -- sometimes it takes just one . one person -- one idea -- to ignite a movement that changes lives . helping the millions of people who 've fled the war in syria may seem a challenge far too big for small relief efforts . the u.n. calls it the worst humanitarian crisis in a generation . the needs are staggering . and yet , for some people , it 's just not an option to do nothing . i am not a tourist tanya khalil says she refuses to be a neutral observer . her country , lebanon , is taking in more syrian refugees than any other -- nearly 1 million at last official count -- despite its tiny size . the university student says it 's impossible to walk the streets of beirut without seeing reminders of the suffering -- some refugees searching for food , others sleeping on sidewalks . we can not think somebody else will take care of it , ' khalil says . we are that somebody . each and every one of us is that somebody and it is our duty towards one another to be caring and compassionate souls . ' khalil started a group called i am not a tourist . the name was meant as a wake-up call to her fellow lebanese -- that the syrian crisis was now on their doorstep and they could no longer act like bystanders . she could n't stand the thought of syrian refugees shivering in brutally cold temperatures while she and her friends were sleeping in their warm beds . they began collecting winter clothing and blankets for refugees in akkar and the bekaa valley in north lebanon . khalil estimates 4,500 people donated items , filling 25 huge trucks . we ended up with more than 10,200'bags of love ,' she says . unlike other host countries , lebanon has no formal refugee camps . refugees there are scattered across some 1,600 locations , complicating aid distribution . khalil partnered with established ngos to help with logistics : sawa for syria and war child holland . the united nations estimates nearly 2.5 million syrians are seeking shelter in lebanon and in other neighboring states , but that accounts for only registered refugees . the true number could be much higher . and the crisis is only getting worse , as thousands of syrians flee across the border each day . sweaters for syria ranya alkadamani was half a world away when she felt compelled to help . it all started with a conversation with her brother . an australian citizen living in perth , alkadamani has syrian parents and family in beirut . her brother was heading to beirut and asked if she had any old sweaters that he could take for a u.n. relief effort . she said sure -- and then realized she could do something even bigger . she sent an e-mail to work colleagues , asking if they had any sweaters to contribute . the note touched her boss , who called her and said he wanted to help start a campaign and that he would pay for shipping the sweaters . it became known as sweaters for syria . alkadamani says she was overwhelmed by the response . she was worried that they would n't receive enough donations to fill even one container , but in two weeks , we pretty much filled the salvation army 's warehouse with 1,000 bags . ' the campaign inspired people across perth . one 6-year-old boy is said to have collected 600 sweaters on his own . when people know there 's something tangible that they can do to make a difference , they 'll do it , ' alkadamani says . she cried when she saw all the bags piled up in the warehouse -- 100,000 sweaters in all . everyone was so generous and they cared as much as i did , and they 're not even syrian , ' she says . that was overwhelming . ' the bags were delivered to the unhcr for distribution in turkey and jordan . alkadamani visited jordan this month , helping to hand out sweaters to refugees who were crossing the border . she also visited zaatari , a sprawling camp in the desert now home to nearly 125,000 refugees . that effectively makes it one of the largest cities in jordan , and one of the largest refugee camps in the world . life is harsh there , a far cry from the comforts of home refugees left in syria . the war does n't discriminate -- people from all walks of life have been forced to leave behind virtually everything they own . alkadamani says she wants the world to understand that the people in those camps are just like you and me . ' khalil also stresses that point . she says syrian refugees are just normal people -- from doctors to pharmacists to teachers -- with normal lives before the war tore their world apart . you can do something too major aid agencies like unhcr are overwhelmed with the sheer scale of this crisis , so grassroots efforts can play an important role in filling the gaps . aid organizations also encourage groups to raise cash donations , as they provide the flexibility to meet particular needs by trained relief workers . in all of these ways , individual efforts can make a difference in the face of enormous suffering . it starts with a simple idea -- and the willingness to act . you too can make an impact for syrian refugees go to cnn.com/impact for large and small ways to help .","the lebanese group i am not a tourist ' collected thousands of bags of love ' in beirut ." +"duke of cambridge britain 's prince william , the duke of cambridge , is going back to work , taking on a new role as an air ambulance pilot . the duke will start training in september , a year after leaving the royal air force , where he flew search and rescue helicopters . he will have his first air ambulance shift in spring 2015 . it 's the first time a royal who 's in direct line to the throne has taken a civilian job . the east anglian air ambulance is operated by a private company , bond air services , but the duke will donate his salary to charity . he 'll be based near his country home on the queen 's sandringham estate , which should allow him to remain a hands-on dad to his one-year-old heir prince george . a palace spokesman said prince william was hugely excited and motivated ' by his new job . the duke sees this as a true form of public service , helping people in their most difficult times , ' the spokesman said . he regards his work with the raf search and rescue force as having been an exceptional privilege and the duke wanted to make his own contribution to the outstanding work of the air ambulance service . ' the high-profile royal would have had to weigh up the risks of taking on a civilian , as opposed to military , role . public interest could affect not only his work , but potentially also that of medics and patients on board his aircraft . there is the heightened possibility of phone footage emerging of his rescues which could compromise privacy and security . there 's also the risk of additional hoax calls . these were not a major issues whilst prince william was a military search and rescue pilot because he was working in a remote part of west wales and over water . the two air ambulances in east anglia are the most widely used in the uk and operate in a built-up area . their usual landing spots include school playing fields ; residential gardens ; car parks ; beaches and any open space deemed possible by the pilot . william is currently on what officials have described as a transitional year , ' focusing on his royal duties and charitable work . he always planned to return to work and was keen that it would involve flying . most air ambulance pilots have a military background like the duke , who joined a squadron based at raf valley after qualifying as a search and rescue pilot in 2010 . he undertook 156 search and rescue operations , resulting in 149 people being rescued . he is highly skilled . andrew egerton smith , chairman of the east anglian air ambulance said : having the duke of cambridge as one of our pilots is marvelous news as he brings much experience to the charity after his successful career as a search and rescue pilot . we have an outstanding track record of attending people in their hour of need which is recognized and generously supported by our local communities . ' william will spend the autumn and winter in training with the east anglian air ambulance and , once qualified , will start co-piloting in the spring of next year . he will work from cambridge and norwich airports doing both day and night shifts . the duke is then expected to progress to the position of helicopter commander . the palace said the pilot role would be the duke 's primary occupation . ' its statement added : but his roster will take into account the duties and responsibilities he will continue to undertake on behalf of the queen , both in the united kingdom and overseas . the duke will also continue his work with his patronages and with the royal foundation of the duke and duchess of cambridge and prince harry . ' the duke has always been keen on a role beyond his royal duties whilst he is still second in line to the throne . this job will allow him to balance both positions whilst having his young family close-by . the cambridges'country house , anmer hall , is being renovated and is set in idyllic rural surroundings which affords the family more privacy than their official residence at kensington palace , london , which is constantly monitored by photographers .","prince william , the duke of cambridge , has taken on a new role as an air ambulance pilot" +"uganda ( cnn ) in the gentle yet fiercely warm surrounds of the southern ugandan countryside , mwanja banuli looks on as farmhands fill his truck with sugar cane . packing this rough , woody crop is heavy going and making sure every inch of space is utilized is key . transport costs money , after all , and this humble sugar farmer has lots of costs to consider . there are many challenges in this business , ' banuli says . rent for our land costs about $ 300 and then you need to pay people to clear the land . you have to hire a tractor for ploughing and tilling the land . when you add up all these expenses , it 's a big investment . ' searching for sugarman in uganda , sugar is big business . this particular batch is headed for kakira sugar limited -- one of the country 's oldest and largest factories . kakira was founded by muljibai madhvani , an immigrant from the indian subcontinent in the late 1920s . it 's a company still going strong to this day . what you see in the background is the first mill that was installed in 1930 to crush only 150 tons of cane , ' explains kenneth barungi , assistant general manager of kakira at the site of the company 's nearby factory . ( kakira ) started expanding every 10 years , every 20 years , modernizing , acquiring more land , introducing irrigation , expanding the crushing capacity . by ( the 1970s ) they were producing about 83,000 tons of sugar . ' that was about 50 % of all the sugar produced in uganda . at that time they ( kakira ) contributed to about 53 % of the national gdp ... just because of manufacturing and industry , ' he added . dawn of dictatorship it was at this time , however , that history intervened in the shape of one of the 20th century 's most brutal rulers . after a military coup in 1971 , army commander idi amin dada seized power . the former heavyweight boxer made himself uganda 's president and a brutal dictatorship followed . the often erratic amin praised hitler and said the german dictator was right to burn six million jews . ' he even bizarrely offered to be king of scotland if asked . within a year he had expelled the country 's asian population , numbering around 35,000 . after almost 50 years , the madhvanis were no longer welcome in uganda . those who stayed , did so at their own risk . when idi amin told every asian to leave , they all left the country and went mainly to the uk , ' barungi continued , adding that he believes this when uganda began to economically fall apart . all industries collapsed , all international trade collapsed . there was no longer available foreign exchange to import machinery . even if you imported the machinery you did n't have technical expertise here to run such industries . ' within a few years kakira sugar industries had collapsed , but so had infrastructure in uganda . social services , everything had collapsed . ' a new start after idi amin was deposed in 1979 , however , some of the ejected population slowly started coming back to uganda . among the returnees were the madhvanis . the country they left behind , however , was a very different place . the factory was a skeleton , ' barungi said . there was no longer a sugar plantation , the houses were occupied by anybody . there was no business to run so it ( the plantation ) was just an empty shell . ' the madhvanis quickly borrowed money from the world bank and the african development bank and set about rebuilding their business . it has grown rapidly over the last 25 years and now produces 18,000 tons of sugar ( a year ) , barungi said . but the effects of the macabre , harrowing events of recent history still linger . a sweeter deal ? some reports suggest some black ugandan workers resented how certain sections of the indian mercantile class treated them . these days , however , kakira says it strives to promote a responsible philosophy for how it interacts with its workers . not only is this the right way to engage with people in its employ , they believe , it also improves productivity and staff mobility . kakira has built schools and hospitals to cater for their staff and their families while the company has also founded the kakira outgrowers rural development fund ( kord ) , an ngo that provides the likes of workshops , loans and other services for its contractors . besides nearly 8,000 staff members , kakira has almost as many contract workers in the shape of farmers , like mwanja banuli . they farm the lands neighboring the plantations and are contracted to kakira , supplying 70 % of its sugarcane needs . to be able to sustain business you want agricultural farmers , plantation workers , you want factory workers and the vision of muljibhai mudhvani was to develop human resources , ' barungi said . this enlightened approach saw kord awarded with a best ngo-business partnership award from the ugandan manufacturers association . but it 's the positive impact on individual lives that offers the biggest reward for many in the community . before kord i was just useless , ' said beatrice katende , who has received assistance from the body 's programs . i used to work as a casual laborer for other people in the community digging in their gardens to get some income . when kord came into existence we learned to farm , to save and how to be self-sufficient . ' through offering a hand up to people like katende , kakira hope to help themselves as well as provide assistance to other areas of the local economy . the main vision was to always make sure that there is labor supply always available to work at the factory . the excess can go and work in other industries in the country , ' barungi said . more from marketplace africa","kakira sugar limited is one of uganda 's oldest companies" +"uganda ( cnn ) in the gentle yet fiercely warm surrounds of the southern ugandan countryside , mwanja banuli looks on as farmhands fill his truck with sugar cane . packing this rough , woody crop is heavy going and making sure every inch of space is utilized is key . transport costs money , after all , and this humble sugar farmer has lots of costs to consider . there are many challenges in this business , ' banuli says . rent for our land costs about $ 300 and then you need to pay people to clear the land . you have to hire a tractor for ploughing and tilling the land . when you add up all these expenses , it 's a big investment . ' searching for sugarman in uganda , sugar is big business . this particular batch is headed for kakira sugar limited -- one of the country 's oldest and largest factories . kakira was founded by muljibai madhvani , an immigrant from the indian subcontinent in the late 1920s . it 's a company still going strong to this day . what you see in the background is the first mill that was installed in 1930 to crush only 150 tons of cane , ' explains kenneth barungi , assistant general manager of kakira at the site of the company 's nearby factory . ( kakira ) started expanding every 10 years , every 20 years , modernizing , acquiring more land , introducing irrigation , expanding the crushing capacity . by ( the 1970s ) they were producing about 83,000 tons of sugar . ' that was about 50 % of all the sugar produced in uganda . at that time they ( kakira ) contributed to about 53 % of the national gdp ... just because of manufacturing and industry , ' he added . dawn of dictatorship it was at this time , however , that history intervened in the shape of one of the 20th century 's most brutal rulers . after a military coup in 1971 , army commander idi amin dada seized power . the former heavyweight boxer made himself uganda 's president and a brutal dictatorship followed . the often erratic amin praised hitler and said the german dictator was right to burn six million jews . ' he even bizarrely offered to be king of scotland if asked . within a year he had expelled the country 's asian population , numbering around 35,000 . after almost 50 years , the madhvanis were no longer welcome in uganda . those who stayed , did so at their own risk . when idi amin told every asian to leave , they all left the country and went mainly to the uk , ' barungi continued , adding that he believes this when uganda began to economically fall apart . all industries collapsed , all international trade collapsed . there was no longer available foreign exchange to import machinery . even if you imported the machinery you did n't have technical expertise here to run such industries . ' within a few years kakira sugar industries had collapsed , but so had infrastructure in uganda . social services , everything had collapsed . ' a new start after idi amin was deposed in 1979 , however , some of the ejected population slowly started coming back to uganda . among the returnees were the madhvanis . the country they left behind , however , was a very different place . the factory was a skeleton , ' barungi said . there was no longer a sugar plantation , the houses were occupied by anybody . there was no business to run so it ( the plantation ) was just an empty shell . ' the madhvanis quickly borrowed money from the world bank and the african development bank and set about rebuilding their business . it has grown rapidly over the last 25 years and now produces 18,000 tons of sugar ( a year ) , barungi said . but the effects of the macabre , harrowing events of recent history still linger . a sweeter deal ? some reports suggest some black ugandan workers resented how certain sections of the indian mercantile class treated them . these days , however , kakira says it strives to promote a responsible philosophy for how it interacts with its workers . not only is this the right way to engage with people in its employ , they believe , it also improves productivity and staff mobility . kakira has built schools and hospitals to cater for their staff and their families while the company has also founded the kakira outgrowers rural development fund ( kord ) , an ngo that provides the likes of workshops , loans and other services for its contractors . besides nearly 8,000 staff members , kakira has almost as many contract workers in the shape of farmers , like mwanja banuli . they farm the lands neighboring the plantations and are contracted to kakira , supplying 70 % of its sugarcane needs . to be able to sustain business you want agricultural farmers , plantation workers , you want factory workers and the vision of muljibhai mudhvani was to develop human resources , ' barungi said . this enlightened approach saw kord awarded with a best ngo-business partnership award from the ugandan manufacturers association . but it 's the positive impact on individual lives that offers the biggest reward for many in the community . before kord i was just useless , ' said beatrice katende , who has received assistance from the body 's programs . i used to work as a casual laborer for other people in the community digging in their gardens to get some income . when kord came into existence we learned to farm , to save and how to be self-sufficient . ' through offering a hand up to people like katende , kakira hope to help themselves as well as provide assistance to other areas of the local economy . the main vision was to always make sure that there is labor supply always available to work at the factory . the excess can go and work in other industries in the country , ' barungi said . more from marketplace africa","today , kakira is once again employing thousands of people in uganda" +"kakira ( cnn ) in the gentle yet fiercely warm surrounds of the southern ugandan countryside , mwanja banuli looks on as farmhands fill his truck with sugar cane . packing this rough , woody crop is heavy going and making sure every inch of space is utilized is key . transport costs money , after all , and this humble sugar farmer has lots of costs to consider . there are many challenges in this business , ' banuli says . rent for our land costs about $ 300 and then you need to pay people to clear the land . you have to hire a tractor for ploughing and tilling the land . when you add up all these expenses , it 's a big investment . ' searching for sugarman in uganda , sugar is big business . this particular batch is headed for kakira sugar limited -- one of the country 's oldest and largest factories . kakira was founded by muljibai madhvani , an immigrant from the indian subcontinent in the late 1920s . it 's a company still going strong to this day . what you see in the background is the first mill that was installed in 1930 to crush only 150 tons of cane , ' explains kenneth barungi , assistant general manager of kakira at the site of the company 's nearby factory . ( kakira ) started expanding every 10 years , every 20 years , modernizing , acquiring more land , introducing irrigation , expanding the crushing capacity . by ( the 1970s ) they were producing about 83,000 tons of sugar . ' that was about 50 % of all the sugar produced in uganda . at that time they ( kakira ) contributed to about 53 % of the national gdp ... just because of manufacturing and industry , ' he added . dawn of dictatorship it was at this time , however , that history intervened in the shape of one of the 20th century 's most brutal rulers . after a military coup in 1971 , army commander idi amin dada seized power . the former heavyweight boxer made himself uganda 's president and a brutal dictatorship followed . the often erratic amin praised hitler and said the german dictator was right to burn six million jews . ' he even bizarrely offered to be king of scotland if asked . within a year he had expelled the country 's asian population , numbering around 35,000 . after almost 50 years , the madhvanis were no longer welcome in uganda . those who stayed , did so at their own risk . when idi amin told every asian to leave , they all left the country and went mainly to the uk , ' barungi continued , adding that he believes this when uganda began to economically fall apart . all industries collapsed , all international trade collapsed . there was no longer available foreign exchange to import machinery . even if you imported the machinery you did n't have technical expertise here to run such industries . ' within a few years kakira sugar industries had collapsed , but so had infrastructure in uganda . social services , everything had collapsed . ' a new start after idi amin was deposed in 1979 , however , some of the ejected population slowly started coming back to uganda . among the returnees were the madhvanis . the country they left behind , however , was a very different place . the factory was a skeleton , ' barungi said . there was no longer a sugar plantation , the houses were occupied by anybody . there was no business to run so it ( the plantation ) was just an empty shell . ' the madhvanis quickly borrowed money from the world bank and the african development bank and set about rebuilding their business . it has grown rapidly over the last 25 years and now produces 18,000 tons of sugar ( a year ) , barungi said . but the effects of the macabre , harrowing events of recent history still linger . a sweeter deal ? some reports suggest some black ugandan workers resented how certain sections of the indian mercantile class treated them . these days , however , kakira says it strives to promote a responsible philosophy for how it interacts with its workers . not only is this the right way to engage with people in its employ , they believe , it also improves productivity and staff mobility . kakira has built schools and hospitals to cater for their staff and their families while the company has also founded the kakira outgrowers rural development fund ( kord ) , an ngo that provides the likes of workshops , loans and other services for its contractors . besides nearly 8,000 staff members , kakira has almost as many contract workers in the shape of farmers , like mwanja banuli . they farm the lands neighboring the plantations and are contracted to kakira , supplying 70 % of its sugarcane needs . to be able to sustain business you want agricultural farmers , plantation workers , you want factory workers and the vision of muljibhai mudhvani was to develop human resources , ' barungi said . this enlightened approach saw kord awarded with a best ngo-business partnership award from the ugandan manufacturers association . but it 's the positive impact on individual lives that offers the biggest reward for many in the community . before kord i was just useless , ' said beatrice katende , who has received assistance from the body 's programs . i used to work as a casual laborer for other people in the community digging in their gardens to get some income . when kord came into existence we learned to farm , to save and how to be self-sufficient . ' through offering a hand up to people like katende , kakira hope to help themselves as well as provide assistance to other areas of the local economy . the main vision was to always make sure that there is labor supply always available to work at the factory . the excess can go and work in other industries in the country , ' barungi said . more from marketplace africa","kakira sugar limited is one of uganda 's oldest companies" +"kakira ( cnn ) in the gentle yet fiercely warm surrounds of the southern ugandan countryside , mwanja banuli looks on as farmhands fill his truck with sugar cane . packing this rough , woody crop is heavy going and making sure every inch of space is utilized is key . transport costs money , after all , and this humble sugar farmer has lots of costs to consider . there are many challenges in this business , ' banuli says . rent for our land costs about $ 300 and then you need to pay people to clear the land . you have to hire a tractor for ploughing and tilling the land . when you add up all these expenses , it 's a big investment . ' searching for sugarman in uganda , sugar is big business . this particular batch is headed for kakira sugar limited -- one of the country 's oldest and largest factories . kakira was founded by muljibai madhvani , an immigrant from the indian subcontinent in the late 1920s . it 's a company still going strong to this day . what you see in the background is the first mill that was installed in 1930 to crush only 150 tons of cane , ' explains kenneth barungi , assistant general manager of kakira at the site of the company 's nearby factory . ( kakira ) started expanding every 10 years , every 20 years , modernizing , acquiring more land , introducing irrigation , expanding the crushing capacity . by ( the 1970s ) they were producing about 83,000 tons of sugar . ' that was about 50 % of all the sugar produced in uganda . at that time they ( kakira ) contributed to about 53 % of the national gdp ... just because of manufacturing and industry , ' he added . dawn of dictatorship it was at this time , however , that history intervened in the shape of one of the 20th century 's most brutal rulers . after a military coup in 1971 , army commander idi amin dada seized power . the former heavyweight boxer made himself uganda 's president and a brutal dictatorship followed . the often erratic amin praised hitler and said the german dictator was right to burn six million jews . ' he even bizarrely offered to be king of scotland if asked . within a year he had expelled the country 's asian population , numbering around 35,000 . after almost 50 years , the madhvanis were no longer welcome in uganda . those who stayed , did so at their own risk . when idi amin told every asian to leave , they all left the country and went mainly to the uk , ' barungi continued , adding that he believes this when uganda began to economically fall apart . all industries collapsed , all international trade collapsed . there was no longer available foreign exchange to import machinery . even if you imported the machinery you did n't have technical expertise here to run such industries . ' within a few years kakira sugar industries had collapsed , but so had infrastructure in uganda . social services , everything had collapsed . ' a new start after idi amin was deposed in 1979 , however , some of the ejected population slowly started coming back to uganda . among the returnees were the madhvanis . the country they left behind , however , was a very different place . the factory was a skeleton , ' barungi said . there was no longer a sugar plantation , the houses were occupied by anybody . there was no business to run so it ( the plantation ) was just an empty shell . ' the madhvanis quickly borrowed money from the world bank and the african development bank and set about rebuilding their business . it has grown rapidly over the last 25 years and now produces 18,000 tons of sugar ( a year ) , barungi said . but the effects of the macabre , harrowing events of recent history still linger . a sweeter deal ? some reports suggest some black ugandan workers resented how certain sections of the indian mercantile class treated them . these days , however , kakira says it strives to promote a responsible philosophy for how it interacts with its workers . not only is this the right way to engage with people in its employ , they believe , it also improves productivity and staff mobility . kakira has built schools and hospitals to cater for their staff and their families while the company has also founded the kakira outgrowers rural development fund ( kord ) , an ngo that provides the likes of workshops , loans and other services for its contractors . besides nearly 8,000 staff members , kakira has almost as many contract workers in the shape of farmers , like mwanja banuli . they farm the lands neighboring the plantations and are contracted to kakira , supplying 70 % of its sugarcane needs . to be able to sustain business you want agricultural farmers , plantation workers , you want factory workers and the vision of muljibhai mudhvani was to develop human resources , ' barungi said . this enlightened approach saw kord awarded with a best ngo-business partnership award from the ugandan manufacturers association . but it 's the positive impact on individual lives that offers the biggest reward for many in the community . before kord i was just useless , ' said beatrice katende , who has received assistance from the body 's programs . i used to work as a casual laborer for other people in the community digging in their gardens to get some income . when kord came into existence we learned to farm , to save and how to be self-sufficient . ' through offering a hand up to people like katende , kakira hope to help themselves as well as provide assistance to other areas of the local economy . the main vision was to always make sure that there is labor supply always available to work at the factory . the excess can go and work in other industries in the country , ' barungi said . more from marketplace africa","today , kakira is once again employing thousands of people in uganda" +"alaska airlines ( cnn ) emergency operators get lots of crazy calls , but few start like this . caller : hello , i 'm trapped in this plane and i called my job , but i 'm in this plane . ' operator : you 're where ? ' caller : i 'm inside a plane and i feel like it 's up moving in the air . flight 448 can you please tell somebody ( to ) stop it . ' the frantic 911 call came just as the alaska airlines flight had taken off from seattle-tacoma international airport on monday afternoon . the caller was a ramp agent who fell asleep in the plane 's cargo hold . the cell phone call soon broke up , but the man was making himself known in other ways as the crew and passengers reported unusual banging from the belly of the boeing 737 . the pilot radioed air traffic control and said he would make an emergency landing . there could be a person in there so we 're going to come back around , ' he told air traffic control . the ramp agent who took the untimely nap and caused all the fuss is an employee of menzies aviation , a contractor for alaska airlines that handles loading the luggage . he 'll no longer have the option of dozing aboard one of the airline 's planes . the menzies employee has been permanently banned from working on alaska airlines planes , ' said bobbie egan , a spokeswoman for the airline . flight 448 , which was on its way to los angeles , only spent 14 minutes in the air . other than being scared , the agent never was in any real danger . the cargo hold is pressurized and temperature controlled , the airline said . the passengers knew something was n't right , almost as soon as the plane took off . all of a sudden we heard all this pounding underneath the plane and we thought there was something wrong with the landing gear , ' robert higgins told cnn affiliate kabc . not everyone heard the banging , but it was soon clear this was n't a normal flight . we just took off for l.a. regular and then ... about five minutes into the flight the captain came on and said we were going back and we 'd land within five to seven minutes , and we did , ' passenger marty collins told affiliate komo . when we landed was when all the trucks and the police and the fire trucks surrounded the plane . ' i think it 's scary and really unsafe , too , ' chelsie nieto told affiliate kcpq . because what if it 's someone who could have been a terrorist ? ' the employee started work at 5 a.m. and his shift was scheduled to end at 2:30 p.m. , just before the flight departed . the agent was off the two days prior to the incident and had taken a lunch break and a break in the afternoon before making his way into the cargo hold , according to a source familiar with the investigation . the man had been on a four-person team loading baggage onto the flight . during a pre-departure huddle , the team lead noticed the employee was missing . the team lead called into the cargo hold for the employee and called and texted the employee 's cell phone , but did not receive an answer . his co-workers believed he finished his shift and went home , ' the airline 's blog said . it 's believed he was hidden by luggage , making it difficult for the rest of his team to see him , the source said . all ramp employees have security badges , and undergo full criminal background checks before being hired , according to the airline . after the delay , the flight with 170 passengers and six crew members on board made it to los angeles a couple of hours late . cnn 's dave alsup , joshua gaynor and greg morrison contributed to this report .","he can no longer work on alaska airlines flights" +"blackberry ( cnn ) -- blackberry customers slammed by last week 's global outage are being offered free apps , not cash , as payback for their troubles . at least a dozen apps , which would cost about $ 100 on the blackberry app world site , will be made available in the next few weeks , according to a statement released monday by blackberry maker research in motion . we truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers , ' rim co-ceo mike lazaridis said in the statement . we 've worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years , and we 're committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect , today and in the future . ' an october 10 failure at a data center caused outages in europe and elsewhere , rim said . rim throttled service to help address the outage , which spread over the next few days to europe , the middle east , india , africa , latin america and north america . full service was restored on thursday , according to the company . the free apps include : * sims 3 * bejeweled * n.o.v.a . * texas hold'em poker 2 * bubble bash 2 * photo editor ultimate - ice cold apps * drivesafe.ly pro * drive safe.ly enterprise * nobex radioâ „ ¢ premium * shazam encore * vlingo plus : virtual assistant more apps will be added later , according to the statement . the first ones will become available on wednesday and they 'll stay free for the rest of the year . business customers also will be offered a free month of technical support . the offer seemed to please at least some of blackberry 's roughly 70 million customers . only 1 simple word for this ... amazing ! ! ! ' wrote one visitor to a post on the blackbery fan site , crackberry . i was n't expecting this at all , but it is welcome . ' trust restored rim ! ... , ' wrote another . this also tells you rim is very , very serious with surviving . no giving up for them . ' but response was more measured among less-enthusiastic customers . what a useless'compensation', ' wrote one commenter on the website for london 's guardian newspaper . what [ if ] somebody uses their device for communications ( e.g . e-mail ) rather than using loads of apps ? the value in apps is totally worthless . ' many had been hoping to at least be reimbursed for the amount of time their service was out . by comparison , after sony 's playstation network went down this spring , the company offered players free games , a weekend of free video rentals and a free month of playstation plus , a premium subscription service offering exclusive titles , discounts and other perks . that playstation outage lasted the better part of a month for some customers .","blackberry users being offered free apps after worldwide outage" +"blackberry ( cnn ) -- blackberry customers slammed by last week 's global outage are being offered free apps , not cash , as payback for their troubles . at least a dozen apps , which would cost about $ 100 on the blackberry app world site , will be made available in the next few weeks , according to a statement released monday by blackberry maker research in motion . we truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers , ' rim co-ceo mike lazaridis said in the statement . we 've worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years , and we 're committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect , today and in the future . ' an october 10 failure at a data center caused outages in europe and elsewhere , rim said . rim throttled service to help address the outage , which spread over the next few days to europe , the middle east , india , africa , latin america and north america . full service was restored on thursday , according to the company . the free apps include : * sims 3 * bejeweled * n.o.v.a . * texas hold'em poker 2 * bubble bash 2 * photo editor ultimate - ice cold apps * drivesafe.ly pro * drive safe.ly enterprise * nobex radioâ „ ¢ premium * shazam encore * vlingo plus : virtual assistant more apps will be added later , according to the statement . the first ones will become available on wednesday and they 'll stay free for the rest of the year . business customers also will be offered a free month of technical support . the offer seemed to please at least some of blackberry 's roughly 70 million customers . only 1 simple word for this ... amazing ! ! ! ' wrote one visitor to a post on the blackbery fan site , crackberry . i was n't expecting this at all , but it is welcome . ' trust restored rim ! ... , ' wrote another . this also tells you rim is very , very serious with surviving . no giving up for them . ' but response was more measured among less-enthusiastic customers . what a useless'compensation', ' wrote one commenter on the website for london 's guardian newspaper . what [ if ] somebody uses their device for communications ( e.g . e-mail ) rather than using loads of apps ? the value in apps is totally worthless . ' many had been hoping to at least be reimbursed for the amount of time their service was out . by comparison , after sony 's playstation network went down this spring , the company offered players free games , a weekend of free video rentals and a free month of playstation plus , a premium subscription service offering exclusive titles , discounts and other perks . that playstation outage lasted the better part of a month for some customers .","some blackberry users saw outages between monday and thursday of last week" +"mdc harare , zimbabwe ( cnn ) -- talks among regional african leaders failed monday to resolve a long-standing power-sharing dispute between embattled zimbabwean president robert mugabe and opposition leader morgan tsvangirai . south african former president thabo mbeki is shown at talks monday in harare . after the meeting a visibly angry mugabe said talks faltered after tsvangirai , head of the movement for democratic change ( mdc ) , presented proposals which differed from recommendations by the 15-nation southern african development community ( sadc ) . the talks did not go very well . ... mdc have a proposal which is in conflict with the sadc and we opposed it and then the talks broke down , ' mugabe said . we will continue with discussions here at home . we shall continue to exchange ideas and see where the differences are with the sadc proposal . ' the meeting had drawn the leaders of mozambique and south africa , as well as former south african president thabo mbeki . in light of the continued stalemate , sadc executive secretary tomaz salamao told journalists that south african leader kgalema motlanthe , who is leading the sadc , had called for a summit on january 26 . the meeting will be held in botswana or south africa . tsvangirai blamed mugabe for the failure of the talks . for us as the mdc this is probably the darkest day of our lives , ' tsvangirai told reporters as he left the hotel where the 12-hour-long meeting took place . i am sure the whole nation is waiting anxiously for the resolution of this crisis . we are committed to this deal but subject to ( ruling party ) zanu-pf conceding on these issues . ' mugabe told the state media that monday 's meeting would be the final one , and that he would form a government without the opposition if no agreement was reached . the mdc has not been able to settle with mugabe since signing a power sharing deal in september . tsvangirai accuses mugabe of keeping the most powerful portfolios in the government for his party . the ministries under contention include home affairs , finance , foreign affairs , local government , information and defense . both tsvangirai and mugabe , along with arthur mutambara of a small faction of the mdc , are expected to attend next week 's summit , salamao said . the power-sharing deal is expected to keep zimbabwe 's melting economy from a total collapse . zimbabwe is experiencing its worst economic and humanitarian crisis , with the highest inflation in the world officially at 231 million percent as of july 2008 . analysts say the inflation is thriving because of an acute shortage of all essentials ranging from fuel , electricity , cash and food . the united nations estimates that about 5 million people in zimbabwe need urgent food aid . a cholera epidemic has claimed more than 2,200 lives since its outbreak in august . the ravaging cholera has been made worse by a four-months-long industrial action by doctors and nurses demanding higher pay .","new : talks collapse between president robert mugabe , opposition darkest day of our lives , ' says mdc leader morgan tsvangirai" +"mdc harare , zimbabwe ( cnn ) -- talks among regional african leaders failed monday to resolve a long-standing power-sharing dispute between embattled zimbabwean president robert mugabe and opposition leader morgan tsvangirai . south african former president thabo mbeki is shown at talks monday in harare . after the meeting a visibly angry mugabe said talks faltered after tsvangirai , head of the movement for democratic change ( mdc ) , presented proposals which differed from recommendations by the 15-nation southern african development community ( sadc ) . the talks did not go very well . ... mdc have a proposal which is in conflict with the sadc and we opposed it and then the talks broke down , ' mugabe said . we will continue with discussions here at home . we shall continue to exchange ideas and see where the differences are with the sadc proposal . ' the meeting had drawn the leaders of mozambique and south africa , as well as former south african president thabo mbeki . in light of the continued stalemate , sadc executive secretary tomaz salamao told journalists that south african leader kgalema motlanthe , who is leading the sadc , had called for a summit on january 26 . the meeting will be held in botswana or south africa . tsvangirai blamed mugabe for the failure of the talks . for us as the mdc this is probably the darkest day of our lives , ' tsvangirai told reporters as he left the hotel where the 12-hour-long meeting took place . i am sure the whole nation is waiting anxiously for the resolution of this crisis . we are committed to this deal but subject to ( ruling party ) zanu-pf conceding on these issues . ' mugabe told the state media that monday 's meeting would be the final one , and that he would form a government without the opposition if no agreement was reached . the mdc has not been able to settle with mugabe since signing a power sharing deal in september . tsvangirai accuses mugabe of keeping the most powerful portfolios in the government for his party . the ministries under contention include home affairs , finance , foreign affairs , local government , information and defense . both tsvangirai and mugabe , along with arthur mutambara of a small faction of the mdc , are expected to attend next week 's summit , salamao said . the power-sharing deal is expected to keep zimbabwe 's melting economy from a total collapse . zimbabwe is experiencing its worst economic and humanitarian crisis , with the highest inflation in the world officially at 231 million percent as of july 2008 . analysts say the inflation is thriving because of an acute shortage of all essentials ranging from fuel , electricity , cash and food . the united nations estimates that about 5 million people in zimbabwe need urgent food aid . a cholera epidemic has claimed more than 2,200 lives since its outbreak in august . the ravaging cholera has been made worse by a four-months-long industrial action by doctors and nurses demanding higher pay .","mugabe said monday 's meeting is final one ; will form government without mdc" +"donetsk pro-russian rebels released dozens of captive ukrainian troops sunday as part of a ceasefire deal . ukrainian president petro poroshenko said in a twitter post that 73 troops were released in donetsk . but despite the ceasefire , violence continued to flare in the volatile region . as shelling rocked the city throughout the day sunday , local officials described the situation as critical . ' six civilians died and 15 were injured as the result of shelling , donetsk 's city office said on monday . poroshenko spoke with german chancellor angela merkel over concerns that the ceasefire deal -- brokered earlier this month -- is being violated . they agreed to make further efforts to settle the situation peacefully , ' poroshenko 's office said in a statement . in an interview with tv tsentr pm saturday , russian foreign minister sergey lavrov said the truce agreed upon in minsk , belarus , appeared to be holding generally and that moscow , at least , is ready to work toward a long-term peace . sporadic exchanges of fire occur on both sides , but the process of establishing ( a ) durable peace is still in progress , ' he said , according to parts of that interview published by the state-run itar-tass news agency . which russian companies have been hit ?","shelling kills 6 civilians in donetsk , city officials say" +"donetsk pro-russian rebels released dozens of captive ukrainian troops sunday as part of a ceasefire deal . ukrainian president petro poroshenko said in a twitter post that 73 troops were released in donetsk . but despite the ceasefire , violence continued to flare in the volatile region . as shelling rocked the city throughout the day sunday , local officials described the situation as critical . ' six civilians died and 15 were injured as the result of shelling , donetsk 's city office said on monday . poroshenko spoke with german chancellor angela merkel over concerns that the ceasefire deal -- brokered earlier this month -- is being violated . they agreed to make further efforts to settle the situation peacefully , ' poroshenko 's office said in a statement . in an interview with tv tsentr pm saturday , russian foreign minister sergey lavrov said the truce agreed upon in minsk , belarus , appeared to be holding generally and that moscow , at least , is ready to work toward a long-term peace . sporadic exchanges of fire occur on both sides , but the process of establishing ( a ) durable peace is still in progress , ' he said , according to parts of that interview published by the state-run itar-tass news agency . which russian companies have been hit ?","as shelling continues , officials in donetsk describe the situation as critical '" +"donetsk pro-russian rebels released dozens of captive ukrainian troops sunday as part of a ceasefire deal . ukrainian president petro poroshenko said in a twitter post that 73 troops were released in donetsk . but despite the ceasefire , violence continued to flare in the volatile region . as shelling rocked the city throughout the day sunday , local officials described the situation as critical . ' six civilians died and 15 were injured as the result of shelling , donetsk 's city office said on monday . poroshenko spoke with german chancellor angela merkel over concerns that the ceasefire deal -- brokered earlier this month -- is being violated . they agreed to make further efforts to settle the situation peacefully , ' poroshenko 's office said in a statement . in an interview with tv tsentr pm saturday , russian foreign minister sergey lavrov said the truce agreed upon in minsk , belarus , appeared to be holding generally and that moscow , at least , is ready to work toward a long-term peace . sporadic exchanges of fire occur on both sides , but the process of establishing ( a ) durable peace is still in progress , ' he said , according to parts of that interview published by the state-run itar-tass news agency . which russian companies have been hit ?","73 ukrainian troops are released by pro-russian rebels in donetsk" +"iran ( cnn ) -- travel warnings from the u.s. department of state did n't stop faith hentschel , 65 , from venturing to iran this may to visit the rustic sites in ancient persepolis and the colorful bazaars in tehran . a photo of khaju bridge in isfahan , iran , taken by an american traveler . i had no idea what to expect , ' said hentschel , who spent two weeks in iran after booking the trip through a private tour operator and applying for a visa . i was stunned with the friendliness of all the iranian people . that alone makes me want to go back . ' iran is still a relatively rare destination for americans , creating a niche market for only a handful of tour operators across the nation that organize group trips for travelers once or twice a year . and with news of the arrest of three american backpackers , along with the june election riots and government crackdown , iran may be an even harder sell , some travel companies said . it really depends on the political climate and the perception of iran , ' said mike mcdonnell , who operates the site bestirantravel.com in san francisco , california . the site books trips for non-iranian travelers interested in visiting . his site saw a decline in booking travel to iran this summer . it 's already really hard to get to iran in the first place . ' officials at the u.s. department of state say travel warnings have been implemented on iran since the hostage crisis in 1979 , when militants captured 52 american diplomats and staff . the americans were held for 444 days . since then , the two countries have had no diplomatic relations . u.s. passports are valid for travel to iran and visas are required to enter the country , according to the state department web site . going with an organized tour group is the easiest way to attain a visa . travelers who do visit iran run the risk of being denied entry , u.s. officials say . in some cases , iranian officials have prevented american citizens , academics , scientists and journalists from leaving the country , and even detained , interrogated and imprisoned some on unknown or various charges , the web site said . it 's made well-known that the destination [ iran ] could be perilous for american citizens , ' said darby holladay , spokesman at the state department . last week , three americans were detained after crossing into northern iran during a hiking trip . the two men and one woman , said to be seasoned travelers , began their trip in turkey and went into iraq before crossing the unmarked border into iran . the u.s. state department and the australian and british government warn against traveling into the border zones . obviously , we are concerned , ' secretary of state hillary clinton said monday to reporters . we want this matter brought to a resolution as soon as possible . ' mudhafer mohammed , owner of the miwan hotel , told cnn that the hikers said they had come to the area because they heard it was safe . mohammed said he tried to discourage them from going to ahmed awa , a popular tourist destination in the northern kurdish region of iraq . i told them ,'do n't go there because it is unsafe for you because you 're american and ahmed awa is very close to the iranian border ,' mohammed told cnn . it is unclear whether the three wandered into iran accidentally or intentionally entered the country . pauline frommer , creator of the pauline frommer 's travel guides , said it 's safer when visiting countries in conflict to use travel companies and tour operators that rely on local accommodations and guides . she warned against staying in big hotel chains , which have been targets in recent terrorist attacks in indonesia and india . when it 's an iffy destination , it 's always a good idea to try and travel under the radar , ' she said . you do n't want to be a target . ' despite worries about safety , demand for visiting iran has grown in recent years . last may , travel writer rick steves shot a 10-day video of his visit to iran in a one-hour special that launched on pbs . the project cleared up misconceptions about iran and sparked americans'interest in traveling there , travel experts said . at geographic expeditions , a luxury travel company that organizes trips to iran , the number of participants doubled from 25 in 2007 to 50 in 2008 . spiekermann travel service , inc. , one of the oldest travel agencies that specializes in iranian travel , has booked more than 350 tours to the country since it began operating there in 1995 . my path is known , ' said ihab zaki , owner of spiekermann , which is based in michigan . he said he began offering tours after he visited the country himself and was awed by its history and art . we send all our paperwork to local governments and they know we are coming . i do n't let my people roam around in the middle of nowhere . it 's very safe . ' but the recent uncertainty in iran has caused interest to wane . spiekermann 's bi-annual trips to iran , limited to 14 travelers , usually sell out . but only four have signed up for the fall trip . far horizons archaeological & cultural trips , inc. in san anselmo , california planned a second trip to iran for october after their first trip in may sold out . but owner mary dell lucas said the trip maybe be canceled because travelers are withdrawing . what 's happening most recently is scaring people , ' she said . those three americans made a mistake , but with us , it 's very different . we are taking a group , and we are invited . ' lucas'firm and other tour companies say they take precautions . participants are required to abide by iranian law , which means women must dress conservatively and cover their heads with scarves . a professor and a local guide , who are familiar with the country , accompany the american travelers . barbara bailey , a 73-year-old from rural ohio , went on a two-week vacation to iran last april with a tour group . her favorite part of the trip was talking to the iranian women at the local restaurants . i went because nobody has really been before , and i know they have a wonderful history , ' bailey said . if you can get past the government , the people there are great . ' if travelers ca n't afford to spend between $ 6,000 and $ 10,000 on organized excursions of two or three weeks and decide to backpack , they still need to follow the rules , said jon dorn , editor in chief of backpackers magazine . if you 're going to a place that 's not like america , then do your homework on what 's appropriate , ' said dorn . backpackers magazine , an online and print publication specializing in backpacking , hiking and travel , reaches 2.5 million readers in the u.s. dave stevenson , who oversees the web site www.travel-security-and-safety.com , said hikers should be equipped with gps systems , satellite or cell phones and maps when traveling in border areas , especially in conflict zones . they should also notify relatives back home where they are hiking abroad . the world is a big place , ' stevenson said , and there are always plenty of places to hike that are n't dangerous or war zones . ' cnn 's arwa damon contributed to this report .","a handful of tour operators provide tours for americans to visit iran" +"iran ( cnn ) -- travel warnings from the u.s. department of state did n't stop faith hentschel , 65 , from venturing to iran this may to visit the rustic sites in ancient persepolis and the colorful bazaars in tehran . a photo of khaju bridge in isfahan , iran , taken by an american traveler . i had no idea what to expect , ' said hentschel , who spent two weeks in iran after booking the trip through a private tour operator and applying for a visa . i was stunned with the friendliness of all the iranian people . that alone makes me want to go back . ' iran is still a relatively rare destination for americans , creating a niche market for only a handful of tour operators across the nation that organize group trips for travelers once or twice a year . and with news of the arrest of three american backpackers , along with the june election riots and government crackdown , iran may be an even harder sell , some travel companies said . it really depends on the political climate and the perception of iran , ' said mike mcdonnell , who operates the site bestirantravel.com in san francisco , california . the site books trips for non-iranian travelers interested in visiting . his site saw a decline in booking travel to iran this summer . it 's already really hard to get to iran in the first place . ' officials at the u.s. department of state say travel warnings have been implemented on iran since the hostage crisis in 1979 , when militants captured 52 american diplomats and staff . the americans were held for 444 days . since then , the two countries have had no diplomatic relations . u.s. passports are valid for travel to iran and visas are required to enter the country , according to the state department web site . going with an organized tour group is the easiest way to attain a visa . travelers who do visit iran run the risk of being denied entry , u.s. officials say . in some cases , iranian officials have prevented american citizens , academics , scientists and journalists from leaving the country , and even detained , interrogated and imprisoned some on unknown or various charges , the web site said . it 's made well-known that the destination [ iran ] could be perilous for american citizens , ' said darby holladay , spokesman at the state department . last week , three americans were detained after crossing into northern iran during a hiking trip . the two men and one woman , said to be seasoned travelers , began their trip in turkey and went into iraq before crossing the unmarked border into iran . the u.s. state department and the australian and british government warn against traveling into the border zones . obviously , we are concerned , ' secretary of state hillary clinton said monday to reporters . we want this matter brought to a resolution as soon as possible . ' mudhafer mohammed , owner of the miwan hotel , told cnn that the hikers said they had come to the area because they heard it was safe . mohammed said he tried to discourage them from going to ahmed awa , a popular tourist destination in the northern kurdish region of iraq . i told them ,'do n't go there because it is unsafe for you because you 're american and ahmed awa is very close to the iranian border ,' mohammed told cnn . it is unclear whether the three wandered into iran accidentally or intentionally entered the country . pauline frommer , creator of the pauline frommer 's travel guides , said it 's safer when visiting countries in conflict to use travel companies and tour operators that rely on local accommodations and guides . she warned against staying in big hotel chains , which have been targets in recent terrorist attacks in indonesia and india . when it 's an iffy destination , it 's always a good idea to try and travel under the radar , ' she said . you do n't want to be a target . ' despite worries about safety , demand for visiting iran has grown in recent years . last may , travel writer rick steves shot a 10-day video of his visit to iran in a one-hour special that launched on pbs . the project cleared up misconceptions about iran and sparked americans'interest in traveling there , travel experts said . at geographic expeditions , a luxury travel company that organizes trips to iran , the number of participants doubled from 25 in 2007 to 50 in 2008 . spiekermann travel service , inc. , one of the oldest travel agencies that specializes in iranian travel , has booked more than 350 tours to the country since it began operating there in 1995 . my path is known , ' said ihab zaki , owner of spiekermann , which is based in michigan . he said he began offering tours after he visited the country himself and was awed by its history and art . we send all our paperwork to local governments and they know we are coming . i do n't let my people roam around in the middle of nowhere . it 's very safe . ' but the recent uncertainty in iran has caused interest to wane . spiekermann 's bi-annual trips to iran , limited to 14 travelers , usually sell out . but only four have signed up for the fall trip . far horizons archaeological & cultural trips , inc. in san anselmo , california planned a second trip to iran for october after their first trip in may sold out . but owner mary dell lucas said the trip maybe be canceled because travelers are withdrawing . what 's happening most recently is scaring people , ' she said . those three americans made a mistake , but with us , it 's very different . we are taking a group , and we are invited . ' lucas'firm and other tour companies say they take precautions . participants are required to abide by iranian law , which means women must dress conservatively and cover their heads with scarves . a professor and a local guide , who are familiar with the country , accompany the american travelers . barbara bailey , a 73-year-old from rural ohio , went on a two-week vacation to iran last april with a tour group . her favorite part of the trip was talking to the iranian women at the local restaurants . i went because nobody has really been before , and i know they have a wonderful history , ' bailey said . if you can get past the government , the people there are great . ' if travelers ca n't afford to spend between $ 6,000 and $ 10,000 on organized excursions of two or three weeks and decide to backpack , they still need to follow the rules , said jon dorn , editor in chief of backpackers magazine . if you 're going to a place that 's not like america , then do your homework on what 's appropriate , ' said dorn . backpackers magazine , an online and print publication specializing in backpacking , hiking and travel , reaches 2.5 million readers in the u.s. dave stevenson , who oversees the web site www.travel-security-and-safety.com , said hikers should be equipped with gps systems , satellite or cell phones and maps when traveling in border areas , especially in conflict zones . they should also notify relatives back home where they are hiking abroad . the world is a big place , ' stevenson said , and there are always plenty of places to hike that are n't dangerous or war zones . ' cnn 's arwa damon contributed to this report .","travel warnings for iran have been in place since the 1979 hostage crisis" +"iran ( cnn ) -- travel warnings from the u.s. department of state did n't stop faith hentschel , 65 , from venturing to iran this may to visit the rustic sites in ancient persepolis and the colorful bazaars in tehran . a photo of khaju bridge in isfahan , iran , taken by an american traveler . i had no idea what to expect , ' said hentschel , who spent two weeks in iran after booking the trip through a private tour operator and applying for a visa . i was stunned with the friendliness of all the iranian people . that alone makes me want to go back . ' iran is still a relatively rare destination for americans , creating a niche market for only a handful of tour operators across the nation that organize group trips for travelers once or twice a year . and with news of the arrest of three american backpackers , along with the june election riots and government crackdown , iran may be an even harder sell , some travel companies said . it really depends on the political climate and the perception of iran , ' said mike mcdonnell , who operates the site bestirantravel.com in san francisco , california . the site books trips for non-iranian travelers interested in visiting . his site saw a decline in booking travel to iran this summer . it 's already really hard to get to iran in the first place . ' officials at the u.s. department of state say travel warnings have been implemented on iran since the hostage crisis in 1979 , when militants captured 52 american diplomats and staff . the americans were held for 444 days . since then , the two countries have had no diplomatic relations . u.s. passports are valid for travel to iran and visas are required to enter the country , according to the state department web site . going with an organized tour group is the easiest way to attain a visa . travelers who do visit iran run the risk of being denied entry , u.s. officials say . in some cases , iranian officials have prevented american citizens , academics , scientists and journalists from leaving the country , and even detained , interrogated and imprisoned some on unknown or various charges , the web site said . it 's made well-known that the destination [ iran ] could be perilous for american citizens , ' said darby holladay , spokesman at the state department . last week , three americans were detained after crossing into northern iran during a hiking trip . the two men and one woman , said to be seasoned travelers , began their trip in turkey and went into iraq before crossing the unmarked border into iran . the u.s. state department and the australian and british government warn against traveling into the border zones . obviously , we are concerned , ' secretary of state hillary clinton said monday to reporters . we want this matter brought to a resolution as soon as possible . ' mudhafer mohammed , owner of the miwan hotel , told cnn that the hikers said they had come to the area because they heard it was safe . mohammed said he tried to discourage them from going to ahmed awa , a popular tourist destination in the northern kurdish region of iraq . i told them ,'do n't go there because it is unsafe for you because you 're american and ahmed awa is very close to the iranian border ,' mohammed told cnn . it is unclear whether the three wandered into iran accidentally or intentionally entered the country . pauline frommer , creator of the pauline frommer 's travel guides , said it 's safer when visiting countries in conflict to use travel companies and tour operators that rely on local accommodations and guides . she warned against staying in big hotel chains , which have been targets in recent terrorist attacks in indonesia and india . when it 's an iffy destination , it 's always a good idea to try and travel under the radar , ' she said . you do n't want to be a target . ' despite worries about safety , demand for visiting iran has grown in recent years . last may , travel writer rick steves shot a 10-day video of his visit to iran in a one-hour special that launched on pbs . the project cleared up misconceptions about iran and sparked americans'interest in traveling there , travel experts said . at geographic expeditions , a luxury travel company that organizes trips to iran , the number of participants doubled from 25 in 2007 to 50 in 2008 . spiekermann travel service , inc. , one of the oldest travel agencies that specializes in iranian travel , has booked more than 350 tours to the country since it began operating there in 1995 . my path is known , ' said ihab zaki , owner of spiekermann , which is based in michigan . he said he began offering tours after he visited the country himself and was awed by its history and art . we send all our paperwork to local governments and they know we are coming . i do n't let my people roam around in the middle of nowhere . it 's very safe . ' but the recent uncertainty in iran has caused interest to wane . spiekermann 's bi-annual trips to iran , limited to 14 travelers , usually sell out . but only four have signed up for the fall trip . far horizons archaeological & cultural trips , inc. in san anselmo , california planned a second trip to iran for october after their first trip in may sold out . but owner mary dell lucas said the trip maybe be canceled because travelers are withdrawing . what 's happening most recently is scaring people , ' she said . those three americans made a mistake , but with us , it 's very different . we are taking a group , and we are invited . ' lucas'firm and other tour companies say they take precautions . participants are required to abide by iranian law , which means women must dress conservatively and cover their heads with scarves . a professor and a local guide , who are familiar with the country , accompany the american travelers . barbara bailey , a 73-year-old from rural ohio , went on a two-week vacation to iran last april with a tour group . her favorite part of the trip was talking to the iranian women at the local restaurants . i went because nobody has really been before , and i know they have a wonderful history , ' bailey said . if you can get past the government , the people there are great . ' if travelers ca n't afford to spend between $ 6,000 and $ 10,000 on organized excursions of two or three weeks and decide to backpack , they still need to follow the rules , said jon dorn , editor in chief of backpackers magazine . if you 're going to a place that 's not like america , then do your homework on what 's appropriate , ' said dorn . backpackers magazine , an online and print publication specializing in backpacking , hiking and travel , reaches 2.5 million readers in the u.s. dave stevenson , who oversees the web site www.travel-security-and-safety.com , said hikers should be equipped with gps systems , satellite or cell phones and maps when traveling in border areas , especially in conflict zones . they should also notify relatives back home where they are hiking abroad . the world is a big place , ' stevenson said , and there are always plenty of places to hike that are n't dangerous or war zones . ' cnn 's arwa damon contributed to this report .","a u.s. passport is valid in iran ; visitors need a visa" +"biochar athens , georgia ( cnn ) -- over the railroad tracks , near agriculture drive on the university of georgia campus , sits a unique machine that may hold one of the solutions to big environmental problems like energy , food production and even global climate change . biochar 's high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water , nutrients , protect soil microbes . this machine right here is our baby , ' said uga research engineer brian bibens , who is one of a handful of researchers around the world working on alternative ways to recycle carbon . bibens'specialty is biochar , ' a highly porous charcoal made from organic waste . the raw material can be any forest , agricultural or animal waste . some examples are woodchips , corn husks , peanut shells , even chicken manure . bibens feeds the waste -- called biomass ' -- into an octagonally shaped metal barrel where it is cooked under intense heat , sometimes above 1,000 degrees fahrenheit , the organic matter is cooked through a thermochemical process called pyrolysis ' . in a few hours , organic trash is transformed into charcoal-like pellets farmers can turn into fertilizer . gasses given off during the process can be harnesed to fuel vehicles of power electric generators . watch how biochar is made and why it 's important » biochar is considered by many scientists to be the black gold ' for agriculture . its high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water , nutrients , protect soil microbes and ultimately increase crop yields while acting as natural carbon sink - sequestering co2 and locking it into the ground . biochar helps clean the air two ways : by preventing rotting biomass from releasing harmful co2 into the atmosphere , and by allowing plants to safely store co2 they pull out of the air during photosynthesis . see more about how biochar works » ' soil acts as an enormous carbon pool , increasing this carbon pool could significantly contribute to the reduction of co2 in the atmosphere , ' said christoph steiner , one of the leading research scientist studying biochar . it gives us a chance to produce carbon negative energy . ' worldwide use of biochar could cut co2 levels by 8 parts per million within 50 years , according to nasa scientist james hansen . global carbon levels in the air have been steadily increasing at an alarming rate since the 1980s , according to noaa . since 2000 , increases of 2 parts per million of co2 have been common , according to noaa . during the 1980s rates increased by 1.5 ppm per year . the process of making biochar can also lead to other valuable products . some of the gases given off during the process can be converted to electricity , others can be condensed and converted to gasoline , and there are also some pharmaceutical applications for the by-products , said danny day president and ceo of eprida , a private firm in athens , georgia currently exploring industry applications for the biochar process . although scientists look to biochar to improve the future , its origin lies in the past . for centuries indigenous south americans living in the amazon basin used a combination of charred animal waste and wood to make terra preta , ' which means black earth , in portuguese . thousands of years later , the terra preta soil remains fertile without need for any added fertilizer , experts say . these terra preta soils are older than 500 years and they are still black soil and very rich in carbon , ' said steiner , a professor at the university of georgia . reducing the need for deforestation to create more cropland . by using biochar concepts , terra preta soils have been proven to remain fertile for thousands of years , preventing further harmful deforestation for agricultural purposes . but still more large-scale tests need to be conducted before biochar technology can be rolled out on a global scale . day says biomass -- that otherwise would be thrown away -- could be developed into entirely new markets for biofuels , electricity , biomass extracts and pharmaceutical applications , in addition to biochar . we have 3 billion people out there who are at risk for climate change and they can be making money solving our global problem , ' said day . industries can now begin to look at farmers around the world and pay them for their agricultural wastes , said day . they can become the new affluent . '","experts : biochar could reduce harmful global co2 levels" +"public enemy ( cnn ) -- rapper and reality tv star flavor flav pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence charges in las vegas monday . the plea deal allows the public enemy hype man to avoid a trial on felony charges , which could have sent him to prison for several years . instead , flav -- real name william jonathan drayton jr. -- must stay out of trouble during a year of probation and attend 12 domestic counseling sessions with his longtime girlfriend 's teenage son . he was arrested after an argument involving a kitchen knife in his las vegas home in october 2012 . flav , 55 , was initially charged with child abuse , assault with a deadly weapon and battery domestic violence . las vegas prosecutors agreed to reduce the charges to two misdemeanors counts , including attempted battery with substantial bodily harm and battery constituting domestic violence , according to tess driver , spokeswoman for the clark county , nevada , district attorney . along with the year of probation and counseling requirement , he was given credit for the time he served in jail after he was arrested and before he was released on bond , driver said . although he gained fame with the groundbreaking rap group public enemy starting in the late 1980s , flav , with his collection of clock necklaces , became a reality tv star over the last decade . he began as a cast member of vh1 's surreal life ' in 2004 , which spawned strange love ' in 2005 and three seasons of flavor of love ' from 2006 to 2008 .","he gained fame as public enemy 's hype man , but now makes reality tv shows" +"vettel ( cnn ) -- lewis hamilton realistically ca n't win the title but the former world champion hopes to challenge powerhouse sebastian vettel at the korean grand prix after posting the fastest practice times friday . hamilton 's time of one minute , 38.673 seconds in the second session in yeongam was about one-tenth of a second quicker than vettel , the triple reigning world champion who has captured the last two races in korea . it 's the first time i can remember that second practice has really gone well for me , ' mercedes'hamilton was quoted as saying by formula one 's website . we have n't changed anything but the day just went smoothly and all the processes with the team worked well . i love this track . ' vettel admitted there was some room for improvement ' in his red bull . it will be close with mercedes , ' he told formula one 's website . of course we 're not sure what others were doing with their fuel loads today , but it seems close ahead of tomorrow 's qualifying . i like the track here , it 's a shame it 's so far from seoul , which is a great city , but it 's good coming here as it 's quieter than some other races , which means we can focus on our job . ' the only driver with half-a-chance of catching vettel , fernando alonso , was a distant seventh in the second session . he trails vettel by 60 points with a mere six races remaining and admitted this week he needed a comeback similar to oracle team usa 's in the america 's cup sailing to overtake the german . but alonso did n't sound optimistic friday . there is every probability that , again here , we can expect to struggle in the race , ' ferrari 's alonso told formula one 's website . it wo n't be easy for us in performance terms , but we know that apart from that , we can do well on sunday . now , we must try and get the most out of what we have available and put everything together tomorrow and in the race . ' kimi raikkonen , alonso 's teammate next season , crashed in the first practice session but was unhurt . autosport.com quoted the finn as saying he would take action at the end of the season to fix a lingering back problem . it is not really surgery , but for sure we are probably going to do something , ' said raikkonen . i know what the issues are . '","vettel has won the last two races in korea and is on course for a fourth world title in a row" +"vettel ( cnn ) -- lewis hamilton realistically ca n't win the title but the former world champion hopes to challenge powerhouse sebastian vettel at the korean grand prix after posting the fastest practice times friday . hamilton 's time of one minute , 38.673 seconds in the second session in yeongam was about one-tenth of a second quicker than vettel , the triple reigning world champion who has captured the last two races in korea . it 's the first time i can remember that second practice has really gone well for me , ' mercedes'hamilton was quoted as saying by formula one 's website . we have n't changed anything but the day just went smoothly and all the processes with the team worked well . i love this track . ' vettel admitted there was some room for improvement ' in his red bull . it will be close with mercedes , ' he told formula one 's website . of course we 're not sure what others were doing with their fuel loads today , but it seems close ahead of tomorrow 's qualifying . i like the track here , it 's a shame it 's so far from seoul , which is a great city , but it 's good coming here as it 's quieter than some other races , which means we can focus on our job . ' the only driver with half-a-chance of catching vettel , fernando alonso , was a distant seventh in the second session . he trails vettel by 60 points with a mere six races remaining and admitted this week he needed a comeback similar to oracle team usa 's in the america 's cup sailing to overtake the german . but alonso did n't sound optimistic friday . there is every probability that , again here , we can expect to struggle in the race , ' ferrari 's alonso told formula one 's website . it wo n't be easy for us in performance terms , but we know that apart from that , we can do well on sunday . now , we must try and get the most out of what we have available and put everything together tomorrow and in the race . ' kimi raikkonen , alonso 's teammate next season , crashed in the first practice session but was unhurt . autosport.com quoted the finn as saying he would take action at the end of the season to fix a lingering back problem . it is not really surgery , but for sure we are probably going to do something , ' said raikkonen . i know what the issues are . '","sebastian vettel was about one-tenth of a second slower than hamilton in the second session" +"paul rand paul wears his political ambition for all to see . look no further than the tie he sported during a three-day trip to iowa . it had yellow images of corn , the crop that epitomizes politics in the first-in-the-nation caucus state . and by coincidence , i have one in the shape of south carolina , ' the kentucky republican said wednesday , drawing laughs . he was speaking at a republican breakfast outside des moines at machine shed , a midwest restaurant chain where the waiters wear overalls and drinks are served in mason jars . as paul blitzed across the hawkeye state this week , holding events at iowa gop offices and campaigning for local candidates , he hardly played coy to the question of whether he was running for president . after all , his nine-city trip marked his fourth visit to the state since the 2012 election . i do n't know why iowa keeps popping up on my calendar , but it seems to be pretty frequent , ' he said monday , clearly with sarcasm . his itinerary this time included a campaign-style schedule where he continued testing his 2016 message on the road . from reducing the federal deficit to defending civil liberties and reforming the criminal justice system , paul mostly stayed on his talking points . but the trip was not without controversy . his combative answer to a reporter 's question -- combined with video of paul appearing to avoid an immigration activist — absorbed most of the attention surrounding his visit . experts say it 's unlikely those story lines will derail any progress paul has made in the state with voters , but his comments could underscore questions some republicans have about his foreign policy , especially as he seeks to broaden his appeal . off-message at his first stop on monday , which actually took place in omaha , nebraska , near the iowa state line , paul held a news conference after touring a tech startup venue with nebraska gop senate hopeful ben sasse . asked if he still supported phasing out foreign aid to israel , paul fired back at a reporter for mischaracterizing ' his position and staunchly denied that he had ever proposed such legislation . but it 's well-documented that he called for ending all foreign aid , including assistance to israel , and sought support in congress for his proposal in 2011 . in iowa , paul stressed that he never introduced legislation that solely targeted ' israel and argued that he strongly favors sending money to the country . still , he added , israel will be better positioned in the long run without foreign assistance . every country ultimately would be better off to be independent , ' he said on tuesday . paul is also taking heat for quickly exiting a tense moment when an immigration activist confronted rep. steve king at a fundraiser while the two lawmakers ate dinner monday night . video of the incident shows paul , at the behest of his press aide , quickly getting up from the table and getting away from the confrontation . paul said he was stepping away to do interviews with local media . whether or not those interviews were hastened because of the activist is unclear . still , the video quickly spread and it was enough for critics to frame a narrative that paul bolted from an uncomfortable exchange . the dust-ups in his trip made headlines and ate up much of the coverage of his iowa visit . david kochel , mitt romney 's iowa strategist in 2008 and 2012 , said he doubts caucus voters will judge paul negatively for leaving after someone tried to sandbag him . ' i think he 's fine on that , ' he said . as for israel , that 's a little more difficult . you have social conservatives in iowa who very much feel the need to be in solidarity with israel -- not just christian conservatives , but it 's also national security conservatives . ' while paul has voted in favor of sending more aid to israel this year and has proposed cutting off aid to the palestinians , his past statements and views on foreign policy are rooted in his libertarian leanings — a perspective still largely outside of mainstream republican thought . he 'll probably have work to do on that issue , ' kochel continued . it could be one of those things that might limit his potential . ' still , kochel thinks paul is the current frontunner in iowa among prospective candidates . he points to paul 's frequent travel to the state , his efforts to build a wider gop , and the network of supporters built by his father 's presidential campaigns the past two cycles .'son of ron' in the 2012 iowa caucuses , former rep. ron paul of texas finished with 21 % of the vote , just slightly behind romney and former sen. rick santorum — who tied for first at 25 % . many of ron paul 's supporters were previously inactive in politics , citing a lack of candidates who represented their views . your father cured my apathy , ' one man told rand paul at an event in council bluffs . building off ron paul 's 2012 momentum , the so-called liberty faction of iowa 's republican party eventually took control of party leadership . mainstream republicans , with the support of iowa gov . terry branstad , wrestled back control earlier this year . but paul knows he needs more than just the libertarian wing of the party . as seen in his trip this week , he 's going after the state 's social conservatives and business republicans , too . paul is attempting to pivot from being'son of ron ,'so to speak , ' said dennis goldford , professor of politics at drake university in des moines . he 's never going to deny that or reject it . but he has the view that republicans need a broader base or broader range than some other candidates have maintained . ' paul spoke at five gop offices this week and five other events in a tour that took him around the state in a 730-mile loop . at each stop , paul 's main message sought to counter post-2012 perceptions that the republican party should change its message . i say'hell no .'we have to be more boldly for what we 're for , ' he said at the gop office in davenport . it 's a mantra he has repeated in his travels across the country this year . but he proposes doing so with some traditional and unorthodox ideas for mainstream republicans . part of that includes a push to speak out against domestic surveillance programs and mount a strong defense of the fourth amendment . he has also been aggressive in courting voters and even democrats to help expand the party . to do that , he 's urging for reform to the criminal justice system with reduced sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and the restoration of voting rights to nonviolent felons after they get out of jail . in northwest iowa , home to many of the state 's social conservatives , paul placed an evangelical spin on his message . many of us are christians , we believe in a second chance in our religion . anybody here who 's not a sinner , raise their hand , ' he said monday night at a fundraiser in okoboji . we believe in redemption , should the law allow people a second chance . ' but that 's about as deep as paul waded into social issues during the trip . he did n't talk about abortion , contraception or same-sex marriage until audience members asked him about the issues at one of his final events . asked whether he supported a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage , paul said he favors the concept ' of traditional marriage but argued the federal government should stay out marriage entirely . i do n't want to register my guns in washington or my marriage , ' he said . the previous past two winners of iowa caucuses , santorum and mike huckabee , both ran on a vocal platform with regard to social issues . goldford said if paul does n't devote more attention to those topics , someone else will step in to fill in the void . to function in iowa he 's going to have to address the concerns of conservative evangelicals because marco rubio and ted cruz are going to do that , ' he said . paul left iowa before this weekend 's annual summit hosted by the family leader , a group that 's influential with social conservatives in the state . guest speakers include cruz , huckabee , santorum , texas gov . rick perry and louisiana gov . bobby jindal . paul said he could n't make it due to a scheduling conflict . but he indicated he 'd be back . you have to meet people four , five , six times in iowa because they expect a real personal touch , and i think it 's actually one of the good things about the process , ' he told reporters , before needlessly adding : if i decide to do this . '","paul made headlines for changing his tune on foreign aid" +"paul rand paul wears his political ambition for all to see . look no further than the tie he sported during a three-day trip to iowa . it had yellow images of corn , the crop that epitomizes politics in the first-in-the-nation caucus state . and by coincidence , i have one in the shape of south carolina , ' the kentucky republican said wednesday , drawing laughs . he was speaking at a republican breakfast outside des moines at machine shed , a midwest restaurant chain where the waiters wear overalls and drinks are served in mason jars . as paul blitzed across the hawkeye state this week , holding events at iowa gop offices and campaigning for local candidates , he hardly played coy to the question of whether he was running for president . after all , his nine-city trip marked his fourth visit to the state since the 2012 election . i do n't know why iowa keeps popping up on my calendar , but it seems to be pretty frequent , ' he said monday , clearly with sarcasm . his itinerary this time included a campaign-style schedule where he continued testing his 2016 message on the road . from reducing the federal deficit to defending civil liberties and reforming the criminal justice system , paul mostly stayed on his talking points . but the trip was not without controversy . his combative answer to a reporter 's question -- combined with video of paul appearing to avoid an immigration activist — absorbed most of the attention surrounding his visit . experts say it 's unlikely those story lines will derail any progress paul has made in the state with voters , but his comments could underscore questions some republicans have about his foreign policy , especially as he seeks to broaden his appeal . off-message at his first stop on monday , which actually took place in omaha , nebraska , near the iowa state line , paul held a news conference after touring a tech startup venue with nebraska gop senate hopeful ben sasse . asked if he still supported phasing out foreign aid to israel , paul fired back at a reporter for mischaracterizing ' his position and staunchly denied that he had ever proposed such legislation . but it 's well-documented that he called for ending all foreign aid , including assistance to israel , and sought support in congress for his proposal in 2011 . in iowa , paul stressed that he never introduced legislation that solely targeted ' israel and argued that he strongly favors sending money to the country . still , he added , israel will be better positioned in the long run without foreign assistance . every country ultimately would be better off to be independent , ' he said on tuesday . paul is also taking heat for quickly exiting a tense moment when an immigration activist confronted rep. steve king at a fundraiser while the two lawmakers ate dinner monday night . video of the incident shows paul , at the behest of his press aide , quickly getting up from the table and getting away from the confrontation . paul said he was stepping away to do interviews with local media . whether or not those interviews were hastened because of the activist is unclear . still , the video quickly spread and it was enough for critics to frame a narrative that paul bolted from an uncomfortable exchange . the dust-ups in his trip made headlines and ate up much of the coverage of his iowa visit . david kochel , mitt romney 's iowa strategist in 2008 and 2012 , said he doubts caucus voters will judge paul negatively for leaving after someone tried to sandbag him . ' i think he 's fine on that , ' he said . as for israel , that 's a little more difficult . you have social conservatives in iowa who very much feel the need to be in solidarity with israel -- not just christian conservatives , but it 's also national security conservatives . ' while paul has voted in favor of sending more aid to israel this year and has proposed cutting off aid to the palestinians , his past statements and views on foreign policy are rooted in his libertarian leanings — a perspective still largely outside of mainstream republican thought . he 'll probably have work to do on that issue , ' kochel continued . it could be one of those things that might limit his potential . ' still , kochel thinks paul is the current frontunner in iowa among prospective candidates . he points to paul 's frequent travel to the state , his efforts to build a wider gop , and the network of supporters built by his father 's presidential campaigns the past two cycles .'son of ron' in the 2012 iowa caucuses , former rep. ron paul of texas finished with 21 % of the vote , just slightly behind romney and former sen. rick santorum — who tied for first at 25 % . many of ron paul 's supporters were previously inactive in politics , citing a lack of candidates who represented their views . your father cured my apathy , ' one man told rand paul at an event in council bluffs . building off ron paul 's 2012 momentum , the so-called liberty faction of iowa 's republican party eventually took control of party leadership . mainstream republicans , with the support of iowa gov . terry branstad , wrestled back control earlier this year . but paul knows he needs more than just the libertarian wing of the party . as seen in his trip this week , he 's going after the state 's social conservatives and business republicans , too . paul is attempting to pivot from being'son of ron ,'so to speak , ' said dennis goldford , professor of politics at drake university in des moines . he 's never going to deny that or reject it . but he has the view that republicans need a broader base or broader range than some other candidates have maintained . ' paul spoke at five gop offices this week and five other events in a tour that took him around the state in a 730-mile loop . at each stop , paul 's main message sought to counter post-2012 perceptions that the republican party should change its message . i say'hell no .'we have to be more boldly for what we 're for , ' he said at the gop office in davenport . it 's a mantra he has repeated in his travels across the country this year . but he proposes doing so with some traditional and unorthodox ideas for mainstream republicans . part of that includes a push to speak out against domestic surveillance programs and mount a strong defense of the fourth amendment . he has also been aggressive in courting voters and even democrats to help expand the party . to do that , he 's urging for reform to the criminal justice system with reduced sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and the restoration of voting rights to nonviolent felons after they get out of jail . in northwest iowa , home to many of the state 's social conservatives , paul placed an evangelical spin on his message . many of us are christians , we believe in a second chance in our religion . anybody here who 's not a sinner , raise their hand , ' he said monday night at a fundraiser in okoboji . we believe in redemption , should the law allow people a second chance . ' but that 's about as deep as paul waded into social issues during the trip . he did n't talk about abortion , contraception or same-sex marriage until audience members asked him about the issues at one of his final events . asked whether he supported a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage , paul said he favors the concept ' of traditional marriage but argued the federal government should stay out marriage entirely . i do n't want to register my guns in washington or my marriage , ' he said . the previous past two winners of iowa caucuses , santorum and mike huckabee , both ran on a vocal platform with regard to social issues . goldford said if paul does n't devote more attention to those topics , someone else will step in to fill in the void . to function in iowa he 's going to have to address the concerns of conservative evangelicals because marco rubio and ted cruz are going to do that , ' he said . paul left iowa before this weekend 's annual summit hosted by the family leader , a group that 's influential with social conservatives in the state . guest speakers include cruz , huckabee , santorum , texas gov . rick perry and louisiana gov . bobby jindal . paul said he could n't make it due to a scheduling conflict . but he indicated he 'd be back . you have to meet people four , five , six times in iowa because they expect a real personal touch , and i think it 's actually one of the good things about the process , ' he told reporters , before needlessly adding : if i decide to do this . '","rand paul made a high-profile trip to iowa this week" +"ma ying jeou beijing ( cnn ) -- jobs and money , national identity and political stability . these are some of the contentious issues driving the presidential election in taiwan this weekend . seeking another four-year term is the incumbent president ma ying jeou of the ruling kuomintang party , pitted against tsai ing-wen , leader of the democratic progressive party ( dpp ) . who wins the election will influence taiwan 's relations with mainland china and impact business , geopolitics and security in the region , including china-u.s. ties . for many taiwanese electorates , political observers say , the main issues are jobs , economics and taiwanese identity . for the policy-makers in beijing , however , the overriding question is whether the next taiwan president will stick to the status quo . that means abiding by the 1992 consensus , ' a tacit and ambiguous agreement reached 20 years ago between beijing and taipei under which both sides agreed on the principle of one china ' without agreeing on how it is to be defined or interpreted . despite the ambiguity , the 1992 consensus has served as the basis for cross-strait dialogue that has led in recent years to the unprecedented blossoming of economic and people-to-people ties across the taiwan strait . in beijing 's view , zuguo tongyi , ' or reunification of the motherland , is a matter of national pride and iron-clad policy . beijing says it prefers to do so peacefully but refuses to rule out the use of force to keep taiwan from declaring itself a separate state . china keeps hundreds of missiles aimed at taiwan , an ominous threat to the island to stay in the fold . war in the taiwan strait would prompt a china-u.s. standoff . in 1954 , the u.s. and taiwan signed a mutual defense treaty . even now , washington sells taiwan advanced jet fighters and other military hardware . america is also bound by the taiwan relations act , u.s. legislation passed in 1979 , to consider an attack on the island as a threat to the peace and security ' of the region and of grave concern to the u.s. ' but all these years , washington has avoided spelling out what it would do in case military clash erupts in the taiwan strait . some observers say such ambiguity serves as a deterrent . others worry it could lead to miscalculations . that delicate balance lurks at the heart of this weekend 's election . incumbent president ma ying jeou advocates maintaining the status quo . ma ying jeou will continue the 1992 consensus , ' says tsinghua university professor yan xuetong . if he does that we can maintain the current relationship across the strait . ' if ma wins , says wang jianmin , a researcher at the chinese academy of social sciences ( cass ) in beijing , we can hopefully keep the'peaceful development'scenario with the mutual trust based on the 1992 consensus . ' beijing 's policy-makers are wary of tsai ing-wen , suspecting her of pushing a pro-independence agenda . tsai for one rejects the 1992 consensus and instead calls for a yet undefined taiwan consensus . ' jia qingling , a top communist party official who oversees taiwan affairs , recently warned : if we deny the status quo there is no way to carry on any further negotiations , and what we have achieved so far would be in vain . we would go back to the days of chaos and uncertainty . ' but wang believes relations between beijing and taipei will see a drastic change if dpp gets elected . there is no way china will keep the current level of talks if taiwan claims itself to be a country , ' he says . if so , taiwan 's economy will certainly decline if the life blood from the mainland gets cut off . ' but tsinghua 's yan xuetong downplays any worst-case scenarios . even if tsai ing wen wins the election , she will adopt a moderate policy to mainland china , ' he opines . there are good reasons not to rock the boat , mostly money . closer ties between taiwan and the mainland , observers say , have brought significant peace dividends ' to both sides -- robust business and trade , tourism , academic and people-to-people exchanges and family reunions . two-way trade last year topped u.s. $ 160 billion , according to estimates by china 's customs bureau . over the years , taiwanese investors , big and small , have pumped billions of dollars of investment into china . last year alone , they invested over u.s. $ 12 billion in 520 projects on the mainland , according to a report by the state-run xinhua new agency . mainland companies , on the other hand , invested u.s. $ 174 million into over 200 projects in taiwan in the short time since taiwan allowed mainland investments in june 2009 , xinhua said . since taiwan opened its borders to mainland tourists three-and-a-half years ago , says shao qiwei , head of china 's tourism agency , over three million mainlanders have visited the island . last year alone , 1.8 million joined tours or went as individual travelers , shao added . in contrast , about five million taiwanese tourists visited the mainland last year , according to national tourism administration . but for the communist leadership in beijing closer ties also poses a downside : they bring a democratic contagion to the mainland . on sina weibo , china 's equivalent of twitter , linghutian writes : no matter who wins , it 's the victory of taiwan 's voters and the democracy they 've been practicing . we mainlanders should just stay calm and learn something , since we now ca n't really do much . ' while the taiwanese electorate is able to directly elect their president and other leaders this weekend , china 's political elite is still struggling behind closed doors to reach a consensus on who among them will take top positions ahead of the major political transition later this year . in the autumn , vice president xi jinping , 58 , is expected to replace 69-year-old hu jintao as party chief when the communist party holds its national congress -- an event that takes place every five years . xi is expected to formally ascend as state president when china 's legislature convenes in the spring of 2013 .","incumbent president ma ying jeou of the ruling kuomintang party seeking another four-year term" +"dpp beijing ( cnn ) -- jobs and money , national identity and political stability . these are some of the contentious issues driving the presidential election in taiwan this weekend . seeking another four-year term is the incumbent president ma ying jeou of the ruling kuomintang party , pitted against tsai ing-wen , leader of the democratic progressive party ( dpp ) . who wins the election will influence taiwan 's relations with mainland china and impact business , geopolitics and security in the region , including china-u.s. ties . for many taiwanese electorates , political observers say , the main issues are jobs , economics and taiwanese identity . for the policy-makers in beijing , however , the overriding question is whether the next taiwan president will stick to the status quo . that means abiding by the 1992 consensus , ' a tacit and ambiguous agreement reached 20 years ago between beijing and taipei under which both sides agreed on the principle of one china ' without agreeing on how it is to be defined or interpreted . despite the ambiguity , the 1992 consensus has served as the basis for cross-strait dialogue that has led in recent years to the unprecedented blossoming of economic and people-to-people ties across the taiwan strait . in beijing 's view , zuguo tongyi , ' or reunification of the motherland , is a matter of national pride and iron-clad policy . beijing says it prefers to do so peacefully but refuses to rule out the use of force to keep taiwan from declaring itself a separate state . china keeps hundreds of missiles aimed at taiwan , an ominous threat to the island to stay in the fold . war in the taiwan strait would prompt a china-u.s. standoff . in 1954 , the u.s. and taiwan signed a mutual defense treaty . even now , washington sells taiwan advanced jet fighters and other military hardware . america is also bound by the taiwan relations act , u.s. legislation passed in 1979 , to consider an attack on the island as a threat to the peace and security ' of the region and of grave concern to the u.s. ' but all these years , washington has avoided spelling out what it would do in case military clash erupts in the taiwan strait . some observers say such ambiguity serves as a deterrent . others worry it could lead to miscalculations . that delicate balance lurks at the heart of this weekend 's election . incumbent president ma ying jeou advocates maintaining the status quo . ma ying jeou will continue the 1992 consensus , ' says tsinghua university professor yan xuetong . if he does that we can maintain the current relationship across the strait . ' if ma wins , says wang jianmin , a researcher at the chinese academy of social sciences ( cass ) in beijing , we can hopefully keep the'peaceful development'scenario with the mutual trust based on the 1992 consensus . ' beijing 's policy-makers are wary of tsai ing-wen , suspecting her of pushing a pro-independence agenda . tsai for one rejects the 1992 consensus and instead calls for a yet undefined taiwan consensus . ' jia qingling , a top communist party official who oversees taiwan affairs , recently warned : if we deny the status quo there is no way to carry on any further negotiations , and what we have achieved so far would be in vain . we would go back to the days of chaos and uncertainty . ' but wang believes relations between beijing and taipei will see a drastic change if dpp gets elected . there is no way china will keep the current level of talks if taiwan claims itself to be a country , ' he says . if so , taiwan 's economy will certainly decline if the life blood from the mainland gets cut off . ' but tsinghua 's yan xuetong downplays any worst-case scenarios . even if tsai ing wen wins the election , she will adopt a moderate policy to mainland china , ' he opines . there are good reasons not to rock the boat , mostly money . closer ties between taiwan and the mainland , observers say , have brought significant peace dividends ' to both sides -- robust business and trade , tourism , academic and people-to-people exchanges and family reunions . two-way trade last year topped u.s. $ 160 billion , according to estimates by china 's customs bureau . over the years , taiwanese investors , big and small , have pumped billions of dollars of investment into china . last year alone , they invested over u.s. $ 12 billion in 520 projects on the mainland , according to a report by the state-run xinhua new agency . mainland companies , on the other hand , invested u.s. $ 174 million into over 200 projects in taiwan in the short time since taiwan allowed mainland investments in june 2009 , xinhua said . since taiwan opened its borders to mainland tourists three-and-a-half years ago , says shao qiwei , head of china 's tourism agency , over three million mainlanders have visited the island . last year alone , 1.8 million joined tours or went as individual travelers , shao added . in contrast , about five million taiwanese tourists visited the mainland last year , according to national tourism administration . but for the communist leadership in beijing closer ties also poses a downside : they bring a democratic contagion to the mainland . on sina weibo , china 's equivalent of twitter , linghutian writes : no matter who wins , it 's the victory of taiwan 's voters and the democracy they 've been practicing . we mainlanders should just stay calm and learn something , since we now ca n't really do much . ' while the taiwanese electorate is able to directly elect their president and other leaders this weekend , china 's political elite is still struggling behind closed doors to reach a consensus on who among them will take top positions ahead of the major political transition later this year . in the autumn , vice president xi jinping , 58 , is expected to replace 69-year-old hu jintao as party chief when the communist party holds its national congress -- an event that takes place every five years . xi is expected to formally ascend as state president when china 's legislature convenes in the spring of 2013 .","tsai ing-wen , leader of the democratic progressive party ( dpp ) , would be the first female president" +"beijing beijing ( cnn ) -- jobs and money , national identity and political stability . these are some of the contentious issues driving the presidential election in taiwan this weekend . seeking another four-year term is the incumbent president ma ying jeou of the ruling kuomintang party , pitted against tsai ing-wen , leader of the democratic progressive party ( dpp ) . who wins the election will influence taiwan 's relations with mainland china and impact business , geopolitics and security in the region , including china-u.s. ties . for many taiwanese electorates , political observers say , the main issues are jobs , economics and taiwanese identity . for the policy-makers in beijing , however , the overriding question is whether the next taiwan president will stick to the status quo . that means abiding by the 1992 consensus , ' a tacit and ambiguous agreement reached 20 years ago between beijing and taipei under which both sides agreed on the principle of one china ' without agreeing on how it is to be defined or interpreted . despite the ambiguity , the 1992 consensus has served as the basis for cross-strait dialogue that has led in recent years to the unprecedented blossoming of economic and people-to-people ties across the taiwan strait . in beijing 's view , zuguo tongyi , ' or reunification of the motherland , is a matter of national pride and iron-clad policy . beijing says it prefers to do so peacefully but refuses to rule out the use of force to keep taiwan from declaring itself a separate state . china keeps hundreds of missiles aimed at taiwan , an ominous threat to the island to stay in the fold . war in the taiwan strait would prompt a china-u.s. standoff . in 1954 , the u.s. and taiwan signed a mutual defense treaty . even now , washington sells taiwan advanced jet fighters and other military hardware . america is also bound by the taiwan relations act , u.s. legislation passed in 1979 , to consider an attack on the island as a threat to the peace and security ' of the region and of grave concern to the u.s. ' but all these years , washington has avoided spelling out what it would do in case military clash erupts in the taiwan strait . some observers say such ambiguity serves as a deterrent . others worry it could lead to miscalculations . that delicate balance lurks at the heart of this weekend 's election . incumbent president ma ying jeou advocates maintaining the status quo . ma ying jeou will continue the 1992 consensus , ' says tsinghua university professor yan xuetong . if he does that we can maintain the current relationship across the strait . ' if ma wins , says wang jianmin , a researcher at the chinese academy of social sciences ( cass ) in beijing , we can hopefully keep the'peaceful development'scenario with the mutual trust based on the 1992 consensus . ' beijing 's policy-makers are wary of tsai ing-wen , suspecting her of pushing a pro-independence agenda . tsai for one rejects the 1992 consensus and instead calls for a yet undefined taiwan consensus . ' jia qingling , a top communist party official who oversees taiwan affairs , recently warned : if we deny the status quo there is no way to carry on any further negotiations , and what we have achieved so far would be in vain . we would go back to the days of chaos and uncertainty . ' but wang believes relations between beijing and taipei will see a drastic change if dpp gets elected . there is no way china will keep the current level of talks if taiwan claims itself to be a country , ' he says . if so , taiwan 's economy will certainly decline if the life blood from the mainland gets cut off . ' but tsinghua 's yan xuetong downplays any worst-case scenarios . even if tsai ing wen wins the election , she will adopt a moderate policy to mainland china , ' he opines . there are good reasons not to rock the boat , mostly money . closer ties between taiwan and the mainland , observers say , have brought significant peace dividends ' to both sides -- robust business and trade , tourism , academic and people-to-people exchanges and family reunions . two-way trade last year topped u.s. $ 160 billion , according to estimates by china 's customs bureau . over the years , taiwanese investors , big and small , have pumped billions of dollars of investment into china . last year alone , they invested over u.s. $ 12 billion in 520 projects on the mainland , according to a report by the state-run xinhua new agency . mainland companies , on the other hand , invested u.s. $ 174 million into over 200 projects in taiwan in the short time since taiwan allowed mainland investments in june 2009 , xinhua said . since taiwan opened its borders to mainland tourists three-and-a-half years ago , says shao qiwei , head of china 's tourism agency , over three million mainlanders have visited the island . last year alone , 1.8 million joined tours or went as individual travelers , shao added . in contrast , about five million taiwanese tourists visited the mainland last year , according to national tourism administration . but for the communist leadership in beijing closer ties also poses a downside : they bring a democratic contagion to the mainland . on sina weibo , china 's equivalent of twitter , linghutian writes : no matter who wins , it 's the victory of taiwan 's voters and the democracy they 've been practicing . we mainlanders should just stay calm and learn something , since we now ca n't really do much . ' while the taiwanese electorate is able to directly elect their president and other leaders this weekend , china 's political elite is still struggling behind closed doors to reach a consensus on who among them will take top positions ahead of the major political transition later this year . in the autumn , vice president xi jinping , 58 , is expected to replace 69-year-old hu jintao as party chief when the communist party holds its national congress -- an event that takes place every five years . xi is expected to formally ascend as state president when china 's legislature convenes in the spring of 2013 .","beijing wary of tsai ing-wen , suspecting her of pushing a pro-independence agenda" +"khmer rouge phnom penh , cambodia ( cnn ) -- during the khmer rouge regime , i was put in prison at the age of 15 for picking mushrooms in the rice fields to feed my pregnant sister . under the khmer rouge , everything belonged to the revolution — and picking up anything from the ground without their permission was a crime . for several hours in front of about one hundred villagers , the khmer rouge publicly tortured me . i did not cry , because i was told not to . then , they put me in prison . months later , after running out of lies to tell the prison chief while begging for my life , one of the older prisoners stepped forward and pleaded to the prison chief on my behalf . surprisingly , the prison chief agreed and i was released . i came to learn much later , however , that in exchange for me , they killed him . my experience is a mere footnote to the millions of other cambodians who suffered and died at the hands of this regime , but it is illustrative of the ongoing struggle to find justice and closure . 35 years on , top khmer rouge leaders face justice in cambodia trial'will not bring back the dead' when the verdict is announced in the first trial of the khmer rouge tribunal 's second case , there will be no winners and no cause for celebration . while the occasion marks an enormous achievement in cambodia and the international community 's long struggle to assert the primacy of human rights , peace , and the rule of law , it is a victory that can only be marked with somber contemplation . we have come a long way in forging an international system to meet the challenge of responding to and punishing mass atrocities , but judgments do not bring back the dead or restore trust . no action can assuage the anguish , sadness , and regret that haunts the survivors to this day . over 35 years after the fall of the khmer rouge regime , we still see the effects from this period in almost every facet of cambodian society . from physical scars and disabilities , to trauma and psychosocial conditions , the horrors of this period continue to manifest themselves in survivors , families , communities and institutions . suffering under the khmer rouge many estimates found that more than a million people died under the khmer rouge between 1975 and 1979 from execution , disease , starvation and overwork . see places where cambodia 's shocking past is on show like many families , my mother , my deaf sister , keo kolthida ekkasakh , and i , all suffered under the khmer rouge . and my mother lost all three of her brothers , one sister , one daughter and many grandchildren under the regime . nearly 60 of our family members are still missing today . society is still divided , and the memories of this period— even memories of kindness — carry a heavy burden . i will never forget the kind act of the man in prison . i do not even know the name of the man who saved my life . i have been searching for his family members for years , in the hope that i can pay my respect for the courage and kindness he showed me .'too little , too late' achieving true justice in these circumstances is an impossible feat for mankind , and an altogether late endeavor at best . time and again , the international community has watched mass atrocities , genocide , and other heinous crimes proceed unchecked . interactive : five faces of cambodia 's khmer rouge while our efforts in applying due process in the punishment of genocide and mass atrocities deserve recognition and respect , we should not overlook the paramount need for preventing such crimes before they occur . prevention must be the watchword in defining our struggle , and our struggle against evil must begin with courage . we must have the courage to call out inhumanity when it occurs and take steps that prevent such crimes , rather than responding to their aftermath . we must seize the opportunity to stand up for what is right , no matter the circumstance , because we know that saving millions of lives today speaks far greater for our civilization than issuing verdicts tomorrow . this verdict regarding the two senior khmer rouge leaders matters a great deal to me , as should it for all cambodians , because it gives some closure -- but closure is too little , too late for many . if only the international community would exercise the courage and resolve as the man in prison did for me , the world would need fewer verdicts . in 2013 : infamous leader during cambodia genocide dies","youk chhang was 15 when he survived imprisonment by khmer rouge" +"khmer rouge phnom penh , cambodia ( cnn ) -- during the khmer rouge regime , i was put in prison at the age of 15 for picking mushrooms in the rice fields to feed my pregnant sister . under the khmer rouge , everything belonged to the revolution — and picking up anything from the ground without their permission was a crime . for several hours in front of about one hundred villagers , the khmer rouge publicly tortured me . i did not cry , because i was told not to . then , they put me in prison . months later , after running out of lies to tell the prison chief while begging for my life , one of the older prisoners stepped forward and pleaded to the prison chief on my behalf . surprisingly , the prison chief agreed and i was released . i came to learn much later , however , that in exchange for me , they killed him . my experience is a mere footnote to the millions of other cambodians who suffered and died at the hands of this regime , but it is illustrative of the ongoing struggle to find justice and closure . 35 years on , top khmer rouge leaders face justice in cambodia trial'will not bring back the dead' when the verdict is announced in the first trial of the khmer rouge tribunal 's second case , there will be no winners and no cause for celebration . while the occasion marks an enormous achievement in cambodia and the international community 's long struggle to assert the primacy of human rights , peace , and the rule of law , it is a victory that can only be marked with somber contemplation . we have come a long way in forging an international system to meet the challenge of responding to and punishing mass atrocities , but judgments do not bring back the dead or restore trust . no action can assuage the anguish , sadness , and regret that haunts the survivors to this day . over 35 years after the fall of the khmer rouge regime , we still see the effects from this period in almost every facet of cambodian society . from physical scars and disabilities , to trauma and psychosocial conditions , the horrors of this period continue to manifest themselves in survivors , families , communities and institutions . suffering under the khmer rouge many estimates found that more than a million people died under the khmer rouge between 1975 and 1979 from execution , disease , starvation and overwork . see places where cambodia 's shocking past is on show like many families , my mother , my deaf sister , keo kolthida ekkasakh , and i , all suffered under the khmer rouge . and my mother lost all three of her brothers , one sister , one daughter and many grandchildren under the regime . nearly 60 of our family members are still missing today . society is still divided , and the memories of this period— even memories of kindness — carry a heavy burden . i will never forget the kind act of the man in prison . i do not even know the name of the man who saved my life . i have been searching for his family members for years , in the hope that i can pay my respect for the courage and kindness he showed me .'too little , too late' achieving true justice in these circumstances is an impossible feat for mankind , and an altogether late endeavor at best . time and again , the international community has watched mass atrocities , genocide , and other heinous crimes proceed unchecked . interactive : five faces of cambodia 's khmer rouge while our efforts in applying due process in the punishment of genocide and mass atrocities deserve recognition and respect , we should not overlook the paramount need for preventing such crimes before they occur . prevention must be the watchword in defining our struggle , and our struggle against evil must begin with courage . we must have the courage to call out inhumanity when it occurs and take steps that prevent such crimes , rather than responding to their aftermath . we must seize the opportunity to stand up for what is right , no matter the circumstance , because we know that saving millions of lives today speaks far greater for our civilization than issuing verdicts tomorrow . this verdict regarding the two senior khmer rouge leaders matters a great deal to me , as should it for all cambodians , because it gives some closure -- but closure is too little , too late for many . if only the international community would exercise the courage and resolve as the man in prison did for me , the world would need fewer verdicts . in 2013 : infamous leader during cambodia genocide dies","verdict in cambodia over two senior khmer rouge leaders does n't bring back dead" +"karadzic former bosnian serb leader radovan karadzic once again faces two genocide charges instead of one in his long-running trial over ethnic violence during the 1990s balkan wars . appellate judges at a u.n. war crimes tribunal in the netherlands on thursday reinstated the second genocide charge , ruling that the tribunal improperly dismissed the count in june 2012 . karadzic , whose trial began in 2010 , also faces nine other charges related to ethnic violence during the breakup of yugoslavia in the 1990s . the reinstated charge accuses karadzic of trying to permanently remove bosnian muslims and croats from parts of bosnia and herzegovina in 1992 . the charge was thrown out last year after the prosecution rested its case , with the tribunal ruling that there was n't enough evidence for a genocide conviction on that particular allegation . but the appellate judges thursday ruled that the evidence of serious abuse against bosnian muslims and croats -- including detaining them in overcrowded , squalid conditions where they were starved and left vulnerable to disease -- could be shown to be genocidal acts . the judges cited allegations that karadzic and officials loyal to him decided on a plan to rid bosnia of muslims , in part by killing a third of them and converting another third to orthodox christianity . thursday 's decision came exactly 18 years after the notorious 1995 srebrencia massacre , for which karadzic faces the other genocide charge . nearly 8,000 muslim men and boys were killed in the bosnian town of srebrenica in july 1995 . srebrenica became an emblem for the dissolution of yugoslavia -- once a multiethnic state of serbs , croats , muslims and others -- into six countries during a bloody and brutal conflict . on thursday , more than 400 victims of the massacre were to be reburied at a memorial center in potocari in bosnia and herzegovina , adding to the more than 5,000 victims already buried there , the country 's state-run news agency fena reported . victims of the massacre have been buried at the site periodically as officials locate and identify more victims in mass graves . sadness and pain , i have no words . it is so hard , ' said fadila efendic , who was set to bury her son fejzo at the site thursday , according to fena . this is beyond any human comprehension what they did to us and what we are experiencing . ' the 1992-95 bosnian conflict was the longest of the wars spawned by the breakup of yugoslavia . karadzic was removed from power in 1995 , when the dayton accord that ended the bosnian war barred anyone accused of war crimes from holding office . karadzic was captured in 2008 after more than 13 years of hiding in plain sight in belgrade . he had adopted an elaborate disguise that included long hair and a full beard , and was practicing alternative medicine in the serbian capital . his former military commander , ratko mladic , was captured in 2011 and is also on trial for charges including genocide . both men would face life in prison if convicted . the court can not impose the death penalty . yugoslavian president slobodan milosevic also faced charges connected with the balkan wars , but he died in 2006 while on trial at the hague .","the reinstated count accuses radovan karadzic of trying to remove muslims from bosnia" +"karadzic former bosnian serb leader radovan karadzic once again faces two genocide charges instead of one in his long-running trial over ethnic violence during the 1990s balkan wars . appellate judges at a u.n. war crimes tribunal in the netherlands on thursday reinstated the second genocide charge , ruling that the tribunal improperly dismissed the count in june 2012 . karadzic , whose trial began in 2010 , also faces nine other charges related to ethnic violence during the breakup of yugoslavia in the 1990s . the reinstated charge accuses karadzic of trying to permanently remove bosnian muslims and croats from parts of bosnia and herzegovina in 1992 . the charge was thrown out last year after the prosecution rested its case , with the tribunal ruling that there was n't enough evidence for a genocide conviction on that particular allegation . but the appellate judges thursday ruled that the evidence of serious abuse against bosnian muslims and croats -- including detaining them in overcrowded , squalid conditions where they were starved and left vulnerable to disease -- could be shown to be genocidal acts . the judges cited allegations that karadzic and officials loyal to him decided on a plan to rid bosnia of muslims , in part by killing a third of them and converting another third to orthodox christianity . thursday 's decision came exactly 18 years after the notorious 1995 srebrencia massacre , for which karadzic faces the other genocide charge . nearly 8,000 muslim men and boys were killed in the bosnian town of srebrenica in july 1995 . srebrenica became an emblem for the dissolution of yugoslavia -- once a multiethnic state of serbs , croats , muslims and others -- into six countries during a bloody and brutal conflict . on thursday , more than 400 victims of the massacre were to be reburied at a memorial center in potocari in bosnia and herzegovina , adding to the more than 5,000 victims already buried there , the country 's state-run news agency fena reported . victims of the massacre have been buried at the site periodically as officials locate and identify more victims in mass graves . sadness and pain , i have no words . it is so hard , ' said fadila efendic , who was set to bury her son fejzo at the site thursday , according to fena . this is beyond any human comprehension what they did to us and what we are experiencing . ' the 1992-95 bosnian conflict was the longest of the wars spawned by the breakup of yugoslavia . karadzic was removed from power in 1995 , when the dayton accord that ended the bosnian war barred anyone accused of war crimes from holding office . karadzic was captured in 2008 after more than 13 years of hiding in plain sight in belgrade . he had adopted an elaborate disguise that included long hair and a full beard , and was practicing alternative medicine in the serbian capital . his former military commander , ratko mladic , was captured in 2011 and is also on trial for charges including genocide . both men would face life in prison if convicted . the court can not impose the death penalty . yugoslavian president slobodan milosevic also faced charges connected with the balkan wars , but he died in 2006 while on trial at the hague .","karadzic , on trial since 2010 , also faces a charge of genocide over the srebrenica massacre" +"aclu ( cnn ) -- homeland security officials on wednesday abruptly shelved a proposal to build a national database of license-plate scans after criticism from privacy advocates . the proposal , which had been posted online last week by the office of immigration and customs enforcement , sought a contractor who could establish a searchable database of license plates , with the times and locations where they were spotted by traffic cameras and other sources . but in a statement late wednesday , the department announced a reversal . the solicitation , which was posted without the awareness of ice leadership , has been canceled , ' said spokeswoman gillian christensen . while we continue to support a range of technologies to help meet our law enforcement mission , this solicitation will be reviewed to ensure the path forward appropriately meets our operational needs . ' it was unclear whether the proposal was dead or was merely withdrawn for revisions . under the proposal , officers in the field would have been able to use their smartphones to look up a license plate and see every time and every place the vehicle had been spotted by a camera . the database should track vehicle license plate numbers that pass through cameras or are voluntarily entered into the system from a variety of sources ( access control systems , asset recovery specialists , etc . ) and uploaded to share with law enforcement , ' the original solicitation read . the proposed national license plate recognition database was to have been used by immigration officers to find and arrest fugitives . supporters of license-plate scanning , like former new york state homeland security chief michael balboni , said it could have been an invaluable tool for finding dangerous suspects . what license-plate readers have been used for most effectively is ( trying ) to do hits against outstanding warrants , against unlicensed drivers , against folks who have shown before that they 've been involved in some kind of crime -- that 's where the hits come . ' but since the solicitation was posted and featured in the washington post , privacy advocates have warned that the database sounded like a dragnet that would track the whereabouts of all drivers , including people who have done nothing wrong , and that the records might be held indefinitely . the idea is , we want to collect everything on perfectly innocent people and then dip into it whenever we feel like it , ' said kade crockford of the american civil liberties union . there have already been quite a few cases of abuse . essentially , the problem is that this is creating a nationwide warrantless location-tracking list . ' opponents also said the tracking of cars would reveal personal information about drivers , like whether they went to church , where they slept at night , or whether they had been to an abortion clinic or a political protest .","database would have violated the privacy of innocent people , aclu argues" +"france london , england ( cnn ) -- irish football officials have lodged an official complaint with world ruling body fifa after thierry henry confessed that he handled the ball in the build-up to the goal which sent france to next summer 's world cup . television cameras showed henry guiding the ball with his hand twice , before william gallas scored from his resulting cross to give les bleus ' a narrow win in the two-legged world cup play-off against the republic of ireland . i will be honest . it was a handball but i am not the referee , ' the barcelona striker told reporters after the match in paris . the irish justice ministry confirmed to cnn that dermot ahern had asked the football association of ireland ( fai ) to demand a replay in the interests of fair play . thierry henry has admitted handling the ball , claims he told the ref he handled it . millions of people worldwide saw it was a blatant double handball -- not to mention a double offside -- and we should put the powers that be in the cozy world of fifa on the spot and demand a replay , ' ahern said in a statement sent to cnn . they probably wo n't grant it as we are minnows in world football but let 's put them on the spot . it 's the least we owe the thousands of devastated young fans around the country . otherwise if that result remains it reinforces the view that if you cheat you will win . ' the fai later confirmed that it had taken the matter to fifa . i really believe the integrity of the game has been questioned last night , ' chief executive john delaney told reporters . the governing body of world football have to step up to the plate and accede to our call for a replay . ' delaney said the fai had also written to the french football federation . they need to look at themselves in this situation . henry is their captain and a wonderful footballer , but does he want to be like diego maradona and his legacy to be this handball , this goal that got them to the world cup in an unjust manner ? if we had qualified in this manner , i would n't be happy , ' he said . it is up to the people who govern the game now . every time i go to a fifa congress i hear about fair play and integrity . this was a defining game with the whole world watching , and if fifa believe in fair play and integrity , this is their opportunity to step forward . ' the fai has argued that there is a precedent for the result to be struck out , following fifa 's ruling that uzbekistan had to replay a play-off against bahrain for the 2006 world cup in germany after the referee made a mistake in awarding a penalty . the football association of ireland is hoping that fifa and its disciplinary committee will , on behalf of football fans worldwide , act in a similar fashion so that the standards of fair play and integrity can be protected , ' the fai said . fifa confirmed it had received the irish request for a replay , but gave no timescale on a decision . however , it said that under its regulations the referee 's decision can not be changed . law 5 states that the decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play , including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match , are final , ' it said . the referee may only change a decision on realising that it is incorrect or , at his discretion , on the advice of an assistant referee or the fourth official , provided that he has not restarted play or terminated the match . ' irish captain richard dunne , who spoke to henry on the final whistle , said he felt cheated by the goal . he admitted he handled it , but it does n't make me feel any better because we are not going to the world cup finals , ' the defender said . fifa will probably be happy . yet again the big decisions have gone for the bigger team . ' football 's international governing body had faced criticism from several irish players that the seeding system for the play-off draw favored more powerful nations such as france . blog : when will fifa see what 's staring them in the face ? dunne 's teammate robbie keane admitted it was hard to speak , ' as he struggled to come to terms with the result . with the way we played , we certainly deserved to win the game and it killed us near the end with that handball , ' he was quoted by the fai web site as saying . i 've seen the replay but we knew anyway ( it was handball ) . you could see by the reaction of the players , especially shay ( given ) who was two yards away from it . you do n't get a reaction like that . it was a clear handball . he ( henry ) almost caught the ball and actually ran into the net with it . we 're devastated . ' ireland team manager giovanni trapattoni told reporters that the referee had time to ask the linesman and then henry . it would not have been the first time a player would have asked and it would not have been out of turn . we are angry , ' the italian continued . it is a bitter evening for me . i would prefer to have gone out on penalties . ' fanzone : five of football 's most famous injustices but former france international david ginola was emphatic that henry should not have owned up . ' you do n't do that , ' he told cnn . henry was doing his job . you ca n't blame him for doing everything he could for his team and country to get them to south africa . but it was a shame to finish the game like that as ireland had played very well . referees need more help on the pitch , so as not to allow things like that . obviously the referee was not well-positioned and could n't see . ' english referees union chief alan leighton told cnn that swedish official martin hansson had clearly missed a huge decision . i think the incident was more of instinct than deliberately attempting to cheat but it does seem that the ball hit his hand twice and therefore there is an issue . ' but on the wider issue of cheating , leighton said : it is all very well to blame the referees for not spotting it but fundamentally it starts with the players . i think the players have to think about the game , think about the reputation of the game and their own reputations and say look actually there is a line that we will not cross . '","cameras showed france 's thierry henry guiding ball with his hand twice , before william gallas scored" +"madonnamdnaday ( cnn ) -- to kick off the release of her new album , madonna is joining twitter for one day to answer questions from fans . the pop legend will be turning to twitter on monday night to promote her 12th studio album , mdna , and interact with fans on the popular social network . she will be answering questions starting at 10:00 p.m. est/7:00 p.m. pst . the twitter handle @ madonnamdnaday sent out its first tweet on sunday to get the word out about the q & a . fans can submit questions to madonna by tweeting @ madonnamdnaday and using the hashtag # askmadonna . the account already has over 12,000 followers . the news was also announced on madonna.com/askmadonna , with the following message : ' madonna joins twitter for one day only to answer fan questions and celebrate the release of her mdna album . got a question ? # askmadonna , ' the site says . it 's uncertain if the account will still send tweets about the album or if it will be shut down after the online event . the twitter account has not yet responded to questions from mashable . madonna 's dip into twitter is n't just to promote her album , but also to increase her social media presence . she recently granted a facebook live-exclusive interview with late-night host jimmy fallon on saturday . fans †” who had to like ' her facebook page in order to watch the interview †” were also encouraged to submit questions for the pop queen . her interview with fallon was the only talk show appearance planned to promote the album . madonna has nearly 9 million subscribers on facebook . this is her first album since the release of hard candy , ' featuring 4 minutes , ' in april 2008 . see the original article on mashable.com . © 2011 mashable.com . all rights reserved .","fans can submit questions by tweeting @ madonnamdnaday and using # askmadonna" +"oldman ( cnn ) -- so , gary oldman , tell us what you really think . in a raw interview with playboy , the actor , 56 , railed against hollywood dishonesty ' and double standards , said that mel gibson and alec baldwin have been victims of hypocrisy and asserted that not voting for 12 years a slave ' to win an oscar meant you were a racist . ' oh , and he does n't like the golden globes , helicopter parents or reality tv , either . indeed , the dark knight ' actor , who 's starring in the forthcoming dawn of the planet of the apes , ' pulled no punches when talking about pretty much anything . the conversation will appear in the magazine 's july/august issue . the gibson and baldwin affairs really angered him , he said , because he believes their accusers do n't exactly have clean hands themselves . i do n't know about mel . he got drunk and said a few things , but we 've all said those things . we 're all f * * * ing hypocrites , ' oldman said . the policeman who arrested him has never used the word 'n * * * * *'or'that f * * * ing jew'? i 'm being brutally honest here . it 's the hypocrisy of it that drives me crazy . mel gibson is in a town that 's run by jews and he said the wrong thing because he 's actually bitten the hand that i guess has fed him -- and does n't need to feed him anymore because he 's got enough dough , ' oldman continued . but some jewish guy in his office somewhere has n't turned and said ,'that f * * * ing kraut'or'f * * * those germans ,'whatever it is ? we all hide and try to be so politically correct . that 's what gets me . it 's just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone . ' other oldman tidbits : on reality tv : the museum of social decay . ' on helicopter parents : there 's never any unsupervised play to develop skills or learn about hierarchy in a group or how to share . the kids honestly believe they are the center of the f * * * ing universe . but then they get out into the real world and it 's like , 's * * t , maybe it 's not all about me ,'and that leads to narcissism , depression and anxiety . ' on political correctness at the oscars : at the oscars , if you did n't vote for'12 years a slave'you were a racist. on the golden globes : a meaningless event . ... it 's 90 nobodies having a wank . ' if oldman is hard on hollywood and its people , he 's equally critical of himself . asked about sid & nancy , ' his breakthrough film , he said , i do n't like myself in the movie . ' ditto with the fifth element ' and the dark knight . ' it was work , ' he said . ( he did have kind things to say about the film tinker tailor soldier spy , ' francis ford coppola and harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban ' director alfonso cuaron . ) as the interview continued , oldman -- who described his politics as libertarian ' -- recognized that he may have been a little too blunt . so this interview has gone very badly . you have to edit and cut half of what i 've said , because it 's going to make me sound like a bigot , ' he said at one point ' you 're not a bigot ? ' replied interviewer david hochman . no , but i 'm defending all the wrong people , ' oldman said . i 'm saying mel 's all right . alec 's a good guy . so how do i come across ? angry ? ' passionate , certainly , ' hochman said . readers will have to form their own opinions . ' it 's dishonesty that frustrates me most , ' oldman said . i ca n't bear double standards . it gets under my skin more than anything . '","oldman has little patience for hollywood niceties" +"oldman ( cnn ) -- so , gary oldman , tell us what you really think . in a raw interview with playboy , the actor , 56 , railed against hollywood dishonesty ' and double standards , said that mel gibson and alec baldwin have been victims of hypocrisy and asserted that not voting for 12 years a slave ' to win an oscar meant you were a racist . ' oh , and he does n't like the golden globes , helicopter parents or reality tv , either . indeed , the dark knight ' actor , who 's starring in the forthcoming dawn of the planet of the apes , ' pulled no punches when talking about pretty much anything . the conversation will appear in the magazine 's july/august issue . the gibson and baldwin affairs really angered him , he said , because he believes their accusers do n't exactly have clean hands themselves . i do n't know about mel . he got drunk and said a few things , but we 've all said those things . we 're all f * * * ing hypocrites , ' oldman said . the policeman who arrested him has never used the word 'n * * * * *'or'that f * * * ing jew'? i 'm being brutally honest here . it 's the hypocrisy of it that drives me crazy . mel gibson is in a town that 's run by jews and he said the wrong thing because he 's actually bitten the hand that i guess has fed him -- and does n't need to feed him anymore because he 's got enough dough , ' oldman continued . but some jewish guy in his office somewhere has n't turned and said ,'that f * * * ing kraut'or'f * * * those germans ,'whatever it is ? we all hide and try to be so politically correct . that 's what gets me . it 's just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone . ' other oldman tidbits : on reality tv : the museum of social decay . ' on helicopter parents : there 's never any unsupervised play to develop skills or learn about hierarchy in a group or how to share . the kids honestly believe they are the center of the f * * * ing universe . but then they get out into the real world and it 's like , 's * * t , maybe it 's not all about me ,'and that leads to narcissism , depression and anxiety . ' on political correctness at the oscars : at the oscars , if you did n't vote for'12 years a slave'you were a racist. on the golden globes : a meaningless event . ... it 's 90 nobodies having a wank . ' if oldman is hard on hollywood and its people , he 's equally critical of himself . asked about sid & nancy , ' his breakthrough film , he said , i do n't like myself in the movie . ' ditto with the fifth element ' and the dark knight . ' it was work , ' he said . ( he did have kind things to say about the film tinker tailor soldier spy , ' francis ford coppola and harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban ' director alfonso cuaron . ) as the interview continued , oldman -- who described his politics as libertarian ' -- recognized that he may have been a little too blunt . so this interview has gone very badly . you have to edit and cut half of what i 've said , because it 's going to make me sound like a bigot , ' he said at one point ' you 're not a bigot ? ' replied interviewer david hochman . no , but i 'm defending all the wrong people , ' oldman said . i 'm saying mel 's all right . alec 's a good guy . so how do i come across ? angry ? ' passionate , certainly , ' hochman said . readers will have to form their own opinions . ' it 's dishonesty that frustrates me most , ' oldman said . i ca n't bear double standards . it gets under my skin more than anything . '","gary oldman sounds off in playboy interview" +"oldman ( cnn ) -- so , gary oldman , tell us what you really think . in a raw interview with playboy , the actor , 56 , railed against hollywood dishonesty ' and double standards , said that mel gibson and alec baldwin have been victims of hypocrisy and asserted that not voting for 12 years a slave ' to win an oscar meant you were a racist . ' oh , and he does n't like the golden globes , helicopter parents or reality tv , either . indeed , the dark knight ' actor , who 's starring in the forthcoming dawn of the planet of the apes , ' pulled no punches when talking about pretty much anything . the conversation will appear in the magazine 's july/august issue . the gibson and baldwin affairs really angered him , he said , because he believes their accusers do n't exactly have clean hands themselves . i do n't know about mel . he got drunk and said a few things , but we 've all said those things . we 're all f * * * ing hypocrites , ' oldman said . the policeman who arrested him has never used the word 'n * * * * *'or'that f * * * ing jew'? i 'm being brutally honest here . it 's the hypocrisy of it that drives me crazy . mel gibson is in a town that 's run by jews and he said the wrong thing because he 's actually bitten the hand that i guess has fed him -- and does n't need to feed him anymore because he 's got enough dough , ' oldman continued . but some jewish guy in his office somewhere has n't turned and said ,'that f * * * ing kraut'or'f * * * those germans ,'whatever it is ? we all hide and try to be so politically correct . that 's what gets me . it 's just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone . ' other oldman tidbits : on reality tv : the museum of social decay . ' on helicopter parents : there 's never any unsupervised play to develop skills or learn about hierarchy in a group or how to share . the kids honestly believe they are the center of the f * * * ing universe . but then they get out into the real world and it 's like , 's * * t , maybe it 's not all about me ,'and that leads to narcissism , depression and anxiety . ' on political correctness at the oscars : at the oscars , if you did n't vote for'12 years a slave'you were a racist. on the golden globes : a meaningless event . ... it 's 90 nobodies having a wank . ' if oldman is hard on hollywood and its people , he 's equally critical of himself . asked about sid & nancy , ' his breakthrough film , he said , i do n't like myself in the movie . ' ditto with the fifth element ' and the dark knight . ' it was work , ' he said . ( he did have kind things to say about the film tinker tailor soldier spy , ' francis ford coppola and harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban ' director alfonso cuaron . ) as the interview continued , oldman -- who described his politics as libertarian ' -- recognized that he may have been a little too blunt . so this interview has gone very badly . you have to edit and cut half of what i 've said , because it 's going to make me sound like a bigot , ' he said at one point ' you 're not a bigot ? ' replied interviewer david hochman . no , but i 'm defending all the wrong people , ' oldman said . i 'm saying mel 's all right . alec 's a good guy . so how do i come across ? angry ? ' passionate , certainly , ' hochman said . readers will have to form their own opinions . ' it 's dishonesty that frustrates me most , ' oldman said . i ca n't bear double standards . it gets under my skin more than anything . '","oldman says hypocrisy drives him crazy" +"gaza ( cnn ) -- a conference of islamic prosecutors in iran worked wednesday to draft an indictment against israeli leaders , accusing them of crimes against humanity and war crimes in gaza . palestinian women walk past a building destroyed during israel 's campaign in gaza . the charges stem from israel 's late-december offensive into gaza against hamas militants . the israeli military has been accused of using excessive and indiscriminate force in civilian areas . israel is a regime that only understands the language of violence and force , ' iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad said at the gathering , in calling for the prosecution of israeli criminals . ' i am confident that there will come a day when all zionist criminals will be brought to justice , ' he said on the second day of the conference in tehran , the capital of iran . the iranian president regularly rails against israel and has called for the jewish state 's elimination . yigal palmor , a spokesman for the israeli foreign ministry , said : the day when this conference will start dealing with human rights in the countries that are members of this organization will be the day that their claims concerning israel will be deserved to be heard , not before . people who live in glass houses should n't throw stones , let alone commit suicide bombings . ' the accusations themselves are nothing more than the hysterical , hostile coverage of the media in these countries and not based on solid facts , ' he continued . human rights watch , in a report released last month , said there was evidence that israel committed war crimes in gaza by firing white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas . israel has rejected that claim . israel also has said that the offensive was to defend against repeated rocket attacks by palestinians . the israel defense forces said on wednesday its forces operated in accordance with international law ' during recent fighting in gaza , but said there were a few incidents in which intelligence or operational errors ' occurred . this is the conclusion of probes that emerged from operation cast lead , in which israel was broadly criticized for its actions in gaza . phosphorus shells can be used to create a smokescreen for troops . in creating the diversion , the element ignites when exposed to oxygen and can cause severe burns . the israeli offensive was launched december 27 and ended january 17 with a cease-fire . of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict , 1,440 were palestinian , including 431 children , a u.n. report recently said . thirteen israelis died -- three civilians and six soldiers were killed by hamas , and four soldiers were killed by friendly fire -- the report said . a spokesman for the israeli prime minister called the u.n. report an example of the one-sided and unfair ' attitude of the u.n. human rights council , which had requested it . the two days of meetings in the iranian capital have included more than 200 senior judicial officials from the organization of the islamic conference -- an association of 56 states . the organization might ask the u.n. international court of justice to charge israeli leaders with crimes against humanity and war crimes in gaza . the court would not be obligated to act .","islamic prosecutors draft indictment against israeli leaders over gaza offensive" +"israeli ( cnn ) -- a conference of islamic prosecutors in iran worked wednesday to draft an indictment against israeli leaders , accusing them of crimes against humanity and war crimes in gaza . palestinian women walk past a building destroyed during israel 's campaign in gaza . the charges stem from israel 's late-december offensive into gaza against hamas militants . the israeli military has been accused of using excessive and indiscriminate force in civilian areas . israel is a regime that only understands the language of violence and force , ' iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad said at the gathering , in calling for the prosecution of israeli criminals . ' i am confident that there will come a day when all zionist criminals will be brought to justice , ' he said on the second day of the conference in tehran , the capital of iran . the iranian president regularly rails against israel and has called for the jewish state 's elimination . yigal palmor , a spokesman for the israeli foreign ministry , said : the day when this conference will start dealing with human rights in the countries that are members of this organization will be the day that their claims concerning israel will be deserved to be heard , not before . people who live in glass houses should n't throw stones , let alone commit suicide bombings . ' the accusations themselves are nothing more than the hysterical , hostile coverage of the media in these countries and not based on solid facts , ' he continued . human rights watch , in a report released last month , said there was evidence that israel committed war crimes in gaza by firing white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas . israel has rejected that claim . israel also has said that the offensive was to defend against repeated rocket attacks by palestinians . the israel defense forces said on wednesday its forces operated in accordance with international law ' during recent fighting in gaza , but said there were a few incidents in which intelligence or operational errors ' occurred . this is the conclusion of probes that emerged from operation cast lead , in which israel was broadly criticized for its actions in gaza . phosphorus shells can be used to create a smokescreen for troops . in creating the diversion , the element ignites when exposed to oxygen and can cause severe burns . the israeli offensive was launched december 27 and ended january 17 with a cease-fire . of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict , 1,440 were palestinian , including 431 children , a u.n. report recently said . thirteen israelis died -- three civilians and six soldiers were killed by hamas , and four soldiers were killed by friendly fire -- the report said . a spokesman for the israeli prime minister called the u.n. report an example of the one-sided and unfair ' attitude of the u.n. human rights council , which had requested it . the two days of meetings in the iranian capital have included more than 200 senior judicial officials from the organization of the islamic conference -- an association of 56 states . the organization might ask the u.n. international court of justice to charge israeli leaders with crimes against humanity and war crimes in gaza . the court would not be obligated to act .","islamic prosecutors draft indictment against israeli leaders over gaza offensive" +"israeli ( cnn ) -- a conference of islamic prosecutors in iran worked wednesday to draft an indictment against israeli leaders , accusing them of crimes against humanity and war crimes in gaza . palestinian women walk past a building destroyed during israel 's campaign in gaza . the charges stem from israel 's late-december offensive into gaza against hamas militants . the israeli military has been accused of using excessive and indiscriminate force in civilian areas . israel is a regime that only understands the language of violence and force , ' iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad said at the gathering , in calling for the prosecution of israeli criminals . ' i am confident that there will come a day when all zionist criminals will be brought to justice , ' he said on the second day of the conference in tehran , the capital of iran . the iranian president regularly rails against israel and has called for the jewish state 's elimination . yigal palmor , a spokesman for the israeli foreign ministry , said : the day when this conference will start dealing with human rights in the countries that are members of this organization will be the day that their claims concerning israel will be deserved to be heard , not before . people who live in glass houses should n't throw stones , let alone commit suicide bombings . ' the accusations themselves are nothing more than the hysterical , hostile coverage of the media in these countries and not based on solid facts , ' he continued . human rights watch , in a report released last month , said there was evidence that israel committed war crimes in gaza by firing white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas . israel has rejected that claim . israel also has said that the offensive was to defend against repeated rocket attacks by palestinians . the israel defense forces said on wednesday its forces operated in accordance with international law ' during recent fighting in gaza , but said there were a few incidents in which intelligence or operational errors ' occurred . this is the conclusion of probes that emerged from operation cast lead , in which israel was broadly criticized for its actions in gaza . phosphorus shells can be used to create a smokescreen for troops . in creating the diversion , the element ignites when exposed to oxygen and can cause severe burns . the israeli offensive was launched december 27 and ended january 17 with a cease-fire . of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict , 1,440 were palestinian , including 431 children , a u.n. report recently said . thirteen israelis died -- three civilians and six soldiers were killed by hamas , and four soldiers were killed by friendly fire -- the report said . a spokesman for the israeli prime minister called the u.n. report an example of the one-sided and unfair ' attitude of the u.n. human rights council , which had requested it . the two days of meetings in the iranian capital have included more than 200 senior judicial officials from the organization of the islamic conference -- an association of 56 states . the organization might ask the u.n. international court of justice to charge israeli leaders with crimes against humanity and war crimes in gaza . the court would not be obligated to act .","israeli spokesman says claims are hysterical , hostile ... not based on solid facts" +"pakistani a pakistani woman whose gang rape made international headlines nine years ago has given birth for the first time . a son was born sunday to mukhtaran bibi , now 40 , who became a symbol in the fight against so-called honor crimes . i am very happy . i did not think i would live to see this day , ' bibi , of multan , in punjab province , told cnn . the man she has since married , nasir abbas gabol , said : i am a very happy father . ' today when we leave the hospital we will take the baby home and there my father will name our son , as per custom in my village , ' he added . in 2002 , a tribal council ordered her rape by four male acquaintances as retribution after her brother was accused of having relations with a higher-caste woman , pakistani authorities said at the time . later that year , six men were sentenced to death for raping her or abetting in the rape . but five of the men have since been acquitted .","the pakistani woman 's gang rape made international headlines nine years ago" +"lunar orbiter ( cnn ) -- sitting incongruously among the hangars and laboratories of nasa 's ames research center in silicon valley is the squat facade of an old mcdonald 's . you wo n't get a burger there , though -- its cash registers and soft-serve machines have given way to old tape drives and modern computers run by a rogue team of hacker engineers who 've rechristened the place mcmoon 's . these self-described techno-archaeologists have been on a mission to recover and digitize forgotten photos taken in the '60s by a quintet of scuttled lunar satellites . the lunar orbiter image recovery project ( loirp ) has since 2007 brought some 2,000 pictures back from 1,500 analog data tapes . they contain the first high-resolution photographs ever taken from behind the lunar horizon , including the first photo of an earthrise ( first slide above ) . thanks to the technical savvy and diy engineering of the team at loirp , it 's being seen at a higher resolution than was ever previously possible . we 're reaching back to a capability that existed but could n't be touched back when it was created , ' says keith cowing , co-lead and founding member at loirp . it 's like having a dvd in 1966 , you ca n't play it . we had resolution of the earth of about a kilometer [ per pixel ] . this is an image taken a quarter of a f * * * king million miles away in 1966 . the beatles were warming up to play shea stadium at the moment it was being taken . ' between 1966 and'67 , five lunar orbiters snapped pictures onto 70mm film from about 30 miles above the moon . the satellites were sent mainly to scout potential landing sites for manned moon missions . each satellite would point its dual lens kodak camera at a target , snap a picture , then develop the photograph . high- and low-resolution photos were then scanned into strips called framelets using something akin to an old fax machine reader . the images were beamed in modulated signals to one of three receiving stations in australia , spain , or california , where the pictures -- and collateral chatter from the nasa operators -- were recorded straight to tape . after finishing their missions , the satellites were unceremoniously dashed against the moon rocks , clearing the way for apollo . the brilliant and ballsy engineering was typical of nasa during its golden age , a time when it was also more closely linked to other government agencies with an interest in taking pictures from space . these guys were operating right at the edge , ' cowing says with a reverence for these nasa engineers that 's shared by his team . there 's a certain spy program heritage to all this , but these guys went above that , because those spy satellites would send their images back . these did n't . they could n't . they were in lunar orbit . ' fascinating ways people try to leave their mark on the world the photos were stored with remarkably high fidelity on the tapes , but at the time had to be copied from projection screens onto paper , sometimes at sizes so large that warehouses and even old churches were rented out to hang them up . the results were pretty grainy , but clear enough to identify landing sites and potential hazards . after the low-fi printing , the tapes were shoved into boxes and forgotten . they changed hands several times over the years , almost getting tossed out before landing in storage in moorpark , california . several abortive attempts were made to recover data from the tapes , which were well kept , but it was n't until 2005 that nasa engineer keith cowing and space entrepreneur dennis wingo were able to bring the materials and the technical know how together . when they learned through a usenet group that former nasa employee nancy evans might have both the tapes and the super-rare ampex fr-900 drives needed to read them , they jumped into action . they drove to los angeles , where the refrigerator-sized drives were being stored in a backyard shed surrounded by chickens . at the same time , they retrieved the tapes from a storage unit in nearby moorpark , and things gradually began to take shape . funding the project out of pocket at first , they were consumed with figuring out how to release the images trapped in the tapes . we 're both apollo babies , so the moon to us was something that 's unfinished business , ' says cowing . these tapes were sealed for history by somebody who cared , and it was astonishing the condition they were in . so we started buying used parts on ebay , radioshack -- i was sitting at a black-tie reception at one point buying something on my iphone . we just buy and reassemble these things bit by bit . ' the drives had to be rebuilt and in some cases completely re-engineered using instruction manuals or the advice of people who used to service them . the data they recovered then had to be demodulated and digitized , which added more layers of technical difficulties . the resulting framelets had to be individually reassembled in photoshop . after kluging through countless engineering problems ( try finding a chemical substitute for whale oil to lubricate tape heads ) , the loirp team was able to single out and reproduce the famous earthrise image . this proof of concept brought the first nasa funding in 2008 , and the team recently completed processing the entire tape collection . we 're the first people out of a generation or more to see this , ' says cowing . no human eye had ever seen this . all they saw was something that had already been through one generation of copying . we 're seeing something one order of magnitude more precise right on the screen . ' since the '60s , a series of earth and moon imaging satellites have launched , including the lunar reconnaissance orbiter in 2009 . despite the advances in computing power and optics , cowing says the terabytes of images recovered at loirp are often even more detailed than those taken by lro , capable of being blown up to billboard size without losing resolution . a lot of the images they 're taking today , our imagery from 1966 and'67 has sometimes greater resolution and greater dynamic range because of the way the pictures were taken . so sometimes you look into a shadow in a picture that lro 's taken , and you do n't see any detail -- with ours , you do . ' officially named building 596 , mcmoon 's flies a flag bearing the distinct skunkworks skull and crossbones , signaling the team 's hacker ethic . the seven or so people tinkering away inside maintain an open-source mentality about their work , making all images and their technological discoveries free to the public . they also have plans for a decommissioned titan icbm that 's sitting outside ( for students , of course ) . mcmoon 's has grown into a highly specialized operation , stuffed with a melange of old and new technology now put to use in decoding various nasa and library of congress tapes that no one knows what to do with . with a built-in ability to handle hazardous chemicals , the old mcdonald 's made practical sense , but it also gave them a layer of distance to carry out their weird work . i had a choice between the barbershop and this building -- we did n't really care what sort of building they gave us , we just did n't want to pay for it , ' cowing says . the surplus folks at nasa ames where all the old computers and stuff go , they love us because we come over and make all the old stuff work . the safety guys come by and we usually either make them our friends or bark at them and they do n't come back . ' the images gathered at loirp have been coerced into providing even more information than they were intended to . their data have been used to correct figures from the time about earth 's arctic ice levels , and have helped identify an el nino-type event in the '60s . all the images and the information gathered from them are being fed into the planetary data system , an official repository where mission data from lro , mars observer , climate orbiter , and many others are documented . started by the same nancy evans that provided the tape drives , the planetary data system did n't exist when the lunar orbiter pictures were initially taken . the images and information that loirp has recovered will be submitted as the official record of the original sattelite mission . it 's a testament to the lasting work of the engineers who designed the orbiter missions , and the tenacity of the modern techno archaeologists who are bringing that work to full fruition . back then things were designed , even if they failed , to still do something . today , most jet fighters would fall out of the sky if they did n't have computers adjusting their surfaces and their pattern thousands of times a second . back then they just had to engineer stuff elegantly so that it worked , ' he says . we feel that we 're completing the lunar orbiter 1 through 5 missions . they never formally submitted their stuff for the archives so we 're doing it . ' read more from wired : what exactly is in mcdonald 's famous french fries ? why you always seem to choose the slowest line people around the world pose with everything they eat in a day why does sleeping in just make me more tired ? 30 years after chernobyl 's meltdown , gripping photos expose the human fallout subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com .","the images were taken by the five lunar orbiter images between 1966 and 1967" +"isis isis has used videos of its shocking beheadings of western hostages to seize the world 's attention , threatening the united states and its allies . but the islamic militant group is also pushing its extremist views in a slick online magazine . the publication -- named dabiq ' after a town in northern syria that symbolizes a clash between islam and the west -- portrays u.s. president barack obama and sen. john mccain as crusaders ' who will bring about the complete collapse of the modern american empire . ' it also carries images evoking apocalyptic battles between the sunni extremist group 's fighters and the rest of the world -- including american soldiers enveloped in flames . by producing the magazine , isis is taking a leaf out of the book of its former ally al qaeda , which has praised and advocated terrorist attacks in its glossy publication , inspire . but experts say the two terrorist groups do n't appear to be aiming for the same goals through their propaganda . inspire focuses more on practical advice for terrorists planning attacks , publishing guides on how to make bombs and get them onto planes . dabiq is very different , ' seth jones , a security analyst at the rand corporation , told cnn . this is encouraging people to come , to recruit and to join the army in iraq and syria -- and fight . ''a global outreach strategy' isis has already been exploiting the brutal tactics it used to grab control of large areas of syria and iraq for publicity purposes . the publication of dabiq demonstrates that isis , which calls itself the islamic state , is looking not only to nearby areas for support , but is undertaking a global outreach strategy to recruit immigrants to build its state , ' the institute for the study of war said in a recent report . it noted the sophistication and production value of the magazine . ' isis has successfully recruited large numbers of foreign fighters from across the globe , including from the united states and western europe . a cia source told cnn last week that more than 15,000 foreign fighters , including 2,000 westerners , have gone to the civil war in syria . it was not immediately clear how many have joined isis and how many are with other groups opposed to the syrian government . the foreign fighters come from more than 80 countries , the cia source said . article on foley 's beheading dabiq carries plenty of violent images , apparently aimed at luring jihadists . it has photos of the mutilated bodies of muslims wounded and killed by western forces and their allies -- but also pictures of isis 's own victims . the final section of its most recent issue is dedicated to the beheading of american journalist james foley , the first of three western captives whose killings the group has publicized . the article defends his murder as retribution for western military campaigns in the middle east . the magazine shows that isis , which is also known as isil , is paying close attention to what 's being said about it in the west , featuring an in the words of the enemy ' section . in the first issue , it focuses on an article co-written by douglas ollivant , an iraq combat veteran and key adviser on the surge in u.s. troops there under former president george w. bush in 2007 . ollivant , who appears regularly on cnn , is also described as a crusader . ' he said he was perversely honored ' that the terrorists were reading his work , but was also aware he was being incorporated into their propaganda . ' we take them seriously , write about them seriously , and perversely they then twist this to their potential recruits and say'look , you know , american analysts take us seriously ,'' ollivant told cnn . feds : ny store owner plotted to send jihadists to syria , kill u.s. troops himself","images evoke apocalyptic battles between isis fighters and the rest of the world" +"obama isis has used videos of its shocking beheadings of western hostages to seize the world 's attention , threatening the united states and its allies . but the islamic militant group is also pushing its extremist views in a slick online magazine . the publication -- named dabiq ' after a town in northern syria that symbolizes a clash between islam and the west -- portrays u.s. president barack obama and sen. john mccain as crusaders ' who will bring about the complete collapse of the modern american empire . ' it also carries images evoking apocalyptic battles between the sunni extremist group 's fighters and the rest of the world -- including american soldiers enveloped in flames . by producing the magazine , isis is taking a leaf out of the book of its former ally al qaeda , which has praised and advocated terrorist attacks in its glossy publication , inspire . but experts say the two terrorist groups do n't appear to be aiming for the same goals through their propaganda . inspire focuses more on practical advice for terrorists planning attacks , publishing guides on how to make bombs and get them onto planes . dabiq is very different , ' seth jones , a security analyst at the rand corporation , told cnn . this is encouraging people to come , to recruit and to join the army in iraq and syria -- and fight . ''a global outreach strategy' isis has already been exploiting the brutal tactics it used to grab control of large areas of syria and iraq for publicity purposes . the publication of dabiq demonstrates that isis , which calls itself the islamic state , is looking not only to nearby areas for support , but is undertaking a global outreach strategy to recruit immigrants to build its state , ' the institute for the study of war said in a recent report . it noted the sophistication and production value of the magazine . ' isis has successfully recruited large numbers of foreign fighters from across the globe , including from the united states and western europe . a cia source told cnn last week that more than 15,000 foreign fighters , including 2,000 westerners , have gone to the civil war in syria . it was not immediately clear how many have joined isis and how many are with other groups opposed to the syrian government . the foreign fighters come from more than 80 countries , the cia source said . article on foley 's beheading dabiq carries plenty of violent images , apparently aimed at luring jihadists . it has photos of the mutilated bodies of muslims wounded and killed by western forces and their allies -- but also pictures of isis 's own victims . the final section of its most recent issue is dedicated to the beheading of american journalist james foley , the first of three western captives whose killings the group has publicized . the article defends his murder as retribution for western military campaigns in the middle east . the magazine shows that isis , which is also known as isil , is paying close attention to what 's being said about it in the west , featuring an in the words of the enemy ' section . in the first issue , it focuses on an article co-written by douglas ollivant , an iraq combat veteran and key adviser on the surge in u.s. troops there under former president george w. bush in 2007 . ollivant , who appears regularly on cnn , is also described as a crusader . ' he said he was perversely honored ' that the terrorists were reading his work , but was also aware he was being incorporated into their propaganda . ' we take them seriously , write about them seriously , and perversely they then twist this to their potential recruits and say'look , you know , american analysts take us seriously ,'' ollivant told cnn . feds : ny store owner plotted to send jihadists to syria , kill u.s. troops himself","named dabiq , ' the magazine calls obama and mccain crusaders '" +"malala yousufzai swat valley , pakistan ( cnn ) -- on october 9 , a pakistani schoolgirl who dared to speak out against the taliban took a bullet to the head for her act of defiance . now , as malala yousufzai lies in a hospital bed in birmingham , england , the shock and outrage among her countrymen have given way to a new sentiment : what will the government do about this ? while the pakistani news media debate how the country should respond to the attack , thousands of people nationwide have joined in rallies in support of the wounded 14-year-old . malala : global symbol , but still just a kid the shooting has prompted an unusually strong and united reaction of disgust and anger among many pakistanis , analysts say . there is a groundswell of sympathy for her and also a very strong demand for the pakistani state to do something about this issue , ' said raza rumi , director of policy and programs at the jinnah institute , a pakistani research organization . much of the discontent is directed toward the pakistani taliban , the extremist group that has claimed responsibility for the shooting and said it will seek to kill malala if she recovers from her injuries . this has created a very bad feeling for the taliban , ' said saleem khan , an executive with a paper manufacturing company in the city of lahore . khan said he was crying and weeping ' after hearing of the attack on malala , who had defied extremists in the northwestern swat valley by insisting on the right of girls to go to school . pakistani foreign minister hina rabbani khar , the first woman to hold that job , said sunday that she thinks the shooting marked a turning point ' in the ferocity of how pakistan goes after taliban offenders and extremist groups . pakistan , at the diplomatic , political and every level , has been asking ... to take this matter seriously , to not let them ( the taliban ) have a safe haven , ' she said . meanwhile , police in birmingham said two well-wishers ' were stopped when they came to the hospital overnight wanting to see the girl . no arrests were made , contrary to earlier reports from the hospital . hospital director dave rosser said the intruders were probably people being over-curious , ' but he added that the hospital is taking no chances and that tight security is in place . standing with malala : teen inspires others to fight for education at a rally organized by the powerful mqm political party in karachi , thousands of people gathered , some waving flags and banners with messages of support for malala . our prayers are with you , ' read one . another said , malala -- ( an ) attack on you is an attack on education and progress . ' social activist saman jafery said : if taliban is a mindset , then malala is a mindset , too . it 's a mindset of educated and empowered women . ' another of those at the rally , haider rizvi , said people do n't want the taliban anymore in pakistan , and after the malala incident , it is time for people to stand up . ' the message is right here ... all these people . they are condemning the act of the taliban , ' added student ashwar waqi . the taliban , who operate in northwestern pakistan along the border with afghanistan , have fallen foul of pakistani public opinion in the past , notably in 2009 , when a video emerged of the flogging of a teenage girl in the swat valley . the video provoked appalled reactions in pakistan at the time , but the scale of protests for malala are bigger , ' said the jinnah institute 's rumi . even the right-wing mainstream media have expressed outrage . ' the taliban became increasingly unpopular among pakistanis in 2009 as the military carried out an offensive against members of the group in northwestern areas . but the military operations failed to root them out altogether , and their continued influence in the region was demonstrated last week by the gun attack on malala and two other girls as they were being driven home from school . the two other girls were less severely wounded than malala . opinion : one girl 's courage in the face of taliban cowardice one of them , kainat ahmed , is being treated locally . she said she was so scared after the attack on the bus in which they traveled that she could n't sleep for two days . the 16-year-old girl is in the 10th grade . but despite the injury to her arm and the terror of the attack , ahmed said she does not regret studying and hopes to continue . girls'education here is more important than boys'because boys can have any jobs they want to but girls can not , ' she said . i want to tell all the girls to continue their mission to get an education . ' interior minister rehman malik , visiting the three girls'school in the town of mingora on tuesday , said the name would be changed from khushal public school ' to malala public high school . ' a task force will be established to protect all girls'schools in the region that are under threat of militants , he told reporters . i am not only grieved , the whole nation is grieved , ' he said . the hunt for those responsible has made considerable progress , ' malik added , although he gave few details of the investigation . authorities have forensic evidence , malik said . police chief gul afzal afridi of the swat district said that 60 suspects are being detained , interrogated or investigated . we have sufficient evidence to find the culprits , ' the chief said . soon we will catch them . ' politicians and commentators in pakistan have slammed the attack . but the condemnation of the taliban has not been as universal . everybody was angry that it happened , but not everybody was angry with the taliban , ' said tazeen javed , an islamabad-based communications consultant who writes for the express tribune newspaper . the cricket star-turned-politician imran khan , who visited malala in a hospital in peshawar last week , has drawn criticism for not condemning the taliban outright for the attack . khan showed a lot of concern but could n't resist bringing in the issue of the drone strikes as a cause for this attack , which was a bit of a deflection , ' said rumi , referring to the drone attacks carried out by the united states in northwestern pakistan that have generated resentment in the country . certain commentators have also begun to question the official version of events , suggesting that the attack on malala may be used as a pretext by the government for military action against the taliban in the restive tribal region of north waziristan . gordon brown : millions face malala 's fight ' the malala incident is the cia 's latest attempt to divide public opinion and incite conflict in pakistani society , ' haider mehdi , a contributor to the pakistani daily the nation , wrote in a column tuesday . as the controversy about the attack rages in pakistan , the doctors treating malala thousands of miles away said they are very pleased ' with her progress and optimistic that she will make a good recovery . however , she faces reconstructive surgery and there is still a long way to go , ' said rosser , of the queen elizabeth hospital in birmingham . her family is not yet in england to be by her bedside , but the pakistani high commissioner is making arrangements on that front , he said . in the meantime , the 14-year-old appears to be every bit as strong as we had been led to believe , ' rosser said , adding that the consultant leading her care is impressed by her resilience and her strength . ' reza sayah reported from swat valley and jethro mullen from hong kong . cnn 's laura smith-spark contributed to this report .","malala yousufzai is hospitalized in england a week after the taliban attack on her" +"syria ( cnn ) the new greek government has plenty of challenges ahead of it : a towering debt , chronic unemployment and relations with the rest of europe . but it also has an urgent security problem . greece has become an unwitting crossroads -- both for jihadists trying to reach iraq and syria from europe , and for fighters returning home from the middle east . greece 's long land and maritime boundaries , its proximity to turkey , the explosion of illegal migration from syria and the country 's dire financial situation make it an inviting hub for jihadist groups , according to multiple counterterrorism sources . one source close to the greek intelligence services told cnn there may be some 200 people in the country with links to jihadist groups such as the islamic state in iraq and syria ( isis ) or the al nusra front -- the two groups that most europeans join . leftist leader plans his next move after elections in greece among recent cases with a greek connection : -- belgian officials believe that abdelhamid abaaoud , a prominent belgian jihadist within isis , may have traveled from syria to greece and then communicated by phone with the terrorist cell recently broken up by belgian police . -- earlier this month , three young belgians were arrested at charleroi airport as they prepared to fly to greece . the belgian prosecutor 's office says they have been charged with participation in a terror group . -- on january 17 , greek police arrested a 33-year old algerian man whose extradition was sought by belgium in connection with last week 's raids . the man , who has not been named , has protested his innocence . -- last year , two french jihadists were arrested after using greek soil to return home . one was arrested after passing through italy . one was ibrahim boudina , a 23-year-old french national born in algiers . greek border guards had found in his possession a usb stick with instructions for how to make homemade bombs . europe faces'greatest terror threat ever' they did not detain him , but tipped off french investigators , who later found bomb-making equipment and devices in his apartment near cannes . boudina has denied terror charges and awaits trial . what 's unknown is how many jihadists are traveling individually -- in either direction -- and how many are using support networks . greece is not a target , just a gateway into europe and a stop on the fighters'return home , ' said the source close to greek intelligence . the large immigrant communities is greece , and particularly in athens , are in a position to provide jihadists and others associated with such groups with housing and generally help them remain anonymous , ' the source said . in 2011 , greek authorities detained nearly 50,000 illegal migrants from afghanistan and pakistan , according to police figures . one analyst who has studied jihadist travel patterns says there are indications that militants are setting up logistical , recruitment and financial cells in greece , in part to facilitate the travel of a growing number of would-be fighters traveling from kosovo and albania . isis has produced several propaganda videos featuring kosovars appealing to their countrymen to join them , and the kosovo authorities believe some 200 individuals have left to wage jihad in iraq and syria . but it 's not just the balkans that 's providing the travelers . we estimate that about 2,000 people have used greece in the last two years or so , mainly arriving by boat from italy , as a stop to an onward journey , ' the source close to the intelligence services told cnn . given the number of people who have left europe for syria and the middle east we do n't regard this number as very high . but there is a good chance that it is much greater than we know at this point , ' he added . coming in the other direction , the number of migrants trying to reach europe illegally has soared since syria 's implosion , especially by sea . many head to greece and italy on rust-buckets that trawl the turkish coast seeking out the desperate . john m. nomikos , director of the research institute for european and american studies in athens , says many migrants have their documents taken by human traffickers and then seek political asylum when they get to greece . nomikos says a few of those who arrive in greece subsequently marry greek women and receive greek id cards or passports , allowing them to travel through much of the european union . figures from the european union 's border agency , frontex , show that 270,000 people tried to enter europe illegally in 2014 -- with huge increases in the numbers setting off across the central and eastern mediterranean . whether isis or other groups are already exploiting this influx to infiltrate members into europe is one of the worrying unknowns to european officials . the greek interior ministry acknowledges it has little idea of the number of people living illegally in greece . nomikos and others say the greek authorities'ability to track asylum-seekers and would-be jihadists has been hard hit by six years of recession -- a time in which budgets have been cut and senior members of the intelligence communities have lost their jobs or retired early . combined with political appointments in the security services , and a lack of terrorism specialists , nomikos says this has led to a damaging expertise deficit ' at a time when threats are multiplying . it does n't help that greek police are preoccupied with the remnants of the far-left november 17 group that occasionally launches sabotage attacks and carries out assassinations . nomikos also says there is inadequate coordination between the national intelligence service , the police and other agencies -- and that greece badly needs help from the u.s. or european government to reform its security services . the country urgently needs a department of homeland security in order to coordinate the intelligence-sharing among the greek intelligence service ( nis-eyp ) , anti-terrorism squad intelligence unit ' as well as police , coastguard and military intelligence , nomikos says . the balkan states to the north of greece have become a major source of weapons to jihadist cells elsewhere in europe , and some analysts believe that militant groups in the middle east may also be tapping into this illicit arms bazaar . in november , albanian police arrested eight people in the town of shijak and seized guns and ammunition . prosecutors were quoted in albanian media as saying the weapons were destined for syria or iraq . in the wake of the paris attacks this month , federica mogherini , the european union 's foreign policy chief , promised better intelligence sharing across the eu and with affected arab states to tackle terrorism . an eu summit on february 12 will address the issue , to be followed by a similar gathering in washington the following week . whatever the syriza government 's disagreements with its partners on economic policy , it will likely welcome a more coordinated approach on a danger it is unable to confront alone . ioannis mantzikos is a researcher and consultant on islam in africa and terrorism issues based in athens . elinda labropoulou contributed to this report .","greece is close to turkey , has an influx of illegal migration from syria and is in a dire financial situation" +"ukraine ( cnn ) -- a controversial extra-time goal by william gallas saw france reach the world cup finals after a 1-1 home draw against the republic of ireland in paris on wednesday night . france were trailing 1-0 in the second leg , with the scores tied 1-1 on aggregate , when arsenal central defender gallas forced the ball home for the decisive goal . but tv replays showed that his former club teammate thierry henry had clearly handled the ball twice before passing to him to head home . irish goalkeeper shay given frantically gestured to the referee and damien duff was booked for his protests , but the goal stood and raymond domenech 's men eventually went through after surviving late pressure in the stade de france . robbie keane had given the republic a deserved first half lead as he scored after a fine cutback by duff . the pair both had chances in the second half to put the game out of france 's reach , but home keeper hugo lloris blocked duff 's effort after he was clean through and forced tottenham star keane wide from a similar position . cristiano ronaldo will be going to world cup after his portugal side won 1-0 in bosnia-herzegovina to claim it 2-0 on aggregate in their european playoff match in zenica . real madrid star ronaldo sat out both legs of the decider through injury , but despite his absence portugal qualified for the world cup for the third time in a row . raul meireles'second-half goal in the second leg gave them a comfortable victory in a tie deemed awkward after a slender victory in the first leg secured though a goal by bruno alves . a pass from nan found meireles , whose low shot found the net and sent the portuguese , who reached the semifinals in 2006 , through . slovenia upset russia to qualify for the world cup finals for only the second time with a 1-0 home win in maribor . slovenia trailed 2-1 from the first leg and go through on the away goals rule with the aggregate score tied 2-2 . striker zlatko dedic , who plays for bochum in the bundesliga , scored on the stroke of halftime . he reacted first to a valter birsa cross from the right to grab the crucial goal . guus hiddink 's men suffered a further setback when substitute striker alexander kerzhakov was shown the red card in the 68th minute . andrei arshavin set up substitute pavel pogrebnyak for a late chance as russia forced for an equalizer which would have put them through , but dedic should have scored a second for slovenia late on . 2004 european champions greece are also through as they beat ukraine 1-0 in donetsk with dimitrios salpigidis scoring the only goal for the visitors on the half hour mark . the panathinaikos striker beat the offside trap after a superb pass from celtic 's georgios samaras and slotted home . the teams played out a 0-0 draw on saturday in the first leg in athens . ukraine pressed desperately for an equalizer in the second half but to no avail .","greece stun ukraine in donetsk to reach south africa 1-0 on aggregate" +"bosnia-herzegovina ( cnn ) -- a controversial extra-time goal by william gallas saw france reach the world cup finals after a 1-1 home draw against the republic of ireland in paris on wednesday night . france were trailing 1-0 in the second leg , with the scores tied 1-1 on aggregate , when arsenal central defender gallas forced the ball home for the decisive goal . but tv replays showed that his former club teammate thierry henry had clearly handled the ball twice before passing to him to head home . irish goalkeeper shay given frantically gestured to the referee and damien duff was booked for his protests , but the goal stood and raymond domenech 's men eventually went through after surviving late pressure in the stade de france . robbie keane had given the republic a deserved first half lead as he scored after a fine cutback by duff . the pair both had chances in the second half to put the game out of france 's reach , but home keeper hugo lloris blocked duff 's effort after he was clean through and forced tottenham star keane wide from a similar position . cristiano ronaldo will be going to world cup after his portugal side won 1-0 in bosnia-herzegovina to claim it 2-0 on aggregate in their european playoff match in zenica . real madrid star ronaldo sat out both legs of the decider through injury , but despite his absence portugal qualified for the world cup for the third time in a row . raul meireles'second-half goal in the second leg gave them a comfortable victory in a tie deemed awkward after a slender victory in the first leg secured though a goal by bruno alves . a pass from nan found meireles , whose low shot found the net and sent the portuguese , who reached the semifinals in 2006 , through . slovenia upset russia to qualify for the world cup finals for only the second time with a 1-0 home win in maribor . slovenia trailed 2-1 from the first leg and go through on the away goals rule with the aggregate score tied 2-2 . striker zlatko dedic , who plays for bochum in the bundesliga , scored on the stroke of halftime . he reacted first to a valter birsa cross from the right to grab the crucial goal . guus hiddink 's men suffered a further setback when substitute striker alexander kerzhakov was shown the red card in the 68th minute . andrei arshavin set up substitute pavel pogrebnyak for a late chance as russia forced for an equalizer which would have put them through , but dedic should have scored a second for slovenia late on . 2004 european champions greece are also through as they beat ukraine 1-0 in donetsk with dimitrios salpigidis scoring the only goal for the visitors on the half hour mark . the panathinaikos striker beat the offside trap after a superb pass from celtic 's georgios samaras and slotted home . the teams played out a 0-0 draw on saturday in the first leg in athens . ukraine pressed desperately for an equalizer in the second half but to no avail .","portugal reach world cup finals with 1-0 win in bosnia-herzegovina" +"frenchman ( cnn ) -- gael monfils saved five match points before beating top seed roger federer 7-6 6-7 7-6 to reach the final of the paris masters on saturday . the home hero will play robin soderling for the title after the swede beat another frenchman , michael llodra , in an earlier pulsating encounter at the bercy arena . it was truly the great escape for 12th seed monfils , who was on the ropes as he served at 5-6 down in the deciding set , having broken back after dropping his service for the first time . the opening two sets were shared on tiebreaks . 16-time grand slam champion federer proceeded to force a succession of match points , all saved by a mixture of dogged defense by his french opponent or uncustomary errors by the world number two . the partisan crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when monfils finally forced the third tiebreak of the match and claimed an early mini-break . federer retrieved the loss but uncharacteristic forehand errors saw him fall behind again and when monfils was presented with his first match point he seized it . he will now hope to go one better than 2009 when he was beaten in the final by novak djokovic . i went to the limits of myself , ' monfils admitted after his first career victory over federer . i feel better and better as the tournament goes on . i ran out of juice a little bit at the start of the third set but the fans were there , they pushed me and i kept believing . ' earlier , world number five robin soderling had to save three match points before ending the fairytale run of llodra . he won 6-7 7-5 7-6 to reach his first atp world tour masters 1000 final , but came under massive pressure in the 12th game of the third set . like monfils , soderling staved off defeat to force a deciding tiebreak and secured victory on his second match point after two hours and 49 minutes of gripping action . today it was a great match . it was n't maybe pretty , but i 'm here as a winner , ' soderling told the official atp tour website . llodra , who came back from a break down in the deciding set to set up his victory chances , had defeated defending champion djokovic and nikolay davydenko on his way to his first masters semifinal .","soderling saves three match points to end hopes of frenchman michael llodra" +"michael llodra ( cnn ) -- gael monfils saved five match points before beating top seed roger federer 7-6 6-7 7-6 to reach the final of the paris masters on saturday . the home hero will play robin soderling for the title after the swede beat another frenchman , michael llodra , in an earlier pulsating encounter at the bercy arena . it was truly the great escape for 12th seed monfils , who was on the ropes as he served at 5-6 down in the deciding set , having broken back after dropping his service for the first time . the opening two sets were shared on tiebreaks . 16-time grand slam champion federer proceeded to force a succession of match points , all saved by a mixture of dogged defense by his french opponent or uncustomary errors by the world number two . the partisan crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when monfils finally forced the third tiebreak of the match and claimed an early mini-break . federer retrieved the loss but uncharacteristic forehand errors saw him fall behind again and when monfils was presented with his first match point he seized it . he will now hope to go one better than 2009 when he was beaten in the final by novak djokovic . i went to the limits of myself , ' monfils admitted after his first career victory over federer . i feel better and better as the tournament goes on . i ran out of juice a little bit at the start of the third set but the fans were there , they pushed me and i kept believing . ' earlier , world number five robin soderling had to save three match points before ending the fairytale run of llodra . he won 6-7 7-5 7-6 to reach his first atp world tour masters 1000 final , but came under massive pressure in the 12th game of the third set . like monfils , soderling staved off defeat to force a deciding tiebreak and secured victory on his second match point after two hours and 49 minutes of gripping action . today it was a great match . it was n't maybe pretty , but i 'm here as a winner , ' soderling told the official atp tour website . llodra , who came back from a break down in the deciding set to set up his victory chances , had defeated defending champion djokovic and nikolay davydenko on his way to his first masters semifinal .","soderling saves three match points to end hopes of frenchman michael llodra" +"monfils ( cnn ) -- gael monfils saved five match points before beating top seed roger federer 7-6 6-7 7-6 to reach the final of the paris masters on saturday . the home hero will play robin soderling for the title after the swede beat another frenchman , michael llodra , in an earlier pulsating encounter at the bercy arena . it was truly the great escape for 12th seed monfils , who was on the ropes as he served at 5-6 down in the deciding set , having broken back after dropping his service for the first time . the opening two sets were shared on tiebreaks . 16-time grand slam champion federer proceeded to force a succession of match points , all saved by a mixture of dogged defense by his french opponent or uncustomary errors by the world number two . the partisan crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when monfils finally forced the third tiebreak of the match and claimed an early mini-break . federer retrieved the loss but uncharacteristic forehand errors saw him fall behind again and when monfils was presented with his first match point he seized it . he will now hope to go one better than 2009 when he was beaten in the final by novak djokovic . i went to the limits of myself , ' monfils admitted after his first career victory over federer . i feel better and better as the tournament goes on . i ran out of juice a little bit at the start of the third set but the fans were there , they pushed me and i kept believing . ' earlier , world number five robin soderling had to save three match points before ending the fairytale run of llodra . he won 6-7 7-5 7-6 to reach his first atp world tour masters 1000 final , but came under massive pressure in the 12th game of the third set . like monfils , soderling staved off defeat to force a deciding tiebreak and secured victory on his second match point after two hours and 49 minutes of gripping action . today it was a great match . it was n't maybe pretty , but i 'm here as a winner , ' soderling told the official atp tour website . llodra , who came back from a break down in the deciding set to set up his victory chances , had defeated defending champion djokovic and nikolay davydenko on his way to his first masters semifinal .","monfils saves five match points before beating top seed roger federer" +"monfils ( cnn ) -- gael monfils saved five match points before beating top seed roger federer 7-6 6-7 7-6 to reach the final of the paris masters on saturday . the home hero will play robin soderling for the title after the swede beat another frenchman , michael llodra , in an earlier pulsating encounter at the bercy arena . it was truly the great escape for 12th seed monfils , who was on the ropes as he served at 5-6 down in the deciding set , having broken back after dropping his service for the first time . the opening two sets were shared on tiebreaks . 16-time grand slam champion federer proceeded to force a succession of match points , all saved by a mixture of dogged defense by his french opponent or uncustomary errors by the world number two . the partisan crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when monfils finally forced the third tiebreak of the match and claimed an early mini-break . federer retrieved the loss but uncharacteristic forehand errors saw him fall behind again and when monfils was presented with his first match point he seized it . he will now hope to go one better than 2009 when he was beaten in the final by novak djokovic . i went to the limits of myself , ' monfils admitted after his first career victory over federer . i feel better and better as the tournament goes on . i ran out of juice a little bit at the start of the third set but the fans were there , they pushed me and i kept believing . ' earlier , world number five robin soderling had to save three match points before ending the fairytale run of llodra . he won 6-7 7-5 7-6 to reach his first atp world tour masters 1000 final , but came under massive pressure in the 12th game of the third set . like monfils , soderling staved off defeat to force a deciding tiebreak and secured victory on his second match point after two hours and 49 minutes of gripping action . today it was a great match . it was n't maybe pretty , but i 'm here as a winner , ' soderling told the official atp tour website . llodra , who came back from a break down in the deciding set to set up his victory chances , had defeated defending champion djokovic and nikolay davydenko on his way to his first masters semifinal .","gael monfils to play robin soderling in the final of the paris masters" +"b-max barcelona , spain ( cnn ) -- not content with revolutionizing smart phones , mobile apps now appear to be in the driving seat of the auto industry as manufacturers increasingly surrender control of their vehicles to technology . signs of the increasing dominance of the app came on monday with ford 's decision to launch its newest b-max compact at mobile world congress -- a phone industry gathering in barcelona -- rather than a motor show . read more : powerful camera phone unveiled bill ford , the u.s. auto giant 's executive chairman , told cnn his company chose the event to debut its tech-filled car as a statement of its intention to work with app developers in shaping the vehicles of the future . the b-max is the first car in europe to feature sync , a voice-recognition system developed by ford and already available in some u.s. cars . the system links audio , phone and gps systems and will also call emergency services in the event of a crash . the increasing dependence of vehicles on computers has raised concerns that manufacturers are trading technology for safety , exposing drivers to hazardous distractions and malicious hackers . but ford , the great grandson of henry ford , insisted sync would allow drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the steering wheel , ' and said his company was working with app makers to further improve security . today , often , drivers are looking down and we know that they 're playing with their cell phone and texting and we want to stop all that , ' he told cnn . we want them to be looking at the road with their hands on the wheel , and our tech is allowing them to do that , knowing they also want to be connected . ' ford said his firm 's current crop of hi-tech cars were capable of utilizing offboard cloud computing ' to expand their abilities , performing tasks like directing drivers to the nearest coffee shops , checking their health and keeping tabs on their daily diary . he acknowledged this raised the prospect of potential breaches that could put valuable personal data in the hands of criminals but said the technology was currently being rolled out on an opt-in , opt-out ' basis . the carmaker said the b-max would eventually run its applink system , which will add control of smartphone apps to voice-operated commands . among currently available apps are programs that read out twitter updates and pick and choose radio stations . more functions will follow as it partners with app developers , the company said in a statement . ford aims to deliver voice-control compatibility with apps for a wide range of services , and is now actively seeking to partner with app developers on future opportunities , ' it said in a statement . ford hopes the b-max , which goes on sale in europe later this year , will help expand its current 4 million u.s. sync users to 13 million worldwide by 2015 . it says the car should appeal to drivers previously priced out of the hi-tech market . the all-new b-max is going to be a game-changer in the european compact family vehicle segment . no other vehicle in its class offers such an attractive combination of style , versatility and technology , ' ford europe 's chairman and ceo stephen odell said in a statement . we think it will be among the most technologically advanced small cars you can buy at any price . ' barry neild contributed to this story from london .","b-max features ford 's latest voice-activated technology" +"pistorius ( cnn ) -- the trial of olympic sprinter oscar pistorius , charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp , will begin in march 2014 , his attorney kenny oldwage told cnn on sunday . the first phase will take place in march , but the entire trial could take place at various times across a year or more due to potential motions and postponements along the way . pistorius will be served with an indictment monday following the completion of the investigation . it 's the day that would have been steenkamp 's 30th birthday . pistorius is charged with premeditated murder over the february shooting death . the double amputee track star killed the woman he calls the love of his life on valentine 's day in his home . he says he mistook her for a home invader . the police investigation team is convinced that the accused has a charge to answer , ' a police statement said . the athlete 's family said in june that he would resume running using his blade-shaped prosthetic legs . pistorius has started sprinting again for the sake of his emotional health , not for training to compete again , the family said . steenkamp 's uncle : i forgive oscar pistorious","pistorius will appear in court monday to be served with indictment" +"pistorius ( cnn ) -- the trial of olympic sprinter oscar pistorius , charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp , will begin in march 2014 , his attorney kenny oldwage told cnn on sunday . the first phase will take place in march , but the entire trial could take place at various times across a year or more due to potential motions and postponements along the way . pistorius will be served with an indictment monday following the completion of the investigation . it 's the day that would have been steenkamp 's 30th birthday . pistorius is charged with premeditated murder over the february shooting death . the double amputee track star killed the woman he calls the love of his life on valentine 's day in his home . he says he mistook her for a home invader . the police investigation team is convinced that the accused has a charge to answer , ' a police statement said . the athlete 's family said in june that he would resume running using his blade-shaped prosthetic legs . pistorius has started sprinting again for the sake of his emotional health , not for training to compete again , the family said . steenkamp 's uncle : i forgive oscar pistorious","the trial of olympic sprinter oscar pistorius will begin in march 2014 , his attorney says" +"pistorius ( cnn ) -- the trial of olympic sprinter oscar pistorius , charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp , will begin in march 2014 , his attorney kenny oldwage told cnn on sunday . the first phase will take place in march , but the entire trial could take place at various times across a year or more due to potential motions and postponements along the way . pistorius will be served with an indictment monday following the completion of the investigation . it 's the day that would have been steenkamp 's 30th birthday . pistorius is charged with premeditated murder over the february shooting death . the double amputee track star killed the woman he calls the love of his life on valentine 's day in his home . he says he mistook her for a home invader . the police investigation team is convinced that the accused has a charge to answer , ' a police statement said . the athlete 's family said in june that he would resume running using his blade-shaped prosthetic legs . pistorius has started sprinting again for the sake of his emotional health , not for training to compete again , the family said . steenkamp 's uncle : i forgive oscar pistorious","pistorius says he mistook her for a home invader when he shot her in february" +"china ( cnn ) -- it 's crazy golf on an insane scale -- a putting green swimming in a giant bowl of noodles and chopsticks , the great wall of china for a hazard , a fairway threading through mayan ruins and a panda-themed hole . china is getting into golf in a big way ahead of the sport 's reintroduction to the olympics in 2016 , and even its take on the mini version of the game is larger than life . traditionalists will probably hate it , ' says design guru brian curley , principal partner in schmidt-curley , the company behind the 22 courses that make up the mission hills complex in hainan island . but this is real golf , with real clubs on real fairways , ' he told cnn . just about everyone has tried their hand at crazy or mini-golf , a scale-down variant of the game which has the ability to delight and infuriate in equal measure . usually situated at seaside resorts or other leisure locations , the prerequisites for success are a modicum of actual golfing skill , the ability to putt in a straight line or at unlikely angles off prominent obstacles -- and a large slice of luck . president barack obama , who takes every opportunity to hit the fairways when not leading the western world , even tried his hand at crazy golf while on holiday with his family in florida in 2010 . making a par on his opening hole , he then had to watch as his nine-year-old daugher sasha made a hole in one , besting her dad in front of the gathered ranks of the world 's media . obama might well be tempted to put his handicap on the line at the ground-breaking new course being constructed at curley 's mission hills haikou development . combining the wacky elements of mini-golf with the grown-up ' version of the game , the proposed 18-hole layout would leave little chance of aces by nine-year-olds -- but still plenty of chances of humiliation for the average golfer . fantasy golf mindful of the impression that there is a sameness ' to the courses being churned out in their droves in the fastest expanding golf market in the world , curley and his team wanted to come up with something that he felt would appeal to the wider chinese public and other visitors to the resort . so instead of bunkers , rough and trees , the players will be faced with a replica of the great wall of china winding its way the length of a 400-meter par four hole . it also has a hole to rival the infamous island green ' seen at tpc sawgrass in florida , home of the the u.s. pga tour 's players championship . that tricky 17th sees the best in the world attempt to hit their ball onto a tiny green surrounded by water , and spectators delight in seeing the likes of tiger woods find the lake . at mission hills'new course , set to open in 2014 , the water is replaced by an 80-meter wide noodle bowl with 50-meter giant chopsticks . standing on the tee , players will not know whether to laugh or cry , and the degree of difficulty may not end there . tiger woods eyes long rivalry with mcilroy wind machine curley is promising the addition of man made ' gale force winds on each tee , adjustable depending on the standards of the players and available by hitting a red button . there is a par-5 threading its way through mayan ruins , while another green is created in the image of the birds nest ' olympic stadium in beijing . another hole is styled after china 's favorite animal , the panda bear . on a conventional golf course , the degree of difficulty is often dictated by which tee the player chooses to play from . leading professionals play from the tees furthest from the hole , while higher handicappers can opt to hit their first shot from much closer . on the chinese fantasy course , one of the par-3s will give golfers the choice of hitting their ball onto a tiny green surrounded by lava rocks . in true mini-golf fashion , the other easier option at the volcano theme hole will let players hit towards a mound from which the ball will be whisked nearer the hole down a pipe . curley and his team needed the permission of the owners of the complex before committing to the costly project , but mission hills'chairman dr. ken chu is an enthusiastic backer . this will be a fun alternative for families , novices and children on holiday , ' he was quoted in the asian edition of golf course industry international . only time will tell if chu 's faith in the project proves founded , but the mission hills group has already established itself as a host venue of leading professional tournaments . last year the hainan island development staged the world cup teams event for the first time , taking over from the mission hills complex at shenzhen . this year shenzhen was the venue of the prestigious hsbc-world golf championship event , won by englishman ian poulter . the ryder cup hero conquered the conventional bunker-bound olazabal course in 21 under par , but knowing poulter 's reputation as a golfing trendsetter , he will probably be itching to test his mettle on curley 's new wacky creation at the first opportunity . schwartzel triumphs at alfred dunhill","designers believe it could spark a new trend in china and wider market" +"china ( cnn ) -- it 's crazy golf on an insane scale -- a putting green swimming in a giant bowl of noodles and chopsticks , the great wall of china for a hazard , a fairway threading through mayan ruins and a panda-themed hole . china is getting into golf in a big way ahead of the sport 's reintroduction to the olympics in 2016 , and even its take on the mini version of the game is larger than life . traditionalists will probably hate it , ' says design guru brian curley , principal partner in schmidt-curley , the company behind the 22 courses that make up the mission hills complex in hainan island . but this is real golf , with real clubs on real fairways , ' he told cnn . just about everyone has tried their hand at crazy or mini-golf , a scale-down variant of the game which has the ability to delight and infuriate in equal measure . usually situated at seaside resorts or other leisure locations , the prerequisites for success are a modicum of actual golfing skill , the ability to putt in a straight line or at unlikely angles off prominent obstacles -- and a large slice of luck . president barack obama , who takes every opportunity to hit the fairways when not leading the western world , even tried his hand at crazy golf while on holiday with his family in florida in 2010 . making a par on his opening hole , he then had to watch as his nine-year-old daugher sasha made a hole in one , besting her dad in front of the gathered ranks of the world 's media . obama might well be tempted to put his handicap on the line at the ground-breaking new course being constructed at curley 's mission hills haikou development . combining the wacky elements of mini-golf with the grown-up ' version of the game , the proposed 18-hole layout would leave little chance of aces by nine-year-olds -- but still plenty of chances of humiliation for the average golfer . fantasy golf mindful of the impression that there is a sameness ' to the courses being churned out in their droves in the fastest expanding golf market in the world , curley and his team wanted to come up with something that he felt would appeal to the wider chinese public and other visitors to the resort . so instead of bunkers , rough and trees , the players will be faced with a replica of the great wall of china winding its way the length of a 400-meter par four hole . it also has a hole to rival the infamous island green ' seen at tpc sawgrass in florida , home of the the u.s. pga tour 's players championship . that tricky 17th sees the best in the world attempt to hit their ball onto a tiny green surrounded by water , and spectators delight in seeing the likes of tiger woods find the lake . at mission hills'new course , set to open in 2014 , the water is replaced by an 80-meter wide noodle bowl with 50-meter giant chopsticks . standing on the tee , players will not know whether to laugh or cry , and the degree of difficulty may not end there . tiger woods eyes long rivalry with mcilroy wind machine curley is promising the addition of man made ' gale force winds on each tee , adjustable depending on the standards of the players and available by hitting a red button . there is a par-5 threading its way through mayan ruins , while another green is created in the image of the birds nest ' olympic stadium in beijing . another hole is styled after china 's favorite animal , the panda bear . on a conventional golf course , the degree of difficulty is often dictated by which tee the player chooses to play from . leading professionals play from the tees furthest from the hole , while higher handicappers can opt to hit their first shot from much closer . on the chinese fantasy course , one of the par-3s will give golfers the choice of hitting their ball onto a tiny green surrounded by lava rocks . in true mini-golf fashion , the other easier option at the volcano theme hole will let players hit towards a mound from which the ball will be whisked nearer the hole down a pipe . curley and his team needed the permission of the owners of the complex before committing to the costly project , but mission hills'chairman dr. ken chu is an enthusiastic backer . this will be a fun alternative for families , novices and children on holiday , ' he was quoted in the asian edition of golf course industry international . only time will tell if chu 's faith in the project proves founded , but the mission hills group has already established itself as a host venue of leading professional tournaments . last year the hainan island development staged the world cup teams event for the first time , taking over from the mission hills complex at shenzhen . this year shenzhen was the venue of the prestigious hsbc-world golf championship event , won by englishman ian poulter . the ryder cup hero conquered the conventional bunker-bound olazabal course in 21 under par , but knowing poulter 's reputation as a golfing trendsetter , he will probably be itching to test his mettle on curley 's new wacky creation at the first opportunity . schwartzel triumphs at alfred dunhill","ground-breaking new golf course under construction at mission hills in china" +"fernando torres ( cnn ) -- park ji-sung headed a second half winner as manchester united beat bitter rivals liverpool 2-1 to reclaim top spot in the english premier league on sunday . spanish international striker fernando torres gave liverpool a shock fifth-minute lead at old trafford , but wayne rooney quickly equalized from the penalty spot . the goal came in controversial circumstances with javier mascherano 's foul on antonio valencia appearing to start outside the area . rooney 's initial spotkick was saved by pepe reina , but the england striker continued his rich scoring vein by hitting home the rebound in the 12th minute . in a second half of few openings , south korean star park dived to power home the winner on the hour mark from man of the match darren fletcher 's superb cross . torres , who had started and finished the move to put liverpool ahead , fluffed a great chance to equalize in the the last minute , but his shot ballooned high and yossi benayoun could only head it straight at edwin van der sar . the win takes united two points clear of arsenal on 69 points after 31 games . third-placed chelsea were later held to a 1-1 draw at blackburn to be four points adrift , but with a game in hand . it was another setback for chelsea , who were knocked out of the champions league by inter milan in midweek . didier drogba gave carlo ancelotti 's men an early lead at ewood park as he neatly converted nicolas anelka 's cross , but they were unable to press home their advantage . el-hadji diouf equalized for the home side in the 70th minute when he rose above paulo ferreira to cleverly direct michel salgado 's cross past petr cech . fletcher claimed their earlier victory over liverpool , who are battling with tottenham , manchester city and aston villa for the final champions league spot , had put the pressure on chelsea . the team that puts the most consistent run to the end of the season will probably be the champions , ' fletcher told sky sports . united 's city rivals manchester city also enjoyed a crucial 2-1 win on sunday as they beat fulham at craven cotage . fulham were feeling the effects of their famous win over juventus in midweek and fell behind to first half goals from roque santa cruz and carlos tevez , who starred for the visitors . fulham captain danny murphy pulled one back from the spot in the 75th minute but they could not force an equalizer . city move above liverpool into fifth place , two points adrift of fourth-placed tottenham , but with a game in hand .","fernando torres puts liverpool ahead with wayne rooney leveling from spot" +"movie 43 ( ew.com ) -- this weekend , hansel and gretel : witch hunters ' hunted down the no . 1 spot at the box office with $ 19 million from 3,372 theaters . although hansel and gretel ' can hardly be called a fairy-tale success at this point , it proved far more bewitching than fellow newcomers parker ' and movie 43 , ' which were left with only bread crumbs in their sad debut frame . paramount and mgm spent $ 50 million to produce hansel and gretel , ' which was shot in 2011 and originally scheduled to be released in march 2012 . distributor paramount moved the film 's release to this month to capitalize on star jeremy renner , whom the studio hoped would blossom into a true box-office draw following the avengers ' and the bourne legacy . ' ( it also seems likely that hansel and gretel ' got placed in january due to its poor quality — january tends to be a dumping ground for studios'stinkers . ) whether or not renner had anything to do with it , the date change proved at least somewhat effective — hansel and gretel ' outgrossed the last supernatural fantasy with hunter in the title , abraham lincoln : vampire hunter , ' which staked a weak $ 16.3 million in its debut frame . 3-d showings of hansel and gretel ' accounted for 55 percent of its weekend gross , while imax made up 11 percent of the total . due to its r rating , the grimm tale played primarily to older audiences — 57 percent of crowds were above the age of 25 , and 55 percent were male . audiences issued the film a lukewarm b ' cinemascore grade , so it seems unlikely that hansel and gretel will achieve strong word of mouth . fortunately for paramount ( the studio suffered a rough winter with jack reacher , the guilt trip , cirque du soleil : worlds away , and rise of the guardians — which passed $ 100 million this weekend ) , the film has already earned $ 35.8 million from international territories representing about 40 percent of the overseas market . last weekend 's box office champ , mama , dropped 55 percent into second place with $ 12.9 million . with $ 48.7 million after 10 days , universal 's $ 15 million horror entry has officially surpassed gangster squad as 2013′s highest grossing release . of course , that will change faster than you could say iron man 3 , ' but it 's an impressive performance nonetheless .'downton abbey': big season 4 spoiler ! two oscar contenders finished in third and fourth place with almost identical weekend grosses — not to mention almost identical totals . silver linings playbook ' dropped by an incredibly small 7 percent in its 11th weekend to $ 10 million . weinstein 's $ 21 million drama continues to benefit from great word of mouth . and with $ 69.5 million so far and another month until the oscars still to go , director david o. russell 's playbook is on track to finish above $ 100 million . zero dark thirty , ' meanwhile , fell by a steeper 38 percent to $ 9.8 million and $ 69.9 million total in its sixth weekend . the $ 40 million sony drama will need to notch better holds if it wants to join fellow best picture nominees argo , lincoln , django unchained , les miserables , and life of pi in the $ 100 million club . norah jones to do'ted'song at oscars jason statham 's annual action misfire parker ' lived up to its low expectations , finishing in fifth place with $ 7 million from 2,224 theaters . filmdistrict 's shoot-em-up , whose budget was in the $ 35 million range , did n't get any boost from costar jennifer lopez , who proved unable to attract viewers outside her go-to rom-com genre . parker opened short of statham 's last three leading efforts , safe ( $ 7.9 million debut ) , killer elite , ( $ 9.3 million ) , and the mechanic ( $ 11.4 million ) , and it will likely finish below $ 20 million domestically . between parker , the last stand , broken city , and gangster squad , january has been a difficult month for non-fantasy gun-driven violence . but at least audiences enjoyed parker — it earned a b+ ' cinemascore grade . 1 . hansel and gretel : witch hunters -- $ 19.0 million 2 . mama -- $ 12.9 million 3 . silver linings playbook -- $ 10.0 million 4 . zero dark thirty -- $ 9.8 million 5 . parker -- $ 7.0 million 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 ."," parker ' and movie 43 ' were left with only bread crumbs in their sad debut frame" +"australian ( cnn ) -- world champion sebastian vettel began his 2011 formula one defense in emphatic style on sunday , leading the season-opening australian grand prix in melbourne from start to finish . mclaren 's 2008 world champion lewis hamilton did well to finish second after damaging his car on the first corner while lotus renault 's russian driver vitaly petrov achieved his first podium finish by claiming an impressive third place . fernando alonso finished fourth for ferrari , with mark webber in his red bull in fifth place . jenson button came sixth in his mclaren . formula one teams , drivers and circuits sauber pair sergio perez and kamui kobayashi finished a creditable seventh and eighth respectively , but they were later disqualified by race stewards for technical infringements to do with their rear wings . this meant ferrari 's felipe massa moved up to seventh place with the toro rosso of sebastien buemi taking eighth place . the 23-year-old vettel , who was claiming his 11th victory in just his 63rd grand prix , told the official formula one website : i 'm very pleased , it was a very good weekend and i had a very nice car to sit in this afternoon . it was a good race and towards the end things calmed down a bit as lewis did n't push as hard . ' the german continued : the start was crucial and being on the clean side i had a very good getaway . we learned a lot of things today and it feels good coming here after a long winter and setting the pace . ' hamilton was satisfied with his runner-up spot , saying : we can take this and be very proud of ourselves . a week or two ago we were n't expecting to be in the top five , so to come to second is a great achievement . ' meanwhile , a stunned petrov told the after-race press conference : to be honest i ca n't believe i 'm sitting with these guys . we did n't know where we were coming into the season , but in practice and qualifying we were good . in the race the team did everything perfectly . we can be very proud of what we have achieved today . ' however , it proved a disastrous day for the mercedes pair of michael schumacher and nico rosberg , who had both retired by the 22nd lap of the race .","reigning champion sebastian vettel wins season-opening australian gp in melbourne" +"sauber ( cnn ) -- world champion sebastian vettel began his 2011 formula one defense in emphatic style on sunday , leading the season-opening australian grand prix in melbourne from start to finish . mclaren 's 2008 world champion lewis hamilton did well to finish second after damaging his car on the first corner while lotus renault 's russian driver vitaly petrov achieved his first podium finish by claiming an impressive third place . fernando alonso finished fourth for ferrari , with mark webber in his red bull in fifth place . jenson button came sixth in his mclaren . formula one teams , drivers and circuits sauber pair sergio perez and kamui kobayashi finished a creditable seventh and eighth respectively , but they were later disqualified by race stewards for technical infringements to do with their rear wings . this meant ferrari 's felipe massa moved up to seventh place with the toro rosso of sebastien buemi taking eighth place . the 23-year-old vettel , who was claiming his 11th victory in just his 63rd grand prix , told the official formula one website : i 'm very pleased , it was a very good weekend and i had a very nice car to sit in this afternoon . it was a good race and towards the end things calmed down a bit as lewis did n't push as hard . ' the german continued : the start was crucial and being on the clean side i had a very good getaway . we learned a lot of things today and it feels good coming here after a long winter and setting the pace . ' hamilton was satisfied with his runner-up spot , saying : we can take this and be very proud of ourselves . a week or two ago we were n't expecting to be in the top five , so to come to second is a great achievement . ' meanwhile , a stunned petrov told the after-race press conference : to be honest i ca n't believe i 'm sitting with these guys . we did n't know where we were coming into the season , but in practice and qualifying we were good . in the race the team did everything perfectly . we can be very proud of what we have achieved today . ' however , it proved a disastrous day for the mercedes pair of michael schumacher and nico rosberg , who had both retired by the 22nd lap of the race .","sauber pair sergio perez and kamui kobayashi disqualified from seventh and eighth" +"afghan ( cnn ) mullah mohammed omar is still the leader ' of the taliban 's self-declared islamic emirate of afghanistan . that appears to be the primary message of a biography , just published by the taliban , of the reclusive militant who is credited with founding the group in the early 1990s . the taliban 's cultural commission ' released the 11-page document in several different translations on the movement 's website , ostensibly to commemorate the 19th anniversary of an april 4 , 1996 , meeting in afghanistan 's kandahar province when an assembly of afghans swore allegiance to omar . several afghan observers say the biography is aimed at dispelling rumors of omar 's demise . there have been a lot of rumors lately about him . some people are saying that he is not alive , ' said sayyed muhammad akbar agha , a former taliban insider who has written an autobiography about his days with the movement . i think the taliban thought it was an important time to release his biography to give assurances that he is alive and present , ' agha told cnn in a telephone interview . bergen : why u.s. must stay in afghanistan past 2016 the biography also appears to be an attempt to remind the world of the afghan 's jihadi leadership credentials , at a time when isis leader abu bakr al-baghdadi has declared himself caliph ' of the world 's muslims . the taliban has a huge leadership problem at a critical political moment , ' said graeme smith , a kabul-based analyst for the international crisis group . another caliph has announced himself to the world , and the taliban has been silent . and that is getting noticed by militants across south asia . ' omar was famously camera-shy during the taliban 's six-year rule over most of afghanistan . to this day , there are only a handful of photographs of the one-eyed leader . he never was actively involved in any of these propaganda campaigns . no publicity . no interviews . he never used the internet , ' said rahimullah yusufzai , a pakistani journalist and expert on afghanistan who once interviewed osama bin laden . omar then all but disappeared after a u.s.-led bombing campaign routed the taliban from kabul in 2001 . washington has offered a $ 10 million reward for his capture . the taliban have released written statements purportedly made by the leader-in-hiding . but years without any video or audio recordings of the fugitive have led to growing speculation that omar may have died . the biography challenges rumors of omar 's death by offering a description of his daily work schedule , which begins with prayers , study of the quran , and then delivering orders in a specific way to his jihadi commanders . ' the publication also seeks to fill in some of the gaps about the militant 's early years , including the detail that his preferred weapon of choice ' was the rpg-7 , a rocket-propelled grenade . according to the biography , omar was born in 1960 in a village called chah-i-himmat in afghanistan 's kandahar province . his father , a well-known and respected erudite and social figure , ' died only five years later , apparently of natural causes . omar studied at a religious school , or madrassa , run by his uncle . the rise of the communist party in afghanistan , and the subsequent 1979 soviet invasion , interrupted the young man 's studies and propelled him into the arms of the armed afghan opposition known as the mujahedeen . for the next decade , omar commanded rebel groups against the invading russians and their internal communist puppets , ' according to the biography . along the way , he was wounded a number of times and was blinded in his right eye . in one battle , the biography claims , omar and a fighter named mullah biradar akhund destroyed four soviet tanks , even though they were armed with only four rpg rounds . the taliban biography makes no mention of the fact that the u.s. , allied with saudi arabia and pakistan , helped arm and bankroll the mujahedeen until the soviet army withdrew in defeat in 1989 . afghan historians have documented the rapid rise of the taliban in the chaotic years after the communist government in kabul collapsed in 1992 . the movement of warriors who identified themselves as religious scholars emerged to bring order to a country being ripped apart by rival mujahedeen warlords who battled one another for power . the taliban biography says that omar and his compatriots launched their struggle and fight against corruption and anarchy ' after an initial meeting in kandahar in june 1994 . two years later , the taliban captured kabul and began imposing its austere interpretation of islamic law on the rest of the country . while the document denounces the taliban 's post-9/11 overthrow at the hands of a u.s.-backed coalition of rival afghan fighters , it makes no mention of the taliban 's alliance with bin laden and al qaeda . during a decade in exile , the saudi-born bin laden continued to release periodic video and audio statements until he was killed by u.s. raid on his hideout in the pakistani city of abbottabad in 2011 . though taliban militants have continued to battle the u.s.-backed government across afghanistan , omar has not been seen or heard from in years . the movement claims he continues to oversee a taliban leadership council , judiciary and nine executive commissions , as well as military commanders who operate in all 34 provinces of afghanistan . exclusive : isis'recruits afghans'in chilling video cnn 's masoud popalzai contributed to this report from kabul , afghanistan .","mullah omar , the reclusive founder of the afghan taliban , is still in charge , a new biography claims" +"taliban ( cnn ) mullah mohammed omar is still the leader ' of the taliban 's self-declared islamic emirate of afghanistan . that appears to be the primary message of a biography , just published by the taliban , of the reclusive militant who is credited with founding the group in the early 1990s . the taliban 's cultural commission ' released the 11-page document in several different translations on the movement 's website , ostensibly to commemorate the 19th anniversary of an april 4 , 1996 , meeting in afghanistan 's kandahar province when an assembly of afghans swore allegiance to omar . several afghan observers say the biography is aimed at dispelling rumors of omar 's demise . there have been a lot of rumors lately about him . some people are saying that he is not alive , ' said sayyed muhammad akbar agha , a former taliban insider who has written an autobiography about his days with the movement . i think the taliban thought it was an important time to release his biography to give assurances that he is alive and present , ' agha told cnn in a telephone interview . bergen : why u.s. must stay in afghanistan past 2016 the biography also appears to be an attempt to remind the world of the afghan 's jihadi leadership credentials , at a time when isis leader abu bakr al-baghdadi has declared himself caliph ' of the world 's muslims . the taliban has a huge leadership problem at a critical political moment , ' said graeme smith , a kabul-based analyst for the international crisis group . another caliph has announced himself to the world , and the taliban has been silent . and that is getting noticed by militants across south asia . ' omar was famously camera-shy during the taliban 's six-year rule over most of afghanistan . to this day , there are only a handful of photographs of the one-eyed leader . he never was actively involved in any of these propaganda campaigns . no publicity . no interviews . he never used the internet , ' said rahimullah yusufzai , a pakistani journalist and expert on afghanistan who once interviewed osama bin laden . omar then all but disappeared after a u.s.-led bombing campaign routed the taliban from kabul in 2001 . washington has offered a $ 10 million reward for his capture . the taliban have released written statements purportedly made by the leader-in-hiding . but years without any video or audio recordings of the fugitive have led to growing speculation that omar may have died . the biography challenges rumors of omar 's death by offering a description of his daily work schedule , which begins with prayers , study of the quran , and then delivering orders in a specific way to his jihadi commanders . ' the publication also seeks to fill in some of the gaps about the militant 's early years , including the detail that his preferred weapon of choice ' was the rpg-7 , a rocket-propelled grenade . according to the biography , omar was born in 1960 in a village called chah-i-himmat in afghanistan 's kandahar province . his father , a well-known and respected erudite and social figure , ' died only five years later , apparently of natural causes . omar studied at a religious school , or madrassa , run by his uncle . the rise of the communist party in afghanistan , and the subsequent 1979 soviet invasion , interrupted the young man 's studies and propelled him into the arms of the armed afghan opposition known as the mujahedeen . for the next decade , omar commanded rebel groups against the invading russians and their internal communist puppets , ' according to the biography . along the way , he was wounded a number of times and was blinded in his right eye . in one battle , the biography claims , omar and a fighter named mullah biradar akhund destroyed four soviet tanks , even though they were armed with only four rpg rounds . the taliban biography makes no mention of the fact that the u.s. , allied with saudi arabia and pakistan , helped arm and bankroll the mujahedeen until the soviet army withdrew in defeat in 1989 . afghan historians have documented the rapid rise of the taliban in the chaotic years after the communist government in kabul collapsed in 1992 . the movement of warriors who identified themselves as religious scholars emerged to bring order to a country being ripped apart by rival mujahedeen warlords who battled one another for power . the taliban biography says that omar and his compatriots launched their struggle and fight against corruption and anarchy ' after an initial meeting in kandahar in june 1994 . two years later , the taliban captured kabul and began imposing its austere interpretation of islamic law on the rest of the country . while the document denounces the taliban 's post-9/11 overthrow at the hands of a u.s.-backed coalition of rival afghan fighters , it makes no mention of the taliban 's alliance with bin laden and al qaeda . during a decade in exile , the saudi-born bin laden continued to release periodic video and audio statements until he was killed by u.s. raid on his hideout in the pakistani city of abbottabad in 2011 . though taliban militants have continued to battle the u.s.-backed government across afghanistan , omar has not been seen or heard from in years . the movement claims he continues to oversee a taliban leadership council , judiciary and nine executive commissions , as well as military commanders who operate in all 34 provinces of afghanistan . exclusive : isis'recruits afghans'in chilling video cnn 's masoud popalzai contributed to this report from kabul , afghanistan .","mullah omar , the reclusive founder of the afghan taliban , is still in charge , a new biography claims" +"mullah omar ( cnn ) mullah mohammed omar is still the leader ' of the taliban 's self-declared islamic emirate of afghanistan . that appears to be the primary message of a biography , just published by the taliban , of the reclusive militant who is credited with founding the group in the early 1990s . the taliban 's cultural commission ' released the 11-page document in several different translations on the movement 's website , ostensibly to commemorate the 19th anniversary of an april 4 , 1996 , meeting in afghanistan 's kandahar province when an assembly of afghans swore allegiance to omar . several afghan observers say the biography is aimed at dispelling rumors of omar 's demise . there have been a lot of rumors lately about him . some people are saying that he is not alive , ' said sayyed muhammad akbar agha , a former taliban insider who has written an autobiography about his days with the movement . i think the taliban thought it was an important time to release his biography to give assurances that he is alive and present , ' agha told cnn in a telephone interview . bergen : why u.s. must stay in afghanistan past 2016 the biography also appears to be an attempt to remind the world of the afghan 's jihadi leadership credentials , at a time when isis leader abu bakr al-baghdadi has declared himself caliph ' of the world 's muslims . the taliban has a huge leadership problem at a critical political moment , ' said graeme smith , a kabul-based analyst for the international crisis group . another caliph has announced himself to the world , and the taliban has been silent . and that is getting noticed by militants across south asia . ' omar was famously camera-shy during the taliban 's six-year rule over most of afghanistan . to this day , there are only a handful of photographs of the one-eyed leader . he never was actively involved in any of these propaganda campaigns . no publicity . no interviews . he never used the internet , ' said rahimullah yusufzai , a pakistani journalist and expert on afghanistan who once interviewed osama bin laden . omar then all but disappeared after a u.s.-led bombing campaign routed the taliban from kabul in 2001 . washington has offered a $ 10 million reward for his capture . the taliban have released written statements purportedly made by the leader-in-hiding . but years without any video or audio recordings of the fugitive have led to growing speculation that omar may have died . the biography challenges rumors of omar 's death by offering a description of his daily work schedule , which begins with prayers , study of the quran , and then delivering orders in a specific way to his jihadi commanders . ' the publication also seeks to fill in some of the gaps about the militant 's early years , including the detail that his preferred weapon of choice ' was the rpg-7 , a rocket-propelled grenade . according to the biography , omar was born in 1960 in a village called chah-i-himmat in afghanistan 's kandahar province . his father , a well-known and respected erudite and social figure , ' died only five years later , apparently of natural causes . omar studied at a religious school , or madrassa , run by his uncle . the rise of the communist party in afghanistan , and the subsequent 1979 soviet invasion , interrupted the young man 's studies and propelled him into the arms of the armed afghan opposition known as the mujahedeen . for the next decade , omar commanded rebel groups against the invading russians and their internal communist puppets , ' according to the biography . along the way , he was wounded a number of times and was blinded in his right eye . in one battle , the biography claims , omar and a fighter named mullah biradar akhund destroyed four soviet tanks , even though they were armed with only four rpg rounds . the taliban biography makes no mention of the fact that the u.s. , allied with saudi arabia and pakistan , helped arm and bankroll the mujahedeen until the soviet army withdrew in defeat in 1989 . afghan historians have documented the rapid rise of the taliban in the chaotic years after the communist government in kabul collapsed in 1992 . the movement of warriors who identified themselves as religious scholars emerged to bring order to a country being ripped apart by rival mujahedeen warlords who battled one another for power . the taliban biography says that omar and his compatriots launched their struggle and fight against corruption and anarchy ' after an initial meeting in kandahar in june 1994 . two years later , the taliban captured kabul and began imposing its austere interpretation of islamic law on the rest of the country . while the document denounces the taliban 's post-9/11 overthrow at the hands of a u.s.-backed coalition of rival afghan fighters , it makes no mention of the taliban 's alliance with bin laden and al qaeda . during a decade in exile , the saudi-born bin laden continued to release periodic video and audio statements until he was killed by u.s. raid on his hideout in the pakistani city of abbottabad in 2011 . though taliban militants have continued to battle the u.s.-backed government across afghanistan , omar has not been seen or heard from in years . the movement claims he continues to oversee a taliban leadership council , judiciary and nine executive commissions , as well as military commanders who operate in all 34 provinces of afghanistan . exclusive : isis'recruits afghans'in chilling video cnn 's masoud popalzai contributed to this report from kabul , afghanistan .","mullah omar , the reclusive founder of the afghan taliban , is still in charge , a new biography claims" +"cilic ( cnn ) -- marin cilic made a winning return to the atp circuit monday after serving a reduced doping ban . the 25-year-old croatian completed a tight three set victory over dutchman igor sijsling at the paris masters , prevailing 5-7 6-1 6-4 at bercy stadium . cilic has slipped to world no.47 after testing positive for the stimulant nikethamide at the munich open in may . he was banned for nine months by an independent tribunal in september , but his appeal to the court of arbitration for sport saw his suspension cut to four months last friday . the decision allowed cilic to enter the final regular season tournament on the main tour in the french capital and he took full advantage . despite losing the first set , cilic earned a second round match against in form world no.5 juan martin del potro of argentina . he later admitted that he was pleased to put the experience behind him and return to action . i would definitely say it was the worst time of my life as a player , ' he told afp . i have been on the tour for six , seven years , and have been always really careful and really honest and fair as much as i could with all the other players . and then to be in that kind of situation where when i found out about the positive test it was an extremely difficult situation where people were even calling me a doping player and a cheat . i knew i did n't cheat , ' added cilic . world no.1 rafael nadal , who is playing in paris for the first time in four years , told gathered reporters that he was delighted to see cilic return to action . one thing i can say is i 'm happy to see marin back on tour . he 's a good guy and a great player , ' he told afp . i do n't know what happened but if he 's back , it 's because it 's fair that he 's back . that 's all . i 'm happy for that . ' nadal will open his campaign later in week but the early headlines will surround players attempting to book their passages to the atp world tour finals in london . roger federer , swiss colleague stanislas wawrinka and french duo richard gasquet and jo-wilfried tsonga are battling for the final three places in the elite eight-man field , with four others having mathematical chances of qualifying . wawrinka learned his second round opponent in paris as spaniard feliciano lopez won a tight encounter against australian qualifier bernard tomic 6-4 6-7 7-6 monday . federer , who needs one win to clinch a 12th consecutive appearance in the finals , will face the winner of the first round match between kevin anderson and mikhail zouzhny , while gasquet and tsonga could meet in the third round of their home event . world no.2 novak djokovic claimed the atp finale last season , beating federer in the final , while nadal has never claimed the title . the spaniard hopes to use a good performance in paris as a springboard to success in london . the last tournament of the year is important , ' he told the official atp tour website . in 2010 i played well ( lost in the final to federer ) ; the rest i played really bad . i want to try to change that . i was always motivated for this last part of the season , but i was not able to apply it well . i hope this year i can change that situation . i hope to play well here and then we 'll see . '","marin cilic wins on return to atp tour after doping ban" +"cilic ( cnn ) -- marin cilic made a winning return to the atp circuit monday after serving a reduced doping ban . the 25-year-old croatian completed a tight three set victory over dutchman igor sijsling at the paris masters , prevailing 5-7 6-1 6-4 at bercy stadium . cilic has slipped to world no.47 after testing positive for the stimulant nikethamide at the munich open in may . he was banned for nine months by an independent tribunal in september , but his appeal to the court of arbitration for sport saw his suspension cut to four months last friday . the decision allowed cilic to enter the final regular season tournament on the main tour in the french capital and he took full advantage . despite losing the first set , cilic earned a second round match against in form world no.5 juan martin del potro of argentina . he later admitted that he was pleased to put the experience behind him and return to action . i would definitely say it was the worst time of my life as a player , ' he told afp . i have been on the tour for six , seven years , and have been always really careful and really honest and fair as much as i could with all the other players . and then to be in that kind of situation where when i found out about the positive test it was an extremely difficult situation where people were even calling me a doping player and a cheat . i knew i did n't cheat , ' added cilic . world no.1 rafael nadal , who is playing in paris for the first time in four years , told gathered reporters that he was delighted to see cilic return to action . one thing i can say is i 'm happy to see marin back on tour . he 's a good guy and a great player , ' he told afp . i do n't know what happened but if he 's back , it 's because it 's fair that he 's back . that 's all . i 'm happy for that . ' nadal will open his campaign later in week but the early headlines will surround players attempting to book their passages to the atp world tour finals in london . roger federer , swiss colleague stanislas wawrinka and french duo richard gasquet and jo-wilfried tsonga are battling for the final three places in the elite eight-man field , with four others having mathematical chances of qualifying . wawrinka learned his second round opponent in paris as spaniard feliciano lopez won a tight encounter against australian qualifier bernard tomic 6-4 6-7 7-6 monday . federer , who needs one win to clinch a 12th consecutive appearance in the finals , will face the winner of the first round match between kevin anderson and mikhail zouzhny , while gasquet and tsonga could meet in the third round of their home event . world no.2 novak djokovic claimed the atp finale last season , beating federer in the final , while nadal has never claimed the title . the spaniard hopes to use a good performance in paris as a springboard to success in london . the last tournament of the year is important , ' he told the official atp tour website . in 2010 i played well ( lost in the final to federer ) ; the rest i played really bad . i want to try to change that . i was always motivated for this last part of the season , but i was not able to apply it well . i hope this year i can change that situation . i hope to play well here and then we 'll see . '","cilic beats igor sijsling in first round of paris masters" +"murphy los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- simon monjack 's death two months ago was caused by acute pneumonia and severe anemia , according to a los angeles county coroner spokesman . just like brittany , ' assistant chief coroner ed winter said , referring to actress brittany murphy , monjack 's wife , who died five months earlier . some prescription drugs were detected in his system , but not in lethal levels , winter said . sharon murphy issued a statement saying the preliminary findings should stop the reckless innuendos that my daughter and son-in-law misused any kind of prescription medications . ' it is with great relief that simon 's preliminary autopsy findings have been released , so the media speculations can stop , ' murphy said . as i was sure of , just like my daughter brittany , there was no kind of drug overdose . ' one more test will be conducted , at monjack 's family 's request , before a full autopsy report is released in about two weeks , winter said . monjack , a 39-year-old british screenwriter , was found dead at his hollywood home may 23 , according to the coroner 's office . murphy , his wife of less than three years , died in the same home last december . murphy , 32 , died from a combination of pneumonia , an iron deficiency and multiple drug intoxication , a coroner said . the drugs involved were legal and used to treat a respiratory infection , according to an autopsy . the often bubbly , free-spirited actress appeared in films such as clueless , ' 8 mile , ' do n't say a word ' and girl , interrupted . ' she also lent her voice to animated works , including the movie happy feet ' -- in which she also sang -- and a regular role on the animated tv series king of the hill . '","monjack 's cause of death was the same as that of his wife , brittany murphy , he says" +"murphy los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- simon monjack 's death two months ago was caused by acute pneumonia and severe anemia , according to a los angeles county coroner spokesman . just like brittany , ' assistant chief coroner ed winter said , referring to actress brittany murphy , monjack 's wife , who died five months earlier . some prescription drugs were detected in his system , but not in lethal levels , winter said . sharon murphy issued a statement saying the preliminary findings should stop the reckless innuendos that my daughter and son-in-law misused any kind of prescription medications . ' it is with great relief that simon 's preliminary autopsy findings have been released , so the media speculations can stop , ' murphy said . as i was sure of , just like my daughter brittany , there was no kind of drug overdose . ' one more test will be conducted , at monjack 's family 's request , before a full autopsy report is released in about two weeks , winter said . monjack , a 39-year-old british screenwriter , was found dead at his hollywood home may 23 , according to the coroner 's office . murphy , his wife of less than three years , died in the same home last december . murphy , 32 , died from a combination of pneumonia , an iron deficiency and multiple drug intoxication , a coroner said . the drugs involved were legal and used to treat a respiratory infection , according to an autopsy . the often bubbly , free-spirited actress appeared in films such as clueless , ' 8 mile , ' do n't say a word ' and girl , interrupted . ' she also lent her voice to animated works , including the movie happy feet ' -- in which she also sang -- and a regular role on the animated tv series king of the hill . '","murphy died of a combination of pneumonia and an iron deficiency , the coroner says" +"murphy los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- simon monjack 's death two months ago was caused by acute pneumonia and severe anemia , according to a los angeles county coroner spokesman . just like brittany , ' assistant chief coroner ed winter said , referring to actress brittany murphy , monjack 's wife , who died five months earlier . some prescription drugs were detected in his system , but not in lethal levels , winter said . sharon murphy issued a statement saying the preliminary findings should stop the reckless innuendos that my daughter and son-in-law misused any kind of prescription medications . ' it is with great relief that simon 's preliminary autopsy findings have been released , so the media speculations can stop , ' murphy said . as i was sure of , just like my daughter brittany , there was no kind of drug overdose . ' one more test will be conducted , at monjack 's family 's request , before a full autopsy report is released in about two weeks , winter said . monjack , a 39-year-old british screenwriter , was found dead at his hollywood home may 23 , according to the coroner 's office . murphy , his wife of less than three years , died in the same home last december . murphy , 32 , died from a combination of pneumonia , an iron deficiency and multiple drug intoxication , a coroner said . the drugs involved were legal and used to treat a respiratory infection , according to an autopsy . the often bubbly , free-spirited actress appeared in films such as clueless , ' 8 mile , ' do n't say a word ' and girl , interrupted . ' she also lent her voice to animated works , including the movie happy feet ' -- in which she also sang -- and a regular role on the animated tv series king of the hill . '","new : murphy 's mom : reckless innuendos ' about drugs should stop" +"saddam hussein ( cnn ) -- the u.s. army 's official history of the iraq war shows military chiefs made mistake after mistake in the early months of the conflict . iraqis watch as a statue of saddam hussein is toppled in baghdad in 2003 . failures to recognize the chaos engulfing the country and to send in enough troops to restore order after the 2003 invasion have long been highlighted by critics , but a new report shows the army assessing itself . frank opinions from officers serving in the 18 months from the start of war to iraqi elections in january 2005 reveal there were concerns at the time , not just about assumptions made by planners but at decisions taken once u.s.-led coalition forces had control of iraq . i flipped , ' gen. jack keane , then the army 's deputy chief of staff , told the historians of his reaction to a june 2003 decision to transfer control of all coalition troops away from the land forces command that had been preparing for the mission . he recounted a conversation with gen. john abizaid , who succeeded the invasion 's architect , gen. tommy franks . i said ,'jesus christ , john , this is a recipe for disaster . we invested in that headquarters . we have the experience and judgment in that headquarters . ' keane said it took the u.s. command between six and eight months to get the new headquarters up and running . during that time , troops in the field saw the mood of ordinary iraqis turn against americans and watched the insurgency take root . by the time we got a plan together to resource everything , the insurgents had closed that window of opportunity quickly , ' col. david perkins , a brigade commander in the army 's 3rd infantry division , told the historians . what we started doing in september was probably a good idea to have done in april 2003 . ' franks , who would soon retire and be awarded the presidential medal of freedom , said he ordered the transition to force the pentagon to get leaders into the field to work with civilian occupation officials . that is a task that john abizaid and i very simply laid on washington and said ,'figure it out . do it fast . get me a joint headquarters in here . we have a lot of work to do and [ civilian administrator of iraq ] jerry bremer has a lot of responsibility and he needs help ,' he recalled . the 720-page report compiled by the combat studies institute at fort leavenworth , kansas , details the effects of having too few coalition troops on the ground when the reality after the fall of baghdad was severely out of line ' with the anticipated conditions . previous experience should have indicated that many more troops would be needed for the post-saddam era in iraq , ' historians wrote in the report , on point ii : transition to a new campaign . ' the coalition 's inability to prevent looting , to secure iraq 's borders and to guard the vast number of munitions dumps in the early months after saddam 's overthrow are indicative of the shortage , ' the study found . about 150,000 u.s. and allied troops were in iraq after the invasion , at a time when war planners were assuming that iraq 's government would remain functional after hussein 's ouster and that there would be no mass insurgency . these factors were in line with prewar planning for a quick turnover of power to iraqis and a quick withdrawal of u.s. forces , leaving iraqis to determine their own political future -- options that proved impossible to execute , ' the historians wrote in the report released over the weekend . we had the wrong assumptions , and therefore , we had the wrong plan to put into play , ' gen. william wallace , who commanded the army 's v corps during the invasion , told the authors . but some of the most critical decisions were made between may and august 2003 , which some participants called a window of opportunity that could have been exploited to produce the conditions for the quick creation of a new iraq . ' among those decisions were the frequently criticized dissolution of the iraqi army and the order that barred former members of hussein 's baath party from public life as well as the change in plan over the joint headquarters .","u.s.-led coalition did n't have enough troops after saddam hussein 's fall , report says" +"hans erik ( cnn ) -- he 's just 15 and the world is seemingly already at his feet . last month , martin odegaard became norway 's youngest international footballer in a friendly against the united arab emirates , provoking huge media interest and the hungry attention of europe 's top clubs . such is the focus on the midfielder that 35 scouts from some of those teams -- including manchester united and liverpool of the english premier league -- came to watch him at a recent under-21 match . in the beginning it was unreal and a little bit surreal that all these clubs wanted martin , but it 's strange what you can get used to , ' his father hans erik odegaard tells cnn . almost every top european club has been in touch . ' his international debut is not odegaard 's only record-breaking feat this year . in april he became the youngest player in the history of the tippeligaen when he made his debut for stromsgodset in a top-flight game against aalesund . he followed that up by scoring the fourth goal in a 4-1 win over sarpsborg to become the youngest scorer in the norwegian league . former norway international morten gamst pedersen has described odegaard 's potential as unbelievable , ' while manager ronny deila -- who gave the teen his stromsgodset debut before joining scottish club celtic -- says he can become the best in the world . ' odegaard 's father , a former footballer at stromsgodset and sandefjord , recalls the moment when he realized his son might have what it takes to play professionally . i saw from a very early age that'he had the feeling ,'but i remember very well when i knew he 'd be quite good , ' he said . i was still playing and martin must have been no more than eight . i was out on the pitch running some intervals . he was , as always , with me . when i was finished i wanted to go home , but we could n't before he had done 50 more shots ( at goal ) . then i understood he also had a talent for training and that is the most important talent you can have . ' quite good ' probably does n't do odegaard 's myriad talents justice , given he has been compared to lionel messi or -- closer to scandinavia -- the legendary denmark international michael laudrup , who played for juventus , barcelona and real madrid . i 'm sure you can compare him with many , but i do n't like to do that , ' reflects hans erik . those players are and were so good and martin is at the start of his career . ' former monaco chief executive tor-kristian karlsen , who is norwegian and has watched odegaard 's progress over the last few months , is a fan . he 's obviously still in the early stages of his development but his understanding of the game is very impressive , ' says karlsen . he plays in bursts , so you might not notice him for five minutes , but he has good movement and can take people on . ' young , gifted and talented books such as malcolm gladwell 's outliers , ' geoff colvin 's talent is overrated ' and the talent code ' by daniel coyle all explore the idea that to become an expert you need to practice any skill for 10,000 hours . what 's clear from odegaard 's prodigious development is that his success has been helped by a specialized training regime and his thirst to learn and practice . i have been a regional trainer for the best boys in this area , and i checked how much they trained with the team and by themselves , ' says hans erik . martin is training more than double than these boys did -- at least 20 hours a week . ' it 's not just how much he trains -- it 's also the type of training he has focused on by doing everything with the ball . the boys loved it when i joked about other teams that warmed up with running instead of using the ball , ' adds hans erik . i always said that they should maybe do athletics . ' hans erik believes martin has been able to cope with the demands of professional football and making his international debut at such an early age because of the work done to develop his first touch and quick feet . ' it 's the pace of the game that makes the difference in adjusting to different levels , ' says hans erik . we 've used so many hours in working with his first and second touch to take off the pressure . we have worked a lot on bringing the ball closely to his feet , so he can change direction quickly , so even if he 's physically weaker than the others he does n't get caught because he 's able to get away . ' family fortunes now 40 , hans erik admits that , as a player , he was a runner with a big heart and scored some goals ' -- so does martin 's talent come from his mother lene ? she played handball and sprinted , ' says hans erik , before joking : she tells us she was fantastic , but none of us , or any others , has seen that . ' while hans erik 's professional career has given him advantages in overseeing martin 's progression as a player , he admits it has given him difficulties as a father in his relationship with his son . i was always afraid of favoring him . we were always changing captain , but he was never picked , ' he says . the expectations were high on him so it happened that i sometimes yelled at him and one day another parent came to me and said that i was too hard with martin . then martin and i agreed that he should always get the feedback when we were alone in the car after the game . that was a good solution . we 've always -- and still do -- talked so much about football . his natural understanding for the game makes him a very smart player . since he was 10 i could discuss football with him as an adult . ' stay or go ? hans erik , who has so far avoided using agents to advise on his son 's career , concedes that the level of the norwegian league is n't as strong as many other european leagues . ' so what 's next for the wunderkind from the port city of drammen who has already visited manchester united as well as german clubs bayern munich , stuttgart and borussia dortmund ? karlsen believes going to a country like the netherlands would benefit the 15-year-old . if he went to some other countries they might take something out of his game , by telling him to get rid of the ball , ' karlsen says . in holland , they are not so concerned with the results . ' whatever odegaard does next , his father insists the decision will not be influenced by money . in the end it 's all about development , ' he says . nothing else matters . i 'm allergic to boys who are satisfied getting into an academy or winning a first-team contract , because you have n't achieved nothing ' it 's a danger when there 's so much attention to him from clubs and the media . i think he has handled it very well so far and he has his feet on the ground . when we are talking with the clubs we have just talked about sport . we 're also in a position that it 's not obvious that he will go abroad now . ' and amid all the hype and record breaking , odegaard 's father insists that his son 's education will not be forgotten . he will still , of course , go to school . i do n't think it 's good for any young boy just to play football and playstation . you need to work with your brain too and to develop as a person . '","odegaard 's father hans erik played in the norwegian league" +"keen ( cnn ) -- the ideal of childhood , and the protection of its innocence , is a central pillar of both our morality and our legal code . there is , therefore , little that shocks and outrages us more than crimes by adults against children . unfortunately , we have much to be shocked and outraged about . there have , for example , been a number of recent pedophile criminal cases inside the catholic church and at universities like pennsylvania university . and in the congo , the crimes against children by the warlord joseph kony triggered kony 2012 -- an online crusade made up of mostly children against kony 's abuse of children . what is kony 2012 ? the last couple of weeks have brought us two more disturbingly high-profile criminal cases against children . first there was the failed attempt by the medieval pakistani taliban to kill the 14-year-old education activist and bbc blogger malala yousufzai . and now there are the lurid accusations against the bbc celebrity jimmy savile , who is alleged to have sexually abused children . these grotesque crimes may have been separated by several decades and by thousands of miles , but they have one thing in common . both the pakistani taliban and jimmy savile sought to destroy the innocence of youth . savile is accused of treating children as if they had adult bodies and sexual appetites , while the taliban attempt to murder malala yousufzai was driven by their rejection of the idea of education for girls and thus , in a sense , of the very idea of childhood itself . but malala , who is now recovering from the assassination attempt at an english hospital , shares our modern conception of childhood . i have the right of education , ' she told cnn . i have the right to play . i have the right to sing . i have the right to talk . i have the right to go to market . i have the right to speak up . ' what malala is claiming is the right to an autonomous childhood , the right to transform herself from an innocent child to a knowing adult -- and to be let alone by the adult world in this journey . this right is mirrored by the experience of jimmy savile 's alleged victims , whose innocent childhoods were ruined by their exposure to his criminal adult appetites . a taliban spokesman said of the attack on malala : she has become a symbol of western culture in the area . she was openly propagating it . let this be a lesson . ' the taliban , with their rejection of the very idea of childhood , are of course wrong . but the malala case does indeed offer us a lesson . ' yes , we should all be horrified by this appalling crime against a 14-year-old pakistani girl from the swat valley , but i fear that , in our idealization of childhood and in our acute sensitivity to the innocence of brave young girls like malala , we are ourselves vulnerable to transforming children into celebrity martyrs -- modern day versions of joan of arc . this happened with kony 2012 , a movement akin , as i wrote earlier this year , to a children 's crusade . and malala , who was nominated for the 2011 international children 's peace prize , is herself in danger of becoming a symbol of injustice exploited by everyone from unicef to madonna and cnn itself . so how did this happen ? unfortunately , malala was allowed , by her family , by many pakistanis and by the media to become a spokesman against the taliban . the well-meaning bbc is partially to blame here , for giving her a highly visible blog that would inevitably attract taliban ire . malala 's equally well-meaning father holds some responsibility too , for allowing his daughter to become so vulnerable -- as does the world 's media for transforming the teenager into a global celebrity . our ideal of childhood is rooted in allowing children to being let alone by the adult world to develop themselves . we need adults to fight their political battles -- to have prosecuted jimmy savile , to hunt down joseph kony , to fight the pakistan taliban . let 's remember that children are , in every sense , innocent and thus should n't be encouraged to become the foot soldiers in the battle against their own exploitation . the story of malala yousufzai should be seen as both an inspiration and a warning . cnn is currently encouraging its readers to send messages to malala . my message to her is twofold . firstly , i dearly hope that you recover quickly from your wounds . and secondly , once you recover , i hope you 'll be able to go back to the privacy of your childhood , to simply being malala rather than a global celebrity whose image is owned by other people . ( the bbc addressed its connection with malala yousufzai on its blog called the editors , and you can read it by following the link here ) . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of andrew keen .","our ideal of childhood is rooted in allowing children to develop themselves , keen says" +"keen ( cnn ) -- the ideal of childhood , and the protection of its innocence , is a central pillar of both our morality and our legal code . there is , therefore , little that shocks and outrages us more than crimes by adults against children . unfortunately , we have much to be shocked and outraged about . there have , for example , been a number of recent pedophile criminal cases inside the catholic church and at universities like pennsylvania university . and in the congo , the crimes against children by the warlord joseph kony triggered kony 2012 -- an online crusade made up of mostly children against kony 's abuse of children . what is kony 2012 ? the last couple of weeks have brought us two more disturbingly high-profile criminal cases against children . first there was the failed attempt by the medieval pakistani taliban to kill the 14-year-old education activist and bbc blogger malala yousufzai . and now there are the lurid accusations against the bbc celebrity jimmy savile , who is alleged to have sexually abused children . these grotesque crimes may have been separated by several decades and by thousands of miles , but they have one thing in common . both the pakistani taliban and jimmy savile sought to destroy the innocence of youth . savile is accused of treating children as if they had adult bodies and sexual appetites , while the taliban attempt to murder malala yousufzai was driven by their rejection of the idea of education for girls and thus , in a sense , of the very idea of childhood itself . but malala , who is now recovering from the assassination attempt at an english hospital , shares our modern conception of childhood . i have the right of education , ' she told cnn . i have the right to play . i have the right to sing . i have the right to talk . i have the right to go to market . i have the right to speak up . ' what malala is claiming is the right to an autonomous childhood , the right to transform herself from an innocent child to a knowing adult -- and to be let alone by the adult world in this journey . this right is mirrored by the experience of jimmy savile 's alleged victims , whose innocent childhoods were ruined by their exposure to his criminal adult appetites . a taliban spokesman said of the attack on malala : she has become a symbol of western culture in the area . she was openly propagating it . let this be a lesson . ' the taliban , with their rejection of the very idea of childhood , are of course wrong . but the malala case does indeed offer us a lesson . ' yes , we should all be horrified by this appalling crime against a 14-year-old pakistani girl from the swat valley , but i fear that , in our idealization of childhood and in our acute sensitivity to the innocence of brave young girls like malala , we are ourselves vulnerable to transforming children into celebrity martyrs -- modern day versions of joan of arc . this happened with kony 2012 , a movement akin , as i wrote earlier this year , to a children 's crusade . and malala , who was nominated for the 2011 international children 's peace prize , is herself in danger of becoming a symbol of injustice exploited by everyone from unicef to madonna and cnn itself . so how did this happen ? unfortunately , malala was allowed , by her family , by many pakistanis and by the media to become a spokesman against the taliban . the well-meaning bbc is partially to blame here , for giving her a highly visible blog that would inevitably attract taliban ire . malala 's equally well-meaning father holds some responsibility too , for allowing his daughter to become so vulnerable -- as does the world 's media for transforming the teenager into a global celebrity . our ideal of childhood is rooted in allowing children to being let alone by the adult world to develop themselves . we need adults to fight their political battles -- to have prosecuted jimmy savile , to hunt down joseph kony , to fight the pakistan taliban . let 's remember that children are , in every sense , innocent and thus should n't be encouraged to become the foot soldiers in the battle against their own exploitation . the story of malala yousufzai should be seen as both an inspiration and a warning . cnn is currently encouraging its readers to send messages to malala . my message to her is twofold . firstly , i dearly hope that you recover quickly from your wounds . and secondly , once you recover , i hope you 'll be able to go back to the privacy of your childhood , to simply being malala rather than a global celebrity whose image is owned by other people . ( the bbc addressed its connection with malala yousufzai on its blog called the editors , and you can read it by following the link here ) . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of andrew keen .","the ideal of childhood is a central pillar of both our morality and our legal code , keen says" +"keen ( cnn ) -- the ideal of childhood , and the protection of its innocence , is a central pillar of both our morality and our legal code . there is , therefore , little that shocks and outrages us more than crimes by adults against children . unfortunately , we have much to be shocked and outraged about . there have , for example , been a number of recent pedophile criminal cases inside the catholic church and at universities like pennsylvania university . and in the congo , the crimes against children by the warlord joseph kony triggered kony 2012 -- an online crusade made up of mostly children against kony 's abuse of children . what is kony 2012 ? the last couple of weeks have brought us two more disturbingly high-profile criminal cases against children . first there was the failed attempt by the medieval pakistani taliban to kill the 14-year-old education activist and bbc blogger malala yousufzai . and now there are the lurid accusations against the bbc celebrity jimmy savile , who is alleged to have sexually abused children . these grotesque crimes may have been separated by several decades and by thousands of miles , but they have one thing in common . both the pakistani taliban and jimmy savile sought to destroy the innocence of youth . savile is accused of treating children as if they had adult bodies and sexual appetites , while the taliban attempt to murder malala yousufzai was driven by their rejection of the idea of education for girls and thus , in a sense , of the very idea of childhood itself . but malala , who is now recovering from the assassination attempt at an english hospital , shares our modern conception of childhood . i have the right of education , ' she told cnn . i have the right to play . i have the right to sing . i have the right to talk . i have the right to go to market . i have the right to speak up . ' what malala is claiming is the right to an autonomous childhood , the right to transform herself from an innocent child to a knowing adult -- and to be let alone by the adult world in this journey . this right is mirrored by the experience of jimmy savile 's alleged victims , whose innocent childhoods were ruined by their exposure to his criminal adult appetites . a taliban spokesman said of the attack on malala : she has become a symbol of western culture in the area . she was openly propagating it . let this be a lesson . ' the taliban , with their rejection of the very idea of childhood , are of course wrong . but the malala case does indeed offer us a lesson . ' yes , we should all be horrified by this appalling crime against a 14-year-old pakistani girl from the swat valley , but i fear that , in our idealization of childhood and in our acute sensitivity to the innocence of brave young girls like malala , we are ourselves vulnerable to transforming children into celebrity martyrs -- modern day versions of joan of arc . this happened with kony 2012 , a movement akin , as i wrote earlier this year , to a children 's crusade . and malala , who was nominated for the 2011 international children 's peace prize , is herself in danger of becoming a symbol of injustice exploited by everyone from unicef to madonna and cnn itself . so how did this happen ? unfortunately , malala was allowed , by her family , by many pakistanis and by the media to become a spokesman against the taliban . the well-meaning bbc is partially to blame here , for giving her a highly visible blog that would inevitably attract taliban ire . malala 's equally well-meaning father holds some responsibility too , for allowing his daughter to become so vulnerable -- as does the world 's media for transforming the teenager into a global celebrity . our ideal of childhood is rooted in allowing children to being let alone by the adult world to develop themselves . we need adults to fight their political battles -- to have prosecuted jimmy savile , to hunt down joseph kony , to fight the pakistan taliban . let 's remember that children are , in every sense , innocent and thus should n't be encouraged to become the foot soldiers in the battle against their own exploitation . the story of malala yousufzai should be seen as both an inspiration and a warning . cnn is currently encouraging its readers to send messages to malala . my message to her is twofold . firstly , i dearly hope that you recover quickly from your wounds . and secondly , once you recover , i hope you 'll be able to go back to the privacy of your childhood , to simply being malala rather than a global celebrity whose image is owned by other people . ( the bbc addressed its connection with malala yousufzai on its blog called the editors , and you can read it by following the link here ) . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of andrew keen .","keen : last few weeks brought two more high-profile criminal cases against children" +"scott ( cnn ) -- america 's economy has the potential to transform lives like no other force on earth , but too often in recent years we have seen washington act as an anchor . and while ceos and presidents may generate the business headlines , an over-involved federal government hurts employees and those looking for jobs across the entire spectrum . as someone who grew up in poverty , watching his single mother work 16-hour days to provide as much as she possibly could for us , i have lived the power of the american dream . with help from my mom and my mentor , i learned that i did n't have to be an entertainer or an athlete to achieve my goals ; i could think my way out of poverty . i realized the power of education , and the incredible opportunities provided by free markets . sen. cory booker : finishing our nation 's unfinished business my fear is that too many folks these days are n't given the chance to see the greatness that resides within them . over the past 50 years , we 've seen the war on poverty struggle in its core mission -- to help lift folks up . it 's time for a change , so i have introduced my opportunity agenda . a significant part of my opportunity agenda is focused on job-training efforts . there are 4 million open jobs across the country right now -- jobs that are unfilled because of a skills gap in the work force . this in spite of the fact there are 35 federal work-force development programs . my skills act , which the house has already passed thanks to the efforts of rep. virginia foxx , r-north carolina , would cut through the bureaucratic maze and mountains of red tape that hinder these programs . we 'll create one workforce investment fund , cutting waste and duplication out while ensuring more dollars are used for their actual purpose -- job training . president barack obama signaled that vice president joe biden would be looking at job-training programs this year -- i eagerly await their call to discuss my proposal . i am also working on a proposal to create opportunity zones across america to tie some of the tax dollars coming out of our low-income communities to the community itself in order to rebuild infrastructure and lift those areas up . in my time on county council in charleston county , this concept was referred to as tax increment financing ( tif ) districts , and i see great potential in this concept at the federal level . it is not enough to simply rebuild , or as some would call it gentrify , our tougher neighborhoods -- we have to provide the opportunity to the folks living there already to take part in a brighter future . population shifting is n't fixing the problem , it is simply moving it somewhere else . so instead of overtaxing and overregulating , i see a future where the government cuts out waste and duplication , and gives all americans the chance to realize their full potential . as i travel throughout south carolina , be it speaking with a local chamber of commerce , or a group of pastors , or working at a burrito store for a morning ( verdict : my own skills with a broom could stand some polishing ) , my constituents are very clear : they do n't want a handout , just a hand up . it is n't the federal government 's responsibility to guarantee outcomes . it is , however , our responsibility to make sure that a better future is possible if people want it . opportunity knocks for all of us at some point . my hope is that washington does n't get in the way of folks answering . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sen. tim scott .","scott : instead of overregulating , government should cut out waste , duplication" +"scott ( cnn ) -- america 's economy has the potential to transform lives like no other force on earth , but too often in recent years we have seen washington act as an anchor . and while ceos and presidents may generate the business headlines , an over-involved federal government hurts employees and those looking for jobs across the entire spectrum . as someone who grew up in poverty , watching his single mother work 16-hour days to provide as much as she possibly could for us , i have lived the power of the american dream . with help from my mom and my mentor , i learned that i did n't have to be an entertainer or an athlete to achieve my goals ; i could think my way out of poverty . i realized the power of education , and the incredible opportunities provided by free markets . sen. cory booker : finishing our nation 's unfinished business my fear is that too many folks these days are n't given the chance to see the greatness that resides within them . over the past 50 years , we 've seen the war on poverty struggle in its core mission -- to help lift folks up . it 's time for a change , so i have introduced my opportunity agenda . a significant part of my opportunity agenda is focused on job-training efforts . there are 4 million open jobs across the country right now -- jobs that are unfilled because of a skills gap in the work force . this in spite of the fact there are 35 federal work-force development programs . my skills act , which the house has already passed thanks to the efforts of rep. virginia foxx , r-north carolina , would cut through the bureaucratic maze and mountains of red tape that hinder these programs . we 'll create one workforce investment fund , cutting waste and duplication out while ensuring more dollars are used for their actual purpose -- job training . president barack obama signaled that vice president joe biden would be looking at job-training programs this year -- i eagerly await their call to discuss my proposal . i am also working on a proposal to create opportunity zones across america to tie some of the tax dollars coming out of our low-income communities to the community itself in order to rebuild infrastructure and lift those areas up . in my time on county council in charleston county , this concept was referred to as tax increment financing ( tif ) districts , and i see great potential in this concept at the federal level . it is not enough to simply rebuild , or as some would call it gentrify , our tougher neighborhoods -- we have to provide the opportunity to the folks living there already to take part in a brighter future . population shifting is n't fixing the problem , it is simply moving it somewhere else . so instead of overtaxing and overregulating , i see a future where the government cuts out waste and duplication , and gives all americans the chance to realize their full potential . as i travel throughout south carolina , be it speaking with a local chamber of commerce , or a group of pastors , or working at a burrito store for a morning ( verdict : my own skills with a broom could stand some polishing ) , my constituents are very clear : they do n't want a handout , just a hand up . it is n't the federal government 's responsibility to guarantee outcomes . it is , however , our responsibility to make sure that a better future is possible if people want it . opportunity knocks for all of us at some point . my hope is that washington does n't get in the way of folks answering . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sen. tim scott .","scott : it is n't the federal government 's responsibility to guarantee outcomes" +"scott ( cnn ) -- america 's economy has the potential to transform lives like no other force on earth , but too often in recent years we have seen washington act as an anchor . and while ceos and presidents may generate the business headlines , an over-involved federal government hurts employees and those looking for jobs across the entire spectrum . as someone who grew up in poverty , watching his single mother work 16-hour days to provide as much as she possibly could for us , i have lived the power of the american dream . with help from my mom and my mentor , i learned that i did n't have to be an entertainer or an athlete to achieve my goals ; i could think my way out of poverty . i realized the power of education , and the incredible opportunities provided by free markets . sen. cory booker : finishing our nation 's unfinished business my fear is that too many folks these days are n't given the chance to see the greatness that resides within them . over the past 50 years , we 've seen the war on poverty struggle in its core mission -- to help lift folks up . it 's time for a change , so i have introduced my opportunity agenda . a significant part of my opportunity agenda is focused on job-training efforts . there are 4 million open jobs across the country right now -- jobs that are unfilled because of a skills gap in the work force . this in spite of the fact there are 35 federal work-force development programs . my skills act , which the house has already passed thanks to the efforts of rep. virginia foxx , r-north carolina , would cut through the bureaucratic maze and mountains of red tape that hinder these programs . we 'll create one workforce investment fund , cutting waste and duplication out while ensuring more dollars are used for their actual purpose -- job training . president barack obama signaled that vice president joe biden would be looking at job-training programs this year -- i eagerly await their call to discuss my proposal . i am also working on a proposal to create opportunity zones across america to tie some of the tax dollars coming out of our low-income communities to the community itself in order to rebuild infrastructure and lift those areas up . in my time on county council in charleston county , this concept was referred to as tax increment financing ( tif ) districts , and i see great potential in this concept at the federal level . it is not enough to simply rebuild , or as some would call it gentrify , our tougher neighborhoods -- we have to provide the opportunity to the folks living there already to take part in a brighter future . population shifting is n't fixing the problem , it is simply moving it somewhere else . so instead of overtaxing and overregulating , i see a future where the government cuts out waste and duplication , and gives all americans the chance to realize their full potential . as i travel throughout south carolina , be it speaking with a local chamber of commerce , or a group of pastors , or working at a burrito store for a morning ( verdict : my own skills with a broom could stand some polishing ) , my constituents are very clear : they do n't want a handout , just a hand up . it is n't the federal government 's responsibility to guarantee outcomes . it is , however , our responsibility to make sure that a better future is possible if people want it . opportunity knocks for all of us at some point . my hope is that washington does n't get in the way of folks answering . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sen. tim scott .","sen. tim scott : the war on poverty has struggled to fulfill its mission" +"scott ( cnn ) -- america 's economy has the potential to transform lives like no other force on earth , but too often in recent years we have seen washington act as an anchor . and while ceos and presidents may generate the business headlines , an over-involved federal government hurts employees and those looking for jobs across the entire spectrum . as someone who grew up in poverty , watching his single mother work 16-hour days to provide as much as she possibly could for us , i have lived the power of the american dream . with help from my mom and my mentor , i learned that i did n't have to be an entertainer or an athlete to achieve my goals ; i could think my way out of poverty . i realized the power of education , and the incredible opportunities provided by free markets . sen. cory booker : finishing our nation 's unfinished business my fear is that too many folks these days are n't given the chance to see the greatness that resides within them . over the past 50 years , we 've seen the war on poverty struggle in its core mission -- to help lift folks up . it 's time for a change , so i have introduced my opportunity agenda . a significant part of my opportunity agenda is focused on job-training efforts . there are 4 million open jobs across the country right now -- jobs that are unfilled because of a skills gap in the work force . this in spite of the fact there are 35 federal work-force development programs . my skills act , which the house has already passed thanks to the efforts of rep. virginia foxx , r-north carolina , would cut through the bureaucratic maze and mountains of red tape that hinder these programs . we 'll create one workforce investment fund , cutting waste and duplication out while ensuring more dollars are used for their actual purpose -- job training . president barack obama signaled that vice president joe biden would be looking at job-training programs this year -- i eagerly await their call to discuss my proposal . i am also working on a proposal to create opportunity zones across america to tie some of the tax dollars coming out of our low-income communities to the community itself in order to rebuild infrastructure and lift those areas up . in my time on county council in charleston county , this concept was referred to as tax increment financing ( tif ) districts , and i see great potential in this concept at the federal level . it is not enough to simply rebuild , or as some would call it gentrify , our tougher neighborhoods -- we have to provide the opportunity to the folks living there already to take part in a brighter future . population shifting is n't fixing the problem , it is simply moving it somewhere else . so instead of overtaxing and overregulating , i see a future where the government cuts out waste and duplication , and gives all americans the chance to realize their full potential . as i travel throughout south carolina , be it speaking with a local chamber of commerce , or a group of pastors , or working at a burrito store for a morning ( verdict : my own skills with a broom could stand some polishing ) , my constituents are very clear : they do n't want a handout , just a hand up . it is n't the federal government 's responsibility to guarantee outcomes . it is , however , our responsibility to make sure that a better future is possible if people want it . opportunity knocks for all of us at some point . my hope is that washington does n't get in the way of folks answering . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sen. tim scott .","scott is working on a proposal to create opportunity zones across america" +"red cross ( cnn ) -- rescuers were scheduled to resume their search friday morning for survivors of a ferry that sank off the tanzanian island of zanzibar , killing 60 people and leaving more than 80 people unaccounted for , the red cross said . as night fell thursday , crews halted their search until the next morning , the red cross said . the vessel with about 290 people aboard -- including 31 children -- capsized near zanzibar on wednesday , according to a spokesman for the agency 's office in tanzania . about 145 people have been found alive , and rescue operations are ongoing , said raymond kanyambo , a spokesman for the agency . rescuers search for bodies after indian ferry disaster authorities intensified efforts thursday by using army helicopters , government troops and boats . strong winds and rough waves , which officials blame for the capsizing , complicated ongoing rescue efforts , he said . ferries in the region often carry passengers not included in the manifest , making it hard to pinpoint the exact number of people aboard . the ferry was traveling between the tanzanian commercial capital of dar es salaam and zanzibar , the indian ocean archipelago popular with tourists for its pristine sandy beaches . bangladesh ferry death toll rises to more than 100 zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of tanzania . the capsizing wednesday is the latest such disaster in the popular tourist destination of zanzibar in less than a year . more than 200 people perished when a crowded ferry traveling between two islands of zanzibar sank in september . in that incident , the ferry had a capacity of about 600 passengers , but was carrying more than 1,000 people , officials said at the time . tanzanian authorities charged five men with negligence in the september capsizing , including the owner of the ferry and the captain . see video footage of september 's incident journalist farouq karim contributed to this report from zanzibar . cnn 's karen smith , said samira , faith karimi and michael martinez also contributed .","rescuers pluck 145 people from the choppy waters , red cross says" +"dutch ( cnn ) -- rem koolhaas revolutionizes city landscapes with distinctive and cutting-edge buildings . seattle 's central library is one of rem koolhaas'recent builds . responsible for the iconic cctv headquarters in beijing the dutch architect was named one of the world 's most influential people ' by time magazine . similar to the man himself , his buildings are not afraid to make a statement . we felt it was very important for an entity like cctv to make its presence felt ... to generate a space and to define a space , that is the main thing , ' he told cnn at the opening of his transformer ' building in seoul , south korea . koolhaas admits that the current economic climate is not particularly favorable to big and bold architectural plans , but from adversity comes creativity . definitely there were a number of projects that we worked on put on hold , but on the other hand certain things were also accelerated because the price of construction is getting so cheap . ' despite these new parameters he remains optimistic that his profession will continue to invent and be relevant , because it means kind of smaller , but more complex and kind of interesting things , kind of related to , not necessarily with commerce , but more connected to culture and to the social world . ' his buildings have attracted worldwide fame and given koolhaas himself a form of semi-celebrity status . yet koolhaas still feels a sense of unease being labeled a starchitect . ' i think it 's a name that is actually degrading to the vast majority of people it is applied to . and it really is a kind of political term that for certain clients is important because they use star architects . my hope is that through the current complexity that title will exit discretely and disappear , ' he said . he believes that by being able to respond to different demands architecture is evolving into something new . it is not possible to live in this age if you do n't have a sense of many contradictory forces , ' he said . each building has to be beautiful , but cheap and fast , but it lasts forever . that is already an incredible battery of seemingly contradictory demands . so yes , i 'm definitely perhaps contradictory person , but i operate in very contradictory times . '","dutch architect is creative force behind landmark buildings across the world" +"china hong kong ( cnn ) -- china has removed 162,629 phantom staff ' from government payrolls , as beijing presses on with a campaign against official corruption and misuse of public money , state media reported . hebei province in central china was the worst offender , with 55,793 officials found to be getting paid even though they never worked , followed by sichuan and henan , state news agency xinhua reported on monday . no phantom employees ' were found in shanghai and tibet , the report added . president xi jinping has made rooting out corruption a top priority since taking power amid widespread suspicion that government officials use their position for personal gain . the people 's daily also said that 114,418 official vehicles had been scrapped out of a total of 119,846 . china has promised to phase out the use of government vehicles by the end of 2015 , except for those used for emergencies and law enforcement . the news reports did not shed light on how employees could receive a paycheck without showing up for work , but hong kong-based commentator frank ching said it was not unheard of for senior chinese officials to employ friends and family members .","china says it has removed 162,629 phantom staff ' from provincial government payrolls" +"china hong kong ( cnn ) -- china has removed 162,629 phantom staff ' from government payrolls , as beijing presses on with a campaign against official corruption and misuse of public money , state media reported . hebei province in central china was the worst offender , with 55,793 officials found to be getting paid even though they never worked , followed by sichuan and henan , state news agency xinhua reported on monday . no phantom employees ' were found in shanghai and tibet , the report added . president xi jinping has made rooting out corruption a top priority since taking power amid widespread suspicion that government officials use their position for personal gain . the people 's daily also said that 114,418 official vehicles had been scrapped out of a total of 119,846 . china has promised to phase out the use of government vehicles by the end of 2015 , except for those used for emergencies and law enforcement . the news reports did not shed light on how employees could receive a paycheck without showing up for work , but hong kong-based commentator frank ching said it was not unheard of for senior chinese officials to employ friends and family members .","114,418 official vehicles have also been scrapped as china 's president roots out graft ." +"infiniti this is the second part of a two part series on the best used luxury cars . ( aol autos ) -- recently , consumer reports magazine issued its list of best and worst used cars , and divvied them up by price range . the porsche 911 has several versions , but all have been annointed with the supercar ' appellation . using cr 's recommendations as a guideline , here is a list of some of the best used luxury cars currently on the market in the $ 30,000+ price range : 2007 acura mdx the newer mdx is classified as a crossover suv , but it 's a deluxe version . it was all-new in'07 , and was built on a proper platform -- as opposed to being adapated from the accord passenger-car platform . it also came in three flavors : base , technology and sport packages , and all three were powered by a 3.7-liter 300-hp v6 . the voice-activated navigation system is a nifty feature , as it comes with rearview camera and acuralink satellite communications with real-time traffic data . aol autos : used acura 2007 bmw 328i sedan the 328i is another sleek , finely-tuned and beautifully-designed driving machine , offering sporty performance and euro-style luxury . it is widely considered to be the definitive sports sedan . ' the'07 328i was propelled by a 3.0-liter 230-hp inline six-cylinder engine , which you can find mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission . consumer reports also recommended the 3-series coupe and convertible that joined bmw 's model line-up in'07 . aol autos : used bmw 2004 bmw m3 the m3 is the top-of-the-line , high-performance-tuned version of the 3-series coupe . performance power , therefore , is much higher than the other 3-series editions . it came as a coupe or convertible , and churned out 333 horses . the m3 is often favorably compared to the porsche 911 when it comes to quick acceleration , crisp braking and taking tough corners at brisk speeds without breaking a sweat . 2007 infiniti fx35 well , the marketplace surely is not lacking for luxury crossovers . here is yet another one that appeals to luxury buyers with its balance of suv-type spaciousness , pampering amenities , deft handling and burly engine muscle . for'07 , the fx35 was a two-wheel-drive vehicle powered by a 280-hp 3.5-liter v6 and a five-speed automatic transmission . aol autos : used infiniti 2006 & 2007 infiniti m infiniti 's m series is another winner , which seamlessly synergizes sleek styling , aggressive engine performance and a bevy of luxo-line amenities . it comes in both the m-35 and m-45 . during the last used-model year ,'07 , the primary distinction between the two was that the m35 was powered by a v6 that kicked out 275 horses , while the m45 muscled up to a 325-hp v8 . luxury features included standard leather seats with heating and ventilation , and optional 10-way power adjustments for the driver 's seat . lexus just like in the $ 24,000-to- $ 30,000 category , consumer reports recommended a slew of world-beating used lexus models in this segment : the '06-'07 6-cylinder gs rwd ; the'07 gs450h hybrid ; '05-'07 gx ;'07 is ; '04-'07 ls ; '03-'06 lx and '06-'07 rx . aol autos : used lexus lexus has placed no 1 in the jd power dependability survey every year for the last 12 years - until'07 , when another carmaker , buick , finally tied them for first . porsche 911 ( various years ) consumer reports included the'98 911 in the $ 24,000 to $ 30,000 category . here , the model years get more recent as the price range climbs . the 911 went through some changes over this time period , of course , but all have been anointed with the supercar ' appellation . aol autos : used porsche and by the latest recommended used-model year , the'07 , you could choose among various styles and engine sizes , including the carrera , with its 3.6-l 325-hp flat-six plant ; the carrera s and s cabriolet , with the 3.8-l 355 hp v6 ; the 911 turbo , with twin-turbocharged 480 hp six-cylinder engine ; and the gt3 track model , powered by a high-revving 415-hp six-cylinder engine .","infiniti 's m series is another winner with an aggressive engine performance" +"acura mdx this is the second part of a two part series on the best used luxury cars . ( aol autos ) -- recently , consumer reports magazine issued its list of best and worst used cars , and divvied them up by price range . the porsche 911 has several versions , but all have been annointed with the supercar ' appellation . using cr 's recommendations as a guideline , here is a list of some of the best used luxury cars currently on the market in the $ 30,000+ price range : 2007 acura mdx the newer mdx is classified as a crossover suv , but it 's a deluxe version . it was all-new in'07 , and was built on a proper platform -- as opposed to being adapated from the accord passenger-car platform . it also came in three flavors : base , technology and sport packages , and all three were powered by a 3.7-liter 300-hp v6 . the voice-activated navigation system is a nifty feature , as it comes with rearview camera and acuralink satellite communications with real-time traffic data . aol autos : used acura 2007 bmw 328i sedan the 328i is another sleek , finely-tuned and beautifully-designed driving machine , offering sporty performance and euro-style luxury . it is widely considered to be the definitive sports sedan . ' the'07 328i was propelled by a 3.0-liter 230-hp inline six-cylinder engine , which you can find mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission . consumer reports also recommended the 3-series coupe and convertible that joined bmw 's model line-up in'07 . aol autos : used bmw 2004 bmw m3 the m3 is the top-of-the-line , high-performance-tuned version of the 3-series coupe . performance power , therefore , is much higher than the other 3-series editions . it came as a coupe or convertible , and churned out 333 horses . the m3 is often favorably compared to the porsche 911 when it comes to quick acceleration , crisp braking and taking tough corners at brisk speeds without breaking a sweat . 2007 infiniti fx35 well , the marketplace surely is not lacking for luxury crossovers . here is yet another one that appeals to luxury buyers with its balance of suv-type spaciousness , pampering amenities , deft handling and burly engine muscle . for'07 , the fx35 was a two-wheel-drive vehicle powered by a 280-hp 3.5-liter v6 and a five-speed automatic transmission . aol autos : used infiniti 2006 & 2007 infiniti m infiniti 's m series is another winner , which seamlessly synergizes sleek styling , aggressive engine performance and a bevy of luxo-line amenities . it comes in both the m-35 and m-45 . during the last used-model year ,'07 , the primary distinction between the two was that the m35 was powered by a v6 that kicked out 275 horses , while the m45 muscled up to a 325-hp v8 . luxury features included standard leather seats with heating and ventilation , and optional 10-way power adjustments for the driver 's seat . lexus just like in the $ 24,000-to- $ 30,000 category , consumer reports recommended a slew of world-beating used lexus models in this segment : the '06-'07 6-cylinder gs rwd ; the'07 gs450h hybrid ; '05-'07 gx ;'07 is ; '04-'07 ls ; '03-'06 lx and '06-'07 rx . aol autos : used lexus lexus has placed no 1 in the jd power dependability survey every year for the last 12 years - until'07 , when another carmaker , buick , finally tied them for first . porsche 911 ( various years ) consumer reports included the'98 911 in the $ 24,000 to $ 30,000 category . here , the model years get more recent as the price range climbs . the 911 went through some changes over this time period , of course , but all have been anointed with the supercar ' appellation . aol autos : used porsche and by the latest recommended used-model year , the'07 , you could choose among various styles and engine sizes , including the carrera , with its 3.6-l 325-hp flat-six plant ; the carrera s and s cabriolet , with the 3.8-l 355 hp v6 ; the 911 turbo , with twin-turbocharged 480 hp six-cylinder engine ; and the gt3 track model , powered by a high-revving 415-hp six-cylinder engine .","newer acura mdx is classified as a crossover suv , but it 's a deluxe version" +"karrubi tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- iranian opposition leader mehdi karrubi has not been seen for six weeks and may be facing psychological torture by the government , activists claimed monday , citing sources in the country . we are extremely concerned for the health and well-being of karrubi , who is 74 years old , and no one has heard from him for six weeks , not his wife , any family or associates , ' said hadi ghaemi , the director of the international campaign for human rights in iran . his wife said she had not had any contact with him since july 16 , the campaigners said , citing the opposition leader 's official website . ghaemi alleged that karrubi is surrounded by a team of psychiatrists working with his captors ' to try to manipulate him into a televised confession . he cited a credible source from inside iran , ' without saying who it was . an opposition website said february that both karrubi and mir hossein moussavi , another opposition leader , had been detained . the website , kaleme , citing trusted sources , ' reported that the men and their wives had been arrested and taken to tehran 's heshmatieh prison . the semi-official fars news agency denied the report , citing an unnamed judiciary source , but it had earlier said that the government had restricted the movements and communications of both men . the two , who are both former government insiders , both ran for president against mahmoud ahmadinejad in the disputed 2009 election that led to months of protests and a government crackdown on the opposition . iranian authorities rounded up opponents afresh in february , as revolutions swept the region . iran media said monday that that karrubi was being kept in an unknown location but did not include any comments from iranian officials . international journalists have been limited in their ability to gather news in iran , where the government has squelched the media and maintains tight control over state-linked news organizations .","iranian officials have apparently not commented on the reports about karrubi" +"karrubi tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- iranian opposition leader mehdi karrubi has not been seen for six weeks and may be facing psychological torture by the government , activists claimed monday , citing sources in the country . we are extremely concerned for the health and well-being of karrubi , who is 74 years old , and no one has heard from him for six weeks , not his wife , any family or associates , ' said hadi ghaemi , the director of the international campaign for human rights in iran . his wife said she had not had any contact with him since july 16 , the campaigners said , citing the opposition leader 's official website . ghaemi alleged that karrubi is surrounded by a team of psychiatrists working with his captors ' to try to manipulate him into a televised confession . he cited a credible source from inside iran , ' without saying who it was . an opposition website said february that both karrubi and mir hossein moussavi , another opposition leader , had been detained . the website , kaleme , citing trusted sources , ' reported that the men and their wives had been arrested and taken to tehran 's heshmatieh prison . the semi-official fars news agency denied the report , citing an unnamed judiciary source , but it had earlier said that the government had restricted the movements and communications of both men . the two , who are both former government insiders , both ran for president against mahmoud ahmadinejad in the disputed 2009 election that led to months of protests and a government crackdown on the opposition . iranian authorities rounded up opponents afresh in february , as revolutions swept the region . iran media said monday that that karrubi was being kept in an unknown location but did not include any comments from iranian officials . international journalists have been limited in their ability to gather news in iran , where the government has squelched the media and maintains tight control over state-linked news organizations .","mehdi karrubi has not been in contact with his wife since july 16 , she says , according to campaigners" +"toronto ( cnn ) -- as far as hitchhikers go , this one looks harmless enough . he or she -- it 's hard to tell -- is short and friendly , if a little fashion-challenged . get him talking , however , and he wo n't shut up . meet hitchbot , a talking , tweeting , bucket-bodied canadian robot that 's hitchhiking west from halifax , nova scotia , to victoria , british columbia -- a journey of nearly 4,000 miles . the robot employs artificial intelligence , speech recognition , social media and other tools to bum rides from motorists . deposited last monday on highway 102 outside halifax , hitchbot by friday had journeyed to just west of toronto . its travels are being documented on twitter , on instagram and on the robot 's website , which charts its progress on a map . the gender-neutral robot was conceived by university researchers david harris smith and frauke zeller , who view its quest as part performance art , part social experiment . as they see it , humans in popular science fiction are always wondering whether they can trust robots . instead , they 'd like to turn the question around : can robots trust human beings ? so far , the answer appears to be yes . three young men gave hitchbot a ride , bought it a stuffed animal and fed it a meal ' of metal screws and motor oil . a couple covered hitchbot with a plastic cape to keep it safe from the rain . and people have been recharging hitchbot along the way by plugging it into their cars'cigarette lighters . people seem to be rather intrigued with hitchbot , and take very good care ( of it ) , ' said smith , a communications and multimedia professor at mcmaster university in hamilton , ontario , and zeller , a communications professor at ryerson university in toronto , in a statement e-mailed to cnn . we have even seen hitchbot lying in a camping bed under a blanket , and sitting on a toilet , ' they said , so people certainly have fun with it . ' hitchbot has a bucket for a torso , blue swimming-pool noodles for arms and legs and a smiling led panel for a face , protected by a cake saver . it wears yellow gloves on its hands , and wellies -- rubber boots -- on its feet . inside is a simple tablet pc and some components from arduino , the open-source electronics platform . together , all the parts cost about $ 1,000 . we wanted to see what we can build on a shoestring budget ... and with tools/components that one can get in any hardware store , ' smith and zeller said . thanks to its computerized innards and speech software , hitchbot can answer basic questions , make small talk and recite info from wikipedia . it can also get pretty chatty , not always something you want in a road-trip companion . we knew that sometimes ... hitchbot wo n't be able to properly understand what people are saying . for these cases , we came up with the solution to let hitchbot simply chatter away , ' its creators said . we taught hitchbot to say that sometimes it gets a bit carried away , and that its programmers could only write that many scripts , hoping for people to be patient . ' hitchbot records its journey via gps . it contains a camera and snaps random photos every half hour or so , which are moderated before being posted online to protect people 's privacy . it also can record conversations with people it meets -- with their permission -- as a sort of audio diary . humans who encounter hitchbot are directed to its website , where instructions tell them how to handle the robot ( tip : drop it off at rest stops or gas stations instead of alone on busy highways ) . hitchbot 's final destination is the open space artist center in victoria , british columbia , which means the robot will likely have to hitch a ride on a boat . nobody knows exactly how long his cross-country trip will take . smith and zeller say the goal of their project is to examine the relationship between humans and smart ' technologies while seeing whether an anthropomorphic robot can engender good will , cooperation and even affection . the two researchers are worried that someone might mistreat hitchbot . but the journey 's success so far has allayed their fears a little . we have seen so much support on social media and through other channels that we are now more optimistic , ' they said . they ( the robot 's drivers ) all say that wherever they go with hitchbot , they meet lots of people through it . everybody stops , takes pictures , and wants to talk ... so this is an interesting case of technology bringing humans closer to each other . '","as of friday the robot had reached toronto" +"potter ( cnn ) -- there 's some magic coming to a british stage . author j.k. rowling has announced she is developing a play based on her harry potter ' stories . according to her website , rowling is working in collaboration with award-winning producers sonia friedman and colin callender on the project . over the years i have received countless approaches about turning harry potter into a theatrical production , but sonia and colin 's vision was the only one that really made sense to me , and which had the sensitivity , intensity and intimacy i thought appropriate for bringing harry 's story to the stage , ' rowling said in a statement . after a year in gestation it is exciting to see this project moving on to the next phase . i 'd like to thank warner bros. for their continuing support in this project . ' warner bros. is owned by cnn 's parent company , time warner . rowling will reportedly be a producer of the play and work with a writer , but she will not be writing the play . the story will follow potter in his early years as an orphan . directors and writers for the play , which will go into development in 2014 , are currently being considered .","the story will follow potter in his early years as an orphan" +"potter ( cnn ) -- there 's some magic coming to a british stage . author j.k. rowling has announced she is developing a play based on her harry potter ' stories . according to her website , rowling is working in collaboration with award-winning producers sonia friedman and colin callender on the project . over the years i have received countless approaches about turning harry potter into a theatrical production , but sonia and colin 's vision was the only one that really made sense to me , and which had the sensitivity , intensity and intimacy i thought appropriate for bringing harry 's story to the stage , ' rowling said in a statement . after a year in gestation it is exciting to see this project moving on to the next phase . i 'd like to thank warner bros. for their continuing support in this project . ' warner bros. is owned by cnn 's parent company , time warner . rowling will reportedly be a producer of the play and work with a writer , but she will not be writing the play . the story will follow potter in his early years as an orphan . directors and writers for the play , which will go into development in 2014 , are currently being considered .","j.k. rowling is developing a harry potter ' play" +"ar-15 ( cnn ) -- one of the three guns adam lanza used to kill 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in newtown , connecticut , was a military-style semiautomatic rifle known as an ar-15 . that surprised and shocked a lot of people unfamiliar with america 's gun culture . they questioned why such weapons are available and why anyone would need them . personally i do n't know how any ordinary citizen can justify owning an automatic or semiautomatic gun , ' writes cnn commenter mark smerkanich . ca n't we leave those guns to the trained military ? ' self-described gun owner julie jones-hawkins comments , i ... fully support a ban on rapid-fire weapons . any weapon that can take out an entire kindergarten class is a problem . ' here are five reasons many gun owners say they want military style rifles :'some people play golf , others bowl . i shoot' ' every month or so i take my guns out to the range and shoot . it 's thrilling , exciting and a great way to vent , ' says christopher l. kirkman , a florida-based military-style gun owner . kirman was one of more than 100 gun enthusiasts who shared opinions on cnn ireport about owning firearms that would have been banned under the now-expired 1994 federal weapons ban . sure , i could try to say that the reason i own these guns is self-defense , but the truth of the matter is that , although they will technically serve this purpose , they are not why i own them , ' he says . michigan gun owner ethan daniels describes his enthusiasm for his rifle more succinctly , saying , i like to shoot , and that is one heck of a fun carbine to plink with . ' ireport : tell us why you own your military-style weapon background can factor into a gun owner 's choice of weapon . the ar-15 is what i am used to from my extensive training as an airborne infantryman , ' writes nathan lee . because of my training , it 's what i feel the most comfortable with . ' another reason for these guns is hunting . the ar-15 is a good hunting platform . i 've hunted coyote with it , ' says cnn ireporter mvr155 , who owns two of the weapons . he asked to remain anonymous . owners of military-style rifles also use them to hunt deer and other game . but some states have banned the ar-15 and its .223 caliber for deer hunting . related : newtown shooter 's guns : what we know'it 's cool' it may not be the best or most important reason , but military-style weapons often appeal to the enthusiast side of the american gun owner . just like many car lovers who dream of owning a lamborghini , many gun owners get excited about the idea of owning an ar-15 . there are people who buy certain types of firearms because they have a certain image -- the ar-15 is one of them , ' says austin nikel , a former ar-15 owner in boulder , colorado . one thing about this country is how hollywood has glorified the image behind those certain types of weapons . a lot of guys grow up with gi joe , and that image is extremely attractive . it grabs you and affects you . a lot of people buy the ar-15 because , well , it 's cool . ' apparently it was n't cool enough for nikel to hold on to . he ended up selling his ar-15 to his father . ireport : why some own military-style weapons'a part of history' ' since coming of age -- and in the decades since -- i have collected many different firearms , some of them historical pieces , some for sport , some of them even the so-called'assault weapons'that are now a controversy , ' says ireporter hrothgar01 . guns like these are as much a part of the history of this country as the muskets carried by pioneers , the rifles toted by doughboys in the trenches , and the other arms that have served and protected throughout the years . to hold one in your hands , appreciate its history and design , and to be able to take that piece of history to the range and work -- it is a feeling that many people in this debate do not understand or appreciate . ' related story : by the numbers : guns in america'protecting my family' ' i believe the foremost person responsible for protecting my family and myself is me , ' writes ireporter shortydoowap , who owns a pair of ar-15s . these rifles provide me with the tools to perform that duty . i do n't own these guns to target shoot , though i do that with them . i do n't hunt with them , though i could in a pinch . ' parks says he would not hesitate to use one to simply defend my home and family from a single intruder if it became necessary . ' related : parents defend right to keep guns in the home in some home-protection situations , fans say military-style rifles are generally more accurate than handguns . rifles are generally easier to learn how to shoot , say military-style rifle owners . like most firearms , military-style weapons such as the ar-15 are semiautomatic -- increasing protection because the shooter can fire off many shots without having to manually chamber a new bullet . with a bolt-action rifle or pump-action shotgun , firing multiple shots takes more time . when you weigh it all out , these types of guns are stigmatized , ' says ireporter mvr155 . military-style weapons look more dangerous than other guns , he says , but really , there are many weapons available which are just as lethal , but which are not designed in a military style . ireport : one gun owner 's solution'fascination with the second amendment' ' i am a proud owner of an ak-47 , ' writes ireporter ingunowner . it 's a terrific gun . lots of fun to shoot . i own an ak because of my fascination with the second amendment , which i view as a backstop protector of freedom . many people would argue that we have no use for it today because the government is trustworthy . however since it acts as a deterrent , we can never measure exactly how much it has been effective . perhaps the notion that people feel safe with our government after over 200 years is a testament to the second amendment value in balancing power with the citizens . ' related : gun owners fear new legislation could tread on their rights cnn 's henry hanks contributed to this report ."," a lot of people buy the ar-15 because , well , it 's cool , ' says a former owner" +"world cup ( cnn ) -- it was the moment the world had been waiting for , and as he has so often in his glittering career , lionel messi delivered . after a frantic opening to the world cup in brazil with entertainment and goals aplenty , one of its gold-plated stars announced his arrival in style . a trademark slaloming run from the barcelona striker ended in the fashion soccer fans have become well accustomed to -- with the net rippling . in truth , argentina were far from their best against the world cup debutantes bosnia and herzegovina despite going 1-0 up thanks to the quickest goal at the world cup to date . sead kolasinac was the unwitting scorer , diverting the ball into his own net after a messi free kick was glanced on by marcos rojo . alejandro sabella 's men could n't build on that early lead though as bosnia and herzegovina held their own until the interval . argentina 's lead was doubled on 65 minutes thanks to a piece of magic from their talisman . messi swapped passes with gonzalo higuaã­n and sidestepped two challenges before firing home off the inside of the post via a slight deflection . his vigorous celebration perhaps showed the pressure he was under to perform , as the endless comparisons to argentina 's other world famous player -- diego maradona -- go on . a goal from substitute vedad ibisevic ensured a nervy final six minutes but argentina held out to secure three important points . france 3-0 honduras the first world cup goal to be awarded via goal-line technology helped france to a convincing 3-0 victory over 10-man honduras in porto alegre . karim benzema , who had put france ahead thanks to a first half penalty , fired a shot against the post only for honduras keeper noel valladares to inadvertently nudge the ball towards goal . it was awarded by the referee after goal-line technology -- introduced for the first time at this world cup by fifa -- instructed him the ball had crossed the line . replays inside the stadium led to boos from some supporters , as the big screen flashed up'no goal'for the initial effort that hit the upright , then'goal'after the ball had cannoned off valladares . aside from the confusion it was a routine win for an energetic france side , whose task was made easier when honduras went down to 10 men . wilson palacios , who plays for english premier league side stoke , had already been booked when he barged into paul pogba , conceding a penalty and attracting a second booking . benzema duly dispatched the spot kick as france seized the initiative just before the interval . then just three minutes after the break came a landmark moment for the world game when benzema 's volley from an exquisite yohan cabaye pass flashed back off the post . valladares tried to parry the ball clear as it hurtled towards him but only succeeded in flicking it over the line , the referee confirming the goal a few seconds later . honduras protested and the replays led to confusion but the goal was awarded , four years after the incident in south africa that led fifa president sepp blatter to change his mind on technology . a shot from england 's frank lampard flicked off the bar and bounced down a yard over the line in their quarterfinal with germany but the goal was n't awarded . there was no doubt about benzema 's second , as he fired emphatically into the roof of the net after pouncing on a loose ball , completing a perfect opening night for france coach didier deschamps . switzerland 2-1 ecuador the other game in group e on sunday was a tale of two super subs for switzerland as an injury time winner from haris seferovic broke ecuadorian hearts in brasilia . the striker came off the bench to pounce in the dying seconds of the game after another sub -- admir mehmedi -- had canceled out enner valencia 's early header . it meant that after nine matches at the world cup , there is still to be a draw . after a low key opening it was ecuador who struck first , as enner valencia planted a firm header into the net from walter ayovi 's center . switzerland , tipped by many as world cup dark horses , struggled to get into any sort of rhythm and squandered a succession of set pieces . but its two-time european champions league winning coach ottmar hitzfeld got his half time tactical tinkering just right and it drew level within minutes of the restart . hitzfeld brought striker admir mehmedi on for valentin stocker and the freiburg forward nodded home from close range . swiss goalkeeper diego benaglio saved well from jefferson montero before josip drmic had a goal ruled out for offside as the match neared a dramatic conclusion . ecuador had a great chance to find the net but michael arroyo was tackled brilliantly by valon behrami , who then launched a counter attack . the referee played an excellent advantage after behrami was fouled and the move ended with seferovic finishing off ricardo rodriguez 's low cross . we 've done it , and that 's unbelievable , ' hitzfeld was quoted as saying by fifa 's website . we never stopped believing in ourselves . i 'm extremely happy with the three points and it means it 's a good start . '","match sees first world cup goal awarded via the use of goal-line technology" +"world cup ( cnn ) -- it was the moment the world had been waiting for , and as he has so often in his glittering career , lionel messi delivered . after a frantic opening to the world cup in brazil with entertainment and goals aplenty , one of its gold-plated stars announced his arrival in style . a trademark slaloming run from the barcelona striker ended in the fashion soccer fans have become well accustomed to -- with the net rippling . in truth , argentina were far from their best against the world cup debutantes bosnia and herzegovina despite going 1-0 up thanks to the quickest goal at the world cup to date . sead kolasinac was the unwitting scorer , diverting the ball into his own net after a messi free kick was glanced on by marcos rojo . alejandro sabella 's men could n't build on that early lead though as bosnia and herzegovina held their own until the interval . argentina 's lead was doubled on 65 minutes thanks to a piece of magic from their talisman . messi swapped passes with gonzalo higuaã­n and sidestepped two challenges before firing home off the inside of the post via a slight deflection . his vigorous celebration perhaps showed the pressure he was under to perform , as the endless comparisons to argentina 's other world famous player -- diego maradona -- go on . a goal from substitute vedad ibisevic ensured a nervy final six minutes but argentina held out to secure three important points . france 3-0 honduras the first world cup goal to be awarded via goal-line technology helped france to a convincing 3-0 victory over 10-man honduras in porto alegre . karim benzema , who had put france ahead thanks to a first half penalty , fired a shot against the post only for honduras keeper noel valladares to inadvertently nudge the ball towards goal . it was awarded by the referee after goal-line technology -- introduced for the first time at this world cup by fifa -- instructed him the ball had crossed the line . replays inside the stadium led to boos from some supporters , as the big screen flashed up'no goal'for the initial effort that hit the upright , then'goal'after the ball had cannoned off valladares . aside from the confusion it was a routine win for an energetic france side , whose task was made easier when honduras went down to 10 men . wilson palacios , who plays for english premier league side stoke , had already been booked when he barged into paul pogba , conceding a penalty and attracting a second booking . benzema duly dispatched the spot kick as france seized the initiative just before the interval . then just three minutes after the break came a landmark moment for the world game when benzema 's volley from an exquisite yohan cabaye pass flashed back off the post . valladares tried to parry the ball clear as it hurtled towards him but only succeeded in flicking it over the line , the referee confirming the goal a few seconds later . honduras protested and the replays led to confusion but the goal was awarded , four years after the incident in south africa that led fifa president sepp blatter to change his mind on technology . a shot from england 's frank lampard flicked off the bar and bounced down a yard over the line in their quarterfinal with germany but the goal was n't awarded . there was no doubt about benzema 's second , as he fired emphatically into the roof of the net after pouncing on a loose ball , completing a perfect opening night for france coach didier deschamps . switzerland 2-1 ecuador the other game in group e on sunday was a tale of two super subs for switzerland as an injury time winner from haris seferovic broke ecuadorian hearts in brasilia . the striker came off the bench to pounce in the dying seconds of the game after another sub -- admir mehmedi -- had canceled out enner valencia 's early header . it meant that after nine matches at the world cup , there is still to be a draw . after a low key opening it was ecuador who struck first , as enner valencia planted a firm header into the net from walter ayovi 's center . switzerland , tipped by many as world cup dark horses , struggled to get into any sort of rhythm and squandered a succession of set pieces . but its two-time european champions league winning coach ottmar hitzfeld got his half time tactical tinkering just right and it drew level within minutes of the restart . hitzfeld brought striker admir mehmedi on for valentin stocker and the freiburg forward nodded home from close range . swiss goalkeeper diego benaglio saved well from jefferson montero before josip drmic had a goal ruled out for offside as the match neared a dramatic conclusion . ecuador had a great chance to find the net but michael arroyo was tackled brilliantly by valon behrami , who then launched a counter attack . the referee played an excellent advantage after behrami was fouled and the move ended with seferovic finishing off ricardo rodriguez 's low cross . we 've done it , and that 's unbelievable , ' hitzfeld was quoted as saying by fifa 's website . we never stopped believing in ourselves . i 'm extremely happy with the three points and it means it 's a good start . '","lionel messi announces his world cup arrival with brilliant goal for argentina" +"mali a nurse has died of ebola in the malian capital of bamako , the health ministry said wednesday , sparking fears that the nation has not yet defeated the deadly virus . this is the second confirmed ebola fatality in the west african country . the first victim , a 2-year-old girl , died last month after she traveled to mali with her grandmother from guinea -- one of three countries hardest hit by the outbreak in the region . the clinic where the nurse died has been quarantined , and the government has urged citizens to report suspected cases . the first case prompted fears that the virus was spreading beyond liberia , sierra leone and guinea -- the three nations which have seen the most cases of ebola . shortly after the toddler was diagnosed , dozens of people who came into contact with her were quarantined , including medical workers . it 's unclear whether the nurse was among those who were in contact with the child . the virus has killed at least 4,960 people and infected more than 13,000 , mostly in the three nations , according to the world health organization . there is currently no cure or vaccine for ebola . as the world reels from the outbreak , scores of companies are fast-tracking tests for various vaccines , and hope to have millions of experimental doses by next year . scientists racing to stop the epidemic are trying various experimental drugs on patients , including zmapp and tkm-ebola . health care workers in affected nations will get the first opportunity to try the experimental vaccines , the who said . ebola is spread by direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person .","this is the second confirmed death from ebola in mali , the health ministry says" +"uefa ( cnn ) -- lazio will play its next two european matches behind closed doors after football authorities punished the italian club for several offenses , including a fourth charge of racist behavior this season . european football 's governing body also fined lazio €40,000 ( $ 52,000 ) following incidents in last week 's europa league round of 32 tie with german side borussia monchengladbach . lazio had already been fined a total of $ 230,000 for racist abuse and other fan offenses during two group-stage matches with english team tottenham hotspur and another against slovenia 's maribor . the rome-based team has appealed uefa 's latest decision , which was handed down for setting off and throwing fireworks , racist behavior and insufficient organization . ' the control and disciplinary body decided to order lazio to play their next two uefa competition matches as host club behind closed doors , ' read uefa 's statement . it applies to the home leg of lazio 's last-16 clash in the second-tier competition against another german team , stuttgart , on march 14 . the remaining game behind closed doors applies to the next uefa competition match for which the club would qualify , ' the ruling body said . it is also the second time in a matter of days that a top italian team has been cited for racism . inter milan was fined €50,000 ( $ 65,500 ) by the italian football federation on tuesday after its supporters directed abuse at former player mario balotelli during sunday 's derby match with city rival ac milan . lazio president claudio lotito was disappointed by uefa 's decision , saying it was unfair on the majority of fans at the stadio olimpico . we can not as a club be penalized for the mistakes of a small minority ( and ) we will lodge an appeal , ' lotito told raisport . lazio did everything we could and should have done to stop this from happening . it seems absurd to me that we have to play behind closed doors , which will seriously damage the club economically and stop the fans from participating in this event . we must distinguish between the delinquents who act on their own volition and those fans who express themselves in a civilized fashion . ' uefa meted out a heavier punishment to turkish club fenerbahce following last week 's home europa league match against bate borisov , threatening the istanbul team with a one-season ban from from european competition if it offends again in the next two years . that sanction is probationary , but fenerbahce will have to play the home leg of its last-16 clash with viktoria plzen on march 14 behind closed doors and pay a €60,000 ( $ 79,000 ) after its fans set off and threw fireworks from outside the stadium . fenerbahce 's portugal midfielder raul meireles will miss both games against the czech club after being sent off in the february 14 away leg against bate .","uefa says lazio must play next two european home games behind closed doors" +"uefa ( cnn ) -- lazio will play its next two european matches behind closed doors after football authorities punished the italian club for several offenses , including a fourth charge of racist behavior this season . european football 's governing body also fined lazio €40,000 ( $ 52,000 ) following incidents in last week 's europa league round of 32 tie with german side borussia monchengladbach . lazio had already been fined a total of $ 230,000 for racist abuse and other fan offenses during two group-stage matches with english team tottenham hotspur and another against slovenia 's maribor . the rome-based team has appealed uefa 's latest decision , which was handed down for setting off and throwing fireworks , racist behavior and insufficient organization . ' the control and disciplinary body decided to order lazio to play their next two uefa competition matches as host club behind closed doors , ' read uefa 's statement . it applies to the home leg of lazio 's last-16 clash in the second-tier competition against another german team , stuttgart , on march 14 . the remaining game behind closed doors applies to the next uefa competition match for which the club would qualify , ' the ruling body said . it is also the second time in a matter of days that a top italian team has been cited for racism . inter milan was fined €50,000 ( $ 65,500 ) by the italian football federation on tuesday after its supporters directed abuse at former player mario balotelli during sunday 's derby match with city rival ac milan . lazio president claudio lotito was disappointed by uefa 's decision , saying it was unfair on the majority of fans at the stadio olimpico . we can not as a club be penalized for the mistakes of a small minority ( and ) we will lodge an appeal , ' lotito told raisport . lazio did everything we could and should have done to stop this from happening . it seems absurd to me that we have to play behind closed doors , which will seriously damage the club economically and stop the fans from participating in this event . we must distinguish between the delinquents who act on their own volition and those fans who express themselves in a civilized fashion . ' uefa meted out a heavier punishment to turkish club fenerbahce following last week 's home europa league match against bate borisov , threatening the istanbul team with a one-season ban from from european competition if it offends again in the next two years . that sanction is probationary , but fenerbahce will have to play the home leg of its last-16 clash with viktoria plzen on march 14 behind closed doors and pay a €60,000 ( $ 79,000 ) after its fans set off and threw fireworks from outside the stadium . fenerbahce 's portugal midfielder raul meireles will miss both games against the czech club after being sent off in the february 14 away leg against bate .","it is the fourth time this season lazio has been punished by uefa" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- when pictures leaked out in december of the late steve jobs'new yacht , venus , leaving the netherlands , interest was once again sparked in the mysterious world of the super mega yachts , and in those who build them for the super mega rich . i say mysterious because the business of yacht building is full of rumors and speculation until the ship is seen leaving the sheds of the family-owned builders , whether in amsterdam , hamburg or bremen . read more : steve jobs'yacht impounded over pay dispute a bit of the veil on this industry was lifted in london in january when the builders and designers of the biggest yachts celebrated the launch of the 2013 top 100 forecast from superyachts.com . the backers of this event are at pains to remind people this business employs thousands of people ( craftsmen , architects , builders , designers , deckhands ) , and when a new anchorage is discovered by the rich and famous to park their yachts , it can generate a lot of income for a region . read more : sailing the world 's most beautiful lakes and since they are n't allowed to talk about those who buy these yachts , they are only to happy to talk all about the business . herbert aly , the ceo of blohm+voss , told me that superyacht building was actually hurt during the economic crisis . it took some time for the slowdown to filter through as orders can take five to seven years to fulfill , so 2011 and 2012 were the tough years . but that 's coming to an end . watch here : yacht sales down amid austerity ' we 've seen the rock bottom of it , ' aly stressed . and i think 2013 will be a promising year for the industry , for the big ones . ' aly said the bigger yacht side of the business is coming back faster than the smaller side . read more : adventurers recreate'greatest survival story'of the antarctic aly 's competitor peter lurssen would agree . his famed lurssen shipyard in bremen will soon unleash the world 's longest mega yacht , codenamed project azzam . while lurssen is not allowed to confirm the owner , or the specifics , he can talk a little bit more once aficionados caught a glimpse of it . the yacht had to leave one shed and flowed through the river to the next shed , and even though the nose was n't on , specialists were there with their instruments and they figured out it , yes it will be longer than what is flowing today . ' watch here :'super yachts'gather in london the'' specialists ' estimate it will be around 180 meters long , beating out roman abramovich 's eclipse , built by blohm+voss , which comes in at 163.5 meters long . will they just keep getting longer ? maybe we will see 200 meters , but i think that 's it , ' said aly . why do you go for a bigger one if you are alone on it ? ' read more : olympic yachts glide into london for a colorful makeover well , not exactly alone , since some of the mega yachts need 60 to 80 employees when the boat is in full use . but he has a point . we could ask one of the owners , but they tend to like the yacht to do the talking . henk de vries of feadship built the venus for jobs , though he wo n't confirm that . but he says building for the mega rich also means building an intimate relationship . it 's very personal . i have the cell phone number of my customers . ' and they have his . oh , yes , and they call me when something breaks down . ' does that mean de vries will do whatever it takes to strike a deal with a tech billionaire or saudi sheik ? i had someone ask me the other day ,'but you ca n't say no to a prince ?'i said , yes , we do . we do it all the time , ' de vries said , laughing . all the builders stress that the ship takes on the personality of the person paying for it , and that things like the interior can change over the years it takes to build the ship . but since they only can book a profit once the yacht is delivered , they work hard to find a compromise . and de vries has something new and special coming out of the shed soon . whereas the venus was about eliminating everything , and going back to even than more than basic , just purity and form in design . this project that will be shown to the world , again i ca n't say anything , except that it is very large , and it 's immensely complex and has everything that is included in that one . ' in other words , while the roofline of venus looks like -- you guessed it -- an iphone , the next one will be all about the bling . project azzam will be all about the yacht 's length . with the business of big yachts coming back , it 's possible other builders might want to get in on the action . europe 's family-run yacht builders caution against it . we see military shipyards , commercial shipyards who think ,'oh , ok . i 'll do a frigate , paint it white , put a nice interior in it , i have a nice yacht .'no way , ' said de vries . it 's about the personal touch , as lurssen stressed . we had a client that had in the contract that i could never resign as a director as long as the yacht is still not delivered , in fact not out of warranty . ' at a time that europe is very worried about jobs , the uptick in interest for mega yachts should be looked at in a positive light , even if news reports will soon be filled with gossip ( and jealousy ? ) over project azzam and the bells and whistles ' yachts to soon sail away from the shores of europe to the middle east .","aly , ceo of blohm+voss , told cnn that super yacht building was hurt in the crisis" +"aly ( cnn ) -- when pictures leaked out in december of the late steve jobs'new yacht , venus , leaving the netherlands , interest was once again sparked in the mysterious world of the super mega yachts , and in those who build them for the super mega rich . i say mysterious because the business of yacht building is full of rumors and speculation until the ship is seen leaving the sheds of the family-owned builders , whether in amsterdam , hamburg or bremen . read more : steve jobs'yacht impounded over pay dispute a bit of the veil on this industry was lifted in london in january when the builders and designers of the biggest yachts celebrated the launch of the 2013 top 100 forecast from superyachts.com . the backers of this event are at pains to remind people this business employs thousands of people ( craftsmen , architects , builders , designers , deckhands ) , and when a new anchorage is discovered by the rich and famous to park their yachts , it can generate a lot of income for a region . read more : sailing the world 's most beautiful lakes and since they are n't allowed to talk about those who buy these yachts , they are only to happy to talk all about the business . herbert aly , the ceo of blohm+voss , told me that superyacht building was actually hurt during the economic crisis . it took some time for the slowdown to filter through as orders can take five to seven years to fulfill , so 2011 and 2012 were the tough years . but that 's coming to an end . watch here : yacht sales down amid austerity ' we 've seen the rock bottom of it , ' aly stressed . and i think 2013 will be a promising year for the industry , for the big ones . ' aly said the bigger yacht side of the business is coming back faster than the smaller side . read more : adventurers recreate'greatest survival story'of the antarctic aly 's competitor peter lurssen would agree . his famed lurssen shipyard in bremen will soon unleash the world 's longest mega yacht , codenamed project azzam . while lurssen is not allowed to confirm the owner , or the specifics , he can talk a little bit more once aficionados caught a glimpse of it . the yacht had to leave one shed and flowed through the river to the next shed , and even though the nose was n't on , specialists were there with their instruments and they figured out it , yes it will be longer than what is flowing today . ' watch here :'super yachts'gather in london the'' specialists ' estimate it will be around 180 meters long , beating out roman abramovich 's eclipse , built by blohm+voss , which comes in at 163.5 meters long . will they just keep getting longer ? maybe we will see 200 meters , but i think that 's it , ' said aly . why do you go for a bigger one if you are alone on it ? ' read more : olympic yachts glide into london for a colorful makeover well , not exactly alone , since some of the mega yachts need 60 to 80 employees when the boat is in full use . but he has a point . we could ask one of the owners , but they tend to like the yacht to do the talking . henk de vries of feadship built the venus for jobs , though he wo n't confirm that . but he says building for the mega rich also means building an intimate relationship . it 's very personal . i have the cell phone number of my customers . ' and they have his . oh , yes , and they call me when something breaks down . ' does that mean de vries will do whatever it takes to strike a deal with a tech billionaire or saudi sheik ? i had someone ask me the other day ,'but you ca n't say no to a prince ?'i said , yes , we do . we do it all the time , ' de vries said , laughing . all the builders stress that the ship takes on the personality of the person paying for it , and that things like the interior can change over the years it takes to build the ship . but since they only can book a profit once the yacht is delivered , they work hard to find a compromise . and de vries has something new and special coming out of the shed soon . whereas the venus was about eliminating everything , and going back to even than more than basic , just purity and form in design . this project that will be shown to the world , again i ca n't say anything , except that it is very large , and it 's immensely complex and has everything that is included in that one . ' in other words , while the roofline of venus looks like -- you guessed it -- an iphone , the next one will be all about the bling . project azzam will be all about the yacht 's length . with the business of big yachts coming back , it 's possible other builders might want to get in on the action . europe 's family-run yacht builders caution against it . we see military shipyards , commercial shipyards who think ,'oh , ok . i 'll do a frigate , paint it white , put a nice interior in it , i have a nice yacht .'no way , ' said de vries . it 's about the personal touch , as lurssen stressed . we had a client that had in the contract that i could never resign as a director as long as the yacht is still not delivered , in fact not out of warranty . ' at a time that europe is very worried about jobs , the uptick in interest for mega yachts should be looked at in a positive light , even if news reports will soon be filled with gossip ( and jealousy ? ) over project azzam and the bells and whistles ' yachts to soon sail away from the shores of europe to the middle east .","aly , ceo of blohm+voss , told cnn that super yacht building was hurt in the crisis" +"robert novak washington ( cnn ) -- the man who revealed that valerie plame worked for the cia said that he was extraordinarily foolish ' to leak her name . former deputy secretary of state richard armitage was a source of the cia leak to columnist robert novak . former deputy secretary of state richard armitage told cnn 's wolf blitzer in an interview broadcast sunday that he did not realize plame was a covert agent when he discussed her with syndicated columnist robert novak . novak , a former cnn contributor , wrote the july 2003 column in which plame was named as a cia employee . he later cited his sources as armitage and karl rove , then president bush 's top political adviser . armitage said he had seen a memo that said plame was publicly chairing a meeting , so he assumed her cia employment was not a secret . there was no ill intent on my part , and i had never seen , ever in 43 years of having a security clearance , a covert operative 's name in a memo , ' he said . watch armitage explain why he leaked plame 's name » blitzer asked armitage if he simply assumed that she was not a clandestine officer of the cia . ' well , even mr. novak has said that he used the word'operative'and misused it , ' armitage said . no one ever said'operative .'and i not only assumed it , as i say , i have never seen a covert agent 's name in a memo . however , that does n't take away from what mrs. plame said . it was foolish , yes . ' rove , who left the white house in august , has denied he was also a source of the leak to novak . plame 's identity was disclosed shortly after her husband , former u.s . ambassador joseph wilson , challenged one of the chief claims underpinning the bush administration 's case for the u.s. invasion of iraq -- that iraq had sought uranium for nuclear weapons from the african country of niger . in an op-ed piece for the new york times , wilson wrote that he had investigated the claim at the request of cia officials and found it highly doubtful ' that any such transaction could have occurred , and he accused the bush administration of having twisted ' the evidence for war . neither armitage nor rove was charged with a crime in the leak . wilson and plame have accused rove and other bush officials of leaking her identity as a cia officer in retaliation for her husband 's emergence as an administration critic . a federal judge in washington recently dismissed a lawsuit by the couple against rove , armitage , vice president dick cheney and cheney 's former chief of staff , lewis scooter ' libby . libby was convicted of obstructing justice and perjury in the probe and sentenced to 30 months in prison , but bush commuted his term before he had served any time . e-mail to a friend","armitage revealed valerie plame 's identity to columnist robert novak" +"plame washington ( cnn ) -- the man who revealed that valerie plame worked for the cia said that he was extraordinarily foolish ' to leak her name . former deputy secretary of state richard armitage was a source of the cia leak to columnist robert novak . former deputy secretary of state richard armitage told cnn 's wolf blitzer in an interview broadcast sunday that he did not realize plame was a covert agent when he discussed her with syndicated columnist robert novak . novak , a former cnn contributor , wrote the july 2003 column in which plame was named as a cia employee . he later cited his sources as armitage and karl rove , then president bush 's top political adviser . armitage said he had seen a memo that said plame was publicly chairing a meeting , so he assumed her cia employment was not a secret . there was no ill intent on my part , and i had never seen , ever in 43 years of having a security clearance , a covert operative 's name in a memo , ' he said . watch armitage explain why he leaked plame 's name » blitzer asked armitage if he simply assumed that she was not a clandestine officer of the cia . ' well , even mr. novak has said that he used the word'operative'and misused it , ' armitage said . no one ever said'operative .'and i not only assumed it , as i say , i have never seen a covert agent 's name in a memo . however , that does n't take away from what mrs. plame said . it was foolish , yes . ' rove , who left the white house in august , has denied he was also a source of the leak to novak . plame 's identity was disclosed shortly after her husband , former u.s . ambassador joseph wilson , challenged one of the chief claims underpinning the bush administration 's case for the u.s. invasion of iraq -- that iraq had sought uranium for nuclear weapons from the african country of niger . in an op-ed piece for the new york times , wilson wrote that he had investigated the claim at the request of cia officials and found it highly doubtful ' that any such transaction could have occurred , and he accused the bush administration of having twisted ' the evidence for war . neither armitage nor rove was charged with a crime in the leak . wilson and plame have accused rove and other bush officials of leaking her identity as a cia officer in retaliation for her husband 's emergence as an administration critic . a federal judge in washington recently dismissed a lawsuit by the couple against rove , armitage , vice president dick cheney and cheney 's former chief of staff , lewis scooter ' libby . libby was convicted of obstructing justice and perjury in the probe and sentenced to 30 months in prison , but bush commuted his term before he had served any time . e-mail to a friend","plame 's husband -- joseph wilson -- was critical of bush administration 's iraq policy" +"plame washington ( cnn ) -- the man who revealed that valerie plame worked for the cia said that he was extraordinarily foolish ' to leak her name . former deputy secretary of state richard armitage was a source of the cia leak to columnist robert novak . former deputy secretary of state richard armitage told cnn 's wolf blitzer in an interview broadcast sunday that he did not realize plame was a covert agent when he discussed her with syndicated columnist robert novak . novak , a former cnn contributor , wrote the july 2003 column in which plame was named as a cia employee . he later cited his sources as armitage and karl rove , then president bush 's top political adviser . armitage said he had seen a memo that said plame was publicly chairing a meeting , so he assumed her cia employment was not a secret . there was no ill intent on my part , and i had never seen , ever in 43 years of having a security clearance , a covert operative 's name in a memo , ' he said . watch armitage explain why he leaked plame 's name » blitzer asked armitage if he simply assumed that she was not a clandestine officer of the cia . ' well , even mr. novak has said that he used the word'operative'and misused it , ' armitage said . no one ever said'operative .'and i not only assumed it , as i say , i have never seen a covert agent 's name in a memo . however , that does n't take away from what mrs. plame said . it was foolish , yes . ' rove , who left the white house in august , has denied he was also a source of the leak to novak . plame 's identity was disclosed shortly after her husband , former u.s . ambassador joseph wilson , challenged one of the chief claims underpinning the bush administration 's case for the u.s. invasion of iraq -- that iraq had sought uranium for nuclear weapons from the african country of niger . in an op-ed piece for the new york times , wilson wrote that he had investigated the claim at the request of cia officials and found it highly doubtful ' that any such transaction could have occurred , and he accused the bush administration of having twisted ' the evidence for war . neither armitage nor rove was charged with a crime in the leak . wilson and plame have accused rove and other bush officials of leaking her identity as a cia officer in retaliation for her husband 's emergence as an administration critic . a federal judge in washington recently dismissed a lawsuit by the couple against rove , armitage , vice president dick cheney and cheney 's former chief of staff , lewis scooter ' libby . libby was convicted of obstructing justice and perjury in the probe and sentenced to 30 months in prison , but bush commuted his term before he had served any time . e-mail to a friend","armitage revealed valerie plame 's identity to columnist robert novak" +"plame washington ( cnn ) -- the man who revealed that valerie plame worked for the cia said that he was extraordinarily foolish ' to leak her name . former deputy secretary of state richard armitage was a source of the cia leak to columnist robert novak . former deputy secretary of state richard armitage told cnn 's wolf blitzer in an interview broadcast sunday that he did not realize plame was a covert agent when he discussed her with syndicated columnist robert novak . novak , a former cnn contributor , wrote the july 2003 column in which plame was named as a cia employee . he later cited his sources as armitage and karl rove , then president bush 's top political adviser . armitage said he had seen a memo that said plame was publicly chairing a meeting , so he assumed her cia employment was not a secret . there was no ill intent on my part , and i had never seen , ever in 43 years of having a security clearance , a covert operative 's name in a memo , ' he said . watch armitage explain why he leaked plame 's name » blitzer asked armitage if he simply assumed that she was not a clandestine officer of the cia . ' well , even mr. novak has said that he used the word'operative'and misused it , ' armitage said . no one ever said'operative .'and i not only assumed it , as i say , i have never seen a covert agent 's name in a memo . however , that does n't take away from what mrs. plame said . it was foolish , yes . ' rove , who left the white house in august , has denied he was also a source of the leak to novak . plame 's identity was disclosed shortly after her husband , former u.s . ambassador joseph wilson , challenged one of the chief claims underpinning the bush administration 's case for the u.s. invasion of iraq -- that iraq had sought uranium for nuclear weapons from the african country of niger . in an op-ed piece for the new york times , wilson wrote that he had investigated the claim at the request of cia officials and found it highly doubtful ' that any such transaction could have occurred , and he accused the bush administration of having twisted ' the evidence for war . neither armitage nor rove was charged with a crime in the leak . wilson and plame have accused rove and other bush officials of leaking her identity as a cia officer in retaliation for her husband 's emergence as an administration critic . a federal judge in washington recently dismissed a lawsuit by the couple against rove , armitage , vice president dick cheney and cheney 's former chief of staff , lewis scooter ' libby . libby was convicted of obstructing justice and perjury in the probe and sentenced to 30 months in prison , but bush commuted his term before he had served any time . e-mail to a friend","former state department official says he did n't know plame was covert agent" +"julie k. schenecker ( cnn ) -- a controversial kansas church says members will picket before the memorial service wednesday evening for two florida teenagers allegedly killed by their mother . in a press release , westboro baptist church of topeka , kansas , said it will demonstrate outside the service in tampa because the mother is a military wife and the doomed american military declared war on god & his church . ' the controversial church and its pastor , fred phelps , have made their name picketing near funerals of people who died of aids , gay people and soldiers . the church plans to picket beginning at 5:15 p.m.and ending at 6 p.m. , when the service is scheduled to start , according to cnn affiliate wfts-tv in tampa . julie k. schenecker , 50 , is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths friday of her 16-year-old daughter , calyx , and her 13-year-old son , beau . she was denied bail at a court appearance monday , a court spokesman said . her husband , army col. parker schenecker , is with the u.s. central command , which is headquartered in tampa . police told wfts that he was in the persian gulf emirate of qatar when his children were killed . king high school , which calyx attended , and liberty middle school , where beau was a student , are sponsoring the service at first baptist church of temple terrace in tampa , the church said . josh saliba , director of creative ministries , told cnn he would not comment on westboro baptist 's plans to protest . on monday -- their first day back since the shootings became public -- students at liberty middle school wore blue and black in memory of beau , who was an eighth-grader there . cnn affiliate bay news 9 posted a statement monday from the schenecker family : ' colonel parker schenecker has returned from his deployment and is grieving with family and friends . he is devoted first and foremost to honoring the lives and memory of his beautiful children , calyx and beau , ' the statement said . parker and his family have been touched by the overwhelming support from the community both near and abroad . arrangements and details are still being finalized with regard to the services to be held for calyx and beau . ' a search warrant filed tuesday said julie schenecker was unconscious and wearing a bloody robe , and her slain children were covered in blankets when police arrived . julie schenecker was awakened and taken from a screened-in pool area to inside the home , where evidence was recovered , according to the warrant filed in circuit court in hillsborough county . the search warrant was posted on the website of cnn affiliate wtsp . the warrant provides new details in the case : five bullets , along with a smith & wesson box and instruction manual , were found in the master bedroom ; 15 live rounds and five spent shell casings were in the master bath . also indicated in the search warrant -- both inside and outside the house -- were cigarette butts , note pads , undisclosed medication and paperwork . police found calyx 's body in an upstairs bedroom . she had been shot twice in the head , police said . beau 's body was later found in the front seat of an suv inside the home 's garage , police said . they said he was shot while he was being driven to soccer practice . schenecker confessed to killing the children , according to a police statement , eventually recounting her rationale and thought process in detail , ' according to a news release . she did tell us that they talked back , that they were mouthy , ' tampa police spokeswoman laura mcelroy told cnn affiliate wtsp last week . but i do n't think that will ever serve as an explanation to the rest of us of how you could take a child 's life . ' schenecker had initially planned what she called the massacre ' -- killing the children and then herself , mcelroy said on monday -- for january 22 , but she put it off after learning there would be a three-day check before she could buy a gun . police later found writings in the house , thought to be from schenecker , in which she spelled out her intentions in detail . there are definitely indications that she planned this , ' mcelroy said . ( the writing ) was devoid of emotion . ' cnn 's phil gast contributed to this report","julie k. schenecker , 50 , is charged with murder in the deaths of her children" +"tampa ( cnn ) -- a controversial kansas church says members will picket before the memorial service wednesday evening for two florida teenagers allegedly killed by their mother . in a press release , westboro baptist church of topeka , kansas , said it will demonstrate outside the service in tampa because the mother is a military wife and the doomed american military declared war on god & his church . ' the controversial church and its pastor , fred phelps , have made their name picketing near funerals of people who died of aids , gay people and soldiers . the church plans to picket beginning at 5:15 p.m.and ending at 6 p.m. , when the service is scheduled to start , according to cnn affiliate wfts-tv in tampa . julie k. schenecker , 50 , is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths friday of her 16-year-old daughter , calyx , and her 13-year-old son , beau . she was denied bail at a court appearance monday , a court spokesman said . her husband , army col. parker schenecker , is with the u.s. central command , which is headquartered in tampa . police told wfts that he was in the persian gulf emirate of qatar when his children were killed . king high school , which calyx attended , and liberty middle school , where beau was a student , are sponsoring the service at first baptist church of temple terrace in tampa , the church said . josh saliba , director of creative ministries , told cnn he would not comment on westboro baptist 's plans to protest . on monday -- their first day back since the shootings became public -- students at liberty middle school wore blue and black in memory of beau , who was an eighth-grader there . cnn affiliate bay news 9 posted a statement monday from the schenecker family : ' colonel parker schenecker has returned from his deployment and is grieving with family and friends . he is devoted first and foremost to honoring the lives and memory of his beautiful children , calyx and beau , ' the statement said . parker and his family have been touched by the overwhelming support from the community both near and abroad . arrangements and details are still being finalized with regard to the services to be held for calyx and beau . ' a search warrant filed tuesday said julie schenecker was unconscious and wearing a bloody robe , and her slain children were covered in blankets when police arrived . julie schenecker was awakened and taken from a screened-in pool area to inside the home , where evidence was recovered , according to the warrant filed in circuit court in hillsborough county . the search warrant was posted on the website of cnn affiliate wtsp . the warrant provides new details in the case : five bullets , along with a smith & wesson box and instruction manual , were found in the master bedroom ; 15 live rounds and five spent shell casings were in the master bath . also indicated in the search warrant -- both inside and outside the house -- were cigarette butts , note pads , undisclosed medication and paperwork . police found calyx 's body in an upstairs bedroom . she had been shot twice in the head , police said . beau 's body was later found in the front seat of an suv inside the home 's garage , police said . they said he was shot while he was being driven to soccer practice . schenecker confessed to killing the children , according to a police statement , eventually recounting her rationale and thought process in detail , ' according to a news release . she did tell us that they talked back , that they were mouthy , ' tampa police spokeswoman laura mcelroy told cnn affiliate wtsp last week . but i do n't think that will ever serve as an explanation to the rest of us of how you could take a child 's life . ' schenecker had initially planned what she called the massacre ' -- killing the children and then herself , mcelroy said on monday -- for january 22 , but she put it off after learning there would be a three-day check before she could buy a gun . police later found writings in the house , thought to be from schenecker , in which she spelled out her intentions in detail . there are definitely indications that she planned this , ' mcelroy said . ( the writing ) was devoid of emotion . ' cnn 's phil gast contributed to this report","tampa schools sponsoring service for brother and sister , who were slain last friday" +"london ( cnn ) -- south african mountain bike star burry stander , who narrowly missed out on a medal at the london olympics , has been killed in a road accident . stander , 25 , was on a training ride when he was hit thursday by a vehicle in shelly beach , on the country 's southeast coast , according to cycling south africa , the national cycling body . details of the accident are still being investigated , it said . not only is this a loss to south african sport , but we have lost a true gentleman who through his professionalism , modesty and humility , constantly showing sheer guts , represented our country with great pride , ' cycling south africa said in the statement released thursday . the organization expressed its condolences to stander 's family , including his wife and parents . stander finished fifth in the men 's cross country mountain bike event at the olympic games in london last year . it was the second olympics for stander , who had finished 15th in the same event at the beijing games . he rode a superb race to move through the field in a race won by jaroslav kulhavy of the czech republic from nino schurter of switzerland . italy 's marco fontana was third , 25 seconds adrift , with stander only missing out on the podium by four seconds in a close finish . he had won the 2011 african championships to book his place at the games . adrien niyonshuti was fourth in the same race to become the first rwandan to qualify for an olympic competition . stander had recently married the multiple south african road race champion cherise taylor . cnn 's jethro mullen contributed to this report .","he finished fifth in his event at the olympic games in london last year" +"dominik paris ( cnn ) -- saturday 's world cup downhill race in bormio ended in a thrilling dead heat as aksel lund svindal extended his overall lead despite narrowly missing out on a three-way share of victory . the norwegian had to settle for third place after finishing just 0.01 seconds behind austria 's hannes reichelt and italy 's dominik paris -- who delighted the home crowd by claiming his first world cup win . it 's amazing , it was my dream to win a downhill in the world cup -- and now i finally won it , ' said the 23-year-old , who finished third at his national championships in march . tying with reichelt does n't make any difference -- i am only happy to be on top . i was very nervous in the leader box because i knew the others behind will ski well , but it turned out good . it is totally amazing to win here in bormio , i ca n't say anything just that it was a dream come true . ' reichelt also set a time of one minute 58.62 seconds as he claimed the fifth world cup win of his career and his second podium this season after placing third in the super g at beaver creek in the u.s. at the start of december . i feel like i am back in downhill because my last races were really bad , but i felt confident today , ' the 32-year-old said . i think equipment today was very important because if the skies are stable on this bumpy slope it helps you to ski fast . during the christmas break we did a good job , i did a lot of testing and now i can say i am on the right wave back . the year is ending really , really nice . ' svindal earned his first podium finish at bormio , which is considered one of the most testing courses on the world cup circuit . he finished 0.01 seconds ahead of fourth-placed austrian klaus kroll , who was the world cup downhill champion last season . it 's crazy , four guys within two-hundredths on one of the toughest downhills in the world , ' said svindal , who leads the downhill standings by 92 points from paris and has a 114-point advantage in the overall competition . he now has a record-equaling six podium positions before new year , matching the mark set by austria 's michael walchhofer in 2004-05 . i ca n't remember a race exactly this close . but as a ski racer you almost get used to it , it 's actually kind of crazy like that , ' svindal said . for sure there is that one mistake at the bottom that i wish i had back , but that 's ski racing . as long as you are fighting for the win like i am today , sometimes you get it and sometimes you do n't . but racing is a lot of fun when you are in that position . ' meanwhile , veronika zuzulova had a comparatively more comfortable victory in the women 's slalom in semmering , austria , as she won her first world cup race . the slovakian was 0.10 seconds ahead of home hope kathrin zettel over the two runs , while tina maze extended her overall world cup lead with her 11th podium in 16 starts . the slovenian , who was fastest in the first run , now has a 427-point advantage over germany 's maria hofl-riesch , who placed fourth .","hannes reichelt and dominik paris share first place in men 's world cup downhill race" +"turkey istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- an istanbul court slapped a world-renowned musician monday with a 10-month suspended sentence for posting a series of tweets that poked fun at islamic descriptions of heaven . classical concert pianist fazil say , 43 , was found guilty of openly insulting the religious values held by a portion of the public ' for the tweets , which were posted last year . although i am innocent and have not committed any crime , this decision i received is more worrisome for the freedom of expression and belief in turkey than it is to me as a person , ' say wrote in a statement posted on his facebook page . the sentence marks a very sad day for freedom of expression in turkey , ' say 's lawyer meltem akyol told cnn . we were expecting an acquittal . ' freedom of expression does not entitle you to condescend or offend or insult people , ' countered plaintiff ali emre bukagili . that 's a crime . ' say 's tweets included : you say the rivers will flow with wine , is heaven a tavern ? you say each believer will receive two women , is heaven a brothel ? ' according to the indictment . in another , say joked about the short duration of a cleric 's traditional islamic call to prayer . the tweet asked a rhetorical question to the chanting cleric : what 's the hurry ? lover waiting ? ' the indictment said . say also was convicted of retweeting allegedly offensive posts , such as , i am not sure if you have realized it , but where there is scum , a lowlife , a thief or a fool , s/he is always an allahist . is this a paradox ? ' faruk logoglu , deputy international affairs chairman of the nation 's main opposition party , chp , called the sentence a new link in the long chain of assaults on the freedom of expression and freedom of conscience in turkey . ' this is shameful for turkish democracy , ' he said . say wo n't have to serve his sentence as long as he does n't commit a similar crime within the next five years . the decision is a correct one , ' said bukagili . in our laws , it is against the law to publicly insult a belief , and he did that . ' the case was filed last june after three plaintiffs lodged formal complaints . say has been a vocal critic of the islamic-rooted justice and development party , which has governed turkey since it first won parliamentary elections more than a decade ago . critics linked the case to a recent string of freedom of expression prosecutions in turkey . last year , say commented on the case for cnn turk . ... if i thought i was guilty , i would feel uncomfortable with myself and would enter the jail on my own , ' he said . it is difficult for them to send me to jail . it is that simple . '","say has criticized turkey 's governing islamic-rooted justice and development party" +"turkey istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- an istanbul court slapped a world-renowned musician monday with a 10-month suspended sentence for posting a series of tweets that poked fun at islamic descriptions of heaven . classical concert pianist fazil say , 43 , was found guilty of openly insulting the religious values held by a portion of the public ' for the tweets , which were posted last year . although i am innocent and have not committed any crime , this decision i received is more worrisome for the freedom of expression and belief in turkey than it is to me as a person , ' say wrote in a statement posted on his facebook page . the sentence marks a very sad day for freedom of expression in turkey , ' say 's lawyer meltem akyol told cnn . we were expecting an acquittal . ' freedom of expression does not entitle you to condescend or offend or insult people , ' countered plaintiff ali emre bukagili . that 's a crime . ' say 's tweets included : you say the rivers will flow with wine , is heaven a tavern ? you say each believer will receive two women , is heaven a brothel ? ' according to the indictment . in another , say joked about the short duration of a cleric 's traditional islamic call to prayer . the tweet asked a rhetorical question to the chanting cleric : what 's the hurry ? lover waiting ? ' the indictment said . say also was convicted of retweeting allegedly offensive posts , such as , i am not sure if you have realized it , but where there is scum , a lowlife , a thief or a fool , s/he is always an allahist . is this a paradox ? ' faruk logoglu , deputy international affairs chairman of the nation 's main opposition party , chp , called the sentence a new link in the long chain of assaults on the freedom of expression and freedom of conscience in turkey . ' this is shameful for turkish democracy , ' he said . say wo n't have to serve his sentence as long as he does n't commit a similar crime within the next five years . the decision is a correct one , ' said bukagili . in our laws , it is against the law to publicly insult a belief , and he did that . ' the case was filed last june after three plaintiffs lodged formal complaints . say has been a vocal critic of the islamic-rooted justice and development party , which has governed turkey since it first won parliamentary elections more than a decade ago . critics linked the case to a recent string of freedom of expression prosecutions in turkey . last year , say commented on the case for cnn turk . ... if i thought i was guilty , i would feel uncomfortable with myself and would enter the jail on my own , ' he said . it is difficult for them to send me to jail . it is that simple . '","new : this is shameful for turkish democracy , ' says turkey 's main opposition party" +"flight 93 ( cnn ) -- a fire erupted friday at the headquarters of the shanksville , pennsylvania , memorial to united airlines flight 93 , which crashed on september 11 , 2001 , officials said . there is a potential for 9/11 memorabilia loss due to a fire , ' according to a statement from the national park service , but the extent of the damage is not known yet . nps spokesman mike litterst said 10 % of the archives and museum collection was stored in the damaged buildings , but much of it was kept in a fireproof safe . among the items in the damaged buildings was a u.s. flag that flew over the u.s. capitol on the day of the terrorist attack . the flag was given to the flight 93 national memorial last september 11 . its status was not known . four buildings were damaged , the park service said . heavy rain helped the firefighting efforts . seven fire companies responded to the blaze , which started about 3 p.m. , said geraldine budzina , a somerset county dispatcher . no injuries were reported . i think stuff has been lost ' ken nacke , whose brother louis was on flight 93 , said many 9/11 artifacts -- including notes and other mementos left at a temporary memorial at the crash site -- were being stored in the area where the fire burned . he said he had spoken friday with the head of families of flight 93 shortly after the group president was contacted by the memorial 's superintendent . i think stuff has been lost , ' nacke said . i just do n't know what has been lost . i know the layout of the buildings and i would n't be surprised . it 's heartbreaking that we spent all this time to have this happen . all the blood sweat and tears that went into building this . ' nacke helped raise funds for the flight 93 national memorial and advised in its planning . at the temporary memorial , people would leave cards , t-shirts and handmade stuff that was very comforting to us , ' he said . that 's why it 's heartbreaking . i hope none of this stuff is lost . ' cause of fire is unknown clouds of dark smoke could be seen billowing into the blue sky over the grounds friday afternoon on a live webcam . we are deeply saddened to learn that a fire occurred at the flight 93 national memorial headquarters , ' gordon felt , president of families of flight 93 said in a statement . we understand that no one was injured , and we are grateful for that . ' neither the memorial proper nor the new visitor center currently under construction were affected , as the headquarters is located approximately two miles from those sites , ' litterst said . initial reports were of extensive damage to the complex , litterst said . all employees and volunteers were safely evacuated . the cause of the blaze is under investigation , he said . 40 people died in the plane crash the memorial park is dedicated to the 40 passengers and crew who died when flight 93 crashed outside the town in southwestern pennsylvania . the plane went down , killing all on board , as passengers fought back against the hijackers , according to investigations . the memorial , still incomplete , includes a visitor center with traditional and interactive exhibits , public programs and information about the history of flight 93 . united airlines flight 93 was traveling from newark , new jersey , to san francisco when hijackers took over the plane , according to the 9/11 commission . investigators said the terrorists were most likely trying to turn the airplane toward washington to hit a major political target . the 2,200-acre memorial park is managed by the national park service . the second phase of construction is to be completed by 2015 . since 2001 , more than 1 million people from around the world have visited the crash site . what you need to know about the flight 93 national memorial cnn 's aaron cooper , deanna hackney and laura bernardini contributed to this report .","fire breaks out at headquarters of memorial to united airlines flight 93" +"flight 93 ( cnn ) -- a fire erupted friday at the headquarters of the shanksville , pennsylvania , memorial to united airlines flight 93 , which crashed on september 11 , 2001 , officials said . there is a potential for 9/11 memorabilia loss due to a fire , ' according to a statement from the national park service , but the extent of the damage is not known yet . nps spokesman mike litterst said 10 % of the archives and museum collection was stored in the damaged buildings , but much of it was kept in a fireproof safe . among the items in the damaged buildings was a u.s. flag that flew over the u.s. capitol on the day of the terrorist attack . the flag was given to the flight 93 national memorial last september 11 . its status was not known . four buildings were damaged , the park service said . heavy rain helped the firefighting efforts . seven fire companies responded to the blaze , which started about 3 p.m. , said geraldine budzina , a somerset county dispatcher . no injuries were reported . i think stuff has been lost ' ken nacke , whose brother louis was on flight 93 , said many 9/11 artifacts -- including notes and other mementos left at a temporary memorial at the crash site -- were being stored in the area where the fire burned . he said he had spoken friday with the head of families of flight 93 shortly after the group president was contacted by the memorial 's superintendent . i think stuff has been lost , ' nacke said . i just do n't know what has been lost . i know the layout of the buildings and i would n't be surprised . it 's heartbreaking that we spent all this time to have this happen . all the blood sweat and tears that went into building this . ' nacke helped raise funds for the flight 93 national memorial and advised in its planning . at the temporary memorial , people would leave cards , t-shirts and handmade stuff that was very comforting to us , ' he said . that 's why it 's heartbreaking . i hope none of this stuff is lost . ' cause of fire is unknown clouds of dark smoke could be seen billowing into the blue sky over the grounds friday afternoon on a live webcam . we are deeply saddened to learn that a fire occurred at the flight 93 national memorial headquarters , ' gordon felt , president of families of flight 93 said in a statement . we understand that no one was injured , and we are grateful for that . ' neither the memorial proper nor the new visitor center currently under construction were affected , as the headquarters is located approximately two miles from those sites , ' litterst said . initial reports were of extensive damage to the complex , litterst said . all employees and volunteers were safely evacuated . the cause of the blaze is under investigation , he said . 40 people died in the plane crash the memorial park is dedicated to the 40 passengers and crew who died when flight 93 crashed outside the town in southwestern pennsylvania . the plane went down , killing all on board , as passengers fought back against the hijackers , according to investigations . the memorial , still incomplete , includes a visitor center with traditional and interactive exhibits , public programs and information about the history of flight 93 . united airlines flight 93 was traveling from newark , new jersey , to san francisco when hijackers took over the plane , according to the 9/11 commission . investigators said the terrorists were most likely trying to turn the airplane toward washington to hit a major political target . the 2,200-acre memorial park is managed by the national park service . the second phase of construction is to be completed by 2015 . since 2001 , more than 1 million people from around the world have visited the crash site . what you need to know about the flight 93 national memorial cnn 's aaron cooper , deanna hackney and laura bernardini contributed to this report .","flight 93 crashed on september 11 , 2001 , after hijackers took over the plane" +"minerals management service venice , louisiana ( cnn ) -- a history of slipshod inspections is at least partly to blame for the disaster that destroyed the drill rig deepwater horizon and unleashed the worst oil spill in u.s. history , a former interior department official says . bobby maxwell worked for 22 years as an auditor and audit supervisor for the minerals management service , and he said the disaster would not have happened if inspectors had done their jobs . but he said a culture of corruption ' enveloped the agency , and it permeated the whole agency , both the revenue and the inspection side . ' the minerals management service , a division of the interior department , is the primary federal agency that conducts safety inspections and collects revenue on the more than 3,500 oil wells in the gulf of mexico . before leaving the agency in 2006 , he supervised more than 100 auditors , who dig through oil company documents to make sure the federal government is getting all the royalties it 's owed . he won an award from his bosses at the interior department . and although not an engineer by training , he spent a great deal of time on offshore rigs , many times working alongside minerals management service inspectors . but he said that the agency was badly flawed and that investigators looking into the explosion that killed 11 workers aboard the rig in april should be asking questions about how those inspections were conducted . what types of inspections ? who did them ? did they give them any waivers ? was the equipment adequate ? did they think they needed a second blowout preventer ? did they demand bp put it in ? mms is responsible for that , too , ' he said . as an auditor , maxwell said , he was flown to offshore oil rigs routinely , sometimes in the company of minerals management service inspectors . he says that when he was present , agency inspectors he saw were doing little real work . it seemed like a formal process they would go through , ' he said . we showed up on the rig . they had a checklist they would run through quickly , check things off , say things like'hi , joe . hi , john . see you at this weekend 's fishing tournament .' in may , an inspector general 's report on the minerals management service office in lake charles , louisiana , sharply criticized a widespread ' culture of taking gifts from industry officials before 2007 . many of the inspectors joined the agency from the industry and had relationships with people in the business that originated well before they took their jobs with industry or government , ' the report states . inspectors got paid meals and tickets to sporting events from companies they monitored ; let oil and gas company workers fill out their inspection forms in pencil , with the inspectors writing over those entries in ink before turning them in ; and in 2008 , one conducted inspections of four offshore platforms while negotiating a job with the company that operated them , the report found . and a 2008 inspector general 's report found that regulators in the agency 's denver , colorado , office received improper gifts from energy industry representatives and engaged in illegal drug use and inappropriate sexual relations with them . maxwell worked out of the denver office during that period and traveled to the gulf region frequently . he is now in the fifth year of a whistleblower lawsuit he filed against the kerr-mcgee oil co. , claiming that the firm cheated the interior department and the u.s. treasury out of tens of millions of dollars in revenue from the company 's oil concessions in the gulf . the company , which has since been acquired by anadarko petroleum , denies the accusations . a federal judge in denver is hearing that lawsuit , and should he win , maxwell will stand to gain about $ 6 million in whistleblower fees . interior secretary ken salazar has publicly criticized some minerals management service inspectors , saying they had a cozy relationship ' with oil company executives and workers . he has announced plans to split the agency into separate energy development , enforcement and revenue collection divisions , saying they have conflicting missions . in a statement issued to cnn , the interior department says that real change -- systemic and not cosmetic ' -- is coming to the service . salazar is well aware that we need to clean up the troubled agency , ' the department said . but maxwell said that even if the agency is split up , it wo n't make much of a real difference . you still have the same people , ' he said . if you had people issues with the corruption and jobs not being done , you still have the same people in the name of a new agency . so those people may not be changing what they are doing . therefore , you have the old agency with the new name , with the same corruption . ' maxwell says he decided to speak out because he was tired of seeing us not being able to do the job we were hired to do . ' he says he is both angry and heartbroken over the damage done to the marshlands , the water and to the economy of the gulf states , especially louisiana . the only way to potentially change it is to stand up and be recognized and tell what was happening , ' he said .","bobby maxwell spent 22 years at minerals management service" +"bulger ( cnn ) -- reputed mob boss james whitey ' bulger , visibly annoyed , muttered under his breath you 're a f -- -ing liar ' thursday as a disgraced former fbi supervisor testified that there was no question ' the irish gangster doubled as an informant for fbi boston . prosecutor brian kelly requested that the judge in bulger 's federal trial advise bulger to keep his little remarks to himself , ' which judge denise casper advised shortly after . both sets of attorneys have spent a remarkable amount of time during the trial of the notorious bulger , charged with 19 murders and in court after living in hiding for 16 years , trying to prove whether bulger was an informant during a 15-year period . even judge casper is beginning to question the importance of the issue . during post-court discussion over motions , as the defense was attempting to further it 's argument that bulger 's informant records were forged by his fbi handler , judge casper questioned , how does that address that your client is not guilty of crimes here ? ' bulger 's attorney j.w . carney danced around the question and responded , bulger was not providing information as an informant , he was providing money so that he 'd get tipped off about wire taps and search warrants . ' bulger 's attorneys have been quick to admit to acts of extortion and racketeering -- charges bulger is also facing -- to defend their client 's position that he was not another rat ' from south boston . why ca n't both be true ? ' judge casper inquired . the defendant 's position is ( that ) only one is true . ' carney said . why would james bulger be paying all this money to all these people if the government 's theory is he got all this protection because he was providing information . why would he keep paying everybody ? ' former fbi supervisor john morris , an addition to the government 's long list of cooperating witnesses , testified thursday that he took bribes from bulger in the amount of $ 7,000 , along with a silver-plated champagne bucket and two cases of imported wine . morris said he asked bulger if he could spring ' for a plane ticket for his secretary girlfriend to visit him during fbi training in georgia , and bulger obliged . morris admitted to his acts of corruption in 1997 in exchange for immunity . a sheepish , red-faced morris , though less than six feet away from bulger , avoided eye contact with the defendant , who glared steadily at his old confidant throughout his testimony . this is the first time the two have seen each other since they cut ties in 1991 after morris leaked bulger 's informant status to the boston globe . morris said he first met bulger at a dinner he hosted his lexington , massachusetts , home in 1978 along with bulger 's fbi handler john connolly , whom he characterized as his best friend . ' morris said he met bulger and later his associate steve the rifleman ' flemmi eight to 10 times in various places , including morris'home , morris'girlfriend 's apartment , a hotel , bulger 's home and even in flemmi 's mother 's house for dinner . flemmi 's mother cooked . the defense has previously argued that bulger was not treated like an informant , and thus did not believe that he was . morris testified that connolly preferred to meet bulger in pleasant surroundings , not the type of surroundings you would meet a normal informant , ' like in a hotel or car . he wanted mr. bulger to be comfortable , ' morris said . morris was supervisor to rogue fbi agent connolly , who is currently serving a 40-year sentence on second-degree murder charges for leaking the identities of witnesses cooperating against bulger 's winter hill gang . flemmi , serving a life sentence , is set to testify against bulger later in this trial after agreeing to cooperate with the government to evade the death penalty in 1997 . all that bulger and flemmi wanted from their handlers in exchange for information was a head start , ' as morris described -- to be tipped off if they were going to be indicted or charged so they could flee . the pair , according to morris , knew they were fair game ' and acknowledged that they were engaging in criminal activity and at some point they might get charged . if that happened , they did n't want their identity as informants disclosed and would rather take the risk ' morris said . morris admitted to tipping his informants off to wire taps , and keeping their names out of a 1975 horse race indictment . he testified that the mafia , or la cosa nostra , was the main priority of the fbi in boston and that bulger and his partner flemmi were instrumental in the take-down of those mobsters . the two provided the agents with a drawing of mafia headquarters , and that was used to take down the new england mafia in a 1983 sting . after being tipped off to an indictment , bulger went on the run for 16 years and landed himself on the fbi 's top 10 most wanted list before being arrested in his santa monica . california , home with his girlfriend in 2011 . morris said that he signed off on reports bulger provided to the fbi that he knew were false lies to protect himself from being implicated as the person to who leaked sensitive information that may have tipped bulger off to witnesses that were cooperating against him . those potential witnesses were eventually murdered , morris said , and bulger has been charged in their killings . while the defense had little time to cross-examine morris , who will be back on the stand friday , defense attorney hank brennan painted morris to be a liar , an adulterer , and a fraud . he was able to fire off a question that is likely to resound with the jury . you were corrupt , were n't you mr . morris ? ' brennan queried . yes , ' morris exhaled after a long pause and a deep breath ."," yes , ' comes the answer from agent , who is testifying against whitey ' bulger" +"bulger ( cnn ) -- reputed mob boss james whitey ' bulger , visibly annoyed , muttered under his breath you 're a f -- -ing liar ' thursday as a disgraced former fbi supervisor testified that there was no question ' the irish gangster doubled as an informant for fbi boston . prosecutor brian kelly requested that the judge in bulger 's federal trial advise bulger to keep his little remarks to himself , ' which judge denise casper advised shortly after . both sets of attorneys have spent a remarkable amount of time during the trial of the notorious bulger , charged with 19 murders and in court after living in hiding for 16 years , trying to prove whether bulger was an informant during a 15-year period . even judge casper is beginning to question the importance of the issue . during post-court discussion over motions , as the defense was attempting to further it 's argument that bulger 's informant records were forged by his fbi handler , judge casper questioned , how does that address that your client is not guilty of crimes here ? ' bulger 's attorney j.w . carney danced around the question and responded , bulger was not providing information as an informant , he was providing money so that he 'd get tipped off about wire taps and search warrants . ' bulger 's attorneys have been quick to admit to acts of extortion and racketeering -- charges bulger is also facing -- to defend their client 's position that he was not another rat ' from south boston . why ca n't both be true ? ' judge casper inquired . the defendant 's position is ( that ) only one is true . ' carney said . why would james bulger be paying all this money to all these people if the government 's theory is he got all this protection because he was providing information . why would he keep paying everybody ? ' former fbi supervisor john morris , an addition to the government 's long list of cooperating witnesses , testified thursday that he took bribes from bulger in the amount of $ 7,000 , along with a silver-plated champagne bucket and two cases of imported wine . morris said he asked bulger if he could spring ' for a plane ticket for his secretary girlfriend to visit him during fbi training in georgia , and bulger obliged . morris admitted to his acts of corruption in 1997 in exchange for immunity . a sheepish , red-faced morris , though less than six feet away from bulger , avoided eye contact with the defendant , who glared steadily at his old confidant throughout his testimony . this is the first time the two have seen each other since they cut ties in 1991 after morris leaked bulger 's informant status to the boston globe . morris said he first met bulger at a dinner he hosted his lexington , massachusetts , home in 1978 along with bulger 's fbi handler john connolly , whom he characterized as his best friend . ' morris said he met bulger and later his associate steve the rifleman ' flemmi eight to 10 times in various places , including morris'home , morris'girlfriend 's apartment , a hotel , bulger 's home and even in flemmi 's mother 's house for dinner . flemmi 's mother cooked . the defense has previously argued that bulger was not treated like an informant , and thus did not believe that he was . morris testified that connolly preferred to meet bulger in pleasant surroundings , not the type of surroundings you would meet a normal informant , ' like in a hotel or car . he wanted mr. bulger to be comfortable , ' morris said . morris was supervisor to rogue fbi agent connolly , who is currently serving a 40-year sentence on second-degree murder charges for leaking the identities of witnesses cooperating against bulger 's winter hill gang . flemmi , serving a life sentence , is set to testify against bulger later in this trial after agreeing to cooperate with the government to evade the death penalty in 1997 . all that bulger and flemmi wanted from their handlers in exchange for information was a head start , ' as morris described -- to be tipped off if they were going to be indicted or charged so they could flee . the pair , according to morris , knew they were fair game ' and acknowledged that they were engaging in criminal activity and at some point they might get charged . if that happened , they did n't want their identity as informants disclosed and would rather take the risk ' morris said . morris admitted to tipping his informants off to wire taps , and keeping their names out of a 1975 horse race indictment . he testified that the mafia , or la cosa nostra , was the main priority of the fbi in boston and that bulger and his partner flemmi were instrumental in the take-down of those mobsters . the two provided the agents with a drawing of mafia headquarters , and that was used to take down the new england mafia in a 1983 sting . after being tipped off to an indictment , bulger went on the run for 16 years and landed himself on the fbi 's top 10 most wanted list before being arrested in his santa monica . california , home with his girlfriend in 2011 . morris said that he signed off on reports bulger provided to the fbi that he knew were false lies to protect himself from being implicated as the person to who leaked sensitive information that may have tipped bulger off to witnesses that were cooperating against him . those potential witnesses were eventually murdered , morris said , and bulger has been charged in their killings . while the defense had little time to cross-examine morris , who will be back on the stand friday , defense attorney hank brennan painted morris to be a liar , an adulterer , and a fraud . he was able to fire off a question that is likely to resound with the jury . you were corrupt , were n't you mr . morris ? ' brennan queried . yes , ' morris exhaled after a long pause and a deep breath .","reputed mob boss bulger is charged with 19 murders" +"fbi ( cnn ) -- reputed mob boss james whitey ' bulger , visibly annoyed , muttered under his breath you 're a f -- -ing liar ' thursday as a disgraced former fbi supervisor testified that there was no question ' the irish gangster doubled as an informant for fbi boston . prosecutor brian kelly requested that the judge in bulger 's federal trial advise bulger to keep his little remarks to himself , ' which judge denise casper advised shortly after . both sets of attorneys have spent a remarkable amount of time during the trial of the notorious bulger , charged with 19 murders and in court after living in hiding for 16 years , trying to prove whether bulger was an informant during a 15-year period . even judge casper is beginning to question the importance of the issue . during post-court discussion over motions , as the defense was attempting to further it 's argument that bulger 's informant records were forged by his fbi handler , judge casper questioned , how does that address that your client is not guilty of crimes here ? ' bulger 's attorney j.w . carney danced around the question and responded , bulger was not providing information as an informant , he was providing money so that he 'd get tipped off about wire taps and search warrants . ' bulger 's attorneys have been quick to admit to acts of extortion and racketeering -- charges bulger is also facing -- to defend their client 's position that he was not another rat ' from south boston . why ca n't both be true ? ' judge casper inquired . the defendant 's position is ( that ) only one is true . ' carney said . why would james bulger be paying all this money to all these people if the government 's theory is he got all this protection because he was providing information . why would he keep paying everybody ? ' former fbi supervisor john morris , an addition to the government 's long list of cooperating witnesses , testified thursday that he took bribes from bulger in the amount of $ 7,000 , along with a silver-plated champagne bucket and two cases of imported wine . morris said he asked bulger if he could spring ' for a plane ticket for his secretary girlfriend to visit him during fbi training in georgia , and bulger obliged . morris admitted to his acts of corruption in 1997 in exchange for immunity . a sheepish , red-faced morris , though less than six feet away from bulger , avoided eye contact with the defendant , who glared steadily at his old confidant throughout his testimony . this is the first time the two have seen each other since they cut ties in 1991 after morris leaked bulger 's informant status to the boston globe . morris said he first met bulger at a dinner he hosted his lexington , massachusetts , home in 1978 along with bulger 's fbi handler john connolly , whom he characterized as his best friend . ' morris said he met bulger and later his associate steve the rifleman ' flemmi eight to 10 times in various places , including morris'home , morris'girlfriend 's apartment , a hotel , bulger 's home and even in flemmi 's mother 's house for dinner . flemmi 's mother cooked . the defense has previously argued that bulger was not treated like an informant , and thus did not believe that he was . morris testified that connolly preferred to meet bulger in pleasant surroundings , not the type of surroundings you would meet a normal informant , ' like in a hotel or car . he wanted mr. bulger to be comfortable , ' morris said . morris was supervisor to rogue fbi agent connolly , who is currently serving a 40-year sentence on second-degree murder charges for leaking the identities of witnesses cooperating against bulger 's winter hill gang . flemmi , serving a life sentence , is set to testify against bulger later in this trial after agreeing to cooperate with the government to evade the death penalty in 1997 . all that bulger and flemmi wanted from their handlers in exchange for information was a head start , ' as morris described -- to be tipped off if they were going to be indicted or charged so they could flee . the pair , according to morris , knew they were fair game ' and acknowledged that they were engaging in criminal activity and at some point they might get charged . if that happened , they did n't want their identity as informants disclosed and would rather take the risk ' morris said . morris admitted to tipping his informants off to wire taps , and keeping their names out of a 1975 horse race indictment . he testified that the mafia , or la cosa nostra , was the main priority of the fbi in boston and that bulger and his partner flemmi were instrumental in the take-down of those mobsters . the two provided the agents with a drawing of mafia headquarters , and that was used to take down the new england mafia in a 1983 sting . after being tipped off to an indictment , bulger went on the run for 16 years and landed himself on the fbi 's top 10 most wanted list before being arrested in his santa monica . california , home with his girlfriend in 2011 . morris said that he signed off on reports bulger provided to the fbi that he knew were false lies to protect himself from being implicated as the person to who leaked sensitive information that may have tipped bulger off to witnesses that were cooperating against him . those potential witnesses were eventually murdered , morris said , and bulger has been charged in their killings . while the defense had little time to cross-examine morris , who will be back on the stand friday , defense attorney hank brennan painted morris to be a liar , an adulterer , and a fraud . he was able to fire off a question that is likely to resound with the jury . you were corrupt , were n't you mr . morris ? ' brennan queried . yes , ' morris exhaled after a long pause and a deep breath .","he lived in hiding for 16 years , after a tipoff from an fbi source that he faced indictment" +"fbi ( cnn ) -- reputed mob boss james whitey ' bulger , visibly annoyed , muttered under his breath you 're a f -- -ing liar ' thursday as a disgraced former fbi supervisor testified that there was no question ' the irish gangster doubled as an informant for fbi boston . prosecutor brian kelly requested that the judge in bulger 's federal trial advise bulger to keep his little remarks to himself , ' which judge denise casper advised shortly after . both sets of attorneys have spent a remarkable amount of time during the trial of the notorious bulger , charged with 19 murders and in court after living in hiding for 16 years , trying to prove whether bulger was an informant during a 15-year period . even judge casper is beginning to question the importance of the issue . during post-court discussion over motions , as the defense was attempting to further it 's argument that bulger 's informant records were forged by his fbi handler , judge casper questioned , how does that address that your client is not guilty of crimes here ? ' bulger 's attorney j.w . carney danced around the question and responded , bulger was not providing information as an informant , he was providing money so that he 'd get tipped off about wire taps and search warrants . ' bulger 's attorneys have been quick to admit to acts of extortion and racketeering -- charges bulger is also facing -- to defend their client 's position that he was not another rat ' from south boston . why ca n't both be true ? ' judge casper inquired . the defendant 's position is ( that ) only one is true . ' carney said . why would james bulger be paying all this money to all these people if the government 's theory is he got all this protection because he was providing information . why would he keep paying everybody ? ' former fbi supervisor john morris , an addition to the government 's long list of cooperating witnesses , testified thursday that he took bribes from bulger in the amount of $ 7,000 , along with a silver-plated champagne bucket and two cases of imported wine . morris said he asked bulger if he could spring ' for a plane ticket for his secretary girlfriend to visit him during fbi training in georgia , and bulger obliged . morris admitted to his acts of corruption in 1997 in exchange for immunity . a sheepish , red-faced morris , though less than six feet away from bulger , avoided eye contact with the defendant , who glared steadily at his old confidant throughout his testimony . this is the first time the two have seen each other since they cut ties in 1991 after morris leaked bulger 's informant status to the boston globe . morris said he first met bulger at a dinner he hosted his lexington , massachusetts , home in 1978 along with bulger 's fbi handler john connolly , whom he characterized as his best friend . ' morris said he met bulger and later his associate steve the rifleman ' flemmi eight to 10 times in various places , including morris'home , morris'girlfriend 's apartment , a hotel , bulger 's home and even in flemmi 's mother 's house for dinner . flemmi 's mother cooked . the defense has previously argued that bulger was not treated like an informant , and thus did not believe that he was . morris testified that connolly preferred to meet bulger in pleasant surroundings , not the type of surroundings you would meet a normal informant , ' like in a hotel or car . he wanted mr. bulger to be comfortable , ' morris said . morris was supervisor to rogue fbi agent connolly , who is currently serving a 40-year sentence on second-degree murder charges for leaking the identities of witnesses cooperating against bulger 's winter hill gang . flemmi , serving a life sentence , is set to testify against bulger later in this trial after agreeing to cooperate with the government to evade the death penalty in 1997 . all that bulger and flemmi wanted from their handlers in exchange for information was a head start , ' as morris described -- to be tipped off if they were going to be indicted or charged so they could flee . the pair , according to morris , knew they were fair game ' and acknowledged that they were engaging in criminal activity and at some point they might get charged . if that happened , they did n't want their identity as informants disclosed and would rather take the risk ' morris said . morris admitted to tipping his informants off to wire taps , and keeping their names out of a 1975 horse race indictment . he testified that the mafia , or la cosa nostra , was the main priority of the fbi in boston and that bulger and his partner flemmi were instrumental in the take-down of those mobsters . the two provided the agents with a drawing of mafia headquarters , and that was used to take down the new england mafia in a 1983 sting . after being tipped off to an indictment , bulger went on the run for 16 years and landed himself on the fbi 's top 10 most wanted list before being arrested in his santa monica . california , home with his girlfriend in 2011 . morris said that he signed off on reports bulger provided to the fbi that he knew were false lies to protect himself from being implicated as the person to who leaked sensitive information that may have tipped bulger off to witnesses that were cooperating against him . those potential witnesses were eventually murdered , morris said , and bulger has been charged in their killings . while the defense had little time to cross-examine morris , who will be back on the stand friday , defense attorney hank brennan painted morris to be a liar , an adulterer , and a fraud . he was able to fire off a question that is likely to resound with the jury . you were corrupt , were n't you mr . morris ? ' brennan queried . yes , ' morris exhaled after a long pause and a deep breath .","a former fbi agents is asked : you were corrupt , were n't you ? '" +"gaza jerusalem ( cnn ) -- israel has expelled venezuela 's ambassador in response to venezuela 's expulsion of an israeli envoy and the rupture of diplomatic relations earlier this month . a pro-palestinian mural in the venezuelan capital , caracas . venezuelan head of mission roland betancourt and two other diplomats were given until friday to leave . due to the decision of venezuela to cut relations with us a few weeks ago , we told the venezuelan charge d'affaires that he and his staff should leave israel , ' foreign ministry official lior hayat said . we told them they are declared persona non grata in israel . ' venezuela expelled israeli ambassador shlomo cohen and staff on january 6 and broke off diplomatic relations on january 14 in protest of israel 's attack on gaza . bolivia also broke off relations with israel that day . venezuelan foreign minister nicolas maduro defended his country 's actions , saying israel violated basic human rights with its military action . our decisions were just , correct , aligned with and adjusted with the spirit of our constitution , which mandates that we seek international peace , ' maduro said in a statement on the foreign ministry 's web site . maduro said venezuela 's actions are compatible with its support for the creation of a palestinian state . he has not spoken , he said , with any israeli officials over this week 's expulsion of the venezuelan diplomats . the response of the state of israel is weak , late , and in any case for us it 's an honor , ' maduro told the qatar-based television network al-jazeera . we 're proud that the state of israel that exists today , led by these criminals , made this decision . ' israel and venezuela have had diplomatic tensions before . israel recalled its ambassador to venezuela in august 2006 in protest against the one-sided policy of the president of venezuela , hugo chavez , in light of his outrageous defamatory remarks against the state of israel , and in reaction to the recalling of the venezuela ambassador to israel , ' the foreign ministry said at the time . a january 21 cease-fire put an end to fighting between hamas militants in gaza and israel , which had launched a three-week offensive , saying its goal was to stop missile strikes into southern israel . more than 1,200 palestinians , many of them civilians , were killed . israel lost about 10 soldiers and three civilians .","move in response to venezuela breaking diplomatic relations over gaza attack" +"middle east hong kong ( cnn ) -- growing levels of conflict , terrorism , and the toppling of regimes in the middle east and north africa , as well as political violence in east africa , are driving a rise in political instability worldwide , according to research by uk risk analysis firm , maplecroft released on thursday . since 2010 , one in ten of the countries surveyed have experienced a significant increase in the level of short-term political risk . these risks include governments asserting control over natural resources , regimes being ousted by popular uprisings and the expropriation of foreign investors'assets . the findings form part of the latest maplecroft political risk atlas , which uses 52 indicators to help companies monitor political issues affecting the business environment in 197 countries . since 2010 , syria has deteriorated the most . it now ranks second compared with a 44th place ranking in 2010 . somalia topped the rankings . afghanistan , sudan and the democratic republic of the congo also ranked in the top five . egypt has been downgraded to extreme risk ' for the first time as a result of violence following the ousting of former president mohamed morsy and an increase in terrorist attacks in the sinai peninsula , the report said . maplecroft warned that syria , egypt and libya are now so bad ' that they will be mired in exceptionally high levels of dynamic political risk for years to come . ' a fall in political violence in the philippines , india and uganda has contributed to these countries experiencing the biggest reduction in short-term political risk over the past four years . improvements in the level of governance has also helped to lower risk levels in malaysia and israel in the same period . social unrest the report said there is a higher chance for social unrest to exacerbate political instability in bangladesh , belarus , china , kazakhstan , saudi arabia and vietnam . this is due to the erosion of democratic freedoms , increasing crackdowns on political position and the brutality by security forces towards protesters , compounded by rising food prices and worsening working conditions , ' maplecroft said in a statement . another concern for foreign investors is that there has been a major increase in oppression by governments worldwide . this erosion of political freedoms is central to driving the wider risk of unrest and instability in the medium- to long term , ' said charlotte ingham , senior political risk analyst at maplecroft . in the short term , foreign investors face a heightened risk of becoming complicit with the actions of these oppressive regimes , which poses a threat to a company 's reputation , the think tank said . empowered youth instability increases as the gap grows between political freedoms and social gains , such as education and computer literacy among young people . in 2010 , prior to the the arab spring , libya , tunisia , iran , syria and egypt were among the countries with the biggest divide between political freedoms and social gains . maplecroft predicts that the growing imbalance between social gains and political freedoms in bahrain , azerbaijan and south africa will heighten the risk of instability in those countries in 2014 and beyond . although china is categorized as extreme risk ' in maplecroft 's ranking of oppressive regimes , the speed of the country 's governance reforms is likely to be sufficient to limit the chances of widespread social unrest that could lead to a jasmine ' revolution , according to the think tank . but china 's increased scrutiny of foreign business practices has created compliance challenges for companies operating there , the report added . maplecroft cautioned that vietnam 's crackdown on social media and freedom of speech amid growing opposition may undermine the stability of the government in the long term . poland has experienced a significant increase in the level of political freedoms over the past four years , according to maplecroft , and now displays a near perfect balance ' between the level of political freedoms and social gains , which reduces the likelihood of protests and disputes over labor conditions . political violence east african countries saw the biggest increase in the risk of political violence , including terrorism , poor governance , and regimes vulnerable to popular uprisings . somalia , sudan and south sudan scored in the extreme risk ' category , while kenya and ethiopia are high risk . ' eritrea , tanzania and mozambique also saw a change in their risk category . three years after the arab spring , more than 60 % of countries in the middle east and north africa region have seen a significant rise in political violence , demonstrating the long-term political risks associated with forced regime change , the report said . in the west , the impact of the global financial crisis continues to be seen in high levels of unemployment and underemployment . this , combined with austerity measures , has contributed to growing inequality and stalling or declining living standards , according to maplecroft . political landscapes both in europe and the united states have become increasingly fragmented and polarized as populist parties flourished in response to growing voter dissatisfaction with established political parties over these issues .","new research finds the middle east and north africa , and east africa are political risk hotspots" +"misrata tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- an airstrike saturday hit a parking lot outside the compound in central tripoli of libyan leader moammar gadhafi , killing three people , a government spokesman said . musa ibrahim said he had no information about the identities of the dead in the attack on the compound , called bab el-azizia . the attack , presumably from nato forces , came shortly after deputy foreign minister khaled khaim announced that libya 's army will withdraw from the besieged coastal city of misrata and allow tribal leaders to attempt to deal with the rebels . the situation in misrata will be eased and will be dealt with by the tribes surrounding misrata , ' khaim told reporters . you will see how they will be swift and quick and fast . ' he added that the residents of libya 's third-largest city have been in the grip of the conflict . the tactic of the libyan army is to have a surgical solution , but it does n't work , ' khaim said . with the airstrikes , it does not work . we will leave it for the tribes and misrata people to deal with the situation -- either to use force or negotiations . ' he added , the tribal leaders have issued an ultimatum to the military saying they will deal with the situation if the military can not do it . ... they will speak with the rebels and , if there is no solution , they will fight the rebels . ' in the rebel stronghold of benghazi , in the east , rebel spokesman ahmed bani reacted to khaim 's comments with laughter and derision . this only confirms that he wants to save face , ' bani said of gadhafi . this confirms that our rebels in misrata have liberated misrata and that libya is still in one piece , not two , the way gadhafi hoped . in regards to the tribes fighting the rebels ; how would you believe that a person will fight his brother ? and who are the tribes that are supporting gadhafi , anyway ? ' he predicted that if gadhafi forces leave misrata , it will mean that this game is over . ' but he added that he did not necessarily believe they will . earlier friday , bani said that libyan rebels had wrested control of a key building in misrata and made other advances in the city . this victory is quite important for us , and it shows that we are advancing and we are heading in the right direction , ' bani told cnn about the rebels'control of the national insurance building , which is on the main thoroughfare , tripoli street . its height provided snipers with a clear view of surrounding streets . bani said some fighters loyal to gadhafi were negotiating to surrender their weapons to the rebels in exchange for the rebels'assurances that they would not be harmed . but the carnage of recent days was on display at the city 's hospitals , where doctors were working long hours and beds were full . gadhafi 's forces retain control of roads that lead to the seacoast city . but access by sea remains open , and on friday another aid ship chartered by the international organization for migration left benghazi for misrata carrying food , medicine and other supplies . the organization said it hopes to rescue more casualties and stranded migrants from the city . given the increasing number of casualties in misrata and the thousands of lives that are in danger , we felt a responsibility to act , ' said foreign minister eamon gilmore of ireland , which is helping fund the chartered vessels . colonel gadhafi 's forces have agreed to allow ships into the port to evacuate civilians and we have requested that the iom undertake an emergency operation on our behalf , ' gilmore said . at a news conference in baghdad , america 's top military chief acknowledged a stalemate on libya 's eastern front , around the oil towns of ajdabiya and al-brega , both of which have changed hands several times . the regime forces have changed their tactics , and changed it in a way where they essentially look like the opposition forces , so it 's become a much more difficult fight , ' u.s. navy adm. mike mullen , the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , told reporters . and as i 've observed in recent days , essentially it is very much stalemate-like in the vicinity of ajdabiya and al-brega , ' mullen said . he said the outcome -- toppling gadhafi after nearly 42 years of rule -- is certain . but the timing , he said , is difficult to predict . ' also friday , sen. john mccain made an unannounced visit to benghazi , the rebel stronghold , where residents welcomed him . some waved american flags , some chanted , thank you john mccain ! thank you obama ! thank you america ! we need freedom ! gadhafi go away ! ' the senator from arizona 's arrival came a day after the united states said it was deploying drones to libya . mccain , a proponent of beefing up u.s. efforts to oust gadhafi , said the drones will increase nato 's capability but not enough to break a significant degree of stalemate . ' though he opposes sending u.s. ground troops to libya , he said the international community needs to facilitate ' weapons and training for the rebels . mccain , the highest-ranking u.s. official to visit libya since the conflict erupted in february , challenged critics of intervention to tour benghazi , as he did friday , to see a powerful and hopeful example of what a free libya can be . ' the top republican on the senate armed services committee stopped by a hospital and suggested that western powers are not doing enough for the rebels . let 's face it : this is not a fair fight , ' said mccain , a decorated vietnam veteran with clout in defense circles . maybe we should be doing everything we can to help these people and maybe we 're not , and they 're dying . ' u.s . predator drones were deployed thursday in the north african nation as part of the nato-led military efforts there . but as of friday night , the drones had made no strikes , said a pentagon spokesman , navy capt . darryn james . u.s. defense secretary robert gates said earlier that bad weather forced the deployed drones to return . libya 's deputy foreign minister told reporters that the decision reflects poorly on u.s. president barack obama . he is involving himself in a dirty game , ' khaim said . this is will be another crime against humanity committed by the american administration and i feel very sad for president obama to be involved in such a thing . ' cnn 's reza sayah , saad abedine , frederik pleitgen and barbara starr contributed to this report .","the rebels claim victory in taking over a central misrata building" +"misrata tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- an airstrike saturday hit a parking lot outside the compound in central tripoli of libyan leader moammar gadhafi , killing three people , a government spokesman said . musa ibrahim said he had no information about the identities of the dead in the attack on the compound , called bab el-azizia . the attack , presumably from nato forces , came shortly after deputy foreign minister khaled khaim announced that libya 's army will withdraw from the besieged coastal city of misrata and allow tribal leaders to attempt to deal with the rebels . the situation in misrata will be eased and will be dealt with by the tribes surrounding misrata , ' khaim told reporters . you will see how they will be swift and quick and fast . ' he added that the residents of libya 's third-largest city have been in the grip of the conflict . the tactic of the libyan army is to have a surgical solution , but it does n't work , ' khaim said . with the airstrikes , it does not work . we will leave it for the tribes and misrata people to deal with the situation -- either to use force or negotiations . ' he added , the tribal leaders have issued an ultimatum to the military saying they will deal with the situation if the military can not do it . ... they will speak with the rebels and , if there is no solution , they will fight the rebels . ' in the rebel stronghold of benghazi , in the east , rebel spokesman ahmed bani reacted to khaim 's comments with laughter and derision . this only confirms that he wants to save face , ' bani said of gadhafi . this confirms that our rebels in misrata have liberated misrata and that libya is still in one piece , not two , the way gadhafi hoped . in regards to the tribes fighting the rebels ; how would you believe that a person will fight his brother ? and who are the tribes that are supporting gadhafi , anyway ? ' he predicted that if gadhafi forces leave misrata , it will mean that this game is over . ' but he added that he did not necessarily believe they will . earlier friday , bani said that libyan rebels had wrested control of a key building in misrata and made other advances in the city . this victory is quite important for us , and it shows that we are advancing and we are heading in the right direction , ' bani told cnn about the rebels'control of the national insurance building , which is on the main thoroughfare , tripoli street . its height provided snipers with a clear view of surrounding streets . bani said some fighters loyal to gadhafi were negotiating to surrender their weapons to the rebels in exchange for the rebels'assurances that they would not be harmed . but the carnage of recent days was on display at the city 's hospitals , where doctors were working long hours and beds were full . gadhafi 's forces retain control of roads that lead to the seacoast city . but access by sea remains open , and on friday another aid ship chartered by the international organization for migration left benghazi for misrata carrying food , medicine and other supplies . the organization said it hopes to rescue more casualties and stranded migrants from the city . given the increasing number of casualties in misrata and the thousands of lives that are in danger , we felt a responsibility to act , ' said foreign minister eamon gilmore of ireland , which is helping fund the chartered vessels . colonel gadhafi 's forces have agreed to allow ships into the port to evacuate civilians and we have requested that the iom undertake an emergency operation on our behalf , ' gilmore said . at a news conference in baghdad , america 's top military chief acknowledged a stalemate on libya 's eastern front , around the oil towns of ajdabiya and al-brega , both of which have changed hands several times . the regime forces have changed their tactics , and changed it in a way where they essentially look like the opposition forces , so it 's become a much more difficult fight , ' u.s. navy adm. mike mullen , the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , told reporters . and as i 've observed in recent days , essentially it is very much stalemate-like in the vicinity of ajdabiya and al-brega , ' mullen said . he said the outcome -- toppling gadhafi after nearly 42 years of rule -- is certain . but the timing , he said , is difficult to predict . ' also friday , sen. john mccain made an unannounced visit to benghazi , the rebel stronghold , where residents welcomed him . some waved american flags , some chanted , thank you john mccain ! thank you obama ! thank you america ! we need freedom ! gadhafi go away ! ' the senator from arizona 's arrival came a day after the united states said it was deploying drones to libya . mccain , a proponent of beefing up u.s. efforts to oust gadhafi , said the drones will increase nato 's capability but not enough to break a significant degree of stalemate . ' though he opposes sending u.s. ground troops to libya , he said the international community needs to facilitate ' weapons and training for the rebels . mccain , the highest-ranking u.s. official to visit libya since the conflict erupted in february , challenged critics of intervention to tour benghazi , as he did friday , to see a powerful and hopeful example of what a free libya can be . ' the top republican on the senate armed services committee stopped by a hospital and suggested that western powers are not doing enough for the rebels . let 's face it : this is not a fair fight , ' said mccain , a decorated vietnam veteran with clout in defense circles . maybe we should be doing everything we can to help these people and maybe we 're not , and they 're dying . ' u.s . predator drones were deployed thursday in the north african nation as part of the nato-led military efforts there . but as of friday night , the drones had made no strikes , said a pentagon spokesman , navy capt . darryn james . u.s. defense secretary robert gates said earlier that bad weather forced the deployed drones to return . libya 's deputy foreign minister told reporters that the decision reflects poorly on u.s. president barack obama . he is involving himself in a dirty game , ' khaim said . this is will be another crime against humanity committed by the american administration and i feel very sad for president obama to be involved in such a thing . ' cnn 's reza sayah , saad abedine , frederik pleitgen and barbara starr contributed to this report .","the situation in misrata will be dealt with by the tribes around misrata , ' official says" +"white house washington ( cnn ) -- as he awaits a crucial progress report on iraq , president bush will try to put a twist on comparisons of the war to vietnam by invoking the historical lessons of that conflict to argue against pulling out . president bush pauses tuesday during a news conference at the north american leaders summit in canada . on wednesday in kansas city , missouri , bush will tell members of the veterans of foreign wars that then , as now , people argued that the real problem was america 's presence and that if we would just withdraw , the killing would end , ' according to speech excerpts released tuesday by the white house . three decades later , there is a legitimate debate about how we got into the vietnam war and how we left , ' bush will say . whatever your position in that debate , one unmistakable legacy of vietnam is that the price of america 's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens , whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like'boat people ,' re-education camps'and'killing fields ,' the president will say . the president will also make the argument that withdrawing from vietnam emboldened today 's terrorists by compromising u.s. credibility , citing a quote from al qaeda leader osama bin laden that the american people would rise against the iraq war the same way they rose against the war in vietnam , according to the excerpts . here at home , some can argue our withdrawal from vietnam carried no price to american credibility , but the terrorists see things differently , ' bush will say . on tuesday , democratic senate majority leader harry reid said , president bush 's attempt to compare the war in iraq to past military conflicts in east asia ignores the fundamental difference between the two . our nation was misled by the bush administration in an effort to gain support for the invasion of iraq under false pretenses , leading to one of the worst foreign policy blunders in our history . while the president continues to stay-the-course with his failed strategy in iraq , paid for by the taxpayers , american lives are being lost and there is still no political solution within the iraqi government . it is time to change direction in iraq , and congress will again work to do so in the fall . ' the white house is billing the speech , along with another address next week to the american legion , as an effort to provide broader context ' for the debate over the upcoming iraq progress report by gen. david petraeus , the top u.s. military commander , and ryan crocker , the u.s. ambassador in baghdad . president bush has frequently asked lawmakers -- and the american people -- to withhold judgment on his troop surge ' in iraq until the report comes out in september . watch bush criticize the iraqi government » it is being closely watched on capitol hill , particularly by republicans nervous about the political fallout from an increasingly unpopular war . earlier this month , defense secretary robert gates said he would wait for the report before deciding when a drawdown of the 160,000 u.s. troops in iraq might begin . bush 's speeches wednesday and next week are the latest in a series of attempts by the white house to try to reframe the debate over iraq , as public support for the war continues to sag . a recent cnn/opinion research corporation poll found that almost two-thirds of americans -- 64 percent -- now oppose the iraq war , and 72 percent say that even if petraeus reports progress , it wo n't change their opinion . the poll also found a great deal of skepticism about the report ; 53 percent said they do not trust petraeus to give an accurate assessment of the situation in iraq . in addition to his analogy to vietnam , bush in wednesday 's speech will invoke other historical comparisons from asia , including the u.s. defeat and occupation of japan after world war ii and the korean war in the 1950s , according to the excerpts . in the aftermath of japan 's surrender , many thought it naive to help the japanese transform themselves into a democracy . then , as now , the critics argued that some people were simply not fit for freedom , ' bush will say . today , in defiance of the critics , japan ... stands as one of the world 's great free societies . ' speaking about the korean war , bush will note that at the time critics argued that the war was futile , that we never should have sent our troops in , or that america 's intervention was divisive here at home . ' while it is true that the korean war had its share of challenges , america never broke its word , ' bush will say . without america 's intervention during the war , and our willingness to stick with the south koreans after the war , millions of south koreans would now be living under a brutal and repressive regime . ' e-mail to a friend","speech will be latest white house attempt to try to reframe the debate over iraq" +"iraq washington ( cnn ) -- as he awaits a crucial progress report on iraq , president bush will try to put a twist on comparisons of the war to vietnam by invoking the historical lessons of that conflict to argue against pulling out . president bush pauses tuesday during a news conference at the north american leaders summit in canada . on wednesday in kansas city , missouri , bush will tell members of the veterans of foreign wars that then , as now , people argued that the real problem was america 's presence and that if we would just withdraw , the killing would end , ' according to speech excerpts released tuesday by the white house . three decades later , there is a legitimate debate about how we got into the vietnam war and how we left , ' bush will say . whatever your position in that debate , one unmistakable legacy of vietnam is that the price of america 's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens , whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like'boat people ,' re-education camps'and'killing fields ,' the president will say . the president will also make the argument that withdrawing from vietnam emboldened today 's terrorists by compromising u.s. credibility , citing a quote from al qaeda leader osama bin laden that the american people would rise against the iraq war the same way they rose against the war in vietnam , according to the excerpts . here at home , some can argue our withdrawal from vietnam carried no price to american credibility , but the terrorists see things differently , ' bush will say . on tuesday , democratic senate majority leader harry reid said , president bush 's attempt to compare the war in iraq to past military conflicts in east asia ignores the fundamental difference between the two . our nation was misled by the bush administration in an effort to gain support for the invasion of iraq under false pretenses , leading to one of the worst foreign policy blunders in our history . while the president continues to stay-the-course with his failed strategy in iraq , paid for by the taxpayers , american lives are being lost and there is still no political solution within the iraqi government . it is time to change direction in iraq , and congress will again work to do so in the fall . ' the white house is billing the speech , along with another address next week to the american legion , as an effort to provide broader context ' for the debate over the upcoming iraq progress report by gen. david petraeus , the top u.s. military commander , and ryan crocker , the u.s. ambassador in baghdad . president bush has frequently asked lawmakers -- and the american people -- to withhold judgment on his troop surge ' in iraq until the report comes out in september . watch bush criticize the iraqi government » it is being closely watched on capitol hill , particularly by republicans nervous about the political fallout from an increasingly unpopular war . earlier this month , defense secretary robert gates said he would wait for the report before deciding when a drawdown of the 160,000 u.s. troops in iraq might begin . bush 's speeches wednesday and next week are the latest in a series of attempts by the white house to try to reframe the debate over iraq , as public support for the war continues to sag . a recent cnn/opinion research corporation poll found that almost two-thirds of americans -- 64 percent -- now oppose the iraq war , and 72 percent say that even if petraeus reports progress , it wo n't change their opinion . the poll also found a great deal of skepticism about the report ; 53 percent said they do not trust petraeus to give an accurate assessment of the situation in iraq . in addition to his analogy to vietnam , bush in wednesday 's speech will invoke other historical comparisons from asia , including the u.s. defeat and occupation of japan after world war ii and the korean war in the 1950s , according to the excerpts . in the aftermath of japan 's surrender , many thought it naive to help the japanese transform themselves into a democracy . then , as now , the critics argued that some people were simply not fit for freedom , ' bush will say . today , in defiance of the critics , japan ... stands as one of the world 's great free societies . ' speaking about the korean war , bush will note that at the time critics argued that the war was futile , that we never should have sent our troops in , or that america 's intervention was divisive here at home . ' while it is true that the korean war had its share of challenges , america never broke its word , ' bush will say . without america 's intervention during the war , and our willingness to stick with the south koreans after the war , millions of south koreans would now be living under a brutal and repressive regime . ' e-mail to a friend","speech will be latest white house attempt to try to reframe the debate over iraq" +"filicia ( cnn ) -- decorating in the midst of a financial recession is not easy . but thom filicia , host of the style network 's dress my nest , ' author of thom filicia style ' and former cast member of queer eye for the straight guy , ' insists that it can be done . paint is very affordable . pick a color that has life and personality , ' thom filicia says . i always tell people ,'start with what you have .'work as much with what you have as possible , and then fill in where necessary , ' filicia said . cnn recently asked the design guru about decorating on a budget and helpful tips to make your home look its best . cnn : when you walk into a room that you 're going to redesign , where does your mind first go ? thom filicia : i look at the layout , i look at the way the space is being used , and i try to figure out what the best use of the space is ; that it works really well , it looks good , that you 're getting the best views , you 're seeing the space , and that you 're getting through the space . cnn : and that 's focusing mainly on furniture ? filicia : that really focuses on all the furniture . you want to look at where the rug is and where the sofa is and coffee tables and chairs -- just how the room works . even if it 's great-looking stuff , it sometimes does n't look as good as it can look . cnn : what can people on a tight budget do to rearrange their living room and make it look better with what they have ? filicia : make sure that your furniture layout works . make sure that the things you love to look at , you 're seeing . make sure things are n't cluttered . paint is very affordable . pick a color that has life and personality . you could do an accent wall behind your sofa . you could use a low- [ volatile organic compound ] paint so it 's environmentally friendly . you can use inexpensive up lights . you put them on either side of a piece of furniture or behind a tree . you always want to have a lutron dimmer you plug into the wall . and then plug your lamps into the lutron dimmer , and you can dim the whole room . cnn : as far as accessories go , like flowers and pillows , where do you draw the line on too much or not enough ? filicia : i like to keep things clean and straightforward . i think one floral arrangement is usually enough , or maybe a couple really small cute little ones . pillows should function . you want to sit on a sofa and be comfortable . start with three : one lumbar in the center and maybe a pair of pillows left and right . add a throw , a rug for underfoot . those things start to add layers to the room and make it a little more acoustical . cnn : what are some common designing rules that people always tend to follow but that you can actually break ? filicia : people think that dark walls make a room smaller . it actually makes the space bigger . all the corners recede , and it adds a lot of depth . also , i think that color definitely adds a lot of warmth to spaces . cnn : what 's the most common mistake that people make ? filicia : people just do n't trust their instincts , and they 're not willing to take a risk . have fun with it . it 's only decorating . people tend to go with beige and white just because they 're afraid or they do n't want to make a commitment . cnn : if someone had just enough money to do one thing in their room , what would you tell them to focus on ? filicia : the first thing you want to really focus on is a great sofa , because it is really the anchor for the room . in a bedroom , the anchor piece is your bed . start with your anchor piece , and that 's where you spend your most money . cnn : you have a new book out now , is that right ? filicia : yup , i have a book out right now , which is called thom filicia style , ' and it 's a great book . it 's a lot of fun . it 's got a lot of great tips in it . it talks about my philosophy ; it talks about color and texture . it 's a very comprehensive book with case studies . cnn : can you give us some tips for making a place eco-friendly on a tight budget ? filicia : it 's very easy to use eco-friendly cleaning supplies , environmentally friendly lighting throughout your house using low wattage or eco-friendly bulbs . also , just turning your lights off when you 're not in a room ; when you 're brushing your teeth not keeping the water running ; taking shorter showers . these are all really simple , easy ways that we can all help mother earth repair and heal and replenish itself .","filicia says there are easy ways to make your home eco-friendly" +"filicia ( cnn ) -- decorating in the midst of a financial recession is not easy . but thom filicia , host of the style network 's dress my nest , ' author of thom filicia style ' and former cast member of queer eye for the straight guy , ' insists that it can be done . paint is very affordable . pick a color that has life and personality , ' thom filicia says . i always tell people ,'start with what you have .'work as much with what you have as possible , and then fill in where necessary , ' filicia said . cnn recently asked the design guru about decorating on a budget and helpful tips to make your home look its best . cnn : when you walk into a room that you 're going to redesign , where does your mind first go ? thom filicia : i look at the layout , i look at the way the space is being used , and i try to figure out what the best use of the space is ; that it works really well , it looks good , that you 're getting the best views , you 're seeing the space , and that you 're getting through the space . cnn : and that 's focusing mainly on furniture ? filicia : that really focuses on all the furniture . you want to look at where the rug is and where the sofa is and coffee tables and chairs -- just how the room works . even if it 's great-looking stuff , it sometimes does n't look as good as it can look . cnn : what can people on a tight budget do to rearrange their living room and make it look better with what they have ? filicia : make sure that your furniture layout works . make sure that the things you love to look at , you 're seeing . make sure things are n't cluttered . paint is very affordable . pick a color that has life and personality . you could do an accent wall behind your sofa . you could use a low- [ volatile organic compound ] paint so it 's environmentally friendly . you can use inexpensive up lights . you put them on either side of a piece of furniture or behind a tree . you always want to have a lutron dimmer you plug into the wall . and then plug your lamps into the lutron dimmer , and you can dim the whole room . cnn : as far as accessories go , like flowers and pillows , where do you draw the line on too much or not enough ? filicia : i like to keep things clean and straightforward . i think one floral arrangement is usually enough , or maybe a couple really small cute little ones . pillows should function . you want to sit on a sofa and be comfortable . start with three : one lumbar in the center and maybe a pair of pillows left and right . add a throw , a rug for underfoot . those things start to add layers to the room and make it a little more acoustical . cnn : what are some common designing rules that people always tend to follow but that you can actually break ? filicia : people think that dark walls make a room smaller . it actually makes the space bigger . all the corners recede , and it adds a lot of depth . also , i think that color definitely adds a lot of warmth to spaces . cnn : what 's the most common mistake that people make ? filicia : people just do n't trust their instincts , and they 're not willing to take a risk . have fun with it . it 's only decorating . people tend to go with beige and white just because they 're afraid or they do n't want to make a commitment . cnn : if someone had just enough money to do one thing in their room , what would you tell them to focus on ? filicia : the first thing you want to really focus on is a great sofa , because it is really the anchor for the room . in a bedroom , the anchor piece is your bed . start with your anchor piece , and that 's where you spend your most money . cnn : you have a new book out now , is that right ? filicia : yup , i have a book out right now , which is called thom filicia style , ' and it 's a great book . it 's a lot of fun . it 's got a lot of great tips in it . it talks about my philosophy ; it talks about color and texture . it 's a very comprehensive book with case studies . cnn : can you give us some tips for making a place eco-friendly on a tight budget ? filicia : it 's very easy to use eco-friendly cleaning supplies , environmentally friendly lighting throughout your house using low wattage or eco-friendly bulbs . also , just turning your lights off when you 're not in a room ; when you 're brushing your teeth not keeping the water running ; taking shorter showers . these are all really simple , easy ways that we can all help mother earth repair and heal and replenish itself .","thom filicia of dress my nest ' gives home decorating tips" +"new mexico ( cnn ) -- last year we published a list of quintessential americana experiences . you can find it here . they were n't necessarily the most patriotic , obvious or agreeable choices . nascar , bourbon , state fairs , vegas , what 's not to love ? apparently , plenty . there was scandal . there was outrage . there was name calling . because we 're gluttons for punishment -- or maybe just because we think we actually can please all of the people all of the time -- we 're back for round two . here 's our volume ii of the most authentically american experiences this country has to offer . 1 . seaside boardwalks boardwalks have been enhancing beachside amusement since long before the drifters'released their classic under the boardwalk ' in 1964 . the first boardwalk was built in atlantic city in 1870 , when a railroad conductor was asked to find a way to prevent sand from filling shorefront hotel entryways . the innovation remains america 's favorite wooden path , showing up everywhere from monopoly , which was inspired by america 's favorite playground , ' to the hbo series boardwalk empire , ' which takes place in prohibition-era atlantic city . of course , you do n't have to travel to jersey to experience the joy of a lumber-pathed stroll ; there are more than 60 boardwalks split between america 's coasts . coney island in brooklyn , new york , includes roller coasters , carnival attractions , nathan 's famous hot dogs and other slices of americana . out west , the venice boardwalk in california offers bodybuilders , artists , trinket sellers , magicians and boutique shops a place to be seen . 2 . pueblos and powwows one of the most inspiring american experiences is witnessing the culture of the first americans come alive in a spectacle of swirling , pulsing color . every april , approximately 3,000 native american dancers and singers from roughly 700 tribes come together in albuquerque , new mexico , to compete and celebrate their heritage . the teams blend traditional style with modern , innovative techniques , so the result is more than just living history , it 's the evolution of a culture that most americans think has all but died away . in the same area are many pueblo sites that provide tours of cave dwellings and indigenous architecture . perhaps the most memorable is taos pueblo , 2â½ hours northwest of albuquerque . this village of adobe buildings has been continually occupied by native americans for more than a thousand years . taos pueblo , 120 veterans highway , taos , new mexico ; open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ; closed for about 10 weeks in late winter and early spring ; $ 10 for adults ; 575-758-1028 gathering of nations , university of new mexico arena , avenida cesar chavez , albuquerque , new mexico ; 505-836-2810 3 . wrigley field , chicago forget national pastime -- to some americans , baseball is a national religion . wrigley field in chicago , regardless of denomination , is their vatican . boston 's fenway park has two years on wrigley ( the former was built in 1912 ) , but fenway has had more significant updates . like a giant video display installed in 2000 , and extra seats and luxury boxes that have been added time and time again . by contrast , wrigley has remained fairly true to its roots . it 's a classic jewel box design -- green seats , open roof , exposed steel , brick , stone -- with ball-swallowing ivy-covered walls . there 's truly no better place to watch a game if you want a direct link to nearly a century of baseball history . if you 're in chicago during the off-season , no worries . the park provides 90-minute tours year-round . wrigley field , 1060 w. addison st. , chicago ; tours $ 24 for individuals ; 773-388-8270 4 . college football , anywhere ( though alabama ai n't bad ) let 's not kid ourselves . football is the true national sport of the 21st century . while it does n't get much more american than the super bowl , we 'd argue that the most enjoyable , purest way to experience the unique american-branded mixture of militant strategics , refined athleticism , brute force and exploitation of young labor is at a college football game . best to get there early enough to tailgate . bonding with strangers , drinking and grilling beforehand is 72.4 % of the experience . pretty much any stadium will do , but a game experience does n't get much better than at bryant-denny stadium in tuscaloosa , alabama , home of the reigning national champion alabama crimson tide . ( yes , we know , the barbecue is spicier and the cheerleaders are hotter at your team 's stadium , but we had to draw the line somewhere and national champs ' earns you the top spot on lists like this . ) bryant-denny stadium , 920 paul w. bryant dr. , tuscaloosa , alabama . 5 . kentucky derby there 's one more sporting event we have to include on the list . sure , other countries have their horse races . but those competitions were n't founded by the grandson of william clark of the lewis and clark expedition . also , those races do n't have a traditional drink made of bourbon ( mint julep ) , nor do they encourage everyone to dress like a flamboyant southern aristocrat . we 're talking bow ties , seersucker , bold pastels and spectacular hats that put british royal wedding attendees to shame . churchill downs , 700 central ave. , louisville , kentucky . ; may 3-4 , 2013 ; single day general admission $ 25-40 ; 502-636-4400 6 . burning man the first woodstock music & art fair in 1969 was one of the most pivotal moments in american cultural history . five-hundred-thousand people came together to celebrate drugs , weirdness , creativity , individualism , beauty and sticking it to the man . what 's the direct descendant of woodstock ? before you say bonnaroo , coachella , lollapalooza or any other trendy music festival -- each of which is run by the man -- let us stop you . the world 's largest festival of artistic expression is burning man . the weeklong event held every year in the black rock desert of northern nevada is difficult to describe . as the website puts it , describing burning man is like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind . ' essentially 50,000 creative spirits gather in one of the most desolate areas in the continental united states to wear bizarre clothes , make art , do drugs , experience a new form of communal living , have a hell of a lot of fun and let their freak flags fly . burning man ; august 26-september 2 , 2013 ; 415-863-5263 7 . soul food it 's difficult to pin down the most american of foods . almost every candidate has roots in other countries , but , of course , that 's what makes them american . soul food makes the top of the list because it 's delicious , unapologetically artery-clogging and it brings us face to face with our turbulent past . african-american slaves on southern plantations were often given scraps and leftovers to eat , and had to make do with whatever vegetables they could grow nearby and with little care , as so much time was spent working . from these restrictions arose some of the finest recipes in american cuisine . there are thousands of spectacular soul food restaurants -- many of the best are in the south -- but sylvia 's in new york is maybe the most well known . sylvia 's , 328 lenox ave. , new york ; 212-996-0660 8 . juke joints while we 're in the region , one of america 's great art forms , blues music , grew up in the juke joints of the south . jukes arose after emancipation , taking the form of shacks and private houses where african-americans gathered to listen to and play music , gamble and dance . a few classic juke joints still remain , some along highway 61 , aka the blues highway , which stretches from new orleans to the town of wyoming , minnesota , an american experience in and of itself . po'monkey 's , opened in 1963 outside merigold , mississippi , is considered one of the last remaining original jukes . it 's only open thursdays , and it 's not easy to get to , but the music and crowd make it worth the trip . po'monkey 's ; po monkey road , merigold , mississippi ; 662-843-2712 9 . outdoor christmas light displays sure , other countries have christmas lights ( or fairy lights , in the uk ) , but no one else takes it quite as seriously as americans . the lighting of the approximately 80-foot tall norwood spruce at rockefeller center in new york is practically a national event . but the greatest displays of holiday spirit can be seen in more rural areas . take magical night of lights in lake lanier , georgia , which consists of seven miles and millions of lights , or the six-mile long oglebay winter festival of lights in wheeling , west virginia . magical night of lights , 7000 lanier islands parkway , buford , georgia ; 770-945-8787 winter festival of lights , 465 lodge dr. , wheeling , west virginia ; november 8 , 2013-january 5 , 2014 ; sunday through thursday until 10 p.m. and friday and saturday until 11 p.m. ; 800-624-6988 10 . megachurches americans know how to make praising jesus memorable . just look at gospel music and tent revivals . in modern times you need n't look much further than gospel brunches ( wash away your sins from the night before with spiritual songs and mimosas ) and megachurches . those giant boxes of worship are where thousands of christians gather not simply to pray and praise , but in many cases to eat , shop and work out . the united states has more than 1,300 of them , and more than 50 draw a weekly attendance between 10,000 and 45,000 . the mega-ist of american megachurches is lakewood church in houston , led by senior pastor joel osteen . every week his message is broadcast to 7 million viewers in more than 100 countries . lakewood church ; 3700 southwest freeway , houston ; 713-635-4151","pueblos and powwows in new mexico highlight native american culture" +"bangladesh rifles ( cnn ) -- the bangladeshi military has revised the number of army officers missing after last week 's bloody uprising , from 72 down to six . bangladeshi soldiers carry a coffin during a funeral monday for victims of last week 's mutiny . the earlier number was based on assumptions , ' said lt. gen. sina ibn jamali , the army chief of general staff . the numbers we are giving now are grounded in facts , ' jamali told reporters sunday night . authorities said confusion arose because no one knew for sure how many officers were inside the bangladesh rifles headquarters when paramilitary troops , or jawans , staged a bloody revolt and took dozens of them hostage wednesday . search crews have recovered 73 bodies from a river , sewers and three mass graves inside the rifles compound in the pilkhana area of the capital , dhaka . of those bodies , 53 were confirmed as those of army officers . meanwhile , an army investigation into the 35-hour rebellion began monday . the police have filed murder charges against more than 1,000 rifles , and soldiers were out in full force throughout bangladesh looking for them . the 65,000-strong rifles is a border security force -- distinct from the army , but whose commanders are career army officers . the jawans had complained for years that their army superiors dismissed their appeals for more pay , subsidized food and the opportunity to participate in u.n. peacekeeping operations , which pay far more than what they make at home . the two-day standoff ended after prime minister sheikh hasina promised the jawans amnesty if they laid down their arms . she has backtracked since , saying the government will not show mercy to those who killed , looted or committed arson .","murder charges filed against more than 1,000 members of bangladesh rifles" +"u.s . london ( cnn ) -- the european union is spending more than $ 167 million to soothe the pain being felt by fruit and vegetable farmers hit by russian food sanctions . the move comes as the trade war between the west and russia intensifies , and looks likely to hit europe 's growth figures . fears over the impact of chilling relations has already undermined europe 's fragile recovery . around $ 2.7 billion worth of fruit and vegetables were shipped from the eu to russia in 2013 , the bloc 's single biggest export to the market . the package announced by the eu monday will support producers of fruit and vegetables that are already in season and ca n't be easily stored . russian president vladimir putin , in a tit for tat move against western sanctions , banned imported european cheese , american chicken and norwegian seafood from the country 's dinner tables . the move was in response to countries imposing economic sanctions against russia in the aftermath of the flight mh17 disaster . the kremlin banned most agriculture products from the u.s. , the european union , norway , canada and australia . europe 's food exports to russia were worth $ 15.8 billion in 2013 , making up around 10 % of the bloc 's agriculture exports , according to eu data . european countries sold $ 1.6 billion worth of pork and $ 1.3 billion worth of cheese and curd to russia . the u.s. shipped $ 1.3 billion worth of food to russia , with chicken and other poultry making up a quarter of the total value , around $ 310 million . the ban of foreign food is more than just an inconvenience for russians who like imported food . russia is the world 's fifth largest agricultural importer and remains dependent on food supply from abroad -- its agricultural trade deficit extended to $ 26 billion in 2013 , according to data from the european commission . with billions worth of food disappearing from the market , prices are likely to go up and experts forecast increased russian inflation , which is already running at 7.5 % . russians will still be able to enjoy european wines and spirits , as well as bread , pasta and cereals . these have escaped the embargo -- even though their ban would hurt europe economically . in 2013 , eu countries sold nearly $ 1 billion worth of spirits and $ 733 million worth of wine to russia . explore cnn 's infographic above to see what items are likely to disappear from russian menu . russia 's food ban leaves europeans with sour taste","russia bought $ 15.8 billion worth of food from the eu in 2013 , and $ 1.3 billion worth of food from the u.s ." +"russia london ( cnn ) -- the european union is spending more than $ 167 million to soothe the pain being felt by fruit and vegetable farmers hit by russian food sanctions . the move comes as the trade war between the west and russia intensifies , and looks likely to hit europe 's growth figures . fears over the impact of chilling relations has already undermined europe 's fragile recovery . around $ 2.7 billion worth of fruit and vegetables were shipped from the eu to russia in 2013 , the bloc 's single biggest export to the market . the package announced by the eu monday will support producers of fruit and vegetables that are already in season and ca n't be easily stored . russian president vladimir putin , in a tit for tat move against western sanctions , banned imported european cheese , american chicken and norwegian seafood from the country 's dinner tables . the move was in response to countries imposing economic sanctions against russia in the aftermath of the flight mh17 disaster . the kremlin banned most agriculture products from the u.s. , the european union , norway , canada and australia . europe 's food exports to russia were worth $ 15.8 billion in 2013 , making up around 10 % of the bloc 's agriculture exports , according to eu data . european countries sold $ 1.6 billion worth of pork and $ 1.3 billion worth of cheese and curd to russia . the u.s. shipped $ 1.3 billion worth of food to russia , with chicken and other poultry making up a quarter of the total value , around $ 310 million . the ban of foreign food is more than just an inconvenience for russians who like imported food . russia is the world 's fifth largest agricultural importer and remains dependent on food supply from abroad -- its agricultural trade deficit extended to $ 26 billion in 2013 , according to data from the european commission . with billions worth of food disappearing from the market , prices are likely to go up and experts forecast increased russian inflation , which is already running at 7.5 % . russians will still be able to enjoy european wines and spirits , as well as bread , pasta and cereals . these have escaped the embargo -- even though their ban would hurt europe economically . in 2013 , eu countries sold nearly $ 1 billion worth of spirits and $ 733 million worth of wine to russia . explore cnn 's infographic above to see what items are likely to disappear from russian menu . russia 's food ban leaves europeans with sour taste","as the world 's fifth largest food importer , russia relies on supply from abroad" +"russia london ( cnn ) -- the european union is spending more than $ 167 million to soothe the pain being felt by fruit and vegetable farmers hit by russian food sanctions . the move comes as the trade war between the west and russia intensifies , and looks likely to hit europe 's growth figures . fears over the impact of chilling relations has already undermined europe 's fragile recovery . around $ 2.7 billion worth of fruit and vegetables were shipped from the eu to russia in 2013 , the bloc 's single biggest export to the market . the package announced by the eu monday will support producers of fruit and vegetables that are already in season and ca n't be easily stored . russian president vladimir putin , in a tit for tat move against western sanctions , banned imported european cheese , american chicken and norwegian seafood from the country 's dinner tables . the move was in response to countries imposing economic sanctions against russia in the aftermath of the flight mh17 disaster . the kremlin banned most agriculture products from the u.s. , the european union , norway , canada and australia . europe 's food exports to russia were worth $ 15.8 billion in 2013 , making up around 10 % of the bloc 's agriculture exports , according to eu data . european countries sold $ 1.6 billion worth of pork and $ 1.3 billion worth of cheese and curd to russia . the u.s. shipped $ 1.3 billion worth of food to russia , with chicken and other poultry making up a quarter of the total value , around $ 310 million . the ban of foreign food is more than just an inconvenience for russians who like imported food . russia is the world 's fifth largest agricultural importer and remains dependent on food supply from abroad -- its agricultural trade deficit extended to $ 26 billion in 2013 , according to data from the european commission . with billions worth of food disappearing from the market , prices are likely to go up and experts forecast increased russian inflation , which is already running at 7.5 % . russians will still be able to enjoy european wines and spirits , as well as bread , pasta and cereals . these have escaped the embargo -- even though their ban would hurt europe economically . in 2013 , eu countries sold nearly $ 1 billion worth of spirits and $ 733 million worth of wine to russia . explore cnn 's infographic above to see what items are likely to disappear from russian menu . russia 's food ban leaves europeans with sour taste","russia bought $ 15.8 billion worth of food from the eu in 2013 , and $ 1.3 billion worth of food from the u.s ." +"russia london ( cnn ) -- the european union is spending more than $ 167 million to soothe the pain being felt by fruit and vegetable farmers hit by russian food sanctions . the move comes as the trade war between the west and russia intensifies , and looks likely to hit europe 's growth figures . fears over the impact of chilling relations has already undermined europe 's fragile recovery . around $ 2.7 billion worth of fruit and vegetables were shipped from the eu to russia in 2013 , the bloc 's single biggest export to the market . the package announced by the eu monday will support producers of fruit and vegetables that are already in season and ca n't be easily stored . russian president vladimir putin , in a tit for tat move against western sanctions , banned imported european cheese , american chicken and norwegian seafood from the country 's dinner tables . the move was in response to countries imposing economic sanctions against russia in the aftermath of the flight mh17 disaster . the kremlin banned most agriculture products from the u.s. , the european union , norway , canada and australia . europe 's food exports to russia were worth $ 15.8 billion in 2013 , making up around 10 % of the bloc 's agriculture exports , according to eu data . european countries sold $ 1.6 billion worth of pork and $ 1.3 billion worth of cheese and curd to russia . the u.s. shipped $ 1.3 billion worth of food to russia , with chicken and other poultry making up a quarter of the total value , around $ 310 million . the ban of foreign food is more than just an inconvenience for russians who like imported food . russia is the world 's fifth largest agricultural importer and remains dependent on food supply from abroad -- its agricultural trade deficit extended to $ 26 billion in 2013 , according to data from the european commission . with billions worth of food disappearing from the market , prices are likely to go up and experts forecast increased russian inflation , which is already running at 7.5 % . russians will still be able to enjoy european wines and spirits , as well as bread , pasta and cereals . these have escaped the embargo -- even though their ban would hurt europe economically . in 2013 , eu countries sold nearly $ 1 billion worth of spirits and $ 733 million worth of wine to russia . explore cnn 's infographic above to see what items are likely to disappear from russian menu . russia 's food ban leaves europeans with sour taste","russia has banned food imports from countries that have imposed sanctions against it" +"harold freeman ( cnn ) -- karry trout 's first patient was a 38-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer . the patient had waited nearly six months after feeling a lump in her breast to visit the doctor . she had no health insurance . it was trout 's job , as mason general hospital 's patient navigator , to guide the single mother through treatment and , hopefully , into recovery . patient navigation is a relatively new field in the health care industry . a navigator 's primary role is to remove the obstacles patients face in accessing or receiving treatment . more hospitals are creating these positions to help patients traverse an often-confusing medical system . despite her inexperience , trout could relate to the fear she saw in the patient 's eyes . i know what the shock of a diagnosis is like . i know what the waiting and the unknowns are like , ' she says . i have n't experienced it personally , but i think sometimes it 's worse when it 's your child going through it . ' trout 's daughter , ella , was almost 8 months old when doctors first spotted a problem . one of ella 's eyes was n't tracking properly , and soon after it started to bulge . doctors at seattle children 's hospital diagnosed an optic glioma , or a tumor growing around the nerve that connects the eye to the brain . by the time she was 18 months old , ella had lost sight in both eyes . ella went through four years of chemotherapy , several major surgeries and six weeks of radiation all before the age of 7 . new to shelton , washington , and a single mother , trout struggled to keep ella 's frequent doctor appointments in seattle , about two hours from home , as well as work a full-time job as a radiologist for mason general and juggle never-ending insurance forms . it 's a lot , ' trout says . and when you are going through that diagnosis , and then you have all of that on top of it , it can be very overwhelming . ' 4 ways to control your health care costs four years ago , trout got a notice from the susan g. komen foundation about a grant for breast cancer patient navigation . what on earth is patient navigation ? she wondered . after a bit of research , trout realized what had been missing from her experience with ella . i did n't have somebody who was my go-to person , ' she says . trout applied for the grant , and mason general was awarded enough money to start a program . in her role as a patient navigator , trout does community outreach to raise awareness about the importance of breast cancer screening . she is one of the first staff members to meet with a patient after a diagnosis , providing them with information that they can read later when the shock has worn off . she works with specialists to arrange appointments and helps connect women with financial aid , transportation or child care if they need it . when you get that initial diagnosis , you just have a lot of questions , ' she says . and it 's hard to pick up the phone and speak to your physician or nurse every time you have a question . that 's what i 'm here for . ' patient navigation programs are the result of the medical community 's new emphasis on patient-centered care , says mandi pratt , associate director of community programs at george washington university 's cancer institute . patient navigation , in part , is a function of how fragmented our ( health care ) system is , ' pratt says . it makes it difficult to have a seamless experience . ' are we prepared for 18 million cancer survivors ? advocates say patient-centered care can improve outcomes and reduce costs , so much so that hospital reimbursement from insurance companies is now partially tied to patients'opinions on how well a facility treated them . in 2011 , the american college of surgeons'commission on cancer established new accreditation standards for cancer facilities , requiring them to incorporate a patient navigation process to address health care disparities and barriers to care . ' the standards move us closer to a future dr. harold freeman first envisioned in the 1980s . freeman then was a breast cancer surgeon in harlem , new york , trying to figure out why patients in his hospital had a five-year survival rate of 39 % when it should have been closer to 85 % . freeman realized many patients were being diagnosed with late-stage breast cancers ; they were arriving at the clinic with large masses that had obviously been ignored . freeman identified five main barriers his patients faced in receiving care : financial , communication , medical system , psychological and personal . obstacles ranged from not having health insurance to not understanding the language . some patients feared doctors or mistrusted medical advice . others simply missed chemotherapy because they could n't find child care . people got lost in the complex system , ' freeman says . in 1990 , he pioneered the first-ever patient navigation program , training people from the community to listen and answer questions after a diagnosis . he also began an educational program to advocate for screenings . over time he increased patients'five-year survival rate in the same population to 70 % . these barriers are never going to go away completely , freeman says , but patient navigation can help address them . can you eliminate poverty ? probably not ... but you can change the things that poverty means , ' he says . if poor people are less educated , you can educate poor people . if poor people do n't have access to screening , diagnosis or treatment , you can create programs to concentrate on those one by one . ' for now , patient navigation is primarily being used in the cancer community , but it 's spreading to other chronic diseases . even patient navigation , freeman says , falls prey to our fragmented system -- one filled with specialists that each operate in a separate universe . 5 million more people living with diabetes freeman compares the care continuum , from the first examination to survivorship , to a mile relay . it takes teams of people passing batons one to the other until the last runner crosses the finish line . ' since starting the patient navigator program at mason general , trout has helped hundreds of women cross that finish line . she often receives letters of thanks from patients who say she helped them feel empowered to make informed decisions in a time of chaos . i think when you go through things as a patient , you know , as a parent -- to be able to be treated with compassion and not just ( as ) another diagnosis is a gift , ' trout says . and that 's what i hope i provide . ' let 's talk about sex ... and cancer","dr. harold freeman pioneered the first patient navigation program in 1990" +"uk why play one sport when you can play two at the same time ? that was the question a number of like-minded individuals were asking themselves , circa 2006 . and it is thanks to the vision of these select few that the sport of footgolf -- a game , unsurprisingly , combining elements of football and golf -- was born and has been spreading its way around the globe ever since . one of those men was mike o'connor , who today combines the roles of president of the federation for international footgolf ( fifg ) and president of uk footgolf . i just knew footgolf would be a bit of a no-brainer for the amount of golf courses there are , as well as the number of golfers and footballers , ' o'connor told cnn of a game that involves players kicking a football around a golf course , complete with bigger holes . i always thought it would take off . so it was just a question of waiting for the right time to get involved with it all really . ' after years in production , o'connor would bring the sport to the uk -- where there are now over 10,000 active players -- and set up uk footgolf in 2012 . yet it is a dutchman called michael jansen who is credited with the title of founding father of the game . he created what we do today , ' o'connor said . he created everything , from how the game is played , down to the look of the players . everything . ' kicking around a new idea jansen , now an fifg ambassador , held the first footgolf competition in the netherlands in 2008 , after hearing of a unique idea from friend and former professional footballer willem korsten . korsten had played an early interpretation of the game during his days at tottenham hotspur , when he and his teammates would attempt to kick a football from the training pitch back to the changing rooms in as little time as possible . the mere invention of footgolf seems to be a natural progression , given that football and golf have long shared a close relationship . footballers are well known for playing golf in their spare time , so perhaps it is no surprise that footgolf has proved such a hit with those hailing from a footballing background -- 70 % of people who have taken up the sport have been footballers . while there is obviously the relaxing aspect of walking around a golf course on a sunny day , former english premier league player bryan hughes also feels that the sport represents another opportunity for footballers to flex their competitive muscles . there is that challenge when playing golf . as sportsmen , we 've all got that in our lockers . we want to challenge each other , we want to challenge ourselves and obviously be the best . that 's why footballers turn to golf , ' he told cnn . it can be a challenge if you want , but i think it 's good that you can actually have it as a casual game as well . some footballers play golf but do it as a hobby , to relax and wind down , and escape from the pressures of a football match on a saturday . ' but while golf is in good health when it comes to attracting footballers , the sport has lost players in recent years -- according to a report in the new york times , a recent survey by the u.s. national golf foundation estimated the game has lost five million in the last decade , with 20 % of the existing 25 million golfers likely to quit in the next few years . many feel the game takes too long to play , is too difficult to learn and has too many complicated rules , which has led to a number of new alternatives being introduced to help boost a sport in decline . such concerns have led to the introduction on golf courses of 15 inch-wide holes -- about four times the width of a standard hole -- a relaxation in the game 's rules , and of course , footgolf . gaining a worldwide foothold since jansen 's inaugural competition -- open to a mix of dutch and belgian professional footballers -- the sport has gone from strength to strength . three countries formed the fifg in june 2012 for the first ever world cup in budapest , hungary , while today the world governing body boasts 22 different member nations , ranging from south africa to argentina . a lot of people are getting involved and loving the sport . it 's definitely the fun element that attracts people to it , ' o'connor said . it catches such a large demographic because it 's such a low skill level to be able to play . you 've just got to be able to kick a ball . ' and it is the sport 's ability to appeal to all that means a footgolf course somewhere has likely played host to either a family visit , a first date , a corporate business trip or even , as was the case in the uk , an 81-year-old grandmother 's day out with her grandson . but while there is little doubting the game 's capacity to attract members from most walks of life , o'connor feels luring newcomers at a young age is truly pivotal to footgolf 's future and its capability to grow as a sport . when i first set up footgolf i knew a lot of people would want to play the sport , and i knew i would n't be alone in liking the idea of playing football on a golf course , ' he said . but i was always conscious of the next level . i knew it would take off with adults , but we started looking at how the sport could continue to grow and grow . and if you get the youngsters involved you 're going to still be going in 10 , 20 , 30 years'time , and you 'll be continuing to build , develop and progress . ' much to o'connor 's surprise , since its introduction , the sport seems to have struck a particular chord with junior football coaches . there has been an overwhelming response from these coaches , who have contacted uk footgolf to explain that the game is the perfect way to help youngsters focus on their passing and shooting . so much so , that the governing body has taken the steps to set up its very own uk footgolf academy scheme , due to start for business in may , and headed up by hughes , who previously played for birmingham city , charlton athletic and hull city and is now a player-assistant manager at scarborough athletic . the scheme is currently being worked on with uk-based 1st4sport -- who develop training qualifications for the likes of the english football association and the english rugby football union -- and will range from including holiday camps for kids to qualification courses for future coaches . hughes will take on the role of academy director , and like o'connor , he feels the scheme can help to push the boundaries of footgolf even further . the concept of footgolf is something that really appeals to me and i 'm sure there is a massive amount of people that would really want to get involved with the academy scheme . the potential there is huge and it is something that i 'm really looking forward to , ' hughes said . i do n't think a lot of kids get the right sort of education when it comes to sport , i think they just want to kick the ball against a wall nowadays . they need direction and for somebody to really push them a little , to get them right up there and become the best they really can be . the scheme will give you that platform . ' as well as furthering the profile of the sport , the academy scheme will be hoping to produce some of the footgolfers of tomorrow . a tour de force the figc currently stages a european tour , with each of its different 22 member nations holding their own tournament throughout the year . some of the world 's finest players go from competition to competition looking to accumulate points , before a european champion is eventually crowned at the final stage in portugal in november . players travel from country to country because they love footgolf and they love trying different courses , ' o'connor said . there 's quite a small , but cult , following of people that do this . they all want to get ranked and be known as a good footgolfer , not just in their own country but around the world . ' there are also a number of domestic tournaments taking place each year on various courses across the globe . the u.s. currently leads the way when it comes to different courses with 90 , while the uk , now boasting 30 , has made impressive progress to move up to second , given it had just two at the beginning of 2013 . with footgolf continuing to make huge strides both at home and abroad , o'connor has high hopes for the sport and feels the sky is most certainly the limit . in five years'time , every country in the world that has got golf courses will be a member of the federation for international footgolf , ' o'connor said . with the amount of inquiries we are getting from all over the place , i have no doubt about that . we 've got somebody in togo asking us about joining the fifg . they 've only got one golf course in togo , and they 're talking about putting footgolf on it ! that 's how big an impact the sport is having around the world . ' read more : a golf club with more eagles than most","uk footgolf set to introduce its own uk footgolf academy scheme" +"lennon new york ( cnn ) -- like so many other people of my generation , john lennon and the beatles made an indelible stamp on my life . the very first piece of vinyl i actually owned -- and had n't borrowed from my older brother -- was the album help ! ' to this day , i can remember at the age of 8 dropping the needle on the disc and hearing lennon 's voice roar through the 10-inch speaker on my record player . the beatles had a profound influence on me . they 're the reason why i picked up a guitar , formed a band at age 11 and dreamed of a life as a rock star . fast-forward 16 years to december 8 , 1980 . at the time , i was a music journalist for city tv in toronto , canada , hosting the new music ' program . just a couple of weeks earlier , we had reported on lennon 's comeback with the album double fantasy , ' which marked his re-emergence after five years out of the music business as a self-proclaimed househusband . ' we were actively working with his record company , trying to set up an interview for a future edition of the program . i was not far from my 24th birthday when the telephone rang on that december day around 11:30 p.m . it was my executive producer , john martin . lennon has been shot , ' he said , and we need to do a special . ' tell us where you were when lennon died it was one of those moments where time seems to slow down and the mind considers a hundred questions before finally settling on the truth : how could he have been shot ? are the reports mistaken ? who would do such a thing ? how could we lose such a pop culture icon ? did n't he just turn 40 ? did n't he have a young son ? did n't he have security ? will i wake up and this will all have been just a dream ? we gathered that night in our offices to sift through the material that we had : old beatles footage , a lennon documentary that my producer shot years earlier , and the famous d.a . pennebaker film . we collected the names of friends , collaborators and other acquaintances who could help us tell the lennon story . a day or two later , city tv aired a live broadcast of a memorial to lennon at nathan phillips square in front of toronto 's city hall . canada had a rich history with lennon : it was there that he made his post-beatles debut with the plastic ono band in 1969 and staged his famous north american bed-in in montreal . next wednesday marks 30 years since lennon 's murder . his killer , mark david chapman , 55 , is still serving his prison sentence of 20 years to life at the maximum-security attica correctional facility in upstate new york . he will stay there for at least another two years as he was just denied parole for the sixth time . this weekend , cnn will examine the events leading up to lennon 's killing . chapman and his wife , gloria abe , describe the murder in rare audio recordings that will debut on cnn 's losing lennon : countdown to murder . ' chapman 's childhood friends reveal an obsessive idolization of lennon that later turned to hatred . his wife talks about how she knew that her husband planned to kill lennon and explains why she did n't warn anyone . the impact of lennon 's death still reverberates today . several tribute concerts and ceremonies started in october , when lennon would have turned 70 , and have carried on since . this year , lennon 's widow , yoko ono , revived the plastic ono band with current rock stars including lady gaga . ono told rolling stone she believes this rekindling of interest in lennon has to do with the social climate , with wanting some of john 's energy , power and conviction . ' lennon 's profound influence on music and musicians continues to this day . marc roberge , the lead singer of alt-rockers o.a.r. , was not even 2 years old when lennon was killed . roberge penned the recent song dakota ' after stopping by lennon 's old apartment building with his wife . he was so taken with the images that came to mind as he looked into the entranceway where lennon was shot that he walked across central park west , sat down on a park bench and penned these lyrics : outside the archway lies a thief , awaiting double fantasy he 's something evil underneath outside dakota died the symphony ' i watched and i tried to imagine this going down , ' roberge told me . and then i tried to imagine what if it never happened , and that 's really the question of the song :'if you just kept walking on your way .'i mean , would the world be different ? and i think the world would be better . ' like roberge , i 've often wondered what would have happened had lennon not been murdered . would the world have been a better place ? there 's certainly every possibility that his commitment to peace would have added something substantive to the global conversation . at the very least , we would have had years more of great music and performance from a man who was truly an artistic genius . watch american morning weekdays 6am to 9am et . for the latest from american morning click here .","this week marks the 30th anniversary of lennon 's slaying" +"lennon new york ( cnn ) -- like so many other people of my generation , john lennon and the beatles made an indelible stamp on my life . the very first piece of vinyl i actually owned -- and had n't borrowed from my older brother -- was the album help ! ' to this day , i can remember at the age of 8 dropping the needle on the disc and hearing lennon 's voice roar through the 10-inch speaker on my record player . the beatles had a profound influence on me . they 're the reason why i picked up a guitar , formed a band at age 11 and dreamed of a life as a rock star . fast-forward 16 years to december 8 , 1980 . at the time , i was a music journalist for city tv in toronto , canada , hosting the new music ' program . just a couple of weeks earlier , we had reported on lennon 's comeback with the album double fantasy , ' which marked his re-emergence after five years out of the music business as a self-proclaimed househusband . ' we were actively working with his record company , trying to set up an interview for a future edition of the program . i was not far from my 24th birthday when the telephone rang on that december day around 11:30 p.m . it was my executive producer , john martin . lennon has been shot , ' he said , and we need to do a special . ' tell us where you were when lennon died it was one of those moments where time seems to slow down and the mind considers a hundred questions before finally settling on the truth : how could he have been shot ? are the reports mistaken ? who would do such a thing ? how could we lose such a pop culture icon ? did n't he just turn 40 ? did n't he have a young son ? did n't he have security ? will i wake up and this will all have been just a dream ? we gathered that night in our offices to sift through the material that we had : old beatles footage , a lennon documentary that my producer shot years earlier , and the famous d.a . pennebaker film . we collected the names of friends , collaborators and other acquaintances who could help us tell the lennon story . a day or two later , city tv aired a live broadcast of a memorial to lennon at nathan phillips square in front of toronto 's city hall . canada had a rich history with lennon : it was there that he made his post-beatles debut with the plastic ono band in 1969 and staged his famous north american bed-in in montreal . next wednesday marks 30 years since lennon 's murder . his killer , mark david chapman , 55 , is still serving his prison sentence of 20 years to life at the maximum-security attica correctional facility in upstate new york . he will stay there for at least another two years as he was just denied parole for the sixth time . this weekend , cnn will examine the events leading up to lennon 's killing . chapman and his wife , gloria abe , describe the murder in rare audio recordings that will debut on cnn 's losing lennon : countdown to murder . ' chapman 's childhood friends reveal an obsessive idolization of lennon that later turned to hatred . his wife talks about how she knew that her husband planned to kill lennon and explains why she did n't warn anyone . the impact of lennon 's death still reverberates today . several tribute concerts and ceremonies started in october , when lennon would have turned 70 , and have carried on since . this year , lennon 's widow , yoko ono , revived the plastic ono band with current rock stars including lady gaga . ono told rolling stone she believes this rekindling of interest in lennon has to do with the social climate , with wanting some of john 's energy , power and conviction . ' lennon 's profound influence on music and musicians continues to this day . marc roberge , the lead singer of alt-rockers o.a.r. , was not even 2 years old when lennon was killed . roberge penned the recent song dakota ' after stopping by lennon 's old apartment building with his wife . he was so taken with the images that came to mind as he looked into the entranceway where lennon was shot that he walked across central park west , sat down on a park bench and penned these lyrics : outside the archway lies a thief , awaiting double fantasy he 's something evil underneath outside dakota died the symphony ' i watched and i tried to imagine this going down , ' roberge told me . and then i tried to imagine what if it never happened , and that 's really the question of the song :'if you just kept walking on your way .'i mean , would the world be different ? and i think the world would be better . ' like roberge , i 've often wondered what would have happened had lennon not been murdered . would the world have been a better place ? there 's certainly every possibility that his commitment to peace would have added something substantive to the global conversation . at the very least , we would have had years more of great music and performance from a man who was truly an artistic genius . watch american morning weekdays 6am to 9am et . for the latest from american morning click here .","he recalls learning of lennon 's death as a music journalist in canada" +"cnn new york ( cnn ) -- like so many other people of my generation , john lennon and the beatles made an indelible stamp on my life . the very first piece of vinyl i actually owned -- and had n't borrowed from my older brother -- was the album help ! ' to this day , i can remember at the age of 8 dropping the needle on the disc and hearing lennon 's voice roar through the 10-inch speaker on my record player . the beatles had a profound influence on me . they 're the reason why i picked up a guitar , formed a band at age 11 and dreamed of a life as a rock star . fast-forward 16 years to december 8 , 1980 . at the time , i was a music journalist for city tv in toronto , canada , hosting the new music ' program . just a couple of weeks earlier , we had reported on lennon 's comeback with the album double fantasy , ' which marked his re-emergence after five years out of the music business as a self-proclaimed househusband . ' we were actively working with his record company , trying to set up an interview for a future edition of the program . i was not far from my 24th birthday when the telephone rang on that december day around 11:30 p.m . it was my executive producer , john martin . lennon has been shot , ' he said , and we need to do a special . ' tell us where you were when lennon died it was one of those moments where time seems to slow down and the mind considers a hundred questions before finally settling on the truth : how could he have been shot ? are the reports mistaken ? who would do such a thing ? how could we lose such a pop culture icon ? did n't he just turn 40 ? did n't he have a young son ? did n't he have security ? will i wake up and this will all have been just a dream ? we gathered that night in our offices to sift through the material that we had : old beatles footage , a lennon documentary that my producer shot years earlier , and the famous d.a . pennebaker film . we collected the names of friends , collaborators and other acquaintances who could help us tell the lennon story . a day or two later , city tv aired a live broadcast of a memorial to lennon at nathan phillips square in front of toronto 's city hall . canada had a rich history with lennon : it was there that he made his post-beatles debut with the plastic ono band in 1969 and staged his famous north american bed-in in montreal . next wednesday marks 30 years since lennon 's murder . his killer , mark david chapman , 55 , is still serving his prison sentence of 20 years to life at the maximum-security attica correctional facility in upstate new york . he will stay there for at least another two years as he was just denied parole for the sixth time . this weekend , cnn will examine the events leading up to lennon 's killing . chapman and his wife , gloria abe , describe the murder in rare audio recordings that will debut on cnn 's losing lennon : countdown to murder . ' chapman 's childhood friends reveal an obsessive idolization of lennon that later turned to hatred . his wife talks about how she knew that her husband planned to kill lennon and explains why she did n't warn anyone . the impact of lennon 's death still reverberates today . several tribute concerts and ceremonies started in october , when lennon would have turned 70 , and have carried on since . this year , lennon 's widow , yoko ono , revived the plastic ono band with current rock stars including lady gaga . ono told rolling stone she believes this rekindling of interest in lennon has to do with the social climate , with wanting some of john 's energy , power and conviction . ' lennon 's profound influence on music and musicians continues to this day . marc roberge , the lead singer of alt-rockers o.a.r. , was not even 2 years old when lennon was killed . roberge penned the recent song dakota ' after stopping by lennon 's old apartment building with his wife . he was so taken with the images that came to mind as he looked into the entranceway where lennon was shot that he walked across central park west , sat down on a park bench and penned these lyrics : outside the archway lies a thief , awaiting double fantasy he 's something evil underneath outside dakota died the symphony ' i watched and i tried to imagine this going down , ' roberge told me . and then i tried to imagine what if it never happened , and that 's really the question of the song :'if you just kept walking on your way .'i mean , would the world be different ? and i think the world would be better . ' like roberge , i 've often wondered what would have happened had lennon not been murdered . would the world have been a better place ? there 's certainly every possibility that his commitment to peace would have added something substantive to the global conversation . at the very least , we would have had years more of great music and performance from a man who was truly an artistic genius . watch american morning weekdays 6am to 9am et . for the latest from american morning click here .","cnn 's john roberts is the anchor of american morning '" +"tomb raider ( cnn ) -- ian livingstone may not be the father of lara croft , but maybe at 63 he can be labeled the grandfather of lara , the tomb raider . on the eve of the reboot of the franchise , with a younger and more realistic lara , the life president of eidos told me about that snowy night in march of 1995 when he reluctantly decided to travel to derby england via car from birmingham . he is forever grateful that he did . livingstone was being shown around the offices of core design as he was doing due diligence ahead of a possible takeover by eidos . in the very last room , ' ian recalled , i think you could say it was love at first sight . there was this amazing character , on screen . it was the very first character with 3-d model , in a 3-d that was a female character . ' for a generation , video games had been 2-d worlds with the action moving across the screen . here is one with the character moving into the screen . and there she was , lara croft . and we had to have her . it was quite radical . up to then , games were played mainly by teenage boys and the games were made were also men , so they tended to make male heroes . ' eidos bought core design and in 1996 lara croft , with her short trousers and large bust , hit computer screens . the game became huge . since then , 30 million copies of tomb raider have been sold , before the launch of the new tomb raider monday . but before you think livingstone lucked into finding lara croft quietly being designed by toby gard at core design , this was 20 years in the making . livingstone and his school friend steve jackson enjoyed playing board games , especially role-playing games . they started to write role-playing books and eventually discovered the american game dungeons and dragons . they got the exclusive european distribution rights to the board game on the back of ordering just six copies of d & d , according to livingstone , and the set about trying to sell the games to stores . it was n't easy . we had to live in a van for three months as we tried to get people to understand this strange role-playing game , ' livingstone told me . however , he added , we never shied away from the challenge . we ended up opening our own shops because other people were reluctant to stock the games . ' that string of stores , known as games workshop , set them on their way . and board games to video games was a natural progression . now , with a cbe in the pocket and the honor title of life president for eidos -- a brand name now owned by square enix -- livingstone is more of a advocate for the british video games and film graphics business . the uk was once in the top three in terms of games and graphics business , but has slipped to six . livingstone says he knows why . british schools . the curriculum was simply teaching children how to use technology , not how to make technology , ' livingstone told me . so it was making digital users , not digital makers . ' livingstone and alex hope , of double negative , were asked to make recommendations to the government to transform the school curriculum to teach people how to program , and not just use , video games . as livingstone likes to point out , the uk games and graphics business is bigger than the film industry . and the industry supplies the film industry but also the military , among other customers . as for the new tomb raider , the reset is a chance to introduce lara croft to a new audience and make her a more realistic role model . back in the 90s , it was more of a sort of cartoon character , ' livingstone said . and now it 's a realistic character . and realism goes to looks , behavior , and everything about the woman is real . ' that includes lara being younger and with a smaller bust size . in past tomb raiders , the combat had not been as real as it might have been . so , the decision was made to give it that gritty realism . and she was no longer that armor-plated teflon-coated hero . here was this character that you played as lara , who could sustain damage . ' but not be raped , livingstone told me , recalling a misstep by an employee who said last year that one scene could be seen as the prelude to a sexual assault . there was no rape implication . there was a threat which she survived by throwing off her adversary . ' the player has the tools to overcome the man and kill him within seconds , livingstone said . with the reboot now out , it ca n't be long before we read of a new lara croft film with a new , younger , actress to set the mark for a new franchise . then , more games must be on the cards . lara lives on .","thirty million copies of tomb raider had been sold before the launch of the new tomb raider on march 4" +"taylor ( cnn ) -- the defense for charles taylor is expected to submit its counter-recommendation thursday after prosecutors said the former liberian president deserves an 80-year sentence for a war crimes conviction . taylor was found guilty last month of aiding and abetting war crimes in neighboring sierra leone 's civil war . should the trial chamber decide to impose a global sentence , 80 years'imprisonment would be appropriate , ' said brenda hollis , chief prosecutor for the special court for sierra leone . in the statement last week , the prosecutor said the sentence reflects the gravity of the crimes . but for charles taylor 's criminal conduct , thousands of people would not have had limbs amputated , would not have been raped , would not have been killed , ' hollis said . the recommended sentence provides fair and adequate response to the outrage these crimes caused in victims , their families and relatives . ' last month 's landmark ruling by the international tribunal was the first war crimes conviction of a former head of state by an international court since the nuremberg trials of nazi leaders after world war ii . taylor , 64 , was found guilty of all 11 counts of aiding and abetting rebel forces in a campaign of terror that involved murder , rape , sexual slavery , conscripting children younger than 15 and mining diamonds to pay for guns . prosecutors accused taylor of financing and giving orders to rebels in sierra leone 's civil war that ultimately left 50,000 dead or missing . his support for the rebels fueled the bloody war , prosecutors said . prosecutors , however , failed to prove that he had direct command over the rebels who committed the atrocities . there is no death penalty in international criminal law , and he would serve out any sentence in a british prison . taylor has been a pivotal figure in liberian politics for decades , and was forced out of office under international pressure in 2003 . he fled to nigeria , where border guards arrested him three years later as he was attempting to cross into chad . his trial was at the special court for sierra leone in the hague , netherlands . u.n. officials and the sierra leone government jointly set up the tribunal to try those who played the biggest role in the atrocities . the court was moved from sierra leone , where emotions about the civil war still run high . taylor becomes the first former head of state since adm. karl doenitz , who became president of germany briefly after adolf hitler 's suicide , to be convicted of war crimes or crimes against humanity by an international tribunal . former yugoslav president slobodan milosevic was tried by an international tribunal , but died before a judgment was issued .","taylor aided fighters in a civil war in neighboring sierra leone" +"sierra leone ( cnn ) -- the defense for charles taylor is expected to submit its counter-recommendation thursday after prosecutors said the former liberian president deserves an 80-year sentence for a war crimes conviction . taylor was found guilty last month of aiding and abetting war crimes in neighboring sierra leone 's civil war . should the trial chamber decide to impose a global sentence , 80 years'imprisonment would be appropriate , ' said brenda hollis , chief prosecutor for the special court for sierra leone . in the statement last week , the prosecutor said the sentence reflects the gravity of the crimes . but for charles taylor 's criminal conduct , thousands of people would not have had limbs amputated , would not have been raped , would not have been killed , ' hollis said . the recommended sentence provides fair and adequate response to the outrage these crimes caused in victims , their families and relatives . ' last month 's landmark ruling by the international tribunal was the first war crimes conviction of a former head of state by an international court since the nuremberg trials of nazi leaders after world war ii . taylor , 64 , was found guilty of all 11 counts of aiding and abetting rebel forces in a campaign of terror that involved murder , rape , sexual slavery , conscripting children younger than 15 and mining diamonds to pay for guns . prosecutors accused taylor of financing and giving orders to rebels in sierra leone 's civil war that ultimately left 50,000 dead or missing . his support for the rebels fueled the bloody war , prosecutors said . prosecutors , however , failed to prove that he had direct command over the rebels who committed the atrocities . there is no death penalty in international criminal law , and he would serve out any sentence in a british prison . taylor has been a pivotal figure in liberian politics for decades , and was forced out of office under international pressure in 2003 . he fled to nigeria , where border guards arrested him three years later as he was attempting to cross into chad . his trial was at the special court for sierra leone in the hague , netherlands . u.n. officials and the sierra leone government jointly set up the tribunal to try those who played the biggest role in the atrocities . the court was moved from sierra leone , where emotions about the civil war still run high . taylor becomes the first former head of state since adm. karl doenitz , who became president of germany briefly after adolf hitler 's suicide , to be convicted of war crimes or crimes against humanity by an international tribunal . former yugoslav president slobodan milosevic was tried by an international tribunal , but died before a judgment was issued .","taylor aided fighters in a civil war in neighboring sierra leone" +"pennsylvania washington ( cnn ) -- close to 20 inches of snow piled up at the nation 's capital as a blizzard pounded mid-atlantic states saturday , cutting power to hundreds of thousands in the region in what the president referred to as snowmaggedon . ' snow was falling from southern indiana eastward to new york city , washington , pennsylvania , delaware and the new jersey coast . president obama kept to his busy washington schedule amid the swirling flakes , and ditched the beast ' -- his souped-up cadillac limousine -- for an armored , four-wheel drive chevy suburban capable of trudging through the several inches of snow . despite plowing and shoveling , the continuous snow made for a slippery white house driveway . before the 15-vehicle presidential motorcade pulled out of the driveway headed to the capital hilton for obama 's speech to democrats , one of the emergency vehicles lost traction and slid into an suv . no one was in the car at the time . flights canceled , highway crews mobilized about 19.5 inches of snow fell at american university in washington over two days , and was on track to possibly break a record . the capital received 28 inches of snow in the knickerbocker storm ' of january 27-28 , 1922 . the blizzard has left hundreds of thousands of customers from virginia to pennsylvania without power , utility companies said . as of 12 p.m. , dominion virginia power had restored electricity to 101,000 of 207,000 customers who were without power saturday morning , the company said . in maryland and washington , more than 104,000 pepco customers were in the dark , the utility company said . the majority , or 81,324 , live in montgomery county , maryland , and 9,587 live in washington , according to pepco . in philadelphia , a reported 26.7 inches had fallen at the airport by 1 p.m. , the national weather service said . we are getting absolutely clobbered this morning with snow , ' said steven steingard , a lawyer who lives in suburban philadelphia . we have about a foot already and they say it will continue for 10 to 12 hours more . ' the storm also may produce a record snowfall for baltimore , which has 21 inches of snow so far , according to the national weather service . virginia snowman is taller than a house in college park , maryland , snow-laden power lines drooped onto branches , causing power failures . one city resident , ben hampton , told cnn he could could hear electrical transformers popping . annapolis , maryland , had 18 inches of snow by saturday . state officials at the briefing said 2,400 pieces of equipment were trying to clear highways . the state also was relying on 300 national guard members to help with ongoing weather trouble . check on traffic and road conditions more than 750 personnel are clearing roads in washington , mayor adrian fenty said . but the heavy , wet snow has even trapped some plows , washington department of transportation director gabe klein said . flights were canceled at washington-baltimore area 's three main airports and at philadelphia international airport . amtrak has canceled many trains in and out of washington , and greyhound has been halted until 1 p.m. sunday , klein said . check on flight delays on friday , a weather-related accident in virginia 's wythe county left two dead , state police said . a father and son stopped on a shoulder to help injured occupants of a disabled vehicle . minutes later , a tractor-trailer jackknifed and struck their van while trying to avoid hitting the disabled car . the father and son died at the scene , state police said . virginia state police said the accident was one of many crashes and disabled cars reported . winter storm warnings were in effect from southern indiana eastward to new york city and south to north carolina , with blizzard warnings for washington , delaware and the new jersey coast . are you snowed in ? share photos and videos delaware gov . jack markell declared a state of emergency friday night and ordered all vehicles off the roads by 10 p.m . et . forecasters were predicting that the mountains of west virginia and maryland , west of the nation 's capital , would receive the most snow -- possibly 3 feet . cnn 's greg morrison , suzanne malveaux and angela fritz contributed to this report .","new : hundreds of thousands without electricity from virginia to pennsylvania" +"virginia washington ( cnn ) -- close to 20 inches of snow piled up at the nation 's capital as a blizzard pounded mid-atlantic states saturday , cutting power to hundreds of thousands in the region in what the president referred to as snowmaggedon . ' snow was falling from southern indiana eastward to new york city , washington , pennsylvania , delaware and the new jersey coast . president obama kept to his busy washington schedule amid the swirling flakes , and ditched the beast ' -- his souped-up cadillac limousine -- for an armored , four-wheel drive chevy suburban capable of trudging through the several inches of snow . despite plowing and shoveling , the continuous snow made for a slippery white house driveway . before the 15-vehicle presidential motorcade pulled out of the driveway headed to the capital hilton for obama 's speech to democrats , one of the emergency vehicles lost traction and slid into an suv . no one was in the car at the time . flights canceled , highway crews mobilized about 19.5 inches of snow fell at american university in washington over two days , and was on track to possibly break a record . the capital received 28 inches of snow in the knickerbocker storm ' of january 27-28 , 1922 . the blizzard has left hundreds of thousands of customers from virginia to pennsylvania without power , utility companies said . as of 12 p.m. , dominion virginia power had restored electricity to 101,000 of 207,000 customers who were without power saturday morning , the company said . in maryland and washington , more than 104,000 pepco customers were in the dark , the utility company said . the majority , or 81,324 , live in montgomery county , maryland , and 9,587 live in washington , according to pepco . in philadelphia , a reported 26.7 inches had fallen at the airport by 1 p.m. , the national weather service said . we are getting absolutely clobbered this morning with snow , ' said steven steingard , a lawyer who lives in suburban philadelphia . we have about a foot already and they say it will continue for 10 to 12 hours more . ' the storm also may produce a record snowfall for baltimore , which has 21 inches of snow so far , according to the national weather service . virginia snowman is taller than a house in college park , maryland , snow-laden power lines drooped onto branches , causing power failures . one city resident , ben hampton , told cnn he could could hear electrical transformers popping . annapolis , maryland , had 18 inches of snow by saturday . state officials at the briefing said 2,400 pieces of equipment were trying to clear highways . the state also was relying on 300 national guard members to help with ongoing weather trouble . check on traffic and road conditions more than 750 personnel are clearing roads in washington , mayor adrian fenty said . but the heavy , wet snow has even trapped some plows , washington department of transportation director gabe klein said . flights were canceled at washington-baltimore area 's three main airports and at philadelphia international airport . amtrak has canceled many trains in and out of washington , and greyhound has been halted until 1 p.m. sunday , klein said . check on flight delays on friday , a weather-related accident in virginia 's wythe county left two dead , state police said . a father and son stopped on a shoulder to help injured occupants of a disabled vehicle . minutes later , a tractor-trailer jackknifed and struck their van while trying to avoid hitting the disabled car . the father and son died at the scene , state police said . virginia state police said the accident was one of many crashes and disabled cars reported . winter storm warnings were in effect from southern indiana eastward to new york city and south to north carolina , with blizzard warnings for washington , delaware and the new jersey coast . are you snowed in ? share photos and videos delaware gov . jack markell declared a state of emergency friday night and ordered all vehicles off the roads by 10 p.m . et . forecasters were predicting that the mountains of west virginia and maryland , west of the nation 's capital , would receive the most snow -- possibly 3 feet . cnn 's greg morrison , suzanne malveaux and angela fritz contributed to this report .","new : hundreds of thousands without electricity from virginia to pennsylvania" +"kwa geok choo ( cnn ) -- the wife of singapore 's first prime minister died at her home saturday at the age of 89 . a private funeral for kwa geok choo will take place next wednesday , the prime minister 's office said in a statement . she was married to lee kuan yew , who is widely credited with molding singapore into one of the world 's most prosperous countries . lee , 87 , was the founding father of the island nation . his son , lee hsien loong , is now singapore 's prime minister -- the country 's third since it gained independence from malaysia in 1965 . the elder lee was admitted to the singapore general hospital earlier this week for a chest infection","kwa geok choo died at home at the age of 89" +"kim jong un seoul ( cnn ) -- is she or is n't she ? pregnancy rumors and speculation are swirling around the world but the lady in question is saying nothing . this could easily be about a hollywood star but this time , we 're talking about the world 's most reclusive nation , north korea , and its first lady . ri sol ju , the wife of young leader kim jong un , has not been seen in public for around two months , according to north korea watchers . a photo released by the state-run news agency kcna shows her back in public and wearing a long coat that could be hiding a bump . ri watched a football match and attended a musical concert with her husband monday to mark the 60th anniversary of the kim il sung military university . read more : north korea 's leader still a mystery south korean media has kicked into overdrive to speculate on whether she is pregnant or whether she was kept out of the public eye as a disciplinary measure for a perceived slight . local media has claimed she may have fallen out of favor for not wearing a lapel pin of the former leaders , a requirement for adult north koreans . rumors first came out from officials who attended the same event , ' said kim yong-hoon , head of the north korean desk at daily nk , an online newspaper based in seoul that focuses on north korea . they started questioning and speculating if she was pregnant and it has spread throughout the country and that 's how we heard about the rumors . ' kim says the interest in whether ri is pregnant is far higher outside of north korea than it is inside , according to his sources inside the isolated nation . read more : power consolidation inside north korea john delury , assistant professor at yonsei university says this global interest speaks volumes about the way any news about north korea is handled . do we track the last time michelle obama showed up ? ' delury says . our minds are so trained to do this with north korea that we miss the bigger picture which is there is something new -- and by almost international standards we could say more normal -- about the way she appears in public . ' by announcing ri sol ju as his wife and having her accompany him on many public engagements , kim jong un has shown a personality very different to his late father , kim jong il . while producing a son and heir for a dynastic regime is considered very important , delury points out that 's also true for the families of the'chaebol'or business conglomerates of south korea , for hyundai and samsung , ' he says . even in the u.s. and uk , powerful families are concerned about producing the next generation . ' read more : kim jong il 's sushi chef returns after fleeing for life journalist jungeun kim contributed to this report","ri sol ju , wife of kim jong un , reappeared in public after a two-month absence" +"vardzia vardzia , georgia ( cnn ) -- in an isolated mountain valley on the southern edge of the former soviet union stands a cliff honey-combed with caves . this is vardzia -- a cave monastery built in the 12th century by georgian kings and queens . in the 800 years since its construction , vardzia has been destroyed by an earthquake and further damaged by invading armies . in the final days of winter , when snow coats the surrounding peaks , the caves look all but deserted . but vardzia does have several permanent residents : seven orthodox monks who have become the de-facto guardians of this ancient site . they live much like their ancestors did , in spartan cave dwellings on the side of the cliff . they draw their water from a spring deep within the mountain that is only accessible via a series of tunnels . the well is called tamar 's tears , ' after queen tamar , who completed construction of vardzia eight centuries ago after the death of her father king giorgi . uncorking georgia 's wine heritage one of the monks who lives in the cliff is father lazar . he roams the tunnels and staircases that hug the cliff-side , dressed in flowing black robes . though he is only 28 , his thick beard and pony-tail make him look far older . it puts joy in my heart to live here , ' the priest says , as he looks out of the doorway of his incense-scented cave at the rushing river below , where he sometimes fishes for trout . in the winter this is a quiet place . the frost sets in and the trees die . it is a holy place . a spiritual place . ' in fact , father lazar says aside from the monks , the only other people who live in this valley , are the nuns who inhabit a small convent beyond a bend in the river . speaking a mixture of georgian , russian and english , the monk takes visitors on a small tour of the complex , pointing out the remnants of an irrigation system that once provided water to up to 30,000 residents . he also shows vardzia 's crown jewels : two cave chapels whose domed ceilings are hewn directly out of the rock . the domes are coated with ornate , icons , from the 8th century , depicting saints , georgian royalty , and the dog-shaped demons that await the damned on judgment day . in the summer , the monks endure a different kind of torment which disturbs their ascetic mountain life : tourists . for the priests , it is not very good because they make a lot of noise , ' father lazar says . different kinds of tourists come here , some of them yell a lot and run around here and there . they holler . ' vardzia has long been a tourist destination for hardy tourists willing to brave hours of driving down pot-holed mountain roads . but road crews are now re-paving the road - and there are big plans to further develop this quiet corner of georgia . visitors to georgia are going to vardzia and there is no infrastructure there at all , ' says tengiz bendukidze , an executive with rakeen , an emirati real estate development company . that 's why rakeen is going to invest up to 20 million dollars . and we are going to build a 4-star hotel and villas also . ' there are big hopes that through tourism , georgia can overcome the chaos and conflict of nearly two decades of post-soviet independence . in years gone by , this small caucasus country was a prize destination , due to its unique combination of rich cuisine , ancient mountain-top monasteries , black sea coast line and full-throated polyphonic choral music . during the soviet era , georgia was the number one tourist attraction for almost all the soviet union , ' said nika gilauri , the prime minister of georgia , in an interview with cnn . we are getting back now this title for the region . ' executives at rakeen say they are still working out the final concept of the new vardzia hotel project . the main attraction is the caves . the cave city . and also we 'll include [ a ] service package like hunting , rafting , camping and stuff like that , ' says bendukidze . the new hotel is expected to be constructed on a hillside directly across the river from the cave complex , on a patch of territory that was occupied by a soviet-era hotel until it was demolished a few years ago . father lazar has little positive to say about the old communist hotel ... or its capitalist replacement . it 's a bad idea to build a big hotel right there , directly across from vardzia , ' he says . if there 's going to be a bar or a night club there , then that 's also not good . ' but , he concedes , the tourists will probably appreciate the view .","vardzia is an isolated mountain valley , home to a 12th century cave monastery" +"americans ( cnn ) -- cindy goodman was having dinner with a group of girlfriends one night when the conversation took a surprising turn . summer at the beach may seem like fun , but more americans are afraid to take time off . goodman asked her friends where they planned to go this year for their summer vacation . nowhere , they answered . they were afraid to take time off because they did n't want to risk losing their jobs , she says . it 's going to be an interesting summer , ' says goodman , a miami herald business columnist . the people who still have a job are really feeling overwhelmed and overworked . they 're afraid to take vacations , but at the same time , they need them more than ever . ' the bad economy is n't just depleting bank accounts . it 's cutting into people 's vacation time . americans typically take time off and kick back during the summer . this year may be different . people are worried that a temporary vacation could lead to permanent time off , goodman says . i do n't think anyone is going to be fired for taking two weeks off , but they might think that they 'll think of another way of doing my job without me , ' says goodman , who wrote about people 's vacation fears for her blog at http : //worklifebalancingact.blogspot.com . how to take time off without guilt americans had a difficult time taking vacations even before the economy slumped . numerous articles and studies draw the same conclusions : americans do n't know how to pry themselves away from the workplace . this year , expedia.com , the travel reservation company , conducted a survey that compared americans'vacation habits with their counterparts in other countries . the survey said about 34 percent of americans do n't take all the vacation time they earn each year . in contrast , 22 percent of french citizens and 24 percent of germans do n't take all the vacation allotted to them . japanese workers are the least interested in using all of their vacation days , according to the expedia survey . about 92 percent of japanese workers do not take all of their vacation days . christine louise hohlbaum , author of the power of slow : 101 ways to save time in our 24/7 world , ' says even when americans manage to take vacations , they still do n't completely leave their office , because of technology . you can take a blackberry on vacation and still have a conversation with clients anywhere else in the world , ' hohlbaum says . it 's wonderful for innovation , but not so great for leisure . ' but workers who do n't take vacation hurt themselves and their companies , hohlbaum says . overworked employees get sick more often and place themselves at risk for long-term illnesses such as heart disease . companies suffer because their employees are too tired or ill to be productive , she said . workplaces are full of exhausted employees who have already checked out in their cubicles , hohlbaum says . if people are overworked , they 're surfing the internet , ' she says . they 're not contributing to the bottom line . ' hohlbaum says she talked to a computer technician who found a way to take more time off but be more productive . he started a walking group for his colleagues during lunch hour . he and his colleagues were transformed . it was an amazing experience , ' hohlbaum says . they bonded . it helped people relax and when they got back to work , they were much more productive . ' she suggests that other workers follow his example . explain the upside of the idea to the boss : the company benefits from well-rested workers because they 're more productive . set performance goals with your boss to prove taking time off will allow you to thrive and will result in greater productivity , she says . some workers , however , find that their biggest skeptic may be internal ; they do n't know how to take it easy anymore , hohlbaum says . if you 're so used to being purposeful , make leisure time your purpose , ' hohlbaum says . alternative ideas goodman , the miami herald columnist , offers some of her own tips for taking time off . if you 're too afraid to ask for an extended vacation , plan four-day weekends or time off around holidays . goodman says she 's going to take a four-day vacation around the fourth of july . but there was a time when she traditionally took two-week vacations during the summer . i have the same kind of fear that everyone else has , goodman says . i want to take time off , but i do n't want to miss too much work time . i want to keep my column in the paper every week . '","poll : 35 percent of americans do n't take all the vacation they receive in a year" +"m1911 a texas company says it has made the first metal gun using a 3-d printer , taking the debate over people 's emerging ability to create their own firearms to a new level . solid concepts , a specialty manufacturing company , said in a blog post it has fired more than 50 rounds from the handgun , even hitting a few bull's-eyes at more than 30 yards . the pistol is a version of an m1911 , a handgun designed by john browning and first used widely in the latter stages of combat stemming from the philippine-american war . it 's built from 33 mostly stainless-steel parts and has a carbon-fiber handgrip carved with a laser . the 3-d-printed metal gun proves that 3-d printing is n't just making trinkets and yoda heads , ' the company said in the blog post . solid concepts went out of its way friday to point out that producing the metal gun is n't meant to advance a trend that worries law enforcement and some politicians . as 3-d printers become more widespread and affordable , some envision a near future in which criminals can crank out untraceable weapons without having to leave their homes . let me start out by saying one , very important thing : this is not about desktop 3-d printers , ' alyssa parkinson , a spokeswoman for the company , wrote in the blog post . the metal gun was n't a move toward making firearms with a 3-d printer cheaper or more accessible , she wrote . basic 3-d printers , such as the makerbot replicator 2 , can be bought for around $ 2,000 . but solid concepts used a specialized , high-end printer whose cost would be out of reach of most people . the industrial printer we used costs more than my college tuition ( and i went to a private university ) , ' parkinson said . and the engineers who run our machines are top of the line ; they are experts who know what they 're doing and understand 3-d printing better than anyone in this business . ' solid concepts wanted to show that 3-d printing is more than just hobbyists churning out plastic doodads -- it 's a viable option for serious commercial use . it 's a common misconception that 3-d printing is n't accurate or strong enough , and we 're working to change people 's perspectives , ' kent firestone , a vice president at the company , said in a statement . in may , a nonprofit group , also from texas , stirred far more controversy when it posted a video of the live firing of a plastic handgun created with a 3-d printer . cody wilson , a 25-year-old self-described anarchist , posted instructions on how to make the gun online through his nonprofit group , defense distributed . those instructions were taken down after the u.s. state department sent the group a cease-and-desist letter . the group 's website was shut down shortly afterward . solid concepts is a licensed firearm manufacturer . it said one use for its new capabilities with 3-d printers may be selling replacement parts for handguns .","the company has made a version of an m1911 from stainless steel with a 3-d printer" +"palestinians ( cnn ) -- international correspondent fred pleitgen reports from the site of e1 , a controversial settlement that the israeli government plans to build . what is e1 ? i was standing on the barren hilltops east of jerusalem and it is hard to believe the area could be at the center of an international controversy . e1 stands for east 1 and marks territory that the israeli government has slated for settlement construction in the west bank . it 's about 12 square kilometers ( 4.6 square miles ) , and when completed will touch the outskirts of jerusalem . the construction in the e1 area would be an expansion of one of the largest israeli settlements in the west bank , ma'ale adumim , with about 40,000 inhabitants , and would merge it with the greater jerusalem area . why has the plan caused so intense international reaction ? after the united nations general assembly vote on november 29 to grant the palestinians the status of a non-member observer state in the body , israel announced settlement construction in the west bank and east jerusalem as a response , saying part of that would likely take place in the e1 area . the palestinians believe construction here would essentially cut the west bank in half and could also impede access from the west bank to east jerusalem , which the palestinians would like to see as the capital of any future palestinian state . in an interview with cnn , the palestinians'chief negotiator saeb erekat condemned the plan saying : there is no chance for a palestinian state . i mean it is impossible . anyone who looks at the map , looks at the geography will know exactly that this decision means that there is no more two-state solution . ' how many israeli settlements are there ? according to the settlement monitoring group peace now , there are currently 137 israeli settlements in the west bank , with about 325,000 inhabitants in total . the settlements are essentially israeli towns of various sizes in palestinian territory . many of them , like ma'ale adumim , look almost like any other israeli town with everything from supermarkets to shopping malls and schools . what is their legal status ? the legal status of the settlements is in dispute . the united nations and many scholars of international law consider them illegal , but israel and some experts like the late eugene rostow of the yale law school and julius stone , international law professor at the university of sydney , have said they are legal . the palestinians want israel to give up most settlements as part of any future two-state solution , but many believe that is not realistic considering the size of some of them . how do settlements impact the peace process ? settlements are one key reason why there have been no negotiations between the israelis and palestinians for several years . the palestinians say they will only return to the table if israel freezes all settlement construction , while benjamin netanyahu 's government wants negotiations without preconditions . the dispute over new construction in the e1 sector is adding fuel to the fire and the u.n. believes it might destroy any chance of a two-state solution for good . how would ordinary palestinians be affected by e1 development ? for average palestinians in the area , the concerns are immediate . attala titi , a taxi driver in the town eizzaria near jerusalem , told me he fears additional detours and checkpoints if settlements are constructed in the e1 area . if they build this settlement and close off our roads it will mean that my trip from hebron to jericho would take between five hours to a whole day . ' how about people currently living in the settlement ? ma'ale adumim 's mayor benny kashriel is happy at the prospect of expanding the settlement , a project that has been on hold for years . this place , this residential neighborhood , it is in the ma'ale adumim municipality , part of ma'ale adumim municipality , government land . it has to be built for our young couples , ' he told me from his office .","palestinians believe construction here would essentially cut the west bank in half" +"west bank ( cnn ) -- international correspondent fred pleitgen reports from the site of e1 , a controversial settlement that the israeli government plans to build . what is e1 ? i was standing on the barren hilltops east of jerusalem and it is hard to believe the area could be at the center of an international controversy . e1 stands for east 1 and marks territory that the israeli government has slated for settlement construction in the west bank . it 's about 12 square kilometers ( 4.6 square miles ) , and when completed will touch the outskirts of jerusalem . the construction in the e1 area would be an expansion of one of the largest israeli settlements in the west bank , ma'ale adumim , with about 40,000 inhabitants , and would merge it with the greater jerusalem area . why has the plan caused so intense international reaction ? after the united nations general assembly vote on november 29 to grant the palestinians the status of a non-member observer state in the body , israel announced settlement construction in the west bank and east jerusalem as a response , saying part of that would likely take place in the e1 area . the palestinians believe construction here would essentially cut the west bank in half and could also impede access from the west bank to east jerusalem , which the palestinians would like to see as the capital of any future palestinian state . in an interview with cnn , the palestinians'chief negotiator saeb erekat condemned the plan saying : there is no chance for a palestinian state . i mean it is impossible . anyone who looks at the map , looks at the geography will know exactly that this decision means that there is no more two-state solution . ' how many israeli settlements are there ? according to the settlement monitoring group peace now , there are currently 137 israeli settlements in the west bank , with about 325,000 inhabitants in total . the settlements are essentially israeli towns of various sizes in palestinian territory . many of them , like ma'ale adumim , look almost like any other israeli town with everything from supermarkets to shopping malls and schools . what is their legal status ? the legal status of the settlements is in dispute . the united nations and many scholars of international law consider them illegal , but israel and some experts like the late eugene rostow of the yale law school and julius stone , international law professor at the university of sydney , have said they are legal . the palestinians want israel to give up most settlements as part of any future two-state solution , but many believe that is not realistic considering the size of some of them . how do settlements impact the peace process ? settlements are one key reason why there have been no negotiations between the israelis and palestinians for several years . the palestinians say they will only return to the table if israel freezes all settlement construction , while benjamin netanyahu 's government wants negotiations without preconditions . the dispute over new construction in the e1 sector is adding fuel to the fire and the u.n. believes it might destroy any chance of a two-state solution for good . how would ordinary palestinians be affected by e1 development ? for average palestinians in the area , the concerns are immediate . attala titi , a taxi driver in the town eizzaria near jerusalem , told me he fears additional detours and checkpoints if settlements are constructed in the e1 area . if they build this settlement and close off our roads it will mean that my trip from hebron to jericho would take between five hours to a whole day . ' how about people currently living in the settlement ? ma'ale adumim 's mayor benny kashriel is happy at the prospect of expanding the settlement , a project that has been on hold for years . this place , this residential neighborhood , it is in the ma'ale adumim municipality , part of ma'ale adumim municipality , government land . it has to be built for our young couples , ' he told me from his office .","palestinians believe construction here would essentially cut the west bank in half" +"west bank ( cnn ) -- international correspondent fred pleitgen reports from the site of e1 , a controversial settlement that the israeli government plans to build . what is e1 ? i was standing on the barren hilltops east of jerusalem and it is hard to believe the area could be at the center of an international controversy . e1 stands for east 1 and marks territory that the israeli government has slated for settlement construction in the west bank . it 's about 12 square kilometers ( 4.6 square miles ) , and when completed will touch the outskirts of jerusalem . the construction in the e1 area would be an expansion of one of the largest israeli settlements in the west bank , ma'ale adumim , with about 40,000 inhabitants , and would merge it with the greater jerusalem area . why has the plan caused so intense international reaction ? after the united nations general assembly vote on november 29 to grant the palestinians the status of a non-member observer state in the body , israel announced settlement construction in the west bank and east jerusalem as a response , saying part of that would likely take place in the e1 area . the palestinians believe construction here would essentially cut the west bank in half and could also impede access from the west bank to east jerusalem , which the palestinians would like to see as the capital of any future palestinian state . in an interview with cnn , the palestinians'chief negotiator saeb erekat condemned the plan saying : there is no chance for a palestinian state . i mean it is impossible . anyone who looks at the map , looks at the geography will know exactly that this decision means that there is no more two-state solution . ' how many israeli settlements are there ? according to the settlement monitoring group peace now , there are currently 137 israeli settlements in the west bank , with about 325,000 inhabitants in total . the settlements are essentially israeli towns of various sizes in palestinian territory . many of them , like ma'ale adumim , look almost like any other israeli town with everything from supermarkets to shopping malls and schools . what is their legal status ? the legal status of the settlements is in dispute . the united nations and many scholars of international law consider them illegal , but israel and some experts like the late eugene rostow of the yale law school and julius stone , international law professor at the university of sydney , have said they are legal . the palestinians want israel to give up most settlements as part of any future two-state solution , but many believe that is not realistic considering the size of some of them . how do settlements impact the peace process ? settlements are one key reason why there have been no negotiations between the israelis and palestinians for several years . the palestinians say they will only return to the table if israel freezes all settlement construction , while benjamin netanyahu 's government wants negotiations without preconditions . the dispute over new construction in the e1 sector is adding fuel to the fire and the u.n. believes it might destroy any chance of a two-state solution for good . how would ordinary palestinians be affected by e1 development ? for average palestinians in the area , the concerns are immediate . attala titi , a taxi driver in the town eizzaria near jerusalem , told me he fears additional detours and checkpoints if settlements are constructed in the e1 area . if they build this settlement and close off our roads it will mean that my trip from hebron to jericho would take between five hours to a whole day . ' how about people currently living in the settlement ? ma'ale adumim 's mayor benny kashriel is happy at the prospect of expanding the settlement , a project that has been on hold for years . this place , this residential neighborhood , it is in the ma'ale adumim municipality , part of ma'ale adumim municipality , government land . it has to be built for our young couples , ' he told me from his office .","israel plans to begin construction of settlements in the east 1 , or e1 , zone in the west bank" +"west bank ( cnn ) -- international correspondent fred pleitgen reports from the site of e1 , a controversial settlement that the israeli government plans to build . what is e1 ? i was standing on the barren hilltops east of jerusalem and it is hard to believe the area could be at the center of an international controversy . e1 stands for east 1 and marks territory that the israeli government has slated for settlement construction in the west bank . it 's about 12 square kilometers ( 4.6 square miles ) , and when completed will touch the outskirts of jerusalem . the construction in the e1 area would be an expansion of one of the largest israeli settlements in the west bank , ma'ale adumim , with about 40,000 inhabitants , and would merge it with the greater jerusalem area . why has the plan caused so intense international reaction ? after the united nations general assembly vote on november 29 to grant the palestinians the status of a non-member observer state in the body , israel announced settlement construction in the west bank and east jerusalem as a response , saying part of that would likely take place in the e1 area . the palestinians believe construction here would essentially cut the west bank in half and could also impede access from the west bank to east jerusalem , which the palestinians would like to see as the capital of any future palestinian state . in an interview with cnn , the palestinians'chief negotiator saeb erekat condemned the plan saying : there is no chance for a palestinian state . i mean it is impossible . anyone who looks at the map , looks at the geography will know exactly that this decision means that there is no more two-state solution . ' how many israeli settlements are there ? according to the settlement monitoring group peace now , there are currently 137 israeli settlements in the west bank , with about 325,000 inhabitants in total . the settlements are essentially israeli towns of various sizes in palestinian territory . many of them , like ma'ale adumim , look almost like any other israeli town with everything from supermarkets to shopping malls and schools . what is their legal status ? the legal status of the settlements is in dispute . the united nations and many scholars of international law consider them illegal , but israel and some experts like the late eugene rostow of the yale law school and julius stone , international law professor at the university of sydney , have said they are legal . the palestinians want israel to give up most settlements as part of any future two-state solution , but many believe that is not realistic considering the size of some of them . how do settlements impact the peace process ? settlements are one key reason why there have been no negotiations between the israelis and palestinians for several years . the palestinians say they will only return to the table if israel freezes all settlement construction , while benjamin netanyahu 's government wants negotiations without preconditions . the dispute over new construction in the e1 sector is adding fuel to the fire and the u.n. believes it might destroy any chance of a two-state solution for good . how would ordinary palestinians be affected by e1 development ? for average palestinians in the area , the concerns are immediate . attala titi , a taxi driver in the town eizzaria near jerusalem , told me he fears additional detours and checkpoints if settlements are constructed in the e1 area . if they build this settlement and close off our roads it will mean that my trip from hebron to jericho would take between five hours to a whole day . ' how about people currently living in the settlement ? ma'ale adumim 's mayor benny kashriel is happy at the prospect of expanding the settlement , a project that has been on hold for years . this place , this residential neighborhood , it is in the ma'ale adumim municipality , part of ma'ale adumim municipality , government land . it has to be built for our young couples , ' he told me from his office .","group : currently 137 israeli settlements in the west bank , with about 325,000 inhabitants" +"euna lee ( cnn ) -- jeffrey fowle never met kenneth bae and matthew todd miller . but he 's been in their shoes . just three weeks ago , fowle -- like his fellow americans , bae and miller -- was detained in north korea . within a half-hour of his release , he was on a plane leaving the isolated east asian nation . on the ride to the airport ... i was hoping they 'd be on the plane as well , ' fowle said saturday . i got there , and they said i was the only one coming home . ' no more . on saturday , the u.s. government announced that bae and miller will soon be joining fowle on american soil after being released . now in ohio , fowle wonders why it did n't happen sooner and why he was let go first , despite the fact bae and miller were detained before him . kenneth bae and matthew miller should have been released before i was , ' fowle told cnn . but i 'm glad to hear that they 're on their way home . ' it 's too early to say what their lives will be like back home . miller has been held since april . for bae , it has been nearly two years . euna lee , who was released from north korea in 2009 after being detained for 140 days , said she wanted to return not just to her home , but to normal . you can imagine that that does n't happen , ' lee said . but that 's what , i 'm sure , they want to probably have , ( to ) just come back to regular , mundane days . ' north korea releases bae , miller conditions vary for detainees , but all isolated numerous americans have been detained over the years in north korea , though that 's not to say that they 've all had identical experiences . of the three released in the past few weeks , it appears bae had it worst . the married father of three from lynwood , washington , moved to china in 2005 . a year later , he established nations tour , ' a china-based tour company that specialized in tours of north korea . a devout christian , bae was in rason , an area along the northeastern coast of north korea , when authorities arrested him in november 2012 . u.s. officials confirmed bae 's detention the next month . the following may , he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for hostile acts ' against the communist nation , and spent time in a labor camp , as well as a hospital . and miller got six years of hard labor in september for acts hostile ' to north korea , all because he had ripped up his tourist visa and shouted his desire to seek asylum after arriving in the country , the state-run korean central news agency reported . fowle received no such sentence after leaving a bible at a club in northern north korea , which he admitted doing . while also accused of perpetrating hostile acts , ' and while he -- like bae and miller -- told cnn he signed documents admitting his guilt , fowle said he did n't spend time in a jail or at a labor camp . instead , he spent time in a high-rise hotel and a hospitality center since his detention last spring . lee said that being cut off from the world is a major punishment in itself , with or without harsh conditions . being isolated in a foreign country is very difficult , ' she said . ( having ) no communication with family members or the outside world ( makes ) it even more hard . ' former detainee :'i 'd tell them to keep the faith' thankfully , that wo n't be a struggle any more for bae and miller . if past releases are any indication , they 'll soon be hugging and kissing family members back in the united states , then going off to spend time with loved ones . what they really need is people around them ( and in the public who ) can continually give them positive attention , until they are fully recovered from this attention and isolation , ' lee said . fowle said that his transition home was eased by the fact he got his old job back home in ohio . that would seem impossible for bae , who 's been gone longer and whose business was predicated on traveling to north korea , as fowle fully admits . still , he believes that both bae and miller -- if they can survive months detained in north korea -- can survive and thrive in their return home as well . asked what he would say now to his two fellow americans , fowle said , i 'd tell them to keep the faith . '","another former n. korean detainee , euna lee , says the 2 probably want mundane days '" +"raleigh ( cnn ) -- jim shepperd was just crossing the howard frankland bridge from tampa to st. petersburg when the winds whipped furiously and the first named storm of the hurricane season began its one-two punch on the tampa bay area . by the time he and his chow-shepherd mix , aussie , made it home to gulfport , tropical storm andrea was thrashing his neighborhood . just down the street , a tornado touched down , felling a massive 200-year-old cedar tree . there were a lot of trees down , ' the hairstylist said friday morning . we 're lucky . we 're ok. ' by 5 p.m . et , andrea 's heavy rain had moved on , targeting a broad swath of the east coast . the storm , categorized as a post-tropical cyclone with sustained winds of up to 45 mph , was about 55 miles northeast of raleigh , north carolina , and continuing on its predicted path up the northeast coast . forecasters say it 's expected to drench 13 states from georgia to maine . meteorologists want everyone in andrea 's path to know this : the storm 's biggest danger will probably be flash floods . the national weather service offers tips on what to do in a flooding situation . in short , road beds may be washed out under flood waters , so never drive through flooded roadways . at 11 a.m. friday , the national hurricane center said andrea was packing 45-mph winds and was about 50 miles southwest of fayetteville , north carolina , and 90 miles west of wilmington , north carolina . andrea is expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of rain in central and eastern north carolina . up to 2 inches are expected over portions of south carolina . farther north on friday , a flood watch area includes washington , which the national weather service predicts could get 6 inches of rain friday , and new york , where forecasters say 1 to 2 inches of rain an hour could fall at times into saturday . even maine 's coast , including portland , could see as much as 3 inches of rain by the time the weekend is done . follow the storm on cnn.com 's hurricane tracker as of 8 a.m. , andrea 's projected path is similar to that of tropical storm debby nearly a year ago . debby dumped up to 2 feet of rain onto the low-lying areas , causing extensive flooding in some coastal towns . cnn meteorologists sean morris and ivan cabrera contributed to this report .","new : now a post-tropical cyclone , andrea was near raleigh , north carolina , at 5 p.m ." +"woods ( cnn ) -- tiger woods'former caddy steve williams has issued an apology after apparently making racially tinged remarks at an awards dinner in shanghai , china . williams -- who was fired by woods in july -- was being presented with a satirical award for celebration of the year ' for comments he made after his new boss , golfer adam scott , beat woods at the bridgestone invitational in ohio a month later . according to media reports , when asked about those comments during his acceptance speech friday night , williams said : i wanted to shove it up that black -- - . ' should williams be punished for tiger remarks ? shortly afterward , the new zealander issued an contrite statement on his website . i apologize for comments i made last night at the annual caddy awards dinner in shanghai . players and caddies look forward to this evening all year and the spirit is always joking and fun . i now realize how my comments could be construed as racist . however i assure you that was not my intent . i sincerely apologize to tiger and anyone else i have offended . ' woods is in australia preparing for the president cups teams event in melbourne starting november 17 . his agent mark steinberg said in a statement : i was with tiger when the story broke . we were obviously not there , but if all the reports are accurate , it is regrettable . really nothing more to say . ' in several interviews after his dismissal , which brought to an end a 13-year working relationship , williams let it be known that he was disappointed and shocked and also brought up woods'sex scandal . interviewed after scott 's bridgestone victory , williams called it the greatest week i 've had in my career . ' scott and williams are at sheshan , near shanghai , to take part in the hsbc champions golf tournament and the australian was reportedly among the audience at the awards dinner . the row over williams'remarks has led to media speculation that the partnership may not last much longer . however , scott told reporters that he would not be taking any action . steve issued a statement and apologized , and he did the right thing . that 's all there is to say about that from my side of things , ' said the 31-year-old , who was in third place at the chinese tournament ahead of sunday 's final round , three shots behind swedish leader fredrik jacobson . it 's not an issue for me . i think everything in that room last night was all in good spirits and a bit of fun , and i think it probably got taken out of that room in the wrong context . anything with tiger involved is a story . i value steve 's contribution to my game and while he 's caddying i hope he can caddy for me . there was a lot of language used last night and it 's just this was reported . i do n't really think that stuff has ever left the room before and it 's probably good reasons why . i think it 's probably all very unnecessary . ' it is not the first time williams has had to apologize for inappropriate remarks . three years ago he made derogatory comments about woods'great rival phil mickelson at a charity event in new zealand and was later forced to back down by his employer . former u.s. open champion graeme mcdowell told the uk press association that he did not believe williams had intended to make a racial remark . the comments were surprising , yes . these are racially sensitive times , especially in sport . it 's unfortunate because it was a very sticky situation , ' the northern irishman said . i do n't think stevie williams was trying to be racial . i do n't think it was a racial comment . i think he was trying to be funny and make a joke of it . it was an embarrassing situation that he was put in . he was up in front of his peers and colleagues and it came out wrong . ' scott shot three-under-par 69 in saturday 's third round to be on 13-under 203 at the tournament , which offers more than $ 1.1 million to the winner and will have a big influence on who wins the european tour money list . world no . 3 rory mcilroy is seeking to overhaul top-ranked luke donald and prevent the englishman from making history by topping both the u.s. and european money lists in the same year . the northern irishman shot 65 on saturday to climb up to a tie for fourth with lee westwood -- four shots behind jacobson , who carded 67 . former world no . 1 martin kaymer , who is fourth in the race to dubai standings behind mcilroy and charl schwartzel , was tied for sixth with mcdowell on 205 .","woods'agent says williams'comments at awards dinner were regrettable '" +"woods ( cnn ) -- tiger woods'former caddy steve williams has issued an apology after apparently making racially tinged remarks at an awards dinner in shanghai , china . williams -- who was fired by woods in july -- was being presented with a satirical award for celebration of the year ' for comments he made after his new boss , golfer adam scott , beat woods at the bridgestone invitational in ohio a month later . according to media reports , when asked about those comments during his acceptance speech friday night , williams said : i wanted to shove it up that black -- - . ' should williams be punished for tiger remarks ? shortly afterward , the new zealander issued an contrite statement on his website . i apologize for comments i made last night at the annual caddy awards dinner in shanghai . players and caddies look forward to this evening all year and the spirit is always joking and fun . i now realize how my comments could be construed as racist . however i assure you that was not my intent . i sincerely apologize to tiger and anyone else i have offended . ' woods is in australia preparing for the president cups teams event in melbourne starting november 17 . his agent mark steinberg said in a statement : i was with tiger when the story broke . we were obviously not there , but if all the reports are accurate , it is regrettable . really nothing more to say . ' in several interviews after his dismissal , which brought to an end a 13-year working relationship , williams let it be known that he was disappointed and shocked and also brought up woods'sex scandal . interviewed after scott 's bridgestone victory , williams called it the greatest week i 've had in my career . ' scott and williams are at sheshan , near shanghai , to take part in the hsbc champions golf tournament and the australian was reportedly among the audience at the awards dinner . the row over williams'remarks has led to media speculation that the partnership may not last much longer . however , scott told reporters that he would not be taking any action . steve issued a statement and apologized , and he did the right thing . that 's all there is to say about that from my side of things , ' said the 31-year-old , who was in third place at the chinese tournament ahead of sunday 's final round , three shots behind swedish leader fredrik jacobson . it 's not an issue for me . i think everything in that room last night was all in good spirits and a bit of fun , and i think it probably got taken out of that room in the wrong context . anything with tiger involved is a story . i value steve 's contribution to my game and while he 's caddying i hope he can caddy for me . there was a lot of language used last night and it 's just this was reported . i do n't really think that stuff has ever left the room before and it 's probably good reasons why . i think it 's probably all very unnecessary . ' it is not the first time williams has had to apologize for inappropriate remarks . three years ago he made derogatory comments about woods'great rival phil mickelson at a charity event in new zealand and was later forced to back down by his employer . former u.s. open champion graeme mcdowell told the uk press association that he did not believe williams had intended to make a racial remark . the comments were surprising , yes . these are racially sensitive times , especially in sport . it 's unfortunate because it was a very sticky situation , ' the northern irishman said . i do n't think stevie williams was trying to be racial . i do n't think it was a racial comment . i think he was trying to be funny and make a joke of it . it was an embarrassing situation that he was put in . he was up in front of his peers and colleagues and it came out wrong . ' scott shot three-under-par 69 in saturday 's third round to be on 13-under 203 at the tournament , which offers more than $ 1.1 million to the winner and will have a big influence on who wins the european tour money list . world no . 3 rory mcilroy is seeking to overhaul top-ranked luke donald and prevent the englishman from making history by topping both the u.s. and european money lists in the same year . the northern irishman shot 65 on saturday to climb up to a tie for fourth with lee westwood -- four shots behind jacobson , who carded 67 . former world no . 1 martin kaymer , who is fourth in the race to dubai standings behind mcilroy and charl schwartzel , was tied for sixth with mcdowell on 205 .","the new zealander was sacked by tiger woods in july after 13 years together" +"taliban kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- the taliban has executed a pregnant widow accused of adultery in western afghanistan , provincial and district officials said monday . the 47-year-old woman , sanam gul , also known as sanam bibi , was killed in badghis province saturday morning , said ashrafuddin majidi , the provincial governor 's spokesman . the district governor of qades , hashim habibi , confirmed the execution . he said the woman was accused of adultery that left her pregnant . the taliban shadow district governor , mullah abdul hakim , and his judge ordered the woman to be executed , he said . mohammad yousuf , a taliban commander , carried out the execution , shooting the woman in her head , habibi said . the international security assistance force in afghanistan condemned the killing . this tragic gruesome brutality is an example of taliban justice , ' said u.s. army col. rafael torres , director of the isaf joint command combined joint operations center . this is not what the people of afghanistan want -- they want peace and freedom and that 's what we 're going to help provide . ' the statement from the isaf cited reports that the widow was whipped 200 times before she was shot .","the taliban accused her of adultery , a local official said" +"middle east london , england ( cnn ) -- bread . for egypt 's middle classes it is breakfast , lunch and dinner . in egyptian arabic it is known as aish ' which means both bread and life . bread is the staple food of egypt 's poor -- 40 percent of whom live on around $ 2 per day for many egyptians the flat , round bread is also becoming a symbol of the country 's inequalities . rocketing global commodity prices and failing domestic supplies have made this staple food unaffordable for 20 percent of the country 's 76 million inhabitants . the middle east 's most populous country is not alone in these problems . the un warned economic turmoil could hit many of the world 's poorer countries as global inflation spirals -- but with 40 percent of the population living near the poverty line , the price rise has struck particularly hard . earlier this week , in the gritty industrial city of mahalla al-kobra , northern egypt , a teenager was killed during two days of violent clashes between residents and police . the protesters , who are enraged by low wages and rising prices , also tore down a billboard of egypt 's president hosni mubarak . prime minister , ahmed nazif , rushed to the city to try to head off any further escalation in the civil disturbances and workers were promised bonuses and concessions . but for many egyptians , these moves are too little too late . on the streets , the popularity of mubarak 's regime is at an all time low . the riots in mahalla al-kobra are the latest in a series of flares in social unrest . read cnn correspondent , ben wedeman 's blog about the egypt crisis despite a growing economy and billions of dollars in international investment , average wages remain low and the gulf between the country 's tiny elite and the majority of workers grows ever wider . the doubling of prices over the past year and an acute shortage of government subsidized bread has acted as a catalyst to the population 's smoldering discontent . all egyptians can buy the cheap government subsidised bread under a decades old socialist-inspired system that also provides subsidies for public transport and gasoline . as unsubsidized bread -- which can sell at 10 to 12 times the cost of government bread -- becomes unaffordable for a portion of the population the demand for government bread is growing . at the same time the supplies of subsidized bread have also decreased . the population is jaded and many people believe that corruption is behind the shortages . rumors circulate that subsidized bakeries would rather sell their flour on the black market than use it to produce bread . people have no choice but to wait in line to buy government bread . i 've been standing here for hours , and we are not close to getting bread yet , ' mohammed el-deeb , a manager at a medical company told the associated press , of course i need to stand in the line , i ca n't afford the other bread . ' in recent weeks , two people were stabbed and killed when fights broke out over government bread . five others died from exhaustion caused by hours spent standing in line . there are fears the unrest could emulate the 1997 bread riots in which 70 people were killed after the government raised the price of bread and other subsidized foods . the government is facing a political crisis and has ordered the army -- which normally only makes bread for employees -- to increase production and distribute it to the public . the army opened 10 large bakeries in cairo and set up 500 kiosks to sell bread to the public , according to the government . read john defterios'blog about the egyptian food crisis egypt grows about half the wheat it consumes every year and buys the rest from the world market . egypt 's finance minister , youssef boutros ghali says this is what is causing all the problems : the price rise is being driven by what is happening in the international markets . the local component is very little . ' he also believes the international investment and economic growth needs time to trickle down through the whole population , it 's not enough . there are 77 million of us . for the 77 million to feel it we need at least five , six , seven years plus of growth , ' he said . but that wo n't give much relief to the country 's citizens , many of whom currently live on $ 2 a day . e-mail to a friend","bread is the staple food of the middle east 's most populous country" +"llodra ( cnn ) -- world no . 2 roger federer reached the semifinals of the paris masters for the first time in his long and illustrious career with a straight-sets victory over austria 's jurgen melzer on friday . the top seed in the absence of the injured rafael nadal , federer had previously never made it past the last-eight stage -- where he was eliminated in 2002 , 2003 and 2008 . it is the second time he has beaten a frustrating run in the capital , having ended his long wait for a first french open title on clay at roland garros last year . the swiss star , a 16-time grand slam champion who has won 65 career titles , defeated 11th seed melzer for the third time this season following straight-sets victories at wimbledon and the us open . the 29-year-old triumphed 6-1 7-6 ( 7-4 ) against the french open semifinalist to set up a saturday showdown with last year 's losing finalist gael monfils , who upset world no . 4 andy murray in front of a jubilant home crowd in the late match . i thought i served well the whole match , ' federer told the atp website after firing 18 aces , his best in a two-set match . i think in the second he was able play a bit more solid overall , and i think he served a bit better . top guys rarely just go through two sets not having a sniff at all . his sniff was in the breaker when he hit two good returns to go 2-1 in a mini-break , really . ' french 12th seed monfils lost the opening game to love but broke murray on the scot 's next turn at serve before going on to seal a 6-2 2-6 6-3 victory . monfils will be seeking to stop federer 's bid to win a third successive atp event as he bids to emulate last year 's feat , when he made it to the title match before losing to novak djokovic . the other semifinal of the indoor hardcourt tournament will be fought out by fourth seed robin soderling and dark horse michael llodra , who knocked out djokovic on thursday . soderling saw off american eighth seed andy roddick , with the swede winning 7-5 6-4 against a player he will line up with at the season-ending atp world tour finals in london later this month . he reached the last four at paris-bercy for the first time , having ended a run of two three-set defeats to roddick in the u.s. earlier this year . i just did n't feel sharp - everything was very basic , ' roddick told the atp website . i played one good point , one bad point . the basics were n't there as much as they have been in the past couple of weeks , which is disappointing . ' world no . 34 llodra , france 's fourth-ranked player , boosted his chances of being picked for next month 's davis cup final against serbia as he continued his dream run this week . the first unseeded semifinalist since 2007 , the left-hander defeated russian 10th seed and 2006 champion nikolay davydenko 7-5 6-1 . the 30-year-old fought back from 4-2 down in the first set to win 11 of the next 13 games . i needed to play serve-and-volley because he was returning very well , ' llodra said . i was very lucid on break-points . when i had opportunities , i tried to be aggressive . i think today it was more mental victory than a tennis victory . '","fourth seed robin soderling will play dark horse michael llodra in other semifinal" +"llodra ( cnn ) -- world no . 2 roger federer reached the semifinals of the paris masters for the first time in his long and illustrious career with a straight-sets victory over austria 's jurgen melzer on friday . the top seed in the absence of the injured rafael nadal , federer had previously never made it past the last-eight stage -- where he was eliminated in 2002 , 2003 and 2008 . it is the second time he has beaten a frustrating run in the capital , having ended his long wait for a first french open title on clay at roland garros last year . the swiss star , a 16-time grand slam champion who has won 65 career titles , defeated 11th seed melzer for the third time this season following straight-sets victories at wimbledon and the us open . the 29-year-old triumphed 6-1 7-6 ( 7-4 ) against the french open semifinalist to set up a saturday showdown with last year 's losing finalist gael monfils , who upset world no . 4 andy murray in front of a jubilant home crowd in the late match . i thought i served well the whole match , ' federer told the atp website after firing 18 aces , his best in a two-set match . i think in the second he was able play a bit more solid overall , and i think he served a bit better . top guys rarely just go through two sets not having a sniff at all . his sniff was in the breaker when he hit two good returns to go 2-1 in a mini-break , really . ' french 12th seed monfils lost the opening game to love but broke murray on the scot 's next turn at serve before going on to seal a 6-2 2-6 6-3 victory . monfils will be seeking to stop federer 's bid to win a third successive atp event as he bids to emulate last year 's feat , when he made it to the title match before losing to novak djokovic . the other semifinal of the indoor hardcourt tournament will be fought out by fourth seed robin soderling and dark horse michael llodra , who knocked out djokovic on thursday . soderling saw off american eighth seed andy roddick , with the swede winning 7-5 6-4 against a player he will line up with at the season-ending atp world tour finals in london later this month . he reached the last four at paris-bercy for the first time , having ended a run of two three-set defeats to roddick in the u.s. earlier this year . i just did n't feel sharp - everything was very basic , ' roddick told the atp website . i played one good point , one bad point . the basics were n't there as much as they have been in the past couple of weeks , which is disappointing . ' world no . 34 llodra , france 's fourth-ranked player , boosted his chances of being picked for next month 's davis cup final against serbia as he continued his dream run this week . the first unseeded semifinalist since 2007 , the left-hander defeated russian 10th seed and 2006 champion nikolay davydenko 7-5 6-1 . the 30-year-old fought back from 4-2 down in the first set to win 11 of the next 13 games . i needed to play serve-and-volley because he was returning very well , ' llodra said . i was very lucid on break-points . when i had opportunities , i tried to be aggressive . i think today it was more mental victory than a tennis victory . '","frenchman llodra became the first unseeded player to reach last four since 2007" +"fredericksburg washington ( cnn ) -- an undercover investigation by the federal trade commission found funeral homes nationwide deceived customers into making purchases they were n't required to make and failed to give up-front pricing to customers . undercover ftc agents posing as customers found significant violations ' in 23 of the 102 funeral homes investigated , according to the ftc . operators violated key provisions of the funeral rule , ' a 1984 regulation the ftc put in place to prevent funeral home operators from forcing customers to buy caskets or any other item as a condition of paying for a funeral . another provision of the rule requires funeral homes to provide an itemized price list during the first in-person funeral arrangement meeting . nationally , richmond and fredericksburg , virginia had the highest number of funeral homes found with significant violations , according to the ftc 's report . eight of the 19 funeral homes investigated in the two cities committed significant violations . columbia , south carolina , was next with five significant violations out of 10 funeral homes inspected . thirty-three funeral homes had what the ftc called minor compliance issues . in those cases , the ftc contacted the funeral homes and required proof they were addressing violations . the ftc gives funeral homes an opportunity to right their wrongs before they 're hauled into court . a three-year program run by the national funeral directors association gives participants extra training and additional compliance monitoring . funeral homes that participate are allowed to make a payment to the u.s. treasury in place of a civil penalty . civil penalties can be up to $ 16,000 per violation , according to the ftc . jessica koth of the national funeral directors association says the nfda takes compliance with the funeral rule seriously . ' koth says the organization encourages members to meet all obligations . since the annual undercover stings began in 1996 , the ftc said investigators have found fewer than 400 funeral homes with significant violations . there are 19,680 funeral homes in the united states , according to the nfda . ftc inspections during 2011 encountered varying levels of compliance : -- in northwestern indiana , one of 12 funeral homes inspected had significant violations ; -- in maui , hawaii , none of the four funeral homes inspected had significant violations ; -- in the new york city area , as well as parts of connecticut and new jersey , one of 22 funeral homes inspected had significant violations ; -- in cleveland , four of 16 funeral homes inspected had significant violations ; -- in columbia , south carolina , five significant violations were found in 10 funeral homes inspected ; -- in austin , texas , four of 19 funeral homes inspected had significant violations ; -- in richmond and fredericksburg , virginia , eight of 19 funeral homes inspected had significant violations .","richmond and fredericksburg , virginia , had the highest number of offenders" +"hezbollah ( cnn ) -- a most awkward and revealing situation has emerged in the heart of europe , forcing european governments to choose between their principles and their fears , and drawing an uncomfortable gap between europe 's words and its actions . last july , a bus carrying tourists about to start their vacation suddenly exploded outside the airport in the bulgarian city of burgas . the bombing killed five israelis -- including a pregnant woman -- and a bulgarian driver . this week , bulgaria 's foreign minister blamed hezbollah , saying an investigation showed the attack was carried out by two members of the iran-linked lebanese organization . hezbollah denied the accusation . but bulgaria says it discovered strong links , with data showing the financing and connection between hezbollah and the two suspects . ' the news shines a light on a most surprising fact : hezbollah has been conducting business rather comfortably in much of europe over the years , openly raising money for its operations . those operations , according to countless investigations in a growing number of countries , include plotting and attempting to kill tourists , diplomats and others . washington , which labeled hezbollah a terrorist organization in 1995 after a series of attacks in lebanon and elsewhere that killed hundreds of americans , has been pressuring the european union to do the same . but the eu has resisted . the terrorist ' designation is more than a symbolic label . the label would allow european authorities to freeze funds , control the travel of hezbollah operatives , and otherwise do what it can to prevent more loss of life . the new secretary of state , john kerry , urged the eu to send an unequivocal message to this terrorist group ' now that hezbollah has been linked to an attack on european soil . american officials have told europe that their inaction is making it harder to defend our countries . ' u.s. officials accuse iran and hezbollah not only of conducting attacks against civilians around the world , but also of actively supporting syrian president bashar al-assad 's brutal repression at home in a conflict that has already left more than 60,000 dead . opinion : why obama is going to israel according to a new report from the washington institute for near east policy , authorities in various countries have uncovered and disrupted nearly 30 different terror plots by hezbollah or iran 's quds force , an arm of the iranian revolutionary guard corps , in the last couple of years . but europe , incredibly , continues to waver . eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton reacted to the news from bulgaria with a clammy statement that there is a need for reflection . ' hezbollah operates in lebanon as a powerful shiite political party , social services organization and an intimidating , heavily-armed militia . it has strong support among the country 's shiite population and bitter opposition from sunnis . eu officials say they fear destabilizing lebanon , a country perennial teetering on the edge of sectarian violence . they also worry about angering hezbollah , fearing attacks on european peacekeepers in lebanon or terrorist attacks on european soil . judging by recent events , that particular outcome was not prevented by their timid approach . france , in particular , has resisted upsetting hezbollah . paris has taken the lead in fighting extremism in africa , sending troops against militants in mali and declaring that it is committed to a relentless struggle against terrorist groups . ' but it is somewhat less relentless when it comes to hezbollah . the french take a special interest in protecting their influence in lebanon , a former colonial holding . a firm western stance against the group , however , could strengthen lebanon 's struggling pro-western opposition , which blames hezbollah for the assassination of many of its members , including former prime minister rafik hariri . a u.n. tribunal set up to investigate hariri 's 2005 assassination indicted four hezbollah members . the pattern is well established . argentinean prosecutors accused hezbollah of carrying out and iran of planning and financing the worst terrorist attack in that country , the 1994 bombing of a jewish community center , which killed 85 and injured 300 . western experts generally agree with the assessment of the former u.s. homeland security secretary , who describes hezbollah as the most potent terrorist organization in the world . ' the government of the netherlands already declared it a terrorist group and britain named its militant wing a terrorist entity , as if it were separate from the rest of the organization . it is funded by iran and closely coordinates its moves with tehran . over the years , it has been accused of carrying out attacks throughout the world , often in collaboration with iran . in recent months , as tensions have risen between iran , on one side , and israel and the west on the other , tehran and its lebanese ally have stepped up their activities to a feverish pace , targeting israelis diplomats and tourists in india , cyprus , thailand and elsewhere . hezbollah and iran were linked to a plot to kill the saudi ambassador in washington . hezbollah 's protective ally , iran , is enduring harsh economic sanctions from the west over its controversial nuclear program , and a number of iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated , as have a few key figures in the hezbollah hierarchy . the circumstances of these assassinations have all been murky , but there is nothing vague about the bombing of buses full of tourists . by any definition of the word it qualifies as terrorism . and clearly , the question is not just symbolic . europe is letting hezbollah operate on its soil . by some counts , there are 950 hezbollah-affiliated individuals in germany alone . europe wants to treat hezbollah as a legitimate political organization , but the group 's actions place it squarely outside the realm of legitimacy . as long as europe closes its eyes to this reality and allows the group to organize , fundraise and hold meetings , it is guilty not only of hypocrisy , but also of passive complicity in hezbollah 's attacks on innocent civilians . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis","but eu fears angering group , destabilizing lebanon ; let 's hezbollah raise funds in europe" +"hezbollah ( cnn ) -- a most awkward and revealing situation has emerged in the heart of europe , forcing european governments to choose between their principles and their fears , and drawing an uncomfortable gap between europe 's words and its actions . last july , a bus carrying tourists about to start their vacation suddenly exploded outside the airport in the bulgarian city of burgas . the bombing killed five israelis -- including a pregnant woman -- and a bulgarian driver . this week , bulgaria 's foreign minister blamed hezbollah , saying an investigation showed the attack was carried out by two members of the iran-linked lebanese organization . hezbollah denied the accusation . but bulgaria says it discovered strong links , with data showing the financing and connection between hezbollah and the two suspects . ' the news shines a light on a most surprising fact : hezbollah has been conducting business rather comfortably in much of europe over the years , openly raising money for its operations . those operations , according to countless investigations in a growing number of countries , include plotting and attempting to kill tourists , diplomats and others . washington , which labeled hezbollah a terrorist organization in 1995 after a series of attacks in lebanon and elsewhere that killed hundreds of americans , has been pressuring the european union to do the same . but the eu has resisted . the terrorist ' designation is more than a symbolic label . the label would allow european authorities to freeze funds , control the travel of hezbollah operatives , and otherwise do what it can to prevent more loss of life . the new secretary of state , john kerry , urged the eu to send an unequivocal message to this terrorist group ' now that hezbollah has been linked to an attack on european soil . american officials have told europe that their inaction is making it harder to defend our countries . ' u.s. officials accuse iran and hezbollah not only of conducting attacks against civilians around the world , but also of actively supporting syrian president bashar al-assad 's brutal repression at home in a conflict that has already left more than 60,000 dead . opinion : why obama is going to israel according to a new report from the washington institute for near east policy , authorities in various countries have uncovered and disrupted nearly 30 different terror plots by hezbollah or iran 's quds force , an arm of the iranian revolutionary guard corps , in the last couple of years . but europe , incredibly , continues to waver . eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton reacted to the news from bulgaria with a clammy statement that there is a need for reflection . ' hezbollah operates in lebanon as a powerful shiite political party , social services organization and an intimidating , heavily-armed militia . it has strong support among the country 's shiite population and bitter opposition from sunnis . eu officials say they fear destabilizing lebanon , a country perennial teetering on the edge of sectarian violence . they also worry about angering hezbollah , fearing attacks on european peacekeepers in lebanon or terrorist attacks on european soil . judging by recent events , that particular outcome was not prevented by their timid approach . france , in particular , has resisted upsetting hezbollah . paris has taken the lead in fighting extremism in africa , sending troops against militants in mali and declaring that it is committed to a relentless struggle against terrorist groups . ' but it is somewhat less relentless when it comes to hezbollah . the french take a special interest in protecting their influence in lebanon , a former colonial holding . a firm western stance against the group , however , could strengthen lebanon 's struggling pro-western opposition , which blames hezbollah for the assassination of many of its members , including former prime minister rafik hariri . a u.n. tribunal set up to investigate hariri 's 2005 assassination indicted four hezbollah members . the pattern is well established . argentinean prosecutors accused hezbollah of carrying out and iran of planning and financing the worst terrorist attack in that country , the 1994 bombing of a jewish community center , which killed 85 and injured 300 . western experts generally agree with the assessment of the former u.s. homeland security secretary , who describes hezbollah as the most potent terrorist organization in the world . ' the government of the netherlands already declared it a terrorist group and britain named its militant wing a terrorist entity , as if it were separate from the rest of the organization . it is funded by iran and closely coordinates its moves with tehran . over the years , it has been accused of carrying out attacks throughout the world , often in collaboration with iran . in recent months , as tensions have risen between iran , on one side , and israel and the west on the other , tehran and its lebanese ally have stepped up their activities to a feverish pace , targeting israelis diplomats and tourists in india , cyprus , thailand and elsewhere . hezbollah and iran were linked to a plot to kill the saudi ambassador in washington . hezbollah 's protective ally , iran , is enduring harsh economic sanctions from the west over its controversial nuclear program , and a number of iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated , as have a few key figures in the hezbollah hierarchy . the circumstances of these assassinations have all been murky , but there is nothing vague about the bombing of buses full of tourists . by any definition of the word it qualifies as terrorism . and clearly , the question is not just symbolic . europe is letting hezbollah operate on its soil . by some counts , there are 950 hezbollah-affiliated individuals in germany alone . europe wants to treat hezbollah as a legitimate political organization , but the group 's actions place it squarely outside the realm of legitimacy . as long as europe closes its eyes to this reality and allows the group to organize , fundraise and hold meetings , it is guilty not only of hypocrisy , but also of passive complicity in hezbollah 's attacks on innocent civilians . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis","frida ghitis : bulgaria blamed hezbollah in bus attack , yet eu still wo n't call group terrorists" +"lebanon ( cnn ) -- a most awkward and revealing situation has emerged in the heart of europe , forcing european governments to choose between their principles and their fears , and drawing an uncomfortable gap between europe 's words and its actions . last july , a bus carrying tourists about to start their vacation suddenly exploded outside the airport in the bulgarian city of burgas . the bombing killed five israelis -- including a pregnant woman -- and a bulgarian driver . this week , bulgaria 's foreign minister blamed hezbollah , saying an investigation showed the attack was carried out by two members of the iran-linked lebanese organization . hezbollah denied the accusation . but bulgaria says it discovered strong links , with data showing the financing and connection between hezbollah and the two suspects . ' the news shines a light on a most surprising fact : hezbollah has been conducting business rather comfortably in much of europe over the years , openly raising money for its operations . those operations , according to countless investigations in a growing number of countries , include plotting and attempting to kill tourists , diplomats and others . washington , which labeled hezbollah a terrorist organization in 1995 after a series of attacks in lebanon and elsewhere that killed hundreds of americans , has been pressuring the european union to do the same . but the eu has resisted . the terrorist ' designation is more than a symbolic label . the label would allow european authorities to freeze funds , control the travel of hezbollah operatives , and otherwise do what it can to prevent more loss of life . the new secretary of state , john kerry , urged the eu to send an unequivocal message to this terrorist group ' now that hezbollah has been linked to an attack on european soil . american officials have told europe that their inaction is making it harder to defend our countries . ' u.s. officials accuse iran and hezbollah not only of conducting attacks against civilians around the world , but also of actively supporting syrian president bashar al-assad 's brutal repression at home in a conflict that has already left more than 60,000 dead . opinion : why obama is going to israel according to a new report from the washington institute for near east policy , authorities in various countries have uncovered and disrupted nearly 30 different terror plots by hezbollah or iran 's quds force , an arm of the iranian revolutionary guard corps , in the last couple of years . but europe , incredibly , continues to waver . eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton reacted to the news from bulgaria with a clammy statement that there is a need for reflection . ' hezbollah operates in lebanon as a powerful shiite political party , social services organization and an intimidating , heavily-armed militia . it has strong support among the country 's shiite population and bitter opposition from sunnis . eu officials say they fear destabilizing lebanon , a country perennial teetering on the edge of sectarian violence . they also worry about angering hezbollah , fearing attacks on european peacekeepers in lebanon or terrorist attacks on european soil . judging by recent events , that particular outcome was not prevented by their timid approach . france , in particular , has resisted upsetting hezbollah . paris has taken the lead in fighting extremism in africa , sending troops against militants in mali and declaring that it is committed to a relentless struggle against terrorist groups . ' but it is somewhat less relentless when it comes to hezbollah . the french take a special interest in protecting their influence in lebanon , a former colonial holding . a firm western stance against the group , however , could strengthen lebanon 's struggling pro-western opposition , which blames hezbollah for the assassination of many of its members , including former prime minister rafik hariri . a u.n. tribunal set up to investigate hariri 's 2005 assassination indicted four hezbollah members . the pattern is well established . argentinean prosecutors accused hezbollah of carrying out and iran of planning and financing the worst terrorist attack in that country , the 1994 bombing of a jewish community center , which killed 85 and injured 300 . western experts generally agree with the assessment of the former u.s. homeland security secretary , who describes hezbollah as the most potent terrorist organization in the world . ' the government of the netherlands already declared it a terrorist group and britain named its militant wing a terrorist entity , as if it were separate from the rest of the organization . it is funded by iran and closely coordinates its moves with tehran . over the years , it has been accused of carrying out attacks throughout the world , often in collaboration with iran . in recent months , as tensions have risen between iran , on one side , and israel and the west on the other , tehran and its lebanese ally have stepped up their activities to a feverish pace , targeting israelis diplomats and tourists in india , cyprus , thailand and elsewhere . hezbollah and iran were linked to a plot to kill the saudi ambassador in washington . hezbollah 's protective ally , iran , is enduring harsh economic sanctions from the west over its controversial nuclear program , and a number of iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated , as have a few key figures in the hezbollah hierarchy . the circumstances of these assassinations have all been murky , but there is nothing vague about the bombing of buses full of tourists . by any definition of the word it qualifies as terrorism . and clearly , the question is not just symbolic . europe is letting hezbollah operate on its soil . by some counts , there are 950 hezbollah-affiliated individuals in germany alone . europe wants to treat hezbollah as a legitimate political organization , but the group 's actions place it squarely outside the realm of legitimacy . as long as europe closes its eyes to this reality and allows the group to organize , fundraise and hold meetings , it is guilty not only of hypocrisy , but also of passive complicity in hezbollah 's attacks on innocent civilians . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis","but eu fears angering group , destabilizing lebanon ; let 's hezbollah raise funds in europe" +"stephen caracappa new york ( cnn ) -- two former new york police department detectives were sentenced to life in prison without parole friday for operating as mafia hit men while employed by the nypd . louis eppolito , 60 , and stephen caracappa , 67 , who spent a combined 44 years on the force and once worked as partners , were found guilty in april 2006 of engaging in racketeering . according to prosecutors , they were paid $ 4,000 a month by the mafia and were personally paid $ 65,000 by luchese crime family underboss anthony gaspipe ' casso for killing another mobster during a phony traffic stop . authorities said casso regarded the officers as his crystal ball , ' likely referring to their alleged involvement in relaying classified information to the luchese family . eppolito and caracappa , who reiterated their innocence at friday 's sentencing , were found guilty of participating in or aiding eight murders , two attempted murders and one murder conspiracy , as well as witness tampering , witness retaliation , obstruction of justice , money laundering and drug charges . eppolito was sentenced to life in prison plus 100 years , while caracappa received life in prison plus 80 years . they were also fined a combined $ 4 million . the sentences imposed today bring some measure of closure for the families of the victims of these defendants'unspeakable crimes and for the citizens of the city whose trust these men betrayed , ' u.s. attorney benton j. campbell said in a news release . we are gratified that the defendants will spend the rest of their lives behind bars . ' eppolito , who grew up in a mafia family , wrote the book mafia cop , ' in which he described how he turned away from the family business ' to become what he said was one of the police department 's most decorated officers . he also had small roles in several films , including the role of fat andy in the 1990 mob film goodfellas . ' caracappa was a member of the nypd 's organized crime homicide unit , which he helped create .","stephen caracappa , 67 , received life in prison plus 80 years" +"pedro pinto ( cnn ) -- the final of the european champions league will see two of the continent 's giant clubs meet in the estadio santiago bernabeu in madrid , in a battle to decide the champions of the most lucrative competition in world soccer . the match , which takes place on 22 may , will also pitch two heavyweight coaches against one another in the shape of portugal 's jose mourinho and holland 's louis van gaal . mourinho , who won the european cup with porto in 2004 , is hoping to cap a treble for the nerazzurri after already wrapping up the italian title and domestic cup prior to the game . bayern are also looking to seal the capture of three pieces of silverware for the campaign , after beating schalke to the bundesliga title and also having won their domestic cup . check out our profiles of the two coaches by clicking the links in the photo gallery above . can mourinho beat van gaal to become king of europe ? the match will also see some of the greatest players in the world -- arjen robben , samuel eto'o , bastian schweinsteiger and lucio among them -- vie for the most lucrative title in club football before jetting off to south africa to take part in the 2010 world cup . cnn will have all the build up to the big match with pedro pinto and alex thomas hosting a special half-hour preview program on cnn international at 1800 gmt . your can also have your say on which coach you think will emerge as the new king of europe by adding your comment to the blog .","cnn will build up to the big match with pedro pinto and alex thomas live from madrid at 1600 gmt" +"mexico city mexico city ( cnn ) -- the runner-up in mexico 's presidential election said friday he still wo n't accept a vote count , even after the country 's electoral tribunal upheld the legality of the election and officially declared enrique pena nieto as the winner . leftist candidate andres manuel lopez obrador has not conceded the july 1 election , citing allegations of electoral fraud by the victorious institutional revolutionary party , known as the pri . the electoral tribunal on thursday rejected a demand by lopez obrador 's coalition , the progressive movement of mexico , to invalidate the presidential election , which he lost by 6 percentage points . on friday , it validated the final results , officially naming pena nieto as president-elect . the elections were not clean or free or authentic . as such , i will not recognize the illegitimate power that came from vote-buying and other grave violations of the constitution and the laws , ' lopez obrador said . the candidate called on his followers to demonstrate in mexico city 's historical square , the zocalo , on september 9 . lopez obrador narrowly lost another presidential race in 2006 . back then , he refused to recognize the new government and called his supporters into the streets . he went on a national tour , where he drummed up support , calling himself the legitimate president of mexico . ' it was unclear if he would call for similar demonstrations now . in a unanimous decision announced thursday , the electoral tribunal ruled that the demand to invalidate the election was unfounded . ' the tribunal found that the leftist coalition that brought the charges did n't prove any constitutional violations and did n't show that the process was n't free and fair . critics of the process said the irregularities included illegal campaign spending , secretive financing and coercion of voters . read more : vote-buying allegations persist after mexican election when the allegations surfaced immediately after the vote , election officials recounted the votes in more than half of the ballot boxes individually . among the bigger controversies were allegations that pri campaigners passed out hundreds of supermarket gift cards in exchange for votes . the electoral tribunal said that the coalition could prove only that pri officials gave the cards to supporters , and not to the general public in exchange for votes . pena nieto is expected to be sworn in on december 1 . cnnmexico 's belen zapata and tania montalvo contributed to this report .","he calls for a demonstration in mexico city 's main square" +"faa ( cnn ) -- fearing that flocks of unmanned aircraft might soon traverse u.s. skies , the federal aviation administration on friday quickly appealed a judge 's ruling that the agency does not have the authority to regulate commercial drones . the case involves raphael pirker , a drone enthusiast fined $ 10,000 by the faa for using his 56-inch foam glider to take promotional videos of the university of virginia medical center . the faa said pirker 's flight ran afoul of its strict rules governing the commercial use of drones . on friday , less than 24 hours after losing its case , the faa said it was appealing the decision by patrick geraghty , an administrative law judge with the national transportation safety board . the agency is concerned that this decision could impact ... the safety of people and property on the ground , ' the faa said in a statement . geraghty said faa regulations approved for manned aircraft did not apply to unmanned aircraft any more than they applied to paper airplanes or balsa wood planes . pirker 's attorney , brendan schulman , called it a tremendously significant decision for model aircraft and commercial drone operators . ' as a general matter , the decision finds that the faa 's 2007 policy statement banning the commercial use of model aircraft is not enforceable . it would appear to me to have a very significant impact on other operators , ' schulman said . but the decision confounded the faa , which as recently as last week had publicized its restrictions on commercial use of drones . in a press release headlined busting myths about the faa and unmanned aircraft , ' it stressed that uas enthusiasts could not use drones for commercial purposes . a commercial flight requires a certified aircraft , a licensed pilot and operating approval . to date , only one operation has met these criteria , using insitu 's scaneagle , and authorization was limited to the arctic , ' the faa 's busting myths release said . there are no shades of gray in faa regulations , ' the faa continued . anyone who wants to fly an aircraft-manned or unmanned-in u.s. airspace needs some level of faa approval . ' the flight that got pirker in trouble occurred october 17 , 2011 , when he remotely piloted a $ 130 ritewing zephyr ii aircraft at the campus medical center . the faa investigated , and the following april it proposed a $ 10,000 civil penalty , saying that pirker operated the plane in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another . ' pirker operated the aircraft within about 50 feet of numerous individuals , about 20 feet of a crowded street , and within approximately 100 feet of an active heliport at uva , the faa alleged . one person had to take evasive measures ' to avoid being struck by the aircraft , the agency said . pirker appealed the case to the ntsb , where the case went before geraghty . the faa is appealing the matter to the full safety board .","faa appealed , saying it fears the decision could impact safety" +"faa ( cnn ) -- fearing that flocks of unmanned aircraft might soon traverse u.s. skies , the federal aviation administration on friday quickly appealed a judge 's ruling that the agency does not have the authority to regulate commercial drones . the case involves raphael pirker , a drone enthusiast fined $ 10,000 by the faa for using his 56-inch foam glider to take promotional videos of the university of virginia medical center . the faa said pirker 's flight ran afoul of its strict rules governing the commercial use of drones . on friday , less than 24 hours after losing its case , the faa said it was appealing the decision by patrick geraghty , an administrative law judge with the national transportation safety board . the agency is concerned that this decision could impact ... the safety of people and property on the ground , ' the faa said in a statement . geraghty said faa regulations approved for manned aircraft did not apply to unmanned aircraft any more than they applied to paper airplanes or balsa wood planes . pirker 's attorney , brendan schulman , called it a tremendously significant decision for model aircraft and commercial drone operators . ' as a general matter , the decision finds that the faa 's 2007 policy statement banning the commercial use of model aircraft is not enforceable . it would appear to me to have a very significant impact on other operators , ' schulman said . but the decision confounded the faa , which as recently as last week had publicized its restrictions on commercial use of drones . in a press release headlined busting myths about the faa and unmanned aircraft , ' it stressed that uas enthusiasts could not use drones for commercial purposes . a commercial flight requires a certified aircraft , a licensed pilot and operating approval . to date , only one operation has met these criteria , using insitu 's scaneagle , and authorization was limited to the arctic , ' the faa 's busting myths release said . there are no shades of gray in faa regulations , ' the faa continued . anyone who wants to fly an aircraft-manned or unmanned-in u.s. airspace needs some level of faa approval . ' the flight that got pirker in trouble occurred october 17 , 2011 , when he remotely piloted a $ 130 ritewing zephyr ii aircraft at the campus medical center . the faa investigated , and the following april it proposed a $ 10,000 civil penalty , saying that pirker operated the plane in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another . ' pirker operated the aircraft within about 50 feet of numerous individuals , about 20 feet of a crowded street , and within approximately 100 feet of an active heliport at uva , the faa alleged . one person had to take evasive measures ' to avoid being struck by the aircraft , the agency said . pirker appealed the case to the ntsb , where the case went before geraghty . the faa is appealing the matter to the full safety board .","the faa said he needed to get authorization beforehand" +"christian baghdad ( cnn ) -- violence across iraq has claimed nine lives in the past two days , officials with the nation 's interior ministry said monday . gunmen killed arkan yaqoub , a christian citizen , who was shot dead along with his driver by gunmen as they were driving in central mosul on monday morning , said ministry officials , who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns and because they are not authorized to talk to the media . yaqoub was the deputy director of the state cement factory in mosul . the motive behind his killing was unknown , but many iraqi christians have been targeted since 2004 by sunni extremist groups , prompting many to flee the country . in saqlawaiya , about 10 kilometers ( 6 miles ) north of falluja , two civilians were shot to death by gunmen monday morning . the two were driving in a car when gunmen intercepted the vehicle on a highway , the officials said . the motive was unknown . in northeastern baghdad 's al-shaab neighborhood , a roadside bomb exploded near a minibus monday , killing one civilian and wounding five others , the officials said . elsewhere , a police officer at al-kadhimiya civic court died when a bomb attached to his car exploded in the saba al-boor district of northern baghdad . on sunday , an iraqi servicemember and a firefighter died when they responded to the scene of a roadside bombing . the bombing targeted a liquor store in the abu ghraib area of western baghdad and set the building ablaze . when the servicemember and firefighter responded , another roadside bomb exploded . six people were wounded . there have been at least 20 such bombings at liquor stores across baghdad since the beginning of march , when the iraqi government decided to reopen liquor stores and bars in the capital city . they had been closed for four months . the interior ministry officials said sunni and shiite extremists are believed to be behind the attacks . in the al-taji district in baghdad 's northern outskirts , an iraqi police officer was shot by gunmen while driving in a car sunday afternoon , the officials said . atheel al-nujaifi , mosul 's governor , escaped a roadside bombing unharmed monday morning . he was driving to baghdad in a convoy consisting of six vehicles when a roadside bomb exploded at one of the vehicles . one of al-nujaifi 's bodyguards was wounded , the interior ministry officials said . the incident occurred about 110 kilometers ( 68 miles ) south of mosul . others were wounded in attacks , interior ministry officials said . five civilians were wounded in a roadside bombing in eastern baghdad on monday , and two employees of a security company were wounded in another roadside bombing in southeastern baghdad . on sunday , a police lieutenant was wounded when a bomb attached to his car exploded . overall , violence in iraq is down considerably from its peak between 205 and 2007 . however , assassinations , gunfire and bombs remain regular occurrences .","a christian citizen was shot dead along with his driver" +"cnn new york ( cnn ) -- as his presidency nears its end , a reflective president bush suggested tuesday that he regrets some of his more blunt statements on the war on terrorism over the last eight years and said he wishes he had not spoken in front of a mission accomplished ' banner only a month after u.s. troops in iraq were deployed . president bush says his wife told him that as president , he should watch his words carefully . i regret saying some things i should n't have said , ' bush told cnn 's heidi collins when asked to reflect on his regrets over his two terms as president . like'dead or alive'and'bring 'em on .'my wife reminded me that , hey , as president of the united states , be careful what you say . ' the interview , aboard the uss intrepid in new york , came after the president addressed a veterans day ceremony . shortly after the attacks of september 11 , the president said of al qaeda leader osama bin laden : i want justice . there 's an old poster out west that said ,'wanted , dead or alive .' watch president bush talk about his regrets » bush was also criticized in 2003 for his answer addressing insurgents in iraq . there are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there . my answer is , bring 'em on , ' he said then . on tuesday , the president also referenced the moment aboard the uss abraham lincoln on may 1 , 2003 , during which he declared an end to major combat operations in iraq . they had a sign that said'mission accomplished .'it was a sign aimed at the sailors on the ship , but it conveyed a broader knowledge . to some it said , well , bush thinks the war in iraq is over , when i did n't think that . but nonetheless , it conveyed the wrong message . ' the president , whose legacy is sure to be hotly debated for decades , said there also is much he is proud of . i am proud to be the commander in chief of people who are so selfless and so courageous that they would volunteer to serve our country in a time of war , ' he said . i 'm proud when i see people feed the hungry . i 'm proud when i 'm in africa and see volunteers helping those citizens dying of hiv/aids . ' in the wide-ranging interview , the president also discussed his monday meeting with president-elect barack obama and said he consulted former president clinton before his meeting with the future commander in chief . i remember the conversation i had with my predecessor bill clinton , ' bush said . as a matter of fact , [ i ] called him yesterday and said ,'bill , i 'm getting ready to meet with the new president , and i remember how gracious you were to me . i hope i can be as gracious to president-elect obama as you were to me .'' bush described the atmosphere in his oval office meeting with obama as relaxed and said he offered the future president advice on the transition process . bush also said obama was specifically interested in how his two young daughters would adjust to life in the white house . it was interesting to watch him go upstairs , ' bush said . he wanted to see where his little girls were going to sleep . clearly , this guy is going to bring a sense of family to the white house , and i hope laura and i did the same thing . but i believe he will , and i know his girls are on his mind and he wants to make sure that first and foremost , he is a good dad . and i think that 's going to be an important part of his presidency . ' bush said he plans to return to texas after he leaves office january 20 and may write a book ' but otherwise has few plans . no doubt i 'm heading straight home . i miss texas ; i love texas ; i 've got a lot of friends in texas . i 'll probably get back and take a deep breath , ' he said . bush said he has begun to think about an outline for the book . i want people to know what it was like to make some of the decisions i had to make , ' he said . in other words , what was the moment like ? and i 've had one of those presidencies where i 've had to make some tough calls , and i want people to know the truth about what it was like sitting in the oval office . ' bush expressed regret that republican presidential nominee john mccain did not win the presidency but called the election of obama good for our country . ' the election of barack obama is an historic moment for our country . there are a lot of people in america who did not believe they would ever see this day . it is good for our country that people have hope in the system and feel vested in the future and president-elect obama has a great opportunity , ' bush said . i really do wish him all the best . i am just as american as he is american , and it is good for our country that the president succeeds . '","in cnn interview , president reflects on his term" +"christopher & dana reeve foundation ( cnn ) -- the sudden death of academy award-winning actor and comedian robin williams has sent shock waves throughout the world . the 63-year-old was not only known for bringing laughter to so many throughout his career but for bringing compassion to his philanthropic causes as well . impact your world remembers williams'generosity by looking at some charities with which he worked . robin williams'legacy : a big heart for charity the united service organization ( uso ) was a perfect fit for the comedian . the goal of the organization is to lift the spirits of american troops , and that 's exactly what williams did . during his uso tours , the good morning , vietnam ' star traveled to war zones entertaining troops from afghanistan to kuwait . the christopher & dana reeve foundation , which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injuries , tweeted : the entertainer and christopher reeve were very close friends . they formed an inseparable bond as roommates while studying at new york 's julliard school . williams was the first to bring a smile to his college buddy 's face after reeve 's 1995 horseback riding accident left him paralyzed from the neck down . in reeve 's autobiography still me , ' he wrote how williams made a surprise hospital visit impersonating a russian proctologist and was going to perform an exam on him ! the comedic actor was a friend to people of all ages . just like his patch adams ' character , williams brought smiles and laughter to sick children . he visited kids battling cancer one-on-one and signed autographs at st. jude children 's research hospital . in 2006 , the father of three was honored with the muhammad ali humanitarian award at celebrity fight night . the annual event raises money primarily for the muhammad ali parkinson center in phoenix . reba mcentire has emceed the benefit dinner and auction for the past nine years and recalled her favorite memory of williams . she added , i will miss robin so much , as we all will . thank god we have so many wonderful memories of him , his wit , talent , big heart and generosity . ' the late actor was also involved with comic relief to raise money for those in need , especially america 's homeless . he hosted a series of hbo tv specials with comedian friends billy crystal and whoopi goldberg . comic relief founder bob zmuda remembered williams'generosity on cnn 's new day ' : robin was the one from the get-go that was really insistent that we would raise funds for the homeless community . robin was kind of born with a silver spoon in his mouth . ... i think he felt that he was given so much and that he needed to give back and he truly did . ' complete coverage of robin williams videos : the world according to robin williams","the comedian also served on the board of the christopher & dana reeve foundation" +"robin williams ( cnn ) -- the sudden death of academy award-winning actor and comedian robin williams has sent shock waves throughout the world . the 63-year-old was not only known for bringing laughter to so many throughout his career but for bringing compassion to his philanthropic causes as well . impact your world remembers williams'generosity by looking at some charities with which he worked . robin williams'legacy : a big heart for charity the united service organization ( uso ) was a perfect fit for the comedian . the goal of the organization is to lift the spirits of american troops , and that 's exactly what williams did . during his uso tours , the good morning , vietnam ' star traveled to war zones entertaining troops from afghanistan to kuwait . the christopher & dana reeve foundation , which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injuries , tweeted : the entertainer and christopher reeve were very close friends . they formed an inseparable bond as roommates while studying at new york 's julliard school . williams was the first to bring a smile to his college buddy 's face after reeve 's 1995 horseback riding accident left him paralyzed from the neck down . in reeve 's autobiography still me , ' he wrote how williams made a surprise hospital visit impersonating a russian proctologist and was going to perform an exam on him ! the comedic actor was a friend to people of all ages . just like his patch adams ' character , williams brought smiles and laughter to sick children . he visited kids battling cancer one-on-one and signed autographs at st. jude children 's research hospital . in 2006 , the father of three was honored with the muhammad ali humanitarian award at celebrity fight night . the annual event raises money primarily for the muhammad ali parkinson center in phoenix . reba mcentire has emceed the benefit dinner and auction for the past nine years and recalled her favorite memory of williams . she added , i will miss robin so much , as we all will . thank god we have so many wonderful memories of him , his wit , talent , big heart and generosity . ' the late actor was also involved with comic relief to raise money for those in need , especially america 's homeless . he hosted a series of hbo tv specials with comedian friends billy crystal and whoopi goldberg . comic relief founder bob zmuda remembered williams'generosity on cnn 's new day ' : robin was the one from the get-go that was really insistent that we would raise funds for the homeless community . robin was kind of born with a silver spoon in his mouth . ... i think he felt that he was given so much and that he needed to give back and he truly did . ' complete coverage of robin williams videos : the world according to robin williams","robin williams was involved in several charitable causes" +"uso ( cnn ) -- the sudden death of academy award-winning actor and comedian robin williams has sent shock waves throughout the world . the 63-year-old was not only known for bringing laughter to so many throughout his career but for bringing compassion to his philanthropic causes as well . impact your world remembers williams'generosity by looking at some charities with which he worked . robin williams'legacy : a big heart for charity the united service organization ( uso ) was a perfect fit for the comedian . the goal of the organization is to lift the spirits of american troops , and that 's exactly what williams did . during his uso tours , the good morning , vietnam ' star traveled to war zones entertaining troops from afghanistan to kuwait . the christopher & dana reeve foundation , which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injuries , tweeted : the entertainer and christopher reeve were very close friends . they formed an inseparable bond as roommates while studying at new york 's julliard school . williams was the first to bring a smile to his college buddy 's face after reeve 's 1995 horseback riding accident left him paralyzed from the neck down . in reeve 's autobiography still me , ' he wrote how williams made a surprise hospital visit impersonating a russian proctologist and was going to perform an exam on him ! the comedic actor was a friend to people of all ages . just like his patch adams ' character , williams brought smiles and laughter to sick children . he visited kids battling cancer one-on-one and signed autographs at st. jude children 's research hospital . in 2006 , the father of three was honored with the muhammad ali humanitarian award at celebrity fight night . the annual event raises money primarily for the muhammad ali parkinson center in phoenix . reba mcentire has emceed the benefit dinner and auction for the past nine years and recalled her favorite memory of williams . she added , i will miss robin so much , as we all will . thank god we have so many wonderful memories of him , his wit , talent , big heart and generosity . ' the late actor was also involved with comic relief to raise money for those in need , especially america 's homeless . he hosted a series of hbo tv specials with comedian friends billy crystal and whoopi goldberg . comic relief founder bob zmuda remembered williams'generosity on cnn 's new day ' : robin was the one from the get-go that was really insistent that we would raise funds for the homeless community . robin was kind of born with a silver spoon in his mouth . ... i think he felt that he was given so much and that he needed to give back and he truly did . ' complete coverage of robin williams videos : the world according to robin williams","he toured with the uso and volunteered with st. jude children 's hospital" +"rafael nadal ( cnn ) -- defending wimbledon champion novak djokovic has been named as the top men 's seed for this year 's tournament , with french open winner maria sharapova heading the women 's singles seedings . world number one djokovic retains the top seeding at the all england club despite his defeat to rafael nadal in the french open final earlier this month . the spaniard is seeded second ahead of six-time champion roger federer , who is seeking a first grand slam win since the 2010 australian open . great britain 's andy murray , a losing semifinalist for the last three years , is seeded fourth . however , the scot 's preparations suffered a blow on wednesday when he was beaten by janko tipsarevic at the boodles exhibition tournament in buckinghamshire . it was murray 's second successive defeat on grass , following his surprise early exit from the aegon championships at queen 's club last week . france 's jo-wilfried tsonga , who suffered an injury scare when he injured a finger at the aegon championships , is seeded fifth for wimbledon . he will not be joined by fellow frenchman gael monfils as the world number 15 has failed to recover from a knee injury in time for the championships . the wimbledon women 's singles seedings reflect the current wta tour rankings , with world number one sharapova selected top . she is followed by world number two victoria azarenka of belarus and poland 's agnieszka radwanska , with reigning wimbledon champion petra kvitova seeded fourth . australia 's sam stosur is the fifth seed , with four-time wimbledon champion serena williams seeded sixth . meanwhile , two-time wimbledon champion nadal was named as the flag carrier for spain at the london 2012 olympics on wednesday . sharapova and djokovic were handed similar roles for russia and serbia respectively earlier this month .","serbian is ahead of rafael nadal and roger federer" +"khalid abdul rahim ( cnn ) -- rarely has an animal birth been more hotly anticipated but the equine answer to the royal baby has taken its first tentative steps at the home of racing , newmarket in eastern england . on sunday , song produced the first filly to the superstar stallion frankel at the national stud , and despite it being just a few days old , the expectation on it to succeed on the racecourse is already huge . an anticipated 130 foals will be born to frankel in 2014 , none of which will race for two years but with the potential for some sporting sibling rivalry come 2016 at the earliest . song is owned by khalid abdul rahim , of bahrain , who paid $ 1.3 million for the mare when she was already in foal to frankel . director of the national stud brian o'rourke described the new offspring as a very nice quality , athletic individual , ' adding that both mare and foal are doing well . ' there is even footage online of the foal taking some of its first steps in newmarket . mother and foal will stay together for at least five months . frankel earned owner prince khalid abdullah , a saudi prince , more than $ 4m in prize money during an illustrious racing career , which included a record nine consecutive group 1 wins and ended with victory in the champion stakes at ascot in october last year . however , frankel , who went to work in his new role at stud in february last year , is now earning his owners infinitely more with a whopping fee of $ 160,000 for every mare sired and hence earnings of nearly four times his career winnings this year alone . the offspring of 2001 epsom derby winner galileo , frankel boasts an impressive pedigree , but predicting how frankel foals may fare is by no means an exact science . despite the sums paid for the mares and foals in question , she could well prove a flop . despite that there are high hopes for the filly and frankel 's first foal , a colt , born just a few days earlier at coolmore stud in ireland to a mare called chrysanthemum . that colt is valued at â£6m and has been quoted as a 100-1 shot to win the 2017 derby . as for the filly foal in newmarket , she remains unnamed with suggestions for a possible moniker to the offspring of frankel and song , currently including sinatra or my way .","song owned by khalid abdul rahim of bahrain" +"bush bill clinton and george w. bush sounded like old college buddies when they appeared in washington on monday . you 'd never know that clinton was the candidate who made bush 's father a one-termer , or that bush ran for office in 2000 promising to restore honor and dignity to the white house ' after clinton left . things are genial now that both men have their presidencies behind them and are focused on their legacies as former presidents . they appeared together on monday to announce a new leadership program through their respective foundations . but at times , it appeared the announcement took a back seat to the presidents'relationship . the two former commanders in chief joked with and about each other , told stories about their relationship , and even offered commentary about the number of selfies each is asked to take . he used to call me twice a year , in his second term , just to talk , ' clinton said about bush . we 'd talk -- depending on how much time he had , 'cause he was busier than me -- somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes , for several years . it meant a lot to me . ' clinton said he and bush talked about everything in the right world . he asked my opinion , half the time he disagreed with it . but i felt good about that , i thought that was a really healthy thing . ' bush and clinton were together monday to announce the presidential leadership scholars program , a partnership between their respective presidential centers , as well as george h.w . bush 's and lyndon b. johnson 's centers . the program 's aim is to bring motivated leaders across all sectors an opportunity to study presidential leadership and decision making and learn from key administration officials , practitioners , and leading academics . ' it is well-documented that clinton has grown closer with the bush family since his presidency . clinton and george h.w . bush worked together after the asian tsunami in 2004 and hurricane katrina in 2005 , while clinton and george w. bush worked together after the 2010 haitian earthquake . monday 's event was a mutual admiration festival . as clinton heralded their post-presidency friendship , he regularly touched bush 's arm . when the arkansas democrat reflected positively on bush 's father , george h.w . bush , bush 43 looked at clinton and said , thank you , you are right . ' when bush gave clinton advice on becoming a grandparent -- get ready also to be , like , the lowest person in the pecking order in your family ' -- the two laughed and shared a hearty handshake . bill and hillary clinton are expecting their first grandchild this fall as their only daughter , chelsea clinton , is pregnant . hillary clinton attended monday 's event and sat near the back . during the event , bill clinton 's phone rang and the former president joked that only two people have this number and they are related to me . ' i hope i 'm not being told i 'm about to become a premature grandfather , ' clinton said to a chorus of laughs . the former presidents were asked to reflect on each other 's leadership qualities . clinton said bush was decisive and did what he thought was best for the country , even if clinton sometimes disagreed with him . i actually learned a lot watching him over the years , ' clinton said . bush , in a briefer answer , said clinton was an awesome communicator ' who can really lay out a case and get people all across the political spectrum to listen . ' [ there is ] a lot to admire about bill clinton , ' bush said , before noticing that he had said less than clinton had . is that enough ? ' bush said . it was a lot shorter than your answer , i know . ' the differences between bush and clinton were also on full display . clinton offered wordy , detailed answers , while bush used more folksy one-liners and quips to engage the crowd . both joked about how bush often said he did n't do ' nuance . clinton said that before the event they were laughing about having to go to restaurants and having to spend our time taking selfies ' with fans . without skipping a beat , bush said , at least they are still asking , you know . ' bush takes ice bucket challenge , challenges clinton","bush and clinton 's genial relationship now that both have left office is on full display" +"bush bill clinton and george w. bush sounded like old college buddies when they appeared in washington on monday . you 'd never know that clinton was the candidate who made bush 's father a one-termer , or that bush ran for office in 2000 promising to restore honor and dignity to the white house ' after clinton left . things are genial now that both men have their presidencies behind them and are focused on their legacies as former presidents . they appeared together on monday to announce a new leadership program through their respective foundations . but at times , it appeared the announcement took a back seat to the presidents'relationship . the two former commanders in chief joked with and about each other , told stories about their relationship , and even offered commentary about the number of selfies each is asked to take . he used to call me twice a year , in his second term , just to talk , ' clinton said about bush . we 'd talk -- depending on how much time he had , 'cause he was busier than me -- somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes , for several years . it meant a lot to me . ' clinton said he and bush talked about everything in the right world . he asked my opinion , half the time he disagreed with it . but i felt good about that , i thought that was a really healthy thing . ' bush and clinton were together monday to announce the presidential leadership scholars program , a partnership between their respective presidential centers , as well as george h.w . bush 's and lyndon b. johnson 's centers . the program 's aim is to bring motivated leaders across all sectors an opportunity to study presidential leadership and decision making and learn from key administration officials , practitioners , and leading academics . ' it is well-documented that clinton has grown closer with the bush family since his presidency . clinton and george h.w . bush worked together after the asian tsunami in 2004 and hurricane katrina in 2005 , while clinton and george w. bush worked together after the 2010 haitian earthquake . monday 's event was a mutual admiration festival . as clinton heralded their post-presidency friendship , he regularly touched bush 's arm . when the arkansas democrat reflected positively on bush 's father , george h.w . bush , bush 43 looked at clinton and said , thank you , you are right . ' when bush gave clinton advice on becoming a grandparent -- get ready also to be , like , the lowest person in the pecking order in your family ' -- the two laughed and shared a hearty handshake . bill and hillary clinton are expecting their first grandchild this fall as their only daughter , chelsea clinton , is pregnant . hillary clinton attended monday 's event and sat near the back . during the event , bill clinton 's phone rang and the former president joked that only two people have this number and they are related to me . ' i hope i 'm not being told i 'm about to become a premature grandfather , ' clinton said to a chorus of laughs . the former presidents were asked to reflect on each other 's leadership qualities . clinton said bush was decisive and did what he thought was best for the country , even if clinton sometimes disagreed with him . i actually learned a lot watching him over the years , ' clinton said . bush , in a briefer answer , said clinton was an awesome communicator ' who can really lay out a case and get people all across the political spectrum to listen . ' [ there is ] a lot to admire about bill clinton , ' bush said , before noticing that he had said less than clinton had . is that enough ? ' bush said . it was a lot shorter than your answer , i know . ' the differences between bush and clinton were also on full display . clinton offered wordy , detailed answers , while bush used more folksy one-liners and quips to engage the crowd . both joked about how bush often said he did n't do ' nuance . clinton said that before the event they were laughing about having to go to restaurants and having to spend our time taking selfies ' with fans . without skipping a beat , bush said , at least they are still asking , you know . ' bush takes ice bucket challenge , challenges clinton","clinton says he learned a lot watching ( bush ) over the years '" +"bush bill clinton and george w. bush sounded like old college buddies when they appeared in washington on monday . you 'd never know that clinton was the candidate who made bush 's father a one-termer , or that bush ran for office in 2000 promising to restore honor and dignity to the white house ' after clinton left . things are genial now that both men have their presidencies behind them and are focused on their legacies as former presidents . they appeared together on monday to announce a new leadership program through their respective foundations . but at times , it appeared the announcement took a back seat to the presidents'relationship . the two former commanders in chief joked with and about each other , told stories about their relationship , and even offered commentary about the number of selfies each is asked to take . he used to call me twice a year , in his second term , just to talk , ' clinton said about bush . we 'd talk -- depending on how much time he had , 'cause he was busier than me -- somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes , for several years . it meant a lot to me . ' clinton said he and bush talked about everything in the right world . he asked my opinion , half the time he disagreed with it . but i felt good about that , i thought that was a really healthy thing . ' bush and clinton were together monday to announce the presidential leadership scholars program , a partnership between their respective presidential centers , as well as george h.w . bush 's and lyndon b. johnson 's centers . the program 's aim is to bring motivated leaders across all sectors an opportunity to study presidential leadership and decision making and learn from key administration officials , practitioners , and leading academics . ' it is well-documented that clinton has grown closer with the bush family since his presidency . clinton and george h.w . bush worked together after the asian tsunami in 2004 and hurricane katrina in 2005 , while clinton and george w. bush worked together after the 2010 haitian earthquake . monday 's event was a mutual admiration festival . as clinton heralded their post-presidency friendship , he regularly touched bush 's arm . when the arkansas democrat reflected positively on bush 's father , george h.w . bush , bush 43 looked at clinton and said , thank you , you are right . ' when bush gave clinton advice on becoming a grandparent -- get ready also to be , like , the lowest person in the pecking order in your family ' -- the two laughed and shared a hearty handshake . bill and hillary clinton are expecting their first grandchild this fall as their only daughter , chelsea clinton , is pregnant . hillary clinton attended monday 's event and sat near the back . during the event , bill clinton 's phone rang and the former president joked that only two people have this number and they are related to me . ' i hope i 'm not being told i 'm about to become a premature grandfather , ' clinton said to a chorus of laughs . the former presidents were asked to reflect on each other 's leadership qualities . clinton said bush was decisive and did what he thought was best for the country , even if clinton sometimes disagreed with him . i actually learned a lot watching him over the years , ' clinton said . bush , in a briefer answer , said clinton was an awesome communicator ' who can really lay out a case and get people all across the political spectrum to listen . ' [ there is ] a lot to admire about bill clinton , ' bush said , before noticing that he had said less than clinton had . is that enough ? ' bush said . it was a lot shorter than your answer , i know . ' the differences between bush and clinton were also on full display . clinton offered wordy , detailed answers , while bush used more folksy one-liners and quips to engage the crowd . both joked about how bush often said he did n't do ' nuance . clinton said that before the event they were laughing about having to go to restaurants and having to spend our time taking selfies ' with fans . without skipping a beat , bush said , at least they are still asking , you know . ' bush takes ice bucket challenge , challenges clinton","bush calls clinton an awesome communicator , ' finds a lot to admire '" +"santos ( cnn ) -- speaking saturday at the summit of the americas , president barack obama said it is reasonable to debate alternatives in the war on drugs , but insisted legalizing drugs was n't a valid option in the united states . obama voiced his view in his first public remarks at the hemispheric event during a meeting of business leaders , where he was part of a panel alongside brazilian president dilma rousseff and colombian president juan manuel santos . the possibility of drug legalization has gained traction in central america , which is being squeezed between suppliers to the south and consumers to the north . yet the idea goes against decades of the prohibitionist policy backed by the united states , which is largely followed and enforced in latin america and the caribbean . santos noted saturday that people in his native colombia , too , have called for different ways to approach illicit drugs . sometimes we pedal and pedal and pedal , and we feel like we are on a stationary bike , ' he said of the war on drugs . i think the time has come to simply analyze if what we are doing is the best we could be doing , or if we can find an alternative that would be more effective and less costly to society . this is a topic of extreme political sensitivity . ' he added , one extreme can be to put all users in prison . on the other extreme , legalization . in the middle there may be more practical policies , such as decriminalizing consumption but putting all the efforts into interdiction . ' the first thing that regional leaders should do , santos said later at the summit 's opening session , is seriously and collaboratively examine how to tackle drug trafficking without dogma , without prejudice . ' this summit is not going to resolve this issue , ' he said . but it can be a starting point to begin a discussion that we have been postponing for far too long . ' obama earlier saturday left the door open for debate , but made it clear that the united states has a firm stance . i think it is entirely legitimate to have a conversation about whether the laws in place are doing more harm than good in certain places , ' obama said . i personally , and my administration 's position is , that legalization is not the answer . ' much attention in the run-up to the summit was on the drug issue , as well as on leaders from the hemisphere who are not present in the coastal city of cartagena , colombia . venezuela 's foreign minister told reporters saturday that venezuelan president hugo chavez will not attend because of health reasons . chavez had recently returned to his country from cuba , where he underwent cancer treatment . cuba , which is not a member of the organization of american states , was not invited to join the leaders . but there was a last-minute push by ecuador 's leftist president rafael correa to get cuban leader raul castro a seat at the table . correa boycotted the summit because of cuba 's exclusion . santos , a key u.s. ally , said in his opening remarks saturday that it was time to overcome such issues -- calling it unthinkable if cuba is not part of the next summit of the americas , as well as nearby haiti . the united states has never been more excited ' to work as equal partners with countries in latin america , obama said earlier saturday -- a vow that 's been made before by u.s. presidents , but that nonetheless drew applause from the audience of business leaders . the president presented an upbeat assessment of hemispheric relations , touting a 46 % increase in trade between the united states and latin american and caribbean countries . this hemisphere is very well positioned in the global economy , ' he said . rousseff spoke of a need for a virtuous relationship ' based on respect and equality among economies , while santos said he welcomed a change of mentality in relations between north and south . ' obama pointed out one change he 'd like to see : i think in latin america , part of the change in mentality , is also not always looking at the united states as the reason for everything ... that goes wrong . ' there are many examples of increased cooperation between the united states and latin america , but they are not always flashy and do n't draw the same type of attention that conflicts do , obama said . oftentimes in the press , the attention at summits like this ends up focusing on the controversies , ' the president added . sometimes those controversies date back to before i was born . ' the summit 's start was momentarily overshadowed by two security incidents -- one involving bomb blasts and another involving secret service in colombia to protect the u.s. delegation . roughly a dozen secret service agents and officers are being investigated over early findings that they allegedly brought back several prostitutes to a hotel in cartagena , two u.s. government sources familiar the investigation told cnn . the secret service personnel have since been sent back to the united states . separately , two small blasts occurred nearly back-to-back friday in cartagena . the explosions -- one near a bus station and another near a shopping mall -- occurred a good distance away from where world leaders were gathering , said alberto cantihho toncell , a spokesman for the colombia national police . there were no casualties , and only minor damage was reported , toncell said . the explosions came on the heels of a similar one earlier in the day near the u.s. embassy in the capital city of bogota , authorities said . cnn 's dan lothian contributed to this report .","new : santos adds the summit can be a starting point ' for talks on illicit drugs" +"obama ( cnn ) -- speaking saturday at the summit of the americas , president barack obama said it is reasonable to debate alternatives in the war on drugs , but insisted legalizing drugs was n't a valid option in the united states . obama voiced his view in his first public remarks at the hemispheric event during a meeting of business leaders , where he was part of a panel alongside brazilian president dilma rousseff and colombian president juan manuel santos . the possibility of drug legalization has gained traction in central america , which is being squeezed between suppliers to the south and consumers to the north . yet the idea goes against decades of the prohibitionist policy backed by the united states , which is largely followed and enforced in latin america and the caribbean . santos noted saturday that people in his native colombia , too , have called for different ways to approach illicit drugs . sometimes we pedal and pedal and pedal , and we feel like we are on a stationary bike , ' he said of the war on drugs . i think the time has come to simply analyze if what we are doing is the best we could be doing , or if we can find an alternative that would be more effective and less costly to society . this is a topic of extreme political sensitivity . ' he added , one extreme can be to put all users in prison . on the other extreme , legalization . in the middle there may be more practical policies , such as decriminalizing consumption but putting all the efforts into interdiction . ' the first thing that regional leaders should do , santos said later at the summit 's opening session , is seriously and collaboratively examine how to tackle drug trafficking without dogma , without prejudice . ' this summit is not going to resolve this issue , ' he said . but it can be a starting point to begin a discussion that we have been postponing for far too long . ' obama earlier saturday left the door open for debate , but made it clear that the united states has a firm stance . i think it is entirely legitimate to have a conversation about whether the laws in place are doing more harm than good in certain places , ' obama said . i personally , and my administration 's position is , that legalization is not the answer . ' much attention in the run-up to the summit was on the drug issue , as well as on leaders from the hemisphere who are not present in the coastal city of cartagena , colombia . venezuela 's foreign minister told reporters saturday that venezuelan president hugo chavez will not attend because of health reasons . chavez had recently returned to his country from cuba , where he underwent cancer treatment . cuba , which is not a member of the organization of american states , was not invited to join the leaders . but there was a last-minute push by ecuador 's leftist president rafael correa to get cuban leader raul castro a seat at the table . correa boycotted the summit because of cuba 's exclusion . santos , a key u.s. ally , said in his opening remarks saturday that it was time to overcome such issues -- calling it unthinkable if cuba is not part of the next summit of the americas , as well as nearby haiti . the united states has never been more excited ' to work as equal partners with countries in latin america , obama said earlier saturday -- a vow that 's been made before by u.s. presidents , but that nonetheless drew applause from the audience of business leaders . the president presented an upbeat assessment of hemispheric relations , touting a 46 % increase in trade between the united states and latin american and caribbean countries . this hemisphere is very well positioned in the global economy , ' he said . rousseff spoke of a need for a virtuous relationship ' based on respect and equality among economies , while santos said he welcomed a change of mentality in relations between north and south . ' obama pointed out one change he 'd like to see : i think in latin america , part of the change in mentality , is also not always looking at the united states as the reason for everything ... that goes wrong . ' there are many examples of increased cooperation between the united states and latin america , but they are not always flashy and do n't draw the same type of attention that conflicts do , obama said . oftentimes in the press , the attention at summits like this ends up focusing on the controversies , ' the president added . sometimes those controversies date back to before i was born . ' the summit 's start was momentarily overshadowed by two security incidents -- one involving bomb blasts and another involving secret service in colombia to protect the u.s. delegation . roughly a dozen secret service agents and officers are being investigated over early findings that they allegedly brought back several prostitutes to a hotel in cartagena , two u.s. government sources familiar the investigation told cnn . the secret service personnel have since been sent back to the united states . separately , two small blasts occurred nearly back-to-back friday in cartagena . the explosions -- one near a bus station and another near a shopping mall -- occurred a good distance away from where world leaders were gathering , said alberto cantihho toncell , a spokesman for the colombia national police . there were no casualties , and only minor damage was reported , toncell said . the explosions came on the heels of a similar one earlier in the day near the u.s. embassy in the capital city of bogota , authorities said . cnn 's dan lothian contributed to this report .","the united states wants strong relations with latin america , obama says" +"obama ( cnn ) -- speaking saturday at the summit of the americas , president barack obama said it is reasonable to debate alternatives in the war on drugs , but insisted legalizing drugs was n't a valid option in the united states . obama voiced his view in his first public remarks at the hemispheric event during a meeting of business leaders , where he was part of a panel alongside brazilian president dilma rousseff and colombian president juan manuel santos . the possibility of drug legalization has gained traction in central america , which is being squeezed between suppliers to the south and consumers to the north . yet the idea goes against decades of the prohibitionist policy backed by the united states , which is largely followed and enforced in latin america and the caribbean . santos noted saturday that people in his native colombia , too , have called for different ways to approach illicit drugs . sometimes we pedal and pedal and pedal , and we feel like we are on a stationary bike , ' he said of the war on drugs . i think the time has come to simply analyze if what we are doing is the best we could be doing , or if we can find an alternative that would be more effective and less costly to society . this is a topic of extreme political sensitivity . ' he added , one extreme can be to put all users in prison . on the other extreme , legalization . in the middle there may be more practical policies , such as decriminalizing consumption but putting all the efforts into interdiction . ' the first thing that regional leaders should do , santos said later at the summit 's opening session , is seriously and collaboratively examine how to tackle drug trafficking without dogma , without prejudice . ' this summit is not going to resolve this issue , ' he said . but it can be a starting point to begin a discussion that we have been postponing for far too long . ' obama earlier saturday left the door open for debate , but made it clear that the united states has a firm stance . i think it is entirely legitimate to have a conversation about whether the laws in place are doing more harm than good in certain places , ' obama said . i personally , and my administration 's position is , that legalization is not the answer . ' much attention in the run-up to the summit was on the drug issue , as well as on leaders from the hemisphere who are not present in the coastal city of cartagena , colombia . venezuela 's foreign minister told reporters saturday that venezuelan president hugo chavez will not attend because of health reasons . chavez had recently returned to his country from cuba , where he underwent cancer treatment . cuba , which is not a member of the organization of american states , was not invited to join the leaders . but there was a last-minute push by ecuador 's leftist president rafael correa to get cuban leader raul castro a seat at the table . correa boycotted the summit because of cuba 's exclusion . santos , a key u.s. ally , said in his opening remarks saturday that it was time to overcome such issues -- calling it unthinkable if cuba is not part of the next summit of the americas , as well as nearby haiti . the united states has never been more excited ' to work as equal partners with countries in latin america , obama said earlier saturday -- a vow that 's been made before by u.s. presidents , but that nonetheless drew applause from the audience of business leaders . the president presented an upbeat assessment of hemispheric relations , touting a 46 % increase in trade between the united states and latin american and caribbean countries . this hemisphere is very well positioned in the global economy , ' he said . rousseff spoke of a need for a virtuous relationship ' based on respect and equality among economies , while santos said he welcomed a change of mentality in relations between north and south . ' obama pointed out one change he 'd like to see : i think in latin america , part of the change in mentality , is also not always looking at the united states as the reason for everything ... that goes wrong . ' there are many examples of increased cooperation between the united states and latin america , but they are not always flashy and do n't draw the same type of attention that conflicts do , obama said . oftentimes in the press , the attention at summits like this ends up focusing on the controversies , ' the president added . sometimes those controversies date back to before i was born . ' the summit 's start was momentarily overshadowed by two security incidents -- one involving bomb blasts and another involving secret service in colombia to protect the u.s. delegation . roughly a dozen secret service agents and officers are being investigated over early findings that they allegedly brought back several prostitutes to a hotel in cartagena , two u.s. government sources familiar the investigation told cnn . the secret service personnel have since been sent back to the united states . separately , two small blasts occurred nearly back-to-back friday in cartagena . the explosions -- one near a bus station and another near a shopping mall -- occurred a good distance away from where world leaders were gathering , said alberto cantihho toncell , a spokesman for the colombia national police . there were no casualties , and only minor damage was reported , toncell said . the explosions came on the heels of a similar one earlier in the day near the u.s. embassy in the capital city of bogota , authorities said . cnn 's dan lothian contributed to this report .","obama says debate is fine , but insists legalization is n't an option in the u.s ." +"cuba ( cnn ) -- speaking saturday at the summit of the americas , president barack obama said it is reasonable to debate alternatives in the war on drugs , but insisted legalizing drugs was n't a valid option in the united states . obama voiced his view in his first public remarks at the hemispheric event during a meeting of business leaders , where he was part of a panel alongside brazilian president dilma rousseff and colombian president juan manuel santos . the possibility of drug legalization has gained traction in central america , which is being squeezed between suppliers to the south and consumers to the north . yet the idea goes against decades of the prohibitionist policy backed by the united states , which is largely followed and enforced in latin america and the caribbean . santos noted saturday that people in his native colombia , too , have called for different ways to approach illicit drugs . sometimes we pedal and pedal and pedal , and we feel like we are on a stationary bike , ' he said of the war on drugs . i think the time has come to simply analyze if what we are doing is the best we could be doing , or if we can find an alternative that would be more effective and less costly to society . this is a topic of extreme political sensitivity . ' he added , one extreme can be to put all users in prison . on the other extreme , legalization . in the middle there may be more practical policies , such as decriminalizing consumption but putting all the efforts into interdiction . ' the first thing that regional leaders should do , santos said later at the summit 's opening session , is seriously and collaboratively examine how to tackle drug trafficking without dogma , without prejudice . ' this summit is not going to resolve this issue , ' he said . but it can be a starting point to begin a discussion that we have been postponing for far too long . ' obama earlier saturday left the door open for debate , but made it clear that the united states has a firm stance . i think it is entirely legitimate to have a conversation about whether the laws in place are doing more harm than good in certain places , ' obama said . i personally , and my administration 's position is , that legalization is not the answer . ' much attention in the run-up to the summit was on the drug issue , as well as on leaders from the hemisphere who are not present in the coastal city of cartagena , colombia . venezuela 's foreign minister told reporters saturday that venezuelan president hugo chavez will not attend because of health reasons . chavez had recently returned to his country from cuba , where he underwent cancer treatment . cuba , which is not a member of the organization of american states , was not invited to join the leaders . but there was a last-minute push by ecuador 's leftist president rafael correa to get cuban leader raul castro a seat at the table . correa boycotted the summit because of cuba 's exclusion . santos , a key u.s. ally , said in his opening remarks saturday that it was time to overcome such issues -- calling it unthinkable if cuba is not part of the next summit of the americas , as well as nearby haiti . the united states has never been more excited ' to work as equal partners with countries in latin america , obama said earlier saturday -- a vow that 's been made before by u.s. presidents , but that nonetheless drew applause from the audience of business leaders . the president presented an upbeat assessment of hemispheric relations , touting a 46 % increase in trade between the united states and latin american and caribbean countries . this hemisphere is very well positioned in the global economy , ' he said . rousseff spoke of a need for a virtuous relationship ' based on respect and equality among economies , while santos said he welcomed a change of mentality in relations between north and south . ' obama pointed out one change he 'd like to see : i think in latin america , part of the change in mentality , is also not always looking at the united states as the reason for everything ... that goes wrong . ' there are many examples of increased cooperation between the united states and latin america , but they are not always flashy and do n't draw the same type of attention that conflicts do , obama said . oftentimes in the press , the attention at summits like this ends up focusing on the controversies , ' the president added . sometimes those controversies date back to before i was born . ' the summit 's start was momentarily overshadowed by two security incidents -- one involving bomb blasts and another involving secret service in colombia to protect the u.s. delegation . roughly a dozen secret service agents and officers are being investigated over early findings that they allegedly brought back several prostitutes to a hotel in cartagena , two u.s. government sources familiar the investigation told cnn . the secret service personnel have since been sent back to the united states . separately , two small blasts occurred nearly back-to-back friday in cartagena . the explosions -- one near a bus station and another near a shopping mall -- occurred a good distance away from where world leaders were gathering , said alberto cantihho toncell , a spokesman for the colombia national police . there were no casualties , and only minor damage was reported , toncell said . the explosions came on the heels of a similar one earlier in the day near the u.s. embassy in the capital city of bogota , authorities said . cnn 's dan lothian contributed to this report .","new : colombia 's president says it is unthinkable if cuba is n't at the next summit" +"raising hope ( ew.com ) -- to promote her fox comedy raising hope ' ( which begins its third season october 2 ) , martha plimpton pitched a funny idea . people are always trying to come up with creative ways of engaging the viewers , ' she tells ew . and i thought well , i play a housekeeper on a show , what if i went and cleaned the house of raising hope 's ' biggest fan . in my uniform . ' the network thought she was joking , but she was serious . the contest begins today at www.fox.com/cleansweep . through october 8 , fans can enter by submitting their best awkward family photo ' and a paragraph stating why their family is just like the chance family and why they deserve a house call from martha and her tv husband garret dillahunt . yes , he 's coming along to , to make like his character and mow the winner 's lawn . ( and okay , they 'll have professional crews there to help them . ) raising hope ' creator greg garcia will select the winner from the top 10 finalists in mid-october , and plimpton and dillahunt will get their hands dirty later that month or in early november . entertainment weekly : what does this say about your commitment to promoting your show ? martha plimpton : well , i think it says a lot about my commitment to promoting the show . [ laughs ] it 's a funny thing : a lot of people who have n't seen the show yet say they have n't watched because they 're not really sure what it is . they think it 's about a baby , or that it 's extremely dumb or something . but i think this show is a lot smarter than people realize . the writing is very , very sharp . if dare i say it , it 's a lot more sophisticated underneath . [ laughs ] do you know what i mean ? the exterior is really ridiculous and silly , but there 's real sophistication in the writing , and i 'm really proud to be a part of it . and i think it 's really smart , and it makes me laugh . if it makes me laugh , well , i 'm sorry , but then it must be good . [ laughs ] because i do n't laugh at a lot of things . i 'm thrilled that we got a third season . i very much would like for people to enjoy this show as much as i do . i want to share it with the largest amount of people i can . and i will do what is necessary . muppets :'blue brothers'sing for ew ! clearly . have you given greg garcia any guidelines for choosing the winner ? we should stay away from hoarders , crime scenes , and people with too many cats . i 'm not bringing a hazmat suit . what 's your personal cleaning specialty that fans should be aware of ? i am excellent with laundry . for example , as a laundry expert , i never use fabric softener on towels because it makes them less absorbent . i do n't know if your readers know this . you should not put bounce sheets or fabric softener in with your towels . you should dry them separately without fabric softener , so they stay absorbent . and i 'm kind of a bed fascist . i do n't know if i 'll be doing this in the home of our winner , but i like to iron my sheets . i 'm that kind of odd person weirdo . see the original article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","martha plimpton will clean a fan 's house to promote her fox comedy raising hope '" +"raising hope ( ew.com ) -- to promote her fox comedy raising hope ' ( which begins its third season october 2 ) , martha plimpton pitched a funny idea . people are always trying to come up with creative ways of engaging the viewers , ' she tells ew . and i thought well , i play a housekeeper on a show , what if i went and cleaned the house of raising hope 's ' biggest fan . in my uniform . ' the network thought she was joking , but she was serious . the contest begins today at www.fox.com/cleansweep . through october 8 , fans can enter by submitting their best awkward family photo ' and a paragraph stating why their family is just like the chance family and why they deserve a house call from martha and her tv husband garret dillahunt . yes , he 's coming along to , to make like his character and mow the winner 's lawn . ( and okay , they 'll have professional crews there to help them . ) raising hope ' creator greg garcia will select the winner from the top 10 finalists in mid-october , and plimpton and dillahunt will get their hands dirty later that month or in early november . entertainment weekly : what does this say about your commitment to promoting your show ? martha plimpton : well , i think it says a lot about my commitment to promoting the show . [ laughs ] it 's a funny thing : a lot of people who have n't seen the show yet say they have n't watched because they 're not really sure what it is . they think it 's about a baby , or that it 's extremely dumb or something . but i think this show is a lot smarter than people realize . the writing is very , very sharp . if dare i say it , it 's a lot more sophisticated underneath . [ laughs ] do you know what i mean ? the exterior is really ridiculous and silly , but there 's real sophistication in the writing , and i 'm really proud to be a part of it . and i think it 's really smart , and it makes me laugh . if it makes me laugh , well , i 'm sorry , but then it must be good . [ laughs ] because i do n't laugh at a lot of things . i 'm thrilled that we got a third season . i very much would like for people to enjoy this show as much as i do . i want to share it with the largest amount of people i can . and i will do what is necessary . muppets :'blue brothers'sing for ew ! clearly . have you given greg garcia any guidelines for choosing the winner ? we should stay away from hoarders , crime scenes , and people with too many cats . i 'm not bringing a hazmat suit . what 's your personal cleaning specialty that fans should be aware of ? i am excellent with laundry . for example , as a laundry expert , i never use fabric softener on towels because it makes them less absorbent . i do n't know if your readers know this . you should not put bounce sheets or fabric softener in with your towels . you should dry them separately without fabric softener , so they stay absorbent . and i 'm kind of a bed fascist . i do n't know if i 'll be doing this in the home of our winner , but i like to iron my sheets . i 'm that kind of odd person weirdo . see the original 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 raising hope ' creator will select the winner from the top 10 finalists in mid-october" +"martin ( cnn ) -- an unconditional right to say what one pleases about public affairs is what i consider to be the minimum guarantee of the first amendment . ' -- u.s. supreme court justice hugo l. black , new york times co. vs. sullivan , 1964 it 's downright disgusting to listen to conservative and republican lawmakers , presidential candidates , business owners and media commentators use such vitriol to describe the occupy wall street protesters as hell-bent on destroying america . how in the world can anyone even form their lips to say such a thing when this very country was founded on the basis of dissent ? self-professed rodeo clown glenn beck castigates the occupy wall street protesters , but he 's always running off at the mouth about the founding fathers and how brilliant they were . without dissent and protest , there is no united states of america ! it 's as if these folks never picked up a history book to understand how this nation was formed . the very notion of a united states of america started with someone saying , writing and screaming , enough is enough ! ' and when more and more of the early settlers became enraged at the heavy-handed actions of the british , that 's when we were on our path to the american revolution . do any of these so-called strict constructionists even read the very u.s. constitution they love to wave in the faces of their critics ? every american , no matter if you 're young or old ; rich or poor ; red state or blue state ; black , white , asian , hispanic , native american ; has the freedom to assemble and freedom of speech , which is at the heart of these protests . in this same space , i praised the tea party for not sitting around and complaining . instead , they organized and mobilized to affect the political discourse in the republican party and have definitely had their voices heard . i may disagree with a number of things the tea party advocates , but there is no way i would condemn them for doing it . as supreme court justice william o. douglas said , the right to revolt has sources deep in our history . ' it 's increasingly clear that some americans love to talk a good game about protests , yet hate it when someone who opposes their views decides to stand up and be heard . remember all of those political voices championing the people of iran taking to the streets to protest ? how about tunisia ? egypt ? libya ? bahrain ? what would this world be without protest ? we would have never seen freedom in eastern europe were it not without the people there , in the words of civil rights activist fannie lou hamer , being sick and tired of being sick and tired . ' praise god that the children of south africa , led by the african national congress , did n't ignore the calls of history . if so , nelson mandela would be dying in jail and freedom would have never ended apartheid . this nation would not have been forced to make real the very principles cited in the declaration of independence , or treat every human being as an equal , were it not for the civil rights movement . those brave men , women and children chose not to accept the status quo , and this nation and the world are much better off because they did . as a supporter of occupy wall street , i understand fully the sentiment that is being expressed . the massive corporate greed that has devastated the wages of the common worker , and seen the pay of a bunch on wall street go through the stratosphere for literally making nothing tangible , has been immoral and obscene . wall street and their protectors in washington -- democrat and republican -- say nothing is wrong with making a profit . that is absolutely true . but what is shameful and outlandish is to watch the american taxpayer save the jobs ( and big bonuses ) of these financial miscreants , only to see them jack up fees left and right . without the american people they would have had to pack up their belongings and hit the pavement . instead , they refuse to work with homeowners struggling to meet the big mortgage payments that wall street helped underwrite ; then sell in exotic transactions that wrecked this nation 's financial infrastructure . conservatives call this an assault on capitalism . no , occupy wall street is about trying to bring some decency and honesty back to an industry that used to have some . instead , what we have today are literal financial pirates trying to take the largest booty they can find . they do n't care about the long-term health of this country . it 's all about the next quarterly earnings reports and their massive year-end bonuses . this fight that occupy wall street is engaged in is nothing short of a battle for the soul of this nation . are we going to continue to allow ourselves to be held hostage by the big banks ? will we continue to allow them to trample over us with their too big to fail ' attitude ? no , no , and hell no . it 's time to bring these goliaths to their knees by any means necessary . that mean the young and righteous davids must protest , march , sit-in , work the halls of congress and state capitals nationwide , and make it clear that as long as wall street , its lobbyists and political protectors continue to mistreat the common man and woman , they are our mortal enemy . now is not the time to dismiss the protesters as a bunch of lefty college students with no guidance , no substance and no mission . instead of listening to politicians pimp the next generation , these folks are saying in the words of the founders of the nation 's first black newspaper , freedom 's journal : we wish to plead our own cause ; too long have others spoken for us . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roland martin .","martin : it 's not an assault on capitalism , but a call for decency in in the financial industry" +"martin ( cnn ) -- an unconditional right to say what one pleases about public affairs is what i consider to be the minimum guarantee of the first amendment . ' -- u.s. supreme court justice hugo l. black , new york times co. vs. sullivan , 1964 it 's downright disgusting to listen to conservative and republican lawmakers , presidential candidates , business owners and media commentators use such vitriol to describe the occupy wall street protesters as hell-bent on destroying america . how in the world can anyone even form their lips to say such a thing when this very country was founded on the basis of dissent ? self-professed rodeo clown glenn beck castigates the occupy wall street protesters , but he 's always running off at the mouth about the founding fathers and how brilliant they were . without dissent and protest , there is no united states of america ! it 's as if these folks never picked up a history book to understand how this nation was formed . the very notion of a united states of america started with someone saying , writing and screaming , enough is enough ! ' and when more and more of the early settlers became enraged at the heavy-handed actions of the british , that 's when we were on our path to the american revolution . do any of these so-called strict constructionists even read the very u.s. constitution they love to wave in the faces of their critics ? every american , no matter if you 're young or old ; rich or poor ; red state or blue state ; black , white , asian , hispanic , native american ; has the freedom to assemble and freedom of speech , which is at the heart of these protests . in this same space , i praised the tea party for not sitting around and complaining . instead , they organized and mobilized to affect the political discourse in the republican party and have definitely had their voices heard . i may disagree with a number of things the tea party advocates , but there is no way i would condemn them for doing it . as supreme court justice william o. douglas said , the right to revolt has sources deep in our history . ' it 's increasingly clear that some americans love to talk a good game about protests , yet hate it when someone who opposes their views decides to stand up and be heard . remember all of those political voices championing the people of iran taking to the streets to protest ? how about tunisia ? egypt ? libya ? bahrain ? what would this world be without protest ? we would have never seen freedom in eastern europe were it not without the people there , in the words of civil rights activist fannie lou hamer , being sick and tired of being sick and tired . ' praise god that the children of south africa , led by the african national congress , did n't ignore the calls of history . if so , nelson mandela would be dying in jail and freedom would have never ended apartheid . this nation would not have been forced to make real the very principles cited in the declaration of independence , or treat every human being as an equal , were it not for the civil rights movement . those brave men , women and children chose not to accept the status quo , and this nation and the world are much better off because they did . as a supporter of occupy wall street , i understand fully the sentiment that is being expressed . the massive corporate greed that has devastated the wages of the common worker , and seen the pay of a bunch on wall street go through the stratosphere for literally making nothing tangible , has been immoral and obscene . wall street and their protectors in washington -- democrat and republican -- say nothing is wrong with making a profit . that is absolutely true . but what is shameful and outlandish is to watch the american taxpayer save the jobs ( and big bonuses ) of these financial miscreants , only to see them jack up fees left and right . without the american people they would have had to pack up their belongings and hit the pavement . instead , they refuse to work with homeowners struggling to meet the big mortgage payments that wall street helped underwrite ; then sell in exotic transactions that wrecked this nation 's financial infrastructure . conservatives call this an assault on capitalism . no , occupy wall street is about trying to bring some decency and honesty back to an industry that used to have some . instead , what we have today are literal financial pirates trying to take the largest booty they can find . they do n't care about the long-term health of this country . it 's all about the next quarterly earnings reports and their massive year-end bonuses . this fight that occupy wall street is engaged in is nothing short of a battle for the soul of this nation . are we going to continue to allow ourselves to be held hostage by the big banks ? will we continue to allow them to trample over us with their too big to fail ' attitude ? no , no , and hell no . it 's time to bring these goliaths to their knees by any means necessary . that mean the young and righteous davids must protest , march , sit-in , work the halls of congress and state capitals nationwide , and make it clear that as long as wall street , its lobbyists and political protectors continue to mistreat the common man and woman , they are our mortal enemy . now is not the time to dismiss the protesters as a bunch of lefty college students with no guidance , no substance and no mission . instead of listening to politicians pimp the next generation , these folks are saying in the words of the founders of the nation 's first black newspaper , freedom 's journal : we wish to plead our own cause ; too long have others spoken for us . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roland martin .","without dissent and protest , there is no united states , roland s. martin says" +"stem ( cnn ) -- just one in seven engineers are female , only 27 % of all computer science jobs are held by women , and women have seen no employment growth in stem jobs since 2000 ' reports forbes . women who work in the fields of science , technology , engineering and math , and those who campaign for higher numbers of women in these fields , think they have some solutions to this growing problem . 1 . the toys and games that young girls play with mold their educational and career interests ; they create dreams of future careers . ' says andrea guendelman , co-founder of developher . extensive research shows that certain toys and games can help young children develop the spatial logic and other analytical skills critical to science , technology , engineering and math . a huge part of the reason women are not entering these fields and huge part of the solution starts at the very beginning . ' 2 . introduce girls early to role models of other women in stem ' suggests regina agyare , founder of soronko solutions . [ these women ] will mentor them and introduce them to stem through games and practical learning experiences . ' 3 . it 's important to engage girls in stem at an early age and keep them interested . ' adds patty l. fagin , phd , head of school at stuart country day school of the sacred heart . girls start out as strong in math and science as boys , but lose interest along the way ; we call this the leaky pipeline . ' grow the pipeline , keep girls engaged , and we 'll increase the number of women in stem . create opportunities for success and safe environments in which to fail . they 'll learn to persevere and develop a growth mindset , so critical to success in stem fields ... instead of this is hard , i ca n't do it , ' they will believe , i can try another way . ' girls want to make a difference , so give them hands-on , real-world problem-solving activities to show stem is relevant and fun . expose girls to the different areas of stem and provide women mentors for girls and young women , so they , in turn , will mentor other girls . ' 4 . there 's no magic recipe for getting girls into stem , but we know early and positive exposure makes an impact . ' karen horting , ceo and executive director at the society of women engineers told cnn . our invent it . built it . program oct. 25 in los angeles will expose girls in the sixth to eighth grade to the creative , collaborate nature of a rewarding career in engineering . registration continues through oct. 11 and additionally provides educators and parents with the tools they need to nurture the future engineers in their lives . ' 5 . start them young . ' is michelle sun , founder and ceo of first code academy 's advice . stem fields are often thought of as a career path for the boys , globally and no less common in asia . we observe brothers in a family are more likely to be enrolled to our kids coding classes . however , the amazing thing we found , with students from 8 - 11 years old , is that our female students come to our programs with minimal preconception of what programming is about . they approached it with much enthusiasm and confidence , just as any other hobbies or subjects . by starting them young , we provide them a chance to experience the stem field first hand . ' 6 . i believe one on one mentoring programs with accomplished female stem professionals will help bring girls in to the stem field . ' says adeola shasanya who recently co-founded afro-tech girls and works at the lagos state electricity board as an electrical engineering and renewables consultant . fun technical workshops could also help spark a stem interest for girls . i believe work shadowing a female stemist in a typical work environment could enlighten the girls on what work would be like as a stemist . ' 7 . haiyan zhang , innovation director at lift london , microsoft studios believes confidence is key ; insatiable curiosity and the self confidence to make change in the world -- two qualities that are key to instil in the female innovators of the future . science , technology , engineering and mathematics become the tools with which to explore curiosity and to create change . ' 8 . women are the future of technology and today 's technology is fun and cool . ' says weili dai , president and co-founder of marvell technology group ' it 's not just about developing nerdy ' stuff it 's about turning technology into fashionable and user-friendly smart solutions . a woman 's natural talent is design , and the look and feel , and making these things fit into our lifestyles . ' i believe by embracing stem and leveraging inherent strength of women -- the sense of responsibility , passion , compassion , and pride we dedicate to family and community -- and applying it to business can make women the x factor in the new era of global growth and prosperity for the smart life and smart lifestyle . ' ' 9 . time and again , i hear from women who chose their stem career because they were inspired by a successful woman who proved it could be done . ' adds suw charman-anderson , founder of ada lovelace day . role models are incredibly important , both to girls and to women , and we need to show girls just how exciting , fulfilling and enjoyable a career in stem can be . ' we must prove that there is a path for them to tread by telling the stories , past and present , of the women who 've built , invented , discovered and explained the world around us , but who so often go unmentioned . ' 10 . to get more girls in stem let 's go for collective action ... ' says julie kantor , chief partnership officer at million women mentors . of 368,000 high school girls who want to pursue stem only 4 % said they had a mentor encouraging them . commit to mentoring a girl or young woman in stem skills . or offer an internship with a designated mentor at your company . ladies and gentlemen , let 's get a million stem mentors by 2018 . ' read : 12 inspirational quotes from women scientists relive : twitter chat as it happened :'how can we get girls into stem ?'quiz:10 female scientists you should know","as part of leading women 's month of stem coverage we asked experts for a solution" +"stem ( cnn ) -- just one in seven engineers are female , only 27 % of all computer science jobs are held by women , and women have seen no employment growth in stem jobs since 2000 ' reports forbes . women who work in the fields of science , technology , engineering and math , and those who campaign for higher numbers of women in these fields , think they have some solutions to this growing problem . 1 . the toys and games that young girls play with mold their educational and career interests ; they create dreams of future careers . ' says andrea guendelman , co-founder of developher . extensive research shows that certain toys and games can help young children develop the spatial logic and other analytical skills critical to science , technology , engineering and math . a huge part of the reason women are not entering these fields and huge part of the solution starts at the very beginning . ' 2 . introduce girls early to role models of other women in stem ' suggests regina agyare , founder of soronko solutions . [ these women ] will mentor them and introduce them to stem through games and practical learning experiences . ' 3 . it 's important to engage girls in stem at an early age and keep them interested . ' adds patty l. fagin , phd , head of school at stuart country day school of the sacred heart . girls start out as strong in math and science as boys , but lose interest along the way ; we call this the leaky pipeline . ' grow the pipeline , keep girls engaged , and we 'll increase the number of women in stem . create opportunities for success and safe environments in which to fail . they 'll learn to persevere and develop a growth mindset , so critical to success in stem fields ... instead of this is hard , i ca n't do it , ' they will believe , i can try another way . ' girls want to make a difference , so give them hands-on , real-world problem-solving activities to show stem is relevant and fun . expose girls to the different areas of stem and provide women mentors for girls and young women , so they , in turn , will mentor other girls . ' 4 . there 's no magic recipe for getting girls into stem , but we know early and positive exposure makes an impact . ' karen horting , ceo and executive director at the society of women engineers told cnn . our invent it . built it . program oct. 25 in los angeles will expose girls in the sixth to eighth grade to the creative , collaborate nature of a rewarding career in engineering . registration continues through oct. 11 and additionally provides educators and parents with the tools they need to nurture the future engineers in their lives . ' 5 . start them young . ' is michelle sun , founder and ceo of first code academy 's advice . stem fields are often thought of as a career path for the boys , globally and no less common in asia . we observe brothers in a family are more likely to be enrolled to our kids coding classes . however , the amazing thing we found , with students from 8 - 11 years old , is that our female students come to our programs with minimal preconception of what programming is about . they approached it with much enthusiasm and confidence , just as any other hobbies or subjects . by starting them young , we provide them a chance to experience the stem field first hand . ' 6 . i believe one on one mentoring programs with accomplished female stem professionals will help bring girls in to the stem field . ' says adeola shasanya who recently co-founded afro-tech girls and works at the lagos state electricity board as an electrical engineering and renewables consultant . fun technical workshops could also help spark a stem interest for girls . i believe work shadowing a female stemist in a typical work environment could enlighten the girls on what work would be like as a stemist . ' 7 . haiyan zhang , innovation director at lift london , microsoft studios believes confidence is key ; insatiable curiosity and the self confidence to make change in the world -- two qualities that are key to instil in the female innovators of the future . science , technology , engineering and mathematics become the tools with which to explore curiosity and to create change . ' 8 . women are the future of technology and today 's technology is fun and cool . ' says weili dai , president and co-founder of marvell technology group ' it 's not just about developing nerdy ' stuff it 's about turning technology into fashionable and user-friendly smart solutions . a woman 's natural talent is design , and the look and feel , and making these things fit into our lifestyles . ' i believe by embracing stem and leveraging inherent strength of women -- the sense of responsibility , passion , compassion , and pride we dedicate to family and community -- and applying it to business can make women the x factor in the new era of global growth and prosperity for the smart life and smart lifestyle . ' ' 9 . time and again , i hear from women who chose their stem career because they were inspired by a successful woman who proved it could be done . ' adds suw charman-anderson , founder of ada lovelace day . role models are incredibly important , both to girls and to women , and we need to show girls just how exciting , fulfilling and enjoyable a career in stem can be . ' we must prove that there is a path for them to tread by telling the stories , past and present , of the women who 've built , invented , discovered and explained the world around us , but who so often go unmentioned . ' 10 . to get more girls in stem let 's go for collective action ... ' says julie kantor , chief partnership officer at million women mentors . of 368,000 high school girls who want to pursue stem only 4 % said they had a mentor encouraging them . commit to mentoring a girl or young woman in stem skills . or offer an internship with a designated mentor at your company . ladies and gentlemen , let 's get a million stem mentors by 2018 . ' read : 12 inspirational quotes from women scientists relive : twitter chat as it happened :'how can we get girls into stem ?'quiz:10 female scientists you should know","the shortage of women in stem industries is a growing problem" +"stem ( cnn ) -- just one in seven engineers are female , only 27 % of all computer science jobs are held by women , and women have seen no employment growth in stem jobs since 2000 ' reports forbes . women who work in the fields of science , technology , engineering and math , and those who campaign for higher numbers of women in these fields , think they have some solutions to this growing problem . 1 . the toys and games that young girls play with mold their educational and career interests ; they create dreams of future careers . ' says andrea guendelman , co-founder of developher . extensive research shows that certain toys and games can help young children develop the spatial logic and other analytical skills critical to science , technology , engineering and math . a huge part of the reason women are not entering these fields and huge part of the solution starts at the very beginning . ' 2 . introduce girls early to role models of other women in stem ' suggests regina agyare , founder of soronko solutions . [ these women ] will mentor them and introduce them to stem through games and practical learning experiences . ' 3 . it 's important to engage girls in stem at an early age and keep them interested . ' adds patty l. fagin , phd , head of school at stuart country day school of the sacred heart . girls start out as strong in math and science as boys , but lose interest along the way ; we call this the leaky pipeline . ' grow the pipeline , keep girls engaged , and we 'll increase the number of women in stem . create opportunities for success and safe environments in which to fail . they 'll learn to persevere and develop a growth mindset , so critical to success in stem fields ... instead of this is hard , i ca n't do it , ' they will believe , i can try another way . ' girls want to make a difference , so give them hands-on , real-world problem-solving activities to show stem is relevant and fun . expose girls to the different areas of stem and provide women mentors for girls and young women , so they , in turn , will mentor other girls . ' 4 . there 's no magic recipe for getting girls into stem , but we know early and positive exposure makes an impact . ' karen horting , ceo and executive director at the society of women engineers told cnn . our invent it . built it . program oct. 25 in los angeles will expose girls in the sixth to eighth grade to the creative , collaborate nature of a rewarding career in engineering . registration continues through oct. 11 and additionally provides educators and parents with the tools they need to nurture the future engineers in their lives . ' 5 . start them young . ' is michelle sun , founder and ceo of first code academy 's advice . stem fields are often thought of as a career path for the boys , globally and no less common in asia . we observe brothers in a family are more likely to be enrolled to our kids coding classes . however , the amazing thing we found , with students from 8 - 11 years old , is that our female students come to our programs with minimal preconception of what programming is about . they approached it with much enthusiasm and confidence , just as any other hobbies or subjects . by starting them young , we provide them a chance to experience the stem field first hand . ' 6 . i believe one on one mentoring programs with accomplished female stem professionals will help bring girls in to the stem field . ' says adeola shasanya who recently co-founded afro-tech girls and works at the lagos state electricity board as an electrical engineering and renewables consultant . fun technical workshops could also help spark a stem interest for girls . i believe work shadowing a female stemist in a typical work environment could enlighten the girls on what work would be like as a stemist . ' 7 . haiyan zhang , innovation director at lift london , microsoft studios believes confidence is key ; insatiable curiosity and the self confidence to make change in the world -- two qualities that are key to instil in the female innovators of the future . science , technology , engineering and mathematics become the tools with which to explore curiosity and to create change . ' 8 . women are the future of technology and today 's technology is fun and cool . ' says weili dai , president and co-founder of marvell technology group ' it 's not just about developing nerdy ' stuff it 's about turning technology into fashionable and user-friendly smart solutions . a woman 's natural talent is design , and the look and feel , and making these things fit into our lifestyles . ' i believe by embracing stem and leveraging inherent strength of women -- the sense of responsibility , passion , compassion , and pride we dedicate to family and community -- and applying it to business can make women the x factor in the new era of global growth and prosperity for the smart life and smart lifestyle . ' ' 9 . time and again , i hear from women who chose their stem career because they were inspired by a successful woman who proved it could be done . ' adds suw charman-anderson , founder of ada lovelace day . role models are incredibly important , both to girls and to women , and we need to show girls just how exciting , fulfilling and enjoyable a career in stem can be . ' we must prove that there is a path for them to tread by telling the stories , past and present , of the women who 've built , invented , discovered and explained the world around us , but who so often go unmentioned . ' 10 . to get more girls in stem let 's go for collective action ... ' says julie kantor , chief partnership officer at million women mentors . of 368,000 high school girls who want to pursue stem only 4 % said they had a mentor encouraging them . commit to mentoring a girl or young woman in stem skills . or offer an internship with a designated mentor at your company . ladies and gentlemen , let 's get a million stem mentors by 2018 . ' read : 12 inspirational quotes from women scientists relive : twitter chat as it happened :'how can we get girls into stem ?'quiz:10 female scientists you should know","women in stem gave us a range of solutions from toys to mentoring" +"latinos ( cnn ) -- it 's the hour for us in this country to turn it back toward the lord . we 're much more than'hallelujah'people . we 're into government , and we are into politics . we are a force to be reckoned with . ' wilfredo de jesus wants his message heard loud and clear : evangelical latino protestants in the united states are more relevant than ever . and they 're up for grabs ahead of the 2014 midterm elections . one of the leading voices of the fast-growing evangelical protestant latino voting bloc , in the past 14 years as the senior pastor of new life covenant ministries in chicago , de jesus has seen the church grow from 68 people in one of the worst parts of the nation to over 20,000 . ' last year , he was named one of time magazine 's 100 most influential people in the world . we 're very vocal now , ' he said . in the last 10 years , you 've seen this bloc of people has grown . and we have tremendous influence . especially in politics . ' a new study by a nonpartisan research institute based in washington suggests that he 's right . the 2013 hispanic values survey released recently by the public religion research institute showed a sharp shift in religious demographics among latinos . it 's that complex religious divide that could be the key to the republican party making inroads in the community during the next election cycle . the number of evangelical protestants nearly doubled from 7 % to 13 % when you compare childhood religious affiliation to current religious affiliation , ' said the institute 's chief executive officer , robert p. jones . that 's between 7.5 million and 8 million quintessential swing voters . ' an'affinity for the republican party' the door is the most open to republican candidates and the republican party , jones said . evangelicals have the most affinity for the republican party . while nearly half lean towards the democratic party , almost as many lean towards the republican party at 43 % . ' the findings were taken from a random sample survey of 1,563 respondents who identified as hispanic living in the u.s. de jesus -- or pastor choco , ' as he is more commonly known -- believes that evangelical protestants are what the country needs right now ' and could be the key not only for the gop winning big during the midterms , but also for republicans to get back to the white house . we 've learned from the bible that when the righteous govern , the people rejoice . and ( latinos ) have n't seen our people rejoice for quite some time , ' he said . at the core of evangelicals is the fear of god and the institution of family . these are things we feel we can bring back to this nation . ''we need to do a better job communicating' latino evangelicals might be ripe for republican influence , but getting them to vote red is a different story . angel garcia , president of the chicago young republicans , said that although the survey gives the gop reason to be hopeful , the party needs to be more proactive within the community . we 've done a bad job of managing our brand . we 've let a handful of people in our party , that have made some unfortunate statements , control the party 's message , ' garcia said . the 38-year-old attorney and lifelong republican said that as the son of mexican immigrants , it 's disappointing as a latino when you hear people making ignorant statements ( in the party ) . but both sides make ignorant statements . i am a leader in the party . i have lived the latino culture . it 's my job to show the voters and pretty much the entire party that we need to do a better job communicating . ' he 's talking about statements like this one by republican presidential candidate mitt romney , describing his plan to deal with undocumented immigrants during a 2012 primary debate : the answer is self-deportation , which is people decide they can do better by going home because they ca n't find work here because they do n't have legal documentation to allow them to work here . ' when he said that , i looked over at my wife and said ,'he just lost thousands , if not millions , of us .'immigration ... it 's a preeminent issue for us , ' said the rev . gabriel salguero , president of the national latino evangelical coalition . a focus on immigration reform much like his friend de jesus , salguero believes that latino evangelicals are the key to victory for any politician . nowhere is this more evident than on the issue of immigration reform . evangelicals are coming to a boiling point on this issue . we 've prayed about this , held meetings with the white house ; we 've done all we can , ' he said from newark , new jersey . let me be clear : we face the issue of immigration every day , as pastors , as caretakers , as latinos . this is on the top of our political agenda . it would be disingenuous of me to say it does n't carry heavy electoral gravitas . ' both salguero and de jesus were advisers to president barack obama on the immigration issue . it 's an area where they feel he 's failed . republicans have the chance to capitalize on it , according to de jesus . barack flipped on us , ' de jesus said . i traveled for obama for 14 months as a surrogate . i talked to the white house , and i said ,'the president can not speak from both sides of his mouth .'it 's only right for the republicans to say ,'let 's win back this latino bloc , at least the evangelicals .'that starts with the immigration issue . ' the dismal latino turnout for romney was a stark contrast to the momentum developed for years under president george w. bush , who won 44 % of the latino vote in 2004 , compared with the 27 % romney received eight years later . after the 2012 election , the gop held a postmortem emphasizing hispanic outreach , but it 's still unclear how much of a priority republicans have made latino voters . at the latest conservative political action conference , a panel on minority outreach had dismally low attendance . disapproval of both parties the hispanic values survey showed that while there is dissatisfaction ' among latino voters with the democratic party on issues like record deportation numbers under obama , there is distrust ' of the republican party within the latino community . the democratic party has a less bumpy road ahead , ' jones said . the clearest word of caution to democrats ... one phrase that is a bellwether question of how well to gauge voters is ,'how well does the party care about people like you ?' nearly three in 10 , or 29 % , said neither party cares about them , ' according to the survey . democrats certainly do n't have this community locked down . that 's a pretty clear indication that there 's significant dissatisfaction among latinos with both parties , ' jones said . that 's not necessarily a reason for us to be optimistic . we have to be realistic and more proactive , ' said daniel ballori , president of the young republican federation of puerto rico . the 31-year-old said the focus for the republicans in winning more latino votes should be on the economy , whether they are courting evangelical protestants or others in the community . jobs and unemployment . the figures show that u.s.-born latinos care about the same issues that non-latino anglos care about . right now , that 's jobs and unemployment , ' ballori said . he may be on to something . though the issue of immigration reform was ranked high among the concerns of latino voters , it was in a four-way tie for the third most important issue behind the economy and affordable health care , according to public religion research institute research . garcia said the solution to courting more latino voters comes down to the rhetoric . regardless of party , hispanics will go to the candidate that supports them . we 're the party of ( marco ) rubio , ( brian ) sandoval and ( susana ) martinez . our message should be one of inclusion , ' garcia said . the question then becomes , how do they do that ? these politicians are so full of it to get elected , ' de jesus said . give us someone who is real and speaks the truth and is going to do what they say and mean it . we 'll vote for them , whatever party they 're from . '","republican party needs to be more proactive in community , latinos say" +"latinos ( cnn ) -- it 's the hour for us in this country to turn it back toward the lord . we 're much more than'hallelujah'people . we 're into government , and we are into politics . we are a force to be reckoned with . ' wilfredo de jesus wants his message heard loud and clear : evangelical latino protestants in the united states are more relevant than ever . and they 're up for grabs ahead of the 2014 midterm elections . one of the leading voices of the fast-growing evangelical protestant latino voting bloc , in the past 14 years as the senior pastor of new life covenant ministries in chicago , de jesus has seen the church grow from 68 people in one of the worst parts of the nation to over 20,000 . ' last year , he was named one of time magazine 's 100 most influential people in the world . we 're very vocal now , ' he said . in the last 10 years , you 've seen this bloc of people has grown . and we have tremendous influence . especially in politics . ' a new study by a nonpartisan research institute based in washington suggests that he 's right . the 2013 hispanic values survey released recently by the public religion research institute showed a sharp shift in religious demographics among latinos . it 's that complex religious divide that could be the key to the republican party making inroads in the community during the next election cycle . the number of evangelical protestants nearly doubled from 7 % to 13 % when you compare childhood religious affiliation to current religious affiliation , ' said the institute 's chief executive officer , robert p. jones . that 's between 7.5 million and 8 million quintessential swing voters . ' an'affinity for the republican party' the door is the most open to republican candidates and the republican party , jones said . evangelicals have the most affinity for the republican party . while nearly half lean towards the democratic party , almost as many lean towards the republican party at 43 % . ' the findings were taken from a random sample survey of 1,563 respondents who identified as hispanic living in the u.s. de jesus -- or pastor choco , ' as he is more commonly known -- believes that evangelical protestants are what the country needs right now ' and could be the key not only for the gop winning big during the midterms , but also for republicans to get back to the white house . we 've learned from the bible that when the righteous govern , the people rejoice . and ( latinos ) have n't seen our people rejoice for quite some time , ' he said . at the core of evangelicals is the fear of god and the institution of family . these are things we feel we can bring back to this nation . ''we need to do a better job communicating' latino evangelicals might be ripe for republican influence , but getting them to vote red is a different story . angel garcia , president of the chicago young republicans , said that although the survey gives the gop reason to be hopeful , the party needs to be more proactive within the community . we 've done a bad job of managing our brand . we 've let a handful of people in our party , that have made some unfortunate statements , control the party 's message , ' garcia said . the 38-year-old attorney and lifelong republican said that as the son of mexican immigrants , it 's disappointing as a latino when you hear people making ignorant statements ( in the party ) . but both sides make ignorant statements . i am a leader in the party . i have lived the latino culture . it 's my job to show the voters and pretty much the entire party that we need to do a better job communicating . ' he 's talking about statements like this one by republican presidential candidate mitt romney , describing his plan to deal with undocumented immigrants during a 2012 primary debate : the answer is self-deportation , which is people decide they can do better by going home because they ca n't find work here because they do n't have legal documentation to allow them to work here . ' when he said that , i looked over at my wife and said ,'he just lost thousands , if not millions , of us .'immigration ... it 's a preeminent issue for us , ' said the rev . gabriel salguero , president of the national latino evangelical coalition . a focus on immigration reform much like his friend de jesus , salguero believes that latino evangelicals are the key to victory for any politician . nowhere is this more evident than on the issue of immigration reform . evangelicals are coming to a boiling point on this issue . we 've prayed about this , held meetings with the white house ; we 've done all we can , ' he said from newark , new jersey . let me be clear : we face the issue of immigration every day , as pastors , as caretakers , as latinos . this is on the top of our political agenda . it would be disingenuous of me to say it does n't carry heavy electoral gravitas . ' both salguero and de jesus were advisers to president barack obama on the immigration issue . it 's an area where they feel he 's failed . republicans have the chance to capitalize on it , according to de jesus . barack flipped on us , ' de jesus said . i traveled for obama for 14 months as a surrogate . i talked to the white house , and i said ,'the president can not speak from both sides of his mouth .'it 's only right for the republicans to say ,'let 's win back this latino bloc , at least the evangelicals .'that starts with the immigration issue . ' the dismal latino turnout for romney was a stark contrast to the momentum developed for years under president george w. bush , who won 44 % of the latino vote in 2004 , compared with the 27 % romney received eight years later . after the 2012 election , the gop held a postmortem emphasizing hispanic outreach , but it 's still unclear how much of a priority republicans have made latino voters . at the latest conservative political action conference , a panel on minority outreach had dismally low attendance . disapproval of both parties the hispanic values survey showed that while there is dissatisfaction ' among latino voters with the democratic party on issues like record deportation numbers under obama , there is distrust ' of the republican party within the latino community . the democratic party has a less bumpy road ahead , ' jones said . the clearest word of caution to democrats ... one phrase that is a bellwether question of how well to gauge voters is ,'how well does the party care about people like you ?' nearly three in 10 , or 29 % , said neither party cares about them , ' according to the survey . democrats certainly do n't have this community locked down . that 's a pretty clear indication that there 's significant dissatisfaction among latinos with both parties , ' jones said . that 's not necessarily a reason for us to be optimistic . we have to be realistic and more proactive , ' said daniel ballori , president of the young republican federation of puerto rico . the 31-year-old said the focus for the republicans in winning more latino votes should be on the economy , whether they are courting evangelical protestants or others in the community . jobs and unemployment . the figures show that u.s.-born latinos care about the same issues that non-latino anglos care about . right now , that 's jobs and unemployment , ' ballori said . he may be on to something . though the issue of immigration reform was ranked high among the concerns of latino voters , it was in a four-way tie for the third most important issue behind the economy and affordable health care , according to public religion research institute research . garcia said the solution to courting more latino voters comes down to the rhetoric . regardless of party , hispanics will go to the candidate that supports them . we 're the party of ( marco ) rubio , ( brian ) sandoval and ( susana ) martinez . our message should be one of inclusion , ' garcia said . the question then becomes , how do they do that ? these politicians are so full of it to get elected , ' de jesus said . give us someone who is real and speaks the truth and is going to do what they say and mean it . we 'll vote for them , whatever party they 're from . '","almost a third of latinos believe neither party cares about them , survey shows" +"house just over half the public says that it 's bad for the country that the gop controls the house of representatives , according to a new national poll conducted after the end of the partial government shutdown . and the cnn/orc international survey also indicates that more than six in 10 americans say that speaker of the house john boehner should be replaced . the poll was conducted friday through sunday , just after the end of the 16-day partial federal government shutdown that was caused in part by a push by house conservatives to try and dismantle the health care law , which is president barack obama 's signature domestic achievement . full poll results ( pdf ) according to the survey , 54 % say it 's a bad thing that the gop controls the house , up 11 points from last december , soon after the 2012 elections when the republicans kept control of the chamber . only 38 % say it 's a good thing the gop controls the house , a 13-point dive from the end of last year . defeated gop wants to unite and fight another day this is the first time since the republicans won back control of the house in the 2010 midterm elections that a majority say their control of the chamber is bad for the country . cnn chief national correspondent john king said there is time for republicans to recover before the 2014 midterms . the midterm election is a year away . there 's plenty of time for republicans to work on the brand , but they 've taken a bit of a beating here . they 've got some work to do . they need a bit of a makeover , ' king said . majority want boehner out ' we fought the good fight . we just did n't win , ' boehner said at the end of the shutdown . and while he received a standing ovation at a closed gathering of house republicans as the crisis came to a close , he may not see anything to applaud in the new poll . john boehner fares just as badly as the gop , ' cnn polling director keating holland said . sixty-three percent of all americans think that boehner should be replaced as speaker of the house , a view shared by roughly half of all republicans . ' fleischer : shutdown deal is a 15-yard punt according to the poll , only 30 % of the public says boehner , who became speaker in january 2011 , should continue in that role . congress near historic lows the survey indicates that the approval rating for congress remains near an all-time low . only 12 % of those questioned say they approve of the job congress is doing , just two points higher than the historic low in cnn polling . and 86 % give federal lawmakers a thumbs-down , also near the all-time high . forty-four percent say they approve of the job the president is doing with 52 % saying they disapprove . four things we learned from government shutdown ' barack obama 's numbers are pretty anemic , but he remains in much better shape than the gop , ' holland said . even though obama 's approval rating remains stuck in the mid-40s , it did n't take a hit during the shutdown -- 44 % just before the shutdown began ; 44 % now . ' according to the survey , 44 % also say they have more confidence in obama rather than the gop in congress to deal with the major issues facing the country today , a 5-point drop from last year ; 31 % say they have more confidence in congressional republicans , unchanged from last december . obama wants new approach after shutdown ' the biggest change on that question is the 21 % who volunteer that they do n't have confidence in either side -- a remarkably high number that is roughly double its usual level , ' holland said . majority favor health care law or say it does n't go far enough even though they lost this round , conservatives vow to continue their fight to dismantle obamacare . and they point to major troubles with the rollout of the website where americans without insurance can enroll in the new health care exchanges . the president addressed the debacle at an event monday at the white house , saying there was no way to sugarcoat the issues that applicants have experienced . according to the poll , just more than four in 10 say they favor the law , with 56 % opposed to it . but of those opposed , 38 % say they are against the law because they think it 's too liberal and 12 % say it 's not liberal enough . that means that 53 % either support obamacare , or say it 's not liberal enough . the health care numbers are little changed from late last month , just before the start of the shutdown . congressional fight over obamacare turns to website woes the poll was conducted for cnn by orc international , with 841 adults nationwide questioned by telephone . the survey 's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points .","poll conducted after government shutdown shows small majority think gop control of house is bad" +"house just over half the public says that it 's bad for the country that the gop controls the house of representatives , according to a new national poll conducted after the end of the partial government shutdown . and the cnn/orc international survey also indicates that more than six in 10 americans say that speaker of the house john boehner should be replaced . the poll was conducted friday through sunday , just after the end of the 16-day partial federal government shutdown that was caused in part by a push by house conservatives to try and dismantle the health care law , which is president barack obama 's signature domestic achievement . full poll results ( pdf ) according to the survey , 54 % say it 's a bad thing that the gop controls the house , up 11 points from last december , soon after the 2012 elections when the republicans kept control of the chamber . only 38 % say it 's a good thing the gop controls the house , a 13-point dive from the end of last year . defeated gop wants to unite and fight another day this is the first time since the republicans won back control of the house in the 2010 midterm elections that a majority say their control of the chamber is bad for the country . cnn chief national correspondent john king said there is time for republicans to recover before the 2014 midterms . the midterm election is a year away . there 's plenty of time for republicans to work on the brand , but they 've taken a bit of a beating here . they 've got some work to do . they need a bit of a makeover , ' king said . majority want boehner out ' we fought the good fight . we just did n't win , ' boehner said at the end of the shutdown . and while he received a standing ovation at a closed gathering of house republicans as the crisis came to a close , he may not see anything to applaud in the new poll . john boehner fares just as badly as the gop , ' cnn polling director keating holland said . sixty-three percent of all americans think that boehner should be replaced as speaker of the house , a view shared by roughly half of all republicans . ' fleischer : shutdown deal is a 15-yard punt according to the poll , only 30 % of the public says boehner , who became speaker in january 2011 , should continue in that role . congress near historic lows the survey indicates that the approval rating for congress remains near an all-time low . only 12 % of those questioned say they approve of the job congress is doing , just two points higher than the historic low in cnn polling . and 86 % give federal lawmakers a thumbs-down , also near the all-time high . forty-four percent say they approve of the job the president is doing with 52 % saying they disapprove . four things we learned from government shutdown ' barack obama 's numbers are pretty anemic , but he remains in much better shape than the gop , ' holland said . even though obama 's approval rating remains stuck in the mid-40s , it did n't take a hit during the shutdown -- 44 % just before the shutdown began ; 44 % now . ' according to the survey , 44 % also say they have more confidence in obama rather than the gop in congress to deal with the major issues facing the country today , a 5-point drop from last year ; 31 % say they have more confidence in congressional republicans , unchanged from last december . obama wants new approach after shutdown ' the biggest change on that question is the 21 % who volunteer that they do n't have confidence in either side -- a remarkably high number that is roughly double its usual level , ' holland said . majority favor health care law or say it does n't go far enough even though they lost this round , conservatives vow to continue their fight to dismantle obamacare . and they point to major troubles with the rollout of the website where americans without insurance can enroll in the new health care exchanges . the president addressed the debacle at an event monday at the white house , saying there was no way to sugarcoat the issues that applicants have experienced . according to the poll , just more than four in 10 say they favor the law , with 56 % opposed to it . but of those opposed , 38 % say they are against the law because they think it 's too liberal and 12 % say it 's not liberal enough . that means that 53 % either support obamacare , or say it 's not liberal enough . the health care numbers are little changed from late last month , just before the start of the shutdown . congressional fight over obamacare turns to website woes the poll was conducted for cnn by orc international , with 841 adults nationwide questioned by telephone . the survey 's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points .","results are first time since gop took control of house in 2010 that more oppose its control" +"house just over half the public says that it 's bad for the country that the gop controls the house of representatives , according to a new national poll conducted after the end of the partial government shutdown . and the cnn/orc international survey also indicates that more than six in 10 americans say that speaker of the house john boehner should be replaced . the poll was conducted friday through sunday , just after the end of the 16-day partial federal government shutdown that was caused in part by a push by house conservatives to try and dismantle the health care law , which is president barack obama 's signature domestic achievement . full poll results ( pdf ) according to the survey , 54 % say it 's a bad thing that the gop controls the house , up 11 points from last december , soon after the 2012 elections when the republicans kept control of the chamber . only 38 % say it 's a good thing the gop controls the house , a 13-point dive from the end of last year . defeated gop wants to unite and fight another day this is the first time since the republicans won back control of the house in the 2010 midterm elections that a majority say their control of the chamber is bad for the country . cnn chief national correspondent john king said there is time for republicans to recover before the 2014 midterms . the midterm election is a year away . there 's plenty of time for republicans to work on the brand , but they 've taken a bit of a beating here . they 've got some work to do . they need a bit of a makeover , ' king said . majority want boehner out ' we fought the good fight . we just did n't win , ' boehner said at the end of the shutdown . and while he received a standing ovation at a closed gathering of house republicans as the crisis came to a close , he may not see anything to applaud in the new poll . john boehner fares just as badly as the gop , ' cnn polling director keating holland said . sixty-three percent of all americans think that boehner should be replaced as speaker of the house , a view shared by roughly half of all republicans . ' fleischer : shutdown deal is a 15-yard punt according to the poll , only 30 % of the public says boehner , who became speaker in january 2011 , should continue in that role . congress near historic lows the survey indicates that the approval rating for congress remains near an all-time low . only 12 % of those questioned say they approve of the job congress is doing , just two points higher than the historic low in cnn polling . and 86 % give federal lawmakers a thumbs-down , also near the all-time high . forty-four percent say they approve of the job the president is doing with 52 % saying they disapprove . four things we learned from government shutdown ' barack obama 's numbers are pretty anemic , but he remains in much better shape than the gop , ' holland said . even though obama 's approval rating remains stuck in the mid-40s , it did n't take a hit during the shutdown -- 44 % just before the shutdown began ; 44 % now . ' according to the survey , 44 % also say they have more confidence in obama rather than the gop in congress to deal with the major issues facing the country today , a 5-point drop from last year ; 31 % say they have more confidence in congressional republicans , unchanged from last december . obama wants new approach after shutdown ' the biggest change on that question is the 21 % who volunteer that they do n't have confidence in either side -- a remarkably high number that is roughly double its usual level , ' holland said . majority favor health care law or say it does n't go far enough even though they lost this round , conservatives vow to continue their fight to dismantle obamacare . and they point to major troubles with the rollout of the website where americans without insurance can enroll in the new health care exchanges . the president addressed the debacle at an event monday at the white house , saying there was no way to sugarcoat the issues that applicants have experienced . according to the poll , just more than four in 10 say they favor the law , with 56 % opposed to it . but of those opposed , 38 % say they are against the law because they think it 's too liberal and 12 % say it 's not liberal enough . that means that 53 % either support obamacare , or say it 's not liberal enough . the health care numbers are little changed from late last month , just before the start of the shutdown . congressional fight over obamacare turns to website woes the poll was conducted for cnn by orc international , with 841 adults nationwide questioned by telephone . the survey 's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points .","more than six in 10 say speaker of the house john boehner should lose his job" +"lapd los angeles ( cnn ) -- a former los angeles cop with military training vowed war against other men in blue thursday , leaving one officer dead days after he allegedly killed two other people to begin a wave of retribution for being fired , police said . the focus of the intensive , expansive manhunt is christopher jordan dorner , a 270-pound former navy lieutenant who has professed his venom against lapd officers he claimed ruined his life by forcing him out of his dream job . dorner blames one retired officer for bungling his appeal to get his job back in an 11-page manifesto , in which he also complained of mistreatment by the lapd . in that letter -- provided to cnn by an lapd source -- he vowed to violently target police officers and their families , whoever and wherever they are . i will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in lapd uniform whether on or off duty , ' dorner wrote . i never had the opportunity to have a family of my own , i 'm terminating yours . ' authorities believe he followed through on his threats early thursday by shooting a riverside , california , police officer and two others . a day earlier , irvine police named dorner a suspect in the double slayings sunday of a woman -- identified by los angeles police as the daughter of a retired lapd officer -- and her fiance . my opinion of the suspect is unprintable , ' said riverside police chief sergio diaz , hours after one of his officers was killed . the manifesto , i think , speaks for itself ( as ) evidence of a depraved and abandoned mind and heart . ' the violence , as well as dorner 's background as a police officer and military trained marksman , left police on edge around southern california . in torrance , lapd officers guarding one of dorner 's alleged targets mistakenly opened fire on a blue pickup truck that resembled one dorner was thought to be driving , said los angeles police chief charlie beck . the gunfire left two people wounded , beck said . torrance police also fired on another blue pickup , but no one was injured in that incident , according to a senior law enforcement source . in downtown los angeles , police wearing body armor patrolled outside their own iconic headquarters . police have good reason to be fearful , the chief said . of course , he knows what he 's doing . we trained him , ' beck said . he was also a member of the armed forces . it is extremely worrisome and scary , especially to the officers involved . ' the manhunt for dorner spanned hundreds of miles and numerous counties . by thursday afternoon , it was largely centered around big bear lake -- about 100 miles east of los angeles -- where authorities found the truck the suspect allegedly used in the riverside shooting . ktla : manhunt for former cop after officers shot police confirmed that the vehicle , which was burnt out when it was found , belonged to dorner by its vehicle identification number , san bernardino county sheriff john mcmahon said . this discovery spurred more officers to converge on the area to conduct beefed up patrols , staff checkpoints and go to every residence in the mountain community . mcmahon acknowledged the fire may have been set as a diversionary tactic , though law enforcement is n't taking any chances . early thursday evening , he said that aerial and k9 searches on the ground will continue as long as we can ' -- though snow is coming -- and urged locals to be on alert . he could be anywhere at this point , and that 's why we 're searching door to door , ' the sheriff said . 1 cop dies in'cowardly ambush' it all started sunday when dorner allegedly killed two people in irvine , according to police . police identified the victims as monica quan and her fiance keith lawrence . quan , 27 , was the daughter of retired los angeles police officer randal quan , lapd officer tenesha dobine told cnn . in his manifesto , dorner said quan handled his appeal . on tuesday , dorner checked into the navy gateway inns and suites on san diego 's large naval base , cmdr . brad fagan said . dorner likely had access to the hotel because he 'd been honorably discharged from the navy reserve , said the navy spokesman . having retired february 1 as a lieutenant , dorner worked with mobile inshore undersea warfare units and provided security on oil platforms in iraq , according to pentagon records . he was rated as a rifle marksman and pistol expert . he did not physically check out ' wednesday as expected , fagan told reporters . police in san diego say a man who could have been dorner tried to hijack a boat there on wednesday . someone later found a wallet containing dorner 's identification and an lapd detective 's badge near the san diego airport , according to police . it was unclear whether the badge was legitimate . timeline in manhunt for former l.a. cop by about 1 a.m. thursday , the scene had shifted about 100 miles north to corona , california . there , a pair of lapd officers on a protection detail were flagged down by a citizen who reported seeing the suspect 's vehicle , lapd deputy chief jose perez said . the officers chased the vehicle and caught up to it on an interstate 15 off-ramp . the officers were fired upon with a shoulder weapon , ' perez said , with one of them suffering a graze wound ' to his head . the police returned fire , while the suspect set off once again . about 20 minutes later , two police officers were in their car at a stop light in riverside when dorner allegedly pulled up beside them . that driver unleashed multiple rounds ' from a rifle at the officers , riddling the cop car with bullets and leaving a 34-year-old officer , who had been on the riverside force for 11 years , dead , according to diaz . the other officer , 27 , was seriously wounded but we expect a full recovery , ' the riverside police chief said . kcbs : riverside officer fatally shot it was a cowardly ambush , ' said diaz , claiming dorner has no connection ' to his city . a good samaritan picked up one of their police radios and called dispatchers to send help , riverside police said . suspect calls attacks'a necessary evil' in addition to posting his manifesto online , dorner reached out directly to cnn , mailing a parcel to ac360 anchor anderson cooper 's office at cnn in new york . the package arrived on february 1 and was opened by cooper 's assistant . inside was a hand-labeled dvd , accompanied by a yellow post-it note reading , in part , i never lied ' -- apparently in reference to his 2008 dismissal from the lapd . the package also contained a coin wrapped in duct tape . the tape bears the hand-written inscription : thanks , but no thanks , will bratton . ' it also had letters that may be read as imoa ' , which could be a commonly used internet abbreviation for imagine a more open america , ' or possibly 1 moa , ' which means one minute of angle , perhaps implying dorner was notably accurate with a firearm . the coin is a souvenir medallion from former lapd chief william bratton , of a type often given out as keepsakes . this one , though , was shot through with bullet holes : three bullet holes to the center and another shot nicked off the top . the editorial staff of ac360 and cnn management were made aware of the package thursday . upon learning of its existence , they alerted bratton and law enforcement . bratton headed the lapd at the time dorner was dismissed . the dispute centers on a 2007 incident in san pedro involving a man 's arrest at a doubletree hotel . two weeks later , dorner accused his training officer of kicking the man after he 'd given up . the investigators'report said the delay in reporting the alleged misconduct coupled with the witness'statements irreparably destroy dorner 's credibility . ' the report cited contradictory accounts from the arrested man and his father and denials by the accused officer and three hotel employees that the arrested man had been kicked . dorner claims he was wrongly ousted for blowing the whistle on what he insists was police abuse . suspect 's grudge dates back to 2007 complaint dorner challenged his firing for years , losing at every turn . first , the police department 's board of rights rejected his appeal . then , in october 2011 , a judge ruled against his appeal , according to court records . beck , the los angeles police chief , said thursday that dorner 's case had been thoroughly reviewed ' and said the department would not apologize to dorner or clear his name . but as his manifesto shows , dorner is showing no sign of relenting . he complained he had been railroaded out of the department after reporting police brutality by another officer . dorner also complained of a continuing culture of racism and brutality in the lapd . attacks on other police officers and their families , he said , are a necessary evil that i do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the lapd and reclaim my name . ' look your wives/husbands and surviving children directly in the face and tell them the truth as to why your children are dead , ' dorner wrote . such a chilling warning prompted los angeles police to set up 40 protective details in an effort to safeguard people listed in dorner 's letter , beck said . the chief acknowledged that this effort was taxing the department , which has been placed under tactical alert , meaning all officers must stay on duty . it 's extremely , extremely manpower intensive , ' beck said . but the safety of my employees , people that come on the job to protect the lives of strangers , is extremely important to me . and i will expend whatever resource is necessary . ' kabc : former cop shoots three officers cnn 's anneclaire stapleton , sara weisfeldt , barbara starr , pete janos , mallory simon and deanna hackney contributed to this report .","this was days after he allegedly killed two people , one a retired lapd officer 's daughter" +"dorner los angeles ( cnn ) -- a former los angeles cop with military training vowed war against other men in blue thursday , leaving one officer dead days after he allegedly killed two other people to begin a wave of retribution for being fired , police said . the focus of the intensive , expansive manhunt is christopher jordan dorner , a 270-pound former navy lieutenant who has professed his venom against lapd officers he claimed ruined his life by forcing him out of his dream job . dorner blames one retired officer for bungling his appeal to get his job back in an 11-page manifesto , in which he also complained of mistreatment by the lapd . in that letter -- provided to cnn by an lapd source -- he vowed to violently target police officers and their families , whoever and wherever they are . i will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in lapd uniform whether on or off duty , ' dorner wrote . i never had the opportunity to have a family of my own , i 'm terminating yours . ' authorities believe he followed through on his threats early thursday by shooting a riverside , california , police officer and two others . a day earlier , irvine police named dorner a suspect in the double slayings sunday of a woman -- identified by los angeles police as the daughter of a retired lapd officer -- and her fiance . my opinion of the suspect is unprintable , ' said riverside police chief sergio diaz , hours after one of his officers was killed . the manifesto , i think , speaks for itself ( as ) evidence of a depraved and abandoned mind and heart . ' the violence , as well as dorner 's background as a police officer and military trained marksman , left police on edge around southern california . in torrance , lapd officers guarding one of dorner 's alleged targets mistakenly opened fire on a blue pickup truck that resembled one dorner was thought to be driving , said los angeles police chief charlie beck . the gunfire left two people wounded , beck said . torrance police also fired on another blue pickup , but no one was injured in that incident , according to a senior law enforcement source . in downtown los angeles , police wearing body armor patrolled outside their own iconic headquarters . police have good reason to be fearful , the chief said . of course , he knows what he 's doing . we trained him , ' beck said . he was also a member of the armed forces . it is extremely worrisome and scary , especially to the officers involved . ' the manhunt for dorner spanned hundreds of miles and numerous counties . by thursday afternoon , it was largely centered around big bear lake -- about 100 miles east of los angeles -- where authorities found the truck the suspect allegedly used in the riverside shooting . ktla : manhunt for former cop after officers shot police confirmed that the vehicle , which was burnt out when it was found , belonged to dorner by its vehicle identification number , san bernardino county sheriff john mcmahon said . this discovery spurred more officers to converge on the area to conduct beefed up patrols , staff checkpoints and go to every residence in the mountain community . mcmahon acknowledged the fire may have been set as a diversionary tactic , though law enforcement is n't taking any chances . early thursday evening , he said that aerial and k9 searches on the ground will continue as long as we can ' -- though snow is coming -- and urged locals to be on alert . he could be anywhere at this point , and that 's why we 're searching door to door , ' the sheriff said . 1 cop dies in'cowardly ambush' it all started sunday when dorner allegedly killed two people in irvine , according to police . police identified the victims as monica quan and her fiance keith lawrence . quan , 27 , was the daughter of retired los angeles police officer randal quan , lapd officer tenesha dobine told cnn . in his manifesto , dorner said quan handled his appeal . on tuesday , dorner checked into the navy gateway inns and suites on san diego 's large naval base , cmdr . brad fagan said . dorner likely had access to the hotel because he 'd been honorably discharged from the navy reserve , said the navy spokesman . having retired february 1 as a lieutenant , dorner worked with mobile inshore undersea warfare units and provided security on oil platforms in iraq , according to pentagon records . he was rated as a rifle marksman and pistol expert . he did not physically check out ' wednesday as expected , fagan told reporters . police in san diego say a man who could have been dorner tried to hijack a boat there on wednesday . someone later found a wallet containing dorner 's identification and an lapd detective 's badge near the san diego airport , according to police . it was unclear whether the badge was legitimate . timeline in manhunt for former l.a. cop by about 1 a.m. thursday , the scene had shifted about 100 miles north to corona , california . there , a pair of lapd officers on a protection detail were flagged down by a citizen who reported seeing the suspect 's vehicle , lapd deputy chief jose perez said . the officers chased the vehicle and caught up to it on an interstate 15 off-ramp . the officers were fired upon with a shoulder weapon , ' perez said , with one of them suffering a graze wound ' to his head . the police returned fire , while the suspect set off once again . about 20 minutes later , two police officers were in their car at a stop light in riverside when dorner allegedly pulled up beside them . that driver unleashed multiple rounds ' from a rifle at the officers , riddling the cop car with bullets and leaving a 34-year-old officer , who had been on the riverside force for 11 years , dead , according to diaz . the other officer , 27 , was seriously wounded but we expect a full recovery , ' the riverside police chief said . kcbs : riverside officer fatally shot it was a cowardly ambush , ' said diaz , claiming dorner has no connection ' to his city . a good samaritan picked up one of their police radios and called dispatchers to send help , riverside police said . suspect calls attacks'a necessary evil' in addition to posting his manifesto online , dorner reached out directly to cnn , mailing a parcel to ac360 anchor anderson cooper 's office at cnn in new york . the package arrived on february 1 and was opened by cooper 's assistant . inside was a hand-labeled dvd , accompanied by a yellow post-it note reading , in part , i never lied ' -- apparently in reference to his 2008 dismissal from the lapd . the package also contained a coin wrapped in duct tape . the tape bears the hand-written inscription : thanks , but no thanks , will bratton . ' it also had letters that may be read as imoa ' , which could be a commonly used internet abbreviation for imagine a more open america , ' or possibly 1 moa , ' which means one minute of angle , perhaps implying dorner was notably accurate with a firearm . the coin is a souvenir medallion from former lapd chief william bratton , of a type often given out as keepsakes . this one , though , was shot through with bullet holes : three bullet holes to the center and another shot nicked off the top . the editorial staff of ac360 and cnn management were made aware of the package thursday . upon learning of its existence , they alerted bratton and law enforcement . bratton headed the lapd at the time dorner was dismissed . the dispute centers on a 2007 incident in san pedro involving a man 's arrest at a doubletree hotel . two weeks later , dorner accused his training officer of kicking the man after he 'd given up . the investigators'report said the delay in reporting the alleged misconduct coupled with the witness'statements irreparably destroy dorner 's credibility . ' the report cited contradictory accounts from the arrested man and his father and denials by the accused officer and three hotel employees that the arrested man had been kicked . dorner claims he was wrongly ousted for blowing the whistle on what he insists was police abuse . suspect 's grudge dates back to 2007 complaint dorner challenged his firing for years , losing at every turn . first , the police department 's board of rights rejected his appeal . then , in october 2011 , a judge ruled against his appeal , according to court records . beck , the los angeles police chief , said thursday that dorner 's case had been thoroughly reviewed ' and said the department would not apologize to dorner or clear his name . but as his manifesto shows , dorner is showing no sign of relenting . he complained he had been railroaded out of the department after reporting police brutality by another officer . dorner also complained of a continuing culture of racism and brutality in the lapd . attacks on other police officers and their families , he said , are a necessary evil that i do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the lapd and reclaim my name . ' look your wives/husbands and surviving children directly in the face and tell them the truth as to why your children are dead , ' dorner wrote . such a chilling warning prompted los angeles police to set up 40 protective details in an effort to safeguard people listed in dorner 's letter , beck said . the chief acknowledged that this effort was taxing the department , which has been placed under tactical alert , meaning all officers must stay on duty . it 's extremely , extremely manpower intensive , ' beck said . but the safety of my employees , people that come on the job to protect the lives of strangers , is extremely important to me . and i will expend whatever resource is necessary . ' kabc : former cop shoots three officers cnn 's anneclaire stapleton , sara weisfeldt , barbara starr , pete janos , mallory simon and deanna hackney contributed to this report .","in an 11-page manifesto , dorner promises war ' on police and their families" +"dorner los angeles ( cnn ) -- a former los angeles cop with military training vowed war against other men in blue thursday , leaving one officer dead days after he allegedly killed two other people to begin a wave of retribution for being fired , police said . the focus of the intensive , expansive manhunt is christopher jordan dorner , a 270-pound former navy lieutenant who has professed his venom against lapd officers he claimed ruined his life by forcing him out of his dream job . dorner blames one retired officer for bungling his appeal to get his job back in an 11-page manifesto , in which he also complained of mistreatment by the lapd . in that letter -- provided to cnn by an lapd source -- he vowed to violently target police officers and their families , whoever and wherever they are . i will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in lapd uniform whether on or off duty , ' dorner wrote . i never had the opportunity to have a family of my own , i 'm terminating yours . ' authorities believe he followed through on his threats early thursday by shooting a riverside , california , police officer and two others . a day earlier , irvine police named dorner a suspect in the double slayings sunday of a woman -- identified by los angeles police as the daughter of a retired lapd officer -- and her fiance . my opinion of the suspect is unprintable , ' said riverside police chief sergio diaz , hours after one of his officers was killed . the manifesto , i think , speaks for itself ( as ) evidence of a depraved and abandoned mind and heart . ' the violence , as well as dorner 's background as a police officer and military trained marksman , left police on edge around southern california . in torrance , lapd officers guarding one of dorner 's alleged targets mistakenly opened fire on a blue pickup truck that resembled one dorner was thought to be driving , said los angeles police chief charlie beck . the gunfire left two people wounded , beck said . torrance police also fired on another blue pickup , but no one was injured in that incident , according to a senior law enforcement source . in downtown los angeles , police wearing body armor patrolled outside their own iconic headquarters . police have good reason to be fearful , the chief said . of course , he knows what he 's doing . we trained him , ' beck said . he was also a member of the armed forces . it is extremely worrisome and scary , especially to the officers involved . ' the manhunt for dorner spanned hundreds of miles and numerous counties . by thursday afternoon , it was largely centered around big bear lake -- about 100 miles east of los angeles -- where authorities found the truck the suspect allegedly used in the riverside shooting . ktla : manhunt for former cop after officers shot police confirmed that the vehicle , which was burnt out when it was found , belonged to dorner by its vehicle identification number , san bernardino county sheriff john mcmahon said . this discovery spurred more officers to converge on the area to conduct beefed up patrols , staff checkpoints and go to every residence in the mountain community . mcmahon acknowledged the fire may have been set as a diversionary tactic , though law enforcement is n't taking any chances . early thursday evening , he said that aerial and k9 searches on the ground will continue as long as we can ' -- though snow is coming -- and urged locals to be on alert . he could be anywhere at this point , and that 's why we 're searching door to door , ' the sheriff said . 1 cop dies in'cowardly ambush' it all started sunday when dorner allegedly killed two people in irvine , according to police . police identified the victims as monica quan and her fiance keith lawrence . quan , 27 , was the daughter of retired los angeles police officer randal quan , lapd officer tenesha dobine told cnn . in his manifesto , dorner said quan handled his appeal . on tuesday , dorner checked into the navy gateway inns and suites on san diego 's large naval base , cmdr . brad fagan said . dorner likely had access to the hotel because he 'd been honorably discharged from the navy reserve , said the navy spokesman . having retired february 1 as a lieutenant , dorner worked with mobile inshore undersea warfare units and provided security on oil platforms in iraq , according to pentagon records . he was rated as a rifle marksman and pistol expert . he did not physically check out ' wednesday as expected , fagan told reporters . police in san diego say a man who could have been dorner tried to hijack a boat there on wednesday . someone later found a wallet containing dorner 's identification and an lapd detective 's badge near the san diego airport , according to police . it was unclear whether the badge was legitimate . timeline in manhunt for former l.a. cop by about 1 a.m. thursday , the scene had shifted about 100 miles north to corona , california . there , a pair of lapd officers on a protection detail were flagged down by a citizen who reported seeing the suspect 's vehicle , lapd deputy chief jose perez said . the officers chased the vehicle and caught up to it on an interstate 15 off-ramp . the officers were fired upon with a shoulder weapon , ' perez said , with one of them suffering a graze wound ' to his head . the police returned fire , while the suspect set off once again . about 20 minutes later , two police officers were in their car at a stop light in riverside when dorner allegedly pulled up beside them . that driver unleashed multiple rounds ' from a rifle at the officers , riddling the cop car with bullets and leaving a 34-year-old officer , who had been on the riverside force for 11 years , dead , according to diaz . the other officer , 27 , was seriously wounded but we expect a full recovery , ' the riverside police chief said . kcbs : riverside officer fatally shot it was a cowardly ambush , ' said diaz , claiming dorner has no connection ' to his city . a good samaritan picked up one of their police radios and called dispatchers to send help , riverside police said . suspect calls attacks'a necessary evil' in addition to posting his manifesto online , dorner reached out directly to cnn , mailing a parcel to ac360 anchor anderson cooper 's office at cnn in new york . the package arrived on february 1 and was opened by cooper 's assistant . inside was a hand-labeled dvd , accompanied by a yellow post-it note reading , in part , i never lied ' -- apparently in reference to his 2008 dismissal from the lapd . the package also contained a coin wrapped in duct tape . the tape bears the hand-written inscription : thanks , but no thanks , will bratton . ' it also had letters that may be read as imoa ' , which could be a commonly used internet abbreviation for imagine a more open america , ' or possibly 1 moa , ' which means one minute of angle , perhaps implying dorner was notably accurate with a firearm . the coin is a souvenir medallion from former lapd chief william bratton , of a type often given out as keepsakes . this one , though , was shot through with bullet holes : three bullet holes to the center and another shot nicked off the top . the editorial staff of ac360 and cnn management were made aware of the package thursday . upon learning of its existence , they alerted bratton and law enforcement . bratton headed the lapd at the time dorner was dismissed . the dispute centers on a 2007 incident in san pedro involving a man 's arrest at a doubletree hotel . two weeks later , dorner accused his training officer of kicking the man after he 'd given up . the investigators'report said the delay in reporting the alleged misconduct coupled with the witness'statements irreparably destroy dorner 's credibility . ' the report cited contradictory accounts from the arrested man and his father and denials by the accused officer and three hotel employees that the arrested man had been kicked . dorner claims he was wrongly ousted for blowing the whistle on what he insists was police abuse . suspect 's grudge dates back to 2007 complaint dorner challenged his firing for years , losing at every turn . first , the police department 's board of rights rejected his appeal . then , in october 2011 , a judge ruled against his appeal , according to court records . beck , the los angeles police chief , said thursday that dorner 's case had been thoroughly reviewed ' and said the department would not apologize to dorner or clear his name . but as his manifesto shows , dorner is showing no sign of relenting . he complained he had been railroaded out of the department after reporting police brutality by another officer . dorner also complained of a continuing culture of racism and brutality in the lapd . attacks on other police officers and their families , he said , are a necessary evil that i do not enjoy but must partake and complete for substantial change to occur within the lapd and reclaim my name . ' look your wives/husbands and surviving children directly in the face and tell them the truth as to why your children are dead , ' dorner wrote . such a chilling warning prompted los angeles police to set up 40 protective details in an effort to safeguard people listed in dorner 's letter , beck said . the chief acknowledged that this effort was taxing the department , which has been placed under tactical alert , meaning all officers must stay on duty . it 's extremely , extremely manpower intensive , ' beck said . but the safety of my employees , people that come on the job to protect the lives of strangers , is extremely important to me . and i will expend whatever resource is necessary . ' kabc : former cop shoots three officers cnn 's anneclaire stapleton , sara weisfeldt , barbara starr , pete janos , mallory simon and deanna hackney contributed to this report .","police believe former cop christopher jordan dorner shot three officers , killing one" +"atletico madrid ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored the only goal of the match with a stunning backheel as real madrid beat rayo vallecano to stay 10 points clear in the spanish title race sunday . real had to work hard to emerge on top in the capital derby at the vallecas while arch-rivals barcelona won 2-1 against atletico madrid in the late kickoff to avoid falling further behind jose mourinho 's men . the reigning champions owed their win to a lionel messi free-kick in the 80th minute . it was his 28th league goal of the season , one fewer than ronaldo . dani alves opened the scoring on 36 minutes but radamel falcao equalized at the beginning of the second half for the home side . earlier , the first half of the clash between the madrid rivals was short of chances , but rayo came closest to scoring as michu rattled the woodwork with iker casillas beaten . ronaldo struck shortly after the break following a corner . he was running away to chase a loose ball , but then fashioned an incredible backheeled effort which flew into the net . a backheel is always different . it was a great goal but i 'm not sure if it was the best of my career -- i have to see it again on tv , ' ronaldo told afp . jose callejon later wasted a chance to double the lead for los blancos to calm their nerves . ronaldo was also denied a second by home keeper joel late on before the home side lost michu to a red card for a rash challenge . it was real 's 21st league win of the season .","lionel messi with winner for barca at atletico madrid" +"zuckerberg ( cnn ) -- facebook ceo mark zuckerberg just had a birthday on may 14 . he 's now 29 . if that seems insanely young for a billionaire , remember that he co-founded facebook when he was a teenager . zuckerberg has a lot to celebrate . he 's amassed a fortune , inspired one of every seven people on the planet to use his product and changed how the world communicates -- all before age 30 . by comparison , when they were 29 , steve jobs launched the macintosh computer and bill gates was readying the first retail version of microsoft windows . and most of the rest of us were just struggling to pay the rent . so happy birthday to zuck ! to mark the occasion , we collected these 10 random facts about the tech wunderkind : 1 . zuckerberg suffers from red-green colorblindness and sees the color blue best , which is why blue dominates facebook 's color scheme . 2 . aol and microsoft tried to recruit him when he was in high school after he created synapse , a program that used artificial intelligence to learn users'music-listening habits . 3 . he wears the same gray facebook t-shirt almost every day because he 's busy and it saves him time in the morning . 4 . despite zuckerberg 's casual wardrobe , he said he wore a tie every day in 2009 to show that facebook was serious about growing in the face of the global recession . 5 . he is a vegetarian and once said he will only eat meat if he has killed the animal himself . but among his likes ' on his facebook page are mcdonald 's and in-n-out burger . 6 . he has amassed 220,000 twitter followers despite the fact that he 's only tweeted 19 times in four years , and not once in 15 months . 7 . in october 2010 , zuckerberg took a bunch of facebook staffers to a public theater to see the social network , ' the movie about the founding of facebook . in public comments afterward , he criticized the film 's portrayal of him as someone who invented facebook to gain social status . 8 . he owns a hungarian sheepdog named beast , who has a facebook page with 1.5 million fans . 9 . he took some heat last year for giving his wife , priscilla chan , a ruby wedding ring that jewelers valued at about $ 25,000 even though he was worth about $ 19 billion at the time . 10 . if you type @ [ 4:0 ] in a facebook comment window and hit enter , his name will appear . what , if anything , fascinates you about zuckerberg ? let us know in the comments .","zuckerberg trivia : facebook is mostly blue because he is colorblind" +"zuckerberg ( cnn ) -- facebook ceo mark zuckerberg just had a birthday on may 14 . he 's now 29 . if that seems insanely young for a billionaire , remember that he co-founded facebook when he was a teenager . zuckerberg has a lot to celebrate . he 's amassed a fortune , inspired one of every seven people on the planet to use his product and changed how the world communicates -- all before age 30 . by comparison , when they were 29 , steve jobs launched the macintosh computer and bill gates was readying the first retail version of microsoft windows . and most of the rest of us were just struggling to pay the rent . so happy birthday to zuck ! to mark the occasion , we collected these 10 random facts about the tech wunderkind : 1 . zuckerberg suffers from red-green colorblindness and sees the color blue best , which is why blue dominates facebook 's color scheme . 2 . aol and microsoft tried to recruit him when he was in high school after he created synapse , a program that used artificial intelligence to learn users'music-listening habits . 3 . he wears the same gray facebook t-shirt almost every day because he 's busy and it saves him time in the morning . 4 . despite zuckerberg 's casual wardrobe , he said he wore a tie every day in 2009 to show that facebook was serious about growing in the face of the global recession . 5 . he is a vegetarian and once said he will only eat meat if he has killed the animal himself . but among his likes ' on his facebook page are mcdonald 's and in-n-out burger . 6 . he has amassed 220,000 twitter followers despite the fact that he 's only tweeted 19 times in four years , and not once in 15 months . 7 . in october 2010 , zuckerberg took a bunch of facebook staffers to a public theater to see the social network , ' the movie about the founding of facebook . in public comments afterward , he criticized the film 's portrayal of him as someone who invented facebook to gain social status . 8 . he owns a hungarian sheepdog named beast , who has a facebook page with 1.5 million fans . 9 . he took some heat last year for giving his wife , priscilla chan , a ruby wedding ring that jewelers valued at about $ 25,000 even though he was worth about $ 19 billion at the time . 10 . if you type @ [ 4:0 ] in a facebook comment window and hit enter , his name will appear . what , if anything , fascinates you about zuckerberg ? let us know in the comments .","facebook co-founder and ceo mark zuckerberg turned 29 on may 14" +"karim benzema ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo grabbed a hat-trick as real madrid crushed malaga 7-0 to close the gap on spanish league leaders barcelona . the portuguese striker ended his four-match goal drought in style as jose mourinho 's side reduced barca 's advantage at the top of la liga to seven points . second-bottom malaga had no answer to a powerful attacking display and finished the game with nine men after defender manolo was sent off and cala limped off injured after they had made all their permitted substitutions . malaga coach manuel pelligrini , who was replaced at real madrid by mourinho , chose to rest some of his best players and the decision came back to haunt him at the bernabeu . france international karim benzema began the rout after 27 minutes when he diverted xabi alonso 's free kick into the net . angel di maria added a second nine minutes later after capitalizing on a missed interception to slot the ball into the bottom corner . just before the break marcelo slammed di maria 's pass into the corner of the net to make it 3-0 . there was no let up after the interval as ronaldo rounded off a flowing move to register a fourth before benzema got his second with a header from marcelo 's cross . manolo handled in the area to give real a penalty and was shown a second yellow card by the referee . ronaldo made no mistake from the spot . and the striker completed his hat-trick by converting sergio canales'cross at the near post with 13 minutes remaining before asking to be substituted .","karim benzema scores twice as real move to within seven points of barca" +"david fairchild ( cnn ) -- if you do n't like mangoes , look away now . this article includes a mango ' word count well in excess of what is normally reasonable . it features mango culinary demonstrations , mango samplings , mango lectures , mango medics , a mango auction and even a mango summit . that 's because i attended the international mango festival , held in the fairchild tropical botanic garden in miami earlier this month . it 's an annual event , one that draws enthusiasts , like myself , and also mango experts ' who gather to talk , taste and slurp their way around this sweetest , drippiest of fruits . i imagine most are still reading . after all , who does n't like mangoes ? the united states is the world 's biggest importer of mangoes , buying in more than 300,000 tons of them in 2010 , worth around $ 280 million , according to the un 's fao figures . that 's not as much bananas -- in the same year the u.s. imported more than 4 million tons of bananas , worth nearly $ 2 billion . but clearly we have a liking for this red-yellow fruit . my mission , i decided , was to try and discover if there is such a thing as a perfect ' mango , and if so , where i could find it . hundreds of varieties it 's not as absurd a mission as you might think -- there are an estimated one thousand mango varieties grown around the world , the fairchild garden has a collection of 600 types , and they 're all quite different . surprisingly , only 20 of those are commercially traded , ' says noris ledesma , the curator of tropical fruit for fairchild 's tropical fruit program . the most common are tommy atkins , ataulfo , kent and keitt . with the exception of ataulfo , which is from mexico , all other varieties are from florida . ' mangoes were introduced to the united states in the early 1900s by david fairchild , the then manager of the office of seed and plant introduction of the u.s. department of agriculture . his global seed explorations brought thousands of seeds , plants and crops into the country , including the mango . originally from south asia , the mango moved to africa , then south america and the caribbean . fairchild brought the mango into the u.s. from india . for dr. richard campbell , director of horticulture and senior curator of tropical fruit at the fairchild , mangoes are a special fruit that have everything : aromas , flavors , colors and culture . they bring out passion and appeal to the common man and to the most sophisticated . ' so where should i start on my perfect mango mission ? mangoes from indonesia do not taste the same as mangoes from india , hawaii or mexico . it 's just geography , ' says dr. campbell . so perhaps i should start close by -- in florida . florida produces the majority of mangoes in the united states , and it turns out south floridians are exceptionally confident with their mango selections . local favorites standing in front of the one dollar line for the mango tasting and flavor evaluations , i ask festival attendee stacey griffin what she votes for . her mango of choice is the merritt , a complex mango from florida with layers of flavors . griffin 's second choice goes to the champagne mango , also known as the ataulfo , from mexico , with thick , buttery flesh and a thin pit . for griffin , mangoes are great in all forms : hot , cold , as smoothies or in a cooked dish . for others , including myself , the choice is too overwhelming to make such an important decision so quickly . i wonder if there are tricks or techniques i should apply to come to a decision quicker . the best way to taste mango and to appreciate the complexity of the flavors is early in the morning with an empty stomach , ' says ledesma . if you want to get really technical , which is exactly what festivals like this seem to thrive on , we can also argue over mango cultivation , pruning , crafting and market demand . the event features a long diary of workshops and displays and other proceedings on all things mango . i learn , for instance , that while india is the world 's biggest producer of mangoes by some distance , mexico is the biggest supplier to the united states , with china , india and brazil following . that does n't necessarily mean mexico has the best mangoes , but the champagne variety from mexico is deliciously sweet with an appetizing orange color . then there 's the keitt -- shining yellow and aromatic . there 's the manila from philippines -- strong and sour . the okrong from thailand is also pleasant , while the kent variety is rather grassy . mangoes during the festival sell for the modest price of $ 1-2 each , but in japan the price can go much higher . the floridian mango sells for $ 80 a piece , ' says ledesma . it 's given as a gift because its red color is a symbol of luck and abundance . ' mango tastings do n't have to involve the fruit in its pure form . cut , cooked , creamed soon i find myself trying mango-based dishes like sticky rice with mango , mango ceviche and mango chutneys offered by local vendors and chefs . it all has a refreshing yet sweet flavor and the savory and spicy combinations intrigue me . its versatility makes it easy-to-use in salads , dips , chutneys , smoothies and even bread . but even after dozens of tastings , i 'm still looking at my notes unable to decide what makes a perfect mango . i seek alternative opinion once again . i definitely do not like manila , ' says seven-year old son . it 's super sour . ' dr. campbell says it 's almost impossible to decide what the best ' mango is . but that does n't stop him picking one out . my favorite is the edward because i grew up with it , i have it in my backyard , ' says campbell . it is safe and it reminds me of home . ' after two days of exploration , numerous tastings and various conversations i finally decide on a favorite : i opt for the fairchild mango from panama , named after david fairchild . it 's smooth , creamy and fragrant , its bold sweetness is addictive and i 'm intrigued by the color . it 's just a shame my choice means excluding so many delicious others .","the fairchild mango was named after david fairchild , who introduced mangoes to the u.s. in early 1900s" +"dutchman ( cnn ) -- bayern munich coach louis van gaal has signed a one-year contract extension with the german champions . the dutchman 's current deal was due to expire at the end of the bundesliga season but the club confirmed on monday that van gaal 's new contract will take him through until june 2012 . bayern won the title last season but have endured a tough start to the current campaign . they are sitting ninth in the table after losing two of their opening six games and were defeated at home by league leaders mainz on saturday . but chairman karl-heinz rummenigge told the club 's official website that they were keen for the coach to stay despite bayern 's patchy form . i always prefer doing things which might not have been expected , ' he said . people are always extending contracts after victories , so this sends out a very good signal to the world at large about our opinion of the coach 's value , even though we lost to mainz . ' speaking ahead of bayern 's champions league tie with swiss team fc basel on tuesday , van gaal said : my first priority is always the sporting perspective . winning things is always important , and you can win things with a top club like bayern munich . ' the 59-year-old led bayern to the champions league final for the first time since 2001 last season , where they were beaten 2-1 by inter milan , then coached by jose mourinho . van gaal said his outstanding ' relationship with his playing staff and the board were major factors in his decision to commit . he added : i could n't wish for anything better . the chemistry 's right . you get to know each other properly in difficult situations . we 're seeing it again right now . these are tough times , but the board is keeping the faith -- the faith which took us to the champions league final in madrid . ' rummenigge said bayern valued their coach highly : he does a superb job every day . we 're recognizing that with this contract extension . ' bayern 's captain -- dutch midfielder mark van bommel -- welcomed the news . he said : the coach signing a new deal is a very good sign . he 's doing a great job . ' one of germany 's stars of the world cup , thomas muller , echoed the comments of his captain . van gaal been extremely important for me so far , he 's made a huge contribution to my career . that settles the matter , which is good for him , for us and for the club as a whole . '","the dutchman 's deal runs until the end of june in 2012" +"jewish ( cnn ) -- two leading jewish watchdog groups are denouncing a prominent cartoonist 's illustration about israel 's offensive in gaza , saying it uses anti-semitic imagery . the cartoon was published wednesday in newspapers and on the internet . the anti-defamation league , which has been fighting anti-semitism since it was founded in 1913 , called the syndicated cartoon by pulitzer prize-winning pat oliphant hideously anti-semitic . ' the simon wiesenthal center , which , among other things , fights anti-semitism and educates people about the holocaust , said the cartoon mimics the venomous anti-semitic propaganda of the nazi and soviet eras . ' published wednesday in newspapers and on the internet , the cartoon shows the small figure of a woman , labeled gaza , carrying a child . she is being pursued by a headless , jackbooted figure wielding a sword , marching in an apparent goose-step and pushing a fanged jewish star on a wheel . the anti-defamation league said the cartoon used nazi-like imagery ' and a hateful evocation of the star of david . ' abraham h. foxman , the adl 's national director , said the cartoon 's outlandish and offensive use of the star of david in combination with nazi-like imagery is hideously anti-semitic . ' it employs nazi imagery by portraying israel as a jack-booted , goose-stepping headless apparition , ' foxman said . the implication is of an israeli policy without a head or a heart . israel 's defensive military operation to protect the lives of its men , women and children who are being continuously bombarded by hamas rocket attacks has been turned on its head to show the victims as heartless , headless aggressors . ' the wiesenthal center , which also issued its statement wednesday , said it urged the new york times web site and other web sites to remove the cartoon . there is nothing about oliphant 's cartoon not meant to denigrate and demonize the jewish state , from the headless goose-stepping soldier to the horrific depiction of the star of david about to devour a cowering innocent gazan woman holding a baby , ' rabbi marvin hier , the group 's dean , and rabbi abraham cooper , the group 's associate dean , said in a joint statement . the imagery in this cartoon mimics the venomous anti-semitic propaganda of the nazi and soviet eras . it is cartoons like this that inspired millions of people to hate in the 1930 's and help set the stage for the nazi genocide , ' the statement said . a spokeswoman for universal press syndicate , which distributes oliphant 's work , issued a statement defending him , saying he , like all editorial cartoonists , uses his art to comment on important issues of the day widely reported in the worldwide media -- in this case , the conflict over gaza . that his cartoons sometimes spark intense debate is a testament to his talent . ' universal said no media outlet had informed the syndicate that it removed the cartoon , but oliphant 's clients are not contractually bound to inform us . ' a new york times spokeswoman said , we did not run the cartoon in the newspaper , nor do we plan to do so . ' she said nytimes.com has , by contract with uclick.com , an oliphant ' button on the cartoons page . yesterday , those who clicked on it saw the cartoon you mentioned , which is now relegated to the oliphant archive , ' she said . imagery and rhetoric comparing israel to nazis have been deployed by israel 's persistent critics , who decry the jewish state 's treatment of palestinians as oppressive and brutal . israel and its supporters defend the state as humane and say it has properly defended itself against attacks . there has been sharp criticism of israel 's offensive against hamas militants in gaza who launched rockets into southern israeli towns . human rights watch said wednesday the israeli military 's firing of white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas during the offensive was indiscriminate and is evidence of war crimes , ' a claim denied by israel . israel has said that hamas militants situated themselves among civilians during the offensive . oliphant , who won the pulitzer in 1967 , has been a dominant figure in the editorial cartoon world . his work has been distributed since 1980 by universal press syndicate , which calls the australian native one of the sharpest , most daring practitioners ' among editorial cartoonists . he has received many honors , and his cartoons have been exhibited across the world . in 1998 , the library of congress commemorated the acquisition of 60 of his works with a special exhibition at the library 's great hall , ' according to an oliphant biography on the universal web site . this is n't the first time oliphant 's cartoons have drawn criticism . the american arab anti-discrimination committee in 2005 wrote to the san francisco chronicle and universal press syndicate to communicate concern over racist depictions of arabs , ' according to the group 's web site , and the asian american journalists association criticized offensive stereotypes in cartoons in 1999 , 2001 and 2007 . debates over offensive editorial cartoons are not uncommon . keith woods , dean of faculty at the poynter institute , a journalism school in st. petersburg , florida , was asked to comment on the reaction to the cartoon , whether the cartoon was improper , and at what point in the editorial process an editor can say a product has gone too far . he said he understands the positions the jewish groups and israeli policy critics bring to the table . he said he believes oliphant is saying that israel is behaving toward the palestinians the way the nazis behaved toward the jews ' and that he is stating an opinion shared by many in the middle east and the world . i believe that like the caricatures they are , editorial cartoons by their nature exaggerate their messages , so i do n't think oliphant is suggesting a one-to-one comparison . so i get the message , instead , that israel is acting brutally toward the palestinians . ' he also believes the adl and the wiesenthal center are saying that the cartoon is at least doing unintentional harm ( if not more calculated harm ) . ' i see their point . there are symbols -- and the nazi extermination of the jews is surely one of them -- that can only truly be analogized to their equals . unadulterated evil compared with unadulterated evil . israel 's ongoing battles with its arab neighbors may be many things , but it is not the final solution . ' as for the question of how news organizations should handle and discuss such a cartoon , woods said that oliphant clearly has the right to provoke or offend . the question for him is : do you truly wish to conflate a complex , historic conflict with one of the most evil acts in history ? and for the newspapers that carry the cartoon -- and their behavior here is equally open to critique -- do you wish to perpetuate such a comparison ? '","work by pulitzer-winning cartoonist shows jack-booted figure , jewish star with fangs" +"ahmed ( cnn ) -- a second person who had been taken hostage at a rural louisiana bank this week has died , a hospital official said thursday . laden mcdaniel , a woman who police said was among three tensas state bank employees taken hostage on tuesday , died at rapides regional medical center , according to sarah clancy of the alexandria , louisiana , hospital . authorities said fuaed abdo ahmed shot mcdaniel and jay warbington as police stormed the bank in st. joseph just before midnight tuesday . police shot and killed ahmed , louisiana state police col. michael edmonson said . he said the gunman had threatened to kill the hostages . warbington died later , police said wednesday . the third hostage had been freed before the shooting began . in 2012 : gunman wounded , ending french hostage incident ahmed had with him a book on torture and a bag with items he could use to torture people , state police trooper albert paxton said thursday . he also had a book on hostage negotiations , paxton said . police said ahmed , 20 , was known to police , and edmonson described him as a paranoid schizophrenic . ahmed told hostage negotiators that he heard voices and wanted to have a device removed from his head . born in california , ahmed moved with his family to northeastern louisiana , where his family owns a convenience store , edmonson said . the mississippi river community of st. joseph is about 35 miles south of tallulah , louisiana , and 35 miles north of natchez , mississippi . it is the seat of tensas parish , home to about 5,000 people . ahmed entered the bank branch with a handgun around 12:30 p.m. , and took the three bank employees hostage , according to officials . after word got out about the hostage situation , local , state and federal law enforcement agents descended on the usually quiet community . law enforcement agents were able to talk to the hostages as well as the gunman . edmonson said he talked to , and prayed with , relatives of the hostages . cnn 's ed payne , dave alsup , alina machado , greg botelho and joe sutton contributed to this report .","police : ahmed shot both hostages as police stormed the building they were in" +"ahmed ( cnn ) -- a second person who had been taken hostage at a rural louisiana bank this week has died , a hospital official said thursday . laden mcdaniel , a woman who police said was among three tensas state bank employees taken hostage on tuesday , died at rapides regional medical center , according to sarah clancy of the alexandria , louisiana , hospital . authorities said fuaed abdo ahmed shot mcdaniel and jay warbington as police stormed the bank in st. joseph just before midnight tuesday . police shot and killed ahmed , louisiana state police col. michael edmonson said . he said the gunman had threatened to kill the hostages . warbington died later , police said wednesday . the third hostage had been freed before the shooting began . in 2012 : gunman wounded , ending french hostage incident ahmed had with him a book on torture and a bag with items he could use to torture people , state police trooper albert paxton said thursday . he also had a book on hostage negotiations , paxton said . police said ahmed , 20 , was known to police , and edmonson described him as a paranoid schizophrenic . ahmed told hostage negotiators that he heard voices and wanted to have a device removed from his head . born in california , ahmed moved with his family to northeastern louisiana , where his family owns a convenience store , edmonson said . the mississippi river community of st. joseph is about 35 miles south of tallulah , louisiana , and 35 miles north of natchez , mississippi . it is the seat of tensas parish , home to about 5,000 people . ahmed entered the bank branch with a handgun around 12:30 p.m. , and took the three bank employees hostage , according to officials . after word got out about the hostage situation , local , state and federal law enforcement agents descended on the usually quiet community . law enforcement agents were able to talk to the hostages as well as the gunman . edmonson said he talked to , and prayed with , relatives of the hostages . cnn 's ed payne , dave alsup , alina machado , greg botelho and joe sutton contributed to this report .","police identify the dead hostage-taker as fuaed abdo ahmed" +"microsoft ( cnn ) -- on august 24 , a jury of nine in a california federal court handed down a ruling that sent shockwaves through the global wireless phone industry . samsung , the world 's largest phone maker , was found guilty of infringing on key apple hardware design and software elements . samsung got apple 's attention because of its size , but every android device manufacturer now needs to consider potential exposure areas that could put them in the crosshairs as apple tries to slow android growth . the appeals game will surely play out over the next many months . in the meantime , consumers will feel the pain as devices potentially get more expensive and software changes begin to creep into their android smartphones . if appeals rulings uphold the initial verdict , the mobile ecosystem as we know it will look very different in one to two years . this would be driven by fundamental changes in the look and feel of non-apple phone hardware , changes to the android mobile operating system and potentially the emergence of a third popular mobile operating system . smartphone market changes coming android phones account for 56 % of the u.s. smartphone market . friday 's ruling was very sobering for the android device manufacturers that have driven this growth . until recently , smartphone design patent ownership seemed like a gray area . the court has now made it clear that , in fact , it is very black and white . all phone manufacturers will need to be a lot more careful from here on out when it comes to design , and patents they want to avoid , license or partner on . this could result in phones being more expensive for consumers . over the next year , consumers lose in this equation . android phone makers will be scrambling to develop temporary workarounds to steer clear of any potentially infringing apple patents . the time spent working on these fixes will reduce time spent on development of new , innovative features . in the case of samsung , it is likely the only device manufacturer with the resources and scale to develop and implement fixes rapidly , mitigating the immediate impact on consumers . if there are other phone makers in apple 's sights , they will be taking advantage of a much-needed head start to begin developing workarounds now to avoid a lawsuit . sure , android consumers could always turn to apple , but some are turned off by the company 's one phone per year release schedule and continued hesitancy to incorporate the latest mobile advances such as 4g and larger screens . consumers who want to stay in the open and highly-customizable android ecosystem could experience some temporary frustration . creating the next iconic device this ruling could prove to be the catalyst for major industry change . smartphone product roadmaps are all but decided for the next year . beyond that , every device manufacturer will be thinking outside of the rectangular slab form-factor ' box in an attempt to create the next big consumer trend . this will be easier said than done given that consumers have become accustomed to the current crop of devices . device manufacturers know that consumers ca n't tell them what they want , they can only tell them what they do n't want . this will result in phone makers traveling into unchartered territory in the hopes of capturing consumer attention and emotion . choice will likely also come in the way of new mobile operating system platforms . it is no coincidence that microsoft and nokia 's stock opened higher the day after the ruling . apple stated during the trial that these companies have proven that it is possible to innovate in the smartphone market without copying apple . of course , apple does have patent and design agreements with microsoft and both companies have a mutual interest in slowing android growth . as wireless carriers and device manufacturers seek to diversify their product lineup in the wake of the ruling , microsoft might finally have its day in mobile . it is very likely that we 'll eventually see a three horse mobile operating system race among apple , android and microsoft . short term is not pretty , but long term looks good the short-term might not be pretty , but long-term , the industry is poised to break free from the homogenous rounded rectangular slabs with grid-based apps we 're all familiar with today . this ruling will encourage accelerated innovation from device manufacturers , which will move beyond the constraints of a single form factor . ultimately , the consumer will choose what designs will win and which implementation of hardware and software integration is most elegant . today 's constraints will define how the industry will innovate tomorrow . it might be a tough road , but there are promising days ahead . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jefferson wang .","as manufacturers diversify , microsoft might finally have its day in the mobile sun" +"hillary clinton washington ( cnn ) -- macy friday ca n't remember what she was thinking when -- mouth agape , eyes bugged -- she shook hands with hillary clinton in denver this week . it all happened so fast , she says . what she does remember is the national response to the photo of her reacting with pure , unadulterated excitement to meeting the former secretary of state . media outlets pounced on the story . the washington post captured the reaction perfectly , writing that macy had a look on her face that has never been witnessed by anyone who is not a dad chaperoning a minivan full of teenagers at a one direction concert . ' but why was macy so excited ? what does she like about hillary clinton ? and who else would she react that way to meeting ? cnn spoke with macy friday over the phone thursday . here is our conversation : cnn : how did you get to meet hillary clinton ? macy : i went to union station unsuspecting that she would come . i had seen her in the elections and i have heard a lot about her . i was just like ,'wow .'i was excited because , i thought , she was saying hi to a lot of people . i did n't think she was going to say hi to me . they went into a coffee shop and we were like ,'oh no , they are going to leave .'and then , she came out and she is like ,'hey you .'and i did n't know who she is talking to . and then i realized it was me and i went up and i turned back at my family . ( long pause ) i had never met anybody famous before . ( long pause ) i turned back at my family and i , like , i , you know , made the face . cnn : what did you think about all the attention your photo received ? macy : well , i love it . because , well , it is not just because ... i think hillary clinton is a a really good role model for girls of all ages and it [ the reason she liked the attention ] is n't just because it got a lot of cool places . i am just happy because people know that a younger girl still looks up to somebody like that . cnn : what is it about secretary clinton that you look up to ? macy : i like her because , like , she is running for president and a lot of people think that girls should n't be president because they are not as smart or they should n't have the same rights . and she is just a good role model for girls because , you know , she is just sort of , like , to everybody ,'girls can be awesome , too .'[ editor 's note : clinton herself has said she has yet to make a decision on whether she will run for president . ] cnn : you are 10 . when you were born , hillary clinton had been well known for 20 years . how much did you know about her when you met earlier this week ? macy : i did n't know , too , too , too much . i knew that she was the first lady for a while . and her husband is bill clinton . and her daughter chelsea just had a baby . and her niece 's name is macy . and that is my name . and when i first went up to her , i said ,'macy ,'and she said that is one of her favorite names . cnn : who are some other famous people you would be as excited to see as you were with secretary clinton ? macy : oh gosh , well , selena gomez , katy perry , probably michelle obama and barack obama . hmmm ... taylor swift . did i already say taylor swift ? probably one direction . cnn : a local anchor in your hometown joked that you would be the first women president . would you ever want to do that ? macy : maybe ! it is a really hard job . i think , i think , maybe . [ editor 's note : macy will be eligible to run for president in 2040 . ] cnn : do you think you could do it ? macy : yeah ! cnn : if hillary clinton runs for president , what would your advice be to her ? macy : i would say that even if you are different or you are a different gender , it does n't matter what you look like . i do n't know , like , if you wear glasses . everybody can be awesome . cnn : if you could vote in 2016 , would you vote for secretary clinton ? macy : yes , totally . cnn : thanks macy ... macy : thank you . and one more thing : make sure if finn [ her 12-year old brother ] does give you the permission to use the photo , give him photo cred ! -- - ( cnn did use the selfie that finn took of his family and clinton . and , yes , he did get the photo cred . also , some question and answers were edited for clarity . )","macy says meeting hillary clinton was like meeting selena gomez , katy perry , taylor swift and one direction ." +"hillary clinton washington ( cnn ) -- macy friday ca n't remember what she was thinking when -- mouth agape , eyes bugged -- she shook hands with hillary clinton in denver this week . it all happened so fast , she says . what she does remember is the national response to the photo of her reacting with pure , unadulterated excitement to meeting the former secretary of state . media outlets pounced on the story . the washington post captured the reaction perfectly , writing that macy had a look on her face that has never been witnessed by anyone who is not a dad chaperoning a minivan full of teenagers at a one direction concert . ' but why was macy so excited ? what does she like about hillary clinton ? and who else would she react that way to meeting ? cnn spoke with macy friday over the phone thursday . here is our conversation : cnn : how did you get to meet hillary clinton ? macy : i went to union station unsuspecting that she would come . i had seen her in the elections and i have heard a lot about her . i was just like ,'wow .'i was excited because , i thought , she was saying hi to a lot of people . i did n't think she was going to say hi to me . they went into a coffee shop and we were like ,'oh no , they are going to leave .'and then , she came out and she is like ,'hey you .'and i did n't know who she is talking to . and then i realized it was me and i went up and i turned back at my family . ( long pause ) i had never met anybody famous before . ( long pause ) i turned back at my family and i , like , i , you know , made the face . cnn : what did you think about all the attention your photo received ? macy : well , i love it . because , well , it is not just because ... i think hillary clinton is a a really good role model for girls of all ages and it [ the reason she liked the attention ] is n't just because it got a lot of cool places . i am just happy because people know that a younger girl still looks up to somebody like that . cnn : what is it about secretary clinton that you look up to ? macy : i like her because , like , she is running for president and a lot of people think that girls should n't be president because they are not as smart or they should n't have the same rights . and she is just a good role model for girls because , you know , she is just sort of , like , to everybody ,'girls can be awesome , too .'[ editor 's note : clinton herself has said she has yet to make a decision on whether she will run for president . ] cnn : you are 10 . when you were born , hillary clinton had been well known for 20 years . how much did you know about her when you met earlier this week ? macy : i did n't know , too , too , too much . i knew that she was the first lady for a while . and her husband is bill clinton . and her daughter chelsea just had a baby . and her niece 's name is macy . and that is my name . and when i first went up to her , i said ,'macy ,'and she said that is one of her favorite names . cnn : who are some other famous people you would be as excited to see as you were with secretary clinton ? macy : oh gosh , well , selena gomez , katy perry , probably michelle obama and barack obama . hmmm ... taylor swift . did i already say taylor swift ? probably one direction . cnn : a local anchor in your hometown joked that you would be the first women president . would you ever want to do that ? macy : maybe ! it is a really hard job . i think , i think , maybe . [ editor 's note : macy will be eligible to run for president in 2040 . ] cnn : do you think you could do it ? macy : yeah ! cnn : if hillary clinton runs for president , what would your advice be to her ? macy : i would say that even if you are different or you are a different gender , it does n't matter what you look like . i do n't know , like , if you wear glasses . everybody can be awesome . cnn : if you could vote in 2016 , would you vote for secretary clinton ? macy : yes , totally . cnn : thanks macy ... macy : thank you . and one more thing : make sure if finn [ her 12-year old brother ] does give you the permission to use the photo , give him photo cred ! -- - ( cnn did use the selfie that finn took of his family and clinton . and , yes , he did get the photo cred . also , some question and answers were edited for clarity . )","macy friday met hillary clinton this week and a photo of her priceless reaction went viral ." +"hillary clinton washington ( cnn ) -- macy friday ca n't remember what she was thinking when -- mouth agape , eyes bugged -- she shook hands with hillary clinton in denver this week . it all happened so fast , she says . what she does remember is the national response to the photo of her reacting with pure , unadulterated excitement to meeting the former secretary of state . media outlets pounced on the story . the washington post captured the reaction perfectly , writing that macy had a look on her face that has never been witnessed by anyone who is not a dad chaperoning a minivan full of teenagers at a one direction concert . ' but why was macy so excited ? what does she like about hillary clinton ? and who else would she react that way to meeting ? cnn spoke with macy friday over the phone thursday . here is our conversation : cnn : how did you get to meet hillary clinton ? macy : i went to union station unsuspecting that she would come . i had seen her in the elections and i have heard a lot about her . i was just like ,'wow .'i was excited because , i thought , she was saying hi to a lot of people . i did n't think she was going to say hi to me . they went into a coffee shop and we were like ,'oh no , they are going to leave .'and then , she came out and she is like ,'hey you .'and i did n't know who she is talking to . and then i realized it was me and i went up and i turned back at my family . ( long pause ) i had never met anybody famous before . ( long pause ) i turned back at my family and i , like , i , you know , made the face . cnn : what did you think about all the attention your photo received ? macy : well , i love it . because , well , it is not just because ... i think hillary clinton is a a really good role model for girls of all ages and it [ the reason she liked the attention ] is n't just because it got a lot of cool places . i am just happy because people know that a younger girl still looks up to somebody like that . cnn : what is it about secretary clinton that you look up to ? macy : i like her because , like , she is running for president and a lot of people think that girls should n't be president because they are not as smart or they should n't have the same rights . and she is just a good role model for girls because , you know , she is just sort of , like , to everybody ,'girls can be awesome , too .'[ editor 's note : clinton herself has said she has yet to make a decision on whether she will run for president . ] cnn : you are 10 . when you were born , hillary clinton had been well known for 20 years . how much did you know about her when you met earlier this week ? macy : i did n't know , too , too , too much . i knew that she was the first lady for a while . and her husband is bill clinton . and her daughter chelsea just had a baby . and her niece 's name is macy . and that is my name . and when i first went up to her , i said ,'macy ,'and she said that is one of her favorite names . cnn : who are some other famous people you would be as excited to see as you were with secretary clinton ? macy : oh gosh , well , selena gomez , katy perry , probably michelle obama and barack obama . hmmm ... taylor swift . did i already say taylor swift ? probably one direction . cnn : a local anchor in your hometown joked that you would be the first women president . would you ever want to do that ? macy : maybe ! it is a really hard job . i think , i think , maybe . [ editor 's note : macy will be eligible to run for president in 2040 . ] cnn : do you think you could do it ? macy : yeah ! cnn : if hillary clinton runs for president , what would your advice be to her ? macy : i would say that even if you are different or you are a different gender , it does n't matter what you look like . i do n't know , like , if you wear glasses . everybody can be awesome . cnn : if you could vote in 2016 , would you vote for secretary clinton ? macy : yes , totally . cnn : thanks macy ... macy : thank you . and one more thing : make sure if finn [ her 12-year old brother ] does give you the permission to use the photo , give him photo cred ! -- - ( cnn did use the selfie that finn took of his family and clinton . and , yes , he did get the photo cred . also , some question and answers were edited for clarity . )"," she is running for president , ' macy says of hillary clinton ." +"michelin guide ( cnn ) -- michelin travel publications rolled out the results for new york city 's 2015 michelin guide today , and 73 area restaurants earned one or more of the guide 's highest honor - the michelin star . the michelin guide , or le guide michelin , originated in france in 1900 and has since offered its notes , recommendations and ratings on restaurants and hotels in select cities around the globe . it published its first new york city edition in 2005 . world 's 50 best restaurants for 2014 the guide 's recommendations are put together by a team of famously anonymous ' inspectors , who all must undergo strict training and sign confidentiality agreements before they can file reports on their assigned establishments . the ratings for the guide are as follows : three stars -- exceptional cuisine , worth a special journey . one always eats here extremely well , sometimes superbly . distinctive dishes are precisely executed , using superlative ingredients . ' two stars -- excellent cuisine , worth a detour . skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality . ' one star -- a very good restaurant in its category . a place offering cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard . ' best restaurants in america are ... here is the full list ( alphabetically in each category ) : three michelin stars : chef 's table at brooklyn fare eleven madison park jean-georges le bernardin masa per se two michelin stars : aquavit atera blanca daniel ichimura jungsik marea momofuku ko soto one michelin star : ai fiori aldea andanada aureole babbo batard betony blue hill bouley the breslin brushstroke cafe boulud cafe china carbone casa enrique casa mono caviar russe danny brown wine bar & kitchen delaware and hudson del posto dovetail 15 east gotham bar and grill gramercy tavern hakkasan jewel bako juni junoon kajitsu kyo ya la vara lincoln luksus at torst meadowsweet minetta tavern the modern the musket room m. wells steakhouse nomad peter luger picholine piora pok pok ny public the river cafe rosanjin seasonal spotted pig sushi azabu sushi of gari take root telepan tori shin torrisi italian specialties tulsi wallse zabb elee zz 's clam bar","the michelin guide has been published since 1900" +"lidsky washington ( cnn ) -- isaac lidsky arrives in front of the u.s. supreme court , stops suddenly and , upon hearing a voice , extends his hand in greeting almost instinctively . isaac lidsky graduated from harvard university at 19 . retinitis pigmentosa has seriously impaired his vision . seemingly simple gestures such as a hello do n't always come easily for a man who is legally blind . but this has n't deterred the ex-justice department prosecutor from pursuing a promising legal career , one that will take him inside the nation 's highest court in a few weeks . the florida native will join 36 of the nation 's top young attorneys as law clerks to supreme court justices for the 2008-'09 term . he will be the first legally blind law clerk in the court 's history . lidsky , 28 , will work with the retired justice sandra day o'connor and will be assured of long days writing and researching cases . i certainly am nervous to the extent i am eager to be helpful to the justice and productive , ' he said . i just want to do good work . ' watch as the lawyer will break new ground at the court » lidsky , a one-time actor , may be vaguely familiar to adults of a certain age . he played the lovable geek barton weasel ' wyzell on the nbc series saved by the bell : the new class ' in the 1990s . there 's a little bit of a cringe factor because my character was not necessarily the coolest kid in school , but certainly , [ there 's ] fond memories , ' he recalled . it was an incredible experience for a kid to have . ' around that time , the 13-year-old was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa , a degenerative eye disease that already had struck two of his older sisters . the symptoms were slow to develop , so lidsky came to terms early with the idea of losing his vision . now his sight is seriously impaired . lidsky said his parents , betti and carlos lidsky , did not allow self-pity and encouraged him to help others like himself . right away my parents really led the charge on saying ,'how can we take this challenge and turn it into something positive ?' he said . so for 15 years we have been doing just that . ' acting was never going to be a career for lidsky . it was the law that always attracted him . as a child he went to court with his father , a prominent miami lawyer . becoming a supreme court law clerk , he said , was a lifelong dream . after graduating at 19 from harvard university , he earned a degree from its law school , with a brief stop in between as an internet business entrepreneur . in 2004 , he began a clerkship with judge thomas ambro of the 3rd u.s . circuit court of appeals , based in philadelphia , pennsylvania . ambro became a mentor to the bright young lawyer and witnessed a sudden decline in his vision . you could tell things were getting worse , ' ambro said . by the end of the one-year assignment , he now needed a cane and was using a guide dog . once he had no idea i was in the same room with him until i spoke . ' but that did not dull lidsky 's drive to succeed . he had a real good sense of what he was facing , ' ambro said . he 's determined to make it in the same way as other people who succeed . for him it was simply a matter of getting the tools to do it . ' those tools include optical character recognition software , which scans printed words electronically and reads them back to him , and a blackberry-type communication device that sends and receives e-mail audibly . friends said he was a little reluctant over the years to embrace much of the technology , as he sought to preserve his independence as long as possible . after his clerkship came a stint in the justice department 's civil division , where he argued about a dozen cases in federal courts . he said his acting skills came in handy when pleading before often skeptical judges . with the recommendations of ambro and others , lidsky applied four times to be a supreme court law clerk but was rejected . a meeting with longtime federal judge david tatel , who also is blind , convinced lidsky he should not give up his dream . then came the call from o'connor . sitting in her chambers , here i was worrying about having to recall the minutiae of legal doctrine ' for the personal interview , he recalled . but we fell into talking about our families and philosophies , and she made me feel very warm and welcome . ' o'connor was not available for an interview , but former clerks said they remember her as a nurturing type who nevertheless demands much from them . i have no doubt justice o'connor will keep me very busy , ' lidsky said . in addition , lidsky likely will be assigned to an active justice to sort through the 9,000-some appeals that reach the high court every year . in that capacity , he would recommend which cases should be accepted for review and help write early drafts of opinions . o'connor also will continue her practice of sitting in on several appeals court cases a year , so lidsky will assist her on those , along with the 78-year-old 's busy schedule of teaching , speeches and public advocacy . lidsky will have to scale back involvement in his foundation , hope for vision , which he created with his wife , dorothy , and some friends to raise awareness of blinding diseases . his group is launching a campaign this week to find a cure for blindness by 2020 . we have communities of hope across the country that do events to raise awareness and funding for research , ' he said . it 's purely volunteer-driven , very grass-roots . over 98 percent of the money we raise goes directly to scientific grants . ' as for the future , lidsky plans to go to london , england , after his clerkship ends , so his wife can finish her master 's degree . he would be set to rejoin his law firm , where he has taken a leave of absence , but has no specific career goals . in 10 or 15 years , i would bet he will be a man still on your radar screen , ' ambro predicts . lidsky appears more modest . i 'm not out there to set any kinds of records or prove anything to anybody , ' he said . as odd as it may sound , losing my vision has in a lot of ways been a very rewarding experience for me . ' cnn 's kelli arena contributed to this report .","lidsky played weasel on nbc 's saved by the bell : the new class '" +"lidsky washington ( cnn ) -- isaac lidsky arrives in front of the u.s. supreme court , stops suddenly and , upon hearing a voice , extends his hand in greeting almost instinctively . isaac lidsky graduated from harvard university at 19 . retinitis pigmentosa has seriously impaired his vision . seemingly simple gestures such as a hello do n't always come easily for a man who is legally blind . but this has n't deterred the ex-justice department prosecutor from pursuing a promising legal career , one that will take him inside the nation 's highest court in a few weeks . the florida native will join 36 of the nation 's top young attorneys as law clerks to supreme court justices for the 2008-'09 term . he will be the first legally blind law clerk in the court 's history . lidsky , 28 , will work with the retired justice sandra day o'connor and will be assured of long days writing and researching cases . i certainly am nervous to the extent i am eager to be helpful to the justice and productive , ' he said . i just want to do good work . ' watch as the lawyer will break new ground at the court » lidsky , a one-time actor , may be vaguely familiar to adults of a certain age . he played the lovable geek barton weasel ' wyzell on the nbc series saved by the bell : the new class ' in the 1990s . there 's a little bit of a cringe factor because my character was not necessarily the coolest kid in school , but certainly , [ there 's ] fond memories , ' he recalled . it was an incredible experience for a kid to have . ' around that time , the 13-year-old was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa , a degenerative eye disease that already had struck two of his older sisters . the symptoms were slow to develop , so lidsky came to terms early with the idea of losing his vision . now his sight is seriously impaired . lidsky said his parents , betti and carlos lidsky , did not allow self-pity and encouraged him to help others like himself . right away my parents really led the charge on saying ,'how can we take this challenge and turn it into something positive ?' he said . so for 15 years we have been doing just that . ' acting was never going to be a career for lidsky . it was the law that always attracted him . as a child he went to court with his father , a prominent miami lawyer . becoming a supreme court law clerk , he said , was a lifelong dream . after graduating at 19 from harvard university , he earned a degree from its law school , with a brief stop in between as an internet business entrepreneur . in 2004 , he began a clerkship with judge thomas ambro of the 3rd u.s . circuit court of appeals , based in philadelphia , pennsylvania . ambro became a mentor to the bright young lawyer and witnessed a sudden decline in his vision . you could tell things were getting worse , ' ambro said . by the end of the one-year assignment , he now needed a cane and was using a guide dog . once he had no idea i was in the same room with him until i spoke . ' but that did not dull lidsky 's drive to succeed . he had a real good sense of what he was facing , ' ambro said . he 's determined to make it in the same way as other people who succeed . for him it was simply a matter of getting the tools to do it . ' those tools include optical character recognition software , which scans printed words electronically and reads them back to him , and a blackberry-type communication device that sends and receives e-mail audibly . friends said he was a little reluctant over the years to embrace much of the technology , as he sought to preserve his independence as long as possible . after his clerkship came a stint in the justice department 's civil division , where he argued about a dozen cases in federal courts . he said his acting skills came in handy when pleading before often skeptical judges . with the recommendations of ambro and others , lidsky applied four times to be a supreme court law clerk but was rejected . a meeting with longtime federal judge david tatel , who also is blind , convinced lidsky he should not give up his dream . then came the call from o'connor . sitting in her chambers , here i was worrying about having to recall the minutiae of legal doctrine ' for the personal interview , he recalled . but we fell into talking about our families and philosophies , and she made me feel very warm and welcome . ' o'connor was not available for an interview , but former clerks said they remember her as a nurturing type who nevertheless demands much from them . i have no doubt justice o'connor will keep me very busy , ' lidsky said . in addition , lidsky likely will be assigned to an active justice to sort through the 9,000-some appeals that reach the high court every year . in that capacity , he would recommend which cases should be accepted for review and help write early drafts of opinions . o'connor also will continue her practice of sitting in on several appeals court cases a year , so lidsky will assist her on those , along with the 78-year-old 's busy schedule of teaching , speeches and public advocacy . lidsky will have to scale back involvement in his foundation , hope for vision , which he created with his wife , dorothy , and some friends to raise awareness of blinding diseases . his group is launching a campaign this week to find a cure for blindness by 2020 . we have communities of hope across the country that do events to raise awareness and funding for research , ' he said . it 's purely volunteer-driven , very grass-roots . over 98 percent of the money we raise goes directly to scientific grants . ' as for the future , lidsky plans to go to london , england , after his clerkship ends , so his wife can finish her master 's degree . he would be set to rejoin his law firm , where he has taken a leave of absence , but has no specific career goals . in 10 or 15 years , i would bet he will be a man still on your radar screen , ' ambro predicts . lidsky appears more modest . i 'm not out there to set any kinds of records or prove anything to anybody , ' he said . as odd as it may sound , losing my vision has in a lot of ways been a very rewarding experience for me . ' cnn 's kelli arena contributed to this report .","lidsky will work with retired justice sandra day o'connor , who still hears appeals" +"lidsky washington ( cnn ) -- isaac lidsky arrives in front of the u.s. supreme court , stops suddenly and , upon hearing a voice , extends his hand in greeting almost instinctively . isaac lidsky graduated from harvard university at 19 . retinitis pigmentosa has seriously impaired his vision . seemingly simple gestures such as a hello do n't always come easily for a man who is legally blind . but this has n't deterred the ex-justice department prosecutor from pursuing a promising legal career , one that will take him inside the nation 's highest court in a few weeks . the florida native will join 36 of the nation 's top young attorneys as law clerks to supreme court justices for the 2008-'09 term . he will be the first legally blind law clerk in the court 's history . lidsky , 28 , will work with the retired justice sandra day o'connor and will be assured of long days writing and researching cases . i certainly am nervous to the extent i am eager to be helpful to the justice and productive , ' he said . i just want to do good work . ' watch as the lawyer will break new ground at the court » lidsky , a one-time actor , may be vaguely familiar to adults of a certain age . he played the lovable geek barton weasel ' wyzell on the nbc series saved by the bell : the new class ' in the 1990s . there 's a little bit of a cringe factor because my character was not necessarily the coolest kid in school , but certainly , [ there 's ] fond memories , ' he recalled . it was an incredible experience for a kid to have . ' around that time , the 13-year-old was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa , a degenerative eye disease that already had struck two of his older sisters . the symptoms were slow to develop , so lidsky came to terms early with the idea of losing his vision . now his sight is seriously impaired . lidsky said his parents , betti and carlos lidsky , did not allow self-pity and encouraged him to help others like himself . right away my parents really led the charge on saying ,'how can we take this challenge and turn it into something positive ?' he said . so for 15 years we have been doing just that . ' acting was never going to be a career for lidsky . it was the law that always attracted him . as a child he went to court with his father , a prominent miami lawyer . becoming a supreme court law clerk , he said , was a lifelong dream . after graduating at 19 from harvard university , he earned a degree from its law school , with a brief stop in between as an internet business entrepreneur . in 2004 , he began a clerkship with judge thomas ambro of the 3rd u.s . circuit court of appeals , based in philadelphia , pennsylvania . ambro became a mentor to the bright young lawyer and witnessed a sudden decline in his vision . you could tell things were getting worse , ' ambro said . by the end of the one-year assignment , he now needed a cane and was using a guide dog . once he had no idea i was in the same room with him until i spoke . ' but that did not dull lidsky 's drive to succeed . he had a real good sense of what he was facing , ' ambro said . he 's determined to make it in the same way as other people who succeed . for him it was simply a matter of getting the tools to do it . ' those tools include optical character recognition software , which scans printed words electronically and reads them back to him , and a blackberry-type communication device that sends and receives e-mail audibly . friends said he was a little reluctant over the years to embrace much of the technology , as he sought to preserve his independence as long as possible . after his clerkship came a stint in the justice department 's civil division , where he argued about a dozen cases in federal courts . he said his acting skills came in handy when pleading before often skeptical judges . with the recommendations of ambro and others , lidsky applied four times to be a supreme court law clerk but was rejected . a meeting with longtime federal judge david tatel , who also is blind , convinced lidsky he should not give up his dream . then came the call from o'connor . sitting in her chambers , here i was worrying about having to recall the minutiae of legal doctrine ' for the personal interview , he recalled . but we fell into talking about our families and philosophies , and she made me feel very warm and welcome . ' o'connor was not available for an interview , but former clerks said they remember her as a nurturing type who nevertheless demands much from them . i have no doubt justice o'connor will keep me very busy , ' lidsky said . in addition , lidsky likely will be assigned to an active justice to sort through the 9,000-some appeals that reach the high court every year . in that capacity , he would recommend which cases should be accepted for review and help write early drafts of opinions . o'connor also will continue her practice of sitting in on several appeals court cases a year , so lidsky will assist her on those , along with the 78-year-old 's busy schedule of teaching , speeches and public advocacy . lidsky will have to scale back involvement in his foundation , hope for vision , which he created with his wife , dorothy , and some friends to raise awareness of blinding diseases . his group is launching a campaign this week to find a cure for blindness by 2020 . we have communities of hope across the country that do events to raise awareness and funding for research , ' he said . it 's purely volunteer-driven , very grass-roots . over 98 percent of the money we raise goes directly to scientific grants . ' as for the future , lidsky plans to go to london , england , after his clerkship ends , so his wife can finish her master 's degree . he would be set to rejoin his law firm , where he has taken a leave of absence , but has no specific career goals . in 10 or 15 years , i would bet he will be a man still on your radar screen , ' ambro predicts . lidsky appears more modest . i 'm not out there to set any kinds of records or prove anything to anybody , ' he said . as odd as it may sound , losing my vision has in a lot of ways been a very rewarding experience for me . ' cnn 's kelli arena contributed to this report .","isaac lidsky is set to become first legally blind law clerk at u.s. supreme court" +"at & t ( cnn ) -- htc 's new flagship smartphone , the one , is an impressive bit of hardware and a big step forward for the company in three significant ways . the one is a top-notch , beautifully designed handset packed with the best specs and a ton of compelling features . it also runs a unique , fresh take on google 's android operating system . and it 's available in exactly the same configuration across the three major u.s. carriers . this is the phone that could close the gap between htc 's flagship and those from apple and samsung . we spent a couple of hours with the one before its big unveiling in new york today , and were thoroughly impressed by the luxurious materials used on the handset , the expert build quality holding it all together , and a slew of thoughtfully crafted software features . although the phone carries the branding established last year with the one x , one s , and other htc phones , the one amounts to a reboot of the company 's vision for android . the one x , htc 's previous flagship , won critical praise , but as an at & t exclusive it failed to generate the sales the company had hoped for . we think about the one x and we think'wow , it was big , and it was one of the best phones we 've ever done ,'' scott croyle , htc 's vice president of design , said . but if i were to compare it to , say , other stuff that was out there , i would n't say it was a step-change different . ' the company set out to build a phone that could surpass , not just meet , the performance and quality of the apple iphone 5 and samsung galaxy siii . so it put a huge effort into nailing the sense user interface , packing the phone with the best tech and broadening its reach across carriers . sense 4 , the previous generation of htc 's android customization , has been thrown out . every aspect of sense has been rethought and redesigned . the result is a slick , clean user interface , full of artful icons that match the flat , understated look google has been trying to push with its own stock version of android . and there 's a focus in the new sense on making things that users commonly do easier and more intuitive — such as sifting through social media and news apps , or snapping photos and video . i think we came to this recognition that ,'wow , there are these two other companies that are going to spend a lot more money than htc ,'' croyle said . this is the reality of the business . they have much deeper pockets and they can carpet bomb the industry and they have a tremendous amount of inertia there , particularly with apple in the u.s . so , for the one , we really had to get it right , we really had to just go for it . ' while it 's easy to see the chamfered edges found on the one and think of the iphone 5 , the one is far from a copycat product . it has a massive — and gorgeous — 4.7-inch 1080p display with a pixel density of 468 pixels per inch . as with nearly every flagship phone out there nowadays , pixels are indiscernible on the one 's generous display . colors look vivid and crisp as well . the touchscreen dominates the front of the one , with aluminum capping each end . rows of pinholes are machined into each strip of aluminum , serving as pathways for sound coming from a set of dual front-facing speakers . every phone speaker we 've ever heard has sounded like hell . while the one wo n't replace your jambox anytime soon , its onboard speakers sound immensely better than anything we 've heard from a phone . inside , the one features a 1.7ghz , quad-core qualcomm snapdragon cpu , 2gb of ram , and nfc chip , bluetooth 4.0 and connectivity to both hspa and lte networks . everything is packed into a sleek , aluminum unibody — shipping in either silver or black — that features a subtly curved back with inlaid antennas . the one weighs 5.04 ounces , and is just 0.36 inches thick . the one will also sports a beefed up camera , with a ton of photo and video features — which are so plentiful we 've written a separate story focusing on the one 's camera . along with all new hardware , htc is using the one to introduce an all new take on android . sense 4 , htc 's last skin , was among the best versions of google 's mobile os thanks to its simplicity and gimmick-free implementation . the latest version — now just called sense — brings users from a lock screen to a new flipboard-like app called blinkfeed , which displays a feed of information , stories , photos and video from various sources of your choosing . htc has worked in integration with a few news outlets , so news stories by topic or by outlet can show up in your blinkfeed . and the app can be connected to twitter , facebook , flickr and other social networks as well . see a news story you 're interested in reading ? just tap the tile in your feed and you 're taken to a view that shows the story and its accompanying artwork in a presentation that makes reading clean and easy — again , very much like flipboard , pocket , pulse and other read it later ' services . tap a tweet or post from facebook you 'll be launched into that corresponding social network 's android app . you can even set up blinkfeed to pipe in your photos and videos . everything is displayed in reverse chronological order , just like your twitter timeline , facebook feed and everything else that 's sorted online . while blinkfeed is a pre-installed app , it 's also the default view any one user will see once they unlock their phone . if you want to get to a traditional android homescreen view — with apps , widgets and folders of apps — just swipe in from the right on blinkfeed and android as you know it will appear . if you want regular android , it 's there , ' croyle said . but , everybody 's snacking on information , whether it 's from their social networks or some news source that they 're just interested in . so [ blinkfeed ] really is geared around that recognition of how people are actually using their phones . ' at & t , sprint and t-mobile will sell the one , along with many smaller regional telecom companies . the significance of this ca n't be overstated . currently , only apple 's iphone and samsung 's galaxy s iii are offered as widely . the iphone is sold through at & t , sprint and verizion — and it 's on it 's way to t-mobile . the s iii is sold by all four of the nation 's top carriers . all too often , a great phone , like last year 's one x , was confined to a limited audience due to carriers wanting exclusive rights to phones . the fact that the one is joining it 's biggest rivals in a new paradigm that bucks the idea of exclusive phones is a good thing for htc — because they get to sell their best device in more places — and consumers — because you have more choice when you go to buy your next phone . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com .","the one will be available on at & t , t-mobile and sprint" +"bielski ( cnn ) -- the question of jewish resistance to the nazis -- or the lack of it -- has loomed large ever since the true extent of the horrors of the holocaust became impossible to ignore . liev schreiber , left , and daniel craig play jewish resistance fighters in the world war ii drama defiance . ' as early as 1940 and 1942 , charlie chaplin and ernst lubitsch fashioned satiric fantasies in which adolf hitler was comically humiliated by jews ( a barber in chaplin 's the great dictator ' and a hammy actor in lubitsch 's to be or not to be ' ) . more recently , steven spielberg and roman polanski presented authentic stories of jewish holocaust survivors in schindler 's list ' and the pianist . ' in defiance , ' edward zwick tells the true story of the bielski brothers , tuvia ( daniel craig ) , zus ( liev schreiber ) and asael ( jamie bell ) . when the germans and local collaborators started rounding up jews in what was then belorussia in 1941 , murdering thousands -- including the bielskis'parents -- the three men took refuge in the woods . they evaded capture , scavenged , begged or stole the food they needed ; they set up a camp and saved hundreds of fellow refugees -- and they fought back . watch the stars of defiance ' talk about the film » it 's a remarkable story , one that should have inspired a more exciting and original movie than this sluggish compendium of earnest debates and hackneyed battle scenes . the timing is unfortunate . for a story that has gone neglected for the best part of 60 years , this is hardly the ideal week to be extolling heroic jewish resistance fighters . ari folman 's angst-laden nonfiction animated film , waltz with bashir , ' is altogether more relevant . zwick 's hollywood liberal credentials are not in doubt , but his films have a surprisingly gung-ho undercurrent ( they include such martial adventures as the last samurai , ' glory , ' the siege , ' legends of the fall ' and courage under fire ' ) . he may like a fight , but he 's no great shakes when it comes to staging action . besides , in a zwick flick , words always speak louder . in defiance ' those words come with a thick , guttural european inflection ( hebrew is spoken as english , though characters also break into subtitled russian and german on occasion ) . the speechifying is often clumsy and long-winded . take the backwoods intellectual who does n't know how to handle a hammer but can sure nail a philosophical one-liner : at least descartes recognized the subjective nature of existence , ' he kvetches . where 's lubitsch when you need him ? dour and dourer as the movie goes on , daniel craig looks rugged in a weathered leather jacket and cloth cap , but his bond associations are n't exactly helpful . you have to check yourself from wondering why he does n't just take out that battalion of nazis single-handedly . tuvia may be a reluctant hero , but he shoulders the burden of leadership and assumes responsibility for protecting his ever-increasing flock . schreiber 's zus , on the other hand , joins with the soviets to take the fight to the germans . it takes him longer to learn who his true friends are . the movie is full of mud and muck , yet somehow zwick sanitizes the things that matter most . in the most challenging scene , just as tuvia turns a blind eye as his enraged fellow jews beat a german prisoner to death , zwick consistently pulls back from anything that might be too unpleasant or tasteless . his heroes remain fundamentally unsullied . later asael picks up tuvia 's mantle and leads his followers like a latter-day moses , away from their enemies through an impenetrable swamp . defiance ' is a hard slog , at times . but even if it 's heavy-handed and old-fashioned , there 's also something satisfyingly solid about it . it 's always comforting to know who the good guys are , even if they 're stuck in a not-so-good picture . defiance ' is rated r and runs 137 minutes . for entertainment weekly 's take , click here .","film tells the true story of the bielski brothers , who fought back against nazis in 1941" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- once thought to be a leading reformer inside the libyan government , saif al-islam gadhafi has emerged as one of his father 's most-visible defenders . saif , 38 , has never lived a day in which his father moammar did n't rule libya -- as its undisputed leader inside the country and an enigmatic , controversial voice for the world . and yet , as the libyan government faced a stiff popular uprising , it was moammar gadhafi 's second eldest son -- and not the leader of the revolution himself -- who was first to talk to the nation about the unrest and detail a plan to address it . in early march saif made it known his feeling about outside intervention into the unrest in libya . we 're not afraid of the america fleet , nato , france . you people , this is our country . we live here , we die here . we will never , ever surrender to those terrorists . libyan nation is so united now . we are so strong , ' he said . that was march . this is now . and still , saif 's name makes front-page news . citing unnamed british government sources , the guardian newspaper reported friday that a senior adviser to saif -- mohammed ismael -- was in london for secret talks with british officials . ismael told cnn earlier this week that he would be traveling to london for family reasons . calls placed to his mobile phone were not answered friday . but guma el-gamaty , a leader of the libyan opposition , said ismael 's visit was anything but personal . our sources from tripoli tell us that saif has sent mohammed ismael to london with a specific offer . the offer is that colonel gadhafi will go into retirement , inside libya , perhaps in his town of sirte or sabha in the south and saif will take over and oversee some sort of reforms , ' he told cnn 's becky anderson . asked about the guardian report , a british foreign office spokesman neither confirmed nor denied it . we are not going to provide running commentary on our contacts with libyan officials , ' the spokesman said . in any contact that we do have , we make it clear that gadhafi has to go . ' meanwhile , sources close to gadhafi have told cnn that any transition in libya would involve his son , saif , who has long been seen as a possible successor to his father . saif has denied any such desire , but others were interested in the idea for some time because he was considered more modern in his thinking , even reform minded by many libya watchers . but that was before his recent and very public vows to fight to the last bullet . ' among his relatives , saif was seen in some ways as the polar opposite of his father . whereas moammar gadhafi years ago launched a program to destroy imported ideologies , whether they are eastern or western , ' his son speaks fluent english , earned his phd from the london school of economics , written an op-ed in the new york times and has been a frequent go-between in talks with international officials . moammar rarely goes anywhere without a distinctive tribal dress and an ornate bedouin tent . the well-traveled saif , meanwhile , is more likely to appear in western business attire : a suit and tie . while the father runs a nation , his son 's main job -- at least before his 2009 appointment as general coordinator , a position like many in the nation 's government with few guidelines -- was heading a charity , the gadhafi foundation . and lastly , while the elder gadhafi is known for his heavy-handed rule in libya and its restrictions on civil rights and more , saif gadhafi fashioned himself as a human rights advocate and pushed for democratic and institutional reforms that could give more power and freedoms to the people . david held , a professor at london school of economics and saif gadhafi 's academic advisor , said gadhafi knew he had a dilemma . he was torn , ' said held . there was a dilemma in his heart between loyalty to his father and the regime and on the other hand desperately realizng that the gadhafi regime was untenable , unjustified and the reform utterly crucial . ' still , his status as a leading reformer and pull with foreign diplomats have dropped significantly since the start of the uprising . and for all their differences , saif 's standing in the world is largely defined by his father 's role . while some may see the son as more open to change , there 's little question that his loyalty remains first with moammar . he 's the heir apparent , ' cnn national security contributor fran townsend said about saif . the question will be , will he be able to retain control in light of the current chaos ? ' cnn 's greg botelho contributed to this report ."," he 's the heir apparent , ' says cnn national security contributor fran townsend" +"cnn ( cnn ) -- once thought to be a leading reformer inside the libyan government , saif al-islam gadhafi has emerged as one of his father 's most-visible defenders . saif , 38 , has never lived a day in which his father moammar did n't rule libya -- as its undisputed leader inside the country and an enigmatic , controversial voice for the world . and yet , as the libyan government faced a stiff popular uprising , it was moammar gadhafi 's second eldest son -- and not the leader of the revolution himself -- who was first to talk to the nation about the unrest and detail a plan to address it . in early march saif made it known his feeling about outside intervention into the unrest in libya . we 're not afraid of the america fleet , nato , france . you people , this is our country . we live here , we die here . we will never , ever surrender to those terrorists . libyan nation is so united now . we are so strong , ' he said . that was march . this is now . and still , saif 's name makes front-page news . citing unnamed british government sources , the guardian newspaper reported friday that a senior adviser to saif -- mohammed ismael -- was in london for secret talks with british officials . ismael told cnn earlier this week that he would be traveling to london for family reasons . calls placed to his mobile phone were not answered friday . but guma el-gamaty , a leader of the libyan opposition , said ismael 's visit was anything but personal . our sources from tripoli tell us that saif has sent mohammed ismael to london with a specific offer . the offer is that colonel gadhafi will go into retirement , inside libya , perhaps in his town of sirte or sabha in the south and saif will take over and oversee some sort of reforms , ' he told cnn 's becky anderson . asked about the guardian report , a british foreign office spokesman neither confirmed nor denied it . we are not going to provide running commentary on our contacts with libyan officials , ' the spokesman said . in any contact that we do have , we make it clear that gadhafi has to go . ' meanwhile , sources close to gadhafi have told cnn that any transition in libya would involve his son , saif , who has long been seen as a possible successor to his father . saif has denied any such desire , but others were interested in the idea for some time because he was considered more modern in his thinking , even reform minded by many libya watchers . but that was before his recent and very public vows to fight to the last bullet . ' among his relatives , saif was seen in some ways as the polar opposite of his father . whereas moammar gadhafi years ago launched a program to destroy imported ideologies , whether they are eastern or western , ' his son speaks fluent english , earned his phd from the london school of economics , written an op-ed in the new york times and has been a frequent go-between in talks with international officials . moammar rarely goes anywhere without a distinctive tribal dress and an ornate bedouin tent . the well-traveled saif , meanwhile , is more likely to appear in western business attire : a suit and tie . while the father runs a nation , his son 's main job -- at least before his 2009 appointment as general coordinator , a position like many in the nation 's government with few guidelines -- was heading a charity , the gadhafi foundation . and lastly , while the elder gadhafi is known for his heavy-handed rule in libya and its restrictions on civil rights and more , saif gadhafi fashioned himself as a human rights advocate and pushed for democratic and institutional reforms that could give more power and freedoms to the people . david held , a professor at london school of economics and saif gadhafi 's academic advisor , said gadhafi knew he had a dilemma . he was torn , ' said held . there was a dilemma in his heart between loyalty to his father and the regime and on the other hand desperately realizng that the gadhafi regime was untenable , unjustified and the reform utterly crucial . ' still , his status as a leading reformer and pull with foreign diplomats have dropped significantly since the start of the uprising . and for all their differences , saif 's standing in the world is largely defined by his father 's role . while some may see the son as more open to change , there 's little question that his loyalty remains first with moammar . he 's the heir apparent , ' cnn national security contributor fran townsend said about saif . the question will be , will he be able to retain control in light of the current chaos ? ' cnn 's greg botelho contributed to this report .","sources close to gadhafi tell cnn any transition in libya would involve saif" +"anybots ( cnn ) -- why leave home when you can send out a sexy , stylish robot version of yourself to do anything you tell it ? in surrogates , ' lifelike robots take the place of humans in day-to-day life . that 's the world of surrogates , ' a film starring bruce willis that opens friday . willis plays an fbi agent who investigates the first murder to occur in years in a world where no one worries about crime or pain , because their robots self-heal with a quick reboot . far-fetched science fiction ? sure . but scientists and the movie 's makers say the technology might not be as far away as most people think . armies use remote-controlled robots to attack enemies and destroy land mines . emerging technology for the disabled allows users to operate robotic limbs and control computer cursors without touching a keyboard . and emerging telepresence ' technology is letting people see , hear and , increasingly , walk , talk and gesture using human-sized robots a world away . there are a lot of real-world components to this , ' said robotics expert and author daniel h. wilson , whose books like where 's my jet pack ? ' and how to survive a robot uprising ' explore the intersections between science fiction and real science . clearly , there are not fully functional humanoid robots ... but there are a lot of components to telepresence that already exist . ' surrogates ' director jonathan mostow , whose film credits include 2003 's terminator 3 : rise of the machines , ' said he was drawn to the concept of surrogate robots as an extension of current technology . and , he said , as he met with scientists , he became convinced that something approaching the concept could one day be a reality . to me , it 's not even a question of the technology . technology always catches up , ' he said . the question is , is some universal human urge being met by this invention ? it seems to me we have a fundamental human desire to be lazy , to sort of not have to do things in person and to do it remotely . that began with the telegraph and the telephone and has morphed into the internet . ' the first steps down the road are being taken at anybots , a mountain view , california , company founded in 2001 by trevor blackwell . the company offers , for about $ 30,000 , a 5-foot-tall , 35-pound robot that allows the user to remotely travel , see , hear and talk . it hopes to release its latest version of the robot at a more affordable price . the robot 's vaguely humanoid curves , roughly adult height and ability to move around using technology similar to that of the segway are important steps up from current teleconferencing technology , blackwell said . anybots in the development phase are being designed to run , jump and climb stairs , and they come equipped with fully articulated hands designed to perform increasingly human-like tasks . blackwell said he 's not sure the technology will ever advance to the level imagined in surrogates ' -- but that may have as much to do with desire as ability . i do n't know if we 'll ever get quite to that level , of being that realistic , ' he said . most of the time , you 're not trying to fool people ; you 're just trying to make something human enough so people can relate to it . ' wilson , who said he appreciates surrogates ' because it avoids sci-fi 's traditional man vs. machine ' dynamic , also imagines social reasons for not pursuing such technology . would humans stand in line at the grocery store behind a robot ? would i let my children play outside if i knew there were robots outside walking dogs ? ' he said . it 's more realistic , wilson said , that a humanoid robot could be created to remotely perform tasks that would be too dangerous for the machine 's operator to do . although nasa employs robots in space , the highly technical work often required for space walks still requires a human touch -- at least for now . plus , he said , making robots that look and act like us would help them function better , he said . another major reason to create humanoid robots is , they can use all of our tools , ' wilson said . human beings have taken large chunks of the planet and completely transformed the environment to support our embodiment . doorways are a certain width all over the world because human beings are about the same size . all our tools are similar because we 've all got hands and thumbs . ' for mostow , the movie also reflects technological advances that , for better or worse , exist as the world of online networking continues to grow . you can do your shopping . you can get your news . you can let everyone know what you 're up to , ' he said . for those who telecommute , you do n't even have to put your clothes on to go to work . this idea basically just takes that to its logical conclusion . '","california company anybots developing robot that can jump , climb stairs" +"elephant pass colombo , sri lanka ( cnn ) -- sri lankan soldiers seized a key rebel stronghold over the weekend , as humanitarian agencies feared for the safety of civilians . sri lankan troops at elephant pass , the isthmus that connects north jaffna peninsula to rest of the country . it 's an incredibly serious situation , ' james elder , a u.n. spokesman , said monday . we have a very large number of people , including tens of thousands of children , trapped in a fast-shrinking conflict zone . ' government forces took the area in a surprise attack early sunday , the head of sri lanka 's army announced . troops crossed a lagoon and entered the town of mullaittivu before encountering heavy resistance from tamil fighters , according to the government-run news agency . our troops fought their way through a 40 km ( 25 mile ) thick jungle track , ' lt. gen. sarath fonseka said in a televised address sunday . this is the long-awaited victory and i am happy to say that our heroic forces today captured the mullaittivu town after 12 years , ' he said . there has been no confirmation from the rebels that the strategic garrison has been overtaken . the liberation tigers of tamil eelam ( ltte ) -- commonly known as the tamil tigers -- have fought for an independent homeland for the country 's ethnic tamil minority since 1983 . the civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead . the rebels gained control over mullaittivu in 1996 and established a military garrison there , according to the government . in recent days , the military has made significant progress in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds . earlier this month , troops regained control of the northern town of elephant pass , the point at which mainland sri lanka links to the northern jaffna peninsula . it had been in rebel hands for more than nine years . the recapture enabled the government to use a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies . previously , it was done by air and sea . the area that the ltte has dominated has shrank phenomenally , ' sri lankan high commissioner to india , c.r jayasinghe , told cnn . they lost ... about 90 percent of what they had . ' despite major government gains , critics point to ongoing civilian casualties resultant from the conflict . this is a critical moment in the conflict when the space for these people has shrunk , ' elder said . the united nations is calling on the ... tamil tigers to meet their international responsibilities and guarantee that these very large civilian populations to move freely and then can move away from the conflict and to areas where they can receive appropriate assistance , ' elder said . some sri lankan u.n. staff are trapped there , ' he said in a sunday interview . convoys are going to the area , delivering emergency supplies , but these are not sufficient for the number of people in need . ' sri lankan authorities are barring journalists and humanitarian aid workers from areas where heavy fighting is taking place . amnesty international spokesman shuransu mishra estimated that over a quarter of a million of the population , mostly tamils , are trapped between the two sides . ' the organization says greater access and protection for aid workers and journalists are needed as news agencies struggle to report an accurate picture of the conflict . the sri lankan authorities are doing little to ensure the safety of the country 's media , or to prosecute those responsible for murdering or attacking them , ' amnesty international spokeswoman yolanda foster said in a written statement on friday . the sri lankan authorities are also directly responsible for subjecting journalists to harassment and interrogation , ' she said . at least 14 journalists have been killed since the start of 2006 , according to the statement . others have been driven from the country by death threats , or in fear of detention and torture by government authorities , it said .","earlier this month troops regained control of key northern town of elephant pass" +"taliban ( cnn ) -- pakistan 's much-awaited military offensive in north waziristan was launched more than a week ago , and followed an attack on karachi airport that left at least 36 people dead . due to the strategic calculations of the pakistani state , north waziristan has steadily fallen into the hands of motley militant networks , and has become a mountainous zone for the pakistani taliban to recruit , regroup and launch attacks against the country . the pakistani army conducted a similar operation in the swat valley in 2009 , not too far from the tribal areas , that has been a relative success in reclaiming territory . it is unclear which direction the latest operation will go . but a major humanitarian crisis is brewing in the wake of the new offensive . as of wednesday , the government had registered over 450,000 internally displaced people ( idps ) who have been fleeing the area in view of the aerial bombardments and warnings by military authorities . there are fears the figures could be much higher . desperate need for shelter the military has taken extraordinary steps , especially in terms of its public relations efforts , to minimize the fallout in public perception . it 's issuing press releases , specifying how many terrorists have been killed , and giving a count of aid distributed . yet , thousands of families still need immediate support in terms of livelihood , shelter and basic amenities . while the united nations has stepped in to provide aid , distribution systems have a long way to go in meeting the scale of demand . beyond north waziristan , the pakhtun population follows the age-old custom of accepting and looking after guests . ' predictably , many families fleeing the violence are being absorbed into the towns and villages of bannu , in neighboring khyber pakhtunkhwa ( kp ) province . bannu town is straining under the pressure of a massive population influx . while local pakhtuns and civic groups have been engaged , the response of the government authorities has been slow . the disaster management authority ( fdma ) in the federally administered tribal areas ( fata ) , underfunded like most government agencies , is battling with the magnitude of the crisis . government response the government has established one camp in bannu , but many more facilities are needed , especially during the hot summer season . a meager grant is being offered to each family for their multifarious needs , but very few have received it so far . the political opposition that rules kp has complained of a funds shortage , and voices in the media have criticized the federal government 's inordinate focus on domestic political squabbles and high profile infrastructure projects , ignoring the plight of homeless people . the minister in charge of the government response †” the federal minister for states and frontier regions retired lt gen abdul qadri baloch -- has said every reasonable need of the idps will be taken care of in the best possible manner and money is not an issue . ' however , he also urged fellow pakistanis to open their pockets . ' few places to go pakistan 's ethnic politics also impedes free movement of idps . while the country 's constitution allows for freedom of movement for its citizens , the provincial governments of sindh and punjab have restricted the inflow of migrants from the north . the provincial government of sindh says that it is already dealing with two million aliens ' and has attributed the rise of militancy in the port city karachi due to earlier in-country migrations . similarly , punjab , the home province of pakistan 's prime minister , has refused to host the displaced people . this policy has been termed illegal by political leaders and has caused resentment not just among the idps but pakistan 's pakhtun population in general . marginalized population the people of north waziristan -- and the tribal region fata -- have been stranded between the military and the militants for more than a decade . they have dealt with historic marginalization , underdevelopment , high poverty levels and , of late , the polio epidemic . an estimated 160,000 children are vulnerable since the taliban banned immunization in north waziristan two years ago , terming immunization as a western conspiracy . ' a major worry nationally is that the polio virus may spread faster than it has in recent months . according to government officials , pakistan has reported 65 polio cases from fata this year of which 50 alone pertained to north waziristan . challenge and opportunities these grave challenges require leadership and effective interagency coordination . pakistan 's prime minister nawaz sharif has set up a high level body that monitors the day-to-day situation . but , it is the local authorities that need more funds and broader mandates . the risks of aggravating the already marginalized people are manifold . increased radicalization is one since the area is an open field for charities affiliated with extremist organizations . there are opportunities as well . free of taliban diktat , there is a greater scope for immunization campaigns for the children now . there is also an opportunity to rebuild fata , which has been governed since the british times as a remote outpost of the empire with little or no rights for the local population . earlier reform efforts led nowhere . political and administrative reforms must follow the military operations . local governments and courts are needed for the area . pakistan 's tribal belt has to evolve from its current status as a strategic , ' semi-colonial arena to a democratic polity . this requires a civil-military consensus . for now , the country must tackle the growing numbers of homeless and avoid another catastrophe in the making . fleeing pakistanis crowd border towns , asking'why were n't we warned ? '","army launched strikes in retaliation for pakistan taliban attack on airport" +"montana ( cnn ) -- an internationally renowned paleontologist will plead guilty to stealing dinosaur bones from federal land , his attorneys said in a court filing . paleontologist nate murphy is expected to plead guilty to stealing fossils from federal land . nate murphy , whose famous finds include leonardo , one of the best-preserved dinosaurs in the world , will make that plea in federal court in billings , montana . earlier this month , murphy pleaded guilty to state charges of stealing a fossil from private land in order to sell it . an expert cited in that case said murphy 's find was worth between $ 150,000 and $ 400,000 . the self-taught dinosaur expert , who is director of vertebrate paleontology at the judith river dinosaur institute , could face jail time . murphy and his attorney did not immediately respond to phone messages friday from cnn . jessica fehr , lead prosecutor in the case , said the u.s. attorney 's office would not comment until after the plea is entered . in court papers , federal prosecutors say murphy knowingly took fossils from federal property between about august 2006 and august 2007 . the paleontological resources ' were said to be worth at least $ 1,000 . in the state case , murphy pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft . as part of the plea , the state recommended murphy 's sentence be deferred for five years . douglas erwin , president of the paleontological society and curator of the smithsonian 's national museum of natural history , said theft of fossils from pubic lands has long been a problem . ' in a written statement sent to cnn on friday , he said such thefts can often result in the loss of important scientific information and the disappearance of specimens that belong to the public . at the same time , however , fossil collecting , particularly of common invertebrate fossils , has been a pastime enjoyed by many for decades , and is an important way of connecting people with their natural heritage . ' an omnibus public lands bill , which the u.s. senate passed thursday , includes penalties for fossil theft from public land .","murphy is accused of taking fossils from federal lands in montana" +"schneider electric it corporation washington ( cnn ) -- more than 15 million surge protectors are being recalled for posing a potential fire hazard , the consumer product safety commission and the manufacturer announced thursday . seven hundred instances of apc surgearrest devices overheating or melting have been reported , according to a press release from the safety commission . thirteen people were hurt and 55 claims were made for damage caused by smoke and fire . the recall includes corded surge protectors manufactured before 2003 by schneider electric it corporation . the affected products may present a fire hazard under infrequent , abnormal building wiring and electrical conditions , ' the company said . this hazard has been reported in a small percentage ( less than 0.01 % ) of the units sold and included reports of property damage , mostly involving damaged nylon carpeting . ' thirty-two model numbers of the company 's 7 series ' and 8 series ' devices are included in the recall and can be found on the company 's website , recall.apc.com , or by calling 888 437 4007 the safety commission urges the public to stop using the surge protectors , and to contact the company for a replacement .","the surge protectors were manufactured by schneider electric it corporation prior to 2003" +"pakistan london , england ( cnn ) -- british police questioned four members of the pakistani national cricket team after allegations surfaced that gamblers fixed part of a match against england , the manager of the pakistani team said sunday . they arrested a different man in connection with the allegations late saturday . the investigation comes after a british tabloid newspaper reported that two pakistani players deliberately bowled no balls ' -- a foul -- while playing against england in london last week . a no ball ' is when the bowler -- the equivalent of a pitcher in baseball -- steps over the line as he throws the ball . the batting team gets a run when that happens . a chance lost for pakistan 's cricketers ? the british tabloid news of the world posted what it said was a video of an undercover reporter meeting with a man identified as mazhar majeed , who tells the reporter exactly which bowlers would bowl no balls ' and when , then lays out 14 thick stacks of bills on a table . the video of the meeting -- which the newspaper said took place wednesday , the day before the match between pakistan and england began -- is intercut with clips from the following two days , where the players perform as majeed said they would . the tabloid also says the alleged ringleader pocketed 150,000 british pounds ( u.s. $ 232,800 ) in the scam . london 's metropolitan police said a 35-year-old man was arrested late saturday on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers . a source familiar with the investigation named him as mazhar majeed . without identifying the suspect by name , london police said sunday in a brief statement that the 35-year-old man was released on bail until a date in the future . ' no date for a hearing or further proceedings was given in the statement . no players or team officials have been arrested , the international cricket council said sunday . but police questioned team captain salman butt , manager yawar saeed and two other players , saeed told reporters sunday . he did not name the other two players at the news conference , but britain 's press association earlier reported that he had said they were bowlers mohammad aamer and mohammad asaf . police refused to confirm to cnn who was being questioned . team captain butt said pakistan gave 100 percent throughout a match . we have given our best , ' butt said after his team lost to england . the team manager refused to comment on the report that pakistani players intentionally committed three fouls during the match . no allegations are true until they are proved either way , ' said saeed . so that this point in time they are just allegations . let 's wait until the case is complete . ' england beat pakistan in the four-day match at lord 's cricket ground , which ended sunday afternoon , after the scandal broke . pakistan 's president asif ali zardari ordered an investigation into the scandal , his spokesman said sunday . he directed the chairman of the pakistan cricket board to submit a preliminary report immediately , ' farhatullah babar said , adding that zardari asked to be kept informed about any british investigations as well . sam peters , news of the world 's cricket correspondent , told cnn that the tabloid did not drive these events ... these events were going to happen regardless of whether the news of the world was involved . ' but , he said , staffers believed the story was in the public interest . it 's a legitimate story to get to the bottom of something that 's been plaguing our sport , ' he said . ... it 's swirled around , and the innuendo 's been there . ' people need to know this is going on , ' he said , what they 're watching when they 're paying money to go to sports events ... it 's not always what they believe it to be . ' however , shakil shaikh , president of the islamabad regional cricket association , told cnn that while he is shocked ' at the news , no proof has been given of the involvement of these players in the match-fixing issue ' and he has seen no concrete evidence against the cricketers . he said if evidence does surface , an investigation will be launched . it is the second allegation of corruption directed at the pakistan cricket team this year . the international cricket council 's anti-corruption unit was set up in response to allegations against the captains of pakistan , india and south africa in 2000 . all three were banned from the game for life . news of the world does not allege that gamblers fixed the results of the match -- only that specific moments in the match were fixed , a practice known as spot-fixing ' rather than match-fixing . ' betting on cricket matches is legal in england . international and local cricket officials will not be issuing further comment as this is now subject to a police investigation , ' the council said in a statement . a metropolitan police spokesman told cnn the arrest came in response to information provided by the newspaper . andrew miller , a cricket expert and the u.k. editor for espn 's cricket website , told cnn on sunday morning that since a major scandal involving match fixing between india and south africa in 2000 , things appear not to have changed much . what we 're discovering is that corruption has never gone away , ' miller said via telephone from london . it 's resurfacing this year -- during the 10th anniversary of the biggest scandal ever to hit cricket . ' miller said though it remains to be proven , it appears this newest scandal could be on par with the scandal from 10 years ago . he added that cricket 's many aspects of play and rules make it susceptible to betting . and in a five-day test match , such as the one under way between pakistan and england at the lord 's cricket ground , there are a lot of possibilities for placing bets that players can manipulate . if you were going to invent a game that you could corrupt -- it would be cricket because you can bet on every aspect of the game , ' he continued . for example , there are up to 2,700 deliveries per game and if a gambler were to plop down $ 10,000 on the 827th delivery , predicting it correctly , the payoff for that particular bet could be handsome . we believe this is really huge , and could be affecting other areas of cricket , ' peters said . the news of the world report was co-authored by mazher mahmood , a controversial figure in british journalism who has exposed several previous scams . he was responsible for a report in may that revealed duchess of york sarah ferguson offered to sell access to her former husband , prince andrew . according to the uk press association , the tabloid 's reporters were able to gain access to the alleged ring by posing as far eastern businessmen . ' cnn 's richard allen greene , phil black , caroline paterson , bharati naik , les neuhaus and andreena narayan contributed to this report .","president of pakistan orders an investigation" +"jakes editor 's note : bishop t.d . jakes is founder and senior pastor of the potter 's house of dallas , texas , a multiracial , nondenominational church with more than 50 outreach ministries . bishop t.d . jakes says the church must sound the alarm to wake america from its slumber . ( cnn ) -- the blood-washed church for which jesus died is not relegated to one group or another , nor is it held hostage by politics or ethnicity . it is a breathing , living testament to god 's love and grace . it serves its community where it is located and is aware of the needs and nuances of that community . however , its relevance and vision must go beyond its community and reach the world for which christ died . today as the church moves from its introspective posture to a broader role in politics , business , media and impacting societal ills , it has the dubious and daunting task of doing so without losing its core function . like all such organizations that cease to be intrinsically focused , it runs the risk of being totally misunderstood and misaligned . i have listened and watched the events of the last few days with great disappointment as the church and the so-called african-american church , in particular , has been painted rather negatively with a broad , wide-ranging brush . i personally wish the distinctions of the church by ethnicity would one day become an antiquated idea . but this will require more people moving from a segregated worship experience . until then , the church is becoming increasingly bruised by those who seek to move it from its core principles and make it an instrument of division rather than a catalyst for unity ! to say the current picture in the media of the institution that i have loved all of my life is less than flattering would be an understatement . and because i know that many americans unfortunately do not venture outside of the comfort of their own groups for worship , the only understanding some will have of who we are is based largely on sound bites and media portrayals . i want to set the record straight ! i am afraid that once again our churches will be victimized by stereotypical ideas and opinions that are based in whole or in part by the extreme and not the norm . the church i have read about in the media -- a church filled with divisiveness , a lack of tolerance for other ethnic groups , a church not focused on helping the downtrodden and less fortunate , a church filled with hostility -- does not remotely resemble the churches that i grew up around and have loved for more than 50 years . most , if not all , predominantly african-american church doors are open to all , not just to blacks , but to anyone who is seeking a spiritual home , guidance , support , direction , faith and a feeding of the soul in the purest sense . many of us have worked with other organizations , different cultures and denominations believing that there is more to unite us than there is to divide us . the african-american church i know is filled with programs designed to address the many ills that inflict our society : hiv/aids , homelessness , reducing the rate of recidivism , assisting with employment and job training , economic development and financial management classes , home buying seminars , food banks to feed the hungry , schools to educate and an active plan to guide our youth . those outreaches have been colorblind , passionate depictions of christ 's love for all humanity ! the predominantly african-american church may be founded by an african american , it may be led on sunday by an african american , but as you look through the crowd of these beacons of hope and faith , you will see an increasing audience that is much more reflective of our world than many would have you to believe . white , black , hispanic , asian -- nationalities from all across the world come together -- some to visit our churches , to enjoy our music and ministers and still others are gradually starting to join our churches . gradually race fades into the fabric of faith and becomes less central to the overarching core of human needs in general . is it a perfect union ? of course not . is there work to do ? absolutely ! but the core message is not one that enrages , but one that encourages people to change and grow , and any other depiction is distorted and inaccurate . the potter 's house , though largely african-american , is composed of 20 different nationalities and growing in diversity . it is designed much the same way sen. barackobama has built his campaign : on a strong commitment to reconciliation , the admonition for unity and strong desire for the continuation of diversity instead of exclusion . while i have not endorsed any candidate , who can ignore the hunger of americans for change ? no matter who your political choice may be , it is hard to remain ambivalent to the tone that obama sounded , igniting a national response from people of all walks of life , crowding into stadiums openly weeping -- like they were in church -- at the very idea of a nation that reflects the best of our ideals ; not the divisive ranting and bickering that may drive up ratings but threaten the cannibalization of our dreams and the demolition of our hopes . as a child , i grew up in a neighborhood back in west virginia where blacks and whites helped each other in times of need and despair . now that i am in dallas , texas , i have seen our city struggle to its feet in times of dire desperation . i was there when the buses came in to the reunion arena in dallas loaded with mostly people of color who were hungry , weak and tired , and needing human dignity . they were unloaded -- covered with the stench of the atrocities of the superdome in new orleans . i saw blacks , whites and hispanics driving up with bags of clothes and food and crying together , trying to accommodate whomever they could , wherever they could . this is the america i want my grandson to grow up in . i am wondering who will get the message that our nation 's citizens are by and large looking for a voice that will unite us , clothe our naked , feed the poor and help our diminishing middle class before we self-destruct like many great empires of the past . who cares what color they are , what banner they fly , what gender they are , or how they pronounce their names ? this is a defining moment in our history , and we are about to destroy greatness with petty self- aggrandizing egotism ! i implore you to not take the words of a few and depict the thoughts , hearts and motives of many . at the end of the day , dr. martin luther king jr. proved with his nonviolent approach that hate-filled words will not liberate anyone . to be sure , there is still work to do to defeat racism and to attain justice in our country for all . we continue to need someone who will hold us accountable to our best practices and not our worst . but there is no liberation without love , no prosperity without philanthropy and no hope if the church becomes immersed in the quagmire of pettiness . as an american i plead with you that we are running out of time . it is critical that we dislodge ourselves from political distractions . we must return to the task of looking for the right man or woman who can answer the bloodcurdling cry of a nation that is in search of a leader with a courageous effective plan for the war in iraq , and the medical , moral , economic and security issues that are being ignored by these distractions . if we do not , we will have done a terrible disservice to our coming generations . the bible said that while good men slept , evil ones came and planted tare , a noxious weed , among the wheat ! the tare of a hate-filled church image is a tactical distraction planted to divert our attention from choosing our next president . let 's get back to listening for leadership strategies from our best and brightest before there is no country left to lead . my hope is that the church remains a vibrant part of our process , sounding the alarm that warns : america , please wake up out of our sleep ! e-mail to a friend","bishop t.d . jakes says african-american churches have been portrayed negatively" +"jakes editor 's note : bishop t.d . jakes is founder and senior pastor of the potter 's house of dallas , texas , a multiracial , nondenominational church with more than 50 outreach ministries . bishop t.d . jakes says the church must sound the alarm to wake america from its slumber . ( cnn ) -- the blood-washed church for which jesus died is not relegated to one group or another , nor is it held hostage by politics or ethnicity . it is a breathing , living testament to god 's love and grace . it serves its community where it is located and is aware of the needs and nuances of that community . however , its relevance and vision must go beyond its community and reach the world for which christ died . today as the church moves from its introspective posture to a broader role in politics , business , media and impacting societal ills , it has the dubious and daunting task of doing so without losing its core function . like all such organizations that cease to be intrinsically focused , it runs the risk of being totally misunderstood and misaligned . i have listened and watched the events of the last few days with great disappointment as the church and the so-called african-american church , in particular , has been painted rather negatively with a broad , wide-ranging brush . i personally wish the distinctions of the church by ethnicity would one day become an antiquated idea . but this will require more people moving from a segregated worship experience . until then , the church is becoming increasingly bruised by those who seek to move it from its core principles and make it an instrument of division rather than a catalyst for unity ! to say the current picture in the media of the institution that i have loved all of my life is less than flattering would be an understatement . and because i know that many americans unfortunately do not venture outside of the comfort of their own groups for worship , the only understanding some will have of who we are is based largely on sound bites and media portrayals . i want to set the record straight ! i am afraid that once again our churches will be victimized by stereotypical ideas and opinions that are based in whole or in part by the extreme and not the norm . the church i have read about in the media -- a church filled with divisiveness , a lack of tolerance for other ethnic groups , a church not focused on helping the downtrodden and less fortunate , a church filled with hostility -- does not remotely resemble the churches that i grew up around and have loved for more than 50 years . most , if not all , predominantly african-american church doors are open to all , not just to blacks , but to anyone who is seeking a spiritual home , guidance , support , direction , faith and a feeding of the soul in the purest sense . many of us have worked with other organizations , different cultures and denominations believing that there is more to unite us than there is to divide us . the african-american church i know is filled with programs designed to address the many ills that inflict our society : hiv/aids , homelessness , reducing the rate of recidivism , assisting with employment and job training , economic development and financial management classes , home buying seminars , food banks to feed the hungry , schools to educate and an active plan to guide our youth . those outreaches have been colorblind , passionate depictions of christ 's love for all humanity ! the predominantly african-american church may be founded by an african american , it may be led on sunday by an african american , but as you look through the crowd of these beacons of hope and faith , you will see an increasing audience that is much more reflective of our world than many would have you to believe . white , black , hispanic , asian -- nationalities from all across the world come together -- some to visit our churches , to enjoy our music and ministers and still others are gradually starting to join our churches . gradually race fades into the fabric of faith and becomes less central to the overarching core of human needs in general . is it a perfect union ? of course not . is there work to do ? absolutely ! but the core message is not one that enrages , but one that encourages people to change and grow , and any other depiction is distorted and inaccurate . the potter 's house , though largely african-american , is composed of 20 different nationalities and growing in diversity . it is designed much the same way sen. barackobama has built his campaign : on a strong commitment to reconciliation , the admonition for unity and strong desire for the continuation of diversity instead of exclusion . while i have not endorsed any candidate , who can ignore the hunger of americans for change ? no matter who your political choice may be , it is hard to remain ambivalent to the tone that obama sounded , igniting a national response from people of all walks of life , crowding into stadiums openly weeping -- like they were in church -- at the very idea of a nation that reflects the best of our ideals ; not the divisive ranting and bickering that may drive up ratings but threaten the cannibalization of our dreams and the demolition of our hopes . as a child , i grew up in a neighborhood back in west virginia where blacks and whites helped each other in times of need and despair . now that i am in dallas , texas , i have seen our city struggle to its feet in times of dire desperation . i was there when the buses came in to the reunion arena in dallas loaded with mostly people of color who were hungry , weak and tired , and needing human dignity . they were unloaded -- covered with the stench of the atrocities of the superdome in new orleans . i saw blacks , whites and hispanics driving up with bags of clothes and food and crying together , trying to accommodate whomever they could , wherever they could . this is the america i want my grandson to grow up in . i am wondering who will get the message that our nation 's citizens are by and large looking for a voice that will unite us , clothe our naked , feed the poor and help our diminishing middle class before we self-destruct like many great empires of the past . who cares what color they are , what banner they fly , what gender they are , or how they pronounce their names ? this is a defining moment in our history , and we are about to destroy greatness with petty self- aggrandizing egotism ! i implore you to not take the words of a few and depict the thoughts , hearts and motives of many . at the end of the day , dr. martin luther king jr. proved with his nonviolent approach that hate-filled words will not liberate anyone . to be sure , there is still work to do to defeat racism and to attain justice in our country for all . we continue to need someone who will hold us accountable to our best practices and not our worst . but there is no liberation without love , no prosperity without philanthropy and no hope if the church becomes immersed in the quagmire of pettiness . as an american i plead with you that we are running out of time . it is critical that we dislodge ourselves from political distractions . we must return to the task of looking for the right man or woman who can answer the bloodcurdling cry of a nation that is in search of a leader with a courageous effective plan for the war in iraq , and the medical , moral , economic and security issues that are being ignored by these distractions . if we do not , we will have done a terrible disservice to our coming generations . the bible said that while good men slept , evil ones came and planted tare , a noxious weed , among the wheat ! the tare of a hate-filled church image is a tactical distraction planted to divert our attention from choosing our next president . let 's get back to listening for leadership strategies from our best and brightest before there is no country left to lead . my hope is that the church remains a vibrant part of our process , sounding the alarm that warns : america , please wake up out of our sleep ! e-mail to a friend","jakes says the church and faith is colorblind" +"veterans day ( cnn ) -- we celebrate veterans day this week , but we have been riding a crest of war remembrance for months now . world war i 's centenary alone has brought forth new books -- histories of that war , based on historical documentation and letters unearthed in family and state archives . we look anew at the inscriptions on tombs of known and unknown soldiers and posters from the past whose propagandistic messages shout at us across the divide of time . opinion : how a century-old war affects you but in the midst of this flood of words , an equally significant , and telling , aspect of the great war has been largely overlooked : the place of silence in and around the conflict . world war i may call to mind the written word -- the harrowing verses of wilfred owen or the prose of erich maria remarque , whose all quiet on the western front ' rendered war 's raw brutality . but the experiences of the years 1914-1918 in fact enshrined the notions that language can not adequately express the experience of combat , that the veteran will often remain silent about war , even to his or her own family , that the speech of soldiers -- the euphemisms and slang used on the battlefield , the coded communications used after , among veterans -- leaves out as much as it reveals . opinion : when the flu wiped out millions this notion of war as an inaccessible space may seem almost antiquated today , when civilian smartphones and video cameras produce a continual feed of chaotic combat situations . but much of what goes on in military operations remains unknown to those who were not there . the connections between silence and war still hold among soldiers -- for reasons of security , censorship , military culture and enduring mechanisms of human psychology . opinion : the mighty women of world war i in 2014 , as in 1914 , many veterans keep quiet about what are their most life-changing experiences . there is , for one thing , the trauma ; there is also the desire to protect one 's family . there is guilt over killing -- and guilt over surviving . and there is the sheer difficulty of how to explain it : how to put an exceptional state into everyday language . opinion : how world war i gave us'cooties' world war i was a watershed in this regard , modeling , during the course of the conflict , what could and could not be said about war by combatants . some silences were strategic : soldiers knew their communications home would be censored , and it was unwise to appear defeatist or unpatriotic by conveying the horrors of the battlefield . opinion : the promise world war i could n't keep others refused speech as a way of respecting the war experience of fallen comrades . war poetry is vocal on the need for restraint to counter the rhetoric of heroism produced by those far from the front . in his 1915 poem when you see millions of the mouthless dead , ' charles hamilton sorley scorned the use of soft words ' about those who could not speak back : say only this ,'they are dead .'/then add thereto , /'yet many a better one has died before.'... ' opinion : the'bionic men'of world war i most combatants could not come up with the words , soft or hard , to communicate to those back home what lay around them : carnage on an unprecedented scale . with many new weapons , and others used on a mass scale for the first time in history , world war i inaugurated a new human experience of battle and devastating new injuries . even the educated felt that language failed them to convey the sights and smells of bodies rent by machine gun fire , devastated by bombs from the air , blistered from gas or paralyzed by shell shock . i can not find words to translate my impressions . hell can not be so terrible , ' wrote the french lieutenant alfred joubaire in his diary , unable to draw comparisons with any known reality . opinion : war : what is it good for ? art ! the writings , drawings and other artifacts that flowed from the front grappled not only with the question of how to rise to these expressive challenges , but whether it is even possible to communicate this new reality to the noncombatant . opinion : should nations pay the price for their leaders'misdeeds ? henri barbusse reflected on this futility in his 1916 novel under fire , ' which originated from notes taken during his time at the front . it 'll be no good telling about it , eh ? they would n't believe you ... no one can know it . only us , ' remarks one soldier . no , not even us , not even us ! , ' another responds . we 've seen too much to remember ... we 're not made to hold it all . ' traumatic repression , the veterans'despair at being understood , the affirmation of a special bond of knowledge and experience among comrades -- all familiar struggles from our modern wars . they are all here , in 1916 -- violence of a scope that exceeded comprehension . indeed , barbusse 's scene ends with the rueful reflection that this war was something you ca n't give a name to . ' opinion : the promise world war i could n't keep both the modern figure of the literary witness and the modern figure of the mute veteran emerged from this early 20th-century conflagration -- as with barbusse , they were often one and the same - and with them the notion of war as something too overwhelming to tell . opinion : how world war i gave us drones of course , this situation was not unique to the great war . a study released in august by the united states department of veterans affairs , which reveals the prolonged post-traumatic stress among vietnam veterans -- home from war for 40 years now -- reminds us of that . opinion : how world war i gave us drones and so it 's fitting that from 1919 onward , world war i 's november 11th armistice has been marked in many countries through two minutes of silence and has been expanded to include the veterans of all wars . the words of world war i can enlighten us about the conflict 100 years later . but the spaces of silence around the din of all wars can tell us much about war 's toll on those who wage it -- in 2014 as in 1914 . photo blog : wwi : the golden age of postcards","ruth ben-ghiat : veterans day brings words of remembrance . for many , words do n't work" +"veterans day ( cnn ) -- we celebrate veterans day this week , but we have been riding a crest of war remembrance for months now . world war i 's centenary alone has brought forth new books -- histories of that war , based on historical documentation and letters unearthed in family and state archives . we look anew at the inscriptions on tombs of known and unknown soldiers and posters from the past whose propagandistic messages shout at us across the divide of time . opinion : how a century-old war affects you but in the midst of this flood of words , an equally significant , and telling , aspect of the great war has been largely overlooked : the place of silence in and around the conflict . world war i may call to mind the written word -- the harrowing verses of wilfred owen or the prose of erich maria remarque , whose all quiet on the western front ' rendered war 's raw brutality . but the experiences of the years 1914-1918 in fact enshrined the notions that language can not adequately express the experience of combat , that the veteran will often remain silent about war , even to his or her own family , that the speech of soldiers -- the euphemisms and slang used on the battlefield , the coded communications used after , among veterans -- leaves out as much as it reveals . opinion : when the flu wiped out millions this notion of war as an inaccessible space may seem almost antiquated today , when civilian smartphones and video cameras produce a continual feed of chaotic combat situations . but much of what goes on in military operations remains unknown to those who were not there . the connections between silence and war still hold among soldiers -- for reasons of security , censorship , military culture and enduring mechanisms of human psychology . opinion : the mighty women of world war i in 2014 , as in 1914 , many veterans keep quiet about what are their most life-changing experiences . there is , for one thing , the trauma ; there is also the desire to protect one 's family . there is guilt over killing -- and guilt over surviving . and there is the sheer difficulty of how to explain it : how to put an exceptional state into everyday language . opinion : how world war i gave us'cooties' world war i was a watershed in this regard , modeling , during the course of the conflict , what could and could not be said about war by combatants . some silences were strategic : soldiers knew their communications home would be censored , and it was unwise to appear defeatist or unpatriotic by conveying the horrors of the battlefield . opinion : the promise world war i could n't keep others refused speech as a way of respecting the war experience of fallen comrades . war poetry is vocal on the need for restraint to counter the rhetoric of heroism produced by those far from the front . in his 1915 poem when you see millions of the mouthless dead , ' charles hamilton sorley scorned the use of soft words ' about those who could not speak back : say only this ,'they are dead .'/then add thereto , /'yet many a better one has died before.'... ' opinion : the'bionic men'of world war i most combatants could not come up with the words , soft or hard , to communicate to those back home what lay around them : carnage on an unprecedented scale . with many new weapons , and others used on a mass scale for the first time in history , world war i inaugurated a new human experience of battle and devastating new injuries . even the educated felt that language failed them to convey the sights and smells of bodies rent by machine gun fire , devastated by bombs from the air , blistered from gas or paralyzed by shell shock . i can not find words to translate my impressions . hell can not be so terrible , ' wrote the french lieutenant alfred joubaire in his diary , unable to draw comparisons with any known reality . opinion : war : what is it good for ? art ! the writings , drawings and other artifacts that flowed from the front grappled not only with the question of how to rise to these expressive challenges , but whether it is even possible to communicate this new reality to the noncombatant . opinion : should nations pay the price for their leaders'misdeeds ? henri barbusse reflected on this futility in his 1916 novel under fire , ' which originated from notes taken during his time at the front . it 'll be no good telling about it , eh ? they would n't believe you ... no one can know it . only us , ' remarks one soldier . no , not even us , not even us ! , ' another responds . we 've seen too much to remember ... we 're not made to hold it all . ' traumatic repression , the veterans'despair at being understood , the affirmation of a special bond of knowledge and experience among comrades -- all familiar struggles from our modern wars . they are all here , in 1916 -- violence of a scope that exceeded comprehension . indeed , barbusse 's scene ends with the rueful reflection that this war was something you ca n't give a name to . ' opinion : the promise world war i could n't keep both the modern figure of the literary witness and the modern figure of the mute veteran emerged from this early 20th-century conflagration -- as with barbusse , they were often one and the same - and with them the notion of war as something too overwhelming to tell . opinion : how world war i gave us drones of course , this situation was not unique to the great war . a study released in august by the united states department of veterans affairs , which reveals the prolonged post-traumatic stress among vietnam veterans -- home from war for 40 years now -- reminds us of that . opinion : how world war i gave us drones and so it 's fitting that from 1919 onward , world war i 's november 11th armistice has been marked in many countries through two minutes of silence and has been expanded to include the veterans of all wars . the words of world war i can enlighten us about the conflict 100 years later . but the spaces of silence around the din of all wars can tell us much about war 's toll on those who wage it -- in 2014 as in 1914 . photo blog : wwi : the golden age of postcards","ben-ghiat : it 's fitting veterans day calls for 2 minutes of silence -- to quietly mark the din of war" +"windsor ( cnn ) -- the major tunnel between windsor , ontario , and detroit was scheduled to reopen at 5 p.m . et thursday following a shutdown because of a bomb threat , windsor police said . police fully inspected ' the tunnel before reopening it , windsor authorities said . the bomb threat led to traffic backups as drivers on both sides of the border were rerouted . employees at the detroit-windsor tunnel received an anonymous phone call around 12:30 p.m. from someone saying there was a bomb in the tunnel , sgt . matthew d'asti with windsor police told hln . authorities were working together on both sides of the border to investigate and search the tunnel for any possible device , d'asti said . neal belitsky , president and ceo of detroit-windsor tunnel , said the threat was called in to the canadian side . authorities treated the matter as a nonspecific , anonymous bomb threat , ' said d'asti . the tunnel was evacuated . the tunnel is one of two international crossings between the cities of windsor and detroit . traffic was being routed to the other , a bridge about two miles away . approximately 27,000 to 29,000 vehicles pass daily through the tunnel , which opened in 1930 . the coast guard said it set up a safety zone in the detroit river in order to keep vessels away from the tunnel . cnn 's chandler friedman , devon sayers and michael martinez contributed to this report .","new : windsor police reopening fully inspected ' tunnel" +"canadian ( cnn ) -- the major tunnel between windsor , ontario , and detroit was scheduled to reopen at 5 p.m . et thursday following a shutdown because of a bomb threat , windsor police said . police fully inspected ' the tunnel before reopening it , windsor authorities said . the bomb threat led to traffic backups as drivers on both sides of the border were rerouted . employees at the detroit-windsor tunnel received an anonymous phone call around 12:30 p.m. from someone saying there was a bomb in the tunnel , sgt . matthew d'asti with windsor police told hln . authorities were working together on both sides of the border to investigate and search the tunnel for any possible device , d'asti said . neal belitsky , president and ceo of detroit-windsor tunnel , said the threat was called in to the canadian side . authorities treated the matter as a nonspecific , anonymous bomb threat , ' said d'asti . the tunnel was evacuated . the tunnel is one of two international crossings between the cities of windsor and detroit . traffic was being routed to the other , a bridge about two miles away . approximately 27,000 to 29,000 vehicles pass daily through the tunnel , which opened in 1930 . the coast guard said it set up a safety zone in the detroit river in order to keep vessels away from the tunnel . cnn 's chandler friedman , devon sayers and michael martinez contributed to this report .","the call came from the canadian side , officials say" +"santiago de compostela madrid ( cnn ) -- spanish rail chiefs testified on safety before lawmakers thursday , two weeks after 79 people died and scores were injured in a horrific derailment in northwestern spain . the investigation has focused on the actions of the train 's driver , francisco jose garzon , but questions have also been asked about the safety systems in place on spain 's national railway network . gonzalo ferre molto , president of state-owned rail infrastructure company adif , and julio gomez-pomar , president of state railroad company renfe , outlined what is being done to ensure the safety of rail travelers . my desire is to know the whole truth and avoid the possibility of an event of this nature happening again , ' said ferre . this is the best service we can offer to the victims and the whole spanish society . ' lawmakers heard that the route the train was on , from madrid to ferrol , includes a mix of conventional and high-speed track , with the latter allowing high-speed trains to travel at over 200 kilometers per hour ( 124 mph . ) driver on phone when train derailed , court says two different safety systems are used in spain : the european rail traffic management system for the high-speed track and another known as asfa on conventional lines . the train and its engineer were switching between the two kinds of track and operating system in the course of the journey . a transition from an ertms-operated section to the other system happened about four miles before the train derailed on a curve near the northwestern city of santiago de compostela , ferre said . that section of track had been inspected on april 20 , he said . speed limit on bend court officials have said the train was traveling at 153 kph ( 95 mph ) when it derailed , nearly twice the speed limit on the curve where the accident happened . victims mourned at memorial mass after the accident , a temporary speed limit of 30 kph was imposed on the stretch where the accident occurred and is still in place , ferre said . a permanent limit of 60 kph will come into force once that is lifted . our safety department is developing an investigation report , ' ferre told the parliamentarians . safety in the rail sector is an open subject . ' gomez-pomar said renfe has started to examine the safety systems in place and admitted that they can be improved . he said the driver had taken control of the train at ourense station at 8:06 p.m. , about 35 minutes before the crash occurred . garzon had started his working day about eight hours earlier , but his effective driving time at that point was less than three hours , he said . the driver , who has worked for renfe since 1992 , had passed his most recent health test , gomez-pomar said . he had been qualified to travel the ourense-santiago stretch of track since february 2012 and was given permission to drive the kind of train involved in the crash last november . in total , more than 7,000 trains have passed through the stretch where the accident occurred , gomez-pomar said . human error some lawmakers from smaller parliamentary groups criticized what they said was a rush to blame the driver for the crash . shifting the responsibility of a high-speed train on to the machine operator is , from our point of view , a rather excessive responsibility , ' said rosana perez , of the mixed group . she suggested the number of drivers aboard a train should be increased as a safety measure to protect against human error . it has been said that the only cause is the human factor . if it is really so , we are lost . this argument falls by its own weight , ' said gaspar llamazares , of the united left group . charges filed investigations continue into the cause of the july 24 derailment , which shocked the nation . as of thursday , 38 people remain in the hospital , six of them -- all adults -- in critical condition , according to local health authorities . no nationalities were given for those still hospitalized . authorities have charged garzon with 79 counts of homicide by professional recklessness and an undetermined number of counts of causing injury by professional recklessness . he has been given conditional release but has surrendered his passport . three witnesses were expected to give statements thursday to a court in galicia , in a closed-door session . they are a station manager and two neighbors who went to help the survivors immediately after the crash . minutes before the derailment , garzon received a call on his work phone , apparently receiving instructions on the way to ferrol from a renfe staff member , a court in galicia said last month . the train was nearing the end of the six-hour trip between the capital and ferrol at the time of the accident . spain train crash victim :'it felt like a roller coaster' cnn 's laura perez maestro and al goodman reported from madrid , and laura smith-spark wrote in london .","investigations continue into the cause of the deadly crash near santiago de compostela" +"kubica ( cnn ) -- lotus renault driver robert kubica has confirmed that he will not be fit in time for the start of the 2012 formula one season . the 26-year-old pole , winner of the 2008 canadian grand prix , missed the whole of this season after suffering serious injuries following a rallying crash in february . there had been some hope that kubica would be fit enough to start the new campaign , but he released a statement on the team 's official website confirming this would not be the case . kubica said : i have come to the conclusion that i am not yet certain to be ready for the 2012 season . this was a difficult decision to make , but it is the most reasonable one . i know that lotus renault need to prepare for next year , and further extending deadlines would not have been the right thing to do . on a personal level , my recovery is very encouraging and my doctors keep being impressed . ' kubica added : i just need more time , as i want to be 100 % ready before i commit to anything driving related . ' team principal eric boullier also released a statement , saying : everybody in the team is , of course , very disappointed . robert not driving in australia at the start of next season is not what we were all hoping for . however , he has taken a very mature decision , acting in the best interests of lotus renault gp . as a team and as a family , we remain 100 % behind him and we 'll help as much as we can . ' kubica suffered a partial amputation of his forearm and compound fractures to his right elbow , shoulder and leg in the accident in andorra last february . he subsequently had three operations and has undergone a lengthy period of rehabilitation but has so far not driven a car . kubica 's decision leaves the team with a choice of three drivers to fill its two seats , vitaly petrov , bruno senna and romain grosjean , unless they look outside their current line-up .","but kubica has not fully recovered from serious arm injuries sustained in a rally crash" +"kubica ( cnn ) -- lotus renault driver robert kubica has confirmed that he will not be fit in time for the start of the 2012 formula one season . the 26-year-old pole , winner of the 2008 canadian grand prix , missed the whole of this season after suffering serious injuries following a rallying crash in february . there had been some hope that kubica would be fit enough to start the new campaign , but he released a statement on the team 's official website confirming this would not be the case . kubica said : i have come to the conclusion that i am not yet certain to be ready for the 2012 season . this was a difficult decision to make , but it is the most reasonable one . i know that lotus renault need to prepare for next year , and further extending deadlines would not have been the right thing to do . on a personal level , my recovery is very encouraging and my doctors keep being impressed . ' kubica added : i just need more time , as i want to be 100 % ready before i commit to anything driving related . ' team principal eric boullier also released a statement , saying : everybody in the team is , of course , very disappointed . robert not driving in australia at the start of next season is not what we were all hoping for . however , he has taken a very mature decision , acting in the best interests of lotus renault gp . as a team and as a family , we remain 100 % behind him and we 'll help as much as we can . ' kubica suffered a partial amputation of his forearm and compound fractures to his right elbow , shoulder and leg in the accident in andorra last february . he subsequently had three operations and has undergone a lengthy period of rehabilitation but has so far not driven a car . kubica 's decision leaves the team with a choice of three drivers to fill its two seats , vitaly petrov , bruno senna and romain grosjean , unless they look outside their current line-up .","robert kubica 's formula one return with renault has been delayed" +"great ape trust des moines , iowa ( cnn ) -- orangutans and bonobos in one of north america 's leading ape research centers are spending time high in their habitats to escape iowa floodwaters , officials said monday . floodwaters encroach on the bonobo facility at the great ape trust of iowa . water on the grounds of the great ape trust of iowa in des moines has been as high as 14 feet after flooding began last week . research , including the future and origins of culture , language , tool use and language in ape species , was brought to a standstill , officials said . but at no time were the apes in danger . the parts that house the animals all have drains , and being wet is a part of their daily routine , ' said al setka , director of communications . animals moved to the highest levels of their living quarters when they wanted to stay dry , the trust reported . the orangutan habitat is 30 feet high , and the bonobo one is 25 feet high , according to the trust 's web site . today , we are just trying to finish cleaning out the living areas to give the apes access to all of their indoor space , ' setka said monday . the trust 's web site said the des moines facility , built in a former sand quarry , will be the largest in north america when it is completed .","water has been as a high as 14 feet at great ape trust of iowa" +"des moines des moines , iowa ( cnn ) -- orangutans and bonobos in one of north america 's leading ape research centers are spending time high in their habitats to escape iowa floodwaters , officials said monday . floodwaters encroach on the bonobo facility at the great ape trust of iowa . water on the grounds of the great ape trust of iowa in des moines has been as high as 14 feet after flooding began last week . research , including the future and origins of culture , language , tool use and language in ape species , was brought to a standstill , officials said . but at no time were the apes in danger . the parts that house the animals all have drains , and being wet is a part of their daily routine , ' said al setka , director of communications . animals moved to the highest levels of their living quarters when they wanted to stay dry , the trust reported . the orangutan habitat is 30 feet high , and the bonobo one is 25 feet high , according to the trust 's web site . today , we are just trying to finish cleaning out the living areas to give the apes access to all of their indoor space , ' setka said monday . the trust 's web site said the des moines facility , built in a former sand quarry , will be the largest in north america when it is completed .","research at a standstill at des moines facility" +"taliban covert drone strikes are one of president obama 's key national security policies . he has already authorized 283 strikes in pakistan , six times more than the number during president george w. bush 's eight years in office . as a result , the number of estimated deaths from the obama administration 's drone strikes is more than four times what it was during the bush administration -- somewhere between 1,494 and 2,618 . under obama , the drone campaign , which during the bush administration had put emphasis on killing significant members of al qaeda , has undergone a quiet and unheralded shift to focus increasingly on killing taliban foot soldiers . obama revealed : the man , the president to the extent that the targets of drone attacks can be ascertained , under bush , al qaeda members accounted for 25 % of all drone targets compared to 40 % for taliban targets . under obama , only 8 % of targets were al qaeda compared to just over 50 % for taliban targets . and while under bush , about a third of all drone strikes killed a militant leader , compared to less than 13 % since president obama took office , according to an analysis of thousands of credible media reports about the strikes undertaken by the new america foundation . while bush sought to decapitate the leadership ranks of al qaeda , obama seems to be aiming also to collapse the entire network of allied groups , such as the pakistani taliban . as a result , so-called signature strikes ' have become a hallmark of obama 's drone war . these are drone attacks based on patterns of merely suspicious activity by a group of men , rather than the identification of a particular individual militant . these have decimated the ranks of low-level combatants , killing somewhere between 1,332 to 2,326 reported militants . in april 2010 , a militant told a new york times reporter , it seems they really want to kill everyone , not just the leaders . ' obama 's drone campaign is quite controversial : some claim that a substantial number of civilians are killed in the attacks , while u.s. government officials assert that the civilian casualty rate is now zero . in pakistan , the program is deeply unpopular and the pakistani parliament voted in april to end any authorization for the program , a vote that the united states government has simply ignored . the new america foundation analysis of the drone campaign in pakistan found that : -- the civilian casualty rate has been dropping sharply since 2008 . the number of civilians , plus unknowns , ' those individuals whose precise status could not be determined from media reports , reported killed by drones in pakistan during obama 's tenure in office were 11 % of fatalities . so far in 2012 it is close to 2 % . under president bush it was 33 % . -- conversely , the percentage of militants killed has been rising over the life of the drone program . the number of militants reported killed by drone strikes is 89 % of the fatalities under obama compared to 67 % under bush . -- some of these attacks were designed to help pakistani interests . in the first eight months of 2009 , the u.s. carried out 19 drone strikes targeting affiliates of the leader of the pakistani taliban , baitullah mehsud , who had carried out an extensive campaign of attacks against pakistani police officers , soldiers and politicians . mehsud was eventually killed by a cia drone strike . -- since it began in 2004 , the drone campaign has killed 49 militant leaders whose deaths have been confirmed by at least two credible news sources . while this represents a significant blow to the militant chain of command , these 49 deaths account for only 2 % of all drone-related fatalities . osama bin laden himself recognized the devastation that the drones were inflicting on his organization , writing a lengthy memo about the issue in october 2010 that was later recovered in the compound in abbottabad , pakistan , where he was killed by a team of u.s. navy seals . in the memo to a lieutenant , bin laden advised that his men leave the pakistani tribal regions where the drone strikes have been overwhelmingly concentrated and head to a remote part of afghanistan and he also suggested that his son hamza decamp for the tiny , rich persian gulf kingdom of qatar . buzz ramps up over seal 's bin laden book the year 2010 marked the most intense point of the obama drone campaign , with a record 122 strikes . this combined with the may 2011 raid on bin laden 's compound in abbottabad , and the killing of at least 24 pakistani soldiers in a nato air strike in november severely damaged the relationship between the united states and pakistan , and resulted in the eviction of cia-controlled drones from shamsi air base in baluchistan in southwestern pakistan . at the same time , cameron munter , then-u.s. ambassador to pakistan , was urging that there be more judicious targeting of the drone strikes as well as increased consultation with the pakistanis about them . in the past two years , there has also been increased congressional oversight of the program . the chairwoman of the senate intelligence committee , sen. dianne feinstein , d-california , explained in a may letter to the los angeles times that committee staff has held 28 monthly in-depth oversight meetings to review strike records and question every aspect of the program including legality , effectiveness , precision , foreign policy implications and the care taken to minimize noncombatant casualties . ' some combination of pushback from the state department , increased congressional oversight , the closure of the cia drone base in pakistan and , perhaps , a declining number of targets in the tribal regions and a greater desire to heed pakistani sensitivities about drone attacks has led to a sharp fall in the number of strikes since 2010 . the number of drone strikes in 2011 fell by 40 % from the record number of strikes in 2010 . so far this year , the number of strikes has dropped by a further 25 % . this is a welcome development . if the price of the drone campaign that increasingly kills only low-level taliban is alienating 180 million pakistanis -- that is too high a price to pay . while the drone campaign in pakistan may be on the wane , it is amping up against the al qaeda affiliate in yemen . this year alone , obama has authorized around 30 drone strikes in yemen , while bush only launched one drone attack there during his two terms in office . small wonder that as obama prepares to address the democratic party convention in charlotte , north carolina , he continues to enjoy a considerable advantage over mitt romney on national security . a reuters poll in august found obama leading romney by a comfortable 12 percentage points on national security , which is traditionally regarded as a republican strength . thanks to fatima mustafa , farhad peikar and jennifer rowland for their research help . follow @ cnnopinion on twitter .","peter bergen : obama 's drone campaign shifts to taliban militants , not al qaeda leaders" +"bergdahl ( cnn ) -- for five years , taliban militants held sgt . bowe bergdahl captive . they released images of him from time to time . in one piece of footage , he appeared gaunt , eating slowly . in another , the soldier stood next to a bearded man with a gun and looked at the camera for a moment . bergdahl 's forehead was furrowed , and there appeared to be cuts on his face . fast forward to late may when the 28-year-old was freed in exchange for five senior taliban members held by the u.s. military . the news of bergdahl 's freedom initially was met with jubilation , but it quickly turned as many called for an investigation into his disappearance and captivity . some critics accused the soldier of deserting his comrades in war . less than two months later , the army announced monday that bergdahl has completed medical care and mental counseling at an army hospital in san antonio . he is going to get back to work , the army said . the soldier will soon take a desk job at fort sam houston , said u.s. army north spokesman don manuszewski bergdahl will be assigned to a unit responsible for homeland defense , civil support operations and security cooperation programs involving countries such as canada , mexico and the bahamas . manuszewski would n't offer any details about what bergdahl will be doing day to day but said the former captive will not be treated any different than any other soldier . ' when he 's not in an office , bergdahl will live in barracks and share a bathroom with other service members . he 'll have his own room , the spokesman said .'sponsor'to help bergdahl readjust 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 that bergdahl 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 because that would require knowing bergdahl 's intent -- something officials could n't learn without talking to him , a u.s. military official has said . the last step in the investigation would likely include hearing bergdahl 's account . at fort sam houston , bergdahl will have a sponsor ' to help him adjust to army life again , manuszewski said , which he called routine for anyone new at the post . the army tries to match people who are of a similar age , with a sponsor sometimes being a few ranks above the post newcomer . the new york times reported monday that two soldiers will help bergdahl readjust to army life . a lot of stress expected for soldier just how all this change will feel only bergdahl will know . but there 's little doubt scrutiny of him will be intense and constant , said m. david rudd , who specializes in mental health trauma . he is a former dean of the university of utah 's college of social and behavioral science and was also the president of the american association of suicidology . the stress level is going to increase dramatically , ' said rudd , who is now the president of the university of memphis . the issue of stigma in the military -- the circumstances that surround his disappearance and the questions raised ... are probably going to provoke significant passions ' in other troops . some fellow soldiers have publicly blasted bergdahl as a deserter . longtime war correspondent mike boettcher , who has worked in afghanistan , said he believes bergdahl is going to have a tough time readjusting . gunmen kidnapped boettcher in el salvador in 1985 , and he struggled to regain his footing after being freed . as a reporter covering emotionally wrenching topics , he felt he had to work extra hard to prove he could handle it . what you 're worried about is how other people think of you , ' boettcher told cnn on monday . in my own instance , i felt like people were treating me like a fragile egg . so i felt i had something to prove . ' for bergdahl 's family , there will be change , too . the casualty assistance workers who helped the service member 's relatives during his captivity will conclude their services monday , manuszewski said . if bergdahl 's family members need help , they can call the post and ask for it . we are treating him the same way we would treat any other person assigned here , ' manuszewski said . if the family called ... we would do what we could to support them . ' col. timothy marsano , a spokesman for the family , declined to tell cnn if bergdahl 's new job assignment had brought any kind of communication between the soldier and his family . since his release , there has not been a reunion , at least a public one . in mid-june , the fbi said it was investigating threats against bergdahl 's parents . bergdahl venturing off-base , rubbing elbows with public fellow soldiers call bergdahl a deserter cnn 's holly yan contributed to this report .","sgt . bowe bergdahl will take desk job at army post in texas , military spokesman says" +"bergdahl ( cnn ) -- for five years , taliban militants held sgt . bowe bergdahl captive . they released images of him from time to time . in one piece of footage , he appeared gaunt , eating slowly . in another , the soldier stood next to a bearded man with a gun and looked at the camera for a moment . bergdahl 's forehead was furrowed , and there appeared to be cuts on his face . fast forward to late may when the 28-year-old was freed in exchange for five senior taliban members held by the u.s. military . the news of bergdahl 's freedom initially was met with jubilation , but it quickly turned as many called for an investigation into his disappearance and captivity . some critics accused the soldier of deserting his comrades in war . less than two months later , the army announced monday that bergdahl has completed medical care and mental counseling at an army hospital in san antonio . he is going to get back to work , the army said . the soldier will soon take a desk job at fort sam houston , said u.s. army north spokesman don manuszewski bergdahl will be assigned to a unit responsible for homeland defense , civil support operations and security cooperation programs involving countries such as canada , mexico and the bahamas . manuszewski would n't offer any details about what bergdahl will be doing day to day but said the former captive will not be treated any different than any other soldier . ' when he 's not in an office , bergdahl will live in barracks and share a bathroom with other service members . he 'll have his own room , the spokesman said .'sponsor'to help bergdahl readjust 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 that bergdahl 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 because that would require knowing bergdahl 's intent -- something officials could n't learn without talking to him , a u.s. military official has said . the last step in the investigation would likely include hearing bergdahl 's account . at fort sam houston , bergdahl will have a sponsor ' to help him adjust to army life again , manuszewski said , which he called routine for anyone new at the post . the army tries to match people who are of a similar age , with a sponsor sometimes being a few ranks above the post newcomer . the new york times reported monday that two soldiers will help bergdahl readjust to army life . a lot of stress expected for soldier just how all this change will feel only bergdahl will know . but there 's little doubt scrutiny of him will be intense and constant , said m. david rudd , who specializes in mental health trauma . he is a former dean of the university of utah 's college of social and behavioral science and was also the president of the american association of suicidology . the stress level is going to increase dramatically , ' said rudd , who is now the president of the university of memphis . the issue of stigma in the military -- the circumstances that surround his disappearance and the questions raised ... are probably going to provoke significant passions ' in other troops . some fellow soldiers have publicly blasted bergdahl as a deserter . longtime war correspondent mike boettcher , who has worked in afghanistan , said he believes bergdahl is going to have a tough time readjusting . gunmen kidnapped boettcher in el salvador in 1985 , and he struggled to regain his footing after being freed . as a reporter covering emotionally wrenching topics , he felt he had to work extra hard to prove he could handle it . what you 're worried about is how other people think of you , ' boettcher told cnn on monday . in my own instance , i felt like people were treating me like a fragile egg . so i felt i had something to prove . ' for bergdahl 's family , there will be change , too . the casualty assistance workers who helped the service member 's relatives during his captivity will conclude their services monday , manuszewski said . if bergdahl 's family members need help , they can call the post and ask for it . we are treating him the same way we would treat any other person assigned here , ' manuszewski said . if the family called ... we would do what we could to support them . ' col. timothy marsano , a spokesman for the family , declined to tell cnn if bergdahl 's new job assignment had brought any kind of communication between the soldier and his family . since his release , there has not been a reunion , at least a public one . in mid-june , the fbi said it was investigating threats against bergdahl 's parents . bergdahl venturing off-base , rubbing elbows with public fellow soldiers call bergdahl a deserter cnn 's holly yan contributed to this report .","bergdahl has finished therapy at an army hospital in san antonio" +"li ( cnn ) -- she 's got nerves of steel , golf talent beyond her tender years , and a precocious flair for eye-catching fashion : 11-year-old lucy li , the youngest qualifier in u.s. women 's open history , looked entirely at home as she teed-off at pinehurst no . 2 . despite a three bad holes in north carolina , which meant she finished her round with an eight-over-par 78 , li impressed onlookers with a composed round that saw her bounce back quickly from disappointing shots . she left the course smiling , having followed up two double-bogeys and a triple-bogey with assured play -- including birdies at the first and fifth . it was great , ' li told reporters thursday . what i was so happy about in my round , ( was that ) after i got doubles and triples , i was able to get it back . and i got a lot of pars after that . ' heading into the tournament , li said her only ambition was to have fun and play the best i can . ' but the california native can also count growing experience in her time at pinehurst , not least how to deal with the perilous course -- which hosted the men 's u.s. open last week . it 's tough , ' said li . you miss the ball by three feet and it could be like a two- or three-shot difference . you could hit it three feet more right and you 'd be putting this far away for birdie . or you could be in the bunker and struggling for a bogey . ' tour pros had raised doubts about whether the child amateur -- still wearing braces and standing on a box to address the media after her opening round -- should be subjected to the pressure and expectation of such a big professional event . when i found out she qualified , i said ,'well , where does she go from here ? you qualify for an open at 11 , what do you do next ?' asked world no . 1 stacy lewis on wednesday . the 29-year-old added : if it was my kid , i would n't let her play in the u.s. open qualifier at 11 , but that 's just me . ' pressure seemed to be the least of li 's worries as she chatted with the older members of her playing group and feasted on an ice cream during the post-round press conference . she is so mature for her age , ' said 23-year-old jessica wallace , who played with li and catherine o'donnell -- the latter also shot 78 . there were times when i felt more immature than she is . catherine and i had fun talking to her . she 's so mature , it 's like talking to another 23-year-old . ' li became officially the youngest player to qualify after securing her place at an event at half moon bay golf club near her home in california . she beats fellow american lexi thompson , who qualified for the 2007 open aged 12 , to become the youngest qualifier . but li is not the youngest to compete at the tournament -- beverley klass competed in 1967 , without having to qualify , aged just 10 . while canadian wallace carded 74 to be on course to make the halfway cut , seven shots behind first-round leader lewis , li and o'donnell were outside the projected top-60 ahead of their second rounds friday . and there was n't a fairytale end for li -- she missed the weekend rounds after carding another 78 on friday , laced with more highs and lows as she tied for 120th in the 154-player field . i 'm really happy with how i bounced back from the big numbers , ' said li , who again had to stand on a box to reach the microphone at her press conference friday . just be patient and not care about what happened , just go to the next shot and hit it like nothing , like it 's the first shot . ' her caddy bryan bush added : she proved that she deserved to be here . her play spoke for itself . it was never about score , ' he said . she was here for the experience and the opportunity to play with the best players in the world . she proved that she can . ' the weekend attention switched from one child prodigy to a former one , as michelle wie claimed a three-shot lead from thompson . the 24-year-old wie also came to prominence at a young age but is still seeking her first major title . she birdied the last two holes to move clear of 19-year-old thompson , who at 16 was the youngest winner of an lpga event until that record was taken by lydia ko in 2012 . new zealand 's ko , now 17 , fired 71 to move up the leaderboard and make the cut , being tied for 29th . world no . 1 stacy lewis dropped from the opening-round lead to a tie for third after a 73 which left the american four shots behind compatriot wie .","li records opening eight-over-par 78 , after two double-bogeys and a triple-bogey" +"li ( cnn ) -- she 's got nerves of steel , golf talent beyond her tender years , and a precocious flair for eye-catching fashion : 11-year-old lucy li , the youngest qualifier in u.s. women 's open history , looked entirely at home as she teed-off at pinehurst no . 2 . despite a three bad holes in north carolina , which meant she finished her round with an eight-over-par 78 , li impressed onlookers with a composed round that saw her bounce back quickly from disappointing shots . she left the course smiling , having followed up two double-bogeys and a triple-bogey with assured play -- including birdies at the first and fifth . it was great , ' li told reporters thursday . what i was so happy about in my round , ( was that ) after i got doubles and triples , i was able to get it back . and i got a lot of pars after that . ' heading into the tournament , li said her only ambition was to have fun and play the best i can . ' but the california native can also count growing experience in her time at pinehurst , not least how to deal with the perilous course -- which hosted the men 's u.s. open last week . it 's tough , ' said li . you miss the ball by three feet and it could be like a two- or three-shot difference . you could hit it three feet more right and you 'd be putting this far away for birdie . or you could be in the bunker and struggling for a bogey . ' tour pros had raised doubts about whether the child amateur -- still wearing braces and standing on a box to address the media after her opening round -- should be subjected to the pressure and expectation of such a big professional event . when i found out she qualified , i said ,'well , where does she go from here ? you qualify for an open at 11 , what do you do next ?' asked world no . 1 stacy lewis on wednesday . the 29-year-old added : if it was my kid , i would n't let her play in the u.s. open qualifier at 11 , but that 's just me . ' pressure seemed to be the least of li 's worries as she chatted with the older members of her playing group and feasted on an ice cream during the post-round press conference . she is so mature for her age , ' said 23-year-old jessica wallace , who played with li and catherine o'donnell -- the latter also shot 78 . there were times when i felt more immature than she is . catherine and i had fun talking to her . she 's so mature , it 's like talking to another 23-year-old . ' li became officially the youngest player to qualify after securing her place at an event at half moon bay golf club near her home in california . she beats fellow american lexi thompson , who qualified for the 2007 open aged 12 , to become the youngest qualifier . but li is not the youngest to compete at the tournament -- beverley klass competed in 1967 , without having to qualify , aged just 10 . while canadian wallace carded 74 to be on course to make the halfway cut , seven shots behind first-round leader lewis , li and o'donnell were outside the projected top-60 ahead of their second rounds friday . and there was n't a fairytale end for li -- she missed the weekend rounds after carding another 78 on friday , laced with more highs and lows as she tied for 120th in the 154-player field . i 'm really happy with how i bounced back from the big numbers , ' said li , who again had to stand on a box to reach the microphone at her press conference friday . just be patient and not care about what happened , just go to the next shot and hit it like nothing , like it 's the first shot . ' her caddy bryan bush added : she proved that she deserved to be here . her play spoke for itself . it was never about score , ' he said . she was here for the experience and the opportunity to play with the best players in the world . she proved that she can . ' the weekend attention switched from one child prodigy to a former one , as michelle wie claimed a three-shot lead from thompson . the 24-year-old wie also came to prominence at a young age but is still seeking her first major title . she birdied the last two holes to move clear of 19-year-old thompson , who at 16 was the youngest winner of an lpga event until that record was taken by lydia ko in 2012 . new zealand 's ko , now 17 , fired 71 to move up the leaderboard and make the cut , being tied for 29th . world no . 1 stacy lewis dropped from the opening-round lead to a tie for third after a 73 which left the american four shots behind compatriot wie .","lucy li , 11 , becomes the youngest qualifier to play in u.s. women 's open history" +"gary lamont sumner pensacola , florida ( cnn ) -- a fourth suspect has been arrested in the shooting deaths of a gulf coast couple known for adopting special-needs children , authorities said late monday . police say they have evidence that places gary lamont sumner at the crime scene . gary lamont sumner faces a murder charge for his alleged role in the deaths of byrd and melanie billings on thursday , escambia county , florida , sheriff david morgan said . sumner was pulled over in a traffic stop in okaloosa county sunday and arrested after authorities found he matched a description put out by escambia authorities . police believe six to eight people were involved in the homicides , which occurred in the couple 's home in beulah , west of pensacola , near the alabama state line . watch surveillance video of the home invasion » the crime was a very well-planned and methodical operation , ' morgan said . wayne coldiron , 41 ; leonard patrick gonzalez jr. , 35 , and leonard patrick gonzalez sr. , 56 , were arrested over the weekend . coldiron and the younger gonzalez face charges of murder , robbery and residential home invasion ; the elder gonzalez faces charges of evidence tampering for allegedly trying to disguise a vehicle spotted at the home . morgan said at least three others are persons of interests in the investigation . we expect more arrests to be imminent , ' morgan told reporters . both of the billingses were shot multiple times , morgan said , but he would not release further details on their deaths . authorities released two surveillance tapes taken from the front and rear of the billingses'home . each shows a vehicle pulling up to the property , and five people dressed in black and wearing masks entering the home through two entrances -- including through a utility door left unlocked , something morgan said is not uncommon in the community . authorities believe drivers remained in both of the cars . investigators believe one motive in the deaths was robbery , but we believe there are other motives , ' morgan said . he would not say what , if anything , was taken from the home . melanie billings'biological daughter , ashley markham , told reporters the couple initially had 17 children -- two biological children each for byrd and melanie billings , with the rest adopted . three have died over the years , she said . the couple had no biological children together . watch ashley markham say , love was never scarce ' in billings home » morgan , however , said the couple had a total of 16 children , with two that have died and others that have grown older and no longer live in the billingses'home . nine of the couple 's children were home at the time of the incident , morgan said , and police believe three of them saw the intruders . one managed to flee the home and seek help at a neighbor 's house , the sheriff said . coldiron and the younger gonzalez were being held on $ 1 million bond , according to records posted on the sheriff 's web site . the senior gonzalez was being held on $ 250,000 bond . one of the first three arrested is believed to be the mastermind behind the crime , morgan said , but would not say which one . watch a report on the arrests in the complex case » police also released a surveillance photo taken at a wal-mart in nearby gulf breeze , florida , recently . two of the people in the photo are sumner and the younger gonzalez , but authorities want to know who the other man is , morgan said . the sheriff called the surveillance tapes chilling . ' he noted the vehicles were at the home less than 10 minutes , and the five people were in the house less than four minutes . it leads me to believe that this was a very well-planned and methodical operation , ' morgan said . watch experts describe the military-style ' attack » although the billingses were well known in the community , the sheriff said authorities are still trying to unravel why they were targeted . he compared their deaths to the slaying of the clutter family of kansas , inspiration for truman capote 's novel in cold blood , ' noting the clutter murders were something the community struggled with for years . it will be a very long time , i believe , until we piece together the truth of why this family was selected , ' morgan said . police believe the suspects might have bought the clothes they wore to the home and were reviewing surveillance tapes and photos from several stores , he said . morgan said the crime 's complexity is frustrating for investigators , comparing it to a complicated mathematics or word problem that lacks complete information . it seems as though each phase we complete , while we answer a set of questions , it opens up an additional set of questions . ' earlier , he said the complete story , when revealed , is going to be a humdinger . ' asked whether the suspects entered the home planning to kill the couple , morgan said authorities do not know . markham said earlier the family does not know any of the three suspects . she said the children are coping very well ' and are being cared for . they have n't asked too many questions , ' she said , noting that several have disabilities . while the investigation continues , the family is keeping the children 's whereabouts a secret . cnn 's david mattingly contributed to this report .","gary lamont sumner faces murder charge in deaths of byrd , melanie billings" +"latino conservative republicans are painting latino immigrants as ebola carriers to fan the anti-immigration reform movement , but health experts say those fears are grossly overstated . officials say there have been no reported cases of ebola-infected migrants entering the united states through mexico and border authorities reject claims that the border is not secure . still many politicians continue to raise the alarm , seeking to derail immigration reform -- already delayed several times by congress and the president . on thursday , former massachusetts senator and now new hampshire senate candidate scott brown said that he does n't want undocumented immigrants crossing the u.s.-mexico border because they might be carrying ebola . one of the reasons why i 've been so adamant about closing our border , because if people are coming through normal channels -- can you imagine what they can do through our porous borders ? ' brown said in a radio interview . republican candidate thom tillis , running for a senate seat in north carolina , said in a debate on tuesday that the united states should seal its border with mexico to prevent the spread of ebola , while rand paul , the kentucky senator and potential presidential candidate in 2016 , said last week that the southern border is not secure enough to keep out ebola . the countries most affected by the virus are sierra leone , guinea and liberia in west africa . according to carl meacham , director of the america 's program at the center for strategic & international studies , the largest communities of west africans in latin america can be found in brazil and the caribbean -- not central america , where the majority of immigrants who illegally cross the border are from . julio varela , founder of latino rebels , an opinionated latino-issues website , questioned the motivation of such fears . i am starting to think that this is all some kind of mix-and-match game of fear , ' he said . you take the most extreme examples of xenophobic hysteria -- mexicans , terrorists , isis , the border crisis and ebola -- and mash them all together to create a new narrative of craziness , ' he added . the ebolification of immigration reform has been going on for months . in july , georgia republican rep. phil gingrey , a medical doctor , wrote a letter to dr. thomas frieden , director of the centers for disease control and prevention , expressing his concern that the influx of families and unaccompanied minors at the u.s.-mexico border could pose a grave public health risk . reports of illegal migrants carrying deadly diseases such as swine flu , dengue fever , ebola virus and tuberculosis are particularly concerning , ' he wrote . unaccompanied migrant children posed a particular risk , he said , because they could spread the disease too quickly to be controlled , once in the united states . he urged the cdc to immediately assess the situation and notify the public of risks . during an august hearing of the house foreign affairs committee 's subcommittee on africa , frieden dismissed the possibility of ebola reaching the united states via the southern border . that is not happening , ' he said . other health officials agree with frieden . they call threats , like the one gingrey describes , as farfetched . there has never been an outbreak of ebola in latin america , said dr. anthony fauci , director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases . that makes it extremely unlikely for a child or adult entering the united states via mexico to be infected with the disease . unswayed by the medical community 's assertions of safety , far-right conservative politicians and their sympathizers have gone even further . fox news host chris wallace suggested that an ebola infested terrorist could enter through the southern border and wage biological warfare . meanwhile , arkansas republican rep. tom cotton , currently running for senate , said that terror groups are collaborating with drug cartels in mexico . homeland security secretary jeh johnson denied these allegations thursday and warned against creating fear and anxiety in the public by passing on speculation and rumor . some latino republicans have tried to distance themselves from the ebola and isis border fears . i am saddened to see some conservatives use fear of deadly diseases to push an immigration restriction agenda . their claims are generally vastly overblown and i am especially disappointed in rep. phil gingrey , who is a medical doctor and should know better , ' said bob quasius , president of café con leche republicans .","conservatives claim latino immigrants can carry ebola" +"british so many hours of talks , so little progress . despite two days of intensive negotiations , iran and six world powers remain far apart ' on tehran 's controversial nuclear program , eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton said saturday in kazakhstan . her words dashed hopes that the deadlock might be broken after what had seemed more promising talks back in february , also in the kazakh city of almaty . iran 's top nuclear negotiator , saeed jalili , acknowledged there was some distance ' between iran and the six powers but seemed more positive in his assessment . good negotiations ' had taken place in this round of talks , jalili said , which he described as substantive , expansive and comprehensive . ' but in a sign that progress was limited , no date or location has been set for new talks . this round was just the latest in a decade-long attempt to resolve differences between iran and the international community over tehran 's nuclear ambitions . the first day of talks proved inconclusive . by the end of saturday , despite long and intensive discussions , ' the two sides were no closer on agreeing on confidence-building measures , ashton told reporters . it became clear that the positions of ( the world powers ) and iran remain far apart on the substance , ' she said . we therefore agreed all sides will go back to their capitals to evaluate where we stand on the process . ' ashton said she would be in touch with jalili very soon in order to see how to go forward . ' while ashton said these were the most detailed discussions that the two sides had had , with a real back-and-forward between us , ' she also made clear that she was disappointed by the lack of progress made . a senior u.s. administration official said jalili directly engaged him in a 30- to 40-minute question-and-answer exchange in the middle of saturday 's plenary meeting . the quality of the discussion was different because there was this back and forth , this q and a , ' the official said . we just went back and forth with him . ' still , the official expressed disappointment , saying that iran had put forward some minimal ideas and expected great return , and quite disproportionate return . ' britain , too , took a hard line after the talks . the uk went to kazakhstan ready with our partners to negotiate in good faith with iran , ' british foreign secretary william hague said in a statement . iran 's current position falls far short of what is needed to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough . ' when negotiators from the diplomatic bloc of six nations -- the united states , france , britain , germany , china and russia -- last sat down with iran 's envoy in almaty in february , they delivered what they characterized as a fair and balanced offer ' to defuse tensions over the iranian nuclear program . instead of delivering the concrete response ' western governments had expected , iran announced it was making its own proposal to the negotiating parties .'two-way street' jalili said iran had tabled a proposal based on the discussions in almaty and a previous meeting in moscow -- and that it is now down to the six world powers to respond and show their willingness to take appropriate confidence-building steps in the future . ' he repeated tehran 's position that iran has the right to a peaceful nuclear program . creating confidence is a two-way street , ' he said . now , after many proposals put forward by iran , it 's the turn of the six world powers to respond , he said . jalili 's comments on iran 's enrichment of uranium -- one of the most contentious issues at stake -- reaffirmed tehran 's right to pursue that track but also appeared to leave the door open to some kind of negotiation . enrichment is part of the rights of the iranian people , whether we 're talking about 5 % or 20 % ... however , this can be an issue that can create further confidence , ' he said . jalili added that hostile behaviors ' directed toward iran were detrimental to building confidence . this was presumably a reference to the draconian sanctions imposed by western governments against tehran , which are crippling the iranian economy . oil exports have plummeted over the past several years , as has the value of iran 's currency . the purpose of any sanctions is to put pressure in order to get this process to work , ' said ashton . and i believe we should continue to work as hard as we possibly can to make sure we are successful and we reach a satisfactory resolution . ' questions fly around any plan to attack iran the so-called p5+1 governments are demanding that iran come clean about its nuclear program , which they suspect includes covert development of nuclear weapons . iran consistently denies those charges , arguing it is enriching uranium and building nuclear reactors only for peaceful civilian energy needs . details of last february 's offer from the six countries represented across the negotiating table from iran have not yet been made public . last month , technical experts from iran and the p5+1 countries met for more than 12 hours in istanbul to discuss the proposal . iran 's deputy chief negotiator said the iranian proposal tabled friday was based on a previous powerpoint presentation that the iranian delegation submitted during a round of talks in moscow in june 2012 . the islamic republic of iran proposed a practical method to implement the moscow plan in a smaller scale , ' ali baghery said in a statement issued to journalists friday . the offer , he said , was aimed at establishing a new bedrock of cooperation . ' a call for'concrete actions' washington has vowed it will continue to put pressure on tehran . as long as iran does not take concrete steps to address the concerns of the international community about its nuclear program , the dual-track process continues . and that pressure only will increase if iran does not begin to take concrete steps and concrete actions , ' said a senior u.s. administration official in a telephone briefing to journalists this week . the official spoke on condition of anonymity . iran argues that as a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty , development of nuclear technology is an inalienable right . on the eve of the two-day talks in kazakhstan , jalili repeated this position in a speech given at a university in almaty . it is the right of the iranian people to peaceful nuclear energy and most importantly to enrichment , ' jalili said . a report recently published by the carnegie endowment for international peace concluded that sanctions are unlikely to force tehran to give up its nuclear program . the report , titled iran 's nuclear odyssey , ' highlighted the fact that tehran 's quest for a nuclear program has been going on for more than half a century , beginning under the rule of the pro-american shah , reza pahlavi , and continuing under the revolutionary islamic republic that overthrew him . the program 's cost -- measured in lost foreign investment and oil revenue -- has been well over $ 100 billion , ' carnegie said ."," iran 's current position falls far short of what is needed , ' says british official" +"dwts ( the frisky ) -- last night nicole scherzinger was the 10th star to claim the mirrored ball on dancing with the stars . ' the lead pussycat doll went up against olympic figure skater evan lysacek and espn anchor erin andrews and came out victorious . many predicted that scherzinger would win from the start based on her spectacular performances and stage presence , not to mention her extensive dance history as a member of the pussycat dolls . but lysacek and andrews gave her a good run for her money , bringing an enjoyable end to a season of controversy . was it me , or was season 10 the most exciting ever ? kate gosselin 's diva behavior , jake pavelka 's cornball glances at vienna girardi , and nicole 's spats with pamela anderson made it must-watch tv , not to mention elisabeth hasselbeck 's major snafu regarding erin andrews'wardrobe . the show seriously picked the right contestants this time around . to help them out for season 11 , here are the 15 stars we 'd love to see do the rumba next . the frisky : kate gosselin and 7 more celebs rejected by playboy katie holmes so she might be a bit out of reach , especially since katie holmes is stuck in the tom cruise isolation bubble , but this could be a rebirth for her . let 's face it : holmes has a lost some of her flair and she lets her daughter do most of the fancy dressing . dancing with the stars ' would allow holmes to separate herself from tomkat , and at least get her out of the house . heidi klum and seal the couple has said in interviews that they are interested in joining dancing with the stars . ' it would be good for everyone . heidi klum could get away from judging those sassy project runway ' stylists and rock some tacky , sparkly clothes . seal could get back on the radar for something other than being klum 's husband . and the show could get to play off the drama of having a competing couple . the frisky : 10 top models without makeup oprah winfrey oprah may be leaving her iconic television show behind , but that does n't mean she ca n't move on to something else . she needs to think of all the fans she has been shepherding for so many years ! honestly , with the number of women who look to her for advice on what to eat , read , and wear -- i do n't think there 's any way she could lose . josh sawyer ' holloway now that lost ' is over , people are going to have to find their dose of shirtless sawyer somewhere else . we can sit around and watch old lost ' clips , but i think seeing him get sweaty and strip down in a samba would be a better alternative . yes ? the frisky : 8 things i wo n't miss now that lost ' is off the tv map celine dion back in 2007 , the canadian songstress said that she was interested in doing the show . why has n't dwts ' snatched her up yet ? they have a pretty loose definition of star , ' and she would be one of their biggest grabs . i am picturing a titanic ' -themed waltz to my heart would go on . ' it would be cheesily epic . betty white this lady is 2010 's big thing , and rightfully so . betty white is adorable , feisty , and totally held her own on saturday night live ' this month . if white ends up in a set of dancing shoes , i am officially dubbing her the coolest grandma ever . the frisky : 10 summer dresses under $ 50 johnny weir so evan lysacek gave it his shot and got to the final three , but i think johnny weir could take it all the way . throughout the olympics , he was known for bringing theatricality and flair to all his performances . the dance floor is the only other place that i can think of that could capture weir 's signature brand of pizzazz . plus , we 'd get the added perks of more self-designed outfits and seeing him get to beat lysacek at something . sarah silverman the comedian just had her show on comedy central canceled , so now it is time to dance the pain away . sarah silverman strikes us as sort of klutzy , but i am sure that can be smoothed out by the tender footsteps of tony or derek . silverman is sure to make the sometimes exhaustive judging process a little more entertaining . bob saget between full house ' and america 's funniest home videos , ' bob saget seems like quite the family man . but i have heard rumors that in real life he has a dirty sense of humor . maybe saget could reroute that crudeness into sexy dance moves ? it would be a good mix of amusing and awkward , since a lot of viewers probably could n't see past saget as anyone other than daddy tanner . dr. drew it is time for dr. drew to add something else to his resume other than harassing addicted celebrities and pregnant teens . the doc needs to come to the dance floor and switch from psychoanalysis to polka . the frisky : see 10 stars who 've worn ankle alcohol monitors [ scrams ] ryan seacrest ' american idol ' is finally starting to see a decline , while dancing with the stars ' just had one of its most successful seasons . now i have n't taken math since high school but it seems like it is time for seacrest to think about switching teams . a little bit of fancy footwork could be just what he needs , though they would have to make it clear he could n't host the show . sarah ferguson the duchess herself has said she wants to be on the show because her kids love to watch her dance . now that she is stuck in the middle of a bribery controversy , she could use dtws ' for image revitalization . though there is a chance not even dancing with the stars ' could save her from this royal mess . kendra wilkinson speaking of image revitalization , kendra wilkinson could use a little help right now . her sex tape has just hit the market , and with a rumored second one on the way , kendra needs to get people 's minds off these tapes and onto something else . and she already proved on her former reality show the girls next door ' that she definitely can shake her booty . ' the frisky : pro tennis player 's breast reduction deflates her fan base mr. t mr. t had a brief fling as a rapper , and now it is time for him to reach triple threat territory . i pity the fool who do n't vote for him . with the movie remake of a-team ' out soon , he needs to make sure viewers know who the real b.a . baracus is . tm & © 2010 tmv , inc. | all rights reserved","it seems like it is time for seacrest to think about switching to dwts '" +"muslims rye , new york ( cnn ) -- what was meant to be a celebration marking the end of ramadan turned into a melee at an amusement park on tuesday when a group of muslim women were told they were n't allowed on certain rides with their headscarves . rye playland was full of visitors celebrating eid al-fitr when the festive mood turned angry . westchester county police said the women wearing the hijab , a traditional muslim headscarf , became argumentative when park employees enforced the no-headgear policy and men sprang to their defense . ( the rule ) did n't get relayed to the people who attended , so some people got upset , ' said westchester county police capt . thomas gleason . fifteen people were arrested and two charged with felony assault after two park rangers sustained minor injuries . among those arrested were three women wearing the hijab . police shut down the park for several hours during the incident . it had to do with headgear . people -- patrons -- are not allowed to wear headgear on rides for safety reasons , ' gleason said . zead ramadan , spokesman for the new york chapter of the council on american-islamic relations ( cair ) , said members of the muslim american society who had organized the outing asked him to come to the park to mediate . ramadan said the women felt they had been targeted by park employees because of their religious views . they 're the most obvious muslims around because they have hijabs on . they felt they were discriminated against , ' ramadan said . maybe there was a level of frustration that went around across the board , ' ramadan said . then you have the parks people who are trying to explain this and do their job . ' ramadan said he saw a cell-phone video showing police yanking a hijabi-wearing woman out of the crowd . ' she was very small . they turn her around and throw her down on the ground . ' ramadan said that 's when the crowd got very angry . nobody was assaulted prior to the police being called , and that in itself is a problem , ' ramadan said . gleason said he was aware there was some cell-phone footage and maybe some video , ' ' there 's no official video that we have released at this time , ' he said . there are some videos in the park that we 're retaining for our own information . ' gleason said he had seen seen bits and pieces ' of phone footage from the incident . he said park officials told the muslim organizers about the headgear ban but that information was n't relayed to the group of visitors . ramadan chalked the whole incident up to miscommunication . ' the women felt they were being targeted , but in fact these were safety precautions , ' he said . and maybe ( the park ) did n't do the best job in disclosing those precautions . ' but westchester county parks deputy commissioner peter tartaglia says the policy was made abundantly clear to the group 's organizer , and that the rules are clearly posted . we repeatedly told him , because we knew this group would have religious headgear , ' tartaglia insisted adding that a refund booth was set up in case anyone objected to the policy , which he said is posted prominently in the park . there 's a sign at every ride , ' tartaglia said . when you enter the park , there 's a height line and it lists headgear policy . what triggered the incident was fighting within the group and the subject was why they did n't know the policy , ' said tartaglia , adding that he arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the fight broke out . he said police were called when it appeared the altercation could lead to a riot . ride safety precautions posted on its website include the following safety rule : ' hats must be secured , and jackets/sweaters must be worn properly and not around the waist while on a ride . some rides do not allow backpacks , purses or head gear of any kind . ' rye playland , also known as playland amusement park , is located about 17 miles northeast of the bronx in westchester county .","muslims were celebrating eid al-fitr ; women were wearing the hijab" +"rye playland rye , new york ( cnn ) -- what was meant to be a celebration marking the end of ramadan turned into a melee at an amusement park on tuesday when a group of muslim women were told they were n't allowed on certain rides with their headscarves . rye playland was full of visitors celebrating eid al-fitr when the festive mood turned angry . westchester county police said the women wearing the hijab , a traditional muslim headscarf , became argumentative when park employees enforced the no-headgear policy and men sprang to their defense . ( the rule ) did n't get relayed to the people who attended , so some people got upset , ' said westchester county police capt . thomas gleason . fifteen people were arrested and two charged with felony assault after two park rangers sustained minor injuries . among those arrested were three women wearing the hijab . police shut down the park for several hours during the incident . it had to do with headgear . people -- patrons -- are not allowed to wear headgear on rides for safety reasons , ' gleason said . zead ramadan , spokesman for the new york chapter of the council on american-islamic relations ( cair ) , said members of the muslim american society who had organized the outing asked him to come to the park to mediate . ramadan said the women felt they had been targeted by park employees because of their religious views . they 're the most obvious muslims around because they have hijabs on . they felt they were discriminated against , ' ramadan said . maybe there was a level of frustration that went around across the board , ' ramadan said . then you have the parks people who are trying to explain this and do their job . ' ramadan said he saw a cell-phone video showing police yanking a hijabi-wearing woman out of the crowd . ' she was very small . they turn her around and throw her down on the ground . ' ramadan said that 's when the crowd got very angry . nobody was assaulted prior to the police being called , and that in itself is a problem , ' ramadan said . gleason said he was aware there was some cell-phone footage and maybe some video , ' ' there 's no official video that we have released at this time , ' he said . there are some videos in the park that we 're retaining for our own information . ' gleason said he had seen seen bits and pieces ' of phone footage from the incident . he said park officials told the muslim organizers about the headgear ban but that information was n't relayed to the group of visitors . ramadan chalked the whole incident up to miscommunication . ' the women felt they were being targeted , but in fact these were safety precautions , ' he said . and maybe ( the park ) did n't do the best job in disclosing those precautions . ' but westchester county parks deputy commissioner peter tartaglia says the policy was made abundantly clear to the group 's organizer , and that the rules are clearly posted . we repeatedly told him , because we knew this group would have religious headgear , ' tartaglia insisted adding that a refund booth was set up in case anyone objected to the policy , which he said is posted prominently in the park . there 's a sign at every ride , ' tartaglia said . when you enter the park , there 's a height line and it lists headgear policy . what triggered the incident was fighting within the group and the subject was why they did n't know the policy , ' said tartaglia , adding that he arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the fight broke out . he said police were called when it appeared the altercation could lead to a riot . ride safety precautions posted on its website include the following safety rule : ' hats must be secured , and jackets/sweaters must be worn properly and not around the waist while on a ride . some rides do not allow backpacks , purses or head gear of any kind . ' rye playland , also known as playland amusement park , is located about 17 miles northeast of the bronx in westchester county .","rye playland employees sought to enforce headgear ban on park rides" +"westchester county police rye , new york ( cnn ) -- what was meant to be a celebration marking the end of ramadan turned into a melee at an amusement park on tuesday when a group of muslim women were told they were n't allowed on certain rides with their headscarves . rye playland was full of visitors celebrating eid al-fitr when the festive mood turned angry . westchester county police said the women wearing the hijab , a traditional muslim headscarf , became argumentative when park employees enforced the no-headgear policy and men sprang to their defense . ( the rule ) did n't get relayed to the people who attended , so some people got upset , ' said westchester county police capt . thomas gleason . fifteen people were arrested and two charged with felony assault after two park rangers sustained minor injuries . among those arrested were three women wearing the hijab . police shut down the park for several hours during the incident . it had to do with headgear . people -- patrons -- are not allowed to wear headgear on rides for safety reasons , ' gleason said . zead ramadan , spokesman for the new york chapter of the council on american-islamic relations ( cair ) , said members of the muslim american society who had organized the outing asked him to come to the park to mediate . ramadan said the women felt they had been targeted by park employees because of their religious views . they 're the most obvious muslims around because they have hijabs on . they felt they were discriminated against , ' ramadan said . maybe there was a level of frustration that went around across the board , ' ramadan said . then you have the parks people who are trying to explain this and do their job . ' ramadan said he saw a cell-phone video showing police yanking a hijabi-wearing woman out of the crowd . ' she was very small . they turn her around and throw her down on the ground . ' ramadan said that 's when the crowd got very angry . nobody was assaulted prior to the police being called , and that in itself is a problem , ' ramadan said . gleason said he was aware there was some cell-phone footage and maybe some video , ' ' there 's no official video that we have released at this time , ' he said . there are some videos in the park that we 're retaining for our own information . ' gleason said he had seen seen bits and pieces ' of phone footage from the incident . he said park officials told the muslim organizers about the headgear ban but that information was n't relayed to the group of visitors . ramadan chalked the whole incident up to miscommunication . ' the women felt they were being targeted , but in fact these were safety precautions , ' he said . and maybe ( the park ) did n't do the best job in disclosing those precautions . ' but westchester county parks deputy commissioner peter tartaglia says the policy was made abundantly clear to the group 's organizer , and that the rules are clearly posted . we repeatedly told him , because we knew this group would have religious headgear , ' tartaglia insisted adding that a refund booth was set up in case anyone objected to the policy , which he said is posted prominently in the park . there 's a sign at every ride , ' tartaglia said . when you enter the park , there 's a height line and it lists headgear policy . what triggered the incident was fighting within the group and the subject was why they did n't know the policy , ' said tartaglia , adding that he arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the fight broke out . he said police were called when it appeared the altercation could lead to a riot . ride safety precautions posted on its website include the following safety rule : ' hats must be secured , and jackets/sweaters must be worn properly and not around the waist while on a ride . some rides do not allow backpacks , purses or head gear of any kind . ' rye playland , also known as playland amusement park , is located about 17 miles northeast of the bronx in westchester county .","westchester county police responded ; confrontation became violent" +"hiv editor 's note : dr. anthony s. fauci is director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases at the national institutes of health . dr. anthony s. fauci : progress has been made in the fight against hiv/aids , but our work is just beginning . ' ( cnn ) -- when we commemorated the first world aids day on december 1 , 1988 , we had little to celebrate . the number of reported aids cases in the united states was nearing 80,000 and rising rapidly . untold thousands more in this country were living with the human immunodeficiency virus , or hiv . globally , aids cases already had been reported from more than 135 countries . an aids tsunami clearly was looming , but we had few defenses at our disposal . for those of us caring for people with aids , it was a dark time . we had just one anti-hiv medicine in our pharmacies , azt , a drug that the virus rapidly defeated by mutating and developing resistance . lacking other medicines to slow the relentless replication of hiv and its destruction of a person 's immune system , we did our best to help our patients by managing to the extent possible their aids-related infections and complications . but the life span of most of the patients was measured in months . two decades later , much has changed . an unprecedented research effort has led to more than two dozen anti-hiv drugs , more than for all other viral diseases combined . taken in proper combinations , these medications have dramatically improved the prognosis for people living with hiv by increasing their life span by at least a decade and providing the possibility of a normal life span with continued therapy . scientifically proven prevention approaches -- education and outreach to at-risk populations , voluntary hiv testing and counseling , condom distribution , prevention of hiv transmission from mother to baby , harm reduction approaches for drug abusers , mass-media campaigns and the screening of donated blood -- have been deployed with great success in the united states and many other countries . innovative programs such as the president 's emergency plan for aids relief and the global fund for hiv/aids , tuberculosis and malaria , as well as the efforts of nongovernment organizations , have reached millions of people in low- and mid-income countries worldwide with hiv-related services , at a scale unimaginable a few years ago . and gradually -- but too slowly -- we have begun addressing aids-related stigma in this country and abroad . much has been accomplished in the fight against hiv/aids from scientific , medical and public health standpoints . however , now is no time to rest on our accomplishments or our laurels . the statistics of the hiv/aids pandemic tell us that much more needs to be done . around the world , a staggering 2.7 million people were infected in 2007 alone . globally , 33 million people are living with hiv infection , most of them in the developing world . in the united states , more than 1 million people are living with hiv . and 56,000 more people are infected each year in the u.s. , driving hiv prevalence rates in some of our communities to levels that rival those seen in sub-saharan africa . gay and bisexual men , and african-americans in general , are disproportionately affected . the true ground zero of the hiv epidemic in the united states is in those communities . what is the way forward ? first , even in the face of a world economic crisis , the global community must scale up the delivery of proven hiv therapies and prevention services . in low- and middle-income countries , less than one-third of people in need of anti-hiv therapy are receiving it , and only one in five people at risk of hiv infection have access to prevention services . all around the world , access to hiv services -- and medical care in general -- remains a challenge in many poor communities . the global community must sustain our commitment to investing resources for medicines , clinics , as well as training and salaries for doctors , nurses and community health care workers to provide care for hiv/aids and other diseases in the settings where they occur . here in the united states , more than one-fifth of people living with hiv are unaware of their infection and not receiving appropriate care for their own health or the prevention services that would help them avoid transmitting the virus to others . a frequent scenario is that people learn of their infection status only when they have advanced symptoms of hiv disease , when their health may by irreparably damaged . now is the time for the medical community and policymakers to embrace u.s. guidelines for all americans aged 13-64 to be voluntarily tested in routine medical care . barriers to implementation of hiv testing guidelines , such as state , local or agency regulations that conflict with the recommendations , variability in payment coverage for the test , and concerns about the stigma and discrimination that may accompany an hiv diagnosis , must be addressed . meanwhile , we also must continue to invest in the next generation of treatment and prevention modalities . encouragingly , new means of preventing hiv infection are emerging from well-designed and well-implemented clinical research trials . one exciting concept is pre-exposure prophylaxis or prep , giving preventive doses of anti-hiv drugs to individuals who are at an increased risk of hiv infection . this still-experimental strategy is based on the concept that if hiv replication can be inhibited immediately following exposure to the virus , permanent infection might be thwarted . multiple clinical studies of prep are under way in the united states and in populations around the world . ongoing research to develop microbicidal gels or creams to be applied before sex offer the hope of people being able to protect themselves from hiv infection in situations where saying no to sex or insisting on condom use is not an option . finally , a preventive hiv vaccine remains the greatest hope for halting the relentless spread of hiv/aids . we must solve the mystery of how to prompt the human body to produce a protective immune response against hiv , which natural infection with the virus seems unable to do . historically , it has taken decades to find effective vaccines to combat most infectious diseases . researchers usually experienced numerous setbacks and disappointments before reaching success , yet they persevered . finding a safe and effective hiv vaccine demands an equally intense resolve . on this world aids day , we should be proud of the many scientific advances that have been made in the fight against hiv/aids . but it is hardly a time for self-congratulation . rather , we must understand that our work is just beginning . developing hiv interventions and delivering them to the people who need them will require scientific and public health vision , and dedication from all sectors of society , in good times and bad . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dr. anthony s. fauci .","fauci : preventive hiv vaccine is best hope for halting spread of hiv/aids" +"hiv editor 's note : dr. anthony s. fauci is director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases at the national institutes of health . dr. anthony s. fauci : progress has been made in the fight against hiv/aids , but our work is just beginning . ' ( cnn ) -- when we commemorated the first world aids day on december 1 , 1988 , we had little to celebrate . the number of reported aids cases in the united states was nearing 80,000 and rising rapidly . untold thousands more in this country were living with the human immunodeficiency virus , or hiv . globally , aids cases already had been reported from more than 135 countries . an aids tsunami clearly was looming , but we had few defenses at our disposal . for those of us caring for people with aids , it was a dark time . we had just one anti-hiv medicine in our pharmacies , azt , a drug that the virus rapidly defeated by mutating and developing resistance . lacking other medicines to slow the relentless replication of hiv and its destruction of a person 's immune system , we did our best to help our patients by managing to the extent possible their aids-related infections and complications . but the life span of most of the patients was measured in months . two decades later , much has changed . an unprecedented research effort has led to more than two dozen anti-hiv drugs , more than for all other viral diseases combined . taken in proper combinations , these medications have dramatically improved the prognosis for people living with hiv by increasing their life span by at least a decade and providing the possibility of a normal life span with continued therapy . scientifically proven prevention approaches -- education and outreach to at-risk populations , voluntary hiv testing and counseling , condom distribution , prevention of hiv transmission from mother to baby , harm reduction approaches for drug abusers , mass-media campaigns and the screening of donated blood -- have been deployed with great success in the united states and many other countries . innovative programs such as the president 's emergency plan for aids relief and the global fund for hiv/aids , tuberculosis and malaria , as well as the efforts of nongovernment organizations , have reached millions of people in low- and mid-income countries worldwide with hiv-related services , at a scale unimaginable a few years ago . and gradually -- but too slowly -- we have begun addressing aids-related stigma in this country and abroad . much has been accomplished in the fight against hiv/aids from scientific , medical and public health standpoints . however , now is no time to rest on our accomplishments or our laurels . the statistics of the hiv/aids pandemic tell us that much more needs to be done . around the world , a staggering 2.7 million people were infected in 2007 alone . globally , 33 million people are living with hiv infection , most of them in the developing world . in the united states , more than 1 million people are living with hiv . and 56,000 more people are infected each year in the u.s. , driving hiv prevalence rates in some of our communities to levels that rival those seen in sub-saharan africa . gay and bisexual men , and african-americans in general , are disproportionately affected . the true ground zero of the hiv epidemic in the united states is in those communities . what is the way forward ? first , even in the face of a world economic crisis , the global community must scale up the delivery of proven hiv therapies and prevention services . in low- and middle-income countries , less than one-third of people in need of anti-hiv therapy are receiving it , and only one in five people at risk of hiv infection have access to prevention services . all around the world , access to hiv services -- and medical care in general -- remains a challenge in many poor communities . the global community must sustain our commitment to investing resources for medicines , clinics , as well as training and salaries for doctors , nurses and community health care workers to provide care for hiv/aids and other diseases in the settings where they occur . here in the united states , more than one-fifth of people living with hiv are unaware of their infection and not receiving appropriate care for their own health or the prevention services that would help them avoid transmitting the virus to others . a frequent scenario is that people learn of their infection status only when they have advanced symptoms of hiv disease , when their health may by irreparably damaged . now is the time for the medical community and policymakers to embrace u.s. guidelines for all americans aged 13-64 to be voluntarily tested in routine medical care . barriers to implementation of hiv testing guidelines , such as state , local or agency regulations that conflict with the recommendations , variability in payment coverage for the test , and concerns about the stigma and discrimination that may accompany an hiv diagnosis , must be addressed . meanwhile , we also must continue to invest in the next generation of treatment and prevention modalities . encouragingly , new means of preventing hiv infection are emerging from well-designed and well-implemented clinical research trials . one exciting concept is pre-exposure prophylaxis or prep , giving preventive doses of anti-hiv drugs to individuals who are at an increased risk of hiv infection . this still-experimental strategy is based on the concept that if hiv replication can be inhibited immediately following exposure to the virus , permanent infection might be thwarted . multiple clinical studies of prep are under way in the united states and in populations around the world . ongoing research to develop microbicidal gels or creams to be applied before sex offer the hope of people being able to protect themselves from hiv infection in situations where saying no to sex or insisting on condom use is not an option . finally , a preventive hiv vaccine remains the greatest hope for halting the relentless spread of hiv/aids . we must solve the mystery of how to prompt the human body to produce a protective immune response against hiv , which natural infection with the virus seems unable to do . historically , it has taken decades to find effective vaccines to combat most infectious diseases . researchers usually experienced numerous setbacks and disappointments before reaching success , yet they persevered . finding a safe and effective hiv vaccine demands an equally intense resolve . on this world aids day , we should be proud of the many scientific advances that have been made in the fight against hiv/aids . but it is hardly a time for self-congratulation . rather , we must understand that our work is just beginning . developing hiv interventions and delivering them to the people who need them will require scientific and public health vision , and dedication from all sectors of society , in good times and bad . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dr. anthony s. fauci .","medications improved prognosis for people living with hiv by increasing life spans" +"hiv editor 's note : dr. anthony s. fauci is director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases at the national institutes of health . dr. anthony s. fauci : progress has been made in the fight against hiv/aids , but our work is just beginning . ' ( cnn ) -- when we commemorated the first world aids day on december 1 , 1988 , we had little to celebrate . the number of reported aids cases in the united states was nearing 80,000 and rising rapidly . untold thousands more in this country were living with the human immunodeficiency virus , or hiv . globally , aids cases already had been reported from more than 135 countries . an aids tsunami clearly was looming , but we had few defenses at our disposal . for those of us caring for people with aids , it was a dark time . we had just one anti-hiv medicine in our pharmacies , azt , a drug that the virus rapidly defeated by mutating and developing resistance . lacking other medicines to slow the relentless replication of hiv and its destruction of a person 's immune system , we did our best to help our patients by managing to the extent possible their aids-related infections and complications . but the life span of most of the patients was measured in months . two decades later , much has changed . an unprecedented research effort has led to more than two dozen anti-hiv drugs , more than for all other viral diseases combined . taken in proper combinations , these medications have dramatically improved the prognosis for people living with hiv by increasing their life span by at least a decade and providing the possibility of a normal life span with continued therapy . scientifically proven prevention approaches -- education and outreach to at-risk populations , voluntary hiv testing and counseling , condom distribution , prevention of hiv transmission from mother to baby , harm reduction approaches for drug abusers , mass-media campaigns and the screening of donated blood -- have been deployed with great success in the united states and many other countries . innovative programs such as the president 's emergency plan for aids relief and the global fund for hiv/aids , tuberculosis and malaria , as well as the efforts of nongovernment organizations , have reached millions of people in low- and mid-income countries worldwide with hiv-related services , at a scale unimaginable a few years ago . and gradually -- but too slowly -- we have begun addressing aids-related stigma in this country and abroad . much has been accomplished in the fight against hiv/aids from scientific , medical and public health standpoints . however , now is no time to rest on our accomplishments or our laurels . the statistics of the hiv/aids pandemic tell us that much more needs to be done . around the world , a staggering 2.7 million people were infected in 2007 alone . globally , 33 million people are living with hiv infection , most of them in the developing world . in the united states , more than 1 million people are living with hiv . and 56,000 more people are infected each year in the u.s. , driving hiv prevalence rates in some of our communities to levels that rival those seen in sub-saharan africa . gay and bisexual men , and african-americans in general , are disproportionately affected . the true ground zero of the hiv epidemic in the united states is in those communities . what is the way forward ? first , even in the face of a world economic crisis , the global community must scale up the delivery of proven hiv therapies and prevention services . in low- and middle-income countries , less than one-third of people in need of anti-hiv therapy are receiving it , and only one in five people at risk of hiv infection have access to prevention services . all around the world , access to hiv services -- and medical care in general -- remains a challenge in many poor communities . the global community must sustain our commitment to investing resources for medicines , clinics , as well as training and salaries for doctors , nurses and community health care workers to provide care for hiv/aids and other diseases in the settings where they occur . here in the united states , more than one-fifth of people living with hiv are unaware of their infection and not receiving appropriate care for their own health or the prevention services that would help them avoid transmitting the virus to others . a frequent scenario is that people learn of their infection status only when they have advanced symptoms of hiv disease , when their health may by irreparably damaged . now is the time for the medical community and policymakers to embrace u.s. guidelines for all americans aged 13-64 to be voluntarily tested in routine medical care . barriers to implementation of hiv testing guidelines , such as state , local or agency regulations that conflict with the recommendations , variability in payment coverage for the test , and concerns about the stigma and discrimination that may accompany an hiv diagnosis , must be addressed . meanwhile , we also must continue to invest in the next generation of treatment and prevention modalities . encouragingly , new means of preventing hiv infection are emerging from well-designed and well-implemented clinical research trials . one exciting concept is pre-exposure prophylaxis or prep , giving preventive doses of anti-hiv drugs to individuals who are at an increased risk of hiv infection . this still-experimental strategy is based on the concept that if hiv replication can be inhibited immediately following exposure to the virus , permanent infection might be thwarted . multiple clinical studies of prep are under way in the united states and in populations around the world . ongoing research to develop microbicidal gels or creams to be applied before sex offer the hope of people being able to protect themselves from hiv infection in situations where saying no to sex or insisting on condom use is not an option . finally , a preventive hiv vaccine remains the greatest hope for halting the relentless spread of hiv/aids . we must solve the mystery of how to prompt the human body to produce a protective immune response against hiv , which natural infection with the virus seems unable to do . historically , it has taken decades to find effective vaccines to combat most infectious diseases . researchers usually experienced numerous setbacks and disappointments before reaching success , yet they persevered . finding a safe and effective hiv vaccine demands an equally intense resolve . on this world aids day , we should be proud of the many scientific advances that have been made in the fight against hiv/aids . but it is hardly a time for self-congratulation . rather , we must understand that our work is just beginning . developing hiv interventions and delivering them to the people who need them will require scientific and public health vision , and dedication from all sectors of society , in good times and bad . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dr. anthony s. fauci .","dr. anthony s. fauci : access to hiv services , medical care a challenge in poor areas" +"europeans paris , france ( cnn ) -- three french journalists charged in an alleged plot to kidnap african children for adoption in europe arrived in paris on sunday , hours after french president nicolas sarkozy held emergency talks in chad . but 14 other people remained in custody in the african nation , some facing serious charges that could send them to jail for up to 20 years . the journalists were among seven europeans a chadian judge released sunday , including a spanish flight crew , whom sarkozy dropped off in a brief stop in madrid on his way back from chad . all were arrested last week after workers from zoe 's ark -- a french-based charity group -- were accused of trying to fly 103 children out of chad in a kidnapping and adoption operation . watch a report on how the events unfolded » some of the children may never return to their families because it is too difficult to determine their backgrounds , red cross spokeswoman inah kaloga told cnn on friday . those who remain under arrest in chad are six members of the french charity , four chadians and four remaining members of the flight crew . some face kidnapping and fraud charges . zoe 's ark leader eric breteau testified saturday to a court in the chadian capital that the three journalists and the flight crew of seven spaniards and a belgian were not involved in the alleged plot , court witnesses told cnn . at least some of the flight crew are scheduled to testify before a judge on monday . the three journalists initially had been charged with complicity in the alleged kidnapping attempt . it 's not clear if the charges against them have been dropped . watch the freed europeans leave chad » in a joint news conference with spanish prime minister jose luis rodriguez zapatero on sunday at madrid 's torrejon air force base , sarkozy expressed satisfaction that some of those detained had been released . at the same time , however , he told reporters , we should respect the sovereignty of chad . ' zapatero thanked sarkozy for dropping the four spanish flight crew members off in their home country , and thanked chadian president idriss deby for allowing them to return . after his emergency talks in chad , sarkozy stressed the scandal would not affect the strong relations between the two countries or affect the planned deployment of a european force to protect refugees from sudan 's darfur region who have fled to chad and the neighboring central african republic . sarkozy also said he hoped the six remaining french nationals -- all from zoe 's ark -- would face trial in france . the charity says that the children were orphans from the darfur region -- where the united nations estimates 200,000 people have been killed in four years of conflict -- and that the group was taking them to host families in france . but after preliminary interviews with the children , aid agencies said thursday it appeared most of them probably are not orphans and not from sudan , but instead come from villages on the chadian side of the border with sudan . the children are staying in an abeche orphanage while aid agencies and government officials try to find out where they came from -- a challenge hindered by the number of children , their youth , and the volatile situation in the region . a father of three of the children allegedly kidnapped told a french newspaper he put his children into the charity 's care after he was told they would be educated at a school under construction in a nearby town . the chadian man , who gave his name as arbab , told le parisien on sunday that workers from zoe 's ark had visited his village three times . they never said they would take away our children , ' he told the newspaper . e-mail to a friend cnn 's nic robertson and al goodman contributed to this report .","journalists are among seven europeans freed sunday in child kidnap ' row" +"palestinian the discovery of a slain palestinian teen in jerusalem early wednesday further inflamed tensions in a region already unsettled over the killings of three israeli teens , not to mention decades of entrenched enmity between all sides . mohammad abu khedair , 17 , was heading from his home to a mosque in the middle-class neighborhood of shuafat for prayers around 4 a.m. when three men forced him into a car and drove off , his father , hussain abu khedair , told cnn . his body was found about an hour later at a forest in jerusalem . the killing quickly triggered condemnations from palestinian and israeli leaders , as well as from the united states . abducted palestinian teen was kind , beloved those who spoke out passionately included an uncle of one of the three israeli teens whose bodies were found earlier this week . he called the young palestinian 's killing a forbidden action , and it has no forgiveness . ' any act of revenge of any kind whatsoever is completely inappropriate and wrong . murder is murder , ' said yishai frankel , uncle of naftali frankel , a 16-year-old dual israeli-american citizen , to israel 's channel 2 . one should not differentiate between bloods , be it arab or jew . israeli authorities are probing wednesday 's death , with police spokesman micky rosenfeld tweeting this effort will try to determine if it is a criminal or nationalistic ' act -- the latter term referring to a politically motivated act in retaliation for the israeli teens'killings . mark regev , a spokesman for prime minister benjamin netanyahu , told cnn late wednesday that investigators at this stage can not say who did this killing . ' this came hours after netanyahu 's office promised a speedy investigation to find who is behind this despicable murder and the background to this act , ' according to a statement from his office . netanyahu calls on all sides not to take the law into their own hands . israel is a country of law and everyone is ordered to act according to the law . ' the killing riled many palestinians , particularly in jerusalem . but it did n't happen in isolation . israelis and palestinians continue to trade blows -- over longstanding issues unrelated to abu khedair 's death -- through rocket attacks and airstrikes . all this violence , from various angles , leads to one big question : when will it stop ? report : body was'charred and bore signs of violence' ' settlers ' kidnapped the teenager and his body was charred and bore signs of violence , ' according to the palestinian state news agency wafa . dna , through saliva samples , was used to positively identify the boy , his father said . rosenfeld told the jerusalem post the teen had significant burn marks . the same israeli publication also reported police are looking into previous kidnap attempts on members of the teenager 's family related to a personal dispute . yet hussain abu khedair , the boy 's father , blamed israelis and vehemently denied reports that this may have been tied to any sort of family dispute . netanyahu is responsible for the crime , ' the father told cnn , because he is the one who is giving the settlers the cover and supporting them . ' the teen 's cousin , majdi abu khedair , said whoever carried out the abduction was driving a car that had been used in an attempted abduction two days ago . a similar claim was made to haaretz by knesset member ahmed tibi . the cousin passionately suggested : the israeli police and israeli government should do the same as they have done in hebron : demolish and blow the settler houses who have done this crime . ' the israeli military destroyed the homes of the two suspects in the killings of the three israeli teens . when confronted with this suggestion , regev insisted we are totally color blind when it comes to this sort of criminal act . ' there 's no difference between a jewish resident of jerusalem or an arab resident of jerusalem , ' the spokesman said . ... police will get to the bottom of this . ' it is sickening to think of an innocent 17-year-old boy snatched off the streets and his life stolen from him and his family , ' said secretary of state of john kerry , who talked with netanyahu by phone about the situation . there are no words to convey adequately our condolences to the palestinian people . ' he noted that both israeli and palestinian officials have condemned it , and he added to netanyahu 's call . those who undertake acts of vengeance only destabilize an already explosive and emotional situation . ' palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas , who heads the fatah party and is based in the west bank , called mohammad abu khedair 's father and promised that those behind his abduction and death will be brought to justice , wafa , the palestinian state news agency , reported . and hamas -- the militant islamic organization that controls gaza -- said in a statement that it holds the israeli occupation ( fully ) responsible , ' adding that the incident exposes ( israel 's ) ugly ... racism ' and refutes the israeli narration of being the victim all the time . ' anger , clashes in palestinian neighborhoods of jerusalem as news of the boy 's death spread , public anger in palestinian neighborhoods of jerusalem rose to levels rarely , if ever , seen since the second intifada , or uprising , last decade . that led to several clashes around the city , the biggest of which was centered in shuafat . residents there threw stones at security forces and the israeli authorities responded with occasional volleys of stun grenades or tear gas . some protesters attacked two palestinians whom they mistook for undercover israeli police , the jerusalem post reported . the clashes expanded and continued through midnight in the palestinian neighborhood , with a large amount of israeli forces on hand . in suwwaneh , palestinians threw rocks at a nearby settlement and several of them were injured by rubber bullets , witnesses said . and some tossed molotov cocktails at an israel settlement in silwan , outside jerusalem 's old city . the palestinian red crescent society reported that more than 100 were injured , most of them in shuafat , in the clashes . there were concerns that the palestinian teenager 's funeral could spark further unrest . but his father said thursday he was still waiting to hear from israeli authorities when the body would be handed over to the family . the autopsy should be done around 1 p.m. , and then i am supposed to wait for a call , ' hussain abu khedair said on palestinian television . we will not bury my son at night , ' he said . we will do it during the day . if they purposely delay , we will do it during the day even ( if that means ) tomorrow . ' israeli airstrikes into gaza meanwhile , the dangerous back-and-forth between gaza and israel was erupting yet again . rockets from the palestinian territory into israel was met by at least eight airstrikes within about an hour early thursday . three hit a hamas intelligence building in gaza city , while at least one struck the qassam training camp in beit hanoun . palestinian medical sources reported at least 10 injured , one of them seriously . israel defense forces said the airstrikes -- going after 15 hamas targets -- were in response to the firing of more than 20 rockets into israel since wednesday . this is in addition to other actions -- including the arrests of hundreds of hamas activists , the demolition of homes and the closure of dozens of institutions in gaza , according to netanyahu -- targeting hamas and focused in gaza . this action follows the abduction of israeli teens eyal yifrach , gilad shaar and naftali frankel as they were on their way home from school june 13 ; the three were found dead on monday in a west bank field . hamas praised the kidnappings but denied that it was responsible for what happened . it warned that if netanyahu brings a war on gaza , the gates of hell will open to him . ' at the teens'funerals , netanyahu said the country would avenge their deaths at the hands of evil men . ' a broad moral gulf separates us from our enemies , ' he said . they sanctify death ; we sanctify life . they sanctify cruelty and we mercy and compassion . that is the secret of our strength . ' opinion : teens'killing hurts israelis , bad for palestinians opinion : slain teens call for justice , not escalation","this comes amid palestinian anger over the kidnapping , killing of a teen" +"chen guangcheng ( cnn ) -- when ji yeqing awakened , she was already in the recovery room . chinese authorities had dragged her out of her home and down four flights of stairs , she said , restraining and beating her husband as he tried to come to her aid . they whisked her into a clinic , held her down on a bed and forced her to undergo an abortion . her offense ? becoming pregnant with a second child , in violation of china 's one-child policy . after the abortion , i felt empty , as if something was scooped out of me , ' ji told a congressional panel in september . my husband and i had been so excited for our new baby . now suddenly all that hope and joy and excitement disappeared . ... i was very depressed and despondent . for a long time , whenever i thought about my lost child , i would cry . ' as she lay unconscious , she said , an iud to prevent future pregnancies was inserted . the issue of forced abortions -- and in some cases , forced sterilizations -- in china has seized the spotlight in recent days with news of escaped activist chen guangcheng . chen , a blind , self-taught lawyer , rose to fame in the late 1990s because of his advocacy for what he calls victims of abusive practices , such as forced abortions , by chinese family planning officials . he investigated forced abortions and sterilizations in eastern china -- a practice china denies -- and helped organize a class-action lawsuit on behalf of victims , for which he served four years in prison . a fellow activist , hu jia , said chen has taken refuge at the u.s. embassy in beijing . chen may be safe for the moment , but the women for whom he risked everything are not , ' said reggie littlejohn , president of women 's rights without frontiers , a california-based organization that describes itself as a broad-based , international coalition that opposes forced abortion and sexual slavery in china . ' forced abortion is not a choice , ' littlejohn said . it is official government rape . ' on a january 2011 visit to the united states , chinese president hu jintao reportedly denied that china was forcing women to submit to abortions . rep. ileana ros-lehtinen , r-florida , who gave hu a list of human rights concerns , said that hu insisted a forced-abortion policy did not exist , according to media reports . china 's population is the largest on earth , with more than 1.34 billion people . since its implementation in 1979 , the one-child policy has prevented more than 400 million births in china , according to china 's national population and family planning commission . about 13 million abortions are performed nationwide each year , the commission has said -- about 35,000 a day . it is unknown how many of those are coerced . but the one-child policy has been blamed for abuses . in some cases , advocates say , fetuses identified as female are aborted , or midwives strangle a female infant with the umbilical cord during delivery , identifying the baby as stillborn , ' according to all girls allowed , a nonprofit group that aims to end female gendercide , ' educate abandoned girls , rescue trafficked children and defend women 's reproductive rights . other females are abandoned , left to die or raised as orphans . chinese traditionally prefer boys over girls because they are seen as better able to provide for the family and carry on the family bloodline . as a result , the practice of aborting female fetuses or abandoning infant girls continues , particularly in rural areas . in november , according to state-run news agency xinhua , premier wen jiabao , in a speech to the national working conference on women and children , urged banning illegal fetus gender identification and illegal abortion . ' the social status of the female population indicates the level of social progress ( of a nation ) , while children are the future and hope of a nationality and a nation , ' wen said . last summer , xinhua reported that millions of chinese men of marrying age may be living as frustrated bachelors by 2020 ' because of the gender imbalance . in 2010 , china 's sex ratio at birth was 118 boys for every 100 girls , the news agency said . china kicked off a national campaign to significantly curb non-medical sex determinations and sex-selective abortions to balance the gender ratio , ' xinhua said . also during the campaign , efforts will be made to raise awareness of gender equality , to severely punish those involved in cases of non-medical sex determinations and sex-selective abortions , and to strengthen monitoring . ' liu qian , vice minister of the ministry of health , said that doctors violating the ban would be stripped of their licenses or penalized , and involved medical institutions would also be punished , according to xinhua . the one-child policy could contribute to china 's high rate of female suicide , according to all girls allowed . china is the only country in the world where the female suicide rate is higher than that of men -- some 500 women a day , the group said , citing statistics from the world health organization and the u.s. state department . in its 2009 human rights report , the state department noted that many observers believed that violence against women and girls , discrimination in education and employment , the traditional preference for male children , birth-limitation policies , and other societal factors contributed to the high female suicide rate . women in rural areas , where the suicide rate for women was three to four times higher than for men , were especially vulnerable . ' sometimes the consequences are even more severe . in october 2011 , a woman who was six months pregnant died during a forced abortion in eastern china , according to women 's rights without frontiers . last month , a woman in the same region was forced to undergo an abortion while nine months pregnant , the organization reported . the baby was born alive , but then was drowned in a bucket , according to the organization . a photo of the infant 's body floating in the bucket was circulated on weibo , the chinese version of twitter , sparking widespread outrage . chinese officials are prohibited under law from infringing on the rights and interests of citizens when promoting compliance with population planning policies , ' according to the congressional-executive commission on china , created by congress to monitor human rights and the rule of law in china . however , the commission in its most recent annual report noted reports of official campaigns , as well as numerous individual cases in which officials used violent methods to coerce citizens to undergo sterilizations or abortions or pay heavy fines for having'out-of-plan'children , ' meaning a family 's second child . in one example from october 2010 , the commission said , a woman in southeastern china who was eight months pregnant with her second child was kidnapped and detained for 40 hours . she was forcibly injected with a substance that caused the fetus to abort . her husband reportedly was not permitted to see her during this time , the commission said . nothing in human history compares to the magnitude of china 's 33-year assault on women and children , ' said rep. chris smith , r-new jersey and chairman of the commission , during the september hearing at which ji yeqing testified . today in china , rather than being given maternal care , pregnant women without birth-allowed permits are hunted down and forcibly aborted . ... for over three decades , brothers and sisters have been illegal ; a mother has absolutely no right to protect her unborn baby from state-sponsored violence . ' out of plan ' children whose parents do not pay fines may go without household registration , or hukou , which presents obstacles to social benefits including subsidized health care and public education , all girls allowed said , citing the commission 's 2010 report . a woman 's family members , including her husband , parents , in-laws or siblings , may also be targeted for violations of the policy , according to women 's rights without borders , which published a 2005 report compiled from chen 's notes into cases he was investigating before his arrest . the report alleges arrest , torture , beatings and fines of family members for the violations of relatives . it also documents a case where a woman suffered health problems after being forced to undergo a tubal ligation despite her high blood pressure . ji told lawmakers her first forced abortion was in 2003 , after officials said she and her husband would be fined $ 31,000 for their second child and fired from their jobs . her second came in 2006 , despite the fact she and her husband at that time were willing to pay the fine and lose their jobs . she continues to suffer consequences from the abortions . her husband divorced her , she said , because she could not give him a son ( the couple already had a daughter ) . after she remarried and moved to the united states in 2010 , she said , she visited a clinic to have her iud removed and undergo an exam . the doctor told me that i had cervical erosion , likely due to the poor medical conditions of my forced abortions , ' she said . liu ping told a similar story to congress last year . she said after giving birth to her son , she was required to undergo five abortions between 1983 and 1990 . during the last procedure , an iud was inserted . when i learned of the procedure , i protested that i had a kidney disease and could not keep the iud , but they completely ignored me , ' she said . the doctor just gave the bill to my husband and told him to pay . ' her husband was later arrested , she said , and she was given a serious administrative warning ' at her job and fined six months'pay . liu had to report to the factory clinic each month for an exam to make sure she had not removed the iud on her own or become pregnant again , she said . in 1997 , she missed a monthly pregnancy check because she was caring for her terminally ill mother , she testified . agents from the family planning commission waited at my home to drag me to the exam , ' she said . when they pushed me to the ground , i fell and hurt my neck vertebrae . my spirit completely collapsed after this one . i attempted suicide , but was stopped by my family from jumping . ' liu was able to move to the united states and she and her husband reconciled after a divorce . i feel happiness and joyful , ' she told lawmakers . but i know in my homeland , china , there are millions of women who are suffering as i did . each day thousands of young lives are being destroyed . i beg everyone to save them . ' cnn 's jaime florcruz contributed to this report .","activist chen guangcheng works to advocate for victims of such practices" +"china ( cnn ) -- when ji yeqing awakened , she was already in the recovery room . chinese authorities had dragged her out of her home and down four flights of stairs , she said , restraining and beating her husband as he tried to come to her aid . they whisked her into a clinic , held her down on a bed and forced her to undergo an abortion . her offense ? becoming pregnant with a second child , in violation of china 's one-child policy . after the abortion , i felt empty , as if something was scooped out of me , ' ji told a congressional panel in september . my husband and i had been so excited for our new baby . now suddenly all that hope and joy and excitement disappeared . ... i was very depressed and despondent . for a long time , whenever i thought about my lost child , i would cry . ' as she lay unconscious , she said , an iud to prevent future pregnancies was inserted . the issue of forced abortions -- and in some cases , forced sterilizations -- in china has seized the spotlight in recent days with news of escaped activist chen guangcheng . chen , a blind , self-taught lawyer , rose to fame in the late 1990s because of his advocacy for what he calls victims of abusive practices , such as forced abortions , by chinese family planning officials . he investigated forced abortions and sterilizations in eastern china -- a practice china denies -- and helped organize a class-action lawsuit on behalf of victims , for which he served four years in prison . a fellow activist , hu jia , said chen has taken refuge at the u.s. embassy in beijing . chen may be safe for the moment , but the women for whom he risked everything are not , ' said reggie littlejohn , president of women 's rights without frontiers , a california-based organization that describes itself as a broad-based , international coalition that opposes forced abortion and sexual slavery in china . ' forced abortion is not a choice , ' littlejohn said . it is official government rape . ' on a january 2011 visit to the united states , chinese president hu jintao reportedly denied that china was forcing women to submit to abortions . rep. ileana ros-lehtinen , r-florida , who gave hu a list of human rights concerns , said that hu insisted a forced-abortion policy did not exist , according to media reports . china 's population is the largest on earth , with more than 1.34 billion people . since its implementation in 1979 , the one-child policy has prevented more than 400 million births in china , according to china 's national population and family planning commission . about 13 million abortions are performed nationwide each year , the commission has said -- about 35,000 a day . it is unknown how many of those are coerced . but the one-child policy has been blamed for abuses . in some cases , advocates say , fetuses identified as female are aborted , or midwives strangle a female infant with the umbilical cord during delivery , identifying the baby as stillborn , ' according to all girls allowed , a nonprofit group that aims to end female gendercide , ' educate abandoned girls , rescue trafficked children and defend women 's reproductive rights . other females are abandoned , left to die or raised as orphans . chinese traditionally prefer boys over girls because they are seen as better able to provide for the family and carry on the family bloodline . as a result , the practice of aborting female fetuses or abandoning infant girls continues , particularly in rural areas . in november , according to state-run news agency xinhua , premier wen jiabao , in a speech to the national working conference on women and children , urged banning illegal fetus gender identification and illegal abortion . ' the social status of the female population indicates the level of social progress ( of a nation ) , while children are the future and hope of a nationality and a nation , ' wen said . last summer , xinhua reported that millions of chinese men of marrying age may be living as frustrated bachelors by 2020 ' because of the gender imbalance . in 2010 , china 's sex ratio at birth was 118 boys for every 100 girls , the news agency said . china kicked off a national campaign to significantly curb non-medical sex determinations and sex-selective abortions to balance the gender ratio , ' xinhua said . also during the campaign , efforts will be made to raise awareness of gender equality , to severely punish those involved in cases of non-medical sex determinations and sex-selective abortions , and to strengthen monitoring . ' liu qian , vice minister of the ministry of health , said that doctors violating the ban would be stripped of their licenses or penalized , and involved medical institutions would also be punished , according to xinhua . the one-child policy could contribute to china 's high rate of female suicide , according to all girls allowed . china is the only country in the world where the female suicide rate is higher than that of men -- some 500 women a day , the group said , citing statistics from the world health organization and the u.s. state department . in its 2009 human rights report , the state department noted that many observers believed that violence against women and girls , discrimination in education and employment , the traditional preference for male children , birth-limitation policies , and other societal factors contributed to the high female suicide rate . women in rural areas , where the suicide rate for women was three to four times higher than for men , were especially vulnerable . ' sometimes the consequences are even more severe . in october 2011 , a woman who was six months pregnant died during a forced abortion in eastern china , according to women 's rights without frontiers . last month , a woman in the same region was forced to undergo an abortion while nine months pregnant , the organization reported . the baby was born alive , but then was drowned in a bucket , according to the organization . a photo of the infant 's body floating in the bucket was circulated on weibo , the chinese version of twitter , sparking widespread outrage . chinese officials are prohibited under law from infringing on the rights and interests of citizens when promoting compliance with population planning policies , ' according to the congressional-executive commission on china , created by congress to monitor human rights and the rule of law in china . however , the commission in its most recent annual report noted reports of official campaigns , as well as numerous individual cases in which officials used violent methods to coerce citizens to undergo sterilizations or abortions or pay heavy fines for having'out-of-plan'children , ' meaning a family 's second child . in one example from october 2010 , the commission said , a woman in southeastern china who was eight months pregnant with her second child was kidnapped and detained for 40 hours . she was forcibly injected with a substance that caused the fetus to abort . her husband reportedly was not permitted to see her during this time , the commission said . nothing in human history compares to the magnitude of china 's 33-year assault on women and children , ' said rep. chris smith , r-new jersey and chairman of the commission , during the september hearing at which ji yeqing testified . today in china , rather than being given maternal care , pregnant women without birth-allowed permits are hunted down and forcibly aborted . ... for over three decades , brothers and sisters have been illegal ; a mother has absolutely no right to protect her unborn baby from state-sponsored violence . ' out of plan ' children whose parents do not pay fines may go without household registration , or hukou , which presents obstacles to social benefits including subsidized health care and public education , all girls allowed said , citing the commission 's 2010 report . a woman 's family members , including her husband , parents , in-laws or siblings , may also be targeted for violations of the policy , according to women 's rights without borders , which published a 2005 report compiled from chen 's notes into cases he was investigating before his arrest . the report alleges arrest , torture , beatings and fines of family members for the violations of relatives . it also documents a case where a woman suffered health problems after being forced to undergo a tubal ligation despite her high blood pressure . ji told lawmakers her first forced abortion was in 2003 , after officials said she and her husband would be fined $ 31,000 for their second child and fired from their jobs . her second came in 2006 , despite the fact she and her husband at that time were willing to pay the fine and lose their jobs . she continues to suffer consequences from the abortions . her husband divorced her , she said , because she could not give him a son ( the couple already had a daughter ) . after she remarried and moved to the united states in 2010 , she said , she visited a clinic to have her iud removed and undergo an exam . the doctor told me that i had cervical erosion , likely due to the poor medical conditions of my forced abortions , ' she said . liu ping told a similar story to congress last year . she said after giving birth to her son , she was required to undergo five abortions between 1983 and 1990 . during the last procedure , an iud was inserted . when i learned of the procedure , i protested that i had a kidney disease and could not keep the iud , but they completely ignored me , ' she said . the doctor just gave the bill to my husband and told him to pay . ' her husband was later arrested , she said , and she was given a serious administrative warning ' at her job and fined six months'pay . liu had to report to the factory clinic each month for an exam to make sure she had not removed the iud on her own or become pregnant again , she said . in 1997 , she missed a monthly pregnancy check because she was caring for her terminally ill mother , she testified . agents from the family planning commission waited at my home to drag me to the exam , ' she said . when they pushed me to the ground , i fell and hurt my neck vertebrae . my spirit completely collapsed after this one . i attempted suicide , but was stopped by my family from jumping . ' liu was able to move to the united states and she and her husband reconciled after a divorce . i feel happiness and joyful , ' she told lawmakers . but i know in my homeland , china , there are millions of women who are suffering as i did . each day thousands of young lives are being destroyed . i beg everyone to save them . ' cnn 's jaime florcruz contributed to this report .","china 's one-child policy results in forced abortions and sterilizations , activists say" +"england ( cnn ) -- pele , diego maradona and franz beckenbaeur will forever be remembered in football fans'consciousness for helping brazil , argentina and west germany win the world cup . that trio symbolized the idea that international football -- pitting the game 's very best players against one another -- was the pinnacle of a footballer 's career . but that passion for international football has cooled , especially for young english players , according to world cup winner patrick vieira . i do n't feel like in england , the young players are dreaming of playing for the national team anymore , ' said vieira , who is now manchester city 's football development executive . i think it 's maybe the lack of england 's football association power , i would say , ' added vieira , who won the world cup with france in 1998 as well as euro 2000 . maybe this is as well a lack of love for the national team . in england , i really do n't understand how come so many young players from the age of 16-21 pull out of the national team for injury . when i grew up in france , i wanted to play for the french national team . that was my target , my dream . ' manchester united manager sir alex ferguson has long argued that the european champions league is the best competition in the world , surpassing even the world cup , but vieira insisted : the national team is bigger than anything and i was really proud to play for france . ' the former french international argued a key part of his development as a player was linked to the time he spent with the french national team , in particular learning from the example of more experienced players such as marcel desailly and didier deschamps , the current les bleus coach . vieira questioned whether the lack of elder statesmen within the current french international set-up had contributed to the disciplinary problems that surfaced at the world cup in 2010 and more recently at euro 2012 . manchester city midfielder samir nasri has not been recalled for france 's upcoming friendly against japan and world cup qualifier against spain even after serving a three-match ban imposed by the french football federation . nasri swore at a reporter following france 's euro 2012 quarter-final defeat by spain after previously telling another journalist to shut your mouth ! ' in their opening match against england when he had scored . his non-selection is a surprise , ' said vieira , who was speaking at the leaders in football conference in london on wednesday . i 'm sure he will go back to the national team . ' england expects vieira 's view that young english players were somewhat ambivalent about playing for their country might give the fa pause for thought . on tuesday the football association opened its elite football facility -- the $ 168-million st. george 's park complex -- which it hopes can help pave the way for the national team to win a major international tournament for the first time since 1966 . however , vieira urged patience for the positive effects of the st george 's park initiative to trickle down . it does n't guarantee success and it might take 10 to 15 years , ' said the former arsenal , inter milan and manchester city midfielder . the heart of the english player is double or triple that of the spanish or french player . that is a good base to start with . ' city have their own ambitious plans for a new training academy , which vieira described as unbelievable ' . the project , which will boast 15 full-size and two half-size football pitches as well as accommodation for 40 youth-team players , will contain a 7,000-capacity stadium for youth team matches , a separate building for the first team and a bridge linking the etihad stadium to the area -- which will be known as the etihad campus . we want to bring our young players from the academy through to the first team , ' said vieira . it 's important as the fans really identify with these players and this is the philosophy of the club . but clubs like city , manchester united and chelsea will also always try and sign the exceptional player , ' added vieira , when asked if the english premier league champions were no longer interested in signing players such as atletico madrid striker falcao , who is expected to leave the spanish club next summer . in deciding how their academy should be run , city traveled round the world to look at examples of other successful academies as well as how other sports develop young talented players . city particularly liked the way aspiring nba players spent much of their day within an academy environment , which helps them to learn how to behave as an individual ' , said vieira . vieira is an ambassador for western union 's new pass initiative , turning every pass in this season 's uefa europa league into funding for one day 's education for young people around the world .","england 's young players no longer dream ' of playing for their national team , says france world cup winner patrick viera" +"manchester city ( cnn ) -- pele , diego maradona and franz beckenbaeur will forever be remembered in football fans'consciousness for helping brazil , argentina and west germany win the world cup . that trio symbolized the idea that international football -- pitting the game 's very best players against one another -- was the pinnacle of a footballer 's career . but that passion for international football has cooled , especially for young english players , according to world cup winner patrick vieira . i do n't feel like in england , the young players are dreaming of playing for the national team anymore , ' said vieira , who is now manchester city 's football development executive . i think it 's maybe the lack of england 's football association power , i would say , ' added vieira , who won the world cup with france in 1998 as well as euro 2000 . maybe this is as well a lack of love for the national team . in england , i really do n't understand how come so many young players from the age of 16-21 pull out of the national team for injury . when i grew up in france , i wanted to play for the french national team . that was my target , my dream . ' manchester united manager sir alex ferguson has long argued that the european champions league is the best competition in the world , surpassing even the world cup , but vieira insisted : the national team is bigger than anything and i was really proud to play for france . ' the former french international argued a key part of his development as a player was linked to the time he spent with the french national team , in particular learning from the example of more experienced players such as marcel desailly and didier deschamps , the current les bleus coach . vieira questioned whether the lack of elder statesmen within the current french international set-up had contributed to the disciplinary problems that surfaced at the world cup in 2010 and more recently at euro 2012 . manchester city midfielder samir nasri has not been recalled for france 's upcoming friendly against japan and world cup qualifier against spain even after serving a three-match ban imposed by the french football federation . nasri swore at a reporter following france 's euro 2012 quarter-final defeat by spain after previously telling another journalist to shut your mouth ! ' in their opening match against england when he had scored . his non-selection is a surprise , ' said vieira , who was speaking at the leaders in football conference in london on wednesday . i 'm sure he will go back to the national team . ' england expects vieira 's view that young english players were somewhat ambivalent about playing for their country might give the fa pause for thought . on tuesday the football association opened its elite football facility -- the $ 168-million st. george 's park complex -- which it hopes can help pave the way for the national team to win a major international tournament for the first time since 1966 . however , vieira urged patience for the positive effects of the st george 's park initiative to trickle down . it does n't guarantee success and it might take 10 to 15 years , ' said the former arsenal , inter milan and manchester city midfielder . the heart of the english player is double or triple that of the spanish or french player . that is a good base to start with . ' city have their own ambitious plans for a new training academy , which vieira described as unbelievable ' . the project , which will boast 15 full-size and two half-size football pitches as well as accommodation for 40 youth-team players , will contain a 7,000-capacity stadium for youth team matches , a separate building for the first team and a bridge linking the etihad stadium to the area -- which will be known as the etihad campus . we want to bring our young players from the academy through to the first team , ' said vieira . it 's important as the fans really identify with these players and this is the philosophy of the club . but clubs like city , manchester united and chelsea will also always try and sign the exceptional player , ' added vieira , when asked if the english premier league champions were no longer interested in signing players such as atletico madrid striker falcao , who is expected to leave the spanish club next summer . in deciding how their academy should be run , city traveled round the world to look at examples of other successful academies as well as how other sports develop young talented players . city particularly liked the way aspiring nba players spent much of their day within an academy environment , which helps them to learn how to behave as an individual ' , said vieira . vieira is an ambassador for western union 's new pass initiative , turning every pass in this season 's uefa europa league into funding for one day 's education for young people around the world .","manchester city 's football development executive described the plans for the club 's own new training academy as unbelievable '" +"itunes wow , canada , you really , really love taylor swift . according to entertainmentwise.com , track 3 ' from her new album , 1989 , ' shot to no . 1 on itunes in canada after it was released . the only problem was , the release was an accident , as the track is eight seconds of white noise . 5 reasons you love taylor swift ... even if you do n't want to the track was eventually removed . the singer 's latest project , one of the year 's most eagerly awaited albums , is set for release in the u.s. on october 27 . a song cowritten with fun . 's jack antonoff called out of the woods ' was released last week , and it skyrocketed to no . 1 . swift recently told esquire that she 's moved to new york and is focusing on work and enjoying her life , including being surrounded by a great group of girlfriends . she said she refuses to be part of what she sees as the takedown culture ' surrounding celebrities . you have celebrities who are pushed to the brink of a public meltdown , and so the public thinks that every person in the public eye has dirty secrets that they 're keeping , or is n't what they seem , or is masking it and faking sincerity , faking authenticity , faking being surprised at award shows when you win a grammy , ' she said .","it went to no . 1 on itunes in canada" +"ban ( cnn ) -- back in his native south korea , the korean foreign ministry nicknamed him ban-chusa , ' meaning the bureaucrat ' or the administrative clerk . ' u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon has focused on global warming policy by world governments . while ban ki-moon was known for his attention to detail and administrative skill , he was also seen by some as lacking in charisma and subservient to his superiors , while the korean press called him the slippery eel ' for his ability to dodge questions . but on october 13 , 2006 , south korea 's foreign minister ban ki-moon was elected to be the eighth secretary-general by the united nations general assembly . following up on a campaign aiming to bring out his charismatic side , ban surprised the audience of a un correspondents'dinner that december by singing ban ki-moon is coming to town ' on the melody of santa claus is coming to town . ' ban was born on 13 june 1944 . he received a bachelor 's degree in international relations from seoul national university in 1970 , and a master 's degree in public administration from the kennedy school of government at harvard university in 1985 . he and his wife , yoo ( ban ) soon-taek , whom he met in high school in 1962 , have one son and two daughters . in addition to korean , ban speaks fluent english and is studying french . ban was the minister of foreign affairs and trade of the republic of korea from january 2004 to november 2006 . his tenure included postings in new delhi , washington d.c. and vienna , while he was responsible for a variety of portfolios such as foreign policy advisor to the president , chief national security adviser to the president , deputy minister for policy planning and director-general of american affairs . throughout this service , his guiding vision was that of a peaceful korean peninsula , playing an expanding role for peace and prosperity in the region and the wider world . ban had long been actively involved in issues relating to inter-korean relations . in 1992 , as special advisor to the foreign minister , he served as vice chair of the south-north joint nuclear control commission following the adoption of the historic joint declaration on the denuclearization of the korean peninsula . in september 2005 , as foreign minister , he played a leading role in bringing about another landmark agreement aimed at promoting peace and stability on the korean peninsula with the adoption at the six party talks of the joint statement on resolving the north korean nuclear issue . in january 2007 ban succeeded kofi annan and has since pushed the sudanese government to allow peacekeeping troops in darfur and focused on global warming policy by world governments .","ban ki-moon elected eighth u.n. secretary-general in october 2006" +"ban ( cnn ) -- back in his native south korea , the korean foreign ministry nicknamed him ban-chusa , ' meaning the bureaucrat ' or the administrative clerk . ' u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon has focused on global warming policy by world governments . while ban ki-moon was known for his attention to detail and administrative skill , he was also seen by some as lacking in charisma and subservient to his superiors , while the korean press called him the slippery eel ' for his ability to dodge questions . but on october 13 , 2006 , south korea 's foreign minister ban ki-moon was elected to be the eighth secretary-general by the united nations general assembly . following up on a campaign aiming to bring out his charismatic side , ban surprised the audience of a un correspondents'dinner that december by singing ban ki-moon is coming to town ' on the melody of santa claus is coming to town . ' ban was born on 13 june 1944 . he received a bachelor 's degree in international relations from seoul national university in 1970 , and a master 's degree in public administration from the kennedy school of government at harvard university in 1985 . he and his wife , yoo ( ban ) soon-taek , whom he met in high school in 1962 , have one son and two daughters . in addition to korean , ban speaks fluent english and is studying french . ban was the minister of foreign affairs and trade of the republic of korea from january 2004 to november 2006 . his tenure included postings in new delhi , washington d.c. and vienna , while he was responsible for a variety of portfolios such as foreign policy advisor to the president , chief national security adviser to the president , deputy minister for policy planning and director-general of american affairs . throughout this service , his guiding vision was that of a peaceful korean peninsula , playing an expanding role for peace and prosperity in the region and the wider world . ban had long been actively involved in issues relating to inter-korean relations . in 1992 , as special advisor to the foreign minister , he served as vice chair of the south-north joint nuclear control commission following the adoption of the historic joint declaration on the denuclearization of the korean peninsula . in september 2005 , as foreign minister , he played a leading role in bringing about another landmark agreement aimed at promoting peace and stability on the korean peninsula with the adoption at the six party talks of the joint statement on resolving the north korean nuclear issue . in january 2007 ban succeeded kofi annan and has since pushed the sudanese government to allow peacekeeping troops in darfur and focused on global warming policy by world governments .","ban was ban was south korea 's foreign minister from jan. 2004 to nov. 2006" +"ban ( cnn ) -- back in his native south korea , the korean foreign ministry nicknamed him ban-chusa , ' meaning the bureaucrat ' or the administrative clerk . ' u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon has focused on global warming policy by world governments . while ban ki-moon was known for his attention to detail and administrative skill , he was also seen by some as lacking in charisma and subservient to his superiors , while the korean press called him the slippery eel ' for his ability to dodge questions . but on october 13 , 2006 , south korea 's foreign minister ban ki-moon was elected to be the eighth secretary-general by the united nations general assembly . following up on a campaign aiming to bring out his charismatic side , ban surprised the audience of a un correspondents'dinner that december by singing ban ki-moon is coming to town ' on the melody of santa claus is coming to town . ' ban was born on 13 june 1944 . he received a bachelor 's degree in international relations from seoul national university in 1970 , and a master 's degree in public administration from the kennedy school of government at harvard university in 1985 . he and his wife , yoo ( ban ) soon-taek , whom he met in high school in 1962 , have one son and two daughters . in addition to korean , ban speaks fluent english and is studying french . ban was the minister of foreign affairs and trade of the republic of korea from january 2004 to november 2006 . his tenure included postings in new delhi , washington d.c. and vienna , while he was responsible for a variety of portfolios such as foreign policy advisor to the president , chief national security adviser to the president , deputy minister for policy planning and director-general of american affairs . throughout this service , his guiding vision was that of a peaceful korean peninsula , playing an expanding role for peace and prosperity in the region and the wider world . ban had long been actively involved in issues relating to inter-korean relations . in 1992 , as special advisor to the foreign minister , he served as vice chair of the south-north joint nuclear control commission following the adoption of the historic joint declaration on the denuclearization of the korean peninsula . in september 2005 , as foreign minister , he played a leading role in bringing about another landmark agreement aimed at promoting peace and stability on the korean peninsula with the adoption at the six party talks of the joint statement on resolving the north korean nuclear issue . in january 2007 ban succeeded kofi annan and has since pushed the sudanese government to allow peacekeeping troops in darfur and focused on global warming policy by world governments .","ban has pushed sudan on peacekeepers in darfur and focused on climate change" +"isis ( cnn ) whenever isis carries out a new atrocity , whether it 's beheading a group of egyptian christians or enslaving yazidi women in iraq or burning its victims alive , the big question most people have is : why on earth is isis doing this ? what could possibly be the point ? adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy , yet isis'ferocious campaign against the shia , kurds , yazidis , christians , and muslims who do n't precisely share its views has united every ethnic and religious group in syria and iraq against them . isis is even at war with its most natural ally , al qaeda in syria . the nazis and the khmer rouge went to great lengths to hide their crimes against humanity . instead , isis posts its many crimes on social media for global distribution with seemingly no thoughts for the consequences . isis'beheading of the american journalist james foley in mid-august galvanized much of the western world against the group and led to an intensified u.s.-led air campaign against isis , which , according to u.s. military officials , has killed at least 6,000 of its fighters . the burning to death by isis of the jordanian pilot , muath al-kaseasbeh , galvanized much of the arab world against the group and has brought jordan into the u.s.-led campaign against isis in a much more aggressive manner . the beheading of 21 egyptian coptic christians in libya by an isis affiliate led egypt 's air force on monday to drop bombs on isis positions in eastern libya . former cia director robert gates is reported to have kept a maxim on his desk that read , as a general rule , the way to achieve complete strategic surprise is to commit an act that makes no sense or is even self-destructive . ' isis keeps surprising the world and its actions do indeed seem to make no sense or are self-destructive . so what is going on here ? a key window into understanding isis is its english language in-flight magazine ' dabiq . last week the seventh issue of dabiq was released , and a close reading of it helps explains isis'world view . the mistake some make when viewing isis is to see it as a rational actor . instead , as the magazine documents , its ideology is that of an apocalyptic cult that believes that we are living in the end times and that isis'actions are hastening the moment when this will happen . the name of the dabiq magazine itself helps us understand isis'worldview . the syrian town of dabiq is where the prophet mohammed is supposed to have predicted that the armies of islam and rome ' would meet for the final battle that will precede the end of time and the triumph of true islam . in the recent issue of dabiq it states : as the world progresses towards al-malhamah al-kubrā , ('the great battle'to be held at dabiq ) the option to stand on the sidelines as a mere observer is being lost . ' in other words , in its logic , you are either on the side of isis or you are on the side of the crusaders and infidels . when american aid worker peter kassig was murdered by isis in november , jihadi john ' -- the masked british murderer who has appeared in so many isis videos -- said of kassig : we bury the first crusader in dabiq , eagerly waiting for the rest of your armies to arrive . ' in other words , isis wants a western ground force to invade syria , as that will confirm the prophecy about dabiq . we live in an increasingly secularized world , so it 's sometimes difficult to take seriously the deeply held religious beliefs of others . for many of us the idea that the end of times will come with a battle between rome ' and islam at the obscure syrian town of dabiq is as absurd as the belief that the mayans had that their human sacrifices could influence future events . but for isis , the dabiq prophecy is deadly serious . members of isis believe that they are the vanguard fighting a religious war , which allah has determined will be won by the forces of true islam . this is the conclusion of an important forthcoming new book about isis by terrorism experts j.m . berger and jessica stern who write that isis , like many other violent apocalyptic groups , tend to see themselves as participating in a cosmic war between good and evil , in which moral rules do not apply . ' this also similar to the conclusion of an excellent new cover story about isis in the atlantic magazine by graeme wood who writes , virtually every major decision and law promulgated by the islamic state ( another name for isis ) adheres to what it calls , in its press and pronouncements , and on its billboards , license plates , stationery , and coins ,'the prophetic methodology ,'which means following the prophecy and example of muhammad , in punctilious detail . muslims can reject the islamic state ; nearly all do . but pretending that it is n't actually a religious , millenarian group , with theology that must be understood to be combated , has already led the united states to underestimate it . ' amen to that . isis members devoutly believe that they are fighting in a cosmic war in which they are on the side of good , which allows them to kill anyone they perceive to be standing in their way with no compunction . this is , of course , a serious delusion , but serious it is .","bergen : isis actions only make sense if you realize that its aim is the apocalypse ." +"korea ( cnn ) -- the simple answer to the question why pope francis is headed to south korea , in the first papal trip to asia in 25 years , is straightforward . the pope is going to celebrate the sixth asian youth day and beatify 124 martyrs of korea . but the more complex answer has to take into consideration the korean catholic church 's unique history and the pope 's theological agenda . these can give us a deeper understanding of why he is making this trip . while south korea may not be viewed as an overtly catholic nation ( compared to the philippines , the most christian nation in asia ) , at least 10 % of south korea 's population belong to the church , according to its statistics . the catholic church in korea enjoys a high level of respect from non-catholics , maintains good relations with other religious communities , and has a history of positive social engagement for the common good . pope francis 's visit will recognize these accomplishments , a move that will not only please koreans , but hold up their church as a model of evangelization . evangelizing in asia since it is asia that has the greatest potential for the growth of catholicism , it makes sense to highlight an asian success story and to recognize the asian youth who will be called on to continue that growth . evangelization is in fact a key concern for pope francis . his apostolic exhortation , evangelii gaudium , focused on this topic and called for the transformation of the catholic church to focus on the evangelization of today 's world rather than for her self-preservation . ' the pope 's concept of evangelization does not focus simply on baptizing new catholics , but , as seen in the chapter from that exhortation entitled the social dimension of evangelization , ' also includes a call for the inclusion of the homeless , the addicted , refugees , indigenous peoples , [ and ] the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned . ' moreover , this pope , while recognizing the importance of ordained clergy , decried clericalism ' before the publication of this exhortation , sees the laity as having an active role in evangelization . the pope 's concerns as expressed in evengelii gaudium therefore resonate with the historical accomplishments of the korean catholic church in that it has grown into a relatively large and healthy catholic community with much of the work of evangelization being conducted by the laity . it is no accident that during his trip the pope will visit kkottongnae ( flower village ) , a catholic institution devoted to caring for such marginalized groups as the elderly and the homeless , where he will meet with leaders of the apostolate of the laity . origins of korean catholic church the korean catholic church began with the baptism of a korean scholar named yi seung-hun in beijing in 1784 , who had developed an interest in catholicism after reading chinese books on the religion . after his baptism , yi returned to korea and began baptizing others , so that there were already 4,000 catholics there before a missionary -- a chinese priest named father james zhou wen-mo , himself one of the martyrs to be beatified -- arrived in 1794 . the korean state could not tolerate the existence of a foreign religion whose members recognized a deity outside government control and persecuted the new church . catholics were given the choice of giving up their religion or being sentenced to death , with several thousands choosing the latter and becoming martyrs . despite these persecutions , the church managed to survive and rebuild itself multiple times . while foreign missionaries played an important role , much of the work of maintaining the community and spreading the faith was carried out by the laity . the coming of religious tolerance in the late 19th century led to an increase in the number of catholics , but it was not until the 1960s that the catholic church in korea began to grow quickly . while that growth has slowed down in recent years , the church is quite healthy , with its approximately five million members , according to the church . at the same time , it must be stressed that the korean catholic church faces challenges . growth has declined , and many newly baptized catholics leave the faith or become lukewarm . likewise , korean society has many of the difficulties post-industrial societies in the west face , such as the unbridled consumerism ' the pope decried in his apostolic exhortation . it is here that one can see the importance of the martyrs who the pope will beatify . in their stories , one sees catholics giving up wealth , sex , and even life itself out of their love for others and for god . the pope will no doubt highlight how their devotion to the faith led to the growth and development of the catholic community in korea , allowing him to echo the themes found in his exhortation . the fact that he will beatify these martyrs in korea the day after koreans celebrate their independence from japan , will not be missed by koreans . the pope likely hopes that this recognition , and the teaching opportunity it provides , will renew evangelization in korea , and through it , the world .","pope is to celebrate sixth asian youth day and beatify 124 martyrs of korea" +"sierra leone atlanta ( cnn ) -- one of the countries hard hit by the ebola outbreak in west africa is not able to cope , a health worker said , calling on the international community to step up support . anja wolz , emergency coordinator for doctors without borders , spoke to cnn on tuesday from an ebola facility in kailahun , sierra leone . i think that the government and the ministry of health here in sierra leone is not able to deal with this outbreak . we need much more help from international organizations -- as who , as cdc , as other organizations -- to come to support the government , ' wolz said . still we have unsafe burials ; people who are doing the burial without disinfection of the body ; still we have patients who are hiding themselves ; still we have patients or contacts of patients who are running away because they are afraid . ' sierra leone , guinea and liberia are at the center of an ebola outbreak that has already killed more than 800 people . the global concern over the spread of the virus has reached saudi arabia , where a man is in critical condition after recently returning from sierra leone . the 40-year-old man has symptoms of a viral hemorrhagic fever , the saudi health ministry said tuesday . the source of his infection is unknown , but ebola can not be ruled out , the ministry said . this is the biggest and most complex ebola outbreak in history , ' dr. tom frieden , director of the centers for disease control and prevention , said in a statement . it will take many months , and it wo n't be easy , but ebola can be stopped , ' he said . we know what needs to be done . ' the virus has already been confirmed outside of the three main countries . a nigerian doctor has been diagnosed with ebola nearly three weeks after a liberian-american man with ebola died after traveling to lagos , nigerian officials said monday . nigerian minister of health onyebuchi chukwu told reporters that the infected physician had been treating patrick sawyer , a top government official in the liberian ministry of finance who died of ebola in a nigerian hospital july 20 . eight other people are being quarantined and three are awaiting ebola test results , the health minister said . read more about patrick sawyer 's death meanwhile , the world health organization reports an outbreak of the virus in liberia , sierra leone , guinea and nigeria is believed to have infected 1,603 people and killed more than 887 this year , as of friday . the united states is planning to send 50 health experts to west africa to help contain the outbreak , which president barack obama addressed in remarks tuesday , saying the citizens of the affected countries are in americans'thoughts and prayers . frieden said the 50 experts from the cdc will work to combat the outbreak and help implement stronger systems to fight the disease . the ebola virus causes viral hemorrhagic fever , which affects multiple organ systems in the body and is often accompanied by bleeding . early symptoms include sudden onset of fever , weakness , muscle pain , headaches and a sore throat . they later progress to vomiting , diarrhea , impaired kidney and liver function -- and sometimes internal and external bleeding . an ebola patient had not been treated within u.s. borders until last week , but the cdc has spearheaded efforts to prepare for the deadly virus . 5 reasons not to panic about ebola in the u.s . it helped create an isolation unit at emory university hospital , which is being used to treat american doctor kent brantly , who contracted ebola in liberia and was evacuated to the facility in atlanta over the weekend . a second american patient , nancy writebol , arrived from liberia on tuesday . she will undergo treatment at the same unit . emory is one of four u.s. institutions capable of providing such treatment . but in the nations hardest-hit and not as prepared , the reality is grim . even in the best-case scenario , it could take three to six months to stem the epidemic in west africa , frieden said . ebola spreads through contact with organs and bodily fluids such as blood , saliva , urine and other secretions of infected people . it has no cure . the most common treatment requires supporting organ functions and maintaining bodily fluids such as blood and water long enough for the body to fight off the infection . ebola also claimed the life of a medical director at a hospital in liberia 's capital , monrovia . dr. patrick nshamdze tested positive tuesday after being sick for two weeks . he died saturday . in sierra leone , where government officials have asked citizens to stay away from work , the military has deployed at least 750 medical officials to 13 locations , military spokesman col. michael samura said . health officials are screening incoming and outgoing passengers at the country 's main international airport with a device that takes people 's temperature from their eyes at a distance . people showing signs of fever are quarantined and their blood is tested . on tuesday , liberia responded to british airways'decision to suspend service to monrovia because of the outbreak . the government of liberia regrets that british airways has suspended flights to and from liberia until the end of august . however , we fully understand that international airlines must keep the safety of customers and crew as their highest priority , ' it said . we will continue to work around the clock with our international partners to ensure all our key international ports of entry are secure from any transfer of ebola , both incoming or outgoing . ' what is the risk of catching ebola on a plane ? experts : u.s. health care system well-prepared for ebola ebola 's frontline : battling fear and deadly virus cnn 's david mckenzie contributed to this report from freetown , sierra leone . journalist heather murdock reported from nigeria . cnn 's fred pleitgen , faith karimi , nana karikari-apau and christabelle fombu also contributed to this report .","sierra leone , guinea and liberia are at the center of an ebola outbreak" +"james washington ( cnn ) -- a washington lawyer has filed a lawsuit in federal court , claiming he is the father of basketball star lebron james . leicester stovell alleges that the athlete and his family have been involved in a cover-up to deny paternity by committing fraud and misrepresentation . he told hln 's prime news ' on thursday that he wants a carefully structured and secure dna test ' to prove he 's the nba all-star 's father . stovell says he has been trying for three years to establish paternity and is seeking $ 4 million in damages . an earlier test ruled out the possibility , but he said the test could have been tampered with -- and there are indications that there was a motivation . ' stovell said he had sex with james'mother , gloria james , after meeting at a washington bar while she was visiting from ohio in 1984 . a few months later , she told him she was pregnant , but did not say whether he was the father . stovell said his only request was that the child , if a boy , play basketball . he said his memory of the encounter resurfaced more than 20 years later , after being asked whether i had a son , and i then systematically explored all of my past for that possibility . ' i came across this set of recollections and in focusing on them , they amplified , ' he said . in the complaint , filed june 23 , stovell says , i recently have concluded that a comprehensive , sophisticated and well-funded effort might well have been underway for quite some time , perhaps beginning in its present form as early as when defendant lebron james was in high school , to frustrate identification of his real father , and that there is a likelihood that the father in question is me . ' he stopped short of saying he is certain he is james'father . i do n't want to make such a definitive statement in the absence of corroborative evidence ' such as dna , he said . stovell said he filed the suit two weeks ago because a statute of limitations was about to expire . i have some limitation considerations that caused me to want to file the suit before the end of june , ' he said . he denied the timing had anything to do with the current lebron mania . james is scheduled to announce thursday evening the team he has chosen to play for next season , a deal worth perhaps tens of millions of dollars or more . he currently plays for the cleveland cavaliers . he says he was informed by gloria james months later that she was pregnant . he claims she told him the child would be named lebron , similar to leicester bryce , stovell 's first and middle names . the lawsuit states gloria james was 16 at the time of the alleged encounter , but stovell said she told him she was in her early 20s . stovell is a solo legal practitioner in the district of columbia , and filed the lawsuit on his own behalf . a call to lebron james'attorney , frederick nance of cleveland , ohio , was not immediately returned . the lawsuit had been filed without much initial publicity , but was reported by the tmz celebrity website wednesday . public records show stovell is a former government attorney with the securities and exchange commission . he filed a lawsuit in 2002 against the agency , alleging racial discrimination . federal court records show the case was settled when the commission paid him $ 230,000 , while not admitting fault . cnn 's jason kessler contributed to this report","lawsuit says stovell had one-time tryst with james'mother" +"james washington ( cnn ) -- a washington lawyer has filed a lawsuit in federal court , claiming he is the father of basketball star lebron james . leicester stovell alleges that the athlete and his family have been involved in a cover-up to deny paternity by committing fraud and misrepresentation . he told hln 's prime news ' on thursday that he wants a carefully structured and secure dna test ' to prove he 's the nba all-star 's father . stovell says he has been trying for three years to establish paternity and is seeking $ 4 million in damages . an earlier test ruled out the possibility , but he said the test could have been tampered with -- and there are indications that there was a motivation . ' stovell said he had sex with james'mother , gloria james , after meeting at a washington bar while she was visiting from ohio in 1984 . a few months later , she told him she was pregnant , but did not say whether he was the father . stovell said his only request was that the child , if a boy , play basketball . he said his memory of the encounter resurfaced more than 20 years later , after being asked whether i had a son , and i then systematically explored all of my past for that possibility . ' i came across this set of recollections and in focusing on them , they amplified , ' he said . in the complaint , filed june 23 , stovell says , i recently have concluded that a comprehensive , sophisticated and well-funded effort might well have been underway for quite some time , perhaps beginning in its present form as early as when defendant lebron james was in high school , to frustrate identification of his real father , and that there is a likelihood that the father in question is me . ' he stopped short of saying he is certain he is james'father . i do n't want to make such a definitive statement in the absence of corroborative evidence ' such as dna , he said . stovell said he filed the suit two weeks ago because a statute of limitations was about to expire . i have some limitation considerations that caused me to want to file the suit before the end of june , ' he said . he denied the timing had anything to do with the current lebron mania . james is scheduled to announce thursday evening the team he has chosen to play for next season , a deal worth perhaps tens of millions of dollars or more . he currently plays for the cleveland cavaliers . he says he was informed by gloria james months later that she was pregnant . he claims she told him the child would be named lebron , similar to leicester bryce , stovell 's first and middle names . the lawsuit states gloria james was 16 at the time of the alleged encounter , but stovell said she told him she was in her early 20s . stovell is a solo legal practitioner in the district of columbia , and filed the lawsuit on his own behalf . a call to lebron james'attorney , frederick nance of cleveland , ohio , was not immediately returned . the lawsuit had been filed without much initial publicity , but was reported by the tmz celebrity website wednesday . public records show stovell is a former government attorney with the securities and exchange commission . he filed a lawsuit in 2002 against the agency , alleging racial discrimination . federal court records show the case was settled when the commission paid him $ 230,000 , while not admitting fault . cnn 's jason kessler contributed to this report","james will announce thursday night with which team he 'll sign" +"wade dakar , senegal ( cnn ) -- polls closed sunday in senegal where citizens voted in an election overshadowed by violence as protesters demand the elderly president refrain from seeking another term . president abdoulaye wade , 85 , was booed and jeered when he cast his ballot at a polling station in the middle-class neighborhood of point e. he did not address the crowd , looked visibly frustrated at one point , and made some sort of gesture to the crowd , which also included some of his supporters . if a candidate does not win 50 % of the vote , a runoff election will be held next month in the west african nation . we 've had enough of this regime of thieves and assassins . we will defeat them here , ' said cheikh gassama , a voter at the point e station . as the president arrived , he and other chanted na dem , ' which means step down ' in senegal 's predominant wolof language . senegal is one of the continent 's most stable democracies . past elections have included a smooth transition of power , a rarity in a region with a history of election chaos , civil wars and coups . turnout on sunday was low , according to thijs berman , chief observer of the european union monitoring mission . early in the morning , you saw long queues of people in front of polling stations but , later in the day , there were much less people and it seems that the turnout is below 50 % , ' he said . there was high political tension before these elections , so it is surprising that so few people came to vote . ' wade is seeking re-election despite deadly demonstrations after the country 's highest court cleared him to seek a third term . protests have occurred in senegal since the constitutional council 's january 27 ruling . opposition demonstrators argue that the court was compromised and the constitution limits presidents to two terms . the incumbent successfully argued that he is exempt because he took office before the term limit was put in place . the president , who has been in office since 2000 , was once hailed as a visionary , but his popularity has plummeted . wade built schools , roads and hospitals , ' said ayo johnson , an analyst on african affairs . his leadership has now failed . ... there are increasing levels of poverty , inequality , lack of jobs and an increasing numbers of disillusioned youth . ' wade ran against 13 other candidates on sunday 's ballot . senegal is at a crossroad . a people whose patience has run out , a leader who 's out of touch , a constitution not reflective of popular sentiments and an opposition that is unable to put aside party differences with a common purpose to defeat wade , ' johnson said . protesters calling for his ouster have clashed on the streets , with at least three people killed during demonstrations last weekend , an opposition leader said . at least two others died in previous clashes . a presidential spokesman has accused opposition candidates and their supporters of fueling urban guerrilla warfare ' leading up to sunday 's vote . but amath dansokho , head of the opposition june 23 movement , blamed police for the escalating violence , saying they were responsible for some deaths during demonstrations in dakar and rufisque this month . the presidential spokesman denied the police or military were involved in the deaths . the opposition june 23 movement , or m23 , is named after the date of protests last summer that forced wade to withdraw a constitutional amendment that would have nearly guaranteed his victory in this month 's election . west africa has a history of political strife , but senegal has largely maintained peace and has never experienced a military coup . cnn 's umaro djau contributed to this report .","violence has erupted since a court allowed wade to be on the ballot" +"wade dakar , senegal ( cnn ) -- polls closed sunday in senegal where citizens voted in an election overshadowed by violence as protesters demand the elderly president refrain from seeking another term . president abdoulaye wade , 85 , was booed and jeered when he cast his ballot at a polling station in the middle-class neighborhood of point e. he did not address the crowd , looked visibly frustrated at one point , and made some sort of gesture to the crowd , which also included some of his supporters . if a candidate does not win 50 % of the vote , a runoff election will be held next month in the west african nation . we 've had enough of this regime of thieves and assassins . we will defeat them here , ' said cheikh gassama , a voter at the point e station . as the president arrived , he and other chanted na dem , ' which means step down ' in senegal 's predominant wolof language . senegal is one of the continent 's most stable democracies . past elections have included a smooth transition of power , a rarity in a region with a history of election chaos , civil wars and coups . turnout on sunday was low , according to thijs berman , chief observer of the european union monitoring mission . early in the morning , you saw long queues of people in front of polling stations but , later in the day , there were much less people and it seems that the turnout is below 50 % , ' he said . there was high political tension before these elections , so it is surprising that so few people came to vote . ' wade is seeking re-election despite deadly demonstrations after the country 's highest court cleared him to seek a third term . protests have occurred in senegal since the constitutional council 's january 27 ruling . opposition demonstrators argue that the court was compromised and the constitution limits presidents to two terms . the incumbent successfully argued that he is exempt because he took office before the term limit was put in place . the president , who has been in office since 2000 , was once hailed as a visionary , but his popularity has plummeted . wade built schools , roads and hospitals , ' said ayo johnson , an analyst on african affairs . his leadership has now failed . ... there are increasing levels of poverty , inequality , lack of jobs and an increasing numbers of disillusioned youth . ' wade ran against 13 other candidates on sunday 's ballot . senegal is at a crossroad . a people whose patience has run out , a leader who 's out of touch , a constitution not reflective of popular sentiments and an opposition that is unable to put aside party differences with a common purpose to defeat wade , ' johnson said . protesters calling for his ouster have clashed on the streets , with at least three people killed during demonstrations last weekend , an opposition leader said . at least two others died in previous clashes . a presidential spokesman has accused opposition candidates and their supporters of fueling urban guerrilla warfare ' leading up to sunday 's vote . but amath dansokho , head of the opposition june 23 movement , blamed police for the escalating violence , saying they were responsible for some deaths during demonstrations in dakar and rufisque this month . the presidential spokesman denied the police or military were involved in the deaths . the opposition june 23 movement , or m23 , is named after the date of protests last summer that forced wade to withdraw a constitutional amendment that would have nearly guaranteed his victory in this month 's election . west africa has a history of political strife , but senegal has largely maintained peace and has never experienced a military coup . cnn 's umaro djau contributed to this report .","president abdoulaye wade is booed as he casts his ballot in dakar" +"vaden ( cnn ) -- getting ahead in your career is not just about being successful ; it 's about being noticed . so how do you stand out to be hired by potential employers ? how do you stand out for a promotion to a superior ? how do you stand out as loyal to the people you are leading ? it 's simple : do the things that others are n't willing to do . whether you 're a leader , a team member , or a candidate , success comes from having the discipline to do the things that you know you should be doing , even when you do n't feel like doing them . when you practice this kind of self discipline regularly , you 'll naturally stand out from the pack -- because most people avoid the hard stuff . it 's just easier to put it off . but the truth is that what feels easy now creates problems down the line . and what feels hard now -- doing the stuff you do n't feel like -- makes everything easier in the long-term . self discipline does n't have to be hard -- you just have to change the way you think about it . read more : ambition could make you reach , but not happy successful people have mastered the art of self discipline . i 've spent the last 10 years studying and coaching some of the most successful people in business , figuring out what makes them different . they 're not smarter or more talented than the average person -- they just consistently do what others are n't willing to do by keeping three principles in mind : do it scared . fear is one of the biggest saboteurs of our goals , because it inhibits action . the next time you feel yourself putting something off because you 're afraid -- of uncertainty or failure -- just do it scared . ' i once heard a true story of a woman who was trapped in a burning building on the 80th floor . she was terrified of heights and enclosed spaces , and when the fire alarm went off , she refused to follow her colleagues into the stairwell to evacuate to safety . the firemen did a sweep of the building and found her hiding under her desk , waiting to die . she was screaming i 'm scared , i 'm scared ! ' as the firemen insisted she walk down the stairwell . until one fireman said : that 's ok , just do it scared . ' he repeated it all the way down the 80 flights of stairs , until he brought her to safety . we 've all faced these moments in our careers -- when you know what has to be done , but your fear holds you back . in order to stand out , you must develop the habit of acting in the face of fear . it 's fine to be scared -- do it scared . it 's fine to be unsure -- do it unsure . it 's fine to be uncomfortable -- do it uncomfortable . just do something . this is the attitude of the most disciplined and successful people on the planet . they might be scared , but they do it anyways . and by just doing something , you create movement and momentum that will lead to progress and results . read more : realize your potential ,'dare to be different' habits , not results . perfectionism is one of the most common reasons people procrastinate , and we 've all done it at some point . the best way to overcome this impulse is to put your self esteem into stellar work habits instead of results . it can take a while to see the fruits of your labor -- whether you 're spearheading a new initiative , trying to launch a business , or planning a second act career . to keep yourself motivated , take pride in sticking to your work habits , rather than looking for immediate results . in time , success will follow . remember the big picture . the pursuit of any goal will inevitably face a number of obstacles . the difference between those who stand out in the careers and those who blend in lies in what you do when you reach these critical turning points . do you hesitate and turn back ? or do you press forward ? when you feel frustrated , depressed , or disappointed , do n't give up -- just get some perspective . i have a mental reminder that helps me push past these hurdles . i hold my pen up to my eye and stare directly down the barrel . then , i pull it away and look at it in its entirety . it 's a quick way to remind myself to look at my life in the same way . stop fixating on the here and now , and think about the big picture . today 's challenges may not make sense , but you must have faith that over the long-term , they will be nothing more than blips on the radar screen . having this perspective and faith will help you press forward at the moments when others turn back . contrary to popular belief , people who have reached the highest levels in their careers are n't necessarily better educated , more talented or better connected . neither are they simply more motivated or harder workers . rather , successful people have realized that getting to the top means that they first have to do the things that they do n't want to do related to their goals . it 's not about enjoying self discipline -- it 's about adopting a few new ways of thinking that simply make discipline easier to endure . and when you develop the habit of doing things that others wo n't do , you 're putting yourself on the fast track to the route to the top . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of rory vaden .","successful people consistently do the things that others are n't willing to do , says rory vaden" +"vaden ( cnn ) -- getting ahead in your career is not just about being successful ; it 's about being noticed . so how do you stand out to be hired by potential employers ? how do you stand out for a promotion to a superior ? how do you stand out as loyal to the people you are leading ? it 's simple : do the things that others are n't willing to do . whether you 're a leader , a team member , or a candidate , success comes from having the discipline to do the things that you know you should be doing , even when you do n't feel like doing them . when you practice this kind of self discipline regularly , you 'll naturally stand out from the pack -- because most people avoid the hard stuff . it 's just easier to put it off . but the truth is that what feels easy now creates problems down the line . and what feels hard now -- doing the stuff you do n't feel like -- makes everything easier in the long-term . self discipline does n't have to be hard -- you just have to change the way you think about it . read more : ambition could make you reach , but not happy successful people have mastered the art of self discipline . i 've spent the last 10 years studying and coaching some of the most successful people in business , figuring out what makes them different . they 're not smarter or more talented than the average person -- they just consistently do what others are n't willing to do by keeping three principles in mind : do it scared . fear is one of the biggest saboteurs of our goals , because it inhibits action . the next time you feel yourself putting something off because you 're afraid -- of uncertainty or failure -- just do it scared . ' i once heard a true story of a woman who was trapped in a burning building on the 80th floor . she was terrified of heights and enclosed spaces , and when the fire alarm went off , she refused to follow her colleagues into the stairwell to evacuate to safety . the firemen did a sweep of the building and found her hiding under her desk , waiting to die . she was screaming i 'm scared , i 'm scared ! ' as the firemen insisted she walk down the stairwell . until one fireman said : that 's ok , just do it scared . ' he repeated it all the way down the 80 flights of stairs , until he brought her to safety . we 've all faced these moments in our careers -- when you know what has to be done , but your fear holds you back . in order to stand out , you must develop the habit of acting in the face of fear . it 's fine to be scared -- do it scared . it 's fine to be unsure -- do it unsure . it 's fine to be uncomfortable -- do it uncomfortable . just do something . this is the attitude of the most disciplined and successful people on the planet . they might be scared , but they do it anyways . and by just doing something , you create movement and momentum that will lead to progress and results . read more : realize your potential ,'dare to be different' habits , not results . perfectionism is one of the most common reasons people procrastinate , and we 've all done it at some point . the best way to overcome this impulse is to put your self esteem into stellar work habits instead of results . it can take a while to see the fruits of your labor -- whether you 're spearheading a new initiative , trying to launch a business , or planning a second act career . to keep yourself motivated , take pride in sticking to your work habits , rather than looking for immediate results . in time , success will follow . remember the big picture . the pursuit of any goal will inevitably face a number of obstacles . the difference between those who stand out in the careers and those who blend in lies in what you do when you reach these critical turning points . do you hesitate and turn back ? or do you press forward ? when you feel frustrated , depressed , or disappointed , do n't give up -- just get some perspective . i have a mental reminder that helps me push past these hurdles . i hold my pen up to my eye and stare directly down the barrel . then , i pull it away and look at it in its entirety . it 's a quick way to remind myself to look at my life in the same way . stop fixating on the here and now , and think about the big picture . today 's challenges may not make sense , but you must have faith that over the long-term , they will be nothing more than blips on the radar screen . having this perspective and faith will help you press forward at the moments when others turn back . contrary to popular belief , people who have reached the highest levels in their careers are n't necessarily better educated , more talented or better connected . neither are they simply more motivated or harder workers . rather , successful people have realized that getting to the top means that they first have to do the things that they do n't want to do related to their goals . it 's not about enjoying self discipline -- it 's about adopting a few new ways of thinking that simply make discipline easier to endure . and when you develop the habit of doing things that others wo n't do , you 're putting yourself on the fast track to the route to the top . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of rory vaden .","vaden argues that we must stop fixating on the here and now , and think about the big picture" +"the jackson 5 los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's family and about 200 of their closest friends gathered on a hill thursday evening for their final farewell to the pop singer , who died 10 weeks ago . thursday 's service for singer michael jackson began 90 minutes past the announced start time . jackson 's burial may lay to rest some of the mystery and controversy that erupted with his sudden death on june 25 . his large family was divided over where the superstar 's final resting place should be , but matriarch katherine jackson settled on a crypt inside the well-guarded and ornate great mausoleum at forest lawn cemetery in glendale , california . thursday 's service began 90 minutes past the announced start time , leaving dozens of celebrities -- including elizabeth taylor -- waiting in their seats for the 26 cars carrying the jackson clan to arrive . gallery : invitation for jackson 's service » it began with jackson 's five brothers -- each wearing a single sequined glove -- carrying his flower-covered bronze casket onto the outdoor stage among six large bouquets of white lilies and white roses , along with green topiaries . his three children , led by daughter , paris , 11 , placed a crown atop their father 's coffin , which a family spokesman said it was to signify the final resting place of the king of pop . ' jackson 's children , parents and siblings took their seats in the front row , while his nieces and nephews filled several rows of white chairs behind them . after an opening prayer by pastor lucius smith , soul music legend gladys knight sang the gospel hymn his eye is on the sparrow . ' clifton davis sang never can say goodbye , ' a hit he wrote for the jackson 5 -- the group that featured a young michael and his brothers . what was said by jackson 's father , joe jackson , and others who took the lectern is not publicly known , because the family barred news cameras from the ceremony . a family statement issued afterward said close friends and family , including the rev . al sharpton , spoke spontaneously to celebrate michael 's life . ' news helicopters hovering above captured video from a distance , but without sound . watch media cover jackson funeral » lisa marie presley , one of jackson 's former wives and the daughter of elvis , attended the service , according to the family statement . it did not mention debbie rowe , jackson 's second wife and the mother of his two oldest children . macaulay culkin , the home alone ' actor who spent time with jackson during his neverland ranch days , was there with his girlfriend , actress mila kunis . actors corey feldman and chris tucker were also seen arriving for the service . motown founder berry gordy , who gave jackson and his brothers their first big record deal , and quincy jones , who produced jackson 's thriller ' album , were there . music producer teddy riley , who helped with jackson 's 1991 dangerous ' album , attended . the guest list included tv executive suzanne de passe , who produced a miniseries about jackson 's family , and kenny ortega , who was producing jackson 's comeback show . thomas mesereau , the lawyer who successfully defended jackson in a child molestation trial , sat just behind the jackson family . when the hour-long service ended , his brothers lifted jackson 's casket for a final time to carry him inside the great mausoleum , where he was placed in his crypt at 9:43 p.m. pt ( 12:43 a.m . et friday ) . the family statement said it was his final resting place . ' the family and friends then drove to an italian restaurant eight miles away , in pasadena , california , for a time of celebration . ' the massive mausoleum , the final resting place for clark gable , carole lombard and dozens of other celebrities , is normally open to tourists , though the public is denied close access to crypts . security guards , aided by cameras , keep constant vigil over the graves and crypts , which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture . the forest lawn web site boasts that the mausoleum , which draws its architectural inspiration from the campo santo in italy , has been called the'new world 's westminster abbey'by time magazine . ' visitors will see exact replicas of michelangelo 's greatest works such as david , moses , and la pieta ' and leonardo da vinci 's immortal last supper re-created in brilliant stained glass ; two of the world 's largest paintings , ' the web site says . jackson 's burial was delayed by division among family members , though katherine jackson would make the final decision , brother jermaine jackson recently told cnn . he preferred to see his youngest brother laid to rest at his former neverland ranch home , north of los angeles in santa barbara county , california . that idea was complicated by neighbors who vowed to oppose allowing a grave in the rural area -- and by jackson family members who said the singer would not want to return to the home where he faced child molestation charges , of which he was ultimately acquitted . the mystery of where jackson would be buried became a media obsession in the weeks after his death . after his body was loaded onto a helicopter at ucla 's ronald reagan medical center hours after his june 25 death , it stayed in the custody of the los angeles county coroner for an autopsy . it was only later disclosed that jackson 's corpse was kept in a refrigerated room at the hollywood hills forest lawn cemetery until his casket was carried by motorcade to downtown los angeles for a public memorial service in the staples center arena . again , speculation about jackson 's whereabouts grew when the media lost track of his casket after his brothers carried it out of sight inside the arena . it was only recently confirmed that it was taken back to the hollywood hills forest lawn while awaiting his family 's decision . though thursday 's interment may settle one jackson mystery , a more serious one remains . the coroner announced last week that he had ruled jackson 's death a homicide . a summary of the coroner 's report said the anesthetic propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the singer 's death . los angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation and no one has been charged .","clifton davis sang never can say goodbye , ' a hit he wrote for the jackson 5" +"paris los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's family and about 200 of their closest friends gathered on a hill thursday evening for their final farewell to the pop singer , who died 10 weeks ago . thursday 's service for singer michael jackson began 90 minutes past the announced start time . jackson 's burial may lay to rest some of the mystery and controversy that erupted with his sudden death on june 25 . his large family was divided over where the superstar 's final resting place should be , but matriarch katherine jackson settled on a crypt inside the well-guarded and ornate great mausoleum at forest lawn cemetery in glendale , california . thursday 's service began 90 minutes past the announced start time , leaving dozens of celebrities -- including elizabeth taylor -- waiting in their seats for the 26 cars carrying the jackson clan to arrive . gallery : invitation for jackson 's service » it began with jackson 's five brothers -- each wearing a single sequined glove -- carrying his flower-covered bronze casket onto the outdoor stage among six large bouquets of white lilies and white roses , along with green topiaries . his three children , led by daughter , paris , 11 , placed a crown atop their father 's coffin , which a family spokesman said it was to signify the final resting place of the king of pop . ' jackson 's children , parents and siblings took their seats in the front row , while his nieces and nephews filled several rows of white chairs behind them . after an opening prayer by pastor lucius smith , soul music legend gladys knight sang the gospel hymn his eye is on the sparrow . ' clifton davis sang never can say goodbye , ' a hit he wrote for the jackson 5 -- the group that featured a young michael and his brothers . what was said by jackson 's father , joe jackson , and others who took the lectern is not publicly known , because the family barred news cameras from the ceremony . a family statement issued afterward said close friends and family , including the rev . al sharpton , spoke spontaneously to celebrate michael 's life . ' news helicopters hovering above captured video from a distance , but without sound . watch media cover jackson funeral » lisa marie presley , one of jackson 's former wives and the daughter of elvis , attended the service , according to the family statement . it did not mention debbie rowe , jackson 's second wife and the mother of his two oldest children . macaulay culkin , the home alone ' actor who spent time with jackson during his neverland ranch days , was there with his girlfriend , actress mila kunis . actors corey feldman and chris tucker were also seen arriving for the service . motown founder berry gordy , who gave jackson and his brothers their first big record deal , and quincy jones , who produced jackson 's thriller ' album , were there . music producer teddy riley , who helped with jackson 's 1991 dangerous ' album , attended . the guest list included tv executive suzanne de passe , who produced a miniseries about jackson 's family , and kenny ortega , who was producing jackson 's comeback show . thomas mesereau , the lawyer who successfully defended jackson in a child molestation trial , sat just behind the jackson family . when the hour-long service ended , his brothers lifted jackson 's casket for a final time to carry him inside the great mausoleum , where he was placed in his crypt at 9:43 p.m. pt ( 12:43 a.m . et friday ) . the family statement said it was his final resting place . ' the family and friends then drove to an italian restaurant eight miles away , in pasadena , california , for a time of celebration . ' the massive mausoleum , the final resting place for clark gable , carole lombard and dozens of other celebrities , is normally open to tourists , though the public is denied close access to crypts . security guards , aided by cameras , keep constant vigil over the graves and crypts , which are surrounded by a world-class collection of art and architecture . the forest lawn web site boasts that the mausoleum , which draws its architectural inspiration from the campo santo in italy , has been called the'new world 's westminster abbey'by time magazine . ' visitors will see exact replicas of michelangelo 's greatest works such as david , moses , and la pieta ' and leonardo da vinci 's immortal last supper re-created in brilliant stained glass ; two of the world 's largest paintings , ' the web site says . jackson 's burial was delayed by division among family members , though katherine jackson would make the final decision , brother jermaine jackson recently told cnn . he preferred to see his youngest brother laid to rest at his former neverland ranch home , north of los angeles in santa barbara county , california . that idea was complicated by neighbors who vowed to oppose allowing a grave in the rural area -- and by jackson family members who said the singer would not want to return to the home where he faced child molestation charges , of which he was ultimately acquitted . the mystery of where jackson would be buried became a media obsession in the weeks after his death . after his body was loaded onto a helicopter at ucla 's ronald reagan medical center hours after his june 25 death , it stayed in the custody of the los angeles county coroner for an autopsy . it was only later disclosed that jackson 's corpse was kept in a refrigerated room at the hollywood hills forest lawn cemetery until his casket was carried by motorcade to downtown los angeles for a public memorial service in the staples center arena . again , speculation about jackson 's whereabouts grew when the media lost track of his casket after his brothers carried it out of sight inside the arena . it was only recently confirmed that it was taken back to the hollywood hills forest lawn while awaiting his family 's decision . though thursday 's interment may settle one jackson mystery , a more serious one remains . the coroner announced last week that he had ruled jackson 's death a homicide . a summary of the coroner 's report said the anesthetic propofol and the sedative lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for the singer 's death . los angeles police detectives have not concluded their criminal investigation and no one has been charged .","jackson 's three kids , led by daughter , paris , placed a crown atop their father 's coffin" +"cosby ( cnn ) bill cosby made things uncomfortable sunday night on celebrity apprentice . ' the beleaguered star is n't a contestant this season on the nbc reality show , which pits teams of celebs against each other for business-related tasks , but his name became embroiled in the season premiere 's storyline . on sunday nbc aired the first episode , which was filmed before rape and sexual assault allegations began mounting against cosby . one of the competitors , keshia knight pulliam , is famous for playing beloved youngest daughter rudy huxtable on the cosby show . ' the actress served as project manager for her all-female team in which the women were trying to raise money for her charity kamp kizzy , which seeks to empower girls . after her team failed to fare as well as they could have in the challenge , they faced a grilling in the boardroom from host donald trump . real housewives of atlanta ' cast member kenya moore told trump her teammate declined to reach out to former co-star cosby for a donation . i have not talked to bill cosby on the phone in i do n't know how long , ' knight pulliam said emotionally . so for me to pick up the phone , having not talked to you for five years , except for when we run into each other for a cosby event , i feel that 's not my place to do . ' her explanation was unacceptable to trump , who said , i really believe , if you 'd called that gentleman he would 've helped you , even if you had n't spoken to him in years . because you were an amazing team with one of the most successful shows ever . so i think it would 've been a very good call to make for charity . ' trump fired ' her from the show . while not directly commenting on her ousting from the series , the actress did tweet : ohhh the deception of editing ... smh ! ! ' for his part , trump tweeted to his followers after that : this show was taped just before the terrible bill cosby revelations came to light . she still should have asked him for money-goes to charity . '","host donald trump tweeted that the incident happened before rape allegations against cosby boiled over" +"cosby ( cnn ) bill cosby made things uncomfortable sunday night on celebrity apprentice . ' the beleaguered star is n't a contestant this season on the nbc reality show , which pits teams of celebs against each other for business-related tasks , but his name became embroiled in the season premiere 's storyline . on sunday nbc aired the first episode , which was filmed before rape and sexual assault allegations began mounting against cosby . one of the competitors , keshia knight pulliam , is famous for playing beloved youngest daughter rudy huxtable on the cosby show . ' the actress served as project manager for her all-female team in which the women were trying to raise money for her charity kamp kizzy , which seeks to empower girls . after her team failed to fare as well as they could have in the challenge , they faced a grilling in the boardroom from host donald trump . real housewives of atlanta ' cast member kenya moore told trump her teammate declined to reach out to former co-star cosby for a donation . i have not talked to bill cosby on the phone in i do n't know how long , ' knight pulliam said emotionally . so for me to pick up the phone , having not talked to you for five years , except for when we run into each other for a cosby event , i feel that 's not my place to do . ' her explanation was unacceptable to trump , who said , i really believe , if you 'd called that gentleman he would 've helped you , even if you had n't spoken to him in years . because you were an amazing team with one of the most successful shows ever . so i think it would 've been a very good call to make for charity . ' trump fired ' her from the show . while not directly commenting on her ousting from the series , the actress did tweet : ohhh the deception of editing ... smh ! ! ' for his part , trump tweeted to his followers after that : this show was taped just before the terrible bill cosby revelations came to light . she still should have asked him for money-goes to charity . '","knight pulliam was ousted after she failed to contact cosby for help with a charity fund-raising drive" +"hsbc hong kong ( cnn ) -- as the attention of the rugby world is drawn to hong kong this weekend for the rugby sevens , corporations are looking to capitalize on a sport that soon will become an olympic event . two dozen teams will pound the pitch , put in flying tackles and perhaps lose teeth in an effort to claim the 2012 championship trophy . for the new zealand sevens team , it 's time to defend last year 's victory . for spectators , it 's a chance to run up a credit card bill on beer and bizarre costumes . but for hsbc , this year 's tournament marks its return to the stands as a sponsor after a 17-year hiatus . there 's more to sports than just the players on the field -- there 's the financial funding , ' said dj forbes , the captain of the new zealand sevens . if a sponsorship deal is held in high esteem , potential sponsors are going be sure the money they invest is put in the right places . ' but is the right place the hong kong rugby sevens ? hsbc thinks so . even as the bank is cutting tens of thousands of jobs worldwide , hsbc is investing in rugby ahead of the sport 's inclusion in the 2016 summer olympic games . rugby has changed enormously . the hk sevens is a very popular tournament but was much more standalone than it is now , ' said giles morgan , hsbc group head of sponsorship and events . that and its upcoming inclusion in the olympics in 2016 in rio de janeiro have made the game much more international and much broader. but while hsbc has ramped up its sponsorship investment in hong kong , the world 's local bank ' is winding down some of its asian retail operations -- notably in japan and thailand , while cutting 30,000 workers worldwide by the end of next year . all of this is a cost-cutting plan as laid out by hsbc 's chief executive stuart gulliver to save some $ 3.5 billion . morgan quickly defends hsbc 's sponsorship as a calculated strategy . we very much regard our sponsorship as a business -- with business objectives , ' he said . this is not about a fun investment . we are targeting key demographics and key geographies . it made sense for hsbc to come back , ' he added . we did n't know rugby was going to grow the way it did . ' and it has grown . from the hong kong sevens first tournament in 1976 that featured just nine teams , it now invites 24 teams spanning every continent except for antarctica . it now pulls in profits for hong kong on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars . morgan declined to comment on how much hsbc actually invests in sponsoring this year 's hong kong sevens but he says the bank aims for a three-to-one return on sponsorship investment . but it is rare for any company to know its rate of return on investment , according to one hong kong advertising firm . not only that , companies may pay a prestige premium that comes with being a title sponsor for high-profile sporting events because there are so few of them . in american football there 's only one superbowl . in international football , there 's only one world cup . in hong kong , there 's only one rugby sevens championship . so why invest in the sevens then ? for hsbc , it helps target specific clients in markets like hong kong , shanghai and singapore -- hub cities the bank is targeting for growth , even as it streamlines elsewhere , morgan said . with strong expat communities you 'll be looking at strong growth . ' hsbc is sharing title sponsorship of the rugby sevens with cathay pacific , whose global hub is hong kong . we 're looking for sponsorships that really help build hong kong and help bring people in to make the city a tourist destination , ' says camilla taylor , cathay pacific 's marketing manager-events . we target a lot of different groups , including average rugby fans around the world . we 're trying to promote the sevens to a wider audience . ' cathay has been investing in the hong kong sevens for much of the last 35 years . aside from a seven-year break from 1997 to 2004 in the wake of the asian financial crisis , the territory 's flagship air carrier will likely not fly away as a sevens sponsor soon , taylor said . while hsbc , cathay pacific and other sponsors refuse to divulge their investment or returns , hong kong gladly throws its books wide open . the hong kong tourism board says last year 's rugby sevens drew in more than 21,000 spectators from overseas . the average sevens spectator from abroad spent $ 1,650 over the course of six days . in total , hong kong raked in more than $ 289 million in direct economic benefit . companies are counting that as thousands descend on the city , more spectators may notice that dhl ad on the jumbotron in hong kong 's central bar district , notice the cathay pacific billboard streak by on a citybus , or notice that red-and-white hsbc banner flutter in the sevens stadium breeze .","hsbc says it expects a 3-to-1 rate of return for its sponsorship investment" +"hsbc hong kong ( cnn ) -- as the attention of the rugby world is drawn to hong kong this weekend for the rugby sevens , corporations are looking to capitalize on a sport that soon will become an olympic event . two dozen teams will pound the pitch , put in flying tackles and perhaps lose teeth in an effort to claim the 2012 championship trophy . for the new zealand sevens team , it 's time to defend last year 's victory . for spectators , it 's a chance to run up a credit card bill on beer and bizarre costumes . but for hsbc , this year 's tournament marks its return to the stands as a sponsor after a 17-year hiatus . there 's more to sports than just the players on the field -- there 's the financial funding , ' said dj forbes , the captain of the new zealand sevens . if a sponsorship deal is held in high esteem , potential sponsors are going be sure the money they invest is put in the right places . ' but is the right place the hong kong rugby sevens ? hsbc thinks so . even as the bank is cutting tens of thousands of jobs worldwide , hsbc is investing in rugby ahead of the sport 's inclusion in the 2016 summer olympic games . rugby has changed enormously . the hk sevens is a very popular tournament but was much more standalone than it is now , ' said giles morgan , hsbc group head of sponsorship and events . that and its upcoming inclusion in the olympics in 2016 in rio de janeiro have made the game much more international and much broader. but while hsbc has ramped up its sponsorship investment in hong kong , the world 's local bank ' is winding down some of its asian retail operations -- notably in japan and thailand , while cutting 30,000 workers worldwide by the end of next year . all of this is a cost-cutting plan as laid out by hsbc 's chief executive stuart gulliver to save some $ 3.5 billion . morgan quickly defends hsbc 's sponsorship as a calculated strategy . we very much regard our sponsorship as a business -- with business objectives , ' he said . this is not about a fun investment . we are targeting key demographics and key geographies . it made sense for hsbc to come back , ' he added . we did n't know rugby was going to grow the way it did . ' and it has grown . from the hong kong sevens first tournament in 1976 that featured just nine teams , it now invites 24 teams spanning every continent except for antarctica . it now pulls in profits for hong kong on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars . morgan declined to comment on how much hsbc actually invests in sponsoring this year 's hong kong sevens but he says the bank aims for a three-to-one return on sponsorship investment . but it is rare for any company to know its rate of return on investment , according to one hong kong advertising firm . not only that , companies may pay a prestige premium that comes with being a title sponsor for high-profile sporting events because there are so few of them . in american football there 's only one superbowl . in international football , there 's only one world cup . in hong kong , there 's only one rugby sevens championship . so why invest in the sevens then ? for hsbc , it helps target specific clients in markets like hong kong , shanghai and singapore -- hub cities the bank is targeting for growth , even as it streamlines elsewhere , morgan said . with strong expat communities you 'll be looking at strong growth . ' hsbc is sharing title sponsorship of the rugby sevens with cathay pacific , whose global hub is hong kong . we 're looking for sponsorships that really help build hong kong and help bring people in to make the city a tourist destination , ' says camilla taylor , cathay pacific 's marketing manager-events . we target a lot of different groups , including average rugby fans around the world . we 're trying to promote the sevens to a wider audience . ' cathay has been investing in the hong kong sevens for much of the last 35 years . aside from a seven-year break from 1997 to 2004 in the wake of the asian financial crisis , the territory 's flagship air carrier will likely not fly away as a sevens sponsor soon , taylor said . while hsbc , cathay pacific and other sponsors refuse to divulge their investment or returns , hong kong gladly throws its books wide open . the hong kong tourism board says last year 's rugby sevens drew in more than 21,000 spectators from overseas . the average sevens spectator from abroad spent $ 1,650 over the course of six days . in total , hong kong raked in more than $ 289 million in direct economic benefit . companies are counting that as thousands descend on the city , more spectators may notice that dhl ad on the jumbotron in hong kong 's central bar district , notice the cathay pacific billboard streak by on a citybus , or notice that red-and-white hsbc banner flutter in the sevens stadium breeze .","despite cuttings tens of thousands of jobs , hsbc returns to sponsor the rugby sevens" +"david cameron london ( cnn ) -- internet giants signed up tuesday to a zero tolerance ' approach to images of child sexual abuse as the british government announced a new , tougher strategy to find and block illegal content . google , yahoo , microsoft , twitter and facebook were among the firms summoned to a meeting on the issue at 10 downing street , the prime minister 's residence , by the uk government 's department for culture , media and sport . the summit was called in the wake of two recent uk child murder cases . in each case , the killer had viewed child sexual abuse images and violent pornography on the internet , sparking calls for action to eradicate such content and protect vulnerable young people . after the summit , the government said the internet watch foundation -- a watchdog body set up in 1996 -- would have new powers to seek out child sex abuse images , block access to them and remove them . the watchdog has previously acted after an image of child sexual abuse was reported to it via a hotline . while there are an estimated 1 million unique images of child abuse online , only 40,000 reports are made to the internet watch foundation each year , the department for culture , media and sport said . now , the watchdog will work with a cross-agency government body , the child exploitation and online protection centre , known as ceop , to hunt down such images , the department said . and the uk 's leading internet service providers -- virgin media , bskyb , bt and talktalk -- have agreed to give â£1 million ( $ 1.57 million ) over the next four years to help fund the new approach . tuesday 's agreement represents a fundamental change ' in the way child sexual abuse content will be tackled , the department of culture , media and sport said . this will mean more images of child sexual abuse will be tracked down and acted on , ' said culture secretary maria miller . the abuse of children is absolutely abhorrent -- and that child is further violated every single time an image is circulated and viewed . the iwf and ceop already do important and valuable work . this agreement will mean these organizations will no longer be limited to reacting to reports received . they will now have the remit and the resources to take the fight to the criminals perpetrating these vile acts . ' in addition , internet providers have agreed to introduce by the end of the month special pages to tell users when they try to access a page that has been blocked by the internet watch foundation . the four main uk internet service providers will also beef up the parental control options they offer , so that parents can easily restrict internet access on all devices in their home by the end of the year . the main cell phone service providers in the united kingdom also took part in the talks . all the firms present signed a statement saying : we have a zero tolerance approach to the presence of child sexual abuse material on the internet . ' prime minister david cameron , speaking to reporters at the group of eight summit in northern ireland , said he was personally committed ' to the battle . he said he welcomed steps to make sure the big internet companies use their expertise , their brains and their brilliance to get these disgusting images off the internet much faster . ' tuesday 's summit is not the only action taken by web giants to tackle the scourge of exploitative images online . google said tuesday that it will spend $ 5 million on an effort to wipe pictures of child sexual abuse from the web and another $ 2 million to research more effective ways to find , report and eradicate the images . some of that money will go to the national center for missing and exploited children as well as the internet watch foundation , said jacqueline fuller , the director of google giving , in a blog post . the web giant also is creating the child protection technology fund to develop more efficient ways to fight child porn , and already works to tag illegal images and prevent them being found elsewhere .","british prime minister david cameron says he is personally committed to the battle" +"kharkov superior cup ( cnn ) -- andriy shevchenko has returned to pro sports . but not in football -- and not to the standard of success he has been used to . the former european player of the year is competing in his first professional golf tournament as part of the kharkov superior cup in his native ukraine , but struggled to a 12-over-par 84 in thursday 's opening round . it 's a completely different game when you are under pressure , but i really enjoyed it still and so happy to be at this tournament , even if my scoring did n't go so good . it 's a great experience for me , ' shevchenko told the european tour website . his playing partner , frenchman victor riu , was the first-round leader in the second-tier challenge tour event after a sharply contrasting course-record 64 . i am not a big fan of football so i did n't really know much about andriy but it was great to play with him . there were a lot of people watching , ' the 28-year-old said . he was great . every time i holed a putt he shook my hand or gave me a high five . he was really pushing me on to play better and cheering me when i made birdies so that was a really big help for me . i did put it up on facebook that i was playing with him and it got a lot of responses , so i knew it was a big deal ! shevchenko , who enjoyed most of his success with italian club ac milan , retired from football a year ago after ukraine co-hosted the european championships and has since dabbled in politics . he entered this tournament as one of several amateurs in the 130-strong field , having initially taken up golf to help ease the pressure of playing elite football . i come on to a golf course and turn off my phone and just walk the course and hit some balls . it 's one of the reasons why i started to play , ' he said wednesday . i just found this great game where you have to be focused and balanced and that 's why i like it . i like that mental balance . ' shevchenko did manage one birdie , but he carded a double bogey and dropped shots at 11 other holes at the superior golf and spa resort course , which is part of a luxury seven-star facility . to play with victor and see him shoot a course record and play fantastic golf , i learned so much about the game from the two guys , ' he said . shevchenko is n't the only athlete to try his hand at pro golf following a successful career in another sport . former tennis no . 1 yevgeny kafelnikov became russia 's national champion in 2011 -- he is also in the field this weekend in ukraine -- and eight-time grand slam tennis winner ivan lendl contested the czech open back in 1996 . after lendl struck an 11-over-par 82 in the first round , he was quoted as saying by the chicago tribune that it was five times worse than playing in a wimbledon final . ' although similarly unlikely to make the halfway cut , and therefore miss out on the weekend action , shevchenko is nonetheless proud to be participating in his country 's first major golf tournament . it 's the first event for me and also in ukraine so it 's big for golf here , ' he said . i love golf and i 'm so happy that golf is starting to pick up in ukraine and the people are starting to invest money long term . '","the kharkov superior cup is the first major professional golf event to be held in ukraine" +"shevchenko ( cnn ) -- andriy shevchenko has returned to pro sports . but not in football -- and not to the standard of success he has been used to . the former european player of the year is competing in his first professional golf tournament as part of the kharkov superior cup in his native ukraine , but struggled to a 12-over-par 84 in thursday 's opening round . it 's a completely different game when you are under pressure , but i really enjoyed it still and so happy to be at this tournament , even if my scoring did n't go so good . it 's a great experience for me , ' shevchenko told the european tour website . his playing partner , frenchman victor riu , was the first-round leader in the second-tier challenge tour event after a sharply contrasting course-record 64 . i am not a big fan of football so i did n't really know much about andriy but it was great to play with him . there were a lot of people watching , ' the 28-year-old said . he was great . every time i holed a putt he shook my hand or gave me a high five . he was really pushing me on to play better and cheering me when i made birdies so that was a really big help for me . i did put it up on facebook that i was playing with him and it got a lot of responses , so i knew it was a big deal ! shevchenko , who enjoyed most of his success with italian club ac milan , retired from football a year ago after ukraine co-hosted the european championships and has since dabbled in politics . he entered this tournament as one of several amateurs in the 130-strong field , having initially taken up golf to help ease the pressure of playing elite football . i come on to a golf course and turn off my phone and just walk the course and hit some balls . it 's one of the reasons why i started to play , ' he said wednesday . i just found this great game where you have to be focused and balanced and that 's why i like it . i like that mental balance . ' shevchenko did manage one birdie , but he carded a double bogey and dropped shots at 11 other holes at the superior golf and spa resort course , which is part of a luxury seven-star facility . to play with victor and see him shoot a course record and play fantastic golf , i learned so much about the game from the two guys , ' he said . shevchenko is n't the only athlete to try his hand at pro golf following a successful career in another sport . former tennis no . 1 yevgeny kafelnikov became russia 's national champion in 2011 -- he is also in the field this weekend in ukraine -- and eight-time grand slam tennis winner ivan lendl contested the czech open back in 1996 . after lendl struck an 11-over-par 82 in the first round , he was quoted as saying by the chicago tribune that it was five times worse than playing in a wimbledon final . ' although similarly unlikely to make the halfway cut , and therefore miss out on the weekend action , shevchenko is nonetheless proud to be participating in his country 's first major golf tournament . it 's the first event for me and also in ukraine so it 's big for golf here , ' he said . i love golf and i 'm so happy that golf is starting to pick up in ukraine and the people are starting to invest money long term . '","andriy shevchenko makes his professional golf debut in his native ukraine" +"shevchenko ( cnn ) -- andriy shevchenko has returned to pro sports . but not in football -- and not to the standard of success he has been used to . the former european player of the year is competing in his first professional golf tournament as part of the kharkov superior cup in his native ukraine , but struggled to a 12-over-par 84 in thursday 's opening round . it 's a completely different game when you are under pressure , but i really enjoyed it still and so happy to be at this tournament , even if my scoring did n't go so good . it 's a great experience for me , ' shevchenko told the european tour website . his playing partner , frenchman victor riu , was the first-round leader in the second-tier challenge tour event after a sharply contrasting course-record 64 . i am not a big fan of football so i did n't really know much about andriy but it was great to play with him . there were a lot of people watching , ' the 28-year-old said . he was great . every time i holed a putt he shook my hand or gave me a high five . he was really pushing me on to play better and cheering me when i made birdies so that was a really big help for me . i did put it up on facebook that i was playing with him and it got a lot of responses , so i knew it was a big deal ! shevchenko , who enjoyed most of his success with italian club ac milan , retired from football a year ago after ukraine co-hosted the european championships and has since dabbled in politics . he entered this tournament as one of several amateurs in the 130-strong field , having initially taken up golf to help ease the pressure of playing elite football . i come on to a golf course and turn off my phone and just walk the course and hit some balls . it 's one of the reasons why i started to play , ' he said wednesday . i just found this great game where you have to be focused and balanced and that 's why i like it . i like that mental balance . ' shevchenko did manage one birdie , but he carded a double bogey and dropped shots at 11 other holes at the superior golf and spa resort course , which is part of a luxury seven-star facility . to play with victor and see him shoot a course record and play fantastic golf , i learned so much about the game from the two guys , ' he said . shevchenko is n't the only athlete to try his hand at pro golf following a successful career in another sport . former tennis no . 1 yevgeny kafelnikov became russia 's national champion in 2011 -- he is also in the field this weekend in ukraine -- and eight-time grand slam tennis winner ivan lendl contested the czech open back in 1996 . after lendl struck an 11-over-par 82 in the first round , he was quoted as saying by the chicago tribune that it was five times worse than playing in a wimbledon final . ' although similarly unlikely to make the halfway cut , and therefore miss out on the weekend action , shevchenko is nonetheless proud to be participating in his country 's first major golf tournament . it 's the first event for me and also in ukraine so it 's big for golf here , ' he said . i love golf and i 'm so happy that golf is starting to pick up in ukraine and the people are starting to invest money long term . '","shevchenko retired from football after last year 's european championships" +"josé miguel vivanco editor 's note : josé miguel vivanco is executive director of the americas division of human rights watch , a nonprofit organization that seeks to protect people 's rights . a lawyer from chile , he was educated there , in spain and at harvard law school . josé miguel vivanco says conviction of peru 's ex-president is a warning to those who deny human rights . ( cnn ) -- peruvians are celebrating an extraordinary victory this week : the conviction of their former president , alberto fujimori , for death squad killings carried out during his rule in the 1990s . the peruvian supreme court found him guilty of egregious human rights abuses , including the massacre of innocent civilians , and sentenced him to 25 years in prison -- a stiff message to other leaders that justice can eventually catch up to even the most powerful . it is one of the first times a nation 's own independent courts have convicted a former leader for such serious human rights crimes and it sets an important precedent for a region that suffered so much from political violence and rights violations . equally significant , the ruling came after a lengthy televised trial , which was clearly fair to the defendant -- despite peru 's previous history of authoritarianism and weak rule of law . fujimori came to office in 1990 on the promise of crushing a vicious maoist insurgency but , in the process of restoring order , he corrupted and weakened peru 's most vital government institutions -- including parliament , the courts and law enforcement . just a few years ago , fujimori had near-total control of peru 's judiciary . for a decade , his government used bribery , extortion , and intimidation to concentrate power in the presidency , subverting the democratic process and eliminating normal checks by the judiciary , legislature , and media on government abuses . he led peru from 1990 to 2000 , presiding over the war with the shining path guerrillas and the tupac amaru revolutionary movement . he was convicted of authorizing killings and kidnappings by paramilitary death squads . fujimori is to be tried separately on multiple corruption charges . the landmark decision fits within a global trend of increasing accountability for former heads of state . just 20 years ago , it was exceedingly rare for even the most brutal leaders to be brought to book . in the late 20th century , mao zedong , idi amin , milton obote , ferdinand marcos , anastasio somoza , jean-claude baby doc ' duvalier and mobutu sese seko , to name just a few , were never brought to trial . since then , however , the tide has turned . in october 1998 , london police arrested general augusto pinochet on a warrant from a spanish judge for human rights crimes . the arrest and the subsequent decisions by the british house of lords to reject pinochet 's claim of immunity were a wake-up call to tyrants everywhere , but more important , they gave hope to victims elsewhere that they too could bring their tormentors to justice . in country after country , particularly in latin america , victims were inspired to challenge the amnesty laws of the 1980s and 1990s that had allowed the perpetrators of atrocities to go unpunished and , often , to remain in power . thanks to these efforts , former leaders in argentina , and uruguay have also faced human rights trials . pinochet 's arrest also strengthened a nascent international movement -- spurred by the killings in bosnia and rwanda , and facilitated by the end of the cold war -- to make certain the worst abuses are punished . after the creation of un tribunals for the former yugoslavia and rwanda , the world established the international criminal court ( icc ) to prosecute genocide , crimes against humanity and serious war crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so . the icc is now investigating crimes in the central african republic , uganda and the democratic republic of the congo , and in march the court indicted president omar al-bashir of sudan on charges of crimes against humanity in darfur . the fujimori case stands out , though , because it was peru 's national court system which demonstrated the will , capacity , and independence to try its former president . a second panel of the supreme court will now review an appeal by fujimori . one can hope the second panel will be as transparent and fair as the first . even after this verdict , impunity for past atrocities continues to be a major problem in peru and throughout the region . it is likely , however , that yesterday 's verdict will help give momentum to efforts currently underway in many latin american countries to bring other human rights violators to justice . the verdict will also send a powerful message to current heads of state who may be tempted to use abusive tactics to resolve their political problems . as fujimori discovered yesterday , crimes they may be able to get away with while in power can come back to haunt them years later . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of josé miguel vivanco .","josé miguel vivanco : peruvian court verdict in fujimori case sends strong message" +"rolling stone the status quo is no longer acceptable . ' that 's the message the university of virginia is trying to send its students and others after a scathing rolling stone story detailed allegations of a gang rape at a fraternity party , and the school 's supposed indifference toward students who are victims of sexual assault . the horrific attack reportedly happened to a woman known only as jackie , at the start of her freshman year in 2012 . she told the magazine she was raped by seven men at phi kappa psi , while two more gave encouragement . the school stands accused of bungling its response to the assault , and sweeping other assault allegations under the rug . to jackie and her parents , i say i am sorry , ' rector george keith martin said at an emergency meeting of uva 's governing board this week . to the survivors of sexual assault and their families , i am also sorry . ' he added : this type of conduct will not be tolerated at the university of virginia . the status quo is no longer acceptable . ' the board unanimously adopted a resolution affirming a zero-tolerance approach toward rape and sexual assault cases . what exactly that means remains to be seen . the actual specifics of the new policy will be worked out later , university officials said . they are scrambling . uva suspended all fraternities until after the winter break in the wake of the report , and president teresa sullivan has called on the charlottesville police department to investigate jackie 's allegations and pleaded for witnesses to come forward with information . a few weeks before the november 19 article hit the newsstands , student-run wuva interviewed the associate dean of students , nicole eramo , who guides women through their options when they report they 've been assaulted . in the interview , eramo admitted that no student had been expelled for committing sexual assault , even when there was an admission , and even though offenses such as academic cheating regularly lead to expulsion . opinion : stop shaming victims in college rapes ' i feel if a person is willing to come forward in that setting and admit they violated the policy when there is absolutely no advantage to do so , then i feel that deserves some consideration , that they are willing to say ,'i have done something wrong and i am willing to take my licks and deal with it ,'' eramo told reporter catherine valentine , explaining why no one had been expelled . eramo said there had been 38 reports of sexual assault last year . i do feel like that person admitting in that context it shows a recognition of what they have done is wrong , and a willingness to improve , ' eramo said , when pressed on the subject . i think we are trying to balance the rights of the individual who is being accused as well as the rights of the complainant and sometimes that is very difficult , ' she said . i think you would be surprised to see the number of survivors who i 've worked with who do n't even want to file a complaint , because they do n't want to get the accused person in trouble . ' opinion : a student responds although eramo 's interview struck many as tone deaf , particularly given the rolling stone story , jackie released an open letter in support of the associated dean to the student newspaper , the cavalier daily . jackie and other victims of assault at the school said eramo helped them tremendously as they dealt with what happened to them . how can we not do the same for her in her darkest moment ? ' asked the letter from her supporters . dean eramo has truly saved my life . if it were not for her , i do not know if i could be alive today , ' jackie wrote . opinion : punish rapists , not fraternities another victim who spoke to cnn , lyra bartell , said that eramo has the hardest job at uva ' and said the problems highlighted by rolling stone are more about the policy than about a person . those policies were at the heart of the discussion at the special board meeting , where officials pledged to change cultural conditions and to improve support for survivors . the university also announced that the state attorney general has asked the law firm o'melveny & myers to do an investigation of how the school responds to reports of sexual violence , especially in cases where alleged victims choose not to make a formal complaint . i want to make it perfectly clear to you , and to the watching world that nothing is more important to me than the safety of our students , ' president sullivan said at the meeting . not our reputation , not our success , and not our history or tradition . ' opinion : uva 's answer to rape allegations a farce","the school 's governing body held a special meeting after a scathing report in rolling stone" +"indonesia ( cnn ) -- australian authorities ended their efforts to find survivors friday after a boat carrying scores capsized off the coast of indonesia this week . an australian naval ship and four merchant vessels rescued 55 people in an area west of the indonesian island of java , the australian maritime safety authority said . but many more others may have perished in the sea . the authority said it was halting further efforts following medical advice that there is no realistic prospect of survivability . ' one body was recovered during the rescue operation . rescuers had been searching for survivors since wednesday , when australian authorities received a call from someone aboard saying the vessel was having engine trouble . the caller said it had about 150 people aboard , presumed to be asylum seekers . the survivors , including at least three with injuries , were being taken to merak , indonesia , australian authorities said . several ships carrying asylum seekers in australia have run into trouble in the waters between indonesia and australia in recent years . read more : asylum seekers risking all to escape dangers of home vessels often head for christmas island , a remote australian territory closer to java than to the australian mainland . dozens of people are believed to have died after two ships capsized near christmas island in june . more than 200 people were rescued from those accidents .","the 55 survivors are headed to merak , indonesia" +"thanksgiving day ( cnn ) -- feasting on turkey aside , brace yourself for that other thanksgiving ritual : joining a nationwide mad dash to make it to a family gathering and back in a journey that can exasperate even the most seasoned traveler . if you 're flying for the holiday , expect lots of company and few airfare deals . the airlines have eliminated tens of thousands of seats due to consolidation and just plain old capacity cuts and ( they 're ) using smaller planes , ' said george hobica , president of airfarewatchdog.com . so there are going to be fewer seats . ' it 's also a bit trickier to book flights for thanksgiving than christmas because so many travelers want to fly in such a small window of time : four days versus two weeks for many people who save vacation time for the big holiday in december . the sputtering economy is n't keeping americans from making the annual trek for thanksgiving , said melissa klurman , contributing editor for travelocity . those who will be flying over the holiday will pay $ 376 on average for a domestic ticket , or about 4 % more than at the same time last year , according to travelocity . here are five tips to make your journey a smoother one . 1 . book your tickets now last-minute sales are n't likely for one of the most popular times of the year to fly and seat maps are filling up quickly . do n't delay : prices are not going to go down between now and thanksgiving , ' klurman said . not only do you have a better chance of getting lower airfare , but also ( better ) seats . you can book your seat when you book your airfare . so if you do n't want to be in the middle of the last row -- the early bird gets the window seat in that case . ' if you 're flying with someone for thanksgiving , the chances of sitting together on the plane are also higher if you book early , hobica said . 2 . look into alternate airports sometimes , it pays to look into flying in and out of airports that may be less convenient than your closest option . so you may find a cheaper flight out of allentown , pennsylvania , than philadelphia , for example , hobica said . be especially flexible if you 're in a major city like new york , where there are several airports in the area , klurman said . travelocity allows fliers to search alternate airports when they 're pricing itineraries . 3 . consider flying on thanksgiving day travelers who choose to fly out on the monday before thanksgiving and fly back on the sunday after will pay on average $ 213 more than travelers who fly on thanksgiving day and come back the next day , travelocity calculated . flying on the holiday also means much less crowded airports and planes . have your turkey and then come back on friday , ' hobica advised . lest you think it 's impossible to do , hobica assured that plenty of travelers have successfully gone this route , especially if they do n't like their family or if they 're sleeping on the sofa and the sleeping arrangements are n't comfortable , ' he said with tongue in cheek . in general , avoid a sunday return , travelocity advised . if you are flying on thanksgiving day , try to take the first flight out to make sure you make it to dinner . 4 . give yourself plenty of time connecting flights are often cheaper , but with the possibility of winter weather causing delays or cancellations over thanksgiving , you risk a missed connection , hobica said . he suggests travelers fly nonstop whenever possible , but if you do choose a multistop itinerary , allow lots of time to catch your next flight . if you miss a connection , travelocity warns that with planes booked solid , it could be a while before your airline is able to book you on another flight . 5 . consider paying some extra fees to make the trip more comfortable hobica frequently flies jetblue and he always pays a fee for seats with extra legroom , an option that comes with access to expedited security lanes and early boarding . the choices vary by airlines , but several , including american and united , let you board early for a fee , thus helping you avoid the epic struggle for overhead bin space . it may be worth paying this extra charge during peak travel times , like thanksgiving , to make the journey saner , hobica said . another , more expensive option is to splurge for an airport lounge day pass , which can cost $ 30- $ 50 . if you only fly once a year , sometimes the day passes are worthwhile , especially if your flight is delayed , ' hobica said . they have free drinks in most of the lounges , snacks and shorter lines if you have to rebook your flight . ... it just makes the whole experience a bit more pleasant when you treat yourself well and get the perks . '","consider flying on thanksgiving day and try to avoid a sunday return" +"mclelland kaufman , texas ( cnn ) -- a texas community is on edge after a district attorney who said he would put away the scum ' who killed a colleague two months ago was shot to death alongside his wife in his home saturday night . kaufman county judge bruce wood said he thought there was a strong connection ' between the slayings of mike and cynthia mclelland and the shooting death of kaufman county assistant district attorney mark hasse , who was killed on his way to work in january . hasse and mclelland worked on similar cases very closely , ' said wood , the county 's top elected official . and kaufman mayor william fortner told cnn that he thought the men were targeted by people seeking revenge . that 's the logical conclusion , and i do n't have any information that directs me to think that 's the case , but that 's what you would assume under the circumstances , since they targeted two people from our prosecutors . ' the kaufman county sheriff 's office , however , wo n't officially say the killings are connected . i ca n't say that , ' kaufman county sheriff david byrnes told reporters . no , we have nothing indicating that for sure . ' federal and state law enforcement descended rapidly on the crime scene to aid in the investigation . just two months ago , mclelland vowed to find the people who killed hasse , one of his top deputies . on saturday , authorities found the mclellands'bodies in their home in kaufman county , east of dallas . i do n't know of anyone who would want to cause him harm , ' fortner said . as far as i could tell , he was doing a really good job as a district attorney . ' fortner said he hoped the killer or killers were caught before any more people are lost . ' wood and mclelland last spoke last week . he never stated to me that he was worried , ' wood said . but everybody that works in the courthouse has been on edge , but he never indicated any fear to me . ' authorities are providing extra security for others , and the kaufman county district attorney 's office will be closed on monday . we are taking precautions to protect other elected officials in the county , ' byrnes told reporters sunday . he declined to say what those measures were . byrnes offered no details as to how the mclellands were killed . a law enforcement source told cnn that investigators at the mclellands'home recovered several shell casings at the scene of the crime . the casings are from a .223-caliber rifle , the source said . authorities have not identified a suspect . mclelland was an army veteran who later earned a master 's degree in psychology and became a psychologist for the texas department of mental health and mental retardation , the district attorney 's website said . he was raised in the small town of wortham , texas , where his parents had a ranch . he joined the army after attending the university of texas and spent 23 years in the service . he later earned his law degree and practiced as a defense attorney and mental health judge for 18 years before becoming the county 's district attorney in 2010 . mclelland and his wife leave behind two daughters and three sons . one son is a dallas police officer . another top prosecutor slain the mclellands were killed almost exactly two months after hasse was shot to death in broad daylight outside the county courthouse on january 31 . hasse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work , said a dallas attorney who described herself as his longtime friend . colleen a. dunbar said she spoke with hasse on january 24 . she said the prosecutor told her he had begun carrying a gun in and out of the county courthouse daily . he told me he would use a different exit every day because he was fearful for his life , ' dunbar told cnn . she said that hasse gave no specifics on why he felt threatened -- only that he did . mclelland called hasse a stellar prosecutor ' who knew that threats were part of the job . he vowed after hasse 's slaying to put away the scum ' who killed his deputy . i hope that the people that did this are watching , because we 're very confident that we 're going to find you , ' mclelland told reporters . we 're going to pull you out of whatever hole you 're in , we 're going to bring you back and let the people of kaufman county prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law . ' attorney pete schulte told cnn affiliate wfaa that public servants are facing a new quandary . it 's going to have a chilling effect on people who do want to step into those roles and ( have to think about whether to ) start arming themselves , ' he said . i mean , that 's the risk that we 're going to face now because of this happening . ' schulte told the station that after someone shot through the windows of his dallas offices in november , he began to carry a gun more often . cnn 's ed lavendera reported from kaufman , and anneclaire stapleton and holly yan from atlanta .","two months ago , mclelland 's deputy was shot to death outside the county courthouse" +"mclelland kaufman , texas ( cnn ) -- a texas community is on edge after a district attorney who said he would put away the scum ' who killed a colleague two months ago was shot to death alongside his wife in his home saturday night . kaufman county judge bruce wood said he thought there was a strong connection ' between the slayings of mike and cynthia mclelland and the shooting death of kaufman county assistant district attorney mark hasse , who was killed on his way to work in january . hasse and mclelland worked on similar cases very closely , ' said wood , the county 's top elected official . and kaufman mayor william fortner told cnn that he thought the men were targeted by people seeking revenge . that 's the logical conclusion , and i do n't have any information that directs me to think that 's the case , but that 's what you would assume under the circumstances , since they targeted two people from our prosecutors . ' the kaufman county sheriff 's office , however , wo n't officially say the killings are connected . i ca n't say that , ' kaufman county sheriff david byrnes told reporters . no , we have nothing indicating that for sure . ' federal and state law enforcement descended rapidly on the crime scene to aid in the investigation . just two months ago , mclelland vowed to find the people who killed hasse , one of his top deputies . on saturday , authorities found the mclellands'bodies in their home in kaufman county , east of dallas . i do n't know of anyone who would want to cause him harm , ' fortner said . as far as i could tell , he was doing a really good job as a district attorney . ' fortner said he hoped the killer or killers were caught before any more people are lost . ' wood and mclelland last spoke last week . he never stated to me that he was worried , ' wood said . but everybody that works in the courthouse has been on edge , but he never indicated any fear to me . ' authorities are providing extra security for others , and the kaufman county district attorney 's office will be closed on monday . we are taking precautions to protect other elected officials in the county , ' byrnes told reporters sunday . he declined to say what those measures were . byrnes offered no details as to how the mclellands were killed . a law enforcement source told cnn that investigators at the mclellands'home recovered several shell casings at the scene of the crime . the casings are from a .223-caliber rifle , the source said . authorities have not identified a suspect . mclelland was an army veteran who later earned a master 's degree in psychology and became a psychologist for the texas department of mental health and mental retardation , the district attorney 's website said . he was raised in the small town of wortham , texas , where his parents had a ranch . he joined the army after attending the university of texas and spent 23 years in the service . he later earned his law degree and practiced as a defense attorney and mental health judge for 18 years before becoming the county 's district attorney in 2010 . mclelland and his wife leave behind two daughters and three sons . one son is a dallas police officer . another top prosecutor slain the mclellands were killed almost exactly two months after hasse was shot to death in broad daylight outside the county courthouse on january 31 . hasse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work , said a dallas attorney who described herself as his longtime friend . colleen a. dunbar said she spoke with hasse on january 24 . she said the prosecutor told her he had begun carrying a gun in and out of the county courthouse daily . he told me he would use a different exit every day because he was fearful for his life , ' dunbar told cnn . she said that hasse gave no specifics on why he felt threatened -- only that he did . mclelland called hasse a stellar prosecutor ' who knew that threats were part of the job . he vowed after hasse 's slaying to put away the scum ' who killed his deputy . i hope that the people that did this are watching , because we 're very confident that we 're going to find you , ' mclelland told reporters . we 're going to pull you out of whatever hole you 're in , we 're going to bring you back and let the people of kaufman county prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law . ' attorney pete schulte told cnn affiliate wfaa that public servants are facing a new quandary . it 's going to have a chilling effect on people who do want to step into those roles and ( have to think about whether to ) start arming themselves , ' he said . i mean , that 's the risk that we 're going to face now because of this happening . ' schulte told the station that after someone shot through the windows of his dallas offices in november , he began to carry a gun more often . cnn 's ed lavendera reported from kaufman , and anneclaire stapleton and holly yan from atlanta .","kaufman county da mike mclelland and his wife , cynthia , are found dead in their home" +"czech ( cnn ) -- bulgaria is a turkish toilet , france is always on strike , romania is a vampire theme-park and the uk ... well the uk does n't exist . the piece entropa ' shows romania as a giant dracula-inspired theme park . that 's the view of the european union according to a controversial art installation by czech artist david cerny , commissioned by his government to mark its six-month presidency of the pan-continental body . the work , entropa , ' frames various representations of each member state as components of a giant multimedia model kit . but the piece , scheduled to have its official unveiling thursday at the eu headquarters in brussels , has sparked controversy . look at images of european nations » bulgaria 's foreign ministry has summoned the czech ambassador in sofia to lodge a protest about the piece , according to the czech news agency . what do you think about images ? and betina joteva , spokesperson of the bulgarian permanent representation to the eu , said in comments reported by euobserver.com : it [ the work ] is preposterous , a disgrace . it is a humiliation for the bulgarian nation and an offence to [ our ] national dignity . ' bulgaria is not the only nation to suffer an unflattering depiction . germany is criss-crossed by a series of autobahns in what some critics say is a close approximation of a swastika ; spain is a giant construction site in a dig at its building boom ; and luxembourg is a gold covered nugget sporting a for sale ' sign . the netherlands is depicted as a submerged land with only minarets peeking through the waves in an apparent reference to its religious tensions . poland recreates the wwii flag-raising at iwo jima , only with the u.s. marines and the stars and stripes replaced with catholic clergy brandishing the multi-colored gay pride flag . the uk is absent from the work -- possibly because of its on-off relationship with the rest of the continent . the czech government said in a statement on its presidency web site tuesday that the original brief was for the work to be created by 27 artists representing all eu member states -- and that it was unpleasantly surprised ' to learn that this was not the case . david cerny bears full responsibility for not fulfilling his assignment and promise , ' said alexandr vondra , deputy prime minister . in this situation we are now considering further steps . the government said it will issue a further statement thursday . the comments were in contrast to a statement issued by vondra monday , when he said that sculpture , and art more generally , can speak where words fail . i am confident in europe 's open mind and capacity to appreciate such a project . ' cerny is no stranger to controversy . in 1991 he was arrested after painting pink a soviet tank that served as a prague war memorial . his web site shows other examples of his work , including previous kit-style installations entitled jesus christ ' and dead raped woman ' ; and a life-size bronze fountain that depicts two men standing opposite each other , urinating . cerny , and his main collaborators kristof kintera and tomas pospiszyl apologized to czech prime minister mirek topolanek and other government ministers tuesday , according to a statement on the artist 's web site , for not having informed them about what is true and for having misled them . the statement adds that cerny and his colleagues initially wanted to use 27 european artists for entropa ' , but fell short due to lack of time and money . instead , they say , they decided to create fictional artists , some of whom have even been given their own web sites . cerny says he knew the truth would eventually come out but adds : we believe that the environment of brussels is capable of ironic self-reflection , we believe in the sense of humor of european nations and their representatives . ' try telling that to bulgaria .","czech artists has apologized for artwork that has sparked diplomatic protests" +"czech ( cnn ) -- bulgaria is a turkish toilet , france is always on strike , romania is a vampire theme-park and the uk ... well the uk does n't exist . the piece entropa ' shows romania as a giant dracula-inspired theme park . that 's the view of the european union according to a controversial art installation by czech artist david cerny , commissioned by his government to mark its six-month presidency of the pan-continental body . the work , entropa , ' frames various representations of each member state as components of a giant multimedia model kit . but the piece , scheduled to have its official unveiling thursday at the eu headquarters in brussels , has sparked controversy . look at images of european nations » bulgaria 's foreign ministry has summoned the czech ambassador in sofia to lodge a protest about the piece , according to the czech news agency . what do you think about images ? and betina joteva , spokesperson of the bulgarian permanent representation to the eu , said in comments reported by euobserver.com : it [ the work ] is preposterous , a disgrace . it is a humiliation for the bulgarian nation and an offence to [ our ] national dignity . ' bulgaria is not the only nation to suffer an unflattering depiction . germany is criss-crossed by a series of autobahns in what some critics say is a close approximation of a swastika ; spain is a giant construction site in a dig at its building boom ; and luxembourg is a gold covered nugget sporting a for sale ' sign . the netherlands is depicted as a submerged land with only minarets peeking through the waves in an apparent reference to its religious tensions . poland recreates the wwii flag-raising at iwo jima , only with the u.s. marines and the stars and stripes replaced with catholic clergy brandishing the multi-colored gay pride flag . the uk is absent from the work -- possibly because of its on-off relationship with the rest of the continent . the czech government said in a statement on its presidency web site tuesday that the original brief was for the work to be created by 27 artists representing all eu member states -- and that it was unpleasantly surprised ' to learn that this was not the case . david cerny bears full responsibility for not fulfilling his assignment and promise , ' said alexandr vondra , deputy prime minister . in this situation we are now considering further steps . the government said it will issue a further statement thursday . the comments were in contrast to a statement issued by vondra monday , when he said that sculpture , and art more generally , can speak where words fail . i am confident in europe 's open mind and capacity to appreciate such a project . ' cerny is no stranger to controversy . in 1991 he was arrested after painting pink a soviet tank that served as a prague war memorial . his web site shows other examples of his work , including previous kit-style installations entitled jesus christ ' and dead raped woman ' ; and a life-size bronze fountain that depicts two men standing opposite each other , urinating . cerny , and his main collaborators kristof kintera and tomas pospiszyl apologized to czech prime minister mirek topolanek and other government ministers tuesday , according to a statement on the artist 's web site , for not having informed them about what is true and for having misled them . the statement adds that cerny and his colleagues initially wanted to use 27 european artists for entropa ' , but fell short due to lack of time and money . instead , they say , they decided to create fictional artists , some of whom have even been given their own web sites . cerny says he knew the truth would eventually come out but adds : we believe that the environment of brussels is capable of ironic self-reflection , we believe in the sense of humor of european nations and their representatives . ' try telling that to bulgaria .","czech republic assumed six-month presidency of european union this month" +"havana the smallest boat moored at the hemingway marina in havana may hold the most intrigue . hunkered down inside a blue , 25-foot sailboat named salty are josh hakken and his wife , sharyn , and their two boys , 2-year-old chase and 4-year-old cole . theirs is no ordinary visit to the historic port , where they have eluded capture but where cnn found them tuesday . the hakkens have been on the lam after they allegedly snatched the two boys from their grandmother 's home in florida . the couple lost custody of their children last year . there is an international manhunt for this family , and here they are , blending in among the other boats . but their stop appears likely to be temporary , as cuban officials announced tuesday afternoon that they plan to turn the family over to u.s. authorities . josh hakken glared through his sunglasses at the cnn reporter who found him and said nothing beyond confirming his identity . the two boys are ok , said a woman matching the description of his wife , and she left it at that . josh and sharyn hakken are wanted by u.s. authorities and were not in custody in cuba . but that does n't mean they are n't being watched . cuban security officials wearing sidearms appeared as the cnn video crew was filming and ordered them to stop . at the security guards'request , cnn stepped away from the boat , which looked just like the photo that florida law enforcement officials had circulated , except more battered . a statement from the cuban foreign ministry said the boat put in to the marina , located a few miles west of havana , in bad weather on sunday . from the first moment , diplomatic notes were exchanged and a permanent and professional communication has been maintained between minrex ' -- cuba 's foreign ministry -- and the u.s . interests section in havana , with the goal of guaranteeing the integrity and well-being of the minors , ' the statement said . joshua hakken : libertarian washed ashore in the worker 's paradise u.s. government officials have told the sheriff 's office in hillsborough county , florida -- which includes the city of tampa from which the boys went missing -- that they are receiving exceptional cooperation from the cuban government , ' the sheriff 's office said tuesday afternoon . earlier in the day , u.s. state department spokesman patrick ventrell said the state department is aware of the case , though it could not provide additional information because of privacy concerns . but what i do want to say , more broadly speaking , is that one of the department 's highest priorities is the welfare of u.s. citizens overseas , and this is particularly true for children who are our most vulnerable citizens , ' ventrell said . some worried that recovering the children will be difficult . unfortunately , these parents and these poor children , these innocent ones , will now be in a country where there are no laws , there is no redress , and that has been a refuge for fugitives and wanted criminals for many years , ' rep. ileana ros-lehtinen , r- florida , told cnn . the boys had been removed from the care of the florida couple last year , and on april 2 , the couple 's parental rights were terminated in louisiana , investigators say . the hillsborough county sheriff 's office described josh hakken as an anti-government protester , and he was believed to be armed , according to the hillsborough county sheriff 's office . there is no extradition treaty between cuba and the united states , although there have been recent cases in which americans sought for crimes in the united states and discovered in havana have been sent back by the cubans . the fbi currently estimates there are around 70 fugitives from u.s. justice in cuba , which is one of the reasons cuba remains on the u.s. list of countries that support state terrorism . most of the american fugitives in cuba have been there for decades and have ties to revolutionary movements or radical groups . last week , the police department in slidell , louisiana , issued its own statement offering background on the hakkens and why the boys were taken from the parents last year . in june of 2012 , slidell police responded to a disturbance report at a hotel where josh and sharyn hakken were staying with their sons , the police statement said . when police arrived , both mr. and mrs. hakken were acting in a bizarre manner that alarmed officers . they were talking about'completing their ultimate journey'and were traveling across the country to'take a journey to the armageddon', ' the slidell police statement said , adding , let it be noted that both of their children were present in the hotel room at the time . ' because of the parents'behavior and the fact that narcotics and weapons were located inside of the hotel room , ' the children were taken by child welfare officers , and joshua hakken was arrested on drug charges , the statement said . approximately two weeks later , slidell police were notified that mr. hakken had shown up to the foster family home ... with a firearm demanding the return of his children , ' the slidell police statement continued . the foster parents called 911 , and mr. hakken fled without his children . we have heard nothing until ( wednesday ) . ' at some point over the past few months , the children were sent to live with their grandmother , patricia hauser , the mother of sharyn hakken . sheriff 's investigators say josh hakken entered hauser 's home at 6:30 a.m. last wednesday . she told police that he tied her up and fled with the children in her silver 2009 toyota camry . that vehicle was found later that day just a couple of blocks away from the home . those investigators told cnn they believe hakken joined up with his wife , who was waiting in their pickup truck , and the family drove to a parking garage . a short time later , investigators said , hakken is believed to have taken a sailboat out of a private slip in nearby madeira beach . surveillance images showed the boat sailing into the gulf of mexico about three and a half hours after the boys disappeared from their grandmother 's home , investigators said , adding that the photos showed adults and children on board .","first on cnn : a man on a boat in havana tells cnn he is josh hakken" +"hakken the smallest boat moored at the hemingway marina in havana may hold the most intrigue . hunkered down inside a blue , 25-foot sailboat named salty are josh hakken and his wife , sharyn , and their two boys , 2-year-old chase and 4-year-old cole . theirs is no ordinary visit to the historic port , where they have eluded capture but where cnn found them tuesday . the hakkens have been on the lam after they allegedly snatched the two boys from their grandmother 's home in florida . the couple lost custody of their children last year . there is an international manhunt for this family , and here they are , blending in among the other boats . but their stop appears likely to be temporary , as cuban officials announced tuesday afternoon that they plan to turn the family over to u.s. authorities . josh hakken glared through his sunglasses at the cnn reporter who found him and said nothing beyond confirming his identity . the two boys are ok , said a woman matching the description of his wife , and she left it at that . josh and sharyn hakken are wanted by u.s. authorities and were not in custody in cuba . but that does n't mean they are n't being watched . cuban security officials wearing sidearms appeared as the cnn video crew was filming and ordered them to stop . at the security guards'request , cnn stepped away from the boat , which looked just like the photo that florida law enforcement officials had circulated , except more battered . a statement from the cuban foreign ministry said the boat put in to the marina , located a few miles west of havana , in bad weather on sunday . from the first moment , diplomatic notes were exchanged and a permanent and professional communication has been maintained between minrex ' -- cuba 's foreign ministry -- and the u.s . interests section in havana , with the goal of guaranteeing the integrity and well-being of the minors , ' the statement said . joshua hakken : libertarian washed ashore in the worker 's paradise u.s. government officials have told the sheriff 's office in hillsborough county , florida -- which includes the city of tampa from which the boys went missing -- that they are receiving exceptional cooperation from the cuban government , ' the sheriff 's office said tuesday afternoon . earlier in the day , u.s. state department spokesman patrick ventrell said the state department is aware of the case , though it could not provide additional information because of privacy concerns . but what i do want to say , more broadly speaking , is that one of the department 's highest priorities is the welfare of u.s. citizens overseas , and this is particularly true for children who are our most vulnerable citizens , ' ventrell said . some worried that recovering the children will be difficult . unfortunately , these parents and these poor children , these innocent ones , will now be in a country where there are no laws , there is no redress , and that has been a refuge for fugitives and wanted criminals for many years , ' rep. ileana ros-lehtinen , r- florida , told cnn . the boys had been removed from the care of the florida couple last year , and on april 2 , the couple 's parental rights were terminated in louisiana , investigators say . the hillsborough county sheriff 's office described josh hakken as an anti-government protester , and he was believed to be armed , according to the hillsborough county sheriff 's office . there is no extradition treaty between cuba and the united states , although there have been recent cases in which americans sought for crimes in the united states and discovered in havana have been sent back by the cubans . the fbi currently estimates there are around 70 fugitives from u.s. justice in cuba , which is one of the reasons cuba remains on the u.s. list of countries that support state terrorism . most of the american fugitives in cuba have been there for decades and have ties to revolutionary movements or radical groups . last week , the police department in slidell , louisiana , issued its own statement offering background on the hakkens and why the boys were taken from the parents last year . in june of 2012 , slidell police responded to a disturbance report at a hotel where josh and sharyn hakken were staying with their sons , the police statement said . when police arrived , both mr. and mrs. hakken were acting in a bizarre manner that alarmed officers . they were talking about'completing their ultimate journey'and were traveling across the country to'take a journey to the armageddon', ' the slidell police statement said , adding , let it be noted that both of their children were present in the hotel room at the time . ' because of the parents'behavior and the fact that narcotics and weapons were located inside of the hotel room , ' the children were taken by child welfare officers , and joshua hakken was arrested on drug charges , the statement said . approximately two weeks later , slidell police were notified that mr. hakken had shown up to the foster family home ... with a firearm demanding the return of his children , ' the slidell police statement continued . the foster parents called 911 , and mr. hakken fled without his children . we have heard nothing until ( wednesday ) . ' at some point over the past few months , the children were sent to live with their grandmother , patricia hauser , the mother of sharyn hakken . sheriff 's investigators say josh hakken entered hauser 's home at 6:30 a.m. last wednesday . she told police that he tied her up and fled with the children in her silver 2009 toyota camry . that vehicle was found later that day just a couple of blocks away from the home . those investigators told cnn they believe hakken joined up with his wife , who was waiting in their pickup truck , and the family drove to a parking garage . a short time later , investigators said , hakken is believed to have taken a sailboat out of a private slip in nearby madeira beach . surveillance images showed the boat sailing into the gulf of mexico about three and a half hours after the boys disappeared from their grandmother 's home , investigators said , adding that the photos showed adults and children on board .","authorities believe hakken abducted his two small sons last week" +"hakken the smallest boat moored at the hemingway marina in havana may hold the most intrigue . hunkered down inside a blue , 25-foot sailboat named salty are josh hakken and his wife , sharyn , and their two boys , 2-year-old chase and 4-year-old cole . theirs is no ordinary visit to the historic port , where they have eluded capture but where cnn found them tuesday . the hakkens have been on the lam after they allegedly snatched the two boys from their grandmother 's home in florida . the couple lost custody of their children last year . there is an international manhunt for this family , and here they are , blending in among the other boats . but their stop appears likely to be temporary , as cuban officials announced tuesday afternoon that they plan to turn the family over to u.s. authorities . josh hakken glared through his sunglasses at the cnn reporter who found him and said nothing beyond confirming his identity . the two boys are ok , said a woman matching the description of his wife , and she left it at that . josh and sharyn hakken are wanted by u.s. authorities and were not in custody in cuba . but that does n't mean they are n't being watched . cuban security officials wearing sidearms appeared as the cnn video crew was filming and ordered them to stop . at the security guards'request , cnn stepped away from the boat , which looked just like the photo that florida law enforcement officials had circulated , except more battered . a statement from the cuban foreign ministry said the boat put in to the marina , located a few miles west of havana , in bad weather on sunday . from the first moment , diplomatic notes were exchanged and a permanent and professional communication has been maintained between minrex ' -- cuba 's foreign ministry -- and the u.s . interests section in havana , with the goal of guaranteeing the integrity and well-being of the minors , ' the statement said . joshua hakken : libertarian washed ashore in the worker 's paradise u.s. government officials have told the sheriff 's office in hillsborough county , florida -- which includes the city of tampa from which the boys went missing -- that they are receiving exceptional cooperation from the cuban government , ' the sheriff 's office said tuesday afternoon . earlier in the day , u.s. state department spokesman patrick ventrell said the state department is aware of the case , though it could not provide additional information because of privacy concerns . but what i do want to say , more broadly speaking , is that one of the department 's highest priorities is the welfare of u.s. citizens overseas , and this is particularly true for children who are our most vulnerable citizens , ' ventrell said . some worried that recovering the children will be difficult . unfortunately , these parents and these poor children , these innocent ones , will now be in a country where there are no laws , there is no redress , and that has been a refuge for fugitives and wanted criminals for many years , ' rep. ileana ros-lehtinen , r- florida , told cnn . the boys had been removed from the care of the florida couple last year , and on april 2 , the couple 's parental rights were terminated in louisiana , investigators say . the hillsborough county sheriff 's office described josh hakken as an anti-government protester , and he was believed to be armed , according to the hillsborough county sheriff 's office . there is no extradition treaty between cuba and the united states , although there have been recent cases in which americans sought for crimes in the united states and discovered in havana have been sent back by the cubans . the fbi currently estimates there are around 70 fugitives from u.s. justice in cuba , which is one of the reasons cuba remains on the u.s. list of countries that support state terrorism . most of the american fugitives in cuba have been there for decades and have ties to revolutionary movements or radical groups . last week , the police department in slidell , louisiana , issued its own statement offering background on the hakkens and why the boys were taken from the parents last year . in june of 2012 , slidell police responded to a disturbance report at a hotel where josh and sharyn hakken were staying with their sons , the police statement said . when police arrived , both mr. and mrs. hakken were acting in a bizarre manner that alarmed officers . they were talking about'completing their ultimate journey'and were traveling across the country to'take a journey to the armageddon', ' the slidell police statement said , adding , let it be noted that both of their children were present in the hotel room at the time . ' because of the parents'behavior and the fact that narcotics and weapons were located inside of the hotel room , ' the children were taken by child welfare officers , and joshua hakken was arrested on drug charges , the statement said . approximately two weeks later , slidell police were notified that mr. hakken had shown up to the foster family home ... with a firearm demanding the return of his children , ' the slidell police statement continued . the foster parents called 911 , and mr. hakken fled without his children . we have heard nothing until ( wednesday ) . ' at some point over the past few months , the children were sent to live with their grandmother , patricia hauser , the mother of sharyn hakken . sheriff 's investigators say josh hakken entered hauser 's home at 6:30 a.m. last wednesday . she told police that he tied her up and fled with the children in her silver 2009 toyota camry . that vehicle was found later that day just a couple of blocks away from the home . those investigators told cnn they believe hakken joined up with his wife , who was waiting in their pickup truck , and the family drove to a parking garage . a short time later , investigators said , hakken is believed to have taken a sailboat out of a private slip in nearby madeira beach . surveillance images showed the boat sailing into the gulf of mexico about three and a half hours after the boys disappeared from their grandmother 's home , investigators said , adding that the photos showed adults and children on board .","first on cnn : a man on a boat in havana tells cnn he is josh hakken" +"orange county washington ( cnn ) -- no decision has been made on whether to change the current plan to hold the september 11 terrorist attack trial in a civilian court in lower manhattan , white house officials said sunday . last week , new york mayor michael bloomberg and other politicians expressed concern over the costs and disruption of holding the trial of khalid sheikh mohammed and four accomplices at a new york city courthouse . david axelrod , the senior adviser to president obama , and white house press secretary robert gibbs said sunday that obama believes the trial should take place in a criminal court instead of before a military commission , as permitted for some terrorism suspects . however , axelrod and gibbs acknowledged that obama and the justice department were considering moving the trial from new york city . we 've made no decisions on that yet , ' axelrod said on the nbc program meet the press . ' gibbs , speaking on cnn 's state of the union , ' also said the location of the trial was under discussion , but he expressed certainty that mohammed , the alleged mastermind of the september 11 , 2001 , attacks , is going to meet justice and he 's going to meet his maker . ' gibbs and axelrod criticized republican opposition to the plan to hold the trial in a criminal court , saying no one complained when the previous administration of republican president george w. bush put terrorism suspects such as shoe bomber ' richard reid on trial in u.s. criminal courts . now we have a democratic president and suddenly we hear these protests , ' axelrod said . what has changed between now and then that would cause people to reverse positions ? ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , told the cnn program that the bush administration was wrong to hold terrorism trials on u.s. soil . instead , trials for dangerous terrorism suspects should be held by military commissions at the guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility where they currently are held , mcconnell said . obama intends to shut down the guantanamo facility by transferring the roughly 200 suspects to the united states to stand trial or face indefinite detention , or to third countries . mcconnell said sunday he would fight that plan by trying to withhold federal spending for it . 'i think that will be done on a bipartisan basis , ' mcconnell said of congressional opposition , adding that whatever domestic support they had for this is totally collapsing . ' white house officials say the decision about any possible alternate sites to try mohammed and the others will come from the justice department . new york police estimated that the cost to the city would be more than $ 200 million per year in what could be a multi-year trial and that more than 2,000 checkpoints would need to be installed around lower manhattan . police commissioner ray kelly said additional protection would have to be deployed for the city , not just the core area of manhattan . ' bloomberg initially supported the move , saying it is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the world trade center site where so many new yorkers were murdered . ' however , bloomberg used different rhetoric last week when asked about a community agency 's proposals to relocate the trial , saying he would prefer the trial be held elsewhere , perhaps at a military base where it would be easier and cheaper to provide security . it 's going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb a lot of people , ' bloomberg said . on thursday , several new york democratic politicians urged the obama administration to thoroughly re-examine locating the trial in downtown manhattan . julie menin , chairwoman of a city community advisory agency , proposed four alternative locations for the trial within the southern district of new york : governors island , stewart air national guard base in newburgh , the u.s. military academy at west point , and the bureau of prisons jail complex at fci otisville . the latter three are in orange county , new york , less than an hour from new york city , county executive edward diana told cnn . diana thinks the trials should not be held anywhere in new york , and definitely not in orange county , which lost 44 residents in the terror attacks , he said . i 've contacted my legal department and i 'll tell you i 'll do whatever it takes to stop those trials from coming here , even if it means closing down our roads , ' diana said . i 'll sue the federal government if need be . ' diana said he 'd be worried about the safety of orange county residents if the trial comes there . diana , who shot down an offer from newburgh to host the proceedings in their new courthouse , said the suspects should not be tried in civilian courts . but newburgh mayor nick valentine said the boost in media presence and police funding during the trial would help his very poor , very urban ' city . newburgh 's new $ 22 million courthouse is safe and has every security you could want , ' valentine said . an alternate proposal at the west point location has not been fully reviewed . a west point spokesman said no one has officially requested a review of demands for such a trial , which would require in-depth study of legal and security concerns . u.s. attorney 's office spokesman dean boyd said the justice department can safely prosecute this case in the southern district of new york while minimizing disruptions to the community to the greatest extent possible , consistent with security needs . ' new york gov . david paterson will meet with the u.s . marshal service on monday to discuss possible 9/11 trial locations in the state , paterson spokeswoman marissa shorenstein told cnn . cnn 's susan candiotti and ross levitt contributed to this report .","new : orange county , new york , leader : do n't move trial here" +"new york washington ( cnn ) -- no decision has been made on whether to change the current plan to hold the september 11 terrorist attack trial in a civilian court in lower manhattan , white house officials said sunday . last week , new york mayor michael bloomberg and other politicians expressed concern over the costs and disruption of holding the trial of khalid sheikh mohammed and four accomplices at a new york city courthouse . david axelrod , the senior adviser to president obama , and white house press secretary robert gibbs said sunday that obama believes the trial should take place in a criminal court instead of before a military commission , as permitted for some terrorism suspects . however , axelrod and gibbs acknowledged that obama and the justice department were considering moving the trial from new york city . we 've made no decisions on that yet , ' axelrod said on the nbc program meet the press . ' gibbs , speaking on cnn 's state of the union , ' also said the location of the trial was under discussion , but he expressed certainty that mohammed , the alleged mastermind of the september 11 , 2001 , attacks , is going to meet justice and he 's going to meet his maker . ' gibbs and axelrod criticized republican opposition to the plan to hold the trial in a criminal court , saying no one complained when the previous administration of republican president george w. bush put terrorism suspects such as shoe bomber ' richard reid on trial in u.s. criminal courts . now we have a democratic president and suddenly we hear these protests , ' axelrod said . what has changed between now and then that would cause people to reverse positions ? ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , told the cnn program that the bush administration was wrong to hold terrorism trials on u.s. soil . instead , trials for dangerous terrorism suspects should be held by military commissions at the guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility where they currently are held , mcconnell said . obama intends to shut down the guantanamo facility by transferring the roughly 200 suspects to the united states to stand trial or face indefinite detention , or to third countries . mcconnell said sunday he would fight that plan by trying to withhold federal spending for it . 'i think that will be done on a bipartisan basis , ' mcconnell said of congressional opposition , adding that whatever domestic support they had for this is totally collapsing . ' white house officials say the decision about any possible alternate sites to try mohammed and the others will come from the justice department . new york police estimated that the cost to the city would be more than $ 200 million per year in what could be a multi-year trial and that more than 2,000 checkpoints would need to be installed around lower manhattan . police commissioner ray kelly said additional protection would have to be deployed for the city , not just the core area of manhattan . ' bloomberg initially supported the move , saying it is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the world trade center site where so many new yorkers were murdered . ' however , bloomberg used different rhetoric last week when asked about a community agency 's proposals to relocate the trial , saying he would prefer the trial be held elsewhere , perhaps at a military base where it would be easier and cheaper to provide security . it 's going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb a lot of people , ' bloomberg said . on thursday , several new york democratic politicians urged the obama administration to thoroughly re-examine locating the trial in downtown manhattan . julie menin , chairwoman of a city community advisory agency , proposed four alternative locations for the trial within the southern district of new york : governors island , stewart air national guard base in newburgh , the u.s. military academy at west point , and the bureau of prisons jail complex at fci otisville . the latter three are in orange county , new york , less than an hour from new york city , county executive edward diana told cnn . diana thinks the trials should not be held anywhere in new york , and definitely not in orange county , which lost 44 residents in the terror attacks , he said . i 've contacted my legal department and i 'll tell you i 'll do whatever it takes to stop those trials from coming here , even if it means closing down our roads , ' diana said . i 'll sue the federal government if need be . ' diana said he 'd be worried about the safety of orange county residents if the trial comes there . diana , who shot down an offer from newburgh to host the proceedings in their new courthouse , said the suspects should not be tried in civilian courts . but newburgh mayor nick valentine said the boost in media presence and police funding during the trial would help his very poor , very urban ' city . newburgh 's new $ 22 million courthouse is safe and has every security you could want , ' valentine said . an alternate proposal at the west point location has not been fully reviewed . a west point spokesman said no one has officially requested a review of demands for such a trial , which would require in-depth study of legal and security concerns . u.s. attorney 's office spokesman dean boyd said the justice department can safely prosecute this case in the southern district of new york while minimizing disruptions to the community to the greatest extent possible , consistent with security needs . ' new york gov . david paterson will meet with the u.s . marshal service on monday to discuss possible 9/11 trial locations in the state , paterson spokeswoman marissa shorenstein told cnn . cnn 's susan candiotti and ross levitt contributed to this report .","new york mayor concerned about costs and disruption of holding the trial in city" +"new york washington ( cnn ) -- no decision has been made on whether to change the current plan to hold the september 11 terrorist attack trial in a civilian court in lower manhattan , white house officials said sunday . last week , new york mayor michael bloomberg and other politicians expressed concern over the costs and disruption of holding the trial of khalid sheikh mohammed and four accomplices at a new york city courthouse . david axelrod , the senior adviser to president obama , and white house press secretary robert gibbs said sunday that obama believes the trial should take place in a criminal court instead of before a military commission , as permitted for some terrorism suspects . however , axelrod and gibbs acknowledged that obama and the justice department were considering moving the trial from new york city . we 've made no decisions on that yet , ' axelrod said on the nbc program meet the press . ' gibbs , speaking on cnn 's state of the union , ' also said the location of the trial was under discussion , but he expressed certainty that mohammed , the alleged mastermind of the september 11 , 2001 , attacks , is going to meet justice and he 's going to meet his maker . ' gibbs and axelrod criticized republican opposition to the plan to hold the trial in a criminal court , saying no one complained when the previous administration of republican president george w. bush put terrorism suspects such as shoe bomber ' richard reid on trial in u.s. criminal courts . now we have a democratic president and suddenly we hear these protests , ' axelrod said . what has changed between now and then that would cause people to reverse positions ? ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , told the cnn program that the bush administration was wrong to hold terrorism trials on u.s. soil . instead , trials for dangerous terrorism suspects should be held by military commissions at the guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility where they currently are held , mcconnell said . obama intends to shut down the guantanamo facility by transferring the roughly 200 suspects to the united states to stand trial or face indefinite detention , or to third countries . mcconnell said sunday he would fight that plan by trying to withhold federal spending for it . 'i think that will be done on a bipartisan basis , ' mcconnell said of congressional opposition , adding that whatever domestic support they had for this is totally collapsing . ' white house officials say the decision about any possible alternate sites to try mohammed and the others will come from the justice department . new york police estimated that the cost to the city would be more than $ 200 million per year in what could be a multi-year trial and that more than 2,000 checkpoints would need to be installed around lower manhattan . police commissioner ray kelly said additional protection would have to be deployed for the city , not just the core area of manhattan . ' bloomberg initially supported the move , saying it is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the world trade center site where so many new yorkers were murdered . ' however , bloomberg used different rhetoric last week when asked about a community agency 's proposals to relocate the trial , saying he would prefer the trial be held elsewhere , perhaps at a military base where it would be easier and cheaper to provide security . it 's going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb a lot of people , ' bloomberg said . on thursday , several new york democratic politicians urged the obama administration to thoroughly re-examine locating the trial in downtown manhattan . julie menin , chairwoman of a city community advisory agency , proposed four alternative locations for the trial within the southern district of new york : governors island , stewart air national guard base in newburgh , the u.s. military academy at west point , and the bureau of prisons jail complex at fci otisville . the latter three are in orange county , new york , less than an hour from new york city , county executive edward diana told cnn . diana thinks the trials should not be held anywhere in new york , and definitely not in orange county , which lost 44 residents in the terror attacks , he said . i 've contacted my legal department and i 'll tell you i 'll do whatever it takes to stop those trials from coming here , even if it means closing down our roads , ' diana said . i 'll sue the federal government if need be . ' diana said he 'd be worried about the safety of orange county residents if the trial comes there . diana , who shot down an offer from newburgh to host the proceedings in their new courthouse , said the suspects should not be tried in civilian courts . but newburgh mayor nick valentine said the boost in media presence and police funding during the trial would help his very poor , very urban ' city . newburgh 's new $ 22 million courthouse is safe and has every security you could want , ' valentine said . an alternate proposal at the west point location has not been fully reviewed . a west point spokesman said no one has officially requested a review of demands for such a trial , which would require in-depth study of legal and security concerns . u.s. attorney 's office spokesman dean boyd said the justice department can safely prosecute this case in the southern district of new york while minimizing disruptions to the community to the greatest extent possible , consistent with security needs . ' new york gov . david paterson will meet with the u.s . marshal service on monday to discuss possible 9/11 trial locations in the state , paterson spokeswoman marissa shorenstein told cnn . cnn 's susan candiotti and ross levitt contributed to this report .","new york police : cost to the city would be more than $ 200 million per year" +"new york washington ( cnn ) -- no decision has been made on whether to change the current plan to hold the september 11 terrorist attack trial in a civilian court in lower manhattan , white house officials said sunday . last week , new york mayor michael bloomberg and other politicians expressed concern over the costs and disruption of holding the trial of khalid sheikh mohammed and four accomplices at a new york city courthouse . david axelrod , the senior adviser to president obama , and white house press secretary robert gibbs said sunday that obama believes the trial should take place in a criminal court instead of before a military commission , as permitted for some terrorism suspects . however , axelrod and gibbs acknowledged that obama and the justice department were considering moving the trial from new york city . we 've made no decisions on that yet , ' axelrod said on the nbc program meet the press . ' gibbs , speaking on cnn 's state of the union , ' also said the location of the trial was under discussion , but he expressed certainty that mohammed , the alleged mastermind of the september 11 , 2001 , attacks , is going to meet justice and he 's going to meet his maker . ' gibbs and axelrod criticized republican opposition to the plan to hold the trial in a criminal court , saying no one complained when the previous administration of republican president george w. bush put terrorism suspects such as shoe bomber ' richard reid on trial in u.s. criminal courts . now we have a democratic president and suddenly we hear these protests , ' axelrod said . what has changed between now and then that would cause people to reverse positions ? ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , told the cnn program that the bush administration was wrong to hold terrorism trials on u.s. soil . instead , trials for dangerous terrorism suspects should be held by military commissions at the guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility where they currently are held , mcconnell said . obama intends to shut down the guantanamo facility by transferring the roughly 200 suspects to the united states to stand trial or face indefinite detention , or to third countries . mcconnell said sunday he would fight that plan by trying to withhold federal spending for it . 'i think that will be done on a bipartisan basis , ' mcconnell said of congressional opposition , adding that whatever domestic support they had for this is totally collapsing . ' white house officials say the decision about any possible alternate sites to try mohammed and the others will come from the justice department . new york police estimated that the cost to the city would be more than $ 200 million per year in what could be a multi-year trial and that more than 2,000 checkpoints would need to be installed around lower manhattan . police commissioner ray kelly said additional protection would have to be deployed for the city , not just the core area of manhattan . ' bloomberg initially supported the move , saying it is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the world trade center site where so many new yorkers were murdered . ' however , bloomberg used different rhetoric last week when asked about a community agency 's proposals to relocate the trial , saying he would prefer the trial be held elsewhere , perhaps at a military base where it would be easier and cheaper to provide security . it 's going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb a lot of people , ' bloomberg said . on thursday , several new york democratic politicians urged the obama administration to thoroughly re-examine locating the trial in downtown manhattan . julie menin , chairwoman of a city community advisory agency , proposed four alternative locations for the trial within the southern district of new york : governors island , stewart air national guard base in newburgh , the u.s. military academy at west point , and the bureau of prisons jail complex at fci otisville . the latter three are in orange county , new york , less than an hour from new york city , county executive edward diana told cnn . diana thinks the trials should not be held anywhere in new york , and definitely not in orange county , which lost 44 residents in the terror attacks , he said . i 've contacted my legal department and i 'll tell you i 'll do whatever it takes to stop those trials from coming here , even if it means closing down our roads , ' diana said . i 'll sue the federal government if need be . ' diana said he 'd be worried about the safety of orange county residents if the trial comes there . diana , who shot down an offer from newburgh to host the proceedings in their new courthouse , said the suspects should not be tried in civilian courts . but newburgh mayor nick valentine said the boost in media presence and police funding during the trial would help his very poor , very urban ' city . newburgh 's new $ 22 million courthouse is safe and has every security you could want , ' valentine said . an alternate proposal at the west point location has not been fully reviewed . a west point spokesman said no one has officially requested a review of demands for such a trial , which would require in-depth study of legal and security concerns . u.s. attorney 's office spokesman dean boyd said the justice department can safely prosecute this case in the southern district of new york while minimizing disruptions to the community to the greatest extent possible , consistent with security needs . ' new york gov . david paterson will meet with the u.s . marshal service on monday to discuss possible 9/11 trial locations in the state , paterson spokeswoman marissa shorenstein told cnn . cnn 's susan candiotti and ross levitt contributed to this report .","new : orange county , new york , leader : do n't move trial here" +"new york washington ( cnn ) -- no decision has been made on whether to change the current plan to hold the september 11 terrorist attack trial in a civilian court in lower manhattan , white house officials said sunday . last week , new york mayor michael bloomberg and other politicians expressed concern over the costs and disruption of holding the trial of khalid sheikh mohammed and four accomplices at a new york city courthouse . david axelrod , the senior adviser to president obama , and white house press secretary robert gibbs said sunday that obama believes the trial should take place in a criminal court instead of before a military commission , as permitted for some terrorism suspects . however , axelrod and gibbs acknowledged that obama and the justice department were considering moving the trial from new york city . we 've made no decisions on that yet , ' axelrod said on the nbc program meet the press . ' gibbs , speaking on cnn 's state of the union , ' also said the location of the trial was under discussion , but he expressed certainty that mohammed , the alleged mastermind of the september 11 , 2001 , attacks , is going to meet justice and he 's going to meet his maker . ' gibbs and axelrod criticized republican opposition to the plan to hold the trial in a criminal court , saying no one complained when the previous administration of republican president george w. bush put terrorism suspects such as shoe bomber ' richard reid on trial in u.s. criminal courts . now we have a democratic president and suddenly we hear these protests , ' axelrod said . what has changed between now and then that would cause people to reverse positions ? ' senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , told the cnn program that the bush administration was wrong to hold terrorism trials on u.s. soil . instead , trials for dangerous terrorism suspects should be held by military commissions at the guantanamo bay , cuba , detention facility where they currently are held , mcconnell said . obama intends to shut down the guantanamo facility by transferring the roughly 200 suspects to the united states to stand trial or face indefinite detention , or to third countries . mcconnell said sunday he would fight that plan by trying to withhold federal spending for it . 'i think that will be done on a bipartisan basis , ' mcconnell said of congressional opposition , adding that whatever domestic support they had for this is totally collapsing . ' white house officials say the decision about any possible alternate sites to try mohammed and the others will come from the justice department . new york police estimated that the cost to the city would be more than $ 200 million per year in what could be a multi-year trial and that more than 2,000 checkpoints would need to be installed around lower manhattan . police commissioner ray kelly said additional protection would have to be deployed for the city , not just the core area of manhattan . ' bloomberg initially supported the move , saying it is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the world trade center site where so many new yorkers were murdered . ' however , bloomberg used different rhetoric last week when asked about a community agency 's proposals to relocate the trial , saying he would prefer the trial be held elsewhere , perhaps at a military base where it would be easier and cheaper to provide security . it 's going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb a lot of people , ' bloomberg said . on thursday , several new york democratic politicians urged the obama administration to thoroughly re-examine locating the trial in downtown manhattan . julie menin , chairwoman of a city community advisory agency , proposed four alternative locations for the trial within the southern district of new york : governors island , stewart air national guard base in newburgh , the u.s. military academy at west point , and the bureau of prisons jail complex at fci otisville . the latter three are in orange county , new york , less than an hour from new york city , county executive edward diana told cnn . diana thinks the trials should not be held anywhere in new york , and definitely not in orange county , which lost 44 residents in the terror attacks , he said . i 've contacted my legal department and i 'll tell you i 'll do whatever it takes to stop those trials from coming here , even if it means closing down our roads , ' diana said . i 'll sue the federal government if need be . ' diana said he 'd be worried about the safety of orange county residents if the trial comes there . diana , who shot down an offer from newburgh to host the proceedings in their new courthouse , said the suspects should not be tried in civilian courts . but newburgh mayor nick valentine said the boost in media presence and police funding during the trial would help his very poor , very urban ' city . newburgh 's new $ 22 million courthouse is safe and has every security you could want , ' valentine said . an alternate proposal at the west point location has not been fully reviewed . a west point spokesman said no one has officially requested a review of demands for such a trial , which would require in-depth study of legal and security concerns . u.s. attorney 's office spokesman dean boyd said the justice department can safely prosecute this case in the southern district of new york while minimizing disruptions to the community to the greatest extent possible , consistent with security needs . ' new york gov . david paterson will meet with the u.s . marshal service on monday to discuss possible 9/11 trial locations in the state , paterson spokeswoman marissa shorenstein told cnn . cnn 's susan candiotti and ross levitt contributed to this report .","officials : president , justice department considering moving 9/11 trial from new york city" +"miami international airport miami , florida ( cnn ) -- the body of an apparent stowaway fell from the wheel well of a plane taking off thursday from the dominican republic , a federal aviation administration official said . the 767 aircraft -- amerijet flight 840 -- landed about two hours later without incident at miami international airport . the flight originated in santo domingo . faa spokeswoman kathleen bergen said the faa is investigating the incident . according to its web site , amerijet is an international cargo carrier . the plane was sent to a secure area of miami international and was being inspected , according to the miami-dade police department . it 's unclear why the plane continued to miami after the body fell out , rather than returning to santo domingo . an amerijet spokesperson did not immediately return a call for comment . cnn 's rich phillips contributed to this report .","amerijet flight 840 landed about two hours later at miami international airport" +"kathleen bergen miami , florida ( cnn ) -- the body of an apparent stowaway fell from the wheel well of a plane taking off thursday from the dominican republic , a federal aviation administration official said . the 767 aircraft -- amerijet flight 840 -- landed about two hours later without incident at miami international airport . the flight originated in santo domingo . faa spokeswoman kathleen bergen said the faa is investigating the incident . according to its web site , amerijet is an international cargo carrier . the plane was sent to a secure area of miami international and was being inspected , according to the miami-dade police department . it 's unclear why the plane continued to miami after the body fell out , rather than returning to santo domingo . an amerijet spokesperson did not immediately return a call for comment . cnn 's rich phillips contributed to this report .","faa spokeswoman kathleen bergen says agency is investigating incident" +"faa miami , florida ( cnn ) -- the body of an apparent stowaway fell from the wheel well of a plane taking off thursday from the dominican republic , a federal aviation administration official said . the 767 aircraft -- amerijet flight 840 -- landed about two hours later without incident at miami international airport . the flight originated in santo domingo . faa spokeswoman kathleen bergen said the faa is investigating the incident . according to its web site , amerijet is an international cargo carrier . the plane was sent to a secure area of miami international and was being inspected , according to the miami-dade police department . it 's unclear why the plane continued to miami after the body fell out , rather than returning to santo domingo . an amerijet spokesperson did not immediately return a call for comment . cnn 's rich phillips contributed to this report .","body fell from wheel well of 767 taking off from dominican republic , faa says" +"faa miami , florida ( cnn ) -- the body of an apparent stowaway fell from the wheel well of a plane taking off thursday from the dominican republic , a federal aviation administration official said . the 767 aircraft -- amerijet flight 840 -- landed about two hours later without incident at miami international airport . the flight originated in santo domingo . faa spokeswoman kathleen bergen said the faa is investigating the incident . according to its web site , amerijet is an international cargo carrier . the plane was sent to a secure area of miami international and was being inspected , according to the miami-dade police department . it 's unclear why the plane continued to miami after the body fell out , rather than returning to santo domingo . an amerijet spokesperson did not immediately return a call for comment . cnn 's rich phillips contributed to this report .","faa spokeswoman kathleen bergen says agency is investigating incident" +"el paso health officials have added 45 infants to the list of more than 700 who were exposed to tuberculosis at a hospital in el paso , texas . earlier this week , the city 's department of public health announced that 706 infants and 43 health care workers had been exposed to tuberculosis , commonly called tb , at providence memorial hospital . an employee at the hospital came to work with an active case of tb some time between september 2013 and august 2014 . he or she worked with infants in the nursery and in the post-partum unit at the hospital , the health department said . these 45 additional cases were exposed during the same time period , and are being notified along with the rest of the group . the family of each patient was sent a certified letter and is being contacted via telephone with instructions on how to get tested for tb . any necessary follow-up care will be provided free of charge by the health department and the hospital . as of monday , more than 350 appointments had been made for screenings , according to the health department . parents and other family members of the infants are not being told to get tested because they are not considered exposed , ' health officials said in a statement . there is no word yet on whether any of the people exposed have tested positive for the disease . the infected health care worker is no longer working and is receiving treatment , the owner of the hospital , sierra providence health network , said in a statement . tuberculosis is an infectious disease that generally causes coughing , chest pain and difficulty breathing , according to the mayo clinic . an estimated 2 billion people worldwide have what 's called latent tb , where the bacteria remain dormant and do n't cause symptoms . once in the body , the bacteria usually lay dormant for months or years before they begin to grow and cause a case of active tb , ' the el paso department of public health said in a statement . that is why it is so important to identify people who may have been exposed , screen them , and provide treatment . ' the bacteria that cause tb spread through the air when an infected patient coughs or sneezes , but it 's not a highly contagious disease ; close contact over a longer period of time is required before another person becomes infected , according to the mayo clinic . only active tb can be spread . the texas department of state health services conducted an on-site investigation at providence memorial hospital last week and cited the hospital for deficiencies that represent immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety , ' said carrie williams , the department 's director of media relations . investigators found serious deficiencies in the areas of infection control , patient rights and governing body . ' the center for medicare services has placed the hospital on a termination track , said david wright , deputy regional administrator for cms in dallas . he said cms is giving the hospital until october 11 to identify policy changes that need to happen to ensure something like this wo n't happen again . if the hospital fails to do so , its medicaid and medicare funding will be cut off . this is one of the largest tb exposure investigations we 've ever been involved in , and it involves infants , so it is particularly sensitive , ' williams said . babies are more likely than older children and adults to develop life-threatening forms of tb . ' patients with tb must take antibiotics for six to nine months . some strains of tb are resistant to antibiotics , which makes them more dangerous . without treatment , tb can be fatal , the mayo clinic says . there is one vaccine for tb -- bacille calmette-guerin , known as bcg -- that is not widely used in the united states , according to the centers for disease control and prevention ; it is given more often to children in countries where tb is common . there were 9,582 recorded cases of tb in the united states last year . in october , health officials identified 140 infants who may have been exposed to tuberculosis in a similar incident at a hospital in nevada .","hospital worker in el paso , texas , came to work with active case of tb" +"juventus ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored two penalties as real madrid beat ten-man athletic bilbao 4-1 to maintain their five-point lead over arch rivals barcelona at the top of the spanish league . the portuguese striker fired home his 22nd and 23rd goals of the league season from 12 yards to help real gets back to winning ways after their midweek defeat to barca in the spanish cup . real fell behind against bilbao when fernando llorente volleyed home javi martinez 's cross but brazilian defender marcelo equalized 12 minutes later . llorente missed a great chance to restore his side 's lead but he sliced wide with only iker casillas to beat . it would prove to be a costly error . ronaldo scored his first penalty after kaka had been pulled to the floor in the penalty area by ander iturraspe and got his second 20 minutes later after mesut ozil was fouled by oscar de marcos , who was shown a red card . jose callejon scored real 's fourth as he raced onto gonzalo higuaã­n 's pass and fired into the net . earlier on sunday , lionel messi 's fifth hat-trick of the season sent spanish and european champions barcelona on their way to a 4-1 win at malaga . the argentina striker got his first just after the half hour , heading home adriano 's cross before an alexis sanchez tap in made it 2-0 . messi 's next two goals were carbon copies as he burst through malaga 's defense before slotting home . rondon grabbed a late consolation for malaga . a win for both real and barca was perfect preparation for the second leg of their spanish cup clash on wednesday , with barca leading 2-1 on aggregate . elsewhere in spain , valencia were held to a 1-1 draw by osasuna while mallorca won at rayo vallecano . levante and real zaragoza drew 0-0 . in italy , ac milan kept the pressure on serie a leaders juventus with a 3-0 win at bottom club novara . swedish striker zlatan ibrahimovic netted twice while brazilian striker robinho scored the other . milan 's city rivals inter moved into fourth spot in the table after coming from behind to beat lazio 2-1 at the san siro . tommaso rocchi scored first for the visitors but goals from diego milto and giampaolo pazzini rescued inter . udinese beat catania 2-1 , palermo toppled genoa 5-3 while the games between bologna and parma , lecce and chievo , siena and napoli , and cagliari and fiorentina all ended in draws . in germany , champions borussia dortmund thrashed hamburg 5-1 to go level on points at the top of the table with bayern munich and schalke . robert lewandowski and jakub blaszczykowski both scored twice for dortmund . in sunday 's other game lars bender scored the winner as bayer leverkusen beat mainz 3-2 .","in italy ac milan beat novara to close within one point of league leaders juventus" +"novara ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored two penalties as real madrid beat ten-man athletic bilbao 4-1 to maintain their five-point lead over arch rivals barcelona at the top of the spanish league . the portuguese striker fired home his 22nd and 23rd goals of the league season from 12 yards to help real gets back to winning ways after their midweek defeat to barca in the spanish cup . real fell behind against bilbao when fernando llorente volleyed home javi martinez 's cross but brazilian defender marcelo equalized 12 minutes later . llorente missed a great chance to restore his side 's lead but he sliced wide with only iker casillas to beat . it would prove to be a costly error . ronaldo scored his first penalty after kaka had been pulled to the floor in the penalty area by ander iturraspe and got his second 20 minutes later after mesut ozil was fouled by oscar de marcos , who was shown a red card . jose callejon scored real 's fourth as he raced onto gonzalo higuaã­n 's pass and fired into the net . earlier on sunday , lionel messi 's fifth hat-trick of the season sent spanish and european champions barcelona on their way to a 4-1 win at malaga . the argentina striker got his first just after the half hour , heading home adriano 's cross before an alexis sanchez tap in made it 2-0 . messi 's next two goals were carbon copies as he burst through malaga 's defense before slotting home . rondon grabbed a late consolation for malaga . a win for both real and barca was perfect preparation for the second leg of their spanish cup clash on wednesday , with barca leading 2-1 on aggregate . elsewhere in spain , valencia were held to a 1-1 draw by osasuna while mallorca won at rayo vallecano . levante and real zaragoza drew 0-0 . in italy , ac milan kept the pressure on serie a leaders juventus with a 3-0 win at bottom club novara . swedish striker zlatan ibrahimovic netted twice while brazilian striker robinho scored the other . milan 's city rivals inter moved into fourth spot in the table after coming from behind to beat lazio 2-1 at the san siro . tommaso rocchi scored first for the visitors but goals from diego milto and giampaolo pazzini rescued inter . udinese beat catania 2-1 , palermo toppled genoa 5-3 while the games between bologna and parma , lecce and chievo , siena and napoli , and cagliari and fiorentina all ended in draws . in germany , champions borussia dortmund thrashed hamburg 5-1 to go level on points at the top of the table with bayern munich and schalke . robert lewandowski and jakub blaszczykowski both scored twice for dortmund . in sunday 's other game lars bender scored the winner as bayer leverkusen beat mainz 3-2 .","in italy ac milan beat novara to close within one point of league leaders juventus" +"athletic bilbao ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored two penalties as real madrid beat ten-man athletic bilbao 4-1 to maintain their five-point lead over arch rivals barcelona at the top of the spanish league . the portuguese striker fired home his 22nd and 23rd goals of the league season from 12 yards to help real gets back to winning ways after their midweek defeat to barca in the spanish cup . real fell behind against bilbao when fernando llorente volleyed home javi martinez 's cross but brazilian defender marcelo equalized 12 minutes later . llorente missed a great chance to restore his side 's lead but he sliced wide with only iker casillas to beat . it would prove to be a costly error . ronaldo scored his first penalty after kaka had been pulled to the floor in the penalty area by ander iturraspe and got his second 20 minutes later after mesut ozil was fouled by oscar de marcos , who was shown a red card . jose callejon scored real 's fourth as he raced onto gonzalo higuaã­n 's pass and fired into the net . earlier on sunday , lionel messi 's fifth hat-trick of the season sent spanish and european champions barcelona on their way to a 4-1 win at malaga . the argentina striker got his first just after the half hour , heading home adriano 's cross before an alexis sanchez tap in made it 2-0 . messi 's next two goals were carbon copies as he burst through malaga 's defense before slotting home . rondon grabbed a late consolation for malaga . a win for both real and barca was perfect preparation for the second leg of their spanish cup clash on wednesday , with barca leading 2-1 on aggregate . elsewhere in spain , valencia were held to a 1-1 draw by osasuna while mallorca won at rayo vallecano . levante and real zaragoza drew 0-0 . in italy , ac milan kept the pressure on serie a leaders juventus with a 3-0 win at bottom club novara . swedish striker zlatan ibrahimovic netted twice while brazilian striker robinho scored the other . milan 's city rivals inter moved into fourth spot in the table after coming from behind to beat lazio 2-1 at the san siro . tommaso rocchi scored first for the visitors but goals from diego milto and giampaolo pazzini rescued inter . udinese beat catania 2-1 , palermo toppled genoa 5-3 while the games between bologna and parma , lecce and chievo , siena and napoli , and cagliari and fiorentina all ended in draws . in germany , champions borussia dortmund thrashed hamburg 5-1 to go level on points at the top of the table with bayern munich and schalke . robert lewandowski and jakub blaszczykowski both scored twice for dortmund . in sunday 's other game lars bender scored the winner as bayer leverkusen beat mainz 3-2 .","cristiano ronaldo scores two penalties as real madrid beat athletic bilbao 4-1" +"fasano boa vista ( cnn ) -- tired of staying in anonymous corporate hotels ? maybe you should try one of the gorgeous lodgings named by wallpaper * as its best business hotels of 2012 . a panel of well-traveled creatives picked the hotels from a shortlist . highlights include new york 's nomad , which houses a two-floor library that turns into a cocktail bar , and the fasano boa vista , in brazil -- a resort that has natural forest and lakes in its vast grounds . more from wallpaper * : the new breed of designer hostels but this year 's best business hotel is the georges , a tiny boutique establishment in istanbul 's galata district , which offers its pampered guests a private butler . who says you should n't mix business with pleasure ? for more on travel , visit wallpaper.com . © 2012 wallpaper.com . all rights reserved .","other highlights include new york 's nomad and fasano boa vista , in brazil" +"georges ( cnn ) -- tired of staying in anonymous corporate hotels ? maybe you should try one of the gorgeous lodgings named by wallpaper * as its best business hotels of 2012 . a panel of well-traveled creatives picked the hotels from a shortlist . highlights include new york 's nomad , which houses a two-floor library that turns into a cocktail bar , and the fasano boa vista , in brazil -- a resort that has natural forest and lakes in its vast grounds . more from wallpaper * : the new breed of designer hostels but this year 's best business hotel is the georges , a tiny boutique establishment in istanbul 's galata district , which offers its pampered guests a private butler . who says you should n't mix business with pleasure ? for more on travel , visit wallpaper.com . © 2012 wallpaper.com . all rights reserved .","the winner is the georges , a tiny boutique hotel in istanbul" +"tsa the transportation security administration said friday it has started the process of firing 25 of its agents and suspending 19 others for not following screening procedures . the 44 employees all worked in a checked-baggage screening room in terminal b of newark 's liberty international airport , tsa spokesman david castelveter told cnn in a written statement . in november and december of 2011 , they were caught on surveillance cameras not following proper screening protocols , an agency internal investigation revealed . after passengers check their bags , tsa screeners are supposed to search the luggage with electronic scanners and open some bags by hand . in this case , the employees allegedly did n't follow procedures on about 250 bags during the two months , the agency said . all bags did receive some screening , however . the punishment marks the largest removal and suspension of tsa officers in the agency 's history , and part of a larger internal crackdown on improper behavior by tsa agents . accountability is an important aspect of our work and we take appropriate action with any employee who does not follow our procedures or engages in misconduct , ' castelveter said . in june , the same investigation prompted the agency to fire eight checked-baggage screeners at newark for violating tsa procedures , including some of them for sleeping on the job . that same month , 43 tsa workers in fort myers , florida , were disciplined for not performing additional screening on random passengers and carry-on bags . at boston 's logan airport , 20 checked-baggage screeners were punished in august for reading newspapers or talking on the phone when they were supposed to be screening bags , or for not reporting the misconduct , a spokesperson told cnn at the time . and last year , 36 checked-bag screeners in hawaii were fired after they were caught on a security camera in 2010 ignoring procedures , including putting bag inspection notices in bags without actually inspecting them , an inspector general 's report said . tsa screeners put inspection notices in bags they did n't inspect tsa reprimands bag screeners over job performance at boston airport speedier trip through airport security could come within a decade tsa behavior detection officers will be retrained after profiling complaints","procedures were not followed on about 250 bags over two months , the tsa says" +"tsa the transportation security administration said friday it has started the process of firing 25 of its agents and suspending 19 others for not following screening procedures . the 44 employees all worked in a checked-baggage screening room in terminal b of newark 's liberty international airport , tsa spokesman david castelveter told cnn in a written statement . in november and december of 2011 , they were caught on surveillance cameras not following proper screening protocols , an agency internal investigation revealed . after passengers check their bags , tsa screeners are supposed to search the luggage with electronic scanners and open some bags by hand . in this case , the employees allegedly did n't follow procedures on about 250 bags during the two months , the agency said . all bags did receive some screening , however . the punishment marks the largest removal and suspension of tsa officers in the agency 's history , and part of a larger internal crackdown on improper behavior by tsa agents . accountability is an important aspect of our work and we take appropriate action with any employee who does not follow our procedures or engages in misconduct , ' castelveter said . in june , the same investigation prompted the agency to fire eight checked-baggage screeners at newark for violating tsa procedures , including some of them for sleeping on the job . that same month , 43 tsa workers in fort myers , florida , were disciplined for not performing additional screening on random passengers and carry-on bags . at boston 's logan airport , 20 checked-baggage screeners were punished in august for reading newspapers or talking on the phone when they were supposed to be screening bags , or for not reporting the misconduct , a spokesperson told cnn at the time . and last year , 36 checked-bag screeners in hawaii were fired after they were caught on a security camera in 2010 ignoring procedures , including putting bag inspection notices in bags without actually inspecting them , an inspector general 's report said . tsa screeners put inspection notices in bags they did n't inspect tsa reprimands bag screeners over job performance at boston airport speedier trip through airport security could come within a decade tsa behavior detection officers will be retrained after profiling complaints","the tsa says 44 employees at newark 's airport did not follow screening procedures" +"bogota bogota , tennessee ( cnn ) -- those who say no man is an island never met danny hayes . the 61-year-old retired construction supervisor lives in bogota , tennessee , a farming community so small that when asked how to find the town , locals respond , do n't blink . ' hayes'trailer in bogota is about seven miles from the mississippi river . historic flooding across the region brought the old muddy ' much closer to him . the two-room trailer is more than 5 feet off the ground , but the river 's invasion reaches hayes'door and , at its height , threatened to evict him . there 's the possibility the trailer could shift , could turn . could flip over , ' hayes said , standing on the trailer 's small porch . then again , i am not worried about that because i will get out . ' the mississippi 's flooding has already forced hundreds to flee small towns like bogota to cities like memphis . and meteorologists say the heavy rainfall across the south could mean weeks more of high water . whatever comes , hayes said he will not be moved . i 'd say for the average person who grew up in towns , you 'd be in a dangerous situation , ' he said . i 'd say a person who learned to live off the land and to survive , it 's not a big thing . ' the one acre of land hayes retired to is no longer recognizable to him . groves of pecan trees now stand half-covered in water . homes abandoned by neighbors sit in several feet of dank and stinking water . to get to dry ground , hayes paddles a small boat about 50 yards to highway 78 . once on shore , he then walks the half-mile to town each day for a pack of cigarettes and a little conversation . the homes around hayes'trailer sit empty , but as he waits out the flood , he is hardly alone . since the waters began to rise , hayes said , all manner of animals have swum by the trailer , looking for higher ground . the snakes , he shoots . it 's illegal to kill snakes in tennessee , ' he said with a serious look before breaking into a wide smile . unless it 's for your own protection . ' the nine-shot revolver with a long barrel that hayes keeps close also works to ward off other predators . empty homes in the rural area could make for an inviting target for looters , he said . but his and his neighbors'homes are safe , hayes said , while he patrols his small island . ' to make his point , hayes suddenly shoots the pistol three times in sudden succession into the invading waters . i am a crazy old man , ' he said with a laugh , and i will shoot the hell out of you , and i am serious about that . ' as he waits for the waters to retreat , hayes'family checks in with him regularly by cell phone . his two sons and their families fret about his decision to ride out the flood . but hayes said he never considered leaving . he 's too stubborn . so stubborn he married and divorced the same woman three times before they finally called it quits . too stubborn to run for the hills over some water . ' rescue all them poor people and do n't worry about this 61-year-old man , ' he said . do n't waste no 911 on me . ' but with the water slowly receding , it appears that hayes will be spared from the flood 's wet grasp . still , it could be another week , he predicted , before bogota begins to dry out . asked what he will do while the floodwaters retreat , hayes replied with a ready joke . i got to sell this here land , ' he said , while it 's still waterfront property ! ' cnn 's sara weisfeldt contributed to this report .","danny hayes , 61 , lives in bogota , tennessee" +"unifil an israeli soldier was killed sunday in a shooting along the israel-lebanon border , according to the israel defense forces . the soldier was treated at the scene , then evacuated to a hospital . he later died of his wounds . later , around midnight , as soldiers in the area conducted an investigation , suspicious people ' were identified and due to a threat , precise shots were fired at the suspects identified as lebanese soldiers , and one suspect was hit , ' an israel defense forces statement said . earlier sunday , a spokesman for the united nations interim force in lebanon , or unifil , had said that a serious shooting incident ' was taking place along the israel-lebanon border . it was not immediately clear who was shooting at whom , andrea treneti said then . commanders from both sides were talking to the head of the unifil mission to establish what happened . u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon 's office issued a statement deploring the shooting and calling for restraint on both sides . israeli and lebanese forces are cooperating in the investigation , the statement said . the soldier was shot while driving along the border near rosh hanikra , according to the idf . an initial inquiry confirmed the sniper is a member of the lebanese armed forces , it said , adding that further investigation is under way . according to the lebanese national news agency , army troops opened fire on israeli soldiers near the border . unifil has been in southern lebanon since a 1978 conflict with israel . after the 2006 war between israel and lebanon 's hezbollah militia , the peacekeepers'mandate was expanded to include helping lebanon keep the country 's south free of any armed personnel , assets and weapons ' other than government troops . cross-border fire has been rare since the israel-hezbollah war . in late august , the israeli air force conducted a strike in lebanon between beirut and sidon , a day after rockets struck northern israel , according to the idf . there were no casualties . israel halts plan that would displace bedouins syrian refugees face miserable winter in lebanon","unifil has been in southern lebanon since a 1978 conflict with israel" +"clinton washington ( cnn ) -- democratic presidential front-runner hillary clinton said sunday she wo n't vote for any more money to support the four-year-old war in iraq without a plan to start bringing u.s. troops home . presidential hopeful sen. hillary clinton greets people before speaking in washington on september 17 . i 've reached the conclusion that the best way to support our troops is begin bringing them home , ' the new york senator and former first lady told cnn 's late edition with wolf blitzer . ' i do n't believe we should continue to vote for funding that has an open-ended commitment , that has no pressure on the iraqi government to make the tough political decisions they have to make , or which really gives any urgency to the bush administration 's diplomatic efforts . ' clinton 's declaration comes as the senate debates the defense department 's 2008 spending authorization bill . it follows her vote against a $ 120 billion war-spending bill in may , when congress dropped a call for the withdrawal of american combat troops by march 2008 after president bush vetoed a bill containing that provision . the president has no intention of changing his policy in iraq , ' she said . he 's now talking about leaving it to his successor . ' meanwhile , the senate 's republican minority routinely filibusters democratic proposals to wind down the war , which is costing the treasury about $ 10 billion a month and has claimed the lives of nearly 3,800 american troops . may 's spending bill made continued u.s. support contingent on a set of benchmarks for iraq 's government . but the iraqis met only 11 of the 18 benchmarks , according to the government accountability office , the investigative arm of congress . even those who are implementing this policy of the president 's can not tell us it will make america more safe , nor that it will lead to the kind of political decision-making that we have to expect from the iraqis themselves , ' clinton said . nearly two-thirds of the american public now opposes the war , according to a cnn-opinion research poll conducted in early september . clinton said , if elected president , she would end the conflict as quickly and responsibly as i can , ' but said some u.s. forces would likely remain as trainers , to protect americans and to battle islamic militants loyal to al qaeda . the two-term senator , who leads her democratic presidential rivals by a double-digit margin in national polls , made the rounds of all five washington talk shows sunday . last week , clinton supported two amendments that would have forced the pentagon to begin a u.s. withdrawal from iraq . but she said sunday that even if democrats muster enough republican support to break a filibuster -- something they have been unable to do -- democrats would still be unlikely to get the two-thirds vote needed to override a presidential veto . the answer for this is , let 's elect more democrats in 2008 , ' she said . that will help solve the problem . ' e-mail to a friend","if elected , clinton says , she would end the war as responsibly ' as she can" +"clinton washington ( cnn ) -- democratic presidential front-runner hillary clinton said sunday she wo n't vote for any more money to support the four-year-old war in iraq without a plan to start bringing u.s. troops home . presidential hopeful sen. hillary clinton greets people before speaking in washington on september 17 . i 've reached the conclusion that the best way to support our troops is begin bringing them home , ' the new york senator and former first lady told cnn 's late edition with wolf blitzer . ' i do n't believe we should continue to vote for funding that has an open-ended commitment , that has no pressure on the iraqi government to make the tough political decisions they have to make , or which really gives any urgency to the bush administration 's diplomatic efforts . ' clinton 's declaration comes as the senate debates the defense department 's 2008 spending authorization bill . it follows her vote against a $ 120 billion war-spending bill in may , when congress dropped a call for the withdrawal of american combat troops by march 2008 after president bush vetoed a bill containing that provision . the president has no intention of changing his policy in iraq , ' she said . he 's now talking about leaving it to his successor . ' meanwhile , the senate 's republican minority routinely filibusters democratic proposals to wind down the war , which is costing the treasury about $ 10 billion a month and has claimed the lives of nearly 3,800 american troops . may 's spending bill made continued u.s. support contingent on a set of benchmarks for iraq 's government . but the iraqis met only 11 of the 18 benchmarks , according to the government accountability office , the investigative arm of congress . even those who are implementing this policy of the president 's can not tell us it will make america more safe , nor that it will lead to the kind of political decision-making that we have to expect from the iraqis themselves , ' clinton said . nearly two-thirds of the american public now opposes the war , according to a cnn-opinion research poll conducted in early september . clinton said , if elected president , she would end the conflict as quickly and responsibly as i can , ' but said some u.s. forces would likely remain as trainers , to protect americans and to battle islamic militants loyal to al qaeda . the two-term senator , who leads her democratic presidential rivals by a double-digit margin in national polls , made the rounds of all five washington talk shows sunday . last week , clinton supported two amendments that would have forced the pentagon to begin a u.s. withdrawal from iraq . but she said sunday that even if democrats muster enough republican support to break a filibuster -- something they have been unable to do -- democrats would still be unlikely to get the two-thirds vote needed to override a presidential veto . the answer for this is , let 's elect more democrats in 2008 , ' she said . that will help solve the problem . ' e-mail to a friend","polls suggest clinton is the leading presidential candidate among democrats" +"clinton washington ( cnn ) -- democratic presidential front-runner hillary clinton said sunday she wo n't vote for any more money to support the four-year-old war in iraq without a plan to start bringing u.s. troops home . presidential hopeful sen. hillary clinton greets people before speaking in washington on september 17 . i 've reached the conclusion that the best way to support our troops is begin bringing them home , ' the new york senator and former first lady told cnn 's late edition with wolf blitzer . ' i do n't believe we should continue to vote for funding that has an open-ended commitment , that has no pressure on the iraqi government to make the tough political decisions they have to make , or which really gives any urgency to the bush administration 's diplomatic efforts . ' clinton 's declaration comes as the senate debates the defense department 's 2008 spending authorization bill . it follows her vote against a $ 120 billion war-spending bill in may , when congress dropped a call for the withdrawal of american combat troops by march 2008 after president bush vetoed a bill containing that provision . the president has no intention of changing his policy in iraq , ' she said . he 's now talking about leaving it to his successor . ' meanwhile , the senate 's republican minority routinely filibusters democratic proposals to wind down the war , which is costing the treasury about $ 10 billion a month and has claimed the lives of nearly 3,800 american troops . may 's spending bill made continued u.s. support contingent on a set of benchmarks for iraq 's government . but the iraqis met only 11 of the 18 benchmarks , according to the government accountability office , the investigative arm of congress . even those who are implementing this policy of the president 's can not tell us it will make america more safe , nor that it will lead to the kind of political decision-making that we have to expect from the iraqis themselves , ' clinton said . nearly two-thirds of the american public now opposes the war , according to a cnn-opinion research poll conducted in early september . clinton said , if elected president , she would end the conflict as quickly and responsibly as i can , ' but said some u.s. forces would likely remain as trainers , to protect americans and to battle islamic militants loyal to al qaeda . the two-term senator , who leads her democratic presidential rivals by a double-digit margin in national polls , made the rounds of all five washington talk shows sunday . last week , clinton supported two amendments that would have forced the pentagon to begin a u.s. withdrawal from iraq . but she said sunday that even if democrats muster enough republican support to break a filibuster -- something they have been unable to do -- democrats would still be unlikely to get the two-thirds vote needed to override a presidential veto . the answer for this is , let 's elect more democrats in 2008 , ' she said . that will help solve the problem . ' e-mail to a friend","clinton on cnn : best way to support troops is to begin bringing them home" +"islamist ( cnn ) -- egyptian military and intelligence officials say they are preparing to launch an operation against al qaeda cells that have recently been established in the restive sinai peninsula . while egypt has seen a number of homegrown militant islamist groups emerge and dissipate over the past 20 years , none has had clear organizational links with al qaeda . but senior officials told cnn that al qaeda cells have now surfaced in northern sinai , which has seen acts of sabotage and clashes between rival salafist groups this year . among the incidents , a gas pipeline to israel was blown up several times . the focus of their concern is the coastal area between el-arish , a resort town of about 80,000 people on the mediterranean , and rafah on the border with gaza . al qaeda is present in sinai mainly in the area of sakaska close to rafah , ' a general in egypt 's intelligence service told cnn thursday . they have been training there for month , but we have not identified their nationalities yet . ' the official said a military operation was imminent to deter these armed groups . ' units from the 2nd infantry division , with support from general security and the border guards , ' would take part in the operation , said the secretary general for north sinai governorate , gaber al-araby . we plan to clean out those criminal pockets around the area of rafah and sheikh zuweid , ' al-araby said . a group claiming affiliation with al qaeda has recently begun a propaganda campaign in the region , according to egyptian officials . the authority of the state has rarely carried much weight in the sinai peninsula , where bedouin tribes have great autonomy . gen. abdel wahab , the governor of north sinai confirmed that a flier titled al qaeda sinai branch ' circulated outside a mosque in el-arish on wednesday . the document called for an islamic state in sinai and announced that the group was planning attacks on the police stations and security forces friday . a security cordon has been placed around the entrances of el-arish and reinforcements arrived outside the police stations and the el-arish central prison in anticipation of an attack on friday , ' said hazem el maadawi , an officer stationed outside the north sinai police headquarters . tomorrow is the big day , ' el maadawi said , adding that he feared the worst . at the end of last month , seven people were killed in clashes in el-arish . the clashes began after members of a militant islamist group called takfir wal-hijra stormed a rally being held by another salafist group outside a mosque . mohamed mahmoud , who was among the protesters , told cnn ; the takfiris stormed in by the hundreds mounted on pickup trucks and motorcycles waving black flags , a symbol of jihad . ' the militants were heavily armed with machine guns , hand grenades and rocked-propelled grenades , ' he said . they attacked two police stations and scared the residents under the name of jihad . we only call for jihad if someone attacks our islamic country or people . ' the head of security in north sinai , gen. saleh al masry , told cnn last week that takfir-wal-higra had become active during the revolution that led to the ousting of president hosni mubarak . the terrorists were joined by members of palestinian factions and they are currently being questioned by military intelligence . we arrested 12 assailants including three palestinians , ' al masry said . what 's not clear is whether the takfiris are part of -- or aligned with -- the al qaeda cells said to be training in sinai . the new leader of al qaeda , ayman al-zawahiri , is egyptian and before leaving his homeland in the mid-1980s , had similar views to takfir about overthrowing the egyptian state and replacing it with islamic rule . more recently al-zawahiri has recorded several messages exhorting salafists in egypt to take advantage of the ousting of mubarak . in an audio message that appeared on jihadist forums earlier this month , al- zawahiri said : i commend the heroes who blew up the gas pipeline to israel . i ask allah to reward them for their heroic act , for they have expressed the anger of the islamic ummah against this continuing crime from the reign of hosni mubarak to the rule of the military council . '","egypt sees homegrown militant islamist groups emerge and dissipate over the years" +"egypt ( cnn ) -- egyptian military and intelligence officials say they are preparing to launch an operation against al qaeda cells that have recently been established in the restive sinai peninsula . while egypt has seen a number of homegrown militant islamist groups emerge and dissipate over the past 20 years , none has had clear organizational links with al qaeda . but senior officials told cnn that al qaeda cells have now surfaced in northern sinai , which has seen acts of sabotage and clashes between rival salafist groups this year . among the incidents , a gas pipeline to israel was blown up several times . the focus of their concern is the coastal area between el-arish , a resort town of about 80,000 people on the mediterranean , and rafah on the border with gaza . al qaeda is present in sinai mainly in the area of sakaska close to rafah , ' a general in egypt 's intelligence service told cnn thursday . they have been training there for month , but we have not identified their nationalities yet . ' the official said a military operation was imminent to deter these armed groups . ' units from the 2nd infantry division , with support from general security and the border guards , ' would take part in the operation , said the secretary general for north sinai governorate , gaber al-araby . we plan to clean out those criminal pockets around the area of rafah and sheikh zuweid , ' al-araby said . a group claiming affiliation with al qaeda has recently begun a propaganda campaign in the region , according to egyptian officials . the authority of the state has rarely carried much weight in the sinai peninsula , where bedouin tribes have great autonomy . gen. abdel wahab , the governor of north sinai confirmed that a flier titled al qaeda sinai branch ' circulated outside a mosque in el-arish on wednesday . the document called for an islamic state in sinai and announced that the group was planning attacks on the police stations and security forces friday . a security cordon has been placed around the entrances of el-arish and reinforcements arrived outside the police stations and the el-arish central prison in anticipation of an attack on friday , ' said hazem el maadawi , an officer stationed outside the north sinai police headquarters . tomorrow is the big day , ' el maadawi said , adding that he feared the worst . at the end of last month , seven people were killed in clashes in el-arish . the clashes began after members of a militant islamist group called takfir wal-hijra stormed a rally being held by another salafist group outside a mosque . mohamed mahmoud , who was among the protesters , told cnn ; the takfiris stormed in by the hundreds mounted on pickup trucks and motorcycles waving black flags , a symbol of jihad . ' the militants were heavily armed with machine guns , hand grenades and rocked-propelled grenades , ' he said . they attacked two police stations and scared the residents under the name of jihad . we only call for jihad if someone attacks our islamic country or people . ' the head of security in north sinai , gen. saleh al masry , told cnn last week that takfir-wal-higra had become active during the revolution that led to the ousting of president hosni mubarak . the terrorists were joined by members of palestinian factions and they are currently being questioned by military intelligence . we arrested 12 assailants including three palestinians , ' al masry said . what 's not clear is whether the takfiris are part of -- or aligned with -- the al qaeda cells said to be training in sinai . the new leader of al qaeda , ayman al-zawahiri , is egyptian and before leaving his homeland in the mid-1980s , had similar views to takfir about overthrowing the egyptian state and replacing it with islamic rule . more recently al-zawahiri has recorded several messages exhorting salafists in egypt to take advantage of the ousting of mubarak . in an audio message that appeared on jihadist forums earlier this month , al- zawahiri said : i commend the heroes who blew up the gas pipeline to israel . i ask allah to reward them for their heroic act , for they have expressed the anger of the islamic ummah against this continuing crime from the reign of hosni mubarak to the rule of the military council . '","egypt sees homegrown militant islamist groups emerge and dissipate over the years" +"the hunger games ( cnn ) -- girl wonder beats boy wizard . the hunger games trilogy has surpassed the harry potter books to become the best-selling series on amazon.com , the company announced friday . since debuting in 2008 , katniss everdeen and the hunger games have taken the world by storm , much as harry potter did a decade before , ' said sara nelson , the editorial director of books and kindle at amazon , which is the largest bookseller in the united states . interestingly , this series is only three books versus harry potter 's seven , and to achieve this result in just four years is a great testament to both the popularity of the work and , we think , the growth in reading digitally during that time , ' she said . katniss is the hunger games heroine , whose prowess with arrows and boys has made her the envy of millions of fans . she is the star of the books in suzanne collins'trilogy , the hunger games , ' catching fire ' and mockingjay . ' author j.k. rowling penned the harry potter series about a boy wizard by the same name and his friends at hogwarts , a school for witches and wizards . she is currently working on her first novel for adults . both series got a big boost from films based off the books . cnn 's stacy cowley contributed to this report .","the hunger games has taken the world by storm , ' says amazon" +"city hall san diego ( cnn ) -- the latest person to accuse san diego mayor bob filner of sexual harassment is a great-grandmother . peggy shannon , 67 , who works at the senior citizens service desk in san diego city hall , allegedly faced continuous inappropriate sexual advances by the mayor while trying to do her job , ' according to the office of her attorney , gloria allred . shannon said the mayor kissed her and once asked me if i thought he could go eight hours in one night . ' every day that i went to work , i had butterflies in my stomach because i did not know what was going to happen the next time the mayor came by my desk , ' shannon told reporters thursday . i have three sons , four grandsons and two great grandsons . as our mayor , you should be -- but are not -- a role model for any of them , ' she said . later , shannon spoke to cnn 's piers morgan live , ' and called for the mayor 's resignation . i can forgive anybody but he needs to step down , ' she said . people are surprised that as a great-grandmother that this happened to me -- so it could happen to anybody else . ' shannon is the 16th woman to come forward with such allegations , according to cnn affiliate kfmb . filner 's office has not responded to multiple cnn requests for comment on the allegations . as the list grows , city officials said thursday that filner might be booted from office later this month over a different , but related issue : money . hooters blackballs san diego mayor'inappropriate movement on my body' a local attorney became the 15th accuser against filner , speaking to kfmb this week . kathryn vaughn told the station that after her husband walked away at a public event 10 years ago , filner made an inappropriate movement on my body . ' filner , 70 , was elected mayor of the eighth-largest american city in 2012 , after 10 terms in congress . his accusers range from a singer at a campaign fundraiser to his former communications director , who called him unfit for office . he has rebuffed calls to resign from all nine city council members and from fellow democrats , including california 's two u.s. senators . he now faces a recall effort that is trying to gather more than 100,000 signatures needed to put his future up to a new vote , though some political observers doubt organizers can succeed . in july , filner acknowledged that he failed to fully respect the women who work for me and with me ' and that he was embarrassed ' by his actions . but he also said he would be vindicated by a full presentation of the facts ' and he would not resign . out of rehab , but locked out of office mayor could be booted over money now , investigators are also looking into possible financial impropriety -- including questionable charges at the westgate hotel , where filner allegedly took women . the san diego 's city attorney 's office told cnn thursday that it had found the charges were inappropriate . filner 's attorney and the mayor 's office did not respond to cnn 's requests for comment thursday . the city attorney 's office said a rarely used section of the city charter , section 108 , dating back to 1931 , would allow for filner to be removed from office -- without a recall -- over unauthorized payments from the city treasury . the city council plans to vote august 28 on whether to invoke that section . if it does , it would then ask a court to boot filner from office . did mayor filner target victims of military sexual assault ? kevin faulconer , a republican who sits on the council 's audit committee , raised questions about other charges as well . he alleged that filner charged hundreds of dollars in personal expenses and threatened the city 's credit by failing to pay the bill . the mayor 's city credit card was stopped in july , faulconer 's office said . mayor filner 's continued abuse of power knows no bounds , ' the councilman said in a statement . based on this new evidence , i am broadening the scope of my audit committee hearing to investigate how mayor filner was able to circumvent credit card rules and how to prevent negative effects on the city 's credit rating as a result of one person 's misuse of taxpayer dollars . ' cnn 's kyung lah and linda hall reported from san diego ; cnn 's josh levs reported from atlanta . cnn 's chuck johnston and matt smith contributed to this report .","she works at the senior citizens service desk at city hall" +"mukasey washington ( cnn ) -- states appear to be taking more action to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental health problems in the wake of the virginia tech shootings , new figures show . mental health problems would prohibit potential buyers from purchasing a gun . submissions of mentally ill patients'records to the fbi 's national instant criminal background check system for gun buyers have more than doubled since the massacre in april , the justice department announced thursday . currently , states are not required to send reports of mental health problems , which would prohibit buyers from purchasing a gun . but after the shootings -- when a student with a history of mental health problems killed 32 people before taking his own life -- the number of submissions to the database grew from 174,863 during the first half of the year to 393,957 from july to november . the number of states submitting the information also grew , from 23 before the virginia tech tragedy to 32 after it . the majority of the new records came from california authorities , who submitted more than 200,000 entries , the justice department said . ohio boosted the amount of entries from three in march of this year to 7,845 in november . instant background checks are essential to keeping guns out of the wrong hands , while still protecting the privacy of our citizens , ' attorney general michael mukasey said to the national association of attorneys general . but as we learned in the tragedy at virginia tech , the checks must be accurate and complete to be effective . ' virginia tech shooter seung-hui cho was judged a danger to himself and ordered to get outpatient mental health treatment in 2005 , but there was no indication he followed up . virginia did not report his name to the fbi system because he had n't been committed to a mental health facility . cho bought one of the guns he used in the massacre online from an out-of-state dealer , picking it up from a blacksburg , virginia , pawn shop after background checks were complete . he bought his other pistol from a roanoke gun dealer a month before the shooting . officials say making sure information -- such as mental health records -- that would keep a person from buying a gun is available at a national level ensures that the individual does n't go across state lines to try to make a purchase . background checks , however , are n't necessary for firearms purchases made at gun shows or from a private seller , which , according to estimates , account for about half of the guns sold in the united states each year . e-mail to a friend","attorney general mukasey : checks must be accurate and complete to be effective" +"bernanke ( cnn ) -- time magazine on wednesday named federal reserve chairman ben bernanke as its 2009 person of the year , calling him the most powerful nerd on the planet . ' bernanke will be featured on the cover of the magazine that hits stores friday . he beat out jamaican sprinter usain bolt , president obama , apple ceo steve jobs and house speaker nancy pelosi among other finalists . time said bernanke was the reason the u.s. financial crisis was n't worse . the story of the year was a weak economy that could have been much , much weaker . thank the man who runs the federal reserve , our mild-mannered economic overlord , ' the article said . he did n't just reshape u.s. monetary policy ; he led an effort to save the world economy . ' time : person of the year 2009 bernanke is considered a scholar of the great depression . a series of his writings were compiled into the book essays of the great depression . ' michael grunwald , who authored time 's article , on wednesday told nbc 's today ' that basically [ bernanke ] saw what looked like another depression coming , and he decided he would do whatever it takes to forestall that . and basically , i think he did . it could have been a lot worse . ' grunwald said , there are things that he could have done better . one of his responsibilities is for full employment in society , and he has n't really stepped up on that , but basically in terms of influencing how the economy went this year , bernanke was the guy . ' the time senior correspondent added , look , he 's been criticized from left and right , from liberals and conservatives , you know , for ... running the unelected fourth branch of government . he 's a controversial figure . ' wednesday 's announcement comes a day before a senate banking committee vote on whether bernanke should be given another term . remember , he 's a republican appointed by a democratic president . it 's the democrats on the committee that are going to vote to confirm . it 's a really interesting combination of factors , ' grunwald said . one of bernanke 's harshest critics is sen. jim bunning , r-kentucky , the only senator to vote against the economist 's appointment four years ago by president bush . in a statement wednesday , bunning said , i find it ironic that a man who has spent the last year rewarding others for failure is now being named'person of the year .' but if time magazine is in the business of rewarding failure , ben bernanke is their man -- he has certainly excelled at that . ' bunning called bernanke a moral hazard , ' accusing him of supporting the easy money policies of his predecessor , alan greenspan , ' who made the cover of time in february 1999 , along with then-treasury secretary robert rubin and his successor , lawrence h. summers . another sharp critic of bernanke , independent sen. bernie sanders of vermont , said december 2 that he plans to place a hold ' on bernanke 's nomination for a second term once it leaves the banking committee . a hold ' is an informal practice in which a senator informs the majority leader that he or she does not want a bill or nomination to reach the floor for a vote . majority leader sen. harry reid , d-nevada , would not need to act on sanders'request , but sanders could launch a filibuster to delay the motion to nominate the fed chairman for another four-year term . the american people overwhelmingly voted last year for a change in our national priorities to put the interests of ordinary people ahead of the greed of wall street and the wealthy few , ' sanders said then , explaining his action . what the american people did not bargain for was another four years for one of the key architects of the bush economy . ' time magazine noted that bernanke , who turned 56 sunday , defies the stereotype of a typical beltway power broker . ' he does n't have a commanding presence . he is n't a mesmerizing speaker . he has none of the look-at-me swagger or listen-to-me charisma so common among men with oversize washington offices , ' the article said . bernanke was sworn in as federal reserve chairman in february 2006 . he spent years in academia , as a professor at princeton , stanford and new york universities and the massachusetts institute of technology , according to the fed 's web site . time magazine , like cnn , is a unit of time warner .","bernanke , a great depression scholar , feared new one , writer says" +"bernanke ( cnn ) -- time magazine on wednesday named federal reserve chairman ben bernanke as its 2009 person of the year , calling him the most powerful nerd on the planet . ' bernanke will be featured on the cover of the magazine that hits stores friday . he beat out jamaican sprinter usain bolt , president obama , apple ceo steve jobs and house speaker nancy pelosi among other finalists . time said bernanke was the reason the u.s. financial crisis was n't worse . the story of the year was a weak economy that could have been much , much weaker . thank the man who runs the federal reserve , our mild-mannered economic overlord , ' the article said . he did n't just reshape u.s. monetary policy ; he led an effort to save the world economy . ' time : person of the year 2009 bernanke is considered a scholar of the great depression . a series of his writings were compiled into the book essays of the great depression . ' michael grunwald , who authored time 's article , on wednesday told nbc 's today ' that basically [ bernanke ] saw what looked like another depression coming , and he decided he would do whatever it takes to forestall that . and basically , i think he did . it could have been a lot worse . ' grunwald said , there are things that he could have done better . one of his responsibilities is for full employment in society , and he has n't really stepped up on that , but basically in terms of influencing how the economy went this year , bernanke was the guy . ' the time senior correspondent added , look , he 's been criticized from left and right , from liberals and conservatives , you know , for ... running the unelected fourth branch of government . he 's a controversial figure . ' wednesday 's announcement comes a day before a senate banking committee vote on whether bernanke should be given another term . remember , he 's a republican appointed by a democratic president . it 's the democrats on the committee that are going to vote to confirm . it 's a really interesting combination of factors , ' grunwald said . one of bernanke 's harshest critics is sen. jim bunning , r-kentucky , the only senator to vote against the economist 's appointment four years ago by president bush . in a statement wednesday , bunning said , i find it ironic that a man who has spent the last year rewarding others for failure is now being named'person of the year .' but if time magazine is in the business of rewarding failure , ben bernanke is their man -- he has certainly excelled at that . ' bunning called bernanke a moral hazard , ' accusing him of supporting the easy money policies of his predecessor , alan greenspan , ' who made the cover of time in february 1999 , along with then-treasury secretary robert rubin and his successor , lawrence h. summers . another sharp critic of bernanke , independent sen. bernie sanders of vermont , said december 2 that he plans to place a hold ' on bernanke 's nomination for a second term once it leaves the banking committee . a hold ' is an informal practice in which a senator informs the majority leader that he or she does not want a bill or nomination to reach the floor for a vote . majority leader sen. harry reid , d-nevada , would not need to act on sanders'request , but sanders could launch a filibuster to delay the motion to nominate the fed chairman for another four-year term . the american people overwhelmingly voted last year for a change in our national priorities to put the interests of ordinary people ahead of the greed of wall street and the wealthy few , ' sanders said then , explaining his action . what the american people did not bargain for was another four years for one of the key architects of the bush economy . ' time magazine noted that bernanke , who turned 56 sunday , defies the stereotype of a typical beltway power broker . ' he does n't have a commanding presence . he is n't a mesmerizing speaker . he has none of the look-at-me swagger or listen-to-me charisma so common among men with oversize washington offices , ' the article said . bernanke was sworn in as federal reserve chairman in february 2006 . he spent years in academia , as a professor at princeton , stanford and new york universities and the massachusetts institute of technology , according to the fed 's web site . time magazine , like cnn , is a unit of time warner .","time magazine calls bernanke , 56 , the most powerful nerd on the planet '" +"bernanke ( cnn ) -- time magazine on wednesday named federal reserve chairman ben bernanke as its 2009 person of the year , calling him the most powerful nerd on the planet . ' bernanke will be featured on the cover of the magazine that hits stores friday . he beat out jamaican sprinter usain bolt , president obama , apple ceo steve jobs and house speaker nancy pelosi among other finalists . time said bernanke was the reason the u.s. financial crisis was n't worse . the story of the year was a weak economy that could have been much , much weaker . thank the man who runs the federal reserve , our mild-mannered economic overlord , ' the article said . he did n't just reshape u.s. monetary policy ; he led an effort to save the world economy . ' time : person of the year 2009 bernanke is considered a scholar of the great depression . a series of his writings were compiled into the book essays of the great depression . ' michael grunwald , who authored time 's article , on wednesday told nbc 's today ' that basically [ bernanke ] saw what looked like another depression coming , and he decided he would do whatever it takes to forestall that . and basically , i think he did . it could have been a lot worse . ' grunwald said , there are things that he could have done better . one of his responsibilities is for full employment in society , and he has n't really stepped up on that , but basically in terms of influencing how the economy went this year , bernanke was the guy . ' the time senior correspondent added , look , he 's been criticized from left and right , from liberals and conservatives , you know , for ... running the unelected fourth branch of government . he 's a controversial figure . ' wednesday 's announcement comes a day before a senate banking committee vote on whether bernanke should be given another term . remember , he 's a republican appointed by a democratic president . it 's the democrats on the committee that are going to vote to confirm . it 's a really interesting combination of factors , ' grunwald said . one of bernanke 's harshest critics is sen. jim bunning , r-kentucky , the only senator to vote against the economist 's appointment four years ago by president bush . in a statement wednesday , bunning said , i find it ironic that a man who has spent the last year rewarding others for failure is now being named'person of the year .' but if time magazine is in the business of rewarding failure , ben bernanke is their man -- he has certainly excelled at that . ' bunning called bernanke a moral hazard , ' accusing him of supporting the easy money policies of his predecessor , alan greenspan , ' who made the cover of time in february 1999 , along with then-treasury secretary robert rubin and his successor , lawrence h. summers . another sharp critic of bernanke , independent sen. bernie sanders of vermont , said december 2 that he plans to place a hold ' on bernanke 's nomination for a second term once it leaves the banking committee . a hold ' is an informal practice in which a senator informs the majority leader that he or she does not want a bill or nomination to reach the floor for a vote . majority leader sen. harry reid , d-nevada , would not need to act on sanders'request , but sanders could launch a filibuster to delay the motion to nominate the fed chairman for another four-year term . the american people overwhelmingly voted last year for a change in our national priorities to put the interests of ordinary people ahead of the greed of wall street and the wealthy few , ' sanders said then , explaining his action . what the american people did not bargain for was another four years for one of the key architects of the bush economy . ' time magazine noted that bernanke , who turned 56 sunday , defies the stereotype of a typical beltway power broker . ' he does n't have a commanding presence . he is n't a mesmerizing speaker . he has none of the look-at-me swagger or listen-to-me charisma so common among men with oversize washington offices , ' the article said . bernanke was sworn in as federal reserve chairman in february 2006 . he spent years in academia , as a professor at princeton , stanford and new york universities and the massachusetts institute of technology , according to the fed 's web site . time magazine , like cnn , is a unit of time warner .","gop senator and critic calls ben bernanke moral hazard '" +"jean-claude van damme ( cnn ) -- it 's the youtube equivalent of a roundhouse kick in the face . remember last month 's viral video that showed action star jean-claude van damme doing the splits between two moving volvo trucks ? now , chuck norris -- an actor who 's also known for his martial arts feats -- appears to have upped the ante . a spoof video by hungarian company delov digital shows a cgi likeness of the actor doing the splits between two airplanes soaring through the sky . but that 's not all . there 's also a squad of 11 commandos balancing on his head , in the shape of a christmas tree . as their clothes light up , a message that says merry christmas and happy new year ' appears above them . it 's unclear whether norris , 73 , was involved at all in producing the video , which has garnered more than 13.5 million hits on youtube since it was posted last week . representatives for norris and delov digital did not immediately respond to requests for comment .","last month a video showed jean-claude van damme doing the splits between trucks" +"mullen ( cnn ) -- responding to an allegation by the u.s. chairman of the joint chiefs of staff that pakistan 's main intelligence agency has a longstanding relationship ' with a taliban-allied insurgent group that targets u.s. troops in afghanistan , a senior pakistani intelligence official said : we do have a relationship : that of an adversary . ' we have made our resolve very clear that ( the haqqani network ) is an enemy we need to fight together , ' said the official , who did not want to be identified discussing intelligence matters . in an interview that aired wednesday on pakistan 's geo tv , adm. michael mullen spoke forcefully about the haqqani network , which he said very specifically facilitates and supports the taliban who move in afghanistan , and they 're killing americans . ' i ca n't accept that and i will do everything i possibly can to prevent that specifically , ' he said . then mullen said pakistan 's inter-services intelligence has a longstanding relationship with the haqqani network . that does n't mean everybody in the isi , but it 's there . ' i also have an understanding that the isi and the ( pakistani military ) exist to protect their own citizens , and there 's a way they have done that for a long period of time , ' mullen said . i believe that over time , that 's got to change . ' based in pakistan 's north waziristan frontier , the haqqani network has been at the forefront of insurgent activity in afghanistan , responsible for many high-profile attacks , ' according to the united nations . the group is believed to have three main sources of funds : donations from the persian gulf region , drug trafficking , and al qaeda payments . pakistani forces in december announced they had seized nasiruddin haqqani , son of the group 's leader , jalaluddin haqqani . other u.s. officials in recent months had expressed concerns that pakistan has not been aggressively confronting militants operating in the tribal regions . the pakistani intelligence official told cnn that we have our hands full ' fighting other islamist militant groups along the border with afghanistan , notably those under the umbrella of the lashkar-e-tayyiba ( let ) and once we are through with them we can turn on the other ( the haqqanis ) . we do not have the capacity to undertake simultaneous operations . ' the official said the onus of providing proof of this ' relationship was on the americans and it was not up to the isi to start providing clarification . ' asked if offense was taken by mullen 's remarks , the intelligence official said : not personally , no . ' earlier in the geo tv interview , mullen was pressed on issues such as the arrest of cia contractor raymond davis and unmanned drone strikes against targets within pakistan , which have marked what he called a rough patch ' of increasingly complex relations between the two nations in recent months . the admiral traced the difficulties back to the 12-year period in which the two countries had severed diplomatic ties , then restored them in the midst of the global terrorism crisis that followed the attacks of september 11 , 2001 . we ca n't snap our fingers and say all of the sudden we trust each other , ' he said , and that 's what we 're trying to work our way through in the midst of these huge terrorist challenges that we both have . ' it 's the focus from the united states'perspective on the terrorist threat ( in the federally administered tribal areas ) , the al qaeda leadership which still lives there and still threatens to kill as many americans as they possibly could , combined with what i would call this federation of terrorist organizations that are getting along more than they used to , and at least from my experience ... the complexity is increasing , not decreasing . ' as joint chiefs chairman , mullen is the highest-ranking uniformed official in the u.s. military 's chain of command . he has been part of recent discussions that have included cia director leon panetta and their pakistani counterparts : chief of army staff gen. ashfaq parvez kayani and the isi 's director , lt. gen. ahmad shuja pasha . mullen 's term is set to end this year . it 's been a very rough patch lately , ' mullen said , and i think the leaders , including generals pasha and kayani , director panetta and myself and others are very committed to working our way through this because we see the need to solve this problem , and we just ca n't walk away from it . ' cnn 's nick paton walsh , zarifmo aslamshoyeva and nasir habib contributed to this report .","adm. mike mullen said isi has longstanding relationship ' with the haqqani network" +"mullen ( cnn ) -- responding to an allegation by the u.s. chairman of the joint chiefs of staff that pakistan 's main intelligence agency has a longstanding relationship ' with a taliban-allied insurgent group that targets u.s. troops in afghanistan , a senior pakistani intelligence official said : we do have a relationship : that of an adversary . ' we have made our resolve very clear that ( the haqqani network ) is an enemy we need to fight together , ' said the official , who did not want to be identified discussing intelligence matters . in an interview that aired wednesday on pakistan 's geo tv , adm. michael mullen spoke forcefully about the haqqani network , which he said very specifically facilitates and supports the taliban who move in afghanistan , and they 're killing americans . ' i ca n't accept that and i will do everything i possibly can to prevent that specifically , ' he said . then mullen said pakistan 's inter-services intelligence has a longstanding relationship with the haqqani network . that does n't mean everybody in the isi , but it 's there . ' i also have an understanding that the isi and the ( pakistani military ) exist to protect their own citizens , and there 's a way they have done that for a long period of time , ' mullen said . i believe that over time , that 's got to change . ' based in pakistan 's north waziristan frontier , the haqqani network has been at the forefront of insurgent activity in afghanistan , responsible for many high-profile attacks , ' according to the united nations . the group is believed to have three main sources of funds : donations from the persian gulf region , drug trafficking , and al qaeda payments . pakistani forces in december announced they had seized nasiruddin haqqani , son of the group 's leader , jalaluddin haqqani . other u.s. officials in recent months had expressed concerns that pakistan has not been aggressively confronting militants operating in the tribal regions . the pakistani intelligence official told cnn that we have our hands full ' fighting other islamist militant groups along the border with afghanistan , notably those under the umbrella of the lashkar-e-tayyiba ( let ) and once we are through with them we can turn on the other ( the haqqanis ) . we do not have the capacity to undertake simultaneous operations . ' the official said the onus of providing proof of this ' relationship was on the americans and it was not up to the isi to start providing clarification . ' asked if offense was taken by mullen 's remarks , the intelligence official said : not personally , no . ' earlier in the geo tv interview , mullen was pressed on issues such as the arrest of cia contractor raymond davis and unmanned drone strikes against targets within pakistan , which have marked what he called a rough patch ' of increasingly complex relations between the two nations in recent months . the admiral traced the difficulties back to the 12-year period in which the two countries had severed diplomatic ties , then restored them in the midst of the global terrorism crisis that followed the attacks of september 11 , 2001 . we ca n't snap our fingers and say all of the sudden we trust each other , ' he said , and that 's what we 're trying to work our way through in the midst of these huge terrorist challenges that we both have . ' it 's the focus from the united states'perspective on the terrorist threat ( in the federally administered tribal areas ) , the al qaeda leadership which still lives there and still threatens to kill as many americans as they possibly could , combined with what i would call this federation of terrorist organizations that are getting along more than they used to , and at least from my experience ... the complexity is increasing , not decreasing . ' as joint chiefs chairman , mullen is the highest-ranking uniformed official in the u.s. military 's chain of command . he has been part of recent discussions that have included cia director leon panetta and their pakistani counterparts : chief of army staff gen. ashfaq parvez kayani and the isi 's director , lt. gen. ahmad shuja pasha . mullen 's term is set to end this year . it 's been a very rough patch lately , ' mullen said , and i think the leaders , including generals pasha and kayani , director panetta and myself and others are very committed to working our way through this because we see the need to solve this problem , and we just ca n't walk away from it . ' cnn 's nick paton walsh , zarifmo aslamshoyeva and nasir habib contributed to this report .","despite strain , mullen says leaders are very committed to working our way through this '" +"maclaren ( cnn ) wanted : film director , must be eager to shoot footage of golden lassos and invisible jets . cnn confirms that michelle maclaren is leaving the upcoming wonder woman ' movie ( the hollywood reporter first broke the story ) . maclaren was announced as director of the movie in november . cnn obtained a statement from warner bros. pictures that says , given creative differences , warner bros. and michelle maclaren have decided not to move forward with plans to develop and direct'wonder woman'together . ' ( cnn and warner bros. pictures are both owned by time warner . ) the movie , starring gal gadot in the title role of the amazon princess , is still set for release on june 23 , 2017 . it 's the first theatrical movie centering around the most popular female superhero . gadot will appear beforehand in batman v. superman : dawn of justice , ' due out march 25 , 2016 . in the meantime , warner will need to find someone new for the director 's chair .","maclaren left the project over creative differences '" +"maclaren ( cnn ) wanted : film director , must be eager to shoot footage of golden lassos and invisible jets . cnn confirms that michelle maclaren is leaving the upcoming wonder woman ' movie ( the hollywood reporter first broke the story ) . maclaren was announced as director of the movie in november . cnn obtained a statement from warner bros. pictures that says , given creative differences , warner bros. and michelle maclaren have decided not to move forward with plans to develop and direct'wonder woman'together . ' ( cnn and warner bros. pictures are both owned by time warner . ) the movie , starring gal gadot in the title role of the amazon princess , is still set for release on june 23 , 2017 . it 's the first theatrical movie centering around the most popular female superhero . gadot will appear beforehand in batman v. superman : dawn of justice , ' due out march 25 , 2016 . in the meantime , warner will need to find someone new for the director 's chair .","michelle maclaren is no longer set to direct the first wonder woman ' theatrical movie" +"wonder woman ( cnn ) wanted : film director , must be eager to shoot footage of golden lassos and invisible jets . cnn confirms that michelle maclaren is leaving the upcoming wonder woman ' movie ( the hollywood reporter first broke the story ) . maclaren was announced as director of the movie in november . cnn obtained a statement from warner bros. pictures that says , given creative differences , warner bros. and michelle maclaren have decided not to move forward with plans to develop and direct'wonder woman'together . ' ( cnn and warner bros. pictures are both owned by time warner . ) the movie , starring gal gadot in the title role of the amazon princess , is still set for release on june 23 , 2017 . it 's the first theatrical movie centering around the most popular female superhero . gadot will appear beforehand in batman v. superman : dawn of justice , ' due out march 25 , 2016 . in the meantime , warner will need to find someone new for the director 's chair .","michelle maclaren is no longer set to direct the first wonder woman ' theatrical movie" +"uk london , england ( cnn ) -- up to 1,000 human rights campaigners demonstrated saturday in front of no . 10 downing street , the official residence of british prime minister gordon brown , calling on the british government to demand that full democracy be restored in pakistan . jemima khan , center , ex-wife for former pakistani cricket star imran khan , joins protesters in london . protesters waved placards and chanted in support of the resignation of pakistani president pervez musharraf , a week after he imposed a state of emergency in the country . the crowd of demonstrators massed behind barriers and included jemima khan , the ex-wife of former pakistani cricket star turned politician imran khan . the demonstrators carried placards saying free the innocent ' and end musharraf 's regime ' and waved pakistani flags . imran khan , who heads the the movement for justice party , has been under house arrest since the emergency declaration . his ex-wife delivered a petition to a doorman at downing street , calling on britain to use its influence to ensure that all institutions are in place well in advance of pakistani elections originally scheduled for early next year . the petition also demands that pakistan restore democracy and the judiciary and calls on musharraf to release all political prisoners , including lawyers , journalists and opposition politicians . e-mail to a friend","protests urged uk government to demand full democracy restored in pakistan" +"marine ( cnn ) -- it was a mother 's worst nightmare . on march 31 , 2014 , at 11 p.m. , i received a phone call from my 25-year-old son . mom . i got lost , made a wrong turn and ended up at the mexico border . i 've been surrounded by military , and i need you to know in case anything happens to me . ' on april 1 , i received another phone call . mom , i 've been arrested . please get me an attorney , ' andrew said . it was the most frightening call of my life -- worse than the call from afghanistan as my son explained , we have just been hit by an ied . ' the call from la mesa prison in tijuana , mexico , three days later went this way : mom , i am not going to make it through the night . whatever you do , do not come down here and ask questions or do an investigation as you will be killed as well . ' as independence day comes and goes this year , it is bittersweet to think about my son being bound by a felony arrest in a foreign country while we try to navigate a foreign judicial system . to think about my son , vibrant and ambitious , being held in the bondage of incarceration is inconceivable . this young man who valiantly fought for the freedom of others , willing to die to combat the evil of oppression and violence in two tours in afghanistan , meritoriously promoted to sergeant on the battlefield in 2012 -- and now he is languishing in a mexican penitentiary and experiencing captivity for the first time , as a result of one wrong turn . it is simply staggering . he has been incarcerated since april 1 , for inadvertently crossing the border with legally purchased firearms . this separation is by far more traumatic than the combat tours . marine'optimistic'he 'll soon be released in afghanistan , he had his marine corps brothers who always had his back . i feel like our executive branch has abandoned him , and it feels totally inhumane . the white house has not responded to us despite our petition on whitehouse.gov , which has nearly 130,000 signatures . the white house says it will respond to petitions that get 100,000 signatures in 30 days . on a trip to mexico in may , secretary of state john kerry raised the issue ' with authorities there . i am outraged . andrew 's situation should be considered a grave , serious and urgent concern . in the past years while reading scripture , i often paused at the directive to visit those in prison . deep in my core was the question , mingled with fear : how , who , why ? today i have learned to walk without shame , boldly and compassionately , through the corridors of bars and locks and have a newfound perspective for those imprisoned . incarceration of a loved one is a heart-wrenching , soul-searching experience that can debilitate , consume and potentially destroy both the captive and his free loved ones . marine tells of abuse in mexican prison it is a difficult journey , but there is rest to be found in understanding that god 's timing is perfect . i take huge comfort in that , and this is what keeps me going and fortifies my strength and helps me to persevere when i ca n't see god 's plan . the saying , trust his heart when you ca n't trace his hand ' is something i really have had to implement . through faith , i will continue choosing not to be crippled by the weight of the dismay , trauma , and disbelief associated with this , and i will be steadfast in my determination to overcome the barriers of this injustice . my strength , focus and vision come both from the lord and from the solidarity and outreach of so many good folks on both sides of the border and around the world . i am not journeying alone as i have poured out my broken heart to so many . and it feels as if they symbolically cupped my tears and replenish me continuously with flowing waters of hope and support . i fear that my son 's plight is getting lost in current events happening on the ground in mexico , but i know that through the collective strength of prayer and the unified focus of individual americans standing together as advocates , there will be victory for andrew .","mother of marine being held in mexico says this separation is worse than his combat tours" +"zakharchenko ( cnn ) a leader of pro-russian rebels in eastern ukraine 's donetsk region said friday he is not interested in a truce with the ukrainian government in kiev because his troops are on the offensive . since we 're attacking , there is no sense to have peace talks now , ' aleksandr zakharchenko , leader of the self-proclaimed people 's republic of donetsk , said in a meeting with university students , according to his media office . we 've made this mistake before . it 's not decent to repeat it , ' he said . thousands have been killed in months of conflict between the rebels and ukrainian troops , and a ceasefire agreed to in september crumbled long ago . zakharchenko 's comments came two days after the foreign ministers of ukraine and russia met in berlin to discuss a way out of the violence . but zakharchenko showed no interest in the talks . there will be no attempts from our side to talk about the ceasefire , ' he said , reported russian state news agency ria . we will be on the offensive until we reach the border of donetsk region . ' he said that he was interested in cooperating with ukraine on prisoner exchanges . we need to get our guys who 've been captured , ' he said , according to ria . despite the talks in berlin , violence in the breakaway donetsk and luhansk regions in eastern ukraine shows no signs of abating . power is out in and around luhansk after militants shelled a power plant there , luhansk regional official hennady moskal told ukraine 's state-run ukrinform news agency . moskal noted that the local water supply and boilers are off , and trolley buses are n't operating . thursday 's shelling of a transit stop in donetsk city -- an attack that ukraine 's defense ministry blamed on rebels -- killed eight civilians , according to state news reports . but ukrainian troops have come under heavy fire , as well . that includes 115 attacks in a recent 24-hour period that killed three troops and wounded 50 more , ukrinform reported friday . the news agency said that russian-terrorist troops ' faced off with ukrainian soldiers thursday along bakhumtka highway , even posting a picture that showed a man with stripes on his clothing , suggesting that he was part of the russian military . this is in line with kiev 's repeated assertions that russia has not only actively supported rebels with arms , but has sent its own troops across the border to battle ukrainian forces . on wednesday , for instance , ukrainian president petro poroshenko said that more than 9,000 russian troops ( crossed ) our russian-ukrainian border , bring with them hundreds and hundreds of tanks , armed personnel carriers , and killing ukrainian civilians and attacking ukrainian troops . ' claims that russian forces entered ukraine'complete rubbish ,'russia says russian foreign minister sergey lavrov promptly responded to this assertion with a firm denial , much like other denials made by russian officials in recent months over similar allegations of armed intervention . as to the flow of troops and armaments , this is not the first time we hear something like that , ' he said . and each time i hear that , i say if you 're so confident about that , please present us with facts , but no one has been able to provide us with these facts . ' russian forces , equipment enter ukraine , pm says pro-russian separatists have claimed control of parts of eastern ukraine since the spring of 2014 , despite a push by ukrainian forces to defeat them . from mid-april to january 21 , the conflict had killed at least 5,086 people and injured at least 10,948 others , said the united nations . we fear that the real figure may be considerably higher , ' the office of the u.n. high commissioner for human rights said about the death toll in a report released friday . at least 262 people were killed in the fighting from january 13 through wednesday alone , the report said . unrest in ukraine began with protests in the country 's capital last year after president viktor yanukovych , favoring closer ties to russia , dropped plans to sign a political and economic agreement with the european union . after months of protests and days of deadly clashes between demonstrators and security personnel in kiev , parliament ousted yanukovych in february . weeks later , russia annexed the crimean peninsula . then in april , violence broke out in two ukrainian regions that border russia -- donetsk and luhansk -- as separatist leaders declared independence from the government in kiev .","aleksandr zakharchenko : no sense in talking peace since we 're on the offensive" +"zakharchenko ( cnn ) a leader of pro-russian rebels in eastern ukraine 's donetsk region said friday he is not interested in a truce with the ukrainian government in kiev because his troops are on the offensive . since we 're attacking , there is no sense to have peace talks now , ' aleksandr zakharchenko , leader of the self-proclaimed people 's republic of donetsk , said in a meeting with university students , according to his media office . we 've made this mistake before . it 's not decent to repeat it , ' he said . thousands have been killed in months of conflict between the rebels and ukrainian troops , and a ceasefire agreed to in september crumbled long ago . zakharchenko 's comments came two days after the foreign ministers of ukraine and russia met in berlin to discuss a way out of the violence . but zakharchenko showed no interest in the talks . there will be no attempts from our side to talk about the ceasefire , ' he said , reported russian state news agency ria . we will be on the offensive until we reach the border of donetsk region . ' he said that he was interested in cooperating with ukraine on prisoner exchanges . we need to get our guys who 've been captured , ' he said , according to ria . despite the talks in berlin , violence in the breakaway donetsk and luhansk regions in eastern ukraine shows no signs of abating . power is out in and around luhansk after militants shelled a power plant there , luhansk regional official hennady moskal told ukraine 's state-run ukrinform news agency . moskal noted that the local water supply and boilers are off , and trolley buses are n't operating . thursday 's shelling of a transit stop in donetsk city -- an attack that ukraine 's defense ministry blamed on rebels -- killed eight civilians , according to state news reports . but ukrainian troops have come under heavy fire , as well . that includes 115 attacks in a recent 24-hour period that killed three troops and wounded 50 more , ukrinform reported friday . the news agency said that russian-terrorist troops ' faced off with ukrainian soldiers thursday along bakhumtka highway , even posting a picture that showed a man with stripes on his clothing , suggesting that he was part of the russian military . this is in line with kiev 's repeated assertions that russia has not only actively supported rebels with arms , but has sent its own troops across the border to battle ukrainian forces . on wednesday , for instance , ukrainian president petro poroshenko said that more than 9,000 russian troops ( crossed ) our russian-ukrainian border , bring with them hundreds and hundreds of tanks , armed personnel carriers , and killing ukrainian civilians and attacking ukrainian troops . ' claims that russian forces entered ukraine'complete rubbish ,'russia says russian foreign minister sergey lavrov promptly responded to this assertion with a firm denial , much like other denials made by russian officials in recent months over similar allegations of armed intervention . as to the flow of troops and armaments , this is not the first time we hear something like that , ' he said . and each time i hear that , i say if you 're so confident about that , please present us with facts , but no one has been able to provide us with these facts . ' russian forces , equipment enter ukraine , pm says pro-russian separatists have claimed control of parts of eastern ukraine since the spring of 2014 , despite a push by ukrainian forces to defeat them . from mid-april to january 21 , the conflict had killed at least 5,086 people and injured at least 10,948 others , said the united nations . we fear that the real figure may be considerably higher , ' the office of the u.n. high commissioner for human rights said about the death toll in a report released friday . at least 262 people were killed in the fighting from january 13 through wednesday alone , the report said . unrest in ukraine began with protests in the country 's capital last year after president viktor yanukovych , favoring closer ties to russia , dropped plans to sign a political and economic agreement with the european union . after months of protests and days of deadly clashes between demonstrators and security personnel in kiev , parliament ousted yanukovych in february . weeks later , russia annexed the crimean peninsula . then in april , violence broke out in two ukrainian regions that border russia -- donetsk and luhansk -- as separatist leaders declared independence from the government in kiev .","zakharchenko is the leader of rebels in eastern ukraine 's donetsk region" +"kim jong-un seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- north korean leader kim jong-il tapped his son to join the powerful national defense commission -- a move analysts say makes the latter the heir apparent , south korean state media said . kim jong-il has appointed his youngest son and his brother-in-law to the national defense commission . kim jong-un had been appointed to a low-level post , called'instructor'at the national defense commission days before the first session of the 12th supreme people 's assembly meeting was held , ' south korea 's yonhap news agency reported , quoting a source . cnn was not able to independently confirm the report . the secretive north korea shields its internal affairs from international scrutiny . and often , the only news coming the communist nation is reported by its neighbor south korea . the two countries have technically remained in a state of war since the korean war ended in 1953 , although relations have warmed somewhat in the last few years . the korean conflict ended in a truce , but no formal peace treaty was ever signed . the 25-year-old picked for the north korean defense commission is the youngest of kim 's three sons , yonhap said . the move comes two weeks after kim added his brother-in-law jang song thaek to the military board . analysts said jang will serve as a caretaker for the successor , yonhap said . jang , who has been married to kim 's sister since 1972 , is considered his right-hand man , according to yonhap . kim was reappointed this month as chairman of the military board in his first major public appearance since a reported stroke in august . his recent health problems and long absence from public functions prompted speculation on whether he was ready to groom an heir to the world 's only communist dynasty .","south korean media says move makes kim jong-un his father 's heir apparent" +"kim seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- north korean leader kim jong-il tapped his son to join the powerful national defense commission -- a move analysts say makes the latter the heir apparent , south korean state media said . kim jong-il has appointed his youngest son and his brother-in-law to the national defense commission . kim jong-un had been appointed to a low-level post , called'instructor'at the national defense commission days before the first session of the 12th supreme people 's assembly meeting was held , ' south korea 's yonhap news agency reported , quoting a source . cnn was not able to independently confirm the report . the secretive north korea shields its internal affairs from international scrutiny . and often , the only news coming the communist nation is reported by its neighbor south korea . the two countries have technically remained in a state of war since the korean war ended in 1953 , although relations have warmed somewhat in the last few years . the korean conflict ended in a truce , but no formal peace treaty was ever signed . the 25-year-old picked for the north korean defense commission is the youngest of kim 's three sons , yonhap said . the move comes two weeks after kim added his brother-in-law jang song thaek to the military board . analysts said jang will serve as a caretaker for the successor , yonhap said . jang , who has been married to kim 's sister since 1972 , is considered his right-hand man , according to yonhap . kim was reappointed this month as chairman of the military board in his first major public appearance since a reported stroke in august . his recent health problems and long absence from public functions prompted speculation on whether he was ready to groom an heir to the world 's only communist dynasty .","25-year-old is youngest of kim 's three sons" +"kim seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- north korean leader kim jong-il tapped his son to join the powerful national defense commission -- a move analysts say makes the latter the heir apparent , south korean state media said . kim jong-il has appointed his youngest son and his brother-in-law to the national defense commission . kim jong-un had been appointed to a low-level post , called'instructor'at the national defense commission days before the first session of the 12th supreme people 's assembly meeting was held , ' south korea 's yonhap news agency reported , quoting a source . cnn was not able to independently confirm the report . the secretive north korea shields its internal affairs from international scrutiny . and often , the only news coming the communist nation is reported by its neighbor south korea . the two countries have technically remained in a state of war since the korean war ended in 1953 , although relations have warmed somewhat in the last few years . the korean conflict ended in a truce , but no formal peace treaty was ever signed . the 25-year-old picked for the north korean defense commission is the youngest of kim 's three sons , yonhap said . the move comes two weeks after kim added his brother-in-law jang song thaek to the military board . analysts said jang will serve as a caretaker for the successor , yonhap said . jang , who has been married to kim 's sister since 1972 , is considered his right-hand man , according to yonhap . kim was reappointed this month as chairman of the military board in his first major public appearance since a reported stroke in august . his recent health problems and long absence from public functions prompted speculation on whether he was ready to groom an heir to the world 's only communist dynasty .","south korean media says move makes kim jong-un his father 's heir apparent" +"kim seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- north korean leader kim jong-il tapped his son to join the powerful national defense commission -- a move analysts say makes the latter the heir apparent , south korean state media said . kim jong-il has appointed his youngest son and his brother-in-law to the national defense commission . kim jong-un had been appointed to a low-level post , called'instructor'at the national defense commission days before the first session of the 12th supreme people 's assembly meeting was held , ' south korea 's yonhap news agency reported , quoting a source . cnn was not able to independently confirm the report . the secretive north korea shields its internal affairs from international scrutiny . and often , the only news coming the communist nation is reported by its neighbor south korea . the two countries have technically remained in a state of war since the korean war ended in 1953 , although relations have warmed somewhat in the last few years . the korean conflict ended in a truce , but no formal peace treaty was ever signed . the 25-year-old picked for the north korean defense commission is the youngest of kim 's three sons , yonhap said . the move comes two weeks after kim added his brother-in-law jang song thaek to the military board . analysts said jang will serve as a caretaker for the successor , yonhap said . jang , who has been married to kim 's sister since 1972 , is considered his right-hand man , according to yonhap . kim was reappointed this month as chairman of the military board in his first major public appearance since a reported stroke in august . his recent health problems and long absence from public functions prompted speculation on whether he was ready to groom an heir to the world 's only communist dynasty .","north korean leader kim jong-il 's son joins national defense commission" +"redskins ( cnn ) -- a native american chief has asked all tribal employees not to use fedex until the washington redskins changes its team name . until the name of the nfl team is changed to something less inflammatory and insulting , i direct all employees to refrain from using fedex when there is an alternative available , ' osage nation chief geoffrey m. standing bear penned in his directive to all employees . the tribe also issued a news release saying that redskins owner daniel snyder chooses to stick with a brand which dictionaries define as disparaging and offensive . fedex chose to endorse that brand through their sponsorship of mr. snyder 's organization . ' it concludes , the osage nation chooses not to use fedex services . we encourage other tribal nations to consider similar actions . ' standing bear was not available for an interview , but assistant chief raymond red corn said the tribe would stand-pat ' on the press release . it was not our intention to become a news item , ' he said , adding that ethics ' drove the tribe 's decision . the redskins play their home games at fedexfield , to which the shipping giant purchased the naming rights in a 27-year , $ 207 million deal in 1999 , forbes reports . fred smith , fedex 's chairman , president and ceo , is part of the team 's ownership group . patrick fitzgerald , fedex 's senior vice president of marketing and communications , released a statement wednesday saying that his employer values its sponsorship of the stadium and we are proud that fedexfield is a venue that is used by a wide range of community groups . ' fedex has closely followed the dialogue and difference of opinion concerning the washington redskins team name , but we continue to direct questions about the name to the franchise owner , ' fitzgerald said . snyder has repeatedly defended the name and wrote in a march letter that the name captures the best of who we are and who we can be , by staying true to our history and honoring the deep and enduring values our name represents . ' the team has employed native americans to defend the name and launched a site called redskins facts to promote its stance that the names honors native americans rather than disparages them . the team also has created a foundation to provide resources to tribal communities . the good deed has n't stemmed the controversy as opposition to the name persists , and president barack obama said last year that if he were snyder , he might change the name . in june , the u.s. patent and trademark office canceled six trademarks belonging to the team , saying they were offensive . the team appealed the decision , saying it spent millions defending the trademark , and the patent office ruled the redskins could use the logos until the years-long appeals process was complete . the national congress of american indians has spoken out against the use of redskins and other native american mascots , and the native voice network , which represents numerous native american organizations , has targeted fedex in its effort to convince snyder to change the team name . the native voice network says use of r-word ' has a negative , dehumanizing effect on children , a major concern when the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention says suicide is the second-leading cause of death among native american people between the ages of 15 and 24 . chrissie castro , the native voice network 's network weaver , ' says her group definitely ' supports osage nation . we 're very proud of their position and we 'd love to see other tribal communities do the same , ' she said . the oklahoma tribe has about 18,000 members and is situated in osage county , the setting for the meryl streep movie , august : osage county . ' cnn 's devon m. sayers contributed to this report .","chief : do n't use fedex until redskins change disparaging and offensive ' name" +"redskins ( cnn ) -- a native american chief has asked all tribal employees not to use fedex until the washington redskins changes its team name . until the name of the nfl team is changed to something less inflammatory and insulting , i direct all employees to refrain from using fedex when there is an alternative available , ' osage nation chief geoffrey m. standing bear penned in his directive to all employees . the tribe also issued a news release saying that redskins owner daniel snyder chooses to stick with a brand which dictionaries define as disparaging and offensive . fedex chose to endorse that brand through their sponsorship of mr. snyder 's organization . ' it concludes , the osage nation chooses not to use fedex services . we encourage other tribal nations to consider similar actions . ' standing bear was not available for an interview , but assistant chief raymond red corn said the tribe would stand-pat ' on the press release . it was not our intention to become a news item , ' he said , adding that ethics ' drove the tribe 's decision . the redskins play their home games at fedexfield , to which the shipping giant purchased the naming rights in a 27-year , $ 207 million deal in 1999 , forbes reports . fred smith , fedex 's chairman , president and ceo , is part of the team 's ownership group . patrick fitzgerald , fedex 's senior vice president of marketing and communications , released a statement wednesday saying that his employer values its sponsorship of the stadium and we are proud that fedexfield is a venue that is used by a wide range of community groups . ' fedex has closely followed the dialogue and difference of opinion concerning the washington redskins team name , but we continue to direct questions about the name to the franchise owner , ' fitzgerald said . snyder has repeatedly defended the name and wrote in a march letter that the name captures the best of who we are and who we can be , by staying true to our history and honoring the deep and enduring values our name represents . ' the team has employed native americans to defend the name and launched a site called redskins facts to promote its stance that the names honors native americans rather than disparages them . the team also has created a foundation to provide resources to tribal communities . the good deed has n't stemmed the controversy as opposition to the name persists , and president barack obama said last year that if he were snyder , he might change the name . in june , the u.s. patent and trademark office canceled six trademarks belonging to the team , saying they were offensive . the team appealed the decision , saying it spent millions defending the trademark , and the patent office ruled the redskins could use the logos until the years-long appeals process was complete . the national congress of american indians has spoken out against the use of redskins and other native american mascots , and the native voice network , which represents numerous native american organizations , has targeted fedex in its effort to convince snyder to change the team name . the native voice network says use of r-word ' has a negative , dehumanizing effect on children , a major concern when the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention says suicide is the second-leading cause of death among native american people between the ages of 15 and 24 . chrissie castro , the native voice network 's network weaver , ' says her group definitely ' supports osage nation . we 're very proud of their position and we 'd love to see other tribal communities do the same , ' she said . the oklahoma tribe has about 18,000 members and is situated in osage county , the setting for the meryl streep movie , august : osage county . ' cnn 's devon m. sayers contributed to this report .","redskins stadium changed name to fedexfield in 27-year , $ 207 million deal in 1999" +"redskins ( cnn ) -- a native american chief has asked all tribal employees not to use fedex until the washington redskins changes its team name . until the name of the nfl team is changed to something less inflammatory and insulting , i direct all employees to refrain from using fedex when there is an alternative available , ' osage nation chief geoffrey m. standing bear penned in his directive to all employees . the tribe also issued a news release saying that redskins owner daniel snyder chooses to stick with a brand which dictionaries define as disparaging and offensive . fedex chose to endorse that brand through their sponsorship of mr. snyder 's organization . ' it concludes , the osage nation chooses not to use fedex services . we encourage other tribal nations to consider similar actions . ' standing bear was not available for an interview , but assistant chief raymond red corn said the tribe would stand-pat ' on the press release . it was not our intention to become a news item , ' he said , adding that ethics ' drove the tribe 's decision . the redskins play their home games at fedexfield , to which the shipping giant purchased the naming rights in a 27-year , $ 207 million deal in 1999 , forbes reports . fred smith , fedex 's chairman , president and ceo , is part of the team 's ownership group . patrick fitzgerald , fedex 's senior vice president of marketing and communications , released a statement wednesday saying that his employer values its sponsorship of the stadium and we are proud that fedexfield is a venue that is used by a wide range of community groups . ' fedex has closely followed the dialogue and difference of opinion concerning the washington redskins team name , but we continue to direct questions about the name to the franchise owner , ' fitzgerald said . snyder has repeatedly defended the name and wrote in a march letter that the name captures the best of who we are and who we can be , by staying true to our history and honoring the deep and enduring values our name represents . ' the team has employed native americans to defend the name and launched a site called redskins facts to promote its stance that the names honors native americans rather than disparages them . the team also has created a foundation to provide resources to tribal communities . the good deed has n't stemmed the controversy as opposition to the name persists , and president barack obama said last year that if he were snyder , he might change the name . in june , the u.s. patent and trademark office canceled six trademarks belonging to the team , saying they were offensive . the team appealed the decision , saying it spent millions defending the trademark , and the patent office ruled the redskins could use the logos until the years-long appeals process was complete . the national congress of american indians has spoken out against the use of redskins and other native american mascots , and the native voice network , which represents numerous native american organizations , has targeted fedex in its effort to convince snyder to change the team name . the native voice network says use of r-word ' has a negative , dehumanizing effect on children , a major concern when the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention says suicide is the second-leading cause of death among native american people between the ages of 15 and 24 . chrissie castro , the native voice network 's network weaver , ' says her group definitely ' supports osage nation . we 're very proud of their position and we 'd love to see other tribal communities do the same , ' she said . the oklahoma tribe has about 18,000 members and is situated in osage county , the setting for the meryl streep movie , august : osage county . ' cnn 's devon m. sayers contributed to this report .","washington redskins team name has been source of controversy" +"london london ( cnn ) british police investigating a spectacular heist in the heart of london 's jewelry district said friday they knew a burglar alarm went off but did n't respond . southern monitoring alarm company called the metropolitan police service , also known as scotland yard , at 12:21 a.m. april 3 to report that the burglar alarm had been activated at hatton garden safe deposit ltd. , mps said in a prepared statement . the call was recorded and transferred to the police 's cad ( computer-aided dispatch ) system , ' the statement said . a grade was applied to the call that meant that no police response was deemed to be required . we are now investigating why this grade was applied to the call . this investigation is being carried out locally . it is too early to say if the handling of the call would have had an impact on the outcome of the incident . ' the theft was so big that police have n't come up with a value for what was stolen . over the four-day easter holiday , thieves broke into the vault of hatton garden safe deposit ltd. and might have been able to take as long as four days to rifle through the boxes . a former police official in london has speculated that the loss could run to £200 million , or $ 300 million , in a remark widely reported by news media . numerous british news organizations put the value of the loss in the hundreds of thousands of pounds . detective chief inspector paul johnson of the london metropolitan police flying squad said police were still identifying the owners of ransacked safe deposit boxes and trying to contact them to learn what had been lost . the british tabloid the daily mirror claimed friday to have obtained closed-circuit tv footage that captured the robbery being carried out . the video showed people inside the building dressed like utility workers with their faces covered . they carried large bags , what looked like drill equipment and other tools , then exited with trash bins . toward the end of the video , a white van can be seen on a street during daytime with individuals loading back their gear and the trash bins . british police told cnn they have not released any video of the heist . when asked about the video published by the daily mirror , police said they could not confirm that it was footage from the hatton garden robbery and that officers have not seen that particular video . the daily mirror published time-stamped images it said showed that the thieves had been -- as was feared -- in the vault for days . the mirror 's time stamps , which cnn has not been able to independently verify , show employees locking up for the weekend at 9:19 p.m. on thursday . if the footage , and its interpretation by the newspaper are correct , at least six people were involved in the heist just four minutes later , the first of the thieves , nicknamed mr. ginger ' by the newspaper for his red hair , appears in the building holding a black bag . he goes downstairs toward the vault . at 9:27 p.m. , a street camera shows a white ford transit van pulling up to an alley beside the hatton garden safe deposit building . men are seen dragging trash bins down the alley before the van drives away , leaving the men behind . inside the building , at 9:30p.m. , the camera records a thief nicknamed the gent ' for his natty clothing -- though he also wears a hard-hat and a high-visibility jacket labeled gas ' on the back . a minute later , mr. strong ' appears , wearing a builder 's hat and carrying steel supports , which the newspaper speculates could have been used to support the diamond-tipped drill used to smash through the wall of the vault . at 9:36 p.m. , mr. strong and a thief nicknamed mr. montana for the logo on his hooded sweatshirt roll in trash bins , one of which might have contained , according the mirror , the 77-pound drill that bored through the reinforced seven-foot concrete wall to reach the vault . it is unclear , but the thieves may have spent the night in the basement in or near the vault . at any rate , according to the daily mirror , no more activity is seen above ground until friday morning , shortly before 8:00 . the white van returns , is loaded in two minutes , and drives off again . on saturday evening , mr. ginger returns , two days after he was first seen . the newspaper says is wearing latex gloves and carrying a black sack . he goes downstairs toward the vault . saturday evening also marked the first appearance of the tall man , who helped carry some of the loot out of the building . early sunday , mr ginger , the tall man and a robber nicknamed the old man are seen to be active . the tall man and the old man struggle to move a bin before they drag it outside . the old man leans on the bin , struggling for breath , and reveals the side of his face to the camera . a white van arrives by the alley and the men start loading equipment on it , including several trash bins . three men get into the white van and , at 6:44 a.m. they are gone . the heist would not be reported to police for two more days , on tuesday morning when employees of the company arrived for work . police said thursday there was no sign of forced entry . johnson said the thieves appeared to have gained access to the vault through the shaft of an elevator that is used by several businesses in the building . the thieves disabled the elevator on the second floor of the building -- which would be called the third floor in the united states -- then climbed down the elevator shaft into the basement , he said . once there , he said , they used a drill to bore through a 6-foot-thick wall and gain access to the vault where the safe deposit boxes were . people with knowledge of the area have speculated that cash and jewels were probably taken . some jewelry businesses reportedly stored some of their jewels in the boxes rather than leaving it in their stores over the holiday weekend . johnson said the scene in the vault remained chaotic as police continued their forensic examination . he said the floor was covered with dust and littered with safe deposit boxes and power tools . watch : top five jewelry heists johnson called the crime sophisticated and said there were a limited number of people in the united kingdom capable of pulling it off . he said he had no idea whether the thieves were still in the country . although there was no sign of forced entry to the building , the detective said , whether that involves inside knowledge will form part of the investigation . ' 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 . ' how was $ 4.8 million in gold swiped from a north carolina highway ? 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 . '","police give no value of the amount taken in the heist in london 's jewelry district" +"british london ( cnn ) british police investigating a spectacular heist in the heart of london 's jewelry district said friday they knew a burglar alarm went off but did n't respond . southern monitoring alarm company called the metropolitan police service , also known as scotland yard , at 12:21 a.m. april 3 to report that the burglar alarm had been activated at hatton garden safe deposit ltd. , mps said in a prepared statement . the call was recorded and transferred to the police 's cad ( computer-aided dispatch ) system , ' the statement said . a grade was applied to the call that meant that no police response was deemed to be required . we are now investigating why this grade was applied to the call . this investigation is being carried out locally . it is too early to say if the handling of the call would have had an impact on the outcome of the incident . ' the theft was so big that police have n't come up with a value for what was stolen . over the four-day easter holiday , thieves broke into the vault of hatton garden safe deposit ltd. and might have been able to take as long as four days to rifle through the boxes . a former police official in london has speculated that the loss could run to £200 million , or $ 300 million , in a remark widely reported by news media . numerous british news organizations put the value of the loss in the hundreds of thousands of pounds . detective chief inspector paul johnson of the london metropolitan police flying squad said police were still identifying the owners of ransacked safe deposit boxes and trying to contact them to learn what had been lost . the british tabloid the daily mirror claimed friday to have obtained closed-circuit tv footage that captured the robbery being carried out . the video showed people inside the building dressed like utility workers with their faces covered . they carried large bags , what looked like drill equipment and other tools , then exited with trash bins . toward the end of the video , a white van can be seen on a street during daytime with individuals loading back their gear and the trash bins . british police told cnn they have not released any video of the heist . when asked about the video published by the daily mirror , police said they could not confirm that it was footage from the hatton garden robbery and that officers have not seen that particular video . the daily mirror published time-stamped images it said showed that the thieves had been -- as was feared -- in the vault for days . the mirror 's time stamps , which cnn has not been able to independently verify , show employees locking up for the weekend at 9:19 p.m. on thursday . if the footage , and its interpretation by the newspaper are correct , at least six people were involved in the heist just four minutes later , the first of the thieves , nicknamed mr. ginger ' by the newspaper for his red hair , appears in the building holding a black bag . he goes downstairs toward the vault . at 9:27 p.m. , a street camera shows a white ford transit van pulling up to an alley beside the hatton garden safe deposit building . men are seen dragging trash bins down the alley before the van drives away , leaving the men behind . inside the building , at 9:30p.m. , the camera records a thief nicknamed the gent ' for his natty clothing -- though he also wears a hard-hat and a high-visibility jacket labeled gas ' on the back . a minute later , mr. strong ' appears , wearing a builder 's hat and carrying steel supports , which the newspaper speculates could have been used to support the diamond-tipped drill used to smash through the wall of the vault . at 9:36 p.m. , mr. strong and a thief nicknamed mr. montana for the logo on his hooded sweatshirt roll in trash bins , one of which might have contained , according the mirror , the 77-pound drill that bored through the reinforced seven-foot concrete wall to reach the vault . it is unclear , but the thieves may have spent the night in the basement in or near the vault . at any rate , according to the daily mirror , no more activity is seen above ground until friday morning , shortly before 8:00 . the white van returns , is loaded in two minutes , and drives off again . on saturday evening , mr. ginger returns , two days after he was first seen . the newspaper says is wearing latex gloves and carrying a black sack . he goes downstairs toward the vault . saturday evening also marked the first appearance of the tall man , who helped carry some of the loot out of the building . early sunday , mr ginger , the tall man and a robber nicknamed the old man are seen to be active . the tall man and the old man struggle to move a bin before they drag it outside . the old man leans on the bin , struggling for breath , and reveals the side of his face to the camera . a white van arrives by the alley and the men start loading equipment on it , including several trash bins . three men get into the white van and , at 6:44 a.m. they are gone . the heist would not be reported to police for two more days , on tuesday morning when employees of the company arrived for work . police said thursday there was no sign of forced entry . johnson said the thieves appeared to have gained access to the vault through the shaft of an elevator that is used by several businesses in the building . the thieves disabled the elevator on the second floor of the building -- which would be called the third floor in the united states -- then climbed down the elevator shaft into the basement , he said . once there , he said , they used a drill to bore through a 6-foot-thick wall and gain access to the vault where the safe deposit boxes were . people with knowledge of the area have speculated that cash and jewels were probably taken . some jewelry businesses reportedly stored some of their jewels in the boxes rather than leaving it in their stores over the holiday weekend . johnson said the scene in the vault remained chaotic as police continued their forensic examination . he said the floor was covered with dust and littered with safe deposit boxes and power tools . watch : top five jewelry heists johnson called the crime sophisticated and said there were a limited number of people in the united kingdom capable of pulling it off . he said he had no idea whether the thieves were still in the country . although there was no sign of forced entry to the building , the detective said , whether that involves inside knowledge will form part of the investigation . ' 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 . ' how was $ 4.8 million in gold swiped from a north carolina highway ? 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 . '","british police say they did n't respond to a burglar alarm in jewelry district" +"british london ( cnn ) british police investigating a spectacular heist in the heart of london 's jewelry district said friday they knew a burglar alarm went off but did n't respond . southern monitoring alarm company called the metropolitan police service , also known as scotland yard , at 12:21 a.m. april 3 to report that the burglar alarm had been activated at hatton garden safe deposit ltd. , mps said in a prepared statement . the call was recorded and transferred to the police 's cad ( computer-aided dispatch ) system , ' the statement said . a grade was applied to the call that meant that no police response was deemed to be required . we are now investigating why this grade was applied to the call . this investigation is being carried out locally . it is too early to say if the handling of the call would have had an impact on the outcome of the incident . ' the theft was so big that police have n't come up with a value for what was stolen . over the four-day easter holiday , thieves broke into the vault of hatton garden safe deposit ltd. and might have been able to take as long as four days to rifle through the boxes . a former police official in london has speculated that the loss could run to £200 million , or $ 300 million , in a remark widely reported by news media . numerous british news organizations put the value of the loss in the hundreds of thousands of pounds . detective chief inspector paul johnson of the london metropolitan police flying squad said police were still identifying the owners of ransacked safe deposit boxes and trying to contact them to learn what had been lost . the british tabloid the daily mirror claimed friday to have obtained closed-circuit tv footage that captured the robbery being carried out . the video showed people inside the building dressed like utility workers with their faces covered . they carried large bags , what looked like drill equipment and other tools , then exited with trash bins . toward the end of the video , a white van can be seen on a street during daytime with individuals loading back their gear and the trash bins . british police told cnn they have not released any video of the heist . when asked about the video published by the daily mirror , police said they could not confirm that it was footage from the hatton garden robbery and that officers have not seen that particular video . the daily mirror published time-stamped images it said showed that the thieves had been -- as was feared -- in the vault for days . the mirror 's time stamps , which cnn has not been able to independently verify , show employees locking up for the weekend at 9:19 p.m. on thursday . if the footage , and its interpretation by the newspaper are correct , at least six people were involved in the heist just four minutes later , the first of the thieves , nicknamed mr. ginger ' by the newspaper for his red hair , appears in the building holding a black bag . he goes downstairs toward the vault . at 9:27 p.m. , a street camera shows a white ford transit van pulling up to an alley beside the hatton garden safe deposit building . men are seen dragging trash bins down the alley before the van drives away , leaving the men behind . inside the building , at 9:30p.m. , the camera records a thief nicknamed the gent ' for his natty clothing -- though he also wears a hard-hat and a high-visibility jacket labeled gas ' on the back . a minute later , mr. strong ' appears , wearing a builder 's hat and carrying steel supports , which the newspaper speculates could have been used to support the diamond-tipped drill used to smash through the wall of the vault . at 9:36 p.m. , mr. strong and a thief nicknamed mr. montana for the logo on his hooded sweatshirt roll in trash bins , one of which might have contained , according the mirror , the 77-pound drill that bored through the reinforced seven-foot concrete wall to reach the vault . it is unclear , but the thieves may have spent the night in the basement in or near the vault . at any rate , according to the daily mirror , no more activity is seen above ground until friday morning , shortly before 8:00 . the white van returns , is loaded in two minutes , and drives off again . on saturday evening , mr. ginger returns , two days after he was first seen . the newspaper says is wearing latex gloves and carrying a black sack . he goes downstairs toward the vault . saturday evening also marked the first appearance of the tall man , who helped carry some of the loot out of the building . early sunday , mr ginger , the tall man and a robber nicknamed the old man are seen to be active . the tall man and the old man struggle to move a bin before they drag it outside . the old man leans on the bin , struggling for breath , and reveals the side of his face to the camera . a white van arrives by the alley and the men start loading equipment on it , including several trash bins . three men get into the white van and , at 6:44 a.m. they are gone . the heist would not be reported to police for two more days , on tuesday morning when employees of the company arrived for work . police said thursday there was no sign of forced entry . johnson said the thieves appeared to have gained access to the vault through the shaft of an elevator that is used by several businesses in the building . the thieves disabled the elevator on the second floor of the building -- which would be called the third floor in the united states -- then climbed down the elevator shaft into the basement , he said . once there , he said , they used a drill to bore through a 6-foot-thick wall and gain access to the vault where the safe deposit boxes were . people with knowledge of the area have speculated that cash and jewels were probably taken . some jewelry businesses reportedly stored some of their jewels in the boxes rather than leaving it in their stores over the holiday weekend . johnson said the scene in the vault remained chaotic as police continued their forensic examination . he said the floor was covered with dust and littered with safe deposit boxes and power tools . watch : top five jewelry heists johnson called the crime sophisticated and said there were a limited number of people in the united kingdom capable of pulling it off . he said he had no idea whether the thieves were still in the country . although there was no sign of forced entry to the building , the detective said , whether that involves inside knowledge will form part of the investigation . ' 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 . ' how was $ 4.8 million in gold swiped from a north carolina highway ? 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 . '","british tabloid releases video it says shows the robbery being carried out" +"americans president barack obama apologized thursday to those americans whose insurance plans are being canceled due to the federal health law he championed even though he said repeatedly they could keep their coverage if they liked . i am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me , ' he told nbc news in an exclusive interview . we 've got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this , ' he added . obama 's comments come days after he attempted to clarify what he meant when he assured americans in previous years that they would be able to keep their plans under the affordable care act , a controversy that is prompting legislation in congress to address it . obama further alters'you can keep your plan'pledge republicans have hammered obama over the promise since insurers began discontinuing coverage for some of the 12 million americans who buy individual policies on the private market that do n't meet obamacare requirements for more comprehensive care . gop moves past troubled obamacare website insurance companies appear to be doing this for a variety of reasons ; some are pulling all their plans from certain states where they have fewer subscribers in order to save money . in many cases , affected policyholders are being squeezed . they either do n't qualify for subsidies to lower the cost of new premiums or they may have to pay more in the health care exchange marketplace . when obama says he 's looking to fix it , he primarily means steps that can be taken administratively , senior administration officials said . some experts suggest one possible approach would be to ask insurers to delay the cancellation of plans and extend them into the new year so that people are not left without insurance . that has been done , for example , in the state of california . but house speaker john boehner said an obama apology was in order and said the republican-led house had its own plan in mind . what americans want to hear is that the president is going to keep his promise . that 's why the house will vote next week to allow anyone with a health care plan they like to keep it , ' boehner said . if the president is sincerely sorry that he misled the american people , the very least he can do is support this bipartisan effort . otherwise , this apology does n't amount to anything . ' the administration eventually knew that many policies would be changed by the insurance carriers after obamacare was introduced , and the associated political uproar since its october 1 online rollout has also angered democrats and fueled republican efforts to extend related controversies onto the campaign trail . vulnerable senate democrats voice concerns in 2010 , the health and human services department estimated that 40 % to 67 % of individual plans would eventually lose their grandfathered ' status , which only was conferred if a plan was purchased before the health care law was approved in 2010 . although obama said the buck stops ' with him on obamacare problems to date -- including the rocky rollout of the website -- he still was resolute that his initiative to provide coverage for the uninsured and better coverage for many others would be better for the country . most of the folks who ... got these cancellation letters , they 'll be able to get better care at the same cost or cheaper in these new marketplaces , ' obama said , also noting that we have to make sure ' people do not feel as if they 've been betrayed by an effort carried out with their best interests in mind . they 'll have more choice , they 'll have more competition . they 're part of a bigger pool . the insurance companies are going to be hungry for their business . so the majority of folks will end up being better off , ' he said . key elements of the health law prohibit discrimination for pre-existing conditions and require new plans cover maternity care , mental health and other areas . the program was developed to put comprehensive care within reach of millions of uninsured americans . about 95 % of legal u.s. residents receive health insurance through private employers or the federal government , the obama administration says . but more than 48 million americans do n't have any coverage . debunking 4 obamacare myths : both sides get it wrong obama 's apology comes a week after similar refrains were made by vice president joe biden and health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius regarding the botched obamacare online rollout . five things we learned from obamacare records wh : chief tech officer too busy for congressional testimony asked if he thinks americans will be able to trust what he says in the future , obama said he thinks he 'll ultimately be judged on whether ' obamacare is better for americans overall . when you try to do something big like make our health care system better ... there are going to be problems along the way , even if ultimately what you 're doing is going to make a whole lot of people better off , and i hope that people will look at the end product and they 're going to be able to look back and say , you know what , we now have protections we did n't have before , ' he said . in the nbc interview , obama reiterated the administration 's line that he 's confident ' a majority of people ' will be able to use the website and apply for insurance by november 30 . but he did not say whether he would push back the march 31 deadline to enroll or the penalty for those who do not purchase insurance . obamacare depends on younger , healthier americans to buy into the program and pay premiums to offset costs for covering older people who need more health care . those without insurance who do not sign up for a plan face a fine . what else could go wrong with obamacare ? a gallup poll conducted just over a week ago showed 36 % of americans said they did n't think that in the long run the affordable care act would make much of a difference to their family 's health care situation . just over a third said the health care law would make matters worse , and one in four said that obamacare would make things better . opinion : here 's the truth about obamacare","obama said previously americans could keep their plans if they liked them" +"americans president barack obama apologized thursday to those americans whose insurance plans are being canceled due to the federal health law he championed even though he said repeatedly they could keep their coverage if they liked . i am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me , ' he told nbc news in an exclusive interview . we 've got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this , ' he added . obama 's comments come days after he attempted to clarify what he meant when he assured americans in previous years that they would be able to keep their plans under the affordable care act , a controversy that is prompting legislation in congress to address it . obama further alters'you can keep your plan'pledge republicans have hammered obama over the promise since insurers began discontinuing coverage for some of the 12 million americans who buy individual policies on the private market that do n't meet obamacare requirements for more comprehensive care . gop moves past troubled obamacare website insurance companies appear to be doing this for a variety of reasons ; some are pulling all their plans from certain states where they have fewer subscribers in order to save money . in many cases , affected policyholders are being squeezed . they either do n't qualify for subsidies to lower the cost of new premiums or they may have to pay more in the health care exchange marketplace . when obama says he 's looking to fix it , he primarily means steps that can be taken administratively , senior administration officials said . some experts suggest one possible approach would be to ask insurers to delay the cancellation of plans and extend them into the new year so that people are not left without insurance . that has been done , for example , in the state of california . but house speaker john boehner said an obama apology was in order and said the republican-led house had its own plan in mind . what americans want to hear is that the president is going to keep his promise . that 's why the house will vote next week to allow anyone with a health care plan they like to keep it , ' boehner said . if the president is sincerely sorry that he misled the american people , the very least he can do is support this bipartisan effort . otherwise , this apology does n't amount to anything . ' the administration eventually knew that many policies would be changed by the insurance carriers after obamacare was introduced , and the associated political uproar since its october 1 online rollout has also angered democrats and fueled republican efforts to extend related controversies onto the campaign trail . vulnerable senate democrats voice concerns in 2010 , the health and human services department estimated that 40 % to 67 % of individual plans would eventually lose their grandfathered ' status , which only was conferred if a plan was purchased before the health care law was approved in 2010 . although obama said the buck stops ' with him on obamacare problems to date -- including the rocky rollout of the website -- he still was resolute that his initiative to provide coverage for the uninsured and better coverage for many others would be better for the country . most of the folks who ... got these cancellation letters , they 'll be able to get better care at the same cost or cheaper in these new marketplaces , ' obama said , also noting that we have to make sure ' people do not feel as if they 've been betrayed by an effort carried out with their best interests in mind . they 'll have more choice , they 'll have more competition . they 're part of a bigger pool . the insurance companies are going to be hungry for their business . so the majority of folks will end up being better off , ' he said . key elements of the health law prohibit discrimination for pre-existing conditions and require new plans cover maternity care , mental health and other areas . the program was developed to put comprehensive care within reach of millions of uninsured americans . about 95 % of legal u.s. residents receive health insurance through private employers or the federal government , the obama administration says . but more than 48 million americans do n't have any coverage . debunking 4 obamacare myths : both sides get it wrong obama 's apology comes a week after similar refrains were made by vice president joe biden and health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius regarding the botched obamacare online rollout . five things we learned from obamacare records wh : chief tech officer too busy for congressional testimony asked if he thinks americans will be able to trust what he says in the future , obama said he thinks he 'll ultimately be judged on whether ' obamacare is better for americans overall . when you try to do something big like make our health care system better ... there are going to be problems along the way , even if ultimately what you 're doing is going to make a whole lot of people better off , and i hope that people will look at the end product and they 're going to be able to look back and say , you know what , we now have protections we did n't have before , ' he said . in the nbc interview , obama reiterated the administration 's line that he 's confident ' a majority of people ' will be able to use the website and apply for insurance by november 30 . but he did not say whether he would push back the march 31 deadline to enroll or the penalty for those who do not purchase insurance . obamacare depends on younger , healthier americans to buy into the program and pay premiums to offset costs for covering older people who need more health care . those without insurance who do not sign up for a plan face a fine . what else could go wrong with obamacare ? a gallup poll conducted just over a week ago showed 36 % of americans said they did n't think that in the long run the affordable care act would make much of a difference to their family 's health care situation . just over a third said the health care law would make matters worse , and one in four said that obamacare would make things better . opinion : here 's the truth about obamacare","house will vote next week on bill allowing americans to keep their health plans" +"nbc president barack obama apologized thursday to those americans whose insurance plans are being canceled due to the federal health law he championed even though he said repeatedly they could keep their coverage if they liked . i am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me , ' he told nbc news in an exclusive interview . we 've got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this , ' he added . obama 's comments come days after he attempted to clarify what he meant when he assured americans in previous years that they would be able to keep their plans under the affordable care act , a controversy that is prompting legislation in congress to address it . obama further alters'you can keep your plan'pledge republicans have hammered obama over the promise since insurers began discontinuing coverage for some of the 12 million americans who buy individual policies on the private market that do n't meet obamacare requirements for more comprehensive care . gop moves past troubled obamacare website insurance companies appear to be doing this for a variety of reasons ; some are pulling all their plans from certain states where they have fewer subscribers in order to save money . in many cases , affected policyholders are being squeezed . they either do n't qualify for subsidies to lower the cost of new premiums or they may have to pay more in the health care exchange marketplace . when obama says he 's looking to fix it , he primarily means steps that can be taken administratively , senior administration officials said . some experts suggest one possible approach would be to ask insurers to delay the cancellation of plans and extend them into the new year so that people are not left without insurance . that has been done , for example , in the state of california . but house speaker john boehner said an obama apology was in order and said the republican-led house had its own plan in mind . what americans want to hear is that the president is going to keep his promise . that 's why the house will vote next week to allow anyone with a health care plan they like to keep it , ' boehner said . if the president is sincerely sorry that he misled the american people , the very least he can do is support this bipartisan effort . otherwise , this apology does n't amount to anything . ' the administration eventually knew that many policies would be changed by the insurance carriers after obamacare was introduced , and the associated political uproar since its october 1 online rollout has also angered democrats and fueled republican efforts to extend related controversies onto the campaign trail . vulnerable senate democrats voice concerns in 2010 , the health and human services department estimated that 40 % to 67 % of individual plans would eventually lose their grandfathered ' status , which only was conferred if a plan was purchased before the health care law was approved in 2010 . although obama said the buck stops ' with him on obamacare problems to date -- including the rocky rollout of the website -- he still was resolute that his initiative to provide coverage for the uninsured and better coverage for many others would be better for the country . most of the folks who ... got these cancellation letters , they 'll be able to get better care at the same cost or cheaper in these new marketplaces , ' obama said , also noting that we have to make sure ' people do not feel as if they 've been betrayed by an effort carried out with their best interests in mind . they 'll have more choice , they 'll have more competition . they 're part of a bigger pool . the insurance companies are going to be hungry for their business . so the majority of folks will end up being better off , ' he said . key elements of the health law prohibit discrimination for pre-existing conditions and require new plans cover maternity care , mental health and other areas . the program was developed to put comprehensive care within reach of millions of uninsured americans . about 95 % of legal u.s. residents receive health insurance through private employers or the federal government , the obama administration says . but more than 48 million americans do n't have any coverage . debunking 4 obamacare myths : both sides get it wrong obama 's apology comes a week after similar refrains were made by vice president joe biden and health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius regarding the botched obamacare online rollout . five things we learned from obamacare records wh : chief tech officer too busy for congressional testimony asked if he thinks americans will be able to trust what he says in the future , obama said he thinks he 'll ultimately be judged on whether ' obamacare is better for americans overall . when you try to do something big like make our health care system better ... there are going to be problems along the way , even if ultimately what you 're doing is going to make a whole lot of people better off , and i hope that people will look at the end product and they 're going to be able to look back and say , you know what , we now have protections we did n't have before , ' he said . in the nbc interview , obama reiterated the administration 's line that he 's confident ' a majority of people ' will be able to use the website and apply for insurance by november 30 . but he did not say whether he would push back the march 31 deadline to enroll or the penalty for those who do not purchase insurance . obamacare depends on younger , healthier americans to buy into the program and pay premiums to offset costs for covering older people who need more health care . those without insurance who do not sign up for a plan face a fine . what else could go wrong with obamacare ? a gallup poll conducted just over a week ago showed 36 % of americans said they did n't think that in the long run the affordable care act would make much of a difference to their family 's health care situation . just over a third said the health care law would make matters worse , and one in four said that obamacare would make things better . opinion : here 's the truth about obamacare","obama says in interview with nbc he 's sorry" +"arizona tucson , arizona ( cnn ) -- arizonans paid tribute friday morning to the federal judge killed in the deadly shooting rampage last weekend in tucson . u.s. district judge john roll was one of six people gunned down saturday when he dropped by u.s. rep. gabrielle giffords'meet-and-greet in a supermarket parking lot . the funeral service for the revered 63-year-old jurist was held at st. thomas the apostle parish in tucson . roll 's service came a day after a memorial was held for christina green , 9 , the youngest victim of the mass shooting . in addition to the six deaths , 13 others , including giffords , were wounded in the gunfire . arizona sens . john mccain and jon kyl , both republicans , said friday they will introduce legislation to name a new federal courthouse in yuma after roll . the courthouse is about to be built , and roll , as arizona 's chief federal judge , recently approved the plans for the building , according to brooke buchanan , an aide to mccain . president barack obama described roll as the hardest-working judge ' within the 9th circuit in a speech wednesday night at a public memorial at the university of arizona . mccain called roll a man of great qualities and character . ' he had recommended him for the federal bench 20 years ago . chief justice john roberts said roll was a wise jurist who selflessly served arizona and the nation with great distinction , as attorney and judge , for more than 35 years , ' mccain said . president george h.w . bush appointed roll , a pennsylvania native , to the bench , and he rose to become the state 's chief federal judge . two years ago , he received death threats after ruling that a $ 32 million civil rights lawsuit filed by illegal immigrants against a rancher could proceed , a ruling that sparked outrage from radio talk-show hosts and others . roll was placed under protection by federal marshals for several weeks . no one was charged in the case . the jurist also received criticism recently when he asked to delay bringing felons to trial in tucson , citing a judicial emergency . he said in a november letter to the 9th u.s . circuit court of appeals that the ever-increasing number of federal felony arrests had overwhelmed his court . roll also had been assigned to hear a case on ethnic studies , according to the lead attorney in the case , richard martinez . the case , out of tucson , involves a new law banning certain ethnic studies programs in public schools . tucson resident jared lee loughner , 22 , is facing federal charges in saturday 's attack . police said loughner targeted giffords and had complained about the lawmaker for years after apparently getting a response he did n't like to a question he asked her at a 2007 event . the shooting set off a political firestorm across the country , with some pundits saying that extreme partisan politics played a role in the mass killing . on thursday , family , friends , classmates and hundreds of mourners filled st. elizabeth ann seton catholic church in tucson for the funeral service for christina green , the 9-year-old . all of them passed under a giant american flag that was recovered in the aftermath of the terror attacks in new york on september 11 , 2001 -- the day christina was born . dozens of other mourners paid their respects by standing outside the church , which was filled to capacity . obama noted wednesday that christina was beginning to discover the political system -- something that she saw through the eyes of a child . ' i want us to live up to her expectations . i want our democracy to be as good as christina imagined it . i want america to be as good as she imagined it , ' obama said . all of us -- we should do everything we can do to make sure this country lives up to our children 's expectations . ' cnn 's ted barrett contributed to this story .","six people were killed in the arizona shooting rampage" +"arizona tucson , arizona ( cnn ) -- arizonans paid tribute friday morning to the federal judge killed in the deadly shooting rampage last weekend in tucson . u.s. district judge john roll was one of six people gunned down saturday when he dropped by u.s. rep. gabrielle giffords'meet-and-greet in a supermarket parking lot . the funeral service for the revered 63-year-old jurist was held at st. thomas the apostle parish in tucson . roll 's service came a day after a memorial was held for christina green , 9 , the youngest victim of the mass shooting . in addition to the six deaths , 13 others , including giffords , were wounded in the gunfire . arizona sens . john mccain and jon kyl , both republicans , said friday they will introduce legislation to name a new federal courthouse in yuma after roll . the courthouse is about to be built , and roll , as arizona 's chief federal judge , recently approved the plans for the building , according to brooke buchanan , an aide to mccain . president barack obama described roll as the hardest-working judge ' within the 9th circuit in a speech wednesday night at a public memorial at the university of arizona . mccain called roll a man of great qualities and character . ' he had recommended him for the federal bench 20 years ago . chief justice john roberts said roll was a wise jurist who selflessly served arizona and the nation with great distinction , as attorney and judge , for more than 35 years , ' mccain said . president george h.w . bush appointed roll , a pennsylvania native , to the bench , and he rose to become the state 's chief federal judge . two years ago , he received death threats after ruling that a $ 32 million civil rights lawsuit filed by illegal immigrants against a rancher could proceed , a ruling that sparked outrage from radio talk-show hosts and others . roll was placed under protection by federal marshals for several weeks . no one was charged in the case . the jurist also received criticism recently when he asked to delay bringing felons to trial in tucson , citing a judicial emergency . he said in a november letter to the 9th u.s . circuit court of appeals that the ever-increasing number of federal felony arrests had overwhelmed his court . roll also had been assigned to hear a case on ethnic studies , according to the lead attorney in the case , richard martinez . the case , out of tucson , involves a new law banning certain ethnic studies programs in public schools . tucson resident jared lee loughner , 22 , is facing federal charges in saturday 's attack . police said loughner targeted giffords and had complained about the lawmaker for years after apparently getting a response he did n't like to a question he asked her at a 2007 event . the shooting set off a political firestorm across the country , with some pundits saying that extreme partisan politics played a role in the mass killing . on thursday , family , friends , classmates and hundreds of mourners filled st. elizabeth ann seton catholic church in tucson for the funeral service for christina green , the 9-year-old . all of them passed under a giant american flag that was recovered in the aftermath of the terror attacks in new york on september 11 , 2001 -- the day christina was born . dozens of other mourners paid their respects by standing outside the church , which was filled to capacity . obama noted wednesday that christina was beginning to discover the political system -- something that she saw through the eyes of a child . ' i want us to live up to her expectations . i want our democracy to be as good as christina imagined it . i want america to be as good as she imagined it , ' obama said . all of us -- we should do everything we can do to make sure this country lives up to our children 's expectations . ' cnn 's ted barrett contributed to this story .","roll was arizona 's chief federal judge" +"farc ( cnn ) -- the leader of colombia 's main leftist rebel group -- the revolutionary armed forces of colombia -- died in a military operation in the country 's southwest , president juan manuel santos said saturday . i confirm the death of alfonso cano . the no . 1 of farc is dead , ' santos said . this is the most overwhelming blow given to the farc in all of colombia 's history . ' the military operation that took place friday in the state of cauca also killed cano 's communications chief , a female friend and members of his security team , defense minister juan carlos pinzon told reporters . cano 's chief of security was captured . the death of alfonso cano is the most important historical mark of our military forces and our national police in our fight against the farc organization , ' pinzon said . he was part of the organization for over 33 years . he was their ideologue , their political figure and most importantly , he was a despised terrorist ready to act in a radical way ... ' cano , an alias for guillermo leon saenz , took over the farc 's top spot in march 2008 after an apparent heart attack killed the former leader , manuel marulanda . cano 's family released a statement following his death , urging peace and asking the media to respect their privacy . they called on authorities in colombia , and specifically on president santos , to allow them the opportunity to give cano a dignified burial . this is great news for all the colombian people , ' said labor minister rafael pardo . this will help the peace process and it shows that armed conflict is no longer the way forward in colombia . ' the farc has been at war with the colombian government since the 1960s . while severely weakened in recent years , the guerrilla group has continued to carry out kidnappings and attack security forces in the south american nation . following cano 's death , the farc released a statement in which its leaders said they would not end their guerrilla struggle . this is not the first time that the oppressed and exploited in colombia are mourning one of its greatest leaders . nor is it the first ( time ) that he will be replaced with the courage and absolute conviction of victory . peace in colombia will not be born in any guerrilla demobilization , but the abolition of the causes that give birth the upheaval , ' they wrote . senior officials in the administration of u.s. president barack obama said that they believe cano 's death will pose a serious challenge to the farc going forward . there are n't many people left to head the group and most of those who might , no longer live in colombia , they said . the farc , which began as a revolutionary guerrilla group , has evolved into a narco-trafficking organization , the officials said . while it is no longer able to threaten the state , the farc still has the potential to hurt a lot of people , they added . the united states and european union consider the farc a terrorist organization . this is an important victory for colombia and represents a major blow against the largest terrorist organization in this hemisphere , ' said u.s. state department spokeswoman darla jordan . we firmly support the efforts of the colombian people , their security forces , and president santos to combat the farc , ' she said . in july , santos said cano escaped an attack by less than a day . at the time , security forces raided a remote camp believed to have been his hideout . after the raid , authorities found clothes they believe belonged to cano . cnn affiliate caracol tv reported that authorities also found large quantities of the cigarettes the farc leader is thought to smoke . we were very close , ' the president told reporters at a military airport in bogota . he said security forces had acted on an intelligence tip from one of cano 's own people . ' cnn 's claudia dominguez , luis carlos velez and elise labott contributed to this report .","alfonso cano took over the farc 's top spot in 2008" +"farc ( cnn ) -- the leader of colombia 's main leftist rebel group -- the revolutionary armed forces of colombia -- died in a military operation in the country 's southwest , president juan manuel santos said saturday . i confirm the death of alfonso cano . the no . 1 of farc is dead , ' santos said . this is the most overwhelming blow given to the farc in all of colombia 's history . ' the military operation that took place friday in the state of cauca also killed cano 's communications chief , a female friend and members of his security team , defense minister juan carlos pinzon told reporters . cano 's chief of security was captured . the death of alfonso cano is the most important historical mark of our military forces and our national police in our fight against the farc organization , ' pinzon said . he was part of the organization for over 33 years . he was their ideologue , their political figure and most importantly , he was a despised terrorist ready to act in a radical way ... ' cano , an alias for guillermo leon saenz , took over the farc 's top spot in march 2008 after an apparent heart attack killed the former leader , manuel marulanda . cano 's family released a statement following his death , urging peace and asking the media to respect their privacy . they called on authorities in colombia , and specifically on president santos , to allow them the opportunity to give cano a dignified burial . this is great news for all the colombian people , ' said labor minister rafael pardo . this will help the peace process and it shows that armed conflict is no longer the way forward in colombia . ' the farc has been at war with the colombian government since the 1960s . while severely weakened in recent years , the guerrilla group has continued to carry out kidnappings and attack security forces in the south american nation . following cano 's death , the farc released a statement in which its leaders said they would not end their guerrilla struggle . this is not the first time that the oppressed and exploited in colombia are mourning one of its greatest leaders . nor is it the first ( time ) that he will be replaced with the courage and absolute conviction of victory . peace in colombia will not be born in any guerrilla demobilization , but the abolition of the causes that give birth the upheaval , ' they wrote . senior officials in the administration of u.s. president barack obama said that they believe cano 's death will pose a serious challenge to the farc going forward . there are n't many people left to head the group and most of those who might , no longer live in colombia , they said . the farc , which began as a revolutionary guerrilla group , has evolved into a narco-trafficking organization , the officials said . while it is no longer able to threaten the state , the farc still has the potential to hurt a lot of people , they added . the united states and european union consider the farc a terrorist organization . this is an important victory for colombia and represents a major blow against the largest terrorist organization in this hemisphere , ' said u.s. state department spokeswoman darla jordan . we firmly support the efforts of the colombian people , their security forces , and president santos to combat the farc , ' she said . in july , santos said cano escaped an attack by less than a day . at the time , security forces raided a remote camp believed to have been his hideout . after the raid , authorities found clothes they believe belonged to cano . cnn affiliate caracol tv reported that authorities also found large quantities of the cigarettes the farc leader is thought to smoke . we were very close , ' the president told reporters at a military airport in bogota . he said security forces had acted on an intelligence tip from one of cano 's own people . ' cnn 's claudia dominguez , luis carlos velez and elise labott contributed to this report .","the farc leader 's family asks that his remains be treated with dignity" +"farc ( cnn ) -- the leader of colombia 's main leftist rebel group -- the revolutionary armed forces of colombia -- died in a military operation in the country 's southwest , president juan manuel santos said saturday . i confirm the death of alfonso cano . the no . 1 of farc is dead , ' santos said . this is the most overwhelming blow given to the farc in all of colombia 's history . ' the military operation that took place friday in the state of cauca also killed cano 's communications chief , a female friend and members of his security team , defense minister juan carlos pinzon told reporters . cano 's chief of security was captured . the death of alfonso cano is the most important historical mark of our military forces and our national police in our fight against the farc organization , ' pinzon said . he was part of the organization for over 33 years . he was their ideologue , their political figure and most importantly , he was a despised terrorist ready to act in a radical way ... ' cano , an alias for guillermo leon saenz , took over the farc 's top spot in march 2008 after an apparent heart attack killed the former leader , manuel marulanda . cano 's family released a statement following his death , urging peace and asking the media to respect their privacy . they called on authorities in colombia , and specifically on president santos , to allow them the opportunity to give cano a dignified burial . this is great news for all the colombian people , ' said labor minister rafael pardo . this will help the peace process and it shows that armed conflict is no longer the way forward in colombia . ' the farc has been at war with the colombian government since the 1960s . while severely weakened in recent years , the guerrilla group has continued to carry out kidnappings and attack security forces in the south american nation . following cano 's death , the farc released a statement in which its leaders said they would not end their guerrilla struggle . this is not the first time that the oppressed and exploited in colombia are mourning one of its greatest leaders . nor is it the first ( time ) that he will be replaced with the courage and absolute conviction of victory . peace in colombia will not be born in any guerrilla demobilization , but the abolition of the causes that give birth the upheaval , ' they wrote . senior officials in the administration of u.s. president barack obama said that they believe cano 's death will pose a serious challenge to the farc going forward . there are n't many people left to head the group and most of those who might , no longer live in colombia , they said . the farc , which began as a revolutionary guerrilla group , has evolved into a narco-trafficking organization , the officials said . while it is no longer able to threaten the state , the farc still has the potential to hurt a lot of people , they added . the united states and european union consider the farc a terrorist organization . this is an important victory for colombia and represents a major blow against the largest terrorist organization in this hemisphere , ' said u.s. state department spokeswoman darla jordan . we firmly support the efforts of the colombian people , their security forces , and president santos to combat the farc , ' she said . in july , santos said cano escaped an attack by less than a day . at the time , security forces raided a remote camp believed to have been his hideout . after the raid , authorities found clothes they believe belonged to cano . cnn affiliate caracol tv reported that authorities also found large quantities of the cigarettes the farc leader is thought to smoke . we were very close , ' the president told reporters at a military airport in bogota . he said security forces had acted on an intelligence tip from one of cano 's own people . ' cnn 's claudia dominguez , luis carlos velez and elise labott contributed to this report .","new : the farc says his death does not spell the end of the guerrilla struggle" +"egypt if the gaza truce holds and israel 's operation protective edge comes to its conclusion , some things are certain . both israel and hamas will declare military victory -- israel pointing to the destruction of militants'tunnels and depletion of hamas'rocket supply ; hamas pointing to dozens of dead israeli troops and the survival of hamas leadership in gaza . but unlike in previous conflicts , when hamas had the support of many arab nations , things have changed . this time , as cnn has reported , the fighting between israel and hamas has been a proxy war for the mideast . key regional players jordan , egypt and saudi arabia have their own reasons to want to fend off the muslim brotherhood , of which hamas is part , experts say . and europe , like the united states , lists hamas as a terrorist organization for its numerous attacks on civilians . but the group does have the support of some countries . it 's no longer the muslims against the jews , ' said danielle pletka , vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the american enterprise institute . now it 's the extremists -- the muslim brotherhood , hamas , hezbollah , and their backers iran , qatar and turkey -- against israel and the more moderate muslims including jordan , egypt , and saudi arabia . ' a look at some key hamas supporters : turkey prime minister recep tayyip erdogan openly supports hamas . erdogan has tried to use the cause of the brotherhood to bolster his own islamist credentials at home , ' says eric trager , of the washington institute for near east policy . turkey also has more of an ideological sympathy with the brotherhood , ' trager says . qatar qatar supported the muslim brotherhood in egypt -- which was toppled from power in a coup last year . qatar funds many muslim brotherhood figures in exile , including hamas political leader khaled meshaal , who is believed to have orchestrated numerous terrorist attacks . qatar has a long history of providing shelter to islamist groups , amongst them the muslim brotherhood and the taliban , ' shashank joshi of the royal united services institute tells time . advocating for hamas is beneficial to turkey and qatar in their political objectives because the cause draws popular support at home , says world affairs writer frida ghitis in a cnn.com column . but some question whether qatar 's support for hamas is still strong . the country 's financial support to the group largely dried up ' as qatar sought to mend ties with its neighbors , with whom it had fallen out in part for backing the muslim brotherhood in egypt , ' the council on foreign relations said . while qatar and turkey are powerful allies , hamas might wish for more support given the breadth of the arab world , ' time reported . iran and syria in the past , iran and syria supported hamas . iran supplied the group with weapons ; syria was home to meshaal . but meshaal did not support syrian president bashar al-assad in the country 's civil war . in 2012 , meshaal left for qatar , causing a breakdown in his relationship with both syria and its ally iran , says firas abi ali , head of middle east and north africa country risk and forecasting at the global information company ihs . and while iran still professes to support hamas , such claims are more ostentatious , showy , exaggerated and theatrical rather than genuine and practical , ' writes majid rafizadeh , an iranian-american scholar at harvard university , in a column for al arabiya . iran , which is a muslim but not an arab nation , uses hamas ( as well as tehran 's support for the palestinian cause ) as a tool to project its power and influence in the arab world , ' he argues . the council on foreign relations says iran , while cutting its funding to hamas in recent years , sought to bolster its ties to other resistance groups in the region , such as islamic jihad . ' hezbollah the lebanese militant group based in lebanon is aligned with al-assad 's regime in syria . during the conflict , hezbollah reached out to hamas , praising its steadfastness . ' this does not mean the relationship is repaired to where it stood before syria 's civil war , but a new realignment might happen , ' farwaz gerges of the london school of economics told time . popular support hamas'greatest support in the wake of the conflict with israel may be from the public in gaza and other parts of the arab world . hamas is not a monolith , nor is it only a terrorist group , ' ed husain of the council on foreign relations writes on cnn.com . it is a social movement , with a mass membership , a popular message of resistance that resonates across the muslim world , and a political party with which we must negotiate . ' some analysts believe hamas will emerge stronger from the fight with israel . the conflict will only further radicalize the palestinian population -- and alienate frustrated friends in the united states , ' mark perry of foreign policy argues . before operation protective edge , a poll by the washington institute for near east policy found that most palestinians in gaza oppose a two-state solution and want to work toward abolishing israel -- a goal that is in line with hamas'charter . but the poll also found most palestinians support nonviolent methods of achieving their goals . support could affect arms supply while hamas'recruitment might soar now , militarily the group is on the ropes , ' with tunnels destroyed and much of its rocket supply depleted , writes rick francona , retired u.s. air force intelligence officer and cnn military analyst . after similar conflicts in the past , hamas has been rearmed and resupplied by its supporters , primarily iran and to some extent syria . the most efficient method for the rearming and resupply effort has been via the large number of smuggling tunnels between gaza and egypt 's sinai peninsula . that is not likely to be the case this time -- another blow to hamas , which it must factor in to its assessment of this conflict as well as its future planning . ' what is hamas'endgame in gaza ? what is israel 's endgame in gaza ?","jordan , egypt , and saudi arabia do n't support hamas , analysts say" +"michael lohan ( cnn ) -- actress lindsay lohan 's father jumped from a third-floor balcony thursday to try to escape re-arrest , police said , but officers soon caught up with him and took him into custody -- again . officers detained michael lohan after his girlfriend , kate major , said he violated terms of his release from jail earlier this week by calling her , the tampa police department said in a statement . investigators arrested lohan on suspicion of domestic violence after an incident on monday night , but they let him out of jail after he posted bail . just after 1 a.m. thursday , lohan 's girlfriend called police to say lohan had violated the terms of his release by calling her , the police statement said . lohan called his girlfriend again while she was talking with police , and she put him on speakerphone , it said . after prosecutors authorized lohan 's re-arrest , officers went to a hotel , the tahitian inn , where he was staying . upon seeing officers , he jumped out of a third-story balcony in an attempt to escape arrest , ' the police statement said . officers took him into custody after a short chase and discovered after taking him to jail that he may have broken his foot , police said . doctors were evaluating him . lohan is not expected to be released from tampa general hospital thursday and has been admitted for overnight observation , said tampa police spokeswoman andrea davis . police responded to a domestic violence call at michael lohan 's home monday and arrested him for the battery of his live-in girlfriend , police said . lohan told reporters wednesday he did n't lay a hand ' on his girlfriend . i did not hurt her , ' he said . lohan also said he never was served with a restraining order to stay away from the woman . according to cnn tampa affiliate wfts , a sarasota county judge issued a temporary restraining order tuesday . lohan , 51 , was arrested in los angeles in march in connection with alleged domestic violence and was charged with one misdemeanor count of corporal injury to a cohabitant . the relationship between lohan and his daughter has been publicly strained for years , although the two did undergo family counseling together during her treatment at the betty ford center . cnn 's rich phillips contributed to this report .","michael lohan jumped off a third-floor balcony to escape arrest , police said" +"bush ( cnn ) -- former louisiana gov . edwin edwards was released from federal prison thursday after serving about 10 years , the federal bureau of prisons said . edwards was convicted of racketeering , conspiracy and extortion after prosecutors said he asked for payoffs from people who applied for riverboat casino licenses in new orleans in the 1990s . edwards , 83 , had pursued a pardon from president george w. bush , but never got one . he began serving his sentence in february 2001 . he was released from prison to a halfway house , said edmond ross , spokesman for the bureau of prisons . at edwards'trial in 2000 , star witness edward j. debartolo jr. , former owner of the san francisco 49ers , got a reduced sentence in exchange for testifying about his own $ 400,000 bribe to edwards . he said he had felt compelled to make the payment . debartolo ended up not going through with the project after the scandal broke . allegations of corruption dogged edwards throughout much of his political career , but he always maintained that he 'd never lose an election , and famously joked that he 'd keep his office unless he was caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy . ' frequently during his trial -- for allegedly extorting almost $ 3 million from casino applicants -- he held his own court on the courthouse steps . today , i took care of some housekeeping and had my car fixed and went and cashed a check before they freeze my accounts , ' he told reporters at one point . edwards served several terms in office -- from 1972 to 1980 , 1984 to 1988 and 1992 to 1996 . the democrat , u.s. navy aviation cadet and lawyer began his career as a city councilman and state representative before being elected to congress , and then governor . he won his first gubernatorial term by an unprecedented combination of'cajun'and black votes , ' according to his biography on the louisiana secretary of state 's website . edwards named blacks to key state positions and his support of black politicians resulted in a mutually beneficial relationship , ' the biography says . his third term was marked by federal indictments , but not convictions , for mail fraud , obstruction of justice and public bribery , ' the biography adds . the bio does not refer to edwards'conviction later on . the u.s. district attorney 's office for the eastern district of louisiana , on its website , describes edwards as leader of the corrupt enterprise whose objectives included the illegal and corrupt manipulation of the riverboat gaming licensing process during and after his four terms as governor . ' also convicted were edwin 's son , stephen edwards and his close associates andrew martin , cecil brown , and bobby johnson , ' the office says . cnn 's dave alsup contributed to this report .","edwards had pursued a pardon from president bush" +"steenkamp pretoria , south africa ( cnn ) -- oscar pistorius is a heartbroken man who has to live with the fact that he killed the love of his life , his uncle has told cnn in an exclusive interview . for the past three months , the double amputee sprinter has been living at his uncle arnold 's house in pretoria . he has grown a beard because he does n't want to be recognized , and has surrounded himself with photos of reeva steenkamp , his uncle says . pistorius is charged with murdering the 29-year-old model and law school graduate early on february 14 , and faces a court hearing next tuesday . arnold pistorius described the runner 's grief as unthinkable ' and says his heart bleeds for his nephew . he 's got photos in his room , photos all over the place . he 's housebound , you know . he does n't go out in public places . bloody photos of scene of killing leaked ' what can you say if the person you love the most dies , and you were the instrument ? how would you feel ? it 's unthinkable . ' pistorius says steenkamp 's death was an accident and that he mistook her for a burglar . the state says it was murder . a trial date has not been set . the sprinter 's agent has also spoken for the first time about the 4 a.m. call he received telling him there had been a shooting at the track star 's home . it was the estate where oscar ( was ) staying at , the estate manager 's daughter phoned me from oscar 's phone . so i picked up the phone and saw it was oscar 's number and thought it was him phoning me . and just had this voice of a girl frantically on the other side shouting ,'please , you have to rush over here , you have to come to oscar 's house ,'' peet van zyl told cnn in an exclusive interview . i initially thought it was oscar that has been shot . she said ,'no , no , no , no . reeva 's been shot .'she explained then to me basically just briefly what happened . and yeah , total shock obviously . so i had to jump in the car and rush through to pretoria . ' van zyl said he then called ampie louw , the sprinter 's coach , and told him to jump in his car and get to pistorius 's house . when arrived at the house and you see all the police cars and lights ... i was standing outside , me and peet and the lawyer , but oscar was inside , ' louw told cnn . i could hear him crying in the garage , and reeva was at the entrance . so that was terrible for me . ' pistorius will make a brief appearance tuesday at the pretoria magistrates court , which will hear a motion by state prosecutors to postpone the case for further investigations . the trial itself may not happen until early 2014 . read more : not everyone surprised at oscar pistorius'fall from grace read more : pistorius , and the psychology of walls cnn 's nick thompson contributed to this report .","pistorius charged with murdering steenkamp on february 14 ; has court hearing tuesday" +"steenkamp pretoria , south africa ( cnn ) -- oscar pistorius is a heartbroken man who has to live with the fact that he killed the love of his life , his uncle has told cnn in an exclusive interview . for the past three months , the double amputee sprinter has been living at his uncle arnold 's house in pretoria . he has grown a beard because he does n't want to be recognized , and has surrounded himself with photos of reeva steenkamp , his uncle says . pistorius is charged with murdering the 29-year-old model and law school graduate early on february 14 , and faces a court hearing next tuesday . arnold pistorius described the runner 's grief as unthinkable ' and says his heart bleeds for his nephew . he 's got photos in his room , photos all over the place . he 's housebound , you know . he does n't go out in public places . bloody photos of scene of killing leaked ' what can you say if the person you love the most dies , and you were the instrument ? how would you feel ? it 's unthinkable . ' pistorius says steenkamp 's death was an accident and that he mistook her for a burglar . the state says it was murder . a trial date has not been set . the sprinter 's agent has also spoken for the first time about the 4 a.m. call he received telling him there had been a shooting at the track star 's home . it was the estate where oscar ( was ) staying at , the estate manager 's daughter phoned me from oscar 's phone . so i picked up the phone and saw it was oscar 's number and thought it was him phoning me . and just had this voice of a girl frantically on the other side shouting ,'please , you have to rush over here , you have to come to oscar 's house ,'' peet van zyl told cnn in an exclusive interview . i initially thought it was oscar that has been shot . she said ,'no , no , no , no . reeva 's been shot .'she explained then to me basically just briefly what happened . and yeah , total shock obviously . so i had to jump in the car and rush through to pretoria . ' van zyl said he then called ampie louw , the sprinter 's coach , and told him to jump in his car and get to pistorius 's house . when arrived at the house and you see all the police cars and lights ... i was standing outside , me and peet and the lawyer , but oscar was inside , ' louw told cnn . i could hear him crying in the garage , and reeva was at the entrance . so that was terrible for me . ' pistorius will make a brief appearance tuesday at the pretoria magistrates court , which will hear a motion by state prosecutors to postpone the case for further investigations . the trial itself may not happen until early 2014 . read more : not everyone surprised at oscar pistorius'fall from grace read more : pistorius , and the psychology of walls cnn 's nick thompson contributed to this report .","exclusive : uncle says pistorius 's grief over killing of reeva steenkamp'unthinkable '" +"steenkamp pretoria , south africa ( cnn ) -- oscar pistorius is a heartbroken man who has to live with the fact that he killed the love of his life , his uncle has told cnn in an exclusive interview . for the past three months , the double amputee sprinter has been living at his uncle arnold 's house in pretoria . he has grown a beard because he does n't want to be recognized , and has surrounded himself with photos of reeva steenkamp , his uncle says . pistorius is charged with murdering the 29-year-old model and law school graduate early on february 14 , and faces a court hearing next tuesday . arnold pistorius described the runner 's grief as unthinkable ' and says his heart bleeds for his nephew . he 's got photos in his room , photos all over the place . he 's housebound , you know . he does n't go out in public places . bloody photos of scene of killing leaked ' what can you say if the person you love the most dies , and you were the instrument ? how would you feel ? it 's unthinkable . ' pistorius says steenkamp 's death was an accident and that he mistook her for a burglar . the state says it was murder . a trial date has not been set . the sprinter 's agent has also spoken for the first time about the 4 a.m. call he received telling him there had been a shooting at the track star 's home . it was the estate where oscar ( was ) staying at , the estate manager 's daughter phoned me from oscar 's phone . so i picked up the phone and saw it was oscar 's number and thought it was him phoning me . and just had this voice of a girl frantically on the other side shouting ,'please , you have to rush over here , you have to come to oscar 's house ,'' peet van zyl told cnn in an exclusive interview . i initially thought it was oscar that has been shot . she said ,'no , no , no , no . reeva 's been shot .'she explained then to me basically just briefly what happened . and yeah , total shock obviously . so i had to jump in the car and rush through to pretoria . ' van zyl said he then called ampie louw , the sprinter 's coach , and told him to jump in his car and get to pistorius 's house . when arrived at the house and you see all the police cars and lights ... i was standing outside , me and peet and the lawyer , but oscar was inside , ' louw told cnn . i could hear him crying in the garage , and reeva was at the entrance . so that was terrible for me . ' pistorius will make a brief appearance tuesday at the pretoria magistrates court , which will hear a motion by state prosecutors to postpone the case for further investigations . the trial itself may not happen until early 2014 . read more : not everyone surprised at oscar pistorius'fall from grace read more : pistorius , and the psychology of walls cnn 's nick thompson contributed to this report .","pistorius has grown a beard and is surrounded by photos of steenkamp" +"walmart ( cnn ) -- the man who police say plowed his vehicle into a california walmart , where he then attacked several customers , was booked monday on four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest . haamid zaid , 33 , of seaside , california , is suspected of having been under the influence of drugs , but the motive is under investigation , according to albert morales , an officer with the san jose police department . once mr. zaid emerged from the vehicle , he used some type of metal object to attack people , ' morales said of the sunday incident at the san jose store . the suspect was later subdued by a group of customers until police arrived , he said one of the victims , a 61-year-old man , was transported to an area hospital . the injury was considered serious but not life-threatening . three other unidentified victims were treated for injuries at the scene and released , authorities said . detectives are reviewing surveillance video to help determine how the vehicle plowed into the store and whether the crash was intentional . police : man plows vehicle into a walmart , assault customers cnn 's scott thompson contributed to this report","a man plowed his vehicle into a san jose walmart on sunday , police say" +"northeast ( cnn ) -- parts of the eastern united states on friday fended off freezing rain and snow as a powerful winter storm lumbered through the great lakes , driving thunderstorms eastward . the national weather service predicted the storm would affect the upper midwest , great lakes and the northeast , with blizzard conditions in minnesota and iowa and strong winds across a portion of the great lakes and ohio valley . severe storms -- with wind and large hail -- were possible from boston to miami , said cnn meteorologist sherri pugh . frozen conditions may have been a factor in a crash early friday in maine that left a driver dead . an suv driver lost control of the vehicle while it was traveling on a snow-covered stretch in somerville and slammed into a big rig , the lincoln county sheriff 's office said . several new york-area airports -- laguardia , kennedy and newark in northern new jersey -- were experiencing ground delays as of 6 p.m , due to limited visibility , the federal aviation administration reported online . the wild weather also brought strong winds to parts of the southeast and mid-atlantic , though that threat was over by evening . before then , the weather service reported two possible tornadoes early friday afternoon in south-central georgia , including one in johnson county that damaged 12 buildings , including ripping the front doors off a fire station . there was also an ef0 tornado -- indicating 65 to 85 mph winds lasting three seconds or more -- in compton , maryland , 60 miles southeast of washington , d.c . heavy winds also downed trees in kentucky , north carolina , south carolina and virginia , while up to quarter-size hail was reported on florida 's atlantic coast around st. augustine . this all came on the heels of severe storms that struck illinois late thursday afternoon , knocking out power , damaging buildings and spawning floods , the national weather service reported . on thursday night , storms and high winds swept across tennessee , pelting nashville with rain and hail and leaving thousands in the dark . in illinois , damaging wind and golf ball-size hail were reported overnight . about 24,000 people in the state lost power , according to utility ameren illinois . effingham and champaign counties in illinois reported flooding . we have some power lines down and a little water in the road in some places , ' said pam jacobs , director of the effingham county emergency management agency . john dwyer , emergency management coordinator for champaign county , reported road flooding and standing water in farm fields . he said the flooding was caused by 3 inches of rain thursday coupled with the snow melt . the national weather service said radar indicated rainfall of 3 to 4 inches per hour . the illinois state police reported that fog caused a wreck on interstate 57 in northeast illinois , involving at least 27 vehicles . authorities said they received reports of injuries , none of them life-threatening . as the storm moved eastward , winds knocked down dozens of trees in nashville , reported cnn affiliate wsmv-tv . the station said trained weather spotters reported 1-inch hail and 95-mph winds . cnn 's ed payne , greg botelho and ralph ellis contributed to this report .","storm is expected to affect the upper midwest , great lakes and northeast" +"nixon ( cnn ) -- after he announced the resignations of four top officials in his administration in 1973 , richard nixon swore he was done with talking about watergate , according to the last batch of tapes released by the national archives . gone were his chief of staff , h.r . bob ' haldeman ; his domestic affairs adviser , john ehrlichman ; white house lawyer john dean ; and attorney general richard kleindeinst , a longtime friend . nixon broke the news in his first public address about the scandal that would eventually bring down his presidency -- and as he tried to console the jettisoned haldeman , he insisted it was his last . well , its a tough thing , bob , for you , for john , the rest , ' he said after the april 30 , 1973 , speech . but goddammit , i 'm never gon na discuss this son of a bitch watergate thing again . never , never , never , never . ' of course , like much of what he had just told americans , it did n't turn out to be true . nixon would be forced to deal with watergate over and over again in the next year or so , culminating with his own resignation in august 1974 -- a development forced by the discovery of conversations like those released wednesday by the national archives . the 340 hours of recordings are the last installment of a record that has kept historians busy for four decades . they run from april 1973 through that july , when the microphones were turned off after a probing congress learned of the tapes . the new batch includes calls of support from two future presidents following the april 30 speech : ronald reagan and george h. w. bush . we 're still behind you out here , and i wanted you to know that you 're in our prayers , ' said reagan , then governor of california and a rising conservative star . story behind'our nixon 's'unique home movies ' how nice of you to say that , ' nixon replied . well , let me tell you this . that we can be -- all each of us has a different religion , you know ? but goddammit , ron , we have got to build peace in the world , and that 's what i 'm working on . ' bush , then the republican party 's chairman , told nixon , i was really proud of you , and my golly , i know it was tough , and i just wanted to tell you that . ' nixon replied , well , good for you , george . ' the watergate scandal began to unravel with the june 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the democratic national committee . five operatives of the nixon re-election campaign were arrested in the attempt to illegally wiretap phones at the offices , located in the watergate office building in washington . the inner demons that drove nixon the subsequent investigations revealed that within days of the arrests , nixon had discussed warning fbi agents away from the burglary probe by having the cia claim the break-in was part of a national security operation . nixon resigned shortly after the u.s. supreme court ordered him to turn over a recording of that conversation to investigators . other tapes out wednesday include nixon discussing china with national security adviser henry kissinger and meeting with evangelist billy graham , the widow of baseball star roberto clemente and the brazilian soccer legend pele , who spoke of wanting to spread his sport to the united states . he 's heard speaking with a variety of world leaders , including west german chancellor willy bradt and canadian prime minister pierre trudeau . the tapes captured a june 1973 summit meeting between nixon and soviet premier leonid brezhnev , in which brezhnev bemoaned complaints about the world 's two superpowers . four lessons from nixon 's failed presidency ' there are some people who keep throwing in this idea of there being two superpowers in the world who are out to dictate their , as they say , dictate their will , to foist their will upon others , and so forth , ' brezhnev said . now , but , are we to blame for being big ? are we to blame for being strong ? what can we do about it ? that is the way it is . ' and nixon talks of winding down the war in vietnam and the return of american prisoners of war , justifying the december 1972 bombing raids on hanoi that he credited with their release . the north vietnamese had reneged on the agreement , they had attached conditions with regard to return of pows , they had attached conditions on the return of civilians themselves , ' he told roger shields , a pentagon official working with the former prisoners . we said no conditions . that 's why we had to bomb . one of the major reasons we had to bomb . and it worked . ' cnn 's athena jones and brian rokus contributed to this report .","last round of watergate tapes include nixon 's talks with aides , brezhnev , kissinger" +"nixon ( cnn ) -- after he announced the resignations of four top officials in his administration in 1973 , richard nixon swore he was done with talking about watergate , according to the last batch of tapes released by the national archives . gone were his chief of staff , h.r . bob ' haldeman ; his domestic affairs adviser , john ehrlichman ; white house lawyer john dean ; and attorney general richard kleindeinst , a longtime friend . nixon broke the news in his first public address about the scandal that would eventually bring down his presidency -- and as he tried to console the jettisoned haldeman , he insisted it was his last . well , its a tough thing , bob , for you , for john , the rest , ' he said after the april 30 , 1973 , speech . but goddammit , i 'm never gon na discuss this son of a bitch watergate thing again . never , never , never , never . ' of course , like much of what he had just told americans , it did n't turn out to be true . nixon would be forced to deal with watergate over and over again in the next year or so , culminating with his own resignation in august 1974 -- a development forced by the discovery of conversations like those released wednesday by the national archives . the 340 hours of recordings are the last installment of a record that has kept historians busy for four decades . they run from april 1973 through that july , when the microphones were turned off after a probing congress learned of the tapes . the new batch includes calls of support from two future presidents following the april 30 speech : ronald reagan and george h. w. bush . we 're still behind you out here , and i wanted you to know that you 're in our prayers , ' said reagan , then governor of california and a rising conservative star . story behind'our nixon 's'unique home movies ' how nice of you to say that , ' nixon replied . well , let me tell you this . that we can be -- all each of us has a different religion , you know ? but goddammit , ron , we have got to build peace in the world , and that 's what i 'm working on . ' bush , then the republican party 's chairman , told nixon , i was really proud of you , and my golly , i know it was tough , and i just wanted to tell you that . ' nixon replied , well , good for you , george . ' the watergate scandal began to unravel with the june 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the democratic national committee . five operatives of the nixon re-election campaign were arrested in the attempt to illegally wiretap phones at the offices , located in the watergate office building in washington . the inner demons that drove nixon the subsequent investigations revealed that within days of the arrests , nixon had discussed warning fbi agents away from the burglary probe by having the cia claim the break-in was part of a national security operation . nixon resigned shortly after the u.s. supreme court ordered him to turn over a recording of that conversation to investigators . other tapes out wednesday include nixon discussing china with national security adviser henry kissinger and meeting with evangelist billy graham , the widow of baseball star roberto clemente and the brazilian soccer legend pele , who spoke of wanting to spread his sport to the united states . he 's heard speaking with a variety of world leaders , including west german chancellor willy bradt and canadian prime minister pierre trudeau . the tapes captured a june 1973 summit meeting between nixon and soviet premier leonid brezhnev , in which brezhnev bemoaned complaints about the world 's two superpowers . four lessons from nixon 's failed presidency ' there are some people who keep throwing in this idea of there being two superpowers in the world who are out to dictate their , as they say , dictate their will , to foist their will upon others , and so forth , ' brezhnev said . now , but , are we to blame for being big ? are we to blame for being strong ? what can we do about it ? that is the way it is . ' and nixon talks of winding down the war in vietnam and the return of american prisoners of war , justifying the december 1972 bombing raids on hanoi that he credited with their release . the north vietnamese had reneged on the agreement , they had attached conditions with regard to return of pows , they had attached conditions on the return of civilians themselves , ' he told roger shields , a pentagon official working with the former prisoners . we said no conditions . that 's why we had to bomb . one of the major reasons we had to bomb . and it worked . ' cnn 's athena jones and brian rokus contributed to this report .","after aides resigned , nixon said he was done with watergate" +"nixon ( cnn ) -- after he announced the resignations of four top officials in his administration in 1973 , richard nixon swore he was done with talking about watergate , according to the last batch of tapes released by the national archives . gone were his chief of staff , h.r . bob ' haldeman ; his domestic affairs adviser , john ehrlichman ; white house lawyer john dean ; and attorney general richard kleindeinst , a longtime friend . nixon broke the news in his first public address about the scandal that would eventually bring down his presidency -- and as he tried to console the jettisoned haldeman , he insisted it was his last . well , its a tough thing , bob , for you , for john , the rest , ' he said after the april 30 , 1973 , speech . but goddammit , i 'm never gon na discuss this son of a bitch watergate thing again . never , never , never , never . ' of course , like much of what he had just told americans , it did n't turn out to be true . nixon would be forced to deal with watergate over and over again in the next year or so , culminating with his own resignation in august 1974 -- a development forced by the discovery of conversations like those released wednesday by the national archives . the 340 hours of recordings are the last installment of a record that has kept historians busy for four decades . they run from april 1973 through that july , when the microphones were turned off after a probing congress learned of the tapes . the new batch includes calls of support from two future presidents following the april 30 speech : ronald reagan and george h. w. bush . we 're still behind you out here , and i wanted you to know that you 're in our prayers , ' said reagan , then governor of california and a rising conservative star . story behind'our nixon 's'unique home movies ' how nice of you to say that , ' nixon replied . well , let me tell you this . that we can be -- all each of us has a different religion , you know ? but goddammit , ron , we have got to build peace in the world , and that 's what i 'm working on . ' bush , then the republican party 's chairman , told nixon , i was really proud of you , and my golly , i know it was tough , and i just wanted to tell you that . ' nixon replied , well , good for you , george . ' the watergate scandal began to unravel with the june 1972 break-in at the headquarters of the democratic national committee . five operatives of the nixon re-election campaign were arrested in the attempt to illegally wiretap phones at the offices , located in the watergate office building in washington . the inner demons that drove nixon the subsequent investigations revealed that within days of the arrests , nixon had discussed warning fbi agents away from the burglary probe by having the cia claim the break-in was part of a national security operation . nixon resigned shortly after the u.s. supreme court ordered him to turn over a recording of that conversation to investigators . other tapes out wednesday include nixon discussing china with national security adviser henry kissinger and meeting with evangelist billy graham , the widow of baseball star roberto clemente and the brazilian soccer legend pele , who spoke of wanting to spread his sport to the united states . he 's heard speaking with a variety of world leaders , including west german chancellor willy bradt and canadian prime minister pierre trudeau . the tapes captured a june 1973 summit meeting between nixon and soviet premier leonid brezhnev , in which brezhnev bemoaned complaints about the world 's two superpowers . four lessons from nixon 's failed presidency ' there are some people who keep throwing in this idea of there being two superpowers in the world who are out to dictate their , as they say , dictate their will , to foist their will upon others , and so forth , ' brezhnev said . now , but , are we to blame for being big ? are we to blame for being strong ? what can we do about it ? that is the way it is . ' and nixon talks of winding down the war in vietnam and the return of american prisoners of war , justifying the december 1972 bombing raids on hanoi that he credited with their release . the north vietnamese had reneged on the agreement , they had attached conditions with regard to return of pows , they had attached conditions on the return of civilians themselves , ' he told roger shields , a pentagon official working with the former prisoners . we said no conditions . that 's why we had to bomb . one of the major reasons we had to bomb . and it worked . ' cnn 's athena jones and brian rokus contributed to this report .","nixon said he would never , never , never , never ' talk about it again" +"osama bin laden ( cnn ) -- one night in late july this year , the japanese supertanker m. star was making its way through the strait of hormuz -- the chokepoint at the southern tip of the persian gulf . it was en route to japan with 3 million barrels of crude oil . there was a loud thud at the front of the ship . its hull suffered a substantial square-shaped dent above the waterline . theories about the cause quickly abounded : a giant wave , a collision with a submarine or another vessel . and then -- six days later -- a militant sunni group that had been active in lebanon , egypt and jordan claimed it had attacked the ship with an explosives-laden boat . the abdullah azzam brigades said the attack on the m. star sought to weaken the infidel global order which is thrust into muslim lands and which loots its resources . ' for the brigades , such an attack was a significant departure from previous targets . to begin with , intelligence analysts were skeptical of the claim . but u.s. officials now say it is credible . government and industry sources can confirm that the claim by the abdullah azzam brigades ... is valid , ' the u.s. department of transportation 's maritime administration said in an advisory last week . the group remains active and can conduct further attacks on vessels in areas in the strait of hormuz , southern arabian gulf , and western gulf of oman ,'it said . the saudis are already anxious about the foothold that al qaeda has established in neighboring yemen . now the brigades -- spawned in the squalor of palestinian refugee camps in lebanon -- may be an emerging player in the region 's terror landscape . the brigades are named after a palestinian close to al qaeda leader osama bin laden . abdullah azzam was killed in pakistan in 1989 by a bomb explosion . the group is led by one saleh al-qarawi , who fought u.s. forces in iraq and got to know al qaeda 's now-dead leader there -- abu musab al-zarqawi . born in the saudi city of barida , al-qarawi is only 28 , but is already on the kingdom 's most wanted list . when that list was first published in february 2008 , he was described as one of the key suppliers of facilities , finances , fake documents ' for al qaeda . and he has ambitious aims , telling an extremist website earlier this year : all the jihadist battlefields now are fields of fighting . ' the brigades have certainly shown themselves capable of audacious attacks . they claimed responsibility for an unsuccessful rocket attack on a u.s. warship anchored in the jordanian port of aqaba in 2005 , as well as for bombings in 2004 and 2005 aimed at tourists in egypt 's red sea resorts . well over 100 people were killed in those attacks . in the interview he gave to the al-fajr media center , al-qarawi described how al-zarqawi had sent him on a mission beyond iraq . he 'd been arrested in syria and spent a brief spell in a saudi jail . describing his priorities , al-qarawi said they include kidnapping u.s. and british citizens in the arabian peninsula . american interests are our most important aims , ' he said , according to a translation by intelligence website flashpoint partners . it is also clear from the interview that al-qarawi is very much a sunni purist . he has little time for the shiite hezbollah , accusing it of attacking lebanon 's sunnis . he also accuses lebanese shiites of malice ' toward the country 's sunnis . that suggests the brigades would not have looked to shiite iran for help or harbor in attacking the m. star ( even if saudi officials insist al-qarawi once operated from iran . ) and it prompts this question : where did that small boat , laden with explosives , come from on the night of july 27 to attack the m. star ? if not iran , did it set out under cover of darkness from the united arab emirates , oman or even saudi arabia -- undetected by authorities ?","the militant sunni group is named for a palestinian close to osama bin laden" +"dougie hamilton ( cnn ) -- the boston bruins put down their hockey sticks on monday and got decked out frozen ' -style for a good cause . bruins defenseman dougie hamilton would never have been disney 's first choice for elsa , the cartoon star of the hit frozen ' movie . but he and forward matt fraser ( now known as elsa 's sister , anna ) brought a bit of halloween fun to the sick children at boston children 's hospital . rounding out the cast were bruins defenseman kevan miller ( kristoff ) , forward seth griffith ( hans ) , defenseman matt bartkowski ( sven ) and defenseman torey krug ( olaf ) . we 're all fans of it . i 've seen the movie , and i 'm a fan so i 'm not going to lie about that , ' hamilton said on the team 's blog . it 's fun to be able to be something that 's popular and they all know it and make them smile . ' it appears the movie 's hit song let it go ' has even made its way into the players'song lists . i 've heard the song a lot of times , especially with my niece singing , ' krug said . i know the lyrics . '","bruins defenseman dougie hamilton was decked out as elsa" +"dvf london , england ( cnn ) -- open any fashion magazine and you 're instantly bombarded with a collection of blindingly beautiful celebrities , bedazzled with shimmering jewels and perfectly coiffed messy hair . ' anna boccia lewis has been a dvf fan since the 1970s . do you own a wrap dress ? tell us why . they teeter on gorgeous stilettos strutting their perfectly toned figures in clothing that could cost as much as a typical mortgage . close that same fashion magazine -- or maybe ever-so-gently hurl it at the wall -- and perhaps you 're left feeling slightly inadequate and envious . after all , why should we be left out of all the fun just because we ca n't afford the clothing in the magazine ? but there is one fashion item that has arguably been bridging the gap for more than three decades between the wealthy elite and the average woman . this item is diane von furstenberg 's wrap dress . just like the little black dress , ' furstenberg 's wrap dress is considered an essential in many womens'wardrobes . diane von furstenberg , or dvf as she 's known , sold her first wrap dress in the 1970s . it has been a unique phenomenon , the belgian designer told cnn . what was new about my wrap dress was that i did it in jersey and therefore it molded the body and it was very flattering to the body . ' technically speaking , a wrap dress is like a kimono . it 's a very traditional form of clothing , it 's a dress that has no buttons and no zipper , ' said von furstenberg . since its inception , millions have flown off the racks . but that is n't to say the dress did n't see its dark periods as well . there was a time when the trend for wrap dresses was declared over , but like any good ( or bad ) fashion , it experienced a revival . fashion changed completely and things went away , ' said von furstenberg . ten years ago i started again because i saw that very hip young girls were buying them in thrift shops . ' that trend continues today . while the dresses are stocked in dvf stores , they are regularly bought and sold in vintage stores and through online auction sites , such as ebay . my love affair with the dvf wrap dress began in the 1970s , ' says anna boccia lewis , a self-confessed dvf addict ' from california . one of my first purchases was a yellow floral vintage dvf shirtdress that i found at goodwill in south san francisco for $ 4.75 . i think what i love the most about diane 's designs is that each one has its own special personality -- just like the woman who is wearing it , ' anna said . cnn asked other women to tell us what it is about dvf dresses that make them so special . tell us your story -- sound off ' below . they make me feel not only sexy , but successful , sophisticated and timeless , ' said carolyn yapp , a 24-year-old dvf devotee from jamaica . melissa calivis green from baltimore told us : for me , the iconic prints represent a sense of powerful femininity and the promise of endless possibilities . ' tracey jennings of the united kingdom has been wearing dvf dresses for the last ten years . she said : like a lot of women , i have varied in size from year to year . as a result , my wrap dresses range from size four to size 10 . ' kirsty palmer , also from the united kingdom , recently sold one of her dvf dresses on ebay . i like to change my selection , ' she said . buying vintage wrap dresses makes them more affordable for me , yet i still get the benefit as if i were buying new due to their classic cuts and their durability . ' do you own a wrap dress ? if so , we want to hear from you . why did you buy it and what does it mean to you ? sound off ' below or email us a picture or go to cnn 's facebook page -- facebook.com/cnnintl .","the dvf wrap dress is made with jersey which flatters female shapes" +"cnn london , england ( cnn ) -- open any fashion magazine and you 're instantly bombarded with a collection of blindingly beautiful celebrities , bedazzled with shimmering jewels and perfectly coiffed messy hair . ' anna boccia lewis has been a dvf fan since the 1970s . do you own a wrap dress ? tell us why . they teeter on gorgeous stilettos strutting their perfectly toned figures in clothing that could cost as much as a typical mortgage . close that same fashion magazine -- or maybe ever-so-gently hurl it at the wall -- and perhaps you 're left feeling slightly inadequate and envious . after all , why should we be left out of all the fun just because we ca n't afford the clothing in the magazine ? but there is one fashion item that has arguably been bridging the gap for more than three decades between the wealthy elite and the average woman . this item is diane von furstenberg 's wrap dress . just like the little black dress , ' furstenberg 's wrap dress is considered an essential in many womens'wardrobes . diane von furstenberg , or dvf as she 's known , sold her first wrap dress in the 1970s . it has been a unique phenomenon , the belgian designer told cnn . what was new about my wrap dress was that i did it in jersey and therefore it molded the body and it was very flattering to the body . ' technically speaking , a wrap dress is like a kimono . it 's a very traditional form of clothing , it 's a dress that has no buttons and no zipper , ' said von furstenberg . since its inception , millions have flown off the racks . but that is n't to say the dress did n't see its dark periods as well . there was a time when the trend for wrap dresses was declared over , but like any good ( or bad ) fashion , it experienced a revival . fashion changed completely and things went away , ' said von furstenberg . ten years ago i started again because i saw that very hip young girls were buying them in thrift shops . ' that trend continues today . while the dresses are stocked in dvf stores , they are regularly bought and sold in vintage stores and through online auction sites , such as ebay . my love affair with the dvf wrap dress began in the 1970s , ' says anna boccia lewis , a self-confessed dvf addict ' from california . one of my first purchases was a yellow floral vintage dvf shirtdress that i found at goodwill in south san francisco for $ 4.75 . i think what i love the most about diane 's designs is that each one has its own special personality -- just like the woman who is wearing it , ' anna said . cnn asked other women to tell us what it is about dvf dresses that make them so special . tell us your story -- sound off ' below . they make me feel not only sexy , but successful , sophisticated and timeless , ' said carolyn yapp , a 24-year-old dvf devotee from jamaica . melissa calivis green from baltimore told us : for me , the iconic prints represent a sense of powerful femininity and the promise of endless possibilities . ' tracey jennings of the united kingdom has been wearing dvf dresses for the last ten years . she said : like a lot of women , i have varied in size from year to year . as a result , my wrap dresses range from size four to size 10 . ' kirsty palmer , also from the united kingdom , recently sold one of her dvf dresses on ebay . i like to change my selection , ' she said . buying vintage wrap dresses makes them more affordable for me , yet i still get the benefit as if i were buying new due to their classic cuts and their durability . ' do you own a wrap dress ? if so , we want to hear from you . why did you buy it and what does it mean to you ? sound off ' below or email us a picture or go to cnn 's facebook page -- facebook.com/cnnintl .","readers told cnn about their devotion to their wrap dresses since the 1970s" +"pakistan ( cnn ) -- pakistan cricket legend imran khan has described how the unfolding crisis in haiti revived harrowing memories of a similar earthquake in his own region . the devastating 7.6 magnitude quake struck northern pakistan and the divided kashmir region in october 2005 , claiming the lives of almost 80,000 people , according to official estimates , and leaving millions homeless . khan , who is now a prominent politician and campaigner for social issues in pakistan , told cnn thursday that he was left numbed by the scenes which greeted him as he traveled to some of the worst-affected areas in the aftermath . it was one of the most traumatic experiences i 've ever had . just watching human suffering , he said . it was the children that really disturbed me ... their crushed limbs . there were so many people needing attention . i remember seeing makeshift hospitals where they were amputating . that was difficult to take . families were torn apart as parents lost their children and children were orphaned . whole families were caught inside buildings , while few escaped . ' khan recalled being overwhelmed by the sight of an entire town being reduced to rubble . we arrived in the town of balakot and it was totally flattened . you do n't know what to do or say . so many people needing help at one time and you do n't have the infrastructure , you do n't have the hospitals to help . ' desperation grips haitian capital balakot was one of the worst-hit places , with one in 10 of about 20,000 residents killed , according to the local government of the mansehra district , where the town of is located . thousands more were injured . pakistani authorities later planned to move the town in the country 's north west frontier province to a completely new location , owing to its current position on a volatile fault line . the destruction of balakot brought home to khan how much people had lost . their livelihoods disappeared overnight , ' he said . they had nothing , no business , money , food . from what i 've seen on television it 's similar to what is happening now in haiti . clearly they ( haiti ) wo n't have the resources to cope with it , so it will require a real outside effort . ' while acknowledging the importance of the international aid effort , khan pointed to role ordinary pakistanis played in 2005 . it was incredible . the government was incapacitated but there were little charities and groups forming all over the area trying to help . i was in an earthquake-hit area on the second day and i 'll never forget seeing a three-mile queue of people trying to get to what was a largely remote area to help with whatever they could put in their cars . the government was paralyzed but people came forward , from rich to poor , young to old . ' he also pointed to the success volunteer networks had in adopting villages and towns , taking responsibility for providing basic shelter , food and medicine . everyone took responsibility , ' recalled khan . each group would look after a specific issue until the local population was able to get back on its feet . it 's so important that the aid effort continues months after the disaster . '","earthquake struck northern pakistan , divided kashmir region in 2005 , claiming 80,000 lives" +"khan ( cnn ) -- pakistan cricket legend imran khan has described how the unfolding crisis in haiti revived harrowing memories of a similar earthquake in his own region . the devastating 7.6 magnitude quake struck northern pakistan and the divided kashmir region in october 2005 , claiming the lives of almost 80,000 people , according to official estimates , and leaving millions homeless . khan , who is now a prominent politician and campaigner for social issues in pakistan , told cnn thursday that he was left numbed by the scenes which greeted him as he traveled to some of the worst-affected areas in the aftermath . it was one of the most traumatic experiences i 've ever had . just watching human suffering , he said . it was the children that really disturbed me ... their crushed limbs . there were so many people needing attention . i remember seeing makeshift hospitals where they were amputating . that was difficult to take . families were torn apart as parents lost their children and children were orphaned . whole families were caught inside buildings , while few escaped . ' khan recalled being overwhelmed by the sight of an entire town being reduced to rubble . we arrived in the town of balakot and it was totally flattened . you do n't know what to do or say . so many people needing help at one time and you do n't have the infrastructure , you do n't have the hospitals to help . ' desperation grips haitian capital balakot was one of the worst-hit places , with one in 10 of about 20,000 residents killed , according to the local government of the mansehra district , where the town of is located . thousands more were injured . pakistani authorities later planned to move the town in the country 's north west frontier province to a completely new location , owing to its current position on a volatile fault line . the destruction of balakot brought home to khan how much people had lost . their livelihoods disappeared overnight , ' he said . they had nothing , no business , money , food . from what i 've seen on television it 's similar to what is happening now in haiti . clearly they ( haiti ) wo n't have the resources to cope with it , so it will require a real outside effort . ' while acknowledging the importance of the international aid effort , khan pointed to role ordinary pakistanis played in 2005 . it was incredible . the government was incapacitated but there were little charities and groups forming all over the area trying to help . i was in an earthquake-hit area on the second day and i 'll never forget seeing a three-mile queue of people trying to get to what was a largely remote area to help with whatever they could put in their cars . the government was paralyzed but people came forward , from rich to poor , young to old . ' he also pointed to the success volunteer networks had in adopting villages and towns , taking responsibility for providing basic shelter , food and medicine . everyone took responsibility , ' recalled khan . each group would look after a specific issue until the local population was able to get back on its feet . it 's so important that the aid effort continues months after the disaster . '","khan : their livelihoods disappeared overnight . they had nothing , no business , money , food '" +"khan ( cnn ) -- pakistan cricket legend imran khan has described how the unfolding crisis in haiti revived harrowing memories of a similar earthquake in his own region . the devastating 7.6 magnitude quake struck northern pakistan and the divided kashmir region in october 2005 , claiming the lives of almost 80,000 people , according to official estimates , and leaving millions homeless . khan , who is now a prominent politician and campaigner for social issues in pakistan , told cnn thursday that he was left numbed by the scenes which greeted him as he traveled to some of the worst-affected areas in the aftermath . it was one of the most traumatic experiences i 've ever had . just watching human suffering , he said . it was the children that really disturbed me ... their crushed limbs . there were so many people needing attention . i remember seeing makeshift hospitals where they were amputating . that was difficult to take . families were torn apart as parents lost their children and children were orphaned . whole families were caught inside buildings , while few escaped . ' khan recalled being overwhelmed by the sight of an entire town being reduced to rubble . we arrived in the town of balakot and it was totally flattened . you do n't know what to do or say . so many people needing help at one time and you do n't have the infrastructure , you do n't have the hospitals to help . ' desperation grips haitian capital balakot was one of the worst-hit places , with one in 10 of about 20,000 residents killed , according to the local government of the mansehra district , where the town of is located . thousands more were injured . pakistani authorities later planned to move the town in the country 's north west frontier province to a completely new location , owing to its current position on a volatile fault line . the destruction of balakot brought home to khan how much people had lost . their livelihoods disappeared overnight , ' he said . they had nothing , no business , money , food . from what i 've seen on television it 's similar to what is happening now in haiti . clearly they ( haiti ) wo n't have the resources to cope with it , so it will require a real outside effort . ' while acknowledging the importance of the international aid effort , khan pointed to role ordinary pakistanis played in 2005 . it was incredible . the government was incapacitated but there were little charities and groups forming all over the area trying to help . i was in an earthquake-hit area on the second day and i 'll never forget seeing a three-mile queue of people trying to get to what was a largely remote area to help with whatever they could put in their cars . the government was paralyzed but people came forward , from rich to poor , young to old . ' he also pointed to the success volunteer networks had in adopting villages and towns , taking responsibility for providing basic shelter , food and medicine . everyone took responsibility , ' recalled khan . each group would look after a specific issue until the local population was able to get back on its feet . it 's so important that the aid effort continues months after the disaster . '","imran khan recalled being overwhelmed by the sight of an entire town being reduced to rubble" +"bradley ( cnn ) -- filipino hero manny pacquiao scored a comprehensive 12-round points victory over timothy bradley to regain the wbo welterweight title he controversially lost to the previously unbeaten american two years ago . at 35 , many had believed that the pacman 's best years were behind him , but he was an easy winner saturday night in las vegas on all three of the judges'scorecards after dominating the bout . pacquiao improved to 56-5 with two drawn and predicted he would continue to ply his trade in the ring for some time yet . i think i can go another two years , ' said pacquiao . i 'm so happy to be world champion again . tim bradley was not an easy fight . ' bradley had won their 2012 clash on a disputed points decision and pacquiao also lost his next fight when knocked out by juan manuel marquez in the sixth round . but he beat the promising young brandon rios last november to revive his fortunes and was back to his peerless best to take bradley 's perfect record . the wbo may mandate pacquiao to face the winner of the marquez-mike alvarado clash next month although the bigger prize may be a long-awaited clash with american superstar floyd mayweather . contractual and legal wrangles have to date prevented a money-spinning bout between the two boxing icons but pacquiao 's performance in beating bradley has certainly restored his reputation . a star-studded crowd watched the fight in the mgm grand arena and aside from a spell in the fourth round , pacquiao was in control . back home in the philippines , thousands watched the fight on big screens , cheering wildly as their national hero took command . the people of the nation are united in cheering on the victory of the nation 's fist , ' president benigno aquino 's spokesman told afp after the victory . many filipino 's are still recovering from the devastating impact of super typhoon haiyan last year and aquino said pacquiao was a symbol of resistance in the face of adversity , having himself recovered from the defeats to bradley and marquez .","bradley beat pacquiao in controversial circumstances in 2012" +"bradley ( cnn ) -- filipino hero manny pacquiao scored a comprehensive 12-round points victory over timothy bradley to regain the wbo welterweight title he controversially lost to the previously unbeaten american two years ago . at 35 , many had believed that the pacman 's best years were behind him , but he was an easy winner saturday night in las vegas on all three of the judges'scorecards after dominating the bout . pacquiao improved to 56-5 with two drawn and predicted he would continue to ply his trade in the ring for some time yet . i think i can go another two years , ' said pacquiao . i 'm so happy to be world champion again . tim bradley was not an easy fight . ' bradley had won their 2012 clash on a disputed points decision and pacquiao also lost his next fight when knocked out by juan manuel marquez in the sixth round . but he beat the promising young brandon rios last november to revive his fortunes and was back to his peerless best to take bradley 's perfect record . the wbo may mandate pacquiao to face the winner of the marquez-mike alvarado clash next month although the bigger prize may be a long-awaited clash with american superstar floyd mayweather . contractual and legal wrangles have to date prevented a money-spinning bout between the two boxing icons but pacquiao 's performance in beating bradley has certainly restored his reputation . a star-studded crowd watched the fight in the mgm grand arena and aside from a spell in the fourth round , pacquiao was in control . back home in the philippines , thousands watched the fight on big screens , cheering wildly as their national hero took command . the people of the nation are united in cheering on the victory of the nation 's fist , ' president benigno aquino 's spokesman told afp after the victory . many filipino 's are still recovering from the devastating impact of super typhoon haiyan last year and aquino said pacquiao was a symbol of resistance in the face of adversity , having himself recovered from the defeats to bradley and marquez .","' pacman'beats timothy bradley on unanimous points decision" +"toya graham ( cnn ) the baltimore mother who slapped her son several times and pulled him out of a protest told cnn on wednesday she was n't concerned that she might be embarrassing her son . not at all , ' toya graham told cnn 's anderson cooper 360˚ ' in an interview that aired wednesday night . he was embarrassing himself by wearing that mask and that hoodie and doing what he was doing . ' the video of graham yanking her son , michael singleton , and slapping him with a right hand as cnn affiliate wmar recorded has led to the internet calling graham # motheroftheyear . many people have praised the unemployed , single mother of six for going to the mondawmin mall and getting her son away from the escalating violence . graham told cooper that she saw her son with a brick in his hand , and she lost control of her emotions and told him to drop it . wednesday night : across united states , protests in support of baltimore demonstrators ' i did ( get emotional ) . you know , once he threw that rock down i said ,'you were n't brought up like this ,' graham said . he 's not a perfect child , but he 's also not a thug , she said . the 16-year-old boy said he understood that his mother was there looking out for him . she did n't want me to get in trouble ( with the ) law . she did n't want me to be like another freddie gray , ' he said , referring to the 25-year-old man who died of a severe spinal injury after being arrested by baltimore police . gray 's death has sparked daily protests over police brutality . there have also been riots and looting that prompted the city to put a curfew into effect . graham said her son told her the night before the violence at the mall that something was up . she told him then and the next morning not to go . he swore to her he would n't . her motherly sense kicked in when she heard school had closed early and the mall was shutting down , too . she went to the mall and focused on the teens who were tossing rocks and bricks . there he was , in sweatpants she recognized . they made eye contact . he had a brick in his hand , and that set her off . wednesday night : marchers back in the streets of baltimore ' i was so angry with him that he had made a decision to do some harm to the police officers , ' she said . she yelled at him to put the brick down . singleton said he had seen her , but it did n't make sense that his mother would be there . but when he heard her voice , he realized it really was his mom -- and he was in big trouble . then the camera captured her memorable smackdown . it was just world war iii from right there , ' he said , showing some humor about the incident . graham noticed the tv crew but did n't think anything of it . and she did n't care . i was n't there to be recorded . i was there to get my child , ' she said . tameka brown , one of graham 's five daughters , told cnn on tuesday it was n't that hard for her mom to spot her 16-year-old half-brother . she knows her son and picked him out . even with the mask on , she knew , ' brown said . brown said her mother is always looking out for her children . she has always been tough and knows where we are at , ' brown said . graham said she tries to steer her son away from potential trouble and troublemakers . as long as i have breath in my body i will always try to do right by michael and show him what 's going on out in society does n't have to be you , ' she told cnn . her son said that once they got home from the mall he understood why she pulled him out of the crowd . i was embarrassed a little bit , until she just started talking to me when we got home , ' he said . ( she was ) just telling me she did it because she cared about me . and it was n't to embarrass me , but because she cared . ' cnn 's elise miller and anneclaire stapleton contributed to this report . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here .","video of toya graham going to a protest and forcefully removing her son went viral , drew a lot of praise" +"cnn ( cnn ) the baltimore mother who slapped her son several times and pulled him out of a protest told cnn on wednesday she was n't concerned that she might be embarrassing her son . not at all , ' toya graham told cnn 's anderson cooper 360˚ ' in an interview that aired wednesday night . he was embarrassing himself by wearing that mask and that hoodie and doing what he was doing . ' the video of graham yanking her son , michael singleton , and slapping him with a right hand as cnn affiliate wmar recorded has led to the internet calling graham # motheroftheyear . many people have praised the unemployed , single mother of six for going to the mondawmin mall and getting her son away from the escalating violence . graham told cooper that she saw her son with a brick in his hand , and she lost control of her emotions and told him to drop it . wednesday night : across united states , protests in support of baltimore demonstrators ' i did ( get emotional ) . you know , once he threw that rock down i said ,'you were n't brought up like this ,' graham said . he 's not a perfect child , but he 's also not a thug , she said . the 16-year-old boy said he understood that his mother was there looking out for him . she did n't want me to get in trouble ( with the ) law . she did n't want me to be like another freddie gray , ' he said , referring to the 25-year-old man who died of a severe spinal injury after being arrested by baltimore police . gray 's death has sparked daily protests over police brutality . there have also been riots and looting that prompted the city to put a curfew into effect . graham said her son told her the night before the violence at the mall that something was up . she told him then and the next morning not to go . he swore to her he would n't . her motherly sense kicked in when she heard school had closed early and the mall was shutting down , too . she went to the mall and focused on the teens who were tossing rocks and bricks . there he was , in sweatpants she recognized . they made eye contact . he had a brick in his hand , and that set her off . wednesday night : marchers back in the streets of baltimore ' i was so angry with him that he had made a decision to do some harm to the police officers , ' she said . she yelled at him to put the brick down . singleton said he had seen her , but it did n't make sense that his mother would be there . but when he heard her voice , he realized it really was his mom -- and he was in big trouble . then the camera captured her memorable smackdown . it was just world war iii from right there , ' he said , showing some humor about the incident . graham noticed the tv crew but did n't think anything of it . and she did n't care . i was n't there to be recorded . i was there to get my child , ' she said . tameka brown , one of graham 's five daughters , told cnn on tuesday it was n't that hard for her mom to spot her 16-year-old half-brother . she knows her son and picked him out . even with the mask on , she knew , ' brown said . brown said her mother is always looking out for her children . she has always been tough and knows where we are at , ' brown said . graham said she tries to steer her son away from potential trouble and troublemakers . as long as i have breath in my body i will always try to do right by michael and show him what 's going on out in society does n't have to be you , ' she told cnn . her son said that once they got home from the mall he understood why she pulled him out of the crowd . i was embarrassed a little bit , until she just started talking to me when we got home , ' he said . ( she was ) just telling me she did it because she cared about me . and it was n't to embarrass me , but because she cared . ' cnn 's elise miller and anneclaire stapleton contributed to this report . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here .","the single mother of six tells cnn her son was scolded that he was n't brought up that way" +"michael singleton ( cnn ) the baltimore mother who slapped her son several times and pulled him out of a protest told cnn on wednesday she was n't concerned that she might be embarrassing her son . not at all , ' toya graham told cnn 's anderson cooper 360˚ ' in an interview that aired wednesday night . he was embarrassing himself by wearing that mask and that hoodie and doing what he was doing . ' the video of graham yanking her son , michael singleton , and slapping him with a right hand as cnn affiliate wmar recorded has led to the internet calling graham # motheroftheyear . many people have praised the unemployed , single mother of six for going to the mondawmin mall and getting her son away from the escalating violence . graham told cooper that she saw her son with a brick in his hand , and she lost control of her emotions and told him to drop it . wednesday night : across united states , protests in support of baltimore demonstrators ' i did ( get emotional ) . you know , once he threw that rock down i said ,'you were n't brought up like this ,' graham said . he 's not a perfect child , but he 's also not a thug , she said . the 16-year-old boy said he understood that his mother was there looking out for him . she did n't want me to get in trouble ( with the ) law . she did n't want me to be like another freddie gray , ' he said , referring to the 25-year-old man who died of a severe spinal injury after being arrested by baltimore police . gray 's death has sparked daily protests over police brutality . there have also been riots and looting that prompted the city to put a curfew into effect . graham said her son told her the night before the violence at the mall that something was up . she told him then and the next morning not to go . he swore to her he would n't . her motherly sense kicked in when she heard school had closed early and the mall was shutting down , too . she went to the mall and focused on the teens who were tossing rocks and bricks . there he was , in sweatpants she recognized . they made eye contact . he had a brick in his hand , and that set her off . wednesday night : marchers back in the streets of baltimore ' i was so angry with him that he had made a decision to do some harm to the police officers , ' she said . she yelled at him to put the brick down . singleton said he had seen her , but it did n't make sense that his mother would be there . but when he heard her voice , he realized it really was his mom -- and he was in big trouble . then the camera captured her memorable smackdown . it was just world war iii from right there , ' he said , showing some humor about the incident . graham noticed the tv crew but did n't think anything of it . and she did n't care . i was n't there to be recorded . i was there to get my child , ' she said . tameka brown , one of graham 's five daughters , told cnn on tuesday it was n't that hard for her mom to spot her 16-year-old half-brother . she knows her son and picked him out . even with the mask on , she knew , ' brown said . brown said her mother is always looking out for her children . she has always been tough and knows where we are at , ' brown said . graham said she tries to steer her son away from potential trouble and troublemakers . as long as i have breath in my body i will always try to do right by michael and show him what 's going on out in society does n't have to be you , ' she told cnn . her son said that once they got home from the mall he understood why she pulled him out of the crowd . i was embarrassed a little bit , until she just started talking to me when we got home , ' he said . ( she was ) just telling me she did it because she cared about me . and it was n't to embarrass me , but because she cared . ' cnn 's elise miller and anneclaire stapleton contributed to this report . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here .","michael singleton says he knows his mom was trying to protect him" +"breivik oslo , norway ( cnn ) -- the man accused of killing 77 people in a bomb-and-gun rampage in norway last summer said his actions were justified to save the country from multicultural forces as he went on trial monday . anders behring breivik raised his arm in a fascist-style salute -- a symbol of strength , power and defiance against marxist tyrants , ' to quote the 1,500-page manifesto attributed to him -- as soon as his handcuffs were removed in court monday . i acknowledge the acts but do not plead guilty , ' he told the court . his trial on charges of voluntary homicide and committing acts of terror is expected to last up to 10 weeks . he is accused of setting off a bomb in central oslo that killed eight people , then fatally shooting 69 people at a youth camp run by the ruling labour party on nearby utoya island . dressed in a black suit and sporting a jawline beard , breivik listened impassively as prosecutor inga bejer engh read the charges , describing how dozens of young people were shot to death . breivik says his rampage was meant to save norway from being taken over by multicultural forces and to prevent ethnic cleansing of norwegians , said his lawyer , geir lippestad . in his manifesto , breivik railed against muslim immigration and european liberalism , including the labour party , which he said was allowing the islamification of europe . ' and in court , he called the trial political and objected to the judge 's friendship with a former justice minister . i do not recognize the norwegian court . you 've gotten your mandate from political parties that support multiculturalism , ' he said . ok , we will make a note of that general objection , ' judge wenche elizabeth arntzen said curtly . prosecutors played a recording of a terrified girl phoning for help during the shooting rampage , a recording punctuated by constant firing in the background . they also showed security camera video of the central oslo bomb blast that killed eight people , images that participants in the trial watched with ashen faces . breivik sat in court without restraints , behind a bulletproof glass barrier set up to protect him during the six hours of proceedings . prime minister jens stoltenberg vowed to double down on norway 's traditions of liberal democracy in response to the attacks , and breivik 's trial appears to be no exception . he was so close to having a bullet between his eyes . the police were so close , ' said jorn overby , who rescued some 15 people from the waters off utoya during the massacre . but overby told cnn that he owes breivik only a punch in the face for firing at me . ' he will get the treatment he needs , ' overby said . experts have given different opinions about breivik 's sanity , which will be a factor in determining what punishment he receives if convicted . norway does not have the death penalty , and sentencing options could include imprisonment or confining him to a mental facility . but breivik 's defense will try to prove he was sane at the time of the killings , lippestad said monday . lippestad told reporters after the hearing that the defendant had his reasons , but would not disclose them . it is important to breivik that he be considered sane , lippestad said after the hearing . prosecutors outlined breivik 's life before the killings , showing a photo of the messy room where he lived at his mother 's house , listing his six failed businesses and referring to his many hours playing the online game world of warcraft . ' prosecutors said he had no job , no salary , no money from the government ' and was living off his savings . ' the defendant smiled briefly when his warcraft ' character was shown , one of the few times he showed emotion on monday . he also appeared to be overcome with emotion , fighting back tears , when part of his video manifesto knights templar 2083 ' was played in court . lippestad declined to say why breivik wept , citing attorney-client privilege . but lawyers for the victims said : no one thought he was crying for the victims . ' a survivor of utoya island , tore sinding bekkedal , said he was surprised to experience a strange feeling of relief ' when prosecutors switched from listing the names of the dead to those of the wounded . it was an intense gratitude , bekkedal said during a break in the proceedings . it took me by surprise that i felt it , that these wonderful people are still among us , that we managed to save these ones at least . ' breivik is to begin testifying tuesday , and asked monday for his testimony to be broadcast , claiming it as a human right . most of the relatives of the victims do not want that to happen , according to lawyers who represent the families of victims and survivors . it 's going to be 10 weeks of hell ... to hear this man , to hear his explanation of why he did it and how he did it , ' said trond henry blattmann , whose son was killed on utoya island . in november , prosecutors said psychiatrists had determined that breivik was paranoid and schizophrenic at the time of the attacks and during 13 interviews experts conducted with him afterward . however , the court sought a second opinion because of the importance of the question of sanity to breivik 's trial . in a report released this month , two court-appointed psychiatric experts said breivik was sane at the time of the killings . the victims on utoya island were among 700 mostly young people attending a labour party camp , the same camp stoltenberg said he had attended every summer since 1974 . i think that one of the main messages from norway after the tragedy ... was that we were going to protect our democracy . and part of our democracy is the divisions of responsibilities between the government and the courts . it 's up to the courts to decide whether this man is going to be sentenced or not , whether he is insane or not . it 's not a question which is going to be decided by politicians . that 's part of our democratic society , ' stoltenberg said . tore bjorgo , a terror expert and professor at norwegian police university college , said breivik appears to be overly concerned about his self-image and sees himself in the role of a fantastic , great person who will save europe . ' it 's we who should decide what kind of a society we want ; it 's not the terrorists , ' he said . and the logic of terrorism is to try to provoke responses to get people to act in ways the terrorists want , and it was important that we did n't do that . we did n't go down that road , and that was , i think , a big victory . ' cnn 's per nyberg and marilia brocchetto contributed to this report .","breivik is accused of killing 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage" +"breivik oslo , norway ( cnn ) -- the man accused of killing 77 people in a bomb-and-gun rampage in norway last summer said his actions were justified to save the country from multicultural forces as he went on trial monday . anders behring breivik raised his arm in a fascist-style salute -- a symbol of strength , power and defiance against marxist tyrants , ' to quote the 1,500-page manifesto attributed to him -- as soon as his handcuffs were removed in court monday . i acknowledge the acts but do not plead guilty , ' he told the court . his trial on charges of voluntary homicide and committing acts of terror is expected to last up to 10 weeks . he is accused of setting off a bomb in central oslo that killed eight people , then fatally shooting 69 people at a youth camp run by the ruling labour party on nearby utoya island . dressed in a black suit and sporting a jawline beard , breivik listened impassively as prosecutor inga bejer engh read the charges , describing how dozens of young people were shot to death . breivik says his rampage was meant to save norway from being taken over by multicultural forces and to prevent ethnic cleansing of norwegians , said his lawyer , geir lippestad . in his manifesto , breivik railed against muslim immigration and european liberalism , including the labour party , which he said was allowing the islamification of europe . ' and in court , he called the trial political and objected to the judge 's friendship with a former justice minister . i do not recognize the norwegian court . you 've gotten your mandate from political parties that support multiculturalism , ' he said . ok , we will make a note of that general objection , ' judge wenche elizabeth arntzen said curtly . prosecutors played a recording of a terrified girl phoning for help during the shooting rampage , a recording punctuated by constant firing in the background . they also showed security camera video of the central oslo bomb blast that killed eight people , images that participants in the trial watched with ashen faces . breivik sat in court without restraints , behind a bulletproof glass barrier set up to protect him during the six hours of proceedings . prime minister jens stoltenberg vowed to double down on norway 's traditions of liberal democracy in response to the attacks , and breivik 's trial appears to be no exception . he was so close to having a bullet between his eyes . the police were so close , ' said jorn overby , who rescued some 15 people from the waters off utoya during the massacre . but overby told cnn that he owes breivik only a punch in the face for firing at me . ' he will get the treatment he needs , ' overby said . experts have given different opinions about breivik 's sanity , which will be a factor in determining what punishment he receives if convicted . norway does not have the death penalty , and sentencing options could include imprisonment or confining him to a mental facility . but breivik 's defense will try to prove he was sane at the time of the killings , lippestad said monday . lippestad told reporters after the hearing that the defendant had his reasons , but would not disclose them . it is important to breivik that he be considered sane , lippestad said after the hearing . prosecutors outlined breivik 's life before the killings , showing a photo of the messy room where he lived at his mother 's house , listing his six failed businesses and referring to his many hours playing the online game world of warcraft . ' prosecutors said he had no job , no salary , no money from the government ' and was living off his savings . ' the defendant smiled briefly when his warcraft ' character was shown , one of the few times he showed emotion on monday . he also appeared to be overcome with emotion , fighting back tears , when part of his video manifesto knights templar 2083 ' was played in court . lippestad declined to say why breivik wept , citing attorney-client privilege . but lawyers for the victims said : no one thought he was crying for the victims . ' a survivor of utoya island , tore sinding bekkedal , said he was surprised to experience a strange feeling of relief ' when prosecutors switched from listing the names of the dead to those of the wounded . it was an intense gratitude , bekkedal said during a break in the proceedings . it took me by surprise that i felt it , that these wonderful people are still among us , that we managed to save these ones at least . ' breivik is to begin testifying tuesday , and asked monday for his testimony to be broadcast , claiming it as a human right . most of the relatives of the victims do not want that to happen , according to lawyers who represent the families of victims and survivors . it 's going to be 10 weeks of hell ... to hear this man , to hear his explanation of why he did it and how he did it , ' said trond henry blattmann , whose son was killed on utoya island . in november , prosecutors said psychiatrists had determined that breivik was paranoid and schizophrenic at the time of the attacks and during 13 interviews experts conducted with him afterward . however , the court sought a second opinion because of the importance of the question of sanity to breivik 's trial . in a report released this month , two court-appointed psychiatric experts said breivik was sane at the time of the killings . the victims on utoya island were among 700 mostly young people attending a labour party camp , the same camp stoltenberg said he had attended every summer since 1974 . i think that one of the main messages from norway after the tragedy ... was that we were going to protect our democracy . and part of our democracy is the divisions of responsibilities between the government and the courts . it 's up to the courts to decide whether this man is going to be sentenced or not , whether he is insane or not . it 's not a question which is going to be decided by politicians . that 's part of our democratic society , ' stoltenberg said . tore bjorgo , a terror expert and professor at norwegian police university college , said breivik appears to be overly concerned about his self-image and sees himself in the role of a fantastic , great person who will save europe . ' it 's we who should decide what kind of a society we want ; it 's not the terrorists , ' he said . and the logic of terrorism is to try to provoke responses to get people to act in ways the terrorists want , and it was important that we did n't do that . we did n't go down that road , and that was , i think , a big victory . ' cnn 's per nyberg and marilia brocchetto contributed to this report .","new : survivor says he owes breivik a punch in the face '" +"breivik oslo , norway ( cnn ) -- the man accused of killing 77 people in a bomb-and-gun rampage in norway last summer said his actions were justified to save the country from multicultural forces as he went on trial monday . anders behring breivik raised his arm in a fascist-style salute -- a symbol of strength , power and defiance against marxist tyrants , ' to quote the 1,500-page manifesto attributed to him -- as soon as his handcuffs were removed in court monday . i acknowledge the acts but do not plead guilty , ' he told the court . his trial on charges of voluntary homicide and committing acts of terror is expected to last up to 10 weeks . he is accused of setting off a bomb in central oslo that killed eight people , then fatally shooting 69 people at a youth camp run by the ruling labour party on nearby utoya island . dressed in a black suit and sporting a jawline beard , breivik listened impassively as prosecutor inga bejer engh read the charges , describing how dozens of young people were shot to death . breivik says his rampage was meant to save norway from being taken over by multicultural forces and to prevent ethnic cleansing of norwegians , said his lawyer , geir lippestad . in his manifesto , breivik railed against muslim immigration and european liberalism , including the labour party , which he said was allowing the islamification of europe . ' and in court , he called the trial political and objected to the judge 's friendship with a former justice minister . i do not recognize the norwegian court . you 've gotten your mandate from political parties that support multiculturalism , ' he said . ok , we will make a note of that general objection , ' judge wenche elizabeth arntzen said curtly . prosecutors played a recording of a terrified girl phoning for help during the shooting rampage , a recording punctuated by constant firing in the background . they also showed security camera video of the central oslo bomb blast that killed eight people , images that participants in the trial watched with ashen faces . breivik sat in court without restraints , behind a bulletproof glass barrier set up to protect him during the six hours of proceedings . prime minister jens stoltenberg vowed to double down on norway 's traditions of liberal democracy in response to the attacks , and breivik 's trial appears to be no exception . he was so close to having a bullet between his eyes . the police were so close , ' said jorn overby , who rescued some 15 people from the waters off utoya during the massacre . but overby told cnn that he owes breivik only a punch in the face for firing at me . ' he will get the treatment he needs , ' overby said . experts have given different opinions about breivik 's sanity , which will be a factor in determining what punishment he receives if convicted . norway does not have the death penalty , and sentencing options could include imprisonment or confining him to a mental facility . but breivik 's defense will try to prove he was sane at the time of the killings , lippestad said monday . lippestad told reporters after the hearing that the defendant had his reasons , but would not disclose them . it is important to breivik that he be considered sane , lippestad said after the hearing . prosecutors outlined breivik 's life before the killings , showing a photo of the messy room where he lived at his mother 's house , listing his six failed businesses and referring to his many hours playing the online game world of warcraft . ' prosecutors said he had no job , no salary , no money from the government ' and was living off his savings . ' the defendant smiled briefly when his warcraft ' character was shown , one of the few times he showed emotion on monday . he also appeared to be overcome with emotion , fighting back tears , when part of his video manifesto knights templar 2083 ' was played in court . lippestad declined to say why breivik wept , citing attorney-client privilege . but lawyers for the victims said : no one thought he was crying for the victims . ' a survivor of utoya island , tore sinding bekkedal , said he was surprised to experience a strange feeling of relief ' when prosecutors switched from listing the names of the dead to those of the wounded . it was an intense gratitude , bekkedal said during a break in the proceedings . it took me by surprise that i felt it , that these wonderful people are still among us , that we managed to save these ones at least . ' breivik is to begin testifying tuesday , and asked monday for his testimony to be broadcast , claiming it as a human right . most of the relatives of the victims do not want that to happen , according to lawyers who represent the families of victims and survivors . it 's going to be 10 weeks of hell ... to hear this man , to hear his explanation of why he did it and how he did it , ' said trond henry blattmann , whose son was killed on utoya island . in november , prosecutors said psychiatrists had determined that breivik was paranoid and schizophrenic at the time of the attacks and during 13 interviews experts conducted with him afterward . however , the court sought a second opinion because of the importance of the question of sanity to breivik 's trial . in a report released this month , two court-appointed psychiatric experts said breivik was sane at the time of the killings . the victims on utoya island were among 700 mostly young people attending a labour party camp , the same camp stoltenberg said he had attended every summer since 1974 . i think that one of the main messages from norway after the tragedy ... was that we were going to protect our democracy . and part of our democracy is the divisions of responsibilities between the government and the courts . it 's up to the courts to decide whether this man is going to be sentenced or not , whether he is insane or not . it 's not a question which is going to be decided by politicians . that 's part of our democratic society , ' stoltenberg said . tore bjorgo , a terror expert and professor at norwegian police university college , said breivik appears to be overly concerned about his self-image and sees himself in the role of a fantastic , great person who will save europe . ' it 's we who should decide what kind of a society we want ; it 's not the terrorists , ' he said . and the logic of terrorism is to try to provoke responses to get people to act in ways the terrorists want , and it was important that we did n't do that . we did n't go down that road , and that was , i think , a big victory . ' cnn 's per nyberg and marilia brocchetto contributed to this report .","breivik 's lawyer says it is important to his client that he be seen as sane" +"african union munyonyo , uganda ( cnn ) -- heads of 35 african nations observed two minutes of silence sunday to honor more than 70 people killed in terrorist bomb blasts in uganda earlier this month as the african union summit opened . our condolences go to the people of uganda for the tragic loss of lives following that tragic incident , ' said bingu wa mutharika , au chairman and malawian president . terrorism has no place in africa ; it has no place in the developing world , ' he said . let us all condemn these acts . ' the summit , which formally opened sunday following a week of conferences , is being held at a resort hotel in munyonyo , about 12 kilometers south of the ugandan capital of kampala on the shore of lake victoria . on july 11 , three bombs at two sites in kampala killed 74 people and injured more than 80 . many of the victims had gathered to watch the world cup finals . the al-shabaab militant group , which is currently battling the weak transitional government in war-torn somalia , claimed responsibility for the bombings , saying they were in retaliation for uganda 's contribution of troops for peacekeeping operations in somalia . about 6,000 ugandan and burundian troops were deployed for the peacekeeping mission more than two years ago in the horn of africa nation , which has been at war for more than a decade . mutharika , in his remarks , stopped short of making any commitment toward au peacekeeping missions in somali and the darfur region of sudan . however , au commission chairman jean ping said on friday that guinea and djibouti have battalions of soldiers ready to be be deployed to somalia . forty-three heads of state have said they will attend the summit . thirty-five had arrived by sunday , including libya 's moammar gadhafi and nigerian president goodluck jonathan . while people were enjoying the world cup , uganda was having the dark side of it , ' jonathan told the conference . nigeria condemns that terrorist attack on innocent people in totality and we stand in solidarity with uganda . ' while the theme of the three-day summit is maternal , infant and child health , the subject has been overshadowed by the ugandan attacks , the deteriorating security situation in somalia and the attacks by al-shabaab . we find the terrorist bomb attacks in kampala despicable , ' ping told attendees friday . we welcome the pledges of other countries in providing the troops to somalia , including from djibouti , which already has a battalion ready . ' ping said he has been discussing the issue throughout the week with various african authorities and by the end of the summit , he expects more nations to pledge troops to somalia peacekeeping efforts . the attacks are cause for africa to change its stance on terrorism , adris piebalgs , european union commissioner for development , told reporters at the summit . the recent bombings in kampala have changed things greatly . we have just witnessed au leadership during the opening of the summit today paying more attention on terrorism coming ( from ) somalia , ' piebalgs said . we are seeing real commitment , with more countries contributing to the au peacekeeping mission in somalia . ' the eu will continue its support of the mission , he said , and urges more african nations to get involved and deal with the problem . ' u.s. attorney general eric holder also spoke at the summit , saying the united states recognizes that ending the threat of al-shabaab to the world will take more than just law enforcement . that is why we are working closely with the au to support the african union 's mission in somalia ... we pledge to maintain our support . ' the united states also recognizes that ending the threat of al-shabaab to the world will take more than just law enforcement . that is why we are working closely with the au to support the african union 's mission in somalia . the united states applauds the heroic contributions that are being made on a daily basis by ugandan and burundian troops , and we pledge to maintain our support for the au and the au mission in somalia . some 20 people have been arrested in connection with the kampala blasts , ugandan leader yoweri museveni told the summit , and have been giving investigators useful ' information about terrorist operations . the organizers of these attacks have been arrested . their interrogations are yielding useful information , ' museveni said . i have great contempt for the authors of terrorism , ' he told the summit . ... they attack innocent people . i recommend ( to ) the au leaders not to accept this terrorist arrogance . ' museveni told the summit the mandate of the au peacekeeping mission in somalia should be changed , with troops able to beyond mogadishu and hunt al-shabaab and other militant groups . piebalgs said he would support a wider mandate for the mission from the united nations security council , and urged au leadership to seek it . somali insurgents reportedly killed two ugandan peacekeepers this week in attacks on au and government military positions in somalia 's battered capital , mogadishu . how can these people dare attack the au flag ? ' museveni said . these terrorists can be and should be defeated . let us act in concert and sweep them out of africa . let them go back to asia and the middle east where they came from . '","a three-day african union summit got underway sunday after days of conferences" +"gray ( cnn ) -- the mother of a brooklyn teenager shot and killed by police demanded an investigation thursday , saying he was slaughtered ' and that she wants to know why . kimani gray , 16 , died over the weekend . his death triggered protests in flatbush , a community in brooklyn where distrust of the police runs deep . i 'm still waiting for kimani to come home , ' carol gray told reporters during an emotional news conference . she wore dark sunglasses and struggled to speak as she recalled picking the color of her son 's casket . he has a curfew , ' she said . sometimes he 's late . sometimes he 's early depending on the night . but whatever time he gets there , i 'll be real happy to see him as soon as the bell rings . and for the past couple of days , the bell has n't rung . ' according to police , plainclothes officers were on patrol in their car in flatbush when they saw a group of men gathered on the street at about 11:30 p.m. saturday . as the officers got closer , kimani gray broke from the group and adjusted his waistband . the teen continued to act in a suspicious manner , ' so the officers got out of their unmarked car and tried to get his attention , said a nypd statement . kimani gray then turned on them , ' it said , and pointed a .38-caliber revolver at the officers . they fired at the teenager , striking him . the teen died at a hospital , and a loaded .38 was recovered from the scene , the statement said . one officer fired four rounds ; another fired seven , according to nypd deputy commissioner paul browne . both are now on administrative duty . the officers were taken to a hospital and treated for what the department described as trauma and tinnitus , a ringing in the ears . gray said that her son was killed in front of his best friend 's house . she described him as a typical teenager , into girls and hanging out with friends . most people in the city likely do n't believe what police say happened saturday , said councilman charles barron , who appeared with the teen 's mother at the news conference . for her part , carol gray said she did not think her son had a gun , but added , i was n't there . ' he is not the public 's angel , but he 's my angel , and he 's my baby , and he was slaughtered and i want to know why , ' she said . by monday , anger at the shooting boiled over , with a mob of young people interrupting a vigil by running wildly into local businesses , according to an eyewitness . police said they arrested two people that day . on tuesday , another protest brought out a mostly calm crowd that returned wednesday , anticipating that gray 's mother would speak , said ireporter and professional photographer joel graham . but the hope for a peaceful crowd faded when about 30 young men showed up across the street from the vigil , he said . they were not coming out of the shadow . they were staying in the dark area of the street . you just knew it was going to turn into the cops trying to contain those kids who were obviously gon na go for it , ' graham said . that just stopped the original intention of the night . ' graham began to take photos , watching as kids crossed the street toward the protesters . community leaders started shouting for everyone to calm down and asked anyone taking pictures to stop so they could talk to the young men and calm things down , the photographer told cnn . these kids broke loose and took off . the police were caught off-guard , ' graham said . those kids really know the streets , and they 're spreading out and going down side streets away from the main street . ' next came the sound of breaking glass and rolling trash cans , graham said , and business owners quickly pulled down their metal store-front security coverings . one officer received a gash to his face while another was pushed off his scooter , police said . forty-six arrests were made , including two juveniles , with the majority charged with disorderly conduct . on thursday , mayor michael bloomberg offered condolences to gray 's family and said that more must be done to stop gun violence . i can promise you that we will conduct a full and fair investigation , ' he said . i understand there 's anger in the community , but the ways to get answers is not through violence or law breaking . we can not tolerate that and we will not tolerate that . ' the mayor said , there 's nothing we can do to undo the tragedy for the family , but we 've just got to get guns out of the hands of kids and of the people who should not have them . ' flatbush is a place where many people distrust the police , and gun violence is part of everyday life , some residents say . as a black man growing up in flatbush , you just expect to be harassed by the cops , pulled over , arrested and now just straight up killed , ' said shanduke mcphatter , a 35-year-old former gang member who works with young men in the neighborhood . that 's what 's happening out here . and kids are doing it to themselves to -- they doing the crime , too -- and you got cops who do n't live here coming in here so hard , too hard . that 's how we got a situation like kimani gray . ' the violence over gray 's death will eventually subside , but the intense distrust of police will rear itself again violently soon enough in flatbush , said lumumba akinwole-bandele , a senior organizer with the naacp . a brooklyn resident for 41 years , he and mcphatter told cnn there are big problems to address . there are no community centers here , ' mcphatter said . that has to change . you have to be here and get involved . and for the cops , they just need to take that badge away and talk , talk to us like human beings . we 're asking them to do that , and we 've got ta open up and talk to them . we have to do our part , too . otherwise , this is just going to keep happening . ' cnn 's mary snow and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report .","police say gray pointed a gun at them" +"gray ( cnn ) -- the mother of a brooklyn teenager shot and killed by police demanded an investigation thursday , saying he was slaughtered ' and that she wants to know why . kimani gray , 16 , died over the weekend . his death triggered protests in flatbush , a community in brooklyn where distrust of the police runs deep . i 'm still waiting for kimani to come home , ' carol gray told reporters during an emotional news conference . she wore dark sunglasses and struggled to speak as she recalled picking the color of her son 's casket . he has a curfew , ' she said . sometimes he 's late . sometimes he 's early depending on the night . but whatever time he gets there , i 'll be real happy to see him as soon as the bell rings . and for the past couple of days , the bell has n't rung . ' according to police , plainclothes officers were on patrol in their car in flatbush when they saw a group of men gathered on the street at about 11:30 p.m. saturday . as the officers got closer , kimani gray broke from the group and adjusted his waistband . the teen continued to act in a suspicious manner , ' so the officers got out of their unmarked car and tried to get his attention , said a nypd statement . kimani gray then turned on them , ' it said , and pointed a .38-caliber revolver at the officers . they fired at the teenager , striking him . the teen died at a hospital , and a loaded .38 was recovered from the scene , the statement said . one officer fired four rounds ; another fired seven , according to nypd deputy commissioner paul browne . both are now on administrative duty . the officers were taken to a hospital and treated for what the department described as trauma and tinnitus , a ringing in the ears . gray said that her son was killed in front of his best friend 's house . she described him as a typical teenager , into girls and hanging out with friends . most people in the city likely do n't believe what police say happened saturday , said councilman charles barron , who appeared with the teen 's mother at the news conference . for her part , carol gray said she did not think her son had a gun , but added , i was n't there . ' he is not the public 's angel , but he 's my angel , and he 's my baby , and he was slaughtered and i want to know why , ' she said . by monday , anger at the shooting boiled over , with a mob of young people interrupting a vigil by running wildly into local businesses , according to an eyewitness . police said they arrested two people that day . on tuesday , another protest brought out a mostly calm crowd that returned wednesday , anticipating that gray 's mother would speak , said ireporter and professional photographer joel graham . but the hope for a peaceful crowd faded when about 30 young men showed up across the street from the vigil , he said . they were not coming out of the shadow . they were staying in the dark area of the street . you just knew it was going to turn into the cops trying to contain those kids who were obviously gon na go for it , ' graham said . that just stopped the original intention of the night . ' graham began to take photos , watching as kids crossed the street toward the protesters . community leaders started shouting for everyone to calm down and asked anyone taking pictures to stop so they could talk to the young men and calm things down , the photographer told cnn . these kids broke loose and took off . the police were caught off-guard , ' graham said . those kids really know the streets , and they 're spreading out and going down side streets away from the main street . ' next came the sound of breaking glass and rolling trash cans , graham said , and business owners quickly pulled down their metal store-front security coverings . one officer received a gash to his face while another was pushed off his scooter , police said . forty-six arrests were made , including two juveniles , with the majority charged with disorderly conduct . on thursday , mayor michael bloomberg offered condolences to gray 's family and said that more must be done to stop gun violence . i can promise you that we will conduct a full and fair investigation , ' he said . i understand there 's anger in the community , but the ways to get answers is not through violence or law breaking . we can not tolerate that and we will not tolerate that . ' the mayor said , there 's nothing we can do to undo the tragedy for the family , but we 've just got to get guns out of the hands of kids and of the people who should not have them . ' flatbush is a place where many people distrust the police , and gun violence is part of everyday life , some residents say . as a black man growing up in flatbush , you just expect to be harassed by the cops , pulled over , arrested and now just straight up killed , ' said shanduke mcphatter , a 35-year-old former gang member who works with young men in the neighborhood . that 's what 's happening out here . and kids are doing it to themselves to -- they doing the crime , too -- and you got cops who do n't live here coming in here so hard , too hard . that 's how we got a situation like kimani gray . ' the violence over gray 's death will eventually subside , but the intense distrust of police will rear itself again violently soon enough in flatbush , said lumumba akinwole-bandele , a senior organizer with the naacp . a brooklyn resident for 41 years , he and mcphatter told cnn there are big problems to address . there are no community centers here , ' mcphatter said . that has to change . you have to be here and get involved . and for the cops , they just need to take that badge away and talk , talk to us like human beings . we 're asking them to do that , and we 've got ta open up and talk to them . we have to do our part , too . otherwise , this is just going to keep happening . ' cnn 's mary snow and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report .","carol gray calls for an investigation into her son 's death" +"gray ( cnn ) -- the mother of a brooklyn teenager shot and killed by police demanded an investigation thursday , saying he was slaughtered ' and that she wants to know why . kimani gray , 16 , died over the weekend . his death triggered protests in flatbush , a community in brooklyn where distrust of the police runs deep . i 'm still waiting for kimani to come home , ' carol gray told reporters during an emotional news conference . she wore dark sunglasses and struggled to speak as she recalled picking the color of her son 's casket . he has a curfew , ' she said . sometimes he 's late . sometimes he 's early depending on the night . but whatever time he gets there , i 'll be real happy to see him as soon as the bell rings . and for the past couple of days , the bell has n't rung . ' according to police , plainclothes officers were on patrol in their car in flatbush when they saw a group of men gathered on the street at about 11:30 p.m. saturday . as the officers got closer , kimani gray broke from the group and adjusted his waistband . the teen continued to act in a suspicious manner , ' so the officers got out of their unmarked car and tried to get his attention , said a nypd statement . kimani gray then turned on them , ' it said , and pointed a .38-caliber revolver at the officers . they fired at the teenager , striking him . the teen died at a hospital , and a loaded .38 was recovered from the scene , the statement said . one officer fired four rounds ; another fired seven , according to nypd deputy commissioner paul browne . both are now on administrative duty . the officers were taken to a hospital and treated for what the department described as trauma and tinnitus , a ringing in the ears . gray said that her son was killed in front of his best friend 's house . she described him as a typical teenager , into girls and hanging out with friends . most people in the city likely do n't believe what police say happened saturday , said councilman charles barron , who appeared with the teen 's mother at the news conference . for her part , carol gray said she did not think her son had a gun , but added , i was n't there . ' he is not the public 's angel , but he 's my angel , and he 's my baby , and he was slaughtered and i want to know why , ' she said . by monday , anger at the shooting boiled over , with a mob of young people interrupting a vigil by running wildly into local businesses , according to an eyewitness . police said they arrested two people that day . on tuesday , another protest brought out a mostly calm crowd that returned wednesday , anticipating that gray 's mother would speak , said ireporter and professional photographer joel graham . but the hope for a peaceful crowd faded when about 30 young men showed up across the street from the vigil , he said . they were not coming out of the shadow . they were staying in the dark area of the street . you just knew it was going to turn into the cops trying to contain those kids who were obviously gon na go for it , ' graham said . that just stopped the original intention of the night . ' graham began to take photos , watching as kids crossed the street toward the protesters . community leaders started shouting for everyone to calm down and asked anyone taking pictures to stop so they could talk to the young men and calm things down , the photographer told cnn . these kids broke loose and took off . the police were caught off-guard , ' graham said . those kids really know the streets , and they 're spreading out and going down side streets away from the main street . ' next came the sound of breaking glass and rolling trash cans , graham said , and business owners quickly pulled down their metal store-front security coverings . one officer received a gash to his face while another was pushed off his scooter , police said . forty-six arrests were made , including two juveniles , with the majority charged with disorderly conduct . on thursday , mayor michael bloomberg offered condolences to gray 's family and said that more must be done to stop gun violence . i can promise you that we will conduct a full and fair investigation , ' he said . i understand there 's anger in the community , but the ways to get answers is not through violence or law breaking . we can not tolerate that and we will not tolerate that . ' the mayor said , there 's nothing we can do to undo the tragedy for the family , but we 've just got to get guns out of the hands of kids and of the people who should not have them . ' flatbush is a place where many people distrust the police , and gun violence is part of everyday life , some residents say . as a black man growing up in flatbush , you just expect to be harassed by the cops , pulled over , arrested and now just straight up killed , ' said shanduke mcphatter , a 35-year-old former gang member who works with young men in the neighborhood . that 's what 's happening out here . and kids are doing it to themselves to -- they doing the crime , too -- and you got cops who do n't live here coming in here so hard , too hard . that 's how we got a situation like kimani gray . ' the violence over gray 's death will eventually subside , but the intense distrust of police will rear itself again violently soon enough in flatbush , said lumumba akinwole-bandele , a senior organizer with the naacp . a brooklyn resident for 41 years , he and mcphatter told cnn there are big problems to address . there are no community centers here , ' mcphatter said . that has to change . you have to be here and get involved . and for the cops , they just need to take that badge away and talk , talk to us like human beings . we 're asking them to do that , and we 've got ta open up and talk to them . we have to do our part , too . otherwise , this is just going to keep happening . ' cnn 's mary snow and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report .","kimani gray , 16 , was shot and killed over the weekend ; his death triggered protests" +"carol gray ( cnn ) -- the mother of a brooklyn teenager shot and killed by police demanded an investigation thursday , saying he was slaughtered ' and that she wants to know why . kimani gray , 16 , died over the weekend . his death triggered protests in flatbush , a community in brooklyn where distrust of the police runs deep . i 'm still waiting for kimani to come home , ' carol gray told reporters during an emotional news conference . she wore dark sunglasses and struggled to speak as she recalled picking the color of her son 's casket . he has a curfew , ' she said . sometimes he 's late . sometimes he 's early depending on the night . but whatever time he gets there , i 'll be real happy to see him as soon as the bell rings . and for the past couple of days , the bell has n't rung . ' according to police , plainclothes officers were on patrol in their car in flatbush when they saw a group of men gathered on the street at about 11:30 p.m. saturday . as the officers got closer , kimani gray broke from the group and adjusted his waistband . the teen continued to act in a suspicious manner , ' so the officers got out of their unmarked car and tried to get his attention , said a nypd statement . kimani gray then turned on them , ' it said , and pointed a .38-caliber revolver at the officers . they fired at the teenager , striking him . the teen died at a hospital , and a loaded .38 was recovered from the scene , the statement said . one officer fired four rounds ; another fired seven , according to nypd deputy commissioner paul browne . both are now on administrative duty . the officers were taken to a hospital and treated for what the department described as trauma and tinnitus , a ringing in the ears . gray said that her son was killed in front of his best friend 's house . she described him as a typical teenager , into girls and hanging out with friends . most people in the city likely do n't believe what police say happened saturday , said councilman charles barron , who appeared with the teen 's mother at the news conference . for her part , carol gray said she did not think her son had a gun , but added , i was n't there . ' he is not the public 's angel , but he 's my angel , and he 's my baby , and he was slaughtered and i want to know why , ' she said . by monday , anger at the shooting boiled over , with a mob of young people interrupting a vigil by running wildly into local businesses , according to an eyewitness . police said they arrested two people that day . on tuesday , another protest brought out a mostly calm crowd that returned wednesday , anticipating that gray 's mother would speak , said ireporter and professional photographer joel graham . but the hope for a peaceful crowd faded when about 30 young men showed up across the street from the vigil , he said . they were not coming out of the shadow . they were staying in the dark area of the street . you just knew it was going to turn into the cops trying to contain those kids who were obviously gon na go for it , ' graham said . that just stopped the original intention of the night . ' graham began to take photos , watching as kids crossed the street toward the protesters . community leaders started shouting for everyone to calm down and asked anyone taking pictures to stop so they could talk to the young men and calm things down , the photographer told cnn . these kids broke loose and took off . the police were caught off-guard , ' graham said . those kids really know the streets , and they 're spreading out and going down side streets away from the main street . ' next came the sound of breaking glass and rolling trash cans , graham said , and business owners quickly pulled down their metal store-front security coverings . one officer received a gash to his face while another was pushed off his scooter , police said . forty-six arrests were made , including two juveniles , with the majority charged with disorderly conduct . on thursday , mayor michael bloomberg offered condolences to gray 's family and said that more must be done to stop gun violence . i can promise you that we will conduct a full and fair investigation , ' he said . i understand there 's anger in the community , but the ways to get answers is not through violence or law breaking . we can not tolerate that and we will not tolerate that . ' the mayor said , there 's nothing we can do to undo the tragedy for the family , but we 've just got to get guns out of the hands of kids and of the people who should not have them . ' flatbush is a place where many people distrust the police , and gun violence is part of everyday life , some residents say . as a black man growing up in flatbush , you just expect to be harassed by the cops , pulled over , arrested and now just straight up killed , ' said shanduke mcphatter , a 35-year-old former gang member who works with young men in the neighborhood . that 's what 's happening out here . and kids are doing it to themselves to -- they doing the crime , too -- and you got cops who do n't live here coming in here so hard , too hard . that 's how we got a situation like kimani gray . ' the violence over gray 's death will eventually subside , but the intense distrust of police will rear itself again violently soon enough in flatbush , said lumumba akinwole-bandele , a senior organizer with the naacp . a brooklyn resident for 41 years , he and mcphatter told cnn there are big problems to address . there are no community centers here , ' mcphatter said . that has to change . you have to be here and get involved . and for the cops , they just need to take that badge away and talk , talk to us like human beings . we 're asking them to do that , and we 've got ta open up and talk to them . we have to do our part , too . otherwise , this is just going to keep happening . ' cnn 's mary snow and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report .","carol gray calls for an investigation into her son 's death" +"obsidian ( cnn ) ever had a headache so big , you felt like drilling a hole in your head to let the pain out ? in neolithic times trepanation -- or drilling a hole into the skull -- was thought to be a cure for everything from epilepsy to migraines . it could even have been a form of emergency surgery for battle wounds . but while there is still conjecture about the real reasons behind the mysterious procedure , what is known is that the implement often used to carry out the primitive surgery was made from one of the sharpest substances found in nature -- obsidian . obsidian -- a type of volcanic glass -- can produce cutting edges many times finer than even the best steel scalpels . at 30 angstroms -- a unit of measurement equal to one hundred millionth of a centimeter -- an obsidian scalpel can rival diamond in the fineness of its edge . when you consider that most household razor blades are 300-600 angstroms , obsidian can still cut it with the sharpest materials nano-technology can produce . even today , a small number of surgeons are using an ancient technology to carry out fine incisions that they say heal with minimal scarring . dr. lee green , professor and chair of the department of family medicine at the university of alberta , says he routinely uses obsidian blades . the biggest advantage with obsidian is that it is the sharpest edge there is , it causes very little trauma to tissue , it heals faster and more importantly it heals with less scarring , ' he said . it makes for the best cosmetic outcome . ' he explained that steel scalpels at a microscopic level have a rough cutting edge that tears into tissue , a function of the crystals that make up the metal . obsidian , meanwhile , cleaves into a fine and continuous edge when properly cut . dr. green said he once helped documentary makers produce a program on surgical technology in ancient egyptian , setting up a blind test on the cutting power of obsidian . using cultured-skin burn dressing , a substance composed of skin cells , he made an incision with a modern scalpel and a parallel incision with an obsidian scalpel . the host of the program was then invited to look at the cuts under a video microscope and tell the difference . it was n't hard to tell the difference at all -- as soon as he turned around everyone in the studio was like'ohhh', ' dr. green said . under the microscope you could see the obsidian scalpel had divided individual cells in half , and next to it the steel scalpel incision looked like it had been made by a chainsaw . ' modern obsidian scalpels look nothing like the decorative flint-knapped knives of neolithic man , often resembling their modern counterparts in everything except for the blade edge , but dr. green said they are a very different animal . the feel is very different because obsidian has no'bite ,'' he said . if you look under the microscope at a steel scalpel edge it looks almost like a saw , it has teeth , whereas obsidian is smooth even microscopically . it 's a very different feel to work with and you have to practice before you start using it in surgery . you also have to be careful not to nick yourself with it because you do n't even feel it ! ' and dr. green believes incisions made with these blades heal faster . he said a colleague who needed a mole removed agreed to undergo an experiment where half the procedure was carried out with an obsidian scalpel and the other half was removed with steel . what 's really fun is seeing it heal , ' he said . four weeks later the difference was quite remarkable -- there was very much a difference in scarring . ' in germany , the manufacturer fine science tools produces obsidian scalpels which can be used in situations where the patient may have an allergy to steel or metal . for studies where trace metals from ordinary scalpel blades can not be tolerated , these very special obsidian scalpels may provide the answer , ' the company says . at €99 per scalpel ( $ 107.40 ) , they represent a considerable saving on their diamond cousins which the company prices at €712.50 ( $ 772.60 ) . but there has been little academic research into the efficacy of obsidian blades compared to steel scalpels , and they do have disadvantages : obsidian scalpels are not food and drug administration ( fda ) approved , and they are extremely brittle and prone to breaking if lateral forces are applied -- meaning they are unlikely to ever be in widespread use . dr. green , whose scalpels were manufactured for him by an expert flint-knapper and archaeologist errett callahan , concedes the stone age scalpels are not for everyone . if it was let loose on the market there 'd be far too many injuries from it , ' he said . it 's very fragile and it 's very easy to break pieces off . '","obsidian can produce cutting edges many times finer than even the best steel scalpels" +"benedict xvi lisbon , portugal ( cnn ) -- pope benedict xvi made one of his strongest statements to date on the sex abuse scandal sweeping the roman catholic church , saying tuesday the reality he has seen is terrifying . ' and he distanced himself from criticism of the media by senior vatican officials , saying the most important attacks on the church do n't come from the outside , they come from the sins of the members of the church , cnn senior vatican analyst john allen said . benedict was speaking on his plane en route to portugal , where he is making a four-day visit . he has said very little in public about the scandal , which has swept western europe this year , leading bishops to quit or offer to quit in ireland , germany and belgium . hundreds of people have come forward this year saying they were abused by priests or other catholic authority figures there and in austria , netherlands and the united states . he said three weeks ago he was greatly moved ' by meeting victims of abuse in valletta , malta . he said he gave the victims assurances of the church 's action ' after the april 18 meeting . it is not clear if he plans to meet victims of abuse in portugal , which has not been as badly shaken by the scandal as many other european countries .","pope benedict xvi says reality of church child abuse scandal is terrifying '" +"british san francisco , california ( cnn ) -- imagine collecting thousands of empty plastic bottles , lashing them together to make a boat and sailing the thing from california to australia , a journey of 11,000 miles ( 17,700 km ) through treacherous seas . this 60-foot sailboat , the plastiki , is being built from more than 12,000 recycled plastic bottles . you 'd have to be crazy , or trying to make a point . david de rothschild is trying to make a point . de rothschild hopes his one-of-a-kind vessel , now being built on a san francisco pier , will boost recycling of plastic bottles , which he says are a symbol of global waste . except for the masts , which are metal , everything on the 60-foot catamaran is made from recycled plastic . it 's all sail power , ' he said . the idea is to put no kind of pollution back into the atmosphere , or into our oceans for that matter , so everything on the boat will be composted . everything will be recycled . even the vessel is going to end up being recycled when we finish . ' de rothschild 's vessel , scheduled to set sail from san francisco in april , is called the plastiki . its name is an homage of sorts to thor heyerdahl , the fabled norwegian explorer who in 1947 sailed 4,300 miles across the pacific on the kon-tiki , a raft made from balsa wood . de rothschild is something of an adventurer himself . the scion of a wealthy british banking family , he is one of only several dozen people to traverse both the arctic and antarctic ice caps . in 2005 he founded adventure ecology , an organization that uses field expeditions to call attention to environmental issues . watch how the boat is constructed » joining him on the plastiki will be a permanent crew of three sailors and scientists plus a handful of other crew members who will rotate through the voyage . the plastiki is expected to stop in hawaii , tuvalu and fiji on its way to sydney , a trip estimated to take more than 100 days . the plastic sailboat is taking shape in an old pier building not far from this city 's famous fisherman 's wharf . here , thousands of two-liter soda bottles are being stripped of their labels , washed , filled with dry-ice powder and then resealed . the dry ice sublimates into carbon dioxide gas and pressurizes the bottle , making it rigid . the vessel 's twin hulls will be filled with 12,000 to 16,000 bottles . skin-like panels made from recycled pet , a woven plastic fabric , will cover the hulls and a watertight cabin , which sleeps four . this actually is the same material that is made out of bottles , ' said de rothschild of the pet fabric . we actually wrap the pet fabric over the pet foam and then basically put it under a vacuum , heat it , press it and create these long pet panels . so that means the boat is , technically , one giant bottle . ' two wind turbines and an array of solar panels will charge a bank of 12-volt batteries , which will power several onboard laptop computers , a gps and sat phone . only about 10 percent of the plastiki will be made from new materials , de rothschild said . he declined to reveal how much it 's costing him to build the boat . we could potentially put together a boat that costs a fraction of what normal conventional boats are made of , ' he said . the idea is to take the plastiki , break it down [ after the voyage ] , and put it back into the system . so , it may come out being a jacket , a bag , more bottles . it 's infinitely recyclable . ' the ultimate goal of the plastiki voyage is not just to encourage people to embrace clean , renewable energy but also to see consumer waste as a potential resource . that 's what this is all about -- showcasing cradle-to-cradle products rather than cradle-to-grave , ' de rothschild said . whether the plastiki will successfully complete its unique journey remains to be seen . but to conservationists concerned about the amount of energy required to manufacture and distribute plastic bottles , its symbolic message is a welcome one . anything that gets in the news and makes people stop and think about plastic can be very helpful , ' said betty mclaughlin , executive director of the container recycling institute . but it strikes me as a long way to go . i flew from los angeles to australia once , and it took forever . this trip strikes me as kind of dangerous . '","expedition leader is david de rothschild , scion of a wealthy british banking family" +"martin kaymer ( cnn ) -- martin kaymer increased his lead in the race to dubai with a superlative final round of 66 at st.andrews to claim a three-shot victory in the alfred dunhill links championship on sunday . the german birdied the final two holes at the home of golf to hold off a determined challenge by england 's danny willett as he finished on 17-under 271 . but there was disappointment for lee westwood who needed a top two finish to immediately dislodge tiger woods as world number one , but struggled to a one-over 73 for a tie for 11th . westwood , who has been struggling with a recurrence of a calf injury , then confirmed he will not play again until the end of the month at the latest . but due to a quirk of the rankings , it could mean the englishman will take over at the top in three weeks'time unless woods changes his plans and enters a tournament before next month 's hsbc champions in china . it 's just got more aggravated and achy as the week has gone on , ' westwood told sky sports after his round . kaymer , who claimed his first major title with victory at the pga championship , was winning his third straight tournament and again showed his cool under pressure . with willett challenging , kaymer needed to get down in two from just off the green at the famous 17th road hole to stay at 15 under . but he proceeded to hole his putt to suddenly open up a two-shot lead and despite finding a tricky lie on the road at the 18th hit his approach to within 10 feet . kaymer duly holed the putt to complete one of his ambitions of winning at st.andrews and claim his fourth title of a superb season which has seen him move nearly $ 1.5 million clear of ryder cup teammate graeme mcdowell at the top of the european tour money list . he had his own views on the ongoing battle to top the rankings . to be honest i think at the moment lee westwood is number one in the world , ' kaymer said . he plays unbelievable golf . ' overnight leader john parry of england recovered from a mid-round crisis to finish with a level-par 72 for 13-under and sole third . another englishman , gary boyd , finished a further shot back for fourth after a fine 68 .","martin kaymer of germany wins the alfred dunhill links championship" +"pakistan rawalpindi , pakistan ( cnn ) -- the office of maj. gen. athar abbas has a bank of six flat-screen televisions covering most of one wall , showing all the main international english-language news channels , and several local ones besides . major general athar abbas addresses a news conference in rawalpindi on april 28 , 2009 . this is one of the rooms where pakistan 's media war is being fought , and abbas , the pakistan army 's main spokesman , is a key part of the battle . i kid with him that cnn is n't among the channels on his screens , and he seems slightly hurt , insisting it is . he 's right and i 'm wrong -- cnn was on a commercial break . in fact , i rather get the impression abbas , who has become the face of the army 's operation against taliban militants in the swat valley , watches our coverage closely . one of his subordinates complains about one of our reports -- not the accuracy , but something in the general tone . perhaps cnn has been just a little too questioning of the army 's daily press releases , which claim hundreds of enemy fighters killed , and tightly controlled media trips . whatever abbas thinks of cnn , he is more than willing to explain how the pakistan army sees the broad picture as it fights in the swat valley . the current conflict there is intricately linked to the situation in afghanistan , in his view . he sees swat as a political problem , which can only be partially solved by military intervention . he claims many of the taliban 's arms are coming across the border from afghanistan . i ask if that includes nato weapons , as suggested in recent reports , and he agrees . he says washington is too focused on the safety of pakistan 's nuclear arsenal . the united states should stop worrying about the nukes and start worrying about the weapons lost in afghanistan , ' he says . a u.s. government report last month warned that the pentagon did not have complete records ' for about one-third of the 242,000 weapons the united states had provided to the afghan army , or for a further 135,000 weapons other countries sent . the afghan army can not fully safeguard and account for weapons , ' the government accountability office found . i ask how well armed the taliban are , and he says they are very well equipped from the border area . ' he also conspiratorially suggests they also are getting weapons and support from foreign intelligence agencies . ' when i ask what that means , he smiles and says he ca n't elaborate -- declining to repeat the speculation in the press here that india , pakistan 's traditional rival , may be somehow involved in stirring up trouble on pakistan 's northwestern border . india denies that . but the very suggestion plays to a military strategist 's nightmare scenario -- the pakistan army bogged down in the northwest , unable to focus on the disputed province of kashmir , a key element of its conflict with india . the military wants to get done in swat as soon as possible , but the general acknowledges its troops will be there for some time . he estimates that 10 to 15 percent of the taliban there are foreign fighters : well-trained arabs , afghans , with a sprinkling of central asians and north africans . ' he also says there are yemenis , saudis and uzbeks fighting , as pakistan has become the destination du jour of the international jihadist , with arabs in commanding positions and the other foreign fighters bringing in expertise . he thinks that perhaps mingora , the main town at the gateway to the swat valley , may be secured in 48 hours , but it may be much , much longer before the area is totally pacified . first you have to disarm the taliban and then re-establish the writ of government , ' he says . he admits that swat and neighboring bajur districts were lost to the state ' and that now we are paying in blood for areas we had already occupied . ' now , he says , the army is set for a long fight . we are prepared for that -- we are mentally prepared . ' but they are also prepared for the conflict to be taken to other parts of pakistan . a building belonging to the country 's powerful intelligence agency , the isi , was bombed in lahore this week . the taliban claimed they carried out the attack and abbas says the security services expect more attacks . just hours after i left him , his fears were confirmed , as details came in of more bombings in peshawar . and then there is also the risk of the taliban using the mass exodus of civilians from the swat valley as cover to penetrate other towns and cities . already almost 3 million people have flooded out of what was once a tranquil tourist destination , and the military fears that among the mass movement of humanity there will be those plotting to strike at the heart of pakistan 's cities . it 's a very big issue -- a serious concern , ' abbas says . he describes the conflict in swat as an existential threat ' -- a fight for the very existence of pakistan in its current form . and he seems acutely aware that the portrayal of that conflict to the west will be critical .","he says washington is too focused on the safety of pakistan 's nuclear arsenal" +"pakistan rawalpindi , pakistan ( cnn ) -- the office of maj. gen. athar abbas has a bank of six flat-screen televisions covering most of one wall , showing all the main international english-language news channels , and several local ones besides . major general athar abbas addresses a news conference in rawalpindi on april 28 , 2009 . this is one of the rooms where pakistan 's media war is being fought , and abbas , the pakistan army 's main spokesman , is a key part of the battle . i kid with him that cnn is n't among the channels on his screens , and he seems slightly hurt , insisting it is . he 's right and i 'm wrong -- cnn was on a commercial break . in fact , i rather get the impression abbas , who has become the face of the army 's operation against taliban militants in the swat valley , watches our coverage closely . one of his subordinates complains about one of our reports -- not the accuracy , but something in the general tone . perhaps cnn has been just a little too questioning of the army 's daily press releases , which claim hundreds of enemy fighters killed , and tightly controlled media trips . whatever abbas thinks of cnn , he is more than willing to explain how the pakistan army sees the broad picture as it fights in the swat valley . the current conflict there is intricately linked to the situation in afghanistan , in his view . he sees swat as a political problem , which can only be partially solved by military intervention . he claims many of the taliban 's arms are coming across the border from afghanistan . i ask if that includes nato weapons , as suggested in recent reports , and he agrees . he says washington is too focused on the safety of pakistan 's nuclear arsenal . the united states should stop worrying about the nukes and start worrying about the weapons lost in afghanistan , ' he says . a u.s. government report last month warned that the pentagon did not have complete records ' for about one-third of the 242,000 weapons the united states had provided to the afghan army , or for a further 135,000 weapons other countries sent . the afghan army can not fully safeguard and account for weapons , ' the government accountability office found . i ask how well armed the taliban are , and he says they are very well equipped from the border area . ' he also conspiratorially suggests they also are getting weapons and support from foreign intelligence agencies . ' when i ask what that means , he smiles and says he ca n't elaborate -- declining to repeat the speculation in the press here that india , pakistan 's traditional rival , may be somehow involved in stirring up trouble on pakistan 's northwestern border . india denies that . but the very suggestion plays to a military strategist 's nightmare scenario -- the pakistan army bogged down in the northwest , unable to focus on the disputed province of kashmir , a key element of its conflict with india . the military wants to get done in swat as soon as possible , but the general acknowledges its troops will be there for some time . he estimates that 10 to 15 percent of the taliban there are foreign fighters : well-trained arabs , afghans , with a sprinkling of central asians and north africans . ' he also says there are yemenis , saudis and uzbeks fighting , as pakistan has become the destination du jour of the international jihadist , with arabs in commanding positions and the other foreign fighters bringing in expertise . he thinks that perhaps mingora , the main town at the gateway to the swat valley , may be secured in 48 hours , but it may be much , much longer before the area is totally pacified . first you have to disarm the taliban and then re-establish the writ of government , ' he says . he admits that swat and neighboring bajur districts were lost to the state ' and that now we are paying in blood for areas we had already occupied . ' now , he says , the army is set for a long fight . we are prepared for that -- we are mentally prepared . ' but they are also prepared for the conflict to be taken to other parts of pakistan . a building belonging to the country 's powerful intelligence agency , the isi , was bombed in lahore this week . the taliban claimed they carried out the attack and abbas says the security services expect more attacks . just hours after i left him , his fears were confirmed , as details came in of more bombings in peshawar . and then there is also the risk of the taliban using the mass exodus of civilians from the swat valley as cover to penetrate other towns and cities . already almost 3 million people have flooded out of what was once a tranquil tourist destination , and the military fears that among the mass movement of humanity there will be those plotting to strike at the heart of pakistan 's cities . it 's a very big issue -- a serious concern , ' abbas says . he describes the conflict in swat as an existential threat ' -- a fight for the very existence of pakistan in its current form . and he seems acutely aware that the portrayal of that conflict to the west will be critical .","he considers conflict in swat a fight for the existence of pakistan in its current form" +"athar abbas rawalpindi , pakistan ( cnn ) -- the office of maj. gen. athar abbas has a bank of six flat-screen televisions covering most of one wall , showing all the main international english-language news channels , and several local ones besides . major general athar abbas addresses a news conference in rawalpindi on april 28 , 2009 . this is one of the rooms where pakistan 's media war is being fought , and abbas , the pakistan army 's main spokesman , is a key part of the battle . i kid with him that cnn is n't among the channels on his screens , and he seems slightly hurt , insisting it is . he 's right and i 'm wrong -- cnn was on a commercial break . in fact , i rather get the impression abbas , who has become the face of the army 's operation against taliban militants in the swat valley , watches our coverage closely . one of his subordinates complains about one of our reports -- not the accuracy , but something in the general tone . perhaps cnn has been just a little too questioning of the army 's daily press releases , which claim hundreds of enemy fighters killed , and tightly controlled media trips . whatever abbas thinks of cnn , he is more than willing to explain how the pakistan army sees the broad picture as it fights in the swat valley . the current conflict there is intricately linked to the situation in afghanistan , in his view . he sees swat as a political problem , which can only be partially solved by military intervention . he claims many of the taliban 's arms are coming across the border from afghanistan . i ask if that includes nato weapons , as suggested in recent reports , and he agrees . he says washington is too focused on the safety of pakistan 's nuclear arsenal . the united states should stop worrying about the nukes and start worrying about the weapons lost in afghanistan , ' he says . a u.s. government report last month warned that the pentagon did not have complete records ' for about one-third of the 242,000 weapons the united states had provided to the afghan army , or for a further 135,000 weapons other countries sent . the afghan army can not fully safeguard and account for weapons , ' the government accountability office found . i ask how well armed the taliban are , and he says they are very well equipped from the border area . ' he also conspiratorially suggests they also are getting weapons and support from foreign intelligence agencies . ' when i ask what that means , he smiles and says he ca n't elaborate -- declining to repeat the speculation in the press here that india , pakistan 's traditional rival , may be somehow involved in stirring up trouble on pakistan 's northwestern border . india denies that . but the very suggestion plays to a military strategist 's nightmare scenario -- the pakistan army bogged down in the northwest , unable to focus on the disputed province of kashmir , a key element of its conflict with india . the military wants to get done in swat as soon as possible , but the general acknowledges its troops will be there for some time . he estimates that 10 to 15 percent of the taliban there are foreign fighters : well-trained arabs , afghans , with a sprinkling of central asians and north africans . ' he also says there are yemenis , saudis and uzbeks fighting , as pakistan has become the destination du jour of the international jihadist , with arabs in commanding positions and the other foreign fighters bringing in expertise . he thinks that perhaps mingora , the main town at the gateway to the swat valley , may be secured in 48 hours , but it may be much , much longer before the area is totally pacified . first you have to disarm the taliban and then re-establish the writ of government , ' he says . he admits that swat and neighboring bajur districts were lost to the state ' and that now we are paying in blood for areas we had already occupied . ' now , he says , the army is set for a long fight . we are prepared for that -- we are mentally prepared . ' but they are also prepared for the conflict to be taken to other parts of pakistan . a building belonging to the country 's powerful intelligence agency , the isi , was bombed in lahore this week . the taliban claimed they carried out the attack and abbas says the security services expect more attacks . just hours after i left him , his fears were confirmed , as details came in of more bombings in peshawar . and then there is also the risk of the taliban using the mass exodus of civilians from the swat valley as cover to penetrate other towns and cities . already almost 3 million people have flooded out of what was once a tranquil tourist destination , and the military fears that among the mass movement of humanity there will be those plotting to strike at the heart of pakistan 's cities . it 's a very big issue -- a serious concern , ' abbas says . he describes the conflict in swat as an existential threat ' -- a fight for the very existence of pakistan in its current form . and he seems acutely aware that the portrayal of that conflict to the west will be critical .","maj. gen. athar abbas says taliban 's arms coming across border from afghanistan" +"bopanna ( cnn ) -- one half indian , the other pakistani , they are the most talked-about partnership in tennis . dubbed the indo-pakistan express , ' rohan bopanna and aisam-ul-haq qureshi hope to end their breakthrough year with a showdown at the infamous wagah border that divides their countries . bopanna , an indian hindu , and qureshi , a pakistani muslim also aged 30 , reached their first major doubles final at the u.s. open in september and climbed to eighth in the world rankings . yet their work off the court has attracted just as much attention as they try to soften the often-fractious relationship between their two nations since partition in 1947 . the pair have been honored with a string of awards for their humanitarian work in the past 12 months , and are determined to start picking up tournament titles in 2011 . can champion duo 's reunion spark an indian tennis boom ? but a showpiece clash at the notorious border crossing that hosts a nightly pageant between india and pakistan 's border forces would be the perfect way to carry their stop war , start tennis ' campaign into the new year . we 're thinking how to get to a wider audience and spread the message of peace through our partnership and thought , ' qureshi told cnn 's open court . how about playing a match at the wagah border , with rohan playing on the pakistani side and me on the indian side for a gesture of friendship ? at the u.s. open the ambassadors to the united nations for pakistan and india both came to watch the semifinals and finals . that was a huge deal because normally you do n't see two diplomats cheering for one cause -- it was a really positive sign . i just hope in the near future we can have that match at the border , that would be great . ' the village of wagah , near the indian city of amritsar and the pakistani city of lahore , is the only road border crossing between the two countries , and the daily ceremony -- which includes a lot of strutting , stamping and saluting -- regularly attracts a crowd of thousands . a match there could be a watershed moment for a pairing that first emerged in 2003 but did not make a major impact until this season . their burgeoning partnership on court is allied to a deep-rooted desire to strengthen links between two countries which have a long and deep distrust of each other . we 're both brand ambassadors for an organization called peace and sport , ' bopanna said . right now we 're trying to see if we can help tennis in both our countries , promote it and keep the sport growing as much as we can . ' as well as receiving the arthur ashe humanitarian of the year award at the recent atp world tour finals in london , they were also given the peace and sport award for 2010 at a glittering ceremony in monaco . the citation read : their commitment to promoting peace between the two countries and their conviction that peace was possible was shown amply during the year . ' joel bouzou , president of the peace and sport foundation , added of the proposed wagah match : the sport is ready for peace . will the two governments rise to the occasion ? ' their partnership may have attracted plenty of headlines but for qureshi , teaming up with his indian counterpart made perfect sense . i 've been playing with indian players ever since i started playing tennis , ' he said . unfortunately there are not that many pakistanis on the tour , and playing with an indian was actually the most natural thing that came to me -- having the same language , most of the time having the same dinner , indian or pakistani foods in the evening . the first time i ever traveled to india when i was 16 , i was one of the top [ pakistani ] juniors and he was one of the top juniors in india and that 's how i got to know him . knowing his attacking style of play , i always knew if we played together we 'd be able to make a really good impact . i think results clearly show in that way i was right , though normally he tells me that i am always wrong ! ' as well as their run to the final of the u.s. open , where they were beaten by the bryan brothers from america , they also enjoyed success at wimbledon which made them household names back home . this year we made the quarterfinal at wimbledon and that was very , very big in pakistan , ' qureshi said . i 've always told him i think he 's the most popular indian guy in pakistan this year ! i can thank him enough for that because obviously without him i would n't have been able to achieve all those goals , and with him being my best friend on the tour it makes it the icing on the cake . it 's been a great journey so far . '","rohan bopanna and aisam-ul-haq qureshi are the most talked about doubles pairing in tennis" +"bopanna ( cnn ) -- one half indian , the other pakistani , they are the most talked-about partnership in tennis . dubbed the indo-pakistan express , ' rohan bopanna and aisam-ul-haq qureshi hope to end their breakthrough year with a showdown at the infamous wagah border that divides their countries . bopanna , an indian hindu , and qureshi , a pakistani muslim also aged 30 , reached their first major doubles final at the u.s. open in september and climbed to eighth in the world rankings . yet their work off the court has attracted just as much attention as they try to soften the often-fractious relationship between their two nations since partition in 1947 . the pair have been honored with a string of awards for their humanitarian work in the past 12 months , and are determined to start picking up tournament titles in 2011 . can champion duo 's reunion spark an indian tennis boom ? but a showpiece clash at the notorious border crossing that hosts a nightly pageant between india and pakistan 's border forces would be the perfect way to carry their stop war , start tennis ' campaign into the new year . we 're thinking how to get to a wider audience and spread the message of peace through our partnership and thought , ' qureshi told cnn 's open court . how about playing a match at the wagah border , with rohan playing on the pakistani side and me on the indian side for a gesture of friendship ? at the u.s. open the ambassadors to the united nations for pakistan and india both came to watch the semifinals and finals . that was a huge deal because normally you do n't see two diplomats cheering for one cause -- it was a really positive sign . i just hope in the near future we can have that match at the border , that would be great . ' the village of wagah , near the indian city of amritsar and the pakistani city of lahore , is the only road border crossing between the two countries , and the daily ceremony -- which includes a lot of strutting , stamping and saluting -- regularly attracts a crowd of thousands . a match there could be a watershed moment for a pairing that first emerged in 2003 but did not make a major impact until this season . their burgeoning partnership on court is allied to a deep-rooted desire to strengthen links between two countries which have a long and deep distrust of each other . we 're both brand ambassadors for an organization called peace and sport , ' bopanna said . right now we 're trying to see if we can help tennis in both our countries , promote it and keep the sport growing as much as we can . ' as well as receiving the arthur ashe humanitarian of the year award at the recent atp world tour finals in london , they were also given the peace and sport award for 2010 at a glittering ceremony in monaco . the citation read : their commitment to promoting peace between the two countries and their conviction that peace was possible was shown amply during the year . ' joel bouzou , president of the peace and sport foundation , added of the proposed wagah match : the sport is ready for peace . will the two governments rise to the occasion ? ' their partnership may have attracted plenty of headlines but for qureshi , teaming up with his indian counterpart made perfect sense . i 've been playing with indian players ever since i started playing tennis , ' he said . unfortunately there are not that many pakistanis on the tour , and playing with an indian was actually the most natural thing that came to me -- having the same language , most of the time having the same dinner , indian or pakistani foods in the evening . the first time i ever traveled to india when i was 16 , i was one of the top [ pakistani ] juniors and he was one of the top juniors in india and that 's how i got to know him . knowing his attacking style of play , i always knew if we played together we 'd be able to make a really good impact . i think results clearly show in that way i was right , though normally he tells me that i am always wrong ! ' as well as their run to the final of the u.s. open , where they were beaten by the bryan brothers from america , they also enjoyed success at wimbledon which made them household names back home . this year we made the quarterfinal at wimbledon and that was very , very big in pakistan , ' qureshi said . i 've always told him i think he 's the most popular indian guy in pakistan this year ! i can thank him enough for that because obviously without him i would n't have been able to achieve all those goals , and with him being my best friend on the tour it makes it the icing on the cake . it 's been a great journey so far . '","bopanna is an indian hindu while qureshi is a pakistani muslim" +"japan tokyo ( cnn ) -- prime minister shinzo abe pledged to move forward swiftly with his plans to revive japan 's staggering economy after weekend elections gave his liberal democratic party control of the upper house of parliament . the conservative ldp and its coalition partner together won 76 of the 121 seats in the house of councillors , giving them a total of 133 votes in the 242-member chamber . afterward , abe said he wanted to press ahead with his plans -- including his economic programs -- with speed . ' i would like to meet the expectation of the japanese people , ' abe said after sunday 's vote . since the inauguration of my administration , we have been appealing that our policies are the only way to go . we believe that the japanese people pushed us to make policy decisions and bring about the result . ' the ldp controls the lower house of the diet , japan 's parliament . but until sunday , the house of councillors was led by opposition parties that had made it difficult for abe to get his program through the chamber . abe took office in december , becoming japan 's seventh prime minister in six years and taking a second turn at the job . he immediately launched a program nicknamed abenomics , ' a combination of coordinated government spending , structural reforms and central bank stimulus . the plan was to boost prices and end 15 years of deflation , leading to more robust growth for the world 's third-largest economy . and japan 's economy surged in the first quarter of 2013 , growing a faster-than-expected 3.5 % -- but a stock-market skid in june raised questions about whether policymakers can pull off the high-wire act in the heavily indebted country . cnn 's yoko wakatsuki reported from tokyo ; matt smith reported and wrote from atlanta .","he has launched an ambitious plan to revive japan 's economy" +"japan tokyo ( cnn ) -- prime minister shinzo abe pledged to move forward swiftly with his plans to revive japan 's staggering economy after weekend elections gave his liberal democratic party control of the upper house of parliament . the conservative ldp and its coalition partner together won 76 of the 121 seats in the house of councillors , giving them a total of 133 votes in the 242-member chamber . afterward , abe said he wanted to press ahead with his plans -- including his economic programs -- with speed . ' i would like to meet the expectation of the japanese people , ' abe said after sunday 's vote . since the inauguration of my administration , we have been appealing that our policies are the only way to go . we believe that the japanese people pushed us to make policy decisions and bring about the result . ' the ldp controls the lower house of the diet , japan 's parliament . but until sunday , the house of councillors was led by opposition parties that had made it difficult for abe to get his program through the chamber . abe took office in december , becoming japan 's seventh prime minister in six years and taking a second turn at the job . he immediately launched a program nicknamed abenomics , ' a combination of coordinated government spending , structural reforms and central bank stimulus . the plan was to boost prices and end 15 years of deflation , leading to more robust growth for the world 's third-largest economy . and japan 's economy surged in the first quarter of 2013 , growing a faster-than-expected 3.5 % -- but a stock-market skid in june raised questions about whether policymakers can pull off the high-wire act in the heavily indebted country . cnn 's yoko wakatsuki reported from tokyo ; matt smith reported and wrote from atlanta .","his ruling liberal democrats won control of japan 's upper house on sunday" +"marcelo lippi ( cnn ) -- england coach fabio capello has been forced to go back on his previously iron-clad rules in selecting his preliminary squad for the world cup in south africa . the italian has always said he would not pick players who are injured or out of form , but has brought liverpool 's jamie carragher out of international retirement to bolster his defensive options as cover with injury-prone captain rio ferdinand and ledley king also in the 30-man line-up . neither carragher nor versatile tottenham star king have yet played for capello , who retained his midfield mainstay gareth barry despite the manchester city player being in doubt for the june 12 opener against the united states due to injury . carragher made himself unavailable in 2007 after not being often used by previous managers sven-goran eriksson and steve mcclaren despite being regularly named in squads . blog : will the force ' be with capello at world cup ? capello also asked manchester united midfielder paul scholes to become available again following his own international retirement in 2004 , but the 35-year-old turned down the opportunity . he said no , he preferred to stay with the family . but i tried , ' capello told the uk press association . liverpool fullback glen johnson was named despite being sidelined with injury , while striker emile heskey retained his place although he has not been a first-choice selection for his club aston villa . key forward wayne rooney was named despite his niggling groin problem , with tottenham 's jermain defoe and peter crouch taking the other striking spots along with sunderland 's 25-goal darren bent . winger aaron lennon was included after only recently returning with tottenham after a long-term absence , as was fellow right-sided player shaun wright-phillips despite his failure to win a regular place at manchester city , who also have 22-year-old adam johnson in the squad . midfielder joe cole also got the nod , having last played for england in 2008 , after a strong end to a season that saw him on the fringe of league champions chelsea 's first team . italy 's 2006 world cup-winning coach marcelo lippi has stuck with the players who qualified for south africa in his 30-man squad , resisting suggestions that he should bring in-form roma striker francesco totti out of international retirement . totti 's on-loan teammate luca toni also missed out along with veteran juventus forward alessandro del piero , with villarreal 's giuseppe rossi one of seven strikers named . inter milan 's controversial italy under-21 forward mario balotelli missed out as fabio quagliarella ( napoli ) , vincenzo iaquinta ( juventus ) , antonio di natale ( udinese ) , marco borriello ( milan ) , alberto gilardino ( fiorentina ) and giampaolo pazzini ( sampdoria ) were picked . lippi omitted his former juventus player nicola legrottaglie despite the defender being included in a recent 29-man training squad . france coach raymond domenech left out young real madrid striker karim benzema in his 30-man selection , while the omission of veteran midfielder patrick vieira means thierry henry is the only survivor from the 1998 world cup-winning squad . arsenal midfielder samir nasri also missed out , but four of his clubmates in england -- gael clichy , william gallas , abou diaby and bacary sagna -- were included . however , defender gallas has been warned by domenech that he must prove his fitness , having been sidelined since march with a leg injury . veteran netherlands striker ruud van nistelrooy has missed out on a place in coach bert van marwijk 's 30-man , potentially signaling the end of the 33-year-old 's international career . van nistelrooy left real madrid to join german club hamburg to revive his hopes following a serious knee injury , but van marwijk said the player had not returned to a high enough level to be selected . i told him that we have followed him closely and admire his commitment and dedication to get to the world cup , ' van marwijk told ad sportwereld . i believe that ruud is fit , but after his lengthy knee injury he does not have time to get back to his old level . ' dutch champions twente have only two players in the squad , which features 14 overseas-based names . feyenoord defender giovanni van bronckhorst , 35 , has announced he will retire after the month-long tournament . portugal coach carlos queiroz named a 24-man squad due to doubts over a couple of players including real madrid defender pepe , who has only just returned to training after being sidelined since december . goalkeepers beto and daniel fernandes were named as deputies to braga 's eduardo despite not playing in any of the qualifiers , but there were no other surprises for the 2006 semifinalists , who will be led by real superstar cristiano ronaldo . spain coach vicente del bosque is giving injured stars andreas iniesta , fernando torres and cesc fabregas every chance to be fit , naming the key trio in a 30-man squad including five goalkeepers . uncapped barcelona no . 1 victor valdes and atletico madrid 's 19-year-old david de gea were selected along with real madrid 's iker casillas , liverpool 's jose reina and diego lopez of villarreal . barcelona winger pedro rodriguez , osasuna defender cesar azpilicueta and athletic bilbao midfielder javi martinez were named despite having won only under-21 caps . barca 19-year-old bojan krkic , who missed spain 's euro 2008 success at his own request due to fatigue , has again been omitted . slovakia defender martin skrtel , filip holosko and fellow striker robert vittek were named in a 29-man squad by coach vladimir weiss despite their recent injury problems . liverpool 's skrtel has not played for three months since breaking a bone in his foot , while holosko is struggling to get over a broken leg suffered last year and vittek -- who is also based in turkey -- has had a knee problem . weiss also selected his 20-year-old son and namesake vladimir of english club manchester city , who as loaned to bolton this season . serbia coach radomir antic named just five home-based players in his 30-man squad , with six from english premier league clubs including key defender nemanja vidic of manchester united . slovenia boss matjaz kek kept faith with the players who helped the small east european nation qualify for the second time when he named his 30-man squad . denmark coach morten olsen picked thomas sorensen in his 26-man squad despite the goalkeeper suffered a dislocated elbow on duty with english club stoke last month . olsen , who won more than 100 caps as a player and took denmark to the 2002 world cup , gave defender patrick mtiliga his first call-up since his debut in november 2008 . greece coach otto rehhagel has picked christos patsatzoglou and giorgos seitaridis despite the duo 's struggles with injuries this season . the german selected nine overseas-based players including qualifying campaign top scorer theofanis gekas of hertha berlin , celtic striker georgios samaras and liverpool defender sotiris kyrgiakos . switzerland coach ottmar hitzfeld named an experienced 23-man squad for the finals , with seven players in reserve . the german has stuck with the likes of blaise nkufo of dutch champions twente , fellow striker alexander frei and midfielder hakin yakin , who are all 30 and above . defender philippe senderos was included despite his lack of action with english club arsenal , while sampdoria midfielder marco padalino and kosovo-born swiss under-21 international xherdan shaqiri were also included .","italy coach marcelo lippi omits veterans francesco totti , luca toni and alessandro del piero" +"reeva steenkamp ( cnn ) -- oscar pistorius will once again don the blade-shaped prosthetic legs , which he has made famous , and dash around a track , his family said . but the olympic athlete charged with premeditated murder for the shooting death of his girlfriend , reeva steenkamp , is not training to compete again . he is running for the sake of his emotional health , the statement said . his focus at this time remains entirely on the court case , ' the family said thursday . they have pushed him to spend time on the track in hopes it will help him process his trauma and prepare for the trial . ' pistorius is scheduled to appear in court again on august 19 , which would have been steenkamp 's 30th birthday . the double amputee track star killed the woman he calls the love of his life on valentine 's day in his apartment . he says he mistook her for a home invader . exclusive : oscar pistorius heartbroken , uncle says","pistorius is accused of killing his girlfriend , model reeva steenkamp" +"israel ( cnn ) -- sen. rand paul of kentucky is giving people whiplash . in the last month , he has shifted , flip-flopped and pandered so strikingly on a range of positions and statements that it makes you wonder whether he has suddenly developed a deep disregard for his own convictions , or never had any to begin with . at the urban league 's national convention in cincinnati in july , paul expressed support for the 1964 civil rights act and the voting rights act and talked about the necessity of protecting the rights of minorities . kudos to him for even showing up , not a usual move for republicans . but we must hold him accountable for his past statements that private businesses had the right to deny service to anyone they wanted , something the civil rights act specifically forbids . last year when the supreme court struck down key provisions of the voting rights act , paul seemed to suggest it was n't necessary , since we had an african-american president . ' just a few days ago , in a flip-flop worthy of the international house of pancakes , a straight faced paul denied ever saying the united states should stop sending any military aid to israel . does he really think that little of american voters ? let 's refresh the senator 's memory . in 2011 , paul put forth a budget proposal that would have cut $ 500 billion from the federal budget and would have ended all foreign aid , including to israel . he has since engaged in pretzel-like messaging maneuvers trying to rewrite history to fit reality -- one where a republican candidate perceived as even the slightest bit anti-israel can kiss any chance of the republican presidential nomination good-bye . it gets better . or at least more cringe-worthy . paul has repeatedly said he is a huge proponent of immigration reform and understands how wrong his party has been on this issue . frankly , this is one instance on which i have given paul props for being on the right side of history , the american people and the long-term viability of his party with at least a glimmer of hope and an opening to start a conversation with latino voters . that hope fizzled recently when first , paul decided to go campaign for rep. steve king of iowa , the most anti-immigrant/anti-immigration reform member of congress . then , in a grand gesture , a profile in courage , paul could not have fled faster as erika andiola , an undocumented dreamer ' confronted king at an event , with paul sitting right next to him . according to his staff , paul left so abruptly because he was late for a media interview . maybe . or maybe , he did n't have the guts to reconcile his hypocritical pro-immigration reform statements with his support of someone like king . at least king , who stayed and spoke with the young woman , had the courage of his convictions , twisted as they are . maybe there is something in the water in iowa . or something in the voters . oh , yes , they get to decide presidential nominees . that must explain why paul , in another rewrite of his record , said he did n't think anyone there wanted to ban birth control . this is a tad bit different from reality . paul 's staff should remind him we can all do internet searches for what our elected officials have said and done in the past . in 2013 , paul introduced the personhood amendment that would not only have banned abortions but also would have in effect banned many forms of birth control , including some forms of the pill . paul also supported the blunt amendment , which would have given employers an excuse to deny contraceptive health care coverage based on their conscience . when this was defeated in the senate and the issue made its way to the supreme court in the form of the hobby lobby case , paul praised the decision that lets employers deny such coverage on religious grounds . every one of these flips underscores how the gop has flopped in gaining traction with key demographics it will need to be competitive in a 2016 general election . this last one underscores how nervous republicans are that even in the midterms , the ever-growing gender gap might be big enough to deny the republican wave ' the party is dreaming about -- and that would include taking over the senate . as a strategist , i understand paul 's ( and his party 's ) frustration and the need to try to bamboozle the public into thinking he supports something he has denied in the past , and sometimes vice versa . it 's very confusing . but as a woman and a latina , a member of two key constituencies where republicans desperately need to gain support if they are ever to see the inside of the oval office , i am offended . i can read . i can do research . this is not george orwell 's 1984 . ' paul does not get to rewrite history and pretend he is not doing so .","she says he denies saying u.s. should stop aid to israel . but he did . voters can use internet" +"guatemala miami ( cnn ) -- after weeks on the run and days in immigration detention , american technology pioneer john mcafee arrived in miami on wednesday . he said he had no choice in the matter , that guatemalan authorities expelled him to the united states and put him on a plane to a destination they determined . i was whisked out of prison , ' mcafee told cnn affiliate broadcaster wsvn in front of his south beach hotel . i was forcibly separated from samantha , and now here i am . ' samantha venegas is mcafee 's girlfriend . when the plane landed , u.s. officials boarded the aircraft to greet him and escort him off . former girlfriend : mcafee'frightened for his life' it was unclear whether he planned to stay in miami or where he might go next . for the past week , mcafee waged a public battle , requesting an asylum in guatemala and arguing that police in belize were persecuting him . authorities turned down his request and told him he would have to leave the country . he opted to return to his country of origin , ' said attorney telesforo guerra , who has represented mcafee since he arrived in guatemala last week . authorities in belize , where mcafee had lived since 2008 , say they want to talk to mcafee about the november 11 killing of his neighbor , american businessman gregory faull . mcafee said he had nothing to do with the death and insists he left belize to escape police persecution . guatemalan authorities took him into custody on accusations of entering the country illegally , and his asylum bid was rejected . mcafee told wsvn he has openly criticized belize 's government for seven months , making himself a thorn in their side . ' unfortunately , now that i 'm here , they ca n't shut me up , ' he said . cnn en espaã±ol 's adriana hauser reported from miami . cnn 's joe sutton and ana maria luengo-romero reported from atlanta . journalist miguel salay reported from guatemala city .","mcafee 's request for asylum in guatemala was rejected after he fled belize" +"pentagon the pentagon 's most expensive weapons program ever , the f-35 warplane , is cleared for takeoff again . the limited flight clearance , approved by navy and air force officials monday , allows the aircraft to fly with an engine inspection regimen and restricted flight envelope following the fleet 's grounding after an engine fire last month . defense department spokesman mark wright said in a statement tuesday the restrictions would remain in effect until the root cause of the june 23 engine mishap is identified and corrected . ' it had been hoped that the stealth fighter would be able to make an appearance at the famed farnborough air show , under way now , but pentagon spokesman rear adm. john kirby said tuesday afternoon that wo n't happen . the department of defense , in concert with our partners in the u.k. , has decided not to send marine corps and u.k. f-35b aircraft across the atlantic to participate in the farnborough air show , ' he told reporters . this decision was reached after a consultation with senior leaders and airworthiness authorities , despite the decision by airworthiness authorities to clear the aircraft to return to flight -- to limited flight . ' the 2014 farnborough international airshow began monday , and runs through july 20 in farnborough , england . the opening day brought $ 42 billion of orders and commitments for commercial aircraft and engines , according to a statement from the show 's organizers . the f-35 was developed at a cost of nearly $ 400 billion so far and beset for years by cost overruns and delays . the so-called joint strike fighter was temporarily grounded following a fire on the runway at eglin air force base in florida . no one was hurt . engine maker pratt & whitney worked with air force investigators to inspect all engines in the fleet . we have great confidence in the f135 engine powering the f-35 , and we have worked very closely with dod and the services to return the aircraft to flying status , ' matthew bates , communications manager for pratt & whitney military engines , said in a statement tuesday . the f-35 's lead contractor , lockheed martin , which is producing variants of the plane for the u.s. navy , marines and air force , also worked with investigators following the fleet 's grounding . f-35 future the pentagon wants more than 2,400 of the fighter jets ultimately , while hundreds more are expected over time to go to allies such as south korea , japan and australia . more than 100 planes have been built so far , most for testing , but the program is still in its development and training phases . the military says the stealthy fighter will be the most affordable , lethal , supportable and survivable aircraft ever to be used ' by so many services worldwide . but its production has been controversial for its soaring cost history -- the price tag has nearly doubled from early estimates , to $ 135 million per unit as of last year , according to a u.s. government accountability office report in march -- as well as its schedule , software and other setbacks . test flights began in 2007 . while all models have been grounded in the past for various problems , the version for the marines , the f-35b , has had more issues . experts say that 's mainly due to its design for shorter takeoffs and vertical landings . richard aboulafia , a teal group analyst , said earlier this month that every component of the f-35 overall is pushing the frontiers of technology ' as engineers combine extraordinary engine power with a lighter weight design . he said the program has made gradual progress in recent years where glitches get resolved pretty quickly compared with 18 to 24 months ago , when setbacks seemed to come one right after another . it 's a tremendously complex project , ' he said , adding that cost issues remain a concern .","the f-35 wo n't participate in the farnborough air show , pentagon spokesman says" +"f-35 the pentagon 's most expensive weapons program ever , the f-35 warplane , is cleared for takeoff again . the limited flight clearance , approved by navy and air force officials monday , allows the aircraft to fly with an engine inspection regimen and restricted flight envelope following the fleet 's grounding after an engine fire last month . defense department spokesman mark wright said in a statement tuesday the restrictions would remain in effect until the root cause of the june 23 engine mishap is identified and corrected . ' it had been hoped that the stealth fighter would be able to make an appearance at the famed farnborough air show , under way now , but pentagon spokesman rear adm. john kirby said tuesday afternoon that wo n't happen . the department of defense , in concert with our partners in the u.k. , has decided not to send marine corps and u.k. f-35b aircraft across the atlantic to participate in the farnborough air show , ' he told reporters . this decision was reached after a consultation with senior leaders and airworthiness authorities , despite the decision by airworthiness authorities to clear the aircraft to return to flight -- to limited flight . ' the 2014 farnborough international airshow began monday , and runs through july 20 in farnborough , england . the opening day brought $ 42 billion of orders and commitments for commercial aircraft and engines , according to a statement from the show 's organizers . the f-35 was developed at a cost of nearly $ 400 billion so far and beset for years by cost overruns and delays . the so-called joint strike fighter was temporarily grounded following a fire on the runway at eglin air force base in florida . no one was hurt . engine maker pratt & whitney worked with air force investigators to inspect all engines in the fleet . we have great confidence in the f135 engine powering the f-35 , and we have worked very closely with dod and the services to return the aircraft to flying status , ' matthew bates , communications manager for pratt & whitney military engines , said in a statement tuesday . the f-35 's lead contractor , lockheed martin , which is producing variants of the plane for the u.s. navy , marines and air force , also worked with investigators following the fleet 's grounding . f-35 future the pentagon wants more than 2,400 of the fighter jets ultimately , while hundreds more are expected over time to go to allies such as south korea , japan and australia . more than 100 planes have been built so far , most for testing , but the program is still in its development and training phases . the military says the stealthy fighter will be the most affordable , lethal , supportable and survivable aircraft ever to be used ' by so many services worldwide . but its production has been controversial for its soaring cost history -- the price tag has nearly doubled from early estimates , to $ 135 million per unit as of last year , according to a u.s. government accountability office report in march -- as well as its schedule , software and other setbacks . test flights began in 2007 . while all models have been grounded in the past for various problems , the version for the marines , the f-35b , has had more issues . experts say that 's mainly due to its design for shorter takeoffs and vertical landings . richard aboulafia , a teal group analyst , said earlier this month that every component of the f-35 overall is pushing the frontiers of technology ' as engineers combine extraordinary engine power with a lighter weight design . he said the program has made gradual progress in recent years where glitches get resolved pretty quickly compared with 18 to 24 months ago , when setbacks seemed to come one right after another . it 's a tremendously complex project , ' he said , adding that cost issues remain a concern .","the f-35 fleet was grounded after an engine fire in june" +"f-35 the pentagon 's most expensive weapons program ever , the f-35 warplane , is cleared for takeoff again . the limited flight clearance , approved by navy and air force officials monday , allows the aircraft to fly with an engine inspection regimen and restricted flight envelope following the fleet 's grounding after an engine fire last month . defense department spokesman mark wright said in a statement tuesday the restrictions would remain in effect until the root cause of the june 23 engine mishap is identified and corrected . ' it had been hoped that the stealth fighter would be able to make an appearance at the famed farnborough air show , under way now , but pentagon spokesman rear adm. john kirby said tuesday afternoon that wo n't happen . the department of defense , in concert with our partners in the u.k. , has decided not to send marine corps and u.k. f-35b aircraft across the atlantic to participate in the farnborough air show , ' he told reporters . this decision was reached after a consultation with senior leaders and airworthiness authorities , despite the decision by airworthiness authorities to clear the aircraft to return to flight -- to limited flight . ' the 2014 farnborough international airshow began monday , and runs through july 20 in farnborough , england . the opening day brought $ 42 billion of orders and commitments for commercial aircraft and engines , according to a statement from the show 's organizers . the f-35 was developed at a cost of nearly $ 400 billion so far and beset for years by cost overruns and delays . the so-called joint strike fighter was temporarily grounded following a fire on the runway at eglin air force base in florida . no one was hurt . engine maker pratt & whitney worked with air force investigators to inspect all engines in the fleet . we have great confidence in the f135 engine powering the f-35 , and we have worked very closely with dod and the services to return the aircraft to flying status , ' matthew bates , communications manager for pratt & whitney military engines , said in a statement tuesday . the f-35 's lead contractor , lockheed martin , which is producing variants of the plane for the u.s. navy , marines and air force , also worked with investigators following the fleet 's grounding . f-35 future the pentagon wants more than 2,400 of the fighter jets ultimately , while hundreds more are expected over time to go to allies such as south korea , japan and australia . more than 100 planes have been built so far , most for testing , but the program is still in its development and training phases . the military says the stealthy fighter will be the most affordable , lethal , supportable and survivable aircraft ever to be used ' by so many services worldwide . but its production has been controversial for its soaring cost history -- the price tag has nearly doubled from early estimates , to $ 135 million per unit as of last year , according to a u.s. government accountability office report in march -- as well as its schedule , software and other setbacks . test flights began in 2007 . while all models have been grounded in the past for various problems , the version for the marines , the f-35b , has had more issues . experts say that 's mainly due to its design for shorter takeoffs and vertical landings . richard aboulafia , a teal group analyst , said earlier this month that every component of the f-35 overall is pushing the frontiers of technology ' as engineers combine extraordinary engine power with a lighter weight design . he said the program has made gradual progress in recent years where glitches get resolved pretty quickly compared with 18 to 24 months ago , when setbacks seemed to come one right after another . it 's a tremendously complex project , ' he said , adding that cost issues remain a concern .","the f-35 wo n't participate in the farnborough air show , pentagon spokesman says" +"italian rome ( cnn ) -- mario monti , the economist nominated to become italy 's new prime minister , began talks with political leaders monday to discuss forming a government . the 68-year-old 's talks with political parties will continue tuesday . in comments after several meetings monday , monti said some of the delegations had discussed a temporal outlook ' for how long his government might last . the time for the government which i am trying to create is that period between today and the end of spring 2013 , ' he said , according to a cnn translation . at any time the parliament could dissolve his government because of lack of trust , ' he said . it is obvious ' that the task at hand is an emergency , and that to achieve economic growth and social equity should be the priorities , ' monti said . the new prime minister designate will face an arduous task , as italy has one of the highest national debts in europe at €1.9 trillion ( $ 2.6 trillion ) -- about 120 % of gdp -- and has seen low growth in recent years . to take the helm , monti needs the approval of the italian parliament , which is composed of multiple parties with diverse interests . silvio berlusconi 's people of freedom party remains the strongest force in parliament , and berlusconi has said he plans to remain active in it . those diverse political interests and the pain of austerity measures could weigh heavily on monti as he steers italy through economically troubled waters . some politicians in italy have already called for elections to take place sooner than their scheduled time of spring 2013 . italian party leaders spoke in support of the new prime minister designate on italy 's senate tv after exiting deliberations with monti on the composition of a new government . antonio di pietro , leader of the values party , said his group is happy that the berlusconi government could be replaced by the monti government . ' his party will not block a monti-led government , he said . but when asked specifically whether he would give monti a vote of confidence , di pietro stressed that he would not answer until he learned more about monti 's plans and the composition of his cabinet . franceso rutelli , leader of the alliance for italy , also told reporters his block will support monti 's government . emma bonino of the radical party expressed support for monti as well . speaking to reporters , bonino called for reforms to address italy 's political and economic crisis . monti was nominated sunday to replace silvio berlusconi as italy 's prime minister . berlusconi resigned saturday amid the country 's ongoing financial crisis . his role in italy 's political future is uncertain . for the time being he is waiting to see what is happening under the buildup of the new government under mr. monti , ' said deborah bergamini , a member of italy 's parliament and former assistant to berlusconi . on monday , bergamini said berlusconi told her he wants to continue acting as the chair of his pdl party . berlusconi 's resignation was greeted with cheers and dancing in the streets , as people waved the italian flag and sang the nation 's anthem . if he becomes prime minister , monti could bring a distinctly different approach to governing than italy has experienced over the past three years . it may be that the strong opposition ... against berlusconi that has been going on in these years maybe will disperse itself , maybe will finish , and then we 'll have a cooperative approach on the part of all the political forces . ... let 's hope that the international credibility of mr. monti will be able to work in this direction , ' bergamini told cnn . while the hot-blooded berlusconi was for many years a master of forming political alliances , monti is known for his achievements as a eurocrat , ' at the heart of europe 's institutions . dubbed super mario for his work in international finance , he served as a leading european commission member for a decade -- including as commissioner for its financial services , market and taxation committee between 1995 and 1999 and as head of its competition committee from 1999 to 2004 . in announcing monti 's nomination , italian president giorgio napolitano said the former european union commissioner is gifted , competent , experienced ' and well-respected in europe and internationally . this is the moment of his test , ' napolitano said . monti must return to napolitano within days to accept the nomination fully , at which point he would be sworn in and officially become prime minister . within days of the oath of office , monti would have to go to parliament to present his government -- essentially his cabinet and his government plan . the upper and lower houses of parliament have 10 days from the time monti is sworn in to hold separate votes of confidence on the new government . berlusconi is the second prime minister to resign this month over the debt crisis sweeping across europe . greece 's george papandreou was replaced wednesday by lucas papademos , a former european central bank official . investors were watching italian bond yields closely monday , after €3 billion worth of five-year bonds generated decent demand . yields on both the five-year and 10-year bonds still remain around 6.5 % . last week , the 10-year italian yield spiked to a record high above 7 % -- a level that eventually led to bailouts for greece , portugal and ireland . economists said monday 's bond yields could indicate that markets are still nervous about italy 's economic prospects , even with monti in charge . now what we are seeing today is that markets probably do n't like so much politics being so effective and so active in financial matters . so my feeling is that the challenge today will be rebalancing ... politics and financial matters , ' bergamini told cnn monday . cnn 's hada messia , matthew chance , laura smith-spark and zain verjee and the cnnmoney staff contributed to this report .","italian president : monti is gifted , competent , experienced '" +"yar'adua lagos , nigeria ( cnn ) -- nigeria 's ailing president umaru yar'adua , who gave amnesty to armed militants in the troubled oil-rich niger delta region , died wednesday , the country 's information minister said . he was 58 . yar'adua had not been seen in public since november , when he went to saudi arabia for treatment of an inflammation of tissue around his heart . he was diagnosed with that condition , acute pericarditis , last fall after he complained of chest pain . he returned to nigeria in february but had remained out of sight . vice president goodluck jonathan has served as the country 's acting leader since yar'adua fell ill. yar'adua took office in 2007 in an election mired in controversy and accusations of vote-rigging . there was ballot snatching , voters were molested , voters were beaten ... and also payment inducement to vote for certain candidates , ' said eneruvie enakoko of the civil liberties organization , a human rights group in lagos . the president , a soft-spoken and unassuming figure who did not bask in the media spotlight like past leaders of the west african nation , pledged to fight to improve the country of 150 million people despite the accusations . our collective goal is to deliver for our children a nigeria better , stronger , more peaceful , more secure and more prosperous than we met it , ' yar'adua said . president barack obama issued a statement late wednesday expressing his condolences to yar'adua 's family and the nigerian people . president yar'adua worked to promote peace and stability in africa through his support of nigerian peacekeeping efforts as well as his strong criticism of undemocratic actions in the region , ' obama said in the statement . he was committed to creating lasting peace and prosperity within nigeria 's own borders , and continuing that work will be an important part of honoring his legacy . ' his election followed wide support from his predecessor , leading critics to label him a puppet of the former president , olusegun obasanjo . after he was elected , yar'adua replaced some of obasanjo 's top officials , including the head of the army , a move analysts said was aimed at shedding off his predecessor 's influence . one of yar'adua 's biggest successes was offering amnesty to militants in the troubled oil-rich niger delta region , a move that brought fragile peace to the area after years of conflict . the well-armed niger delta rebels have been battling nigeria 's armed forces over oil profits , which they say are unequally distributed . while he has hospitalized in saudi arabia , the militants called off the truce , dealing a blow to plans to end violence that has crippled oil production in the nation . analysts say he did little to institutionalize reform in a country where two-thirds of the population lives on less than a dollar a day . because many people feel disillusioned economically and as long as they have those sentiments -- i think the risk of radical uprisings in places like northern nigeria and certainly southern nigeria in the delta will continue regardless of who is in power , ' said rolake akinola , an analyst at control risks west africa . yar'adua , a former chemistry teacher , was married twice and has nine children . cnn 's faith karimi and christian purefoy contributed to this report .","nigeria 's information minister says president umaru yar'adua has died" +"yar'adua lagos , nigeria ( cnn ) -- nigeria 's ailing president umaru yar'adua , who gave amnesty to armed militants in the troubled oil-rich niger delta region , died wednesday , the country 's information minister said . he was 58 . yar'adua had not been seen in public since november , when he went to saudi arabia for treatment of an inflammation of tissue around his heart . he was diagnosed with that condition , acute pericarditis , last fall after he complained of chest pain . he returned to nigeria in february but had remained out of sight . vice president goodluck jonathan has served as the country 's acting leader since yar'adua fell ill. yar'adua took office in 2007 in an election mired in controversy and accusations of vote-rigging . there was ballot snatching , voters were molested , voters were beaten ... and also payment inducement to vote for certain candidates , ' said eneruvie enakoko of the civil liberties organization , a human rights group in lagos . the president , a soft-spoken and unassuming figure who did not bask in the media spotlight like past leaders of the west african nation , pledged to fight to improve the country of 150 million people despite the accusations . our collective goal is to deliver for our children a nigeria better , stronger , more peaceful , more secure and more prosperous than we met it , ' yar'adua said . president barack obama issued a statement late wednesday expressing his condolences to yar'adua 's family and the nigerian people . president yar'adua worked to promote peace and stability in africa through his support of nigerian peacekeeping efforts as well as his strong criticism of undemocratic actions in the region , ' obama said in the statement . he was committed to creating lasting peace and prosperity within nigeria 's own borders , and continuing that work will be an important part of honoring his legacy . ' his election followed wide support from his predecessor , leading critics to label him a puppet of the former president , olusegun obasanjo . after he was elected , yar'adua replaced some of obasanjo 's top officials , including the head of the army , a move analysts said was aimed at shedding off his predecessor 's influence . one of yar'adua 's biggest successes was offering amnesty to militants in the troubled oil-rich niger delta region , a move that brought fragile peace to the area after years of conflict . the well-armed niger delta rebels have been battling nigeria 's armed forces over oil profits , which they say are unequally distributed . while he has hospitalized in saudi arabia , the militants called off the truce , dealing a blow to plans to end violence that has crippled oil production in the nation . analysts say he did little to institutionalize reform in a country where two-thirds of the population lives on less than a dollar a day . because many people feel disillusioned economically and as long as they have those sentiments -- i think the risk of radical uprisings in places like northern nigeria and certainly southern nigeria in the delta will continue regardless of who is in power , ' said rolake akinola , an analyst at control risks west africa . yar'adua , a former chemistry teacher , was married twice and has nine children . cnn 's faith karimi and christian purefoy contributed to this report .","yar'adua took office in 2007 in election mired in controversy , accusations of vote-rigging" +"yar'adua lagos , nigeria ( cnn ) -- nigeria 's ailing president umaru yar'adua , who gave amnesty to armed militants in the troubled oil-rich niger delta region , died wednesday , the country 's information minister said . he was 58 . yar'adua had not been seen in public since november , when he went to saudi arabia for treatment of an inflammation of tissue around his heart . he was diagnosed with that condition , acute pericarditis , last fall after he complained of chest pain . he returned to nigeria in february but had remained out of sight . vice president goodluck jonathan has served as the country 's acting leader since yar'adua fell ill. yar'adua took office in 2007 in an election mired in controversy and accusations of vote-rigging . there was ballot snatching , voters were molested , voters were beaten ... and also payment inducement to vote for certain candidates , ' said eneruvie enakoko of the civil liberties organization , a human rights group in lagos . the president , a soft-spoken and unassuming figure who did not bask in the media spotlight like past leaders of the west african nation , pledged to fight to improve the country of 150 million people despite the accusations . our collective goal is to deliver for our children a nigeria better , stronger , more peaceful , more secure and more prosperous than we met it , ' yar'adua said . president barack obama issued a statement late wednesday expressing his condolences to yar'adua 's family and the nigerian people . president yar'adua worked to promote peace and stability in africa through his support of nigerian peacekeeping efforts as well as his strong criticism of undemocratic actions in the region , ' obama said in the statement . he was committed to creating lasting peace and prosperity within nigeria 's own borders , and continuing that work will be an important part of honoring his legacy . ' his election followed wide support from his predecessor , leading critics to label him a puppet of the former president , olusegun obasanjo . after he was elected , yar'adua replaced some of obasanjo 's top officials , including the head of the army , a move analysts said was aimed at shedding off his predecessor 's influence . one of yar'adua 's biggest successes was offering amnesty to militants in the troubled oil-rich niger delta region , a move that brought fragile peace to the area after years of conflict . the well-armed niger delta rebels have been battling nigeria 's armed forces over oil profits , which they say are unequally distributed . while he has hospitalized in saudi arabia , the militants called off the truce , dealing a blow to plans to end violence that has crippled oil production in the nation . analysts say he did little to institutionalize reform in a country where two-thirds of the population lives on less than a dollar a day . because many people feel disillusioned economically and as long as they have those sentiments -- i think the risk of radical uprisings in places like northern nigeria and certainly southern nigeria in the delta will continue regardless of who is in power , ' said rolake akinola , an analyst at control risks west africa . yar'adua , a former chemistry teacher , was married twice and has nine children . cnn 's faith karimi and christian purefoy contributed to this report .","yar'adua had given amnesty to armed militants in troubled oil-rich niger delta region" +"saudis ( cnn ) more than 500 houthi rebels have been killed since the start of saudi-led military operations against yemeni shia fighters , a saudi defense ministry official said saturday , according to the state-run saudi press agency . a saudi general said saturday the nine-nation coalition has undertaken 1,200 airstrikes since they began on march 26 . gen. ahmed asiri added that the raids aim to keep the rebels from moving toward southern yemen , according to the spa . clashes took place friday near the saudi-yemeni border , in the najran region . saudi forces responded to mortar rounds fired by houthis on a saudi border site . three saudi military officers were killed and two others were wounded in the shelling , a defense official said , according to spa . a saudi source also confirmed to cnn 's nic robertson that three saudi soldiers were killed in the shelling . the yemeni health ministry on saturday said 385 civilians have been killed and 342 others have been wounded . the world health organization has put higher figure on both tolls -- 648 killed and 2,191 wounded -- but includes militant casualties in the totals . yemen has been descending into chaos in the weeks since houthi rebels -- minority shiites who have long complained of being marginalized in the majority sunni country -- forced yemeni president abdu rabu mansour hadi from power in january . and even before the crisis escalated with the saudi airstrikes , most of the 25 million people in yemen required humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs , the united nations said friday . cnn 's pierre meilhan and mohammed tawfeeq contributed to this report .","three saudis were killed in attack on border position , source tells cnn" +"cnn ( cnn ) more than 500 houthi rebels have been killed since the start of saudi-led military operations against yemeni shia fighters , a saudi defense ministry official said saturday , according to the state-run saudi press agency . a saudi general said saturday the nine-nation coalition has undertaken 1,200 airstrikes since they began on march 26 . gen. ahmed asiri added that the raids aim to keep the rebels from moving toward southern yemen , according to the spa . clashes took place friday near the saudi-yemeni border , in the najran region . saudi forces responded to mortar rounds fired by houthis on a saudi border site . three saudi military officers were killed and two others were wounded in the shelling , a defense official said , according to spa . a saudi source also confirmed to cnn 's nic robertson that three saudi soldiers were killed in the shelling . the yemeni health ministry on saturday said 385 civilians have been killed and 342 others have been wounded . the world health organization has put higher figure on both tolls -- 648 killed and 2,191 wounded -- but includes militant casualties in the totals . yemen has been descending into chaos in the weeks since houthi rebels -- minority shiites who have long complained of being marginalized in the majority sunni country -- forced yemeni president abdu rabu mansour hadi from power in january . and even before the crisis escalated with the saudi airstrikes , most of the 25 million people in yemen required humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs , the united nations said friday . cnn 's pierre meilhan and mohammed tawfeeq contributed to this report .","three saudis were killed in attack on border position , source tells cnn" +"yousif bin ali al-idreesi ( cnn ) -- saudi prince bandar bin sultan , the man behind the kingdom 's committed policy to topple syrian president bashar al-assad , has stepped down from his intelligence post , according to the country 's official news agency . considered one of the most familiar faces in the saudi royal house , prince bandar was relieved of his post as chief of general intelligence on tuesday upon his request . ' general staff yousif bin ali al-idreesi has been assigned to act as chief of general intelligence immediately , the saudi press agency reported . prince bandar bin sultan served as the saudi ambassador to the united states for 22 years until 2005 , and was appointed the chief of general intelligence in 2012 . even though he was ambassador to the united states for 22 years and very close to the bushes , he was no friend of the united states for the last three or four years , ' christopher dickey , foreign editor at the daily beast , said wednesday in an interview on cnn . bandar took on the thorny task of building and implementing saudi arabia 's policy on syria . he became a staunch supporter of the rebel cause , supporting the syrian free army in trying to topple al-assad 's government , and leveraged his close ties with his traditional friends in the west , calling on them to arm the syrian opposition . however , a lack of international action on syria and a thawing of western ties with iran marked a watershed in saudi 's global orientation . iran backs the al-assad regime . bandar was extremely hawkish on iran even before he had this official position , ' said dickey . one time or another he 's tried to take on iran , and he has n't been very successful at that . ' in october , prince bandar was widely quoted as saying the kingdom would be making a major shift ' in dealings with washington . this new stance , analysts say , could signal a pendulum swing when it comes to saudi arabia 's policy toward syria . i think the american saudi partnership in the region will probably be less rocky than when bandar was running the show , ' dickey said . u.s. president barack obama , who visited riyadh in march for the first time since 2009 , discussed tactical ' differences with saudi arabia over the question of the arming of the syrian rebels . a senior administration official told reporters after president obama 's face-to-face meeting with saudi 's king abdullah that the united states and saudi arabia are very much aligned ' despite recent policy differences over syria and iran . i think the moderates are coming in and they are going to set the agenda for the next stage , ' said abdulkhaleq abdulla , professor of political science at uae university . the united states and saudi arabia have a longstanding history , an alliance forged most notably by oil and most recently by the rise of al qaeda-affiliated networks in the region .","general staff yousif bin ali al-idreesi takes on role as acting chief of general intelligence" +"kentucky state university ( cnn ) the story of his selfless act went viral , but for raymond burse it was simply second nature . i 'm not extraordinary , ' said burse . i 've assumed that people do those kinds of things all the time . ' in summer 2014 , burse , who is president of kentucky state university , gave up $ 90,000 of his almost $ 350,000 salary so that 24 of the university 's lowest paid workers could earn $ 10.25 an hour . the move gave them a 40 % pay increase . i do n't mind giving up some of what i have been able to obtain through life in order to be a small help to them in their own lives , ' burse said . burse 's help did n't end there . the 63 year-old later surprised ksu football player deshon floyd with the remaining $ 2,000 he needed to do an internship abroad . in december , burse offered high school shooting victim javaugntay burroughs a full scholarship . with all the things they had to deal with , one of the things they should n't have to deal with is whether this young man was going to be able to go to college , ' said burse . burse 's actions spurred a pay-it-forward movement around the university , with an increase in small acts of kindness and donations to the school . i was amazed at how many people got involved , ' said burse . it really mushroomed , so it has not stopped . we are still talking about paying it forward . ' did you have an inspirational coach ? share your story it is not often you meet a person who is ingrained with a giving spirit . burse said he has his mother and father to thank for grooming him to be both a giver and an achiever . my mother was very active in the community . we did n't have much , but she would always share a part of what we had , ' burse said . a country boy at heart , burse grew up as the youngest of 13 children in hopkinsville , kentucky . there was n't a lot of money to go around , ' said burse . going through that process i learned a lot about sacrificing , waiting your turn and being thankful for what you have . ' although his father attended school only through the third grade and his mother the seventh , burse was a rhodes scholar , a graduate of harvard law school and a university president by age 30 . what they believed was if their children got an education , the education would serve them well for their entire lives , ' said burse . that education did indeed serve burse well . after serving as kentucky state university 's president for eight years in the '80s , he went on to have a highly successful career with general electric as vice president and general counsel of ge consumer & industrial . after working at ge , burse did n't have plans to come out of retirement . we would say that for every year you work at ge it is like working eight years somewhere else , just in terms of what ge required and demanded of you , ' said burse . burse remembers going into his retirement happy , content and enjoying ' himself . but when ksu president mary evans sias announced her retirement in may 2014 , burse immediately got a call about filling her seat . at first , he said he was n't interested . i did that for three to four weeks and finally i went to lunch with a couple of my friends , a couple of them kentucky state graduates , ' said burse . they played the guilt card on me . ' burse discussed it with his wife for a few weeks , and then decided he could come back for at least a year to help the university stabilize . burse came in expecting to be at ksu for a year , but he 's now signed on to be there another three-plus years . i think we are all placed on this earth to do something , to do something good , ' burse said . i consider raymond burse to be an ordinary individual who works hard , who believes in people and in the power of people . if you give and work with people , good things will happen , ' he said . discover more extraordinary people","move by burse , president of kentucky state university , gave them a 40 % raise" +"burse ( cnn ) the story of his selfless act went viral , but for raymond burse it was simply second nature . i 'm not extraordinary , ' said burse . i 've assumed that people do those kinds of things all the time . ' in summer 2014 , burse , who is president of kentucky state university , gave up $ 90,000 of his almost $ 350,000 salary so that 24 of the university 's lowest paid workers could earn $ 10.25 an hour . the move gave them a 40 % pay increase . i do n't mind giving up some of what i have been able to obtain through life in order to be a small help to them in their own lives , ' burse said . burse 's help did n't end there . the 63 year-old later surprised ksu football player deshon floyd with the remaining $ 2,000 he needed to do an internship abroad . in december , burse offered high school shooting victim javaugntay burroughs a full scholarship . with all the things they had to deal with , one of the things they should n't have to deal with is whether this young man was going to be able to go to college , ' said burse . burse 's actions spurred a pay-it-forward movement around the university , with an increase in small acts of kindness and donations to the school . i was amazed at how many people got involved , ' said burse . it really mushroomed , so it has not stopped . we are still talking about paying it forward . ' did you have an inspirational coach ? share your story it is not often you meet a person who is ingrained with a giving spirit . burse said he has his mother and father to thank for grooming him to be both a giver and an achiever . my mother was very active in the community . we did n't have much , but she would always share a part of what we had , ' burse said . a country boy at heart , burse grew up as the youngest of 13 children in hopkinsville , kentucky . there was n't a lot of money to go around , ' said burse . going through that process i learned a lot about sacrificing , waiting your turn and being thankful for what you have . ' although his father attended school only through the third grade and his mother the seventh , burse was a rhodes scholar , a graduate of harvard law school and a university president by age 30 . what they believed was if their children got an education , the education would serve them well for their entire lives , ' said burse . that education did indeed serve burse well . after serving as kentucky state university 's president for eight years in the '80s , he went on to have a highly successful career with general electric as vice president and general counsel of ge consumer & industrial . after working at ge , burse did n't have plans to come out of retirement . we would say that for every year you work at ge it is like working eight years somewhere else , just in terms of what ge required and demanded of you , ' said burse . burse remembers going into his retirement happy , content and enjoying ' himself . but when ksu president mary evans sias announced her retirement in may 2014 , burse immediately got a call about filling her seat . at first , he said he was n't interested . i did that for three to four weeks and finally i went to lunch with a couple of my friends , a couple of them kentucky state graduates , ' said burse . they played the guilt card on me . ' burse discussed it with his wife for a few weeks , and then decided he could come back for at least a year to help the university stabilize . burse came in expecting to be at ksu for a year , but he 's now signed on to be there another three-plus years . i think we are all placed on this earth to do something , to do something good , ' burse said . i consider raymond burse to be an ordinary individual who works hard , who believes in people and in the power of people . if you give and work with people , good things will happen , ' he said . discover more extraordinary people","raymond burse volunteers to take a $ 90k pay cut to give livable wage to 24 workers" +"burse ( cnn ) the story of his selfless act went viral , but for raymond burse it was simply second nature . i 'm not extraordinary , ' said burse . i 've assumed that people do those kinds of things all the time . ' in summer 2014 , burse , who is president of kentucky state university , gave up $ 90,000 of his almost $ 350,000 salary so that 24 of the university 's lowest paid workers could earn $ 10.25 an hour . the move gave them a 40 % pay increase . i do n't mind giving up some of what i have been able to obtain through life in order to be a small help to them in their own lives , ' burse said . burse 's help did n't end there . the 63 year-old later surprised ksu football player deshon floyd with the remaining $ 2,000 he needed to do an internship abroad . in december , burse offered high school shooting victim javaugntay burroughs a full scholarship . with all the things they had to deal with , one of the things they should n't have to deal with is whether this young man was going to be able to go to college , ' said burse . burse 's actions spurred a pay-it-forward movement around the university , with an increase in small acts of kindness and donations to the school . i was amazed at how many people got involved , ' said burse . it really mushroomed , so it has not stopped . we are still talking about paying it forward . ' did you have an inspirational coach ? share your story it is not often you meet a person who is ingrained with a giving spirit . burse said he has his mother and father to thank for grooming him to be both a giver and an achiever . my mother was very active in the community . we did n't have much , but she would always share a part of what we had , ' burse said . a country boy at heart , burse grew up as the youngest of 13 children in hopkinsville , kentucky . there was n't a lot of money to go around , ' said burse . going through that process i learned a lot about sacrificing , waiting your turn and being thankful for what you have . ' although his father attended school only through the third grade and his mother the seventh , burse was a rhodes scholar , a graduate of harvard law school and a university president by age 30 . what they believed was if their children got an education , the education would serve them well for their entire lives , ' said burse . that education did indeed serve burse well . after serving as kentucky state university 's president for eight years in the '80s , he went on to have a highly successful career with general electric as vice president and general counsel of ge consumer & industrial . after working at ge , burse did n't have plans to come out of retirement . we would say that for every year you work at ge it is like working eight years somewhere else , just in terms of what ge required and demanded of you , ' said burse . burse remembers going into his retirement happy , content and enjoying ' himself . but when ksu president mary evans sias announced her retirement in may 2014 , burse immediately got a call about filling her seat . at first , he said he was n't interested . i did that for three to four weeks and finally i went to lunch with a couple of my friends , a couple of them kentucky state graduates , ' said burse . they played the guilt card on me . ' burse discussed it with his wife for a few weeks , and then decided he could come back for at least a year to help the university stabilize . burse came in expecting to be at ksu for a year , but he 's now signed on to be there another three-plus years . i think we are all placed on this earth to do something , to do something good , ' burse said . i consider raymond burse to be an ordinary individual who works hard , who believes in people and in the power of people . if you give and work with people , good things will happen , ' he said . discover more extraordinary people","burse also has given a shooting victim a scholarship , a football player $ 2,000 to study abroad" +"burse ( cnn ) the story of his selfless act went viral , but for raymond burse it was simply second nature . i 'm not extraordinary , ' said burse . i 've assumed that people do those kinds of things all the time . ' in summer 2014 , burse , who is president of kentucky state university , gave up $ 90,000 of his almost $ 350,000 salary so that 24 of the university 's lowest paid workers could earn $ 10.25 an hour . the move gave them a 40 % pay increase . i do n't mind giving up some of what i have been able to obtain through life in order to be a small help to them in their own lives , ' burse said . burse 's help did n't end there . the 63 year-old later surprised ksu football player deshon floyd with the remaining $ 2,000 he needed to do an internship abroad . in december , burse offered high school shooting victim javaugntay burroughs a full scholarship . with all the things they had to deal with , one of the things they should n't have to deal with is whether this young man was going to be able to go to college , ' said burse . burse 's actions spurred a pay-it-forward movement around the university , with an increase in small acts of kindness and donations to the school . i was amazed at how many people got involved , ' said burse . it really mushroomed , so it has not stopped . we are still talking about paying it forward . ' did you have an inspirational coach ? share your story it is not often you meet a person who is ingrained with a giving spirit . burse said he has his mother and father to thank for grooming him to be both a giver and an achiever . my mother was very active in the community . we did n't have much , but she would always share a part of what we had , ' burse said . a country boy at heart , burse grew up as the youngest of 13 children in hopkinsville , kentucky . there was n't a lot of money to go around , ' said burse . going through that process i learned a lot about sacrificing , waiting your turn and being thankful for what you have . ' although his father attended school only through the third grade and his mother the seventh , burse was a rhodes scholar , a graduate of harvard law school and a university president by age 30 . what they believed was if their children got an education , the education would serve them well for their entire lives , ' said burse . that education did indeed serve burse well . after serving as kentucky state university 's president for eight years in the '80s , he went on to have a highly successful career with general electric as vice president and general counsel of ge consumer & industrial . after working at ge , burse did n't have plans to come out of retirement . we would say that for every year you work at ge it is like working eight years somewhere else , just in terms of what ge required and demanded of you , ' said burse . burse remembers going into his retirement happy , content and enjoying ' himself . but when ksu president mary evans sias announced her retirement in may 2014 , burse immediately got a call about filling her seat . at first , he said he was n't interested . i did that for three to four weeks and finally i went to lunch with a couple of my friends , a couple of them kentucky state graduates , ' said burse . they played the guilt card on me . ' burse discussed it with his wife for a few weeks , and then decided he could come back for at least a year to help the university stabilize . burse came in expecting to be at ksu for a year , but he 's now signed on to be there another three-plus years . i think we are all placed on this earth to do something , to do something good , ' burse said . i consider raymond burse to be an ordinary individual who works hard , who believes in people and in the power of people . if you give and work with people , good things will happen , ' he said . discover more extraordinary people","move by burse , president of kentucky state university , gave them a 40 % raise" +"miami ( cnn ) -- hours after losing victoria azarenka to injury , organizers of the dubai tennis championships were dealt another major blow on wednesday when serena williams also pulled out of the event . the 31-year-old williams , who became the oldest women 's tennis player to be crowned world no . 1 on monday , said she was forced out because of a back injury . i 've just had some back problems the past couple of weeks , ' the american told an impromptu press conference . i thought it would get better as the week went on but it did n't . i do n't want to keep pushing it and make it worse . ' williams took to the court to apologize to fans who had arrived for her second-round match with marion bartoli of france . the absences of both williams and previous no . 1 azarenka represent a severe dent to a popular $ 2 million tournament which had already been without the sport 's two reported highest earners , maria sharapova and li na ( according to forbes magazine ) . it is also a blow to the women 's tennis association , which has worked hard to introduce incentives and regulations to reduce the number of withdrawals from its events . wednesday 's unexpected withdrawal follows that of second-ranked azarenka , which ensured that williams will hang on to top spot until the sony ericsson open , which starts in miami on march 18 . williams said her back also troubled her in last week 's qatar open , where she was beaten in the final by the belorussian , who withdrew from the dubai championships with a foot injury . the 15-time grand slam winner added that , having returned to the pinnacle after two and a half years during which her life and career were threatened following a freak foot injury in 2010 , being no . 1 is no longer her primary goal . ok , i have done it , let 's focus on my next goals which are the grand slams , ' williams said , admitting that she already had at least half an eye on the french open in paris , starting on may 26 . i really want to continue doing really well in those . ' after winning wimbledon and the us open last year , williams'total of grand slam titles is only three fewer than martina navratilova and chris evert , who together are second on the all-time list behind steffi graf with 22 . williams'absence increases the chances of world no . 4 agnieszka radwanska making a successful defense of her title , which began with the pole grinding out a 7- , 6-3 win over yulia putintseva , a promising 18-year-old wild card entry from kazakhstan . bartoli , who received a wild-card invite after making a late entry , will face former world no . 1 caroline wozniacki in the quarterfinals . the dane , now ranked 10th and a winner of the tournament in 2011 , progressed with a 6-0 6-1 drubbing of china 's former wimbledon semifinalist zheng jie . .","american targets next month 's sony ericsson open in miami for comeback" +"martinez abusir , egypt ( cnn ) -- today , i met cleopatra 's lawyer . well , not her lawyer but someone who is determined to defend the legendary queen against centuries of bad publicity . kathleen martinez , an archaeologist from the dominican republic , wants to mend cleopatra 's tattered reputation . kathleen martinez is a young archaeologist from the dominican republic who has toiled for three years on a barren hillside overlooking the coastal highway linking alexandria with the libyan border . according to the egyptian supreme council of antiquities , it 's here , at a spot known as abusir , that the tomb of marc antony and cleopatra might be located . i met martinez in a dusty tomb full of bones at the excavation site . she recounted to me that , as a young girl , she listened in on a scholarly discussion in her father 's library about cleopatra . they were speaking very badly about her and about her image , ' she recalled . i got very upset . i said i did n't believe what they are saying , that i needed to study more about her . ' martinez went on to earn a law degree but continued to be fascinated by the saga of cleopatra . four years ago , she managed to convince zahi hawass , the untiring director of the egyptian supreme council of antiquities , to allow her to start excavating at abusir . her fascination with -- and admiration for -- cleopatra is intense . the last queen of ancient egypt , she told me , spoke nine languages , she was a philosopher , she was a poet , she was a politician , she was a goddess , and she was a warrior . ' in short , martinez believes , cleopatra was a woman way ahead of her times . and given that history is written by the victors -- in cleopatra 's case , the romans -- her press was somewhat less than complimentary . it was bad propaganda , ' in martinez 's words . for that reason , she told me , i want to be cleopatra 's lawyer . ' with hawass , martinez is now working on a book about cleopatra to repair all that damage . the tale of antony and cleopatra has fueled the popular imagination for centuries . ill-fated lovers were a favorite theme for william shakespeare , and the roman noble and the egyptian queen certainly fit the bill . marc antony was a no less fascinating character than cleopatra . in his youth , he led a life of heavy drinking and womanizing . according to the roman historian plutarch , antony accumulated debts of 250 talents , the equivalent of $ 5 million , before reaching 20 . to escape his creditors in rome , he fled to greece , where he studied with the philosophers of athens , before being called to join the roman legions in the east , then serving under julius caesar . after caesar 's assassination , marc antony became embroiled in a series of power struggles and eventually ended up in egypt . egypt was the enemy of his former ally , octavian , who would go on to become the emperor augustus , the first emperor of rome . octavian defeated antony 's forces at the battle of actium in 30 b.c . shortly afterward , antony and cleopatra committed suicide , he by his own sword , she by a poisonous asp . octavian , according to plutarch , allowed them to be buried together in splendid and regal fashion . ' but no one knows where . the sudden focus on antony and cleopatra has also reignited an old debate over the latter 's looks . was cleopatra a stunning beauty a la elizabeth taylor , or somewhat less spectacular ? researchers from newcastle university in england claimed in 2007 that , based upon coins found from the period , she was quite homely , with a shallow forehead , long , pointed nose , narrow lips and a sharply pointed chin . ' see gallery of tomb that might be cleopatra 's » the same researchers did n't have a very flattering assessment of marc antony either , saying he had bulging eyes , a large hooked nose and a thick neck . ' no richard burton . this does contradict plutarch 's description of marc antony as having a noble dignity of form ; and a shapely beard , a broad forehead , and an aquiline nose [ that ] were thought to show the virile qualities peculiar to the portraits and statues of hercules ' ? hawass has n't had much to say in defense of marc antony , but he claims the coins found in abusir show cleopatra was beautiful . ' at abusir , he showed me one of the coins with cleopatra 's likeness . the only thing you can see here is her nose is a bit big . ' that 's because , hawass insisted , when you draw a face on a coin you can not draw the beauty of a queen , and therefore i think that the lady who captured the hearts of julius caesar and marc antony can not have been ugly . ' egyptians , who are intensely proud of their country and its ancient heritage , may be forgiven for their insistence on this point . i tend to take the middle ground on this one . beauty is more than skin deep , and what seems to have captivated julius caesar and marc antony was not physical but rather inner beauty . watch report from cnn 's ben wedeman on cleopatra » plutarch wrote in his life of antony ' that for her beauty was in itself not altogether incomparable , nor such as to strike those who saw her . ' in other words , she was plain . plutarch goes on to write , however , that she was intelligent , charming and has sweetness in the tones of her voice . ' the mystery of what cleopatra really looked like may never be solved . in any event , it 's just one of many mysteries in egypt . others include the obvious ones : how were the pyramids built ? who built them ? why were they built ? how old is the sphinx ? hawass dismisses with lusty contempt the people who espouse the more fantastic theories ( that aliens built the pyramids , that the sphinx is more than 10,000 years old ) , labeling them pyramidiots . ' but there are other historical mysteries out there that have yet to be answered . some archaeologists are trying to find the tomb of alexander the great ( who died in babylon but , according to some ancient historians , was buried in egypt ) . others are searching for the remains of the lost army of cambyses -- 50,000 soldiers dispatched on a mission by the persian emperor to attack the oracle of amon ( today 's siwa oasis in western egypt ) only to disappear during a sandstorm in the sahara desert . there has been plenty of excitement in the past few days over reports that martinez and her team are about to find the long-lost tomb of antony and cleopatra . alas , the enthusiasts are going to have to be patient . the summer residence of egyptian president hosni mubarak is just down the road from the site . for security reasons , no one is allowed on the hillside where the excavations are taking place from may through november . so unless mubarak decides to overrule his security detail , the solving of this mystery will have to be put on hold for at least another five months . we 've waited 2,000 years . i guess we can wait a few more months .","cleopatra spoke nine languages and was a philosopher and poet , martinez says" +"martinez abusir , egypt ( cnn ) -- today , i met cleopatra 's lawyer . well , not her lawyer but someone who is determined to defend the legendary queen against centuries of bad publicity . kathleen martinez , an archaeologist from the dominican republic , wants to mend cleopatra 's tattered reputation . kathleen martinez is a young archaeologist from the dominican republic who has toiled for three years on a barren hillside overlooking the coastal highway linking alexandria with the libyan border . according to the egyptian supreme council of antiquities , it 's here , at a spot known as abusir , that the tomb of marc antony and cleopatra might be located . i met martinez in a dusty tomb full of bones at the excavation site . she recounted to me that , as a young girl , she listened in on a scholarly discussion in her father 's library about cleopatra . they were speaking very badly about her and about her image , ' she recalled . i got very upset . i said i did n't believe what they are saying , that i needed to study more about her . ' martinez went on to earn a law degree but continued to be fascinated by the saga of cleopatra . four years ago , she managed to convince zahi hawass , the untiring director of the egyptian supreme council of antiquities , to allow her to start excavating at abusir . her fascination with -- and admiration for -- cleopatra is intense . the last queen of ancient egypt , she told me , spoke nine languages , she was a philosopher , she was a poet , she was a politician , she was a goddess , and she was a warrior . ' in short , martinez believes , cleopatra was a woman way ahead of her times . and given that history is written by the victors -- in cleopatra 's case , the romans -- her press was somewhat less than complimentary . it was bad propaganda , ' in martinez 's words . for that reason , she told me , i want to be cleopatra 's lawyer . ' with hawass , martinez is now working on a book about cleopatra to repair all that damage . the tale of antony and cleopatra has fueled the popular imagination for centuries . ill-fated lovers were a favorite theme for william shakespeare , and the roman noble and the egyptian queen certainly fit the bill . marc antony was a no less fascinating character than cleopatra . in his youth , he led a life of heavy drinking and womanizing . according to the roman historian plutarch , antony accumulated debts of 250 talents , the equivalent of $ 5 million , before reaching 20 . to escape his creditors in rome , he fled to greece , where he studied with the philosophers of athens , before being called to join the roman legions in the east , then serving under julius caesar . after caesar 's assassination , marc antony became embroiled in a series of power struggles and eventually ended up in egypt . egypt was the enemy of his former ally , octavian , who would go on to become the emperor augustus , the first emperor of rome . octavian defeated antony 's forces at the battle of actium in 30 b.c . shortly afterward , antony and cleopatra committed suicide , he by his own sword , she by a poisonous asp . octavian , according to plutarch , allowed them to be buried together in splendid and regal fashion . ' but no one knows where . the sudden focus on antony and cleopatra has also reignited an old debate over the latter 's looks . was cleopatra a stunning beauty a la elizabeth taylor , or somewhat less spectacular ? researchers from newcastle university in england claimed in 2007 that , based upon coins found from the period , she was quite homely , with a shallow forehead , long , pointed nose , narrow lips and a sharply pointed chin . ' see gallery of tomb that might be cleopatra 's » the same researchers did n't have a very flattering assessment of marc antony either , saying he had bulging eyes , a large hooked nose and a thick neck . ' no richard burton . this does contradict plutarch 's description of marc antony as having a noble dignity of form ; and a shapely beard , a broad forehead , and an aquiline nose [ that ] were thought to show the virile qualities peculiar to the portraits and statues of hercules ' ? hawass has n't had much to say in defense of marc antony , but he claims the coins found in abusir show cleopatra was beautiful . ' at abusir , he showed me one of the coins with cleopatra 's likeness . the only thing you can see here is her nose is a bit big . ' that 's because , hawass insisted , when you draw a face on a coin you can not draw the beauty of a queen , and therefore i think that the lady who captured the hearts of julius caesar and marc antony can not have been ugly . ' egyptians , who are intensely proud of their country and its ancient heritage , may be forgiven for their insistence on this point . i tend to take the middle ground on this one . beauty is more than skin deep , and what seems to have captivated julius caesar and marc antony was not physical but rather inner beauty . watch report from cnn 's ben wedeman on cleopatra » plutarch wrote in his life of antony ' that for her beauty was in itself not altogether incomparable , nor such as to strike those who saw her . ' in other words , she was plain . plutarch goes on to write , however , that she was intelligent , charming and has sweetness in the tones of her voice . ' the mystery of what cleopatra really looked like may never be solved . in any event , it 's just one of many mysteries in egypt . others include the obvious ones : how were the pyramids built ? who built them ? why were they built ? how old is the sphinx ? hawass dismisses with lusty contempt the people who espouse the more fantastic theories ( that aliens built the pyramids , that the sphinx is more than 10,000 years old ) , labeling them pyramidiots . ' but there are other historical mysteries out there that have yet to be answered . some archaeologists are trying to find the tomb of alexander the great ( who died in babylon but , according to some ancient historians , was buried in egypt ) . others are searching for the remains of the lost army of cambyses -- 50,000 soldiers dispatched on a mission by the persian emperor to attack the oracle of amon ( today 's siwa oasis in western egypt ) only to disappear during a sandstorm in the sahara desert . there has been plenty of excitement in the past few days over reports that martinez and her team are about to find the long-lost tomb of antony and cleopatra . alas , the enthusiasts are going to have to be patient . the summer residence of egyptian president hosni mubarak is just down the road from the site . for security reasons , no one is allowed on the hillside where the excavations are taking place from may through november . so unless mubarak decides to overrule his security detail , the solving of this mystery will have to be put on hold for at least another five months . we 've waited 2,000 years . i guess we can wait a few more months .","kathleen martinez has toiled for three years in egypt looking for cleopatra 's tomb" +"martinez abusir , egypt ( cnn ) -- today , i met cleopatra 's lawyer . well , not her lawyer but someone who is determined to defend the legendary queen against centuries of bad publicity . kathleen martinez , an archaeologist from the dominican republic , wants to mend cleopatra 's tattered reputation . kathleen martinez is a young archaeologist from the dominican republic who has toiled for three years on a barren hillside overlooking the coastal highway linking alexandria with the libyan border . according to the egyptian supreme council of antiquities , it 's here , at a spot known as abusir , that the tomb of marc antony and cleopatra might be located . i met martinez in a dusty tomb full of bones at the excavation site . she recounted to me that , as a young girl , she listened in on a scholarly discussion in her father 's library about cleopatra . they were speaking very badly about her and about her image , ' she recalled . i got very upset . i said i did n't believe what they are saying , that i needed to study more about her . ' martinez went on to earn a law degree but continued to be fascinated by the saga of cleopatra . four years ago , she managed to convince zahi hawass , the untiring director of the egyptian supreme council of antiquities , to allow her to start excavating at abusir . her fascination with -- and admiration for -- cleopatra is intense . the last queen of ancient egypt , she told me , spoke nine languages , she was a philosopher , she was a poet , she was a politician , she was a goddess , and she was a warrior . ' in short , martinez believes , cleopatra was a woman way ahead of her times . and given that history is written by the victors -- in cleopatra 's case , the romans -- her press was somewhat less than complimentary . it was bad propaganda , ' in martinez 's words . for that reason , she told me , i want to be cleopatra 's lawyer . ' with hawass , martinez is now working on a book about cleopatra to repair all that damage . the tale of antony and cleopatra has fueled the popular imagination for centuries . ill-fated lovers were a favorite theme for william shakespeare , and the roman noble and the egyptian queen certainly fit the bill . marc antony was a no less fascinating character than cleopatra . in his youth , he led a life of heavy drinking and womanizing . according to the roman historian plutarch , antony accumulated debts of 250 talents , the equivalent of $ 5 million , before reaching 20 . to escape his creditors in rome , he fled to greece , where he studied with the philosophers of athens , before being called to join the roman legions in the east , then serving under julius caesar . after caesar 's assassination , marc antony became embroiled in a series of power struggles and eventually ended up in egypt . egypt was the enemy of his former ally , octavian , who would go on to become the emperor augustus , the first emperor of rome . octavian defeated antony 's forces at the battle of actium in 30 b.c . shortly afterward , antony and cleopatra committed suicide , he by his own sword , she by a poisonous asp . octavian , according to plutarch , allowed them to be buried together in splendid and regal fashion . ' but no one knows where . the sudden focus on antony and cleopatra has also reignited an old debate over the latter 's looks . was cleopatra a stunning beauty a la elizabeth taylor , or somewhat less spectacular ? researchers from newcastle university in england claimed in 2007 that , based upon coins found from the period , she was quite homely , with a shallow forehead , long , pointed nose , narrow lips and a sharply pointed chin . ' see gallery of tomb that might be cleopatra 's » the same researchers did n't have a very flattering assessment of marc antony either , saying he had bulging eyes , a large hooked nose and a thick neck . ' no richard burton . this does contradict plutarch 's description of marc antony as having a noble dignity of form ; and a shapely beard , a broad forehead , and an aquiline nose [ that ] were thought to show the virile qualities peculiar to the portraits and statues of hercules ' ? hawass has n't had much to say in defense of marc antony , but he claims the coins found in abusir show cleopatra was beautiful . ' at abusir , he showed me one of the coins with cleopatra 's likeness . the only thing you can see here is her nose is a bit big . ' that 's because , hawass insisted , when you draw a face on a coin you can not draw the beauty of a queen , and therefore i think that the lady who captured the hearts of julius caesar and marc antony can not have been ugly . ' egyptians , who are intensely proud of their country and its ancient heritage , may be forgiven for their insistence on this point . i tend to take the middle ground on this one . beauty is more than skin deep , and what seems to have captivated julius caesar and marc antony was not physical but rather inner beauty . watch report from cnn 's ben wedeman on cleopatra » plutarch wrote in his life of antony ' that for her beauty was in itself not altogether incomparable , nor such as to strike those who saw her . ' in other words , she was plain . plutarch goes on to write , however , that she was intelligent , charming and has sweetness in the tones of her voice . ' the mystery of what cleopatra really looked like may never be solved . in any event , it 's just one of many mysteries in egypt . others include the obvious ones : how were the pyramids built ? who built them ? why were they built ? how old is the sphinx ? hawass dismisses with lusty contempt the people who espouse the more fantastic theories ( that aliens built the pyramids , that the sphinx is more than 10,000 years old ) , labeling them pyramidiots . ' but there are other historical mysteries out there that have yet to be answered . some archaeologists are trying to find the tomb of alexander the great ( who died in babylon but , according to some ancient historians , was buried in egypt ) . others are searching for the remains of the lost army of cambyses -- 50,000 soldiers dispatched on a mission by the persian emperor to attack the oracle of amon ( today 's siwa oasis in western egypt ) only to disappear during a sandstorm in the sahara desert . there has been plenty of excitement in the past few days over reports that martinez and her team are about to find the long-lost tomb of antony and cleopatra . alas , the enthusiasts are going to have to be patient . the summer residence of egyptian president hosni mubarak is just down the road from the site . for security reasons , no one is allowed on the hillside where the excavations are taking place from may through november . so unless mubarak decides to overrule his security detail , the solving of this mystery will have to be put on hold for at least another five months . we 've waited 2,000 years . i guess we can wait a few more months .","martinez says the egyptian queen has gotten an unfair reputation over the centuries" +"hollande ( cnn ) -- after 18 months of terror and grave devastation , syrian children are plagued with trauma from witnessing the horrors of war firsthand , an international aid group says . save the children released a report on tuesday called untold atrocities , ' a collection of accounts from syrian refugee children . a massacre took place in my village . around 25 people were killed -- i witnessed it with my own eyes , ' said mohamad , 15 , who has fled to jordan with his family . they used different ways to kill people -- electric shocks , throwing machinery and cement blocks on people 's heads . ' hassan , 14 , described the use of children as human shields , echoing reports from opposition activists that the syrian regime had done so . he said his cousin and uncle died when a rocket caused a massacre . ' almost every child we 've spoken to has seen family members killed , ' save the children said . even those who survive attacks face dire circumstances . when we were being bombed , we had nothing . no food , no water , no toys -- nothing . there was no way to buy food -- the markets and shops were bombed out , ' ala'a , 10 , said . my father went without food for days because there was n't enough . i remember watching him tie his stomach with rope so he would n't feel so hungry . ' wael , 16 , summarized the trauma this way : ' i have seen children slaughtered . i do n't think i 'll ever be ok again . ' in other developments : diplomatic front : obama pledges support , qatar offers a new plan for syria u.s. president barack obama used his keynote speech at the u.n. general assembly on tuesday to pledge american support for those working for a common good ' for syria -- and sanctions against those doing harm . in syria , the future must not belong to a dictator who massacres his people , ' he said . if there is a cause that cries out for protest in the world today , it is a regime that tortures children and shoots rockets at apartment buildings . and we must remain engaged to assure that what began with citizens demanding their rights does not end in a cycle of sectarian violence . ' french president francois hollande also had strong words on syria , saying that areas liberated ' by opposition forces should be protected by the united nations . there have been almost 30,000 deaths in the last 18 months -- how many more deaths will we wait for before we act ? how can we allow the paralysis of the united nations to continue ? ' he asked . hollande said france would recognize an opposition government once it is formed , and that the current regime had lost its right to represent the country on the international stage . france has been at the forefront of international efforts to bring about a resolution in syria . in his address to the general assembly , qatar prime minister sheikh hamad bin jassim al thani said the violence in syria had reached an unacceptable phase ' and urged fellow arab nations to intervene . we have used all available means to get syria out of the cycle of killing , but that was in vain , ' he said . in light of the u.n. security council 's failure to act effectively , he said , it is better for the arab countries themselves to interfere out of their national , humanitarian , political and military duties and do what it necessary to stop the bloodshed in syria ... in order to guarantee a peaceful transition of power in syria . ' his words come a day after he proposed a plan b ' for solving the syrian crisis , saying a nonviolent solution is still possible despite more than a year of relentless bloodshed . in an interview with cnn 's christiane amanpour on monday , al thani said the plan would include havens -- which would require a no-fly zone -- and greater humanitarian aid . we wish and we believe that we can solve it peacefully , ' al thani said . but , he said , syrian president bashar al-assad has only one solution : killing his people to win the war . ' i believe within weeks , we should have a plan b . and there is a responsibility among us , ' he said . we are talking about saving the people of syria . ' uk foreign secretary william hague , who spoke to amanpour on tuesday , described the situation in the u.n. security council with respect to syria as being at a diplomatic impasse . ' we are blocked in the united nations security council from the world being able to put its full weight behind a transitional government in syria , something that it is obvious solution , obviously part of the solution , ' he said . hague was referring to russia and china , which have repeatedly blocked draft resolutions that would take stronger action against al-assad 's regime . the secretary is scheduled to meet with russian leaders this week to discuss the ongoing crisis . on the ground : blasts strike a damascus compound dual attacks rattled a syrian intelligence security compound in damascus , the regime and opposition activists said tuesday . the compound was also the site of a major explosion in march . syrian state-run tv said the two improvised explosive devices were planted by terrorists ' in a school building and caused seven injuries . opposition activists said the syrian military was using the school building as a base . the new school year has not yet started , syrian state tv said , so it seems unlikely that children would have been at the site . in june , human rights watch described cases of sexual torture ' at the compound , reported by male and female detainees -- many of whom were political activists or simply attended protests . at least 148 people were killed across syria on tuesday , according to the local coordination committees of syria , an opposition group . the highest number of deaths , 44 , was reported in damascus and its suburbs , where regime forces and rebel fighters are engaged in fierce clashes and communities are under aerial bombardment , the lcc said . cnn 's salma abdelaziz , saad abedine , holly yan , samuel burke and claire calzonetti contributed to this report .","france 's hollande says the united nations should protect liberated areas ' in syria" +"thai ( cnn ) -- a journalist who was interviewing a key political protest leader in bangkok said the sniper bullet that struck the man came so close that it felt like it grazed my head . ' describing a chaotic scene on the streets of the thai capital thursday night , thomas fuller of the international herald tribune described to cnn how maj. gen. khattiya sawasdipol was shot in the head as he was interviewing the opposition figure . i was facing him , he was answering my questions , looking at me and the bullet hit him in the forehead , from what i could tell , ' fuller told cnn 's michael holmes . it looks like the bullet came over my head and struck him . i do n't have any way of confirming this beyond what i remember from the scene , but it felt like it grazed my head . ' thomas fuller describes scene in bangkok fuller and other journalists were interviewing the general -- better known as seh daeng -- in makeshift barricades that protesters have set up in downtown bangkok . the united front for democracy ( udd ) has turned the posh commercial center of bangkok into a makeshift fortress , as they continue to demand that prime minister abhisit vejjajiva dissolve the lower house of parliament and call new elections . the protesters'barricades appear as a combination of'mad max'and some medieval scene , ' fuller said . bamboo pikes and rubber tire barricades have been formed as a makeshift camp by the protesters , fuller said . ireport : are you there ? send your images , video fuller said he was just inside the barricades when he was interviewing seh daeng . the opposition figure was facing out of the barricades and into bangkok 's business district of tall office buildings . he was standing in the same location for a while when i was talking to him but he was moving around , he was gesticulating , ' fuller said . he was n't standing still , he was bobbing his head . ' seh daeng did not appear to be armed or have bodyguards but was dressed in camouflage jacket and a floppy hat , fuller said . the opposition leader was listed in critical condition from the shooting , his guards said . violence erupted after thai authorities set a new deadline to seal off the bangkok intersection where protesters have gathered by the thousands for the past month . escalating violence in bangkok the government said it has been forced to take action after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by abhisit to vacate the intersection by wednesday . the red shirts support former prime minister thaksin shinawatra , who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006 . what are the protests about ? seh daeng -- or red commander -- is a controversial public figure , even within the protest movement , fuller said . some thai opposition leaders see him as an impediment to a peaceful resolution to the political stalemate that has gripped thai politics , fuller said . he 's a renegade in all sense , ' fuller said . he 's a renegade from the army , a hardliner within the protest movement . he told me today he thought they ( other opposition leaders ) were being cowardly , and he wanted to carry on . ' more than two dozen civilians and military personnel have died in police-protester clashes in the ongoing unrest .","many thai protesters has set up a makeshift barricade , reporter says" +"thai ( cnn ) -- a journalist who was interviewing a key political protest leader in bangkok said the sniper bullet that struck the man came so close that it felt like it grazed my head . ' describing a chaotic scene on the streets of the thai capital thursday night , thomas fuller of the international herald tribune described to cnn how maj. gen. khattiya sawasdipol was shot in the head as he was interviewing the opposition figure . i was facing him , he was answering my questions , looking at me and the bullet hit him in the forehead , from what i could tell , ' fuller told cnn 's michael holmes . it looks like the bullet came over my head and struck him . i do n't have any way of confirming this beyond what i remember from the scene , but it felt like it grazed my head . ' thomas fuller describes scene in bangkok fuller and other journalists were interviewing the general -- better known as seh daeng -- in makeshift barricades that protesters have set up in downtown bangkok . the united front for democracy ( udd ) has turned the posh commercial center of bangkok into a makeshift fortress , as they continue to demand that prime minister abhisit vejjajiva dissolve the lower house of parliament and call new elections . the protesters'barricades appear as a combination of'mad max'and some medieval scene , ' fuller said . bamboo pikes and rubber tire barricades have been formed as a makeshift camp by the protesters , fuller said . ireport : are you there ? send your images , video fuller said he was just inside the barricades when he was interviewing seh daeng . the opposition figure was facing out of the barricades and into bangkok 's business district of tall office buildings . he was standing in the same location for a while when i was talking to him but he was moving around , he was gesticulating , ' fuller said . he was n't standing still , he was bobbing his head . ' seh daeng did not appear to be armed or have bodyguards but was dressed in camouflage jacket and a floppy hat , fuller said . the opposition leader was listed in critical condition from the shooting , his guards said . violence erupted after thai authorities set a new deadline to seal off the bangkok intersection where protesters have gathered by the thousands for the past month . escalating violence in bangkok the government said it has been forced to take action after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by abhisit to vacate the intersection by wednesday . the red shirts support former prime minister thaksin shinawatra , who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006 . what are the protests about ? seh daeng -- or red commander -- is a controversial public figure , even within the protest movement , fuller said . some thai opposition leaders see him as an impediment to a peaceful resolution to the political stalemate that has gripped thai politics , fuller said . he 's a renegade in all sense , ' fuller said . he 's a renegade from the army , a hardliner within the protest movement . he told me today he thought they ( other opposition leaders ) were being cowardly , and he wanted to carry on . ' more than two dozen civilians and military personnel have died in police-protester clashes in the ongoing unrest .","reporter was interviewing thai opposition figure when man was shot in head" +"spurs ( cnn ) -- manchester united returned to the top of the premier league on sunday after a 0-0 draw against tottenham hotspur at white hart lane . a close fought affair -- which marked the 600th league appearance of ryan giggs -- ended with honors even despite united defender rafael da silva being sent off for two bookable offences in the 74th minute . his second yellow for a trip on assou-ekotto was adjudged to be deliberate , but a clearly incensed rafael thought otherwise as he remonstrated with referee mike dean about the decision . spurs had the better chances to win the match with rafael van der vaart missing a glorious opportunity to claim three points in the 80th minute after a mistake in the united defence gave him a unopposed shot on goal . but the dutch international could only curl his shot narrowly over the bar . kenny dalglish earned the first point of his second spell in charge of liverpool as the merseyside derby against everton ended in a 2-2 draw at anfield . raul meireles'first goal for liverpool gave the reds a deserved lead after 30 minutes in a half in which they dominated . but everton hit back after the break with two goals in six minutes to take the lead . sylvain distin headed home after 46 minutes and jermaine beckford stunned the home supporters as he drilled home past jose reina to hand the toffees the lead . but when tim howard brought down maxi rodriguez following a corner in the 66th minute , dirk kuyt made no mistake from the penalty spot . liverpool and everton both have 26 points , with everton one place above their rivals thanks to a superior goal difference . in the other two matches played sunday , the tyneside derby ended in a 1-1 draw as sunderland 's asamoah gyan scored four minutes into injury time to deny newcastle the three points and a season double over their arch rivals . a neat backheel by kevin nolan had given the magpies the lead seven minutes into the second half . newcastle looked destined to win the match until the ghanaian striker put the ball in the net after a shot from phil bardsley shot had been saved by steve harper . sunderland stay in sixth place , while newcastle are ninth . aston villa have moved out of the relegation zone after salvaging a 1-1 draw with local rivals birmingham at st andrews . roger johnson volleyed home early in the second half to give the home side the lead but james collins squared things up after 73 minutes when he drove a shot home after gabriel agbonlahor had flicked the ball onto him . birmingham remain in 16th place with 23 points on points , one place and one point ahead of villa .","man u draw 0-0 with spurs to return to the top of the premier league on goal difference" +"sollecito rome ( cnn ) -- amanda knox 's ex-boyfriend and murder trial co-defendant revealed in a new book that he sometimes questioned her innocence because of her bizarre behavior ' the day a british student was found dead in their apartment . raffaele sollecito 's memoir , honor bound : my journey to hell and back with amanda knox , ' is the first book written by anyone directly involved in the meredith kercher murder trial in perugia , italy . kercher , a 21-year-old british student , was found stabbed to death in the italian apartment she shared with knox , now 25 , of seattle . sollecito and knox were convicted of kercher 's murder in 2009 but set free on appeal in 2011 . they face a final high-court decision in march . judge explains murder acquittal italian prosecutors appeal decision rudy guede of ivory coast was convicted separately in 2008 . his conviction was upheld on appeal in 2009 . sollecito 's book draws heavily on diaries he kept and letters he wrote to friends , family and his hometown newspaper during his years in prison , the preface says . he chronicles the day of the murder , admitting that he and knox smoked marijuana that afternoon , which he says he regretted because it clouded his memory of what happened . while maintaining his innocence , he says he does not clearly remember even if knox spent the night with him . he and knox made mistakes the morning of the discovery , including trusting police investigators , he writes . sollecito writes that at times , he was uncomfortable with knox 's bizarre behavior , ' which he says prosecutors used against both of them . of all the things that amanda did that day , nothing attracted more criticism than her failure to raise the alarm as soon as she saw so many things out of place , ' he writes . it was n't just the police who attacked her . many italians , including most of my family , could not fathom how she could go ahead with her shower after finding blood on the tap , much less put her wet feet on the bath mat , which was also stained , and drag it across the floor . ' neither he nor knox had solid alibis for the night of kercher 's murder , sollecito writes . we had no real alibi for the night of november 1 except each other , and we did not have lawyers to protect us , and we seemed to have a propensity for saying things without thinking them through , ' he says . sollecito describes his doubt about knox 's innocence at times , referring to the night the two were arrested . when i first found out about what amanda had signed her name to , i was furious , ' he writes . okay , she was under a lot of pressure , as i had been , but how could she just invent stuff out of nowhere ? ' he gives an account of his life inside several italian prisons , where he befriended rapists and murderers , played with cockroaches and scrubbed the cells of dirt and mold . while sharing his family 's personal stories and sagas during the lengthy trial , the book gives very little attention to the evidence presented in court . the revelations include how he distrusted the lawyers his father hired for him . they were intent on getting sollecito to abandon knox and accuse her of the murder , he wrote .'foxy knoxy': sex , violence and media hysteria at one time after the first conviction , sollecito 's father sought the help of a private lawyer not connected to the case , who spoke to perugia prosecutor giuliano mignini about striking a plea deal to cut sollecito 's sentence in exchange for evidence against knox . sollecito 's lead attorney , giulia bongiorno , a prominent parliamentarian , almost walked off the case because of the backroom deal . mignini declined to comment about the book or the case until the high court appeal is completed . sollecito 's book is especially hard on mignini , whom he accuses of concocting a conspiracy-laden plotline from umberto eco ' instead of a normal investigation . he laments the star treatment knox received , saying the prosecution focused squarely on his co-defendant . he wrote that he believed he was arrested as a way to get to knox . i do n't think the prosecution or police ever seriously thought of me as a murderer , ' he wrote . they had one overriding reason to arrest me , throw me into solitary confinement , and threaten me with life imprisonment , and that was to pressure me into rolling over and testifying against amanda . ' sollecito condemns his treatment by perugia police who , he says , would not give him food or access to a lawyer during the questioning , even though it was clear to him that they were treating him as a suspect and not just a person informed of the facts of the case . sollecito gave several spontaneous declarations during both the original and appellate trials , but he never took the stand in his own defense . the book offers many details from behind the scenes during the four years between when kercher was killed and when the two were released , but it does not answer all the questions about what happened that night . sollecito wrote that he believed that guede acted alone in killing kercher . in the epilogue , sollecito recounts how he went to visit knox in seattle last fall , but how he was nervous to see her . i was n't at all sure it was a good idea and i continued to waver back and forth even after i booked my ticket . we had been through so much ; perhaps we owed it to each other to live our lives and leave each other in peace . ' guede is writing a book but does not have a publisher , according to his lawyers . knox 's book is due to be released in the spring . knox signs book deal with harper collins","raffaele sollecito wrote honor bound : my journey to hell and back with amanda knox '" +"sollecito rome ( cnn ) -- amanda knox 's ex-boyfriend and murder trial co-defendant revealed in a new book that he sometimes questioned her innocence because of her bizarre behavior ' the day a british student was found dead in their apartment . raffaele sollecito 's memoir , honor bound : my journey to hell and back with amanda knox , ' is the first book written by anyone directly involved in the meredith kercher murder trial in perugia , italy . kercher , a 21-year-old british student , was found stabbed to death in the italian apartment she shared with knox , now 25 , of seattle . sollecito and knox were convicted of kercher 's murder in 2009 but set free on appeal in 2011 . they face a final high-court decision in march . judge explains murder acquittal italian prosecutors appeal decision rudy guede of ivory coast was convicted separately in 2008 . his conviction was upheld on appeal in 2009 . sollecito 's book draws heavily on diaries he kept and letters he wrote to friends , family and his hometown newspaper during his years in prison , the preface says . he chronicles the day of the murder , admitting that he and knox smoked marijuana that afternoon , which he says he regretted because it clouded his memory of what happened . while maintaining his innocence , he says he does not clearly remember even if knox spent the night with him . he and knox made mistakes the morning of the discovery , including trusting police investigators , he writes . sollecito writes that at times , he was uncomfortable with knox 's bizarre behavior , ' which he says prosecutors used against both of them . of all the things that amanda did that day , nothing attracted more criticism than her failure to raise the alarm as soon as she saw so many things out of place , ' he writes . it was n't just the police who attacked her . many italians , including most of my family , could not fathom how she could go ahead with her shower after finding blood on the tap , much less put her wet feet on the bath mat , which was also stained , and drag it across the floor . ' neither he nor knox had solid alibis for the night of kercher 's murder , sollecito writes . we had no real alibi for the night of november 1 except each other , and we did not have lawyers to protect us , and we seemed to have a propensity for saying things without thinking them through , ' he says . sollecito describes his doubt about knox 's innocence at times , referring to the night the two were arrested . when i first found out about what amanda had signed her name to , i was furious , ' he writes . okay , she was under a lot of pressure , as i had been , but how could she just invent stuff out of nowhere ? ' he gives an account of his life inside several italian prisons , where he befriended rapists and murderers , played with cockroaches and scrubbed the cells of dirt and mold . while sharing his family 's personal stories and sagas during the lengthy trial , the book gives very little attention to the evidence presented in court . the revelations include how he distrusted the lawyers his father hired for him . they were intent on getting sollecito to abandon knox and accuse her of the murder , he wrote .'foxy knoxy': sex , violence and media hysteria at one time after the first conviction , sollecito 's father sought the help of a private lawyer not connected to the case , who spoke to perugia prosecutor giuliano mignini about striking a plea deal to cut sollecito 's sentence in exchange for evidence against knox . sollecito 's lead attorney , giulia bongiorno , a prominent parliamentarian , almost walked off the case because of the backroom deal . mignini declined to comment about the book or the case until the high court appeal is completed . sollecito 's book is especially hard on mignini , whom he accuses of concocting a conspiracy-laden plotline from umberto eco ' instead of a normal investigation . he laments the star treatment knox received , saying the prosecution focused squarely on his co-defendant . he wrote that he believed he was arrested as a way to get to knox . i do n't think the prosecution or police ever seriously thought of me as a murderer , ' he wrote . they had one overriding reason to arrest me , throw me into solitary confinement , and threaten me with life imprisonment , and that was to pressure me into rolling over and testifying against amanda . ' sollecito condemns his treatment by perugia police who , he says , would not give him food or access to a lawyer during the questioning , even though it was clear to him that they were treating him as a suspect and not just a person informed of the facts of the case . sollecito gave several spontaneous declarations during both the original and appellate trials , but he never took the stand in his own defense . the book offers many details from behind the scenes during the four years between when kercher was killed and when the two were released , but it does not answer all the questions about what happened that night . sollecito wrote that he believed that guede acted alone in killing kercher . in the epilogue , sollecito recounts how he went to visit knox in seattle last fall , but how he was nervous to see her . i was n't at all sure it was a good idea and i continued to waver back and forth even after i booked my ticket . we had been through so much ; perhaps we owed it to each other to live our lives and leave each other in peace . ' guede is writing a book but does not have a publisher , according to his lawyers . knox 's book is due to be released in the spring . knox signs book deal with harper collins","sollecito and knox were convicted of murder but later freed on appeal" +"china beijing , china ( cnn ) -- consumers in beijing 's malls and shops are shunning the milk and poultry sections -- for good reasons . poultry products , including eggs , may be contaminated with melamine through animal food . they are shocked and scared by the news headlines : some food produced in china is tainted with melamine . of course i 'm worried , ' says a woman shopping in nanxiaojie market . stop eating eggs ? that 's not possible , ' she tells cnn . if there 's a problem with eggs , it should be solved fundamentally . ' chinese premier wen jiabao says china will take steps to win back consumers . we will use our actions and high quality of our food products to win the trust and confidence of chinese people and people around the world , ' he told reporters at the end of a two-day summit of asian and european leaders in beijing last weekend . watch more about the tainted food scandal » ' three minister-level officials have resigned and a government investigation is going on . whoever is responsible must be brought to justice . we need to protect the made in china brand , ' said chinese analyst victor gao . but the problem could be more pervasive . the state-run nanfang daily published an investigative story saying that adding melamine into animal feed has become an open secret . ' the report said adding melamine into feed started in the aquatic farming industry five years ago , as a way of faking higher protein levels . learn more about chemical melamine » it then spread into other agro-industries such as poultry . even more shocking is the allegation that the melamine added is from industrial waste material . cnn contacted the ministry of agriculture about the story , but got no immediate response . two years ago , reports revealed pet food exported from china to the united states was spiked with melamine and had sickened and killed dogs . several weeks ago , the food scandal spread to milk , biscuits and candies . now , it is tainted eggs . so far , no illnesses or deaths have been linked to eggs . tests in hong kong last week showed eggs exported by a chinese company are contaminated with excessive levels of melamine . in recent days three other brands of eggs have also been found to contain the chemical . small wonder egg sales at the xinfadi , a wholesale market in beijing , dropped by 10 percent this week , according to the state-run china daily . chinese officials say the source of the problem is melamine , an industrial chemical used to produce plastics and fertilizer . melamine is high in nitrogen . unscrupulous milk suppliers would water down milk and spike it with melamine -- but in amounts that allowed it to still pass quality tests . agriculture experts speculate that eggs tainted with melamine may be the result of tainted feed given to hens . that begs the question : if melamine was in the animal feed , will it make into the meat , and into consumers'bodies ? ingesting melamine in large doses over an extended period of time could cause kidney stones and other illnesses , agriculture and health experts say . but taking in a small amount of melamine poses no such danger . if it 's taken over a long period of time , maybe , but if it 's ingested only for short period of time it does not pose harm on animals , ' says he jiguo , a professor of food science and nutrition at the china agriculture university . he says the animals that end up being slaughtered do not live that long and do not actually ingest enough melamine for it to build up in their systems . the dogs and cats that were sickened in the united states were probably eating treats and meals tainted with melamine over a long period of time , he explains . until the situation is resolved , worried grocery shoppers in beijing say they 'll just have to eat fewer eggs and more bean-products , like soybeans .","chinese premier wen jiabao says china will try to win back consumers" +"suu kyi ( cnn ) -- sometimes , when you least expect it , the good guys win . sometimes , the good guy is a woman -- a strong , wise and extraordinarily brave woman , such as aung san suu kyi . suu kyi , 67 , has led her people in a decades'long quest for democracy in burma , the country renamed myanmar by a brutal military dictatorship , which now appears ready to usher in democratic reform . at a time when the struggle against dictatorships elsewhere in the world seems to bring nothing but disappointment and bloodshed , suu kyi 's freedom and the richly deserved accolades she is receiving are a welcome reminder that nonviolence , smartly deployed and backed by powerful international supporters , can become a most powerful weapon . this week , suu kyi made a triumphant and stirring return to the world stage , traveling to the west , her home for 24 years before she became an accidental leader of the revolution and the regime 's prisoner in her home in yangon , the generals'new name for rangoon . suu kyi was received as a hero in world capitals . she spoke to the british parliament and received an honorary degree at oxford university . but the most poignant moment of her five-country trip came when she delivered the nobel peace prize lecture in oslo , norway . she gave the speech more than 20 years after her chair had stood empty on the stage during awards ceremony in 1991 , the year she won the prize , as she languished in isolation , enduring years of house arrest . the lady , ' as she is known among her countrymen and women , stands as one of the few genuine heroes of our time , someone in the mold of nelson mandela and mohandas gandhi , who not only inspired by their ideals and sacrifice but , just as importantly , who prevailed in achieving their goals against powerful foes . there was always something mystical about the way the small , willowy woman struck fear in the hearts of the generals -- humorless men in starched uniforms , leading one of the world 's largest armies and most ruthless regimes . her family name was well-known at home before she became an activist . her father , gen. bogyoke aung san , was the hero of burma 's battle against british colonial rule and a revered statesman . during the first quarter-century after the military took power , suu kyi lived abroad , as a mother , wife and academic . but then her mother became ill. she traveled to burma from her home in oxford to care for her . suddenly , she was in the middle of a revolution . when anti-junta protests broke out in august 1988 , she addressed a crowd of hundreds of thousands at the iconic shwedagon pagoda buddhist shrine in yangon . she unexpectedly became the movement 's leader and her life changed forever . she would spend 15 of the next 22 years as a prisoner in her own home . the regime put down the uprising ( known as 8-8-88 ) killing some 3,000 protesters . suu kyi found herself as a top target of the regime . even under arrest she managed to lead efforts to topple the dictatorship . the west looked to her for guidance . she looked to her buddhist faith , learning to understand and endure her own suffering and keep her focus not on herself but on the larger goals of human rights and freedom for all . she told the west to maintain strict sanctions . she feared the world would forget her , as she lived out her life in isolation under heavy guard on yangon 's university avenue . in 1999 , when her husband was dying of cancer in britain , the junta refused to let him come to burma to say goodbye , offering instead to let her leave . she knew if she traveled abroad she would never be allowed to return . she stayed a prisoner in burma and never saw her husband again . suu kyi 's unique brand of realistic idealism ' appears to have succeeded in pressuring the junta to start relinquishing power . she won a seat in parliament in april elections , part of a slow process of promised democratization . she is preparing her party , the national league for democracy , for general elections in 2015 . her personal story , closely braided with that of her country , proves that nonviolence is not just a philosophy , not just a moral stance . instead , it is a tool that can bring heavily armed opponents to their knees . the technique worked because her charisma , spirituality and moral courage inspired not only her people , but the rest of the world . that created the pressure to build international economic sanctions that eventually forced the regime to fold . there 's more to it , of course . china , the junta 's protector , overplayed its hand in exploiting burma 's vast natural resources . but the bottom line is that without international support , the strategy probably would not have worked . without suu kyi , the world would not have known about the misery and repression that the junta had foisted on the burmese people . nonviolence is not always a viable course of action -- its slow methods can run out of time , or simply fail against despotism -- but sometimes it can work . i had counted myself as a skeptic -- until i traveled to burma during the days when it all seemed hopeless and finally understood what her presence there meant to the burmese people . in burma and in the burmese refugee camps on the thai side of the border , i discovered just what suu kyi 's strength and personal sacrifice meant to her people . she had become their only source of solace , their only reason for hope . she was also their movement 's brilliant strategist . in recent months , the generals who have ruled burma since 1962 have declared their commitment to democratic change and have started loosening restrictions on political activity . the world is taking its cue from the woman who has become a moral compass . for years she was the one who insisted the west should not lift economic sanctions , even when that meant more hardships for her and her people . but now she says she cautiously believes the generals are serious about reform . ever the realist , suu kyi has warned against overconfidence , calling for healthy skepticism ' about reforms . but if she and her supporters do , in fact , forge democracy in their country , as now seems probable , it is because she was able to leverage her appeal to bring harsh international sanctions against burma . suu kyi has proven her wisdom . she has proven she is one of the few people who truly deserve to become a hero , an icon of their time . and she has shown , just when we needed it most , that even in a time of grim realities , heroes can win in the end . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis .","ghitis : suu kyi has proven that she 's among few who deserve to be called a hero" +"suu kyi ( cnn ) -- sometimes , when you least expect it , the good guys win . sometimes , the good guy is a woman -- a strong , wise and extraordinarily brave woman , such as aung san suu kyi . suu kyi , 67 , has led her people in a decades'long quest for democracy in burma , the country renamed myanmar by a brutal military dictatorship , which now appears ready to usher in democratic reform . at a time when the struggle against dictatorships elsewhere in the world seems to bring nothing but disappointment and bloodshed , suu kyi 's freedom and the richly deserved accolades she is receiving are a welcome reminder that nonviolence , smartly deployed and backed by powerful international supporters , can become a most powerful weapon . this week , suu kyi made a triumphant and stirring return to the world stage , traveling to the west , her home for 24 years before she became an accidental leader of the revolution and the regime 's prisoner in her home in yangon , the generals'new name for rangoon . suu kyi was received as a hero in world capitals . she spoke to the british parliament and received an honorary degree at oxford university . but the most poignant moment of her five-country trip came when she delivered the nobel peace prize lecture in oslo , norway . she gave the speech more than 20 years after her chair had stood empty on the stage during awards ceremony in 1991 , the year she won the prize , as she languished in isolation , enduring years of house arrest . the lady , ' as she is known among her countrymen and women , stands as one of the few genuine heroes of our time , someone in the mold of nelson mandela and mohandas gandhi , who not only inspired by their ideals and sacrifice but , just as importantly , who prevailed in achieving their goals against powerful foes . there was always something mystical about the way the small , willowy woman struck fear in the hearts of the generals -- humorless men in starched uniforms , leading one of the world 's largest armies and most ruthless regimes . her family name was well-known at home before she became an activist . her father , gen. bogyoke aung san , was the hero of burma 's battle against british colonial rule and a revered statesman . during the first quarter-century after the military took power , suu kyi lived abroad , as a mother , wife and academic . but then her mother became ill. she traveled to burma from her home in oxford to care for her . suddenly , she was in the middle of a revolution . when anti-junta protests broke out in august 1988 , she addressed a crowd of hundreds of thousands at the iconic shwedagon pagoda buddhist shrine in yangon . she unexpectedly became the movement 's leader and her life changed forever . she would spend 15 of the next 22 years as a prisoner in her own home . the regime put down the uprising ( known as 8-8-88 ) killing some 3,000 protesters . suu kyi found herself as a top target of the regime . even under arrest she managed to lead efforts to topple the dictatorship . the west looked to her for guidance . she looked to her buddhist faith , learning to understand and endure her own suffering and keep her focus not on herself but on the larger goals of human rights and freedom for all . she told the west to maintain strict sanctions . she feared the world would forget her , as she lived out her life in isolation under heavy guard on yangon 's university avenue . in 1999 , when her husband was dying of cancer in britain , the junta refused to let him come to burma to say goodbye , offering instead to let her leave . she knew if she traveled abroad she would never be allowed to return . she stayed a prisoner in burma and never saw her husband again . suu kyi 's unique brand of realistic idealism ' appears to have succeeded in pressuring the junta to start relinquishing power . she won a seat in parliament in april elections , part of a slow process of promised democratization . she is preparing her party , the national league for democracy , for general elections in 2015 . her personal story , closely braided with that of her country , proves that nonviolence is not just a philosophy , not just a moral stance . instead , it is a tool that can bring heavily armed opponents to their knees . the technique worked because her charisma , spirituality and moral courage inspired not only her people , but the rest of the world . that created the pressure to build international economic sanctions that eventually forced the regime to fold . there 's more to it , of course . china , the junta 's protector , overplayed its hand in exploiting burma 's vast natural resources . but the bottom line is that without international support , the strategy probably would not have worked . without suu kyi , the world would not have known about the misery and repression that the junta had foisted on the burmese people . nonviolence is not always a viable course of action -- its slow methods can run out of time , or simply fail against despotism -- but sometimes it can work . i had counted myself as a skeptic -- until i traveled to burma during the days when it all seemed hopeless and finally understood what her presence there meant to the burmese people . in burma and in the burmese refugee camps on the thai side of the border , i discovered just what suu kyi 's strength and personal sacrifice meant to her people . she had become their only source of solace , their only reason for hope . she was also their movement 's brilliant strategist . in recent months , the generals who have ruled burma since 1962 have declared their commitment to democratic change and have started loosening restrictions on political activity . the world is taking its cue from the woman who has become a moral compass . for years she was the one who insisted the west should not lift economic sanctions , even when that meant more hardships for her and her people . but now she says she cautiously believes the generals are serious about reform . ever the realist , suu kyi has warned against overconfidence , calling for healthy skepticism ' about reforms . but if she and her supporters do , in fact , forge democracy in their country , as now seems probable , it is because she was able to leverage her appeal to bring harsh international sanctions against burma . suu kyi has proven her wisdom . she has proven she is one of the few people who truly deserve to become a hero , an icon of their time . and she has shown , just when we needed it most , that even in a time of grim realities , heroes can win in the end . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis .","frida ghitis : aung san suu kyi 's quest for democracy inspires with its apparent success" +"suu kyi ( cnn ) -- sometimes , when you least expect it , the good guys win . sometimes , the good guy is a woman -- a strong , wise and extraordinarily brave woman , such as aung san suu kyi . suu kyi , 67 , has led her people in a decades'long quest for democracy in burma , the country renamed myanmar by a brutal military dictatorship , which now appears ready to usher in democratic reform . at a time when the struggle against dictatorships elsewhere in the world seems to bring nothing but disappointment and bloodshed , suu kyi 's freedom and the richly deserved accolades she is receiving are a welcome reminder that nonviolence , smartly deployed and backed by powerful international supporters , can become a most powerful weapon . this week , suu kyi made a triumphant and stirring return to the world stage , traveling to the west , her home for 24 years before she became an accidental leader of the revolution and the regime 's prisoner in her home in yangon , the generals'new name for rangoon . suu kyi was received as a hero in world capitals . she spoke to the british parliament and received an honorary degree at oxford university . but the most poignant moment of her five-country trip came when she delivered the nobel peace prize lecture in oslo , norway . she gave the speech more than 20 years after her chair had stood empty on the stage during awards ceremony in 1991 , the year she won the prize , as she languished in isolation , enduring years of house arrest . the lady , ' as she is known among her countrymen and women , stands as one of the few genuine heroes of our time , someone in the mold of nelson mandela and mohandas gandhi , who not only inspired by their ideals and sacrifice but , just as importantly , who prevailed in achieving their goals against powerful foes . there was always something mystical about the way the small , willowy woman struck fear in the hearts of the generals -- humorless men in starched uniforms , leading one of the world 's largest armies and most ruthless regimes . her family name was well-known at home before she became an activist . her father , gen. bogyoke aung san , was the hero of burma 's battle against british colonial rule and a revered statesman . during the first quarter-century after the military took power , suu kyi lived abroad , as a mother , wife and academic . but then her mother became ill. she traveled to burma from her home in oxford to care for her . suddenly , she was in the middle of a revolution . when anti-junta protests broke out in august 1988 , she addressed a crowd of hundreds of thousands at the iconic shwedagon pagoda buddhist shrine in yangon . she unexpectedly became the movement 's leader and her life changed forever . she would spend 15 of the next 22 years as a prisoner in her own home . the regime put down the uprising ( known as 8-8-88 ) killing some 3,000 protesters . suu kyi found herself as a top target of the regime . even under arrest she managed to lead efforts to topple the dictatorship . the west looked to her for guidance . she looked to her buddhist faith , learning to understand and endure her own suffering and keep her focus not on herself but on the larger goals of human rights and freedom for all . she told the west to maintain strict sanctions . she feared the world would forget her , as she lived out her life in isolation under heavy guard on yangon 's university avenue . in 1999 , when her husband was dying of cancer in britain , the junta refused to let him come to burma to say goodbye , offering instead to let her leave . she knew if she traveled abroad she would never be allowed to return . she stayed a prisoner in burma and never saw her husband again . suu kyi 's unique brand of realistic idealism ' appears to have succeeded in pressuring the junta to start relinquishing power . she won a seat in parliament in april elections , part of a slow process of promised democratization . she is preparing her party , the national league for democracy , for general elections in 2015 . her personal story , closely braided with that of her country , proves that nonviolence is not just a philosophy , not just a moral stance . instead , it is a tool that can bring heavily armed opponents to their knees . the technique worked because her charisma , spirituality and moral courage inspired not only her people , but the rest of the world . that created the pressure to build international economic sanctions that eventually forced the regime to fold . there 's more to it , of course . china , the junta 's protector , overplayed its hand in exploiting burma 's vast natural resources . but the bottom line is that without international support , the strategy probably would not have worked . without suu kyi , the world would not have known about the misery and repression that the junta had foisted on the burmese people . nonviolence is not always a viable course of action -- its slow methods can run out of time , or simply fail against despotism -- but sometimes it can work . i had counted myself as a skeptic -- until i traveled to burma during the days when it all seemed hopeless and finally understood what her presence there meant to the burmese people . in burma and in the burmese refugee camps on the thai side of the border , i discovered just what suu kyi 's strength and personal sacrifice meant to her people . she had become their only source of solace , their only reason for hope . she was also their movement 's brilliant strategist . in recent months , the generals who have ruled burma since 1962 have declared their commitment to democratic change and have started loosening restrictions on political activity . the world is taking its cue from the woman who has become a moral compass . for years she was the one who insisted the west should not lift economic sanctions , even when that meant more hardships for her and her people . but now she says she cautiously believes the generals are serious about reform . ever the realist , suu kyi has warned against overconfidence , calling for healthy skepticism ' about reforms . but if she and her supporters do , in fact , forge democracy in their country , as now seems probable , it is because she was able to leverage her appeal to bring harsh international sanctions against burma . suu kyi has proven her wisdom . she has proven she is one of the few people who truly deserve to become a hero , an icon of their time . and she has shown , just when we needed it most , that even in a time of grim realities , heroes can win in the end . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis .","she says suu kyi 's charisma and sacrifice made her a leader that drew world to her cause" +"turks ( cnn ) -- the search continued tuesday for as many as 67 people missing after a boat carrying about 200 haitians capsized , the u.s. coast guard said . the u.s. coast guard intercepted this crowded boat last week and repatriated its occupants to haiti . the boat overturned monday off turks and caicos , a british territory about 550 miles southeast of miami , florida . searchers aboard boats and aircraft have rescued 118 passengers and found 15 bodies , said petty officer jennifer johnson , a coast guard spokeswoman , on tuesday morning . the coast guard described the boat 's occupants as migrants from haiti . the overcrowded vessel was believed to have set sail from the haitian port of cap haitien , the turks and caicos sun newspaper reported . the search resumed at dawn tuesday after being suspended because of darkness monday night , johnson said . the coast guard is contributing one boat , the 210-foot cutter valiant , and three aircraft to the search , johnson said . the aircraft are a falcon jet out of miami , an hh-60 helicopter and a slow-flying c-130 cargo plane out of clearwater , florida . watch coast guard rescue haitians after boat capsizes » ' if the weather and conditions are right , [ the c-130 ] can fly really low , ' johnson said . it makes a fantastic search aircraft . ' turks and caicos authorities are using small boats in the search , she said . about 70 people were plucked monday from a reef near the island group , authorities said . four other bodies were found , though it was unclear which authorities located them . a nurse at myrtle rigby hospital in the turks and caicos said that about 70 people were brought there , including four who had died . five people were admitted to the hospital , and the others had minor injuries , the nurse said . the coast guard said it intercepted another grossly overloaded ' boat , with 124 haitians aboard , late last week in the same region . those migrants were returned to cap haitien on monday . overloaded vessels can quickly lose stability and capsize , sending migrants into the water , a coast guard release said . cnn 's jim kavanagh and lateef mungin contributed to this report .","boat with about 200 haitians capsized monday near turks and caicos islands" +"cabinet ( mental floss ) -- in his victory speech on tuesday night , barack obama promised his daughters sasha and malia that they 'd get to bring a new puppy with them to the white house in january . president bush 's dog barney , left , plays in 2001 with spot , the offspring of george h.w . bush 's dog millie . it 's a good thing obama said yes , we can ' to the girls'request to getting a dog ; for all of his charm , ability , and oratorical flair , he could never be our nation 's chief executive without a white house pet . counting obama , the country has had 44 presidents , and only two of them -- chester a. arthur and franklin pierce -- left no record of having pets . like obama himself , the family pooch will have some big shoes to fill . previous white house pets have set the bar pretty high . ireport.com : what pet would you want if you lived in the white house ? here are a few of our favorites : watch obama on mutts like me ' » 1 . billy : calvin coolidge 's pygmy hippopotamus calvin coolidge may have been known for his reticence , but he showed little of his trademark reserve when it came to acquiring pets . after taking over the presidency upon the death of warren g. harding , coolidge assembled a menagerie that would rival most zoos'collections . he had six dogs , a bobcat , a goose , a donkey , a cat , two lion cubs , an antelope , and a wallaby . the main attraction in his personal zoo , though , was billy , a pygmy hippopotamus . watch new baby pygmy hippo » billy was born in liberia , but was captured at a young age . he came into the possession of tire mogul harvey firestone , who gave billy to president coolidge as a gift , possibly because firestone did n't want to feed the critter . ( even a pygmy hippo is still quite rotund ; billy was six feet long and weighed upwards of 600 pounds . ) coolidge donated billy to the smithsonian national zoological park . because there were only a handful of pygmy hippos in the u.s. at the time , billy quickly went to work as a stud , an endeavor at which he found some success . he sired 23 little hippos , and many of the pygmy hippos you see in american zoos today are his offspring . mental floss : 7 crafty zoo escapes 2 . the white house gators herbert hoover wanted to put a chicken in every pot , a car in every garage , and ... a gator in the oval office ? it 's true . hoover owned a slew of dogs , but those were n't his only pets . his second son , allan henry hoover , owned a pair of gators that were occasionally allowed to wander around the white house grounds . sound crazy ? blame john quincy adams for setting the precedent . the sixth president also had a pet gator . his was a gift from the marquis de lafayette ; it lived in a bathroom in the east room of the white house . according to some reports , he enjoyed using the gator to scare his guests . 3 . fala : fdr 's traveling companion what do you get the depression-conquering president who has everything ? a lapdog . in 1940 franklin roosevelt received a scottish terrier puppy named big boy as an early christmas gift from a family friend . fdr immediately realized that big boy was no name for a presidential companion and rechristened the pooch murray the outlaw of falahill , after a scottish ancestor . for the sake of simplicity , though , he called his new pal fala . after that , fala became fdr 's inseparable companion and traveled everywhere the president went . the dog gave ' $ 1 a day to the war effort , generosity that earned him the rank of honorary private in the army . each morning when fdr 's breakfast tray came in , it included a bone for fala . fala also made a famous appearance in one of his master 's speeches . when fdr was decrying personal attacks from his political opponents , he jokingly said that it was okay to mock him , but leave fala alone . you know , fala is scotch , and being a scottie , as soon as he learned that the republican fiction writers in congress and out had concocted a story that i had left him behind on the aleutian islands and had sent a destroyer back to find him -- at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three , or eight or 20 million dollars -- his scotch soul was furious . he has not been the same dog since ! ' fala stayed with fdr until the president 's death in 1945 and lived in the care of eleanor roosevelt until his death in 1952 . mental floss : 6 utterly loyal dogs 4 . millie : literary sensation when george h.w . bush took office in 1989 , he brought his pet springer spaniel millie to the white house . the bubbly canine won over the nation 's heart so completely that she even collaborated with the first lady on millie 's book : as dictated to barbara bush . millie brought further joy to the bush family when she gave birth to a litter of six presidential puppies in 1989 . just as her master helped slip one of his boys into the white house , so did millie : when george w. bush moved into the oval office , so did his dog , millie 's son spot fetcher . 5 . barney , miss beazley & india : the current residents sadly , spot fetcher had to be put down in 2004 , but the bushes are n't pet-deprived now . they have a pair of scottish terriers named barney and miss beazley , both of whom have websites and appear in white house-produced web videos . ( your tax dollars adorably at work ! ) the bushes also have a black cat named india , who also goes by willie . ' watch barney bite a reporter » the name india rankled some citizens of the country of the same name to the point that many indians supposedly named their dogs bush . ' the name was n't meant to be controversial , though ; the bushes merely named their cat after ruben el indio ' sierra , who played for the texas rangers while george w. owned the team . spot fetcher was similarly named after former rangers middle infielder scott fletcher . other first pets of note : mr . reciprocity and mr. protection -- benjamin harrison 's two opossums . harrison 's son russell also had a pet goat named old whiskers . pauline -- the last cow to live at the white house . she made milk for president taft 's consumption . old ike -- to save cash during world war i , woodrow wilson brought in a flock of sheep to take care of the white house 's groundskeeping duties . old ike , a ram , supposedly chewed tobacco . laddie boy -- warren g. harding 's beloved airedale who had his own seat at cabinet meetings and gave a 1921 interview ' with the washington post in which he talked about prohibition and shortening the workday for guard dogs . liberty -- gerald ford 's golden retriever hung out in the oval office and could supposedly read a sign from ford that she should go be affectionate to guests -- a cute and cuddly way to gracefully end the president 's conversations . socks and buddy -- president clinton 's faithful cat and the chocolate lab he acquired while in office . socks did n't like buddy 's youthful friendliness , so the two pets had to be kept separated at all times . the tensions were so bad that the family could n't keep both pets at the end of bill 's second term , so socks went to live with clinton 's secretary , betty currie . gamecocks -- ulysses s. grant supposedly kept some gamecocks at the white house . two tiger cubs -- martin van buren received the cats as a gift from the sultan of oman . congress supposedly made him give the gift to a zoo . satan -- one of abigail adams'unfortunately named dogs . she called the other one juno . jonathan edwards -- theodore roosevelt received this black bear cub as a gift from supporters in west virginia who gave the bear the name , he wrote to a friend , partly because they thought they detected calvinistic traits in the bear 's character . ' dr. johnson , bishop doane , fighting bob evans , and father o'grady -- teddy roosevelt 's kids also had these tremendously named guinea pigs . josiah -- roosevelt also had a pet badger , of course . bonus trivia : checkers nixon 's dog was immortalized in the checkers speech , ' which nixon gave while facing allegations of illegal campaign contributions . he said the only gift he 'd accepted was a cocker spaniel named checkers for his daughters . mental floss : why was the'checkers speech'so important ? checkers , however , was never the white house dog . this scandal bubbled up while nixon was eisenhower 's running mate in the 1952 election , and nixon gave the checkers speech to convince republicans to keep him on the ticket . although the speech was a success and nixon later made it to the white house , checkers never got to be first dog ; he passed away in 1964 . for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved .","president harding 's dog gave interviews ' and had a seat at cabinet meetings" +"grant ( mental floss ) -- in his victory speech on tuesday night , barack obama promised his daughters sasha and malia that they 'd get to bring a new puppy with them to the white house in january . president bush 's dog barney , left , plays in 2001 with spot , the offspring of george h.w . bush 's dog millie . it 's a good thing obama said yes , we can ' to the girls'request to getting a dog ; for all of his charm , ability , and oratorical flair , he could never be our nation 's chief executive without a white house pet . counting obama , the country has had 44 presidents , and only two of them -- chester a. arthur and franklin pierce -- left no record of having pets . like obama himself , the family pooch will have some big shoes to fill . previous white house pets have set the bar pretty high . ireport.com : what pet would you want if you lived in the white house ? here are a few of our favorites : watch obama on mutts like me ' » 1 . billy : calvin coolidge 's pygmy hippopotamus calvin coolidge may have been known for his reticence , but he showed little of his trademark reserve when it came to acquiring pets . after taking over the presidency upon the death of warren g. harding , coolidge assembled a menagerie that would rival most zoos'collections . he had six dogs , a bobcat , a goose , a donkey , a cat , two lion cubs , an antelope , and a wallaby . the main attraction in his personal zoo , though , was billy , a pygmy hippopotamus . watch new baby pygmy hippo » billy was born in liberia , but was captured at a young age . he came into the possession of tire mogul harvey firestone , who gave billy to president coolidge as a gift , possibly because firestone did n't want to feed the critter . ( even a pygmy hippo is still quite rotund ; billy was six feet long and weighed upwards of 600 pounds . ) coolidge donated billy to the smithsonian national zoological park . because there were only a handful of pygmy hippos in the u.s. at the time , billy quickly went to work as a stud , an endeavor at which he found some success . he sired 23 little hippos , and many of the pygmy hippos you see in american zoos today are his offspring . mental floss : 7 crafty zoo escapes 2 . the white house gators herbert hoover wanted to put a chicken in every pot , a car in every garage , and ... a gator in the oval office ? it 's true . hoover owned a slew of dogs , but those were n't his only pets . his second son , allan henry hoover , owned a pair of gators that were occasionally allowed to wander around the white house grounds . sound crazy ? blame john quincy adams for setting the precedent . the sixth president also had a pet gator . his was a gift from the marquis de lafayette ; it lived in a bathroom in the east room of the white house . according to some reports , he enjoyed using the gator to scare his guests . 3 . fala : fdr 's traveling companion what do you get the depression-conquering president who has everything ? a lapdog . in 1940 franklin roosevelt received a scottish terrier puppy named big boy as an early christmas gift from a family friend . fdr immediately realized that big boy was no name for a presidential companion and rechristened the pooch murray the outlaw of falahill , after a scottish ancestor . for the sake of simplicity , though , he called his new pal fala . after that , fala became fdr 's inseparable companion and traveled everywhere the president went . the dog gave ' $ 1 a day to the war effort , generosity that earned him the rank of honorary private in the army . each morning when fdr 's breakfast tray came in , it included a bone for fala . fala also made a famous appearance in one of his master 's speeches . when fdr was decrying personal attacks from his political opponents , he jokingly said that it was okay to mock him , but leave fala alone . you know , fala is scotch , and being a scottie , as soon as he learned that the republican fiction writers in congress and out had concocted a story that i had left him behind on the aleutian islands and had sent a destroyer back to find him -- at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three , or eight or 20 million dollars -- his scotch soul was furious . he has not been the same dog since ! ' fala stayed with fdr until the president 's death in 1945 and lived in the care of eleanor roosevelt until his death in 1952 . mental floss : 6 utterly loyal dogs 4 . millie : literary sensation when george h.w . bush took office in 1989 , he brought his pet springer spaniel millie to the white house . the bubbly canine won over the nation 's heart so completely that she even collaborated with the first lady on millie 's book : as dictated to barbara bush . millie brought further joy to the bush family when she gave birth to a litter of six presidential puppies in 1989 . just as her master helped slip one of his boys into the white house , so did millie : when george w. bush moved into the oval office , so did his dog , millie 's son spot fetcher . 5 . barney , miss beazley & india : the current residents sadly , spot fetcher had to be put down in 2004 , but the bushes are n't pet-deprived now . they have a pair of scottish terriers named barney and miss beazley , both of whom have websites and appear in white house-produced web videos . ( your tax dollars adorably at work ! ) the bushes also have a black cat named india , who also goes by willie . ' watch barney bite a reporter » the name india rankled some citizens of the country of the same name to the point that many indians supposedly named their dogs bush . ' the name was n't meant to be controversial , though ; the bushes merely named their cat after ruben el indio ' sierra , who played for the texas rangers while george w. owned the team . spot fetcher was similarly named after former rangers middle infielder scott fletcher . other first pets of note : mr . reciprocity and mr. protection -- benjamin harrison 's two opossums . harrison 's son russell also had a pet goat named old whiskers . pauline -- the last cow to live at the white house . she made milk for president taft 's consumption . old ike -- to save cash during world war i , woodrow wilson brought in a flock of sheep to take care of the white house 's groundskeeping duties . old ike , a ram , supposedly chewed tobacco . laddie boy -- warren g. harding 's beloved airedale who had his own seat at cabinet meetings and gave a 1921 interview ' with the washington post in which he talked about prohibition and shortening the workday for guard dogs . liberty -- gerald ford 's golden retriever hung out in the oval office and could supposedly read a sign from ford that she should go be affectionate to guests -- a cute and cuddly way to gracefully end the president 's conversations . socks and buddy -- president clinton 's faithful cat and the chocolate lab he acquired while in office . socks did n't like buddy 's youthful friendliness , so the two pets had to be kept separated at all times . the tensions were so bad that the family could n't keep both pets at the end of bill 's second term , so socks went to live with clinton 's secretary , betty currie . gamecocks -- ulysses s. grant supposedly kept some gamecocks at the white house . two tiger cubs -- martin van buren received the cats as a gift from the sultan of oman . congress supposedly made him give the gift to a zoo . satan -- one of abigail adams'unfortunately named dogs . she called the other one juno . jonathan edwards -- theodore roosevelt received this black bear cub as a gift from supporters in west virginia who gave the bear the name , he wrote to a friend , partly because they thought they detected calvinistic traits in the bear 's character . ' dr. johnson , bishop doane , fighting bob evans , and father o'grady -- teddy roosevelt 's kids also had these tremendously named guinea pigs . josiah -- roosevelt also had a pet badger , of course . bonus trivia : checkers nixon 's dog was immortalized in the checkers speech , ' which nixon gave while facing allegations of illegal campaign contributions . he said the only gift he 'd accepted was a cocker spaniel named checkers for his daughters . mental floss : why was the'checkers speech'so important ? checkers , however , was never the white house dog . this scandal bubbled up while nixon was eisenhower 's running mate in the 1952 election , and nixon gave the checkers speech to convince republicans to keep him on the ticket . although the speech was a success and nixon later made it to the white house , checkers never got to be first dog ; he passed away in 1964 . for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved .","original name of fdr 's dog : big boy ; president grant had fighting gamecocks" +"big boy ( mental floss ) -- in his victory speech on tuesday night , barack obama promised his daughters sasha and malia that they 'd get to bring a new puppy with them to the white house in january . president bush 's dog barney , left , plays in 2001 with spot , the offspring of george h.w . bush 's dog millie . it 's a good thing obama said yes , we can ' to the girls'request to getting a dog ; for all of his charm , ability , and oratorical flair , he could never be our nation 's chief executive without a white house pet . counting obama , the country has had 44 presidents , and only two of them -- chester a. arthur and franklin pierce -- left no record of having pets . like obama himself , the family pooch will have some big shoes to fill . previous white house pets have set the bar pretty high . ireport.com : what pet would you want if you lived in the white house ? here are a few of our favorites : watch obama on mutts like me ' » 1 . billy : calvin coolidge 's pygmy hippopotamus calvin coolidge may have been known for his reticence , but he showed little of his trademark reserve when it came to acquiring pets . after taking over the presidency upon the death of warren g. harding , coolidge assembled a menagerie that would rival most zoos'collections . he had six dogs , a bobcat , a goose , a donkey , a cat , two lion cubs , an antelope , and a wallaby . the main attraction in his personal zoo , though , was billy , a pygmy hippopotamus . watch new baby pygmy hippo » billy was born in liberia , but was captured at a young age . he came into the possession of tire mogul harvey firestone , who gave billy to president coolidge as a gift , possibly because firestone did n't want to feed the critter . ( even a pygmy hippo is still quite rotund ; billy was six feet long and weighed upwards of 600 pounds . ) coolidge donated billy to the smithsonian national zoological park . because there were only a handful of pygmy hippos in the u.s. at the time , billy quickly went to work as a stud , an endeavor at which he found some success . he sired 23 little hippos , and many of the pygmy hippos you see in american zoos today are his offspring . mental floss : 7 crafty zoo escapes 2 . the white house gators herbert hoover wanted to put a chicken in every pot , a car in every garage , and ... a gator in the oval office ? it 's true . hoover owned a slew of dogs , but those were n't his only pets . his second son , allan henry hoover , owned a pair of gators that were occasionally allowed to wander around the white house grounds . sound crazy ? blame john quincy adams for setting the precedent . the sixth president also had a pet gator . his was a gift from the marquis de lafayette ; it lived in a bathroom in the east room of the white house . according to some reports , he enjoyed using the gator to scare his guests . 3 . fala : fdr 's traveling companion what do you get the depression-conquering president who has everything ? a lapdog . in 1940 franklin roosevelt received a scottish terrier puppy named big boy as an early christmas gift from a family friend . fdr immediately realized that big boy was no name for a presidential companion and rechristened the pooch murray the outlaw of falahill , after a scottish ancestor . for the sake of simplicity , though , he called his new pal fala . after that , fala became fdr 's inseparable companion and traveled everywhere the president went . the dog gave ' $ 1 a day to the war effort , generosity that earned him the rank of honorary private in the army . each morning when fdr 's breakfast tray came in , it included a bone for fala . fala also made a famous appearance in one of his master 's speeches . when fdr was decrying personal attacks from his political opponents , he jokingly said that it was okay to mock him , but leave fala alone . you know , fala is scotch , and being a scottie , as soon as he learned that the republican fiction writers in congress and out had concocted a story that i had left him behind on the aleutian islands and had sent a destroyer back to find him -- at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three , or eight or 20 million dollars -- his scotch soul was furious . he has not been the same dog since ! ' fala stayed with fdr until the president 's death in 1945 and lived in the care of eleanor roosevelt until his death in 1952 . mental floss : 6 utterly loyal dogs 4 . millie : literary sensation when george h.w . bush took office in 1989 , he brought his pet springer spaniel millie to the white house . the bubbly canine won over the nation 's heart so completely that she even collaborated with the first lady on millie 's book : as dictated to barbara bush . millie brought further joy to the bush family when she gave birth to a litter of six presidential puppies in 1989 . just as her master helped slip one of his boys into the white house , so did millie : when george w. bush moved into the oval office , so did his dog , millie 's son spot fetcher . 5 . barney , miss beazley & india : the current residents sadly , spot fetcher had to be put down in 2004 , but the bushes are n't pet-deprived now . they have a pair of scottish terriers named barney and miss beazley , both of whom have websites and appear in white house-produced web videos . ( your tax dollars adorably at work ! ) the bushes also have a black cat named india , who also goes by willie . ' watch barney bite a reporter » the name india rankled some citizens of the country of the same name to the point that many indians supposedly named their dogs bush . ' the name was n't meant to be controversial , though ; the bushes merely named their cat after ruben el indio ' sierra , who played for the texas rangers while george w. owned the team . spot fetcher was similarly named after former rangers middle infielder scott fletcher . other first pets of note : mr . reciprocity and mr. protection -- benjamin harrison 's two opossums . harrison 's son russell also had a pet goat named old whiskers . pauline -- the last cow to live at the white house . she made milk for president taft 's consumption . old ike -- to save cash during world war i , woodrow wilson brought in a flock of sheep to take care of the white house 's groundskeeping duties . old ike , a ram , supposedly chewed tobacco . laddie boy -- warren g. harding 's beloved airedale who had his own seat at cabinet meetings and gave a 1921 interview ' with the washington post in which he talked about prohibition and shortening the workday for guard dogs . liberty -- gerald ford 's golden retriever hung out in the oval office and could supposedly read a sign from ford that she should go be affectionate to guests -- a cute and cuddly way to gracefully end the president 's conversations . socks and buddy -- president clinton 's faithful cat and the chocolate lab he acquired while in office . socks did n't like buddy 's youthful friendliness , so the two pets had to be kept separated at all times . the tensions were so bad that the family could n't keep both pets at the end of bill 's second term , so socks went to live with clinton 's secretary , betty currie . gamecocks -- ulysses s. grant supposedly kept some gamecocks at the white house . two tiger cubs -- martin van buren received the cats as a gift from the sultan of oman . congress supposedly made him give the gift to a zoo . satan -- one of abigail adams'unfortunately named dogs . she called the other one juno . jonathan edwards -- theodore roosevelt received this black bear cub as a gift from supporters in west virginia who gave the bear the name , he wrote to a friend , partly because they thought they detected calvinistic traits in the bear 's character . ' dr. johnson , bishop doane , fighting bob evans , and father o'grady -- teddy roosevelt 's kids also had these tremendously named guinea pigs . josiah -- roosevelt also had a pet badger , of course . bonus trivia : checkers nixon 's dog was immortalized in the checkers speech , ' which nixon gave while facing allegations of illegal campaign contributions . he said the only gift he 'd accepted was a cocker spaniel named checkers for his daughters . mental floss : why was the'checkers speech'so important ? checkers , however , was never the white house dog . this scandal bubbled up while nixon was eisenhower 's running mate in the 1952 election , and nixon gave the checkers speech to convince republicans to keep him on the ticket . although the speech was a success and nixon later made it to the white house , checkers never got to be first dog ; he passed away in 1964 . for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved .","original name of fdr 's dog : big boy ; president grant had fighting gamecocks" +"jobs san francisco , california ( cnn ) -- just after apple ceo steve jobs debuted the next version of his company 's iphone to the world , the tech luminary had a bit of technical trouble . well jeez , ' jobs said , struggling to get the spanking new iphone 4 to do much of anything without a connection to a wi-fi network . the technical faux pas came during jobs'keynote address at apple 's worldwide developers conference in san francisco , california . at one point , jobs turned toward the audience and seemed to ask a question of one of his technical directors : got any suggestions ? ' he asked . verizon ! ' shouted an audience member , in reference to the fact that at & t , the sole cellular network that carriers the apple iphone , gets notoriously bad reception in san francisco . many tech bloggers and writers have called for apple to open the iphone to other networks , including verizon wireless . that did n't happen on monday . the new iphone will remain an at & t-only device . it goes on sale on june 24 to at & t customers for $ 199 or $ 299 , depending on the amount of storage . any at & t customer eligible for a phone upgrade this year can get the iphone 4 on its debut date at those subsidized prices , jobs said . after the event , tech industry analysts warned against reading too much into the network glitches during jobs'presentation . but , if nothing else , they do symbolize the growing frustration some phone consumers have over the lack of choice among wireless carriers . in a recent interview , for instance , kevin tofel , a blogger in the gigaom network , said it is smartest for consumers to pick a wireless carrier first , rather than get the coolest phone . otherwise , they 're buying an expensive brick , ' he said . analysts said jobs was having trouble connecting to a wi-fi network during his presentation , not at & t 's troubled 3g network . it 's wi-fi , ' said carolina milanesi , research director for mobile devices at gartner . you had so many people in there using wi-fi . i did n't read too much into it . ' of at & t , she laughed and said , it 's not always their fault . ' van baker , research vice-president for gartner , said the verizon ! ' comment from the audience was totally unfair ... because it 's not going over the 3g network . ' jobs eventually resolved the issue himself . in a joking yet stern tone , he asked reporters and conference attendees to stop using wi-fi networks so that he could finish the presentation . some 570 wi-fi stations were clogging up the connection he needed to complete the presentation , he said . if the attendees did n't comply , he said , he would simply not be able to show off the rest of the iphone 4 's new features , including its higher-resolution screen , improved camera and video chat functionality -- which , by the way , is only available over wi-fi .","apple ceo steve jobs has internet trouble during a presentation" +"jobs san francisco , california ( cnn ) -- just after apple ceo steve jobs debuted the next version of his company 's iphone to the world , the tech luminary had a bit of technical trouble . well jeez , ' jobs said , struggling to get the spanking new iphone 4 to do much of anything without a connection to a wi-fi network . the technical faux pas came during jobs'keynote address at apple 's worldwide developers conference in san francisco , california . at one point , jobs turned toward the audience and seemed to ask a question of one of his technical directors : got any suggestions ? ' he asked . verizon ! ' shouted an audience member , in reference to the fact that at & t , the sole cellular network that carriers the apple iphone , gets notoriously bad reception in san francisco . many tech bloggers and writers have called for apple to open the iphone to other networks , including verizon wireless . that did n't happen on monday . the new iphone will remain an at & t-only device . it goes on sale on june 24 to at & t customers for $ 199 or $ 299 , depending on the amount of storage . any at & t customer eligible for a phone upgrade this year can get the iphone 4 on its debut date at those subsidized prices , jobs said . after the event , tech industry analysts warned against reading too much into the network glitches during jobs'presentation . but , if nothing else , they do symbolize the growing frustration some phone consumers have over the lack of choice among wireless carriers . in a recent interview , for instance , kevin tofel , a blogger in the gigaom network , said it is smartest for consumers to pick a wireless carrier first , rather than get the coolest phone . otherwise , they 're buying an expensive brick , ' he said . analysts said jobs was having trouble connecting to a wi-fi network during his presentation , not at & t 's troubled 3g network . it 's wi-fi , ' said carolina milanesi , research director for mobile devices at gartner . you had so many people in there using wi-fi . i did n't read too much into it . ' of at & t , she laughed and said , it 's not always their fault . ' van baker , research vice-president for gartner , said the verizon ! ' comment from the audience was totally unfair ... because it 's not going over the 3g network . ' jobs eventually resolved the issue himself . in a joking yet stern tone , he asked reporters and conference attendees to stop using wi-fi networks so that he could finish the presentation . some 570 wi-fi stations were clogging up the connection he needed to complete the presentation , he said . if the attendees did n't comply , he said , he would simply not be able to show off the rest of the iphone 4 's new features , including its higher-resolution screen , improved camera and video chat functionality -- which , by the way , is only available over wi-fi .","jobs asks conference attendees to get off network so he can continue" +"jobs san francisco , california ( cnn ) -- just after apple ceo steve jobs debuted the next version of his company 's iphone to the world , the tech luminary had a bit of technical trouble . well jeez , ' jobs said , struggling to get the spanking new iphone 4 to do much of anything without a connection to a wi-fi network . the technical faux pas came during jobs'keynote address at apple 's worldwide developers conference in san francisco , california . at one point , jobs turned toward the audience and seemed to ask a question of one of his technical directors : got any suggestions ? ' he asked . verizon ! ' shouted an audience member , in reference to the fact that at & t , the sole cellular network that carriers the apple iphone , gets notoriously bad reception in san francisco . many tech bloggers and writers have called for apple to open the iphone to other networks , including verizon wireless . that did n't happen on monday . the new iphone will remain an at & t-only device . it goes on sale on june 24 to at & t customers for $ 199 or $ 299 , depending on the amount of storage . any at & t customer eligible for a phone upgrade this year can get the iphone 4 on its debut date at those subsidized prices , jobs said . after the event , tech industry analysts warned against reading too much into the network glitches during jobs'presentation . but , if nothing else , they do symbolize the growing frustration some phone consumers have over the lack of choice among wireless carriers . in a recent interview , for instance , kevin tofel , a blogger in the gigaom network , said it is smartest for consumers to pick a wireless carrier first , rather than get the coolest phone . otherwise , they 're buying an expensive brick , ' he said . analysts said jobs was having trouble connecting to a wi-fi network during his presentation , not at & t 's troubled 3g network . it 's wi-fi , ' said carolina milanesi , research director for mobile devices at gartner . you had so many people in there using wi-fi . i did n't read too much into it . ' of at & t , she laughed and said , it 's not always their fault . ' van baker , research vice-president for gartner , said the verizon ! ' comment from the audience was totally unfair ... because it 's not going over the 3g network . ' jobs eventually resolved the issue himself . in a joking yet stern tone , he asked reporters and conference attendees to stop using wi-fi networks so that he could finish the presentation . some 570 wi-fi stations were clogging up the connection he needed to complete the presentation , he said . if the attendees did n't comply , he said , he would simply not be able to show off the rest of the iphone 4 's new features , including its higher-resolution screen , improved camera and video chat functionality -- which , by the way , is only available over wi-fi .","jobs was debuting the iphone 4 at an event in san francisco" +"paul greengrass a great many filmmakers †” too many †” use handheld cameras to evoke a sensation of raw , this is really happening immediacy . but director paul greengrass is unique . at a glance , his live-wire , ragged-camera method may seem overly familiar , but the way he employs it , that method is as expressive as the style of a superb novelist . the note of authenticity he strikes is n't just about how he holds the camera . it 's about what the camera is shooting : greengrass sets up and stages organically detailed situations that he then films as if he were making a documentary . he pioneered that method in bloody sunday ' ( 2002 ) , his spectacular drama about the 1972 northern ireland massacre , and he carried it into his two bourne films ( making the most far-fetched espionage potboilers seem genuine ) and , of course , into united 93 , the galvanizing post-9/11 dramatization that let you feel like you were right on board that doomed plane . greengrass keeps you off balance †” he 's a jittery poet of reality . and he proves that yet again in captain phillips , ' his suspensefully spiky thriller based on a shattering incident from april 2009 , when the crew of a u.s. cargo ship , the mv maersk alabama , was held hostage for several days by a band of somali pirates armed with machine guns . early on , greengrass echoes what he did in united 93 , ' letting us peek separately into the lives of both the victims and their attackers before the vehicle in question takes off . capt . richard phillips ( tom hanks ) , a veteran merchant mariner , still lives in his native new england , and he 's a plainspoken family man full of anxiety about the economically bleak new world his kids are facing . when his wife ( catherine keener ) drops him off at the airport , we can see he reveres her . the film then cuts to somalia , a land of dust and poverty , where the pirates are recruited for their mission as if they were migrant farmworkers lining up to be chosen for that day 's labor . greengrass does n't have to fill in much about the violent , chaotic breakdown of somalia to let us know that these men have little choice in life : taking up arms to steal , or even to kill , is the central option their society has handed them . when the giant cargo liner rounds the horn of africa , captain phillips realizes he 's in dangerous waters . a radar that detects the pirates as they zoom toward the ship on two motorboats gives you a sickening feeling . as soon as they climb aboard , evading the spray of water hoses that are the crew 's only weapons , ' we know we 're seeing a clash of two cultures : the privileged western world , with its power and bounty ( all symbolized by the vastness of that ship ) , and the desperate quarters of the third world , locked outside the loop of technological progress and hope . one of the pirates , a young fellow named muse , is played by barkhad abdi , who has the ravaged , bone-hungry face of a starving child all grown up . that face haunts the movie , and so does abdi 's extraordinary acting . muse is ruthless , forlorn , street-smart , naive ( he wants millions of dollars , even though there 's only $ 30,000 on the ship ) , and even compassionate , all at the same time . in dramatic terms , he 's the enemy , yet abdi 's performance inspires us to ask : how , in the modern world , did the violence muse embodies become part of the family of man ? phillips must guard his crew , negotiate with the pirates , and keep his own fears in check , and hanks acts with a minimalism that speaks volumes : we 're wired into his every glance . phillips sends the pirates on a wild goose chase throughout the massive ship , and captain phillips becomes a gripping life-or-death chess game : who will survive ? who will outwit whom ? but in the second half , when phillips is forced to board an enclosed lifeboat along with the pirates , the film 's suspense begins to ebb . it 's not that greengrass'electrifying style fails him . it 's that the movie , tethered for close to an hour to the strategies and tensions aboard the lifeboat , keeps giving us things to observe , but maybe not so much to discover . grade : b+ see the original at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","the film was directed by paul greengrass" +"metro madrid ( cnn ) -- it 's a check for $ 2 million , issued to a man with a california driver 's license . and it was found in a subway car in madrid , police say . we have his name . we 're trying to locate this person , ' a national police spokesman in madrid told cnn on thursday . we wo n't just hand it over . we have to verify that the origin of the money is not illicit , ' said the spokesman , who by custom is not identified . the check was issued by bank of america , and it 's post-dated to january 2014 , the spokesman said . a maintenance worker for madrid 's metro , or subway system , found it wednesday . a train running on line 5 , which roughly traverses the capital from east to west , reported a problem with doors that would n't fully close at the diego de leon station . homeless man turns in $ 40k , gets $ 91k the train was sent to a maintenance yard , following protocol , and a worker who inspected the doors found a brown leather wallet that contained the $ 2 million check , the california driver 's license and some credit cards , a metro de madrid spokeswoman said . it appears that the wallet was stolen on the metro , ' the spokeswoman said . the thief looked inside , grabbed the cash -- but did n't see the check -- and then threw the wallet away . ' usually , these kinds of discarded stolen wallets end up on a station platform . but this one landed in the doorway of a metro car , preventing it from closing properly , she said . madrid 's metro handles an average of 2 million passengers a day , but this is believed to be the first time that one of them was carrying a $ 2 million check , the police spokesman said . why would someone with such a large check be riding in the subway , instead of in a chauffeured car ? police would like to ask the owner of the check that question , too , the spokesman said . police have contacted the u.s. embassy in madrid for help in finding the check 's owner , but the embassy had no immediate comment ."," it appears that the wallet was stolen on the metro , ' a subway system spokeswoman says" +"madrid madrid ( cnn ) -- it 's a check for $ 2 million , issued to a man with a california driver 's license . and it was found in a subway car in madrid , police say . we have his name . we 're trying to locate this person , ' a national police spokesman in madrid told cnn on thursday . we wo n't just hand it over . we have to verify that the origin of the money is not illicit , ' said the spokesman , who by custom is not identified . the check was issued by bank of america , and it 's post-dated to january 2014 , the spokesman said . a maintenance worker for madrid 's metro , or subway system , found it wednesday . a train running on line 5 , which roughly traverses the capital from east to west , reported a problem with doors that would n't fully close at the diego de leon station . homeless man turns in $ 40k , gets $ 91k the train was sent to a maintenance yard , following protocol , and a worker who inspected the doors found a brown leather wallet that contained the $ 2 million check , the california driver 's license and some credit cards , a metro de madrid spokeswoman said . it appears that the wallet was stolen on the metro , ' the spokeswoman said . the thief looked inside , grabbed the cash -- but did n't see the check -- and then threw the wallet away . ' usually , these kinds of discarded stolen wallets end up on a station platform . but this one landed in the doorway of a metro car , preventing it from closing properly , she said . madrid 's metro handles an average of 2 million passengers a day , but this is believed to be the first time that one of them was carrying a $ 2 million check , the police spokesman said . why would someone with such a large check be riding in the subway , instead of in a chauffeured car ? police would like to ask the owner of the check that question , too , the spokesman said . police have contacted the u.s. embassy in madrid for help in finding the check 's owner , but the embassy had no immediate comment .","a maintenance worker for madrid 's subway system found the check wednesday" +"humphries los angeles ( cnn ) -- delays in deposing kanye west and other witnesses in the divorce of kim kardashian and kris humphries mean the 72-day marriage may not legally end until next year , lawyers said at a hearing wednesday . humphries , an nba forward , accuses kardashian , a reality tv star , of fraud by entering the marriage only to make millions of dollars with their wedding , humphries'lawyer , marshall waller , told los angeles county superior court judge stephen moloney . the august 20 , 2011 , wedding was aired in october on e ! entertainment in a two-part special titled kim 's fairytale wedding : a kardashian event . ' kardashian filed for divorce at the end of october . ms. kardashian had no intention of going through with the marriage , ' waller said . the wedding was simply for the benefit of her television show . ' humphries is asking for an annulment of the marriage instead of a divorce . to what end does he want this annulment ? ' kardashian lawyer laura wasser asked in court wednesday . wasser accused waller of dragging his feet in making his case with vague charges . kardashian 's legal fees have already reached $ 250,000 , which wasser said she will try to force humphries to pay . we 're going to ask for every penny to be paid by kris , ' she said . humphries'case is taking longer to build because of delays in getting documents from nbc universal and bunim/murray productions , two companies involved in the wedding broadcast , waller said . i 'm trying to find information out and somebody is trying to stop me , ' he said . the deposition of kardashian will not happen until after humphries'lawyers have reviewed the production documents , waller said . kris jenner , kardashian 's mother , is among the 33 people listed as witnesses by humphries . while she has accepted a subpoena , she will not be questioned until humphries'lawyer gets her business records , waller said . kanye west , kardashian 's current boyfriend , could be a key witness in the divorce trial , but the hip-hop star has so far evaded humphries'efforts to subpoena him for a deposition , waller said . kardashian answered the door at her los angeles home on july 16 when a process server knocked and said told her he had something for west , waller said . she said he was on phone and she would n't accept it , so he left it , ' he said . west was not there at the time , kardashian lawyer laura wasser said . the server -- who she described as a strange individual ' -- left the subpoena in a nordstrom department store box , she said . efforts to reach west though his lawyer and publicist have been unsuccessful , waller said . humphries'girlfriend will be deposed by kardashian 's lawyers in new york tuesday , wasser said . the lawyer did not name the girlfriend in court . judge moloney set the next hearing for november 28 . a trial date of early 2013 may be set then , he said .","humphries'girlfriend will be deposed by kardashian 's lawyers in new york tuesday" +"humphries los angeles ( cnn ) -- delays in deposing kanye west and other witnesses in the divorce of kim kardashian and kris humphries mean the 72-day marriage may not legally end until next year , lawyers said at a hearing wednesday . humphries , an nba forward , accuses kardashian , a reality tv star , of fraud by entering the marriage only to make millions of dollars with their wedding , humphries'lawyer , marshall waller , told los angeles county superior court judge stephen moloney . the august 20 , 2011 , wedding was aired in october on e ! entertainment in a two-part special titled kim 's fairytale wedding : a kardashian event . ' kardashian filed for divorce at the end of october . ms. kardashian had no intention of going through with the marriage , ' waller said . the wedding was simply for the benefit of her television show . ' humphries is asking for an annulment of the marriage instead of a divorce . to what end does he want this annulment ? ' kardashian lawyer laura wasser asked in court wednesday . wasser accused waller of dragging his feet in making his case with vague charges . kardashian 's legal fees have already reached $ 250,000 , which wasser said she will try to force humphries to pay . we 're going to ask for every penny to be paid by kris , ' she said . humphries'case is taking longer to build because of delays in getting documents from nbc universal and bunim/murray productions , two companies involved in the wedding broadcast , waller said . i 'm trying to find information out and somebody is trying to stop me , ' he said . the deposition of kardashian will not happen until after humphries'lawyers have reviewed the production documents , waller said . kris jenner , kardashian 's mother , is among the 33 people listed as witnesses by humphries . while she has accepted a subpoena , she will not be questioned until humphries'lawyer gets her business records , waller said . kanye west , kardashian 's current boyfriend , could be a key witness in the divorce trial , but the hip-hop star has so far evaded humphries'efforts to subpoena him for a deposition , waller said . kardashian answered the door at her los angeles home on july 16 when a process server knocked and said told her he had something for west , waller said . she said he was on phone and she would n't accept it , so he left it , ' he said . west was not there at the time , kardashian lawyer laura wasser said . the server -- who she described as a strange individual ' -- left the subpoena in a nordstrom department store box , she said . efforts to reach west though his lawyer and publicist have been unsuccessful , waller said . humphries'girlfriend will be deposed by kardashian 's lawyers in new york tuesday , wasser said . the lawyer did not name the girlfriend in court . judge moloney set the next hearing for november 28 . a trial date of early 2013 may be set then , he said ."," i 'm trying to find information ... somebody is trying to stop me , ' kris humphries'lawyer says" +"united states washington ( cnn ) -- white house ebola czar ron klain on tuesday downplayed the chances of ebola being used as a biological weapon after a scare in new zealand . klain said he was briefed tuesday after a small vial supposedly sent by jihadis and containing ebola was sent to the offices of the new zealand herald newspaper . the newspaper sent the vial to australia for testing . based on our best information , i think the odds are high that this turns out to be a hoax , ' klain said on cnn 's the lead ' with jake tapper . he said u.s. officials are always watching intelligence traffic and other indicators ' to see if terror groups are using ebola or other diseases as biological weapons , but that we 're not aware of any credible threat ' and that the odds of that happening are low . klain touted the overall u.s. response to ebola cases here and to the outbreak in west africa , saying health officials have tried to learn the lessons from dallas , ' where the first case was diagnosed in the united states , by increasing training , preparation and protective gear at health facilities nationwide . what we 've shown now is that we can successfully identify and isolate an ebola patient , we can make sure he does n't infect other people , we can treat him , and we can send him home safely , ' he said . when president barack obama tapped klain as his ebola response coordinator , republican lawmakers howled that the long-time political operative -- klain served as vice president joe biden 's chief of staff and helped obama with debate preparation during his re-election campaign -- is n't a medical professional . but klain told tapper on tuesday that he is n't serving in a role that requires a medical background . my role is n't to give medical advice , it 's to coordinate this massive response that president obama has marshaled here at home and in africa , ' klain said .","he says the united states can now successfully identify and isolate an ebola patient '" +"united states washington ( cnn ) -- white house ebola czar ron klain on tuesday downplayed the chances of ebola being used as a biological weapon after a scare in new zealand . klain said he was briefed tuesday after a small vial supposedly sent by jihadis and containing ebola was sent to the offices of the new zealand herald newspaper . the newspaper sent the vial to australia for testing . based on our best information , i think the odds are high that this turns out to be a hoax , ' klain said on cnn 's the lead ' with jake tapper . he said u.s. officials are always watching intelligence traffic and other indicators ' to see if terror groups are using ebola or other diseases as biological weapons , but that we 're not aware of any credible threat ' and that the odds of that happening are low . klain touted the overall u.s. response to ebola cases here and to the outbreak in west africa , saying health officials have tried to learn the lessons from dallas , ' where the first case was diagnosed in the united states , by increasing training , preparation and protective gear at health facilities nationwide . what we 've shown now is that we can successfully identify and isolate an ebola patient , we can make sure he does n't infect other people , we can treat him , and we can send him home safely , ' he said . when president barack obama tapped klain as his ebola response coordinator , republican lawmakers howled that the long-time political operative -- klain served as vice president joe biden 's chief of staff and helped obama with debate preparation during his re-election campaign -- is n't a medical professional . but klain told tapper on tuesday that he is n't serving in a role that requires a medical background . my role is n't to give medical advice , it 's to coordinate this massive response that president obama has marshaled here at home and in africa , ' klain said .","klain says the united states is always watching to see if terror groups are using ebola" +"south korean seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- a south korean court has issued an arrest warrant for the brother of president lee myung-bak on bribery charges , a court official said wednesday , dealing a blow to the governing party ahead of elections later this year . lee sang-deuk , a former six-term lawmaker , has been charged over allegations he received about half a million dollars from the savings banks solomon and mirae in exchange for exerting influence over officials investigating the banks , the court official said . he was taken to a detention center early wednesday after the issuing of the arrest warrant , said the court official , who declined to be identified because she is not authorized to speak publicly on the case . lee sang-deuk is considered to have been the major force behind lee myung-bak 's presidential election in 2007 . the incumbent president wo n't be running for re-election later this year because the law limits presidents to only one five-year term , but the arrest taints the image of his governing party . lee sang-deuk 's lawyer did not return calls seeking comment on wednesday . the president 's brother said he was sorry as he was taken to the detention center but did not comment further , south korea 's yonhap news agency reported . the operations of solomon and mirae were suspended in may for six months by the authorities , prompting anger from people who were unable to retrieve money they had deposited in the banks . lee sang-deuk is not the first relative of a south korean president to face criminal charges . families of former presidents have been misusing power before , ' said kwang won-taek , professor at seoul national university . the current 's president 's term is going to end soon and the suspicions are surfacing . ' former president roh moo-hyun committed suicide in 2009 amid an investigation into a bribery scandal that had tarnished his reputation . his older brother was convicted and sentenced to prison . and former president kim dae-jung 's three sons were also imprisoned for corruption by the end of his presidential term . lee sang-deuk 's arrest came after the announcement by park geun-hye , the daughter of former president park chung-hee , that she would be running for president this year . park chung-hee , who was shot and killed by his intelligence chief in 1979 , stirs mixed reactions among south koreans . some members of older generations consider him a national hero who built up the nation 's economy , but some critics say he was a dictator who abused human rights . park geun-hye said tuesday that she would aim for transparent , capable , and service-oriented government ' if she were to be elected , yonhap reported . her mother was shot and killed in 1974 by a japanese-born korean who had close ties to north korea .","relatives of previous south korean presidents have also faced charges" +"falluja dam baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- the u.s. military launched airstrikes targeting isis fighters around a key dam in western iraq on sunday , the pentagon said . it carried out the airstrikes near haditha dam at iraq 's request , according to rear adm. john kirby , the pentagon press secretary . anbar province deputy governor faleh al-issawi told cnn that iraqi forces launched a ground offensive with the protection of u.s. air cover and strikes . the aim of the offensive , he said , was to retake the area around the district of barawana , which is about 6 miles west of haditha . the city of haditha and its dam have remained under the control of iraqi security forces and sunni arab tribes despite isis'numerous attempts to seize them . if the terror group seizes the dam -- the second-largest in the country -- it could prove catastrophic . it provides water to millions of people in western and southern iraq . al-issawi said the area was being used by militants to launch mortar and other attacks on haditha and the dam and officials have been concerned that these attacks could hit the dam and cause flooding that would impact the entire province . the united states also fears the militants could use the water to flood villages and seize control of the nation 's lucrative electricity industry . we conducted these strikes to prevent terrorists from further threatening the security of the dam , which remains under control of iraqi security forces -- with support from sunni tribes , ' kirby said . fighter and bomber aircraft carried out four airstrikes that destroyed isis positions and equipment , including humvees , a checkpoint and a bunker , u.s. officials said . dams as war weapons isis fighters have sought to turn iraq 's dams into weapons . the group , whose acronym stands for islamic state in iraq and syria , now refers to itself as the islamic state . earlier this year , isis fighters opened the gates of falluja dam in an effort to stop an iraqi military advance . water from the dam flooded various villages . u.s. forces have kept an eye on haditha dam on the euphrates river , where iraqi troops held off an isis assault last month . the pentagon said operations will continue to ensure iraqi forces maintain control of the dam . potential loss of control of the dam or a catastrophic failure of the dam -- and the flooding that might result -- would have threatened u.s. personnel and facilities in and around baghdad , ' kirby said in a statement . recapture of largest dam last month , u.s. airstrikes helped kurdish and iraqi forces recapture mosul dam from isis . a breach of that dam , the largest in iraq , would have endangered iraqis who live downstream and the u.s. embassy compound in baghdad , u.s. president barack obama said at the time . if it gave way , it would send walls of water racing down the tigris river toward mosul and its 1.7 million inhabitants . massive flooding would affect major cities farther downstream , including baghdad . mosul dam had been the center of an intense battle between the isis extremists and kurdish forces . the u.s. military used air support to help kurdish forces , including fighters , bombers and unmanned aircraft . isis militants have killed thousands of syrians and iraqis as the sunni extremist group seeks to build an islamic caliphate stretching across a swath of territory . the militants have executed two american journalists in recent weeks , slayings analysts describe as a propaganda tool . cnn 's jomana karadsheh reported from baghdad , and faith karimi reported and wrote from atlanta . cnn 's jethro mullen , joe sutton and tom dunlavey contributed to this report .","earlier this year , isis fighters opened the gates of falluja dam and flooded villages" +"iraq baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- the u.s. military launched airstrikes targeting isis fighters around a key dam in western iraq on sunday , the pentagon said . it carried out the airstrikes near haditha dam at iraq 's request , according to rear adm. john kirby , the pentagon press secretary . anbar province deputy governor faleh al-issawi told cnn that iraqi forces launched a ground offensive with the protection of u.s. air cover and strikes . the aim of the offensive , he said , was to retake the area around the district of barawana , which is about 6 miles west of haditha . the city of haditha and its dam have remained under the control of iraqi security forces and sunni arab tribes despite isis'numerous attempts to seize them . if the terror group seizes the dam -- the second-largest in the country -- it could prove catastrophic . it provides water to millions of people in western and southern iraq . al-issawi said the area was being used by militants to launch mortar and other attacks on haditha and the dam and officials have been concerned that these attacks could hit the dam and cause flooding that would impact the entire province . the united states also fears the militants could use the water to flood villages and seize control of the nation 's lucrative electricity industry . we conducted these strikes to prevent terrorists from further threatening the security of the dam , which remains under control of iraqi security forces -- with support from sunni tribes , ' kirby said . fighter and bomber aircraft carried out four airstrikes that destroyed isis positions and equipment , including humvees , a checkpoint and a bunker , u.s. officials said . dams as war weapons isis fighters have sought to turn iraq 's dams into weapons . the group , whose acronym stands for islamic state in iraq and syria , now refers to itself as the islamic state . earlier this year , isis fighters opened the gates of falluja dam in an effort to stop an iraqi military advance . water from the dam flooded various villages . u.s. forces have kept an eye on haditha dam on the euphrates river , where iraqi troops held off an isis assault last month . the pentagon said operations will continue to ensure iraqi forces maintain control of the dam . potential loss of control of the dam or a catastrophic failure of the dam -- and the flooding that might result -- would have threatened u.s. personnel and facilities in and around baghdad , ' kirby said in a statement . recapture of largest dam last month , u.s. airstrikes helped kurdish and iraqi forces recapture mosul dam from isis . a breach of that dam , the largest in iraq , would have endangered iraqis who live downstream and the u.s. embassy compound in baghdad , u.s. president barack obama said at the time . if it gave way , it would send walls of water racing down the tigris river toward mosul and its 1.7 million inhabitants . massive flooding would affect major cities farther downstream , including baghdad . mosul dam had been the center of an intense battle between the isis extremists and kurdish forces . the u.s. military used air support to help kurdish forces , including fighters , bombers and unmanned aircraft . isis militants have killed thousands of syrians and iraqis as the sunni extremist group seeks to build an islamic caliphate stretching across a swath of territory . the militants have executed two american journalists in recent weeks , slayings analysts describe as a propaganda tool . cnn 's jomana karadsheh reported from baghdad , and faith karimi reported and wrote from atlanta . cnn 's jethro mullen , joe sutton and tom dunlavey contributed to this report .","u.s. says it carried out the airstrikes near haditha dam at the request of iraq" +"sesame street john henson -- a son of the late , great children 's entertainment visionary jim henson -- died after a sudden , massive heart attack , ' his family 's company said . the jim henson company announced the death of the 48-year-old son of its iconic founder in a facebook post saturday . he died friday while at home with one of his two daughters , the post said . john henson is also survived by his wife , gyongyi , and his siblings lisa , cheryl , brian and heather . two other members of his family had top jobs in their father 's namesake company , with brian henson as chairman and lisa henson as ceo . john henson is listed prominently as one of five members of the henson family ' on the company 's website . john henson served as a shareholder and board member of the jim henson company . according to imdb.com , john henson was active in the family business in the 1980s , 1990s and 2000s , perhaps most notably for his portrayal of sweetums , a large , gruff-looking , lovable character on the muppets . ' his father , jim , died suddenly in 1990 , after a celebrated career in which he launched shows like the muppets , ' fraggle rock ' and created beloved characters from sesame street ' such as big bird , elmo , the cookie monster and oscar the grouch . last april , john 's mother , jane nabel henson -- who met jim in a puppetry class at the university of maryland in 1954 and married him five years later -- died at the age of 79 after a long battle with cancer . ' jane henson dies of cancer the jim henson company itself remains busy with fantasy and sci-fi productions as well as children 's animated series such as sid the science kid ' and dinosaur train . ' people we 've lost in 2014","his father helped develop the muppets , ' fraggle rock ' and sesame street '" +"muppets john henson -- a son of the late , great children 's entertainment visionary jim henson -- died after a sudden , massive heart attack , ' his family 's company said . the jim henson company announced the death of the 48-year-old son of its iconic founder in a facebook post saturday . he died friday while at home with one of his two daughters , the post said . john henson is also survived by his wife , gyongyi , and his siblings lisa , cheryl , brian and heather . two other members of his family had top jobs in their father 's namesake company , with brian henson as chairman and lisa henson as ceo . john henson is listed prominently as one of five members of the henson family ' on the company 's website . john henson served as a shareholder and board member of the jim henson company . according to imdb.com , john henson was active in the family business in the 1980s , 1990s and 2000s , perhaps most notably for his portrayal of sweetums , a large , gruff-looking , lovable character on the muppets . ' his father , jim , died suddenly in 1990 , after a celebrated career in which he launched shows like the muppets , ' fraggle rock ' and created beloved characters from sesame street ' such as big bird , elmo , the cookie monster and oscar the grouch . last april , john 's mother , jane nabel henson -- who met jim in a puppetry class at the university of maryland in 1954 and married him five years later -- died at the age of 79 after a long battle with cancer . ' jane henson dies of cancer the jim henson company itself remains busy with fantasy and sci-fi productions as well as children 's animated series such as sid the science kid ' and dinosaur train . ' people we 've lost in 2014","his father helped develop the muppets , ' fraggle rock ' and sesame street '" +"samad ( cnn ) -- afghanistan 's recent signings of strategic partnerships with the united states and other countries have provided a measure of reassurance to afghans about the international community 's sustained engagement in the country beyond 2014 , when the drawdown of nato combat forces will be complete . but these documents are short on specifics and do not fully tackle the political , economic and regional challenges that need to be addressed so the afghan army and police can take responsibility for the security of the country . to give this transition a real chance of succeeding , afghanistan and its partners need to concentrate on the risks and challenges in the critical next two years . at the nato summit in chicago beginning sunday , the withdrawal timetable of international forces from afghanistan and future commitments to support the afghan government and army after the drawdown will be key areas of discussion . a user 's guide to the chicago nato summit the u.s. political strategy in afghanistan remains largely focused on talks with the taliban , and a chorus of voices inside and outside the government is optimistically making the case that the taliban have reformed and can be reconciled . ' while there is general consensus among afghans that a broad-based and inclusive reconciliation is necessary to end the conflict , key questions remain about the political order that may emerge from such a process . this lack of discussion has amplified fears among the afghan population of a grand bargain either between the united states and pakistan or between the afghan government and a resurgent taliban -- tacitly endorsed by nato countries seeking a face-saving exit -- that could undo the social gains and ethnic pluralism in current afghan politics . these concerns are already creating fractures in the fragile political balance among afghanistan 's various ethnic powers and exacerbating fears of a civil war once the international troops exit . nato invites pakistan to chicago summit afghans also remain concerned about the 2014 presidential elections , when president hamid karzai is due to step down . the absence of an inevitable ' candidate and political trust are likely to lead to an enormously challenging electoral environment , rife with legitimate worries about voter fraud . to instill confidence in the process , the international community needs to assist afghan efforts to ensure credible elections through technical and diplomatic support . all afghan political actors need to be on board for changes planned in the electoral process . this will also be an opportunity to offer any reconcilable taliban a chance to be part of the election process . the most critical element to securing peace in afghanistan will be convincing pakistan to close down taliban sanctuaries . while pakistan and afghanistan have set up joint mechanisms aimed at establishing more firm control over taliban contacts , afghans continue to believe that islamabad 's policy gurus will continue to use its control over the taliban as bargaining chips in order to retain maximum leverage on reconciliation and the post-2014 political order in afghanistan . nato 's post-afghanistan future unclear a jittery iran , incensed by the u.s.-afghan partnership , also has the potential to foment instability . china , the central asian republics , india , russia , saudi arabia and turkey are other key regional players that are anxious about the form the post-2014 political order will take . if more is not done to address their concerns , these regional actors may revert to supporting competing factional elements in afghanistan and feed the conflict as they did during its 1990s civil war . afghans are trying to soften the blow to the economy that will follow the nato drawdown and to move toward sustainability through regional economic cooperation , agricultural development , mining and associated infrastructure improvement . while this strategy is necessary for the long-term , afghans want to see clear signs that steps are being taken to avoid repeating the lawlessness and violence that followed when moscow cut billions of dollars of aid to the najibullah regime in 1991 . to bolster confidence in the economy 's sustainability , the international community will need to pace the reduction of aid , work with the afghan government to create an enabling environment for foreign investment and support economic projects in the areas of mining , infrastructure and trade . it will also have to ensure that the tools for allocating and managing aid money are improved to minimize the possibility that these vital resources will be squandered through corruption and wasteful spending . afghanistan -- located in the heart of the most dangerous neighborhood in the world -- still matters , and the security concerns of the united states and the international community will continue to be affected by instability in afghanistan and pakistan . the task ahead , in chicago and later this summer at a conference on afghanistan in tokyo , is to focus concretely on how best to restructure and reprioritize international efforts to strengthen the prospects for a successful political , economic and military transition to a sovereign and stable afghanistan . that will be the real test facing a fatigued international community and concerned afghans . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of rina amiri and omar samad .","amiri and samad : afghans are also trying to prepare the economy for nato 's drawdown" +"samad ( cnn ) -- afghanistan 's recent signings of strategic partnerships with the united states and other countries have provided a measure of reassurance to afghans about the international community 's sustained engagement in the country beyond 2014 , when the drawdown of nato combat forces will be complete . but these documents are short on specifics and do not fully tackle the political , economic and regional challenges that need to be addressed so the afghan army and police can take responsibility for the security of the country . to give this transition a real chance of succeeding , afghanistan and its partners need to concentrate on the risks and challenges in the critical next two years . at the nato summit in chicago beginning sunday , the withdrawal timetable of international forces from afghanistan and future commitments to support the afghan government and army after the drawdown will be key areas of discussion . a user 's guide to the chicago nato summit the u.s. political strategy in afghanistan remains largely focused on talks with the taliban , and a chorus of voices inside and outside the government is optimistically making the case that the taliban have reformed and can be reconciled . ' while there is general consensus among afghans that a broad-based and inclusive reconciliation is necessary to end the conflict , key questions remain about the political order that may emerge from such a process . this lack of discussion has amplified fears among the afghan population of a grand bargain either between the united states and pakistan or between the afghan government and a resurgent taliban -- tacitly endorsed by nato countries seeking a face-saving exit -- that could undo the social gains and ethnic pluralism in current afghan politics . these concerns are already creating fractures in the fragile political balance among afghanistan 's various ethnic powers and exacerbating fears of a civil war once the international troops exit . nato invites pakistan to chicago summit afghans also remain concerned about the 2014 presidential elections , when president hamid karzai is due to step down . the absence of an inevitable ' candidate and political trust are likely to lead to an enormously challenging electoral environment , rife with legitimate worries about voter fraud . to instill confidence in the process , the international community needs to assist afghan efforts to ensure credible elections through technical and diplomatic support . all afghan political actors need to be on board for changes planned in the electoral process . this will also be an opportunity to offer any reconcilable taliban a chance to be part of the election process . the most critical element to securing peace in afghanistan will be convincing pakistan to close down taliban sanctuaries . while pakistan and afghanistan have set up joint mechanisms aimed at establishing more firm control over taliban contacts , afghans continue to believe that islamabad 's policy gurus will continue to use its control over the taliban as bargaining chips in order to retain maximum leverage on reconciliation and the post-2014 political order in afghanistan . nato 's post-afghanistan future unclear a jittery iran , incensed by the u.s.-afghan partnership , also has the potential to foment instability . china , the central asian republics , india , russia , saudi arabia and turkey are other key regional players that are anxious about the form the post-2014 political order will take . if more is not done to address their concerns , these regional actors may revert to supporting competing factional elements in afghanistan and feed the conflict as they did during its 1990s civil war . afghans are trying to soften the blow to the economy that will follow the nato drawdown and to move toward sustainability through regional economic cooperation , agricultural development , mining and associated infrastructure improvement . while this strategy is necessary for the long-term , afghans want to see clear signs that steps are being taken to avoid repeating the lawlessness and violence that followed when moscow cut billions of dollars of aid to the najibullah regime in 1991 . to bolster confidence in the economy 's sustainability , the international community will need to pace the reduction of aid , work with the afghan government to create an enabling environment for foreign investment and support economic projects in the areas of mining , infrastructure and trade . it will also have to ensure that the tools for allocating and managing aid money are improved to minimize the possibility that these vital resources will be squandered through corruption and wasteful spending . afghanistan -- located in the heart of the most dangerous neighborhood in the world -- still matters , and the security concerns of the united states and the international community will continue to be affected by instability in afghanistan and pakistan . the task ahead , in chicago and later this summer at a conference on afghanistan in tokyo , is to focus concretely on how best to restructure and reprioritize international efforts to strengthen the prospects for a successful political , economic and military transition to a sovereign and stable afghanistan . that will be the real test facing a fatigued international community and concerned afghans . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of rina amiri and omar samad .","rina amiri and omar samad : the u.s. 's political strategy involves talks with the taliban" +"samad ( cnn ) -- afghanistan 's recent signings of strategic partnerships with the united states and other countries have provided a measure of reassurance to afghans about the international community 's sustained engagement in the country beyond 2014 , when the drawdown of nato combat forces will be complete . but these documents are short on specifics and do not fully tackle the political , economic and regional challenges that need to be addressed so the afghan army and police can take responsibility for the security of the country . to give this transition a real chance of succeeding , afghanistan and its partners need to concentrate on the risks and challenges in the critical next two years . at the nato summit in chicago beginning sunday , the withdrawal timetable of international forces from afghanistan and future commitments to support the afghan government and army after the drawdown will be key areas of discussion . a user 's guide to the chicago nato summit the u.s. political strategy in afghanistan remains largely focused on talks with the taliban , and a chorus of voices inside and outside the government is optimistically making the case that the taliban have reformed and can be reconciled . ' while there is general consensus among afghans that a broad-based and inclusive reconciliation is necessary to end the conflict , key questions remain about the political order that may emerge from such a process . this lack of discussion has amplified fears among the afghan population of a grand bargain either between the united states and pakistan or between the afghan government and a resurgent taliban -- tacitly endorsed by nato countries seeking a face-saving exit -- that could undo the social gains and ethnic pluralism in current afghan politics . these concerns are already creating fractures in the fragile political balance among afghanistan 's various ethnic powers and exacerbating fears of a civil war once the international troops exit . nato invites pakistan to chicago summit afghans also remain concerned about the 2014 presidential elections , when president hamid karzai is due to step down . the absence of an inevitable ' candidate and political trust are likely to lead to an enormously challenging electoral environment , rife with legitimate worries about voter fraud . to instill confidence in the process , the international community needs to assist afghan efforts to ensure credible elections through technical and diplomatic support . all afghan political actors need to be on board for changes planned in the electoral process . this will also be an opportunity to offer any reconcilable taliban a chance to be part of the election process . the most critical element to securing peace in afghanistan will be convincing pakistan to close down taliban sanctuaries . while pakistan and afghanistan have set up joint mechanisms aimed at establishing more firm control over taliban contacts , afghans continue to believe that islamabad 's policy gurus will continue to use its control over the taliban as bargaining chips in order to retain maximum leverage on reconciliation and the post-2014 political order in afghanistan . nato 's post-afghanistan future unclear a jittery iran , incensed by the u.s.-afghan partnership , also has the potential to foment instability . china , the central asian republics , india , russia , saudi arabia and turkey are other key regional players that are anxious about the form the post-2014 political order will take . if more is not done to address their concerns , these regional actors may revert to supporting competing factional elements in afghanistan and feed the conflict as they did during its 1990s civil war . afghans are trying to soften the blow to the economy that will follow the nato drawdown and to move toward sustainability through regional economic cooperation , agricultural development , mining and associated infrastructure improvement . while this strategy is necessary for the long-term , afghans want to see clear signs that steps are being taken to avoid repeating the lawlessness and violence that followed when moscow cut billions of dollars of aid to the najibullah regime in 1991 . to bolster confidence in the economy 's sustainability , the international community will need to pace the reduction of aid , work with the afghan government to create an enabling environment for foreign investment and support economic projects in the areas of mining , infrastructure and trade . it will also have to ensure that the tools for allocating and managing aid money are improved to minimize the possibility that these vital resources will be squandered through corruption and wasteful spending . afghanistan -- located in the heart of the most dangerous neighborhood in the world -- still matters , and the security concerns of the united states and the international community will continue to be affected by instability in afghanistan and pakistan . the task ahead , in chicago and later this summer at a conference on afghanistan in tokyo , is to focus concretely on how best to restructure and reprioritize international efforts to strengthen the prospects for a successful political , economic and military transition to a sovereign and stable afghanistan . that will be the real test facing a fatigued international community and concerned afghans . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of rina amiri and omar samad .","afghans worry about the political order that may emerge , say amiri and samad" +"uganda washington ( cnn ) -- the world 's population is forecast to hit 7 billion in 2011 , the vast majority of its growth coming in developing and , in many cases , the poorest nations , a report released wednesday said . riders cram into a train last month in new delhi , india . india 's population is expected to be 1.7 billion by 2050 . a staggering 97 percent of global growth over the next 40 years will happen in asia , africa , latin america and the caribbean , according to the population reference bureau 's 2009 world population data sheet . the great bulk of today 's 1.2 billion youth -- nearly 90 percent -- are in developing countries , ' said carl haub , a co-author of the report . eight in 10 of those youth live in africa and asia . during the next few decades , these young people will most likely continue the current trend of moving from rural areas to cities in search of education and training opportunities , gainful employment , and adequate health care , ' haub continued , calling it one of the major social questions of the next few decades . in the developed world , the united states and canada will account for most of the growth -- half from immigration and half from a natural increase in the population -- births minus deaths , according to the report . high fertility rates and a young population base in the developing world will fuel most of the growth , especially in africa , where women often give birth to six or seven children over a lifetime , the report says . the number is about two in the united states and 1.5 in canada . a stark contrast can be drawn between uganda and canada , which currently have about 34 million and 31 million residents , respectively . by 2050 , canada 's population is projected to be 42 million , while uganda 's is expected to soar to 96 million , more than tripling . even with declining fertility rates in many countries , world population is still growing at a rapid rate , ' said bill butz , president of the bureau . the increase from 6 billion to 7 billion is likely to take 12 years , as did the increase from 5 billion to 6 billion . both events are unprecedented in world history . ' by 2050 , india is projected to be the world 's most populous nation at 1.7 billion , overtaking current leader china , which is forecast to hit 1.4 billion . the united states is expected to reach 439 million for no . 3 on the list .","uganda 's population expected to almost triple by 2050" +"franklin foulks ( cnn ) a teen who lands in lockup a few times can get on a police department 's nerves . but officers have taken a shine to jamal rutledge since they arrested him in september in fort lauderdale , florida . he helped save the life of the officer who was booking him . now , he 's their hero . officer franklin foulks was filling out rutledge 's paperwork , as they sat alone in a holding area , where a surveillance camera recorded them . rutledge , in cuffs , fidgeted on his seat , and stared at the floor , then he turned around to look through the security fencing behind him . that 's when foulks keeled over sideways off his stool . rutledge turned around to find him on the floor grabbing his chest . the juvenile defendant yelled for help , fort lauderdale police department said in a statement tuesday . he paced the processing cell and kicked the gate and quickly got other officers'attention . the officers rushed in , started cpr , called paramedics and gave foulks a jolt with the defibrillator . rutledge was led to another room . the juvenile defendant 's quick thinking was key in saving foulks'life , doctors told the police department . in a press photo , the officers who helped save foulks lined up in honor of their heroic deed . in the middle was rutledge in a proud pose . smiles spread across all their faces . next week , the city commission will honor them all in a meeting . rutledge was being booked on probation violation and other felony charges when foulks had the episode , south florida 's sun-sentinel reported , citing detective deanna greenlaw . officers have seen a lot of the teen since , greenlaw said , having arrested him multiple times . ' cnn 's tina burnside and rick martin contributed to this report .","jamal rutledge was being booked , when officer franklin foulks keeled over" +"rowling ( cnn ) -- following this week 's revelation that j.k. rowling penned a crime thriller under the pseudonym robert galbraith , the harry potter ' creator has joined a long line of women who have written novels under a cloak of masculinity . while some authors choose to write under a pen name as a form of artistic expression , many female authors purposefully opt for a male pseudonym to appeal to a wider audience , says carmela ciuraru , author of nom de plume : a ( secret ) history of pseudonyms ' . sadly in certain genres , it still helps to be a man -- particularly in crime or science fiction , ' ciuraru told cnn . sometimes it 's easier to be taken seriously as a man , and j.k. rowling is in a difficult position as her reputation means that her work ca n't be judged on merit alone , ' she adds . with rowling 's book the cuckoo 's calling ' climbing the charts on amazon bestselling list , cnn takes a look at renowned female writers , past and present , who have adopted male pen names . louisa may alcott ( a.m. barnard ) best known for her seminal tale little women ' , louisa may alcott , spent much of her early career writing under the nom de plume a. m. barnard . featuring feisty women who did not conform to the ideal of the 19th century female , her early novels a long fatal love chase ' and pauline 's passion and punishment ' were hidden beneath an ambiguous pseudonym , giving alcott the artistic license to explore different conceptions of the fairer sex without fear of disapproval . this darker literary alter ego confronted racier themes , and was discovered more than 50 years after alcott 's death by book dealer leona rostenberg in 1942. letters between the author and a boston publisher in 1855 and 1856 read , we would like more stories from you ... and if you prefer you may use the pseudonym of a.m. barnard or any other man 's name if you will . ' nora roberts ( j.d . robb ) after a highly successful career as a novelist under her own name , nora roberts decided to adopt a more elusive tag for her ... in death ' collection : a canon comprising of 43 published works , with three more set for release later this year . unlike j. k. rowling 's quick reveal -- a mere three months after joining the literary world as robert galbraith -- roberts kept her pen name under wraps until the 12th installment of her romantic thriller series . mary ann evans ( george eliot ) famed for her novels exploring psychological realism , mary ann evans -- better known to the literary world as george eliot -- was not short of opinions on fellow female writers . publishing an essay in 1856 entitled silly novels by lady novelists , ' evans lambasted the glut of unremarkable work produced by women in the era , which she believed diminished the credibility of female writers as a whole . it was this that spurred the middlemarch ' writer on to use a male pseudonym , musing : by a peculiar thermometric adjustment , when a woman 's talent is at zero , journalistic approbation is at the boiling pitch ; when it attains mediocrity it is already no more than summer heat ; and if she ever reaches excellence , critical enthusiasm drops to the freezing point . ' christina lynch and meg howrey ( magnus flyte ) ' city of dark magic ' came across as a rather intriguing debut novel from novice author magnus flyte when it was published in 2012 . but it was soon revealed that the brains behind the book were meg howrey , an actress and author , and christina lynch , a journalist and tv producer . citing themselves as magnus 's'wranglers ,'the duo maintains his existence as an mysterious enigma , even'interviewing'him for their blog . explaining their decision to adopt a single fictitious name for themselves , howrey said : we had both read a raft of articles talking about how men do n't buy books written by women . ' they may have been proven correct , as their first novel has spawned a successful sequel with the male nom de plume still intact . the bronte sisters ( acton , currer and ellis bell ) perhaps the most successful literary dynasty of all time , charlotte , anne and emily bronte collectively produced some of the world 's best loved novels during the 19th century . publishing works under male names beginning with the same first letter as their own , currer , acton and ellis bell produced their first offering -- a collection of poems -- in 1846 , before going on to publish individual novels shortly after . charlotte really believed in their talents , and was actually very controlling about the publication of their work , ' says ciuraru . she was incredibly bold for an unmarried woman , but she was determined that they would publish as men in order to get reviews that would n't be condescending . '","revealed after only three months , rowling wanted to keep the pseudonym under wraps" +"rowling ( cnn ) -- following this week 's revelation that j.k. rowling penned a crime thriller under the pseudonym robert galbraith , the harry potter ' creator has joined a long line of women who have written novels under a cloak of masculinity . while some authors choose to write under a pen name as a form of artistic expression , many female authors purposefully opt for a male pseudonym to appeal to a wider audience , says carmela ciuraru , author of nom de plume : a ( secret ) history of pseudonyms ' . sadly in certain genres , it still helps to be a man -- particularly in crime or science fiction , ' ciuraru told cnn . sometimes it 's easier to be taken seriously as a man , and j.k. rowling is in a difficult position as her reputation means that her work ca n't be judged on merit alone , ' she adds . with rowling 's book the cuckoo 's calling ' climbing the charts on amazon bestselling list , cnn takes a look at renowned female writers , past and present , who have adopted male pen names . louisa may alcott ( a.m. barnard ) best known for her seminal tale little women ' , louisa may alcott , spent much of her early career writing under the nom de plume a. m. barnard . featuring feisty women who did not conform to the ideal of the 19th century female , her early novels a long fatal love chase ' and pauline 's passion and punishment ' were hidden beneath an ambiguous pseudonym , giving alcott the artistic license to explore different conceptions of the fairer sex without fear of disapproval . this darker literary alter ego confronted racier themes , and was discovered more than 50 years after alcott 's death by book dealer leona rostenberg in 1942. letters between the author and a boston publisher in 1855 and 1856 read , we would like more stories from you ... and if you prefer you may use the pseudonym of a.m. barnard or any other man 's name if you will . ' nora roberts ( j.d . robb ) after a highly successful career as a novelist under her own name , nora roberts decided to adopt a more elusive tag for her ... in death ' collection : a canon comprising of 43 published works , with three more set for release later this year . unlike j. k. rowling 's quick reveal -- a mere three months after joining the literary world as robert galbraith -- roberts kept her pen name under wraps until the 12th installment of her romantic thriller series . mary ann evans ( george eliot ) famed for her novels exploring psychological realism , mary ann evans -- better known to the literary world as george eliot -- was not short of opinions on fellow female writers . publishing an essay in 1856 entitled silly novels by lady novelists , ' evans lambasted the glut of unremarkable work produced by women in the era , which she believed diminished the credibility of female writers as a whole . it was this that spurred the middlemarch ' writer on to use a male pseudonym , musing : by a peculiar thermometric adjustment , when a woman 's talent is at zero , journalistic approbation is at the boiling pitch ; when it attains mediocrity it is already no more than summer heat ; and if she ever reaches excellence , critical enthusiasm drops to the freezing point . ' christina lynch and meg howrey ( magnus flyte ) ' city of dark magic ' came across as a rather intriguing debut novel from novice author magnus flyte when it was published in 2012 . but it was soon revealed that the brains behind the book were meg howrey , an actress and author , and christina lynch , a journalist and tv producer . citing themselves as magnus 's'wranglers ,'the duo maintains his existence as an mysterious enigma , even'interviewing'him for their blog . explaining their decision to adopt a single fictitious name for themselves , howrey said : we had both read a raft of articles talking about how men do n't buy books written by women . ' they may have been proven correct , as their first novel has spawned a successful sequel with the male nom de plume still intact . the bronte sisters ( acton , currer and ellis bell ) perhaps the most successful literary dynasty of all time , charlotte , anne and emily bronte collectively produced some of the world 's best loved novels during the 19th century . publishing works under male names beginning with the same first letter as their own , currer , acton and ellis bell produced their first offering -- a collection of poems -- in 1846 , before going on to publish individual novels shortly after . charlotte really believed in their talents , and was actually very controlling about the publication of their work , ' says ciuraru . she was incredibly bold for an unmarried woman , but she was determined that they would publish as men in order to get reviews that would n't be condescending . '","j.k. rowling is the latest female writer to publish under a male pseudonym" +"indiana washington ( cnn ) nearly 6 in 10 americans say that businesses that provide wedding-related services should be required to provide those services to same-sex couples in the same way they would all other customers , even if they have religious objections . a new cnn/orc poll finds 57 % feel businesses such as caterers or florists should be required to serve gay or lesbian couples just as they would heterosexual couples , while 41 % say they should be allowed to refuse service for religious reasons . that 's a shift from a pew research center poll conducted last fall , which found just 49 % thought businesses ought to be required to serve same-sex couples while 47 % that they should be allowed to refuse service on religious grounds . since the pew poll last fall , indiana 's religious freedom restoration act , signed into law in late march by republican governor mike pence , sparked a nationwide controversy over whether the law allowed wedding-related businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples . apple , walmart and the ncaa all spoke out against the law , while some states and cities with democratic leaders barred spending public money in indiana . pence and other indiana legislators insisted discrimination was not the law 's intent and a bill to change the original law was signed in early april . in the cnn/orc poll , most democrats ( 70 % ) and independents ( 60 % ) say wedding-related businesses should be required to provide services to same-sex couples as they would different-sex couples , while republicans break broadly the other way , 67 % say religious reasons are a valid justification for refusing service . full poll results looking at republicans and independents who lean toward the republican party , 60 % in that group say wedding-related businesses should be allowed to refuse services to same-sex couples , but there are sharp divides within that group by age and ideology . moderate and liberal republicans and republican-leaners broadly say wedding-related businesses should be required to serve all couples the same way ( 58 % ) while three-quarters of conservative republicans favor allowing a caterer or florist to refuse service for religious reasons ( 74 % ) . among republicans and republican-leaning independents under age 50 , 56 % say wedding-related businesses should be required to serve same-sex and different-sex couples the same way while among those age 50 or older , 72 % think they should not be required to do so . the big gay wedding cake quiz age differences hold across party lines , but the generation gap among republicans and republican-leaners is larger than that among democrats and democratic-leaning independents . overall , white evangelicals are broadly in favor of allowing businesses to refuse service for religious reasons - 62 % say they should be able to . but among whites who are not evangelicals , 61 % say such businesses should be required to provide services to all couples the same way . the shift from the pew center results comes across demographic lines . men , women , whites , younger adults and senior citizens all are more apt than in the pew poll to say wedding-related business should be required to serve same-sex couples as they do others . the cnn/orc international poll was conducted by telephone , april 16-19 , among a random national sample of 1,018 adult americans . results for the full poll have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points . michigan auto repair shop says yes to gun owners , no to homosexuals","indiana passed and later changed its religious freedom law after public outcry" +"americans washington ( cnn ) nearly 6 in 10 americans say that businesses that provide wedding-related services should be required to provide those services to same-sex couples in the same way they would all other customers , even if they have religious objections . a new cnn/orc poll finds 57 % feel businesses such as caterers or florists should be required to serve gay or lesbian couples just as they would heterosexual couples , while 41 % say they should be allowed to refuse service for religious reasons . that 's a shift from a pew research center poll conducted last fall , which found just 49 % thought businesses ought to be required to serve same-sex couples while 47 % that they should be allowed to refuse service on religious grounds . since the pew poll last fall , indiana 's religious freedom restoration act , signed into law in late march by republican governor mike pence , sparked a nationwide controversy over whether the law allowed wedding-related businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples . apple , walmart and the ncaa all spoke out against the law , while some states and cities with democratic leaders barred spending public money in indiana . pence and other indiana legislators insisted discrimination was not the law 's intent and a bill to change the original law was signed in early april . in the cnn/orc poll , most democrats ( 70 % ) and independents ( 60 % ) say wedding-related businesses should be required to provide services to same-sex couples as they would different-sex couples , while republicans break broadly the other way , 67 % say religious reasons are a valid justification for refusing service . full poll results looking at republicans and independents who lean toward the republican party , 60 % in that group say wedding-related businesses should be allowed to refuse services to same-sex couples , but there are sharp divides within that group by age and ideology . moderate and liberal republicans and republican-leaners broadly say wedding-related businesses should be required to serve all couples the same way ( 58 % ) while three-quarters of conservative republicans favor allowing a caterer or florist to refuse service for religious reasons ( 74 % ) . among republicans and republican-leaning independents under age 50 , 56 % say wedding-related businesses should be required to serve same-sex and different-sex couples the same way while among those age 50 or older , 72 % think they should not be required to do so . the big gay wedding cake quiz age differences hold across party lines , but the generation gap among republicans and republican-leaners is larger than that among democrats and democratic-leaning independents . overall , white evangelicals are broadly in favor of allowing businesses to refuse service for religious reasons - 62 % say they should be able to . but among whites who are not evangelicals , 61 % say such businesses should be required to provide services to all couples the same way . the shift from the pew center results comes across demographic lines . men , women , whites , younger adults and senior citizens all are more apt than in the pew poll to say wedding-related business should be required to serve same-sex couples as they do others . the cnn/orc international poll was conducted by telephone , april 16-19 , among a random national sample of 1,018 adult americans . results for the full poll have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points . michigan auto repair shop says yes to gun owners , no to homosexuals","most americans say businesses should not discriminate against same-sex weddings" +"hu ( cnn ) -- the leaders of brazil , russia , india , china and south africa -- collectively known as the fast-growing brics economies -- began arriving wednesday in new delhi amid protests from tibetan groups against the arrival of chinese president hu jintao . a tibetan demonstrator who set himself ablaze in protest against beijing died of his injuries wednesday , officials at new delhi 's ram manohar lohia hospital said . janphel yeshi , 27 , set himself on fire monday and was hospitalized with burns to 90 % of his body . self-immolation has become a common form of protest for tibetans who accuse beijing of repression . more than 30 of them took place in the last year in china , tibetan advocacy groups say . authorities in new delhi banned protest gatherings around the city 's key government and embassy district where the brics summit will be held . police were also dispatched to tibetan communities where protests had flared up , police spokesman rajan bhagat told cnn . on tuesday , police cordoned off some communities and a number of arrests were made , according to indo-asian news service many ethnic tibetans fled tibet for india with the dalai lama in 1959 after a failed uprising . the brics summit on thursday is expected to focus on greater economic cooperation among the five nations , including the creation of a development bank to fund projects and trade in the developing world -- a move viewed as a way to present an alternative to the international monetary fund and the world bank . president barack obama nominated an american to lead the world bank , despite calls from brics for the u.s. to break with tradition and nominate a bank chief from the developing world . bric was created as an acronym by goldman sachs economist jim o'neill to describe the world 's fastest growing markets . goldman sachs predicts the economies of brazil , russia , india and china collectively could be larger than the g7 by 2027 . this is the fourth summit of the brics heads of states . south africa was asked to join last year , although many economists -- including o'neill , who coined the term -- question whether south africa has the global economic importance of the other four emerging economies . cnn 's harmeet shah singh contributed to this report","hu arriving in new delhi for thursdays brics summit of fast growing emerging economies" +"hu ( cnn ) -- the leaders of brazil , russia , india , china and south africa -- collectively known as the fast-growing brics economies -- began arriving wednesday in new delhi amid protests from tibetan groups against the arrival of chinese president hu jintao . a tibetan demonstrator who set himself ablaze in protest against beijing died of his injuries wednesday , officials at new delhi 's ram manohar lohia hospital said . janphel yeshi , 27 , set himself on fire monday and was hospitalized with burns to 90 % of his body . self-immolation has become a common form of protest for tibetans who accuse beijing of repression . more than 30 of them took place in the last year in china , tibetan advocacy groups say . authorities in new delhi banned protest gatherings around the city 's key government and embassy district where the brics summit will be held . police were also dispatched to tibetan communities where protests had flared up , police spokesman rajan bhagat told cnn . on tuesday , police cordoned off some communities and a number of arrests were made , according to indo-asian news service many ethnic tibetans fled tibet for india with the dalai lama in 1959 after a failed uprising . the brics summit on thursday is expected to focus on greater economic cooperation among the five nations , including the creation of a development bank to fund projects and trade in the developing world -- a move viewed as a way to present an alternative to the international monetary fund and the world bank . president barack obama nominated an american to lead the world bank , despite calls from brics for the u.s. to break with tradition and nominate a bank chief from the developing world . bric was created as an acronym by goldman sachs economist jim o'neill to describe the world 's fastest growing markets . goldman sachs predicts the economies of brazil , russia , india and china collectively could be larger than the g7 by 2027 . this is the fourth summit of the brics heads of states . south africa was asked to join last year , although many economists -- including o'neill , who coined the term -- question whether south africa has the global economic importance of the other four emerging economies . cnn 's harmeet shah singh contributed to this report","protests in indian among the tibetan community against chinese president hu jintao" +"new delhi ( cnn ) -- the leaders of brazil , russia , india , china and south africa -- collectively known as the fast-growing brics economies -- began arriving wednesday in new delhi amid protests from tibetan groups against the arrival of chinese president hu jintao . a tibetan demonstrator who set himself ablaze in protest against beijing died of his injuries wednesday , officials at new delhi 's ram manohar lohia hospital said . janphel yeshi , 27 , set himself on fire monday and was hospitalized with burns to 90 % of his body . self-immolation has become a common form of protest for tibetans who accuse beijing of repression . more than 30 of them took place in the last year in china , tibetan advocacy groups say . authorities in new delhi banned protest gatherings around the city 's key government and embassy district where the brics summit will be held . police were also dispatched to tibetan communities where protests had flared up , police spokesman rajan bhagat told cnn . on tuesday , police cordoned off some communities and a number of arrests were made , according to indo-asian news service many ethnic tibetans fled tibet for india with the dalai lama in 1959 after a failed uprising . the brics summit on thursday is expected to focus on greater economic cooperation among the five nations , including the creation of a development bank to fund projects and trade in the developing world -- a move viewed as a way to present an alternative to the international monetary fund and the world bank . president barack obama nominated an american to lead the world bank , despite calls from brics for the u.s. to break with tradition and nominate a bank chief from the developing world . bric was created as an acronym by goldman sachs economist jim o'neill to describe the world 's fastest growing markets . goldman sachs predicts the economies of brazil , russia , india and china collectively could be larger than the g7 by 2027 . this is the fourth summit of the brics heads of states . south africa was asked to join last year , although many economists -- including o'neill , who coined the term -- question whether south africa has the global economic importance of the other four emerging economies . cnn 's harmeet shah singh contributed to this report","hu arriving in new delhi for thursdays brics summit of fast growing emerging economies" +"india ( cnn ) -- the leaders of brazil , russia , india , china and south africa -- collectively known as the fast-growing brics economies -- began arriving wednesday in new delhi amid protests from tibetan groups against the arrival of chinese president hu jintao . a tibetan demonstrator who set himself ablaze in protest against beijing died of his injuries wednesday , officials at new delhi 's ram manohar lohia hospital said . janphel yeshi , 27 , set himself on fire monday and was hospitalized with burns to 90 % of his body . self-immolation has become a common form of protest for tibetans who accuse beijing of repression . more than 30 of them took place in the last year in china , tibetan advocacy groups say . authorities in new delhi banned protest gatherings around the city 's key government and embassy district where the brics summit will be held . police were also dispatched to tibetan communities where protests had flared up , police spokesman rajan bhagat told cnn . on tuesday , police cordoned off some communities and a number of arrests were made , according to indo-asian news service many ethnic tibetans fled tibet for india with the dalai lama in 1959 after a failed uprising . the brics summit on thursday is expected to focus on greater economic cooperation among the five nations , including the creation of a development bank to fund projects and trade in the developing world -- a move viewed as a way to present an alternative to the international monetary fund and the world bank . president barack obama nominated an american to lead the world bank , despite calls from brics for the u.s. to break with tradition and nominate a bank chief from the developing world . bric was created as an acronym by goldman sachs economist jim o'neill to describe the world 's fastest growing markets . goldman sachs predicts the economies of brazil , russia , india and china collectively could be larger than the g7 by 2027 . this is the fourth summit of the brics heads of states . south africa was asked to join last year , although many economists -- including o'neill , who coined the term -- question whether south africa has the global economic importance of the other four emerging economies . cnn 's harmeet shah singh contributed to this report","leaders of brazil , russia , india , china and south africa will meet on economic issues" +"mexican la gloria , mexico ( cnn ) -- tucked away in this small mountain village , off a dusty road flanked by pig farms , is where the earliest case of swine flu -- a virus spreading globally -- was confirmed . five-year-old edgar hernandez , known as patient zero ' survived the earliest documented case of swine flu . meet the child known as patient zero ' by his doctors -- 5-year-old edgar hernandez , who survived the earliest documented case of swine flu in an outbreak that , officials say , has now spread across four continents . his family lives in the 3,000-population village of la gloria in the state of veracruz , where a flu outbreak was reported on april 2 . state officials arrived and took samples from dozens of people . lab tests confirmed that edgar was the only patient in veracruz to test positive for the swine flu virus ; the others had contracted a common flu . health officials had returned to edgar 's sample only after cases of the new flu strain were spotted around the country . in this case , there 's a patient who turned out to be positive for the swine-flu virus , with the exception that at that time in no region of the world it had been established as an etiological , epidemic cause , ' said mexico health secretary jose angel cordova . edgar has managed to bounce back from his symptoms and playfully credits ice cream for helping him feel better . his mother blamed the virus on a huge pig farm in the neighborhood . officials have conducted tests at the farm owned by u.s. company smithfield foods , and those tests came back negative . meanwhile , mexican health officials suspect the swine flu outbreak has caused more than 159 deaths and roughly 2,500 illnesses . the world health organization says at least 105 cases have been confirmed worldwide , including 64 in the united states ; 26 in mexico ; six in canada ; three in new zealand ; and two each in spain , the united kingdom and israel . who has confirmed deaths only in mexico , where seven people have died from swine flu . the deadly outbreak in mexico prompted authorities to order about 35,000 public venues in mexico city to close or serve only take-out meals as health officials tried to contain the virus . ireport.com : are you worried about swine flu ? officials in mexico city also ordered the closing of bars , clubs , movie theaters , pool halls , theaters , gyms , sport centers and convention halls until may 6 , said juan jose garcia ochoa , one of the city government 's top officials . officials on friday closed schools in the city and monday extended that order nationwide until at least may 6 . i 'm pretty nervous of this whole virus thing , ' berta hernandez said as she touched up her eyeliner inside a packed and humid subway car in mexico city . she did not dare lift her surgical mask to put on lip gloss . i 'm nervous of the people who are n't wearing masks . maybe they will suddenly sneeze or cough , ' she said . governments around the world scrambled to prevent further outbreak . some , like china and russia , banned pork imports from the united states and mexico , even though the world health organization said the disease has not been shown to be transmissible to people through eating properly handled and prepared pork ( pig meat ) or other products derived from pigs . ' several others , such as japan and indonesia , used thermographic devices to test the temperature of passengers arriving from mexico . the philippines'health department urged people to avoid kissing and hugging in public . argentina announced a five-day ban on flights from mexico . four cruise lines -- holland america , royal caribbean , norwegian and princess -- canceled upcoming calls to mexican ports . president obama said the outbreak is a cause for concern , not for alarm . the government urged travelers to avoid nonessential travel to mexico . ireport.com : regular life ' in mexico with masks the u.s. food and drug administration issued emergency authorization for the use of two of the most common antiviral drugs , tamiflu and relenza . the authorization allows the distribution of the drugs by a broader range of health-care workers and loosens age limits for their use . in mexico city , however , there is a shortage of such medication . it also became impossible to find protective surgical masks , which the government had handed out to one out of every five residents . watch dr. sanjay gupta inside a mexico city hospital » worried citizens continue to flood in night and day at hospitals , only to be turned around by armed guards . i was looking for a mask at my local pharmacy , but they sold out , ' supermarket worker rafael martinez said as he rode the subway . i know it 's a risk , but i ca n't find one . ' swine influenza , or flu , is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs . when the flu spreads person-to-person , instead of from animals to humans , it can continue to mutate , making it harder to treat or fight , because people have no natural immunity . symptoms include fever , runny nose , sore throat , nausea , vomiting and diarrhea . common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year worldwide , far more than the current outbreak of swine flu . learn more about swine flu and how to treat it » but there is no vaccine for the new disease , and little natural immunity , an expert said . i think the reason to be concerned is ... we had a vaccine for regular flu , ' said dr. carlos del rio of the emory university school of medicine in atlanta , georgia . this is a totally new virus . ... you have a virus to which there 's no pre-vaccination , there 's no prior immunity . and , therefore , the mortality rate may be higher than other influenza viruses . ' watch why swine flu is a sloppy virus ' » researchers do not know how the virus is jumping relatively easily from person to person , or why it 's affecting what should be society 's healthiest demographic . meanwhile , mexico 's largest city saw the the government close universities , postpone sporting events and cancel church services in an effort to try to stem the spread of the virus . i do n't think it 's feasible or advisable to shut down the city , ' said jose luis suarez , a newspaper vendor . people would try and get out somehow , and that would make a bad situation worse . ' cnn chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta in la gloria , mexico , contributed to this report .","thousands flood mexican hospitals , scramble for masks" +"arctic ( cnn ) -- nato representatives and lawmakers from alliance nations will meet in iceland thursday to discuss security challenges that are likely to arise as the arctic circle thaws . global warming is opening up more parts of the arctic to development and raising security concerns . the area -- one of the planet 's most fragile and pristine ecosystems -- sits atop a bounty of untapped fossil fuels . and as the melting polar ice makes the arctic more accessible to ships , several countries are scrambling to claim jurisdiction in the area . the economic interests are reflected in ... competing claims by relevant stakeholders , and resumed military presence in the area , ' nato said on its web site . as it is a region of enduring strategic importance for nato and allied security , developments in the high north require careful and ongoing examination . ' the u.s. geological survey estimates that 90 billion barrels of oil , 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are recoverable in the frozen region north of the arctic circle . at the same time , arctic water is warming so quickly that the entire region could be ice-free by 2013 . already russia , canada , the united states , denmark , norway , sweden , iceland and finland are fighting to lay claim to the arctic 's icy real estate . unlike antarctica , which has a treaty that prohibits territorial claims , there is no agreement for the vast expanse of the arctic . so questions about drilling rights and shipping lanes are somewhat murky . according to the u.n. convention on the law of the sea , countries are entitled to exclusive economic zones up to 200 miles from their shores . but some countries are trying to extend that zone . russian scientists want to prove the seabed below the north pole is part of the eurasian continental shelf , an area called the lomonosov ridge . if that is the case , the region would be under russian control . moscow argued before a u.n. commission in 2001 that the ridge is an extension of its continental territory . but the united nations asked for more evidence . danish scientists are trying to prove that the lomonosov ridge is connected to greenland , and canadian scientists are looking for links between the ridge and ellesmere island , a canadian territory . nato secretary general jaap de hoop scheffer will attend the two-day conference in reykjavek .","thawing of arctic poses questions over who controls region 's resources" +"arctic ( cnn ) -- nato representatives and lawmakers from alliance nations will meet in iceland thursday to discuss security challenges that are likely to arise as the arctic circle thaws . global warming is opening up more parts of the arctic to development and raising security concerns . the area -- one of the planet 's most fragile and pristine ecosystems -- sits atop a bounty of untapped fossil fuels . and as the melting polar ice makes the arctic more accessible to ships , several countries are scrambling to claim jurisdiction in the area . the economic interests are reflected in ... competing claims by relevant stakeholders , and resumed military presence in the area , ' nato said on its web site . as it is a region of enduring strategic importance for nato and allied security , developments in the high north require careful and ongoing examination . ' the u.s. geological survey estimates that 90 billion barrels of oil , 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are recoverable in the frozen region north of the arctic circle . at the same time , arctic water is warming so quickly that the entire region could be ice-free by 2013 . already russia , canada , the united states , denmark , norway , sweden , iceland and finland are fighting to lay claim to the arctic 's icy real estate . unlike antarctica , which has a treaty that prohibits territorial claims , there is no agreement for the vast expanse of the arctic . so questions about drilling rights and shipping lanes are somewhat murky . according to the u.n. convention on the law of the sea , countries are entitled to exclusive economic zones up to 200 miles from their shores . but some countries are trying to extend that zone . russian scientists want to prove the seabed below the north pole is part of the eurasian continental shelf , an area called the lomonosov ridge . if that is the case , the region would be under russian control . moscow argued before a u.n. commission in 2001 that the ridge is an extension of its continental territory . but the united nations asked for more evidence . danish scientists are trying to prove that the lomonosov ridge is connected to greenland , and canadian scientists are looking for links between the ridge and ellesmere island , a canadian territory . nato secretary general jaap de hoop scheffer will attend the two-day conference in reykjavek .","number of countries laying claim to arctic due to untapped fossil fuel deposits" +"arctic ( cnn ) -- nato representatives and lawmakers from alliance nations will meet in iceland thursday to discuss security challenges that are likely to arise as the arctic circle thaws . global warming is opening up more parts of the arctic to development and raising security concerns . the area -- one of the planet 's most fragile and pristine ecosystems -- sits atop a bounty of untapped fossil fuels . and as the melting polar ice makes the arctic more accessible to ships , several countries are scrambling to claim jurisdiction in the area . the economic interests are reflected in ... competing claims by relevant stakeholders , and resumed military presence in the area , ' nato said on its web site . as it is a region of enduring strategic importance for nato and allied security , developments in the high north require careful and ongoing examination . ' the u.s. geological survey estimates that 90 billion barrels of oil , 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are recoverable in the frozen region north of the arctic circle . at the same time , arctic water is warming so quickly that the entire region could be ice-free by 2013 . already russia , canada , the united states , denmark , norway , sweden , iceland and finland are fighting to lay claim to the arctic 's icy real estate . unlike antarctica , which has a treaty that prohibits territorial claims , there is no agreement for the vast expanse of the arctic . so questions about drilling rights and shipping lanes are somewhat murky . according to the u.n. convention on the law of the sea , countries are entitled to exclusive economic zones up to 200 miles from their shores . but some countries are trying to extend that zone . russian scientists want to prove the seabed below the north pole is part of the eurasian continental shelf , an area called the lomonosov ridge . if that is the case , the region would be under russian control . moscow argued before a u.n. commission in 2001 that the ridge is an extension of its continental territory . but the united nations asked for more evidence . danish scientists are trying to prove that the lomonosov ridge is connected to greenland , and canadian scientists are looking for links between the ridge and ellesmere island , a canadian territory . nato secretary general jaap de hoop scheffer will attend the two-day conference in reykjavek .","nato meeting in iceland to discuss arctic security challenges" +"trayvon martin for everyone who has condemned the numerous protests , rallies and vigils demanding justice for trayvon benjamin martin , the 17-year-old gunned down in sanford , florida , a month ago , please listen to these two words : shut up ! of course that may seem harsh , but that is exactly how i feel . i do n't want to hear the nonsense to let the system run its course . others say , let 's not do anything until all of the facts are in . ' let 's cut to the chase : there would be no special prosecutor had thousands across the national not mobilized , organized and took to the streets to demand justice for trayvon . would a grand jury be convened on april 10 ? not a chance . would the 911 tapes be released showing admitted trigger man george zimmerman calling trayvon suspicious , and owning up to following him ? no . would the florida legislature be reviewing -- and discussing changing or abandoning -- the controversial stand your ground ' law , which is at the heart of this case ? no . would the department of justice have launched an investigation into the case , as well as the sanford police department ? nope . would sanford 's police chief , bill lee , have stepped down if the inept investigation had n't been exposed ? no . instead of critics condemning the protests , they should be saying , thank you ! thank you ! thank you ! ' whether folks want to admit it or not , this has always been the story of african-americans . go through history and you will find many examples of cases not being investigated or , if they were brought to trial , prosecuted or judged atrociously : scottsboro boys . clarence brandley . lenell geter . medgar evers . the sixteeenth street baptist church bombing . justice is supposed to be blind , but for african-americans , it has commonly been deaf , dumb and blind . as a result , we 've had to live by the admonition of former slave and abolitionist frederick douglass , who said , agitate ! agitate ! agitate ! ' it was also douglass who stated , power concedes nothing without a demand . ' the main demand in the trayvon martin case from day one was for zimmerman to be arrested and for justice to be served . this was n't about a ridiculous bounty on the head of zimmerman by the new black panther party . it was n't about the selling of t-shirts . it was n't about who showed up and led a march or why . it was about holding a legal system accountable that clearly gave more credence to a 28-year-old gunman than the 17-year-old , unarmed man who was gunned down . for all of our talk about law and order in this country , there is a lot that is wrong with our legal system . we all should feel ashamed when someone is freed from death row or life in prison after dna testing revealed him or her not to be the real killer or rapist . it should pain our heart when the prosecution withholds evidence in a case that could exonerate someone . and all of us , regardless of race or economic status , should scream to high heaven when the police do n't do their job equally for all citizens . we are a nation of laws , and sometimes they work for some and not others . when we 've prayed , cried and pleaded , oftentimes the only thing we have left to do is march . that is a right that is afforded every one of us in the u.s. constitution , be it the tea party , occupy wall street or those demanding justice for trayvon . no one should be condemned for taking to the streets and letting their voices be heard . they should n't be called race-baiters , rabble-rousers or radicals . we all should call them exactly what they are : true americans .","without protests , the trayvon martin case would be going nowhere , roland martin says" +"iranian ( cnn ) -- over the years , i 've seen a good many meetings between u.s. presidents and israeli prime ministers on big issues during critical moments . it usually takes a few days before we can begin to make sense of what occurred and what to expect . here 's a guide to interpret last week 's meeting between barack obama and benjamin netanyahu on the iranian nuclear issue and how to read the next several months . best meeting yet but do n't be fooled unlike lehman brothers , the u.s.-israeli relationship really is too big to fail . driven by the marriage of value affinity , politics and national interest , it 's proved remarkably resilient over the years , particularly given the differences between a big nation and a tiny one . and this , the ninth meeting between their two leaders ( while in office ) , was among their best . that 's not saying much given the rocky relationship between the two . but for reasons of policy and politics , neither wants nor can afford a fight . the last thing obama or netanyahu needed was to highlight differences on iran , even while they do differ on the timing and need for a military strike . my sense is that the president still thinks the prime minister is something of a con man and the prime minister finds the president bloodless and lacking real emotional connection when it comes to appreciating israeli fears . there are plenty of rocky times ahead , particularly on the peace process between israel and the palestinians , a volatile issue ( now closed for the season ) but bound to become combustible again should obama be re-elected in november . where you stand depends on where you sit the iranian issue highlights a fundamental truth about international politics and about israel and america : when it comes to matters of national security and survival , size and geography can divide even the closest allies . israel is a tiny nation that has been in conflict and at war since its inception . despite its regional superpower status and nuclear arsenal , it still sees itself living on the knife 's edge with little or no margin for error . for israelis , pre-emption and vigilance will always trump patience and passivity . ( examples : israeli 's pre-emptive strikes in june 1967 ; against the iraqi reactor in july 1981 ; and against an incipient syrian nuclear facility in september 2007 . ) the united states is the most powerful nation on earth . it has nonpredatory neighbors to its north and south and fish to its east and west . it has enemies , but none that pose a potential existential threat . with rare exceptions ( george w. bush 's administration ) , the united states tends to be more deliberate and reactive in the projection of its military power because it has greater discretion . this gap can never be closed . the israelis are not poised to strike iran anytime soon , but in threatening military action , they have used the urgency to place the nuclear issue at the top of the president 's agenda . we should n't be pushed by the israelis into war with iran , but we can not trivialize their concerns either . they might act even if it means only a temporary delay in the iranian program and at tremendous cost to the united states . it is the way of the small power . prevention , not containment perhaps the most important development to emerge from the meeting last week was obama 's clear reset of the frame of reference within which american policy toward iran will now play out . he gave very little away to the prime minister in terms of assurances , let alone guarantees , of american military action against iran . but he did highlight the new vocabulary : containment of iran and its nuclear program wo n't do anymore . prevention of an iranian nuclear weapon is now the strategic objective . the president has alluded to preventing iran from acquiring a weapon before , but these days , it takes on a much more activist cast . the bush administration pushed containment and did n't seriously consider striking iran 's nuclear facilities . given the changing context , this president might well be called on to make good on his commitment . indeed , obama is not prepared to acquiesce to iran becoming a nuclear weapons state . living on borrowed time for the time being , the president and the prime minister agree nonmilitary means should be used to try to prevent iran from pursuing its enrichment activities . netanyahu wanted a green light from the president should he deem it necessary to strike iran . he did n't get it . obama wanted a red light from the prime minister that he would n't exercise a military option . the president did n't get that either . this was n't a meeting about making decisions or exchanging ironclad assurances that would commit either leader to a particular course of action . the reason for that is there 's no solution to the iranian nuclear issue in sight . neither leader will surrender his freedom of action : the prime minister to strike if necessary ; the president to avoid encouraging the israelis to do so or to commit the u.s. to do it for the israelis . that leaves a big gap and no clear path to a nonmilitary outcome . indeed , without a serious negotiation between iran and the p5 +1 ( the united states , china , russia , france , britain and germany ) , we 're drifting toward a military option , most likely by israel . the roadrunner/coyote game we will likely see more cat and mouse games , or in this case coyote and roadrunner games , perhaps with a return to the negotiations between iran and the p5+1 on the issue of enrichment . iran as roadrunner will continue to try to evade efforts to constrain their nuclear enrichment program . the west as coyote will try to stop them . in this case , the game of covert war and pressure , replete with sanctions , cyberattacks and assassinations , will likely continue . it 's clearly preferable to an overt one . coyote will try any number of ways to lay traps for roadrunner . more than likely , they will fail . only one country can prevent iran from acquiring the capacity to arm itself with nuclear weapons , and that 's iran , should it decide the costs of the nuclear effort are just too steep . four countries outside of the five permanent members of the united nations security council have nuclear weapons : israel , india , pakistan and north korea . all wanted them , and all got them . perhaps this time around , since we 're more focused and determined , we 'll have better luck with iran . but barring a change in the mullahacracy 's motivation to develop the capacity to produce a nuke , i would n't bet the mortgage on it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of aaron david miller .","miller : biggest change is obama 's focus on preventing iranian nuclear weapon" +"obama ( cnn ) -- over the years , i 've seen a good many meetings between u.s. presidents and israeli prime ministers on big issues during critical moments . it usually takes a few days before we can begin to make sense of what occurred and what to expect . here 's a guide to interpret last week 's meeting between barack obama and benjamin netanyahu on the iranian nuclear issue and how to read the next several months . best meeting yet but do n't be fooled unlike lehman brothers , the u.s.-israeli relationship really is too big to fail . driven by the marriage of value affinity , politics and national interest , it 's proved remarkably resilient over the years , particularly given the differences between a big nation and a tiny one . and this , the ninth meeting between their two leaders ( while in office ) , was among their best . that 's not saying much given the rocky relationship between the two . but for reasons of policy and politics , neither wants nor can afford a fight . the last thing obama or netanyahu needed was to highlight differences on iran , even while they do differ on the timing and need for a military strike . my sense is that the president still thinks the prime minister is something of a con man and the prime minister finds the president bloodless and lacking real emotional connection when it comes to appreciating israeli fears . there are plenty of rocky times ahead , particularly on the peace process between israel and the palestinians , a volatile issue ( now closed for the season ) but bound to become combustible again should obama be re-elected in november . where you stand depends on where you sit the iranian issue highlights a fundamental truth about international politics and about israel and america : when it comes to matters of national security and survival , size and geography can divide even the closest allies . israel is a tiny nation that has been in conflict and at war since its inception . despite its regional superpower status and nuclear arsenal , it still sees itself living on the knife 's edge with little or no margin for error . for israelis , pre-emption and vigilance will always trump patience and passivity . ( examples : israeli 's pre-emptive strikes in june 1967 ; against the iraqi reactor in july 1981 ; and against an incipient syrian nuclear facility in september 2007 . ) the united states is the most powerful nation on earth . it has nonpredatory neighbors to its north and south and fish to its east and west . it has enemies , but none that pose a potential existential threat . with rare exceptions ( george w. bush 's administration ) , the united states tends to be more deliberate and reactive in the projection of its military power because it has greater discretion . this gap can never be closed . the israelis are not poised to strike iran anytime soon , but in threatening military action , they have used the urgency to place the nuclear issue at the top of the president 's agenda . we should n't be pushed by the israelis into war with iran , but we can not trivialize their concerns either . they might act even if it means only a temporary delay in the iranian program and at tremendous cost to the united states . it is the way of the small power . prevention , not containment perhaps the most important development to emerge from the meeting last week was obama 's clear reset of the frame of reference within which american policy toward iran will now play out . he gave very little away to the prime minister in terms of assurances , let alone guarantees , of american military action against iran . but he did highlight the new vocabulary : containment of iran and its nuclear program wo n't do anymore . prevention of an iranian nuclear weapon is now the strategic objective . the president has alluded to preventing iran from acquiring a weapon before , but these days , it takes on a much more activist cast . the bush administration pushed containment and did n't seriously consider striking iran 's nuclear facilities . given the changing context , this president might well be called on to make good on his commitment . indeed , obama is not prepared to acquiesce to iran becoming a nuclear weapons state . living on borrowed time for the time being , the president and the prime minister agree nonmilitary means should be used to try to prevent iran from pursuing its enrichment activities . netanyahu wanted a green light from the president should he deem it necessary to strike iran . he did n't get it . obama wanted a red light from the prime minister that he would n't exercise a military option . the president did n't get that either . this was n't a meeting about making decisions or exchanging ironclad assurances that would commit either leader to a particular course of action . the reason for that is there 's no solution to the iranian nuclear issue in sight . neither leader will surrender his freedom of action : the prime minister to strike if necessary ; the president to avoid encouraging the israelis to do so or to commit the u.s. to do it for the israelis . that leaves a big gap and no clear path to a nonmilitary outcome . indeed , without a serious negotiation between iran and the p5 +1 ( the united states , china , russia , france , britain and germany ) , we 're drifting toward a military option , most likely by israel . the roadrunner/coyote game we will likely see more cat and mouse games , or in this case coyote and roadrunner games , perhaps with a return to the negotiations between iran and the p5+1 on the issue of enrichment . iran as roadrunner will continue to try to evade efforts to constrain their nuclear enrichment program . the west as coyote will try to stop them . in this case , the game of covert war and pressure , replete with sanctions , cyberattacks and assassinations , will likely continue . it 's clearly preferable to an overt one . coyote will try any number of ways to lay traps for roadrunner . more than likely , they will fail . only one country can prevent iran from acquiring the capacity to arm itself with nuclear weapons , and that 's iran , should it decide the costs of the nuclear effort are just too steep . four countries outside of the five permanent members of the united nations security council have nuclear weapons : israel , india , pakistan and north korea . all wanted them , and all got them . perhaps this time around , since we 're more focused and determined , we 'll have better luck with iran . but barring a change in the mullahacracy 's motivation to develop the capacity to produce a nuke , i would n't bet the mortgage on it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of aaron david miller .","miller : biggest change is obama 's focus on preventing iranian nuclear weapon" +"obama ( cnn ) -- over the years , i 've seen a good many meetings between u.s. presidents and israeli prime ministers on big issues during critical moments . it usually takes a few days before we can begin to make sense of what occurred and what to expect . here 's a guide to interpret last week 's meeting between barack obama and benjamin netanyahu on the iranian nuclear issue and how to read the next several months . best meeting yet but do n't be fooled unlike lehman brothers , the u.s.-israeli relationship really is too big to fail . driven by the marriage of value affinity , politics and national interest , it 's proved remarkably resilient over the years , particularly given the differences between a big nation and a tiny one . and this , the ninth meeting between their two leaders ( while in office ) , was among their best . that 's not saying much given the rocky relationship between the two . but for reasons of policy and politics , neither wants nor can afford a fight . the last thing obama or netanyahu needed was to highlight differences on iran , even while they do differ on the timing and need for a military strike . my sense is that the president still thinks the prime minister is something of a con man and the prime minister finds the president bloodless and lacking real emotional connection when it comes to appreciating israeli fears . there are plenty of rocky times ahead , particularly on the peace process between israel and the palestinians , a volatile issue ( now closed for the season ) but bound to become combustible again should obama be re-elected in november . where you stand depends on where you sit the iranian issue highlights a fundamental truth about international politics and about israel and america : when it comes to matters of national security and survival , size and geography can divide even the closest allies . israel is a tiny nation that has been in conflict and at war since its inception . despite its regional superpower status and nuclear arsenal , it still sees itself living on the knife 's edge with little or no margin for error . for israelis , pre-emption and vigilance will always trump patience and passivity . ( examples : israeli 's pre-emptive strikes in june 1967 ; against the iraqi reactor in july 1981 ; and against an incipient syrian nuclear facility in september 2007 . ) the united states is the most powerful nation on earth . it has nonpredatory neighbors to its north and south and fish to its east and west . it has enemies , but none that pose a potential existential threat . with rare exceptions ( george w. bush 's administration ) , the united states tends to be more deliberate and reactive in the projection of its military power because it has greater discretion . this gap can never be closed . the israelis are not poised to strike iran anytime soon , but in threatening military action , they have used the urgency to place the nuclear issue at the top of the president 's agenda . we should n't be pushed by the israelis into war with iran , but we can not trivialize their concerns either . they might act even if it means only a temporary delay in the iranian program and at tremendous cost to the united states . it is the way of the small power . prevention , not containment perhaps the most important development to emerge from the meeting last week was obama 's clear reset of the frame of reference within which american policy toward iran will now play out . he gave very little away to the prime minister in terms of assurances , let alone guarantees , of american military action against iran . but he did highlight the new vocabulary : containment of iran and its nuclear program wo n't do anymore . prevention of an iranian nuclear weapon is now the strategic objective . the president has alluded to preventing iran from acquiring a weapon before , but these days , it takes on a much more activist cast . the bush administration pushed containment and did n't seriously consider striking iran 's nuclear facilities . given the changing context , this president might well be called on to make good on his commitment . indeed , obama is not prepared to acquiesce to iran becoming a nuclear weapons state . living on borrowed time for the time being , the president and the prime minister agree nonmilitary means should be used to try to prevent iran from pursuing its enrichment activities . netanyahu wanted a green light from the president should he deem it necessary to strike iran . he did n't get it . obama wanted a red light from the prime minister that he would n't exercise a military option . the president did n't get that either . this was n't a meeting about making decisions or exchanging ironclad assurances that would commit either leader to a particular course of action . the reason for that is there 's no solution to the iranian nuclear issue in sight . neither leader will surrender his freedom of action : the prime minister to strike if necessary ; the president to avoid encouraging the israelis to do so or to commit the u.s. to do it for the israelis . that leaves a big gap and no clear path to a nonmilitary outcome . indeed , without a serious negotiation between iran and the p5 +1 ( the united states , china , russia , france , britain and germany ) , we 're drifting toward a military option , most likely by israel . the roadrunner/coyote game we will likely see more cat and mouse games , or in this case coyote and roadrunner games , perhaps with a return to the negotiations between iran and the p5+1 on the issue of enrichment . iran as roadrunner will continue to try to evade efforts to constrain their nuclear enrichment program . the west as coyote will try to stop them . in this case , the game of covert war and pressure , replete with sanctions , cyberattacks and assassinations , will likely continue . it 's clearly preferable to an overt one . coyote will try any number of ways to lay traps for roadrunner . more than likely , they will fail . only one country can prevent iran from acquiring the capacity to arm itself with nuclear weapons , and that 's iran , should it decide the costs of the nuclear effort are just too steep . four countries outside of the five permanent members of the united nations security council have nuclear weapons : israel , india , pakistan and north korea . all wanted them , and all got them . perhaps this time around , since we 're more focused and determined , we 'll have better luck with iran . but barring a change in the mullahacracy 's motivation to develop the capacity to produce a nuke , i would n't bet the mortgage on it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of aaron david miller .","aaron miller : last week 's meeting was the best between obama , netanyahu" +"obama washington ( cnn ) -- the 2012 presidential election shattered spending records , further polarized a divided country and launched a thousand hashtags . the race appeared to be a nail-biter going into tuesday night but in the end , it came down to the state that most had been saying for weeks that it would †” ohio . here are five things we learned from tuesday victorious obama faces familiar challenges 1 . the gop has a latino problem ' if we do n't do better with hispanics , we 'll be out of the white house forever , ' says republican strategist and cnn contributor ana navarro , who was the national hispanic co-chair of sen. john mccain 's 2008 presidential campaign . the big issue republicans are going to have to wrestle with is the hispanic issue , ' adds republican strategist and cnn contributor ari fleischer , who served as president george w. bush 's first press secretary . republicans are going to have to find a different way forward . ' the national exit polls tell the story . latinos are the fastest growing-segment of the population . their share of the vote expanded from 9 % in 2008 to 10 % in this election . the president won 67 % of the vote four years ago . he increased that to 71 % this year . latinos were crucial in helping obama win the battleground states of colorado and nevada , and in putting the president in the lead for florida 's 29 electoral votes . and they were just as important in turning the former swing state of new mexico into what appears to be an increasingly safe state for the democrats . cnn election center : 2012 exit polls if the current trend continues , arizona and texas could turn from red to purple . the 2012 election is a loud wake-up call for the gop to change its stance on illegal immigration . and that 's being acknowledged by arguably the best known latino republican senator . the conservative movement should have particular appeal to people in minority and immigrant communities who are trying to make it , and republicans need to work harder than ever to communicate our beliefs to them , ' said sen. marco rubio of florida in a statement tuesday night . opinion : five things obama must do 2 . the youth vote came up big †” and the white vote got smaller a big question heading into election day was whether younger voters would show up at the polls . more of them did than last time . according to national exit polls , 18-29 year olds increased from 17 % to 18 % of the electorate from 2004 to 2008 . they made up 19 % of the electorate this time around . that jump in size from four years ago made up for the president 's drop in capturing the youth vote , from 66 % in 2008 to 60 % in 2012 . it was n't just age , but also race , that worked in the president 's favor . obama 's share of the white vote dropped from 43 % four years ago to 39 % this year . but that was negated by the shrinking of the white vote from 74 % of the electorate four years ago to 72 % now . and the african-american percentage of the electorate stayed steady at 13 % . some gop strategists said that the white vote needed to be 74 % for romney to win . the youth vote and the black vote turned out once again and that 's to the president 's credit , ' fleischer said . world worries as u.s. fiscal cliff looms 3 . the auto bailouts helped drive obama to victory in ohio for months , the obama campaign touted the taxpayer bailouts of general motors and chrysler , and they were given prominent prime-time placement during the democratic national convention in early september . it 's a strategy that the obama campaign thought could be the difference in ohio , a major base for the auto industry that eventually decided the election . the american auto industry is back on top , ' obama said campaigning last week in the buckeye state . the bailouts were started under president george w. bush in 2008 but obama grabbed the keys to the program the next year , managing and funding the assistance . romney opposed the bailout and pushed for a privately financed and managed bankruptcy of the two automakers . the obama campaign and other democrats have attacked romney over his opposition to the federal intervention , which aided the companies through their eventual bankruptcies . and in the final weeks leading up the the election , the obama campaign highlighted pushback by general motors and chrysler to a romney tv ad and a radio spot this past week that claimed both domestic auto makers were sending u.s. jobs to china . portman stands by romney auto ads it seemed to work . nearly six in 10 ohio voters said they approved of the federal government 's role in helping the troubled domestic automakers , and according to exit polls , the president won three quarters of those voters . economy tops voter concerns in exit polls 4 . romney was n't able to expand the map much was made of campaign visits by romney and his running mate , rep. paul ryan , to pennsylvania in the final weekend before the election , and romney 's return to the keystone state on election day . the romney campaign and allied super pacs supporting the gop nominee flooded pennsylvania airwaves in the final weeks with a flurry of tv ads . to a lesser degree , there was a similar push in minnesota , another solidly democratic state where public opinion polls tightened last month . there was talk by romney campaign officials of being on offense and of expanding the electoral map . it did n't pan out . while romney performed stronger than 2008 republican nominee john mccain in pennsylvania and minnesota , it was n't enough . and of the swing states that swung blue four years ago , it appears romney was only able to turn indiana and north carolina red again . romney 's'all'proved not enough 5 . what will $ 6 billion get you ? we had a democratic president , a republican house of representatives , and democratic senate going into the 2012 election . and we 'll have a democrat in the white house , with a republican house and a democratic senate after the election . when all the bills are in , total spending for the 2012 election ( all federal and state races ) could top a record-breaking $ 6 billion . and what did all that money buy ? 2012 election priciest to date : $ 4.2 billion tab and rising some would argue ... nothing .","the auto bailout helped obama in ohio , a crucial battleground" +"obama washington ( cnn ) -- the 2012 presidential election shattered spending records , further polarized a divided country and launched a thousand hashtags . the race appeared to be a nail-biter going into tuesday night but in the end , it came down to the state that most had been saying for weeks that it would †” ohio . here are five things we learned from tuesday victorious obama faces familiar challenges 1 . the gop has a latino problem ' if we do n't do better with hispanics , we 'll be out of the white house forever , ' says republican strategist and cnn contributor ana navarro , who was the national hispanic co-chair of sen. john mccain 's 2008 presidential campaign . the big issue republicans are going to have to wrestle with is the hispanic issue , ' adds republican strategist and cnn contributor ari fleischer , who served as president george w. bush 's first press secretary . republicans are going to have to find a different way forward . ' the national exit polls tell the story . latinos are the fastest growing-segment of the population . their share of the vote expanded from 9 % in 2008 to 10 % in this election . the president won 67 % of the vote four years ago . he increased that to 71 % this year . latinos were crucial in helping obama win the battleground states of colorado and nevada , and in putting the president in the lead for florida 's 29 electoral votes . and they were just as important in turning the former swing state of new mexico into what appears to be an increasingly safe state for the democrats . cnn election center : 2012 exit polls if the current trend continues , arizona and texas could turn from red to purple . the 2012 election is a loud wake-up call for the gop to change its stance on illegal immigration . and that 's being acknowledged by arguably the best known latino republican senator . the conservative movement should have particular appeal to people in minority and immigrant communities who are trying to make it , and republicans need to work harder than ever to communicate our beliefs to them , ' said sen. marco rubio of florida in a statement tuesday night . opinion : five things obama must do 2 . the youth vote came up big †” and the white vote got smaller a big question heading into election day was whether younger voters would show up at the polls . more of them did than last time . according to national exit polls , 18-29 year olds increased from 17 % to 18 % of the electorate from 2004 to 2008 . they made up 19 % of the electorate this time around . that jump in size from four years ago made up for the president 's drop in capturing the youth vote , from 66 % in 2008 to 60 % in 2012 . it was n't just age , but also race , that worked in the president 's favor . obama 's share of the white vote dropped from 43 % four years ago to 39 % this year . but that was negated by the shrinking of the white vote from 74 % of the electorate four years ago to 72 % now . and the african-american percentage of the electorate stayed steady at 13 % . some gop strategists said that the white vote needed to be 74 % for romney to win . the youth vote and the black vote turned out once again and that 's to the president 's credit , ' fleischer said . world worries as u.s. fiscal cliff looms 3 . the auto bailouts helped drive obama to victory in ohio for months , the obama campaign touted the taxpayer bailouts of general motors and chrysler , and they were given prominent prime-time placement during the democratic national convention in early september . it 's a strategy that the obama campaign thought could be the difference in ohio , a major base for the auto industry that eventually decided the election . the american auto industry is back on top , ' obama said campaigning last week in the buckeye state . the bailouts were started under president george w. bush in 2008 but obama grabbed the keys to the program the next year , managing and funding the assistance . romney opposed the bailout and pushed for a privately financed and managed bankruptcy of the two automakers . the obama campaign and other democrats have attacked romney over his opposition to the federal intervention , which aided the companies through their eventual bankruptcies . and in the final weeks leading up the the election , the obama campaign highlighted pushback by general motors and chrysler to a romney tv ad and a radio spot this past week that claimed both domestic auto makers were sending u.s. jobs to china . portman stands by romney auto ads it seemed to work . nearly six in 10 ohio voters said they approved of the federal government 's role in helping the troubled domestic automakers , and according to exit polls , the president won three quarters of those voters . economy tops voter concerns in exit polls 4 . romney was n't able to expand the map much was made of campaign visits by romney and his running mate , rep. paul ryan , to pennsylvania in the final weekend before the election , and romney 's return to the keystone state on election day . the romney campaign and allied super pacs supporting the gop nominee flooded pennsylvania airwaves in the final weeks with a flurry of tv ads . to a lesser degree , there was a similar push in minnesota , another solidly democratic state where public opinion polls tightened last month . there was talk by romney campaign officials of being on offense and of expanding the electoral map . it did n't pan out . while romney performed stronger than 2008 republican nominee john mccain in pennsylvania and minnesota , it was n't enough . and of the swing states that swung blue four years ago , it appears romney was only able to turn indiana and north carolina red again . romney 's'all'proved not enough 5 . what will $ 6 billion get you ? we had a democratic president , a republican house of representatives , and democratic senate going into the 2012 election . and we 'll have a democrat in the white house , with a republican house and a democratic senate after the election . when all the bills are in , total spending for the 2012 election ( all federal and state races ) could top a record-breaking $ 6 billion . and what did all that money buy ? 2012 election priciest to date : $ 4.2 billion tab and rising some would argue ... nothing .","changes in the size of the youth vote and the white vote worked in obama 's favor" +"russia ( cnn ) -- early sunday , a massive fire at the kiss nightclub in southern brazil killed more than 200 people . nightclub infernos have claimed hundreds of lives over the years . here are some of the worst in recent memory : are you there ? share photos , videos august 2012 a fire that swept through a popular nightclub on the thai island of phuket killed four people early august 17 . december 2009 fireworks triggered a fire and panic on december 5 , 2009 , at a nightclub in perm , russia , killing 156 people . the commercial director of the facility , who was accused of ignoring safety measures , fled russia to spain , where he was arrested in september of the following year . 3 arrested in deadly brazil nightclub fire january 2009 fireworks shot off at a birthday party at a latin-style bar and restaurant in changle city in china 's fujian province sparked a fire that claimed 15 lives on january 31 , 2009 . january 2009 a fire at bangkok 's upscale santika nightclub broke out while about 1,000 revelers were ringing in the new year . sixty-four people died in the fire , which led to the arrest of the nightclub 's owner . opinion : we have n't learned from past mistakes april 2008 fourteen concertgoers died in a fire sparked by fireworks that were part of a show at a nightclub in quito , ecuador , on april 19 , 2008 . december 2004 a december 30 , 2004 , deadly nightclub fire killed 194 people in argentina 's capital , buenos aires . nearly five years later , the country 's court of justice sentenced the club owner to 20 years in prison . february 2003 in perhaps the most widely known nightclub tragedy over the past decade , 100 people died in a fire sparked by pyrotechnics used by the heavy metal band great white at a nightclub in west warwick , rhode island , on february 21 , 2003 . echoes of the past : rhode island victims'ca n't help but watch' december 2002 the cause of the december 1 , 2002 fire that killed 47 people in caracas , venezuela , never became clear -- firefighters said it could have started in the kitchen , or an electrical short circuit . many of the victims died of smoke inhalation inside the club . july 2002 a celebration marking the two-month anniversary of the utopia club in lima , peru , ended in the deaths of 28 people on july 20 , 2002 . authorities said the utopia club had no license to operate , no sprinklers and poorly marked exits . december 2000 a blaze broke out at a dance hall on christmas day in the central city of luoyang , china , killing 309 people . most of the victims were revelers suffocated by smoke . be ready for emergency at a crowded public gathering","in 2009 fireworks triggered a fire and panic at a nightclub in perm , russia , killing 156 people" +"michelle bachelet ( cnn ) -- chile poured firefighters and police into the battle against a wildfire that swept through hundreds of homes in the pacific coastal city of valparaiso , leaving at least 12 dead , according to an official . interior minister rodrigo penailillo reported at least 2,000 homes had been destroyed by the blaze , leaving some 8,000 people without a place to live . earlier , chile 's national emergency office 's website , citing police , had said that at least 16 people were dead . it was not immediately clear why the reported death tolls were different . more than 1,200 firefighters worked to control the wind-whipped blaze in valparaiso and the suburb of vina del mar , chilean president michelle bachelet said sunday . the wind hampered firefighters'ability to create firebreaks , and the blaze had spread to more than 2,000 acres , penailillo said . it 's been one of the worst fires in history , ' said fernando reseio , the fire superintendent in vina del mar . bachelet said the firefighters were backed up by 17 aircraft and that additional police were being brought in to prevent looting in the areas abandoned by their residents . many of the survivors suffered burns , and the most seriously burned patients were being transferred to hospitals in the capital , santiago , about 75 miles away , the president said . in images broadcast by cnn sister network cnn chile , residents could be seen fleeing the flames overnight . the network reported that the sweeping fire is endangering thousands more homes . in addition , plans were being drawn up to evacuate inmates at valparaiso prison as a preventive measure , mayor jorge castro said . the city is under a red alert , said emergency office spokesman ricardo toro . earlier , bachelet had declared a state of emergency , which legally allows armed forces to get involved . cnn 's michael roa and ben brumfield contributed to this report .","chilean president michelle bachelet declared a state of emergency" +"washington ( cnn ) -- nearly a million acres were burning as 21 wildfires raged in the pacific northwest on sunday , fire officials said . the unconfined fires in oregon and washington , mostly ignited by lightning from thunderstorms that swept through the region a week ago , covered 942,247 by sunday , northwest interagency coordination center spokeswoman carol connolly said . the 21 large fires are the most the region has seen on the landscape at one time , she said . according to okanogan county , washington , sheriff frank rogers , one person died attempting to protect his home from the flames . authorities arrested two people over the weekend on suspicion of arson , the sheriff said . they set backfires to protect their property . more than 150 structures have been lost . the sheriff expects that number to go up . i 've been here 30 years , never seen anything like this , ' rogers said . according to connolly , firefighters from across the united states , including mississippi , illinois , new mexico , utah and montana , have joined the battle , bringing to 8,928 the number of people involved in trying to contain the fires . there are 35 hot shot ' crews involved , she said . health officials in washington and idaho are warning residents that smoke drifting eastward from the washington wildfires would create unhealthy air . the biggest health threat comes from the fine particles in smoke , ' the national weather service said . these can cause burning eyes , runny nose , bronchitis and other illnesses . smokey air can also aggravate heart and lung disease , and even lead to death . ' hundreds evacuated as washington wildfire grows what to know about wildfires cnn 's dave alsup and janet digiacomo contributed to this report .","health officials in washington and idaho warning smoke creates unhealthy air" +"kim jong il struggling for a present for the man who has everything ? how about a skinned bear ? this was just one of the thousands of thoughtful gifts on display that had been given to the founder of north korea , kim il sung . a present from former romanian communist leader nicolae ceausescu , the bear takes a place of pride in an exhibition house in hyangsan , three hours north of the capital , pyongyang . officially named the international friendship exhibition house , the exhibition hall is on the official tourist route and crammed full of vases , canvases , military paraphernalia and more unusual gifts . the north korea i was n't meant to see displayed are 112,225 gifts for kim il sung , his son kim jong il and current leader kim jong un from 184 different countries . by far the biggest donors are china and russia , and most notably the communist former ussr . the tour begins a soldier stands guard on both sides of the impressively large entrance door and any cameras , phones and even pads and pens are promptly taken away . the tour can then begin . in the introduction hall , the eye is drawn instantly to a domineering white stone carving of kim il sung sitting in a chair . i am told the eternal president still receives many posthumous gifts . a sneak peek through the keyhole under the ornate and pricey-looking chandeliers are glass cabinets containing some of the more important gifts . the official commentary says , enemy countries too sent a lot of gifts to president kim il sung and respected kim jong il , impressed by their great personality and virtues . ' gifts from the enemy ' sure enough , there are a couple of gifts from the enemy country ' the united states . former u.s. secretary of state madeleine albright gave kim jong il a silver dish when she visited in october 2000 . the two countries were enjoying a lull in tensions at the time . in addition , albright gave a basketball signed by michael jordan . kim jong il was reported to be a huge fan of the nba star . there is also a bowl from former u.s. president jimmy carter and his wife who visited in 1994 under the guise of a private trip . of course , these gifts look rather paltry when i entered the next room and saw an actual train -- a gift from the communist leader of the ussr in 1945 . i then noticed the car stalin gave to kim il sung during the korean war in the early 1950s . not to be outdone , in 1953 , chairman mao zedong of china also gave the north korean leader a train . according to the souvenir dvd from the gift shop , 3.7 million visitors have walked through the building 's doors from its opening in 1978 until 2010 , almost half a million of whom were foreigners or south koreans . i see a number of north koreans filing through at the same time as me . still lacking inspiration for that hard-to-buy-for person from what you 've read so far ? how about a fossilized snail , given by a former prime minister of madagascar or ivory tusks from guinea ? the tour guide insists most of the ivory in the world is housed in this exhibition , a claim that sounds a little far-fetched but given everything else that i have seen , somehow wholly appropriate .","in 2000 , madeleine albright gave kim jong il a silver dish and a basketball signed by michael jordan" +"ashesi ( cnn ) -- having just quit a highly lucrative job with tech giant microsoft in the united states , where he 'd made millions working as a program manager , patrick awuah would wake up once in a while wondering if he 'd done the right thing . and then i read the words of goethe , ' remembers awuah : whatever you can do or dream you can , begin it . boldness has genius , power and magic in it -- begin it now . ' what awuah wanted to begin was to create a university in his native ghana , a state-of-the-art education hub that would help educate the country 's next generation of leaders . inspired by the saying of the famous german writer , awuah moved with his family back to ghana . there , he invested his own money and with the help of other donors he founded ashesi university . africa needs to have a renaissance , ' says awuah , as he explains what drove him to take the risky decision . the world needs to change in this way and i strongly believe that people like me who have had the privilege of a great education need to be part of the solution ; that i need to be really actively involved in helping to drive this change in africa so that 30 , 50 years from now , the world will be a different place for all people of african descent in the world . ' fostering leaders located about an hour 's drive from the capital accra , ashesi , which appropriately translates to beginning , ' is the first ghanaian university to combine technical majors with a liberal arts approach . its vibrant campus , set on 100 acres in a town called berekuso , was designed to be inspiring for the more than 500 young ghanaians studying there . read this : building a network of leaders and while ashesi has already come a long way -- when the school first opened in 2002 there was no campus , just a couple of rented buildings for its 30 students -- awuah plans to expand his offering as part of his dream of finding and developing africa 's next problem solvers . in this country , only 5 % of college-age kids go to college , ' he says . and there 's two problems with that number : one is it 's too small , but the second is that everyone who goes to college by definition is going to be running this country one day , the 5 % -- they 're going to be running the courts , they 're going to be designing roads and buildings and infrastructure , they 're going to be running the hospitals , the schools , the businesses . so when i look at universities i see africa fast-forward 30 years . when this 20-year-old is now in his or her 50s , that person is going to be a leader . and so i felt that engaging how that leadership , that future leadership core , is educated could be catalytic . ' tough decisions awuah , who grew up in accra , left ghana in 1985 to pursue his own education in the united states . there , he got a job at microsoft , spearheading software design for dial-up internet access , making millions in the process . he admits that quitting microsoft was not an easy decision and credits his american wife for supporting him . i wo n't lie to you -- it was tough , ' says awuah . but i can tell you that when i mentioned this idea to my wife , she immediately agreed , ' he adds . she 'd never been to africa before she met me and part of her conviction that this sounded like a good idea and her willingness to go ahead with it was very encouraging . ' read this : south africa 's outspoken educator committed to providing greater education opportunities in ghana , he went back to school himself , earning a master 's degree at berkeley , one of the world 's top business schools . for his efforts , he 's won many awards . changing the continent today ashesi , which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year , offers degrees in business , information systems and computer science , with plans to offer engineering and economics majors in the near future . its graduation rate is between 70 and 90 % , according to awuah . total fees costs $ 9,000 a year , including tuition , housing and meals . awuah says the university brings together a diverse mix of students from different backgrounds , including scholarship-winning undergraduates from humble beginnings who are the first in their families to attend college . read this : young innovators can change how world sees africa ' our last freshman class , 50 % of that class paid full tuition , 25 % were on full scholarships and 25 % on partial scholarships , ' he says . the reason why diversity 's so important is that the most important conversation on campus is a conversation about the good society -- what is the good society we would like to see in africa ?'that conversation is a lot more interesting if you have diversity in the classroom , ' adds awuah . because each person has an important perspective to share , but each person also has certain blinders that need to be peeled away -- that can be peeled away if they 're in a room with others who have other perspectives as they do . ' looking ahead , awuah says he hopes africa 's universities will cultivate a new generation of bold and innovative leaders , helping the continent to transform itself . if you come back in 30 years , universities will be competing for the best and brightest students , ' he says . i hope that universities will also be competing on things such as whose students are the most ethical , ' he adds . ' if that happens , it will change the continent . '","patrick awuah is the founder of ashesi university in ghana" +"ashesi ( cnn ) -- having just quit a highly lucrative job with tech giant microsoft in the united states , where he 'd made millions working as a program manager , patrick awuah would wake up once in a while wondering if he 'd done the right thing . and then i read the words of goethe , ' remembers awuah : whatever you can do or dream you can , begin it . boldness has genius , power and magic in it -- begin it now . ' what awuah wanted to begin was to create a university in his native ghana , a state-of-the-art education hub that would help educate the country 's next generation of leaders . inspired by the saying of the famous german writer , awuah moved with his family back to ghana . there , he invested his own money and with the help of other donors he founded ashesi university . africa needs to have a renaissance , ' says awuah , as he explains what drove him to take the risky decision . the world needs to change in this way and i strongly believe that people like me who have had the privilege of a great education need to be part of the solution ; that i need to be really actively involved in helping to drive this change in africa so that 30 , 50 years from now , the world will be a different place for all people of african descent in the world . ' fostering leaders located about an hour 's drive from the capital accra , ashesi , which appropriately translates to beginning , ' is the first ghanaian university to combine technical majors with a liberal arts approach . its vibrant campus , set on 100 acres in a town called berekuso , was designed to be inspiring for the more than 500 young ghanaians studying there . read this : building a network of leaders and while ashesi has already come a long way -- when the school first opened in 2002 there was no campus , just a couple of rented buildings for its 30 students -- awuah plans to expand his offering as part of his dream of finding and developing africa 's next problem solvers . in this country , only 5 % of college-age kids go to college , ' he says . and there 's two problems with that number : one is it 's too small , but the second is that everyone who goes to college by definition is going to be running this country one day , the 5 % -- they 're going to be running the courts , they 're going to be designing roads and buildings and infrastructure , they 're going to be running the hospitals , the schools , the businesses . so when i look at universities i see africa fast-forward 30 years . when this 20-year-old is now in his or her 50s , that person is going to be a leader . and so i felt that engaging how that leadership , that future leadership core , is educated could be catalytic . ' tough decisions awuah , who grew up in accra , left ghana in 1985 to pursue his own education in the united states . there , he got a job at microsoft , spearheading software design for dial-up internet access , making millions in the process . he admits that quitting microsoft was not an easy decision and credits his american wife for supporting him . i wo n't lie to you -- it was tough , ' says awuah . but i can tell you that when i mentioned this idea to my wife , she immediately agreed , ' he adds . she 'd never been to africa before she met me and part of her conviction that this sounded like a good idea and her willingness to go ahead with it was very encouraging . ' read this : south africa 's outspoken educator committed to providing greater education opportunities in ghana , he went back to school himself , earning a master 's degree at berkeley , one of the world 's top business schools . for his efforts , he 's won many awards . changing the continent today ashesi , which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year , offers degrees in business , information systems and computer science , with plans to offer engineering and economics majors in the near future . its graduation rate is between 70 and 90 % , according to awuah . total fees costs $ 9,000 a year , including tuition , housing and meals . awuah says the university brings together a diverse mix of students from different backgrounds , including scholarship-winning undergraduates from humble beginnings who are the first in their families to attend college . read this : young innovators can change how world sees africa ' our last freshman class , 50 % of that class paid full tuition , 25 % were on full scholarships and 25 % on partial scholarships , ' he says . the reason why diversity 's so important is that the most important conversation on campus is a conversation about the good society -- what is the good society we would like to see in africa ?'that conversation is a lot more interesting if you have diversity in the classroom , ' adds awuah . because each person has an important perspective to share , but each person also has certain blinders that need to be peeled away -- that can be peeled away if they 're in a room with others who have other perspectives as they do . ' looking ahead , awuah says he hopes africa 's universities will cultivate a new generation of bold and innovative leaders , helping the continent to transform itself . if you come back in 30 years , universities will be competing for the best and brightest students , ' he says . i hope that universities will also be competing on things such as whose students are the most ethical , ' he adds . ' if that happens , it will change the continent . '","ashesi is known for its high-tech facilities and emphasis on business , technology and leadership" +"south sudanese ( cnn ) -- a sudanese christian woman who was sentenced to die for refusing to renounce her faith -- and then released -- has been charged on two criminal counts after trying to leave the african country for the united states , her legal team said wednesday . meriam yehya ibrahim , who was detained with her american husband , daniel wani , and their two children at an airport in khartoum on tuesday , is accused of traveling with falsified documents and giving false information , according to her legal team . the family is currently being held in a khartoum police station and has been refused bail . ibrahim 's legal team told cnn that daniel wani is being held as an accessory . the family was stopped at the airport after what ibrahim 's lawyers described tuesday as an alleged irregularity with her documentation . ' ibrahim has a u.s. visa and was headed to the united states with her family , her legal team said . the u.s. state department said tuesday that ibrahim and her family had been temporarily detained at the airport ' for questioning over issues relating to their travel and documentation . they have not been arrested . the government has assured us of their safety , ' u.s. state department spokeswoman marie harf said then . harf said that the u.s. embassy has been and will remain highly involved in working with the family and the government , ' saying we are engaging directly with sudanese officials to secure their safe and swift departure from sudan . ' sudanese authorities said ibrahim had been detained because of the documents she submitted . sudan 's national intelligence and security services said that she had south sudanese travel documents , despite not being a citizen of south sudan , and she was heading to the united states , which is not her native country . this was considered illegal by the sudanese authorities , who have summoned both the u.s. and south sudanese ambassadors , ' the agency said in a message posted on its media facebook page early wednesday . the airport detention came a day after ibrahim 's legal team announced the 27-year-old woman had been released from prison after weeks of international controversy over her conviction on apostasy and adultery charges . according to her lawyer , the case began when one of ibrahim 's relatives , a muslim , filed a criminal complaint saying her family was shocked to find out she had married wani , a christian , after she was missing for several years . the sudanese court considered ibrahim a muslim because her father was muslim , but she said she was a christian and never practiced islam . she was charged with adultery , because a muslim woman 's marriage to a christian man is illegal in sudan , and with apostasy , accused of illegally renouncing what was alleged to be her original faith .","sudanese authorities summon the u.s. and south sudanese ambassadors" +"norwegian air ( cnn ) -- as the globe has become increasingly outfitted with wi-fi hotspots and cell phone towers , the skies have long been the last refuge from constant connectivity . that 's changing , however , as more airlines are realizing wi-fi 's earning potential . by its own estimate , one of the fastest-growing companies in america is gogo , which was the first to successfully hook up planes with internet . it has since installed systems on several u.s. carriers , including delta , american and us airways . according to its ceo , michael small , gogo 's profits grew from $ 37 million in 2009 to $ 112 million in the first six months of 2012 . we 're now on over 1,600 commercial aviation jets , which is nearly half the u.s. fleet . we 've done that in four years , which is extraordinarily fast , ' says small . in just a few more years , it will be done in america . ' watch video : in-flight wi-fi takes off though airlines pay to install the equipment , they also reap the rewards ; gogo charges the customers for internet usage -- between $ 5 and $ 20 , depending on flight duration -- and shares its revenue with the carriers . more travelers are aware of our service , and many of them want it , ' says small . one in five say they will switch a flight to get our service . ' the drawback with gogo 's system is that it uses an air-to-ground network of cell phone towers it built across the united states -- each with a 250-mile radius of coverage -- meaning its wi-fi is n't available when flying over water . internet on gogo-outfitted planes is therefore limited to domestic flights . this is where california-based firm row 44 swoops in . row 44 also installs wi-fi on airplanes , though unlike gogo , it relies on a satellite system , meaning passengers can access internet even when flying over the ocean . this is a distinct advantage , given that two-thirds of the planet is covered in water , ' notes john lavalle , row 44 's ceo . also , satellite systems give passengers more options , due to better bandwidth . air-to-ground has certain inherent limitations in terms of the amount of data that can be processed through the network of cell towers on the ground -- for example , live tv really is an impossibility , ' says lavalle , whose company also offers that service as part of its package . in a satellite environment , you 're able to get much more data through the pipe . ' see also : airplane phone calls to become standard ? but the satellite system is substantially more expensive than using cell-phone towers , and has the added drawback of taking longer to install . as airlines lose money for every day a plane is out of commission , this can make the process rather costly . some carriers , however , find it 's worth the price . mango airlines and southwest are among the airlines using row 44 's service , with icelandair soon to follow . what 's more , norwegian air shuttle , which has also joined the fray , has just this month started offering wi-fi to passengers free-of-charge -- the first airline in europe to do so . we had a trial period where we offered it free to passengers , and we saw increases on those routes ; it went up volumes , ' notes boris bubresko , head of business development for norwegian air shuttle . after that , we decided to keep it free . ' at the moment , connectivity is a perk ; airlines that provide wi-fi or mobile services on board stand out . this will change , though , as customers increasingly start to expect the amenity , rather than merely appreciate it . lavalle feels that era has already dawned . he says : i was on a plane recently that was n't wi-fi equipped , and this guy sitting across the aisle opened up his laptop and he could n't find the hotspot . he slammed it down and said ,'i ca n't believe this , i really needed to get a lot of work done on this flight !' i think we 're already at that point where everyone fully expects connectivity . ' is it time for all flights to offer wi-fi ? would you pay for in-flight wi-fi , or should it be free ? leave a comment below . daisy carrington contributed to this report","norwegian air first airline in europe to offer free wi-fi" +"new york times kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- a new york times reporter who was kidnapped last week was freed wednesday in a pre-dawn military raid in afghanistan that left a british commando , an afghan journalist and several others dead . new york times reporter stephen farrell was abducted saturday while covering a nato airstrike in afghanistan . stephen farrell was rescued by nato 's international security assistance force , known as the isaf , the british foreign office said . a british commando died in the operation , the country 's ministry of defense said without offering further details . sultan munad , an afghan journalist accompanying farrell , also was killed in the raid , british prime minister gordon brown said . crossfire during the raid also killed a woman and a child , said abdel wahid omar khil , governor of kunduz district , in kunduz province , where the rescue took place . armed gunmen kidnapped the journalists saturday while they were covering a nato airstrike on taliban forces the day before that killed at least 90 people in the northern kunduz province . neither cnn nor the times had reported farrell 's kidnapping for security reasons . we feared that media attention would raise the temperature and increase the risk to the captives , ' the paper quoted executive editor bill keller as saying wednesday . farrell called the newspaper 's foreign editor before dawn and said he was extracted ' in a commando raid after a fierce firefight , according to a report on the times web site . there were bullets all around us . i could hear british and afghan voices , ' farrell , a 46-year-old dual irish-british citizen , told the paper . farrell and munadi ran outside during the firefight . at the end of a wall , munadi went forward , shouting : journalist ! journalist ! ' but dropped in a hail of bullets , farrell said . he did n't know whether the shots came from allied or militant fire . i saw him go down in front of me . he did not move . he 's dead , ' farrell told the paper . he was so close , he was just 2 feet in front of me when he dropped . ' farrell 's citizenship played a role in the british decision to stage the rescue , said a spokesman for the ministry of defense . watch a former british commander on the difficulty in rescuing hostages » ' the obvious link for us is that farrell is a british national . we want to safeguard the life of one of our citizens , ' the spokesman said , declining to discuss operational details of the rescue mission . we do n't comment about the actions of british special ops forces . ' local afghans provided information and helped the commandos locate where farrell was being held , said another british official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter . he said the judgment to proceed with such an operation is always a difficult one , but we think it represented the best chance to save his life . ' brown offered condolences to the families of munadi and the british commando . of the commando , brown said , his bravery will not be forgotten . ' the operation to rescue the hostages happened after extensive planning and consideration , brown said . those involved knew the high risks they were running . that they undertook it in such circumstances showed breathtaking heroism , ' brown said . hostage-taking is never justified , and the u.k. does not make substantive concessions , including paying ransoms . but whenever british nationals are kidnapped , we and our allies will do everything in our power to free them . ' ten weeks earlier , another times reporter escaped after months in taliban captivity . david rohde , a local reporter and a driver were kidnapped november 10 outside kabul . the two reporters escaped on june 19 by climbing over a wall in the compound where they were held for seven months in pakistan 's north waziristan region . the driver did not escape , the newspaper said . the death toll in the kunduz airstrike , which farrell was covering when he was kidnapped , has varied , depending on the source , but local afghan officials have said at least half of those killed were civilians . the nato commander in the area called in the strike friday as afghans tried to siphon fuel from two tankers hijacked by the taliban a day earlier . the taliban allowed villagers to drain the tankers carrying fuel earmarked for the nato-led force after they became stuck in the mud when the militants tried to drive them through the kunduz river . the military thought there were no civilians near the trucks at the time of the attack , the isaf 's capt . elizabeth mathias said . farrell , who joined the new york times two years ago , also was briefly kidnapped in april 2004 in falluja , iraq . at the time , he was on assignment for the times of london . in a separate incident wednesday , a suicide attack killed at least two civilians and injured several others , including nato personnel , near the main british military base in southern afghanistan , the isaf said . the suicide bomber detonated his explosives vest near a crowd of civilian truck drivers near the entrance of camp bastion in volatile helmand province , the isaf said . the injured civilians and isaf personnel were treated at camp bastion , which is in washir district . the casualty count is unclear as an investigation continues . cnn 's ingrid formanek and chris lawrence contributed to this report .","new york times reporter stephen farrell freed in commando raid" +"afghan kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- a new york times reporter who was kidnapped last week was freed wednesday in a pre-dawn military raid in afghanistan that left a british commando , an afghan journalist and several others dead . new york times reporter stephen farrell was abducted saturday while covering a nato airstrike in afghanistan . stephen farrell was rescued by nato 's international security assistance force , known as the isaf , the british foreign office said . a british commando died in the operation , the country 's ministry of defense said without offering further details . sultan munad , an afghan journalist accompanying farrell , also was killed in the raid , british prime minister gordon brown said . crossfire during the raid also killed a woman and a child , said abdel wahid omar khil , governor of kunduz district , in kunduz province , where the rescue took place . armed gunmen kidnapped the journalists saturday while they were covering a nato airstrike on taliban forces the day before that killed at least 90 people in the northern kunduz province . neither cnn nor the times had reported farrell 's kidnapping for security reasons . we feared that media attention would raise the temperature and increase the risk to the captives , ' the paper quoted executive editor bill keller as saying wednesday . farrell called the newspaper 's foreign editor before dawn and said he was extracted ' in a commando raid after a fierce firefight , according to a report on the times web site . there were bullets all around us . i could hear british and afghan voices , ' farrell , a 46-year-old dual irish-british citizen , told the paper . farrell and munadi ran outside during the firefight . at the end of a wall , munadi went forward , shouting : journalist ! journalist ! ' but dropped in a hail of bullets , farrell said . he did n't know whether the shots came from allied or militant fire . i saw him go down in front of me . he did not move . he 's dead , ' farrell told the paper . he was so close , he was just 2 feet in front of me when he dropped . ' farrell 's citizenship played a role in the british decision to stage the rescue , said a spokesman for the ministry of defense . watch a former british commander on the difficulty in rescuing hostages » ' the obvious link for us is that farrell is a british national . we want to safeguard the life of one of our citizens , ' the spokesman said , declining to discuss operational details of the rescue mission . we do n't comment about the actions of british special ops forces . ' local afghans provided information and helped the commandos locate where farrell was being held , said another british official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter . he said the judgment to proceed with such an operation is always a difficult one , but we think it represented the best chance to save his life . ' brown offered condolences to the families of munadi and the british commando . of the commando , brown said , his bravery will not be forgotten . ' the operation to rescue the hostages happened after extensive planning and consideration , brown said . those involved knew the high risks they were running . that they undertook it in such circumstances showed breathtaking heroism , ' brown said . hostage-taking is never justified , and the u.k. does not make substantive concessions , including paying ransoms . but whenever british nationals are kidnapped , we and our allies will do everything in our power to free them . ' ten weeks earlier , another times reporter escaped after months in taliban captivity . david rohde , a local reporter and a driver were kidnapped november 10 outside kabul . the two reporters escaped on june 19 by climbing over a wall in the compound where they were held for seven months in pakistan 's north waziristan region . the driver did not escape , the newspaper said . the death toll in the kunduz airstrike , which farrell was covering when he was kidnapped , has varied , depending on the source , but local afghan officials have said at least half of those killed were civilians . the nato commander in the area called in the strike friday as afghans tried to siphon fuel from two tankers hijacked by the taliban a day earlier . the taliban allowed villagers to drain the tankers carrying fuel earmarked for the nato-led force after they became stuck in the mud when the militants tried to drive them through the kunduz river . the military thought there were no civilians near the trucks at the time of the attack , the isaf 's capt . elizabeth mathias said . farrell , who joined the new york times two years ago , also was briefly kidnapped in april 2004 in falluja , iraq . at the time , he was on assignment for the times of london . in a separate incident wednesday , a suicide attack killed at least two civilians and injured several others , including nato personnel , near the main british military base in southern afghanistan , the isaf said . the suicide bomber detonated his explosives vest near a crowd of civilian truck drivers near the entrance of camp bastion in volatile helmand province , the isaf said . the injured civilians and isaf personnel were treated at camp bastion , which is in washir district . the casualty count is unclear as an investigation continues . cnn 's ingrid formanek and chris lawrence contributed to this report .","afghan journalist killed in raid , british prime minister gordon brown says" +"sanaa ( cnn ) -- civilians are in hiding in the yemeni capital as protesters and government forces struggle for control on the streets of sanaa . residents in sanaa are stranded in their homes , and some even fear looking out of their windows as they are left to wonder how long the violence will rage around them . we ca n't leave our houses to get food for our children . as soon as we walk on the street we are shot , ' says rami al-shaibani , a sanaa resident . thousands protested in sanaa 's change square last week , but this week the square has been quiet , except for groups of youths carrying away the dead and helping the injured . multiple witnesses and medics said dozens were killed in a violent government crackdown that started on sunday . protesters have used change square for a seven-month sit-in demanding the resignation of president ali abdullah saleh . he is recuperating in saudi arabia from a attack in june on his palace but has vowed to return to yemen to finish his term . each wounded protester was carried by six or seven others -- sometimes friends of the casualty -- and taken to the medical camp in the square . drops of blood created trails on the ground tracing the long , bloody route to a field hospital . at the medical camp , hundreds of young people were covered in blood and screaming from pain . thousands more volunteered and donated blood for those in need . it seemed that not a minute passed without another injured youth entering the medical camp . the international committee of the red cross has called for calm in yemen , which , it said , is facing an unprecedented level of violence . ' with the limited-capacity field hospital full of patients , doctors made a desperate call for volunteers to try to help save the injured . dozens were killed and more than 700 were wounded -- many of them by gunshots -- over the last three days in clashes with the military , according to medical staff in change square . eyewitnesses said they had seen snipers on the rooftops of buildings surrounding the square firing almost continuously . in one incident , an ambulance carrying three injured protesters flipped over when a rocket propelled grenade hit it , killing all five on board , the medical staff added . abdul rahman barman , the executive director of a local human rights organization , said yemeni president ali abdullah saleh 's regime is attacking with no limits and does not differentiate between civilians , protesters or gunmen . the yemeni government has repeatedly denied accusations of excessive use of force , and said the government is committed to establishing a peaceful transfer of power . yemeni officials have said forces cracked down on those committing acts of violence during protests . vice president abdu rabu hadi has called for a cease-fire from all sides , state-run saba news agency reported .","eyewitnesses say they saw snipers firing on crowds in sanaa 's change square" +"sanaa ( cnn ) -- civilians are in hiding in the yemeni capital as protesters and government forces struggle for control on the streets of sanaa . residents in sanaa are stranded in their homes , and some even fear looking out of their windows as they are left to wonder how long the violence will rage around them . we ca n't leave our houses to get food for our children . as soon as we walk on the street we are shot , ' says rami al-shaibani , a sanaa resident . thousands protested in sanaa 's change square last week , but this week the square has been quiet , except for groups of youths carrying away the dead and helping the injured . multiple witnesses and medics said dozens were killed in a violent government crackdown that started on sunday . protesters have used change square for a seven-month sit-in demanding the resignation of president ali abdullah saleh . he is recuperating in saudi arabia from a attack in june on his palace but has vowed to return to yemen to finish his term . each wounded protester was carried by six or seven others -- sometimes friends of the casualty -- and taken to the medical camp in the square . drops of blood created trails on the ground tracing the long , bloody route to a field hospital . at the medical camp , hundreds of young people were covered in blood and screaming from pain . thousands more volunteered and donated blood for those in need . it seemed that not a minute passed without another injured youth entering the medical camp . the international committee of the red cross has called for calm in yemen , which , it said , is facing an unprecedented level of violence . ' with the limited-capacity field hospital full of patients , doctors made a desperate call for volunteers to try to help save the injured . dozens were killed and more than 700 were wounded -- many of them by gunshots -- over the last three days in clashes with the military , according to medical staff in change square . eyewitnesses said they had seen snipers on the rooftops of buildings surrounding the square firing almost continuously . in one incident , an ambulance carrying three injured protesters flipped over when a rocket propelled grenade hit it , killing all five on board , the medical staff added . abdul rahman barman , the executive director of a local human rights organization , said yemeni president ali abdullah saleh 's regime is attacking with no limits and does not differentiate between civilians , protesters or gunmen . the yemeni government has repeatedly denied accusations of excessive use of force , and said the government is committed to establishing a peaceful transfer of power . yemeni officials have said forces cracked down on those committing acts of violence during protests . vice president abdu rabu hadi has called for a cease-fire from all sides , state-run saba news agency reported .","dozens in capital sanaa have been killed in a government crackdown since sunday" +"taliban kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- seven insurgents were killed when a group of more than a dozen men launched an early morning attack on bagram air base in afghanistan on wednesday , officials said . army spokesman lt. col. clarence counts said that five service members were wounded in the attack and a building suffered minor damage . he said the attack included rockets , small arms and grenades . taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid told cnn that 20 armed men wearing suicide vests stormed the base around 4 a.m. ( 7:30 p.m. tuesday et ) , with four of them detonating explosives at the entrances to allow the other men to move in . mujahid said that a major firefight ' took place inside the base . but army specialist christina dion , a spokeswoman who both lives an works on the base , told cnn that personnel were ordered to enter bunkers when the base came under attack and were allowed to return to their huts and tents about 90 minutes later . we 're always prepared to deal with attacks on our base , ' counts said . the response this morning was immediate . ' the fighting eventually tapered off about 7:30 a.m. local time , said nato spokesman lt. col todd breasseale . another bagram spokeswoman , maj. virginia mccabe , could not say if flights into and out of the air base had been stopped and said that authorities are investigating how the incident started . established security procedures are in place , ' she said , adding that personnel with mission-essential ' responsibilities were continuing to work . bagram is a heavily fortified base , its perimeter guarded by high fences and thick , concrete walls . dion said she did n't believe anyone could have made their way into the main portion of the base . taliban fighters have lobbed rockets into the base in previous attacks . cnn 's adam levine and paula hancocks contributed to this report .","taliban spokesman says 20 armed men in suicide vests stormed base in major firefight '" +"hong kong hong kong ( cnn ) -- brothers thomas and raymond kwok , who control hong kong 's biggest property development company , sun hung kai , have been arrested for suspected corruption , authorities said thursday . also arrested for suspected corruption was a person described by hong kong 's department of justice as a former principal official of the government of the hong kong special administrative region , ' a spokesman for the independent commission against corruption said . the kwok brothers'fortune is $ 18.3 billion , according to forbes magazine , which rank the brothers and their family as the 27th richest in the world . the commission 's report said the arrested persons are alleged to have committed offenses under the prevention of bribery ordinance and misconduct in public office . ' the arrests come 10 days after sun hung kai 's executive director , thomas chan , was arrested by the commission in connection with a bribery investigation . four other people , whose backgrounds were n't disclosed by authorities , were also arrested on corruption charges . on thursday morning , sun hung kai properties suspended trading of its shares . the company has since announced the shares will resume trading when hong kong 's stock exchange opens friday morning . the firm has set up a special committee to handle all matters arising from the investigation , and the company 's board , whose six members include the two brothers , has resolved that the kwoks will continue to undertake and discharge their duties to the group , including their duties as joint chairmen and managing directors of the company , ' according to a company statement . cnn 's andrew henstock contributed from hong kong and michael martinez from los angeles .","thomas and raymond kwok run hong kong 's biggest property development company" +"beirut ( cnn ) -- lebanese authorities on saturday arrested three people in connection with the kidnapping of two turkish pilots , both of whom remain missing more than a week later . the turkish airlines pilots were riding a bus heading from beirut-rafic hariri international airport to their hotel early august 9 when armed assailants stopped the bus , according to turkey 's foreign ministry . reports on the number of attackers -- who were riding in two vehicles -- varied from four to eight . lebanon 's state-run national news agency reported saturday that three people had been arrested by the internal security forces information branch in connection ' with the kidnapping . it was n't clear whether they were among the alleged kidnappers , or whether they were accused of being involved in some other fashion . security agents questioned the driver as a witness , according to nna . other airline employees on the bus made it safely to the hotel , turkey 's foreign ministry said . our ministry and our embassy will exert intensive efforts in cooperation with the lebanese authorities to ensure the liberation of our pilots and their return to turkey , ' the ministry said last week . cnn 's deanna hackney and ben brumfield contributed to this report","gunmen had halted a bus near beirut , then took away pilots" +"hoffman he was a beefy 5-foot-10 but won an oscar for playing the slight , 5-foot-3 truman capote . he had the booming voice of a deity but often played schlubs and conflicted characters . he could be heartfelt and giving , as with his male nurse in magnolia ' or rock critic in almost famous , ' or creepily machiavellian , such as the gamemaster in the latest hunger games ' movie . philip seymour hoffman was an actor who could be anybody . i do n't know how he does it , ' director mike nichols told the new york times magazine in 2008 . nichols directed hoffman on both stage ( the seagull , ' death of a salesman ' ) and screen ( charlie wilson 's war ' ) . again and again , he can truly become someone i 've not seen before but can still instantly recognize . ... he may look like phil , but there 's something different in his eyes . and that means he 's reconstituted himself from within , willfully rearranging his molecules to become another human being . ' philip seymour hoffman 's precise , uncanny performance as capote does n't imitate the author so much as channel him , as a man whose peculiarities mask great intelligence and deep wounds , ' wrote roger ebert about 2005 's capote . ' hoffman was found dead sunday . reports attribute his death to a drug overdose . for years , hoffman was the kind of anonymous character actor who earned critical raves but was often unnoticed by the general public . he had an everyman face -- burly enough to be an athlete , soft enough to be an artist , with an eye twinkle that could be either vicious ( as in his mission : impossible iii ' villain ) or humorous ( the frat-boyish sandy in along came polly ' ) . consider the roles that earned him academy award nominations : a conniving writer ( capote ' ) , a cranky cia desk jockey ( charlie wilson 's war ' ) , an upbeat , dissembling priest ( doubt ' ) and a charming , enigmatic cult leader ( the master ' ) . or consider the ones that did n't : baseball manager art howe ( moneyball ' ) , suspicious freddie miles ( the talented mr. ripley ' ) , clever plutarch heavensbee ( the hunger games : catching fire ' ) . the new york times'ben brantley , who saw him on stage , was unequivocal . one of the finest actors of his generation , ' he wrote in his review of the 2012 staging of death of a salesman ' -- even while finding hoffman miscast in that production . one of a kind everyman : he 's of a type harder to find in hollywood these days , where movie-star looks and charisma often take precedence over the ability to disappear into a role . indeed , even when movie stars do try to disappear , we 're all too aware of the tricks , whether it 's weight gain , a putty nose or an unfamiliar accent . movie stars sell tickets . character actors -- and hoffman , for all his intensity , was a character actor -- support movie stars . that seemed ok with him . you could more often find him in challenging roles or secondary parts than leads . he liked to take chances . he worked with director paul thomas anderson ( boogie nights , ' magnolia , ' the master ' ) before either was a big name , and anderson provided him with a steady stream of interesting roles . he took small parts in such films as the dark comedy strangers with candy , ' based on the unpleasant characters dreamed up by amy sedaris , paul dinello and stephen colbert , and the invention of lying , ' ricky gervais'comedy about religion and atheism . in some respects he followed the path of one of his heroes , paul newman , who had looks and magnetism to burn but was n't shy about taking character ' parts , such as a broken-down lawyer in the verdict ' or a ne'er-do-well in nobody 's fool . ' the latter featured newman acting opposite hoffman , as did the hbo miniseries empire falls . ' he also kept his talent sharp with frequent stage work and the kind of one for me , one for them ' movie philosophy that made sure he was both busy and successful . the price of fame : in recent years , he 'd become a more recognizable face -- and persona . in a video that quickly made the rounds , his voice was dubbed into a trailer for the joaquin phoenix movie her , ' taking the place of scarlett johansson 's operating system , samantha . where johansson is relaxed , hoffman is intense ; where johansson is helpful , hoffman is wily . it neatly summed up his capabilities . but with fame comes intrusion , and hoffman seemed uncomfortable with the attention . he was a new york-based actor , not a movie star . it was a job , not an excuse to turn him into an open book . somebody wanted me to talk about my personal life , ' he told the uk newspaper the independent in 2012 . i 'd rather not because my family does n't have any choice . if i talk about them in the press , i 'm giving them no choice . so i choose not to . ' his death has left his colleagues in shock . we have lost a true artist , ' said robin wright in a statement . wright worked with hoffman in moneyball ' and the forthcoming a most wanted man . ' he was a giant talent , ' said tom hanks , who co-starred with hoffman in charlie wilson 's war . ' but perhaps director nichols was most succinct -- and heartfelt -- in describing the void left by hoffman 's death . no words for this , ' he said in a statement . he was too great and we 're too shattered . ' great ' is an all-too-appropriate word , as hoffman himself used it when expressing his goals . given his work and the circumstances of his death , a line from the 2008 new york times magazine profile seems more haunting today . for me , acting is torturous , and it 's torturous because you know it 's a beautiful thing , ' he said . i was young once , and i said ,'that 's beautiful and i want that .'wanting it is easy , but trying to be great -- well , that 's absolutely torturous . '","hoffman died of an apparent drug overdose at the age of 46" +"hoffman he was a beefy 5-foot-10 but won an oscar for playing the slight , 5-foot-3 truman capote . he had the booming voice of a deity but often played schlubs and conflicted characters . he could be heartfelt and giving , as with his male nurse in magnolia ' or rock critic in almost famous , ' or creepily machiavellian , such as the gamemaster in the latest hunger games ' movie . philip seymour hoffman was an actor who could be anybody . i do n't know how he does it , ' director mike nichols told the new york times magazine in 2008 . nichols directed hoffman on both stage ( the seagull , ' death of a salesman ' ) and screen ( charlie wilson 's war ' ) . again and again , he can truly become someone i 've not seen before but can still instantly recognize . ... he may look like phil , but there 's something different in his eyes . and that means he 's reconstituted himself from within , willfully rearranging his molecules to become another human being . ' philip seymour hoffman 's precise , uncanny performance as capote does n't imitate the author so much as channel him , as a man whose peculiarities mask great intelligence and deep wounds , ' wrote roger ebert about 2005 's capote . ' hoffman was found dead sunday . reports attribute his death to a drug overdose . for years , hoffman was the kind of anonymous character actor who earned critical raves but was often unnoticed by the general public . he had an everyman face -- burly enough to be an athlete , soft enough to be an artist , with an eye twinkle that could be either vicious ( as in his mission : impossible iii ' villain ) or humorous ( the frat-boyish sandy in along came polly ' ) . consider the roles that earned him academy award nominations : a conniving writer ( capote ' ) , a cranky cia desk jockey ( charlie wilson 's war ' ) , an upbeat , dissembling priest ( doubt ' ) and a charming , enigmatic cult leader ( the master ' ) . or consider the ones that did n't : baseball manager art howe ( moneyball ' ) , suspicious freddie miles ( the talented mr. ripley ' ) , clever plutarch heavensbee ( the hunger games : catching fire ' ) . the new york times'ben brantley , who saw him on stage , was unequivocal . one of the finest actors of his generation , ' he wrote in his review of the 2012 staging of death of a salesman ' -- even while finding hoffman miscast in that production . one of a kind everyman : he 's of a type harder to find in hollywood these days , where movie-star looks and charisma often take precedence over the ability to disappear into a role . indeed , even when movie stars do try to disappear , we 're all too aware of the tricks , whether it 's weight gain , a putty nose or an unfamiliar accent . movie stars sell tickets . character actors -- and hoffman , for all his intensity , was a character actor -- support movie stars . that seemed ok with him . you could more often find him in challenging roles or secondary parts than leads . he liked to take chances . he worked with director paul thomas anderson ( boogie nights , ' magnolia , ' the master ' ) before either was a big name , and anderson provided him with a steady stream of interesting roles . he took small parts in such films as the dark comedy strangers with candy , ' based on the unpleasant characters dreamed up by amy sedaris , paul dinello and stephen colbert , and the invention of lying , ' ricky gervais'comedy about religion and atheism . in some respects he followed the path of one of his heroes , paul newman , who had looks and magnetism to burn but was n't shy about taking character ' parts , such as a broken-down lawyer in the verdict ' or a ne'er-do-well in nobody 's fool . ' the latter featured newman acting opposite hoffman , as did the hbo miniseries empire falls . ' he also kept his talent sharp with frequent stage work and the kind of one for me , one for them ' movie philosophy that made sure he was both busy and successful . the price of fame : in recent years , he 'd become a more recognizable face -- and persona . in a video that quickly made the rounds , his voice was dubbed into a trailer for the joaquin phoenix movie her , ' taking the place of scarlett johansson 's operating system , samantha . where johansson is relaxed , hoffman is intense ; where johansson is helpful , hoffman is wily . it neatly summed up his capabilities . but with fame comes intrusion , and hoffman seemed uncomfortable with the attention . he was a new york-based actor , not a movie star . it was a job , not an excuse to turn him into an open book . somebody wanted me to talk about my personal life , ' he told the uk newspaper the independent in 2012 . i 'd rather not because my family does n't have any choice . if i talk about them in the press , i 'm giving them no choice . so i choose not to . ' his death has left his colleagues in shock . we have lost a true artist , ' said robin wright in a statement . wright worked with hoffman in moneyball ' and the forthcoming a most wanted man . ' he was a giant talent , ' said tom hanks , who co-starred with hoffman in charlie wilson 's war . ' but perhaps director nichols was most succinct -- and heartfelt -- in describing the void left by hoffman 's death . no words for this , ' he said in a statement . he was too great and we 're too shattered . ' great ' is an all-too-appropriate word , as hoffman himself used it when expressing his goals . given his work and the circumstances of his death , a line from the 2008 new york times magazine profile seems more haunting today . for me , acting is torturous , and it 's torturous because you know it 's a beautiful thing , ' he said . i was young once , and i said ,'that 's beautiful and i want that .'wanting it is easy , but trying to be great -- well , that 's absolutely torturous . '","philip seymour hoffman was a rare breed in hollywood" +"charlotte charlotte ( cnn ) -- four years later , consider the role reversal : as he closes his convention , barack obama 's greatest challenge is to make the case against change . yet he ca n't ask the american people to simply stay the course . the challenge , both daunting and delicate , is to make the case that his first-term policies were correct but that the second-term results will be dramatically different . veteran democratic pollster peter hart says the president 's challenge is to provide a clear and credible answer to this : why will you be better off in the second term ? ' and hart argues that the stakes , already high , are higher still now because of the strong prime-time performances of first lady michelle obama and former president bill clinton . this convention is now a home run derby , ' hart said . four years ago in denver , sen. barack obama sold himself as the candidate of hope and change , presenting himself as a different brand of politician , someone who would change washington -- and the economy -- for the better . obama to speak after forceful clinton endorsement but if washington has changed at all , it is for the worse . and while both sides can find statistics that support their arguments on the state of the economy , it is clear that many americans at best feel they are treading water . so the tone is very different in charlotte than in denver . so is the targeting . four years ago , the goal was to expand the map , and the obama campaign ultimately succeeded . this year , the path to 270 electoral college votes and victory is less certain , though the president does have more viable options than does gop nominee mitt romney . still , because of the changed climate , the obama acceptance speech will close a democratic convention that for the most part has been a giant get-out-the-vote rally , speakers chosen because of their appeal to specific constituencies ( african-americans , latinos , suburban women , gays and lesbians ) or major battleground states . the most sustained appeal to undecided or independent voters was wednesday 's prime-time dissertation by clinton . speaking to supporters thursday morning , the president talked broadly about his test of convention success . hopefully , at the end of this convention , people will say we accomplished what we needed to and delivered our vision for the country and offered a clear contrast to what people saw in tampa , ' the president said . obama readies two-term pitch while charlotte has had plenty of contrast with the gop convention in tampa , there has been virtually no specific talk of the president 's policy goals for the next four years . will he , like romney , offer a specific jobs target ? will he offer a new deficit reduction goal ? venture into goals or timetables for immigration reform ? how the president packages his pitch also could be defining . for ronald reagan , the second term was wrapped as morning in america . ' clinton 's 1996 bid for a second term was sold as his bridge to the 21st century . ' thursday night , obama 's challenge is to sell his road map . and beyond the need to lay out a second-term policy agenda , some other obama challenges are obvious . voters , albeit by a narrow margin , view romney as better able to manage the economy . and while obama leads when voters are asked which candidate best understands the middle class , the latest cnn/orc international polling showed that romney significantly narrowed that gap as a result of the republican convention . the president 's top political advisers see discouragement as their greatest potential enemy . proof of this is in a look at recent national polling : the president 's numbers among registered voters are stronger than his numbers among likely voters , meaning a fair share of potential obama voters are n't as engaged or interested this time around . first lady seeks to reignite flame for president again , that is the strategy behind the convention agenda : careful targeting of the different pieces of the obama 2008 coalition . but for all the help he is getting from his friends , it is up to obama himself to close the deal . now , the role of one speech should not be overstated . just hours after the convention closes , the government will release august jobs data -- and that data could significantly shape morning-after reflections on the president 's big moment . plus , there are two months of campaigning and three presidential debates ahead , so this is n't his last chance . but it 's a giant opportunity , his unfiltered chance to make the case against change .","targeting in charlotte differs from the messaging in denver four years ago" +"obama charlotte ( cnn ) -- four years later , consider the role reversal : as he closes his convention , barack obama 's greatest challenge is to make the case against change . yet he ca n't ask the american people to simply stay the course . the challenge , both daunting and delicate , is to make the case that his first-term policies were correct but that the second-term results will be dramatically different . veteran democratic pollster peter hart says the president 's challenge is to provide a clear and credible answer to this : why will you be better off in the second term ? ' and hart argues that the stakes , already high , are higher still now because of the strong prime-time performances of first lady michelle obama and former president bill clinton . this convention is now a home run derby , ' hart said . four years ago in denver , sen. barack obama sold himself as the candidate of hope and change , presenting himself as a different brand of politician , someone who would change washington -- and the economy -- for the better . obama to speak after forceful clinton endorsement but if washington has changed at all , it is for the worse . and while both sides can find statistics that support their arguments on the state of the economy , it is clear that many americans at best feel they are treading water . so the tone is very different in charlotte than in denver . so is the targeting . four years ago , the goal was to expand the map , and the obama campaign ultimately succeeded . this year , the path to 270 electoral college votes and victory is less certain , though the president does have more viable options than does gop nominee mitt romney . still , because of the changed climate , the obama acceptance speech will close a democratic convention that for the most part has been a giant get-out-the-vote rally , speakers chosen because of their appeal to specific constituencies ( african-americans , latinos , suburban women , gays and lesbians ) or major battleground states . the most sustained appeal to undecided or independent voters was wednesday 's prime-time dissertation by clinton . speaking to supporters thursday morning , the president talked broadly about his test of convention success . hopefully , at the end of this convention , people will say we accomplished what we needed to and delivered our vision for the country and offered a clear contrast to what people saw in tampa , ' the president said . obama readies two-term pitch while charlotte has had plenty of contrast with the gop convention in tampa , there has been virtually no specific talk of the president 's policy goals for the next four years . will he , like romney , offer a specific jobs target ? will he offer a new deficit reduction goal ? venture into goals or timetables for immigration reform ? how the president packages his pitch also could be defining . for ronald reagan , the second term was wrapped as morning in america . ' clinton 's 1996 bid for a second term was sold as his bridge to the 21st century . ' thursday night , obama 's challenge is to sell his road map . and beyond the need to lay out a second-term policy agenda , some other obama challenges are obvious . voters , albeit by a narrow margin , view romney as better able to manage the economy . and while obama leads when voters are asked which candidate best understands the middle class , the latest cnn/orc international polling showed that romney significantly narrowed that gap as a result of the republican convention . the president 's top political advisers see discouragement as their greatest potential enemy . proof of this is in a look at recent national polling : the president 's numbers among registered voters are stronger than his numbers among likely voters , meaning a fair share of potential obama voters are n't as engaged or interested this time around . first lady seeks to reignite flame for president again , that is the strategy behind the convention agenda : careful targeting of the different pieces of the obama 2008 coalition . but for all the help he is getting from his friends , it is up to obama himself to close the deal . now , the role of one speech should not be overstated . just hours after the convention closes , the government will release august jobs data -- and that data could significantly shape morning-after reflections on the president 's big moment . plus , there are two months of campaigning and three presidential debates ahead , so this is n't his last chance . but it 's a giant opportunity , his unfiltered chance to make the case against change .","thursday night , obama 's challenge is to sell his road map" +"obama charlotte ( cnn ) -- four years later , consider the role reversal : as he closes his convention , barack obama 's greatest challenge is to make the case against change . yet he ca n't ask the american people to simply stay the course . the challenge , both daunting and delicate , is to make the case that his first-term policies were correct but that the second-term results will be dramatically different . veteran democratic pollster peter hart says the president 's challenge is to provide a clear and credible answer to this : why will you be better off in the second term ? ' and hart argues that the stakes , already high , are higher still now because of the strong prime-time performances of first lady michelle obama and former president bill clinton . this convention is now a home run derby , ' hart said . four years ago in denver , sen. barack obama sold himself as the candidate of hope and change , presenting himself as a different brand of politician , someone who would change washington -- and the economy -- for the better . obama to speak after forceful clinton endorsement but if washington has changed at all , it is for the worse . and while both sides can find statistics that support their arguments on the state of the economy , it is clear that many americans at best feel they are treading water . so the tone is very different in charlotte than in denver . so is the targeting . four years ago , the goal was to expand the map , and the obama campaign ultimately succeeded . this year , the path to 270 electoral college votes and victory is less certain , though the president does have more viable options than does gop nominee mitt romney . still , because of the changed climate , the obama acceptance speech will close a democratic convention that for the most part has been a giant get-out-the-vote rally , speakers chosen because of their appeal to specific constituencies ( african-americans , latinos , suburban women , gays and lesbians ) or major battleground states . the most sustained appeal to undecided or independent voters was wednesday 's prime-time dissertation by clinton . speaking to supporters thursday morning , the president talked broadly about his test of convention success . hopefully , at the end of this convention , people will say we accomplished what we needed to and delivered our vision for the country and offered a clear contrast to what people saw in tampa , ' the president said . obama readies two-term pitch while charlotte has had plenty of contrast with the gop convention in tampa , there has been virtually no specific talk of the president 's policy goals for the next four years . will he , like romney , offer a specific jobs target ? will he offer a new deficit reduction goal ? venture into goals or timetables for immigration reform ? how the president packages his pitch also could be defining . for ronald reagan , the second term was wrapped as morning in america . ' clinton 's 1996 bid for a second term was sold as his bridge to the 21st century . ' thursday night , obama 's challenge is to sell his road map . and beyond the need to lay out a second-term policy agenda , some other obama challenges are obvious . voters , albeit by a narrow margin , view romney as better able to manage the economy . and while obama leads when voters are asked which candidate best understands the middle class , the latest cnn/orc international polling showed that romney significantly narrowed that gap as a result of the republican convention . the president 's top political advisers see discouragement as their greatest potential enemy . proof of this is in a look at recent national polling : the president 's numbers among registered voters are stronger than his numbers among likely voters , meaning a fair share of potential obama voters are n't as engaged or interested this time around . first lady seeks to reignite flame for president again , that is the strategy behind the convention agenda : careful targeting of the different pieces of the obama 2008 coalition . but for all the help he is getting from his friends , it is up to obama himself to close the deal . now , the role of one speech should not be overstated . just hours after the convention closes , the government will release august jobs data -- and that data could significantly shape morning-after reflections on the president 's big moment . plus , there are two months of campaigning and three presidential debates ahead , so this is n't his last chance . but it 's a giant opportunity , his unfiltered chance to make the case against change .","stakes for obama 's speech are higher after two prime-time performances" +"somalia ( cnn ) -- described as the largest single gathering of displaced residents in the world today , tens of thousands of civilians are seeking shelter along the afgooye corridor outside mogadishu , according to the united nations . members of the u.s. navy take a young somali boy to safety after rescuing him and 51 others adrift in a skiff . fighting between government forces and islamist militias has triggered the flight of more than 67,000 somalis in and around mogadishu since may 8 , the u.n. refugee agency said tuesday . most of them are heading to the afgooye corridor , a 30-kilometer ( 19-mile ) stretch of ramshackle housing described by the united nations'world food program as a nightmare . ' the corridor between mogadishu and the town of afgooye is already home to 400,000 displaced somalis , some of them living in huts made of twigs and branches . the clinics are already overwhelmed with malnourished and sick children . this week , somalia 's transitional president , sheikh sharif sheikh ahmed , asked the international community to help somalia defend against foreign militants who have invaded the country . ' ahmed told local journalists monday that he feared these foreign fighters would turn somalia into another iraq or afghanistan , where u.s.-led forces are fighting islamic extremist groups . the fighting has cut supplies of desperately needed humanitarian aid ' to the displaced somalis near the capital city , according to the office of the u.n. high commissioner for refugees . we are starting today the distribution of aid for some 50,000 people in afgooye corridor through our local partners in somalia , ' the refugee office said tuesday . today 's distribution will include cooking sets , plastic sheeting , blankets and mats . ' the number of somali refugees fleeing to nearby countries also continues to rise , with some 500,000 already in kenya , ethiopia , uganda , djibouti , eritrea and tanzania . many somalis have also made the dangerous journey across the gulf of aden to yemen . on saturday , a u.s. guided missile destroyer rescued a group of 52 somali men women and children -- including a woman who was eight months pregnant -- who had been stranded aboard a small skiff for nearly a week off somalia 's coast , the u.s. navy said . see photos of the rescue » a helicopter based on the uss lake champlain happened to spot the stranded mariners , according to the vessel 's commanding officer . it 's fortunate that our helicopter was flying over the right place at the right time , ' capt . kevin p. campbell said in a u.s. navy news release . i 'm glad we were able to be of assistance and rescue these men , women and children . our chief hospital corpsman stated that had we not found them at the time we did , the pregnant woman may not have survived . ' uss lake champlain has been deployed as part of the u.s. 5th fleet 's mission to patrol the gulf of aden region , which has been plagued by pirate attacks off somalia 's coast . we were very fortunate to have come across these people in the state they were in , ' said the ship 's chaplain , lt. j.g . jarrod johnson . seeing their condition really makes your heart go out to them . you can see the relief and hope in their eyes , and hear it in their conversation . '","ahmed fears foreign fighters will turn somalia into another iraq or afghanistan" +"chism ( cnn ) -- a young , beloved teacher found killed in the woods . a 14-year-old student in custody , charged with her murder . that much we know . but hours after both were found -- one dead , one alive -- in suburbs northeast of boston , much remains unknown as to why colleen ritzer was brutally slain . it 's just surreal how quickly someone can go , and how much we take for granted everyday , ' said danvers high school student chris weimert , describing ritzer as the nicest teacher you could ever have . ... i ca n't believe it . ' authorities had been looking for the student , philip chism , first , after he was reported missing -- with police sending out messages via twitter and facebook on tuesday evening , noting he 'd been last seen around 6:30 p.m. and asking for the public 's help in finding him . they got a call around 11:20 p.m. about another missing person , 24-year-old ritzer , after she , too , had n't returned home and was not answering her phone , according to essex county district attorney jonathan blodgett . a flurry of activity came next . police in topsfield , the town just north of danvers , around 12:30 a.m. spotted chism walking alongside a busy road there . authorities also converged on danvers high -- where ritzer taught and which chism attended -- finding blood in a second-floor bathroom , the district attorney said . the teacher 's body was soon discovered behind the school . chism was tied to ritzer 's death after police interviewed him and reviewed video surveillance from the school , a criminal complaint states . in court , it was alleged the teenager did assault and beat ' ritzer , leading to her death . based on his statements and the corroborating evidence found at multiple scenes at ... danvers high school and surrounding wooded area , the juvenile was subsequently placed into custody and booked for murder , ' adds the complaint . read the complaint the 14-year-old was arraigned wednesday afternoon in a salem , massachusetts , court for murder , then ordered held without bail . a grand jury could decide if chism will be charged as an adult . meanwhile , the tight-knit community of danvers is at a loss to explain why someone might take the life of ritzer , a 24-year-old known for posting inspirational messages on her twitter account and offering students extra help when they needed it . as the greater bay state community paid its respects with a moment of silence before the boston red sox began game 1 of the world series at fenway park , many heartbroken former students of hers gathered for a vigil outside the town 's high school . all seven schools in the north shore town closed wednesday , as investigators did their work and students and residents mourned the loss of ritzer . everything will reopen thursday except the high school , but counselors and grief specialists will be available there for two hours during the day , said superintendent lisa dana . classes throughout the town are set to resume friday , she said . i do n't know why she had to die , ' freshman spencer wade said of ritzer , adding that the mysterious and bloody nature of her death made it even harder to deal with . she was such a wonderful person . ' suspect had lived in 3 states in recent years just monday , the danvers police department was tweeting its support for families and first responders affected by the shooting death of a sparks , nevada , teacher -- allegedly at the hands of a 12-year-old boy . while no motive has been spelled out in ritzer 's death , some details have started to emerge about the the young suspect . chism attended fourth grade at a clarksville , tennessee , elementary school , said clarksville-montgomery county , tennessee , school system spokeswoman elise shelton . he then spent fifth grade at hammock pointe elementary in boca raton , florida , according to palm beach county school spokesman owen torres . the next three years , he was back in tennessee at rossview middle school in clarksville , according to shelton . then his family moved about 1,150 miles northeast to massachusetts . specifically , he was in danvers , a town of about 26,000 people , and went to its lone public high school . students said chism played soccer there , describing him as somewhat quiet but still an active participant in class who had friends . he ... seemed quiet and reserved , but he just seemed normal , ' said ariana edwards , who was in chism 's english class . chism did n't drink , do drugs and came from a good family , one of his closest friends said . he described chism as a good athlete who was shy at first but eventually warmed up to people , adding he had n't been acting strangely lately . this friend and others got their first hint something was awry when chism did n't show up for soccer practice . the team ended up setting out to look for their teammate , after seeing texts that he was missing . as they and police were looking for him -- and after ritzer was killed -- chism went to the movies , a source with knowledge of the investigation said . blodgett declined wednesday to offer specifics on the relationship between the suspect and the late teacher , though his office said chism attended one of ritzer 's classes . when authorities first reported chism missing on tuesday , people responded on the police department 's facebook page with prayers for his safe return . ' one neighbor described him as a polite and friendly boy . ' the tenor of the comments changed significantly once he was linked to ritzer 's killing . i 'd say he 's less'polite and friendly'than you thought , ' wrote one facebook commenter . everybody has to keep their eyes open . it 's no longer safe to say that you can take everybody at face value . ''the sweetest , most harmless person ever' ritzer graduated from assumption college in 2011 , that school said on twitter . she was pursuing a master 's degree in school counseling at salem state university , that school said . she believed children have much to offer and often do not realize how special they are as individuals , ' the university said . in her application to salem state she said she was dedicated to'helping students in times of need .'' charlotte dzerkacz in 2011 taught at the same middle school with ritzer , during which time the two became close friends . at all times , ritzer wore a wide smile and was approachable to students and colleagues alike . she was energetic , she was compassionate , ' dzerkacz said . you could n't ask for anything more from a teacher or a friend . ' like dzerkacz , ritzer 's aunt shirley martellucci said her niece never had any trouble with students -- including during the past two years , when she was at danvers high . she always wanted to be a teacher , all her life , ' martellucci said . it 's just unbelievable that someone would take her life at such a young age . ' on her twitter account , ritzer interspersed homework assignments and exhortations to work through tough math problems with cooking talk and inspirational messages . no matter what happens in life , be good to people , ' she wrote in august . being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind . ' her family issued a statement seeking privacy as they mourn their amazing , beautiful daughter and sister . ' everyone that knew and loved colleen knew of her passion for teaching and how she mentored each and every one of her students , ' the family said in the statement . students at danvers high echoed that sentiment , as well as that of her school district describing ritzer as a dynamic and brilliant ray of light . ' in the halls , she was guaranteed to offer a warm smile . in class , she could be counted on to give an appreciated pat on the back . even once the final bell sounded , she could always be counted on to offer teaching , guidance and support . she was always the teacher ( who would ) go the extra mile for students , always the teacher to be there for students after school , ' said kyle cahill . it 's just crazy . ' debate unfolds after teacher slayings in nevada , massachusetts cnn 's dana garrett , laurie segall , eden pontz , rob frehse , rose arce , chandler friedman , stephanie gallman , alexis weiss and bob crowley , as well as journalist alexandra field , contributed to this report .","the district attorney says the suspect , chism , was in one of colleen ritzer 's classes" +"mullins ( cnn ) -- the world now knows that the remains of richard iii -- the final plantagenet king of england who fell at the battle of bosworth in 1485 -- were under a parking lot . by most accounts , the dead monarch 's corpse was unceremoniously carried back to nearby leicester and buried at the church of the greyfriars , where it was lost for more than 500 years . the odds that archaeologists might recover richard iii 's remains more than a half millennium later were exceptionally slim . after dna testing and further analysis , the university of leicester archaeological services was able to confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that the skeleton indeed was that of richard iii . archaeologists rarely search for individuals , let alone lost monarchs , and the leicester excavation was focused on analyzing the medieval friary at which richard iii was rumored to be buried . nevertheless , archaeologists share the popular curiosity about famous personalities and the larger stories their lives and mortal remains might tell . if we are excavating missing people from richard iii 's past , then we should start with the remains of the so-called princes in the tower ' -- that is , his nephews edward v and richard of shrewsbury . richard iii : is this the face that launched 1,000 myths ? the princes were held in the tower of london and likely murdered around 1483 at richard iii 's command . their rumored remains now rest under westminster abbey , and a survey of the remains in 1933 found two youth 's partial skeletons with a random mix of animal bones . dna analysis alone is not enough to seal this case , however , and any conclusion would neither incriminate richard iii nor prove his innocence , so such a study would mostly be a public curiosity . amelia earhart 's plane went down in the pacific in 1937 , unleashing decades of curiosity about the fate of earhart and her navigator , fred noonan . earhart has long been viewed as a symbol of bravery and feminism , and after intensive but unsuccessful efforts to locate her in 1937 , the international group for historic aircraft recovery attempted to find earhart in the late 1980s . enlisting archaeologist tom king , a shoe was recovered in a location with circumstantial evidence of earhart 's plane , but nothing substantial has turned up . an interesting archaeological mystery is the disappearance of the roanoke colony from contemporary north carolina in 1587 . an english crew left the roanoke colony that august with plans to return the following year , but by the time the english returned in 1590 , the settlement was empty . the missing colonists might have been wiped out by indigenous neighbors , captured by those neighbors or joined those native communities . an archaeological investigation by east carolina university recovered some 16th century material culture , including a ring linked to a colonist . but shoreline erosion removed much of the archaeological evidence associated with the colony . dna testing has also been conducted with the argument that the colony became part of the neighboring indigenous groups . nevertheless , there 's been no satisfying evidence to resolve precisely what happened to the roanoke colony . few historical figures inspire as much curiosity as genghis khan , the military leader and empire builder who unified the disparate groups scattered across present-day mongolia . when he died in 1227 , genghis khan was buried in an exceptionally well-concealed , unmarked tomb whose location had become a mystery a century later . a 2003 study suggested that nearly 8 % of the men living in the former mongol empire share a genetic lineage that was likely descended from khan and his male relatives . eight centuries later , khan 's lost tomb would shed light on the ritual practices associated with one of history 's most powerful empires and its best-known leader . as we continue to be captivated by the dramatic discovery of richard iii 's remains , we should keep in mind that it 's just one piece of material culture from a complex site that tells a story that will reach well beyond the mere hunt for a monarch 's grave . what the excavation reveals about medieval warfare , life among the wealthiest 15th century people and everyday life in a late medieval friary could be even more compelling . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of paul r. mullins .","mullins : archaeologists rarely search for individuals , let alone lost monarchs" +"mullins ( cnn ) -- the world now knows that the remains of richard iii -- the final plantagenet king of england who fell at the battle of bosworth in 1485 -- were under a parking lot . by most accounts , the dead monarch 's corpse was unceremoniously carried back to nearby leicester and buried at the church of the greyfriars , where it was lost for more than 500 years . the odds that archaeologists might recover richard iii 's remains more than a half millennium later were exceptionally slim . after dna testing and further analysis , the university of leicester archaeological services was able to confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that the skeleton indeed was that of richard iii . archaeologists rarely search for individuals , let alone lost monarchs , and the leicester excavation was focused on analyzing the medieval friary at which richard iii was rumored to be buried . nevertheless , archaeologists share the popular curiosity about famous personalities and the larger stories their lives and mortal remains might tell . if we are excavating missing people from richard iii 's past , then we should start with the remains of the so-called princes in the tower ' -- that is , his nephews edward v and richard of shrewsbury . richard iii : is this the face that launched 1,000 myths ? the princes were held in the tower of london and likely murdered around 1483 at richard iii 's command . their rumored remains now rest under westminster abbey , and a survey of the remains in 1933 found two youth 's partial skeletons with a random mix of animal bones . dna analysis alone is not enough to seal this case , however , and any conclusion would neither incriminate richard iii nor prove his innocence , so such a study would mostly be a public curiosity . amelia earhart 's plane went down in the pacific in 1937 , unleashing decades of curiosity about the fate of earhart and her navigator , fred noonan . earhart has long been viewed as a symbol of bravery and feminism , and after intensive but unsuccessful efforts to locate her in 1937 , the international group for historic aircraft recovery attempted to find earhart in the late 1980s . enlisting archaeologist tom king , a shoe was recovered in a location with circumstantial evidence of earhart 's plane , but nothing substantial has turned up . an interesting archaeological mystery is the disappearance of the roanoke colony from contemporary north carolina in 1587 . an english crew left the roanoke colony that august with plans to return the following year , but by the time the english returned in 1590 , the settlement was empty . the missing colonists might have been wiped out by indigenous neighbors , captured by those neighbors or joined those native communities . an archaeological investigation by east carolina university recovered some 16th century material culture , including a ring linked to a colonist . but shoreline erosion removed much of the archaeological evidence associated with the colony . dna testing has also been conducted with the argument that the colony became part of the neighboring indigenous groups . nevertheless , there 's been no satisfying evidence to resolve precisely what happened to the roanoke colony . few historical figures inspire as much curiosity as genghis khan , the military leader and empire builder who unified the disparate groups scattered across present-day mongolia . when he died in 1227 , genghis khan was buried in an exceptionally well-concealed , unmarked tomb whose location had become a mystery a century later . a 2003 study suggested that nearly 8 % of the men living in the former mongol empire share a genetic lineage that was likely descended from khan and his male relatives . eight centuries later , khan 's lost tomb would shed light on the ritual practices associated with one of history 's most powerful empires and its best-known leader . as we continue to be captivated by the dramatic discovery of richard iii 's remains , we should keep in mind that it 's just one piece of material culture from a complex site that tells a story that will reach well beyond the mere hunt for a monarch 's grave . what the excavation reveals about medieval warfare , life among the wealthiest 15th century people and everyday life in a late medieval friary could be even more compelling . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of paul r. mullins .","mullins : big discoveries can give us compelling glimpses into past history and culture" +"mullins ( cnn ) -- the world now knows that the remains of richard iii -- the final plantagenet king of england who fell at the battle of bosworth in 1485 -- were under a parking lot . by most accounts , the dead monarch 's corpse was unceremoniously carried back to nearby leicester and buried at the church of the greyfriars , where it was lost for more than 500 years . the odds that archaeologists might recover richard iii 's remains more than a half millennium later were exceptionally slim . after dna testing and further analysis , the university of leicester archaeological services was able to confirm beyond a reasonable doubt that the skeleton indeed was that of richard iii . archaeologists rarely search for individuals , let alone lost monarchs , and the leicester excavation was focused on analyzing the medieval friary at which richard iii was rumored to be buried . nevertheless , archaeologists share the popular curiosity about famous personalities and the larger stories their lives and mortal remains might tell . if we are excavating missing people from richard iii 's past , then we should start with the remains of the so-called princes in the tower ' -- that is , his nephews edward v and richard of shrewsbury . richard iii : is this the face that launched 1,000 myths ? the princes were held in the tower of london and likely murdered around 1483 at richard iii 's command . their rumored remains now rest under westminster abbey , and a survey of the remains in 1933 found two youth 's partial skeletons with a random mix of animal bones . dna analysis alone is not enough to seal this case , however , and any conclusion would neither incriminate richard iii nor prove his innocence , so such a study would mostly be a public curiosity . amelia earhart 's plane went down in the pacific in 1937 , unleashing decades of curiosity about the fate of earhart and her navigator , fred noonan . earhart has long been viewed as a symbol of bravery and feminism , and after intensive but unsuccessful efforts to locate her in 1937 , the international group for historic aircraft recovery attempted to find earhart in the late 1980s . enlisting archaeologist tom king , a shoe was recovered in a location with circumstantial evidence of earhart 's plane , but nothing substantial has turned up . an interesting archaeological mystery is the disappearance of the roanoke colony from contemporary north carolina in 1587 . an english crew left the roanoke colony that august with plans to return the following year , but by the time the english returned in 1590 , the settlement was empty . the missing colonists might have been wiped out by indigenous neighbors , captured by those neighbors or joined those native communities . an archaeological investigation by east carolina university recovered some 16th century material culture , including a ring linked to a colonist . but shoreline erosion removed much of the archaeological evidence associated with the colony . dna testing has also been conducted with the argument that the colony became part of the neighboring indigenous groups . nevertheless , there 's been no satisfying evidence to resolve precisely what happened to the roanoke colony . few historical figures inspire as much curiosity as genghis khan , the military leader and empire builder who unified the disparate groups scattered across present-day mongolia . when he died in 1227 , genghis khan was buried in an exceptionally well-concealed , unmarked tomb whose location had become a mystery a century later . a 2003 study suggested that nearly 8 % of the men living in the former mongol empire share a genetic lineage that was likely descended from khan and his male relatives . eight centuries later , khan 's lost tomb would shed light on the ritual practices associated with one of history 's most powerful empires and its best-known leader . as we continue to be captivated by the dramatic discovery of richard iii 's remains , we should keep in mind that it 's just one piece of material culture from a complex site that tells a story that will reach well beyond the mere hunt for a monarch 's grave . what the excavation reveals about medieval warfare , life among the wealthiest 15th century people and everyday life in a late medieval friary could be even more compelling . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of paul r. mullins .","paul mullins : the odds of discovering richard iii 's remains were exceptionally slim" +"guitar hero los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- metallica 's lars ulrich loves black sabbath and deep purple -- and so does his 10-year-old son . actor rodger corser plays guitar hero ' at an april event in australia . the game has revived interest in rock music . ulrich may have played songs from those old rock bands around the house on his stereo , but he gives credit for his son 's excitement to another source : video games . myles ulrich is a fan of games such as guitar hero ' and rock band , ' which have spawned a comeback for rock music . it 's a cool generational thing to share that with your kids , ' said ulrich , the drummer for the multi-platinum quartet . my [ son 's ] favorite bands are ... the same bands that are my favorite bands -- the bands i grew up on . ' a few years ago , rock music was struggling on the charts . with hip-hop and teen pop ruling , rock was finding it hard to break through with new music -- or sell more of the old . but guitar hero ' and rock band ' have prompted kids born in the '90s to discover artists from the '70s and '80s such as aerosmith , twisted sister and pat benatar . the games'amazing popularity -- last year , the two brought in more than $ 935 million in revenue , according to the npd group market research company -- has helped create success in other markets , according to observers . watch ulrich and others praise the games on american morning ' » geoff mayfield , senior analyst and director of charts for billboard magazine , said he sees a direct cause-and-effect for some of the artists who have licensed their songs to guitar hero . ' a few weeks ago , when the game featuring aerosmith ['guitar hero : aerosmith'] came out , there was more than a 40 percent increase in their catalog sales . i expect you 'll see that again when metallica gets the same kind of treatment in a few weeks , ' mayfield said . ireport.com : do you shred on guitar hero ? ' once wary of downloading , metallica has changed its tune with its upcoming album . when'death magnetic'comes out in september , you can actually download the new album the same day it comes out , and play it on your'guitar hero iii ,' ulrich said -- fully aware of the irony , given his band 's past litigation with the internet music file-sharing service napster . even in an uncertain economy , the video games also have increased interest in guitars , according to the nationwide guitar center chain . and bars holding guitar hero ' nights also have enjoyed a boost in business : big wangs sports tavern in hollywood , california , reports a 25 percent to 35 percent increase in sales . the results have played out at such places as roosevelt high school in los angeles , where most teens have grown up on a steady diet of hip-hop and r & b . recently , heavy metal blared from the school 's darkened auditorium as it sponsored a three-day guitar hero face-off . ' spotlights illuminated the competitors , and an audience full of enthusiasts screamed wildly at the end of each song . it was enough to make 16-year-old finalist george gomez nervous . you got fans cheering you on , ' he marveled shyly . for mayfield , the marriage of music and video games makes perfect sense , especially for an ailing record industry that 's been having trouble selling cds . this is a chance for something that 's been a competition to actually be an ally , if you will , ' he said . mayfield has never played guitar hero ' or rock band , ' but he said he understands the irresistible appeal of kids and adults indulging in some harmless headbanging -- albeit with toy instruments . if you 've ever played air guitar , more than likely , you were n't doing it to a michael jackson song . you were doing it to an aerosmith song , ' he said . cnn 's carolyn sung contributed to this article .","aerosmith catalog sales went up after guitar hero : aerosmith ' came out" +"guitar hero los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- metallica 's lars ulrich loves black sabbath and deep purple -- and so does his 10-year-old son . actor rodger corser plays guitar hero ' at an april event in australia . the game has revived interest in rock music . ulrich may have played songs from those old rock bands around the house on his stereo , but he gives credit for his son 's excitement to another source : video games . myles ulrich is a fan of games such as guitar hero ' and rock band , ' which have spawned a comeback for rock music . it 's a cool generational thing to share that with your kids , ' said ulrich , the drummer for the multi-platinum quartet . my [ son 's ] favorite bands are ... the same bands that are my favorite bands -- the bands i grew up on . ' a few years ago , rock music was struggling on the charts . with hip-hop and teen pop ruling , rock was finding it hard to break through with new music -- or sell more of the old . but guitar hero ' and rock band ' have prompted kids born in the '90s to discover artists from the '70s and '80s such as aerosmith , twisted sister and pat benatar . the games'amazing popularity -- last year , the two brought in more than $ 935 million in revenue , according to the npd group market research company -- has helped create success in other markets , according to observers . watch ulrich and others praise the games on american morning ' » geoff mayfield , senior analyst and director of charts for billboard magazine , said he sees a direct cause-and-effect for some of the artists who have licensed their songs to guitar hero . ' a few weeks ago , when the game featuring aerosmith ['guitar hero : aerosmith'] came out , there was more than a 40 percent increase in their catalog sales . i expect you 'll see that again when metallica gets the same kind of treatment in a few weeks , ' mayfield said . ireport.com : do you shred on guitar hero ? ' once wary of downloading , metallica has changed its tune with its upcoming album . when'death magnetic'comes out in september , you can actually download the new album the same day it comes out , and play it on your'guitar hero iii ,' ulrich said -- fully aware of the irony , given his band 's past litigation with the internet music file-sharing service napster . even in an uncertain economy , the video games also have increased interest in guitars , according to the nationwide guitar center chain . and bars holding guitar hero ' nights also have enjoyed a boost in business : big wangs sports tavern in hollywood , california , reports a 25 percent to 35 percent increase in sales . the results have played out at such places as roosevelt high school in los angeles , where most teens have grown up on a steady diet of hip-hop and r & b . recently , heavy metal blared from the school 's darkened auditorium as it sponsored a three-day guitar hero face-off . ' spotlights illuminated the competitors , and an audience full of enthusiasts screamed wildly at the end of each song . it was enough to make 16-year-old finalist george gomez nervous . you got fans cheering you on , ' he marveled shyly . for mayfield , the marriage of music and video games makes perfect sense , especially for an ailing record industry that 's been having trouble selling cds . this is a chance for something that 's been a competition to actually be an ally , if you will , ' he said . mayfield has never played guitar hero ' or rock band , ' but he said he understands the irresistible appeal of kids and adults indulging in some harmless headbanging -- albeit with toy instruments . if you 've ever played air guitar , more than likely , you were n't doing it to a michael jackson song . you were doing it to an aerosmith song , ' he said . cnn 's carolyn sung contributed to this article ."," guitar hero ' and rock band ' games have been hugely successful" +"israeli hollywood producer arnon milchan confirmed what has been rumored for decades -- that he secretly helped israel develop its nuclear weapons program . milchan , who has produced dozens of major movies and worked with the biggest stars , worked for israel 's now-defunct spy unit bureau of scientific relations , he told israeli television 's uvda fact 14 ' show . a 2011 book detailed milchan 's secret work , but until now he has not talked openly about his life of espionage . milchan , whose films include fight club , ' pretty woman , ' and l.a . confidential , ' set up and operated dozens of companies that helped israel obtain parts and plans for its nuclear project in the 1980s , he said . i did it for my country and i 'm proud of it , ' milchan told interviewer ilana dayan in a report aired this week . his spy work was a rumor in the 1980s when milchan was producing movies , including the king of comedy ' and once upon a time in america ' with actor robert de niro . de niro sat with milchan for an interview with dayan for the show . he said he suspected something about the producer 's ventures ' decades ago , but i was n't sure . ' he did n't question his producer about the rumors because it was n't my business , ' he said . he did n't ask me certain things and i do n't ask him. milchan :'wow ! the action ! that was exciting' milchan -- born in 1944 in what was then palestine -- was a successful young businessman in the united states when his friend shimon peres -- who later became israel 's prime minister -- recruited him to help after the 1973 yom kippur war , the uvda report said . israeli spy officials used bank accounts set up by milchan to make weapons-related purchases around the world , including helicopters and missiles , the report said . do you know what it was like to be a 20-something guy whose country decided to let him be james bond ? wow ! the action ! that was exciting , ' milchan told dayan . milchan told how he convinced a german engineer to let him photograph plans for a nuclear facility . when the fbi discovered one of his companies was used to ship nuclear triggers to israel without proper licenses , it resulted in the 1985 indictment of an executive who was involved . charges against milchan were dropped by the reagan administration . i did n't know israel ordered the triggers , ' milchan told dayan . i did n't even know what triggers were . ' he also acknowledged helping the government of south africa with public relations when it was under intense international criticism and sanctions because of its apartheid system . his help was in exchange for uranium supplied to israel from south africa , he said . director sidney pollack , whose films included tootsie ' and out of africa , ' was my partner in export in aerospace , planes , all kinds of things , with license , ' milchan said . he had to decide what he was willing and what he was not . on many things he said'no .'many things he said'yes .' milchan is a multi-billionaire , but he insisted that he never profited from his spy work ."," i did it for my country and i 'm proud of it , ' arnon milchan told an israeli tv interviewer" +"israeli hollywood producer arnon milchan confirmed what has been rumored for decades -- that he secretly helped israel develop its nuclear weapons program . milchan , who has produced dozens of major movies and worked with the biggest stars , worked for israel 's now-defunct spy unit bureau of scientific relations , he told israeli television 's uvda fact 14 ' show . a 2011 book detailed milchan 's secret work , but until now he has not talked openly about his life of espionage . milchan , whose films include fight club , ' pretty woman , ' and l.a . confidential , ' set up and operated dozens of companies that helped israel obtain parts and plans for its nuclear project in the 1980s , he said . i did it for my country and i 'm proud of it , ' milchan told interviewer ilana dayan in a report aired this week . his spy work was a rumor in the 1980s when milchan was producing movies , including the king of comedy ' and once upon a time in america ' with actor robert de niro . de niro sat with milchan for an interview with dayan for the show . he said he suspected something about the producer 's ventures ' decades ago , but i was n't sure . ' he did n't question his producer about the rumors because it was n't my business , ' he said . he did n't ask me certain things and i do n't ask him. milchan :'wow ! the action ! that was exciting' milchan -- born in 1944 in what was then palestine -- was a successful young businessman in the united states when his friend shimon peres -- who later became israel 's prime minister -- recruited him to help after the 1973 yom kippur war , the uvda report said . israeli spy officials used bank accounts set up by milchan to make weapons-related purchases around the world , including helicopters and missiles , the report said . do you know what it was like to be a 20-something guy whose country decided to let him be james bond ? wow ! the action ! that was exciting , ' milchan told dayan . milchan told how he convinced a german engineer to let him photograph plans for a nuclear facility . when the fbi discovered one of his companies was used to ship nuclear triggers to israel without proper licenses , it resulted in the 1985 indictment of an executive who was involved . charges against milchan were dropped by the reagan administration . i did n't know israel ordered the triggers , ' milchan told dayan . i did n't even know what triggers were . ' he also acknowledged helping the government of south africa with public relations when it was under intense international criticism and sanctions because of its apartheid system . his help was in exchange for uranium supplied to israel from south africa , he said . director sidney pollack , whose films included tootsie ' and out of africa , ' was my partner in export in aerospace , planes , all kinds of things , with license , ' milchan said . he had to decide what he was willing and what he was not . on many things he said'no .'many things he said'yes .' milchan is a multi-billionaire , but he insisted that he never profited from his spy work .","israeli spy agency used milchan 's companies to make weapons-related purchases" +"milchan hollywood producer arnon milchan confirmed what has been rumored for decades -- that he secretly helped israel develop its nuclear weapons program . milchan , who has produced dozens of major movies and worked with the biggest stars , worked for israel 's now-defunct spy unit bureau of scientific relations , he told israeli television 's uvda fact 14 ' show . a 2011 book detailed milchan 's secret work , but until now he has not talked openly about his life of espionage . milchan , whose films include fight club , ' pretty woman , ' and l.a . confidential , ' set up and operated dozens of companies that helped israel obtain parts and plans for its nuclear project in the 1980s , he said . i did it for my country and i 'm proud of it , ' milchan told interviewer ilana dayan in a report aired this week . his spy work was a rumor in the 1980s when milchan was producing movies , including the king of comedy ' and once upon a time in america ' with actor robert de niro . de niro sat with milchan for an interview with dayan for the show . he said he suspected something about the producer 's ventures ' decades ago , but i was n't sure . ' he did n't question his producer about the rumors because it was n't my business , ' he said . he did n't ask me certain things and i do n't ask him. milchan :'wow ! the action ! that was exciting' milchan -- born in 1944 in what was then palestine -- was a successful young businessman in the united states when his friend shimon peres -- who later became israel 's prime minister -- recruited him to help after the 1973 yom kippur war , the uvda report said . israeli spy officials used bank accounts set up by milchan to make weapons-related purchases around the world , including helicopters and missiles , the report said . do you know what it was like to be a 20-something guy whose country decided to let him be james bond ? wow ! the action ! that was exciting , ' milchan told dayan . milchan told how he convinced a german engineer to let him photograph plans for a nuclear facility . when the fbi discovered one of his companies was used to ship nuclear triggers to israel without proper licenses , it resulted in the 1985 indictment of an executive who was involved . charges against milchan were dropped by the reagan administration . i did n't know israel ordered the triggers , ' milchan told dayan . i did n't even know what triggers were . ' he also acknowledged helping the government of south africa with public relations when it was under intense international criticism and sanctions because of its apartheid system . his help was in exchange for uranium supplied to israel from south africa , he said . director sidney pollack , whose films included tootsie ' and out of africa , ' was my partner in export in aerospace , planes , all kinds of things , with license , ' milchan said . he had to decide what he was willing and what he was not . on many things he said'no .'many things he said'yes .' milchan is a multi-billionaire , but he insisted that he never profited from his spy work ."," i did it for my country and i 'm proud of it , ' arnon milchan told an israeli tv interviewer" +"milchan hollywood producer arnon milchan confirmed what has been rumored for decades -- that he secretly helped israel develop its nuclear weapons program . milchan , who has produced dozens of major movies and worked with the biggest stars , worked for israel 's now-defunct spy unit bureau of scientific relations , he told israeli television 's uvda fact 14 ' show . a 2011 book detailed milchan 's secret work , but until now he has not talked openly about his life of espionage . milchan , whose films include fight club , ' pretty woman , ' and l.a . confidential , ' set up and operated dozens of companies that helped israel obtain parts and plans for its nuclear project in the 1980s , he said . i did it for my country and i 'm proud of it , ' milchan told interviewer ilana dayan in a report aired this week . his spy work was a rumor in the 1980s when milchan was producing movies , including the king of comedy ' and once upon a time in america ' with actor robert de niro . de niro sat with milchan for an interview with dayan for the show . he said he suspected something about the producer 's ventures ' decades ago , but i was n't sure . ' he did n't question his producer about the rumors because it was n't my business , ' he said . he did n't ask me certain things and i do n't ask him. milchan :'wow ! the action ! that was exciting' milchan -- born in 1944 in what was then palestine -- was a successful young businessman in the united states when his friend shimon peres -- who later became israel 's prime minister -- recruited him to help after the 1973 yom kippur war , the uvda report said . israeli spy officials used bank accounts set up by milchan to make weapons-related purchases around the world , including helicopters and missiles , the report said . do you know what it was like to be a 20-something guy whose country decided to let him be james bond ? wow ! the action ! that was exciting , ' milchan told dayan . milchan told how he convinced a german engineer to let him photograph plans for a nuclear facility . when the fbi discovered one of his companies was used to ship nuclear triggers to israel without proper licenses , it resulted in the 1985 indictment of an executive who was involved . charges against milchan were dropped by the reagan administration . i did n't know israel ordered the triggers , ' milchan told dayan . i did n't even know what triggers were . ' he also acknowledged helping the government of south africa with public relations when it was under intense international criticism and sanctions because of its apartheid system . his help was in exchange for uranium supplied to israel from south africa , he said . director sidney pollack , whose films included tootsie ' and out of africa , ' was my partner in export in aerospace , planes , all kinds of things , with license , ' milchan said . he had to decide what he was willing and what he was not . on many things he said'no .'many things he said'yes .' milchan is a multi-billionaire , but he insisted that he never profited from his spy work .","milchan 's films include fight club , ' pretty woman , ' and l.a . confidential '" +"milchan hollywood producer arnon milchan confirmed what has been rumored for decades -- that he secretly helped israel develop its nuclear weapons program . milchan , who has produced dozens of major movies and worked with the biggest stars , worked for israel 's now-defunct spy unit bureau of scientific relations , he told israeli television 's uvda fact 14 ' show . a 2011 book detailed milchan 's secret work , but until now he has not talked openly about his life of espionage . milchan , whose films include fight club , ' pretty woman , ' and l.a . confidential , ' set up and operated dozens of companies that helped israel obtain parts and plans for its nuclear project in the 1980s , he said . i did it for my country and i 'm proud of it , ' milchan told interviewer ilana dayan in a report aired this week . his spy work was a rumor in the 1980s when milchan was producing movies , including the king of comedy ' and once upon a time in america ' with actor robert de niro . de niro sat with milchan for an interview with dayan for the show . he said he suspected something about the producer 's ventures ' decades ago , but i was n't sure . ' he did n't question his producer about the rumors because it was n't my business , ' he said . he did n't ask me certain things and i do n't ask him. milchan :'wow ! the action ! that was exciting' milchan -- born in 1944 in what was then palestine -- was a successful young businessman in the united states when his friend shimon peres -- who later became israel 's prime minister -- recruited him to help after the 1973 yom kippur war , the uvda report said . israeli spy officials used bank accounts set up by milchan to make weapons-related purchases around the world , including helicopters and missiles , the report said . do you know what it was like to be a 20-something guy whose country decided to let him be james bond ? wow ! the action ! that was exciting , ' milchan told dayan . milchan told how he convinced a german engineer to let him photograph plans for a nuclear facility . when the fbi discovered one of his companies was used to ship nuclear triggers to israel without proper licenses , it resulted in the 1985 indictment of an executive who was involved . charges against milchan were dropped by the reagan administration . i did n't know israel ordered the triggers , ' milchan told dayan . i did n't even know what triggers were . ' he also acknowledged helping the government of south africa with public relations when it was under intense international criticism and sanctions because of its apartheid system . his help was in exchange for uranium supplied to israel from south africa , he said . director sidney pollack , whose films included tootsie ' and out of africa , ' was my partner in export in aerospace , planes , all kinds of things , with license , ' milchan said . he had to decide what he was willing and what he was not . on many things he said'no .'many things he said'yes .' milchan is a multi-billionaire , but he insisted that he never profited from his spy work .","israeli spy agency used milchan 's companies to make weapons-related purchases" +"l.a . confidential hollywood producer arnon milchan confirmed what has been rumored for decades -- that he secretly helped israel develop its nuclear weapons program . milchan , who has produced dozens of major movies and worked with the biggest stars , worked for israel 's now-defunct spy unit bureau of scientific relations , he told israeli television 's uvda fact 14 ' show . a 2011 book detailed milchan 's secret work , but until now he has not talked openly about his life of espionage . milchan , whose films include fight club , ' pretty woman , ' and l.a . confidential , ' set up and operated dozens of companies that helped israel obtain parts and plans for its nuclear project in the 1980s , he said . i did it for my country and i 'm proud of it , ' milchan told interviewer ilana dayan in a report aired this week . his spy work was a rumor in the 1980s when milchan was producing movies , including the king of comedy ' and once upon a time in america ' with actor robert de niro . de niro sat with milchan for an interview with dayan for the show . he said he suspected something about the producer 's ventures ' decades ago , but i was n't sure . ' he did n't question his producer about the rumors because it was n't my business , ' he said . he did n't ask me certain things and i do n't ask him. milchan :'wow ! the action ! that was exciting' milchan -- born in 1944 in what was then palestine -- was a successful young businessman in the united states when his friend shimon peres -- who later became israel 's prime minister -- recruited him to help after the 1973 yom kippur war , the uvda report said . israeli spy officials used bank accounts set up by milchan to make weapons-related purchases around the world , including helicopters and missiles , the report said . do you know what it was like to be a 20-something guy whose country decided to let him be james bond ? wow ! the action ! that was exciting , ' milchan told dayan . milchan told how he convinced a german engineer to let him photograph plans for a nuclear facility . when the fbi discovered one of his companies was used to ship nuclear triggers to israel without proper licenses , it resulted in the 1985 indictment of an executive who was involved . charges against milchan were dropped by the reagan administration . i did n't know israel ordered the triggers , ' milchan told dayan . i did n't even know what triggers were . ' he also acknowledged helping the government of south africa with public relations when it was under intense international criticism and sanctions because of its apartheid system . his help was in exchange for uranium supplied to israel from south africa , he said . director sidney pollack , whose films included tootsie ' and out of africa , ' was my partner in export in aerospace , planes , all kinds of things , with license , ' milchan said . he had to decide what he was willing and what he was not . on many things he said'no .'many things he said'yes .' milchan is a multi-billionaire , but he insisted that he never profited from his spy work .","milchan 's films include fight club , ' pretty woman , ' and l.a . confidential '" +"brown los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- singer chris brown pleaded not guilty to both charges in the felony assault case against him monday afternoon . singer chris brown , right , appeared in court monday on charges of assaulting singer rihanna . singer rihanna , the girlfriend brown is accused of attacking , wants the case resolved without a trial , her lawyer said . the only words heard from brown , 19 , during his brief appearance before judge patricia schnegg were not guilty , ' which he said twice as schnegg asked for his plea on the two counts . brown is charged with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats . if he is convicted , the sentence could range from probation to four years and eight months in prison , the los angeles county district attorney 's office has said . the alleged attacked happened during an argument in february that began when 21-year-old rihanna , who had been dating brown , found a text message from another woman on his cell phone , according to a sworn police statement . watch chris brown enter his plea » rihanna 's lawyer , donald etra , told reporters after monday 's hearing that his client would prefer that the matter be resolved expeditiously and fairly . ' she believes that the quicker this case is over , the more quickly she can get back to her life and her career , which is exactly what she 'd like to do , ' etra said . rihanna , who is in her home country , barbados , is in fine spirits , she 's doing fine , ' he said . she would be pleased if this were over quickly , ' etra said . he said there were efforts on behalf of all of the parties to try to resolve the case expeditiously and fairly . ' the goal is to see if it can be resolved prior to the preliminary hearing and prior to trial , ' etra said . i think that would benefit everybody . ' when asked if rihanna would cooperate with prosecutors , etra gave the same response he 's given previously . if asked to testify , she will do so , ' he said . he said it was premature to speculate ' what rihanna might consider a fair plea deal for brown . when brown appeared for his first hearing a month ago , rihanna 's lawyer asked the judge not to prohibit brown from having contact with her while he faces felony charges of assaulting her . watch brown at his march court appearance » the judge granted rihanna 's request , only warning brown not to annoy , harass , molest , threaten or use force or violence against anyone . ' court documents released last month revealed details about the case against brown , including a police statement that the incident began when rihanna , whose full name is robyn rihanna fenty , found a text message on brown 's cell phone from a woman who brown had a previous sexual relationship with . ' brown issued a public apology for the incident in february . words can not begin to express how sorry and saddened i am over what transpired , ' he said in a statement released by his spokesman . i am seeking the counseling of my pastor , my mother and other loved ones and i am committed , with god 's help , to emerging a better person . ' brown has not commented publicly since issuing that statement . the next court hearing in the case is set for april 29 . cnn 's k.j . matthews and denise quan contributed to this report .","new : chris brown 's girlfriend , singer rihanna , does n't want a trial , lawyer says" +"brown los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- singer chris brown pleaded not guilty to both charges in the felony assault case against him monday afternoon . singer chris brown , right , appeared in court monday on charges of assaulting singer rihanna . singer rihanna , the girlfriend brown is accused of attacking , wants the case resolved without a trial , her lawyer said . the only words heard from brown , 19 , during his brief appearance before judge patricia schnegg were not guilty , ' which he said twice as schnegg asked for his plea on the two counts . brown is charged with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats . if he is convicted , the sentence could range from probation to four years and eight months in prison , the los angeles county district attorney 's office has said . the alleged attacked happened during an argument in february that began when 21-year-old rihanna , who had been dating brown , found a text message from another woman on his cell phone , according to a sworn police statement . watch chris brown enter his plea » rihanna 's lawyer , donald etra , told reporters after monday 's hearing that his client would prefer that the matter be resolved expeditiously and fairly . ' she believes that the quicker this case is over , the more quickly she can get back to her life and her career , which is exactly what she 'd like to do , ' etra said . rihanna , who is in her home country , barbados , is in fine spirits , she 's doing fine , ' he said . she would be pleased if this were over quickly , ' etra said . he said there were efforts on behalf of all of the parties to try to resolve the case expeditiously and fairly . ' the goal is to see if it can be resolved prior to the preliminary hearing and prior to trial , ' etra said . i think that would benefit everybody . ' when asked if rihanna would cooperate with prosecutors , etra gave the same response he 's given previously . if asked to testify , she will do so , ' he said . he said it was premature to speculate ' what rihanna might consider a fair plea deal for brown . when brown appeared for his first hearing a month ago , rihanna 's lawyer asked the judge not to prohibit brown from having contact with her while he faces felony charges of assaulting her . watch brown at his march court appearance » the judge granted rihanna 's request , only warning brown not to annoy , harass , molest , threaten or use force or violence against anyone . ' court documents released last month revealed details about the case against brown , including a police statement that the incident began when rihanna , whose full name is robyn rihanna fenty , found a text message on brown 's cell phone from a woman who brown had a previous sexual relationship with . ' brown issued a public apology for the incident in february . words can not begin to express how sorry and saddened i am over what transpired , ' he said in a statement released by his spokesman . i am seeking the counseling of my pastor , my mother and other loved ones and i am committed , with god 's help , to emerging a better person . ' brown has not commented publicly since issuing that statement . the next court hearing in the case is set for april 29 . cnn 's k.j . matthews and denise quan contributed to this report .","police say brown and rihanna had argument that became violent" +"brown los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- singer chris brown pleaded not guilty to both charges in the felony assault case against him monday afternoon . singer chris brown , right , appeared in court monday on charges of assaulting singer rihanna . singer rihanna , the girlfriend brown is accused of attacking , wants the case resolved without a trial , her lawyer said . the only words heard from brown , 19 , during his brief appearance before judge patricia schnegg were not guilty , ' which he said twice as schnegg asked for his plea on the two counts . brown is charged with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats . if he is convicted , the sentence could range from probation to four years and eight months in prison , the los angeles county district attorney 's office has said . the alleged attacked happened during an argument in february that began when 21-year-old rihanna , who had been dating brown , found a text message from another woman on his cell phone , according to a sworn police statement . watch chris brown enter his plea » rihanna 's lawyer , donald etra , told reporters after monday 's hearing that his client would prefer that the matter be resolved expeditiously and fairly . ' she believes that the quicker this case is over , the more quickly she can get back to her life and her career , which is exactly what she 'd like to do , ' etra said . rihanna , who is in her home country , barbados , is in fine spirits , she 's doing fine , ' he said . she would be pleased if this were over quickly , ' etra said . he said there were efforts on behalf of all of the parties to try to resolve the case expeditiously and fairly . ' the goal is to see if it can be resolved prior to the preliminary hearing and prior to trial , ' etra said . i think that would benefit everybody . ' when asked if rihanna would cooperate with prosecutors , etra gave the same response he 's given previously . if asked to testify , she will do so , ' he said . he said it was premature to speculate ' what rihanna might consider a fair plea deal for brown . when brown appeared for his first hearing a month ago , rihanna 's lawyer asked the judge not to prohibit brown from having contact with her while he faces felony charges of assaulting her . watch brown at his march court appearance » the judge granted rihanna 's request , only warning brown not to annoy , harass , molest , threaten or use force or violence against anyone . ' court documents released last month revealed details about the case against brown , including a police statement that the incident began when rihanna , whose full name is robyn rihanna fenty , found a text message on brown 's cell phone from a woman who brown had a previous sexual relationship with . ' brown issued a public apology for the incident in february . words can not begin to express how sorry and saddened i am over what transpired , ' he said in a statement released by his spokesman . i am seeking the counseling of my pastor , my mother and other loved ones and i am committed , with god 's help , to emerging a better person . ' brown has not commented publicly since issuing that statement . the next court hearing in the case is set for april 29 . cnn 's k.j . matthews and denise quan contributed to this report .","brown arraigned monday afternoon in los angeles , california" +"brown los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- singer chris brown pleaded not guilty to both charges in the felony assault case against him monday afternoon . singer chris brown , right , appeared in court monday on charges of assaulting singer rihanna . singer rihanna , the girlfriend brown is accused of attacking , wants the case resolved without a trial , her lawyer said . the only words heard from brown , 19 , during his brief appearance before judge patricia schnegg were not guilty , ' which he said twice as schnegg asked for his plea on the two counts . brown is charged with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats . if he is convicted , the sentence could range from probation to four years and eight months in prison , the los angeles county district attorney 's office has said . the alleged attacked happened during an argument in february that began when 21-year-old rihanna , who had been dating brown , found a text message from another woman on his cell phone , according to a sworn police statement . watch chris brown enter his plea » rihanna 's lawyer , donald etra , told reporters after monday 's hearing that his client would prefer that the matter be resolved expeditiously and fairly . ' she believes that the quicker this case is over , the more quickly she can get back to her life and her career , which is exactly what she 'd like to do , ' etra said . rihanna , who is in her home country , barbados , is in fine spirits , she 's doing fine , ' he said . she would be pleased if this were over quickly , ' etra said . he said there were efforts on behalf of all of the parties to try to resolve the case expeditiously and fairly . ' the goal is to see if it can be resolved prior to the preliminary hearing and prior to trial , ' etra said . i think that would benefit everybody . ' when asked if rihanna would cooperate with prosecutors , etra gave the same response he 's given previously . if asked to testify , she will do so , ' he said . he said it was premature to speculate ' what rihanna might consider a fair plea deal for brown . when brown appeared for his first hearing a month ago , rihanna 's lawyer asked the judge not to prohibit brown from having contact with her while he faces felony charges of assaulting her . watch brown at his march court appearance » the judge granted rihanna 's request , only warning brown not to annoy , harass , molest , threaten or use force or violence against anyone . ' court documents released last month revealed details about the case against brown , including a police statement that the incident began when rihanna , whose full name is robyn rihanna fenty , found a text message on brown 's cell phone from a woman who brown had a previous sexual relationship with . ' brown issued a public apology for the incident in february . words can not begin to express how sorry and saddened i am over what transpired , ' he said in a statement released by his spokesman . i am seeking the counseling of my pastor , my mother and other loved ones and i am committed , with god 's help , to emerging a better person . ' brown has not commented publicly since issuing that statement . the next court hearing in the case is set for april 29 . cnn 's k.j . matthews and denise quan contributed to this report .","brown accused of assaulting rihanna in february" +"cairns ( cnn ) -- a total solar eclipse occurred over the northeastern australian coast early in the morning of november 14 local time . clueless about this spectacular astronomical event ? no worries , we 've got you covered . we 're here to explain what causes this remarkable act of nature , what skygazers see and how those outside of australia can join in the experience . what exactly is a total solar eclipse ? a solar eclipse happens when the moon , as it orbits earth , passes directly in front of the sun , obscuring its rays and casting a shadow on earth 's surface . sometimes referred to as a happy accident of nature , ' a total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is perfectly aligned with both the sun and earth , so it appears from our perspective that the sun is completely blocked . when is this happening and who can see it ? the total solar eclipse became visible in the far north of australia about an hour after sunrise local time on november 14 ( afternoon of november 13 in the united states and evening of november 13 in europe ) . a total eclipse of the sun can only be seen from within what 's known as the path of totality , a narrow path the moon 's inner shadow travels as it glides across the earth . the most populated areas within that path are in the cairns and great barrier reef region . it estimated to take about three hours for the moon 's shadow to travel the entire path of totality . what time total darkness occurred , and how long it lasted , depended on location . totality was expected to begin in cairns at 0638 local time and was to last nearly two minutes . by contrast , totality was estimated to only last just about 20 seconds in the small town of innisfail . what 's all the fuss about ? do n't these happen frequently ? according to nasa , a full solar eclipse happens , on average , every 18 months . the last one happened in july 2010 , crossing chile 's easter island , and one will occur over equatorial africa in november 2014 . but for any given region , a total solar eclipse only happens , on average , once every 375 years . solar eclipses were shrouded in superstition in ancient times -- in china , for example , viewing total solar eclipses was important for divining the future success of an emperor . however , as scientific knowledge deepened , these events became opportunities for conducting important experiments . it was during a total solar eclipse in 1919 that einstein 's theory of general relativity was tested and confirmed for the first time . quiz : can you see the light ? what 's it like to experience a solar eclipse and what do you see ? a solar eclipse is often described as one of nature 's most awe-inspiring events . some people are so moved by the experience of watching an eclipse that they travel around the world chasing them . about an hour leading up to totality , all sorts of things begin to happen . there are changes in the color of the sky , the temperature drops , birds and animals behave in a peculiar manner and shadows sharpen , according to rick brown , an eclipse chaser from new york who is viewing his 14th total solar eclipse . i never really expected to be moved the way i was . it 's a phenomenal thing to see , ' he said , recalling his first experience . as the moon 's shadow sweeps across the earth , the sun turns into a crescent in the sky . just before totality , so-called baily 's beads †” bright spots of sunlight shining through the moon 's craggy surface †” can appear around the moon . then the moon completely blots out the sun , leaving only a halo of light visible . after the brief period of darkness , baily 's beads might appear again as the sun comes back into view . i missed it . where can i see this eclipse ? you can watch the video here on cnn . on twitter , there was a tweet-up devoted to the event and you can always get first-hand accounts of the event on ireport , where we asked people to share their solar eclipse photos and experiences . do i need special glasses to watch a solar eclipse ? yes ! permanent eye damage can occur if you look directly at the sun . that means when viewing any partial phase of a total eclipse , you need to wear proper solar eclipse glasses . regular sunglasses wo n't offer enough protection , and forget about using telescopes or binoculars unless you 've attached special filters to them . only during totality can you remove filters and glasses . if you 're feeling crafty , you can create your own pinhole projector . any tips for first-time viewers ? if you 're keen to capture some good photos , you need to be prepared . eclipse chasers , a website devoted to solar eclipses , has several pointers for photographers . among them : -- leave your flash attachment at home -- do n't forget to remove your filter during totality -- use a telescope or telephoto lens with a focal length of 400 millimetres or more -- opt for manually focusing over auto focus -- keep your setup as portable , light and easy to assemble as possible in case you need to relocate in a hurry to escape clouds . veteran eclipse watchers all had the same advice for first-timers : do n't waste time fiddling with cameras and telescopes that you miss soaking up that fleeting moment of complete darkness .","the most populated areas within the path of the eclipse are in the cairns and great barrier reef region" +"ebola monrovia , liberia ( cnn ) -- two children orphaned by ebola play in the empty corner of a liberian orphanage . their parents died last month , and none of the extended family is willing to claim them . they 're too afraid . for every ebola grave , there is roughly one child who lost a parent in the west african countries of guinea , liberia and sierra leone . the disease has robbed at least 4,555 people of their lives . it has robbed some 4,000 children of one or both parents , the u.n. child agency , unicef , estimates . the agency fears the number will skyrocket with the rapid increase in ebola cases . changing attitudes the orphans are not sick , and pastor john ghartey is tired of seeing them not being taken in . he is trying to change attitudes in his congregation at christ kingdom harvest church in new georgia , liberia . it was slow going at first . as ebola killed parents , the fear of contact with orphaned children spread , even after they persistently showed no symptoms . ebola is separating families because when your family has come down with the virus , nobody want to touch . nobody want to interact , ' ghartey said . the disease has indeed turned the social fabric on its head . extended family usually takes orphans in , but fear has broken the chain , said manuel fontaine , unicef 's regional director . sometimes , the fear is justified . ebola is turning a basic human reaction like comforting a sick child into a potential death sentence , ' fontaine said . unicef is working on safely treating children who are sick . about 2,500 survivors will get lessons on providing care to children quarantined in treatment centers . ebola survivors are considered immune to the disease . inside the world 's worst ebola outbreak compassion works for his part , ghartey has rallied from the pulpit and set an example , even by just holding orphaned children 's hands , a rare gesture in these fearful times . it may have caught on . some children who were orphaned have found more compassionate relatives . a woman in ghartey 's choir died , leaving her eldest daughter to care for four brothers and sisters in addition to her own 1-year-old daughter . she has taken on the task . the preacher remembers the scene when the woman died . she was lying dead in a room , while the rest of the family lay on the porch . ghartey invited them into his home . they sit in my living room with my family , ' he said . they are like a family to us now . ' as ebola has thinned out his flock , the pastor has given them spiritual comfort to fight their fear . if christ is your convener , sickness and diseases can not destroy you in the name of jesus ! ' in the face of the deadly virus , he preaches , with his whole body and full voice , the hope of an immortal soul . cnn 's nima elbagir reported and wrote from monrovia ; ben brumfield wrote from atlanta . faith karimi contributed to this report .","relatives wo n't take in children made orphans by ebola" +"ebola monrovia , liberia ( cnn ) -- two children orphaned by ebola play in the empty corner of a liberian orphanage . their parents died last month , and none of the extended family is willing to claim them . they 're too afraid . for every ebola grave , there is roughly one child who lost a parent in the west african countries of guinea , liberia and sierra leone . the disease has robbed at least 4,555 people of their lives . it has robbed some 4,000 children of one or both parents , the u.n. child agency , unicef , estimates . the agency fears the number will skyrocket with the rapid increase in ebola cases . changing attitudes the orphans are not sick , and pastor john ghartey is tired of seeing them not being taken in . he is trying to change attitudes in his congregation at christ kingdom harvest church in new georgia , liberia . it was slow going at first . as ebola killed parents , the fear of contact with orphaned children spread , even after they persistently showed no symptoms . ebola is separating families because when your family has come down with the virus , nobody want to touch . nobody want to interact , ' ghartey said . the disease has indeed turned the social fabric on its head . extended family usually takes orphans in , but fear has broken the chain , said manuel fontaine , unicef 's regional director . sometimes , the fear is justified . ebola is turning a basic human reaction like comforting a sick child into a potential death sentence , ' fontaine said . unicef is working on safely treating children who are sick . about 2,500 survivors will get lessons on providing care to children quarantined in treatment centers . ebola survivors are considered immune to the disease . inside the world 's worst ebola outbreak compassion works for his part , ghartey has rallied from the pulpit and set an example , even by just holding orphaned children 's hands , a rare gesture in these fearful times . it may have caught on . some children who were orphaned have found more compassionate relatives . a woman in ghartey 's choir died , leaving her eldest daughter to care for four brothers and sisters in addition to her own 1-year-old daughter . she has taken on the task . the preacher remembers the scene when the woman died . she was lying dead in a room , while the rest of the family lay on the porch . ghartey invited them into his home . they sit in my living room with my family , ' he said . they are like a family to us now . ' as ebola has thinned out his flock , the pastor has given them spiritual comfort to fight their fear . if christ is your convener , sickness and diseases can not destroy you in the name of jesus ! ' in the face of the deadly virus , he preaches , with his whole body and full voice , the hope of an immortal soul . cnn 's nima elbagir reported and wrote from monrovia ; ben brumfield wrote from atlanta . faith karimi contributed to this report .","ebola survivors , considered immune to the disease , are being trained to treat children" +"ebola monrovia , liberia ( cnn ) -- two children orphaned by ebola play in the empty corner of a liberian orphanage . their parents died last month , and none of the extended family is willing to claim them . they 're too afraid . for every ebola grave , there is roughly one child who lost a parent in the west african countries of guinea , liberia and sierra leone . the disease has robbed at least 4,555 people of their lives . it has robbed some 4,000 children of one or both parents , the u.n. child agency , unicef , estimates . the agency fears the number will skyrocket with the rapid increase in ebola cases . changing attitudes the orphans are not sick , and pastor john ghartey is tired of seeing them not being taken in . he is trying to change attitudes in his congregation at christ kingdom harvest church in new georgia , liberia . it was slow going at first . as ebola killed parents , the fear of contact with orphaned children spread , even after they persistently showed no symptoms . ebola is separating families because when your family has come down with the virus , nobody want to touch . nobody want to interact , ' ghartey said . the disease has indeed turned the social fabric on its head . extended family usually takes orphans in , but fear has broken the chain , said manuel fontaine , unicef 's regional director . sometimes , the fear is justified . ebola is turning a basic human reaction like comforting a sick child into a potential death sentence , ' fontaine said . unicef is working on safely treating children who are sick . about 2,500 survivors will get lessons on providing care to children quarantined in treatment centers . ebola survivors are considered immune to the disease . inside the world 's worst ebola outbreak compassion works for his part , ghartey has rallied from the pulpit and set an example , even by just holding orphaned children 's hands , a rare gesture in these fearful times . it may have caught on . some children who were orphaned have found more compassionate relatives . a woman in ghartey 's choir died , leaving her eldest daughter to care for four brothers and sisters in addition to her own 1-year-old daughter . she has taken on the task . the preacher remembers the scene when the woman died . she was lying dead in a room , while the rest of the family lay on the porch . ghartey invited them into his home . they sit in my living room with my family , ' he said . they are like a family to us now . ' as ebola has thinned out his flock , the pastor has given them spiritual comfort to fight their fear . if christ is your convener , sickness and diseases can not destroy you in the name of jesus ! ' in the face of the deadly virus , he preaches , with his whole body and full voice , the hope of an immortal soul . cnn 's nima elbagir reported and wrote from monrovia ; ben brumfield wrote from atlanta . faith karimi contributed to this report .","unicef : thousands of children in west africa have lost one or both parents to ebola" +"florida ( cnn ) -- a man who for 20 years has lived near one of six men accused of sexually abusing young relatives said he finds the allegations absolutely unbelievable . ' bob ramsey , a retired graceland university chemistry professor and david mohler 's neighbor in lamoni , iowa , said he knows most of the mohler family . burrell edward mohler sr. , 77 , and his sons burrell edward mohler jr. , 53 ; david a. mohler , 52 ; jared leroy mohler , 48 ; and roland neil mohler , 47 , were arrested tuesday on suspicion of sexually abusing children . a sixth family member , darrel wayne mohler , 72 , was arrested friday as he pulled into the driveway of his silver springs , florida home . darrel mohler , the younger brother of burrell edward mohler sr. , is being held in jail in marion county , florida , charged with two counts of rape in a missouri arrest warrant . the six alleged victims -- all now adults -- came to law enforcement authorities with stories of sexual performances , mock weddings , rape with various objects and a forced abortion during their childhoods , according to court documents obtained by cnn affiliate kshb in kansas city , missouri . none of the accused in the case has entered a plea and it 's unclear whether they have legal counsel . david was one of the kindest people i know in this town , ' ramsey said . i find it absolutely unbelievable . that 's my honest opinion . ' ramsey said he and burrell edward mohler sr. , 77 , attended college together 50 years ago . ramsey said he spent a lot of time with the family because his wife had taught piano to two family members . they were in and out of our home quite a bit , and there was absolutely never any indication of abuse , ' he said . the employer of one of the suspects said , everybody is still in shock ... disbelief , ' as news of the arrests spread through communities where several of the suspects live in western missouri . he was a good medic , ' corbin allred said of roland mohler , who has been employed at saline county ambulance district no . 3 since 2006 . mohler has been suspended , allred said , and further action may be taken at the next board meeting . allred described roland mohler as outgoing and said , he blends in with everybody else . ' roland mohler was on duty when missouri state highway patrol officers arrested him , allred said . paramedic sharon roscher was also shocked about allegations that one of their own could be involved in something so horrific . you eat , you sleep , you do everything with people for 48 hours , ' she said . oh my gosh , it 's just a shock . ' roland mohler 's father , burrell edward mohler sr. , also worked for a time in emergency services as a firefighter in independence , missouri , the fire department confirmed . a spokesman would not comment further . burrell mohler sr. , david mohler and jared mohler are lay ministers in the community of christ , the organization said . leaders and members of the community of christ in the greater kansas city area are prayerfully upholding those families that are touched by the recent arrests of five members of the mohler family , ' the statement said . lay ministers are volunteers who do not receive compensation , and none of the three served in leadership roles or worked with children , according to the organization , which is based in independence , missouri . we have a very strict code of ethics when it comes to the safety of our youth , ' said the organization 's spokeswoman , linda booth . burrell mohler sr. did go through the group 's registered youth worker program , but his youth worker registration has been terminated and we understand he had no contact with children or youth in church programs , ' the church said . some lay ministers might help take care of the church , booth said , while others might speak at services . immediately , i went to the rolls and had their priesthoods suspended because that 's what we do in the community of christ when there 's any word of something like this . we suspend their priesthoods , ' booth said , referring to a church designation for male members . if this goes to trial and they are convicted , then they will be what we call silenced , and they can no longer represent the church in any way , ' booth said . the community of christ is an offshoot of the modern-day church of jesus christ of latter-day saints . it split off from the mormon church in the 1800s , and in 2000 changed its name to community of christ from the reorganized church of jesus christ of latter-day saints . i personally feel grief for these families , all the families that are involved in this , ' booth said . i feel concern for the congregations . ' she said she is also concerned about the greater church , the community of christ who represents nations and communities based in love and peace and joy . ' cnn 's mallory simon contributed to this report .","the sixth family member was arrested friday at his florida home" +"kabul kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- a series of explosions rocked central kabul early monday , the day after afghan security forces said they repulsed a wave of insurgent attacks in the capital and three other provinces . the explosions persisted for some time , and followed periodic gunfire that lasted well into sunday night in the kabul district that houses government offices and allied embassies . there was no immediate explanation , but afghan authorities had said late sunday that they were trying to dislodge insurgents holed up in an empty building near the headquarters of nato 's international security assistance force . interior ministry spokesman sediq seddiqi said the remaining insurgents have no choice except surrendering or to be killed by the afghan forces . ' they came today with more than 20 insurgents and suicide bombers and attacked four provinces , ' seddiqi told cnn sunday . as a result , they got nothing , and 19 of them were killed . ' the assault was a rare occurrence in a heavily guarded part of kabul -- but gen. john allen , the u.s. and nato commander in afghanistan , said the afghans beat back the insurgents without allied assistance . they were on scene immediately , well-led and well-coordinated , ' allen said . they integrated their efforts , helped protect their fellow citizens and largely kept the insurgents contained . ' he said the attacks were meant to signal that legitimate governance and afghan sovereignty are in peril , ' but the afghan response is proof enough of that folly . ' seddiqi said two civilians were killed across the country , and 15 afghan police officers were wounded . he said 15 of 19 suicide bombers were stopped before they could blow themselves up , with most of them killed by afghan security forces . and lutfullah mashal , a spokesman for the national directorate of security , said three men arrested in kabul confessed to plotting to kill karim khalil , afghanistan 's second vice president . two of the men planned to blow themselves up in khalil 's home , mashal said . the taliban militia that once ruled most of afghanistan claimed responsibility for the attacks , saying it launched fighters into battle with suicide vests , rpgs and hand grenades in kabul and the provinces of nangarhar , paktia and logar . but mashal said the three men who targeted khalil confessed to being members of the haqqani network , a separate insurgent group that sometimes allies itself with the taliban . in his statement , allen said , no one is underestimating the seriousness of today 's attacks . ' but isaf spokesman lt. col. jimmie cummings described himself as underwhelmed , ' and u.s . ambassador ryan crocker told cnn , the taliban are very good at issuing statements , less good at fighting . ' crocker told cnn 's state of the union ' that no americans had been hurt , but our hearts go out ' to the afghans who had been killed or wounded . he suggested the attacks may be the work of the haqqani network , rather than the taliban , saying the taliban did not have the capacity to carry them out . nato 's international security assistance force said as many as seven locations in kabul were attacked , including afghanistan 's parliament building and the american , german and russian embassies . seddiqi said the insurgents took up positions in empty buildings in three kabul districts to carry out the attacks , and still held one as midnight neared sunday . kabul police said they found and detonated a van full of explosives . meanwhile , an airbase used by u.s. troops in the eastern city of jalalabad , in naranghar province , also came under attack , the nato command in kabul reported . four suicide bombers wearing women 's burqas tried to attack the jalalabad airfield where united states troops are based , airfield commander jahangir azimi said . at least three of the attackers were killed , isaf said in a statement about the incident . separately , a group of suicide bombers attacked the police training center in the city of gardez , in nearby paktia province . at least eight civilians were wounded , said a police official at the center , who is not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named . and 15 would-be attackers were arrested in kunduz province plotting similar strikes , said lal mohammad ahmadzai , a spokesman for the chief of police for north and northeast afghanistan . the taliban , the islamist militia that once ruled most of afghanistan , said the attacks were in retaliation for the killing of 17 afghan civilians in kandahar province last month . a u.s. army staff sergeant , robert bales , has been charged with those killings . but jeff dressler , an expert on the haqqani network at the washington-based institute for the study of war , told cnn that the coordination seen in the kabul attacks indicate a haqqani-led network was behind them , and that planned but disrupted attacks in the north may also be haqqani-linked . this is likely their unofficial announcement marking the start of the spring fighting season , ' dressler said . though the attacks did n't succeed , he said , the target selection was likely intended to send a message to the u.s. , u.k. , russia and the afghans that this will in fact be a bloody year for all forces in afghanistan , particularly the east of the country . ' u.s. embassy spokesman gavin sundwall said he could not confirm that the embassy itself was the target of the attacks , but said gunfire had been heard in the vicinity . in a statement from london , foreign secretary william hague said the british embassy was one of the targets , but every member of embassy staff is safe . ' the afghan national security forces responded to the attacks bravely , promptly and effectively , once again illustrating the significant progress that has been made in ensuring that afghans can look after their own security , ' hague said . the embassy premises sustained limited damage , ' he said , and its staff dealt with this dangerous situation extremely professionally . ' india also said it had no reports of its nationals being wounded . a local police official said attackers took over a central kabul hotel close to the presidential palace , united nations office and many foreign embassies , but both seddiqi and staff at the hotel denied it had been attacked . a western official in kabul later said the hotel had been taken over by insurgents , but was then taken back by afghan national security forces . cnn 's masoud popalzai , fazal ahad and bharati naik , pentagon correspondent barbara starr and foreign affairs correspondent jill doughterty contributed to this report .","a fresh series of explosion rocks kabul early monday" +"kabul kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- a series of explosions rocked central kabul early monday , the day after afghan security forces said they repulsed a wave of insurgent attacks in the capital and three other provinces . the explosions persisted for some time , and followed periodic gunfire that lasted well into sunday night in the kabul district that houses government offices and allied embassies . there was no immediate explanation , but afghan authorities had said late sunday that they were trying to dislodge insurgents holed up in an empty building near the headquarters of nato 's international security assistance force . interior ministry spokesman sediq seddiqi said the remaining insurgents have no choice except surrendering or to be killed by the afghan forces . ' they came today with more than 20 insurgents and suicide bombers and attacked four provinces , ' seddiqi told cnn sunday . as a result , they got nothing , and 19 of them were killed . ' the assault was a rare occurrence in a heavily guarded part of kabul -- but gen. john allen , the u.s. and nato commander in afghanistan , said the afghans beat back the insurgents without allied assistance . they were on scene immediately , well-led and well-coordinated , ' allen said . they integrated their efforts , helped protect their fellow citizens and largely kept the insurgents contained . ' he said the attacks were meant to signal that legitimate governance and afghan sovereignty are in peril , ' but the afghan response is proof enough of that folly . ' seddiqi said two civilians were killed across the country , and 15 afghan police officers were wounded . he said 15 of 19 suicide bombers were stopped before they could blow themselves up , with most of them killed by afghan security forces . and lutfullah mashal , a spokesman for the national directorate of security , said three men arrested in kabul confessed to plotting to kill karim khalil , afghanistan 's second vice president . two of the men planned to blow themselves up in khalil 's home , mashal said . the taliban militia that once ruled most of afghanistan claimed responsibility for the attacks , saying it launched fighters into battle with suicide vests , rpgs and hand grenades in kabul and the provinces of nangarhar , paktia and logar . but mashal said the three men who targeted khalil confessed to being members of the haqqani network , a separate insurgent group that sometimes allies itself with the taliban . in his statement , allen said , no one is underestimating the seriousness of today 's attacks . ' but isaf spokesman lt. col. jimmie cummings described himself as underwhelmed , ' and u.s . ambassador ryan crocker told cnn , the taliban are very good at issuing statements , less good at fighting . ' crocker told cnn 's state of the union ' that no americans had been hurt , but our hearts go out ' to the afghans who had been killed or wounded . he suggested the attacks may be the work of the haqqani network , rather than the taliban , saying the taliban did not have the capacity to carry them out . nato 's international security assistance force said as many as seven locations in kabul were attacked , including afghanistan 's parliament building and the american , german and russian embassies . seddiqi said the insurgents took up positions in empty buildings in three kabul districts to carry out the attacks , and still held one as midnight neared sunday . kabul police said they found and detonated a van full of explosives . meanwhile , an airbase used by u.s. troops in the eastern city of jalalabad , in naranghar province , also came under attack , the nato command in kabul reported . four suicide bombers wearing women 's burqas tried to attack the jalalabad airfield where united states troops are based , airfield commander jahangir azimi said . at least three of the attackers were killed , isaf said in a statement about the incident . separately , a group of suicide bombers attacked the police training center in the city of gardez , in nearby paktia province . at least eight civilians were wounded , said a police official at the center , who is not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named . and 15 would-be attackers were arrested in kunduz province plotting similar strikes , said lal mohammad ahmadzai , a spokesman for the chief of police for north and northeast afghanistan . the taliban , the islamist militia that once ruled most of afghanistan , said the attacks were in retaliation for the killing of 17 afghan civilians in kandahar province last month . a u.s. army staff sergeant , robert bales , has been charged with those killings . but jeff dressler , an expert on the haqqani network at the washington-based institute for the study of war , told cnn that the coordination seen in the kabul attacks indicate a haqqani-led network was behind them , and that planned but disrupted attacks in the north may also be haqqani-linked . this is likely their unofficial announcement marking the start of the spring fighting season , ' dressler said . though the attacks did n't succeed , he said , the target selection was likely intended to send a message to the u.s. , u.k. , russia and the afghans that this will in fact be a bloody year for all forces in afghanistan , particularly the east of the country . ' u.s. embassy spokesman gavin sundwall said he could not confirm that the embassy itself was the target of the attacks , but said gunfire had been heard in the vicinity . in a statement from london , foreign secretary william hague said the british embassy was one of the targets , but every member of embassy staff is safe . ' the afghan national security forces responded to the attacks bravely , promptly and effectively , once again illustrating the significant progress that has been made in ensuring that afghans can look after their own security , ' hague said . the embassy premises sustained limited damage , ' he said , and its staff dealt with this dangerous situation extremely professionally . ' india also said it had no reports of its nationals being wounded . a local police official said attackers took over a central kabul hotel close to the presidential palace , united nations office and many foreign embassies , but both seddiqi and staff at the hotel denied it had been attacked . a western official in kabul later said the hotel had been taken over by insurgents , but was then taken back by afghan national security forces . cnn 's masoud popalzai , fazal ahad and bharati naik , pentagon correspondent barbara starr and foreign affairs correspondent jill doughterty contributed to this report .","kabul attacks look like haqqani network 's handiwork , u.s. analyst says" +"afghans kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- a series of explosions rocked central kabul early monday , the day after afghan security forces said they repulsed a wave of insurgent attacks in the capital and three other provinces . the explosions persisted for some time , and followed periodic gunfire that lasted well into sunday night in the kabul district that houses government offices and allied embassies . there was no immediate explanation , but afghan authorities had said late sunday that they were trying to dislodge insurgents holed up in an empty building near the headquarters of nato 's international security assistance force . interior ministry spokesman sediq seddiqi said the remaining insurgents have no choice except surrendering or to be killed by the afghan forces . ' they came today with more than 20 insurgents and suicide bombers and attacked four provinces , ' seddiqi told cnn sunday . as a result , they got nothing , and 19 of them were killed . ' the assault was a rare occurrence in a heavily guarded part of kabul -- but gen. john allen , the u.s. and nato commander in afghanistan , said the afghans beat back the insurgents without allied assistance . they were on scene immediately , well-led and well-coordinated , ' allen said . they integrated their efforts , helped protect their fellow citizens and largely kept the insurgents contained . ' he said the attacks were meant to signal that legitimate governance and afghan sovereignty are in peril , ' but the afghan response is proof enough of that folly . ' seddiqi said two civilians were killed across the country , and 15 afghan police officers were wounded . he said 15 of 19 suicide bombers were stopped before they could blow themselves up , with most of them killed by afghan security forces . and lutfullah mashal , a spokesman for the national directorate of security , said three men arrested in kabul confessed to plotting to kill karim khalil , afghanistan 's second vice president . two of the men planned to blow themselves up in khalil 's home , mashal said . the taliban militia that once ruled most of afghanistan claimed responsibility for the attacks , saying it launched fighters into battle with suicide vests , rpgs and hand grenades in kabul and the provinces of nangarhar , paktia and logar . but mashal said the three men who targeted khalil confessed to being members of the haqqani network , a separate insurgent group that sometimes allies itself with the taliban . in his statement , allen said , no one is underestimating the seriousness of today 's attacks . ' but isaf spokesman lt. col. jimmie cummings described himself as underwhelmed , ' and u.s . ambassador ryan crocker told cnn , the taliban are very good at issuing statements , less good at fighting . ' crocker told cnn 's state of the union ' that no americans had been hurt , but our hearts go out ' to the afghans who had been killed or wounded . he suggested the attacks may be the work of the haqqani network , rather than the taliban , saying the taliban did not have the capacity to carry them out . nato 's international security assistance force said as many as seven locations in kabul were attacked , including afghanistan 's parliament building and the american , german and russian embassies . seddiqi said the insurgents took up positions in empty buildings in three kabul districts to carry out the attacks , and still held one as midnight neared sunday . kabul police said they found and detonated a van full of explosives . meanwhile , an airbase used by u.s. troops in the eastern city of jalalabad , in naranghar province , also came under attack , the nato command in kabul reported . four suicide bombers wearing women 's burqas tried to attack the jalalabad airfield where united states troops are based , airfield commander jahangir azimi said . at least three of the attackers were killed , isaf said in a statement about the incident . separately , a group of suicide bombers attacked the police training center in the city of gardez , in nearby paktia province . at least eight civilians were wounded , said a police official at the center , who is not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named . and 15 would-be attackers were arrested in kunduz province plotting similar strikes , said lal mohammad ahmadzai , a spokesman for the chief of police for north and northeast afghanistan . the taliban , the islamist militia that once ruled most of afghanistan , said the attacks were in retaliation for the killing of 17 afghan civilians in kandahar province last month . a u.s. army staff sergeant , robert bales , has been charged with those killings . but jeff dressler , an expert on the haqqani network at the washington-based institute for the study of war , told cnn that the coordination seen in the kabul attacks indicate a haqqani-led network was behind them , and that planned but disrupted attacks in the north may also be haqqani-linked . this is likely their unofficial announcement marking the start of the spring fighting season , ' dressler said . though the attacks did n't succeed , he said , the target selection was likely intended to send a message to the u.s. , u.k. , russia and the afghans that this will in fact be a bloody year for all forces in afghanistan , particularly the east of the country . ' u.s. embassy spokesman gavin sundwall said he could not confirm that the embassy itself was the target of the attacks , but said gunfire had been heard in the vicinity . in a statement from london , foreign secretary william hague said the british embassy was one of the targets , but every member of embassy staff is safe . ' the afghan national security forces responded to the attacks bravely , promptly and effectively , once again illustrating the significant progress that has been made in ensuring that afghans can look after their own security , ' hague said . the embassy premises sustained limited damage , ' he said , and its staff dealt with this dangerous situation extremely professionally . ' india also said it had no reports of its nationals being wounded . a local police official said attackers took over a central kabul hotel close to the presidential palace , united nations office and many foreign embassies , but both seddiqi and staff at the hotel denied it had been attacked . a western official in kabul later said the hotel had been taken over by insurgents , but was then taken back by afghan national security forces . cnn 's masoud popalzai , fazal ahad and bharati naik , pentagon correspondent barbara starr and foreign affairs correspondent jill doughterty contributed to this report .","nato commander praises afghans for handling attacks unaided" +"museum of london ( cnn ) -- in anticipation of what mini monarch-to-be prince george of cambridge will wear in the spotlight , the museum of london is displaying baby clothes and booties of former royal babies as part of a new exhibit . the small display , titled a royal arrival , ' is free to visitors until october 2013 . click through the gallery above for a sneak peek into the exhibit . see complete coverage of the royal baby","the museum of london displays clothing worn by members of the royal family" +"sudan baghdad ( cnn ) -- sudanese president omar al-bashir , who is wanted by the international criminal court on charges of war crimes and genocide , will attend this week 's arab summit in baghdad , iraqi state television reported sunday . the report by iraqiya tv said the office of president jalal talabani announced bashir 's intention to attend the summit on march 29 . it will be the first summit of arab leaders in iraq since 1990 . a planned arab summit last year in baghdad was postponed due to unrest in the region . this year 's summit begins with preparatory meetings starting tuesday involving government ministers . arab league secretary-general nabil elaraby arrived sunday in baghdad for the summit with a small delegation , iraqiya tv reported . sudan 's bashir has traveled to other arab countries despite the icc warrants against him for alleged war crimes and genocide in the darfur region , where rebels have fought government forces and allied militiamen such as the janjaweed since 2003 . the united nations estimates as many as 300,000 people have been killed and almost 3 million people have been displaced from their homes in darfur . in iraq , a militant group with links to al qaeda claimed responsibility for a deadly wave of bombings across the country last week on the ninth anniversary of the u.s. invastion . the attacks were designed to undermine government security plans for the arab summit .","omar el-bashir of sudan will attend this week 's summit , iraq 's state television says" +"lidia schaefer washington ( cnn ) -- when washington manicurist lidia schaefer returned to her native village in ethiopia , she was troubled by what she saw : children walking three hours each way to attend classes held not in a school , but under a tree . lidia schaefer sold her house and car and set aside tips and part of her salary to raise money for the school . when she learned in 1998 that one of the girls she 'd met -- medhine -- had been attacked and killed by a hyena after falling behind other children during the long trek home from school , schaefer knew she had to act . she began setting aside a third of her salary and all of her tips , and later sold her house and car , to raise enough money to build a school for the village . she 's definitely not your average manicurist , ' says denise abrahams , a longtime client . this is the kind of thing that you hear about oprah winfrey doing . ' do you know a hero ? nominations are open at cnn.com/heroes for schaefer , it was simply a matter of doing what felt right . i do n't work with my head , ' she says . i really work with my heart . ' watch schaefer 's clients and colleagues discuss her efforts » born in feres mai , a large village in northern ethiopia , schaefer moved to the united states in the mid-1970s when civil war broke out at home . during her troubling visit back home in the '90s , she recalls , i promised the children i was going to open a school for them . ' but she had no idea how to tackle such a big project , especially while raising her own two children and working 12-hour days , six days a week . watch schaefer speak with cnn 's larry king » the motivation to fulfill her promise came with the news of medhine 's death . that really pushed me to do it , ' she says , to build a school so that would n't happen again . ' schaefer lobbied the ethiopian government to donate land in a central location so the school could serve children from several nearby villages . the decision was made to build a secondary school , since the nearest one was more than 18 miles away . back in washington , schaefer began setting aside money for construction of the school . i was working two days for the school , four days for me , ' she recalls . her clients and co-workers rallied to help , holding raffles and making contributions . several clients bought individual doors or windows for the school . watch schaefer talk about the school » but schaefer realized it would n't be enough . to finish the school , she needed to do something drastic . in 2002 , she gave up her symbols of the american dream , selling her home and car . it 's a sacrifice that still stuns her colleagues and friends . i could n't believe it , ' remembers salon manager patty gonzalez . but schaefer saw nothing remarkable about her decision . i do n't feel like i [ gave ] up a lot , ' she says . i want [ the children ] to learn , to get something out of their life . ' schaefer ultimately raised more than $ 250,000 for the school , which was completed in 2006 . when she went back for the dedication , schaefer was honored with an elaborate procession through the village . for her , it was gratifying to see what she 'd accomplished . i was so happy , i ca n't even describe it , ' she recalls . today , nearly 1,500 students are educated in the school , which boasts an eight-building campus with 16 classrooms , a science lab and library . it 's simple , but it 's nice , ' schaefer says . though she 'd hoped to name the school in memory of medhine , the government -- which runs the school -- instead named it the lidia secondary school , telling schaefer , we want it to be your name so that more people [ will ] be like you . ' schaefer has indeed inspired many others to follow her example . when ethiopian communities around the united states heard about what she 'd been able to achieve , they launched an effort to build more schools in her region of northern ethiopia . so far , they 've raised enough money to build 12 schools , due to be completed by july 2009 . schaefer still sets aside her tips and wages to support her school and has kept up her fundraising efforts to buy supplies . a colleague at the salon designed t-shirts to raise money for desks for the students . schaefer 's next goal is to equip the school with computers . they need computers so they can talk to the whole world , ' she says . her colleagues and clients say schaefer serves as an important reminder that people do n't need money or power to make a difference . she 's very inspiring to me , ' says gonzalez . i 've learned from lidia that even if the project is big , if your heart is in it , you can do it . ' want to get involved ? check out lidia schaefer 's web site and see how to help .","girl killed by hyena while walking home motivated lidia schaefer to fulfill promise" +"south africa ( cnn ) -- the text messages address various issues and come from all over the african continent . president obama greets people saturday during breakfast at osu castle in accra , ghana . from the personal : obama , as a young lady i dream of being the president . u r a huge encouragement . ' to cries for help : dear president , darfur firing again ... waiting for peace through the change u promised . ' to calls for intervention : encourage african leaders to improve the quality and access to education for citizens . ' the messages , from ghana , sudan and south africa respectively , were among more than 5,000 sent to barack obama during his first visit as president to sub-saharan africa . obama , accompanied by his wife , michelle , and their two daughters arrived in ghana on friday night , sparking excitement in the west african nation . watch how ghana is celebrating obama 's visit » despite being home to some of the world 's poorest nations , africa has a vibrant cell phone market , considered by industry analysts as among the fastest-growing worldwide . administration officials said they set up different numbers across the continent for citizens to communicate with obama , whose father was from the east african nation of kenya . over the past week , we have been collecting questions , comments and words of welcome for president obama via sms , twitter , facebook and from newspapers across africa , ' the white house said on its web site . three journalists from south africa , senegal and kenya will vet the questions and provide a few to obama , who will address them on african radio stations and via a web video monday , the white house said . peter kimani , a senior associate editor for a kenyan daily , the standard , is one of the three . the u.s. embassy picked and vetted the journalists , and we are getting the questions , then it is up to us to determine what questions we will forward to the president , ' kimani said . it is our judgment call on what to pick . ' most of the text messages were coming from south africa , according to a log on the white house web site . obama 's one-nation visit has generated envy among ghana 's neighbors , who considered it a message from the white house to governments that have poor records of stability . citizens of nigeria , africa 's most populous nations , and kenya were the most vocal in their concerns over the choice of ghana . we r disappointed that you have not chosen nigeria as your first african point of call , ' one text said .","three african journalists from south africa , senegal , kenya will vet questions" +"english london , england ( cnn ) -- nothing says true love like releasing a caged butterfly , do n't you think ? wayne rooney and coleen mcloughlin are to be paid $ 5 million for the picture rights to their wedding . the butterflies are reported to be the piece-de-resistance of england 's most anticipated celebrity wedding of the year . wayne rooney , the best english footballer of his generation , and coleen mcloughlin , his high school sweetheart , were to marry in an estimated $ 10 million ceremony in italy thursday . as they kiss , guests are apparently meant to open boxes and release the butterflies . the moment has been pilloried widely in the british media , tacky and over the top they all think , but is it just sour grapes ? it has been a long and , at times , bumpy road for the couple to the altar . one littered with fierce criticism from the british press , which has enjoyed nothing more than lampooning rooney and mcloughlin for being'common .'the daily mail once even asked : is this britain 's ghastliest couple ? ' rooney has been dubbed shrek ' and mr potato head ' due to his looks and his background as the son of a school dinner lady who grew up on a council estate is often referred to in a disparaging way . mcloughlin , meanwhile , has been subjected to page upon page of bitter stories about her weight , shopping sprees and her lack of closeness to victoria beckham . there has also been fierce criticism over the fact she has managed to become a millionaire in her own right . it 's all down to rooney apparently , and nothing to do with her appearing to be quite a decent person , who did well at school and has cleverly managed to parlay some of her fame into various media and advertising projects . anyone who has seen her television show -- coleen 's real women -- can see she is a decent , bubbly person , who is very good at putting people at ease . much to the media 's fury , the couple have sold the rights to cover the wedding to ok magazine for a record $ 5 million . however they 're not pocketing all the cash themselves , with an undisclosed sum from the fee to be donated to the claire house children 's hospice in cheshire -- where mcloughlin 's disabled foster sister rosie is cared for . the queen 's grandson , peter phillips and his bride autumn kelly , recently received $ 1m from hello magazine to cover their wedding but they did n't receive an eighth of the opprobrium now directed at the more generous , but lower class , rooney and mcloughlin . moreover , in lieu of presents , rooney and mcloughlin have also asked guests to donate money to the alder hey children 's hospital in liverpool . the wedding might be over the top , with a private yacht and luxury jet for guests ( they are covering the guests'costs ) , expensive plonk and a $ 200,000 wedding dress , but at least the couple have worked hard for what they have . their success despite a working-class background appears to be the greatest source of frustration for critics . it 's just not on that someone who was n't born into privilege and did n't go to a posh school can enjoy their wealth . that would be ugly . if anything , the couple 's relationship and success is a triumph over adversity . they have known each other since mcloughlin was 12 , but she spent two years fending off rooney 's entreaties to go out on a date . he finally got his chance when he saw her struggling to fix a broken bicycle chain . he rode over to help , popped the question again and got a yes . surely they should be congratulated for creating their own modern fairytale complete with butterflies ? the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer .","english football star wayne rooney and sweetheart marry in lavish ceremony" +"united states ( cnn ) -- there is , perhaps , no greater living symbol of the untamed , pioneer spirit of the american west than the wild mustang . in the great basin of the united states -- a vast , empty , desert plain that stretches across most of nevada and includes parts of utah , idaho , oregon and california -- it 's estimated that 40,000 mustangs still roam free . they 're regarded by many as part of the national heritage and a treasure for people the world over to enjoy . they 're sensual , ' says madeleine pickens , owner of nevada 's new mustang monument : wild horse eco resort . when you come across a wild bunch , it 's euphoria . ' her new resort provides a sanctuary for some of these horses while also offering a deluxe stay for those interested in discovering a little more about this american icon . history of the mustang though some dispute the claim , scholars generally believe that mustangs were introduced to the new world by the spanish in 1493 , having been brought over by columbus on his second voyage to the americas . when native americans first saw them , they called them big dogs . ' but soon they became an essential component of the life of america 's first people and are still considered sacred by many tribes . in the 19th century , horses of all types , of course , played an essential role in the westward expansion and modernization of america . future uncertain wild horses are protected under federal law . but protection policies are n't popular with everyone who lives and works in the west . ranchers view mustangs as a threat to their livelihood . they 're feral , ' says a former mustanger -- the term used for cowboys charged with controlling their numbers . without a natural predator , their presence is unsustainable and bad for the environment . ' charged with maintaining the ecological balance of public grazing land , the federal bureau of land management ( blm ) has found itself in the middle of disputes related to mustangs and wild horses . ( often used generically to describe any wild horse , mustang ' is derived from the spanish term mustengo , ' which means ownerless beast ' or stray horse . ' ) in april , according to the salt lake tribune , iron county officials in utah drafted a letter to the blm in effect telling the government that if it did n't remove wild horses from their land , local residents would do the job themselves . in june , a suit brought against the federal government by the nevada association of counties and nevada farm bureau federation demanded that the blm accelerate roundups of mustangs there , as reported by the las vegas review-journal . in nevada , the blm agreed with ranchers that wild herds threaten the range , but also said it does n't have the resources to conduct the popular roundups . roundups roundups of free roaming horses destined for short term holding pens -- or worse , illegal poaching for sale to slaughterhouses -- have become regular occurrences . animal rights groups argue that many of these gatherings ' are unnecessarily cruel , leaving many animals wounded or dead . they contend that the level that has been set for a sustainable number of wild horses on the land , and reports of their negative impact on the environment , have been skewed in the favor of opposing human interest groups . although the blm adopts a portion of roundup animals to new homes , costs for keeping them are escalating . in 2013 , $ 46.2 million was spent keeping roughly 50,000 wild horses in short- and long-term holding pens . seed of a solution mustang monument : wild horse eco-resort is a new boutique , luxury ranch that may offer a partial solution . the brainchild of billionaire businesswoman , philanthropist and former wife of oil tycoon t. boone pickens , madeleine pickens , the new ranch is designed to provide a sanctuary for up to a thousand wild horses and a chance for tourists to connect with this iconic symbol of america . by eliminating expensive holding pens , pickens says that her ranch alone can save taxpayers as much as $ 2.5 million a year , while allowing the horses to roam free . mustang monument each of the resort 's 10 reclaimed wood cottages and 10 live-in teepees have been designed with luxuriously rustic interiors , double beds and artisan bric-a-brac -- if pottery barn and vogue were to elope west , this is where they 'd honeymoon . meals are served in an enormous hand-painted teepee , there 's a saloon with saddle bar stools , high-end gambling tables and a porch for cocktails with a perfect view of the grazing herd . it 's good for your soul , ' resident cowboy clay naninni says . just to watch them run . ' six hundred wild horses roam in a 4,000-acre enclave at the front of the ranch . experienced riders can saddle up and head out with resident cowboys , clay nannini and marcus morrison , for a high adrenalin gallop into the herd that feels , according to clay , like riding into thunder . ' for others , there are gentle trots and 4x4 wild horse safaris in search of nearby free-roaming bands , old gold mining settlements and luxurious picnics in mountain valleys . the highlight : rattling down to a private meadow in an old wagon to serve breakfast to the herd . being surrounded by 600 wild , staring eyes and stamping hooves is a rare thrill . other guest experiences mustangs may be the ranch 's raison d'etre , but there 's more than horses here . hiking , abseiling , gambling tables , lasso lessons , an in-teepee spa and more are on offer . former navy seal and director of operations , monty heath , can also take you out on a high-powered atv . when an ex-special forces operative insists on doing the driving , you know he 's not going skimp on screams . two brothers from the local lumbee tribe are on hand to teach native american crafts -- from learning how to make beaded jewelry to creating medicine wheels , dream catchers and more . each night there 's storytelling by the fire and performances of sacred dance and traditional falsetto singing . horses are sacred to our people , ' the native singers say . we treat them as human beings . ' things to do : the ruby mountains the ruby mountains may be nevada 's best kept secret . the 80-mile range is right on the doorstep of the ranch and offers some of the finest outdoor opportunities in the state . lamoille canyon is one of the most popular locations and is filled with fast flowing rivers , beaver dams and idyllic fishing and camping spots . the 35-mile ruby crest trail is a great way to see some of the best parts of the range and usually takes about three days to hike . things to do : great basin national park great basin national park -- a 77,000-acre wilderness of glacier moraines , sagebrush meadows and forests of spruce , aspen and juniper -- is located three hours south of the ranch . you can hike to the 13,000-foot summit of wheeler peak , find pristine alpine lakes and descend deep into the lehman caves , a mesmerizing underground complex of stalactites and stalagmites . the park is most famously home to an ancient grove of bristlecone pines , the oldest living organism on earth , whose roots were already in the ground when the great pyramids of egypt were being built . more information can be found on the great basin national park website . mustang monument : wild horse eco resort , outside of wells , nevada ; +1 858 759 5507 ; $ 1,000 per teepee per night and $ 1,500 per cottage per night , including full board and all activities . aaron millar is a travel writer who has traveled extensively in north and central america . he blogs at the blue dot perspective .","an estimated 40,000 mustangs still roam free in the great basin of the united states" +"great basin ( cnn ) -- there is , perhaps , no greater living symbol of the untamed , pioneer spirit of the american west than the wild mustang . in the great basin of the united states -- a vast , empty , desert plain that stretches across most of nevada and includes parts of utah , idaho , oregon and california -- it 's estimated that 40,000 mustangs still roam free . they 're regarded by many as part of the national heritage and a treasure for people the world over to enjoy . they 're sensual , ' says madeleine pickens , owner of nevada 's new mustang monument : wild horse eco resort . when you come across a wild bunch , it 's euphoria . ' her new resort provides a sanctuary for some of these horses while also offering a deluxe stay for those interested in discovering a little more about this american icon . history of the mustang though some dispute the claim , scholars generally believe that mustangs were introduced to the new world by the spanish in 1493 , having been brought over by columbus on his second voyage to the americas . when native americans first saw them , they called them big dogs . ' but soon they became an essential component of the life of america 's first people and are still considered sacred by many tribes . in the 19th century , horses of all types , of course , played an essential role in the westward expansion and modernization of america . future uncertain wild horses are protected under federal law . but protection policies are n't popular with everyone who lives and works in the west . ranchers view mustangs as a threat to their livelihood . they 're feral , ' says a former mustanger -- the term used for cowboys charged with controlling their numbers . without a natural predator , their presence is unsustainable and bad for the environment . ' charged with maintaining the ecological balance of public grazing land , the federal bureau of land management ( blm ) has found itself in the middle of disputes related to mustangs and wild horses . ( often used generically to describe any wild horse , mustang ' is derived from the spanish term mustengo , ' which means ownerless beast ' or stray horse . ' ) in april , according to the salt lake tribune , iron county officials in utah drafted a letter to the blm in effect telling the government that if it did n't remove wild horses from their land , local residents would do the job themselves . in june , a suit brought against the federal government by the nevada association of counties and nevada farm bureau federation demanded that the blm accelerate roundups of mustangs there , as reported by the las vegas review-journal . in nevada , the blm agreed with ranchers that wild herds threaten the range , but also said it does n't have the resources to conduct the popular roundups . roundups roundups of free roaming horses destined for short term holding pens -- or worse , illegal poaching for sale to slaughterhouses -- have become regular occurrences . animal rights groups argue that many of these gatherings ' are unnecessarily cruel , leaving many animals wounded or dead . they contend that the level that has been set for a sustainable number of wild horses on the land , and reports of their negative impact on the environment , have been skewed in the favor of opposing human interest groups . although the blm adopts a portion of roundup animals to new homes , costs for keeping them are escalating . in 2013 , $ 46.2 million was spent keeping roughly 50,000 wild horses in short- and long-term holding pens . seed of a solution mustang monument : wild horse eco-resort is a new boutique , luxury ranch that may offer a partial solution . the brainchild of billionaire businesswoman , philanthropist and former wife of oil tycoon t. boone pickens , madeleine pickens , the new ranch is designed to provide a sanctuary for up to a thousand wild horses and a chance for tourists to connect with this iconic symbol of america . by eliminating expensive holding pens , pickens says that her ranch alone can save taxpayers as much as $ 2.5 million a year , while allowing the horses to roam free . mustang monument each of the resort 's 10 reclaimed wood cottages and 10 live-in teepees have been designed with luxuriously rustic interiors , double beds and artisan bric-a-brac -- if pottery barn and vogue were to elope west , this is where they 'd honeymoon . meals are served in an enormous hand-painted teepee , there 's a saloon with saddle bar stools , high-end gambling tables and a porch for cocktails with a perfect view of the grazing herd . it 's good for your soul , ' resident cowboy clay naninni says . just to watch them run . ' six hundred wild horses roam in a 4,000-acre enclave at the front of the ranch . experienced riders can saddle up and head out with resident cowboys , clay nannini and marcus morrison , for a high adrenalin gallop into the herd that feels , according to clay , like riding into thunder . ' for others , there are gentle trots and 4x4 wild horse safaris in search of nearby free-roaming bands , old gold mining settlements and luxurious picnics in mountain valleys . the highlight : rattling down to a private meadow in an old wagon to serve breakfast to the herd . being surrounded by 600 wild , staring eyes and stamping hooves is a rare thrill . other guest experiences mustangs may be the ranch 's raison d'etre , but there 's more than horses here . hiking , abseiling , gambling tables , lasso lessons , an in-teepee spa and more are on offer . former navy seal and director of operations , monty heath , can also take you out on a high-powered atv . when an ex-special forces operative insists on doing the driving , you know he 's not going skimp on screams . two brothers from the local lumbee tribe are on hand to teach native american crafts -- from learning how to make beaded jewelry to creating medicine wheels , dream catchers and more . each night there 's storytelling by the fire and performances of sacred dance and traditional falsetto singing . horses are sacred to our people , ' the native singers say . we treat them as human beings . ' things to do : the ruby mountains the ruby mountains may be nevada 's best kept secret . the 80-mile range is right on the doorstep of the ranch and offers some of the finest outdoor opportunities in the state . lamoille canyon is one of the most popular locations and is filled with fast flowing rivers , beaver dams and idyllic fishing and camping spots . the 35-mile ruby crest trail is a great way to see some of the best parts of the range and usually takes about three days to hike . things to do : great basin national park great basin national park -- a 77,000-acre wilderness of glacier moraines , sagebrush meadows and forests of spruce , aspen and juniper -- is located three hours south of the ranch . you can hike to the 13,000-foot summit of wheeler peak , find pristine alpine lakes and descend deep into the lehman caves , a mesmerizing underground complex of stalactites and stalagmites . the park is most famously home to an ancient grove of bristlecone pines , the oldest living organism on earth , whose roots were already in the ground when the great pyramids of egypt were being built . more information can be found on the great basin national park website . mustang monument : wild horse eco resort , outside of wells , nevada ; +1 858 759 5507 ; $ 1,000 per teepee per night and $ 1,500 per cottage per night , including full board and all activities . aaron millar is a travel writer who has traveled extensively in north and central america . he blogs at the blue dot perspective .","an estimated 40,000 mustangs still roam free in the great basin of the united states" +"poroshenko ukrainian forces began military operations in the east of the country tuesday , marking a definite end to a unilateral cease-fire that had been in place for 10 days . the speaker of ukraine 's parliament , oleksandr turchynov , told lawmakers the government 's anti-terror operation ' against pro-russia separatists had been renewed . ' ukrainian armed forces have been conducting attacks on terrorists'bases and defended posts , ' he said . the announcement came hours after ukrainian president petro poroshenko said that his country would not renew a cease-fire with the separatists , vowing instead to attack and liberate our land . ' termination of cease-fire is our response to terrorists , insurgents , marauders ... and ( those who ) deprive people of normal peaceful life , ' poroshenko said . in a statement on his website , poroshenko congratulated ukraine 's armed forces and border guards for re-establishing control over the checkpoint at dolzhanskyi , in the first victory since the restoration of the cto , ' a reference to the government 's counterterrorist operation . he said the armed forces and the state border service of ukraine regained control over the checkpoint and combat engineers removed mines from the checkpoint and adjacent roads . violence flared tuesday in donetsk , one of the cities at the heart of the separatist unrest . interior minister arsen avakov , on his official facebook page , said that militants had launched an attack on a regional police headquarters building in donetsk , killing one police officer and badly injuring two more . avakov said the police were barricaded inside the building in the city of donetsk and that the fighting was ongoing . the interior ministry later said three people were seriously injured -- one woman and two special forces policemen . three others were injured and hospitalized , the ministry said . police successfully fought back the attack , the ministry said on its website . on its website , the donetsk regional state administration said ukrainian forces attacked the central part of kramatorsk from the air and ground . a bus attack in kramatorsk left four people dead and five others injured . the statement did not say which side in the conflict carried out that attack . yuriy stets , information security head for the national guard and a parliamentarian , told cnn that the national guard had regained control of zakotne , near slovyansk , and were targeting two other towns . cease-fire hopes dashed the fragile cease-fire expired at midnight monday , hours after poroshenko spoke by phone with russian president vladimir putin , german chancellor angela merkel and french president francois hollande . poroshenko also talked on the phone with u.s. secretary of state john kerry . the cease-fire -- agreed on last month amid a volatile political crisis -- raised hopes that ukraine could be moving back from the brink of full-fledged civil war . as part of a peace plan , poroshenko urged the rebels to lay down their arms and engage in talks . he also called for the strengthening of ukraine-russia border controls , the freeing of hostages and changes to the constitution to decentralize power . in his statement , poroshenko said the militants had failed to take up a unique opportunity ' to support the peace plan and had instead violated the unilateral cease-fire more than 100 times . putin , addressing russian diplomats in moscow , said he regretted the decision to end the cease-fire . unfortunately , president poroshenko decided to resume a military operation . i and my eu colleagues could not convince him ' of the need to settle the crisis peacefully . putin :'only on equal terms' putin said russia had been obliged to annex ukraine 's crimea region in march in order to prevent nato forces entering , which would have created a completely different alignment of forces . ' he told the diplomats that they would face growing pressure in defending national interests ' and that the events provoked by the west in ukraine have become a concentrated political expression of deterrence toward russia . ' putin also referred to russia 's tense relationship with the united states , suggesting that the current crisis was born of the west 's attempts to impose its own way of doing things on the rest of the world . our relationship with the united states is not the best at the moment , ' he said . we have always tried to be predictable partners , handle business on an equal basis , but in return our legal interests were partially ignored and are still ignored . russian and u.s. contacts have a great meaning for the entire world . we are ready for constructive dialogue , but again i emphasize only on equal terms . ' russia 's ambassador to the european union , vladimir chizhov , said tuesday that the refusal to extend the cease-fire is a negative sign , ' the russian foreign ministry said on twitter . this makes it even harder to understand the logic of how the confirmation of the so-called 15-point peace plan correlates with the refusal to prolong truce , ' chizhov was quoted as saying by state news agency itar-tass .'enemies and invaders' poroshenko declared in a late-night televised address that the cease-fire was over . in kiev 's independence square , known as maidan , activists outside the presidential administration building applauded poroshenko 's stance . we need only military actions , ' a priest named valentyn said in a reuters interview . we were forced by those who entered our country as enemies and invaders . ' the crisis has its roots in former president viktor yanukovych 's decision last year to shun a european union association agreement and turn toward russia instead . the move unleashed deadly strife that led to yanukovych 's ouster , ukraine 's loss of crimea , and a pro-russia separatist rebellion . russia also massed troops along its western border with ukraine . the association agreement , which will bring closer trade and political ties between ukraine and europe , was finally signed by poroshenko and european leaders last week . after monday 's phone call , poroshenko said his goal was peace but insisted it takes the participation of all parties to maintain stability , noting violations of the cease-fire by pro-russia separatists . the ukrainian government has been completely fulfilling its commitments and unilaterally complying with the ceasefire regime for 10 days and paid dozens of lives for that , ' he said . peace talks were held last week among ukrainian government officials , pro-russia separatists from the restive eastern luhansk and donetsk regions , russian officials , and members of the organization for security and cooperation in europe .'bloody truce' activist vadym told reuters there was no point in continuing the cease-fire . there is definitely no need for an extension of the truce , ' he said . because a lot of our boys died during this truce . ' fellow activist yulia agreed . bloody military actions are better than such bloody truce , ' she said . we must put an end to it once and that 's all . ' a statement from putin 's press office about the call said the russian president stressed the need to extend the cease-fire and also establish a reliable mechanism for monitoring ' it . ukrainian president : peace depends on putin 's mood","putin says he tried to persuade poroshenko to resolve crisis through peaceful means" +"poroshenko ukrainian forces began military operations in the east of the country tuesday , marking a definite end to a unilateral cease-fire that had been in place for 10 days . the speaker of ukraine 's parliament , oleksandr turchynov , told lawmakers the government 's anti-terror operation ' against pro-russia separatists had been renewed . ' ukrainian armed forces have been conducting attacks on terrorists'bases and defended posts , ' he said . the announcement came hours after ukrainian president petro poroshenko said that his country would not renew a cease-fire with the separatists , vowing instead to attack and liberate our land . ' termination of cease-fire is our response to terrorists , insurgents , marauders ... and ( those who ) deprive people of normal peaceful life , ' poroshenko said . in a statement on his website , poroshenko congratulated ukraine 's armed forces and border guards for re-establishing control over the checkpoint at dolzhanskyi , in the first victory since the restoration of the cto , ' a reference to the government 's counterterrorist operation . he said the armed forces and the state border service of ukraine regained control over the checkpoint and combat engineers removed mines from the checkpoint and adjacent roads . violence flared tuesday in donetsk , one of the cities at the heart of the separatist unrest . interior minister arsen avakov , on his official facebook page , said that militants had launched an attack on a regional police headquarters building in donetsk , killing one police officer and badly injuring two more . avakov said the police were barricaded inside the building in the city of donetsk and that the fighting was ongoing . the interior ministry later said three people were seriously injured -- one woman and two special forces policemen . three others were injured and hospitalized , the ministry said . police successfully fought back the attack , the ministry said on its website . on its website , the donetsk regional state administration said ukrainian forces attacked the central part of kramatorsk from the air and ground . a bus attack in kramatorsk left four people dead and five others injured . the statement did not say which side in the conflict carried out that attack . yuriy stets , information security head for the national guard and a parliamentarian , told cnn that the national guard had regained control of zakotne , near slovyansk , and were targeting two other towns . cease-fire hopes dashed the fragile cease-fire expired at midnight monday , hours after poroshenko spoke by phone with russian president vladimir putin , german chancellor angela merkel and french president francois hollande . poroshenko also talked on the phone with u.s. secretary of state john kerry . the cease-fire -- agreed on last month amid a volatile political crisis -- raised hopes that ukraine could be moving back from the brink of full-fledged civil war . as part of a peace plan , poroshenko urged the rebels to lay down their arms and engage in talks . he also called for the strengthening of ukraine-russia border controls , the freeing of hostages and changes to the constitution to decentralize power . in his statement , poroshenko said the militants had failed to take up a unique opportunity ' to support the peace plan and had instead violated the unilateral cease-fire more than 100 times . putin , addressing russian diplomats in moscow , said he regretted the decision to end the cease-fire . unfortunately , president poroshenko decided to resume a military operation . i and my eu colleagues could not convince him ' of the need to settle the crisis peacefully . putin :'only on equal terms' putin said russia had been obliged to annex ukraine 's crimea region in march in order to prevent nato forces entering , which would have created a completely different alignment of forces . ' he told the diplomats that they would face growing pressure in defending national interests ' and that the events provoked by the west in ukraine have become a concentrated political expression of deterrence toward russia . ' putin also referred to russia 's tense relationship with the united states , suggesting that the current crisis was born of the west 's attempts to impose its own way of doing things on the rest of the world . our relationship with the united states is not the best at the moment , ' he said . we have always tried to be predictable partners , handle business on an equal basis , but in return our legal interests were partially ignored and are still ignored . russian and u.s. contacts have a great meaning for the entire world . we are ready for constructive dialogue , but again i emphasize only on equal terms . ' russia 's ambassador to the european union , vladimir chizhov , said tuesday that the refusal to extend the cease-fire is a negative sign , ' the russian foreign ministry said on twitter . this makes it even harder to understand the logic of how the confirmation of the so-called 15-point peace plan correlates with the refusal to prolong truce , ' chizhov was quoted as saying by state news agency itar-tass .'enemies and invaders' poroshenko declared in a late-night televised address that the cease-fire was over . in kiev 's independence square , known as maidan , activists outside the presidential administration building applauded poroshenko 's stance . we need only military actions , ' a priest named valentyn said in a reuters interview . we were forced by those who entered our country as enemies and invaders . ' the crisis has its roots in former president viktor yanukovych 's decision last year to shun a european union association agreement and turn toward russia instead . the move unleashed deadly strife that led to yanukovych 's ouster , ukraine 's loss of crimea , and a pro-russia separatist rebellion . russia also massed troops along its western border with ukraine . the association agreement , which will bring closer trade and political ties between ukraine and europe , was finally signed by poroshenko and european leaders last week . after monday 's phone call , poroshenko said his goal was peace but insisted it takes the participation of all parties to maintain stability , noting violations of the cease-fire by pro-russia separatists . the ukrainian government has been completely fulfilling its commitments and unilaterally complying with the ceasefire regime for 10 days and paid dozens of lives for that , ' he said . peace talks were held last week among ukrainian government officials , pro-russia separatists from the restive eastern luhansk and donetsk regions , russian officials , and members of the organization for security and cooperation in europe .'bloody truce' activist vadym told reuters there was no point in continuing the cease-fire . there is definitely no need for an extension of the truce , ' he said . because a lot of our boys died during this truce . ' fellow activist yulia agreed . bloody military actions are better than such bloody truce , ' she said . we must put an end to it once and that 's all . ' a statement from putin 's press office about the call said the russian president stressed the need to extend the cease-fire and also establish a reliable mechanism for monitoring ' it . ukrainian president : peace depends on putin 's mood","poroshenko declares an end to a unilateral cease-fire with pro-russian separatists" +"vick ( cnn ) -- former atlanta falcons quarterback michael vick arrived at his home in hampton , virginia , on thursday morning . michael vick , left , arrives at federal court with attorney billy martin in richmond , viriginia , in 2007 . he is happy to be reunited with his family , ' said chris garrett , a spokesman for vick . vick was released from a federal prison in leavenworth , kansas , on wednesday . he will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement in virginia , his publicist judy smith said . vick is a native of newport news , virginia . watch a panel discuss his release » vick , 28 , pleaded guilty in august 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in virginia . he could return to professional football as soon as september if reinstated by the nfl , according to the sports agent who negotiated vick 's 10-year , $ 140 million contract with the falcons . meanwhile , vick 's attorneys have said he will work at a newport news construction firm after his release and he has also agreed to participate in a documentary for $ 600,000 . last month , a federal bankruptcy judge denied a chapter 11 bankruptcy plan presented by vick and urged him to offer another plan . 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 . in testimony , vick acknowledged committing a heinous ' act and said he should have acted more maturely . he said he has been earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison . his falcons salary , he said , was between $ 10 million and $ 12 million . he acknowledged failing to handle his money well . after his release , vick will work with the humane society of the united states on anti-dogfighting campaigns , humane society president wayne pacelle told cnn tuesday . vick will 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 . watch more about vick 's dogs » pacelle said the humane society was approached by vick 's representatives . he said he has traveled to kansas twice to meet with the former quarterback , and during the second visit , the two discussed how vick could use his sway over youths to discourage them from involvement in dogfighting , as well as help those who were apprehended in connection with it . details have not yet been hammered out , pacelle said , but will be in the next couple of days . ireport.com : does vick deserve a second chance ? more attention has been paid to dogfighting as a result of vick 's case , pacelle said . the humane society , which offers rewards for tips involving dogfighting , has recently paid out $ 40,000 in five cases , he said . cnn 's marylynn ryan contributed to this report .","ex-atlanta falcons quarterback michael vick released from prison on wednesday" +"vick ( cnn ) -- former atlanta falcons quarterback michael vick arrived at his home in hampton , virginia , on thursday morning . michael vick , left , arrives at federal court with attorney billy martin in richmond , viriginia , in 2007 . he is happy to be reunited with his family , ' said chris garrett , a spokesman for vick . vick was released from a federal prison in leavenworth , kansas , on wednesday . he will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement in virginia , his publicist judy smith said . vick is a native of newport news , virginia . watch a panel discuss his release » vick , 28 , pleaded guilty in august 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in virginia . he could return to professional football as soon as september if reinstated by the nfl , according to the sports agent who negotiated vick 's 10-year , $ 140 million contract with the falcons . meanwhile , vick 's attorneys have said he will work at a newport news construction firm after his release and he has also agreed to participate in a documentary for $ 600,000 . last month , a federal bankruptcy judge denied a chapter 11 bankruptcy plan presented by vick and urged him to offer another plan . 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 . in testimony , vick acknowledged committing a heinous ' act and said he should have acted more maturely . he said he has been earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison . his falcons salary , he said , was between $ 10 million and $ 12 million . he acknowledged failing to handle his money well . after his release , vick will work with the humane society of the united states on anti-dogfighting campaigns , humane society president wayne pacelle told cnn tuesday . vick will 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 . watch more about vick 's dogs » pacelle said the humane society was approached by vick 's representatives . he said he has traveled to kansas twice to meet with the former quarterback , and during the second visit , the two discussed how vick could use his sway over youths to discourage them from involvement in dogfighting , as well as help those who were apprehended in connection with it . details have not yet been hammered out , pacelle said , but will be in the next couple of days . ireport.com : does vick deserve a second chance ? more attention has been paid to dogfighting as a result of vick 's case , pacelle said . the humane society , which offers rewards for tips involving dogfighting , has recently paid out $ 40,000 in five cases , he said . cnn 's marylynn ryan contributed to this report .","attorneys have said vick will work at construction firm ; vick has ok 'd documentary" +"vick ( cnn ) -- former atlanta falcons quarterback michael vick arrived at his home in hampton , virginia , on thursday morning . michael vick , left , arrives at federal court with attorney billy martin in richmond , viriginia , in 2007 . he is happy to be reunited with his family , ' said chris garrett , a spokesman for vick . vick was released from a federal prison in leavenworth , kansas , on wednesday . he will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement in virginia , his publicist judy smith said . vick is a native of newport news , virginia . watch a panel discuss his release » vick , 28 , pleaded guilty in august 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in virginia . he could return to professional football as soon as september if reinstated by the nfl , according to the sports agent who negotiated vick 's 10-year , $ 140 million contract with the falcons . meanwhile , vick 's attorneys have said he will work at a newport news construction firm after his release and he has also agreed to participate in a documentary for $ 600,000 . last month , a federal bankruptcy judge denied a chapter 11 bankruptcy plan presented by vick and urged him to offer another plan . 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 . in testimony , vick acknowledged committing a heinous ' act and said he should have acted more maturely . he said he has been earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison . his falcons salary , he said , was between $ 10 million and $ 12 million . he acknowledged failing to handle his money well . after his release , vick will work with the humane society of the united states on anti-dogfighting campaigns , humane society president wayne pacelle told cnn tuesday . vick will 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 . watch more about vick 's dogs » pacelle said the humane society was approached by vick 's representatives . he said he has traveled to kansas twice to meet with the former quarterback , and during the second visit , the two discussed how vick could use his sway over youths to discourage them from involvement in dogfighting , as well as help those who were apprehended in connection with it . details have not yet been hammered out , pacelle said , but will be in the next couple of days . ireport.com : does vick deserve a second chance ? more attention has been paid to dogfighting as a result of vick 's case , pacelle said . the humane society , which offers rewards for tips involving dogfighting , has recently paid out $ 40,000 in five cases , he said . cnn 's marylynn ryan contributed to this report .","vick , 28 , pleaded guilty in 2007 to bankrolling a dogfighting operation in virginia" +"vick ( cnn ) -- former atlanta falcons quarterback michael vick arrived at his home in hampton , virginia , on thursday morning . michael vick , left , arrives at federal court with attorney billy martin in richmond , viriginia , in 2007 . he is happy to be reunited with his family , ' said chris garrett , a spokesman for vick . vick was released from a federal prison in leavenworth , kansas , on wednesday . he will serve the last two months of his 23-month sentence in home confinement in virginia , his publicist judy smith said . vick is a native of newport news , virginia . watch a panel discuss his release » vick , 28 , pleaded guilty in august 2007 to a federal charge of bankrolling a dogfighting operation at a home he owned in virginia . he could return to professional football as soon as september if reinstated by the nfl , according to the sports agent who negotiated vick 's 10-year , $ 140 million contract with the falcons . meanwhile , vick 's attorneys have said he will work at a newport news construction firm after his release and he has also agreed to participate in a documentary for $ 600,000 . last month , a federal bankruptcy judge denied a chapter 11 bankruptcy plan presented by vick and urged him to offer another plan . 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 . in testimony , vick acknowledged committing a heinous ' act and said he should have acted more maturely . he said he has been earning 12 cents an hour as an overnight janitor in prison . his falcons salary , he said , was between $ 10 million and $ 12 million . he acknowledged failing to handle his money well . after his release , vick will work with the humane society of the united states on anti-dogfighting campaigns , humane society president wayne pacelle told cnn tuesday . vick will 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 . watch more about vick 's dogs » pacelle said the humane society was approached by vick 's representatives . he said he has traveled to kansas twice to meet with the former quarterback , and during the second visit , the two discussed how vick could use his sway over youths to discourage them from involvement in dogfighting , as well as help those who were apprehended in connection with it . details have not yet been hammered out , pacelle said , but will be in the next couple of days . ireport.com : does vick deserve a second chance ? more attention has been paid to dogfighting as a result of vick 's case , pacelle said . the humane society , which offers rewards for tips involving dogfighting , has recently paid out $ 40,000 in five cases , he said . cnn 's marylynn ryan contributed to this report .","vick will serve last two months of sentence in home confinement" +"ryan sarver paris , france ( cnn ) -- the future of social networking , the real-time web and a host of apps and gadgets were the talk of the annual le web conference as it opened here wednesday . the phenomenal success of microblogging site twitter and its plans for the future dominated the two-day event 's opening sessions for bloggers and industry leaders , held in a converted morgue in the city 's northeastern suburbs . top executives from twitter faced off with rivals from facebook and myspace as all three social media sites unveiled technical innovations designed to capture more users . on the heels of twitter founder jack dorsey 's unveiling of square , a device that accepts credit card payments on cell phones , twitter platform director ryan sarver said the site now has 50,000 dedicated applications making use of its constant stream of blog updates . sarver also announced the company 's firehose ' feature , which throws open its data stream to any developers who want to use it . this is a first for twitter , which has yet to disclose any major revenue streams even as others use it to harvest profits . facebook developer ethan beard touted his own site 's 500,000 applications and its power to drastically boost hits to news sites such as the huffington post through the 60 million users it now claims for its facebook connect feature . meanwhile , myspace chief operating officer mike jones announced that his site is incorporating real-time status updates to its platform -- like twitter and facebook -- amid myspace 's struggles to find an identity . jones also announced unrestricted developer access to myspace 's content and a $ 50,000 innovation prize to attract developers , but refused to comment on rumors of a potential partnership with rival facebook . the social networking execs declined to discuss their sites'revenues or widely rumored stock market flotations . chad hurley , co-founder of google-owned youtube , also refused to disclose company revenues but said some popular users have earned more than $ 1 million since advertising was introduced to the video-sharing site . we did n't implement [ advertising ] initially on youtube because we did n't want to skew the motivation of why someone would publish video . we wanted to be a video community , ' he told the conference . we saw over time the opportunity to introduce that secure revenue without distorting what we 've become , and we 've been quite successful , ' he said . but hurley said he had no secret formula for anyone wanting to create a viral sensation on youtube . you could punch me in the face right now , that would get a lot of views , ' he joked . something shocking will get a lot of views , but there 's no magic recipe . that 's not really what the site is about -- to define the secret ingredient to get the hits . it 's about celebrating the fact that everyone has a chance to participate . ' on the sidelines of le web , the chatter was focused on the facebook vs. twitter battle and the opening of data streams to app developers . attendees also wondered aloud about the fickle and unpredictable nature of internet success . it is interesting that everybody now is announcing awards and conferences , but what 's next ? ' said delegate katrin weber of deutsche telekom . in the end , who is going to win ? people are also asking what the formula for success is -- why do some applications or platforms succeed , and why do some fail ? ' social media marketing agent vero pepperrell said , i 'm pleased that twitter is starting to acknowledge how much of an ecosystem it has with its developers , so on that level , they are doing the right thing . ' blogger gabriel jorby believes that square , dorsey 's credit card gadget , represents a new trend that 's likely to shape the future for people trying to profit from the internet . today , if you want to run a service , you need something to bring the physical world . you can not depend only on an online application , you need to do something tangible , ' he said . it is the future , it is not only [ about ] the screen experience , it is about something more physical . people need to be producing more than just apps . ' more than 2,000 participants from 46 countries were expected in paris for the le web conference , one of europe 's largest annual tech events .","twitter 's ryan sarver : site now has 50,000 dedicated applications" +"jersey city ( cnn ) -- five people were injured -- three seriously enough to require hospital treatment -- when an escalator at a commuter rail station in new jersey suddenly went into high-speed reverse monday morning , authorities said . the incident occurred at the exchange place station in jersey city , and the three injured and taken to hospitals had possible back or neck injuries , according to ron marsico , spokesman for the port authority trans-hudson ( path ) service . alex rodriguez , 30 , was on his way to work when he saw the malfunction on the opposite escalator and immediately took out his phone to capture a video . everyone started looking around and then it starts to go down at an accelerated rate , ' rodriguez told cnn . at that point , people started piling up towards the bottom and could n't get off the escalator fast enough . ' rodriguez 's video footage showed commuters struggling to climb up the fast-moving escalator . rodriguez said the escalator finally stopped after a minute . you could hear people screaming , people were jumping off the sides , ' said rodriguez . people lined up against the wall at the bottom ( were ) crying after they got off . ' path officials are investigating whether the effects of superstorm sandy played a role in monday 's incident , according to a path statement . neither the statement nor marsico specified why officials think the storm 's after-effects might manifest themselves in an escalator accident . as a precaution , path has suspended escalator service at exchange place through ( tuesday ) morning , ' said marsico . in addition , workers are reviewing all path escalators throughout the system . ' while that station 's escalators are out of the service , the station remains open , with customers directed to stairs and elevators . rodriguez , the witness , said that since sandy , the jersey city path station hit by monday 's incident has had major issues . to see something like that happen was really icing on the cake , ' he said . the conditions of those injured , including the three taken to hospitals , could not be determined monday afternoon .","three are taken to hospitals after the accident at exchange place station in jersey city" +"syria ( cnn ) -- the united nations on friday made its largest appeal ever -- for more than $ 5 billion -- for relief aid to syrians across the country . syria as a civilization is unraveling , with as many as half of its citizens in need of urgent help as a result of this savage conflict , ' said antonio guterres , the world body 's high commissioner for refugees , who announced the goal in geneva . the funds we are appealing for are a matter of survival for suffering syrians , and they are essential for neighboring countries that are hosting refugees . ' more than 1.6 million syrians have fled the country since the conflict began in march 2011 ; another 4.25 million are estimated to have been displaced inside it . unhcr noted that it had appealed in december for $ 1 billion , but increased the figure after the number of refugees exceeded predictions . the announcement came as the u.n. office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs predicted that 3.45 million inside syria could have crossed its borders by the end of the year and another 6.8 million people remaining inside syria will need aid . that 's nearly half of the nation , which has a population of 22.5 million . on thursday , the european union said it would contribute as much as $ 530 million to aid syrians by year 's end . two days after syrian government forces seized control of the strategically important city of qusayr from rebel forces it describes as terrorists , ' the army sought to restore security and stability to surrounding villages , the state-run syrian arab news agency reported friday . an official source told sana reporter that units of our armed forces are continuing their missions in pursuing the terrorists'remnants and inspecting operations , ' it said . the u.n. security council urged on friday that syrian authorities protect civilians and allow humanitarian access to the town . unhcr said this week that it had received reports that up to 1,500 wounded civilians were trapped in the town . at least 52 people -- including three women and four children and one under torture -- were killed friday nationwide , the rebel local coordination committees of syria said . in addition , two french journalists working for europe1 are missing in syria , the french radio station said friday , prompting fears that they may have been kidnapped . reporter didier francois and photographer edouard elias were on their way to the northwestern city of aleppo when they went missing , the radio station said . lebanon 's official national news agency reported that one person was killed and several were wounded in clashes in tripoli . deteriorating security conditions near the golan heights headquarters for u.n. peacekeepers in the region prompted austria to say thursday that it will pull out its 370 troops , more than a third of the force assigned to help keep israel and syria at bay . the announcement came amid fighting over the quneitra crossing , syria 's only access point to the golan heights . rebel forces first captured but then lost control of the crossing in heavy fighting . on friday , russian president vladimir putin said moscow was prepared to replace them , russia 's itar-tass news agency reported . the developments come amid longstanding concerns that the conflict could expand to other parts of the region . u.n. spokeswoman josephine guerrero said filipino and indian peacekeepers will remain in the region to enforce the peace deal between israel and syria reached in 1974 , nearly seven years after israel first captured quneitra in the six-day war . syria retook it in 1973 . quneitra is important to the syrian regime because it represents former president hafez al-assad 's attempt to liberate israeli-occupied territory . cnn 's hamdi alkhshali contributed to this report .","1.6 million people have fled syria as fighting rages on" +"hall atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- country music act sugarland settled a lawsuit with a co-founder who claimed she was owed a share of the group 's profits since she left five years ago , according to a court filing . kristen hall left the trio sugarland to write songs and to pursue a solo career in 2005 , leaving kristian bush and jennifer nettles to carry on as a duo . hall filed a federal lawsuit against her former bandmates two years ago demanding that she be paid a third of sugarland 's profits because of her role in founding the group and in creating their hit debut album in 2004 . u.s. district judge timothy batten signed an order last week recognizing the settlement , although terms of the agreement were not included . lawyers have until december 13 to file the final papers or else hall has the right to re-open the lawsuit , the order said . the atlanta-based group picked up their fourth country music association vocal duo of the year award last week . they won grammys for best performance by a group or duo and best country song last year . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report .","kristen hall claimed she was owed a share of the country duo 's profits" +"hall atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- country music act sugarland settled a lawsuit with a co-founder who claimed she was owed a share of the group 's profits since she left five years ago , according to a court filing . kristen hall left the trio sugarland to write songs and to pursue a solo career in 2005 , leaving kristian bush and jennifer nettles to carry on as a duo . hall filed a federal lawsuit against her former bandmates two years ago demanding that she be paid a third of sugarland 's profits because of her role in founding the group and in creating their hit debut album in 2004 . u.s. district judge timothy batten signed an order last week recognizing the settlement , although terms of the agreement were not included . lawyers have until december 13 to file the final papers or else hall has the right to re-open the lawsuit , the order said . the atlanta-based group picked up their fourth country music association vocal duo of the year award last week . they won grammys for best performance by a group or duo and best country song last year . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report .","hall left the band in 2005 to pursue a solo career" +"hall atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- country music act sugarland settled a lawsuit with a co-founder who claimed she was owed a share of the group 's profits since she left five years ago , according to a court filing . kristen hall left the trio sugarland to write songs and to pursue a solo career in 2005 , leaving kristian bush and jennifer nettles to carry on as a duo . hall filed a federal lawsuit against her former bandmates two years ago demanding that she be paid a third of sugarland 's profits because of her role in founding the group and in creating their hit debut album in 2004 . u.s. district judge timothy batten signed an order last week recognizing the settlement , although terms of the agreement were not included . lawyers have until december 13 to file the final papers or else hall has the right to re-open the lawsuit , the order said . the atlanta-based group picked up their fourth country music association vocal duo of the year award last week . they won grammys for best performance by a group or duo and best country song last year . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report .","hall co-founded the group before jennifer nettles joined" +"jennifer nettles atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- country music act sugarland settled a lawsuit with a co-founder who claimed she was owed a share of the group 's profits since she left five years ago , according to a court filing . kristen hall left the trio sugarland to write songs and to pursue a solo career in 2005 , leaving kristian bush and jennifer nettles to carry on as a duo . hall filed a federal lawsuit against her former bandmates two years ago demanding that she be paid a third of sugarland 's profits because of her role in founding the group and in creating their hit debut album in 2004 . u.s. district judge timothy batten signed an order last week recognizing the settlement , although terms of the agreement were not included . lawyers have until december 13 to file the final papers or else hall has the right to re-open the lawsuit , the order said . the atlanta-based group picked up their fourth country music association vocal duo of the year award last week . they won grammys for best performance by a group or duo and best country song last year . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report .","hall co-founded the group before jennifer nettles joined" +"juan martin del potro ( cnn ) -- world no . 1 novak djokovic began his quest for a fourth title at the dubai tennis championships with a straight forward victory over fellow serbian victor troicki . the 25-year-old won three consecutive titles in dubai between 2009 and 2011 before 17-time grand slam champion roger federer triumphed last year . djokovic , who won the first major of the year at the australian open in january , is playing in his first atp tour event as he looks to maintain his unbeaten start to the season . his victory in melbourne raised the prospect that djokovic , who has won five of the last nine grand slam titles , could complete a clean sweep of the majors for the first time since rod laver in 1969 . asked whether he could go on another run like the one at the start of the 2011 season that saw him unbeaten for 43 matches he said in an on-court interview : yes i am definitely am ( on a streak ) . but i am not thinking about it or trying to better the one i had in 2011 , because it 's really hard to ask from myself something which may be impossible . but knowing that i have done it gives me that mental edge and confidence i need in to approach every tournament with self-belief . ' djokovic enjoys an impressive record over troicki , losing just once in their last 13 encounters , and broke his opponent 's first service game to set the tone for the match . though the world no . 44 put up a better fight in the second set , djokovic rarely looked in any danger as he wrapped up the match in just over an hour . because i have not played for a while i was extremely focused and committed to starting well , ' djokovic added . i played really , really well in the first set . i read his serve well , and i was aggressive in the court . so altogether i am satisfied with my performance and i hope i can continue . ' elsewhere , the no . 4 seed juan martin del potro was forced to save three match points during a hard fought 4-6 6-4 7-6 victory over cypriot marcos baghdatis . the argentinean , who won the 14th atp title of his career in rotterdam recently , came close to losing the contest at 4-5 in the deciding set but battled back to take it on a tiebreak . he 's a great player , ' del potro told the atp tour 's official website . he fights like me every point , and we had fantastic rallies . i 'm so glad to beat him tonight in dubai . i played fantastic forehands to keep playing this match . then in the end , of course , you need a little bit of luck to win these kinds of matches , and i think i played solid on important points in the third . ' tomas berdych , the no . 3 seed , had no such problems as he accounted for american wild card rajeev ram 6-1 6-3 in less than an hour . the 27-year-old was runner up to jo-wilfried tsonga at last week 's marseille open , despite having a match point . he made the dubai semis in 2011 , losing to djokovic . nikolay davydenko edged past the no . 6 seed , janko tipsarevic of serbia . the russian , who is retiring at the end of this year , triumphed 6-0 7-5 . there were also victories on thursday for marcel granollers , of spain , romania 's victor hanescu , tobias kamke , from germany and russia 's dmitry tursunov .","juan martin del potro saves three match points in victory over marcos baghdatis" +"congress washington ( cnn ) triumphant republicans return to washington wednesday to prepare for a new era of gop dominance on both sides of the capitol . but first , they have to get through a short , final senate session under democratic control . the post-election lame duck session should be fast-paced as lawmakers work to clear leftover business , including a must pass bill to fund the government , and other bills to arm syrian rebels and extend expiring tax breaks . republican leaders are anxious to start the new congress in january with a clean slate when they could control as many as 54 seats . senators who were defeated in the last election must return to the capitol to vote on these items . but newly-elected senators , excited after their victories , ca n't vote until they are sworn-in in january . the incoming freshmen will be here for three days of intensive orientation . unlike past orientations , when senators were given heavy binders and detailed briefings about foreign policy , national security , and other current topics , this week 's sessions will deal more with the practical matters of operating a senate office , including hiring , disbursement , and ethics rules . they will be conducted by individual senators who will share their experiences . there will be a special dinner honoring the new members and their spouses wednesday night in the capitol . the incoming members will also be assigned temporary office space for use until they move into their permanent digs sometime next year . like an overcrowded elementary school , those offices will be housed in trailers sandwiched into the courtyard of the russell senate office building . while the lame duck agenda is packed , one controversial item the senate may not deal with until next year is approving loretta lynch to be the new attorney general . democrats signaled tuesday they are unlikely to try to confirm her even though if they moved now , they could approve her with just democratic votes . democrats say lynch , who has been confirmed twice by the senate , is highly qualified and will be approved regardless of who controls the chamber . there may be some who feel they have to vote no simply because it 's a nominee by president obama , ' judiciary committee chairman patrick leahy , d-vermont , said in an msnbc interview tuesday . but the vast majority of republicans and democrats will vote for her . she 's superbly qualified . ' however , most republicans do n't want to rush the process , preferring to explore more carefully lynch 's background and views on immigration and other hot-button subjects . ms. lynch will receive fair consideration by the senate . and her nomination should be considered in the new congress through regular order , ' senate republican leader mitch mcconnell warned over the weekend . tensions between the parties are already high after a bruising two-year session that was marked by gridlock and partisanship . senators are now bracing for president barack obama to announce controversial executive orders to change immigration laws , which could be released during the lame duck . lawmakers and aides are guessing the president will wait until after december 11 , which is when congress needs to clear that critical funding bill to keep government operating . republicans are vehemently opposed to obama revising immigration laws on his own and have warned that doing so could make it difficult to get anything of consequence done during the lame duck . what the president does over the next two months is really going to set the tone for the next two years in washington , ' sen. john barrasso of wyoming , a member of the gop leadership , said on fox news sunday . so , i think it would be like the president pulling the pin out of the hand grenade and throwing ( it ) in as we 're actually trying to work together . i 'm hoping that cooler heads at the white house prevail . ' other items senate democratic leaders hope to bring to the floor include a package that would extend some personal and business tax breaks set to run out at the end of the year along with the annual department of defense bill that will likely include extending approval congress already gave for training and equipping syrian rebels . they will also vote on billions in new funding for the ebola outbreak in west africa , billions more for the military operations against isis , and possibly an nsa reform bill written by the democratic chairman of the judiciary committee , which would rein in the government 's ability to make bulk collections of phone and internet data . however , republicans are doubtful this bill will be debated now . senate democratic leaders are considering a vote on the keystone pipeline during the lame duck , according to a source familiar with the issue . a decision has n't been finalized but such a move could boost louisiana democratic sen. mary landrieu in her run off race . senate democratic leader harry reid , meanwhile , also has a long list presidential nominations he wants to clear . the senate could start debate on authorization of military force to give formal approval for u.s. military action in syria and iraq . however , aides in both parties said that vote on any new authorization will likely be put off until the new congress . the u.s./iranian nuclear talks could also take center stage during the lame duck , as those negotiations hit a critical deadline nov. 24 . there is bipartisan support in the senate for new sanctions against iran if those talks fail . new and returning senators will gather privately thursday morning in the capitol to elect new leadership for their respective caucuses . there are no major changes expected in the leadership ranks , with sen. mitch mcconnell set to become majority leader and reid set to become minority leader . will congress kill an iran nuclear deal ?","congress returns to washington wednesday" +"american officials in washington said monday they would grant consular access to the u.s.-held suspect in an alleged iranian plot to assassinate the saudi arabian ambassador to the united states . state department spokesman mark toner said officials do not believe the suspect , manssor arbabsia , 56 , is entitled to consular visits because he is a dual u.s.-iranian citizen . but the agency has long encouraged authorities to allow consular visits in such cases and would do so this time , he said . earlier , a senior administration official said monday the united states will grant access if iran formally requests it . the iranian foreign ministry posted a statement to its website sunday saying that it had given a note demanding access to arbabsia . but toner said that it did not appear that the request had been received yet . u.s. officials arrested arbabsia last week on suspicion that he conspired with an iran-based member of the islamic revolutionary guard corps to hire hit men from a mexican drug cartel to set off a bomb next year at a restaurant to be visited by adel al-jubeir , the saudi ambassador . the iranian foreign ministry said the accusations were baseless and called for access to the suspect . iran 's foreign ministry reiterated that any delay by the united states in facilitating consular contact with the iranian national would be contrary to the logic of international law and the united states'obligations , ' the foreign ministry said . the united states alleges individuals in the iranian government knew about the plot . foreign minister ali akbar salehi has said iran is willing to look at evidence in the plot . we are prepared to consider any issue , even if it is falsely created , with patience . we have asked the unites states to provide us with the relevant information regarding this scenario , ' he told the islamic republic news agency . the state department said last week there had been direct contact with iran about the alleged plot , but a senior iranian official denied it . two state department officials said susan rice , u.s. ambassador to the united nations , met with mohammad khazaee , iran 's permanent representative to the united nations . but the iranian mission in new york denied it . there were no kinds of negotiations between the two countries , and there was not such a contact , ' said alireza miryousefi , press secretary for the iranian mission to the united nations . salehi said monday the american allegations were aimed at creating discord between states in the region . and he asserted that iran had never been involved in terrorist operations , the islamic republic news agency said . salehi 's apparent willingness to look at evidence of the plot comes in stark contrast to the response of the country 's supreme leader . ayatollah ali khamenei called the allegations meaningless and absurd ' in his first public reaction to alleged plot . they ( the u.s. ) want to isolate iran , ' khamenei said over chants of down with america ' in a speech saturday before thousands in gilangharb , iran . the alleged scheme involved a connection to the quds force , a branch of the islamic revolutionary guard , which formally answers to khamenei . gholam shakuri , an iran-based member of iran 's islamic revolutionary guard corps , is also accused in the alleged hit . authorities developed the case against the suspects with the help of an undercover informant posing as an associate of a mexican drug cartel , according to officials and an fbi agent 's affidavit . reza aslan , a religious scholar and author , told cnn on saturday that the described plot does n't fit the quds force 's modus operandi . using a drug cartel would be risky and a quds force agent would be more reliable than arbabsiar , a used-car salesman in texas , he said . it 's sloppy . it 's uncharacteristic , ' aslan said . it really does not serve iran 's interest in any legitimate way . ' iran could more easily target saudi diplomats in the middle east , africa and elsewhere , aslan said . doing so on u.s. soil is unmistakably an attack on the united states , not on saudi arabia . '","iran denies u.s. claims there has already been a meeting with an american envoy" +"saints ( ew.com ) -- the next step after exposing the world of male strip clubs ? descending into a bordello-themed new orleans nightclub , naturally . ew has confirmed that channing tatum is developing an hourlong reality pilot for a & e that revolves around saints & sinners , a bourbon street bar/restaurant that tatum opened with friend and business partner keith kurtz last fall . tatum and kurtz will executive produce , as will original media 's charlie corwin . saints & sinners offers food , spirits , music , and a sinfully good time , ' according to its website . styled after the famous red-light district bordellos and burlesque halls of new orleans'storyville era , saints & sinners is tatum 's tribute to the city 's ribald , good-time reputation . ' expect lots of wrought iron , red accents , and brightly-colored drinks in martini glasses . just do n't count on seeing tatum 's famous abs ; it 's currently unclear whether the actor will appear in the prospective series . 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 .","tatum is developing a reality pilot that revolves around saints & sinner" +"woodstock ( cnn ) -- famed folk singer richie havens , the opening act at the 1969 woodstock music festival , died monday of a sudden heart attack , his publicist said . he was 72 . havens , who retired three years ago , toured for more than 30 years and recorded 30 albums . havens told billboard that his breakthrough at woodstock came after another artist 's equipment got stuck in traffic . he was supposed to be the fifth act . it was 5 o'clock and nothing was happening yet , ' havens told billboard . i had the least instruments ( to set up on stage ) and the least people ( in his band ) . ' so havens went on and performed for 40 minutes , as planned . organizers asked him to do four more songs , he told billboard . i went back and did that , then it was ,'four more songs ...'and that kept happening 'til two hours and 45 minutes later , i had sung every song i know , ' he said . havens , a brooklyn , new york , native , told cnn in 1999 that music enabled him to leave his rough neighborhood to head to greenwich village and the music scene there . music was always a part of his life . i believe i inherited my sense of music from my father . my father was an ear piano player ; he could just hear something and play it , ' he recalls . i came up in brooklyn singing doo-wop music from the time i was 13 to the time i was 20 . that music served a purpose of keeping a lot of people out of trouble , and also it was a passport from one neighborhood to another . ' his inspiration for songs about social change and protest came when he heard artists like fred neil , dino valenti and tom paxton . that 's when he knew what he wanted to do with his life . it was the songs that actually changed my life , ' he says . the songs that i heard were so much different than the doo-wop kind of thing . they were just so powerful . finally i decided ,'i 've got to do this .'' before woodstock , his nights were filled with playing as often as possible to make a few dollars . we played three coffeehouses a night , 14 sets a night , 20-minute sets , pass the basket , stay alive , ' he told cnn . i was there seven and a half years , every day . it was the most incredibly magic , magic time . ' after havens gained attention at woodstock , he recorded a soulful-voiced cover of the beatles' here comes the sun , ' which rose on the pop charts in 1970 . stephen stills of crosby , stills and nash said havens was an inspiration for the natural gravel in his singing voice . he called havens a passionate performer . he lit fire when he started playing within the first song and burned exactly the same way throughout his set . and it never stopped , it never changed , ' stills said . he added that he thought havens'style was probably a little too arcane to appeal to a mass audience . but he sure knew what to do when they were begging for someone to go on first , when all those people showed up at woodstock , ' stills said . havens returned to woodstock for the 40th anniversary festival in 2009 . while his family greatly appreciates that richie 's many fans are also mourning this loss , they do ask for privacy during this difficult time , ' a statement from his publicist , carrie lombardi , said . billboard reported havens died in new jersey , leaving behind four daughters and five grandchildren . people we lost in 2013 : the lives they lived","the brooklyn , new york , native , gained attention at woodstock" +"mayo clinic ( cnn ) -- rep. jesse jackson jr. is suffering from serious depression -- deep , deep depression , ' his longtime friend and former u.s. rep. patrick kennedy told cnn friday , a day after meeting with jackson at the mayo clinic in rochester , minnesota . jesse is getting the help he needs , and he needs to make that his priority , ' kennedy said about the illinois democrat who is undergoing inpatient treatment for bipolar depression at the famed facility . jackson , 47 , has not been on capitol hill since late may . in early june , his office released a statement saying that the congressman , who has served in the u.s. house since 1995 , was taking a leave of absence because he was suffering from a medical condition . ' what is bipolar ii disorder ? jackson 's office released a statement last month , attributed to an unidentified doctor , that said the congressman was receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder . ' though exhaustion was initially suspected as the cause of jackson 's treatment , his father , the rev . jesse jackson , later said the issue was something much deeper , much broader , and it lasted much longer . ' he is suffering from a behavioral symptom , and that is depression , which does n't allow him to really work to his maximum capacity , ' kennedy said . kennedy , who himself has been treated for depression , predicted that jackson will address his constituents within a couple of weeks about what his intentions are as to whether he 's going to continue in public life or whether he is going to continue to focus on his long-term recovery . ' jackson 's office has remained open for constituent services . noting that mental illness tends to carry a stigma in the united states , kennedy said he understood why jackson had not initially addressed the matter in a public forum . the fact that jesse did n't talk about this as a mental illness early on is reminiscent of most americans'experience : if you have a mental illness , you do n't talk about it . ' clinic : jackson jr. has bipolar depression in addition to sharing a longtime friendship , the two democrats both hail from high-profile families and both have suffered mental illness . kennedy , too , underwent treatment at the mayo clinic . on monday , the rochester , minnesota-based facility said jackson was responding well to treatment for bipolar ii disorder . the mental illness is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion , thought and drive and is most likely caused by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors , ' the mayo clinic said in its statement . jackson is the son of the famed civil rights leader and represents illinois'2nd congressional district , which includes parts of chicago . kennedy formerly represented rhode island and is the son of the late sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts . in addition to struggling openly with addiction , kennedy has battled bipolar disorder , and has used his public persona to advocate for others with mental illness . he introduced legislation in the house that became law in 2008 forcing insurance companies to cover mental illnesses as if they would physical ailments . pelosi : jackson should take all the time he needs in march , jackson decisively won a heated primary despite being the subject of an investigation by the house ethics committee . the panel has been examining allegations that jackson or one of his associates offered to raise funds for disgraced former illinois gov . rod blagojevich in exchange for the u.s. senate seat vacated by president barack obama . there is no doubt that the stress in his life , particularly because he 's under investigation , clearly perhaps precipitated this , ' kennedy said . many of us have genetic predispositions to cancer , heart disease or , in this case , mental illness , but they often get triggered by environmental factors . in mental illness , stress is an environmental factor and clearly , i think , has been a factor in his succumbing to this outbreak of his bipolar disorder . ' blagojevich , convicted on multiple corruption charges , started serving a 14-year prison sentence in march . what do we know about mood disorders ? cnn 's ashleigh banfield , laurie ure and allison brennan contributed to this report .","jackson is a patient at minnesota 's famed mayo clinic" +"jackson ( cnn ) -- rep. jesse jackson jr. is suffering from serious depression -- deep , deep depression , ' his longtime friend and former u.s. rep. patrick kennedy told cnn friday , a day after meeting with jackson at the mayo clinic in rochester , minnesota . jesse is getting the help he needs , and he needs to make that his priority , ' kennedy said about the illinois democrat who is undergoing inpatient treatment for bipolar depression at the famed facility . jackson , 47 , has not been on capitol hill since late may . in early june , his office released a statement saying that the congressman , who has served in the u.s. house since 1995 , was taking a leave of absence because he was suffering from a medical condition . ' what is bipolar ii disorder ? jackson 's office released a statement last month , attributed to an unidentified doctor , that said the congressman was receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder . ' though exhaustion was initially suspected as the cause of jackson 's treatment , his father , the rev . jesse jackson , later said the issue was something much deeper , much broader , and it lasted much longer . ' he is suffering from a behavioral symptom , and that is depression , which does n't allow him to really work to his maximum capacity , ' kennedy said . kennedy , who himself has been treated for depression , predicted that jackson will address his constituents within a couple of weeks about what his intentions are as to whether he 's going to continue in public life or whether he is going to continue to focus on his long-term recovery . ' jackson 's office has remained open for constituent services . noting that mental illness tends to carry a stigma in the united states , kennedy said he understood why jackson had not initially addressed the matter in a public forum . the fact that jesse did n't talk about this as a mental illness early on is reminiscent of most americans'experience : if you have a mental illness , you do n't talk about it . ' clinic : jackson jr. has bipolar depression in addition to sharing a longtime friendship , the two democrats both hail from high-profile families and both have suffered mental illness . kennedy , too , underwent treatment at the mayo clinic . on monday , the rochester , minnesota-based facility said jackson was responding well to treatment for bipolar ii disorder . the mental illness is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion , thought and drive and is most likely caused by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors , ' the mayo clinic said in its statement . jackson is the son of the famed civil rights leader and represents illinois'2nd congressional district , which includes parts of chicago . kennedy formerly represented rhode island and is the son of the late sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts . in addition to struggling openly with addiction , kennedy has battled bipolar disorder , and has used his public persona to advocate for others with mental illness . he introduced legislation in the house that became law in 2008 forcing insurance companies to cover mental illnesses as if they would physical ailments . pelosi : jackson should take all the time he needs in march , jackson decisively won a heated primary despite being the subject of an investigation by the house ethics committee . the panel has been examining allegations that jackson or one of his associates offered to raise funds for disgraced former illinois gov . rod blagojevich in exchange for the u.s. senate seat vacated by president barack obama . there is no doubt that the stress in his life , particularly because he 's under investigation , clearly perhaps precipitated this , ' kennedy said . many of us have genetic predispositions to cancer , heart disease or , in this case , mental illness , but they often get triggered by environmental factors . in mental illness , stress is an environmental factor and clearly , i think , has been a factor in his succumbing to this outbreak of his bipolar disorder . ' blagojevich , convicted on multiple corruption charges , started serving a 14-year prison sentence in march . what do we know about mood disorders ? cnn 's ashleigh banfield , laurie ure and allison brennan contributed to this report .","jackson is a patient at minnesota 's famed mayo clinic" +"jackson ( cnn ) -- rep. jesse jackson jr. is suffering from serious depression -- deep , deep depression , ' his longtime friend and former u.s. rep. patrick kennedy told cnn friday , a day after meeting with jackson at the mayo clinic in rochester , minnesota . jesse is getting the help he needs , and he needs to make that his priority , ' kennedy said about the illinois democrat who is undergoing inpatient treatment for bipolar depression at the famed facility . jackson , 47 , has not been on capitol hill since late may . in early june , his office released a statement saying that the congressman , who has served in the u.s. house since 1995 , was taking a leave of absence because he was suffering from a medical condition . ' what is bipolar ii disorder ? jackson 's office released a statement last month , attributed to an unidentified doctor , that said the congressman was receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder . ' though exhaustion was initially suspected as the cause of jackson 's treatment , his father , the rev . jesse jackson , later said the issue was something much deeper , much broader , and it lasted much longer . ' he is suffering from a behavioral symptom , and that is depression , which does n't allow him to really work to his maximum capacity , ' kennedy said . kennedy , who himself has been treated for depression , predicted that jackson will address his constituents within a couple of weeks about what his intentions are as to whether he 's going to continue in public life or whether he is going to continue to focus on his long-term recovery . ' jackson 's office has remained open for constituent services . noting that mental illness tends to carry a stigma in the united states , kennedy said he understood why jackson had not initially addressed the matter in a public forum . the fact that jesse did n't talk about this as a mental illness early on is reminiscent of most americans'experience : if you have a mental illness , you do n't talk about it . ' clinic : jackson jr. has bipolar depression in addition to sharing a longtime friendship , the two democrats both hail from high-profile families and both have suffered mental illness . kennedy , too , underwent treatment at the mayo clinic . on monday , the rochester , minnesota-based facility said jackson was responding well to treatment for bipolar ii disorder . the mental illness is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion , thought and drive and is most likely caused by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors , ' the mayo clinic said in its statement . jackson is the son of the famed civil rights leader and represents illinois'2nd congressional district , which includes parts of chicago . kennedy formerly represented rhode island and is the son of the late sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts . in addition to struggling openly with addiction , kennedy has battled bipolar disorder , and has used his public persona to advocate for others with mental illness . he introduced legislation in the house that became law in 2008 forcing insurance companies to cover mental illnesses as if they would physical ailments . pelosi : jackson should take all the time he needs in march , jackson decisively won a heated primary despite being the subject of an investigation by the house ethics committee . the panel has been examining allegations that jackson or one of his associates offered to raise funds for disgraced former illinois gov . rod blagojevich in exchange for the u.s. senate seat vacated by president barack obama . there is no doubt that the stress in his life , particularly because he 's under investigation , clearly perhaps precipitated this , ' kennedy said . many of us have genetic predispositions to cancer , heart disease or , in this case , mental illness , but they often get triggered by environmental factors . in mental illness , stress is an environmental factor and clearly , i think , has been a factor in his succumbing to this outbreak of his bipolar disorder . ' blagojevich , convicted on multiple corruption charges , started serving a 14-year prison sentence in march . what do we know about mood disorders ? cnn 's ashleigh banfield , laurie ure and allison brennan contributed to this report .","former u.s. rep. patrick kennedy says jackson is getting the help he needs '" +"jackson ( cnn ) -- rep. jesse jackson jr. is suffering from serious depression -- deep , deep depression , ' his longtime friend and former u.s. rep. patrick kennedy told cnn friday , a day after meeting with jackson at the mayo clinic in rochester , minnesota . jesse is getting the help he needs , and he needs to make that his priority , ' kennedy said about the illinois democrat who is undergoing inpatient treatment for bipolar depression at the famed facility . jackson , 47 , has not been on capitol hill since late may . in early june , his office released a statement saying that the congressman , who has served in the u.s. house since 1995 , was taking a leave of absence because he was suffering from a medical condition . ' what is bipolar ii disorder ? jackson 's office released a statement last month , attributed to an unidentified doctor , that said the congressman was receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder . ' though exhaustion was initially suspected as the cause of jackson 's treatment , his father , the rev . jesse jackson , later said the issue was something much deeper , much broader , and it lasted much longer . ' he is suffering from a behavioral symptom , and that is depression , which does n't allow him to really work to his maximum capacity , ' kennedy said . kennedy , who himself has been treated for depression , predicted that jackson will address his constituents within a couple of weeks about what his intentions are as to whether he 's going to continue in public life or whether he is going to continue to focus on his long-term recovery . ' jackson 's office has remained open for constituent services . noting that mental illness tends to carry a stigma in the united states , kennedy said he understood why jackson had not initially addressed the matter in a public forum . the fact that jesse did n't talk about this as a mental illness early on is reminiscent of most americans'experience : if you have a mental illness , you do n't talk about it . ' clinic : jackson jr. has bipolar depression in addition to sharing a longtime friendship , the two democrats both hail from high-profile families and both have suffered mental illness . kennedy , too , underwent treatment at the mayo clinic . on monday , the rochester , minnesota-based facility said jackson was responding well to treatment for bipolar ii disorder . the mental illness is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion , thought and drive and is most likely caused by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors , ' the mayo clinic said in its statement . jackson is the son of the famed civil rights leader and represents illinois'2nd congressional district , which includes parts of chicago . kennedy formerly represented rhode island and is the son of the late sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts . in addition to struggling openly with addiction , kennedy has battled bipolar disorder , and has used his public persona to advocate for others with mental illness . he introduced legislation in the house that became law in 2008 forcing insurance companies to cover mental illnesses as if they would physical ailments . pelosi : jackson should take all the time he needs in march , jackson decisively won a heated primary despite being the subject of an investigation by the house ethics committee . the panel has been examining allegations that jackson or one of his associates offered to raise funds for disgraced former illinois gov . rod blagojevich in exchange for the u.s. senate seat vacated by president barack obama . there is no doubt that the stress in his life , particularly because he 's under investigation , clearly perhaps precipitated this , ' kennedy said . many of us have genetic predispositions to cancer , heart disease or , in this case , mental illness , but they often get triggered by environmental factors . in mental illness , stress is an environmental factor and clearly , i think , has been a factor in his succumbing to this outbreak of his bipolar disorder . ' blagojevich , convicted on multiple corruption charges , started serving a 14-year prison sentence in march . what do we know about mood disorders ? cnn 's ashleigh banfield , laurie ure and allison brennan contributed to this report .","jackson may announce whether he will stay in office in a couple weeks , kennedy says" +"jackson ( cnn ) -- rep. jesse jackson jr. is suffering from serious depression -- deep , deep depression , ' his longtime friend and former u.s. rep. patrick kennedy told cnn friday , a day after meeting with jackson at the mayo clinic in rochester , minnesota . jesse is getting the help he needs , and he needs to make that his priority , ' kennedy said about the illinois democrat who is undergoing inpatient treatment for bipolar depression at the famed facility . jackson , 47 , has not been on capitol hill since late may . in early june , his office released a statement saying that the congressman , who has served in the u.s. house since 1995 , was taking a leave of absence because he was suffering from a medical condition . ' what is bipolar ii disorder ? jackson 's office released a statement last month , attributed to an unidentified doctor , that said the congressman was receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder . ' though exhaustion was initially suspected as the cause of jackson 's treatment , his father , the rev . jesse jackson , later said the issue was something much deeper , much broader , and it lasted much longer . ' he is suffering from a behavioral symptom , and that is depression , which does n't allow him to really work to his maximum capacity , ' kennedy said . kennedy , who himself has been treated for depression , predicted that jackson will address his constituents within a couple of weeks about what his intentions are as to whether he 's going to continue in public life or whether he is going to continue to focus on his long-term recovery . ' jackson 's office has remained open for constituent services . noting that mental illness tends to carry a stigma in the united states , kennedy said he understood why jackson had not initially addressed the matter in a public forum . the fact that jesse did n't talk about this as a mental illness early on is reminiscent of most americans'experience : if you have a mental illness , you do n't talk about it . ' clinic : jackson jr. has bipolar depression in addition to sharing a longtime friendship , the two democrats both hail from high-profile families and both have suffered mental illness . kennedy , too , underwent treatment at the mayo clinic . on monday , the rochester , minnesota-based facility said jackson was responding well to treatment for bipolar ii disorder . the mental illness is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion , thought and drive and is most likely caused by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors , ' the mayo clinic said in its statement . jackson is the son of the famed civil rights leader and represents illinois'2nd congressional district , which includes parts of chicago . kennedy formerly represented rhode island and is the son of the late sen. edward kennedy , d-massachusetts . in addition to struggling openly with addiction , kennedy has battled bipolar disorder , and has used his public persona to advocate for others with mental illness . he introduced legislation in the house that became law in 2008 forcing insurance companies to cover mental illnesses as if they would physical ailments . pelosi : jackson should take all the time he needs in march , jackson decisively won a heated primary despite being the subject of an investigation by the house ethics committee . the panel has been examining allegations that jackson or one of his associates offered to raise funds for disgraced former illinois gov . rod blagojevich in exchange for the u.s. senate seat vacated by president barack obama . there is no doubt that the stress in his life , particularly because he 's under investigation , clearly perhaps precipitated this , ' kennedy said . many of us have genetic predispositions to cancer , heart disease or , in this case , mental illness , but they often get triggered by environmental factors . in mental illness , stress is an environmental factor and clearly , i think , has been a factor in his succumbing to this outbreak of his bipolar disorder . ' blagojevich , convicted on multiple corruption charges , started serving a 14-year prison sentence in march . what do we know about mood disorders ? cnn 's ashleigh banfield , laurie ure and allison brennan contributed to this report .","kennedy says stress clearly , i think ' played a role in jackson 's outbreak of illness" +"tom cruise ( cnn ) -- tom cruise should have been a rock star . remember him pounding his air guitar in not much more than a shirt and shades in risky business ' ? he turned a pool hall into a concert stage , strutting his stuff in the color of money , ' shook his moneymaker under layers of latex at the end of tropic thunder ' and took a chance , singing in his own voice in top gun ' and magnolia . ' he always had the moves , and more important , he had the self-belief . he turns himself on . still , the challenge of a full-blown musical has apparently not been something he 's been in a hurry to tackle , perhaps wary of undercutting his action-man credentials . turns out , some things are worth waiting for . will audiences show up for'rock of ages'? i do n't know how much they may have finessed his vocal tracks , and it does n't matter . he owns rock of ages , ' an addled tribute to '80s hair metal , from the very minute he appears . he emerges hazily from underneath layers of discarded groupies in a palatial hotel suite , sporting gunslinger body art and outrageous crotch jewelry , dispensing intensely eccentric , deeply fried philosophical nuggets before stumbling into the indoor jacuzzi . ladies and gents , meet stacee jaxx , god of rock . a caricature of already larger-than-life personalities axl rose and steven tyler , stacee is very much a supporting character in chris d'arienzo 's tony-award-winning 2009 musical . but he 's also the star of the show , the one everybody else is dying to see , to make or to emulate . cruise has the charisma to sell all that even as he shows us a boozed-up captive to celebrity , sex and ego . when he does perform , he 's electric . however , cruise is just as good in the dialogue scenes , whether it 's messing with club owner alec baldwin 's vulnerable brain or fending off an increasingly hot-under-the-collar rolling stone ' features writer ( malin akerman ) . a karaoke musical in which almost everybody bursts into fm anthems at the drop of a hat ( yes , even baldwin , who duets with russell brand on a camp rendition of reo speedwagon 's ca n't fight this feeling ' ) , by rights rock of ages ' should n't come off as a one-man show . but it 's an uneven fight , and you might find yourself itching for the fast-forward button whenever cruise is off-screen . julianne hough , who portrayed ariel in footloose ' and who appeared in the strikingly similar burlesque , ' plays the movie 's ostensible heroine , sherrie christian , a small-town girl from oklahoma who gets off the bus in hollywood ready to pursue her dream of being a singer . instead , she finds herself playing out a pg-13 version of showgirls , ' waiting tables at the legendary rock club the bourbon room and falling in love with a co-worker , drew ( diego boneta ) . drew 's own singing aspirations get considerably more screen time than sherrie 's , but he still fails to make much impact . hilariously , within hours of meeting her , he claims to have been inspired to write do n't stop believin . ' it goes on and on , ' he explains modestly after giving her a taste of the first verse . you could n't accuse the filmmakers of taking themselves -- or anything else -- too seriously . director adam shankman , the veteran choreographer who also directed hairspray ' ( and a couple of episodes of glee ' ) , encourages the cast to amp everything up to 11 , or in the case of catherine zeta-jones , 111 . she plays the mayor 's wife , patricia whitmore , crusading to clean up the strip and shut down the bourbon room for reasons more personal than political . all this sound and fury signifies next to nothing , and music fans may feel it 's a funny sort of tribute that mocks as much as it rocks . even so , it 's good to see tom cruise letting his hair down . it 's a fun show if you roll with it .'rock of ages': 8 fun facts about the movie 's costumes","tom cruise stars in the musical film rock of ages '" +"hurricane isaac ( cnn ) -- outside my window , the wind is starting to die down , although it still comes through in gusts , sending branches and debris tumbling down the deserted street outside . the power 's been out since 4 a.m. life has skidded to a slow crawl , with no data available on my smartphone and no internet to tell me when the storm might subside . it 's just me inside my shelter , listening to the howl of the weather and racing to eat everything in the fridge before it spoils and has to be tossed into a garbage bag . some people in new orleans party before a storm starts or even after it begins . young voices hollered and whooped down the street last night , kids running through the rain with bottles in their hands . in the meantime , i stood on the porch as the wind started to pick up . waiting . hurricane isaac photos luckily , i made sure to charge up all my laptops before the power went out . in the dark , i sit in front of a rectangular glowing screen , a reminder that my separation from technology is only temporary until someone comes and repairs the lines . soon , i 'll be connected to the world again . for now , i send texts from time to time , just to make sure others are ok , to let them know i am thinking of them as we sit in the darkness listening to the world outside . some might describe the feeling that comes with waiting for a hurricane to arrive as fear , anxiety or anger . to me , it 's not quite any of those things . it 's closer to surrender . growing up , my grandmother told me stories of hurricane betsy that engraved themselves on my memory . in their home on desire street in the ninth ward , they stayed put when they heard that weather was coming , with none of the advanced ways to communicate about the threat of a storm that we have now . new orleans : the food that got them through when betsy hit in 1965 , my grandmother watched as the floodwaters gushed from the floor furnace in the hallway of their home , spilling across the living room floor . i listened , frozen in awe , as she described to me those first moments of panic , how everyone stood there and watched it , the long seconds before my mother screamed with fear . they made a mad scramble into the attic , listening to the wind batter the walls of the house as the water slowly rose up the stairs . when it drew too close , my uncle chopped a hole in the roof so they would n't drown . they used a bedsheet to tie themselves together so they would n't fall after they made their way out into the wind . luckily , right before they climbed out of the hole , the rain stopped . i grew up not with a fear of hurricanes but rather a conviction that they had to be dealt with using a mix of careful planning and complete concession to the whims of nature . those vivid images from my grandmother 's stories never left me . she was a figure of courage to me , a devoted survivor . a love letter to louisiana when hurricane katrina destroyed the home where my mother and grandmother raised me , we were lucky enough not to be in it . they were evacuated to the hotel intercontinental in the french quarter and were there for days without power . later , my mother described to me how the entire building shook from side to side while the winds tore through the city . she smiles now when she tells the story , because she knows how close it was , how fortunate they were to be airlifted out in the end . i moved to los angeles not long after the storm , leaving new orleans and my own flooded apartment behind me . the majority of what i owned was destroyed . since i did n't have the capability to deal with what had happened , i chose to run in the other direction . but now i 've returned . my grandmother never sought help for her post-traumatic stress symptoms after betsy . in a way , i could n't blame her . it was unspoken between us , but i knew there was something about that kind of grief that was both a secret and a treasure . admitting it meant admitting how much life had hurt you . it was easier to carry it silently . as i watched isaac draw up the mouth of the mississippi river on the same august day that katrina did seven years ago , i felt a sense of calm . i 'm calm still as i sit in the dark , looking at the frayed electrical wires dangling from the poles outside the window . that 's how a hurricane feels to me . it 's coming face to face with something of great power , and knowing it 's ok to be small and vulnerable in the face of it . from my parents'experiences , i know you can fight these things . i also know you can choose to accept them absolutely rather than struggle . if isaac had been a stronger storm , i would have left . after so many years of hurricanes , you start to develop the same feel for them that a farmer does when he licks a finger and sticks it in the air to find out which way the wind is blowing . monday night , as i walked home , the breeze was gentle and lovely , like a missive sent in advance of isaac 's arrival . i 'll be there soon , it said . but you 'll withstand me . have you been through a natural disaster ? share what helped you weather the storm in the comments section below .","bennett returned and hunkered down as hurricane isaac passed through her hometown" +"kashmir ( cnn ) -- it was pakistan 's birthday on august 14 , and no one celebrated . the monsoon floods that engulfed most of the country and affected 20 million people have added yet another burden of misery onto the shoulders of the average pakistani . more than 4 million people are homeless . livestock , crops and livelihoods were destroyed . how far this once-proud nation has fallen . in urdu , pakistan means the land of the pure . ' it reflects the noble intentions of its creators to build a nation that enshrined the best of islamic principles . unfortunately , that nobility has given way to chaos because of bad luck , incompetent political leaders , corruption and religious extremism . pakistan may be a world away from the united states , but instability feeds the extremism that fuels terrorism , so we ignore this crisis at our peril . to find the path forward , we must look back to the past . during the 1970s , my father packed up our family of five and moved us to pakistan . he believed pakistan had higher standards of early schooling and stronger social values than his adopted home of england . soon after , russian tanks rumbled into afghanistan and then came wave after wave of afghan refugees . by the mid '80s , the full impact of the war waging next door came home to pakistan . the u.s. priority was to evict the russians from afghanistan at any cost . pakistan followed along . as a result , educating the masses , dealing with a sea of refugees , nurturing democracy , developing infrastructure and eradicating afghan heroin all took second place . the pakistan my father brought us home to experience was disappearing before our eyes . this was a defining moment . instead of focusing on its own problems , it chose instead to fight the war for the west , and 30 years later , pakistan is still paying for this decision . after russia withdrew from afghanistan in 1989 , the americans walked away . but pakistan could n't . growing unrest and infighting in afghanistan gave the taliban an opportunity to step in . the only thing that mattered to the taliban was how quickly and crudely the practitioners could inflict their horrifying version of islam on the afghan people . then , all hell broke loose on september 11 , 2001 . since 9/11 , pakistan has supported america 's intervention in afghanistan , the right decision but one fraught with controversy . it has torn pakistan into factions and triggered suicide bombings . even before the monsoon hit , the country was an economic , political and social disaster . can pakistan be saved ? i believe it can , but the fortunes of this ailing nation can only be changed with america 's help . america may not have intended to hurt pakistan , but it 's clear that pakistan 's support for u.s. policy contributed to its decline . the good news is that today there is real opportunity for change . pakistan needs america 's help . america needs a stable pakistan . the united states was the first nation to offer aid after the flooding disaster , pledging $ 150 million . this is a positive first step in a much-needed long-term reconstruction plan for pakistan . but as important as the money is , ensuring that it 's spent on the right things is even more critical . the pakistan government needs to focus on three things to stop the country 's downward spiral : education , infrastructure and security . educating pakistan is not a matter of choice , but of utmost necessity . the literacy rate for men is 61 percent , and for women it 's 32 percent . ignorance breeds poverty and extremism . education can help break that cycle . funding must be in place to teach every child to read and write . educating the country 's muslim leaders is just as important . these mullahs interpret the quran for the people , and often they do so in an uninformed , uneducated way that distorts the true teachings of islam . a national program to certify these religious leaders is needed to address this most pressing challenge . as for infrastructure , what little was there has been washed away . the roads are a mess , electricity goes out most days and not enough food is produced . the failure of the government to deliver on the basics has demoralized the population and dampened the spirits of its entrepreneurs . pakistan has to fix the electrical grid and improve its agricultural sector . the united states could help by opening its doors to pakistani exporters and embarking on programs to share knowledge and help pakistani industrialists grow their companies . in terms of security , with afghanistan at war on one side and the barely held truce with india on the other , pakistan needs to secure its borders , ignore the problems of its neighbors and focus internally . this means militarizing its border on the afghan side and closing it to all but legitimate trade traffic . the core source of strife with india is the 63-year-old dispute over kashmir , where in the past two decades , more than 80,000 kashmiris have been killed . if america were to assist both countries in solving this issue , it would go a long way to repairing the pakistan-india relationship . education , infrastructure and security : pakistan must focus on these areas with laser-like intensity and exhibit courage and vision to raise its people out of despair . i believe in pakistan , as my father did . and with america 's support and investment , someday pakistan may even be able to dream again of achieving its noble destiny as the land of the pure . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sharjeel kashmir .","sharjeel kashmir : even before floods , pakistan was an economic , political , social mess" +"kashmir ( cnn ) -- it was pakistan 's birthday on august 14 , and no one celebrated . the monsoon floods that engulfed most of the country and affected 20 million people have added yet another burden of misery onto the shoulders of the average pakistani . more than 4 million people are homeless . livestock , crops and livelihoods were destroyed . how far this once-proud nation has fallen . in urdu , pakistan means the land of the pure . ' it reflects the noble intentions of its creators to build a nation that enshrined the best of islamic principles . unfortunately , that nobility has given way to chaos because of bad luck , incompetent political leaders , corruption and religious extremism . pakistan may be a world away from the united states , but instability feeds the extremism that fuels terrorism , so we ignore this crisis at our peril . to find the path forward , we must look back to the past . during the 1970s , my father packed up our family of five and moved us to pakistan . he believed pakistan had higher standards of early schooling and stronger social values than his adopted home of england . soon after , russian tanks rumbled into afghanistan and then came wave after wave of afghan refugees . by the mid '80s , the full impact of the war waging next door came home to pakistan . the u.s. priority was to evict the russians from afghanistan at any cost . pakistan followed along . as a result , educating the masses , dealing with a sea of refugees , nurturing democracy , developing infrastructure and eradicating afghan heroin all took second place . the pakistan my father brought us home to experience was disappearing before our eyes . this was a defining moment . instead of focusing on its own problems , it chose instead to fight the war for the west , and 30 years later , pakistan is still paying for this decision . after russia withdrew from afghanistan in 1989 , the americans walked away . but pakistan could n't . growing unrest and infighting in afghanistan gave the taliban an opportunity to step in . the only thing that mattered to the taliban was how quickly and crudely the practitioners could inflict their horrifying version of islam on the afghan people . then , all hell broke loose on september 11 , 2001 . since 9/11 , pakistan has supported america 's intervention in afghanistan , the right decision but one fraught with controversy . it has torn pakistan into factions and triggered suicide bombings . even before the monsoon hit , the country was an economic , political and social disaster . can pakistan be saved ? i believe it can , but the fortunes of this ailing nation can only be changed with america 's help . america may not have intended to hurt pakistan , but it 's clear that pakistan 's support for u.s. policy contributed to its decline . the good news is that today there is real opportunity for change . pakistan needs america 's help . america needs a stable pakistan . the united states was the first nation to offer aid after the flooding disaster , pledging $ 150 million . this is a positive first step in a much-needed long-term reconstruction plan for pakistan . but as important as the money is , ensuring that it 's spent on the right things is even more critical . the pakistan government needs to focus on three things to stop the country 's downward spiral : education , infrastructure and security . educating pakistan is not a matter of choice , but of utmost necessity . the literacy rate for men is 61 percent , and for women it 's 32 percent . ignorance breeds poverty and extremism . education can help break that cycle . funding must be in place to teach every child to read and write . educating the country 's muslim leaders is just as important . these mullahs interpret the quran for the people , and often they do so in an uninformed , uneducated way that distorts the true teachings of islam . a national program to certify these religious leaders is needed to address this most pressing challenge . as for infrastructure , what little was there has been washed away . the roads are a mess , electricity goes out most days and not enough food is produced . the failure of the government to deliver on the basics has demoralized the population and dampened the spirits of its entrepreneurs . pakistan has to fix the electrical grid and improve its agricultural sector . the united states could help by opening its doors to pakistani exporters and embarking on programs to share knowledge and help pakistani industrialists grow their companies . in terms of security , with afghanistan at war on one side and the barely held truce with india on the other , pakistan needs to secure its borders , ignore the problems of its neighbors and focus internally . this means militarizing its border on the afghan side and closing it to all but legitimate trade traffic . the core source of strife with india is the 63-year-old dispute over kashmir , where in the past two decades , more than 80,000 kashmiris have been killed . if america were to assist both countries in solving this issue , it would go a long way to repairing the pakistan-india relationship . education , infrastructure and security : pakistan must focus on these areas with laser-like intensity and exhibit courage and vision to raise its people out of despair . i believe in pakistan , as my father did . and with america 's support and investment , someday pakistan may even be able to dream again of achieving its noble destiny as the land of the pure . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sharjeel kashmir .","kashmir : pakistan needs america 's help ; america needs a stable pakistan" +"sochi olympics the terrorist attacks in volgograd on december 29 and 30 are an ominous sign that the decision to hold the 2014 winter olympics in sochi may lead to one of the greatest catastrophes in the history of the olympics . many of the 120,000 persons expected to visit the olympics do not realize that they are walking into what effectively is a war zone . the inability of the russian authorities to prevent attacks was on display in volgograd , a key connecting point for those en route to sochi . on december 29 , a suicide bomber blew herself up in the entrance of the volgograd railway station . russian president vladimir putin responded with extraordinary security measures . the next day , on december 30 , a suicide bomber in the same city blew himself up in a bus . new year 's eve is the most important holiday in russia but people in the major cities , including moscow , are not in a celebratory mood . the social media is full of warnings not to use public transport . in volgograd , the local police are being flooded with reports about supposed new explosions and a number of factories have requisitioned buses to transport their employees to and from work . in 2007 , when putin persuaded the olympic committee to choose sochi , there were already powerful reasons to refuse . russian representatives depicted russia as a young democracy ' but political opposition had been suppressed and investigative journalists murdered . at the same time , the islamist insurrection was growing in the north caucasus , directly adjacent to the proposed olympic sites . what tipped the balance in sochi 's favor was putin 's personal lobbying and a russian offer of $ 12 billon in preparations , twice what was proposed by the other two candidates . the choice of sochi was treated , in the words of dmitri chernyshenko , who organized the bid , as a key moment in russian history . ' the russian authorities began pouring money into grandiose transport and construction projects . it is common for olympic infrastructure to end up costing twice the initial estimate but in russia it cost $ 50 billion , more than four times the initial estimate , with $ 7 billion in contracts going to one of putin 's childhood friends . reality , however , was beginning to close in . russia had contained the chechen revolt by granting absolute power and unlimited funding to chechen leader ramzan kadyrov . he managed to pacify chechnya with the help of terror but the insurgency outside of chechnya was growing . after the killing by russian forces in 2005 of the chechen separatist leader aslan maskhadov , power passed to doku umarov , a chechen field commander who announced that he was beginning a holy war to create an islamic state from the black sea to the caspian . the number of deaths spiraled , particularly in dagestan . in 2009 , the islamists turned to terror attacks in russia proper . umarov took credit for the bombing of a moscow to st. petersburg train in november 2009 in which 27 persons were killed , two suicide attacks in march , 2010 on the moscow metro in which 40 persons were killed and the suicide bombing in january 2011 of the domodedovo airport in which 36 persons were killed and 160 injured . visitors to the sochi olympics now face several dangers that would have been avoided had the olympic committee chosen a different location . the first danger is from the terrorists . despite a security zone around sochi and a system of intensive identity checks , it is impossible to guarantee the security of olympic visitors totally . ahmad kadyrov , the former president of chechnya and the father of the present leader , was killed by a bomb that had been built into one of the supports of the grozny stadium six months earlier . terrorists can also attack transport hubs like volgograd . in addition to the danger from terrorists , however , there is also a danger from the russian forces . as past experience shows , in a hostage situation , the russians will make no effort to spare innocent lives . in 2002 , when terrorists seized a moscow theater and took nearly a thousand persons hostage , russian forces flooded the hall with poison gas killing 129 hostages immediately . in 2004 , russian forces attacked a school gymnasium in the southern town of beslan full of hostages with grenade launchers and flame throwers killing 334 hostages , including hundreds of children . the war that former russian president boris yeltsin launched in 1994 against chechnya was supposed to be a short victorious war ' that would boost yeltsin 's sagging popularity . instead , it set off a conflict that has been claiming victims for 19 years . because of the irresponsibility of the olympic committee in indulging putin 's desire for a propaganda spectacular , the stage may now be set for there to be many more .","deadly attacks in russia 's volgograd put spotlight on security during sochi olympics" +"kate ( cnn ) -- i hope you have a boy . ' these were the words of a well-wisher to queen elizabeth ii ( then princess elizabeth ) and prince philip on the eve of the birth of their first child in 1948 . prospects look considerably brighter for royal girls in 2013 . over the past few weeks , as the craze surrounding the birth of the duke and duchess 's first-born has reached fever pitch , there 's been very little fantasizing of princes per se . if anything , the pendulum now seems to have swung the other way . perusing the web , i 've been struck by how many comments indicate a popular preference for a girl . to quote one particularly enthusiastic respondent to a recent article on the royal birth , i 'm personally wishing it to be a girl for the good of the entire human race and the sustainability of the planet . ' why the shift in sentiment ? in part , the enthusiasm for royal daughters can be attributed to the passage of the succession to the crown act , which became law in late april 2013 . the act , greenlighted to save the british government from the embarrassment of denying the throne to william and kate 's first-born -- should that first-born be a girl -- erases the male preference in royal succession . the change in law means that the new royal baby , regardless of its sex , will be third in line to the throne . thus , the refreshing banality of kate 's recent statement that , i 'd like to have a boy -- and william would like a girl ! ' from a constitutional perspective , the sex of the child no longer makes a difference . there 's another reason for the eagerness , at least in some quarters , for a female heir . the very uncontroversial nature of the passage of the succession to the crown act reflects a particular historical reality in britain . male preference aside , women have worn the crown there for most of the past two centuries . queen victoria reigned for almost 64 years ; queen elizabeth ii has already clocked in 61 . that 's a lot of time to get accustomed to female sovereigns . and not just accustomed to them , but extremely fond of them in the process . while victoria 's reign ( 1837-1901 ) was regarded as an accident ' until the very end , it was an accident ' that most britons came to consider a very happy one . as the muckraking journalist william thomas stead proclaimed in 1897 , the year of victoria 's diamond jubilee , england indeed has been fortunate in her queens . ' so confident was stead in queens'abilities to lead the british nation that he would go on to note that , many a time and oft has the idea recurred in these later years whether by some inversion of the salic law our dynastic line could be made to pass only through female sovereigns . this being past praying for , we shall do well to make the most of our good queens when we have them . ' surely there was something overly compensatory about stead 's remarks . queen 's reigns , under the terms of the old succession laws , were always understood to some extent as aberrational . as victoria herself once confided to her prime minister , william gladstone , the queen is a woman herself and knows what an anomaly her own position is . ' yet the anomalousness ' of female sovereigns was far more of a problem in the early modern period than in the modern time . after the glorious revolution of 1688 , britain emerged as a constitutional monarchy , with the king -- or queen -- taking on an increasingly ceremonial or dignified ' function . women have shone in this role ( both on and off the throne ) , helping to transform the monarchy into an institution intimately connected with cultural diplomacy , middle-class morality , family life and charity work . ( queen elizabeth is currently involved with more than 600 different charities . ) historians often describe this as a feminization ' process . whatever it is , it 's a role to which women , for a wide range of reasons , are more habituated to playing . the real question we should be asking , then , in the days leading up to the royal birth , is not'boy or girl ?'it 's whether we would have the same levels of enthusiasm , or at least complacency , regarding a female heir , if that heir were to inherit a position that had significant executive , legislative or judicial powers . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of arianne chernock .","arianne chernock : popular opinion prefers that prince william and kate have a girl" +"chernock ( cnn ) -- i hope you have a boy . ' these were the words of a well-wisher to queen elizabeth ii ( then princess elizabeth ) and prince philip on the eve of the birth of their first child in 1948 . prospects look considerably brighter for royal girls in 2013 . over the past few weeks , as the craze surrounding the birth of the duke and duchess 's first-born has reached fever pitch , there 's been very little fantasizing of princes per se . if anything , the pendulum now seems to have swung the other way . perusing the web , i 've been struck by how many comments indicate a popular preference for a girl . to quote one particularly enthusiastic respondent to a recent article on the royal birth , i 'm personally wishing it to be a girl for the good of the entire human race and the sustainability of the planet . ' why the shift in sentiment ? in part , the enthusiasm for royal daughters can be attributed to the passage of the succession to the crown act , which became law in late april 2013 . the act , greenlighted to save the british government from the embarrassment of denying the throne to william and kate 's first-born -- should that first-born be a girl -- erases the male preference in royal succession . the change in law means that the new royal baby , regardless of its sex , will be third in line to the throne . thus , the refreshing banality of kate 's recent statement that , i 'd like to have a boy -- and william would like a girl ! ' from a constitutional perspective , the sex of the child no longer makes a difference . there 's another reason for the eagerness , at least in some quarters , for a female heir . the very uncontroversial nature of the passage of the succession to the crown act reflects a particular historical reality in britain . male preference aside , women have worn the crown there for most of the past two centuries . queen victoria reigned for almost 64 years ; queen elizabeth ii has already clocked in 61 . that 's a lot of time to get accustomed to female sovereigns . and not just accustomed to them , but extremely fond of them in the process . while victoria 's reign ( 1837-1901 ) was regarded as an accident ' until the very end , it was an accident ' that most britons came to consider a very happy one . as the muckraking journalist william thomas stead proclaimed in 1897 , the year of victoria 's diamond jubilee , england indeed has been fortunate in her queens . ' so confident was stead in queens'abilities to lead the british nation that he would go on to note that , many a time and oft has the idea recurred in these later years whether by some inversion of the salic law our dynastic line could be made to pass only through female sovereigns . this being past praying for , we shall do well to make the most of our good queens when we have them . ' surely there was something overly compensatory about stead 's remarks . queen 's reigns , under the terms of the old succession laws , were always understood to some extent as aberrational . as victoria herself once confided to her prime minister , william gladstone , the queen is a woman herself and knows what an anomaly her own position is . ' yet the anomalousness ' of female sovereigns was far more of a problem in the early modern period than in the modern time . after the glorious revolution of 1688 , britain emerged as a constitutional monarchy , with the king -- or queen -- taking on an increasingly ceremonial or dignified ' function . women have shone in this role ( both on and off the throne ) , helping to transform the monarchy into an institution intimately connected with cultural diplomacy , middle-class morality , family life and charity work . ( queen elizabeth is currently involved with more than 600 different charities . ) historians often describe this as a feminization ' process . whatever it is , it 's a role to which women , for a wide range of reasons , are more habituated to playing . the real question we should be asking , then , in the days leading up to the royal birth , is not'boy or girl ?'it 's whether we would have the same levels of enthusiasm , or at least complacency , regarding a female heir , if that heir were to inherit a position that had significant executive , legislative or judicial powers . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of arianne chernock .","arianne chernock : popular opinion prefers that prince william and kate have a girl" +"chernock ( cnn ) -- i hope you have a boy . ' these were the words of a well-wisher to queen elizabeth ii ( then princess elizabeth ) and prince philip on the eve of the birth of their first child in 1948 . prospects look considerably brighter for royal girls in 2013 . over the past few weeks , as the craze surrounding the birth of the duke and duchess 's first-born has reached fever pitch , there 's been very little fantasizing of princes per se . if anything , the pendulum now seems to have swung the other way . perusing the web , i 've been struck by how many comments indicate a popular preference for a girl . to quote one particularly enthusiastic respondent to a recent article on the royal birth , i 'm personally wishing it to be a girl for the good of the entire human race and the sustainability of the planet . ' why the shift in sentiment ? in part , the enthusiasm for royal daughters can be attributed to the passage of the succession to the crown act , which became law in late april 2013 . the act , greenlighted to save the british government from the embarrassment of denying the throne to william and kate 's first-born -- should that first-born be a girl -- erases the male preference in royal succession . the change in law means that the new royal baby , regardless of its sex , will be third in line to the throne . thus , the refreshing banality of kate 's recent statement that , i 'd like to have a boy -- and william would like a girl ! ' from a constitutional perspective , the sex of the child no longer makes a difference . there 's another reason for the eagerness , at least in some quarters , for a female heir . the very uncontroversial nature of the passage of the succession to the crown act reflects a particular historical reality in britain . male preference aside , women have worn the crown there for most of the past two centuries . queen victoria reigned for almost 64 years ; queen elizabeth ii has already clocked in 61 . that 's a lot of time to get accustomed to female sovereigns . and not just accustomed to them , but extremely fond of them in the process . while victoria 's reign ( 1837-1901 ) was regarded as an accident ' until the very end , it was an accident ' that most britons came to consider a very happy one . as the muckraking journalist william thomas stead proclaimed in 1897 , the year of victoria 's diamond jubilee , england indeed has been fortunate in her queens . ' so confident was stead in queens'abilities to lead the british nation that he would go on to note that , many a time and oft has the idea recurred in these later years whether by some inversion of the salic law our dynastic line could be made to pass only through female sovereigns . this being past praying for , we shall do well to make the most of our good queens when we have them . ' surely there was something overly compensatory about stead 's remarks . queen 's reigns , under the terms of the old succession laws , were always understood to some extent as aberrational . as victoria herself once confided to her prime minister , william gladstone , the queen is a woman herself and knows what an anomaly her own position is . ' yet the anomalousness ' of female sovereigns was far more of a problem in the early modern period than in the modern time . after the glorious revolution of 1688 , britain emerged as a constitutional monarchy , with the king -- or queen -- taking on an increasingly ceremonial or dignified ' function . women have shone in this role ( both on and off the throne ) , helping to transform the monarchy into an institution intimately connected with cultural diplomacy , middle-class morality , family life and charity work . ( queen elizabeth is currently involved with more than 600 different charities . ) historians often describe this as a feminization ' process . whatever it is , it 's a role to which women , for a wide range of reasons , are more habituated to playing . the real question we should be asking , then , in the days leading up to the royal birth , is not'boy or girl ?'it 's whether we would have the same levels of enthusiasm , or at least complacency , regarding a female heir , if that heir were to inherit a position that had significant executive , legislative or judicial powers . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of arianne chernock .","chernock : the fervor has to do with a new succession law that gives girls equal rights" +"william ( cnn ) -- i hope you have a boy . ' these were the words of a well-wisher to queen elizabeth ii ( then princess elizabeth ) and prince philip on the eve of the birth of their first child in 1948 . prospects look considerably brighter for royal girls in 2013 . over the past few weeks , as the craze surrounding the birth of the duke and duchess 's first-born has reached fever pitch , there 's been very little fantasizing of princes per se . if anything , the pendulum now seems to have swung the other way . perusing the web , i 've been struck by how many comments indicate a popular preference for a girl . to quote one particularly enthusiastic respondent to a recent article on the royal birth , i 'm personally wishing it to be a girl for the good of the entire human race and the sustainability of the planet . ' why the shift in sentiment ? in part , the enthusiasm for royal daughters can be attributed to the passage of the succession to the crown act , which became law in late april 2013 . the act , greenlighted to save the british government from the embarrassment of denying the throne to william and kate 's first-born -- should that first-born be a girl -- erases the male preference in royal succession . the change in law means that the new royal baby , regardless of its sex , will be third in line to the throne . thus , the refreshing banality of kate 's recent statement that , i 'd like to have a boy -- and william would like a girl ! ' from a constitutional perspective , the sex of the child no longer makes a difference . there 's another reason for the eagerness , at least in some quarters , for a female heir . the very uncontroversial nature of the passage of the succession to the crown act reflects a particular historical reality in britain . male preference aside , women have worn the crown there for most of the past two centuries . queen victoria reigned for almost 64 years ; queen elizabeth ii has already clocked in 61 . that 's a lot of time to get accustomed to female sovereigns . and not just accustomed to them , but extremely fond of them in the process . while victoria 's reign ( 1837-1901 ) was regarded as an accident ' until the very end , it was an accident ' that most britons came to consider a very happy one . as the muckraking journalist william thomas stead proclaimed in 1897 , the year of victoria 's diamond jubilee , england indeed has been fortunate in her queens . ' so confident was stead in queens'abilities to lead the british nation that he would go on to note that , many a time and oft has the idea recurred in these later years whether by some inversion of the salic law our dynastic line could be made to pass only through female sovereigns . this being past praying for , we shall do well to make the most of our good queens when we have them . ' surely there was something overly compensatory about stead 's remarks . queen 's reigns , under the terms of the old succession laws , were always understood to some extent as aberrational . as victoria herself once confided to her prime minister , william gladstone , the queen is a woman herself and knows what an anomaly her own position is . ' yet the anomalousness ' of female sovereigns was far more of a problem in the early modern period than in the modern time . after the glorious revolution of 1688 , britain emerged as a constitutional monarchy , with the king -- or queen -- taking on an increasingly ceremonial or dignified ' function . women have shone in this role ( both on and off the throne ) , helping to transform the monarchy into an institution intimately connected with cultural diplomacy , middle-class morality , family life and charity work . ( queen elizabeth is currently involved with more than 600 different charities . ) historians often describe this as a feminization ' process . whatever it is , it 's a role to which women , for a wide range of reasons , are more habituated to playing . the real question we should be asking , then , in the days leading up to the royal birth , is not'boy or girl ?'it 's whether we would have the same levels of enthusiasm , or at least complacency , regarding a female heir , if that heir were to inherit a position that had significant executive , legislative or judicial powers . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of arianne chernock .","arianne chernock : popular opinion prefers that prince william and kate have a girl" +"israel jerusalem ( cnn ) -- former u.s. rep. cynthia mckinney -- who was aboard a ship the israeli navy intercepted this week -- is in a detention center and will be returned to the united states , the u.s. embassy said . former u.s. rep. cynthia mckinney , d-georgia , refuses to sign israeli deportation papers , the u.s. embassy says . mckinney was among those on a ship that the israeli defense forces said violated an israeli blockade and crossed into gazan waters on tuesday . the israeli navy gained control of the ship and took mckinney and about 20 people into custody , said the free gaza movement , a human rights group that sent the ship . the group said the ship , which it calls spirit of humanity , was carrying humanitarian aid to gaza . mckinney served six terms in the house of representatives as a democrat from georgia and was the green party 's 2008 presidential nominee . the ex-lawmaker is in the givon immigration detention center in the central israeli city of ramle , the u.s. embassy said . she has been given deportation papers but has refused to sign them , the embassy said . she will be held for three more days , assuming she does not sign the papers , and then will be sent back to the united states , the embassy added . the location of others taken into custody was not immediately known . the idf said the ship , which it called the arion , had been warned while at sea that it would not be allowed to enter gazan waters because of security risks in the area and the existing naval blockade . ' the idf said the cargo boat disregarded all warnings and entered gazan coastal waters . an israeli navy force intercepted , boarded and took control of the vessel , directing it toward ashdod , israel , the idf said . the boat 's crew would be handed over to the proper authorities , ' the military said . without naming who was on the boat , the idf confirmed that the incident was the same detailed by the free gaza movement . according to the free gaza group , mckinney said , this is an outrageous violation of international law against us . our boat was not in israeli waters , and we were on a human rights mission to the gaza strip ' before authorities confiscated cell phones . also aboard was mairead maguire , who co-founded a group that worked for peace in northern ireland . maguire and co-founder betty williams received the nobel peace prize in 1976 for their work . free gaza said the voyage is the eighth such trip the group has launched . five succeeded , the group said , but the israeli military stopped attempts in january 2008 and december .","boat with mckinney enters gazan waters , violates blockade , israel says" +"hilfiger ( ew.com ) -- zooey deschanel is bringing her quirky style to a macy 's near you . the new girl ' star has partnered with tommy hilfiger to create a 16-piece clothing collection called to tommy , from zooey , ' which is scheduled to arrive in stores this spring . items like coats and peek-a-boo print dresses will be priced between $ 98 and $ 199 . several pieces combine '60s mod silhouettes with color-blocking and nautical accents , a look the actress describes as modical . ' according to a release from hilfiger 's press team , the line captures the buoyant attitude of the sixties , the decade in which hilfiger made his fashion debut and from which deschanel borrows her doe-eyed look . ' working with tommy on this capsule collection has been really amazing , ' deschanel said . i am a fashion fanatic and i am always looking for new ways to incorporate vintage , feminine pieces into my own wardrobe . tommy and i share many of the same inspirations †” old school music , classic films and old hollywood icons †” and his guidance during the design process helped to put a really unique twist on each piece . ' each piece is original and fun , ' added hilfiger . the collection is the perfect fusion of zooey 's adventurous style and the classic , cool , american spirit at the heart of the tommy hilfiger brand . ' the to tommy , from zooey ' line will be sold in over 200 macy 's stores and tommy hilfiger outposts in north america , europe , mexico and japan starting april 14th . ( a selection of handbags and jewelry will follow later in the month . ) the actress will promote the collection by appearing at events in new york , los angeles , and mexico and will also appear in an ad campaign shot by photographer carter smith . tell us : would you wear clothes designed by zooey deschanel ? 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 .","each piece is original and fun , ' says hilfiger" +"london ( tribune media services ) -- europe is investing in its infrastructure , and travelers know the results are breathtaking . with the english channel tunnel , trains speed from big ben to the eiffel tower in about 2.5 hours . you zip under the english channel in 20 minutes ... looking out the window for fish . europe 's high-speed rail is so successful that one airline is considering getting into the business . more travelers now connect london and paris by train than by air -- and high-speed rail between these two cities may get even faster and cheaper in the near future . eurostar , a joint service of the belgian , british and french railways , is the speedy passenger train that zips you ( and up to 800 others in 18 sleek cars ) from downtown paris to downtown london more easily than flying . direct eurostar service from london to brussels also takes 2.5 hours . the actual tunnel crossing is a 20-minute , black , silent , 100-mile-per-hour nonevent . your ears wo n't even pop . in the 15 years that the bullet train has been running , not much has changed except london 's eurostar station -- it 's now st. pancras international ( in paris it stops at gare du nord ; in brussels it 's midi station ) . but starting this winter , the pace of change is speeding up . in december , a high-speed connection between brussels and amsterdam opens , cutting the journey from london to amsterdam by an hour . in january , eurostar 's monopoly on using the chunnel -- the tunnel beneath the english channel -- expires . with its london-paris flights suffering , air france realized if you ca n't beat 'em join 'em . in 2008 it announced a competing high-speed rail service between london and paris to start in late 2010 -- but the economic downturn could put that service on hold . air france will use the same tracks , but says its trains could run faster than eurostar 's ( a claim that eurostar disputes ) . the competition can only be good for travelers , but for now , you 'll have to use eurostar . their fares are reasonable but complicated . prices vary depending on how far ahead you reserve , whether you can live with refund restrictions , and whether you 're eligible for any discounts ( children , youths , seniors , round-trip travelers , and railpass holders all qualify ) . fares can change without notice , but typically a one-way , full-fare ticket ( with no restrictions on refunds ) runs about $ 425 first-class and $ 300 second-class . cheaper seats come with more restrictions and can sell out quickly ( figure $ 80 to $ 160 for second-class , one-way ) . unlike our cheapo airlines , you can take two large bags and one small day bag per person for no extra fee . since only the most expensive ( full-fare ) ticket is fully refundable , do n't reserve until you 're sure of your plans . but if you wait too long , the best deals will get bought up . when you 're ready to ride , you 'll find the process is similar to an airport check-in -- without all the drama , sole-baring shoe inspections , and waiting . you must be at the station at least 30 minutes in advance of your eurostar trip . you 'll pass through airport-like security , show your passport to customs officials , and find your departure gate listed on a tv monitor . there are a few shops , newsstands , snack bars , and cafes ( i usually bring better , cheaper food for the trip from elsewhere ) , pay-internet terminals , and a currency-exchange booth with rates about the same as you 'll find on the other end . i like to ride in second class ( standard class ) to save money . first class ( also called leisure select ) gets you a little more leg and elbow room , a newspaper , a classy meal , and power plugs at your seat . as you zoom along at speeds up to 185 miles per hour , consider how long it took to link britain and france . since the days of napoleon there had been talk about a tunnel under the english channel , but it was n't until 1986 that the two countries finally reached an agreement to build it together . once the digging started , crews crept forward 100 feet a day until june 1991 , when french and english workers broke through and shook hands midway across the channel . voila ! cheers ! the tunnel was complete . with 24 miles underwater , it 's the world 's longest undersea tunnel . the ambitious project helped to show the european community that cooperation between nations could benefit everyone . high-tech know-how , a shared european vision , and people 's love of travel have created incredibly fast trains that crisscross , link and strengthen europe . whizzing along on a european bullet train is the greenest way to go -- far more fuel-efficient and less polluting than flying . every time i ride through the chunnel -- caught up on my research , well rested and unfrazzled -- i 'm thankful for europe 's comfortable rail network . rick steves writes european travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio . e-mail him at rick @ ricksteves.com , or write to him c/o p.o . box 2009 , edmonds , wash. 98020 . copyright 2009 rick steves , distributed by tribune media services , inc .","air france is planning a competing rail service between london and paris" +"hillary clinton ( cnn ) -- negotiating teams from sudan and south sudan have agreed to end a dispute on oil payments to allow the resumption of southern oil exports through sudan 's territories , sudan 's state-run ashorooq tv reported early saturday , citing official sources . the negotiating teams met in addis ababa , ethiopia , with the head of the african union , the state-run tv station said . both countries still have to discuss when to resume southern oil exports through the north . sudan 's economy has suffered since the separation of south sudan last year , which took with it nearly 75 % of the country 's oil wealth . while most of the oil wells are in the south , the pipelines and port to export the oil are in the north . the agreement covers how much the landlocked south sudan will pay to use those facilities . south sudan halted oil production in late january after accusing sudan of stealing $ 815 million worth of its crude . sudan said it had confiscated the oil to make up for unpaid fees . the negotiating teams agreed that sudan will receive $ 25.80 per barrel that passes through pipelines from the south to the north as an export tax and refining cost , ashorooq tv reported . the teams are expected to meet later saturday to discuss territorial disputes . u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton praised the deal saturday , saying it reflects leadership and a new spirit of compromise on both sides . ' the government of sudan deserves credit for taking this step , ' clinton said in a statement . if sudan would now also take the steps to peace in southern kordofan , blue nile , and darfur , and if it will respect the rights of all citizens , it can likewise give its people a brighter future . ' border clashes have brought the countries to the brink of war and left south sudan coping with a massive humanitarian crisis as people flee the fighting . the south sudan state of upper nile has been flooded with refugees crossing the border from sudan . in total , aid agencies estimate that at least 150,000 refugees from sudan are currently in south sudan . regarding two areas in the blue nile and nubia , the government of sudan and the sudan people 's liberation movement-north , a rebel force in the border region , agreed to a partial cease-fire so humanitarian aid could reach victims of hostilities , the state-run tv station said . cnn 's amir ahmed contributed to this report .","new : u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton praised the deal saturday" +"clinton princeton , new jersey ( cnn ) -- the mini-civil war that we 've seen play out in the democratic party over the past few weeks is n't just a case of a dispute about tactics . it 's a sign of a deeper division . former president bill clinton , who has been campaigning for president obama and taking on the gop , went off-script several times . soon after obama rolled out his ads attacking mitt romney for his work at bain capital and then as massachusetts governor , clinton took issue with these kinds of attacks and extolled romney 's sterling business career . ' a few days later , clinton called for a temporary extension of president george w. bush 's tax cuts , including those for the wealthy , and then on thursday said he was sorry for doing so . video : is clinton undermining obama ? at some levels , the contrast in the views of obama and clinton is yet another chapter in the extraordinarily tense personal relations that began with the 2008 democratic primaries , when then-sen. hillary clinton competed with obama . when some of obama 's supporters charged that bill clinton was subtly playing on racial tensions in the south carolina primary to stir up white voters , the anger between the two camps intensified . but at another level , the debate between these two men is part of a bigger debate about what kind of campaign the democrats should run : a campaign of articulation or a campaign of triangulation . what is bill clinton up to ? the party is reaching a crossroads . with the economy in poor shape and most polls showing that this is an extremely close race , democrats need to make some decisions about the basic themes they will develop in the next few months to define the fall contest . one strategy , which has been the preference thus far for president obama , is a campaign of articulation , ' a campaign in which a candidate lays out a clear set of themes and ideas to distinguish himself from the opposition . this kind of campaign takes the offensive , touting the virtues of democratic ideas and policies . democrats have mostly avoided this approach in recent decades , still snake-bitten from the defeats in the reagan revolution of the 1980s . it is the kind of campaign that fdr ran in 1936 , when he pushed back against conservatives and boasted about what democratic programs had done to save middle-class americans in the middle of the great depression . it is a campaign like that of 1964 , when lyndon johnson painted barry goldwater as an extremist and championed programs like the war on poverty as shining examples of what the democrats offered in contrast . on the other side of the aisle , ronald reagan ran this kind of campaign in 1980 , when he stood by the ideals of conservatism , insisting that the right offered a better path forward for a broken nation . the other kind of campaign , the campaign of triangulation , ' is one that bill clinton mastered in 1996 . triangulation is a term popularized by clinton adviser dick morris to describe a politician who stands above traditional left-right divisions and co-opts the arguments of the opposition . the essence of triangulation is to use your party 's solutions to solve the other side 's problems , ' he said , use your tools to fix their car . ' this was the kind of campaign obama has always promised voters he would not run . the campaign of triangulation seeks to lessen the policy space between the two parties by minimizing many key differences and focusing voter attention on the personality and appeal of the candidate . jimmy carter was one of the democrats who mastered this strategy . in 1976 , he sidestepped some traditionally controversial issues such as civil rights and economic policy and instead depicted himself as a deficit-cutting moderate who was not like his elders in the democratic party . he focused on his personality , his background in georgia and the argument that voters in the post-watergate age could trust him . in 1996 , clinton perfected this kind of campaign . after republicans had retaken the house and senate in 1994 , clinton started the year of 1996 by saying the era of big government was over . he agreed to legislation that ended the existing welfare system and made deficit reduction his priority . in essence , he stole the mainstream part of the republican agenda and made it his own . by the time the campaign was fully under way , he could concentrate on his youth and charisma , particularly when he compared himself with the much older republican sen. robert dole and highlight the areas that made the gop look extreme , like their push for dramatic cuts in the medicare program . the strong temptation for obama will be to move closer toward the model of triangulation , especially given the stalling economy and after republicans scored a major victory in wisconsin gov . scott walker 's recall campaign . obama understands that the danger of a campaign of articulation is that he would not be able to capitalize on the issues that convince many moderates to go to or stick with the republican party . but obama needs to offer voters a choice . the danger of triangulation is that it dampens the enthusiasm of base supporters who are needed to help raise money and bring out the vote . they are the organizers , the mobilizers and the rank-and-file who can make sure that in a close election , more democrats come out to vote . and a candidate who ca n't triangulate as skillfully as clinton did could only end up legitimating the arguments of his opponent and leaving voters to wonder why they do n't just go for the real thing . ' this does not mean obama has to run as a left-wing ' democrat , nor does he have to stick to attacks on bain capital , which do n't seem to be working . but he does need a message , and he does need a coherent theme that goes beyond slight differences with the gop . obama 's best bet is to stick with a campaign in which he focuses on defining a democratic set of principles and offering voters a reason why his party would be better over the next four years , especially on the economy . if he does not , and he takes the triangulation bait , obama could end up becoming a surrogate for the romney campaign . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer .","julian zelizer : bill clinton won re-election by blurring differences with gop" +"clinton princeton , new jersey ( cnn ) -- the mini-civil war that we 've seen play out in the democratic party over the past few weeks is n't just a case of a dispute about tactics . it 's a sign of a deeper division . former president bill clinton , who has been campaigning for president obama and taking on the gop , went off-script several times . soon after obama rolled out his ads attacking mitt romney for his work at bain capital and then as massachusetts governor , clinton took issue with these kinds of attacks and extolled romney 's sterling business career . ' a few days later , clinton called for a temporary extension of president george w. bush 's tax cuts , including those for the wealthy , and then on thursday said he was sorry for doing so . video : is clinton undermining obama ? at some levels , the contrast in the views of obama and clinton is yet another chapter in the extraordinarily tense personal relations that began with the 2008 democratic primaries , when then-sen. hillary clinton competed with obama . when some of obama 's supporters charged that bill clinton was subtly playing on racial tensions in the south carolina primary to stir up white voters , the anger between the two camps intensified . but at another level , the debate between these two men is part of a bigger debate about what kind of campaign the democrats should run : a campaign of articulation or a campaign of triangulation . what is bill clinton up to ? the party is reaching a crossroads . with the economy in poor shape and most polls showing that this is an extremely close race , democrats need to make some decisions about the basic themes they will develop in the next few months to define the fall contest . one strategy , which has been the preference thus far for president obama , is a campaign of articulation , ' a campaign in which a candidate lays out a clear set of themes and ideas to distinguish himself from the opposition . this kind of campaign takes the offensive , touting the virtues of democratic ideas and policies . democrats have mostly avoided this approach in recent decades , still snake-bitten from the defeats in the reagan revolution of the 1980s . it is the kind of campaign that fdr ran in 1936 , when he pushed back against conservatives and boasted about what democratic programs had done to save middle-class americans in the middle of the great depression . it is a campaign like that of 1964 , when lyndon johnson painted barry goldwater as an extremist and championed programs like the war on poverty as shining examples of what the democrats offered in contrast . on the other side of the aisle , ronald reagan ran this kind of campaign in 1980 , when he stood by the ideals of conservatism , insisting that the right offered a better path forward for a broken nation . the other kind of campaign , the campaign of triangulation , ' is one that bill clinton mastered in 1996 . triangulation is a term popularized by clinton adviser dick morris to describe a politician who stands above traditional left-right divisions and co-opts the arguments of the opposition . the essence of triangulation is to use your party 's solutions to solve the other side 's problems , ' he said , use your tools to fix their car . ' this was the kind of campaign obama has always promised voters he would not run . the campaign of triangulation seeks to lessen the policy space between the two parties by minimizing many key differences and focusing voter attention on the personality and appeal of the candidate . jimmy carter was one of the democrats who mastered this strategy . in 1976 , he sidestepped some traditionally controversial issues such as civil rights and economic policy and instead depicted himself as a deficit-cutting moderate who was not like his elders in the democratic party . he focused on his personality , his background in georgia and the argument that voters in the post-watergate age could trust him . in 1996 , clinton perfected this kind of campaign . after republicans had retaken the house and senate in 1994 , clinton started the year of 1996 by saying the era of big government was over . he agreed to legislation that ended the existing welfare system and made deficit reduction his priority . in essence , he stole the mainstream part of the republican agenda and made it his own . by the time the campaign was fully under way , he could concentrate on his youth and charisma , particularly when he compared himself with the much older republican sen. robert dole and highlight the areas that made the gop look extreme , like their push for dramatic cuts in the medicare program . the strong temptation for obama will be to move closer toward the model of triangulation , especially given the stalling economy and after republicans scored a major victory in wisconsin gov . scott walker 's recall campaign . obama understands that the danger of a campaign of articulation is that he would not be able to capitalize on the issues that convince many moderates to go to or stick with the republican party . but obama needs to offer voters a choice . the danger of triangulation is that it dampens the enthusiasm of base supporters who are needed to help raise money and bring out the vote . they are the organizers , the mobilizers and the rank-and-file who can make sure that in a close election , more democrats come out to vote . and a candidate who ca n't triangulate as skillfully as clinton did could only end up legitimating the arguments of his opponent and leaving voters to wonder why they do n't just go for the real thing . ' this does not mean obama has to run as a left-wing ' democrat , nor does he have to stick to attacks on bain capital , which do n't seem to be working . but he does need a message , and he does need a coherent theme that goes beyond slight differences with the gop . obama 's best bet is to stick with a campaign in which he focuses on defining a democratic set of principles and offering voters a reason why his party would be better over the next four years , especially on the economy . if he does not , and he takes the triangulation bait , obama could end up becoming a surrogate for the romney campaign . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer .","zelizer : clinton 's approach would run the risk of helping mitt romney make his case" +"syrian tensions spiked in the middle east on tuesday as iran extolled its axis of resistance ' with syria , and the united states warned of proxy and terror activity . saeed jalili , a top iranian official meeting with syrian president bashar al-assad , was cited by syrian state media as saying he will not permit enemies ' to break what he called the axis of resistance of which syria is an essential part . ' what is taking place in syria is not an internal issue but rather a conflict between the resistance axis on one hand and the enemies of this axis in the region and the world on the other hand , with the goal being to strike syria 's resistant role , ' state media quoted jalili as saying . u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton , meanwhile , said from pretoria , south africa , that those working to exploit the misery of the syrian people , either by sending in proxies or by sending in terrorist fighters , must recognize that that will not be tolerated , first and foremost by the syrian people . ' world powers have not intervened in syria , but the lines in the sand have been drawn regionally and internationally . nations such as the united states , france , britain and turkey , as well as arab league countries such as qatar and saudi arabia , have supported syrian rebels and the opposition . there are also reports of islamist cells schooled in terror tactics helping some rebels fight the al-assad regime , and weaponry has flowed across the borders to free syrian army rebels . syria has been supported by iran and groups like hezbollah , the lebanese militant group . syria is heavily equipped with russian weaponry . jalili and clinton spoke as violence raged in aleppo , damascus and its suburbs , and other hot spots . the opposition local coordination committees of syria said at least 170 people were killed across the nation tuesday . cnn inside aleppo : strafed by shells , fear , misery syrian state tv showed footage of jalili and al-assad meeting , the first video of the president that has surfaced since last month . the diplomats spoke a day after the defection of riyad hijab , who was syria 's prime minister for the last two months . hijab cited the killing and terrorist regime ' as a reason for his defection . he arrived in jordan on tuesday , according to a source with knowledge of the situation . clinton remarked that his departure was the latest in a line of such defections . ' jalili , secretary of iran 's supreme national security council , met with al-assad to discuss resolving the 17-month-long civil war and rescuing several iranians who were kidnapped over the weekend in syria . the iranian diplomat called on syrians to sit down and forge a solution to the crisis , which morphed into a nationwide uprising and civil war after government forces cracked down on peaceful protesters in march 2011 . the islamic republic of iran believes in a syrian solution based on national dialogue among all syrian groups to settle the country 's issues , and does not consider foreign approaches as useful , ' jalili said , according to iran 's state-run press tv . syrian and iranian news outlets have reported that 48 shiite pilgrims from iran were abducted saturday . but rebels say the iranians are military personnel , an assertion iran denies . iran 's foreign ministry is working through diplomatic channels , such as the united nations , to get the people freed . foreign minister ali akbar salehi , in a letter to u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon asking for help in freeing the people , also has expressed concern about media reports that three of the people were killed by rebels and hostage-takers have threatened to kill others . the ministry has summoned the charge d'affaires of switzerland to protest the abduction and urge the united states to use its influence to free the abducted iranians . an iranian foreign ministry official said washington is responsible for the lives of the iranians because the united states supports the rebels . the swiss embassy represents u.s. interests in iran because the united states and iran lack diplomatic relations . syrian blogger :'i live or die here' acting deputy state department spokesman patrick ventrell said the united states can not confirm the identity of the iranians but is following the situation closely and would like more information . ventrell , speaking to reporters tuesday , said iran 's contention that the united states is responsible for their security does n't seem to make sense . ' we call on anyone holding prisoners in this conflict to treat them humanely and in accordance with international law . and of course people will be held responsible if that is not followed , ' he said . clinton , meanwhile , said that the opposition is becoming increasingly coordinated and effective , ' holding territory from northern aleppo to the turkish border and seizing regime weaponry such as tanks . noting opposition strides and government setbacks , she said planners can begin talking about what happens after the regime falls , even though there 's no timeline . the intensity of the fighting in aleppo , the defections , really point out how imperative it is that we come together and work toward a good transition plan , ' she said . we must figure out a way to hasten the day when the bloodshed ends , and the political transition begins . ' clinton was referring to the battle in aleppo , syria 's most populous city , where rebels and regime forces fight for control of the sprawling metropolis amid fears of a major syrian military assault . state tv said special forces engaged terrorist groups in aleppo and caused big losses to them , including casualties and injuries . the lcc said at least 33 people died in aleppo , including 10 field-executed ' prisoners , as shelling engulfed the city . the 24 u.n. monitors in aleppo have been temporarily pulled out of the city because of the deteriorating security situation , ' a spokeswoman for the u.n . supervision mission in syria said . deaths mounted in other regions , including 33 in damascus and its suburbs , 35 in homs , and 25 in daraa , the lcc said . the group reported warplane shelling and clashes . in one incident in the damascus suburbs , a muezzin , the mosque official who proclaims the call to prayer , was killed when regime forces stormed , vandalized and burned a mosque , according to the lcc . as the violence spirals , france is proposing a ministerial meeting of the u.n. security council to be held on august 30 , western diplomats said tuesday . past attempts by the council to adopt tough resolutions against the regime , including more widespread sanctions , have been blocked by russia and china . roughly 17,000 people have been killed since the syrian conflict began , u.n. secretary-general ban said last month . the opposition has put the toll at more than 20,000 . complete coverage : unrest in syria","former syrian prime minister riyad hijab arrives in jordan , says a source" +"kyrgyzstan ( cnn ) -- a british football fan has been shot and wounded in kyrgyzstan after a local became upset with a group of supporters chanting in a bar . england fans celebrate following victory against ecuador at the 2006 world cup finals . the incident took place ahead of england 's world cup qualifying match away to neighboring kazakhstan on saturday . a british foreign office spokeswoman said the attack took place in a bar in bishek on tuesday . the british honorary consul is liaising with those involved and with the local authorities , ' she said . britain 's sun newspaper reported on thursday that the local in the bar told the england fan and his friends to stop chanting , and shot him in the thigh with a pistol when they continued . the wounded man is aged in his 30s and is from rochdale in the north-western county of lancashire , the paper said . kyrgyzstan , with a population of more than five million people , is a landlocked nation bordered to the north by kazakhstan . england will be seeking to maintain a 100 per cent record in the european group six qualifier in almaty , having won all five games so far to be five points ahead of second-placed croatia .","england supporter shot in the leg in a bar in kyrgyzstan by an angry local" +"world cup ( cnn ) -- a british football fan has been shot and wounded in kyrgyzstan after a local became upset with a group of supporters chanting in a bar . england fans celebrate following victory against ecuador at the 2006 world cup finals . the incident took place ahead of england 's world cup qualifying match away to neighboring kazakhstan on saturday . a british foreign office spokeswoman said the attack took place in a bar in bishek on tuesday . the british honorary consul is liaising with those involved and with the local authorities , ' she said . britain 's sun newspaper reported on thursday that the local in the bar told the england fan and his friends to stop chanting , and shot him in the thigh with a pistol when they continued . the wounded man is aged in his 30s and is from rochdale in the north-western county of lancashire , the paper said . kyrgyzstan , with a population of more than five million people , is a landlocked nation bordered to the north by kazakhstan . england will be seeking to maintain a 100 per cent record in the european group six qualifier in almaty , having won all five games so far to be five points ahead of second-placed croatia .","england will play neighboring kazakhstan in world cup qualifier on saturday" +"klose ( cnn ) -- the world cup 's most prolific goal scorer has hung up his golden boots . germany striker miroslav klose , who scored a total of 16 goals at four world cup finals , announced his retirement from international football on monday . the 36-year-old scored two goals at this summer 's tournament to surpass former brazil striker ronaldo 's record of 15 as germany lifted the trophy for the first time in 24 years . polish-born klose scored five goals at the 2002 world cup in korea/japan and five more in germany four years later -- a feat that earned him the golden boot that year . four more followed in south africa in 2010 before two goals -- a crucial equalizer in the group game against ghana and a second in germany 's 7-1 rout of hosts brazil in the semifinals -- completed his tally . klose also has the distinction of being germany 's all-time top goal scorer with 71 goals from 137 internationals . the success of the team stood and always stands for me in the highest place , ' klose said in a statement published on the german national side 's official website . with the national team i achieved our greatest goal , a goal which we had together within the squad . in addition , i achieved personal goals and those who know me know that i am very ambitious , but i am a striker and the task of a striker is to score goals . therefore the records never concerned me , but it was always about giving my best for the team . ' german national coach , joachim low heaped praise on the retiring marksman . he has given everything for germany , ' low said in a statement . i have the greatest respect for miroslav 's decision as well as ( his ) incredible national team career that will be hard to beat ... i am happy and grateful that i was able to work with miroslav klose . the striker announced in july that he will play club football for one more season before retiring altogether . klose , who joined lazio from bayern munich in 2011 , signed a one-year extension to his contract with the serie a side in may . read more : u.s. soccer legend donovan retires","klose : records never concerned me -- it was always about giving my best for the team . '" +"klose ( cnn ) -- the world cup 's most prolific goal scorer has hung up his golden boots . germany striker miroslav klose , who scored a total of 16 goals at four world cup finals , announced his retirement from international football on monday . the 36-year-old scored two goals at this summer 's tournament to surpass former brazil striker ronaldo 's record of 15 as germany lifted the trophy for the first time in 24 years . polish-born klose scored five goals at the 2002 world cup in korea/japan and five more in germany four years later -- a feat that earned him the golden boot that year . four more followed in south africa in 2010 before two goals -- a crucial equalizer in the group game against ghana and a second in germany 's 7-1 rout of hosts brazil in the semifinals -- completed his tally . klose also has the distinction of being germany 's all-time top goal scorer with 71 goals from 137 internationals . the success of the team stood and always stands for me in the highest place , ' klose said in a statement published on the german national side 's official website . with the national team i achieved our greatest goal , a goal which we had together within the squad . in addition , i achieved personal goals and those who know me know that i am very ambitious , but i am a striker and the task of a striker is to score goals . therefore the records never concerned me , but it was always about giving my best for the team . ' german national coach , joachim low heaped praise on the retiring marksman . he has given everything for germany , ' low said in a statement . i have the greatest respect for miroslav 's decision as well as ( his ) incredible national team career that will be hard to beat ... i am happy and grateful that i was able to work with miroslav klose . the striker announced in july that he will play club football for one more season before retiring altogether . klose , who joined lazio from bayern munich in 2011 , signed a one-year extension to his contract with the serie a side in may . read more : u.s. soccer legend donovan retires","klose scored 16 goals in four world cup finals and 71 in total for germany in 137 matches" +"obama thomas perez has climbed america 's ladder of opportunity ' and now can help others do the same , president barack obama said on monday in nominating the assistant u.s. attorney general as labor secretary . the son of dominican immigrants who worked different jobs such as collecting garbage to help pay for college , perez has dedicated himself to fulfilling the promise of equal opportunity for all , obama told a white house ceremony to introduce perez , 51 . cnn 's jessica yellin reported earlier this month that obama would name perez to the cabinet position . if confirmed by the senate , the lone hispanic cabinet selection of obama 's second term so far would succeed hilda solis , who resigned in january . in brief remarks , perez thanked obama in both english and spanish for what he called the honor of the opportunity . he pledged to work with our partners ' in organized labor , the business community , grassroots organizations and congress , adding that he looked forward to meeting with senators from both parties to discuss the way forward . true progress is possible if you keep and open mind , listen to all sides and focus on results , ' perez said . obama urged that perez be confirmed as quickly as possible . ' perez 's nomination comes as the economy continues a sluggish recovery from recession , with unemployment hovering near 8 % . the labor department , among other things , oversees analysis and reporting of unemployment statistics as well as occupational safety and other wage and employment issues . while some indicators show improvement , economists warn some fragility remains and political leaders are divided on policy prescriptions for stronger growth . obama and democrats call for a combination of stimulus spending , budget cuts and reforms to the tax system and entitlement programs to reduce chronic federal deficits and debt while maintaining government support for education , research and other areas they consider vital to economic development . republicans seeking to shrink government say that reducing its cost is the fastest and best way to prompt growth by reducing regulations and lowering taxes . they call for spending cuts and entitlement reforms , as well as changes to the tax system that would reduce rates without increasing revenue . in nominating perez , obama called on him to continue efforts by solis and her team on helping returning war veterans get jobs , improving worker safety in coal mines and other steps to strengthen workers'rights . like so many americans , tom knows what it is like to climb the ladder of opportunity , ' obama said , adding that perez made protecting the promise of equal opportunity for all a cause of his life . ' the labor department would likely play a role in new employment programs under any comprehensive immigration reform . perez 's nomination pleased unions and workers'rights groups , but rankled senate conservatives due in part to his record at the justice department . this is an unfortunate and needlessly divisive nomination . the top priority of the secretary of labor should be to create jobs and higher wages for american workers . but mr. perez has aggressively sought ways to allow the hiring of more illegal workers , ' said sen. jeff sessions , an alabama republican and a senior member of the judiciary committee . mr. perez has also had a controversial tenure at the department of justice where he has demonstrated a fundamentally political approach to the law . ' perez , who has overseen the agency 's civil rights division , has been active in several high-profile cases in recent years . in 2010 , he launched a probe into the law enforcement tactics of maricopa county , arizona , sheriff joe arpaio after the lawman 's hard line anti-immigration policies led to accusations of civil rights violations . the justice department determined that arpaio had engaged in pattern or practice of wide-ranging discrimination against latinos and retaliatory actions against individuals who criticized ' his department 's activities . arpaio condemned the investigation as politically motivated and a witch hunt ' provoked by the obama administration 's disfavor of the state 's controversial immigration law . perez also became involved in a controversial 2008 voting rights case after it drew attention from republican legislators and became the target of a justice department inspector general 's report . the watchdog concluded that that doj 's voting rights section lacked professionalism and pointed out pervasive warring between employees who disagreed politically . the case stemmed from a complaint against members of the new black panther party who stood outside a polling station in philadelphia on election day dressed in boots and berets and carrying a nightstick . civil charges for attempted voter intimidation were sought by the bush administration , but later dropped against three of four defendants after obama took office . republicans accused the doj 's political leadership of interfering in the decision . though perez had not yet been confirmed to oversee the civil rights division when the decision was made , he said in testimony to inspector general michael horowitz in may 2010 that politics played no part in the decision . horowitz was not satisfied with perez 's account of the situation , saying in his report that perez should have tried to get more information before testifying . perez was not accused of any wrongdoing , but he has been criticized for not doing enough to improve what the inspector general described as a dysfunctional department . before rising to the justice department position , perez led maryland 's department of labor , licensing and regulation . that office is charged with safeguarding workers , protecting consumers , providing a safety net and cultivating a thriving workforce , ' according to its website . he also spent 12 years as an attorney in the justice department 's civil rights division , rising to become deputy assistant attorney general in the 1990s . perez also worked for the late sen. edward kennedy , a massachusetts democrat , and spent the final two years of the clinton administration as head of the health and human services department 's civil rights office .","perez is the first hispanic nominated to cabinet during obama 's second term" +"obama thomas perez has climbed america 's ladder of opportunity ' and now can help others do the same , president barack obama said on monday in nominating the assistant u.s. attorney general as labor secretary . the son of dominican immigrants who worked different jobs such as collecting garbage to help pay for college , perez has dedicated himself to fulfilling the promise of equal opportunity for all , obama told a white house ceremony to introduce perez , 51 . cnn 's jessica yellin reported earlier this month that obama would name perez to the cabinet position . if confirmed by the senate , the lone hispanic cabinet selection of obama 's second term so far would succeed hilda solis , who resigned in january . in brief remarks , perez thanked obama in both english and spanish for what he called the honor of the opportunity . he pledged to work with our partners ' in organized labor , the business community , grassroots organizations and congress , adding that he looked forward to meeting with senators from both parties to discuss the way forward . true progress is possible if you keep and open mind , listen to all sides and focus on results , ' perez said . obama urged that perez be confirmed as quickly as possible . ' perez 's nomination comes as the economy continues a sluggish recovery from recession , with unemployment hovering near 8 % . the labor department , among other things , oversees analysis and reporting of unemployment statistics as well as occupational safety and other wage and employment issues . while some indicators show improvement , economists warn some fragility remains and political leaders are divided on policy prescriptions for stronger growth . obama and democrats call for a combination of stimulus spending , budget cuts and reforms to the tax system and entitlement programs to reduce chronic federal deficits and debt while maintaining government support for education , research and other areas they consider vital to economic development . republicans seeking to shrink government say that reducing its cost is the fastest and best way to prompt growth by reducing regulations and lowering taxes . they call for spending cuts and entitlement reforms , as well as changes to the tax system that would reduce rates without increasing revenue . in nominating perez , obama called on him to continue efforts by solis and her team on helping returning war veterans get jobs , improving worker safety in coal mines and other steps to strengthen workers'rights . like so many americans , tom knows what it is like to climb the ladder of opportunity , ' obama said , adding that perez made protecting the promise of equal opportunity for all a cause of his life . ' the labor department would likely play a role in new employment programs under any comprehensive immigration reform . perez 's nomination pleased unions and workers'rights groups , but rankled senate conservatives due in part to his record at the justice department . this is an unfortunate and needlessly divisive nomination . the top priority of the secretary of labor should be to create jobs and higher wages for american workers . but mr. perez has aggressively sought ways to allow the hiring of more illegal workers , ' said sen. jeff sessions , an alabama republican and a senior member of the judiciary committee . mr. perez has also had a controversial tenure at the department of justice where he has demonstrated a fundamentally political approach to the law . ' perez , who has overseen the agency 's civil rights division , has been active in several high-profile cases in recent years . in 2010 , he launched a probe into the law enforcement tactics of maricopa county , arizona , sheriff joe arpaio after the lawman 's hard line anti-immigration policies led to accusations of civil rights violations . the justice department determined that arpaio had engaged in pattern or practice of wide-ranging discrimination against latinos and retaliatory actions against individuals who criticized ' his department 's activities . arpaio condemned the investigation as politically motivated and a witch hunt ' provoked by the obama administration 's disfavor of the state 's controversial immigration law . perez also became involved in a controversial 2008 voting rights case after it drew attention from republican legislators and became the target of a justice department inspector general 's report . the watchdog concluded that that doj 's voting rights section lacked professionalism and pointed out pervasive warring between employees who disagreed politically . the case stemmed from a complaint against members of the new black panther party who stood outside a polling station in philadelphia on election day dressed in boots and berets and carrying a nightstick . civil charges for attempted voter intimidation were sought by the bush administration , but later dropped against three of four defendants after obama took office . republicans accused the doj 's political leadership of interfering in the decision . though perez had not yet been confirmed to oversee the civil rights division when the decision was made , he said in testimony to inspector general michael horowitz in may 2010 that politics played no part in the decision . horowitz was not satisfied with perez 's account of the situation , saying in his report that perez should have tried to get more information before testifying . perez was not accused of any wrongdoing , but he has been criticized for not doing enough to improve what the inspector general described as a dysfunctional department . before rising to the justice department position , perez led maryland 's department of labor , licensing and regulation . that office is charged with safeguarding workers , protecting consumers , providing a safety net and cultivating a thriving workforce , ' according to its website . he also spent 12 years as an attorney in the justice department 's civil rights division , rising to become deputy assistant attorney general in the 1990s . perez also worked for the late sen. edward kennedy , a massachusetts democrat , and spent the final two years of the clinton administration as head of the health and human services department 's civil rights office .","obama called on the senate to quickly confirm perez" +"obama thomas perez has climbed america 's ladder of opportunity ' and now can help others do the same , president barack obama said on monday in nominating the assistant u.s. attorney general as labor secretary . the son of dominican immigrants who worked different jobs such as collecting garbage to help pay for college , perez has dedicated himself to fulfilling the promise of equal opportunity for all , obama told a white house ceremony to introduce perez , 51 . cnn 's jessica yellin reported earlier this month that obama would name perez to the cabinet position . if confirmed by the senate , the lone hispanic cabinet selection of obama 's second term so far would succeed hilda solis , who resigned in january . in brief remarks , perez thanked obama in both english and spanish for what he called the honor of the opportunity . he pledged to work with our partners ' in organized labor , the business community , grassroots organizations and congress , adding that he looked forward to meeting with senators from both parties to discuss the way forward . true progress is possible if you keep and open mind , listen to all sides and focus on results , ' perez said . obama urged that perez be confirmed as quickly as possible . ' perez 's nomination comes as the economy continues a sluggish recovery from recession , with unemployment hovering near 8 % . the labor department , among other things , oversees analysis and reporting of unemployment statistics as well as occupational safety and other wage and employment issues . while some indicators show improvement , economists warn some fragility remains and political leaders are divided on policy prescriptions for stronger growth . obama and democrats call for a combination of stimulus spending , budget cuts and reforms to the tax system and entitlement programs to reduce chronic federal deficits and debt while maintaining government support for education , research and other areas they consider vital to economic development . republicans seeking to shrink government say that reducing its cost is the fastest and best way to prompt growth by reducing regulations and lowering taxes . they call for spending cuts and entitlement reforms , as well as changes to the tax system that would reduce rates without increasing revenue . in nominating perez , obama called on him to continue efforts by solis and her team on helping returning war veterans get jobs , improving worker safety in coal mines and other steps to strengthen workers'rights . like so many americans , tom knows what it is like to climb the ladder of opportunity , ' obama said , adding that perez made protecting the promise of equal opportunity for all a cause of his life . ' the labor department would likely play a role in new employment programs under any comprehensive immigration reform . perez 's nomination pleased unions and workers'rights groups , but rankled senate conservatives due in part to his record at the justice department . this is an unfortunate and needlessly divisive nomination . the top priority of the secretary of labor should be to create jobs and higher wages for american workers . but mr. perez has aggressively sought ways to allow the hiring of more illegal workers , ' said sen. jeff sessions , an alabama republican and a senior member of the judiciary committee . mr. perez has also had a controversial tenure at the department of justice where he has demonstrated a fundamentally political approach to the law . ' perez , who has overseen the agency 's civil rights division , has been active in several high-profile cases in recent years . in 2010 , he launched a probe into the law enforcement tactics of maricopa county , arizona , sheriff joe arpaio after the lawman 's hard line anti-immigration policies led to accusations of civil rights violations . the justice department determined that arpaio had engaged in pattern or practice of wide-ranging discrimination against latinos and retaliatory actions against individuals who criticized ' his department 's activities . arpaio condemned the investigation as politically motivated and a witch hunt ' provoked by the obama administration 's disfavor of the state 's controversial immigration law . perez also became involved in a controversial 2008 voting rights case after it drew attention from republican legislators and became the target of a justice department inspector general 's report . the watchdog concluded that that doj 's voting rights section lacked professionalism and pointed out pervasive warring between employees who disagreed politically . the case stemmed from a complaint against members of the new black panther party who stood outside a polling station in philadelphia on election day dressed in boots and berets and carrying a nightstick . civil charges for attempted voter intimidation were sought by the bush administration , but later dropped against three of four defendants after obama took office . republicans accused the doj 's political leadership of interfering in the decision . though perez had not yet been confirmed to oversee the civil rights division when the decision was made , he said in testimony to inspector general michael horowitz in may 2010 that politics played no part in the decision . horowitz was not satisfied with perez 's account of the situation , saying in his report that perez should have tried to get more information before testifying . perez was not accused of any wrongdoing , but he has been criticized for not doing enough to improve what the inspector general described as a dysfunctional department . before rising to the justice department position , perez led maryland 's department of labor , licensing and regulation . that office is charged with safeguarding workers , protecting consumers , providing a safety net and cultivating a thriving workforce , ' according to its website . he also spent 12 years as an attorney in the justice department 's civil rights division , rising to become deputy assistant attorney general in the 1990s . perez also worked for the late sen. edward kennedy , a massachusetts democrat , and spent the final two years of the clinton administration as head of the health and human services department 's civil rights office .","perez thanks president obama in both english and spanish" +"channing tatum ( cnn ) fans of the magic mike ' franchise got a hump day treat with a trailer for sequel magic mike xxl ' dropping on wednesday . the movies , which chronicle the exploits of a group of male strippers in florida , feature hot breakdancing moves , lots of skin , mounds of muscles -- and crowds of screaming women bearing dollar bills . the mmxxl ' trailer opens with a masked magic mike , played by channing tatum , welding metal in a suggestive manner and then breaking into a smooth dance routine to ginuwine 's pony . ' the trailer premiered on the ellen show . ' its tag line : get back to the grind . ' the steamy marketing campaign rides on tatum 's toned shoulders , but most of the original cast ( except now-oscar winner matthew mcconaughey ) is back to bump and grind for the reboot . viewers can expect more partying , fast cars and sexual entanglements as seen in the first installment . on tuesday , tatum tweeted a stripped-down movie poster that announces the release date : coming july 1 . magic mike xxl ' is counting on the extra sexy trailer and film poster to build on the success of the first movie , which grossed $ 167,221,571 worldwide , according to box office mojo . if reactions are any indication , fans do n't even want to wait for summer to witness the hotness .","channing tatum returns as the titular dancer" +"zurich ( cnn ) -- soccer superstar david beckham will spearhead england 's presentation of the country 's official bid document for the 2018 world cup hosting rights . beckham , who will miss this year 's tournament in south africa due to injury , will lead the english football association delegation to world governing body fifa 's swiss headquarters on friday . fifa will make a decision on december 2 as to which country will be the 2018 host and also for the 2022 event . england , who have also asked to be considered for 2022 if unsuccessful for 2018 , will be up against the united states , russia , australia and joint bids from belgium and the netherlands , and portugal and spain . with europe likely to win the 2018 event , japan , qatar and south korea are bidding for only 2022 hosting rights . beckham will be able to play a more active role in england 's bid due to the ruptured achilles he suffered while on loan at italian club ac milan , which has also ruled him out of the los angeles galaxy 's major league soccer season . he has already contributed to the campaign , taking part in an expo for bidding nations last december . it 's fantastic news that david 's schedule has enabled him to present and head our bid in zurich , ' football association and bid chairman david triesman told the fa web site on monday . it is entirely appropriate that he does so as our bid is about football and the passion for it in our country . nobody represents that better than david . he is a fantastic footballer and a global role model . ' england 's bid book will feature proposals for stadiums , training venues , base camps and fan parks . the fa said about 16 stadiums are required with minimum capacities of between 40,000 for group matches and 80,000 for the opening match and final . fifa has strict requirements for accommodation , transport , it , medical services , broadcasting , safety and security , ticketing , hospitality and commercial rights .","soccer superstar will lead delegation to fifa 's zurich headquarters on friday" +"interior ministry ( cnn ) -- tetiana chornovol , a prominent ukrainian civic activist and journalist beaten on christmas , said she has a long list of enemies , and that she was sure she would die during the attack . she spoke from a hospital bed thursday , one day after a group of men dragged her from her car outside of kiev in the latest attack on government opponents . many people are trying to get me . it was not a provocation against somebody else , i am sure about it , ' chornovol told ukraine 's channel 5 . i mean , i am a revolution activist , a very active one , and i am very well known as a journalist . i 've undertaken many journalistic investigations , which are still irritating all of them . ' she thinks her attackers were paid to kill her . and i was very scared when they were beating me ; i thought they were going to kill me , ' she said . a spokeswoman for the u.s. state department said washington is watching the case closely . we call on the government of ukraine to uphold its ( organization for security and co-operation in europe ) commitments and ensure respect for human rights , including fundamental freedoms of expression ... , ' jen psaki said . we urge the government of ukraine to send an unequivocal message that violence against critics of the government and those who are working towards a modern , democratic , and prosperous ukraine will not be tolerated . ' in kiev , protesters rallied outside the interior ministry . some held up pictures of chornovol , while others had photos of ukrainian interior minister vitaliy zakharchenko with words down with the bloody minister . ' two of three suspects arrested the interior ministry said it had identified three suspects in the beating . the ministry said it had arrested two of the suspects . a dashboard camera in chornovol 's car captured part of the attack on the 34-year-old journalist known for her muckraking investigations into corruption among senior state officials , according to the opposition batkivshchyna party website . a still image from the dashboard camera footage showed the black suv that struck chornovol 's car moments before the assault . the freelance journalist suffered a broken nose , concussion and numerous bruises , the online newspaper ukrainska pravda reported . face battered pictures and a video of the journalist posted online showed chornovol with the right side of her face and her lips swollen and bloody , according to russian state-run ria novosti news agency . sources on various social media pages said she was hospitalized with a concussion . ukrainian president viktor yanukovych urged police wednesday to investigate the attack as quickly as possible , the news agency reported . the attack was the second on a ukrainian opposition activist in as many days , according to ria novosti . dmitry pilipets , a civic activist and organizer of protests in the eastern city of kharkiv , was stabbed four times on the street by two unknown male attackers late tuesday night . he was hospitalized wednesday in stable condition , according to the news agency . the latest assault could increase tensions between the state and demonstrators who have braved sub-zero temperatures and set up tents and barricades in the city center to voice their opposition to closer ties with russia .","protesters rally outside the interior ministry in kiev" +"felipe after nearly 40 years on the throne , king juan carlos i of spain said monday that he will be stepping down . it is time to hand over to a new generation -- younger , with a lot of energy -- that can , with determination , take on and carry out the changes that the current situation demands , and to face with intensity and determination the challenges of tomorrow , ' he said in a televised statement , according to a cnn translation . the long , deep economic crisis we are going through has left a lot of scars socially , but it has also pointed toward a future of hope , ' he said . crown prince felipe , 46 , will succeed his father . the king said he decided it was time to prepare and pave the way so that he who is in better conditions can continue . ' prince felipe is stable ' and has the maturity , the preparation , and the sense of responsibility necessary ' to serve as king and to lead to a new stage of hope using his experience and the drive of a new generation , ' king juan carlos added . prime minister mariano rajoy first announced the king 's decision . spaniards generally hold king juan carlos , 76 , in high regard for his service to the nation and his defense of democracy after the death of the dictator francisco franco in 1975 . but the king 's popularity took a hit in 2012 over a controversial elephant-hunting trip to africa while the nation was mired in a deep economic crisis . the focus of his reign was to bring about reconciliation between spaniards of different political persuasions and from different regions . many consider the king 's finest hour to be his decisive stand to halt a right-wing military coup in 1981 , when he went on television to say that the monarchy would not tolerate attempts to interrupt democracy by force . some push for end of monarchy thousands of people demonstrated in madrid and elsewhere , calling for an end to the monarchy altogether after the announcement monday . they waved flags and chanted : la monarquia es una porqueria ! ' in english , that phrase means the monarchy is garbage . ' on the global campaign website avaaz.org , a petition calling for a referendum on the future of the monarchy quickly racked up more than 100,000 signatures . most were from people indicating that they were in spain . this is a historic opportunity to promote a broad public debate to help regenerate our democracy and determine the future of the monarchy , ' luis javier wrote in the petition . the call was echoed on twitter , with some users also posting photos of elephants , saying they were celebrating the king 's abdication . retirements of monarchs ( and a pope ) oversaw democracy 's return born in rome in 1938 , juan carlos did n't set foot in spain until he was 10 . in franco 's spain , he carried out military training and became the first spanish officer to hold the rank of lieutenant in all three branches of the military . in 1969 , he was invested as crown prince and the designated successor to franco . on november 22 , 1975 -- two days after franco 's death -- juan carlos was crowned king of spain , restoring the monarchy after a 44-year interregnum . in 1977 , he enacted political reforms that led to spain 's first democratic election since 1936 . during his reign , spain grew into an economic powerhouse and a vacation playground for europe . the king and queen sofia had three children and numerous grandchildren , styling their monarchy as accessible and relatively austere . juan carlos : all you need to know hunting trip dented image the private trip to botswana in 2012 became public only after king juan carlos fell , broke his hip and was rushed back to madrid for surgery . with millions of spaniards unemployed , the expense of the african trip caused an outcry . that prompted the king to make a rare apology in which he said he had made a mistake that would not happen again . the king had previously expressed his concern about the impact of the crisis on spaniards and called on the nation to come together to get through the tough times . other recent scandals have also damaged the monarchy 's image . princess cristina , the king 's youngest daughter , is caught up in a tax fraud and money laundering investigation . she and her husband , inaki urdangarin , have denied any wrongdoing over his business dealings and the alleged diversion of public funds . the scandal has created unprecedented problems for the royal family and kept the country riveted . there have been open calls for the king to abdicate in favor of prince felipe , who is seen as untouched by the scandals . belgium 's king albert ii gives up throne to son","crown prince felipe will succeed the king" +"bob greene ( cnn ) -- the startling thing , in the long run , is not that the power went out and stayed out in so many parts of the united states during the week just ended . the startling thing is what we so casually take for granted : flip a switch , and the lights in your home instantly blaze to life . turn a knob , and clean water comes rushing into your sink or bathtub . pick up a telephone , and you 're talking with someone halfway across the country or halfway around the world . news : cold front expected to bring relief from heat , but also storms right now , the most pressing matter is to get the electricity back on in the places that are still without it . people are in despair ; people have died . fierce storms , along with near-record-high temperatures , combined during the final days of june and the first week of july to bring down multiple power systems and leave millions of people sweltering in the dark . but once all is up and running again , it might be good to pause and think about how fragile all of our assumptions are . for much of the time that the continental united states has been a part of the planet , few of the life-easing developments we nonchalantly take on faith seemed remotely possible . electricity ? running water ? air conditioning ? they were the stuff of science-fiction novels . ours was a land mass of forests and rivers and deserts and plains , a tangled and disconnected tableau that disappeared from view with the blackness of night . we -- not you and i , but our ancestors -- figured out how to change all that . by the time recent generations came along , everything seemed so endlessly convenient . the battle for civilization had been won . which is why a week like the one just past is such a sobering reminder that we are always just an unanticipated disaster away from a trip into the primitive america that existed before . doubt it ? ask your fellow citizens who waited and waited for someone to turn their lights back on last week . news : resilient west virginians brave storms and their aftermath in the blast-oven heat that stifled much of the nation in recent days , the absence of air conditioning felt anguishing . but that situation was , for most of america 's history , so commonplace as to be unremarkable . summers were for sweating , and for drawing the blinds , and for sleeping on porches . it was n't until the 1920s that movie theaters featured early versions of air conditioners , which proved to be an enormous draw for the public who yearned to escape their broiling homes . department stores in the 1930s lured customers by offering them a chilled-air respite from the scorching hours they spent in their houses . news : gadgets to help you survive a power outage according to the carrier corp. , the pioneering air-conditioning manufacturer , as late as 1960 few college buildings featured air conditioning , and virtually no elementary or high schools had it . private residences ? for the most part , they were the last to convert . window units were available , but by 1965 , according to carrier , only one out of 10 u.s. homes had central air . but when our daily lives change for the better , human nature lulls us into all but forgetting what preceded . we do n't even question the marvelous advances that once seemed out of reach . one of the funniest -- yet most perceptive and provocative -- news-conference questions i 've ever been aware of was asked in the 1970s by ron powers , who was then the brilliant young television critic of the chicago sun-times . if memory serves , the event was some sort of press gathering organized by cbs to discuss the network 's upcoming schedule . after the preliminary announcements , the floor was opened for questions . many of the reporters in attendance asked about the stars of the new shows , and about ratings trends , and about programming decisions . news : use caution if you drive in extreme heat then powers raised his hand , and asked : ' how do you make the pictures go through the air ? ' as delightful as his telling of the story was back then , i thought of it again last week , in a much more serious context . how do the essential things in which we place our confidence really get done ? and are we right to think we can forever count on them ? the uneasiness and fear when the power went out last week extended beyond the nuts and bolts of engineering ; instead , it was almost primal . it was a reminder of the unthinkable , of scenarios as potentially nightmarish as a sneak attack by foreign enemies . it was an unwelcome premonition of things we do n't even want to consider : we flick the light switch , and nothing happens . we twist the knob on the faucet , and nothing emerges . we punch a number into the telephone , and hear only silence . we turn on our computers , and are greeted by blankness . and then , darkness falls . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene .","bob greene : parts of u.s. lost power ; we should reflect on how we take comfort for granted" +"iran tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- iran plans to launch satellites into orbit early in the new year , its defense minister told the semi-official fars news agency wednesday . this satellite , which was built by iranian scientists , is a big step for the continued presence of iran in space and for taking advantage of the opportunities offered in this field , ' gen. ahmad vahidi said . the launches of the tolou satellites -- which means sunrise ' in farsi -- are scheduled to take place in february and march , according to fars . iran launched its first satellite , omid , in february , an event that president mahmoud ahmadinejad hailed at the time as a source of pride ' for the islamic republic . the u.s. state department expressed grave concern ' over the launch . developing a space launch vehicle that could ... put a satellite into orbit could possibly lead to development of a ballistic missile system , ' state department deputy spokesman robert wood told reporters . so that 's of grave concern to us . ' the pentagon called the february launch clearly a concern of ours . ' although this appears to be satellite , there are dual-use capabilities that could be applied to missiles , and that 's a concern to us and everybody in region , ' defense department spokesman geoff morrell said at the time . for iran , the planned launches are an important step for its military . using these modern technologies , iran 's armed forces are capable of catching the enemies off guard , identifying their software and hardware potential and depriving the enemy of movement and maneuverability , ' vahidi told fars . the development comes as the international community considers additional sanctions against iran should tehran not answer questions about its nuclear program . western powers fear iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons , an allegation tehran denies .","u.s. state department had grave concern ' about iran 's first satellite launch this year" +"iran tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- iran plans to launch satellites into orbit early in the new year , its defense minister told the semi-official fars news agency wednesday . this satellite , which was built by iranian scientists , is a big step for the continued presence of iran in space and for taking advantage of the opportunities offered in this field , ' gen. ahmad vahidi said . the launches of the tolou satellites -- which means sunrise ' in farsi -- are scheduled to take place in february and march , according to fars . iran launched its first satellite , omid , in february , an event that president mahmoud ahmadinejad hailed at the time as a source of pride ' for the islamic republic . the u.s. state department expressed grave concern ' over the launch . developing a space launch vehicle that could ... put a satellite into orbit could possibly lead to development of a ballistic missile system , ' state department deputy spokesman robert wood told reporters . so that 's of grave concern to us . ' the pentagon called the february launch clearly a concern of ours . ' although this appears to be satellite , there are dual-use capabilities that could be applied to missiles , and that 's a concern to us and everybody in region , ' defense department spokesman geoff morrell said at the time . for iran , the planned launches are an important step for its military . using these modern technologies , iran 's armed forces are capable of catching the enemies off guard , identifying their software and hardware potential and depriving the enemy of movement and maneuverability , ' vahidi told fars . the development comes as the international community considers additional sanctions against iran should tehran not answer questions about its nuclear program . western powers fear iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons , an allegation tehran denies ."," this satellite ... is a big step for the continued presence of iran in space , ' defense chief says" +"iran tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- iran plans to launch satellites into orbit early in the new year , its defense minister told the semi-official fars news agency wednesday . this satellite , which was built by iranian scientists , is a big step for the continued presence of iran in space and for taking advantage of the opportunities offered in this field , ' gen. ahmad vahidi said . the launches of the tolou satellites -- which means sunrise ' in farsi -- are scheduled to take place in february and march , according to fars . iran launched its first satellite , omid , in february , an event that president mahmoud ahmadinejad hailed at the time as a source of pride ' for the islamic republic . the u.s. state department expressed grave concern ' over the launch . developing a space launch vehicle that could ... put a satellite into orbit could possibly lead to development of a ballistic missile system , ' state department deputy spokesman robert wood told reporters . so that 's of grave concern to us . ' the pentagon called the february launch clearly a concern of ours . ' although this appears to be satellite , there are dual-use capabilities that could be applied to missiles , and that 's a concern to us and everybody in region , ' defense department spokesman geoff morrell said at the time . for iran , the planned launches are an important step for its military . using these modern technologies , iran 's armed forces are capable of catching the enemies off guard , identifying their software and hardware potential and depriving the enemy of movement and maneuverability , ' vahidi told fars . the development comes as the international community considers additional sanctions against iran should tehran not answer questions about its nuclear program . western powers fear iran is intent on developing nuclear weapons , an allegation tehran denies .","iran reportedly plans to launch tolou satellites into orbit in february and march" +"eta madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- a bomb inside a van exploded in northeastern madrid monday , after a warning call by the basque separatist group eta . the blast caused damage but there were no immediate reports of injury . policemen inspect the area after a van loaded with a bomb exploded in northeast madrid . the red cross received a call at 7:37 a.m. ( 1:37 a.m . et ) , in the name of eta , warning of the bomb . the red cross immediately contacted police , who cordoned off the area , a red cross spokeswoman told cnn . the blast occurred shortly after 9 a.m. ( 3 a.m . et ) outside the building of a construction company , cnn partner network cnn+ reported . the company , ferrovial agroman , is involved in building a high-speed train line in the basque region , which eta opposes . the attack came just hours after spain 's supreme court declined to allow two new leftist basque parties to compete in the march 1 basque regional elections in northern spain . authorities allege the new parties are simply new names for other leftist basque parties already outlawed for their links to eta . what eta did this morning ratifies the supreme court decision last night , ' interior minister alfredo perez rubalcaba told reporters , at the scene of the explosion . at least 30 vehicles parked in the street were damaged , as well as the construction company offices , the spanish police said in a statement . the bomb , it added , was placed in a van stolen last night in the madrid area . exactly four years ago , on feb. 9 , 2005 , eta placed a bomb in the same madrid neighborhood that was hit on monday . that attack caused dozens of injuries , and damaged a different glass-façade office building . eta is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its long fight for basque independence . it is listed as a terrorist group by the european union and the united states .","bomb inside van explodes in northeastern madrid after eta warning" +"croatia ( cnn ) -- former world no . 1 roger federer has paid tribute to his wonderful friend ' ivan ljubicic after the croat announced on wednesday he will end his 14-year playing career next month . ljubicic will retire from tennis after april 's monte carlos masters , bringing the curtain down on a career which has seen him hit no . 3 in the world rankings , win the davis cup with croatia in 2005 and collect 10 atp tour titles . sixteen-time grand slam winner federer hailed ljubicic , who won a bronze medal at the 2004 athens olympics , as a fearsome opponent , but said the time was right for the 32-year-old to hang up his racket . i have a very good friendship with ljubicic , ' federer told the atp tour 's website . it 's been sad seeing him retiring really since i 've known about it for quite some time . he 's one of the most feared players on tour ... he 's been a wonderful friend to me on tour , and it 's also been very beneficial to the game of tennis , not just on the court but off the court because he 's been part of the political system here . we 've talked at length at times about it , but i think it comes at the right time for him and he 's in a perfect spot with his family . he 's just had a second daughter . he 's had a wonderful career . ' federer has played ljubicic , who reached the semifinals of the french open in 2006 , on 16 occasions over 10 years between 2000 and 2010 , losing three of those matches . it 's never an easy decision for any professional athlete to retire , ' said ljubicic , whose most recent title came at indian wells in march 2010 , an event which three-time champion federer will play in next week . i look forward to the next stage of my life . tennis has given me so much and i want to continue to stay involved and contribute in some ways . '","ljubicic won the davis cup with croatia in 2005 and rose to world no.3 in 2006" +"federer ( cnn ) -- former world no . 1 roger federer has paid tribute to his wonderful friend ' ivan ljubicic after the croat announced on wednesday he will end his 14-year playing career next month . ljubicic will retire from tennis after april 's monte carlos masters , bringing the curtain down on a career which has seen him hit no . 3 in the world rankings , win the davis cup with croatia in 2005 and collect 10 atp tour titles . sixteen-time grand slam winner federer hailed ljubicic , who won a bronze medal at the 2004 athens olympics , as a fearsome opponent , but said the time was right for the 32-year-old to hang up his racket . i have a very good friendship with ljubicic , ' federer told the atp tour 's website . it 's been sad seeing him retiring really since i 've known about it for quite some time . he 's one of the most feared players on tour ... he 's been a wonderful friend to me on tour , and it 's also been very beneficial to the game of tennis , not just on the court but off the court because he 's been part of the political system here . we 've talked at length at times about it , but i think it comes at the right time for him and he 's in a perfect spot with his family . he 's just had a second daughter . he 's had a wonderful career . ' federer has played ljubicic , who reached the semifinals of the french open in 2006 , on 16 occasions over 10 years between 2000 and 2010 , losing three of those matches . it 's never an easy decision for any professional athlete to retire , ' said ljubicic , whose most recent title came at indian wells in march 2010 , an event which three-time champion federer will play in next week . i look forward to the next stage of my life . tennis has given me so much and i want to continue to stay involved and contribute in some ways . '","roger federer has praised ivan ljubicic ahead of his retirement next month" +"federer ( cnn ) -- former world no . 1 roger federer has paid tribute to his wonderful friend ' ivan ljubicic after the croat announced on wednesday he will end his 14-year playing career next month . ljubicic will retire from tennis after april 's monte carlos masters , bringing the curtain down on a career which has seen him hit no . 3 in the world rankings , win the davis cup with croatia in 2005 and collect 10 atp tour titles . sixteen-time grand slam winner federer hailed ljubicic , who won a bronze medal at the 2004 athens olympics , as a fearsome opponent , but said the time was right for the 32-year-old to hang up his racket . i have a very good friendship with ljubicic , ' federer told the atp tour 's website . it 's been sad seeing him retiring really since i 've known about it for quite some time . he 's one of the most feared players on tour ... he 's been a wonderful friend to me on tour , and it 's also been very beneficial to the game of tennis , not just on the court but off the court because he 's been part of the political system here . we 've talked at length at times about it , but i think it comes at the right time for him and he 's in a perfect spot with his family . he 's just had a second daughter . he 's had a wonderful career . ' federer has played ljubicic , who reached the semifinals of the french open in 2006 , on 16 occasions over 10 years between 2000 and 2010 , losing three of those matches . it 's never an easy decision for any professional athlete to retire , ' said ljubicic , whose most recent title came at indian wells in march 2010 , an event which three-time champion federer will play in next week . i look forward to the next stage of my life . tennis has given me so much and i want to continue to stay involved and contribute in some ways . '","former world no . 1 federer described ljubicic as a feared opponent '" +"rossi ( cnn ) -- italy 's valentino rossi edged out yamaha teammate and title rival jorge lorenzo to claim pole position for the french motogp at le mans . the top spot on the timesheets changed hands several times in an exciting qualifying session on saturday , with defending champion rossi setting the fastest time on the 28th of his 30 laps . rossi lapped in one minute 33.408 seconds to edge championship leader lorenzo by just 0.054 seconds . spain 's dani pedrosa claimed the third spot on the front row for honda . australian casey stoner also strongly challenged on his ducati , but had to settle for fourth fastest , just ahead of teammate nicky hayden . home rider randy de puniet and andrea dovizioso of italy were sixth and seventh fastest . colin edwards of the united states , suzuki 's loris capirossi were eighth and ninth best with aleix espargaro completing the top ten with his last lap . rossi , who has won three times at le mans , trails lorenzo by four points in this year 's title race after both have secured wins in the opening two races of the season . the 31-year-old has been troubled by a shoulder injury after a motocross accident in april and admitted it was still a problem . i am still worried about my shoulder because after 10 or 15 laps today i started to lose power , but i hope adrenalin will take over in the race and that i will be able to stay fast right to the end , ' he told the official motogp web site . lorenzo is hoping to double up after winning at le mans last year . i need to try to get a good start tomorrow and be stronger during the first few laps , then i think i can fight for victory , ' he said .","lorenzo leads rossi by four points in the title race after two rounds" +"rossi ( cnn ) -- italy 's valentino rossi edged out yamaha teammate and title rival jorge lorenzo to claim pole position for the french motogp at le mans . the top spot on the timesheets changed hands several times in an exciting qualifying session on saturday , with defending champion rossi setting the fastest time on the 28th of his 30 laps . rossi lapped in one minute 33.408 seconds to edge championship leader lorenzo by just 0.054 seconds . spain 's dani pedrosa claimed the third spot on the front row for honda . australian casey stoner also strongly challenged on his ducati , but had to settle for fourth fastest , just ahead of teammate nicky hayden . home rider randy de puniet and andrea dovizioso of italy were sixth and seventh fastest . colin edwards of the united states , suzuki 's loris capirossi were eighth and ninth best with aleix espargaro completing the top ten with his last lap . rossi , who has won three times at le mans , trails lorenzo by four points in this year 's title race after both have secured wins in the opening two races of the season . the 31-year-old has been troubled by a shoulder injury after a motocross accident in april and admitted it was still a problem . i am still worried about my shoulder because after 10 or 15 laps today i started to lose power , but i hope adrenalin will take over in the race and that i will be able to stay fast right to the end , ' he told the official motogp web site . lorenzo is hoping to double up after winning at le mans last year . i need to try to get a good start tomorrow and be stronger during the first few laps , then i think i can fight for victory , ' he said .","valentino rossi on pole for the french motogp at le mans" +"rossi ( cnn ) -- italy 's valentino rossi edged out yamaha teammate and title rival jorge lorenzo to claim pole position for the french motogp at le mans . the top spot on the timesheets changed hands several times in an exciting qualifying session on saturday , with defending champion rossi setting the fastest time on the 28th of his 30 laps . rossi lapped in one minute 33.408 seconds to edge championship leader lorenzo by just 0.054 seconds . spain 's dani pedrosa claimed the third spot on the front row for honda . australian casey stoner also strongly challenged on his ducati , but had to settle for fourth fastest , just ahead of teammate nicky hayden . home rider randy de puniet and andrea dovizioso of italy were sixth and seventh fastest . colin edwards of the united states , suzuki 's loris capirossi were eighth and ninth best with aleix espargaro completing the top ten with his last lap . rossi , who has won three times at le mans , trails lorenzo by four points in this year 's title race after both have secured wins in the opening two races of the season . the 31-year-old has been troubled by a shoulder injury after a motocross accident in april and admitted it was still a problem . i am still worried about my shoulder because after 10 or 15 laps today i started to lose power , but i hope adrenalin will take over in the race and that i will be able to stay fast right to the end , ' he told the official motogp web site . lorenzo is hoping to double up after winning at le mans last year . i need to try to get a good start tomorrow and be stronger during the first few laps , then i think i can fight for victory , ' he said .","rossi edges yamaha teammate jorge lorenzo in final qualifying" +"dutch ( cnn ) -- denmark produced the first major surprise of euro 2012 as morten olsen 's side secured a 1-0 win over the netherlands in kharkiv . famed for their total football approach , the world cup finalists were left totally frustrated by a danish side that was never fazed by the star-studded reputation of bert van marwijk 's team . michael khron-delhi scored the only goal of the game to leave holland -- one of euro 2012 's heavyweights -- a real challenge to qualify from group b and reach the knockout stages . van marjwik 's side next play germany , who beat portugal 1-0 in lviv thanks to mario gomez 's second-half goal , in a game that never matched the drama of denmark 's victory . denmark 1-0 holland billed as group b 's rank outsiders , denmark had to ride their luck against a dutch team that dominated possession for long periods in kharkiv 's metalist stadium . amid those lucky breaks though simon kjaer and daniel agger in central defence showed plenty of steel and when the danes did get hold of the ball they produced some intricate passing moves . danish goalkeeper stephan andersen was also outstanding , notably when he thwarted dutch substitute klaas-jan huntelaar after the schalke forward was sent clear by wesley sneijder 's wonderful pass with the outside of his right foot . that huntelaar . who scored 48 goals in all competitions last season for the german bundesliga club , was left on the bench by van marwijk was the first surprise of saturday 's game . before he was introduced in the second half , huntelaar could only watch as robin van persie 's eye for a goal went missing . a frustrating evening for the dutch striker , who has scored 30 goals in the english premier league for arsenal this season , was encapsulated when he completely miskicked the ball early in the second half . van persie should have scored early on in the game but put his shot wide and later on in the first half the arsenal striker was thwarted by danish goalkeeper stephan andersen 's alertness . completely against the run of play , krohn-dehli gave denmark a shock lead after he gathered simon poulsen 's deflected cross and drilled a shot through the legs of dutch goalkeeper maarten stekelenburg . arjen robben then curled a left-footed shot against the post as denmark 's goal continued to lead somewhat of a charmed life . the second half mirrored the first with the dutch pinning the danes in their own half , but the danes refused to be cowed and after surviving a late handball appeal against lars jacobsen , olsen 's team held on to secure a memorable victory . germany 1-0 portugal saturday 's second game had been billed as one of the most intriguing of the euro 2012 's group stages but it rarely failed to live up to the pre-match hype . it offered the tournament a first glimpse of cristiano ronaldo , who has scored 60 goals for real madrid this season , but as to often the portuguese forward flickered in and out of an international for his country -- in truth more out than in . ronaldo has scored only five goals in 19 appearances during major internatioal tournaments and with portugal adopting a strategy of containment he was never able to significantly influence the game . it was not until late in the second half that he forced germany goalkeeper manuel neuer into a save and for the most part germany were able to minimize the portuguese forward 's threat . soon after making that save neuer had a fortunate escape when he misjudged nani 's looping cross , allowing the ball to bounce off the bar . the bayern munich goalkeeper quickly recovered his poise to brilliantly save from substitute silvestre varela , who had been set up by nelson oliveira 's ingenious reverse pass . nani then had a rising shot blocked by holger badstuber as portugal finally put germany under sustained pressure for the first time in search of an equaliser . given that late surge of portuguese attacking activity the question is why paulo bento 's side only started to test germany 's defense after having gone a goal behind . germany had arguably shaded a forgettable first-half , with gomez going close early on with a header that was well saved by rui patricio , though portuguese defender pepe did hit the upright with a clever shot following a corner . but it was gomez who finally broke the deadlock , connecting with sami khedira 's cross from the right , cleverly guiding a header past patricio .","dutch still have to play germany and portugal in group b" +"germany ( cnn ) -- denmark produced the first major surprise of euro 2012 as morten olsen 's side secured a 1-0 win over the netherlands in kharkiv . famed for their total football approach , the world cup finalists were left totally frustrated by a danish side that was never fazed by the star-studded reputation of bert van marwijk 's team . michael khron-delhi scored the only goal of the game to leave holland -- one of euro 2012 's heavyweights -- a real challenge to qualify from group b and reach the knockout stages . van marjwik 's side next play germany , who beat portugal 1-0 in lviv thanks to mario gomez 's second-half goal , in a game that never matched the drama of denmark 's victory . denmark 1-0 holland billed as group b 's rank outsiders , denmark had to ride their luck against a dutch team that dominated possession for long periods in kharkiv 's metalist stadium . amid those lucky breaks though simon kjaer and daniel agger in central defence showed plenty of steel and when the danes did get hold of the ball they produced some intricate passing moves . danish goalkeeper stephan andersen was also outstanding , notably when he thwarted dutch substitute klaas-jan huntelaar after the schalke forward was sent clear by wesley sneijder 's wonderful pass with the outside of his right foot . that huntelaar . who scored 48 goals in all competitions last season for the german bundesliga club , was left on the bench by van marwijk was the first surprise of saturday 's game . before he was introduced in the second half , huntelaar could only watch as robin van persie 's eye for a goal went missing . a frustrating evening for the dutch striker , who has scored 30 goals in the english premier league for arsenal this season , was encapsulated when he completely miskicked the ball early in the second half . van persie should have scored early on in the game but put his shot wide and later on in the first half the arsenal striker was thwarted by danish goalkeeper stephan andersen 's alertness . completely against the run of play , krohn-dehli gave denmark a shock lead after he gathered simon poulsen 's deflected cross and drilled a shot through the legs of dutch goalkeeper maarten stekelenburg . arjen robben then curled a left-footed shot against the post as denmark 's goal continued to lead somewhat of a charmed life . the second half mirrored the first with the dutch pinning the danes in their own half , but the danes refused to be cowed and after surviving a late handball appeal against lars jacobsen , olsen 's team held on to secure a memorable victory . germany 1-0 portugal saturday 's second game had been billed as one of the most intriguing of the euro 2012 's group stages but it rarely failed to live up to the pre-match hype . it offered the tournament a first glimpse of cristiano ronaldo , who has scored 60 goals for real madrid this season , but as to often the portuguese forward flickered in and out of an international for his country -- in truth more out than in . ronaldo has scored only five goals in 19 appearances during major internatioal tournaments and with portugal adopting a strategy of containment he was never able to significantly influence the game . it was not until late in the second half that he forced germany goalkeeper manuel neuer into a save and for the most part germany were able to minimize the portuguese forward 's threat . soon after making that save neuer had a fortunate escape when he misjudged nani 's looping cross , allowing the ball to bounce off the bar . the bayern munich goalkeeper quickly recovered his poise to brilliantly save from substitute silvestre varela , who had been set up by nelson oliveira 's ingenious reverse pass . nani then had a rising shot blocked by holger badstuber as portugal finally put germany under sustained pressure for the first time in search of an equaliser . given that late surge of portuguese attacking activity the question is why paulo bento 's side only started to test germany 's defense after having gone a goal behind . germany had arguably shaded a forgettable first-half , with gomez going close early on with a header that was well saved by rui patricio , though portuguese defender pepe did hit the upright with a clever shot following a corner . but it was gomez who finally broke the deadlock , connecting with sami khedira 's cross from the right , cleverly guiding a header past patricio .","dutch still have to play germany and portugal in group b" +"germany ( cnn ) -- denmark produced the first major surprise of euro 2012 as morten olsen 's side secured a 1-0 win over the netherlands in kharkiv . famed for their total football approach , the world cup finalists were left totally frustrated by a danish side that was never fazed by the star-studded reputation of bert van marwijk 's team . michael khron-delhi scored the only goal of the game to leave holland -- one of euro 2012 's heavyweights -- a real challenge to qualify from group b and reach the knockout stages . van marjwik 's side next play germany , who beat portugal 1-0 in lviv thanks to mario gomez 's second-half goal , in a game that never matched the drama of denmark 's victory . denmark 1-0 holland billed as group b 's rank outsiders , denmark had to ride their luck against a dutch team that dominated possession for long periods in kharkiv 's metalist stadium . amid those lucky breaks though simon kjaer and daniel agger in central defence showed plenty of steel and when the danes did get hold of the ball they produced some intricate passing moves . danish goalkeeper stephan andersen was also outstanding , notably when he thwarted dutch substitute klaas-jan huntelaar after the schalke forward was sent clear by wesley sneijder 's wonderful pass with the outside of his right foot . that huntelaar . who scored 48 goals in all competitions last season for the german bundesliga club , was left on the bench by van marwijk was the first surprise of saturday 's game . before he was introduced in the second half , huntelaar could only watch as robin van persie 's eye for a goal went missing . a frustrating evening for the dutch striker , who has scored 30 goals in the english premier league for arsenal this season , was encapsulated when he completely miskicked the ball early in the second half . van persie should have scored early on in the game but put his shot wide and later on in the first half the arsenal striker was thwarted by danish goalkeeper stephan andersen 's alertness . completely against the run of play , krohn-dehli gave denmark a shock lead after he gathered simon poulsen 's deflected cross and drilled a shot through the legs of dutch goalkeeper maarten stekelenburg . arjen robben then curled a left-footed shot against the post as denmark 's goal continued to lead somewhat of a charmed life . the second half mirrored the first with the dutch pinning the danes in their own half , but the danes refused to be cowed and after surviving a late handball appeal against lars jacobsen , olsen 's team held on to secure a memorable victory . germany 1-0 portugal saturday 's second game had been billed as one of the most intriguing of the euro 2012 's group stages but it rarely failed to live up to the pre-match hype . it offered the tournament a first glimpse of cristiano ronaldo , who has scored 60 goals for real madrid this season , but as to often the portuguese forward flickered in and out of an international for his country -- in truth more out than in . ronaldo has scored only five goals in 19 appearances during major internatioal tournaments and with portugal adopting a strategy of containment he was never able to significantly influence the game . it was not until late in the second half that he forced germany goalkeeper manuel neuer into a save and for the most part germany were able to minimize the portuguese forward 's threat . soon after making that save neuer had a fortunate escape when he misjudged nani 's looping cross , allowing the ball to bounce off the bar . the bayern munich goalkeeper quickly recovered his poise to brilliantly save from substitute silvestre varela , who had been set up by nelson oliveira 's ingenious reverse pass . nani then had a rising shot blocked by holger badstuber as portugal finally put germany under sustained pressure for the first time in search of an equaliser . given that late surge of portuguese attacking activity the question is why paulo bento 's side only started to test germany 's defense after having gone a goal behind . germany had arguably shaded a forgettable first-half , with gomez going close early on with a header that was well saved by rui patricio , though portuguese defender pepe did hit the upright with a clever shot following a corner . but it was gomez who finally broke the deadlock , connecting with sami khedira 's cross from the right , cleverly guiding a header past patricio .","mario gomez scores for germany in 1-0 win over portugal" +"denmark ( cnn ) -- denmark produced the first major surprise of euro 2012 as morten olsen 's side secured a 1-0 win over the netherlands in kharkiv . famed for their total football approach , the world cup finalists were left totally frustrated by a danish side that was never fazed by the star-studded reputation of bert van marwijk 's team . michael khron-delhi scored the only goal of the game to leave holland -- one of euro 2012 's heavyweights -- a real challenge to qualify from group b and reach the knockout stages . van marjwik 's side next play germany , who beat portugal 1-0 in lviv thanks to mario gomez 's second-half goal , in a game that never matched the drama of denmark 's victory . denmark 1-0 holland billed as group b 's rank outsiders , denmark had to ride their luck against a dutch team that dominated possession for long periods in kharkiv 's metalist stadium . amid those lucky breaks though simon kjaer and daniel agger in central defence showed plenty of steel and when the danes did get hold of the ball they produced some intricate passing moves . danish goalkeeper stephan andersen was also outstanding , notably when he thwarted dutch substitute klaas-jan huntelaar after the schalke forward was sent clear by wesley sneijder 's wonderful pass with the outside of his right foot . that huntelaar . who scored 48 goals in all competitions last season for the german bundesliga club , was left on the bench by van marwijk was the first surprise of saturday 's game . before he was introduced in the second half , huntelaar could only watch as robin van persie 's eye for a goal went missing . a frustrating evening for the dutch striker , who has scored 30 goals in the english premier league for arsenal this season , was encapsulated when he completely miskicked the ball early in the second half . van persie should have scored early on in the game but put his shot wide and later on in the first half the arsenal striker was thwarted by danish goalkeeper stephan andersen 's alertness . completely against the run of play , krohn-dehli gave denmark a shock lead after he gathered simon poulsen 's deflected cross and drilled a shot through the legs of dutch goalkeeper maarten stekelenburg . arjen robben then curled a left-footed shot against the post as denmark 's goal continued to lead somewhat of a charmed life . the second half mirrored the first with the dutch pinning the danes in their own half , but the danes refused to be cowed and after surviving a late handball appeal against lars jacobsen , olsen 's team held on to secure a memorable victory . germany 1-0 portugal saturday 's second game had been billed as one of the most intriguing of the euro 2012 's group stages but it rarely failed to live up to the pre-match hype . it offered the tournament a first glimpse of cristiano ronaldo , who has scored 60 goals for real madrid this season , but as to often the portuguese forward flickered in and out of an international for his country -- in truth more out than in . ronaldo has scored only five goals in 19 appearances during major internatioal tournaments and with portugal adopting a strategy of containment he was never able to significantly influence the game . it was not until late in the second half that he forced germany goalkeeper manuel neuer into a save and for the most part germany were able to minimize the portuguese forward 's threat . soon after making that save neuer had a fortunate escape when he misjudged nani 's looping cross , allowing the ball to bounce off the bar . the bayern munich goalkeeper quickly recovered his poise to brilliantly save from substitute silvestre varela , who had been set up by nelson oliveira 's ingenious reverse pass . nani then had a rising shot blocked by holger badstuber as portugal finally put germany under sustained pressure for the first time in search of an equaliser . given that late surge of portuguese attacking activity the question is why paulo bento 's side only started to test germany 's defense after having gone a goal behind . germany had arguably shaded a forgettable first-half , with gomez going close early on with a header that was well saved by rui patricio , though portuguese defender pepe did hit the upright with a clever shot following a corner . but it was gomez who finally broke the deadlock , connecting with sami khedira 's cross from the right , cleverly guiding a header past patricio .","denmark deliver first major surprise of euro 2012 with win over the netherlands" +"denmark ( cnn ) -- denmark produced the first major surprise of euro 2012 as morten olsen 's side secured a 1-0 win over the netherlands in kharkiv . famed for their total football approach , the world cup finalists were left totally frustrated by a danish side that was never fazed by the star-studded reputation of bert van marwijk 's team . michael khron-delhi scored the only goal of the game to leave holland -- one of euro 2012 's heavyweights -- a real challenge to qualify from group b and reach the knockout stages . van marjwik 's side next play germany , who beat portugal 1-0 in lviv thanks to mario gomez 's second-half goal , in a game that never matched the drama of denmark 's victory . denmark 1-0 holland billed as group b 's rank outsiders , denmark had to ride their luck against a dutch team that dominated possession for long periods in kharkiv 's metalist stadium . amid those lucky breaks though simon kjaer and daniel agger in central defence showed plenty of steel and when the danes did get hold of the ball they produced some intricate passing moves . danish goalkeeper stephan andersen was also outstanding , notably when he thwarted dutch substitute klaas-jan huntelaar after the schalke forward was sent clear by wesley sneijder 's wonderful pass with the outside of his right foot . that huntelaar . who scored 48 goals in all competitions last season for the german bundesliga club , was left on the bench by van marwijk was the first surprise of saturday 's game . before he was introduced in the second half , huntelaar could only watch as robin van persie 's eye for a goal went missing . a frustrating evening for the dutch striker , who has scored 30 goals in the english premier league for arsenal this season , was encapsulated when he completely miskicked the ball early in the second half . van persie should have scored early on in the game but put his shot wide and later on in the first half the arsenal striker was thwarted by danish goalkeeper stephan andersen 's alertness . completely against the run of play , krohn-dehli gave denmark a shock lead after he gathered simon poulsen 's deflected cross and drilled a shot through the legs of dutch goalkeeper maarten stekelenburg . arjen robben then curled a left-footed shot against the post as denmark 's goal continued to lead somewhat of a charmed life . the second half mirrored the first with the dutch pinning the danes in their own half , but the danes refused to be cowed and after surviving a late handball appeal against lars jacobsen , olsen 's team held on to secure a memorable victory . germany 1-0 portugal saturday 's second game had been billed as one of the most intriguing of the euro 2012 's group stages but it rarely failed to live up to the pre-match hype . it offered the tournament a first glimpse of cristiano ronaldo , who has scored 60 goals for real madrid this season , but as to often the portuguese forward flickered in and out of an international for his country -- in truth more out than in . ronaldo has scored only five goals in 19 appearances during major internatioal tournaments and with portugal adopting a strategy of containment he was never able to significantly influence the game . it was not until late in the second half that he forced germany goalkeeper manuel neuer into a save and for the most part germany were able to minimize the portuguese forward 's threat . soon after making that save neuer had a fortunate escape when he misjudged nani 's looping cross , allowing the ball to bounce off the bar . the bayern munich goalkeeper quickly recovered his poise to brilliantly save from substitute silvestre varela , who had been set up by nelson oliveira 's ingenious reverse pass . nani then had a rising shot blocked by holger badstuber as portugal finally put germany under sustained pressure for the first time in search of an equaliser . given that late surge of portuguese attacking activity the question is why paulo bento 's side only started to test germany 's defense after having gone a goal behind . germany had arguably shaded a forgettable first-half , with gomez going close early on with a header that was well saved by rui patricio , though portuguese defender pepe did hit the upright with a clever shot following a corner . but it was gomez who finally broke the deadlock , connecting with sami khedira 's cross from the right , cleverly guiding a header past patricio .","michael krohn-dehli scores winner for denmark" +"kabul kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- it has been nearly eight years since u.s. forces overthrew the taliban leaders of afghanistan , but the war against the taliban insurgency is bloodier than ever . a u.s. soldier takes his position near a building attacked by the taliban south of kabul , afghanistan , on monday . the number of afghan civilians killed in the wake of the war has increased 24 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period last year , according to the united nations . and nato and american forces suffered record losses this summer , with 75 troops killed in the month of july , making it the deadliest month for western troops in the country since american warplanes first began bombing the taliban in october 2001 . the u.s. death toll will remain high for some time as the taliban has gained the upper hand , gen. stanley mcchrystal , the top u.s. commander in afghanistan , told the wall street journal in an interview published monday . it 's a very aggressive enemy right now , ' mcchrystal told the newspaper in the interview saturday at his office in kabul , afghanistan . we 've got to stop their momentum , stop their initiative . it 's hard work . ' the taliban insurgency has blossomed in northern afghan provinces such as kunduz and baghlan , long considered some of the safest territory in the country . and just 20 miles east of kabul , taliban judges ' operate openly in the back of pickup trucks , settling legal disputes between villagers in makeshift mobile courts . ' the insurgents are filling a vacuum left by afghanistan 's western-backed government , which foreign diplomats and military commanders concede suffers from nepotism , corruption and predatory practices . challenge to the afghan government afghans will go to the polls on august 20 to vote in the nation 's second presidential election since the fall of the taliban regime in 2001 . opposition candidates have blamed the taliban insurgency 's continued growth on hamid karzai , the man who has occupied the presidential palace in kabul for the past seven years . because of the failure of the current administration , in losing the support of its own people , there is a vacuum , and that vacuum has led to a deterioration of security as well as in all parts of life , ' said karzai 's top challenger , former foreign minister abdullah abdullah . mcchrystal , a former u.s. joint special operations commander who recently took command of the u.s.-nato operation in afghanistan , said the taliban are challenging the very legitimacy of his partners in the afghan government . the fundamental conflict in any insurgency is fighting for legitimacy with the people and the support of the population , ' he explained in a recent interview with cnn . who do they look to as their legitimate government ? who do they pay taxes to ? who do they look to for rule of law ? who do they look to as protection ? in the case of this insurgency , what we have is an afghan government that is trying to establish itself around the country . it has problems with corruption . it has problems in some cases with predatory behavior . ' along the traffic-choked streets of kabul , residents rarely complain about the taliban . instead , they often rail against the western-backed afghan state . what service has this government provided us ? ' asked fawad , a young street vendor who sells watermelons for 20 cents apiece . he said that at least once a week , afghan police show up and demand bribes of up to $ 100 from vendors , who must pay if they want to continue selling their goods . we do n't want a tyrant who oppresses the people , ' fawad said when asked who he would vote for in the elections . what we want is security . ' earlier this month , an afghan employee for cnn , who prefers not to be named for security reasons , witnessed how locals turn to the taliban to resolve their disputes , in a village barely 20 miles east of the afghan capital . he said openly armed insurgents rolled up in a pickup truck , and a taliban judge began mediating local disputes . in one case , the taliban official resolved a disagreement between two shepherds whose flocks of sheep had gotten intermixed while grazing . i was shocked , ' said the afghan eyewitness , who was visiting the village to attend a funeral . the villagers were lining up asking for help from the taliban . ' nato commanders say they have had reports of taliban mobile courts ' operating in similar fashion just outside the southern city of kandahar . there are cases of rule of law being taken care of by the taliban instead of the afghan government , ' said col. paul kolken , a dutch military spokesman at kandahar air base . he said the taliban are operating mobile courts as close as possible to the city of kandahar . afghan corruption at the highest levels ? human rights activists accuse the karzai government of making deals with some of the country 's most notorious warlords ahead of the august 20 presidential elections . a lot of afghans are telling us they 're quite disappointed that karzai 's not even running on a platform of promises or performance , but just an old fashioned afghan cutting of deals , ' said sam zarifi of amnesty international . he pointed to a recent article by elizabeth rubin , in the new york times magazine , that describes karzai 's choice of mohammed fahim , a former northern alliance militia commander , as vice presidential running mate . fahim has long been accused of committing human rights abuses . starting on the top and bringing fahim back , this is horrific , ' zarifi said . he lamented that afghan politicians are rarely prosecuted for crimes , and if they are , they are often pardoned . karzai has really regressed over the past seven or eight years , ' zarifi said . many afghan observers argue this culture of impunity runs directly to the presidential palace . for years , karzai 's brother , ahmed wali , has been dogged by accusations that he is a major player in the booming drug trade in southern afghanistan . one high-ranking western diplomat stationed in kabul described discussing the allegations with karzai in a one-on-one meeting . karzai asked for advice on how best to address his brother 's alleged illicit business dealings , the diplomat said . at one point , the diplomat said , karzai looked up helplessly , asking , he 's my brother . what can i do ? ' both karzai and his brother have repeatedly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated . this month , karzai made a rare trip outside his presidential palace to woo voters in baghlan province . he conceded that afghanistan is still far from stable , but promised that if re-elected he would redouble his efforts to rebuild the country . terrorism is still harassing us . it is still killing us . it is still destroying this land , ' he told a crowd of several thousand supporters . the moment i become the president of afghanistan -- again -- through your vote , through your able hands , my first attempt will be to ensure perpetual peace . ' several days later , at a press conference with karzai , the newly appointed secretary general of the nato military alliance , anders fogh rasmussen , called for nato countries to contribute more troops to support the afghan government . nato-isaf is here to protect your elections , ' the former danish prime minister said at kabul 's presidential palace . what we need are credible elections that reflect the will of the people . ' isaf -- the international security assistance force -- is the united nations-mandated u.s.-nato presence in afghanistan . u.s. needs a strong afghan partner president obama 's administration has committed more resources and troops to battling the insurgency and training afghan security forces , while also sending additional diplomats and civilian aid workers to focus on reconstruction and development . when obama took office , he vowed to redirect military resources from the war in iraq to afghanistan , which he described as being -- along with neighboring pakistan -- the central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism . ' mcchrystal told the wall street journal that he is still considering a request to send 10,000 more troops to afghanistan in addition to the planned 68,000 troops that are expected to be in place by the end of the year . the information is a preview of a strategic assessment he plans to deliver to washington later this month . the military initiative is an effort to bolster afghanistan 's weak government , which many afghan observers argue has been , more than anything , a source of frustration and popular disappointment . if the same trend continues , if the same failing of the administration continues , more troops , more resources , more civilian advisors will not be a substitute , ' argued presidential candidate abdullah abdullah . security will be on the minds of most afghan voters as they head to the polls , according to jahid mohseni , the australian-afghan head of tolo tv , afghanistan 's most influential tv channel . people are frustrated with things not happening , ' mohseni said . in terms of day-to-day life , the development that they wanted in government has not been happening . ' they are looking at being able to walk down the street at night without ... risking getting attacked , et cetera . they want to make sure that their kids do n't get kidnapped . '","kabul residents rarely complain about the taliban , often rail against afghan state" +"taliban kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- it has been nearly eight years since u.s. forces overthrew the taliban leaders of afghanistan , but the war against the taliban insurgency is bloodier than ever . a u.s. soldier takes his position near a building attacked by the taliban south of kabul , afghanistan , on monday . the number of afghan civilians killed in the wake of the war has increased 24 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period last year , according to the united nations . and nato and american forces suffered record losses this summer , with 75 troops killed in the month of july , making it the deadliest month for western troops in the country since american warplanes first began bombing the taliban in october 2001 . the u.s. death toll will remain high for some time as the taliban has gained the upper hand , gen. stanley mcchrystal , the top u.s. commander in afghanistan , told the wall street journal in an interview published monday . it 's a very aggressive enemy right now , ' mcchrystal told the newspaper in the interview saturday at his office in kabul , afghanistan . we 've got to stop their momentum , stop their initiative . it 's hard work . ' the taliban insurgency has blossomed in northern afghan provinces such as kunduz and baghlan , long considered some of the safest territory in the country . and just 20 miles east of kabul , taliban judges ' operate openly in the back of pickup trucks , settling legal disputes between villagers in makeshift mobile courts . ' the insurgents are filling a vacuum left by afghanistan 's western-backed government , which foreign diplomats and military commanders concede suffers from nepotism , corruption and predatory practices . challenge to the afghan government afghans will go to the polls on august 20 to vote in the nation 's second presidential election since the fall of the taliban regime in 2001 . opposition candidates have blamed the taliban insurgency 's continued growth on hamid karzai , the man who has occupied the presidential palace in kabul for the past seven years . because of the failure of the current administration , in losing the support of its own people , there is a vacuum , and that vacuum has led to a deterioration of security as well as in all parts of life , ' said karzai 's top challenger , former foreign minister abdullah abdullah . mcchrystal , a former u.s. joint special operations commander who recently took command of the u.s.-nato operation in afghanistan , said the taliban are challenging the very legitimacy of his partners in the afghan government . the fundamental conflict in any insurgency is fighting for legitimacy with the people and the support of the population , ' he explained in a recent interview with cnn . who do they look to as their legitimate government ? who do they pay taxes to ? who do they look to for rule of law ? who do they look to as protection ? in the case of this insurgency , what we have is an afghan government that is trying to establish itself around the country . it has problems with corruption . it has problems in some cases with predatory behavior . ' along the traffic-choked streets of kabul , residents rarely complain about the taliban . instead , they often rail against the western-backed afghan state . what service has this government provided us ? ' asked fawad , a young street vendor who sells watermelons for 20 cents apiece . he said that at least once a week , afghan police show up and demand bribes of up to $ 100 from vendors , who must pay if they want to continue selling their goods . we do n't want a tyrant who oppresses the people , ' fawad said when asked who he would vote for in the elections . what we want is security . ' earlier this month , an afghan employee for cnn , who prefers not to be named for security reasons , witnessed how locals turn to the taliban to resolve their disputes , in a village barely 20 miles east of the afghan capital . he said openly armed insurgents rolled up in a pickup truck , and a taliban judge began mediating local disputes . in one case , the taliban official resolved a disagreement between two shepherds whose flocks of sheep had gotten intermixed while grazing . i was shocked , ' said the afghan eyewitness , who was visiting the village to attend a funeral . the villagers were lining up asking for help from the taliban . ' nato commanders say they have had reports of taliban mobile courts ' operating in similar fashion just outside the southern city of kandahar . there are cases of rule of law being taken care of by the taliban instead of the afghan government , ' said col. paul kolken , a dutch military spokesman at kandahar air base . he said the taliban are operating mobile courts as close as possible to the city of kandahar . afghan corruption at the highest levels ? human rights activists accuse the karzai government of making deals with some of the country 's most notorious warlords ahead of the august 20 presidential elections . a lot of afghans are telling us they 're quite disappointed that karzai 's not even running on a platform of promises or performance , but just an old fashioned afghan cutting of deals , ' said sam zarifi of amnesty international . he pointed to a recent article by elizabeth rubin , in the new york times magazine , that describes karzai 's choice of mohammed fahim , a former northern alliance militia commander , as vice presidential running mate . fahim has long been accused of committing human rights abuses . starting on the top and bringing fahim back , this is horrific , ' zarifi said . he lamented that afghan politicians are rarely prosecuted for crimes , and if they are , they are often pardoned . karzai has really regressed over the past seven or eight years , ' zarifi said . many afghan observers argue this culture of impunity runs directly to the presidential palace . for years , karzai 's brother , ahmed wali , has been dogged by accusations that he is a major player in the booming drug trade in southern afghanistan . one high-ranking western diplomat stationed in kabul described discussing the allegations with karzai in a one-on-one meeting . karzai asked for advice on how best to address his brother 's alleged illicit business dealings , the diplomat said . at one point , the diplomat said , karzai looked up helplessly , asking , he 's my brother . what can i do ? ' both karzai and his brother have repeatedly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated . this month , karzai made a rare trip outside his presidential palace to woo voters in baghlan province . he conceded that afghanistan is still far from stable , but promised that if re-elected he would redouble his efforts to rebuild the country . terrorism is still harassing us . it is still killing us . it is still destroying this land , ' he told a crowd of several thousand supporters . the moment i become the president of afghanistan -- again -- through your vote , through your able hands , my first attempt will be to ensure perpetual peace . ' several days later , at a press conference with karzai , the newly appointed secretary general of the nato military alliance , anders fogh rasmussen , called for nato countries to contribute more troops to support the afghan government . nato-isaf is here to protect your elections , ' the former danish prime minister said at kabul 's presidential palace . what we need are credible elections that reflect the will of the people . ' isaf -- the international security assistance force -- is the united nations-mandated u.s.-nato presence in afghanistan . u.s. needs a strong afghan partner president obama 's administration has committed more resources and troops to battling the insurgency and training afghan security forces , while also sending additional diplomats and civilian aid workers to focus on reconstruction and development . when obama took office , he vowed to redirect military resources from the war in iraq to afghanistan , which he described as being -- along with neighboring pakistan -- the central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism . ' mcchrystal told the wall street journal that he is still considering a request to send 10,000 more troops to afghanistan in addition to the planned 68,000 troops that are expected to be in place by the end of the year . the information is a preview of a strategic assessment he plans to deliver to washington later this month . the military initiative is an effort to bolster afghanistan 's weak government , which many afghan observers argue has been , more than anything , a source of frustration and popular disappointment . if the same trend continues , if the same failing of the administration continues , more troops , more resources , more civilian advisors will not be a substitute , ' argued presidential candidate abdullah abdullah . security will be on the minds of most afghan voters as they head to the polls , according to jahid mohseni , the australian-afghan head of tolo tv , afghanistan 's most influential tv channel . people are frustrated with things not happening , ' mohseni said . in terms of day-to-day life , the development that they wanted in government has not been happening . ' they are looking at being able to walk down the street at night without ... risking getting attacked , et cetera . they want to make sure that their kids do n't get kidnapped . '","but the war against the taliban insurgency is bloodier than ever" +"taliban kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- it has been nearly eight years since u.s. forces overthrew the taliban leaders of afghanistan , but the war against the taliban insurgency is bloodier than ever . a u.s. soldier takes his position near a building attacked by the taliban south of kabul , afghanistan , on monday . the number of afghan civilians killed in the wake of the war has increased 24 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period last year , according to the united nations . and nato and american forces suffered record losses this summer , with 75 troops killed in the month of july , making it the deadliest month for western troops in the country since american warplanes first began bombing the taliban in october 2001 . the u.s. death toll will remain high for some time as the taliban has gained the upper hand , gen. stanley mcchrystal , the top u.s. commander in afghanistan , told the wall street journal in an interview published monday . it 's a very aggressive enemy right now , ' mcchrystal told the newspaper in the interview saturday at his office in kabul , afghanistan . we 've got to stop their momentum , stop their initiative . it 's hard work . ' the taliban insurgency has blossomed in northern afghan provinces such as kunduz and baghlan , long considered some of the safest territory in the country . and just 20 miles east of kabul , taliban judges ' operate openly in the back of pickup trucks , settling legal disputes between villagers in makeshift mobile courts . ' the insurgents are filling a vacuum left by afghanistan 's western-backed government , which foreign diplomats and military commanders concede suffers from nepotism , corruption and predatory practices . challenge to the afghan government afghans will go to the polls on august 20 to vote in the nation 's second presidential election since the fall of the taliban regime in 2001 . opposition candidates have blamed the taliban insurgency 's continued growth on hamid karzai , the man who has occupied the presidential palace in kabul for the past seven years . because of the failure of the current administration , in losing the support of its own people , there is a vacuum , and that vacuum has led to a deterioration of security as well as in all parts of life , ' said karzai 's top challenger , former foreign minister abdullah abdullah . mcchrystal , a former u.s. joint special operations commander who recently took command of the u.s.-nato operation in afghanistan , said the taliban are challenging the very legitimacy of his partners in the afghan government . the fundamental conflict in any insurgency is fighting for legitimacy with the people and the support of the population , ' he explained in a recent interview with cnn . who do they look to as their legitimate government ? who do they pay taxes to ? who do they look to for rule of law ? who do they look to as protection ? in the case of this insurgency , what we have is an afghan government that is trying to establish itself around the country . it has problems with corruption . it has problems in some cases with predatory behavior . ' along the traffic-choked streets of kabul , residents rarely complain about the taliban . instead , they often rail against the western-backed afghan state . what service has this government provided us ? ' asked fawad , a young street vendor who sells watermelons for 20 cents apiece . he said that at least once a week , afghan police show up and demand bribes of up to $ 100 from vendors , who must pay if they want to continue selling their goods . we do n't want a tyrant who oppresses the people , ' fawad said when asked who he would vote for in the elections . what we want is security . ' earlier this month , an afghan employee for cnn , who prefers not to be named for security reasons , witnessed how locals turn to the taliban to resolve their disputes , in a village barely 20 miles east of the afghan capital . he said openly armed insurgents rolled up in a pickup truck , and a taliban judge began mediating local disputes . in one case , the taliban official resolved a disagreement between two shepherds whose flocks of sheep had gotten intermixed while grazing . i was shocked , ' said the afghan eyewitness , who was visiting the village to attend a funeral . the villagers were lining up asking for help from the taliban . ' nato commanders say they have had reports of taliban mobile courts ' operating in similar fashion just outside the southern city of kandahar . there are cases of rule of law being taken care of by the taliban instead of the afghan government , ' said col. paul kolken , a dutch military spokesman at kandahar air base . he said the taliban are operating mobile courts as close as possible to the city of kandahar . afghan corruption at the highest levels ? human rights activists accuse the karzai government of making deals with some of the country 's most notorious warlords ahead of the august 20 presidential elections . a lot of afghans are telling us they 're quite disappointed that karzai 's not even running on a platform of promises or performance , but just an old fashioned afghan cutting of deals , ' said sam zarifi of amnesty international . he pointed to a recent article by elizabeth rubin , in the new york times magazine , that describes karzai 's choice of mohammed fahim , a former northern alliance militia commander , as vice presidential running mate . fahim has long been accused of committing human rights abuses . starting on the top and bringing fahim back , this is horrific , ' zarifi said . he lamented that afghan politicians are rarely prosecuted for crimes , and if they are , they are often pardoned . karzai has really regressed over the past seven or eight years , ' zarifi said . many afghan observers argue this culture of impunity runs directly to the presidential palace . for years , karzai 's brother , ahmed wali , has been dogged by accusations that he is a major player in the booming drug trade in southern afghanistan . one high-ranking western diplomat stationed in kabul described discussing the allegations with karzai in a one-on-one meeting . karzai asked for advice on how best to address his brother 's alleged illicit business dealings , the diplomat said . at one point , the diplomat said , karzai looked up helplessly , asking , he 's my brother . what can i do ? ' both karzai and his brother have repeatedly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated . this month , karzai made a rare trip outside his presidential palace to woo voters in baghlan province . he conceded that afghanistan is still far from stable , but promised that if re-elected he would redouble his efforts to rebuild the country . terrorism is still harassing us . it is still killing us . it is still destroying this land , ' he told a crowd of several thousand supporters . the moment i become the president of afghanistan -- again -- through your vote , through your able hands , my first attempt will be to ensure perpetual peace . ' several days later , at a press conference with karzai , the newly appointed secretary general of the nato military alliance , anders fogh rasmussen , called for nato countries to contribute more troops to support the afghan government . nato-isaf is here to protect your elections , ' the former danish prime minister said at kabul 's presidential palace . what we need are credible elections that reflect the will of the people . ' isaf -- the international security assistance force -- is the united nations-mandated u.s.-nato presence in afghanistan . u.s. needs a strong afghan partner president obama 's administration has committed more resources and troops to battling the insurgency and training afghan security forces , while also sending additional diplomats and civilian aid workers to focus on reconstruction and development . when obama took office , he vowed to redirect military resources from the war in iraq to afghanistan , which he described as being -- along with neighboring pakistan -- the central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism . ' mcchrystal told the wall street journal that he is still considering a request to send 10,000 more troops to afghanistan in addition to the planned 68,000 troops that are expected to be in place by the end of the year . the information is a preview of a strategic assessment he plans to deliver to washington later this month . the military initiative is an effort to bolster afghanistan 's weak government , which many afghan observers argue has been , more than anything , a source of frustration and popular disappointment . if the same trend continues , if the same failing of the administration continues , more troops , more resources , more civilian advisors will not be a substitute , ' argued presidential candidate abdullah abdullah . security will be on the minds of most afghan voters as they head to the polls , according to jahid mohseni , the australian-afghan head of tolo tv , afghanistan 's most influential tv channel . people are frustrated with things not happening , ' mohseni said . in terms of day-to-day life , the development that they wanted in government has not been happening . ' they are looking at being able to walk down the street at night without ... risking getting attacked , et cetera . they want to make sure that their kids do n't get kidnapped . '","eight years since u.s. forces overthrew the taliban leaders of afghanistan" +"taliban kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- it has been nearly eight years since u.s. forces overthrew the taliban leaders of afghanistan , but the war against the taliban insurgency is bloodier than ever . a u.s. soldier takes his position near a building attacked by the taliban south of kabul , afghanistan , on monday . the number of afghan civilians killed in the wake of the war has increased 24 percent in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period last year , according to the united nations . and nato and american forces suffered record losses this summer , with 75 troops killed in the month of july , making it the deadliest month for western troops in the country since american warplanes first began bombing the taliban in october 2001 . the u.s. death toll will remain high for some time as the taliban has gained the upper hand , gen. stanley mcchrystal , the top u.s. commander in afghanistan , told the wall street journal in an interview published monday . it 's a very aggressive enemy right now , ' mcchrystal told the newspaper in the interview saturday at his office in kabul , afghanistan . we 've got to stop their momentum , stop their initiative . it 's hard work . ' the taliban insurgency has blossomed in northern afghan provinces such as kunduz and baghlan , long considered some of the safest territory in the country . and just 20 miles east of kabul , taliban judges ' operate openly in the back of pickup trucks , settling legal disputes between villagers in makeshift mobile courts . ' the insurgents are filling a vacuum left by afghanistan 's western-backed government , which foreign diplomats and military commanders concede suffers from nepotism , corruption and predatory practices . challenge to the afghan government afghans will go to the polls on august 20 to vote in the nation 's second presidential election since the fall of the taliban regime in 2001 . opposition candidates have blamed the taliban insurgency 's continued growth on hamid karzai , the man who has occupied the presidential palace in kabul for the past seven years . because of the failure of the current administration , in losing the support of its own people , there is a vacuum , and that vacuum has led to a deterioration of security as well as in all parts of life , ' said karzai 's top challenger , former foreign minister abdullah abdullah . mcchrystal , a former u.s. joint special operations commander who recently took command of the u.s.-nato operation in afghanistan , said the taliban are challenging the very legitimacy of his partners in the afghan government . the fundamental conflict in any insurgency is fighting for legitimacy with the people and the support of the population , ' he explained in a recent interview with cnn . who do they look to as their legitimate government ? who do they pay taxes to ? who do they look to for rule of law ? who do they look to as protection ? in the case of this insurgency , what we have is an afghan government that is trying to establish itself around the country . it has problems with corruption . it has problems in some cases with predatory behavior . ' along the traffic-choked streets of kabul , residents rarely complain about the taliban . instead , they often rail against the western-backed afghan state . what service has this government provided us ? ' asked fawad , a young street vendor who sells watermelons for 20 cents apiece . he said that at least once a week , afghan police show up and demand bribes of up to $ 100 from vendors , who must pay if they want to continue selling their goods . we do n't want a tyrant who oppresses the people , ' fawad said when asked who he would vote for in the elections . what we want is security . ' earlier this month , an afghan employee for cnn , who prefers not to be named for security reasons , witnessed how locals turn to the taliban to resolve their disputes , in a village barely 20 miles east of the afghan capital . he said openly armed insurgents rolled up in a pickup truck , and a taliban judge began mediating local disputes . in one case , the taliban official resolved a disagreement between two shepherds whose flocks of sheep had gotten intermixed while grazing . i was shocked , ' said the afghan eyewitness , who was visiting the village to attend a funeral . the villagers were lining up asking for help from the taliban . ' nato commanders say they have had reports of taliban mobile courts ' operating in similar fashion just outside the southern city of kandahar . there are cases of rule of law being taken care of by the taliban instead of the afghan government , ' said col. paul kolken , a dutch military spokesman at kandahar air base . he said the taliban are operating mobile courts as close as possible to the city of kandahar . afghan corruption at the highest levels ? human rights activists accuse the karzai government of making deals with some of the country 's most notorious warlords ahead of the august 20 presidential elections . a lot of afghans are telling us they 're quite disappointed that karzai 's not even running on a platform of promises or performance , but just an old fashioned afghan cutting of deals , ' said sam zarifi of amnesty international . he pointed to a recent article by elizabeth rubin , in the new york times magazine , that describes karzai 's choice of mohammed fahim , a former northern alliance militia commander , as vice presidential running mate . fahim has long been accused of committing human rights abuses . starting on the top and bringing fahim back , this is horrific , ' zarifi said . he lamented that afghan politicians are rarely prosecuted for crimes , and if they are , they are often pardoned . karzai has really regressed over the past seven or eight years , ' zarifi said . many afghan observers argue this culture of impunity runs directly to the presidential palace . for years , karzai 's brother , ahmed wali , has been dogged by accusations that he is a major player in the booming drug trade in southern afghanistan . one high-ranking western diplomat stationed in kabul described discussing the allegations with karzai in a one-on-one meeting . karzai asked for advice on how best to address his brother 's alleged illicit business dealings , the diplomat said . at one point , the diplomat said , karzai looked up helplessly , asking , he 's my brother . what can i do ? ' both karzai and his brother have repeatedly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated . this month , karzai made a rare trip outside his presidential palace to woo voters in baghlan province . he conceded that afghanistan is still far from stable , but promised that if re-elected he would redouble his efforts to rebuild the country . terrorism is still harassing us . it is still killing us . it is still destroying this land , ' he told a crowd of several thousand supporters . the moment i become the president of afghanistan -- again -- through your vote , through your able hands , my first attempt will be to ensure perpetual peace . ' several days later , at a press conference with karzai , the newly appointed secretary general of the nato military alliance , anders fogh rasmussen , called for nato countries to contribute more troops to support the afghan government . nato-isaf is here to protect your elections , ' the former danish prime minister said at kabul 's presidential palace . what we need are credible elections that reflect the will of the people . ' isaf -- the international security assistance force -- is the united nations-mandated u.s.-nato presence in afghanistan . u.s. needs a strong afghan partner president obama 's administration has committed more resources and troops to battling the insurgency and training afghan security forces , while also sending additional diplomats and civilian aid workers to focus on reconstruction and development . when obama took office , he vowed to redirect military resources from the war in iraq to afghanistan , which he described as being -- along with neighboring pakistan -- the central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism . ' mcchrystal told the wall street journal that he is still considering a request to send 10,000 more troops to afghanistan in addition to the planned 68,000 troops that are expected to be in place by the end of the year . the information is a preview of a strategic assessment he plans to deliver to washington later this month . the military initiative is an effort to bolster afghanistan 's weak government , which many afghan observers argue has been , more than anything , a source of frustration and popular disappointment . if the same trend continues , if the same failing of the administration continues , more troops , more resources , more civilian advisors will not be a substitute , ' argued presidential candidate abdullah abdullah . security will be on the minds of most afghan voters as they head to the polls , according to jahid mohseni , the australian-afghan head of tolo tv , afghanistan 's most influential tv channel . people are frustrated with things not happening , ' mohseni said . in terms of day-to-day life , the development that they wanted in government has not been happening . ' they are looking at being able to walk down the street at night without ... risking getting attacked , et cetera . they want to make sure that their kids do n't get kidnapped . '","kabul residents rarely complain about the taliban , often rail against afghan state" +"europa ( cnn ) -- ukraine 's fc dnipro earned a 1-0 victory over english premier league side tottenham hotspur as the knockout stages of the europa league got underway on thursday . yevhen konoplyanka scored from the penalty spot nine minutes from the end to hand the ukrainian premier league side a priceless lead ahead of next week 's return leg at white hart lane . the first leg at the dnipro arena was played in front of a sparse crowd following the terrible violence that has taken place in recent days on the streets of the capital kiev , 280 miles ( 450 km ) northwest . a national day of mourning was declared on thursday following the loss of dozens of lives in anti-government protests . both sets of players wore black armbands as a mark of respect to the dead and observed a minutes silence before the start of the match . read more : sergey bubka urges ukraine to end violence once the game got underway spurs dominated possession but it was the home side who made the most of their chances . roberto soldado should of put spurs ahead in the 56th minute but fired over the bar from five yards after paulinho had played in an inch-perfect cross from the right . tim sherwood 's side were made to pay for their profligacy when jan vertonghen brought down striker matheus in the box before konoplyanka scored from the spot kick to end spurs'100 % record in the europa league this season . dynamo kiev , who are currently lying third , one place above dnipro , in the ukrainian premier league , had to have their last 32 first leg tie with valencia moved to cyprus because of the ongoing violence . the match played in the gsp stadium in cyprus'capital nicosia was won 2-0 by the spanish side . in other matches , last season 's runners up benfica beat greek side paok salonika while 2011 champions porto could only manage a 2-2 draw against german side eintracht frankfurt . italian clubs enjoyed a mixed time of it on thursday with fiorentina running out 3-1 winners against dutch side esbjerg . serie a leaders juventus , who finished third behind galatasaray in the champions league group b last december , had better luck against fellow turkish side trabzonspor beating them 2-0 . napoli , however , only managed a 0-0 draw with swansea city at the liberty stadium and lazio lost 1-0 to bulgaria 's ludogorets razgrad at the stadio olimpico in rome .","ukraine 's fc dnipro beat tottenham hotspur 1-0 in first leg of europa league tie" +"europa ( cnn ) -- ukraine 's fc dnipro earned a 1-0 victory over english premier league side tottenham hotspur as the knockout stages of the europa league got underway on thursday . yevhen konoplyanka scored from the penalty spot nine minutes from the end to hand the ukrainian premier league side a priceless lead ahead of next week 's return leg at white hart lane . the first leg at the dnipro arena was played in front of a sparse crowd following the terrible violence that has taken place in recent days on the streets of the capital kiev , 280 miles ( 450 km ) northwest . a national day of mourning was declared on thursday following the loss of dozens of lives in anti-government protests . both sets of players wore black armbands as a mark of respect to the dead and observed a minutes silence before the start of the match . read more : sergey bubka urges ukraine to end violence once the game got underway spurs dominated possession but it was the home side who made the most of their chances . roberto soldado should of put spurs ahead in the 56th minute but fired over the bar from five yards after paulinho had played in an inch-perfect cross from the right . tim sherwood 's side were made to pay for their profligacy when jan vertonghen brought down striker matheus in the box before konoplyanka scored from the spot kick to end spurs'100 % record in the europa league this season . dynamo kiev , who are currently lying third , one place above dnipro , in the ukrainian premier league , had to have their last 32 first leg tie with valencia moved to cyprus because of the ongoing violence . the match played in the gsp stadium in cyprus'capital nicosia was won 2-0 by the spanish side . in other matches , last season 's runners up benfica beat greek side paok salonika while 2011 champions porto could only manage a 2-2 draw against german side eintracht frankfurt . italian clubs enjoyed a mixed time of it on thursday with fiorentina running out 3-1 winners against dutch side esbjerg . serie a leaders juventus , who finished third behind galatasaray in the champions league group b last december , had better luck against fellow turkish side trabzonspor beating them 2-0 . napoli , however , only managed a 0-0 draw with swansea city at the liberty stadium and lazio lost 1-0 to bulgaria 's ludogorets razgrad at the stadio olimpico in rome .","juventus make positive to europa campaign following champions league elimination" +"house ethics committee washington ( cnn ) -- rep. charlie rangel temporarily stepped down as chairman of the house ways and means committee on wednesday , a decision forced by a growing storm of ethics controversies threatening the longtime congressman . the 20-term new york democrat told reporters he had submitted a letter to house speaker nancy pelosi requesting a temporary leave of absence until a broad-reaching house ethics committee investigation concludes . in order to avoid my colleagues'having to defend me during their elections , i have this morning sent a letter to speaker pelosi asking her to grant me a leave of absence until such time as the ethics committee completes its work , ' rangel said wednesday . in a statement , pelosi said she had accepted rangel 's request and praised the congressman for his decades of leadership on jobs , health care and the most significant economic issues of the day . ' read rangel 's letter to pelosi the night before rangel said he had no plans to step aside from his powerful post . the ways and means committee is responsible for drafting the nation 's tax policies . rangel is being investigated for , among other things , failing to pay taxes on a home in the dominican republic . the congressman also has admitted failing to report several hundred thousand dollars in assets on federal disclosure forms . in addition , he is under scrutiny for the purported misuse of a rent-controlled apartment for political purposes , as well as for allegedly preserving tax benefits for an oil-drilling company in exchange for donations to a project he supported at the city college of new york . rangel was formally admonished friday by the house ethics committee for violating rules on receiving gifts . specifically , the committee found that rangel violated house gift rules by accepting reimbursement payments for travel to conferences in the caribbean in 2007 and 2008 . rangel 's staff , according to the committee , knew that corporations had given money to the carib news , which sponsored the events . that fact had not been divulged to the ethics committee when rangel asked for and received approval to attend the trips , according to the committee 's report . the committee found that while rangel did not know about the contributions , he was nevertheless responsible . a source told cnn on tuesday that if rangel stepped aside , senior ways and means democrat pete stark would take over as the committee 's chairman on a temporary basis . ' house republicans plan to introduce a resolution wednesday calling on rangel to permanently step down and again force house democrats to go on record defending him . they issued a statement after rangel 's announcement , calling his decision to temporarily step aside an embarrassing episode ' for the democratic majority . nancy pelosi 's promise to run the'most ethical congress in history'has been reduced to a punch line , and as a result she is presiding over a caucus in chaos , ' said gop spokesman ken spain . the democrats -- under speaker pelosi 's leadership -- are incapable of leading the united states congress . ' house democrats have blocked previous gop resolutions on the house floor , but several democrats in competitive districts have come out publicly in recent days , saying they thought it was time for rangel to step down . rangel is a founding member of the congressional black caucus , which has 42 members in the house . cnn 's brianna keilar and deirdre walsh contributed to this report","house ethics committee admonished him for violating rules on receiving gifts" +"soundcloud it 's the business buzzword that 's helping to change the global economy : start-up . but in berlin , the start-up world is still shaping up . simon schaefer is the founder of factory , a 16,000-square-meter co-working space in berlin designed to cultivate entrepreneurship . factory allows small start-ups to work on the same campus as more established tech companies , providing a playground for entrepreneurs and innovators . ' cnn spoke with schaefer to find out how factory is facilitating start-ups and the burgeoning berlin tech scene . cnn : how many start-ups are currently working at factory ? simon schaefer : right now we have about 25 companies here on the premises . the big and important difference between other work spaces and us is that we 're stage agnostic so we have later-stage companies or established companies like mozilla , local heroes like soundcloud or wunderkinder , which are role models for younger founders to look up to . cnn : how does berlin 's start-up environment compare to the likes of silicon valley ? ss : if you compare berlin to other ecosystems , it 's very early stage . and it needs time the most , and collective know-how . and getting companies from different stages and having them work with each other is much , much easier with proximity and bringing people together in one place . cnn : what advice do you have for others who are starting a business ? ss : i think what you should do is look at the individual stages of development of the company . if you 're an angel or seed-stage , it 's rather simple . you get feedback on your product and you get the chance to test your ideas with your peers . if you 're in a later stage company , i think you quickly realize that growth changes you . and so i think not only do the founders of those companies invest and engage with early-stage companies , but also they still have to touch base with what they were like a few years ago . i think it 's always important to have that visually in front of you , to be aware of what it really means to be a small , flexible team . cnn : why did you choose to invest in start-ups ? ss : quite frankly [ factory is ] a €22 million ( $ 28 million ) investment and it 's entirely brought together by five individuals . if you look at real estate as a business , start-ups are probably your worst clients . because if it works really well , they outgrow the space quickly . and if it does n't work at all , you 'll hear from them when there 's a lot of rent left to be paid . so it was very difficult to create a concept around the dynamism of start-up culture . and i think we 've succeeded by being very flexible and having short-term and long-term spaces for their individual stages . there 's a lot of interesting momentum in berlin and we 're trying to capture that in one place . so for anyone who wants to be part of that movement , it would make sense to be here .","factory has 24 companies in its space , including global players like soundcloud" +"dzong bhutan is mourning the loss of wangdue phodrang dzong , a four-century-old architectural wonder that had dramatically stood on a ridge at the confluence of two rivers before it burned to the ground over the weekend . a gateway to eastern bhutan , the dzong was built in 1638 by the nation 's founder , zhabdrung ngawang namgyal , and was among several fortress-monasteries constructed to help gain control of -- and unify -- the country . the entire society has solidarity for the loss of one of the most important and oldest fortresses in our country , ' said home minister minjur dorji , who has been on the site for the last three days , in a telephone call . king jigme khesar namgyel wangchuck and the queen have been there since the fire trying to morally support the people , ' he added . it 's not just a bhutanese architectural loss but for the whole himalayan region , ' dasho karma ura , president of the thimphu-based center for bhutan studies , said by telephone on tuesday before visiting the site . something could not have been built like that anywhere else , ' he said . the fire started sunday afternoon and burned through the night , consuming the dzong , which not only housed temples but served as the seat of administration for the district . bhutan 's moving gold : how water is powering the country as news of the fire broke out , the king and queen rushed to the scene to oversee the firefighting effort . most of the dzong 's sacred relics -- hundreds of them -- were saved , many of them dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries , thanks to the bhutan armed forces , said the home minister . some of the relics were carried out , while others were thrown in iron boxes from three- to four-story heights into the cactus below , he said , adding that some of the relics received minor but not severe damage . although an investigation is still under way , a short circuit in the wiring is believed to have caused the fire , according to the minister , adding that the dzong was 95 % built of timber . dzongs have had a history of fires , he explained , noting that butter lamps had been the culprit in the past . today , it 's modern facilities . we have electrified nearly all the dzongs , and short-circuits could come from poor quality of wiring . that 's where we have our problems . ' by tuesday , only stones , which comprised the stairs before the dzong 's entrance , remained of the dzong , according to the bhutan newspaper , kuensel , which reported that numerous administrative documents were lost . bhutan had only just submitted wangdue phodrang for world heritage list consideration in march . no one was killed in the blaze , and all people have been accounted for , the home minister said , noting that sunday had been a holiday , and that monks'residences were constructed outside the dzong . in a message to fellow citizens published on kuensel 's website on tuesday , prime minister jigmi y thinley said that wangdue phodrong dzong will be rebuilt just as the paro taktsang , nicknamed the tiger 's nest , was after its own devastating fire in 1998 . the taktsang , he wrote , is in fact more cherished and revered today because the fire awakened all of us to the fragility and vulnerability of this most precious heritage . ' finding happiness in mystical bhutan with its contours built into the ridge 1,350 meters ( 4,430 feet ) above sea level , wangdue phodrang is inaccessible on three sides save for a narrow path in the front , dasho karma of the center for bhutan studies pointed out . its hilltop location overlooking the punatsangchu and dangchu rivers offered a military advantage -- and the same inaccessibility that was intended to ward off enemy attacks on sunday hampered efforts by firefighters to put the blaze out . minjur dorji said there was no financial estimate for the destruction of wangdue phodrang dzong , which has been immortalized in art as well as in a bhutanese ballad composed in the late 19th century . dzongs are priceless , ' he said . it is a big loss . bhutan is a very small , tiny country . to reconstruct the same old structure at this point is going to be very difficult for our internal revenues to support . ' only simtokha dzong and punakha dzong , both completed in 1631 and also by zhabdrung , are older . punakha 's dzong has itself weathered numerous fires , quakes and floods over the centuries and has been rebuilt many times . this week 's fire will prompt bhutan to shift its policy to protect its centuries-old dzongs , the home minister said . such policies would include ensuring a high quality in the electrification of the dzongs , adequate fire-extinguishing equipment , alternatives to timber which comprise most dzong construction -- and multiple exits . in fortified fortresses , there is only one exit . we need to have multiple exits so that lives are not lost , ' he said . to observe a national day of tragedy , the home ministry declared all offices and schools across the country closed on monday . it was one of the most magnificent sites of bhutan -- that dzong , ' said dasho karma . for me it was always an uplifting experience to come to view it . it was always a great esthetic experience to sit quietly at the point where you could see that dzong . ' he hoped the king would rebuild the fortress , which will inspire future generations ... in the same way that the founder of bhutan did , ' he added .'endangered historic places'list includes joe frazier 's gym , ellis island","prime minister says dzong , destroyed by fire on sunday , will be rebuilt" +"dzong bhutan is mourning the loss of wangdue phodrang dzong , a four-century-old architectural wonder that had dramatically stood on a ridge at the confluence of two rivers before it burned to the ground over the weekend . a gateway to eastern bhutan , the dzong was built in 1638 by the nation 's founder , zhabdrung ngawang namgyal , and was among several fortress-monasteries constructed to help gain control of -- and unify -- the country . the entire society has solidarity for the loss of one of the most important and oldest fortresses in our country , ' said home minister minjur dorji , who has been on the site for the last three days , in a telephone call . king jigme khesar namgyel wangchuck and the queen have been there since the fire trying to morally support the people , ' he added . it 's not just a bhutanese architectural loss but for the whole himalayan region , ' dasho karma ura , president of the thimphu-based center for bhutan studies , said by telephone on tuesday before visiting the site . something could not have been built like that anywhere else , ' he said . the fire started sunday afternoon and burned through the night , consuming the dzong , which not only housed temples but served as the seat of administration for the district . bhutan 's moving gold : how water is powering the country as news of the fire broke out , the king and queen rushed to the scene to oversee the firefighting effort . most of the dzong 's sacred relics -- hundreds of them -- were saved , many of them dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries , thanks to the bhutan armed forces , said the home minister . some of the relics were carried out , while others were thrown in iron boxes from three- to four-story heights into the cactus below , he said , adding that some of the relics received minor but not severe damage . although an investigation is still under way , a short circuit in the wiring is believed to have caused the fire , according to the minister , adding that the dzong was 95 % built of timber . dzongs have had a history of fires , he explained , noting that butter lamps had been the culprit in the past . today , it 's modern facilities . we have electrified nearly all the dzongs , and short-circuits could come from poor quality of wiring . that 's where we have our problems . ' by tuesday , only stones , which comprised the stairs before the dzong 's entrance , remained of the dzong , according to the bhutan newspaper , kuensel , which reported that numerous administrative documents were lost . bhutan had only just submitted wangdue phodrang for world heritage list consideration in march . no one was killed in the blaze , and all people have been accounted for , the home minister said , noting that sunday had been a holiday , and that monks'residences were constructed outside the dzong . in a message to fellow citizens published on kuensel 's website on tuesday , prime minister jigmi y thinley said that wangdue phodrong dzong will be rebuilt just as the paro taktsang , nicknamed the tiger 's nest , was after its own devastating fire in 1998 . the taktsang , he wrote , is in fact more cherished and revered today because the fire awakened all of us to the fragility and vulnerability of this most precious heritage . ' finding happiness in mystical bhutan with its contours built into the ridge 1,350 meters ( 4,430 feet ) above sea level , wangdue phodrang is inaccessible on three sides save for a narrow path in the front , dasho karma of the center for bhutan studies pointed out . its hilltop location overlooking the punatsangchu and dangchu rivers offered a military advantage -- and the same inaccessibility that was intended to ward off enemy attacks on sunday hampered efforts by firefighters to put the blaze out . minjur dorji said there was no financial estimate for the destruction of wangdue phodrang dzong , which has been immortalized in art as well as in a bhutanese ballad composed in the late 19th century . dzongs are priceless , ' he said . it is a big loss . bhutan is a very small , tiny country . to reconstruct the same old structure at this point is going to be very difficult for our internal revenues to support . ' only simtokha dzong and punakha dzong , both completed in 1631 and also by zhabdrung , are older . punakha 's dzong has itself weathered numerous fires , quakes and floods over the centuries and has been rebuilt many times . this week 's fire will prompt bhutan to shift its policy to protect its centuries-old dzongs , the home minister said . such policies would include ensuring a high quality in the electrification of the dzongs , adequate fire-extinguishing equipment , alternatives to timber which comprise most dzong construction -- and multiple exits . in fortified fortresses , there is only one exit . we need to have multiple exits so that lives are not lost , ' he said . to observe a national day of tragedy , the home ministry declared all offices and schools across the country closed on monday . it was one of the most magnificent sites of bhutan -- that dzong , ' said dasho karma . for me it was always an uplifting experience to come to view it . it was always a great esthetic experience to sit quietly at the point where you could see that dzong . ' he hoped the king would rebuild the fortress , which will inspire future generations ... in the same way that the founder of bhutan did , ' he added .'endangered historic places'list includes joe frazier 's gym , ellis island","most of the dzong 's sacred relics -- hundreds of them -- were saved , home minister says" +"dzong bhutan is mourning the loss of wangdue phodrang dzong , a four-century-old architectural wonder that had dramatically stood on a ridge at the confluence of two rivers before it burned to the ground over the weekend . a gateway to eastern bhutan , the dzong was built in 1638 by the nation 's founder , zhabdrung ngawang namgyal , and was among several fortress-monasteries constructed to help gain control of -- and unify -- the country . the entire society has solidarity for the loss of one of the most important and oldest fortresses in our country , ' said home minister minjur dorji , who has been on the site for the last three days , in a telephone call . king jigme khesar namgyel wangchuck and the queen have been there since the fire trying to morally support the people , ' he added . it 's not just a bhutanese architectural loss but for the whole himalayan region , ' dasho karma ura , president of the thimphu-based center for bhutan studies , said by telephone on tuesday before visiting the site . something could not have been built like that anywhere else , ' he said . the fire started sunday afternoon and burned through the night , consuming the dzong , which not only housed temples but served as the seat of administration for the district . bhutan 's moving gold : how water is powering the country as news of the fire broke out , the king and queen rushed to the scene to oversee the firefighting effort . most of the dzong 's sacred relics -- hundreds of them -- were saved , many of them dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries , thanks to the bhutan armed forces , said the home minister . some of the relics were carried out , while others were thrown in iron boxes from three- to four-story heights into the cactus below , he said , adding that some of the relics received minor but not severe damage . although an investigation is still under way , a short circuit in the wiring is believed to have caused the fire , according to the minister , adding that the dzong was 95 % built of timber . dzongs have had a history of fires , he explained , noting that butter lamps had been the culprit in the past . today , it 's modern facilities . we have electrified nearly all the dzongs , and short-circuits could come from poor quality of wiring . that 's where we have our problems . ' by tuesday , only stones , which comprised the stairs before the dzong 's entrance , remained of the dzong , according to the bhutan newspaper , kuensel , which reported that numerous administrative documents were lost . bhutan had only just submitted wangdue phodrang for world heritage list consideration in march . no one was killed in the blaze , and all people have been accounted for , the home minister said , noting that sunday had been a holiday , and that monks'residences were constructed outside the dzong . in a message to fellow citizens published on kuensel 's website on tuesday , prime minister jigmi y thinley said that wangdue phodrong dzong will be rebuilt just as the paro taktsang , nicknamed the tiger 's nest , was after its own devastating fire in 1998 . the taktsang , he wrote , is in fact more cherished and revered today because the fire awakened all of us to the fragility and vulnerability of this most precious heritage . ' finding happiness in mystical bhutan with its contours built into the ridge 1,350 meters ( 4,430 feet ) above sea level , wangdue phodrang is inaccessible on three sides save for a narrow path in the front , dasho karma of the center for bhutan studies pointed out . its hilltop location overlooking the punatsangchu and dangchu rivers offered a military advantage -- and the same inaccessibility that was intended to ward off enemy attacks on sunday hampered efforts by firefighters to put the blaze out . minjur dorji said there was no financial estimate for the destruction of wangdue phodrang dzong , which has been immortalized in art as well as in a bhutanese ballad composed in the late 19th century . dzongs are priceless , ' he said . it is a big loss . bhutan is a very small , tiny country . to reconstruct the same old structure at this point is going to be very difficult for our internal revenues to support . ' only simtokha dzong and punakha dzong , both completed in 1631 and also by zhabdrung , are older . punakha 's dzong has itself weathered numerous fires , quakes and floods over the centuries and has been rebuilt many times . this week 's fire will prompt bhutan to shift its policy to protect its centuries-old dzongs , the home minister said . such policies would include ensuring a high quality in the electrification of the dzongs , adequate fire-extinguishing equipment , alternatives to timber which comprise most dzong construction -- and multiple exits . in fortified fortresses , there is only one exit . we need to have multiple exits so that lives are not lost , ' he said . to observe a national day of tragedy , the home ministry declared all offices and schools across the country closed on monday . it was one of the most magnificent sites of bhutan -- that dzong , ' said dasho karma . for me it was always an uplifting experience to come to view it . it was always a great esthetic experience to sit quietly at the point where you could see that dzong . ' he hoped the king would rebuild the fortress , which will inspire future generations ... in the same way that the founder of bhutan did , ' he added .'endangered historic places'list includes joe frazier 's gym , ellis island","dzong not only housed temples but served as administrative seat for district" +"obama ( cnn ) -- coming home from asia , barack obama is obviously going through another rough patch in his presidency . but this time , it could be more dangerous : he is perilously close to becoming a lame duck 33 months before he leaves office . that is bad for him , bad for the country and bad for the world . the second term of a presidency often follows an arc . as lyndon johnson told his aides after his landslide victory in 1964 , you 've got about a year to get things done at home . and second-term presidents have often seized on those early months for domestic accomplishments . after that , washington becomes mired in midterm politicking , and in your third year , people start looking over your shoulder at who is coming next . with power seeping away at home , second-termers increasingly turn their attention overseas , where they can still get big things done as commander in chief of the most powerful nation in history . that 's why presidents spend so much time on the road in their final years . obama 's second term is a total aberration . resisted by obstructionists among republicans and plagued by his own mistakes , the first 12 months after re-election were a bust . why he and his team did n't take more care in the rollout of the affordable care act website will remain one of the great mysteries for historians . but it has now become equally puzzling why he has not become more sure-footed in foreign affairs . he is one of the brightest men ever to occupy the office , and yet his learning curve has been among the flattest . talking to players on the world stage -- most of whom still want him to succeed -- one finds them genuinely rattled , worried about a lack of national will and operational competence . on the tail end of his asia trip , obama told the press that in foreign policy , he thinks a president hits mostly singles and doubles and an occasional home run . it was odd enough that given his huge power and influence , he thinks small ball . but he also raised the question : why so long between home runs ? when was the last one ? three years ago with osama bin laden ? not to overdo his analogy , but the years since have brought a notable string of strikeouts . the administration would vigorously disagree , but just how much success can it genuinely claim in syria , egypt , libya or even iraq ? or the russian reset ? or ukraine ? the administration 's increasing focus on asia is a welcome move , but it too has gone less well than expected . experts have long said that much of the success of the famous pivot ' will depend upon completion of the trans-pacific partnership , the most important trade agreement in decades . to its credit , the administration has aggressively pursued the deal but to little avail . the president 's trip to tokyo revealed that the partnership is in serious trouble , mired down by domestic politics in both the u.s. and japan . obama did provide much-needed assurances to japan about american credibility as a military ally . still , the facts remain that even as the u.s. cuts defense spending , china is boosting its defense budget by 12 % and flexing its muscles off its shores . with nationalism on the rise across asia and sparks starting to fly , who can be certain that america will be there to put out a fire ? the net result is of a president who sadly seems diminished both at home and abroad . he appears to have only minimal objectives with the current congress -- passage of a higher minimum wage and pieces of an immigration bill -- and may not get either . most americans still want him to succeed , but when television executives put him on the air , audiences often melt away . even before the midterms , voters are looking over his shoulder at who comes next . waiting for hillary ' is a bigger story than what happened to obama ? ' and there are few prospects for home runs overseas . this is bad news and not just for the president 's personal fortunes . america needs a strong , effective president year in , year out , to help propel us forward . our success as a people has depended on our capacity to solve the problems of today so we can move on to tomorrow . the endless evasions and diversions are tying us in knots and draining our spirits . the world needs strong , effective american leadership as well ; for all our mistakes like iraq , the u.s. is the one nation that still has the power to keep world order . but in the twinkle of an eye , we have gone from being indispensable to indisposed . there is no obvious game plan for obama to bounce back . it would help if he and his team promised less and delivered more . it would help if more republicans put the country first . the white house must also avoid the clear danger of so eagerly wanting a big breakthrough -- say , in negotiations with iran -- that it weakens our security . no deal is always better than a bad deal . but mostly , the obama team probably has to be patient . fresh opportunities for leadership will come ; they always do at the white house . and for all his troubles , the president retains enormous powers and public good will . it is in not in our national interest to have a lame duck for 33 months .","he says obama should n't diminish the potential impact of his decisions" +"obama ( cnn ) -- coming home from asia , barack obama is obviously going through another rough patch in his presidency . but this time , it could be more dangerous : he is perilously close to becoming a lame duck 33 months before he leaves office . that is bad for him , bad for the country and bad for the world . the second term of a presidency often follows an arc . as lyndon johnson told his aides after his landslide victory in 1964 , you 've got about a year to get things done at home . and second-term presidents have often seized on those early months for domestic accomplishments . after that , washington becomes mired in midterm politicking , and in your third year , people start looking over your shoulder at who is coming next . with power seeping away at home , second-termers increasingly turn their attention overseas , where they can still get big things done as commander in chief of the most powerful nation in history . that 's why presidents spend so much time on the road in their final years . obama 's second term is a total aberration . resisted by obstructionists among republicans and plagued by his own mistakes , the first 12 months after re-election were a bust . why he and his team did n't take more care in the rollout of the affordable care act website will remain one of the great mysteries for historians . but it has now become equally puzzling why he has not become more sure-footed in foreign affairs . he is one of the brightest men ever to occupy the office , and yet his learning curve has been among the flattest . talking to players on the world stage -- most of whom still want him to succeed -- one finds them genuinely rattled , worried about a lack of national will and operational competence . on the tail end of his asia trip , obama told the press that in foreign policy , he thinks a president hits mostly singles and doubles and an occasional home run . it was odd enough that given his huge power and influence , he thinks small ball . but he also raised the question : why so long between home runs ? when was the last one ? three years ago with osama bin laden ? not to overdo his analogy , but the years since have brought a notable string of strikeouts . the administration would vigorously disagree , but just how much success can it genuinely claim in syria , egypt , libya or even iraq ? or the russian reset ? or ukraine ? the administration 's increasing focus on asia is a welcome move , but it too has gone less well than expected . experts have long said that much of the success of the famous pivot ' will depend upon completion of the trans-pacific partnership , the most important trade agreement in decades . to its credit , the administration has aggressively pursued the deal but to little avail . the president 's trip to tokyo revealed that the partnership is in serious trouble , mired down by domestic politics in both the u.s. and japan . obama did provide much-needed assurances to japan about american credibility as a military ally . still , the facts remain that even as the u.s. cuts defense spending , china is boosting its defense budget by 12 % and flexing its muscles off its shores . with nationalism on the rise across asia and sparks starting to fly , who can be certain that america will be there to put out a fire ? the net result is of a president who sadly seems diminished both at home and abroad . he appears to have only minimal objectives with the current congress -- passage of a higher minimum wage and pieces of an immigration bill -- and may not get either . most americans still want him to succeed , but when television executives put him on the air , audiences often melt away . even before the midterms , voters are looking over his shoulder at who comes next . waiting for hillary ' is a bigger story than what happened to obama ? ' and there are few prospects for home runs overseas . this is bad news and not just for the president 's personal fortunes . america needs a strong , effective president year in , year out , to help propel us forward . our success as a people has depended on our capacity to solve the problems of today so we can move on to tomorrow . the endless evasions and diversions are tying us in knots and draining our spirits . the world needs strong , effective american leadership as well ; for all our mistakes like iraq , the u.s. is the one nation that still has the power to keep world order . but in the twinkle of an eye , we have gone from being indispensable to indisposed . there is no obvious game plan for obama to bounce back . it would help if he and his team promised less and delivered more . it would help if more republicans put the country first . the white house must also avoid the clear danger of so eagerly wanting a big breakthrough -- say , in negotiations with iran -- that it weakens our security . no deal is always better than a bad deal . but mostly , the obama team probably has to be patient . fresh opportunities for leadership will come ; they always do at the white house . and for all his troubles , the president retains enormous powers and public good will . it is in not in our national interest to have a lame duck for 33 months .","he says there 's a risk obama could be seen as a lame duck for next 33 months" +"obama ( cnn ) -- coming home from asia , barack obama is obviously going through another rough patch in his presidency . but this time , it could be more dangerous : he is perilously close to becoming a lame duck 33 months before he leaves office . that is bad for him , bad for the country and bad for the world . the second term of a presidency often follows an arc . as lyndon johnson told his aides after his landslide victory in 1964 , you 've got about a year to get things done at home . and second-term presidents have often seized on those early months for domestic accomplishments . after that , washington becomes mired in midterm politicking , and in your third year , people start looking over your shoulder at who is coming next . with power seeping away at home , second-termers increasingly turn their attention overseas , where they can still get big things done as commander in chief of the most powerful nation in history . that 's why presidents spend so much time on the road in their final years . obama 's second term is a total aberration . resisted by obstructionists among republicans and plagued by his own mistakes , the first 12 months after re-election were a bust . why he and his team did n't take more care in the rollout of the affordable care act website will remain one of the great mysteries for historians . but it has now become equally puzzling why he has not become more sure-footed in foreign affairs . he is one of the brightest men ever to occupy the office , and yet his learning curve has been among the flattest . talking to players on the world stage -- most of whom still want him to succeed -- one finds them genuinely rattled , worried about a lack of national will and operational competence . on the tail end of his asia trip , obama told the press that in foreign policy , he thinks a president hits mostly singles and doubles and an occasional home run . it was odd enough that given his huge power and influence , he thinks small ball . but he also raised the question : why so long between home runs ? when was the last one ? three years ago with osama bin laden ? not to overdo his analogy , but the years since have brought a notable string of strikeouts . the administration would vigorously disagree , but just how much success can it genuinely claim in syria , egypt , libya or even iraq ? or the russian reset ? or ukraine ? the administration 's increasing focus on asia is a welcome move , but it too has gone less well than expected . experts have long said that much of the success of the famous pivot ' will depend upon completion of the trans-pacific partnership , the most important trade agreement in decades . to its credit , the administration has aggressively pursued the deal but to little avail . the president 's trip to tokyo revealed that the partnership is in serious trouble , mired down by domestic politics in both the u.s. and japan . obama did provide much-needed assurances to japan about american credibility as a military ally . still , the facts remain that even as the u.s. cuts defense spending , china is boosting its defense budget by 12 % and flexing its muscles off its shores . with nationalism on the rise across asia and sparks starting to fly , who can be certain that america will be there to put out a fire ? the net result is of a president who sadly seems diminished both at home and abroad . he appears to have only minimal objectives with the current congress -- passage of a higher minimum wage and pieces of an immigration bill -- and may not get either . most americans still want him to succeed , but when television executives put him on the air , audiences often melt away . even before the midterms , voters are looking over his shoulder at who comes next . waiting for hillary ' is a bigger story than what happened to obama ? ' and there are few prospects for home runs overseas . this is bad news and not just for the president 's personal fortunes . america needs a strong , effective president year in , year out , to help propel us forward . our success as a people has depended on our capacity to solve the problems of today so we can move on to tomorrow . the endless evasions and diversions are tying us in knots and draining our spirits . the world needs strong , effective american leadership as well ; for all our mistakes like iraq , the u.s. is the one nation that still has the power to keep world order . but in the twinkle of an eye , we have gone from being indispensable to indisposed . there is no obvious game plan for obama to bounce back . it would help if he and his team promised less and delivered more . it would help if more republicans put the country first . the white house must also avoid the clear danger of so eagerly wanting a big breakthrough -- say , in negotiations with iran -- that it weakens our security . no deal is always better than a bad deal . but mostly , the obama team probably has to be patient . fresh opportunities for leadership will come ; they always do at the white house . and for all his troubles , the president retains enormous powers and public good will . it is in not in our national interest to have a lame duck for 33 months .","david gergen : obama is experiencing another low point in his presidency" +"xiang li ( cnn ) -- a chinese man captured by federal agents in 2011 has pleaded guilty in a federal court for pirating copyrighted software worth more than $ 100 million , officials of ice announced tuesday . xiang li , 36 , of chengdu will be sentenced may 3 , by a judge in wilmington , delaware , and could receive a sentence of up to 25 years . authorities last april disclosed that li had been captured by agents of homeland security investigations in saipan in the northern mariana islands . li mistakenly thought he was safe ... hiding halfway around the world in cyberspace anonymity , ' ice director john morton said tuesday . an alleged co-conspirator , chun yan li , remains a fugitive and is believed to be in chengdu , ice says . officials say the men were indicted by a delaware grand jury on charges of software piracy and illegally exporting technology to china . li admitted to selling the pirated materials through his website crack99 which authorities say harmed more than 150 u.s. companies . they were sold to thousands of customers in 28 states and 60 foreign countries . the software covered a wide range of applications used in manufacturing , engineering , space exploration , storm water management , explosives simulation and manufacturing plant design . one of their largest customers was a former electronics engineer at nasa 's goddard space flight center in maryland , who pleaded guilty to copyright infringement last april . officials said cosburn wedderburn had purchased more than $ 1 million in pirated software from the chinese conspirators .","xiang li was charged with pirating software worth more than $ 100 million" +"tamil colombo , sri lanka ( cnn ) -- sri lanka 's government said monday its forces had killed tamil rebel chief velupillai prabhakaran as he attempted to flee , according to the country 's state-run news agency . the sri lankan government says tamil chief velupillai prabhakaran is dead . the tamil rebel group , formally known as the liberation tigers of tamil eelam ( ltte ) , is aware of the government 's report but has yet to confirm prabhakaran 's death or the deaths of its other leaders , according to a posting on the pro-rebel web site , tamilnet.com . it said initial reports indicate a determined massacre by the sri lanka army . ' prabhakaran was one of 19 senior ltte leaders that the government has identified among the bodies found as its troops completed mop-up operations after routing the tigers , the defense ministry said . the leaders include prabhakaran 's eldest son , charles anthony , as well as pottu amman , ltte 's intelligence leader , according to the ministry . prabhakaran founded the rebel group , which has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries . it pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks and , according to the fbi , invented the explosive suicide belt . it was also behind the assassination of two world leaders -- the only terrorist organization to do so . watch more on the possible end of fighting » prabhakaran is accused of masterminding the killing of former indian prime minister rajiv gandhi in 1991 in the tamil-dominated indian state of tami nadu as he campaigned for a second term . sri lankan authorities allege that prabhakaran was avenging gandhi 's decision to send indian peacekeepers to sri lanka . two years later a tigers suicide bomber , allegedly acting under prabhakaran 's orders , detonated explosives that killed sri lanka 's then-president , ranasinghe premadasa , during a rally . over the weekend , the militants offered to silence ' their guns after an intense military offensive decimated their ranks , pushed them from their stronghold in the north and east of the country , and cornered the remaining rebels on a small stretch of land . if the rebels honor their pledge , it would potentially mark the end of the longest-running civil war in asia . prabhakaran 's supporters considered him a hero with a single-minded focus -- to fight for the rights of his people . the sri lankan government deemed him a war criminal with a disregard for civilian casualties . he was wanted by interpol on charges including terrorism and organized crime . in the past it has been reported he wore a cyanide capsule around his neck -- to swallow and kill himself rather than risk capture . and he reportedly expected the same dedication from his troops . as a result , few tigers have been captured alive . sri lanka 's president mahinda rajapaksa is expected to announce that military operations ' against the tiger rebels have ended in an address to parliament and country on tuesday . watch aid agencies fear for sri lanka » the rebels have fought for an independent state for minority tamils in sri lanka since july 1983 . journalist iqbal athas contributed to this report .","sri lankan government says tamil chief velupillai prabhakaran is dead" +"wolfsburg ( cnn ) -- schalke joined bayern munich at the top of the bundesliga on saturday after a 3-1 win over stuttgart at the veltins arena . schalke 's 20-year-old cameroon midfielder joel matip opened the scoring in the third minute with further goals coming from greek defender kyriakos papadopoulos in the 57th minute . eighteen-year-old midfielder julian draxler added a third ten minutes from time . japan striker shinji okazaki scored a consolation goal for stuttgart near the end but it could n't deny schalke the win which lifts them level on points with bayern . bayern lose at moenchengladbach as bundesliga resumes goals from alexander esswein and dominic maroh earned strugglers nuremberg a valuable 2-0 win against hertha berlin . wolfsburg also claimed three much-needed points with a 1-0 win at home to cologne courtesy of a goal from striker sebastian polter 12 minutes from time . the clash at the bottom saw freiburg beat augsburg 1-0 , meaning the clubs swap places at the foot of the table . the game between fifth-place werder bremen and kaiserslautern ended goalless as did the mid-table match between hoffenheim and hannover . sunday 's fixtures see fourth-place borussia dortmund travel to hamburg while sixth-place bayer leverkusen host mainz .","nuremberg defeat hertha berlin 2-0 ; wolfsburg earn three points with 1-0 win over cologne" +"femen ( cnn ) -- for the past five years now , we here at the international women 's movement femen have been waging an active campaign of resistance to the patriarchy in various corners of the world . we have been bringing the world the simple idea of women 's liberation by means of sexual emancipation as expressed in highly visible acts of political protest . we believe that the enslavement of women began with the enslavement of their sexuality , so we therefore consider it legitimate to use their liberated sexuality as a symbol of women 's worldwide liberation . we divide the patriarchy confronting us into three basic parts . first , dictatorship , as a tool for enslaving women . for this reason we are a democratic movement . the second part of the system consists of religion and the church , which have overseen the spiritual enslavement of women . for this reason femen is an atheistic group motivated by secularism and humanism . read more : sexualized femen protest'naive and foolish at best' the third element of the patriarchy is the sex industry , which has been responsible for women 's sexual servitude and is in fact the most ancient form of female slavery . for this reason , then , femen sees sexuality as the organon and canon of women 's freedom . hence , our three basic postulates are democracy , atheism , and sexuality . from what we have related above , naturally the most hated institutions are those that stand for one of these three things or a mixture of them . the most obvious illustration of the patriarchy is islamic theocracy , a symbiosis of political and religious dictatorship . in theocratic states , the position of women is horrifying and hopeless . we direct our fiercest criticism to such countries , and work in that part of the world is what most occupies our minds . a clear example of the shariazation ' under way in the middle east and north africa is what our activist amina tyler has gone through . for having published in facebook topless pictures of herself with f * * * your morals ' written on her body , amina suffered severe criticism and death threats , and was kidnapped , beaten , and subjected to humiliating treatment . read more : topless feminist protesters show what they 're made of this young woman claims her own family took her far outside the confines of the city in which she lived to spend several weeks in a village unknown to her . there , shut up inside a house , she underwent a forced islamization : ' they made her read the quran and took her every day to see an imam . amina 's family also declared her insane and compelled her to ingest large doses of medication . because i was taking so many pills , i was sleeping all the time , ' amina told me . and once i woke up , i understood that i did n't remember anything . ' amina finally managed to escape . a few hours after femen activists attacked the president of tunisia shouting where is amina ? ' i received a phone call : inna , this is amina speaking ! i 've escaped from my family ! ' after a long conversation about what she had gone through during her period of forced isolation , i asked her whether she thought it best for her safety to leave tunisia for a while . amina answered that she would not leave tunisia until she had carried out a topless protest with other tunisian girls who had already established contact with her . our understanding of islamism , according to what we have learned fighting against it , tells us that our criticism of it is valid and holds out much hope for the future . at the heart of islamism lies the enslavement of women based on control over their sexuality . the hijab is at the same time both a symbol and a tool of this enslavement . a mass sexual protest inspired by our example will serve as the first step toward women 's recovering their own nature and will be a turning point , sparking the dissolution of the sharia and the return , to women , of control over the conditions of her existence , from the sexual to the political . i hereby both promise and threaten to deploy an entire network of femen activists in arab countries . we will hound islamic leaders across the globe , subjecting them to desolating criticism . we intend to hound spiritual leaders who are personally responsible for mistreating women . a million aminas will arise ! and freedom , at last , will dawn ! the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of inna shevchenko .","shevchenko : femen have been waging a campaign of resistance to the patriarchy" +"woods ( cnn ) -- newly-crowned dunhill links champion martin kaymer could prevent lee westwood from replacing tiger woods as the world 's number one golfer . the german rose to fourth in the world on monday after winning his third successive tournament on the european tour at st andrews , and now has the chance to overtake woods , westwood and american phil mickelson at the top of the game . westwood failed to achieve the second-place finish which would have seen him end woods'279-week reign on sunday , but the englishman could still top the rankings on october 31 providing the american does not change his plans and play before then . however , kaymer 's decision to enter the andalucia valderrama masters in spain at the end of this month means the 25-year-old could yet be the one to take over from the off-form woods . victory there would mean august 's winner of the u.s. pga championship becomes just the 12th player to top the rankings since they were introduced in 1986 . kaymer is the first player since woods in 2006 to win three tournaments back-to-back , and the first golfer from europe to do so since englishman nick faldo in 1998 . after his latest triumph , kaymer told reporters he had no idea why he was enjoying such a good run of form . i was never expecting it and i do n't really have an answer for why i am playing so well at the moment , ' he said . i 've always played solid golf and my short game has improved big-time the last two years and especially the last few months . ' the win came less than a week after kaymer was part of the victorious european ryder cup team who beat america at celtic manor in wales , where he played with westwood . the way he played with me last week was absolutely amazing . he played so solidly , ' kaymer said . his putting was good , chipping -- the entire game was fantastic . i really see him as a role model . ' westwood will now take a month-long break from the sport to recover from an ongoing calf injury , which clearly hampered his progress at the home of golf over the weekend . it is expected the 37-year-old will return for the season-ending championship in dubai which starts on november 25 . the only way woods can retain his five-year long stint as world number one is to play another tournament in october , but he is not due to return to action until the hsbc champions event in china on november 4 -- where westwood was also scheduled to appear .","westwood failed to achieve the second-place finish which would have ended woods'279-week reign" +"woods ( cnn ) -- newly-crowned dunhill links champion martin kaymer could prevent lee westwood from replacing tiger woods as the world 's number one golfer . the german rose to fourth in the world on monday after winning his third successive tournament on the european tour at st andrews , and now has the chance to overtake woods , westwood and american phil mickelson at the top of the game . westwood failed to achieve the second-place finish which would have seen him end woods'279-week reign on sunday , but the englishman could still top the rankings on october 31 providing the american does not change his plans and play before then . however , kaymer 's decision to enter the andalucia valderrama masters in spain at the end of this month means the 25-year-old could yet be the one to take over from the off-form woods . victory there would mean august 's winner of the u.s. pga championship becomes just the 12th player to top the rankings since they were introduced in 1986 . kaymer is the first player since woods in 2006 to win three tournaments back-to-back , and the first golfer from europe to do so since englishman nick faldo in 1998 . after his latest triumph , kaymer told reporters he had no idea why he was enjoying such a good run of form . i was never expecting it and i do n't really have an answer for why i am playing so well at the moment , ' he said . i 've always played solid golf and my short game has improved big-time the last two years and especially the last few months . ' the win came less than a week after kaymer was part of the victorious european ryder cup team who beat america at celtic manor in wales , where he played with westwood . the way he played with me last week was absolutely amazing . he played so solidly , ' kaymer said . his putting was good , chipping -- the entire game was fantastic . i really see him as a role model . ' westwood will now take a month-long break from the sport to recover from an ongoing calf injury , which clearly hampered his progress at the home of golf over the weekend . it is expected the 37-year-old will return for the season-ending championship in dubai which starts on november 25 . the only way woods can retain his five-year long stint as world number one is to play another tournament in october , but he is not due to return to action until the hsbc champions event in china on november 4 -- where westwood was also scheduled to appear .","martin kaymer enters race to replace tiger woods as world 's number one golfer" +"world economic forum ( cnn ) -- the great davos talking shop is now up and running , with delegates of all levels of importance , shapes and nationalities zeroing in on this quaint , alpine town to put the world to rights . for many ordinary people the annual meeting of the world economic forum ( wef ) is yet another important ' summit in the calendar where the elite of business and politics will schmooze for a few days in a rarefied environment they have little or no experience of . whether or not you believe events such as davos justify their lofty ambitions , they are certainly a unique experience . so how do you become a davos delegate ? official invite the world economic forum is strictly by invitation only , with 2,600 participants representing over 100 countries . the roll call includes ceos and representatives from the world 's biggest corporations ; politicians and heads of state from the g20 and other key countries ; technology innovators ; social entrepreneurs ; philanthropists and media companies . however these special invitations -- or white badges -- are not free for everyone . unless you 're an anchor for one of the many broadcasters covering the event ; an academic ; a faith leader ; a young global leader ( young people with great potential selected by the wef from all fields of business ) ; a social entrepreneur ; or from an ngo , the average cost to a business to send each delegate is close to a whopping $ 20,000 . huge travel budget getting to this small ski resort , nestled in a picturesque valley high up in the swiss alps 150 km south-west of zurich , is not for the budget traveler . for a delegate arriving from new york this week flying business class , the price comes in at between $ 4,200 and $ 5,300 . a visitor from tokyo can expect to pay between $ 7,200 and $ 10,500 , while a delegate flying in from johannesburg , south africa will pay around $ 4,150 . and once in zurich there 's the small matter of the transfer to davos . a regular shuttle bus and train service is available , but a two-hour trip by public transport may not suit the business client . the alternative would be a limousine which would cost 650 swiss francs ( $ 689 ) for a one-way trip . however corporate ceos may choose to come by helicopter , which costs around $ 9,500 for a return flight . place to stay finding accommodation in davos during the week of the world economic forum is not easy , with a limited number of large hotels . predictably tariffs reflect the resulting demand/supply imbalance , with a room in a modest three-star hotel coming in at around 500 swiss francs ( $ 530 ) per night . those with a considerably bigger budget often choose to rent out whole apartments or chalets . a chalet sleeping up to ten people for the week can command as much as 60,000 swiss francs ( $ 63,600 ) - though catering might just be included . the right outfit it 's cold in davos , very cold . at 5,052 ft ( 1,540m ) above see level , temperatures average -6 degrees celsius ( 21.1 degrees fahrenheit ) in january . thermal underwear , winter jackets and snow boots are a must , particularly when the temperature plummets in the evenings as you make your way to the various cocktail parties , meals and social events hosted by partner companies . it is not uncommon to see $ 2,000 bespoke suits finished off with bulky snow boots around the congress center . knowing where to go with all the above boxes ticked , it is essential to have a plan once you have run the gauntlet of airport-style security -- there are 4,000 swiss troops in davos this week -- and made it inside the newly-extended congress center with the correct color of identity pass . some delegates do nothing but network with other delegates , oblivious to the feverish discussions going all around them about the post-crisis new reality . so delegates can spend four days roaming this cavernous indoor amphitheater attending conferences and workshops about everything from how the environment agenda will change in light of current trends and norms , to how music can transform communities and unite people . $ 40,000-per head well spent .","world economic forum is strictly by invitation only , with 2,600 participants" +"lin ( cnn ) as they took their seats on a transasia airways flight that crashed in taipei on wednesday , lin ming-wei and his young family were looking forward to a vacation on kinmen , an island in the taiwan strait . minutes later , lin was fighting his way out of the plane 's wreckage and searching frantically for his toddler in the shallow , murky waters of the keelung river . he searched for three minutes before spotting his son 's feet in the water . when he pulled him out , he had no heartbeat , ' lin ming-wei 's brother , using his english name chris lin , told cnn . his lips were blue . there was no sign of life in him . ' lin ming-wei did n't give up , performing cpr on his son . he is my only child . i absolutely have to save his life -- i ca n't lose him , ' the liberty times newspaper quoted him as saying . the 2½-year-old boy made it and was in a hospital thursday , about to be discharged from the intensive care unit as he battles pneumonia , his uncle said . chris lin said that his brother , lin ming-wei , suffered some scratches , while his sister-in-law fractured some bones and is recovering well after surgery on her left hand . my brother was really grateful for the rescue teams ( and ) the pilot , ' said chris lin . because of ( the pilot 's ) heroic act , he was able to save a lot of people -- and allow our family to survive . ' chris lin refuted earlier claims by local media that the lin family switched seats before takeoff after a noise made his brother uneasy and it was this hunch that saved the family from death . he told cnn on monday that his brother and family switched seats at the check-in desk and not when they were on the plane . chris lin said his brother told him the plane suddenly dropped after its left engine lost power . after it hit the water , lin ming-wei -- who was strapped to his seat and upside down -- unbuckled himself before helping free his wife , the brother said . a fire department rescue worker who was one of the first on the scene said the cabin was already chest-deep in water when he entered . many passengers were tangled up in their seat belts and hung upside down , ' the taipei times quoted him as saying . huang chin-shun , 72 , said he helped save four lives by unclipping safety belts . shortly after taking off , i felt something was not right , ' he told cnn affiliate ettv . i thought :'something 's wrong with the engine ,'because i always take this flight . ' thirteen people were saved in the initial rescue effort but progress slowed and water had completely filled the fuselage by evening , when a crane lifted it from the water . the lins were not the only ones to have a lucky escape . as the out-of-control plane spiraled into the river on the outskirts of the island 's capital , it clipped a taxi traveling along an elevated highway . the driver , 52-year-old chou hsi-tung , and his female passenger sustained only minor injuries from shattered fragments of windshield glass . photographs showed a yellow volkswagen with a flattened windshield and engine hood . after the plane hit , the taxi driver made a shocking report to dispatchers . i just brought a passenger up unto huandong , and as i was getting on ( the expressway ) , a plane flew by and hit me , ' he said , according to an audio recording of the call released by taxi company crown taxi . a remote-controlled model plane ? ' the dispatcher asked . my car is completely wrecked , ' chou replied , going on to explain that it was n't a remote-controlled plane , but a manned plane . huh ? ' the puzzled dispatcher responded . are there any casualties ? ' the driver described the dire situation : the whole thing fell into the keelung river . my passenger ca n't get out of the vehicle . my car 's wrecked . ' according to the taipei times , chou 's family did n't believe him at first when he telephoned home to say : i 'm ok. my car got into a crash . it was hit by an airplane . ' cnn 's vivian kam and mitra mobasherat in hong kong , shen lu in beijing and greg botelho and catherine e. shoichet in atlanta contributed to this report .","lin ming-wei 's son was blue with no heartbeat when his father spotted his feet in the water" +"lin ( cnn ) as they took their seats on a transasia airways flight that crashed in taipei on wednesday , lin ming-wei and his young family were looking forward to a vacation on kinmen , an island in the taiwan strait . minutes later , lin was fighting his way out of the plane 's wreckage and searching frantically for his toddler in the shallow , murky waters of the keelung river . he searched for three minutes before spotting his son 's feet in the water . when he pulled him out , he had no heartbeat , ' lin ming-wei 's brother , using his english name chris lin , told cnn . his lips were blue . there was no sign of life in him . ' lin ming-wei did n't give up , performing cpr on his son . he is my only child . i absolutely have to save his life -- i ca n't lose him , ' the liberty times newspaper quoted him as saying . the 2½-year-old boy made it and was in a hospital thursday , about to be discharged from the intensive care unit as he battles pneumonia , his uncle said . chris lin said that his brother , lin ming-wei , suffered some scratches , while his sister-in-law fractured some bones and is recovering well after surgery on her left hand . my brother was really grateful for the rescue teams ( and ) the pilot , ' said chris lin . because of ( the pilot 's ) heroic act , he was able to save a lot of people -- and allow our family to survive . ' chris lin refuted earlier claims by local media that the lin family switched seats before takeoff after a noise made his brother uneasy and it was this hunch that saved the family from death . he told cnn on monday that his brother and family switched seats at the check-in desk and not when they were on the plane . chris lin said his brother told him the plane suddenly dropped after its left engine lost power . after it hit the water , lin ming-wei -- who was strapped to his seat and upside down -- unbuckled himself before helping free his wife , the brother said . a fire department rescue worker who was one of the first on the scene said the cabin was already chest-deep in water when he entered . many passengers were tangled up in their seat belts and hung upside down , ' the taipei times quoted him as saying . huang chin-shun , 72 , said he helped save four lives by unclipping safety belts . shortly after taking off , i felt something was not right , ' he told cnn affiliate ettv . i thought :'something 's wrong with the engine ,'because i always take this flight . ' thirteen people were saved in the initial rescue effort but progress slowed and water had completely filled the fuselage by evening , when a crane lifted it from the water . the lins were not the only ones to have a lucky escape . as the out-of-control plane spiraled into the river on the outskirts of the island 's capital , it clipped a taxi traveling along an elevated highway . the driver , 52-year-old chou hsi-tung , and his female passenger sustained only minor injuries from shattered fragments of windshield glass . photographs showed a yellow volkswagen with a flattened windshield and engine hood . after the plane hit , the taxi driver made a shocking report to dispatchers . i just brought a passenger up unto huandong , and as i was getting on ( the expressway ) , a plane flew by and hit me , ' he said , according to an audio recording of the call released by taxi company crown taxi . a remote-controlled model plane ? ' the dispatcher asked . my car is completely wrecked , ' chou replied , going on to explain that it was n't a remote-controlled plane , but a manned plane . huh ? ' the puzzled dispatcher responded . are there any casualties ? ' the driver described the dire situation : the whole thing fell into the keelung river . my passenger ca n't get out of the vehicle . my car 's wrecked . ' according to the taipei times , chou 's family did n't believe him at first when he telephoned home to say : i 'm ok. my car got into a crash . it was hit by an airplane . ' cnn 's vivian kam and mitra mobasherat in hong kong , shen lu in beijing and greg botelho and catherine e. shoichet in atlanta contributed to this report .","lin 's family is one of a handful of survivors of this week 's airplane crash in taiwan" +"stromberg ( cnn ) -- the whitney houston headlines last week sent a familiar shiver through me . in the 1970s , i ran one of the leading entertainment business public relations firms . celebrity clients were wildly indulging themselves , accountable to no one . it was money , power and prestige , with no one to say , that 's enough . ' drugs and alcohol were endemic . today , the conversation revolves around prescription drugs , but back then we were into more basic mind-altering substances : pot , psychedelics , cocaine and heroin . to be truthful , i had an amazing run before it all turned to garbage . my office , on the sunset strip in west hollywood , was set up like a huge living room with couches , overstuffed pillows on the floor , rock star posters lining the walls and a coffee table , the centerpiece of which was a large crystal bowl , filled at all times with a generous supply of cocaine . the house rules were help yourself if you 're here on business -- but no take-outs ! ' we were regularly visited by our clients , including the rolling stones , pink floyd , the doors and steppenwolf . as you could imagine , my office was a very popular place . but 29 years ago , i stood at the precipice with a decision to make . with a career of impressive accomplishments in the rear-view mirror , i had what looked like only despair and death ahead of me . alcoholism and drug addiction had rendered me into what the big book ' of alcoholics anonymous refers to as pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization . ' the choice seemed simple . choose life or death . do i acknowledge i have a problem , or do i continue to live in denial ? do i listen to my friends and family , or do i seek my own counsel ? do i continue to deteriorate mentally and physically , or do i say , i 've had enough ? ' do i choose to live , or do i want to die ? if i once had a dream , i thought , it was long ago shattered . if i once had a dream , it 's floating face down in a bottle of jack daniels . if i once had a dream ... ahh , screw it , i ai n't no martin luther king jr . throwing in the towel and surrendering to admitting i had a serious problem should have been the obvious thing to do , given the state i was in . but at the time , change seemed impossible , unimaginable , incomprehensible and downright insane . insane was the right word , all right , but it described my state of mind . alcohol and drugs are subtle foes ; cunning , baffling and powerful . i seemed to be the last one to know i was in big trouble . when my high-profile career started to fall apart , it was other people 's fault . when my substantial income dried up , my business manager was to blame . when the beautiful house i so dearly loved was finally foreclosed , it was the bank that was screwing me . when she finally could n't take it anymore and left , i knew she was the type to do this to me . when my friends began to disappear , they were scum and did n't deserve me . and when , at last , my only friends , my drugs and alcohol turned on me , i knew it was over . and so a journey of unimaginable proportions began . not to any outward destination . no rehab , no trip to a far-off spa . i did n't move to another city , as if a geographic change would fix it . no , i did n't have to travel anywhere , except into the mirror , and by peeling the onion of my soul . the journey was within , to at long last discover where the real problem resided . it was , of course , in me . what a surprise -- with the loving help and support of a 12-step program , i found the real culprit . we in recovery refer to alcoholism as a spiritual sickness . and if you look that up in the dictionary , you 'll find a photo of me . mr . spiritual sickness of 1982 . ' if you ask me nicely , i might show you a picture of that lost soul that i still carry around in my wallet . yes , i had long hair and a beard , the smug look of false confidence on my face and even the obligatory turquoise jewelry of that era . but look more closely , and you 'll see in my eyes shallow pools of emptiness , pupils like pinholes from the daily consumption of narcotics . as a friend remarked when he saw the photo , the lights are on , but nobody 's home . ' after you shake your head in disbelief , and look up at me again wondering how this was possible and how i became such a different person , i will offer you an explanation . i 'm a recovering drug addict and alcoholic who was spared from a life of misery , incarceration and death . i 've been spared from the life of self-centeredness that led me to care very little about others and only about myself . i 've been spared from the countless fears of inadequacy , failure , success , intimacy and anything else that threatened my well-guarded defenses . i 've been spared a life of darkness and shown a path into the light . we do n't yet know why whitney died , but we know she struggled with addiction . it 's a pity that now , whitney will not have the option i had . follow cnn opinion on twitter join the conversation on facebook the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gary stromberg .","gary stromberg says he easily could have died from addiction to narcotics , alcohol" +"stromberg ( cnn ) -- the whitney houston headlines last week sent a familiar shiver through me . in the 1970s , i ran one of the leading entertainment business public relations firms . celebrity clients were wildly indulging themselves , accountable to no one . it was money , power and prestige , with no one to say , that 's enough . ' drugs and alcohol were endemic . today , the conversation revolves around prescription drugs , but back then we were into more basic mind-altering substances : pot , psychedelics , cocaine and heroin . to be truthful , i had an amazing run before it all turned to garbage . my office , on the sunset strip in west hollywood , was set up like a huge living room with couches , overstuffed pillows on the floor , rock star posters lining the walls and a coffee table , the centerpiece of which was a large crystal bowl , filled at all times with a generous supply of cocaine . the house rules were help yourself if you 're here on business -- but no take-outs ! ' we were regularly visited by our clients , including the rolling stones , pink floyd , the doors and steppenwolf . as you could imagine , my office was a very popular place . but 29 years ago , i stood at the precipice with a decision to make . with a career of impressive accomplishments in the rear-view mirror , i had what looked like only despair and death ahead of me . alcoholism and drug addiction had rendered me into what the big book ' of alcoholics anonymous refers to as pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization . ' the choice seemed simple . choose life or death . do i acknowledge i have a problem , or do i continue to live in denial ? do i listen to my friends and family , or do i seek my own counsel ? do i continue to deteriorate mentally and physically , or do i say , i 've had enough ? ' do i choose to live , or do i want to die ? if i once had a dream , i thought , it was long ago shattered . if i once had a dream , it 's floating face down in a bottle of jack daniels . if i once had a dream ... ahh , screw it , i ai n't no martin luther king jr . throwing in the towel and surrendering to admitting i had a serious problem should have been the obvious thing to do , given the state i was in . but at the time , change seemed impossible , unimaginable , incomprehensible and downright insane . insane was the right word , all right , but it described my state of mind . alcohol and drugs are subtle foes ; cunning , baffling and powerful . i seemed to be the last one to know i was in big trouble . when my high-profile career started to fall apart , it was other people 's fault . when my substantial income dried up , my business manager was to blame . when the beautiful house i so dearly loved was finally foreclosed , it was the bank that was screwing me . when she finally could n't take it anymore and left , i knew she was the type to do this to me . when my friends began to disappear , they were scum and did n't deserve me . and when , at last , my only friends , my drugs and alcohol turned on me , i knew it was over . and so a journey of unimaginable proportions began . not to any outward destination . no rehab , no trip to a far-off spa . i did n't move to another city , as if a geographic change would fix it . no , i did n't have to travel anywhere , except into the mirror , and by peeling the onion of my soul . the journey was within , to at long last discover where the real problem resided . it was , of course , in me . what a surprise -- with the loving help and support of a 12-step program , i found the real culprit . we in recovery refer to alcoholism as a spiritual sickness . and if you look that up in the dictionary , you 'll find a photo of me . mr . spiritual sickness of 1982 . ' if you ask me nicely , i might show you a picture of that lost soul that i still carry around in my wallet . yes , i had long hair and a beard , the smug look of false confidence on my face and even the obligatory turquoise jewelry of that era . but look more closely , and you 'll see in my eyes shallow pools of emptiness , pupils like pinholes from the daily consumption of narcotics . as a friend remarked when he saw the photo , the lights are on , but nobody 's home . ' after you shake your head in disbelief , and look up at me again wondering how this was possible and how i became such a different person , i will offer you an explanation . i 'm a recovering drug addict and alcoholic who was spared from a life of misery , incarceration and death . i 've been spared from the life of self-centeredness that led me to care very little about others and only about myself . i 've been spared from the countless fears of inadequacy , failure , success , intimacy and anything else that threatened my well-guarded defenses . i 've been spared a life of darkness and shown a path into the light . we do n't yet know why whitney died , but we know she struggled with addiction . it 's a pity that now , whitney will not have the option i had . follow cnn opinion on twitter join the conversation on facebook the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gary stromberg .","stromberg lost his house , business , wife , money , and blamed everyone but himself" +"suzan lakhan baptiste matura , trinidad ( cnn ) -- with its white sand and clear , blue water , trinidad 's matura beach looks like a postcard . it 's a far cry from its recent past , when leatherback sea turtle carcasses littered the ground and kept tourists away . suzan lakhan baptiste 's efforts have turned a beach from a leatherback turtle graveyard to a nesting colony . twenty years ago , this was a graveyard , ' suzan lakhan baptiste said of the six-mile stretch of beach near her home . the stench was horrendous . you could smell it for miles , ' she said . saddened and frustrated , baptiste launched a crusade to help end the slaughter of the gentle giants . today , she and her group are succeeding : what was once a turtle graveyard is now a maternity ward -- one of the largest leatherback nesting colonies in the world . it has n't been an easy fight for baptiste or the turtles . for 100 million years , the creatures have traveled the world 's oceans , outliving the dinosaurs . over the last 30 years , they have become critically endangered worldwide because of fishing , pollution and hunting . for centuries , they 've been hunted throughout the caribbean for their meat and fins , and also for their eggs , which some people prize as aphrodisiacs . turtles are in serious trouble , ' baptiste said . every year , female leatherbacks make their way onto the beach , laying their eggs deep in the sand . it is a long , complicated ritual during which the enormous , slow-moving animals are easy prey for poachers . leatherbacks [ are ] very vulnerable , ' baptiste said . they can not pull their head and flippers back into the shell . they have no sense of defense to actually protect themselves . ' by the 1980s , nearly one in three turtles that nested on matura beach were killed . when the government asked for volunteers to help protect the endangered creatures , baptiste and several others answered the call . in 1990 , they started nature seekers , one of trinidad 's first environmental groups .'crazy turtle woman' for years , baptiste and her group patrolled the beaches every night of turtle nesting season . she often walked alone until sunrise . locals mocked her efforts , calling her the turtle police ' or crazy turtle woman , ' yet her dedication to the unpaid work was fierce ; when it conflicted with her day job , she quit and found a new job . leatherbacks were a vital source of income for some members of her village , and the poachers who prowled the beaches with machetes could be threatening . when baptiste 's then-husband was injured during a patrol , she became more determined to stand her ground . i was very vigilant , ' she said , adding that at times , she even got into physical fights . but baptiste persisted , and a prestigious award from the united nations environment program helped validate her efforts . she and her group also worked hard to convince the villagers that using the turtles for eco-tourism could create a more sustainable income . i wanted to show that a turtle is [ worth ] so much more to us alive than dead , ' baptiste said . gradually , her message of conservation turned the tide of public opinion , and after nearly two decades under baptiste 's leadership , nature seekers has largely won its battle . today , the leatherbacks'survival rate on matura beach is virtually 100 percent . here , turtle slaughter is a thing of the past , ' baptiste proclaimed . even papa george , ' a village elder who used to hunt leatherbacks with his father , can attest to the cultural shift . suzan brought around the change , ' he said . they do n't kill the turtles anymore ... because of the visitors . ' nearly 10,000 tourists a year , most of whom are trinidadian , now visit matura beach , and many locals make a living by providing them with accommodations , food and souvenirs . since the beach is a prohibited area during the nesting season , nature seekers'members act as guides , explaining the turtles'ancient rituals to visitors . in addition , baptiste and her colleagues gather data on the enormous creatures , tagging and weighing as many leatherbacks as they can . watch baptiste and her group weigh a leatherback turtle at night » during peak season , they might see between 250 or 300 turtles a night . more than 5,000 leatherbacks nest in the area each year . the group 's work is often cited as one of the most successful eco-tourism efforts in the caribbean . still , turtle slaughter persists throughout the region , and baptiste is working to help other groups learn from her success , most recently on the island of dominica . she finds joy in sharing her hard-earned knowledge . the passion that i feel , it burns me up , ' she said . i have seen the fruits of our labor , and it can happen in every community . ' watch how baptiste helped end the slaughter of turtles in her community » her efforts -- and those of many others around the region -- are making a difference . while leatherbacks are still critically endangered worldwide , the caribbean population has begun to rebound . when i got started , a lot of people thought i was crazy , ' baptiste said , and she admits that she sometimes wondered if they were right . reflecting on what she and her team have accomplished , she now believes it was worth it . i love being crazy , you know ? ' she said , laughing . crazy with a passion , crazy with a dream -- totally environmentally crazy . ' want to get involved ? check out nature seekers and see how to help .","suzan lakhan baptiste helped end leatherback turtle slaughter in her community" +"baja peninsula cabo san lucas , mexico ( cnn ) -- a dangerous ' hurricane jimena bore down tuesday on the mexican peninsula of baja california , with the resort town of cabo san lucas lying in its path . meanwhile , a new tropical storm was forming in the atlantic ocean . a noaa satellite image shows hurricane jimena off the coast of baja california , mexico , on tuesday morning . jimena 's maximum wind speed dropped from 145 mph to 135 mph , but it still remained a category 4 storm , according to the u.s. national weather service 's 11 a.m. pt ( 2 p.m . et ) update . some fluctuations in strength are likely today and gradual weakening is forecast on wednesday , ' the weather service said . however , jimena is expected to remain a major hurricane until landfall . ' also on tuesday , tropical storm erika formed in the atlantic , 390 miles east of the leeward islands , the national hurricane center said . jimena 's storm center is forecast to come ashore on thursday morning , but the weather service warned that because it will be moving parallel to the coastline , any slight change in direction could have a huge impact in the location and timing of landfall . ' mexico 's government extended a hurricane warning for most of the southern half of baja california -- from punta abreojos on the peninsula 's west coast to mulege on its east coast , according to the national weather service . a hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area in the next 24 hours and people should quickly prepare to protect life and property . ' a dangerous storm surge along with battering waves will produce significant coastal flooding along the baja california peninsula , ' nws said in its 11 a.m. pt report on its current track , jimena 's center will approach the peninsula 's southern portion later on tuesday and central baja california peninsula by thursday , the weather service said at 11 a.m. pt . in addition to damaging winds , the storm could bring as much as 15 inches of rain , forecasters said . jimena -- the 10th named storm of the pacific season -- was centered about 110 miles ( 175 km ) south-southwest of cabo san lucas , according to the weather service . it was traveling north-northwest near 12 mph ( 19 kph ) . people in his town of los cabos , at the very tip of the peninsula , were preparing for the storm and were getting a precursor as winds and rains began to pick up , said resident cuauhtemoc morgan on monday . morgan , who sent videos to to cnn 's ireport , said residents had protected every home in his neighborhood , fortifying windows with masking tape . lines at supermarkets were long with worried residents preparing for the storms , morgan said . authorities were setting up shelters in schools and trying to devise a plan to protect the homeless , he added .","hurricane warning covers most of the southern half of the baja peninsula" +"henning london ( cnn ) -- after pleas to spare the life of british aid worker alan henning went unanswered by the so-called islamic state terror group , his family is numb with grief ' with the news that he has been beheaded . it is the news we hoped we would never hear . as a family we are devastated by the news of his death . there are few words to describe how we feel at this moment , ' his wife , barbara , said in a written statement released saturday by the united kingdom 's foreign office . ... we always knew that alan was in the most dangerous of situations but we hoped that he would return home to us . that is not to be . ' news of henning 's beheading was made public friday in a video released by isis , which blamed the killing on the uk for joining the u.s.-lead bombing campaign against the group in iraq and syria . in the same video , the group threatened the life of american aid worker peter kassig . uk prime minister david cameron called henning 's murder absolutely abhorrent ' and completely unforgiveable , ' saying britain must work with its allies to defeat isis . what we see with this organization is there 's no level of depravity to which they will not sink . no appeals made any difference , ' he said , speaking saturday at the prime minister 's country house retreat , chequers . ... the fact this was a kind , gentle , compassionate and caring man who had simply gone to help others , the fact they murdered him in the way they did , shows what we are dealing with , and this is going to be our struggle there . with others , we must do everything we can to defeat this organization ' but cameron also warned the fight against isis , also known as isil , would not be quick . the prime minister said he had held briefings with senior military and intelligence advisers and others , to make sure we do everything that we can , whether that is taking down these hateful videos from the internet , whether it 's stopping preachers of hate , whether it 's prosecuting those who glorify terrorism , whether it 's working with others to defeat isil in the region . ' isis video of 4th westerner killing similar to others , but does n't run as long pleas ignored the news of henning 's beheading came just days after britain joined the u.s.-led coalition against isis , following overwhelming approval from parliament . uk jets began flying reconnaissance flights over iraq a week ago , and on tuesday dropped their first missiles on an isis heavy-weapon position and an armed pickup truck in iraq , according to the uk defense ministry . the white house released a statement condemning henning 's murder and vowing to work alongside the united kingdom and its allies to degrade and ultimately destroy isil . ' henning appears to be the fourth westerner to be beheaded on camera by isis . this summer , isis beheaded american freelance journalists james foley and steven sotloff -- showing their gruesome killings in videos posted online . isis then claimed its first british victim , aid worker david haines , according to video that appeared online on september 13 . after receiving an audio file with her husband 's voice , henning 's wife attempted to contact those holding him . when she was unable to reach those who sent the file , she made public pleas last month to isis to spare her husband 's life -- an appeal joined by voices of muslim leaders around the world . but those pleas were ignored . on behalf of the entire family , i want to thank everyone who campaigned for alan 's release , who held vigils to pray for his safe return , and who condemned those who took him , ' she said , according to the statement . your efforts were a great support to us , and we take comfort in knowing how many people stood beside us in hoping for the best . ' a taxi driver from near manchester in northern england , the 47-year-old henning was part of a team of volunteers who traveled to syria in december 2013 to deliver aid -- food , water and medical supplies -- to people affected by the country 's devastating civil war . he was abducted by masked gunmen the day after christmas , other people in the aid convoy said . alan was a decent , caring human being . his interest was in the welfare of others , ' barbara henning said in the statement . he will be remembered for this and we as a family are extremely proud of him and what he achieved and the people he helped . ' who is the isis ?'our local and national hero' at a ceremony at manchester central mosque on saturday , a joint statement mourning the loss of henning was read out on behalf of mosques throughout the north of england . alan henning was our local and national hero , ' it said . we will remember him as a tireless and selfless volunteer aid worker whose only concern was to help people in need . ... the killing of alan henning was a cowardly and criminal act of appalling brutality by a group who do not represent islam at all and in fact are an insult to the islamic faith . ' some 200 mosques and organizations put their names to the joint statement , together representing about a million people , according to mosque officials . talha ahmad , a spokesman for the muslim council of britain , told cnn on saturday that the organization was devastated and disgusted ' by henning 's murder , which he called the latest round of despicable violence by isis . ' the murder , according to ahmad , confirmed that isis is not a religiously inspired organization ' but rather a militia group hell-bent on inflicting pain and cruelty . ' he does not believe a very large number of people sympathize or are even prepared to tolerate the kind of attitude shown by isis , he said . the challenge we have is to make the case again and again that however tempting , however lucrative it may appear to support a group which stands up to the western'bully ,'if you like , the reality is isis do not represent a hope , ' he said . one heartening thing to come out of the tragedy of henning 's death , he said , is that muslims of all shades and colors and theology , have come together to condemn isis and we just need to keep doing that . ' uk authorities believe at least 500 british citizens have gone to iraq and syria , many of them to fight with isis and other islamist groups -- and that most will try to return , bringing their extremist views with them . cameron last month laid out new measures to tackle the threat posed by would-be uk jihadists , days after britain raised its terror threat level from substantial ' to severe . ' how isis is run laura smith-spark reported and wrote from london , and chelsea j. carter reported and wrote from atlanta ; cnn 's phillip taylor , karl penhaul , talia kayali and bharati naik contributed to this report .","family of alan henning is devastated , ' says statement" +"henning london ( cnn ) -- after pleas to spare the life of british aid worker alan henning went unanswered by the so-called islamic state terror group , his family is numb with grief ' with the news that he has been beheaded . it is the news we hoped we would never hear . as a family we are devastated by the news of his death . there are few words to describe how we feel at this moment , ' his wife , barbara , said in a written statement released saturday by the united kingdom 's foreign office . ... we always knew that alan was in the most dangerous of situations but we hoped that he would return home to us . that is not to be . ' news of henning 's beheading was made public friday in a video released by isis , which blamed the killing on the uk for joining the u.s.-lead bombing campaign against the group in iraq and syria . in the same video , the group threatened the life of american aid worker peter kassig . uk prime minister david cameron called henning 's murder absolutely abhorrent ' and completely unforgiveable , ' saying britain must work with its allies to defeat isis . what we see with this organization is there 's no level of depravity to which they will not sink . no appeals made any difference , ' he said , speaking saturday at the prime minister 's country house retreat , chequers . ... the fact this was a kind , gentle , compassionate and caring man who had simply gone to help others , the fact they murdered him in the way they did , shows what we are dealing with , and this is going to be our struggle there . with others , we must do everything we can to defeat this organization ' but cameron also warned the fight against isis , also known as isil , would not be quick . the prime minister said he had held briefings with senior military and intelligence advisers and others , to make sure we do everything that we can , whether that is taking down these hateful videos from the internet , whether it 's stopping preachers of hate , whether it 's prosecuting those who glorify terrorism , whether it 's working with others to defeat isil in the region . ' isis video of 4th westerner killing similar to others , but does n't run as long pleas ignored the news of henning 's beheading came just days after britain joined the u.s.-led coalition against isis , following overwhelming approval from parliament . uk jets began flying reconnaissance flights over iraq a week ago , and on tuesday dropped their first missiles on an isis heavy-weapon position and an armed pickup truck in iraq , according to the uk defense ministry . the white house released a statement condemning henning 's murder and vowing to work alongside the united kingdom and its allies to degrade and ultimately destroy isil . ' henning appears to be the fourth westerner to be beheaded on camera by isis . this summer , isis beheaded american freelance journalists james foley and steven sotloff -- showing their gruesome killings in videos posted online . isis then claimed its first british victim , aid worker david haines , according to video that appeared online on september 13 . after receiving an audio file with her husband 's voice , henning 's wife attempted to contact those holding him . when she was unable to reach those who sent the file , she made public pleas last month to isis to spare her husband 's life -- an appeal joined by voices of muslim leaders around the world . but those pleas were ignored . on behalf of the entire family , i want to thank everyone who campaigned for alan 's release , who held vigils to pray for his safe return , and who condemned those who took him , ' she said , according to the statement . your efforts were a great support to us , and we take comfort in knowing how many people stood beside us in hoping for the best . ' a taxi driver from near manchester in northern england , the 47-year-old henning was part of a team of volunteers who traveled to syria in december 2013 to deliver aid -- food , water and medical supplies -- to people affected by the country 's devastating civil war . he was abducted by masked gunmen the day after christmas , other people in the aid convoy said . alan was a decent , caring human being . his interest was in the welfare of others , ' barbara henning said in the statement . he will be remembered for this and we as a family are extremely proud of him and what he achieved and the people he helped . ' who is the isis ?'our local and national hero' at a ceremony at manchester central mosque on saturday , a joint statement mourning the loss of henning was read out on behalf of mosques throughout the north of england . alan henning was our local and national hero , ' it said . we will remember him as a tireless and selfless volunteer aid worker whose only concern was to help people in need . ... the killing of alan henning was a cowardly and criminal act of appalling brutality by a group who do not represent islam at all and in fact are an insult to the islamic faith . ' some 200 mosques and organizations put their names to the joint statement , together representing about a million people , according to mosque officials . talha ahmad , a spokesman for the muslim council of britain , told cnn on saturday that the organization was devastated and disgusted ' by henning 's murder , which he called the latest round of despicable violence by isis . ' the murder , according to ahmad , confirmed that isis is not a religiously inspired organization ' but rather a militia group hell-bent on inflicting pain and cruelty . ' he does not believe a very large number of people sympathize or are even prepared to tolerate the kind of attitude shown by isis , he said . the challenge we have is to make the case again and again that however tempting , however lucrative it may appear to support a group which stands up to the western'bully ,'if you like , the reality is isis do not represent a hope , ' he said . one heartening thing to come out of the tragedy of henning 's death , he said , is that muslims of all shades and colors and theology , have come together to condemn isis and we just need to keep doing that . ' uk authorities believe at least 500 british citizens have gone to iraq and syria , many of them to fight with isis and other islamist groups -- and that most will try to return , bringing their extremist views with them . cameron last month laid out new measures to tackle the threat posed by would-be uk jihadists , days after britain raised its terror threat level from substantial ' to severe . ' how isis is run laura smith-spark reported and wrote from london , and chelsea j. carter reported and wrote from atlanta ; cnn 's phillip taylor , karl penhaul , talia kayali and bharati naik contributed to this report .","joint statement by mosques remembers alan henning as our local and national hero '" +"henning london ( cnn ) -- after pleas to spare the life of british aid worker alan henning went unanswered by the so-called islamic state terror group , his family is numb with grief ' with the news that he has been beheaded . it is the news we hoped we would never hear . as a family we are devastated by the news of his death . there are few words to describe how we feel at this moment , ' his wife , barbara , said in a written statement released saturday by the united kingdom 's foreign office . ... we always knew that alan was in the most dangerous of situations but we hoped that he would return home to us . that is not to be . ' news of henning 's beheading was made public friday in a video released by isis , which blamed the killing on the uk for joining the u.s.-lead bombing campaign against the group in iraq and syria . in the same video , the group threatened the life of american aid worker peter kassig . uk prime minister david cameron called henning 's murder absolutely abhorrent ' and completely unforgiveable , ' saying britain must work with its allies to defeat isis . what we see with this organization is there 's no level of depravity to which they will not sink . no appeals made any difference , ' he said , speaking saturday at the prime minister 's country house retreat , chequers . ... the fact this was a kind , gentle , compassionate and caring man who had simply gone to help others , the fact they murdered him in the way they did , shows what we are dealing with , and this is going to be our struggle there . with others , we must do everything we can to defeat this organization ' but cameron also warned the fight against isis , also known as isil , would not be quick . the prime minister said he had held briefings with senior military and intelligence advisers and others , to make sure we do everything that we can , whether that is taking down these hateful videos from the internet , whether it 's stopping preachers of hate , whether it 's prosecuting those who glorify terrorism , whether it 's working with others to defeat isil in the region . ' isis video of 4th westerner killing similar to others , but does n't run as long pleas ignored the news of henning 's beheading came just days after britain joined the u.s.-led coalition against isis , following overwhelming approval from parliament . uk jets began flying reconnaissance flights over iraq a week ago , and on tuesday dropped their first missiles on an isis heavy-weapon position and an armed pickup truck in iraq , according to the uk defense ministry . the white house released a statement condemning henning 's murder and vowing to work alongside the united kingdom and its allies to degrade and ultimately destroy isil . ' henning appears to be the fourth westerner to be beheaded on camera by isis . this summer , isis beheaded american freelance journalists james foley and steven sotloff -- showing their gruesome killings in videos posted online . isis then claimed its first british victim , aid worker david haines , according to video that appeared online on september 13 . after receiving an audio file with her husband 's voice , henning 's wife attempted to contact those holding him . when she was unable to reach those who sent the file , she made public pleas last month to isis to spare her husband 's life -- an appeal joined by voices of muslim leaders around the world . but those pleas were ignored . on behalf of the entire family , i want to thank everyone who campaigned for alan 's release , who held vigils to pray for his safe return , and who condemned those who took him , ' she said , according to the statement . your efforts were a great support to us , and we take comfort in knowing how many people stood beside us in hoping for the best . ' a taxi driver from near manchester in northern england , the 47-year-old henning was part of a team of volunteers who traveled to syria in december 2013 to deliver aid -- food , water and medical supplies -- to people affected by the country 's devastating civil war . he was abducted by masked gunmen the day after christmas , other people in the aid convoy said . alan was a decent , caring human being . his interest was in the welfare of others , ' barbara henning said in the statement . he will be remembered for this and we as a family are extremely proud of him and what he achieved and the people he helped . ' who is the isis ?'our local and national hero' at a ceremony at manchester central mosque on saturday , a joint statement mourning the loss of henning was read out on behalf of mosques throughout the north of england . alan henning was our local and national hero , ' it said . we will remember him as a tireless and selfless volunteer aid worker whose only concern was to help people in need . ... the killing of alan henning was a cowardly and criminal act of appalling brutality by a group who do not represent islam at all and in fact are an insult to the islamic faith . ' some 200 mosques and organizations put their names to the joint statement , together representing about a million people , according to mosque officials . talha ahmad , a spokesman for the muslim council of britain , told cnn on saturday that the organization was devastated and disgusted ' by henning 's murder , which he called the latest round of despicable violence by isis . ' the murder , according to ahmad , confirmed that isis is not a religiously inspired organization ' but rather a militia group hell-bent on inflicting pain and cruelty . ' he does not believe a very large number of people sympathize or are even prepared to tolerate the kind of attitude shown by isis , he said . the challenge we have is to make the case again and again that however tempting , however lucrative it may appear to support a group which stands up to the western'bully ,'if you like , the reality is isis do not represent a hope , ' he said . one heartening thing to come out of the tragedy of henning 's death , he said , is that muslims of all shades and colors and theology , have come together to condemn isis and we just need to keep doing that . ' uk authorities believe at least 500 british citizens have gone to iraq and syria , many of them to fight with isis and other islamist groups -- and that most will try to return , bringing their extremist views with them . cameron last month laid out new measures to tackle the threat posed by would-be uk jihadists , days after britain raised its terror threat level from substantial ' to severe . ' how isis is run laura smith-spark reported and wrote from london , and chelsea j. carter reported and wrote from atlanta ; cnn 's phillip taylor , karl penhaul , talia kayali and bharati naik contributed to this report .","uk prime minister david cameron vows to find those responsible for henning 's murder" +"david cameron london ( cnn ) -- after pleas to spare the life of british aid worker alan henning went unanswered by the so-called islamic state terror group , his family is numb with grief ' with the news that he has been beheaded . it is the news we hoped we would never hear . as a family we are devastated by the news of his death . there are few words to describe how we feel at this moment , ' his wife , barbara , said in a written statement released saturday by the united kingdom 's foreign office . ... we always knew that alan was in the most dangerous of situations but we hoped that he would return home to us . that is not to be . ' news of henning 's beheading was made public friday in a video released by isis , which blamed the killing on the uk for joining the u.s.-lead bombing campaign against the group in iraq and syria . in the same video , the group threatened the life of american aid worker peter kassig . uk prime minister david cameron called henning 's murder absolutely abhorrent ' and completely unforgiveable , ' saying britain must work with its allies to defeat isis . what we see with this organization is there 's no level of depravity to which they will not sink . no appeals made any difference , ' he said , speaking saturday at the prime minister 's country house retreat , chequers . ... the fact this was a kind , gentle , compassionate and caring man who had simply gone to help others , the fact they murdered him in the way they did , shows what we are dealing with , and this is going to be our struggle there . with others , we must do everything we can to defeat this organization ' but cameron also warned the fight against isis , also known as isil , would not be quick . the prime minister said he had held briefings with senior military and intelligence advisers and others , to make sure we do everything that we can , whether that is taking down these hateful videos from the internet , whether it 's stopping preachers of hate , whether it 's prosecuting those who glorify terrorism , whether it 's working with others to defeat isil in the region . ' isis video of 4th westerner killing similar to others , but does n't run as long pleas ignored the news of henning 's beheading came just days after britain joined the u.s.-led coalition against isis , following overwhelming approval from parliament . uk jets began flying reconnaissance flights over iraq a week ago , and on tuesday dropped their first missiles on an isis heavy-weapon position and an armed pickup truck in iraq , according to the uk defense ministry . the white house released a statement condemning henning 's murder and vowing to work alongside the united kingdom and its allies to degrade and ultimately destroy isil . ' henning appears to be the fourth westerner to be beheaded on camera by isis . this summer , isis beheaded american freelance journalists james foley and steven sotloff -- showing their gruesome killings in videos posted online . isis then claimed its first british victim , aid worker david haines , according to video that appeared online on september 13 . after receiving an audio file with her husband 's voice , henning 's wife attempted to contact those holding him . when she was unable to reach those who sent the file , she made public pleas last month to isis to spare her husband 's life -- an appeal joined by voices of muslim leaders around the world . but those pleas were ignored . on behalf of the entire family , i want to thank everyone who campaigned for alan 's release , who held vigils to pray for his safe return , and who condemned those who took him , ' she said , according to the statement . your efforts were a great support to us , and we take comfort in knowing how many people stood beside us in hoping for the best . ' a taxi driver from near manchester in northern england , the 47-year-old henning was part of a team of volunteers who traveled to syria in december 2013 to deliver aid -- food , water and medical supplies -- to people affected by the country 's devastating civil war . he was abducted by masked gunmen the day after christmas , other people in the aid convoy said . alan was a decent , caring human being . his interest was in the welfare of others , ' barbara henning said in the statement . he will be remembered for this and we as a family are extremely proud of him and what he achieved and the people he helped . ' who is the isis ?'our local and national hero' at a ceremony at manchester central mosque on saturday , a joint statement mourning the loss of henning was read out on behalf of mosques throughout the north of england . alan henning was our local and national hero , ' it said . we will remember him as a tireless and selfless volunteer aid worker whose only concern was to help people in need . ... the killing of alan henning was a cowardly and criminal act of appalling brutality by a group who do not represent islam at all and in fact are an insult to the islamic faith . ' some 200 mosques and organizations put their names to the joint statement , together representing about a million people , according to mosque officials . talha ahmad , a spokesman for the muslim council of britain , told cnn on saturday that the organization was devastated and disgusted ' by henning 's murder , which he called the latest round of despicable violence by isis . ' the murder , according to ahmad , confirmed that isis is not a religiously inspired organization ' but rather a militia group hell-bent on inflicting pain and cruelty . ' he does not believe a very large number of people sympathize or are even prepared to tolerate the kind of attitude shown by isis , he said . the challenge we have is to make the case again and again that however tempting , however lucrative it may appear to support a group which stands up to the western'bully ,'if you like , the reality is isis do not represent a hope , ' he said . one heartening thing to come out of the tragedy of henning 's death , he said , is that muslims of all shades and colors and theology , have come together to condemn isis and we just need to keep doing that . ' uk authorities believe at least 500 british citizens have gone to iraq and syria , many of them to fight with isis and other islamist groups -- and that most will try to return , bringing their extremist views with them . cameron last month laid out new measures to tackle the threat posed by would-be uk jihadists , days after britain raised its terror threat level from substantial ' to severe . ' how isis is run laura smith-spark reported and wrote from london , and chelsea j. carter reported and wrote from atlanta ; cnn 's phillip taylor , karl penhaul , talia kayali and bharati naik contributed to this report .","uk prime minister david cameron vows to find those responsible for henning 's murder" +"wok kundor ( cnn ) -- afraid that her husband will leave her for a younger woman , a 107-year-old malaysian woman is looking to marry again -- for the 23rd time . wok kundor : i am an aged woman . i do n't have the body nor am i a young woman who can attract anyone . ' wok kundor has been happily married for four years to her husband , a man 70 years her junior . but since he left their village in northern terengganu state for a drug rehabilitation program in the capital , kuala lumpur , wok has had a gnawing feeling . she said that she has been feeling insecure lately and she needs to find out whether he still loves her or not , ' said r.s.n . murali , a reporter for the star . the english-language malaysian daily was among several local media outlets reporting on the lifelong romantic . she is worried he might not come back after his program and find himself a younger wife , ' murali said . if so , wok has her eyes set on a 50-year-old man , but hopes it does not come to that . i realize that i am an aged woman . i do n't have the body nor am i a young woman who can attract anyone , ' she told the newspaper . my intention to remarry is to fill my forlornness , ' particularly during the muslim month of fasting , ramadan , she said . malaysian media , which has previously reported on the woman , said wok has been married 22 times . that would make her marriages last an average of four years . wok would not discuss past relationships , murali said . some of her better halves have passed away or have divorced , but she does n't want to talk about them or her children , ' he said . wok and her current husband , mohammed boor che musa , hail from the same village and met there . muhammad , 37 , was quoted in an earlier report as saying the couple fell for each other because it was god 's will . ' on monday , he told the star that he is still very much in love with his wife and can not dream of life with someone else . but wok wants to hear him say it , murali said . soon , the centenarian plans to make the journey to kuala lumpur -- if she can find a neighbor to drive her there .","wok kundor married to her husband , a man 70 years her junior , for four years" +"malaysian ( cnn ) -- afraid that her husband will leave her for a younger woman , a 107-year-old malaysian woman is looking to marry again -- for the 23rd time . wok kundor : i am an aged woman . i do n't have the body nor am i a young woman who can attract anyone . ' wok kundor has been happily married for four years to her husband , a man 70 years her junior . but since he left their village in northern terengganu state for a drug rehabilitation program in the capital , kuala lumpur , wok has had a gnawing feeling . she said that she has been feeling insecure lately and she needs to find out whether he still loves her or not , ' said r.s.n . murali , a reporter for the star . the english-language malaysian daily was among several local media outlets reporting on the lifelong romantic . she is worried he might not come back after his program and find himself a younger wife , ' murali said . if so , wok has her eyes set on a 50-year-old man , but hopes it does not come to that . i realize that i am an aged woman . i do n't have the body nor am i a young woman who can attract anyone , ' she told the newspaper . my intention to remarry is to fill my forlornness , ' particularly during the muslim month of fasting , ramadan , she said . malaysian media , which has previously reported on the woman , said wok has been married 22 times . that would make her marriages last an average of four years . wok would not discuss past relationships , murali said . some of her better halves have passed away or have divorced , but she does n't want to talk about them or her children , ' he said . wok and her current husband , mohammed boor che musa , hail from the same village and met there . muhammad , 37 , was quoted in an earlier report as saying the couple fell for each other because it was god 's will . ' on monday , he told the star that he is still very much in love with his wife and can not dream of life with someone else . but wok wants to hear him say it , murali said . soon , the centenarian plans to make the journey to kuala lumpur -- if she can find a neighbor to drive her there .","107-year-old malaysian woman fears husband will leave her for younger woman" +"malaysian ( cnn ) -- afraid that her husband will leave her for a younger woman , a 107-year-old malaysian woman is looking to marry again -- for the 23rd time . wok kundor : i am an aged woman . i do n't have the body nor am i a young woman who can attract anyone . ' wok kundor has been happily married for four years to her husband , a man 70 years her junior . but since he left their village in northern terengganu state for a drug rehabilitation program in the capital , kuala lumpur , wok has had a gnawing feeling . she said that she has been feeling insecure lately and she needs to find out whether he still loves her or not , ' said r.s.n . murali , a reporter for the star . the english-language malaysian daily was among several local media outlets reporting on the lifelong romantic . she is worried he might not come back after his program and find himself a younger wife , ' murali said . if so , wok has her eyes set on a 50-year-old man , but hopes it does not come to that . i realize that i am an aged woman . i do n't have the body nor am i a young woman who can attract anyone , ' she told the newspaper . my intention to remarry is to fill my forlornness , ' particularly during the muslim month of fasting , ramadan , she said . malaysian media , which has previously reported on the woman , said wok has been married 22 times . that would make her marriages last an average of four years . wok would not discuss past relationships , murali said . some of her better halves have passed away or have divorced , but she does n't want to talk about them or her children , ' he said . wok and her current husband , mohammed boor che musa , hail from the same village and met there . muhammad , 37 , was quoted in an earlier report as saying the couple fell for each other because it was god 's will . ' on monday , he told the star that he is still very much in love with his wife and can not dream of life with someone else . but wok wants to hear him say it , murali said . soon , the centenarian plans to make the journey to kuala lumpur -- if she can find a neighbor to drive her there .","malaysian media says wok has been married 22 times" +"holmes ( cnn ) james holmes made his introduction to the world in a colorado cinema filled with spectators watching a midnight showing of the new batman movie , the dark knight rises , ' in june 2012 . the moment became one of the deadliest shootings in u.s. history . holmes is accused of opening fire on the crowd , killing 12 people and injuring or maiming 70 others in aurora , a suburb of denver . holmes appeared like a comic book character : he resembled the joker , with red-orange hair , similar to the late actor heath ledger 's portrayal of the villain in an earlier batman movie , authorities said . but holmes was hardly a cartoon . authorities said he wore body armor and carried several guns , including an ar-15 rifle , with lots of ammo . he also wore a gas mask . holmes says he was insane at the time of the shootings , and that is his legal defense and court plea : not guilty by reason of insanity . prosecutors are n't swayed and will seek the death penalty . opening statements in his trial are scheduled to begin monday . holmes admits to the shootings but says he was suffering a psychotic episode ' at the time , according to court papers filed in july 2013 by the state public defenders , daniel king and tamara a. brady . evidence revealed thus far in the case supports the defense 's position that mr. holmes suffers from a severe mental illness and was in the throes of a psychotic episode when he committed the acts that resulted in the tragic loss of life and injuries sustained by moviegoers on july 20 , 2012 , ' the public defenders wrote . holmes no longer looks like a dazed joker , as he did in his first appearance before a judge in 2012 . he appeared dramatically different in january when jury selection began for his trial : 9,000 potential jurors were summoned for duty , described as one of the nation 's largest jury calls . holmes now has a cleaner look , with a mustache , button-down shirt and khaki pants . in january , he had a beard and eyeglasses . if this new image sounds like one of an academician , it may be because holmes , now 27 , once was one . just before the shooting , holmes was a doctoral student in neuroscience , and he was studying how the brain works , with his schooling funded by a u.s. government grant . yet for all his learning , holmes apparently lacked the capacity to command his own mind , according to the case against him . a jury will ultimately decide holmes'fate . that panel is made up of 12 jurors and 12 alternates . they are 19 women and five men , and almost all are white and middle-aged . the trial could last until autumn . when jury summonses were issued in january , each potential juror stood a 0.2 % chance of being selected , district attorney george brauchler told the final jury this month . he described the approaching trial as four to five months of a horrible roller coaster through the worst haunted house you can imagine . ' the jury will have to render verdicts on each of the 165 counts against holmes , including murder and attempted murder charges . meanwhile , victims and their relatives are challenging all media outlets to stop the gratuitous use of the name and likeness of mass killers , thereby depriving violent individuals the media celebrity and media spotlight they so crave , ' the no notoriety group says . they are joined by victims from eight other mass shootings in recent u.s. history . raised in central coastal california and in san diego , james eagan holmes is the son of a mathematician father noted for his work at the fico firm that provides credit scores and a registered nurse mother , according to the u-t san diego newspaper . holmes also has a sister , chris , a musician , who 's five years younger , the newspaper said . his childhood classmates remember him as a clean-cut , bespectacled boy with an exemplary ' character who never gave any trouble , and never got in trouble himself , ' the salinas californian reported . his family then moved down the california coast , where holmes grew up in the san diego-area neighborhood of rancho peñasquitos , which a neighbor described as kind of like mayberry , ' the san diego newspaper said . holmes attended westview high school , which says its school district sits in a primarily middle- to upper-middle-income residential community . ' there , holmes ran cross-country , played soccer and later worked at a biotechnology internship at the salk institute and miramar college , which attracts academically talented students . by then , his peers described him as standoffish and a bit of a wiseacre , the san diego newspaper said . holmes attended college fairly close to home , in a neighboring area known as southern california 's inland empire ' because it 's more than an hour 's drive from the coast , in a warm , low-desert climate . he entered the university of california , riverside , in 2006 as a scholarship student . in 2008 he was a summer camp counselor for disadvantaged children , age 7 to 14 , at camp max straus , run by jewish big brothers big sisters of los angeles . he graduated from uc riverside in 2010 with the highest honors and a bachelor 's degree in neuroscience . academically , he was at the top of the top , ' chancellor timothy p. white said . he seemed destined for even higher achievement . by 2011 , he had enrolled as a doctoral student in the neuroscience program at the university of colorado anschutz medical campus in aurora , the largest academic health center in the rocky mountain region . the doctoral in neuroscience program attended by holmes focuses on how the brain works , with an emphasis on processing of information , behavior , learning and memory . holmes was one of six pre-thesis ph.d. students in the program who were awarded a neuroscience training grant from the national institutes of health . the grant rewards outstanding neuroscientists who will make major contributions to neurobiology . a syllabus that listed holmes as a student at the medical school shows he was to have delivered a presentation about microrna biomarkers . but holmes struggled , and his own mental health took an ominous turn . in march 2012 , he told a classmate he wanted to kill people , and that he would do so when his life was over , ' court documents said . holmes was denied access to the school after june 12 , 2012 , after he made threats to a professor , ' according to court documents . about that time , holmes was a patient of university of colorado psychiatrist lynne fenton . fenton was so concerned about holmes'behavior that she mentioned it to her colleagues , saying he could be a danger to others , cnn affiliate kmgh-tv reported , citing sources with knowledge of the investigation . fenton 's concerns surfaced in early june , sources told the denver station . holmes began to fantasize about killing a lot of people ' in early june , nearly six weeks before the shootings , the station reported , citing unidentified sources familiar with the investigation . holmes'psychiatrist contacted several members of a behavioral evaluation and threat assessment ' team to say holmes could be a danger to others , the station reported . at issue was whether to order holmes held for 72 hours to be evaluated by mental health professionals , the station reported . fenton made initial phone calls about engaging the beta team ' in the first 10 days ' of june , but it never came together ' because in the period fenton was having conversations with team members , holmes began the process of dropping out of school , a source told kmgh . defense attorneys have rejected the prosecution 's assertions that holmes was barred from campus . citing statements from the university , holmes'attorneys have argued that his access was revoked because that 's normal procedure when a student drops enrollment . what caused this turn for the worse for holmes has yet to be clearly detailed . in the months before the shooting , he bought four weapons and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition , authorities said . police said he also booby-trapped his third-floor apartment with explosives , but police were n't fooled . after holmes was caught in the cinema parking lot immediately after the shooting , bomb technicians went to the apartment and neutralized the explosives . no one was injured at the apartment building . nine minutes before holmes went into the movie theater , he called a university of colorado switchboard , public defender brady has said in court . the number he called can be used to get in contact with faculty members during off hours , brady said . court documents have also revealed that investigators have obtained text messages that holmes exchanged with someone before the shooting . that person was not named , and the content of the texts has not been made public . according to the new york times , holmes sent a text message to a fellow graduate student , a woman , about two weeks before the shooting . she asked if he had left aurora yet , reported the newspaper , which did n't identify her . no , he had two months left on his lease , holmes wrote back , according to the times . he asked if she had heard of dysphoric mania , ' a form of bipolar disorder marked by the highs of mania and the dark and sometimes paranoid delusions of major depression . the woman asked if the disorder could be managed with treatment . it was , ' holmes wrote her , according to the times . but he warned she should stay away from him because i am bad news , ' the newspaper reported . it was her last contact with holmes . after the shooting , holmes'family issued a brief statement : our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved , ' they said , without giving any information about their son . since then , prosecutors have refused to offer a plea deal to holmes . for holmes , justice is death , ' said brauchler , the district attorney . in december , holmes'parents , who will be attending the trial , issued another statement : they asked that their son 's life be spared and that he be sent to an institution for mentally ill people for the rest of his life , if he 's found not guilty by reason of insanity . he is not a monster , ' robert and arlene holmes wrote , saying the death penalty is morally wrong , especially when the condemned is mentally ill. ' ' he is a human being gripped by a severe mental illness , ' the parents said . the matter will be settled by the jury . cnn 's ana cabrera and sara weisfeldt contributed to this report from denver .","holmes faces 165 counts in the movie theater massacre that killed 12 people" +"holmes ( cnn ) james holmes made his introduction to the world in a colorado cinema filled with spectators watching a midnight showing of the new batman movie , the dark knight rises , ' in june 2012 . the moment became one of the deadliest shootings in u.s. history . holmes is accused of opening fire on the crowd , killing 12 people and injuring or maiming 70 others in aurora , a suburb of denver . holmes appeared like a comic book character : he resembled the joker , with red-orange hair , similar to the late actor heath ledger 's portrayal of the villain in an earlier batman movie , authorities said . but holmes was hardly a cartoon . authorities said he wore body armor and carried several guns , including an ar-15 rifle , with lots of ammo . he also wore a gas mask . holmes says he was insane at the time of the shootings , and that is his legal defense and court plea : not guilty by reason of insanity . prosecutors are n't swayed and will seek the death penalty . opening statements in his trial are scheduled to begin monday . holmes admits to the shootings but says he was suffering a psychotic episode ' at the time , according to court papers filed in july 2013 by the state public defenders , daniel king and tamara a. brady . evidence revealed thus far in the case supports the defense 's position that mr. holmes suffers from a severe mental illness and was in the throes of a psychotic episode when he committed the acts that resulted in the tragic loss of life and injuries sustained by moviegoers on july 20 , 2012 , ' the public defenders wrote . holmes no longer looks like a dazed joker , as he did in his first appearance before a judge in 2012 . he appeared dramatically different in january when jury selection began for his trial : 9,000 potential jurors were summoned for duty , described as one of the nation 's largest jury calls . holmes now has a cleaner look , with a mustache , button-down shirt and khaki pants . in january , he had a beard and eyeglasses . if this new image sounds like one of an academician , it may be because holmes , now 27 , once was one . just before the shooting , holmes was a doctoral student in neuroscience , and he was studying how the brain works , with his schooling funded by a u.s. government grant . yet for all his learning , holmes apparently lacked the capacity to command his own mind , according to the case against him . a jury will ultimately decide holmes'fate . that panel is made up of 12 jurors and 12 alternates . they are 19 women and five men , and almost all are white and middle-aged . the trial could last until autumn . when jury summonses were issued in january , each potential juror stood a 0.2 % chance of being selected , district attorney george brauchler told the final jury this month . he described the approaching trial as four to five months of a horrible roller coaster through the worst haunted house you can imagine . ' the jury will have to render verdicts on each of the 165 counts against holmes , including murder and attempted murder charges . meanwhile , victims and their relatives are challenging all media outlets to stop the gratuitous use of the name and likeness of mass killers , thereby depriving violent individuals the media celebrity and media spotlight they so crave , ' the no notoriety group says . they are joined by victims from eight other mass shootings in recent u.s. history . raised in central coastal california and in san diego , james eagan holmes is the son of a mathematician father noted for his work at the fico firm that provides credit scores and a registered nurse mother , according to the u-t san diego newspaper . holmes also has a sister , chris , a musician , who 's five years younger , the newspaper said . his childhood classmates remember him as a clean-cut , bespectacled boy with an exemplary ' character who never gave any trouble , and never got in trouble himself , ' the salinas californian reported . his family then moved down the california coast , where holmes grew up in the san diego-area neighborhood of rancho peñasquitos , which a neighbor described as kind of like mayberry , ' the san diego newspaper said . holmes attended westview high school , which says its school district sits in a primarily middle- to upper-middle-income residential community . ' there , holmes ran cross-country , played soccer and later worked at a biotechnology internship at the salk institute and miramar college , which attracts academically talented students . by then , his peers described him as standoffish and a bit of a wiseacre , the san diego newspaper said . holmes attended college fairly close to home , in a neighboring area known as southern california 's inland empire ' because it 's more than an hour 's drive from the coast , in a warm , low-desert climate . he entered the university of california , riverside , in 2006 as a scholarship student . in 2008 he was a summer camp counselor for disadvantaged children , age 7 to 14 , at camp max straus , run by jewish big brothers big sisters of los angeles . he graduated from uc riverside in 2010 with the highest honors and a bachelor 's degree in neuroscience . academically , he was at the top of the top , ' chancellor timothy p. white said . he seemed destined for even higher achievement . by 2011 , he had enrolled as a doctoral student in the neuroscience program at the university of colorado anschutz medical campus in aurora , the largest academic health center in the rocky mountain region . the doctoral in neuroscience program attended by holmes focuses on how the brain works , with an emphasis on processing of information , behavior , learning and memory . holmes was one of six pre-thesis ph.d. students in the program who were awarded a neuroscience training grant from the national institutes of health . the grant rewards outstanding neuroscientists who will make major contributions to neurobiology . a syllabus that listed holmes as a student at the medical school shows he was to have delivered a presentation about microrna biomarkers . but holmes struggled , and his own mental health took an ominous turn . in march 2012 , he told a classmate he wanted to kill people , and that he would do so when his life was over , ' court documents said . holmes was denied access to the school after june 12 , 2012 , after he made threats to a professor , ' according to court documents . about that time , holmes was a patient of university of colorado psychiatrist lynne fenton . fenton was so concerned about holmes'behavior that she mentioned it to her colleagues , saying he could be a danger to others , cnn affiliate kmgh-tv reported , citing sources with knowledge of the investigation . fenton 's concerns surfaced in early june , sources told the denver station . holmes began to fantasize about killing a lot of people ' in early june , nearly six weeks before the shootings , the station reported , citing unidentified sources familiar with the investigation . holmes'psychiatrist contacted several members of a behavioral evaluation and threat assessment ' team to say holmes could be a danger to others , the station reported . at issue was whether to order holmes held for 72 hours to be evaluated by mental health professionals , the station reported . fenton made initial phone calls about engaging the beta team ' in the first 10 days ' of june , but it never came together ' because in the period fenton was having conversations with team members , holmes began the process of dropping out of school , a source told kmgh . defense attorneys have rejected the prosecution 's assertions that holmes was barred from campus . citing statements from the university , holmes'attorneys have argued that his access was revoked because that 's normal procedure when a student drops enrollment . what caused this turn for the worse for holmes has yet to be clearly detailed . in the months before the shooting , he bought four weapons and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition , authorities said . police said he also booby-trapped his third-floor apartment with explosives , but police were n't fooled . after holmes was caught in the cinema parking lot immediately after the shooting , bomb technicians went to the apartment and neutralized the explosives . no one was injured at the apartment building . nine minutes before holmes went into the movie theater , he called a university of colorado switchboard , public defender brady has said in court . the number he called can be used to get in contact with faculty members during off hours , brady said . court documents have also revealed that investigators have obtained text messages that holmes exchanged with someone before the shooting . that person was not named , and the content of the texts has not been made public . according to the new york times , holmes sent a text message to a fellow graduate student , a woman , about two weeks before the shooting . she asked if he had left aurora yet , reported the newspaper , which did n't identify her . no , he had two months left on his lease , holmes wrote back , according to the times . he asked if she had heard of dysphoric mania , ' a form of bipolar disorder marked by the highs of mania and the dark and sometimes paranoid delusions of major depression . the woman asked if the disorder could be managed with treatment . it was , ' holmes wrote her , according to the times . but he warned she should stay away from him because i am bad news , ' the newspaper reported . it was her last contact with holmes . after the shooting , holmes'family issued a brief statement : our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved , ' they said , without giving any information about their son . since then , prosecutors have refused to offer a plea deal to holmes . for holmes , justice is death , ' said brauchler , the district attorney . in december , holmes'parents , who will be attending the trial , issued another statement : they asked that their son 's life be spared and that he be sent to an institution for mentally ill people for the rest of his life , if he 's found not guilty by reason of insanity . he is not a monster , ' robert and arlene holmes wrote , saying the death penalty is morally wrong , especially when the condemned is mentally ill. ' ' he is a human being gripped by a severe mental illness , ' the parents said . the matter will be settled by the jury . cnn 's ana cabrera and sara weisfeldt contributed to this report from denver .","opening statements are scheduled monday in the trial of james holmes" +"chase ( ew.com ) -- in light of community 's ' return tomorrow night , the rocky relationship between the show and one of its stars , chevy chase ( who has since left the show ) became the topic of discussion for joel mchale and howard stern on stern 's sirius/xm radio show . mchale said that chase had no desire to be involved in the show , and when he attempted to talk to him about it , there were repercussions . when i would try , he would just try to fight me . he physically wanted to fight me , ' mchale tells stern in this clip . tensions boiled over last year , after months of reports that chase had acted out on set , insulting the show 's writing and sending former showrunner dan harmon an insulting voicemail that was leaked online . mchale told stern that chase did use the'n'-word on set . ellie kemper to star in nbc comedy pilot ' when he said it , it was like'we are now at defcon 1 ,'' mchale said . he added that chase was protesting the direction that his character , pierce , was going in on the show claiming that his racist rants were sure to include the'n'-word in the future . blair waldorf dating seth cohen ? ! he said that richard pryor said it was okay for him to call him that , ' mchale said . he literally ... he used that . ' see the original article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","mchale said that chase had no desire to be involved with community '" +"chase ( ew.com ) -- in light of community 's ' return tomorrow night , the rocky relationship between the show and one of its stars , chevy chase ( who has since left the show ) became the topic of discussion for joel mchale and howard stern on stern 's sirius/xm radio show . mchale said that chase had no desire to be involved in the show , and when he attempted to talk to him about it , there were repercussions . when i would try , he would just try to fight me . he physically wanted to fight me , ' mchale tells stern in this clip . tensions boiled over last year , after months of reports that chase had acted out on set , insulting the show 's writing and sending former showrunner dan harmon an insulting voicemail that was leaked online . mchale told stern that chase did use the'n'-word on set . ellie kemper to star in nbc comedy pilot ' when he said it , it was like'we are now at defcon 1 ,'' mchale said . he added that chase was protesting the direction that his character , pierce , was going in on the show claiming that his racist rants were sure to include the'n'-word in the future . blair waldorf dating seth cohen ? ! he said that richard pryor said it was okay for him to call him that , ' mchale said . he literally ... he used that . ' see the original article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","mchale told howard stern that chase did use the'n'-word on set" +"chase ( ew.com ) -- in light of community 's ' return tomorrow night , the rocky relationship between the show and one of its stars , chevy chase ( who has since left the show ) became the topic of discussion for joel mchale and howard stern on stern 's sirius/xm radio show . mchale said that chase had no desire to be involved in the show , and when he attempted to talk to him about it , there were repercussions . when i would try , he would just try to fight me . he physically wanted to fight me , ' mchale tells stern in this clip . tensions boiled over last year , after months of reports that chase had acted out on set , insulting the show 's writing and sending former showrunner dan harmon an insulting voicemail that was leaked online . mchale told stern that chase did use the'n'-word on set . ellie kemper to star in nbc comedy pilot ' when he said it , it was like'we are now at defcon 1 ,'' mchale said . he added that chase was protesting the direction that his character , pierce , was going in on the show claiming that his racist rants were sure to include the'n'-word in the future . blair waldorf dating seth cohen ? ! he said that richard pryor said it was okay for him to call him that , ' mchale said . he literally ... he used that . ' see the original article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .","tensions boiled over last year , after months of reports that chase had acted out on set" +"chancellor merkel ( cnn ) -- germany 's government has asked america 's top spy chief stationed in the country to leave . it 's a punitive gesture usually reserved for adversarial nations in times of crisis and only very rarely for an ally , particularly a very close one . but allegations of american spying have seriously injured german trust , chancellor angela merkel has said . and it 's time for a reset . germany let loose the diplomatic slap , reminiscent of a cold war rebuke , after news of two new possible u.s. espionage cases broke back to back in a week 's time . two germans -- one working at a german intelligence agency , the other in the ministry of defense -- are suspected of spying for the united states . local media report that both cases involve stolen official german documents . the u.s. official shown the door is based in berlin at the u.s. embassy , which followed up on friday 's announcement with a note to journalists : ' the u.s. embassy has seen the reports that germany has asked the u.s. mission germany 's intelligence chief to leave the country . as a standard practice , we will not comment on intelligence matters . ' a german official confirmed that person was the cia 's station chief and that the agency 's director , john brennan , has talked multiple times with his german counterpart .'so much stupidity' top german government officials have candidly spoken about the decision to expel the u.s. official as they poured their disappointment over alleged u.s. spying into microphones and cameras for days . most pointedly , finance minister wolfgang schaeuble casually described the alleged u.s. actions as daft ' before a television talk show audience . one can only cry over so much stupidity , ' he said . he based his remarks on the essential value of germany 's cooperation with u.s. intelligence agencies to fight international terrorism and complained that spying spoils the relationship . legal action the latest allegations weigh densely on ties already burdened since edward snowden leaked indications that the national security agency tapped into merkel 's own cell phone . they have seemingly undone any of washington 's diplomatic smoothing over previously alleged nsa intrusions . one of the new cases has landed on top of an existing investigation on federal prosecutors'desks into the possible spying on merkel . the nsa scandal has also prompted prosecutors to set up a new special committee to investigate and criminally prosecute cyberspying by foreign intelligence . merkel deferred to the pending results of those investigations , but it did n't stop her from expressing on thursday the disappointment she feels over the suspected acts . from a common sense standpoint , in my opinion , spying on allies is , in the end , a waste of energy . we have so many problems , and we should , i find , concentrate on the essentials . ' isis , syria , terrorism -- all take priority over spying on each other , she said . and trust between allies is vital . privacy is sacred to understand germany 's particular hurt over spying allegations , one need only to look at the country 's history in the 20th century , when oppressive fascist and communist regimes spied on citizens in order to persecute them . during the cold war , high-level spy scandals stoked division between then divided democratic west germany and communist east germany . the scandals triggered government shakedowns and deep public outrage in the west . as a result of the nazi past , democratic , postwar germany has instituted very strict privacy laws that prohibit government agencies , companies and private individuals from gathering or passing even simple information about citizens without their express consent . or in criminal cases , without probable cause . data protection is so sacred in germany that advertisers there are prevented from profiling prospective consumers . top u.s. , german diplomats to meet amid the new allegations , the top u.s. and german diplomats are expected to meet in vienna , austria , this weekend during multination negotiations about the future of iran 's nuclear program , a senior u.s. state department official said . while the official said u.s. secretary of state john kerry and german foreign minister frank walter steinmeier will touch on topics such as the middle east and ukraine , it 'd be hard to imagine the two ignoring the spy issue . across the atlantic in washington , the new allegations have also raised the eyebrows of some elected officials . i am concerned that we are sending the wrong message to a key ally , ' said democratic sen. mark udall of colorado . otherwise , administration officials have countered their german counterparts'candor with lips as sealed as those at the u.s. embassy in berlin . white house spokesman josh earnest declined to comment on the reported intelligence activity as a matter of policy , to protect american national security and intelligence assets . ' i 'm not going to have anything more to add on that front , ' state department spokeswoman jen psaki told a journalist who asked if reports of germany booting the u.s. intelligence official were true . german journalists who contacted washington officials for comment on the cases , when news of them first broke , reported receiving e-mail replies containing only two words , which they included in their articles in the original english : ' no comment . ' germany calls in u.s. ambassador over new spying allegation germany investigating alleged u.s. surveillance of merkel 's phone india summons u.s. diplomat over report of nsa spying cnn 's evan perez contributed to this story .","the new allegations land on top of an investigation into nsa spying on chancellor merkel" +"florida ( cnn ) -- shark attacks on humans were at the lowest levels in half a decade last year , and a florida researcher says hard economic times may be to blame . fewer people in the water means less chance for sharks to attack , ichthyologist george burgess says . sharks attacked 59 people in 2008 , the lowest number of attacks since 57 in 2003 , according to george burgess , director of the international shark attack file , part of the florida museum of natural history on the university of florida campus in gainesville . there were 71 attacks in 2007 . one ca n't help but think that the downturn in the economy played a part in it , ' burgess said . fewer people , especially outside of the united states , have the resources to go to the beach , he said . to have a shark attack , you have to have humans and sharks in the water at the same time , ' burgess said . if you have a reduction in the number of people in the water , you 're going to have a reduction in the opportunities for people and sharks to get together . ' we noticed similar declines during the recession that followed the events of 2001 , despite the fact that human populations continued to rise , ' the ichthyologist said . sharks killed four people in 2008 , burgess said : one in california , one in australia and two in mexico . forty-one of the 59 attacks worldwide came in the united states , and 32 of those occurred in florida . surfers accounted for 57 percent of shark attacks , swimmers and waders were the targets in 36 percent of the attacks , and divers the rest , he said . burgess said the u.s. tends to see more attacks because of a large number of surfers , who are a favorite target of sharks . and neither the economy nor the attacks tend to keep american surfers from practicing their sport . all they have to do is drive to the beach with the board and get into the water , and the rest is free , ' he said . and while an attack may make them a bit more wary , he said , i 've yet to find a surfer who says he or she wo n't go back into the water after a bite or a nip . ' when the economy improves , shark attack numbers are likely to go up again , according to burgess , predicting the number of attacks in the next decade will surpass those of the past 10 years . we 're putting so many people in the water that humans are dictating the shark attack situation , ' he said .","sharks attacked 59 people worldwide in 2008 , florida researcher reports" +"austria florence , italy ( cnn ) -- amanda knox vowed friday to fight her conviction for the murder of british student meredith kercher until the very end ' and said she will never go willingly ' back to italy . speaking on abc 's good morning america , ' knox said news of the guilty verdict thursday really has hit me like a train . ' i did not expect this to happen . i really expected so much better from the italian justice system , ' she said . they found me innocent before . how can they say that it 's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt ? ' an appeals court found knox and her former boyfriend , raffaele sollecito , guilty of murder in the italian city of florence after a retrial . her attorney , ted simon , told cnn 's new day ' that he had been in touch with knox and her family all day as they awaited the court 's decision . it was terrible news , ' he said . she understands more than anyone that a wrongful conviction is unjust , not just for the accused but for the victim , their family , as well as society , and she feels this very personally . ' knox 's conviction has raised questions about her possible extradition to italy to serve her 28â½-year sentence , handed down in absentia , since she has been in the united states throughout the retrial . but simon said it was too early to talk about extradition since there is still an appeals process to go through , which will probably last another year . citing privacy and confidentiality issues , state department spokeswoman marie harf declined to say whether italy has requested knox be extradited . knox , 26 , told abc she would fight every step of the way . i will never go willingly back to the place where i -- i 'm gon na fight this until the very end , ' she said . asked how she was coping with the situation , her attorney highlighted her strength of character . while she accepted that very difficult news , she has rebounded . she has shown great resilience and fortitude . and with a great deal of family support , they 're going to go forward and appeal what we would characterize as a completely unjust conviction , ' simon said . the attorney argued there was no evidence ' implicating his client in the murder and never had been , adding that it was incomprehensible ' that the court had found her guilty . sollecito stopped near border earlier friday , italian authorities stopped sollecito near the border with austria and slovenia , italian police told cnn . sollecito , who is not allowed to leave italy while the legal process continues , was halted in the northern italian town of udine , police said . the slovenian border is less than 20 miles east of udine , and the border with austria lies about 55 miles to the north . sollecito 's lawyer , luca maori , said his client was indeed in udine with his girlfriend . they were driving to the town of treviso , where his girlfriend lives , and because of the snow had to stop , the lawyer said . maori told cnn it was not sollecito 's intent to flee the country . prosecutors said the couple killed kercher , a british student , in november 2007 . sollecito was sentenced to 25 years in prison . both denied murder . kercher , 21 , was found partially nude in a pool of blood in the house she shared with knox in the picturesque town of perugia , where both women were exchange students . but despite years of courtroom battles over her death , many aspects of the crime still remain unexplained .'journey to the truth' on friday morning , kercher 's siblings spoke in florence about their family 's long ordeal . her sister , stephanie kercher , said the family might never know exactly what happened on the night of her death . i think we are still on the journey to the truth , ' she said . i think it may be the fact that we do n't ever really know what happened that night , which is obviously something we will have to come to terms with . ' lyle kercher , meredith 's brother , said the family may have to wait until spring 2015 for a final resolution , since the verdicts reached thursday can still be appealed at italy 's supreme court . nothing is going to bring meredith back , nothing will take away the horror of what happened to her , ' he said . the best we can hope for is finally bringing this whole case to a conclusion , having a conviction , and everyone can move on with their lives . ' if the supreme court upholds the murder conviction , he expects to see italian authorities make an extradition request to the united states so that knox serves her sentence in italy , he said . stephanie kercher said that she had been told of a letter written by knox to the kercher family but that she had not seen it . she also appeared to rule out meeting with knox in the future , despite the american 's overtures to the family and whatever the final outcome of the case . we 've asked to have our wishes respected in that we would like to be together as a family to remember meredith , ' she said . a lot has happened over this length of time . it would be very difficult to meet someone having had all that happen . ' read more : six things to know about amanda knox retrial verdict pair first convicted in 2009 knox and sollecito were first convicted in 2009 , but those charges were overturned on appeal in 2011 and the pair were freed , having spent four years in prison . in march of last year , italy 's supreme court overturned the pair 's acquittals , leading to the retrial that resulted thursday night in their convictions for murder being reinstated by a florence appeals court . knox , who remained at home in seattle , washington , while the retrial was held , said in a written statement thursday that her conviction would bring no consolation to the kercher family . presiding judge alessandro nencini has 90 days to write his arguments behind the jury 's ruling . once that is out , lawyers have 90 days to appeal . hada messia reported from florence , and laura smith-spark wrote and reported in london . cnn 's deanna hackney also contributed to this report .","raffaele sollecito is stopped near the border with austria and slovenia , italian police say" +"no . 1 ( cnn ) -- even though he was ill , adam scott could do little wrong in the early rounds at the arnold palmer invitational . he led by seven shots at the halfway mark at bay hill in orlando and , despite his advantage being cut entering the final round , still held a comfortable three-shot advantage as play began sunday . unfortunately for the aussie , he faltered and thus missed a chance to overtake the injured tiger woods as the world no . 1 . matt every of the u.s. was the unlikely winner , compiling a strong round to claim his first pga title . scott shot a four-over 76 , hitting five bogeys , to slip to third , two shots behind every 's total of 275 . it was n't the tournament he wanted ahead of the defense of his masters crown next month . i did n't putt well at all today , ' scott told the golf channel . if nothing else it 's a good reminder on how much putting practice i need to do before going to the masters and just how important it is . if i think back to last year , i made every putt that you expect to in that last round and ultimately that 's what gave me the chance to win . ' every , who trailed scott by four shots overnight , made up ground thanks to five birdies . but two bogeys on the last three holes gave keegan bradley an opportunity to force a playoff . bradley , however , missed a birdie putt at the 18th that would have forced the playoff . every 's drought was over . it 's really cool , ' every , who turned pro in 2006 , told reporters . i have had a lot of looks ( at wins ) and i kept telling myself maybe it 's going to come somewhere special . i still ca n't believe i won . it 's hard , it 's tough man . you just never know if it 's going to happen . '","scott misses a chance to overtake tiger woods as golf 's world no . 1" +"scott ( cnn ) -- even though he was ill , adam scott could do little wrong in the early rounds at the arnold palmer invitational . he led by seven shots at the halfway mark at bay hill in orlando and , despite his advantage being cut entering the final round , still held a comfortable three-shot advantage as play began sunday . unfortunately for the aussie , he faltered and thus missed a chance to overtake the injured tiger woods as the world no . 1 . matt every of the u.s. was the unlikely winner , compiling a strong round to claim his first pga title . scott shot a four-over 76 , hitting five bogeys , to slip to third , two shots behind every 's total of 275 . it was n't the tournament he wanted ahead of the defense of his masters crown next month . i did n't putt well at all today , ' scott told the golf channel . if nothing else it 's a good reminder on how much putting practice i need to do before going to the masters and just how important it is . if i think back to last year , i made every putt that you expect to in that last round and ultimately that 's what gave me the chance to win . ' every , who trailed scott by four shots overnight , made up ground thanks to five birdies . but two bogeys on the last three holes gave keegan bradley an opportunity to force a playoff . bradley , however , missed a birdie putt at the 18th that would have forced the playoff . every 's drought was over . it 's really cool , ' every , who turned pro in 2006 , told reporters . i have had a lot of looks ( at wins ) and i kept telling myself maybe it 's going to come somewhere special . i still ca n't believe i won . it 's hard , it 's tough man . you just never know if it 's going to happen . '","every trailed by four shots heading into sunday but passed adam scott" +"scott ( cnn ) -- even though he was ill , adam scott could do little wrong in the early rounds at the arnold palmer invitational . he led by seven shots at the halfway mark at bay hill in orlando and , despite his advantage being cut entering the final round , still held a comfortable three-shot advantage as play began sunday . unfortunately for the aussie , he faltered and thus missed a chance to overtake the injured tiger woods as the world no . 1 . matt every of the u.s. was the unlikely winner , compiling a strong round to claim his first pga title . scott shot a four-over 76 , hitting five bogeys , to slip to third , two shots behind every 's total of 275 . it was n't the tournament he wanted ahead of the defense of his masters crown next month . i did n't putt well at all today , ' scott told the golf channel . if nothing else it 's a good reminder on how much putting practice i need to do before going to the masters and just how important it is . if i think back to last year , i made every putt that you expect to in that last round and ultimately that 's what gave me the chance to win . ' every , who trailed scott by four shots overnight , made up ground thanks to five birdies . but two bogeys on the last three holes gave keegan bradley an opportunity to force a playoff . bradley , however , missed a birdie putt at the 18th that would have forced the playoff . every 's drought was over . it 's really cool , ' every , who turned pro in 2006 , told reporters . i have had a lot of looks ( at wins ) and i kept telling myself maybe it 's going to come somewhere special . i still ca n't believe i won . it 's hard , it 's tough man . you just never know if it 's going to happen . '","scott slipped to third at bay hill and finishes two shots behind the u.s. 's every" +"scott ( cnn ) -- even though he was ill , adam scott could do little wrong in the early rounds at the arnold palmer invitational . he led by seven shots at the halfway mark at bay hill in orlando and , despite his advantage being cut entering the final round , still held a comfortable three-shot advantage as play began sunday . unfortunately for the aussie , he faltered and thus missed a chance to overtake the injured tiger woods as the world no . 1 . matt every of the u.s. was the unlikely winner , compiling a strong round to claim his first pga title . scott shot a four-over 76 , hitting five bogeys , to slip to third , two shots behind every 's total of 275 . it was n't the tournament he wanted ahead of the defense of his masters crown next month . i did n't putt well at all today , ' scott told the golf channel . if nothing else it 's a good reminder on how much putting practice i need to do before going to the masters and just how important it is . if i think back to last year , i made every putt that you expect to in that last round and ultimately that 's what gave me the chance to win . ' every , who trailed scott by four shots overnight , made up ground thanks to five birdies . but two bogeys on the last three holes gave keegan bradley an opportunity to force a playoff . bradley , however , missed a birdie putt at the 18th that would have forced the playoff . every 's drought was over . it 's really cool , ' every , who turned pro in 2006 , told reporters . i have had a lot of looks ( at wins ) and i kept telling myself maybe it 's going to come somewhere special . i still ca n't believe i won . it 's hard , it 's tough man . you just never know if it 's going to happen . '","scott misses a chance to overtake tiger woods as golf 's world no . 1" +"arnold palmer invitational ( cnn ) -- even though he was ill , adam scott could do little wrong in the early rounds at the arnold palmer invitational . he led by seven shots at the halfway mark at bay hill in orlando and , despite his advantage being cut entering the final round , still held a comfortable three-shot advantage as play began sunday . unfortunately for the aussie , he faltered and thus missed a chance to overtake the injured tiger woods as the world no . 1 . matt every of the u.s. was the unlikely winner , compiling a strong round to claim his first pga title . scott shot a four-over 76 , hitting five bogeys , to slip to third , two shots behind every 's total of 275 . it was n't the tournament he wanted ahead of the defense of his masters crown next month . i did n't putt well at all today , ' scott told the golf channel . if nothing else it 's a good reminder on how much putting practice i need to do before going to the masters and just how important it is . if i think back to last year , i made every putt that you expect to in that last round and ultimately that 's what gave me the chance to win . ' every , who trailed scott by four shots overnight , made up ground thanks to five birdies . but two bogeys on the last three holes gave keegan bradley an opportunity to force a playoff . bradley , however , missed a birdie putt at the 18th that would have forced the playoff . every 's drought was over . it 's really cool , ' every , who turned pro in 2006 , told reporters . i have had a lot of looks ( at wins ) and i kept telling myself maybe it 's going to come somewhere special . i still ca n't believe i won . it 's hard , it 's tough man . you just never know if it 's going to happen . '","matt every wins his first pga title after rallying at the arnold palmer invitational" +"pga ( cnn ) -- even though he was ill , adam scott could do little wrong in the early rounds at the arnold palmer invitational . he led by seven shots at the halfway mark at bay hill in orlando and , despite his advantage being cut entering the final round , still held a comfortable three-shot advantage as play began sunday . unfortunately for the aussie , he faltered and thus missed a chance to overtake the injured tiger woods as the world no . 1 . matt every of the u.s. was the unlikely winner , compiling a strong round to claim his first pga title . scott shot a four-over 76 , hitting five bogeys , to slip to third , two shots behind every 's total of 275 . it was n't the tournament he wanted ahead of the defense of his masters crown next month . i did n't putt well at all today , ' scott told the golf channel . if nothing else it 's a good reminder on how much putting practice i need to do before going to the masters and just how important it is . if i think back to last year , i made every putt that you expect to in that last round and ultimately that 's what gave me the chance to win . ' every , who trailed scott by four shots overnight , made up ground thanks to five birdies . but two bogeys on the last three holes gave keegan bradley an opportunity to force a playoff . bradley , however , missed a birdie putt at the 18th that would have forced the playoff . every 's drought was over . it 's really cool , ' every , who turned pro in 2006 , told reporters . i have had a lot of looks ( at wins ) and i kept telling myself maybe it 's going to come somewhere special . i still ca n't believe i won . it 's hard , it 's tough man . you just never know if it 's going to happen . '","matt every wins his first pga title after rallying at the arnold palmer invitational" +"obama ( cnn ) -- have you looked at the middle east lately ? it 's a giant mess , with civil wars , massive popular protests , cross-border fighting , armed insurgencies , exploding car bombs and on and on . and that 's just in the past few days . the middle east refuses to acknowledge that the united states has decided to pivot toward asia . it refuses to step out of the spotlight . what we see today is proof that long-standing notions about the region -- the old conspiracy theories , the oversimplifications -- were just not true . claims that the world paid attention to the area only because it had oil or that the key to every single problem in the middle east involved israel have been proved wrong . the middle east still monopolizes the attention of diplomats , forces military experts urgently back to their drawing boards , keeps world leaders awake at night and would do so even if it did not hold a drop of oil or if the arab-israeli conflict did not exist . why ? the middle east stands , as it has for centuries , at the center of historical currents and conflicting ideologies . what goes on there reverberates across national borders and leaps over oceans . when ( most of ) you attend religious services on the weekend or when you take off your shoes before boarding an airplane , you do it because of an idea that was born in the middle east . the region is in crisis because it suffers from endemic corruption , poor governance , discrimination against women and serious economic problems . rival philosophies are battling for the future -- shiites competing with sunnis , advocates of democracy challenging dictators , islamists trying to overpower pluralists and christians concerned over their future . those are just a few of the ingredients fueling the conflicts . democracy supporters may have become more muscular , but other determined fighters aspire to create profoundly anti-woman , anti-liberal and anti-american states . the implications of those beliefs will become evident as history unfolds . for america , the full pivot will have to wait . consider the recent fighting in gaza , dramatic developments in egypt , slaughter in syria , multiple bombings in iraq , or the palestinian bid at the united nations . on the front burner : egypt the streets of cairo are boiling with rage against president mohamed morsy , who stunned the country -- and the white house -- when he announced he was taking powers in what many view as a return to dictatorship . protesters worry about a creeping power grab by the muslim brotherhood . one respected arab observer compared morsy to iran 's ayatollah khomeini . morsy insists his move is necessary and only temporary . eventually we will find out who is right . the answer will help set the future of democracy in the arab world , where egypt leads in ideological , political and cultural trends . that 's why when egyptians picked up the flame from a popular uprising in tunisia two years ago , every dictator in the region trembled . every western capital had to review its strategic alliances . iran the united states might want to focus on asia , but it can not stop worrying about iran . some will insist the concern is about oil , but the u.s. could still buy oil from a nuclear-armed iran . obama , and the world , fears iran 's nuclear program will trigger a nuclear arms race in the most politically unstable part of the planet . on wednesday , the head of iran 's atomic energy organization vowed that iran will accelerate enriching uranium , despite harsh international sanctions . separately , u.s. officials told cnn that tehran is already finding ways to ship weapons to the palestinian islamist group hamas in gaza , just days after the u.s. helped broker a cease-fire between hamas and israel . israelis and palestinians this conflict remains a neuralgic point in the region and a challenge to american influence . hamas vows to destroy israel , while the palestinian authority refuses to sit down for talks , laying the blame at israel 's feet . defying washington 's wishes , the authority took its case to the u.n. general assembly on thursday , where an automatic majority of arab , muslim and non-aligned movement countries guaranteed a positive response to its upgraded status request . the move unhelpfully delinks the process of gaining statehood from the need to reach a negotiated peace . syria in syria , some 40,000 men women and children have died in the country 's civil war . the rebels are making gains in their very worthy cause of overthrowing the repressive regime of bashar al-assad . but the west , including the united states , worries about what might come after al-assad 's fall . the opposition includes progressive advocates of democracy , but it also counts all manner of other ideologies , from mild islamists to extremists who would like to see syria as part of a supranational islamic caliphate . washington looks confused about what to do , but it can not afford to ignore what is happening . it would be nice if the american president could decide which regions will command his attention . but this is the middle east , and like it or not , it promises to remain at or near the top of the agenda . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis .","frida ghitis : obama trying to pivot to asia , but middle east chaos stays center stage" +"malian bamako , mali ( cnn ) -- mali 's historic cultural center , timbuktu , lacks electricity , water and phone service , because terrorists ' sabotaged the utilities there , a paris-based spokesman for the ethnic toureg separatist party mnla said thursday . mnla spokesman moussa ag assarid said most of the terrorists ' fled timbuktu for the desert after french planes on tuesday bombed the militants'headquarters , which was built by former libyan leader moammar gadhafi . however , assarid warned , some militants remain in the fabled city . assarid 's choice of the word terrorists ' highlights the ever-shifting alliances as mali devolves into a wild frontier . mnla used to be aligned with ansar dine , one of the main islamist groups fighting to take over mali . but after mnla ousted the malian army from timbuktu last year , ansar dine and al qaeda drove mnla away . the head of the united states'african command , gen. carter ham , spoke at howard university in washington on thursday about the situation . he said his ultimate goal is helping a legitimate malian government based in the capital of bamako control the whole country . u.s. has flown seven cargo missions to mali ' territorial integrity of mali is nonnegotiable . no discussion of a separatist state or something like that . but , it also appears that mali has asked for , and will need , some help to establish government control in the north , ' ham said . realistically , we would all like to see the elimination of al qaeda and others from northern mali . realistically , probably the best you can get is containment and disruption , so that al qaeda is no longer able to control territory as they do today . ' this must be in fact and in perception an african-led endeavor that is done at the request of the malian government , and i think that is well under way now , ' ham added . but recent allegations against malian troops have some human rights observers questioning whether the malian army has right on its side , or just might . malian soldiers have carried out a number of summary executions as they seek to drive back islamist militants who have been advancing from the north , a human rights group claimed thursday . mali 's military offensive against the militants has gathered pace in the past two weeks , with backing from france and other international allies . refugees tell harrowing stories of life under the islamist militants who hold northern mali in an iron grip . but the french-based international federation for human rights said it was very alarmed ' by reports that malian soldiers are themselves carrying out extrajudicial killings and abuses as they counterstrike . fidh claims the victims of these abuses have been anyone accused of complicity with the jihadists or infiltrated elements , persons in possession of weapons , people who have no proof of their identity during military patrols or simply people targeted because of their belonging to certain ethnic groups . ' the group said it had confirmed that malian forces have carried out numerous executions in the key conflict area between the north and south , particularly in the towns of sevare , mopti and niono . in sevare , at least 11 individuals were executed in the military camp , near the bus station and near the hospital , ' the fidh said . reliable information indicates close to 20 other executions in the same area where bodies are said to have been buried very hastily , in particular in the wells . in the niono region , malian soldiers killed two malians of tuareg origin . ' the group says it has also been told of other summary executions in central mali , and documents the pillaging of tuareg homes by government soldiers . what 's behind instability in mali ? a mali military spokesman declined to comment on the record about the rights group 's allegations . the fidh called for the immediate establishment of an independent investigation commission to assess the scope of these abuses and sanction the perpetrators . ' although malian and french politicians and military officials have repeatedly called for respect of international humanitarian law and human rights , the fidh says it is concerned by the lack of scrutiny of these alleged violations . this series of grave abuses confirms the concerns that we have been expressing for several weeks , ' said the group 's president , souhayr belhassent . these acts of revenge together with the extreme tensions that exists between the communities constitute an explosive cocktail leading us to fear that the worst could happen , especially in the context of the reconquering the north . ' mnla rebels who returned to mali well-armed from fighting for the late libyan leader moammar gadhafi staged a military coup last year against the malian government . islamic extremists capitalized on the chaos , carving out a large haven in mali 's north and imposing a strict interpretation of sharia law . the islamists banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . they also destroyed historic tombs and shrines . fellow rights group amnesty international also has voiced concern over the actions of mali 's army . particularly troubling is that among the malian forces -- as well as pro-government militia -- are individuals who enjoy impunity for egregious human rights violations , ' wrote scott edwards , managing director of crisis prevention and response at amnesty international usa last week . among other abuses , an amnesty report last year accused the malian army of indiscriminately ' bombing the civilian population in response to the rebellion by armed tuareg groups . more signs al qaeda in mali orchestrated algeria attack corinne dufka , who heads human rights watch in west africa , told cnn on thursday that education could help stem the worrying number of reprisal killings . ' [ it ] should be a wake-up call not only to the malian army to nip this problem in the bud and investigate and hold those responsible , but also to mali 's international partners -- the french , the european union , the african forces who are coming in -- to acknowledge the weaknesses and problems within the malian security forces , and then , to properly accompany them , to urgently train them in international humanitarian law and to mentor them so there are no further abuses in the future , ' dufka said . a cnn crew in mali has heard anecdotal reports of abuses . it has encountered widespread hatred of the tuareg in mali , with many in the population blaming them for bringing the current conflict into mali . the cnn crew has heard reports that the houses and possessions of tuareg families have been destroyed by either citizens or mali 's military . many tuareg are in hiding or keeping a low profile for fear of retribution from the public and military . tuareg in refugee camps have repeatedly said they had to flee mali because of violence against them . france 's involvement in mali began the day after militants said january 10 that they had seized the city of konna , east of diabaly in central mali , and were poised to advance south toward bamako . those events stoked fear among global security experts that mali could become a new hub for terrorism . the fidh is a multinational human rights body made up of 164 groups across the world , with delegations at the united nations in geneva , the european union in brussels and the international criminal court in the hague . cnn 's ingrid formanek reported from mali and joseph netto from atlanta , barbara starr reported from washington , and laura smith-spark wrote in london . mark morgenstein updated in atlanta .","a french human rights group says it has confirmed a number of executions by malian forces" +"malian bamako , mali ( cnn ) -- mali 's historic cultural center , timbuktu , lacks electricity , water and phone service , because terrorists ' sabotaged the utilities there , a paris-based spokesman for the ethnic toureg separatist party mnla said thursday . mnla spokesman moussa ag assarid said most of the terrorists ' fled timbuktu for the desert after french planes on tuesday bombed the militants'headquarters , which was built by former libyan leader moammar gadhafi . however , assarid warned , some militants remain in the fabled city . assarid 's choice of the word terrorists ' highlights the ever-shifting alliances as mali devolves into a wild frontier . mnla used to be aligned with ansar dine , one of the main islamist groups fighting to take over mali . but after mnla ousted the malian army from timbuktu last year , ansar dine and al qaeda drove mnla away . the head of the united states'african command , gen. carter ham , spoke at howard university in washington on thursday about the situation . he said his ultimate goal is helping a legitimate malian government based in the capital of bamako control the whole country . u.s. has flown seven cargo missions to mali ' territorial integrity of mali is nonnegotiable . no discussion of a separatist state or something like that . but , it also appears that mali has asked for , and will need , some help to establish government control in the north , ' ham said . realistically , we would all like to see the elimination of al qaeda and others from northern mali . realistically , probably the best you can get is containment and disruption , so that al qaeda is no longer able to control territory as they do today . ' this must be in fact and in perception an african-led endeavor that is done at the request of the malian government , and i think that is well under way now , ' ham added . but recent allegations against malian troops have some human rights observers questioning whether the malian army has right on its side , or just might . malian soldiers have carried out a number of summary executions as they seek to drive back islamist militants who have been advancing from the north , a human rights group claimed thursday . mali 's military offensive against the militants has gathered pace in the past two weeks , with backing from france and other international allies . refugees tell harrowing stories of life under the islamist militants who hold northern mali in an iron grip . but the french-based international federation for human rights said it was very alarmed ' by reports that malian soldiers are themselves carrying out extrajudicial killings and abuses as they counterstrike . fidh claims the victims of these abuses have been anyone accused of complicity with the jihadists or infiltrated elements , persons in possession of weapons , people who have no proof of their identity during military patrols or simply people targeted because of their belonging to certain ethnic groups . ' the group said it had confirmed that malian forces have carried out numerous executions in the key conflict area between the north and south , particularly in the towns of sevare , mopti and niono . in sevare , at least 11 individuals were executed in the military camp , near the bus station and near the hospital , ' the fidh said . reliable information indicates close to 20 other executions in the same area where bodies are said to have been buried very hastily , in particular in the wells . in the niono region , malian soldiers killed two malians of tuareg origin . ' the group says it has also been told of other summary executions in central mali , and documents the pillaging of tuareg homes by government soldiers . what 's behind instability in mali ? a mali military spokesman declined to comment on the record about the rights group 's allegations . the fidh called for the immediate establishment of an independent investigation commission to assess the scope of these abuses and sanction the perpetrators . ' although malian and french politicians and military officials have repeatedly called for respect of international humanitarian law and human rights , the fidh says it is concerned by the lack of scrutiny of these alleged violations . this series of grave abuses confirms the concerns that we have been expressing for several weeks , ' said the group 's president , souhayr belhassent . these acts of revenge together with the extreme tensions that exists between the communities constitute an explosive cocktail leading us to fear that the worst could happen , especially in the context of the reconquering the north . ' mnla rebels who returned to mali well-armed from fighting for the late libyan leader moammar gadhafi staged a military coup last year against the malian government . islamic extremists capitalized on the chaos , carving out a large haven in mali 's north and imposing a strict interpretation of sharia law . the islamists banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . they also destroyed historic tombs and shrines . fellow rights group amnesty international also has voiced concern over the actions of mali 's army . particularly troubling is that among the malian forces -- as well as pro-government militia -- are individuals who enjoy impunity for egregious human rights violations , ' wrote scott edwards , managing director of crisis prevention and response at amnesty international usa last week . among other abuses , an amnesty report last year accused the malian army of indiscriminately ' bombing the civilian population in response to the rebellion by armed tuareg groups . more signs al qaeda in mali orchestrated algeria attack corinne dufka , who heads human rights watch in west africa , told cnn on thursday that education could help stem the worrying number of reprisal killings . ' [ it ] should be a wake-up call not only to the malian army to nip this problem in the bud and investigate and hold those responsible , but also to mali 's international partners -- the french , the european union , the african forces who are coming in -- to acknowledge the weaknesses and problems within the malian security forces , and then , to properly accompany them , to urgently train them in international humanitarian law and to mentor them so there are no further abuses in the future , ' dufka said . a cnn crew in mali has heard anecdotal reports of abuses . it has encountered widespread hatred of the tuareg in mali , with many in the population blaming them for bringing the current conflict into mali . the cnn crew has heard reports that the houses and possessions of tuareg families have been destroyed by either citizens or mali 's military . many tuareg are in hiding or keeping a low profile for fear of retribution from the public and military . tuareg in refugee camps have repeatedly said they had to flee mali because of violence against them . france 's involvement in mali began the day after militants said january 10 that they had seized the city of konna , east of diabaly in central mali , and were poised to advance south toward bamako . those events stoked fear among global security experts that mali could become a new hub for terrorism . the fidh is a multinational human rights body made up of 164 groups across the world , with delegations at the united nations in geneva , the european union in brussels and the international criminal court in the hague . cnn 's ingrid formanek reported from mali and joseph netto from atlanta , barbara starr reported from washington , and laura smith-spark wrote in london . mark morgenstein updated in atlanta .","france and others are backing a malian offensive against islamist and tuareg militants" +"sven kramer ( cnn ) -- american skating star apolo anton ohno snatched a record-breaking silver medal at the winter olympics in vancouver after a final-lap crash by his south korean rivals in the 1,500 meters race , while skier hannah kearney gave the united states a first gold medal in saturday 's final event . ohno , who won gold at salt lake city in 2002 , looked to be out of the medals as jung-su lee , si-bak sung and ho-suk lee were poised to complete a clean sweep in the men 's short-track race . but ho-suk lee was disqualified from the six-man final after cutting across his compatriots on the final turn , with jung-su lee escaping the debacle to claim gold ahead of ohno , while j.r. celski gave the u.s. a bronze medal . the 27-year-old ohno earned his sixth winter olympics medal , making him the most successful u.s. male competitor as he overtook long-track star eric heiden , and leaving him equal overall with female skating legend bonnie blair . canada 's second-ranked charles hamelin had to make do with victory in the b final after failing to qualify for the main race . blog : opening ceremony flawed but perfect jung-su lee had edged out ohno in winning their semifinal , with his fellow koreans coming top in theirs . kearney , by comparison to ohno , won her first olympic medal as she edged out defending champion jennifer heil of canada to win gold in the final run of the ladies'freestyle moguls event , with american shannon bahrke taking the bronze . kearney , the 2005 world champion , made up for her disappointing effort four years ago as she continued the form that saw her win the last world cup event before the olympics in lake placid two weeks ago . her points tally of 26.63 lifted her above heil 's 25.69 , which gave hosts canada a first medal , with u.s. national champion bahrke tallying 25.43 to add to her silver medal from turin in 2002 . ski-jumping switzerland 's simon ammann earlier claimed the first gold medal of the 2010 games when he won the opening men 's ski-jumping event on saturday , while dutch skater sven kramer took out the first title on ice in a record time . the 28-year-old ammann secured his third career olympic victory , following two golds in 2002 , as he triumphed in the normal hill competition . ammann led after the first round and then , as the last man to leap in the final session , produced a huge jump of 108 meters at whistler olympic park . he finished with a total of 276.5 points to push poland 's adam malysz into the silver medal position . life does not always go the way you want it to . this is why i want to cherish the moments , and i 've had a lot of luck in my career and also today , ' ammann , who was in 2002 nicknamed the harry potter of ski-jumping ' due to his likeness to j.k. rowling 's boy wizard , told reporters . malysz had been on top after a jump of 105 meters which , when boosted by the style judges'marks , put him ahead of bronze medal winner gregor schlierenzauer of austria , who had leaped 106.5 meters . malysz finished on a total of 269.5 points , with schlierenzauer on 268 . speedskating kramer earned the 5,000 meters speed skating title with an olympic record time of six minutes and 14.60 seconds . the 23-year-old world champion went one better than his silver medal at turin 2006 as he finished 2.35 seconds ahead of south korea 's lee seung-hoon . i started fast , but i was dying in the end . it was probably my hardest and best race ever , ' kramer said . ivan skobrev of russia won the bronze medal in 6:18.05 , while defending champion chad hendrick of the united states finished way back in 11th . biathlon the first women 's gold medal of the games was claimed by slovakia 's anastazia kuzmina , who triumphed in the biathlon 7.5 kilometer sprint event . she became the first athlete from the east european nation to win at a winter olympics , with her winning time of 19 minutes and 55.6 seconds heading off germany 's magdalena neuner in second place ( 19:57.1 ) . it 's a big surprise . i did n't expect to win , however i 'm in good shape , ' kuzmina said . marie dorin of france won bronze in the event , which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting , with a time of 20:06.5 . ice hockey in the opening women 's ice hockey match , 2006 silver medallists sweden defeated switzerland 3-0 at the ubc thunderbird arena . goals in each of the first three periods from danijela rundqvist , tina enstrom and erica uden johansson sealed victory in the group a match . hosts and defending champions canada demolished slovakia 18-0 in saturday 's other group a fixture to break the record they set in defeating italy 16-0 in 2006 . alpine skiing meanwhile , the men 's alpine skiing downhill competition at whistler creekside scheduled for saturday has been postponed until monday due to adverse weather . skiing 's blue riband event was supposed to open the program , but overnight snow and rain followed by mild temperatures made conditions unsuitable . american bode miller , the 2005 world champion , will be seeking to win his first olympic gold , having claimed two silvers on home soil at salt lake city in 2002 . sunday 's women 's super-combined and slalom skiing events have also been postponed after the competitors were unable to complete practice runs on saturday . american medal hope lindsey vonn has entered in both disciplines , among five she will be competing in , having shrugged off recent injury problems .","world champion sven kramer wins 5,000 meters speed skating title in record time" +"ronnie montrose ( rolling stone ) -- for me ronnie 's passing is the end of an era . ronnie montrose gave me my first break as a songwriter , as a front man , as a recording artist and as a touring artist , and for that i will always be grateful . the first montrose album was the first album i ever recorded and it still stands as one of the best recordings i have ever been a part of . i wrote songs with him , but it was his trip . he 's the guy that got me to sing with him . i had no experience whatsoever ; i just wrote the first four songs in my life , which were bad motor scooter , ' make it last , ' one thing on my mind , ' and i do n't want it , ' played them for ronnie upon first meeting , shook my hand , and said , let 's start a band . ' i went from zero to a hundred . i saw him at winterland with the edgar winter group , [ touring in support of ] they only come out at night , with free ride ' and frankenstein . ' i did n't know who he was ; i did n't know anything about him . i had a soul band -- we were playing tower of power and james brown -- and we sat there and watched edgar winter . i told my guitar player , i want you to be like that ' -- like ronnie montrose . and he 's going , i do n't want to play that kind of music , ' and i 'm going , well , i do . ' we got into it . it broke my band up , seeing ronnie for the first time . i said , i 'm going to be like that guy . i 'm going to play guitar like that and i 'm going to sing like ... the way i sing . ' i was talking to a guy a couple of days after the show , and he said , that 's ronnie montrose , and that was his last show . he lives in sausalito . ' i lived in san francisco , and i said , do you have his address ? ' because i did n't even have a phone . he gave it to me , and i went and knocked on his door , dressed like david bowie -- big old high heel platform shoes , satin pants , probably had make-up on , with a les paul and a notebook pad with all kinds of lyrics in it . i said , i 'm sammy hagar . i heard you 're looking for a singer . ' he said , come on in . you got any songs ? ' i played him my four songs , we shook hands , and he said , let 's start a band . do you know any drummers ? i 've got a bass player , bill church . ' i had a drummer , denny carmassi -- was n't in my band , but he was my favorite drummer around town . within a month we were signed to warner bros. records , ted templeman producing , and the first montrose album was born a month after that . it was the fastest thing i 've ever done in my life . like i said , i went from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye -- all because of ronnie . he was a changeling . ronnie never liked to stick with anything . we made one of the greatest hard rock/heavy metal albums of all time with that first montrose album , and then he did n't want to do that anymore . nah , nah , we 've got to have better songs , we 've got to change our image , that kind of music is out . ' boy , he was just laying it on us . ronnie really liked to change -- immediately . we butted heads and i got thrown out of the band [ after one more album , 1974 's paper money ] , but i carried on with that first ronnie montrose ' i saw . what i learned from ronnie montrose , i still utilize today when i step on a stage . i try to keep the energy up and the entertainment high . the first time eddie van halen and i met , it was around 1977 . we were on a stadium show with boston , black sabbath , myself , van halen . he came to my dressing room , and said , i 'm a montrose freak , i love the band ! ' and ted templeman told me , when he signed van halen , they were called something else , and he wanted to name them after the guitar player . he said on the first van halen record , he took the first montrose record in there and said , boom . we 're going to have eight great songs , they 're going to be this long , they 're going to be this tempo . ' and pretty much patterned the whole thing after it -- right down to saying , why do n't you guys get sammy hagar to sing in this band ? he 's been thrown out of montrose . ' that 's a true story ! eddie had a totally new twist on the whole guitar style thing , but as far as the chording goes -- not his soloing as much as the chording -- yeah , he took some of that big open chord thing [ from montrose ] . the big open a , the big open d , the big open e. everything as open as you could make it , to make it as heavy as possible with one guitar . and that was pretty much ronnie 's style , too . and of course the fire , too -- van halen came out with all that fire , which is ronnie . ronnie was full of fire , man . [ i last spoke to montrose ] a couple of weeks ago , and about a week before that , and then four or five days before that . we were talking a lot , because we were planning a montrose reunion for my birthday in cabo this year . montrose , the whole band , has not been there . denny 's been there , bill 's been there , ronnie 's been there -- but [ the whole band together ] has never been there . i said to ronnie , come on , man . we 're all getting old . let 's do this again while we can . ' and he was in , we were all in . on my 65th , on october 13th , i was planning on coming out with montrose , doing the whole first album , then going in with my other band , and then bringing chickenfoot out . i was going to try to [ cover ] my whole four decades for the fans that night , without nobody knowing . and ronnie was in . it 's crazy . i even played back on my message box , february 10th -- hagar , ronzo ... call me back ! ' it was all good . it 's f * * * ed up that those songs will never be played by those four members again . songs can go forever , but we ca n't . [ i would like montrose to be remembered ] as one of the pioneers of american heavy/hard rock . and certainly , one of the great hard rock guitar players . but he was more than that -- he was really versatile . but if you 're going to remember him for anything , put on that first montrose record . the only positive i can grab onto is the fact that the music will live on . it 's a shame to lose ronnie and i 'm so sorry for his loved ones . rest in peace . as told to greg prato see the full article at rollingstone.com copyright © 2011 rolling stone .","sammy hagar : ronnie montrose gave me my first break as a songwriter , as a front man" +"american ( rolling stone ) -- for me ronnie 's passing is the end of an era . ronnie montrose gave me my first break as a songwriter , as a front man , as a recording artist and as a touring artist , and for that i will always be grateful . the first montrose album was the first album i ever recorded and it still stands as one of the best recordings i have ever been a part of . i wrote songs with him , but it was his trip . he 's the guy that got me to sing with him . i had no experience whatsoever ; i just wrote the first four songs in my life , which were bad motor scooter , ' make it last , ' one thing on my mind , ' and i do n't want it , ' played them for ronnie upon first meeting , shook my hand , and said , let 's start a band . ' i went from zero to a hundred . i saw him at winterland with the edgar winter group , [ touring in support of ] they only come out at night , with free ride ' and frankenstein . ' i did n't know who he was ; i did n't know anything about him . i had a soul band -- we were playing tower of power and james brown -- and we sat there and watched edgar winter . i told my guitar player , i want you to be like that ' -- like ronnie montrose . and he 's going , i do n't want to play that kind of music , ' and i 'm going , well , i do . ' we got into it . it broke my band up , seeing ronnie for the first time . i said , i 'm going to be like that guy . i 'm going to play guitar like that and i 'm going to sing like ... the way i sing . ' i was talking to a guy a couple of days after the show , and he said , that 's ronnie montrose , and that was his last show . he lives in sausalito . ' i lived in san francisco , and i said , do you have his address ? ' because i did n't even have a phone . he gave it to me , and i went and knocked on his door , dressed like david bowie -- big old high heel platform shoes , satin pants , probably had make-up on , with a les paul and a notebook pad with all kinds of lyrics in it . i said , i 'm sammy hagar . i heard you 're looking for a singer . ' he said , come on in . you got any songs ? ' i played him my four songs , we shook hands , and he said , let 's start a band . do you know any drummers ? i 've got a bass player , bill church . ' i had a drummer , denny carmassi -- was n't in my band , but he was my favorite drummer around town . within a month we were signed to warner bros. records , ted templeman producing , and the first montrose album was born a month after that . it was the fastest thing i 've ever done in my life . like i said , i went from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye -- all because of ronnie . he was a changeling . ronnie never liked to stick with anything . we made one of the greatest hard rock/heavy metal albums of all time with that first montrose album , and then he did n't want to do that anymore . nah , nah , we 've got to have better songs , we 've got to change our image , that kind of music is out . ' boy , he was just laying it on us . ronnie really liked to change -- immediately . we butted heads and i got thrown out of the band [ after one more album , 1974 's paper money ] , but i carried on with that first ronnie montrose ' i saw . what i learned from ronnie montrose , i still utilize today when i step on a stage . i try to keep the energy up and the entertainment high . the first time eddie van halen and i met , it was around 1977 . we were on a stadium show with boston , black sabbath , myself , van halen . he came to my dressing room , and said , i 'm a montrose freak , i love the band ! ' and ted templeman told me , when he signed van halen , they were called something else , and he wanted to name them after the guitar player . he said on the first van halen record , he took the first montrose record in there and said , boom . we 're going to have eight great songs , they 're going to be this long , they 're going to be this tempo . ' and pretty much patterned the whole thing after it -- right down to saying , why do n't you guys get sammy hagar to sing in this band ? he 's been thrown out of montrose . ' that 's a true story ! eddie had a totally new twist on the whole guitar style thing , but as far as the chording goes -- not his soloing as much as the chording -- yeah , he took some of that big open chord thing [ from montrose ] . the big open a , the big open d , the big open e. everything as open as you could make it , to make it as heavy as possible with one guitar . and that was pretty much ronnie 's style , too . and of course the fire , too -- van halen came out with all that fire , which is ronnie . ronnie was full of fire , man . [ i last spoke to montrose ] a couple of weeks ago , and about a week before that , and then four or five days before that . we were talking a lot , because we were planning a montrose reunion for my birthday in cabo this year . montrose , the whole band , has not been there . denny 's been there , bill 's been there , ronnie 's been there -- but [ the whole band together ] has never been there . i said to ronnie , come on , man . we 're all getting old . let 's do this again while we can . ' and he was in , we were all in . on my 65th , on october 13th , i was planning on coming out with montrose , doing the whole first album , then going in with my other band , and then bringing chickenfoot out . i was going to try to [ cover ] my whole four decades for the fans that night , without nobody knowing . and ronnie was in . it 's crazy . i even played back on my message box , february 10th -- hagar , ronzo ... call me back ! ' it was all good . it 's f * * * ed up that those songs will never be played by those four members again . songs can go forever , but we ca n't . [ i would like montrose to be remembered ] as one of the pioneers of american heavy/hard rock . and certainly , one of the great hard rock guitar players . but he was more than that -- he was really versatile . but if you 're going to remember him for anything , put on that first montrose record . the only positive i can grab onto is the fact that the music will live on . it 's a shame to lose ronnie and i 'm so sorry for his loved ones . rest in peace . as told to greg prato see the full article at rollingstone.com copyright © 2011 rolling stone .","hagar : [ i would like montrose to be remembered ] as one of the pioneers of american heavy/hard rock" +"margaret mary vojtko she was a professor ? ' that 's what an astonished caseworker at adult protective services asked about margaret mary vojtko when informed of the 83-year-old woman 's destitute situation , according to an op-ed in the pittsburgh post-gazette . vojtko died september 1 of a massive heart attack . yes , she was a professor . an adjunct professor of french at duquesne university . until she was not renewed this year , with neither due process nor severance pay . she taught students for 25 years , with no health benefits , no retirement benefits , and low wages . the minimum pay for adjunct faculty at duquesne used to be $ 2500 per course . after an ongoing effort by the united steelworkers to unionize adjuncts there , the university paid $ 3,500 per course . vojtko 's situation was not unusual for adjuncts in academia . that is why many have taken the hashtag # iammargaretmary to tweet their indignation at her working conditions , lack of support and lack of respect . the dirty little secret is that higher education is staffed with an insufficiently resourced , egregiously exploited , contingent new faculty majority . ' in addition to the 49.3 % of faculty in part-time positions ( 70 % in community colleges ) , another 19 % are full-time , nontenure-track . ( these numbers do not include graduate assistants or postdocs . ) adjunct professors , like many hard-working americans , are the working poor . they are one step away from we do n't need your services anymore ' or one medical emergency away from being destitute , like vojtko . if vojtko was good enough to be entrusted with teaching duquesne undergraduates , how can the university justify not providing her ( and her adjunct colleagues ) with health care and other basic benefits ? if american higher education says to students and society that a college education is the path to the middle class , how can we justify such treatment of these professionals , with advanced degrees , who are teaching the students ? we are living a lie that cheats these professors and the students they teach , particularly in access universities and community colleges where adjunct faculty numbers , like percentages of lower-income students , are highest and instructional spending per student is lowest . the story is not just about duquesne . certainly , the institution 's wealth ( $ 171 million endowment , tuition over $ 28,000 ) and catholic status ( catholic social doctrine supports collective bargaining rights ) make the situation -- and duquesne 's refusal to recognize a union that adjunct faculty voted for overwhelmingly -- particularly indefensible . duquesne university 's administration has provided a response to the situation , suggesting that there were caring responses by people within the institution to vojtko 's circumstances . however , acts of charity are not conditions-of-employment justice for hard-working adjunct professors . the larger issues are not about individual responsibility or culpability for actions toward vojtko , but rather , about collective responsibility for the structural conditions of work that contributed to her circumstances , and that leave significant segments of the academic workforce with no benefits and low pay . so duquesne should recognize the adjunct union , bargain in good faith , grant benefits and set up a professional development fund in vojtko 's name . but this story speaks more broadly about a horrible reality in higher education . adjunct professors , as part of a growing army of working poor , are at the center of the academic labor movement , just as fast-food workers are now at the center of the larger labor movement . we are in the midst of deciding the extent to which we are an inclusive society that will live up to our nation 's promise that hard work pays off . the question is : how will we treat working people ? will we , the richest nation on earth , continue to structure employment in ways that reduce large segments of society to near dickensian conditions of existence ? or can we muster the collective will to appropriately remunerate and honor the work of all working americans ? in academia , that means tenure stream faculty , staff , students , administrators , and communities must recognize in vojtko 's fate the ugly and diminished future of higher education and choose , in big ways and small ways , a more equitable path . adjunct professors have taken initiatives to change the status quo . some have joined advocacy groups , such as the new faculty majority . some are involved with caucuses within unions and professional associations where they gather data about pay and working conditions , define best practices , and work to ensure that adjunct faculty are not discriminated against . adjuncts are organizing for benefits , a living wage , and conditions that will benefit their students and their schools . in pittsburgh , as in boston , los angeles , seattle , and washington , there are union campaigns for adjunct unions in private ( often wealthy ) universities . there is also much organizing in public institutions , and in units that combine adjunct with full-time and tenure track faculty . no one deserves the treatment and fate experienced by margaret mary vojtko , who escaped the 21st century equivalent of victorian poorhouses in a cardboard casket . american higher education can and should do better for those who teach our students .","margaret mary vojtko , who taught at a university for 25 years , died in poverty" +"u.s. border patrol ( cnn ) -- the 15-year-old mexican youth who was shot and killed by a border patrol agent had a history of involvement with human smuggling and was on a list of repeat juvenile offenders , u.s. customs and border protection spokesman mark qualia told cnn thursday . the victim , sergio adrian hernandez guereca , had been apprehended by u.s. officials on more than one occassion but was never criminally charged , qualia said . the use of juveniles to smuggle people across the border is a common tactic for smugglers , he said . meanwhile , a video obtained by cnn casts doubt on the border patrol agent 's claim that he was surrounded by rock-throwing suspected illegal immigrants when he fatally shot the boy on the border at ciudad juarez . cnn obtained the video , which was shot by a witness on a cell phone camera from the mexican side of the border , from affiliate univision . the video aired on its program primer impacto late wednesday evening . the video shows part of the buildup before the incident , with several individuals running underneath the puente negro , a railroad span that connects the two countries . monday night 's incident started around 6:30 p.m. when border patrol agents responded to a report of a group of suspected illegal immigrants being smuggled into the united states near the paso del norte port of entry , fbi special agent andrea simmons said . in the distance , a u.s. border patrol officer on a bicycle can be seen making his way toward the area . seconds later , the officer can be seen getting off the bicycle and approaching two of the four suspected mexican nationals who had just crossed through an opening in the fence . one of the suspects is detained by the officer , but never handcuffed , and is dragged a short distance . this happened on the u.s. side of the border . moments later , the officer points what appears to be his firearm in the direction of a second suspect , standing about 60 feet away from the officer -- on the mexican side of the border . the video shows the suspect running away . seconds later , two gunshots can be heard on the video . a third gunshot is heard in a different sequence of the tape . after the shooting , another suspect is seen running in the upper left side of screen away from the incident . they 're throwing rocks , ' witnesses screaming in spanish can be heard in the background of the video as the officer opens fire . they hit him ... they hit him . ' the video contradicts simmons'account . she had said : this agent , who had the second subject detained on the ground , gave verbal commands to the remaining subjects to stop and retreat . however , the subjects surrounded the agent and continued to throw rocks at him . the agent then fired his service weapon several times , striking one subject who later died . ' a federal law enforcement official told cnn that the fbi 's use of the word surrounded , ' was probably not the best choice of words , ' and that it is more accurate to say that people were nearby throwing rocks . the fbi has been studying videos of the incident and said some of the video does show rocks being thrown at the border patrol agents , the official said . hernandez guereca was a secondary student in juarez . the young man was not armed , ' said sergio belmonte , ciudad juarez spokesman . he did not have the physical size to threaten anyone . the aggression ( by the u.s. agent ) is evident . ' belmonte said hernandez was shot in the head . my people have spoken to his family . his dad says he was a straight-a student . his secondary school even sent him on an academic trip because of his good grades , ' mayor jose reyes ferriz said . a memorial for hernandez was to be held in juarez thursday morning , according to reyes . local politicians were expected to attend . reports that the mexican military may have drawn weapons on u.s. border patrol agents , which surfaced earlier wednesday , could not be immediately confirmed . the tape released by univision did not show any mexican military troops . we are aware of those reports , but i can not confirm them to you at this time , ' said mexican military spokesman enrique torres . i plan on speaking with the individuals who are said to have been involved , but i ca n't and wo n't confirm that to you . i can not speculate . ' the mexican government has requested a quick and transparent investigation into the fatal shooting . mexico reiterates that the use of firearms to repel a rock attack represents a disproportionate use of force , particularly coming from authorities who receive specialized training on the matter , ' the foreign ministry said tuesday in a news release . simmons told cnn earlier that she did not know whether the person who was shot was on the mexican or u.s. side of the border , but the agent never left u.s. territory . the body was found on the mexican side of the border , simmons said . peaceful protests against the u.s. border patrol were held in juarez on wednesday , near the site of the fatal shooting . in video shot by cnn affiliate kvia , a man holding a bullhorn is seen pacing back and forth on the dusty streets of juarez , pleading justice for hernandez ' to any passerby who would listen . the shooting comes less than two weeks after the may 31 death of a mexican illegal immigrant who had been detained three days earlier by border agents in california . a suspect identified as oscar ivan pineda ayala was initially detained on the rio grande levee , said the fbi , which is leading the investigation . the growing frequency of this type of event reflects a worrisome increment in the use of excessive force on the part of some border authorities , ' the mexican foreign ministry said . according to the ministry , the number of mexicans who have been killed or wounded by u.s. border authorities has increased from five in 2008 to 12 in 2009 and 17 so far this year . earlier , qualia , the u.s. customs and border protection spokesman , said he could not comment because he does not know where the mexican government obtained its statistics . but qualia said there were 799 assaults on border agents from october 1 , 2009 , through may 31 -- up from 745 assaults for the same time period in 2007-08 and 658 for the same span in 2008-09 . lethal force , he said , is allowed when an agent is in imminent threat of physical or bodily harm , which could cause death or injury or in protection of an innocent third party . ' the determination of when to use lethal force , qualia said , is made by each individual agent at the scene . from october 1 through may 31 , he said , custom and border protection agents used their firearms 31 times . rock-throwing can be considered a dangerous assault , qualia said : they 're not chunking pebbles . ' cnn 's nick valencia , arthur brice , jeanne meserve and devon sayers contributed to this report .","cell phone video sheds light on shooting death of mexican teen by u.s. border patrol agent" +"frenchman hong kong ( cnn ) -- chinese super league club shanghai shenhua have pulled off an audacious transfer coup by signing former france international nicolas anelka from english team chelsea . images of the striker were splashed across the shanghai team 's official website monday , together with a statement saying the 32-year-old would be joining the club in january on a two-year contract . the move was later confirmed by chelsea , who signed anelka for â£15 million in 2008 but accepted his transfer request with his current deal to expire at the end of this season . this is not only good for shenhua but also beneficial for chinese football , ' club spokesperson ma yue told cnn . the joining of anelka to football association super league will promote the league 's brand for sure . ' no details were given about how much the contract was worth , but a club official denied reports that anelka 's weekly salary would be as high as â£200,000 ( $ 312,000 ) . anelka has rarely featured for chelsea this season under new manager andre villas-boas , and was almost certain to leave stamford bridge during european football 's january transfer window after asking to leave . the versailles-born player , who became a muslim in 2004 , has scored 59 goals in 184 games for the club . having played for some of europe 's top teams , including spain 's real madrid and england 's arsenal and liverpool , anelka 's transfers have so far totaled almost $ 133 million , making him one of the world 's most expensive players in those terms . however , his questionable attitude during his early career led to him being nicknamed le sulk ' at arsenal and being banned for 45 days at real after refusing to train . in 2008 , anelka moved to chelsea in a â£15 million deal from bolton , where he resurrected his career after a short spell in turkey with fenerbahce . he helped the london club win the domestic championship in 2009-10 . anelka 's international career came to a controversial halt during the 2010 world cup in south africa , when he was sent home in disgrace after clashing with coach raymond domenech . he was given an 18-match ban after refusing to apologize , but said he had already decided to retire from the national team . reports have also linked shenhua with another veteran chelsea striker , didier drogba -- a target of chinese rivals dalian aerbin . meanwhile , shenhua owner zhu jun said last week that former france international jean tigana will become the club 's new coach , according to the shanghai daily website . tigana should be in the city by the middle of this month . he had already made a one-year coaching plan for the team , ' zhu said . shenhua finished 11th in the 16-team chinese super league this year , having been runners-up in 2005 , 2006 and 2008 . cnn 's haolan hong contributed to this report .","shanghai shenhua earlier claimed to have signed frenchman on a two-year deal" +"somali seychelles ( cnn ) -- the pristine waters of the seychelles , a glittering necklace of coralline and granitic islands scattered on the indian ocean , have long beguiled jet-setters and eco-conscious visitors from around the world , turning the idyllic archipelago into a popular travel destination . but as well as boosting the tiny nation 's tourism revenues , the high seas off the east coast of africa have also helped create another strategic industry : fishing . a major economic pillar , fishing is the second biggest contributor to the seychelles'finances after tourism . over the last two decades , the sector 's products have accounted for more than 90 % of the country 's merchandise exports by value , supplying international markets with items such as canned tuna , also known as the seychelles' blue gold . ' but in recent years , the fishing industry has come under severe threat as a result of the ongoing risk posed by somali pirates roaming the waters off the horn of africa . it 's a big problem , ' explains major jean attala , deputy operations officer of the seychelles coast guard . anything that disrupts the tourism or fishing industry or the maritime equilibrium is a very big problem for us , ' he adds . read this : the global cost of piracy to deal with the threat of piracy , the country 's authorities had to change the way they manage their waters in recent years . as part of this increased security drive , the seychelles coast guard has intensified its patrolling efforts , with fast-attack armed vessels monitoring a newly defined zone for fishing . but there are just four such vessels in the seychelles'entire fleet . it 's a small nation in terms of landmass , but with its oceans , it is nearly twice the size of france . this is not adequate to cover such a large area , ' says attala . we need more assets and build up more our capacity to deal with the issue . ' local fishermen are restricted from sailing beyond the designated area 's perimeter , several dozen miles outside the main port . analysts say that fishing boats are of particular importance to pirates because they can be used as floating bases from which to launch further attacks . but while the measure seems to be working -- there have been no successful attacks in nearly a year -- the restrictions on the movement of seychellois fishermen has created another problem . there 's no fish , ' explains local fisherman patrick pierre . every boat is fishing in the same place , ' he adds . pierre , who 's been casting his nets for 12 years now , says his job was hardest during the worst period of the piracy -- in 2007 and 2008 . since then , the seychelles has been at the forefront of the global fight against piracy but the new rules mean fewer fish and less money . latest african gold rush : hotels joram madnack is the general manager of the french-owned indian ocean tuna , one of the world 's largest tuna canneries and the biggest employer in the seychelles . he says fish intake has fallen nearly 25 % in the last five years . the impact has been on the price , which for some places has gone up by 70 % -80 % compared to 2007 prices , ' explains madnack . according to a recent report by the world bank , piracy costs the global economy an estimated $ 18 billion a year . the increased costs come as shippers are forced to change trading routes , sending fuel bills soaring , as well as pay higher insurance premiums and security bills for guards on board . but the threat of somali piracy is also damaging the economies of neighboring countries , particularly in the key sectors of tourism and fishing . since 2006 , the year the world bank report takes as the starting point of piracy , exports of fish products from piracy-hit countries have declined by 23.8 % . in seychelles , the impact has been even greater , with exports collapsing by nearly 30 % . we now fish where we are allowed to fish , ' says peter sinon , the country 's minister of natural resources and industry . it has made the industry more costly in terms of going out there [ and ] be secure to bring in what usually was our daily supply of protein , ' he adds . watch video : protecting blue gold ' from pirates and although many of the pirates have now gone , the fishermen say their industry still has n't recovered . for people like pierre , the fight against piracy and the introduction of fishing zones has proven to be a double-edged sword . the protection is still necessary , he says , acknowledging that today he is safer . yet , he and other local fishermen miss the freedom to sail about and return with a big catch . five years ago , there was a lot of fish , ' says pierre . we could go anywhere we wanted without the fear of piracy and everything . ' teo kermeliotis contributed to this report .","seychelles'fishermen have been targets of somali pirates" +"israel jerusalem ( cnn ) -- the israel chamber orchestra performed works of adolf hitler 's favorite composer richard wagner in germany on tuesday in the composer 's home town of bayreuth . israeli orchestras have held back from performing wagner 's music in the past because of its use in nazi propaganda during world war ii . the 19th century composer was known for his anti semitic views and performances of his music in israel are considered insensitive to survivors of the holocaust and many other israelis . conductor of the orchestra roberto paternostro said on israeli tv it was time to separate wagner 's world view from his music . he was a great composer and the aim in the year 2011 is to divide the man from his art , ' he said . this was the first time an israeli orchestra played wagner in germany . uri hanok head of the holocaust survivors union to prevent the playing of wagner , told cnn , when i heard that an israeli orchestra was to play wagner in germany i could not sleep . wagner despised jews , it was evident in all his writings . while there are still survivors alive , his music should not be played in israel and certainly not by an israeli orchestra . ' paternostro said at a news conference , there was n't a moment when i had any doubts about this project it was my greatest conviction to bring these two sides israel and wagner together . ' paternostros mother and other relatives were holocaust survivors . i know that in israel this is not accepted , but many people have told me its time we confront wagner especially those in the younger generation ' the conductor said . israel 's state owned tv and radio still keep wagner off the air . in 2001 the world renowned conductor daniel barenboim angered many israelis when he played wagner 's music in israel .","performances of his music in israel are considered insensitive to survivors of the holocaust" +"semitic jerusalem ( cnn ) -- the israel chamber orchestra performed works of adolf hitler 's favorite composer richard wagner in germany on tuesday in the composer 's home town of bayreuth . israeli orchestras have held back from performing wagner 's music in the past because of its use in nazi propaganda during world war ii . the 19th century composer was known for his anti semitic views and performances of his music in israel are considered insensitive to survivors of the holocaust and many other israelis . conductor of the orchestra roberto paternostro said on israeli tv it was time to separate wagner 's world view from his music . he was a great composer and the aim in the year 2011 is to divide the man from his art , ' he said . this was the first time an israeli orchestra played wagner in germany . uri hanok head of the holocaust survivors union to prevent the playing of wagner , told cnn , when i heard that an israeli orchestra was to play wagner in germany i could not sleep . wagner despised jews , it was evident in all his writings . while there are still survivors alive , his music should not be played in israel and certainly not by an israeli orchestra . ' paternostro said at a news conference , there was n't a moment when i had any doubts about this project it was my greatest conviction to bring these two sides israel and wagner together . ' paternostros mother and other relatives were holocaust survivors . i know that in israel this is not accepted , but many people have told me its time we confront wagner especially those in the younger generation ' the conductor said . israel 's state owned tv and radio still keep wagner off the air . in 2001 the world renowned conductor daniel barenboim angered many israelis when he played wagner 's music in israel .","the 19th century composer was known for his anti semitic views" +"boeing ( cnn ) -- american airlines has found cracks in large pylons that hold engines onto the wings of two of its 767-300 aircraft , according to the airline and to the planes'manufacturer . concerned the problem may exist on other airline fleets , boeing says it plans to advise airlines to inspect the parts more frequently than the current recommendation of every 1,500 takeoff and landing cycles . this is considered a safety issue . you 're talking about the strut that connects an engine to the wing , ' said boeing spokesperson peter conte . american airlines spokesman tim wagner said the problem was first discovered on one of its 767-300s about two weeks ago during a maintenance check targeting other parts of the aircraft . the airline then found cracking on one more 767-300 after inspecting a total of 56 aircraft -- 767-300 and 767-200s -- a process american airlines completed monday night . we found these issues when it 's best to find them , which is early on , ' said wagner . the airline has sent the first damaged pylon to a metallurgy lab to try to determine why it cracked . until that metallurgy testing is completed no one knows what the cause is , ' said wagner . the damaged planes were among american 's older aircraft , wagner added . american flies boeing 767-300s on international routes as well as long-haul domestic routes . the 767-200s fly primarily transcontinental routes . airlines have previously found similar cracks at the holes where the pylon attaches to the wing , which led boeing and the federal aviation administration five years ago to recommend checks every 1,500 cycles . at that time , when the faa issued an airworthiness directive it said , we are issuing this ( directive ) to prevent fatigue cracking in the primary strut structure and reduced structural integrity of the strut , which could result in separation of the strut and engine . '","boeing plans to advise airlines to inspect the parts more frequently" +"tripoli ( cnn ) -- it has been three days since chris stevens and three other americans lost their lives in benghazi , libya . i lived and worked for four years in libya , leaving hurriedly last year in an evacuation as the civil war began . i sit safely now in my new home in qatar , and those who shared my libyan experiences -- and who knew chris -- are now spread out around the world . i know from their e-mails that , like me , they are also unspeakably sad . every life on this good earth is precious , and all four americans who lost their lives at the u.s. consulate were in benghazi to help the libyan efforts . they will be very , very much missed . because i knew and worked with chris , i understand firsthand that the world has lost a true hero , and we seem to have precious few of those . chris was smart , supportive , kind , approachable , very passionate about reestablishing a relationship between the united states and libya and improving the lives of the libyan people . he was a perfect candidate for his new role as ambassador . when someone like that is taken away , you do n't just mourn the loss of a colleague or friend , you mourn the greater loss for our planet . we were both originally from northern california , but chris and i first met in libya , arriving around the same time in 2007 . i was there as the new director of the fledgling american school of tripoli and chris had just been appointed u.s. deputy chief of mission . the united states and libya had reestablished diplomatic relations in 2004 , but the u.s. liaison office had just been upgraded to a full embassy in 2006 . because no ambassador had yet been named , as deputy chief , chris served as acting ambassador until the arrival of ambassador gene cretz in january 2009 . working in libya at that time was challenging . the infrastructure that the west left behind had long disappeared during the 30 years of sanctions , and we were all scrambling to develop our institutions and businesses from the ground up . chris built a team of embassy personnel , negotiated with a quixotic libyan government , helped the returning u.s. companies and served as chairman of the board of trustees of the american school . he loved the school and in an e-mail earlier this year shared how much he was looking forward to witness its eventual reopening . during the two years we worked together , i watched chris serve with aplomb , patience , and an easy smile . if you sat and talked with him , it was clear that he was well-read and a deep thinker , but he was always humble . he was also extremely comfortable whether he was speaking with vips or libyan farmers . i had the good fortune to sit with him on the fulbright scholarship committee that helped libyans further their education in america , one of the many tangible ways he demonstrated his dedication to the libyan people . he traveled across the sparsely populated country savoring the rich archaeological sites , and broke bread with berbers in their cave homes . always gracious , he hosted receptions for libyan ministers and businessmen and , just as often , was in khakis and a t-shirt , holding informal embassy gatherings on the roof of his villa , smiling and making sure that everyone was included . what really made chris exceptional to me , however , was his ability to distance himself . not the aloof kind of distancing that you might expect from someone in his position , but the kind where one puts emotion and ego aside in order to truly listen , to understand , and then to find a way to build bridges . it is extremely rare to find someone who can do that , consistently rising above the fray , and that 's what makes his death so especially painful . of course i feel anger at those horribly misguided people who are responsible for this tragedy , but i am also trying to rise above it , like chris would . for those who find this yet another reason to vilify muslims , i point to other examples of seemingly senseless violence like the aurora movie theater shootings or the attack on gabrielle giffords , neither of which had anything to do with islam . we live in a world where frustration and anger override the sanctity of life . we live in a world where it 's easier to get our hands on weapons than to give each other a helping hand . we live in a world where too many people use religion as a vehicle for hatred , rather than love . i was extremely fortunate for a few years to have lived and worked under the light of chris'grace and vision . i know he touched all who knew him . as i continue to watch the libyans , who have only known oppression , try to dig out of the void left behind in the wake of moammar gadhafi 's fall , i will always remember chris and the legacy he has left them . we are all better for having known chris . my hope is hope that libya will flourish for its people and that we , each in our own way , will make him proud . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of judith drotar .","judith drotar knew christopher stevens when she worked at american school of tripoli" +"judith drotar ( cnn ) -- it has been three days since chris stevens and three other americans lost their lives in benghazi , libya . i lived and worked for four years in libya , leaving hurriedly last year in an evacuation as the civil war began . i sit safely now in my new home in qatar , and those who shared my libyan experiences -- and who knew chris -- are now spread out around the world . i know from their e-mails that , like me , they are also unspeakably sad . every life on this good earth is precious , and all four americans who lost their lives at the u.s. consulate were in benghazi to help the libyan efforts . they will be very , very much missed . because i knew and worked with chris , i understand firsthand that the world has lost a true hero , and we seem to have precious few of those . chris was smart , supportive , kind , approachable , very passionate about reestablishing a relationship between the united states and libya and improving the lives of the libyan people . he was a perfect candidate for his new role as ambassador . when someone like that is taken away , you do n't just mourn the loss of a colleague or friend , you mourn the greater loss for our planet . we were both originally from northern california , but chris and i first met in libya , arriving around the same time in 2007 . i was there as the new director of the fledgling american school of tripoli and chris had just been appointed u.s. deputy chief of mission . the united states and libya had reestablished diplomatic relations in 2004 , but the u.s. liaison office had just been upgraded to a full embassy in 2006 . because no ambassador had yet been named , as deputy chief , chris served as acting ambassador until the arrival of ambassador gene cretz in january 2009 . working in libya at that time was challenging . the infrastructure that the west left behind had long disappeared during the 30 years of sanctions , and we were all scrambling to develop our institutions and businesses from the ground up . chris built a team of embassy personnel , negotiated with a quixotic libyan government , helped the returning u.s. companies and served as chairman of the board of trustees of the american school . he loved the school and in an e-mail earlier this year shared how much he was looking forward to witness its eventual reopening . during the two years we worked together , i watched chris serve with aplomb , patience , and an easy smile . if you sat and talked with him , it was clear that he was well-read and a deep thinker , but he was always humble . he was also extremely comfortable whether he was speaking with vips or libyan farmers . i had the good fortune to sit with him on the fulbright scholarship committee that helped libyans further their education in america , one of the many tangible ways he demonstrated his dedication to the libyan people . he traveled across the sparsely populated country savoring the rich archaeological sites , and broke bread with berbers in their cave homes . always gracious , he hosted receptions for libyan ministers and businessmen and , just as often , was in khakis and a t-shirt , holding informal embassy gatherings on the roof of his villa , smiling and making sure that everyone was included . what really made chris exceptional to me , however , was his ability to distance himself . not the aloof kind of distancing that you might expect from someone in his position , but the kind where one puts emotion and ego aside in order to truly listen , to understand , and then to find a way to build bridges . it is extremely rare to find someone who can do that , consistently rising above the fray , and that 's what makes his death so especially painful . of course i feel anger at those horribly misguided people who are responsible for this tragedy , but i am also trying to rise above it , like chris would . for those who find this yet another reason to vilify muslims , i point to other examples of seemingly senseless violence like the aurora movie theater shootings or the attack on gabrielle giffords , neither of which had anything to do with islam . we live in a world where frustration and anger override the sanctity of life . we live in a world where it 's easier to get our hands on weapons than to give each other a helping hand . we live in a world where too many people use religion as a vehicle for hatred , rather than love . i was extremely fortunate for a few years to have lived and worked under the light of chris'grace and vision . i know he touched all who knew him . as i continue to watch the libyans , who have only known oppression , try to dig out of the void left behind in the wake of moammar gadhafi 's fall , i will always remember chris and the legacy he has left them . we are all better for having known chris . my hope is hope that libya will flourish for its people and that we , each in our own way , will make him proud . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of judith drotar .","judith drotar knew christopher stevens when she worked at american school of tripoli" +"massachusetts ( cnn ) -- a blast of arctic air tuesday morning has much of the nation -- from the great lakes to oregon and down to texas -- in its cold , icy grip . snow covers a golf course in summerlin , nevada , near las vegas , on monday . the temperature at international falls , minnesota , was 26 below zero at 8 a.m. tuesday , the national weather service said . to the south in minneapolis , below-zero temperatures were leaving roadways covered in black ice , sending drivers spinning into numerous accidents , cnn affiliate kare-tv reported tuesday . black ice , nearly invisible on roads , can form when car exhaust freezes on snow-covered pavement in sub-zero conditions , kare said . twin cities drivers could find a little hope in the day 's forecast high -- 4 degrees above zero by the afternoon . temperatures hovering as low as 23 below zero have parts of montana frozen in their tracks , according to cnn affiliate kfbb-tv . the forecast high tuesday for great falls : 5 degrees . but regions of the nation far from montana , and not as well equipped to deal with wintry weather , are also caught in the cold blast . watch the mess in portland , oregon » wfaa-tv in dallas , texas , predicts the temperature will barely get above freezing , to 36 degrees , on tuesday . a winter weather advisory is in effect for northern texas . in las vegas , nevada , residents saw a rare snow accumulation . snow-covered grounds were a treat for ireporter rena moretti , who 's lived in las vegas on and off for about 10 years . it 's unbelievable . if it snows it never sticks . i 've never seen it like that , ' she said . watch snow delight skiers but frustrate motorists in nevada » in denver , colorado , where the temperature was minus 4 , kmgh warned residents to expect more snow , with 2 to 3 feet expected in some parts of the rocky mountains . watch ice cause havoc on colorado roads » while the snow is forecast to end tuesday , the cold air mass should stick around all week . the station also warned commuters that driving would be a mess tuesday morning . in omaha , nebraska , the frigid weather had shelters sending out crews looking for the homeless , according to kmtv . watch blizzards shut down north dakota » ' we 've had people that have been trying to make it here ... either have been too intoxicated or just too cold and just fallen down and have n't been able to make it , ' says siena francis house worker and guest jerry rayburn . according to the national weather service , the entire state of iowa could be in for heavy snowfall tuesday . chicago , illinois , no stranger to cold weather , is expecting a high of 22 degrees with snow , according to wgn . meanwhile , on a frontal boundary , west virginia and western tennessee are on the alert for possible freezing rain , the weather service reports . and katv in little rock , arkansas , said freezing rain and sleet were moving across the state . in new england , socked by a powerful ice storm last week , temperatures were warming back up into in the 40s and 50s , wcvb in boston , massachusetts , reported . but electricity may not be restored to some customers until the weekend , the station reported . one town , lunenberg , massachusetts , said school students would be getting an extended christmas break , with classes not resuming until the new year , wcvb reported . debris-clogged roads were blamed . they 're passable for vehicles and emergency vehicles , but they 're not passable for buses . that represents a danger , so , we ca n't get the kids safely to school , even if we were able to open school , ' school superintendent loxi joe calmes said , accoding to wcvb . meanwhile , a cold , wet storm blew into southern california . twenty-four-hour rainfall totals were 1.44 inches at los angeles international airport , almost 1 inch in palm springs , and an inch in san diego , the weather service reported tuesday morning . ireporters share their weather observations where is it not so cold ? it was 69 degrees in miami , florida , early tuesday morning , according to wfor . the price for the warm weather -- possible thunderstorms , says the national weather service .","new : storm-struck massachusetts city closes schools until new year" +"twitter ( cnn ) -- christina cimino was logging onto twitter on thursday morning when something happened that she found deeply unsettling . ireporter david seaman says twitter needs a competitor so users do n't panic when it goes down . i got some weird error message , and i 'm like ,'what 's going on ! ? ' the 24-year-old said . that error message was the scourge of online social networkers worldwide on thursday as cyber-attacks shut down twitter and caused sustained glitches in other social-media sites like facebook and the blogging site livejournal . twitter co-founder biz stone wrote the sites were the victims of what appears to be a single , massively coordinated attack . ' and a pro-georgian blogger , whose accounts on facebook and twitter reportedly were the targets of the denial-of-service attack , told cnn the online strike was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the russia-georgia conflict . what may prove more lasting about the day social networking suffered its first major blackout is the degree to which people cared . near-panic erupted in some corners of the internet as people lost cherished links to their online friends , family members and news feeds . watch cnn ireporters talk about the attack part of the panic relates to the sheer popularity of the sites . twitter saw a more than 1,300 percent jump in unique visitors between february 2008 and february 2009 , according to nielsen netview . the site , which lets users post messages of 140 characters or less , had more than 44 million worldwide users in june , according to comscore . more than 120 million users log onto facebook at least one time each day , the site says . to be sure , not all facebook and twitter users freaked out because of the attacks . some people even reveled in the mayhem . blog : could the attacks be our fault ? but for people like cimino , who said she felt naked ' without access to twitter , the attacks were a serious reality check -- a chance to evaluate just how dependent they 'd become . you know how you pat your pockets for your cell phone and your keys ? well it 's that same kind of phantom [ limb ] with twitter , ' she said . it 's like ,'i ca n't update ! i ca n't update !'it 's just one of those bugs that gets in you . ' she added : i was pretty upset , actually . it feels like a lifeline for me ... pretty much everyone knows almost every detail of my life by what i 'm doing on twitter . ' it 's not worth analyzing whether these online connections are good or bad because the reality is that twitter and facebook are now an important part of our lives , said marc cooper , a journalism professor at the university of southern california 's annenberg school for communication . for many people , and not just young people , the web is not just media , it 's actually a place where they conduct their lives or a portion of their lives , ' he said . so the panic [ thursday ] morning is only reflective of that . this is not just a hobby or an amusement or another accoutrement , it 's actually deeply woven into their lives and is integral to their social interaction . so when it 's cut off , it 's a problem . ' others saw twitter 's existence as the problem and relished the chance to make fun of a web site that has become so omnipresent in news cycles . horrors ! ! ! people will have to communicate face to face ! ' one user commented on cnn 's scitech blog . another commenter said , turn off your computers and read a book or get outside and discover there is more to life than cyberspace . the internet has become nothing more than the new cocaine . ' now that twitter is back online , the no . 1 conversation thread on the site is called whentwitterwasdown , ' where users discuss what they did without their real-time twitter updates . some people are mocking the blackout . a user named paulwilks , for instance , wrote , i took up juggling . ' others seem concerned . i did absolutely nothing . it 's like my heart was gone , ' wrote a user named harajukuxbarbie . i felt so empty inside , ' wrote another twitter user called freinhar . some business people on thursday realized just how much they depend on facebook and twitter to do their work . adam ostrow , editor-in-chief at mashable , a blog that covers social media , said the outage made it difficult for his organization to cover the news and to promote its stories . for someone like myself who spends all day on twitter , it 's incredibly frustrating , ' he told cnn.com live . justin stauffer , a 31-year-old who works in web strategy at a marketing company near philadelphia , pennsylvania , said thursday 's attack made him realize just how dependent on twitter he had become . when something that 's so central to how you do your business or how you gather information goes down , yeah , you get a little jittery -- like , when 's it going to be back , ' he said . i did n't break out in hives or anything like that , ' he said , jokingly . david seaman , an ireporter in new york , said he thinks twitter needs a competitor so users will have an alternative if the site is down . watch seaman 's talk about the issue on cnn 's ireport and amy gahran , who writes about social media on a blog called contentious , said all technologies can break down , so people need to make contingency plans . hell , when you get down to it , you can lose your voice or break your writing hand or have a stroke and be unable to communicate . we are fundamentally social creatures , and when we lack our usual communication channels it 's scary , ' she writes . do n't panic . have a backup plan , and be prepared . ' cooper , the usc professor , said the fuss surrounding thursday 's attack is a sign that instant , online communication is here to stay . fighting the trend would be like trying to stop the ocean 's tides , he said , but it 's unclear where the technology will take our society . the bottom line is that we do n't know . all of this is too new , ' he said . it 's like sitting around in the year 1500 and trying to figure out where the printing press was going to take us . '","another says he felt jittery ' during the time twitter was down" +"twitter ( cnn ) -- christina cimino was logging onto twitter on thursday morning when something happened that she found deeply unsettling . ireporter david seaman says twitter needs a competitor so users do n't panic when it goes down . i got some weird error message , and i 'm like ,'what 's going on ! ? ' the 24-year-old said . that error message was the scourge of online social networkers worldwide on thursday as cyber-attacks shut down twitter and caused sustained glitches in other social-media sites like facebook and the blogging site livejournal . twitter co-founder biz stone wrote the sites were the victims of what appears to be a single , massively coordinated attack . ' and a pro-georgian blogger , whose accounts on facebook and twitter reportedly were the targets of the denial-of-service attack , told cnn the online strike was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the russia-georgia conflict . what may prove more lasting about the day social networking suffered its first major blackout is the degree to which people cared . near-panic erupted in some corners of the internet as people lost cherished links to their online friends , family members and news feeds . watch cnn ireporters talk about the attack part of the panic relates to the sheer popularity of the sites . twitter saw a more than 1,300 percent jump in unique visitors between february 2008 and february 2009 , according to nielsen netview . the site , which lets users post messages of 140 characters or less , had more than 44 million worldwide users in june , according to comscore . more than 120 million users log onto facebook at least one time each day , the site says . to be sure , not all facebook and twitter users freaked out because of the attacks . some people even reveled in the mayhem . blog : could the attacks be our fault ? but for people like cimino , who said she felt naked ' without access to twitter , the attacks were a serious reality check -- a chance to evaluate just how dependent they 'd become . you know how you pat your pockets for your cell phone and your keys ? well it 's that same kind of phantom [ limb ] with twitter , ' she said . it 's like ,'i ca n't update ! i ca n't update !'it 's just one of those bugs that gets in you . ' she added : i was pretty upset , actually . it feels like a lifeline for me ... pretty much everyone knows almost every detail of my life by what i 'm doing on twitter . ' it 's not worth analyzing whether these online connections are good or bad because the reality is that twitter and facebook are now an important part of our lives , said marc cooper , a journalism professor at the university of southern california 's annenberg school for communication . for many people , and not just young people , the web is not just media , it 's actually a place where they conduct their lives or a portion of their lives , ' he said . so the panic [ thursday ] morning is only reflective of that . this is not just a hobby or an amusement or another accoutrement , it 's actually deeply woven into their lives and is integral to their social interaction . so when it 's cut off , it 's a problem . ' others saw twitter 's existence as the problem and relished the chance to make fun of a web site that has become so omnipresent in news cycles . horrors ! ! ! people will have to communicate face to face ! ' one user commented on cnn 's scitech blog . another commenter said , turn off your computers and read a book or get outside and discover there is more to life than cyberspace . the internet has become nothing more than the new cocaine . ' now that twitter is back online , the no . 1 conversation thread on the site is called whentwitterwasdown , ' where users discuss what they did without their real-time twitter updates . some people are mocking the blackout . a user named paulwilks , for instance , wrote , i took up juggling . ' others seem concerned . i did absolutely nothing . it 's like my heart was gone , ' wrote a user named harajukuxbarbie . i felt so empty inside , ' wrote another twitter user called freinhar . some business people on thursday realized just how much they depend on facebook and twitter to do their work . adam ostrow , editor-in-chief at mashable , a blog that covers social media , said the outage made it difficult for his organization to cover the news and to promote its stories . for someone like myself who spends all day on twitter , it 's incredibly frustrating , ' he told cnn.com live . justin stauffer , a 31-year-old who works in web strategy at a marketing company near philadelphia , pennsylvania , said thursday 's attack made him realize just how dependent on twitter he had become . when something that 's so central to how you do your business or how you gather information goes down , yeah , you get a little jittery -- like , when 's it going to be back , ' he said . i did n't break out in hives or anything like that , ' he said , jokingly . david seaman , an ireporter in new york , said he thinks twitter needs a competitor so users will have an alternative if the site is down . watch seaman 's talk about the issue on cnn 's ireport and amy gahran , who writes about social media on a blog called contentious , said all technologies can break down , so people need to make contingency plans . hell , when you get down to it , you can lose your voice or break your writing hand or have a stroke and be unable to communicate . we are fundamentally social creatures , and when we lack our usual communication channels it 's scary , ' she writes . do n't panic . have a backup plan , and be prepared . ' cooper , the usc professor , said the fuss surrounding thursday 's attack is a sign that instant , online communication is here to stay . fighting the trend would be like trying to stop the ocean 's tides , he said , but it 's unclear where the technology will take our society . the bottom line is that we do n't know . all of this is too new , ' he said . it 's like sitting around in the year 1500 and trying to figure out where the printing press was going to take us . '","some twitter and facebook users panicked as the sites went down thursday" +"twitter ( cnn ) -- christina cimino was logging onto twitter on thursday morning when something happened that she found deeply unsettling . ireporter david seaman says twitter needs a competitor so users do n't panic when it goes down . i got some weird error message , and i 'm like ,'what 's going on ! ? ' the 24-year-old said . that error message was the scourge of online social networkers worldwide on thursday as cyber-attacks shut down twitter and caused sustained glitches in other social-media sites like facebook and the blogging site livejournal . twitter co-founder biz stone wrote the sites were the victims of what appears to be a single , massively coordinated attack . ' and a pro-georgian blogger , whose accounts on facebook and twitter reportedly were the targets of the denial-of-service attack , told cnn the online strike was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the russia-georgia conflict . what may prove more lasting about the day social networking suffered its first major blackout is the degree to which people cared . near-panic erupted in some corners of the internet as people lost cherished links to their online friends , family members and news feeds . watch cnn ireporters talk about the attack part of the panic relates to the sheer popularity of the sites . twitter saw a more than 1,300 percent jump in unique visitors between february 2008 and february 2009 , according to nielsen netview . the site , which lets users post messages of 140 characters or less , had more than 44 million worldwide users in june , according to comscore . more than 120 million users log onto facebook at least one time each day , the site says . to be sure , not all facebook and twitter users freaked out because of the attacks . some people even reveled in the mayhem . blog : could the attacks be our fault ? but for people like cimino , who said she felt naked ' without access to twitter , the attacks were a serious reality check -- a chance to evaluate just how dependent they 'd become . you know how you pat your pockets for your cell phone and your keys ? well it 's that same kind of phantom [ limb ] with twitter , ' she said . it 's like ,'i ca n't update ! i ca n't update !'it 's just one of those bugs that gets in you . ' she added : i was pretty upset , actually . it feels like a lifeline for me ... pretty much everyone knows almost every detail of my life by what i 'm doing on twitter . ' it 's not worth analyzing whether these online connections are good or bad because the reality is that twitter and facebook are now an important part of our lives , said marc cooper , a journalism professor at the university of southern california 's annenberg school for communication . for many people , and not just young people , the web is not just media , it 's actually a place where they conduct their lives or a portion of their lives , ' he said . so the panic [ thursday ] morning is only reflective of that . this is not just a hobby or an amusement or another accoutrement , it 's actually deeply woven into their lives and is integral to their social interaction . so when it 's cut off , it 's a problem . ' others saw twitter 's existence as the problem and relished the chance to make fun of a web site that has become so omnipresent in news cycles . horrors ! ! ! people will have to communicate face to face ! ' one user commented on cnn 's scitech blog . another commenter said , turn off your computers and read a book or get outside and discover there is more to life than cyberspace . the internet has become nothing more than the new cocaine . ' now that twitter is back online , the no . 1 conversation thread on the site is called whentwitterwasdown , ' where users discuss what they did without their real-time twitter updates . some people are mocking the blackout . a user named paulwilks , for instance , wrote , i took up juggling . ' others seem concerned . i did absolutely nothing . it 's like my heart was gone , ' wrote a user named harajukuxbarbie . i felt so empty inside , ' wrote another twitter user called freinhar . some business people on thursday realized just how much they depend on facebook and twitter to do their work . adam ostrow , editor-in-chief at mashable , a blog that covers social media , said the outage made it difficult for his organization to cover the news and to promote its stories . for someone like myself who spends all day on twitter , it 's incredibly frustrating , ' he told cnn.com live . justin stauffer , a 31-year-old who works in web strategy at a marketing company near philadelphia , pennsylvania , said thursday 's attack made him realize just how dependent on twitter he had become . when something that 's so central to how you do your business or how you gather information goes down , yeah , you get a little jittery -- like , when 's it going to be back , ' he said . i did n't break out in hives or anything like that , ' he said , jokingly . david seaman , an ireporter in new york , said he thinks twitter needs a competitor so users will have an alternative if the site is down . watch seaman 's talk about the issue on cnn 's ireport and amy gahran , who writes about social media on a blog called contentious , said all technologies can break down , so people need to make contingency plans . hell , when you get down to it , you can lose your voice or break your writing hand or have a stroke and be unable to communicate . we are fundamentally social creatures , and when we lack our usual communication channels it 's scary , ' she writes . do n't panic . have a backup plan , and be prepared . ' cooper , the usc professor , said the fuss surrounding thursday 's attack is a sign that instant , online communication is here to stay . fighting the trend would be like trying to stop the ocean 's tides , he said , but it 's unclear where the technology will take our society . the bottom line is that we do n't know . all of this is too new , ' he said . it 's like sitting around in the year 1500 and trying to figure out where the printing press was going to take us . '","one twitter user says she felt naked ' without her micro-blog" +"uk london , england ( cnn ) -- the british military marked a grim milestone friday as the number of troops killed in afghanistan surpassed the death toll in iraq . a british marine is shown in arbroath , scotland , last year on the eve of a six-month tour of duty in afghanistan . an especially bloody 10 days in afghanistan 's troubled helmand province claimed 15 british lives , putting the total number of dead in that conflict at 184 , the defense ministry said . the british military has lost 179 soldiers in iraq . five soldiers were killed friday in two explosions that rocked the same patrol near the town of sangin in helmand province , where british troops are based . the defence ministry earlier announced the deaths of three other soldiers in helmand . british troops have joined with roughly 4,000 u.s. marines and sailors , and several hundred afghan security forces , in operation khanjar , a drive to secure helmand before afghanistan 's presidential elections in august . see a map of helmand province » britain 's chief of the defense staff , jock stirrup , issued a video statement in which he mourned the latest losses . watch profiles of six british soldiers killled in afghanistan on the same day » ' it 's important we also remember why our people are fighting in afghanistan and what they 're achieving through their sacrifice and their courage , ' stirrup said . the mission in afghanistan is about supporting the delivery of governance in order to reduce the opportunities for extremist terrorist groups who are a direct threat to the united kingdom , its citizens , and their interests . ' results are starting to emerge , he said , but the military still has a long way to go . it 's tough going because the taliban have rightly identified helmand as their vital ground , ' he said . if they lose there , they lose everywhere , and they 're throwing everything they have into it . but they are losing . ' watch a gallery of britain mourning its fallen in afghanistan » british prime minister gordon brown spoke about the military casualties while at the g8 summit in italy on friday , calling it a very hard summer ' so far for british forces . our resolution to complete the work that we have started in afghanistan and pakistan is undiminished , ' he said . we knew from the start that defeating the insurgency in helmand would be a hard and dangerous job , but it is vital . '","uk military deaths in afghanistan now at 184 , five more than in iraq" +"uk london , england ( cnn ) -- the british military marked a grim milestone friday as the number of troops killed in afghanistan surpassed the death toll in iraq . a british marine is shown in arbroath , scotland , last year on the eve of a six-month tour of duty in afghanistan . an especially bloody 10 days in afghanistan 's troubled helmand province claimed 15 british lives , putting the total number of dead in that conflict at 184 , the defense ministry said . the british military has lost 179 soldiers in iraq . five soldiers were killed friday in two explosions that rocked the same patrol near the town of sangin in helmand province , where british troops are based . the defence ministry earlier announced the deaths of three other soldiers in helmand . british troops have joined with roughly 4,000 u.s. marines and sailors , and several hundred afghan security forces , in operation khanjar , a drive to secure helmand before afghanistan 's presidential elections in august . see a map of helmand province » britain 's chief of the defense staff , jock stirrup , issued a video statement in which he mourned the latest losses . watch profiles of six british soldiers killled in afghanistan on the same day » ' it 's important we also remember why our people are fighting in afghanistan and what they 're achieving through their sacrifice and their courage , ' stirrup said . the mission in afghanistan is about supporting the delivery of governance in order to reduce the opportunities for extremist terrorist groups who are a direct threat to the united kingdom , its citizens , and their interests . ' results are starting to emerge , he said , but the military still has a long way to go . it 's tough going because the taliban have rightly identified helmand as their vital ground , ' he said . if they lose there , they lose everywhere , and they 're throwing everything they have into it . but they are losing . ' watch a gallery of britain mourning its fallen in afghanistan » british prime minister gordon brown spoke about the military casualties while at the g8 summit in italy on friday , calling it a very hard summer ' so far for british forces . our resolution to complete the work that we have started in afghanistan and pakistan is undiminished , ' he said . we knew from the start that defeating the insurgency in helmand would be a hard and dangerous job , but it is vital . '","uk forces have joined with u.s. , afghan troops in offensive in helmand" +"nepal kathmandu , nepal ( cnn ) more than 4,600 people dead . more than 9,000 injured . eight million affected across nepal . one million children urgently in need of help . those are the startling numbers that indicate the scale of the devastation from the huge earthquake that struck the himalayan nation on saturday . and some of the grim figures are likely to get even worse as hopes of rescuing any more survivors diminish every hour . heartbreaking scenes of suffering and loss are playing out across this shell-shocked nation as it reels from its deadliest natural disaster in more than 80 years . as the country coped with the fallout of the quake , another natural disaster struck tuesday afternoon in a popular trekking area north of kathmandu , and up to 200 people were feared missing as a result of a landslide , a trekking association official said . it happened around 4 p.m. in langtang national park , said ramesh dhamala , president of the trekking agents of nepal . laxmi dhakal , spokesman for nepal 's home ministry , said he was aware of reports about the landslide but was n't immediately able to confirm details . quake relief efforts continued tuesday , but officials warned that they were hampered by problems of getting aid into the country and then delivering it to some of the remote communities in desperate need . in kathmandu , a capital city of shattered temples and toppled houses , some people paid their last respects to loved ones taken by the quake . by the bagmati river , which winds through the city , more than a dozen funeral pyres burned monday . as workers stoked the flames for the hindu cremation ceremonies , some mourners shaved their heads in a traditional show of mourning from children who lose their parents . alongside their father , two teenage brothers from the gurung family , ishan and iman , said goodbye to their mother , ishara . we never imagined this would happen to us . this much pain , ' said ishan , the elder of the two . elsewhere in the city , many shaken residents are sleeping in the open . some have lost their homes , others are afraid to stay in buildings that may be vulnerable to aftershocks . large encampments of tents have sprung up in open areas , including a wide space belonging to the military in the center of the city that is typically used for parades . one of the grand gates to the field is now just a pile of rubble . kisnor raj giri , a 22-year-old man from kathmandu who lost members of his extended family in the quake , said he was too scared to return home . he is camping out at the military grounds with thousands of others even though frequent rain has made the nights an ordeal . many people are crying , sharing their hardships , ' he told cnn on monday evening . the elements showed no mercy to the homeless masses on tuesday as thunderstorms rumbled over kathmandu . more bad weather is forecast for the region in the coming days . but in one piece of good news , turkish and chinese rescue crews helped pull free a 21-year-old man trapped under rubble near a city bus park in a 13-hour rescue operation . houses and families ripped apart by earthquake the death toll has now climbed above 4,600 in nepal , officials said tuesday evening , as rescue and relief efforts continue . nepal army lt. col. a. j. thapa told cnn 's sumnima udas that the first 72 hours after the earthquake is the time when the most lives can be saved . this is not the time to rest and lament , ' he said . this is the time to go out and save lives . ' thapa said an entire military post was lost during an avalanche . remember we are not an outside force that has been parachuted into an area to help , ' he said . we are victim ourselves . ... despite the fact that soldiers have their families and houses are down , we are trying to build morale , maintain morale and help themselves . ' thapa said it was fortunate that the quake struck during daylight on a weekend . children were not trapped in big schools somewhere and lot of people were outside because it was daytime , ' he said . dhakal , the home ministry spokesman , put the death toll at 4,620 , while nepal 's national emergency coordination center said the number of dead was 4,727 . both sources gave the number of people injured as 9,239 . another 72 people died in india , while china reported 25 deaths . most of the casualty numbers in nepal are believed to have come mainly from kathmandu and the surrounding area . they are expected to climb as information emerges from remote areas . we have incomplete information , but we apprehend the death toll will go up , ' nepalese information minister minendra rijal told cnn earlier on tuesday . we can not say by how much exactly . ' the news agency reuters cited prime minister sushil koirala as saying that the toll could reach 10,000 and that the country was on a war footing ' in its rescue and relief work . in a live , televised address to the nation , the prime minister said the country had been stunned by the disaster and announced three days of national mourning , starting tuesday . the government 's first priority is to continue search and rescue operations and relief efforts , he said , as he thanked all those involved . historic and religious monuments destroyed by the earthquake will be reconstructed in time , he added . at least 90 % of 96,000 nepali army troops have been deployed in relief and rescue operations , according to nepal army spokesman jagadish chandra pokharel . more than 15 countries and agencies have already promised help , koirala said , as he appealed for other nations also to come to nepal 's aid . even as international aid pours into the country , overwhelmed hospitals are lacking vital medical supplies , people remain buried in the wreckage of buildings and rescuers are struggling to reach hard-hit rural areas near the quake 's epicenter . the biggest problem is reaching these villages , ' matt darvas , an emergency communications officer for the humanitarian group world vision , told cnn from gorkha district , northwest of kathmandu . nepal struggles to cope with international aid nepali home ministry joint secretary sagar mani parajuli , who is coordinating relief efforts , said government efforts to get aid to remote areas had been hampered by rugged terrain and poor weather , which limits the use of helicopters . the helicopters are small . they do n't fly in windy and cloudy conditions . given nepal 's geographical terrain , we can not use surface transport much but are using it , ' he said . we need 150,000 tents and tarpaulins , but we do n't have enough of them . ' jamie mcgoldrick , the u.n. resident coordinator for nepal , told a news conference tuesday that bringing in relief materials has been difficult because kathmandu 's international airport , which has just one runway and space for only a limited number of aircraft to park , is log jammed . the united nations is aware of the request for tents , he said , but is working to procure high quality ones to withstand the expected monsoon rains . of the 8 million people affected by the quake across 39 districts of nepal , some 1.4 million need food aid , mcgoldrick added . nepal 's population is about 31 million . at an event in paris , u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon expressed his condolences to the people of nepal and called the humanitarian needs huge and urgent . ' the united nations is supporting international operations for search and rescue and strengthening relief efforts , ' he said . i count on the generosity of the international community in nepal 's hour of need and the longer term rebuilding efforts that will be needed . ' a cnn team that joined a nepalese military helicopter flight to dhulikhel , a rural area east of kathmandu , saw extensive damage in the kathmandu valley from the air , including many landslides . on landing , the team went to a hospital where all the injured from six surrounding districts are being brought . more than 1,000 people are currently in the hospital -- three times its usual capacity -- so some of the injured are being left out in the streets . social media posts from nepal darvas of world vision said he had been told of frightening levels of damage in villages in the region surrounding gorkha district , which is near the earthquake 's epicenter . they included one where 35 out of 45 homes were destroyed and another where 70 % of the houses had collapsed , trapping and crushing the people inside , most of them children and the elderly . even though aid groups and nepalese officials are aware of critical situations in areas spread across nepal 's mountainous terrain , they face daunting challenges getting help to them . some of those villages -- several years ago , before there was vehicle transport -- used to take seven days to reach . roads are shut now to some of those villages , so we can only imagine how long it will take to get there , ' darvas said monday . he said injured people who had been airlifted from some remote areas were often suffering from crush injuries , lacerations and dislocations . looking for missing loved ones in nepal ? cnn ireport wants to help unicef , the u.n. children 's agency , said sunday that nearly 1 million nepalese children urgently need assistance . aid groups and at least 16 nations rushed aid and workers to nepal , with more on the way . high-altitude rescue efforts have also been undertaken on the difficult terrain of mount everest , where the earthquake released deadly avalanches . four u.s. citizens are among those who died on everest , according to officials and relatives . damage to climbing infrastructure on the mountain , not to mention the overall situation in nepal , means the climbing season is over for the year , climber jim davidson told cnn from the everest base camp , where he was evacuated after spending two days on the mountain . china has canceled all climbs on its side of the mountain , the official news agency xinhua reported . are you in nepal or do you have loved ones affected ? please share with us if you are in a safe place . how to help the earthquake victims fast facts on earthquakes cnn 's ivan watson and tim hume reported from kathmandu ; cnn 's jethro mullen wrote and reported from hong kong , and laura smith-spark wrote from london . cnn 's elizabeth joseph , pamela boykoff , manesh shrestha , sumnima udas , kristie lu stout , anjali tsui , kunal sehgal and ingrid formanek also contributed to this report .","death toll in nepal climbs above 4,600 , officials say , with more than 9,000 injured" +"brooks las vegas , nevada ( cnn ) -- the theater was packed as garth brooks shared stories about why he decided to officially step out of retirement after nine years . garth brooks played two secret concerts in vegas earlier this summer . now he 's signed on for an engagement . camera crews and journalists filled the front section . executives flanked the sides . and then smack dab in the middle of the audience was a row of chefs , enthusiastically applauding in their toques and kitchen whites . yes , the media was buzzing about the much-anticipated announcement , but hotel employees at the wynn encore in las vegas were equally excited -- maybe even more so , because of the part they played in persuading the country music superstar to enter into a five-year weekend residency at the establishment beginning december 11 . this summer , as the media threw itself head-first into the death of michael jackson , the oklahoma native quietly took the stage at the 1,500-seat encore theater in two hush-hush shows attended by hotel workers . one was an intimate acoustic performance ; the other a concert with his full band . he sang . he charmed . he won over staffers who never thought they 'd be caught dead tapping their toes to country music . and that , ladies and gentleman , exemplifies the uncanny ability of garth brooks to connect with human beings , and explains why he -- not michael jackson -- is the best-selling solo artist of all time in any genre . ( you can look it up . ) i think my gift truly is i 'm an average guy . what i like , an average guy likes . it 's that simple . the music that i love , i find that most guys around me love , too , ' he told cnn in his dressing room after thursday 's news conference in las vegas . there 's a big old-fashioned star on the door that says garth brooks . ' it suits him . even though he 's pushed boundaries and rewritten rules in the music industry , he 's still an old-fashioned guy with old-fashioned values -- work hard , stay humble and family first . it 's the latter that led to his decision to hang up his mic and his stetson in 2000 . we were retiring because i got ta get back to oklahoma and raise my girls . sandy and i were getting a divorce at the time , so i could n't expect her to do my job for me any longer , ' he said . we told the people that 's what i 'm going to do , and the people -- 99 percent of them -- said ,'go . go do what you got ta do . we 'll be here when you get back ,'and we 'll see if they are . ' watch brooks talk about new course » brooks'three daughters -- taylor , august and allie -- are now 17 , 15 and 13 . when he retired , he famously stated that he wanted to be able to drive his kids to school every day . his new friday-through-sunday gig will allow him to keep his pledge of seeing them off to class until they head to college . of course , the commute from his farm in owasso , oklahoma , to vegas will be made a little faster with his new private jet -- an 11-seat challenger , courtesy of steve wynn , the billionaire ceo of wynn hotels . i do n't know anything about jets , ' brooks downplayed with a shrug . it 's got a cool interior , cool paint job , i do n't know . but it gets me here ( to vegas ) , and it gets me home to see my girls . and so in that case , it 's fabulous . ' he 's been happy being at home , attending every soccer game and knowing what his kids like to eat for breakfast , ' said singer trisha yearwood , whom he married in 2005 . we both came from a family where our parents were there every single day , and so we do n't know any other way . ' on most weekends , yearwood will be making the two-hour trip to sin city -- and every now and again , she 'll make an appearance with her husband on stage . it 's a'beauty and the beast'thing , you know ? ' said brooks . i can start a song in one octave and end it up in three keys , not knowing that i 've changed . she 's precision -- perfect with feeling -- and that 's impressive to anybody you bring out . ' from time to time , brooks will bring out special guests , but for the most part , it 's a one-man show -- just him , an acoustic guitar and a bunch of great songs and intimate stories . and , of course , there 's the audience . as long as my gift is here , as long as i open my mouth and it works , ' he said , then i think my job is to keep doing it , you know ? '","garth brooks coming out of retirement to play special las vegas engagement" +"brooks las vegas , nevada ( cnn ) -- the theater was packed as garth brooks shared stories about why he decided to officially step out of retirement after nine years . garth brooks played two secret concerts in vegas earlier this summer . now he 's signed on for an engagement . camera crews and journalists filled the front section . executives flanked the sides . and then smack dab in the middle of the audience was a row of chefs , enthusiastically applauding in their toques and kitchen whites . yes , the media was buzzing about the much-anticipated announcement , but hotel employees at the wynn encore in las vegas were equally excited -- maybe even more so , because of the part they played in persuading the country music superstar to enter into a five-year weekend residency at the establishment beginning december 11 . this summer , as the media threw itself head-first into the death of michael jackson , the oklahoma native quietly took the stage at the 1,500-seat encore theater in two hush-hush shows attended by hotel workers . one was an intimate acoustic performance ; the other a concert with his full band . he sang . he charmed . he won over staffers who never thought they 'd be caught dead tapping their toes to country music . and that , ladies and gentleman , exemplifies the uncanny ability of garth brooks to connect with human beings , and explains why he -- not michael jackson -- is the best-selling solo artist of all time in any genre . ( you can look it up . ) i think my gift truly is i 'm an average guy . what i like , an average guy likes . it 's that simple . the music that i love , i find that most guys around me love , too , ' he told cnn in his dressing room after thursday 's news conference in las vegas . there 's a big old-fashioned star on the door that says garth brooks . ' it suits him . even though he 's pushed boundaries and rewritten rules in the music industry , he 's still an old-fashioned guy with old-fashioned values -- work hard , stay humble and family first . it 's the latter that led to his decision to hang up his mic and his stetson in 2000 . we were retiring because i got ta get back to oklahoma and raise my girls . sandy and i were getting a divorce at the time , so i could n't expect her to do my job for me any longer , ' he said . we told the people that 's what i 'm going to do , and the people -- 99 percent of them -- said ,'go . go do what you got ta do . we 'll be here when you get back ,'and we 'll see if they are . ' watch brooks talk about new course » brooks'three daughters -- taylor , august and allie -- are now 17 , 15 and 13 . when he retired , he famously stated that he wanted to be able to drive his kids to school every day . his new friday-through-sunday gig will allow him to keep his pledge of seeing them off to class until they head to college . of course , the commute from his farm in owasso , oklahoma , to vegas will be made a little faster with his new private jet -- an 11-seat challenger , courtesy of steve wynn , the billionaire ceo of wynn hotels . i do n't know anything about jets , ' brooks downplayed with a shrug . it 's got a cool interior , cool paint job , i do n't know . but it gets me here ( to vegas ) , and it gets me home to see my girls . and so in that case , it 's fabulous . ' he 's been happy being at home , attending every soccer game and knowing what his kids like to eat for breakfast , ' said singer trisha yearwood , whom he married in 2005 . we both came from a family where our parents were there every single day , and so we do n't know any other way . ' on most weekends , yearwood will be making the two-hour trip to sin city -- and every now and again , she 'll make an appearance with her husband on stage . it 's a'beauty and the beast'thing , you know ? ' said brooks . i can start a song in one octave and end it up in three keys , not knowing that i 've changed . she 's precision -- perfect with feeling -- and that 's impressive to anybody you bring out . ' from time to time , brooks will bring out special guests , but for the most part , it 's a one-man show -- just him , an acoustic guitar and a bunch of great songs and intimate stories . and , of course , there 's the audience . as long as my gift is here , as long as i open my mouth and it works , ' he said , then i think my job is to keep doing it , you know ? '","brooks describes himself as an average guy '" +"brooks las vegas , nevada ( cnn ) -- the theater was packed as garth brooks shared stories about why he decided to officially step out of retirement after nine years . garth brooks played two secret concerts in vegas earlier this summer . now he 's signed on for an engagement . camera crews and journalists filled the front section . executives flanked the sides . and then smack dab in the middle of the audience was a row of chefs , enthusiastically applauding in their toques and kitchen whites . yes , the media was buzzing about the much-anticipated announcement , but hotel employees at the wynn encore in las vegas were equally excited -- maybe even more so , because of the part they played in persuading the country music superstar to enter into a five-year weekend residency at the establishment beginning december 11 . this summer , as the media threw itself head-first into the death of michael jackson , the oklahoma native quietly took the stage at the 1,500-seat encore theater in two hush-hush shows attended by hotel workers . one was an intimate acoustic performance ; the other a concert with his full band . he sang . he charmed . he won over staffers who never thought they 'd be caught dead tapping their toes to country music . and that , ladies and gentleman , exemplifies the uncanny ability of garth brooks to connect with human beings , and explains why he -- not michael jackson -- is the best-selling solo artist of all time in any genre . ( you can look it up . ) i think my gift truly is i 'm an average guy . what i like , an average guy likes . it 's that simple . the music that i love , i find that most guys around me love , too , ' he told cnn in his dressing room after thursday 's news conference in las vegas . there 's a big old-fashioned star on the door that says garth brooks . ' it suits him . even though he 's pushed boundaries and rewritten rules in the music industry , he 's still an old-fashioned guy with old-fashioned values -- work hard , stay humble and family first . it 's the latter that led to his decision to hang up his mic and his stetson in 2000 . we were retiring because i got ta get back to oklahoma and raise my girls . sandy and i were getting a divorce at the time , so i could n't expect her to do my job for me any longer , ' he said . we told the people that 's what i 'm going to do , and the people -- 99 percent of them -- said ,'go . go do what you got ta do . we 'll be here when you get back ,'and we 'll see if they are . ' watch brooks talk about new course » brooks'three daughters -- taylor , august and allie -- are now 17 , 15 and 13 . when he retired , he famously stated that he wanted to be able to drive his kids to school every day . his new friday-through-sunday gig will allow him to keep his pledge of seeing them off to class until they head to college . of course , the commute from his farm in owasso , oklahoma , to vegas will be made a little faster with his new private jet -- an 11-seat challenger , courtesy of steve wynn , the billionaire ceo of wynn hotels . i do n't know anything about jets , ' brooks downplayed with a shrug . it 's got a cool interior , cool paint job , i do n't know . but it gets me here ( to vegas ) , and it gets me home to see my girls . and so in that case , it 's fabulous . ' he 's been happy being at home , attending every soccer game and knowing what his kids like to eat for breakfast , ' said singer trisha yearwood , whom he married in 2005 . we both came from a family where our parents were there every single day , and so we do n't know any other way . ' on most weekends , yearwood will be making the two-hour trip to sin city -- and every now and again , she 'll make an appearance with her husband on stage . it 's a'beauty and the beast'thing , you know ? ' said brooks . i can start a song in one octave and end it up in three keys , not knowing that i 've changed . she 's precision -- perfect with feeling -- and that 's impressive to anybody you bring out . ' from time to time , brooks will bring out special guests , but for the most part , it 's a one-man show -- just him , an acoustic guitar and a bunch of great songs and intimate stories . and , of course , there 's the audience . as long as my gift is here , as long as i open my mouth and it works , ' he said , then i think my job is to keep doing it , you know ? '","wife trisha yearwood : she and brooks like being at home for kids" +"stop diabetes duncan , oklahoma ( cnn ) -- justin boyles lay in bed , exhausted and depressed . his 385-pound body sank into the mattress with each breath he took . i have diabetes , he thought in disbelief . his 6-year-old daughter , autumn , crawled on top of the king-sized comforter and stared at him with bright blue eyes . daddy , will you get up and play ? ' no , baby , i 'm tired . ' she sat back to think . her mom had tried to explain why justin was so sad , but autumn did n't really understand diabetes or its dangerous implications . daddy , are you ever going to be healthy enough to ride a bike with me ? ' the question broke justin 's heart . tears started to roll down his face . yes , very soon . i promise , ' he said . do you pinky promise ? ' she asked , holding out her tiny finger . justin looped his last digit around hers and made the decision to change his life . all kinds of excuses shanon and justin boyles were high school sweethearts . the first time they hung out at 16 , justin took shanon to church . he was smart , polite and made her laugh -- three qualities that helped shanon overlook his size . as long as i can remember , i 've been overweight , ' justin says . i remember as a child coming home after school and having a stack of cookies and a giant glass of milk every day . ' in high school justin weighed close to 250 pounds ; he was considered obese even at 6 feet 1 . as an adult he lived on fast food and spent most of his nights as a security guard sitting down . he 'd eat dinner at work -- frozen burritos , burgers and fries -- then stop off at taco bell on the way home for the advertised fourth meal . i was really kind of in my own little hole , and i did n't want to get out or do anything , ' he says . shanon became worried . any time their extended family tried to get together for a birthday party or holiday , justin refused to go . he would have all kinds of excuses , ' she says . he was really depressed . he was down on himself real bad . ' most concerning was his lack of time with autumn , who got upset when her father would n't play outside . she loves him . he 's her hero , ' shanon says . i [ knew ] why he was feeling that way ... but there was nothing i could do about it . ' small steps for a big change since his diagnosis with type 2 diabetes in march -- and his pinky promise to autumn -- justin has lost more than 65 pounds . he walks around his neighborhood whenever he can and makes sure to do the little things like taking the stairs and returning his shopping cart . the family is also eating better with more vegetables , leaner meats and less sugar . for example , at dinner justin usually eats a spinach leaf salad with tuna or baked chicken with broccoli . shanon joins in ; she 's lost 20 pounds in less than six months on the new diet . the family recently took a trip to the oklahoma state fair and walked around all day , something they never would have done last year . i no longer lay in bed thinking that my weight is just too much to overcome , ' justin says . i enjoy being out with family and friends and having a good time . ' he only weighs in once a month to avoid becoming obsessed with the numbers on the scale . he hopes to get down to 200 pounds , a weight at which his doctor said he would probably be able to go off his medications . i just want him to be healthy and happy . i do n't care what weight he 's at , ' shanon says . the couple raised more than $ 7,500 for the american diabetes association 's step out : walk to stop diabetes ' in oklahoma city on september 14 . their team wore matching black t-shirts with a new slogan : do you pinky promise ? ' on his website justin has included a section where he asks readers to make their own promises -- to themselves or to their family -- to get healthy . [ autumn ] taught me that you can do anything you put your mind to , ' he says . it does n't take a big giant step.it takes doing a little something . ' justin still has a long way to go in his weight loss journey . but rest assured that he 'll keep going -- you just do n't break a pinky promise , especially one made to your little girl . got a weight loss story to share ? submit it on ireport.com","boyles raised $ 7,500 for the american diabetes association 's step out : walk to stop diabetes '"