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swedes <tsp> yelena isinbayeva , the golden girl of russian sport , has sought to clarify her controversial comments about gay rights and her apparent criticism of fellow athletes for highlighting the issue at the world championships in moscow . isinbayeva reclaimed the women 's pole vault title in front of her adoring public on tuesday , then two days later defended her country 's anti-gay propaganda law after receiving her medal . if we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street , we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal , standard people , ' isinbayeva said in english at a press conference . we just live boys with woman , women with boys . everything must be fine . it comes from history . we never had any problems , these problems in russia , and we do n't want to have any in the future . ' she criticized two swedish athletes who defied the anti-gay law by sporting what could be seen as propaganda ' under the new regulations . high jumper emma green tregaro and sprinter mao hjelmer wore rainbow-colored fingernails in their events in support of the gay rights movement . green tregaro posted a picture on her instagram account captioned : nails painted in rainbow sign # pride # moscow2013 . ' it 's unrespectful to our country , ' isinbayeva told reporters . it 's unrespectful to our citizens because we are russians . maybe we are different from european people and other people from different lands . we have our home and everyone has to respect ( it ) . when we arrive to different countries , we try to follow their rules . ' however , on friday isinbayeva released a statement via athletics'ruling body claiming that she had been misunderstood . ' english is not my first language and i think i may have been misunderstood when i spoke yesterday , ' said the 31-year-old , who is an ambassador for the international olympic committee and will be mayor of the athletes'village at the winter games in the russian city of sochi next year . cnn ireport : what it 's like to be gay in russia ' what i wanted to say was that people should respect the laws of other countries particularly when they are guests . but let me make it clear i respect the views of my fellow athletes and let me state in the strongest terms that i am opposed to any discrimination against gay people on the grounds of their sexuality ( which is against the olympic charter ) . ' russia 's recently implemented law , which bars propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors , ' has led to calls to boycott the winter olympics in sochi . russia hosts another massive sporting event in 2018 , soccer 's world cup . u.s. president barack obama spoke about the issue last week , saying that nobody 's more offended than me ' by the anti-gay legislation you 've been seeing in russia , ' and some bars around the world have also stopped serving russian vodka in protest of russia 's stance . u.s. runner nick symmonds was quoted in the new york times criticizing isinbayeva 's comments . it blows my mind that such a young , well-traveled , well-educated woman would be so behind the times , ' said symmonds , who spoke out against the law after winning a silver medal in tuesday 's 800 meters event . he told the bbc thursday that he had wanted to compete wearing a rainbow sticker , but was afraid of being arrested . in his blog for runner 's world prior to the world championships , symmonds said he disagreed with the laws that russia has put in place . ' thrilling finish on the track , trinidad and tobago 's jehue gordon edged american michael tinsley in thursday 's 400-meter hurdle final in a finish reminiscent of the women 's 400m three days earlier . in the latter race , britain 's christine ohuruogu chased down botswana 's amantle montsho and won by four-thousandth of a second . gordon 's margin of victory was a little greater but not by much -- 47.69 seconds compared to 49.70 . felix sanchez , the 36-year-old from the dominican republic who was seeking his third title , came fifth . kenya 's ezekiel kemboi claimed his third consecutive world title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase -- adding to his two olympic gold medals -- with a time of eight minutes , 6.01 seconds . had there been 10 more meters , he might have been caught by younger countryman conseslus kipruto but kipruto had to settle for the silver . | isinbayeva had criticized two swedes for highlighting gay rights issues |
ali khamenei <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- nearly 90 professors at iran 's oldest and largest university signed a letter to supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei , criticizing the government 's violent handling of student protesters . the issue that has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the devout muslim and patriots of this land is the violent and above the law [ illegal ] encounters , particularly with university students and faculty members of this land , ' says the letter , which was posted on the reformist web site rahesabz , ' or green path . ' in fact , the nightly attacks on the dormitories and living quarters of innocent students and daily assaults on them ... are not testaments to the power of the system , just as the violent beatings and imprisonments are not testament to its faith and piety . ' the professors ask khamenei to order revolutionary guards , government-sanctioned militiamen and others who have engaged in campus violence to vacate the university . the letter also calls for official apologies for beatings of university members and the unconditional release of detained students and faculty . there was no immediate government response to the letter . the 88 professors -- all of whom are considered employees of the islamic republic -- who signed the letter are risking their jobs and god knows what else , ' said ali alfoneh , a research fellow at the washington-based american enterprise institute who has researched the relationship between iranian civilians and the islamic revolutionary guard . some of them may end up arrested , ' he added . the letter , posted on a reformist web site monday , is a rare and significant showing of discontent among tehran university 's academics . student unrest has only increased since thousands of protesters turned out on the streets of iran to oppose the country 's disputed presidential election , in which hardline incumbent president mahmoud ahmadinejad was declared the overwhelming winner . unfortunately and sadly ; all of this takes place under the veil of safeguarding islam and the representation of the supreme leadership and , even more sadly , no institution or organization accepts responsibility for this savagery ! ' the anti-government demonstrations began following the disputed june 12 presidential vote , which re-elected hardline president mahmoud ahmadinejad over main opposition candidate mir hossein moussavi . last month marked the deadliest clashes since the initial protests broke out this summer . at least seven people were killed and hundreds arrested as they took to the streets on ashura , a shiite muslim holy day . one university researcher told cnn he was one of many beaten by police , struck with a baton 11 times . iranian interior minister mostafa-mohammad najjar warned saturday that the government will not show leniency to protesters in the future . it does n't surprise me that professors wrote this letter , because universities have been one of the first victims of increased government pressure , ' alfoneh said . in the aftermath of the election , tehran university and other institutions quickly became hotbeds of violence , with members of the government 's basij militia attacking young protesters on campus , including dormitories . in august , khamenei addressed a group of university professors from all over , noting that academics would be held to a higher standard of accountability -- especially after the elections . naturally , the expectations that we have of the professors and faculty is much greater than what we expect from the students , ' khamenei was quoted by iranian media as saying on august 30 . the students are the young officers on the front lines of this war and the professors are the commanders [ against ] this'soft war'-- the professors who can fulfill this role will be worthy of the islamic republic . ' the iranian government has denied that its security forces killed anyone and has blamed reformists for the violence . at times , video has shown protesters apparently turning on security forces . still , the letter serves as another blow to iran 's islamic leadership , which reformists say has lost credibility in its handling of the post-election unrest . several critics , including cleric and former presidential candidate mehdi karrubi have compared the tactics of the current government to those of the shah of iran , who was overthrown by the same fervent followers of islam more than 30 years ago . alfoneh noted that numerous petitions were drafted and published in the days leading up to the overthrow of the shah , who was also slammed with allegations of injustice and human rights violations under his watch . he said it 's no surprise that academics today are taking a similar approach as it becomes increasingly harder to teach amid the violence . the opposition and even ordinary citizen are trying to duplicate the events of 30 years ago -- they 're trying to play to the memory of the public , ' alfoneh said . cnn 's samira simone contributed to this report . | nearly 90 tehran professors sign letter to supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei |
honolulu <tsp> ( cnn ) -- was barack obama really born in america ? a new cnn investigation reveals what most analysts have been saying since the birther ' controversy erupted during the 2008 presidential campaign : obama was born in hawaii on august 4 , 1961 . period . while the president has made light of the controversy , the question remains political red meat for some of his critics . a recent cnn/opinion research corp. poll showed that nearly 75 % of americans believe obama was definitely or probably born in the united states . more than four in 10 republicans , however , believe he probably or definitely was not born in america . evidence again shows obama born in hawaii the u.s. constitution says only natural born ' citizens can become president -- a vague clause that some members of the birther movement contend disqualifies obama because , they insist , he was born outside the united states . skeptics contend , among other things , that obama was born in his father 's home country of kenya . potential gop presidential candidate donald trump recently seized on the issue , saying he had doubts about obama 's background . zakaria : the fantasy of donald trump cnn investigators in honolulu found nothing to reinforce those doubts . dr. chiyome fukino , a former director of the hawaii department of health and a republican , told cnn in her most extensive comments to date that she has no doubt ' obama was born in the state . obama 's 2008 campaign produced a certification of live birth , a document legally accepted as confirmation of a birth and routinely used for official purposes . fukino went one step further , taking advantage of a state law that allows certain public officials to examine a person 's actual birth certificate if there is a direct and tangible interest . ' the president 's certificate , she said , is stored in a vault in the building that houses the department of health . ironically , unlike the certificate of live birth , it is no longer accepted for official usage . obama 's certificate is absolutely authentic , ' she said . he was absolutely born here in the state of hawaii . ' arizona governor criticizes birther distraction ' to see what happens when someone born in hawaii requests a birth certificate , cnn asked a current resident of the state -- stig waidelich -- if he could get a copy of the document . waidelich was born hours after obama in august 1961 . like obama , waidelich 's birth was announced at the time in the honolulu star-bulletin newspaper . waidelich , like obama in 2008 , was given a certification of live birth in response to his request . could obama 's 1961 birth announcement in the honolulu star-bulletin be a fake ? some conspiracy theorists say yes . longtime honolulu newspaper reporter dan nakaso says no . it 's not possible , ' nakaso said . under the system that existed back then , there was no avenue for people to submit information that way . ... the information came directly from the state department of health . ' indeed , as cnn confirmed , all birth announcements at the time came directly from hospital birth records . trump questions birth certificate could obama , a self-proclaimed christian , be preventing the distribution of copies of the original birth certificate because it identifies him as a muslim ? fukino says no . the original certificate includes no mention of the president 's religion . and indeed , other original certificates from that time do n't mention faith . obama could file a freedom of information act request to view his original birth certificate and make copies . but at this point , the white house maintains , nothing will satisfy the doubters . rick smethurst , a 2008 john mccain voter who now lives in obama 's childhood home in hawaii , counts himself among the doubters . he said he wants to find someone who saw obama immediately after the president was born . hawaii gov . neil abercrombie said he did . abercrombie , a democrat , was friendly with ann dunham , obama 's mother , and remembers celebrating the birth . of course , we had no idea at the time that the future president of the united states was that little boy , that little baby , ' abercrombie recalled . but we are very , very happy ... that took place . ' professor alice dewey of the university of hawaii was a faculty adviser to dunham and also knew the future president when he was a child . she called the controversy funny . ' she said there is no way ' obama was n't born in the state . dewey remembered a conversation in which dunham compared the birth of obama with that of his sister , maya , who was born overseas . she said ,'when i had maya , it was a lot of more difficult because indonesia does n't believe in painkillers while you 're giving birth . ... of course , in the united states , giving birth to barry ( obama 's childhood nickname ) was quite different and much more comfortable ,' dewey recalled . waidelich 's mother , monika , said she believes she saw obama in honolulu 's kapi'olani medical center next to her son in 1961 . in those days , there were hardly any other black babies , ' she said . the hospital would n't show patient records from 1961 , but the state 's african-american population was less than 1 % at the time . regardless of the evidence , there may be no convincing some of those who question the president 's origins . i find it a bit amusing in the sense that ( the issue ) keeps resurfacing over and over again , ' fukino said . it really tells us that the whole conspiracy notion is out there ( and ) that if there is an issue that needs a following , they will find one . no matter what you do or say , it make no difference , ' she said . abercrombie , who tried to put an end to the controversy when he became governor , said he hopes that people who have this political orientation toward the president respect us here in hawaii . ' respect his mother and father , ' the governor urged . respect the people i loved and the people that i knew , and the little boy who grew up here in paradise and became president . ' that , the evidence suggests , may be easier said than done . cnn 's alan silverleib contributed to this report . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here . | ex-hawaii health official says she has no doubt ' president obama was born in honolulu |
al-aqsa <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- israeli soldiers and several dozen palestinians clashed in jerusalem saturday , exchanging volleys of rocks , tear gas , fire bombs , and rubber bullets , according to eyewitnesses and the israeli military . hundreds of palestinians gathered in the northern jerusalem neighborhood of al-ram for the burial of 25-year-old palestinian man , talat ramiyeh . he was shot the day before by israeli security forces in a protest opposing israeli police entering the compound that houses jerusalem 's al-aqsa mosque , palestinian officials said . after the funeral , about 60 palestinians began throwing rocks and fire bombs at an israeli military position near the entrance to the neighborhood , an israeli military spokesman said . the soldiers responded with tear gas and rubber bullets . there was no immediate word of injuries . the death of ramiyeh prompted a condemnation from palestinian authority prime minster salam fayyad . he implored the the international community to hold israel responsible for what he described as the concerted use of violence against peaceful protests . ' the military spokesman said ramiyeh 's death was still under investigation , but a preliminary report suggested that he had been engaged in a violent riot ' and aimed fireworks at israeli security personnel who responded with live fire . the investigation suggested that ramiyeh was hit in the shoulder , the spokesman said . saturday 's protest marked the latest in a series of disturbances connected to the compound that holds jerusalem 's al-aqsa mosque . during the past week , clashes around the sensitive religious site known the noble sanctuary to muslims and the temple mount to jews erupted on multiple occasions amid rumors that israeli authorities were allowing right-wing jewish activists access to the compound in order to stoke tensions with palestinians . israeli police spokesman micky rosenfeld denied the reports and said access to the location was being administered under normal guidelines . | there 've been disturbances tied to jerusalem 's al-aqsa mosque |
palestinian <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- israeli soldiers and several dozen palestinians clashed in jerusalem saturday , exchanging volleys of rocks , tear gas , fire bombs , and rubber bullets , according to eyewitnesses and the israeli military . hundreds of palestinians gathered in the northern jerusalem neighborhood of al-ram for the burial of 25-year-old palestinian man , talat ramiyeh . he was shot the day before by israeli security forces in a protest opposing israeli police entering the compound that houses jerusalem 's al-aqsa mosque , palestinian officials said . after the funeral , about 60 palestinians began throwing rocks and fire bombs at an israeli military position near the entrance to the neighborhood , an israeli military spokesman said . the soldiers responded with tear gas and rubber bullets . there was no immediate word of injuries . the death of ramiyeh prompted a condemnation from palestinian authority prime minster salam fayyad . he implored the the international community to hold israel responsible for what he described as the concerted use of violence against peaceful protests . ' the military spokesman said ramiyeh 's death was still under investigation , but a preliminary report suggested that he had been engaged in a violent riot ' and aimed fireworks at israeli security personnel who responded with live fire . the investigation suggested that ramiyeh was hit in the shoulder , the spokesman said . saturday 's protest marked the latest in a series of disturbances connected to the compound that holds jerusalem 's al-aqsa mosque . during the past week , clashes around the sensitive religious site known the noble sanctuary to muslims and the temple mount to jews erupted on multiple occasions amid rumors that israeli authorities were allowing right-wing jewish activists access to the compound in order to stoke tensions with palestinians . israeli police spokesman micky rosenfeld denied the reports and said access to the location was being administered under normal guidelines . | palestinian pm salam fayyad condemned ramiyeh 's death |
segel <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- they 've been called bromances ' : those buddy films and tv shows , such as the movies pineapple express ' and the 40-year-old virgin , ' that feature non-sexual but deep friendships between two or more males . jason segel and paul rudd star in i love you , man , ' which opens friday . the forthcoming i love you , man , ' which opens friday , appears to fit the bill . in the film , paul rudd plays a man who needs a best man for his wedding but has never made any male friends . enter jason segel as sydney fife , whom rudd 's character , peter klaven , pursues on several man-dates ' that end up threatening his relationship with his fiancée ( rashida jones ) . but do n't call the film a bromance ' in the presence of rudd and segel . we hate that word , ' segel told cnn . it was not part of the lexicon while we were filming , ' added rudd . still , both actors have plenty of experience in the , uh , guy-pal genre . rudd has been in several comedies written , directed or produced by judd apatow , considered one of the leaders of the bromance ' trend with his softer , more openly emotional male characters . segel has also been in apatow projects -- including last year 's forgetting sarah marshall ' -- and he stars in the tv series how i met your mother , ' which finds plenty of humor in male bonding . segel observes that what helps the films work is the discomfort of two men trying to talk about their emotions while hoping to maintain a dispassionate , hard-edged , prototypically manly façade . and he knows he 's good at bringing out that discomfort in his co-stars . judd apatow told me that my special skill was that i am able to maintain my likability while getting incredibly close to the creepy line , and that 's what i should try to cultivate , ' he said . that 's what he does , ' rudd noted . he just holds [ the moment ] a little too long . ' it 's the fraction of a second too long that makes people uncomfortable , ' segel added . in i love you , man , ' segel 's character is rougher and looser than his characters in sarah marshall ' and how i met your mother . ' he welcomed the change . it was a real treat for me , to be honest for a minute , to play this character , because i 've played sort of a puppy dog guy in'forgetting sarah marshall ,'and on ['mother'] i play a husband , you know , a loving husband , ' he said . so to get to play a character who is a bit more of a man of mystery was very exciting for me . ' in real life , claims segel , he even has a man cave . it 's filled with puppets , ' he said . and i keep wondering why i do n't have a girlfriend . i 'm like ,'hey , this is my house ; come check it out . this is where i keep my 40 puppets .'... i think that i have a reputation for being weird because of that . ' but he quickly turns serious and maintains that i love you , man ' does have a message to go along with its comedy . i think we both had something to learn from each other , ' he said . paul 's character had to learn that it 's all right to take a little distance from your significant other and have some dude friends and someone to vent to about things you ca n't necessarily talk about with your girl . ' sometimes buddies hold a mirror up to the way you behave in ways that relationships with the opposite sex do n't , ' rudd said . yeah , and my character had to learn that maybe it 's time to grow up a little bit , ' segel added . so , this bromance ' thing , allowing a few feelings to show . perhaps it 's not so bad after all ? rudd says that the idea has its upside , despite its name . and he 's glad it 's been successful . that 's us in a nutshell , not macho , not tough , ' he said . i think that we 've all been kind of drawn to real stories , you know , characters that hopefully people can relate to and what 's funny about just certain insecurites and just certain things in life . they could easily be dramatic , ' he pointed out . just less fart jokes . ' | comedy makes some serious points about friendship , segel says |
segel <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- they 've been called bromances ' : those buddy films and tv shows , such as the movies pineapple express ' and the 40-year-old virgin , ' that feature non-sexual but deep friendships between two or more males . jason segel and paul rudd star in i love you , man , ' which opens friday . the forthcoming i love you , man , ' which opens friday , appears to fit the bill . in the film , paul rudd plays a man who needs a best man for his wedding but has never made any male friends . enter jason segel as sydney fife , whom rudd 's character , peter klaven , pursues on several man-dates ' that end up threatening his relationship with his fiancée ( rashida jones ) . but do n't call the film a bromance ' in the presence of rudd and segel . we hate that word , ' segel told cnn . it was not part of the lexicon while we were filming , ' added rudd . still , both actors have plenty of experience in the , uh , guy-pal genre . rudd has been in several comedies written , directed or produced by judd apatow , considered one of the leaders of the bromance ' trend with his softer , more openly emotional male characters . segel has also been in apatow projects -- including last year 's forgetting sarah marshall ' -- and he stars in the tv series how i met your mother , ' which finds plenty of humor in male bonding . segel observes that what helps the films work is the discomfort of two men trying to talk about their emotions while hoping to maintain a dispassionate , hard-edged , prototypically manly façade . and he knows he 's good at bringing out that discomfort in his co-stars . judd apatow told me that my special skill was that i am able to maintain my likability while getting incredibly close to the creepy line , and that 's what i should try to cultivate , ' he said . that 's what he does , ' rudd noted . he just holds [ the moment ] a little too long . ' it 's the fraction of a second too long that makes people uncomfortable , ' segel added . in i love you , man , ' segel 's character is rougher and looser than his characters in sarah marshall ' and how i met your mother . ' he welcomed the change . it was a real treat for me , to be honest for a minute , to play this character , because i 've played sort of a puppy dog guy in'forgetting sarah marshall ,'and on ['mother'] i play a husband , you know , a loving husband , ' he said . so to get to play a character who is a bit more of a man of mystery was very exciting for me . ' in real life , claims segel , he even has a man cave . it 's filled with puppets , ' he said . and i keep wondering why i do n't have a girlfriend . i 'm like ,'hey , this is my house ; come check it out . this is where i keep my 40 puppets .'... i think that i have a reputation for being weird because of that . ' but he quickly turns serious and maintains that i love you , man ' does have a message to go along with its comedy . i think we both had something to learn from each other , ' he said . paul 's character had to learn that it 's all right to take a little distance from your significant other and have some dude friends and someone to vent to about things you ca n't necessarily talk about with your girl . ' sometimes buddies hold a mirror up to the way you behave in ways that relationships with the opposite sex do n't , ' rudd said . yeah , and my character had to learn that maybe it 's time to grow up a little bit , ' segel added . so , this bromance ' thing , allowing a few feelings to show . perhaps it 's not so bad after all ? rudd says that the idea has its upside , despite its name . and he 's glad it 's been successful . that 's us in a nutshell , not macho , not tough , ' he said . i think that we 've all been kind of drawn to real stories , you know , characters that hopefully people can relate to and what 's funny about just certain insecurites and just certain things in life . they could easily be dramatic , ' he pointed out . just less fart jokes . ' | neither rudd nor segel likes the term bromance ' |
segel <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- they 've been called bromances ' : those buddy films and tv shows , such as the movies pineapple express ' and the 40-year-old virgin , ' that feature non-sexual but deep friendships between two or more males . jason segel and paul rudd star in i love you , man , ' which opens friday . the forthcoming i love you , man , ' which opens friday , appears to fit the bill . in the film , paul rudd plays a man who needs a best man for his wedding but has never made any male friends . enter jason segel as sydney fife , whom rudd 's character , peter klaven , pursues on several man-dates ' that end up threatening his relationship with his fiancée ( rashida jones ) . but do n't call the film a bromance ' in the presence of rudd and segel . we hate that word , ' segel told cnn . it was not part of the lexicon while we were filming , ' added rudd . still , both actors have plenty of experience in the , uh , guy-pal genre . rudd has been in several comedies written , directed or produced by judd apatow , considered one of the leaders of the bromance ' trend with his softer , more openly emotional male characters . segel has also been in apatow projects -- including last year 's forgetting sarah marshall ' -- and he stars in the tv series how i met your mother , ' which finds plenty of humor in male bonding . segel observes that what helps the films work is the discomfort of two men trying to talk about their emotions while hoping to maintain a dispassionate , hard-edged , prototypically manly façade . and he knows he 's good at bringing out that discomfort in his co-stars . judd apatow told me that my special skill was that i am able to maintain my likability while getting incredibly close to the creepy line , and that 's what i should try to cultivate , ' he said . that 's what he does , ' rudd noted . he just holds [ the moment ] a little too long . ' it 's the fraction of a second too long that makes people uncomfortable , ' segel added . in i love you , man , ' segel 's character is rougher and looser than his characters in sarah marshall ' and how i met your mother . ' he welcomed the change . it was a real treat for me , to be honest for a minute , to play this character , because i 've played sort of a puppy dog guy in'forgetting sarah marshall ,'and on ['mother'] i play a husband , you know , a loving husband , ' he said . so to get to play a character who is a bit more of a man of mystery was very exciting for me . ' in real life , claims segel , he even has a man cave . it 's filled with puppets , ' he said . and i keep wondering why i do n't have a girlfriend . i 'm like ,'hey , this is my house ; come check it out . this is where i keep my 40 puppets .'... i think that i have a reputation for being weird because of that . ' but he quickly turns serious and maintains that i love you , man ' does have a message to go along with its comedy . i think we both had something to learn from each other , ' he said . paul 's character had to learn that it 's all right to take a little distance from your significant other and have some dude friends and someone to vent to about things you ca n't necessarily talk about with your girl . ' sometimes buddies hold a mirror up to the way you behave in ways that relationships with the opposite sex do n't , ' rudd said . yeah , and my character had to learn that maybe it 's time to grow up a little bit , ' segel added . so , this bromance ' thing , allowing a few feelings to show . perhaps it 's not so bad after all ? rudd says that the idea has its upside , despite its name . and he 's glad it 's been successful . that 's us in a nutshell , not macho , not tough , ' he said . i think that we 've all been kind of drawn to real stories , you know , characters that hopefully people can relate to and what 's funny about just certain insecurites and just certain things in life . they could easily be dramatic , ' he pointed out . just less fart jokes . ' | i love you , man ' stars paul rudd , jason segel as two men trying friendship |
fbi <tsp> editor 's note : the fbi has one more opening on its list of the ten most wanted fugitives . tune into cnn 's campbell brown ' at 8 p.m . et wednesday to find out who fills the final slot . alleged cartel hit man eduardo ravelo has been added to the fbi 's most wanted list . el paso , texas ( cnn ) -- eduardo ravelo is described as a ruthless killer ' who has gone to great lengths to avoid law enforcement while contributing to the bloodshed that terrorizes the border between texas and mexico . authorities say the suspected hit man with close ties to the juarez drug cartel has shaved his head , undergone plastic surgery and even manipulated his fingerprints to elude capture . he heads the barrio aztecas gang , but ravelo is n't flashy , fbi agents say . he keeps a low profile , living modestly . on tuesday , ravelo was named to the fbi 's ten most wanted fugitives list , taking the second of three vacant slots . watch the fbi discuss ravelo 's alleged crimes » officially , he 's wanted on federal racketeering charges , but the fbi says ravelo 's criminal activities run much deeper . he is believed to be responsible for dozens of murders and assaults , as well as drug trafficking , extortion , weapons offenses and money laundering , fbi agent samantha mikeska said . watch the latest on ravelo » ' he has no respect for human life , ' she said . mikeska is leading the hunt for ravelo , who goes by the nickname tablas , ' which is spanish for wooden plank . he 's also called two-by-four ' and is believed to be hiding with his wife and children , probably in a barrio aztecas-controlled neighborhood in juarez , mexico , just across the border from el paso , texas . eduardo ravelo rose to power within the barrio aztecas criminal enterprise because of his connections with the juarez cartel and also [ because ] he 's a ruthless killer and will basically carry out what the juarez cartel wants him to do , ' mikeska said . barrio aztecas started as a texas prison gang in the 1980s . federal authorities say the profits from drug sales are often transferred to the commissary accounts of gang members in prison . ravelo came to his position atop the gang violently , the fbi agent said , killing the person whose place he took . his power comes from his close ties to the juarez cartel . he has spent the past 15 years cultivating relationships with some of the highest-ranking cartel members . drug cartel leaders often align themselves with street gangs , employing gang members to carry out some of the cartel 's most vicious work . u.s. authorities say the commanders of the juarez cartel often call on ravelo to execute their enemies . in exchange , ravelo and his barrio aztecas comrades get drugs to sell on the streets of mexico and the united states . fbi investigators say they believe that in march 2008 , ravelo carried out a hit on a captain in his own gang . mikeska believes ravelo stabbed him several times and shot him in the neck . shortly after the murder , he became a barrio aztecas capo , ' or captain . in recent years , federal agents have arrested dozens of barrio aztecas'3,500 members , with six of its leaders sentenced to life in prison . but ravelo has eluded authorities . he holds both u.s. and mexican citizenship , federal authorities say , helping him escape across the border into mexico with his wife and children . while he may be staying out of sight , he 's keeping up his violent work , mikeska says , and he has the resources to do so . he has an entourage , he has bodyguards , he has armored vehicles to protect him from rival gangs and rival cartels , ' mikeska says . | fbi says ravelo may be hiding just across border in juarez , mexico |
fbi <tsp> editor 's note : the fbi has one more opening on its list of the ten most wanted fugitives . tune into cnn 's campbell brown ' at 8 p.m . et wednesday to find out who fills the final slot . alleged cartel hit man eduardo ravelo has been added to the fbi 's most wanted list . el paso , texas ( cnn ) -- eduardo ravelo is described as a ruthless killer ' who has gone to great lengths to avoid law enforcement while contributing to the bloodshed that terrorizes the border between texas and mexico . authorities say the suspected hit man with close ties to the juarez drug cartel has shaved his head , undergone plastic surgery and even manipulated his fingerprints to elude capture . he heads the barrio aztecas gang , but ravelo is n't flashy , fbi agents say . he keeps a low profile , living modestly . on tuesday , ravelo was named to the fbi 's ten most wanted fugitives list , taking the second of three vacant slots . watch the fbi discuss ravelo 's alleged crimes » officially , he 's wanted on federal racketeering charges , but the fbi says ravelo 's criminal activities run much deeper . he is believed to be responsible for dozens of murders and assaults , as well as drug trafficking , extortion , weapons offenses and money laundering , fbi agent samantha mikeska said . watch the latest on ravelo » ' he has no respect for human life , ' she said . mikeska is leading the hunt for ravelo , who goes by the nickname tablas , ' which is spanish for wooden plank . he 's also called two-by-four ' and is believed to be hiding with his wife and children , probably in a barrio aztecas-controlled neighborhood in juarez , mexico , just across the border from el paso , texas . eduardo ravelo rose to power within the barrio aztecas criminal enterprise because of his connections with the juarez cartel and also [ because ] he 's a ruthless killer and will basically carry out what the juarez cartel wants him to do , ' mikeska said . barrio aztecas started as a texas prison gang in the 1980s . federal authorities say the profits from drug sales are often transferred to the commissary accounts of gang members in prison . ravelo came to his position atop the gang violently , the fbi agent said , killing the person whose place he took . his power comes from his close ties to the juarez cartel . he has spent the past 15 years cultivating relationships with some of the highest-ranking cartel members . drug cartel leaders often align themselves with street gangs , employing gang members to carry out some of the cartel 's most vicious work . u.s. authorities say the commanders of the juarez cartel often call on ravelo to execute their enemies . in exchange , ravelo and his barrio aztecas comrades get drugs to sell on the streets of mexico and the united states . fbi investigators say they believe that in march 2008 , ravelo carried out a hit on a captain in his own gang . mikeska believes ravelo stabbed him several times and shot him in the neck . shortly after the murder , he became a barrio aztecas capo , ' or captain . in recent years , federal agents have arrested dozens of barrio aztecas'3,500 members , with six of its leaders sentenced to life in prison . but ravelo has eluded authorities . he holds both u.s. and mexican citizenship , federal authorities say , helping him escape across the border into mexico with his wife and children . while he may be staying out of sight , he 's keeping up his violent work , mikeska says , and he has the resources to do so . he has an entourage , he has bodyguards , he has armored vehicles to protect him from rival gangs and rival cartels , ' mikeska says . | eduardo ravelo added to fbi 's ten most wanted fugitives list |
ten most wanted fugitives list <tsp> editor 's note : the fbi has one more opening on its list of the ten most wanted fugitives . tune into cnn 's campbell brown ' at 8 p.m . et wednesday to find out who fills the final slot . alleged cartel hit man eduardo ravelo has been added to the fbi 's most wanted list . el paso , texas ( cnn ) -- eduardo ravelo is described as a ruthless killer ' who has gone to great lengths to avoid law enforcement while contributing to the bloodshed that terrorizes the border between texas and mexico . authorities say the suspected hit man with close ties to the juarez drug cartel has shaved his head , undergone plastic surgery and even manipulated his fingerprints to elude capture . he heads the barrio aztecas gang , but ravelo is n't flashy , fbi agents say . he keeps a low profile , living modestly . on tuesday , ravelo was named to the fbi 's ten most wanted fugitives list , taking the second of three vacant slots . watch the fbi discuss ravelo 's alleged crimes » officially , he 's wanted on federal racketeering charges , but the fbi says ravelo 's criminal activities run much deeper . he is believed to be responsible for dozens of murders and assaults , as well as drug trafficking , extortion , weapons offenses and money laundering , fbi agent samantha mikeska said . watch the latest on ravelo » ' he has no respect for human life , ' she said . mikeska is leading the hunt for ravelo , who goes by the nickname tablas , ' which is spanish for wooden plank . he 's also called two-by-four ' and is believed to be hiding with his wife and children , probably in a barrio aztecas-controlled neighborhood in juarez , mexico , just across the border from el paso , texas . eduardo ravelo rose to power within the barrio aztecas criminal enterprise because of his connections with the juarez cartel and also [ because ] he 's a ruthless killer and will basically carry out what the juarez cartel wants him to do , ' mikeska said . barrio aztecas started as a texas prison gang in the 1980s . federal authorities say the profits from drug sales are often transferred to the commissary accounts of gang members in prison . ravelo came to his position atop the gang violently , the fbi agent said , killing the person whose place he took . his power comes from his close ties to the juarez cartel . he has spent the past 15 years cultivating relationships with some of the highest-ranking cartel members . drug cartel leaders often align themselves with street gangs , employing gang members to carry out some of the cartel 's most vicious work . u.s. authorities say the commanders of the juarez cartel often call on ravelo to execute their enemies . in exchange , ravelo and his barrio aztecas comrades get drugs to sell on the streets of mexico and the united states . fbi investigators say they believe that in march 2008 , ravelo carried out a hit on a captain in his own gang . mikeska believes ravelo stabbed him several times and shot him in the neck . shortly after the murder , he became a barrio aztecas capo , ' or captain . in recent years , federal agents have arrested dozens of barrio aztecas'3,500 members , with six of its leaders sentenced to life in prison . but ravelo has eluded authorities . he holds both u.s. and mexican citizenship , federal authorities say , helping him escape across the border into mexico with his wife and children . while he may be staying out of sight , he 's keeping up his violent work , mikeska says , and he has the resources to do so . he has an entourage , he has bodyguards , he has armored vehicles to protect him from rival gangs and rival cartels , ' mikeska says . | eduardo ravelo added to fbi 's ten most wanted fugitives list |
el salvador <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- human rights groups from the united states and spain filed a lawsuit in a spanish court thursday , charging el salvador 's former president , alfredo cristiani , with covering up crimes against humanity . alfredo cristiani in 1994 shortly after he voted during the country 's second round presidential runoff . the case involves the killing of six jesuit priests , their housekeeper and her teenaged daughter nearly two decades ago during el salvador 's civil war . in addition , 14 former salvadoran military officers are accused of war crimes , murders and state terrorism in connection with the massacre dating back to november 1989 . most of the slain jesuits were born in spain . they were killed at their residence at the prestigious central american university , in el salvador 's capital , san salvador . reports at the time said they were tortured and then shot . it has become one of the most notorious episodes of el salvador 's 12-year civil war that pitted leftist guerrillas against the u.s.-backed conservative government . some 75,000 people died . the case filed by two human rights groups in madrid argues that justice was never done in el salvador . two military officers were convicted of murder in 1991 in the deaths of the jesuits , but were pardoned in 1993 under an amnesty law approved by the national assembly . the case was taken to spain 's national court , because of its involvement in other high-profile human rights cases . the same spanish court issued an arrest warrant for former chilean dictator augusto pinochet in 1998 , while he was in a london hospital . for the rest of his life he fought legal battles -- first in england and later in chile -- to avoid convictions . the spanish court has also taken on human rights cases from other countries , including argentina and guatemala , testing a relatively new international legal principle known as universal jurisdiction . it contends that if justice for human rights abuses is not served in the country where the crime occurred , then a court in another country can intervene . the groups filing suits are the san francisco-based center for justice and accountability and the spanish association for human rights . family members from at least two of the slain jesuits will join the lawsuit later , the groups said . it could take the national court weeks or even months to determine if it will accept the case . spain and el salvador have an extradition treaty . but a lawyer for the center for justice and accountability told cnn that the most immediate practical effect of the case might be an effective ban on cristiani and the 14 former officers from leaving el salvador , for fear of arrest . if they were ever tried before a spanish court and convicted on the charges , they could serve up to 30 years in prison . in an interview with cnn a few months before he was killed , university rector ignacio ellecuria praised then-president cristiani , whom the human rights groups now accuse of covering up the crime . we have to recognize that cristiani is a man of his word , who keeps his promises , ' ellecuria told cnn . personally i consider cristiani an ethical , responsible person who will not offer to do what he ca n't or does n't wish to do . ' ignacio martin-baro , another slain jesuit , spoke at the time about the chilling effect of the long-running salvadoran civil war . we have become used to violence , ' martin-baro said . we have become used to living in a very dangerous world . we have learned to live , accepting death , extraordinary abnormal death into our lives . ' for years , the extreme right in el salvador had accused the jesuits of siding with the leftist guerrillas , according to a cnn report shortly after the killings . uniformed troops were seen searching the living quarters of the priests at central american university two days before they were killed , cnn reported . | one of the most notorious episodes of el salvador 's 12-year civil war |
pakistani <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the northern pakistani school where a teenage boy died while tackling a suicide bomber last week will be renamed in his honor , a top provincial official announced monday . the school will be named after aitazaz hassan bangash , the 14-year-old boy who authorities say saved an untold number of fellow students by sacrificing himself at the building 's main gate , khyber pakhtunkhwa province 's chief minister said during a provincial assembly session . the ninth-grader was on his way to school january 6 in the province 's hangu district when the bomber , dressed in a school uniform , asked him where the school was , the teen 's cousin musadiq ali bangash said . aitazaz challenged the bomber and tried to catch him , and the bomb detonated when the two scuffled , the cousin said . aitazaz and the bomber died at the scene . witnesses said the blast injured two other people . iftikhar ahmed , a hangu district police officer , confirmed the details of the attack to cnn . hangu is a troubled district bordering pakistan 's tribal areas . it is rife with sectarian violence , with attacks against shia and sunni muslims . on friday , pakistani prime minister nawaz sharif nominated aitazaz for the sitara-e-shujaat -- the country 's top civil award for bravery . the same honor was given to malala yousafzai , a pakistani schoolgirl who survived being shot in the head in 2012 by the taliban for her efforts to promote education for boys and girls . the award is worth about $ 50,000 to aitazaz 's family . a separate civilian martyr package provides another $ 5,000 in compensation . cnn 's saima mohsin and karen smith contributed to this report . | pakistani teenage boy died while tackling a suicide bomber |
cape verde <tsp> ( cnn ) there 's an old saying which states the cape verde islands are home to a greater number of musicians per square kilometer than any other country in the world . in truth , such a definitive claim may be nigh on impossible to prove . but there is a certain factual accuracy behind the legend : the important and proud relationship the atlantic island country of just 500,000 people has with music . situated roughly 350 miles off the west coast of africa , cape verde has long been a mesh of cultures , history and races . the former portuguese territory was once a key location for the transatlantic slave trade , a target for 16th century pirates and a refuge for exiled jews . from this diverse melting pot were born the unique sounds of the batuque , morna , funana and other distinct musical styles . now , cape verde is seeking to tap-into the spoils of this rich cultural heritage in a bid to help its economy flourish . bereft of oil , gas , gold , diamonds or the conventional natural resources that have fueled growth in many other african countries , cape verde has had to look for alternative sectors to aid its development . and what 's more alternative than a jiving , swinging , musical economy ? besides fish , it is pretty common ( for cape verde ) to say'our biggest richness is in music and culture ,'' said christine semba of womex , an international networking platform for the world music genre . the economic potential of music has been also acknowledged by cape verde 's prime minister , jose maria neves , while the country 's ministry of culture is run by mario lucio de sousa , himself a popular musician . the future of our country lies in our capacity to create , our capacity to innovate , ' neves said in reference to the music and the arts at a world trade organization conference in 2013 . other elements of the creative economy include handicrafts , fashion and visual arts to name but a few . however , a 2013 report from the un conference on trade and development noted that cape verde 's creative sector remained a relatively small part of its economy with much room for improvement and long term planning . but that does n't mean there has n't been some promising early signs that music has the potential to play a key role in the future . one early musical success has been the kriol jazz festival . the event , which is celebrating its seventh edition , took place in the capital city of praia this past weekend . artists including grammy-winning u.s. singer esperanza spalding have been invited to perform , as have acts from the likes of luxembourg , brazil and , of course , cape verde . according to harold taveres , a liaison to the mayor of praia involved with promoting the festival , kjf has become one of the most spectacular events in cape verde . we breathe the music in cape verde , we live with the music , ' he added . now the festival has brought people from every corner in the world ( to share in this ) . ' during the festival , bars , hotels and restaurants are full to the brim while taxi drivers are seldom unable to find a fare during what locals refer to as the week of party . ' it 's a lucrative trade , for sure . yet in order to take full advantage of this bustling scene the country 's ministry of culture , alongside some enterprising private sector figures , thought a deeper relationship with the music business was required . enter the atlantic music expo , a three-year-old conference and networking event that seeks to help cape verdean artists secure international exposure . this year 's ame took place in the days before the kriol jazz festival . delegates , local musicians and their management teams were exposed to roundtables , workshops and talks on the intricacies of the global music business . we try to invite lots of producers and a lot of journalists from around the world to see the festival and the musicians from cape verde , ' said jose da silva , long time manager of the late cape verdean songstress cesaria evora . da silva is one of the driving forces behind ame as well as being the founder of the lusafrica and harmonia record labels that aim to discover a new generation of artists from cape verde . he hopes that by exposing musicians to a range of experienced industry professionals and top-level musicians , they will become equipped with the tools and ambition to take the music of cape verde across the globe . not only will this help launch the careers of artists and musicians ( with all the respective behind the scenes business structures such developments require ) but it will garner valuable attention for the country . this is where the greatest potential economic benefits lie . tourism is expected to account for 20 % of the country 's gdp by 2024 , according to research from the world travel and tourism council . getting cape verde 's name out on the world stage through recognition of its rich musical culture is therefore increasingly important . economically it 's beneficial for the country because the money we would have to spend on the market to give the country this exposure in the world would be too big , ' da silva said . this way it costs less money . ' semba agrees with this , and highlights the joined up thinking of the government and private sector actors like da silva for special praise . in the long term , the whole country is behind this event , ' semba said , adding this is a very innovative approach which we would like to see in many more countries . ' it must be noted , however , that few countries have the same natural resources for music as cape verde . more from marketplace africa | cape verde seeking to tap-into rich cultural heritage |
nato <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president obama will announce the u.s. troop strategy for afghanistan in a speech at 8 p.m . et tuesday at the u.s. military academy at west point , new york , white house spokesman robert gibbs said wednesday . in the speech , obama will explain why the united states is in afghanistan , its interests there and his decision-making process , gibbs said , but the president does not see this as an open-ended engagement . our time there will be limited , and i think that 's important for people to understand , ' he said . we are in year nine ' in afghanistan , gibbs told reporters . we 're not going to be there another eight or nine years . ' obama will meet with members of congress at the white house on tuesday afternoon before the speech . cost issues are among the topics the president will address , gibbs said . it 's a million dollars a troop for a year , ' he said . ten thousand troops is $ 10 billion . that 's in addition to what we already spend in afghanistan and pakistan . that also does not include training , and it does n't include the maintaining of a security force . it 's very , very , very expensive . ' but , gibbs added , i think the president , throughout this process , has talked about the cost in terms of american lives and in terms of the cost to our treasury , and i think he 'll continue to talk about it . ' the president ordered more than 20,000 additional troops to afghanistan in march . gen. stanley mcchrystal , the u.s. commander in afghanistan , reportedly has called for up to 40,000 more to wage a counterinsurgency campaign against the taliban , the islamic militia originally ousted by u.s. military action in 2001 . obama has weighed several options for bolstering the american contingent , ranging from sending a few thousand troops to the 40,000 mcchrystal requested . a defense official told cnn earlier this week the pentagon is making detailed plans to send about 34,000 more troops to afghanistan in anticipation of obama 's decision on the 8-year-old war . there had been no final word on obama 's decision as of tuesday , said the defense department official , who has direct knowledge of the process . but the official said planners have been tasked with preparing to send 34,000 additional american troops to afghanistan with the expectation that obama was leaning toward approving that many . ireporters sound off ; share your views on sending more troops in afghanistan defense secretary robert gates is expected to receive the paperwork thursday to approve orders to deploy 1,000 marines from camp lejeune , north carolina , to afghanistan in late december -- the first of the new troops to be sent , a u.s. military official told cnn on wednesday . the official is not authorized to talk about the plans because they have not been officially announced . the 1,000 marines are part of a battalion task force that has been preparing and training for the deployment , the official said . the president held a lengthy meeting with top advisers monday night , and he told reporters tuesday that he would announce new plans for afghanistan after thanksgiving . mcchrystal took part in the meeting monday , along with vice president joe biden , gates , joint chiefs of staff chairman adm. michael mullen and karl eikenberry , the u.s. ambassador in kabul , afghanistan . obama said tuesday that the deliberations had been comprehensive and extremely useful . ' it 's going to be important to recognize that in order for us to succeed there [ in afghanistan ] , you 've got to have a comprehensive strategy that includes civilian and diplomatic efforts , ' he said at a news conference tuesday with visiting indian prime minister manmohan singh . the defense official said tuesday that the military is planning to send three u.s. army brigades , totaling about 15,000 troops ; a marine brigade with about 8,000 troops ; a headquarters element of about 7,000 ; and between 4,000 and 5,000 support troops -- a total of about 34,000 troops . cnn reported last month that this was the pentagon 's preferred option . however , the official said wednesday that the marines are expected to deploy 8,000 combat , aviation and support troops , plus 1,000 to 1,500 marines as part of a headquarters unit -- a total of between 9,000 and 9,500 . they will be in addition to the 11,000 marines already in afghanistan . after the first deployment , the remaining marines will deploy over the next three to four months , the military official said . the troops would be dispatched throughout afghanistan but would be focused mainly on the southern and southeastern provinces , where much of the recent fighting has taken place . currently , brigades from fort drum in upstate new york and fort campbell in kentucky are among those next in line to deploy . about 68,000 u.s. troops are in afghanistan , along with about 45,000 from the nato alliance . two u.s. military officials have told cnn that nato countries would be asked to contribute more troops to fill the gap between the 34,000 the pentagon expects obama to send and the 40,000 mcchrystal wants . the request is expected to come during a december 7 meeting at the alliance 's headquarters in brussels , belgium . secretary of state hillary clinton will travel to brussels next week to meet with allies , state department sources told cnn . pentagon spokesman geoff morrell would not discuss specific numbers , but he said nato would be asked for additional help . obama 's afghanistan plan will include very broad terms ' that show how and where the united states is succeeding in the nation , a senior u.s. military official told cnn . those points will be used to determine how and when troops can be brought home . another senior military official said mcchrystal will take his orders from obama and will do the best he can with what he has . the question , he said , is not the number of troops , but is whether the united states has the right resources to do what we need to do . ' we ca n't just go and blow people up and win this war , ' the official said . we have to gain the trust of the people , and that is a major part of the plan here . ' u.s.-led troops invaded afghanistan in response to the al qaeda terrorist network 's september 11 , 2001 , attacks on new york and washington . the invasion overthrew the ruling taliban , which had allowed al qaeda to operate from its territory -- but most of the top al qaeda and taliban leadership escaped the onslaught . taliban fighters have since regrouped to the mountainous region along afghanistan 's border with pakistan , battling u.s. and afghan government forces on one side and pakistani troops on the other . al qaeda 's top leaders , osama bin laden and ayman al-zawahiri , remain at large and are suspected to be hiding in the same region . the conflict has so far claimed the lives of more than 900 americans and nearly 600 allied troops . cnn 's jill dougherty , deirdre walsh , elaine quijano and mike mount contributed to this report . | nato allies will also be asked to send more troops , officials say |
marines <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president obama will announce the u.s. troop strategy for afghanistan in a speech at 8 p.m . et tuesday at the u.s. military academy at west point , new york , white house spokesman robert gibbs said wednesday . in the speech , obama will explain why the united states is in afghanistan , its interests there and his decision-making process , gibbs said , but the president does not see this as an open-ended engagement . our time there will be limited , and i think that 's important for people to understand , ' he said . we are in year nine ' in afghanistan , gibbs told reporters . we 're not going to be there another eight or nine years . ' obama will meet with members of congress at the white house on tuesday afternoon before the speech . cost issues are among the topics the president will address , gibbs said . it 's a million dollars a troop for a year , ' he said . ten thousand troops is $ 10 billion . that 's in addition to what we already spend in afghanistan and pakistan . that also does not include training , and it does n't include the maintaining of a security force . it 's very , very , very expensive . ' but , gibbs added , i think the president , throughout this process , has talked about the cost in terms of american lives and in terms of the cost to our treasury , and i think he 'll continue to talk about it . ' the president ordered more than 20,000 additional troops to afghanistan in march . gen. stanley mcchrystal , the u.s. commander in afghanistan , reportedly has called for up to 40,000 more to wage a counterinsurgency campaign against the taliban , the islamic militia originally ousted by u.s. military action in 2001 . obama has weighed several options for bolstering the american contingent , ranging from sending a few thousand troops to the 40,000 mcchrystal requested . a defense official told cnn earlier this week the pentagon is making detailed plans to send about 34,000 more troops to afghanistan in anticipation of obama 's decision on the 8-year-old war . there had been no final word on obama 's decision as of tuesday , said the defense department official , who has direct knowledge of the process . but the official said planners have been tasked with preparing to send 34,000 additional american troops to afghanistan with the expectation that obama was leaning toward approving that many . ireporters sound off ; share your views on sending more troops in afghanistan defense secretary robert gates is expected to receive the paperwork thursday to approve orders to deploy 1,000 marines from camp lejeune , north carolina , to afghanistan in late december -- the first of the new troops to be sent , a u.s. military official told cnn on wednesday . the official is not authorized to talk about the plans because they have not been officially announced . the 1,000 marines are part of a battalion task force that has been preparing and training for the deployment , the official said . the president held a lengthy meeting with top advisers monday night , and he told reporters tuesday that he would announce new plans for afghanistan after thanksgiving . mcchrystal took part in the meeting monday , along with vice president joe biden , gates , joint chiefs of staff chairman adm. michael mullen and karl eikenberry , the u.s. ambassador in kabul , afghanistan . obama said tuesday that the deliberations had been comprehensive and extremely useful . ' it 's going to be important to recognize that in order for us to succeed there [ in afghanistan ] , you 've got to have a comprehensive strategy that includes civilian and diplomatic efforts , ' he said at a news conference tuesday with visiting indian prime minister manmohan singh . the defense official said tuesday that the military is planning to send three u.s. army brigades , totaling about 15,000 troops ; a marine brigade with about 8,000 troops ; a headquarters element of about 7,000 ; and between 4,000 and 5,000 support troops -- a total of about 34,000 troops . cnn reported last month that this was the pentagon 's preferred option . however , the official said wednesday that the marines are expected to deploy 8,000 combat , aviation and support troops , plus 1,000 to 1,500 marines as part of a headquarters unit -- a total of between 9,000 and 9,500 . they will be in addition to the 11,000 marines already in afghanistan . after the first deployment , the remaining marines will deploy over the next three to four months , the military official said . the troops would be dispatched throughout afghanistan but would be focused mainly on the southern and southeastern provinces , where much of the recent fighting has taken place . currently , brigades from fort drum in upstate new york and fort campbell in kentucky are among those next in line to deploy . about 68,000 u.s. troops are in afghanistan , along with about 45,000 from the nato alliance . two u.s. military officials have told cnn that nato countries would be asked to contribute more troops to fill the gap between the 34,000 the pentagon expects obama to send and the 40,000 mcchrystal wants . the request is expected to come during a december 7 meeting at the alliance 's headquarters in brussels , belgium . secretary of state hillary clinton will travel to brussels next week to meet with allies , state department sources told cnn . pentagon spokesman geoff morrell would not discuss specific numbers , but he said nato would be asked for additional help . obama 's afghanistan plan will include very broad terms ' that show how and where the united states is succeeding in the nation , a senior u.s. military official told cnn . those points will be used to determine how and when troops can be brought home . another senior military official said mcchrystal will take his orders from obama and will do the best he can with what he has . the question , he said , is not the number of troops , but is whether the united states has the right resources to do what we need to do . ' we ca n't just go and blow people up and win this war , ' the official said . we have to gain the trust of the people , and that is a major part of the plan here . ' u.s.-led troops invaded afghanistan in response to the al qaeda terrorist network 's september 11 , 2001 , attacks on new york and washington . the invasion overthrew the ruling taliban , which had allowed al qaeda to operate from its territory -- but most of the top al qaeda and taliban leadership escaped the onslaught . taliban fighters have since regrouped to the mountainous region along afghanistan 's border with pakistan , battling u.s. and afghan government forces on one side and pakistani troops on the other . al qaeda 's top leaders , osama bin laden and ayman al-zawahiri , remain at large and are suspected to be hiding in the same region . the conflict has so far claimed the lives of more than 900 americans and nearly 600 allied troops . cnn 's jill dougherty , deirdre walsh , elaine quijano and mike mount contributed to this report . | official : papers seeking orders to deploy 1,000 marines next month are expected thursday |
george harrison <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the legacy of u.s. sen. edward kennedy , who died on tuesday , spreads far and wide , and across the ocean to now-independent bangladesh . there , he is still revered for calling attention to what many deemed an unfolding genocide . massachusetts sen. ted kennedy , known as the lion of the senate , ' died tuesday at 77 . it may have started as a politically prudent move by a democratic senator eyeing the white house during a republican regime . but kennedy stood up to the nixon administration in 1971 and alerted the world to the bloodshed that was engulfing then-east pakistan . in 1971 , there were very few leaders from the so-called free world who were paying any attention to what was going on in bangladesh . and for ted kennedy to come forward and to personally visit , the impact was huge , ' said akku chowdhury , founder and director of bangladesh 's liberation war museum . and that 's one thing bangladeshis have always remembered . ' at the time , the u.s. policy -- directed by president richard nixon and his national security adviser henry kissinger -- was to resolutely support pakistan , from which bangladesh was trying to secede . the administration 's reasons : the soviet union and india had just signed a treaty of friendship , and nixon was concerned about the expansion of soviet influence in the region . thus , it made strategic sense for the united states to align itself with india 's neighbor , pakistan . the united states turned a blind eye to reports of atrocities committed by the pakistani army to suppress the independence movement -- even as u.s. diplomats urged the administration to speak up . our government has failed to denounce the suppression of democracy . our government has failed to denounce atrocities , ' consul general archer blood wrote in one of many telegrams from dhaka to the u.s. state department questioning american policy . but we have chosen not to intervene , even morally , on the grounds that the ... conflict , in which unfortunately the overworked term'genocide'is applicable , is purely an internal matter of a sovereign state . ' the blood telegram , ' as it came to be known , was reclassified as secret , and blood transferred out of dhaka . soon after , kennedy traveled to east india to gauge the plight of displaced bangladeshis -- more than 10 million of whom had sought refuge there . on his return , he issued a scathing report to the senate judiciary committee on refugees . the report , crisis in south asia , ' spoke of one of the most appalling tides of human misery in modern times . ' nothing is more clear , or more easily documented , than the systematic campaign of terror -- and its genocidal consequences -- launched by the pakistani army on the night of march 25th , ' he wrote . all of this has been officially sanctioned , ordered and implemented under martial law from islamabad . america 's heavy support of islamabad is nothing short of complicity in the human and political tragedy of east bengal . ' the nixon administration maintained its stance . but kennedy 's focus on the mass killings came as everyday americans began to share in the outrage . for instance , beatle george harrison 's concert for bangladesh , the first benefit event of its kind , was staged to further highlight the plight of bangladeshi refugees . besieged , the u.s. congress pushed through a bill to ban arms sales to pakistan . on december 16 , 1971 , bangladesh gained independence after a 10-month struggle , in which 1 million to 3 million bengalis were killed . when the fighting was over , there were vultures almost too fat to fly , and bangladesh was a land with few of the sinews of nationhood left unsevered , ' the national geographic said in a piece about the birth of the country . two months later -- in february 1972 -- kennedy flew to bangladesh and delivered a speech at dhaka university , where the killing rampage had begun a year earlier . about 8,000 jubilant students crowded into the university courtyard and jammed lecture hall balconies and roofs , greeting him with chants of joi kennedy ' -- a variation on the independence slogan of joi bangla . ' in his speech , kennedy drew parallels between the liberation of bangladesh and the american revolution . he said america had prospered despite predictions that it would collapse following independence , and so would bangladesh . even though the united states government does not recognize you , the people of the world do recognize you , ' kennedy told the crowd . on the university campus stood a banyan tree where bengalis student leaders had planted the seeds for the independence movement -- and which the pakistani army had destroyed as a symbolic gesture . during his visit , kennedy planted a new tree there . it still stands today -- a testament to a country that overcame long odds to survive and one man who helped champion it . | beatle george harrison also highlighted refugees'plight with benefit concert |
slipknot <tsp> ( cnn ) -- slipknot bassist paul gray 's death two months ago was from an accidental morphine overdose , the polk county , iowa , medical examiner said monday . gray , 38 , was found dead by staff at a hotel near des moines , iowa on may 24 , said sgt . dave disney of the urbandale police department . toxicology test results showed a fatal level of morphine and fentanyl -- a synthetic morphine -- in gray 's body , said dr. gregory schmunk . schmunk also noted the presence of significant heart disease , according to a police statement monday . the autopsy did show that gray had been dead for several hours before his body was found , schmunk said . grammy-winning metal band slipknot -- whose fans are affectionately known as maggots ' -- was formed in des moines in late 1995 and became immediately recognizable for the dark and often grotesque homemade halloween masks its nine members wore on stage . the band won a grammy award in 2006 for best metal performance for before i forget . ' slipknot 's self-titled debut album went platinum in 2000 . its fourth album , all hope is gone , ' spent 69 weeks on billboard 's top 200 charts , debuting at no . 1 its first week in 2008 . gray was arrested in iowa in 2003 on drug possession charges when police found small amounts of marijuana , two syringes and a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine after he was involved in a wreck with another motorist . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report . | slipknot bassist was found dead may 24 |
gray <tsp> ( cnn ) -- slipknot bassist paul gray 's death two months ago was from an accidental morphine overdose , the polk county , iowa , medical examiner said monday . gray , 38 , was found dead by staff at a hotel near des moines , iowa on may 24 , said sgt . dave disney of the urbandale police department . toxicology test results showed a fatal level of morphine and fentanyl -- a synthetic morphine -- in gray 's body , said dr. gregory schmunk . schmunk also noted the presence of significant heart disease , according to a police statement monday . the autopsy did show that gray had been dead for several hours before his body was found , schmunk said . grammy-winning metal band slipknot -- whose fans are affectionately known as maggots ' -- was formed in des moines in late 1995 and became immediately recognizable for the dark and often grotesque homemade halloween masks its nine members wore on stage . the band won a grammy award in 2006 for best metal performance for before i forget . ' slipknot 's self-titled debut album went platinum in 2000 . its fourth album , all hope is gone , ' spent 69 weeks on billboard 's top 200 charts , debuting at no . 1 its first week in 2008 . gray was arrested in iowa in 2003 on drug possession charges when police found small amounts of marijuana , two syringes and a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine after he was involved in a wreck with another motorist . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report . | autopsy showed morphine overdose killed gray |
gray <tsp> ( cnn ) -- slipknot bassist paul gray 's death two months ago was from an accidental morphine overdose , the polk county , iowa , medical examiner said monday . gray , 38 , was found dead by staff at a hotel near des moines , iowa on may 24 , said sgt . dave disney of the urbandale police department . toxicology test results showed a fatal level of morphine and fentanyl -- a synthetic morphine -- in gray 's body , said dr. gregory schmunk . schmunk also noted the presence of significant heart disease , according to a police statement monday . the autopsy did show that gray had been dead for several hours before his body was found , schmunk said . grammy-winning metal band slipknot -- whose fans are affectionately known as maggots ' -- was formed in des moines in late 1995 and became immediately recognizable for the dark and often grotesque homemade halloween masks its nine members wore on stage . the band won a grammy award in 2006 for best metal performance for before i forget . ' slipknot 's self-titled debut album went platinum in 2000 . its fourth album , all hope is gone , ' spent 69 weeks on billboard 's top 200 charts , debuting at no . 1 its first week in 2008 . gray was arrested in iowa in 2003 on drug possession charges when police found small amounts of marijuana , two syringes and a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine after he was involved in a wreck with another motorist . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report . | gray also sufffered significant heart disease ' |
french <tsp> yaounde , cameroon ( cnn ) -- french military and intelligence officers have entered northern cameroon in search of a family of seven french tourists kidnapped tuesday from a national park , a cnn affiliate reported wednesday . the paris-based private network bfmtv did not cite its source ; it posted a team of journalists wednesday in paris at the french foreign ministry crisis center , which is handling the country 's response to the crisis . bfmtv , citing the french defense ministry , said gendarmes had been sent to the site in northern cameroon where the abduction occurred to investigate . but a cameroonian official said wednesday that he believed the family had been taken across the border into neighboring nigeria within hours of their abduction . joseph dion ngute , the foreign ministry official in charge of ties with commonwealth nations , said tuesday 's incident marked the first time foreigners in cameroon had been taken captive by suspected islamic militants of nigeria 's boko haram movement . the intentions of the kidnappers are yet to be known , ' he said . french officials blamed the incident on boko haram , which has taken advantage of nigeria 's porous borders with chad and cameroon in its three-year campaign . boko haram has waged a war against nigeria 's government and its christian population in an effort to establish a strict islamic state in northern nigeria . the family was kidnapped from waza national park , a thickly forested area of northern cameroon popular among tourists and located near the border with nigeria . the incident has raised fears of westerners being targeted by islamist militant groups in africa in the wake of france 's military intervention in mali . but french president francois hollande said tuesday that he did n't believe the seizure was linked to his government 's intervention in mali , where french troops have joined government forces to battle islamic militants linked to al qaeda . i am aware of the presence of boko haram in that part of cameroon , and that 's worrying enough , ' hollande said . the abductees include four children ages 5 to 12 , their parents and an uncle , the cameroon 's state broadcaster crtv reported . fonkam azu , governor cameroon 's northern region of maroua , told reporters that residents saw the hostages being driven into nigeria on motorcycles . the father works for the french company gdf suez and is based in yaounde , the capital in southern cameroon . gdf suez , which is developing a natural gas liquefaction project in cameroon , said it was working closely with the french foreign ministry . concerns about border security in northern cameroon grew early last year , when sudanese poachers on horseback invaded the bouba ndjida park and killed more than 300 elephants for their ivory . afterward , the government temporarily replaced park guards with a special anti-terrorist squad of the military . in a statement , cameroon 's ministry of external relations said wednesday that security has been tightened to guarantee the safety of expatriates and tourists , especially in volatile regions . abductions are common in cameroon , especially in natural resource-rich regions . in january , kidnappers killed one chinese national and abducted three others from the betare oya gold mine in the country 's south . the military freed the surviving hostages . and several abductions targeting foreigners have occurred in the oil-rich bakassi peninsula , on the country 's atlantic coast . amanpour : nigeria battles to stop al queda chaos in africa man in cameroon jailed for love text to another man | new : french gendarmes have been sent to the abduction site , cnn affiliate reports |
french <tsp> yaounde , cameroon ( cnn ) -- french military and intelligence officers have entered northern cameroon in search of a family of seven french tourists kidnapped tuesday from a national park , a cnn affiliate reported wednesday . the paris-based private network bfmtv did not cite its source ; it posted a team of journalists wednesday in paris at the french foreign ministry crisis center , which is handling the country 's response to the crisis . bfmtv , citing the french defense ministry , said gendarmes had been sent to the site in northern cameroon where the abduction occurred to investigate . but a cameroonian official said wednesday that he believed the family had been taken across the border into neighboring nigeria within hours of their abduction . joseph dion ngute , the foreign ministry official in charge of ties with commonwealth nations , said tuesday 's incident marked the first time foreigners in cameroon had been taken captive by suspected islamic militants of nigeria 's boko haram movement . the intentions of the kidnappers are yet to be known , ' he said . french officials blamed the incident on boko haram , which has taken advantage of nigeria 's porous borders with chad and cameroon in its three-year campaign . boko haram has waged a war against nigeria 's government and its christian population in an effort to establish a strict islamic state in northern nigeria . the family was kidnapped from waza national park , a thickly forested area of northern cameroon popular among tourists and located near the border with nigeria . the incident has raised fears of westerners being targeted by islamist militant groups in africa in the wake of france 's military intervention in mali . but french president francois hollande said tuesday that he did n't believe the seizure was linked to his government 's intervention in mali , where french troops have joined government forces to battle islamic militants linked to al qaeda . i am aware of the presence of boko haram in that part of cameroon , and that 's worrying enough , ' hollande said . the abductees include four children ages 5 to 12 , their parents and an uncle , the cameroon 's state broadcaster crtv reported . fonkam azu , governor cameroon 's northern region of maroua , told reporters that residents saw the hostages being driven into nigeria on motorcycles . the father works for the french company gdf suez and is based in yaounde , the capital in southern cameroon . gdf suez , which is developing a natural gas liquefaction project in cameroon , said it was working closely with the french foreign ministry . concerns about border security in northern cameroon grew early last year , when sudanese poachers on horseback invaded the bouba ndjida park and killed more than 300 elephants for their ivory . afterward , the government temporarily replaced park guards with a special anti-terrorist squad of the military . in a statement , cameroon 's ministry of external relations said wednesday that security has been tightened to guarantee the safety of expatriates and tourists , especially in volatile regions . abductions are common in cameroon , especially in natural resource-rich regions . in january , kidnappers killed one chinese national and abducted three others from the betare oya gold mine in the country 's south . the military freed the surviving hostages . and several abductions targeting foreigners have occurred in the oil-rich bakassi peninsula , on the country 's atlantic coast . amanpour : nigeria battles to stop al queda chaos in africa man in cameroon jailed for love text to another man | the kidnapping raises fears of retaliation for french military action in mali |
stanley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- normally , its viewers do n't associate eurovision ' with global politics . the annual singing show is a camp retread of the cultural wasteland of the 1970s -- all crashing ballads , gaudy europop and singing penguins . britain has signaled its contempt for the contest by sending 76-year-old engelbert humperdinck as its representative , a man once regarded as a stud but who now looks eerily like one of those mexican mummies . the crooner was born two decades before eurovision even started , and it 's touch and go whether he 'll survive the weekend . however , this year the contest , which holds its finals saturday , has taken on an unexpected degree of controversy . it is being held in the oil-rich tyranny of azerbaijan , and while contestants were warming up their acts this week , pro-democracy demonstrators were getting beaten in the streets of baku . the annual singing contest draws an audience of 125 million across europe , so the dictatorial regime of ilham aliyev had hoped to use it as an opportunity to sell his country to the world . instead it has been a public relations disaster . explainer : what is eurovision ? arguably , the outrages in azerbaijan have exposed a hidden dimension of eurovision . it is and always has been a very political event . that 's more obvious this year than most because the politics of europe are so blatantly and unavoidably polarized . the most obvious problem is one of definition . what on earth , you might ask , is a central asian country like azerbaijan doing in a contest called eurovision ? nothing about contemporary azerbaijan marks it out as distinctly european -- it 's islamic , undemocratic and many , many miles away from the continent . it 's in the contest by an accident of history : azerbaijan used to be part of the soviet union . its leaders desperately wish to claim some european identity because they want to participate in capital and labor markets -- something that should , theoretically , encourage democracy . but ilham aliyev also wants to retain the integrity of a classic asian despotism . as the european union engages farther eastward , through turkey , it has to deal with nations and cultures like these that do n't precisely fit its western , liberal template . there are plenty of divides within continental europe itself . voting has always been political . britain 's 1997 victory was widely interpreted as a thumbs up ' for having elected the popular liberal leader , tony blair ; its defeat in 2003 was punishment for the iraq war . likewise , eurovision has traditionally operated a buddy system . nordic countries often vote for each other and cyprus typically favors greece . in a way , that 's a good thing , because it means that no matter how awful an entry is , someone is duty bound to vote for it . britain has been bailed out by faithful little malta several times . but the end of the cold war dramatically enhanced the role of politics and favoritism in voting . for many of the new , eastern participants -- particularly in the war-torn balkans -- eurovision became an extension of diplomacy , used to cement alliances with russia or make amends with former enemies . songs about regional reconciliation were touching when they debuted in the early 1990s . but now they elicit groans from west european voters because they are interpreted as a plea for geographic solidarity . the results support the contention that this has become an eastern group hug . from 2001 to 2011 , seven out of 11 winners have been eastern , with a strong preference for the former soviet bloc ( the pattern is just as pronounced in the junior contest ) . such is the frustration of western countries that many of them have opted to send novelty acts . sometimes that accidentally works ( finland 's hard rock hallelujah was surely a joke , yet it came in first in 2006 ) , but it often means the folks back home end up humiliated . britain 's longstanding eurovision presenter , terry wogan , quit the show in disgust after the uk 's entrant , who was black , received only 14 points in 2008 . blaming the result on east european racial prejudice , wogan observed that a contest invented in the 1950s to forge a sense of unity in the cold war era has actually become a symbol of how polarized the new europe is . and how poor , too . spain 's entrant , pastora soler , has admitted that it would be better if she did n't win on saturday because she was n't sure that her country could afford to host the contest . struggling with soaring debt and unemployment , this former economic miracle is now a pauper state . directors from spain 's broadcaster , tve , sent a message to soler that read , please , do n't win ! ' never has a sadder truth been spoken in jest . eurovision was probably at its most hopeful and exciting in the early 1990s , when europe was emerging from the nightmare of the cold war and it had fantasies of a prosperous , democratic , unified future . but azerbaijan in 2012 offers a very different vision . modern europe is struggling to integrate countries that have little cultural affinity for it , it is divided by regional loyalties and it is still a long , long way from recovering from the credit crunch . the european dream has ended ; the fat lady stopped singing years ago . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of timothy stanley . | timothy stanley : eurovision is campy , unserious and this year has taken on more controversy |
stanley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- normally , its viewers do n't associate eurovision ' with global politics . the annual singing show is a camp retread of the cultural wasteland of the 1970s -- all crashing ballads , gaudy europop and singing penguins . britain has signaled its contempt for the contest by sending 76-year-old engelbert humperdinck as its representative , a man once regarded as a stud but who now looks eerily like one of those mexican mummies . the crooner was born two decades before eurovision even started , and it 's touch and go whether he 'll survive the weekend . however , this year the contest , which holds its finals saturday , has taken on an unexpected degree of controversy . it is being held in the oil-rich tyranny of azerbaijan , and while contestants were warming up their acts this week , pro-democracy demonstrators were getting beaten in the streets of baku . the annual singing contest draws an audience of 125 million across europe , so the dictatorial regime of ilham aliyev had hoped to use it as an opportunity to sell his country to the world . instead it has been a public relations disaster . explainer : what is eurovision ? arguably , the outrages in azerbaijan have exposed a hidden dimension of eurovision . it is and always has been a very political event . that 's more obvious this year than most because the politics of europe are so blatantly and unavoidably polarized . the most obvious problem is one of definition . what on earth , you might ask , is a central asian country like azerbaijan doing in a contest called eurovision ? nothing about contemporary azerbaijan marks it out as distinctly european -- it 's islamic , undemocratic and many , many miles away from the continent . it 's in the contest by an accident of history : azerbaijan used to be part of the soviet union . its leaders desperately wish to claim some european identity because they want to participate in capital and labor markets -- something that should , theoretically , encourage democracy . but ilham aliyev also wants to retain the integrity of a classic asian despotism . as the european union engages farther eastward , through turkey , it has to deal with nations and cultures like these that do n't precisely fit its western , liberal template . there are plenty of divides within continental europe itself . voting has always been political . britain 's 1997 victory was widely interpreted as a thumbs up ' for having elected the popular liberal leader , tony blair ; its defeat in 2003 was punishment for the iraq war . likewise , eurovision has traditionally operated a buddy system . nordic countries often vote for each other and cyprus typically favors greece . in a way , that 's a good thing , because it means that no matter how awful an entry is , someone is duty bound to vote for it . britain has been bailed out by faithful little malta several times . but the end of the cold war dramatically enhanced the role of politics and favoritism in voting . for many of the new , eastern participants -- particularly in the war-torn balkans -- eurovision became an extension of diplomacy , used to cement alliances with russia or make amends with former enemies . songs about regional reconciliation were touching when they debuted in the early 1990s . but now they elicit groans from west european voters because they are interpreted as a plea for geographic solidarity . the results support the contention that this has become an eastern group hug . from 2001 to 2011 , seven out of 11 winners have been eastern , with a strong preference for the former soviet bloc ( the pattern is just as pronounced in the junior contest ) . such is the frustration of western countries that many of them have opted to send novelty acts . sometimes that accidentally works ( finland 's hard rock hallelujah was surely a joke , yet it came in first in 2006 ) , but it often means the folks back home end up humiliated . britain 's longstanding eurovision presenter , terry wogan , quit the show in disgust after the uk 's entrant , who was black , received only 14 points in 2008 . blaming the result on east european racial prejudice , wogan observed that a contest invented in the 1950s to forge a sense of unity in the cold war era has actually become a symbol of how polarized the new europe is . and how poor , too . spain 's entrant , pastora soler , has admitted that it would be better if she did n't win on saturday because she was n't sure that her country could afford to host the contest . struggling with soaring debt and unemployment , this former economic miracle is now a pauper state . directors from spain 's broadcaster , tve , sent a message to soler that read , please , do n't win ! ' never has a sadder truth been spoken in jest . eurovision was probably at its most hopeful and exciting in the early 1990s , when europe was emerging from the nightmare of the cold war and it had fantasies of a prosperous , democratic , unified future . but azerbaijan in 2012 offers a very different vision . modern europe is struggling to integrate countries that have little cultural affinity for it , it is divided by regional loyalties and it is still a long , long way from recovering from the credit crunch . the european dream has ended ; the fat lady stopped singing years ago . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of timothy stanley . | stanley : contest also reflects polarization of europe |
azerbaijan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- normally , its viewers do n't associate eurovision ' with global politics . the annual singing show is a camp retread of the cultural wasteland of the 1970s -- all crashing ballads , gaudy europop and singing penguins . britain has signaled its contempt for the contest by sending 76-year-old engelbert humperdinck as its representative , a man once regarded as a stud but who now looks eerily like one of those mexican mummies . the crooner was born two decades before eurovision even started , and it 's touch and go whether he 'll survive the weekend . however , this year the contest , which holds its finals saturday , has taken on an unexpected degree of controversy . it is being held in the oil-rich tyranny of azerbaijan , and while contestants were warming up their acts this week , pro-democracy demonstrators were getting beaten in the streets of baku . the annual singing contest draws an audience of 125 million across europe , so the dictatorial regime of ilham aliyev had hoped to use it as an opportunity to sell his country to the world . instead it has been a public relations disaster . explainer : what is eurovision ? arguably , the outrages in azerbaijan have exposed a hidden dimension of eurovision . it is and always has been a very political event . that 's more obvious this year than most because the politics of europe are so blatantly and unavoidably polarized . the most obvious problem is one of definition . what on earth , you might ask , is a central asian country like azerbaijan doing in a contest called eurovision ? nothing about contemporary azerbaijan marks it out as distinctly european -- it 's islamic , undemocratic and many , many miles away from the continent . it 's in the contest by an accident of history : azerbaijan used to be part of the soviet union . its leaders desperately wish to claim some european identity because they want to participate in capital and labor markets -- something that should , theoretically , encourage democracy . but ilham aliyev also wants to retain the integrity of a classic asian despotism . as the european union engages farther eastward , through turkey , it has to deal with nations and cultures like these that do n't precisely fit its western , liberal template . there are plenty of divides within continental europe itself . voting has always been political . britain 's 1997 victory was widely interpreted as a thumbs up ' for having elected the popular liberal leader , tony blair ; its defeat in 2003 was punishment for the iraq war . likewise , eurovision has traditionally operated a buddy system . nordic countries often vote for each other and cyprus typically favors greece . in a way , that 's a good thing , because it means that no matter how awful an entry is , someone is duty bound to vote for it . britain has been bailed out by faithful little malta several times . but the end of the cold war dramatically enhanced the role of politics and favoritism in voting . for many of the new , eastern participants -- particularly in the war-torn balkans -- eurovision became an extension of diplomacy , used to cement alliances with russia or make amends with former enemies . songs about regional reconciliation were touching when they debuted in the early 1990s . but now they elicit groans from west european voters because they are interpreted as a plea for geographic solidarity . the results support the contention that this has become an eastern group hug . from 2001 to 2011 , seven out of 11 winners have been eastern , with a strong preference for the former soviet bloc ( the pattern is just as pronounced in the junior contest ) . such is the frustration of western countries that many of them have opted to send novelty acts . sometimes that accidentally works ( finland 's hard rock hallelujah was surely a joke , yet it came in first in 2006 ) , but it often means the folks back home end up humiliated . britain 's longstanding eurovision presenter , terry wogan , quit the show in disgust after the uk 's entrant , who was black , received only 14 points in 2008 . blaming the result on east european racial prejudice , wogan observed that a contest invented in the 1950s to forge a sense of unity in the cold war era has actually become a symbol of how polarized the new europe is . and how poor , too . spain 's entrant , pastora soler , has admitted that it would be better if she did n't win on saturday because she was n't sure that her country could afford to host the contest . struggling with soaring debt and unemployment , this former economic miracle is now a pauper state . directors from spain 's broadcaster , tve , sent a message to soler that read , please , do n't win ! ' never has a sadder truth been spoken in jest . eurovision was probably at its most hopeful and exciting in the early 1990s , when europe was emerging from the nightmare of the cold war and it had fantasies of a prosperous , democratic , unified future . but azerbaijan in 2012 offers a very different vision . modern europe is struggling to integrate countries that have little cultural affinity for it , it is divided by regional loyalties and it is still a long , long way from recovering from the credit crunch . the european dream has ended ; the fat lady stopped singing years ago . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of timothy stanley . | he says azerbaijan not even in europe , contest marred by politics , skews to eastern bloc |
azerbaijan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- normally , its viewers do n't associate eurovision ' with global politics . the annual singing show is a camp retread of the cultural wasteland of the 1970s -- all crashing ballads , gaudy europop and singing penguins . britain has signaled its contempt for the contest by sending 76-year-old engelbert humperdinck as its representative , a man once regarded as a stud but who now looks eerily like one of those mexican mummies . the crooner was born two decades before eurovision even started , and it 's touch and go whether he 'll survive the weekend . however , this year the contest , which holds its finals saturday , has taken on an unexpected degree of controversy . it is being held in the oil-rich tyranny of azerbaijan , and while contestants were warming up their acts this week , pro-democracy demonstrators were getting beaten in the streets of baku . the annual singing contest draws an audience of 125 million across europe , so the dictatorial regime of ilham aliyev had hoped to use it as an opportunity to sell his country to the world . instead it has been a public relations disaster . explainer : what is eurovision ? arguably , the outrages in azerbaijan have exposed a hidden dimension of eurovision . it is and always has been a very political event . that 's more obvious this year than most because the politics of europe are so blatantly and unavoidably polarized . the most obvious problem is one of definition . what on earth , you might ask , is a central asian country like azerbaijan doing in a contest called eurovision ? nothing about contemporary azerbaijan marks it out as distinctly european -- it 's islamic , undemocratic and many , many miles away from the continent . it 's in the contest by an accident of history : azerbaijan used to be part of the soviet union . its leaders desperately wish to claim some european identity because they want to participate in capital and labor markets -- something that should , theoretically , encourage democracy . but ilham aliyev also wants to retain the integrity of a classic asian despotism . as the european union engages farther eastward , through turkey , it has to deal with nations and cultures like these that do n't precisely fit its western , liberal template . there are plenty of divides within continental europe itself . voting has always been political . britain 's 1997 victory was widely interpreted as a thumbs up ' for having elected the popular liberal leader , tony blair ; its defeat in 2003 was punishment for the iraq war . likewise , eurovision has traditionally operated a buddy system . nordic countries often vote for each other and cyprus typically favors greece . in a way , that 's a good thing , because it means that no matter how awful an entry is , someone is duty bound to vote for it . britain has been bailed out by faithful little malta several times . but the end of the cold war dramatically enhanced the role of politics and favoritism in voting . for many of the new , eastern participants -- particularly in the war-torn balkans -- eurovision became an extension of diplomacy , used to cement alliances with russia or make amends with former enemies . songs about regional reconciliation were touching when they debuted in the early 1990s . but now they elicit groans from west european voters because they are interpreted as a plea for geographic solidarity . the results support the contention that this has become an eastern group hug . from 2001 to 2011 , seven out of 11 winners have been eastern , with a strong preference for the former soviet bloc ( the pattern is just as pronounced in the junior contest ) . such is the frustration of western countries that many of them have opted to send novelty acts . sometimes that accidentally works ( finland 's hard rock hallelujah was surely a joke , yet it came in first in 2006 ) , but it often means the folks back home end up humiliated . britain 's longstanding eurovision presenter , terry wogan , quit the show in disgust after the uk 's entrant , who was black , received only 14 points in 2008 . blaming the result on east european racial prejudice , wogan observed that a contest invented in the 1950s to forge a sense of unity in the cold war era has actually become a symbol of how polarized the new europe is . and how poor , too . spain 's entrant , pastora soler , has admitted that it would be better if she did n't win on saturday because she was n't sure that her country could afford to host the contest . struggling with soaring debt and unemployment , this former economic miracle is now a pauper state . directors from spain 's broadcaster , tve , sent a message to soler that read , please , do n't win ! ' never has a sadder truth been spoken in jest . eurovision was probably at its most hopeful and exciting in the early 1990s , when europe was emerging from the nightmare of the cold war and it had fantasies of a prosperous , democratic , unified future . but azerbaijan in 2012 offers a very different vision . modern europe is struggling to integrate countries that have little cultural affinity for it , it is divided by regional loyalties and it is still a long , long way from recovering from the credit crunch . the european dream has ended ; the fat lady stopped singing years ago . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of timothy stanley . | he says host azerbaijan has squelched pro-democracy protests , made bad pr |
african <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- their faces and darker skins make them look different . they are routinely called slave ' by the majority , whatever their profession . but iraq 's black population hopes that barack obama 's rise to the white house will mark a turning point for minorities not just in the united states , but also in their country . jalal thiyab thijeel quotes barack obama , saying it is time for change . ' jalal thiyab thijeel , general secretary of the movement of free iraqis , ' followed every detail of obama 's election campaign . inspiring , ' he calls it . inspiring politically , and personally . like obama , thijeel has family roots in africa . we told our people , inshalla , god willing , obama is going to win , and if he wins , it will be a victory for all black people in the world , ' he recalls . we 're going to make him a model to follow . even our old women were praying for him to win . ' when news broke that obama had won the election , it was early in the morning of november 5 in basra -- but thijeel excitedly called a fellow member of his political party . it was a moment , he tells me as we talk on a street in baghdad , that he 'll never forget . now we , the dark-skinned people , feel even closer to the american people because obama is one of us . ' thijeel 's organization estimates there are approximately 2 million black iraqis . the country 's total population is more than 28 million , most of them ethnic arabs . it 's impossible to verify thijeel 's estimate , since the government does not keep statistics on race , but there is no denying there are many black iraqis in the southern city of basra . their history goes back 1,000 years to the time when africans were brought as slaves to the south of iraq to drain marshes and build basra . many iraqis still call blacks abed , ' an arabic word that means slave . ' thijeel grimaces when he pronounces it . it 's demeaning , he says , and he wants the government to forbid its use . many white iraqis claim the word is n't meant to offend , but thijeel says they have no idea how hurtful it is . i never want my son to go through this , ' he says . watch what obama means to some iraqis » he also wants his son -- and his daughters -- to have access to good jobs , something that is not the case now , he says . in basra , many black iraqis have menial jobs . although no one can point to any official discrimination , there are no black members of the iraqi parliament . the movement of free iraqis was founded two years ago and on january 31 it will run the first slate of black candidates in iraq 's modern history . thijeel hands me the party 's documents that spell out its demands . foremost is that the government recognize blacks as an official minority in iraq . this is key , because power in iraq is apportioned along ethnic , religious and even tribal lines . the party also wants an apology for slavery , although it is not asking for financial reparations . the movement also wants laws to combat racial discrimination . the party has found some nonblack political allies . awad al-abdan of the national dialogue front says , there 's been social oppression for a long time . we have a tribal-based society and , according to traditions and customs , the black man is considered to have lower status . ' some white iraqis say that founding a political party on racial lines is divisive , especially when iraqis of different communities need to pull together . but thijeel , quoting barack obama , says it 's time for change . although he 's speaking in arabic , he uses the english word change . ' there 's a change in international politics , ' he tells me . obama won , and not that long ago , in his country , black people were marginalized , so this event has shattered all barriers . ' | iraqis of african descent are marginalized by society , called slave ' |
greene <tsp> ( cnn ) -- so , when can we expect our refund checks ? because two can play this game . on the one side of the federal government shutdown are the people whose job it is to run that government : the congress and the white house . democrats , republicans , conservatives , liberals -- no one forced any of them to take those jobs . they wanted them . then ran for them . they got them . on the other side -- at least in a rational world , which this is n't -- is us . the taxpayers . congress still gets paid -- it 's in the constitution we pay federal income tax with one solitary and bedrock expectation : we are handing our money over so that the federal government will run . some people may not like how the government operates ; some may not care for a particular president or a particular member of congress or a particular government program . we accept that , as we pay our taxes . we pay those taxes because we have to . we know that we do n't get to withhold those taxes just because we may dislike some of the people or programs the taxes are funding . but when we are told that the government has been shut down -- that it has been closed for business -- that 's different . we paid for that service . we had no choice . americans hurt as dc'squabbles like kids' if we had paid for an airline ticket , and in the middle of our trip the airline informed us that one leg of our journey had been canceled , we would justifiably demand a refund . if we ordered an annual subscription to 52 weeks of a magazine , and then , a few months into it , the magazine told us that its new policy was to publish only 26 issues a year , we would , with good reason , ask for half of our money back . if we paid for a one-year membership in a health club , and the club announced that it would have to close for repairs for three months , we would expect a 25 % refund . so ... exactly when can we expect to see our refund checks from the federal government ? we have paid for it to operate . and -- with the exception of what , for now , are being deemed certain essential functions -- it is not operating . opinion : shutdown could be shock therapy the people we have paid to operate it can blame each other all they want for what has happened . they can point fingers and say that it 's all the other guys'fault . but whoever ultimately shoulders the blame , the fact is that the people who hired them -- the american taxpayers -- are not getting what they paid for . so the refunds , for the portions of government operations that have been shuttered , are owed . or at least they should be owed , in any other kind of sane business . the longer the shutdown continues , the larger the refunds should logically become . as if logic has had anything to do with any of these developments . congress and the white house might hear this request and say : that 's preposterous . the government is hurting for funds -- it needs the money . well , many of the people who pay for the government to run are hurting for funds , too . they need the money , too . the government , no matter what anyone thinks of its various policies , no matter where anyone positions himself or herself along the political and ideological continuum , is expected to do one thing : open its doors each morning . when it does n't , the people who paid for it to do just that have a right to propose that they are owed -- for services not rendered -- their money back . with interest . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | it 's taxpayers who finance government operations , writes bob greene |
greene <tsp> ( cnn ) -- so , when can we expect our refund checks ? because two can play this game . on the one side of the federal government shutdown are the people whose job it is to run that government : the congress and the white house . democrats , republicans , conservatives , liberals -- no one forced any of them to take those jobs . they wanted them . then ran for them . they got them . on the other side -- at least in a rational world , which this is n't -- is us . the taxpayers . congress still gets paid -- it 's in the constitution we pay federal income tax with one solitary and bedrock expectation : we are handing our money over so that the federal government will run . some people may not like how the government operates ; some may not care for a particular president or a particular member of congress or a particular government program . we accept that , as we pay our taxes . we pay those taxes because we have to . we know that we do n't get to withhold those taxes just because we may dislike some of the people or programs the taxes are funding . but when we are told that the government has been shut down -- that it has been closed for business -- that 's different . we paid for that service . we had no choice . americans hurt as dc'squabbles like kids' if we had paid for an airline ticket , and in the middle of our trip the airline informed us that one leg of our journey had been canceled , we would justifiably demand a refund . if we ordered an annual subscription to 52 weeks of a magazine , and then , a few months into it , the magazine told us that its new policy was to publish only 26 issues a year , we would , with good reason , ask for half of our money back . if we paid for a one-year membership in a health club , and the club announced that it would have to close for repairs for three months , we would expect a 25 % refund . so ... exactly when can we expect to see our refund checks from the federal government ? we have paid for it to operate . and -- with the exception of what , for now , are being deemed certain essential functions -- it is not operating . opinion : shutdown could be shock therapy the people we have paid to operate it can blame each other all they want for what has happened . they can point fingers and say that it 's all the other guys'fault . but whoever ultimately shoulders the blame , the fact is that the people who hired them -- the american taxpayers -- are not getting what they paid for . so the refunds , for the portions of government operations that have been shuttered , are owed . or at least they should be owed , in any other kind of sane business . the longer the shutdown continues , the larger the refunds should logically become . as if logic has had anything to do with any of these developments . congress and the white house might hear this request and say : that 's preposterous . the government is hurting for funds -- it needs the money . well , many of the people who pay for the government to run are hurting for funds , too . they need the money , too . the government , no matter what anyone thinks of its various policies , no matter where anyone positions himself or herself along the political and ideological continuum , is expected to do one thing : open its doors each morning . when it does n't , the people who paid for it to do just that have a right to propose that they are owed -- for services not rendered -- their money back . with interest . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | greene : government is expected to open its doors ; if not , give us our taxes back |
kabul <tsp> ( cnn ) it is a city transformed , swollen in size but shrunken in scope , anxiously awaiting what comes next . on kabul 's streets , you can easily find the uneasy legacy of america 's longest war . outside one mosque -- mixing with other men desperate for a day 's worth of casual manual labor -- are five men who months ago had one valuable skill nato depended upon : they speak english . now however , their world has turned upon them . they were , each for a different reason -- each for a reason they do not understand -- all fired from their jobs and then blacklisted , they say , meaning they can no longer get work with other government groups or ngos here . the skill they once thrived off has left them isolated , and fearing reprisals . they sleep in market stalls , and avoid traveling to see their families in case the threats they face are visited upon them . my family is still living in the provinces , ' one of the men tells me . i can not go there . i am living in a market , in one of the empty shops . ' another adds : my family , everybody , give up on me , they are nervous . ' a third man -- all requested anonymity -- says : right now i sleep here , on the street , in this mosque area . ' we are in prison in afghanistan , ' a fourth says . the u.s. embassy and nato declined to comment for this story . exclusive : the last americans in afghanistan helicopters still buzz around the capital . its population is five times what it was when nato arrived here , even by the most conservative estimates , and the violence in the provinces means people swell it further still -- arriving in kabul 's dusty , mountainous bowl of a city in order to avoid the fighting . neighborhoods that were once massively over-priced cliques of foreigners living in poppy palaces ' -- villas allegedly bought from profiteers of the opium trade -- are now empty . one road , forever pot-holed in the past decade , is now being covered over by afghans who , it seems , are finally reclaiming that street . even chicken street , the hackneyed pedestrian shopping road where new western arrivals would buy carpets or local trinkets , is more or less deserted . one shopkeeper says it could be the embassy security warnings that are keeping people away now . it is the same for the restaurants here that used to brim with contractors and ngo workers . they are now empty , the sound of their heavy metal doors echoing across deserted tables . it is immeasurably different to three years ago when i lived there . drive out east -- past the women in burqas who sit on road bumps , holding their children , hoping drivers will slow enough to throw them change -- and you see roads lined with the detritus of america 's war here . huge lines of excavators , cherry-pickers , and forklift trucks sit idle . at times it seemed there was little america would n't do , or try , to meets its often fluid goals in the country . yet today , the machines that could have once moved small mountains do little more than gather dust . exclusive : afghan woman forced to marry her rapist further down the road too are more winners-turned-losers of the nato presence here . vast supply chains once kept 120,000 troops fed and watered . trucks lined the roads and climbed up to the military bases . now the bases are gone , and the trucks that once supplied millions sit still . their bosses may have fled abroad with their winnings , yet the drivers have been left behind , stuck with vehicles that cost them $ 30,000 to buy -- and $ 1,000 a year just to keep on the road -- but that would fetch just a tenth of that price now . the contracts were with big businessmen and commanders who were giving us very little and made themselves very rich and are now living comfortably in dubai , ' one truck driver tells us . yet still the wedding palaces proliferate . along one stretch of road their endless , multiplying lights throb . each night the houses seem packed -- the commitment to the future still is popular here , despite the uncertainty -- even if the lights that decorate them seem more and more like a symbol of leaving . one set actually replicates the shape of an expensive hotel in dubai . the city 's lights do shine staggeringly and often constantly -- something the taliban never achieved during their rule here . nato 's efforts to keep them on are reported to have involved diesel power stations that cost billions but were barely switched on . the question many surely ask here -- as the last american troops prepare to retreat inside the u.s. embassy by the end of next year -- is how much longer the lights will continue to glow . read more : nick paton walsh answers your questions about afghanistan | kabul faces uncertain future as nato presence -- and the money that came with it -- fades away |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) it is a city transformed , swollen in size but shrunken in scope , anxiously awaiting what comes next . on kabul 's streets , you can easily find the uneasy legacy of america 's longest war . outside one mosque -- mixing with other men desperate for a day 's worth of casual manual labor -- are five men who months ago had one valuable skill nato depended upon : they speak english . now however , their world has turned upon them . they were , each for a different reason -- each for a reason they do not understand -- all fired from their jobs and then blacklisted , they say , meaning they can no longer get work with other government groups or ngos here . the skill they once thrived off has left them isolated , and fearing reprisals . they sleep in market stalls , and avoid traveling to see their families in case the threats they face are visited upon them . my family is still living in the provinces , ' one of the men tells me . i can not go there . i am living in a market , in one of the empty shops . ' another adds : my family , everybody , give up on me , they are nervous . ' a third man -- all requested anonymity -- says : right now i sleep here , on the street , in this mosque area . ' we are in prison in afghanistan , ' a fourth says . the u.s. embassy and nato declined to comment for this story . exclusive : the last americans in afghanistan helicopters still buzz around the capital . its population is five times what it was when nato arrived here , even by the most conservative estimates , and the violence in the provinces means people swell it further still -- arriving in kabul 's dusty , mountainous bowl of a city in order to avoid the fighting . neighborhoods that were once massively over-priced cliques of foreigners living in poppy palaces ' -- villas allegedly bought from profiteers of the opium trade -- are now empty . one road , forever pot-holed in the past decade , is now being covered over by afghans who , it seems , are finally reclaiming that street . even chicken street , the hackneyed pedestrian shopping road where new western arrivals would buy carpets or local trinkets , is more or less deserted . one shopkeeper says it could be the embassy security warnings that are keeping people away now . it is the same for the restaurants here that used to brim with contractors and ngo workers . they are now empty , the sound of their heavy metal doors echoing across deserted tables . it is immeasurably different to three years ago when i lived there . drive out east -- past the women in burqas who sit on road bumps , holding their children , hoping drivers will slow enough to throw them change -- and you see roads lined with the detritus of america 's war here . huge lines of excavators , cherry-pickers , and forklift trucks sit idle . at times it seemed there was little america would n't do , or try , to meets its often fluid goals in the country . yet today , the machines that could have once moved small mountains do little more than gather dust . exclusive : afghan woman forced to marry her rapist further down the road too are more winners-turned-losers of the nato presence here . vast supply chains once kept 120,000 troops fed and watered . trucks lined the roads and climbed up to the military bases . now the bases are gone , and the trucks that once supplied millions sit still . their bosses may have fled abroad with their winnings , yet the drivers have been left behind , stuck with vehicles that cost them $ 30,000 to buy -- and $ 1,000 a year just to keep on the road -- but that would fetch just a tenth of that price now . the contracts were with big businessmen and commanders who were giving us very little and made themselves very rich and are now living comfortably in dubai , ' one truck driver tells us . yet still the wedding palaces proliferate . along one stretch of road their endless , multiplying lights throb . each night the houses seem packed -- the commitment to the future still is popular here , despite the uncertainty -- even if the lights that decorate them seem more and more like a symbol of leaving . one set actually replicates the shape of an expensive hotel in dubai . the city 's lights do shine staggeringly and often constantly -- something the taliban never achieved during their rule here . nato 's efforts to keep them on are reported to have involved diesel power stations that cost billions but were barely switched on . the question many surely ask here -- as the last american troops prepare to retreat inside the u.s. embassy by the end of next year -- is how much longer the lights will continue to glow . read more : nick paton walsh answers your questions about afghanistan | kabul faces uncertain future as nato presence -- and the money that came with it -- fades away |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) it is a city transformed , swollen in size but shrunken in scope , anxiously awaiting what comes next . on kabul 's streets , you can easily find the uneasy legacy of america 's longest war . outside one mosque -- mixing with other men desperate for a day 's worth of casual manual labor -- are five men who months ago had one valuable skill nato depended upon : they speak english . now however , their world has turned upon them . they were , each for a different reason -- each for a reason they do not understand -- all fired from their jobs and then blacklisted , they say , meaning they can no longer get work with other government groups or ngos here . the skill they once thrived off has left them isolated , and fearing reprisals . they sleep in market stalls , and avoid traveling to see their families in case the threats they face are visited upon them . my family is still living in the provinces , ' one of the men tells me . i can not go there . i am living in a market , in one of the empty shops . ' another adds : my family , everybody , give up on me , they are nervous . ' a third man -- all requested anonymity -- says : right now i sleep here , on the street , in this mosque area . ' we are in prison in afghanistan , ' a fourth says . the u.s. embassy and nato declined to comment for this story . exclusive : the last americans in afghanistan helicopters still buzz around the capital . its population is five times what it was when nato arrived here , even by the most conservative estimates , and the violence in the provinces means people swell it further still -- arriving in kabul 's dusty , mountainous bowl of a city in order to avoid the fighting . neighborhoods that were once massively over-priced cliques of foreigners living in poppy palaces ' -- villas allegedly bought from profiteers of the opium trade -- are now empty . one road , forever pot-holed in the past decade , is now being covered over by afghans who , it seems , are finally reclaiming that street . even chicken street , the hackneyed pedestrian shopping road where new western arrivals would buy carpets or local trinkets , is more or less deserted . one shopkeeper says it could be the embassy security warnings that are keeping people away now . it is the same for the restaurants here that used to brim with contractors and ngo workers . they are now empty , the sound of their heavy metal doors echoing across deserted tables . it is immeasurably different to three years ago when i lived there . drive out east -- past the women in burqas who sit on road bumps , holding their children , hoping drivers will slow enough to throw them change -- and you see roads lined with the detritus of america 's war here . huge lines of excavators , cherry-pickers , and forklift trucks sit idle . at times it seemed there was little america would n't do , or try , to meets its often fluid goals in the country . yet today , the machines that could have once moved small mountains do little more than gather dust . exclusive : afghan woman forced to marry her rapist further down the road too are more winners-turned-losers of the nato presence here . vast supply chains once kept 120,000 troops fed and watered . trucks lined the roads and climbed up to the military bases . now the bases are gone , and the trucks that once supplied millions sit still . their bosses may have fled abroad with their winnings , yet the drivers have been left behind , stuck with vehicles that cost them $ 30,000 to buy -- and $ 1,000 a year just to keep on the road -- but that would fetch just a tenth of that price now . the contracts were with big businessmen and commanders who were giving us very little and made themselves very rich and are now living comfortably in dubai , ' one truck driver tells us . yet still the wedding palaces proliferate . along one stretch of road their endless , multiplying lights throb . each night the houses seem packed -- the commitment to the future still is popular here , despite the uncertainty -- even if the lights that decorate them seem more and more like a symbol of leaving . one set actually replicates the shape of an expensive hotel in dubai . the city 's lights do shine staggeringly and often constantly -- something the taliban never achieved during their rule here . nato 's efforts to keep them on are reported to have involved diesel power stations that cost billions but were barely switched on . the question many surely ask here -- as the last american troops prepare to retreat inside the u.s. embassy by the end of next year -- is how much longer the lights will continue to glow . read more : nick paton walsh answers your questions about afghanistan | interpreters are out of work , nato trucks sit idle on roads , restaurants are empty |
mtv <tsp> ( cnn ) -- notre dame athletic director jack swarbrick compared the alleged hoax about a girlfriend ' that ensnared linebacker manti te'o with the documentary catfish . ' catfish ' is no longer simply a river dweller , but rather a verb defined as to pretend to be someone you 're not online by posting false information , such as someone else 's pictures , on social media sites usually with the intention of getting someone to fall in love with you , ' according to the mtv show of the same name . the show grew from the documentary in which filmmakers henry joost and ariel schulman follow ariel 's brother nev and his budding online relationship with megan , ' according to the website iamrogue.com . the three started to suspect that something was n't quite right with megan , and they set out to solve the mystery , capturing everything on film . the documentary was a hit at the 2010 sundance film festival , iamrogue says . on the tv show , nev schulman , a photographer , guides others who suspect that their online loves are not what they seem . so someone will reach out to me and say ,'i 'm really into this guy , we 've been talking online for months . he lives far away , we ca n't afford to meet but we definitely want to , i think he is the one . can you help ?'' nev schulman said in an interview with iamrogue . will they find love or heartache ? ' the show 's introduction asks . in one episode , tyler ' wants to meet amanda ' after months of corresponding via facebook . amanda always has an excuse for not meeting or talking , such as not having a cell phone or having a broken webcam . suspicious , tyler writes to schulman . through a reverse photo search , schulman discovers that amanda 's pictures belong to someone else . schulman follows the trail and finds that amanda ' is really aaron , who is having trouble coming to terms with being gay . for many people the life that they lead on the internet , which can be exciting , interesting , and can be filled with hopes and dreams that are perhaps outside of the actual range of their situation , is a big distraction and keeps them from living their real lives , ' schulman said in the iamrogue interview . | mtv show of the same name uncovers possible fake relationships |
key house <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- three weeks until funding starts to dry up for bridge and road projects across the united states , house and senate committees thursday put congress on track toward a deal to avoid construction shutdowns and to keep the federal highway trust fund operating until early next summer . but even as republicans and democrats drew closer together , some in the transportation industry decried the nearly $ 11 billion proposals as short-term fixes that leave the nation 's bigger infrastructure issues untouched . house and senate day of action without an infusion of cash to the highway fund , the department of transportation has warned that road projects may have to start shutting down in august . after months of failed negotiations , key house and senate committees passed proposals thursday that were relatively close in scope and content . previous drafts had differed in the source and size of funding , as well as how long that funding would last . thursday both the republican-led house ways & means committee and the democratic-led senate finance committee passed bills with the same central dollar figure , $ 10.8 billion . that 's enough to keep the fund in business until roughly next summer . the two sides also moved closer on where to get the money . the senate committee adopted a house idea , including something called pension smoothing , which allows employers to set aside less money for long-term pension funding . one key difference -- the house bill has a more expanded version of the money-raiser , bringing in three times as much money from pension-smoothing than the senate . the bills are much closer on the amount of money they 'd raise from an extended increase in customs fees . and they would each transfer $ 1 billion out of funds for underground storage leaks . republican and democratic senators stressed they had made compromises . finance chairman ron wyden had previously insisted on a long-term deal . colleagues , i want it understood that ( pushing for a longer-term solution ) was my position at the beginning of the negotiations , ' the oregon democrat said to his committee . but it was clear that it would not be possible to reach a bipartisan agreement ( for a longer-term deal ) . ' his republican counterpart echoed the story of tradeoffs . while i wo n't say i 've gotten everything i wanted , ' ranking republican orrin hatch admitted , i will say i think we 've reached a deal that can satisfy both democrats and republicans . ' differences remain both bills passed their respective committees on relatively easy voice votes thursday . but even as they issued warm statements across the north-south axis of the capitol , lawmakers warned of the remaining differences ahead . i commend chairman wyden and senator hatch for putting together a bill that provides roughly $ 11 billion , as we did , ' wrote house ways & means chairman dave camp in a statement . however ... it is inconceivable that the house would , as the senate proposes to do , grant the irs additional authority to audit and investigate taxpayers simply so washington can spend more money . ' camp 's office would not confirm it , but the michigan republican seemed to be objecting to a senate provision that would increase the amount of time the irs has to audit taxpayers who incorrectly estimate property values , from three years now to six years . that measure alone raises over $ 1 billion . each bill is expected to pass its respective chamber , with the house planning to vote on its version next week . then the two sides must quickly agree to a compromise bill if they want to keep money flowing and avoid construction slowdowns starting in august . transportation group fires back as lawmakers breathe a cautious sigh of relief and move toward avoiding another crisis , some in the road construction industry see little reason to celebrate . these actions are the latest'punt and leave the stadium'strategy that has plagued the federal surface transportation program for far too long , ' wrote pete ruane , president of the american road and transportation builders association . his group and others have been clamoring for a long-term fix , after 11 stopgap measures in five years . but the politics are a problem . the highway fund currently relies on six types of taxes , including the federal gas tax . and republicans'anti-tax mantra has prevented all but a few from supporting any increase in those fees . hence , what could be a rare ahead-of-deadline deal in congress looks like continued instability and lack-of-decision to those in road construction . our message to congress is simple : your job is n't close to being done , ' ruane concluded . feds warn states : road construction money running out | key house and senate committees pass proposals to avoid that |
michelle obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- your twitter profile is about to have a new look . calling the changes a whole new you , ' twitter announced tuesday that it will be rolling out a fresh design and new features to user profile pages . the company says the changes will make self-expression on the social network even easier ' and more fun . ' the new design gives twitter users a much larger profile photo and a customized header image . twitter says the new profile will highlight specific tweets and allow people searching through profile pages to find the kind of tweets they want . for example , followers can choose to see just tweets with photos and videos or replies in twitter conversations . a user can pin a favorite tweet to the top of his or her profile page , while tweets with the most retweets and replies will appear slightly larger so they are easier for others to find . the new profile pages are currently available only to a small group of existing users as well as those new to twitter . the social media company says the new features will be available to everyone in the coming weeks . among the first twitter users to get the new profile design : first lady michelle obama ( @ flotus ) , boxer floyd mayweather ( @ floydmayweather ) , actress kerry washington ( @ kerrywashington ) , and the band weezer ( @ weezer ) . | michelle obama among first to get the new profile design |
welch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in february 2009 , president barack obama gave this stern warning to bailed-out banks : ' you are not going to be able to give out these big bonuses until you 've paid taxpayers back , ' obama said at a town hall meeting . you ca n't get corporate jets , you ca n't go take a trip to las vegas or go down to the super bowl on the taxpayers'dime . ' he should have added : ... unless you work for the federal government . ' twenty months later , as we all now know , a government agency called the general services administration rolled into vegas on $ 822,000 worth of taxpayers'dimes so that 300 federal employees could enjoy a luxury spa , a clown show and a mind-reader , among other over the top ' entertainments at a regional training conference . the revelation , unearthed by an internal inspector general , has resulted in two senior-level firings and the resignation of gsa chief martha johnson , while triggering the usual amount of political japery in washington . but it 's worth lingering on the contrast between this incident and obama 's original bank target . the bailed-out bank that had been planning to send its most valuable employees to vegas -- as it had been doing for years -- was wells fargo . one fact largely overlooked in the national shaming campaign that proved effective enough to derail the trip was that wells fargo did n't want the bailout . or at least said it did n't when then-treasury secretary hank paulson summoned the nation 's top nine private bankers to washington on october 13 , 2008 . here 's how time magazine described the scene : [ t ] he nine bank bosses , assembled in the treasury 's imposing boardroom , were each handed a piece of paper with the terms : $ 25 billion of preferred shares each from citigroup , jpmorgan chase , wells fargo and bank of america . in return for the capital , the u.s. would collect a 5 % dividend in the first five years . although wells fargo chairman richard kovacevich resisted , paulson gave the bankers no choice . ' newsweek 's michael hirsh put it even more explicitly , and presciently : richard kovacevich had a point . why should his company , wells fargo , sign its freedom ( and his compensation ) away to the u.s. treasury when , unlike many other banks , it had n't overloaded itself with risky , mortgage-backed securities ? the wells fargo chairman eventually agreed monday to treasury secretary hank paulson 's capital injection plan -- it was , frankly , an offer he could n't refuse -- but kovacevich 's objections still resonate . amid the continuing market turmoil , there is a sense that all of us are being asked to assume collective guilt for the large , but still identifiable , group of rogues and villains who got us into this mess . and then we 're supposed to just forget about it . ' a funny thing about collective shame -- we are happy to administer it on ceos who get their arms twisted by the feds , yet we shy away from applying it to one of the only truly collective entities we have : taxpayer-funded government . we love to bash goldman sachs for trading exotic mortgage-backed derivatives , but we are far less likely to even point out that the government-sponsored enterprises fannie mae and freddie mac were trailblazers on the derivatives-trading fronts . it should n't be surprising in this climate that federal employees would assume they get to play under different ethical rules and public scrutiny than fat-cat bankers . after all , senate majority whip dick durbin , d-illinois , said last month that discretionary spending has been cut to the limit , ' and obama just this week thundered that the house gop 's recently proposed budget -- which , by the way , increases spending from $ 3.5 trillion to $ 4.9 trillion over the next decade -- amounts to social darwinism ' that deliberately guts the middle class . and let 's not forget what the gsa does : as the new york times puts it , the agency is essentially the government 's personal shopper for big-ticket items , like buying and leasing buildings and cars . ' these are precisely the people tasked with making sure taxpayer dollars are spent most wisely . we have a federal government on autopilot , borrowing 40 cents on every dollar , after a decade-plus bipartisan spending binge that has doubled the budget in nominal terms . washington is a boomtown , gentrifying rapidly as the rest of the country eagerly awaits the appearance of green shoots . the surprise is n't that a federal agency went wild , or even that it got caught . what remains a genuine stumper is that the rest of the country has n't quite figured out that the real sin city has relocated 2,500 miles east . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of matt welch . | welch : vegas junket not as surprising as americans not seeing real sin city is d.c . |
welch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in february 2009 , president barack obama gave this stern warning to bailed-out banks : ' you are not going to be able to give out these big bonuses until you 've paid taxpayers back , ' obama said at a town hall meeting . you ca n't get corporate jets , you ca n't go take a trip to las vegas or go down to the super bowl on the taxpayers'dime . ' he should have added : ... unless you work for the federal government . ' twenty months later , as we all now know , a government agency called the general services administration rolled into vegas on $ 822,000 worth of taxpayers'dimes so that 300 federal employees could enjoy a luxury spa , a clown show and a mind-reader , among other over the top ' entertainments at a regional training conference . the revelation , unearthed by an internal inspector general , has resulted in two senior-level firings and the resignation of gsa chief martha johnson , while triggering the usual amount of political japery in washington . but it 's worth lingering on the contrast between this incident and obama 's original bank target . the bailed-out bank that had been planning to send its most valuable employees to vegas -- as it had been doing for years -- was wells fargo . one fact largely overlooked in the national shaming campaign that proved effective enough to derail the trip was that wells fargo did n't want the bailout . or at least said it did n't when then-treasury secretary hank paulson summoned the nation 's top nine private bankers to washington on october 13 , 2008 . here 's how time magazine described the scene : [ t ] he nine bank bosses , assembled in the treasury 's imposing boardroom , were each handed a piece of paper with the terms : $ 25 billion of preferred shares each from citigroup , jpmorgan chase , wells fargo and bank of america . in return for the capital , the u.s. would collect a 5 % dividend in the first five years . although wells fargo chairman richard kovacevich resisted , paulson gave the bankers no choice . ' newsweek 's michael hirsh put it even more explicitly , and presciently : richard kovacevich had a point . why should his company , wells fargo , sign its freedom ( and his compensation ) away to the u.s. treasury when , unlike many other banks , it had n't overloaded itself with risky , mortgage-backed securities ? the wells fargo chairman eventually agreed monday to treasury secretary hank paulson 's capital injection plan -- it was , frankly , an offer he could n't refuse -- but kovacevich 's objections still resonate . amid the continuing market turmoil , there is a sense that all of us are being asked to assume collective guilt for the large , but still identifiable , group of rogues and villains who got us into this mess . and then we 're supposed to just forget about it . ' a funny thing about collective shame -- we are happy to administer it on ceos who get their arms twisted by the feds , yet we shy away from applying it to one of the only truly collective entities we have : taxpayer-funded government . we love to bash goldman sachs for trading exotic mortgage-backed derivatives , but we are far less likely to even point out that the government-sponsored enterprises fannie mae and freddie mac were trailblazers on the derivatives-trading fronts . it should n't be surprising in this climate that federal employees would assume they get to play under different ethical rules and public scrutiny than fat-cat bankers . after all , senate majority whip dick durbin , d-illinois , said last month that discretionary spending has been cut to the limit , ' and obama just this week thundered that the house gop 's recently proposed budget -- which , by the way , increases spending from $ 3.5 trillion to $ 4.9 trillion over the next decade -- amounts to social darwinism ' that deliberately guts the middle class . and let 's not forget what the gsa does : as the new york times puts it , the agency is essentially the government 's personal shopper for big-ticket items , like buying and leasing buildings and cars . ' these are precisely the people tasked with making sure taxpayer dollars are spent most wisely . we have a federal government on autopilot , borrowing 40 cents on every dollar , after a decade-plus bipartisan spending binge that has doubled the budget in nominal terms . washington is a boomtown , gentrifying rapidly as the rest of the country eagerly awaits the appearance of green shoots . the surprise is n't that a federal agency went wild , or even that it got caught . what remains a genuine stumper is that the rest of the country has n't quite figured out that the real sin city has relocated 2,500 miles east . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of matt welch . | matt welch says obama told bailed-out banks in 2009 to curb corporate junket spending |
christmas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lawmakers in uganda are preparing to vote on a new anti-homosexuality bill that proposes tough jail sentences for consensual same-sex behavior . homosexual acts are already illegal in the east african nation , where most gays and lesbians face physical attacks and are treated as social outcasts , but the new bill proposes harsher penalties . uganda 's maximum penalty would be life in prison . amnesty international said it was extremely concerned ' about the bill and called on the ugandan parliament not to pass it . the bill would have lasting , harmful effects on ugandans who are thought to breach its far-reaching provisions and it would significantly hamper the work of human rights defenders and public health professionals , ' the rights group said . although amnesty international has been informed that some provisions of the bill have been amended , the content of these amendments have not been made publicly available . this bill violates the principle of nondiscrimination as guaranteed under international and regional treaties to which uganda is a party . ' we are outraged , ' said noel kututwa , the rights group 's director for southern africa . this goes beyond the principle of nondiscrimination . it goes against the principle of privacy of individuals . and sexual orientation is really a question of the right of an individual to choose how they want to live their lives . ' uganda 's parliamentary speaker has reportedly said she wants the legislation to pass before christmas . world leaders condemned the anti-gay legislation when it was first proposed in 2009 . some nations have also threatened to withhold aid to uganda over its record on same-sex rights . prominent gay rights activist david kato was beaten to death in the country in 2011 , a slaying that rights activists believe was motivated by homophobia . a british producer was also briefly jailed in uganda in september this year for staging without permission a play about the challenges facing homosexuals in the african nation . if convicted , david cecil could be imprisoned for two years , his lawyer said . homosexuality is illegal in most countries in africa , where sodomy laws were introduced during colonialism . the death penalty can be imposed in a handful of nations worldwide for consensual same-sex relations , including nigeria , sudan , mauritania , saudi arabia and iran , according to the international lesbian , gay , bisexual , trans and intersex association . rebel leader in uganda for congo crisis talks cnn 's victoria eastwood contributed to this report . | uganda 's parliamentary speaker has reportedly said she wants the bill to pass before christmas |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- golfer tiger woods tuesday addressed a racially-tinged remark made by his former caddy , telling reporters steve williams apologized and is not a racist . it was a wrong thing to say , something that we both acknowledge , ' woods said , speaking at the lakes golf club in sydney , site of this week 's australian open , according to his website . woods and williams met earlier in the day , and shook hands after williams apologized , the website reported . williams -- who was fired by woods in july -- was being presented with a satirical award friday night at an awards dinner in shanghai , china , for comments he made after his new boss , golfer adam scott , defeated woods at the bridgestone invitational in ohio in august . should williams be punished for his remarks ? 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 a -- . ' shortly afterward , the new zealander issued a contrite statement on his website . i apologize for comments i made last night at the annual caddy awards dinner in shanghai , ' the statement said . 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 , ' williams'statement said . however i assure you that was not my intent . i sincerely apologize to tiger and anyone else i have offended . ' woods said tuesday that williams did apologize . it was hurtful , certainly , but life goes forward . ' but he said he does not believe williams is a racist . there 's no doubt about that , ' woods said , according to his website . it was a comment that should n't have been made and certainly one that he wished he did n't make . ' both the pga tour and the european tour condemned williams'comment , but he will not face sanctions . scott said earlier he had discussed the matter with williams and accepted his apology . there is absolutely no room for racial discrimination in any walk of life , including the game of golf , ' scott said , according to the article on woods'website . williams said in july he was shocked and disappointed that woods had severed their 12-year relationship , especially after he remained loyal to the golfer during the sex scandal in which he was embroiled for several months . given the fact of my loyalty and the way that i stood by this guy through thick and thin ... ' williams told cnn affiliate mediaworks in new zealand at the time . and the timing of it is very poor , from my perspective . ' williams said the sex scandal had caused him to lose respect for woods . well , i think when you 're great friends with somebody and a situation like this occurs , you obviously lose some kind of respect , ' williams said . in announcing he would no longer be working with williams , woods said it was time for a change . ' stevie is an outstanding caddy and a friend , and has been instrumental in many of my accomplishments , ' woods said in july . i wish him great success in the future . ' | it was a wrong thing to say , ' woods said about williams'comment |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- golfer tiger woods tuesday addressed a racially-tinged remark made by his former caddy , telling reporters steve williams apologized and is not a racist . it was a wrong thing to say , something that we both acknowledge , ' woods said , speaking at the lakes golf club in sydney , site of this week 's australian open , according to his website . woods and williams met earlier in the day , and shook hands after williams apologized , the website reported . williams -- who was fired by woods in july -- was being presented with a satirical award friday night at an awards dinner in shanghai , china , for comments he made after his new boss , golfer adam scott , defeated woods at the bridgestone invitational in ohio in august . should williams be punished for his remarks ? 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 a -- . ' shortly afterward , the new zealander issued a contrite statement on his website . i apologize for comments i made last night at the annual caddy awards dinner in shanghai , ' the statement said . 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 , ' williams'statement said . however i assure you that was not my intent . i sincerely apologize to tiger and anyone else i have offended . ' woods said tuesday that williams did apologize . it was hurtful , certainly , but life goes forward . ' but he said he does not believe williams is a racist . there 's no doubt about that , ' woods said , according to his website . it was a comment that should n't have been made and certainly one that he wished he did n't make . ' both the pga tour and the european tour condemned williams'comment , but he will not face sanctions . scott said earlier he had discussed the matter with williams and accepted his apology . there is absolutely no room for racial discrimination in any walk of life , including the game of golf , ' scott said , according to the article on woods'website . williams said in july he was shocked and disappointed that woods had severed their 12-year relationship , especially after he remained loyal to the golfer during the sex scandal in which he was embroiled for several months . given the fact of my loyalty and the way that i stood by this guy through thick and thin ... ' williams told cnn affiliate mediaworks in new zealand at the time . and the timing of it is very poor , from my perspective . ' williams said the sex scandal had caused him to lose respect for woods . well , i think when you 're great friends with somebody and a situation like this occurs , you obviously lose some kind of respect , ' williams said . in announcing he would no longer be working with williams , woods said it was time for a change . ' stevie is an outstanding caddy and a friend , and has been instrumental in many of my accomplishments , ' woods said in july . i wish him great success in the future . ' | tiger woods met with steve williams and the two shook hands |
ncaa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the university of north dakota is one step closer to retiring its nickname and mascot , but changing the school 's 90-year-old native american moniker -- the fighting sioux -- has not been without complications . the school faces a monday deadline to comply with the ncaa 's policy on mascots deemed hostile or abusive toward native americans . ' school officials were in the process of coming up with a new name and mascot this year until north dakota legislators passed a law ordering them to stop , according to und spokesman peter johnson . the rock and the hard place the school finds itself between marks the last gasp of a decades-long fight not just in north dakota , but in all of college sports -- the climax ( or nadir , depending on some people 's perspective ) of a nostalgia-imbued resistance to political correctness on the playing field . the kerfuffle at hand dates to 2007 , when the north dakota board of higher education agreed to retire the fighting sioux nickname by august 15 , 2011 , in accordance with the ncaa 's then-2-year-old policy on native american mascots . if they ultimately chose not to do so , costly ncaa sanctions were promised , including the inability to host any championships and a ban on the use of the school 's logo or nickname at any championship events . after gov . jack dalrymple signed house bill 1263 into law this year , the school was left with the dilemma of having to either disobey the government that controls its purse-strings or to flout the rules of the ncaa , the entity that controls the arguably mightier purse-strings of college football . the nickname controversy appeared to be closer to a resolution friday when dalrymple and other state officials traveled to indianapolis to meet with ncaa officials in a last-ditch effort to resolve the matter . it 's our understanding coming out of this meeting that the fighting sioux nickname and logo will be dropped , ' the ncaa quoted its vice president for communications bob williams as saying friday . the contingent from north dakota made it clear that they were committed to changing the legislative action that would require retention of the fighting sioux nickname and logo . however , our settlement agreement remains in effect , and , as a result , the university of north dakota will be subject to the policy effective aug . 15 . ' doug fullerton will be paying close attention to what happens monday . as commissioner of the big sky conference , he is overseeing north dakota 's ascent from division ii obscurity to the far more lucrative stage of division i football . when we invited ( north dakota 's football team ) into the ( big sky ) conference this was not an issue , ' he said . citing the conference 's close , close ties to native american tribes ' and the promise of boycotts from other division i schools if the name goes unchanged , he says the school 's membership in the conference could be in jeopardy . ' the school is set to join the conference july 1 , 2012 . according to an ncaa press release , dalrymple said at the friday meeting that he would appeal to the state legislature to allow legislation to be introduced during a special session on nov. 7 that will transfer the responsibility for the logo and nickname from the legislature back to the board of higher education . ' i have come to the conclusion that the cost of retaining the sioux logo is too great , ' the ncaa press release quoted dalrymple as saying . there 's no question that the settlement agreement will stand according to the ncaa , and there will be no further negotiations . ' the usage of native american imagery in college athletics has been a long-simmering controversy . such schools as stanford university and new york 's st. john 's university , elected to drop their nicknames ( the stanford indians became the cardinals in 1972 , then the cardinal in 1981 ; the st. john 's red men became the red storm in the mid-'90s ) , while others , like the university of north dakota , balked . in 2000 , for example , then-und president charles kupchella tried to retire the fighting sioux until a wealthy alum threatened to withhold a $ 100 million donation for a new hockey arena , an episode chronicled by author deni elliot in her book the kindness of strangers : philanthropy and higher education . ' today , the school 's state-of-the-art rink not only bears that donor 's name , it 's decorated with more than 2,000 fighting sioux logos . in 2005 , the ncaa sought to end the controversy surrounding native american mascots once and for all by ordering nearly 20 schools whose nicknames and mascots they deemed abusive in terms of race , ethnicity or national origin ' to either get native american permission to use their name and likeness , or to come up with a new one . the resulting actions among the targeted schools were varied . the arkansas state indians became the red wolves ; the indiana university of pennsylvania indians became the crimson hawks . other schools satisfied the mandate by tweaking their name , like southeastern oklahoma state , where the savages are now known as the savage storm . others , like the bradley university braves , whose name does not affiliate with a specific tribe , were allowed to keep their name so long as native american logos and imagery were eschewed . schools with higher-profile athletic programs fared better . the florida state seminoles , university of utah utes and the central michigan university chippewas each obtained permission from their respective namesake tribes to stay the course . but the fighting sioux of the university of north dakota -- winners of seven national championships in men 's ice hockey -- was denied such an endorsement from the tribal council of the standing rock sioux . | the school faces ncaa sanctions if it continues to use the native american mascot |
ncaa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the university of north dakota is one step closer to retiring its nickname and mascot , but changing the school 's 90-year-old native american moniker -- the fighting sioux -- has not been without complications . the school faces a monday deadline to comply with the ncaa 's policy on mascots deemed hostile or abusive toward native americans . ' school officials were in the process of coming up with a new name and mascot this year until north dakota legislators passed a law ordering them to stop , according to und spokesman peter johnson . the rock and the hard place the school finds itself between marks the last gasp of a decades-long fight not just in north dakota , but in all of college sports -- the climax ( or nadir , depending on some people 's perspective ) of a nostalgia-imbued resistance to political correctness on the playing field . the kerfuffle at hand dates to 2007 , when the north dakota board of higher education agreed to retire the fighting sioux nickname by august 15 , 2011 , in accordance with the ncaa 's then-2-year-old policy on native american mascots . if they ultimately chose not to do so , costly ncaa sanctions were promised , including the inability to host any championships and a ban on the use of the school 's logo or nickname at any championship events . after gov . jack dalrymple signed house bill 1263 into law this year , the school was left with the dilemma of having to either disobey the government that controls its purse-strings or to flout the rules of the ncaa , the entity that controls the arguably mightier purse-strings of college football . the nickname controversy appeared to be closer to a resolution friday when dalrymple and other state officials traveled to indianapolis to meet with ncaa officials in a last-ditch effort to resolve the matter . it 's our understanding coming out of this meeting that the fighting sioux nickname and logo will be dropped , ' the ncaa quoted its vice president for communications bob williams as saying friday . the contingent from north dakota made it clear that they were committed to changing the legislative action that would require retention of the fighting sioux nickname and logo . however , our settlement agreement remains in effect , and , as a result , the university of north dakota will be subject to the policy effective aug . 15 . ' doug fullerton will be paying close attention to what happens monday . as commissioner of the big sky conference , he is overseeing north dakota 's ascent from division ii obscurity to the far more lucrative stage of division i football . when we invited ( north dakota 's football team ) into the ( big sky ) conference this was not an issue , ' he said . citing the conference 's close , close ties to native american tribes ' and the promise of boycotts from other division i schools if the name goes unchanged , he says the school 's membership in the conference could be in jeopardy . ' the school is set to join the conference july 1 , 2012 . according to an ncaa press release , dalrymple said at the friday meeting that he would appeal to the state legislature to allow legislation to be introduced during a special session on nov. 7 that will transfer the responsibility for the logo and nickname from the legislature back to the board of higher education . ' i have come to the conclusion that the cost of retaining the sioux logo is too great , ' the ncaa press release quoted dalrymple as saying . there 's no question that the settlement agreement will stand according to the ncaa , and there will be no further negotiations . ' the usage of native american imagery in college athletics has been a long-simmering controversy . such schools as stanford university and new york 's st. john 's university , elected to drop their nicknames ( the stanford indians became the cardinals in 1972 , then the cardinal in 1981 ; the st. john 's red men became the red storm in the mid-'90s ) , while others , like the university of north dakota , balked . in 2000 , for example , then-und president charles kupchella tried to retire the fighting sioux until a wealthy alum threatened to withhold a $ 100 million donation for a new hockey arena , an episode chronicled by author deni elliot in her book the kindness of strangers : philanthropy and higher education . ' today , the school 's state-of-the-art rink not only bears that donor 's name , it 's decorated with more than 2,000 fighting sioux logos . in 2005 , the ncaa sought to end the controversy surrounding native american mascots once and for all by ordering nearly 20 schools whose nicknames and mascots they deemed abusive in terms of race , ethnicity or national origin ' to either get native american permission to use their name and likeness , or to come up with a new one . the resulting actions among the targeted schools were varied . the arkansas state indians became the red wolves ; the indiana university of pennsylvania indians became the crimson hawks . other schools satisfied the mandate by tweaking their name , like southeastern oklahoma state , where the savages are now known as the savage storm . others , like the bradley university braves , whose name does not affiliate with a specific tribe , were allowed to keep their name so long as native american logos and imagery were eschewed . schools with higher-profile athletic programs fared better . the florida state seminoles , university of utah utes and the central michigan university chippewas each obtained permission from their respective namesake tribes to stay the course . but the fighting sioux of the university of north dakota -- winners of seven national championships in men 's ice hockey -- was denied such an endorsement from the tribal council of the standing rock sioux . | governor has indicated he will comply with ncaa , ask legislature to change law |
native american <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the university of north dakota is one step closer to retiring its nickname and mascot , but changing the school 's 90-year-old native american moniker -- the fighting sioux -- has not been without complications . the school faces a monday deadline to comply with the ncaa 's policy on mascots deemed hostile or abusive toward native americans . ' school officials were in the process of coming up with a new name and mascot this year until north dakota legislators passed a law ordering them to stop , according to und spokesman peter johnson . the rock and the hard place the school finds itself between marks the last gasp of a decades-long fight not just in north dakota , but in all of college sports -- the climax ( or nadir , depending on some people 's perspective ) of a nostalgia-imbued resistance to political correctness on the playing field . the kerfuffle at hand dates to 2007 , when the north dakota board of higher education agreed to retire the fighting sioux nickname by august 15 , 2011 , in accordance with the ncaa 's then-2-year-old policy on native american mascots . if they ultimately chose not to do so , costly ncaa sanctions were promised , including the inability to host any championships and a ban on the use of the school 's logo or nickname at any championship events . after gov . jack dalrymple signed house bill 1263 into law this year , the school was left with the dilemma of having to either disobey the government that controls its purse-strings or to flout the rules of the ncaa , the entity that controls the arguably mightier purse-strings of college football . the nickname controversy appeared to be closer to a resolution friday when dalrymple and other state officials traveled to indianapolis to meet with ncaa officials in a last-ditch effort to resolve the matter . it 's our understanding coming out of this meeting that the fighting sioux nickname and logo will be dropped , ' the ncaa quoted its vice president for communications bob williams as saying friday . the contingent from north dakota made it clear that they were committed to changing the legislative action that would require retention of the fighting sioux nickname and logo . however , our settlement agreement remains in effect , and , as a result , the university of north dakota will be subject to the policy effective aug . 15 . ' doug fullerton will be paying close attention to what happens monday . as commissioner of the big sky conference , he is overseeing north dakota 's ascent from division ii obscurity to the far more lucrative stage of division i football . when we invited ( north dakota 's football team ) into the ( big sky ) conference this was not an issue , ' he said . citing the conference 's close , close ties to native american tribes ' and the promise of boycotts from other division i schools if the name goes unchanged , he says the school 's membership in the conference could be in jeopardy . ' the school is set to join the conference july 1 , 2012 . according to an ncaa press release , dalrymple said at the friday meeting that he would appeal to the state legislature to allow legislation to be introduced during a special session on nov. 7 that will transfer the responsibility for the logo and nickname from the legislature back to the board of higher education . ' i have come to the conclusion that the cost of retaining the sioux logo is too great , ' the ncaa press release quoted dalrymple as saying . there 's no question that the settlement agreement will stand according to the ncaa , and there will be no further negotiations . ' the usage of native american imagery in college athletics has been a long-simmering controversy . such schools as stanford university and new york 's st. john 's university , elected to drop their nicknames ( the stanford indians became the cardinals in 1972 , then the cardinal in 1981 ; the st. john 's red men became the red storm in the mid-'90s ) , while others , like the university of north dakota , balked . in 2000 , for example , then-und president charles kupchella tried to retire the fighting sioux until a wealthy alum threatened to withhold a $ 100 million donation for a new hockey arena , an episode chronicled by author deni elliot in her book the kindness of strangers : philanthropy and higher education . ' today , the school 's state-of-the-art rink not only bears that donor 's name , it 's decorated with more than 2,000 fighting sioux logos . in 2005 , the ncaa sought to end the controversy surrounding native american mascots once and for all by ordering nearly 20 schools whose nicknames and mascots they deemed abusive in terms of race , ethnicity or national origin ' to either get native american permission to use their name and likeness , or to come up with a new one . the resulting actions among the targeted schools were varied . the arkansas state indians became the red wolves ; the indiana university of pennsylvania indians became the crimson hawks . other schools satisfied the mandate by tweaking their name , like southeastern oklahoma state , where the savages are now known as the savage storm . others , like the bradley university braves , whose name does not affiliate with a specific tribe , were allowed to keep their name so long as native american logos and imagery were eschewed . schools with higher-profile athletic programs fared better . the florida state seminoles , university of utah utes and the central michigan university chippewas each obtained permission from their respective namesake tribes to stay the course . but the fighting sioux of the university of north dakota -- winners of seven national championships in men 's ice hockey -- was denied such an endorsement from the tribal council of the standing rock sioux . | the school faces ncaa sanctions if it continues to use the native american mascot |
iranian <tsp> lausanne , switzerland ( cnn ) a roller-coaster series of talks wrapped up thursday in lausanne as a group of world powers known as the p5+1 reached a framework agreement with iran over the country 's nuclear program . the success of that agreement remains to be seen . the parties have until the end to june to work out the details and put the plan to paper . but the talks this week were , nevertheless , historic , particularly for the otherwise frozen u.s.-iranian relationship . but that 's not to say they were glamorous . in fact , the negotiations this week provided a modern demonstration of diplomacy at its best , but also at its most hectic . tucked amid the swiss alps on the shores of lake geneva , lausanne is certainly one of the more scenic places to be trapped for talks -- a sort of camp david for the rich and famous . but make no mistake : the site of these negotiations is also a gilded cage . over the course of the eight-day round of talks , negotiators , their delegations , their security details and reporters were confined primarily to the immediate area around the five-star beau-rivage palace hotel , which played host to the negotiations . this is n't the first time the hotel has provided a backdrop to a major diplomatic event . in 1923 , the treaty of lausanne was signed there , breaking up the ottoman empire and defining the borders of modern-day turkey . more recently , the hotel has been a getaway for wealthy tourists and the occasional celebrity . coco chanel famously lived there in the late 1940s and early 1950s , and even had her dog buried on the hotel grounds , some reports say .'it was tough , very intense at times' the setting is idyllic , and the grounds are beautifully maintained . the first-floor terrace even features a large-scale chess board , which served this week as an artful analogy for the game of nuclear chess going on just inside . for the negotiators , the past week was marked by a marathon run of meetings , sometimes lasting throughout the night . in an interview with cnn shortly after the framework agreement was announced , secretary of state john kerry said , i think there was a seriousness of purpose ' in meetings with the iranians . people negotiated hard , ' he added . it was tough , very intense at times , sometimes emotional and confrontational . ' that sentiment was echoed by iranian foreign minister mohammad javad zarif even as the talks were still going on . over the past 18 months since talks began , zarif said , negotiators have developed personal respect ' for one another , even though serious mistrust still exists between iran and the western powers . we have a very serious problem of confidence -- mutual lack of confidence we need to address -- and we hope that this process will remedy some of that , ' he added . media give-and-take zarif made these comments to reporters who swarmed him during an afternoon walk along the lake thursday . such ambushes were a frequent occurrence during the talks as reporters tried to supplement what little information was being circulated through official channels . kerry was seen riding a bike on at least one occasion and dining at a nearby crepery on another , with both occasions prompting a cacophony of camera flashes . reporters briefly followed chinese foreign minister wang yi as he took a morning jog shortly after his arrival in lausanne on sunday . and zarif took several lakeside walks with advisers and security personnel , perhaps just hoping to take in the view , but certainly not making any effort to bypass the area where television cameras were staked out around the clock . the officials sometimes bemoaned the media circus , but they also used the attention to bolster their demands during negotiations , making statements to reporters that they hoped strengthened their footing in talks with their foreign counterparts . people often use you guys to deliver messages to the negotiation , ' a senior administration official who asked not to be named told reporters on the flight back to lausanne , as do the iranians . ' i think they 're quite skilled , actually , at using the media to deliver messages and to try to shape the frame of the negotiation , ' the official said . different orbits more than 600 reporters were credentialed to cover the talks this week . many of these were based in a large workspace at the nearby olympic museum . meanwhile , the traveling press corps covering the foreign ministers were given coveted red badges , allowing them access to the hotel , where the talks took place . while these journalists had a bit more access to officials , they were usually cordoned off inside a couple of claustrophobic media rooms and barred access to most of the building , including the hotel 's reception desk , the first-floor restrooms and the two-michelin-star restaurant 's entrees , costing 200 francs or more . many journalists found refuge in the more comfortable downstairs bar , a shorter walk from the cameras and satellite trucks used around the clock by television reporters on a rolling deadline . for meals , the crowd dispersed to a dozen or so nearby restaurants , where they could enjoy 25-franc pizzas and 60-franc hamburgers , washed down with 8-franc bottles of water , of course . also popular : a thai place around the corner that offered quick takeout -- a plus for reporters on a deadline .'we 'd all take deep breaths and try again' in the closed-off wings of the beau-rivage , the pace of meetings was frantic as different subsets of delegates gathered in ornate conference rooms . there was a sense of urgency , both before and after the initial march 31 deadline passed , to reach a final understanding so the foreign ministers could leave switzerland ahead of other time commitments , not to mention the easter holiday . the process was further complicated by restrictions on the flight crew for kerry 's plane , which could stay on standby at the airport for only a limited number of hours in a given time period . we 'd get close , we kept on changing the plane schedule , ' a senior administration official told reporters . it would go , it would n't go ; we had to reset the clock . ' on the evening the understanding was finally announced , the window had already lapsed , requiring kerry and his team to depart at 3 a.m. friday . there were many moments ( throughout the negotiations ) when we thought we 'd call it a day , call it a night , decide we 'd gone as far as we could go , ' said the official , who briefed reporters on kerry 's plane . then we 'd all take deep breaths and try again . ' but perhaps the most difficult night for negotiators was between wednesday and thursday , just before the final sticking points were resolved for a deal . it was a very , very intense , ' said the official . it went from 9 -- about 9 in the evening until 6 in the morning when we all decided we 'd reached a couple of roadblocks , did n't know whether we 'd be able to get past them , and we were all utterly , utterly exhausted . ' so we all went to sleep by maybe 7 , got up again and started again about 9:30 , and engaged on what we thought were the really final issues , ' the official added . rushing to report the agreement that morning , the deal began to solidify , and plans for the announcement were set into motion . the announcement that an agreement had been reached sparked some chaos . it was first sent out by the european delegation , which spread the word to its traveling press corps even as negotiators were still meeting . as news began to get out , one european reporter ran frantically into the media area at the hotel , urging everyone to listen . his message : there 's going to be an announcement . there are buses waiting to take you to the auditorium of a nearby university where it will take place . and with that , the room devolved into chaos as journalists ran for the doors . the eight-day-long diplomatic event had hit its crescendo before finally subsiding . by midday friday , the delegations had left lausanne , along with most of the media , returning the scenic swiss city to its more tranquil pace . | this week 's talks on an iranian nuclear deal framework are historic |
washington university <tsp> ( cnn ) it was a typical practice day for the washington university of rowing team , but then danger came from beneath . the scene was creve coeur lake outside of st. louis early friday morning . the team 's boat got near the dock , when suddenly a swarm of asian carp emerged from the water and went on the attack , some even going into the boat . team member devin patel described the moment of terror : the fish was flopping on my legs . it was so slippery that i could n't get a grip on it . ' patel screamed at teammate yoni david , yoni , get it off me ! ' thankfully , no rowers were injured during the ordeal , but the strong smell of fish lingered in the moments afterward . watch ireporter benjamin rosenbaum 's video above . | rowing team at washington university attacked by flying carp |
michigan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- investigators involved in the case of serial killing suspect elias abuelazam went to louisville , kentucky , on monday to retrieve two of his bags , michigan police said . abuelazam is suspected of slashing 18 victims in michigan , virginia and ohio , killing five . he was arrested at hartsfield jackson international airport in atlanta , georgia , last week as he was attempting to board a flight to israel . abuelazam has agreed to be sent back to michigan to face charges , but he remains in custody in atlanta . michigan authorities have some two weeks to pick him up . as of monday afternoon , police said they do not know how , or when , abuelazam will be transported . he traveled last week from detroit , michigan , to louisville , before heading to atlanta , police said . the airline company misplaced his luggage and the bags never made it to atlanta , they added . michigan authorities said they took the two bags back with them . lt. steven sipes of the michigan police declined to say what was in the luggage , but he added the bags are now part of the department 's investigation . cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | authorities are working to transfer him to michigan |
michigan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- investigators involved in the case of serial killing suspect elias abuelazam went to louisville , kentucky , on monday to retrieve two of his bags , michigan police said . abuelazam is suspected of slashing 18 victims in michigan , virginia and ohio , killing five . he was arrested at hartsfield jackson international airport in atlanta , georgia , last week as he was attempting to board a flight to israel . abuelazam has agreed to be sent back to michigan to face charges , but he remains in custody in atlanta . michigan authorities have some two weeks to pick him up . as of monday afternoon , police said they do not know how , or when , abuelazam will be transported . he traveled last week from detroit , michigan , to louisville , before heading to atlanta , police said . the airline company misplaced his luggage and the bags never made it to atlanta , they added . michigan authorities said they took the two bags back with them . lt. steven sipes of the michigan police declined to say what was in the luggage , but he added the bags are now part of the department 's investigation . cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | he is linked to 18 stabbings in michigan , virginia and ohio , police say |
atlanta <tsp> ( cnn ) -- investigators involved in the case of serial killing suspect elias abuelazam went to louisville , kentucky , on monday to retrieve two of his bags , michigan police said . abuelazam is suspected of slashing 18 victims in michigan , virginia and ohio , killing five . he was arrested at hartsfield jackson international airport in atlanta , georgia , last week as he was attempting to board a flight to israel . abuelazam has agreed to be sent back to michigan to face charges , but he remains in custody in atlanta . michigan authorities have some two weeks to pick him up . as of monday afternoon , police said they do not know how , or when , abuelazam will be transported . he traveled last week from detroit , michigan , to louisville , before heading to atlanta , police said . the airline company misplaced his luggage and the bags never made it to atlanta , they added . michigan authorities said they took the two bags back with them . lt. steven sipes of the michigan police declined to say what was in the luggage , but he added the bags are now part of the department 's investigation . cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | elias abuelazam remains in custody in atlanta , georgia |
virginia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- investigators involved in the case of serial killing suspect elias abuelazam went to louisville , kentucky , on monday to retrieve two of his bags , michigan police said . abuelazam is suspected of slashing 18 victims in michigan , virginia and ohio , killing five . he was arrested at hartsfield jackson international airport in atlanta , georgia , last week as he was attempting to board a flight to israel . abuelazam has agreed to be sent back to michigan to face charges , but he remains in custody in atlanta . michigan authorities have some two weeks to pick him up . as of monday afternoon , police said they do not know how , or when , abuelazam will be transported . he traveled last week from detroit , michigan , to louisville , before heading to atlanta , police said . the airline company misplaced his luggage and the bags never made it to atlanta , they added . michigan authorities said they took the two bags back with them . lt. steven sipes of the michigan police declined to say what was in the luggage , but he added the bags are now part of the department 's investigation . cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | he is linked to 18 stabbings in michigan , virginia and ohio , police say |
syria <tsp> maram scrunches up her little nose and pauses as she remembers . the eight-year-old was daddy 's favorite . when he was going to work he was shot , ' she says . by whom , no one can say for sure , but syria 's merciless war does not differentiate between combatant and civilian -- and it is leaving behind countless children like maram who have lost one or both parents along with their innocence . i saw him when they brought him to the house when he was dead , ' maram continues . i said'god have mercy on you'and i prayed . ' she has an inquisitive , heart-shaped face . she listens intently to our questions , and often stops to think before answering . i would see him in my dreams , i would see him giving someone something or taking someone somewhere . i used to see him , but now i do n't anymore . ' she is one of around 34 children between the ages of two and 10 who live during the week at the beyti orphanage in southwest turkey , near the syrian border . their fathers are all dead -- some lost to illness and some , like maram 's dad , to the violence consuming syria . their mothers , refugees in turkey , ca n't afford to properly clothe and feed them . at beyti there is bath time , fresh clothes , and beds to sleep on . there are toys to replace those that the children had to leave behind , regular hot healthy meals , and clean water to wash with . maram and her friend mohammed whisper next to me on the couch . he pulls a tie out of his pocket . someone was giving them out , ' he explains . the pair erupt in giggles as maram tries to put it on him . her father had taught her how to tie the knot , but she does n't really remember . are you guys best friends ? ' i ask . we 're not friends , we 're siblings , ' mohammed replies . maram looks at me , her eyes open wide , and she smiles . he considers himself my brother , ' she tells me . we 're all family here , ' another child pipes in . the beytin orphage , which opened in september , was established by the maram foundation . it was named not the little girl we met , but for another of the same name who was paralyzed from the waist down by a shrapnel wound to her spine . we 're trying to raise our children away from all of the ideologies happening inside syria , ' beyti 's co-founder yakzan shishakly tells us , alluding to the radical extremist violent muslim ideology that is thriving in his homeland . and we also want to give them the right to have a normal life away from the war because of the regime . ' the focus here is not only on trying to create a normal ' environment , but also on helping these children heal from the trauma they witnessed . there were some cases that were very obvious , those were the cases of anger and aggression , ' says mayada abdi , head of the orphanage , describing some of the children who have come to beyti since it opened . maram was very solitary when she first arrived , preferring to stay alone . she would remember things that were beautiful memories that were taken from her , especially those that were tied to her father , all her trips , ' abdi says . all her stories are about her father . so you would often find her sitting remembering those times . ' nothing can alter the inexplicable pain brought into these children 's lives by violence that defies logic , from a war they are too young to understand . but at least here they have a chance to perhaps move past it and salvage what they can of their childhood . maram , for one , is already looking to the future . i want to be an arabic teacher , ' she says . back home in syria . ' | we 're trying to raise our children away from all of the ideologies happening inside syria , ' beyti 's co-founder says |
syria <tsp> maram scrunches up her little nose and pauses as she remembers . the eight-year-old was daddy 's favorite . when he was going to work he was shot , ' she says . by whom , no one can say for sure , but syria 's merciless war does not differentiate between combatant and civilian -- and it is leaving behind countless children like maram who have lost one or both parents along with their innocence . i saw him when they brought him to the house when he was dead , ' maram continues . i said'god have mercy on you'and i prayed . ' she has an inquisitive , heart-shaped face . she listens intently to our questions , and often stops to think before answering . i would see him in my dreams , i would see him giving someone something or taking someone somewhere . i used to see him , but now i do n't anymore . ' she is one of around 34 children between the ages of two and 10 who live during the week at the beyti orphanage in southwest turkey , near the syrian border . their fathers are all dead -- some lost to illness and some , like maram 's dad , to the violence consuming syria . their mothers , refugees in turkey , ca n't afford to properly clothe and feed them . at beyti there is bath time , fresh clothes , and beds to sleep on . there are toys to replace those that the children had to leave behind , regular hot healthy meals , and clean water to wash with . maram and her friend mohammed whisper next to me on the couch . he pulls a tie out of his pocket . someone was giving them out , ' he explains . the pair erupt in giggles as maram tries to put it on him . her father had taught her how to tie the knot , but she does n't really remember . are you guys best friends ? ' i ask . we 're not friends , we 're siblings , ' mohammed replies . maram looks at me , her eyes open wide , and she smiles . he considers himself my brother , ' she tells me . we 're all family here , ' another child pipes in . the beytin orphage , which opened in september , was established by the maram foundation . it was named not the little girl we met , but for another of the same name who was paralyzed from the waist down by a shrapnel wound to her spine . we 're trying to raise our children away from all of the ideologies happening inside syria , ' beyti 's co-founder yakzan shishakly tells us , alluding to the radical extremist violent muslim ideology that is thriving in his homeland . and we also want to give them the right to have a normal life away from the war because of the regime . ' the focus here is not only on trying to create a normal ' environment , but also on helping these children heal from the trauma they witnessed . there were some cases that were very obvious , those were the cases of anger and aggression , ' says mayada abdi , head of the orphanage , describing some of the children who have come to beyti since it opened . maram was very solitary when she first arrived , preferring to stay alone . she would remember things that were beautiful memories that were taken from her , especially those that were tied to her father , all her trips , ' abdi says . all her stories are about her father . so you would often find her sitting remembering those times . ' nothing can alter the inexplicable pain brought into these children 's lives by violence that defies logic , from a war they are too young to understand . but at least here they have a chance to perhaps move past it and salvage what they can of their childhood . maram , for one , is already looking to the future . i want to be an arabic teacher , ' she says . back home in syria . ' | thousands of children have lost one or both parents during syria 's brutal civil war |
u.s. geological survey <tsp> ( cnn ) -- louisiana gov . bobby jindal 's swipe at federal spending to monitor volcanoes has the mayor of one city in the shadow of mount st. helens fuming . gov . bobby jindal says spending for the u.s. geological survey is questionable . does the governor have a volcano in his backyard ? ' royce pollard , the mayor of vancouver , washington , said on wednesday . we have one that 's very active , and it still rumbles and spits and coughs very frequently . ' jindal singled out a $ 140 million appropriation for the u.s. geological survey as an example of questionable government spending during the gop response to president obama 's address to congress tuesday night . the governor , a rising republican star , questioned why something called'volcano monitoring' was included in the nearly $ 800 billion economic stimulus bill obama signed earlier this month . watch is jindal prime-time ready ? ' » ' instead of monitoring volcanoes , what congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in washington , ' jindal said . but marianne guffanti , a volcano researcher at the u.s. geological survey , said , we do n't throw the money down the crater of the volcano and watch it burn up . ' the usgs , which received the money jindal criticized , is monitoring several active volcanoes across the pacific northwest , alaska and hawaii . one of those is mount st. helens , about 70 miles north of vancouver , washington , and neighboring portland , oregon . the volcano killed 57 people when it erupted in 1980 and sputters back into action periodically , most recently in late 2004 and early 2005 , when it sent plumes of steam and ash thousands of feet into the air . usgs researchers are also keeping a close eye on alaska 's mount redoubt volcano , about 100 miles from anchorage , which is predicted to go off again within a few months . its last eruption , in 1989 , disrupted air traffic and forced down a commercial jet that sucked ash into its engines . if we can give good information about what 's happening , that system of diversions and cancellations all works much more efficiently , ' guffanti said . and fewer people are delayed and standard business is resumed quickly . ' louisiana is no stranger to natural disasters itself , having been devastated by hurricane katrina in 2005 . but timmy teepell , jindal 's chief of staff , said the governor stands by his statement . that was just one example of wasteful spending in the largest government spending bill in history , ' teepell said . the governor made it clear that we need to grow jobs , not government . ' ireport.com : share your thoughts on obama , jindal speeches the $ 140 million line-item for the usgs includes not only monitoring , but also replacement of aging equipment and other critical deferred maintenance and improvement projects . ' the spending could provide new jobs no different than the amount of money you would spend on building a street or building a bridge or something , ' said danny boston , an economist at georgia institute of technology in atlanta , georgia . pollard , a former army officer who has served as vancouver 's mayor for 14 years , said usgs equipment used to keep tabs on volcanoes is frequently damaged or destroyed . he said he was n't sure how many jobs the money could produce , but , for us and the people who live closer to it than vancouver , it 's important . ' ireport.com : jindal 's tone'insulting' ' we lost lives the last time , and we could lose them again , ' he said . cnn 's brian todd and matt smith contributed to this report . | $ 140 million appropriation for u.s. geological survey also used on equipment |
new england <tsp> ( cnn ) the new england patriots and seattle seahawks hail from two of the finest craft beer regions in the u.s. boston is home to samuel adams , the largest-selling craft beer company in the country , as well as some smaller , notable breweries like trillium brewing and cambridge brewing co. seattle was one of the key players in starting the microbrew revolution , partly because of its proximity to fresh hops in the nearby yakima valley . one of the leaders of that revolution was elysian brewing co. , now famous for its creative pumpkin beers and flagship immortal ipa . just last week , elysian announced that anheuser-busch bought the company to further expand its craft portfolio . so , for better or worse , you 're likely to start seeing much more from this craft beer forefather . in fact , elysian and boston 's harpoon brewing have set up a friendly wager for super bowl sunday : three kegs of beer from each brewery will be poured in the opposite breweries'taprooms the week after the big game . the loser will be required to fly the flag of the winning team until the beer is gone . in keeping with that friendly competitive spirit , let 's break down the roster of these two craft beer cities . the quarterback is the leader of the team and , in many instances , the most recognizable name to viewers . this brew must define what the city is all about and be the no . 1 draft ' pick at the local sports bar . xxxxx stout -- the pike brewing co. ; seattle , washington just blocks from the iconic pike place market , pike brewing is one of the oldest and most respected breweries in washington . its xxxxx stout , much like the super bowl , has a fondness for roman numerals . it 's the quintessential seattle beer with rich chocolate and espresso flavors , because what would seattle be without its coffee ? harpoon ipa -- harpoon brewery ; boston , massachusetts , and windsor , vermont since 1993 , harpoon 's hoppy pale ale has been a new england staple . this style of beer is right out of the pacific northwest playbook , but harpoon was one of the first to produce an ipa on the east coast . these brews are among the most widely available from each region , but still great representations of the area . if you 're looking to cheer on a particular team but do not live in the boston or seattle area , you can still most likely catch one of these brews at your local store . boston lager -- samuel adams ; boston , massachusetts samuel adams boston lager is the most widely recognized craft beer in the country . it 's crisp , refreshing and arguably the most patriotic ' beer you can find . audible ale -- redhook ale brewery ; woodinville , washington while redhook makes its home in woodinville , it also has a brew house in portsmouth , new hampshire , which is about an hour 's drive from boston . this pale ale is fairly low in alcohol , and thus a pleasing session brew , meaning you can drink a few over the course of a game and not get inebriated . do n't call an audible -- stock up on this one . these brews might be stars locally , but they have n't received much national attention ... yet . their scope is still pretty small , but they are hitting the gym and building a pretty strong following among local craft beer fans . mass rising -- jack 's abby brewing ; framingham , massachusetts jack 's abby is a unique craft brewer that specializes in lagers . some craft beer snobs might think lagers are boring , but jack 's abby gets pretty inventive with the style . one standout is mass rising , a double india pale lager that is hopped-up , crisp and drinkable . tamerlane brown porter -- black raven brewing co. ; redmond , washington black raven has been producing some of the best brews in the state , and its tamerlane brown porter is an all-out winner . it combines the nutty , malty characteristics of an english brown ale with the coffee flavors of a porter . the super bowl calls for times to be bold and take a chance . a little divine intervention does n't hurt either . same goes for your beer . spencer trappist ale -- spencer brewery ; spencer , massachusetts massachusetts is home to the only trappist brewery in the united states . the monks of st. joseph 's abbey brew this belgian-style table beer ' sustainably and consume the fruits of their labors only on sunday evenings , which is impeccable timing for the big game . sky hag ipa -- airways brewing co. ; kent , washington sky hag is bitter , loaded with west coast hops and may not be pretty , but it will get you where you want to go . airways has a number of delicious brews with air travel themes , like seat kicker ipa and pre flight pilsner , because founder and brewer alex dittmar was a full-time airline employee before starting the brewery . | seattle and new england are craft beer powerhouses |
new england <tsp> ( cnn ) the new england patriots and seattle seahawks hail from two of the finest craft beer regions in the u.s. boston is home to samuel adams , the largest-selling craft beer company in the country , as well as some smaller , notable breweries like trillium brewing and cambridge brewing co. seattle was one of the key players in starting the microbrew revolution , partly because of its proximity to fresh hops in the nearby yakima valley . one of the leaders of that revolution was elysian brewing co. , now famous for its creative pumpkin beers and flagship immortal ipa . just last week , elysian announced that anheuser-busch bought the company to further expand its craft portfolio . so , for better or worse , you 're likely to start seeing much more from this craft beer forefather . in fact , elysian and boston 's harpoon brewing have set up a friendly wager for super bowl sunday : three kegs of beer from each brewery will be poured in the opposite breweries'taprooms the week after the big game . the loser will be required to fly the flag of the winning team until the beer is gone . in keeping with that friendly competitive spirit , let 's break down the roster of these two craft beer cities . the quarterback is the leader of the team and , in many instances , the most recognizable name to viewers . this brew must define what the city is all about and be the no . 1 draft ' pick at the local sports bar . xxxxx stout -- the pike brewing co. ; seattle , washington just blocks from the iconic pike place market , pike brewing is one of the oldest and most respected breweries in washington . its xxxxx stout , much like the super bowl , has a fondness for roman numerals . it 's the quintessential seattle beer with rich chocolate and espresso flavors , because what would seattle be without its coffee ? harpoon ipa -- harpoon brewery ; boston , massachusetts , and windsor , vermont since 1993 , harpoon 's hoppy pale ale has been a new england staple . this style of beer is right out of the pacific northwest playbook , but harpoon was one of the first to produce an ipa on the east coast . these brews are among the most widely available from each region , but still great representations of the area . if you 're looking to cheer on a particular team but do not live in the boston or seattle area , you can still most likely catch one of these brews at your local store . boston lager -- samuel adams ; boston , massachusetts samuel adams boston lager is the most widely recognized craft beer in the country . it 's crisp , refreshing and arguably the most patriotic ' beer you can find . audible ale -- redhook ale brewery ; woodinville , washington while redhook makes its home in woodinville , it also has a brew house in portsmouth , new hampshire , which is about an hour 's drive from boston . this pale ale is fairly low in alcohol , and thus a pleasing session brew , meaning you can drink a few over the course of a game and not get inebriated . do n't call an audible -- stock up on this one . these brews might be stars locally , but they have n't received much national attention ... yet . their scope is still pretty small , but they are hitting the gym and building a pretty strong following among local craft beer fans . mass rising -- jack 's abby brewing ; framingham , massachusetts jack 's abby is a unique craft brewer that specializes in lagers . some craft beer snobs might think lagers are boring , but jack 's abby gets pretty inventive with the style . one standout is mass rising , a double india pale lager that is hopped-up , crisp and drinkable . tamerlane brown porter -- black raven brewing co. ; redmond , washington black raven has been producing some of the best brews in the state , and its tamerlane brown porter is an all-out winner . it combines the nutty , malty characteristics of an english brown ale with the coffee flavors of a porter . the super bowl calls for times to be bold and take a chance . a little divine intervention does n't hurt either . same goes for your beer . spencer trappist ale -- spencer brewery ; spencer , massachusetts massachusetts is home to the only trappist brewery in the united states . the monks of st. joseph 's abbey brew this belgian-style table beer ' sustainably and consume the fruits of their labors only on sunday evenings , which is impeccable timing for the big game . sky hag ipa -- airways brewing co. ; kent , washington sky hag is bitter , loaded with west coast hops and may not be pretty , but it will get you where you want to go . airways has a number of delicious brews with air travel themes , like seat kicker ipa and pre flight pilsner , because founder and brewer alex dittmar was a full-time airline employee before starting the brewery . | the seattle seahawks play the new england patriots in super bowl xlix |
wigan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- italian teenager federico macheda enjoyed a remarkable debut to english football as he curled home an injury-time winner that sent manchester united back to the top of the premier league with a thrilling 3-2 home win over aston villa . macheda receives a hug from manager sir alex ferguson after scoring manchester united 's last-gasp winner . it seemed united would have to settle for a point after cristiano ronaldo 's double had only proved enough to keep united level against a villa side that thoroughly deserved a lead provided by john carew and gabriel agbonlahor . but 17-year-old substitute macheda , a former member of the lazio academy who arrived at old trafford in 2007 , was to have the last word . who is federico macheda ? at exactly the same moment as yossi benayoun struck for liverpool at fulham on saturday , macheda turned onto ryan giggs'low pass before unleashing a stunning shot that curled past brad friedel and sent old trafford into ecstasy . united , missing a host of players including rio ferdinand , nemanja vidic , wayne rooney and paul scholes , started poorly against an out-of-form villa side who had gone eight matches without victory . however , a stunning piece of skill from cristiano ronaldo gave them a 14th- minute lead . james milner and friedel got themselves into a muddle , forcing the villa keeper to handle a back pass . the resulting free-kick saw ryan giggs brush the ball to ronaldo , who sent a fierce shot over the wall and into the roof of friedel 's net in a flash . villa were not to be denied and they drew level when gareth barry wriggled his way into space by the touchline and carew crept between gary neville and john o'shea to steer a deft header into the bottom corner of the net . the visitors then took a deserved lead on the hour mark when ronaldo gifted possession to stiliyan petrov , who swept upfield unopposed . he found carew , whose perfect cross was headed home by agbonlahor . the goal stung united into life and they levelled with 13 minutes remaining when michael carrick exchanged first-time passes with giggs on the edge of the villa box , before presenting ronaldo with a lay-off . the world player of the year did not have a lot to aim at but he found the one small gap friedel was unable to cover . a draw would have been a fair result , but united poured forward and in the third minute of five added on minutes at the end of the match , macheda delivered the killer blow to leave the defending champions a point clear of liverpool at the top with a game in hand . meanwhile , in the day 's other match , everton moved to within one point of villa in sixth position after a comfortable 4-0 victory over wigan , courtesy of a double from on-loan manchester city striker jo . | everton consolidate sixth place in table after a comfortable 4-0 win over wigan |
castro <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ariel castro used the promise of a puppy to lure michelle knight into the cleveland home where he held her hostage for 11 years . he tells me ,'just come in for a little while . the puppies are upstairs . you can take one home to your son ,'' knight said in an interview broadcast tuesday on the syndicated dr. phil ' talk show . but she soon realized there were no puppies inside castro 's home . and it was n't long , knight said , before he trapped her in an upstairs room and tied her up with an extension cord . from there , he took her down into the basement about 24 hours later , she said . it was the beginning of more than a decade of torture , rape , starvation and beatings for knight . the hope of seeing her son again , she said , inspired her fight to survive . i want my son to know me as a victor , not a victim , ' knight told host dr. phil mcgraw . and i wanted him to know that i survived , loving him . his love got me through . ' castro lured knight into his vehicle from a family dollar store in cleveland in 2002 , promising to give her a ride . she was the first of three women he would capture and imprison in his home for about a decade . they were freed in may after one of the women , amanda berry , called out to neighbors for help . in august , castro was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years after he pleaded guilty to 937 counts , including murder and kidnapping . he committed suicide in his prison cell in september . knight , berry and the third woman , gina dejesus , have since been trying to readjust to life as free women . knight , whose disappearance generated the least public notice of the three , has been the most outspoken . after 11 years , i am finally being heard , and it 's liberating , ' she said in a powerful statement at castro 's sentencing , describing the abuse she endured . her interview with dr. phil , ' which began airing tuesday and is set to continue wednesday , provides a detailed glimpse into some of the horrors she suffered and her struggle to survive . how she continued to put one foot in front of the other during these 11 years is just very humbling . i mean , i said to her during the interview ,'michelle , i will never complain about another thing the rest of my life ,'' mcgraw told cnn 's ac 360 . when you realize what she went through , it makes everything else seem so trivial . ''it 's god 's will if you die' knight said she remembered the warning , the one castro delivered while wrapping a chain around her neck and shackling her to a metal pole in the basement of his cleveland home . now , if i do it too tight and you do n't make it , that means you was n't meant to stay here . that means god wanted to take you , ' castro said , according to knight . knight told mcgraw she sometimes spent days in the basement , chained to the pole , unable to lie down and with a motorcycle helmet over her head . the helmet made it hard to breathe , she said , and later on i did n't remember a thing 'cause i had passed out . ' a photograph of the pole showed white paint had been scraped away . that 's where i tried to get out , ' knight said . and i could n't pull the pole down because i was n't strong enough . ' knight told mcgraw that she did n't always fight back , though , at least not at first . she said she was in shock after being taken and all she could do was cry and beg him to let her go back to her son . several attempts to escape were met with harsh punishment , she said . he took a pipe and he held it ... over my head , and he said ,'if you scream , i 'll ram this down your throat and i 'll kill you ,'' knight recalled , describing what she said was castro 's response after she used a pair of pliers and a wire cutter to remove a chain around her neck . so i did n't scream . i did n't make a noise . i just laid there . ' knight returns to cleveland house where she was held for 11 years other victims knight , 32 , was 21 years old when she was reported missing in 2002 . castro , she said , would tell her of his plans to abduct other women and also implied he 'd done it before . she said he showed her an area in the basement where it said , rest in peace . ' i begged him not to bring any more there to suffer the hell i went through , ' knight said . but it was n't long before knight learned that she was n't the only captive . in 2003 , berry joined her inside the house . at first , she said , they rarely saw each other . when we did , it was like a quick hug and'bye ,'because he would n't let us stay in the same room for that long , ' she said . when they were in separate rooms , knight said , she would blare her television if she saw berry 's mother on air , to make sure berry knew to watch . and when she saw berry , knight said , she tried to comfort her . sometimes she would cry , and i 'd tell her everything would be ok , and that one day we 'll get home , ' knight told mcgraw . we just have to , you know , wait it out . ' castro 's main'punching bag' since their release , accounts have depicted knight as someone who cared for the other victims during their captivity while also enduring great suffering herself . a family friend of one of the victims said this year that castro used knight as his main punching bag . ' the friend said castro hit knight with a variety of objects , including hand weights . she has suffered vision loss , joint and muscle damage , and other problems from her time in captivity . according to an initial incident report obtained by cnn , knight said she became pregnant at least five times while in castro 's home . in the interview with mcgraw , knight said she once watched castro kill a beloved dog by breaking its neck . she said she was kept nearly naked in a frigid room with windows boarded up . and she said castro once punched her in the stomach with a barbell when he learned she was pregnant . i fell to the floor . ... he said ,'tomorrow it 'd better be gone . that 's all he said ,'' knight recalled . then when i did miscarry , he blamed me . he said that i hated him , that i killed his kid , and he punched me in the face , saying that it was all my fault . ' a troubled past during knight 's time in captivity , her case got less media attention than the disappearances of berry and dejesus , whose family members posted fliers and held candlelight vigils for them . knight 's grandmother , deborah knight , told the plain dealer in may that the family had concluded that michelle had left of her own accord because she was angry that she had lost custody of her then-2-year-old son . that conclusion was supported by police and social workers , she told the newspaper . knight told mcgraw that her son was taken away after her mother 's boyfriend abused him . and then they tried to say that i never protected him , and i did , ' she said . i did all i could do . ' she was still trying to do all she could on the day when she was abducted in 2002 , knight said . she told mcgraw she got lost on the way to a meeting with social services to discuss her son 's custody . that 's when she stopped at the dollar store to ask for directions , she said , and when castro offered her a ride . in the interview , knight also gave a glimpse into what she described as a troubled childhood before her abduction , which she said was why she did n't want to see her mother after she was released . i wished my mother was n't my mother . ... i was n't allowed out . i was n't allowed to have friends . she made sure i was dumber than a doorknob , ' she said . in response , her mother , barbara knight , issued a statement to the dr. phil ' show . michelle , my daughter , has been the victim of long-term and profound and unspeakable torture . her point of view has been altered by that monster and what he did to her , ' the statement said . what i have heard that she said about me breaks my heart . that is because what she now believes , while not true , increases her pain . i love my daughter . i always have and always will . i pray that someday she will heal enough to know that again . ' cnn 's martin savidge , pamela brown and chelsea j. carter contributed to this report . | knight says castro punched her with a barbell to make her miscarry |
castro <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ariel castro used the promise of a puppy to lure michelle knight into the cleveland home where he held her hostage for 11 years . he tells me ,'just come in for a little while . the puppies are upstairs . you can take one home to your son ,'' knight said in an interview broadcast tuesday on the syndicated dr. phil ' talk show . but she soon realized there were no puppies inside castro 's home . and it was n't long , knight said , before he trapped her in an upstairs room and tied her up with an extension cord . from there , he took her down into the basement about 24 hours later , she said . it was the beginning of more than a decade of torture , rape , starvation and beatings for knight . the hope of seeing her son again , she said , inspired her fight to survive . i want my son to know me as a victor , not a victim , ' knight told host dr. phil mcgraw . and i wanted him to know that i survived , loving him . his love got me through . ' castro lured knight into his vehicle from a family dollar store in cleveland in 2002 , promising to give her a ride . she was the first of three women he would capture and imprison in his home for about a decade . they were freed in may after one of the women , amanda berry , called out to neighbors for help . in august , castro was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years after he pleaded guilty to 937 counts , including murder and kidnapping . he committed suicide in his prison cell in september . knight , berry and the third woman , gina dejesus , have since been trying to readjust to life as free women . knight , whose disappearance generated the least public notice of the three , has been the most outspoken . after 11 years , i am finally being heard , and it 's liberating , ' she said in a powerful statement at castro 's sentencing , describing the abuse she endured . her interview with dr. phil , ' which began airing tuesday and is set to continue wednesday , provides a detailed glimpse into some of the horrors she suffered and her struggle to survive . how she continued to put one foot in front of the other during these 11 years is just very humbling . i mean , i said to her during the interview ,'michelle , i will never complain about another thing the rest of my life ,'' mcgraw told cnn 's ac 360 . when you realize what she went through , it makes everything else seem so trivial . ''it 's god 's will if you die' knight said she remembered the warning , the one castro delivered while wrapping a chain around her neck and shackling her to a metal pole in the basement of his cleveland home . now , if i do it too tight and you do n't make it , that means you was n't meant to stay here . that means god wanted to take you , ' castro said , according to knight . knight told mcgraw she sometimes spent days in the basement , chained to the pole , unable to lie down and with a motorcycle helmet over her head . the helmet made it hard to breathe , she said , and later on i did n't remember a thing 'cause i had passed out . ' a photograph of the pole showed white paint had been scraped away . that 's where i tried to get out , ' knight said . and i could n't pull the pole down because i was n't strong enough . ' knight told mcgraw that she did n't always fight back , though , at least not at first . she said she was in shock after being taken and all she could do was cry and beg him to let her go back to her son . several attempts to escape were met with harsh punishment , she said . he took a pipe and he held it ... over my head , and he said ,'if you scream , i 'll ram this down your throat and i 'll kill you ,'' knight recalled , describing what she said was castro 's response after she used a pair of pliers and a wire cutter to remove a chain around her neck . so i did n't scream . i did n't make a noise . i just laid there . ' knight returns to cleveland house where she was held for 11 years other victims knight , 32 , was 21 years old when she was reported missing in 2002 . castro , she said , would tell her of his plans to abduct other women and also implied he 'd done it before . she said he showed her an area in the basement where it said , rest in peace . ' i begged him not to bring any more there to suffer the hell i went through , ' knight said . but it was n't long before knight learned that she was n't the only captive . in 2003 , berry joined her inside the house . at first , she said , they rarely saw each other . when we did , it was like a quick hug and'bye ,'because he would n't let us stay in the same room for that long , ' she said . when they were in separate rooms , knight said , she would blare her television if she saw berry 's mother on air , to make sure berry knew to watch . and when she saw berry , knight said , she tried to comfort her . sometimes she would cry , and i 'd tell her everything would be ok , and that one day we 'll get home , ' knight told mcgraw . we just have to , you know , wait it out . ' castro 's main'punching bag' since their release , accounts have depicted knight as someone who cared for the other victims during their captivity while also enduring great suffering herself . a family friend of one of the victims said this year that castro used knight as his main punching bag . ' the friend said castro hit knight with a variety of objects , including hand weights . she has suffered vision loss , joint and muscle damage , and other problems from her time in captivity . according to an initial incident report obtained by cnn , knight said she became pregnant at least five times while in castro 's home . in the interview with mcgraw , knight said she once watched castro kill a beloved dog by breaking its neck . she said she was kept nearly naked in a frigid room with windows boarded up . and she said castro once punched her in the stomach with a barbell when he learned she was pregnant . i fell to the floor . ... he said ,'tomorrow it 'd better be gone . that 's all he said ,'' knight recalled . then when i did miscarry , he blamed me . he said that i hated him , that i killed his kid , and he punched me in the face , saying that it was all my fault . ' a troubled past during knight 's time in captivity , her case got less media attention than the disappearances of berry and dejesus , whose family members posted fliers and held candlelight vigils for them . knight 's grandmother , deborah knight , told the plain dealer in may that the family had concluded that michelle had left of her own accord because she was angry that she had lost custody of her then-2-year-old son . that conclusion was supported by police and social workers , she told the newspaper . knight told mcgraw that her son was taken away after her mother 's boyfriend abused him . and then they tried to say that i never protected him , and i did , ' she said . i did all i could do . ' she was still trying to do all she could on the day when she was abducted in 2002 , knight said . she told mcgraw she got lost on the way to a meeting with social services to discuss her son 's custody . that 's when she stopped at the dollar store to ask for directions , she said , and when castro offered her a ride . in the interview , knight also gave a glimpse into what she described as a troubled childhood before her abduction , which she said was why she did n't want to see her mother after she was released . i wished my mother was n't my mother . ... i was n't allowed out . i was n't allowed to have friends . she made sure i was dumber than a doorknob , ' she said . in response , her mother , barbara knight , issued a statement to the dr. phil ' show . michelle , my daughter , has been the victim of long-term and profound and unspeakable torture . her point of view has been altered by that monster and what he did to her , ' the statement said . what i have heard that she said about me breaks my heart . that is because what she now believes , while not true , increases her pain . i love my daughter . i always have and always will . i pray that someday she will heal enough to know that again . ' cnn 's martin savidge , pamela brown and chelsea j. carter contributed to this report . | she says she begged captor ariel castro not to kidnap others |
united states <tsp> ( cnn ) the nurse in texas seemed to have taken all the precautions needed to protect herself from ebola . she wore a mask , gown , shield and gloves . her patient , a man who contracted the virus in africa , was in isolation at the dallas hospital where she worked . and yet the woman -- whose name has not been released -- still contracted ebola , marking the first known transmission ever in the united states . a nurse in spain who also treated an ebola patient also caught the virus . she is in critical condition and being treated by 50 health care workers , spanish authorities said monday . the centers for disease control and prevention said sunday there was a breach in protocol in texas , but officials have n't elaborated on what that breach was . instead , they said the protocols laid out for american hospitals work . so what happened ? how could a nurse at an american hospital contract the virus ? is the situation a one-off , an instance of human error , something that probably would n't occur again ? or could there be more to it ? how it happened on monday morning , an official with direct knowledge of the texas nurse 's case told cnn that cdc disease detectives have several times interviewed the texas nurse and think there are inconsistencies ' in the type of personal protective gear that she wore and with the process used to put the gear on and remove it . the nurse who tested positive for the virus worked at texas health presbyterian hospital in dallas . cdc director dr. tom frieden has said the agency is considering several possibilities as to how that breach may have happened , including whether the infection was spread when the protective equipment was removed or when the patient , liberian national thomas eric duncan , received kidney dialysis or respiratory intubation . those measures were a desperate measure to try to save his life , ' frieden said . both of those procedures may spread contaminated materials and are considered high-risk procedures . ' when you have potentially soiled or contaminated gloves or masks or other things , to remove those without any risk of any contaminated material ... touching you and being then on your clothes or face or skin ... is not easy to do right . ' or the problem could have been something else entirely . cnn senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen said precautions among health care workers can actually go overboard sometimes . the workers are supposed to double their gloves in some situations , she said . triple gloving is a violation of cdc protocol and could make things worse . then you need to take off three pairs of gloves ... gloves with infectious stuff on them , ' she said . how troubling it is the cdc concedes the transmission is worrisome . it is possible in the coming days that we will see additional cases of ebola , ' frieden said . that 's because others who provided care to duncan could have had the same kind of breach as the infected nurse . the official who has direct knowledge of the texas case told cnn that health authorities will make daily visits to dozens of dallas health care workers who treated duncan between september 28 and october 8 at texas health presbyterian hospital . the workers have been monitoring their own health , including taking their own temperature . they were previously not considered high risk because they were wearing protective gear , the official said . the cdc is still compiling a list of health care workers who came into contact with duncan , the official said . the public areas of the nurse 's apartment complex have been decontaminated and her neighbors have been notified . and the city of dallas made a reverse-911 call to residents , notifying them of the city 's second ebola case . i think it needs to be put into context that ... you ca n't make an extrapolation that this is now a danger more so to the american people , ' said dr. anthony fauci , director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases . but the fear is spreading . when a passenger on a flight from new york to los angeles fell ill sunday , the biggest concern was ebola . the plane was taken to a remote gate at los angeles international airport . after a few hours , officials determined the woman did not appear to have ebola , and other passengers were allowed to leave . and in louisiana , attorney general buddy caldwell is seeking a temporary restraining order to block the disposal of incinerated waste from duncan 's personal items at a louisiana landfill . there are too many unknowns at this point , and it is absurd to transport potentially hazardous ebola waste across state lines , ' caldwell said sunday . what is being done president barack obama wants federal authorities to immediately take further measures to ensure health care workers are able to follow protocols for treating ebola patients . of the thousands of hospitals in the united states , only four have been training for years to deal with highly infectious diseases like ebola : emory university hospital in atlanta , the nebraska medical center , the national institutes of health in maryland , and rocky mountain laboratories in montana . they have the management , the processes , the implementation in place that if an ebola patient comes in , just right away they know what to do , ' said gavin macgregor-skinner , who teaches public health preparedness at penn state university . but if someone with symptoms of ebola shows up at any other hospital , as duncan did , the hospital might not be ready . it may not be that every single hospital is in fact prepared for this , ' said david sanders , associate professor of biology at purdue university . we may have to think about regional centers that are best prepared to deal with ebola patients . ' another step in the battle : screening . on saturday , passengers arriving from the three countries hardest hit by ebola started getting special screening , including having their temperature taken , at new york 's jfk airport . washington 's dulles , newark , chicago 's o'hare and atlanta international airports will begin screening thursday .'the time to act is long overdue' the country 's largest nursing organization , national nurses united , surveyed 2,000 members . of them , 76 % said their hospital has n't communicated any policy about how to admit ebola-infected patients . and 85 % said their hospital has n't provided education on ebola where the nurses can interact and ask questions . nurses are alarmed at the inadequate preparation they see at their hospitals , ' said the group 's executive director , roseann demoro . the time to act is long overdue , ' she said . | it 's the first known transmission of ebola ever in the united states |
ukraine <tsp> donetsk , ukraine ( cnn ) -- it was 4am when , still half asleep , we bundled ourselves into a van and headed to the southern ukraine city of kherson . we had spent the night in odessa , famous for its giant stairway featured in sergei eisenstein 's 1925 silent film , battleship potemkin . ' and while we had n't awoken before the sparrows just to go sightseeing , our diligent fixers unexpectedly took us on a tour of the apparent back streets of odessa . they assured us it was the quickest way out of town , but i was anxious because we had just three and a half hours to reach kherson where we 'd be joining the 43 observers from the organization for security and cooperation ( osce ) international observer team as they attempted to cross into crimea . the delegates were all from various militaries . punctuality had been drilled into them . they would not wait for a late television crew , even if we had been given exclusive access to their convoy . when we arrived in kherson , the osce observers were getting a briefing about their planned route to crimea . are you in crimea ? share your story with cnn ireport . yes , they expected to meet armed pro-russia military forces . no , they did not like their chances of getting through , but it was their mission to try . for almost three hours , we drove in a police-escorted convoy through sparse countryside and dilapidated soviet-era towns . it was a joy to see the black sea but at the same time , i felt some trepidation as it indicated we were approaching the chongar checkpoint and we really did n't know what to expect . we knew the men guarding the checkpoints up ahead were armed with assault rifles . the osce delegates we were travelling with were not carrying weapons and the crimean authorities had made it clear they regarded any attempts by the osce to enter the peninsula as a provocation . the team of observers had already been blocked on a different route to crimea the previous day . this was their second attempt . one delegate told me he was anxious about trying again . another said the delegation needed to be more forceful this time . at first our convoy was met with celebratory scenes of people waving ukrainian flags but the atmosphere changed further down the road as we approached the chongar roadblock . the men guarding it were indeed armed and wore balaclavas and military fatigues with no insignia . they stood below russian flags . along the roadside , signs warned of land mines . while the armed guards looked threatening , they were remarkably calm as they faced not only repeated demands from the osce observers but were taunted by pro-ukrainian protesters who had followed our convoy . this is our country . we will kill you , ' shouted a particularly irate elderly man . a shake of the head was the only response he got from one of the masked guards . for two hours , the osce officials repeatedly pressed their case , insisting they had a right to enter crimea , but eventually they decided their efforts were futile . the armed men would not budge . the weather was turning foul . the delegates turned their convoy around and headed back to kherson to assess their next move . we , however , stayed on . our man and wife fixer team had suggested they try to get us into crimea . and they were successful but not before a hairy moment . as we waited to be waved through , two shots were fired . up ahead , we could see gunfire smoke near a car waiting to pass from crimea into ukraine . the pro-russian forces manning the checkpoint immediately assumed defensive positions and stood back to back , weapons at the ready . but they remained calm , relaxed even . these masked men may not be wearing insignia but their discipline indicated that they had military training . after a few minutes , they waved us through . as we passed the white sedan that had been shot at , we could see that no one in the vehicle was hurt , but the front tire had been shot out . hostile reactions in crimea after five days in crimea , our team was due to head back to kiev . but on the eve of our departure , simferopol airport was closed to all flights except those to and from moscow . we would have to look for alternatives . by car or by rail . a road trip would mean at least 10 hours of driving with no guarantee we would get through the checkpoints set up by pro-russian forces between the crimean peninsula and ukrainian mainland . we had witnessed one of these gunmen shoot out the tires of a vehicle trying to cross into ukraine at a checkpoint in chongar . we did n't want to risk a similar situation . during our travels through the region , reaction to our cameras was n't always positive . in odessa we faced some aggression and were told that some pro-russia activists did not look favorably on american-owned networks . so with road travel struck off the list , we turned to the train timetables . so it seemed , had everyone else wanting to get out . the kiev-bound service was booked out but we managed to snare the last tickets on a train to donetsk , another region in eastern ukraine which identifies more strongly with moscow than kiev . so we boarded the sevastopol-donetsk express at 7.55 p.m. and immediately negotiated our way into first class to accommodate the 12 bags of camera equipment and personal luggage that we 'd been dragging around the countryside from kiev , to odessa , to simferopol and sevastopol for the past seven days . the train conductor kindly gave up her two-bunk cabin for us and no doubt spent a restless night in an upright chair . that 's not to suggest that we slept any more soundly . the heating was turned up to asteroid temperature and our kindly conductor woke us at 2 am to fetch her cigarettes that she 'd left in the cabin . i guess she needed something to get her through the discomfort . still , it was a markedly better and safer way to travel than by car . the carriages were full of young families and senior citizens heading to the ukraine ahead of sunday 's referendum , there was a plentiful supply of tea with lemon and sugar , and at $ 15 for a standard ticket and $ 40 for first class , it was a bargain . it was also hassle-free . despite reports of pro-russian forces inspecting trains in crimea , our only visitor was a young mute man who wanted to sell us night lights . we are now all proud owners of these small glowing souvenirs of a journey that may have left us parched from the heat , but which gave us one of the few remaining routes out of crimea . at least until after the referendum on sunday . | cnn team joins international observers trying to get into crimea from ukraine |
bos taurus <tsp> americans love beef ; we eat nearly 63 pounds per person each year . although that 's a lot , the amount is down from our 1976 high of 89 pounds . when buying beef , we tend to stick to what we know , which may be why almost 60 percent of our beef dollars go for ground beef . even as an experienced chef , i often brought home familiar cuts . but researching my book , field guide to meat , ' led me to expand my repertoire to tasty , if less familiar , cuts like hanger steak and tri-tip . soon you can do the same , knowing which cuts to choose for maximum flavor and nutrition . a 3½-ounce serving provides 27g to 30g of protein and is an excellent source of iron , zinc , and phosphorus . beef background humans began domesticating cattle , bos taurus , about 8,500 years ago . columbus first brought cattle to the new world , and by 1690 , descendants of columbus'cattle ranging in mexico were driven north and became known as texas longhorns . others arrived later with the colonists . america 's top five cattle breeds are angus from scotland , hereford from england , limousin from france , simmenthal from switzerland , and charolais from france . more than 90 percent of the beef we buy originates in america , while most of the rest is canadian bred . the beef we eat comes mostly from 18- to 24-month-old steers , averaging about 1,000 pounds , and yielding about 450 pounds of meat . each is divided for wholesale into eight primals ( major portions ) : the chuck ( shoulder and upper ribs ) , the rib , the loin , the sirloin ( hip ) , the round ( upper leg ) , the brisket ( breast ) , the plate ( belly ) , and the small flank . organs like liver and kidneys are called variety meats . when evaluating your choices at the grocery store , here are a few key terms and facts to know : • grain-finished : nearly 75 percent of u.s. beef comes from cattle fattened on grain ( usually corn ) for three to six months in feedlots . since corn is not a natural part of a cow 's diet , cattle fed on it may experience stress and other ailments , so they are routinely treated with antibiotics . they also receive growth hormones to increase their size ( and value , as beef is sold by weight ) . until recently , inexpensive corn has helped keep down the price of beef . • grass-finished : grass- or pasture-finished beef comes from cattle that forage on grasses and legumes . their meat is lower in saturated fat , cholesterol , and calories than grain-finished . ( because it is quite lean , cook rare to medium-rare for juiciness . ) grass-fed beef has a distinct flavor , often described as bold , complex , and gamy . many people believe that grass-fed cattle are a more sustainable choice . however , raising grass-fed cattle is time-consuming and requires large open spaces , variables that raise its price . most is imported from canada , followed by australia , new zealand , argentina , and brazil . • aging : dry-aging is the traditional process preferred by many steak lovers . the concentrated , intense flavor of dry-aged beef develops as it hangs in special temperature- and humidity-controlled rooms from 10 days to six weeks . the longer the aging , the better the flavor and tenderness , but also the more the shrinkage as water evaporates and a dark crust develops , which must be cut away . about 90 percent of american beef is sold as large vacuum-packed cuts . during the average seven-day period the beef spends in the bag , ' it ages in a process called wet-aging . ' • processing and packaging : until the 1960s butcher shops bought beef as half- or quarter-carcasses . packers then began selling vacuum-packed beef , the same large cuts sold at warehouse club stores . retailers refrigerated the boxes until needed , then opened the package and cut the meat into portions for sale . next came case-ready meat , which precluded the need for skilled butchers on-site in markets . leak-proof and easily stackable , case-ready packages are produced in usda-inspected plants and have a longer shelf life . packages covered with a sealed layer of clear plastic are modified-atmosphere packages , which have a gas-filled space inside to help preserve freshness and color . nutrition • fat content : the usda defines lean beef ' as having less than 10 grams ( g ) of total fat , 4.5g or less of saturated fat , and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3½-ounce serving ( 100g ) of cooked beef . half of the fat is saturated and half is heart-healthy monounsaturated . there are 29 naturally lean cuts of beef , including many familiar to cooking light readers , such as tenderloin , flank steak , and sirloin , as well as five lesser-known cuts . others , such as ribeye or chuck roast , naturally contain more fat , although it is similarly divided between saturated and monounsaturated . because lean beef contains less fat , it 's best cooked to medium-rare ( 145°f ) or medium ( 160°f ) to optimize tenderness . if using fattier cuts , slice away the outer rim of fat and cut or pull out any pockets of fat before cooking . for larger cuts , allow the fat to baste the meat while cooking , then trim away before eating , or skim it from the surface of braised dishes or stews . • other nutrients : a 3½-ounce serving provides 27g to 30g of protein -- more than half of the 50g recommended daily in a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet . all beef is an excellent source of iron , zinc , and phosphorus . in general , the redder the meat , the more iron it contains ( beef liver has the most ) . beef also contains thiamin , riboflavin , and niacin and is a rich source of b12 , found naturally only in animal foods . cookinglight.com : fat and ground beef at the market • inspection and grading : usda inspectors examine all live animals and beef shipped out of state , which encompasses most of today 's supermarket beef . grading is voluntary and done by the same inspectors . the more marbling -- the small white flecks of fat within the muscles -- the higher the grade . three grades of beef are sold to consumers . only three percent is highly marbled prime , sought after by top steak houses and butcher shops . about 57 percent is moderately marbled choice , the most common supermarket grade . the remaining 40 percent is lean select . • private labels : supermarket chains and large food distributors also have developed private brands with their own specifications . the first such program began in 1978 with certified angus beef , which must come from angus cattle . niman ranch natural beef and certified hereford beef are two others . • natural and organic : beef labeled natural ' must not contain any artificial ingredients and can not be more than minimally processed , such as ground beef . organic ' beef must come from cattle raised and certified according to the usda 's national organic program . organic cattle must be fed 100-percent organically and without antibiotics or hormones . both natural and organic beef can be either grass- or grain-finished . ways to save • buy lean cuts . often , leaner cuts are cheaper than fatty ones . and when the fat cooks away , lean cuts provide more meat for your dollar . • buy in bulk . large or family-sized packages cost less per pound than smaller packages . divide into portions , and freeze the surplus . • be your own butcher . beef that has been presliced into steaks or made into patties costs more than less processed meat . buy bigger cuts , and do some of the preparation work yourself . cookinglight.com : beef on a budget • but do n't go overboard . advice to buy a side or quarter of beef may seem sensible , but you 'll likely have more meat than you can store . such a purchase may yield what one buyer describes as cheap steak and expensive hamburger . ' for more tips on making healthy taste great , try cooking light - click here copyright 2009 cooking light magazine . all rights reserved . | humans began domesticating cattle , bos taurus , about 8,500 years ago |
ian lee <tsp> tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- a libyan revolutionary fighters'convoy came under attack saturday on the outskirts of sirte , the birthplace of moammar gadhafi , injuring a cnn journalist who was traveling with them . ian lee was treated for shrapnel in his ankle in a rocket propelled grenade ( rpg ) attack . he was in good spirits and was able to speak with his family by phone . lee was with a cnn team traveling with anti-gadhafi fighters and other journalists towards sirte , where fierce fighting unfolded again saturday . the revolutionaries have been met there with stiff resistance from loyalists . from a roundabout on the edge of the city , where revolutionaries have been amassing , the cnn team followed fighters heading north towards the sea to evacuate civilians , said cnn correspondent phil black , who was with lee . for an unknown reason , one fighter began shooting his gun , causing others also to shoot . soon after , the convoy started taking incoming fire . at first it was small arms , quickly followed by rpgs . two vehicles near the cnn team were hit by at least two rpgs . the cnn journalists pulled back , rushing lee to nearest field hospital , black said . at least one anti-gadhafi paramedic was killed in the same attack . it was not immediately clear whether there were other casualties . | ian lee gets treated for shrapnel in his leg |
french <tsp> marseille , france ( cnn ) initial tests on the flight data recorder recovered from downed germanwings flight 9525 show that co-pilot andreas lubitz purposely used the controls to speed up the plane 's descent , according to the french air accident investigation agency , the bea . the flight data recorder , or black box , ' was found thursday by recovery teams that have spent days since the march 24 crash scouring the mountainside in the french alps where the plane went down . a statement from the bea on friday said its teams had immediately begun to investigate its contents . the initial readout shows that the pilot present in the cockpit used the autopilot to put the ( airplane ) into a descent towards an altitude of 100 ( feet ) then , on several occasions during the descent , the pilot modified the autopilot setting to increase the speed of the ( airplane ) in descent , ' it said . work is continuing to establish the precise history of the flight . ' evidence from the plane 's cockpit voice recorder , recovered swiftly after the crash , had already led investigators to believe that lubitz acted deliberately to bring down the plane , killing all 150 people on board . and prosecutors in germany said thursday that an analysis of a tablet device retrieved from the 27-year-old 's apartment in dusseldorf revealed that he had researched suicide methods and cockpit door security on the internet . the correspondence and search history on the device demonstrated that the co-pilot used it from march 16 to march 23 , dusseldorf prosecutor christoph kumpa said . the search history was not deleted and also revealed searches concerning medical treatment , the prosecutor said . investigators have focused on lubitz 's health as they try to establish his motivation . but the missing black box ' was expected to yield important evidence about the plane 's final minutes . a female police officer digging by hand for clothes in a ravine that been searched previously found the flight data recorder thursday afternoon about 8 inches ( 20 centimeters ) below the surface , marseille prosecutor brice robin told reporters . usually white with florescent orange , this discovered recorder lived up to its name as a black box because fire had darkened it with ashes . in addition , out of more than 2,000 dna samples collected from the crash site , lab workers have isolated 150 dna profiles , robin told reporters . that does not mean we 've identified ' the crash 's 150 victims , robin said -- noting the recovered dna still must be compared with dna submitted by the families of those who died in the crash . authorities have also found 470 personal effects at the site , according to robin . that number includes 40 cell phones , though all those were badly damaged . robin cast doubt that any useful information could be retrieved from those phones , given their condition . that view is consistent with french officials'claims wednesday insisting that two publications , german daily bild and french paris match , were wrong to report that cell phone video showed the harrowing final seconds from on board the flight . noting he 's made a criminal request to german authorities but is for now conducting his own investigation , the french prosecutor said he is tasked with an involuntary homicide investigation . but robin noted that lubitz made voluntary actions -- such as guiding the plane toward the mountain and reducing its speed to prevent alarms from going off -- and was alive and conscious ' to the very end . a european official government official with detailed knowledge of the investigation said that lubitz 's actions amount to premeditated murder . ' while cautioning that there are still many holes in understanding lubitz 's motivation , the disclosures about his internet searches show that he planned to do what he was going to do , according to this official . calls for crash avoidance technology it is becoming increasingly clear to investigators that lubitz was very afraid ' he would lose his license to fly because of his medical issues , a law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation told cnn on thursday . it 's already emerged that lubitz had battled depression years before he took the controls of flight 9525 and that he had concealed from his employer recent medical leave notes saying he was unfit for work . but the law enforcement source said that after a severe depressive episode in 2009 , lubitz relapsed with severe depression and stress in late 2014 . in the weeks leading up to the crash , lubitz was shopping doctors , seeing at least five , perhaps as many as six , the source said , as he kept going from one doctor to the next seeking help , including from a sleep specialist . he was prescribed powerful medication , though it 's not clear he was taking it . opinion : what if my patient is a pilot ? cnn 's margot haddad reported from marseille , and laura smith-spark wrote from london . cnn 's pamela brown and greg botelho contributed to this report . | french investigators : flight data recorder reveals andreas lubitz acted deliberately to crash plane |
andreas lubitz <tsp> marseille , france ( cnn ) initial tests on the flight data recorder recovered from downed germanwings flight 9525 show that co-pilot andreas lubitz purposely used the controls to speed up the plane 's descent , according to the french air accident investigation agency , the bea . the flight data recorder , or black box , ' was found thursday by recovery teams that have spent days since the march 24 crash scouring the mountainside in the french alps where the plane went down . a statement from the bea on friday said its teams had immediately begun to investigate its contents . the initial readout shows that the pilot present in the cockpit used the autopilot to put the ( airplane ) into a descent towards an altitude of 100 ( feet ) then , on several occasions during the descent , the pilot modified the autopilot setting to increase the speed of the ( airplane ) in descent , ' it said . work is continuing to establish the precise history of the flight . ' evidence from the plane 's cockpit voice recorder , recovered swiftly after the crash , had already led investigators to believe that lubitz acted deliberately to bring down the plane , killing all 150 people on board . and prosecutors in germany said thursday that an analysis of a tablet device retrieved from the 27-year-old 's apartment in dusseldorf revealed that he had researched suicide methods and cockpit door security on the internet . the correspondence and search history on the device demonstrated that the co-pilot used it from march 16 to march 23 , dusseldorf prosecutor christoph kumpa said . the search history was not deleted and also revealed searches concerning medical treatment , the prosecutor said . investigators have focused on lubitz 's health as they try to establish his motivation . but the missing black box ' was expected to yield important evidence about the plane 's final minutes . a female police officer digging by hand for clothes in a ravine that been searched previously found the flight data recorder thursday afternoon about 8 inches ( 20 centimeters ) below the surface , marseille prosecutor brice robin told reporters . usually white with florescent orange , this discovered recorder lived up to its name as a black box because fire had darkened it with ashes . in addition , out of more than 2,000 dna samples collected from the crash site , lab workers have isolated 150 dna profiles , robin told reporters . that does not mean we 've identified ' the crash 's 150 victims , robin said -- noting the recovered dna still must be compared with dna submitted by the families of those who died in the crash . authorities have also found 470 personal effects at the site , according to robin . that number includes 40 cell phones , though all those were badly damaged . robin cast doubt that any useful information could be retrieved from those phones , given their condition . that view is consistent with french officials'claims wednesday insisting that two publications , german daily bild and french paris match , were wrong to report that cell phone video showed the harrowing final seconds from on board the flight . noting he 's made a criminal request to german authorities but is for now conducting his own investigation , the french prosecutor said he is tasked with an involuntary homicide investigation . but robin noted that lubitz made voluntary actions -- such as guiding the plane toward the mountain and reducing its speed to prevent alarms from going off -- and was alive and conscious ' to the very end . a european official government official with detailed knowledge of the investigation said that lubitz 's actions amount to premeditated murder . ' while cautioning that there are still many holes in understanding lubitz 's motivation , the disclosures about his internet searches show that he planned to do what he was going to do , according to this official . calls for crash avoidance technology it is becoming increasingly clear to investigators that lubitz was very afraid ' he would lose his license to fly because of his medical issues , a law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation told cnn on thursday . it 's already emerged that lubitz had battled depression years before he took the controls of flight 9525 and that he had concealed from his employer recent medical leave notes saying he was unfit for work . but the law enforcement source said that after a severe depressive episode in 2009 , lubitz relapsed with severe depression and stress in late 2014 . in the weeks leading up to the crash , lubitz was shopping doctors , seeing at least five , perhaps as many as six , the source said , as he kept going from one doctor to the next seeking help , including from a sleep specialist . he was prescribed powerful medication , though it 's not clear he was taking it . opinion : what if my patient is a pilot ? cnn 's margot haddad reported from marseille , and laura smith-spark wrote from london . cnn 's pamela brown and greg botelho contributed to this report . | french investigators : flight data recorder reveals andreas lubitz acted deliberately to crash plane |
army pfc <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- video showing pfc . bowe bergdahl , captured by the taliban in afghanistan , is just another example of how captors use the medium for psychological warfare . u.s. army spc . shoshana johnson , who was held by insurgents in iraq , prepares to enter a plane to safety . the latest video shows bergdahl , of ketchum , idaho , looking comfortable and eating food . while he expresses concern about not seeing his family and girlfriend again , he does appear to speak calmly and has no visible signs of abuse . i have a very , very good family that i love back home in america , and i miss them every day that i 'm gone , ' he says in a 28-minute video released by his captors . i miss them , and i 'm afraid i might never see them again and that i 'll never be able to tell them i love them again . i 'll never be able to hug them . ' but that is in stark contrast to the well-publicized captures of u.s. servicemen and women in conflicts past . vietnam sen. john mccain , whose plane was shot down during a combat mission over vietnam in 1967 , is considered one of the most famous prisoners of war . he was captured by the communist viet cong and spent nearly six years in a prisoner of war camp , where he was often tortured . a grainy black-and-white film released by his captors showed a severely injured mccain talking on camera in the so-called hanoi hilton . ' mccain later refused to be released before other prisoners . he eventually returned to the united states in 1973 . during the years , we were kept in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell because they did n't want us to see each other . we 'd spend all our time tapping on the walls to each other and encouraging each other and organizing , organizing , organizing with our chain of command . the days and hours go by , ' mccain told cnn 's john king last year . iraq and most recently , in 2003 , video from iraq painted a picture of an unruly and chaotic terror organization holding u.s. soldiers captured in the iraq military theater . army spc . shoshana johnson was shown on videotape being interrogated -- with five other soldiers including pfc . jessica lynch , who was badly wounded and was held prisoner at a separate location . nine of their fellow soldiers were killed when their convoy was ambushed . johnson appeared frightened , with her eyes darting quickly left and right . i was terrified . i did n't know what was going to happen to me , ' johnson said in a past cnn interview . and i was in a lot of pain . ' lynch 's videotaped rescue made her a celebrity , and she was used by the pentagon to put a face on the men and women who were fighting the war against the regime of saddam hussein . johnson and the other pows spent 22 days as prisoners until marines rescued them . chris voss , a former lead international kidnapping coordinator for the fbi , says that as a lesson from the johnson video , the taliban may have learned to try to appear more political than radical . they 're hoping that ... this gets to other media outlets that will make them appear so that they are a reasonable political force , ' he says . there is very much a lack of overthreat in the [ bergdahl ] video , and they clearly thought this through ... specifically strategic for these purposes . ' somalia army chief warrant officer 3 michael durant , a black hawk helicopter pilot , was shot down in 1993 during a combat mission in mogadishu , somalia . the body of one of his fellow pilots being dragged through the streets was captured on video . after the crash , he was captured by a mob and held for 11 days . durant suffered several serious injuries , including a broken back and face and leg wounds . he was later released . his bloodied and bruised face was splashed on the covers of several national magazines , including time and newsweek , and on tv networks . his story later inspired mark bowden 's bestseller black hawk down ' and a movie by director ridley scott . voss says his image was depicted in a different way than others had been . the media picked that up and ran in a way that was very accusatory towards the united states , ' he says . there were pictures of mike durant in a clearly beaten-up condition , and the captions in the various national magazines were ,'what in the world are we doing ?' voss says that from that incident , the united states may have learned to apply the mostly mum stance it 's using during the bergdahl capture . the u.s. government gave a knee-jerk reaction to that , which i think they 've learned from , ' he says . so how this plays out in the media , the taliban is being very cautious to appear to be reasonable ... because they do n't want to make themselves look like they 're fanatical . they are trying to be very reasonable . ' | army pfc . bowe bergdahl was captured nearly three weeks ago in afghanistan |
defense department <tsp> ( wired ) -- it 's too late to stop wikileaks from publishing thousands more classified documents , nabbed from the pentagon 's secret network . but the u.s. military is telling its troops to stop using cds , dvds , thumb drives and every other form of removable media -- or risk a court martial . maj. gen. richard webber , commander of air force network operations , issued the december 3 cyber control order ' -- obtained by danger room -- which directs airmen to immediately cease use of removable media on all systems , servers , and stand alone machines residing on siprnet , ' the defense department 's secret network . similar directives have gone out to the military 's other branches . unauthorized data transfers routinely occur on classified networks using removable media and are a method the insider threat uses to exploit classified information . to mitigate the activity , all air force organizations must immediately suspend all siprnet data transfer activities on removable media , ' the order adds . it 's one of a number of moves the defense department is making to prevent further disclosures of secret information in the wake of the wikileaks document dumps . pfc . bradley manning says he downloaded hundreds of thousands of files from siprnet to a cd marked lady gaga ' before giving the files to wikileaks . to stop that from happening again , an august internal review suggested that the pentagon disable all classified computers'ability to write to removable media . about 60 percent of military machines are now connected to a host based security system , which looks for anomalous behavior . and now there 's this disk-banning order . one military source who works on these networks says it will make the job harder ; classified computers are often disconnected from the network , or are in low-bandwidth areas . a dvd or a thumb drive is often the easiest way to get information from one machine to the next . they were asking us to build homes before , ' the source says . now they 're taking away our hammers . ' the order acknowledges that the ban will make life trickier for some troops . users will experience difficulty with transferring data for operational needs which could impede timeliness on mission execution , ' the document admits . but military personnel who do not comply ... may be punished under article 92 of the uniformed code of military justice . ' article 92 is the armed forces'regulation covering failure to obey orders and dereliction of duty , and it stipulates that violators shall be punished as a court-martial may direct . ' but to several defense department insiders , the steps taken so far to prevent another big secret data dump have been surprisingly small . after all the churn .... the general perception is business as usual . i 'm not kidding , ' one of those insiders says . we have n't turned a brain cell on it . ' tape and disk backups , as well as hard drive removals , will continue as normal in the military 's secure compartmented information facilities , where top-secret information is discussed and handled . and removable drives have been banned on siprnet before . two years ago , the pentagon forbade the media 's use after the drives and disks helped spread a relatively unsophisticated worm onto hundreds of thousands of computers . the ban was lifted this february , after the worm cleanup effort , dubbed operational buckshot yankee , ' was finally completed . shortly thereafter , manning says he started passing information to wikileaks . specialists at the national security agency are looking for additional technical ways to limit , disable or audit military users'actions . darpa , the pentagon 's leading-edge research arm , has launched an effort to greatly increase the accuracy , rate and speed with which insider threats are detected ... within government and military interest networks . ' but , like all darpa projects , this one wo n't be ready to deploy for years -- if ever . for now , the pentagon is stuck with more conventional methods to wikileak-proof its networks . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com . | defense department making moves to prevent disclosures of secret info |
facebook <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the internet 's great promises is that it 's the ultimate democratizer . it 's open to everyone and allows all people to communicate . facebook and google have added new translation tools , but they take different approaches . but , so far , there have been several hitches in that plan . not everyone has access to a computer and a broadband connection . some governments still censor the internet . and of course , we do n't all speak the same language . for the world wide web to be truly global , should n't chinese speakers be able to chat online with people who only speak spanish ? and why should an english speaker be barred from reading blogs written in malagasy or zulu ? facebook inc. and google inc. are two web companies trying particularly hard to make this happen , and they 've released a number of updates to their translation services in recent weeks . the two online giants are going about the process in different ways . facebook aims to translate the web using an army of volunteers and some hired professional translators . meanwhile , google plans to let computers do most of the work . which method will ultimately prevail remains to be seen . but for now , here 's a look at the latest language features from both companies , and some background on how their translation services work . ( feel free to add your own internet translation tips -- and fun translation bloopers -- in the comments section at the bottom of the story ) : facebook 's human translation many tech bloggers think facebook 's method of human translation seems promising . after all , the american-born social networking site introduced non-english languages for the first time only in january 2008 . now about 70 percent of facebook 's 300 million users are outside of the united states . how it works : real people are at the heart of facebook translation plan . they suggest translated phrases and vote on translations that others have submitted . these crowd-sourced edits -- which work kind of like wikipedia -- make facebook 's translation service smarter over time . go to facebook 's translation page to check it out or to participate . size : more than 65 languages function on facebook now , according to facebook 's statistics . at least another 30 languages are in the works , meaning facebook needs help working out the kinks on those languages before they 're put to use . what 's new ? facebook announced in a blog post on september 30 that the social network has made its crowd-sourced translation technology available to other sites on the web . the update allows sites to install a translation gadget on their sites through facebook connect , a service that lets facebook users sign in on other web pages . facebook also added some new languages , including latin and pirate , ' which translates the facebooky word share ' as blabber t'yer mates ! ' pros and cons : people are good at knowing idioms and slang , so facebook tends to get these right , but there are limited numbers of multi-lingual volunteers who want to spend time helping facebook translate things . also , facebook 's site is available in many languages , but its human translators do n't touch wall posts , photo comments and other user-submitted items , which is a big con if you want to have friends who do n't share a common language with you . people who use facebook connect to translate their sites can choose which text they want users to help translate , according to facebook spokeswoman malorie lucich . craig ulliott , founder of whereivebeen.com , said he 's excited about facebook 's translation application , but it would be too much to ask his site 's users to translate user-submitted material . google 's'mechanical'translation google uses mathematical equations to try to translate the web 's content . this fits in line with the company 's mission , which is to organize the world 's information and make it useful and accessible to all . how it works : google 's computers learn how to be translators by examining text that 's already on the web , and from professional web translations posted online , said franz och , a principal scientist at google . the more text is out there , the more google learns and the better its translations become . the search-engine company currently translates documents , search results and full web pages . size : google claims to be the largest free language translation service online . it covers 51 languages and more than 2,500 language pairs . the site 's interface has been translated , with the help of google users , into 130 languages . what 's new ? : google recently created a widget that any web developer can put on his or her page to offer up google translations . so , say you 're a blogger who writes about music . you might get some brazilian readers if you offered up a button to translate your site into portuguese . google also recently unveiled a translation service for google docs , which lets anyone upload a document to the web and have it translated into a number of languages for free . and there 's a new firefox add-on from google to help people translate the web more quickly . och said real-time translation of internet chats is on the horizon , as are more languages and increased quality as google 's computers get smarter . pros and cons : google 's computerized approach means it can translate tons of content -- and fast . but computers are n't quite up to speed with ever-evolving modern speech , so reports of translation errors are fairly common . on the plus side , the service has been vastly improved in the last five years , och said . also , google lets people spot translation errors , suggest new wordings and translate its interface into languages google 's computers do n't speak just yet . | facebook announces a new service to let internet users help translate sites |
facebook <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the internet 's great promises is that it 's the ultimate democratizer . it 's open to everyone and allows all people to communicate . facebook and google have added new translation tools , but they take different approaches . but , so far , there have been several hitches in that plan . not everyone has access to a computer and a broadband connection . some governments still censor the internet . and of course , we do n't all speak the same language . for the world wide web to be truly global , should n't chinese speakers be able to chat online with people who only speak spanish ? and why should an english speaker be barred from reading blogs written in malagasy or zulu ? facebook inc. and google inc. are two web companies trying particularly hard to make this happen , and they 've released a number of updates to their translation services in recent weeks . the two online giants are going about the process in different ways . facebook aims to translate the web using an army of volunteers and some hired professional translators . meanwhile , google plans to let computers do most of the work . which method will ultimately prevail remains to be seen . but for now , here 's a look at the latest language features from both companies , and some background on how their translation services work . ( feel free to add your own internet translation tips -- and fun translation bloopers -- in the comments section at the bottom of the story ) : facebook 's human translation many tech bloggers think facebook 's method of human translation seems promising . after all , the american-born social networking site introduced non-english languages for the first time only in january 2008 . now about 70 percent of facebook 's 300 million users are outside of the united states . how it works : real people are at the heart of facebook translation plan . they suggest translated phrases and vote on translations that others have submitted . these crowd-sourced edits -- which work kind of like wikipedia -- make facebook 's translation service smarter over time . go to facebook 's translation page to check it out or to participate . size : more than 65 languages function on facebook now , according to facebook 's statistics . at least another 30 languages are in the works , meaning facebook needs help working out the kinks on those languages before they 're put to use . what 's new ? facebook announced in a blog post on september 30 that the social network has made its crowd-sourced translation technology available to other sites on the web . the update allows sites to install a translation gadget on their sites through facebook connect , a service that lets facebook users sign in on other web pages . facebook also added some new languages , including latin and pirate , ' which translates the facebooky word share ' as blabber t'yer mates ! ' pros and cons : people are good at knowing idioms and slang , so facebook tends to get these right , but there are limited numbers of multi-lingual volunteers who want to spend time helping facebook translate things . also , facebook 's site is available in many languages , but its human translators do n't touch wall posts , photo comments and other user-submitted items , which is a big con if you want to have friends who do n't share a common language with you . people who use facebook connect to translate their sites can choose which text they want users to help translate , according to facebook spokeswoman malorie lucich . craig ulliott , founder of whereivebeen.com , said he 's excited about facebook 's translation application , but it would be too much to ask his site 's users to translate user-submitted material . google 's'mechanical'translation google uses mathematical equations to try to translate the web 's content . this fits in line with the company 's mission , which is to organize the world 's information and make it useful and accessible to all . how it works : google 's computers learn how to be translators by examining text that 's already on the web , and from professional web translations posted online , said franz och , a principal scientist at google . the more text is out there , the more google learns and the better its translations become . the search-engine company currently translates documents , search results and full web pages . size : google claims to be the largest free language translation service online . it covers 51 languages and more than 2,500 language pairs . the site 's interface has been translated , with the help of google users , into 130 languages . what 's new ? : google recently created a widget that any web developer can put on his or her page to offer up google translations . so , say you 're a blogger who writes about music . you might get some brazilian readers if you offered up a button to translate your site into portuguese . google also recently unveiled a translation service for google docs , which lets anyone upload a document to the web and have it translated into a number of languages for free . and there 's a new firefox add-on from google to help people translate the web more quickly . och said real-time translation of internet chats is on the horizon , as are more languages and increased quality as google 's computers get smarter . pros and cons : google 's computerized approach means it can translate tons of content -- and fast . but computers are n't quite up to speed with ever-evolving modern speech , so reports of translation errors are fairly common . on the plus side , the service has been vastly improved in the last five years , och said . also , google lets people spot translation errors , suggest new wordings and translate its interface into languages google 's computers do n't speak just yet . | facebook favors human translation ; google leans on its computers |
facebook <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the internet 's great promises is that it 's the ultimate democratizer . it 's open to everyone and allows all people to communicate . facebook and google have added new translation tools , but they take different approaches . but , so far , there have been several hitches in that plan . not everyone has access to a computer and a broadband connection . some governments still censor the internet . and of course , we do n't all speak the same language . for the world wide web to be truly global , should n't chinese speakers be able to chat online with people who only speak spanish ? and why should an english speaker be barred from reading blogs written in malagasy or zulu ? facebook inc. and google inc. are two web companies trying particularly hard to make this happen , and they 've released a number of updates to their translation services in recent weeks . the two online giants are going about the process in different ways . facebook aims to translate the web using an army of volunteers and some hired professional translators . meanwhile , google plans to let computers do most of the work . which method will ultimately prevail remains to be seen . but for now , here 's a look at the latest language features from both companies , and some background on how their translation services work . ( feel free to add your own internet translation tips -- and fun translation bloopers -- in the comments section at the bottom of the story ) : facebook 's human translation many tech bloggers think facebook 's method of human translation seems promising . after all , the american-born social networking site introduced non-english languages for the first time only in january 2008 . now about 70 percent of facebook 's 300 million users are outside of the united states . how it works : real people are at the heart of facebook translation plan . they suggest translated phrases and vote on translations that others have submitted . these crowd-sourced edits -- which work kind of like wikipedia -- make facebook 's translation service smarter over time . go to facebook 's translation page to check it out or to participate . size : more than 65 languages function on facebook now , according to facebook 's statistics . at least another 30 languages are in the works , meaning facebook needs help working out the kinks on those languages before they 're put to use . what 's new ? facebook announced in a blog post on september 30 that the social network has made its crowd-sourced translation technology available to other sites on the web . the update allows sites to install a translation gadget on their sites through facebook connect , a service that lets facebook users sign in on other web pages . facebook also added some new languages , including latin and pirate , ' which translates the facebooky word share ' as blabber t'yer mates ! ' pros and cons : people are good at knowing idioms and slang , so facebook tends to get these right , but there are limited numbers of multi-lingual volunteers who want to spend time helping facebook translate things . also , facebook 's site is available in many languages , but its human translators do n't touch wall posts , photo comments and other user-submitted items , which is a big con if you want to have friends who do n't share a common language with you . people who use facebook connect to translate their sites can choose which text they want users to help translate , according to facebook spokeswoman malorie lucich . craig ulliott , founder of whereivebeen.com , said he 's excited about facebook 's translation application , but it would be too much to ask his site 's users to translate user-submitted material . google 's'mechanical'translation google uses mathematical equations to try to translate the web 's content . this fits in line with the company 's mission , which is to organize the world 's information and make it useful and accessible to all . how it works : google 's computers learn how to be translators by examining text that 's already on the web , and from professional web translations posted online , said franz och , a principal scientist at google . the more text is out there , the more google learns and the better its translations become . the search-engine company currently translates documents , search results and full web pages . size : google claims to be the largest free language translation service online . it covers 51 languages and more than 2,500 language pairs . the site 's interface has been translated , with the help of google users , into 130 languages . what 's new ? : google recently created a widget that any web developer can put on his or her page to offer up google translations . so , say you 're a blogger who writes about music . you might get some brazilian readers if you offered up a button to translate your site into portuguese . google also recently unveiled a translation service for google docs , which lets anyone upload a document to the web and have it translated into a number of languages for free . and there 's a new firefox add-on from google to help people translate the web more quickly . och said real-time translation of internet chats is on the horizon , as are more languages and increased quality as google 's computers get smarter . pros and cons : google 's computerized approach means it can translate tons of content -- and fast . but computers are n't quite up to speed with ever-evolving modern speech , so reports of translation errors are fairly common . on the plus side , the service has been vastly improved in the last five years , och said . also , google lets people spot translation errors , suggest new wordings and translate its interface into languages google 's computers do n't speak just yet . | facebook and google are finding new ways to translate the web |
pakistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia 's top diplomat said thursday the nation will permit nato to move armored vehicles through russia to afghanistan , state-run russian media said . the eased transit regulations have been extended to armored vehicles with anti-mine protection , ' foreign minister sergey lavrov said after discussions in moscow , russia , with afghan foreign minister zalmay rasul , according to state-run ria novosti . at the nato summit in lisbon , portugal , last week , russia and the alliance agreed to broadened transit arrangements through russian territory ' of non-lethal ' material . the cargo would be moved through russia to and from afghanistan . we underlined the importance of international efforts in support of the afghan government and in promoting regional peace and stability . in that context , the revised arrangements aimed at further facilitating railway transit of non-lethal isaf goods through russian territory are of particular value , ' the nato-russia council joint statement said saturday . the agreement will help nato 's international security force break its dependency on pakistani authorities to allow supplies and vehicles to get through . pakistan last month temporarily closed the main land route for nato supplies crossing from pakistan to afghanistan after u.s. helicopter strikes across the border killed two pakistani soldiers . dmitry rogozin , the russian permanent representative to nato , said the matter refers to vehicles for transporting civilians only , interfax news agency reported , citing remarks he made on echo moskvy radio . this has been made so that they could freely move even if militants using improvised explosive devices step up their activities , ' rogozin said . we have not given and will not give our consent to transportation of military cargo by rail through russian territory . ' | pakistan closed the route into afghanistan last month due to u.s. helicopter strikes |
christmas day <tsp> ( cnn ) -- kurt haskell 's eyes were locked on the seatback monitor in front of him when the words of a passing flight attendant caught his attention . she said something smells like smoke , ' recalled haskell , a passenger on northwest airlines flight 253 . i got out of my seat and took a few steps up the aisle , and that 's when row 19 burst into flames . ' two passengers quickly hauled the man sitting in the burning row into the first-class section . a flight attendant grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the flames in what became the latest example of citizens taking action when counterterrorism safeguards fall short . at the time , haskell said he did n't know if he was witnessing a terrorist attack or a freak accident . in the hours ahead , he and the other passengers learned the details of the near-tragedy . the suspect , later identified as umar farouk abdulmutallab , allegedly tried to bring down the airliner with explosives concealed in his underwear . despite warnings that he allegedly was consorting with islamist extremists and that he was listed in a database of suspicious people , the 23-year-old nigerian was allowed to board the plane . we dodged a bullet but just barely , ' president obama said last week . a disaster was averted by brave individuals -- not because the system worked , ' he said . brave individuals also were credited for saving the 197 people on american airlines flight 63 in december 2001 . passengers and crew saw richard reid trying to ignite a bomb in his shoe . the bomb malfunctioned , and those onboard subdued him and tied him to his seat . three months before , on september 11 , passengers overtook hijackers on united airlines flight 93 , foiling an apparent attempt to crash the plane into a washington target . the plane instead crashed in a pennsylvania field , killing everyone aboard . in situations such as these , everyday people play the most vital role ' in the nation 's fight against terrorism , said bruce hoffman , a terrorism expert at georgetown university . citizens have a role and they have a responsibility , but it 's the last and it 's the thinnest line of defense , ' hoffman said . on the front end , the counterterrorism system could n't function without help from the public , hoffman said , pointing to the united kingdom 's campaign against the irish republican army and israel 's against the second intifada . signs on subways told people to be vigilant and to report any suspicious behavior or bags left behind . in both cases , citizen tips were absolutely essential , ' hoffman said . while the threat of attacks on u.s. soil pales in comparison to the britain of the late 20th century or modern-day israel , the united states still needs its citizens to remain alert so as to thwart terrorist attempts to establish a local base . more than anything else , it 's an attitude that we need to have that we ca n't leave everything to the government to fix , ' hoffman said . temple university psychologist frank farley said everyday heroism is empowering for the whole culture and helps combat the it 's not my job ' mentality . what does it mean , everyday heroism ? it means something you can do where you are , with what you 've got , ' farley said , echoing the words of theodore roosevelt . however , farley , who has studied heroism for more than four decades , cautioned that overstating the threat or scaring people could counteract the public 's willingness to act courageously . in his initial remarks after the attempted christmas day attack , obama called on americans to remain vigilant , but also be confident . ' this incident , like several that have preceded it , demonstrates that an alert and courageous citizenry are far more resilient than an isolated extremist , ' he said . robert heibel , a retired fbi agent who was the deputy chief of counterterrorism in the 1980s , said education can better equip the public as the nation combats terrorism . homeland security officials need to tell people what to look for and what 's suspicious . we live in a world where our antennas need to be up , ' said heibel , who heads the institute for intelligence studies at mercyhurst college in erie , pennsylvania . but he added that we do n't want to turn america into a vigilante society . ' the public needs to understand who the terrorists are and how to counter arguments made by islamic extremists , he said . terrorism is not going to go away , but i think how we view this opponent , how we view the radical islamists , has got to change , ' heibel said . we have to be able to sell ourselves better than we do . we are working against ourselves in many areas . ' hoffman added that as officials work to educate the public , they face a challenging pursuit as well . there is a very thin line between prudence and paranoia , ' he said . striking that balance is enormously important . i think that 's also where our leaders and where government has a very important role to make sure we always stay on the right side of that balance . ' | passengers , crew helped subdue suspect on botched christmas day terror attack |
slager <tsp> ( cnn ) authorities in south carolina have released dash cam video in connection with the fatal shooting of walter scott , but the footage does not show the actual shooting . video from the patrol car of north charleston 's michael slager shows an initial traffic stop and early interactions between the officer and scott . slager approaches scott 's vehicle . the two men speak . scott tells the officer he does not have insurance and is in the process of purchasing the vehicle . slager then returns to his patrol car . scott exits his vehicle , briefly , and slager tells him to stay in the car . scott then gets out of the car , again , and runs away , out of the range of the dash cam . the video , which was released thursday , also shows a passenger in scott 's car . the passenger 's identity was not given in a police report obtained by cnn , but another officer responding to the incident said in the report that the passenger was detained and placed in the back seat of a police vehicle . scott family attorney chris stewart told cnn the man with scott was a co-worker and friend . he did not identify the friend by name . when asked what might have motivated scott to run , justin bamberg , another attorney for the family , speculated that scott might have been concerned about child support issues . scott owed back payments on child support totaling $ 18,104.43 , according to charleston county family court documents obtained by cnn . he had a bench warrant issued against him for failure to pay at the time he was stopped by slager . but bamberg was adamant the dash cam video does not alter what happened . this dash cam footage does not change the fact that at the moment the officer shot and killed mr. scott -- that shooting was completely unjustified . and that is the key point of both the criminal investigation and the civil lawsuit , ' the lawyer said . the north charleston police department is not providing more information , citing an ongoing investigation of scott 's killing that 's being conducted by the independent south carolina law enforcement division ( sled ) . many questions remain about what happened on saturday when officer slager pulled scott over for what police have said was a broken taillight . in the police report that cnn obtained , a responding officer said that slager said that at one point he started to chase scott down a street . shots fired and the subject is down , ' the officer writes that slager said . he took my taser . ' but a witness who shot cell phone video of the incident says he never saw scott try to get slager 's taser . feidin santana was walking to work when he saw slager and scott struggle on the ground , he told nbc 's lester holt on wednesday . santana then took out his phone and started recording video . i remember the police ( officer ) had control of the situation . he had control of scott , ' santana said . then , santana said , he heard the sound of a taser . it seemed to santana that scott was trying to get away and avoid being zapped with the tasered again . on thursday , a second witness spoke to cnn about what she saw . gwen nichols said she was in the neighborhood when she heard police cars speeding by and , curious , she followed them . she saw scott and slager at the entrance to a vacant lot . it was like a tussle type of thing , like , you know , like ,'what do you want ?'or'what did i do ?'type of thing , ' said nichols , who said she has not yet talked to police about what she saw . i did n't hear mr. slager saying :'stop !' she said . feidin showed the video to the scott family . but santana has said fear for his own life almost kept him from revealing the tape . in interviews with msnbc and nbc , santana recalled the moments when he recorded the video . i ... thought about erasing the video , ' santana told msnbc 's all in with chris hayes ' in an interview that aired wednesday evening . i felt that my life , with this information , might be in danger . ' the video shows slager shooting eight times at scott as scott runs away . witness : i nearly erased shooting video out of fear an autopsy showed that scott suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body . before the officer starts firing his gun in the video , a dark object falls behind him and hits the ground . it 's not clear whether that is the taser . later in the video , when the officer approaches scott 's body , he drops a dark object next to the man . it 's also not clear whether that is the taser . it 's unknown whether scott took the officer 's taser or whether the officer picked the object up and moved it closer to the body . slager has been fired and charged with murder . he is white . scott , who was unarmed , was black . timeline of events scott 's shooting stirred memories of the michael brown case in ferguson , missouri , where an unarmed black teenager was killed by a white police officer . a grand jury declined to indict the officer in that case . but not everyone agreed that scott 's case is like brown 's or that race was a factor . asked how he felt about slager being charged with murder , santana answered that no one can feel happy . ' he has his family , and mr. scott also has his family , ' he told holt . but i think , you know , he made a bad decision . ... mr. scott did n't deserve this . and there were other ways that can be used to get him arrested . and that was n't the proper way to do that . ' lessons learned from ferguson to north charleston the fbi is investigating , as is sled . i have watched the video , and i was sickened by what i saw , ' north charleston police chief eddie driggers told reporters wednesday . mayor keith summey spoke at the same news conference , which was repeatedly interrupted by protesters who chanted : no justice ! no peace ! ' they called for the mayor to step down . summey said that the city has ordered an additional 150 body cameras so every officer on the street ' in the city will have one . that is in addition to 101 body cameras already ordered , he said . just before the conference was set to begin , demonstrators walked in . they were led by a man wearing a black lives matter ' t-shirt who shouted , this is what democracy looks like ! ' 2010 census data show that north charleston is 47 % black and 42 % white . the makeup of the city 's police department is unclear , though it 's been widely reported that 2007 federal figures indicated it was about 80 % black . three of 10 city council members are black . it 's unclear what slager 's motivation was , or if race played a part in scott 's slaying . we ca n't get into the brain of another individual , so we ca n't state that , ' scott family attorney stewart said . i think it would be irresponsible to say that and try and inflame a community or anything of that nature . ' if convicted , slager could face life in prison or the death penalty . who is officer slager ? an autopsy of scott showed that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body , ' and his death was the result of a homicide , the charleston county coroner 's office said . asked whether cpr was performed on scott after slager shot him , driggers said : in the end of it ( the video ) , what i saw was ( what i ) believed to be a police officer removing the shirt of the individual and performing some type of life-saving ( procedure ) , but i 'm not sure what took place there . ' when scott 's brother anthony saw the video , he was convinced slager 's account of what happened was not true , he told cnn . there was not a struggle for the taser , ' anthony scott said . i did n't believe my brother would have done that anyway . ' to anthony scott , the videotape shows his brother was running for his life ' away from the officer . i think my brother was thinking he was not going to be shot , no one would have thought that , ' scott said . family members have adamantly repeated that they do n't want protests over scott 's slaying to become violent . and , so far , the demonstrations have been passionate but peaceful . scott 's mother , judy scott , told cnn 's anderson cooper that she feels forgiveness in my heart , even for the guy that shot and killed my son . ' he was a loving son , a loving father , ' she said . he cared about his family and ... no matter what happens , it will not replace my son . ' who was walter scott ? cnn 's tony marco , ryan scallan , christine bear , tristan smith , martin savidge , brian todd , dana ford , sam stringer and evan perez contributed to this report . | slager , charged with murder , was fired from the north charleston police department |
slager <tsp> ( cnn ) authorities in south carolina have released dash cam video in connection with the fatal shooting of walter scott , but the footage does not show the actual shooting . video from the patrol car of north charleston 's michael slager shows an initial traffic stop and early interactions between the officer and scott . slager approaches scott 's vehicle . the two men speak . scott tells the officer he does not have insurance and is in the process of purchasing the vehicle . slager then returns to his patrol car . scott exits his vehicle , briefly , and slager tells him to stay in the car . scott then gets out of the car , again , and runs away , out of the range of the dash cam . the video , which was released thursday , also shows a passenger in scott 's car . the passenger 's identity was not given in a police report obtained by cnn , but another officer responding to the incident said in the report that the passenger was detained and placed in the back seat of a police vehicle . scott family attorney chris stewart told cnn the man with scott was a co-worker and friend . he did not identify the friend by name . when asked what might have motivated scott to run , justin bamberg , another attorney for the family , speculated that scott might have been concerned about child support issues . scott owed back payments on child support totaling $ 18,104.43 , according to charleston county family court documents obtained by cnn . he had a bench warrant issued against him for failure to pay at the time he was stopped by slager . but bamberg was adamant the dash cam video does not alter what happened . this dash cam footage does not change the fact that at the moment the officer shot and killed mr. scott -- that shooting was completely unjustified . and that is the key point of both the criminal investigation and the civil lawsuit , ' the lawyer said . the north charleston police department is not providing more information , citing an ongoing investigation of scott 's killing that 's being conducted by the independent south carolina law enforcement division ( sled ) . many questions remain about what happened on saturday when officer slager pulled scott over for what police have said was a broken taillight . in the police report that cnn obtained , a responding officer said that slager said that at one point he started to chase scott down a street . shots fired and the subject is down , ' the officer writes that slager said . he took my taser . ' but a witness who shot cell phone video of the incident says he never saw scott try to get slager 's taser . feidin santana was walking to work when he saw slager and scott struggle on the ground , he told nbc 's lester holt on wednesday . santana then took out his phone and started recording video . i remember the police ( officer ) had control of the situation . he had control of scott , ' santana said . then , santana said , he heard the sound of a taser . it seemed to santana that scott was trying to get away and avoid being zapped with the tasered again . on thursday , a second witness spoke to cnn about what she saw . gwen nichols said she was in the neighborhood when she heard police cars speeding by and , curious , she followed them . she saw scott and slager at the entrance to a vacant lot . it was like a tussle type of thing , like , you know , like ,'what do you want ?'or'what did i do ?'type of thing , ' said nichols , who said she has not yet talked to police about what she saw . i did n't hear mr. slager saying :'stop !' she said . feidin showed the video to the scott family . but santana has said fear for his own life almost kept him from revealing the tape . in interviews with msnbc and nbc , santana recalled the moments when he recorded the video . i ... thought about erasing the video , ' santana told msnbc 's all in with chris hayes ' in an interview that aired wednesday evening . i felt that my life , with this information , might be in danger . ' the video shows slager shooting eight times at scott as scott runs away . witness : i nearly erased shooting video out of fear an autopsy showed that scott suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body . before the officer starts firing his gun in the video , a dark object falls behind him and hits the ground . it 's not clear whether that is the taser . later in the video , when the officer approaches scott 's body , he drops a dark object next to the man . it 's also not clear whether that is the taser . it 's unknown whether scott took the officer 's taser or whether the officer picked the object up and moved it closer to the body . slager has been fired and charged with murder . he is white . scott , who was unarmed , was black . timeline of events scott 's shooting stirred memories of the michael brown case in ferguson , missouri , where an unarmed black teenager was killed by a white police officer . a grand jury declined to indict the officer in that case . but not everyone agreed that scott 's case is like brown 's or that race was a factor . asked how he felt about slager being charged with murder , santana answered that no one can feel happy . ' he has his family , and mr. scott also has his family , ' he told holt . but i think , you know , he made a bad decision . ... mr. scott did n't deserve this . and there were other ways that can be used to get him arrested . and that was n't the proper way to do that . ' lessons learned from ferguson to north charleston the fbi is investigating , as is sled . i have watched the video , and i was sickened by what i saw , ' north charleston police chief eddie driggers told reporters wednesday . mayor keith summey spoke at the same news conference , which was repeatedly interrupted by protesters who chanted : no justice ! no peace ! ' they called for the mayor to step down . summey said that the city has ordered an additional 150 body cameras so every officer on the street ' in the city will have one . that is in addition to 101 body cameras already ordered , he said . just before the conference was set to begin , demonstrators walked in . they were led by a man wearing a black lives matter ' t-shirt who shouted , this is what democracy looks like ! ' 2010 census data show that north charleston is 47 % black and 42 % white . the makeup of the city 's police department is unclear , though it 's been widely reported that 2007 federal figures indicated it was about 80 % black . three of 10 city council members are black . it 's unclear what slager 's motivation was , or if race played a part in scott 's slaying . we ca n't get into the brain of another individual , so we ca n't state that , ' scott family attorney stewart said . i think it would be irresponsible to say that and try and inflame a community or anything of that nature . ' if convicted , slager could face life in prison or the death penalty . who is officer slager ? an autopsy of scott showed that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body , ' and his death was the result of a homicide , the charleston county coroner 's office said . asked whether cpr was performed on scott after slager shot him , driggers said : in the end of it ( the video ) , what i saw was ( what i ) believed to be a police officer removing the shirt of the individual and performing some type of life-saving ( procedure ) , but i 'm not sure what took place there . ' when scott 's brother anthony saw the video , he was convinced slager 's account of what happened was not true , he told cnn . there was not a struggle for the taser , ' anthony scott said . i did n't believe my brother would have done that anyway . ' to anthony scott , the videotape shows his brother was running for his life ' away from the officer . i think my brother was thinking he was not going to be shot , no one would have thought that , ' scott said . family members have adamantly repeated that they do n't want protests over scott 's slaying to become violent . and , so far , the demonstrations have been passionate but peaceful . scott 's mother , judy scott , told cnn 's anderson cooper that she feels forgiveness in my heart , even for the guy that shot and killed my son . ' he was a loving son , a loving father , ' she said . he cared about his family and ... no matter what happens , it will not replace my son . ' who was walter scott ? cnn 's tony marco , ryan scallan , christine bear , tristan smith , martin savidge , brian todd , dana ford , sam stringer and evan perez contributed to this report . | footage shows a traffic stop and early interactions between officer michael slager and walter scott |
north charleston police department <tsp> ( cnn ) authorities in south carolina have released dash cam video in connection with the fatal shooting of walter scott , but the footage does not show the actual shooting . video from the patrol car of north charleston 's michael slager shows an initial traffic stop and early interactions between the officer and scott . slager approaches scott 's vehicle . the two men speak . scott tells the officer he does not have insurance and is in the process of purchasing the vehicle . slager then returns to his patrol car . scott exits his vehicle , briefly , and slager tells him to stay in the car . scott then gets out of the car , again , and runs away , out of the range of the dash cam . the video , which was released thursday , also shows a passenger in scott 's car . the passenger 's identity was not given in a police report obtained by cnn , but another officer responding to the incident said in the report that the passenger was detained and placed in the back seat of a police vehicle . scott family attorney chris stewart told cnn the man with scott was a co-worker and friend . he did not identify the friend by name . when asked what might have motivated scott to run , justin bamberg , another attorney for the family , speculated that scott might have been concerned about child support issues . scott owed back payments on child support totaling $ 18,104.43 , according to charleston county family court documents obtained by cnn . he had a bench warrant issued against him for failure to pay at the time he was stopped by slager . but bamberg was adamant the dash cam video does not alter what happened . this dash cam footage does not change the fact that at the moment the officer shot and killed mr. scott -- that shooting was completely unjustified . and that is the key point of both the criminal investigation and the civil lawsuit , ' the lawyer said . the north charleston police department is not providing more information , citing an ongoing investigation of scott 's killing that 's being conducted by the independent south carolina law enforcement division ( sled ) . many questions remain about what happened on saturday when officer slager pulled scott over for what police have said was a broken taillight . in the police report that cnn obtained , a responding officer said that slager said that at one point he started to chase scott down a street . shots fired and the subject is down , ' the officer writes that slager said . he took my taser . ' but a witness who shot cell phone video of the incident says he never saw scott try to get slager 's taser . feidin santana was walking to work when he saw slager and scott struggle on the ground , he told nbc 's lester holt on wednesday . santana then took out his phone and started recording video . i remember the police ( officer ) had control of the situation . he had control of scott , ' santana said . then , santana said , he heard the sound of a taser . it seemed to santana that scott was trying to get away and avoid being zapped with the tasered again . on thursday , a second witness spoke to cnn about what she saw . gwen nichols said she was in the neighborhood when she heard police cars speeding by and , curious , she followed them . she saw scott and slager at the entrance to a vacant lot . it was like a tussle type of thing , like , you know , like ,'what do you want ?'or'what did i do ?'type of thing , ' said nichols , who said she has not yet talked to police about what she saw . i did n't hear mr. slager saying :'stop !' she said . feidin showed the video to the scott family . but santana has said fear for his own life almost kept him from revealing the tape . in interviews with msnbc and nbc , santana recalled the moments when he recorded the video . i ... thought about erasing the video , ' santana told msnbc 's all in with chris hayes ' in an interview that aired wednesday evening . i felt that my life , with this information , might be in danger . ' the video shows slager shooting eight times at scott as scott runs away . witness : i nearly erased shooting video out of fear an autopsy showed that scott suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body . before the officer starts firing his gun in the video , a dark object falls behind him and hits the ground . it 's not clear whether that is the taser . later in the video , when the officer approaches scott 's body , he drops a dark object next to the man . it 's also not clear whether that is the taser . it 's unknown whether scott took the officer 's taser or whether the officer picked the object up and moved it closer to the body . slager has been fired and charged with murder . he is white . scott , who was unarmed , was black . timeline of events scott 's shooting stirred memories of the michael brown case in ferguson , missouri , where an unarmed black teenager was killed by a white police officer . a grand jury declined to indict the officer in that case . but not everyone agreed that scott 's case is like brown 's or that race was a factor . asked how he felt about slager being charged with murder , santana answered that no one can feel happy . ' he has his family , and mr. scott also has his family , ' he told holt . but i think , you know , he made a bad decision . ... mr. scott did n't deserve this . and there were other ways that can be used to get him arrested . and that was n't the proper way to do that . ' lessons learned from ferguson to north charleston the fbi is investigating , as is sled . i have watched the video , and i was sickened by what i saw , ' north charleston police chief eddie driggers told reporters wednesday . mayor keith summey spoke at the same news conference , which was repeatedly interrupted by protesters who chanted : no justice ! no peace ! ' they called for the mayor to step down . summey said that the city has ordered an additional 150 body cameras so every officer on the street ' in the city will have one . that is in addition to 101 body cameras already ordered , he said . just before the conference was set to begin , demonstrators walked in . they were led by a man wearing a black lives matter ' t-shirt who shouted , this is what democracy looks like ! ' 2010 census data show that north charleston is 47 % black and 42 % white . the makeup of the city 's police department is unclear , though it 's been widely reported that 2007 federal figures indicated it was about 80 % black . three of 10 city council members are black . it 's unclear what slager 's motivation was , or if race played a part in scott 's slaying . we ca n't get into the brain of another individual , so we ca n't state that , ' scott family attorney stewart said . i think it would be irresponsible to say that and try and inflame a community or anything of that nature . ' if convicted , slager could face life in prison or the death penalty . who is officer slager ? an autopsy of scott showed that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body , ' and his death was the result of a homicide , the charleston county coroner 's office said . asked whether cpr was performed on scott after slager shot him , driggers said : in the end of it ( the video ) , what i saw was ( what i ) believed to be a police officer removing the shirt of the individual and performing some type of life-saving ( procedure ) , but i 'm not sure what took place there . ' when scott 's brother anthony saw the video , he was convinced slager 's account of what happened was not true , he told cnn . there was not a struggle for the taser , ' anthony scott said . i did n't believe my brother would have done that anyway . ' to anthony scott , the videotape shows his brother was running for his life ' away from the officer . i think my brother was thinking he was not going to be shot , no one would have thought that , ' scott said . family members have adamantly repeated that they do n't want protests over scott 's slaying to become violent . and , so far , the demonstrations have been passionate but peaceful . scott 's mother , judy scott , told cnn 's anderson cooper that she feels forgiveness in my heart , even for the guy that shot and killed my son . ' he was a loving son , a loving father , ' she said . he cared about his family and ... no matter what happens , it will not replace my son . ' who was walter scott ? cnn 's tony marco , ryan scallan , christine bear , tristan smith , martin savidge , brian todd , dana ford , sam stringer and evan perez contributed to this report . | slager , charged with murder , was fired from the north charleston police department |
scott <tsp> ( cnn ) authorities in south carolina have released dash cam video in connection with the fatal shooting of walter scott , but the footage does not show the actual shooting . video from the patrol car of north charleston 's michael slager shows an initial traffic stop and early interactions between the officer and scott . slager approaches scott 's vehicle . the two men speak . scott tells the officer he does not have insurance and is in the process of purchasing the vehicle . slager then returns to his patrol car . scott exits his vehicle , briefly , and slager tells him to stay in the car . scott then gets out of the car , again , and runs away , out of the range of the dash cam . the video , which was released thursday , also shows a passenger in scott 's car . the passenger 's identity was not given in a police report obtained by cnn , but another officer responding to the incident said in the report that the passenger was detained and placed in the back seat of a police vehicle . scott family attorney chris stewart told cnn the man with scott was a co-worker and friend . he did not identify the friend by name . when asked what might have motivated scott to run , justin bamberg , another attorney for the family , speculated that scott might have been concerned about child support issues . scott owed back payments on child support totaling $ 18,104.43 , according to charleston county family court documents obtained by cnn . he had a bench warrant issued against him for failure to pay at the time he was stopped by slager . but bamberg was adamant the dash cam video does not alter what happened . this dash cam footage does not change the fact that at the moment the officer shot and killed mr. scott -- that shooting was completely unjustified . and that is the key point of both the criminal investigation and the civil lawsuit , ' the lawyer said . the north charleston police department is not providing more information , citing an ongoing investigation of scott 's killing that 's being conducted by the independent south carolina law enforcement division ( sled ) . many questions remain about what happened on saturday when officer slager pulled scott over for what police have said was a broken taillight . in the police report that cnn obtained , a responding officer said that slager said that at one point he started to chase scott down a street . shots fired and the subject is down , ' the officer writes that slager said . he took my taser . ' but a witness who shot cell phone video of the incident says he never saw scott try to get slager 's taser . feidin santana was walking to work when he saw slager and scott struggle on the ground , he told nbc 's lester holt on wednesday . santana then took out his phone and started recording video . i remember the police ( officer ) had control of the situation . he had control of scott , ' santana said . then , santana said , he heard the sound of a taser . it seemed to santana that scott was trying to get away and avoid being zapped with the tasered again . on thursday , a second witness spoke to cnn about what she saw . gwen nichols said she was in the neighborhood when she heard police cars speeding by and , curious , she followed them . she saw scott and slager at the entrance to a vacant lot . it was like a tussle type of thing , like , you know , like ,'what do you want ?'or'what did i do ?'type of thing , ' said nichols , who said she has not yet talked to police about what she saw . i did n't hear mr. slager saying :'stop !' she said . feidin showed the video to the scott family . but santana has said fear for his own life almost kept him from revealing the tape . in interviews with msnbc and nbc , santana recalled the moments when he recorded the video . i ... thought about erasing the video , ' santana told msnbc 's all in with chris hayes ' in an interview that aired wednesday evening . i felt that my life , with this information , might be in danger . ' the video shows slager shooting eight times at scott as scott runs away . witness : i nearly erased shooting video out of fear an autopsy showed that scott suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body . before the officer starts firing his gun in the video , a dark object falls behind him and hits the ground . it 's not clear whether that is the taser . later in the video , when the officer approaches scott 's body , he drops a dark object next to the man . it 's also not clear whether that is the taser . it 's unknown whether scott took the officer 's taser or whether the officer picked the object up and moved it closer to the body . slager has been fired and charged with murder . he is white . scott , who was unarmed , was black . timeline of events scott 's shooting stirred memories of the michael brown case in ferguson , missouri , where an unarmed black teenager was killed by a white police officer . a grand jury declined to indict the officer in that case . but not everyone agreed that scott 's case is like brown 's or that race was a factor . asked how he felt about slager being charged with murder , santana answered that no one can feel happy . ' he has his family , and mr. scott also has his family , ' he told holt . but i think , you know , he made a bad decision . ... mr. scott did n't deserve this . and there were other ways that can be used to get him arrested . and that was n't the proper way to do that . ' lessons learned from ferguson to north charleston the fbi is investigating , as is sled . i have watched the video , and i was sickened by what i saw , ' north charleston police chief eddie driggers told reporters wednesday . mayor keith summey spoke at the same news conference , which was repeatedly interrupted by protesters who chanted : no justice ! no peace ! ' they called for the mayor to step down . summey said that the city has ordered an additional 150 body cameras so every officer on the street ' in the city will have one . that is in addition to 101 body cameras already ordered , he said . just before the conference was set to begin , demonstrators walked in . they were led by a man wearing a black lives matter ' t-shirt who shouted , this is what democracy looks like ! ' 2010 census data show that north charleston is 47 % black and 42 % white . the makeup of the city 's police department is unclear , though it 's been widely reported that 2007 federal figures indicated it was about 80 % black . three of 10 city council members are black . it 's unclear what slager 's motivation was , or if race played a part in scott 's slaying . we ca n't get into the brain of another individual , so we ca n't state that , ' scott family attorney stewart said . i think it would be irresponsible to say that and try and inflame a community or anything of that nature . ' if convicted , slager could face life in prison or the death penalty . who is officer slager ? an autopsy of scott showed that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body , ' and his death was the result of a homicide , the charleston county coroner 's office said . asked whether cpr was performed on scott after slager shot him , driggers said : in the end of it ( the video ) , what i saw was ( what i ) believed to be a police officer removing the shirt of the individual and performing some type of life-saving ( procedure ) , but i 'm not sure what took place there . ' when scott 's brother anthony saw the video , he was convinced slager 's account of what happened was not true , he told cnn . there was not a struggle for the taser , ' anthony scott said . i did n't believe my brother would have done that anyway . ' to anthony scott , the videotape shows his brother was running for his life ' away from the officer . i think my brother was thinking he was not going to be shot , no one would have thought that , ' scott said . family members have adamantly repeated that they do n't want protests over scott 's slaying to become violent . and , so far , the demonstrations have been passionate but peaceful . scott 's mother , judy scott , told cnn 's anderson cooper that she feels forgiveness in my heart , even for the guy that shot and killed my son . ' he was a loving son , a loving father , ' she said . he cared about his family and ... no matter what happens , it will not replace my son . ' who was walter scott ? cnn 's tony marco , ryan scallan , christine bear , tristan smith , martin savidge , brian todd , dana ford , sam stringer and evan perez contributed to this report . | footage shows a traffic stop and early interactions between officer michael slager and walter scott |
scott <tsp> ( cnn ) authorities in south carolina have released dash cam video in connection with the fatal shooting of walter scott , but the footage does not show the actual shooting . video from the patrol car of north charleston 's michael slager shows an initial traffic stop and early interactions between the officer and scott . slager approaches scott 's vehicle . the two men speak . scott tells the officer he does not have insurance and is in the process of purchasing the vehicle . slager then returns to his patrol car . scott exits his vehicle , briefly , and slager tells him to stay in the car . scott then gets out of the car , again , and runs away , out of the range of the dash cam . the video , which was released thursday , also shows a passenger in scott 's car . the passenger 's identity was not given in a police report obtained by cnn , but another officer responding to the incident said in the report that the passenger was detained and placed in the back seat of a police vehicle . scott family attorney chris stewart told cnn the man with scott was a co-worker and friend . he did not identify the friend by name . when asked what might have motivated scott to run , justin bamberg , another attorney for the family , speculated that scott might have been concerned about child support issues . scott owed back payments on child support totaling $ 18,104.43 , according to charleston county family court documents obtained by cnn . he had a bench warrant issued against him for failure to pay at the time he was stopped by slager . but bamberg was adamant the dash cam video does not alter what happened . this dash cam footage does not change the fact that at the moment the officer shot and killed mr. scott -- that shooting was completely unjustified . and that is the key point of both the criminal investigation and the civil lawsuit , ' the lawyer said . the north charleston police department is not providing more information , citing an ongoing investigation of scott 's killing that 's being conducted by the independent south carolina law enforcement division ( sled ) . many questions remain about what happened on saturday when officer slager pulled scott over for what police have said was a broken taillight . in the police report that cnn obtained , a responding officer said that slager said that at one point he started to chase scott down a street . shots fired and the subject is down , ' the officer writes that slager said . he took my taser . ' but a witness who shot cell phone video of the incident says he never saw scott try to get slager 's taser . feidin santana was walking to work when he saw slager and scott struggle on the ground , he told nbc 's lester holt on wednesday . santana then took out his phone and started recording video . i remember the police ( officer ) had control of the situation . he had control of scott , ' santana said . then , santana said , he heard the sound of a taser . it seemed to santana that scott was trying to get away and avoid being zapped with the tasered again . on thursday , a second witness spoke to cnn about what she saw . gwen nichols said she was in the neighborhood when she heard police cars speeding by and , curious , she followed them . she saw scott and slager at the entrance to a vacant lot . it was like a tussle type of thing , like , you know , like ,'what do you want ?'or'what did i do ?'type of thing , ' said nichols , who said she has not yet talked to police about what she saw . i did n't hear mr. slager saying :'stop !' she said . feidin showed the video to the scott family . but santana has said fear for his own life almost kept him from revealing the tape . in interviews with msnbc and nbc , santana recalled the moments when he recorded the video . i ... thought about erasing the video , ' santana told msnbc 's all in with chris hayes ' in an interview that aired wednesday evening . i felt that my life , with this information , might be in danger . ' the video shows slager shooting eight times at scott as scott runs away . witness : i nearly erased shooting video out of fear an autopsy showed that scott suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body . before the officer starts firing his gun in the video , a dark object falls behind him and hits the ground . it 's not clear whether that is the taser . later in the video , when the officer approaches scott 's body , he drops a dark object next to the man . it 's also not clear whether that is the taser . it 's unknown whether scott took the officer 's taser or whether the officer picked the object up and moved it closer to the body . slager has been fired and charged with murder . he is white . scott , who was unarmed , was black . timeline of events scott 's shooting stirred memories of the michael brown case in ferguson , missouri , where an unarmed black teenager was killed by a white police officer . a grand jury declined to indict the officer in that case . but not everyone agreed that scott 's case is like brown 's or that race was a factor . asked how he felt about slager being charged with murder , santana answered that no one can feel happy . ' he has his family , and mr. scott also has his family , ' he told holt . but i think , you know , he made a bad decision . ... mr. scott did n't deserve this . and there were other ways that can be used to get him arrested . and that was n't the proper way to do that . ' lessons learned from ferguson to north charleston the fbi is investigating , as is sled . i have watched the video , and i was sickened by what i saw , ' north charleston police chief eddie driggers told reporters wednesday . mayor keith summey spoke at the same news conference , which was repeatedly interrupted by protesters who chanted : no justice ! no peace ! ' they called for the mayor to step down . summey said that the city has ordered an additional 150 body cameras so every officer on the street ' in the city will have one . that is in addition to 101 body cameras already ordered , he said . just before the conference was set to begin , demonstrators walked in . they were led by a man wearing a black lives matter ' t-shirt who shouted , this is what democracy looks like ! ' 2010 census data show that north charleston is 47 % black and 42 % white . the makeup of the city 's police department is unclear , though it 's been widely reported that 2007 federal figures indicated it was about 80 % black . three of 10 city council members are black . it 's unclear what slager 's motivation was , or if race played a part in scott 's slaying . we ca n't get into the brain of another individual , so we ca n't state that , ' scott family attorney stewart said . i think it would be irresponsible to say that and try and inflame a community or anything of that nature . ' if convicted , slager could face life in prison or the death penalty . who is officer slager ? an autopsy of scott showed that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his body , ' and his death was the result of a homicide , the charleston county coroner 's office said . asked whether cpr was performed on scott after slager shot him , driggers said : in the end of it ( the video ) , what i saw was ( what i ) believed to be a police officer removing the shirt of the individual and performing some type of life-saving ( procedure ) , but i 'm not sure what took place there . ' when scott 's brother anthony saw the video , he was convinced slager 's account of what happened was not true , he told cnn . there was not a struggle for the taser , ' anthony scott said . i did n't believe my brother would have done that anyway . ' to anthony scott , the videotape shows his brother was running for his life ' away from the officer . i think my brother was thinking he was not going to be shot , no one would have thought that , ' scott said . family members have adamantly repeated that they do n't want protests over scott 's slaying to become violent . and , so far , the demonstrations have been passionate but peaceful . scott 's mother , judy scott , told cnn 's anderson cooper that she feels forgiveness in my heart , even for the guy that shot and killed my son . ' he was a loving son , a loving father , ' she said . he cared about his family and ... no matter what happens , it will not replace my son . ' who was walter scott ? cnn 's tony marco , ryan scallan , christine bear , tristan smith , martin savidge , brian todd , dana ford , sam stringer and evan perez contributed to this report . | the two men speak , and then scott gets out of the car , running |
timur dykes <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jurors in portland , oregon , awarded a former boy scout $ 1.4 million after finding tuesday that the organization was negligent in allowing a scout leader who was a sex offender to have contact with him . the three-week trial ended with multnomah county circuit court judge john a. wittmayer polling the jurors , who confirmed they had found the negligence contributed to damage to the plaintiff as claimed . the jury ruled that the plaintiff is also entitled to punitive damages . that 's to be determined beginning tuesday in the trial 's second phase . how the scouts handled the case of the former scout leader , timur dykes , was at the center of the explosive lawsuit . attorney kelly clark , who has been representing six men suing the scouts , would not discuss the case until after the punitive phase . before the trial , he alleged that when his clients were boys during the 1980s , the organization knew that at least one of them had been abused by dykes . he also alleged that though dykes was removed as a scout leader , he was allowed to stay on as a volunteer and the abuse continued . cnn was not able to reach dykes . clark produced documents that he said were part of an archive of previously secret boy scout files that chronicled decades of abuse of boys . the scouts'lawyers said the organization had not known about dykes'record nor had it known about an outstanding warrant at the time . once the scouts did learn about it , the organization acted immediately and cooperated with police , the scouts'lawyers said . a boy scouts spokesman has acknowledged the organization does have confidential files , but said they are made confidential in order to protect people who are ineligible to be scout leaders but who may not have done anything illegal . a scouts spokesman said that , in recent years , the organization has taken extensive measures to keep abusers out . in a written statement , the scouts said the organization intends to appeal . we are gravely disappointed with the verdict , ' it said . we believe that the allegations made against our youth protection efforts are not valid . ' it added , we are saddened by what happened to the plaintiff . the actions of the man who committed these crimes do not represent the values and ideals of the boy scouts of america . the safety of the young people currently in the scouting program has never been in question during these legal proceedings . the case focused on a discussion about what society and the bsa knew about child abuse approximately three decades ago . this is a long-standing societal issue that every youth-serving organization must address . based on the standard of care of that time , the bsa believes it acted responsibly and that the evidence presented during the trial does not justify the verdict . ' while holding the boy scouts of america 60 percent negligent , the jury said the cascade pacific council -- which oversees scouting activities in the region -- was 15 percent negligent and the church of jesus christ of latter day saints 25 percent negligent . the church has sponsored a number of boy scout troops , including the one to which the plaintiff belonged . steve english , a lawyer representing the church , said tuesday 's verdict has no impact on the church , since it settled the case out of court more than a year ago . the church absolutely condemns any kind of child abuse , ' he said . because of the way the law is set up in oregon , we thought it made sense both to help the victim and also to get this behind the victim and us to settle this case . ' cnn 's brian todd contributed to this story . | how scouts handled case of former scout leader timur dykes at center of lawsuit |
sundance film festival <tsp> ( people.com ) -- liv tyler highly approves of her rock-star father steven 's choices -- both in love and career . asked about the american idol ' judge 's recent engagement to clear channel executive erin brady , liv tells people that she 's an enthusiastic supporter of it , explaining that the two have been together for a long , long time ' and adding , i like her very much . ' speaking to people at the sundance film festival , where she 's promoting her new movie robot and frank , ' the actress , 34 , also revealed that she 's finally following in her father 's footsteps -- into the music business . i got to record a cover of inxs 's'i need you tonight'for a givenchy commercial , ' says the model , who has a longstanding beauty contract with the european cosmetics company . it was fun and terrifying and wonderful , ' she says of recording the song , which is due out soon . it 's a logical step for a woman whose roots are in music . i always thought when i was a little girl that i 'd be a singer , ' she says . my mom [ bebe buell ] was always in bands . my dad . and my stepfather , todd rundgren , is an incredible musician . ' as for her dad 's dicey performance of the star-spangled banner on sunday ? liv had n't seen it yet . somebody told me my dad just sang the national anthem , ' she said . i 've got to go google it . ' or , you know , maybe not . see the full article at people.com . © 2011 people and time inc. all rights reserved . | tyler is promoting her new movie robot and frank ' at the sundance film festival |
obamacare <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- with just days to go until a self-imposed deadline , fixes to the problem-plagued obamacare website are definitely on track , ' health secretary kathleen sebelius said tuesday . in a conference call with state and local officials , sebelius added that this is n't a magic'turn on the on switch'' to fix healthcare.gov , but a continual process in which the experience is vastly improved each and every day . ' we are definitely on track to have a significantly different user experience by the end of this month -- that was our commitment -- than people experienced on october 1 ' when the enrollment website launched , she said . we 've added hardware , we 've added software ; we 're continuing to work on the parts of the website that were too confusing to people , ' sebelius continued , urging the officials to not hesitate to recommend that people go to healthcare.gov and get signed up because that experience is currently working much better and it will continue to work much better . ' on monday , a white house spokesman said the administration would meet president barack obama 's goal of having the website working for the vast majority ' of users by november 30 . supreme court to take up obamacare contraception case deputy press secretary josh earnest told reporters that the tech team working on healthcare.gov has increased the site 's capacity , boosting it to a level of 50,000 concurrent ' users . recurring breakdowns , error messages and delays botched the federal web portal rollout on october 1 , opening the president 's signature health care reform effort to new and fierce republican criticism while questions about the administration 's ability to manage the sweeping health insurance overhaul . the gop opposition targets the entire 2010 affordable care act , not just the website woes , as the ultimate example of big government run amok . in particular , they accuse obama and democrats of having lied when they pledged that people could keep health coverage they liked . cancellation notices to some private policy holders -- a tiny percentage compared to the overall number of americans who get their coverage through their employers or government programs such as medicare and medicaid -- fueled the republican charges . in response , obama said insurers can choose to continue offering canceled policies , even if they failed to meet new requirements under the health care reforms . at the same time , he defended the overall goal of obamacare to make make affordable health coverage available to millions of previously uninsured or under-insured americans . on tuesday , obama repeated his criticism of republicans who seek to dismantle the reforms instead of working with the white house and democrats to fix any problems and build on them . we 'd be a lot further along if we could just get folks to act with some sense , if we did n't have one wing of one party that was a little less obsessed with repealing health care for 40 million people , more concerned with making sure the law works , ' he said in remarks during a visit to the dreamworks studio in california . enrollment figures for the first month after the opening of the new health insurance exchanges under obamacare were much lower than initially expected . now some states have reported stronger numbers , and sebelius said tuesday that more people were signing up daily . boehner signs up for obamacare , with government support she declined to provide any specifics , even when asked by a local official on the call for a demographic breakdown on who was signing up . such details were n't yet available , sebelius said . according to a cnn count based on available figures , just over 200,000 people have signed up for new private health insurance under obamacare -- either through the national system or networks set up in 14 states and the district of columbia . the enrollment period runs until march 31 , and officials have said the target for the first year was seven million people . in addition , more than 370,000 have signed up for medicaid under state programs expanded through the health care reforms , the cnn count shows . sebelius told the conference call with state and local officials that improvements to healthcare.gov would continue beyond december 1 . she urgent the officials to continue their efforts to spread information in their communities to help people enroll for affordable care act coverage , saying : you tap into local events , you know the communities better than anyone , you know the targets for high numbers of uninsured and under-insured folks who live in your area , and i think that partnership is just hugely important . ' cnn analysis : no obamacare subsidy for some low-income americans cnn 's jim acosta and z. byron wolf contributed to this report . | botched obamacare website rollout has become a political flashpoint in washington |
obamacare <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- with just days to go until a self-imposed deadline , fixes to the problem-plagued obamacare website are definitely on track , ' health secretary kathleen sebelius said tuesday . in a conference call with state and local officials , sebelius added that this is n't a magic'turn on the on switch'' to fix healthcare.gov , but a continual process in which the experience is vastly improved each and every day . ' we are definitely on track to have a significantly different user experience by the end of this month -- that was our commitment -- than people experienced on october 1 ' when the enrollment website launched , she said . we 've added hardware , we 've added software ; we 're continuing to work on the parts of the website that were too confusing to people , ' sebelius continued , urging the officials to not hesitate to recommend that people go to healthcare.gov and get signed up because that experience is currently working much better and it will continue to work much better . ' on monday , a white house spokesman said the administration would meet president barack obama 's goal of having the website working for the vast majority ' of users by november 30 . supreme court to take up obamacare contraception case deputy press secretary josh earnest told reporters that the tech team working on healthcare.gov has increased the site 's capacity , boosting it to a level of 50,000 concurrent ' users . recurring breakdowns , error messages and delays botched the federal web portal rollout on october 1 , opening the president 's signature health care reform effort to new and fierce republican criticism while questions about the administration 's ability to manage the sweeping health insurance overhaul . the gop opposition targets the entire 2010 affordable care act , not just the website woes , as the ultimate example of big government run amok . in particular , they accuse obama and democrats of having lied when they pledged that people could keep health coverage they liked . cancellation notices to some private policy holders -- a tiny percentage compared to the overall number of americans who get their coverage through their employers or government programs such as medicare and medicaid -- fueled the republican charges . in response , obama said insurers can choose to continue offering canceled policies , even if they failed to meet new requirements under the health care reforms . at the same time , he defended the overall goal of obamacare to make make affordable health coverage available to millions of previously uninsured or under-insured americans . on tuesday , obama repeated his criticism of republicans who seek to dismantle the reforms instead of working with the white house and democrats to fix any problems and build on them . we 'd be a lot further along if we could just get folks to act with some sense , if we did n't have one wing of one party that was a little less obsessed with repealing health care for 40 million people , more concerned with making sure the law works , ' he said in remarks during a visit to the dreamworks studio in california . enrollment figures for the first month after the opening of the new health insurance exchanges under obamacare were much lower than initially expected . now some states have reported stronger numbers , and sebelius said tuesday that more people were signing up daily . boehner signs up for obamacare , with government support she declined to provide any specifics , even when asked by a local official on the call for a demographic breakdown on who was signing up . such details were n't yet available , sebelius said . according to a cnn count based on available figures , just over 200,000 people have signed up for new private health insurance under obamacare -- either through the national system or networks set up in 14 states and the district of columbia . the enrollment period runs until march 31 , and officials have said the target for the first year was seven million people . in addition , more than 370,000 have signed up for medicaid under state programs expanded through the health care reforms , the cnn count shows . sebelius told the conference call with state and local officials that improvements to healthcare.gov would continue beyond december 1 . she urgent the officials to continue their efforts to spread information in their communities to help people enroll for affordable care act coverage , saying : you tap into local events , you know the communities better than anyone , you know the targets for high numbers of uninsured and under-insured folks who live in your area , and i think that partnership is just hugely important . ' cnn analysis : no obamacare subsidy for some low-income americans cnn 's jim acosta and z. byron wolf contributed to this report . | health secretary sebelius urges state and local officials to push obamacare enrollment |
obamacare <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- with just days to go until a self-imposed deadline , fixes to the problem-plagued obamacare website are definitely on track , ' health secretary kathleen sebelius said tuesday . in a conference call with state and local officials , sebelius added that this is n't a magic'turn on the on switch'' to fix healthcare.gov , but a continual process in which the experience is vastly improved each and every day . ' we are definitely on track to have a significantly different user experience by the end of this month -- that was our commitment -- than people experienced on october 1 ' when the enrollment website launched , she said . we 've added hardware , we 've added software ; we 're continuing to work on the parts of the website that were too confusing to people , ' sebelius continued , urging the officials to not hesitate to recommend that people go to healthcare.gov and get signed up because that experience is currently working much better and it will continue to work much better . ' on monday , a white house spokesman said the administration would meet president barack obama 's goal of having the website working for the vast majority ' of users by november 30 . supreme court to take up obamacare contraception case deputy press secretary josh earnest told reporters that the tech team working on healthcare.gov has increased the site 's capacity , boosting it to a level of 50,000 concurrent ' users . recurring breakdowns , error messages and delays botched the federal web portal rollout on october 1 , opening the president 's signature health care reform effort to new and fierce republican criticism while questions about the administration 's ability to manage the sweeping health insurance overhaul . the gop opposition targets the entire 2010 affordable care act , not just the website woes , as the ultimate example of big government run amok . in particular , they accuse obama and democrats of having lied when they pledged that people could keep health coverage they liked . cancellation notices to some private policy holders -- a tiny percentage compared to the overall number of americans who get their coverage through their employers or government programs such as medicare and medicaid -- fueled the republican charges . in response , obama said insurers can choose to continue offering canceled policies , even if they failed to meet new requirements under the health care reforms . at the same time , he defended the overall goal of obamacare to make make affordable health coverage available to millions of previously uninsured or under-insured americans . on tuesday , obama repeated his criticism of republicans who seek to dismantle the reforms instead of working with the white house and democrats to fix any problems and build on them . we 'd be a lot further along if we could just get folks to act with some sense , if we did n't have one wing of one party that was a little less obsessed with repealing health care for 40 million people , more concerned with making sure the law works , ' he said in remarks during a visit to the dreamworks studio in california . enrollment figures for the first month after the opening of the new health insurance exchanges under obamacare were much lower than initially expected . now some states have reported stronger numbers , and sebelius said tuesday that more people were signing up daily . boehner signs up for obamacare , with government support she declined to provide any specifics , even when asked by a local official on the call for a demographic breakdown on who was signing up . such details were n't yet available , sebelius said . according to a cnn count based on available figures , just over 200,000 people have signed up for new private health insurance under obamacare -- either through the national system or networks set up in 14 states and the district of columbia . the enrollment period runs until march 31 , and officials have said the target for the first year was seven million people . in addition , more than 370,000 have signed up for medicaid under state programs expanded through the health care reforms , the cnn count shows . sebelius told the conference call with state and local officials that improvements to healthcare.gov would continue beyond december 1 . she urgent the officials to continue their efforts to spread information in their communities to help people enroll for affordable care act coverage , saying : you tap into local events , you know the communities better than anyone , you know the targets for high numbers of uninsured and under-insured folks who live in your area , and i think that partnership is just hugely important . ' cnn analysis : no obamacare subsidy for some low-income americans cnn 's jim acosta and z. byron wolf contributed to this report . | new : cnn count shows more than 200,000 enrolled in obamacare so far |
sartain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the new roman catholic archbishop of seattle , j. peter sartain , was installed wednesday afternoon with a mass in the archdiocese 's cathedral , amid ongoing controversy over sartain 's ordination of a priest who later pleaded guilty in a molestation case . i resolve to serve faithfully the spiritual needs of this church , ' sartain told congregants and priests filling st. james cathedral . he then officially assumed his seat behind the altar to a minute-long ovation . sartain , 58 , who was ordained in 1978 , most recently served as bishop of the joliet , illinois , diocese for four years . it was an official act during his tenure there that prompted a handful of protesters to gather outside the cathedral wednesday . john shuster of the survivors network of those abused by priests said he was upset by the vatican 's decision to install sartain because sartain ordained alejandro flores in 2009 even though diocesan officials had concerns about flores'use of male pornography . why would he even ordain him anyway ? who would take that chance ? ' shuster told cnn affiliate kiro-tv in an interview before the protest . after his ordination , flores was accused of molesting a suburban chicago boy over a five-year period beginning in 2005 , snap leaders said , citing news accounts . flores pleaded guilty in september and was sentenced to four years in prison . snap describes itself as the world 's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims , and the group is asking the church and illinois prosecutors to provide more information about sartain 's handling of allegations surrounding flores . the archdiocese of seattle has said that once sartain found out about the allegations , he reported them . sartain replaces archbishop alex j. brunett , 75 , who retired last year . at then end of his installation mass , sartain turned to his predecessor , brunett , and praised him . a final word of thanks goes to my friend , archbishop brunett , ' sartain said , whose remarks drew supportive applause . what an extraordinary job he has done in the archdiocese of seattle . thank you so much for welcoming me as you have . for many years to come , we will love our lord , ' sartain told attendees . | while there , sartain ordained a priest who had viewed male pornography |
sartain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the new roman catholic archbishop of seattle , j. peter sartain , was installed wednesday afternoon with a mass in the archdiocese 's cathedral , amid ongoing controversy over sartain 's ordination of a priest who later pleaded guilty in a molestation case . i resolve to serve faithfully the spiritual needs of this church , ' sartain told congregants and priests filling st. james cathedral . he then officially assumed his seat behind the altar to a minute-long ovation . sartain , 58 , who was ordained in 1978 , most recently served as bishop of the joliet , illinois , diocese for four years . it was an official act during his tenure there that prompted a handful of protesters to gather outside the cathedral wednesday . john shuster of the survivors network of those abused by priests said he was upset by the vatican 's decision to install sartain because sartain ordained alejandro flores in 2009 even though diocesan officials had concerns about flores'use of male pornography . why would he even ordain him anyway ? who would take that chance ? ' shuster told cnn affiliate kiro-tv in an interview before the protest . after his ordination , flores was accused of molesting a suburban chicago boy over a five-year period beginning in 2005 , snap leaders said , citing news accounts . flores pleaded guilty in september and was sentenced to four years in prison . snap describes itself as the world 's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims , and the group is asking the church and illinois prosecutors to provide more information about sartain 's handling of allegations surrounding flores . the archdiocese of seattle has said that once sartain found out about the allegations , he reported them . sartain replaces archbishop alex j. brunett , 75 , who retired last year . at then end of his installation mass , sartain turned to his predecessor , brunett , and praised him . a final word of thanks goes to my friend , archbishop brunett , ' sartain said , whose remarks drew supportive applause . what an extraordinary job he has done in the archdiocese of seattle . thank you so much for welcoming me as you have . for many years to come , we will love our lord , ' sartain told attendees . | new seattle archbishop james peter sartain was the bishop in joliet , illinois |
taliban <tsp> ( cnn ) -- taliban official hakeemullah mehsud has been selected the new head of the pakistani taliban , a local taliban commander in pakistan 's federally administered tribal areas told cnn saturday . baitullah mehsud , right , former leader of the pakistani taliban , and a bodyguard in pakistan , in 2004 . mehsud was selected friday by a 42-member taliban council , or shura , according to taliban commander qari haris . another taliban official -- maulvi faqir mohammad -- had been tapped as mehsud 's deputy , haris said . mohammad had named himself acting head of the pakistani taliban on wednesday . a third official -- hazem tariq -- was named the group 's new spokesman , haris added . the announced selection underscored the contention by pakistani and u.s. officials that the group 's former leader , baitullah mehsud , was killed in an august 5 drone attack in waziristan . both mohammad and haris claim mehsud is alive but ill. pakistani officials announced tuesday that two top figures in the pakistani taliban had been arrested . saif ullah is believed to have been baitullah mehsud 's right-hand man , and maulvi umar is the well-known spokesman for the militant group . umar recently declared that mehsud had not been killed in a drone strike on his father-in-law 's house , but a senior pakistani official said that umar had admitted under questioning that mehsud was dead . the top u.s. envoy to the region , richard holbrooke , told cnn that the pakistani taliban had not confirmed mehsud 's death because of an ongoing power struggle over his successor . journalists janullah hamizshada and nazar ur islam contributed to this report . | taliban official maulvi faqir mohammad tapped as new leader 's deputy |
taliban <tsp> ( cnn ) -- taliban official hakeemullah mehsud has been selected the new head of the pakistani taliban , a local taliban commander in pakistan 's federally administered tribal areas told cnn saturday . baitullah mehsud , right , former leader of the pakistani taliban , and a bodyguard in pakistan , in 2004 . mehsud was selected friday by a 42-member taliban council , or shura , according to taliban commander qari haris . another taliban official -- maulvi faqir mohammad -- had been tapped as mehsud 's deputy , haris said . mohammad had named himself acting head of the pakistani taliban on wednesday . a third official -- hazem tariq -- was named the group 's new spokesman , haris added . the announced selection underscored the contention by pakistani and u.s. officials that the group 's former leader , baitullah mehsud , was killed in an august 5 drone attack in waziristan . both mohammad and haris claim mehsud is alive but ill. pakistani officials announced tuesday that two top figures in the pakistani taliban had been arrested . saif ullah is believed to have been baitullah mehsud 's right-hand man , and maulvi umar is the well-known spokesman for the militant group . umar recently declared that mehsud had not been killed in a drone strike on his father-in-law 's house , but a senior pakistani official said that umar had admitted under questioning that mehsud was dead . the top u.s. envoy to the region , richard holbrooke , told cnn that the pakistani taliban had not confirmed mehsud 's death because of an ongoing power struggle over his successor . journalists janullah hamizshada and nazar ur islam contributed to this report . | taliban officials say former leader baitullah mehsud is alive but ill |
taliban <tsp> ( cnn ) -- taliban official hakeemullah mehsud has been selected the new head of the pakistani taliban , a local taliban commander in pakistan 's federally administered tribal areas told cnn saturday . baitullah mehsud , right , former leader of the pakistani taliban , and a bodyguard in pakistan , in 2004 . mehsud was selected friday by a 42-member taliban council , or shura , according to taliban commander qari haris . another taliban official -- maulvi faqir mohammad -- had been tapped as mehsud 's deputy , haris said . mohammad had named himself acting head of the pakistani taliban on wednesday . a third official -- hazem tariq -- was named the group 's new spokesman , haris added . the announced selection underscored the contention by pakistani and u.s. officials that the group 's former leader , baitullah mehsud , was killed in an august 5 drone attack in waziristan . both mohammad and haris claim mehsud is alive but ill. pakistani officials announced tuesday that two top figures in the pakistani taliban had been arrested . saif ullah is believed to have been baitullah mehsud 's right-hand man , and maulvi umar is the well-known spokesman for the militant group . umar recently declared that mehsud had not been killed in a drone strike on his father-in-law 's house , but a senior pakistani official said that umar had admitted under questioning that mehsud was dead . the top u.s. envoy to the region , richard holbrooke , told cnn that the pakistani taliban had not confirmed mehsud 's death because of an ongoing power struggle over his successor . journalists janullah hamizshada and nazar ur islam contributed to this report . | taliban official hakeemullah mehsud was selected friday by 42-member panel |
chapel hill <tsp> ( cnn ) last week , i was among 14 american muslims who met with president barack obama at the white house , where i delivered a handmade valentine 's day card from two california sisters , sabrina and saniya . sabrina , who is 10 , told the president that she likes how he 's running the country , and that she plans to be an engineer or a basketball player when she grows up . she also wrote that she was worried about kids being mean to her because of her muslim faith and asked for the president 's help amid the growing crisis of anti-muslim hate . this week , my heart sank as i read every parent 's worst nightmare in the news : three bright-eyed young americans had been brutally slain in chapel hill , north carolina . deah shaddy barakat ; his new wife , yusor abu-salha ; and her sister razan abu-salha were charitable , optimistic and promising individuals who were determined to make the world a better place , but whose lives were viciously ripped away . as the facts unfold , many indications lead us to believe that this is likely a hate crime . yusor abu-salha 's father has repeatedly stated that his daughter told the family that the neighbor did n't like them because of the way they looked . the accused killer 's social media posts frequently attacked religion . and the manner of death : bullets to the head . sadly , this incident is not an isolated tragedy . hate crimes and anti-muslim bigotry have been escalating at an alarming rate , causing fear among families and communities of heinous attacks exactly like the one we witnessed in north carolina . in the last few months , we have seen public figures engage in rhetoric that has only added fuel to the fire of anti-muslim hate and bigotry . just a few weeks ago , texas state rep. molly white posted on her facebook page about an upcoming texas muslim capitol day where students get to engage with elected leaders . in her post , white indicates that she left instructions to staff to ask representatives from the muslim community to renounce islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to america ' when they visit her office . a few months before , white posted that muslims can not be trusted no matter how peaceful they appear . ' earlier , in january , louisiana gov . bobby jindal warned americans of fabricated no-go zones ' in the united states where non-muslims are not allowed to go , and insisted that immigration by muslims should be viewed as an invasion , ' clearly not grasping the fact that muslims have been a part of america since their forced migration on slave ships . and it gets worse . since the release of the movie american sniper , ' we have seen ugly and threatening messages on social media . one twitter user said the film makes me wan na go shoot some ( expletive ) arabs . ' another twitter user suggested that people look up the list of mosques and islamic schools in the united states ( he provided them a link to a community website that compiles the names and locations of these institutions ) and then attack them with guns and other heavy ammunition pictured in his tweet . hate-filled rhetoric and threats of violence have popped up in every facet of our society . as a muslim , it is difficult to go about my life without my faith being attacked on social media , on mainstream cable news and in my community . at last week 's meeting , i asked the president to host a summit to examine discrimination directed at people of faith in america . while obama announced friday that the fbi has begun an inquiry into tuesday 's horrific killings in north carolina , now , more than ever , we need the president and attorney general holder to speak from the podium and personally address the larger issue of anti-muslim bigotry . furthermore , it is critical for holder , our nation 's chief law enforcement officer , to direct and complete a rigorous federal investigation on the attack and make it clear that violence against anyone based on how they look or how they pray will not be tolerated . in fact , 150 organizations have signed onto a letter asking holder for such an investigation . as americans , we want all our children to grow up with the same opportunities . we want all our families to be able to practice our faiths and be part of communities that celebrate and welcome diversity . we want to keep our communities safe from acts of violence . today , muslim , arab , sikh and south asian-american parents are hugging their children a little tighter , feeling helpless to protect them from others who hate them simply because of how they look or the way they pray . as we carry the torch for deah , yusor and razan and remember the great things they accomplished in their beautiful lives , let us also honor their memory by ensuring that young children such as sabrina and saniya are not targets of future hate crimes . let us assure tomorrow 's rising stars that they can grow up in a world where they do n't have to fear their fellow americans . let us create a nation where sabrina does n't feel the need to ask her president to protect her from hate . | khera says 150 groups are urging investigation of chapel hill killings as hate crime |
bartusiak <tsp> actress skye mccole bartusiak , who played mel gibson 's youngest daughter in the patriot , ' died saturday at her home in houston , her mother said sunday . she was 21 . we lost our girl , ' helen mccole bartusiak told cnn . while investigators have not determined a cause of death , bartusiak had been suffering from epileptic seizures in recent days , according to her mother . she was a kind and really beautiful girl , ' her mother said . bartusiak 's most visible role was as the young daughter of mel gibson 's revolutionary war patriot ' character in the 2000 movie . her movie acting career began when she was just 6 in 1999 with a role in the cider house rules . ' she played the daughter of michael douglas'character in do n't say a word ' in 2001 . her last film role was the lead in sick boy , ' a low-budget thriller released in 2012 . bartusiak had been preparing to produce and direct her first feature film in recent months , her mother said . her boyfriend found bartusiak sitting up in her bed in the garage apartment adjacent to her parents'houston home , her mother said . we think she had a seizure and choked and nobody was there . ' her mother said she started cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her daughter before paramedics arrived . they were working on her for 45 minutes and could not get a heartbeat , ' she said . i 've done cpr on that kid more than one time and it just did n't work this time , ' bartusiak said . she 's suffered epileptic seizures since she was a baby , although they disappeared for a few years until returning last week , her mother said . 7 things to know about epilepsy bartusiak 's mother spent sunday morning looking through photos of her actress daughter for the funeral . the images include pictures with presidents george w. and george h.w . bush , mel gibson , dennis hopper and michael douglas , she said . the girl has lived such an amazing life , ' she said . people we 've lost in 2014 | bartusiak played the young daughter of mel gibson 's patriot ' character |
bartusiak <tsp> actress skye mccole bartusiak , who played mel gibson 's youngest daughter in the patriot , ' died saturday at her home in houston , her mother said sunday . she was 21 . we lost our girl , ' helen mccole bartusiak told cnn . while investigators have not determined a cause of death , bartusiak had been suffering from epileptic seizures in recent days , according to her mother . she was a kind and really beautiful girl , ' her mother said . bartusiak 's most visible role was as the young daughter of mel gibson 's revolutionary war patriot ' character in the 2000 movie . her movie acting career began when she was just 6 in 1999 with a role in the cider house rules . ' she played the daughter of michael douglas'character in do n't say a word ' in 2001 . her last film role was the lead in sick boy , ' a low-budget thriller released in 2012 . bartusiak had been preparing to produce and direct her first feature film in recent months , her mother said . her boyfriend found bartusiak sitting up in her bed in the garage apartment adjacent to her parents'houston home , her mother said . we think she had a seizure and choked and nobody was there . ' her mother said she started cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her daughter before paramedics arrived . they were working on her for 45 minutes and could not get a heartbeat , ' she said . i 've done cpr on that kid more than one time and it just did n't work this time , ' bartusiak said . she 's suffered epileptic seizures since she was a baby , although they disappeared for a few years until returning last week , her mother said . 7 things to know about epilepsy bartusiak 's mother spent sunday morning looking through photos of her actress daughter for the funeral . the images include pictures with presidents george w. and george h.w . bush , mel gibson , dennis hopper and michael douglas , she said . the girl has lived such an amazing life , ' she said . people we 've lost in 2014 | bartusiak , 21 , suffered from epileptic seizures in recent days , her mother says |
woody allen <tsp> renewed accusations that woody allen molested an adopted daughter two decades ago were engineered by a vengeful lover , ' the filmmaker 's lawyer told cnn on monday . the allegations were fully vetted and rejected by independent authorities , ' allen attorney elkan abramowitz said in a written statement . the controversy dates back to 1992 after the revelation that allen , then 56 , was having an affair with soon-yi previn , mia farrow 's 19-year-old adopted daughter with composer andre previn . allen and previn married five years later . allen 's legal and public relations teams scrambled to respond to an open letter written by dylan farrow and published by the new york times on saturday recounting her allegation that allen sexually assaulted her when she was a child . what 's your favorite woody allen movie ? before you answer , you should know : when i was seven years old , woody allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim , closet-like attic on the second floor of our house , ' farrow wrote . he told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother 's electric train set . then he sexually assaulted me . ' when mia farrow 's 12-year relationship with allen ended two decades ago , the actress accused him of molesting dylan , one of two children she had adopted with allen . the charge triggered a child custody battle , with allen going to court to get both adopted children and satchel , their biological son , who now goes by ronan farrow . but a police investigation of the allegations ended without charges against allen . a team of investigators from yale-new haven hospital that was retained by the connecticut state police subsequently concluded dylan had not been abused , ' according to an account in the times , which covered the custody proceedings . acting justice elliott wilk of new york 's state supreme court said it was unlikely that mr. allen could be prosecuted for sexual abuse based on the evidence , ' the newspaper reported . but while a team of experts concluded that dylan was not abused , the judge said he found the evidence inconclusive . ' a former prosecutor who decided against pressing charges in the case declined to comment on the details in dylan farrow 's letter sunday . as a prosecutor i really ca n't comment on the substance of the statement of this now young woman . as a father of a child not too much older than this young woman , i can only say i hope she finds some peace and solace in the way she 's expressing herself , ' former connecticut state 's attorney frank maco said . i hope she had access to my written statement of decision . my statement is as valid today as it was 20 years ago . ' in 1993 , maco -- who 's since retired -- told reporters he believed there was probable cause to arrest allen . but he said he decided not to press charges , with mia farrow 's support , rather than exposing the child to possible harm . ' allen 's team responds allen 's lawyer responded in a statement e-mailed to cnn on monday : it is tragic that after 20 years a story engineered by a vengeful lover resurfaces even though it was fully vetted and rejected by independent authorities . the one to blame for dylan 's distress is neither dylan nor woody allen . ' allen denies farrow 's allegation allen representative leslee dart said in a prepared statement sunday that allen read the article and found it untrue and disgraceful . ' he would respond very soon , ' dart said . at the time , a thorough investigation was conducted by court appointed independent experts , ' dart said . the experts concluded there was no credible evidence of molestation ; that dylan farrow had an inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality ; and that dylan farrow had likely been coached by her mother mia farrow . no charges were ever filed . ' dylan farrow 's letter addressed this : woody allen was never convicted of any crime . that he got away with what he did to me haunted me as i grew up , ' she wrote . i was stricken with guilt that i had allowed him to be near other little girls . i was terrified of being touched by men . i developed an eating disorder . i began cutting myself . ' her letter and twitter postings by ronan farrow attacking his estranged father come as the 78-year-old director and his latest film -- blue jasmine ' -- are up for honors during hollywood 's annual award season . when the hollywood foreign press association gave allen a lifetime achievement award at the golden globes last month , his son tweeted : missed the woody allen tribute -- did they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at age 7 before or after annie hall ? ' dylan farrow 's letter appeared in times columnist nicholas kristof 's blog just hours before the writers guild awards ceremony , for which allen had been nominated for best screenplay for blue jasmine . ' he did not win . academy voters begin casting oscar ballots on february 14 . allen and his cast are up for three academy awards , including best original screenplay for allen , best actress for cate blanchett and best supporting actress for sally hawkins . dylan farrow admonished actors by name for turning a blind eye ' and for continuing to work with allen . cnn reached out to the stars that dylan farrow challenged by name in her letter but has not yet received responses . in a series of twitter posts sunday , actor alec baldwin , who starred in blue jasmine , ' fired back at people asking him to respond to the allegations . you are mistaken if you think there is a place for me , or any outsider , in this family 's issue , ' he wrote . in another post , he slammed someone who asked whether he owed dylan farrow an apology : what the f & @ % is wrong w u that u think we all need to b commenting on this family 's personal struggle ? ' ronan farrow 's tweet puts allen in harsh spotlight -- again | dylan farrow accuses woody allen of sexually abusing her when she was 7 |
woody allen <tsp> renewed accusations that woody allen molested an adopted daughter two decades ago were engineered by a vengeful lover , ' the filmmaker 's lawyer told cnn on monday . the allegations were fully vetted and rejected by independent authorities , ' allen attorney elkan abramowitz said in a written statement . the controversy dates back to 1992 after the revelation that allen , then 56 , was having an affair with soon-yi previn , mia farrow 's 19-year-old adopted daughter with composer andre previn . allen and previn married five years later . allen 's legal and public relations teams scrambled to respond to an open letter written by dylan farrow and published by the new york times on saturday recounting her allegation that allen sexually assaulted her when she was a child . what 's your favorite woody allen movie ? before you answer , you should know : when i was seven years old , woody allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim , closet-like attic on the second floor of our house , ' farrow wrote . he told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother 's electric train set . then he sexually assaulted me . ' when mia farrow 's 12-year relationship with allen ended two decades ago , the actress accused him of molesting dylan , one of two children she had adopted with allen . the charge triggered a child custody battle , with allen going to court to get both adopted children and satchel , their biological son , who now goes by ronan farrow . but a police investigation of the allegations ended without charges against allen . a team of investigators from yale-new haven hospital that was retained by the connecticut state police subsequently concluded dylan had not been abused , ' according to an account in the times , which covered the custody proceedings . acting justice elliott wilk of new york 's state supreme court said it was unlikely that mr. allen could be prosecuted for sexual abuse based on the evidence , ' the newspaper reported . but while a team of experts concluded that dylan was not abused , the judge said he found the evidence inconclusive . ' a former prosecutor who decided against pressing charges in the case declined to comment on the details in dylan farrow 's letter sunday . as a prosecutor i really ca n't comment on the substance of the statement of this now young woman . as a father of a child not too much older than this young woman , i can only say i hope she finds some peace and solace in the way she 's expressing herself , ' former connecticut state 's attorney frank maco said . i hope she had access to my written statement of decision . my statement is as valid today as it was 20 years ago . ' in 1993 , maco -- who 's since retired -- told reporters he believed there was probable cause to arrest allen . but he said he decided not to press charges , with mia farrow 's support , rather than exposing the child to possible harm . ' allen 's team responds allen 's lawyer responded in a statement e-mailed to cnn on monday : it is tragic that after 20 years a story engineered by a vengeful lover resurfaces even though it was fully vetted and rejected by independent authorities . the one to blame for dylan 's distress is neither dylan nor woody allen . ' allen denies farrow 's allegation allen representative leslee dart said in a prepared statement sunday that allen read the article and found it untrue and disgraceful . ' he would respond very soon , ' dart said . at the time , a thorough investigation was conducted by court appointed independent experts , ' dart said . the experts concluded there was no credible evidence of molestation ; that dylan farrow had an inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality ; and that dylan farrow had likely been coached by her mother mia farrow . no charges were ever filed . ' dylan farrow 's letter addressed this : woody allen was never convicted of any crime . that he got away with what he did to me haunted me as i grew up , ' she wrote . i was stricken with guilt that i had allowed him to be near other little girls . i was terrified of being touched by men . i developed an eating disorder . i began cutting myself . ' her letter and twitter postings by ronan farrow attacking his estranged father come as the 78-year-old director and his latest film -- blue jasmine ' -- are up for honors during hollywood 's annual award season . when the hollywood foreign press association gave allen a lifetime achievement award at the golden globes last month , his son tweeted : missed the woody allen tribute -- did they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at age 7 before or after annie hall ? ' dylan farrow 's letter appeared in times columnist nicholas kristof 's blog just hours before the writers guild awards ceremony , for which allen had been nominated for best screenplay for blue jasmine . ' he did not win . academy voters begin casting oscar ballots on february 14 . allen and his cast are up for three academy awards , including best original screenplay for allen , best actress for cate blanchett and best supporting actress for sally hawkins . dylan farrow admonished actors by name for turning a blind eye ' and for continuing to work with allen . cnn reached out to the stars that dylan farrow challenged by name in her letter but has not yet received responses . in a series of twitter posts sunday , actor alec baldwin , who starred in blue jasmine , ' fired back at people asking him to respond to the allegations . you are mistaken if you think there is a place for me , or any outsider , in this family 's issue , ' he wrote . in another post , he slammed someone who asked whether he owed dylan farrow an apology : what the f & @ % is wrong w u that u think we all need to b commenting on this family 's personal struggle ? ' ronan farrow 's tweet puts allen in harsh spotlight -- again | the one to blame for dylan 's distress is neither dylan nor woody allen , ' his lawyer says |
woody allen <tsp> renewed accusations that woody allen molested an adopted daughter two decades ago were engineered by a vengeful lover , ' the filmmaker 's lawyer told cnn on monday . the allegations were fully vetted and rejected by independent authorities , ' allen attorney elkan abramowitz said in a written statement . the controversy dates back to 1992 after the revelation that allen , then 56 , was having an affair with soon-yi previn , mia farrow 's 19-year-old adopted daughter with composer andre previn . allen and previn married five years later . allen 's legal and public relations teams scrambled to respond to an open letter written by dylan farrow and published by the new york times on saturday recounting her allegation that allen sexually assaulted her when she was a child . what 's your favorite woody allen movie ? before you answer , you should know : when i was seven years old , woody allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim , closet-like attic on the second floor of our house , ' farrow wrote . he told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother 's electric train set . then he sexually assaulted me . ' when mia farrow 's 12-year relationship with allen ended two decades ago , the actress accused him of molesting dylan , one of two children she had adopted with allen . the charge triggered a child custody battle , with allen going to court to get both adopted children and satchel , their biological son , who now goes by ronan farrow . but a police investigation of the allegations ended without charges against allen . a team of investigators from yale-new haven hospital that was retained by the connecticut state police subsequently concluded dylan had not been abused , ' according to an account in the times , which covered the custody proceedings . acting justice elliott wilk of new york 's state supreme court said it was unlikely that mr. allen could be prosecuted for sexual abuse based on the evidence , ' the newspaper reported . but while a team of experts concluded that dylan was not abused , the judge said he found the evidence inconclusive . ' a former prosecutor who decided against pressing charges in the case declined to comment on the details in dylan farrow 's letter sunday . as a prosecutor i really ca n't comment on the substance of the statement of this now young woman . as a father of a child not too much older than this young woman , i can only say i hope she finds some peace and solace in the way she 's expressing herself , ' former connecticut state 's attorney frank maco said . i hope she had access to my written statement of decision . my statement is as valid today as it was 20 years ago . ' in 1993 , maco -- who 's since retired -- told reporters he believed there was probable cause to arrest allen . but he said he decided not to press charges , with mia farrow 's support , rather than exposing the child to possible harm . ' allen 's team responds allen 's lawyer responded in a statement e-mailed to cnn on monday : it is tragic that after 20 years a story engineered by a vengeful lover resurfaces even though it was fully vetted and rejected by independent authorities . the one to blame for dylan 's distress is neither dylan nor woody allen . ' allen denies farrow 's allegation allen representative leslee dart said in a prepared statement sunday that allen read the article and found it untrue and disgraceful . ' he would respond very soon , ' dart said . at the time , a thorough investigation was conducted by court appointed independent experts , ' dart said . the experts concluded there was no credible evidence of molestation ; that dylan farrow had an inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality ; and that dylan farrow had likely been coached by her mother mia farrow . no charges were ever filed . ' dylan farrow 's letter addressed this : woody allen was never convicted of any crime . that he got away with what he did to me haunted me as i grew up , ' she wrote . i was stricken with guilt that i had allowed him to be near other little girls . i was terrified of being touched by men . i developed an eating disorder . i began cutting myself . ' her letter and twitter postings by ronan farrow attacking his estranged father come as the 78-year-old director and his latest film -- blue jasmine ' -- are up for honors during hollywood 's annual award season . when the hollywood foreign press association gave allen a lifetime achievement award at the golden globes last month , his son tweeted : missed the woody allen tribute -- did they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at age 7 before or after annie hall ? ' dylan farrow 's letter appeared in times columnist nicholas kristof 's blog just hours before the writers guild awards ceremony , for which allen had been nominated for best screenplay for blue jasmine . ' he did not win . academy voters begin casting oscar ballots on february 14 . allen and his cast are up for three academy awards , including best original screenplay for allen , best actress for cate blanchett and best supporting actress for sally hawkins . dylan farrow admonished actors by name for turning a blind eye ' and for continuing to work with allen . cnn reached out to the stars that dylan farrow challenged by name in her letter but has not yet received responses . in a series of twitter posts sunday , actor alec baldwin , who starred in blue jasmine , ' fired back at people asking him to respond to the allegations . you are mistaken if you think there is a place for me , or any outsider , in this family 's issue , ' he wrote . in another post , he slammed someone who asked whether he owed dylan farrow an apology : what the f & @ % is wrong w u that u think we all need to b commenting on this family 's personal struggle ? ' ronan farrow 's tweet puts allen in harsh spotlight -- again | a criminal investigation ended with no charges against woody allen |
rossi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- motogp champion valentino rossi is back on his motorbike -- just a month after breaking his leg in a horrific crash . the seven-time world champion took to the track on wednesday only four weeks after suffering a compound fracture of his shin during a collision in practice for the italian grand prix . in a statement on yahama 's website the team confirmed rossi would ride in misano , italy , in order to better understand his current physical condition . ' it had been feared rossi would miss up to four months of action after the accident but his progress has been better than expected . valentino rossi will ride a yamaha yzf-r1 at a private test in misano , italy , ' yahama said . the italian has made an excellent recovery so far since breaking his leg at mugello on 5th june and he has decided to proceed with the test ride in order to better understand his current physical condition . riding a racing motorcycle will help valentino and his doctors to plan the next stage of his rehabilitation program in order that he may return to racing as soon as he feels confident to do so . the test will take place using a yzf-r1 wsb machine provided by the yamaha world superbike team to the fiat yamaha team . ' rossi had never missed a motogp race before his leg break , but he has been forced to sit out four so far . if his test ride is successful the 31-year-old could be back for the next race in germany on 18 july . his yamaha team-mate jorge lorenzo currently leads the motogp standings , while rossi lies in seventh place , 104 points off the lead . | rossi could return for next race in germany on july 18 |
rossi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- motogp champion valentino rossi is back on his motorbike -- just a month after breaking his leg in a horrific crash . the seven-time world champion took to the track on wednesday only four weeks after suffering a compound fracture of his shin during a collision in practice for the italian grand prix . in a statement on yahama 's website the team confirmed rossi would ride in misano , italy , in order to better understand his current physical condition . ' it had been feared rossi would miss up to four months of action after the accident but his progress has been better than expected . valentino rossi will ride a yamaha yzf-r1 at a private test in misano , italy , ' yahama said . the italian has made an excellent recovery so far since breaking his leg at mugello on 5th june and he has decided to proceed with the test ride in order to better understand his current physical condition . riding a racing motorcycle will help valentino and his doctors to plan the next stage of his rehabilitation program in order that he may return to racing as soon as he feels confident to do so . the test will take place using a yzf-r1 wsb machine provided by the yamaha world superbike team to the fiat yamaha team . ' rossi had never missed a motogp race before his leg break , but he has been forced to sit out four so far . if his test ride is successful the 31-year-old could be back for the next race in germany on 18 july . his yamaha team-mate jorge lorenzo currently leads the motogp standings , while rossi lies in seventh place , 104 points off the lead . | rossi broke his leg in practice for the italy motogp last month |
rossi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- motogp champion valentino rossi is back on his motorbike -- just a month after breaking his leg in a horrific crash . the seven-time world champion took to the track on wednesday only four weeks after suffering a compound fracture of his shin during a collision in practice for the italian grand prix . in a statement on yahama 's website the team confirmed rossi would ride in misano , italy , in order to better understand his current physical condition . ' it had been feared rossi would miss up to four months of action after the accident but his progress has been better than expected . valentino rossi will ride a yamaha yzf-r1 at a private test in misano , italy , ' yahama said . the italian has made an excellent recovery so far since breaking his leg at mugello on 5th june and he has decided to proceed with the test ride in order to better understand his current physical condition . riding a racing motorcycle will help valentino and his doctors to plan the next stage of his rehabilitation program in order that he may return to racing as soon as he feels confident to do so . the test will take place using a yzf-r1 wsb machine provided by the yamaha world superbike team to the fiat yamaha team . ' rossi had never missed a motogp race before his leg break , but he has been forced to sit out four so far . if his test ride is successful the 31-year-old could be back for the next race in germany on 18 july . his yamaha team-mate jorge lorenzo currently leads the motogp standings , while rossi lies in seventh place , 104 points off the lead . | motogp champion valentino rossi to take a test ride on wednesday |
death valley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- imagine an icy cold day , arizona . a chilly breeze , southwest california . snow drifting slowly from low slate clouds , las vegas . now , keep those images close at hand . you 're going to need something to help keep you cool as mother earth pours a big bucket of brutal heat on your head . i 'm not worried as much about the people who have lived here a while , ' said sgt . troy stirling , spokesman for the lake havasu police in that arizona city along the california border . it 's more the tourists coming into the area , even from southern california , who are n't used to this kind of heat . ' civic and emergency officials throughout the southwest say that if there was ever a time to worry , this would be it . the reason is n't just the oppressive heat that plagued the region : it 's the fact it is expected to hang around , and possibly even get worse , over the next few days . many of the excessive heat warnings issued by the national weather service extend through tuesday night , with advisories from northern california , including sacramento , all the way to southern arizona . forecasters say temperatures through the weekend could rival a 2005 heat wave that killed 17 people in the las vegas area . the culprit is a high pressure dome that 's blocking cooler air coming down from the pacific northwest , cnn meteorologist indra petersons explains . that system wo n't begin to break up until early next week , she said . as a result , phoenix residents should see a high of 118 degrees on saturday . that 's the temperature the national weather service expects the thermostat will reach in las vegas both on sunday and monday . it should max out at 115 in the coming days in palm springs , california . it 's not like sunset will provide much respite , as temperatures may not drop below 90 degrees in many places , even in the middle of the night . yet all those conditions are practically wintry compared to what 's expected in death valley , where temps could climb to 129 degrees . the high temps come just a couple weeks before the 100th anniversary of what the national weather service calls the highest reliably recorded air temperature on earth ' -- 134 degrees on july 10 , 1913 , in death valley 's greenland ranch . it likely wo n't get that bad , but that does n't mean it wo n't be dangerous . that 's why stirling said authorities in lake havasu city are making sure every police officer on the beat has cool water or gatorade handy , why waters at the city 's aquatic center are being chilled , and why fire stations are offering free cold water to passers-by . precautions are also being taken in the case of a worst-case scenario -- a power outage that knocks out air conditioning that people need to get through the intense heat . but barring such a calamity , stirling said , most people know ,'we 're going to stay indoors .'' of course , there will be those who do n't do that -- perhaps because they have to be outside , or maybe because they 're convinced they can beat the heat . those fighting fires -- like a blaze that ripped through a phoenix salvage yard friday evening , torching vehicles , sending huge plumes of black smoke into the air and triggering several explosions -- do n't have much choice to stay inside . in california , the so-called mills fire in san bernardino county was still raging at 5:45 p.m. ( 8:45 p.m . et ) friday , having more than doubled in size to 200 acres over the course of the day , according to california 's department of forestry and fire protection . in addition to firefighters , police pitched in by going door-to-door asking people to evacuate . but the weather was n't , and wo n't , be much help at all : forecasts for the area call for sunny skies and temperatures topping out at 109 degrees both days this weekend . crissi zito is one of those people in the heat-drenched zone who ventured outside , even if she did n't have to . still , when she went out for a run friday in 100-plus degree heat in sacramento , zito was equipped with a water bottle in her hand and the understanding in her mind that now is not the time to push your limits . listen to your body , ' she told cnn affiliate kovr . if your body says ,'i do n't feel good , i do n't feel right ,'go inside , get some shade , get some water . ' | it could reach 129 in death valley -- five degrees short of the all-time record |
chino <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of inmates using pipes and shanks as weapons trashed a california prison , burning a courtyard , ripping beds to shreds and tearing bathroom sinks from walls , a new video of the weekend riot 's aftermath shows . a dormitory is trashed after a riot at the california institution for men , in chino . video shot by cnn affiliate kabc-tv gave the first glimpse of the damage to the california institution for men in chino from a riot that authorities said was ignited by racial tensions . this certainly is probably the worst that we 've seen , especially adding the extensive damage to the unit that has been burned , ' prison spokesman lt. mark hargrove told reporters outside the prison tuesday . that has never happened at this facility before . ' the riot erupted saturday night and raged until sunday morning , injuring 250 inmates . fifty-five inmates were taken to hospitals with serious injuries , including stab wounds and head trauma . watch the aftermath of the violence » ' the prison is still under a state of emergency , ' george kostyrko , a spokesman for the state department of corrections and rehabilitation told cnn , which means no visitors were allowed and the prison could not take any new inmates . corrections officials said they transferred about 1,150 inmates to other facilities . the ones that are there are likely in a lockdown mode until an investigation can determine whether or not they were directly responsible for the riot , ' kostyrko said . the decision to lock down the chino prison and nine others in southern california was still in effect tuesday . the lockdowns will remain in effect until all the staff that we deployed to chino from other areas go back home , ' kostyrko said . the measure was taken to prevent copy-cat violence . though other races were involved , the altercations at chino mostly involved hispanics and african-americans , kostyrko said . about 80 officers responded to the scene , but none of the staff was injured . a housing unit was heavily damaged by fire . prisoners broke windows and pulled down pipes to use as weapons , kostyrko said . the facility has seven units , each of which houses about 200 inmates . in one of the torched dormitories , burned red prison uniforms were strewn everywhere , the floor was covered with ankle-high ashes , windows were shattered and there was a large hole in the roof . in the mounds of trash that littered the floor of the dorm , a rusty foot-long pipe could be seen . most of the residential areas were badly damaged and some inmates were being temporarily housed in tents , the spokesman said . chino is about 35 miles east of los angeles . | video gives glimpse of damage to the california institution for men in chino |
chino <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of inmates using pipes and shanks as weapons trashed a california prison , burning a courtyard , ripping beds to shreds and tearing bathroom sinks from walls , a new video of the weekend riot 's aftermath shows . a dormitory is trashed after a riot at the california institution for men , in chino . video shot by cnn affiliate kabc-tv gave the first glimpse of the damage to the california institution for men in chino from a riot that authorities said was ignited by racial tensions . this certainly is probably the worst that we 've seen , especially adding the extensive damage to the unit that has been burned , ' prison spokesman lt. mark hargrove told reporters outside the prison tuesday . that has never happened at this facility before . ' the riot erupted saturday night and raged until sunday morning , injuring 250 inmates . fifty-five inmates were taken to hospitals with serious injuries , including stab wounds and head trauma . watch the aftermath of the violence » ' the prison is still under a state of emergency , ' george kostyrko , a spokesman for the state department of corrections and rehabilitation told cnn , which means no visitors were allowed and the prison could not take any new inmates . corrections officials said they transferred about 1,150 inmates to other facilities . the ones that are there are likely in a lockdown mode until an investigation can determine whether or not they were directly responsible for the riot , ' kostyrko said . the decision to lock down the chino prison and nine others in southern california was still in effect tuesday . the lockdowns will remain in effect until all the staff that we deployed to chino from other areas go back home , ' kostyrko said . the measure was taken to prevent copy-cat violence . though other races were involved , the altercations at chino mostly involved hispanics and african-americans , kostyrko said . about 80 officers responded to the scene , but none of the staff was injured . a housing unit was heavily damaged by fire . prisoners broke windows and pulled down pipes to use as weapons , kostyrko said . the facility has seven units , each of which houses about 200 inmates . in one of the torched dormitories , burned red prison uniforms were strewn everywhere , the floor was covered with ankle-high ashes , windows were shattered and there was a large hole in the roof . in the mounds of trash that littered the floor of the dorm , a rusty foot-long pipe could be seen . most of the residential areas were badly damaged and some inmates were being temporarily housed in tents , the spokesman said . chino is about 35 miles east of los angeles . | chino prison and nine others in southern california remain in lockdown |
zimbabwe <tsp> ( cnn ) -- china 's foreign minister pushed friday for the lifting of sanctions against zimbabwe , saying no country has a right to dictate the internal affairs of another nation , state-run media reported . starting in 2002 , the european union and the united states imposed targeted sanctions on zimbabwe president robert mugabe and some senior party members amid rampant reports of stifling his political opposition , human rights violations and his controversial land reform policy that has targeted white commercial farmers . mugabe blames the sanctions for his country 's woes , which late last year included an unemployment rate of more than 90 % and an inflation rate of 231,000,000 % . speaking friday during a two-day visit to harare , chinese foreign minister yang jiechi said that china believes that africans have the right to choose their own way of development , as they are masters of the african continent . all others are just guests . ' we think that ( lifting sanctions ) is the voice of the zimbabwean people , and that is also the view of all the parties concerned here in zimbabwe , ' yang said , according to the chinese state-run xinhua news agency . as part of his trip , china extended an additional 50 million yuan ( $ 7.5 million ) in aid to the economically ravaged african nation , xinhua reported . in addition , yang and zimbabwe foreign minister simbarashe mumbengegwi signed an agreement on behalf of the two countries . according to xinhua , mugabe on friday said sanctions flew in the face of a 1979 agreement with great britain that land would be redistributed to compensate farmers . the western countries have imposed sanctions on us for taking our land , although we had discussed this in 1979 , ' he said . that is what started the problem . ' last december , mugabe threatened to seize all western-owned investments in the country unless their governments remove targeted sanctions imposed on him and his senior zanu-pf party members . the 86-year-old former guerrilla leader said at the time that the time has come for ... revenge ' and suggested that zimbabwe 's indigenization and economic empowerment act -- which gives foreign companies five years to submit plans for transferring 51 % of their investments to black zimbabweans -- did not go far enough . mugabe has held power since zimbabwe became independent in 1980 . a 2008 election resulted in a runoff between mugabe and tsvangirai . movement for democratic change , charging fraud in the election , eventually pulled out , and mugabe was declared the winner . in 2009 , with zanu-pf no longer a majority in the parliament , mugabe formed a coalition government with tsvangirai , who was named prime minister . mugabe said last december that he was tired of working with the opposition party , which he said lacked ideology and policies . ' he termed the unity government a creature . ' at the time , he warned western diplomats not to interfere in zimbabwe 's elections , which he said would be held next year . he said the west had contributed to his party 's defeat in 2008 . despite isolation from the west , mugabe 's supporters include his iranian counterpart mahmoud ahmadinejad . | zimbabwe 's ruler has blamed the sanctions for ruining his nation 's economy |
africans <tsp> ( cnn ) -- china 's foreign minister pushed friday for the lifting of sanctions against zimbabwe , saying no country has a right to dictate the internal affairs of another nation , state-run media reported . starting in 2002 , the european union and the united states imposed targeted sanctions on zimbabwe president robert mugabe and some senior party members amid rampant reports of stifling his political opposition , human rights violations and his controversial land reform policy that has targeted white commercial farmers . mugabe blames the sanctions for his country 's woes , which late last year included an unemployment rate of more than 90 % and an inflation rate of 231,000,000 % . speaking friday during a two-day visit to harare , chinese foreign minister yang jiechi said that china believes that africans have the right to choose their own way of development , as they are masters of the african continent . all others are just guests . ' we think that ( lifting sanctions ) is the voice of the zimbabwean people , and that is also the view of all the parties concerned here in zimbabwe , ' yang said , according to the chinese state-run xinhua news agency . as part of his trip , china extended an additional 50 million yuan ( $ 7.5 million ) in aid to the economically ravaged african nation , xinhua reported . in addition , yang and zimbabwe foreign minister simbarashe mumbengegwi signed an agreement on behalf of the two countries . according to xinhua , mugabe on friday said sanctions flew in the face of a 1979 agreement with great britain that land would be redistributed to compensate farmers . the western countries have imposed sanctions on us for taking our land , although we had discussed this in 1979 , ' he said . that is what started the problem . ' last december , mugabe threatened to seize all western-owned investments in the country unless their governments remove targeted sanctions imposed on him and his senior zanu-pf party members . the 86-year-old former guerrilla leader said at the time that the time has come for ... revenge ' and suggested that zimbabwe 's indigenization and economic empowerment act -- which gives foreign companies five years to submit plans for transferring 51 % of their investments to black zimbabweans -- did not go far enough . mugabe has held power since zimbabwe became independent in 1980 . a 2008 election resulted in a runoff between mugabe and tsvangirai . movement for democratic change , charging fraud in the election , eventually pulled out , and mugabe was declared the winner . in 2009 , with zanu-pf no longer a majority in the parliament , mugabe formed a coalition government with tsvangirai , who was named prime minister . mugabe said last december that he was tired of working with the opposition party , which he said lacked ideology and policies . ' he termed the unity government a creature . ' at the time , he warned western diplomats not to interfere in zimbabwe 's elections , which he said would be held next year . he said the west had contributed to his party 's defeat in 2008 . despite isolation from the west , mugabe 's supporters include his iranian counterpart mahmoud ahmadinejad . | report : china 's foreign minister : africans have the right to choose their own way ' |
icelandic <tsp> a defiant evo morales was back in bolivia on thursday , railing against the united states after his presidential jet was held up in europe under suspicions that u.s. intelligence leaker edward snowden had hitched a ride . france , spain , portugal and italy refused to let the president 's plane fly through their airspace after rumors surfaced that snowden might be on board , bolivian officials said . but spain 's foreign minister , jose manuel garcia margallo , countered that regarding his country , saying in an interview , spain does n't need to make any apologies . our air space was never closed . ' with no clear path home available , the flight 's crew made an emergency landing in vienna , austria , where it spent some 14 hours . snowden rumors temporarily ground bolivian president 's plane the bolivians squarely put the blame on washington for morales'unexpected side trip . message to the americans : the empire and its servants will never be able to intimidate or scare us , ' morales told supporters at el alto international airport outside la paz late wednesday . european countries need to liberate themselves from the imperialism of the americans . ' speaking alongside ecuadorian president rafael correa and venezuelan president nicolas maduro at a rally in a packed stadium in bolivia thursday evening , morales said officials should analyze whether to shut down the u.s. embassy in his country . the president , who expelled the u.s. ambassador in 2008 , said he would n't hesitate to boot the embassy , too . without the united states , ' he said , we are better politically and democratically . ' in several speeches thursday , morales said he had been targeted for his indigenous background . what happened during these days is not a coincidence , not a mistake like some governments say , ' morales said . it is part of a policy to continue intimidating the bolivian people and latin america . ' he added , our sin is being indigenous and anti-imperialist . ' despite several attempts by cnn to get a response , obama administration officials declined to comment on bolivia 's allegations that the united states pressured european countries to deny landing rights to the bolivian president 's plane , referring all questions to the european countries in question . outrage in latin america the incident has sparked a global diplomatic feud that 's roiled leaders throughout latin america . presidents from five south american countries -- argentina , ecuador , suriname , uruguay and venezuela -- met with morales in cochabamba , bolivia , thursday to discuss the matter . diplomatic delegations from several others south american nations joined them . the leaders issued a statement condemning the incident and calling for an apology ' we demand the governments of france , portugal , italy and spain issue the necessary public apology in relation to this serious incident , ' the statement said . the situation , they said , was a flagrant violation of international treaties . we reject the actions that clearly violated norms and basic principles of international law , like the inviolability of heads of state , ' they said . the leaders said they supported morales'complaint to the united nations high commissioner of human rights over the matter , and they called for their countries'foreign ministers to form a committee to investigate what happened . in a statement thursday , un secretary-general ban ki-moon called for dialogue between bolivia and the european countries that barred the plane carrying president evo morales from flying over their airspaces this wednesday . ' according to a statement issued by his office , ban urges the states concerned to discuss the matter with full respect for the legitimate interests involved . ' ecuador 's correa sharply criticized the united states for its role in the situation . in a speech thursday at the bolivian rally , he read an excerpt from the u.s . declaration of independence and decried what he said was the country 's hypocrisy . they keep having a double standard , ' he said . argentine president cristina fernandez de kirchner said the countries must apologize . at least here in south america , when we make a mistake , we recognize it and at least ask for forgiveness from those we have offended . ... let them apologize for once in their lives for what they have done , ' she said . venezuelan president nicolas maduro blamed the cia , saying he believes the agency pressured governments to refuse to allow morales through their airspace . what just happened with the south american indigenous leader evo morales shows the level of madness and desperation that the ( u.s. ) empire has reached , ' he said . opinion : snowden and a muzzled free press so where is snowden ? the situation is the latest twist in what has become a global guessing game over snowden 's next steps . snowden has admitted leaking classified documents about u.s. surveillance programs and faces espionage charges in the united states . he has applied for asylum in 21 countries , including bolivia . snowden has been holed up at moscow 's sheremetyevo international airport since june 23 . he arrived from hong kong .'unbowed'snowden seeks new havens morales , a left-leaning president who has long criticized the united states , had been attending a conference of gas-exporting countries in russia , where he told the russia today news network that he would be willing to consider asylum for snowden . but bolivian officials said accusations that an official aircraft would harbor snowden were baseless . we can not lie to the international community by carrying ghost passengers , ' bolivian foreign minister david choquehuanca said . snowden 's asylum options dwindle the fallout moscow condemned the nations that blocked morales'path . france , spain , and portugal 's actions ( were ) not friendly toward bolivia and toward russia , ' the russian foreign ministry said . moscow will demand strict observance of international law ... guaranteeing immunity of heads of state . ' france denied it refused to allow the plane to enter its airspace . french foreign minister laurent fabius called his bolivian counterpart to express regrets about a delay in the confirmation to authorize the plane to fly over its territory , the french foreign ministry said . the authorization was granted as soon as french authorities were informed the plane was the bolivian president 's aircraft , the ministry said . france never intended to deny president morales'plane access to ( its ) airspace , ' and the bolivian leader is welcome in france , fabius said . france was among the countries where snowden sought asylum . france said thursday it had refused the request . italy also turned down snowden 's asylum request thursday . there are no legal reasons to accept this request , ' foreign minister emma bonino told the italian parliament . meanwhile , in iceland , lawmakers from several political parties have proposed a new law to grant snowden citizenship after receiving a request from the former nsa contractor , lawmaker birgitta jonsdottir said . on her website , jonsdottir published what she said was the text of a letter from snowden . i want to extend my gratitude to the icelandic parliament for considering my request for icelandic citizenship , ' he said , according to jonsdottir . i have been left defacto-stateless by my own government after communicating with the public . ' iceland has said it ca n't consider snowden 's request for asylum there until he 's in its territory . | italy denies snowden asylum ; icelandic lawmakers weigh giving him citizenship |
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