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muslims <tsp> ( cnn ) louisiana gov . bobby jindal on monday stood by his criticism of so-called no-go ' zones in europe , where sovereign nations allegedly cede authority to muslim immigrants , a controversial idea that many critics say is overblown . and the potential 2016 republican presidential candidate decried what he called immigrants'insistence on non-assimilation , the fact that you 've got people who want to come to our country but not adopt our values , ' which he called dangerous . ' jindal has the reputation of policy wonk among republicans and boldly told gop officials during a 2013 address to the republican national committee that they must stop being the stupid party ' and needed to stop insulting the intelligence of voters . ' asked by cnn 's wolf blitzer whether he would walk back his comments on no-go zones , made in a speech to the henry jackson society in london earlier that day , jindal said , not at all . ' msnbc guest wo n't apologize for jindal remark ' and i 'm also making a bigger and maybe even more controversial point that radical islam is a grave threat , we need muslim leaders to denounce the individuals , not just the acts of violence , ' he said , adding that it is absolutely correct to insist on assimilation ' of immigrants in the united states . but pressed for specific examples of such no-go zones , jindal demurred , saying he had met with elected officials and others ' to discuss them and noted a report in uk tabloid the daily mail that purported to highlight the challenges facing law enforcement in such areas . i knew by speaking the truth we were gon na make people upset , ' jindal told blitzer . jindal was also unable to offer examples during an earlier interview with cnn 's max foster , saying that he 's heard from folks here that there are neighborhoods where women do n't feel comfortable going in without veils ... we all know that there are neighborhoods where police are less likely to go into . ' i think that the radical left absolutely wants to pretend like this problem is not here . pretending it 's not here wo n't make it go away , ' he told foster . pressed for details , jindal said only , i think your viewers know absolutely there are places where the police are less likely to go . ' and asked whether that feeling may be caused by high crime rates , rather than the muslim population in the area , jindal said , this is n't a question . ' i know the left wants to make this into an attack on religion and that 's not what this is . what we are saying , it 's absolutely an issue for the uk , absolutely is an issue for america and other european and western nations , ' he said . during his london speech , jindal said , in the west , non-assimilationist muslims establish enclaves and carry out as much of sharia law as they can without regard for the laws of the democratic countries which provided them a new home , ' according to prepared remarks . it is startling to think that any country would allow , even unofficially , for a so-called'no-go zone .'the idea that a free country would allow for specific areas of its country to operate in an autonomous way that is not free and is in direct opposition to its laws is hard to fathom , ' he said . jindal also suggested the rise of such no-go zones has contributed to growing anti-semitism throughout europe , which has prompted many jews to emigrate from their home countries . how does such evil rise again in democratic countries ? ' jindal asked . i believe it is because radical islamists have been given too wide a berth to establish their own nation within a nation , ' he said . muslim leaders need to condemn anyone who commits these acts of violence , and clearly state that these people are evil and are enemies of islam , ' he added . the idea of no-go zones ' sparked controversy last week when a fox news commentator raised the prospect of areas in france , britain , sweden and germany where those countries'governments do n't exercise any sovereignty , ' and which instead are run largely by muslim immigrants . the commentator also mentioned whole cities where non-muslims simply do n't go in , ' in particular the city of birmingham in the united kingdom . british prime minister david cameron later pushed back on the idea , calling the commentator a complete idiot . ' when i heard this , frankly , i choked on my porridge and i thought it must be april fools'day . this guy is clearly a complete idiot , ' he said . the fox commentator later apologized to birmingham for labeling it a no-go zone , but stood by the idea that such areas exist . fox news , however , issued a formal apology for the remarks , with host julie banderas retracting the comments as regrettable errors ' and saying the network deeply regret ( s ) the errors and apologize ( s ) to any and all who may have taken offense . ' cnnmoney : fox news apologizes 4 times for inaccurate comments about muslims in europe but a jindal aide said the governor stuck largely to the text as prepared , which included the criticism of the zones . and the remarks have drawn praise from conservatives and attacted national media attention at a time when the potential presidential contender is looking to raise his profile in time for a white house bid . national review columnist larry kudlow called it a brilliant take on radical islam . ' it is the toughest speech i have read on the whole issue of islamic radicalism and its destructive , murdering , barbarous ways which are upsetting the entire world , ' kudlow wrote in an op-ed . democrats , though , knocked jindal . it 's no surprise that bobby jindal would go abroad and butcher the facts in an effort to divide people -- this is exactly what we 've come to expect from jindal here at home , ' democratic national committee spokeswoman rebecca chalif told cnn . jindal is just embarrassing himself . he is abroad while louisiana is facing a budget crisis of his own making -- he ca n't even govern his state , he is the last person we want wading into foreign policy . ' opinion : bobby jindal does n't know what he 's talking about | louisiana gov . bobby jindal decried no-go zones , ' where sovereign governments cede authority to muslims |
fox news <tsp> ( cnn ) louisiana gov . bobby jindal on monday stood by his criticism of so-called no-go ' zones in europe , where sovereign nations allegedly cede authority to muslim immigrants , a controversial idea that many critics say is overblown . and the potential 2016 republican presidential candidate decried what he called immigrants'insistence on non-assimilation , the fact that you 've got people who want to come to our country but not adopt our values , ' which he called dangerous . ' jindal has the reputation of policy wonk among republicans and boldly told gop officials during a 2013 address to the republican national committee that they must stop being the stupid party ' and needed to stop insulting the intelligence of voters . ' asked by cnn 's wolf blitzer whether he would walk back his comments on no-go zones , made in a speech to the henry jackson society in london earlier that day , jindal said , not at all . ' msnbc guest wo n't apologize for jindal remark ' and i 'm also making a bigger and maybe even more controversial point that radical islam is a grave threat , we need muslim leaders to denounce the individuals , not just the acts of violence , ' he said , adding that it is absolutely correct to insist on assimilation ' of immigrants in the united states . but pressed for specific examples of such no-go zones , jindal demurred , saying he had met with elected officials and others ' to discuss them and noted a report in uk tabloid the daily mail that purported to highlight the challenges facing law enforcement in such areas . i knew by speaking the truth we were gon na make people upset , ' jindal told blitzer . jindal was also unable to offer examples during an earlier interview with cnn 's max foster , saying that he 's heard from folks here that there are neighborhoods where women do n't feel comfortable going in without veils ... we all know that there are neighborhoods where police are less likely to go into . ' i think that the radical left absolutely wants to pretend like this problem is not here . pretending it 's not here wo n't make it go away , ' he told foster . pressed for details , jindal said only , i think your viewers know absolutely there are places where the police are less likely to go . ' and asked whether that feeling may be caused by high crime rates , rather than the muslim population in the area , jindal said , this is n't a question . ' i know the left wants to make this into an attack on religion and that 's not what this is . what we are saying , it 's absolutely an issue for the uk , absolutely is an issue for america and other european and western nations , ' he said . during his london speech , jindal said , in the west , non-assimilationist muslims establish enclaves and carry out as much of sharia law as they can without regard for the laws of the democratic countries which provided them a new home , ' according to prepared remarks . it is startling to think that any country would allow , even unofficially , for a so-called'no-go zone .'the idea that a free country would allow for specific areas of its country to operate in an autonomous way that is not free and is in direct opposition to its laws is hard to fathom , ' he said . jindal also suggested the rise of such no-go zones has contributed to growing anti-semitism throughout europe , which has prompted many jews to emigrate from their home countries . how does such evil rise again in democratic countries ? ' jindal asked . i believe it is because radical islamists have been given too wide a berth to establish their own nation within a nation , ' he said . muslim leaders need to condemn anyone who commits these acts of violence , and clearly state that these people are evil and are enemies of islam , ' he added . the idea of no-go zones ' sparked controversy last week when a fox news commentator raised the prospect of areas in france , britain , sweden and germany where those countries'governments do n't exercise any sovereignty , ' and which instead are run largely by muslim immigrants . the commentator also mentioned whole cities where non-muslims simply do n't go in , ' in particular the city of birmingham in the united kingdom . british prime minister david cameron later pushed back on the idea , calling the commentator a complete idiot . ' when i heard this , frankly , i choked on my porridge and i thought it must be april fools'day . this guy is clearly a complete idiot , ' he said . the fox commentator later apologized to birmingham for labeling it a no-go zone , but stood by the idea that such areas exist . fox news , however , issued a formal apology for the remarks , with host julie banderas retracting the comments as regrettable errors ' and saying the network deeply regret ( s ) the errors and apologize ( s ) to any and all who may have taken offense . ' cnnmoney : fox news apologizes 4 times for inaccurate comments about muslims in europe but a jindal aide said the governor stuck largely to the text as prepared , which included the criticism of the zones . and the remarks have drawn praise from conservatives and attacted national media attention at a time when the potential presidential contender is looking to raise his profile in time for a white house bid . national review columnist larry kudlow called it a brilliant take on radical islam . ' it is the toughest speech i have read on the whole issue of islamic radicalism and its destructive , murdering , barbarous ways which are upsetting the entire world , ' kudlow wrote in an op-ed . democrats , though , knocked jindal . it 's no surprise that bobby jindal would go abroad and butcher the facts in an effort to divide people -- this is exactly what we 've come to expect from jindal here at home , ' democratic national committee spokeswoman rebecca chalif told cnn . jindal is just embarrassing himself . he is abroad while louisiana is facing a budget crisis of his own making -- he ca n't even govern his state , he is the last person we want wading into foreign policy . ' opinion : bobby jindal does n't know what he 's talking about | a fox news commentator sparked controversy when he mentioned the idea last week , which has been debunked |
saudi press agency <tsp> ( cnn ) saudi special forces assisted yemeni fighters targeting houthis and their allies in aden , a saudi source told cnn . the special forces were on the ground in noncombat roles coordinating and guiding ' the battle against houthi forces and fighters loyal to former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh , the source said . they also have helped parachute in weapons and communications equipment . houthi rebels , meanwhile , withdrew from the presidential palace and other key parts of the southern port city of aden following heavy saudi airstrikes , according to the source . the withdrawal signaled a reversal from rebel gains the previous day , when houthi forces seized the presidential palace . president abdu rabu mansour hadi , who fled the country last month , had stayed for a period of time after houthis secured control of the capital , sanaa , in january . houthis had controlled most large districts in aden amid ongoing clashes . the latest action heats up an already intense conflict that could have ramifications across the middle east . if the saudi-led coalition of nine countries takes the fight to the ground in yemen , the consequences could be severe . houthis are battle-hardened guerrilla fighters and could cross into saudi arabia . they 've already threatened suicide bomb attacks inside saudi arabia . yemen , already the home base to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , teeters on the brink of becoming a failed state and an even more fertile breeding ground for extremism . the united nations , citing reports from humanitarian partners , said 519 people have been killed and nearly 1,700 others wounded in the past two weeks . tens of thousands of people have fled their homes and sought refuge in djibouti and somalia , valerie amos , under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator , said in a statement . two humanitarian workers were killed friday in yemen . the brothers working for the local branch of the yemen red crescent society were shot in aden while evacuating wounded people to a waiting ambulance , the international committee of the red cross reported . they were identified as khaled ahmed bahuzaim and mohammed ahmed bahuzaim . two saudi border guards were killed friday after an exchange of fire with houthi rebels along the kingdom 's frontier with yemen , officials told cnn . a border guard was killed in a cross-boundary fire exchange with militants , the saudi press agency reported thursday . that marked saudi arabia 's first publicly known military death since it launched airstrikes against rebels inside its southern neighbor . u.s. navy warships were patrolling off yemen in search of suspicious shipping in the region , in particular any weapons shipments from iran to the houthi rebels they are supporting in yemen , a u.s. defense official told cnn on thursday . the navy this week came across a panamanian-registered cargo ship that had left an iranian port , the official said . based on the route of the ship from iran to yemen , the navy declared it a vessel of interest ' and requested permission from the captain to search it . the ship was found to be carrying cement and construction materials , the official said . it was sent on its way . the offshore area has been a route for weapons smuggling into yemen , as well as sudan and gaza , so the navy has maintained a regular surveillance presence there . the official said that increased fighting in the last several days in southern yemen has resulted in other ships trying to dock to help civilians leave the country . saudi and allied warplanes struck rebels in yemen last week , with saudi arabia threatening to send ground troops and inserting itself into its southern neighbor 's civil war . the swift and sudden action involved 100 saudi jets , 30 from the united arab emirates , 15 each from kuwait and bahrain , 10 from qatar , and a handful from jordan , morocco and sudan , plus naval help from pakistan and egypt , according to a saudi adviser . the houthi rebels are shiite muslims who have taken over sanaa and had captured parts of its second-largest city , aden . the sunni saudis consider the houthis proxies for the shiite government of iran and fear another shiite-dominated state in the region . officials : al qaeda fighters free 270 from yemeni prisons cnn 's barbara starr contributed to this report . | two saudi border guards killed in exchange with rebels , saudi press agency reports |
saudi <tsp> ( cnn ) saudi special forces assisted yemeni fighters targeting houthis and their allies in aden , a saudi source told cnn . the special forces were on the ground in noncombat roles coordinating and guiding ' the battle against houthi forces and fighters loyal to former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh , the source said . they also have helped parachute in weapons and communications equipment . houthi rebels , meanwhile , withdrew from the presidential palace and other key parts of the southern port city of aden following heavy saudi airstrikes , according to the source . the withdrawal signaled a reversal from rebel gains the previous day , when houthi forces seized the presidential palace . president abdu rabu mansour hadi , who fled the country last month , had stayed for a period of time after houthis secured control of the capital , sanaa , in january . houthis had controlled most large districts in aden amid ongoing clashes . the latest action heats up an already intense conflict that could have ramifications across the middle east . if the saudi-led coalition of nine countries takes the fight to the ground in yemen , the consequences could be severe . houthis are battle-hardened guerrilla fighters and could cross into saudi arabia . they 've already threatened suicide bomb attacks inside saudi arabia . yemen , already the home base to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , teeters on the brink of becoming a failed state and an even more fertile breeding ground for extremism . the united nations , citing reports from humanitarian partners , said 519 people have been killed and nearly 1,700 others wounded in the past two weeks . tens of thousands of people have fled their homes and sought refuge in djibouti and somalia , valerie amos , under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator , said in a statement . two humanitarian workers were killed friday in yemen . the brothers working for the local branch of the yemen red crescent society were shot in aden while evacuating wounded people to a waiting ambulance , the international committee of the red cross reported . they were identified as khaled ahmed bahuzaim and mohammed ahmed bahuzaim . two saudi border guards were killed friday after an exchange of fire with houthi rebels along the kingdom 's frontier with yemen , officials told cnn . a border guard was killed in a cross-boundary fire exchange with militants , the saudi press agency reported thursday . that marked saudi arabia 's first publicly known military death since it launched airstrikes against rebels inside its southern neighbor . u.s. navy warships were patrolling off yemen in search of suspicious shipping in the region , in particular any weapons shipments from iran to the houthi rebels they are supporting in yemen , a u.s. defense official told cnn on thursday . the navy this week came across a panamanian-registered cargo ship that had left an iranian port , the official said . based on the route of the ship from iran to yemen , the navy declared it a vessel of interest ' and requested permission from the captain to search it . the ship was found to be carrying cement and construction materials , the official said . it was sent on its way . the offshore area has been a route for weapons smuggling into yemen , as well as sudan and gaza , so the navy has maintained a regular surveillance presence there . the official said that increased fighting in the last several days in southern yemen has resulted in other ships trying to dock to help civilians leave the country . saudi and allied warplanes struck rebels in yemen last week , with saudi arabia threatening to send ground troops and inserting itself into its southern neighbor 's civil war . the swift and sudden action involved 100 saudi jets , 30 from the united arab emirates , 15 each from kuwait and bahrain , 10 from qatar , and a handful from jordan , morocco and sudan , plus naval help from pakistan and egypt , according to a saudi adviser . the houthi rebels are shiite muslims who have taken over sanaa and had captured parts of its second-largest city , aden . the sunni saudis consider the houthis proxies for the shiite government of iran and fear another shiite-dominated state in the region . officials : al qaeda fighters free 270 from yemeni prisons cnn 's barbara starr contributed to this report . | two saudi border guards killed in exchange with rebels , saudi press agency reports |
saudi <tsp> ( cnn ) saudi special forces assisted yemeni fighters targeting houthis and their allies in aden , a saudi source told cnn . the special forces were on the ground in noncombat roles coordinating and guiding ' the battle against houthi forces and fighters loyal to former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh , the source said . they also have helped parachute in weapons and communications equipment . houthi rebels , meanwhile , withdrew from the presidential palace and other key parts of the southern port city of aden following heavy saudi airstrikes , according to the source . the withdrawal signaled a reversal from rebel gains the previous day , when houthi forces seized the presidential palace . president abdu rabu mansour hadi , who fled the country last month , had stayed for a period of time after houthis secured control of the capital , sanaa , in january . houthis had controlled most large districts in aden amid ongoing clashes . the latest action heats up an already intense conflict that could have ramifications across the middle east . if the saudi-led coalition of nine countries takes the fight to the ground in yemen , the consequences could be severe . houthis are battle-hardened guerrilla fighters and could cross into saudi arabia . they 've already threatened suicide bomb attacks inside saudi arabia . yemen , already the home base to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , teeters on the brink of becoming a failed state and an even more fertile breeding ground for extremism . the united nations , citing reports from humanitarian partners , said 519 people have been killed and nearly 1,700 others wounded in the past two weeks . tens of thousands of people have fled their homes and sought refuge in djibouti and somalia , valerie amos , under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator , said in a statement . two humanitarian workers were killed friday in yemen . the brothers working for the local branch of the yemen red crescent society were shot in aden while evacuating wounded people to a waiting ambulance , the international committee of the red cross reported . they were identified as khaled ahmed bahuzaim and mohammed ahmed bahuzaim . two saudi border guards were killed friday after an exchange of fire with houthi rebels along the kingdom 's frontier with yemen , officials told cnn . a border guard was killed in a cross-boundary fire exchange with militants , the saudi press agency reported thursday . that marked saudi arabia 's first publicly known military death since it launched airstrikes against rebels inside its southern neighbor . u.s. navy warships were patrolling off yemen in search of suspicious shipping in the region , in particular any weapons shipments from iran to the houthi rebels they are supporting in yemen , a u.s. defense official told cnn on thursday . the navy this week came across a panamanian-registered cargo ship that had left an iranian port , the official said . based on the route of the ship from iran to yemen , the navy declared it a vessel of interest ' and requested permission from the captain to search it . the ship was found to be carrying cement and construction materials , the official said . it was sent on its way . the offshore area has been a route for weapons smuggling into yemen , as well as sudan and gaza , so the navy has maintained a regular surveillance presence there . the official said that increased fighting in the last several days in southern yemen has resulted in other ships trying to dock to help civilians leave the country . saudi and allied warplanes struck rebels in yemen last week , with saudi arabia threatening to send ground troops and inserting itself into its southern neighbor 's civil war . the swift and sudden action involved 100 saudi jets , 30 from the united arab emirates , 15 each from kuwait and bahrain , 10 from qatar , and a handful from jordan , morocco and sudan , plus naval help from pakistan and egypt , according to a saudi adviser . the houthi rebels are shiite muslims who have taken over sanaa and had captured parts of its second-largest city , aden . the sunni saudis consider the houthis proxies for the shiite government of iran and fear another shiite-dominated state in the region . officials : al qaeda fighters free 270 from yemeni prisons cnn 's barbara starr contributed to this report . | saudi forces in non-combat roles coordinating and guiding ' fight against houthis , source says |
houthis <tsp> ( cnn ) saudi special forces assisted yemeni fighters targeting houthis and their allies in aden , a saudi source told cnn . the special forces were on the ground in noncombat roles coordinating and guiding ' the battle against houthi forces and fighters loyal to former yemeni president ali abdullah saleh , the source said . they also have helped parachute in weapons and communications equipment . houthi rebels , meanwhile , withdrew from the presidential palace and other key parts of the southern port city of aden following heavy saudi airstrikes , according to the source . the withdrawal signaled a reversal from rebel gains the previous day , when houthi forces seized the presidential palace . president abdu rabu mansour hadi , who fled the country last month , had stayed for a period of time after houthis secured control of the capital , sanaa , in january . houthis had controlled most large districts in aden amid ongoing clashes . the latest action heats up an already intense conflict that could have ramifications across the middle east . if the saudi-led coalition of nine countries takes the fight to the ground in yemen , the consequences could be severe . houthis are battle-hardened guerrilla fighters and could cross into saudi arabia . they 've already threatened suicide bomb attacks inside saudi arabia . yemen , already the home base to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , teeters on the brink of becoming a failed state and an even more fertile breeding ground for extremism . the united nations , citing reports from humanitarian partners , said 519 people have been killed and nearly 1,700 others wounded in the past two weeks . tens of thousands of people have fled their homes and sought refuge in djibouti and somalia , valerie amos , under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator , said in a statement . two humanitarian workers were killed friday in yemen . the brothers working for the local branch of the yemen red crescent society were shot in aden while evacuating wounded people to a waiting ambulance , the international committee of the red cross reported . they were identified as khaled ahmed bahuzaim and mohammed ahmed bahuzaim . two saudi border guards were killed friday after an exchange of fire with houthi rebels along the kingdom 's frontier with yemen , officials told cnn . a border guard was killed in a cross-boundary fire exchange with militants , the saudi press agency reported thursday . that marked saudi arabia 's first publicly known military death since it launched airstrikes against rebels inside its southern neighbor . u.s. navy warships were patrolling off yemen in search of suspicious shipping in the region , in particular any weapons shipments from iran to the houthi rebels they are supporting in yemen , a u.s. defense official told cnn on thursday . the navy this week came across a panamanian-registered cargo ship that had left an iranian port , the official said . based on the route of the ship from iran to yemen , the navy declared it a vessel of interest ' and requested permission from the captain to search it . the ship was found to be carrying cement and construction materials , the official said . it was sent on its way . the offshore area has been a route for weapons smuggling into yemen , as well as sudan and gaza , so the navy has maintained a regular surveillance presence there . the official said that increased fighting in the last several days in southern yemen has resulted in other ships trying to dock to help civilians leave the country . saudi and allied warplanes struck rebels in yemen last week , with saudi arabia threatening to send ground troops and inserting itself into its southern neighbor 's civil war . the swift and sudden action involved 100 saudi jets , 30 from the united arab emirates , 15 each from kuwait and bahrain , 10 from qatar , and a handful from jordan , morocco and sudan , plus naval help from pakistan and egypt , according to a saudi adviser . the houthi rebels are shiite muslims who have taken over sanaa and had captured parts of its second-largest city , aden . the sunni saudis consider the houthis proxies for the shiite government of iran and fear another shiite-dominated state in the region . officials : al qaeda fighters free 270 from yemeni prisons cnn 's barbara starr contributed to this report . | saudi forces in non-combat roles coordinating and guiding ' fight against houthis , source says |
magnitsky act <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia 's upper house of parliament has approved a controversial measure banning adoption of russian children by u.s. families , russian media reported wednesday . the legislation now goes to president vladimir putin to be signed into law , the semiofficial ria-novosti news agency said . read more : russia 's lower house approves bill to ban u.s. adoption the legislation could affect hundreds of american families seeking to adopt . americans adopted close to 1,000 russian children last year , according to u.s. state department figures . though the number has been dropping in recent years , russia remains the third most popular country for u.s. citizens to adopt after china and ethiopia . the u.s . ambassador to russia michael mcfaul tweeted that passage of the bill saddens ' him , but said he 's open to dialogue . the bill also bars any political activities by nongovernmental organizations receiving funding from the united states , if such activities could affect russian interests , the news agency said . the legislation also imposes sanctions against u.s. officials thought to have violated human rights . read more : russian lawmakers eye adoption ban to u.s . the vote in the federation council , russia 's upper house , was unanimous , but foreign minister sergei lavrov has criticized the bill . it is expected to be signed by putin in coming days . lawmakers in the state duma , russia 's lower house of parliament , adopted the bill last week . the move by russian politicians is widely seen as retaliation for a law that u.s. president barack obama signed on december 14 . that bill , called the magnitsky act , imposes u.s. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in russia . the united states is concerned by measures in the bill passed in the russian duma today that , if it becomes law , would halt inter-country adoptions between the united states and russia and would restrict the ability of russian civil society organizations to work with american partners , ' u.s. state department spokesman patrick ventrell said last week . the magnitsky act is named in honor of russian lawyer sergei magnitsky , who uncovered the largest tax fraud in the country 's history in the form of rebates claimed by government officials who stole money from the state . magnitsky died in 2009 after a year in a moscow detention center , apparently beaten to death . the russian bill 's implementation would nullify a recent agreement between the united states and russia in which the countries agreed to additional safeguards to protect children and parties involved in inter-country adoptions . american families have welcomed more than 60,000 russian children into american homes over the past 20 years , ' ventrell said last week . just last month we implemented a bilateral adoptions agreement with russia to improve safeguards for adopted children and their families . if russian officials have concerns about the implementation of this agreement , we stand ready to work with them to improve it and remain committed to supporting inter-country adoptions between our two countries . ' only china has more adoptions to the united states than russia . backers of the russian bill said american adoptive parents have been abusive , citing 19 deaths of russian children since the 1990s . in 2010 , an american woman caused outrage after she sent her adopted son back to russia alone on a one-way flight , saying the boy , then 7 , had violent episodes that made her family fear for its safety . konstantin dolgov , russian foreign ministry 's special representative for human rights , said on twitter that russia is well aware of , and have pointed out more than once , the inadequate protection of adopted russian children in the us . ' he also noted that the united states is one of three nations that has not signed the 1989 u.n. convention on the rights of the child . anthony lake , u.n. children 's fund executive director , touted the importance of inter-country adoption . ' while welcoming prime minister dmitri medvedev 's call for the improvement of the child welfare system , unicef urges that the current plight of the many russian children in institutions receives priority attention , ' lake said . unicef asked that russia let children 's best interests ' guide the design and development of all efforts to protect children . ' we encourage the government to establish a robust national social protection plan to help strengthen russian families . alternatives to the institutionalization of children are essential , including permanent foster care , domestic adoption and inter-country adoption , ' he said . the united states has signed but not ratified the convention , which has sparked concerns from conservatives over its impact on u.s. sovereignty and parental rights . groups such as amnesty international and human rights watch had urged lawmakers to reject the bill . this bill hits back at russia 's most vulnerable children and could deprive them of the loving families they desperately need , ' hugh williamson , europe and central asia director at human rights watch , said last week . john dalhuisen , amnesty international 's europe and central asia program director , has said , this bill is frankly a childish response to the magnitsky act . ' | the move is seen as retaliation for the magnitsky act , a u.s. law that restricts rights abusers |
russian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia 's upper house of parliament has approved a controversial measure banning adoption of russian children by u.s. families , russian media reported wednesday . the legislation now goes to president vladimir putin to be signed into law , the semiofficial ria-novosti news agency said . read more : russia 's lower house approves bill to ban u.s. adoption the legislation could affect hundreds of american families seeking to adopt . americans adopted close to 1,000 russian children last year , according to u.s. state department figures . though the number has been dropping in recent years , russia remains the third most popular country for u.s. citizens to adopt after china and ethiopia . the u.s . ambassador to russia michael mcfaul tweeted that passage of the bill saddens ' him , but said he 's open to dialogue . the bill also bars any political activities by nongovernmental organizations receiving funding from the united states , if such activities could affect russian interests , the news agency said . the legislation also imposes sanctions against u.s. officials thought to have violated human rights . read more : russian lawmakers eye adoption ban to u.s . the vote in the federation council , russia 's upper house , was unanimous , but foreign minister sergei lavrov has criticized the bill . it is expected to be signed by putin in coming days . lawmakers in the state duma , russia 's lower house of parliament , adopted the bill last week . the move by russian politicians is widely seen as retaliation for a law that u.s. president barack obama signed on december 14 . that bill , called the magnitsky act , imposes u.s. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in russia . the united states is concerned by measures in the bill passed in the russian duma today that , if it becomes law , would halt inter-country adoptions between the united states and russia and would restrict the ability of russian civil society organizations to work with american partners , ' u.s. state department spokesman patrick ventrell said last week . the magnitsky act is named in honor of russian lawyer sergei magnitsky , who uncovered the largest tax fraud in the country 's history in the form of rebates claimed by government officials who stole money from the state . magnitsky died in 2009 after a year in a moscow detention center , apparently beaten to death . the russian bill 's implementation would nullify a recent agreement between the united states and russia in which the countries agreed to additional safeguards to protect children and parties involved in inter-country adoptions . american families have welcomed more than 60,000 russian children into american homes over the past 20 years , ' ventrell said last week . just last month we implemented a bilateral adoptions agreement with russia to improve safeguards for adopted children and their families . if russian officials have concerns about the implementation of this agreement , we stand ready to work with them to improve it and remain committed to supporting inter-country adoptions between our two countries . ' only china has more adoptions to the united states than russia . backers of the russian bill said american adoptive parents have been abusive , citing 19 deaths of russian children since the 1990s . in 2010 , an american woman caused outrage after she sent her adopted son back to russia alone on a one-way flight , saying the boy , then 7 , had violent episodes that made her family fear for its safety . konstantin dolgov , russian foreign ministry 's special representative for human rights , said on twitter that russia is well aware of , and have pointed out more than once , the inadequate protection of adopted russian children in the us . ' he also noted that the united states is one of three nations that has not signed the 1989 u.n. convention on the rights of the child . anthony lake , u.n. children 's fund executive director , touted the importance of inter-country adoption . ' while welcoming prime minister dmitri medvedev 's call for the improvement of the child welfare system , unicef urges that the current plight of the many russian children in institutions receives priority attention , ' lake said . unicef asked that russia let children 's best interests ' guide the design and development of all efforts to protect children . ' we encourage the government to establish a robust national social protection plan to help strengthen russian families . alternatives to the institutionalization of children are essential , including permanent foster care , domestic adoption and inter-country adoption , ' he said . the united states has signed but not ratified the convention , which has sparked concerns from conservatives over its impact on u.s. sovereignty and parental rights . groups such as amnesty international and human rights watch had urged lawmakers to reject the bill . this bill hits back at russia 's most vulnerable children and could deprive them of the loving families they desperately need , ' hugh williamson , europe and central asia director at human rights watch , said last week . john dalhuisen , amnesty international 's europe and central asia program director , has said , this bill is frankly a childish response to the magnitsky act . ' | but backers of the russian bill say american adoptive parents have been abusive |
russian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia 's upper house of parliament has approved a controversial measure banning adoption of russian children by u.s. families , russian media reported wednesday . the legislation now goes to president vladimir putin to be signed into law , the semiofficial ria-novosti news agency said . read more : russia 's lower house approves bill to ban u.s. adoption the legislation could affect hundreds of american families seeking to adopt . americans adopted close to 1,000 russian children last year , according to u.s. state department figures . though the number has been dropping in recent years , russia remains the third most popular country for u.s. citizens to adopt after china and ethiopia . the u.s . ambassador to russia michael mcfaul tweeted that passage of the bill saddens ' him , but said he 's open to dialogue . the bill also bars any political activities by nongovernmental organizations receiving funding from the united states , if such activities could affect russian interests , the news agency said . the legislation also imposes sanctions against u.s. officials thought to have violated human rights . read more : russian lawmakers eye adoption ban to u.s . the vote in the federation council , russia 's upper house , was unanimous , but foreign minister sergei lavrov has criticized the bill . it is expected to be signed by putin in coming days . lawmakers in the state duma , russia 's lower house of parliament , adopted the bill last week . the move by russian politicians is widely seen as retaliation for a law that u.s. president barack obama signed on december 14 . that bill , called the magnitsky act , imposes u.s. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in russia . the united states is concerned by measures in the bill passed in the russian duma today that , if it becomes law , would halt inter-country adoptions between the united states and russia and would restrict the ability of russian civil society organizations to work with american partners , ' u.s. state department spokesman patrick ventrell said last week . the magnitsky act is named in honor of russian lawyer sergei magnitsky , who uncovered the largest tax fraud in the country 's history in the form of rebates claimed by government officials who stole money from the state . magnitsky died in 2009 after a year in a moscow detention center , apparently beaten to death . the russian bill 's implementation would nullify a recent agreement between the united states and russia in which the countries agreed to additional safeguards to protect children and parties involved in inter-country adoptions . american families have welcomed more than 60,000 russian children into american homes over the past 20 years , ' ventrell said last week . just last month we implemented a bilateral adoptions agreement with russia to improve safeguards for adopted children and their families . if russian officials have concerns about the implementation of this agreement , we stand ready to work with them to improve it and remain committed to supporting inter-country adoptions between our two countries . ' only china has more adoptions to the united states than russia . backers of the russian bill said american adoptive parents have been abusive , citing 19 deaths of russian children since the 1990s . in 2010 , an american woman caused outrage after she sent her adopted son back to russia alone on a one-way flight , saying the boy , then 7 , had violent episodes that made her family fear for its safety . konstantin dolgov , russian foreign ministry 's special representative for human rights , said on twitter that russia is well aware of , and have pointed out more than once , the inadequate protection of adopted russian children in the us . ' he also noted that the united states is one of three nations that has not signed the 1989 u.n. convention on the rights of the child . anthony lake , u.n. children 's fund executive director , touted the importance of inter-country adoption . ' while welcoming prime minister dmitri medvedev 's call for the improvement of the child welfare system , unicef urges that the current plight of the many russian children in institutions receives priority attention , ' lake said . unicef asked that russia let children 's best interests ' guide the design and development of all efforts to protect children . ' we encourage the government to establish a robust national social protection plan to help strengthen russian families . alternatives to the institutionalization of children are essential , including permanent foster care , domestic adoption and inter-country adoption , ' he said . the united states has signed but not ratified the convention , which has sparked concerns from conservatives over its impact on u.s. sovereignty and parental rights . groups such as amnesty international and human rights watch had urged lawmakers to reject the bill . this bill hits back at russia 's most vulnerable children and could deprive them of the loving families they desperately need , ' hugh williamson , europe and central asia director at human rights watch , said last week . john dalhuisen , amnesty international 's europe and central asia program director , has said , this bill is frankly a childish response to the magnitsky act . ' | upper house of parliament oks ban on adoptions of russian children by u.s. families |
evan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- my name is evan moss and i 'm a 9-year-old boy who likes pokemon ! a lot ! when i was 1 month old i started having seizures , and when i was 4 years old i went to dr. weiner and he gave me brain surgery to stop my seizures . it stopped my seizures for two years but not my appetite , it just kept on growing ! it is still growing . after two years my seizures came back and now they are longer . when was little i had like 15 small seizures a day . now i have 10-minute seizures but i only have one every 14 days or so . i have two dogs . one is dinky and the other is mindy . dinky is our family dog and he really belongs to my sister , aria . mindy is my seizure dog . getting mindy took a long time . we had to raise a lot of money and wait almost a year to meet her and then we had to drive from virginia to ohio to get mindy . having mindy is very fun ! when i first got mindy it was pretty hard because she did n't listen to me , but now she does and she knows a lot of commands . i 've even taught her some new things , like climbing up into the fort section of my swing set . the best thing about having mindy is playing with her and i love racing with her . if she is on her leash she runs right next to me but i know she can run really fast . i have epilepsy but i can do some extraordinary things like ride a zip line ! epilepsy can also be bad , though , and i 've heard about some seizures that can kill you ! sometimes i worry that will happen to me but i do n't think about that too much , plus i have mindy to help me . mindy barks when i have a seizure so my parents will know . when i have a seizure , my mom and dad give me medicine to help stop the seizure . people ask me a lot what it feels like but it 's hard to describe and sometimes i do n't remember having a seizure . if i met someone who just found out they have epilepsy i 'd say , do n't worry , you 're not in this alone ! ' | evan moss wrote a book to raise funds for a seizure dog |
evan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- my name is evan moss and i 'm a 9-year-old boy who likes pokemon ! a lot ! when i was 1 month old i started having seizures , and when i was 4 years old i went to dr. weiner and he gave me brain surgery to stop my seizures . it stopped my seizures for two years but not my appetite , it just kept on growing ! it is still growing . after two years my seizures came back and now they are longer . when was little i had like 15 small seizures a day . now i have 10-minute seizures but i only have one every 14 days or so . i have two dogs . one is dinky and the other is mindy . dinky is our family dog and he really belongs to my sister , aria . mindy is my seizure dog . getting mindy took a long time . we had to raise a lot of money and wait almost a year to meet her and then we had to drive from virginia to ohio to get mindy . having mindy is very fun ! when i first got mindy it was pretty hard because she did n't listen to me , but now she does and she knows a lot of commands . i 've even taught her some new things , like climbing up into the fort section of my swing set . the best thing about having mindy is playing with her and i love racing with her . if she is on her leash she runs right next to me but i know she can run really fast . i have epilepsy but i can do some extraordinary things like ride a zip line ! epilepsy can also be bad , though , and i 've heard about some seizures that can kill you ! sometimes i worry that will happen to me but i do n't think about that too much , plus i have mindy to help me . mindy barks when i have a seizure so my parents will know . when i have a seizure , my mom and dad give me medicine to help stop the seizure . people ask me a lot what it feels like but it 's hard to describe and sometimes i do n't remember having a seizure . if i met someone who just found out they have epilepsy i 'd say , do n't worry , you 're not in this alone ! ' | evan has epilepsy ; mindy barks when he has a seizure |
pakistan <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- the pakistani military says security forces have taken back the city of mingora from the taliban , calling it a significant victory in its offensive against the taliban . pakistani solders escort a suspected taliban militant inside an army base in mingora . mingora is the largest city in pakistan 's swat valley where security forces have been fighting the taliban in a month-long offensive . it is a great accomplishment , ' said pakistani maj. gen. athar abbas . this is the largest city in swat and for all practical purposes , mingora has been secured . ' abbas said militants put up a stiff resistance , but their resistance weakened as troops moved in . abbas told cnn pockets of militants remain just outside mingora . the fighting has uprooted about 2.4 million pakistanis from their homes in the northwestern region of the country , according to the latest data from the united nations . of those displaced , about 10 percent -- or 240,000 -- are living in refugee camps , according to the u.n . the announcement that the military has pushed the taliban out of mingora comes after days of taliban attacks in other areas in the country . the military issued a press release on saturday saying that 25 militants and a soldier were killed in fighting across the region over the last 24 hours . pakistani authorities increased security throughout islamabad on friday after a string of deadly bombings in lahore and peshawar , and a threat by the taliban to carry out further attacks . the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility for wednesday 's suicide attack in lahore on a building housing police , intelligence and emergency offices . twenty-seven people were killed . the militant group also threatened to continue attacking cities in pakistan until the military ends its operations against taliban militants in the country 's northwest . | pakistan raises security levels after deadly blasts in lahore , peshawar |
ethiopian airlines <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as the first airline outside japan to own boeing 787 dreamliner , ethiopian airlines has an impressive business record despite the global economic crisis . growing 20 to 30 % a year for the past seven years , the airlines'strategic plan is to carry 18 million passengers a year by 2025 . read related : easyjet founder to launch low-cost airline in africa tewolde gebremariam , the airline 's ceo , says his company is cashing in on ethiopia 's double-digits economic growth and its strategic location . if you draw a line through china , africa , india and brazil we are located right in the middle , ' he says . read related : worth the wait : boeing 787 a hit with first passengers but the company 's future success depends on its ability to deal with africa-specific pressures . aviation infrastructure on the continent is lagging behind the rest of the world , and the lack of qualified pilots and technicians means airlines need to invest millions in education and training . read related : flier comfort : boeing 787 myths and facts as the global airlines continue to suffer from high fuel prices and dropping numbers of passengers , gebremariam remains confident about the future of the industry in africa . he sat down with cnn 's jill dougherty to talk about the company 's route to success . cnn : you just flew in on dreamliner . what do you think is significance of this ? tewolde gebremariam : today we got the opportunity to experience what it looks like and what it can offer to customers and to airlines . so i would say to customers , there are a lot of new features . we experienced the amount of humidity at 40,000 above sea level . you feel like you are at 6,000 above sea level so it 's more humid . so it reduces drowsiness and dryness , fatigue and jet lag . the windows are much wider than what we have in other airplanes today . from one of side of the airplane you can see the other side . it 's 50 % composite matter . much lighter . and as a result of that , it is more fuel efficient -- it consumes 20 % less fuel than airplanes in the same category . read related : farnborough airshow special coverage cnn : i understand you have a 15 year plan with ethiopian airlines and the target is to meet ten billion dollars a year in revenue . what does that goal tell us about africa 's aviation industry ? tg : ethiopia is growing very fast . 11 % gdp for the last decade continuously . it 's among the fastest growing economies in the world . africa is growing , so we are growing together . in our vision , 2025 , strategy plan is to operate 120 airplanes . to more than 90 destinations , generating about 10 billion dollars , carrying more than 18 million passengers , 720,000 tons of cargo . we 've been growing for 20 to 30 % per annum compounded for the last seven years . so in seven years , we have multiplied the airline by five times . so this growth is predicted to continue mainly because we are leveraging and harnessing on our strategic location . if you draw a line through china , africa , india and brazil we are located right in the middle and we take advantage of this growth because these emerging economies are growing very fast . video : 787 dreamliner takes off cnn : what other challenges you face in africa that companies outside of africa might not face ? tg : we have many challenges . you are right . the first one is infrastructure . airport infrastructure or aviation infrastructure in the continent . it is not as well developed as the rest of the world so much work is needed there . we 're working with african governments to improve on that . the second one is brain drain from africa to the developed world . and particular to the gulf , and so this has been a problem for most african carriers . i think for all of us . but going forward we are building a huge aviation academy , the capacity has grown from 150 graduates to 1000 graduates a year . so going forward this program will give opportunity for the country . cnn : where will this dreamliner fly ? what 's the route ? tg : this dreamliner is the first in africa and also the continent of africa is first for us . we are a truly african airline . so it will be in africa for the time being . when we get the second one we will utilize it on the washington route . cnn : so we can take it ! so you have plans to buy two ? tg : no . ten . already ordered . we 'll take delivery of four of them before the end of the year . ivana kottasovã¡ contributed to this report . | ethiopian airlines became the first airline outside japan to own boeing 787 dreamliner |
va <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an uproar over treatment delays at the department of veterans affairs is triggering a heated debate over whether it is too difficult to fire federal workers , with the house approving legislation on wednesday that would make it easier to remove senior executives at the agency . the department of veterans affairs management accountability act , sponsored by house veterans affairs committee chairman jeff miller , r-florida , and passed overwhelmingly , would let the agency secretary immediately fire any of the department 's senior executives . currently , those executives get at least 30 days'notice of potential dismissal and an option to invoke a potentially lengthy appeals process before losing their jobs . for months , miller has argued that the va is too reluctant to fire executives , especially those connected to delays in veterans care . the agency is engulfed by a growing controversy over allegations it covered up excessive wait times for veterans at some va health care facilities . president barack obama is resisting calls from some quarters to fire veterans affairs secretary eric shinseki . he said on wednesday that he needed more time to review what was going on and promised accountability . how many has the va fired ? an argument for change miller 's proposal is a strong statement , but it would affect a relatively small group of federal workers . there are roughly 360 senior executives at veterans affairs , according to the office of personnel management . there are 340,000 total employees . but the more important figure to look at may be the number of execs fired recently . cnn analysis of opm data found the va fired two senior executives last year . and that was much higher than usual . during the four years from 2008-2012 , only one other senior executive was terminated for cause from the agency , according to the personnel data . the va 's executive firing rate last year was in line with the 0.47 % termination-for-cause rate of the federal government overall , according to the opm statistics . but , the trend over the past five years shows a substantial difference at the va. from 2008-2013 , the va fired executives at a rate one-fourth the firing rate for government overall , according to the opm data . and even last year , when the va was in line with the rest of the federal government on firing , critics still see that as a significant problem because the rates of termination in the federal government are substantially lower than in the private sector . the 0.47 % federal rate is roughly a third of that for the private sector , according to the latest bureau of labor statistics data . i actually think the federal workforce would be better off with more firing or at least as much as in the private sector , ' argued chris edwards of the libertarian cato institute . the good workers get disheartened and demoralized if they see these non-performing workers making as much as them and they 're not doing their job . ' the danger of politics , an argument for workers but just as some conservatives cry for removing red tape and speeding up the firing process for government executives , others insist the idea could easily harm good employees at the va. ' what happens is the politics get ahead of the facts , ' said joe kaplan , an attorney who has worked on federal workers'cases for more than 30 years . kaplan believes the need for potential scapegoats in a crisis could easily lead to abuse under miller 's bill . for example , he told the story of an irs employee who came to his office saying others at the agency had suggested she could be fired and were pressuring her to over a recent high-profile congressional investigation of irs targeting of conservative political groups . kaplan looked at her case , saw no evidence of wrong doing and advised her to stay put . she did , and was not fired . for political reasons , things can get blown out of proportion easily , ' kaplan concluded . and is it good that private employers can fire people without any cause ? we should want the federal government to be a model employer . ' others argue something more : that allowing a political appointee , like a cabinet secretary , to fire people at will could threaten american-style democracy . that it could invite patronage and corruption , something that was in full bloom until president chester arthur signed the first civil service reform act in 1883 . it 's really important in a political system to maintain a third party review of personnel actions , ' said max stier , president of the nonpartisan partnership for public service which focuses on strengthening civil service . the operations of government need to be different in some ways than they are in the private sector . we do n't want a government that is staffed according to political persuasion , ' he said . stier believes the system needs to change , that there may be too much red tape . but he argues that congress needs to revamp the entire , outdated federal personnel policy for the government , not just make a sudden change at the va. ' it 's the whole system that needs to be reviewed , ' he asserted . why the change at the va ? why now ? miller insists that as it is now , the va is not a meritocracy . that instead , poor performers who oversee failing areas , may be rewarded with bonuses . in instance after instance where mismanagement has led to veteran suffering , department officials have repeatedly pointed to non-disciplinary actions such as employee retirements and transfers or bureaucratic slaps on the wrist , ' said miller when he introduced his bill in march . he called those actions a disingenuous attempt to create the appearance of accountability . ' secretary wo n't quit shinseki has not publicly commented on whether he would like more power to fire executives . now that the house has acted , the matter moves over to the senate where florida 's marco rubio has introduced a companion bill . it 's not clear if it will be considered . but for now , shinseki has no plans to fire himself , saying he is n't resigning . nor has he said if he is in the process of firing any va employees as a result of the scandal . some , including the head of the phoenix branch where problems were first discovered , have been suspended . did he say anything in his testimony why he could n't ? senators asked the agency leader directly at a hearing last week on the scandal . have you ever fired anyone on this issue ? ' sen. mark begich , d-alaska , questioned shinseki . shinseki replied that he needed to look through the agencies records to check . but would he fire someone because of the scandal ? i will do everything i can , ' shinseki demurred . that 's not the question , ' replied begich . there is a process here , ' shinseki summarize , let me not get out ahead of it . ' obama management style under fire again with va | rep. jeff miller says the va is too reluctant to fire executives at center of care controversy |
vaclav pilar <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a sensational strike from poland captain jakub blaszczykowski kept alive the co-hosts'hopes of reaching the quarter finals of euro 2012 as they held russia to a 1-1 draw . russia had looked set for a second successive victory that would have sealed their place in the last eight , thanks to alan dzagoev 's third goal of the tournament . dzagoev reacted quickest to glance home andrei arshavin 's first-half free kick and take his place as the tournament 's top goalscorer . but blaszczykowski struck a superb left-foot equaliser on 57 minutes to earn poland a second successive 1-1 draw and ensure that group a remains wide open . earlier , czech republic had kept their qualification hopes alive with a deserved 2-1 win over greece , who can still qualify for the knockout stages if they beat russia in their final game . czech republic 2-1 greece the czechs , needing a response following their 4-1 defeat to russia , got off to a remarkably fast start . two goals in the opening six minutes saw them take immediate control of a game they were desperate to win . first , petr jiracek took advantage of an incisive pass from joroslav plasil to fire past greece goalkeeper kostas chalkias . greece conceded again three minutes later when lively full-back gebre selassie cut in from the right and pulled the ball back beyond the grasp of chalkias for vaclav pilar to bundle in . it was an even worse start than the greek 's first-half horror show against co-hosts poland and when the beleagured chalkias shuffled off to be replaced by michalis sifakis midway through the first half , it was hard to tell if he was injured or had simply had enough . either way , as it had been in their first game against poland , greece 's first-half luck was completely out . proof of that was served when giorgos fotakis headed in four minutes before half-time , only to see his effort ruled out for the narrowest of offsides . their luck slowly began to change after the break , though , and finally turned courtesy of a horrible mistake by czech republic 's highly experienced goalkeeper cech . the chelsea goalkeeper appeared to have giorgios samaras'low cross covered , but the presence of defender tomas sivok seemed to distract cech , who fumbled the ball to allow substitute theofanis gekas to roll the loose ball into an empty net . having fought back from a goal down and with only 10 men in their first game against poland , greece looked set to stage another second-half revival . but their approach play remained predictable and cech , eager to make amends for his error , was never seriously threatened again . the victory means bilak 's czech side now have three points from two group a games , but leaves greece knowing that only a win against russia in their final group game will give them any chance of reaching the knockout stages . poland 1-1 russia tuesday may have been russia day , but blaszczykowski 's sensational equaliser ensured it became a national day of celebration in poland too . the co-hosts remain unbeaten after a second successive 1-1 draw and blaszczykowski 's 57th-minute thunderbolt provided a fitting hallmark to a hugely entertaining game . it ensured poland took away the point they deserved , but it could have been more . the co-hosts made a lively start and the impressive robert lewandowski saw a crisp left-foot strike fly just over before eugen polanski had a goal disallowed for offside . instead , it was russia who took control eight minutes before half-time . andrei arshavin was the provider , his searching free-kick inviting dzagoev to ease through a crowded area and steer home a deft header . russia looked set to build on that lead and arshavin remained a constant threat , but too often his final pass proved wayward . that was a trait which ultimately came to haunt russia as , from one such stray ball , poland broke with devastating effect . when the ball finally found its way to blaszczykowski , he took one right-foot touch to set himself up for a shot before unleashing an unstoppable left-foot shot that flew past russian keeper vyacheslav malafeev . malafeev had no chance with that strike but rescued his side on three other occasions to ensure that russia stay top of group a -- but with everything to play for in saturday 's final round of group matches . | petr jiracek and vaclav pilar score in opening six minutes before theofanis gekas replies for greece |
conte <tsp> ( cnn ) -- juventus named former club captain antonio conte as their new coach tuesday in place of luigi delneri . the 41-year-old former italian international has signed a two-year contract which ties him to the turin giants until the end of june 2013 . juve officially announced delneri 's departure on their club website earlier in the day although the 60-year-old had revealed on the final weekend of the serie a season he would be departing . it followed a difficult season in which the'old lady'finished seventh in the standings for the second straight year and missed out on european qualification . conte has a solid record as a coach , guiding siena to promotion back to serie a last season , a feat he had already achieved with bari in 2009 . he believes that juventus have the ingredients in place to enjoy success : ' there 's an excellent foundation with some investments made last year , i 'm very calm , there 's absolutely no need to start all over , ' he told afp . all we need to do is adjust certain things and provide great motivation and desire to a group with a great base . ' conte was a crowd favorite with the club 's supporters , winning a host of titles during his 13-year playing career , including an intercontinental cup , the champions league , the uefa cup and five serie a titles . hard work , competitiveness and drive form the basis of conte 's managerial beliefs . the same qualities that made him one of juve 's greatest ever winners , ' said a statement on the club 's official website . conte 's international career saw him win 20 caps and he was in the italian squads for the 1994 world cup and euro 2000 . | antonio conte takes charge of serie a giants juventus |
conte <tsp> ( cnn ) -- juventus named former club captain antonio conte as their new coach tuesday in place of luigi delneri . the 41-year-old former italian international has signed a two-year contract which ties him to the turin giants until the end of june 2013 . juve officially announced delneri 's departure on their club website earlier in the day although the 60-year-old had revealed on the final weekend of the serie a season he would be departing . it followed a difficult season in which the'old lady'finished seventh in the standings for the second straight year and missed out on european qualification . conte has a solid record as a coach , guiding siena to promotion back to serie a last season , a feat he had already achieved with bari in 2009 . he believes that juventus have the ingredients in place to enjoy success : ' there 's an excellent foundation with some investments made last year , i 'm very calm , there 's absolutely no need to start all over , ' he told afp . all we need to do is adjust certain things and provide great motivation and desire to a group with a great base . ' conte was a crowd favorite with the club 's supporters , winning a host of titles during his 13-year playing career , including an intercontinental cup , the champions league , the uefa cup and five serie a titles . hard work , competitiveness and drive form the basis of conte 's managerial beliefs . the same qualities that made him one of juve 's greatest ever winners , ' said a statement on the club 's official website . conte 's international career saw him win 20 caps and he was in the italian squads for the 1994 world cup and euro 2000 . | former italian international conte played for juventus for 13 years |
conte <tsp> ( cnn ) -- juventus named former club captain antonio conte as their new coach tuesday in place of luigi delneri . the 41-year-old former italian international has signed a two-year contract which ties him to the turin giants until the end of june 2013 . juve officially announced delneri 's departure on their club website earlier in the day although the 60-year-old had revealed on the final weekend of the serie a season he would be departing . it followed a difficult season in which the'old lady'finished seventh in the standings for the second straight year and missed out on european qualification . conte has a solid record as a coach , guiding siena to promotion back to serie a last season , a feat he had already achieved with bari in 2009 . he believes that juventus have the ingredients in place to enjoy success : ' there 's an excellent foundation with some investments made last year , i 'm very calm , there 's absolutely no need to start all over , ' he told afp . all we need to do is adjust certain things and provide great motivation and desire to a group with a great base . ' conte was a crowd favorite with the club 's supporters , winning a host of titles during his 13-year playing career , including an intercontinental cup , the champions league , the uefa cup and five serie a titles . hard work , competitiveness and drive form the basis of conte 's managerial beliefs . the same qualities that made him one of juve 's greatest ever winners , ' said a statement on the club 's official website . conte 's international career saw him win 20 caps and he was in the italian squads for the 1994 world cup and euro 2000 . | conte replaces luigi delneri after a second successive seventh place finish for juve |
cubans <tsp> havana , cuba ( cnn ) -- for years , small groups of cuban dissidents have taken their demands to the streets , calling for political freedom as they get pushed around and shouted down by swarms of government supporters . but a recently leaked video suggests the war between the communist government and its opponents has shifted to a new battlefield : the internet . the video shows what appears to be an official intelligence briefing , in which a lecturer talks about the dangers and possibilities of the web . we are n't fighting the new technology , ' he tells his audience , who are dressed in the military uniforms worn by cuba 's interior ministry officials . we simply have to get to know it and use it in our favor , but also know what the enemy is doing . ' the 54-minute video was posted on the video-sharing website vimeo by someone identified only as coral negro ' and has since appeared on dozens of blogs , many of them critical of the cuban government . cnn was n't able to verify the authenticity of the video . although it was leaked this month , the video appears to have been recorded last summer , well before the social-media-fueled uprisings in north africa and the middle east . but for cuba¹s dissident bloggers , there are plenty of parallels . yoani sanchez followed via twitter the upheaval in egypt that ultimately led to the ouster of president hosni mubarak and responded with her own tweets . what a great lesson the egyptians are giving us ! ' she wrote . sanchez has won a huge global audience with her blog generation y , ' which criticizes the cuban government and comments on daily hardships . there are a lot of similarities with egypt , ' she told cnn wednesday . the dissatisfaction of the people , a single voice in power for so long . and that 's why i was so enthusiastic about what was happening there . ' but she said there are also very important differences -- namely cuba 's low internet penetration . recent figures show an estimated 1.6 million people there are internet users , out of a population of 11.2 million . according to the leaked video , the cuban government 's fear is that u.s.-backed dissidents will use social networks like twitter and facebook to incite unrest . technology in itself is n't a threat , ' the lecturer says . what can be a threat is the person behind the technology , in the same way it can be an opportunity for us to do something with it . ' cuba has jailed american aid worker alan gross , who was a subcontractor for usaid . cuban officials have accused him of distributing illegal satellite equipment to dissidents to help them connect to the internet . the state department and gross'family say he was working with jewish groups . gross has been formally charged with acts against the independence and territorial integrity of cuba ' and could face up to 20 years in prison when his case goes to trial . in the leaked video , he 's called a mercenary . ' it 's just like the bay of pigs invasion , ' the lecturer says . but this man is coming with different weapons . he did n't come on a boat with a gun in his hand , but it 's the same story . ' nonetheless , cuba is n't turning its back on the internet . dozens of pro-government blogs have also appeared , many of them written by journalists who work for state-run media . they have their bloggers and we have our bloggers , ' the unidentified man in the video says at one point . we 'll see who comes out stronger . ' for years , the government blamed the u.s. embargo for restricted access to the internet , but this month , it completed an undersea fiber optic cable connecting the island to venezuela . when that network goes online this summer , cuba 's bandwidth will increase by 3000 . but the question remains whether cubans will be allowed unlimited access to it without restrictions . cuba currently accesses the internet via expensive satellite connections . as a result , the government has said it can not offer internet access to the broader population , lacking the money to create the necessary infrastructure to support it . it has given priority to education and health workers , who often can only access a limited intranet . the government also provides connections at very high costs to foreign diplomats , businesses and journalists . | only a small percentage of cubans have unrestricted internet access |
umayya toukan <tsp> it 's not easy being jordan and it is about to become even more difficult , again . sandwiched in between iraq and syria , jordan 's destiny seems to be one of a constant struggle for survival . this violent storyline was written over a decade ago during the iraq war . the latest outbreak of violence after isis swept through mosul and beyond has jordan 's inner circle and the business community drawing up worst scenarios , with syria and iraq representing bookends of trouble . jordan is now home to more than 1.3 million syrian refugees , half absorbed during the last 24 months . as a sign of the times , on a video shoot down to the mafraq region two hours south amman , we saw scores of second hand unhcr tents that are now being utilized by bedouins . the refugee crisis is costing jordan $ 3 billion a year , about a quarter of the kingdom 's annual budget expenditure , according to finance minister umayya toukan . in an interview in amman , the former central banker made some strong statements , albeit delivered in his affable , soft-spoken manner . the extraordinary burden of the syrian crisis , as well as any potential regional crisis including the iraqi situation , should also be met by the international community , ' toukan told me . there should be much more international assistance . ' youth unemployment of over 24 % is keeping pressure on the government . syrians are now competing against jordanians for low-paying jobs , whether in hospitality or light manufacturing . toukan said a half billion dollars in total was received last year between the u.s. and saudi arabia . while the government is appreciative of that support and loan guarantees to help lower the debt burden , in reality it is not enough to plug a gaping hole in jordan 's finances . the budget deficit is running above 9 % of gdp , although government officials suggest growth of 5 % would have been possible without iraq factored in . but iraq is now very much part of the equation . oil imports have been cut off for the past few months as violence has escalated . a sizeable $ 1.8 billion oil export pipeline from basra in southern iraq to the red sea jordanian port of aqaba may be delayed , sources suggest , due to the violence . king abdullah 's master plan for growth has been subject to a series of setbacks . jordan signed a free trade agreement with the u.s. in 2000 , the same year it joined the world trade organization . he is often referred to in the davos community as the business friendly monarch , who remains a close ally of washington , london and brussels . but , members of his cabinet suggest , the king 's role as a voice of moderation in a zone of chaos should not be taken for granted . we feel we are not getting enough to continue to play our moderating role in the region and meeting the needs of all those refugees is not only a humanitarian issues , it also neutralizes any extremist tendencies , ' said toukan . watch more : the effects of the iraq insurgency read more : iraq violence disrupts opec agenda watch more : jordan braces for regional crisis | its finance minister umayya toukan says international help is urgently needed |
medina <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a raging fire saturday at a hotel in the saudi arabian city of medina killed 15 people and injured another 130 , state news reported . according to the official saudi press agency , the local government issued a statement saying it first learned about the fire shortly after 2:30 p.m. ( 6:30 a.m . et ) saturday . it was under control by 5 p.m. by then , authorities were already sifting through the damage and trying to determine how the blaze began . the hotel had more than 700 guests from numerous nations when the fire erupted . as one of the holiest cities in the islamic world , medina is frequently visited by religious pilgrims . preliminary indications suggest that those killed died of suffocation , ' the government said , according to the spa report . | the fire broke out in a hotel with about 700 guests in medina , state news reports |
medina <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a raging fire saturday at a hotel in the saudi arabian city of medina killed 15 people and injured another 130 , state news reported . according to the official saudi press agency , the local government issued a statement saying it first learned about the fire shortly after 2:30 p.m. ( 6:30 a.m . et ) saturday . it was under control by 5 p.m. by then , authorities were already sifting through the damage and trying to determine how the blaze began . the hotel had more than 700 guests from numerous nations when the fire erupted . as one of the holiest cities in the islamic world , medina is frequently visited by religious pilgrims . preliminary indications suggest that those killed died of suffocation , ' the government said , according to the spa report . | medina is one of the holiest cities in islam and is frequently visited by pilgrims |
rmctf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- henry cavill has n't slipped into his batman v superman : dawn of justice ' cape yet , but this is a start . on monday , the internet got its first look at cavill as clark kent in the man of steel ' sequel courtesy of the royal marines charitable trust fund . the u.k.-based organization works with current and retired royal marines and their families with a mission of giving them a better way of life , and british actor cavill is one of the charity 's big supporters . in the photo shared by rmctf , cavill 's seen on the batman v superman ' set wearing the kind of straitlaced suit and tie that superman 's alter-ego , clark kent , would favor . ( and since he 's standing next to a director 's chair bearing the name clark , ' the presumption is that cavill appears dressed in character as the daily planet reporter . ) there is n't much else to fill fans in on what director zack snyder is cooking up for his 2016 release , but we already know that the movie is filming in some disparate locations : warner bros. confirmed in may that production on batman v superman : dawn of justice ' will take place in detroit , michigan , as well as various international locales . in addition to cavill , batman v superman ' also stars ben affleck as batman , gal gadot as wonder woman , jeremy irons as alfred and jesse eisenberg as lex luthor . man of steel ' stars laurence fishburne and amy adams will reprise their roles of perry white and lois lane , respectively . written by chris terrio , batman v superman : dawn of justice ' is slated to arrive on may 6 , 2016 . | the british actor is a supporter of the rmctf |
rmctf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- henry cavill has n't slipped into his batman v superman : dawn of justice ' cape yet , but this is a start . on monday , the internet got its first look at cavill as clark kent in the man of steel ' sequel courtesy of the royal marines charitable trust fund . the u.k.-based organization works with current and retired royal marines and their families with a mission of giving them a better way of life , and british actor cavill is one of the charity 's big supporters . in the photo shared by rmctf , cavill 's seen on the batman v superman ' set wearing the kind of straitlaced suit and tie that superman 's alter-ego , clark kent , would favor . ( and since he 's standing next to a director 's chair bearing the name clark , ' the presumption is that cavill appears dressed in character as the daily planet reporter . ) there is n't much else to fill fans in on what director zack snyder is cooking up for his 2016 release , but we already know that the movie is filming in some disparate locations : warner bros. confirmed in may that production on batman v superman : dawn of justice ' will take place in detroit , michigan , as well as various international locales . in addition to cavill , batman v superman ' also stars ben affleck as batman , gal gadot as wonder woman , jeremy irons as alfred and jesse eisenberg as lex luthor . man of steel ' stars laurence fishburne and amy adams will reprise their roles of perry white and lois lane , respectively . written by chris terrio , batman v superman : dawn of justice ' is slated to arrive on may 6 , 2016 . | the rmctf tweeted a photo of henry cavill as clark kent |
south korean <tsp> seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- a south korean coast guard commando was stabbed to death and another injured monday after they boarded a chinese fishing vessel they suspected of fishing illegally in the yellow sea , the coast guard and a south korean news agency said monday . the incident triggered a swift diplomatic response , with the south korean foreign ministry calling in the chinese ambassador to south korea to protest , the yonhap news agency reported . first vice foreign minister park suk-hwan strongly demanded the chinese government strictly clamp down on illegal fishing and the illegal acts of chinese fishermen , ' the news agency quoted him as saying . south korea said it had seized the chinese ship and nine sailors aboard , yonhap reported . a spokesman for china 's ministry of foreign affairs said monday that the country is closely following the case . ' china is ready to work closely with the ( south korean ) side to handle the case properly , ' spokesman liu weimin said . the two countries had signed relevant fishery agreements . ... competent authorities have taken measures to educate chinese fishermen and management of outbound fishing boats to prohibit cross-border fishing and irregularities . at the same time , ' liu added , we hope the ( south korean ) side will fully protect the rights and interests of chinese fishermen and provide them with due humanitarian treatment . ' the incident started after south korean commandos boarded the chinese ship . the captain of that ship suddenly broke a window pane on the ship ' and stabbed one commando several times with a piece of broken glass , yonhap reported . that commando later died ; another was hurt . south korean authorities took the ship toward the port at incheon , west of seoul . the yellow sea has been a point of contention for several asian countries , most notably north and south korea who have long disagreed on whose waters end where . the south korean coast guard has stopped hundreds of chinese boats this year on suspicion of illegal fishing in the sea . the waters , which are important fishing and crab grounds , are also frequently crowded with boats from china . and disputes over fishing rights have resulted in dozens of boat seizures . cnn 's chi chi zhang and tim lister contributed to this report . | members of the south korean coast guard board a chinese ship to investigate |
yellow sea <tsp> seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- a south korean coast guard commando was stabbed to death and another injured monday after they boarded a chinese fishing vessel they suspected of fishing illegally in the yellow sea , the coast guard and a south korean news agency said monday . the incident triggered a swift diplomatic response , with the south korean foreign ministry calling in the chinese ambassador to south korea to protest , the yonhap news agency reported . first vice foreign minister park suk-hwan strongly demanded the chinese government strictly clamp down on illegal fishing and the illegal acts of chinese fishermen , ' the news agency quoted him as saying . south korea said it had seized the chinese ship and nine sailors aboard , yonhap reported . a spokesman for china 's ministry of foreign affairs said monday that the country is closely following the case . ' china is ready to work closely with the ( south korean ) side to handle the case properly , ' spokesman liu weimin said . the two countries had signed relevant fishery agreements . ... competent authorities have taken measures to educate chinese fishermen and management of outbound fishing boats to prohibit cross-border fishing and irregularities . at the same time , ' liu added , we hope the ( south korean ) side will fully protect the rights and interests of chinese fishermen and provide them with due humanitarian treatment . ' the incident started after south korean commandos boarded the chinese ship . the captain of that ship suddenly broke a window pane on the ship ' and stabbed one commando several times with a piece of broken glass , yonhap reported . that commando later died ; another was hurt . south korean authorities took the ship toward the port at incheon , west of seoul . the yellow sea has been a point of contention for several asian countries , most notably north and south korea who have long disagreed on whose waters end where . the south korean coast guard has stopped hundreds of chinese boats this year on suspicion of illegal fishing in the sea . the waters , which are important fishing and crab grounds , are also frequently crowded with boats from china . and disputes over fishing rights have resulted in dozens of boat seizures . cnn 's chi chi zhang and tim lister contributed to this report . | south korea : the fishermen are suspected of fishing illegally in the yellow sea |
pole <tsp> ( cnn ) -- formula one driver robert kubica has undergone a seven-hour operation in an italian hospital after crashing while competing in a rally . the 26-year-old pole lost control of his skoda fabia car at the beginning of the ronde de andorra rally near the town of testico , causing the vehicle to leave the road at high speed . kubica , who drives for the lotus renault team , was airlifted to the santa corona hospital in nearby pietra ligure where he underwent emergency surgery . surgeons are trying to restore the functionality of his right hand , ' kubica 's manager daniel morelli told reporters outside the hospital . they have restarted the circulation of blood and repaired the bone structure . now they have to think about the muscle functionality but robert has a very strong character , he 'll be ok. ' kubica 's co-driver , jakub gerber , was unhurt in the incident , which occurred as he lost control of his car on a bend . the impact saw the guard rail break the drivers'side door and cause the injuries to kubica . italian media reported sunday night that surgeon igor rossello was pleased with the outcome of the emergency surgery on the f1 star . but he will spend the night in an induced coma and it will be some days before it is known if he will gain the full use of his hand . kubica , who has one grand prix victory to his name and finished eighth in last season 's formula one driver 's standings , is no stranger to serious accidents during his motorsport career . he had to undergo surgery to his left arm after an accident while driving in the formula three discipline in 2003 and also suffered a spectacular crash in the 2007 canadian grand prix . the first race of the 2011 formula one season takes place in bahrain on march 13 and it appears likely that reserve driver bruno senna will be called in to take kubica 's place . | the 26-year-old pole lost control of his car on a bend and was airlifted to hospital |
butte <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the pilot of a plane that crashed last month in montana twice requested a change of destination in radio comments to air traffic controllers but gave no reason for the diversion , ' according to a preliminary report from the national transportation safety board issued thursday . a witness in butte , montana , took this photo shortly after the plane crash on march 22 . fourteen people were killed when the plane slammed into a cemetery march 22 in butte , and investigators immediately began focusing on why the pilot asked to divert the flight from bozeman , montana , to butte , 80 miles to the west . the report said the single engine-pilatus pc-12/45 was carrying people to a ski vacation . the plane originally departed redlands , california , for nut tree airport in vacaville , california , where passengers were picked up . it then went to oroville , california , to pick up more passengers . the pilot left oroville at 12:10 p.m. local time , with bozeman as the destination and butte as the alternate , according to an instrument flight rules flight plan the pilot filed . the pilot requested to divert to butte at 2:03 p.m. and was cleared at pilot 's discretion to descend to 14,000 feet . ' the pilot two minutes later again requested to divert to butte . the report said that at 2:27 p.m. , controllers asked the pilot whether he had the airport in sight and the pilot indicated he had one more cloud to maneuver around . ' a minute later , the pilot reported the airport in sight and controllers terminated radar service . ' at 2:29 p.m. , air traffic control called the aircraft in the blind with no response , ' and the accident was reported four minutes later . the aircraft slammed into a cemetery about 500 feet short of the butte airport . initial reports from ground witnesses indicate that the airplane was flying approximately 300 feet above ground level in a north-northwesterly direction . shortly thereafter , the airplane 's nose pitched to a nose-low attitude and it impacted the ground . one witness with aviation experience reported that the airplane was west of the runway centerline and appeared too high to land on the runway , ' the report said . the witness then saw the airplane bank to the left and fly farther west when it rolled , pitched down and descended out of his view . although there is no air traffic control tower at butte , the local fixed base operator lineman was monitoring the radio as the airplane approached the airport . he heard the pilot transmit that he would be landing on runway 33 . ' investigators also were looking into whether the single-engine plane was overloaded and what role weather may have played in the accident . the preliminary ntsb report said visual meteorological conditions prevailed ' at both bozeman and butte . | report : diversion to butte cleared at pilot 's discretion ' moments before crash |
butte <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the pilot of a plane that crashed last month in montana twice requested a change of destination in radio comments to air traffic controllers but gave no reason for the diversion , ' according to a preliminary report from the national transportation safety board issued thursday . a witness in butte , montana , took this photo shortly after the plane crash on march 22 . fourteen people were killed when the plane slammed into a cemetery march 22 in butte , and investigators immediately began focusing on why the pilot asked to divert the flight from bozeman , montana , to butte , 80 miles to the west . the report said the single engine-pilatus pc-12/45 was carrying people to a ski vacation . the plane originally departed redlands , california , for nut tree airport in vacaville , california , where passengers were picked up . it then went to oroville , california , to pick up more passengers . the pilot left oroville at 12:10 p.m. local time , with bozeman as the destination and butte as the alternate , according to an instrument flight rules flight plan the pilot filed . the pilot requested to divert to butte at 2:03 p.m. and was cleared at pilot 's discretion to descend to 14,000 feet . ' the pilot two minutes later again requested to divert to butte . the report said that at 2:27 p.m. , controllers asked the pilot whether he had the airport in sight and the pilot indicated he had one more cloud to maneuver around . ' a minute later , the pilot reported the airport in sight and controllers terminated radar service . ' at 2:29 p.m. , air traffic control called the aircraft in the blind with no response , ' and the accident was reported four minutes later . the aircraft slammed into a cemetery about 500 feet short of the butte airport . initial reports from ground witnesses indicate that the airplane was flying approximately 300 feet above ground level in a north-northwesterly direction . shortly thereafter , the airplane 's nose pitched to a nose-low attitude and it impacted the ground . one witness with aviation experience reported that the airplane was west of the runway centerline and appeared too high to land on the runway , ' the report said . the witness then saw the airplane bank to the left and fly farther west when it rolled , pitched down and descended out of his view . although there is no air traffic control tower at butte , the local fixed base operator lineman was monitoring the radio as the airplane approached the airport . he heard the pilot transmit that he would be landing on runway 33 . ' investigators also were looking into whether the single-engine plane was overloaded and what role weather may have played in the accident . the preliminary ntsb report said visual meteorological conditions prevailed ' at both bozeman and butte . | preliminary report sheds light on crash that killed 14 people in butte , montana |
france <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the new zealand all blacks secured a narrow 14-10 victory over france in wellington on saturday to square their rugby test series at 1-1 , but france still secured the dave gallaher cup for the first time since it was introduced in 2000 by virtue of their five-point victory in dunedin last week . ma'a nonu goes over for new zealand 's only try in their narrow victory over france in wellington . having been out-muscled and out-played 27-22 in the opening test , the new zealanders played with far greater intensity , physicality and urgency at a cold , wet and windy westpac stadium . a ma'a nonu try midway through the first half opened the scoring for the host nation before stephen donald slotted home a penalty for an 8-0 advantage at the break . the french reply was swift after the restart , with wing cedric heymans crossing the line with a superb solo effort and then julien dupuy 's conversion getting them back into the game . but another donald penalty and one from substitute luke mcalister edged the all blacks further ahead before a late three-pointer from dimitri yachvili kept things interesting . meanwhile , a much-changed australia side comfortably accounted for italy 34-12 in melbourne on saturday . man-of-the-match adam ashley-cooper , who started on the bench , finished with two tries , one in each half , after coming on initially when peter hynes was blood-binned , then as a replacement for james o'connor at full-back . three first-half tries gave the wallabies a 20-6 lead at the break and that was a fair reflection of the difference between the teams , but the hosts were held at bay for much of the second half before late tries by lachie turner and ashley-cooper . australian-born full-back luke mclean landed four penalties for italy for whom fellow-aussie craig gower was effective and creative in his second start at fly-half . | tourists france won the opening test match 27-22 in dunedin last weekend |
france <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the new zealand all blacks secured a narrow 14-10 victory over france in wellington on saturday to square their rugby test series at 1-1 , but france still secured the dave gallaher cup for the first time since it was introduced in 2000 by virtue of their five-point victory in dunedin last week . ma'a nonu goes over for new zealand 's only try in their narrow victory over france in wellington . having been out-muscled and out-played 27-22 in the opening test , the new zealanders played with far greater intensity , physicality and urgency at a cold , wet and windy westpac stadium . a ma'a nonu try midway through the first half opened the scoring for the host nation before stephen donald slotted home a penalty for an 8-0 advantage at the break . the french reply was swift after the restart , with wing cedric heymans crossing the line with a superb solo effort and then julien dupuy 's conversion getting them back into the game . but another donald penalty and one from substitute luke mcalister edged the all blacks further ahead before a late three-pointer from dimitri yachvili kept things interesting . meanwhile , a much-changed australia side comfortably accounted for italy 34-12 in melbourne on saturday . man-of-the-match adam ashley-cooper , who started on the bench , finished with two tries , one in each half , after coming on initially when peter hynes was blood-binned , then as a replacement for james o'connor at full-back . three first-half tries gave the wallabies a 20-6 lead at the break and that was a fair reflection of the difference between the teams , but the hosts were held at bay for much of the second half before late tries by lachie turner and ashley-cooper . australian-born full-back luke mclean landed four penalties for italy for whom fellow-aussie craig gower was effective and creative in his second start at fly-half . | the new zealand all blacks defeat france 14-10 in wellington to level series |
italy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the new zealand all blacks secured a narrow 14-10 victory over france in wellington on saturday to square their rugby test series at 1-1 , but france still secured the dave gallaher cup for the first time since it was introduced in 2000 by virtue of their five-point victory in dunedin last week . ma'a nonu goes over for new zealand 's only try in their narrow victory over france in wellington . having been out-muscled and out-played 27-22 in the opening test , the new zealanders played with far greater intensity , physicality and urgency at a cold , wet and windy westpac stadium . a ma'a nonu try midway through the first half opened the scoring for the host nation before stephen donald slotted home a penalty for an 8-0 advantage at the break . the french reply was swift after the restart , with wing cedric heymans crossing the line with a superb solo effort and then julien dupuy 's conversion getting them back into the game . but another donald penalty and one from substitute luke mcalister edged the all blacks further ahead before a late three-pointer from dimitri yachvili kept things interesting . meanwhile , a much-changed australia side comfortably accounted for italy 34-12 in melbourne on saturday . man-of-the-match adam ashley-cooper , who started on the bench , finished with two tries , one in each half , after coming on initially when peter hynes was blood-binned , then as a replacement for james o'connor at full-back . three first-half tries gave the wallabies a 20-6 lead at the break and that was a fair reflection of the difference between the teams , but the hosts were held at bay for much of the second half before late tries by lachie turner and ashley-cooper . australian-born full-back luke mclean landed four penalties for italy for whom fellow-aussie craig gower was effective and creative in his second start at fly-half . | a much-changed australian side defeats italy 34-12 in melbourne on saturday |
cnn films <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sara lives in sierra leone and just wants to go to school . she left her village and her family to live with an aunt who is a teacher . sara 's aunt supported her education and helped her study . sara is now attending secondary school near her village and wants to go to college . she says she is going to be a lawyer . i want to be a superstar of sierra leone , ' sara says . sara is the exception among girls in sierra leone . during the country 's decade-long civil war , many schools were destroyed . families were often forced from their villages and now live in poverty . if they have the money to pay school fees , many girls still miss out on an education simply because a family usually will choose to send a boy to school before a girl . girls are often forced to marry at an early age , exposing them to early pregnancy and even hiv . gender-based violence and genital cutting are also major problems in sierra leone . the nonprofit plan international usa is one group working with girls in sierra leone and other west african countries . sara is one of hundreds of girls who have taken part in the organization 's girls making media project . teenage girls in some of the poorest areas of sierra leone learn how to write , produce and broadcast radio programs -- empowering them to speak up for themselves and raise awareness of the issues they think are most important . i report on the gender discrimination against girls in sierra leone . if you do that through the radio , i think people deep in the village will open their ears and hear something about it , ' sara says . watch the video for more on sara 's story and how she wants the education her mom could n't have . how you can help girls like sara in sierra leone : give you can help advance plan 's work by donating to its because i am a girl ' campaign , which supports projects that help girls and women in the developing world . there is also an opportunity to give what plan international calls gifts of hope . you can symbolically donate things like school uniforms , vaccinations , school supplies or even girl-friendly latrines . share plan international usa created resources for students and teachers . these online booklets are designed to help people of all ages understand the challenges that many girls and women face around the world . impact for even more ways to make an impact for girls education around the world , check out cnn 's impact your world resources or take action with 10x10 . - more about cnn films' girl rising ' project - more from cnn 's impact your world | watch cnn films' girl rising ' june 16 at 9 p.m . et on cnn |
kenyan <tsp> ( cnn ) for a second year in a row , kenya 's busy capital city of nairobi has been named the most intelligent city in africa -- failing , however , to make it to the world 's top seven finalists . according to the intelligent community forum , intelligent communities ' are those that have taken conscious steps ' to create an economy that can prosper in the broadband economy . ' the group has recently released its latest rankings , recognizing the achievements of communities that have built inclusive , prosperous economies on a basis of information and communication technologies . nairobi was the only african city to appear on their shortlist of 21 hubs throughout the world for 2015 . intelligent community forum co-founder robert bell says : we see a strong foundation being put into place [ in nairobi ] : sensible , pro-growth government policy , a more diversified economy , and an innovation ecosystem of startups , international companies and universities . nairobi certainly has the opportunity to build an exciting future for its citizens , businesses and institutions . ' the kenyan capital , however , did n't make it to the next round that will see seven communities around the world contesting in june for the 2015 intelligent community of the year award -- in alphabetical order , the 2015 top7 intelligent communities were arlington county ( u.s. ) , columbus , ( u.s. ) , ipswich ( australia ) , mitchell ( u.s. ) , new taipei city ( taiwan ) , rio de janeiro ( brazil ) and surrey ( canada ) . click through the gallery to find out more about how nairobi is dealing with the challenges of the broadband economy . more from marketplace africa read this : robotics revolutions hits classrooms read this inside africa 's biggest wind power project | the kenyan capital , however , missed out of the top seven finalists |
london <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sure , it 's a great feeling when you randomly stumble on a fantastic new bar while you 're out exploring a city . but when you 're there for only a few days , you sometimes want a guarantee that you 're going to be getting a well-made drink in a venue with character and style . that 's where this 2014 list of the world 's 50 best bars comes in . announced by drinks international magazine during a recent ceremony in london , the list is based on the votes of more than 330 international industry experts . the 2014 winners include bars from 27 cities in 14 countries , with 14 new entries . overall , europe appears to be the international epicenter for good drinking as it led the regions'ranking with 21 of its bars included within the 50 best list , ' says drinks international in a release . for the third year in a row , london 's artesian has been named world 's best bar . ' in fact , the uk capital has eight bars on the list , more than any other city . these include nightjar and the american bar at the savoy , which join artesian in the top 10 . across the atlantic , drinks international says the united states saw the strongest growth , with 16 bars included on the final 2014 list . four of the top 10 listed bars are based in new york and seattle . australia , meanwhile , has six bars included -- all based in melbourne and sydney . four asia bars made the list -- with venues from tokyo , singapore and hong kong . the highest is tokyo bar high five , voted the ninth best bar in the world . finally , latin america saw three make the list , with two mexican bars -- mexico city 's la capilla and newcomer licoreria limantour -- joining floreira atlantico in buenos aires . here 's the full list of the 2014 world 's 50 best bars . for more details on the top 20 , check out the gallery above . 1 . the artesian , london 2 . dead rabbit , new york 3 . nightjar , london 4 . attaboy , new york 5 . employees only , new york 6 . canon , seattle 7 . the baxter inn , sydney 8 . american bar , london 9 . high five , tokyo 10 . 28 hongkong street , singapore 11 . connaught bar , london 12 . happiness forgets , london 13 . aviary , chicago 14 . elephant bar , nomad hotel , new york 15 . nottingham forest , milan , italy 16 . smuggler 's cove , san francisco 17 . candelaria , paris 18 . pdt , new york 19 . bulletin place , sydney 20 . white lyan , london 21 . buck & breck , berlin 22 . broken shaker , miami 23 . 69 colebrooke row , london 24 . hemingway bar , prague , czech republic 25 . le lion bar de paris , hamburg , germany 26 . door 74 , amsterdam , netherlands 27 . three dots and a dash , chicago 28 . the jerry thomas project , rome 29 . chainaya . tea & cocktails , moscow 30 . the everleigh , melbourne 31 . eau de vie , sydney 32 . bramble , edinburgh , scotland 33 . trick dog , san francisco 34 . dry martini , barcelona , spain 35 . clover club , new york 36 . drink , boston 37 . black pearl , melbourne 38 . schumann 's , munich , germany 39 . floreria atlantico , buenos aires 40 . star bar ginza , tokyo 41 . delicatessen , moscow 42 . quinary , hong kong 43 . cure , new orleans 44 . tales and spirits , amsterdam , netherlands 45 . maison premiere , new york 46 . la capilla , mexico city 47 . licoreria limantour , mexico city 48 . shady pines , sydney 49 . callooh callay , london 50 . williams and graham , denver think your local watering hole should have appeared on the list ? tell us about it below . | london kept the top spot with artesian named world 's best bar ' for the third consecutive year |
massachusetts <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a massachusetts husband and wife were each sentenced to prison monday after being found guilty last month of raping their two adopted children . joseph mayotte , 50 , sexually abused his daughter over a five-year span , starting when she was 8 , according to a news release from prosecutor joseph d. early jr. mayotte was convicted in august on 11 charges -- including rape of a child aggravated by age difference -- and was sentenced monday to 16 to 20 years in prison . his wife , linda mayotte , was convicted on 19 charges -- including three counts of rape of a child -- and sentenced from 18 to 22 years behind bars . the 49-year-old became pregnant with her adopted son 's child when he was only 15 , according to paul jarvey of the worcester county district attorney 's office . it was a pregnancy she carried to term , jarvey said . let them burn in hell , ' is what the son , now 21 , said of his former parents in an impact statement read in court today , according to jarvey . the mayottes , who lived in the central massachusetts town of northbridge , were arrested in 2009 . the two adopted children -- along with the child to whom linda mayotte gave birth -- were adopted by other families . their trust was broken by these two predators , ' early 's statement said . now , justice has been served . ' man abducts , rapes three teens over ten years | joseph and linda mayotte of massachusetts were convicted last month |
linda mayotte <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a massachusetts husband and wife were each sentenced to prison monday after being found guilty last month of raping their two adopted children . joseph mayotte , 50 , sexually abused his daughter over a five-year span , starting when she was 8 , according to a news release from prosecutor joseph d. early jr. mayotte was convicted in august on 11 charges -- including rape of a child aggravated by age difference -- and was sentenced monday to 16 to 20 years in prison . his wife , linda mayotte , was convicted on 19 charges -- including three counts of rape of a child -- and sentenced from 18 to 22 years behind bars . the 49-year-old became pregnant with her adopted son 's child when he was only 15 , according to paul jarvey of the worcester county district attorney 's office . it was a pregnancy she carried to term , jarvey said . let them burn in hell , ' is what the son , now 21 , said of his former parents in an impact statement read in court today , according to jarvey . the mayottes , who lived in the central massachusetts town of northbridge , were arrested in 2009 . the two adopted children -- along with the child to whom linda mayotte gave birth -- were adopted by other families . their trust was broken by these two predators , ' early 's statement said . now , justice has been served . ' man abducts , rapes three teens over ten years | prosecutor says linda mayotte became pregnant by her adoptive son , who was 15 |
linda mayotte <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a massachusetts husband and wife were each sentenced to prison monday after being found guilty last month of raping their two adopted children . joseph mayotte , 50 , sexually abused his daughter over a five-year span , starting when she was 8 , according to a news release from prosecutor joseph d. early jr. mayotte was convicted in august on 11 charges -- including rape of a child aggravated by age difference -- and was sentenced monday to 16 to 20 years in prison . his wife , linda mayotte , was convicted on 19 charges -- including three counts of rape of a child -- and sentenced from 18 to 22 years behind bars . the 49-year-old became pregnant with her adopted son 's child when he was only 15 , according to paul jarvey of the worcester county district attorney 's office . it was a pregnancy she carried to term , jarvey said . let them burn in hell , ' is what the son , now 21 , said of his former parents in an impact statement read in court today , according to jarvey . the mayottes , who lived in the central massachusetts town of northbridge , were arrested in 2009 . the two adopted children -- along with the child to whom linda mayotte gave birth -- were adopted by other families . their trust was broken by these two predators , ' early 's statement said . now , justice has been served . ' man abducts , rapes three teens over ten years | joseph and linda mayotte of massachusetts were convicted last month |
osama hawsawi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- spain needed an injury-time goal from substitute fernando llorente to beat saudi arabia 3-2 in a world cup warm-up match in innsbruck on saturday . it was a less than convincing performance in austria for the european champions , who are among the favorites for next month 's world cup . osama hawsawi gave saudi arabia a shock 16th minute lead before david villa and xabi alonso scored to put vincente del bosque 's men ahead . but mohammed al-sahlawi 's 74th-minute equalizer -- his deflected shot caught iker casillas off balance -- appeared enough to have earned his side a draw . however , athletic bilbao striker llorente , who came on for villa with 20 minutes remaining , had the final say . he connected with alonso 's corner with a firm header to give spain a last-gasp victory . spain face a testing encounter against fellow finalists south korea on june 3 before they kick off their world cup campaign with a group h match against switzerland on june 16 . honduras and chile are also in the group . germany continued their build-up to the finals with an impressive 3-0 win over hungary in budapest . lukas podolski opened the scoring with a fourth minute penalty before mario gomez scored the second midway through the second half . brazilian-born cacau then came off the substitutes'bench to score the third . it was his third in two games for his adopted country after a double against malta and presses his claims for a place in the world cup squad . germany coach joachim loew must cut two players to trim it down to 23 and said it was not an easy decision . the coaches will sit down together on sunday and monday with the coaching staff and announce the squad on tuesday . of course , it will hurt for the players concerned , but unfortunately we can only take 23 , ' he told afp . the united states , who play england in their opening game of the finals , beat turkey 2-1 in philadelphia . a crowd of more than 55,000 at lincoln financial field saw arda turan open the scoring after 27 minutes for the visitors . but jozy altidore equalized just before the hour mark and fulham striker clint dempsey grabbed the winner with 15 minutes remaining after an assist from landon donovan . earlier , serbia 's preparations suffered a setback in a 1-0 defeat to new zealand , who are also heading to south africa . the match in klagenfurt in austria was decided by a goal from shane smeltz in the 22nd minute . he beat serbia goalkeeper vladimir stojkovic with a low shot to notch his 16th goal in 29 games for the all-whites . the result is setback for serbia , who face australia -- winners over their neighbors last week -- in group d in south africa , as well as germany and ghana . new zealand are in group f with italy , paraguay and slovakia . | osama hawsawi gave saudi arabia a shock 16th minute lead in innsbruck |
germany <tsp> ( cnn ) -- spain needed an injury-time goal from substitute fernando llorente to beat saudi arabia 3-2 in a world cup warm-up match in innsbruck on saturday . it was a less than convincing performance in austria for the european champions , who are among the favorites for next month 's world cup . osama hawsawi gave saudi arabia a shock 16th minute lead before david villa and xabi alonso scored to put vincente del bosque 's men ahead . but mohammed al-sahlawi 's 74th-minute equalizer -- his deflected shot caught iker casillas off balance -- appeared enough to have earned his side a draw . however , athletic bilbao striker llorente , who came on for villa with 20 minutes remaining , had the final say . he connected with alonso 's corner with a firm header to give spain a last-gasp victory . spain face a testing encounter against fellow finalists south korea on june 3 before they kick off their world cup campaign with a group h match against switzerland on june 16 . honduras and chile are also in the group . germany continued their build-up to the finals with an impressive 3-0 win over hungary in budapest . lukas podolski opened the scoring with a fourth minute penalty before mario gomez scored the second midway through the second half . brazilian-born cacau then came off the substitutes'bench to score the third . it was his third in two games for his adopted country after a double against malta and presses his claims for a place in the world cup squad . germany coach joachim loew must cut two players to trim it down to 23 and said it was not an easy decision . the coaches will sit down together on sunday and monday with the coaching staff and announce the squad on tuesday . of course , it will hurt for the players concerned , but unfortunately we can only take 23 , ' he told afp . the united states , who play england in their opening game of the finals , beat turkey 2-1 in philadelphia . a crowd of more than 55,000 at lincoln financial field saw arda turan open the scoring after 27 minutes for the visitors . but jozy altidore equalized just before the hour mark and fulham striker clint dempsey grabbed the winner with 15 minutes remaining after an assist from landon donovan . earlier , serbia 's preparations suffered a setback in a 1-0 defeat to new zealand , who are also heading to south africa . the match in klagenfurt in austria was decided by a goal from shane smeltz in the 22nd minute . he beat serbia goalkeeper vladimir stojkovic with a low shot to notch his 16th goal in 29 games for the all-whites . the result is setback for serbia , who face australia -- winners over their neighbors last week -- in group d in south africa , as well as germany and ghana . new zealand are in group f with italy , paraguay and slovakia . | germany and united states secure impressive wins over hungary and turkey |
all whites <tsp> ( cnn ) -- spain needed an injury-time goal from substitute fernando llorente to beat saudi arabia 3-2 in a world cup warm-up match in innsbruck on saturday . it was a less than convincing performance in austria for the european champions , who are among the favorites for next month 's world cup . osama hawsawi gave saudi arabia a shock 16th minute lead before david villa and xabi alonso scored to put vincente del bosque 's men ahead . but mohammed al-sahlawi 's 74th-minute equalizer -- his deflected shot caught iker casillas off balance -- appeared enough to have earned his side a draw . however , athletic bilbao striker llorente , who came on for villa with 20 minutes remaining , had the final say . he connected with alonso 's corner with a firm header to give spain a last-gasp victory . spain face a testing encounter against fellow finalists south korea on june 3 before they kick off their world cup campaign with a group h match against switzerland on june 16 . honduras and chile are also in the group . germany continued their build-up to the finals with an impressive 3-0 win over hungary in budapest . lukas podolski opened the scoring with a fourth minute penalty before mario gomez scored the second midway through the second half . brazilian-born cacau then came off the substitutes'bench to score the third . it was his third in two games for his adopted country after a double against malta and presses his claims for a place in the world cup squad . germany coach joachim loew must cut two players to trim it down to 23 and said it was not an easy decision . the coaches will sit down together on sunday and monday with the coaching staff and announce the squad on tuesday . of course , it will hurt for the players concerned , but unfortunately we can only take 23 , ' he told afp . the united states , who play england in their opening game of the finals , beat turkey 2-1 in philadelphia . a crowd of more than 55,000 at lincoln financial field saw arda turan open the scoring after 27 minutes for the visitors . but jozy altidore equalized just before the hour mark and fulham striker clint dempsey grabbed the winner with 15 minutes remaining after an assist from landon donovan . earlier , serbia 's preparations suffered a setback in a 1-0 defeat to new zealand , who are also heading to south africa . the match in klagenfurt in austria was decided by a goal from shane smeltz in the 22nd minute . he beat serbia goalkeeper vladimir stojkovic with a low shot to notch his 16th goal in 29 games for the all-whites . the result is setback for serbia , who face australia -- winners over their neighbors last week -- in group d in south africa , as well as germany and ghana . new zealand are in group f with italy , paraguay and slovakia . | serbia are upset 1-0 by new zealand all whites in another world cup warm-up game |
graham <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president obama 's ambien finally wore off , and thus he began the second presidential debate with mitt romney . obama 's performance tuesday night was stellar ( but not perfect ) because of two techniques that i push to my debate teams ad nauseam . the first is the primacy effect , and the second is using your opponent 's language against him . if you want to win a debate , you 've got to master these techniques . the primacy effect is the idea that the first things a speaker says are more persuasive than those that follow . it holds true in conversations , in 90-minute debates , and even over a series of speeches or debates . obama came out strong . he lacked passion in the previous debate , but when answering the first question from the audience tuesday night , obama brought the heat . early on he said romney did n't have a five-point economic plan , but a one-point plan ' -- that folks at the top play by a different set of rules . ' right away we knew this was a different obama . yeah , i know , everyone 's probably talking about that comment because it 's a good sound bite . but for me , it 's the primacy effect taking off . i teach my debaters that you 've got to make your best arguments early in the speech . otherwise you might not have the judge 's full attention when you get to your best arguments , thereby lessening the weight of your position . opinion roundup : obama bounces back , dominates debate i guarantee you this one answer -- the one-point plan ' -- will be talked about more than any other ( aside from that silly binders full of women ' distraction ) , partially because the president was memorable here , but mostly because of the primacy effect . the second debating concept i preach is the importance of language choices . if a team i coached ever concluded a debate without using their opponents'language against them , i 'd want to make them run laps . ( ok , that 's a terrible idea -- picture in your mind a debate team running laps . ) obama used romney 's language against him time and time again , and it was effective . here are some examples of obama quoting romney . this plant kills ' ( from a romney quote illustrating his flip-flop on coal plants ) ; romney 's assertion that promoting a lower tax rate for the most wealthy americans grows the economy ; ' i 'll get back to you on that , ' his spokesman 's initial response on romney 's stance on the lilly ledbetter bill , which makes it easier for women who have been discriminated against over equal pay to sue employers . debaters ca n't easily get out of arguments when you quote their own words . it 's a timeless , winning strategy . opinion : how obama aced comeback moving further forward in the debate , romney used the same technique responding to the sixth question , when asked what the president had done or accomplished to earn our vote . unemployment , medicare , social security and immigration were all subtopics that romney used when answering this particular question . and he began each of these issues with the phrase he said ... ' when referring to obama . he followed this by reminding the audience of obama 's perceived shortcomings on these issues . it was romney 's best moment of the debate . unfortunately , it came almost an hour into it . in fact , it took romney almost an hour until he had a clearly favorable exchange . that 's too long . because of the primacy effect , undecided voters wo n't likely remember the stuff in the middle of the debate as much as the points at the beginning . it 's good for romney that this was n't the first debate , because obama 's performance was much stronger tuesday night . the primacy effect over these two debates might have just saved romney . i expect the president to get a bump in the polls from this debate , but it could have been worse for romney . think about it : if we simply reversed the order of the debates , the race for president would look very different right now . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of todd graham . | graham : romney used that technique too , but late in debate ; lost valuable time in waiting |
graham <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president obama 's ambien finally wore off , and thus he began the second presidential debate with mitt romney . obama 's performance tuesday night was stellar ( but not perfect ) because of two techniques that i push to my debate teams ad nauseam . the first is the primacy effect , and the second is using your opponent 's language against him . if you want to win a debate , you 've got to master these techniques . the primacy effect is the idea that the first things a speaker says are more persuasive than those that follow . it holds true in conversations , in 90-minute debates , and even over a series of speeches or debates . obama came out strong . he lacked passion in the previous debate , but when answering the first question from the audience tuesday night , obama brought the heat . early on he said romney did n't have a five-point economic plan , but a one-point plan ' -- that folks at the top play by a different set of rules . ' right away we knew this was a different obama . yeah , i know , everyone 's probably talking about that comment because it 's a good sound bite . but for me , it 's the primacy effect taking off . i teach my debaters that you 've got to make your best arguments early in the speech . otherwise you might not have the judge 's full attention when you get to your best arguments , thereby lessening the weight of your position . opinion roundup : obama bounces back , dominates debate i guarantee you this one answer -- the one-point plan ' -- will be talked about more than any other ( aside from that silly binders full of women ' distraction ) , partially because the president was memorable here , but mostly because of the primacy effect . the second debating concept i preach is the importance of language choices . if a team i coached ever concluded a debate without using their opponents'language against them , i 'd want to make them run laps . ( ok , that 's a terrible idea -- picture in your mind a debate team running laps . ) obama used romney 's language against him time and time again , and it was effective . here are some examples of obama quoting romney . this plant kills ' ( from a romney quote illustrating his flip-flop on coal plants ) ; romney 's assertion that promoting a lower tax rate for the most wealthy americans grows the economy ; ' i 'll get back to you on that , ' his spokesman 's initial response on romney 's stance on the lilly ledbetter bill , which makes it easier for women who have been discriminated against over equal pay to sue employers . debaters ca n't easily get out of arguments when you quote their own words . it 's a timeless , winning strategy . opinion : how obama aced comeback moving further forward in the debate , romney used the same technique responding to the sixth question , when asked what the president had done or accomplished to earn our vote . unemployment , medicare , social security and immigration were all subtopics that romney used when answering this particular question . and he began each of these issues with the phrase he said ... ' when referring to obama . he followed this by reminding the audience of obama 's perceived shortcomings on these issues . it was romney 's best moment of the debate . unfortunately , it came almost an hour into it . in fact , it took romney almost an hour until he had a clearly favorable exchange . that 's too long . because of the primacy effect , undecided voters wo n't likely remember the stuff in the middle of the debate as much as the points at the beginning . it 's good for romney that this was n't the first debate , because obama 's performance was much stronger tuesday night . the primacy effect over these two debates might have just saved romney . i expect the president to get a bump in the polls from this debate , but it could have been worse for romney . think about it : if we simply reversed the order of the debates , the race for president would look very different right now . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of todd graham . | todd graham : obama revived himself and gave a stellar ( but not perfect ) debate performance |
olympics <tsp> ( cnn ) -- zara phillips is not one to rest on her laurels . after giving birth for the first time in january -- providing queen elizabeth ii 's fourth great-grandchild -- the equestrian star could be forgiven for taking a break from the harsh demands of the stables . yet just three months on , the british head of state 's eldest granddaughter would find herself back on that familiar saddle competing once more . by august , she had remarkably gone a long way to likely booking her place in what will be her second olympic games . it was harder than i thought it was going to be . i had a lot of friends who said ,'do n't come back too quickly .'i sat on a horse about five weeks after ( giving birth ) , ' phillips tells the cnn equestrian show . but come back quickly she did . eight and a half months after mia grace tindall -- the 16th in line for the throne in britain -- was born on january 17 , her mother placed 11th in the eventing at the alltech fei world equestrian games in normandy , helping her nation to silver and olympic qualification . phillips'performance in france , which among the uk riders was only bettered by world no . 1 william fox-pitt , could well be enough to persuade britain 's olympic selectors that she is worthy of a spot in rio de janeiro in 2016 . the master plan had come to fruition . i always wanted to get back for the worlds at the right time , ' phillips says . i 've given myself enough time to get back where i left off . ' the objective now , as well as bringing up her daughter with rugby star husband mike tindall , is winning olympic gold . she claimed team eventing silver at london 2012 , where she was presented her medal by her mother princess anne -- who competed for britain in equestrian at the montreal'76 games . her father , mark phillips , won eventing gold at munich'72 and silver in seoul 16 years later . phillips'parents divorced in 1992 . yet despite now being a fully-fledged olympian , the 33-year-old zara still feels she has some unfinished business to attend to when she , if all goes to plan , touches down in rio in two years'time . when you come out of the olympics you just go ,'let 's just do it all again ,' phillips says . to be able to come out with a medal ( in london ) was incredible . but we wanted gold and we probably should have got it . we 'd definitely like to go back and try and change the color . ' in 2012 , phillips had a whole host of royalty fighting her corner , with princes william and harry , to name just a few , among those cheering on their relative from the stands . come 2016 , mia -- who will be superseded as the youngest member of britain 's royal family when william 's wife catherine gives birth for the second time -- could be watching her mother 's bid to win gold , having already spent time on the equestrian circuit . she 's been on the road . there 's so many kids on the circuit , so many people who 've had babies already , ' phillips says . we 're lucky because we can ride and go back and forth a bit , it fits in really well . it seems to have worked and hopefully it will keep going like that . ' having admitted to not feeling maternal before mia 's birth , phillips has since treasured the experience of becoming a mother for the first time . i 've really enjoyed it . in a funny kind of way it 's like having another type of high-performance horse on your hands , ' she jokes . it 's an incredible bond you have . i 'm lucky , she 's really good . ' phillips has had plenty of experience developing special bonds down the years , having nurtured a number of relationships with her horses since being introduced to riding as a child by her equine-loving family . it was with her beloved toytown that she first started competing properly , soon going on to become both a european and world champion -- taking continental glory in 2005 and 2007 , while conquering the globe at the first attempt in 2006 . olympic success came alongside high kingdom , and he could well be phillips'partner in rio , given that she rode the bay gelding in normandy . i 've had him since he was a five-year-old , ' phillips says of high kingdom , now 13 . we 've come up the levels together and taught each other everything . i 'm trying to teach him . i think it really helps that i 've had him for that long and know him very well . ' phillips'equestrian career , though , has not come without its setbacks . injury to the now-retired toytown cost her likely selection for the 2004 olympic games in athens , while lightning unfortunately struck twice four years later as another injury to the chestnut gelding ruled her out of beijing . phillips also broke her collarbone in 2008 after falling off tsunami ii , and the horse had to be put down . i think you get to see the signs when things are really good and when things are n't so good , ' phillips reflects . you would hope that you would notice before anything went too wrong . and that 's what you always try . ' she remains ever-indebted to the role her family have played in helping to lay the foundations for her successful career . her grandmother , one of the great patrons of british horse racing , still rides at the age of 88 . i remember always being around the yard and being around horses . it was great fun , you know , ' phillips says . you get this passed down through the family and that 's where it sort of came from . obviously we 're very grateful to our family and hobbies and traditions , and the love and passion they 've got for the horses has filtered down through the years . ' horses mean everything to me , ' phillips adds . they 're what i do -- my work and my passion . i 'm very lucky . ' | zara phillips helps britain qualify for 2016 olympics less than nine months after giving birth |
issa <tsp> in an unusual step , a u.s. congressman is proposing a two-year ban on all new federal legislation regulating the internet . rep. darrell issa , a republican from california who has been an advocate for internet freedoms , has posted online a draft of his legislation , the internet american moratorium act of 2012 . the bill would create a two-year moratorium on any new laws , rules or regulations governing the internet . ' issa first posted the complete text of the bill monday on project madison , the nickname for a crowdsourcing platform that allows citizens to amend individual passages of legislation by adding or striking language . on tuesday , he posted a link to the bill on reddit , the social news site , where users quickly voted it to the top . together , we can make washington take a break from messing w/ the internet , ' issa said on reddit , where he also invited users to suggest changes to the proposed bill . he said he will begin taking questions about it from reddit users wednesday morning . issa is one of the more tech-fluent members of congress and was an outspoken critic of the stop online piracy act , which would have penalized websites that host pirated content . that bill died this year amid near-unanimous opposition from the technology industry . it was not immediately clear whether issa 's moratorium would apply to his own online protection and enforcement of digital trade ( open ) act , which would seek to protect u.s. copyrights and trademarks from infringement by foreign websites . initial reaction on reddit to his proposed moratorium was mixed . some users were confused about what point issa was trying to make , while others saw the move as a stunt . i have a problem with legislation that preemptively ties your hands for years at a time . you ca n't know what the internet or society will look like in six months , let alone two years , and making it harder to respond to emerging threats or opportunities is an abdication of your responsibilities as a member of congress , ' wrote one reddit user . this just seems to me to be more cheap political theater , along the lines of grover norquist 's'we will never ever ever raise taxes for any reason'pledge . ' the answer is not to ban new regulation . we need regulation , ' another said . but , i do n't believe anybody in congress has the vocabulary , is intelligent in knowing how the internet or computers work , or has the foresight to put current trends and future technologies together in a context to create those new regulation that protect the internet and it 's users/consumers . ' issa 's reddit post had drawn more than 2,000 comments by early wednesday . leslie horn , writing for gizmodo , also dismissed issa 's idea . open internet ? that 's a good thing . but a law that keeps congress from governing ? that 's not a good thing -- the internet is a big place , and the language of this law is very broad , ' she wrote . as it stands now , iama is just a discussion draft , meaning it will be a very long time before it 's even close to a vote . and while we 're for an open internet , a blanket ban is a bad idea . let 's think about this one a little more , rep . issa . ' when asked why the congressman introduced the bill , a spokesman for issa told cnn , after sopa and pipa ( the senate 's similar protect intellectual property act ) , it became very clear that we needed a cooling-off period to figure out a better way to create policy that impacts internet users , job creators and all americans . ' the spokesman , who asked not to be named , declined further comment tuesday . | rep. darrell issa proposes halt to federal web regulations |
issa <tsp> in an unusual step , a u.s. congressman is proposing a two-year ban on all new federal legislation regulating the internet . rep. darrell issa , a republican from california who has been an advocate for internet freedoms , has posted online a draft of his legislation , the internet american moratorium act of 2012 . the bill would create a two-year moratorium on any new laws , rules or regulations governing the internet . ' issa first posted the complete text of the bill monday on project madison , the nickname for a crowdsourcing platform that allows citizens to amend individual passages of legislation by adding or striking language . on tuesday , he posted a link to the bill on reddit , the social news site , where users quickly voted it to the top . together , we can make washington take a break from messing w/ the internet , ' issa said on reddit , where he also invited users to suggest changes to the proposed bill . he said he will begin taking questions about it from reddit users wednesday morning . issa is one of the more tech-fluent members of congress and was an outspoken critic of the stop online piracy act , which would have penalized websites that host pirated content . that bill died this year amid near-unanimous opposition from the technology industry . it was not immediately clear whether issa 's moratorium would apply to his own online protection and enforcement of digital trade ( open ) act , which would seek to protect u.s. copyrights and trademarks from infringement by foreign websites . initial reaction on reddit to his proposed moratorium was mixed . some users were confused about what point issa was trying to make , while others saw the move as a stunt . i have a problem with legislation that preemptively ties your hands for years at a time . you ca n't know what the internet or society will look like in six months , let alone two years , and making it harder to respond to emerging threats or opportunities is an abdication of your responsibilities as a member of congress , ' wrote one reddit user . this just seems to me to be more cheap political theater , along the lines of grover norquist 's'we will never ever ever raise taxes for any reason'pledge . ' the answer is not to ban new regulation . we need regulation , ' another said . but , i do n't believe anybody in congress has the vocabulary , is intelligent in knowing how the internet or computers work , or has the foresight to put current trends and future technologies together in a context to create those new regulation that protect the internet and it 's users/consumers . ' issa 's reddit post had drawn more than 2,000 comments by early wednesday . leslie horn , writing for gizmodo , also dismissed issa 's idea . open internet ? that 's a good thing . but a law that keeps congress from governing ? that 's not a good thing -- the internet is a big place , and the language of this law is very broad , ' she wrote . as it stands now , iama is just a discussion draft , meaning it will be a very long time before it 's even close to a vote . and while we 're for an open internet , a blanket ban is a bad idea . let 's think about this one a little more , rep . issa . ' when asked why the congressman introduced the bill , a spokesman for issa told cnn , after sopa and pipa ( the senate 's similar protect intellectual property act ) , it became very clear that we needed a cooling-off period to figure out a better way to create policy that impacts internet users , job creators and all americans . ' the spokesman , who asked not to be named , declined further comment tuesday . | issa , a web-freedom advocate , posted draft of a bill online |
marvel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- marvel 's upcoming agents of s.h.i.e.l.d . ' is one of fall tv 's most anticipated new shows . the cast and producers were on hand at comic-con to preview the series , which was created by the avengers ' director joss whedon and will premiere on abc on september 24 . those who attended the panel were treated to far more than just a teaser ; the entire premiere episode was screened for the hall of fans , who gave the episode a standing ovation during the credits . the series follows agent coulson ( clark gregg ) , a s.h.i.e.l.d . employee who seemingly died at the hands of villain loki in the avengers ' movie . however , it 's revealed his death was faked , and he now heads the team that appears in this tv series . i did n't like being dead , ' gregg said . but i really loved my death . i never thought anything could top that . i 'm a longtime marvel fan , so i just ca n't believe this is happening to me . i got a call from marvel saying ,'you really do have a big part in the avengers . ' it 's what happens to you that brings them together .'it was so amazing what joss did and wrote . it was the greatest thing i 'd done , and i was really pleased and proud . ' s.h.i.e.l.d . ' ( strategic homeland intervention enforcement and logistics division ) extends the world created in the recent marvel films , including the avengers , ' iron man , ' thor ' and captain america . ' while whedon would n't confirm whether those characters show up on the program , he did n't rule out the possibility either . we may see some people [ from the films ] and we may see some people from the marvel universe who are not cinematic , ' whedon said . but the most important thing is that we get to see these people who are here every week . so probably ( some of those characters will appear ) , but i ca n't say when because that would spoil it . ' the show will introduce several new actors , and the producers see s.h.i.e .. l.d . ' as a true team effort . agent maria hill ( colbie smulders ) is in the pilot episode , newcomer brett dalton plays agent grant ward while chloe bennet plays a mysterious character named skye whose true intentions come to light in the pilot . i have that feeling that i have not had for a long time where i have assembled this extraordinary ensemble of talented and soon-to-be very full of themselves people , ' whedon said . the endless possibilities we have between them and among them and in their pasts and in their futures and their interactions . there 's stuff we 've taken from the marvel universe , stuff we 're bringing to the marvel universe . this is a show that has so much history and so much to make that i guess i 'm just a little excited . ' | agents of s.h.i.e.l.d ' is new tv series based on marvel films |
marvel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- marvel 's upcoming agents of s.h.i.e.l.d . ' is one of fall tv 's most anticipated new shows . the cast and producers were on hand at comic-con to preview the series , which was created by the avengers ' director joss whedon and will premiere on abc on september 24 . those who attended the panel were treated to far more than just a teaser ; the entire premiere episode was screened for the hall of fans , who gave the episode a standing ovation during the credits . the series follows agent coulson ( clark gregg ) , a s.h.i.e.l.d . employee who seemingly died at the hands of villain loki in the avengers ' movie . however , it 's revealed his death was faked , and he now heads the team that appears in this tv series . i did n't like being dead , ' gregg said . but i really loved my death . i never thought anything could top that . i 'm a longtime marvel fan , so i just ca n't believe this is happening to me . i got a call from marvel saying ,'you really do have a big part in the avengers . ' it 's what happens to you that brings them together .'it was so amazing what joss did and wrote . it was the greatest thing i 'd done , and i was really pleased and proud . ' s.h.i.e.l.d . ' ( strategic homeland intervention enforcement and logistics division ) extends the world created in the recent marvel films , including the avengers , ' iron man , ' thor ' and captain america . ' while whedon would n't confirm whether those characters show up on the program , he did n't rule out the possibility either . we may see some people [ from the films ] and we may see some people from the marvel universe who are not cinematic , ' whedon said . but the most important thing is that we get to see these people who are here every week . so probably ( some of those characters will appear ) , but i ca n't say when because that would spoil it . ' the show will introduce several new actors , and the producers see s.h.i.e .. l.d . ' as a true team effort . agent maria hill ( colbie smulders ) is in the pilot episode , newcomer brett dalton plays agent grant ward while chloe bennet plays a mysterious character named skye whose true intentions come to light in the pilot . i have that feeling that i have not had for a long time where i have assembled this extraordinary ensemble of talented and soon-to-be very full of themselves people , ' whedon said . the endless possibilities we have between them and among them and in their pasts and in their futures and their interactions . there 's stuff we 've taken from the marvel universe , stuff we 're bringing to the marvel universe . this is a show that has so much history and so much to make that i guess i 'm just a little excited . ' | whedon teased that other marvel characters may cameo on show |
stanley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney is a paradox . if you saw a photo of him and did n't know who he was , you might assume from the square jaw , trappings of wealth and arcane haircut that he was the perfect country-club republican . but that would be too simple , especially in this election . romney only looks like an insider . but in many ways , he has remained an outsider . politics : romney 's'all'proved not enough for one thing , the romney-ryan presidential ticket , which lost the election tuesday to president barack obama and vice president joe biden , was the first in history not to include a protestant . ( romney would have been the first mormon president , rep. paul ryan is catholic . ) he 's a republican who won election in a blue state . the people of massachusetts may know the former governor as a bipartisan moderate , yet he sold himself on the national stage as severely conservative . ' in his own state , he invented what many regard as the prototype for obamacare , yet he repeatedly vowed to repeal obama 's version of it . kennedy : obama 's win wo n't transform america is he moderate or is he conservative ? the same question could be asked of the republican party -- and the gop 's own lack of ideological clarity is probably the exact reason why it nominated him . cometh the hour , cometh the multidimensional man . today 's republicans find themselves in a dilemma . on the one hand , they have an enormous base of hyped-up voters who passionately subscribe to economic and social conservatism . they needed to energize that base to win . on the other hand , the margin of victory rested with a group of moderates and independents who like their politics a little more practical . the challenge of 2012 was to take the tea party agenda and rebrand it so that it could still appeal to the right but also win converts in the center . that was romney 's job -- and he did n't quite pull it off . yet , if anyone could have , it would have been mitt . why wall street hates obama i suspect that the republicans nominated romney partly because he spent so much money acquiring the nomination but also because his personality seemed suitably vague . to be assigned to report on his rallies carried all the thrill of being asked to submit a 10,000-word critical analysis of a church picnic . his speeches were flat at best and goofy at worst . his attire was sensible trousers and shirt with the sleeves rolled up , and the family was so wholesomely large that you sensed they could swing a primary just by registering the grandkids . but squareness was just what the gop was looking for . in an era of recession , his business experience seemed like a big plus and his polished-yet-gentle style was a nice contrast to obama 's flashy rhetoric . it was understood that he had been a technocratic governor of massachusetts , with a record on social issues that at times wandered a bit to the left . as i always explained to my british colleagues bemused at the irresistible rise of mitt romney , one of his greatest strengths was that he did n't look crazy . you could trust this man with the nuclear codes , whereas putting the entire arsenal of the free world in the hands of one of his primary challengers , like rick santorum or newt gingrich , felt risky . but to win the primaries , romney still needed the votes of that big block of conservatives . so he underwent a rebranding . for the record , the conservative movement never entirely bought romney 's conversion . that 's why he lost iowa to santorum and south carolina to gingrich . thereafter he was dogged for some weeks by santorum , whose electoral coalition tended to be poorer , more religious , more conservative and more rural . in these truly competitive primaries , romney 's vote was often rich , moderate and elderly ( no wonder mr. burns was such a fan ) . mitt was , in fact , the country-club candidate . he won primaries largely thanks to the support of people like him , and he only won because there are so many people like him in the republican party . but all the while , his empty pitch to the gop base moved him rhetorically further and further to the right . share your opinions on the election results of course , philosophical conservatism is n't necessarily an electoral negative for the gop . it worked for reagan in the 1980s and george w bush in the 2000s . but whereas democratic populism is programmatic ( health care for all , tax the rich ) for the republicans it has tended to be personal ( dress like a cowboy , eat tv dinners ) . the problem was that mitt lacked the requisite performance skills -- he 's no reagan -- which ended up converting his greatest strength into his greatest weakness . with unemployment running high and debt spiraling out of control , we might have expected romney 's ability to make money to be a plus . instead , it only emphasized his difference from you and me . he had money nestling in the cayman islands . he only paid 14.1 % on a fortune that would make king midas blush . worst of all , he had worked in private equity , and while he helped save a lot of jobs , he was probably responsible for downsizing a few , too . romney insisted that he left bain before it committed its greatest sins , but the image of mitt cheerfully declaring , i like being able to fire people ' stuck in the minds of many voters . romney 's broader appeal was buried beneath a wave of scandal and political character assassination . it was the debates that allowed him to regain control of the narrative . in that first debate he was clever , funny , energetic and passionate -- and in many ways outclassed obama . my theory is that romney flourished because the format was like a corporate job interview : question after question , a little light sparring , an emphasis upon pep ' ( gee , i 'd just love to run your country . when can i start ? ! ' ) . the inner-intern shone through and romney behaved like a smart kid out of college who 's hungry to get his foot on the corporate ladder . kamarck : five things obama must do his performance was so good that it was historic , transforming the election in a way that few have ever done . it worked because romney did what the gop was waiting for him to do all year . he appealed to the center by sounding reasonable and moderate but he also fired up the base by saying things to obama that they wanted to hear said . this was romney at his very best -- and it 's difficult to image an alternative candidate who could have done better . but , ultimately , the contradictions inherent within both romney and his party simply could n't be overcome . the need to be both conservative and moderate confused and frustrated the electorate who were never quite sure what they were voting for . so the advantage fell to the incumbent . the ambivalent american public went with the devil they knew . what next for mitt romney ? do n't be surprised if he returns to his church . he 's a man of faith with a record of charity and it would be in keeping for him to dedicate himself to others . i hope the conservative movement and the pundits will be just as charitable to him the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of timothy stanley . | stanley : romney was moderate republican in mass . ; later became severely conservative ' |
stanley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney is a paradox . if you saw a photo of him and did n't know who he was , you might assume from the square jaw , trappings of wealth and arcane haircut that he was the perfect country-club republican . but that would be too simple , especially in this election . romney only looks like an insider . but in many ways , he has remained an outsider . politics : romney 's'all'proved not enough for one thing , the romney-ryan presidential ticket , which lost the election tuesday to president barack obama and vice president joe biden , was the first in history not to include a protestant . ( romney would have been the first mormon president , rep. paul ryan is catholic . ) he 's a republican who won election in a blue state . the people of massachusetts may know the former governor as a bipartisan moderate , yet he sold himself on the national stage as severely conservative . ' in his own state , he invented what many regard as the prototype for obamacare , yet he repeatedly vowed to repeal obama 's version of it . kennedy : obama 's win wo n't transform america is he moderate or is he conservative ? the same question could be asked of the republican party -- and the gop 's own lack of ideological clarity is probably the exact reason why it nominated him . cometh the hour , cometh the multidimensional man . today 's republicans find themselves in a dilemma . on the one hand , they have an enormous base of hyped-up voters who passionately subscribe to economic and social conservatism . they needed to energize that base to win . on the other hand , the margin of victory rested with a group of moderates and independents who like their politics a little more practical . the challenge of 2012 was to take the tea party agenda and rebrand it so that it could still appeal to the right but also win converts in the center . that was romney 's job -- and he did n't quite pull it off . yet , if anyone could have , it would have been mitt . why wall street hates obama i suspect that the republicans nominated romney partly because he spent so much money acquiring the nomination but also because his personality seemed suitably vague . to be assigned to report on his rallies carried all the thrill of being asked to submit a 10,000-word critical analysis of a church picnic . his speeches were flat at best and goofy at worst . his attire was sensible trousers and shirt with the sleeves rolled up , and the family was so wholesomely large that you sensed they could swing a primary just by registering the grandkids . but squareness was just what the gop was looking for . in an era of recession , his business experience seemed like a big plus and his polished-yet-gentle style was a nice contrast to obama 's flashy rhetoric . it was understood that he had been a technocratic governor of massachusetts , with a record on social issues that at times wandered a bit to the left . as i always explained to my british colleagues bemused at the irresistible rise of mitt romney , one of his greatest strengths was that he did n't look crazy . you could trust this man with the nuclear codes , whereas putting the entire arsenal of the free world in the hands of one of his primary challengers , like rick santorum or newt gingrich , felt risky . but to win the primaries , romney still needed the votes of that big block of conservatives . so he underwent a rebranding . for the record , the conservative movement never entirely bought romney 's conversion . that 's why he lost iowa to santorum and south carolina to gingrich . thereafter he was dogged for some weeks by santorum , whose electoral coalition tended to be poorer , more religious , more conservative and more rural . in these truly competitive primaries , romney 's vote was often rich , moderate and elderly ( no wonder mr. burns was such a fan ) . mitt was , in fact , the country-club candidate . he won primaries largely thanks to the support of people like him , and he only won because there are so many people like him in the republican party . but all the while , his empty pitch to the gop base moved him rhetorically further and further to the right . share your opinions on the election results of course , philosophical conservatism is n't necessarily an electoral negative for the gop . it worked for reagan in the 1980s and george w bush in the 2000s . but whereas democratic populism is programmatic ( health care for all , tax the rich ) for the republicans it has tended to be personal ( dress like a cowboy , eat tv dinners ) . the problem was that mitt lacked the requisite performance skills -- he 's no reagan -- which ended up converting his greatest strength into his greatest weakness . with unemployment running high and debt spiraling out of control , we might have expected romney 's ability to make money to be a plus . instead , it only emphasized his difference from you and me . he had money nestling in the cayman islands . he only paid 14.1 % on a fortune that would make king midas blush . worst of all , he had worked in private equity , and while he helped save a lot of jobs , he was probably responsible for downsizing a few , too . romney insisted that he left bain before it committed its greatest sins , but the image of mitt cheerfully declaring , i like being able to fire people ' stuck in the minds of many voters . romney 's broader appeal was buried beneath a wave of scandal and political character assassination . it was the debates that allowed him to regain control of the narrative . in that first debate he was clever , funny , energetic and passionate -- and in many ways outclassed obama . my theory is that romney flourished because the format was like a corporate job interview : question after question , a little light sparring , an emphasis upon pep ' ( gee , i 'd just love to run your country . when can i start ? ! ' ) . the inner-intern shone through and romney behaved like a smart kid out of college who 's hungry to get his foot on the corporate ladder . kamarck : five things obama must do his performance was so good that it was historic , transforming the election in a way that few have ever done . it worked because romney did what the gop was waiting for him to do all year . he appealed to the center by sounding reasonable and moderate but he also fired up the base by saying things to obama that they wanted to hear said . this was romney at his very best -- and it 's difficult to image an alternative candidate who could have done better . but , ultimately , the contradictions inherent within both romney and his party simply could n't be overcome . the need to be both conservative and moderate confused and frustrated the electorate who were never quite sure what they were voting for . so the advantage fell to the incumbent . the ambivalent american public went with the devil they knew . what next for mitt romney ? do n't be surprised if he returns to his church . he 's a man of faith with a record of charity and it would be in keeping for him to dedicate himself to others . i hope the conservative movement and the pundits will be just as charitable to him the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of timothy stanley . | stanley : his contradications could n't be overcome for frustrated electorate |
stanley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney is a paradox . if you saw a photo of him and did n't know who he was , you might assume from the square jaw , trappings of wealth and arcane haircut that he was the perfect country-club republican . but that would be too simple , especially in this election . romney only looks like an insider . but in many ways , he has remained an outsider . politics : romney 's'all'proved not enough for one thing , the romney-ryan presidential ticket , which lost the election tuesday to president barack obama and vice president joe biden , was the first in history not to include a protestant . ( romney would have been the first mormon president , rep. paul ryan is catholic . ) he 's a republican who won election in a blue state . the people of massachusetts may know the former governor as a bipartisan moderate , yet he sold himself on the national stage as severely conservative . ' in his own state , he invented what many regard as the prototype for obamacare , yet he repeatedly vowed to repeal obama 's version of it . kennedy : obama 's win wo n't transform america is he moderate or is he conservative ? the same question could be asked of the republican party -- and the gop 's own lack of ideological clarity is probably the exact reason why it nominated him . cometh the hour , cometh the multidimensional man . today 's republicans find themselves in a dilemma . on the one hand , they have an enormous base of hyped-up voters who passionately subscribe to economic and social conservatism . they needed to energize that base to win . on the other hand , the margin of victory rested with a group of moderates and independents who like their politics a little more practical . the challenge of 2012 was to take the tea party agenda and rebrand it so that it could still appeal to the right but also win converts in the center . that was romney 's job -- and he did n't quite pull it off . yet , if anyone could have , it would have been mitt . why wall street hates obama i suspect that the republicans nominated romney partly because he spent so much money acquiring the nomination but also because his personality seemed suitably vague . to be assigned to report on his rallies carried all the thrill of being asked to submit a 10,000-word critical analysis of a church picnic . his speeches were flat at best and goofy at worst . his attire was sensible trousers and shirt with the sleeves rolled up , and the family was so wholesomely large that you sensed they could swing a primary just by registering the grandkids . but squareness was just what the gop was looking for . in an era of recession , his business experience seemed like a big plus and his polished-yet-gentle style was a nice contrast to obama 's flashy rhetoric . it was understood that he had been a technocratic governor of massachusetts , with a record on social issues that at times wandered a bit to the left . as i always explained to my british colleagues bemused at the irresistible rise of mitt romney , one of his greatest strengths was that he did n't look crazy . you could trust this man with the nuclear codes , whereas putting the entire arsenal of the free world in the hands of one of his primary challengers , like rick santorum or newt gingrich , felt risky . but to win the primaries , romney still needed the votes of that big block of conservatives . so he underwent a rebranding . for the record , the conservative movement never entirely bought romney 's conversion . that 's why he lost iowa to santorum and south carolina to gingrich . thereafter he was dogged for some weeks by santorum , whose electoral coalition tended to be poorer , more religious , more conservative and more rural . in these truly competitive primaries , romney 's vote was often rich , moderate and elderly ( no wonder mr. burns was such a fan ) . mitt was , in fact , the country-club candidate . he won primaries largely thanks to the support of people like him , and he only won because there are so many people like him in the republican party . but all the while , his empty pitch to the gop base moved him rhetorically further and further to the right . share your opinions on the election results of course , philosophical conservatism is n't necessarily an electoral negative for the gop . it worked for reagan in the 1980s and george w bush in the 2000s . but whereas democratic populism is programmatic ( health care for all , tax the rich ) for the republicans it has tended to be personal ( dress like a cowboy , eat tv dinners ) . the problem was that mitt lacked the requisite performance skills -- he 's no reagan -- which ended up converting his greatest strength into his greatest weakness . with unemployment running high and debt spiraling out of control , we might have expected romney 's ability to make money to be a plus . instead , it only emphasized his difference from you and me . he had money nestling in the cayman islands . he only paid 14.1 % on a fortune that would make king midas blush . worst of all , he had worked in private equity , and while he helped save a lot of jobs , he was probably responsible for downsizing a few , too . romney insisted that he left bain before it committed its greatest sins , but the image of mitt cheerfully declaring , i like being able to fire people ' stuck in the minds of many voters . romney 's broader appeal was buried beneath a wave of scandal and political character assassination . it was the debates that allowed him to regain control of the narrative . in that first debate he was clever , funny , energetic and passionate -- and in many ways outclassed obama . my theory is that romney flourished because the format was like a corporate job interview : question after question , a little light sparring , an emphasis upon pep ' ( gee , i 'd just love to run your country . when can i start ? ! ' ) . the inner-intern shone through and romney behaved like a smart kid out of college who 's hungry to get his foot on the corporate ladder . kamarck : five things obama must do his performance was so good that it was historic , transforming the election in a way that few have ever done . it worked because romney did what the gop was waiting for him to do all year . he appealed to the center by sounding reasonable and moderate but he also fired up the base by saying things to obama that they wanted to hear said . this was romney at his very best -- and it 's difficult to image an alternative candidate who could have done better . but , ultimately , the contradictions inherent within both romney and his party simply could n't be overcome . the need to be both conservative and moderate confused and frustrated the electorate who were never quite sure what they were voting for . so the advantage fell to the incumbent . the ambivalent american public went with the devil they knew . what next for mitt romney ? do n't be surprised if he returns to his church . he 's a man of faith with a record of charity and it would be in keeping for him to dedicate himself to others . i hope the conservative movement and the pundits will be just as charitable to him the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of timothy stanley . | timothy stanley : romney , who lost presidential election , has long been paradox |
robaina <tsp> havana , cuba -- alejandro robaina , considered a legend among cuban tobacco growers , died saturday , according to cuban cigar company habanos s.a. , which produced cigars named for him . robaina was 91 . he was diagnosed with cancer last year and died on his farm in the western cuban province of pinar del rio , said habanos spokesman jose antonio candia . robaina 's tobacco leaves are considered some of the best in the world . in cuba , he was called the godfather . ' his deeply wrinkled face smiled out from billboards , t-shirts and boxes of vegas robaina cigars , among cuba 's finest . a box of premium vegas robaina cigars can fetch more than $ 500 on the international market . but the man behind the smile was also a simple country farmer who got up at the crack of dawn every day to survey his fields until cancer slowed him down . i would n't say i 've triumphed , but i 've done something with my life , ' he told cnn in 2008 . the first thing is to love the land , take care of the land . ' robaina 's family have farmed tobacco continuously since 1845 on the plantation . under robaina , business flourished , and the plantation had some of the best yields in the region , producing highly-prized wrapper leaves used for the outer layer of cigars . cigar aficionados around the globe called him the dean of cuba 's cigar industry and every year thousands of visitors made the two-hour trek from havana , hoping to share a stogie and a glass of rum with the don . ' robaina kept his lands even when many ranches were nationalized after the 1959 revolution led by fidel castro . i had a very strong conversation with fidel 18 or 20 years ago , ' robaina said in 2008 . he asked if i would join a big cooperative since i had so many workers , and i told him no . for me tobacco growing had to be in the family , done with love . because in the big cooperatives , everyone 's the boss , nobody worries as much as the grower . ' now , almost all of cuba 's tobacco farms are private , according to the agriculture ministry . and they generally take their lead from robaina , planting and harvesting on the same days he did . i like to sow during a waxing moon , and harvest in a waning moon , ' he said . robaina said he 'd been smoking cigars since he was 10 years old . when i get really old , i 'll stop smoking the strong stuff , ' he said . in 1997 , cuba launched the vegas robaina brand , named in his honor . they 're made from the golden wrapper leaves grown on robaina 's plantation but are rolled in a separate factory . like most of cuba 's cigars , they 're largely exported . because of the u.s. trade embargo , however , cuban cigars are off-limits in america . robaina said in 2008 he hoped that policy would end during his lifetime . of course i have hope they 'll open up the market , ' he said . cuba 's willing to send cigars and they 're willing to smoke them . they 're going crazy because they ca n't smoke cigars from here . ' robaina will be buried sunday , said candia . | robaina 's tobacco leaves are considered some of the best in the world |
robaina <tsp> havana , cuba -- alejandro robaina , considered a legend among cuban tobacco growers , died saturday , according to cuban cigar company habanos s.a. , which produced cigars named for him . robaina was 91 . he was diagnosed with cancer last year and died on his farm in the western cuban province of pinar del rio , said habanos spokesman jose antonio candia . robaina 's tobacco leaves are considered some of the best in the world . in cuba , he was called the godfather . ' his deeply wrinkled face smiled out from billboards , t-shirts and boxes of vegas robaina cigars , among cuba 's finest . a box of premium vegas robaina cigars can fetch more than $ 500 on the international market . but the man behind the smile was also a simple country farmer who got up at the crack of dawn every day to survey his fields until cancer slowed him down . i would n't say i 've triumphed , but i 've done something with my life , ' he told cnn in 2008 . the first thing is to love the land , take care of the land . ' robaina 's family have farmed tobacco continuously since 1845 on the plantation . under robaina , business flourished , and the plantation had some of the best yields in the region , producing highly-prized wrapper leaves used for the outer layer of cigars . cigar aficionados around the globe called him the dean of cuba 's cigar industry and every year thousands of visitors made the two-hour trek from havana , hoping to share a stogie and a glass of rum with the don . ' robaina kept his lands even when many ranches were nationalized after the 1959 revolution led by fidel castro . i had a very strong conversation with fidel 18 or 20 years ago , ' robaina said in 2008 . he asked if i would join a big cooperative since i had so many workers , and i told him no . for me tobacco growing had to be in the family , done with love . because in the big cooperatives , everyone 's the boss , nobody worries as much as the grower . ' now , almost all of cuba 's tobacco farms are private , according to the agriculture ministry . and they generally take their lead from robaina , planting and harvesting on the same days he did . i like to sow during a waxing moon , and harvest in a waning moon , ' he said . robaina said he 'd been smoking cigars since he was 10 years old . when i get really old , i 'll stop smoking the strong stuff , ' he said . in 1997 , cuba launched the vegas robaina brand , named in his honor . they 're made from the golden wrapper leaves grown on robaina 's plantation but are rolled in a separate factory . like most of cuba 's cigars , they 're largely exported . because of the u.s. trade embargo , however , cuban cigars are off-limits in america . robaina said in 2008 he hoped that policy would end during his lifetime . of course i have hope they 'll open up the market , ' he said . cuba 's willing to send cigars and they 're willing to smoke them . they 're going crazy because they ca n't smoke cigars from here . ' robaina will be buried sunday , said candia . | robaina kept his lands after the 1959 revolution , when many others'were nationalized |
robaina <tsp> havana , cuba -- alejandro robaina , considered a legend among cuban tobacco growers , died saturday , according to cuban cigar company habanos s.a. , which produced cigars named for him . robaina was 91 . he was diagnosed with cancer last year and died on his farm in the western cuban province of pinar del rio , said habanos spokesman jose antonio candia . robaina 's tobacco leaves are considered some of the best in the world . in cuba , he was called the godfather . ' his deeply wrinkled face smiled out from billboards , t-shirts and boxes of vegas robaina cigars , among cuba 's finest . a box of premium vegas robaina cigars can fetch more than $ 500 on the international market . but the man behind the smile was also a simple country farmer who got up at the crack of dawn every day to survey his fields until cancer slowed him down . i would n't say i 've triumphed , but i 've done something with my life , ' he told cnn in 2008 . the first thing is to love the land , take care of the land . ' robaina 's family have farmed tobacco continuously since 1845 on the plantation . under robaina , business flourished , and the plantation had some of the best yields in the region , producing highly-prized wrapper leaves used for the outer layer of cigars . cigar aficionados around the globe called him the dean of cuba 's cigar industry and every year thousands of visitors made the two-hour trek from havana , hoping to share a stogie and a glass of rum with the don . ' robaina kept his lands even when many ranches were nationalized after the 1959 revolution led by fidel castro . i had a very strong conversation with fidel 18 or 20 years ago , ' robaina said in 2008 . he asked if i would join a big cooperative since i had so many workers , and i told him no . for me tobacco growing had to be in the family , done with love . because in the big cooperatives , everyone 's the boss , nobody worries as much as the grower . ' now , almost all of cuba 's tobacco farms are private , according to the agriculture ministry . and they generally take their lead from robaina , planting and harvesting on the same days he did . i like to sow during a waxing moon , and harvest in a waning moon , ' he said . robaina said he 'd been smoking cigars since he was 10 years old . when i get really old , i 'll stop smoking the strong stuff , ' he said . in 1997 , cuba launched the vegas robaina brand , named in his honor . they 're made from the golden wrapper leaves grown on robaina 's plantation but are rolled in a separate factory . like most of cuba 's cigars , they 're largely exported . because of the u.s. trade embargo , however , cuban cigars are off-limits in america . robaina said in 2008 he hoped that policy would end during his lifetime . of course i have hope they 'll open up the market , ' he said . cuba 's willing to send cigars and they 're willing to smoke them . they 're going crazy because they ca n't smoke cigars from here . ' robaina will be buried sunday , said candia . | robaina , who was diagnosed with cancer last year , died on his farm in pinar del rio |
robaina <tsp> havana , cuba -- alejandro robaina , considered a legend among cuban tobacco growers , died saturday , according to cuban cigar company habanos s.a. , which produced cigars named for him . robaina was 91 . he was diagnosed with cancer last year and died on his farm in the western cuban province of pinar del rio , said habanos spokesman jose antonio candia . robaina 's tobacco leaves are considered some of the best in the world . in cuba , he was called the godfather . ' his deeply wrinkled face smiled out from billboards , t-shirts and boxes of vegas robaina cigars , among cuba 's finest . a box of premium vegas robaina cigars can fetch more than $ 500 on the international market . but the man behind the smile was also a simple country farmer who got up at the crack of dawn every day to survey his fields until cancer slowed him down . i would n't say i 've triumphed , but i 've done something with my life , ' he told cnn in 2008 . the first thing is to love the land , take care of the land . ' robaina 's family have farmed tobacco continuously since 1845 on the plantation . under robaina , business flourished , and the plantation had some of the best yields in the region , producing highly-prized wrapper leaves used for the outer layer of cigars . cigar aficionados around the globe called him the dean of cuba 's cigar industry and every year thousands of visitors made the two-hour trek from havana , hoping to share a stogie and a glass of rum with the don . ' robaina kept his lands even when many ranches were nationalized after the 1959 revolution led by fidel castro . i had a very strong conversation with fidel 18 or 20 years ago , ' robaina said in 2008 . he asked if i would join a big cooperative since i had so many workers , and i told him no . for me tobacco growing had to be in the family , done with love . because in the big cooperatives , everyone 's the boss , nobody worries as much as the grower . ' now , almost all of cuba 's tobacco farms are private , according to the agriculture ministry . and they generally take their lead from robaina , planting and harvesting on the same days he did . i like to sow during a waxing moon , and harvest in a waning moon , ' he said . robaina said he 'd been smoking cigars since he was 10 years old . when i get really old , i 'll stop smoking the strong stuff , ' he said . in 1997 , cuba launched the vegas robaina brand , named in his honor . they 're made from the golden wrapper leaves grown on robaina 's plantation but are rolled in a separate factory . like most of cuba 's cigars , they 're largely exported . because of the u.s. trade embargo , however , cuban cigars are off-limits in america . robaina said in 2008 he hoped that policy would end during his lifetime . of course i have hope they 'll open up the market , ' he said . cuba 's willing to send cigars and they 're willing to smoke them . they 're going crazy because they ca n't smoke cigars from here . ' robaina will be buried sunday , said candia . | a box of premium vegas robaina cigars can fetch more than $ 500 |
david ferrer <tsp> ( cnn ) -- czech tennis fans are enjoying an uplift in fortunes not seen since before the velvet revolution more than 30 years ago . the czech republic 's women 's team lifted the fed cup title for the second year in a row on sunday -- echoing the achievements of the all-conquering czechoslovakia team led by martina navratilova in the 1980s . lucie safarova clinched the winning point against serbia to spark joyous scenes in prague , beating former world no . 1 jelena jankovic 6-1 6-1 to establish an unassailable 3-1 lead in the final . here at home in this type of crowd , it 's indescribable , it 's an amazing feeling , ' said safarova , ranked 17th in the world . there are so many emotions and happiness -- and that is the feeling we are practicing for every day , even if you 're not in the mood to work . ' fed cup fever hits prague the czechs had led 2-0 after saturday 's opening rubbers , but the serbs stayed in the match when ana ivanovic -- another former no . 1 -- defeated last year 's wimbledon champion petra kvitova 6-3 7-5 . i did n't have a lot of energy and it was obvious on the court , ' said kvitova , who won her opening match against jankovic despite an illness which ended her title defense at last month 's wta championships in istanbul . i tried to play only for a few shots , i could n't play for longer , and that 's why i started to have mistakes . ' the czechs became the third successive nation to defend the title following italy ( 2009-10 ) and russia ( 2007-08 ) . counting the five won by the old czechoslovakia up until 1988 , it matched the seven held by australia -- second overall , but 10 shy of the united states . last year 's victory was the first since the split with slovakia in 1993 . meanwhile , david ferrer lifted his first atp masters title after ending the giant-killing run of jerzy janowicz in sunday 's paris final . the fifth-ranked spaniard won 6-4 6-3 to become the first player outside the world 's top four to win a masters 1000 tournament since robin soderling in the same event two years ago . poland 's 69th-ranked janowicz had earlier upset world no . 3 andy murray and no . 9 janko tipsarevic on his way to his first masters final . it was ferrer 's seventh title this season -- the most by any men 's player -- and sets him up for the season-ending atp world tour finals starting in london on monday . he will be in action in tuesday 's evening session against argentina 's juan martin del potro , after defending champion roger federer plays tipsarevic in the opening group b tie . olympic and u.s. open champion murray will launch the tournament on monday against sixth-ranked czech tomas berdych . novak djokovic , whose return to world no . 1 will be confirmed on monday , will then face france 's jo-wilfried tsonga in another group a clash . | david ferrer wins his first atp masters title with sunday 's victory in paris final |
kansas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's the season of brackets , beer and , of course , basketball . duke blue devils fans cheer on their team at the acc tournament in atlanta , georgia . come mid-march , the country falls sick with college basketball fever , and the ncaa tournament is all the talk . as men 's college basketball comes to a close with the last game april 6 , fans are anxiously watching to see who will claim victory in this year 's national championship game . more than a century after james naismith invented basketball at a ymca training school in massachusetts , the sport continues to captivate millions of fans . over the years , college basketball has sparked great dedication among its fans , from those who camp out for three months for a ticket to those who attended games before they could read . cnn , with the help of experts at the ncaa , chose a handful of basketball towns filled with great fans , rich traditions and history that make these places worth a visit . 1 . duke university in durham , north carolina , and the university of north carolina in chapel hill college basketball is deeply rooted in north carolina culture , thanks to the success of the men 's teams at the university of north carolina and duke university . the epic rivalry between duke 's blue devils and north carolina 's tar heels draws in so many fans that some sports experts say it is partly responsible for reviving the waning college basketball viewership in the first half of this decade . visitors will find that duke basketball fans do n't shower their support only on game day . at duke university -- seeded no . 2 in the east -- student fans , dubbed the cameron crazies , are so eager to snare one of the 1,200 first-come-first-serve spots in the cameron stadium student section that they camp out for up to three months for the infamous north carolina-duke matchup . the grassy tenting area outside the basketball arena , known as krzyzewskiville , is named after coach mike krzyzewski , who has been named national coach of the year 12 times . it 's so easy to become enthralled with the culture of duke basketball , ' said joel burrill , a senior who headed up the tenting efforts this year . outside the stadium , visitors will discover plenty of blue devil spirit off-campus in durham , a former tobacco town . satisfaction restaurant and charlie 's pub & grille are among the favorite hot spots where visitors will discover student and local fans watching the games . about a 20-minute drive from durham is the historic town of chapel hill , home to the university of north carolina , which was seeded no . 1 in the south this year . the school has a strong record of basketball success , appearing in more than 40 ncaa tournaments . it is also the college team of professional basketball legend michael jordan . adam lucas , publisher of tar heel monthly , has been decked in baby blue carolina gear since he was a child . he even skipped school so he could attend the games with his parents , both tar heel alums . it 's not just a sport , ' he explained . it 's the number one thing talked about during this part of the year . you 'll have trouble holding a conversation in chapel hill in march if you do n't know the basics of carolina basketball . ' if visitors ca n't get one of the coveted tickets to watch the game in the dean e. smith center , aka the dean dome , there is plenty to do in the quaint city of chapel hill . visitors can walk to franklin street , the heart of town , where eateries , shops and sports bars are ready to embrace unc fans . they can also visit the 8,000-square-foot carolina basketball museum , located on campus , which holds more than 450 interactive displays , memorabilia and photos documenting a basketball program that began more than a century ago . 2 . the university of kansas in lawrence to understand the fan devotion for the defending national champions and a midwest no . 3-seeded team this year , one must make a trip to allen fieldhouse in lawrence , kansas . the jayhawks'indoor arena is old-school -- smaller than some college basketball stadiums -- built in the 1950s and named in honor of revered former coach forrest c. phog ' allen . in 1952 , phog ' led the men 's basketball team to its first ncaa victory . the energy from thousands of fans in allen field house is contagious . in addition to the rock chalk jayhawk ' chant , ku students are famous for their clever antics against the other teams , particularly their longstanding rivals at the university of missouri . but if you ca n't get a ticket during the regular season , check out the booth family hall of athletics , a 26,000-square-foot museum adjacent to the stadium . the museum , which opened about three years ago , houses artifacts and information about the history of ku athletics , including the men 's basketball team . visitors can head to colorful massachusetts street , the main drag in downtown lawrence . the street is lined with plenty of restaurants and bars catering to jayhawks followers on game day . when kansas beat memphis to clinch the national championship last year , more than 100,000 fans poured into the street , university officials say . people who come [ to lawrence ] never want to leave , ' said jennifer sanner , a 1981 alumna and editor of kansas alumni magazine . and if you 're a basketball fan , that 's all the better . ' 3 . indiana university in bloomington , indiana sure , the hoosiers did n't have a stellar season after going 6-25 , and they did n't make it to the ncaa tournament . after kelvin sampson resigned as coach in february over allegations that he had violated ncaa recruiting standards , the team lost many of its top players . despite this , college basketball in bloomington , indiana , remains sacred , devout hoosiers fans say , and they believe that the men 's team will be back in full force over the next few years . indiana university has one of the top basketball programs in the country , winning five ncaa championships . the team was led for many years by hot-tempered but incredibly successful coach bobby knight . if you are lucky enough to get a ticket to see the hoosiers play at their stadium , assembly hall , you will find droves of student fans . assembly hall holds one of the country 's largest student sections , holding more than 8,000 . officials at bloomington indiana visitors & convention bureau say basketball game days flood local restaurants and bars with students and local fans . the games tend to sell out , so be prepared to explore bloomington . most fans head to kirkwood avenue near campus and drop by nick 's english hut , where the walls are covered with hoosiers athletic photographs and gear , or yogi 's grill and bar to watch the game . basketball is a religion in this state , ' said zach osterman , the men 's basketball columnist at the university 's student newspaper , the indiana daily student . it goes way back before bobby knight . it 's what people do up here . ' 4 . marquette university in milwaukee , wisconsin there is no football team at marquette university in milwaukee , wisconsin . that means students and alumni are even more dedicated to the men 's basketball team , they say . marquette may be a jesuit university with just over 11,000 students , but it boasts one of the highest attendance rates at basketball games in the country . students at marquette do n't pitch tents like at duke , but the games are so popular , some will bring their sleeping bags 10 hours before the game to get the best seat in the house ' it 's such a great feeling to know you can walk anywhere in the city when you have a marquette shirt on a basketball day and people will talk to you about basketball , ' said sarah dembkowski , a sophomore at the university . it gives this city a bonding feeling . ' although the west region no . 6-seeded golden eagles lost to the university of missouri in the tournament last week , a trip to the bradley center , where the marquette men 's basketball team plays ( and where the nba 's milwaukee bucks play ) is well worth the visit . marquette students , called the superfans , are famous for their peculiar behavior , dressing up in costumes to support their team and distracting opponents with oversized cutouts of celebrities'heads . on campus are several bars , including the union annex , that tout cheap beer pitchers and food specials for fans . just several blocks from the university is downtown milwaukee . on water street , where most of the fans crowd on game day , visitors can hang with the locals and enjoy a hub of sports bars , taverns and restaurants . 5 . gonzaga university in spokane , washington gonzaga university officials call it the gonzaga effect ' : this small private school in spokane , washington , has qualified for the ncaa tournament for the 11th straight year . the gonzaga bulldogs men 's basketball team is an obscure team that seems to emerge from thin air each march . this year , the team entered the tournament seeded no . 4 in the south region . there have been a lot of one-and-done schools , who make a splash and disappear , but we 've been able to sustain it , ' said dale goodwin , a spokesman for the university . fans in the kennel club ' at gonzaga go wild for basketball despite the school 's smaller size . for more than 17 years of the kennel club 's existence , the bulldogs have won more than 75 percent of their games , including over 90 percent during the past eight seasons , according to the gonzaga athletic department . visitors will be delighted to watch the games in the school 's arena , the $ 25 million mccarthey athletic center , which opened in 2004 . before the opening , the basketball team was playing in a glorified high school gym , university officials said . on hamilton street near the university , visitors will want to head to jack & dan 's tavern , which belongs to john stockton , a former nba and gonzaga player . the bulldog , which claims to have the best burgers in town , is also a popular hangout during the games . meanwhile , spokane is preparing to host the ncaa first- and second-round men 's basketball tournament next march . the town , tucked into eastern washington , is excited to welcome visitors . a single event will probably bring in $ 2.75 million , according to the spokane regional convention & visitors bureau . | last year , 100,000 fans poured into downtown lawrence , kansas , after ku 's victory |
china <tsp> beijing , china ( cnn ) -- had the government not delayed its controversial order that all computers be equipped with green dam by july 1 , the result would have been the same -- chinese computer retailers were far from ready . the green dam 's developers say they 've received death threats . pc sales representatives at bainaohui , one of beijing 's largest electronics retailers , say their merchandise is not pre-installed with green dam , a web filtering software the government said was necessary to prevent children from viewing pornography and other harmful content . some retailers were unclear as to when the software would even be available on new units . computer experts say manufacturers have not had enough time to pre-install new computers with the software -- which is one reason behind the government 's delay . pc companies may also be taking more time to test the software after programming errors , with the potential to make computers susceptible to hackers , were detected by university of michigan professors . the chinese government said that these errors have been fixed . the international backlash against the green dam directive may be further delaying the pre-instillation process . twenty-two chambers of commerce and trade groups made an appeal to chinese premier wen jiabao urging that he abandon the software mandate . china is putting companies in an untenable position by requiring them , with virtually no public notice , to pre-install software that appears to have broad-based censorship implications and network security issues , ' said u.s. secretary of commerce gary locke in a press-release . with the support of u.s. trade officials , computer-makers including dell and hewlett-packard are threatening to bring the matter to the world trade organization . other computer manufactures , including sony and acer , say they are bound to comply with the chinese policy . domestically , chinese internet users are rallying against the government . last week an anonymous group of netizens ' posted an open letter on chinese blogs and forums . we hereby decide that from july 1 2009 , we will start a full-scale global attack on all censorship systems you control , ' the message said . the chinese artist , activist , and architect who designed the olympic bird 's nest ' stadium , is one of the leaders behind the cyber battle . ai weiwei called for his twitter followers to boycott the internet on july 1st . the green dam 's developers say they 've even received death threats . the chinese online community has been in an uproar since the new policy became public , and a declaration of anonymous internet users 2009 ' circulating directly addresses government censors , said charles mok , chairman of the internet society of hong kong . they are showing altered pictures of their own face using masks like that from'v for vendetta', ' said mok , referring to the 2005 film updating the story of guy fawkes , who tried to destroy parliament building in england in the 17th century . it says ,'we 're behind the mask ; if one of us falls down , ten others will join .'' mok also questions the true intent of the green dam software . on its black list are 2000 words related to pornography and 6000 other types of politically sensitive key words like'falun gong', ' he said , referring to the banned chinese religious group . that ratio alone makes it obvious what 's behind it . ' sharp criticism of the software partially stems from fears that the software will simply further strengthen the government 's control and censorship of the media . yet the government said it is simply acting in response to parental complaints about the negative affects of the internet on children . responding to reporters'questions , foreign ministry spokesman qin gang acknowledges the controversy over the software in and outside china . however , ' he said in a regular press conference last week , no matter how many different views there are , the chinese government assumes the responsibility to protect our youth from unhealthy information on the internet , and so do various social circles and enterprises . this is the essence of this problem . ' the government said it is simply providing the software free of charge , as a pre-installed file on computer hard drives or as a cd , to give users to choice to install the software . china is not the first country to try to censor the internet ; iran , myanmar , even france and germany in various ways attempt to put limits on the blogosphere . but analysts doubt whether this particular policy can even be enforced . said victor gao , a former government functionary who now heads a policy think tank : the government always has its own views , but whether they are able to execute it to the detail and push it through the country is another issue . ' watch why the filtering software mandate has been postponed » the extent to which the software 's can block harmful content is still in question . unofficial tests by internet enthusiasts showed that while green dam considered a cartoon of a cat in blue clothes safe , pictures of garfield the cat were sometimes blocked by the software because it is programmed to categorize images with large areas of yellow ' as pornographic . over at bainaohui , a hub of computer and internet commerce in central beijing , many salespersons seem oblivious to the new government edict . i think i 've read something about it on line , ' said one . and what do they think of green dam ? i have no idea since i have not used it yet , ' said a seller of computer software . worried ? i do n't think there would be any impact , ' replied another . meantime , bainaohui 's robust it business continues unimpeded . cnn 's kevin voigt contributed to this report . | china extends deadline for internet filtering software to accompany pcs |
green dam <tsp> beijing , china ( cnn ) -- had the government not delayed its controversial order that all computers be equipped with green dam by july 1 , the result would have been the same -- chinese computer retailers were far from ready . the green dam 's developers say they 've received death threats . pc sales representatives at bainaohui , one of beijing 's largest electronics retailers , say their merchandise is not pre-installed with green dam , a web filtering software the government said was necessary to prevent children from viewing pornography and other harmful content . some retailers were unclear as to when the software would even be available on new units . computer experts say manufacturers have not had enough time to pre-install new computers with the software -- which is one reason behind the government 's delay . pc companies may also be taking more time to test the software after programming errors , with the potential to make computers susceptible to hackers , were detected by university of michigan professors . the chinese government said that these errors have been fixed . the international backlash against the green dam directive may be further delaying the pre-instillation process . twenty-two chambers of commerce and trade groups made an appeal to chinese premier wen jiabao urging that he abandon the software mandate . china is putting companies in an untenable position by requiring them , with virtually no public notice , to pre-install software that appears to have broad-based censorship implications and network security issues , ' said u.s. secretary of commerce gary locke in a press-release . with the support of u.s. trade officials , computer-makers including dell and hewlett-packard are threatening to bring the matter to the world trade organization . other computer manufactures , including sony and acer , say they are bound to comply with the chinese policy . domestically , chinese internet users are rallying against the government . last week an anonymous group of netizens ' posted an open letter on chinese blogs and forums . we hereby decide that from july 1 2009 , we will start a full-scale global attack on all censorship systems you control , ' the message said . the chinese artist , activist , and architect who designed the olympic bird 's nest ' stadium , is one of the leaders behind the cyber battle . ai weiwei called for his twitter followers to boycott the internet on july 1st . the green dam 's developers say they 've even received death threats . the chinese online community has been in an uproar since the new policy became public , and a declaration of anonymous internet users 2009 ' circulating directly addresses government censors , said charles mok , chairman of the internet society of hong kong . they are showing altered pictures of their own face using masks like that from'v for vendetta', ' said mok , referring to the 2005 film updating the story of guy fawkes , who tried to destroy parliament building in england in the 17th century . it says ,'we 're behind the mask ; if one of us falls down , ten others will join .'' mok also questions the true intent of the green dam software . on its black list are 2000 words related to pornography and 6000 other types of politically sensitive key words like'falun gong', ' he said , referring to the banned chinese religious group . that ratio alone makes it obvious what 's behind it . ' sharp criticism of the software partially stems from fears that the software will simply further strengthen the government 's control and censorship of the media . yet the government said it is simply acting in response to parental complaints about the negative affects of the internet on children . responding to reporters'questions , foreign ministry spokesman qin gang acknowledges the controversy over the software in and outside china . however , ' he said in a regular press conference last week , no matter how many different views there are , the chinese government assumes the responsibility to protect our youth from unhealthy information on the internet , and so do various social circles and enterprises . this is the essence of this problem . ' the government said it is simply providing the software free of charge , as a pre-installed file on computer hard drives or as a cd , to give users to choice to install the software . china is not the first country to try to censor the internet ; iran , myanmar , even france and germany in various ways attempt to put limits on the blogosphere . but analysts doubt whether this particular policy can even be enforced . said victor gao , a former government functionary who now heads a policy think tank : the government always has its own views , but whether they are able to execute it to the detail and push it through the country is another issue . ' watch why the filtering software mandate has been postponed » the extent to which the software 's can block harmful content is still in question . unofficial tests by internet enthusiasts showed that while green dam considered a cartoon of a cat in blue clothes safe , pictures of garfield the cat were sometimes blocked by the software because it is programmed to categorize images with large areas of yellow ' as pornographic . over at bainaohui , a hub of computer and internet commerce in central beijing , many salespersons seem oblivious to the new government edict . i think i 've read something about it on line , ' said one . and what do they think of green dam ? i have no idea since i have not used it yet , ' said a seller of computer software . worried ? i do n't think there would be any impact , ' replied another . meantime , bainaohui 's robust it business continues unimpeded . cnn 's kevin voigt contributed to this report . | government says green dam software is designed to block porn |
jackson <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's memorial service will take place tuesday morning in the staples center , the 20,000-seat coliseum in downtown los angeles where jackson rehearsed his show the night before he died , according to a person who has been briefed by a representative of the family . michael jackson was rehearsing at los angeles'staples center . his memorial will now be there . no other details about the service , set to begin at 10 a.m. tuesday , have been revealed . thursday , cnn learned the family trust created by jackson to receive all of his assets includes his mother , his children and a list of charities , according to a person with direct knowledge to the contents of the trust . katherine jackson 's 40 percent share would go to michael jackson 's three children after her death , the source said . the children -- ages 7 , 11 and 12 -- will also share 40 percent of the estate 's assets and the remaining 20 percent will benefits charities designated by the executors of the will , the source said . jackson 's will did not specify where he wished to be buried . many of his fans had hoped they 'd get a chance to pay last respects at neverland ranch , which jackson purchased in 1987 , filled with animals and amusement rides , and named after the fictional world in j.m . barrie 's peter pan . ' planning had been under way for a motorcade to carry jackson 's body from los angeles to the ranch in santa barbara county , california , which state and local officials suggested would be difficult and costly . a public viewing at the ranch on friday also had been under consideration , law enforcement sources said . gregory son , a 31-year-old musician , was among many fans who had planned to ride to the ranch to say goodbye to jackson . i think he was a modern-day prophet , ' son said outside grauman 's chinese theater in hollywood . we kind of lost our father . ' dea joins investigation on wednesday night , a federal law enforcement official said wednesday night that the drug enforcement administration had joined jackson 's death investigation , once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon 's passing . two law enforcement officials separately confirmed the dea probe , saying agents would look at various doctors involved with jackson , their practices and their possible sources of medicine supply . neither official wanted to be identified because they could not comment publicly on the matter . officially , a dea spokeswoman referred questions to the los angeles , california , police department -- which would not confirm the involvement . we routinely offer assistance to any agency regarding the federal controlled substance act , ' said sarah pullen of the dea . however , at this time , we have nothing further to comment about the death of michael jackson . ' speculation about the role of drugs has been swirling since jackson died on june 25 at his rented estate in holmby hills . the cause of his death , at age 50 , was pending toxicology results . on wednesday , police released a car belonging to jackson 's cardiologist , dr. conrad murray . they had impounded the vehicle friday , saying it might contain evidence -- possibly prescription medications . police did not say whether they found anything . murray 's lawyers issued a statement , asking the public to reserve judgment about the cause of death until the coroner 's tests are complete . based on our agreement with los angeles investigators , we are waiting on real information to come from viable sources like the los angeles medical examiner 's office about the death of michael jackson , ' the statement said . we will not be responding to rumors and innuendo . ' the comments were in reaction to a claim by a nutritionist who said jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and pleaded for the powerful sedative , propofol , despite knowing its harmful effects . i told him this medication is not safe , ' said cherilyn lee , a registered nurse . he said ,'i just want to get some sleep . you do n't understand . i just want to be able to be knocked out and go to sleep .' will nominates jackson 's mother as kids'guardian meanwhile , details of jackson 's will -- written on july 7 , 2002 -- showed that the singer estimated his estate to be worth at least $ 500 million . in it , he nominated his mother , katherine jackson , as the guardian of his three children . if his 79-year-old mother is not living , i nominate diana ross as guardian , ' jackson stated . singer ross , 65 , is a lifelong friend of jackson 's . the will said jackson intentionally omitted ' his former wife and the mother of his two oldest children , debbie rowe . it will be up to a court to decide who gets custody of the children , ages 7 , 11 and 12 . rowe has not publicly indicated whether she will challenge the jacksons for custody . the two men whom the will named as executors immediately filed a request to take control of the estate . one is john branca , who represented jackson from 1980 until 2006 and was hired again before the singer 's death . he helped acquire jackson 's music catalog , which is worth millions . the other is music industry executive john mcclain , a longtime jackson friend who has worked with him and his sister janet . the men said in their filing in los angeles superior court that control of the estate would allow them to tend to jackson 's numerous outstanding debts , legal cases and business obligations . judge mitchell beckloff held an emergency hearing wednesday morning and decided there was no urgency to replace katherine jackson -- whom he appointed temporary administrator earlier this week . another hearing has been set for monday . -- cnn 's drew griffin , kathleen johnston , michael carey , paul vercammen , carol cratty and kara finnstrom contributed to this report . | michael jackson memorial to be tuesday at l.a. 's staples center |
jackson <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's memorial service will take place tuesday morning in the staples center , the 20,000-seat coliseum in downtown los angeles where jackson rehearsed his show the night before he died , according to a person who has been briefed by a representative of the family . michael jackson was rehearsing at los angeles'staples center . his memorial will now be there . no other details about the service , set to begin at 10 a.m. tuesday , have been revealed . thursday , cnn learned the family trust created by jackson to receive all of his assets includes his mother , his children and a list of charities , according to a person with direct knowledge to the contents of the trust . katherine jackson 's 40 percent share would go to michael jackson 's three children after her death , the source said . the children -- ages 7 , 11 and 12 -- will also share 40 percent of the estate 's assets and the remaining 20 percent will benefits charities designated by the executors of the will , the source said . jackson 's will did not specify where he wished to be buried . many of his fans had hoped they 'd get a chance to pay last respects at neverland ranch , which jackson purchased in 1987 , filled with animals and amusement rides , and named after the fictional world in j.m . barrie 's peter pan . ' planning had been under way for a motorcade to carry jackson 's body from los angeles to the ranch in santa barbara county , california , which state and local officials suggested would be difficult and costly . a public viewing at the ranch on friday also had been under consideration , law enforcement sources said . gregory son , a 31-year-old musician , was among many fans who had planned to ride to the ranch to say goodbye to jackson . i think he was a modern-day prophet , ' son said outside grauman 's chinese theater in hollywood . we kind of lost our father . ' dea joins investigation on wednesday night , a federal law enforcement official said wednesday night that the drug enforcement administration had joined jackson 's death investigation , once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon 's passing . two law enforcement officials separately confirmed the dea probe , saying agents would look at various doctors involved with jackson , their practices and their possible sources of medicine supply . neither official wanted to be identified because they could not comment publicly on the matter . officially , a dea spokeswoman referred questions to the los angeles , california , police department -- which would not confirm the involvement . we routinely offer assistance to any agency regarding the federal controlled substance act , ' said sarah pullen of the dea . however , at this time , we have nothing further to comment about the death of michael jackson . ' speculation about the role of drugs has been swirling since jackson died on june 25 at his rented estate in holmby hills . the cause of his death , at age 50 , was pending toxicology results . on wednesday , police released a car belonging to jackson 's cardiologist , dr. conrad murray . they had impounded the vehicle friday , saying it might contain evidence -- possibly prescription medications . police did not say whether they found anything . murray 's lawyers issued a statement , asking the public to reserve judgment about the cause of death until the coroner 's tests are complete . based on our agreement with los angeles investigators , we are waiting on real information to come from viable sources like the los angeles medical examiner 's office about the death of michael jackson , ' the statement said . we will not be responding to rumors and innuendo . ' the comments were in reaction to a claim by a nutritionist who said jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and pleaded for the powerful sedative , propofol , despite knowing its harmful effects . i told him this medication is not safe , ' said cherilyn lee , a registered nurse . he said ,'i just want to get some sleep . you do n't understand . i just want to be able to be knocked out and go to sleep .' will nominates jackson 's mother as kids'guardian meanwhile , details of jackson 's will -- written on july 7 , 2002 -- showed that the singer estimated his estate to be worth at least $ 500 million . in it , he nominated his mother , katherine jackson , as the guardian of his three children . if his 79-year-old mother is not living , i nominate diana ross as guardian , ' jackson stated . singer ross , 65 , is a lifelong friend of jackson 's . the will said jackson intentionally omitted ' his former wife and the mother of his two oldest children , debbie rowe . it will be up to a court to decide who gets custody of the children , ages 7 , 11 and 12 . rowe has not publicly indicated whether she will challenge the jacksons for custody . the two men whom the will named as executors immediately filed a request to take control of the estate . one is john branca , who represented jackson from 1980 until 2006 and was hired again before the singer 's death . he helped acquire jackson 's music catalog , which is worth millions . the other is music industry executive john mcclain , a longtime jackson friend who has worked with him and his sister janet . the men said in their filing in los angeles superior court that control of the estate would allow them to tend to jackson 's numerous outstanding debts , legal cases and business obligations . judge mitchell beckloff held an emergency hearing wednesday morning and decided there was no urgency to replace katherine jackson -- whom he appointed temporary administrator earlier this week . another hearing has been set for monday . -- cnn 's drew griffin , kathleen johnston , michael carey , paul vercammen , carol cratty and kara finnstrom contributed to this report . | speculation about the role of drugs has been swirling since jackson died |
jackson <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's memorial service will take place tuesday morning in the staples center , the 20,000-seat coliseum in downtown los angeles where jackson rehearsed his show the night before he died , according to a person who has been briefed by a representative of the family . michael jackson was rehearsing at los angeles'staples center . his memorial will now be there . no other details about the service , set to begin at 10 a.m. tuesday , have been revealed . thursday , cnn learned the family trust created by jackson to receive all of his assets includes his mother , his children and a list of charities , according to a person with direct knowledge to the contents of the trust . katherine jackson 's 40 percent share would go to michael jackson 's three children after her death , the source said . the children -- ages 7 , 11 and 12 -- will also share 40 percent of the estate 's assets and the remaining 20 percent will benefits charities designated by the executors of the will , the source said . jackson 's will did not specify where he wished to be buried . many of his fans had hoped they 'd get a chance to pay last respects at neverland ranch , which jackson purchased in 1987 , filled with animals and amusement rides , and named after the fictional world in j.m . barrie 's peter pan . ' planning had been under way for a motorcade to carry jackson 's body from los angeles to the ranch in santa barbara county , california , which state and local officials suggested would be difficult and costly . a public viewing at the ranch on friday also had been under consideration , law enforcement sources said . gregory son , a 31-year-old musician , was among many fans who had planned to ride to the ranch to say goodbye to jackson . i think he was a modern-day prophet , ' son said outside grauman 's chinese theater in hollywood . we kind of lost our father . ' dea joins investigation on wednesday night , a federal law enforcement official said wednesday night that the drug enforcement administration had joined jackson 's death investigation , once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon 's passing . two law enforcement officials separately confirmed the dea probe , saying agents would look at various doctors involved with jackson , their practices and their possible sources of medicine supply . neither official wanted to be identified because they could not comment publicly on the matter . officially , a dea spokeswoman referred questions to the los angeles , california , police department -- which would not confirm the involvement . we routinely offer assistance to any agency regarding the federal controlled substance act , ' said sarah pullen of the dea . however , at this time , we have nothing further to comment about the death of michael jackson . ' speculation about the role of drugs has been swirling since jackson died on june 25 at his rented estate in holmby hills . the cause of his death , at age 50 , was pending toxicology results . on wednesday , police released a car belonging to jackson 's cardiologist , dr. conrad murray . they had impounded the vehicle friday , saying it might contain evidence -- possibly prescription medications . police did not say whether they found anything . murray 's lawyers issued a statement , asking the public to reserve judgment about the cause of death until the coroner 's tests are complete . based on our agreement with los angeles investigators , we are waiting on real information to come from viable sources like the los angeles medical examiner 's office about the death of michael jackson , ' the statement said . we will not be responding to rumors and innuendo . ' the comments were in reaction to a claim by a nutritionist who said jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and pleaded for the powerful sedative , propofol , despite knowing its harmful effects . i told him this medication is not safe , ' said cherilyn lee , a registered nurse . he said ,'i just want to get some sleep . you do n't understand . i just want to be able to be knocked out and go to sleep .' will nominates jackson 's mother as kids'guardian meanwhile , details of jackson 's will -- written on july 7 , 2002 -- showed that the singer estimated his estate to be worth at least $ 500 million . in it , he nominated his mother , katherine jackson , as the guardian of his three children . if his 79-year-old mother is not living , i nominate diana ross as guardian , ' jackson stated . singer ross , 65 , is a lifelong friend of jackson 's . the will said jackson intentionally omitted ' his former wife and the mother of his two oldest children , debbie rowe . it will be up to a court to decide who gets custody of the children , ages 7 , 11 and 12 . rowe has not publicly indicated whether she will challenge the jacksons for custody . the two men whom the will named as executors immediately filed a request to take control of the estate . one is john branca , who represented jackson from 1980 until 2006 and was hired again before the singer 's death . he helped acquire jackson 's music catalog , which is worth millions . the other is music industry executive john mcclain , a longtime jackson friend who has worked with him and his sister janet . the men said in their filing in los angeles superior court that control of the estate would allow them to tend to jackson 's numerous outstanding debts , legal cases and business obligations . judge mitchell beckloff held an emergency hearing wednesday morning and decided there was no urgency to replace katherine jackson -- whom he appointed temporary administrator earlier this week . another hearing has been set for monday . -- cnn 's drew griffin , kathleen johnston , michael carey , paul vercammen , carol cratty and kara finnstrom contributed to this report . | new : michael jackson trust includes mother , children , charities |
jackson <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's memorial service will take place tuesday morning in the staples center , the 20,000-seat coliseum in downtown los angeles where jackson rehearsed his show the night before he died , according to a person who has been briefed by a representative of the family . michael jackson was rehearsing at los angeles'staples center . his memorial will now be there . no other details about the service , set to begin at 10 a.m. tuesday , have been revealed . thursday , cnn learned the family trust created by jackson to receive all of his assets includes his mother , his children and a list of charities , according to a person with direct knowledge to the contents of the trust . katherine jackson 's 40 percent share would go to michael jackson 's three children after her death , the source said . the children -- ages 7 , 11 and 12 -- will also share 40 percent of the estate 's assets and the remaining 20 percent will benefits charities designated by the executors of the will , the source said . jackson 's will did not specify where he wished to be buried . many of his fans had hoped they 'd get a chance to pay last respects at neverland ranch , which jackson purchased in 1987 , filled with animals and amusement rides , and named after the fictional world in j.m . barrie 's peter pan . ' planning had been under way for a motorcade to carry jackson 's body from los angeles to the ranch in santa barbara county , california , which state and local officials suggested would be difficult and costly . a public viewing at the ranch on friday also had been under consideration , law enforcement sources said . gregory son , a 31-year-old musician , was among many fans who had planned to ride to the ranch to say goodbye to jackson . i think he was a modern-day prophet , ' son said outside grauman 's chinese theater in hollywood . we kind of lost our father . ' dea joins investigation on wednesday night , a federal law enforcement official said wednesday night that the drug enforcement administration had joined jackson 's death investigation , once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon 's passing . two law enforcement officials separately confirmed the dea probe , saying agents would look at various doctors involved with jackson , their practices and their possible sources of medicine supply . neither official wanted to be identified because they could not comment publicly on the matter . officially , a dea spokeswoman referred questions to the los angeles , california , police department -- which would not confirm the involvement . we routinely offer assistance to any agency regarding the federal controlled substance act , ' said sarah pullen of the dea . however , at this time , we have nothing further to comment about the death of michael jackson . ' speculation about the role of drugs has been swirling since jackson died on june 25 at his rented estate in holmby hills . the cause of his death , at age 50 , was pending toxicology results . on wednesday , police released a car belonging to jackson 's cardiologist , dr. conrad murray . they had impounded the vehicle friday , saying it might contain evidence -- possibly prescription medications . police did not say whether they found anything . murray 's lawyers issued a statement , asking the public to reserve judgment about the cause of death until the coroner 's tests are complete . based on our agreement with los angeles investigators , we are waiting on real information to come from viable sources like the los angeles medical examiner 's office about the death of michael jackson , ' the statement said . we will not be responding to rumors and innuendo . ' the comments were in reaction to a claim by a nutritionist who said jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and pleaded for the powerful sedative , propofol , despite knowing its harmful effects . i told him this medication is not safe , ' said cherilyn lee , a registered nurse . he said ,'i just want to get some sleep . you do n't understand . i just want to be able to be knocked out and go to sleep .' will nominates jackson 's mother as kids'guardian meanwhile , details of jackson 's will -- written on july 7 , 2002 -- showed that the singer estimated his estate to be worth at least $ 500 million . in it , he nominated his mother , katherine jackson , as the guardian of his three children . if his 79-year-old mother is not living , i nominate diana ross as guardian , ' jackson stated . singer ross , 65 , is a lifelong friend of jackson 's . the will said jackson intentionally omitted ' his former wife and the mother of his two oldest children , debbie rowe . it will be up to a court to decide who gets custody of the children , ages 7 , 11 and 12 . rowe has not publicly indicated whether she will challenge the jacksons for custody . the two men whom the will named as executors immediately filed a request to take control of the estate . one is john branca , who represented jackson from 1980 until 2006 and was hired again before the singer 's death . he helped acquire jackson 's music catalog , which is worth millions . the other is music industry executive john mcclain , a longtime jackson friend who has worked with him and his sister janet . the men said in their filing in los angeles superior court that control of the estate would allow them to tend to jackson 's numerous outstanding debts , legal cases and business obligations . judge mitchell beckloff held an emergency hearing wednesday morning and decided there was no urgency to replace katherine jackson -- whom he appointed temporary administrator earlier this week . another hearing has been set for monday . -- cnn 's drew griffin , kathleen johnston , michael carey , paul vercammen , carol cratty and kara finnstrom contributed to this report . | the drug enforcement administration has joined jackson 's death investigation |
embassy <tsp> violent protests left at least five dead and others wounded wednesday as demonstrations over quran burning intensified in afghanistan . police killed four people and wounded 10 others during protests in parwan province , said abdul wassi sayedkhili , a provincial council official . health officials said a fifth person died and 10 others wounded in eastern nangarhar province . president hamid karzai was saddened about the civilian casualties during today 's demonstrations , ' his office said . karzai noted an investigation will begin thursday over the killings . the qurans were among religious materials removed from a detainee facility at bagram airfield . the materials were gathered for disposal and were inadvertently given to troops for burning , gen. john allen , commander of nato 's international security assistance force , said tuesday . this was not a decision that was made because they were religious materials , ' he said . it was not a decision that was made with respect to the faith of islam . it was a mistake . it was an error . the moment we found out about it , we immediately stopped and we intervened . ' a military official said the materials were removed from the detainee center 's library because they had extremist inscriptions ' on them and there was an appearance that these documents were being used to facilitate extremist communications . ' the u.s. embassy in kabul went into lockdown as the protests entered a second day wednesday . protesters burned tires and threw rocks outside camp phoenix , close to the kabul international airport , the u.s. embassy said in its official twitter feed . it asked americans to avoid the area , saying the protests had turned violent . ' it also suspended all travel . on tuesday , thousands of demonstrators gathered outside a detention facility in parwan , according to brig . gen. carsten jacobson , a coalition spokesman . jacobson said protesters tried to penetrate the facility , prompting nato helicopter to launch flares and authorities to fire rubber bullets to disperse the crowds . a day later in kabul , about 400 to 500 people rallied , including university students who marched toward the parliament building , police said . in jalalabad , the capital of nangarhar province , hundreds chanted down with america ' as crowds gathered near the local airport . a u.s. warden message said more protests are possible in coming days , ' adding that past demonstrations in afghanistan have escalated into violent attacks on western targets of opportunity . ' allen , the coalition commander , offered his apologies tuesday and issued a directive that all coalition forces in afghanistan will undergo training no later than march 3 so they can identify religious materials and handle them correctly . authorities questioned some troops as part of their investigation , but had not detained anyone , a coalition official said . this is not who we are . these are very , very isolated incidents , ' allen said . but allen 's words were not enough to appease angry afghans who massed outside the bagram base tuesday , chanting death to america ! death to the afghan government ! long live islam ! ' u.s. deputy defense secretary ashton carter apologized to the afghan president during a meeting at his presidential palace , according to karzai 's office . carter also met with afghan defense minister abdul rahim wardak and several afghan parliamentarians , offered his apologies to them and pledged his full support for a joint afghan-isaf investigation into the incident , ' pentagon spokesman capt . john kirby said in a statement . photographs surfaced purporting to show the damaged qurans . a photographer for agence france-presse said afghans who work inside the airfield told him they obtained the qurans there . authorities said local workers first alerted authorities of the incident . the workers immediately interfered , pulled material out -- pulled material out that was partly charred and we have seen korans that were partly charred , ' jacobson said . he said the burnings were completely unintentional . ' muslims regard the quran as the absolute word of god . it is so highly revered that many muslims will not pick up the holy book without ablution , a ritual washing of the hands . desecrating the book , such as burning it , is therefore seen as an unforgivable affront -- as an act of intolerance and bigotry . last year , when controversial florida pastor terry jones presided over what he called a trial of the quran and burned a copy , afghans took to the streets by the thousands . in the northern afghan city of mazar-e sharif , demonstrators stormed a u.n. office and killed 12 people . in kandahar , three people were killed in one demonstration , and nine in another when police and stone-throwing demonstrators clashed . american officials vociferously condemned the pastor 's act . in 2010 , afghans protested outside the forward operating base mirwais in response to an alleged quran burning inside the base . but coalition forces said the suspected burning was a routine burn-pit session in which military documents are destroyed . on tuesday , a leading islamic scholar urged muslims not to react violently to desecration . what is captured on the pages can be printed again . if they burn 1,000 , we can print 10,000 . what 's the big deal ? ' said sheikh ibrahim mogra , who chairs the mosques and community affairs committee of the muslim council of britain . a nato soldier killing innocent people is far more painful than the burning of a quran . i would rather they burn 100 qurans than to hurt one woman or man or child . ' | u.s. embassy in kabul asks americans to avoid camp phoenix area near kabul airport |
cain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you would think that a black man born and raised in georgia , who was a teenager during the civil rights movement , would understand the transition of african-americans from voting overwhelmingly republican to strongly supporting the democratic party . but the gop presidential candidate clearly did n't have the common sense that he often speaks of having when he went on cnn 's the situation room ' and accused many african-americans of being brainwashed to vote democratic . many african-americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded , not even considering a conservative point of view , ' cain said . i have received some of that same vitriol simply because i am running for the republican nomination as a conservative . so it 's just brainwashing and people not being open-minded , pure and simple . ' cain 's off-base and historically ignorant comments have received widespread coverage . in some quarters , they have been criticized , while msnbc 's pat buchanan , who has a long history of racially offensive comments , did n't surprise many by coming to cain 's defense . it 's not the first time i 've heard someone question the reasons for blacks'allegiance to the democratic party , but history has to be taken into account . according to the joint center for political and economic studies , a think tank focused on african-american issues , in the aftermath of the emancipation proclamation , black folks who could vote in the united states quickly joined the republican party out of affection for president abraham lincoln . check the political party affiliation of blacks elected during the period of reconstruction and you will see a lot of r 's after their names . the policies of presidents franklin d. roosevelt and harry truman , who desegregated the military , led more african-americans to vote for the democrats . still , dwight eisenhower got 39 percent of the black vote when he ran for re-election in 1956 ; and vice president richard nixon received 31 percent against the eventual winner , sen. john f. kennedy . the shift became more noticeable in 1964 , when the republican party nominated sen. barry goldwater as its presidential nominee . it was goldwater 's ardent stance against the civil rights act that led president lyndon johnson to garner 94 percent of the black vote . what 's interesting to note is the greatest threat to passage of the bill came from white southern democrats , known as dixiecrats . moderate republicans played a crucial role in getting the civil rights act passed , yet as the gop began to go against civil rights , the national democratic party saw a chance to solidify the black vote . in 1968 , nixon returned to the national stage with his southern strategy , a detailed plan of racial politics that ignored , denigrated and dismissed black voters while playing up racial issues as a way to gain support from white voters . all of this was an outgrowth of the 1964 civil rights act , which led president johnson to say his signing of the law would deliver the south to the gop for the next generation . the southern strategy became the go-to play for republicans over the next 40 years , as they virtually ignored the interests of black voters and catered to a largely white party . so on one hand you have a party that totally ignores black voters -- the gop -- and then you have democrats who see a chance to capture those same voters . if republicans today are angry about a high level of animosity coming from black voters , they need to blame their white forefathers who wanted to see the racial divide continue over their refusal to allow african-americans to be full citizens of the united states . the problem is that the gop has done little to change the game since then , virtually ignoring african-americans and advocating policies that blacks believe go against their interests . what is so shameful and asinine about cain 's brainwashing comment is that he assumes that african-americans are n't smart and sophisticated enough to make their own choices . just like whites , asians , hispanics , women , catholics , jews , baptists , wall street bankers , or any other voting group , they look at the candidates , determine how they line up with their views , and make a selection . so when someone says that blacks do n't vote with their brains , that 's utterly false . now , for all of the trolls who usually populate web sites comments sections saying i 'm playing the race card , answer this : if i said that southern whites were a bunch of brainwashed , dead heads who give the gop their vote , how would you respond ? u.s. census bureau statistics show that of the 10 poorest states in america , nine are mostly red states . the lowest when it comes to education ? mostly red states . the most obese ? worst health care ? mostly red states . so if the talking points suggest the democrats advance poverty programs more than the gop ; push for more funding for education ; and want a strong health care program , then why are these white voters in these mostly red states voting for the gop ? have they been brainwashed by virtue of the southern strategy to keep voting straight ticket ? the gop has no real plan to even talk to black voters . they are afraid of them . yes , afraid . if you want to put a republican in the most uncomfortable position , then see them try to give a speech in front of a room of black folks . there is mistrust on both sides rather than straight talk on the issues . for years i have lamented the gop 's refusal to engage african-americans . we care about housing , economic development , education , any host of issues . but in the minds of a lot of republicans , it 's all about welfare or affirmative action . african-americans are largely social conservatives , but the gop ca n't even figure out how to reach us even with god ! i 'm the host of washington watch , a weekly sunday morning news show on tv one cable network , a lifestyles and entertainment network targeting african-americans , and the gop flat out refuses to even accept our invitations . for two years we 've had an open invite for any house or senate republican to come on our show , no matter the week . out of 80-plus shows , rep. tom price of georgia ( twice ) and rep. allen west of florida ( once ) have accepted our invitations . west sat in my studio and told his press secretary to send an e-mail to every gop press secretary in the house to tell them that my show was a great forum for them to talk to black america . none followed his admonition . when michael steele was chairman of the republican national committee , he did my show several times . steele told me he went to the gop house and senate leadership to tell them they should accept my invites , but none did . now if the gop is scared to even come on a tv show that targets blacks , do you actually think they 'll show up in a black community ? if the gop wants black folks to consider voting for them , they their candidates will have to make an effort to reach out . the distrust is wide and great , but it can be overcome . but doing nothing will get you nowhere , other than guarantee that a strong voting bloc will do all it can to make sure you are defeated at the polls . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roland s. martin . | roland martin says cain is ignoring ample historical reason for that support |
cain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you would think that a black man born and raised in georgia , who was a teenager during the civil rights movement , would understand the transition of african-americans from voting overwhelmingly republican to strongly supporting the democratic party . but the gop presidential candidate clearly did n't have the common sense that he often speaks of having when he went on cnn 's the situation room ' and accused many african-americans of being brainwashed to vote democratic . many african-americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded , not even considering a conservative point of view , ' cain said . i have received some of that same vitriol simply because i am running for the republican nomination as a conservative . so it 's just brainwashing and people not being open-minded , pure and simple . ' cain 's off-base and historically ignorant comments have received widespread coverage . in some quarters , they have been criticized , while msnbc 's pat buchanan , who has a long history of racially offensive comments , did n't surprise many by coming to cain 's defense . it 's not the first time i 've heard someone question the reasons for blacks'allegiance to the democratic party , but history has to be taken into account . according to the joint center for political and economic studies , a think tank focused on african-american issues , in the aftermath of the emancipation proclamation , black folks who could vote in the united states quickly joined the republican party out of affection for president abraham lincoln . check the political party affiliation of blacks elected during the period of reconstruction and you will see a lot of r 's after their names . the policies of presidents franklin d. roosevelt and harry truman , who desegregated the military , led more african-americans to vote for the democrats . still , dwight eisenhower got 39 percent of the black vote when he ran for re-election in 1956 ; and vice president richard nixon received 31 percent against the eventual winner , sen. john f. kennedy . the shift became more noticeable in 1964 , when the republican party nominated sen. barry goldwater as its presidential nominee . it was goldwater 's ardent stance against the civil rights act that led president lyndon johnson to garner 94 percent of the black vote . what 's interesting to note is the greatest threat to passage of the bill came from white southern democrats , known as dixiecrats . moderate republicans played a crucial role in getting the civil rights act passed , yet as the gop began to go against civil rights , the national democratic party saw a chance to solidify the black vote . in 1968 , nixon returned to the national stage with his southern strategy , a detailed plan of racial politics that ignored , denigrated and dismissed black voters while playing up racial issues as a way to gain support from white voters . all of this was an outgrowth of the 1964 civil rights act , which led president johnson to say his signing of the law would deliver the south to the gop for the next generation . the southern strategy became the go-to play for republicans over the next 40 years , as they virtually ignored the interests of black voters and catered to a largely white party . so on one hand you have a party that totally ignores black voters -- the gop -- and then you have democrats who see a chance to capture those same voters . if republicans today are angry about a high level of animosity coming from black voters , they need to blame their white forefathers who wanted to see the racial divide continue over their refusal to allow african-americans to be full citizens of the united states . the problem is that the gop has done little to change the game since then , virtually ignoring african-americans and advocating policies that blacks believe go against their interests . what is so shameful and asinine about cain 's brainwashing comment is that he assumes that african-americans are n't smart and sophisticated enough to make their own choices . just like whites , asians , hispanics , women , catholics , jews , baptists , wall street bankers , or any other voting group , they look at the candidates , determine how they line up with their views , and make a selection . so when someone says that blacks do n't vote with their brains , that 's utterly false . now , for all of the trolls who usually populate web sites comments sections saying i 'm playing the race card , answer this : if i said that southern whites were a bunch of brainwashed , dead heads who give the gop their vote , how would you respond ? u.s. census bureau statistics show that of the 10 poorest states in america , nine are mostly red states . the lowest when it comes to education ? mostly red states . the most obese ? worst health care ? mostly red states . so if the talking points suggest the democrats advance poverty programs more than the gop ; push for more funding for education ; and want a strong health care program , then why are these white voters in these mostly red states voting for the gop ? have they been brainwashed by virtue of the southern strategy to keep voting straight ticket ? the gop has no real plan to even talk to black voters . they are afraid of them . yes , afraid . if you want to put a republican in the most uncomfortable position , then see them try to give a speech in front of a room of black folks . there is mistrust on both sides rather than straight talk on the issues . for years i have lamented the gop 's refusal to engage african-americans . we care about housing , economic development , education , any host of issues . but in the minds of a lot of republicans , it 's all about welfare or affirmative action . african-americans are largely social conservatives , but the gop ca n't even figure out how to reach us even with god ! i 'm the host of washington watch , a weekly sunday morning news show on tv one cable network , a lifestyles and entertainment network targeting african-americans , and the gop flat out refuses to even accept our invitations . for two years we 've had an open invite for any house or senate republican to come on our show , no matter the week . out of 80-plus shows , rep. tom price of georgia ( twice ) and rep. allen west of florida ( once ) have accepted our invitations . west sat in my studio and told his press secretary to send an e-mail to every gop press secretary in the house to tell them that my show was a great forum for them to talk to black america . none followed his admonition . when michael steele was chairman of the republican national committee , he did my show several times . steele told me he went to the gop house and senate leadership to tell them they should accept my invites , but none did . now if the gop is scared to even come on a tv show that targets blacks , do you actually think they 'll show up in a black community ? if the gop wants black folks to consider voting for them , they their candidates will have to make an effort to reach out . the distrust is wide and great , but it can be overcome . but doing nothing will get you nowhere , other than guarantee that a strong voting bloc will do all it can to make sure you are defeated at the polls . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roland s. martin . | herman cain said that black voters were brainwashed ' to support democrats |
alabama gop <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- what 's wrong with the gang of eight ' comprehensive immigration reform bill ? jeff sessions has a lot of answers to that question , but he starts by pointing to a picture of a modest white house built in the early 1930s in hybart , alabama . i grew up in rural alabama , in a poor area of the state , ' the three-term republican noted during a recent interview in his washington office . we did n't have central heat , but we got by . and people ( still ) do . ' but we 've got a serious social and economic problem in america , ' the conservative senator said . we 've got high unemployment among lower skilled workers , and their wages are n't even keeping up with inflation . ' adding millions of newly legalized workers to the mix over the next few years will only hurt the most vulnerable segments of the work force , sessions said . specifically , he argued that in granting work authorization for millions of undocumented men and women over the next decade and beyond , the bill will benefit corporate titans by flooding the labor market and holding down stagnant salaries in an already weak economy . in short , it will lead to disaster for those americans now clinging to the bottom rung of the economic ladder . it 's a populist argument not often heard in the higher echelons of today 's gop . my republican colleagues seem to be oblivious to the free market , ' sessions said . sessions recently sat down with cnn to discuss his role in leading the charge against the 844-page overhaul of the country 's immigration laws . he is by far the senate 's toughest critic of the bill -- crafted by four democratic and four republican colleagues -- as it winds its way through the democratic-controlled senate . he offered almost 50 amendments to the judiciary committee and is trying to derail the bill at nearly every turn . his office sends out daily -- sometimes hourly -- alerts highlighting various perceived flaws in the measure . the proposal does not hold up to scrutiny , ' he insisted . we 're going to tell the truth about the bill . we 're going to expose it . ' sessions is not new to this debate . during president george w. bush 's second term , he helped kill a proposed bipartisan immigration overhaul pushed by sens . edward kennedy and john mccain . like president barack obama now , bush made immigration reform a second term priority . back then -- as now -- reform backers highlighted the glut of undocumented workers doing the toughest jobs on america 's farms and elsewhere . sessions is still irritated by a statement bush made in 2006 that reform is needed because there are jobs that just simply are n't getting done because americans wo n't do them . ' when president bush said that there were certain jobs americans wo n't do , i consider it to be one of the greatest errors in his entire presidency , ' sessions said . americans are doing tough work every day . they ought to be respected for it . they should n't be looked down for it . and we need their salaries going up . ' some immigration reform proponents insist there 's no way to truly lock the border down if there 's a strong enough economic incentive to come to united states . sessions , however , insists the border can be fully secured , and that it was headed in that direction before obama took office in 2009 . homeland security secretary janet napolitano and immigration and customs enforcement ( ice ) director john morton have overseen an evisceration of internal enforcement , ' he said , flatly contradicting white house claims . if changes made at the end of bush 's term had been followed up on , we could have already had the border substantially secure . ' a nation that pretends to have a lawful system of immigration has to be willing to execute that , ' sessions said , noting that bitter opposition of the ice agents'union to the gang of eight ' bill . it requires a certain effort and consistency that 's been lacking . ' among the many flaws in the gang of eight ' bill , according to sessions , is a diminution of accountability standards along the border . he rails at a decision made by the authors of the bipartisan legislation to ignore a 1996 requirement for the use of biometrics -- such as fingerprints -- for visa holders at all entry and exit points . democrats and others call the standard -- which was never enacted -- unrealistic and prohibitively expensive . sessions introduced an amendment withholding citizenship from any undocumented worker until its complete enactment , but the proposal was voted down by the judiciary committee in a 12-6 vote . the panel 's 10 democrats were joined by republicans jeff flake of arizona and lindsey graham of south carolina , both members of the gang of eight . ' flake and graham have been working with the panel 's democratic majority to prevent any major changes to the bill . everybody needs to know it -- who 's calling the shots , ' sessions said at one recent committee meeting . sessions also takes aim at language in the bill swapping the existing e-verify system -- an internet-based program used to check the legal status of potential employees -- with a new one that relies more strongly on photographic matches through passport and driver 's license images , among other things . supporters insist the new version will be more effective , but sessions says it 's unproven and offers too much discretion to the department of homeland security . it could be an improvement ' but it 's dangerous the way ( the provision ) is written , ' the senator argued . i 'm wondering why they want to go around and create a new one . ' beyond disputes over specific provisions , sessions makes what he characterizes as a broader moral argument against the proposal . i will not support citizenship for people who entered the country illegally , ' sessions said . there needs to be some difference between what we do for a person who enters the country legally and those who enter illegally . and there 's no moral , no legal , no principled reason why this united states government should reward people who broke the law and entered the country illegally with every benefit that you give to somebody who comes lawfully . ' the bill as currently written just further incentivizes amnesties in the future , ' he argued , invoking one of the most bitterly contested terms of the debate . while the republican party may be divided over immigration reform , analysts are not surprised by sessions'role as leader of the senate opposition . given the politics of alabama , it does n't surprise me at all , ' said richard fording , chairman of the university of alabama 's political science department . politics here dictates you oppose whatever the president supports . ' fording noted alabama 's passage in 2011 of one of the strictest laws in the country designed to crack down on undocumented immigration . among other things , the law requires police who make lawful traffic stops or arrests to try to determine the immigration status of anyone they suspect might be in the country illegally . the law retains broad support in alabama , fording said , even crossing the state 's traditional racial divide . there 's nothing for sessions to lose and maybe lots to gain ' in opposing the gang of eight ' bill , fording said . as for political considerations on capitol hill , sessions told cnn the gang of eight ' put its blueprint together using an old fashioned , smoke-filled room strategy . ' as a result , he says , the bill was written by big labor and business interests . i 've been around here a long time , ' he said . i 've never seen a more calculated , cold-blooded p.r . campaign managed to advance a piece of legislation than this one . ' the political consultants and pollsters and people ( managing the bill ) ... anticipated everything that was going to occur , ' he declared . they planned on careful attacks to neutralize critics . ' but somebody needs to ask questions about this bill , ' he quickly added . they do n't get to write a bill in secret , and we all roll over and have it passed without examination . ' and what about the argument that by opposing comprehensive immigration reform , republicans risk permanently alienating america 's rapidly growing hispanic population ? sessions returns to his economic theme . i believe that , politically , at this point in time we should serve and listen to the concerns of the working americans who are making $ 20,000 to $ 45,000 a year , ' sessions said . that includes hispanics , african-americans , and caucasians , ' he noted . one of the reasons their wages have n't gone up is because there 's too much labor . and so , if we end the illegality with a good , principled immigration bill , ( if ) we allow a generous but responsible flow of immigrants in the future , and if we improve the lives of working americans , then that 's the way you win elections . ' | alabama gop sen. jeff sessions leads fight against gang of eight ' immigration bill |
america <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ayman al-zawahiri , the longtime deputy to osama bin laden , will take over leadership of al qaeda , according to a statement posted on several jihadist websites thursday . the united states believes that al-zawahiri has indeed taken the helm of the terrorist network , according to a u.s. counterterrorism official . al-zawahiri was widely regarded as al qaeda 's de facto leader since u.s. special forces killed osama bin laden at a hideout in abbottabad , pakistan , on may 2 . hereby the general command of the qaeda al-jihad -- and after the end of the consultations -- we declare that sheikh dr. abu muhammad ayman al-zawahiri ( may god bless him ) will take over the responsibility of command of the group , ' the statement said , attributed to al qaeda 's general command . ' it cited bin laden 's martyrdom ' and prayed to the almighty to raise him to his heavens and reward him for his good deeds for us and the islamic nation . ' al-zawahiri 's official appointment to the terrorist group 's top post -- just a few days before his 60th birthday -- is not surprising , ' the u.s. counterterrorism official said . he had been the number two . it was surprising it took a couple of days for al qaeda to acknowledge bin laden 's death and this long to say zawahiri is the new leader . ' one of the fbi 's most wanted terrorists , al-zawahiri has played a defining role in al qaeda . he was indicted for his alleged role in the august 7 , 1998 , bombings of the united states embassies in dar es salaam , tanzania , and nairobi , kenya , that killed 224 civilians and wounded more than 5,000 others , according to the national counterterrorism center , part of the u.s. federal government . the fbi is offering a $ 25 million reward for information leading to his capture , the same amount as the reward for bin laden . al-zawahiri 's wife and three children were killed in december 2001 in a u.s. attack on the family 's residence in afghanistan . asked whether the united states is any closer to finding al-zawahiri as a result of information obtained at bin laden 's compound or from leads resulting from a recent al-zawahiri videotaped message about bin laden 's death , the u.s. counterterrorism official said only , obviously , he has been and will continue to be of high interest . ' more on al-zawahiri at cnn 's security clearance blog in a nearly half-hour video released this month , al-zawahiri eulogized bin laden , saying he went to his god martyred because he said no to america . ' al-zawahiri also criticized the treacherous ' pakistani government and warned that america is not facing individuals or groups but an entire ( islamic nation that ) rose from the ashes in a jihadi awakening to face its oppressors . ' there will probably not be changes in u.s. counterterrorism strategy now that al-zawahiri is leading al qaeda , the u.s. counterterrorism official said . the al qaeda statement can not be authenticated by cnn , but it appeared on radical islamist sites known for posting similar statements and recruitment videos by other al qaeda figures . it said the group will not shift its policies and pledged its support to , among others , the taliban and leader mullah omar as the group battles u.s. and nato presence in afghanistan . the posting makes no mention of the pro-democracy uprisings in much of the arab world that have forced the exit of some longtime leaders . paul cruickshank , a cnn terrorism analyst , said al-zawahiri may have a hard time following bin laden . zawahiri has none of the charisma of bin laden , ' cruickshank said . he wants to inspire people , not just who are joining the al qaeda organization , but people who have never joined the al qaeda organization and are trying to launch attacks in their name . without bin laden there anymore , they wo n't be as inspired . ' former cia officer phil mudd added al-zawahiri is very poorly respected . ' he is seen as a difficult man to work with , ' mudd said . he has no sense among the work force in al qaeda , the kind of prestige that bin laden had . ' the u.s. counterterrorism official said the united states does not know whether al qaeda members have pledged their loyalty to al-zawahiri . born into a wealthy family in cairo , al-zawahiri is a physician and founding member of the egyptian islamic jihad , a militant organization that opposed the secular egyptian government of hosni mubarak and sought its overthrow through violent means . like bin laden , al-zawahiri also went to afghanistan during its fight against the soviets , although he was there primarily to offer medical expertise . by the 1990s , he refocused his attention on undermining and attacking the egyptian government and , eventually , the united states . in 1998 , when the egyptian islamic jihad effectively merged with al qaeda , he sent a fax to the al-hayat newspaper warning americans . three days later , august 7 , suicide truck bombers carried out the embassy attacks . the al qaeda statement thursday showed the group 's commitment to leading jihad efforts around the globe . citing palestinian territories , somalia and chechnya , the statement said al qaeda will remain on the path of righteousness as a coherent , solid , cemented rank , with one word that will bind us together , with hearts of affinity , and under one wholesome banner , battling one enemy . even if the names may vary , there is no failing , no hesitation , no surrender . ' cnn 's saad abedine , hamdi alkhshali and carol cratty contributed to this report . | new : zawahiri 's video message this month contained a warning to america |
fox <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- leaders of the naacp on saturday called for the firing of the new york post cartoonist whose drawing lampooning the federal stimulus bill has drawn charges that it 's racist and encourages violence toward president obama . naacp 's benjamin todd jealous says the organization will take issue national ' if post cartoonist is n't fired . speaking at the civil rights group 's annual meeting in new york , naacp president benjamin todd jealous said that if sean delonas is not fired , the group will call for protests of the paper and fox television affiliates , which are owned by post parent company news corp. ' there is consensus that if the post does not ... get rid of the journalists who are responsible for this bit of hate speech seeing the light of day , that we will move this from a local , regional issue to a very national issue , ' jealous said . the group also called for the cartoonist 's editor to be fired . many critics said the cartoon played on historically racist images by appearing to compare obama , the nation 's first black president , to a chimpanzee that had been shot by police officers . the cartoon references the mauling of a connecticut woman by a chimpanzee who was later shot and killed by police . in its caption , one of the officers says , they 'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill . ' obama had signed the bill the day before the cartoon ran . on its web site thursday , the paper offered a qualified apology , saying it was most certainly not our intent ' to express racism , but also accusing some of jumping at a chance to attack a paper they already disliked . watch reaction to the post 's apology » ' to them , no apology is due , ' the paper wrote . sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon -- even if the opportunists seek to make it something else . ' but naacp chairman julian bond said that explanation rings hollow . this is tastelessness taken to the extreme , ' he said . for the publication to suggest the only people who object to it are constant critics of the new york post is beyond ridiculous . this was an invitation to assassination of the president of the united states and anyone who was not offended by it does n't have any sensibilities . ' | naacp threatens to protest paper and fox television affiliates if cartoonist is not fired |
santa claus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's no miracle that wendy owan wo n't be stuck in highway traffic christmas day , carrying covered dishes to a family celebration in brooklyn , new york . the queens resident made sure of it months ago . owan and her adult daughter will be leaving winter behind as they embark on the carnival miracle on christmas eve , setting sail for a seven-day cruise to port canaveral , followed by nassau and freeport in the bahamas . they return new year 's day . i 've never cruised during the holidays before , but i am so looking forward to leaving all the stress behind for eight wonderfully relaxing days at sea , ' said owan , the new york school of urban ministry 's director of ministry services , who has been doing post-sandy relief work for weeks . the miracle apparently has a dome of some sort that can enclose the pool . i 'm hoping for snow so that i can sail away in the midst of it in the pool . ' share your picks : where to eat like a local the prospect of traveling to a relative 's home for the holidays or hosting all of those relatives leaves some people running for the hills -- or the sea , or the nearest resort . when everyone 's a guest , no one relative or family has to bear the burden of taking care of everyone else . and no one relative gets to decide whose holiday traditions will be followed during the holiday season . about 84 million americans say they plan to travel over the holidays this year , according to a recent american express travel spending and saving tracker survey . many of them are n't traveling to anyone 's home , say american express travel agents . resorts and cruise lines are popular choices ' i have so many clients that are actually looking to get away during the holidays , with large resorts and cruise lines being among the most popular , ' said american express travel agent debbie wynne-parry . some may want to take advantage of those extra holiday days off so they do n't burn as many vacation days during the year . others may want to get away from the inclement weather , not want to deal with the hassle of cooking and cleaning . and many people are even turning to holiday vacations in lieu of presents , especially in cases where the family 's children are a bit older . ' relaxation is usually the name of the game for people looking to get away for the holidays . for a multigenerational family , a cruise is a great way to meet up on one place but not meet up on anyone 's home turf , ' said carolyn spencer brown , editor-in-chief of cruise critic . there 's less chance for family conflicts . you have your own space and time on a trip , but you can get together for dinner . you 're not smooshed together all the time . ' five real-life wonderlands cruises are pricey , but ships do take care of meals and most decorations , leaving guests to decorate their room doors if they like . but if you want to get rooms near each other , brown advises booking for next year about nine months in advance . and buy travel insurance , she says , in case anyone gets sick or hurt in the meantime . land-based resorts also take care of the christmas cheer and dã©cor . kingsmill resort in williamsburg , virginia , tries to attend to every christmas detail for its guests , many of whom come 15 to a group year after year . some holiday packages even include a small christmas tree in the suite , so children can still find santa 's presents under a tree by the fireplace . other holiday touches include carolers greeting guests at the entrance , saturday lunches with santa and sleigh rides that end up by the firepit with s'mores . you can still wake up christmas morning with a tree by the fireplace and breakfast in our dining room with a buffet prepared by our chef , ' said allison patterson , kingsmill 's events director . it makes you feel like you 're home for the holidays , but you do n't have to make the beds or wash the dishes . ' everyone 's on neutral ground ' san franciscan debbie dare does n't look for a traditional ' east coast snowy holiday for her christmas celebration . she 's looking for fun , kitsch , good chinese food and poker with her mom for her christmas celebration in las vegas . las vegas is neutral ground ( not going to any one 's hometown of los angeles or san francisco ) , it 's bright and shiny ( there 's always something new , a restaurant , another tacky celebrity niche store ) , the chinese food in their chinatown is excellent , and there 's constant entertainment as nothing ever closes in vegas , even on christmas , ' dare wrote in an e-mail . eight hotels that do the holidays right her family members have even established their own christmas in vegas ' rituals . my favorite thing is to sit next to my mom and play pai gow poker . she taught me how . i always ask her for advice , each and every hand , and she does her'mmmmmm , not like that'or when looking at her own hand ,'jeezus , i got nothing !'i 'm nervous and happy at the same time . ' that works for her six-member family , which does n't include any small children . but if you 're still traveling with small ones , you may want a more traditional christmas . make a plan for santa and his presents that can be hard to do via airplane , because anything that santa brings on christmas day must be lugged back whenever you depart . ( driving vacations make it easier if you have trunk space . ) after all , what child wants to wait until their best presents are shipped back ? consider trading the non-santa presents before or after your travels and bringing stockings so there are some presents to open on christmas day . if the family includes santa believers , american express travel 's wynne-perry suggests having them write santa a letter to tell him where you 'll be during christmas . consider adjoining or interconnecting rooms for more family time ( if you want it ) . if you enjoy them , stick to the same rituals on vacation as you would at home . make any restaurant reservations well in advance . and be aware of any baggage that comes with some presents , like battery requirements or travel rules . ( airline security frowns on daisy red ryder bb guns . ) top u.s. travel spots for 2013 and talk to your children , says eileen gunn , founder of familiesgo ! , a family travel website . when the kids are 2 or 3 years old , they 'll go along with whatever you say , ' even that santa came early or is coming later , gunn said . at 6 or 7 , they start asking questions . it depends on your kids , their ages and their inquisitiveness . ' drama may follow you on vacation and remember you ca n't completely escape the family drama if you 're traveling with the family that causes the drama ( including yourself ) . you 're not leaving everything when you travel with family , ' said pauline wallin , a psychologist with a practice in camp hill , pennsylvania . there 's an initial settling-in period when everyone is nice to each other . the way you interact with family on neutral territory wo n't necessarily show up for the first 24 to 48 hours . after that , you become like your family is used to becoming . at least when it starts to grate on you ( at a resort ) , you can retreat to the pool . ' just do n't be surprised if aunt susie makes a comment about your weight or uncle harold teases you about not being married yet . if you can predict this going to happen , why are you so surprised when it does ? ' asked wallin . remember that christmas day is just 24 hours . you can get through 24 hours . people can hold it together when there 's a time limit . ' where are you going for the holidays ? what are you hoping to find or avoid ? please share in the comments section below . | santa claus may have to deliver a lighter load to a traveling child |
sakineh mohammadi ashtiani <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a woman convicted of murder and adultery and sentenced to die by stoning said saturday she would sue the two german journalists who interviewed her son , iran 's government-backed press tv reported . the men , identified only as a reporter and photojournalist , were arrested in october after they interviewed the son and lawyer of sakineh mohammadi ashtiani , who was convicted of adultery in 2006 and sentenced to death by stoning . her case has drawn sharp criticism from the international community . no date has been set for her execution . ashtiani told reporters in the northwestern city of tabriz that she planned to sue the german nationals , press tv reported . the men , who work for the bild am sonntag newspaper , are charged with espionage and are accused of working illegally as journalists in iran . germany-based anti-stoning activist mina ahadi said that government and prison officials were also at the press conference . this regime has a history of pressuring innocent people into confessing on television . this is just another example of their propaganda , ' she said . speaking outside the prison , ashtiani criticized her lawyers for politicizing her case and denied she had been pressured to give interviews , press tv said . ashtiani 's son , sajjad qaderzadeh , was released from jail three weeks ago on humanitarian grounds , according to press tv . he had served more than a month in prison for granting the interview , press tv reported . qaderzadeh appeared with his mother on saturday and similarly said that he would sue the german nationals as well as his lawyers , who asked him to do the interview , press tv said . the son also added that he plans to take legal action against issa taheri , who press tv said murdered qaderzadeh 's father in collaboration with ashtiani . germany 's bild newspaper , a sister publication of bild am sonntag , published an editorial sunday criticizing the reported lawsuit plans . the woman who has been sentenced to death was allowed to leave her jail cell for a few hours to declare in front of western tv cameras that she would file a suit against our reporters , ' the editorial said . it concludes , does iran really think that a strange farce like this will improve the credibility of its justice system abroad ? ' cnn 's mitra mobasherat and fred pleitgen contributed to this report . | sakineh mohammadi ashtiani is sentenced to die by stoning |
benghazi <tsp> cia contract security officers who responded to the terrorist attacks on the u.s. ambassador in benghazi , libya , last year were told by the cia to sign nondisclosure agreements just before a memorial ceremony at the cia 's headquarters in langley , virginia , this past may , a congressional source told cnn . the source says this was disclosed by the contractors during closed-door testimony on capitol hill this week , and it seems to contradict information sent by cia director john brennan to the house intelligence committee investigating the events in benghazi . the cia has repeatedly denied reports by cnn that the cia has tried to prevent its personnel from talking to members of congress investigating the september 2012 benghazi attacks . when it was first reported by cnn , brennan released a letter showing that he strongly encouraged cia operatives to cooperate with congressional investigators . brennan even went so far as to directly answer a question from house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers who , in a september 3 letter to the cia director , specifically asked this question : ' has any officer , either staff of contractor , been required to sign any nondisclosure agreement because of their presence at benghazi or their participation in any activity related to the benghazi attacks ? ' brennan 's answer : no . ' cia contract operatives testifying before a classified house intelligence subcommittee on wednesday and thursday directly contradicted brennan 's answer , a congressional source told cnn . cia spokesman todd ebitz told cnn that there is absolutely no contradiction . ' cia contractors routinely sign secrecy agreements , which are standard forms . no cia officer has ever signed a secrecy agreement that referenced benghazi or that prohibited them from talking to congress , ' ebitz said in a statement . in fact , cia secrecy agreements specifically note an officer 's right to bring issues to the attention of congress . furthermore , director brennan extended to all benghazi survivors an invitation to speak to congress and indicated the agency would support their interaction . several have spoken to cia 's oversight committees . ' all five operatives were part of a security team hired by the cia to protect its operations during missions in libya .'we were wrong': cbs 's lara logan apologizes for benghazi report the official nondisclosure forms did not specifically mention the benghazi investigation , but the source told cnn , there is not a person in washington , d.c. who does n't understand why the forms were put in front of these people . ' the weekly standard first reported the signing of additional nondisclosure agreements on thursday . mark zaid , an attorney representing three of the cia contractors , told the weekly standard , there is no doubt that the ndas ( nondisclosure agreements ) would not have been presented to them had it not been for benghazi . that is their impression and my analysis based on 20 years of experience . ' zaid continued , the ndas in no way changed the legal landscape . they had already signed ndas that bound them to certain obligations . these new ones were legally unnecessary . ' the cia contractors told to sign the nondisclosure agreements were attending a memorial service for tyrone woods and glen doherty , two cia operatives who died in the benghazi attacks . this week , the house intelligence subcommittee on oversight met to hear closed-door testimony from the former security agents . though the testimony is secret , the congressional source with inside knowledge of the hearing told cnn , there now appears to be serious discrepancies ' between what the cia has officially reported to congress and what the witnesses are telling members of the committee . cnn has learned a rescue team of five cia operatives were armed and ready to respond to the terrorist attack within minutes of the first radio communication from ambassador christopher stevens'compound , but cnn sources say the agents were told to stand down . the allegation was first raised last year , after which the cia told congress there was no order to stand down . the cia has said no one at any level in the cia told anybody not to help those in need ; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate . ' members of the house intelligence subcommittee believe they need to have more information to determine why a discrepancy now exists between the would-be rescuers on the ground and the official reports from the cia . the agents eventually did respond to the attack , pulling off a heroic attempt to save u.s. state department officials who were under siege . intelligence officials explained last year that there was a roughly 25-minute gap from the initial call for help to when half a dozen officers were able to make a move -- and that the delay was due to the time it took to load weapons and equipment and coordinate with friendly militias . | cia has said contractors not required to sign nondisclosure forms about benghazi |
doctors without borders <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two bombs hit a hospital run by doctors without borders in the war-torn south kordofan region of sudan on monday , destroying the emergency room , pharmacy and hospital kitchen . the humanitarian group blames sudan 's army for the attack . we are shocked that a medical facility can be bombed , especially since it was clearly identified with a flag and a medical red cross on the roof , ' the organization 's brian moller said in a statement . we also had previously communicated the hospital 's position to the authorities in khartoum , ' he said , referring to sudan 's capital . the hospital is in the village of farandella , where the aerial bombing injured six people , including one hospital worker , doctors without borders said . they were treated at the hospital , which remains operational despite extensive damage , the group said . sudan 's army denies bombing the hospital . our targets are not civilians , ' col. al-sawarmi khalid saad , a spokesman for sudan 's armed forces , told cnn . there is no way our aircraft is involved in this hospital attack . we did not bomb any hospital . we have no reason to attack and destroy any hospital , ' he said . sudan 's government has been fighting rebels in the kordofan region . exclusive : sudan apostasy woman 's'brother'says she should repent or die | two bombs hit a hospital in sudan that 's run by doctors without borders |
pakistan <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- a blast at a busy market in northwest pakistan killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 60 tuesday , an official said . the explosion occurred in the jamrud market in the khyber agency , one of seven districts in pakistan 's volatile tribal region , which borders afghanistan . the bomb was placed in a vehicle belonging to a local militia group fighting against militants in the area , said jameel khan , a government official . the bomb was then remotely detonated , he said , citing the initial investigation . the u.s. embassy in islamabad condemned the bombing . by targeting innocent people going about their business , the extremists who plan and perpetrate these attacks show their contempt for the value of human life , ' an embassy statement said . journalist saboor khattak contributed to this report | the khyber agency is one of seven districts in pakistan 's volatile tribal region |
kansas <tsp> tuesday 's senate primary in kansas ended another ugly showdown that pit a tea party-backed challenger against an establishment republican incumbent . cnn projects incumbent sen. pat roberts has fended off conservative challenger milton wolf in the state 's gop senate primary . in his victory speech roberts said that we celebrate tonight ' and that we have another job starting first thing tomorrow . ' that job is to unite republicans under a common and vital cause , ' he said . unity must happen if we are to keep kansas red . it must happen if we are going to defeat an obama agenda and send harry reid back ! ' the race saw controversies over residency and facebook photos and a rare streetside confrontation . roberts'win leaves only thursday 's nominating contest in tennessee , where incumbent lamar alexander faces a bunch of conservative challengers , for a tea party-backed candidate to prevail in senate primaries . wolf 's campaign for months tried to portray roberts as more in tune with washington than kansas , pointing to reports from earlier this year that the senator listed his voting address at the home of two longtime political supporters who rent a room to him . wolf said in his concession speech that while we came up short tonight , i believe our battle just begins . ' i believe we 're just getting warmed up , ' he said to his supporters . i believe we 're going to save this country because it 's up to us . our republic needs us to stand up and fight and it is the greatest honor of my life to stand shoulder to shoulder with you , ' he said . to run towards the screaming instead of away . and i will always stand up and fight for our country and fight for our state . and it is the biggest honor of my life to say that i stood with you . ' still , roberts was seen as the heavy favorite in the nomination battle with a large double-digit lead in the most recent poll . a couple of other minor candidates were also on the ballot . dueling controversies the wolf campaign ran numerous ads attacking roberts over his residency . at the same time , the roberts'campaign over the past couple of months went up with tv ads reminding voters that wolf , a radiologist , posted x-ray images of mortal injuries and made light of them and the victims . wolf was later forced to admit he made insensitive ' comments . wolf painted himself as a conservative activist with the guts to stand up to the gop establishment . as a doctor , he frequently campaigned against the affordable care act and proposed his own plan that he calls patientcare . ' he enjoyed the backing and the support of some major national tea party groups , such as the tea party patriots and the tea party express , and some influential anti-establishment organizations , like the senate conservatives fund and the madison project . roberts enjoyed the support of the national republican senatorial campaign , which is chaired by fellow kansas republican sen. jerry moran . showdown on the street in the closing weeks of the primary campaign , wolf highlighted what he said was robert 's refusal to debate him . last week , wolf changed his travel plans at the last minute to confront roberts as he met with business leaders in emporia , kansas . you told kansans you would give them your word and you would give them a debate , ' wolf said to roberts . you have said it multiple times in multiple places . you tell us that you are tough and you 're tested and trusted . and i want you to keep your word on that , i want you to debate . i think kansans deserve it . ' milton , milton , milton , milton , ' roberts said dismissively . this is not the time . we have a regularly-scheduled event , a listening tour event . this is not the time . ' when would be the time , senator , because i 'll go anywhere you 'd like . you 've given your word to debate . let 's just debate , ' wolf continued as roberts walked off . roberts'campaign was asked why he would n't debate . the question 's not about debating . the question is about an immature candidate with a desperate campaign , an unethical candidate pulling stunts like he did today . when you 're 20 points down , these are the kind of desperate stunts you pull , ' spokesman sean fitzpatrick said . 2014 tea party challenges the primary in kansas comes six weeks after longtime sen. thad cochran of mississippi narrowly won re-nomination , edging out tea party-backed state sen. chris mcdaniel in a runoff . mcdaniel officially contested the results of the june primary runoff on monday after revealing alleged evidence of voter fraud and irregularities . while the kansas contest has made some headlines , it pales in comparison to the mississippi showdown , which played out in the national political spotlight . more primary highlights also in kansas , rep. mike pompeo beat former congressman todd tiahrt in the republican primary for the state 's 4th congressional district , cnn projects . tiahart held the seat for 16 years before giving it up to run for the senate , ultimately losing in 2010 to jerry moran . voters in michigan , missouri and washington also voted tuesday in their respective state 's primary contest . here are some of the highlights : in michigan 's 3rd congressional district , the familiar 2014 narrative -- tea party challenger takes on establishment gop incumbent -- was turned on its head . challenger brian ellis , a businessman who has support from the chamber of commerce , tried to unseat two-term rep. justin amash , a libertarian who won his seat in the 2010 tea party wave that landed republicans in the house majority . but despite being outspent , amash staved off his establishment-backed challenger . debbie dingell , a democrat , declared victory tuesday in michigan 's 12th congressional district against opponent raymond mullins . she announced plans earlier this year to run for the seat being vacated by her husband , rep. john dingell , the longest serving member of congress in history . | the kansas race was largely defined by personal attacks on both sides |
americans <tsp> ( cnn student news ) -- june 1 , 2011 download pdf maps related to today 's show : • germany • joplin , missouri transcript this is a rush transcript . this copy may not be in its final form and may be updated . carl azuz , cnn student news anchor : the start of a new month , the start of a new day of cnn student news ! hi , i 'm carl azuz , and i 'm delivering your 10 minutes of commercial-free headlines . first up : home prices drop azuz : first up , we 're talking about a new low for the price of homes in the united states . during the first quarter -- the first three months -- of 2011 , home prices dropped more than 5 percent from where they were last year . now , that 's according to a new report that came out yesterday . and the comparison gets even worse when you go back a little farther . the housing market hit its highest point five years ago in 2006 . compared to that -- that highest point -- prices of homes have dropped almost 33 percent . home prices are down ; so what ? it might not be something that you think about every day , but some of your parents are paying close attention . home prices affect a lot of other industries -- like banks , like construction -- so that 's one of the big indicators that experts use to figure out how the u.s. economy is doing . and prices have gone through kind of a double-dip . they went down after that peak in 2006 . then they went back up a little bit around 2009 . some government programs designed to encourage people to buy houses helped with that increase . but now , they 're dropping again . and one expert says it does n't look like that 's going to change any time soon . e. coli outbreak azuz : officials in germany are warning people there not to eat raw cucumbers , leaf lettuce , or tomatoes . the reason : an outbreak of e. coli . that 's a bacteria that can be transmitted through contaminated food or water , especially raw vegetables . reports have connected at least 16 deaths to the outbreak . hundreds of other people have gotten sick . german authorities are trying to contain the outbreak . in the meantime , scientists are trying to figure out where it started . they do n't have that answer yet . they think it could be traced back to produce from spain . germany buys more spanish fruits and vegetables than any other country . and the concerns about those foods could cost spain 's food industry millions of dollars . shoutout stan case , cnn student news : time for the shoutout ! what 's the term for when energy travels in particles or waves ? if you think you know it , shout it out ! is it : a ) diffusion , b ) sublimation , c ) radiation or d ) circumnavigation ? you 've got three seconds -- go ! when energy is transmitted in particles or waves , it 's called radiation . that 's your answer and that 's your shoutout ! cell phones & cancer azuz : the world health organization says that radiation from cell phones could possibly cause cancer . that announcement came after a group of scientists analyzed studies that have been done on cell phone safety . what this means is that the scientists found some evidence of an increase in certain types of cancer for cell phone users . they were n't able to make any conclusions about other types of cancers . one expert says it 's hard because it can take several decades of exposure to see if there are any consequences . the wireless industry said the announcement does not mean cell phones cause cancer . it pointed out that the scientists did n't do new research , but just reviewed studies that already existed . this announcement probably will lead to more research on the issue . tornado recovery azuz : recovery efforts are getting started in joplin , missouri , and help is coming from some unexpected places . for example , a group of homeless volunteers from kentucky . they collected donations for the tornado victims and then drove to joplin to distribute them . another unique source of help : an elephant from a circus that was supposed to perform in the area . the show , of course , could n't happen . but the animal was able to use its strength to help workers clear heavy debris from some areas . many residents of joplin are still coming to grips with the devastation that hit their hometown . morgan schutters of affiliate kode reports on the tornado 's impact on the joplin high school community . ( begin video ) morgan schutters , kode reporter : katie wood graduated from joplin high school just an hour before the tornado hit . katie wood , joplin high school alumni : even looking at it , it 's still really hard to believe it . schutters : now , she 's singing the national anthem at a memorial service for her classmates and the community . wood : it 's so hard singing it right in front of my school that just blew away . schutters : but joplin high school sophomore chanci mcgowen still has the rest of her high school career ahead of her , as she looks at what is left in shambles . chanci mcgowen , joplin high school sophomore : it 's indescribable . it 's horrible , just devastating to see all the destruction of my school , my home . schutters : mcgowen is one of many students who lost both . mcgowen : it was heartbreaking . my whole neighborhood is gone , but everyone 's ok. schutters : it was a somber afternoon as they gathered outside the school . a moment of silence honoring military and tornado victims . eight people in the joplin r-8 school district are confirmed dead : seven students and one staff member . wood : wondering who is still alive and who 's not . schutters : superintendent dr. cj huff said last friday , when he got word , his world stopped . sorrow for the lost and relief for the living . cj huff , superintendent , joplin r-8 school district : as a result of your diligence and unwavering fortitude in the face of insurmountable challenges , 100 percent of our family are accounted for . schutters : summer classes will begin as scheduled in less than three weeks , on june 13th . ( end video ) i.d . me michelle wright , cnn student news : see if you can i.d . me ! i 'm a famous landmark visited by millions every year . i 'm located in arizona . i was formed by the colorado river . i 'm the grand canyon , a huge rock formation that 's a mile deep . all work , no play azuz : the grand canyon 's a major vacation destination . the nearly 5 million people who go there every year prove that . but would the canyon get even more visitors if american workers took as much vacation as employees in other countries ? that 's what we 're talking about . when it comes to time off , the u.s. is not number one . karin caifa looks at some of the reasons why . ( begin video ) karin caifa , cnn correspondent , washington , d.c. : days at the beach , trips you 'll remember for a lifetime . that 's what summer is all about , right ? not for most american workers , who lag behind international counterparts in the vacation time given and the time taken . according to a survey by expedia , workers in great britain got an average of 28 days'vacation last year . in france : 37 . here in the u.s. : 18 . and they only used 14 . so , what 's holding americans back ? with the economy still recovering , some workers are just happy to have a job to go to every day . and with staffing pared to bare bones during the recession , they 'd rather be at their desks than on a guilt trip . jeff gardere , clinical psychologist : we feel that we 're letting our colleagues down . we 're afraid of the work that 's waiting for us when we get back from vacation . and that guilt will make us not take the days off that we really need . caifa : there are also the lingering financial concerns . a recent survey from careerbuilder found one in four workers simply ca n't afford a getaway this year . twelve percent say they can afford it but wo n't go . and only one in three said they felt more comfortable taking a vacation this summer than they did last year . ( end video ) driving knowledge azuz : sticking with the idea of hitting the road , it turns out about 37 million american drivers should n't ! according to a new survey , one out of every five people in the united states would fail a driving test if they had to take one today . and what 's even more strange : that 's an improvement ! last year , 38 million people -- one million more -- would have failed . this survey asked drivers from all 50 states 20 questions about basic driving knowledge . what do you do when you 're approaching a yellow light ? what 's a safe following distance ? things like that . the concern is that not knowing the rules leads to dangerous driving habits . daily e-mail azuz : teachers , we know a lot of you get our daily e-mail . as you get ready to head off for the summer , you do n't need to unsubscribe . the email is not gon na come out every day . we 'll only send you something when we have something to say , like when one of our special summer shows goes up at cnnstudentnews.com . so stay subscribed ; we will not spam you , we promise ! before we go azuz : before we go , we 're checking out a barnyard brawl . boom ! only problem is , this is n't the barnyard . it 's somebody 's back yard ! a flock of sheep showed up in a california neighborhood , and they did n't want to go anywhere . police surrounded the feisty flock and eventually had to call in animal control . it 's not like you could ask the sheep to leave nicely . i mean , you might try , but you know they would n't go for it . goodbye azuz : those guys just look like they have baaaaad attitudes . or maybe they were hoping not to get noticed so they could pull the wool over everyone 's eyes . that would have been shear genius . it 's always fun to see sheep on the lamb . but now that the whole thing 's over , i bet they felt sheepish about causing such a problem . they are known to have bleat-ing hearts . you can tell the year 's winding up , because we 're getting awfully punchy . for cnn student news , i 'm carl azuz . | discover some reasons why americans take fewer vacations |
beverly hills <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- a hearing is set for monday in a case involving actress lindsay lohan after an arrest warrant was issued for her friday , officials said . a warrant issued for lindsay lohan apparently stems from her 2007 drunken driving convictions , police said . lohan 's attorney told cnn the warrant was issued out of a misunderstanding . ' it was not known whether she would attend the hearing monday . the warrant was issued by a los angeles superior court judge in beverly hills , california . it apparently stems from lohan 's 2007 convictions for drunken driving , police said friday . she is serving three years probation . sandi gibbons of the los angeles county district attorney 's office told cnn on sunday the warrant is believed to be in connection with a possible probation violation . the district attorney 's office prosecuted the original 2007 case , she said . the hearing is set to begin sometime after 8:30 a.m. , she said . lohan has the right to appear ' at the hearing , said alan parachini , los angeles superior court spokesman . that decision is up to her . ' lohan 's attorney , shawn chapman holley , told cnn on sunday that she will appear at the hearing on lohan 's behalf . since her case was resolved , ms. lohan has been in compliance with all the terms and conditions of her probation and all orders of the court , ' holley said in a statement . the warrant issued on friday was , in our view , born out of a misunderstanding which i am confident i can clear up next week , ' holley said . police said saturday they were not actively seeking lohan , as they would not usually go after a person to take them into custody in such cases . beverly hills police sgt . mike foxen said on friday authorities were hoping lohan would turn herself in . lohan was arrested twice in 2007 on driving under the influence charges , with a cocaine possession charge in the second incident . the first arrest , in may 2007 , came after lohan lost control of her mercedes-benz convertible and struck a curb in beverly hills . just two weeks after checking out of a malibu drug and alcohol rehab facility , she was arrested again in july 2007 after a woman called santa monica police saying lohan was trying to run her down in a car . a judge sentenced lohan to three years probation after she entered guilty and no contest pleas to the charges . lohan 's acting career , which started at age 10 on a soap opera , took off on the big screen a year later when she played both identical twins in disney 's the parent trap . ' since then , she has starred in at least a dozen movies , including georgia rule ' with jane fonda in 2007 . her pop music recording career , boosted by her movie roles , has floundered in the past year . her last album was released in 2005 . cnn 's irving last contributed to this report . | arrest warrant was issued for actress lindsay lohan in beverly hills on friday |
emirates <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pre-match handshakes , or the absence of them , overshadowed the eight fixtures in the english premier league on saturday as the feud between queens park rangers defender , anton ferdinand and chelsea captain john terry continued at loftus road . ferdinand ignored terry as both sets of players assembled to shake hands before kick-off in what was the first meeting of the two players since the chelsea defender was acquitted of racially abusing ferdinand ( younger brother of rio ) by a court in july . charges against terry were brought following an incident during the corresponding fixture in october last year . ashley cole , who appeared as a character witness for terry at the trail at westminster magistrates court , was also snubbed by ferdinand . the match itself was predictably lively but yielded no goals . chelsea had the better of the first half with eden hazard and fernando torres both testing julio cesar in qpr 's goal . the home side had their chances in the second half but park ji-sung squandered a free header while bobby zamora could n't find a shot after rounding keeper petr cech . the result was a goalless deadlock which is enough to keep chelsea at the top of the table with 10 points . qpr , meanwhile , are struggling in 18th place with only two points from a possible 12 . elsewhere , the blue and red halves of manchester experienced mixed fortunes . reigning champions , city could only manage a 1-1 draw away to stoke city and remain in fourth place . but united are up to second after claiming all three points with a 4-0 thrashing of wigan at old trafford . panel : police at fault in response to deadly uk stadium football crush paul scholes , who was making his 700th appearance for united , scored the opening goal six minutes into the second half . it opened the floodgates , with hernandez scoring in the 63rd minute and alex buttner adding a third three minutes later . teenage striker , nick powell completed the rout with a thunderous drive eight minutes from the final whistle . arsenal were in fine form against southampton at the emirates with gervinho scoring a brace in a 6-1 drubbing of southampton . lukas podolski and theo walcott were also on target for the gunners whose total was boosted by two first-half own goals by southampton 's dutch defender jos hooiveld and nathaniel clyne . elsewhere , liverpool are still searching for their first win of the season after only managing a 1-1 draw away to sunderland . luis suarez 's 71st minute strike canceled out steven fletcher 's first half goal to lift liverpool one place to 17th , while martin o'neill 's side rise to 14th . aston villa recorded their first victory of the season beating high-flying swansea city 2-0 at villa park . fulham beat west bromwich albion 3-0 at craven cottage , while west ham united drew 0-0 against norwich city at carrow road . | arsenal hit southampton for six at the emirates |
steve jobs <tsp> ( cnn ) -- steve jobs was n't eager to disclose details of his health issues over the years . that the apple co-founder contracted a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2003 was n't disclosed until after his return from surgery more than nine months later . another health problem , which was innocuously described at first as a hormone imbalance , ' turned into a six-month leave during which jobs underwent a liver transplant . yet jobs'views on existence , as he increasingly faced his own mortality , became ever more poetic and less concealed toward the end . these could be seen in the rare interviews he 'd grant but also in e-mail correspondences with acquaintances and strangers , which he often took the time to partake in . i do n't think of my life as a career , ' he told time in 2010 . i do stuff . i respond to stuff . that 's not a career -- it 's a life ! ' jobs also shared his condolences and personal revelations with others facing similar pressures . a man named james told the news site business insider that he e-mailed jobs on april 20 , 2010 , to thank him for supporting an organ donor program . james mentioned that his girlfriend had died of melanoma two years before . jobs replied : your [ sic ] most welcome , james . i 'm sorry about your girlfriend . life is fragile . ' the rare moments when jobs publicly waxed philosophical were among his most memorable . perhaps the most widely quoted is his 2005 commencement address to stanford university 's graduating class : remembering that i 'll be dead soon is the most important tool i 've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life . because almost everything -- all external expectations , all pride , all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death , leaving only what is truly important , ' he said . remembering that you are going to die is the best way i know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose . you are already naked . there is no reason not to follow your heart . ' he continued : no one wants to die . even people who want to go to heaven do n't want to die to get there . and yet death is the destination we all share . no one has ever escaped it . and that is as it should be , because death is very likely the single best invention of life . it is life 's change agent . ' people often looked to jobs for advice on dealing with the inevitable , and he seemed eager to offer his guidance . one of the first calls bob longo , a former sales chief for the failed computer company jobs founded called next computer , made after getting diagnosed with cancer was to jobs . ( they shared the same oncologist and radiologist . ) the pair kept in touch , longo recalled to the pittsburgh business times , and longo received an exuberant e-mail from jobs after telling him the news that longo 's surgery was successful . longo told the business times : messages from him were generally laconic . this one had 20 exclamation points . i have a cousin who 's a pretty well regarded cancer research doctor and told him the doctor steve referred me to ; he said ,'do n't even ask for a second opinion . start your treatment .'' even in 1995 , jobs seemed undeterred in the face of death . he said in an interview with the computerworld honors program : we 're all going to be dead soon ; that 's my point of view . somebody once told me , they said ,'live each day as if it would be your last , and oneâ day you 'll certainly be right .'i do that . you never know when you 're going to go , butâ you are going to go pretty soon . if you 're going to leave anything behind , it 's going toâ be your kids , a few friends and your work . so that 's what i tend to worry about . ' jobs set out to put a dent in the universe , ' as he would say , and many believe he did just that . he transformed industries , improved important tools and changed the daily lives for billions of people . but as much as the world may have needed a visionary like jobs , he apparently needed us , too . you know , there 's nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an ipad over in the u.k. and tells me the story about how it 's the coolest product they 've ever brought home , you know , in their lives , ' jobs said at the all things digital conference in 2010 . that 's what keeps me going . and it 's what kept me going five years ago . it 's what kept me going 10 years ago , when the doors were almost closed . and it 's what 'll keep me going five years from now , whatever happens , ' he said . jobs died 16 months later to a public outpouring of grief . | steve jobs was n't always forthcoming about his health issues |
muslim <tsp> legislators in the capital of china 's restive far-western xinjiang province passed a law wednesday to prohibit residents from wearing burqas in public , state media reported thursday , highlighting the government 's continued campaign against religious extremism . the new ban in urumqi was first reported on ts.cn , a xinjiang government-run website , and later widely published by other state media outlets . the ordinance name suggests it targets outer garments covering someone 's full body including the face , which is called a burqa in some islamic traditions . a spate of recent violent incidents has rocked xinjiang , a resource-rich region long inhabited by the turkic-speaking , largely muslim uyghurs . the arrival of waves of han chinese , the country 's predominant ethnic group , over the past decades has fueled ethnic tensions . chinese officials have blamed the recent attacks on uyghur separatists -- whom they also label religious extremists ' -- seeking to establish an independent state . the ts.cn story mentioned the urumqi law was submitted to the provincial legislature for final approval before it could be implemented . in august , another city in xinjiang banned people wearing islamic-style clothing and large beards from riding public buses during a provincial sporting event , according to state media . news reports at the time said karamay city authorities targeted veils , large beards , as well as three types of islamic dresses -- including those with the star and crescent symbol . dozens of bus stations in the city were said to be manned by security personnel to conduct checks and report violators to the police . while the measures in karamay did n't openly single out uyghurs , exiled uyghur rights groups have condemned them , calling the ban a green light ' for racism and discrimination . those restrictions came a month after authorities in xinjiang banned students and civil servants from fasting during ramadan , the muslim holy month . amnesty international has said uyghurs face widespread discrimination in employment , housing and educational opportunities , as well as curtailed religious freedom and political marginalization . other critics , including exiled uyghur activists , have attributed the rise of violence in xinjiang to beijing 's increasingly repressive rule there -- a claim the government vehemently denies . on monday , a court in urumqi convicted more than a dozen suspects with uyghur-sounding names for their roles in two separate violent attacks in the city earlier this year . eight people were sentenced to death , while five others received suspended death sentences . | a spate of violent incidents has rocked xinjiang , long inhabited by the largely muslim uyghurs |
second life <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- a british couple who married in a lavish second life wedding ceremony are to divorce after one of them had an alleged affair ' in the online world . second life users can interact and form relationships with other players'avatars . amy taylor , 28 , said she had caught husband david pollard , 40 , having sex with an animated woman . the couple , who met in an internet chatroom in 2003 , are now separated . i went mad -- i was so hurt . i just could n't believe what he 'd done , ' taylor told the western morning news . it may have started online , but it existed entirely in the real world and it hurts just as much now it is over . ' second life allows users to create alter egos known as avatars ' and interact with other players , forming relationships , holding down jobs and trading products and services for a virtual currency convertible into real life dollars . ireport.com : share your stories from second life taylor said she had caught pollard 's avatar having sex with a virtual prostitute : i looked at the computer screen and could see his character having sex with a female character . it 's cheating as far as i 'm concerned . ' the couple 's real-life wedding in 2005 was eclipsed by a fairy tale ceremony held within second life . but taylor told the western morning news she had subsequently hired an online private detective to track his activities : he never did anything in real life , but i had my suspicions about what he was doing in second life . ' ireport.com : anger in a virtual world pollard admitted having an online relationship with a girl in america ' but denied wrongdoing . we were n't even having cyber sex or anything like that , we were just chatting and hanging out together , ' he told the western morning news . taylor is now in a new relationship with a man she met in the online roleplaying game world of warcraft . | british couple divorce over alleged affair in virtual world second life |
ukraine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a vintage car collection , exotic birds and a gaudy palace ; former ukraine president viktor yanukovych was seemingly living the high life even as his country 's economy stalled . now , as economic growth goes into reverse , ukraine is in desperate need of financial help . the question is whether the country 's lawmakers will do what they must to persuade the world that there wo n't be a repeat of yanukovych 's gaudy lifestyle . last month , anti-corruption protesters in ukraine surrounded the kiev parliament building waving gold-painted loaves of bread . the demonstration was aimed at persuading lawmakers to pass strong anti-corruption legislation that would prohibit political leaders like yanukovych from living gilded lifestyles funded by state coffers . sadly , lawmakers balked , and the legislation failed by eight votes as too many members of parliament abstained . the vote was a significant setback to president petro poroshenko , who had promised to clean up corruption in his presidential campaign . but more importantly , the vote was a blow against efforts to revive ukraine 's economy as the legislation is a prerequisite to securing the next vital tranche of the $ 17 billion multilateral loan package from the world bank , the international monetary fund and the european union . the cash is urgently needed if ukraine is to shore up both its economy and its borders . true , a ceasefire has brought with it a lull in the fighting between government forces and pro-russian rebels . but clashes have continued even as russia continues to turn the screws with its own set of sanctions . the problem for ukraine is that yanukovych 's lifestyle -- allegedly funded through sweetheart deals and shady companies -- has left the international community wary of handing money over to the government without some guarantee that the rule of law will apply to those handling the funds . after all , ukraine ranked 144th out of 177 countries in the 2013 transparency international corruption perceptions index , with a score that indicated rampant corruption . the failure of last month 's vote leaves poroshenko with two more chances before a parliamentary election later this month to push through the required legislation -- on october 7 and october 14 . the laws being tabled are a strong set of regulations that organizations including transparency international ukraine have helped draft ( and indeed have been advocating for years ) , including the creation of a dedicated national anti-corruption bureau with investigatory powers to centralize what is now dealt with by an ad hoc group of offices that fail to share information and work together . in addition , the proposals include a time-bound , three-year national anti-corruption strategic plan that sets goals for implementing laws , as well as a law that would make it possible to try those suspected of corruption even if they are not in ukraine . ( the absence of such legislation is thwarting the prosecution and the return of assets allegedly stolen by yanukovych , who has fled to russia . ) so what is stopping lawmakers getting behind these common sense rules ? one sticking point likely scaring politicians is that from the new parliament onward there would be mandatory public registries of lawmakers'assets , so-called asset declarations , and a public list of any potential conflicts of interests . asset declarations , particularly if they are monitored by civil society , can help raise a red flag if politicians are living beyond their means : a tried and tested tool in the fight against corruption that is particularly effective if you can compare year-on-year wealth accumulation . it 's perhaps no wonder , then , that a parliament filled with politicians who profited from yanukovych 's term in office would not be happy with these new laws , and although poroshenko thought he had amassed the votes to get them passed in september , enough abstained to scupper his plans . but there is still some cause for optimism . with parliamentary elections just three weeks away , many of those former members of yanukovych 's party ( the party of regions ) who have not fled have allied themselves with other parties to keep their seats , and can be expected to try to distance themselves from the corruption that toppled the government . poroshenko must therefore clearly tie the future economic success of a pro-western ukraine to the electoral fortunes of the candidates . if they vote against the legislation this week , international support may wane , the development loans could be delayed and economic recovery stall . poroshenko must clearly explain this likely chain of events to the public so politicians are convinced that if they are seen as opposing the fight against corruption , they will not attract voters -- voters who have taken to the streets to voice their displeasure over the issue . the map of ukrainian politics is about to be redrawn . the question is whether lawmakers will seize this opportunity to pass a strong set of anti-corruption laws that will show parliament is committed to ruling the country for the people , not for themselves . the country 's future depends on it . | ukraine 's economy in desperate need of help , says oleksii khmara |
sobel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sensible immigration reform will strengthen american society and economy . but it must also respect the rights of u.s. citizens and those aspiring to join them . buried in the comprehensive immigration reform legislation before the senate are obscure provisions that impose on americans expansive national identification systems , tied to electronic verification schemes . under the guise of reform , ' these trample fundamental rights and freedoms . requirements in senate bill 744 for mandatory worker ids and electronic verification remove the right of citizens to take employment and give ' it back as a privilege only when proper proof is presented and the government agrees . such systems are inimical to a free society and are costly to the economy and treasury . any citizen wanting to take a job would face the regulation that his or her digitized high-resolution passport or driver 's license photo be collected and stored centrally in a department of homeland security citizenship and immigration services database . the pictures in the national database would then need to be matched against the job applicant 's government-issued enhanced ' id card , using a homeland security-mandated facial-recognition photo tool . ' only when those systems worked perfectly could the new hire take the job . immigrant employees would probably have to get biometric ( based on body measurements like fingerprint scans and digital images ) worker id cards . social security cards may soon become biometric as well . any citizen or immigrant whose digital image in the homeland security databank did not match the one embedded in their government-issued id would be without a job and benefits . yet , citizens have a constitutional right to take employment . since the butchers union co. decision in 1884 , the u.s. supreme court has held that the right to follow any of the common occupations of life is an inalienable right ... under the phrase'pursuit of happiness .' this right is a large ingredient in the civil liberties of each citizen . the digital id requirements in s. 744 eliminate that fundamental right to take employment and transform it into a privilege . this constitutional guarantee could in effect be taken away by bureaucratic rules or deleted by a database mistake . as philosopher john locke , whose phrase consent of the governed ' animates the declaration of independence , once said , everybody has a property in his own person . ' who is a citizen is today determined by his or her american personhood . under s. 744 , that would no longer be true . instead , the determination of whether someone has a right to take a job would be made by two computer files : one in a department of homeland security database and the other on a government-issued id card . identity and ids become property of the u.s . government . ' moreover , s. 744 undermines constitutional federalism by resurrecting id provisions that most states have rejected . not only does s. 744 mandate e-verify ' as a national electronic verification system for employment for the 33 states that have not joined it ( illinois actually outlawed its use ) , the bill also revives the moribund real id ' requirement for sharing of driver 's license photos among the states and federal government , which 25 states opposed by law or resolution . only 13 states joined as of last year . in short , s. 744 gets around states'repeated rejections of national identification systems by lumping e-verify and real id into overly comprehensive national identification ( rather than immigration ) reform . ' s. 744 's provisions also mandate collection of the details about almost every american , an enumeration task the constitution authorizes only to the census every 10 years , and then only under a 72-year guarantee of confidentiality . moreover , though the search for religious freedom created this country and begins the bill of rights , s. 744 removes the religious accommodations that 20 states offer in the form of driver 's licenses without photographs for reasons of religious faith . these follow the supreme court 's upholding of a nebraska woman of christian faith 's observance of the second commandment prohibition against images ( other religions may also qualify ) . if mandatory digital photos and biometric ids are forced on religious believers , many are convinced that they will face eternal condemnation . e-verify essentially equates all americans with illegal immigrants . ' instead of naturalization freeing legal immigrants from carrying mandatory green cards , ' universal e-verify would impose ids on american citizens . e-verify effectively creates a no-work ' list for the unverifiable . uses of worker ids will proliferate like social security numbers -- once intended not for identification purposes ' -- and driver 's licenses -- once simply proving driving skill . worker ids could become travel licenses ' for official purposes , ' as defined by the secretary of homeland security , like entering government buildings , flying ( still possible now without id ) or taking public transit . these undermine the rights to petition government and to travel . even though the bill says it does not authorize a national id , its provisions do . digital photos in the homeland security databank can be used to match anyone anywhere using facial recognition surveillance technology . because the standards are cross-national and the u.s. exchanges information with other governments and global organizations , the digital photos will probably be shared with foreign and international intelligence and police agencies . moreover , the recent revelations of irs and national security agency excesses raise the question of universal e-verify as the foundation for a central surveillance system of storing and tracking job , tax , communication and biometric information on individuals . this shifts too much power to the government and away from citizens . worker id systems will burden individuals and businesses with large expenses . many americans without driver 's licenses will lose work time traveling to vital records offices for birth or marriage certificates or to motor vehicle agencies for state ids to become eligible to be e-verified . the large costs some people pay will include the inability to work because they can not get proper documentation . a comprehensive worker id system will cost taxpayers and businesses , big and small , billions for the time and photo tool ' equipment needed to implement such a system to e-verify the entire labor force . universal e-verify might also push employers and employees toward the black market , encouraging the hiring of workers off the books . it could cost employers and employees more than $ 6 billion and reduce tax revenues by $ 17 billion a decade . as one immigration-policy expert was quoted saying in the wall street journal , a biometric e-verify system is not only a gross violation of individual privacy , it 's an enormously high-cost policy that will have an incredibly low to negligible benefit . ' even sponsors of the bill have noted that biometric tracking systems are inordinately expensive and have experienced problems in test runs . ' if e-verifying costs $ 150 per employee , only a third ( 37 % ) of americans say in polls that they would support using the system . the existing e-verify is infamous for database errors that kept tens of thousands of citizens out of work and in limbo . nationwide e-verify could raise that number many-fold . a 1 % error rate for a labor force of more than 150 million workers , with the vast majority being american citizens , leaves 1.5 million unemployed . these id provisions divert attention and resources from effective and comprehensive policy measures to legalize more immigrants , workers and workplaces . together , good public policy combinations can let people enter and leave by the front door ' and jointly reduce the pressures for overemphasis on border security and the excuses for invasive and unconstitutional id and verification systems . moreover , these complement simpler and less invasive alternatives to e-verify , such as longstanding provisions for citizen attestation of their rights . and others can answer questions about previous addresses or other details . ' these can be implemented inexpensively on forms kept at the workplace . protecting the constitutional right to employment of a diversity of citizens helps everyone who wants to contribute to prosperity and to become american by maintaining citizenship as the bedrock of freedoms . our citizenship must remain the gold standard , rather than a tarnished dream , for both current americans and those seeking to enter here . our leaders have to hear that e-verify , digital ids and databanks , and biometric worker cards need to be dropped fast . increased legal immigration , reasonable legalization , fair work standards enforcement and viable guest worker options can sustain citizenship and employment rights fairly and without exorbitant costs . and we do not want biometric worker ids or digital big brother ' verification schemes that trample on the basic rights of american citizens and those working to join us . the opinions expressed in this commentary are those of richard sobel . | richard sobel : comprehensive immigration reform is a good thing for the u.s . |
sobel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sensible immigration reform will strengthen american society and economy . but it must also respect the rights of u.s. citizens and those aspiring to join them . buried in the comprehensive immigration reform legislation before the senate are obscure provisions that impose on americans expansive national identification systems , tied to electronic verification schemes . under the guise of reform , ' these trample fundamental rights and freedoms . requirements in senate bill 744 for mandatory worker ids and electronic verification remove the right of citizens to take employment and give ' it back as a privilege only when proper proof is presented and the government agrees . such systems are inimical to a free society and are costly to the economy and treasury . any citizen wanting to take a job would face the regulation that his or her digitized high-resolution passport or driver 's license photo be collected and stored centrally in a department of homeland security citizenship and immigration services database . the pictures in the national database would then need to be matched against the job applicant 's government-issued enhanced ' id card , using a homeland security-mandated facial-recognition photo tool . ' only when those systems worked perfectly could the new hire take the job . immigrant employees would probably have to get biometric ( based on body measurements like fingerprint scans and digital images ) worker id cards . social security cards may soon become biometric as well . any citizen or immigrant whose digital image in the homeland security databank did not match the one embedded in their government-issued id would be without a job and benefits . yet , citizens have a constitutional right to take employment . since the butchers union co. decision in 1884 , the u.s. supreme court has held that the right to follow any of the common occupations of life is an inalienable right ... under the phrase'pursuit of happiness .' this right is a large ingredient in the civil liberties of each citizen . the digital id requirements in s. 744 eliminate that fundamental right to take employment and transform it into a privilege . this constitutional guarantee could in effect be taken away by bureaucratic rules or deleted by a database mistake . as philosopher john locke , whose phrase consent of the governed ' animates the declaration of independence , once said , everybody has a property in his own person . ' who is a citizen is today determined by his or her american personhood . under s. 744 , that would no longer be true . instead , the determination of whether someone has a right to take a job would be made by two computer files : one in a department of homeland security database and the other on a government-issued id card . identity and ids become property of the u.s . government . ' moreover , s. 744 undermines constitutional federalism by resurrecting id provisions that most states have rejected . not only does s. 744 mandate e-verify ' as a national electronic verification system for employment for the 33 states that have not joined it ( illinois actually outlawed its use ) , the bill also revives the moribund real id ' requirement for sharing of driver 's license photos among the states and federal government , which 25 states opposed by law or resolution . only 13 states joined as of last year . in short , s. 744 gets around states'repeated rejections of national identification systems by lumping e-verify and real id into overly comprehensive national identification ( rather than immigration ) reform . ' s. 744 's provisions also mandate collection of the details about almost every american , an enumeration task the constitution authorizes only to the census every 10 years , and then only under a 72-year guarantee of confidentiality . moreover , though the search for religious freedom created this country and begins the bill of rights , s. 744 removes the religious accommodations that 20 states offer in the form of driver 's licenses without photographs for reasons of religious faith . these follow the supreme court 's upholding of a nebraska woman of christian faith 's observance of the second commandment prohibition against images ( other religions may also qualify ) . if mandatory digital photos and biometric ids are forced on religious believers , many are convinced that they will face eternal condemnation . e-verify essentially equates all americans with illegal immigrants . ' instead of naturalization freeing legal immigrants from carrying mandatory green cards , ' universal e-verify would impose ids on american citizens . e-verify effectively creates a no-work ' list for the unverifiable . uses of worker ids will proliferate like social security numbers -- once intended not for identification purposes ' -- and driver 's licenses -- once simply proving driving skill . worker ids could become travel licenses ' for official purposes , ' as defined by the secretary of homeland security , like entering government buildings , flying ( still possible now without id ) or taking public transit . these undermine the rights to petition government and to travel . even though the bill says it does not authorize a national id , its provisions do . digital photos in the homeland security databank can be used to match anyone anywhere using facial recognition surveillance technology . because the standards are cross-national and the u.s. exchanges information with other governments and global organizations , the digital photos will probably be shared with foreign and international intelligence and police agencies . moreover , the recent revelations of irs and national security agency excesses raise the question of universal e-verify as the foundation for a central surveillance system of storing and tracking job , tax , communication and biometric information on individuals . this shifts too much power to the government and away from citizens . worker id systems will burden individuals and businesses with large expenses . many americans without driver 's licenses will lose work time traveling to vital records offices for birth or marriage certificates or to motor vehicle agencies for state ids to become eligible to be e-verified . the large costs some people pay will include the inability to work because they can not get proper documentation . a comprehensive worker id system will cost taxpayers and businesses , big and small , billions for the time and photo tool ' equipment needed to implement such a system to e-verify the entire labor force . universal e-verify might also push employers and employees toward the black market , encouraging the hiring of workers off the books . it could cost employers and employees more than $ 6 billion and reduce tax revenues by $ 17 billion a decade . as one immigration-policy expert was quoted saying in the wall street journal , a biometric e-verify system is not only a gross violation of individual privacy , it 's an enormously high-cost policy that will have an incredibly low to negligible benefit . ' even sponsors of the bill have noted that biometric tracking systems are inordinately expensive and have experienced problems in test runs . ' if e-verifying costs $ 150 per employee , only a third ( 37 % ) of americans say in polls that they would support using the system . the existing e-verify is infamous for database errors that kept tens of thousands of citizens out of work and in limbo . nationwide e-verify could raise that number many-fold . a 1 % error rate for a labor force of more than 150 million workers , with the vast majority being american citizens , leaves 1.5 million unemployed . these id provisions divert attention and resources from effective and comprehensive policy measures to legalize more immigrants , workers and workplaces . together , good public policy combinations can let people enter and leave by the front door ' and jointly reduce the pressures for overemphasis on border security and the excuses for invasive and unconstitutional id and verification systems . moreover , these complement simpler and less invasive alternatives to e-verify , such as longstanding provisions for citizen attestation of their rights . and others can answer questions about previous addresses or other details . ' these can be implemented inexpensively on forms kept at the workplace . protecting the constitutional right to employment of a diversity of citizens helps everyone who wants to contribute to prosperity and to become american by maintaining citizenship as the bedrock of freedoms . our citizenship must remain the gold standard , rather than a tarnished dream , for both current americans and those seeking to enter here . our leaders have to hear that e-verify , digital ids and databanks , and biometric worker cards need to be dropped fast . increased legal immigration , reasonable legalization , fair work standards enforcement and viable guest worker options can sustain citizenship and employment rights fairly and without exorbitant costs . and we do not want biometric worker ids or digital big brother ' verification schemes that trample on the basic rights of american citizens and those working to join us . the opinions expressed in this commentary are those of richard sobel . | sobel : id proposals are costly and endanger constitutionally protected freedoms |
dharamsala <tsp> the path to enlightenment , as any spiritual seeker will testify , can be long and difficult . unless you take a shortcut . whether a trip to the mcleod ganj just above dharamsala in northern india -- the hometown of the dalai lama -- offers an easy route is open to question . for many reaching the seat of the dalai lama and current home of the self-declared tibetan government-in-exile is part of a quest for true happiness and a more altruistic way of life . for some , it 's a journey motivated by political activism . and for others , it 's simply a port of call on india 's hippy trail . i 'm heading there to witness one of the dalai lama 's teaching sessions . the tibetan spiritual leader holds these around the world throughout the year , but to attend one at his own temple in dharamsala is considered by many to be nothing short of a pilgrimage .'little lhasa' leaving pathankot station on the overnight train from delhi , i meet lobsang rabten , a 27-year-old exiled tibetan monk , currently based at the sera jey monastery in southwest india . like thousands of others he 's on his way to listen to a three-day teaching on wisdom and compassion . we share the two and a half hour taxi ride up through winding hill roads , dense forests and sparsely populated towns . as we approach the mcleod ganj suburb of dharamsala or little lhasa ' as the locals call it , the traditional orange robes of tibetan buddhists stand out in ever-greater numbers along the bustling , narrow streets . the dalai lama 's compassion teachings give me strength , ' rabten says as he leans out the window to enjoy the cool mountain air . that is to say i can feel all sentient beings to be the same as me in their desire for happiness and to reduce suffering . ' with people from more than 60 countries and simultaneous translations in dozens of languages , the event feels like some kind of global congress . burning incense during the event , the dalai lama appears each morning at 8 a.m. , led by plain clothes armed policemen and followed by a small entourage of a handful of monks carrying pots of burning incense . he makes his way through the temple courtyards , up two flights of stairs and through the back of the main hall . those who get to shake his hand -- i 'm one of them -- talk of an overwhelming feeling of peace and calm followed by a giddy , childlike joy . lisa heath , a 62-year-old sculptor from massachusetts describes her brief encounter as simply divine . ' speaking in tibetan and sometimes english , the dalai lama begins the first day with a recap on the importance of secular ethics , universal human values , inter-religious harmony , climate change and the importance of preserving tibetan culture . young monks quietly weave their way through the solemn crowds with large , metal jugs of butter tea and warm bread . our whole world is interconnected and the global economy is concerned with the whole world and not only individuals , ' the dalai lama says , following his comment with by a deep , roaring laugh that brings a smile to everyone 's face . the importance of connection or belonging to a greater whole was evident not only at the teachings but throughout the small hilltop communities in the area . touring the neighborhoods amid peace poles , sacred cows and rows of vendors selling everything from mala prayer beads to crystals and macrame , the temple crowds dissipate . many of the younger travelers make their way back up the rocky paths to nearby hillside communities of bhagsu and dharamkot at the end of the day . along the way , it 's almost impossible to walk past a coffee shop , internet cafe or book store without seeing posters of the dalai lama and slogans calling for a free and independent tibet . while the culture of the towns , dharamsala and mcleod ganj , are predominantly tibetan buddhist , the small surrounding villages are more indian and attract an international hippy crowd . in upper dharamkot , a village so heavily populated by israelis even the shop signs and menus are written in hebrew , there 's a large choice of yoga workshops , dream catcher classes and programs in ayurvedic cleansing -- an ancient natural healing technique in india . the jewish community organization chabad house ( dharamkot village , mcleod ganj ; +91 1892 221005 ) , has one of the largest buildings in town partly to ensure spiritual experimentation does not lead to religious desertion . a typical friday night dinner here sees hundred of israelis eating and praying together . a break from the all the spiritual adventure can be found at the trimurti garden cafe ( bhagsunag , mcleod ganj ; +91 98 1686 9144 ) in lower dharamkot , a little oasis serving the best carrot cake and vegan chocolate cake in the area . how to attend the sessions : all visitors must register with the tibetan branch security office in mcleod ganj near hotel tibet or at the temple first . registration opens only three days before the teaching . travelers are required to bring two passport size photos and copy of their passport . attendance passes are issued on the spot and cost less than 50 cents each . more details can be found here : http : //www.dalailama.com/teachings/attending-the-teachings . the dalai lama offers teachings at dharamsala a few times every year but also in different places . the next public lectures in dharamsala are from november 11-13 and december 2-5 . find out where the dalai lama is going next here : http : //www.dalailama.com/teachings/schedule | dharamsala is predominantly tibetan buddhist while surrounding villages are more indian and have a hippy vibe |
dharamsala <tsp> the path to enlightenment , as any spiritual seeker will testify , can be long and difficult . unless you take a shortcut . whether a trip to the mcleod ganj just above dharamsala in northern india -- the hometown of the dalai lama -- offers an easy route is open to question . for many reaching the seat of the dalai lama and current home of the self-declared tibetan government-in-exile is part of a quest for true happiness and a more altruistic way of life . for some , it 's a journey motivated by political activism . and for others , it 's simply a port of call on india 's hippy trail . i 'm heading there to witness one of the dalai lama 's teaching sessions . the tibetan spiritual leader holds these around the world throughout the year , but to attend one at his own temple in dharamsala is considered by many to be nothing short of a pilgrimage .'little lhasa' leaving pathankot station on the overnight train from delhi , i meet lobsang rabten , a 27-year-old exiled tibetan monk , currently based at the sera jey monastery in southwest india . like thousands of others he 's on his way to listen to a three-day teaching on wisdom and compassion . we share the two and a half hour taxi ride up through winding hill roads , dense forests and sparsely populated towns . as we approach the mcleod ganj suburb of dharamsala or little lhasa ' as the locals call it , the traditional orange robes of tibetan buddhists stand out in ever-greater numbers along the bustling , narrow streets . the dalai lama 's compassion teachings give me strength , ' rabten says as he leans out the window to enjoy the cool mountain air . that is to say i can feel all sentient beings to be the same as me in their desire for happiness and to reduce suffering . ' with people from more than 60 countries and simultaneous translations in dozens of languages , the event feels like some kind of global congress . burning incense during the event , the dalai lama appears each morning at 8 a.m. , led by plain clothes armed policemen and followed by a small entourage of a handful of monks carrying pots of burning incense . he makes his way through the temple courtyards , up two flights of stairs and through the back of the main hall . those who get to shake his hand -- i 'm one of them -- talk of an overwhelming feeling of peace and calm followed by a giddy , childlike joy . lisa heath , a 62-year-old sculptor from massachusetts describes her brief encounter as simply divine . ' speaking in tibetan and sometimes english , the dalai lama begins the first day with a recap on the importance of secular ethics , universal human values , inter-religious harmony , climate change and the importance of preserving tibetan culture . young monks quietly weave their way through the solemn crowds with large , metal jugs of butter tea and warm bread . our whole world is interconnected and the global economy is concerned with the whole world and not only individuals , ' the dalai lama says , following his comment with by a deep , roaring laugh that brings a smile to everyone 's face . the importance of connection or belonging to a greater whole was evident not only at the teachings but throughout the small hilltop communities in the area . touring the neighborhoods amid peace poles , sacred cows and rows of vendors selling everything from mala prayer beads to crystals and macrame , the temple crowds dissipate . many of the younger travelers make their way back up the rocky paths to nearby hillside communities of bhagsu and dharamkot at the end of the day . along the way , it 's almost impossible to walk past a coffee shop , internet cafe or book store without seeing posters of the dalai lama and slogans calling for a free and independent tibet . while the culture of the towns , dharamsala and mcleod ganj , are predominantly tibetan buddhist , the small surrounding villages are more indian and attract an international hippy crowd . in upper dharamkot , a village so heavily populated by israelis even the shop signs and menus are written in hebrew , there 's a large choice of yoga workshops , dream catcher classes and programs in ayurvedic cleansing -- an ancient natural healing technique in india . the jewish community organization chabad house ( dharamkot village , mcleod ganj ; +91 1892 221005 ) , has one of the largest buildings in town partly to ensure spiritual experimentation does not lead to religious desertion . a typical friday night dinner here sees hundred of israelis eating and praying together . a break from the all the spiritual adventure can be found at the trimurti garden cafe ( bhagsunag , mcleod ganj ; +91 98 1686 9144 ) in lower dharamkot , a little oasis serving the best carrot cake and vegan chocolate cake in the area . how to attend the sessions : all visitors must register with the tibetan branch security office in mcleod ganj near hotel tibet or at the temple first . registration opens only three days before the teaching . travelers are required to bring two passport size photos and copy of their passport . attendance passes are issued on the spot and cost less than 50 cents each . more details can be found here : http : //www.dalailama.com/teachings/attending-the-teachings . the dalai lama offers teachings at dharamsala a few times every year but also in different places . the next public lectures in dharamsala are from november 11-13 and december 2-5 . find out where the dalai lama is going next here : http : //www.dalailama.com/teachings/schedule | visiting dalai lama in his residence just above dharamsala is considered a pilgrimage for some |
pussy riot <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) -- russian authorities said friday they have decided to move nadezhda tolokonnikova , a jailed member of the russian punk rock collective pussy riot , to a different prison . the news came only hours after her husband , pyotr verzilov , told cnn that his wife had gone back on a hunger strike to protest being returned to penal colony no . 14 , a grim prison camp in mordovia . russia 's federal service for the enforcement of punishments ( fsin ) has not yet said where tolokonnikova , who was sentenced to two years after being found guilty of hooliganism , has been taken . one of her relatives will be informed of her new location no later than 10 days after her transfer to the new prison camp , it said . a tweet posted by an art group linked to verzilov , called voina , said : flash and micro victory : fsin reported that nadezhda tolokonnikova will be moved to another prison . ' tolokonnikova , 23 , was sent to mordovia last year for her part in a performance of a punk prayer ' critical of vladimir putin -- then the prime minister , now the president -- at a russian orthodox cathedral .'slave labor'claims in mordovia prison camp she now has less than six months left to serve . but on september 23 , she declared the conditions at the prison camp to be intolerable and began a hunger strike . she has been hospitalized since september 27 , when she became so weak that doctors ordered that she be placed in the penal colony 's medical ward . she carried on the hunger strike for four more days and suffered complications because of the length of the protest , her husband said . verzilov warned then that tolokonnikova would resume her hunger strike if she was sent back to penal colony no . 14 and conditions did not improve . in a lengthy letter last month to the news site lenta ( a translated version was published in london 's the guardian ) , tolokonnikova described slave labor ' and unsanitary conditions in which women work through sickness and injury up to 17 hours a day and are beaten -- or worse -- for failing to complete their duties . tolokonnikova wrote that her life was once threatened and other prisoners tell her she is not beaten only because of the celebrity her case has brought her . others are not so lucky , she said . prison authorities told state news agency ria novosti then that tolokonnikova was blackmailing them for denying her request for special treatment . maria alyokhina , another convicted member of pussy riot , went on a hunger strike earlier this year , protesting conditions in a different remote prison camp . she drew attention and won concessions . cnn 's alla eshchenko reported from moscow and laura smith-spark wrote in london . | she was sentenced to two years in prison for her role in a pussy riot protest performance |
alex ferguson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- park ji-sung made history this year when the manchester united midfielder became the first korean to appear in the final of the european champions league . manchester united 's park ji-sung in action for his club . the 28-year-old finished on the losing side in may , after alex ferguson 's team were beaten 2-0 by spain 's barcelona on the night , but for park , his inclusion in the starting eleven represented a significant achievement . cnn will be traveling to the red devils'training ground on september 21 to speak to park about his life , and we 're giving you the chance to question the man himself . what do you want to ask park ji-sung ? when it comes to asian football , there 's no bigger star than park ji-sung . the midfielder is a hero in his home country , not only for captaining the national team , but also for flying the flag for korean football abroad thanks to a string of lung-busting performances for one of the world 's most famous club sides . video : park ji-sung talks to cnn . » in fact , he has been nicknamed three-lung park ' by the media in his homeland , thanks to his seemingly overflowing energy supply . the same newspapers plaster park on their front pages whenever he plays . yet when he signed for manchester united from dutch side psv eindhoven , some unfairly thought that it was a mere sop , a marketing tool for manchester united to sell more replica shirts . check out cnn 's park ji-sung gallery . » but ferguson has had other ideas , picking park for some of united 's most important games . he has developed his tactical and technical ability and he has become a very important player for us , ' ferguson told a press conference during united 's summer tour of korea . he has had a fantastic career with us . ' that career has seen him earn a champions league winner 's medal , numerous premier league titles and a fourth place finish at the 2002 world cup finals . if anything this year has been his best yet . following last season 's english premier league title , and a start in this year 's champions league final , he led south korea to the 2010 world cup finals , scoring a late goal against iran to secure their automatic qualification for south africa . to confirm his status , he has just signed a two-year extension at united . and now cnn are offering you the chance to put your questions to arguably asia 's greatest player . what is alex ferguson like to work with ? what has been the highlight of his career so far ? and what hope do south korea have of emulating their 2002 world cup glory in south africa next summer ? leave your questions below . | sir alex ferguson calls him a very important player ' for united |
joseph <tsp> ( mentalfloss.com ) -- as napoleon bonaparte expanded his new french empire and conquered much of western europe , he doled out the spoils of war to his friends and family , whether they wanted it or not . napoleon 's older brother joseph , described by historians as idealist , mild mannered , and lacking in vigor , ' had wanted to be a writer , but was instead pressured into following his father into a law career . his brother had other plans for him , and installed him first on the throne of naples and later , spain . king joseph took both positions reluctantly , and did n't fill either very well . almost as soon as he was crowned in spain , a popular revolt against french rule began . joseph suffered a string of defeats as he and french forces engaged what was left of the spanish regular army , and he asked his brother if he could abdicate and return to naples . napoleon would n't have it , and left joseph to keep a tenuous grasp on his army ( the generals under his command insisted on checking with napoleon before carrying out any of joseph 's orders ) and kingdom . unable to beat back the rebels and their english allies , joseph abdicated his throne in 1813 , having ruled for just over five years . born to run after napoleon 's defeat and forced exile , the bonaparte name was n't winning joseph any friends in europe , so he fled to the united states under an assumed and with the crown jewels of spain stashed in his suitcase . he initially settled in new york city , then moved to philadelphia , where his house at 260 south 9th became the center of activity for america 's french expatriate community . he eventually moved to a large estate in bordentown , new jersey , twenty-five miles northeast of philadelphia along the delaware river . it was called point breeze . there , joseph bonaparte , former king of naples and spain , brother of napoleon i , emperor of france , took the title of comte de survilliers ( though his american neighbors and friends still called him mr. bonaparte and referred to his home as bonaparte 's park ' ) and went into quiet , suburban exile . mental floss : andrew jackson 's big block of cheese mansion on the hill bonaparte may have been dethroned , but he was still royalty . he built up the estate to reflect his social standing . he constructed a vast mansion for himself , with a large wine cellar , floor-to-ceiling mirrors , elaborate crystal chandeliers , marble fireplaces and grand staircases . his library held the largest collection of books in the country at the time ( eight thousand volumes versus the sixty-five hundred volumes of the library of congress ) . the land surrounding the mansion was elaborately landscaped and featured ten miles of carriage paths , rare trees and plants , gazebos , gardens , fountains and an artificial lake stocked with imported european swans . bonaparte 's home became a social hub for both his new jersey neighbors , who liked to spend quiet afternoons browsing his library , and american and european elites . among the distinguished guests who came through point breeze were john quincy adams , henry clay , daniel webster , the marquis de lafayette , and stephen girard , a french banker from philadelphia who was then the richest man in the u.s . since bonaparte 's wife did not accompany him to america ( he did not see her for 25 years after he left ) , another frequent guest at the house was his mistress , annette savage . bonaparte had met annette , the 18-year-old , french-speaking daughter of distinguished virginia merchants , while he was shopping for suspenders at her mother 's shop in philadelphia . during their time together , bonaparte and annette would have two daughters , caroline charlotte and pauline josephe anne . mental floss : how teddy roosevelt ended up with abe lincoln 's hair fire in january 1820 , bonaparte 's mansion caught fire and burned to the ground . his neighbors rushed to the house and managed to save most of the silver and his priceless art collection . contemporary newspaper reports called the blaze accidental , but according to the gossip around town , a local woman , an immigrant from russia , set the fire as revenge for napoleon 's invasion of her homeland . bonaparte was touched by his neighbors'assistance , and expressed those feelings in a letter he wrote to one of the town 's magistrates : ' all the furniture , statues , pictures , money , plate gold , jewels , linen , books , and in short , everything that was not consumed , has been most scrupulously delivered into the hands of the people of my house . in the night of the fire , and during the next day , there were brought to me , by laboring men , drawers , in which i have found the proper quantity of pieces of money , and medals of gold , and valuable jewels , which might have been taken with impunity . this event has proved to me how much the inhabitants of bordentown appreciate the interest i have always felt for them ; and shows that men in general are good , when they have not been perverted in their youth by a bad education . ... americans are , without contradiction , the most happy people i have known ; still more happy if they understand well their own happiness . i pray you not to doubt of my sincere regard . ' -- joseph , count de survilliers [ as reprinted in bonaparte 's park and the murats , by evan morrison woodward ( 1879 ) ] bonaparte rebuilt his mansion and remained in new jersey . he took ill and returned to europe in 1839 . when he died in 1844 , point breeze passed to his grandson , who sold it and most of its contents at auction three years later . some of the furnishings and paintings are now in the collections of the philadelphia museum of art and the pennsylvania academy of fine arts . mental floss : the girl who grew abe lincoln 's beard a night with the'jersey devil' during his years at point breeze , bonaparte believed he had a run-in with one of the garden state 's most infamous residents -- the jersey devil . according to the folklore of jersey 's pine barrens region , the devil was born around 1735 . mother leeds was in labor with her thirteenth child when the burden of the dozen she already had finally made her snap . let it be the devil , ' she cried as she pushed the baby out . the healthy baby boy in the midwife 's arms suddenly changed before the women 's eyes , growing wings , hooves , fur and a tail . the beastly baby screeched and flew out the window , making its home in the barrens and haunting and harassing the people who lived there . as bonaparte recounted the story , he was hunting alone in the woods near his estate when he saw some peculiar tracks on the ground . they looked like they belonged to a horse or a donkey , but one that was walking only on its hind legs . he followed the tracks until they ended abruptly , as if the animal had jumped into the air and flown off . he stopped and stared at them . a strange hissing noise came from behind him . he whirled around and came face to face with an animal he had never seen before . it had a long neck , wings , legs like a crane with horse 's hooves at the end , stumpy arms with paws and a face like a horse or a camel . he froze , and for a minute neither he nor the creature moved or even breathed . then , the devil hissed again and flew away . bonaparte later told his friends what happened , and they filled him in on the local legend . until he returned to europe , bonaparte is said to have kept a sharp eye out for the devil whenever he was in the woods , hoping to kill it and take the body as a trophy . last to die the bonapartes had another american connection . napoleon 's younger brother , jérôme , visited the united states in 1803 and fell in love with elisabeth patterson , the daughter of a wealthy baltimore merchant . they married that same year , but napoleon did not approve and ordered his brother back to france . jérôme went home , annulled his marriage , remarried , and became king of westphalia . but not before consummating his marriage to elisabeth . she was already pregnant when jérôme left the u.s. and gave birth to another american bonaparte . the stateside branch of the family tree produced some notable members -- including charles patterson bonaparte , secretary of the navy under theodore roosevelt -- but petered out a few decades ago . jerome-napoleon patterson bonaparte , great-grandnephew of napoleon i , was walking his dog in central park in 1943 , when he tripped over the leash , cracked his skull open on the ground and died . for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved . | napoleon bonaparte 's brother joseph wanted to be a writer not a king |
joseph <tsp> ( mentalfloss.com ) -- as napoleon bonaparte expanded his new french empire and conquered much of western europe , he doled out the spoils of war to his friends and family , whether they wanted it or not . napoleon 's older brother joseph , described by historians as idealist , mild mannered , and lacking in vigor , ' had wanted to be a writer , but was instead pressured into following his father into a law career . his brother had other plans for him , and installed him first on the throne of naples and later , spain . king joseph took both positions reluctantly , and did n't fill either very well . almost as soon as he was crowned in spain , a popular revolt against french rule began . joseph suffered a string of defeats as he and french forces engaged what was left of the spanish regular army , and he asked his brother if he could abdicate and return to naples . napoleon would n't have it , and left joseph to keep a tenuous grasp on his army ( the generals under his command insisted on checking with napoleon before carrying out any of joseph 's orders ) and kingdom . unable to beat back the rebels and their english allies , joseph abdicated his throne in 1813 , having ruled for just over five years . born to run after napoleon 's defeat and forced exile , the bonaparte name was n't winning joseph any friends in europe , so he fled to the united states under an assumed and with the crown jewels of spain stashed in his suitcase . he initially settled in new york city , then moved to philadelphia , where his house at 260 south 9th became the center of activity for america 's french expatriate community . he eventually moved to a large estate in bordentown , new jersey , twenty-five miles northeast of philadelphia along the delaware river . it was called point breeze . there , joseph bonaparte , former king of naples and spain , brother of napoleon i , emperor of france , took the title of comte de survilliers ( though his american neighbors and friends still called him mr. bonaparte and referred to his home as bonaparte 's park ' ) and went into quiet , suburban exile . mental floss : andrew jackson 's big block of cheese mansion on the hill bonaparte may have been dethroned , but he was still royalty . he built up the estate to reflect his social standing . he constructed a vast mansion for himself , with a large wine cellar , floor-to-ceiling mirrors , elaborate crystal chandeliers , marble fireplaces and grand staircases . his library held the largest collection of books in the country at the time ( eight thousand volumes versus the sixty-five hundred volumes of the library of congress ) . the land surrounding the mansion was elaborately landscaped and featured ten miles of carriage paths , rare trees and plants , gazebos , gardens , fountains and an artificial lake stocked with imported european swans . bonaparte 's home became a social hub for both his new jersey neighbors , who liked to spend quiet afternoons browsing his library , and american and european elites . among the distinguished guests who came through point breeze were john quincy adams , henry clay , daniel webster , the marquis de lafayette , and stephen girard , a french banker from philadelphia who was then the richest man in the u.s . since bonaparte 's wife did not accompany him to america ( he did not see her for 25 years after he left ) , another frequent guest at the house was his mistress , annette savage . bonaparte had met annette , the 18-year-old , french-speaking daughter of distinguished virginia merchants , while he was shopping for suspenders at her mother 's shop in philadelphia . during their time together , bonaparte and annette would have two daughters , caroline charlotte and pauline josephe anne . mental floss : how teddy roosevelt ended up with abe lincoln 's hair fire in january 1820 , bonaparte 's mansion caught fire and burned to the ground . his neighbors rushed to the house and managed to save most of the silver and his priceless art collection . contemporary newspaper reports called the blaze accidental , but according to the gossip around town , a local woman , an immigrant from russia , set the fire as revenge for napoleon 's invasion of her homeland . bonaparte was touched by his neighbors'assistance , and expressed those feelings in a letter he wrote to one of the town 's magistrates : ' all the furniture , statues , pictures , money , plate gold , jewels , linen , books , and in short , everything that was not consumed , has been most scrupulously delivered into the hands of the people of my house . in the night of the fire , and during the next day , there were brought to me , by laboring men , drawers , in which i have found the proper quantity of pieces of money , and medals of gold , and valuable jewels , which might have been taken with impunity . this event has proved to me how much the inhabitants of bordentown appreciate the interest i have always felt for them ; and shows that men in general are good , when they have not been perverted in their youth by a bad education . ... americans are , without contradiction , the most happy people i have known ; still more happy if they understand well their own happiness . i pray you not to doubt of my sincere regard . ' -- joseph , count de survilliers [ as reprinted in bonaparte 's park and the murats , by evan morrison woodward ( 1879 ) ] bonaparte rebuilt his mansion and remained in new jersey . he took ill and returned to europe in 1839 . when he died in 1844 , point breeze passed to his grandson , who sold it and most of its contents at auction three years later . some of the furnishings and paintings are now in the collections of the philadelphia museum of art and the pennsylvania academy of fine arts . mental floss : the girl who grew abe lincoln 's beard a night with the'jersey devil' during his years at point breeze , bonaparte believed he had a run-in with one of the garden state 's most infamous residents -- the jersey devil . according to the folklore of jersey 's pine barrens region , the devil was born around 1735 . mother leeds was in labor with her thirteenth child when the burden of the dozen she already had finally made her snap . let it be the devil , ' she cried as she pushed the baby out . the healthy baby boy in the midwife 's arms suddenly changed before the women 's eyes , growing wings , hooves , fur and a tail . the beastly baby screeched and flew out the window , making its home in the barrens and haunting and harassing the people who lived there . as bonaparte recounted the story , he was hunting alone in the woods near his estate when he saw some peculiar tracks on the ground . they looked like they belonged to a horse or a donkey , but one that was walking only on its hind legs . he followed the tracks until they ended abruptly , as if the animal had jumped into the air and flown off . he stopped and stared at them . a strange hissing noise came from behind him . he whirled around and came face to face with an animal he had never seen before . it had a long neck , wings , legs like a crane with horse 's hooves at the end , stumpy arms with paws and a face like a horse or a camel . he froze , and for a minute neither he nor the creature moved or even breathed . then , the devil hissed again and flew away . bonaparte later told his friends what happened , and they filled him in on the local legend . until he returned to europe , bonaparte is said to have kept a sharp eye out for the devil whenever he was in the woods , hoping to kill it and take the body as a trophy . last to die the bonapartes had another american connection . napoleon 's younger brother , jérôme , visited the united states in 1803 and fell in love with elisabeth patterson , the daughter of a wealthy baltimore merchant . they married that same year , but napoleon did not approve and ordered his brother back to france . jérôme went home , annulled his marriage , remarried , and became king of westphalia . but not before consummating his marriage to elisabeth . she was already pregnant when jérôme left the u.s. and gave birth to another american bonaparte . the stateside branch of the family tree produced some notable members -- including charles patterson bonaparte , secretary of the navy under theodore roosevelt -- but petered out a few decades ago . jerome-napoleon patterson bonaparte , great-grandnephew of napoleon i , was walking his dog in central park in 1943 , when he tripped over the leash , cracked his skull open on the ground and died . for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved . | joseph even claimed to have encountered the jersey devil ' |
joseph <tsp> ( mentalfloss.com ) -- as napoleon bonaparte expanded his new french empire and conquered much of western europe , he doled out the spoils of war to his friends and family , whether they wanted it or not . napoleon 's older brother joseph , described by historians as idealist , mild mannered , and lacking in vigor , ' had wanted to be a writer , but was instead pressured into following his father into a law career . his brother had other plans for him , and installed him first on the throne of naples and later , spain . king joseph took both positions reluctantly , and did n't fill either very well . almost as soon as he was crowned in spain , a popular revolt against french rule began . joseph suffered a string of defeats as he and french forces engaged what was left of the spanish regular army , and he asked his brother if he could abdicate and return to naples . napoleon would n't have it , and left joseph to keep a tenuous grasp on his army ( the generals under his command insisted on checking with napoleon before carrying out any of joseph 's orders ) and kingdom . unable to beat back the rebels and their english allies , joseph abdicated his throne in 1813 , having ruled for just over five years . born to run after napoleon 's defeat and forced exile , the bonaparte name was n't winning joseph any friends in europe , so he fled to the united states under an assumed and with the crown jewels of spain stashed in his suitcase . he initially settled in new york city , then moved to philadelphia , where his house at 260 south 9th became the center of activity for america 's french expatriate community . he eventually moved to a large estate in bordentown , new jersey , twenty-five miles northeast of philadelphia along the delaware river . it was called point breeze . there , joseph bonaparte , former king of naples and spain , brother of napoleon i , emperor of france , took the title of comte de survilliers ( though his american neighbors and friends still called him mr. bonaparte and referred to his home as bonaparte 's park ' ) and went into quiet , suburban exile . mental floss : andrew jackson 's big block of cheese mansion on the hill bonaparte may have been dethroned , but he was still royalty . he built up the estate to reflect his social standing . he constructed a vast mansion for himself , with a large wine cellar , floor-to-ceiling mirrors , elaborate crystal chandeliers , marble fireplaces and grand staircases . his library held the largest collection of books in the country at the time ( eight thousand volumes versus the sixty-five hundred volumes of the library of congress ) . the land surrounding the mansion was elaborately landscaped and featured ten miles of carriage paths , rare trees and plants , gazebos , gardens , fountains and an artificial lake stocked with imported european swans . bonaparte 's home became a social hub for both his new jersey neighbors , who liked to spend quiet afternoons browsing his library , and american and european elites . among the distinguished guests who came through point breeze were john quincy adams , henry clay , daniel webster , the marquis de lafayette , and stephen girard , a french banker from philadelphia who was then the richest man in the u.s . since bonaparte 's wife did not accompany him to america ( he did not see her for 25 years after he left ) , another frequent guest at the house was his mistress , annette savage . bonaparte had met annette , the 18-year-old , french-speaking daughter of distinguished virginia merchants , while he was shopping for suspenders at her mother 's shop in philadelphia . during their time together , bonaparte and annette would have two daughters , caroline charlotte and pauline josephe anne . mental floss : how teddy roosevelt ended up with abe lincoln 's hair fire in january 1820 , bonaparte 's mansion caught fire and burned to the ground . his neighbors rushed to the house and managed to save most of the silver and his priceless art collection . contemporary newspaper reports called the blaze accidental , but according to the gossip around town , a local woman , an immigrant from russia , set the fire as revenge for napoleon 's invasion of her homeland . bonaparte was touched by his neighbors'assistance , and expressed those feelings in a letter he wrote to one of the town 's magistrates : ' all the furniture , statues , pictures , money , plate gold , jewels , linen , books , and in short , everything that was not consumed , has been most scrupulously delivered into the hands of the people of my house . in the night of the fire , and during the next day , there were brought to me , by laboring men , drawers , in which i have found the proper quantity of pieces of money , and medals of gold , and valuable jewels , which might have been taken with impunity . this event has proved to me how much the inhabitants of bordentown appreciate the interest i have always felt for them ; and shows that men in general are good , when they have not been perverted in their youth by a bad education . ... americans are , without contradiction , the most happy people i have known ; still more happy if they understand well their own happiness . i pray you not to doubt of my sincere regard . ' -- joseph , count de survilliers [ as reprinted in bonaparte 's park and the murats , by evan morrison woodward ( 1879 ) ] bonaparte rebuilt his mansion and remained in new jersey . he took ill and returned to europe in 1839 . when he died in 1844 , point breeze passed to his grandson , who sold it and most of its contents at auction three years later . some of the furnishings and paintings are now in the collections of the philadelphia museum of art and the pennsylvania academy of fine arts . mental floss : the girl who grew abe lincoln 's beard a night with the'jersey devil' during his years at point breeze , bonaparte believed he had a run-in with one of the garden state 's most infamous residents -- the jersey devil . according to the folklore of jersey 's pine barrens region , the devil was born around 1735 . mother leeds was in labor with her thirteenth child when the burden of the dozen she already had finally made her snap . let it be the devil , ' she cried as she pushed the baby out . the healthy baby boy in the midwife 's arms suddenly changed before the women 's eyes , growing wings , hooves , fur and a tail . the beastly baby screeched and flew out the window , making its home in the barrens and haunting and harassing the people who lived there . as bonaparte recounted the story , he was hunting alone in the woods near his estate when he saw some peculiar tracks on the ground . they looked like they belonged to a horse or a donkey , but one that was walking only on its hind legs . he followed the tracks until they ended abruptly , as if the animal had jumped into the air and flown off . he stopped and stared at them . a strange hissing noise came from behind him . he whirled around and came face to face with an animal he had never seen before . it had a long neck , wings , legs like a crane with horse 's hooves at the end , stumpy arms with paws and a face like a horse or a camel . he froze , and for a minute neither he nor the creature moved or even breathed . then , the devil hissed again and flew away . bonaparte later told his friends what happened , and they filled him in on the local legend . until he returned to europe , bonaparte is said to have kept a sharp eye out for the devil whenever he was in the woods , hoping to kill it and take the body as a trophy . last to die the bonapartes had another american connection . napoleon 's younger brother , jérôme , visited the united states in 1803 and fell in love with elisabeth patterson , the daughter of a wealthy baltimore merchant . they married that same year , but napoleon did not approve and ordered his brother back to france . jérôme went home , annulled his marriage , remarried , and became king of westphalia . but not before consummating his marriage to elisabeth . she was already pregnant when jérôme left the u.s. and gave birth to another american bonaparte . the stateside branch of the family tree produced some notable members -- including charles patterson bonaparte , secretary of the navy under theodore roosevelt -- but petered out a few decades ago . jerome-napoleon patterson bonaparte , great-grandnephew of napoleon i , was walking his dog in central park in 1943 , when he tripped over the leash , cracked his skull open on the ground and died . for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved . | joseph bonaparte abdicated the throne of spain and went to live in new jersey |
jaycee <tsp> the 32-year-old son of actor and kung fu star jackie chan has been charged with a drug offense and could face up to three years in jail . the supreme people 's procuratorate said in a brief statement on sina weibo , a chinese microblogging site , that it had begun legal proceedings against actor jaycee chan for the crime of sheltering others to take drugs . ' chan , who is originally from hong kong , is one of the highest profile celebrity offenders caught in beijing 's clampdown on drug use in the city . he was arrested alongside 23 year-old taiwanese actor kai ko in august this year . the pair were detained by beijing police during a raid in dongcheng district , the city 's commercial and cultural center . both men tested positive for marijuana and police later found more than 100 grams of the drug after searching chan 's apartment . ko was released after 14 days in administrative detention , while chan has remained in police custody since his arrest . state broadcaster cctv aired footage of chan , his face blurred , showing police where the drugs were hidden at his home , while ko was shown making a tearful apology . i very much regret about what happened . i 'm very sorry to those who support me , like me or even know me personally , ' he said . i just want to tell them i 'm really sorry . i 've set the worst example , which had the most terrible influence . and this is a huge mistake . ' celebrity targets the two actors are being seen as the targets of the capital 's latest anti-drugs campaign , which has seen more than 7,000 people detained for using drugs , a 72 % year-on-year increase , according to the china daily . celebrities are increasingly in the spotlight , with a number of high-profile arrests over drug-related incidents in recent months , including popular movie actor zhang mo and singer li daimo , who was sentenced to nine months in jail earlier this year for hosting a crystal meth party at his home , according to the china daily . earlier this month , dozens of management agencies representing performers in the entertainment industry signed an agreement with beijing authorities banning drug use from the industry and pledging to sack artists who break the law .'extremely furious' jackie chan publicly addressed the incident immediately after his son was arrested in august on sina weibo . he said he was extremely furious ' and extremely shocked ' at the news of his son 's arrest . i hope that young people will see jaycee as a cautionary tale and stay away from drugs , ' he said . i failed to teach my son and i should also bear responsibility . jaycee and i deeply bow in apology to society . ' the elder chan , who has starred in a number of hollywood movies including rush hour ' and the karate kid , ' has actually campaigned against drug use , and was named an anti-drugs ambassador in china in 2009 . robert downey jr. 's son indio faces felony drug charge | jaycee 's father jackie chan has been an anti-drugs campaigner in china since 2009 |
jaycee <tsp> the 32-year-old son of actor and kung fu star jackie chan has been charged with a drug offense and could face up to three years in jail . the supreme people 's procuratorate said in a brief statement on sina weibo , a chinese microblogging site , that it had begun legal proceedings against actor jaycee chan for the crime of sheltering others to take drugs . ' chan , who is originally from hong kong , is one of the highest profile celebrity offenders caught in beijing 's clampdown on drug use in the city . he was arrested alongside 23 year-old taiwanese actor kai ko in august this year . the pair were detained by beijing police during a raid in dongcheng district , the city 's commercial and cultural center . both men tested positive for marijuana and police later found more than 100 grams of the drug after searching chan 's apartment . ko was released after 14 days in administrative detention , while chan has remained in police custody since his arrest . state broadcaster cctv aired footage of chan , his face blurred , showing police where the drugs were hidden at his home , while ko was shown making a tearful apology . i very much regret about what happened . i 'm very sorry to those who support me , like me or even know me personally , ' he said . i just want to tell them i 'm really sorry . i 've set the worst example , which had the most terrible influence . and this is a huge mistake . ' celebrity targets the two actors are being seen as the targets of the capital 's latest anti-drugs campaign , which has seen more than 7,000 people detained for using drugs , a 72 % year-on-year increase , according to the china daily . celebrities are increasingly in the spotlight , with a number of high-profile arrests over drug-related incidents in recent months , including popular movie actor zhang mo and singer li daimo , who was sentenced to nine months in jail earlier this year for hosting a crystal meth party at his home , according to the china daily . earlier this month , dozens of management agencies representing performers in the entertainment industry signed an agreement with beijing authorities banning drug use from the industry and pledging to sack artists who break the law .'extremely furious' jackie chan publicly addressed the incident immediately after his son was arrested in august on sina weibo . he said he was extremely furious ' and extremely shocked ' at the news of his son 's arrest . i hope that young people will see jaycee as a cautionary tale and stay away from drugs , ' he said . i failed to teach my son and i should also bear responsibility . jaycee and i deeply bow in apology to society . ' the elder chan , who has starred in a number of hollywood movies including rush hour ' and the karate kid , ' has actually campaigned against drug use , and was named an anti-drugs ambassador in china in 2009 . robert downey jr. 's son indio faces felony drug charge | jaycee chan could face three years in jail for sheltering others to take drugs ' |
saberi <tsp> cannes , france ( cnn ) -- as award-winning iranian film-maker bahman ghobadi walked down the cannes red carpet for the premiere of his new feature thursday , the real star of the show was conspicuously absent . iranian filmmaker bahman ghobadi , director of no one knows about persian cats , ' which was co-written by roxana saberi . american-iranian journalist roxana saberi , credited as co-writer and executive producer of the faux-documentary no one knows about persian cats , ' was still in iran , having been released from jail only days earlier . the woman ghobadi describes as his fiancée was freed from prison last monday after being jailed on espionage charges following a one-day trial that was closed to the public . she had served three and a half months , not all time served , of her eight year sentence and at one point was on hunger strike . for four months , she was in prison . for me , four months is like four years , ' ghobadi told cnn . in there , what did they do with her ? how did she live in there ? ' i could n't understand why the government sent her to prison , ' he continued . she is like an angel . she is really so clean . i believe her . for example , if you ask me about my mum and her , i believe her first . ' after much to-ing and fro-ing by the iranian authorities , ghobadi says he could n't believe it when he found out saberi had finally been freed , before the end of her sentence . when [ i found out ] she was free ... i could n't understand , ' the 40 year-old director told cnn . he said it felt as if the the authorities were playing games with himself and other supporters of saberi as they gave different timescales for her release -- two weeks , four years , eight years . ' but just after the pair were reunited ghobadi -- who won cannes'first-time film-maker award the camera d'or in 2000 with a time for drunken horses ' -- had to leave for the french film festival . persian cats , ' which chronicles the hardships facing young rock musicians as they seek to evade censorship from the authorities , had been selected to play in the un certain regard slot . although saberi was unable to be with ghobadi on the red carpet , ghobadi says she have kept in close telephone contact since her release , checking on how the film has been received . ghobadi himself has already suffered at the hands of the iranian authorities . his 2008 film half moon ' was banned and says he was left feeling depressed and suicidal after spending three years unsuccessfully trying to get permission from the iranian authorities for another previous film . he thought about leaving iran because he felt unable to work and cites saberi as the inspiration behind persian cats , ' which was filmed in tehran . shot illegally in just 17 days using a small , cheap digital camera -- the state owns all 35mm equipment in iran , according to film industry trade magazine , screen international -- the faux-documentary chronicles the hardships facing two young musicians who are trying to put together a band . the story which combines comedy and tragedy to great dramatic effect showcases music and performances from real musicians who are part of the tehran underground music scene . it is estimated that there are 2,000 illegal bands in tehran , all practising and performing in a hidden world of hand-built recording studios in basements and rooftops around the city . ghobadi says that he feels some responsibility for saberi 's time in prison because she stayed in iran to help him with persian cats : ' she wanted to go back to the u.s. [ she ] just stay for me and for my film and help for this film and give me the idea for the music . ' ghobadi wrote an open letter in april this year calling for saberi 's release when she was jailed after initially being arrested buying a bottle of wine , describing her as being caught in a game of politics . ' my iranian girl with japanese eyes and an american id , is in jail . shame on me ! shame on us ! ' he wrote of saberi , who has a japanese mother , in the letter . saberi was jailed on january 31 this year , tried on april 13 and sentenced on april 18 to eight years . her appeal was on may 10 and she was freed the next day . now , ghobadi says , he is planning to go to new york this week to be with saberi , who is currently staying in vienna with her family . they both plan to write books and then , maybe , do another film together . ghobadi says he wants to start a family and get married to saberi as soon as they can . but first they will take a few weeks to process everything that has happened : we need the time , ' he says . | iranian filmmaker bahman ghobadi talks about his film 's co-writer roxana saberi |
saberi <tsp> cannes , france ( cnn ) -- as award-winning iranian film-maker bahman ghobadi walked down the cannes red carpet for the premiere of his new feature thursday , the real star of the show was conspicuously absent . iranian filmmaker bahman ghobadi , director of no one knows about persian cats , ' which was co-written by roxana saberi . american-iranian journalist roxana saberi , credited as co-writer and executive producer of the faux-documentary no one knows about persian cats , ' was still in iran , having been released from jail only days earlier . the woman ghobadi describes as his fiancée was freed from prison last monday after being jailed on espionage charges following a one-day trial that was closed to the public . she had served three and a half months , not all time served , of her eight year sentence and at one point was on hunger strike . for four months , she was in prison . for me , four months is like four years , ' ghobadi told cnn . in there , what did they do with her ? how did she live in there ? ' i could n't understand why the government sent her to prison , ' he continued . she is like an angel . she is really so clean . i believe her . for example , if you ask me about my mum and her , i believe her first . ' after much to-ing and fro-ing by the iranian authorities , ghobadi says he could n't believe it when he found out saberi had finally been freed , before the end of her sentence . when [ i found out ] she was free ... i could n't understand , ' the 40 year-old director told cnn . he said it felt as if the the authorities were playing games with himself and other supporters of saberi as they gave different timescales for her release -- two weeks , four years , eight years . ' but just after the pair were reunited ghobadi -- who won cannes'first-time film-maker award the camera d'or in 2000 with a time for drunken horses ' -- had to leave for the french film festival . persian cats , ' which chronicles the hardships facing young rock musicians as they seek to evade censorship from the authorities , had been selected to play in the un certain regard slot . although saberi was unable to be with ghobadi on the red carpet , ghobadi says she have kept in close telephone contact since her release , checking on how the film has been received . ghobadi himself has already suffered at the hands of the iranian authorities . his 2008 film half moon ' was banned and says he was left feeling depressed and suicidal after spending three years unsuccessfully trying to get permission from the iranian authorities for another previous film . he thought about leaving iran because he felt unable to work and cites saberi as the inspiration behind persian cats , ' which was filmed in tehran . shot illegally in just 17 days using a small , cheap digital camera -- the state owns all 35mm equipment in iran , according to film industry trade magazine , screen international -- the faux-documentary chronicles the hardships facing two young musicians who are trying to put together a band . the story which combines comedy and tragedy to great dramatic effect showcases music and performances from real musicians who are part of the tehran underground music scene . it is estimated that there are 2,000 illegal bands in tehran , all practising and performing in a hidden world of hand-built recording studios in basements and rooftops around the city . ghobadi says that he feels some responsibility for saberi 's time in prison because she stayed in iran to help him with persian cats : ' she wanted to go back to the u.s. [ she ] just stay for me and for my film and help for this film and give me the idea for the music . ' ghobadi wrote an open letter in april this year calling for saberi 's release when she was jailed after initially being arrested buying a bottle of wine , describing her as being caught in a game of politics . ' my iranian girl with japanese eyes and an american id , is in jail . shame on me ! shame on us ! ' he wrote of saberi , who has a japanese mother , in the letter . saberi was jailed on january 31 this year , tried on april 13 and sentenced on april 18 to eight years . her appeal was on may 10 and she was freed the next day . now , ghobadi says , he is planning to go to new york this week to be with saberi , who is currently staying in vienna with her family . they both plan to write books and then , maybe , do another film together . ghobadi says he wants to start a family and get married to saberi as soon as they can . but first they will take a few weeks to process everything that has happened : we need the time , ' he says . | american journalist saberi was recently released from jail in iran after three months |
cadel evans <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sylvain chavanel reclaimed the leader 's yellow jersey at the tour de france after a bold attack in saturday 's seventh stage gave him his second victory in this year 's 97th edition of cycling 's premier race . the frenchman finished the 165.5-kilometer leg from tournus to station des rousses ahead of spaniards rafael valls ferri and juan manuel garate , having burned the reluctant chasing pack in the hot conditions . he claimed an overall lead of one minute and 25 seconds over cadel evans , the runner-up in 2007 and 2008 , who finished 14th in the 35-strong peloton -- who all came home 1:47 behind the quick step team rider . previous leader fabian cancellara fell way off the pace as he finished more than 14 minutes behind chavanel in 84th place , to be 58th overall with a deficit of 13:11 . defending champion alberto contador was 13th to be sixth overall , 2:27 behind chavanel , while seven-time winner lance armstrong is 3:16 adrift in what is his final attempt at the race . canada 's ryder hesjedal moved into third place after finishing eighth , while saxo bank 's 2009 runner-up andy schleck was fourth overall after coming home in 20th . sprint points leader thor hushovd finished back in 179th , while his main 2009 rival mark cavendish could not follow up friday 's second successive stage win as he placed 161st . it was a good day for quick step as jerome pineau successfully defended his lead in the mountains classification , attacking in the opening kilometer and collecting first-place points at five of the six climbs before falling back to 44th . pineau lead with 17km to go , but was caught by chavanel at the foot of the final climb and the 31-year-old was not caught as the race favorites saved energy ahead of sunday 's eighth stage into the mountains at morzine-avoriaz . i began to think of the yellow jersey on the last climb , and i told myself that after having lost , it was quite a coup to take it back again , ' chavanel , who also won a crash-marred second stage , told the tour de france website . tomorrow i will do everything to defend it , but i know that the battle will mainly concern contador , schleck and evans . in the midst of it , i 'll always give everything but if i lose it does not matter . right now i 'm on my little cloud , i 'm floating and i do n't know how else to describe it . but i see that i have great support on the road and everywhere . it warms my heart . ' evans said he was happy to let quick step attack ahead of a testing stage on sunday . tomorrow is the first day with really big climbs and another mountain-top finish , ' he said . it 'll be another day where the main contenders look at each other , test themselves and we 'll see if someone really wants to lay it on the line and blow it apart -- for someone like alberto or lance , it 's probably in their interests to try and do that . for me it 's a case of see how they go and how i cope . ' | he leads two-time runner-up cadel evans by one minute and 25 seconds |
poptech <tsp> camden , maine ( cnn ) -- there are no rock stars at poptech , no household names . but this annual conference in coastal maine is a hub for super-smart people , a chance to get a look into ideas and technologies that soon will change the world . here 's a quick look at five of them , chosen from many . you can see the full list of poptech presenters and fellows on the group 's website . daniel kish ,'real-life batman' kish , who founded world access for the blind , sees the world with his ears . a self-described batman , ' kish , who is blind , makes clicking sounds with his tongue when he walks the streets or goes hiking in the woods . he listens for those sounds to bounce off the objects around him , and uses that data to construct a mental image of the scene . he has taught these methods of human echolocation to about 500 students on several continents . with his help , these blind students have learned to ride bikes through obstacle courses , skateboard and , perhaps most importantly , achieve greater independence . you 're basically querying the environment -- you 're interrogating the environment , ' he said . you 're asking who are you and what are you , and the environment answers back . ' adrien treuille , game designer for most people , gaming is a form of entertainment or escape . for treuille , a computer scientist at carnegie mellon university , games can help solve real-world problems . treuille is the creator of foldit , a computer game that has helped solve long-standing puzzles about protein folding . the work of foldit is even helping to enhance science 's understanding of hiv . his new game , called eterna , does the same thing for rna sequencing . most important about these games , he says , is the fact that they 're fun . and by having fun , gamers also are helping improve the world . dominic muren , advocate for'maker'culture if you live in the western world , chances are you ca n't make much of anything . if you want a shirt , you buy it . if you want an internet connection , you buy a router . no one knows much about these processes -- well , no one except makers ' like dominic muren , who is creating a website to connect people who make things in the developing world with other people on the internet who might be able to help . the site , called alchematter.com , is expected to launch next summer . it will be yet another portal into a growing trend : people want to know where things come from and how they 're produced . increasingly , people like muren just want to make things for themselves . he grows plants in his yard in washington that he spins into shirts and sweaters . he hopes his website will support projects like one by amy sun at a group called fabfolk , which , among other things , helped makers in afghanistan create a localized version of the internet in their hometown . iain d. couzin , the locust whisperer why do fish swim in schools ? why do locusts fly in swarms ? couzin , a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at princeton university , is trying to understand how and why organisms function as a collective rather than individuals . he 's using new and innovative methods , from computer vision to xbox kinect cameras , to get at the answers . ( it turns out , for example , that locusts swam not because they love flying in giant clumps , but because they 're trying to eat each other -- and avoid being eaten by the locusts hot on their tails . ) there are practical applications to this work . one of couzin 's long-term goals , for example , is to understand locusts well enough to be able to predict their swarming patterns . that may sound like no big deal if you 're sitting in an american city and have n't seen a locust swarm this week -- or ever . but in lots of places , including africa , locust swarms severely impact people 's livelihoods . forecasts could help . aidan dwyer , 13-year-old solar scientist who knows what you were doing at age 13 , but i 'm guessing you were n't walking through the woods , looking at trees and noticing how the spiraling pattern of the branches follow a mathematical construct called the fibonacci sequence . dwyer was . for a school science project , this 13-year-old used these observations to design a new type of solar panel array that 's based on fibonacci and the structure of trees . the prototype looks like a tree with little solar panels at the tips of the branches . he says it catches more light and produces about 20 % more electricity than traditional solar panel arrangements . the discovery earned him a young naturalist award this year from the american museum of natural history ; and it got him plenty of high praise at poptech , with plenty of decades-older university types expressing awe at his work . | poptech is a yearly conference that focuses on tech and social change |
uganda <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a somali islamist militant movement on monday claimed responsibility for a trio of bombings that killed at least 74 people sunday at two venues in the ugandan capital , kampala , where crowds had gathered to watch the world cup final . and the best of men have promised and they have delivered , ' said an arabic statement issued by al-shabaab 's press office and obtained by cnn . blessed and exalted among men -- ( taking ) full responsibility . ... we wage war against the 6,000 collaborators ; they have received their response . ' the 6,000 is an apparent reference to african union peacekeepers in somalia . uganda contributes troops to the peacekeeping effort . we are behind the attack because we are at war with them , ' al-shabaab spokesman ali mohamoud rage told reporters at a news conference in mogadishu , somalia . we had given warning to the ugandans to refrain from their involvement in our country . we spoke to the leaders and we spoke to the people and they never listened to us . ' rage said young suicide bombers carried out the attacks but did not specify their nationalities . may allah accept these martyrs who carried out the blessed operation and exploded themselves in the middle of the infidels , ' he said . however , police chief maj. gen. kale kayihura told reporters arrests have been made in connection with the bombings . he would not say how many people have been arrested or provide details . earlier monday , sheikh abu al zubeir , identified as the emir of al-shabaab in somalia , ' said in an arabic website posting , my message to the ugandan and burundian nations is that you will be the target for our retribution to the massacres perpetrated against the somali men , women and children in mogadishu by your forces . ' the statement was posted on an al qaeda affiliated website that previously has carried statements and videos from al-shabaab . the website set up a page monday to receive congratulations ' on al-shabaab 's behalf for the blessed operations ' in uganda . suspicion had centered on somali islamist groups shortly after the explosions in kampala . islamic militants battling somalia 's u.n.-backed transitional government had previously threatened attacks on uganda and burundi . the u.n. security council said of the attacks in a statement monday : ' the members of the security council reaffirm that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal and unjustifiable , regardless of its motivation , wherever , whenever and by whomsoever committed , and further reaffirm the need to combat by all means , in accordance with the charter of the united nations , threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts . ' ugandan president yoweri museveni declared a week of national mourning for victims of the bombings , beginning tuesday , according to a government statement . all flags on public buildings will be lowered to half-staff during the mourning period , the statement said . eighty-five people were injured in the ugandan blasts , kayihura told reporters . they were transferred from the national hospital to a privately owned hospital in kampala , he said . u.s. officials said five americans were among the wounded . this incident shows that it was terrorism , ' he said . kayihura said he could not confirm that al-shabaab was responsible , but said the nature of the explosives used were consistent with the group . police are using forensics to analyze the explosives , he said , and will deliver a report in a day or two . the 74 fatalities included 28 ugandans , one irish citizen , one indian , one american and 11 people who are either ethiopian or eritrean , according to the ugandan government . if you want to fight , why do n't you attack soldiers or military installations instead of fighting innocent people watching football ? ' said museveni , who on monday visited a rugby sports center where two of the blasts occurred sunday . the blasts hit within 50 minutes of each other . the first one struck an ethiopian restaurant in a neighborhood dotted with bars and popular among expatriates . two others exploded at the rugby center . a senior ugandan government official confirmed there were three bombs . the second one at the rugby club was the most severe , said the official , who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media due to the sensitivity of the situation . the u.s. embassy confirmed the death of one american . an organization that works with children in uganda identified him as nate henn . in a post on its website , the organization invisible children said henn was in the country working with ugandan students . cnn could not independently verify the information . nate was not a glory-seeker and never sought the spotlight . he asked not to be made a hero of , ' the post said . but the life he lived inspires reflection and imitation . ' u.s. state department spokesman p.j . crowley said five other americans were hospitalized , and that two of them have serious injuries requiring significant medical attention . ' the state department is assisting in their medical evacuation , he said . mike hammer , a spokesman for the u.s. national security council , said president barack obama is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks . ' obama called museveni on monday morning and offered to provide support and assistance , white house spokesman robert gibbs said . i 'm told the fbi will assist in the investigation of the bombings . ' crowley said a three-person fbi team is on the ground collecting evidence , with another team standing by ready to assist . two diplomatic security officers also were en route to uganda . he added the state department has no reason to doubt al-shabaab 's claim of responsibility , saying the evidence so far at the attack scene would suggest an al-shabaab connection . ' museveni said , we wish to condemn the criminality of these attacks . from a casual look at the scene , i 'm confident police will be able to reconstruct the crime scene . ... we shall go after them because we know where they come from . ' the bombings , he said , show criminality and terrorism has always been hovering over us . ' in a government statement , somali president sharif sheikh ahmed said he condemns in the strongest terms the despicable terrorist acts that killed over 60 people in kampala . ' the fact that the victims were enjoying the world cup reveals the evil and ugly nature of the perpetrators and the need to uproot from [ the ] region those who do not value the sanctity of human life , ' the statement said . the president also denounces the fringe al-shabaab terrorist groups [ that ] rejoice of the carnage and stated that somalia mourns with the brotherly people of uganda . ' stone atwine was watching the game at the rugby center when the blast occurred . it happened toward the 90th minute of the game ... this loud explosion , ' he said . we did n't know what was happening , we were running around , scampering for safety . i saw dead guys still seated in their chairs with blood . ' atwine said a second explosion struck the venue seconds later , knocking out power . at that point , we ran off . my friends and i ran into the car and drove off . ' relatives flocked to hospitals and mortuaries to look for loved ones monday . i was watching the game with my brother at the rugby center , ' said ian lule , who was among a group gathered at a city hospital . the blast left him unconscious . i do n't know how he is . ' in the capital , crowds huddled around newspapers , talking in hushed tones . everyone is shocked , everyone is talking about it , ' said mark keith muhumuza , who was watching the game at a stadium near the rubgy center explosion . we were in panic mode at the stadium because we thought we would be attacked next . ' muhumuza said when the game ended , he went to the rugby center . people were wailing , some were trying to find their relatives , others were trying to run away from the scene . ' you can never stop attacks in the world , ' said fifa president sepp blatter . during the world cup , the world should have been touched by the emotions of football . i 'm very sad and i was very touched . ' i deplore what has happened and look forward to the good that football can bring to our world . ' the sites of the bombings remained cordoned off as authorities intensified security in the east african nation . police and military forces patrolled the capital . some of the injured at the restaurant included six members of an american church mission working with a local congregation , according to the rev . kathleen kind , pastor of christ community united methodist church in selinsgrove , pennsylvania . all the church members were accounted for and families had been contacted , kind said . their injuries ranged from broken bones and flesh wounds to temporary blindness and hearing problems , she said . kayihura said the bombings could have been avoided if the two venues had used security measures such as metal detectors and guards . the african union summit is scheduled to be held in kampala next week . cnn 's faith karimi and journalists samson ntale , mohamed amiin adow , naisenya leposo and nima elbagir contributed to this report . | death toll from uganda bombings at 74 , including one american |
uganda <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a somali islamist militant movement on monday claimed responsibility for a trio of bombings that killed at least 74 people sunday at two venues in the ugandan capital , kampala , where crowds had gathered to watch the world cup final . and the best of men have promised and they have delivered , ' said an arabic statement issued by al-shabaab 's press office and obtained by cnn . blessed and exalted among men -- ( taking ) full responsibility . ... we wage war against the 6,000 collaborators ; they have received their response . ' the 6,000 is an apparent reference to african union peacekeepers in somalia . uganda contributes troops to the peacekeeping effort . we are behind the attack because we are at war with them , ' al-shabaab spokesman ali mohamoud rage told reporters at a news conference in mogadishu , somalia . we had given warning to the ugandans to refrain from their involvement in our country . we spoke to the leaders and we spoke to the people and they never listened to us . ' rage said young suicide bombers carried out the attacks but did not specify their nationalities . may allah accept these martyrs who carried out the blessed operation and exploded themselves in the middle of the infidels , ' he said . however , police chief maj. gen. kale kayihura told reporters arrests have been made in connection with the bombings . he would not say how many people have been arrested or provide details . earlier monday , sheikh abu al zubeir , identified as the emir of al-shabaab in somalia , ' said in an arabic website posting , my message to the ugandan and burundian nations is that you will be the target for our retribution to the massacres perpetrated against the somali men , women and children in mogadishu by your forces . ' the statement was posted on an al qaeda affiliated website that previously has carried statements and videos from al-shabaab . the website set up a page monday to receive congratulations ' on al-shabaab 's behalf for the blessed operations ' in uganda . suspicion had centered on somali islamist groups shortly after the explosions in kampala . islamic militants battling somalia 's u.n.-backed transitional government had previously threatened attacks on uganda and burundi . the u.n. security council said of the attacks in a statement monday : ' the members of the security council reaffirm that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal and unjustifiable , regardless of its motivation , wherever , whenever and by whomsoever committed , and further reaffirm the need to combat by all means , in accordance with the charter of the united nations , threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts . ' ugandan president yoweri museveni declared a week of national mourning for victims of the bombings , beginning tuesday , according to a government statement . all flags on public buildings will be lowered to half-staff during the mourning period , the statement said . eighty-five people were injured in the ugandan blasts , kayihura told reporters . they were transferred from the national hospital to a privately owned hospital in kampala , he said . u.s. officials said five americans were among the wounded . this incident shows that it was terrorism , ' he said . kayihura said he could not confirm that al-shabaab was responsible , but said the nature of the explosives used were consistent with the group . police are using forensics to analyze the explosives , he said , and will deliver a report in a day or two . the 74 fatalities included 28 ugandans , one irish citizen , one indian , one american and 11 people who are either ethiopian or eritrean , according to the ugandan government . if you want to fight , why do n't you attack soldiers or military installations instead of fighting innocent people watching football ? ' said museveni , who on monday visited a rugby sports center where two of the blasts occurred sunday . the blasts hit within 50 minutes of each other . the first one struck an ethiopian restaurant in a neighborhood dotted with bars and popular among expatriates . two others exploded at the rugby center . a senior ugandan government official confirmed there were three bombs . the second one at the rugby club was the most severe , said the official , who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media due to the sensitivity of the situation . the u.s. embassy confirmed the death of one american . an organization that works with children in uganda identified him as nate henn . in a post on its website , the organization invisible children said henn was in the country working with ugandan students . cnn could not independently verify the information . nate was not a glory-seeker and never sought the spotlight . he asked not to be made a hero of , ' the post said . but the life he lived inspires reflection and imitation . ' u.s. state department spokesman p.j . crowley said five other americans were hospitalized , and that two of them have serious injuries requiring significant medical attention . ' the state department is assisting in their medical evacuation , he said . mike hammer , a spokesman for the u.s. national security council , said president barack obama is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks . ' obama called museveni on monday morning and offered to provide support and assistance , white house spokesman robert gibbs said . i 'm told the fbi will assist in the investigation of the bombings . ' crowley said a three-person fbi team is on the ground collecting evidence , with another team standing by ready to assist . two diplomatic security officers also were en route to uganda . he added the state department has no reason to doubt al-shabaab 's claim of responsibility , saying the evidence so far at the attack scene would suggest an al-shabaab connection . ' museveni said , we wish to condemn the criminality of these attacks . from a casual look at the scene , i 'm confident police will be able to reconstruct the crime scene . ... we shall go after them because we know where they come from . ' the bombings , he said , show criminality and terrorism has always been hovering over us . ' in a government statement , somali president sharif sheikh ahmed said he condemns in the strongest terms the despicable terrorist acts that killed over 60 people in kampala . ' the fact that the victims were enjoying the world cup reveals the evil and ugly nature of the perpetrators and the need to uproot from [ the ] region those who do not value the sanctity of human life , ' the statement said . the president also denounces the fringe al-shabaab terrorist groups [ that ] rejoice of the carnage and stated that somalia mourns with the brotherly people of uganda . ' stone atwine was watching the game at the rugby center when the blast occurred . it happened toward the 90th minute of the game ... this loud explosion , ' he said . we did n't know what was happening , we were running around , scampering for safety . i saw dead guys still seated in their chairs with blood . ' atwine said a second explosion struck the venue seconds later , knocking out power . at that point , we ran off . my friends and i ran into the car and drove off . ' relatives flocked to hospitals and mortuaries to look for loved ones monday . i was watching the game with my brother at the rugby center , ' said ian lule , who was among a group gathered at a city hospital . the blast left him unconscious . i do n't know how he is . ' in the capital , crowds huddled around newspapers , talking in hushed tones . everyone is shocked , everyone is talking about it , ' said mark keith muhumuza , who was watching the game at a stadium near the rubgy center explosion . we were in panic mode at the stadium because we thought we would be attacked next . ' muhumuza said when the game ended , he went to the rugby center . people were wailing , some were trying to find their relatives , others were trying to run away from the scene . ' you can never stop attacks in the world , ' said fifa president sepp blatter . during the world cup , the world should have been touched by the emotions of football . i 'm very sad and i was very touched . ' i deplore what has happened and look forward to the good that football can bring to our world . ' the sites of the bombings remained cordoned off as authorities intensified security in the east african nation . police and military forces patrolled the capital . some of the injured at the restaurant included six members of an american church mission working with a local congregation , according to the rev . kathleen kind , pastor of christ community united methodist church in selinsgrove , pennsylvania . all the church members were accounted for and families had been contacted , kind said . their injuries ranged from broken bones and flesh wounds to temporary blindness and hearing problems , she said . kayihura said the bombings could have been avoided if the two venues had used security measures such as metal detectors and guards . the african union summit is scheduled to be held in kampala next week . cnn 's faith karimi and journalists samson ntale , mohamed amiin adow , naisenya leposo and nima elbagir contributed to this report . | somali islamist militant spokesman says uganda had been warned |
islamist <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a somali islamist militant movement on monday claimed responsibility for a trio of bombings that killed at least 74 people sunday at two venues in the ugandan capital , kampala , where crowds had gathered to watch the world cup final . and the best of men have promised and they have delivered , ' said an arabic statement issued by al-shabaab 's press office and obtained by cnn . blessed and exalted among men -- ( taking ) full responsibility . ... we wage war against the 6,000 collaborators ; they have received their response . ' the 6,000 is an apparent reference to african union peacekeepers in somalia . uganda contributes troops to the peacekeeping effort . we are behind the attack because we are at war with them , ' al-shabaab spokesman ali mohamoud rage told reporters at a news conference in mogadishu , somalia . we had given warning to the ugandans to refrain from their involvement in our country . we spoke to the leaders and we spoke to the people and they never listened to us . ' rage said young suicide bombers carried out the attacks but did not specify their nationalities . may allah accept these martyrs who carried out the blessed operation and exploded themselves in the middle of the infidels , ' he said . however , police chief maj. gen. kale kayihura told reporters arrests have been made in connection with the bombings . he would not say how many people have been arrested or provide details . earlier monday , sheikh abu al zubeir , identified as the emir of al-shabaab in somalia , ' said in an arabic website posting , my message to the ugandan and burundian nations is that you will be the target for our retribution to the massacres perpetrated against the somali men , women and children in mogadishu by your forces . ' the statement was posted on an al qaeda affiliated website that previously has carried statements and videos from al-shabaab . the website set up a page monday to receive congratulations ' on al-shabaab 's behalf for the blessed operations ' in uganda . suspicion had centered on somali islamist groups shortly after the explosions in kampala . islamic militants battling somalia 's u.n.-backed transitional government had previously threatened attacks on uganda and burundi . the u.n. security council said of the attacks in a statement monday : ' the members of the security council reaffirm that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is criminal and unjustifiable , regardless of its motivation , wherever , whenever and by whomsoever committed , and further reaffirm the need to combat by all means , in accordance with the charter of the united nations , threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts . ' ugandan president yoweri museveni declared a week of national mourning for victims of the bombings , beginning tuesday , according to a government statement . all flags on public buildings will be lowered to half-staff during the mourning period , the statement said . eighty-five people were injured in the ugandan blasts , kayihura told reporters . they were transferred from the national hospital to a privately owned hospital in kampala , he said . u.s. officials said five americans were among the wounded . this incident shows that it was terrorism , ' he said . kayihura said he could not confirm that al-shabaab was responsible , but said the nature of the explosives used were consistent with the group . police are using forensics to analyze the explosives , he said , and will deliver a report in a day or two . the 74 fatalities included 28 ugandans , one irish citizen , one indian , one american and 11 people who are either ethiopian or eritrean , according to the ugandan government . if you want to fight , why do n't you attack soldiers or military installations instead of fighting innocent people watching football ? ' said museveni , who on monday visited a rugby sports center where two of the blasts occurred sunday . the blasts hit within 50 minutes of each other . the first one struck an ethiopian restaurant in a neighborhood dotted with bars and popular among expatriates . two others exploded at the rugby center . a senior ugandan government official confirmed there were three bombs . the second one at the rugby club was the most severe , said the official , who did not want to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media due to the sensitivity of the situation . the u.s. embassy confirmed the death of one american . an organization that works with children in uganda identified him as nate henn . in a post on its website , the organization invisible children said henn was in the country working with ugandan students . cnn could not independently verify the information . nate was not a glory-seeker and never sought the spotlight . he asked not to be made a hero of , ' the post said . but the life he lived inspires reflection and imitation . ' u.s. state department spokesman p.j . crowley said five other americans were hospitalized , and that two of them have serious injuries requiring significant medical attention . ' the state department is assisting in their medical evacuation , he said . mike hammer , a spokesman for the u.s. national security council , said president barack obama is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks . ' obama called museveni on monday morning and offered to provide support and assistance , white house spokesman robert gibbs said . i 'm told the fbi will assist in the investigation of the bombings . ' crowley said a three-person fbi team is on the ground collecting evidence , with another team standing by ready to assist . two diplomatic security officers also were en route to uganda . he added the state department has no reason to doubt al-shabaab 's claim of responsibility , saying the evidence so far at the attack scene would suggest an al-shabaab connection . ' museveni said , we wish to condemn the criminality of these attacks . from a casual look at the scene , i 'm confident police will be able to reconstruct the crime scene . ... we shall go after them because we know where they come from . ' the bombings , he said , show criminality and terrorism has always been hovering over us . ' in a government statement , somali president sharif sheikh ahmed said he condemns in the strongest terms the despicable terrorist acts that killed over 60 people in kampala . ' the fact that the victims were enjoying the world cup reveals the evil and ugly nature of the perpetrators and the need to uproot from [ the ] region those who do not value the sanctity of human life , ' the statement said . the president also denounces the fringe al-shabaab terrorist groups [ that ] rejoice of the carnage and stated that somalia mourns with the brotherly people of uganda . ' stone atwine was watching the game at the rugby center when the blast occurred . it happened toward the 90th minute of the game ... this loud explosion , ' he said . we did n't know what was happening , we were running around , scampering for safety . i saw dead guys still seated in their chairs with blood . ' atwine said a second explosion struck the venue seconds later , knocking out power . at that point , we ran off . my friends and i ran into the car and drove off . ' relatives flocked to hospitals and mortuaries to look for loved ones monday . i was watching the game with my brother at the rugby center , ' said ian lule , who was among a group gathered at a city hospital . the blast left him unconscious . i do n't know how he is . ' in the capital , crowds huddled around newspapers , talking in hushed tones . everyone is shocked , everyone is talking about it , ' said mark keith muhumuza , who was watching the game at a stadium near the rubgy center explosion . we were in panic mode at the stadium because we thought we would be attacked next . ' muhumuza said when the game ended , he went to the rugby center . people were wailing , some were trying to find their relatives , others were trying to run away from the scene . ' you can never stop attacks in the world , ' said fifa president sepp blatter . during the world cup , the world should have been touched by the emotions of football . i 'm very sad and i was very touched . ' i deplore what has happened and look forward to the good that football can bring to our world . ' the sites of the bombings remained cordoned off as authorities intensified security in the east african nation . police and military forces patrolled the capital . some of the injured at the restaurant included six members of an american church mission working with a local congregation , according to the rev . kathleen kind , pastor of christ community united methodist church in selinsgrove , pennsylvania . all the church members were accounted for and families had been contacted , kind said . their injuries ranged from broken bones and flesh wounds to temporary blindness and hearing problems , she said . kayihura said the bombings could have been avoided if the two venues had used security measures such as metal detectors and guards . the african union summit is scheduled to be held in kampala next week . cnn 's faith karimi and journalists samson ntale , mohamed amiin adow , naisenya leposo and nima elbagir contributed to this report . | somali islamist militant spokesman says uganda had been warned |
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