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vatican <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- after centuries buried beneath the vatican , and decades hidden away inside the holy see , the bones of a man long believed to be st. peter , one of the founding fathers of the christian church , are on display for the first time . the controversial remains were revealed to the public on sunday at a mass in st peter 's square marking the conclusion of the catholic church 's year of faith . ' writing in l'osservatore romano , the semi-official vatican newspaper , archbishop rino fisichella said the relics which tradition recognizes as those of the apostle who gave his life for the lord ' would be exhibited as part of the service . l'osservatore romano reports that 8.5 million pilgrims have venerated the relics over the course of the year . but whether the bones , normally kept in an urn housed in the private chapel of the pope 's own vatican apartments , really are those of st. peter , the fisherman-turned-disciple who became the first pope , is open to question . tradition has it that st. peter was martyred -- by being crucified , upside down -- in rome in a.d. 64. before being buried in the city . in his book the vatican diaries , ' john thavis wrote that st. peter 's tomb in the cemetery on the vatican hill became ... a popular pilgrimage site , ' prompting the emperor constantine to build a basilica in his honor in the 4th century . the remains which will be revealed on sunday were among those discovered during an archaeological dig begun on the site in 1939 ; in 1968 the then pope , paul vi , declared that they had been identified in a manner which we believe convincing . ' but with no dna evidence to conclusively prove their identity , whether they belong to st. peter is likely to remain an enduring mystery . cnn 's vatican analyst john allen says that like so much concerning religion , the belief that the bones are those of the disciple comes down to faith . like other famous relics , such as the shroud of turin or the belt of mary , they evoke awe and devotion regardless of their actual provenance , ' allen writes in an op-ed for cnn . faith , as the bible puts it , lies in'the evidence of things not seen .'' read more : the bones of peter and the eyes of faith read more : would the mafia target pope francis ? read more : new , popular pope , but same old church ? read more : pope embraces severely disfigured man | remains were found during an archaeological dig at the vatican in the 1940s |
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- twin brothers david and jason benham have lost their opportunity to host their own hgtv show . the brothers ran afoul of the network after the site right wing watch published a post about the pair , labeling david benham as an anti-gay , anti-choice extremist ' for reportedly leading a prayer rally in 2012 outside of the democratic national convention held in charlotte , north carolina . the site posted a recording of benham talking to a talk show host about homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation ' and demonic ideologies ' taking hold in colleges and public schools . benham also discusses the fight for north carolina 's amendment one , which involved a ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state constitution . the benham brothers were the planned stars of the hgtv show flip it forward , ' set to premiere in october , in which they would have helped families purchase homes they otherwise could not afford . an april press release described the planned show this way : after a decade of flipping houses for profit , brothers david benham and jason benham now help families buy the homes they never thought they could afford . in each episode , the guys help a deserving family find a fixer-upper and transform it into their forever home -- with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry between the brothers along the way . ' but after the post went public , hgtv tweeted , hgtv has decided not to move forward with the benham brothers'series . ' thursday night , jason benham told cnn 's erin burnett outfront ' that hgtv had vetted the pair . when they -- a year and a half ago -- saw some of the footage where my brother was saying the things he was saying , they spoke with us . they got to know us a little better and then they made a judgment call , recognizing that david and i have no hate in our heart for anyone . we 've been running a successful real estate company for the last 11 years and we help all people . there is no discrimination , ' said jason benham . his comments were echoed by his brother . we love all people . i love homosexuals . i love islam , muslims , and my brother and i would never discriminate . never have we -- never would we , ' said david benham . never have i ever spoken against homosexuals , as individuals , and gone against them . i speak about an agenda . and that 's really what the point of this is -- is that there is an agenda that is seeking to silence the voices of men and women of faith , ' he added . the brothers believe hgtv was bullied into its decision because of the media firestorm . it was too much for them to bear and they had to make a business decision , ' david benham said . earlier , the brothers released a statement : ' the first and last thought on our minds as we begin and end each day is : have we shined christ 's light today ? our faith is the fundamental calling in our lives , and the centerpiece of who we are . as christians we are called to love our fellow man . anyone who suggests that we hate homosexuals or people of other faiths is either misinformed or lying . over the last decade , we 've sold thousands of homes with the guiding principle of producing value and breathing life into each family that has crossed our path , and we do not , nor will we ever discriminate against people who do not share our views . we were saddened to hear hgtv 's decision . with all of the grotesque things that can be seen and heard on television today you would think there would be room for two twin brothers who are faithful to our families , committed to biblical principles , and dedicated professionals . if our faith costs us a television show then so be it . ' there is also a youtube video of david benham speaking at a celebration ' of a closing of an abortion clinic in 2013 . website globalflare.com , which emphasizes positive news and entertainment , ' called it a smear campaign ' against the brothers . the organization faith driven consumer , which started a campaign in support of phil robertson of duck dynasty , ' has launched # flipthisdecision , a petition aimed at reinstating the hgtv show . | new : the brothers tell cnn they believe hgtv was bullied into its decision |
david benham <tsp> ( cnn ) -- twin brothers david and jason benham have lost their opportunity to host their own hgtv show . the brothers ran afoul of the network after the site right wing watch published a post about the pair , labeling david benham as an anti-gay , anti-choice extremist ' for reportedly leading a prayer rally in 2012 outside of the democratic national convention held in charlotte , north carolina . the site posted a recording of benham talking to a talk show host about homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation ' and demonic ideologies ' taking hold in colleges and public schools . benham also discusses the fight for north carolina 's amendment one , which involved a ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state constitution . the benham brothers were the planned stars of the hgtv show flip it forward , ' set to premiere in october , in which they would have helped families purchase homes they otherwise could not afford . an april press release described the planned show this way : after a decade of flipping houses for profit , brothers david benham and jason benham now help families buy the homes they never thought they could afford . in each episode , the guys help a deserving family find a fixer-upper and transform it into their forever home -- with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry between the brothers along the way . ' but after the post went public , hgtv tweeted , hgtv has decided not to move forward with the benham brothers'series . ' thursday night , jason benham told cnn 's erin burnett outfront ' that hgtv had vetted the pair . when they -- a year and a half ago -- saw some of the footage where my brother was saying the things he was saying , they spoke with us . they got to know us a little better and then they made a judgment call , recognizing that david and i have no hate in our heart for anyone . we 've been running a successful real estate company for the last 11 years and we help all people . there is no discrimination , ' said jason benham . his comments were echoed by his brother . we love all people . i love homosexuals . i love islam , muslims , and my brother and i would never discriminate . never have we -- never would we , ' said david benham . never have i ever spoken against homosexuals , as individuals , and gone against them . i speak about an agenda . and that 's really what the point of this is -- is that there is an agenda that is seeking to silence the voices of men and women of faith , ' he added . the brothers believe hgtv was bullied into its decision because of the media firestorm . it was too much for them to bear and they had to make a business decision , ' david benham said . earlier , the brothers released a statement : ' the first and last thought on our minds as we begin and end each day is : have we shined christ 's light today ? our faith is the fundamental calling in our lives , and the centerpiece of who we are . as christians we are called to love our fellow man . anyone who suggests that we hate homosexuals or people of other faiths is either misinformed or lying . over the last decade , we 've sold thousands of homes with the guiding principle of producing value and breathing life into each family that has crossed our path , and we do not , nor will we ever discriminate against people who do not share our views . we were saddened to hear hgtv 's decision . with all of the grotesque things that can be seen and heard on television today you would think there would be room for two twin brothers who are faithful to our families , committed to biblical principles , and dedicated professionals . if our faith costs us a television show then so be it . ' there is also a youtube video of david benham speaking at a celebration ' of a closing of an abortion clinic in 2013 . website globalflare.com , which emphasizes positive news and entertainment , ' called it a smear campaign ' against the brothers . the organization faith driven consumer , which started a campaign in support of phil robertson of duck dynasty , ' has launched # flipthisdecision , a petition aimed at reinstating the hgtv show . | new : we love all people . i love homosexuals , ' says david benham |
vladimir putin <tsp> kiev , ukraine ( cnn ) -- imprisoned ukrainian opposition leader and former prime minister yulia tymoshenko has ended her 12-day hunger strike , ukraine 's batkivschyna opposition party said friday . tymoshenko 's daughter , eugenia tymoshenko , visited her mother at the prison where she is held in kharkov , according to the party . eugenia said after her visit that her mother is very weak now ; she almost does not get up from bed . this is because it is her third hunger strike in a short period of time . ' eugenia said many people , including european and world leaders , had asked her mother to stop the hunger strike , according to the batkivschyna party . but her mother 's decision followed a request by protesters who have been demonstrating in kiev 's independence square for ukraine 's integration with the european union , her daughter told the party . she stopped her hunger strike upon the request of the people on the square . they asked her to take care of her life , her health , so she could be with us , ' eugenia tymoshenko said . the government of president viktor yanukovich suspended talks with the european union last month , angering many ukrainians who say an eu agreement would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion . the subsequent protests are the biggest in ukraine since the so-called orange revolution nine years ago , a populist movement that toppled the government . the battle over ukraine : toward a new geopolitical game about 7,000 people were protesting in the capital , kiev , as of friday morning , police said . the crowds often swell in size in the evenings as people leave work and join the protest . while many have been demonstrating in independence , or maidan , square , others have rallied outside the cabinet office , the presidential office and other government offices . larger rallies are planned for the weekend . chief among yanukovich 's reasons for backpedaling on the eu talks was russia 's opposition to it . russia threatened its neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if it forged ahead with an eu deal but promised deep discounts on natural gas if it were to join the moscow-led customs union instead . yanukovich was also facing an eu demand that he was unwilling to meet : free tymoshenko , his chief political opponent . the orange revolution that swept him from office in 2004 , when he was prime minister , also swept tymoshenko to power . tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison two years ago after being convicted of abuse of authority over a natural gas deal negotiated with russia in 2009 . the united states and europe see the punishment as politically motivated . yanukovich met his russian counterpart vladimir putin in russia on friday , against the backdrop of the anti-government protests . putin and yanukovich discussed the strategic partnership between the two countries , yanukovich 's office said . yanukovich also canceled a planned trip to malta -- a european union member -- due to the necessity to focus attention on the internal political issues , ' his office said . journalist victoria butenko reported from kiev , and cnn 's laura smith-spark wrote in london . cnn 's marie-louise gumuchian contributed to this report . | ukrainian president viktor yanukovich meets with russia 's vladimir putin |
yulia tymoshenko <tsp> kiev , ukraine ( cnn ) -- imprisoned ukrainian opposition leader and former prime minister yulia tymoshenko has ended her 12-day hunger strike , ukraine 's batkivschyna opposition party said friday . tymoshenko 's daughter , eugenia tymoshenko , visited her mother at the prison where she is held in kharkov , according to the party . eugenia said after her visit that her mother is very weak now ; she almost does not get up from bed . this is because it is her third hunger strike in a short period of time . ' eugenia said many people , including european and world leaders , had asked her mother to stop the hunger strike , according to the batkivschyna party . but her mother 's decision followed a request by protesters who have been demonstrating in kiev 's independence square for ukraine 's integration with the european union , her daughter told the party . she stopped her hunger strike upon the request of the people on the square . they asked her to take care of her life , her health , so she could be with us , ' eugenia tymoshenko said . the government of president viktor yanukovich suspended talks with the european union last month , angering many ukrainians who say an eu agreement would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion . the subsequent protests are the biggest in ukraine since the so-called orange revolution nine years ago , a populist movement that toppled the government . the battle over ukraine : toward a new geopolitical game about 7,000 people were protesting in the capital , kiev , as of friday morning , police said . the crowds often swell in size in the evenings as people leave work and join the protest . while many have been demonstrating in independence , or maidan , square , others have rallied outside the cabinet office , the presidential office and other government offices . larger rallies are planned for the weekend . chief among yanukovich 's reasons for backpedaling on the eu talks was russia 's opposition to it . russia threatened its neighbor with trade sanctions and steep gas bills if it forged ahead with an eu deal but promised deep discounts on natural gas if it were to join the moscow-led customs union instead . yanukovich was also facing an eu demand that he was unwilling to meet : free tymoshenko , his chief political opponent . the orange revolution that swept him from office in 2004 , when he was prime minister , also swept tymoshenko to power . tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison two years ago after being convicted of abuse of authority over a natural gas deal negotiated with russia in 2009 . the united states and europe see the punishment as politically motivated . yanukovich met his russian counterpart vladimir putin in russia on friday , against the backdrop of the anti-government protests . putin and yanukovich discussed the strategic partnership between the two countries , yanukovich 's office said . yanukovich also canceled a planned trip to malta -- a european union member -- due to the necessity to focus attention on the internal political issues , ' his office said . journalist victoria butenko reported from kiev , and cnn 's laura smith-spark wrote in london . cnn 's marie-louise gumuchian contributed to this report . | yulia tymoshenko has ended a hunger strike , opposition party cites her daughter as saying |
america <tsp> the contention that president obama apologized to other nations for american behavior has been mentioned repeatedly by his critics , including mitt romney . during his acceptance speech at the republican national convention in august , romney said , i will begin my presidency with the jobs tour . president obama began his with an apology tour . america , he said , had dictated to other nations . no , mr. president america has freed other nations from dictators . ' at last week 's debate that president obama 's policies throughout the middle east began with an apology tour . ' romney made the claim again during the monday night debate . the president began what i have called an apology tour , of going to various nations in the middle east and criticizing america . ' cnn fact check : obama 's china tire case romney also said the reason i call it an apology tour is because you went to the middle east and you flew to egypt and to saudi arabia and to turkey and iraq . and by the way , you skipped israel , our closest friend in the region , but you went to the other nations . ' romney said in those nations , and on arabic tv , you said that america had been dismissive and derisive . you said that on occasion america had dictated to other nations . ' obama said the apologizing claim has been probably the biggest whopper that 's been told during the course of this campaign . ' the facts : when president obama began his term , he made a number of speeches in the middle east and elsewhere -- all designed to forge better ties with europe , the middle east , and latin america . critics such as romney have said obama apologized for past actions in such addresses . obama did indeed mention past u.s. flaws in speeches . but in those addresses , obama never uttered an apology for the united states . those statements were snippets , part of larger and grander narratives about repairing ties , building friendship and working together . fact check : romney , obama and iraq during an address in strasbourg , france , in april 2009 , obama did utter words romney referenced in the debate . in that speech , obama said , there have been times where america has shown arrogance and been dismissive , even derisive . ' but in the very next sentence , obama called out the europeans for an anti-americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious . instead of recognizing the good that america so often does in the world , there have been times where europeans choose to blame america for much of what 's bad . ' he then goes on to talk about forging common solutions to our common problems . ' america can not confront the challenges of this century alone , but that europe can not confront them without america . so i 've come to europe this week to renew our partnership , one in which america listens and learns from our friends and allies , but where our friends and allies bear their share of the burden . together , we must forge common solutions to our common problems . ' an april 2009 speech before the turkish parliament praised both the united states and turkey . it focused on common bonds and threats , such as extremism , the economy , and energy issues . during that speech , he said another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the future is how we deal with the past ' and touches on a major blemish on u.s. history . the united states is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history , ' obama said . our country still struggles with the legacies of slavery and segregation , the past treatment of native americans . ' after that statement , obama segued into a similar stain on turkey 's history -- the massacre of armenians during world war i , and how both turks and armenians should work toward a new day . ' fact check : al qaeda core decimated or growing ? in june 2009 , obama delivered a major speech in egypt where he discussed a new beginning between the united states and muslims around the world , one based on mutual interest and mutual respect . ' citing the ' fear and anger ' after 9/11 , obama said that in some cases , it led us to act contrary to our traditions and our ideals . ' while defending america 's reaction to the 9/11 attacks , obama resolved to fight extremism , support israel , and back the establishment of a palestinian state .. back in december , michael cohen , a columnist for foreign policy 's election 2012 channel , called the apology tour ' claim a lie that has been reiterated so often that it has become conventional wisdom on the right. the apology canard has been disproven practically as often as it has been made . ' as for israel , it is true that the president has n't visited the country since his election . but obama did visit the jewish state during his 2008 campaign . he went to the yad vashem holocaust museum and the southern israeli town of sderot , the city battered by missiles from hamas-controlled gaza . if we 're going to talk about trips that we 've taken -- when i was a candidate for office , first trip i took was to visit our troops , ' obama said . he had visited iraq and afghanistan as a candidate . fact check : comparing costs of iraq , libya missions conclusion : romney 's claim is false . the president has mentioned past u.s. mistakes and flaws during speeches about the larger issues of building bridges to other countries . but he has never apologized or gone on an apology tour . ' complete coverage of cnn 's fact checks | in one speech , obama said , there have been times where america has shown arrogance ' |
friendship nine <tsp> rock hill , south carolina ( cnn ) a south carolina judge on wednesday threw out the convictions of the friendship nine , who were jailed in 1961 after a sit-in protest in rock hill , south carolina , during the civil rights movement . today is a victory in race relations in america , ' said bernice king , daughter of the rev . martin luther king jr. , said in a news conference following the ruling . it is a new day . ' the prosecutor who pushed for this momentous day , 16th circuit solicitor kevin brackett of rock hill , cited king 's father when explaining to cnn on tuesday why he was motivated to take up the cause of the friendship nine : the arc of the moral universe is long , but it bends towards justice . ' how friendship nine ended up back in court the proceedings began at the rock hill law center with municipal judge jane pittman modla reading from the original court record for each of the men . she asked each of the seven men in attendance -- one has since died , while another had transportation issues -- to stand as their names were called . offense : trespassing . disposition : guilty . sentence : $ 100 or 30 days . condition : sent to the chain gang , ' she said for each of them , reading from the 1961 docket . retired state supreme court justice ernest finney , who was the men 's defense attorney in 1961 , entered the motion to have the sentences tossed out . the 83-year-old required help standing and propped himself on the table in front of him as he spoke . may it please the court , today i 'm honored and proud to move this honorable court to vacate the conviction of my clients . these courageous and determined south carolinians have shown by their conduct and their faith that the relief that they seek should be granted . i move for the convictions entered in 1961 to be vacated . ' brackett joked that he would probably be best served letting finney 's moving argument stand , but he was compelled to say why he agreed with him . one of the reasons is that the friendship nine deserved a heartfelt apology , ' which brackett delivered on behalf of the state . he went on to say , the record is abundantly clear : there 's only one reason these men were arrested . there was only one reason that they were charged and convicted for trespassing , and that is because they were black . this could not happen today . it was wrong then . it was wrong today . these convictions , if they are allowed to stand , would be an offense to justice , and they must be vacated . ' brackett closed by calling the men my heroes ' and extended his appreciation for their bravery : our community here and our country is a better place because of what y'all did . ... it 's a better place for me , and it 's a better place for my daughter , and for that , i owe you my thanks . ' when circuit court judge john c. hayes iii , the nephew of the judge who sentenced these largely unsung civil rights heroes almost 5½ decades ago , announced that the convictions and sentences were officially vacated , the 250 people in the courtroom broke into a 20-second standing ovation . another 250 spectators looked on in two overflow rooms within the courthouse . many of those in attendance were old enough to have lived through the civil rights movement . prior to the proceedings , rock hill mayor doug echols told the crowd that the actions of the friendship nine that day is what courage looks like when good people step forward to lead . ' leaning on a quote from robert f. kennedy , who was attorney general at the time of the protests and arrests , echols said , few of us will have the greatness to be in history , as the friendship nine have done , but each of us can work to change a small portion of events within our own actions and , by example , touch the lives of others so that in the total of all of those acts , it will be confirmed and recorded that justice is for all people , and that injustice must not be tolerated in any place at any time . ' the men , named after the rock hill , south carolina , college that eight of them attended , were looking to make a statement about the plight of the segregated south . and that 's just what they did . lunch-counter protests had become the cause célèbre the year before , in 1960 , just two hours up the road in greensboro , north carolina . african-americans , many of them students , sought to break the barrier of segregated lunch counters by sitting in white-only ' sections . on the morning of january 31 , 1961 , just after 11 a.m. , the friendship nine arrived at mccrory 's 5-10-25 cent variety store in downtown rock hill . they took their seat at the lunch counter and were promptly arrested for trespassing by police who had caught wind of the men 's plan and were already at the store waiting for them . as the lunch-counter sit-ins spread from greensboro to other parts of the south , protesters were arrested and charged . civil rights groups had to pay the mounting bails and fines that the protesters were incurring . the men of friendship college wondered whether paying fines and bail -- to the very people who were oppressing them , no less -- was the best course of action . rather than pay the $ 100 for their release , the men felt they could make a more profound statement by accepting the full punishment for trespassing : 30 days of hard labor . the strategy , known as jail , no bail , ' would become a popular strategy in the civil rights movement | friendship nine chose jail over fine , thereby pioneering the jail , no bail ' strategy |
dickinson <tsp> ( cnn ) former supermodel janice dickinson accused bill cosby of sexual assault , telling entertainment tonight ' in an interview aired on tuesday that the comedian raped her . dickinson is the latest of a handful of women who have accused cosby of sexual assault -- allegations the comedian has repeatedly said are untrue . he has never been prosecuted . in the interview , dickinson claims cosby assaulted her in 1982 after the two had dinner in lake tahoe . she alleges he gave her a pill and a glass of red wine shortly before she passed out . the last thing i remember was bill cosby in a patchwork robe , dropping his robe and getting on top of me . and i remember a lot of pain , ' she said . cosby attorney martin singer called dickinson 's story a lie ' and said it contradicts her own autobiography and a 2002 interview she did with the new york observer . that interview a dozen years ago said ,'she did n't want to go to bed with him and he blew her off ,' singer 's statement said wednesday . the only story she gave 12 years ago to the media and in her autobiography was that she refused to sleep with mr. cosby and he blew her off . documentary proof and ms. dickinson 's own words show that her new story about something she now claims happened back in 1982 is a fabricated lie . ' dickinson did not return a call from cnn seeking comment . rape allegations haunt cosby in the digital age since 2005 , a handful of women have made the claims . this year , the accusations resurfaced , and earlier this month , a seemingly harmless post on cosby 's twitter account turned them into a social media storm . in its wake , one of his accusers , barbara bowman , turned to the public once more with an article in the washington post and interviews with cnn . bowman claims she was drugged , then raped , though she said she never saw drugs . i woke up out of a very confused state not in my clothes , ' she said . bowman said she knew her body had been touched without her permission . this occurred several times in the course of their contact , she said . on saturday , npr broadcast an awkward interview with cosby in which he did n't utter a word when repeatedly asked about the claims about him . npr host scott simon filled the airtime by saying cosby was just shaking his head no . ' cnn 's jethro mullen and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report . | dickinson alleges the assault occurred after cosby gave her a pill and a glass of wine |
dickinson <tsp> ( cnn ) former supermodel janice dickinson accused bill cosby of sexual assault , telling entertainment tonight ' in an interview aired on tuesday that the comedian raped her . dickinson is the latest of a handful of women who have accused cosby of sexual assault -- allegations the comedian has repeatedly said are untrue . he has never been prosecuted . in the interview , dickinson claims cosby assaulted her in 1982 after the two had dinner in lake tahoe . she alleges he gave her a pill and a glass of red wine shortly before she passed out . the last thing i remember was bill cosby in a patchwork robe , dropping his robe and getting on top of me . and i remember a lot of pain , ' she said . cosby attorney martin singer called dickinson 's story a lie ' and said it contradicts her own autobiography and a 2002 interview she did with the new york observer . that interview a dozen years ago said ,'she did n't want to go to bed with him and he blew her off ,' singer 's statement said wednesday . the only story she gave 12 years ago to the media and in her autobiography was that she refused to sleep with mr. cosby and he blew her off . documentary proof and ms. dickinson 's own words show that her new story about something she now claims happened back in 1982 is a fabricated lie . ' dickinson did not return a call from cnn seeking comment . rape allegations haunt cosby in the digital age since 2005 , a handful of women have made the claims . this year , the accusations resurfaced , and earlier this month , a seemingly harmless post on cosby 's twitter account turned them into a social media storm . in its wake , one of his accusers , barbara bowman , turned to the public once more with an article in the washington post and interviews with cnn . bowman claims she was drugged , then raped , though she said she never saw drugs . i woke up out of a very confused state not in my clothes , ' she said . bowman said she knew her body had been touched without her permission . this occurred several times in the course of their contact , she said . on saturday , npr broadcast an awkward interview with cosby in which he did n't utter a word when repeatedly asked about the claims about him . npr host scott simon filled the airtime by saying cosby was just shaking his head no . ' cnn 's jethro mullen and eliott c. mclaughlin contributed to this report . | janice dickinson tells entertainment tonight ' that cosby drugged , raped her in 1982 |
syrian <tsp> aleppo , syria ( cnn ) -- journalists often get invited on tours of battle zones during wars , but the one the syrian government organized for cnn and several other media outlets wednesday was more than bizarre . we had been told we were going on a trip to the front line in damascus . instead , we were driven to an airfield and packed into an old soviet-made yakovlev yak-40 aircraft . it was n't until we were in the air that government officials on the flight finally offered up some information . we are going to aleppo , ' one said with a smile . he told reporters that ours would be the first civilian aircraft to land at the city 's international airport since december 2012 , when the airfield was shut because of heavy clashes in the area . we sat still , slightly nervous about the guinea pig role we had been thrust into by the government , as our pilot performed a spectacular combat landing on a foggy day . as the aircraft taxied toward the terminal we finally realized that we were the news of the day . a live transmission vehicle and dozens of reporters were waiting to greet us as syrian government tv carried the live banner proclaiming the reopening of aleppo airport and the landing of a commercial flight . ' exclusive : gruesome photos could prove torture by assad regime mohammed wahid al akad , aleppo 's provincial governor , was on hand to greet us , eager to show us the gains that syrian forces had made in and around the city -- and also talk about the ongoing negotiations in switzerland between representatives of syrian president bashar al-assad 's government and various opposition factions . what we want from geneva is to stop foreign money , fighters and weapons coming into syria . we as syrians can reconcile with each other , make our own government to rebuild our country , ' he said . three buses picked us up for a tour of areas the military had recently taken back from rebels . aleppo and its surrounding areas are a key battleground in syria 's hard-fought , nearly three-year-old civil war . the killings have been far too numerous to count . in december , overwhelmed doctors scurried to help scores of patients amid days of air raids by the government . there was a big massacre today , ' dr. ammar zakaria told cnn at the time . we were treating shrapnel wounds , deep abdominal and brain injuries . i just lost count of the amputations . ' for a long time it appeared opposition forces might take full control of syria 's largest city . but infighting among various rebel groups and a resurgent syrian army has reversed momentum . the government soldiers we spoke with sounded confident and emboldened by their recent gains . al qaeda were the worst people to fight against . they are islamists , they see us as infidels and they want to kill us , ' one soldier said . as the buses drove us to the town of tal hassil near the airport , people lined the streets , chanting pro-assad slogans . we were not sure how spontaneous this show of affection really was . we were taken to an aid distribution center before the tour took us to regime-held areas of aleppo . photos : haunting images of aleppo 's abandoned homes the city has the same remarkable dynamic as many other syrian cities during the civil war , including homs and damascus . as the mortars boom and machine guns crackle during heavy clashes in many parts of town , other neighborhoods seem totally normal , to an almost absurd extent . the united nations and other international groups accuse syrian regime forces of using heavy weapons against civilian areas , including barrel bombs -- oil drums filled with explosives that cause massive destruction wherever they are dropped . but in many government-controlled parts of the city , just a few blocks from the fighting , the streets are full of people and the shops are well stocked . there are trendy restaurants and cafã©s , even as rebels control almost half of the city . syrian officials believe that aleppo could be a model for a ceasefire between regime and rebel forces . but looking over the skyline , it is easy to see just how hard that will be . at a sniper position atop of one of aleppo 's tallest buildings , soldiers showed us areas under opposition control . some are held by the moderate free syrian army , or the newly-constituted and moderate islamic front . but others are under the control of the islamic state of iraq and syria ( isis ) , the al qaeda-linked group which is battling against other rebel factions in its bid to set up an islamic caliphate in syria . aleppo offered many surprises before we climbed back into our rickety old yak-40 jet at the end of the day . but it still seems that a ceasefire in the city is a long way off , even if the geneva negotiations go well . read more : how syria talks derailed before they started | syrian forces have retaken many areas of country 's largest city from rebels in recent months |
syrian <tsp> aleppo , syria ( cnn ) -- journalists often get invited on tours of battle zones during wars , but the one the syrian government organized for cnn and several other media outlets wednesday was more than bizarre . we had been told we were going on a trip to the front line in damascus . instead , we were driven to an airfield and packed into an old soviet-made yakovlev yak-40 aircraft . it was n't until we were in the air that government officials on the flight finally offered up some information . we are going to aleppo , ' one said with a smile . he told reporters that ours would be the first civilian aircraft to land at the city 's international airport since december 2012 , when the airfield was shut because of heavy clashes in the area . we sat still , slightly nervous about the guinea pig role we had been thrust into by the government , as our pilot performed a spectacular combat landing on a foggy day . as the aircraft taxied toward the terminal we finally realized that we were the news of the day . a live transmission vehicle and dozens of reporters were waiting to greet us as syrian government tv carried the live banner proclaiming the reopening of aleppo airport and the landing of a commercial flight . ' exclusive : gruesome photos could prove torture by assad regime mohammed wahid al akad , aleppo 's provincial governor , was on hand to greet us , eager to show us the gains that syrian forces had made in and around the city -- and also talk about the ongoing negotiations in switzerland between representatives of syrian president bashar al-assad 's government and various opposition factions . what we want from geneva is to stop foreign money , fighters and weapons coming into syria . we as syrians can reconcile with each other , make our own government to rebuild our country , ' he said . three buses picked us up for a tour of areas the military had recently taken back from rebels . aleppo and its surrounding areas are a key battleground in syria 's hard-fought , nearly three-year-old civil war . the killings have been far too numerous to count . in december , overwhelmed doctors scurried to help scores of patients amid days of air raids by the government . there was a big massacre today , ' dr. ammar zakaria told cnn at the time . we were treating shrapnel wounds , deep abdominal and brain injuries . i just lost count of the amputations . ' for a long time it appeared opposition forces might take full control of syria 's largest city . but infighting among various rebel groups and a resurgent syrian army has reversed momentum . the government soldiers we spoke with sounded confident and emboldened by their recent gains . al qaeda were the worst people to fight against . they are islamists , they see us as infidels and they want to kill us , ' one soldier said . as the buses drove us to the town of tal hassil near the airport , people lined the streets , chanting pro-assad slogans . we were not sure how spontaneous this show of affection really was . we were taken to an aid distribution center before the tour took us to regime-held areas of aleppo . photos : haunting images of aleppo 's abandoned homes the city has the same remarkable dynamic as many other syrian cities during the civil war , including homs and damascus . as the mortars boom and machine guns crackle during heavy clashes in many parts of town , other neighborhoods seem totally normal , to an almost absurd extent . the united nations and other international groups accuse syrian regime forces of using heavy weapons against civilian areas , including barrel bombs -- oil drums filled with explosives that cause massive destruction wherever they are dropped . but in many government-controlled parts of the city , just a few blocks from the fighting , the streets are full of people and the shops are well stocked . there are trendy restaurants and cafã©s , even as rebels control almost half of the city . syrian officials believe that aleppo could be a model for a ceasefire between regime and rebel forces . but looking over the skyline , it is easy to see just how hard that will be . at a sniper position atop of one of aleppo 's tallest buildings , soldiers showed us areas under opposition control . some are held by the moderate free syrian army , or the newly-constituted and moderate islamic front . but others are under the control of the islamic state of iraq and syria ( isis ) , the al qaeda-linked group which is battling against other rebel factions in its bid to set up an islamic caliphate in syria . aleppo offered many surprises before we climbed back into our rickety old yak-40 jet at the end of the day . but it still seems that a ceasefire in the city is a long way off , even if the geneva negotiations go well . read more : how syria talks derailed before they started | syrian government-organized flight was first civilian landing at airport since late 2012 |
tha'er halahlah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the lawyer representing two palestinian prisoners entering the 70th day of a hunger strike said his clients were nearing death and accused an israeli high court of procrastination in delivering a ruling that could save their lives . their medical condition has gone from very bad to extremely worse , ' jamil al-khatib said of clients bilal diab , 27 , and tha'er halahlah , 33 , ' i believe what the court is doing here is trying to break the will of both prisoners so they will back down in their hunger strike . ' palestinians protest detention policy diab and thaer are among the estimated 1,600 to 2,000 palestinians detained in israeli prisons staging a mass hunger strike to protest prison conditions and the practice of administrative detention , a controversial israeli military practice that allows authorities to detain people indefinitely . the process also allows for detention based on secret evidence , and there is no requirement to charge the detainees or to allow them to stand trial . diab and halahlah , members of the gaza-based militant group islamic jihad , have been in custody for nine months and 22 months , respectively , under administrative detention . an israeli foreign ministry spokesman , yigal palmor , told cnn that both men were arrested for their direct involvement in promoting terror ' and suggested that administrative detention constituted the only available means to thwart the danger ' the men posed to israel . looking pale and weak , both men appeared in wheelchairs before the israeli high court thursday while their lawyers petitioned the judges that they be released , arguing that their continued detention was illegal and that their deteriorating medical conditions should be taken into consideration . the court was expected to rule on the matter sunday , but no decision was forthcoming . amany daify , a project coordinator for physicians for human rights , an israeli group advocating on behalf of the hunger striking prisoners , said both prisoners are in a life-threatening condition ' and continued to refuse to be given minerals or liquids . there is no documented history of any person who survived without food or supplements beyond 75 days , ' daify said . according to a spokeswoman for the israeli prison service , diab is being held at an israeli hospital while halahlah is being cared for at prison medical facility . more than 4,500 palestinian prisoners are in israeli prisons for a variety of offenses , ranging from rock-throwing to murder . of these , about 300 are being held in administrative detention , according to rights groups . the vast majority of prisoners refusing to eat began their protest on april 17 , while a handful have been without food for longer . while hunger strikes are not a new tactic of palestinian resistance , a series of recent and high-profile cases have brought increased attention to the practice and served as a rallying cry for palestinians , who have staged multiple protests in the west bank and gaza in support of prisoners . guy azriel contributed to this report | bilal diab , 27 , and tha'er halahlah , 33 , have entered day 70 of a hunger strike |
chinese <tsp> dandong , china ( cnn ) -- the sun is rising over the yalu river and north korea . revolutionary music pumped through loudspeakers wafts over to china . back across the river , work groups can be seen stirring for a day 's toil in the fields . over here in china , a tourist tout is trying to sell us north korean currency . good price ! ' he shouts . this is daily life in dandong , china -- a thriving border town within throwing distance of the hermit kingdom . tourists often do just that when they go right up to the fence that separates the two countries and leave cigarettes , old watches and other goodies for the north korean border guards . signs all along the border warn against throwing goods over the fence , as if it 's some kind of zoo . and , in a way , that 's what it has become . chinese tourists now flock to dandong -- which lies along china 's western border with the democratic people 's republic of korea -- to ogle at their unfortunate neighbors . some pay a few rmb to borrow binoculars to peer across the river , while the more adventurous take speedboats and pleasure cruises out on the river , which acts a natural barrier between the two neighbors . go inside north korea ! ' a sign for one local boat company proclaims . perhaps the chinese come to marvel at how far they have come . with decades of breakneck growth , communist china has become a testament to capitalism and urban living . north korea , which also describes itself as a socialist state , is still sealed and secretive -- almost . lifeline dandong is the lifeline , say critics , of the autocratic regime led by kim jong un . whole neighborhoods in the back streets of the city are lined with trading shops quietly run by north korean officials . china is north korea 's largest trading partner by a long way , and despite beijing 's official displeasure with the dprk 's pursuit of nuclear weapons , this trade continues to grow . china has rebuffed any attempts to strengthen economic sanctions further against pyongyang . up to 70 % of all china trade with north korea runs through dandong , according to south korea 's yonhap news agency , and it takes the form of both legal trade and illegal smuggling . we meet chen , ' a smuggler who makes a midnight run across the yalu several times a month to trade with north korean soldiers . in china we do n't lack food , we do n't lack things , ' he says . people can eat and have clothes on their backs , but not over there , even the north korean soldiers have nothing . ' despite north korean propaganda that paints a picture of their military as an elite fighting force , chen says the soldiers are desperate for basic food such as bread and rice . they do n't have money so they barter with scrap metals , old pots and even ginseng . but chen says he can never trade with ordinary north koreans , the soldiers would n't allow it . north korean spies we ca n't use chen 's real name , he claims that dandong is crawling with north korean spies . do n't say anything sensitive around the north korean waitresses , ' he whispers to us . they speak korean and english . ' and you can find them all across dandong in north korean themed restaurants , karaoke bars , and musical review shows . we head to one of the more famous ones along the river . if refugees are caught trying to escape from north korea , they are shot , but in restaurants like this gaudy two-story tourist trap , north koreans are allowed to work in china on special three-year permits . they are often the children of mid-level korean workers'party loyalists and their movements and earnings are tightly controlled . and as the four-piece all-female north korean band plays to the chinese tourists drinking north korean beer , i think how perfectly it sums up this city : extremely bizarre and perhaps a little tragic . | dandong is a thriving chinese border town within throwing distance of north korea |
nigeria <tsp> ( cnn ) how can more than 200 nigerian schoolgirls simply disappear ? and how can the nigerian government and the rest of the world have allowed this to happen ? exactly 365 days have passed since the girls were snatched from their boarding school dormitories in the dead of night in chibok , northeastern nigeria . they are still missing . for this we should all feel shame : shame that we live in a world where the lives of young girls can be shattered with impunity by fanatical thugs . shame that when such horrendous acts occur , our collective attention span is so fleeting . a year ago , i could never have imagined that we would be here today , marking the grim 12-month milestone of these girls going missing . in the early days of their abduction much of the world stood as one , rallying around the hashtag # bringbackourgirls . on the ground in nigeria as part of cnn 's team covering the story , i was buoyed by this global solidarity . a year on , meet the man still fighting to # bringbackourgirls caught in the blinding glare of global attention , and facing a tide of questions about their bungled response to the kidnappings , the nigerian government felt the weight of accountability and was spurred to take greater action ; offers of assistance from the likes of the us , uk , france , and china were accepted . promise after promise was made by nigerian government officials that the girls would come home -- so where are they , and where is the global outrage over these broken promises and broken dreams ? my heart goes out to the grief-stricken loved ones of these missing girls on this painful anniversary . poor and socially marginalized , all many of them have is their hope that their girls will one day return . girls who escaped risk lives to go to school the task of keeping that hope alive has largely been taken up by the handful of # bringbackourgirls campaigners in nigeria . these men and women have worked tirelessly to keep the story alive for the past year ; their struggle has been a painful and increasingly lonely one . but as the world 's gaze has shifted they have continued to meet the nigerian government 's silence with cries of : bring back our girls , now and alive ! ' at this point , finding the girls will not be easy . but it can be done . it must be done . malala offers'solidarity , love , hope'to abducted schoolgirls these girls are no different from your daughters , sisters , nieces : each has hopes and dreams of their own . but i also believe there is another reason these girls must be reunited with their families - in the words of martin luther king : injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere . we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality , tied in a single garment of destiny . whatever affects one directly , affects us all indirectly . ' our common humanity compels us to do our part , to right this shameful wrong . how the world has changed since the kidnappings | some 276 girls were kidnapped from their school in northeastern nigeria by boko haram a year ago |
knesset <tsp> hura , israel ( cnn ) -- israeli riot police broke up a demonstration comprising more than 1,000 people who were protesting an israeli parliament plan to displace tens of thousands of bedouin from southern israel 's negev . dozens of the protesters -- including a 12-year-old boy -- and a number of riot police were injured and dozens more were arrested . the protesters -- composed of bedouin , palestinians , israeli and international activists -- were demonstrating against the prawer plan , which they say would displace the negev 's original inhabitants . according to israeli sources , more than 40,000 bedouins would be affected by this plan ; bedouin elders estimate the total at more than 70,000 . if passed by the knesset , the plan 's implementation would destroy 35 unrecognized ' arab bedouin villages and displace bedouin citizens of israel from their historical lands in the naqab , the arabic name for the negev , according to a posting on the website for adalah , the legal center for arab minority rights in israel . a spokesperson for the israeli knesset did not immediately return a call . the demonstration here was one of 25 planned around the world -- including jerusalem and haifa , washington and london . in the protests here , israeli riot police -- some of them on horseback -- fired stun grenades , tear gas , rubber bullets and water cannon to disperse the protesters , most of whom appeared young . some threw stones and bottles at the police and set tires afire . we are all here to say loudly and clearly that the prawer plan will not pass , ' arab knesset member ahmad tibi told cnn . prawer is the plan to take out palestinians -- the indigenous people -- from their land in the a negev and bring instead jewish settlers . we are palestinians , we are the arab minority here and asking to be treated equally . the zionist point of view is to get rid of the arabs and palestinian from their land who are the original people in the first place and bring in jewish settlers ... we will not accept that . ' amir abu quaidar , an organizer of saturday 's demonstration , said the protesters were seeking to pressure the israeli government to withdraw its plan . we are here to give a clear message to the israeli government that the bedouin communities are palestinian , and we see today protests all over the world , in palestine , in the u.s. , europe , opposing this plan and to express solidarity with our palestinian cause . ' the knesset passed in june a draft version of the prewar plan by a 43-40 vote and the measure could be finalized by the end of the year , the organizers said . the prawer plan would allow israeli police to use force in its expulsion of palestinian-bedouin , they said in a news release . it will also permit the police to arrest and imprison any palestinian-bedouin up to two years for violating the law . the plan negates palestinian-bedouin ownership rights in their ancestral land , it gives israel 's prime minister unprecedented powers to implement the plan and it legitimizes the use of violence and coercion in the execution of the plan . ' in addition , it said , the plan would expand israeli presence at the expense of the indigenous palestinian-bedouin | some arab members of the knesset joined the demonstration |
knesset <tsp> hura , israel ( cnn ) -- israeli riot police broke up a demonstration comprising more than 1,000 people who were protesting an israeli parliament plan to displace tens of thousands of bedouin from southern israel 's negev . dozens of the protesters -- including a 12-year-old boy -- and a number of riot police were injured and dozens more were arrested . the protesters -- composed of bedouin , palestinians , israeli and international activists -- were demonstrating against the prawer plan , which they say would displace the negev 's original inhabitants . according to israeli sources , more than 40,000 bedouins would be affected by this plan ; bedouin elders estimate the total at more than 70,000 . if passed by the knesset , the plan 's implementation would destroy 35 unrecognized ' arab bedouin villages and displace bedouin citizens of israel from their historical lands in the naqab , the arabic name for the negev , according to a posting on the website for adalah , the legal center for arab minority rights in israel . a spokesperson for the israeli knesset did not immediately return a call . the demonstration here was one of 25 planned around the world -- including jerusalem and haifa , washington and london . in the protests here , israeli riot police -- some of them on horseback -- fired stun grenades , tear gas , rubber bullets and water cannon to disperse the protesters , most of whom appeared young . some threw stones and bottles at the police and set tires afire . we are all here to say loudly and clearly that the prawer plan will not pass , ' arab knesset member ahmad tibi told cnn . prawer is the plan to take out palestinians -- the indigenous people -- from their land in the a negev and bring instead jewish settlers . we are palestinians , we are the arab minority here and asking to be treated equally . the zionist point of view is to get rid of the arabs and palestinian from their land who are the original people in the first place and bring in jewish settlers ... we will not accept that . ' amir abu quaidar , an organizer of saturday 's demonstration , said the protesters were seeking to pressure the israeli government to withdraw its plan . we are here to give a clear message to the israeli government that the bedouin communities are palestinian , and we see today protests all over the world , in palestine , in the u.s. , europe , opposing this plan and to express solidarity with our palestinian cause . ' the knesset passed in june a draft version of the prewar plan by a 43-40 vote and the measure could be finalized by the end of the year , the organizers said . the prawer plan would allow israeli police to use force in its expulsion of palestinian-bedouin , they said in a news release . it will also permit the police to arrest and imprison any palestinian-bedouin up to two years for violating the law . the plan negates palestinian-bedouin ownership rights in their ancestral land , it gives israel 's prime minister unprecedented powers to implement the plan and it legitimizes the use of violence and coercion in the execution of the plan . ' in addition , it said , the plan would expand israeli presence at the expense of the indigenous palestinian-bedouin | the clash is over a knesset plan to displace bedouins from the negev |
courey <tsp> columbia , missouri ( cnn ) -- she went to the university of missouri to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a competitive swimmer . sasha menu courey made the team there , on scholarship , in 2009 . but the following year , something happened that changed the course of her promising college career -- something her parents did n't learn about until after she died . people were telling us that she had been raped and she wrote it in her journal , ' said lynn courey , courey 's mother . courey committed suicide in 2011 . in light of a 16-month investigation by espn 's outside the lines ' program , new questions are being raised about what the university knew about the alleged assault , and when officials knew it . the president of the university sent a letter to school officials late sunday , saying that he is asking to hire independent counsel to conduct an investigation of the school 's handing of the case . the investigation has now also been referred to the columbia police department from the university of missouri police department . our detectives will do the best they can with the investigation . it was not reported to us until now and we are almost four years behind , ' sgt . joe bernhard , a columbia police spokesman , told cnn . we can make a difference for others ' according to the espn report , in february 2010 , after a night out drinking with friends , courey said she went home with a former university football player -- off-campus -- and had consensual sex . months later , she told a rape crisis counselor and wrote in her journal that after the former football player left , another football player entered the room , locked the door and raped her . courey 's parents say their daughter also talked about the alleged assault with a campus nurse and a campus doctor , 11 months after the attack . the school never launched an investigation . school officials say they were n't told about the suspected attack by either the nurse or the doctor because of a policy of not reporting sexual assaults without a victim 's consent . courey 's parents say their daughter had a long history of depression , and in the months after the alleged rape , she grew more and more despondent . in 2011 , courey took her own life . we lost our daughter and we can not bring her back , but we can make a difference for others , ' her mother said . the university did the right thing ' school officials say they later discovered and turned over to courey 's parents a transcript of courey 's conversation with the rape counselor . they also sent her parents a letter asking if they wanted the matter investigated . officials say they got no response . courey 's father , mike menu , said , we did not feel supported in this letter . this letter was a check-the-boxes letter and , really to be honest , it did not deserve a response . ' in its defense , the university is raising the issue of privacy . victims of sexual assault need to know that they can seek medical care without the concern that reports will be made to police or campus officials without their consent . otherwise some victims will be deterred from seeking medical care , ' it said in a statement . we continue to believe that the university did the right thing in trying to be respectful of sasha 's parents and determine their wishes . we think it is strange and inappropriate for the university to be criticized for not undertaking an investigation when sasha 's parents chose not to respond to our request for their input . if they wanted an investigation , they simply could have responded or made a report to law enforcement , ' it continued . according to title ix , a federal law that guarantees college men and women are protected equally on campus , universities are legally required to investigate allegations of rape -- even if the alleged victim is no longer alive . brett sokolow , executive director of the association of title ix administrators , said he does n't get the sense there is any clear evidence of a coverup at this point . however , he added : i certainly feel that the university should have been a little more proactive at trying to bring in information and find out more . ' man pleads guilty to misdemeanor 2 years after teen claimed she was raped montana judge defends former teacher 's one-month sentence for rape of 14-year-old who later committed suicide cnn 's dana ford and michael pearson contributed to this report . | sasha menu courey killed herself in 2011 , about a year after she was allegedly raped |
courey <tsp> columbia , missouri ( cnn ) -- she went to the university of missouri to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming a competitive swimmer . sasha menu courey made the team there , on scholarship , in 2009 . but the following year , something happened that changed the course of her promising college career -- something her parents did n't learn about until after she died . people were telling us that she had been raped and she wrote it in her journal , ' said lynn courey , courey 's mother . courey committed suicide in 2011 . in light of a 16-month investigation by espn 's outside the lines ' program , new questions are being raised about what the university knew about the alleged assault , and when officials knew it . the president of the university sent a letter to school officials late sunday , saying that he is asking to hire independent counsel to conduct an investigation of the school 's handing of the case . the investigation has now also been referred to the columbia police department from the university of missouri police department . our detectives will do the best they can with the investigation . it was not reported to us until now and we are almost four years behind , ' sgt . joe bernhard , a columbia police spokesman , told cnn . we can make a difference for others ' according to the espn report , in february 2010 , after a night out drinking with friends , courey said she went home with a former university football player -- off-campus -- and had consensual sex . months later , she told a rape crisis counselor and wrote in her journal that after the former football player left , another football player entered the room , locked the door and raped her . courey 's parents say their daughter also talked about the alleged assault with a campus nurse and a campus doctor , 11 months after the attack . the school never launched an investigation . school officials say they were n't told about the suspected attack by either the nurse or the doctor because of a policy of not reporting sexual assaults without a victim 's consent . courey 's parents say their daughter had a long history of depression , and in the months after the alleged rape , she grew more and more despondent . in 2011 , courey took her own life . we lost our daughter and we can not bring her back , but we can make a difference for others , ' her mother said . the university did the right thing ' school officials say they later discovered and turned over to courey 's parents a transcript of courey 's conversation with the rape counselor . they also sent her parents a letter asking if they wanted the matter investigated . officials say they got no response . courey 's father , mike menu , said , we did not feel supported in this letter . this letter was a check-the-boxes letter and , really to be honest , it did not deserve a response . ' in its defense , the university is raising the issue of privacy . victims of sexual assault need to know that they can seek medical care without the concern that reports will be made to police or campus officials without their consent . otherwise some victims will be deterred from seeking medical care , ' it said in a statement . we continue to believe that the university did the right thing in trying to be respectful of sasha 's parents and determine their wishes . we think it is strange and inappropriate for the university to be criticized for not undertaking an investigation when sasha 's parents chose not to respond to our request for their input . if they wanted an investigation , they simply could have responded or made a report to law enforcement , ' it continued . according to title ix , a federal law that guarantees college men and women are protected equally on campus , universities are legally required to investigate allegations of rape -- even if the alleged victim is no longer alive . brett sokolow , executive director of the association of title ix administrators , said he does n't get the sense there is any clear evidence of a coverup at this point . however , he added : i certainly feel that the university should have been a little more proactive at trying to bring in information and find out more . ' man pleads guilty to misdemeanor 2 years after teen claimed she was raped montana judge defends former teacher 's one-month sentence for rape of 14-year-old who later committed suicide cnn 's dana ford and michael pearson contributed to this report . | courey 's mother : we lost our daughter ... but we can make a difference for others ' |
american <tsp> ( aol autos ) -- a directive recently handed down by a detroit-area suburban mayor has ignited the latest round of a seemingly endless debate -- one that always burns with more intensity in the home of the big three than anywhere else . many residents in the detroit , michigan area are auto workers . thousands have been laid off recently . it 's the debate that relates to cars and goes something like this : buy american ! ' vs. i 'll buy what i want ! ' that debate sometimes , but not always , begins as a civil conversation . but the detroit area has been hit hard in the last five years by the ongoing , sometimes enormous financial losses posted by the big three . the big three 's financial woes have had a direct impact on the michigan economy with hundreds of thousands of layoffs and/or buyouts . given that so many of the state 's workers have lost their jobs -- and in some cases , their homes - it sometimes does n't take long before the car debate escalates into an emotional one . that can lead to angry name-calling and insults - like many of the reader comments that flooded the online edition of the detroit newspaper that first reported a controversial story . aol autos : best new car deals this month this latest round of the discussion was inspired by a decision made by jim fouts , the mayor of warren , michigan , a large detroit suburb and michigan 's third-largest city , and where a good portion of the residents are ( or were ) autoworkers . in mid-august , fouts told his department heads , which amount to 40 or 50 of the city 's more than 700 employees that he expects ' the next car they buy will be an american model . more to the point , he expects them to drive general motors or chrysler vehicles , since both companies have various manufacturing or assembly plants in warren -- not to mention gm 's sprawling tech center -- and therefore are the city 's two highest taxpayers . fouts , who drives a 2001 chrysler concorde himself , is n't being draconian about it . that is , he has n't ordered his appointees to run right out and dump their hondas , toyotas , saabs or audis immediately . but i strongly suggested that the next car they buy should be an american one , and that i had an equally strong expectation that they will do so , ' fouts said . legally , since they are'at-will'employees , i have the right to mandate , and an expectation that they will meet that mandate . ' aol autos : best hybrid suvs some have accused fouts of over-stepping his authority by butting in ' to his employees'private lives , while others have given the policy a hearty thumbs up . ' some of them are not enthusiastic about it , ' fouts said , noting that one department head currently drives a mercedes-benz vehicle . but many of these department heads make more than $ 100,000 a year , and i told them that they might not be able to enjoy the economic comforts they currently enjoy if it were not for the amount of taxes that gm and chrysler pay to the city . aol autos : luxury cars with the best mpg ' i think of it as'economic patriotism .'' fouts said he did not know how many of his department heads currently drive imports , although one of his appointees , warren police commissioner bill dwyer , guessed that about 90 percent of the appointees already drive american-made cars . but the ones who are not happy about this -- well , they wo n't talk to [ reporters ] about that , because they know how i feel about it , ' said fouts . dwyer , who drives a jeep cherokee , supports the mayor 's buy american ' expectation . i believe that , the way the economy is that americans should be buying american cars . and , as department heads , i think it 's important for us to be setting an example for the other city workers . ' aol autos : safest cars one of the reasons usually cited for the u.s. automakers'loss of market share are consumer perceptions that imports are higher in quality -- although several recent surveys by various research groups have revealed that detroit carmakers have closed the quality gap ' in recent years to the point that it is almost negligible . and the handful of detroit-area residents/natives we talked to about the buy american ' debate had no complaints about the quality of their american-made cars - or their foreign-made ones , for that matter . one is tracy balazy of dearborn , michigan - the detroit suburb that is home to the ford motor company 's world headquarters . aol autos : most popular crossover vehicles ' i drive a 2000 saturn , because it was cheaper than a honda , ' balazy said . and other than brakes and the usual things , i 've had no problems with it , and it now has 101,000 miles on it . ' balazy has an interesting take on the topic of whether we should feel compelled to buy american , ' when it comes to cars , however - and whether we should be instructed to do so . the average american probably spends a lot more on other things - clothes , household goods , you name it - than on cars . i think it 's hypocritical for someone to tell everyone to'buy american'as it pertains to cars , but then take advantage of the great prices on imported goods at say , wal-mart , ' balazy said . i 've passed up many good deals , and have abstained from buying a lot of consumer goods i 've wanted over the past year , just to avoid buying foreign-made products . ' ken reibel , a michigan native who 's lived in milwaukee for more than 20 years , drives a 2002 mazda protégé , while his wife motors around in a 2001 toyota corolla . we bought both of them used , from neighbors , ' he says . they 've both been good runners . no serious problems . the protégé is a sweet ride . but i 'm not even sure what it means to'buy american'anymore , ' says reibel . ford has a huge stake in mazda , and japanese automakers build most of their cars for the american market right here in the u.s. , with american labor . it 's easier to'buy american'if you 're purchasing a shirt or case of beer . but cars are different . i 'm sure if you disassembled a chevrolet malibu or a ford windstar you would find an appalling number of foreign-made components and assemblies . ' gary galusky is a detroit-area native/resident who gives high marks to quality of his american-made vehicle . for the last couple of years , galusky has actually maintained two residences : one in dearborn and one in sutton 's bay , in northern michigan - a five-hour drive . i make that commute regularly , about every three weeks , in a 2005 ford escape that i bought new . it now has 103,000 miles on it , and it 's never required anything other than ordinary maintenance , ' says galusky . conrad sutter grew up in harper woods , a detroit suburb just a few miles from warren , and now lives in richland , in western michigan . sutter says he agrees with the buy american ' sentiment . i believe what the mayor of warren is doing is okay , ' says sutter . i would n't suppose there are a lot of apple computers being purchased in redmond , washington ( home of microsoft corp. ) , either . nothing wrong with that . ' | customer : hypocritical to buy american cars then buy other imported goods |
american <tsp> ( aol autos ) -- a directive recently handed down by a detroit-area suburban mayor has ignited the latest round of a seemingly endless debate -- one that always burns with more intensity in the home of the big three than anywhere else . many residents in the detroit , michigan area are auto workers . thousands have been laid off recently . it 's the debate that relates to cars and goes something like this : buy american ! ' vs. i 'll buy what i want ! ' that debate sometimes , but not always , begins as a civil conversation . but the detroit area has been hit hard in the last five years by the ongoing , sometimes enormous financial losses posted by the big three . the big three 's financial woes have had a direct impact on the michigan economy with hundreds of thousands of layoffs and/or buyouts . given that so many of the state 's workers have lost their jobs -- and in some cases , their homes - it sometimes does n't take long before the car debate escalates into an emotional one . that can lead to angry name-calling and insults - like many of the reader comments that flooded the online edition of the detroit newspaper that first reported a controversial story . aol autos : best new car deals this month this latest round of the discussion was inspired by a decision made by jim fouts , the mayor of warren , michigan , a large detroit suburb and michigan 's third-largest city , and where a good portion of the residents are ( or were ) autoworkers . in mid-august , fouts told his department heads , which amount to 40 or 50 of the city 's more than 700 employees that he expects ' the next car they buy will be an american model . more to the point , he expects them to drive general motors or chrysler vehicles , since both companies have various manufacturing or assembly plants in warren -- not to mention gm 's sprawling tech center -- and therefore are the city 's two highest taxpayers . fouts , who drives a 2001 chrysler concorde himself , is n't being draconian about it . that is , he has n't ordered his appointees to run right out and dump their hondas , toyotas , saabs or audis immediately . but i strongly suggested that the next car they buy should be an american one , and that i had an equally strong expectation that they will do so , ' fouts said . legally , since they are'at-will'employees , i have the right to mandate , and an expectation that they will meet that mandate . ' aol autos : best hybrid suvs some have accused fouts of over-stepping his authority by butting in ' to his employees'private lives , while others have given the policy a hearty thumbs up . ' some of them are not enthusiastic about it , ' fouts said , noting that one department head currently drives a mercedes-benz vehicle . but many of these department heads make more than $ 100,000 a year , and i told them that they might not be able to enjoy the economic comforts they currently enjoy if it were not for the amount of taxes that gm and chrysler pay to the city . aol autos : luxury cars with the best mpg ' i think of it as'economic patriotism .'' fouts said he did not know how many of his department heads currently drive imports , although one of his appointees , warren police commissioner bill dwyer , guessed that about 90 percent of the appointees already drive american-made cars . but the ones who are not happy about this -- well , they wo n't talk to [ reporters ] about that , because they know how i feel about it , ' said fouts . dwyer , who drives a jeep cherokee , supports the mayor 's buy american ' expectation . i believe that , the way the economy is that americans should be buying american cars . and , as department heads , i think it 's important for us to be setting an example for the other city workers . ' aol autos : safest cars one of the reasons usually cited for the u.s. automakers'loss of market share are consumer perceptions that imports are higher in quality -- although several recent surveys by various research groups have revealed that detroit carmakers have closed the quality gap ' in recent years to the point that it is almost negligible . and the handful of detroit-area residents/natives we talked to about the buy american ' debate had no complaints about the quality of their american-made cars - or their foreign-made ones , for that matter . one is tracy balazy of dearborn , michigan - the detroit suburb that is home to the ford motor company 's world headquarters . aol autos : most popular crossover vehicles ' i drive a 2000 saturn , because it was cheaper than a honda , ' balazy said . and other than brakes and the usual things , i 've had no problems with it , and it now has 101,000 miles on it . ' balazy has an interesting take on the topic of whether we should feel compelled to buy american , ' when it comes to cars , however - and whether we should be instructed to do so . the average american probably spends a lot more on other things - clothes , household goods , you name it - than on cars . i think it 's hypocritical for someone to tell everyone to'buy american'as it pertains to cars , but then take advantage of the great prices on imported goods at say , wal-mart , ' balazy said . i 've passed up many good deals , and have abstained from buying a lot of consumer goods i 've wanted over the past year , just to avoid buying foreign-made products . ' ken reibel , a michigan native who 's lived in milwaukee for more than 20 years , drives a 2002 mazda protégé , while his wife motors around in a 2001 toyota corolla . we bought both of them used , from neighbors , ' he says . they 've both been good runners . no serious problems . the protégé is a sweet ride . but i 'm not even sure what it means to'buy american'anymore , ' says reibel . ford has a huge stake in mazda , and japanese automakers build most of their cars for the american market right here in the u.s. , with american labor . it 's easier to'buy american'if you 're purchasing a shirt or case of beer . but cars are different . i 'm sure if you disassembled a chevrolet malibu or a ford windstar you would find an appalling number of foreign-made components and assemblies . ' gary galusky is a detroit-area native/resident who gives high marks to quality of his american-made vehicle . for the last couple of years , galusky has actually maintained two residences : one in dearborn and one in sutton 's bay , in northern michigan - a five-hour drive . i make that commute regularly , about every three weeks , in a 2005 ford escape that i bought new . it now has 103,000 miles on it , and it 's never required anything other than ordinary maintenance , ' says galusky . conrad sutter grew up in harper woods , a detroit suburb just a few miles from warren , and now lives in richland , in western michigan . sutter says he agrees with the buy american ' sentiment . i believe what the mayor of warren is doing is okay , ' says sutter . i would n't suppose there are a lot of apple computers being purchased in redmond , washington ( home of microsoft corp. ) , either . nothing wrong with that . ' | differences in quality between american and foreign are negligible |
american <tsp> ( aol autos ) -- a directive recently handed down by a detroit-area suburban mayor has ignited the latest round of a seemingly endless debate -- one that always burns with more intensity in the home of the big three than anywhere else . many residents in the detroit , michigan area are auto workers . thousands have been laid off recently . it 's the debate that relates to cars and goes something like this : buy american ! ' vs. i 'll buy what i want ! ' that debate sometimes , but not always , begins as a civil conversation . but the detroit area has been hit hard in the last five years by the ongoing , sometimes enormous financial losses posted by the big three . the big three 's financial woes have had a direct impact on the michigan economy with hundreds of thousands of layoffs and/or buyouts . given that so many of the state 's workers have lost their jobs -- and in some cases , their homes - it sometimes does n't take long before the car debate escalates into an emotional one . that can lead to angry name-calling and insults - like many of the reader comments that flooded the online edition of the detroit newspaper that first reported a controversial story . aol autos : best new car deals this month this latest round of the discussion was inspired by a decision made by jim fouts , the mayor of warren , michigan , a large detroit suburb and michigan 's third-largest city , and where a good portion of the residents are ( or were ) autoworkers . in mid-august , fouts told his department heads , which amount to 40 or 50 of the city 's more than 700 employees that he expects ' the next car they buy will be an american model . more to the point , he expects them to drive general motors or chrysler vehicles , since both companies have various manufacturing or assembly plants in warren -- not to mention gm 's sprawling tech center -- and therefore are the city 's two highest taxpayers . fouts , who drives a 2001 chrysler concorde himself , is n't being draconian about it . that is , he has n't ordered his appointees to run right out and dump their hondas , toyotas , saabs or audis immediately . but i strongly suggested that the next car they buy should be an american one , and that i had an equally strong expectation that they will do so , ' fouts said . legally , since they are'at-will'employees , i have the right to mandate , and an expectation that they will meet that mandate . ' aol autos : best hybrid suvs some have accused fouts of over-stepping his authority by butting in ' to his employees'private lives , while others have given the policy a hearty thumbs up . ' some of them are not enthusiastic about it , ' fouts said , noting that one department head currently drives a mercedes-benz vehicle . but many of these department heads make more than $ 100,000 a year , and i told them that they might not be able to enjoy the economic comforts they currently enjoy if it were not for the amount of taxes that gm and chrysler pay to the city . aol autos : luxury cars with the best mpg ' i think of it as'economic patriotism .'' fouts said he did not know how many of his department heads currently drive imports , although one of his appointees , warren police commissioner bill dwyer , guessed that about 90 percent of the appointees already drive american-made cars . but the ones who are not happy about this -- well , they wo n't talk to [ reporters ] about that , because they know how i feel about it , ' said fouts . dwyer , who drives a jeep cherokee , supports the mayor 's buy american ' expectation . i believe that , the way the economy is that americans should be buying american cars . and , as department heads , i think it 's important for us to be setting an example for the other city workers . ' aol autos : safest cars one of the reasons usually cited for the u.s. automakers'loss of market share are consumer perceptions that imports are higher in quality -- although several recent surveys by various research groups have revealed that detroit carmakers have closed the quality gap ' in recent years to the point that it is almost negligible . and the handful of detroit-area residents/natives we talked to about the buy american ' debate had no complaints about the quality of their american-made cars - or their foreign-made ones , for that matter . one is tracy balazy of dearborn , michigan - the detroit suburb that is home to the ford motor company 's world headquarters . aol autos : most popular crossover vehicles ' i drive a 2000 saturn , because it was cheaper than a honda , ' balazy said . and other than brakes and the usual things , i 've had no problems with it , and it now has 101,000 miles on it . ' balazy has an interesting take on the topic of whether we should feel compelled to buy american , ' when it comes to cars , however - and whether we should be instructed to do so . the average american probably spends a lot more on other things - clothes , household goods , you name it - than on cars . i think it 's hypocritical for someone to tell everyone to'buy american'as it pertains to cars , but then take advantage of the great prices on imported goods at say , wal-mart , ' balazy said . i 've passed up many good deals , and have abstained from buying a lot of consumer goods i 've wanted over the past year , just to avoid buying foreign-made products . ' ken reibel , a michigan native who 's lived in milwaukee for more than 20 years , drives a 2002 mazda protégé , while his wife motors around in a 2001 toyota corolla . we bought both of them used , from neighbors , ' he says . they 've both been good runners . no serious problems . the protégé is a sweet ride . but i 'm not even sure what it means to'buy american'anymore , ' says reibel . ford has a huge stake in mazda , and japanese automakers build most of their cars for the american market right here in the u.s. , with american labor . it 's easier to'buy american'if you 're purchasing a shirt or case of beer . but cars are different . i 'm sure if you disassembled a chevrolet malibu or a ford windstar you would find an appalling number of foreign-made components and assemblies . ' gary galusky is a detroit-area native/resident who gives high marks to quality of his american-made vehicle . for the last couple of years , galusky has actually maintained two residences : one in dearborn and one in sutton 's bay , in northern michigan - a five-hour drive . i make that commute regularly , about every three weeks , in a 2005 ford escape that i bought new . it now has 103,000 miles on it , and it 's never required anything other than ordinary maintenance , ' says galusky . conrad sutter grew up in harper woods , a detroit suburb just a few miles from warren , and now lives in richland , in western michigan . sutter says he agrees with the buy american ' sentiment . i believe what the mayor of warren is doing is okay , ' says sutter . i would n't suppose there are a lot of apple computers being purchased in redmond , washington ( home of microsoft corp. ) , either . nothing wrong with that . ' | detroit mayor sparks debate when he tells employees to buy american cars |
npc <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- xi jinping was named china 's president thursday by the country 's parliament , one of the final steps in china 's once-in-a-decade leadership change . four months after taking over as general secretary of the communist party , xi replaces outgoing leader hu jintao after a formal vote of about 3,000 deputies at the national people 's congress ( npc ) . the vote , largely a rubber stamp that completes the highly choreographed leadership transition , was unanimous . li keqiang will become premier , replacing wen jiabao who stands aside as part of the leadership overhaul , which will see the traditionally nine-member politburo standing committee shrink to seven . xi was also named chairman of the state central military commission . he has had a stronger military relationship than either of his two predecessors -- jiang zemin and hu jintao -- when they began , so xi comes in with a really strong position and he needs it , ' robert lawrence kuhn , author of how china 's leaders think , ' told cnn . we could go through a whole list of problems from the structure of the economy as well as the social issues : health care , housing , education and pollution and retirement and food safety , ' kuhn added . all of these things are all bubbling up together -- and with a billion cell phones in china , everybody knows it , so he 's on the spot . ' opening the npc last week , wen urged delegates to unite as one and work hard to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieve the great rejuvenation of the chinese nation , ' according to state-run news agency xinhua . profiles : china 's new leaders since the congress convened march 5 , thousands of chinese officials have held a series of meetings to discuss the structure of state departments and future targets . the npc concludes sunday . on the first day , wen announced the country was aiming for an annual growth rate this year of 7.5 % . efforts would be made to keep consumer price inflation at around 3.5 % . and , nine million new jobs would be created with the intention of keeping urban unemployment at no more than 4.6 % . during the npc , it was announced beijing would strengthen the powers of the state food and drug administration in the wake of widespread health concerns over food safety , such as tainted milk and baby formula scandals , according to xinhua . the issue of water quality also became clear during the congress , with the discovery of nearly 6,000 pigs in a shanghai river , raising local concerns about the safety of the city 's drinking water . this winter has seen its worst pollution in living memory , angering a population already jaded by a series of high-profile corruption scandals -- including the downfall of the once high-flying politician bo xilai -- that have tainted the reputation of the party . in a speech published by the people 's daily earlier this month , xi warned that china faced many risks and challenges , saying that the party 's future was at stake . the npc also approved the restructuring of several ministries under the state council . the two agencies that regulate and censor media -- the state administration of radio , film and television and the general administration of press and publication -- will be merged , as will the health ministry and the national population and family planning commission , xinhua reported . | npc discussed major issues facing country , including economic aims |
nelspruit <tsp> ( cnn ) -- reigning world champions , italy have been held to a 1-1 draw by new zealand in their world cup group f match at the mbombela stadium in nelspruit . the all whites took a shock lead after seven minutes when shane smeltz turned in simon elliot 's free kick from close range . replays showed that smeltz was offside when kiwi defender winston reid flicked the ball on to him , but the lineman 's flag stayed down . the goal instigated a frenzied period of italian pressure which eventually told when referee carlos batres awarded a penalty after defender tommy smith tugged at daniele de rossi 's shirt in the kiwi 's penalty area . striker , vincenzo iaquinta stepped up and sent keeper mark paston the wrong way to level the scores . italy continued to press in the second half but found no route through a spirited and steadfast defense expertly organized by kiwi captain ryan nelsen . despite throwing on all his three substitutes by the 61st minute , italian coach , marcello lippi and his players found their attacking edge continually blunted . even their long range efforts were dealt with . in the 70th minute , riccardo montolivo 's 25-yard drive fizzed towards goal only for keeper paston to produce the save of the match and push the ball to safety . the stalemate continued , but new zealand 's chris wood could have won it for the all whites in the 83rd minute when he shot narrowly wide of federico marchetti 's left post . the result leaves italy progression to the knockout stage in doubt . a win against slovakia would ensure qualification , but they must rely on new zealand getting a result against paraguay to have any chance of topping their group . coach lippi said his team lacked lucidity . ' the result is 1-1 so we just have to pull up our socks and win our next game because we do n't want to go home early , ' lippi said , afp reported . we are in a difficult situation but we are not in a panic situation . we will have to win the next match . ' for new zealand , a team ranked 73 places below italy in fifa 's official world rankings , the result is one to savor . it 's an incredible result and it 's way above anything we have achieved before against the stature of our competitors , ' new zealand 's coach ricki herbert said , afp reported . anything is possible and we 're doing okay for a team who some say should n't be playing at this world cup , ' he added . paraguay outclass slovakia in the other match in group f , paraguay beat slovakia 2-0 at the free state stadium in bloemfontein . cristian riveros'86th minute strike sealed a comfortable victory for the south american team after midfielder enrique vera had given them the lead in the first half . the result leaves slovakia needing to beat italy in their final group match this thursday to have any chance of progressing to the next round . paraguay , meanwhile , are almost certain to qualify and need just a point against new zealand to reach the last 16 . paraguay 's win was never really in doubt as they pressed forward from the opening whistle , while slovakia was content to sit back and defend . paraguay took a deserved lead in the 26th minute . lucas barrios picked up the ball outside the slovakia penalty area before slipping the ball through to enrique vera who , with zendo strba and jan durica bearing down on him , clipped the ball with the outside of his boot past slovak keeper jan mucha . the goal stirred a defensive-minded slovakia into life forcing them onto the front foot , but their new found urgency failed to create any chances of merit as a succession of promising moves came to nothing . roque santa cruz should have doubled paraguay 's in the 38th minute , when he latched onto a loose ball on the edge of slovakia 's penalty area . the manchester city striker fired low , but straight at mucha , who comfortably saved with his feet . santa cruz turned provider in the second half , breaking down the left past slovakia 's vladimir weiss in the 72nd minute . his cross found an unmarked vera in the penalty area but he directed his header inches wide of mucha 's right post . but the win was confirmed when paulo da silva was given an age to tee up riveros on the edge of the box who wasted no time in smashing the ball past mucha . weiss went close for slovakia in injury time , but he and his team toiled fruitlessly in search of a goal for most of the game while paraguay , who with santa cruz , nelson haedo valdez and barrios had class to spare in midfield . | italy held to 1-1 draw by new zealand in nelspruit |
italy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- reigning world champions , italy have been held to a 1-1 draw by new zealand in their world cup group f match at the mbombela stadium in nelspruit . the all whites took a shock lead after seven minutes when shane smeltz turned in simon elliot 's free kick from close range . replays showed that smeltz was offside when kiwi defender winston reid flicked the ball on to him , but the lineman 's flag stayed down . the goal instigated a frenzied period of italian pressure which eventually told when referee carlos batres awarded a penalty after defender tommy smith tugged at daniele de rossi 's shirt in the kiwi 's penalty area . striker , vincenzo iaquinta stepped up and sent keeper mark paston the wrong way to level the scores . italy continued to press in the second half but found no route through a spirited and steadfast defense expertly organized by kiwi captain ryan nelsen . despite throwing on all his three substitutes by the 61st minute , italian coach , marcello lippi and his players found their attacking edge continually blunted . even their long range efforts were dealt with . in the 70th minute , riccardo montolivo 's 25-yard drive fizzed towards goal only for keeper paston to produce the save of the match and push the ball to safety . the stalemate continued , but new zealand 's chris wood could have won it for the all whites in the 83rd minute when he shot narrowly wide of federico marchetti 's left post . the result leaves italy progression to the knockout stage in doubt . a win against slovakia would ensure qualification , but they must rely on new zealand getting a result against paraguay to have any chance of topping their group . coach lippi said his team lacked lucidity . ' the result is 1-1 so we just have to pull up our socks and win our next game because we do n't want to go home early , ' lippi said , afp reported . we are in a difficult situation but we are not in a panic situation . we will have to win the next match . ' for new zealand , a team ranked 73 places below italy in fifa 's official world rankings , the result is one to savor . it 's an incredible result and it 's way above anything we have achieved before against the stature of our competitors , ' new zealand 's coach ricki herbert said , afp reported . anything is possible and we 're doing okay for a team who some say should n't be playing at this world cup , ' he added . paraguay outclass slovakia in the other match in group f , paraguay beat slovakia 2-0 at the free state stadium in bloemfontein . cristian riveros'86th minute strike sealed a comfortable victory for the south american team after midfielder enrique vera had given them the lead in the first half . the result leaves slovakia needing to beat italy in their final group match this thursday to have any chance of progressing to the next round . paraguay , meanwhile , are almost certain to qualify and need just a point against new zealand to reach the last 16 . paraguay 's win was never really in doubt as they pressed forward from the opening whistle , while slovakia was content to sit back and defend . paraguay took a deserved lead in the 26th minute . lucas barrios picked up the ball outside the slovakia penalty area before slipping the ball through to enrique vera who , with zendo strba and jan durica bearing down on him , clipped the ball with the outside of his boot past slovak keeper jan mucha . the goal stirred a defensive-minded slovakia into life forcing them onto the front foot , but their new found urgency failed to create any chances of merit as a succession of promising moves came to nothing . roque santa cruz should have doubled paraguay 's in the 38th minute , when he latched onto a loose ball on the edge of slovakia 's penalty area . the manchester city striker fired low , but straight at mucha , who comfortably saved with his feet . santa cruz turned provider in the second half , breaking down the left past slovakia 's vladimir weiss in the 72nd minute . his cross found an unmarked vera in the penalty area but he directed his header inches wide of mucha 's right post . but the win was confirmed when paulo da silva was given an age to tee up riveros on the edge of the box who wasted no time in smashing the ball past mucha . weiss went close for slovakia in injury time , but he and his team toiled fruitlessly in search of a goal for most of the game while paraguay , who with santa cruz , nelson haedo valdez and barrios had class to spare in midfield . | smeltz puts kiwis ahead after seven minutes before italy equalize through a penalty |
italy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- reigning world champions , italy have been held to a 1-1 draw by new zealand in their world cup group f match at the mbombela stadium in nelspruit . the all whites took a shock lead after seven minutes when shane smeltz turned in simon elliot 's free kick from close range . replays showed that smeltz was offside when kiwi defender winston reid flicked the ball on to him , but the lineman 's flag stayed down . the goal instigated a frenzied period of italian pressure which eventually told when referee carlos batres awarded a penalty after defender tommy smith tugged at daniele de rossi 's shirt in the kiwi 's penalty area . striker , vincenzo iaquinta stepped up and sent keeper mark paston the wrong way to level the scores . italy continued to press in the second half but found no route through a spirited and steadfast defense expertly organized by kiwi captain ryan nelsen . despite throwing on all his three substitutes by the 61st minute , italian coach , marcello lippi and his players found their attacking edge continually blunted . even their long range efforts were dealt with . in the 70th minute , riccardo montolivo 's 25-yard drive fizzed towards goal only for keeper paston to produce the save of the match and push the ball to safety . the stalemate continued , but new zealand 's chris wood could have won it for the all whites in the 83rd minute when he shot narrowly wide of federico marchetti 's left post . the result leaves italy progression to the knockout stage in doubt . a win against slovakia would ensure qualification , but they must rely on new zealand getting a result against paraguay to have any chance of topping their group . coach lippi said his team lacked lucidity . ' the result is 1-1 so we just have to pull up our socks and win our next game because we do n't want to go home early , ' lippi said , afp reported . we are in a difficult situation but we are not in a panic situation . we will have to win the next match . ' for new zealand , a team ranked 73 places below italy in fifa 's official world rankings , the result is one to savor . it 's an incredible result and it 's way above anything we have achieved before against the stature of our competitors , ' new zealand 's coach ricki herbert said , afp reported . anything is possible and we 're doing okay for a team who some say should n't be playing at this world cup , ' he added . paraguay outclass slovakia in the other match in group f , paraguay beat slovakia 2-0 at the free state stadium in bloemfontein . cristian riveros'86th minute strike sealed a comfortable victory for the south american team after midfielder enrique vera had given them the lead in the first half . the result leaves slovakia needing to beat italy in their final group match this thursday to have any chance of progressing to the next round . paraguay , meanwhile , are almost certain to qualify and need just a point against new zealand to reach the last 16 . paraguay 's win was never really in doubt as they pressed forward from the opening whistle , while slovakia was content to sit back and defend . paraguay took a deserved lead in the 26th minute . lucas barrios picked up the ball outside the slovakia penalty area before slipping the ball through to enrique vera who , with zendo strba and jan durica bearing down on him , clipped the ball with the outside of his boot past slovak keeper jan mucha . the goal stirred a defensive-minded slovakia into life forcing them onto the front foot , but their new found urgency failed to create any chances of merit as a succession of promising moves came to nothing . roque santa cruz should have doubled paraguay 's in the 38th minute , when he latched onto a loose ball on the edge of slovakia 's penalty area . the manchester city striker fired low , but straight at mucha , who comfortably saved with his feet . santa cruz turned provider in the second half , breaking down the left past slovakia 's vladimir weiss in the 72nd minute . his cross found an unmarked vera in the penalty area but he directed his header inches wide of mucha 's right post . but the win was confirmed when paulo da silva was given an age to tee up riveros on the edge of the box who wasted no time in smashing the ball past mucha . weiss went close for slovakia in injury time , but he and his team toiled fruitlessly in search of a goal for most of the game while paraguay , who with santa cruz , nelson haedo valdez and barrios had class to spare in midfield . | italy held to 1-1 draw by new zealand in nelspruit |
smokey and the bandit <tsp> ( cnn ) -- having fended off sheriffs , car racers , backwoods locals and more during his long career on the silver screen , actor burt reynolds is successfully fighting flu symptoms in a florida hospital , his representative said saturday . reynolds was dehydrated and suffering from flu symptoms when he went to the hospital , then was transferred to its intensive care unit , his representative erik kritzer said friday . by the next day , reynolds'fever had gone down as his overall condition improved , the representative said . still , he remained in the icu on saturday evening . he is feeling better , ' kritzer said , predicting that reynolds would be released monday from the hospital . the representative has declined to divulge what hospital the actor was in , saying reynolds wanted to keep that information private . born in southern georgia , reynolds and his family moved to michigan and eventually to southeastern florida , according to his profile on the website of the florida artists hall of fame , in which he was inducted in 1993 . at palm beach high school , he first made a name for himself as a football star and earned an athletic scholarship to florida state university . when injuries derailed his promising athletic career , reynolds turned to acting . he scored small parts in the late 1950s , then broke through a few years later in the role of quint on the tv series gunsmoke . ' his career took another leap with the 1972 release of deliverance , ' in which he played an atlanta businessman exploring the remote north georgia wilderness with friends . the longest yard ' came out two years later , starring reynolds as an ex-football player who lands in prison . get the latest update on the flu his charismatic notoriety soared through the late 1970s and into the 1980s , during which he spearheaded the smokey and the bandit ' and cannonball run ' movie franchises . while his popularity waned relatively , reynolds continued to score movie and tv roles into the 1990s . that included on evening shade , ' where he earned an emmy in 1991 playing wood newton -- once again , a former football player . his lone oscar nomination came in 1998 , in the best supporting actor category , for his portrayal of pornographic film producer jack horner in the film boogie nights . ' from the archives : heart surgery gives reynolds'new pipes ' | he starred in deliverance , ' the smokey and the bandit ' series and boogie nights ' |
cuba <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a cuban prisoner who went on hunger strike to protest his arrest for taking part in a demonstration died thursday , according to other dissidents in the country . wilmar villar mendoza , 31 , died in a hospital in santiago after his kidneys and other organs failed , said yoani sanchez , a prominent cuban blogger and advocate of press freedom in the country . sanchez said she had spoken with villar mendoza 's widow , maritza , by telephone . his death comes at an awkward time for president raul castro 's government : another prisoner died after going on a hunger strike earlier this month , and pope benedict is due to visit cuba in the coming months . a cuban court sentenced villar mendoza to four years in prison in november , sanchez said , a sentence he said he felt was unjust . villar mendoza started his hunger strike following his sentencing , halting it briefly in december when the authorities said they would listen to his demand for his case to be reconsidered , sanchez said . villar mendoza 's death was confirmed by the wife of another dissident and by the head of an opposition research organization inside cuba , who could not be identified for security reasons . it happened just weeks after the death of another hunger striker , rene cobas , who began his protest because he was not part of the government 's recent mass pardon . cobas died of a heart attack on january 1 after authorities at the boniato prison , near santiago , disregarded a doctor 's recommendation that he be moved to a provincial hospital , according to elizardo sanchez , who heads the island 's independent commission for human rights and national reconciliation . cobas had gone on strike immediately after the president announced the latest round of amnesty on december 23 . cobas called the pardons exclusive and limited , ' sanchez said . the decision to release 2,900 prisoners followed numerous requests ' from their family members and religious institutions , and was a humanitarian gesture , castro said last month . he cited the upcoming visit of pope benedict as one of the motivations behind the move , which he said showed the generosity and strength of the revolution . ' the pope has said he plans to visit mexico and cuba before easter . among those were to be freed were prisoners over the age of 60 , along with those who were sick , female or young with no previous criminal record . with some exceptions , prisoners convicted of spying , terrorism , murder and drug trafficking would not be released . in 2010 , castro agreed to free 52 prisoners who had been arrested during a 2003 crackdown on political dissidents . that pardon was prompted by the death of a jailed dissident , orlando zapata tamayo , following an 80-day hunger strike protesting inmate conditions . cnn 's catherine shoichet contributed to this report . | the death comes as the pope plans to visit cuba before easter |
t-mobile <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the verizon iphone train started rolling this week , but apple 's main smartphone competitors are n't about to be left at the station . this week , cellular carriers released details about a trio of upcoming smartphones , all of which run an older version of google 's android operating system . at & t announced a march 6 release deadline for the atrix 4g , a motorola mobility transformer ' phone that grabbed the spotlight at the consumer electronics show last month . with a speedy dual-core processor inside , the arix can be used as a media center or limited-function pc when connected to a television or monitor using a dock accessory . motorola will also sell a laptop shell that allows the atrix to essentially convert into a sort of netbook , complete with a keyboard . new details about the much-anticipated atrix came on the same day verizon wireless began letting current customers pre-order the iphone 4 , formerly exclusive to at & t in the u.s. at $ 200 with a two-year contract , the atrix will be among the first to run on at & t 's faster data network and carry the 4g ' branding . ( for $ 500 with a contract , you get the phone and the laptop dock ; the latter is also sold separately for $ 500 . ) the atrix , an at & t exclusive , will be available for pre-order starting on february 13 . on the same day , at & t will begin selling another so-called 4g phone . the second-largest u.s. carrier by subscribers announced the launch date and a $ 100 price tag , two-year agreement required , for htc 's inspire 4g . that info came on tuesday , kicking off a big week for smartphone news . the inspire has a 4.3-inch screen -- the same large size as the evo 4g . the new device will be the inaugural smartphone to offer at & t 's mobile hotspot service . having long struggled to support the bandwidth needs of its millions of smartphone subscribers , at & t lags behind competitors in offering this feature . customers will have to pay an extra $ 20 per month to use the feature , which adds 2 gigabytes of wireless internet usage , the carrier said on wednesday . t-mobile usa , the fourth-largest u.s. network , said on tuesday that it expects to begin selling the galaxy s 4g from samsung electronics this month . it 's similar to samsung 's several other android handsets , but this one is compatible with t-mobile 's faster data network . all three of these new smartphones , strangely , come with a seven-month-old version of android , called froyo . since releasing that version , google launched another called gingerbread , which powers a samsung-made phone called the nexus s. google held a news conference on wednesday to say developers are close to releasing the first device that will run the next android , called honeycomb , this month . | at & t and t-mobile announce details about three new android phones this week |
obama <tsp> here is an unofficial list of potential nominees for the supreme court if president barack obama is reelected . this list was compiled from a number of legal and political sources , including government officials deeply involved in the selections of justices sonia sotomayor ( 2009 ) and elena kagan ( 2010 ) . the obama administration , like those before , keeps an informal list of possible high court nominees to consider in the event of a sudden vacancy . but serious vetting only begins when such a vacancy occurs or is announced in advance by the retiring justice . election raises stakes for possible high court vacancies kamala harris , california attorney general born 1964 . she was elected to her current job in 2010 . she is part african-american , part asian-american . her father is a jamaican-born stanford university economics professor and her mother is an indian-born ( native tamil ) physician who works as a breast cancer specialist . harris is a former san francisco district attorney and author of smart on crime . ' her political savvy , ethnic background , telegenic personality , law enforcement credentials , and early support of president obama 's 2008 candidacy make her a favorite for any high court vacancy in any second-term , and possibly for u.s. attorney general . complications : harris may seek re-election in 2014 and then may run for governor the following year . judge paul watford , 9th circuit u.s. court of appeals , san francisco born 1967 . his age and race ( african-american ) have made him a favorite among some liberal court watchers . named to the appeals court in 2012 . clerked for conservative judge alex kozinski on the 9th circuit , and later for liberal justice ruth bader ginsburg . a former federal prosecutor and law firm partner . supporters call him an ideological moderate , which may not sit well with progressives seeking a stronger left-leaning voice . supreme court possibilities if romney is elected judge jacqueline hong-ngoc nguyen , 9th circuit u.s. court of appeals , san francisco born 1965 in dalat , vietnam ( as hong-ngoc thi nguyen ) . named to the court in 2012 after two years as a federal district court judge . she could make history as the high court 's first asian-american justice . nguyen is already the first asian-american woman to sit on a federal appeals court . a former state judge , federal prosecutor , and private attorney . she moved with her family to the united states when she was 10 , just after the fall of south vietnam to the communists , and her parents eventually set up a doughnut shop in north hollywood , california . kathryn ruemmler , white house counsel born 1971 . has enjoyed a meteoric rise in private practice and government circles . she most famously helped lead the prosecution in the enron fraud case in 2006 . she earned high praise in the white house for helping spearhead legal defense of the health care overhaul bill championed by president obama , whose constitutionality was ultimately upheld by the supreme court . she also supervised the vetting , and shepherded the kagan and sotomayor high court nominations through the senate . no judicial experience , but recall president george w. bush tapped his white house counsel harriet miers to the supreme court , before she withdrew from consideration . toobin : why are candidates silent on supreme court ? mary murguia , 9th circuit u.s. court of appeals , san francisco born 1960 . named to her current job by president obama in 2010 , after service as a federal district court judge in arizona . the kansas native is the daughter of mexican immigrants . her twin sister is noted civil rights leader janet murguia , and her older brother , carlos murguia is also a federal judge . lisa madigan , illinois attorney general born 1966 . elected as the state 's highest law enforcement official in 2002 . she is the adopted daughter of longtime illinois house speaker mike madigan . a former state senator , she worked down the hall from fellow lawmaker barack obama . she gained national prominence after seeking a motion to have former gov . rod blagojevich temporarily removed from office in 2008 . she also argued a search and seizure case before the justices in 2004 . her long friendship with the president , political skills , and law enforcement background have made her a favorite . judge diane wood , 7th circuit u.s. court of appeals , chicago born 1950 . has sat on the bench since 1995 . twice a finalist for the high court vacancies in 2009-10 . considered a mainstream liberal , well-regarded by many legal analysts as a strong , articulate progressive voice . former clerk for justice harry blackmun , and served in both the reagan and clinton justice departments . like fellow 7th circuit judges richard posner and frank easterbrook -- both conservative heavyweights considered for the supreme court by president george w. bush -- wood teaches part-time at the university of chicago . her age may dampen her chances . judge merrick garland , u.s. court of appeals , d.c . circuit born 1952 . finalist for the high court seats that went to sonia sotomayor and elena kagan . a possible compromise choice , considered a relative judicial moderate on the high-profile appeals court . four current justices came directly from the d.c. circuit . garland was a former associate deputy attorney general and supervised the criminal prosecution of the 1995 oklahoma city bombing , which could play well in the post 9/11 environment . his perceived moderate ' views may not sit well with some liberals . | the obama administration keeps an informal list of possible supreme court nominees |
obama <tsp> here is an unofficial list of potential nominees for the supreme court if president barack obama is reelected . this list was compiled from a number of legal and political sources , including government officials deeply involved in the selections of justices sonia sotomayor ( 2009 ) and elena kagan ( 2010 ) . the obama administration , like those before , keeps an informal list of possible high court nominees to consider in the event of a sudden vacancy . but serious vetting only begins when such a vacancy occurs or is announced in advance by the retiring justice . election raises stakes for possible high court vacancies kamala harris , california attorney general born 1964 . she was elected to her current job in 2010 . she is part african-american , part asian-american . her father is a jamaican-born stanford university economics professor and her mother is an indian-born ( native tamil ) physician who works as a breast cancer specialist . harris is a former san francisco district attorney and author of smart on crime . ' her political savvy , ethnic background , telegenic personality , law enforcement credentials , and early support of president obama 's 2008 candidacy make her a favorite for any high court vacancy in any second-term , and possibly for u.s. attorney general . complications : harris may seek re-election in 2014 and then may run for governor the following year . judge paul watford , 9th circuit u.s. court of appeals , san francisco born 1967 . his age and race ( african-american ) have made him a favorite among some liberal court watchers . named to the appeals court in 2012 . clerked for conservative judge alex kozinski on the 9th circuit , and later for liberal justice ruth bader ginsburg . a former federal prosecutor and law firm partner . supporters call him an ideological moderate , which may not sit well with progressives seeking a stronger left-leaning voice . supreme court possibilities if romney is elected judge jacqueline hong-ngoc nguyen , 9th circuit u.s. court of appeals , san francisco born 1965 in dalat , vietnam ( as hong-ngoc thi nguyen ) . named to the court in 2012 after two years as a federal district court judge . she could make history as the high court 's first asian-american justice . nguyen is already the first asian-american woman to sit on a federal appeals court . a former state judge , federal prosecutor , and private attorney . she moved with her family to the united states when she was 10 , just after the fall of south vietnam to the communists , and her parents eventually set up a doughnut shop in north hollywood , california . kathryn ruemmler , white house counsel born 1971 . has enjoyed a meteoric rise in private practice and government circles . she most famously helped lead the prosecution in the enron fraud case in 2006 . she earned high praise in the white house for helping spearhead legal defense of the health care overhaul bill championed by president obama , whose constitutionality was ultimately upheld by the supreme court . she also supervised the vetting , and shepherded the kagan and sotomayor high court nominations through the senate . no judicial experience , but recall president george w. bush tapped his white house counsel harriet miers to the supreme court , before she withdrew from consideration . toobin : why are candidates silent on supreme court ? mary murguia , 9th circuit u.s. court of appeals , san francisco born 1960 . named to her current job by president obama in 2010 , after service as a federal district court judge in arizona . the kansas native is the daughter of mexican immigrants . her twin sister is noted civil rights leader janet murguia , and her older brother , carlos murguia is also a federal judge . lisa madigan , illinois attorney general born 1966 . elected as the state 's highest law enforcement official in 2002 . she is the adopted daughter of longtime illinois house speaker mike madigan . a former state senator , she worked down the hall from fellow lawmaker barack obama . she gained national prominence after seeking a motion to have former gov . rod blagojevich temporarily removed from office in 2008 . she also argued a search and seizure case before the justices in 2004 . her long friendship with the president , political skills , and law enforcement background have made her a favorite . judge diane wood , 7th circuit u.s. court of appeals , chicago born 1950 . has sat on the bench since 1995 . twice a finalist for the high court vacancies in 2009-10 . considered a mainstream liberal , well-regarded by many legal analysts as a strong , articulate progressive voice . former clerk for justice harry blackmun , and served in both the reagan and clinton justice departments . like fellow 7th circuit judges richard posner and frank easterbrook -- both conservative heavyweights considered for the supreme court by president george w. bush -- wood teaches part-time at the university of chicago . her age may dampen her chances . judge merrick garland , u.s. court of appeals , d.c . circuit born 1952 . finalist for the high court seats that went to sonia sotomayor and elena kagan . a possible compromise choice , considered a relative judicial moderate on the high-profile appeals court . four current justices came directly from the d.c. circuit . garland was a former associate deputy attorney general and supervised the criminal prosecution of the 1995 oklahoma city bombing , which could play well in the post 9/11 environment . his perceived moderate ' views may not sit well with some liberals . | experts see six women , two men in pool of potential nominees if obama reelected |
la gomera <tsp> ( cnn ) -- wildfires on spain 's canary islands have forced close to 5,000 people from their homes , the local government said saturday . weather conditions are complicating efforts to control the flames , which are burning on two of the islands -- la gomera and tenerife . the crews ... are having trouble stopping the spread of the fires , ' said javier gonzalez ortiz , an area economy , security and housing minister . he cited winds , high temperatures and low humidity . helicopters are helping to work both fires and shelters have been set up to assist those forced from their homes , the government said . the blazes have also forced some road closures . approximately 2,500 people were evacuated on la gomera , while the number on tenerife was reported as slightly more than 2,220 . the spanish canary islands are located off the northwest coast of africa . | blazes are burning on the islands of la gomera and tenerife |
rooney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- england striker wayne rooney has escaped further punishment after a show of petulance following his sending off during manchester united 's weekend defeat at fulham . wayne rooney confronts referee phil dowd following his dismissal during the defeat at fulham . but rooney will receive a formal written warning from the football association after punching the corner flag when ordered from the pitch . rooney was dismissed for two bookable offences during his side 's 2-0 defeat -- the second caution coming after he hurled the ball in the direction of where referee phil dowd wanted a free kick taken . although rooney exchanged words with dowd after being shown red , the official has confirmed he was not sworn at by the player . an fa spokesman said : we have clarified with phil dowd that there was no abuse from the player after he was dismissed . in relation to the incident when he punched the corner flag , the referee did not see that and we have written to wayne rooney reminding him of his responsibilities . ' it means rooney will only be suspended for one game , the premier league visit of aston villa to old trafford on april 5 . | wayne rooney escapes further punishment following dismissal at fulham |
rooney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- england striker wayne rooney has escaped further punishment after a show of petulance following his sending off during manchester united 's weekend defeat at fulham . wayne rooney confronts referee phil dowd following his dismissal during the defeat at fulham . but rooney will receive a formal written warning from the football association after punching the corner flag when ordered from the pitch . rooney was dismissed for two bookable offences during his side 's 2-0 defeat -- the second caution coming after he hurled the ball in the direction of where referee phil dowd wanted a free kick taken . although rooney exchanged words with dowd after being shown red , the official has confirmed he was not sworn at by the player . an fa spokesman said : we have clarified with phil dowd that there was no abuse from the player after he was dismissed . in relation to the incident when he punched the corner flag , the referee did not see that and we have written to wayne rooney reminding him of his responsibilities . ' it means rooney will only be suspended for one game , the premier league visit of aston villa to old trafford on april 5 . | rooney must sit out manchester united 's home game against aston villa |
louisiana <tsp> sen. mary landrieu will reimburse the senate more than $ 5,700 for a charter flight she paid for with taxpayer money after cnn questioned the expense . the louisiana democrat chartered a private plane last september to travel from new orleans to shreveport , where she attended an official event . she then traveled on to dallas , where she attended a fundraiser . under federal law and senate rules , the cost of a trip that includes official and campaign stops must often be prorated between senate and campaign accounts . however , if the campaign activity is incidental ' to the official trip , the expense does n't need to be split up . in this case , landrieu 's senate office picked up the whole cost of the trip . asked wednesday about the trip , landrieu 's senate spokesman , matthew lehner , said in a statement : ' sen. landrieu was invited to an official evening event in shreveport . she was traveling back to d.c. through dallas , and a fundraiser in dallas was added to her schedule , ' he said . out of an abundance of caution in case there was a cost allocation error connected to this flight , the senate will be reimbursed for the ( shreveport to dallas ) flight . ' a senate aide said that because landrieu was already going to be in dallas , the office considered the fundraiser incidental and not an expense that had to be partially covered by the campaign . the reimbursement comes just one day after cnn learned that the vulnerable louisiana democrat used government money last november to charter a private plane to travel to a campaign fundraiser , in violation of federal law . landrieu spent more than $ 3,200 in taxpayer money to fly 400 miles round trip from new orleans to lake charles , louisiana , where she attended a $ 40-per person fundraising lunch with hundreds of women , according to senate records and landrieu campaign information . it is illegal to spend government money campaigning . landrieu 's campaign spokesman , fabien levy , said in a statement monday that the charter company mistakenly billed landrieu 's senate office instead of her re-election campaign . levy said the campaign noticed the error a few weeks ago and asked the company to refund the senate office and bill the campaign , which the company did . levy said landrieu 's re-election campaign paid for the flight august 4 , almost nine months after the november 8 trip . we take our finances very seriously and are glad we caught the vendor 's mistake and were able to rectify the matter as soon as possible , ' levy said . the campaign did n't notice the mistake until july 29 . two days later , on july 31 , usa today published a story showing that landrieu was one of the senate 's most frequent fliers , spending $ 47,000 last year on taxpayer-funded charter flights . levy told cnn that media scrutiny of senate office expense reports spurred the campaign to review its travel records . | louisiana sen. mary landrieu to reimburse senate more than $ 5,700 for charter flight |
shreveport <tsp> sen. mary landrieu will reimburse the senate more than $ 5,700 for a charter flight she paid for with taxpayer money after cnn questioned the expense . the louisiana democrat chartered a private plane last september to travel from new orleans to shreveport , where she attended an official event . she then traveled on to dallas , where she attended a fundraiser . under federal law and senate rules , the cost of a trip that includes official and campaign stops must often be prorated between senate and campaign accounts . however , if the campaign activity is incidental ' to the official trip , the expense does n't need to be split up . in this case , landrieu 's senate office picked up the whole cost of the trip . asked wednesday about the trip , landrieu 's senate spokesman , matthew lehner , said in a statement : ' sen. landrieu was invited to an official evening event in shreveport . she was traveling back to d.c. through dallas , and a fundraiser in dallas was added to her schedule , ' he said . out of an abundance of caution in case there was a cost allocation error connected to this flight , the senate will be reimbursed for the ( shreveport to dallas ) flight . ' a senate aide said that because landrieu was already going to be in dallas , the office considered the fundraiser incidental and not an expense that had to be partially covered by the campaign . the reimbursement comes just one day after cnn learned that the vulnerable louisiana democrat used government money last november to charter a private plane to travel to a campaign fundraiser , in violation of federal law . landrieu spent more than $ 3,200 in taxpayer money to fly 400 miles round trip from new orleans to lake charles , louisiana , where she attended a $ 40-per person fundraising lunch with hundreds of women , according to senate records and landrieu campaign information . it is illegal to spend government money campaigning . landrieu 's campaign spokesman , fabien levy , said in a statement monday that the charter company mistakenly billed landrieu 's senate office instead of her re-election campaign . levy said the campaign noticed the error a few weeks ago and asked the company to refund the senate office and bill the campaign , which the company did . levy said landrieu 's re-election campaign paid for the flight august 4 , almost nine months after the november 8 trip . we take our finances very seriously and are glad we caught the vendor 's mistake and were able to rectify the matter as soon as possible , ' levy said . the campaign did n't notice the mistake until july 29 . two days later , on july 31 , usa today published a story showing that landrieu was one of the senate 's most frequent fliers , spending $ 47,000 last year on taxpayer-funded charter flights . levy told cnn that media scrutiny of senate office expense reports spurred the campaign to review its travel records . | landrieu had chartered a private plane last september to travel from new orleans to shreveport |
schwartz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jennifer aniston is getting married and this seems to be a matter of intense interest to women around the world . why do we care ? to begin , there is the incredible proliferation of mass media , the huge amount of coverage on celebrities and the self-exposure stars are willing to endure -- even prefer -- these days . stars ' have changed from glamorous , unfathomables , to friends ' we follow on twitter , in intimate , unguarded photos in entertainment magazines ( which we do n't even have to buy ; the headlines and pictures capture us in our doctors'offices and at the check out counter ) . we turn on the tv talk shows and learn more than we should as heartbroken or apologetic celebrity guests share details of their romantic misadventures . women like jennifer aniston become girlfriends , or friends of friends , who we listen to , judge , identify with and commiserate with . the wall separating us from stardom has been replaced by a penetrable surface , with celebrities just one tweet or book group away . she is no longer jennifer aniston , the star ; she is jennifer , a friend once removed and we talk about her among friends as if she were one of us . news : jennifer aniston engaged to actor justin theroux she is not , though , so why do we feel so strongly about what happens to a movie star who has no apparent connection to our lives ? two reasons . first , we know enough about her travail to identity with her and project ourselves into her situation . here is a woman , who , like many of us , has wanted someone very badly , made mutual vows of fidelity and loyalty , and had that person leave for another lover -- in this case , an exceptionally talented and gorgeous woman , who now lays claim to everything she ( or we ) ever wanted . there are few women who have n't lost someone they loved -- and they immediately take up her cause , and her feelings , as their own . secondly , we follow her life because in a strange way , it comforts us . if a man could be unfaithful to such a lovely , successful and nice woman , we can know that perhaps we were n't left because we were n't pretty enough or sexy enough or witty enough , but because some men just fall in love with someone else . we can see that regardless of why our own mate left , there was nothing about it that should wipe out our self-esteem and there was n't necessarily anything we could have done that would have saved our relationship . peering into various celebrity real melodramas rather perversely cheers us up ! in 2008 , millions of women were riveted to the divorce trial of christie brinkley , whose husband , peter cook , betrayed her with a teenage employee . well , we thought , if a man could do that to christie brinkley , of course we should n't feel that a husband or boyfriend left us for not being pretty enough or sexy enough . look what happened to one of the most gloriously gorgeous women on earth ! jennifer aniston 's men then there is an additional twist in aniston 's story that reassures us . her failed marriage says to us that someone even more glorious than ourselves can be left , but her engagement tells us that there can be a cinderella story at the end of the road : a mate who truly loves us , who wants to create a family , who will deliver security and unconditional love at last . sure , it may last as long as the next headline , but we deeply hope love stays the course for her , because we want to believe that our own dreams will result in triumph over disappointment . this is why we care in a seemingly unreasonable way about what happens to jennifer aniston . nice girls might not finish last . justice might prevail . sure , we care about jennifer , but we follow her life , and the life of other celebrities , mostly because they are now in our friendship circle , ' however illusory this perception is . aniston 's fairy tale ending ' is a stand-in for the fairly tale ending we want for ourselves . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of pepper schwartz . | pepper schwartz : many are interested that jennifer aniston is engaged . why ? |
schwartz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jennifer aniston is getting married and this seems to be a matter of intense interest to women around the world . why do we care ? to begin , there is the incredible proliferation of mass media , the huge amount of coverage on celebrities and the self-exposure stars are willing to endure -- even prefer -- these days . stars ' have changed from glamorous , unfathomables , to friends ' we follow on twitter , in intimate , unguarded photos in entertainment magazines ( which we do n't even have to buy ; the headlines and pictures capture us in our doctors'offices and at the check out counter ) . we turn on the tv talk shows and learn more than we should as heartbroken or apologetic celebrity guests share details of their romantic misadventures . women like jennifer aniston become girlfriends , or friends of friends , who we listen to , judge , identify with and commiserate with . the wall separating us from stardom has been replaced by a penetrable surface , with celebrities just one tweet or book group away . she is no longer jennifer aniston , the star ; she is jennifer , a friend once removed and we talk about her among friends as if she were one of us . news : jennifer aniston engaged to actor justin theroux she is not , though , so why do we feel so strongly about what happens to a movie star who has no apparent connection to our lives ? two reasons . first , we know enough about her travail to identity with her and project ourselves into her situation . here is a woman , who , like many of us , has wanted someone very badly , made mutual vows of fidelity and loyalty , and had that person leave for another lover -- in this case , an exceptionally talented and gorgeous woman , who now lays claim to everything she ( or we ) ever wanted . there are few women who have n't lost someone they loved -- and they immediately take up her cause , and her feelings , as their own . secondly , we follow her life because in a strange way , it comforts us . if a man could be unfaithful to such a lovely , successful and nice woman , we can know that perhaps we were n't left because we were n't pretty enough or sexy enough or witty enough , but because some men just fall in love with someone else . we can see that regardless of why our own mate left , there was nothing about it that should wipe out our self-esteem and there was n't necessarily anything we could have done that would have saved our relationship . peering into various celebrity real melodramas rather perversely cheers us up ! in 2008 , millions of women were riveted to the divorce trial of christie brinkley , whose husband , peter cook , betrayed her with a teenage employee . well , we thought , if a man could do that to christie brinkley , of course we should n't feel that a husband or boyfriend left us for not being pretty enough or sexy enough . look what happened to one of the most gloriously gorgeous women on earth ! jennifer aniston 's men then there is an additional twist in aniston 's story that reassures us . her failed marriage says to us that someone even more glorious than ourselves can be left , but her engagement tells us that there can be a cinderella story at the end of the road : a mate who truly loves us , who wants to create a family , who will deliver security and unconditional love at last . sure , it may last as long as the next headline , but we deeply hope love stays the course for her , because we want to believe that our own dreams will result in triumph over disappointment . this is why we care in a seemingly unreasonable way about what happens to jennifer aniston . nice girls might not finish last . justice might prevail . sure , we care about jennifer , but we follow her life , and the life of other celebrities , mostly because they are now in our friendship circle , ' however illusory this perception is . aniston 's fairy tale ending ' is a stand-in for the fairly tale ending we want for ourselves . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of pepper schwartz . | schwartz : we follow her story , delight in her triumph because it gives hope for our own |
tierney <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a broadway actor who fell more than 20 feet during an aerial stunt in the musical spider-man : turn off the dark , ' has been released from a rehabilitation center in new york , a show spokesman said . christopher tierney , 31 , was released from new york university 's rusk institute of rehabilitation medicine on wednesday morning , according to spokesperson sam corbett . tierney was moved into the institute after being discharged from bellevue hospital on december 28 . he suffered four broken ribs , a hairline skull fracture , a broken scapula , or shoulder blade ; a bruised lung , three cracked vertebrae and broken bones below his elbow as a result of his fall , his father said . he is up , ' tim tierney said . he is walking and just doing very well . ' he noted that his son is looking forward to returning to the show . several of the performances were canceled following the december 20 incident , as new safety measures were put in place following a meeting with officials from the department of labor and the occupational safety and health administration . tierney said tuesday that he is looking forward to returning to the show and is not concerned about his own safety . i 'm not worried about it , ' he said . they 've got it well taken care of . ' another actor in the show , patrick page , said the new measures have increased communication between actors and safety personnel . the show , with music and lyrics by u2 's bono and the edge , is said to be the most expensive in broadway history . but the behind-the-scenes drama at the $ 65 million production -- including a series of mishaps resulting in actor injuries -- has continued to raise questions over its safety record . | christopher tierney , 31 , has been released from a rehabilitation center in new york |
tierney <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a broadway actor who fell more than 20 feet during an aerial stunt in the musical spider-man : turn off the dark , ' has been released from a rehabilitation center in new york , a show spokesman said . christopher tierney , 31 , was released from new york university 's rusk institute of rehabilitation medicine on wednesday morning , according to spokesperson sam corbett . tierney was moved into the institute after being discharged from bellevue hospital on december 28 . he suffered four broken ribs , a hairline skull fracture , a broken scapula , or shoulder blade ; a bruised lung , three cracked vertebrae and broken bones below his elbow as a result of his fall , his father said . he is up , ' tim tierney said . he is walking and just doing very well . ' he noted that his son is looking forward to returning to the show . several of the performances were canceled following the december 20 incident , as new safety measures were put in place following a meeting with officials from the department of labor and the occupational safety and health administration . tierney said tuesday that he is looking forward to returning to the show and is not concerned about his own safety . i 'm not worried about it , ' he said . they 've got it well taken care of . ' another actor in the show , patrick page , said the new measures have increased communication between actors and safety personnel . the show , with music and lyrics by u2 's bono and the edge , is said to be the most expensive in broadway history . but the behind-the-scenes drama at the $ 65 million production -- including a series of mishaps resulting in actor injuries -- has continued to raise questions over its safety record . | tierney said he is looking forward to returning and is not concerned about his safety |
donald duck <tsp> ( mental floss ) -- if you think comic book characters do amazing things in comic books , you wo n't believe what they can do off the page . for starters , superman brought down the ku klux klan , and donald duck raised ships from the ocean floor . 1 . superman defeats the ku klux klan in the 1940s , the adventures of superman ' was a radio sensation . kids across the country huddled around their sets as the man of steel leapt off the page and over the airwaves . although superman had been fighting crime in print since 1938 , the weekly audio episodes fleshed out his storyline even further . it was on the radio that superman first faced kryptonite , met the daily planet reporter jimmy olsen , and became associated with truth , justice , and the american way . ' so , it 's no wonder that when a young writer and activist named stetson kennedy decided to expose the secrets of the ku klux klan , he looked to a certain superhero for inspiration . in the post-world war ii era , the klan experienced a huge resurgence . its membership was skyrocketing , and its political influence was increasing , so kennedy went undercover to infiltrate the group . by regularly attending meetings , he became privy to the organization 's secrets . but when he took the information to local authorities , they had little interest in using it . the klan had become so powerful and intimidating that police were hesitant to build a case against them . struggling to make use of his findings , kennedy approached the writers of the superman radio serial . it was perfect timing . with the war over and the nazis no longer a threat , the producers were looking for a new villain for superman to fight . the kkk was a great fit for the role . in a 16-episode series titled clan of the fiery cross , ' the writers pitted the man of steel against the men in white hoods . as the storyline progressed , the shows exposed many of the kkk 's most guarded secrets . by revealing everything from code words to rituals , the program completely stripped the klan of its mystique . within two weeks of the broadcast , kkk recruitment was down . and by 1948 , people were showing up to klan rallies just to mock them . mental floss : 5 memorable moments in comic book censorship 2 . donald duck 's scientific breakthrough in 1966 , danish engineer karl krøyer developed a method for raising sunken ships off the ocean floor by injecting them with polystyrene foam balls . however , when krøyer tried to license his invention with the dutch patent office , he was denied . donald duck had beaten him to the punch by 22 years . indeed , krøyer 's concept could be traced back to a donald duck comic conceived by carl barks . in addition to being the most celebrated artist of the donald duck comics , barks was known for his scientific prowess . so in a 1944 story , when donald got a bump on his head that turned him into a genius , the duck managed to mumble , if i mix ch2 [ a methylene compound ] with nh4 [ ammonium ] and boil the atoms in osmotic fog , i should get speckled nitrogen ! ' although it sounded like nonsense , it was n't . in 1963 , chemists p.p . gaspar and g.s . hammond wrote a technical article about methylene that included a reference to the donald duck story . the final paragraph read , among experiments which have not , to our knowledge , been carried out as yet is one of a most intriguing nature suggested in the literature of no less than 19 years ago . ' a footnote revealed that literature ' as the donald duck comic . it seems the web-footed children 's hero had deduced the chemical intermediate long before it had been proven to exist . mental floss : musicians performing on sesame street but why were these top american chemists looking to comics for inspiration ? apparently , dr. gaspar had been a lifelong donald duck fan , and he 'd rediscovered donald 's early reference to methylene while collecting old copies of the classic adventures . gaspar never disclosed how much his work owed to duckburg 's most famous resident , but then again , how many scientists would confess that they used comic books to bolster their research ? 3 . a spider-man villain keeps folks out of jail in a 1977 edition of spider-man , peter parker has the tables turned on him . the villain , kingpin , tracks down spidey using an electronic transmitter that he 'd fastened to the superhero 's wrist . although kingpin loses in the end ( he always does ) , one new mexico judge saw beauty in his plan . inspired by the strip , judge jack love turned to computer salesman michael goss and asked if he could create a similar device to keep track of crime suspects awaiting trial . in 1983 , goss produced his first batch of electronic monitors . authorities in albuquerque then tested the devices on five offenders , using the gadgets as an alternative to incarceration . today , the transmitters are a common sight in courtrooms across the country , usually in the form of electronic ankle bracelets . most famously , martha stewart donned one while she was under house arrest in 2004 . perhaps she would have felt better knowing that the gadget had once nabbed spider-man , too . mental floss : truth about lie detectors ( and wonder woman ) 4 . captain marvel jr. saves the bad-hair day like most american kids in the 1940s , elvis presley fantasized about growing up to be like his favorite comic book superheroes . but it turns out that the king might have been more interested in their fashion statements than their special powers . during his early teen years , elvis was obsessed with captain marvel jr. , known as america 's most famous boy hero . ' a younger version of captain marvel , the character sported an unusual hairstyle that featured a curly tuft of hair falling over the side of his forehead . sound familiar ? when elvis set out to conquer america with his rock 'n'roll ways , he copied the'do , thus making it one of the most famous hairstyles of the 20th century . but that was n't all . captain marvel also gets credit for the short capes elvis wore on the back of his jumpsuits , as well as the king 's famous tcb logo , which bears a striking resemblance to marvel 's lightning bolt insignia . of course , elvis never tried to hide his love for the captain . a copy of captain marvel jr. no . 51 still sits in his preserved childhood bedroom in an apartment in memphis , and his full comics collection remains intact in the attic at graceland . plus , the admiration was mutual . captain marvel jr. paid tribute to the king in one issue , referring to the singer as the greatest modern-day philosopher . ' for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved . | and donald duck blocked a scientist from getting a patent |
doma <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you may have heard of yoga 's downward-facing dog ' pose , but what about upward-staring horse ' ? well , that 's sort of the idea at one animal school in argentina . a video of a wrangler performing yoga-esque poses atop a strapping steed went viral on the internet earlier this year , bringing predictable headlines like you 'll neigh-ver believe it ' and horse yoga is actually a thing ! ' but the practice turns out to be not quite the same ancient indus valley art that such reports have suggested . instead , it owes its formation to the indigenous communities of rural argentina , in which horses have played an integral , almost mystical role for centuries . according to cristabal scarpati , co-founder of the doma india school in the town of san luis , these impressive skills have been honed and passed down through tribes , towns and settlements in the region for generations . the philosophy of our school is the philosophy that my father learned from an old indian named don cristobal luna , ' scarpati told cnn . he taught us how to recreate these exercises practiced by the indian aborigines . these people were endowed with extraordinary abilities and very often the survival of their tribes depended on them . it was also a way for cawelche ( tribal horse experts ) to display their union with the animals and show off their skills . ' on the film , a man can be seen stretching a horse 's legs before carefully performing a headstand on its chest . he then maneuvers the horse onto its side , soothing it into a trance like state of relaxation . it 's an oddly enchanting sight , displaying the controlled movement and calmness that many who have dabbled in the practice of yoga or meditation will recognize . for many years i traveled the world bringing this message and what we can say is that horses -- regardless of race or color or origin -- are all susceptible to the same stimuli ... like affection , empathy , respect and solidarity , ' scarpati said . i 've never done yoga but now people tell me a little about it i actually think there are many points of connection , ' he added on the similarities of the concepts . the pursuit of harmony , peace of mind and body health are closely intertwined in both activities . i think the suggestion is quite correct . ' thousands lose sleep over horse 's birth doma india primarily exists to teach owners about the mental state of horses and to help tame horses that are troublesome , untrusting or insecure . however , the school also aims to help people meditate or seek an inner calm through the experiences and interactions they can have with horses . the horse can actually produce a calming effect on people , ' scarpati said . i sincerely believe that we can enjoy something very similar to yoga if we encourage people to play with horses and if we dare to truly connect with them on their frequency in the frequency of nature . ' with that in mind , maybe the upward-staring horse pose is n't so far fetched after all . see also : thoroughbred therapy on cape town coast see also : top 10 grandstand views | doma india is a school in argentina that practices ancient horse taming methods |
iphone 5 <tsp> ( cnn ) -- apple store employees , dressed in matching blue t-shirts , clapped and sang and made intermittent woo ! ' cheers , as they walked past john h. , who was waiting in line to buy the iphone 5 in atlanta last month . the 29-year-old , who had never before waited in one of apple 's i-need-the-product-immediately-so-i'm-willing-to-stand-here-for-hours lines , did n't look amused . about the time the sun was coming up , john leaned against a railing at lenox square mall and pretty much scowled at all the hoopla . i did n't have anything better to do , ' he said of his decision to come to the mall and wait in line to buy the newest apple smartphone . john , who asked that his last name not be used , had just come off of an overnight shift with an airline . my girlfriend 's out of town , ' he added . i 'm just hanging out . ' one year after the death of apple co-founder steve jobs , that kind of indifference seems almost sacrilege when set against the history of apple fanboy-dom that surrounds the company 's product launches . and while it 's true that that a woman in new york waited in line for eight days , braving rain , police , wrecks and everything else that would be horrible about sleeping outside in manhattan for a week , the excitement for the iphone 5 seemed less palpable than in the past , at least among the masses . the cause ? that 's anyone 's guess . maybe it 's that this phone seems less exciting than its predecessors . maybe it 's harder for fans to drum up enthusiasm for apple now that the once-scrappy underdog has become the world 's richest and most powerful tech company . or , more troubling for apple loyalists , maybe some of the company 's sparkle is fading with consumers now that jobs , the design perfectionist , is no longer signing off on new products . # whatstevejobstaughtme : share your thoughts on his life and career obviously , there 's no lack of luster in apple 's stock price , which is reaching such heights -- it recently flirted with $ 700 a share -- that it 's been accused of swaying trends for entire markets . and apple sold 5 million iphone 5s in the first weekend , although that number was less than analysts had expected given the attendant hype and pent-up demand for the device . a shift , however , seemed evident at the launch of the new phone , at least with the random sampling of consumers who spoke with cnn that morning . it 's not that apple is n't popular . it 's that perhaps the fans are n't as hyped up as they used to be . for starters , no one would claim apple as a hero of the counterculture these days . that was evident in the fact that some of the line-standers in atlanta talked about the phone not as some life-altering blessing from on high ( the iphone has been dubbed the jesus phone , ' let 's remember ) but in consumer-y and practical terms . one man , 31-year-old nick loner , wanted a better camera before he went on a family vacation . ed veillette , 45 , was in line to buy the phone for his teenage son , who wanted to be able to show it off to friends in the school lunchroom . it could be a rock , ' veillette said . if everybody had a rock , he 'd want it . ' opinion : apple seems to have gotten a little bit lost the vibe shift was apparent to die-hard apple fans as well . the excitement has settled , ' said justin henderson , 32 , who has waited in line for the new apple smartphone every year since the iphone launched . the biggest line i 've seen in the last five years was for the iphone 4 . that line was ridiculous . ' this line ? less so . i think people know what they 're getting , and they 're just wanting to upgrade , versus getting the phone for the first time ' and being super-thrilled about it , he said . in a youtube video of the recent opening of an apple store in stockholm , some customers looked nonplussed , if not downright perturbed , by apple 's clapping , chanting mob of blue-shirted employees . the company is having trouble controlling the tech pundits , too . in a post titled confessions of a former apple fanboy , ' blogger roy choi writes that he is losing faith in apple 's ability to gin up the same level of fanaticism in the post-steve-jobs era . i 'm not saying this iphone iteration is an awful device , but i question whether apple has the ability to maintain industry-leading innovation , ' choi writes on the site technobuffalo . apple has historically been known for creative design and disruptive technology , signature features that are surprisingly missing this time around . it is uncharacteristic of apple to deliver an average product . my thoughts are that these specs can be found on nearly every other mid-to-high-end smartphone on the market . ' apple loyalist john gruber , author of the influential blog daring fireball , wrote favorably about amazon 's unveiling of its newest ipad competitor . om malik argues that ( amazon ceo jeff ) bezos is the inheritor to steve jobs 's crown . i agree . not because bezos has copied anything jobs did , but because he has not . what he 's done that is jobs-like is doggedly pursue , year after year , iteration after iteration , a vision unlike that of any other company -- all in the name of making customers happy . ' forbes points out that the iphone 5 was supposed to cement jobs'legacy . reports around steve jobs'passing talked about how he was focused on the iphone 5 during his last days and predicted that it would be his'legacy device ,' contributor chunka mui writes . that seemed plausible , given jobs'reputation and the incremental nature of the iphone 4s that came out around the same time , and helped to heighten the anticipation for this week 's iphone 5 launch . the new iphone does not meet those lofty'legacy'aspirations , however . the iphone 5 is bigger , faster , thinner , etc . -- definitely a creditable offering that reiterates apple 's design , engineering and marketing chops . while it does nothing to detract from jobs'design genius reputation , it does nothing to enhance it , either . ' apple has come under fire for its new error-filled maps application , which replaces google maps on iphone 5s and in ios 6 , the company 's new mobile operating system . in a rare public letter , apple ceo tim cook apologized for the quality of the maps last week . frustrated iphone 5 users have also complained about a bug that causes their phones to suck cellular data even when connected to a wi-fi network . of course , there 's always a counter-argument . here 's one from kris abarilla , who responded to my question about the changing state of apple fanboydom on google+ : fanboydom certainly has n't changed much since jobs . the people are loyal to the brand , not to the person who ran it . even after people realize how bad the maps app is in the new ios 6 , those very same users are touting the greatness of apple . ' it 's clear apple employees ( check out this gallery ; hilarious ) and the company 's fanboy and fangirl loyalists will continue not just to buy apple products but to love them , and the company behind them . the question is : what about everyone else ? though apple will remain a highly profitable company for years to come , i would be surprised if it ever gives us another product as transformative as the ( original ) iphone or the ipad , ' writes joe nocera in the new york times'opinion section . part of the reason is obvious : jobs is n't there anymore , ' he wrote . it is rare that a company is so completely an extension of one man 's brain as apple was an extension of jobs . while he was alive , that was a strength ; now it 's a weakness . apple 's current executive team is no doubt trying to maintain the same demanding , innovative culture , but it 's just not the same without the man himself looking over everybody 's shoulder . ' good or bad , what lessons did you learn from jobs ? share your responses in the comments below , or join the conversation on twitter using # stevejobstaughtme . | maybe that 's because of the death of steve jobs ; maybe it 's iphone 5 glitches |
iphone 5 <tsp> ( cnn ) -- apple store employees , dressed in matching blue t-shirts , clapped and sang and made intermittent woo ! ' cheers , as they walked past john h. , who was waiting in line to buy the iphone 5 in atlanta last month . the 29-year-old , who had never before waited in one of apple 's i-need-the-product-immediately-so-i'm-willing-to-stand-here-for-hours lines , did n't look amused . about the time the sun was coming up , john leaned against a railing at lenox square mall and pretty much scowled at all the hoopla . i did n't have anything better to do , ' he said of his decision to come to the mall and wait in line to buy the newest apple smartphone . john , who asked that his last name not be used , had just come off of an overnight shift with an airline . my girlfriend 's out of town , ' he added . i 'm just hanging out . ' one year after the death of apple co-founder steve jobs , that kind of indifference seems almost sacrilege when set against the history of apple fanboy-dom that surrounds the company 's product launches . and while it 's true that that a woman in new york waited in line for eight days , braving rain , police , wrecks and everything else that would be horrible about sleeping outside in manhattan for a week , the excitement for the iphone 5 seemed less palpable than in the past , at least among the masses . the cause ? that 's anyone 's guess . maybe it 's that this phone seems less exciting than its predecessors . maybe it 's harder for fans to drum up enthusiasm for apple now that the once-scrappy underdog has become the world 's richest and most powerful tech company . or , more troubling for apple loyalists , maybe some of the company 's sparkle is fading with consumers now that jobs , the design perfectionist , is no longer signing off on new products . # whatstevejobstaughtme : share your thoughts on his life and career obviously , there 's no lack of luster in apple 's stock price , which is reaching such heights -- it recently flirted with $ 700 a share -- that it 's been accused of swaying trends for entire markets . and apple sold 5 million iphone 5s in the first weekend , although that number was less than analysts had expected given the attendant hype and pent-up demand for the device . a shift , however , seemed evident at the launch of the new phone , at least with the random sampling of consumers who spoke with cnn that morning . it 's not that apple is n't popular . it 's that perhaps the fans are n't as hyped up as they used to be . for starters , no one would claim apple as a hero of the counterculture these days . that was evident in the fact that some of the line-standers in atlanta talked about the phone not as some life-altering blessing from on high ( the iphone has been dubbed the jesus phone , ' let 's remember ) but in consumer-y and practical terms . one man , 31-year-old nick loner , wanted a better camera before he went on a family vacation . ed veillette , 45 , was in line to buy the phone for his teenage son , who wanted to be able to show it off to friends in the school lunchroom . it could be a rock , ' veillette said . if everybody had a rock , he 'd want it . ' opinion : apple seems to have gotten a little bit lost the vibe shift was apparent to die-hard apple fans as well . the excitement has settled , ' said justin henderson , 32 , who has waited in line for the new apple smartphone every year since the iphone launched . the biggest line i 've seen in the last five years was for the iphone 4 . that line was ridiculous . ' this line ? less so . i think people know what they 're getting , and they 're just wanting to upgrade , versus getting the phone for the first time ' and being super-thrilled about it , he said . in a youtube video of the recent opening of an apple store in stockholm , some customers looked nonplussed , if not downright perturbed , by apple 's clapping , chanting mob of blue-shirted employees . the company is having trouble controlling the tech pundits , too . in a post titled confessions of a former apple fanboy , ' blogger roy choi writes that he is losing faith in apple 's ability to gin up the same level of fanaticism in the post-steve-jobs era . i 'm not saying this iphone iteration is an awful device , but i question whether apple has the ability to maintain industry-leading innovation , ' choi writes on the site technobuffalo . apple has historically been known for creative design and disruptive technology , signature features that are surprisingly missing this time around . it is uncharacteristic of apple to deliver an average product . my thoughts are that these specs can be found on nearly every other mid-to-high-end smartphone on the market . ' apple loyalist john gruber , author of the influential blog daring fireball , wrote favorably about amazon 's unveiling of its newest ipad competitor . om malik argues that ( amazon ceo jeff ) bezos is the inheritor to steve jobs 's crown . i agree . not because bezos has copied anything jobs did , but because he has not . what he 's done that is jobs-like is doggedly pursue , year after year , iteration after iteration , a vision unlike that of any other company -- all in the name of making customers happy . ' forbes points out that the iphone 5 was supposed to cement jobs'legacy . reports around steve jobs'passing talked about how he was focused on the iphone 5 during his last days and predicted that it would be his'legacy device ,' contributor chunka mui writes . that seemed plausible , given jobs'reputation and the incremental nature of the iphone 4s that came out around the same time , and helped to heighten the anticipation for this week 's iphone 5 launch . the new iphone does not meet those lofty'legacy'aspirations , however . the iphone 5 is bigger , faster , thinner , etc . -- definitely a creditable offering that reiterates apple 's design , engineering and marketing chops . while it does nothing to detract from jobs'design genius reputation , it does nothing to enhance it , either . ' apple has come under fire for its new error-filled maps application , which replaces google maps on iphone 5s and in ios 6 , the company 's new mobile operating system . in a rare public letter , apple ceo tim cook apologized for the quality of the maps last week . frustrated iphone 5 users have also complained about a bug that causes their phones to suck cellular data even when connected to a wi-fi network . of course , there 's always a counter-argument . here 's one from kris abarilla , who responded to my question about the changing state of apple fanboydom on google+ : fanboydom certainly has n't changed much since jobs . the people are loyal to the brand , not to the person who ran it . even after people realize how bad the maps app is in the new ios 6 , those very same users are touting the greatness of apple . ' it 's clear apple employees ( check out this gallery ; hilarious ) and the company 's fanboy and fangirl loyalists will continue not just to buy apple products but to love them , and the company behind them . the question is : what about everyone else ? though apple will remain a highly profitable company for years to come , i would be surprised if it ever gives us another product as transformative as the ( original ) iphone or the ipad , ' writes joe nocera in the new york times'opinion section . part of the reason is obvious : jobs is n't there anymore , ' he wrote . it is rare that a company is so completely an extension of one man 's brain as apple was an extension of jobs . while he was alive , that was a strength ; now it 's a weakness . apple 's current executive team is no doubt trying to maintain the same demanding , innovative culture , but it 's just not the same without the man himself looking over everybody 's shoulder . ' good or bad , what lessons did you learn from jobs ? share your responses in the comments below , or join the conversation on twitter using # stevejobstaughtme . | still , the company 's stock is near an all-time high , and the iphone 5 is selling well |
folds <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- ben folds did n't realize how great his music was until he heard a bunch of college students singing it . ben folds was so impressed by a cappella groups'performances of his songs , he made a record with them . the singer-songwriter says he was beyond impressed when he stumbled across videos of university a cappella groups singing covers of his songs on youtube . i was really moved , ' he says . i thought it was better than what i had done when i first heard it . that 's how it struck me because it was so fresh . ' and so an idea was born : folds would travel to university campuses around the country and record an entire album of a cappella covers . the north carolina native picked 15 ensembles from 250 submissions for ben folds presents : university a cappella ! ' ( epic ) , which came out tuesday . and to give the music a field recording ' feel , he kept the process simple : each performance was recorded using six wide-range microphones , and most of the groups got it down in one or two takes . it 's a completely different point of view , ' says folds , 42 , of the students'renderings of his tunes . they 're not signed singers and artists that have their egos to contend with . and sometimes they 're not thinking about the song that much , which i think is kind of cool . ' but not wanting to have the thunder completely stolen from him ( and probably to entice his loyal fans to shell out for the album ) folds sings two a cappella tracks himself : boxing ' from his ben folds five days , and effington ' from his 2008 solo album way to normal . ' it was really difficult because we were doing my tracks from the bottom up , ' he says . we did n't have a bunch of people to work with and i just about gave up . ' ben folds spoke to cnn about his youthful-sounding new release , why being married four times is n't much of a drama and why he faked an album leak . the following is an edited version of the interview . cnn : is this the one and only ben folds greatest hits album ? ben folds : i think it naturally kind of is . i mean i was looking for something like that -- to possibly do a live orchestral album where the best material would kind of float to the top . but then again , someone 's going to want to release a greatest hits soon , so this is the other greatest hits . cnn : did you learn anything from the students ? folds : yeah . i relearned a lot of stuff . ... this is all so old school . i mean these guys , they 'd just do a live take and they just do n't know that the pros do n't do it that way . i mean , professional singers are a nightmare . you 've got ta tune every syllable , they have to do it 10,000 times . these guys just did it . cnn : and you went around each campus to record each track ? folds : we kept them in what i would say is their natural habitat . i was really into the field recording idea . when you start messing with it and putting everyone on separate tracks you 've lost the event and you 've gained some sense of maybe perfection , but when it comes to the human voice , even-tempered piano tuning sounds incorrect to me . i think that people have a natural tuning mechanism . cnn : you 've always been very internet savvy . you 've embraced myspace . do you twitter ? folds : i 'm not sure what that is . there 's always something new . i think that my fans knew how to use computers before most people 's fans . i remember when everybody was talking about the possibility of downloading , and i was already having kids walk up with cds they had burned for me to sign . this was like 1999 . i was signing burned cds more than i was signing my own . so i think they get it . cnn : why did you decide to leak a fake version of your 2008 album way to normal ? ' folds : well , i think that we get very uptight when it comes time to record because there 's a process , an imminent process that has to do with just selling the record , mostly . and it also has to do with people 's general take on music and how it 's framed . i felt if something went out that was a joke and it was riding on the press of a new album , that we would be forced to go in and do something so quickly that we could n't monitor ourselves . so while i thought it was funny , i really liked the idea of going into the studio and making six songs in one day . so we wrote and recorded six songs in a day , mixed that day while we played our gig that night . and then it was mastered the next day . and then we leaked it the third day . so in three days we wrote , recorded , mixed , mastered , distributed and did press on an album . i think things were kind of cool . cnn : you 've been married four times . is that helpful for singer-songwriter purposes ? i mean , that 's a lot of drama . folds : well , it was n't a lot of drama , really . ... everyone 's life is different and i think the pace at which i 've lived and the way that i tend to take a risk all contributes to the way that i write . ... if you 've got kids it is a drama . but it 's the kind of drama you want to not write a song about . because one , the kids will hear it and secondly , i do n't like country music . cnn : how has having kids changed your outlook on music ? folds : i have to work more quickly and more efficiently . cnn : who are you listening to at the moment ? folds : i 'm in a habit of buying old 78 [ rpm ] records and i 've got a little record player i 'm carrying with me . cnn : that 's heavy . folds : yeah , that 's heavy , dude . cnn : i meant physically heavy -- to carry around a record player . folds : oh , that too . i would n't know about that with my ( jokingly flexes muscles ) -- it does n't really occur to me , those things . | ben folds'new album consists of a cappella groups doing folds songs |
folds <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- ben folds did n't realize how great his music was until he heard a bunch of college students singing it . ben folds was so impressed by a cappella groups'performances of his songs , he made a record with them . the singer-songwriter says he was beyond impressed when he stumbled across videos of university a cappella groups singing covers of his songs on youtube . i was really moved , ' he says . i thought it was better than what i had done when i first heard it . that 's how it struck me because it was so fresh . ' and so an idea was born : folds would travel to university campuses around the country and record an entire album of a cappella covers . the north carolina native picked 15 ensembles from 250 submissions for ben folds presents : university a cappella ! ' ( epic ) , which came out tuesday . and to give the music a field recording ' feel , he kept the process simple : each performance was recorded using six wide-range microphones , and most of the groups got it down in one or two takes . it 's a completely different point of view , ' says folds , 42 , of the students'renderings of his tunes . they 're not signed singers and artists that have their egos to contend with . and sometimes they 're not thinking about the song that much , which i think is kind of cool . ' but not wanting to have the thunder completely stolen from him ( and probably to entice his loyal fans to shell out for the album ) folds sings two a cappella tracks himself : boxing ' from his ben folds five days , and effington ' from his 2008 solo album way to normal . ' it was really difficult because we were doing my tracks from the bottom up , ' he says . we did n't have a bunch of people to work with and i just about gave up . ' ben folds spoke to cnn about his youthful-sounding new release , why being married four times is n't much of a drama and why he faked an album leak . the following is an edited version of the interview . cnn : is this the one and only ben folds greatest hits album ? ben folds : i think it naturally kind of is . i mean i was looking for something like that -- to possibly do a live orchestral album where the best material would kind of float to the top . but then again , someone 's going to want to release a greatest hits soon , so this is the other greatest hits . cnn : did you learn anything from the students ? folds : yeah . i relearned a lot of stuff . ... this is all so old school . i mean these guys , they 'd just do a live take and they just do n't know that the pros do n't do it that way . i mean , professional singers are a nightmare . you 've got ta tune every syllable , they have to do it 10,000 times . these guys just did it . cnn : and you went around each campus to record each track ? folds : we kept them in what i would say is their natural habitat . i was really into the field recording idea . when you start messing with it and putting everyone on separate tracks you 've lost the event and you 've gained some sense of maybe perfection , but when it comes to the human voice , even-tempered piano tuning sounds incorrect to me . i think that people have a natural tuning mechanism . cnn : you 've always been very internet savvy . you 've embraced myspace . do you twitter ? folds : i 'm not sure what that is . there 's always something new . i think that my fans knew how to use computers before most people 's fans . i remember when everybody was talking about the possibility of downloading , and i was already having kids walk up with cds they had burned for me to sign . this was like 1999 . i was signing burned cds more than i was signing my own . so i think they get it . cnn : why did you decide to leak a fake version of your 2008 album way to normal ? ' folds : well , i think that we get very uptight when it comes time to record because there 's a process , an imminent process that has to do with just selling the record , mostly . and it also has to do with people 's general take on music and how it 's framed . i felt if something went out that was a joke and it was riding on the press of a new album , that we would be forced to go in and do something so quickly that we could n't monitor ourselves . so while i thought it was funny , i really liked the idea of going into the studio and making six songs in one day . so we wrote and recorded six songs in a day , mixed that day while we played our gig that night . and then it was mastered the next day . and then we leaked it the third day . so in three days we wrote , recorded , mixed , mastered , distributed and did press on an album . i think things were kind of cool . cnn : you 've been married four times . is that helpful for singer-songwriter purposes ? i mean , that 's a lot of drama . folds : well , it was n't a lot of drama , really . ... everyone 's life is different and i think the pace at which i 've lived and the way that i tend to take a risk all contributes to the way that i write . ... if you 've got kids it is a drama . but it 's the kind of drama you want to not write a song about . because one , the kids will hear it and secondly , i do n't like country music . cnn : how has having kids changed your outlook on music ? folds : i have to work more quickly and more efficiently . cnn : who are you listening to at the moment ? folds : i 'm in a habit of buying old 78 [ rpm ] records and i 've got a little record player i 'm carrying with me . cnn : that 's heavy . folds : yeah , that 's heavy , dude . cnn : i meant physically heavy -- to carry around a record player . folds : oh , that too . i would n't know about that with my ( jokingly flexes muscles ) -- it does n't really occur to me , those things . | folds put out fake version of 2008 album as joke |
afghanistan <tsp> ( cnn student news ) -- october 20 , 2009 quick guide afghanistan elections - learn about the different enemies facing coalition forces in afghanistan . cyber crime concerns - find out why social networking sites are popular among cyber thieves . school bus safety - consider some of the challenges involving school buses around the u.s. transcript this is a rush transcript . this copy may not be in its final form and may be updated . carl azuz , cnn student news anchor : social networking sites are offering new opportunities to criminals . we 're gon na explain what you should watch out for . i 'm carl azuz , and you 're tuned in to cnn student news ! first up : afghanistan elections azuz : if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote , then a runoff election will be held . that is what it says in afghanistan 's constitution , and that 's why the country could be looking at the runoff scenario . unofficial results from august 's election showed that the current president hamid karzai with 54 percent of the vote . but the afghan electoral complaints commission threw out ballots because of fraud . and when an independent group checked the final tally , it found that president karzai only had 48 percent of the vote . the only group that can order a runoff : the independent election commission . there was no immediate reaction from them yesterday . the situation is n't just affecting afghans . it could impact u.s. troops , as well . president obama is reviewing a military request to send 40,000 additional forces to afghanistan . but on sunday , a white house official said it would be reckless ' to deploy more troops without knowing what kind of government afghanistan 's going to have . the service members who are there are battling the taliban and the al qaeda terrorist group . but as atia abawi explains , those are n't the only enemies facing u.s. forces . ( begin video clip ) atia abawi , cnn correspondent , kabul : coalition forces are fighting fierce enemies in afghanistan , facing daily attacks by different groups with differing ideologies . and contrary to popular belief , it 's more than just the taliban and al qaeda . captain richard vickery 's job is to help distinguish the various groups pitted against the coalition : captain richard vickery , u.s. air force : the biggest issue that you are dealing with when you 're dealing with the different insurgent groups is that they all have different motivations for wanting to fight . and that causes where we have a lot of problems with how we engage them . are they groups that we can engage and have them cease and desist through peaceful means ? are they groups that we have to engage kinetically ? abawi : this map shows the greatest areas of concern . in the west of the country , the insurgent groups entail more of a criminal element , some with ties to the drug trade . in southern afghanistan you see the traditional taliban , a group that mullah omar still has some influence over . the groups and alliances become more complicated as you move east . in southeastern afghanistan bordering pakistan , the dominant militants are from the haqqani group headed by jalaludin haqqani ; it 's an outfit more inclined than others to use suicide attacks . in the northeast , among the many groups is another major player : gulbideen hekmatyar , the leader of hizbi-islami-gulbideen , more commonly known as hig . and many of these groups have cross-border ties with pakistan . they are funded mainly by elements within persian gulf countries . professor nasrullah stanakzai , university of kabul [ translated ] : these are the most dangerous fighters because they have the foreign connections with their strong ideologies and refuse to make peace with democracy , liberalism and freedom . abawi : professor stanakzai believes that there are groups and militant fighters that can be reconciled , but many will continue to use afghanistan as their ideological battlefield . and as long as afghanistan remains poor and undeveloped , these groups are likely to have a strong sway over the population for some time to come . atia abawi , cnn , kabul . ( end video clip ) h1n1 vaccine delayed azuz : are you and your parents considering whether or not to get the h1n1 flu vaccine ? you might have some more time to decide . some deliveries of the shot are going to be delayed . officials say that is because production of the vaccine is taking longer than they had hoped . about 40 million doses were expected to be ready by the end of this month . now , it looks like that number will be closer to 30 million . as of yesterday , 11 and a half million doses were available . about eight million of those had been ordered . health care talks azuz : and in washington , d.c. the debate over health care reform has moved behind closed doors , at least for a while . that 's where lawmakers are working to combine different versions of health care bills passed by two separate committees , into this one single bill that will be presented to the entire senate . that could be ready by later this week . iran nuclear program azuz : and u.s. officials involved in another set of talks taking place in austria . this one is about the future of iran 's nuclear program . the head of the international atomic energy agency , who 's hosting the meeting , said it got off to a good start yesterday . participants talked about how nuclear materials made in iran would be sent to other countries for further development and then sent back to iran to be used in medical facilities . the hope in all of that is that the materials would only be suitable for medicine , not weapons . is this legit ? tomeka jones , cnn student news : is this legit ? the state of louisiana does n't have counties . this one 's true . louisiana 's local government districts are referred to as parishes , not counties . racial controversy azuz : keith bardwell , a judge in louisiana 's tangipahoa parish , has caused a national controversy after he refused to marry an interracial couple . the national urban league calls that a huge step backward in social justice . ' and the newlyweds , beth and terence mckay , who were married by a different judge in the parish , are fighting to have judge bardwell dismissed from his job . bardwell insists he is not a racist and says he 's performed marriages for black couples in his house . however , he does n't perform interracial marriages because he believes most of them do n't last , and he says he 's concerned about the couples'children . bardwell says he has no regrets about his decision , since it 's hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you have n't done wrong . ' cyber crime concerns azuz : social networking sites let us connect with friends , but they can also potentially connect us with criminals . according to the fbi , popular sites like facebook and twitter are also popular among cyber thieves . last year , the internet crime complaint center got more than 72,000 complaints about internet fraud involving more than $ 260 million in losses . how does that happen ? you click on what looks like an innocent link or video , or you answer an online request for money from a friend stuck somewhere overseas . once thieves have access to your account , they can run the same scams on people who are connected to you . some simple ways to protect yourself : read up on sites'security policies , be careful what you click on , and change your password regularly . shoutout matt cherry , cnn student news : time for the shoutout ! about how many u.s. students ride the bus to school every day ? if you think you know it , shout it out ! is it around : a ) 12 million , b ) 24 million , c ) 36 million or d ) 48 million ? you 've got three seconds -- go ! approximately 24 million students take the bus to school . that 's your answer and that 's your shoutout ! school bus safety azuz : by now , most of you have probably seen the effects of this global recession in your schools . there may be fewer field trips , less money for activities , fewer bus routes . we blogged about that awhile back , and some of you argued that it 's dangerous to walk to school , or that you could n't get to school without the bus . it 's something a lot of us take for granted . ( begin video ) azuz : they 're big . they 're yellow . the sound of their engines is the last thing students want to hear when they 're not ready for school . one question during national school bus safety week is are they safe ? according to the committee on school transportation safety and the national research council , yes , especially when compared to cars . there are 800 students killed every year going to and from school . 98 percent of those deaths involve passenger cars , bikes , motorcycles , pedestrian incidents . only two percent involve school buses . the problem with buses is ... robin leeds , national school transportation association : we 're seeing a lot of school districts cutting back on their transportation because their budgets are tight and they 're looking for ways to save money . azuz : so , what can be done about that ? leeds : if parents get up in arms and say we ca n't afford to let our children face the kind of risks they have to face when they do n't have school buses , then the school board will make the decision that they 'll keep the buses . azuz : beyond that , robin leeds of the national school transportation association suggests contacting state lawmakers , because many local school districts get budget money from state legislatures . if elected officials realize how important bus funding is to voters , they 're less likely to eliminate bus routes . ( end video ) promo azuz : veterans day is just around the corner , and we want to give you a chance to take part right here . send us an ireport giving a shoutout to someone who 's served in the armed forces , and you might see yourself on our show . if you want your own shoutout , have your teacher send in an ireport with a photo of your school . before we go azuz : before we go , it 's about time to go pumpkin picking . that one did n't make it . but no one in the crowd is disappointed . that 's because they 're all here to watch these pumpkins plummet . it 's actually part of a science lesson for students in west virginia . the whole point is to plunge the pumpkins off the roof and see just how far the guts of the gourds go when they fall . goodbye azuz : based on the reaction of the crowd , the event was a smashing success . you guys have a great day . we 'll see you tomorrow , i 'm carl azuz . | learn about the different enemies facing coalition forces in afghanistan |
syria <tsp> president barack obama has signed a covert directive authorizing u.s. support for syrian rebels battling president bashar al-assad 's forces , u.s. officials told cnn on wednesday . the secret order , referred to as an intelligence finding , ' allows for clandestine support by the cia and other agencies . it was unclear when the president signed the authorization for syria , but the sources said it was within the past several months . cnn inside syria the obama administration has said it will step up its assistance to the opposition in the wake of last month 's failure by the u.n. security council to agree on tougher sanctions against al-assad 's regime . exactly what type of support the finding authorizes is also unclear . the obama administration has ruled out arming the rebels for now , providing only nonlethal assistance , such as communications equipment . last week , the u.s. treasury department approved a license allowing the washington syrian support group to provide direct financial assistance to the free syrian army . the washington-based representative of the free syrian army is allowed to conduct financial transactions on the rebel group 's behalf but is not allowed to send military equipment . during the war in libya , obama signed a similar directive authorizing covert assistance for rebels in the battle against libyan leader moammar gadhafi . the obama administration has resisted arming the opposition , in part , because u.s. officials do n't know enough about the rebels . al-assad to army : restore order to syria u.s. officials have told cnn that washington is cooperating with countries that are arming the rebels , including saudi arabia and qatar , to help find groups worthy of aid . diplomatic sources have also said the united states is providing intelligence on syrian troop movements , which is then passed to rebel groups . foreign policy experts on wednesday urged the obama administration to increase its support of the armed opposition . testifying before the senate committee on foreign relations , andrew tabler of the washington institute for near east policy argued the united states should start arming the syrian opposition , but only under the right conditions . at this point , given the direction of the conflict , i think that what we need to do is assess which groups could we and should we arm at what point , and make that decision , ' tabler told the senate panel . i think that we 're actually at that decision , given where the conflict is going . ' james dobbins of the rand corporation agreed . the time has come to consider and pick those groups that are most consistent with our interest and our vision for the future and begin to advantage them in terms of the internal politics , by providing assistance , including perhaps money as well as arms and advice , ' dobbins said . syrian rebels hold pro-government prisoners martin indyk , a former u.s. ambassador to israel now with the brookings institution , recommended arming the opposition , but in a wise way . ' we need to do it in a way that , first of all , we understand who we 're supporting and what their intentions are , ' indyk said . the state department said wednesday the united states has set aside $ 25 million for nonlethal ' assistance to the syrian opposition , with another $ 64 million in humanitarian assistance for the syrian people . the humanitarian aid , which includes funding for the world food programme , the international committee of the red cross and other aid agencies , helps support the tens of thousands of refugees streaming across syria 's borders to neighboring turkey and jordan . complete coverage : unrest in syria | the obama administration has resisted arming the rebels in syria |
lockhart <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in a television interview , the mother of a man charged in the murder of an auburn university freshman repeatedly says she 's sorry about the suffering the victim 's family is enduring . courtney larrell lockhart was arrested friday in phenix city , alabama , about 35 miles from auburn . i never thought courtney would do this . i never , never thought , ' courtney larrell lockhart 's mother catherine williams told cnn affiliate wrbl on saturday . but i 'm sorry for that family and i 'm sorry . i 'm just sorry , ' she said . i got nothing else to say . i 'm just sorry for the loss of that family . ' police announced saturday that they had arrested lockhart , 23 , of smiths , alabama , in connection with the shooting death of lauren burk , 18 , of marietta , georgia . watch the mother cry and apologize » lockhart faces charges of capital murder during a kidnapping , capital murder during a robbery and capital murder during an attempted rape , police said . also , lockhart is facing robbery charges in the phenix city , alabama , area , said william clanton of the phenix city police department . clanton did not know how many robberies lockhart was suspected of committing . lockhart is being held in the russell county jail , but is expected to be moved to lee county soon , where auburn university is , clanton said . burk was found shot tuesday night on north college street , a few miles north of campus . she died later at a hospital . minutes after police responded to a call reporting an injured person and found burk , they received a report of a car -- which turned out to be burk 's -- on fire in a campus parking lot . authorities believe gasoline or another accelerant was used to ignite burk 's car , auburn assistant police chief tommy dawson said friday . police were investigating whether a gas can found in downtown auburn was related to the case . memorial services for burk were held saturday and sunday at a marietta church and synagogue . a campus-wide memorial service will be held monday . a memorial service was held sunday in athens , georgia , for another slain university student eve carson , the athens banner herald reported . carson , 22 , the student body president for the university of north carolina at chapel hill , was found shot to death in a suburban neighborhood not far from campus about 5 a.m. wednesday . her car was found thursday , in another neighborhood to the west , about a block or two from where she lived with roommates . on saturday , police released two surveillance photographs of a person of interest ' taken by an atm camera in the chapel hill area , chapel hill police chief brian curran said . the person appeared to be using one of carson 's atm cards and was driving a vehicle that was possibly hers . curran called the photographs the biggest break ' in the case , which he said still appears to be random . reminders of the popular student president appeared on the jerseys of the university 's men 's basketball team saturday night as they took on duke university 's blue devils in durham , north carolina . the top-ranked tar heels wore jersey patches that read eve . ' many of duke 's fans donned small light-blue ribbons as a show of support . there was a moment of silence for carson before tip-off . the ribbons and moment of silence say a heckuva lot about duke university , ' unc coach roy williams told reporters after the game . the tar heels won 76-68 . e-mail to a friend | courtney larrell lockhart 's mother says she 's sorry for suffering of victim 's family |
lockhart <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in a television interview , the mother of a man charged in the murder of an auburn university freshman repeatedly says she 's sorry about the suffering the victim 's family is enduring . courtney larrell lockhart was arrested friday in phenix city , alabama , about 35 miles from auburn . i never thought courtney would do this . i never , never thought , ' courtney larrell lockhart 's mother catherine williams told cnn affiliate wrbl on saturday . but i 'm sorry for that family and i 'm sorry . i 'm just sorry , ' she said . i got nothing else to say . i 'm just sorry for the loss of that family . ' police announced saturday that they had arrested lockhart , 23 , of smiths , alabama , in connection with the shooting death of lauren burk , 18 , of marietta , georgia . watch the mother cry and apologize » lockhart faces charges of capital murder during a kidnapping , capital murder during a robbery and capital murder during an attempted rape , police said . also , lockhart is facing robbery charges in the phenix city , alabama , area , said william clanton of the phenix city police department . clanton did not know how many robberies lockhart was suspected of committing . lockhart is being held in the russell county jail , but is expected to be moved to lee county soon , where auburn university is , clanton said . burk was found shot tuesday night on north college street , a few miles north of campus . she died later at a hospital . minutes after police responded to a call reporting an injured person and found burk , they received a report of a car -- which turned out to be burk 's -- on fire in a campus parking lot . authorities believe gasoline or another accelerant was used to ignite burk 's car , auburn assistant police chief tommy dawson said friday . police were investigating whether a gas can found in downtown auburn was related to the case . memorial services for burk were held saturday and sunday at a marietta church and synagogue . a campus-wide memorial service will be held monday . a memorial service was held sunday in athens , georgia , for another slain university student eve carson , the athens banner herald reported . carson , 22 , the student body president for the university of north carolina at chapel hill , was found shot to death in a suburban neighborhood not far from campus about 5 a.m. wednesday . her car was found thursday , in another neighborhood to the west , about a block or two from where she lived with roommates . on saturday , police released two surveillance photographs of a person of interest ' taken by an atm camera in the chapel hill area , chapel hill police chief brian curran said . the person appeared to be using one of carson 's atm cards and was driving a vehicle that was possibly hers . curran called the photographs the biggest break ' in the case , which he said still appears to be random . reminders of the popular student president appeared on the jerseys of the university 's men 's basketball team saturday night as they took on duke university 's blue devils in durham , north carolina . the top-ranked tar heels wore jersey patches that read eve . ' many of duke 's fans donned small light-blue ribbons as a show of support . there was a moment of silence for carson before tip-off . the ribbons and moment of silence say a heckuva lot about duke university , ' unc coach roy williams told reporters after the game . the tar heels won 76-68 . e-mail to a friend | lockhart charged in tuesday slaying of auburn university freshman lauren burk |
lockhart <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in a television interview , the mother of a man charged in the murder of an auburn university freshman repeatedly says she 's sorry about the suffering the victim 's family is enduring . courtney larrell lockhart was arrested friday in phenix city , alabama , about 35 miles from auburn . i never thought courtney would do this . i never , never thought , ' courtney larrell lockhart 's mother catherine williams told cnn affiliate wrbl on saturday . but i 'm sorry for that family and i 'm sorry . i 'm just sorry , ' she said . i got nothing else to say . i 'm just sorry for the loss of that family . ' police announced saturday that they had arrested lockhart , 23 , of smiths , alabama , in connection with the shooting death of lauren burk , 18 , of marietta , georgia . watch the mother cry and apologize » lockhart faces charges of capital murder during a kidnapping , capital murder during a robbery and capital murder during an attempted rape , police said . also , lockhart is facing robbery charges in the phenix city , alabama , area , said william clanton of the phenix city police department . clanton did not know how many robberies lockhart was suspected of committing . lockhart is being held in the russell county jail , but is expected to be moved to lee county soon , where auburn university is , clanton said . burk was found shot tuesday night on north college street , a few miles north of campus . she died later at a hospital . minutes after police responded to a call reporting an injured person and found burk , they received a report of a car -- which turned out to be burk 's -- on fire in a campus parking lot . authorities believe gasoline or another accelerant was used to ignite burk 's car , auburn assistant police chief tommy dawson said friday . police were investigating whether a gas can found in downtown auburn was related to the case . memorial services for burk were held saturday and sunday at a marietta church and synagogue . a campus-wide memorial service will be held monday . a memorial service was held sunday in athens , georgia , for another slain university student eve carson , the athens banner herald reported . carson , 22 , the student body president for the university of north carolina at chapel hill , was found shot to death in a suburban neighborhood not far from campus about 5 a.m. wednesday . her car was found thursday , in another neighborhood to the west , about a block or two from where she lived with roommates . on saturday , police released two surveillance photographs of a person of interest ' taken by an atm camera in the chapel hill area , chapel hill police chief brian curran said . the person appeared to be using one of carson 's atm cards and was driving a vehicle that was possibly hers . curran called the photographs the biggest break ' in the case , which he said still appears to be random . reminders of the popular student president appeared on the jerseys of the university 's men 's basketball team saturday night as they took on duke university 's blue devils in durham , north carolina . the top-ranked tar heels wore jersey patches that read eve . ' many of duke 's fans donned small light-blue ribbons as a show of support . there was a moment of silence for carson before tip-off . the ribbons and moment of silence say a heckuva lot about duke university , ' unc coach roy williams told reporters after the game . the tar heels won 76-68 . e-mail to a friend | lockhart is being held in the russell county jail , authorities say |
al megrahi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the family of abdelbaset ali mohmed al megrahi has applied for a review of his conviction in a scottish court for the 1988 bombing of panam flight 103 . al megrahi was found guilty in 2001 of the murders of the 259 passengers and crew on board the flight from london to new york , as well as those of 11 residents of the scottish town of lockerbie . he died in 2012 in libya , having been released from prison in scotland in 2009 on compassionate grounds because he had terminal cancer . the scottish criminal cases review commission confirmed in a statement thursday that it had received an application to review his conviction in the case . dr. jim swire , whose 23-year-old daughter fiona was killed in the bombing , attended court to file the application on behalf of the al megrahi family , the commission said . he is also one of the applicants . swire does not believe al megrahi was responsible for the bombing and is among a number of relatives of the victims who have been fighting for the evidence in the case to be re-examined in court . al megrahi previously applied to the commission for a review of his conviction in 2003 , and his case was referred to the high court for a new appeal in 2007 , the statement said . however , he subsequently dropped his appeal in 2009 . the commission , a body set up to investigate potential miscarriages of justice , will now look at the new application in order to make a decision about whether to accept it or not , a process that could take months . if accepted , the application would then go through a review process in order to be sent either to the high court or back to the applicant , who can then submit further representation . chief executive gerard sinclair said , as it does in every case the commission will now give careful consideration to this new application . i previously indicated last month that there are several important matters which will affect the timescale within which the commission will be able to deal with this fresh application and subsequently , if there is to be a further review of this conviction , any such review will take some time to complete . ' | al megrahi was found guilty in 2001 of the 1988 bombing of panam flight 103 |
al megrahi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the family of abdelbaset ali mohmed al megrahi has applied for a review of his conviction in a scottish court for the 1988 bombing of panam flight 103 . al megrahi was found guilty in 2001 of the murders of the 259 passengers and crew on board the flight from london to new york , as well as those of 11 residents of the scottish town of lockerbie . he died in 2012 in libya , having been released from prison in scotland in 2009 on compassionate grounds because he had terminal cancer . the scottish criminal cases review commission confirmed in a statement thursday that it had received an application to review his conviction in the case . dr. jim swire , whose 23-year-old daughter fiona was killed in the bombing , attended court to file the application on behalf of the al megrahi family , the commission said . he is also one of the applicants . swire does not believe al megrahi was responsible for the bombing and is among a number of relatives of the victims who have been fighting for the evidence in the case to be re-examined in court . al megrahi previously applied to the commission for a review of his conviction in 2003 , and his case was referred to the high court for a new appeal in 2007 , the statement said . however , he subsequently dropped his appeal in 2009 . the commission , a body set up to investigate potential miscarriages of justice , will now look at the new application in order to make a decision about whether to accept it or not , a process that could take months . if accepted , the application would then go through a review process in order to be sent either to the high court or back to the applicant , who can then submit further representation . chief executive gerard sinclair said , as it does in every case the commission will now give careful consideration to this new application . i previously indicated last month that there are several important matters which will affect the timescale within which the commission will be able to deal with this fresh application and subsequently , if there is to be a further review of this conviction , any such review will take some time to complete . ' | an application is lodged for a review of abdelbeset al megrahi 's conviction |
saudi <tsp> ( cnn ) the killings of 12 journalists and others at charlie hebdo in paris has led many to wonder about the role of islam in fueling vicious attacks on civilians in the name of the religion . policymakers wring their hands about how to curtail the spread of extremist religious ideologies that terrorize western targets , but also muslims and non-muslim minorities in the middle east , who are extremism 's primary victims . where are some muslims getting the idea that violence against journalists who offend them is ok ? why do they see beheadings as a fitting punishment ? a good place to look for answers would be to examine saudi arabia 's policies of intolerance and extremism . king abdullah , as the protector of islam 's most sacred religious sites and leader of saudi arabia , is widely considered an important role model for muslims around the world . so it should not come as a surprise that many muslims take their cues from the country on the prohibitions and punishments they consider appropriate to inflict on those who challenge or disagree with their interpretations of islam . saudi arabia gave a good indication of its position on appropriate punishments last friday , when it carried out round 1 of a public flogging -- 50 lashes -- against raif badawi , a young blogger , in front of the al-jafali mosque in jeddah . a saudi court had fined badawi and sentenced him in 2014 to 1,000 lashes over 20 sessions and to 10 years in prison for the crime of insulting islam ' -- in part for setting up a liberal website to debate various topics , including religion . badawi is not the only saudi who has faced punishment for his perceived views . the government has jailed many leading intellectuals , writers , and activists who have dared to question any tenet of the orthodoxy imposed by the country 's wahabi religious leaders . a former colleague of badawi , su ` ad al-shammari , was jailed in late 2014 on charges of insulting the messenger and the hadith ' in connection with tweets that allegedly criticized religious authorities . in october , a saudi court sentenced a shiite cleric , nimr al-nimr , to death for criticizing the government and breaking allegiance with the ruler . ' the prosecutor had sought what the saudis call a crucifixion sentence , the kingdom 's harshest , in which the convicted person is beheaded and the decapitated body displayed in public . there is so much shock and outrage about isis propaganda videotapes showing its beheadings of journalists in iraq and syria -- and most recently , the reported beheadings of two tunisian journalists in libya . but the much more routine and widespread beheadings by saudi arabia get little scrutiny and condemnation . saudi arabia beheaded at least 26 people last august alone . the 82 executions in 2014 make saudi arabia a world leader in capital punishment . saudi interior ministry news releases indicate that about half of them were for nonviolent crimes , the other half for drug offenses and one for sorcery . yes , you read that right . in 2014 , saudi arabia was still beheading people for sorcery . ' so is it really any surprise that extremist groups -- also acting in the name of islam -- seem to be following saudi 's lead , meting out their own severe punishments against journalists and activists they find offensive ? if saudi arabia thinks publicly beheading people comports with islamic religious teachings and deters those who also might want to criticize them or question their religion , why should n't isis ? one might argue that a nation , unlike some self-designated islamic caliphate , has the legitimacy and authority to exercise state-sponsored violence , including against its own citizens . but countries also have obligations to respect human rights . saudi arabia 's abusive prosecutions and cruel punishments flout these obligations , and undermine its own legitimacy . there is probably little governments and policymakers can do to influence the ideology of extremist armed groups . but there 's a lot more they can and should do to influence the policies and practices of purported allies in the war on terror . ' that includes the anti-isis coalition , to which saudi arabia and many other unaccountable , authoritarian , and deeply abusive arab governments belong . while the united states and united kingdom governments'statements condemning badawi 's flogging were a good start , more often these countries are utterly silent in the face of saudi arabia 's grotesque abuses against its own citizens . the west 's denunciations of isis abuses have less credibility when governments carrying out similar abuses , if much smaller in scale and magnitude , are good chums , strong allies , and important investors . if the international community is serious about taking on islamist extremist ideologies -- if it wants to see real models of tolerance , respect for diverse viewpoints , religious freedom , and the free and peaceful exchange of ideas — it must urge king abdullah to be the true protector of the rights of muslims around the world . for a start , he can overturn the sentence against badawi and release dozens of detained activists and writers . he could even abolish beheadings , overnight , if that is what he wanted . .. | she says on jihad violence , easy to connect dots to saudi arabia , region 's model for repression |
saudi <tsp> ( cnn ) the killings of 12 journalists and others at charlie hebdo in paris has led many to wonder about the role of islam in fueling vicious attacks on civilians in the name of the religion . policymakers wring their hands about how to curtail the spread of extremist religious ideologies that terrorize western targets , but also muslims and non-muslim minorities in the middle east , who are extremism 's primary victims . where are some muslims getting the idea that violence against journalists who offend them is ok ? why do they see beheadings as a fitting punishment ? a good place to look for answers would be to examine saudi arabia 's policies of intolerance and extremism . king abdullah , as the protector of islam 's most sacred religious sites and leader of saudi arabia , is widely considered an important role model for muslims around the world . so it should not come as a surprise that many muslims take their cues from the country on the prohibitions and punishments they consider appropriate to inflict on those who challenge or disagree with their interpretations of islam . saudi arabia gave a good indication of its position on appropriate punishments last friday , when it carried out round 1 of a public flogging -- 50 lashes -- against raif badawi , a young blogger , in front of the al-jafali mosque in jeddah . a saudi court had fined badawi and sentenced him in 2014 to 1,000 lashes over 20 sessions and to 10 years in prison for the crime of insulting islam ' -- in part for setting up a liberal website to debate various topics , including religion . badawi is not the only saudi who has faced punishment for his perceived views . the government has jailed many leading intellectuals , writers , and activists who have dared to question any tenet of the orthodoxy imposed by the country 's wahabi religious leaders . a former colleague of badawi , su ` ad al-shammari , was jailed in late 2014 on charges of insulting the messenger and the hadith ' in connection with tweets that allegedly criticized religious authorities . in october , a saudi court sentenced a shiite cleric , nimr al-nimr , to death for criticizing the government and breaking allegiance with the ruler . ' the prosecutor had sought what the saudis call a crucifixion sentence , the kingdom 's harshest , in which the convicted person is beheaded and the decapitated body displayed in public . there is so much shock and outrage about isis propaganda videotapes showing its beheadings of journalists in iraq and syria -- and most recently , the reported beheadings of two tunisian journalists in libya . but the much more routine and widespread beheadings by saudi arabia get little scrutiny and condemnation . saudi arabia beheaded at least 26 people last august alone . the 82 executions in 2014 make saudi arabia a world leader in capital punishment . saudi interior ministry news releases indicate that about half of them were for nonviolent crimes , the other half for drug offenses and one for sorcery . yes , you read that right . in 2014 , saudi arabia was still beheading people for sorcery . ' so is it really any surprise that extremist groups -- also acting in the name of islam -- seem to be following saudi 's lead , meting out their own severe punishments against journalists and activists they find offensive ? if saudi arabia thinks publicly beheading people comports with islamic religious teachings and deters those who also might want to criticize them or question their religion , why should n't isis ? one might argue that a nation , unlike some self-designated islamic caliphate , has the legitimacy and authority to exercise state-sponsored violence , including against its own citizens . but countries also have obligations to respect human rights . saudi arabia 's abusive prosecutions and cruel punishments flout these obligations , and undermine its own legitimacy . there is probably little governments and policymakers can do to influence the ideology of extremist armed groups . but there 's a lot more they can and should do to influence the policies and practices of purported allies in the war on terror . ' that includes the anti-isis coalition , to which saudi arabia and many other unaccountable , authoritarian , and deeply abusive arab governments belong . while the united states and united kingdom governments'statements condemning badawi 's flogging were a good start , more often these countries are utterly silent in the face of saudi arabia 's grotesque abuses against its own citizens . the west 's denunciations of isis abuses have less credibility when governments carrying out similar abuses , if much smaller in scale and magnitude , are good chums , strong allies , and important investors . if the international community is serious about taking on islamist extremist ideologies -- if it wants to see real models of tolerance , respect for diverse viewpoints , religious freedom , and the free and peaceful exchange of ideas — it must urge king abdullah to be the true protector of the rights of muslims around the world . for a start , he can overturn the sentence against badawi and release dozens of detained activists and writers . he could even abolish beheadings , overnight , if that is what he wanted . .. | sarah leah whitson : blogger 's flogging most recent example of saudi 's extreme punishment |
saudi <tsp> ( cnn ) the killings of 12 journalists and others at charlie hebdo in paris has led many to wonder about the role of islam in fueling vicious attacks on civilians in the name of the religion . policymakers wring their hands about how to curtail the spread of extremist religious ideologies that terrorize western targets , but also muslims and non-muslim minorities in the middle east , who are extremism 's primary victims . where are some muslims getting the idea that violence against journalists who offend them is ok ? why do they see beheadings as a fitting punishment ? a good place to look for answers would be to examine saudi arabia 's policies of intolerance and extremism . king abdullah , as the protector of islam 's most sacred religious sites and leader of saudi arabia , is widely considered an important role model for muslims around the world . so it should not come as a surprise that many muslims take their cues from the country on the prohibitions and punishments they consider appropriate to inflict on those who challenge or disagree with their interpretations of islam . saudi arabia gave a good indication of its position on appropriate punishments last friday , when it carried out round 1 of a public flogging -- 50 lashes -- against raif badawi , a young blogger , in front of the al-jafali mosque in jeddah . a saudi court had fined badawi and sentenced him in 2014 to 1,000 lashes over 20 sessions and to 10 years in prison for the crime of insulting islam ' -- in part for setting up a liberal website to debate various topics , including religion . badawi is not the only saudi who has faced punishment for his perceived views . the government has jailed many leading intellectuals , writers , and activists who have dared to question any tenet of the orthodoxy imposed by the country 's wahabi religious leaders . a former colleague of badawi , su ` ad al-shammari , was jailed in late 2014 on charges of insulting the messenger and the hadith ' in connection with tweets that allegedly criticized religious authorities . in october , a saudi court sentenced a shiite cleric , nimr al-nimr , to death for criticizing the government and breaking allegiance with the ruler . ' the prosecutor had sought what the saudis call a crucifixion sentence , the kingdom 's harshest , in which the convicted person is beheaded and the decapitated body displayed in public . there is so much shock and outrage about isis propaganda videotapes showing its beheadings of journalists in iraq and syria -- and most recently , the reported beheadings of two tunisian journalists in libya . but the much more routine and widespread beheadings by saudi arabia get little scrutiny and condemnation . saudi arabia beheaded at least 26 people last august alone . the 82 executions in 2014 make saudi arabia a world leader in capital punishment . saudi interior ministry news releases indicate that about half of them were for nonviolent crimes , the other half for drug offenses and one for sorcery . yes , you read that right . in 2014 , saudi arabia was still beheading people for sorcery . ' so is it really any surprise that extremist groups -- also acting in the name of islam -- seem to be following saudi 's lead , meting out their own severe punishments against journalists and activists they find offensive ? if saudi arabia thinks publicly beheading people comports with islamic religious teachings and deters those who also might want to criticize them or question their religion , why should n't isis ? one might argue that a nation , unlike some self-designated islamic caliphate , has the legitimacy and authority to exercise state-sponsored violence , including against its own citizens . but countries also have obligations to respect human rights . saudi arabia 's abusive prosecutions and cruel punishments flout these obligations , and undermine its own legitimacy . there is probably little governments and policymakers can do to influence the ideology of extremist armed groups . but there 's a lot more they can and should do to influence the policies and practices of purported allies in the war on terror . ' that includes the anti-isis coalition , to which saudi arabia and many other unaccountable , authoritarian , and deeply abusive arab governments belong . while the united states and united kingdom governments'statements condemning badawi 's flogging were a good start , more often these countries are utterly silent in the face of saudi arabia 's grotesque abuses against its own citizens . the west 's denunciations of isis abuses have less credibility when governments carrying out similar abuses , if much smaller in scale and magnitude , are good chums , strong allies , and important investors . if the international community is serious about taking on islamist extremist ideologies -- if it wants to see real models of tolerance , respect for diverse viewpoints , religious freedom , and the free and peaceful exchange of ideas — it must urge king abdullah to be the true protector of the rights of muslims around the world . for a start , he can overturn the sentence against badawi and release dozens of detained activists and writers . he could even abolish beheadings , overnight , if that is what he wanted . .. | whitson : u.s. slammed flogging by its ally , but is silent on routine , grotesque abuses of saudi citizens |
texas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- while most of the country moves forward on legal protections for lesbians , gays , bisexuals and transgender persons ( lgbt ) , republicans in texas have retrenched their opposition in a shocking manner . the texas republican party adopted a plank in its platform endorsing reparative therapy for gays and lesbians , even though such treatments have been rejected as harmful by all leading medical and psychological associations and even outlawed in some states . texas gov . rick perry added fuel to the fire by comparing gays and lesbians to alcoholics and refusing to step back from such insulting comments . perry 's views , however , bear further exploration . in his remarks , he used genetic predispositions to make his comparison : i may have the genetic coding that i 'm inclined to be an alcoholic , but i have the desire not to do that -- and i look at the homosexual issue the same way . ' at a very superficial level , there is a kernel of truth here . scientific studies have demonstrated that biology plays a role in one 's sexual orientation . studies of identical twins , who share the same genes , have shown that , if one twin is gay , the other is more likely to be gay , suggesting sexual orientation is influenced by genetics . scientists also discovered a fraternal birth order effect ' : the more male children a woman has , the greater chance that the next one will be gay . the reason for this effect is unknown , but it suggests there may be some change in the mother 's body that influences the development of the male fetus . perhaps the greatest furor over the biological origins of sexual orientation occurred in 1993 . scientist dean hamer and others published a study in science that showed a connection between a particular part of the x chromosome and male homosexuality . although the study did not find a particular gene , it suggested that such a gene exists on the x chromosome . more recent studies have identified other potential links between homosexuality and genetics , and scientists have offered explanations on how same-sex attraction could advance procreation . reviewing all the various studies in his 2012 book , gay , straight , and the reason why : the science of sexual orientation , ' neuroscientist simon levay concludes that , taken together , the multitude of research studies published since 1991 have greatly strengthened the idea that biological factors play a significant rule in the development of sexual orientation†” in both men and in women . ' many gay rights activists laud these studies because they support the argument that lgbt persons should be afforded legal protections because sexual orientation is an immutable trait , akin to race or gender . if it 's in our genes , you ca n't discriminate against us . but finding the biological origins of same-sex attraction has the potential to undermine the rights of gays and lesbians . for example , could someone try to get a patent on a gene related to sexual orientation ? while it is possible to patent certain genetic material , the gene must be useful ' to qualify for patent protection . why would a gene related to sexual orientation be useful ? most patents on genes relate to diseases , such as breast cancer , diabetes , or , as perry noted , alcoholism . the utility of these inventions is readily apparent †” developing treatments for these pathological conditions . but what use is a gay gene -- to treat ' gays and lesbians ? i believe such genetic discoveries should not be patent eligible because they are not useful . gays and lesbians are not sick , and the medical community agrees . the exploration of why a gay gene should not be viewed as useful ' highlights the broader concern with these scientific studies : it becomes easier for lgbt opponents to argue that gays and lesbians are biologically flawed , akin to a disease that should be and could be cured . the 1996 movie twilight of the golds ' explores this dynamic in the context of a prenatal test that could predict the likelihood that the child would be gay , and the consequent decision of whether to end the pregnancy . in a more commercial and thinly veiled context , the 2006 movie x-men : the last stand ' explored the potential implications of inventing and administering a cure ' for a stigmatized physiological condition . even though we tend to view science as objective , it is often laden with moral considerations . the concept of a gay gene ' reveals this normative slant . why is it the gay ' gene and not just the sexual orientation ' gene , or even the straight ' gene ? calling it the gay gene ' reveals the bias in favor of heterosexuality , which risks viewing gays and lesbians as biologically flawed and thus inferior . lgbt legal rights should not be contingent on biology or immutability . and , contrary to perry 's insinuation , sexual orientation is not like a disease . it is like eye color or left-handedness -- a natural and healthy variation within the population . we must take care that our rights do not hinge on biology . while it is strange to find wisdom from comic book characters , halle berry 's character storm in the x-men had it right : there is nothing to cure . there is nothing wrong with us . and our rights should n't depend on it . | in texas , the gop endorses reparative therapy for gays and lesbians |
dick darnall <tsp> ( cnn ) -- paul tanner , one of the last surviving members of the glenn miller orchestra , died february 5 at an assisted-living facility in carlsbad , california , his stepson said . tanner was 95 and died of pneumonia , said dick darnall in a telephone interview . tanner was born in skunk hollow , kentucky , in 1917 , but soon left to tour the country with his five brothers and their father , all of them musicians , during the early 1930s . everybody was trying to survive during the great depression , ' darnall said . after one gig , miller , who scouted his own talent , came up from the audience and asked paul to become part of his band . ' the trombonist went on to play with miller , who also played trombone , from 1938 until 1942 . but when the band leader joined the military and started a military band at military wages , the civilian band broke up . for the next few years , tanner stayed in hollywood , where he did studio work , darnall said . at age 39 , he enrolled at ucla , which offered him a teaching job and advanced degrees upon his graduation four years later ; he went on to teach music there for 23 years , darnall said . tanner was also working with the abc orchestra , where for 16 years he played with the likes of leonard bernstein , andre previn and arturo toscanini , darnall said . his interests included early forms of electronic music , and he developed the electro-theremin in the 1950s , said darnall . the device , which is mechanically linked to an audio oscillator , produced the eery , almost human sounds showcased by the beach boys on good vibrations ' and on the tv series my favorite martian . ' the electro-theremin also was used in movies , including 1964 's strait-jacket , ' with joan crawford . she was accused of chopping off everybody 's heads , ' tanner said in an interview in 1997 that is posted on his website . so , she was a psycho , they thought . there was one spot in the picture where she was to go up the wall , and they put her in a little small room , and then she got more and more and more excited and then she gradually got limp and passed out . and all through that , i 'm the only thing playing . so , i told the guy who was going to conduct me , i said ,'just raise your hand up when you want more intensity , and lower it when you want less intensity , that 's all you got to do ,'which was mainly a case of widening the vibrato . there was no music for that , i was just to make an effect , that 's all . ' though tanner did not invent the device , he enhanced on it and made it easier to play , ' his widow , jeanette , said in a telephone interview . he made it more like piano keys . ' but the device proved to be so simple that he put it into an elaborate container to make it look nicer . otherwise , it would look like an oatmeal box , ' he said . during his teaching years , tanner wrote a number of textbooks , and his classes proved popular , his widow said . he used to crowd the auditorium area where he had his classes , and it got so full that the fire department closed the doors and would n't let any more in , ' she said . though he stopped teaching more than 30 years ago and moved to carlsbad , i still get letters from people that were his students , ' she said . they said that he changed their life . ' tanner wound up giving his electro-theremin to a hospital , where it was used to measure hearing , she said . in addition to his wife and stepson , tanner is survived by another stepson , doug darnall . tanner 's first wife , alma , died in 1981 or 1982 after four decades of marriage , according to his family . people we lost in 2013 : the lives they lived | everybody was trying to survive ' during the depression , his stepson dick darnall says |
depression <tsp> ( cnn ) -- paul tanner , one of the last surviving members of the glenn miller orchestra , died february 5 at an assisted-living facility in carlsbad , california , his stepson said . tanner was 95 and died of pneumonia , said dick darnall in a telephone interview . tanner was born in skunk hollow , kentucky , in 1917 , but soon left to tour the country with his five brothers and their father , all of them musicians , during the early 1930s . everybody was trying to survive during the great depression , ' darnall said . after one gig , miller , who scouted his own talent , came up from the audience and asked paul to become part of his band . ' the trombonist went on to play with miller , who also played trombone , from 1938 until 1942 . but when the band leader joined the military and started a military band at military wages , the civilian band broke up . for the next few years , tanner stayed in hollywood , where he did studio work , darnall said . at age 39 , he enrolled at ucla , which offered him a teaching job and advanced degrees upon his graduation four years later ; he went on to teach music there for 23 years , darnall said . tanner was also working with the abc orchestra , where for 16 years he played with the likes of leonard bernstein , andre previn and arturo toscanini , darnall said . his interests included early forms of electronic music , and he developed the electro-theremin in the 1950s , said darnall . the device , which is mechanically linked to an audio oscillator , produced the eery , almost human sounds showcased by the beach boys on good vibrations ' and on the tv series my favorite martian . ' the electro-theremin also was used in movies , including 1964 's strait-jacket , ' with joan crawford . she was accused of chopping off everybody 's heads , ' tanner said in an interview in 1997 that is posted on his website . so , she was a psycho , they thought . there was one spot in the picture where she was to go up the wall , and they put her in a little small room , and then she got more and more and more excited and then she gradually got limp and passed out . and all through that , i 'm the only thing playing . so , i told the guy who was going to conduct me , i said ,'just raise your hand up when you want more intensity , and lower it when you want less intensity , that 's all you got to do ,'which was mainly a case of widening the vibrato . there was no music for that , i was just to make an effect , that 's all . ' though tanner did not invent the device , he enhanced on it and made it easier to play , ' his widow , jeanette , said in a telephone interview . he made it more like piano keys . ' but the device proved to be so simple that he put it into an elaborate container to make it look nicer . otherwise , it would look like an oatmeal box , ' he said . during his teaching years , tanner wrote a number of textbooks , and his classes proved popular , his widow said . he used to crowd the auditorium area where he had his classes , and it got so full that the fire department closed the doors and would n't let any more in , ' she said . though he stopped teaching more than 30 years ago and moved to carlsbad , i still get letters from people that were his students , ' she said . they said that he changed their life . ' tanner wound up giving his electro-theremin to a hospital , where it was used to measure hearing , she said . in addition to his wife and stepson , tanner is survived by another stepson , doug darnall . tanner 's first wife , alma , died in 1981 or 1982 after four decades of marriage , according to his family . people we lost in 2013 : the lives they lived | everybody was trying to survive ' during the depression , his stepson dick darnall says |
seoul <tsp> seoul ( cnn ) -- waiting more than 60 years for an official apology has taken its toll on kim bok-dong . the 87-year old says she is tired and her health is failing but she continues to fight for recognition from the japanese government for being used as a sex slave by their military during world war ii . there were believed to be around 200,000 so-called comfort women , ' mostly korean . many have since passed away , but those still alive want individual compensation for their treatment . when i started , the japanese military would often beat me because i was n't submissive , ' kim says .'comfort women'mark 1,000th rally ' every sunday , soldiers came to the brothel from 8am until 5pm , on saturday from noon until 5pm , plus weekdays . it was very hard to handle . i could n't stand at the end of the weekend . since i had to deal with too many soldiers , i was physically broken . ' kim has tears in her eyes as she talks of her ordeal -- an ordeal that lasted every single day for eight years . kim describes being moved around half a dozen asian countries from the age of 14 . i was born as a woman but have never had a woman 's life . i was dragged to the foreign army 's battles , and my entire life was ruined . ' kim 's first marriage broke down when she could n't have children , which she assumes due to her mistreatment . when her second husband and her mother died , she had to work in the fields to earn a living . kim is part of an ngo called the korean council for the women drafted for military sexual slavery by japan , ' which is fighting for an apology . a weekly protest has been held outside the japanese embassy in seoul for the past 20 years . the embassy keeps its blinds shut during the protests and does not comment . some japanese prime ministers have personally apologized in the past , but the ngo director believes that it 's not nearly enough . anyone can verbally apologize . but this is not an issue that can be resolved by saying sorry , ' says yoon mee-hyang . this is a crime that was institutionalized by a country , they forced women into sexual slavery over a long period of time . they need to adopt a resolution at the official level and we need to see legal reparations . ' yoon is planning to travel to japan to meet with government officials . tokyo maintains its legal liability for the wrongdoing was cleared by a bilateral claims treaty signed in 1965 between the two countries . the south korean government has stepped up diplomatic pressure recently , but only after a korean court ruled in august that it was unconstitutional for the government not to help . attempts by president lee myung-bak to discuss the issue with japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda have so far yielded no results . the issue of comfort women continues to haunt relations between the two countries . but for the few comfort women still alive -- only 63 are now registered in south korea -- it 's an urgent issue that they ca n't afford to wait for . | one ngo has staged weekly protests outside japanese embassy in seoul for 20 years |
tokyo <tsp> seoul ( cnn ) -- waiting more than 60 years for an official apology has taken its toll on kim bok-dong . the 87-year old says she is tired and her health is failing but she continues to fight for recognition from the japanese government for being used as a sex slave by their military during world war ii . there were believed to be around 200,000 so-called comfort women , ' mostly korean . many have since passed away , but those still alive want individual compensation for their treatment . when i started , the japanese military would often beat me because i was n't submissive , ' kim says .'comfort women'mark 1,000th rally ' every sunday , soldiers came to the brothel from 8am until 5pm , on saturday from noon until 5pm , plus weekdays . it was very hard to handle . i could n't stand at the end of the weekend . since i had to deal with too many soldiers , i was physically broken . ' kim has tears in her eyes as she talks of her ordeal -- an ordeal that lasted every single day for eight years . kim describes being moved around half a dozen asian countries from the age of 14 . i was born as a woman but have never had a woman 's life . i was dragged to the foreign army 's battles , and my entire life was ruined . ' kim 's first marriage broke down when she could n't have children , which she assumes due to her mistreatment . when her second husband and her mother died , she had to work in the fields to earn a living . kim is part of an ngo called the korean council for the women drafted for military sexual slavery by japan , ' which is fighting for an apology . a weekly protest has been held outside the japanese embassy in seoul for the past 20 years . the embassy keeps its blinds shut during the protests and does not comment . some japanese prime ministers have personally apologized in the past , but the ngo director believes that it 's not nearly enough . anyone can verbally apologize . but this is not an issue that can be resolved by saying sorry , ' says yoon mee-hyang . this is a crime that was institutionalized by a country , they forced women into sexual slavery over a long period of time . they need to adopt a resolution at the official level and we need to see legal reparations . ' yoon is planning to travel to japan to meet with government officials . tokyo maintains its legal liability for the wrongdoing was cleared by a bilateral claims treaty signed in 1965 between the two countries . the south korean government has stepped up diplomatic pressure recently , but only after a korean court ruled in august that it was unconstitutional for the government not to help . attempts by president lee myung-bak to discuss the issue with japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda have so far yielded no results . the issue of comfort women continues to haunt relations between the two countries . but for the few comfort women still alive -- only 63 are now registered in south korea -- it 's an urgent issue that they ca n't afford to wait for . | tokyo maintains its legal liability for the wrongdoing was cleared by a treaty signed in 1965 |
general motors <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the justice department charged toyota with wire fraud on wednesday as part of a settlement with prosecutors that will require the auto giant to pay $ 1.2 billion for admittedly misleading consumers and the government over unintended acceleration . according to an agreement signed by the japanese company , toyota executives responded to initial complaints about sticking gas pedals and unwanted acceleration by deceiving the public and trying to find ways to limit damage to its global brand . toyota at one point boasted internally about saving $ 100 million in costs by avoiding a full safety recall . that strategy continued even after a 2009 incident in which a family of four in san diego was killed when their lexus suddenly accelerated to speeds of 100 miles-per-hour and crashed , justice department officials said . toyota wound up recalling millions of popular vehicles in 2009-10 . attorney general eric holder said toyota confronted a public safety emergency as if it were a simple public relations problem . ' the financial penalty is the largest for a car manufacturer and justice department officials said it represented an aggressive new strategy to deal with how companies handle safety recalls . under the agreement , the justice department will defer the criminal charge for three years , during which toyota will submit to government monitoring . the settlement ends a four-year probe by the manhattan u.s. attorney 's office , which is now looking at safety issues at general motors . gm has recalled 1.6 million vehicles worldwide over an ignition switch problem . gm engineers apparently knew about it years ago but the detroit automaker did not move to recall vehicles until last month . george venizelos , fbi assistant director in charge of the bureau 's new york office , blasted toyota . the disregard toyota had for the safety of the public is outrageous . not only did toyota fail to recall cars with problem parts , they continued to manufacture new cars with the same parts they knew were deadly , ' he said . according to the agreement , toyota admitted to deceiving u.s. safety regulators and members of congress who conducted a separate inquiry . manhattan u.s. attorney preet bharara said the company 's deception even raised concerns among employees . bharara noted that one employee , in january 2010 , said in response to the company 's misleading public statements : idiots ! someone will go to jail if lies are repeatedly told . i ca n't support this . ' christopher reynolds , chief legal officer for toyota motor north america said the company has made changes to be more responsive to customers . in the more than four years since these recalls , we have gone back to basics at toyota to put our customers first , ' he said . the company has settled similar allegations over unintended acceleration in agreements with a group of states , and has also settled with some vehicle owners . the transportation department previously leveled stiff fines against toyota for not promptly addressing safety problems related to unintended acceleration . the national highway traffic safety administration ( nhtsa ) also came under scrutiny during the toyota saga for not pushing the company harder in the early stages of their investigation into motorist complaints . the recall crisis cost toyota an estimated $ 2 billion in repair costs and lost sales , even before it had to pay out any legal settlements . | the justice department is now looking at how general motors handled ignition switch problems |
justice department <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the justice department charged toyota with wire fraud on wednesday as part of a settlement with prosecutors that will require the auto giant to pay $ 1.2 billion for admittedly misleading consumers and the government over unintended acceleration . according to an agreement signed by the japanese company , toyota executives responded to initial complaints about sticking gas pedals and unwanted acceleration by deceiving the public and trying to find ways to limit damage to its global brand . toyota at one point boasted internally about saving $ 100 million in costs by avoiding a full safety recall . that strategy continued even after a 2009 incident in which a family of four in san diego was killed when their lexus suddenly accelerated to speeds of 100 miles-per-hour and crashed , justice department officials said . toyota wound up recalling millions of popular vehicles in 2009-10 . attorney general eric holder said toyota confronted a public safety emergency as if it were a simple public relations problem . ' the financial penalty is the largest for a car manufacturer and justice department officials said it represented an aggressive new strategy to deal with how companies handle safety recalls . under the agreement , the justice department will defer the criminal charge for three years , during which toyota will submit to government monitoring . the settlement ends a four-year probe by the manhattan u.s. attorney 's office , which is now looking at safety issues at general motors . gm has recalled 1.6 million vehicles worldwide over an ignition switch problem . gm engineers apparently knew about it years ago but the detroit automaker did not move to recall vehicles until last month . george venizelos , fbi assistant director in charge of the bureau 's new york office , blasted toyota . the disregard toyota had for the safety of the public is outrageous . not only did toyota fail to recall cars with problem parts , they continued to manufacture new cars with the same parts they knew were deadly , ' he said . according to the agreement , toyota admitted to deceiving u.s. safety regulators and members of congress who conducted a separate inquiry . manhattan u.s. attorney preet bharara said the company 's deception even raised concerns among employees . bharara noted that one employee , in january 2010 , said in response to the company 's misleading public statements : idiots ! someone will go to jail if lies are repeatedly told . i ca n't support this . ' christopher reynolds , chief legal officer for toyota motor north america said the company has made changes to be more responsive to customers . in the more than four years since these recalls , we have gone back to basics at toyota to put our customers first , ' he said . the company has settled similar allegations over unintended acceleration in agreements with a group of states , and has also settled with some vehicle owners . the transportation department previously leveled stiff fines against toyota for not promptly addressing safety problems related to unintended acceleration . the national highway traffic safety administration ( nhtsa ) also came under scrutiny during the toyota saga for not pushing the company harder in the early stages of their investigation into motorist complaints . the recall crisis cost toyota an estimated $ 2 billion in repair costs and lost sales , even before it had to pay out any legal settlements . | the justice department is now looking at how general motors handled ignition switch problems |
toyota <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the justice department charged toyota with wire fraud on wednesday as part of a settlement with prosecutors that will require the auto giant to pay $ 1.2 billion for admittedly misleading consumers and the government over unintended acceleration . according to an agreement signed by the japanese company , toyota executives responded to initial complaints about sticking gas pedals and unwanted acceleration by deceiving the public and trying to find ways to limit damage to its global brand . toyota at one point boasted internally about saving $ 100 million in costs by avoiding a full safety recall . that strategy continued even after a 2009 incident in which a family of four in san diego was killed when their lexus suddenly accelerated to speeds of 100 miles-per-hour and crashed , justice department officials said . toyota wound up recalling millions of popular vehicles in 2009-10 . attorney general eric holder said toyota confronted a public safety emergency as if it were a simple public relations problem . ' the financial penalty is the largest for a car manufacturer and justice department officials said it represented an aggressive new strategy to deal with how companies handle safety recalls . under the agreement , the justice department will defer the criminal charge for three years , during which toyota will submit to government monitoring . the settlement ends a four-year probe by the manhattan u.s. attorney 's office , which is now looking at safety issues at general motors . gm has recalled 1.6 million vehicles worldwide over an ignition switch problem . gm engineers apparently knew about it years ago but the detroit automaker did not move to recall vehicles until last month . george venizelos , fbi assistant director in charge of the bureau 's new york office , blasted toyota . the disregard toyota had for the safety of the public is outrageous . not only did toyota fail to recall cars with problem parts , they continued to manufacture new cars with the same parts they knew were deadly , ' he said . according to the agreement , toyota admitted to deceiving u.s. safety regulators and members of congress who conducted a separate inquiry . manhattan u.s. attorney preet bharara said the company 's deception even raised concerns among employees . bharara noted that one employee , in january 2010 , said in response to the company 's misleading public statements : idiots ! someone will go to jail if lies are repeatedly told . i ca n't support this . ' christopher reynolds , chief legal officer for toyota motor north america said the company has made changes to be more responsive to customers . in the more than four years since these recalls , we have gone back to basics at toyota to put our customers first , ' he said . the company has settled similar allegations over unintended acceleration in agreements with a group of states , and has also settled with some vehicle owners . the transportation department previously leveled stiff fines against toyota for not promptly addressing safety problems related to unintended acceleration . the national highway traffic safety administration ( nhtsa ) also came under scrutiny during the toyota saga for not pushing the company harder in the early stages of their investigation into motorist complaints . the recall crisis cost toyota an estimated $ 2 billion in repair costs and lost sales , even before it had to pay out any legal settlements . | toyota admitted to misleading consumers and regulators over unintended acceleration |
muslim brotherhood <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) mohamed morsy went from prison to the presidency . and now he 's going back to prison . the ousted president was convicted on charges of violence and inciting violence and sentenced to 20 years in prison for the torture of protesters outside the presidential palace in december 2012 . but he was acquitted of murder in the deaths of protesters . he stood trial with 14 co-defendants , including some of his presidential staff . all 14 co-defendants were also convicted of violence and inciting violence , and all were also acquitted of murder . morsy , who became egypt 's first democratically elected president in june 2012 , was deposed by a popularly backed military coup in july 2013 . after the sentencing , his freedom and justice party called the trial a travesty of justice . ' this is a sad and terrible day in egyptian history , ' the party said in a statement tuesday . coup leaders have sentenced mohamed morsi to decades in prison for nothing more than championing the democratic will of the people . ' but ramy ghanem , a civil plaintiff lawyer representing one of the torture victims , said the conviction was fair . this is a very appropriate and clear verdict on people that committed the crime , ' he said . this , in fact , was the maximum sentence for the charges . the surprise was the acquittal . ' hoda nasrallah , a lawyer representing two torture victims , called the outcome of the case typical for egypt . all the cases involving big gatherings and demonstrations in which protesters were killed usually see the culprits walk free . this case is a manifestation of this , ' she said . the public will always see the verdicts as politicized because there is no regime put on trial before falling , so everyone sees it as settling scores . it 's not about morsy only , but it also applies to ( former egyptian president hosni ) mubarak and others . this is the status quo in egypt . we wish we could see the trial of a regime when it is in power , not after that . ' nasrallah called for a fair trial , ' criticizing the fact that seven men killed during the december 2012 clashes were not included in this case , because they were affiliated with the muslim brotherhood , and that the involvement of other sides , including police , was n't investigated . morsy can appeal his conviction . but muslim brotherhood spokesman mohamed montasser has already issued an ominous warning on twitter : ' sentencing the president wo n't pass , ' he said . the revolution will be ignited , popular anger will increase and we promise you unexpected revolutionary surprises . ' at various points in the trial , morsy said that he was still the president of egypt and refused to recognize the court as legal . attorney mohamed selim el-awa cited constitutional articles to the court that stipulated the steps for removing a president and putting him on trial -- something that required the approval of two-thirds of the parliament and a special court made of the country 's top judges . a judge on tuesday rejected the argument presented by el-awa and court-appointed lawyer el-sayed hamed that the court had no jurisdiction . hamed was appointed by the court after morsy 's defense team withdrew . he told cnn he met with morsy about three times over the past 16 months . he praised the neutrality of the court , ' rebuffing accusations of politicization . before the case reached the court , it was dominated by politics more than the law , and i said this in my argument at the court . but by reaching the court , the court examined the documents from the legal aspect and saw that they were innocent of accusations of murder and guilty of other charges . consequently , we will appeal this sentence , ' he told cnn . early in the trial , morsy and his co-defendants were held in a metal cage in court . later , that cage was enclosed in soundproof glass . this is the first trial morsy was referred to after his removal from power . he is also standing trial in three other cases , including two on charges of espionage . the third trial involves a 2011 jailbreak . morsy and 18 other members of the banned muslim brotherhood allegedly broke out of the wadi-natroun prison , egyptian state-run media reported . in that trial , morsy and his 130 co-defendants , who include 71 palestinians tried in absentia , are accused of collaborating with the palestinian islamist group hamas and the lebanese shia group hezbollah to break into several prisons across egypt in january 2011 and facilitating the escape of morsy and 20,000 others . in may , morsy is scheduled to start a fifth trial -- this one on charges of insulting the judiciary . sarah sirgany reported from cairo ; holly yan wrote from atlanta . cnn 's bharati naik contributed to this report . | we promise you unexpected revolutionary surprises , ' a muslim brotherhood spokesman says |
mohamed morsy <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) mohamed morsy went from prison to the presidency . and now he 's going back to prison . the ousted president was convicted on charges of violence and inciting violence and sentenced to 20 years in prison for the torture of protesters outside the presidential palace in december 2012 . but he was acquitted of murder in the deaths of protesters . he stood trial with 14 co-defendants , including some of his presidential staff . all 14 co-defendants were also convicted of violence and inciting violence , and all were also acquitted of murder . morsy , who became egypt 's first democratically elected president in june 2012 , was deposed by a popularly backed military coup in july 2013 . after the sentencing , his freedom and justice party called the trial a travesty of justice . ' this is a sad and terrible day in egyptian history , ' the party said in a statement tuesday . coup leaders have sentenced mohamed morsi to decades in prison for nothing more than championing the democratic will of the people . ' but ramy ghanem , a civil plaintiff lawyer representing one of the torture victims , said the conviction was fair . this is a very appropriate and clear verdict on people that committed the crime , ' he said . this , in fact , was the maximum sentence for the charges . the surprise was the acquittal . ' hoda nasrallah , a lawyer representing two torture victims , called the outcome of the case typical for egypt . all the cases involving big gatherings and demonstrations in which protesters were killed usually see the culprits walk free . this case is a manifestation of this , ' she said . the public will always see the verdicts as politicized because there is no regime put on trial before falling , so everyone sees it as settling scores . it 's not about morsy only , but it also applies to ( former egyptian president hosni ) mubarak and others . this is the status quo in egypt . we wish we could see the trial of a regime when it is in power , not after that . ' nasrallah called for a fair trial , ' criticizing the fact that seven men killed during the december 2012 clashes were not included in this case , because they were affiliated with the muslim brotherhood , and that the involvement of other sides , including police , was n't investigated . morsy can appeal his conviction . but muslim brotherhood spokesman mohamed montasser has already issued an ominous warning on twitter : ' sentencing the president wo n't pass , ' he said . the revolution will be ignited , popular anger will increase and we promise you unexpected revolutionary surprises . ' at various points in the trial , morsy said that he was still the president of egypt and refused to recognize the court as legal . attorney mohamed selim el-awa cited constitutional articles to the court that stipulated the steps for removing a president and putting him on trial -- something that required the approval of two-thirds of the parliament and a special court made of the country 's top judges . a judge on tuesday rejected the argument presented by el-awa and court-appointed lawyer el-sayed hamed that the court had no jurisdiction . hamed was appointed by the court after morsy 's defense team withdrew . he told cnn he met with morsy about three times over the past 16 months . he praised the neutrality of the court , ' rebuffing accusations of politicization . before the case reached the court , it was dominated by politics more than the law , and i said this in my argument at the court . but by reaching the court , the court examined the documents from the legal aspect and saw that they were innocent of accusations of murder and guilty of other charges . consequently , we will appeal this sentence , ' he told cnn . early in the trial , morsy and his co-defendants were held in a metal cage in court . later , that cage was enclosed in soundproof glass . this is the first trial morsy was referred to after his removal from power . he is also standing trial in three other cases , including two on charges of espionage . the third trial involves a 2011 jailbreak . morsy and 18 other members of the banned muslim brotherhood allegedly broke out of the wadi-natroun prison , egyptian state-run media reported . in that trial , morsy and his 130 co-defendants , who include 71 palestinians tried in absentia , are accused of collaborating with the palestinian islamist group hamas and the lebanese shia group hezbollah to break into several prisons across egypt in january 2011 and facilitating the escape of morsy and 20,000 others . in may , morsy is scheduled to start a fifth trial -- this one on charges of insulting the judiciary . sarah sirgany reported from cairo ; holly yan wrote from atlanta . cnn 's bharati naik contributed to this report . | ousted egyptian president mohamed morsy is convicted of charges involving violence against protesters |
egyptian <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) mohamed morsy went from prison to the presidency . and now he 's going back to prison . the ousted president was convicted on charges of violence and inciting violence and sentenced to 20 years in prison for the torture of protesters outside the presidential palace in december 2012 . but he was acquitted of murder in the deaths of protesters . he stood trial with 14 co-defendants , including some of his presidential staff . all 14 co-defendants were also convicted of violence and inciting violence , and all were also acquitted of murder . morsy , who became egypt 's first democratically elected president in june 2012 , was deposed by a popularly backed military coup in july 2013 . after the sentencing , his freedom and justice party called the trial a travesty of justice . ' this is a sad and terrible day in egyptian history , ' the party said in a statement tuesday . coup leaders have sentenced mohamed morsi to decades in prison for nothing more than championing the democratic will of the people . ' but ramy ghanem , a civil plaintiff lawyer representing one of the torture victims , said the conviction was fair . this is a very appropriate and clear verdict on people that committed the crime , ' he said . this , in fact , was the maximum sentence for the charges . the surprise was the acquittal . ' hoda nasrallah , a lawyer representing two torture victims , called the outcome of the case typical for egypt . all the cases involving big gatherings and demonstrations in which protesters were killed usually see the culprits walk free . this case is a manifestation of this , ' she said . the public will always see the verdicts as politicized because there is no regime put on trial before falling , so everyone sees it as settling scores . it 's not about morsy only , but it also applies to ( former egyptian president hosni ) mubarak and others . this is the status quo in egypt . we wish we could see the trial of a regime when it is in power , not after that . ' nasrallah called for a fair trial , ' criticizing the fact that seven men killed during the december 2012 clashes were not included in this case , because they were affiliated with the muslim brotherhood , and that the involvement of other sides , including police , was n't investigated . morsy can appeal his conviction . but muslim brotherhood spokesman mohamed montasser has already issued an ominous warning on twitter : ' sentencing the president wo n't pass , ' he said . the revolution will be ignited , popular anger will increase and we promise you unexpected revolutionary surprises . ' at various points in the trial , morsy said that he was still the president of egypt and refused to recognize the court as legal . attorney mohamed selim el-awa cited constitutional articles to the court that stipulated the steps for removing a president and putting him on trial -- something that required the approval of two-thirds of the parliament and a special court made of the country 's top judges . a judge on tuesday rejected the argument presented by el-awa and court-appointed lawyer el-sayed hamed that the court had no jurisdiction . hamed was appointed by the court after morsy 's defense team withdrew . he told cnn he met with morsy about three times over the past 16 months . he praised the neutrality of the court , ' rebuffing accusations of politicization . before the case reached the court , it was dominated by politics more than the law , and i said this in my argument at the court . but by reaching the court , the court examined the documents from the legal aspect and saw that they were innocent of accusations of murder and guilty of other charges . consequently , we will appeal this sentence , ' he told cnn . early in the trial , morsy and his co-defendants were held in a metal cage in court . later , that cage was enclosed in soundproof glass . this is the first trial morsy was referred to after his removal from power . he is also standing trial in three other cases , including two on charges of espionage . the third trial involves a 2011 jailbreak . morsy and 18 other members of the banned muslim brotherhood allegedly broke out of the wadi-natroun prison , egyptian state-run media reported . in that trial , morsy and his 130 co-defendants , who include 71 palestinians tried in absentia , are accused of collaborating with the palestinian islamist group hamas and the lebanese shia group hezbollah to break into several prisons across egypt in january 2011 and facilitating the escape of morsy and 20,000 others . in may , morsy is scheduled to start a fifth trial -- this one on charges of insulting the judiciary . sarah sirgany reported from cairo ; holly yan wrote from atlanta . cnn 's bharati naik contributed to this report . | ousted egyptian president mohamed morsy is convicted of charges involving violence against protesters |
fed cup <tsp> ( cnn ) -- italy secured a second fed cup women 's tennis title in three years with a comfortable 4-0 win over the united states in reggio calabria . with a 2-0 lead overnight , world no . 11 flavia pennetta 's 7-5 6-2 victory over melanie oudin in sunday 's opening singles match gave the italians an unassailable lead . it followed comfortable wins for penetta and francesca schiavone on saturday . the fourth singles rubber was subsequently scrapped , with sarah errani and roberta vinci winning 4-6 6-4 11-9 against vania king and liezel huber in the remaining doubles contest . it is a very nice feeling , ' pennetta said . we worked hard to get to this point and finally we make it . in the beginning of the week everyone expects so many things , and we were very nervous . but now we can enjoy . ' the absence of the williams sisters serena and venus proved crucial for the u.s. , with italy 's greater experience proving the difference on the clay as they added a second fed cup to their previous victory in 2006 . oudin , 18 , has enjoyed a breakthrough year in the sport but was disappointed afterwards . i think i could have played better on some points , ' she said . in the first set it was so close , and i had a lot of chances , so i feel like if a couple things had gone my way or if i had hit this shot on that point , then it would have changed the momentum in the match . ' | it is the italians'second fed cup success in three years after previously winning it in 2006 |
fed cup <tsp> ( cnn ) -- italy secured a second fed cup women 's tennis title in three years with a comfortable 4-0 win over the united states in reggio calabria . with a 2-0 lead overnight , world no . 11 flavia pennetta 's 7-5 6-2 victory over melanie oudin in sunday 's opening singles match gave the italians an unassailable lead . it followed comfortable wins for penetta and francesca schiavone on saturday . the fourth singles rubber was subsequently scrapped , with sarah errani and roberta vinci winning 4-6 6-4 11-9 against vania king and liezel huber in the remaining doubles contest . it is a very nice feeling , ' pennetta said . we worked hard to get to this point and finally we make it . in the beginning of the week everyone expects so many things , and we were very nervous . but now we can enjoy . ' the absence of the williams sisters serena and venus proved crucial for the u.s. , with italy 's greater experience proving the difference on the clay as they added a second fed cup to their previous victory in 2006 . oudin , 18 , has enjoyed a breakthrough year in the sport but was disappointed afterwards . i think i could have played better on some points , ' she said . in the first set it was so close , and i had a lot of chances , so i feel like if a couple things had gone my way or if i had hit this shot on that point , then it would have changed the momentum in the match . ' | italy beat the united states 4-0 to win fed cup title at home in in reggio calabria |
united states <tsp> ( cnn ) -- italy secured a second fed cup women 's tennis title in three years with a comfortable 4-0 win over the united states in reggio calabria . with a 2-0 lead overnight , world no . 11 flavia pennetta 's 7-5 6-2 victory over melanie oudin in sunday 's opening singles match gave the italians an unassailable lead . it followed comfortable wins for penetta and francesca schiavone on saturday . the fourth singles rubber was subsequently scrapped , with sarah errani and roberta vinci winning 4-6 6-4 11-9 against vania king and liezel huber in the remaining doubles contest . it is a very nice feeling , ' pennetta said . we worked hard to get to this point and finally we make it . in the beginning of the week everyone expects so many things , and we were very nervous . but now we can enjoy . ' the absence of the williams sisters serena and venus proved crucial for the u.s. , with italy 's greater experience proving the difference on the clay as they added a second fed cup to their previous victory in 2006 . oudin , 18 , has enjoyed a breakthrough year in the sport but was disappointed afterwards . i think i could have played better on some points , ' she said . in the first set it was so close , and i had a lot of chances , so i feel like if a couple things had gone my way or if i had hit this shot on that point , then it would have changed the momentum in the match . ' | italy beat the united states 4-0 to win fed cup title at home in in reggio calabria |
coogler <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the early morning hours of new year 's day 2009 , a gunshot rang out that resonated around the country . at 22 , bay area resident oscar grant was fatally shot by a transit police officer at the fruitvale train station in oakland , california , after being detained with other passengers on the platform following reports of a fight . grant was unarmed , and the incident sparked waves of protests in the months that followed . the incident is chronicled in fruitvale station , ' an independent film , scheduled for release on july 12 , that tells the story of the last day of grant 's life . for the film 's first-time director , ryan coogler , the motivation to tell fruitvale station ' was deeply personal . if oscar were alive today , he 'd be the same age as me right now , he 'd be 27 , ' coogler , who grew up in the bay area , told cnn at the movie 's new york premiere . when it happened , it really affected me . that 's also something that i deal with on a day-to-day basis , losing friends to gun violence . i 've seen lives cut short too soon . ' he adds , what gets glossed over is that we 're human beings too , like everybody else , young african-american males . our humanity can often be found in our relationships with the people who are closest to us , and those relations are n't often shown in headlines and whatever types of media you see us portrayed in . i hope the people can see a little bit of themselves in the character if they sit down and watch the film , and have a little bit of insight . ' court upholds conviction in california subway shooting the issue of young lives being cut off violently and unnecessarily early is what drew notable cast members michael b. jordan and octavia spencer to the film . jordan can easily recall the 2009 fruitvale station shooting , and he told cnn he feels a sense of responsibility to revive grant 's legacy . the opportunity for me to play oscar grant , i mean i just had to jump at it . i felt a serious responsibility to play that role , ' jordan said . especially for the family , knowing one day his daughter 's going to watch this movie , and his mom , and the rest of his family and friends . i just want to do him justice . ' to spencer , the story of grant 's death is representative of an ongoing societal problem . sadly , ( this is ) very topical ... we 're losing way too many young men of color to this type of violence , ' she told cnn , comparing the case to the more recent trayvon martin shooting in february 2012 . and then of course there 's urban violence ; so we have to start somewhere with the conversation . ' to the oscar-winner , the root of the problem lies in a lack of understanding between people of different races and backgrounds . the solution to curbing the violence , she believes , is in increased awareness and understanding . it actually starts with the individual . what is your response when you see someone different ? ' she said . your inner dialogue has to change , my inner dialogue has to change . ' bay area transit officers cleared in civil rights trial spencer reportedly donated and raised money for fruitvale station ' when the film hit a funding plateau . the movie debuted at the 2013 sundance film festival , where it won the grand jury prize and the audience award for u.s. dramatic film . it went on to win the award for best first film at the cannes film festival . i think when people see this film , they will see that all of these young men are ... they 're human lives being lost , ' spencer said . once we can see people as human beings , i think maybe these incidents will be less likely to occur . ' san francisco bay area rapid transit : fast facts | coogler : when it happened it really affected me ' |
coogler <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the early morning hours of new year 's day 2009 , a gunshot rang out that resonated around the country . at 22 , bay area resident oscar grant was fatally shot by a transit police officer at the fruitvale train station in oakland , california , after being detained with other passengers on the platform following reports of a fight . grant was unarmed , and the incident sparked waves of protests in the months that followed . the incident is chronicled in fruitvale station , ' an independent film , scheduled for release on july 12 , that tells the story of the last day of grant 's life . for the film 's first-time director , ryan coogler , the motivation to tell fruitvale station ' was deeply personal . if oscar were alive today , he 'd be the same age as me right now , he 'd be 27 , ' coogler , who grew up in the bay area , told cnn at the movie 's new york premiere . when it happened , it really affected me . that 's also something that i deal with on a day-to-day basis , losing friends to gun violence . i 've seen lives cut short too soon . ' he adds , what gets glossed over is that we 're human beings too , like everybody else , young african-american males . our humanity can often be found in our relationships with the people who are closest to us , and those relations are n't often shown in headlines and whatever types of media you see us portrayed in . i hope the people can see a little bit of themselves in the character if they sit down and watch the film , and have a little bit of insight . ' court upholds conviction in california subway shooting the issue of young lives being cut off violently and unnecessarily early is what drew notable cast members michael b. jordan and octavia spencer to the film . jordan can easily recall the 2009 fruitvale station shooting , and he told cnn he feels a sense of responsibility to revive grant 's legacy . the opportunity for me to play oscar grant , i mean i just had to jump at it . i felt a serious responsibility to play that role , ' jordan said . especially for the family , knowing one day his daughter 's going to watch this movie , and his mom , and the rest of his family and friends . i just want to do him justice . ' to spencer , the story of grant 's death is representative of an ongoing societal problem . sadly , ( this is ) very topical ... we 're losing way too many young men of color to this type of violence , ' she told cnn , comparing the case to the more recent trayvon martin shooting in february 2012 . and then of course there 's urban violence ; so we have to start somewhere with the conversation . ' to the oscar-winner , the root of the problem lies in a lack of understanding between people of different races and backgrounds . the solution to curbing the violence , she believes , is in increased awareness and understanding . it actually starts with the individual . what is your response when you see someone different ? ' she said . your inner dialogue has to change , my inner dialogue has to change . ' bay area transit officers cleared in civil rights trial spencer reportedly donated and raised money for fruitvale station ' when the film hit a funding plateau . the movie debuted at the 2013 sundance film festival , where it won the grand jury prize and the audience award for u.s. dramatic film . it went on to win the award for best first film at the cannes film festival . i think when people see this film , they will see that all of these young men are ... they 're human lives being lost , ' spencer said . once we can see people as human beings , i think maybe these incidents will be less likely to occur . ' san francisco bay area rapid transit : fast facts | new director ryan coogler chronicles the death of oscar grant in fruitvale ' |
los angeles <tsp> a former boxer was arrested wednesday in the 1987 murder of his manager after investigators developed a break in the case by using dna evidence , los angeles police said . a fugitive task force from the fbi joined by local police arrested exum speight , 50 , in los angeles suburb of san fernando , authorities said . he has been charged in a warrant with one count of murder in the march 29 , 1987 , death of boxing manager douglas stumler , los angeles police said . in 1996 , speight fought wladimir klitschko , the current heavyweight champion of the world , police said . speight 's attorney could n't be immediately reached for comment wednesday . los angeles'cold case detectives developed a break in the case after they screened potential forensic leads under a grant from national institute of justice 's solving cold cases with dna ' program , authorities said . dna evidence did play a key factor in this case getting solved , ' the police said in a statement . stumler was killed in his apartment in the west los angeles area and was discovered by a friend who checked on him after stumler failed to report to his full-time job at the los angeles county housing authority , police said . stumler held a side job as a boxing manager and was managing speight as one of his boxers for about two years , police said . stumler , a native of new albany , indiana , moved to los angeles after graduating from the university of indiana about six years before his death , police said . speight is scheduled to be arraigned on thursday . possible lead unearthed in oakland county child killer case man discovers he was n't kidnapped baby ; fbi reopens 49-year-old mystery | his manager , douglas stumler , was found slain in his los angeles apartment in 1987 |
los angeles <tsp> a former boxer was arrested wednesday in the 1987 murder of his manager after investigators developed a break in the case by using dna evidence , los angeles police said . a fugitive task force from the fbi joined by local police arrested exum speight , 50 , in los angeles suburb of san fernando , authorities said . he has been charged in a warrant with one count of murder in the march 29 , 1987 , death of boxing manager douglas stumler , los angeles police said . in 1996 , speight fought wladimir klitschko , the current heavyweight champion of the world , police said . speight 's attorney could n't be immediately reached for comment wednesday . los angeles'cold case detectives developed a break in the case after they screened potential forensic leads under a grant from national institute of justice 's solving cold cases with dna ' program , authorities said . dna evidence did play a key factor in this case getting solved , ' the police said in a statement . stumler was killed in his apartment in the west los angeles area and was discovered by a friend who checked on him after stumler failed to report to his full-time job at the los angeles county housing authority , police said . stumler held a side job as a boxing manager and was managing speight as one of his boxers for about two years , police said . stumler , a native of new albany , indiana , moved to los angeles after graduating from the university of indiana about six years before his death , police said . speight is scheduled to be arraigned on thursday . possible lead unearthed in oakland county child killer case man discovers he was n't kidnapped baby ; fbi reopens 49-year-old mystery | exum speight , 50 , is arrested in a los angeles suburb and faces murder charge |
mackey <tsp> ( cnn ) she predicted events that unfolded in the middle east well before they happened . and her book on iraq became required reading for many military leaders trying to understand the country . veteran journalist and author sandra mackey died sunday , her son , colin mackey , said . she was 77 . her extensive career began in anonymity . she was an undercover reporter working for u.s. newspapers from saudi arabia as her husband , dr. dan mackey , worked in a riyadh hospital . for four years , she hid her writing from the authorities and smuggled her stories out of the country to get around saudi arabia 's prohibition on foreign journalists . her work appeared under the pseudonym michael collins . as she chronicled what was happening around her , mackey 's distinctive voice began to emerge . over the years , a stream of books followed . the saudis : inside the desert kingdom ' offered a rare first-hand glimpse into the hidden realm of saudi social and public life , ' the new york times wrote . her 1992 book passion and politics : the turbulent world of the arabs ' helped bridge gaps in understanding between arabs and americans , critics wrote . mackey wrote for the people she knew , in a layman 's language that was rooted in her training as a high school history teacher . scholars may be put off by mackey 's occasionally florid , bombastic language , but her work is a sound analysis and a sympathetic yet balanced effort to explain arab perspectives to americans , ' elizabeth r. hayford wrote in library journal . after earning a history degree from the university of central oklahoma , mackey attended the university of virginia to study international relations . she graduated in the first class of women admitted to the graduate program . for her book on iran , mackey was three times able to win permission to travel through the country unaccompanied , allowing her to paint an intimate portrait of a country going through extraordinary change . her 2002 book the reckoning -- iraq and the legacy of saddam hussein ' portended some of the outcomes of the war in iraq -- but also drew some sharp criticism . if war prevails , we shall beget a greater disorder in the persian gulf , ' mackey wrote in the book . we will be sucked into the resentments of the arab world , the hostilities of the iraqis , and the challenge of nation building in what has become an intensely tribal society at the core of american vital interests in the oil-rich persian gulf . ' fouad ajami , the late hoover institute fellow who was also a frequent guest on cnn , took issue with the book . the crowds in baghdad and basra ( like the crowds in kabul that greeted their liberators with kites and music ) may yet embarrass mackey and the countless naive people who see things her way , ' ajami wrote for the new york times'sunday book review cover story in 2002 . mackey had an oklahoma twang , the slightly nasal kind that she was proud of , but that belied her worldly understanding . she would use it to full effect when she wanted to put people at ease . mackey was a frequent commentator on cnn during the gulf war in the 1990s . she also appeared on countless other outlets , including bill maher 's politically incorrect , ' to explain in layman 's terms what was happening in the region . her book on iraq was published one year before the u.s.-led invasion of the country in 2003 . the book forewarned of the consequences of such action . in a perfect world , shia , sunni , and kurd , followed by a company of other minorities , would walk into the post-hussein iraq as a liberated people united by common suffering , ' mackey wrote . but as all those who plot the way of nations are so acutely aware , the world is not perfect . ' she said those calling for an invasion of iraq can not ignore the threats to american security that could come with hussein 's demise . ' with american troops on the ground and no governing authority capable of taking charge , the united states faces the real possibility of a secular version of militant islam , ' mackey said . ... thus , american military forces rotate in and out , u.s. taxpayer money finances the occupation , and iraqi hostility to a western presence increases . there is no exit strategy except retreat . ' in 2004 the u.s. military actually flew mackey to iraq to teach commanders from the army 's 1st infantry division while the war was still raging . her book on iraq became required reading for many military officers . i am literally a little old lady in tennis shoes , ' she used to joke about her ability to gain the confidence of countless sources . what 's the harm in talking to me ? ' | mackey predicted what would happen to iraq if the u.s. invaded and deposed saddam hussein |
saddam hussein <tsp> ( cnn ) she predicted events that unfolded in the middle east well before they happened . and her book on iraq became required reading for many military leaders trying to understand the country . veteran journalist and author sandra mackey died sunday , her son , colin mackey , said . she was 77 . her extensive career began in anonymity . she was an undercover reporter working for u.s. newspapers from saudi arabia as her husband , dr. dan mackey , worked in a riyadh hospital . for four years , she hid her writing from the authorities and smuggled her stories out of the country to get around saudi arabia 's prohibition on foreign journalists . her work appeared under the pseudonym michael collins . as she chronicled what was happening around her , mackey 's distinctive voice began to emerge . over the years , a stream of books followed . the saudis : inside the desert kingdom ' offered a rare first-hand glimpse into the hidden realm of saudi social and public life , ' the new york times wrote . her 1992 book passion and politics : the turbulent world of the arabs ' helped bridge gaps in understanding between arabs and americans , critics wrote . mackey wrote for the people she knew , in a layman 's language that was rooted in her training as a high school history teacher . scholars may be put off by mackey 's occasionally florid , bombastic language , but her work is a sound analysis and a sympathetic yet balanced effort to explain arab perspectives to americans , ' elizabeth r. hayford wrote in library journal . after earning a history degree from the university of central oklahoma , mackey attended the university of virginia to study international relations . she graduated in the first class of women admitted to the graduate program . for her book on iran , mackey was three times able to win permission to travel through the country unaccompanied , allowing her to paint an intimate portrait of a country going through extraordinary change . her 2002 book the reckoning -- iraq and the legacy of saddam hussein ' portended some of the outcomes of the war in iraq -- but also drew some sharp criticism . if war prevails , we shall beget a greater disorder in the persian gulf , ' mackey wrote in the book . we will be sucked into the resentments of the arab world , the hostilities of the iraqis , and the challenge of nation building in what has become an intensely tribal society at the core of american vital interests in the oil-rich persian gulf . ' fouad ajami , the late hoover institute fellow who was also a frequent guest on cnn , took issue with the book . the crowds in baghdad and basra ( like the crowds in kabul that greeted their liberators with kites and music ) may yet embarrass mackey and the countless naive people who see things her way , ' ajami wrote for the new york times'sunday book review cover story in 2002 . mackey had an oklahoma twang , the slightly nasal kind that she was proud of , but that belied her worldly understanding . she would use it to full effect when she wanted to put people at ease . mackey was a frequent commentator on cnn during the gulf war in the 1990s . she also appeared on countless other outlets , including bill maher 's politically incorrect , ' to explain in layman 's terms what was happening in the region . her book on iraq was published one year before the u.s.-led invasion of the country in 2003 . the book forewarned of the consequences of such action . in a perfect world , shia , sunni , and kurd , followed by a company of other minorities , would walk into the post-hussein iraq as a liberated people united by common suffering , ' mackey wrote . but as all those who plot the way of nations are so acutely aware , the world is not perfect . ' she said those calling for an invasion of iraq can not ignore the threats to american security that could come with hussein 's demise . ' with american troops on the ground and no governing authority capable of taking charge , the united states faces the real possibility of a secular version of militant islam , ' mackey said . ... thus , american military forces rotate in and out , u.s. taxpayer money finances the occupation , and iraqi hostility to a western presence increases . there is no exit strategy except retreat . ' in 2004 the u.s. military actually flew mackey to iraq to teach commanders from the army 's 1st infantry division while the war was still raging . her book on iraq became required reading for many military officers . i am literally a little old lady in tennis shoes , ' she used to joke about her ability to gain the confidence of countless sources . what 's the harm in talking to me ? ' | mackey predicted what would happen to iraq if the u.s. invaded and deposed saddam hussein |
arabs <tsp> ( cnn ) she predicted events that unfolded in the middle east well before they happened . and her book on iraq became required reading for many military leaders trying to understand the country . veteran journalist and author sandra mackey died sunday , her son , colin mackey , said . she was 77 . her extensive career began in anonymity . she was an undercover reporter working for u.s. newspapers from saudi arabia as her husband , dr. dan mackey , worked in a riyadh hospital . for four years , she hid her writing from the authorities and smuggled her stories out of the country to get around saudi arabia 's prohibition on foreign journalists . her work appeared under the pseudonym michael collins . as she chronicled what was happening around her , mackey 's distinctive voice began to emerge . over the years , a stream of books followed . the saudis : inside the desert kingdom ' offered a rare first-hand glimpse into the hidden realm of saudi social and public life , ' the new york times wrote . her 1992 book passion and politics : the turbulent world of the arabs ' helped bridge gaps in understanding between arabs and americans , critics wrote . mackey wrote for the people she knew , in a layman 's language that was rooted in her training as a high school history teacher . scholars may be put off by mackey 's occasionally florid , bombastic language , but her work is a sound analysis and a sympathetic yet balanced effort to explain arab perspectives to americans , ' elizabeth r. hayford wrote in library journal . after earning a history degree from the university of central oklahoma , mackey attended the university of virginia to study international relations . she graduated in the first class of women admitted to the graduate program . for her book on iran , mackey was three times able to win permission to travel through the country unaccompanied , allowing her to paint an intimate portrait of a country going through extraordinary change . her 2002 book the reckoning -- iraq and the legacy of saddam hussein ' portended some of the outcomes of the war in iraq -- but also drew some sharp criticism . if war prevails , we shall beget a greater disorder in the persian gulf , ' mackey wrote in the book . we will be sucked into the resentments of the arab world , the hostilities of the iraqis , and the challenge of nation building in what has become an intensely tribal society at the core of american vital interests in the oil-rich persian gulf . ' fouad ajami , the late hoover institute fellow who was also a frequent guest on cnn , took issue with the book . the crowds in baghdad and basra ( like the crowds in kabul that greeted their liberators with kites and music ) may yet embarrass mackey and the countless naive people who see things her way , ' ajami wrote for the new york times'sunday book review cover story in 2002 . mackey had an oklahoma twang , the slightly nasal kind that she was proud of , but that belied her worldly understanding . she would use it to full effect when she wanted to put people at ease . mackey was a frequent commentator on cnn during the gulf war in the 1990s . she also appeared on countless other outlets , including bill maher 's politically incorrect , ' to explain in layman 's terms what was happening in the region . her book on iraq was published one year before the u.s.-led invasion of the country in 2003 . the book forewarned of the consequences of such action . in a perfect world , shia , sunni , and kurd , followed by a company of other minorities , would walk into the post-hussein iraq as a liberated people united by common suffering , ' mackey wrote . but as all those who plot the way of nations are so acutely aware , the world is not perfect . ' she said those calling for an invasion of iraq can not ignore the threats to american security that could come with hussein 's demise . ' with american troops on the ground and no governing authority capable of taking charge , the united states faces the real possibility of a secular version of militant islam , ' mackey said . ... thus , american military forces rotate in and out , u.s. taxpayer money finances the occupation , and iraqi hostility to a western presence increases . there is no exit strategy except retreat . ' in 2004 the u.s. military actually flew mackey to iraq to teach commanders from the army 's 1st infantry division while the war was still raging . her book on iraq became required reading for many military officers . i am literally a little old lady in tennis shoes , ' she used to joke about her ability to gain the confidence of countless sources . what 's the harm in talking to me ? ' | she also wrote a book credited with helping bridge gap between arabs and americans |
iraq <tsp> ( cnn ) she predicted events that unfolded in the middle east well before they happened . and her book on iraq became required reading for many military leaders trying to understand the country . veteran journalist and author sandra mackey died sunday , her son , colin mackey , said . she was 77 . her extensive career began in anonymity . she was an undercover reporter working for u.s. newspapers from saudi arabia as her husband , dr. dan mackey , worked in a riyadh hospital . for four years , she hid her writing from the authorities and smuggled her stories out of the country to get around saudi arabia 's prohibition on foreign journalists . her work appeared under the pseudonym michael collins . as she chronicled what was happening around her , mackey 's distinctive voice began to emerge . over the years , a stream of books followed . the saudis : inside the desert kingdom ' offered a rare first-hand glimpse into the hidden realm of saudi social and public life , ' the new york times wrote . her 1992 book passion and politics : the turbulent world of the arabs ' helped bridge gaps in understanding between arabs and americans , critics wrote . mackey wrote for the people she knew , in a layman 's language that was rooted in her training as a high school history teacher . scholars may be put off by mackey 's occasionally florid , bombastic language , but her work is a sound analysis and a sympathetic yet balanced effort to explain arab perspectives to americans , ' elizabeth r. hayford wrote in library journal . after earning a history degree from the university of central oklahoma , mackey attended the university of virginia to study international relations . she graduated in the first class of women admitted to the graduate program . for her book on iran , mackey was three times able to win permission to travel through the country unaccompanied , allowing her to paint an intimate portrait of a country going through extraordinary change . her 2002 book the reckoning -- iraq and the legacy of saddam hussein ' portended some of the outcomes of the war in iraq -- but also drew some sharp criticism . if war prevails , we shall beget a greater disorder in the persian gulf , ' mackey wrote in the book . we will be sucked into the resentments of the arab world , the hostilities of the iraqis , and the challenge of nation building in what has become an intensely tribal society at the core of american vital interests in the oil-rich persian gulf . ' fouad ajami , the late hoover institute fellow who was also a frequent guest on cnn , took issue with the book . the crowds in baghdad and basra ( like the crowds in kabul that greeted their liberators with kites and music ) may yet embarrass mackey and the countless naive people who see things her way , ' ajami wrote for the new york times'sunday book review cover story in 2002 . mackey had an oklahoma twang , the slightly nasal kind that she was proud of , but that belied her worldly understanding . she would use it to full effect when she wanted to put people at ease . mackey was a frequent commentator on cnn during the gulf war in the 1990s . she also appeared on countless other outlets , including bill maher 's politically incorrect , ' to explain in layman 's terms what was happening in the region . her book on iraq was published one year before the u.s.-led invasion of the country in 2003 . the book forewarned of the consequences of such action . in a perfect world , shia , sunni , and kurd , followed by a company of other minorities , would walk into the post-hussein iraq as a liberated people united by common suffering , ' mackey wrote . but as all those who plot the way of nations are so acutely aware , the world is not perfect . ' she said those calling for an invasion of iraq can not ignore the threats to american security that could come with hussein 's demise . ' with american troops on the ground and no governing authority capable of taking charge , the united states faces the real possibility of a secular version of militant islam , ' mackey said . ... thus , american military forces rotate in and out , u.s. taxpayer money finances the occupation , and iraqi hostility to a western presence increases . there is no exit strategy except retreat . ' in 2004 the u.s. military actually flew mackey to iraq to teach commanders from the army 's 1st infantry division while the war was still raging . her book on iraq became required reading for many military officers . i am literally a little old lady in tennis shoes , ' she used to joke about her ability to gain the confidence of countless sources . what 's the harm in talking to me ? ' | mackey predicted what would happen to iraq if the u.s. invaded and deposed saddam hussein |
americans <tsp> ( cnn ) she predicted events that unfolded in the middle east well before they happened . and her book on iraq became required reading for many military leaders trying to understand the country . veteran journalist and author sandra mackey died sunday , her son , colin mackey , said . she was 77 . her extensive career began in anonymity . she was an undercover reporter working for u.s. newspapers from saudi arabia as her husband , dr. dan mackey , worked in a riyadh hospital . for four years , she hid her writing from the authorities and smuggled her stories out of the country to get around saudi arabia 's prohibition on foreign journalists . her work appeared under the pseudonym michael collins . as she chronicled what was happening around her , mackey 's distinctive voice began to emerge . over the years , a stream of books followed . the saudis : inside the desert kingdom ' offered a rare first-hand glimpse into the hidden realm of saudi social and public life , ' the new york times wrote . her 1992 book passion and politics : the turbulent world of the arabs ' helped bridge gaps in understanding between arabs and americans , critics wrote . mackey wrote for the people she knew , in a layman 's language that was rooted in her training as a high school history teacher . scholars may be put off by mackey 's occasionally florid , bombastic language , but her work is a sound analysis and a sympathetic yet balanced effort to explain arab perspectives to americans , ' elizabeth r. hayford wrote in library journal . after earning a history degree from the university of central oklahoma , mackey attended the university of virginia to study international relations . she graduated in the first class of women admitted to the graduate program . for her book on iran , mackey was three times able to win permission to travel through the country unaccompanied , allowing her to paint an intimate portrait of a country going through extraordinary change . her 2002 book the reckoning -- iraq and the legacy of saddam hussein ' portended some of the outcomes of the war in iraq -- but also drew some sharp criticism . if war prevails , we shall beget a greater disorder in the persian gulf , ' mackey wrote in the book . we will be sucked into the resentments of the arab world , the hostilities of the iraqis , and the challenge of nation building in what has become an intensely tribal society at the core of american vital interests in the oil-rich persian gulf . ' fouad ajami , the late hoover institute fellow who was also a frequent guest on cnn , took issue with the book . the crowds in baghdad and basra ( like the crowds in kabul that greeted their liberators with kites and music ) may yet embarrass mackey and the countless naive people who see things her way , ' ajami wrote for the new york times'sunday book review cover story in 2002 . mackey had an oklahoma twang , the slightly nasal kind that she was proud of , but that belied her worldly understanding . she would use it to full effect when she wanted to put people at ease . mackey was a frequent commentator on cnn during the gulf war in the 1990s . she also appeared on countless other outlets , including bill maher 's politically incorrect , ' to explain in layman 's terms what was happening in the region . her book on iraq was published one year before the u.s.-led invasion of the country in 2003 . the book forewarned of the consequences of such action . in a perfect world , shia , sunni , and kurd , followed by a company of other minorities , would walk into the post-hussein iraq as a liberated people united by common suffering , ' mackey wrote . but as all those who plot the way of nations are so acutely aware , the world is not perfect . ' she said those calling for an invasion of iraq can not ignore the threats to american security that could come with hussein 's demise . ' with american troops on the ground and no governing authority capable of taking charge , the united states faces the real possibility of a secular version of militant islam , ' mackey said . ... thus , american military forces rotate in and out , u.s. taxpayer money finances the occupation , and iraqi hostility to a western presence increases . there is no exit strategy except retreat . ' in 2004 the u.s. military actually flew mackey to iraq to teach commanders from the army 's 1st infantry division while the war was still raging . her book on iraq became required reading for many military officers . i am literally a little old lady in tennis shoes , ' she used to joke about her ability to gain the confidence of countless sources . what 's the harm in talking to me ? ' | she also wrote a book credited with helping bridge gap between arabs and americans |
a1c <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a diabetes test that measures a person 's average blood glucose control over the preceding two to three months is being recommended as the new diagnostic tool for the condition . diabetics have too much glucose in their blood when the condition is uncontrolled , and must monitor it . a committee of international experts recommended the test , called the the a1c assay , at the american diabetes association 's 69th scientific sessions over the weekend . the report could instigate a change in the way diabetes is diagnosed , the american diabetes association said . the a1c assay , which has been used for nearly 30 years to determine how well a patient controls diabetes , is a more stable , reliable diagnostic tool than the techniques currently in use , the authors of the report said . this committee that i chaired is recommending that this be used as widely as possible to diagnose diabetes instead of the blood sugar test , ' said dr. david nathan , director of the diabetes center at massachusetts general hospital and chairman of the committee . the a1c test , which consists of a simple blood test , is also more convenient than the two tests commonly used for diabetes -- the fasting plasma glucose and the oral glucose tolerance test -- the authors said . in the fasting test , the patient does not eat for about 12 to 14 hours before a blood test . in the tolerance test , the patient drinks a sweet solution and has blood drawn two hours later . in addition , nathan said , it probably is better related to the development of eye disease with diabetes , and therefore probably serves as a better diagnostic tool . ' the international committee was assembled by the american diabetes association , international diabetes federation and european association for the study of diabetes , but those organizations have not officially endorsed the report . basically , the american diabetes association supports the concept , supports the use of the a1c to diagnose diabetes , and just has to look at the implications of it , and the implementation of it , ' said richard kahn , chief scientific and medical officer for the american diabetes association , who was part of the committee . using a1c in diagnosis would be particularly useful for determining whether patients have type 2 diabetes , which is more difficult to diagnose than type 1 , said dr. william bornstein , assistant professor of endocrinology at emory university , who was not part of the committee . this will be beneficial to the population in terms of helping us more clearly diagnose folks who are at risks for complications and help them manage that earlier , ' bornstein said . still , controversy likely will arise over the use of the a1c in diagnostics because of the long , established track record of using the other two methods , bornstein said . ireport.com : boxing champ talks about diabetes struggle how it works humans can not live without having sugar called glucose in their blood . too much glucose , however , attaches to a variety of proteins in the body and harms them . uncontrolled diabetes is characterized by too much glucose in the bloodstream . this excess glucose then glycates with -- or sticks to -- a protein called hemoglobin , which carries oxygen from the lungs to the body 's cells . the a1c test measures the percentage of glycated hemoglobin in the blood , which is a reflection of average blood glucose control , according to the american diabetes association . a1c is a better measure of the problem that diabetes causes than glucose-based tests , at least for monitoring , said david schoenfeld , professor of biostatistics at harvard university . he and colleagues , including nathan and a large group of international researchers , studied the relationship between a1c and average blood glucose . while many diabetics monitor their average blood glucose levels daily , at the doctor 's office the patient receives a measurement in terms of hemoglobin a1c , schoenfeld said . he and researchers created a chart to convert these two measurements , so that patients would not have to interpret two different numbers and feel confused . they concluded in a 2008 paper that , for most patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes , a1c levels can be expressed as average glucose . the international committee concluded that an a1c level of 6.5 percent indicates that a person has diabetes , while values between 6 percent and 6.5 percent are likely to be at highest risk for developing diabetes . experts note , however , that there is a continuum of risk for complications , and the cut-point ' of 6.5 percent should not be considered an absolute dividing line . all adults who are overweight and have additional risk factors , such as family history of diabetes , high blood pressure or abnormal lipid levels , should be screened for diabetes , according to the american diabetes association . adults aged 45 or older should be tested even if they do not have these risk factors , the association said . | committee says a1c test is more reliable and convenient than other tests |
a1c <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a diabetes test that measures a person 's average blood glucose control over the preceding two to three months is being recommended as the new diagnostic tool for the condition . diabetics have too much glucose in their blood when the condition is uncontrolled , and must monitor it . a committee of international experts recommended the test , called the the a1c assay , at the american diabetes association 's 69th scientific sessions over the weekend . the report could instigate a change in the way diabetes is diagnosed , the american diabetes association said . the a1c assay , which has been used for nearly 30 years to determine how well a patient controls diabetes , is a more stable , reliable diagnostic tool than the techniques currently in use , the authors of the report said . this committee that i chaired is recommending that this be used as widely as possible to diagnose diabetes instead of the blood sugar test , ' said dr. david nathan , director of the diabetes center at massachusetts general hospital and chairman of the committee . the a1c test , which consists of a simple blood test , is also more convenient than the two tests commonly used for diabetes -- the fasting plasma glucose and the oral glucose tolerance test -- the authors said . in the fasting test , the patient does not eat for about 12 to 14 hours before a blood test . in the tolerance test , the patient drinks a sweet solution and has blood drawn two hours later . in addition , nathan said , it probably is better related to the development of eye disease with diabetes , and therefore probably serves as a better diagnostic tool . ' the international committee was assembled by the american diabetes association , international diabetes federation and european association for the study of diabetes , but those organizations have not officially endorsed the report . basically , the american diabetes association supports the concept , supports the use of the a1c to diagnose diabetes , and just has to look at the implications of it , and the implementation of it , ' said richard kahn , chief scientific and medical officer for the american diabetes association , who was part of the committee . using a1c in diagnosis would be particularly useful for determining whether patients have type 2 diabetes , which is more difficult to diagnose than type 1 , said dr. william bornstein , assistant professor of endocrinology at emory university , who was not part of the committee . this will be beneficial to the population in terms of helping us more clearly diagnose folks who are at risks for complications and help them manage that earlier , ' bornstein said . still , controversy likely will arise over the use of the a1c in diagnostics because of the long , established track record of using the other two methods , bornstein said . ireport.com : boxing champ talks about diabetes struggle how it works humans can not live without having sugar called glucose in their blood . too much glucose , however , attaches to a variety of proteins in the body and harms them . uncontrolled diabetes is characterized by too much glucose in the bloodstream . this excess glucose then glycates with -- or sticks to -- a protein called hemoglobin , which carries oxygen from the lungs to the body 's cells . the a1c test measures the percentage of glycated hemoglobin in the blood , which is a reflection of average blood glucose control , according to the american diabetes association . a1c is a better measure of the problem that diabetes causes than glucose-based tests , at least for monitoring , said david schoenfeld , professor of biostatistics at harvard university . he and colleagues , including nathan and a large group of international researchers , studied the relationship between a1c and average blood glucose . while many diabetics monitor their average blood glucose levels daily , at the doctor 's office the patient receives a measurement in terms of hemoglobin a1c , schoenfeld said . he and researchers created a chart to convert these two measurements , so that patients would not have to interpret two different numbers and feel confused . they concluded in a 2008 paper that , for most patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes , a1c levels can be expressed as average glucose . the international committee concluded that an a1c level of 6.5 percent indicates that a person has diabetes , while values between 6 percent and 6.5 percent are likely to be at highest risk for developing diabetes . experts note , however , that there is a continuum of risk for complications , and the cut-point ' of 6.5 percent should not be considered an absolute dividing line . all adults who are overweight and have additional risk factors , such as family history of diabetes , high blood pressure or abnormal lipid levels , should be screened for diabetes , according to the american diabetes association . adults aged 45 or older should be tested even if they do not have these risk factors , the association said . | a1c test is currently used for monitoring patients'control of diabetes |
national weather service <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the cumberland river in nashville , tennessee , is predicted to be at flood stage overnight friday , and flood levels should begin to fall after daylight , according to the national weather service . flood warnings have been issued along the river . flash flood warnings were in effect thursday for parts of middle tennessee after heavy rain battered the state overnight . the rain has subsided in and around nashville , but more is in the forecast for the end of the week , the national weather service said . heavy rain in parts of the state this week caused rivers and creeks to crest , and sent flood waters into the streets . dozens of roads were closed and some schools in middle tennessee were closed or starting late thursday , the macon county ( tennessee ) times reported . some areas , like the town of red boiling springs , were pounded with as much as eight inches of rain in a 12-hour stretch wednesday . flood waters rushed into the town causing officials to close the entire downtown , police told cnn-affiliate wkrn . there were so many places that were dangerous to attempt to cross , ' said jacob jordan , an officer with the red boiling springs police department . i have no idea where the road was . this was all one big body of water . ' the rain comes as some tennessee residents were still recovering from the devastating floods that hit the area in may . dozens of people died in those floods . the federal government declared 42 counties disaster areas and the flooding was blamed for more than $ 1.5 billion in property damage in the nashville area . | the national weather service issues flash flood warnings and flood warnings near the cumberland river |
newcastle <tsp> ( cnn ) -- newcastle was n't the opposition but there was another seven-goal classic at anfield . jordan henderson scored deep in the second half to give liverpool a 4-3 win over swansea city , rekindling memories of the reds'victories over newcastle by the same score in 1996 and 1997 . liverpool manager brendan rodgers was n't afraid to say this month that his men were title contenders and with the offense flowing , his team trails chelsea by a mere four points atop the standings . daniel sturridge -- second behind only teammate luis suarez in league scoring -- netted for an eighth straight premier league outing to close in on dutchman ruud van nistelrooy 's record of 10 . it was an important win for us , ' rodgers told sky sports . we certainly were n't at our best today but the offensive part of our game , which is very strong , came out on top again . it 's an outstanding result for us and the game typified the character of this team . ' liverpool looked set to cruise when henderson and sturridge gave liverpool a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes . but swansea , under newish boss garry monk , did n't cave in . jonjo shelvey began a comeback against his former club and wilfried bony made it 2-2 in the 27th minute . after sturridge and bony traded goals -- the latter 's second came via the penalty spot -- henderson settled the affair in the 74th minute when he scored on his own rebound . a rejuvenated henderson has been another bright spot for rodgers this season but the defense is a worry . defender martin skrtel particularly struggled sunday , giving away the penalty when he clashed with bony . liverpool has conceded 35 goals , the most of any team in the top seven . as always as a coach , you 'll analyze where you can be better , and we 're looking to improve ( on defense ) for next week , ' said rodgers . the top four all won this weekend but fifth-place tottenham suffered a blow in its chase for a champions league spot , losing 1-0 at relegation threatened norwich city . loic remy scored in second-half injury time to give newcastle a 1-0 win against aston villa at home , leaving villa , like norwich , four points above the relegation zone . | newcastle deepens aston villa 's relegation woes by producing a late winner |
africa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- last friday , i was in uganda 's constitutional court as a member of the legal team that persuaded its judges to overturn our country 's inhumane anti-homosexuality law . today , i am in washington for the u.s.-africa leaders summit investing in the next generation ' with a message : invest in human rights in africa . it 's hard to believe that african leaders and some development experts still debate whether human rights is a western concept ' and whether countries can grow without human rights . african leaders have been too eager to advance their own economic and security agendas without consideration of the rights of their citizens . let 's take the record of my country , uganda , and its anti-homosexuality act . this law codified rampant discrimination against lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender people , who were targeted by police and arrested , detained for prolonged periods , extorted and blackmailed by those who should have been guaranteeing their rights under our constitution . the law stipulated punishments of up to life in prison for gay people engaging in sex and long sentences for attempted homosexuality ' or even promotion of it . although the constitutional court invalidated the anti-homosexuality law , it did so on a procedural point , not on the grounds of human rights . and a law that criminalizes sex acts against the order of nature ' dating back to colonial times is still on the books . we do not know if the ugandan parliament will vote on this law again in a way that would pass scrutiny by the constitutional court . the fight might not be over . but if supporters of this law reintroduce it , or if it is appealed , we will fight it every step of the way again . the ugandan government 's intolerance of homosexuality created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for nonprofit ugandan organizations as well . it recently ordered the well-respected refugee law project at makerere university to suspend its work over the ridiculous allegation that it was promoting homosexuality and lesbianism . even health and development projects funded by the united states have not been spared . in april , the ugandan police raided and closed the walter reed research clinic in kampala because it works in partnership with the lgbt community to combat hiv-aids and was training youths in homosexuality . ' sadly , human rights violations in uganda are not limited to the government 's prejudicial and irrational treatment of lgbt people . for instance , our constitution , like the u.s. constitution , guarantees freedom of assembly†” but in practice , the ugandan government restricts this right . in recent years , my country 's police have used violence more and more frequently against opposition protesters , going as far as breaking up public meetings and arresting and intimidating pro-democracy activists . this trend is only likely to increase with the enactment of the new public order management act . this law grants even more power to the ugandan police to regulate†” and in practice , to stifle†” public assemblies and demonstrations , with no legal recourse for the protesters . i love my country , uganda , and do n't mean to focus on it unfairly . one need only look to recent excesses in nigeria and zimbabwe to gain a broader view . our leaders in africa selectively demonstrate their support for human rights , often when the continent is reminded of its obligations under international and regional human rights treaties . this limited conception of human rights so often means that unpopular people and ideas find themselves attacked and abused . in uganda and across the continent , civil society organizations are looking to african leaders and the united states to join us in making history . the summit 's website accurately describes africa as one of the world 's most dynamic and fastest growing regions . ' we are all proud of that , and understand that the summit must address crucial issues of economic development . but to make this summit truly historic , the united states and african nations must work together to promote democracies rooted in national constitutions and human rights , committed to protecting the dignity of all their citizens . | opiyo : u.s. and african leaders must work together toward human rights in africa |
icelanders <tsp> ( cnn ) -- iceland 's voters overwhelmingly rejected a deal to pay billions of dollars it owes to the united kingdom and the netherlands , the foreign ministry said sunday . with around 90 percent of votes counted , just over 93 percent said no and just under 2 percent said yes . not enough votes remain to be counted to change the result . some 62.5 percent of iceland 's roughly 200,000 register voters cast ballots , the ministry said . the referendum was on a law about repaying the netherlands and uk , which helped savers in their own countries who lost money in a failed icelandic internet bank . the british and dutch governments came up with more than $ 5 billion for bailing out people who lost money in icesave -- an online retail bank branch of landsbanki . that icelandic bank failed in october 2008 , along with two other banks in the country . under a european union directive , iceland now owes compensation to britain and the netherlands . the icelandic government has said it will honor its international obligations . iceland 's parliament passed a bill authorizing a state guarantee for repayment of the funds , but president olafur ragnar grimsson declined to sign it in january . he cited public disapproval , and in particular , an internet petition signed by up to one-quarter of the electorate , as a reason for not signing the bill . he said there needed to be a national consensus in addressing the issue . that prompted saturday 's national referendum on the law . the icelandic public widely disapproved of the deal , the government said in a fact sheet on the deal . there is widespread frustration over the claim on ordinary citizens in iceland to pay the price for the irresponsible behavior of reckless bankers , ' it said . magnus arni skulason , who campaigned against the bill , called the terms of the loan repayment unacceptable . of course we feel empathy for those people that lost money , ' he said saturday while voting was going on . we just want to get a more reasonable agreement , ' he told cnn . it is not clear what happens now that voters have said no to the loan guarantees . the international monetary fund loaned iceland $ 2.1 billion in november , and said repaying the money to the british and dutch governments was a requirement of the loan . iceland has begun moves toward applying for european union membership , which britain and the netherlands could block . britain spent £2.3 billion ( $ 3.69 billion ) last year to cover the losses that british savers incurred when icelandic banks collapsed . the dutch government spent €1.3 billion ( $ 1.87 billion ) to cover bank losses in the country . the icelandic government said it has clearly stated its intention to honor its international obligations and remains fully committed to implementing the bilateral loan agreements with the uk and the netherlands . ' | some icelanders say that the current repayment terms are unacceptable |
netherlands <tsp> ( cnn ) -- iceland 's voters overwhelmingly rejected a deal to pay billions of dollars it owes to the united kingdom and the netherlands , the foreign ministry said sunday . with around 90 percent of votes counted , just over 93 percent said no and just under 2 percent said yes . not enough votes remain to be counted to change the result . some 62.5 percent of iceland 's roughly 200,000 register voters cast ballots , the ministry said . the referendum was on a law about repaying the netherlands and uk , which helped savers in their own countries who lost money in a failed icelandic internet bank . the british and dutch governments came up with more than $ 5 billion for bailing out people who lost money in icesave -- an online retail bank branch of landsbanki . that icelandic bank failed in october 2008 , along with two other banks in the country . under a european union directive , iceland now owes compensation to britain and the netherlands . the icelandic government has said it will honor its international obligations . iceland 's parliament passed a bill authorizing a state guarantee for repayment of the funds , but president olafur ragnar grimsson declined to sign it in january . he cited public disapproval , and in particular , an internet petition signed by up to one-quarter of the electorate , as a reason for not signing the bill . he said there needed to be a national consensus in addressing the issue . that prompted saturday 's national referendum on the law . the icelandic public widely disapproved of the deal , the government said in a fact sheet on the deal . there is widespread frustration over the claim on ordinary citizens in iceland to pay the price for the irresponsible behavior of reckless bankers , ' it said . magnus arni skulason , who campaigned against the bill , called the terms of the loan repayment unacceptable . of course we feel empathy for those people that lost money , ' he said saturday while voting was going on . we just want to get a more reasonable agreement , ' he told cnn . it is not clear what happens now that voters have said no to the loan guarantees . the international monetary fund loaned iceland $ 2.1 billion in november , and said repaying the money to the british and dutch governments was a requirement of the loan . iceland has begun moves toward applying for european union membership , which britain and the netherlands could block . britain spent £2.3 billion ( $ 3.69 billion ) last year to cover the losses that british savers incurred when icelandic banks collapsed . the dutch government spent €1.3 billion ( $ 1.87 billion ) to cover bank losses in the country . the icelandic government said it has clearly stated its intention to honor its international obligations and remains fully committed to implementing the bilateral loan agreements with the uk and the netherlands . ' | under an eu directive , iceland owes compensation to the uk , the netherlands |
ciro ferrara <tsp> ( cnn ) -- juventus have sacked coach ciro ferrara after a string of poor results and have installed alberto zaccheroni in the hot seat until the end of the season . ferrara 's position has been threatened after a dismal run which has seen them slip out of contention in the serie a title race as well as being eliminated from the champions league at the group stages . thursday 's 2-1 coppa italia defeat to italian champions inter milan proved the final straw and the club released a statement to confirm his departure and zaccheroni 's arrival . zaccheroni will take over the team immediately and will guide this afternoon 's training session in vinovo before being officially unveiled to the media , ' it read . ferrara joined juve late last season and steered the turin powerhouses to second place in serie a behind inter . but his first full campaign in charge proved challenging after a promising start to the season . the bianconeri have lost five of their last six games in serie a and have slumped to sixth in the standings , four points behind napoli , who hold the last champions league qualifying spot . zaccheroni will hope to get them on track with his first game against lazio on sunday . the 56-year-old has coached at a number of leading serie a clubs and helped ac milan to the 1999 italian title , but it is his first job since being sacked by torino in february 2007 . ferrara , a former italy international and juventus defender , was given the reins despite his lack of experience , succeeding current roma coach claudio ranieri , who was fired . zaccheroni 's appointment ends , for now , media speculation that liverpool manager rafael benitez would take charge at juve , but the short-term nature of his contract until june raises questions about the permanence of his stay . benitez acknowledged the speculation in his weekly press conference on friday . i am focused on preparing my team for the game against bolton . i know they ( juventus ) were interested , that is part of the game now in football , but i am not ready to talk too much because i do n't want to lose my focus . when you are a manager and you have clubs asking ( for you ) , you have to be proud because they are a top side in europe , but i am really happy here and want to do my job as best i can . ' | juventus sack coach ciro ferrara after a string of poor results in serie a and europe |
milan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- juventus have sacked coach ciro ferrara after a string of poor results and have installed alberto zaccheroni in the hot seat until the end of the season . ferrara 's position has been threatened after a dismal run which has seen them slip out of contention in the serie a title race as well as being eliminated from the champions league at the group stages . thursday 's 2-1 coppa italia defeat to italian champions inter milan proved the final straw and the club released a statement to confirm his departure and zaccheroni 's arrival . zaccheroni will take over the team immediately and will guide this afternoon 's training session in vinovo before being officially unveiled to the media , ' it read . ferrara joined juve late last season and steered the turin powerhouses to second place in serie a behind inter . but his first full campaign in charge proved challenging after a promising start to the season . the bianconeri have lost five of their last six games in serie a and have slumped to sixth in the standings , four points behind napoli , who hold the last champions league qualifying spot . zaccheroni will hope to get them on track with his first game against lazio on sunday . the 56-year-old has coached at a number of leading serie a clubs and helped ac milan to the 1999 italian title , but it is his first job since being sacked by torino in february 2007 . ferrara , a former italy international and juventus defender , was given the reins despite his lack of experience , succeeding current roma coach claudio ranieri , who was fired . zaccheroni 's appointment ends , for now , media speculation that liverpool manager rafael benitez would take charge at juve , but the short-term nature of his contract until june raises questions about the permanence of his stay . benitez acknowledged the speculation in his weekly press conference on friday . i am focused on preparing my team for the game against bolton . i know they ( juventus ) were interested , that is part of the game now in football , but i am not ready to talk too much because i do n't want to lose my focus . when you are a manager and you have clubs asking ( for you ) , you have to be proud because they are a top side in europe , but i am really happy here and want to do my job as best i can . ' | ferrari replaced by former milan coach alberto zaccheroni until the end of the season |
sherrod <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former agriculture department employee shirley sherrod said thursday she will pursue a lawsuit against conservative blogger andrew breitbart . breitbart posted an edited video clip of sherrod appearing to say she discriminated against a white farmer looking for assistance . the clip showed her addressing a chapter of the naacp . i will definitely do it , ' she said when asked whether she was considering legal action . sherrod made her remarks during an appearance at the national association of black journalists convention in san diego , california . breitbart had to know that he was targeting me , ' sherrod said . at this point , he has n't apologized . i do n't want it at this point , and he 'll definitely hear from me . ' breitbart did not immediately respond to a request for comment . he has said he released the sherrod video because he believes it shows the naacp itself tolerates racist behavior within its ranks -- an accusation that came after the civil rights group made a similar charge against the conservative tea party movement . this was not about shirley sherrod , ' breitbart told cnn 's john king . brent bozell , head of the conservative media research center , said thursday sherrod was the one who needed to apologize . andrew breitbart is going to be fine . he 's done nothing wrong , ' bozell said . i wonder if ms. sherrod , who is such a champion of transparency , will publicly disclose who is putting her up to this . and i also hope this champion of honesty will stop lying about fox news , ' which has been accused of pushing the story before full details emerged , he said . i 'm also waiting for ms. sherrod to publicly apologize for accusing anyone opposed to nationalized healthcare of being racist , ' bozell said . last time i checked , that was more than half the country . ' the controversy surrounding the clip led to a rush to judgment and sherrod 's forced resignation . however , it was later determined that her speech , unedited , focused on how the incident changed her outlook and made her realize people should move beyond race . the incident occurred 24 years ago , before sherrod began working for the usda . she received an official apology from the usda and a phone call from president barack obama once the full text of her remarks came to light . sherrod has since been offered another position at the agriculture department . obama said earlier thursday that sherrod deserves better than what happened last week . ' speaking at a national urban league conference in washington , obama called the claim of racism against her bogus . ' many are to blame ' for the reaction that followed , he said , including my own administration . ' her whole story , obama said he told sherrod , is exactly the kind of story we need to hear in america ( because ) we all have our biases . ' | shirley sherrod says she plans to sue conservative blogger andrew breitbart |
sherrod <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former agriculture department employee shirley sherrod said thursday she will pursue a lawsuit against conservative blogger andrew breitbart . breitbart posted an edited video clip of sherrod appearing to say she discriminated against a white farmer looking for assistance . the clip showed her addressing a chapter of the naacp . i will definitely do it , ' she said when asked whether she was considering legal action . sherrod made her remarks during an appearance at the national association of black journalists convention in san diego , california . breitbart had to know that he was targeting me , ' sherrod said . at this point , he has n't apologized . i do n't want it at this point , and he 'll definitely hear from me . ' breitbart did not immediately respond to a request for comment . he has said he released the sherrod video because he believes it shows the naacp itself tolerates racist behavior within its ranks -- an accusation that came after the civil rights group made a similar charge against the conservative tea party movement . this was not about shirley sherrod , ' breitbart told cnn 's john king . brent bozell , head of the conservative media research center , said thursday sherrod was the one who needed to apologize . andrew breitbart is going to be fine . he 's done nothing wrong , ' bozell said . i wonder if ms. sherrod , who is such a champion of transparency , will publicly disclose who is putting her up to this . and i also hope this champion of honesty will stop lying about fox news , ' which has been accused of pushing the story before full details emerged , he said . i 'm also waiting for ms. sherrod to publicly apologize for accusing anyone opposed to nationalized healthcare of being racist , ' bozell said . last time i checked , that was more than half the country . ' the controversy surrounding the clip led to a rush to judgment and sherrod 's forced resignation . however , it was later determined that her speech , unedited , focused on how the incident changed her outlook and made her realize people should move beyond race . the incident occurred 24 years ago , before sherrod began working for the usda . she received an official apology from the usda and a phone call from president barack obama once the full text of her remarks came to light . sherrod has since been offered another position at the agriculture department . obama said earlier thursday that sherrod deserves better than what happened last week . ' speaking at a national urban league conference in washington , obama called the claim of racism against her bogus . ' many are to blame ' for the reaction that followed , he said , including my own administration . ' her whole story , obama said he told sherrod , is exactly the kind of story we need to hear in america ( because ) we all have our biases . ' | new : brent bozell says sherrod needs to apologize |
sherrod <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former agriculture department employee shirley sherrod said thursday she will pursue a lawsuit against conservative blogger andrew breitbart . breitbart posted an edited video clip of sherrod appearing to say she discriminated against a white farmer looking for assistance . the clip showed her addressing a chapter of the naacp . i will definitely do it , ' she said when asked whether she was considering legal action . sherrod made her remarks during an appearance at the national association of black journalists convention in san diego , california . breitbart had to know that he was targeting me , ' sherrod said . at this point , he has n't apologized . i do n't want it at this point , and he 'll definitely hear from me . ' breitbart did not immediately respond to a request for comment . he has said he released the sherrod video because he believes it shows the naacp itself tolerates racist behavior within its ranks -- an accusation that came after the civil rights group made a similar charge against the conservative tea party movement . this was not about shirley sherrod , ' breitbart told cnn 's john king . brent bozell , head of the conservative media research center , said thursday sherrod was the one who needed to apologize . andrew breitbart is going to be fine . he 's done nothing wrong , ' bozell said . i wonder if ms. sherrod , who is such a champion of transparency , will publicly disclose who is putting her up to this . and i also hope this champion of honesty will stop lying about fox news , ' which has been accused of pushing the story before full details emerged , he said . i 'm also waiting for ms. sherrod to publicly apologize for accusing anyone opposed to nationalized healthcare of being racist , ' bozell said . last time i checked , that was more than half the country . ' the controversy surrounding the clip led to a rush to judgment and sherrod 's forced resignation . however , it was later determined that her speech , unedited , focused on how the incident changed her outlook and made her realize people should move beyond race . the incident occurred 24 years ago , before sherrod began working for the usda . she received an official apology from the usda and a phone call from president barack obama once the full text of her remarks came to light . sherrod has since been offered another position at the agriculture department . obama said earlier thursday that sherrod deserves better than what happened last week . ' speaking at a national urban league conference in washington , obama called the claim of racism against her bogus . ' many are to blame ' for the reaction that followed , he said , including my own administration . ' her whole story , obama said he told sherrod , is exactly the kind of story we need to hear in america ( because ) we all have our biases . ' | sherrod says breitbart had to know ' he was targeting her |
israel <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- the united states is absolutely not ' giving israel a green light to attack iran , u.s. president barack obama told cnn tuesday . president obama meets tuesday with russian prime minister vladimir putin near moscow . we have said directly to the israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the middle east , ' obama said , referring to iran 's nuclear ambitions . obama has been in moscow for a summit aimed at trying to reset the u.s.-russian relationship . on sunday , u.s. vice president joe biden appeared to leave the door open for israel to attack iran if it saw fit . israel can determine for itself -- it 's a sovereign nation -- what 's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to iran and anyone else , ' biden said on abc 's this week . ' obama said tuesday that biden had simply been stating a fact , not sending a signal . i think vice president biden stated a categorical fact , which is we ca n't dictate to other countries what their security interests are . what is also true is that it is the policy of the united states to resolve the issue of iran 's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels , ' he said . watch cnn 's ed henry interview president obama » the top u.s. military leader , adm. mike mullen , said later on tuesday that he understands israel 's position . the israelis see iran achieving a nuclear capability as an existential threat , and that fact is tied to the rhetoric of the leadership of iran , which ... has said that they would seek to eliminate israel , ' said mullen , the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff . his counterparts in the gulf also understand the israeli stance , whether or not they agree , mullen said . that gets back to the criticality ... of solving this before iran gets a nuclear capability , or that anyone ... would take action to strike them . and i think that window is a very narrow window , ' he said in a speech at the center for strategic and international studies in washington . he said he hoped diplomacy would resolve the issue . i am hopeful that that dialogue is productive . i worry about it a great deal if it 's not , ' mullen said . the state department took a similar line on monday . our goal here is to prevent iran from obtaining nuclear weapons . when i say'our'it is just not the united states -- it is the international community , ' spokesman ian kelly said . israel is a sovereign country . we are not going to dictate its actions . we also are committed to israel 's security and we share israel 's deep concerns about iran 's nuclear program . ' asked if this could be interpreted as the united states flashing a green light for israel to attack iran 's nuclear sites , kelly said , i certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action . ' the israeli government considers iran 's nuclear program to be the dominant threat facing the country . cnn white house correspondent ed henry in moscow and cnn 's emily sherman in washington contributed to this report . | president obama says u.s. absolutely not ' giving israel go-ahead to attack iran |
israel <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- the united states is absolutely not ' giving israel a green light to attack iran , u.s. president barack obama told cnn tuesday . president obama meets tuesday with russian prime minister vladimir putin near moscow . we have said directly to the israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the middle east , ' obama said , referring to iran 's nuclear ambitions . obama has been in moscow for a summit aimed at trying to reset the u.s.-russian relationship . on sunday , u.s. vice president joe biden appeared to leave the door open for israel to attack iran if it saw fit . israel can determine for itself -- it 's a sovereign nation -- what 's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to iran and anyone else , ' biden said on abc 's this week . ' obama said tuesday that biden had simply been stating a fact , not sending a signal . i think vice president biden stated a categorical fact , which is we ca n't dictate to other countries what their security interests are . what is also true is that it is the policy of the united states to resolve the issue of iran 's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels , ' he said . watch cnn 's ed henry interview president obama » the top u.s. military leader , adm. mike mullen , said later on tuesday that he understands israel 's position . the israelis see iran achieving a nuclear capability as an existential threat , and that fact is tied to the rhetoric of the leadership of iran , which ... has said that they would seek to eliminate israel , ' said mullen , the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff . his counterparts in the gulf also understand the israeli stance , whether or not they agree , mullen said . that gets back to the criticality ... of solving this before iran gets a nuclear capability , or that anyone ... would take action to strike them . and i think that window is a very narrow window , ' he said in a speech at the center for strategic and international studies in washington . he said he hoped diplomacy would resolve the issue . i am hopeful that that dialogue is productive . i worry about it a great deal if it 's not , ' mullen said . the state department took a similar line on monday . our goal here is to prevent iran from obtaining nuclear weapons . when i say'our'it is just not the united states -- it is the international community , ' spokesman ian kelly said . israel is a sovereign country . we are not going to dictate its actions . we also are committed to israel 's security and we share israel 's deep concerns about iran 's nuclear program . ' asked if this could be interpreted as the united states flashing a green light for israel to attack iran 's nuclear sites , kelly said , i certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action . ' the israeli government considers iran 's nuclear program to be the dominant threat facing the country . cnn white house correspondent ed henry in moscow and cnn 's emily sherman in washington contributed to this report . | israel needs to find way not to create major conflict in the middle east , ' obama says |
israel <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- the united states is absolutely not ' giving israel a green light to attack iran , u.s. president barack obama told cnn tuesday . president obama meets tuesday with russian prime minister vladimir putin near moscow . we have said directly to the israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the middle east , ' obama said , referring to iran 's nuclear ambitions . obama has been in moscow for a summit aimed at trying to reset the u.s.-russian relationship . on sunday , u.s. vice president joe biden appeared to leave the door open for israel to attack iran if it saw fit . israel can determine for itself -- it 's a sovereign nation -- what 's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to iran and anyone else , ' biden said on abc 's this week . ' obama said tuesday that biden had simply been stating a fact , not sending a signal . i think vice president biden stated a categorical fact , which is we ca n't dictate to other countries what their security interests are . what is also true is that it is the policy of the united states to resolve the issue of iran 's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels , ' he said . watch cnn 's ed henry interview president obama » the top u.s. military leader , adm. mike mullen , said later on tuesday that he understands israel 's position . the israelis see iran achieving a nuclear capability as an existential threat , and that fact is tied to the rhetoric of the leadership of iran , which ... has said that they would seek to eliminate israel , ' said mullen , the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff . his counterparts in the gulf also understand the israeli stance , whether or not they agree , mullen said . that gets back to the criticality ... of solving this before iran gets a nuclear capability , or that anyone ... would take action to strike them . and i think that window is a very narrow window , ' he said in a speech at the center for strategic and international studies in washington . he said he hoped diplomacy would resolve the issue . i am hopeful that that dialogue is productive . i worry about it a great deal if it 's not , ' mullen said . the state department took a similar line on monday . our goal here is to prevent iran from obtaining nuclear weapons . when i say'our'it is just not the united states -- it is the international community , ' spokesman ian kelly said . israel is a sovereign country . we are not going to dictate its actions . we also are committed to israel 's security and we share israel 's deep concerns about iran 's nuclear program . ' asked if this could be interpreted as the united states flashing a green light for israel to attack iran 's nuclear sites , kelly said , i certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action . ' the israeli government considers iran 's nuclear program to be the dominant threat facing the country . cnn white house correspondent ed henry in moscow and cnn 's emily sherman in washington contributed to this report . | israel is concerned about iran 's nuclear ambitions |
israel <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- the united states is absolutely not ' giving israel a green light to attack iran , u.s. president barack obama told cnn tuesday . president obama meets tuesday with russian prime minister vladimir putin near moscow . we have said directly to the israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the middle east , ' obama said , referring to iran 's nuclear ambitions . obama has been in moscow for a summit aimed at trying to reset the u.s.-russian relationship . on sunday , u.s. vice president joe biden appeared to leave the door open for israel to attack iran if it saw fit . israel can determine for itself -- it 's a sovereign nation -- what 's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to iran and anyone else , ' biden said on abc 's this week . ' obama said tuesday that biden had simply been stating a fact , not sending a signal . i think vice president biden stated a categorical fact , which is we ca n't dictate to other countries what their security interests are . what is also true is that it is the policy of the united states to resolve the issue of iran 's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels , ' he said . watch cnn 's ed henry interview president obama » the top u.s. military leader , adm. mike mullen , said later on tuesday that he understands israel 's position . the israelis see iran achieving a nuclear capability as an existential threat , and that fact is tied to the rhetoric of the leadership of iran , which ... has said that they would seek to eliminate israel , ' said mullen , the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff . his counterparts in the gulf also understand the israeli stance , whether or not they agree , mullen said . that gets back to the criticality ... of solving this before iran gets a nuclear capability , or that anyone ... would take action to strike them . and i think that window is a very narrow window , ' he said in a speech at the center for strategic and international studies in washington . he said he hoped diplomacy would resolve the issue . i am hopeful that that dialogue is productive . i worry about it a great deal if it 's not , ' mullen said . the state department took a similar line on monday . our goal here is to prevent iran from obtaining nuclear weapons . when i say'our'it is just not the united states -- it is the international community , ' spokesman ian kelly said . israel is a sovereign country . we are not going to dictate its actions . we also are committed to israel 's security and we share israel 's deep concerns about iran 's nuclear program . ' asked if this could be interpreted as the united states flashing a green light for israel to attack iran 's nuclear sites , kelly said , i certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action . ' the israeli government considers iran 's nuclear program to be the dominant threat facing the country . cnn white house correspondent ed henry in moscow and cnn 's emily sherman in washington contributed to this report . | vice president biden on sunday appeared to leave door open for israel to attack iran |
saket soni <tsp> ( cnn ) -- last week , federal immigration authorities seized more than a dozen 7-eleven stores in new york and virginia . authorities charged that the stores'franchisees brutally exploited ' more than 50 undocumented immigrant workers . the workers allegedly worked up to 100 hours a week , for as little as $ 3 an hour . they were forced to live in housing the employers owned and controlled , authorities said . for many , it was a shock . an iconic american corporation was allegedly profiting from what the u.s. attorney 's office called a modern-day plantation system . ' prosecutors are seeking $ 30 million in forfeiture , not only from the franchisees but also from the 7-eleven parent corporation . the real shock should be how common cases such as this have become . millions of immigrant workers are uniquely vulnerable to abuse , because employers can threaten them with retaliatory firing and deportation to silence complaints . in this context , the allegations that 7-eleven ran a plantation system ' for 13 years sounds more plausible . consider : in march , workers from several nations filed federal complaints describing similar exploitation at mcdonald 's restaurants in central pennsylvania . the workers , students who had come to the united states with j-1 visas to work under the summer work travel program , reported brutal conditions , wage theft and shifts of up to 25 hours straight with no overtime pay . they said they were made to live in substandard housing owned by the employer , and faced threats of deportation when they raised concerns . in june 2012 , another group of immigrant workers alleged forced labor at a louisiana walmart supplier called c.j . 's seafood . supervisors threatened to beat them with a shovel , they said , to make them work faster , and when they spoke up , the boss allegedly threatened violence against their families . recent debate on the senate floor also recalled an emblematic 2011 case of exploitation at a hershey 's chocolate packing plant in pennsylvania . there , immigrant guest workers said in a federal complaint that they earned subminimum wage take-home pay and faced constant threats of firing and deportation . among the many similarities in these cases , most striking is that all four came to light because immigrant workers defied threats and blew the whistle . when they did , they stood up not just for themselves , but for u.s. workers as well . in a recent national survey of 1,000 registered voters by cambio ( a coalition of pro-reform groups of which the national guestworker alliance is a member ) , 75 % agreed that if employers are allowed to get away with mistreating immigrant workers , it ends up lowering wages and hurting conditions for american workers as well . ' eighty percent agreed that immigrant workers who blow the whistle on abusive employers are helping defend workplace standards , and should have the opportunity to stay in the u.s. to work toward citizenship . ' right now , protections for immigrant whistle-blowers are weak . immigration and customs enforcement routinely ignores a memorandum from its director , john morton , allowing it not to pursue deportation against whistle-blowers . in new orleans , 26 workers who helped expose exploitation in the louisiana home elevation industry were arrested in an immigration raid in august 2011 , and most are still fighting their deportations today . across the country , workers who have been the victims of exploitation -- and have come forward to stop it -- are treated as disposable . immigration reform needs to change that . first , as the bill moves through the senate and on to the house of representatives , it needs to include provisions that deliver dignity at work to the more than 7 million immigrant workers in the united states -- and that keep the floor from falling for the 150 million u.s.-born workers who work alongside them . a bill called the power act would provide the key protections to both . it needs to be included in the immigration reform bill . second , immigration reform must deliver equal rights to all immigrant workers , so that unscrupulous employers ca n't pick and choose the most exploitable workers to undercut the competition . all immigrant workers who come to the united states through future guest-worker programs must have strong whistle-blower protections and the right to change employers as freely as any worker on american shores . raising the floor for the immigrant workers at the bottom of the u.s. economy means building a stronger , more secure economy for all workers . that 's why protecting immigrant workers does n't just matter for immigrants . it matters for every worker in america . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of saket soni . | saket soni : authorities seized some 7-eleven stores , saying immigrants exploited |
blackfriars <tsp> over 4,400 solar panels compose the roof of blackfriars bridge in the city of london , making it the largest solar-powered bridge in the world . the old victorian bridge was built across the river thames in 1886 , but unlike other bridges throughout the city , it also operates as a railway station to serve commuters from all the surrounding areas , while offering a stunning view . being the first station to span the river thames , the bridge has always had high demands on power . in 2009 it received a makeover : the wrought-iron bridge was dismantled and rebuilt to generate its own power using the sun . a new roof was installed , housing solar panels over 6000 square meters , which is enough to cover 23 tennis courts . on a sunny day , the canopy can produce up to a megawatt of electricity . the bridge reopened in 2012 and the installation of the array was part of a larger upgrading project involving the station as a whole to cater for more passengers and improve services . it generates enough electricity to make about 80,000 cups of tea a day , ' explains chris binns , head of engineering at network rail who led the upgrade . the use of solar power now provides up to 50 percent of the energy needed at the station and is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 511 tonnes per year . the increased production of solar panels worldwide , particularly in china , has brought the previously high expense of solar cells plummeting down to make designs like this more affordable . it 's a wonderful showcase of how britain can actually build something that 's significant , ' says professor ned ekins-daukes , an expert on solar energy at imperial college london . this is the most powerful bridge in the world and it 's using solar power in britain , not a country well known for its sunshine . ' cities across the world are increasingly harnessing the sun 's energy , with landmarks as iconic as the eiffel tower and taj mahal planning to incorporate solar panels into their architecture . if the gray skies of london can accomplish such results across the thames , imagine the potential elsewhere . read more from future cities : shared space , where the streets have no rules invisible solar panels hidden in your windows ? they 're coming brazil 's idea for future mobility ? the good old bus | blackfriars bridge in the city of london is the world 's largest solar-powered bridge . |
blackfriars <tsp> over 4,400 solar panels compose the roof of blackfriars bridge in the city of london , making it the largest solar-powered bridge in the world . the old victorian bridge was built across the river thames in 1886 , but unlike other bridges throughout the city , it also operates as a railway station to serve commuters from all the surrounding areas , while offering a stunning view . being the first station to span the river thames , the bridge has always had high demands on power . in 2009 it received a makeover : the wrought-iron bridge was dismantled and rebuilt to generate its own power using the sun . a new roof was installed , housing solar panels over 6000 square meters , which is enough to cover 23 tennis courts . on a sunny day , the canopy can produce up to a megawatt of electricity . the bridge reopened in 2012 and the installation of the array was part of a larger upgrading project involving the station as a whole to cater for more passengers and improve services . it generates enough electricity to make about 80,000 cups of tea a day , ' explains chris binns , head of engineering at network rail who led the upgrade . the use of solar power now provides up to 50 percent of the energy needed at the station and is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 511 tonnes per year . the increased production of solar panels worldwide , particularly in china , has brought the previously high expense of solar cells plummeting down to make designs like this more affordable . it 's a wonderful showcase of how britain can actually build something that 's significant , ' says professor ned ekins-daukes , an expert on solar energy at imperial college london . this is the most powerful bridge in the world and it 's using solar power in britain , not a country well known for its sunshine . ' cities across the world are increasingly harnessing the sun 's energy , with landmarks as iconic as the eiffel tower and taj mahal planning to incorporate solar panels into their architecture . if the gray skies of london can accomplish such results across the thames , imagine the potential elsewhere . read more from future cities : shared space , where the streets have no rules invisible solar panels hidden in your windows ? they 're coming brazil 's idea for future mobility ? the good old bus | clean energy provides 50 percent of the requirements of blackfriars railway station , located on the bridge . |
europe <tsp> spanish national police said friday they have seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in an operation that they said thwarted an attempt by mexican drug dealers allied with the sinaloa drug cartel to establish a foothold in europe . but an expert on the mexican drug war , malcolm beith , disputed that assertion . they 're already operating in europe , ' he told cnn in a telephone interview , citing reports of the cartel shipping drugs to ports in england , netherlands and germany . spain is the principal gateway for drugs coming to europe , beith said . the operation , dubbed dark waters ' and carried out in collaboration with the fbi , resulted in the arrests in madrid of four members of the cartel , which is run by joaquin guzman loera , also known as el chapo , ' police said in a statement . dark waters was initiated in may 2009 by the fbi 's office in boston , massachusetts , which was looking into the cartel , said the statement . in october 2010 , agents from the fbi met with the national police 's central brigade of organized crime after learning of the cartel 's alleged plans to expand operations in europe , it said . the bulk of the investigation unfolded in the united states , where u.s. agents discovered that cartel members were planning to travel to spain , a trip that occurred the following march , the statement said . once the suspects were inside spain , they were placed under tight surveillance by spanish police , it said . thanks to the exchange of information with the fbi , one knew that the suspects planned to initiate important shipments of cocaine by ship , hidden in containers with legal , declared cargo , ' it said . they adopted great measures of security to ensure the success of the operations , and sent various containers without any type of drug . finally , they sent their first shipment in a boat from brazil . the container , which was intercepted in late july in the port of algeciras , concealed 373 kilos of cocaine . ' investigators identified jesus gonzalo palazuelos soto , who moved to madrid to oversee the operation , as a member of the group , it said . a few days later , he was joined by jesus gutierrez guzman , a cousin of el chapo ' and considered the leader of the group ; samuel zazueta valenzuela , a principal collaborator , and rafael humberto celaya valenzuela , who was overseeing the organization 's legal ' affairs , it said . the four men , aged 37 to 52 , were arrested near their hotels in madrid , it said . they had been sought by u.s. authorities for drug trafficking , money laundering and other charges . their hotel rooms contained $ 5,500 , about 3,000 euros and 4,000 mexican pesos , it said . if indeed chapo ' guzman 's cousin was among the men arrested , that is a big deal , ' said beith , whose books the last narco ' and hasta el ultimo dia , ' focus on the mexican drug war . though he said he had never heard of the man , as a relative , he 's clearly an envoy of sorts . he 's not just some low-level conejo -- rabbit scout . ' beith said friday 's announcement was a testament to the improvement in intelligence sharing by international agencies . as the drug wars come under fire from many quarters , one of the big advances that has been made has been intelligence sharing between u.s. agencies and their foreign counterparts , and this is further proof of that . ' | spanish police say they thwarted an attempt by the sinaloa cartel to establish a foothold in europe |
europe <tsp> spanish national police said friday they have seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in an operation that they said thwarted an attempt by mexican drug dealers allied with the sinaloa drug cartel to establish a foothold in europe . but an expert on the mexican drug war , malcolm beith , disputed that assertion . they 're already operating in europe , ' he told cnn in a telephone interview , citing reports of the cartel shipping drugs to ports in england , netherlands and germany . spain is the principal gateway for drugs coming to europe , beith said . the operation , dubbed dark waters ' and carried out in collaboration with the fbi , resulted in the arrests in madrid of four members of the cartel , which is run by joaquin guzman loera , also known as el chapo , ' police said in a statement . dark waters was initiated in may 2009 by the fbi 's office in boston , massachusetts , which was looking into the cartel , said the statement . in october 2010 , agents from the fbi met with the national police 's central brigade of organized crime after learning of the cartel 's alleged plans to expand operations in europe , it said . the bulk of the investigation unfolded in the united states , where u.s. agents discovered that cartel members were planning to travel to spain , a trip that occurred the following march , the statement said . once the suspects were inside spain , they were placed under tight surveillance by spanish police , it said . thanks to the exchange of information with the fbi , one knew that the suspects planned to initiate important shipments of cocaine by ship , hidden in containers with legal , declared cargo , ' it said . they adopted great measures of security to ensure the success of the operations , and sent various containers without any type of drug . finally , they sent their first shipment in a boat from brazil . the container , which was intercepted in late july in the port of algeciras , concealed 373 kilos of cocaine . ' investigators identified jesus gonzalo palazuelos soto , who moved to madrid to oversee the operation , as a member of the group , it said . a few days later , he was joined by jesus gutierrez guzman , a cousin of el chapo ' and considered the leader of the group ; samuel zazueta valenzuela , a principal collaborator , and rafael humberto celaya valenzuela , who was overseeing the organization 's legal ' affairs , it said . the four men , aged 37 to 52 , were arrested near their hotels in madrid , it said . they had been sought by u.s. authorities for drug trafficking , money laundering and other charges . their hotel rooms contained $ 5,500 , about 3,000 euros and 4,000 mexican pesos , it said . if indeed chapo ' guzman 's cousin was among the men arrested , that is a big deal , ' said beith , whose books the last narco ' and hasta el ultimo dia , ' focus on the mexican drug war . though he said he had never heard of the man , as a relative , he 's clearly an envoy of sorts . he 's not just some low-level conejo -- rabbit scout . ' beith said friday 's announcement was a testament to the improvement in intelligence sharing by international agencies . as the drug wars come under fire from many quarters , one of the big advances that has been made has been intelligence sharing between u.s. agencies and their foreign counterparts , and this is further proof of that . ' | they 're already operating in europe , ' says author malcolm beith about the sinaloa cartel |
chinese <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton held talks with a string of chinese officials in beijing on wednesday but appeared to gain little traction on the sensitive issue of the competing maritime claims of china and its neighbors in the region . after receiving a hostile welcome in editorials and articles in the chinese news media when she arrived tuesday , clinton also had to contend with the abrupt cancellation of her planned meeting with vice president xi jinping , who is expected to become the next chinese president . beijing attributed the decision to unspecified scheduling reasons . china talks tough in japan island dispute after meeting with chinese foreign minister yang jiechi on wednesday , clinton repeated the u.s. position on the territorial disputes between china and other countries in the south china sea , urging those involved to begin to engage in a diplomatic process toward the shared goal of a code of conduct . ' tensions over territorial disputes have spiked this year between china and a string of countries around its coastline -- from vietnam in the south to japan in the northeast -- and the united states has been drawn into the fray . but beijing , which prefers to tackle the disputes bilaterally , has reacted angrily to washington 's involvement in the matter , accusing the u.s. state department of unfounded accusations ' and showing a total disregard of facts . ' at the joint news conference with clinton on wednesday , yang took a more diplomatic tack , saying that freedom of navigation and safety in the south china sea is assured . ' but even while clinton was in beijing , the chinese government was maintaining a heated diplomatic back-and-forth on another territorial controversy , this one concerning a set of small islands in the east china sea also claimed by japan and taiwan . the uninhabited islands are known in japan as senkaku and in china as diaoyu , and are privately owned by a japanese family . interactive : asia 's disputed islands - who claims what ? some japanese media outlets reported wednesday that the japanese government had agreed to buy the islands from the family , a claim the government 's chief cabinet secretary , osamu fujimura , declined to confirm , saying talks on the matter were continuing . but that was enough to prompt a stern response from hong lei , a chinese foreign ministry spokesman . i want to emphasize again that any unilateral actions taken by the japanese regarding the diaoyu islands are illegal and invalid , ' he said . we are closely monitoring the developments and will take necessary measures to defend our territorial sovereignty , ' hong added . furious anti-japan protests erupted across china last month when a japanese group sailed to one of the disputed islets and symbolically waved japanese flags . and china does n't seem eager for the united states to get involved in the quarrel . the global times , a chinese newspaper affiliated with the ruling communist party , said in an editorial published tuesday that clinton 's diplomacy in the region has fomented frictions between china and some surrounding countries . ' it called on her to reflect upon the deep harm she is bringing to the sino-us relationship . ' more : islands dispute reopens old wounds in reality , clinton is pressing china on hot-button issues like the territorial disputes , human rights and trade . but at the same time , she is seeking china 's cooperation on such diplomatic headaches as syria , iran and north korea . both the chinese and the u.s. camps sought to play down the cancellation of clinton 's meeting with vice president xi on wednesday , saying he had also called off meetings with other foreign officials . chinese officials said xi would send a letter to clinton . instead of xi , clinton met vice premier li keqiang , who is widely expected to take over from wen jiabao as premier at the end of the leadership transition early next year . a meeting with xi or li is significant -- at least symbolically -- because they are widely expected to succeed the current leaders at a once-a-decade leadership change later this year . in the coming years , u.s.-china relations are expected to remain contentious . as the united states shifts more of its focus back to the asia-pacific region , beijing suspects that the washington is trying to contain china 's rise as a global power . clinton has tried to reassure china about the matter . both president obama and i have said frequently that the united states welcomes the rise of a strong , prosperous and peaceful china , ' she said wednesday . we want china to succeed in delivering economic opportunity to its people , which will have a positive impact on the global economy . we want china to play a greater role in world affairs that strengthens global stability and helps solve urgent challenges . ' the territorial disputes over islands in the south china sea complicate that role . countries like vietnam and the philippines lay claim to some areas of the sea , a 1.3 million-square-mile patch of the pacific ocean dotted with hundreds of largely uninhabited islands and coral atolls . but china has declared indisputable sovereignty ' over large swaths of the area , which is rich in marine life . the stakes are raised further by estimates that potentially huge reserves of natural gas and oil lie underneath the seabed . the potential for conflict was demonstrated in april when a philippine navy vessel confronted chinese fishing boats in a remote rocky outcrop claimed by both countries . opinion : why asia is arguing over its islands the resulting naval standoff between the two countries lasted for more than three months and aroused fears of an open conflict before the philippines withdrew its ships in june , citing stormy weather . the issue of who the lagoon belongs to remains unresolved . analysts have expressed pessimism that the disputes in the south china sea will be defused soon . while the likelihood of major conflict remains low , all of the trends are in the wrong direction , and prospects of resolution are diminishing , ' the international crisis group said in a july report . cnn 's jaime florcruz and chi-chi zhang in beijing , and jethro mullen in hong kong contributed to this report . | secretary of state hillary clinton received a hostile welcome from the chinese media |
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