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manchester united <tsp> ( cnn ) -- on the day one of his former clubs marched closer to yet another title , david beckham was relishing the prospect of making his debut for paris saint-germain in one of french football 's biggest fixtures . the ex-manchester united star has been named in the psg squad for sunday 's home clash with third-placed marseille , the only french team to ever win the european title . le classique ' has come to prominence again following both clubs'return to fortunes -- league-leading psg 's due to an influx of qatari cash , and marseille 's after a humiliating spell outside the top flight thanks to a match-fixing scandal . i played a lot of big games in my career , such as duels between ac milan and inter , real madrid and barcelona , or the galaxy and chivas , ' beckham told psg 's official website after being named in a 20-man squad . i think it 's very exciting to discover a new very special game . ' beckham will not be the only superstar on show on sunday -- his former real madrid teammate , brazilian world cup winner ronaldo , has been invited to the match as a special guest . psg coach carlo ancelotti was wary of confirming that beckham will make his first appearance since agreeing a five-month deal on the final day of the january transfer window , when the 37-year-old english soccer icon promised to give his wages to a children 's charity in paris . he will be available but i do n't want to reveal the team , ' the italian told reporters on saturday . he has worked well and is in good state physically and mentally . he wants to play and he is in a condition to start . he is capable of playing a full match . ' psg will be looking to bounce back from a 3-2 defeat by sochaux , which left the club three points clear of second-placed lyon . manchester united stayed on course for a record-extending 20th english title by beating the premier league 's bottom club queens park rangers 2-0 on saturday to extend the team 's lead to 15 points . second-placed manchester city will seek to cut that gap by beating third-placed chelsea on sunday , while tottenham could go above the deposed european champions with victory at london rivals west ham on monday . united 's top scorer robin van persie injured a hip in the buildup to defender rafael 's opening goal against qpr , but is expected to be fit for the champions league last-16 clash with real madrid on march 5 . he collided with a camera , which was in a dug-out piece of ground . he hit the base of it and has a very bruised hip , ' united boss alex ferguson said of the 19-goal dutchman . ryan giggs celebrated his 999th united appearance by scoring the second goal with 10 minutes left . fifth-placed arsenal moved to within a point of tottenham as spain midfielder santi cazorla scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over third-bottom aston villa to relieve the pressure on manager arsene wenger . sixth-placed everton 's champions league hopes suffered a big blow with a 2-1 defeat at norwich , while west brom moved up to seventh with a 2-1 win at home to sunderland thanks to a double from on-loan chelsea striker romelu lukaku . wigan moved out of the relegation zone with a 3-0 victory at second-bottom reading , as ivory coast striker arouna kone netted twice . former manchester united striker dimitar berbatov scored the only goal of the early midtable game against stoke , his eighth this season . | beckham 's former club manchester united extend english league lead to 15 points |
pakistani <tsp> ( cnn ) -- violence has flared again in northwest pakistan , where terrorists attacked army troops and two militant groups announced an alliance intent on starting a war against security forces . pakistani army spokesman asim bajwa said in a statement saturday that close to 60 terrorists struck security forces in khyber agency , a region west of peshawar that borders afghanistan . the two sides waged a lengthy battle , after which 17 militants were dead while others managed to escape , bajwa said . the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility for the attack . the region has long been a hotbed for armed anti-government activity , not to mention u.s. drone strikes targeting suspected terrorists . sources : drone strikes kill 8 in afghanistan , pakistan the pakistani taliban has been one of the most destabilizing forces in the asian nation . in a statement , the outlawed organization threatened to foment more unrest as it announced it will send fighters to khyber agency and join forces with the militant group lashkar-i-islam . there , the allied forces plan to wage war with pakistani authorities , according to the statement . | pakistani taliban says it 's joining forces with fellow militant group lashkar-i-islam |
pakistani <tsp> ( cnn ) -- violence has flared again in northwest pakistan , where terrorists attacked army troops and two militant groups announced an alliance intent on starting a war against security forces . pakistani army spokesman asim bajwa said in a statement saturday that close to 60 terrorists struck security forces in khyber agency , a region west of peshawar that borders afghanistan . the two sides waged a lengthy battle , after which 17 militants were dead while others managed to escape , bajwa said . the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility for the attack . the region has long been a hotbed for armed anti-government activity , not to mention u.s. drone strikes targeting suspected terrorists . sources : drone strikes kill 8 in afghanistan , pakistan the pakistani taliban has been one of the most destabilizing forces in the asian nation . in a statement , the outlawed organization threatened to foment more unrest as it announced it will send fighters to khyber agency and join forces with the militant group lashkar-i-islam . there , the allied forces plan to wage war with pakistani authorities , according to the statement . | new : pakistani taliban takes credit for attack |
south korea <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- u.s. troops based in south korea have not been put on a heightened state of alert in the wake of that country 's announcement that north korea was behind the sinking of one of its warships in march , the pentagon said thursday . at a pentagon press briefing , u.s. defense secretary robert gates said the united states supports the findings of the investigation -- that the ship was sunk by a north korean torpedo -- but he would not say what the united states is prepared to do , if anything , militarily . we are in close consultations with the south koreans , ' gates said . the attack was against one of their ships and , naturally , they will have the lead in laying out the path forward and we will be consulting with them very closely as we move ahead . ' joint chiefs of staff chairman adm. mike mullen said the status of the 28,500 u.s. troops in south korea has not changed because of the findings . they are on their normal state of readiness . they are engaged very routinely out there , ' mullen said . we have a considerable number of forces stationed both on the land and sea and the forces are clearly aware of what 's going on , ' he said . though gates and mullen would not speculate on what the next step would be for south korea , the united states is bound by treaty to assist that nation if it goes to war . the u.s. army is stretched thin in two wars in iraq and afghanistan , but gates said there are other options in the case of armed conflict on the korean peninsula . we have said for a long time that if there were a problem in korea our main arms would be the navy and the air force , and those are not stretched in the same way that the ground forces are , ' he said . earlier thursday , white house press secretary robert gibbs said the united states was in consultation with a host of different entities , including the [ u.n. ] security council ... and we 're working closely with the south koreans . ' i think there 's a lot of things on the table ' in terms of possible responses , he added . gibbs refused to comment on any specific response . meanwhile , the state department said the united states will send a clear signal to north korea that the sinking of the warship was in violation of international norms and it must pay a price . provocative actions will not be tolerated and ... there will be consequences for those , ' assistant secretary of state p.j . crowley told reporters . at the same time , we will continue to try to see what can be done ... to continue to work towards a peaceful and stable korean peninsula and the broader region , ' he said . crowley said the united states has a range of tools available ' to respond to the incident both unilaterally and collectively with other countries , including unilateral financial sanctions and other measures . however , he said , washington will be guided by the actions the south korean government wants to take . asked whether the united states would consider putting north korea back on the state department 's list of state sponsors of terrorism , crowley said it was unclear whether the ship incident would be considered an act of terrorism to meet the legal threshold for such a designation . the bush administration took north korea off the list in 2008 as part of negotiations on ending pyongyang 's nuclear program . this is not something that anyone would do lightly , and there is an evidentiary standard here that has to be applied , ' crowley said . terrorism normally involves ... acts of violence against innocent civilians . you know , at one level this was a torpedo fired by one military vessel at another military vessel . ' senior state department officials said that although the department 's lawyers would make the final determination , the attack is not likely to be considered a terrorist attack because north and south korea are technically at war . they pointed to a statement issued by the white house calling the attack an act of aggression ' and a violation of the armistice agreement . ' that 1953 agreement inaugurated an uneasy truce between the two koreas , but no peace treaty has been signed to end the war . additionally , the officials suggested that putting north korea back on the terrorism list could be counterproductive because the united states was not the target of the attack . | treaty says u.s. must help south korea in case of war |
cnn <tsp> chris christie , the new jersey gop governor and possible 2016 white house contender , is slamming president obama for passing the buck on the u.s. being ill prepared for the isis threat . in an interview with cnn , christie said he was disturbed ' by the fact that obama told cbs 's 60 minutes ' that the director of national intelligence admitted they underestimated what had been taking place in syria . ' it should be'we ,'mr. president . it 's your administration and when you 're the leader , you have to be held accountable for what they do . i was disturbed by that . i think that makes people a little less certain of his footing on these things , ' christie told cnn . he 's the president and he needs to be accountable and i hope that he says that and corrects what i hope was a misstatement , ' christie added . paul ryan open to boots on the ground : we need to'see this thing through' the governor argued that obama must come up with a plan that helps bring the world together to fight this fight . ' when pressed on the fact that the president has in fact gotten a coalition of arab countries together to help the u.s. in airstrikes , christie responded that he does n't think he has a complete plan . ' listen , as i 've shown before , if i think the president is doing something well i do n't hesitate to say that he is , ' christie said . but i think the jury is still out on this because we should n't be in this position to begin with . ' chris christie builds profile as he eyes 2016 presidential run as the governor considers a run for president himself , he has been expanding his studies and rhetoric to include more about foreign policy . unlike senators contemplating white house campaigns , questions about u.s. policy in the middle east are not in christie 's daily wheelhouse as chief executive of new jersey . what is noteworthy about christie 's criticism of the president on isis is that he kept it focused in an area where he believes he has experience -- leadership and accountability . when asked what he would do if he were commander in chief to confront isis , he quickly responded that he does n't have to answer that question because i 'm not the commander in chief . ' but he might want to be someday . but that day is not today , ' he quickly responded with a mischievous smile . | christie to cnn :'makes people a little less certain of his footing on these things ' |
colombo <tsp> ( cnn ) home to a gorgeous coastline , ancient cities and lush countryside , sri lanka is also slowly healing from the wounds of war . but with a steadily improving infrastructure , this tiny emerald-shaped island is on the rise . here are five essential experiences and destinations . 1 . riding the rails one of the easiest ways to get around the country -- not to mention the cheapest -- is via sri lanka 's rail network . it stretches across some of the country 's most scenic landscapes , from tea gardens and paddy fields to that famed coastline . three of the most photogenic routes are from colombo to kandy , from kandy to the tea estates of ella and from colombo to galle . sri lanka has two competing high-end rail services , expo rail and the rajadhani express . both are first-class carriages run by private operators attached to regular trains run by sri lanka railways . rajadhani express trains can be found on three routes that run on two major sri lanka rail lines . exporail serves more than 60 destinations on four different routes . 2 . walking tour of pettah , colombo pettah is one of the most famous neighborhoods in colombo , known for its historic buildings and markets . a great place to start your tour of this historic area is the pettah market on main street , a hotbed of sinhalese , tamil and muslim merchants . it 's one of the most important trading centers in colombo , selling everything from spices and dried fish to textiles . from here , you can head to sea street for gem shopping . south of the old town hall , vendors sell vegetables and fruits . while in the area , it 's worth paying a visit to the impressive wolfendaal church , built in 1749 , and the historic jami ul alfar mosque , built in 1909 . 3 . golden temple of dambulla the simplicity of its façade is a false tell -- sri lanka 's dambulla cave temple -- also known as the golden temple of dambulla -- contains wonderful painted murals and ancient artifacts . a unesco world heritage site , this rock temple complex dates back to the 1st century bc . towering more than 160 meters , the complex houses five main shrines . in the second cave , known as the temple of the great kings , you 'll find the most impressive and biggest of all five . built by vattagamini abhaya , it houses many buddha statues in varying positions as well as deities from the hindu pantheon . at the top of the complex visitors can watch the sun setting over the countryside . coupling the trip to dambulla cave with a visit to the nearby ancient city of sigiriya makes for a spectacular experience . the best way to do this is to base yourself in the central sri lankan city of kandy , 70 kilometers from dambulla . for hotels , you ca n't go wrong with the chic kandy house ( thekandyhouse.com , amunugama waluwa , gunnepana , +94 81 492 1394 ; rooms from $ 225 ) . 4 . glamorous galle the beautiful town of galle was built around the 16th century by the portuguese . a major trading post on the spice trade route , it also shifted hands between the dutch and english . today , it 's a delight to walk or cycle around , its quaint streets strewn with old warehouses , churches , boutiques and beautiful homes . galle fort occupies roughly 130 acres . you can start your exploration with a walk around the fort wall , moving on to the national maritime museum just opposite the post office . galle has some fabulous restored historic hotels . it 's worth spending a night or two , as you get a real sense of the place when the daily tour buses leave . one of the best properties in town is galle fort hotel ( 28 church st. , galle fort , southern province ; +94 91 223 2870 ) . from a weather standpoint , december to april is the best time to visit galle . 5 . beach hopping with its 1,340-kilometer coastline , sri lanka does n't make things easy for those trying to decide which beach to bum on . first there 's unawatuna , famed for its golden sand . it 's one of the busiest beaches in sri lanka , dotted with shacks , restaurants and hotels for every budget . among these is french lotus ( yaheddimulla road , unawatuna , gall ; +94 77 152 28 67 ; rooms from $ 38 ) , a modest colonial house with cheap rates . for surfers , the waters of ahangama have the best waves in sri lanka . there are many surf schools as well as rental shops across from the beach . lapoint surf camp , situated just opposite the ahangama beach , is renowned among surfers . guests stay in an ocean-side villa , while the camp offers surfing lessons for all levels . seven-day packages start from $ 443 . secluded on the southernmost tip of sri lanka you 'll find the most fabulous stretch of off-white sand and azure water in the country -- tangalle . yet to be hit by mass tourism , it 's a rare piece of paradise . among recommended hotels in tangalle : the luxurious amanwella ( boddhi mawatha , wella wathuara , godellawela , tangalle ; +94 47 224 1333 ; suites from $ 600 ) with its private beach and modern suites . for whale and dolphin watching expeditions there 's mirrisa beach . but you 'll first have to face a three-hour boat ride through rough waters . raja & the whales ( +94 77 695 3452 ; tours from $ 43 per person ) is one of the most responsible tour operators running whale watching trips . | the pettah market is one of the most important trading centers in colombo |
rockaway <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- about this time last year , kate rigaut was surrounded by 15 of her closest relatives , heaping turkey , stuffing and two kinds of potatoes onto her plate . football was on television , beers were in the fridge and the family was together . that 's how it should be , ' she said , stirring the cranberry sauce for this year 's thanksgiving dinner . her tight-knit irish-american family lives on new york 's rockaway peninsula in the belle harbor neighborhood of queens , where a powerful mix of converging weather systems flattened homes on october 29 . when the storm hit , a series of tidal surges crashed through the neighborhood as high winds whipped along the coast , leaving billions of dollars in damage and thousands homeless . volunteers help sandy victims start over ' we normally do n't evacuate , but did this time , ' rigaut said . she fled with her family to her sister-in-law 's place in new jersey one day before superstorm sandy made landfall . but her neighbor , christine mahoney-schneider , decided to stay and brave the torrents unleashed on this coastal community and others like it along the east coast . after each storm surge , she uploaded photos of the aftermath to facebook , keeping rigaut abreast of the condition of her home . as the hours progressed and the photos streamed in , tension mounted . by late evening on october 29 , it became clear that sandy had rendered the rigaut family homeless . my knees buckled , and i fell , ' said rigaut , who is 52 and an attorney . i inherited that house from mom and dad . and we had spent the year renovating . ' the douglas family compound , ' as she called it ( referencing her maiden name ) , had been in the family for generations , serving as a gathering spot for neighborhood get-togethers and holiday festivities . built in 1937 , it was where her parents hosted beach parties and entertained neighbors with beer , wine and music that would often carry along a beachfront that residents lovingly coined the irish riviera . ' during the holidays , throngs of rigaut 's nieces and nephews squeezed onto mismatched chairs set around a cherry oak dining-room table that she inherited from her grandmother . filling their stomachs with stuffed sausage and mushrooms , bread with raspberry and walnuts and sweet potato pie with marshmallows , they would then retire to the family-room couch or their own homes just a few doors down the block . it 's the kind of thing that 's lost in america today . having that fabric of the family in the same neighborhood , ' she said . now , many of those cherished physical spaces in the rockaways are gone in sandy 's wake . the first floor of rigaut 's two-story home collapsed , and its two decks all but disappeared into the sand . rigaut 's husband , mike , uncovered the frayed wooden leg of that dining-room table -- one of many family heirlooms lost in the storm -- down the block , sticking out from a pile of trash . still , rigaut seemed determined to celebrate this year 's holidays in the same fashion to which she was accustomed : surrounded by her family . jersey shore community gives thanks even after sandy ' for us , it 's like the house died , but we did n't , ' she said . sandy caused 119 deaths in the united states , including 43 in new york city and 33 in new jersey . the rigauts and their neighbors managed to escape with their lives . yet three weeks after the storm , they say they still have not received any form of compensation . on top of all of this sadness , we are struggling with the insurance companies , ' said rigaut , whose family is now holed up in a rental home in southern new jersey . undeterred , they say they plan to pile into the car thursday and head north , joining 13 other relatives for thanksgiving dinner in belle harbor at her sister 's storm-battered , though still functional , home . my sister was out buying air mattresses , ' she said . it 's going to be a little tight , sleeping like the irish did after ellis island : 12 to a room ! ' but with a daughter who is borderline asthmatic , ' the rigauts say they plan to stay only one night . what local residents call the rockaway dust ' has them concerned . rotting drywall , mold and piles of garbage across the rockaway peninsula have residents worried about worsening air quality in the region , though officials were not immediately available to comment on the relatively new phenomenon . a red sticker on the rigauts'old front door signifies that the city has condemned the building and plans to demolish it . the remains of their home will now likely join the massive garbage heaps along the rockaway shore , adding to potential health concerns . ireport : who 's at your thanksgiving table ? cnn 's kristina sgueglia contributed to this report | residents now worry about rockaway dust , ' rotting drywall , mold and garbage |
rockaway <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- about this time last year , kate rigaut was surrounded by 15 of her closest relatives , heaping turkey , stuffing and two kinds of potatoes onto her plate . football was on television , beers were in the fridge and the family was together . that 's how it should be , ' she said , stirring the cranberry sauce for this year 's thanksgiving dinner . her tight-knit irish-american family lives on new york 's rockaway peninsula in the belle harbor neighborhood of queens , where a powerful mix of converging weather systems flattened homes on october 29 . when the storm hit , a series of tidal surges crashed through the neighborhood as high winds whipped along the coast , leaving billions of dollars in damage and thousands homeless . volunteers help sandy victims start over ' we normally do n't evacuate , but did this time , ' rigaut said . she fled with her family to her sister-in-law 's place in new jersey one day before superstorm sandy made landfall . but her neighbor , christine mahoney-schneider , decided to stay and brave the torrents unleashed on this coastal community and others like it along the east coast . after each storm surge , she uploaded photos of the aftermath to facebook , keeping rigaut abreast of the condition of her home . as the hours progressed and the photos streamed in , tension mounted . by late evening on october 29 , it became clear that sandy had rendered the rigaut family homeless . my knees buckled , and i fell , ' said rigaut , who is 52 and an attorney . i inherited that house from mom and dad . and we had spent the year renovating . ' the douglas family compound , ' as she called it ( referencing her maiden name ) , had been in the family for generations , serving as a gathering spot for neighborhood get-togethers and holiday festivities . built in 1937 , it was where her parents hosted beach parties and entertained neighbors with beer , wine and music that would often carry along a beachfront that residents lovingly coined the irish riviera . ' during the holidays , throngs of rigaut 's nieces and nephews squeezed onto mismatched chairs set around a cherry oak dining-room table that she inherited from her grandmother . filling their stomachs with stuffed sausage and mushrooms , bread with raspberry and walnuts and sweet potato pie with marshmallows , they would then retire to the family-room couch or their own homes just a few doors down the block . it 's the kind of thing that 's lost in america today . having that fabric of the family in the same neighborhood , ' she said . now , many of those cherished physical spaces in the rockaways are gone in sandy 's wake . the first floor of rigaut 's two-story home collapsed , and its two decks all but disappeared into the sand . rigaut 's husband , mike , uncovered the frayed wooden leg of that dining-room table -- one of many family heirlooms lost in the storm -- down the block , sticking out from a pile of trash . still , rigaut seemed determined to celebrate this year 's holidays in the same fashion to which she was accustomed : surrounded by her family . jersey shore community gives thanks even after sandy ' for us , it 's like the house died , but we did n't , ' she said . sandy caused 119 deaths in the united states , including 43 in new york city and 33 in new jersey . the rigauts and their neighbors managed to escape with their lives . yet three weeks after the storm , they say they still have not received any form of compensation . on top of all of this sadness , we are struggling with the insurance companies , ' said rigaut , whose family is now holed up in a rental home in southern new jersey . undeterred , they say they plan to pile into the car thursday and head north , joining 13 other relatives for thanksgiving dinner in belle harbor at her sister 's storm-battered , though still functional , home . my sister was out buying air mattresses , ' she said . it 's going to be a little tight , sleeping like the irish did after ellis island : 12 to a room ! ' but with a daughter who is borderline asthmatic , ' the rigauts say they plan to stay only one night . what local residents call the rockaway dust ' has them concerned . rotting drywall , mold and piles of garbage across the rockaway peninsula have residents worried about worsening air quality in the region , though officials were not immediately available to comment on the relatively new phenomenon . a red sticker on the rigauts'old front door signifies that the city has condemned the building and plans to demolish it . the remains of their home will now likely join the massive garbage heaps along the rockaway shore , adding to potential health concerns . ireport : who 's at your thanksgiving table ? cnn 's kristina sgueglia contributed to this report | the rigaut family was one of many to lose their home on the rockaway peninsula |
tony <tsp> ( cnn ) -- actress elaine stritch , known for her brash persona , gravelly voice and versatility over seven decades on broadway , died thursday , longtime friend julie keyes told cnn . she was 89 . stritch died at her birmingham , michigan , home early thursday , surrounded by family , keyes said . funeral arrangements have not been made , but stritch will be buried next to her husband , john bay , in chicago next week , keyes said . the marquees of broadway theaters will be dimmed for one minute in stritch 's memory at 7:45 p.m. friday , the broadway league said . elaine stritch 's big personality was matched by her big talent , ' broadway league executive director charlotte st. martin said . collaborating with some of broadway 's greatest playwrights and composers throughout her lengthy career , her signature numbers and singular style created a memorable legacy . ' new york city named stritch one of its living landmarks in 2003 . just 17 when she moved to new york to study acting , stritch made her broadway debut in 1946 . she was nominated for five tony awards and eight primetime emmys over her long career . she did not win a tony until her autobiographical one-woman show -- elaine stritch at liberty ' -- won the 2002 special theatrical event tony . her 2002 performance also won an emmy after it was made into an hbo show . stritch was awarded two other acting emmys , including one for a guest star role on law & order ' and one for playing alec baldwin 's mother on 30 rock . ' stritch was born in detroit in 1925 but moved to new york city to study acting when she was 17 . her broadway debut came in loco , ' a comedy that ran for just a month in october 1946 . her first musical role on broadway came a year later in angel in the wings . ' the ladies who lunch , ' from stephen sondheim 's company , ' became her signature song when she sang it on broadway in 1971 . the performance earned her a tony actress nomination . her other tony nominations came from bus stop ' in 1956 and sail away ' in 1962 . people we 've lost in 2014 cnn 's jane caffrey contributed to this report . | her autobiographical one-woman show elaine stritch at liberty ' won a tony and emmy |
stritch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- actress elaine stritch , known for her brash persona , gravelly voice and versatility over seven decades on broadway , died thursday , longtime friend julie keyes told cnn . she was 89 . stritch died at her birmingham , michigan , home early thursday , surrounded by family , keyes said . funeral arrangements have not been made , but stritch will be buried next to her husband , john bay , in chicago next week , keyes said . the marquees of broadway theaters will be dimmed for one minute in stritch 's memory at 7:45 p.m. friday , the broadway league said . elaine stritch 's big personality was matched by her big talent , ' broadway league executive director charlotte st. martin said . collaborating with some of broadway 's greatest playwrights and composers throughout her lengthy career , her signature numbers and singular style created a memorable legacy . ' new york city named stritch one of its living landmarks in 2003 . just 17 when she moved to new york to study acting , stritch made her broadway debut in 1946 . she was nominated for five tony awards and eight primetime emmys over her long career . she did not win a tony until her autobiographical one-woman show -- elaine stritch at liberty ' -- won the 2002 special theatrical event tony . her 2002 performance also won an emmy after it was made into an hbo show . stritch was awarded two other acting emmys , including one for a guest star role on law & order ' and one for playing alec baldwin 's mother on 30 rock . ' stritch was born in detroit in 1925 but moved to new york city to study acting when she was 17 . her broadway debut came in loco , ' a comedy that ran for just a month in october 1946 . her first musical role on broadway came a year later in angel in the wings . ' the ladies who lunch , ' from stephen sondheim 's company , ' became her signature song when she sang it on broadway in 1971 . the performance earned her a tony actress nomination . her other tony nominations came from bus stop ' in 1956 and sail away ' in 1962 . people we 've lost in 2014 cnn 's jane caffrey contributed to this report . | stritch made her broadway debut in 1946 |
stritch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- actress elaine stritch , known for her brash persona , gravelly voice and versatility over seven decades on broadway , died thursday , longtime friend julie keyes told cnn . she was 89 . stritch died at her birmingham , michigan , home early thursday , surrounded by family , keyes said . funeral arrangements have not been made , but stritch will be buried next to her husband , john bay , in chicago next week , keyes said . the marquees of broadway theaters will be dimmed for one minute in stritch 's memory at 7:45 p.m. friday , the broadway league said . elaine stritch 's big personality was matched by her big talent , ' broadway league executive director charlotte st. martin said . collaborating with some of broadway 's greatest playwrights and composers throughout her lengthy career , her signature numbers and singular style created a memorable legacy . ' new york city named stritch one of its living landmarks in 2003 . just 17 when she moved to new york to study acting , stritch made her broadway debut in 1946 . she was nominated for five tony awards and eight primetime emmys over her long career . she did not win a tony until her autobiographical one-woman show -- elaine stritch at liberty ' -- won the 2002 special theatrical event tony . her 2002 performance also won an emmy after it was made into an hbo show . stritch was awarded two other acting emmys , including one for a guest star role on law & order ' and one for playing alec baldwin 's mother on 30 rock . ' stritch was born in detroit in 1925 but moved to new york city to study acting when she was 17 . her broadway debut came in loco , ' a comedy that ran for just a month in october 1946 . her first musical role on broadway came a year later in angel in the wings . ' the ladies who lunch , ' from stephen sondheim 's company , ' became her signature song when she sang it on broadway in 1971 . the performance earned her a tony actress nomination . her other tony nominations came from bus stop ' in 1956 and sail away ' in 1962 . people we 've lost in 2014 cnn 's jane caffrey contributed to this report . | her autobiographical one-woman show elaine stritch at liberty ' won a tony and emmy |
stritch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- actress elaine stritch , known for her brash persona , gravelly voice and versatility over seven decades on broadway , died thursday , longtime friend julie keyes told cnn . she was 89 . stritch died at her birmingham , michigan , home early thursday , surrounded by family , keyes said . funeral arrangements have not been made , but stritch will be buried next to her husband , john bay , in chicago next week , keyes said . the marquees of broadway theaters will be dimmed for one minute in stritch 's memory at 7:45 p.m. friday , the broadway league said . elaine stritch 's big personality was matched by her big talent , ' broadway league executive director charlotte st. martin said . collaborating with some of broadway 's greatest playwrights and composers throughout her lengthy career , her signature numbers and singular style created a memorable legacy . ' new york city named stritch one of its living landmarks in 2003 . just 17 when she moved to new york to study acting , stritch made her broadway debut in 1946 . she was nominated for five tony awards and eight primetime emmys over her long career . she did not win a tony until her autobiographical one-woman show -- elaine stritch at liberty ' -- won the 2002 special theatrical event tony . her 2002 performance also won an emmy after it was made into an hbo show . stritch was awarded two other acting emmys , including one for a guest star role on law & order ' and one for playing alec baldwin 's mother on 30 rock . ' stritch was born in detroit in 1925 but moved to new york city to study acting when she was 17 . her broadway debut came in loco , ' a comedy that ran for just a month in october 1946 . her first musical role on broadway came a year later in angel in the wings . ' the ladies who lunch , ' from stephen sondheim 's company , ' became her signature song when she sang it on broadway in 1971 . the performance earned her a tony actress nomination . her other tony nominations came from bus stop ' in 1956 and sail away ' in 1962 . people we 've lost in 2014 cnn 's jane caffrey contributed to this report . | new : broadway to dim lights in stritch 's memory friday night |
stritch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- actress elaine stritch , known for her brash persona , gravelly voice and versatility over seven decades on broadway , died thursday , longtime friend julie keyes told cnn . she was 89 . stritch died at her birmingham , michigan , home early thursday , surrounded by family , keyes said . funeral arrangements have not been made , but stritch will be buried next to her husband , john bay , in chicago next week , keyes said . the marquees of broadway theaters will be dimmed for one minute in stritch 's memory at 7:45 p.m. friday , the broadway league said . elaine stritch 's big personality was matched by her big talent , ' broadway league executive director charlotte st. martin said . collaborating with some of broadway 's greatest playwrights and composers throughout her lengthy career , her signature numbers and singular style created a memorable legacy . ' new york city named stritch one of its living landmarks in 2003 . just 17 when she moved to new york to study acting , stritch made her broadway debut in 1946 . she was nominated for five tony awards and eight primetime emmys over her long career . she did not win a tony until her autobiographical one-woman show -- elaine stritch at liberty ' -- won the 2002 special theatrical event tony . her 2002 performance also won an emmy after it was made into an hbo show . stritch was awarded two other acting emmys , including one for a guest star role on law & order ' and one for playing alec baldwin 's mother on 30 rock . ' stritch was born in detroit in 1925 but moved to new york city to study acting when she was 17 . her broadway debut came in loco , ' a comedy that ran for just a month in october 1946 . her first musical role on broadway came a year later in angel in the wings . ' the ladies who lunch , ' from stephen sondheim 's company , ' became her signature song when she sang it on broadway in 1971 . the performance earned her a tony actress nomination . her other tony nominations came from bus stop ' in 1956 and sail away ' in 1962 . people we 've lost in 2014 cnn 's jane caffrey contributed to this report . | new : elaine stritch will be buried next to her husband in chicago |
emmy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- actress elaine stritch , known for her brash persona , gravelly voice and versatility over seven decades on broadway , died thursday , longtime friend julie keyes told cnn . she was 89 . stritch died at her birmingham , michigan , home early thursday , surrounded by family , keyes said . funeral arrangements have not been made , but stritch will be buried next to her husband , john bay , in chicago next week , keyes said . the marquees of broadway theaters will be dimmed for one minute in stritch 's memory at 7:45 p.m. friday , the broadway league said . elaine stritch 's big personality was matched by her big talent , ' broadway league executive director charlotte st. martin said . collaborating with some of broadway 's greatest playwrights and composers throughout her lengthy career , her signature numbers and singular style created a memorable legacy . ' new york city named stritch one of its living landmarks in 2003 . just 17 when she moved to new york to study acting , stritch made her broadway debut in 1946 . she was nominated for five tony awards and eight primetime emmys over her long career . she did not win a tony until her autobiographical one-woman show -- elaine stritch at liberty ' -- won the 2002 special theatrical event tony . her 2002 performance also won an emmy after it was made into an hbo show . stritch was awarded two other acting emmys , including one for a guest star role on law & order ' and one for playing alec baldwin 's mother on 30 rock . ' stritch was born in detroit in 1925 but moved to new york city to study acting when she was 17 . her broadway debut came in loco , ' a comedy that ran for just a month in october 1946 . her first musical role on broadway came a year later in angel in the wings . ' the ladies who lunch , ' from stephen sondheim 's company , ' became her signature song when she sang it on broadway in 1971 . the performance earned her a tony actress nomination . her other tony nominations came from bus stop ' in 1956 and sail away ' in 1962 . people we 've lost in 2014 cnn 's jane caffrey contributed to this report . | her autobiographical one-woman show elaine stritch at liberty ' won a tony and emmy |
dubai <tsp> ( cnn ) -- call it abu dhabi 's ivory tower . the 35-story white skyscraper stands tall overlooking the mangroves of this oil rich emirate which is the capital of the united arab emirates . it was the venue for what was arguably the most important corporate press conference this year in the uae . the subject at hand was the construction firm arabtec . at the front of the room , board members who represent the who 's who ' of abu dhabi trading families : qubaisi , fahim , suwaidi and mehari . the major backer of arabtec is the state run investment group aabar , which is one of the many funds controlled by sheikh mansour bin zayed al nahyan , deputy prime minister , the minister of presidential affairs , and the owner of , amongst other trophy assets , manchester city football club . until a month ago , this company was not on anybody 's global radar , even though the dubai-based group is well known around these parts . it has built the new global landmarks like the burj khalifa , the world 's tallest tower , and the world 's most expensive hotel to be constructed , the emirates palace . it is also busy putting up the louvre abu dhabi , part of a $ 25 billion cultural district in the city . interest inside and outside the country has been swirling around arabtec and dubai 's stock exchange for the past month , especially after the market achieved an upgrade to msci 's emerging market index in june . but with a global upgrade comes international scrutiny for a company and stock market that many fund managers say are falling short on both transparency and corporate governance . the press event was somewhat surreal . players representing billions of dollars of investment trying to clear up how a former ceo hasan ismaik accumulated 28 % of the stock without either the company or the dubai financial market raising any red flags . an arabic reporter i know was told before the press conference that we could all take our tv cameras in , but not have any audio . that idea was quickly dropped . six board members were present , but arabtec chairman khadem al qubaisi did all the talking during this hour long affair . what emerged was a man out to clear the air . he said arabtec has not seen one project cancellation and that arabtec will in future do what it does best and that is construction -- and not venture into oil and gas as the previous leadership had planned . the chairman told me , during a chat we had after the conference , that the former ceo used a handful of company vehicles to become the biggest shareholder to date . this guy decided to gather all the shares , because they are linked to mr. hassan , ' qubaisi said . this is what i understood . but to be frank with you to speak about the details , i do n't know . ' that is not a big confidence builder for an msci listed company . we still do n't know , despite it being probed , where ismaik got the money to buy so much stock . but when i asked qubaisi about whether he has unearthed any impropriety , he told me : there is nothing . we are only putting the system right now , but there is an auditor there , compliance system , everything there , but our job is to improve it . ' improving transparency to global standards will be a challenge , but arabtec 's order book seems to be healthy according to an analyst report put out today . there is a backlog of some $ 16 billion according to hsbc and the construction group has been anointed by abu dhabi to build $ 40 billion of low income housing in egypt to support the new government there . that as they say is good business by any global standard . read more from john defterios : iraq 's'new reality'shakes global oil markets in dubai ,'casino-like culture'has set in | arabtec and dubai 's stock exchange have been in the spotlight for the past month |
bai yun <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a giant panda at the san diego zoo gave birth to a cub the size of a stick of butter on wednesday , her fifth cub born in the zoo since 1999 . the public can view live video of the cub and its mother , bai yun , on the zoo 's web site . the sex of the mostly hairless , pink newborn , which was born around 5 a.m. , is not known yet , said dr. ron swaisgood of the zoo 's institute of conservation research . it will take about one month for the iconic black-and-white coloration of the giant panda to become visible , swaisgood said . its mother , bai yun , will care for the newborn by herself until she starts leaving the den regularly , at which time members of the zoo 's giant panda team will step in briefly to check on the cub , he said . she is a very experienced mother . she raised all of her other cubs until about 1.5 years , the natural age for separation , ' swaisgood told cnn radio . she 's a real pro . ' weighing in around 300 pounds , bai yun is about 1,000 times the size of her cub , who weighs around 4 ounces. , the typical size of a baby panda , swaisgood said . pandas give birth to what 's called very'altricial'cubs . that means they are very small and fragile . this cub would probably weigh about 4 ounces . it would be pink and hairless and completely dependent on the mother , ' he said . the birth is considered a success for the zoo 's institute for conservation research , which works with research and breeding centers around the world to boost the endangered panda population herself a model of that effort , bai yun was the first panda to be born and survive at the breeding center of the china center for research and conservation of the giant panda in the wolong nature reserve in 1991 . she has given birth to four other cubs since arriving at the san diego zoo in 1996 from china . two of them have since been returned to china , swaisgood said . the newborn 's father , gao gao , is a wild-born giant panda that arrived at the san diego zoo in 2003 from the wolong nature reserve . he will not be involved in raising the cub . the cub will remain in the den with its mother for a few months and gradually start to come out as soon as it is able to walk , swaisgood said . in four to five months , the cub will be ready for the public , swaisgood said . until then , the public can view live video of the cub and its mother on the zoo 's web site . this highly endangered species still requires a lot of attention and assistance , but there is hope for the future , ' he said . | giant panda bai yun gives birth to fifth cub at the san diego zoo |
bai yun <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a giant panda at the san diego zoo gave birth to a cub the size of a stick of butter on wednesday , her fifth cub born in the zoo since 1999 . the public can view live video of the cub and its mother , bai yun , on the zoo 's web site . the sex of the mostly hairless , pink newborn , which was born around 5 a.m. , is not known yet , said dr. ron swaisgood of the zoo 's institute of conservation research . it will take about one month for the iconic black-and-white coloration of the giant panda to become visible , swaisgood said . its mother , bai yun , will care for the newborn by herself until she starts leaving the den regularly , at which time members of the zoo 's giant panda team will step in briefly to check on the cub , he said . she is a very experienced mother . she raised all of her other cubs until about 1.5 years , the natural age for separation , ' swaisgood told cnn radio . she 's a real pro . ' weighing in around 300 pounds , bai yun is about 1,000 times the size of her cub , who weighs around 4 ounces. , the typical size of a baby panda , swaisgood said . pandas give birth to what 's called very'altricial'cubs . that means they are very small and fragile . this cub would probably weigh about 4 ounces . it would be pink and hairless and completely dependent on the mother , ' he said . the birth is considered a success for the zoo 's institute for conservation research , which works with research and breeding centers around the world to boost the endangered panda population herself a model of that effort , bai yun was the first panda to be born and survive at the breeding center of the china center for research and conservation of the giant panda in the wolong nature reserve in 1991 . she has given birth to four other cubs since arriving at the san diego zoo in 1996 from china . two of them have since been returned to china , swaisgood said . the newborn 's father , gao gao , is a wild-born giant panda that arrived at the san diego zoo in 2003 from the wolong nature reserve . he will not be involved in raising the cub . the cub will remain in the den with its mother for a few months and gradually start to come out as soon as it is able to walk , swaisgood said . in four to five months , the cub will be ready for the public , swaisgood said . until then , the public can view live video of the cub and its mother on the zoo 's web site . this highly endangered species still requires a lot of attention and assistance , but there is hope for the future , ' he said . | weighing around 300 pounds , bai yun is about 1,000 times the size of the cub |
bai yun <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a giant panda at the san diego zoo gave birth to a cub the size of a stick of butter on wednesday , her fifth cub born in the zoo since 1999 . the public can view live video of the cub and its mother , bai yun , on the zoo 's web site . the sex of the mostly hairless , pink newborn , which was born around 5 a.m. , is not known yet , said dr. ron swaisgood of the zoo 's institute of conservation research . it will take about one month for the iconic black-and-white coloration of the giant panda to become visible , swaisgood said . its mother , bai yun , will care for the newborn by herself until she starts leaving the den regularly , at which time members of the zoo 's giant panda team will step in briefly to check on the cub , he said . she is a very experienced mother . she raised all of her other cubs until about 1.5 years , the natural age for separation , ' swaisgood told cnn radio . she 's a real pro . ' weighing in around 300 pounds , bai yun is about 1,000 times the size of her cub , who weighs around 4 ounces. , the typical size of a baby panda , swaisgood said . pandas give birth to what 's called very'altricial'cubs . that means they are very small and fragile . this cub would probably weigh about 4 ounces . it would be pink and hairless and completely dependent on the mother , ' he said . the birth is considered a success for the zoo 's institute for conservation research , which works with research and breeding centers around the world to boost the endangered panda population herself a model of that effort , bai yun was the first panda to be born and survive at the breeding center of the china center for research and conservation of the giant panda in the wolong nature reserve in 1991 . she has given birth to four other cubs since arriving at the san diego zoo in 1996 from china . two of them have since been returned to china , swaisgood said . the newborn 's father , gao gao , is a wild-born giant panda that arrived at the san diego zoo in 2003 from the wolong nature reserve . he will not be involved in raising the cub . the cub will remain in the den with its mother for a few months and gradually start to come out as soon as it is able to walk , swaisgood said . in four to five months , the cub will be ready for the public , swaisgood said . until then , the public can view live video of the cub and its mother on the zoo 's web site . this highly endangered species still requires a lot of attention and assistance , but there is hope for the future , ' he said . | bai yun will care for the newborn by herself with zoo staff occasionally checking in |
hamas <tsp> hamas and israel blamed one another for the lack of a cease-fire in a conflict that has left more than 1,200 people dead , raising questions about just what it will take to end the fighting in gaza . the violence continued wednesday morning , when israeli forces shelled the abu hussein school in northern gaza and killed at least 20 people , the palestinian health ministry said . the israeli military said they are looking into the incident . international efforts to broker a deal to end the violence failed again tuesday , with hamas rejecting a cease-fire proposal put forward by the palestinian authority that called for a 24-hour truce that could be extended to 72 hours . hamas maintains that any deal must include an end to israel 's blockade of gaza . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said any truce must allow for its protection against tunnels used by palestinian militants in gaza to make their way into israel . hamas is responsible for all deaths on their side and on our side because they are the ones who kept this conflict going , ' mark regev , a spokesman for netanyahu , told cnn . people are fighting and people are dying because hamas said no to a cease-fire . ' israel is ready for a period of sustained peace and security ' regev said earlier in the day on cnn . but he asserted that hamas has consistently rejected truces and an egyptian initiative for a cease-fire put forth this month . on hamas-run television , mohammed deif , chief of the group 's military wing , said that there is no middle ground ' regarding a truce until israel ends its siege ' of gaza . the israeli enemy will not have security as long as we do n't have security for our people , ' he said . hamas wants israel to lift a blockade it began on gaza in 2007 , a move israel has said was necessary to stop hamas and other allied militant group from bringing weapons into gaza . but israel has been under fire for sealing the borders , with aid groups saying the blockade has cut off basic supplies and created a humanitarian crisis . deaths mount as fighting rages while leaders continued to talk , the lights in gaza flickered on and off in many homes after its only power plant was hit . palestinian officials blamed an israeli airstrike . but israel said the power plant was not a target . at least 40 % of gaza 's fuel had been burned by early tuesday , according to fathi al-sheikh khalil , deputy chairman of the palestinian energy natural resources authority in gaza . the plant will have to be reconstructed and will not operate as it did for at least a year , he said . we can not supply electricity ' for hospitals , sewage treatment or domestic use , he said . this is a disaster . ' hamas-run television reported early tuesday that israeli strikes hit the ministry of finance in western gaza and the house of ismail haniyeh , a senior political leader of hamas . a radio station run by hamas was bombed . at least 1,242 people in gaza have died and more than 7,000 have been wounded since the conflict between israel and hamas began , the palestinian ministry of health in gaza said . the number of militants killed is unclear , but the united nations estimates that 70 % to 80 % of the dead are civilians . fifty-three israeli soldiers have died since operation protective edge began july 8 , according to the israel defense forces . three civilians have been killed in israel as well .'underlying kinds of issues' in washington , u.s. secretary of state john kerry defended the obama administration 's efforts to seek a cease-fire and sloughed off strong israeli public criticism of his initiative . he also said netanyahu consistently said he would embrace a cease-fire that permits israel to protect itself against the tunnels ' used by palestinian militants in gaza . we are working very carefully , and i think thoughtfully , with our israeli friends in order to be able to find a way to reduce the civilian loss of life , to prevent this from spiraling downwards into a place from which , you know , both sides have difficulty finding a way forward in order to address the underlying kinds of issues , ' kerry said . the official palestinian news agency wafa reported that palestinian leadership in the west bank was offering a 24-hour truce , which could be extended to 72 hours , and that the idea had support from hamas and islamic jihad , another militant group in gaza . but sami abu zuhri , a hamas spokesman in gaza , said the wafa report was not true and not related to the resistance , ' which speaks for itself . ' when hamas gets a guarantee from israel for international mediation regarding a humanitarian pause , then we can consider it , ' he said on hamas tv . israel repeatedly has condemned hamas for rejecting an egyptian proposal for a cease-fire that israel agreed to earlier this month . some temporary cease-fires have taken place throughout the conflict , with each side quickly accusing the other of violating the pauses in shooting . refugee camp hit ,'terror sites'targeted the jabaliya refugee camp in northern gaza was shelled tuesday , hamas said . a medical official said more than 10 people were killed . witnesses have told paramedics that entire families are still buried under the rubble , ' said al-qidra , the spokesman for the gaza health ministry . meanwhile , israel reported that five people were seen emerging from a tunnel shaft in gaza . they fired at israeli troops , who responded and engaged the perpetrators , ' the idf said . in addition , forces uncovered ammunition which included ak-47 assault rifles , machine guns and explosive devices . since midnight , the idf targeted over 110 terror sites . ' israel has uncovered 32 tunnels used by hamas to smuggle weapons and launch attacks , israel defense forces said . hamas has an estimated 10,000 rockets , more than a quarter of which have been fired into israel in the past few weeks , the idf said . a cache of rockets was discovered at a u.n.-operated school in central gaza that was closed for the summer , according to the united nations relief and works agency . the school was not being used as a shelter , it said . the rockets were discovered tuesday during a regular unrwa inspection , the agency said . it 's the third time the rockets have been discovered at a closed school in gaza . because of fighting in the vicinity of the school we have been unable to get a u.n. munitions expert to the school , but we hope to do as soon as the security conditions allow , ' chris gunness of the unrwa said . inside a hamas tunnel what is hamas'endgame in gaza ? what is israel 's endgame in gaza ? opinion : gaza peace struggle drains me of hope | hamas is responsible for all deaths , ' netanyahu 's spokesman tells cnn |
hamas <tsp> hamas and israel blamed one another for the lack of a cease-fire in a conflict that has left more than 1,200 people dead , raising questions about just what it will take to end the fighting in gaza . the violence continued wednesday morning , when israeli forces shelled the abu hussein school in northern gaza and killed at least 20 people , the palestinian health ministry said . the israeli military said they are looking into the incident . international efforts to broker a deal to end the violence failed again tuesday , with hamas rejecting a cease-fire proposal put forward by the palestinian authority that called for a 24-hour truce that could be extended to 72 hours . hamas maintains that any deal must include an end to israel 's blockade of gaza . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said any truce must allow for its protection against tunnels used by palestinian militants in gaza to make their way into israel . hamas is responsible for all deaths on their side and on our side because they are the ones who kept this conflict going , ' mark regev , a spokesman for netanyahu , told cnn . people are fighting and people are dying because hamas said no to a cease-fire . ' israel is ready for a period of sustained peace and security ' regev said earlier in the day on cnn . but he asserted that hamas has consistently rejected truces and an egyptian initiative for a cease-fire put forth this month . on hamas-run television , mohammed deif , chief of the group 's military wing , said that there is no middle ground ' regarding a truce until israel ends its siege ' of gaza . the israeli enemy will not have security as long as we do n't have security for our people , ' he said . hamas wants israel to lift a blockade it began on gaza in 2007 , a move israel has said was necessary to stop hamas and other allied militant group from bringing weapons into gaza . but israel has been under fire for sealing the borders , with aid groups saying the blockade has cut off basic supplies and created a humanitarian crisis . deaths mount as fighting rages while leaders continued to talk , the lights in gaza flickered on and off in many homes after its only power plant was hit . palestinian officials blamed an israeli airstrike . but israel said the power plant was not a target . at least 40 % of gaza 's fuel had been burned by early tuesday , according to fathi al-sheikh khalil , deputy chairman of the palestinian energy natural resources authority in gaza . the plant will have to be reconstructed and will not operate as it did for at least a year , he said . we can not supply electricity ' for hospitals , sewage treatment or domestic use , he said . this is a disaster . ' hamas-run television reported early tuesday that israeli strikes hit the ministry of finance in western gaza and the house of ismail haniyeh , a senior political leader of hamas . a radio station run by hamas was bombed . at least 1,242 people in gaza have died and more than 7,000 have been wounded since the conflict between israel and hamas began , the palestinian ministry of health in gaza said . the number of militants killed is unclear , but the united nations estimates that 70 % to 80 % of the dead are civilians . fifty-three israeli soldiers have died since operation protective edge began july 8 , according to the israel defense forces . three civilians have been killed in israel as well .'underlying kinds of issues' in washington , u.s. secretary of state john kerry defended the obama administration 's efforts to seek a cease-fire and sloughed off strong israeli public criticism of his initiative . he also said netanyahu consistently said he would embrace a cease-fire that permits israel to protect itself against the tunnels ' used by palestinian militants in gaza . we are working very carefully , and i think thoughtfully , with our israeli friends in order to be able to find a way to reduce the civilian loss of life , to prevent this from spiraling downwards into a place from which , you know , both sides have difficulty finding a way forward in order to address the underlying kinds of issues , ' kerry said . the official palestinian news agency wafa reported that palestinian leadership in the west bank was offering a 24-hour truce , which could be extended to 72 hours , and that the idea had support from hamas and islamic jihad , another militant group in gaza . but sami abu zuhri , a hamas spokesman in gaza , said the wafa report was not true and not related to the resistance , ' which speaks for itself . ' when hamas gets a guarantee from israel for international mediation regarding a humanitarian pause , then we can consider it , ' he said on hamas tv . israel repeatedly has condemned hamas for rejecting an egyptian proposal for a cease-fire that israel agreed to earlier this month . some temporary cease-fires have taken place throughout the conflict , with each side quickly accusing the other of violating the pauses in shooting . refugee camp hit ,'terror sites'targeted the jabaliya refugee camp in northern gaza was shelled tuesday , hamas said . a medical official said more than 10 people were killed . witnesses have told paramedics that entire families are still buried under the rubble , ' said al-qidra , the spokesman for the gaza health ministry . meanwhile , israel reported that five people were seen emerging from a tunnel shaft in gaza . they fired at israeli troops , who responded and engaged the perpetrators , ' the idf said . in addition , forces uncovered ammunition which included ak-47 assault rifles , machine guns and explosive devices . since midnight , the idf targeted over 110 terror sites . ' israel has uncovered 32 tunnels used by hamas to smuggle weapons and launch attacks , israel defense forces said . hamas has an estimated 10,000 rockets , more than a quarter of which have been fired into israel in the past few weeks , the idf said . a cache of rockets was discovered at a u.n.-operated school in central gaza that was closed for the summer , according to the united nations relief and works agency . the school was not being used as a shelter , it said . the rockets were discovered tuesday during a regular unrwa inspection , the agency said . it 's the third time the rockets have been discovered at a closed school in gaza . because of fighting in the vicinity of the school we have been unable to get a u.n. munitions expert to the school , but we hope to do as soon as the security conditions allow , ' chris gunness of the unrwa said . inside a hamas tunnel what is hamas'endgame in gaza ? what is israel 's endgame in gaza ? opinion : gaza peace struggle drains me of hope | hamas says truce must include an end to israel 's blockade of gaza |
hayes <tsp> new haven , connecticut ( cnn ) -- steven hayes , convicted of killing three members of a connecticut family , has shown suicidal tendencies ' and expressed concern his food was tainted , a psychiatrist testified during the penalty phase of hayes'trial monday . dr. justin schechter , a stamford , connecticut , forensic and clinical psychiatrist , said that hayes exhibited signs of depression after his 2007 arrest , but told him , i would rather they kill me ' -- reflecting hayes'apparent hope that he 'd be executed for his role in in the deaths of jennifer hawke-petit and her daughters , 17-year-old hayley petit and 11-year-old michaela petit . the jury must decide whether to sentence hayes to death . hayes was n't in solitary confinement or considered actively suicidal , ' said schechter , though there were concerns he had a seizure disorder , depression and anxiety . the high school dropout said he had a long history of substance abuse and had fathered two children out of wedlock , schechter said . hayes believed that a doctor was manipulating ' his food and would n't eat it , said schechter , though he did eat food from the prison commissary . the court session ended with schechter 's testimony on monday afternoon , and will resume tuesday . hayes , 47 , was convicted this month of 16 of the 17 charges against him -- including nine counts of murder and capital murder and four counts of kidnapping -- in the deaths of hawke-petit and her daughters . prosecutors allege that hayes and joshua komisarjevsky invaded the petit home in cheshire , beat jennifer hawke-petit 's husband bloody , strangled hawke-petit , set the house afire and tried to flee . komisarjevsky is to be tried separately . earlier in the day , fred levesque , former director of offender classification and population management for the state department of correction , testified that hayes was written up for 24 disciplinary reports during a stretch in state prison . one of those was for hoarding medication , a charge to which hayes voluntarily pleaded guilty . asked by the defense if he had any knowledge of whether hayes was a threat to the general population , levesque answered no . ' last week , a forensic psychiatrist testified that hayes attempted suicide several times since his arrest and has said he wants to receive the death penalty . on cross-examination , dr. paul amble said his panel did not address the question of whether hayes'suicide attempts were sincere . but in his opinion , he said , hayes was making decisions that were rational , given his situation ' when he said he wanted to receive the death penalty . i want to plead guilty to everything now , because i just want it over now , ' hayes told an evaluation team , said amble , the assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at yale university school of medicine . hayes described a plan to look like a monster ' to the jury , expressing no remorse , in an attempt to move the jurors to sentence him to death , amble wrote in his evaluation of the defendant . prosecutor michael dearington asked amble whether hayes truly wanted to be executed . i do n't know , ' the doctor said . i 'm not here to say i can exactly divine his thoughts , only what he said . ' in march , hayes told a psychologist that he no longer wanted to commit suicide but intended to let the state do it , ' said amble , who had been asked by the judge in the case to determine whether hayes was competent to stand trial . police testified that in the 2007 home invasion , hayes and komisarjevsky found evidence of a bank account containing $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 and forced hawke-petit to go to a bank in the morning and withdraw money from the account . prosecutors said hayes took her to the bank while komisarjevsky stayed behind . when hayes and hawke-petit returned with the money , officials said , the two men set the home afire and fled . inside the home , authorities said , hawke-petit , 48 , was found raped and strangled . her two daughters , one of whom had been sexually assaulted , died of smoke inhalation . petit , the sole survivor , escaped to a neighbor 's home . cnn 's brian vitagliano contributed to this report . | hayes was convicted of capital murder in the 2007 home invasion |
hayes <tsp> new haven , connecticut ( cnn ) -- steven hayes , convicted of killing three members of a connecticut family , has shown suicidal tendencies ' and expressed concern his food was tainted , a psychiatrist testified during the penalty phase of hayes'trial monday . dr. justin schechter , a stamford , connecticut , forensic and clinical psychiatrist , said that hayes exhibited signs of depression after his 2007 arrest , but told him , i would rather they kill me ' -- reflecting hayes'apparent hope that he 'd be executed for his role in in the deaths of jennifer hawke-petit and her daughters , 17-year-old hayley petit and 11-year-old michaela petit . the jury must decide whether to sentence hayes to death . hayes was n't in solitary confinement or considered actively suicidal , ' said schechter , though there were concerns he had a seizure disorder , depression and anxiety . the high school dropout said he had a long history of substance abuse and had fathered two children out of wedlock , schechter said . hayes believed that a doctor was manipulating ' his food and would n't eat it , said schechter , though he did eat food from the prison commissary . the court session ended with schechter 's testimony on monday afternoon , and will resume tuesday . hayes , 47 , was convicted this month of 16 of the 17 charges against him -- including nine counts of murder and capital murder and four counts of kidnapping -- in the deaths of hawke-petit and her daughters . prosecutors allege that hayes and joshua komisarjevsky invaded the petit home in cheshire , beat jennifer hawke-petit 's husband bloody , strangled hawke-petit , set the house afire and tried to flee . komisarjevsky is to be tried separately . earlier in the day , fred levesque , former director of offender classification and population management for the state department of correction , testified that hayes was written up for 24 disciplinary reports during a stretch in state prison . one of those was for hoarding medication , a charge to which hayes voluntarily pleaded guilty . asked by the defense if he had any knowledge of whether hayes was a threat to the general population , levesque answered no . ' last week , a forensic psychiatrist testified that hayes attempted suicide several times since his arrest and has said he wants to receive the death penalty . on cross-examination , dr. paul amble said his panel did not address the question of whether hayes'suicide attempts were sincere . but in his opinion , he said , hayes was making decisions that were rational , given his situation ' when he said he wanted to receive the death penalty . i want to plead guilty to everything now , because i just want it over now , ' hayes told an evaluation team , said amble , the assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at yale university school of medicine . hayes described a plan to look like a monster ' to the jury , expressing no remorse , in an attempt to move the jurors to sentence him to death , amble wrote in his evaluation of the defendant . prosecutor michael dearington asked amble whether hayes truly wanted to be executed . i do n't know , ' the doctor said . i 'm not here to say i can exactly divine his thoughts , only what he said . ' in march , hayes told a psychologist that he no longer wanted to commit suicide but intended to let the state do it , ' said amble , who had been asked by the judge in the case to determine whether hayes was competent to stand trial . police testified that in the 2007 home invasion , hayes and komisarjevsky found evidence of a bank account containing $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 and forced hawke-petit to go to a bank in the morning and withdraw money from the account . prosecutors said hayes took her to the bank while komisarjevsky stayed behind . when hayes and hawke-petit returned with the money , officials said , the two men set the home afire and fled . inside the home , authorities said , hawke-petit , 48 , was found raped and strangled . her two daughters , one of whom had been sexually assaulted , died of smoke inhalation . petit , the sole survivor , escaped to a neighbor 's home . cnn 's brian vitagliano contributed to this report . | new : a psychiatrist says hayes has exhibited suicidal tendencies ' |
hayes <tsp> new haven , connecticut ( cnn ) -- steven hayes , convicted of killing three members of a connecticut family , has shown suicidal tendencies ' and expressed concern his food was tainted , a psychiatrist testified during the penalty phase of hayes'trial monday . dr. justin schechter , a stamford , connecticut , forensic and clinical psychiatrist , said that hayes exhibited signs of depression after his 2007 arrest , but told him , i would rather they kill me ' -- reflecting hayes'apparent hope that he 'd be executed for his role in in the deaths of jennifer hawke-petit and her daughters , 17-year-old hayley petit and 11-year-old michaela petit . the jury must decide whether to sentence hayes to death . hayes was n't in solitary confinement or considered actively suicidal , ' said schechter , though there were concerns he had a seizure disorder , depression and anxiety . the high school dropout said he had a long history of substance abuse and had fathered two children out of wedlock , schechter said . hayes believed that a doctor was manipulating ' his food and would n't eat it , said schechter , though he did eat food from the prison commissary . the court session ended with schechter 's testimony on monday afternoon , and will resume tuesday . hayes , 47 , was convicted this month of 16 of the 17 charges against him -- including nine counts of murder and capital murder and four counts of kidnapping -- in the deaths of hawke-petit and her daughters . prosecutors allege that hayes and joshua komisarjevsky invaded the petit home in cheshire , beat jennifer hawke-petit 's husband bloody , strangled hawke-petit , set the house afire and tried to flee . komisarjevsky is to be tried separately . earlier in the day , fred levesque , former director of offender classification and population management for the state department of correction , testified that hayes was written up for 24 disciplinary reports during a stretch in state prison . one of those was for hoarding medication , a charge to which hayes voluntarily pleaded guilty . asked by the defense if he had any knowledge of whether hayes was a threat to the general population , levesque answered no . ' last week , a forensic psychiatrist testified that hayes attempted suicide several times since his arrest and has said he wants to receive the death penalty . on cross-examination , dr. paul amble said his panel did not address the question of whether hayes'suicide attempts were sincere . but in his opinion , he said , hayes was making decisions that were rational , given his situation ' when he said he wanted to receive the death penalty . i want to plead guilty to everything now , because i just want it over now , ' hayes told an evaluation team , said amble , the assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at yale university school of medicine . hayes described a plan to look like a monster ' to the jury , expressing no remorse , in an attempt to move the jurors to sentence him to death , amble wrote in his evaluation of the defendant . prosecutor michael dearington asked amble whether hayes truly wanted to be executed . i do n't know , ' the doctor said . i 'm not here to say i can exactly divine his thoughts , only what he said . ' in march , hayes told a psychologist that he no longer wanted to commit suicide but intended to let the state do it , ' said amble , who had been asked by the judge in the case to determine whether hayes was competent to stand trial . police testified that in the 2007 home invasion , hayes and komisarjevsky found evidence of a bank account containing $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 and forced hawke-petit to go to a bank in the morning and withdraw money from the account . prosecutors said hayes took her to the bank while komisarjevsky stayed behind . when hayes and hawke-petit returned with the money , officials said , the two men set the home afire and fled . inside the home , authorities said , hawke-petit , 48 , was found raped and strangled . her two daughters , one of whom had been sexually assaulted , died of smoke inhalation . petit , the sole survivor , escaped to a neighbor 's home . cnn 's brian vitagliano contributed to this report . | new : the doctor says hayes was worried his food was being tainted |
hayes <tsp> new haven , connecticut ( cnn ) -- steven hayes , convicted of killing three members of a connecticut family , has shown suicidal tendencies ' and expressed concern his food was tainted , a psychiatrist testified during the penalty phase of hayes'trial monday . dr. justin schechter , a stamford , connecticut , forensic and clinical psychiatrist , said that hayes exhibited signs of depression after his 2007 arrest , but told him , i would rather they kill me ' -- reflecting hayes'apparent hope that he 'd be executed for his role in in the deaths of jennifer hawke-petit and her daughters , 17-year-old hayley petit and 11-year-old michaela petit . the jury must decide whether to sentence hayes to death . hayes was n't in solitary confinement or considered actively suicidal , ' said schechter , though there were concerns he had a seizure disorder , depression and anxiety . the high school dropout said he had a long history of substance abuse and had fathered two children out of wedlock , schechter said . hayes believed that a doctor was manipulating ' his food and would n't eat it , said schechter , though he did eat food from the prison commissary . the court session ended with schechter 's testimony on monday afternoon , and will resume tuesday . hayes , 47 , was convicted this month of 16 of the 17 charges against him -- including nine counts of murder and capital murder and four counts of kidnapping -- in the deaths of hawke-petit and her daughters . prosecutors allege that hayes and joshua komisarjevsky invaded the petit home in cheshire , beat jennifer hawke-petit 's husband bloody , strangled hawke-petit , set the house afire and tried to flee . komisarjevsky is to be tried separately . earlier in the day , fred levesque , former director of offender classification and population management for the state department of correction , testified that hayes was written up for 24 disciplinary reports during a stretch in state prison . one of those was for hoarding medication , a charge to which hayes voluntarily pleaded guilty . asked by the defense if he had any knowledge of whether hayes was a threat to the general population , levesque answered no . ' last week , a forensic psychiatrist testified that hayes attempted suicide several times since his arrest and has said he wants to receive the death penalty . on cross-examination , dr. paul amble said his panel did not address the question of whether hayes'suicide attempts were sincere . but in his opinion , he said , hayes was making decisions that were rational , given his situation ' when he said he wanted to receive the death penalty . i want to plead guilty to everything now , because i just want it over now , ' hayes told an evaluation team , said amble , the assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at yale university school of medicine . hayes described a plan to look like a monster ' to the jury , expressing no remorse , in an attempt to move the jurors to sentence him to death , amble wrote in his evaluation of the defendant . prosecutor michael dearington asked amble whether hayes truly wanted to be executed . i do n't know , ' the doctor said . i 'm not here to say i can exactly divine his thoughts , only what he said . ' in march , hayes told a psychologist that he no longer wanted to commit suicide but intended to let the state do it , ' said amble , who had been asked by the judge in the case to determine whether hayes was competent to stand trial . police testified that in the 2007 home invasion , hayes and komisarjevsky found evidence of a bank account containing $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 and forced hawke-petit to go to a bank in the morning and withdraw money from the account . prosecutors said hayes took her to the bank while komisarjevsky stayed behind . when hayes and hawke-petit returned with the money , officials said , the two men set the home afire and fled . inside the home , authorities said , hawke-petit , 48 , was found raped and strangled . her two daughters , one of whom had been sexually assaulted , died of smoke inhalation . petit , the sole survivor , escaped to a neighbor 's home . cnn 's brian vitagliano contributed to this report . | a former correction official testifies about hayes'disciplinary reports |
eu <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an independent scotland would retain queen elizabeth ii as head of state , keep the pound sterling currency , and remain within the european union , according to a policy document presented by scotland 's devolved government tuesday . the release of the draft plan -- known as a white paper -- comes ahead of next year 's referendum on independence from the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland . the september 18 2014 referendum will allow scots a straight yes-or-no vote on staying in the union . if they vote yes , the country 's first independent election would be held on may 5 , 2016 , according to the white paper . releasing the scotland 's future ' document in glasgow , scotland 's first minister and scottish national party ( snp ) leader alex salmond said scotland 's future is in scotland 's hands . ' this white paper is the most detailed blueprint that any people have ever been offered anywhere in the world as a basis for becoming an independent country , ' he said . it puts beyond doubt that an independent scotland would start from a position of strength -- in fact become independent in more promising circumstances than virtually any other nation in history . ' but better together campaign leader and former british finance minister alistair darling said it was a fantasy ' to say scotland could leave the uk but keep all the benefits of uk membership . the white paper is a work of fiction . it is thick with false promises and meaningless assertions . instead of a credible and costed plan , we have a wish-list of political promises without any answers on how alex salmond would pay for them , ' the scottish lamaker said . in his presentation , salmond highlighted what he said was scotland 's underlying economic strength . ' an independent scotland could have the eighth-highest economic output and the tenth-highest national income per head of population in the whole of the developed world , ' he said . the plan says over the past 32 years , scotland has contributed more tax per head of population than the uk as a whole and on independence would continue to have healthier public finances than the uk . but the country would retain the pound sterling as its currency as part of a formal sterling area , ' it says . monarch other key points outlined in the paper including maintaining britain 's queen elizabeth ii as scotland 's official head of state . it says an independent scotland would have a points-based immigration system , targeted at scotland 's particular needs and would ensure that british citizens habitually resident ' in scotland would automatically be considered scottish citizens . existing scottish citizens would have the right but not the obligation to hold a scottish passport . foreign policy the paper says an independent scotland would establish its own network of overseas embassies and consulates but would have a close and constructive ' relationship with the rest of the uk on many foreign policy issues . the government 's policy is to remain inside the european union , the paper says . following a vote for independence , the scottish government will immediately seek discussions with the westminster government and with the member states and institutions of the eu to agree the process whereby a smooth transition to full eu membership can take place on the day scotland becomes an independent country . ' defense an independent scotland would make an early agreement on the speediest safe removal of nuclear weapons a priority , ' the paper says . this would be with a view to the removal of ( britain 's nuclear deterrent program ) trident within the first term of the scottish parliament following independence , ' the paper says . scotland would negotiate with nato to become an independent and non-nuclear member of the defense alliance , it said and would commit to a â£2.5 billion ( $ 3.38b ) defense budget , building to a total of 15,000 regular defense personnel . we are prepared to negotiate arrangements for the continued use of defense infrastructure in scotland by uk forces and vice versa , at least for a transitional period , ' it added . the act of union joined scotland and england in 1707 and scotland is currently governed under the umbrella of the british government in westminster in london , alongside wales and northern ireland . westminster returned some autonomy to the three nations , and gave them the right to form their own parliaments , in the late 1990s . british prime minister david cameron and salmond , signed a deal in october 2012 paving the way for scots to vote on independence from the united kingdom . read more : new deal could lead to scotland 's independence | the paper says scotland would stay within the eu and retain the pound sterling and |
largest golf outing <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jeremiah pauley remembers all too vividly the moment that shrapnel from a roadside bomb in iraq tore into his body and left his right arm dangling uselessly . despite being seriously wounded , the staff sergeant was still yelling orders to alert others to the danger , but it was already too late and one of his men had died . the shock kicked in . there was not a lot of pain , i was drifting in and out of consciousness and someone was tapping me on the forehead to tell me to keep awake , ' he tells cnn . pauley had been leading an 18-strong patrol of the united states first armored division in the city of tal afar when he was hit by the blast . i was taken to a field hospital in mosul -- laying there in my hospital bed with this contraption on my arm , ' he recalls . pauley was presented with his purple heart and then shipped out to germany and eventually home to the u.s. as a result of his injuries , pauley 's army career was over and he was given a medical discharge .'helplessness' coming to terms with that life-changing event was tough enough , but it was the survivor 's guilt ' that played tricks with his mind and mental state . private first class jody missildine of plant city , florida , just 19 years of age , had died that day , april 8 , 2006 and pauley blamed himself . i was just racked with guilt , in the sense that i failed as a leader and take responsibility for what happened . ' pauley was in a bad place . his marriage would eventually break down . it 's a big challenge for returning veterans to learn how to integrate with their families , ' he admits . now 38 , he has two children , and his youngest -- his daughter -- was born five months after he was injured . i battled three or four years of just helplessness , anxiety and depression , until i was introduced to the wounded warriors project , ' pauley says . aimed at helping injured service members , and raising awareness in the community , it brought him together with norbie lara -- who also joined the army in the mid-1990s and who was also seriously wounded on duty . he had such a positive attitude and he really encouraged me to turn my life around , ' pauley says . lara 's arm had been severed when a rocket-propelled grenade pierced the armor plating of his vehicle . he suffered other life-threatening injuries , and a lacerated liver , spending months in the walter read army medical center in washington where pauley would be sent two years later . i remember i woke up from my coma and essentially thinking this is not really how i want to live , ' lara tells cnn . i did n't want to live , and for the first time in my life i was scared . ' the power of golf like pauley , his army days were over and with discharge came the same sense of helplessness and loss . lara also found support and renewed sense of purpose after being introduced to the wounded warrior project . by chance , he was given his first set of golf clubs and the opportunity to have a go at the game , despite his disability . i played horribly , but i connected perfectly with just one shot -- just one shot and i was hooked , ' he recalls . i 've loved the game ever since and used it as a vital tool to aid my recovery . ' pauley had also dabbled with the game before his life-changing incident and , like lara , has found some inner peace while walking the 18 holes of his local courses in northern california . but like a lot of amateur golfers , he suffers from a common problem . i had a terrible slice and now with the injury to my right arm , i still have a slice ! ' on monday , slice or no slice , both will be hoping to take their a game ' to a nationwide tournament which has the express purpose of raising money for the wounded warriors charity . the world 's largest golf outing ( wlgo ) is the brain child of legendary golfer billy casper 's organization and its ceo , peter hill . this year more than 150 courses in the united states will be used for an event with an expected 15,000 entrants , all playing in teams of four . unlike conventional tournaments , the prizes are reserved for the participants who raise the most money for the warriors , not those with the lowest scores . wlgo has raised over $ 1 million for veterans since starting four years ago , and is rapidly expanding . we 've hit a chord within the golfing community , ' hill tells cnn . americans are passionate about assisting these brave individuals . ' finding closure pauley will be playing at lincoln hills in california , where he will be pressed into speaking duties before the tournament starts . a regular on the dais at veterans'days , he eloquently espouses their cause and the benefits of wounded warriors . what happened that fateful day in iraq changed his life forever , and it was only last year that he was able to exorcise some of the demons and guilt about the death of his colleague pfc missildine . missildine 's family invited pauley to visit and pay his respects , something he had been unable to do in 2006 because he was in hospital recovering from his injuries . pauley recalled in his personal blog the moment he first saw missildine 's grave site , writing : i was cold , nearly shivering . i stood and saluted him while tears rolled down my face . my first thought was that i wished i was in the ground instead of him ... but at that instant i was overcome with a hot burning sensation and i realized jody would n't want me to think like that ... ' i promised him that it would n't be another seven years before i came back . i stood and saluted him one final time and walked away . ' lara , who works full-time for wounded warriors , will perform similar speaking duties at 1757 golf club in dulles , virginia before showing off his golfing skills . i usually break a hundred . i 've found my own technique , ' he says . the furthest i 've ever hit a drive is 280 yards , i normally strike it out about 230 . ' breaking down barriers lara is thankful for his every moment after his near brush with death , and always thankful to wounded warriors from rescuing him from the depths of despair . the project was formed in 2003 to give support to wounded u.s. service personnel since the events of september 11 , 2001 . nearly 40,000 veterans and their families have benefited from its various programs and fundraising efforts . the wlgo 's association has proved the perfect fit , and hill believes golf is also benefiting from opening up its courses to people who might not normally be attracted to the sport . competitors pay a standard green fee and $ 10 donation to wounded warriors to play prestigious courses and to get a taste for the game . it 's broken down the some of the barriers to people who want to play golf , particularly women , who are worried about too many rules and too much protocol , ' hill says . he has big ambitions for the concept and is even considering an expansion outside of the united states . i see no reason why we could not play on thousands of courses , on a monday each year in august , with hundreds of thousand of golfers coming to support their heroes and to raise millions of dollars in a day . ' having already presented a check for $ 735,000 in january , hill hopes this year 's fundraising will break through the $ 1 million mark . it 's a great way to raise money and awareness for the warriors , lara says . he plays most weekends , sometimes with other veterans , enjoying the solitude and the chance to talk , share experiences . you ca n't have a bad day on a golf course , ' says the 41-year-old . being a warrior you want to compete whatever the event , still up for the challenge . ' | world 's largest golf outing held at 150-plus courses in the united states |
crossfire <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- conservative columnist and former cnn crossfire ' co-host robert novak has died after a yearlong battle with cancer , his family said tuesday . he was 78 . robert novak was a syndicated columnist who was a regular on cnn for 25 years . novak died at home , over a year after doctors diagnosed him with a malignant brain tumor in august 2008 . he was dubbed the prince of darkness ' by friends for his pessimistic persona , and he used the nickname as the title of his 2007 memoir . however , sam feist , cnn 's political director , said the dour visage masked a warm-hearted guy ' who cared a lot about the people who worked for him . ' watch how novak will be remembered » ' if you were a friend of bob novak 's , you could n't have a better friend , ' feist said . jim walton , president of cnn worldwide , said the network was saddened by the death of a journalist of the old school , hard-working , practical and passionate about our profession . ' from its earliest days and for some 25 years , bob shared generously with cnn and with cnn viewers his authority , credibility , humor and towering presence , ' walton said in a statement . we 're grateful to have worked alongside him and send our respect and sympathy to his family . ' novak was a veteran columnist for the chicago sun-times and a regular commentator for cnn for 25 years , beginning when the network launched in 1980 . for most of that time , he was a co-host of the political debate program crossfire . ' but he also hosted a show with his longtime column co-author , rowland evans , and appeared as a panelist on shows like the capital gang ' and on pbs' the mclaughlin group . ' novak got his first newspaper job in 1948 , when he was still in high school . senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , said novak had the kind of keen insight that can only be gained through years and years of dedication to a craft . ' he was a washington institution who could turn an idea into the most discussed story around kitchen tables , congressional offices , the white house and everywhere in between , ' mcconnell said in a written statement . novak served in the army during the korean war before turning to the news business , eventually starting his column with evans at the now-defunct new york herald-tribune in 1963 . in 2003 , he found himself at the center of the scandal over the exposure of cia agent valerie plame wilson , when he published a column revealing her cia status days after her husband challenged a key bush administration justification for the invasion of iraq . while staunchly conservative , novak opposed the invasion and was frequently critical of the bush administration . he cooperated with prosecutors and was not charged in the leak case . the scandal ultimately led to the conviction of vice president dick cheney 's chief of staff , lewis scooter ' libby , on charges of perjury , obstruction of justice and lying to investigators probing the leak . novak later testified that the leak began with then-deputy secretary of state richard armitage and was confirmed by karl rove , who was then president george w. bush 's top political adviser . both men cooperated with the investigation , and neither was charged . ireport.com : share memories of novak novak was born to a jewish family in joliet , illinois , on the outskirts of chicago , but later became a devout roman catholic . he took up skydiving in his early 70s and was a passionate sports fan . he also once appeared as an extra in a washington opera production . in an editorial published with news of novak 's death , the sun-times said novak 's columns were marked by his determination to dig out new information . ' he combined that with sharp analysis , insightful commentary and passion about the issues facing the nation to emerge as a brawling contestant in the great national debates of his era , ' the newspaper said . veteran democratic consultant and on-air sparring partner james carville said novak had the best sources in the republican party , ' making his weekly column a must-read for political insiders . what you saw on television was an ideological guy , a fire-breathing right-wing guy , ' carville said . but novak still had the sort of ethos of the reporter . ' novak left the network in 2005 after an on-air blowup with carville , who had been needling him over the cia leak case . cnn suspended novak , who apologized for using the word bullsh * t ' on air , and he resigned at the end of the year . i want to thank cnn for making this network available to me for 25 years , ' he said at the time . never censored me once , ever , and i said some outrageous things . and it was a wonderful opportunity for me . ' | the conservative syndicated columnist formerly co-hosted cnn 's crossfire ' show |
valerie plame <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- conservative columnist and former cnn crossfire ' co-host robert novak has died after a yearlong battle with cancer , his family said tuesday . he was 78 . robert novak was a syndicated columnist who was a regular on cnn for 25 years . novak died at home , over a year after doctors diagnosed him with a malignant brain tumor in august 2008 . he was dubbed the prince of darkness ' by friends for his pessimistic persona , and he used the nickname as the title of his 2007 memoir . however , sam feist , cnn 's political director , said the dour visage masked a warm-hearted guy ' who cared a lot about the people who worked for him . ' watch how novak will be remembered » ' if you were a friend of bob novak 's , you could n't have a better friend , ' feist said . jim walton , president of cnn worldwide , said the network was saddened by the death of a journalist of the old school , hard-working , practical and passionate about our profession . ' from its earliest days and for some 25 years , bob shared generously with cnn and with cnn viewers his authority , credibility , humor and towering presence , ' walton said in a statement . we 're grateful to have worked alongside him and send our respect and sympathy to his family . ' novak was a veteran columnist for the chicago sun-times and a regular commentator for cnn for 25 years , beginning when the network launched in 1980 . for most of that time , he was a co-host of the political debate program crossfire . ' but he also hosted a show with his longtime column co-author , rowland evans , and appeared as a panelist on shows like the capital gang ' and on pbs' the mclaughlin group . ' novak got his first newspaper job in 1948 , when he was still in high school . senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , said novak had the kind of keen insight that can only be gained through years and years of dedication to a craft . ' he was a washington institution who could turn an idea into the most discussed story around kitchen tables , congressional offices , the white house and everywhere in between , ' mcconnell said in a written statement . novak served in the army during the korean war before turning to the news business , eventually starting his column with evans at the now-defunct new york herald-tribune in 1963 . in 2003 , he found himself at the center of the scandal over the exposure of cia agent valerie plame wilson , when he published a column revealing her cia status days after her husband challenged a key bush administration justification for the invasion of iraq . while staunchly conservative , novak opposed the invasion and was frequently critical of the bush administration . he cooperated with prosecutors and was not charged in the leak case . the scandal ultimately led to the conviction of vice president dick cheney 's chief of staff , lewis scooter ' libby , on charges of perjury , obstruction of justice and lying to investigators probing the leak . novak later testified that the leak began with then-deputy secretary of state richard armitage and was confirmed by karl rove , who was then president george w. bush 's top political adviser . both men cooperated with the investigation , and neither was charged . ireport.com : share memories of novak novak was born to a jewish family in joliet , illinois , on the outskirts of chicago , but later became a devout roman catholic . he took up skydiving in his early 70s and was a passionate sports fan . he also once appeared as an extra in a washington opera production . in an editorial published with news of novak 's death , the sun-times said novak 's columns were marked by his determination to dig out new information . ' he combined that with sharp analysis , insightful commentary and passion about the issues facing the nation to emerge as a brawling contestant in the great national debates of his era , ' the newspaper said . veteran democratic consultant and on-air sparring partner james carville said novak had the best sources in the republican party , ' making his weekly column a must-read for political insiders . what you saw on television was an ideological guy , a fire-breathing right-wing guy , ' carville said . but novak still had the sort of ethos of the reporter . ' novak left the network in 2005 after an on-air blowup with carville , who had been needling him over the cia leak case . cnn suspended novak , who apologized for using the word bullsh * t ' on air , and he resigned at the end of the year . i want to thank cnn for making this network available to me for 25 years , ' he said at the time . never censored me once , ever , and i said some outrageous things . and it was a wonderful opportunity for me . ' | novak was at center of scandal caused by outing of cia agent valerie plame |
palestinians <tsp> as the bloody battles pushed up tragic death tolls on both sides , world powers held a flurry of diplomatic meetings wednesday aimed at halting the fighting in gaza . u.s. secretary of state john kerry met with israeli and palestinian leaders as well as u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon , while several middle eastern nations worked to try to win hamas'agreement for an egyptian-led cease-fire . but perhaps the most powerful message came from a woman whose son 's death played a role in sparking the current fighting . your children and our children -- nobody should really go through what we 're going through now , ' said rachel fraenkel , whose son naftali was among three jewish teens kidnapped and killed on the way home from school in the west bank last month . israel blamed hamas . later , a palestinian teen was killed in what israel calls a revenge attack . israel has indicted an adult and two minors for the killing . the fraenkels are american citizens . yishai fraenkel , naftali 's uncle , works to bring palestinians into israel 's high-tech sector . rachel fraenkel met with kerry on wednesday . afterward , speaking to media , she said , i just want to turn to palestinian parents and say maybe you can stop hamas from using you as human shields and your death as propaganda . ' i promise the palestinian parents : all we want is to live in peace and raise our children without threats of missiles or tunnels under our communities , ' noting that an israeli kindergarten was struck by a rocket this week -- it was empty at the time . maybe we can teach our children that we want to live in peace , ' she said . some palestinian parents visited her family after naftali 's death and they had very good conversations , she said . i do know decent , good palestinian people . ' israeli jewish families also visited the family of mohammed abu khedair , the palestinian teen killed . despite fraenkel 's sentiments , many palestinian parents accuse israel of carrying out a massacre ' -- and have called on israelis to push the government to stop military action . nobody is safe and nobody can flee anywhere because everywhere is targeted , ' said a mother of two who lives in the al-remal neighborhood of gaza city , as cnn reported monday . when we hear the shelling my kids will cry . ' death tolls jump the gaza health ministry said wednesday 695 palestinians have been killed in the fighting , including 166 children . more than 4,500 people have been wounded , the health officials said . it 's unclear how many of the dead were civilians . the united nations estimates that more than 70 % were . the israeli military said 230 militants have been killed . palestinians have disputed israeli and american assertions that many of the deaths are due to people choosing to be part of human shields . while hamas leaders have encouraged people to do so , many palestinians have told cnn they worried that if they followed israeli warnings and fled their homes , they 'd have nowhere safe to go . three more israeli soldiers were killed wednesday , bringing the total to 32 plus three civilians . among the soldiers , three died from friendly fire . a hamas mortar shell killed a foreign worker in ashkelon on wednesday , marking the third civilian death on the israeli side . hamas has said it is holding an israeli soldier it captured in an ambush on an armored personnel carrier sunday . six other idf soldiers died in the ambush . on tuesday , the israeli military released the soldier 's name -- sgt . oren shaul -- but said it was working to identify his body . ' israeli media reported that shaul was missing and presumed dead . u.n. slams possible'war crimes' ' there seems to be a strong possibility that international humanitarian law has been violated , in a manner that could amount to war crimes , ' u.n. high commissioner for human rights navi pillay said wednesday . i unequivocally reiterate to all actors in this conflict that civilians must not be targeted . it is imperative that israel , hamas and all palestinian armed groups strictly abide by applicable norms of international humanitarian law and international human rights law , ' pillay said . this entails applying the principles of distinction between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives ; proportionality ; and precautions in attack . respect for the right to life of civilians , including children , should be a foremost consideration . not abiding by these principles may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity . ' some israeli officials rejected pillay 's statements about israel . she would be better advised to seek credible first-hand information rather than making intolerably biased statements based on newspaper clippings , ' foreign ministry spokesman yigal palmor said , according to the jerusalem post . he added that pillay 's embarrassingly shallow and populist affirmations ... do a huge disservice to actual human rights . ' also wednesday , ban announced he was ordering a review of incidents where rockets were placed at united nations relief and works agency schools . ban expresses his outrage , and regret , at the placing of weapons in a un-administered school , ' a written statement from the u.n. said . he demanded that militants stop endangering civilians by putting rockets at the schools . tunnels found , ambulances hit the israeli military , meanwhile , said it hit more than 187 targets overnight , and most of them were in shaja'ia . the israel defense forces has warned residents of the neighborhood to flee multiple times and has accused hamas of telling people to remain in their homes . an idf force found another terror access shaft ' in gaza on wednesday , israel said . inside it were weapons , maps and idf uniforms , all intended for the execution of terror attacks against israel . ' the idf also attacked several militants emerging from a tunnel opening ' in southern gaza , israel said . since the beginning of the ground operation , more than 60 access shafts leading to some 28 tunnels were uncovered . ' the al-wafa hospital , near hard-hit shaja'ia , is a hamas military compound , ' the israel defense forces said wednesday . at israel 's request , it was evacuated of patients and staff tuesday , though hamas gunmen remained , firing at israeli forces , the idf said . israel confirmed the evacuation with a world health organization official , then struck the terror targets ' at the site , the idf said . the israeli military released video it said showed secondary explosions from stockpiled munitions when the hospital was hit . palestinian ambulances have been shelled , gazan medics have complained . on wednesday , the idf said militants used one to escape the israeli military . the international committee of the red cross prepared to go into shaja'ia early wednesday . the neighborhood is partially demolished , ' the icrc said . cease-fire possible ? kerry shuttled between israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu in tel aviv and palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas in the west bank on wednesday . abbas'fatah party has long controlled the palestinian government in the west bank , while hamas has controlled gaza . the two groups , which have engaged in violent battles in the past , recently announced another effort at a joint government . earlier wednesday , kerry met with u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon , who was already on the ground calling for an end to the bloodshed in gaza . israel has publicly accepted egypt 's call for a cease-fire and condemned hamas for not doing so . hamas political leadership lives in qatar , another country involved in efforts to achieve a cease-fire . hamas leader khaled meshaal said from doha , qatar , that hamas'demand that israel end an air , land and sea blockade of gaza is their most important demand . then we can negotiate , ' he said . turkey and kuwait are involved as well , a hamas official told cnn . can kerry end the gaza-israel bloodshed ? | 695 palestinians killed since beginning of renewed hostilities , the gaza health ministry says |
spotify <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nothing makes a workout go by faster than the perfect playlist . studies show listening to music while exercising can boost your spirits , distract you from feelings of fatigue and increase your workout intensity . music is like a legal drug for athletes , ' exercise and music expert costas karageorghis told the american council on exercise . it can reduce the perception of effort significantly and increase endurance by as much as 15 % . ' spotify users must like the high ; they 've created more than 2.8 million workout ' playlists on the music streaming service . but after a while , even your favorite tunes can be overplayed . spotify has released the top tracks that got gym goers moving between january 1 and 13 . steal some to keep your time on the treadmill upbeat . mobile users can access the playlist here . ( warning : some of the songs may contain explicit content . ) . or , if you 'd like something a little more personal , check out the songs that led to first lady michelle obama 's impressive guns . ( on mobile ) . or go pro , by listening to the same music that fitness trainer jackie warner uses to pump up her workouts . ( on mobile ) . british pop star ellie goulding also shared her music to run to ' motivational playlist with spotify . she told the company , music and working out go hand in hand . the beat of a song or the perfect playlist can always carry you through a tough workout . ' ( on mobile ) . what tracks keep you moving in the gym ? share your favorites in the comments below . | men tend to prefer hip-hop hits while exercising , spotify says |
spotify <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nothing makes a workout go by faster than the perfect playlist . studies show listening to music while exercising can boost your spirits , distract you from feelings of fatigue and increase your workout intensity . music is like a legal drug for athletes , ' exercise and music expert costas karageorghis told the american council on exercise . it can reduce the perception of effort significantly and increase endurance by as much as 15 % . ' spotify users must like the high ; they 've created more than 2.8 million workout ' playlists on the music streaming service . but after a while , even your favorite tunes can be overplayed . spotify has released the top tracks that got gym goers moving between january 1 and 13 . steal some to keep your time on the treadmill upbeat . mobile users can access the playlist here . ( warning : some of the songs may contain explicit content . ) . or , if you 'd like something a little more personal , check out the songs that led to first lady michelle obama 's impressive guns . ( on mobile ) . or go pro , by listening to the same music that fitness trainer jackie warner uses to pump up her workouts . ( on mobile ) . british pop star ellie goulding also shared her music to run to ' motivational playlist with spotify . she told the company , music and working out go hand in hand . the beat of a song or the perfect playlist can always carry you through a tough workout . ' ( on mobile ) . what tracks keep you moving in the gym ? share your favorites in the comments below . | spotify users have created 2.8 million workout ' playlists |
vatican <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the showdown between the vatican and america 's largest group of catholic nuns is expected to peak this week when group leaders will meet to determine a response to the vatican 's reprimand for the group 's radical feminist themes . ' the church also demands major reforms from the nuns'group . the leadership conference of women religious , initially surprised by the vatican 's report last month , plans to move slowly , not rushing to judgment ' when the group 's 21-member board meets for three days in washington , d.c. , beginning tuesday . the board will conduct its meeting in an atmosphere of prayer , contemplation and dialogue and will develop a plan to involve lcwr membership in similar processes , ' the group said in a statement . we will engage in dialogue where possible and be open to the movement of the holy spirit . we ask your prayer for us and for the church in this critical time . ' last month , the congregation for the doctrine of faith , the catholic church 's doctrinal watchdog , did a years-long doctrinal assessment ' investigation of the group -- which represents 80 % of the catholic nuns in united states -- and found serious doctrinal problems . ' the vatican accused the lcwr of sponsoring certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the catholic faith in some of the programs and presentations . ' the vatican report , made public by the u.s. conference of catholic bishops , said the doctrinal assessment began in part because of the group 's dissent on the holy see 's teaching on the ordination of women and human sexuality . the catholic church ordains only men to be priests and says sex is to be between a man and woman who are married in the eyes of the church . while the assessment praised the social justice work of the group and other organizations such as network and the resources center for religious life , it said the groups were silent on the right to life from conception to natural death , a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the united states . ' simone campbell , a nun who 's executive director of network , a national catholic social justice lobby in washington , said her hunch ' is that the lcwr will put together an outline response this week to be presented to the group 's full assembly during its august meeting . i think the results for the media will be very anticlimactic because we as catholic sisters do things with a lot of prayer and very slowly , ' campbell about this week 's meeting . it 's going to be like watching paint dry , ' she added in a cnn interview . the congregation for the doctrine of faith appointed archbishop peter sartain of seattle to institute the reforms . the u.s. conference of catholic bishops is providing support to sartain , and the lcwr is n't expected to publicly address the vatican report until after this week 's meeting , said mary ann walsh , spokeswoman for the bishops'conference . nuns in various orders around the united states have been conversing about the vatican report , and their reactions have been surprised , stunned , shocked , ' campbell said . she said the report left her feeling as being suspect . ' for myself , the shock made me numb at first , and then i was profoundly sad that my life as a woman religious and my commitment to serving the poor would be so denigrated by the leadership of our church , ' campbell said . all we do is work for love . ' for the report to say you do n't do everything , ' campbell said , is ridiculous . ' they 're saying we 're silent on some issues . it 's not our issue . other people do those works , ' campbell said . the report took note of public statements from the nuns that opposed the catholic bishops . the leadership conference of women religious and network vocally disagreed with the bishops'conference 's position on the affordable care act , which they supported and the bishops did not . the congregation for the doctrine of faith called the current doctrinal and pastoral positions of the groups grave and a matter of serious concern , ' because of the global influence of the groups . some observers of the church say the leadership conference may take a low-key position in its response and seek to defuse a confrontation . others such as cnn 's senior vatican analyst john allen said the vatican report has basically decreed that the lcwr needs an overhaul in which it will have a tighter relationship with the bishops . ' basically , it needs to be more obedient , ' said allen , who 's also a senior correspondent for the national catholic reporter , based in kansas city , missouri . the american nuns'group could do one of three options this week : it could go along with everything the vatican is saying ; it could offer to work and negotiate with the vatican but say let 's talk ' ; or it could say we 're not going to play ball and we 're going to walk away , ' allen said . the last option would essentially mean we 'll disband the lcwr and let it die on the vine and go off and do our own thing , ' allen said . that 's what on the table here : how do the nuns want to respond to the crackdown that they received from the vatican , ' allen added . he also noted how many of the group leaders are in their 60s and 70s . some of them do n't want to spend the last 10 years of their life engaged in negotiations with the vatican , ' allen said . some of them just do n't want to deal with this . this will be the first opportunity where we 'll be able to take the temperature of the group on where the nuns stand on this . one way or another , it 's an important crossroads moment , ' he added . for campbell , the vatican report does n't pose a crisis of conscience . it 's not affecting my conscience . it affects my sadness and heart . this life is profound and deep , ' campbell said . when politics interferes , it does n't change the depth of the spiritual . it 's annoyance . it 's not an issue of conscience . we 're faithful . ' campbell belongs to the sisters of social service , an order based in encino , california , and the community is meeting for the feast of the pentecost from sunday to tuesday . the congregation might put together a position statement for the lcwr 's assembly meeting in august , campbell said . we 're open to the holy spirit and to let the group wisdom lead us , so i have no idea ' on whether on a position will be taken by the order , campbell said . stay tuned . ' | the vatican wants major reforms from the american nuns'group |
vatican <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the showdown between the vatican and america 's largest group of catholic nuns is expected to peak this week when group leaders will meet to determine a response to the vatican 's reprimand for the group 's radical feminist themes . ' the church also demands major reforms from the nuns'group . the leadership conference of women religious , initially surprised by the vatican 's report last month , plans to move slowly , not rushing to judgment ' when the group 's 21-member board meets for three days in washington , d.c. , beginning tuesday . the board will conduct its meeting in an atmosphere of prayer , contemplation and dialogue and will develop a plan to involve lcwr membership in similar processes , ' the group said in a statement . we will engage in dialogue where possible and be open to the movement of the holy spirit . we ask your prayer for us and for the church in this critical time . ' last month , the congregation for the doctrine of faith , the catholic church 's doctrinal watchdog , did a years-long doctrinal assessment ' investigation of the group -- which represents 80 % of the catholic nuns in united states -- and found serious doctrinal problems . ' the vatican accused the lcwr of sponsoring certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the catholic faith in some of the programs and presentations . ' the vatican report , made public by the u.s. conference of catholic bishops , said the doctrinal assessment began in part because of the group 's dissent on the holy see 's teaching on the ordination of women and human sexuality . the catholic church ordains only men to be priests and says sex is to be between a man and woman who are married in the eyes of the church . while the assessment praised the social justice work of the group and other organizations such as network and the resources center for religious life , it said the groups were silent on the right to life from conception to natural death , a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the united states . ' simone campbell , a nun who 's executive director of network , a national catholic social justice lobby in washington , said her hunch ' is that the lcwr will put together an outline response this week to be presented to the group 's full assembly during its august meeting . i think the results for the media will be very anticlimactic because we as catholic sisters do things with a lot of prayer and very slowly , ' campbell about this week 's meeting . it 's going to be like watching paint dry , ' she added in a cnn interview . the congregation for the doctrine of faith appointed archbishop peter sartain of seattle to institute the reforms . the u.s. conference of catholic bishops is providing support to sartain , and the lcwr is n't expected to publicly address the vatican report until after this week 's meeting , said mary ann walsh , spokeswoman for the bishops'conference . nuns in various orders around the united states have been conversing about the vatican report , and their reactions have been surprised , stunned , shocked , ' campbell said . she said the report left her feeling as being suspect . ' for myself , the shock made me numb at first , and then i was profoundly sad that my life as a woman religious and my commitment to serving the poor would be so denigrated by the leadership of our church , ' campbell said . all we do is work for love . ' for the report to say you do n't do everything , ' campbell said , is ridiculous . ' they 're saying we 're silent on some issues . it 's not our issue . other people do those works , ' campbell said . the report took note of public statements from the nuns that opposed the catholic bishops . the leadership conference of women religious and network vocally disagreed with the bishops'conference 's position on the affordable care act , which they supported and the bishops did not . the congregation for the doctrine of faith called the current doctrinal and pastoral positions of the groups grave and a matter of serious concern , ' because of the global influence of the groups . some observers of the church say the leadership conference may take a low-key position in its response and seek to defuse a confrontation . others such as cnn 's senior vatican analyst john allen said the vatican report has basically decreed that the lcwr needs an overhaul in which it will have a tighter relationship with the bishops . ' basically , it needs to be more obedient , ' said allen , who 's also a senior correspondent for the national catholic reporter , based in kansas city , missouri . the american nuns'group could do one of three options this week : it could go along with everything the vatican is saying ; it could offer to work and negotiate with the vatican but say let 's talk ' ; or it could say we 're not going to play ball and we 're going to walk away , ' allen said . the last option would essentially mean we 'll disband the lcwr and let it die on the vine and go off and do our own thing , ' allen said . that 's what on the table here : how do the nuns want to respond to the crackdown that they received from the vatican , ' allen added . he also noted how many of the group leaders are in their 60s and 70s . some of them do n't want to spend the last 10 years of their life engaged in negotiations with the vatican , ' allen said . some of them just do n't want to deal with this . this will be the first opportunity where we 'll be able to take the temperature of the group on where the nuns stand on this . one way or another , it 's an important crossroads moment , ' he added . for campbell , the vatican report does n't pose a crisis of conscience . it 's not affecting my conscience . it affects my sadness and heart . this life is profound and deep , ' campbell said . when politics interferes , it does n't change the depth of the spiritual . it 's annoyance . it 's not an issue of conscience . we 're faithful . ' campbell belongs to the sisters of social service , an order based in encino , california , and the community is meeting for the feast of the pentecost from sunday to tuesday . the congregation might put together a position statement for the lcwr 's assembly meeting in august , campbell said . we 're open to the holy spirit and to let the group wisdom lead us , so i have no idea ' on whether on a position will be taken by the order , campbell said . stay tuned . ' | it 'll be an important crossroads moments ' as nuns respond to vatican crackdown , ' analyst says |
vatican <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the showdown between the vatican and america 's largest group of catholic nuns is expected to peak this week when group leaders will meet to determine a response to the vatican 's reprimand for the group 's radical feminist themes . ' the church also demands major reforms from the nuns'group . the leadership conference of women religious , initially surprised by the vatican 's report last month , plans to move slowly , not rushing to judgment ' when the group 's 21-member board meets for three days in washington , d.c. , beginning tuesday . the board will conduct its meeting in an atmosphere of prayer , contemplation and dialogue and will develop a plan to involve lcwr membership in similar processes , ' the group said in a statement . we will engage in dialogue where possible and be open to the movement of the holy spirit . we ask your prayer for us and for the church in this critical time . ' last month , the congregation for the doctrine of faith , the catholic church 's doctrinal watchdog , did a years-long doctrinal assessment ' investigation of the group -- which represents 80 % of the catholic nuns in united states -- and found serious doctrinal problems . ' the vatican accused the lcwr of sponsoring certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the catholic faith in some of the programs and presentations . ' the vatican report , made public by the u.s. conference of catholic bishops , said the doctrinal assessment began in part because of the group 's dissent on the holy see 's teaching on the ordination of women and human sexuality . the catholic church ordains only men to be priests and says sex is to be between a man and woman who are married in the eyes of the church . while the assessment praised the social justice work of the group and other organizations such as network and the resources center for religious life , it said the groups were silent on the right to life from conception to natural death , a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the united states . ' simone campbell , a nun who 's executive director of network , a national catholic social justice lobby in washington , said her hunch ' is that the lcwr will put together an outline response this week to be presented to the group 's full assembly during its august meeting . i think the results for the media will be very anticlimactic because we as catholic sisters do things with a lot of prayer and very slowly , ' campbell about this week 's meeting . it 's going to be like watching paint dry , ' she added in a cnn interview . the congregation for the doctrine of faith appointed archbishop peter sartain of seattle to institute the reforms . the u.s. conference of catholic bishops is providing support to sartain , and the lcwr is n't expected to publicly address the vatican report until after this week 's meeting , said mary ann walsh , spokeswoman for the bishops'conference . nuns in various orders around the united states have been conversing about the vatican report , and their reactions have been surprised , stunned , shocked , ' campbell said . she said the report left her feeling as being suspect . ' for myself , the shock made me numb at first , and then i was profoundly sad that my life as a woman religious and my commitment to serving the poor would be so denigrated by the leadership of our church , ' campbell said . all we do is work for love . ' for the report to say you do n't do everything , ' campbell said , is ridiculous . ' they 're saying we 're silent on some issues . it 's not our issue . other people do those works , ' campbell said . the report took note of public statements from the nuns that opposed the catholic bishops . the leadership conference of women religious and network vocally disagreed with the bishops'conference 's position on the affordable care act , which they supported and the bishops did not . the congregation for the doctrine of faith called the current doctrinal and pastoral positions of the groups grave and a matter of serious concern , ' because of the global influence of the groups . some observers of the church say the leadership conference may take a low-key position in its response and seek to defuse a confrontation . others such as cnn 's senior vatican analyst john allen said the vatican report has basically decreed that the lcwr needs an overhaul in which it will have a tighter relationship with the bishops . ' basically , it needs to be more obedient , ' said allen , who 's also a senior correspondent for the national catholic reporter , based in kansas city , missouri . the american nuns'group could do one of three options this week : it could go along with everything the vatican is saying ; it could offer to work and negotiate with the vatican but say let 's talk ' ; or it could say we 're not going to play ball and we 're going to walk away , ' allen said . the last option would essentially mean we 'll disband the lcwr and let it die on the vine and go off and do our own thing , ' allen said . that 's what on the table here : how do the nuns want to respond to the crackdown that they received from the vatican , ' allen added . he also noted how many of the group leaders are in their 60s and 70s . some of them do n't want to spend the last 10 years of their life engaged in negotiations with the vatican , ' allen said . some of them just do n't want to deal with this . this will be the first opportunity where we 'll be able to take the temperature of the group on where the nuns stand on this . one way or another , it 's an important crossroads moment , ' he added . for campbell , the vatican report does n't pose a crisis of conscience . it 's not affecting my conscience . it affects my sadness and heart . this life is profound and deep , ' campbell said . when politics interferes , it does n't change the depth of the spiritual . it 's annoyance . it 's not an issue of conscience . we 're faithful . ' campbell belongs to the sisters of social service , an order based in encino , california , and the community is meeting for the feast of the pentecost from sunday to tuesday . the congregation might put together a position statement for the lcwr 's assembly meeting in august , campbell said . we 're open to the holy spirit and to let the group wisdom lead us , so i have no idea ' on whether on a position will be taken by the order , campbell said . stay tuned . ' | they will address a report by the vatican that denounces group 's radical feminist themes ' |
saatchi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- charles saatchi told a london newspaper tuesday that he went to police voluntarily over an incident in which he grabbed his wife , celebrity chef nigella lawson , by the throat to avoid it hanging over all of us for months . ' the furor over the incident dominated the british press tuesday , a day after saatchi accepted a police warning related to the case . in a statement to the evening standard newspaper , for which he is a columnist , saatchi said : although nigella made no complaint i volunteered to go to charing cross station and take a police caution after a discussion with my lawyer because i thought it was better than the alternative of this hanging over all of us for months . ' images of saatchi , a multimillionaire art collector and former advertising magnate , with his hand around lawson 's throat were front-page news in national papers for a second day tuesday , after they were first published sunday . opinion : the rich and famous are not immune to domestic abuse saatchi , age 70 , looked stony-faced as he left his home in central london earlier tuesday and declined to respond to questions from waiting journalists . london 's metropolitan police said a 70-year-old man accepted a caution for assault ' at a police station monday afternoon but did not name saatchi . officers from the community safety unit at westminster were aware of the sunday people article which published on sunday 16th june and carried out an investigation , ' a metropolitan police spokesman told cnn . this afternoon monday 17th june , a 70-year-old man voluntarily attended a central london police station and accepted a caution for assault , ' the spokesman said . cnn contacted saatchi 's company for comment but has not received a response . according to a uk government website , a caution is issued for minor crimes . cautions are given to adults aged 18 or over for minor crimes -- eg writing graffiti on a bus shelter , ' the website says . you have to admit an offence and agree to be cautioned . if you do n't agree , you can be arrested and charged . a caution is not a criminal conviction , but it could be used as evidence of bad character if you go to court for another crime . ' sunday people , part of the stable of tabloids published by the mirror group , published the photos sunday of lawson and saatchi at a restaurant . the tabloid 's website includes the caption : nigella lawson attacked in public by charles saatchi . ' earlier , a representative for lawson confirmed that the chef and her children had moved out of their home .'playful tiff' saatchi gave his version of events monday to the evening standard . london police : man accepts warning in nigella lawson incident ' about a week ago , we were sitting outside a restaurant having an intense debate about the children , and i held nigella 's neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasize my point , ' saatchi told the paper . there was no grip , it was a playful tiff . the pictures are horrific but give a far more drastic and violent impression of what took place . nigella 's tears were because we both hate arguing , not because she had been hurt , ' he added . we had made up by the time we were home . the paparazzi were congregated outside our house after the story broke yesterday morning , so i told nigella to take the kids off till the dust settled . ' the restaurant involved told cnn that its employees did not witness any such incident . lawson 's facebook page is filled with messages from fans expressing their support for her . lawson is known as the queen of food porn . ' she has written numerous successful cookbooks and hosted tv shows . with the furor making headlines , uk domestic violence groups made the point that domestic abuse is an enduring and widespread issue . domestic violence is a massive social problem in this country , ' sandra horley , chief executive of uk domestic violence charity refuge , said in a statement . last year over one million women were abused . every week in england and wales , two women are killed by current or former partners . there are still so many myths and misconceptions surrounding this horrific crime . people often think that it only happens in poor families ... but the truth is that domestic violence affects women of all ages , classes and backgrounds . abusive men are just as likely to be lawyers , accountants and judges as they are cleaners or unemployed . ' horley said that perpetrators of domestic violence frequently try to minimize or deny their behaviour , ' but that violent incidents rarely occur only once and can escalate to more extreme behavior . research shows that strangulation is a key risk factor for domestic homicide , ' she said . last year , almost 50 % of the women we supported had been strangled or choked by their abusers . ' watch a cnn interview with nigella lawson cnn 's richard allen greene contributed to this report . | images of saatchi with a hand around his wife 's throat were first published sunday |
saatchi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- charles saatchi told a london newspaper tuesday that he went to police voluntarily over an incident in which he grabbed his wife , celebrity chef nigella lawson , by the throat to avoid it hanging over all of us for months . ' the furor over the incident dominated the british press tuesday , a day after saatchi accepted a police warning related to the case . in a statement to the evening standard newspaper , for which he is a columnist , saatchi said : although nigella made no complaint i volunteered to go to charing cross station and take a police caution after a discussion with my lawyer because i thought it was better than the alternative of this hanging over all of us for months . ' images of saatchi , a multimillionaire art collector and former advertising magnate , with his hand around lawson 's throat were front-page news in national papers for a second day tuesday , after they were first published sunday . opinion : the rich and famous are not immune to domestic abuse saatchi , age 70 , looked stony-faced as he left his home in central london earlier tuesday and declined to respond to questions from waiting journalists . london 's metropolitan police said a 70-year-old man accepted a caution for assault ' at a police station monday afternoon but did not name saatchi . officers from the community safety unit at westminster were aware of the sunday people article which published on sunday 16th june and carried out an investigation , ' a metropolitan police spokesman told cnn . this afternoon monday 17th june , a 70-year-old man voluntarily attended a central london police station and accepted a caution for assault , ' the spokesman said . cnn contacted saatchi 's company for comment but has not received a response . according to a uk government website , a caution is issued for minor crimes . cautions are given to adults aged 18 or over for minor crimes -- eg writing graffiti on a bus shelter , ' the website says . you have to admit an offence and agree to be cautioned . if you do n't agree , you can be arrested and charged . a caution is not a criminal conviction , but it could be used as evidence of bad character if you go to court for another crime . ' sunday people , part of the stable of tabloids published by the mirror group , published the photos sunday of lawson and saatchi at a restaurant . the tabloid 's website includes the caption : nigella lawson attacked in public by charles saatchi . ' earlier , a representative for lawson confirmed that the chef and her children had moved out of their home .'playful tiff' saatchi gave his version of events monday to the evening standard . london police : man accepts warning in nigella lawson incident ' about a week ago , we were sitting outside a restaurant having an intense debate about the children , and i held nigella 's neck repeatedly while attempting to emphasize my point , ' saatchi told the paper . there was no grip , it was a playful tiff . the pictures are horrific but give a far more drastic and violent impression of what took place . nigella 's tears were because we both hate arguing , not because she had been hurt , ' he added . we had made up by the time we were home . the paparazzi were congregated outside our house after the story broke yesterday morning , so i told nigella to take the kids off till the dust settled . ' the restaurant involved told cnn that its employees did not witness any such incident . lawson 's facebook page is filled with messages from fans expressing their support for her . lawson is known as the queen of food porn . ' she has written numerous successful cookbooks and hosted tv shows . with the furor making headlines , uk domestic violence groups made the point that domestic abuse is an enduring and widespread issue . domestic violence is a massive social problem in this country , ' sandra horley , chief executive of uk domestic violence charity refuge , said in a statement . last year over one million women were abused . every week in england and wales , two women are killed by current or former partners . there are still so many myths and misconceptions surrounding this horrific crime . people often think that it only happens in poor families ... but the truth is that domestic violence affects women of all ages , classes and backgrounds . abusive men are just as likely to be lawyers , accountants and judges as they are cleaners or unemployed . ' horley said that perpetrators of domestic violence frequently try to minimize or deny their behaviour , ' but that violent incidents rarely occur only once and can escalate to more extreme behavior . research shows that strangulation is a key risk factor for domestic homicide , ' she said . last year , almost 50 % of the women we supported had been strangled or choked by their abusers . ' watch a cnn interview with nigella lawson cnn 's richard allen greene contributed to this report . | new : saatchi tells paper he went to police to avoid an incident hanging over all of us ' |
philippines <tsp> tacloban , philippines ( cnn ) -- efren penaflorida was grateful when typhoon haiyan bypassed his home in cavite city , philippines . but when he saw the devastation in other areas of the country , he wanted to do all he could to help his fellow filipinos . i was crying watching the news , ' said penaflorida , the 2009 cnn hero of the year . it really sank my heart , seeing all the people who lost their loved ones , houses . they lost everything . ' penaflorida immediately began collecting donations at his mobile pushcart classrooms , ' which he uses to educate poor children in the country . but he wanted to do more . so he reached halfway around the world to doc hendley , a north carolina clean-water activist who had also been honored as a top 10 cnn hero in 2009 . after a disaster strikes , access to clean water is vital to help prevent the spread of disease . hendley , who has responded to humanitarian crises in darfur , haiti and syria , had just started assessing how his nonprofit , wine to water , might help the philippines when he received penaflorida 's e-mail . i was already thinking that maybe i should go , hendley said . when he shot me the e-mail ... he sealed the deal . our organization depends on relationships with people on the ground ... ( and ) what better relationship than with efren ? ' soon , hendley was on a flight to the philippines with hundreds of water filters in tow . penaflorida picked him up at the airport in manila . that was a long trip from the u.s. to the philippines ... and he has put out his own money and resources to help us , ' penaflorida said . we were both excited , seeing each other . ' the next day , both men helped volunteers assemble the filters and pack 120,000 meals donated by stop hunger now , one of hendley 's partner organizations . then they headed to tacloban , in the heart of the devastated area , to deliver the filters . hendley said it 's hard to communicate the scope of the disaster . it reminds me of haiti because the buildings are completely collapsed , destroyed ... but it 's different , ' he said . the trees on mountains are blown over , lying down like matchsticks , and palm trees have snapped in half , broken . it 's pretty shocking . ' penaflorida said that the destruction was worse than he 'd seen on television , but he soon found reason to take heart . when we got to the communities , they were asking for help , ' he said . when doc presented them with filters , i saw hope in their eyes . ' hendley said they will have distributed 2,000 filters by the end of the week . because each filter can provide enough clean water for 10 people , and because each will last for 10 years , hendley estimates that at least 20,000 people will benefit . he originally planned to return home for the thanksgiving holiday , but he now intends to stay until early december . i could n't be home for a nice thanksgiving dinner and pretend like nothing happened , ' he said . there 's too much we have to do . ' penaflorida returned home wednesday to focus on a new project : bringing his pushcart classrooms to the devastated areas to help educate children while the communities rebuild . the country 's minister of education has expressed strong interest in the large-scale replication of the program , penaflorida said , and asked him to assess the feasibility during his visit . penaflorida hopes work can begin in the coming weeks . other cnn heroes are also responding to help those affected by the typhoon . robin lim , the american-born midwife named cnn hero of the year in 2011 , has strong ties to the philippines ; her mother was filipino . so after the storm , she brought food and medical supplies . she has also been working with local clinics to provide assistance to pregnant women , new mothers and young children . unexpectedly , hendley and penaflorida ran into lim as they traveled from manila , an impromptu heroes reunion of sorts . hendley now plans to provide water filters to lim so she can distribute them to the women and children she is helping . dr. laura stachel , a 2013 top 10 hero , has also provided lim with one of five solar suitcases ' that she has donated to the relief effort . these portable kits provide essential power to medical clinics . team rubicon , a group of military veterans that responds to natural disasters , was on the ground within days of the storm . the group , founded by 2012 cnn hero jake wood , has 43 volunteers in the philippines providing medical care , opening supply lines and helping repair a field hospital in an area west of tacloban . evans wadongo , a top 10 cnn hero in 2010 , is also hoping to partner with penaflorida . although wadongo normally distributes his solar-powered lanterns to rural communities in africa , he has launched an online campaign to raise funds so he can assist filipinos more than 5,000 miles away . this outpouring of help has greatly touched penaflorida . cnn heroes are like family , and i 'm glad that my fellow heroes have immediately responded , ' he said . but that 's what you do when you are family : you help each other . ... that makes me feel happy and so grateful . ' you can support relief efforts in the philippines through penaflorida 's dynamic teen company or hendley 's wine to water or by visiting cnn 's impact your world . cnn 's marissa calhoun contributed to this report . | typhoon haiyan , one of the strongest storms ever recorded , has devastated the philippines |
zenyatta <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when black caviar lines up at morphetville , adelaide , on sunday in front of an anticipated crowd of 30,000 , the australian wonder horse will carry the weight not only of jockey luke nolen but the expectations of an entire nation . the superstar mare will be bidding for her 20th win from 20 races . if she succeeds , she will have gone one better than the great zenyatta , who faltered at the 20th attempt . black caviar has already overhauled the marks of such racing legends as eclipse ( undefeated in 18 races ) and nearco ( 14 ) . indeed , one has to go all the way back to kincsem , a 19th century hungarian racehorse , to find a more impressive streak ( although her barely creditable record of 54 wins and no defeats seems safe for the time being ) . the black caviar phenomenon has gripped a sports-mad australian public . of the capacity crowd expected to turn out on sunday , a good proportion will be wearing her trademark salmon and black silks . the appetite for all things black caviar is so great that the state government has arranged free public transport for all those heading to the track . she will face only a small number of rivals on sunday . such is the aura of invincibility surrounding black caviar , she typically races against just a handful of other runners . she is currently being quoted by some bookmakers at odds of 1-20 ( and no , that 's not a misprint ) for the group 1 clash , ahead of last year 's goodwood winner lone rock at 14-1 . but despite having beaten the best australian racehorses of her generation -- including hay list and foxwedge , both classy runners in their own right -- black caviar remains unproven on the global stage . that is set to change , however . in june , black caviar will get the chance to test herself against the best in the world when she travels to england for the diamond jubilee stakes at royal ascot . for australians , black caviar 's english endeavor is something of a national cause . but if she has little left to prove to an adoring public back home , a question mark remains over black caviar 's claims to greatness on the world stage , and that question mark comes in the not-insubstantial shape of a four-year-old bay colt called frankel . the only horse in the world with a higher rating than black caviar , the inevitable clamor for a showdown between the two best horses in the world is likely to reach deafening pitch should black caviar win again on sunday . a match race seems unlikely since the two horses prefer to race over different distances : sprints of 1,000 -1,200 meters for black caviar ; the mile and upwards for frankel . that has n't prevented billionaire owner sheikh fahad al thani from sponsoring a â£1 million purse should the two horses line up for the sussex stakes at glorious gooodwood in august . it would mean a step up in trip for black caviar to the mile , over undulating ground that is likely to favor the defending champion frankel with his huge , all-devouring stride . but with 20 million australians backing her every furlong of the way , you would n't bet against her . comparing champions : black caviar vs. zenyatta the similarities between the two great race mares are evident . both horses are huge ( black caviar stands at 16.2 hh while zenyatta stood at a carthorse-like 17.2 hh ) , and their hulking frames meant they were each only lightly raced in their early years ( larger horses usually take longer to develop ) . zenyatta became a racing -- and sporting -- phenomenon in america , finishing runner-up twice in the associated press 's female athlete of the year award ( once to serena williams and once to lindsay vonn ) . black caviar 's following in australia is so huge that channel 7 interrupted the australian open tennis semifinal between novak djokovic and andy murray to televise one of her races . zenyatta was named after the album zenyatta mondatta ' by british band the police , who were signed to the record label of her owner , jerry moss . black caviar was named by one of her owners , pam hawkes , who has a taste for the delicacy . it also refers back to the mare 's grandmother , scandanavia . | if successful , she will beat american thoroughbred zenyatta |
morphetville <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when black caviar lines up at morphetville , adelaide , on sunday in front of an anticipated crowd of 30,000 , the australian wonder horse will carry the weight not only of jockey luke nolen but the expectations of an entire nation . the superstar mare will be bidding for her 20th win from 20 races . if she succeeds , she will have gone one better than the great zenyatta , who faltered at the 20th attempt . black caviar has already overhauled the marks of such racing legends as eclipse ( undefeated in 18 races ) and nearco ( 14 ) . indeed , one has to go all the way back to kincsem , a 19th century hungarian racehorse , to find a more impressive streak ( although her barely creditable record of 54 wins and no defeats seems safe for the time being ) . the black caviar phenomenon has gripped a sports-mad australian public . of the capacity crowd expected to turn out on sunday , a good proportion will be wearing her trademark salmon and black silks . the appetite for all things black caviar is so great that the state government has arranged free public transport for all those heading to the track . she will face only a small number of rivals on sunday . such is the aura of invincibility surrounding black caviar , she typically races against just a handful of other runners . she is currently being quoted by some bookmakers at odds of 1-20 ( and no , that 's not a misprint ) for the group 1 clash , ahead of last year 's goodwood winner lone rock at 14-1 . but despite having beaten the best australian racehorses of her generation -- including hay list and foxwedge , both classy runners in their own right -- black caviar remains unproven on the global stage . that is set to change , however . in june , black caviar will get the chance to test herself against the best in the world when she travels to england for the diamond jubilee stakes at royal ascot . for australians , black caviar 's english endeavor is something of a national cause . but if she has little left to prove to an adoring public back home , a question mark remains over black caviar 's claims to greatness on the world stage , and that question mark comes in the not-insubstantial shape of a four-year-old bay colt called frankel . the only horse in the world with a higher rating than black caviar , the inevitable clamor for a showdown between the two best horses in the world is likely to reach deafening pitch should black caviar win again on sunday . a match race seems unlikely since the two horses prefer to race over different distances : sprints of 1,000 -1,200 meters for black caviar ; the mile and upwards for frankel . that has n't prevented billionaire owner sheikh fahad al thani from sponsoring a â£1 million purse should the two horses line up for the sussex stakes at glorious gooodwood in august . it would mean a step up in trip for black caviar to the mile , over undulating ground that is likely to favor the defending champion frankel with his huge , all-devouring stride . but with 20 million australians backing her every furlong of the way , you would n't bet against her . comparing champions : black caviar vs. zenyatta the similarities between the two great race mares are evident . both horses are huge ( black caviar stands at 16.2 hh while zenyatta stood at a carthorse-like 17.2 hh ) , and their hulking frames meant they were each only lightly raced in their early years ( larger horses usually take longer to develop ) . zenyatta became a racing -- and sporting -- phenomenon in america , finishing runner-up twice in the associated press 's female athlete of the year award ( once to serena williams and once to lindsay vonn ) . black caviar 's following in australia is so huge that channel 7 interrupted the australian open tennis semifinal between novak djokovic and andy murray to televise one of her races . zenyatta was named after the album zenyatta mondatta ' by british band the police , who were signed to the record label of her owner , jerry moss . black caviar was named by one of her owners , pam hawkes , who has a taste for the delicacy . it also refers back to the mare 's grandmother , scandanavia . | superstar mare black caviar will make history if she wins at morphetville |
port authority <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- two george washington bridge security guards photographed sleeping on the job have been fired , according to the port authority of new york and new jersey . two george washington bridge guards were fired for their on-the-job siestas . a bicycle tour operator who commutes daily over the bridge from new jersey to new york snapped photos of the two guards on different occasions , and the photos were published on a new jersey local news web site . in one set of photographs by commuter joey lepore , taken during a wednesday rush hour at 7:15 a.m. , a guard tilts his head downward and dozes . the other snoozer 's on-the-clock siesta is more brazen : he uses his arm as a pillow as he dozes at 10:15 a.m. last monday . before releasing the photos , lepore hesitated , knowing it would likely cost the guards their jobs . but ultimately he decided the security of thousands outweighed the job security of two . if there 's two people on this bridge who do n't care about my safety and the safety of anybody who comes over this bridge , then i really do n't have an obligation to withhold what i have , ' he said . given the george washington bridge 's iconic status and huge traffic volume , officials have long cited it as a potential terrorist target . lepore said he was moved to photograph the slumbering sentries after witnessing the same guard napping on three occasions . the first time i shrugged it off and said ,'i ca n't believe he 's sleeping ,'' said lepore . the second time i was very annoyed . third time -- that 's it . ' lepore said he later approached the guard , told him he had caught him asleep at his post three times , and said he had the photos to prove it . the profusely apologetic guard vowed it would not happen again . three weeks later , it did happen again , but this time with a different guard , according to lepore . instead of discreetly taking photos from a distance , an indignant lepore marched up to the guard 's booth and snapped away . the guard did not stir . the sleeping guards were employees of fjc security , a security contractor used by the port authority , which operates the george washington bridge along with all other bridges leading into manhattan . in a statement , the port authority sought to assure commuters it views security as an issue of utmost importance , and urged people to report holes they notice in its defenses . the port authority takes the safety of its passengers and facilities very seriously and has spent more than $ 4 billion on security since 9/11 . the port authority welcomes the public 's vigilance on matters of safety and security and we encourage our customers to contact us if they encounter anything out of the ordinary , ' the agency said . although the guards'names were not released , the port authority said in its statement , the two guards have been fired by the security contractor , fjc security . ' fjc security did not respond to cnn 's calls for comment . fran townsend , a cnn contributor and former bush homeland security adviser , called the guards'naps a serious lapse . it is unacceptable , particularly given the experience the port authority had with 9/11 , ' she said , referring to the port authority 's role as the operator of the world trade center . | guards worked for fjc security , a security contractor used by the port authority |
fjc security <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- two george washington bridge security guards photographed sleeping on the job have been fired , according to the port authority of new york and new jersey . two george washington bridge guards were fired for their on-the-job siestas . a bicycle tour operator who commutes daily over the bridge from new jersey to new york snapped photos of the two guards on different occasions , and the photos were published on a new jersey local news web site . in one set of photographs by commuter joey lepore , taken during a wednesday rush hour at 7:15 a.m. , a guard tilts his head downward and dozes . the other snoozer 's on-the-clock siesta is more brazen : he uses his arm as a pillow as he dozes at 10:15 a.m. last monday . before releasing the photos , lepore hesitated , knowing it would likely cost the guards their jobs . but ultimately he decided the security of thousands outweighed the job security of two . if there 's two people on this bridge who do n't care about my safety and the safety of anybody who comes over this bridge , then i really do n't have an obligation to withhold what i have , ' he said . given the george washington bridge 's iconic status and huge traffic volume , officials have long cited it as a potential terrorist target . lepore said he was moved to photograph the slumbering sentries after witnessing the same guard napping on three occasions . the first time i shrugged it off and said ,'i ca n't believe he 's sleeping ,'' said lepore . the second time i was very annoyed . third time -- that 's it . ' lepore said he later approached the guard , told him he had caught him asleep at his post three times , and said he had the photos to prove it . the profusely apologetic guard vowed it would not happen again . three weeks later , it did happen again , but this time with a different guard , according to lepore . instead of discreetly taking photos from a distance , an indignant lepore marched up to the guard 's booth and snapped away . the guard did not stir . the sleeping guards were employees of fjc security , a security contractor used by the port authority , which operates the george washington bridge along with all other bridges leading into manhattan . in a statement , the port authority sought to assure commuters it views security as an issue of utmost importance , and urged people to report holes they notice in its defenses . the port authority takes the safety of its passengers and facilities very seriously and has spent more than $ 4 billion on security since 9/11 . the port authority welcomes the public 's vigilance on matters of safety and security and we encourage our customers to contact us if they encounter anything out of the ordinary , ' the agency said . although the guards'names were not released , the port authority said in its statement , the two guards have been fired by the security contractor , fjc security . ' fjc security did not respond to cnn 's calls for comment . fran townsend , a cnn contributor and former bush homeland security adviser , called the guards'naps a serious lapse . it is unacceptable , particularly given the experience the port authority had with 9/11 , ' she said , referring to the port authority 's role as the operator of the world trade center . | guards worked for fjc security , a security contractor used by the port authority |
siegel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two months before her death , former pakistani prime minister benazir bhutto sent an e-mail to her u.s. adviser and longtime friend , saying that if she were killed , pakistani president pervez musharraf would bear some of the blame . bhutto was assassinated after the campaign rally , seen here , thursday . she cited his government 's denial of her request for additional security measures after the october suicide bombing that targeted her upon returning to pakistan from exile . nothing will , god willing happen , ' she wrote to mark siegel , her u.s. spokesman , lobbyist and friend . just wanted u to know if it does in addition to the names in my letter to musharaf of oct 16nth , i wld hold musharaf responsible . i have been made to feel insecure by his minions and there is no way what is happening in terms of stopping me from taking private cars or using tinted windows or giving jammers or four police mobiles to cover all sides cld happen without him . ' bhutto was seeking to become prime minister for a third time when she was assassinated ; her death comes exactly two weeks before pakistan 's january 8 parliamentary elections . watch siegel describe her concern and the reaction of pakistan 's u.s. ambassador » pakistan 's ambassador to the u.s. , mahmud ali durrani , on thursday insisted musharraf 's government provided the former prime minister with unprecedented security . he said that terrorists and extremists , who also have targeted musharraf , were the only ones responsible for her death . watch a report on security provided to bhutto » bhutto wrote the e-mail on october 26 , eight days after at least 130 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in karachi by the suicide bombing that occurred as bhutto 's motorcade passed . siegel forwarded that e-mail to cnn 's wolf blitzer , with instructions he not report on it unless bhutto was killed . just before returning to pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile , bhutto told cnn she was aware of threats against her and said that some had come from people who hold high positions ' in pakistan 's government . she said she had written a letter to musharraf about her fears , apparently the same letter she refers to in her e-mail to siegel . in a speech , she listed four groups she believed posed the biggest threat to her and her cause -- the taliban in pakistan , the taliban in afghanistan , al qaeda and a suicide team from karachi that she did not describe . after the october bombing , she accused elements in the government and security services of trying to kill her and asked musharraf for basic security , ' including vehicles with tinted windows and private guards in addition to police guards . three united states senators repeated the request in a letter to musharraf . bhutto was concerned by the lack of security she had upon her arrival in karachi and called the october 18 bombing very suspicious , ' siegel said . he accused pakistani authorities of not investigating the assassination attempt and of refusing bhutto 's request for scotland yard and the fbi to aid in the investigation . bhutto and her husband had asked for jammers to impede the detonation of bombs ; special vehicles with tinted windows ; and four police vehicles to surround her at all times , siegel said . she basically asked for all that was required for someone of the standing of a former prime minister , ' siegel told cnn 's the situation room . ' all of that was denied to her . ... she got some police protection , but it was sporadic and erratic . ' bhutto was concerned the problem was worsening as the january elections neared , siegel said . at the time of the october suicide bombing , bhutto was riding in a truck from karachi 's airport to the tomb of mohammed ali jinnah , founder of pakistan . she had moved from the roof to inside the bulletproof , armed vehicle just moments before the blast and was unharmed . cnn 's dan rivers , in karachi to cover her return to pakistan , remarked at the time that her security appeared to be loose , saying his crew was able to walk up to the side of her vehicle without being stopped by authorities . durrani , pakistan 's ambassador to the u.s. , insisted security surrounding bhutto then was more than adequate . there were , i think , a sea of security people , ' he said . she was surrounded by police vehicles . and had it not been one of the police vehicles which took the blast in karachi , unfortunately she would have died there . there was a bubble around her of security . the ppp [ people 's party of pakistan , bhutto 's party ] insisted that they have their own private loyalists around . they were there too . and there were about 7,800 to 8,000 security people deployed just for that , ' durrani said . that is more security than anybody deploys anywhere in the world . ' she was moving almost in a sea of humanity , ' durrani said . no system in the world can protect you against that . ' bhutto is not a security person , ' he said . she 's a politician . i think the government of pakistan provided her all the security that was necessary . you tell me -- the way she was hit , she would have been hit with tinted windows or without , or without the ied ... so it 's just a blame game . ' after the october attack , bhutto said police offered to let her use a helicopter for the trip from the airport , but she told them she wanted to be near her people . she said she did not regret that decision . she believed in democracy , and she believed in speaking to the people , ' siegel said . it 's not reckless to go out and touch the people . do n't blame the victim for the crime . the person that was supposed to be protecting benazir bhutto and the other candidates was the government of pakistan with the government of pervez musharraf . ' blitzer noted that bhutto was shot thursday while standing out of her vehicle 's sunroof -- seen by some as a a reckless action after the october incident . getty images senior staff photographer john moore , who was at the scene of her assassination , told cnn he was surprised at bhutto 's actions , considering the earlier suicide attempt . the rally was smaller than expected , he said , and the people he spoke with said they were just afraid to come out , for the simple reason that they all remembered what happened in karachi . ' siegel grew emotional as he told blitzer that bhutto was the bravest person i ever knew . ... she knew that there were risks coming back , but those risks were important , she thought , for the fight for democracy . ' e-mail to a friend | lack of security worried bhutto upon her arrival in karachi , adviser siegel says |
siegel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two months before her death , former pakistani prime minister benazir bhutto sent an e-mail to her u.s. adviser and longtime friend , saying that if she were killed , pakistani president pervez musharraf would bear some of the blame . bhutto was assassinated after the campaign rally , seen here , thursday . she cited his government 's denial of her request for additional security measures after the october suicide bombing that targeted her upon returning to pakistan from exile . nothing will , god willing happen , ' she wrote to mark siegel , her u.s. spokesman , lobbyist and friend . just wanted u to know if it does in addition to the names in my letter to musharaf of oct 16nth , i wld hold musharaf responsible . i have been made to feel insecure by his minions and there is no way what is happening in terms of stopping me from taking private cars or using tinted windows or giving jammers or four police mobiles to cover all sides cld happen without him . ' bhutto was seeking to become prime minister for a third time when she was assassinated ; her death comes exactly two weeks before pakistan 's january 8 parliamentary elections . watch siegel describe her concern and the reaction of pakistan 's u.s. ambassador » pakistan 's ambassador to the u.s. , mahmud ali durrani , on thursday insisted musharraf 's government provided the former prime minister with unprecedented security . he said that terrorists and extremists , who also have targeted musharraf , were the only ones responsible for her death . watch a report on security provided to bhutto » bhutto wrote the e-mail on october 26 , eight days after at least 130 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in karachi by the suicide bombing that occurred as bhutto 's motorcade passed . siegel forwarded that e-mail to cnn 's wolf blitzer , with instructions he not report on it unless bhutto was killed . just before returning to pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile , bhutto told cnn she was aware of threats against her and said that some had come from people who hold high positions ' in pakistan 's government . she said she had written a letter to musharraf about her fears , apparently the same letter she refers to in her e-mail to siegel . in a speech , she listed four groups she believed posed the biggest threat to her and her cause -- the taliban in pakistan , the taliban in afghanistan , al qaeda and a suicide team from karachi that she did not describe . after the october bombing , she accused elements in the government and security services of trying to kill her and asked musharraf for basic security , ' including vehicles with tinted windows and private guards in addition to police guards . three united states senators repeated the request in a letter to musharraf . bhutto was concerned by the lack of security she had upon her arrival in karachi and called the october 18 bombing very suspicious , ' siegel said . he accused pakistani authorities of not investigating the assassination attempt and of refusing bhutto 's request for scotland yard and the fbi to aid in the investigation . bhutto and her husband had asked for jammers to impede the detonation of bombs ; special vehicles with tinted windows ; and four police vehicles to surround her at all times , siegel said . she basically asked for all that was required for someone of the standing of a former prime minister , ' siegel told cnn 's the situation room . ' all of that was denied to her . ... she got some police protection , but it was sporadic and erratic . ' bhutto was concerned the problem was worsening as the january elections neared , siegel said . at the time of the october suicide bombing , bhutto was riding in a truck from karachi 's airport to the tomb of mohammed ali jinnah , founder of pakistan . she had moved from the roof to inside the bulletproof , armed vehicle just moments before the blast and was unharmed . cnn 's dan rivers , in karachi to cover her return to pakistan , remarked at the time that her security appeared to be loose , saying his crew was able to walk up to the side of her vehicle without being stopped by authorities . durrani , pakistan 's ambassador to the u.s. , insisted security surrounding bhutto then was more than adequate . there were , i think , a sea of security people , ' he said . she was surrounded by police vehicles . and had it not been one of the police vehicles which took the blast in karachi , unfortunately she would have died there . there was a bubble around her of security . the ppp [ people 's party of pakistan , bhutto 's party ] insisted that they have their own private loyalists around . they were there too . and there were about 7,800 to 8,000 security people deployed just for that , ' durrani said . that is more security than anybody deploys anywhere in the world . ' she was moving almost in a sea of humanity , ' durrani said . no system in the world can protect you against that . ' bhutto is not a security person , ' he said . she 's a politician . i think the government of pakistan provided her all the security that was necessary . you tell me -- the way she was hit , she would have been hit with tinted windows or without , or without the ied ... so it 's just a blame game . ' after the october attack , bhutto said police offered to let her use a helicopter for the trip from the airport , but she told them she wanted to be near her people . she said she did not regret that decision . she believed in democracy , and she believed in speaking to the people , ' siegel said . it 's not reckless to go out and touch the people . do n't blame the victim for the crime . the person that was supposed to be protecting benazir bhutto and the other candidates was the government of pakistan with the government of pervez musharraf . ' blitzer noted that bhutto was shot thursday while standing out of her vehicle 's sunroof -- seen by some as a a reckless action after the october incident . getty images senior staff photographer john moore , who was at the scene of her assassination , told cnn he was surprised at bhutto 's actions , considering the earlier suicide attempt . the rally was smaller than expected , he said , and the people he spoke with said they were just afraid to come out , for the simple reason that they all remembered what happened in karachi . ' siegel grew emotional as he told blitzer that bhutto was the bravest person i ever knew . ... she knew that there were risks coming back , but those risks were important , she thought , for the fight for democracy . ' e-mail to a friend | bhutto was concerned problem was worsening as elections neared , siegel says |
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two months before her death , former pakistani prime minister benazir bhutto sent an e-mail to her u.s. adviser and longtime friend , saying that if she were killed , pakistani president pervez musharraf would bear some of the blame . bhutto was assassinated after the campaign rally , seen here , thursday . she cited his government 's denial of her request for additional security measures after the october suicide bombing that targeted her upon returning to pakistan from exile . nothing will , god willing happen , ' she wrote to mark siegel , her u.s. spokesman , lobbyist and friend . just wanted u to know if it does in addition to the names in my letter to musharaf of oct 16nth , i wld hold musharaf responsible . i have been made to feel insecure by his minions and there is no way what is happening in terms of stopping me from taking private cars or using tinted windows or giving jammers or four police mobiles to cover all sides cld happen without him . ' bhutto was seeking to become prime minister for a third time when she was assassinated ; her death comes exactly two weeks before pakistan 's january 8 parliamentary elections . watch siegel describe her concern and the reaction of pakistan 's u.s. ambassador » pakistan 's ambassador to the u.s. , mahmud ali durrani , on thursday insisted musharraf 's government provided the former prime minister with unprecedented security . he said that terrorists and extremists , who also have targeted musharraf , were the only ones responsible for her death . watch a report on security provided to bhutto » bhutto wrote the e-mail on october 26 , eight days after at least 130 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in karachi by the suicide bombing that occurred as bhutto 's motorcade passed . siegel forwarded that e-mail to cnn 's wolf blitzer , with instructions he not report on it unless bhutto was killed . just before returning to pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile , bhutto told cnn she was aware of threats against her and said that some had come from people who hold high positions ' in pakistan 's government . she said she had written a letter to musharraf about her fears , apparently the same letter she refers to in her e-mail to siegel . in a speech , she listed four groups she believed posed the biggest threat to her and her cause -- the taliban in pakistan , the taliban in afghanistan , al qaeda and a suicide team from karachi that she did not describe . after the october bombing , she accused elements in the government and security services of trying to kill her and asked musharraf for basic security , ' including vehicles with tinted windows and private guards in addition to police guards . three united states senators repeated the request in a letter to musharraf . bhutto was concerned by the lack of security she had upon her arrival in karachi and called the october 18 bombing very suspicious , ' siegel said . he accused pakistani authorities of not investigating the assassination attempt and of refusing bhutto 's request for scotland yard and the fbi to aid in the investigation . bhutto and her husband had asked for jammers to impede the detonation of bombs ; special vehicles with tinted windows ; and four police vehicles to surround her at all times , siegel said . she basically asked for all that was required for someone of the standing of a former prime minister , ' siegel told cnn 's the situation room . ' all of that was denied to her . ... she got some police protection , but it was sporadic and erratic . ' bhutto was concerned the problem was worsening as the january elections neared , siegel said . at the time of the october suicide bombing , bhutto was riding in a truck from karachi 's airport to the tomb of mohammed ali jinnah , founder of pakistan . she had moved from the roof to inside the bulletproof , armed vehicle just moments before the blast and was unharmed . cnn 's dan rivers , in karachi to cover her return to pakistan , remarked at the time that her security appeared to be loose , saying his crew was able to walk up to the side of her vehicle without being stopped by authorities . durrani , pakistan 's ambassador to the u.s. , insisted security surrounding bhutto then was more than adequate . there were , i think , a sea of security people , ' he said . she was surrounded by police vehicles . and had it not been one of the police vehicles which took the blast in karachi , unfortunately she would have died there . there was a bubble around her of security . the ppp [ people 's party of pakistan , bhutto 's party ] insisted that they have their own private loyalists around . they were there too . and there were about 7,800 to 8,000 security people deployed just for that , ' durrani said . that is more security than anybody deploys anywhere in the world . ' she was moving almost in a sea of humanity , ' durrani said . no system in the world can protect you against that . ' bhutto is not a security person , ' he said . she 's a politician . i think the government of pakistan provided her all the security that was necessary . you tell me -- the way she was hit , she would have been hit with tinted windows or without , or without the ied ... so it 's just a blame game . ' after the october attack , bhutto said police offered to let her use a helicopter for the trip from the airport , but she told them she wanted to be near her people . she said she did not regret that decision . she believed in democracy , and she believed in speaking to the people , ' siegel said . it 's not reckless to go out and touch the people . do n't blame the victim for the crime . the person that was supposed to be protecting benazir bhutto and the other candidates was the government of pakistan with the government of pervez musharraf . ' blitzer noted that bhutto was shot thursday while standing out of her vehicle 's sunroof -- seen by some as a a reckless action after the october incident . getty images senior staff photographer john moore , who was at the scene of her assassination , told cnn he was surprised at bhutto 's actions , considering the earlier suicide attempt . the rally was smaller than expected , he said , and the people he spoke with said they were just afraid to come out , for the simple reason that they all remembered what happened in karachi . ' siegel grew emotional as he told blitzer that bhutto was the bravest person i ever knew . ... she knew that there were risks coming back , but those risks were important , she thought , for the fight for democracy . ' e-mail to a friend | before returning to pakistan , bhutto told cnn she was aware of threats |
boston <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a major nor'easter is expected to bring blizzard conditions to interior new england and heavy rain and near-hurricane-force wind gusts to northeastern coastal areas wednesday through friday . little , if any , snow will fall in boston , massachusetts , while washington , new york and philadelphia , pennsylvania , could see as much as 5 inches of snow with locally higher amounts , cnn meteorologist sean morris said . record snowfall totals of 30 inches or more will be possible across upstate new york , vermont , new hampshire and maine , morris said . very strong winds will combine with the heavy snow to produce dangerous white-out conditions and widespread power outages . share your winter weather videos and pics hurricane-force wind gusts combined with heavy rain are likely to cause significant flight delays and cancellations at all major airports along the eastern seaboard on thursday and friday , morris said . another storm was bringing heavy , wet snow wednesday morning from connecticut to massachusetts . the national weather service predicted the weight of the snow would bring down tree limbs and power lines , causing scattered power outages . scattered outages already were being reported in parts of new hampshire and massachusetts , where snowfall totals in the berkshire mountains could reach 24 inches by wednesday night , the weather service said . meanwhile , central texas was digging out from up to 4 inches of snow after setting records with more than a foot less than two weeks ago . sunshine was predicted for wednesday , but cnn ireport contributor robert huntington of austin , texas , said the snow was falling hard in his neighborhood tuesday . [ they 're ] really big flakes , i mean , unusually large flakes , ' he said . it 's texas . everything 's bigger in texas . ' cnn 's jim kavanagh , sean morris and mallory simon contributed to this report . | little snow expected in boston ; new york , philadelphia and washington may see more |
panetta <tsp> ( cnn ) -- secretary of defense leon panetta is expected to announce this week that same-sex spouses of service members will be granted some benefits that they had been denied until now , according to an obama administration official . sources in the gay activist community have received indications that the announcement could come this week . the pentagon has been reviewing what benefits it could extend without violating the defense of marriage act . gay rights groups have been calling for the change . among the benefits gay rights groups say can be legally extended are housing on military bases , military id cards to access on-base activities and programs , access to commissaries and the consideration of a same-sex spouse and family in duty assignments . panetta 's likely replacement , former sen. chuck hagel , has said he supports extending the benefits . i will do everything possible to the extent permissible under current law to provide equal benefits to the families of all our service members , ' hagel wrote in answer to a questionnaire he completed for the senate armed services committee . military club closes ranks to same-sex spouse | defense secretary panetta is expected to extend more benefits to same-sex spouses |
arsenal <tsp> ( cnn ) -- birmingham city upset arsenal 2-1 to win the english league cup at wembley sunday , ending a 48-year wait for a major trophy . the defeat prolonged arsenal 's six-year wait for silverware of their own , having gone into the final as overwhelming favorites . serbian striker nikola zigic put birmingham ahead after 28 minutes before robin van persie equalized six minutes before halftime . the match looked headed into extra time until substitute obafemi martins scored a last-minute winner . the nigerian international pounced after a dreadful mix-up between arsenal goalkeeper wojciech szczesny and defender laurent koscielny gifted him a chance he gratefully accepted . arsenal manager arsene wenger said he was bitterly disappointed ' but for his birmingham counterpart alex mcleish , it was the exact opposite . it feels like the best ever win of my life , ' said the 52-year-old , who won seven trophies while in charge of scottish giants rangers . in relative terms for us to put one over arsenal is a titanic result , ' he told bbc sport . the match begun and ended in dramatic fashion and after only two minutes birmingham were denied a penalty which should have also seen szczesny sent off . a clever pass from zigic sent lee bowyer racing through on goal and the midfielder rounded szczesny only to be brought down by the giant keeper . but instead of a red card and a spot-kick , arsenal were given a big let-off when bowyer was ruled offside . tv replays showed bacary sagna had been playing bowyer yards onside . after the exchange of first half goals , a header after a corner for the giant zigic , and a fine volley by dutch star van persie , arsenal , bidding for a quadruple , looked the more dangerous . birmingham goalkeeper ben foster , named man of the match , pulled off a string of fine saves , with samir nasri twice denied . but birmingham were also dangerous in sporadic attacks and substitute jean beausejour set up keith fahey for a 57th minute shot against the foot of the post with szczesny well beaten . | birmingham city beat arsenal 2-1 in english league cup final at wembley |
arsenal <tsp> ( cnn ) -- birmingham city upset arsenal 2-1 to win the english league cup at wembley sunday , ending a 48-year wait for a major trophy . the defeat prolonged arsenal 's six-year wait for silverware of their own , having gone into the final as overwhelming favorites . serbian striker nikola zigic put birmingham ahead after 28 minutes before robin van persie equalized six minutes before halftime . the match looked headed into extra time until substitute obafemi martins scored a last-minute winner . the nigerian international pounced after a dreadful mix-up between arsenal goalkeeper wojciech szczesny and defender laurent koscielny gifted him a chance he gratefully accepted . arsenal manager arsene wenger said he was bitterly disappointed ' but for his birmingham counterpart alex mcleish , it was the exact opposite . it feels like the best ever win of my life , ' said the 52-year-old , who won seven trophies while in charge of scottish giants rangers . in relative terms for us to put one over arsenal is a titanic result , ' he told bbc sport . the match begun and ended in dramatic fashion and after only two minutes birmingham were denied a penalty which should have also seen szczesny sent off . a clever pass from zigic sent lee bowyer racing through on goal and the midfielder rounded szczesny only to be brought down by the giant keeper . but instead of a red card and a spot-kick , arsenal were given a big let-off when bowyer was ruled offside . tv replays showed bacary sagna had been playing bowyer yards onside . after the exchange of first half goals , a header after a corner for the giant zigic , and a fine volley by dutch star van persie , arsenal , bidding for a quadruple , looked the more dangerous . birmingham goalkeeper ben foster , named man of the match , pulled off a string of fine saves , with samir nasri twice denied . but birmingham were also dangerous in sporadic attacks and substitute jean beausejour set up keith fahey for a 57th minute shot against the foot of the post with szczesny well beaten . | birmingham winning first major trophy since 1963 with arsenal without a trophy since 2005 |
arsenal <tsp> ( cnn ) -- birmingham city upset arsenal 2-1 to win the english league cup at wembley sunday , ending a 48-year wait for a major trophy . the defeat prolonged arsenal 's six-year wait for silverware of their own , having gone into the final as overwhelming favorites . serbian striker nikola zigic put birmingham ahead after 28 minutes before robin van persie equalized six minutes before halftime . the match looked headed into extra time until substitute obafemi martins scored a last-minute winner . the nigerian international pounced after a dreadful mix-up between arsenal goalkeeper wojciech szczesny and defender laurent koscielny gifted him a chance he gratefully accepted . arsenal manager arsene wenger said he was bitterly disappointed ' but for his birmingham counterpart alex mcleish , it was the exact opposite . it feels like the best ever win of my life , ' said the 52-year-old , who won seven trophies while in charge of scottish giants rangers . in relative terms for us to put one over arsenal is a titanic result , ' he told bbc sport . the match begun and ended in dramatic fashion and after only two minutes birmingham were denied a penalty which should have also seen szczesny sent off . a clever pass from zigic sent lee bowyer racing through on goal and the midfielder rounded szczesny only to be brought down by the giant keeper . but instead of a red card and a spot-kick , arsenal were given a big let-off when bowyer was ruled offside . tv replays showed bacary sagna had been playing bowyer yards onside . after the exchange of first half goals , a header after a corner for the giant zigic , and a fine volley by dutch star van persie , arsenal , bidding for a quadruple , looked the more dangerous . birmingham goalkeeper ben foster , named man of the match , pulled off a string of fine saves , with samir nasri twice denied . but birmingham were also dangerous in sporadic attacks and substitute jean beausejour set up keith fahey for a 57th minute shot against the foot of the post with szczesny well beaten . | obafemi martins scores last-minute winner after defensive mix up by arsenal |
robin van persie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- birmingham city upset arsenal 2-1 to win the english league cup at wembley sunday , ending a 48-year wait for a major trophy . the defeat prolonged arsenal 's six-year wait for silverware of their own , having gone into the final as overwhelming favorites . serbian striker nikola zigic put birmingham ahead after 28 minutes before robin van persie equalized six minutes before halftime . the match looked headed into extra time until substitute obafemi martins scored a last-minute winner . the nigerian international pounced after a dreadful mix-up between arsenal goalkeeper wojciech szczesny and defender laurent koscielny gifted him a chance he gratefully accepted . arsenal manager arsene wenger said he was bitterly disappointed ' but for his birmingham counterpart alex mcleish , it was the exact opposite . it feels like the best ever win of my life , ' said the 52-year-old , who won seven trophies while in charge of scottish giants rangers . in relative terms for us to put one over arsenal is a titanic result , ' he told bbc sport . the match begun and ended in dramatic fashion and after only two minutes birmingham were denied a penalty which should have also seen szczesny sent off . a clever pass from zigic sent lee bowyer racing through on goal and the midfielder rounded szczesny only to be brought down by the giant keeper . but instead of a red card and a spot-kick , arsenal were given a big let-off when bowyer was ruled offside . tv replays showed bacary sagna had been playing bowyer yards onside . after the exchange of first half goals , a header after a corner for the giant zigic , and a fine volley by dutch star van persie , arsenal , bidding for a quadruple , looked the more dangerous . birmingham goalkeeper ben foster , named man of the match , pulled off a string of fine saves , with samir nasri twice denied . but birmingham were also dangerous in sporadic attacks and substitute jean beausejour set up keith fahey for a 57th minute shot against the foot of the post with szczesny well beaten . | nikola zigic headed birmingham in front with robin van persie equalizing |
olympic games <tsp> ( cnn ) -- basketball , track and swimming have been staples at the olympics for decades , drawing thousands of spectators . but solo synchronized swimming or live pigeon shooting ? they are among the strangest events that have , at one time or another , taken place at the games . what to watch for at the olympics this year here are the 10 oddest sports that have graced the modern olympics -- some will feature at london 2012 over the coming weeks , some thankfully will not ... solo synchronized swimming oxymoron alert ! yes , this sport features one female swimmer synchronizing with herself . the sport made its debut in the los angeles games in 1984 , with u.s. swimmer tracie ruiz winning the gold medal . similar to the group event , a swimmer performs a kind of water ballet . a lonely water ballet . despite the seemingly misleading title , organizers of the sport say the swimmer is actually in sync with the music . will we see this sport in london ? no . but there will be the team synchronized swimming events that most people are familiar with . the solo event was discontinued after 1992 . club swinging club swinging debuted in 1904 . the athlete stands erect , holding clubs that resemble bowling pins in each hand . he then twirls and whirls them around . the more complicated the routine , the more points he wins . historians say the sport was the precursor to rhythmic gymnastic events that use ribbons and hoops . will we see this sport in london ? no . sadly . club swinging was only in the olympics twice , ending in 1932 . tug-of-war once a very competitive olympic sport , tug of war employs teams that struggle and strain to pull a rope past a certain point . great britain actually won the most medals in this event , historians say . will we see this sport in london ? nope . tug-of-war was an olympic event until 1920 , and was then relegated to the church picnic circuit . live pigeon shooting the 1900 olympics in paris had the great distinction of being the first games where women competed . it also wore the ignoble badge for this sport , where athletes aimed to bring down as many pigeons as possible . nearly 300 birds were slain , historians say , leaving a bloody , feathery mess . the winner shot down 21 pigeons . will we see this sport in london ? yes . just kidding . come on now . the 1900 games in paris was the only time pigeon killing was featured in the olympics . 4 billions reasons to watch the olympics swimming obstacle course as strange as this sport may seem , the obstacles swimmers had to overcome are even more unusual . in the 1900 games in paris , swimmers crawled over boats , swam under them and climbed a pole -- all the while swimming 200 meters in the seine . will we see this sport in london ? no . the boats on the thames are safe . roller hockey maybe if this was the 1970s and there was a disco ball , this sport would have taken off . roller hockey debuted at the 1992 barcelona games . the game follows the rules of ice hockey , but with roller skates . argentina took the gold . will we see this sport in london ? no . the barcelona games was the only time roller hockey was in the olympics . la canne ok , think fencing . now take away the saber and replace it with a cane . you know , the walking stick type of thing ? voila , now you have the french martial art la canne , that debuted at the 1924 olympics . will we see this sport in london ? no , but you can watch the fencing events and image how much more awesome it would be with wooden canes . rope climbing yes , the activity that made you feel like a weakling in your physical education class debuted as an olympic sport in 1896 . just like in your gym class , climbers are timed to see how quickly they can shimmy up a braided rope . but unlike your classmates , these athletes did n't run out of steam before reaching the top . will we see this sport in london ? no . after 1932 , the olympics thankfully left rope climbing behind . kind of like you did after high school . trampoline despite seeming like an activity you did in your backyard when you were 10 , trampoline debuted as an olympic sport in 2000 . gymnasts take to the trampoline , somersaulting and flipping as stern-faced judges keep score . precise technique and perfect body control are vital for success , with judges delivering marks for difficulty , execution and time of flight , minus penalties , ' olympic officials say . will we see this sport in london ? yes . both men and women trampolinists ( yes , that is a word ) will compete in london . race walking in this sport , competitors try to outrace one another -- without actually running . huh ? even though the premise seems a little goofy , race walking has actually been an olympic sport since 1904 . to ensure that athletes do not run , race walkers must have one foot on the ground at all times or risk disqualification . the result ? a distinctive sashay that elicits many a giggle . will we see this sport in london ? yes . men will compete in 20-kilometer and 50-kilometer races ; women in 20 kilometers . ready , set , sashay ! olympic mascots : cute or creepy ? | the olympic games has a history of sports that featured only briefly in the program |
miracle on the hudson <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- when us airways flight 1549 ditched in the hudson river and all of its 150 passengers and five crew members were safely rescued in january , the landing of the airplane by pilot chesley sullenberger was quickly proclaimed the miracle on the hudson ' and dominated national news for days . a pilot who virtually grew up in airplane cockpits , writer william langewiesche set out to analyze what happened in the five-minute flight of us airways 1549 , which lost power in both engines when it collided with a flock of canada geese . his conclusion after writing a new book fly by wire ' -- there was no miracle . i 'm sure mr. sullenberger himself would n't have used that word , ' langewiesche said in an interview with cnn . there was no miracle . there was extremely skillful flying going on and skillful engineering in the background . you can include the flight attendants and the passengers . ... there was a lot of altruism , kind of a bravery , soberness . they were not hysterical , and there was no stampeding . many good things happened , but they all related to the individual strength of the people involved . that includes [ bernard ] ziegler [ the designer of the aircraft ] , sullenberger , [ co-pilot jeffrey ] skiles and patrick harten , the air traffic controller -- he was as good as it gets , offering alternatives , the backing off of alternatives , staying cool . ' langewiesche , international editor for vanity fair and author of six other books , was drawn to the story because it allowed him to use it as a window to tell the tale of the aircraft , the airbus a320 , a controversial plane built with digital controls that rein in pilots who exceed safe flying limits . within the limits of physics and structural science , ' langewiesche writes , ziegler and his colleagues identified the wrinkles of conventional handling and mostly ironed them out . the result in the a320 is the product of a genius -- an airplane that is ... exquisitely wrought , a delight to handle , and extraordinarily easy to fly . ' it also allowed langewiesche to describe the economic squeeze that has affected pilots as airlines have come under tremendous pressure to lower fares and reduce costs . just one example described in the book -- sullenberger had seen his salary cut 40 percent and his retirement pension destroyed through airline bankruptcies and cutbacks . sullenberger , for his part , has been critical of langewiesche 's book , saying it makes too much of the aircraft 's automation . in an interview with the new york times , sullenberger said , there are some situations where the automation will protect a pilot , but at the same time a highly automated airplane makes possible other types of errors , so it 's a mixed blessing . and greater knowledge is required to fly a highly automated aircraft . ' cnn spoke with langewiesche this week . cnn : what got you interested in the story ? william langewiesche : i realized that because this airplane is the a320 , which is a revolutionary plane , not just any airplane , the story of the a320 is in many ways the story of the modern airline industry of the last 20 , 30 or 40 years . cnn : how did you become a pilot ? langewiesche : my father was a well-known aviator and writer . i got my first flying job when i was 18 ; i worked my way through college flying airplanes . my father was a german immigrant , an anti-nazi who came here before the beginning of the war ... who became a test pilot for the u.s. navy . cnn : what 's it like to fly an a320 ? langewiesche : it all relates to flight control characteristics and how the stick feels in your hand . ... the attitude or the pitch of the airplane stays where you put it , it 's an airplane that responds in an extremely docile manner to the control stick when it 's flown by hand . ... the airplane was very controversial in the early 1980s , especially in france . the unions really resented it ; it was because of flight envelope protections that kick in when the plane goes where a normal airline pilot will never go . ... the airplane will take over , and it will override the pilot , and philosophically that 's a really provocative thing to do . cnn : did the flight envelope protection kick in during the landing in the hudson ? langewiesche : it was sort of a normal flight until the challenge of the flare itself , when the nose rises just before touchdown , that was a different flare for various reasons . for one thing it was done with no power , no thrust . ... also the landing gear was up . so at the very end in the flare , in the last two seconds or three seconds , it went into alpha protection , it got into the protection zone . the airplane lowered its own nose . it happened so late in the flare that my gut feeling is that it was kind of irrelevant , that the inertia of the airplane was going to dominate the landing and so it probably does n't matter . cnn : sullenberger 's flying ability was widely praised . was that justified ? langewiesche : of course , it 's justified . the thing that was most important about it was the concentration he brought -- the intense concentration on what was important . other people could have been distracted . it did n't happen in this case . he was intensely focused on making the right decision . cnn : what was the most important decision he made ? langewiesche : the decision he made to go into the water as opposed to trying to return to laguardia [ airport ] . while in most simulations conducted after the fact , pilots were able to get back to the airport safely , he made the right decision . in the real world , that would have been an unacceptable crapshoot . obviously , calling it a miracle is silly . in a way to use the word miracle is to insult what they did -- skilled flying in an extremely competent airplane . cnn : why was the a320 so controversial ? langewiesche : the role of the pilot had been downsized . and with deregulation , the salary of the pilot had been downsized . so when this technology came in it was kind of coming in in that context . that 's why the french saw it as such an attack on their professional future . there had also been a global shift in the industry to two-pilot crews . the flight engineer position had been eliminated through automation . the emotions that this airplane produced still linger . no one 's going to be flying pilotless airliners anytime soon . it 's technically possible , and the u.s. flies drones in afghanistan ... but obviously that 's not the future of airlines in a dense traffic world with the public aboard . cnn : is automation the reason for the downsizing of pilots ? langewiesche : we 're not looking at technology as the reason for the decline of pilots . it 's because of deregulation . the public demands cheap tickets . there was a time , a glorious interval , when airline pilots were paid a lot of money and there was still prestige associated with the job ... but after deregulation everything changed . cnn : how important is the pilot to safety ? langewiesche : pilots , of course , are central . without the pilot , forget about it . the aircraft 's not going to land itself on the hudson river . in day-to-day operations the pilot is central to flight safety -- the relationship between that and salary is a whole different question . cnn : should people be concerned about the effect of the lower salaries ? langewiesche : if you look at new pilots coming in now , these guys are as competent as the older guys , and they 're being paid a lot less money . the standard correlation between how much you 're paid and how good you are , i would question that . cnn : the book quotes a national transportation study board study of the most lethal 50 percent of u.s. airline accidents from 1983 through 2000 . it found that 86 percent of the occupants survived . would n't most people find that surprising ? langewiesche : the problem is that the accidents that get the most attention are the ones that kill the most people -- with this one being an exception . cnn : what advice do you have for maximizing your chances of survival ? langewiesche : this thing we hear so repetitively -- it 's actually the safety briefing on a plane , which is probably a pretty good guide to it . where are the exits , how do the life rafts work ; it 's probably all a passenger needs to know . and by the way , airline accidents are very , very rare . let 's face it , airlines are extremely safe , specifically because of the contributions of the people involved in this success story -- the pilots , the engineers , the flight controllers , the flight attendants . these are the agents of the public 's safety at work . cnn : sullenberger has criticized your book , saying it places too much emphasis on the plane 's automated systems . langewiesche : there 's no quarrel at all . the book elevates legitimately and correctly what mr. sullenberger and mr. skiles did as pilots . ... without those two pilots in the cockpit , doing the job they did , people would not have survived . clearly , they were flying a fly-by-wire airplane , and that 's part of the story . i never imply that , had they been flying a 737 , things would have been worse . that would be highly speculative and silly . i 'm writing about what did happen . there 's no argument here from my side . | the safe landing of flight 1549 was hailed as the miracle on the hudson ' |
israeli <tsp> ( cnn ) -- drop to the ground ; take cover by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture ; and hold on until the shaking stops . ' this is the official advice issued by fema for anyone unlucky enough to be caught in an earthquake . but even following this advice is n't always going to be enough , particularly if you have nothing solid to shelter beneath . this was the concern guiding arthur brutter and ido bruno when they dreamed up the earthquake-proof table -- an invention that aims to provide affordable protection to people in earthquake-prone areas of the world . the earthquake-proof table started when i was a student in industrial design at the bezalel academy of arts and design , jerusalem , ' says co-inventor arthur brutter . at the beginning i wanted a solution to help in natural disasters ... i looked at pictures of a school that was crushed in the earthquake in haiti and they really shocked me . ' the 2010 haiti earthquake was a catastrophic event that devastated the small caribbean island and its surrounds . official estimates suggest that up to 200,000 people died in the destruction . after seeing photographs of the aftermath , brutter resolved to build a product to help save lives of people trapped in structurally unsound buildings during earthquakes . brutter , alongside his former lecturer ido bruno , devised a cheap reinforced table that would be light enough for two school children to be able to lift , yet still strong enough to withstand up to one ton of pressure from above . brutter says that the geometries of the earthquake-proof table are designed to spread weight evenly across the table 's surface , ensuring that the structure holds its shape , even when subjected to significant down-force . the earthquake-proof table transforms energy and absorbs it , ' says brutter . when something falls on the table it absorbs the object 's energy , and debris is forced to the side . ' in the event of a building 's collapse , the tables are also designed to form passageways through the debris to help assist in rescue efforts . the table was initially tested by the israeli military and is currently awaiting official approval of the world-leading structural engineering department of padua university , italy , where more tests have been carried out . brutter and bruno estimate that 300 million children live in areas of the world prone to earthquakes with weak school buildings . dr richard luckett , a seismologist at the british geological survey , says that this estimation strikes him as reasonable : there are a lot of cities in regions where large earthquakes can be expected and many of these are in the developing world . ' since its invention last year the earthquake-proof table has been nominated for a number of awards including the design museum 's design of the year award in london . it has also been acquired by new york 's museum of modern art ( moma ) for its permanent collection of architecture and design . bruno says the awards are nice , but what is more important is to see the product adopted broadly , and used to save lives . it 's always a good feeling to be recognised , but really it 's not awards but exposure leading to the possibility of the table being used ... we want there to be no earthquakes , and we want it ( the earthquake-proof table ) to be used to save lives . ' monique rivalland contributed to this story | israeli designers build affordable earthquake-proof table |
eoc <tsp> europe will stage its own olympics ' in 2015 , the region 's 49 member committees voted on saturday . the azerbaijan capital of baku will host the first european games , with around 15 sports to be on the program for the event -- which will be held in spring or early summer ' according to the european olympic committees website . the decision may put it in conflict with other sporting bodies . the international athletics federation will stage its world championships in beijing in august 2015 , while the swimming world championships will be held in russia in july that year . the european games will come a year ahead of the next summer olympics , to be held in brazil . the nocs of europe voted the proposal by secret ballot with an overwhelming majority , ' the eoc website reported after day two of the body 's 41st general assembly in rome . there are plenty of technical details to decide , but the assembly has above all shown its will to go ahead and make this sports event , which is in no way intended to be a copy of the olympic games , a tool with which to enhance the attractiveness of sport . the nocs have received assurance that the event will not cost them a penny , but bring them financial gains . ' the idea of a european games was first mooted three years ago but has been in the'olympic air'for a long time , ' the eoc said . baku bidded to host the 2020 summer olympics but failed to make the ioc 's shortlist as istanbul , madrid and tokyo were selected . the vote for the host city will take place next september . the baku delegation illustrated their project , presenting a modern and dynamic city that is practically ready to host this new sports event , ' the eoc said . | the eoc says it has plenty of technical details to decide ' |
alligator river national wildlife refuge <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mystery , moonlight and the sounds of bat wings flapping replace electricity and artificial sound during a night off the grid ' in nature . be it a safari through the endangered red wolf 's habitat or stargazing from the highest mountain range in the united states , nighttime is the right time for outdoor adventures in national wildlife refuges and national parks . here are five places hosting nocturnal events from now through mid-december . howling safari night hikes it is estimated that there are 110 to 120 red wolves left on earth , according to the red wolf recovery program . the best chance to hear them is during howling safari night hikes at alligator river national wildlife refuge in east lake , north carolina . when : the hikes are every wednesday at 7:30 p.m. through the end of august . there are also hikes on october 12 , november 16 and december 7 . be sure to check the website as the hike times change after august . fall hikes offer the same red wolf program as howling safari hikes , and cooler temperatures and fall 's season increase wolf activity . where : alligator river national wildlife refuge is on the outer banks , about a 20 minute drive from manteo on roanoke island and about a three hour drive from raleigh . if you go : the hike costs $ 7 per person and children 11 and younger are free . hikers should bring a flashlight and bug repellant and gather at the creef cut wildlife trail . the hikes last about two hours and pets are not allowed . for more information , call 252-216-9464 . scorpion hunts nights in the nevada desert belong to scorpions and coyotes . pahranagat national wildlife refuge and moapa valley national wildlife refuge are hosting night hike scorpion hunts . when : pahranagat 's night hike scorpion hunt is on september 7 at 8 p.m. and moapa valley 's is on september 14 at 8 p.m. where : pahranagat national wildlife refuge is about an hour and a half north of las vegas , and moapa valley national wildlife refuge is about an hour northeast of las vegas . if you go : rsvps must be made to timothy_parker @ fws.gov . there is no cost to attend , and all ages are welcome . staff will provide ultraviolet flashlights to search for scorpions . rocky mountain stargazing with the ongoing discoveries of new stars , planets and constellations , rocky mountain national park 's 7,000-feet and higher elevations make it one of the best places in the western hemisphere for weekend warrior astronomers to stargaze . when : there are program options for people staying near the east and west side of the park , which are a about two hours apart . astronomy in the park ' and celestial wilderness ' are similar events . park rangers and local astronomers conduct a 30-minute program followed by sky-viewing . astronomy in the park ' takes place on the east side . it starts at 8 p.m. on august 9 and 30 at the end of upper beaver meadows road . celestial wilderness ' takes place on the west side of the park . it starts at 8:45 p.m. on august 3 and 10 at the harbison meadow parking area . stories behind the moon and stars ' starts at 8 p.m. august 2 and 18 at the estes park memorial observatory , 1600 manford avenue . guests can learn about the constellations , tour the milky way and gaze at the moon against a backdrop of local storytelling . where : the east entrance to rocky mountain national park is about an hour and 15 minutes west of fort collins and two hours northwest of denver . estes park memorial observatory is about 15 minutes east of rocky mountain national park . if you go : the programs are free , but park admission is $ 20 per vehicle . the pass is valid for seven days . visitors are encouraged to dress in warm clothes , bring a flashlight and binoculars . for more information , call 970-586-1206 . full-moon hiking bryce canyon national park is home to hoodoos , those oddly shaped rock formations created by millions of years of erosion . the vistas are beautiful during the day , but the park also offers the chance to view them under the expanse of a western night sky during full-moon hikes . when : hikes are scheduled each month now through december . admission to the park is $ 25 per vehicle and $ 12 for individuals ( bicycles , motorcycles and hikers ) and is valid for seven days . tickets for the hikes are free and distributed on a first-come , first-served basis . in-person sign-up begins at 8 a.m. ( the line starts forming at 7 a.m. ) at the visitor center on the day of the hike . attendance is capped at 30 people per hike . where : bryce canyon national park is in south-central utah . the closest cities with major airports are provo , about a three and a half-hour drive , and las vegas , nevada , about four hours . while you 're in the area , check out zion national park , which is less than two hours southwest ; grand canyon national park , which is five hours southwest . and canyonlands national park , which is five hours northeast . if you go : the hikes are between one and two miles . lug traction footwear is required and must be presented when signing up for tickets . waterproof hiking boots are required during the winter . also be sure to bring drinking water and a jacket . flashlights are not allowed . rangers may allow flash photography with certain restrictions . children 5 or younger are not permitted . bat watching the cave at carlsbad caverns national park is a part-time home to brazilian free-tailed bats . the bats swirl out of the cave just before dusk to hunt and return gorged with food before dawn . the park hosts nightly bat watches in the bat flight amphitheater . before the bats fly , park rangers give an interpretative program explaining why bats use the cave as a place to raise pups . when : programs take place between mid-april and late october , depending on when the bats migrate to and from mexico . carlsbad caverns'bat population varies , but the best times to view them are generally in july and august . where : carlsbad caverns national park is in the southeast corner of new mexico , about a two and a half hour drive east of el paso , texas , and two hours south of roswell . the programs are held at the bat flight amphitheater , which is in front of the carlsbad cavern opening . start times vary with changing daylight times in the spring , summer and early fall . call the bat flight information line 575-785-3012 for updates on start times . there is no cost to attend . if you go : there is wheelchair access to the amphitheater . use of cameras , including video and cell phones , is prohibited as the flashes and sounds can disturb these wild animals . pets are not allowed . | alligator river national wildlife refuge is home to endangered red wolves |
davitt mcateer <tsp> naoma , west virginia ( cnn ) -- west virginia 's governor on tuesday named a former head of the federal mine safety and health administration to lead a state investigation into last week 's coal mine explosion that left 29 miners dead . davitt mcateer has overseen investigations into two previous mine accidents , the sago disaster that killed 12 miners in 2006 and the fire at the aracoma alma no . 2 mine that left two workers dead . the west virginia native served as the clinton administration 's assistant labor secretary for mine safety in the 1990s and is vice president of wheeling jesuit university . davitt has the experience and knowledge to lead what will be a complex and extensive investigation into this horrible accident , ' gov . joe manchin said in announcing mcateer 's appointment . we made tremendous progress in 2006 immediately following the sago and aracoma accidents , and i fully expect that we will learn even more from this and make dramatic changes to protect our miners . ' the last bodies were recovered early tuesday from the upper big branch mine , the scene of the fatal explosion april 5 . mcateer was critical of the mine 's owner , virginia-based massey energy , in the days after the blast . some companies , and this appears to be one , take the approach that these violations are simply a cost of doing business -- it 's cheaper for us to mine in an unsafe way or in a way that risks people 's lives than it is for us to comply with the statutes , comply with the laws , ' mcateer said last week . there was no immediate response from massey energy to mcateer 's appointment , but massey ceo don blankenship said last week that its safety history is among the best in the industry . the montcoal , west virginia , mine received 458 citations from federal inspectors in 2009 , and more than 50 of those were for problems that the operators knew about but had not corrected , according to federal mine safety records . inspectors cited the operators more than 100 times in the first quarter of 2010 , including six times for unwarrantable failure ' to correct violations . massey subsidiary aracoma coal pleaded guilty to 10 criminal charges and paid a record $ 4.2 million in fines and civil penalties in connection with the january 2006 fire that mcateer investigated . manchin said the state owes an explanation for last week 's disaster to the families of the men who died in the upper big branch mine , and we owe it to them and every coal miner working today to do everything humanly possible to prevent this from happening again . ' managers of two pension funds have called on massey 's board to oust blankenship , who has been critical of mining regulations in the past . massey 's cavalier attitude toward risk and callous disregard for the safety of its employees has exacted a horrible cost on dozens of hard-working miners and their loved ones , ' new york state comptroller thomas dinapoli said in a written statement monday . he said blankenship must step down and make room for more responsible leadership at massey . ' new york 's state pension fund , which dinapoli manages , has about $ 14 million worth of massey stock -- a tiny fraction of the company 's estimated $ 4.3 billion market capitalization . but his call was echoed by the ctw investment group , which manages pension funds for about 6 million union workers . ctw blamed blankenship 's confrontational approach to regulatory compliance ' and the failure of the company 's board of directors to challenge him for the disaster . under chairman and ceo blankenship 's domineering leadership , massey energy placed short-term production and profit goals ahead of prudent risk management , with devastating consequences for the corporation , its shareholders and employees , ' the fund wrote in a letter to the board . in light of these consequences , the urgent need for new leadership is apparent . ' the company has not commented on calls for blankeship 's ouster , but said safety has been and will continue to be our top priority every day . ' we do not condone any violation of mine safety and health administration regulations , and we strive to be in compliance with all regulations at all times , ' it said in a written statement last week . bodies of the remaining victims were removed overnight , said jama jarrett , spokeswoman for the west virginia office of miners'health , safety and training . the bodies of seven victims had been recovered shortly after the explosion , and 13 bodies were removed sunday . until sunday , u.s. flags on all federal buildings in the state will be kept at half-staff per a proclamation that president obama signed on monday . the mining disaster was the worst in the united states since 1972 , when 91 miners died in a fire at the sunshine mine in kellogg , idaho . cnn 's rachel streitfeld contributed to this report . | davitt mcateer named by west virginia governor to lead investigation |
united states <tsp> naoma , west virginia ( cnn ) -- west virginia 's governor on tuesday named a former head of the federal mine safety and health administration to lead a state investigation into last week 's coal mine explosion that left 29 miners dead . davitt mcateer has overseen investigations into two previous mine accidents , the sago disaster that killed 12 miners in 2006 and the fire at the aracoma alma no . 2 mine that left two workers dead . the west virginia native served as the clinton administration 's assistant labor secretary for mine safety in the 1990s and is vice president of wheeling jesuit university . davitt has the experience and knowledge to lead what will be a complex and extensive investigation into this horrible accident , ' gov . joe manchin said in announcing mcateer 's appointment . we made tremendous progress in 2006 immediately following the sago and aracoma accidents , and i fully expect that we will learn even more from this and make dramatic changes to protect our miners . ' the last bodies were recovered early tuesday from the upper big branch mine , the scene of the fatal explosion april 5 . mcateer was critical of the mine 's owner , virginia-based massey energy , in the days after the blast . some companies , and this appears to be one , take the approach that these violations are simply a cost of doing business -- it 's cheaper for us to mine in an unsafe way or in a way that risks people 's lives than it is for us to comply with the statutes , comply with the laws , ' mcateer said last week . there was no immediate response from massey energy to mcateer 's appointment , but massey ceo don blankenship said last week that its safety history is among the best in the industry . the montcoal , west virginia , mine received 458 citations from federal inspectors in 2009 , and more than 50 of those were for problems that the operators knew about but had not corrected , according to federal mine safety records . inspectors cited the operators more than 100 times in the first quarter of 2010 , including six times for unwarrantable failure ' to correct violations . massey subsidiary aracoma coal pleaded guilty to 10 criminal charges and paid a record $ 4.2 million in fines and civil penalties in connection with the january 2006 fire that mcateer investigated . manchin said the state owes an explanation for last week 's disaster to the families of the men who died in the upper big branch mine , and we owe it to them and every coal miner working today to do everything humanly possible to prevent this from happening again . ' managers of two pension funds have called on massey 's board to oust blankenship , who has been critical of mining regulations in the past . massey 's cavalier attitude toward risk and callous disregard for the safety of its employees has exacted a horrible cost on dozens of hard-working miners and their loved ones , ' new york state comptroller thomas dinapoli said in a written statement monday . he said blankenship must step down and make room for more responsible leadership at massey . ' new york 's state pension fund , which dinapoli manages , has about $ 14 million worth of massey stock -- a tiny fraction of the company 's estimated $ 4.3 billion market capitalization . but his call was echoed by the ctw investment group , which manages pension funds for about 6 million union workers . ctw blamed blankenship 's confrontational approach to regulatory compliance ' and the failure of the company 's board of directors to challenge him for the disaster . under chairman and ceo blankenship 's domineering leadership , massey energy placed short-term production and profit goals ahead of prudent risk management , with devastating consequences for the corporation , its shareholders and employees , ' the fund wrote in a letter to the board . in light of these consequences , the urgent need for new leadership is apparent . ' the company has not commented on calls for blankeship 's ouster , but said safety has been and will continue to be our top priority every day . ' we do not condone any violation of mine safety and health administration regulations , and we strive to be in compliance with all regulations at all times , ' it said in a written statement last week . bodies of the remaining victims were removed overnight , said jama jarrett , spokeswoman for the west virginia office of miners'health , safety and training . the bodies of seven victims had been recovered shortly after the explosion , and 13 bodies were removed sunday . until sunday , u.s. flags on all federal buildings in the state will be kept at half-staff per a proclamation that president obama signed on monday . the mining disaster was the worst in the united states since 1972 , when 91 miners died in a fire at the sunshine mine in kellogg , idaho . cnn 's rachel streitfeld contributed to this report . | mining disaster was the worst in the united states since 1972 |
hamlet <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- after his father 's death , a young prince , driven by suspicion , kills his uncle in a web of political intrigue . sound familiar ? the classic shakespearean drama hamlet ' is scheduled for a performance in north korea in september 2015 by the globe theatre as part of a two-year tour to perform in every country . the parallels of staging a drama about an epic family power struggle in pyongyang , where the country 's young leader kim jong un had his uncle , jang song thaek executed has raised a few eyebrows -- especially from human rights groups . jang was considered instrumental in kim 's rise to power , but kim turned his back on his uncle in spectacular fashion late last year as jang was branded a traitor for all ages ' and executed on charges that he had attempted to overthrow the government . human rights criticism ' if the globe theatre goes to north korea , they should read up on the reality of the country before they get there , ' said niall couper , a spokesperson for amnesty international . north korea 's human rights record came under heavy scrutiny last month in a 400-page un commission of inquiry report that called the country 's stunning catalog of torture and abuse as lacking any parallel in the contemporary world . ' no tragic play could come close to the misery that the 100,000 people trapped in the country 's prison camps endure -- where torture , rape , starvation and execution are everyday occurrences , ' couper said . the globe defended its decision to visit the country saying that a policy of inclusion , rather than exclusion , is more true to the spirit of shakespeare . ' called a globe to globe hamlet tour , the group intends to travel to all seven continents -- irrespective of political situations . the troupe also plans to visit syria , afghanistan , the central african republic and somalia in its most ambitious tour yet . ' shakespeare a force for good ' ' we have always believed that cultural communication , and different peoples talking to each other through art , is a force for good in the world . in every country , we are going for one single and simple purpose : to play hamlet there , ' a statement released by the london-based theater said . its hamlet ' production is described as a fresh , pared-down version ' that lasts two hours and 40 minutes , with 12 actors and four stage managers using a portable stage . the theater stated that hamlet ' was first written when england was weathering internal tensions , repression and violence . like all the best works of art ,'hamlet'instigates discussion and dialogue , and like any theatre , we wish to play to , and interact with , as many people as we possibly can , in as diverse a range of locations as possible . we do not believe that anyone should be excluded from the chance to experience this play , ' according to its statement . the theater group is not the first to get blasted by human rights groups for performing in north korea . dennis rodman , former nba player , came under blistering criticism for holding a basketball exhibition and singing happy birthday ' to kim jong un . in 2008 , the new york philarmonic held a controversial concert in pyongyang , which was aired on north korea 's state-run tv and radio . the lessons of hamlet ' may not extend to the young north korean leader , said amnesty 's spokesperson . there 's a dark irony in the fact that hamlet focuses on a prince wrestling with his conscience , ' couper said . kim jong un is no hamlet . sadly he shows no sign of wrestling with his conscience . ' | parallels made to hamlet ' and north korea 's leadership situation |
hamlet <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- after his father 's death , a young prince , driven by suspicion , kills his uncle in a web of political intrigue . sound familiar ? the classic shakespearean drama hamlet ' is scheduled for a performance in north korea in september 2015 by the globe theatre as part of a two-year tour to perform in every country . the parallels of staging a drama about an epic family power struggle in pyongyang , where the country 's young leader kim jong un had his uncle , jang song thaek executed has raised a few eyebrows -- especially from human rights groups . jang was considered instrumental in kim 's rise to power , but kim turned his back on his uncle in spectacular fashion late last year as jang was branded a traitor for all ages ' and executed on charges that he had attempted to overthrow the government . human rights criticism ' if the globe theatre goes to north korea , they should read up on the reality of the country before they get there , ' said niall couper , a spokesperson for amnesty international . north korea 's human rights record came under heavy scrutiny last month in a 400-page un commission of inquiry report that called the country 's stunning catalog of torture and abuse as lacking any parallel in the contemporary world . ' no tragic play could come close to the misery that the 100,000 people trapped in the country 's prison camps endure -- where torture , rape , starvation and execution are everyday occurrences , ' couper said . the globe defended its decision to visit the country saying that a policy of inclusion , rather than exclusion , is more true to the spirit of shakespeare . ' called a globe to globe hamlet tour , the group intends to travel to all seven continents -- irrespective of political situations . the troupe also plans to visit syria , afghanistan , the central african republic and somalia in its most ambitious tour yet . ' shakespeare a force for good ' ' we have always believed that cultural communication , and different peoples talking to each other through art , is a force for good in the world . in every country , we are going for one single and simple purpose : to play hamlet there , ' a statement released by the london-based theater said . its hamlet ' production is described as a fresh , pared-down version ' that lasts two hours and 40 minutes , with 12 actors and four stage managers using a portable stage . the theater stated that hamlet ' was first written when england was weathering internal tensions , repression and violence . like all the best works of art ,'hamlet'instigates discussion and dialogue , and like any theatre , we wish to play to , and interact with , as many people as we possibly can , in as diverse a range of locations as possible . we do not believe that anyone should be excluded from the chance to experience this play , ' according to its statement . the theater group is not the first to get blasted by human rights groups for performing in north korea . dennis rodman , former nba player , came under blistering criticism for holding a basketball exhibition and singing happy birthday ' to kim jong un . in 2008 , the new york philarmonic held a controversial concert in pyongyang , which was aired on north korea 's state-run tv and radio . the lessons of hamlet ' may not extend to the young north korean leader , said amnesty 's spokesperson . there 's a dark irony in the fact that hamlet focuses on a prince wrestling with his conscience , ' couper said . kim jong un is no hamlet . sadly he shows no sign of wrestling with his conscience . ' | globe theatre plans a two-year tour of hamlet ' to every country in the world |
egyptian <tsp> cairo ( cnn ) -- hosni mubarak 's fall from power a year ago stunned the world -- three decades of iron-clad rule ended in 17 days by an unexpected groundswell of popular protests . a banner headline in the al-ahram newspaper said : the people have toppled the regime . ' but in the year that followed , egyptians increasingly realized that what they ousted was one man , not the military that stood behind him . and they grew bitterly frustrated at what they perceive as the slow pace of change . saturday brought another reminder of the powers that be in egypt as america 's top military officer was in cairo to meet with his egyptian counterparts . on the table for discussion was the fate of 16 americans who are among 43 foreigners working for civil society institutions who are to be tried in egypt for receiving illegal foreign funding . and possibly the fate of u.s. military aid , conditioned now on the progress of egypt 's transition to democracy . the united states viewed the legal proceedings against the foreigners as a crackdown , another sign that autocracy has hardly departed egypt . many egyptians would probably agree . on the first anniversary of mubarak 's departure , the plan was to voice their frustration , though saturday came and went without the ceremony that was anticipated on such a day . activists kicked off a general strike , hoping for the kind of large protests that made tahrir square a familiar name . but the demonstrations were scattered and light . a year later , nothing has changed . we have been facing the same regime , if worse , ' prominent activist gigi ibrahim told cnn on saturday . ibrahim said farmers , students and workers will help settle this revolution once and for all . ' many people ... do n't know what actually toppled mubarak was the last three days of those 17 days when large numbers of workers in different sectors went on strike , ' she said from cairo . the egypt revolutionaries'alliance , comprised of democratic and secular political groups , called for the immediate dismantling of the interim government and immediate presidential elections . it also demanded the dismissal of the prosecutor general , and a purge and overhaul of the interior ministry that came to be despised during last year 's revolt and again last week as anger mounted over a deadly stampede at a soccer match . the alliance said a committee should be formed to to investigate any crimes by egypt 's new rulers while revolutionary tribunals should try former regime figures . meanwhile saturday , an american student was arrested with an australian journalist and their female translator in the city of mahalla , north of cairo , for inciting people to join the general strike and handing them money for doing so , a spokesman for the egyptian ministry of interior told cnn . spokesman alaa mahmoud said they were transferred to a general prosecutor for an investigation . an official spokesman for the u.s. embassy said it was in touch with the male student . the arrests came as human rights watch decried what it called a disturbing assault on free expression . violations of the right to freedom of expression have included military trials of protesters and bloggers , interrogations of journalists and activists for criticizing the military , the suspension of new satellite television licenses , and the closure of an outlet of al jazeera television , ' the global monitoring group said . it cited cases of notable people who have faced charges of insulting religion under vague and arbitrary laws dating from the mubarak administration . ' and another case in which a pro-democracy activist was sentenced to a year behind bars for handing out leaflets . actions like these were hallmarks of mubarak 's 30-year rule , but they also have been used repeatedly in the year since the ( supreme armed forces council ) assumed control , ' human rights watch said . the revolutionaries'alliance , however , was not deterred . the next step , said member rami shaath , will be civil disobedience . do n't pay taxes or government bills . the armed forces council came down hard on the strike , saying it serves those interests of parties aiming for the destruction of egypt and is a tool brought to egypt from abroad . ' council leaders lt. gen sami enan and field marshal hussein tantawi , meanwhile , sat down for talks with chairman of the joint chiefs of staff , u.s. gen. martin dempsey . dempsey 's spokesman , col. dave lapan , said they discussed a wide range of issues , including the investigation of nongovernmental organizations in the country and an announcement that 43 foreigners working for such groups , including 16 americans , would face prosecution . egyptian authorities carried out 17 raids on the offices of 10 organizations , including the u.s.-based freedom house , national democratic institute and the international republican institute . among those going to court is sam lahood , the son of u.s. transportation secretary ray lahood . the egyptians said the pro-democracy organizations had received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a proper license . but some of the groups had been tacitly operating for some time in egypt without permission , even under mubarak . washington threatened to cut off the $ 1.3 billion in military assistance it gives egypt every year . in doing so , the united states escalated the crisis that is now testing its alliance with its arab ally . lapan gave no details of the meetings . outside , unease reigned on the streets of cairo and beyond . the egyptians served as role models for their libyan neighbors . they look now to a syria in flames and flickers of discontent elsewhere and can take heart that they played a role in inspiring people to stand up for freedom . but a year since their own revolution was declared victorious , the euphoria has dimmed . the general strike is open ended . more may take to the streets sunday , which unlike saturday is a working day in the muslim world . organizers have not given up hope . they are optimistic that momentum will build as long as a military regime rules egypt . cnn 's ben wedeman and journalist mohamed fadel fahmy contributed to this report . | america 's top military official meets with egyptian brass |
vince mcmahon <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the late chris benoit idolized the dynamite kid , who was half of a professional wrestling team famous in the 1980s for spectacular high-flying , acrobatic moves . chris benoit strangled his wife and suffocated his son before hanging himself in june . the dynamite kid and his partner , davey boy smith , were known as the british bulldogs . they were quick , agile and muscular , and in 1986 they won the world wrestling federation tag team championship . young benoit dreamed of wrestling like the dynamite kid , whose real name is tom billington . at the beginning of his career , benoit adopted the dynamite nickname and copied his idol 's signature moves . in june , benoit murdered his wife and young son before hanging himself . investigators found testosterone , painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs in chris benoit 's body , georgia 's chief medical examiner said a month later . when asked about benoit 's double murder-suicide , billington told cnn , it can make you aggressive , the steroids . but personally i would n't , you know , kill no bleeding kid , or wife either . ' billington now lives in a public housing apartment outside manchester , england . he has lost the use of his legs . a pin sticks out from one of his toes . billington blames his wrestling life for doing this to him -- wrestling and the fact that he ignored doctors who told him to stop the punishment to his body . and from the steroids , he said . billington told cnn that the steroids came from doctors , from friends , even from steroids meant for horses . he took them all , took a terrible pounding in the ring , and like his partner ( who died at age 39 in 2002 ) , began taking extensive amounts of painkillers . benoit 's death has refocused a media spotlight on the organization for which he wrestled , now known as world wrestling entertainment , and the man who has ruled wrestling for years , chairman of the board vince mcmahon . mcmahon , appearing with linda mcmahon , his wife and wwe ceo , told cnn : nothing from the wwe , under any set of circumstances had anything to do with chris benoit murdering his family . how did we know chris benoit would turn into a monster . ' read a full transcript of the mcmahons interview vince mcmahon defended the organization , saying its drug-testing policy was not just for show . our policy stacks up just as well as anyone else 's in sport , although again emphasizing we are entertainment , and no one in entertainment , no one has this kind of wellness policy , ' mcmahon said . critics say mcmahon pushes his stars and non-stars , works them too many nights per year and has encouraged the large physiques prevalent in modern wrestling . they say mcmahon only looks at his employees as commodities , pawns in a huge business . his businesses are quite successful . about 16 million people a week tune into wwe tv shows . two of their cable programs -- raw ' and friday night smackdown ' -- are weekly ratings giants . pay-per-view specials generate an average of $ 100 million per year . when asked about the high number of former wrestlers who had died before they turned 50 years old , vince mcmahon said each person in the wwe bore responsibility for their own lives -- especially outside the arena . if someone passes through our organization , it is not our responsibility for someone 's personal activities , ' he said . he also said there is n't any organization in the world , be it entertainment or be it sport , that can tell you that they are totally drug-free . ' watch as a wwe wrestler says the perception of steroid use is wrong » the mcmahons said the wwe is taking steps toward improving its oversight of its athletes . since the newest wwe drug screening program began in february 2006 , more than 30 of the organization 's wrestlers have been suspended , including two since cnn 's interview with the mcmahons . david black -- who helped the nfl develop its drug program and now runs tests for the wwe -- says twice that number have tested positive and been given a warning . but dr. gary wadler , a world-renowned expert in the study of drugs and athletes , says the wwe is not doing enough . it certainly falls far , far short of where it needs to be , ' he said . and there is a gold standard , and i measure all these sporting and entertainment activities against this gold standard . and [ the wwe is ] miles apart . ' wadler , a longtime critic of mcmahon , was referring to the u.s. anti-doping agency in colorado springs , colorado . u.s. athletes training for the olympics are randomly tested and , if caught just once , face a two-year suspension from competition . if caught a second time , they can be banned for life . black 's programs test wrestlers four times a year . the first is a baseline ' test , according to the wwe . black then tests for nonmedical ' uses , meaning that if an athlete has a prescription , he is cleared . it 's just a loophole that in my mind guts the entire program , ' said travis tygart , who heads the u.s. anti-doping agency . mcmahon denies that his wrestlers are pushed to use steroids . he says the average wrestler is lighter than in recent years . watch one of the new wwe stars talk about being straight edge ' » ' there 's an expression in our business , that here is where you make your money . it 's your face , it 's what you do with it , ' he said . it 's your personality , it 's what you do with it . it 's your delivery , your elocution . it 's storyline , it 's things , all those things that are theatrical as well as athletic in the ring . ' e-mail to a friend cnn 's drew griffin contributed to this report . | vince mcmahon : wwe has one of best drug-testing programs |
zimbabwe <tsp> toyako , japan ( cnn ) -- president bush on sunday defended his decision to attend next month 's olympics opening ceremony in beijing , saying that to boycott would be an affront to the chinese people . ' president bush speaks with prime minister yasuo fukuda at a sunday news conference in toyako , japan . speaking to reporters ahead of this week 's summit of the group of eight industrialized nations in japan , bush said he did not need to skip the ceremony to show his position on religious freedom and human rights in china . he said if he failed to attend the games it would make it more difficult to be able to speak more frankly with the chinese leadership . ' bush said he would raise concerns when he meets chinese president hu jintao at the olympics , but he was also looking forward to cheering the u.s . athletes . ' he said it was good for them to see their president waving that flag . ' japan 's prime minister yasuo fukuda also said he would attend the opening ceremony despite concerns about human rights in china that prompted some other european leaders to boycott the event . bush and fukuda took questions from reporters at the picturesque lakeside resort of toyako on the northern island of hokkaido , where the g-8 summit will begin monday . watch bush , first lady arrive in japan » bush said he and fukuda discussed the united states'recent decision to lift some sanctions against north korea and remove the communist nation from the state department 's list of state sponsors of terror . bush assured japan that the issue of north korea 's past kidnappings of japanese citizens will not be ignored by the united states . he told fukuda that he was fully aware of the sensitivity of the issue in your country ' and that the united states will not abandon you on this issue . ' north korea has admitted to abducting 11 japanese citizens -- to teach its spies japanese language and culture -- but had insisted the abduction issue was resolved . holding a book about a young japanese girl abducted by north korea , bush said as the father of two girls he ca n't imagine what it would be like to have a daughter disappear . ' bush said north korea 's recent destruction of a water-cooling tower at its now-defunct nuclear facility and its declaration outlining its plutonium program are positive steps , but there are more to be taken . ' lifting sanctions would not weaken the pressure on north korea to be forthcoming on the abduction issue or in nuclear negotiations , the u.s. president said . bush said north korea remains the most sanctioned nation in the world and that delisting did not get rid of their sanctions . ' fukuda , who is chairing the g-8 meetings , said global warming would be high on the agenda but that he could not predict what might result from this week 's talks . fukuda said he believes the united states has not lost its sense of direction ' on the issue . our views are gradually converging , ' he said . bush said the united states will be constructive ' in the global warming talks but if china and india do not share that same aspiration , we 're not going to solve the problem . ' bush said the united states and japan leads the world in research on clean technologies . he said japan 's advances in battery technology will some day mean that americans will use batteries in cars that look like cars , not golf carts . ' as world leaders began arriving for the summit , more than 1,000 people protested in northern japan against the event . demonstrators urged leaders to take urgent measures to stop global warming , grant indigenous people greater rights , combat world poverty and battle discrimination . watch police tangle with protesters » soaring oil and food prices and possible steps against zimbabwe were also likely to be high on the agenda at the summit . with fewer than 200 days left in his term , bush says he will press other g-8 leaders to follow through on their commitments from earlier summits , but has warned there is nothing he or anyone else can do in the short term about oil prices . bush 's main economic goal at the summit may be defensive , said david gergen , former adviser to presidents richard nixon , gerald ford , ronald reagan and bill clinton . what 's essential in this summit for george w. bush is to make sure the world economy does not spin downward , ' he said . bush has downplayed what he and other g-8 leaders can accomplish on the economic front . one thing we need to make clear when i 'm with our partners is that we 're not going to become protectionists , that we believe in free trade and open markets , ' bush said wednesday . a former administration official who served on the national security council under bush says the g-8 's purpose is not to come up with quick solutions . this is not a meeting of heads of state that leads to a treaty . it 's really kind of public opinion shaping and trying to get people to agree that issues are important , ' said michael green , now with the center for strategic and international studies . | g-8 leaders also expected to discuss global economy , zimbabwe |
g-8 <tsp> toyako , japan ( cnn ) -- president bush on sunday defended his decision to attend next month 's olympics opening ceremony in beijing , saying that to boycott would be an affront to the chinese people . ' president bush speaks with prime minister yasuo fukuda at a sunday news conference in toyako , japan . speaking to reporters ahead of this week 's summit of the group of eight industrialized nations in japan , bush said he did not need to skip the ceremony to show his position on religious freedom and human rights in china . he said if he failed to attend the games it would make it more difficult to be able to speak more frankly with the chinese leadership . ' bush said he would raise concerns when he meets chinese president hu jintao at the olympics , but he was also looking forward to cheering the u.s . athletes . ' he said it was good for them to see their president waving that flag . ' japan 's prime minister yasuo fukuda also said he would attend the opening ceremony despite concerns about human rights in china that prompted some other european leaders to boycott the event . bush and fukuda took questions from reporters at the picturesque lakeside resort of toyako on the northern island of hokkaido , where the g-8 summit will begin monday . watch bush , first lady arrive in japan » bush said he and fukuda discussed the united states'recent decision to lift some sanctions against north korea and remove the communist nation from the state department 's list of state sponsors of terror . bush assured japan that the issue of north korea 's past kidnappings of japanese citizens will not be ignored by the united states . he told fukuda that he was fully aware of the sensitivity of the issue in your country ' and that the united states will not abandon you on this issue . ' north korea has admitted to abducting 11 japanese citizens -- to teach its spies japanese language and culture -- but had insisted the abduction issue was resolved . holding a book about a young japanese girl abducted by north korea , bush said as the father of two girls he ca n't imagine what it would be like to have a daughter disappear . ' bush said north korea 's recent destruction of a water-cooling tower at its now-defunct nuclear facility and its declaration outlining its plutonium program are positive steps , but there are more to be taken . ' lifting sanctions would not weaken the pressure on north korea to be forthcoming on the abduction issue or in nuclear negotiations , the u.s. president said . bush said north korea remains the most sanctioned nation in the world and that delisting did not get rid of their sanctions . ' fukuda , who is chairing the g-8 meetings , said global warming would be high on the agenda but that he could not predict what might result from this week 's talks . fukuda said he believes the united states has not lost its sense of direction ' on the issue . our views are gradually converging , ' he said . bush said the united states will be constructive ' in the global warming talks but if china and india do not share that same aspiration , we 're not going to solve the problem . ' bush said the united states and japan leads the world in research on clean technologies . he said japan 's advances in battery technology will some day mean that americans will use batteries in cars that look like cars , not golf carts . ' as world leaders began arriving for the summit , more than 1,000 people protested in northern japan against the event . demonstrators urged leaders to take urgent measures to stop global warming , grant indigenous people greater rights , combat world poverty and battle discrimination . watch police tangle with protesters » soaring oil and food prices and possible steps against zimbabwe were also likely to be high on the agenda at the summit . with fewer than 200 days left in his term , bush says he will press other g-8 leaders to follow through on their commitments from earlier summits , but has warned there is nothing he or anyone else can do in the short term about oil prices . bush 's main economic goal at the summit may be defensive , said david gergen , former adviser to presidents richard nixon , gerald ford , ronald reagan and bill clinton . what 's essential in this summit for george w. bush is to make sure the world economy does not spin downward , ' he said . bush has downplayed what he and other g-8 leaders can accomplish on the economic front . one thing we need to make clear when i 'm with our partners is that we 're not going to become protectionists , that we believe in free trade and open markets , ' bush said wednesday . a former administration official who served on the national security council under bush says the g-8 's purpose is not to come up with quick solutions . this is not a meeting of heads of state that leads to a treaty . it 's really kind of public opinion shaping and trying to get people to agree that issues are important , ' said michael green , now with the center for strategic and international studies . | g-8 leaders also expected to discuss global economy , zimbabwe |
g-8 <tsp> toyako , japan ( cnn ) -- president bush on sunday defended his decision to attend next month 's olympics opening ceremony in beijing , saying that to boycott would be an affront to the chinese people . ' president bush speaks with prime minister yasuo fukuda at a sunday news conference in toyako , japan . speaking to reporters ahead of this week 's summit of the group of eight industrialized nations in japan , bush said he did not need to skip the ceremony to show his position on religious freedom and human rights in china . he said if he failed to attend the games it would make it more difficult to be able to speak more frankly with the chinese leadership . ' bush said he would raise concerns when he meets chinese president hu jintao at the olympics , but he was also looking forward to cheering the u.s . athletes . ' he said it was good for them to see their president waving that flag . ' japan 's prime minister yasuo fukuda also said he would attend the opening ceremony despite concerns about human rights in china that prompted some other european leaders to boycott the event . bush and fukuda took questions from reporters at the picturesque lakeside resort of toyako on the northern island of hokkaido , where the g-8 summit will begin monday . watch bush , first lady arrive in japan » bush said he and fukuda discussed the united states'recent decision to lift some sanctions against north korea and remove the communist nation from the state department 's list of state sponsors of terror . bush assured japan that the issue of north korea 's past kidnappings of japanese citizens will not be ignored by the united states . he told fukuda that he was fully aware of the sensitivity of the issue in your country ' and that the united states will not abandon you on this issue . ' north korea has admitted to abducting 11 japanese citizens -- to teach its spies japanese language and culture -- but had insisted the abduction issue was resolved . holding a book about a young japanese girl abducted by north korea , bush said as the father of two girls he ca n't imagine what it would be like to have a daughter disappear . ' bush said north korea 's recent destruction of a water-cooling tower at its now-defunct nuclear facility and its declaration outlining its plutonium program are positive steps , but there are more to be taken . ' lifting sanctions would not weaken the pressure on north korea to be forthcoming on the abduction issue or in nuclear negotiations , the u.s. president said . bush said north korea remains the most sanctioned nation in the world and that delisting did not get rid of their sanctions . ' fukuda , who is chairing the g-8 meetings , said global warming would be high on the agenda but that he could not predict what might result from this week 's talks . fukuda said he believes the united states has not lost its sense of direction ' on the issue . our views are gradually converging , ' he said . bush said the united states will be constructive ' in the global warming talks but if china and india do not share that same aspiration , we 're not going to solve the problem . ' bush said the united states and japan leads the world in research on clean technologies . he said japan 's advances in battery technology will some day mean that americans will use batteries in cars that look like cars , not golf carts . ' as world leaders began arriving for the summit , more than 1,000 people protested in northern japan against the event . demonstrators urged leaders to take urgent measures to stop global warming , grant indigenous people greater rights , combat world poverty and battle discrimination . watch police tangle with protesters » soaring oil and food prices and possible steps against zimbabwe were also likely to be high on the agenda at the summit . with fewer than 200 days left in his term , bush says he will press other g-8 leaders to follow through on their commitments from earlier summits , but has warned there is nothing he or anyone else can do in the short term about oil prices . bush 's main economic goal at the summit may be defensive , said david gergen , former adviser to presidents richard nixon , gerald ford , ronald reagan and bill clinton . what 's essential in this summit for george w. bush is to make sure the world economy does not spin downward , ' he said . bush has downplayed what he and other g-8 leaders can accomplish on the economic front . one thing we need to make clear when i 'm with our partners is that we 're not going to become protectionists , that we believe in free trade and open markets , ' bush said wednesday . a former administration official who served on the national security council under bush says the g-8 's purpose is not to come up with quick solutions . this is not a meeting of heads of state that leads to a treaty . it 's really kind of public opinion shaping and trying to get people to agree that issues are important , ' said michael green , now with the center for strategic and international studies . | bush spoke as g-8 leaders arrived in japan ahead of summit starting monday |
kaka <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- if manchester united and liverpool fans are expecting the arrival of superstar players ahead of the new season then they had better think again , as the cost of refinancing debt could significantly curb the club 's spending power according to industry experts . liverpool co-owners george gillett and tom hicks took over the club in february 2007 financial prudence will be the watchword for the majority of the english premier league in the transfer market as clubs look to consolidate their financial position in a move that could see a shift of power in europe to spain 's la liga . united have received $ 130 million for the sale of cristiano ronaldo to real madrid , but the glazer family owners will not sanction anywhere near that amount for new players according to professor rogan taylor at the university of liverpool 's football industry group . the americans'takeover of the red devils placed the club in $ 1,100m of debt , according to the holding companies'accounts of 2009 ; a situation that requires careful management . the refinancing at manchester united is structured in a very complex way but ultimately the economic difficulties now mean that there will be a reduction in alex ferguson 's transfer budget , ' he told cnn . although some of the funds from the ronaldo transfer will go back into the club 's coffers there will be a tightening of the purse strings which will seriously impact on united 's capacity to go after the top players . certainly , ferguson would have wanted a top-class replacement for ronaldo but with the need to keep the debt in order and -- being unable to compete with real madrid and manchester city -- the funds available and the pool of players from which they can sign is a lot smaller . ' liverpool 's situation is even more acute as american co-owners george gillett and tom hicks , through their company kop holdings , struggle to secure the finances to fund the club 's proposed new stadium . a deal to refinance their $ 570m royal bank of scotland loan appears to have been secured , but the long-term sustainability of the idea used to purchase liverpool is serious under question . will liverpool and manchester united splash the cash in the transfer market despite the financial problems ? who would you like to see them sign ? let us know your comments in the'sound off'box below . professor taylor added : the whole model on which hicks and gillett bought liverpool is flawed and rafael benitez may have to sell javier mascherano or xabi alonso before he can go out and spend during the close season . even then there is no certainty he will get the whole amount from the sale of either of those players back in the transfer kitty so it promises to be a difficult period for liverpool as obviously expectation has been raised following last season 's second-place finish . the need to refinance the debt remains key to the american owners remaining in control of the club so that will be their priority -- at the expense of matters on the pitch . ' jon keen deputy chairman of the football supporters federation , and an expert in the field of club governance and ownership , admitted the situation at both clubs will stir up further resentment among fans towards their owners . the current refinancing situation in the top-flight is like a financial house cards which could come crashing down at any time , ' he told cnn . we have already seen a situation unravel with the banking system which has angered a lot of people and something similar could well happen with football in the near future . ultimately fans want to see money raised from sales of players either put back into the transfer pot or levied against their own costs of attending matches , not simply servicing huge amounts of debt as is the case with manchester united and liverpool at the moment . there needs to be a reality check about the way these clubs are operating . certainly , i think the current economic climate will drastically reduce the spending power of clubs in the premier league with the exception perhaps of manchester city . ' of course , this contrasts with spain 's real madrid who have recently splashed almost $ 300m on ronaldo , kaka and karim benzema -- and are not finished yet if president florentino perez is to be believed . the construction magnate and his powerful board are able to wield influence with banks and allow real to secure credit on favorable terms which , combined with a lucrative domestic television rights deal , puts them in a stronger financial position . ultimately this appears to have precipitated a shift away from the english premier league to la liga for the world 's best players as spain becomes the preferred destination of choice . whether real can convert this into a challenge to the recent english domination of the uefa champions league on the pitch remains to be seen . | real madrid have spent $ 300 million on ronaldo , kaka and benezma |
second city <tsp> ( cnn ) -- colin ferguson and the syfy channel have built a loyal following for the show eureka , ' now in its fourth season . the series'titular , top-secret town is filled with uber-geniuses and one wily sheriff , which turns out to be a great mix for science fiction . ferguson is in atlanta , georgia , to promote eureka ' at dragon * con , and stopped by cnn studios to answer a few of our fan-centric questions . cnn : sheriff carter ( your character on eureka ' ) is a very ingenious guy in a town populated by geniuses . what does carter have that allows him to be able to figure out solutions that the others might not think of ? colin ferguson : i think they do n't see the forest for the trees and he 's not compromised by not being able to see the forest , so he just sees trees . cnn : living in eureka ? ferguson : yes , absolutely , well being in cnn right now , i 'm jonesing to live at the epicenter of something . cnn : do you think companies like global dynamics really exist ? ferguson : yes -- a friend of mine wrote a book about one . cnn : why does sheriff carter 's car always get destroyed and why does n't he have a cool subaru like deputy lupo and fargo ? ferguson : tell me about it . they discovered first season that they like hurting me , so whether it 's a set of stairs i have to fall down or driving into a post , anything that has to do with me has to be destroyed . the subaru ad placement people are on set and we were doing this big stunt and they dropped the tree at the wrong time and the tree slammed the subaru , and the ad people said , that was n't supposed to happen , was it ? ' cnn : how do you feel about the rivalry between yourself and dr. grant for the affections of allison ? ferguson : i was concerned that it was gon na be a really forced triangle , but they managed to make it an adult exchange where we could put it on the table and discuss it and i like it . cnn : you 've also done some directing and camera work . which do you prefer ? ferguson : being the lead of the show is more difficult , it 's harder on my body , it 's more strenuous , it 's harder on my mind but it 's rewarding in a day to day manner , but what i love about being the director is you get to protect the story for longer , so you can take all these talents you know , all the people you work with and you get to make sure they get to do all they can do . i love them both . directing is -- it 's easier to act in something that you have questions about than it is to direct something . directing is so much work for such a long period of time . cnn : we took a look at your imdb.com page . canada has a duck , duck , goose ' competition and you 're the reigning champion ? ferguson : that 's a lie that somebody put on the imdb website . cnn : you are a founding member of detroit , michigan 's second city improv comedy club . do you still get the chance to do improv or does the show and movies take up your time now ? ferguson : i improvise on a regular basis on the show , so i get to do it in that format . as for stage stuff , i 'm rusty compared to what i used to be , so i do n't do it all that often , although second city celebrated its 50th anniversary in december and i went back for that . | colin ferguson is a founder of detroit 's second city and improvs regularly on eureka ' |
eureka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- colin ferguson and the syfy channel have built a loyal following for the show eureka , ' now in its fourth season . the series'titular , top-secret town is filled with uber-geniuses and one wily sheriff , which turns out to be a great mix for science fiction . ferguson is in atlanta , georgia , to promote eureka ' at dragon * con , and stopped by cnn studios to answer a few of our fan-centric questions . cnn : sheriff carter ( your character on eureka ' ) is a very ingenious guy in a town populated by geniuses . what does carter have that allows him to be able to figure out solutions that the others might not think of ? colin ferguson : i think they do n't see the forest for the trees and he 's not compromised by not being able to see the forest , so he just sees trees . cnn : living in eureka ? ferguson : yes , absolutely , well being in cnn right now , i 'm jonesing to live at the epicenter of something . cnn : do you think companies like global dynamics really exist ? ferguson : yes -- a friend of mine wrote a book about one . cnn : why does sheriff carter 's car always get destroyed and why does n't he have a cool subaru like deputy lupo and fargo ? ferguson : tell me about it . they discovered first season that they like hurting me , so whether it 's a set of stairs i have to fall down or driving into a post , anything that has to do with me has to be destroyed . the subaru ad placement people are on set and we were doing this big stunt and they dropped the tree at the wrong time and the tree slammed the subaru , and the ad people said , that was n't supposed to happen , was it ? ' cnn : how do you feel about the rivalry between yourself and dr. grant for the affections of allison ? ferguson : i was concerned that it was gon na be a really forced triangle , but they managed to make it an adult exchange where we could put it on the table and discuss it and i like it . cnn : you 've also done some directing and camera work . which do you prefer ? ferguson : being the lead of the show is more difficult , it 's harder on my body , it 's more strenuous , it 's harder on my mind but it 's rewarding in a day to day manner , but what i love about being the director is you get to protect the story for longer , so you can take all these talents you know , all the people you work with and you get to make sure they get to do all they can do . i love them both . directing is -- it 's easier to act in something that you have questions about than it is to direct something . directing is so much work for such a long period of time . cnn : we took a look at your imdb.com page . canada has a duck , duck , goose ' competition and you 're the reigning champion ? ferguson : that 's a lie that somebody put on the imdb website . cnn : you are a founding member of detroit , michigan 's second city improv comedy club . do you still get the chance to do improv or does the show and movies take up your time now ? ferguson : i improvise on a regular basis on the show , so i get to do it in that format . as for stage stuff , i 'm rusty compared to what i used to be , so i do n't do it all that often , although second city celebrated its 50th anniversary in december and i went back for that . | colin ferguson is a founder of detroit 's second city and improvs regularly on eureka ' |
eureka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- colin ferguson and the syfy channel have built a loyal following for the show eureka , ' now in its fourth season . the series'titular , top-secret town is filled with uber-geniuses and one wily sheriff , which turns out to be a great mix for science fiction . ferguson is in atlanta , georgia , to promote eureka ' at dragon * con , and stopped by cnn studios to answer a few of our fan-centric questions . cnn : sheriff carter ( your character on eureka ' ) is a very ingenious guy in a town populated by geniuses . what does carter have that allows him to be able to figure out solutions that the others might not think of ? colin ferguson : i think they do n't see the forest for the trees and he 's not compromised by not being able to see the forest , so he just sees trees . cnn : living in eureka ? ferguson : yes , absolutely , well being in cnn right now , i 'm jonesing to live at the epicenter of something . cnn : do you think companies like global dynamics really exist ? ferguson : yes -- a friend of mine wrote a book about one . cnn : why does sheriff carter 's car always get destroyed and why does n't he have a cool subaru like deputy lupo and fargo ? ferguson : tell me about it . they discovered first season that they like hurting me , so whether it 's a set of stairs i have to fall down or driving into a post , anything that has to do with me has to be destroyed . the subaru ad placement people are on set and we were doing this big stunt and they dropped the tree at the wrong time and the tree slammed the subaru , and the ad people said , that was n't supposed to happen , was it ? ' cnn : how do you feel about the rivalry between yourself and dr. grant for the affections of allison ? ferguson : i was concerned that it was gon na be a really forced triangle , but they managed to make it an adult exchange where we could put it on the table and discuss it and i like it . cnn : you 've also done some directing and camera work . which do you prefer ? ferguson : being the lead of the show is more difficult , it 's harder on my body , it 's more strenuous , it 's harder on my mind but it 's rewarding in a day to day manner , but what i love about being the director is you get to protect the story for longer , so you can take all these talents you know , all the people you work with and you get to make sure they get to do all they can do . i love them both . directing is -- it 's easier to act in something that you have questions about than it is to direct something . directing is so much work for such a long period of time . cnn : we took a look at your imdb.com page . canada has a duck , duck , goose ' competition and you 're the reigning champion ? ferguson : that 's a lie that somebody put on the imdb website . cnn : you are a founding member of detroit , michigan 's second city improv comedy club . do you still get the chance to do improv or does the show and movies take up your time now ? ferguson : i improvise on a regular basis on the show , so i get to do it in that format . as for stage stuff , i 'm rusty compared to what i used to be , so i do n't do it all that often , although second city celebrated its 50th anniversary in december and i went back for that . | subarus do n't always have the best luck on the set of eureka ' |
portland <tsp> ( cnn ) -- river waters spread over highways and farms , towns and parks in washington on thursday , shutting down traffic on a 20-mile stretch of heavily traveled interstate 5 between seattle and oregon and threatening the federal roadway north of seattle . rescue boats are sent out wednesday in pierce county , south of seattle , washington . if you 're trying to do commerce between portland ( oregon ) and seattle , there is no way right now , ' said bob calkins , a spokesman for the washington state emergency operations center in camp murray , near tacoma . that 's the major way into washington state from oregon . ' flooding south of seattle near chehalis covered parts of i-5 with 30 inches of water , prompting its closure until at least monday , state transportation officials said . and state and local roads were also victims of the water . the problem is , the one real good detour is just as flooded , ' calkins said . north of seattle , a levee failure in arlington brought the stillaguamish river up to the edges of i-5 , which remained open although some access ramps were closed , transportation officials said . the rain also caused amtrak to suspend service between seattle and portland until saturday , with no alternative transportation , ' the rail line said thursday on its web site . ireport.com : are you there ? share pics , video across the state , a number of rivers had crested , but flooded roads remained hazardous . the risk of landslides was high , leading to the closure of all passes across the cascades , officials said . a meteorologist for the national weather service in seattle said 15 inches of rain that began monday had ended . the rainfall swept across virtually all of the state , but its biggest effects occurred along the western half of puget sound , calkins said . the swollen puyallup river threatened the city by the same name , but loretta cutter , sprang into action . watch how washington copes with wicked weather » the administrator of a group home and a longtime resident there helped evacuate 47 residents from the valley community inn , a home for the mentally challenged and developmentally disabled , to a shelter at a nearby church . and she made sure her husband and a grandson left their one-story rambler house and got safely situated . it 's a situation you do n't realize you are going to be in ; it 's always someone else , ' she said from the shelter at the sunrise baptist church in puyallup , a few miles east of tacoma . it was pretty traumatizing to all of us . ' cutter is one of 40,000 western washington state residents in at least 19 communities whom authorities asked to leave their homes thursday amid heavy flooding along the region 's rivers and streams . only 260 of them sought shelter wednesday night at the 39 shelters for people , calkins said . in addition , seven livestock shelters and two pet shelters were set up , he said . meanwhile , the torrential downpours of the past few days transformed thursday into drizzle , common in western washington , which typically gets less rainfall in any given year than does miami . it just drizzles every day , or so it seems , whereas in miami , when it rains , it 's a bellywasher , ' calkins said . this week 's flooding was worsened by a warm spell that melted up to 7 feet of snow that had fallen around puget sound , he said . health authorities have issued occasional boil-water orders , but that 's not what worries calkins . the larger issue is , as people go to their homes , they may be walking through floodwater that is contaminated by sewage , ' he said . | amtrak suspends service between seattle and portland until saturday |
seattle <tsp> ( cnn ) -- river waters spread over highways and farms , towns and parks in washington on thursday , shutting down traffic on a 20-mile stretch of heavily traveled interstate 5 between seattle and oregon and threatening the federal roadway north of seattle . rescue boats are sent out wednesday in pierce county , south of seattle , washington . if you 're trying to do commerce between portland ( oregon ) and seattle , there is no way right now , ' said bob calkins , a spokesman for the washington state emergency operations center in camp murray , near tacoma . that 's the major way into washington state from oregon . ' flooding south of seattle near chehalis covered parts of i-5 with 30 inches of water , prompting its closure until at least monday , state transportation officials said . and state and local roads were also victims of the water . the problem is , the one real good detour is just as flooded , ' calkins said . north of seattle , a levee failure in arlington brought the stillaguamish river up to the edges of i-5 , which remained open although some access ramps were closed , transportation officials said . the rain also caused amtrak to suspend service between seattle and portland until saturday , with no alternative transportation , ' the rail line said thursday on its web site . ireport.com : are you there ? share pics , video across the state , a number of rivers had crested , but flooded roads remained hazardous . the risk of landslides was high , leading to the closure of all passes across the cascades , officials said . a meteorologist for the national weather service in seattle said 15 inches of rain that began monday had ended . the rainfall swept across virtually all of the state , but its biggest effects occurred along the western half of puget sound , calkins said . the swollen puyallup river threatened the city by the same name , but loretta cutter , sprang into action . watch how washington copes with wicked weather » the administrator of a group home and a longtime resident there helped evacuate 47 residents from the valley community inn , a home for the mentally challenged and developmentally disabled , to a shelter at a nearby church . and she made sure her husband and a grandson left their one-story rambler house and got safely situated . it 's a situation you do n't realize you are going to be in ; it 's always someone else , ' she said from the shelter at the sunrise baptist church in puyallup , a few miles east of tacoma . it was pretty traumatizing to all of us . ' cutter is one of 40,000 western washington state residents in at least 19 communities whom authorities asked to leave their homes thursday amid heavy flooding along the region 's rivers and streams . only 260 of them sought shelter wednesday night at the 39 shelters for people , calkins said . in addition , seven livestock shelters and two pet shelters were set up , he said . meanwhile , the torrential downpours of the past few days transformed thursday into drizzle , common in western washington , which typically gets less rainfall in any given year than does miami . it just drizzles every day , or so it seems , whereas in miami , when it rains , it 's a bellywasher , ' calkins said . this week 's flooding was worsened by a warm spell that melted up to 7 feet of snow that had fallen around puget sound , he said . health authorities have issued occasional boil-water orders , but that 's not what worries calkins . the larger issue is , as people go to their homes , they may be walking through floodwater that is contaminated by sewage , ' he said . | amtrak suspends service between seattle and portland until saturday |
seattle <tsp> ( cnn ) -- river waters spread over highways and farms , towns and parks in washington on thursday , shutting down traffic on a 20-mile stretch of heavily traveled interstate 5 between seattle and oregon and threatening the federal roadway north of seattle . rescue boats are sent out wednesday in pierce county , south of seattle , washington . if you 're trying to do commerce between portland ( oregon ) and seattle , there is no way right now , ' said bob calkins , a spokesman for the washington state emergency operations center in camp murray , near tacoma . that 's the major way into washington state from oregon . ' flooding south of seattle near chehalis covered parts of i-5 with 30 inches of water , prompting its closure until at least monday , state transportation officials said . and state and local roads were also victims of the water . the problem is , the one real good detour is just as flooded , ' calkins said . north of seattle , a levee failure in arlington brought the stillaguamish river up to the edges of i-5 , which remained open although some access ramps were closed , transportation officials said . the rain also caused amtrak to suspend service between seattle and portland until saturday , with no alternative transportation , ' the rail line said thursday on its web site . ireport.com : are you there ? share pics , video across the state , a number of rivers had crested , but flooded roads remained hazardous . the risk of landslides was high , leading to the closure of all passes across the cascades , officials said . a meteorologist for the national weather service in seattle said 15 inches of rain that began monday had ended . the rainfall swept across virtually all of the state , but its biggest effects occurred along the western half of puget sound , calkins said . the swollen puyallup river threatened the city by the same name , but loretta cutter , sprang into action . watch how washington copes with wicked weather » the administrator of a group home and a longtime resident there helped evacuate 47 residents from the valley community inn , a home for the mentally challenged and developmentally disabled , to a shelter at a nearby church . and she made sure her husband and a grandson left their one-story rambler house and got safely situated . it 's a situation you do n't realize you are going to be in ; it 's always someone else , ' she said from the shelter at the sunrise baptist church in puyallup , a few miles east of tacoma . it was pretty traumatizing to all of us . ' cutter is one of 40,000 western washington state residents in at least 19 communities whom authorities asked to leave their homes thursday amid heavy flooding along the region 's rivers and streams . only 260 of them sought shelter wednesday night at the 39 shelters for people , calkins said . in addition , seven livestock shelters and two pet shelters were set up , he said . meanwhile , the torrential downpours of the past few days transformed thursday into drizzle , common in western washington , which typically gets less rainfall in any given year than does miami . it just drizzles every day , or so it seems , whereas in miami , when it rains , it 's a bellywasher , ' calkins said . this week 's flooding was worsened by a warm spell that melted up to 7 feet of snow that had fallen around puget sound , he said . health authorities have issued occasional boil-water orders , but that 's not what worries calkins . the larger issue is , as people go to their homes , they may be walking through floodwater that is contaminated by sewage , ' he said . | new : a 20-mile stretch of interstate 5 between seattle area and oregon closed |
amtrak <tsp> ( cnn ) -- river waters spread over highways and farms , towns and parks in washington on thursday , shutting down traffic on a 20-mile stretch of heavily traveled interstate 5 between seattle and oregon and threatening the federal roadway north of seattle . rescue boats are sent out wednesday in pierce county , south of seattle , washington . if you 're trying to do commerce between portland ( oregon ) and seattle , there is no way right now , ' said bob calkins , a spokesman for the washington state emergency operations center in camp murray , near tacoma . that 's the major way into washington state from oregon . ' flooding south of seattle near chehalis covered parts of i-5 with 30 inches of water , prompting its closure until at least monday , state transportation officials said . and state and local roads were also victims of the water . the problem is , the one real good detour is just as flooded , ' calkins said . north of seattle , a levee failure in arlington brought the stillaguamish river up to the edges of i-5 , which remained open although some access ramps were closed , transportation officials said . the rain also caused amtrak to suspend service between seattle and portland until saturday , with no alternative transportation , ' the rail line said thursday on its web site . ireport.com : are you there ? share pics , video across the state , a number of rivers had crested , but flooded roads remained hazardous . the risk of landslides was high , leading to the closure of all passes across the cascades , officials said . a meteorologist for the national weather service in seattle said 15 inches of rain that began monday had ended . the rainfall swept across virtually all of the state , but its biggest effects occurred along the western half of puget sound , calkins said . the swollen puyallup river threatened the city by the same name , but loretta cutter , sprang into action . watch how washington copes with wicked weather » the administrator of a group home and a longtime resident there helped evacuate 47 residents from the valley community inn , a home for the mentally challenged and developmentally disabled , to a shelter at a nearby church . and she made sure her husband and a grandson left their one-story rambler house and got safely situated . it 's a situation you do n't realize you are going to be in ; it 's always someone else , ' she said from the shelter at the sunrise baptist church in puyallup , a few miles east of tacoma . it was pretty traumatizing to all of us . ' cutter is one of 40,000 western washington state residents in at least 19 communities whom authorities asked to leave their homes thursday amid heavy flooding along the region 's rivers and streams . only 260 of them sought shelter wednesday night at the 39 shelters for people , calkins said . in addition , seven livestock shelters and two pet shelters were set up , he said . meanwhile , the torrential downpours of the past few days transformed thursday into drizzle , common in western washington , which typically gets less rainfall in any given year than does miami . it just drizzles every day , or so it seems , whereas in miami , when it rains , it 's a bellywasher , ' calkins said . this week 's flooding was worsened by a warm spell that melted up to 7 feet of snow that had fallen around puget sound , he said . health authorities have issued occasional boil-water orders , but that 's not what worries calkins . the larger issue is , as people go to their homes , they may be walking through floodwater that is contaminated by sewage , ' he said . | amtrak suspends service between seattle and portland until saturday |
california <tsp> the similarities are plentiful . both congressmen are republican . both represent central california -- their districts share a border . both are recently elected to congress . both have outspoken positions on immigration reform . and that 's where the similarities end . republican v. republican rep. jeff denham , who represents california 's 10th congressional district , is actively lobbying his republican colleagues to get on board behind immigration legislation that includes a path to legalization . the entire system is broken , ' denham said in a recent interview with cnn . it 's a big issue for our nation . it is a big issue for california and for my home district . ' but denham 's views do n't cross district lines . his congressional neighbor and fellow republican , rep. tom mcclintock , could n't disagree more . while his 4th district is next to denham 's , a wide gap exists between the two on this issue . we have a path to citizenship and it 's a path that has been followed by millions of legal immigrants who have obeyed all of our laws , ' mcclintock said . it 's unfair to have 11 to 20 million illegal immigrants cut in line ahead of them . ' denham was the first republican to come out in favor of comprehensive legislation . he signed on to the democrats'proposal , which includes a path to legalization for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the country . it 's a controversial position within republican circles . in his first week back in washington after the holiday break , denham got right to work . he met with 20 republican members to hash out their differences on immigration . but mcclintock is working on his own immigration campaign . he vowed to speak out at every opportunity ' in opposition to a path to legalization . john king : obama at odds with himself on immigration boehner 's haul denham and mcclintock epitomize the challenge that lies before house speaker john boehner regarding immigration reform -- a divided party with divergent views on immigration . the establishment and moderate components of the party want to overhaul the immigration system because it 's broken and because it would help a party unpopular with the fastest-growing segment of the population . meanwhile , conservatives know what 's popular with the base -- and in their district . the principles boehner unveiled at last week 's republican retreat sought a middle ground -- a path to legalization but not citizenship , and only after those already in the country get in the back of the line and the federal government provides proof that work is continuing to secure the border . so close yet so far about 2½ million of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country are in california . so how did two vocal republicans , both from central california , emerge with such different positions ? their districts help tell the story . mcclintock represents a predominately republican district , which overwhelmingly voted for republican presidential candidate mitt romney in the 2012 election . his district is 78 % white and wealthy , with residents earning a median income of more than $ 61,000 per year . james lai , santa clara university associate professor of ethnic studies , describes mcclintock 's district as the white flight ' district , meaning that wealthier , older , white residents move to the sacramento suburbs or lake tahoe to retire or get away from congested urban areas . there are n't that many districts like that in california , ' lai said of the profile of mcclintock 's district , which allows him to have a conservative , anti-immigration position . denham 's district , which is adjacent to mcclintock 's , is so close in proximity yet so far in ideology . denham represents the nation 's salad bowl , ' an agriculture mecca that supplies much of the country 's produce . forty percent of the residents are latino and only 47 % voted for romney . mcclintock and denham reflect the complex topography of california , but at the same time , their positions are reflected in their constituents , ' lai said . re-election at stake while mcclintock coasted to victory , denham had a tough re-election bid 2012 and could have another tough race against a democrat in 2014 , a threat that could be compounded if republicans fail to act . denham 's constituents are very aware . many of them are agriculture workers , and they and their families are directly impacted by any action -- or inaction -- on immigration . i 've seen it in my own home district where families have been torn apart , ' denham said , describing the current maze of immigration laws and enforcement . once fearing deportation , immigrant among first lady 's guests republican party leaders are acutely aware , acknowledging that the party must address the issue to prevent becoming irrelevant as latinos and asians grow to a larger percentage of the electorate . but in a deeply divided congress , with more than 200 safe republicans , immigration is hardly worth upsetting the base . mcclintock says his view is in line with his constituents'. i can tell you the sentiment in my district is very strongly for the rule of law and assuring that those who come to our country come with the intention of becoming americans , ' he said . a difficult race for mcclintock is much more likely from a primary challenger than from a democrat . rosemary jenks , executive director of numbers usa , a group that favors a reduction of immigration , said mcclintock is more in line with republican voters'views . i think the majority of republicans understand that their constituents do not want this and ca n't afford this , ' she added . special interest support jenks said republican leaders are being pushed by business groups who want institutionalized cheap labor . the california chamber of commerce has been active , pushing republicans to get on board with immigration reform . like the national chamber of commerce , the california outpost has sent letters to the california delegation , held news conferences and lobbied congress . this is so important to california 's economy . this is more important here than anywhere else , ' calchamber president and ceo allan zaremberg said in july . ( california 's representatives ) ca n't let somebody else , who does n't have a stake in this , determine the outcome . ' but giving mcclintock cover , however , is the local chapter of the chamber . michael ayala , ceo of the tuolomne county chamber , located in california 's 4th district , says immigration is n't a priority for county residents . if the federal government would enforce existing law , we would n't have the problems we currently have , ' ayala said , a position that mcclintock echoes . work in washington while denham might be a minority in his caucus , that minority might have the momentum . states take the lead in immigration game house majority leader eric cantor has been advocating his kids act proposal to address the status of children of parents who came to the country illegally . and boehner unveiled republican principles last week , an indication that he is testing the waters on possibly moving an immigration bill this year . denham called discussions at the republican retreat productive and said he 's pleased that boehner floated a starting point . he 's trying to convince mcclintock and like-minded republicans that the united states has de facto amnesty ' and that the republican party should fix the system . ' mcclintock does n't seem likely to buy it . the republican party has always stood for the rule of law and it has welcomed legal immigrants to the country with the desire to come and be americans and i believe we should continue to do so , ' he said . the tale of two republicans will have an ending . it 's just unclear what it will be . | two neighboring california republicans represent the gop 's challenge on immigration |
california <tsp> the similarities are plentiful . both congressmen are republican . both represent central california -- their districts share a border . both are recently elected to congress . both have outspoken positions on immigration reform . and that 's where the similarities end . republican v. republican rep. jeff denham , who represents california 's 10th congressional district , is actively lobbying his republican colleagues to get on board behind immigration legislation that includes a path to legalization . the entire system is broken , ' denham said in a recent interview with cnn . it 's a big issue for our nation . it is a big issue for california and for my home district . ' but denham 's views do n't cross district lines . his congressional neighbor and fellow republican , rep. tom mcclintock , could n't disagree more . while his 4th district is next to denham 's , a wide gap exists between the two on this issue . we have a path to citizenship and it 's a path that has been followed by millions of legal immigrants who have obeyed all of our laws , ' mcclintock said . it 's unfair to have 11 to 20 million illegal immigrants cut in line ahead of them . ' denham was the first republican to come out in favor of comprehensive legislation . he signed on to the democrats'proposal , which includes a path to legalization for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the country . it 's a controversial position within republican circles . in his first week back in washington after the holiday break , denham got right to work . he met with 20 republican members to hash out their differences on immigration . but mcclintock is working on his own immigration campaign . he vowed to speak out at every opportunity ' in opposition to a path to legalization . john king : obama at odds with himself on immigration boehner 's haul denham and mcclintock epitomize the challenge that lies before house speaker john boehner regarding immigration reform -- a divided party with divergent views on immigration . the establishment and moderate components of the party want to overhaul the immigration system because it 's broken and because it would help a party unpopular with the fastest-growing segment of the population . meanwhile , conservatives know what 's popular with the base -- and in their district . the principles boehner unveiled at last week 's republican retreat sought a middle ground -- a path to legalization but not citizenship , and only after those already in the country get in the back of the line and the federal government provides proof that work is continuing to secure the border . so close yet so far about 2½ million of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country are in california . so how did two vocal republicans , both from central california , emerge with such different positions ? their districts help tell the story . mcclintock represents a predominately republican district , which overwhelmingly voted for republican presidential candidate mitt romney in the 2012 election . his district is 78 % white and wealthy , with residents earning a median income of more than $ 61,000 per year . james lai , santa clara university associate professor of ethnic studies , describes mcclintock 's district as the white flight ' district , meaning that wealthier , older , white residents move to the sacramento suburbs or lake tahoe to retire or get away from congested urban areas . there are n't that many districts like that in california , ' lai said of the profile of mcclintock 's district , which allows him to have a conservative , anti-immigration position . denham 's district , which is adjacent to mcclintock 's , is so close in proximity yet so far in ideology . denham represents the nation 's salad bowl , ' an agriculture mecca that supplies much of the country 's produce . forty percent of the residents are latino and only 47 % voted for romney . mcclintock and denham reflect the complex topography of california , but at the same time , their positions are reflected in their constituents , ' lai said . re-election at stake while mcclintock coasted to victory , denham had a tough re-election bid 2012 and could have another tough race against a democrat in 2014 , a threat that could be compounded if republicans fail to act . denham 's constituents are very aware . many of them are agriculture workers , and they and their families are directly impacted by any action -- or inaction -- on immigration . i 've seen it in my own home district where families have been torn apart , ' denham said , describing the current maze of immigration laws and enforcement . once fearing deportation , immigrant among first lady 's guests republican party leaders are acutely aware , acknowledging that the party must address the issue to prevent becoming irrelevant as latinos and asians grow to a larger percentage of the electorate . but in a deeply divided congress , with more than 200 safe republicans , immigration is hardly worth upsetting the base . mcclintock says his view is in line with his constituents'. i can tell you the sentiment in my district is very strongly for the rule of law and assuring that those who come to our country come with the intention of becoming americans , ' he said . a difficult race for mcclintock is much more likely from a primary challenger than from a democrat . rosemary jenks , executive director of numbers usa , a group that favors a reduction of immigration , said mcclintock is more in line with republican voters'views . i think the majority of republicans understand that their constituents do not want this and ca n't afford this , ' she added . special interest support jenks said republican leaders are being pushed by business groups who want institutionalized cheap labor . the california chamber of commerce has been active , pushing republicans to get on board with immigration reform . like the national chamber of commerce , the california outpost has sent letters to the california delegation , held news conferences and lobbied congress . this is so important to california 's economy . this is more important here than anywhere else , ' calchamber president and ceo allan zaremberg said in july . ( california 's representatives ) ca n't let somebody else , who does n't have a stake in this , determine the outcome . ' but giving mcclintock cover , however , is the local chapter of the chamber . michael ayala , ceo of the tuolomne county chamber , located in california 's 4th district , says immigration is n't a priority for county residents . if the federal government would enforce existing law , we would n't have the problems we currently have , ' ayala said , a position that mcclintock echoes . work in washington while denham might be a minority in his caucus , that minority might have the momentum . states take the lead in immigration game house majority leader eric cantor has been advocating his kids act proposal to address the status of children of parents who came to the country illegally . and boehner unveiled republican principles last week , an indication that he is testing the waters on possibly moving an immigration bill this year . denham called discussions at the republican retreat productive and said he 's pleased that boehner floated a starting point . he 's trying to convince mcclintock and like-minded republicans that the united states has de facto amnesty ' and that the republican party should fix the system . ' mcclintock does n't seem likely to buy it . the republican party has always stood for the rule of law and it has welcomed legal immigrants to the country with the desire to come and be americans and i believe we should continue to do so , ' he said . the tale of two republicans will have an ending . it 's just unclear what it will be . | an estimated 2 ½ million of the 11 million undocumented immigrants live in california |
haye <tsp> ( cnn ) -- wladimir klitschko will take a hefty weight advantage into his world heavyweight title unification match against david haye in hamburg saturday . the ukrainian tipped the scales at 17st 4lb , while britain 's haye came in at 15st 2lbs , over two stones lighter . haye , a former cruiserweight champion , will be putting his wba title on the line while klitschko defends the ibf and wbo versions of the world crown . the 30-year-old haye will be two pounds heavier than for his last fight against fellow briton audley harrison , while klitschko is five pounds lighter than for his previous bout against samuel peter . haye was supported by a large british contingent who have gathered in the geman port city for the fight in the imtech arena used by bundesliga side sv hamburg . despite a 25-1 record , haye is rated an underdog against the giant klitschko , whose brother vitali holds the wbc version of the title . but he was in typically bullish mood as he addressed reporters after the weigh-in . i 'm so proud to be involved in it and for the guy that knocks the other unconscious it is going to be a great feeling , to be the main man , at the pinnacle of the heavyweight division . i believe being the unified heavyweight champion is the pinnacle of the sport and i 'm looking forward to going in there and claiming my rightly-deserved titles , ' he said . klitschko , who has a record of 55 wins , 49 knockouts and three knockout defeats , said it was time for the talking to end . ' he will take height , reach and weight advantage into the eagerly-awaited fight which will be watched by over 50,000 in the football stadium with big television audiences in britain and germany , where both the klitschko brothers have a devoted following . | klitschko weighs in more than two sets heavier than haye |
haye <tsp> ( cnn ) -- wladimir klitschko will take a hefty weight advantage into his world heavyweight title unification match against david haye in hamburg saturday . the ukrainian tipped the scales at 17st 4lb , while britain 's haye came in at 15st 2lbs , over two stones lighter . haye , a former cruiserweight champion , will be putting his wba title on the line while klitschko defends the ibf and wbo versions of the world crown . the 30-year-old haye will be two pounds heavier than for his last fight against fellow briton audley harrison , while klitschko is five pounds lighter than for his previous bout against samuel peter . haye was supported by a large british contingent who have gathered in the geman port city for the fight in the imtech arena used by bundesliga side sv hamburg . despite a 25-1 record , haye is rated an underdog against the giant klitschko , whose brother vitali holds the wbc version of the title . but he was in typically bullish mood as he addressed reporters after the weigh-in . i 'm so proud to be involved in it and for the guy that knocks the other unconscious it is going to be a great feeling , to be the main man , at the pinnacle of the heavyweight division . i believe being the unified heavyweight champion is the pinnacle of the sport and i 'm looking forward to going in there and claiming my rightly-deserved titles , ' he said . klitschko , who has a record of 55 wins , 49 knockouts and three knockout defeats , said it was time for the talking to end . ' he will take height , reach and weight advantage into the eagerly-awaited fight which will be watched by over 50,000 in the football stadium with big television audiences in britain and germany , where both the klitschko brothers have a devoted following . | wladimir klitschko takes big weight advantage into title match against david haye |
haye <tsp> ( cnn ) -- wladimir klitschko will take a hefty weight advantage into his world heavyweight title unification match against david haye in hamburg saturday . the ukrainian tipped the scales at 17st 4lb , while britain 's haye came in at 15st 2lbs , over two stones lighter . haye , a former cruiserweight champion , will be putting his wba title on the line while klitschko defends the ibf and wbo versions of the world crown . the 30-year-old haye will be two pounds heavier than for his last fight against fellow briton audley harrison , while klitschko is five pounds lighter than for his previous bout against samuel peter . haye was supported by a large british contingent who have gathered in the geman port city for the fight in the imtech arena used by bundesliga side sv hamburg . despite a 25-1 record , haye is rated an underdog against the giant klitschko , whose brother vitali holds the wbc version of the title . but he was in typically bullish mood as he addressed reporters after the weigh-in . i 'm so proud to be involved in it and for the guy that knocks the other unconscious it is going to be a great feeling , to be the main man , at the pinnacle of the heavyweight division . i believe being the unified heavyweight champion is the pinnacle of the sport and i 'm looking forward to going in there and claiming my rightly-deserved titles , ' he said . klitschko , who has a record of 55 wins , 49 knockouts and three knockout defeats , said it was time for the talking to end . ' he will take height , reach and weight advantage into the eagerly-awaited fight which will be watched by over 50,000 in the football stadium with big television audiences in britain and germany , where both the klitschko brothers have a devoted following . | klitschko defends ibf and wbo crowns while haye has wba heavyweight title |
europe <tsp> ( travel + leisure ) -- the web is an essential tool for travelers , but as booking engines and trip forums evolve and multiply , you have to know where to look -- and whom to trust . to help you , travel + leisure has assembled the ultimate online guide . getting there booking flights ( overall ) sidestep.com comparing top aggregators sidestep and kayak , we found that eight-year-old sidestep 's flight tool has a slight edge : a handy matrix at the top of the results page gives an overview of the lowest prices pulled from 600 airlines across 200 sites . and refining the search by departure time or airport is a breeze . researching low-fare carriers in europe flycheapo.com do n't get stuck on the name . this is a great resource for learning about 45 low-fare carriers in europe . select your two endpoints ( say rome and oslo ) and learn who can get you from one to the other on a direct flight ( denmark 's sterling air ) . caveat : flycheapo only shows you who flies where ; for prices and schedules , you 'll have to visit the airlines'own sites . locating the best international airfares farecompare.com decide how much you want to spend and when you want to travel , and getaway maps will overlay the lowest fares pulled from more than 500 airlines ( most of the major u.s. carriers , as well as many international ones ) for a select range of cities . knowing when to book a flight farecast.com buy now or wait for a better price ? farecast uses historic pricing data to help you make an educated decision about whether or not a fare is likely to fluctuate in the coming week . a supplementary service called fareguard ( $ 10 ) covers the difference if they tell you to wait for a price to go down and it rises instead . caveat : farecast covers only 78 cities , all of them in the united states . getting ideas booking hotels ( overall ) kayak.com this two-year-old aggregator scours 159,000 hotels worldwide , and about 10 percent of the places that it turns up have been suggested by real people , so the picks are well-rounded . ( hotels.com only lists 70,000 properties . ) new features allow you to sort the listings by location ( using google maps ) and view photographs . finding late-breaking deals on luxury hotels lastminutetravel.com search hotels by ratings in your city of choice , and the site turns up an impressive mix of reduced rates on rooms at luxury properties . our recent results : 23 percent off a room at the biltmore , in coral gables , and 15 percent off at the goring , in london . caveat : the best deals take digging . previewing menus in the u.s. menupages.com with approximately 25,000 restaurants across eight cities , menupages makes it easy to plan meals by type of food , neighborhood , price or random craving ( bialys in philly ? ) . caveat : menus may be a bit stale ; 3,000 to 5,000 are updated per month . and , unlike at opentable , you ca n't book tables online . nabbing the perfect seat seatguru.com preview seat maps including where to find the power outlets as well as that extra inch of legroom for 73 models of aircraft on 39 different airlines . like most airlines these days , the site is no-frills , but you 'll never get stuck next to the bathroom again . dishing with global foodies chowhound.com an obsessive community of feisty people around the world share secret finds . the site features interviews with experts , videos of local culinary customs ( watch how to tie pancetta ) , and blogs such as the newly launched tasting notes . customizing an itinerary homeandabroad.com plan a trip to one of more than 90 destinations from start to finish . along with all the basics ( hotel , restaurant , and entertainment ideas ) , get tips on what to read before you go . caveat : they tend to overpack an average day with suggestions . planning a cruise cruisecritic.com research almost anything about 60 different cruise lines and gather advice on everything ship-related -- from buying travel insurance to using onboard slot machines . caveat : not a booking site , so prices usually are n't listed . getting around mapping routes on u.s. public transportation hopstop.com decide on your transport of choice , as well as how far you 're willing to walk , and get point-to-point directions for five cities . bonus features : you can see what the trip would cost by taxi and look at panoramic shots of what to expect when you emerge from underground . plus , there 's a new small-screen version for phones and pda 's . caveat : there are no actual subway maps . driving directions in europe viamichelin.com scan information on 4.4 million miles of road across 42 european countries . maps feature pop-ups with descriptions and pictures of the desired destinations ; directions include estimates about what you 'll spend on gas ; they even tip you off to speed traps . caveat : it requires an extra step to convert from kilometers . creating comprehensive maps worldwide maps.google.com simple , clearly designed maps and driving instructions are just the beginning . the standout stuff : live feeds of traffic conditions and street views of major u.s. cities ( only slightly creepy ) ; addresses , phone numbers and web sites for what you 're mapping . the basics converting currency xe.com 180 currencies from 250 places , updated every minute . the conversion application is easy to locate ( unlike that of close competitor oanda ) , and you can bookmark go-to conversions . caveat : animations and flashing ads create a bit of sensory overload . finding reliable weather forecasts weather.com a notch above accuweather and weather underground , 11-year-old weather does the best job of delivering the essentials clearly . get current conditions for 98,000 destinations worldwide , updated every 20 minutes . learning about health and safety abroad tripprep.com a comprehensive resource with recommended vaccinations , embassy listings and crime advisories for 204 countries . ( information is culled from the state departments of the u.s. , canada , australia and the u.k. ) also included : tips on local customs and transportation . caveat : incomplete listings of doctors abroad . free registration required . 8 more to watch vayama.com a booking engine that pulls prices from all international flights originating in the united states , including those of low-fare carriers . yapta.com tracks airfares after you book and will send an e-mail about a significant price drop , along with info about how to use little-known loopholes for a refund . travelistic.com a compilation of on-the-ground travel videos ( there were more than 4,100 at press time ) from real people around the world . meethalfway.com u.k.-based site , with a soon-to-launch u.s. version , that helps you find a geographic compromise . seriouseats.com new york times writer ed levine filters , compiles and analyzes all the juiciest global food news and opinions . airtreks.com helps you plan complicated multi-leg itineraries without the hassle and expense of one-off tickets . dontforgetyourtoothbrush.com create your own handy before-you-leave checklists . thebathroomdiaries.com a seemingly silly , surprisingly useful resource reviewing 12,000 public bathrooms in 120 countries . e-mail to a friend planning a beach getaway ? do n't miss travel + leisure 's guide to affordable beach resorts . copyright 2009 american express publishing corporation . all rights reserved . | flycheapo is a great way to learn about low-fare carriers in europe |
europe <tsp> ( travel + leisure ) -- the web is an essential tool for travelers , but as booking engines and trip forums evolve and multiply , you have to know where to look -- and whom to trust . to help you , travel + leisure has assembled the ultimate online guide . getting there booking flights ( overall ) sidestep.com comparing top aggregators sidestep and kayak , we found that eight-year-old sidestep 's flight tool has a slight edge : a handy matrix at the top of the results page gives an overview of the lowest prices pulled from 600 airlines across 200 sites . and refining the search by departure time or airport is a breeze . researching low-fare carriers in europe flycheapo.com do n't get stuck on the name . this is a great resource for learning about 45 low-fare carriers in europe . select your two endpoints ( say rome and oslo ) and learn who can get you from one to the other on a direct flight ( denmark 's sterling air ) . caveat : flycheapo only shows you who flies where ; for prices and schedules , you 'll have to visit the airlines'own sites . locating the best international airfares farecompare.com decide how much you want to spend and when you want to travel , and getaway maps will overlay the lowest fares pulled from more than 500 airlines ( most of the major u.s. carriers , as well as many international ones ) for a select range of cities . knowing when to book a flight farecast.com buy now or wait for a better price ? farecast uses historic pricing data to help you make an educated decision about whether or not a fare is likely to fluctuate in the coming week . a supplementary service called fareguard ( $ 10 ) covers the difference if they tell you to wait for a price to go down and it rises instead . caveat : farecast covers only 78 cities , all of them in the united states . getting ideas booking hotels ( overall ) kayak.com this two-year-old aggregator scours 159,000 hotels worldwide , and about 10 percent of the places that it turns up have been suggested by real people , so the picks are well-rounded . ( hotels.com only lists 70,000 properties . ) new features allow you to sort the listings by location ( using google maps ) and view photographs . finding late-breaking deals on luxury hotels lastminutetravel.com search hotels by ratings in your city of choice , and the site turns up an impressive mix of reduced rates on rooms at luxury properties . our recent results : 23 percent off a room at the biltmore , in coral gables , and 15 percent off at the goring , in london . caveat : the best deals take digging . previewing menus in the u.s. menupages.com with approximately 25,000 restaurants across eight cities , menupages makes it easy to plan meals by type of food , neighborhood , price or random craving ( bialys in philly ? ) . caveat : menus may be a bit stale ; 3,000 to 5,000 are updated per month . and , unlike at opentable , you ca n't book tables online . nabbing the perfect seat seatguru.com preview seat maps including where to find the power outlets as well as that extra inch of legroom for 73 models of aircraft on 39 different airlines . like most airlines these days , the site is no-frills , but you 'll never get stuck next to the bathroom again . dishing with global foodies chowhound.com an obsessive community of feisty people around the world share secret finds . the site features interviews with experts , videos of local culinary customs ( watch how to tie pancetta ) , and blogs such as the newly launched tasting notes . customizing an itinerary homeandabroad.com plan a trip to one of more than 90 destinations from start to finish . along with all the basics ( hotel , restaurant , and entertainment ideas ) , get tips on what to read before you go . caveat : they tend to overpack an average day with suggestions . planning a cruise cruisecritic.com research almost anything about 60 different cruise lines and gather advice on everything ship-related -- from buying travel insurance to using onboard slot machines . caveat : not a booking site , so prices usually are n't listed . getting around mapping routes on u.s. public transportation hopstop.com decide on your transport of choice , as well as how far you 're willing to walk , and get point-to-point directions for five cities . bonus features : you can see what the trip would cost by taxi and look at panoramic shots of what to expect when you emerge from underground . plus , there 's a new small-screen version for phones and pda 's . caveat : there are no actual subway maps . driving directions in europe viamichelin.com scan information on 4.4 million miles of road across 42 european countries . maps feature pop-ups with descriptions and pictures of the desired destinations ; directions include estimates about what you 'll spend on gas ; they even tip you off to speed traps . caveat : it requires an extra step to convert from kilometers . creating comprehensive maps worldwide maps.google.com simple , clearly designed maps and driving instructions are just the beginning . the standout stuff : live feeds of traffic conditions and street views of major u.s. cities ( only slightly creepy ) ; addresses , phone numbers and web sites for what you 're mapping . the basics converting currency xe.com 180 currencies from 250 places , updated every minute . the conversion application is easy to locate ( unlike that of close competitor oanda ) , and you can bookmark go-to conversions . caveat : animations and flashing ads create a bit of sensory overload . finding reliable weather forecasts weather.com a notch above accuweather and weather underground , 11-year-old weather does the best job of delivering the essentials clearly . get current conditions for 98,000 destinations worldwide , updated every 20 minutes . learning about health and safety abroad tripprep.com a comprehensive resource with recommended vaccinations , embassy listings and crime advisories for 204 countries . ( information is culled from the state departments of the u.s. , canada , australia and the u.k. ) also included : tips on local customs and transportation . caveat : incomplete listings of doctors abroad . free registration required . 8 more to watch vayama.com a booking engine that pulls prices from all international flights originating in the united states , including those of low-fare carriers . yapta.com tracks airfares after you book and will send an e-mail about a significant price drop , along with info about how to use little-known loopholes for a refund . travelistic.com a compilation of on-the-ground travel videos ( there were more than 4,100 at press time ) from real people around the world . meethalfway.com u.k.-based site , with a soon-to-launch u.s. version , that helps you find a geographic compromise . seriouseats.com new york times writer ed levine filters , compiles and analyzes all the juiciest global food news and opinions . airtreks.com helps you plan complicated multi-leg itineraries without the hassle and expense of one-off tickets . dontforgetyourtoothbrush.com create your own handy before-you-leave checklists . thebathroomdiaries.com a seemingly silly , surprisingly useful resource reviewing 12,000 public bathrooms in 120 countries . e-mail to a friend planning a beach getaway ? do n't miss travel + leisure 's guide to affordable beach resorts . copyright 2009 american express publishing corporation . all rights reserved . | viamichelin provides information on 4.4 million miles of road across europe |
barcelona <tsp> ( cnn ) -- european champions league holders bayern munich have been drawn to face manchester city in the group stages of the continent 's most prestigious club competition . the german champions are now led by former barcelona coach pep guardiola , who secured 14 trophies for the catalan club during his four seasons in charge . guardiola has a hard task repeating bayern 's feats of last season when under jupp heynckes they won the bundesliga , the german cup and the champions league crowns . at the draw in monaco , bayern 's franck ribery was also named european footballer of the year , beating barcelona 's lionel messi and cristiano ronaldo , who plays for real madrid . it 's always nice to win this trophy ; it 's a special moment for me to be here , ' he said . it was an extraordinary year for us , we 'd wanted that trophy for so long and to play at wembley was fantastic . i think bayern deserved to win the cup after such a long time . ' despite huge investment in their playing squad , and winning the english premier league title in 2012 , manchester city have failed to make it out of the group stages in the past two champions league competitions . russian club cska moscow and viktoria plzen , from the czech republic , complete the line-up in group d. spanish champions barcelona have been drawn in a particularly tough looking group alongside italian giants ac milan , dutch title winners ajax and scottish champions celtic . celtic famously beat barcelona in the group stages of last year 's competition , and booked their place in the group stages with a last-gasp victory over shakhter karagandy from kazakhstan on wednesday night . english side arsenal face a tough test to emerge from group f alongside last year 's beaten finalists , borussia dortmund of germany , napoli from italy and french side marseille . carlo ancelotti 's first champions league campaign as manager of real madrid sees him face italian champions juventus , galatasaray from turkey , and denmark 's fc copenhagen . jose mourinho has been handed a favorable draw in group e as europa league winners chelsea pulled german side schalke , fc basel from switzerland and romanian outfit steaua bucharest . english premier league champions manchester united will also be content with their draw in group a as they face ukrainian side shakhtar donetsk , germany 's bayer leverkusen and real sociedad from spain . french champions paris saint-germain have been drawn alongside benfica , from portugal , greek side olympiakos and anderlecht , from belgium , in group c. in group g portuguese side porto have been drawn against atletico madrid , russian side zenit st petersburg and austria vienna . the first round of group matches will be played on 17-18 september . champions league group stage draw in full : group a : manchester united , shakhtar donetsk , bayer leverkusen , real sociedad . group b : real madrid , juventus , galatasaray , fc copenhagen . group c : benfica , paris saint-germain , olympiakos , anderlecht . group d : bayern munich , cska moscow , manchester city , viktoria plzen . group e : chelsea , schalke 04 , fc basel , steaua bucharest . group f : arsenal , marseille , borussia dortmund , napoli . group g : fc porto , atletico madrid , zenit st petersburg , austria vienna . group h : barcelona , ac milan , ajax , celtic . | ac milan to face spanish giants barcelona , ajax and celtic in group h |
franck ribery <tsp> ( cnn ) -- european champions league holders bayern munich have been drawn to face manchester city in the group stages of the continent 's most prestigious club competition . the german champions are now led by former barcelona coach pep guardiola , who secured 14 trophies for the catalan club during his four seasons in charge . guardiola has a hard task repeating bayern 's feats of last season when under jupp heynckes they won the bundesliga , the german cup and the champions league crowns . at the draw in monaco , bayern 's franck ribery was also named european footballer of the year , beating barcelona 's lionel messi and cristiano ronaldo , who plays for real madrid . it 's always nice to win this trophy ; it 's a special moment for me to be here , ' he said . it was an extraordinary year for us , we 'd wanted that trophy for so long and to play at wembley was fantastic . i think bayern deserved to win the cup after such a long time . ' despite huge investment in their playing squad , and winning the english premier league title in 2012 , manchester city have failed to make it out of the group stages in the past two champions league competitions . russian club cska moscow and viktoria plzen , from the czech republic , complete the line-up in group d. spanish champions barcelona have been drawn in a particularly tough looking group alongside italian giants ac milan , dutch title winners ajax and scottish champions celtic . celtic famously beat barcelona in the group stages of last year 's competition , and booked their place in the group stages with a last-gasp victory over shakhter karagandy from kazakhstan on wednesday night . english side arsenal face a tough test to emerge from group f alongside last year 's beaten finalists , borussia dortmund of germany , napoli from italy and french side marseille . carlo ancelotti 's first champions league campaign as manager of real madrid sees him face italian champions juventus , galatasaray from turkey , and denmark 's fc copenhagen . jose mourinho has been handed a favorable draw in group e as europa league winners chelsea pulled german side schalke , fc basel from switzerland and romanian outfit steaua bucharest . english premier league champions manchester united will also be content with their draw in group a as they face ukrainian side shakhtar donetsk , germany 's bayer leverkusen and real sociedad from spain . french champions paris saint-germain have been drawn alongside benfica , from portugal , greek side olympiakos and anderlecht , from belgium , in group c. in group g portuguese side porto have been drawn against atletico madrid , russian side zenit st petersburg and austria vienna . the first round of group matches will be played on 17-18 september . champions league group stage draw in full : group a : manchester united , shakhtar donetsk , bayer leverkusen , real sociedad . group b : real madrid , juventus , galatasaray , fc copenhagen . group c : benfica , paris saint-germain , olympiakos , anderlecht . group d : bayern munich , cska moscow , manchester city , viktoria plzen . group e : chelsea , schalke 04 , fc basel , steaua bucharest . group f : arsenal , marseille , borussia dortmund , napoli . group g : fc porto , atletico madrid , zenit st petersburg , austria vienna . group h : barcelona , ac milan , ajax , celtic . | bayern munich 's franck ribery named european footballer of the year |
arsenal <tsp> ( cnn ) -- teenager bojan krkic scored twice as barcelona overcame the pre-match loss of key striker zlatan ibrahimovic to defeat athletic bilbao 4-1 on saturday night and move three points clear in spain . ibrahimovic scored both goals in the spanish champions'2-2 draw with arsenal in midweek , but is now ruled out of the second leg of the champions league quarterfinal at home to the english club after picking up a calf injury in the warmup , according to the uk press association . the 19-year-old bojan stepped up for just his third league start this season in a much-changed barca line-up , and staked his claim for a place on tuesday with an assured performance . it is a big week ahead for the european champions , who face second-placed real madrid in a key clash next saturday which will have a massive bearing on who wins the la liga title . real can return to the top on goal difference ahead of that match by winning by two scores at racing santander on sunday . barca coach josep guardiola made several changes against sixth-placed bilbao , and ended the match with eight youth-team products on the pitch after midfielder yaya toure went off injured . winger jeffren celebrated his call into the senior team with the 26th-minute opening goal as the 22-year-old netted his first league goal of the season from eric abidal 's cross after lionel messi sent the recalled france fullback free down the left . bojan made it 2-0 five minutes before halftime after captain carles puyol -- playing at right-back in the absence of the suspended daniel alves -- intercepted a stray pass and picked out the young forward , who has played once for spain despite having a serbian father . he doubled his tally just before the hour mark with a fierce right-foot shot after abidal again provided the ammunition , while messi made up for an uncharacteristic first-half miss from close range when he netted from pedro 's 67th-minute cross . it was the argentina forward 's 26th league goal of the season and his 35th overall . bilbao pulled a goal back through markel susaeta , and goalkeeper victor valdes twice denied ander iturraspe to prevent a repeat of the lapse that saw barca blow a two-goal lead against arsenal . managerless sevilla claimed fourth place with a 3-0 victory over lowly tenerife in saturday 's late match , with strikers fredi kanoute and luis fabiano netting in the first half before jose carlos curled in an 87th-minute free-kick . mallorca can go back ahead of sevilla with a draw against almeria on sunday , while victory would lift the islanders two points clear . tenerife were left third from bottom and deep in relegation trouble , seven points behind closest team santander . real zaragoza moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-0 victory at home to malaga , moving one place above their opponents . zaragoza followed up last weekend 's 3-0 upset of third-placed valencia as argentine midfielder leonardo ponzio smashed in the opening goal just before halftime and chile striker humberto suazo sealed victory with a volley from javier arizmendi 's header with 14 minutes to play . | zlatan ibrahimovic ruled out of barcelona 's champions league clash with arsenal |
tenerife <tsp> ( cnn ) -- teenager bojan krkic scored twice as barcelona overcame the pre-match loss of key striker zlatan ibrahimovic to defeat athletic bilbao 4-1 on saturday night and move three points clear in spain . ibrahimovic scored both goals in the spanish champions'2-2 draw with arsenal in midweek , but is now ruled out of the second leg of the champions league quarterfinal at home to the english club after picking up a calf injury in the warmup , according to the uk press association . the 19-year-old bojan stepped up for just his third league start this season in a much-changed barca line-up , and staked his claim for a place on tuesday with an assured performance . it is a big week ahead for the european champions , who face second-placed real madrid in a key clash next saturday which will have a massive bearing on who wins the la liga title . real can return to the top on goal difference ahead of that match by winning by two scores at racing santander on sunday . barca coach josep guardiola made several changes against sixth-placed bilbao , and ended the match with eight youth-team products on the pitch after midfielder yaya toure went off injured . winger jeffren celebrated his call into the senior team with the 26th-minute opening goal as the 22-year-old netted his first league goal of the season from eric abidal 's cross after lionel messi sent the recalled france fullback free down the left . bojan made it 2-0 five minutes before halftime after captain carles puyol -- playing at right-back in the absence of the suspended daniel alves -- intercepted a stray pass and picked out the young forward , who has played once for spain despite having a serbian father . he doubled his tally just before the hour mark with a fierce right-foot shot after abidal again provided the ammunition , while messi made up for an uncharacteristic first-half miss from close range when he netted from pedro 's 67th-minute cross . it was the argentina forward 's 26th league goal of the season and his 35th overall . bilbao pulled a goal back through markel susaeta , and goalkeeper victor valdes twice denied ander iturraspe to prevent a repeat of the lapse that saw barca blow a two-goal lead against arsenal . managerless sevilla claimed fourth place with a 3-0 victory over lowly tenerife in saturday 's late match , with strikers fredi kanoute and luis fabiano netting in the first half before jose carlos curled in an 87th-minute free-kick . mallorca can go back ahead of sevilla with a draw against almeria on sunday , while victory would lift the islanders two points clear . tenerife were left third from bottom and deep in relegation trouble , seven points behind closest team santander . real zaragoza moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-0 victory at home to malaga , moving one place above their opponents . zaragoza followed up last weekend 's 3-0 upset of third-placed valencia as argentine midfielder leonardo ponzio smashed in the opening goal just before halftime and chile striker humberto suazo sealed victory with a volley from javier arizmendi 's header with 14 minutes to play . | managerless sevilla move up into fourth place with 3-0 victory against lowly tenerife |
clinton <tsp> hillary clinton will likely run for president of the united states . but forgive the u.s. 's neighbors to the north for thinking the former secretary of state is considering a bid at prime minster , too . since leaving the state department in 2013 , hillary clinton has headlined six events in canada and organizers in the country announced two more appearances in two different provinces on monday . clinton will speak at an event in winnipeg , manitoba sponsored by cibc , a large bank in canada , on january 21 , 2015 , according to this ticket page . that same day , clinton will speak at a similar event - also sponsored by cibc , in saskatoon , saskatchewan , according to a press release . the opportunities in canada not only allow her to make money off of speaker fees , but it gives her a platform to discuss global affairs and her time running the state department , a subject she 's pretty comfortable revisiting . with the addition of these appearances , clinton has now headlined events in six of canada 's ten provinces ( the country also has three territories ) . her other appearances include : june 20 , 2013 in toronto , ontario for unique lives and experiences . march 5 , 2014 in vancouver , british columbia for board of trade 's women 's leadership circle march 6 , 2014 in calgary , alberta for an event organized by tinepublic march 18 , 2014 in montreal , quebec for a speech to the montreal board of trade june 16 , 2014 in edmonton , alberta for an event promoting her memoir hard choices ' october 6 , 2014 for the ottawa , ontario for an event organized by canada 20/20 ( clinton was interviewed on stage by cibc ceo victor dodig at this event ) clinton 's events in canada have run the gamut , from speeches at high priced dinners to question and answer sessions in theaters . most have been promoted and organized by tinepublic , a special events and conference organizer in canada . cnn 's calls to the group went unanswered on monday . one thing is consistent for nearly every event clinton does in canada : at some point , she is asked about the keystone xl pipeline . at her june event in edmonton , clinton gave hope to both sides of the debate over the 1,179-mile-long project that would move oil from canada to refineries in the united states , but declined to comment on whether she would approve the project or not . i do believe that both canada and the united states can become even richer , more prosperous , but also more environmentally sustainable by having a broad engagement over energy and climate and not focusing everything on this one decision , ' clinton said . obviously , if clinton runs for president in 2016 , she will not be able to take money from canadians or win a non-existent canadian primary . but after her visit to ottawa in october , one headline pointed to the fact that clinton 's visit may be more than that : hillary clinton winning hearts , if not voters , in ottawa ' . | after those 2 events , clinton will have headlined events in 60 % of canada 's provinces |
clinton <tsp> hillary clinton will likely run for president of the united states . but forgive the u.s. 's neighbors to the north for thinking the former secretary of state is considering a bid at prime minster , too . since leaving the state department in 2013 , hillary clinton has headlined six events in canada and organizers in the country announced two more appearances in two different provinces on monday . clinton will speak at an event in winnipeg , manitoba sponsored by cibc , a large bank in canada , on january 21 , 2015 , according to this ticket page . that same day , clinton will speak at a similar event - also sponsored by cibc , in saskatoon , saskatchewan , according to a press release . the opportunities in canada not only allow her to make money off of speaker fees , but it gives her a platform to discuss global affairs and her time running the state department , a subject she 's pretty comfortable revisiting . with the addition of these appearances , clinton has now headlined events in six of canada 's ten provinces ( the country also has three territories ) . her other appearances include : june 20 , 2013 in toronto , ontario for unique lives and experiences . march 5 , 2014 in vancouver , british columbia for board of trade 's women 's leadership circle march 6 , 2014 in calgary , alberta for an event organized by tinepublic march 18 , 2014 in montreal , quebec for a speech to the montreal board of trade june 16 , 2014 in edmonton , alberta for an event promoting her memoir hard choices ' october 6 , 2014 for the ottawa , ontario for an event organized by canada 20/20 ( clinton was interviewed on stage by cibc ceo victor dodig at this event ) clinton 's events in canada have run the gamut , from speeches at high priced dinners to question and answer sessions in theaters . most have been promoted and organized by tinepublic , a special events and conference organizer in canada . cnn 's calls to the group went unanswered on monday . one thing is consistent for nearly every event clinton does in canada : at some point , she is asked about the keystone xl pipeline . at her june event in edmonton , clinton gave hope to both sides of the debate over the 1,179-mile-long project that would move oil from canada to refineries in the united states , but declined to comment on whether she would approve the project or not . i do believe that both canada and the united states can become even richer , more prosperous , but also more environmentally sustainable by having a broad engagement over energy and climate and not focusing everything on this one decision , ' clinton said . obviously , if clinton runs for president in 2016 , she will not be able to take money from canadians or win a non-existent canadian primary . but after her visit to ottawa in october , one headline pointed to the fact that clinton 's visit may be more than that : hillary clinton winning hearts , if not voters , in ottawa ' . | clinton announced monday two events in canada that will take place early next year |
clinton <tsp> hillary clinton will likely run for president of the united states . but forgive the u.s. 's neighbors to the north for thinking the former secretary of state is considering a bid at prime minster , too . since leaving the state department in 2013 , hillary clinton has headlined six events in canada and organizers in the country announced two more appearances in two different provinces on monday . clinton will speak at an event in winnipeg , manitoba sponsored by cibc , a large bank in canada , on january 21 , 2015 , according to this ticket page . that same day , clinton will speak at a similar event - also sponsored by cibc , in saskatoon , saskatchewan , according to a press release . the opportunities in canada not only allow her to make money off of speaker fees , but it gives her a platform to discuss global affairs and her time running the state department , a subject she 's pretty comfortable revisiting . with the addition of these appearances , clinton has now headlined events in six of canada 's ten provinces ( the country also has three territories ) . her other appearances include : june 20 , 2013 in toronto , ontario for unique lives and experiences . march 5 , 2014 in vancouver , british columbia for board of trade 's women 's leadership circle march 6 , 2014 in calgary , alberta for an event organized by tinepublic march 18 , 2014 in montreal , quebec for a speech to the montreal board of trade june 16 , 2014 in edmonton , alberta for an event promoting her memoir hard choices ' october 6 , 2014 for the ottawa , ontario for an event organized by canada 20/20 ( clinton was interviewed on stage by cibc ceo victor dodig at this event ) clinton 's events in canada have run the gamut , from speeches at high priced dinners to question and answer sessions in theaters . most have been promoted and organized by tinepublic , a special events and conference organizer in canada . cnn 's calls to the group went unanswered on monday . one thing is consistent for nearly every event clinton does in canada : at some point , she is asked about the keystone xl pipeline . at her june event in edmonton , clinton gave hope to both sides of the debate over the 1,179-mile-long project that would move oil from canada to refineries in the united states , but declined to comment on whether she would approve the project or not . i do believe that both canada and the united states can become even richer , more prosperous , but also more environmentally sustainable by having a broad engagement over energy and climate and not focusing everything on this one decision , ' clinton said . obviously , if clinton runs for president in 2016 , she will not be able to take money from canadians or win a non-existent canadian primary . but after her visit to ottawa in october , one headline pointed to the fact that clinton 's visit may be more than that : hillary clinton winning hearts , if not voters , in ottawa ' . | the events offer clinton a chance to talk about her experience running the state department |
canada <tsp> hillary clinton will likely run for president of the united states . but forgive the u.s. 's neighbors to the north for thinking the former secretary of state is considering a bid at prime minster , too . since leaving the state department in 2013 , hillary clinton has headlined six events in canada and organizers in the country announced two more appearances in two different provinces on monday . clinton will speak at an event in winnipeg , manitoba sponsored by cibc , a large bank in canada , on january 21 , 2015 , according to this ticket page . that same day , clinton will speak at a similar event - also sponsored by cibc , in saskatoon , saskatchewan , according to a press release . the opportunities in canada not only allow her to make money off of speaker fees , but it gives her a platform to discuss global affairs and her time running the state department , a subject she 's pretty comfortable revisiting . with the addition of these appearances , clinton has now headlined events in six of canada 's ten provinces ( the country also has three territories ) . her other appearances include : june 20 , 2013 in toronto , ontario for unique lives and experiences . march 5 , 2014 in vancouver , british columbia for board of trade 's women 's leadership circle march 6 , 2014 in calgary , alberta for an event organized by tinepublic march 18 , 2014 in montreal , quebec for a speech to the montreal board of trade june 16 , 2014 in edmonton , alberta for an event promoting her memoir hard choices ' october 6 , 2014 for the ottawa , ontario for an event organized by canada 20/20 ( clinton was interviewed on stage by cibc ceo victor dodig at this event ) clinton 's events in canada have run the gamut , from speeches at high priced dinners to question and answer sessions in theaters . most have been promoted and organized by tinepublic , a special events and conference organizer in canada . cnn 's calls to the group went unanswered on monday . one thing is consistent for nearly every event clinton does in canada : at some point , she is asked about the keystone xl pipeline . at her june event in edmonton , clinton gave hope to both sides of the debate over the 1,179-mile-long project that would move oil from canada to refineries in the united states , but declined to comment on whether she would approve the project or not . i do believe that both canada and the united states can become even richer , more prosperous , but also more environmentally sustainable by having a broad engagement over energy and climate and not focusing everything on this one decision , ' clinton said . obviously , if clinton runs for president in 2016 , she will not be able to take money from canadians or win a non-existent canadian primary . but after her visit to ottawa in october , one headline pointed to the fact that clinton 's visit may be more than that : hillary clinton winning hearts , if not voters , in ottawa ' . | after those 2 events , clinton will have headlined events in 60 % of canada 's provinces |
canada <tsp> hillary clinton will likely run for president of the united states . but forgive the u.s. 's neighbors to the north for thinking the former secretary of state is considering a bid at prime minster , too . since leaving the state department in 2013 , hillary clinton has headlined six events in canada and organizers in the country announced two more appearances in two different provinces on monday . clinton will speak at an event in winnipeg , manitoba sponsored by cibc , a large bank in canada , on january 21 , 2015 , according to this ticket page . that same day , clinton will speak at a similar event - also sponsored by cibc , in saskatoon , saskatchewan , according to a press release . the opportunities in canada not only allow her to make money off of speaker fees , but it gives her a platform to discuss global affairs and her time running the state department , a subject she 's pretty comfortable revisiting . with the addition of these appearances , clinton has now headlined events in six of canada 's ten provinces ( the country also has three territories ) . her other appearances include : june 20 , 2013 in toronto , ontario for unique lives and experiences . march 5 , 2014 in vancouver , british columbia for board of trade 's women 's leadership circle march 6 , 2014 in calgary , alberta for an event organized by tinepublic march 18 , 2014 in montreal , quebec for a speech to the montreal board of trade june 16 , 2014 in edmonton , alberta for an event promoting her memoir hard choices ' october 6 , 2014 for the ottawa , ontario for an event organized by canada 20/20 ( clinton was interviewed on stage by cibc ceo victor dodig at this event ) clinton 's events in canada have run the gamut , from speeches at high priced dinners to question and answer sessions in theaters . most have been promoted and organized by tinepublic , a special events and conference organizer in canada . cnn 's calls to the group went unanswered on monday . one thing is consistent for nearly every event clinton does in canada : at some point , she is asked about the keystone xl pipeline . at her june event in edmonton , clinton gave hope to both sides of the debate over the 1,179-mile-long project that would move oil from canada to refineries in the united states , but declined to comment on whether she would approve the project or not . i do believe that both canada and the united states can become even richer , more prosperous , but also more environmentally sustainable by having a broad engagement over energy and climate and not focusing everything on this one decision , ' clinton said . obviously , if clinton runs for president in 2016 , she will not be able to take money from canadians or win a non-existent canadian primary . but after her visit to ottawa in october , one headline pointed to the fact that clinton 's visit may be more than that : hillary clinton winning hearts , if not voters , in ottawa ' . | clinton announced monday two events in canada that will take place early next year |
pretoria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one of the most cosmopolitan cities in africa , johannesburg is multicultural and multifaceted . make the most of your time there with these tips . the apartheid museum is an often disturbing view of south africa 's troubled past . apartheid museum it 's a disturbing experience , but a visit to apartheid museum is essential if you want to understand the city 's troubled past . on arrival , visitors are randomly allocated a pass labeling them as white or non-white , referencing the apartheid pass laws that obliged black south africans to carry identity passes at all times . harrowing multimedia displays and news footage recreate the brutality of the apartheid era , while nooses hanging from the ceiling represent the political prisoners executed under the system . less bleak are the tributes to those who fought against the injustice of that era , paving the way for equality and democracy in today 's south africa . the museum is open between 10 am and 5 pm ( gmt +2 ) tuesday to sunday . admission is r30 ( $ 3.20 ) . for more information visit http : //www.apartheidmuseum.org/ meaty treat the carnivore is one of the city 's more unusual restaurants . a few miles outside jo'burg proper , on the muldersdrift estate , the carnivore is designed to satisfy your primal meat cravings . as well as the usual chicken , lamb and beef dishes , this eatery offers an intriguing selection of big game dishes , including crocodile , giraffe and ostrich . there are veggie options available for those who are n't tempted by the thought of slow-roasted impala , but if you choose the vegetable lasagna you may never find out if crocodile really does take like chicken . see hugh masekela 's johannesburg » day tripping jo'burg is well positioned for some interesting day trips . pretoria is just 50km away , but has a very different to feel to johannesburg , offering more of an insight into afrikaans history . the voortrekker monument and museum , just outside the city , celebrate the pioneer spirit of the boer and their great trek ' from the cape to the country 's interior . if african wildlife is more your scene , head to the lion park , a small nature reserve about 25km north of johannesburg . it 's not the full safari experience , but you will get to see lions , cheetahs , antelopes , zebra and impala , among other local fauna . what are your tips for johannesburg ? let us know below . get around too big to explore on foot , jo'burg is a driver 's city . public transport is generally poor and minibus taxis and the metro train are crime hotspots . there are plenty of car-hire outlets in the city but if you 'd prefer someone else to do the driving city tours offer minibuses to destinations including soweto and the lion park . the advantage of a tour is that your guides can offer a local 's insight into the city 's history and culture . crime there 's no doubt that progress has been made in reducing crime over the last couple of years , but it remains a problem in many parts of the city . atms are a magnet for criminals . be sure to only use atms in well-lit areas and be wary of people offering to help you use them . if you 're driving , keep the car doors locked at all times and do n't open the windows too wide . keep your wits about you when stopped at traffic lights and when you 're getting into and out of the car , and keep your valuables out of sight . put bluntly , it is not safe to walk around most of johannesburg after dark . | the best way to explore the city , and visit nearby pretoria , is to hire a car |
afghanistan <tsp> miami ( cnn ) -- for a war vet from south florida , a leisurely road trip to a seaside vacation came to an abrupt end in mexico , where he has languished behind bars for four months , sometimes chained to a bed . for the first few months , jon hammar 's parents kept his plight out of the public eye , fearing that media attention could bring harm to him in prison . but now they are coming forward , hoping the publicity will push mexican authorities to act . hammar , 27 , is being held in the border town of matamoros , just across from brownsville , texas . it is notorious as the home of the gulf cartel , one of mexico 's major drug trafficking organizations . the only reason they were going to stop was to get more gas , ' his father said . hammar , who served in iraq and afghanistan as a marine , was headed to costa rica in august to go surfing with a fellow veteran . he had surfed there before and packed every good surf board he had , his parents said . but he also took one item that quickly became troublesome : an antique shotgun handed down from his great-grandfather . opinion : a father 's plea : end the war on drugs he intended to hunt with it , his parents said . and he declared it with u.s. border agents . but after he drove his winnebago a few feet farther to the mexican side , authorities arrested him , saying the weapon did not comply with their gun laws . the crime that he 's charged with is possession of a weapon that 's restricted for military use , ' said his mother , olivia hammar . a branch of the mexican military has said the gun is not on its forbidden list , ' she said . but the former marine remains incarcerated . mexican officials said that the files on the case were not immediately available because the arrest happened so long ago . an official at the prosecutor 's office declined to comment . a few nights after hammar 's arrest , his parents received the first of several threatening calls from behind bars , they said . he said : i have your son , ' olivia hammar recalled , tearing up . i am going to f -- - him up . i already have . ' then she heard her son 's voice . he said : mom , you 've got to do what they say ; they 're really serious . ' the voice at the other end of the line asked for $ 1,800 . u.s. sen. bill nelson , a democrat from florida , stepped in on hammar 's behalf , speaking to mexico 's ambassador to the united states . we interceded to get him out of the general prison population , ' nelson said . this served to remove hammar from contact with dangerous inmates . the calls have since stopped , his mother said . he is now being kept in a low ... intensity place , more like an administrative place , ' nelson said . but because of the low security of the new facility , which olivia hammar describes as a storage shed , officials periodically chain hammar to his bed . the hammars recently turned to their u.s. congresswoman , ileana ros-lehtinen , who heads the committee on foreign affairs . this is outrageous , ' ros-lehtinen said . she has spoken with the state department and the u.s. ambassador to mexico , and will meet with the mexican ambassador to the united states this week . enough is enough , ' she said . jonny , we 're going to get you out of there , ' olivia hammar said to her son by phone friday . he reminded her that she has been telling him that since august . their son returned to them safe and unharmed from iraq and afghanistan . hammar 's parents now fear they could lose him just across the border , if they wait too much longer . mexico says gulf cartel boss arrested cnn 's gary tuchman reported from miami and ben brumfield wrote from atlanta . | he served in iraq and afghanistan |
baghdad international airport <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after nearly four years of hoping , waiting and praying , an ohio family learned sunday their missing son died in iraq . a 2004 memorial at glen este high school in ohio in honor of sgt . keith matthew maupin . it hurts -- it really hurts . you go through four years of hope , ' said carolyn maupin , whose son , staff sgt . keith matthew maupin , was captured by insurgents in april 2004 . it 's like a letdown to me . i 'm trying to get through that right now . ' his father , keith maupin , said military officials informed the family sunday afternoon that the remains of the 24-year-old army reservist had been identified . every parent knows the possibility exists that they may have to face the death of their child when they volunteer to go to war , ' he said . however , those who are fortunate make peace with that and support their soldier , because they enlisted at their own free will . ' a defense department official also confirmed the identification , saying maupin 's remains were found last week but dna results just came in . coalition forces found the remains after a local iraqi tipped them off , military officials said . maupin , who was 20 at the time of his capture , and another soldier , sgt . elmer krause , 40 , were captured by insurgents april 9 , 2004 , after their convoy came under attack near baghdad international airport . a week later , maupin was shown on a videotape , surrounded by several armed masked men . my name is keith matthew maupin , ' he stated in the video . i am a soldier from the first division . i am married with a 10-month-old child . i came to liberate iraq , but i did not come willingly because i wanted to stay with my child . ' krause 's body was found two weeks later . later that summer , al-jazeera aired a videotape purportedly showing the execution of maupin , but u.s. officials have n't confirmed the identity of the person on the tape . the u.s. army continued to promote maupin , who was a private first class in the army reserves at the time of his capture , to sergeant and then staff sergeant as they searched for him . three u.s. troops remain missing in the five-year-old iraq war : pvt . byron w. fouty and spc . alex r. jimenez have been missing since their military convoy was raided west of mahmoudiya may 12 . spc . ahmed k. altaie disappeared october 23 , 2006 , and his status was changed to missing-captured ' nearly two months later . the news about maupin came sunday as roadside bombings in northern and western iraq killed two u.s. troops and attacks on iraqi police and others left another 19 dead , iraqi police and u.s. military officials reported . one roadside bombing killed a u.s. soldier north of baghdad , and a marine died in another bombing in the western province of anbar , the u.s. military headquarters there reported . no details of the attacks were released . the latest attacks bring the u.s. death toll in the five-year-old war to 4,009 . e-mail to a friend cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr contributed to this report . | his convoy came under attack near baghdad international airport in 2004 |
bahraini <tsp> ( cnn ) -- bahrain defended its decision wednesday to impose a ban on all public protests , following calls from rights group amnesty international to lift it immediately as a breach of people 's right to free speech . bahrain 's information affairs authority said in a statement that the ban was needed because increasing violence has resulted in death and serious injury to many . ' most recently , two police officers died as a result of attacks with petrol bombs and a homemade bomb , the iaa said . since the start of the year , there have on average been two or more licensed protests a week , the authority said , many of which expressed views critical of the government . however , all too often these demonstrations devolved into violence and lawlessness as demonstrators dispersed and youths armed with petrol bombs and other weapons took their place , launching assaults on public security officers and civilians , ' the statement said . from may to july , there were 91 injuries requiring treatment to members of the police force , averaging about one a day , it added . the reality is that one would be hard pressed to find a protest that both begins and ends peacefully , ' iaa spokesman fahad albinali said . the fact of the matter is that there has been an escalation of violence by some elements of the opposition and those who regularly engage in riotous activity . ' opinion : do n't forget about bahrain violent clashes have broken out between security forces and opposition protesters on numerous occasions since protests began in the persian gulf kingdom in february 2011 , spurred by uprisings in tunisia and egypt . but amnesty international warned that a ban on all public gatherings was unwarranted and amounted to a drastic crackdown on people 's freedoms . read more : bahraini police , protesters clash after funeral ' even in the event of sporadic or isolated violence once an assembly is under way , the authorities can not simply declare a blanket prohibition on all protests , ' said hassiba hadj sahraoui , deputy director for amnesty 's middle east and north africa program ' such a sweeping measure amounts to nothing less than nullifying the rights to freedom of association , expression and assembly . law enforcement officials must act to protect peaceful protesters rather than using the violent acts of a few as a pretext to restrict or impede the rights of all . ' the interior ministry 's announcement of the ban tuesday pointed the finger at opposition political groups , headed by al wefaq , as being behind ongoing protests . the ministry said the protests were a continuation of those held in february and march of last year that it said called for the overthrow of leading figures and the state . read more : bahraini wins human rights seat amid protests the government had sought to protect freedom of expression , but that privilege has been abused repeatedly by organizers'violations ' and people 's lack of respect for the law , interior minister shaikh rashid bin abdullah al khalifa is quoted as saying tuesday by the state-run bahrain news agency . the rallies have been associated with violence , rioting and attacks on public and private property , ' and are a threat to public safety and commerce , according to the news agency . the interior ministry is now looking for sites around the country to be used for staging protests to preserve the right of political expression while minimizing the risk of injury or disruption to society at large , ' the information affairs authority said . the demonstrations staged in bahrain early last year failed to gain the traction of other arab spring uprisings after a crackdown by authorities in the island state . the crackdown was backed by troops from nearby saudi arabia and the united arab emirates . last november , bahrain 's independent commission of inquiry issued a report critical of authorities'reactions to the protests . the independent commission , set up by the king , concluded that police had used excessive force and torture in their response to the protests in the sunni-ruled , shiite-majority country . it recommended reforms to the country 's law and better training of its security forces , as well as other measures . bahrain plays a key strategic role in the middle east and is home to the u.s. navy 's fifth fleet headquarters . read more : bahrain arrests 6 anti-government protesters cnn 's saad abedine and mohammed jamjoom contributed to this report . | new : the ban is needed because of increasing violence at rallies , bahraini officials say |
odierno <tsp> ( cnn ) -- u.s. vice president joe biden and defense secretary robert gates helped usher in the next chapter for the united states in iraq on wednesday , presiding over a ceremony launching a new military operation designed to train , assist and advise the iraqis . the ceremony , held at al faw palace in baghdad , marked the conclusion of the u.s. combat mission dubbed operation iraqi freedom and the transfer to the assistance mission , named operation new dawn . army gen. lloyd j. austin iii replaced gen. raymond t. odierno as commander of u.s. forces-iraq in the changeover , held at one of the many palaces of late iraqi leader saddam hussein -- whose regime was ousted from power in the u.s.-led invasion of iraq in 2003 . biden said operation iraqi freedom is over , but promised that american engagement with iraq will continue ' with the new stability mission . this change of mission , to state the obvious , would never have been possible without the resolve and tremendous sacrifice and competence of our military -- the finest , if our iraqi friends will forgive us , the finest fighting force in the world , and i would argue the finest fighting force that ever has existed , ' biden said . he acknowledged the pain iraqis endured during the long war , saying tens of thousands of troops and civilians died , and many more were wounded and displaced . however , he said , i believe that their darkest days are now behind them . ' noting the divided opinion toward the war in the united states , he said people from both parties had always backed the troops for their extraordinary service ' after a high-speed invasion that toppled a tyrant became a grinding struggle against violent extremists . ' our fighting men and women were given a mission in iraq that was as complicated as any in our history , an assignment that taught us that war is the realm of uncertainty , ' he said . troops steeped in military doctrine were asked to deal with challenges ranging from electricity to unemployment , currency exchange to trash collection . ' the vice president also praised the new electoral system in iraq , urging political parties there to settle their differences and form a government soon . iraqis have cast their lot as well as their ballots for a better future , ' he said . biden highlighted gates'contributions , saying the defense secretary 's decision to serve under both republican and democratic administrations during the war is a testament to his patriotism . odierno , who said iraqi security forces are ready to take the lead there , recalled the wartime period as one of iraqi heroism . this period in iraq 's history will probably be remembered for sacrifice , resiliency and change . however , i remember it as a time in which the iraqi people stood up against tyranny , terrorism and extremism , and decided to determine their own destiny , as a people and as a democratic state , ' he said . as biden did , odierno urged iraqi political blocs to form a government , which has yet to be established since elections six months ago . it is time for iraq to move forward , ' odierno said . odierno said a democratic iraq can become an engine for peace and stability ' in the middle east . we can no longer dwell on our past accomplishments , but must remain focused on the tremendous opportunity at hand . iraq has always played a vital role in this uncertain part of the globe , ' he said . austin said iraq still faces hostile threats from insurgents working to undermine the country . but he said that the past few years in iraq have been marked by steady progress ' and he envisions a stable , secure and unified iraq . ' operation new dawn marks the next phase of an enduring relationship ' between the united states and iraq , he said . while the u.s. combat mission is ending , roughly 50,000 american troops will remain in the country until the end of 2011 for the assistance mission . when asked wednesday if the united states is still at war in iraq , gates responded , no , we 're not . ' gates added it is up to historians to determine whether the war was worth it . along with u.s. political and military dignitaries , iraqi officials -- including interior minister jawad al-bolani , defense minister mohammed abdul qader al-obeidi and the kurdish region 's prime minister barham saleh -- attended the ceremony . the u.s. combat mission in iraq officially ended at 5 p.m . et tuesday . the drawdown and end to the u.s. combat phase marks a new page in what has been a controversial seven-year conflict . weapons of mass destruction , a major justification by the bush administration for going to war , were never found . saddam hussein was toppled , along with his massive baghdad statue , but sectarian violence soon erupted . on tuesday night , u.s. president barack obama addressed americans about the transition in a televised speech . the united states has paid a huge price to put the future of iraq in the hands of its people , ' obama said from the oval office . we have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in iraq , and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home . we have persevered because of a belief we share with the iraqi people -- a belief that out of the ashes of war , a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization . ' the war in iraq has claimed the lives of more than 4,400 u.s. troops . obama said he was awed ' by the sacrifices of service members and their families and that the u.s. has met its responsibility . operation iraqi freedom is over , and the iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country , ' obama said . we have removed nearly 100,000 u.s. troops from iraq . we have closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the iraqis . and we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of iraq . ' before obama 's speech , some republicans had urged him to acknowledge that the 2007 u.s. troop surge in iraq ordered by then-president george w. bush had worked . obama , as a u.s. senator and candidate for the presidency , had opposed it . obama , who spoke with bush in a phone call earlier in the day , did not mention the former president 's role in the surge . meanwhile , senate minority leader mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , delivered a speech tuesday suggesting bush deserves more credit for reaching this milestone . you might recall that the surge was n't very popular when it was announced , ' mcconnell said . you might also recall that one of its biggest critics was the current president . so it makes it easier to talk about fulfilling a campaign promise to wind down our operations in iraq when the previous administration signs the security agreement with iraq to end our overall presence there . ' obama said the most urgent matter now is restoring the economy and putting millions of americans who have who have lost their jobs back to work . ' to strengthen the middle class , he said , we must give all our children the education they deserve , and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy . ' obama 's emphasis on the economy appears to dovetail with the mood of the american public . in a cnn/opinion research corp. poll earlier this month , 56 percent of respondents said the economy would be extremely important to their vote for congress this year . fewer than four in 10 said that the wars in iraq or afghanistan were extremely important to them . cnn 's ed henry , dan lothian , dana bash , jason hanna and alan silverleib contributed to this report . | new : odierno notes iraqi fight against tyranny |
united nations <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the international criminal tribunal for rwanda on thursday convicted the mastermind ' of the rwandan genocide and sentenced him to life in prison for genocide , crimes against humanity , and war crimes . theoneste bagosora , right , and his co-defendant anatole nsengiyumva , left , arrive in court . it is the first time the tribunal has convicted high-level officials for the 100-day genocide in 1994 which left an estimated 800,000 people dead . theoneste bagosora , 67 , a colonel in the rwandan army , was found guilty along with two other men -- major aloys ntabakuze and lieutenant colonel anatole nsengiyumva . all were sentenced to life in prison . the tribunal -- located in arusha , tanzania -- acquitted general gratien kabiligi , the former head of military operations , and ordered his immediate release . cnn chief international correspondent christiane amanpour -- who covered the story -- called the verdicts a real turning point and a milestone in justice . ' watch cnn 's christiane amanpour on the verdict » ' it sends a message that right up the chain of command , you can not hide , ' amanpour said . the court said bagosora was a key figure in drawing up plans for the genocide . a hutu , bagosora was convicted of ordering hutu militia to slaughter rival tutsis . the massacres began after a plane crash on april 6 , 1994 that killed the presidents of rwanda and neighboring burundi . the court said the plane was brought down by a surface-to-air missile fired from the airport in kigali , the rwandan capital . watch what happened in the court » bagosora decided the military should take over and he refused to involve the prime minister , agathe uwilingiyimana , in any discussions , the court found . april 7 , while bagosora held a crisis meeting with top military officials , the prime minister was arrested , sexually assaulted and killed by top members of the rwandan army , the court found . find out more about the world 's killing fields » that made bagosora the head of all political and military affairs in rwanda , and in that capacity , he was at the top of the chain of command . the same day the prime minister was killed , the court said , army personnel confined and killed four important opposition leaders -- including the president of the constitutional court and government ministers -- and murdered 10 belgian peacekeepers who had been dispatched to the prime minister 's residence . the court found bagosora bore responsibility for those and other killings because he commanded those who carried out the crimes . bagosora was the highest authority in the ministry of defense and exercised effective control of the rwandan army and gendarmerie , ' said presiding judge erik mose . he 's therefore responsible for the murder of the prime minister , the four opposition politicians , the 10 belgian peacekeepers , as well as the extensive military involvement in the killing of civilians during this period . ' ictr prosecutor hassan bubacar jallow said the convicted men prepared , planned , ordered , directed , incited , encouraged and approved the murder of innocent civilian tutsis . ' the killings were carried out by military personnel on the orders of rwandan authorities including bagosora , the court said . the court found that from april to july 1994 , bagosora exercised authority over members of the rwandan army and their militiamen , who committed massacres throughout rwanda with bagosora 's knowledge . in all the regions of the country , members of the tutsi population who were fleeing from the massacres on their hills sought refuge in locations they thought would be safe , often on the recommendation of the local civil and military authorities , ' the indictment said . in many of these places , despite the promise that they would be protected by the local civil and military authorities , the refugees were attacked , abducted and massacred , often on the orders or with the complicity of those same authorities . ' the indictment against bagosora alleged he had been opposed to concessions made by his government to tutsi rebels at 1993 peace talks in tanzania , and had left the negotiations saying he was returning to rwanda to prepare the apocalypse . ' the u.n. established the tribunal in late 1994 . the trial began in april 2002 and has been deliberating since june 1 , 2007 . during the trial , the court heard 242 witnesses -- 82 for the prosecution and 160 for the defense . the three convicted men will be held in the tribunal 's custody until a state can be found to house them . the genocide 's impact is still be felt today , with recent fighting in neighbouring congo blamed on lingering tensions from the slaughter . rebel leader laurent nkunda says his forces are fighting to defend congolese tutsis from hutu militants who escaped to congo . | the united nations established the genocide tribunal in late 1994 |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods won his first golf tournament in more than two years , narrowly defeating fellow american zach johnson to capture the chevron world challenge title sunday . woods finished three strokes under par for the day , allowing him to leapfrog johnson for the one-stroke win at the sherwood country club in thousand oaks , california , according to the pga tour 's website . the victory was the 35-year-old golfer 's first since capturing the australian masters title in november 2009 . it feels awesome , ' said woods on his official website , tigerwoods.com . it was a lot of fun coming down the stretch . ' the five-time winner was one stroke behind johnson going up the 17th , before he birdied the final two holes -- including a 16-foot putt at 17 -- to clinch the title . if i do n't make that putt it 's in zach 's control , ' woods said . that putt was huge . ' despite the disappointing finish , johnson was quick to pay tribute to his rival . he made two great putts , ' he said , in quotes carried by tigerwoods.com . you just tip your hat . i 'm proud of how i handled the situation and continued to fight . ' woods the hero as united states retain presidents cup there were 18 players total in the chevron field , far fewer than in more traditional tournaments . even so , the pga tour website noted that woods moved up 20 spots in the official world golf ranking with the win . woods had reigned as golf 's no . 1 for a record 623 weeks between 1997 and 2010 , until his career stalled amid a slew of injuries and well-publicized reports of affairs that led to the end of his marriage . in october , he dropped out of the world 's top 50 for the first time in 15 years . the pga tour 's 2012 regular season ' schedule officially begins the first week in january at the hyundai tournament of champions at kapalua , hawaii . in april , woods likely will be among those battling in the season 's first major , the masters , which he has won four times . | woods jumps 20 spots in world golf rankings with the win , the pga tour says |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods won his first golf tournament in more than two years , narrowly defeating fellow american zach johnson to capture the chevron world challenge title sunday . woods finished three strokes under par for the day , allowing him to leapfrog johnson for the one-stroke win at the sherwood country club in thousand oaks , california , according to the pga tour 's website . the victory was the 35-year-old golfer 's first since capturing the australian masters title in november 2009 . it feels awesome , ' said woods on his official website , tigerwoods.com . it was a lot of fun coming down the stretch . ' the five-time winner was one stroke behind johnson going up the 17th , before he birdied the final two holes -- including a 16-foot putt at 17 -- to clinch the title . if i do n't make that putt it 's in zach 's control , ' woods said . that putt was huge . ' despite the disappointing finish , johnson was quick to pay tribute to his rival . he made two great putts , ' he said , in quotes carried by tigerwoods.com . you just tip your hat . i 'm proud of how i handled the situation and continued to fight . ' woods the hero as united states retain presidents cup there were 18 players total in the chevron field , far fewer than in more traditional tournaments . even so , the pga tour website noted that woods moved up 20 spots in the official world golf ranking with the win . woods had reigned as golf 's no . 1 for a record 623 weeks between 1997 and 2010 , until his career stalled amid a slew of injuries and well-publicized reports of affairs that led to the end of his marriage . in october , he dropped out of the world 's top 50 for the first time in 15 years . the pga tour 's 2012 regular season ' schedule officially begins the first week in january at the hyundai tournament of champions at kapalua , hawaii . in april , woods likely will be among those battling in the season 's first major , the masters , which he has won four times . | woods narrowly beats zach johnson to win the chevron world challenge |
zach johnson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods won his first golf tournament in more than two years , narrowly defeating fellow american zach johnson to capture the chevron world challenge title sunday . woods finished three strokes under par for the day , allowing him to leapfrog johnson for the one-stroke win at the sherwood country club in thousand oaks , california , according to the pga tour 's website . the victory was the 35-year-old golfer 's first since capturing the australian masters title in november 2009 . it feels awesome , ' said woods on his official website , tigerwoods.com . it was a lot of fun coming down the stretch . ' the five-time winner was one stroke behind johnson going up the 17th , before he birdied the final two holes -- including a 16-foot putt at 17 -- to clinch the title . if i do n't make that putt it 's in zach 's control , ' woods said . that putt was huge . ' despite the disappointing finish , johnson was quick to pay tribute to his rival . he made two great putts , ' he said , in quotes carried by tigerwoods.com . you just tip your hat . i 'm proud of how i handled the situation and continued to fight . ' woods the hero as united states retain presidents cup there were 18 players total in the chevron field , far fewer than in more traditional tournaments . even so , the pga tour website noted that woods moved up 20 spots in the official world golf ranking with the win . woods had reigned as golf 's no . 1 for a record 623 weeks between 1997 and 2010 , until his career stalled amid a slew of injuries and well-publicized reports of affairs that led to the end of his marriage . in october , he dropped out of the world 's top 50 for the first time in 15 years . the pga tour 's 2012 regular season ' schedule officially begins the first week in january at the hyundai tournament of champions at kapalua , hawaii . in april , woods likely will be among those battling in the season 's first major , the masters , which he has won four times . | woods narrowly beats zach johnson to win the chevron world challenge |
nfl <tsp> michael sam , an all-american defensive lineman from the university of missouri , publicly revealed that he 's gay sunday , creating the possibility he 'll be the first openly gay player drafted by the national football league . i came to tell the world i 'm an openly proud gay man , ' he said in an interview with espn . he said he told his missouri teammates in august and suffered no repercussions . he said he was surprised to discover many people in the media already knew he was gay . i understand how big this is , ' sam said in the espn interview . it 's a big deal . no one has done this before . and it 's kind of a nervous process , but i know what i want to be ... i want to be a football player in the nfl . ' sam also spoke about his sexual orientation sunday to the new york times , saying : i just want to make sure i could tell my story the way i want to tell it . i just want to own my truth . ' sam , at 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds , starred in college football last season . besides being first team all-american , he was named the top defensive player in the southeastern conference , considered the nation 's best league . teammates named him the team 's most valuable player . with those credentials , he 's expected to be picked in the nfl draft in may . the bleacher report mock draft projected him to go in the late rounds because athletic limitations including a lack of flexibility and a lack of optimal size are concerning . ' his agent said monday that he does not think sam 's decision to acknowledge his sexual orientation will hurt his draft prospects . i think , if anything , teams will look at it and see a guy who was honest and upfront instead of waiting until after the draft to potentially make his announcement , ' joe barkett told cnn . mike was forward , and he wants the team who drafts him to accept him for who he is . ' the nfl issued a statement on twitter on sunday : we admire michael sam 's honesty and courage . michael is a football player . any player with ability and determination can succeed in the nfl . we look forward to welcoming and supporting michael sam in 2014 . ' however , the nfl has made headlines on the issue of sexual orientation in the past . last year , a university of colorado player said an nfl team asked him if he liked girls and had a girlfriend . the nfl quickly said , any team or employee that inquires about impermissible subjects or makes an employment decision based on such factors is subject to league discipline . ' sam issued his own tweet : i want to thank everybody for their support and encouragement , especially @ espn , @ nytimes and @ nfl . i am proud to tell my story to the world ! ' sam 's announcement comes as the federal government expands its recognition of same-sex marriages . attorney general eric holder said the justice department will issue a memo monday that extends the federal government 's recognition of same-sex marriages , even in the 34 states that do n't consider it legal . other athletes have come out as gay , but they did n't have sam 's profile . glaad , a lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender media advocacy group , said sam is the latest high-profile athlete to come out as lgbt . others include the nba 's jason collins , the wnba 's brittney griner , wwe 's darren young , ufc 's liz carmouche , mma 's fallon fox and major league soccer 's robbie rogers . ' of those athletes , collins made the biggest media splash . he 's not playing in the nba this season . praise poured in for sam , who overcame a rough childhood in which one of his brothers was killed and others ended up in prison . sam 's head football coach at missouri , gary pinkel , said : we 're really happy for michael that he 's made the decision to announce this , and we 're proud of him and how he represents mizzou . michael is a great example of just how important it is to be respectful of others , he 's taught a lot of people here first-hand that it does n't matter what your background is , or your personal orientation , we 're all on the same team and we all support each other . ' glaad president sarah kate ellis said in a prepared statement : by rewriting the script for countless young athletes , michael has demonstrated the leadership that , along with his impressive skills on the field , makes him a natural fit for the nfl . with acceptance of lgbt people rising across our coasts -- in our schools , churches , and workplaces -- it 's clear that america is ready for an openly gay football star . ' | with his skills , he could be drafted by the nfl in may |
osman <tsp> istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- more than 80 years after his family was ordered from the country , the grandson of one of the last ottoman sultans was buried saturday as hundreds of admirers looked on . relatives carry the coffin of osman on saturday after his funeral ceremony in istanbul . ertugrul osman , grandson of sultan abdulhamid ii and heir to the ottoman throne , died this week in istanbul of kidney failure at the age of 97 , after having lived most of his life in exile in a humble third-floor walk-up apartment on manhattan 's upper east side . osman 's funeral in the garden of the mammoth sultanahmet mosque was attended by turkish state ministers , artists and media glitterati . they lined up to pay their respects to osman 's widow , zeynep osman , herself a descendant of the royal family of afghanistan . one woman pressed her forehead to mrs. osman 's hand in a traditional turkish show of respect , saying i 'm just an ordinary person , but i would like to kiss your hand . ' his death marks the passing of an era , ' wrote jason goodwin , author of lords of the horizons , ' which tells the history of the ottoman empire , in an e-mail to cnn . osman himself was born into a family that still ruled an empire stretching from the balkans to the indian ocean . he was named after the founder of his dynasty , who lived seven centuries ago . ' during annual campaigns at the peak of its power , the ottoman sultan 's army of janissaries struck fear into the hearts of european monarchs . for 400 years , the ottomans declared themselves the caliphs ' -- spiritual leaders -- of the muslim world . but the empire declined during the 19th century , eventually suffering a humiliating defeat and partition at the hands of allied armies during world war i . in 1922 , mustafa kemal ataturk , the founder of the modern turkish republic , sent the last ottoman sultan packing aboard a british warship . two years later , ataturk banned the caliphate , declaring turkey a secular state . ertugrul osman , who had played as a boy in the imperial palaces of istanbul , was sent with the rest of his family into exile . he lived for decades in europe , then moved after world war ii to the united states . friends say he ran a successful mining business in chile . they described osman as a polyglot renaissance man with a passion for politics and opera and a taste for evening cocktails . over the years , osman told reporters he had no interest in assuming the ottoman throne . in the early 1990s , after more than half a century outside the country , osman returned to turkey at the invitation of a turkish prime minister . friends say that , prior to getting a turkish passport in 2004 , he traveled using documents identifying him as an ottoman citizen . the hundreds of mourners at saturday 's funeral stunned other surviving members of the ottoman royal family . one man rushed bulent osman , a tall , elderly french-born nephew of the deceased , kissing his hand and crying in turkish ? my prince , we are guilty for how we treated you ! ' i am not a prince , ' osman later explained to a reporter in french-accented english . i am quite surprised . it is the first time i have seen such an outpouring . ' the royal family seems to be especially revered by devout muslim turks , who see the sultan 's descendants as a link to the abolished islamic caliphate . they are our grandfathers , ' said a young man named fatih , who wore the long beard , turban and robes of a fundamentalist islamic sect . they glorified our religion and brought it to the highest level . ' the funeral was attended by an eclectic mix of mourners -- stylishly dressed members of the royal family who grew up in europe alongside fervent islamists , some of whom pushed through the crowd ordering women to move to the back to pray . hundreds of police officers blocked traffic as osman was buried in a garden filled with the gravestones of ottoman pashas and viziers , beside the ornate tombs of his grandfather sultan abdulhamid ii and another ancestor , sultan mahmut ii . osman 's death serves as a reminder of turkey 's recent , yet often forgotten ottoman history , said historian jason goodwin . his funeral may be a catalyst for modern , republican turkey to overcome its historical amnesia , and come to terms with its own past , ' goodwin said . | osman 's funeral attended by turkish state ministers , artists , media glitterati |
osman <tsp> istanbul , turkey ( cnn ) -- more than 80 years after his family was ordered from the country , the grandson of one of the last ottoman sultans was buried saturday as hundreds of admirers looked on . relatives carry the coffin of osman on saturday after his funeral ceremony in istanbul . ertugrul osman , grandson of sultan abdulhamid ii and heir to the ottoman throne , died this week in istanbul of kidney failure at the age of 97 , after having lived most of his life in exile in a humble third-floor walk-up apartment on manhattan 's upper east side . osman 's funeral in the garden of the mammoth sultanahmet mosque was attended by turkish state ministers , artists and media glitterati . they lined up to pay their respects to osman 's widow , zeynep osman , herself a descendant of the royal family of afghanistan . one woman pressed her forehead to mrs. osman 's hand in a traditional turkish show of respect , saying i 'm just an ordinary person , but i would like to kiss your hand . ' his death marks the passing of an era , ' wrote jason goodwin , author of lords of the horizons , ' which tells the history of the ottoman empire , in an e-mail to cnn . osman himself was born into a family that still ruled an empire stretching from the balkans to the indian ocean . he was named after the founder of his dynasty , who lived seven centuries ago . ' during annual campaigns at the peak of its power , the ottoman sultan 's army of janissaries struck fear into the hearts of european monarchs . for 400 years , the ottomans declared themselves the caliphs ' -- spiritual leaders -- of the muslim world . but the empire declined during the 19th century , eventually suffering a humiliating defeat and partition at the hands of allied armies during world war i . in 1922 , mustafa kemal ataturk , the founder of the modern turkish republic , sent the last ottoman sultan packing aboard a british warship . two years later , ataturk banned the caliphate , declaring turkey a secular state . ertugrul osman , who had played as a boy in the imperial palaces of istanbul , was sent with the rest of his family into exile . he lived for decades in europe , then moved after world war ii to the united states . friends say he ran a successful mining business in chile . they described osman as a polyglot renaissance man with a passion for politics and opera and a taste for evening cocktails . over the years , osman told reporters he had no interest in assuming the ottoman throne . in the early 1990s , after more than half a century outside the country , osman returned to turkey at the invitation of a turkish prime minister . friends say that , prior to getting a turkish passport in 2004 , he traveled using documents identifying him as an ottoman citizen . the hundreds of mourners at saturday 's funeral stunned other surviving members of the ottoman royal family . one man rushed bulent osman , a tall , elderly french-born nephew of the deceased , kissing his hand and crying in turkish ? my prince , we are guilty for how we treated you ! ' i am not a prince , ' osman later explained to a reporter in french-accented english . i am quite surprised . it is the first time i have seen such an outpouring . ' the royal family seems to be especially revered by devout muslim turks , who see the sultan 's descendants as a link to the abolished islamic caliphate . they are our grandfathers , ' said a young man named fatih , who wore the long beard , turban and robes of a fundamentalist islamic sect . they glorified our religion and brought it to the highest level . ' the funeral was attended by an eclectic mix of mourners -- stylishly dressed members of the royal family who grew up in europe alongside fervent islamists , some of whom pushed through the crowd ordering women to move to the back to pray . hundreds of police officers blocked traffic as osman was buried in a garden filled with the gravestones of ottoman pashas and viziers , beside the ornate tombs of his grandfather sultan abdulhamid ii and another ancestor , sultan mahmut ii . osman 's death serves as a reminder of turkey 's recent , yet often forgotten ottoman history , said historian jason goodwin . his funeral may be a catalyst for modern , republican turkey to overcome its historical amnesia , and come to terms with its own past , ' goodwin said . | ertugrul osman died this week in istanbul of kidney failure at the age of 97 |
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